[IslamCity] Scholars Threaten Boycott Over Anti-prophet Cartoons
- Original Message -
From: Mahmudul
Hasan
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Witness Pioneer
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2006 3:32 AM
Subject: [Dahuk]: Scholars Threaten Boycott Over Anti-prophet
Cartoons
Scholars Threaten Boycott Over Anti-prophet
Cartoons
"We urge the officials in
Denmark and Norway
to take a firm stance against these repeated insults," said
the union chaired by Sheikh
Qaradawi.
By Adel Abdel Halim, IOL Correspondent
CAIRO, January 21, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) The
International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) threatened on Saturday, January
21, to call for a boycott of Danish and Norwegian products over the publication
of controversial anti-Prophet cartoons in both Scandinavian countries.
"We urge the officials in Denmark and Norway
to take a firm stance against these repeated insults to the Muslim
nation and the prophet followed by 1.3 billion people across the globe," read a
statement by the Dublin-based body, a copy of which was mailed to
IslamOnline.net on Saturday, January 21.
"Otherwise the IUMS will be forced to urge millions of
Muslims across the world to boycott all Danish and Norwegian products and
activities."
The union asked Arab and Muslim countries to boycott an
upcoming Middle East exhibition organized by the Danish Center for Culture and Development
(DCCD).
Twelve drawings depicting Prophet Muhammad in different
settings appeared in Denmark 's largest circulation daily
Jyllands-Posten on September 30.
In one of the drawings, an image assumed to be that of the
prophet appeared with a turban shaped like a bomb strapped to his head.
The controversial cartoons have been reprinted in a
Norwegian magazine on January 10.
The images, considered blasphemous under Islam, have drawn
rebuke from Muslim minorities in both countries and triggered a diplomatic
crisis with Arab and Muslim countries.
Not Enough
The IUMS demanded a clear apology for the blasphemous
cartoons, saying recent remarks by Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen were not
enough.
"The prime minister only reaffirmed commitment to freedom of
_expression_ and condemned any statement or acts against certain groups or people
because of their religion or ethnicity," read the statement.
In a New Year address translated into Arabic and distributed
to Middle Eastern countries, Rasmussen said "free speech should be
exercised in such a manner that we do not incite hatred and cause fragmentation
of the community that is one of Denmark 's strengths."
The IUMS said the "un-clear statements" were part of an
attempt to avoid directly addressing the issue of the anti-prophet cartoons by
speaking about minorities in general terms.
"This hurts the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims
around the world as well as those of the some 180,000 Danish Muslims who
represent three percent of the population."
The union asked Arab and Muslim governments to exercise all
possible political and diplomatic pressures on the Danish and Norwegian
governments to grind to a halt such organized anti-Islam campaigns.
The IUMS was launched in July of last year in the British
capital London
as an independent body and a reference for all Muslims worldwide with
prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi as its chair.
Al-Azhar, the highest seat of religious learning in the
Sunni world, has vowed to raise the issue of the provocative caricatures with
the UN and international human rights organizations.
A five-member delegation representing 21 Islamic centers and
organizations in Denmark has recently toured a number
of Arab and Muslim countries to drum up support for their case.
Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, a prominent Muslim figure in
Denmark , told IOL on Friday,
November 18, that the Muslim minority in Denmark
wants to "internationalize" the issue
of the cartoons to head off similar anti-Islam campaigns in the future.
Islam is Denmark 's second largest religion after the
Lutheran
Protestant Church , which is actively followed by
four-fifths of the country's population.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-01/21/article06.shtml(22
Jan 06)
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By
[IslamCity] Brains not Body -- !!Criteria for Tatarstan Miss Muslim
- Original Message -
From: Mohsina
Mahmuda
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 10:11 PM
Subject: [Dahuk]: Brains not Body !!
[MN: A very good approach. Let us shoot for making such effort
popular in Muslim countries]
Brains not Body Criteria for Tatarstan "Miss
Muslim"
"You can be a Muslim and still do
whatever you want as long as it is moral and respectable," said Sadiqova.
By Damir Ahmed, IOL Correspondent
MOSCOW , January 21, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Morality and impressive
knowledge of Islam and other subjects were the basic criteria for choosing Dilar
Sadiqova as "Miss Muslim" in the eastern European country of
Tatarstan.
"I decided to take part in the competition to convey the message that you
can be a Muslim and still do whatever you want as long as it is moral and
respectable," Sadiqova told reporters after her acceptance speech.
"Thus, non-Muslims can have an undistorted vision of our religion," added
the 17-year-old high school student, who wish to be a school teacher.
There was no room in the competition for girls in swimsuits like the
traditional beauty pageants, but modestly-dressed and hijab-donned girls in
demure smiles, the organizers told IslamOnline.net.
Brains and religiosity set the tone for the unprecedented contest in
Tatarstan, where Muslims make up 60 percent of the countrys four million
population.
The competition included Quran memorization and recitation tests, as
well as a set of questions, testing cultural mettle of the 56
contesters.
They also took cooking and sewing tests for more points.
Only eight girls, aged 15-19, made it to the finals of the cut-throat
competition.
The ceremony was held at the Celebrations Hall of the Grand Mosque in the
capital city of Kazan . The audience were all females.
Encouraging Hijab
Saida Abukofa, the head of the jury, said the competition aims to
encourage more Muslim girls who do not wear hijab to take on the Islamic dress
code.
"They see their Muslim peers who wear hijab as beautiful, well-educated
and religious," she added.
"We want to show that beauty has nothing to do with nudity and
obscenity."
Under Islam, beauty contests in which womens `awrah (parts of the body
which should not be exposed in front of others) is uncovered, are
prohibited.
Muslim scholars have called on Muslim countries to organize a "Miss
Morality" competition to offset the increasing interest by Muslim nations in
Western-styled beauty contests.
Source:Islamonline.net
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
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[IslamCity] Qur'an Brings Smile to Chechen Refugees in Austria
From: Mahmudul Hasan
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 2:09 PM
Subject: Qur'an Brings Smile to Chechen Refugees in Austria
Qur'an Brings Smile to Chechen Refugees in Austria
A Chechen woman carries a copy of Qur'an.
By Ahmed Al-Matboli, IOL Correspondent
VIENNA, January 18, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) - Austrian Muslims have brought a
smile to dozens of Chechen faces who sought refuge in the European country with
the distribution of much-needed Russian translations of the meanings of the
Noble Qur'an.
We aim to closely knit Chechen families to their faith and to educate them
about Shari`ah and teach them Arabic to protect them from a ferocious
proselytizing campaign in the country, Fareed Soliman, who supervises the
distribution of the copies, told IslamOnline.net Tuesday, January 17.
Soliman, a physician, said 100 copies have been handed to 20 Chechen families
in a refugee camp outside the capital city of Vienna.
A Chechen woman refugee, who requested anonymity, said that her peers are
vulnerable to Christian proselytizers.
Church representatives are visiting us on a weekly basis, but we give them a
rowdy reception because we know their real intentions, she told IOL, adding
that they were trying their best to protect young generations.
Each mosque in Vienna also has now a copy to meet the needs of Chechen
worshippers.
I was approached by a Chechen the other day and at first glance I though he
was seeking shelter or cash, but I found out that he needed a Qur'an, which
moved me greatly, said Mohsen Ali, an engineer based in Vienna.
Sheikh Othman, a Chechen researcher in Shari`ah, said an Al-Azhar institute in
Vienna will assign Chechen tutors to teach children Arabic and help them
memorize the Noble Qur'an thanks to Austrian Muslims.
Muslims are estimated at 400,000 in Austria of the country's eight million
population. Islam, which was officially recognized in Austria in 1912 during
the reign of Czar Franz Joseph, is considered the second religion in the
country after Catholicism.
Chechen Mosque
An Austrian Muslim volunteer distributes copies of Qur'an in a Chechen
refugee camp.
But the most pressing demand by Chechens is to have a mosque in which sermons
and lectures are delivered in Russian, the mother tongue of the vast majority
of Chechen refugees.
Austrian Muslims had already raised funds for the mosque, but still need much
more to get basic amenities like electricity and heating systems.
There are between 18 and 20 thousand Chechen refugees in Austria's nine states.
Vienna alone is home to six thousands.
Only three Chechens have been granted Austrian citizenship so far, Sheikh
Othman noted.
Refugees are grateful to the Austrian government for the kind treatment. The
Refugees Authority provides Chechens with halal food and alcohol-free drinks.
The government body already pays each refugee in the country, whether Chechen
or not, a monthly sum of 40 euros in addition to a makeshift shelter and daily
hot meals.
The small mountainous republic of Chechnya has been ravaged by conflict since
1994, with just three years of relative peace after the first Russian invasion
of the region ended in August 1996 and the second began in October 1999.
At least 100,000 Chechen civilians and 10,000 Russian troops are estimated to
have been killed in both invasions, but human rights groups have said the real
numbers could be much higher.
The wars have forced up to half a million Chechens to flee the country to
neighboring and European countries. Women, who lost their husbands to the wars,
make up most of the refugees.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-01/18/article01.shtml (19 Jan 06)
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in
His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites
(men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I
am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if
Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of
camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever
calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the
[IslamCity] Book Review: The Place of Tolerance of Islam by Khaled Abou El Fadl
- Original Message - From: Dr. M. Farooq To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [NABIC-L] Book Review: The Place of Tolerance of Islam by Khaled Abou El Fadl Salam and greetings. Muslims themselves are examining the problems in a self-critical manner. The Place of Tolerance in Islam is an outstanding scholarly work in this context. A must reading, especially for Muslims. Prof. Khaled Abou el Fadl is a distinguished fellow in Islamic law at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm THE PLACE OF TOLERANCE IN ISLAM. By Khaled Abou El Fadl, with Tariq Ali, Milton Viorst, John Esposito and others. Beacon Press, $15 paperback; 112 pp. MUSLIMS riot in Nigeria over the Miss World contest, killing more than 200. Muslims bomb a nightclub in Bali, killing nearly 200. Muslims plot to release poison gas in the London Underground. Muslims attack a Hindu temple in Kashmir, killing 12 and wounding scores. The stories go on and on. It would be easy to conclude, President Bush's appeals aside, that a large part of the world's terrorism problem today is the fault of Muslims and, by extension, their religion: Islam. If you think that -- if you even think about thinking that -- reading The Place of Tolerance in Islam is a moral and intellectual duty to yourself. Excellently organized, it delivers a startling thesis: Don't blame Islam for today's hateful, violent Muslims, theological illiterates who don't understand their own religion and constantly distort and vulgarize it. The Place of Tolerance in Islam begins with a taut, scholarly title essay by Khaled Abou El Fadl, a distinguished fellow in Islamic law at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law. In it he argues that the "essential lesson taught by Islamic history is that extremist groups are ejected from the mainstream of Islam." Following his essay, 11 experts comment briefly, then the author replies. Traditional Islamic jurists, Abou El Fadl writes, "tolerated and even celebrated divergent opinions and schools of thought." But as Muslim states grew centralized and autocratic, Muslim clergy lost their legitimacy, producing "a profound vacuum in religious authority" and "a state of virtual anarchy in modern Islam." As a result, amateurish interpretations of Islam, exemplified by Osama bin Laden's murderous hostility toward non-Muslims (which contravenes the entire thrust of the Koran, according to Abou El Fadl), gained sway over theologically illiterate Muslims angry about being losers in today's globalized world and eager to vent their anger on First World winners. Like many Muslim scholars in the wake of Sept. 11, Abou El Fadl especially skewers Wahhabism, the puritanical revision of Islam propagated by the Saudi monarchy. While Wahhabism claims to be the "straight path" of Islam, it is, suggests Abou El Fadl, an irresponsible form of Islam, forged in the 18th-century slaughter of Muslims and non-Muslims alike. To call it "fundamentalist" is misleading, since it flouts fundamental Islamic truths, distorting Islam by rejecting "any attempt to interpret the divine law historically or contextually." To demonstrate that, Abou El Fadl helpfully discusses relevant Koranic chapter and verse. The Koran, he shows, declares diversity among peoples to be Allah's divine intent and explicitly states that Jews and Christians -- not just Muslims -- may achieve salvation. The Koran opposes forced, Taliban-style conversion of others to Islam. Far from sanctioning "holy war," Abou El Fadl reports, the Koran does not even use the phrase. On the contrary, it entertains the possibility that in a conflict with a non-Muslim, "the Muslim combatant might be the unjust party." There's more eye-opening Koranic "fact" here. The Koran warns Muslims that the injustice of others does not permit them to be unjust in return. Classical Muslim jurists considered guerrillas who attack innocent civilians "corrupters of the earth and criminals," guilty of "especially heinous crimes." Alternate interpretations of the Koran that urge violence against innocents, Abou El Fadl argues, require poorly informed, isolationist readings of a line here, a line there. To show that, he cites the ambiguous verses by which murderous Muslims justify their acts, and their deceitful ignoring of everything Koranic that prohibits their acts. All Koranic injunctions, Abou El Fadl insists, must square with the holy book's "general moral imperatives such as mercy, justice, kindness." He concludes, "If the reader is intolerant, hateful, or oppressive, so will be the interpretation." The 11 reactions to Abou El Fadl's essay range from Milton Viorst's high praise (a "brilliant" explanation of why Muslims are "on the brink of becoming a permanent global underclass") to Abid
[IslamCity] Fw: Palestinians Deserve Respect, Support: Guardian
- Original Message -
From: Mahmudul
Hasan
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Witness Pioneer
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 9:55 PM
Subject: Palestinians Deserve Respect, Support: Guardian
Palestinians Deserve Respect, Support:
Guardian
Supporters of Hamas celebrate the
election results inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Al-Quds.
(Reuters)
CAIRO, January 27, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) The
Palestinians deserve respect and support as their real democratic
legislative elections proved that civil society in Palestine is more
vibrant than anywhere else in the region and owes nothing to Washington's
selective efforts to promote democracy out there, Britain's
mass-circulation the Guardian commented on Friday, January
27.
"Today's priority is to accept that Palestinians have
spoken freely. They deserve respect and support," the British daily
said.
It said that Wednesday's election proved that the
Palestinian politics has its own dynamics, dictated not by outside
pressure but the social and economic demands of ordinary people in
appalling conditions.
The resistance group Hamas swept the Palestinian
legislative elections, winning 76 seats in the 133-seat Palestinian
Legislative Council, nearly 57.6 percent of the seats up for
grabs.
The daily said that the elections were a more
impressive _expression_ of democracy and freedom than any other in the
Middle East.
"The poll was a more impressive display of democracy
than any other in the region, outstripping last year's votes in Lebanon
and Iraq both in turnout and the range of views that candidates
represented.
"Whereas in Iraq parties that opposed the occupation
had to downplay or even obscure their views, Palestinian supporters of
armed resistance to Israel's expansionist strategies were able to run
openly," it said.
Much Fuss
The British daily said Europeans were making much fuss
about Hamas's refusal to accept Israel.
"History and international politics do not march in
tidy simultaneous steps. For decades Israel refused even to recognize the
existence of the Palestinian people, just as Turkey did not recognize the
Kurds," it said.
The paper said until 15 years ago the Palestinians had
to be smuggled to international summits as part of Jordan's
delegation.
The Guardian said that Hamas could disarm
itself and recognize Israel in future.
"That will be the end of the process of establishing a
just modus vivendi for Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East. It
cannot be the first step."
On Thursday, the United States and European Union have
stepped up pressures on Hamas to accept Israel after the group's stunning
election victory.
"Encouraging Hamas"
The British daily further urged the Europeans to
"encourage Hamas" and not to get hung up on wrong issues such as the armed
resistance and the so-called "war on terror."
"Murdering a Palestinian politician by a long-range
attack that is bound also to kill innocent civilians is morally and
legally no better than a suicide bomb on a bus," it said, citing the
example of senior Hamas figure Mahmud Al-Zahar.
"He has felt the occupation on his skin. His wife was
paralyzed and his eldest son killed by an Israeli F-16 attack on his house
in 2003. Zahar was in the garden and lucky to survive."
The paper also warned of cutting off EU aid to the
Palestinian Authority after Hamas's win.
"Any cut-off in EU aid would only be a gift to
Israel's hardliners," it said.
"You cannot use European taxpayers' money to
strengthen Palestinian institutions while privately wanting reforms to
fail. Hamas should be encouraged in aiming to be more honest than its
predecessors."
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-01/27/article06.shtml(27
Jan 06)
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Autos
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy
[IslamCity] Hamas victory redraws political map of Middle East
Dear Editor and members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.I am forwarding a political commentary from Al - Ahram wekly's current issue for publication/information. Shah Abdul Hannan Hamas victory redraws political map of Middle East By Nidal al-Mughrabi Click to view caption HAMAS VICTORIOUS: Palestinian supporters of Hamas wave Hamas flags as they celebrate the election results during a rally in the West Bank City of Hebron January 26, 2006. (Stoyan Nenov/Reuters) A vote for change Ending an era Raise the vote The third PLO Khaled Meshal profile Hamas swept to victory over the long-dominant Fatah party on Thursday in Palestinian parliamentary polls, and Israel immediately ruled out talks with any government involving the Islamic militant group. Hamas won an overwhelming majority in the 132-seat legislature, taking 76 seats to Fatah's 43 in Wednesday's election, the official vote count showed. It gives Hamas the power to shape and possibly even lead the next cabinet. The landslide took even Hamas officials by surprise. "When we took part in the elections we honestly expected to win but we did not expect to win by so much," said Osama Hamdan, the group's representative in Lebanon. "Sixty seats makes a winner, but winning by this large majority means the Palestinian people have given us a high level of confidence and put a heavy responsibility in our hands." The biggest party in parliament can veto the president's choice of prime minister. Hamas called for immediate talks among factions to discuss a new government and Palestinian officials said President Mahmoud Abbas would ask Hamas to form one. But Fatah leaders said they wanted no part in such a coalition. Firing in the air, Fatah gunmen in Gaza City vented their anger at Hamas's victory. They blamed Abbas and party bigwigs for the loss and called on them to resign. In a clear message to Hamas, Abbas stressed that any government would have to follow his own program to negotiate with Israel for Palestinian statehood. The moderate Fatah leader has said he might resign if he cannot pursue a peace agenda. U.S. President George W. Bush appealed to Abbas to stay in office and vowed Washington would not deal with an armed Palestinian group advocating Israel's destruction. Hamas rebuffed demands to disarm and change its charter. "Today we woke up and the sky was a different color. We have entered a new era," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, of Fatah, said after Hamas claimed victory. Fatah loyalists clashed with triumphant Hamas supporters who briefly raised their green flags at the entrance to the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah. Fatah activists trampled on one of the banners when it was lowered. Shots were fired nearby. In Gaza City, Fatah gunmen fired volleys in the air and demanded the resignation of Abbas and the party's old guard. Hamas told its supporters to leave the streets to avoid clashes. With peace talks stalled since 2000, and Israel and Hamas bitter enemies, Israel's Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could opt for unilateral moves to determine Israel's borders on land that the Palestinians want for a state. It has already pulled its settlers out of the Gaza Strip without negotiations. Israel rejects talks Olmert, who took over from Ariel Sharon after he suffered a stroke three weeks ago, said in a statement Israel would not negotiate with a Palestinian government that included members "of an armed terror organization that calls for Israel's destruction." Hamas, whose support among Palestinians is based partly on its suicide bombings against Israel, geared its election campaign to public frustration over Fatah's failure to achieve statehood and its reputation for corruption. The Islamic group's charity network in the impoverished Gaza Strip and in the West Bank also boosted its popularity. "Hamas did not win because people loved Hamas, but because people were taking revenge against the past years of Fatah rule," said Adel al-Helo, 41, a Gaza shopkeeper. Leaders of the EU, the biggest donor to the aid-dependent Palestinian Authority, said that Hamas must renounce violence and recognize Israel or risk international isolation. In Washington, Bush said Hamas's victory was a sign that Palestinians were unhappy with the status quo and showed democracy at work, which was positive for the Middle East. But he stuck firmly to the U.S. view of Hamas as a terrorist group. It has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings in Israel since the latest uprising began over five years ago. "I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your platform," Bush told a news conference. "You can't be a partner in peace if ... your party has got an armed wing." The United States is the main sponsor of the
[IslamCity] Hamas Urges National Unity, Defends Right to Resist
Dear editor/members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. Please see below the prewss conference speech of Hamas ( who will form the new government in Palestine ) leaderKhaled Meshaal. It is a responsible speech from a mature leader.The U. S. and other powers should co-operate with Hamas to end occupation. Shah Abdul Hannan Hamas Urges National Unity, Defends Right to Resist "We are willing to form an army like every independent country though we are still under occupation," said Meshaal. (Reuters) CAIRO, January 28, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on Saturday, January 28, held out a hand to vanquished Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) for a national partnership serving the welfare of the Palestinian people, asserting that resistance in no way contradicts the political game. "Our top priority now is consulting with Fatah and Abu Mazen who helped render the Palestinian legislative elections a success to reach a national partnership," Meshaal told a press conference in the Syrian capital Damascus, two days after his group swept the polls. "We are not in an awkward situation or a weak position to seek such a partnership, but we need each other to serve our people and cause and not to achieve personal gains." Meshaal asserted that the electoral victory came as no surprise to his group, attributing it to "well organization and good planning." Hamas swept the parliamentary elections, winning 76 seats in the 133-seat Palestinian Legislative Council, nearly 57.6 percent of the seats up for grabs. Under the law, President Abbas must ask the largest party in the new parliament to form the next government. Much Ado Meshaal urged Hamas supporters to hold low-profile celebrations and respect feelings of defeated Fatah activists. (Reuters) Meshaal said there is too much ado about an internal Palestinian crisis, though admitting tensions with Fatah. "I dont want to play down current tensions between Fatah and Hamas," said the Hamas leader. Clashes were reported Friday between Fatah and Hamas activists in the Gaza Strip. Furious Fatah supporters stormed their way into the Gaza parliament compound Friday, setting a number of cars ablaze and calling for the Fatah leadership to step down following the humiliating defeat. Meshaal urged jubilant followers and supporters of his group "to hold low-profile celebrations to respect the feelings of their brothers in Fatah and allow no room for complacency." Meshaal asserted that Hamas will swing into action and introduce promised reforms in the Palestinian political system, to put the Palestinian house in order. "We will not go on a rampage of sacking Fatah employees in the government despite complaints from Hamas youths of compulsory dismissal by the outgoing government of Fatah," he asserted. "We will rather turn a new leaf with our brothers in Fatah as we are responsible now for all the Palestinians." Many members of the Palestinian security forces, largely comprised of Fatah faithful, are fearful of losing their jobs or seeing their salaries cut after Fatah lost the election and grip on power. No Hurry Meshaal said Hamas would be in no hurry to form the new Palestinian government. "We refuse to be pressed for time," he said. "In world democracies, it takes the victorious party weeks and even months to form a government." A confident Meshaal said parties who are dream that his group would fail in its new role are "wrong". "We have succeeded in the resistance and we will succeed in politics, reforms and change," he said emphatically. The Hamas leader said the new government will be an "amalgam of technocrats and qualified people whether from Hamas, Fatah or other parties." "We have been chosen by our people and we assume our responsibility." Palestinian Army Meshaal further maintained that there is no contradiction between the armed struggle against occupation and politics. "I tell the Americans and the Europeans, who consider resistance terrorism and demand us to disarm, that we are ready to merge armed factions including Hamass military wing to form an army to defend the Palestinian people," he said.
[IslamCity] Fw: Muslims Seek UN Resolution Over Danish Cartoons--from islamonline.net
Dear members of the list, ,Assalamu Alaikum. Kindly see the news below which is so much painful for all Muslima and all decent people. I request you to ask your Government and civil society iof your country to take appropriate measure in this regard. Shah Abdul Hannan . Muslims Seek UN Resolution Over Danish Cartoons Ihsanoglu said the UN General Assembly would be asked to "pass a resolution banning attacks on religious beliefs." CAIRO, January 30, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League, the Muslim world's two main political bodies, are seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions following the publication of cartoons depicting and ridiculing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). "Consultations are currently taking place at the highest level between Arab countries and the OIC to ask the UN to adopt a binding resolution banning contempt of religious beliefs and providing for sanctions to be imposed on contravening countries or institutions," Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, OIC's secretary general, told reporters in Cairo on Sunday, January 29, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). He said the UN General Assembly would be asked to "pass a resolution banning attacks on religious beliefs." The deputy secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Ben Helli, confirmed that contacts were under way for such a proposal to be made to the United Nations. Twelve drawings depicting Prophet Muhammad in different settings appeared in Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's mass-circulation daily, on September 30. One of the drawings depicted a man assumed to be the prophet as wearing a turban shaped like a bomb. The cartoons were reprinted in a Norwegian magazine earlier this month just to add insult into injury. The drawings triggered a diplomatic crisis and massive popular protests across the Muslim world. Embassy Closed With Muslim political and popular anger showing no sign of abating, Libya said Sunday it was closing its embassy in Denmark in protest against the publication of the caricatures. "In light of the attacks against Prophet Muhammad and the silence of the Danish authorities, Libya has decided to close down its diplomatic representation in Copenhagen," the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement run by the official Jana news agency. The statement added that Libya would take "retaliatory economic measures against Denmark." Muslim wrath has spread rapidly in the Middle East with Gulf retailers pulling Danish products off their shelves and protestors gathering outside Danish embassies. Syria and Bahrain were the latest Arab countries to join the chorus. "Syria calls on the Danish government to take the necessary measures to punish the culprits. The dialogue of civilizations is based on mutual respect," said an official quoted by the official Syrian news agency on Sunday. The Bahraini cabinet, at a meeting on Sunday, condemned the cartoons "which are a deliberate attack against the glorious Prophet Muhammad and have angered Muslims the world over." Saudi Arabia has already recalled its ambassador to Denmark in protest at the Danish government's position on the publication of the offensive cartoons. Adamant "The Danish government and the Danish nation as such can not be held responsible for what is published in independent media," Rasmussen said. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Sunday his government could not act against the satirical cartoons, reported Reuters. "The government can in no way influence the media. And the Danish government and the Danish nation as such can not be held responsible for what is published in independent media," he insisted. Jyllands-Posten had not intended to insult Muslims when it published the drawings, said the premier, referring to an editorial on the paper's Web site in Danish and Arabic. "We are sorry the matter has reached these proportions and repeat that we had no intention to offend anyone, and that we as the rest of the Danish society respect freedom of religion," the newspaper's editor-in-chief Carsten Juste said in the editorial. According to Reuters, the newspaper has not apologized for publishing the drawings, which have caused widespread anger among Muslims around
[IslamCity] Recognizing Israel No Must for Hamas Gov't: Official
Recognizing Israel No Must for Hamas Govt: Official Suleiman has reportedly said that Abbas would not ask Hamas to form a government unless the group recognizes Israel. CAIRO, February 1, 2006 (IslalmOnline.net News Agencies) A Palestinian Authority official denied Wednesday, February 1, news reports that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas would have to recognize Israel to join the next government as the group hints at renewing last year's expired ceasefire with Israel. The Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity that formal recognition of Israel would not be a prerequisite for Hamas or any other Palestinian group joining the new government, Reuters reported. Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman reportedly said on Wednesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who held talks with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, would not ask Hamas to form a government unless the group recognized Israel and stop violence. Suleiman is Mubarak's pointman on dealings with the Palestinians. He has mediated between Hamas and Abbas's Fatah movement, on the one hand, and between Israelis and Palestinians, on the other. Hamas has swept the Palestinian legislative elections, winning a surprising 74 of the 132-seat legislature, against 45 for the ruling Fatah party. The resistance group has come under mounting pressures from Western countries to recognize Israel to secure flow of foreign aid to the Palestinians. The Middle East peacemaking Quartet, which groups the US, EU, Russia and the UN, warned Monday, January 30, that payments to the Palestinians would be under threat if Hamas did not radically alter its principle on Israel's recognition before entering government. Reacting to the Quartet demands, the resistance group accused the West of blackmailing. Past Agreements Abu Marzouk said Hamas could renew last year's ceasefire with Israel. The Palestinian official, who is close to Abbas, stressed that the new government must commit itself to implementing agreements with Israel. "President (Mahmoud) Abbas's position is that he will ask any government to work on implementing the commitments of the Palestinian Authority, including an interim peace accord from 1993 and the US-backed peace roadmap," the official said. "This has been his position and he has declared it immediately after the election," he added. In an interview with Egypt's independent daily Al Masry Al Yom, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said Hamas might be willing to coexist with Israel if Israel returns to the 1967 borders. "I believe that Hamas is talking about the borders of 1967 and in this they do not differ much from all the Palestinian national currents or the Arab proposal," he said. Being in office would have an effect on Hamas thinking, he said. "The whole dossier will be in its hands, which leads me to believe that logically it (Hamas) will be compelled towards the greatest degree of flexibility." A delegation from Hamas crossed into Egypt Wednesday and was due to hold talks in Cairo on the first leg of a tour of Arab countries. Palestinian representative to the Arab League Mohammed Sobeih told Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier that a meeting was scheduled to take place in Gaza Friday, February 3, during which Abbas and Hamas officials were expected to discuss the formation of the government. Truce A senior Hamas figure, meanwhile, said the resistance group could renew last year's ceasefire with Israel to placate Western countries concerned after the group's stunning electoral victory. "We understand that they (the Western states) need a quiet region, without conflicts, and we know that it's possible to attain this goal. Truce is one of the projects through which we could deal with," Hamas politburo deputy-chief Moussa told reporters. "I believe that this (ceasefire) would placate everybody if they understand Hamas's stand and talk to Hamas on these grounds." "I believe that this is one of the options which we could propose in the future to cooperate with the international community to bring about peace and tranquillity to this region," he added. Palestinian resistance factions had observed a de facto truce since Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was elected in January,
[IslamCity] IAEA Sends Iran to UNSC, Tehran Enriches Uranium
Dear editor /members of the list, Assalmu Alaikum.The nuclear issue relating to Iran has taken a serious turn. Please see the news below.A few western powers , as always, put pressure on others and got their votes and this the west says international community. Everybody knows who are behind these moves.The security council resolutions are mostly problematic as thes are mostly dictated these days by one power.If any sanction or suchresolution is passed there , it is used by the US and takes it as a pretext for starting a war, it can start war even without a resolution. I have become tired of sanction resolutions in the name of international community ( which is the other name of US interest these days, sometimes also of Israel )because of its' abuse by the US.Any UNSC resolution will complicate situation beyond control. Shah Abdul Hannan IAEA Sends Iran to UNSC, Tehran Enriches Uranium Vaidi branded the resolution as "politically motivated since it is not based on any legal or technical grounds." VIENNA, February 4, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted on Saturday, February 4, to send the Iranian nuclear file to the UN Security Council, triggering an immediate decision from Tehran to resume full-scale uranium enrichment. The resolution passed by 27-3 with five abstentions, but puts off any UN action against Iran for at least a month, an IAEA spokeswoman was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The added time is intended in the hopes of a diplomatic solution to the standoff before the next IAEA meeting in Vienna on March 6. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei will be filing a detailed report and assessment of the Iranian nuclear program for the March meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors. The US and Europe claim that the Islamic republic is seeking nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran categorically denies. Iran, which insists its nuclear program is purely for civilian energy purposes, has raised the stakes in the dispute by removing UN seals on equipment that purifies uranium. Compromise The resolution is a compromise between the US desire for immediate Security Council action against Iran and Russia's demand for a delay for more diplomacy. Washington has worked, since the IAEA board began meeting Thursday, to get as many nations on board for what is a historic step in the international community's confrontation with Iran. The five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and Germany closed ranks over the resolution to take Iran to the Security Council. Unlike the IAEA, the Security Council has enforcement powers. Russia, a key trade partner of Iran, hopes Tehran can be convinced to respond to calls by the IAEA to suspend all nuclear fuel work and cooperate fully with agency inspectors in order for the crisis to be defused without the Security Council imposing sanctions. Moscow is sponsoring a compromise proposal for Iran to carry out uranium enrichment, which makes what can be nuclear reactor fuel but also bomb material, in Russia. Politically-Motivated An angry Iran immediately decided to resume full-scale uranium enrichment in retaliation for being brought before the UN Security Council. "Our government has to implement full-scale enrichment," Javad Vaidi, head of the Iranian delegation to the IAEA meeting told reporters. He maintained that the resolution "is politically motivated since it is not based on any legal or technical grounds." Vaidi said Iran "has to bring into force immediately ... the law passed almost unanimously by the parliament in 2005, in order to suspend the voluntary implementation of Additional Protocol which has been for three years implemented as if it has been ratified, and the voluntary suspension of commercial scale enrichment activities." The Iranian legislature said that applying the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty's Additional Protocol, which allows for wider IAEA inspections, and suspending full-scale enrichment should cease if Iran were brought before the Security Council. A senior Iranian official warned earlier Saturday that the government would be unable to halt its nuclear activities if the country was referred to the council. "If the case is sent or even reported to the UN Security Council, based on the law of our parliament, our government has
[IslamCity] Meaningful Freedom - not license to do anything- is needed
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum. The present world-wide
protest and discontent on the issue of insulting the Prophet Muhammad (sm ) is
the direct result of the false worship of freedom and failure of the West to
accept reasonable restrictions on some rights .We require meaningful
freedom, not license to do anything. This license has led to so many aberrations
and made it difficult to control homo-sexuality,pornography.prostitution
etc.
When we accept limits on so many things,
such as regulations on air and water pollution, regulation on traffic
and speed limits, regulation of government taxation and expenditure , copyright of
books and hundreds of other
matters, why can we not impose reasonable restriction on press
freedom.
The world should give up this worship of
freedom, put reasonable restrictions on this by acts of Parliament and
save humanity from un-necessary tensions, conflicts
andevils.An UN
convention or protocol is also needed.
Some countries are blaming Iran and
Syria. This is totally mis-placed and represents super-power
arrogance.
Shah Abdul Hannan,
Former secretary, Government of
Bangladesh
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
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[IslamCity] Fw: [wp] questions
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum.I sent recently replies to some
questions sent to me. The replies may be of interest to you.
Shah Abdul Hannan
- Original Message -
From: atq atiq
To: Witness-Pioneer General List ;
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 1:27 PM
Subject: Re: [wp] questions
S A Hannan [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
Assalamu Alaikum. The following are the
answers:
1 In Islam there is no official
priesthood.Whoever has learnt Islam through institutions or otherwise
and is recognized by the society, his legitimacy is established by
his work.
2. In every society there are such scholars
respected by the society.
3. It is not obligatory to follow any particular
scholar.
4. We are not under anybody' jurisdiction, except
Allah and the Prophet and the state authority (lawful orders
)
5. No surveillance is needed as we are not bound
to follow any scholar. However if a scholar or other person violates law he
should be dealt with by the law.
6.Islamic state following Islam is called
khilafat. It is established by the will of the majority of the people. Laws
based on texts of Quran and Sunnah are obligatory. Rules made by Ijtihad are
not obligatory unless made into law by the state for the particular
state.
7. Islamic state can be established at any time.
There is no clear text against this.
Shah Abdul Hannan
andykhadi [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
ASsalamu'alaykumI
don't know if it's OK to ask questions here, but I'm trying to find
some answers to essential questions and I'm therefore asking around
Islamic sites and institutes.Please either answer or pass over to
others!1. How is our authoritative
scholar's legitimacy established?2. Who
are they today?3. Is it obliging for the
individual Muslim to obey them even against his/her own common sense
or judgment?4. Are we always under their
jurisdiction regardless of where we
live?5. There are examples in Ahadith
that point at the permissibility of questioning authorities. Wouldn't
that establish the principle that authorities should be under
surveillance and therefore find support in the Muslim
population?6. Are both the Shari'a
law-stem and scholars later and contemporary conclusions obliging for
every Muslim regardless of where he/she lives and regardless of the
community having a Khalifat or
not?7. Will Islam ever become "State
apparatus" with Shari `a laws application and Khalifat on earth before
the end of
times?wassalamKhadidja
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title change to daily digest.
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[IslamCity] Re: on carton issue--a clash of civilsation (of Islam ) with Un-civilisation of the West.
Dear Atiq,
Assalamu Alaikum.The piece below which you sent to
me shows the mental and moral degradation
of a person who has left or effectively left Islam.They are sold to money or
worldly allurement or their desire to please their new masters for
gains.Sometimes it is also because of Muslim failure to address dissent and
ignorance of some people in the communityin a nice way atthe
right time.
The present cartoon issue has exposed the
moral crisis of most of the leasership of the West.The so-called clash of
civilisation has in fact become a clash of civilsation (of Islam ) with
Un-civilisation of ( most of )the West.
Shah Abdul Hannan
- Original Message -
From:
atq atiq
To: sahannan ; atq111
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 3:45
PM
Subject: on carton issue
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4698528.stm
Dutch MP backs Muhammad cartoons
Ms Hirsi Ali compared Islamism to
communismThe
Somali-born Dutch MP who describes herself as a "dissident of Islam" has
backed the Danish newspaper that first printed the Prophet Muhammad
cartoons.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali said it was "correct to publish the
cartoons" in Jyllands Posten and "right to republish them".
Her film-maker colleague Theo van Gogh was murdered by a
Muslim extremist in a case that shocked the Netherlands.
Ms Hirsi Ali, speaking in Berlin, said that "today the open
society is challenged by Islamism".
She added: "Within Islam exists a hardline Islamist movement
that rejects democratic freedoms and wants to destroy them."
Ms Hirsi Ali criticised European leaders for not standing by
Denmark and urged politicians to stop appeasing fundamentalists.
She also said that although the Prophet Muhammad did a lot
of good things, his decree that homosexuals and apostates should be killed was
incompatible with democracy.
Media 'fear'
Ms Hirsi Ali wrote the script for Submission, a film
criticising the treatment of women in Islam that prompted a radical Islamist
to kill Van Gogh in an Amsterdam street in November 2004.
Papers in several European nations have reprinted the
satirical Danish cartoons - most recently carried in the French magazine
Charlie Hebdo.
A dozen people have died in violent protests in Afghanistan
over the cartoons, which have also been denounced throughout the Islamic
world.
The drawings include an image of Muhammad with a bomb in his
turban. Islamic tradition explicitly prohibits any depiction of Allah and the
Prophet. Ms Hirsi Ali said the furore over the
cartoons had exposed the fear among artists and journalists in Europe to
"analyse or criticise intolerant aspects of Islam".
Yahoo! MailUse
Photomail to share photos without annoying
attachments.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title change to daily digest.
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Visit your group "islamcity" on the web.
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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[IslamCity] Fw: Praising the Prophet of Mercy--poetry and songs in praise of the Prophet
- Original Message -
From: Mahmudul
Hasan
To: S A Hannan
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 3:57 PM
Subject: Praising the Prophet of Mercy
Praising the Prophet of Mercy
By The IOL Art Culture Team
Feb. 8, 2006
The door seal of
the Prophet's Mosque with Arabic inscription "Mohammed, the Messenger of
Allah"
The wisdom of Abraham, the patience of Job, the chastity of
Joseph, the strength of Moses, and the charity of Jesus were all embodied in
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Seal of the Prophets,
assuming no holiness, personified ultimate human majesty. Despite losing his
dear family members at a young age, he grew up to be 'a mercy to all the
worlds'. His love extended from his family members, to believers, to
non-believers, and even to animals. As a family man, he raised his cousin `Ali,
always kissed his daughter Fatimah on the forehead, and cherished the memory of
his wife Khadijah to the end of his life. He taught that feeding an animal can
take one to Heaven whereas mistreating it could take one to Hell.
Unlike the bomb-turbaned figure in the blasphemous Danish
cartoons that sparked outrage among Muslims recently, upon his victorious return
to Mecca, Prophet Muhammad set his enemies free. On that day when one of his
Companions said, "Today is the day of the battle. Today Allah humiliates the
Quraish," the Prophet protested, "Today is the day of mercy. Today Allah honors
the Quraish."
Whenever the Quraish attacked him he would supplicate Allah:
"Please Allah, guide my people, for they don't know." On his way back from Taif,
where the villagers stoned him until he bled, an angel appeared and offered to
punish the transgressors. The Prophet declined, because maybe one day one of his
assailants would be guided.
For his magnanimous character, the Prophet has been praised
by Muslims throughout their history. Now, centuries after his death, believers
around the world continue to express their devotion to him through poetry and
song in many different tongues. Here we offer you a
selection.
1) Sami
Yusuf
Muallim
Mustafa
2) Zain Bhikha
Nabi-un-Nabi
Tala'Al-Badru 'Alayna
Mount Hira
3) Native Deen
Salawat
4) Raihan
El-Hijrah
Nabi Anak Yatim
5) Aa'shiq-al-Rasool
Allahuma Salli `ala Muhammad
6) The
Burda
The Burda or The
Poem of the Cloak is widely considered the greatest panegyric for Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). Composed by Imam Al-Busairi in the 13th century
CE, it has been explained by scholars and sung by lovers of the Prophet ever
since. For more information about the poem, please click here. There are many recordings of the Burda. This version is
performed by Egyptian nasheed singer al-Atwany.
7) Sudanese Madih (Praise Poetry)
A Breeze of Musk (Nafhatu
Miskin)
Madh composed by Sudanese poet Muhammad
Majdhub. Click here for a translation of the poem.
8) Qatrunada
Indonesian Qatrunada is one of the many popular nasheed
groups (merging
poppy tunes, vocal harmonies, and percussion) that were
created
in the wake of Raihan's success. They have now built a
considerable international fan base of their own.
Salli Alayk Allah
9) Salaat `ala Rasul
Video of an Arabic nasheed performed by an Indonesian
munshid (singer of religious songs) and a group of
children.
To view the video click here.
10) Mohammed Seyyid al-Baraya
Arabic madh performed by the Tijani Brothers from
Senegal
11) Salla Llah `alayk ya Nur
Praise for the Prophet by members of the Alawiyya brotherhood in
Algeria.
12) Habib Ali al-Jifri
Yemeni scholar Habib Ali
al-Jifri sings in praise of the Prophet
http://www.islamonline.net/English/ArtCulture/2006/02/article04.shtml(10
Feb 06)
Find your next car at Yahoo! Canada
Autos
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance
[IslamCity] nuclear issue--Iran still has right on its side, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Dear edotor/members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. I am sending to you a good analytical article on Iranian nuclear issue from Al-Ahram weekly for publcation/information. The article argues that Washington has succeeded, through diplomatic and media pressure and mobilisation, in reaching the furthest reach of its demands -- automatically transferring the file to the Security Council -- without need for a further vote by the IAEA.It further saysthat there is no law that justifies the issuance of this resolution. Iran has not violated international law, and has not occupied another country like Iraq did Kuwait. The spirit of the resolution deals with Iran as though it has been vanquished in a military conflict, its defeat being substantiated with unfair conditions. Iran's so-called crime is that it has not relinquished its nuclear ambitions, and that it has exploited a regional vacuum opened up, largely, by the misadventures of the current American administration. What is being demanded of Iran clearly goes beyond its nuclear file and reaches the point of changing its political system under the pretext of inspecting its nuclear installations. Shah Abdul Hannan This is not according to law While almost assured to be referred to the Security Council for punitive measures, Iran still has right on its side, writes Mustafa El-Labbad The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors resolution ordering the referral of the Iranian nuclear file to the UN Security Council opens the door wide to the placement of sanctions on Tehran for the first time in the history of the Islamic republic. The resolution passed by 27 votes of a total of 35. This result is an indicator of current regional and international balances as well as future majorities in the Security Council. The acquiescence of Russia and China -- both traditional allies of Iran -- to the draft resolution's demands and their approval of it is a virtual lifting of the international cover that has shielded Tehran in its confrontations with Washington via the IAEA. Only three states objected to the resolution: Syria, which is tied to a regional alliance with Tehran, and Cuba and Venezuela, both of which are engaged in reciprocal relations of hostility with Washington. And only five states refrained from voting: South Africa, Belarus, Indonesia, Algeria and Libya. Even neighbouring states such as Egypt, Yemen and India voted in favour of referral. The resolution needed only a passing majority (18 out of 35 votes). The high percentage of votes in favour can be read like a thermometer measuring the degree of international pressure being placed on Iran. While the text of the resolution did not make reference to possible sanctions against Iran, its spirit, which reveals an escalation in comparison to which other resolutions pale, opens the door wide to sanctions. The same text guarantees that the Iranian nuclear file will be subject to non-stop screening, thus barring Iran from tying the IAEA's demands to a limited time period and cutting away at the margins of manoeuvre in its hands. The resolution's text does not include an explicit "time limit" but rather automatically transfers the Iranian nuclear file to the Security Council at the next meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors at the beginning of March. Should Iran not comply with the demands of the resolution, the "limit" will be up. It can thus be said that Washington has succeeded, through diplomatic and media pressure and mobilisation, in reaching the furthest reach of its demands -- automatically transferring the file to the Security Council -- without need for a further vote by the IAEA. The formulation of the IAEA's demands is evidence of Iran's diplomatic crisis. Its legal position is much stronger, however, and to get around this problem Washington and its allies have been intent on inverting any logic that the accused be regarded innocent until proven guilty and that accusations must be backed up with evidence. For Iran to prove its innocence, it must comply with debilitating demands, although the text doesn't indicate it, being formulated with a great deal of baseness and very little sensitivity. The Board of Governors set four basic demands on Tehran ahead of automatic transferral to the Security Council. The first of these is "full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and processing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the agency". This
[IslamCity] Turkey: School reform law deferred--bankrupcy of secularists of Turkey
- Original Message -
From: Chowdhury
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 9:56 AM
Subject: Turkey: School reform law deferred
Turkey: School reform law deferred
Thursday 09 February 2006, 19:55 Makka Time, 16:55 GMT
Securalists fear the move could increase Islam's influence
Related:
Turkey approves headscarf amnesty
Turkish student slams headscarf ruling
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Turkey's government has said it will fight a court ruling suspending a key
educational reform, a move likely to stoke tensions with the country's secular
establishment.
On Wednesday, Turkey's top administrative court ordered the suspension of a
decree that allows students from religious vocational schools to move to
mainstream high schools to take final exams, thus boosting their chances of
entering university.
Secularists in Turkey's educational and judicial establishment fear such moves
could increase the influence of Islam and erode the strict division between
religion and state.
They distrust the ruling AK Party due to its Islamist roots.
Education Minister Huseyin Celik said: We're going to oppose the [court]
decision. We will exhaust the legal process.
If you ask me how I evaluate the decision, I cannot say I am happy about it. I
would like to express my regret ... and to say that in legal terms I am
surprised.
Academic obstacles
The court gave no reason for its decision to suspend the reform.
Erdogan has tried in the past to
relax the restrictions
But the secularist body in charge of Turkish higher education, which had sought
the ruling, said the reform would strengthen religious schools at the expense
of others.
Graduates of vocational schools, including the religious ones, are not banned
from attending university, but they face obstacles in garnering the points
required to win a place to study subjects other than their speciality.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister is a graduate from a religious
vocational school and has tried in the past to relax the restrictions, but met
similar secularist opposition.
The secularists have also thwarted his efforts to relax a ban on women wearing
the headscarf at university.
Erdogan's centre-right Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has a big
majority in parliament, denies critics' claims that it has an Islamist agenda.
The vast majority of Turkey's 72 million people are Muslims.
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in
His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites
(men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I
am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if
Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of
camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever
calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who
follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in
any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved
otherwise.
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[IslamCity] OIC Wants Religious Tolerance Bedrock of UN Rights Body from islamonline.net
OIC Wants Religious Tolerance Bedrock of UN Rights Body Certain governments have expressed a wish to include a reference to the protection of particular values, said Heuze. GENEVA, February 14, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) - Muslim countries are pressing for a ban on religious intolerance to be part of the bedrock of a planned new United Nations human rights body, officials said on Tuesday, February 14. Since the controversy over the cartoons, certain governments have expressed a wish to include a reference to the protection of particular values in the resolution that would create the UN Human Rights Council, said UN spokeswoman Marie Heuze. The proposal by 57 governments which are grouped in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) comes as the outcry continues in the Muslim world over the publication of Danish caricatures that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). According to the text of the proposal, the new UN body should strive to prevent instances of intolerance, discrimination, incitement of hatred and violence arising from any actions against religions, prophets and beliefs which threaten the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It also says that defamation of religions and prophets is inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression and that states, organizations and the media have a responsibility in promoting tolerance and respect for religious and cultural values. Divided The move is likely to complicate efforts to build consensus by the end of this week among all UN members on setting up the new council, which would replace the UN Human Rights Commission -- a forum that has come under increasing criticism for failing to spotlight abuses. Some governments see the Muslim proposal as out of step with a broader accord to create the new body, said officials. Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said that linking the two issues could endanger those efforts. She instead favored a separate UN resolution on respect for religions. There has been rising demand in the Muslim world for such a UN move. Muslim dignitaries and organizations have called for the enactment of an international law banning the publication of any insults to religious symbols and values. The OIC and the Arab League, the Muslim world's two main political bodies, are also seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions following the publication of provocative cartoons. The cartoons, one of them showing the Prophet with a bomb-shaped turban, were first published in Denmark last year, and have been reprinted by newspapers in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and other countries on the ground of freedom of expression. That argument has been rejected by most Muslim countries, which say it should not be used as a pretext to insult their religions. Any image of the Prophet -- let alone biting caricatures -- is considered blasphemous under Islam. Universal Declaration Because having the freedom without responsibility could lead our civilization to absolute liberalism, said Syamsuddin. On Monday, February 13, East Asian Muslim and Christian leaders wrapped up their two-day meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta by urging the UN to make a universal declaration strictly banning blasphemy. Din Syamsuddin, leader of Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, the Muhammadiyah, said the forum proposed the UN issue a declaration of human responsibility in order to prevent more examples of blasphemous or insulting acts toward religions, the Jakarta Post reported on Tuesday. I shared the idea during rounds of discussions with other religious leaders here, and I personally agree that the UN should issue a universal declaration of human responsibility, apart from the universal declaration of human rights, he told a news conference. Because having the freedom without responsibility could lead our civilization to absolute liberalism. Din said the declaration would allow people and institutions to exercise freedom of expression, but also make them responsible in their actions. Rev. Fr. Joseph Chusak Sirisut, director of the Bangkok-based religious and cultural research center in Saengtham College, said there was a similarly insulting cartoon when Pope Benedictus XVI was inaugurated last October. Press freedom should not insult religious figures. Back To News Page -- Please feel free to contact News editor at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[IslamCity] mock trial of Bush, Blair and Sharon(http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/781/eg3.htm)
When noble verdicts are not enough
The former Malaysian prime minister was the presiding judge in a
mock trial of Bush, Blair and Sharon. Gamal
Nkrumah covered the not so normal proceedings
Last week, the mock trial of United States President George W Bush, British
Prime Minister Tony Blair and his ailing Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon took
place in a basement hall of Cairo's dilapidated Lawyers' Union headquarters
building. Presiding over the tribunal was the former Malaysian Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamed.
The evidence provided by the court enraged the spectators. Films were shown
and testimonies delivered. The entire hall was emotionally charged. The
charismatic Malaysian leader held the make-believe court spell-bound. "The court
found the accused persons guilty of gross human rights violations."
The panel of judges agreed that the leaders of the US, Britain and Israel
were guilty of crimes committed against humanity and were pronounced guilty of
bombing private houses, public buildings, hospitals and schools. They were also
found guilty of obstructing supplies of food and medicine, destroying water and
electricity supplies in Iraq, Palestine and elsewhere. They were found guilty of
the arrest, detention and torture of innocent civilians.
The judges said the leaders ought to be dumped into the "Hall of Infamy" for
all eternity.
Mahathir Mohamed's winning personality charmed his listeners and he did not
mince his words. "They are accused of refusing to give legal redress to
civilians," he explained. "These are crimes against peace and humanity. They
must be brought to book."
However, Mahathir conceded that the mock trial had no authority to enforce
the verdict. "This court has no power to make you face prosecution and have you
succumb to the prescribed sentence," he said.
"However, at least the mock trial provides a forum by which the international
community would know how much suffering the occupation and armed aggression of
the occupiers inflicted on the civilian populations," Mahathir told Al-Ahram
Weekly at the close of the trial. "At least this is an opportunity for
people in this part of the world to vent their frustration and air their
grievances," he added.
"People the world over are angry at the double standards of the US and are
determined to express their outrage at the manner in which the civilian
population of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan were treated," Mahathir said.
He agreed with most participants at the mock trial that the crimes committed
against humanity by the three leaders must not be forgotten or belittled.
Sameh Ashour, the head of the Arab Lawyers Union, concurred. He said that the
entire Arab and the Muslim worlds were incensed by the brutal way in which
Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghans were treated under occupation. "The gross
violations of the civilian population in these occupied countries are
despicable," he said.
British MP George Galloway for his constituency Bethnal Green was invited to
give evidence at the mock trial. Galloway was detained at Cairo International
Airport on the grounds that he constituted a threat to "Egyptian national
security," the British MP explained upon his release from a cell he was kept in
overnight.
Galloway was at first left bereft of food and drink at the VIP lounge of
Cairo Airport and then whisked away to a detention centre where he shared a
cramped space with some 35 mostly black African deportees. After a phone call
his credit ran out, but not before the British Embassy in Cairo was notified and
Galloway was visited by some of the organisers of the mock trial and by MP
Mustafa El-Fiqi, head of the foreign relations committee of the People's
Assembly.
After the intervention of the British Embassy in Cairo and top-level Egyptian
officials, Galloway was promptly released, but it was too late for him to take
part in the mock tribunal. The British MP maintains that he received a phone
call from President Hosni Mubarak who "apologised on behalf of the Egyptian
people". According to Galloway, President Mubarak told him that he was a "widely
respected freedom fighter and friend of the Arabs."
Galloway, who is also the leader of the leftist Respect Party, said that
"[Mubarak's phone call] was a most gracious apology which I accepted whole-
heartedly."
He said he would be visiting Egypt in the future and that once one drinks
from the waters of the River Nile, one is always bound to return to "this
beautiful country.
"I consider the matter now
closed."
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in
[IslamCity] Classification of Hadith According to a Hidden Defect*
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.I am forwarding to you a very important article onclassification of Hadith.Please also see 5 references of other articles on the subject.It is very important to know the principles of Hadith examination, bith of Isnad and Matn (text ) Shah Abdul Hannan Classification of Hadith According to a Hidden Defect* By Sheikh Suhaib Hassan** Feb 14, 2006 Note: While citing the isnads below, the terms haddathana (he narrated to us), akhbarana (he informed us) or sami`tu (I heard) will be represented by a double line thus (===), while a single broken line (---) will replace the term `an (on the authority of). Before discussing ma`lul (defective) hadiths, a brief note on mudtarib (shaky) and maqlub (reversed) hadiths would help in understanding ma`lul. Mudtarib (Shaky Hadiths) According to Ibn Kathir, if reporters disagree about a particular sheikh or about some other points in the isnad or the text in such a way that none of the opinions can be preferred over the others, and thus there is uncertainty about the isnad or text, such a hadith is called mudtarib (shaky) (Ibn Kathir 72). For example, with regard to idtirab (shakiness) in the isnad, it is reported on the authority of Abu Bakr that he said, "O Messenger of Allah! I see you getting gray-headed?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "What made me gray-headed are Surat Hud and its sister surahs." Ad-Daraqutni commented: This is an example of a mudtarib hadith. It is reported through Abu Ishaq, but as many as ten different opinions are held about this isnad. Some report it as mursal, others as muttasil (a hadith with uninterrupted chain of narrators); some take it as musnad of Abu Bakr, others as musnad of Sa`d or `A'ishah. Since all these reports are comparable in weight, it is difficult to prefer one above another. Hence, the hadith is termed as mudtarib. (Ibn Kathir 72) As an example of idtirab in the text, Rafi` ibn Khadij said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the renting of land. The reporters narrating from Rafi` give different statements as follows: 1. Hanzalah asked Rafi`, "What about renting for gold and silver?" He replied, "It does not matter if it is rent for gold and silver." 2. Rifa`ah --- Rafi` --- the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), whosaid, "Whoever owns a piece of land should cultivate it, give it to his brother to cultivate, or abandon it." 3. Salim --- Rafi` --- his two uncles --- the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who forbade the renting of farming land. 4. The son of Rafi` --- Rafi` --- the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who forbade the renting of land. 5. A different narration by Rafi` from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said, "Whoever owns a piece of land should either cultivate it or give it to his brother to cultivate. He must not rent it for a third or a quarter of the produce, nor for a given quantity of the produce." 6. Zaid ibn Thabit said, "May Allah forgive Rafi`! I am more aware of the hadith than he; what happened was that two of the Ansar had a dispute, so they came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said after listening to their cases, 'If this is your position, then do not rent the farms.' Rafi` has only heard the last phrase, that is, 'Do not rent the farms'." Because of these various versions, Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, The hadiths reported by Rafi` about the renting of land are mudtarib. They are not to be accepted, especially when they go against the well-established hadith of Ibn `Umar that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the land of Khaibar to the Jews on condition that they work on it and take half of the produce. (Luqman As-Salafi 381f) Maqlub (Changed or Reversed) A hadith is known as maqlub (changed, reversed) when its isnad is grafted to a different text or vice versa, or if a reporter happens to reverse the order of a sentence in the text. As an example relating to the text, in his transmission of the famous hadith describing the seven types of people who will be under the shelter of Allah on the Day of Judgment, Muslim reports one of the categories as "a man who conceals his act of charity to such an extent that his right hand does not know what his left hand gives in charity." This sentence has clearly been reversed by a reporter because the correct wording is recorded in other narrations of both Al-Bukhari and Muslim as "... that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives ..." (Ibn Kathir 88). The famous trial of Al-Bukhari by the scholars of Baghdad provides a good example of a maqlub isnad. The traditionists, in order to test their visitor, Al-Bukhari, appointed 10 men, each with 10 hadiths. Each hadith
[IslamCity] Hamas leader in surprise Turkey visit(http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6F4DF870-B949-4736-8BAB-CED82AF0A245.htm)
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum. Please see the news below
about Hamas leader visit of Turkeyfrom al-jazeerah.This is an important
political development in the region.
Shah Abdul Hannan
Hamas
leader in surprise Turkey visit
Thursday 16 February 2006,
17:19 Makka Time, 14:19 GMT
Mishaal is
on tour of Muslim states looking for
support
A
senior Hamas leader is on a surprise visit to Ankara for talks with Turkish
diplomats.
Turkey
said they would use the meeting with Khalid Mishaal, the exiled supreme leader
of Hamas, on Thursday to put forward international demands for
theresistance group to renounce violence.A Turkish foreign
ministry statement said: "The expectations of the international community
following the Palestinian elections will be clearly conveyed during the talks,"
adding that Hamas had asked to send a delegation to Turkey.Mishaal is on a tour
to muster support from Muslim states to counter Western governments' efforts to
step up the pressure on the party that won last month's Palestinian
elections.FalloutThe Ankara visit, the first of Mishaal's current tour to a
non-Arab country, came following an offer by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish
prime minister,to act as go-between for Israel and the
new Palestinian administration.The talks are likely to upset
Turkey's allies, the
United States and Israel,
both of which are seeking to maintain the group's international isolation.
Israel has categorically ruled out
any talks with Hamas as long as it remains committed to the destruction of the
Jewish state.The Israeli government was infuriated by Russian President
Vladimir Putin's decision earlier this month to invite Hamas to talks in
Moscow.Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but strictly
secular state, has been Israel's main regional ally since 1996 when the
two countries signed a military cooperation accord, much to the anger of
Iran and Arab countries.But
it also enjoys close relations with the Palestinians and supports their claim
for statehood.Party inviteMishaal, who is
heading a five-man delegation, was meeting with Turkish diplomats
includingAhmet Uzumcu, the foreign ministry's deputy under-secretary, and
Bozkurt Aran, the head of the ministry's Middle
East department.The Hamas leader, who is based in Syria,
has also requested to meet Erdogan, sources said, but it was not immediately
clear whether the meeting would take place.
Erdogan has offered
tomediatebetween Israel and
HamasAnatolia news agency said the
Hamas delegation had not been invited to Turkey through
diplomatic channels, while NTV and CNN-Turk news channels said the invitation
came from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).A Turkish
official source said both the United
States and Israel had been informed of the
visit.Eager
for his country to play a more prominent role in the Middle East peace process,
Erdogan last month said Turkey was ready to mediate between Israel
and Hamas.But he also urged Hamas to renounce violence and work with
Israel.The
United States and the
European Union have listed Hamas as a terrorist organisation and argue that it
must renounce violence and recognise Israel if it wants to form the next
government in the Palestinian territories.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals
[IslamCity] postponement of local elections on Egypt from al-ahram
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.Please see the news fromAl-ahram Cairo on postponement of local elections on Egypt. It is clearly a move to help government party to cling to power in local councils. Shah abdul Hannan Local councils in limbo In spite of strong domestic and foreign objections, the People's Assembly quickly approved a controversial legislative amendment postponing municipal elections for two years. Gamal Essam El-Din reports Click to view caption The strong opposition from Brotherhood and leftist deputies did not stop the postponement of municipal elections for two years On Tuesday the People's Assembly moved quickly to pass a government- driven amendment of a 1979 law regulating the performance of local councils. The amendment to Article 89 will extend the mandate of the current four-year-old municipal councils for another two years. The mandate was due to expire on 15 April, after which new local council elections would have been held. The amendment was approved less than 24 hours after being submitted to the People's Assembly. Earlier in the week, the upper consultative Shura Council also approved the controversial amendment. Domestic and foreign forces condemned the move, with the banned Muslim Brotherhood taking the lead. The group said the amendment was primarily aimed at stemming the tide of their political gains, which peaked late last year when parliamentary elections ended with the Brotherhood winning an unprecedented 88 seats, thereby becoming the assembly's main opposition force. The United States also expressed its displeasure with the delay, saying on Tuesday that as a matter of principle it does not favour postponing elections. During Tuesday's parliamentary debate, the government clashed with Brotherhood and leftist deputies over the delay's potential impact on political life. In total, 106 opposition MPs voted against the amendment -- the strongest opposition to a law in recent years. Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Minister Moufid Shehab tried to explain the reasoning behind the delay. He pointed out that last year's amendment of Article 76 of the constitution mandated that potential presidential candidates needed the support of 250 People's Assembly, Shura Council and local council representatives. "140 of these should come from local councils," he said. At the same time, President Hosni Mubarak's election campaign programme called for a democratisation of the councils themselves. "To meet these objectives," Shehab said, " both the constitution and the law must be amended," a process that would take at least two years time. The goal would be to decentralise the performance of local councils and provide them with greater supervisory powers. There are a staggering 49,820 local council seats. Shehab also said the decision had to do with the fact that mid-term Shura Council elections will be held next May. "It is not politically and financially viable for two kinds of elections to be held in such a short of period of time." Unimpressed by Shehab's arguments, Muslim Brotherhood MPs accused the government and the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of ramming the amendment through parliament "to prevent the Brotherhood's candidates from running in local council elections". Hussein Ibrahim, a Brotherhood MP from Alexandria, said democratising the performance of local councils has never been on the government's agenda. "In 2002, the government rammed a law through parliament limiting judicial supervision in municipal elections to main polling stations." The result, Ibrahim said, was an NDP monopoly over about 99 per cent of the seats. "This turned the local councils into hotbeds of corruption, because members of executive local councils also became members of popular councils, which are supposed to act as executive local council watchdogs." Nasserist MP Mostafa Bakri said, "passing this amendment at this particular time will be seen by domestic and foreign forces as a setback to democracy. The amendment reveals just how weak the NDP has become; it is unable to face competitive elections, especially after clinching just 31 per cent of the seats in last year's parliamentary elections -- even with the help of security forces." Bakri and
[IslamCity] The National Conference of Council for Interfaith harmony, Bangladesh held on February 15, 2006 in Dhaka.
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.I am sending to you a short report on The National Conference of Council for Interfaith harmony, Bangladesh held on February 15, 2006 in Bangladesh-China Friendship Center, Dhaka.for your information. Shah Abdul Hannan National Conference 2006 Council for Interfaith Harmony, Bangladesh The National Conference of Council for Interfaith harmony, Bangladesh was held on February 15, 2006 in Bangladesh-China Friendship Center, Dhaka. While Mr. Shah Abdul Hannan, Retired Secretary to Bangladesh Government and Chair of the Council presided over the conference, H.E Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh was the Chief Guest. Among others Honorable Minister for Religious Affairs: Mr. Mosharef Hossain Shahjahan, Secretary General of the Council: Maolana Abul Kalam Azad, Presidium Members: Prof. Paresh Chandra Mandal PhD, Prof. Sukamol Barua PhD, Father Tapon De Rozario PhD spoke in the conference. The veteran religious leaders of the faiths: Maolana Obaidul Haque, Khatib, Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Sreemath Kantibandhu Brammachari, Sreemath Suddhananda Mahathero, Arch Bishop Paulinus Costa, Dharma Sen Mahathero also addressed the conference. Devotees of different faiths from across the country participated in the conference. Ministers, MPs, Diplomats, Senior Officials, Journalists of various print and electronics media attended the function. The speakers highly appreciated the move to create a common platform for leaders of different faiths in Bangladesh. They vehemently rejected the propaganda of so-called minority repression waged to tarnish the image of Bangladesh saying that Bangladesh is one of the best examples of communal harmony. They called on their followers to portray Bangladesh a country that held glorious culture and inheritance of communal harmony for centuries. They also called on the people for greater unity to cripple any conspiracy waged against Bangladesh in the name of minority oppression, because the propaganda is false, baseless and purposive. The PM in her speech reiterated her governments deep commitment to establishing peace and stability in every spheres of life and also warned that the hatred-mongers would be allowed to go escort-free. She said that we are all Bangladesh enjoying the same and equal civil rights guaranteed in our constitution. On the other hand, referring to religious values of the Muslims, she told Islam ensured rights of people belonging to other faiths and cultures. She underscored that the values we inherited were our major strengths and source of inspiration to work for a country that assures rights and equality of all. Apart from various national and international agreements, our religious values also were very much conducive to securing equity in the society, she added. While appreciating the conference as very much the need of the time, she mentioned that today we must promote the culture of cooperation among human beings, and any efforts for building peace and harmony in the society. She told that while all religion focus on morality, unity, benevolence but today we come across strife in many parts of the world in the name of religion. She suggested highlighting the real meaning of religion in the society. The Conference was widely covered by the print and electronics media. The Conference adopted 13-point declaration: Declaration As our national conference comes to an end, we recognize the support of different individuals and institutions; we record the presence of the Prime Minister, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh as chief guest to support the common cause of humanity; we applaud the contribution of special guest, faith leaders, civil society leaders, political leaders, academicians, journalists, faith organizations, and many volunteers to make the National Conference a success. The Conference adopts the following Declaration on Interfaith Harmony that: · Requests the UN and the government of Bangladesh to frame a Code of Conduct to protect the honor and dignity of all Prophets and all other great historical personalities of all faiths; · Condemns any deliberate attempt to vilify them in any parts of the world; · Demands very strongly the governments of all countries to shun policies that promote hatred, differences, and conflicts; · Expresses our deep sense of solidarity and empathy to the people of different parts of the world who have been the victims of unjust war, conflicts, retaliation, and political fanaticism; · Condoles the death of people in any part of the world due to religious and political strife; · Shares the frustration of people of different faiths caused due to organized endeavor of vested quarters to slander the glorious Personalities of different faiths; · Urges the media to be sensitive to religious beliefs of the
[IslamCity] Plane Crashes Led Me to Islam
- Original Message - From: mokarram hossain To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2006 3:38 AM Subject: [Dahuk]: Plane Crashes Led Me to Islam Plane Crashes Led Me to IslamAn American Woman Discovers Islam By Jennifer Fayed* Feb. 14, 2006 Jennifer Fayed There comes a time in your life when you are compelled to ask "Why am I here and what is my purpose in this life?" These were my thoughts during the summer of 2001. I had been married to my (first) husband for about 3 years. The marriage was going downhill. My husband had no ambitions in life, and with two children barely old enough to take care of themselves, I found out I was pregnant again. I started to ponder my purpose in this earth. Yes, I was a wife, a mother, and a daughter; however, the same thought, that there has to be a reason for my existence, would continually pass through my mind. My family had recently moved to the Dominican Republic and I felt abandoned. "Abandoned?" you might ask. "But you are married with children, how can you feel abandoned?" I was 21 years old and my parents were my inspiration for the person I was striving to become. They were my example. I was asleep one morning when I got a frantic call from my mother-in-law screaming that "there was a plane crash, a plane crash in downtown Manhattan." Confused, I said, "What, what are you talking about?" I turned on the television only to find out that the second tower of the World Trade Center had been hit by a second aircraft. I was shocked! Who could have done this, who was capable of such atrocity? I was in disbelief from what I saw on the news. "Was this real?" I kept asking myself. "It was must be a movie please, please tell me this was a movie." I had just been in the World Trade Center the day before. I saw this as some proof that it wasn't my time to die and I hadn't completed my purpose in this life. I didn't know what purpose, but it wasn't yet my time. There was chaos in New York City that day. Little did I know this day, among other events in my life, would only be the beginning of drastic changes that were about to happen. I emptied my sorrows onto a God, a God that I worshiped in my own way, not in the way I was taught to do. Soon after the attacks of September 11, I went to the Dominican Republic to visit my parents. I was about a month pregnant, and no soul, other than my mother-in-law, my husband, and I, knew about the pregnancy. How was I going to break the news to my parents? I had gotten pregnant with my first child out of wedlock and soon married to make things right. So here I was pregnant with my third baby, and I thought that I would at least be able to think things through while staying in the Caribbean. I left on American Airlines flight 587. This was the first time I was in an airplane after the attacks on the World Trade Center. The security in the airport was intense, and people in the airplane kept praying, some even kept at it for the whole flight. I started to laugh within myself. If we're going to die, well then it's our fate. I kept thinking about my pregnancy. I didn't want to be pregnant, it was unplanned. It would be tough having a third mouth to feed when I could barely support two children. I was so confused. I spent time with my family trying to tell them about the baby. I couldn't bear to tell them that their first-born daughter was yet again going to bring another major disappointment to them. Therefore, I decided that I would terminate the pregnancy and no one had to even know I was pregnant. Easy solution, I thought to myself. Except that I came from a strong Christian family and to even fathom having an abortion was a sin and taboo. After my quick trip to the Caribbean, I went back to New York and finally called Planned Parenthood to set up the appointment to terminate the pregnancy. I asked them if I could take the abortion pill, and I was devastated to find out that I would have to go through a full abortion because my window for the abortion pill was one week past the time to end the pregnancy with a pill. I was so depressed; I thought to myself, "Oh, my God, they're going to rip this baby out of my womb.
[IslamCity] Iran 'clarifies' remarks on Israel(http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F497A302-79E2-46D7-9416-DBC764F69F9B.htm)
Iran
'clarifies' remarks on Israel
Tuesday 21 February 2006,
1:51 Makka Time, 22:51 GMT
Mottaki:
Ahmadinejad remarks referred to Israeli
regime
T
Comments
attributed to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,the IranianPresident, saying
he wanted to see Israel "wiped
off the map" were taken out of context, according to his foreign
minister.
Manouchehr
Mottaki, the Foreign Minister,told reporters in Brussels on Monday:
"Nobody can remove a country from the map. This is a misunderstanding in
Europe of what our president mentioned."Speaking
in English, after addressing the European Parliament, Mottaki said that comments
from Ahmadinejad made in Octoberreferred to the current Israeli regime
which Tehran does not "recognise legally".Ahmadinejad caused a storm of
condemnation after Iran's
official IRNA news agency quoted him as telling a conference:
"Israel must be wiped off the
map".Mottaki's comments came as he sought to assure the EU that
Tehran had no ambitions to make nuclear weapons,
despite widespread mistrust in Europe and the US of the reasons behind Iran's nuclear
programme.No mythIran
says it is for energy production only. Mottaki also acknowledged the
Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany, despite
Ahmadinejad saying in December that it was a myth.
"We believe that those
people who make efforts to free their countries should not be regarded as
terrorists" Manouchehr Mottaki,Iranian Foreign
MinisterHe told the
parliament's foreign affairs committee, speaking through an interpreter: "Our
friends in Europe stress that such a crime has
taken place and they have stated certain figures that were actually suffered. We
have no argument about that, but what we are saying here is to put right such a
horrific event, why should the Muslims pay a price?"The political leader
of the resistancegroup Hamas, which won Palestinian legislative elections
last month, was in Tehran on Monday for talks
with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei.Mottaki said it was natural such talks should take place, while
making clear he rejected the West's labelling of Hamas, which is committed to
Israel's destruction, as a terrorist group."We believe that those people
who make efforts to free their countries should not be regarded as terrorists,"
he said.He declined to speculate on how ties between a Hamas-led
Palestinian government and Tehran would develop.
Reuters
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
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[IslamCity] Fw: Vienna Citizens Campaign Against Nudity
- Original Message -
From: Mahmudul
Hasan
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Witness Pioneer
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:04 PM
Subject: Vienna Citizens Campaign Against Nudity
Vienna Citizens Campaign Against Nudity
"These obscene images make my blood boil
every day," Unossan fumed
Ahmed Al-Matboli, IOL Correspondent
VIENNA, February 21, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Vienna
citizens have joined forces in calling for nude-free editions of the
mass-circulation and charge-free daily Heute, calling the inside photos
offensive and immoral.
"The anti-nudity campaign participants, regardless of their
religious affiliations, are seeking to ban the publication of these nude
images," campaign organizer Johannes Unossan told IslamOnline.net Monday,
February 20.
The daily is distributed in the Vienna underground with
images of women posing nude included on its pages to the irk of travelers of
different age groups.
"These obscene images make my blood boil every day," Unossan
fumed.
Heute is distributed in
coordination between the Vienna transport agency and a major press
institution.
More Harm
Charge-free Heute is distributed
daily in the Vienna underground.
Unossan said the paper's mass circulation made it incumbent
upon him to contact its managing board to stop the publication of the nude
images and replace them with valuable information for the travelers during their
commutes to work.
"I warned them that it would do more harm than good
especially if the publishers paid no heed to morals and ethics," he
added.
Unossan has also launched a Web site to garner the support
of Vienna citizens in his campaigning against nudity.
The online appeal drew until Sunday, February 19, nearly
1,200 supporters, mostly women.
"Every supporter has his/her own motives, but we are all
wedded to the same goal which is taking these images off the
paper."
"As far as I'm concerned, I didn't imagine my children
staring at these lustrous images and that is why I championed this campaign to
protect the people's religious and moral values."
Children also voted for the ban.
"I go red-faced when I spot these images," said 13-year-old
Hurbert on Unossan's Web site. "But I'm used to reading the interesting short
stories in the paper."
Muslim Support
The campaign has further drawn support from the Muslim
minority.
"The initiative was taken by a Christian and if Muslims had
objected they would have been called extremists and described as having
oppressive attitudes towards women," Iyad Ali, a Syrian student, told
IOL.
Ahmed Abdallah, a programmer, said that Muslims and
Christians should be united in fighting vice.
"Unossan deserves respect for his initiative and he gives a
good example for all Europeans," added Amgad Maree.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-02/21/article02.shtml(21
Feb 06)
Find your next car at Yahoo! Canada
Autos
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title change to daily digest.
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[IslamCity] Liberian situation
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum.I am sharing with you a letter I
received from an officer working in Liberia and the reply I gave to him because
this will help us understand the situation in many ex-colonial countries in
Africa and South America.
I received this letter:
"Here the people are very poor. After the civil
war of 14 yrs, the country is fully destroyed. They do not have the basic
need of life. They dont have food, shelter, education, communication anything.
You know, they take food only once in a day or may not take. You can buy a
person here with some food only.
Though the new government is being formed. But the
civil administration is not in a state to run the country. It will take
a long time for them to get a shape. The Americans, only Allah knows what will
be their punishment, just to collect rubber from here. They have created this
situation and still maintaining it. You know Liberia is one of the largest producer of Rubber
and again the 100% requirement of US rubber goes from here. They have
compelled the people over here to get involved in two things WINE AND WOMEN (We
call it two W).Its so pathetic."
In reply I wrote this short letter:
"Assalamu Alaikum. I am pained to learn
about the conditions of Liberia.I pray for them.You all should do whatever you
can, guide some educated people there the ways to get out of poverty and road to
development. They have to do it themselves and you can show them the
way."
Shah Abdul Hannan
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title change to daily digest.
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[IslamCity] No Grudges Towards Jews: Haniya--the prime ministerdesignate of palestine
No Grudges Towards Jews:
Haniya
"We are not war seekers nor are we
war initiators," said Haniya.
WASHINGTON, February 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) - Hamas does
not harbor or animosity towards Jews and could establish "peace in stages"
with Israel if the latter withdraws to its 1967 borders and recognizes the
inalienable rights of the Palestinians, Hamas leader and Palestinian Prime
Minister-Designate Ismail Haniya said in an interview released Sunday,
February 26.
"We do not have any feelings of animosity toward Jews. We do
not wish to throw them into the sea," Haniya told the Washington
Post in a phone interview. "All we seek is to be given our land back,
not to harm anybody."
"We are not war seekers nor are we war initiators," Haniya
said. "We are not lovers of blood. We are not interested in a vicious
cycle of violence."
"We are oppressed people with rights. If peace brings us our
rights, then this is good."
Haniya rejected that Hamas' election victory was solely due
to corruption within the former ruling Fatah party.
"The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of
the Palestinian Authority.
"Hamas has a vision and a program and this is the reason why
the Palestinian people chose Hamas. However, there is no doubt that the
corruption helped Hamas's victory," he said.
Hamas has swept the Palestinian legislative elections,
winning 74 of the 132-seat legislature, against 45 for Fatah.
The new parliament, whose first session was postponed until
March 6, will approve the next Palestinian government, expected to be
announced within the next two weeks by Haniya.
"Peace in Stages"
Haniya further set conditions to achieve "peace in stages"
with Israel.
"If Israel withdraws to the '67 borders, then we will
establish a peace in stages," Haniya said.
Clarifying what he meant, Haniya said: "Number one, we will
establish a situation of stability and calm which will bring safety for
our people -- what (Hamas founder) Sheikh (Ahmad) Yassin called a
long-term hudna (truce)."
Haniya said Hamas would honor agreements "that will guarantee
the establishment of a Palestinian state, with Al-Qduds (occupied East
Jerusalem) as its capital, with 1967 borders, as well as agreements that
would release prisoners."
The border issues is one of several thorny negotiation files
the Palestinian Authority and Israel earlier decided to leave until a
later stage of negotiations.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said earlier in February
that Israel would set borders with the Palestinians "unilaterally" in the
absence of a peace deal.
"No Recognition"
Haniya, meanwhile, denied in statements carried by Al-Jazeera
channel that he told the Post's correspondent Hamas was ready to
"recognize Israel."
"The subject of recognizing Israel was not mentioned in the
interview," Haniya told reporters in Gaza City.
"I said when the occupation withdraws from our land,
including Al-Quds, releases prisoners and implements the right of return,
then it is possible Hamas will agree to a long-term ceasefire," he
said.
The US and EU have demanded that Hamas "renounce violence,"
disarm and change its charter on the destruction of Israel or risk losing
foreign aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian resistance factions observed last year a de facto
truce since President Mahmoud Abbas was elected in January, an agreement
that was cemented at talks brokered by Egypt last March.
The shaky truce, which officially expired with the beginning
of the new year, has repeatedly been put to the test by Israeli
assassinations of resistance activists and incessant
attacks.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's
[IslamCity] Fund Raising Campaign for Prophet Web Site
Fund Raising Campaign for Prophet Web Site
Al-Balagh's senior officials led by
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi during their meeting in Doha.
By Farahat Al-Abbar, IOL Correspondent
DOHA, February 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Al-Balagh Cultural
Society, which owns IslamOnline.net, has launched a fund-raising campaign for
its new affiliate Web site on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him), which will be launched on March 10 in response to Danish cartoons that
lampooned the prophet of Islam.
"I urge Muslims worldwide to translate their love for the prophet
into contributions to the 'Muhammad: Mercy for All' Web site,'" Al-Balagh Board
Chairman Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi said at a press conference in Doha on
Saturday, February 25.
"One has to translate his/her respect and love for the prophet
through concrete steps and this project is a token of our love."
Qaradawi, who heads the Dublin-based International Union of Muslim
Scholars (IUMS), said that Muslims should be "positive" in defending the prophet
"by acquainting the other with his life history, merits and
characteristics."
"Muslims have really proved their mettle in the wake of the
publication of the cartoons, but have not yet tried their best in removing
stereotypes about their prophet," Qaradawi added, referring to the massive
boycott of Danish products in the Muslim world.
The cartoons, one of them showing the Prophet with a bomb-shaped
turban, were first published last September in a Danish newspaper and since
reprinted in several European papers.
Any image of the Prophet -- let alone biting caricatures -- is
considered blasphemous under Islam.
"Mammoth Task"
Ibrahim Al-Ansari, the supervisor of the fund-raising campaign,
said the launch of a Web site on Prophet Muhammad is a "mammoth
task."
"We need $10 million to support the Web site, which will be
initially launched in English, then French and German; in other words, we need
three million dollars for each section," he said.
"This budget, however, can keep the Web site functioning for three
years," he said, adding that Spanish and Italian sections would be launched
later.
"We have already enough English materials and will put the French
and German pages online once we get the necessary cash."
Al-Balagh's Vice Chairman Ali Muhyealdin Al-Quradaghi said 282
English materials are being prepared for the online publication.
"We decided to take the initiative and launch this Web site," he
said.
IOL's Director General Tawfiq Ghanem said the new portal will serve
as an all-inclusive reference on the Prophet.
"We are using the IT language to introduce Islam," he
said.
The publication of the anti-Prophet cartoons have prompted Muslims
in many countries to champion local campaigns to raise awareness of the merits
and characteristics of the Prophet in the West.
Denmark has welcomed an initiative by Muslim preacher Amr Khaled to
visit the Scandinavian country with a host of Muslim youths to engage in a
dialogue with Danish youths and intellectuals.
The country is further planning a series of initiatives to build
bridges with the Muslim world
as bilateral relations badly soured after
the cartoons publication.
Yahoo! MailUse
Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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[IslamCity] World Chechnya Day--In Remembrance of Genocide
Dear editor/members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum, I am sending to you a folder on Chechnya from islamonline.net for your information/publication. You may readsome of these materials to understand the issue . Shah Abdul Hannan In Remembrance of GenocideWorld Chechnya Day By Muslim Affairs Staff Feb. 22, 2006 Click to visit World Chechnya Day Web site February 23, 2006 is the 62nd anniversary of one of the 20th century's worst genocides. It marks the day the Soviet Union, under Josef Stalin, deported the entire Chechen nation to Central Asia, killing massive numbers of the small nation. In the upheaval of Russia's Bolshevik revolution, the communist forces had failed to completely quell the mountaineers resistance. After a vicious nine-month war, perhaps the fiercest local struggle in the Russian Civil War, the last Chechen rebel stronghold fell in May of 1921. However, violence continued to flare up sporadically in Chechnya, prompted by the Soviet's agricultural collectivization and repressive security polices, particularly with regard to religion. In the manner of their ancestors, Chechens would form small guerrilla groups and fight from the mountains. After the German surrender in World War II, Stalin accused several of the Caucasian nations in their entirety of collusion with the Fascists. Against these nations he pronounced a sentence of likvidatsia: liquidation. On February 23, 1944, tens of thousands of Soviet troops herded the entire Chechen nation onto trains. Chechnya, along with several other Caucasian republics, was emptied out. The plan was to erase the Chechens, their history, and their culture. References to them were stricken from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Those who could not be transported, such as residents of remote mountain villages, or patients in hospital, were executed. In at least a couple of incidents, people were forced into barns or mosques that were then burned down with all inside. Soviet figures put the number of Chechens and Ingush loaded on to the trains at 478,479. The "official" number dumped, freezing and starving into the Kazakh steppes were 400,478suggesting 78,000 had died in transit, or shortly after arrival. That death toll is held by many to be conservative. Sixty years later, the European Parliament recognized the mass deportation and exile of the Chechen and Ingush nations as an act of Soviet genocide. The World Chechnya Day Web site brings together an invaluable collection of personal accounts of the genocide, a historical account of the exile, and tracks events taking place around the world to mark the anniversary. In remembrance of Russias past genocide of the Chechens, and its ongoing brutal occupation of Chechnya, IslamOnline.net presents this selection of articles from our coverage of the war-torn country. Information, Statements and Interviews Forged in Flame: The Chechen National Character Kavkaz-Center: Interview with Shamil Basayev The Assassination of President Maskhadov Statement by the Chechen Resistance A Conversation With Chechen Author Apti Bisultanov Chechnya: Aslan Maskhadovs Call to Put an End to the War Analyses The Never Ending Conflict Maskhadov's Martyrdom the Future of Chechen Resistance Islam in the Northern Caucasus The Politics of Militancy and Revolt Lineaments of a Nation Russias Renewed Quest for Power Attacking Civilians in War Times: Juristic Approach Chechnya: A Humanitarian Situation Turning Worse
[IslamCity] UK Muslims Blast Flawed Terror Glorification Bill
UK Muslims Blast "Flawed" Terror Glorification
Bill
A file photo of British Muslims
protesting the new anti-terror
bill.
CAIRO, February 28, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Forty-two
British Muslim organizations have pressed for the exclusion of
"glorification" provisions in the recently adopted "flawed" anti-terror
law.
"The overwhelming majority of the Muslim community opposes
the ill-considered measures in the current Terrorism Bill relating to the
undefined crime of glorification of terrorism," the groups said in
a press release posted on the Wes site of the umbrella Muslim Council of
Britain (MCB).
They asserted that the glorification provisions will
criminalize people who defend the legitimate rights of people under
occupation or those voicing support for legitimate resistance to illegal
military occupation in places like occupied Palestine.
"The Terrorism Bill is seriously flawed because it is built
on a definition of terrorism that includes legitimate armed struggles
against violent autocratic regimes," read the statement.
"It is impossible to justify laws that would have
criminalized the supporters of Nelson Mandela, and that could put behind
bars opponents of the current odious regimes in, say, Burma, Chechnya and
North Korea."
Earlier this month, the British parliament backed an
amendment to the anti-terror bill, making glorification of terrorism a
crime.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke has watered down the
glorification provision after harsh criticism from the opposition and
human rights activists.
People will be charged with glorifying terrorism only if it
can be demonstrated they intended to encourage their audience to commit
terrorist attacks.
The original bill read: "A person commits an offence if he
glorifies, exalts, or celebrates an act of terrorism whether in the past
or in the future."
The new bill further grants sweeping powers for police,
including detaining terror suspects before charges are laid and closure of
places of worship being used by alleged extremists.
British Muslims, estimated at some 1.8 million people, had
denounced the grisly London attacks which killed 52 people, saying there
was no justification whatsoever to take innocent lives.
Mistrust
The Muslim groups, including the Muslim Association of
Britain, Islamic Society of Britain and Association of Muslim Schools,
warned that criminalizing non-violent behaviors would have serious
ramifications.
"Far from assisting the fight against terrorism, this will
result in a loss of trust between the Muslim community and the police,
leading to a reduced flow of important information and intelligence," they
said.
The groups said that the Muslim minority has made clear its
determination to work with the authorities to stamp out terror, citing
calls by Muslim leaders to open a public inquiry into the events that led
to the terrorist 7/7 attacks.
"Terrorism will only be defeated by united communities
working together - not by a Bill that is perceived as unfairly targeting
Muslims and stifling legitimate debate."
In September, British Muslims launched the first ever
National Advisory Council of Imams and Mosques to nurture home-grown imams
and set standards for preachers.
A poll showed on February 19 that 91 percent of British
Muslims are "loyal" to Britain and 80 percent still want to live in and
accept Western society.
British politicians and MPs have criticized the new
anti-terror law, saying that it would be counter-productive in combating
terror.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the law would reduce the
trust, and therefore the information, from the communities whose help is
indispensable to the police.
A cross-party coalition said in a statement last October it
backed steps to prevent bombings like those in the capital on July 7, but
opposed any measures that would trample on political freedoms or alienate
Muslims whose help is needed to combat radical groups.
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[IslamCity] Alliance of Civilizations Urges Action not Talk
Alliance of Civilizations Urges "Action not
Talk"
The conference brings together
dignitaries from all over the
world.
By Dalia Al-Hadidi, IOL Correspondent
DOHA, February 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) World
dignitaries opened on Sunday, February 26, the second conference of
the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations in Doha, urging action not talk
to bridge the yawning gap between the Muslim world and the West after the
publication of Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him).
"Lofty ideas alone are not enough ... We need to
develop sobering, but equally compelling counter-narratives of our own,"
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told the delegates.
"I very much hope that you can come up with specific,
concrete suggestions for ways of carrying dialogue forward so that it can
really catch the popular imagination; so that we are not just a nice group
of people agreeing with each other, but people with a message that can
echo around the world."
The Alliance of Civilizations initiative, launched in
November 2005 by Spain and Turkey , has created a "high-level group"
of some 20 members including Iran 's former president Mohammed Khatami,
former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine, South Africa 's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and
the wife of Qatar 's emir Sheikha Mozah.
The group, which had its first meeting in Palma de Mallorca , Spain , in November and will have two more
meetings after Doha
, is expected to come up with concrete steps for promoting
dialogue between cultures that will be presented to the UN, other
international organizations and world governments in the autumn.
The issue of West-Islam dialogue has gained more
urgency in view of the controversy triggered by the publication of
cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad.
The drawings, considered blasphemous under Islam, have
sparked worldwide protests, which in some cases turned
violent.
Youths
"Lofty ideas alone are not
enough," said Annan.
Many of the speakers underlined the need to accord
special attention to the younger generation.
"It is very important to reach young people before
their ideas and attitudes have fully crystallized," Annan said.
He urged world figures, especially artists,
entertainers and sports champions, to join hands in promoting the ideology
of tolerance and understanding between cultures among youths before they
are swayed by extremists.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Sheikh Abdullah Bin
Khalifa Al-Thani agreed.
"Youths should also play a strategic role in building
bridges between civilizations," he told the participants.
Federico Mayor, the former director of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said
it is high time the parties concerned took a concrete step.
He called on NGOs and governments to launch a
practical program to enhance understanding between the peoples of the
world.
Political Problems
Spain 's Foreign Minister
Miguel Angel Moratinos proposed looking at the political problems feeding
the growing rift between East and West.
"We should try to identify the main political problems
that feed these growing suspicions," he said, according to a copy of his
prepared remarks obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Israeli occupation of Palestine and the US-led invasions of
Iraq and
Afghanistan
are often cited by politicians, experts and analysts
as the root of the state of anger towards the West in the Muslim
world.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has admitted there
can be no security solution to terrorist attacks without addressing the
underlying causes of terrorism.
David Clark, a former Labour government adviser, has
said that the world cannot defeat terrorism until it was ready to take
legitimate Arab grievances seriously.
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and
[IslamCity] on the state of u.s.-Islamic world relations---statement of OIC secy general
Statement of his Excellency Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic conference At the U.S.-Islamic world forum on the state of u.s.-Islamic world relations Doha - state of Qatar February 18-20, 2006 Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I deem it a privilege for me to address this important forum of distinguished policymakers and opinion-shapers. I would like at the outset, to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, for his patronage of this important forum, also to Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber Al-Thani, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar. I would also like to express my thanks and appreciation to the Brookings Institution and Saban Centre for Middle East Policy for organizing this important meeting, which brings together American and Islamic world leaders in various fields. Ladies and Gentlemen, The state of U.S.-Muslim World relations is a very complex issue. It is a state of admiration, friendship and esteem but it is also, at the same time, a state of bitterness, injustice and complaint. For Muslims, the world over, the United States was perceived as a paradise, Eldorado, or a sublime showcase of prosperity, and good life. It epitomized the land of genuine civil liberties, abundance, progress and in one word the land of the American dream. At least, this was the case for my generation. Having no colonial past in the Islamic world, no hegemonic tendencies outside its frontiers based on President Monroe's doctrine; endowed with an advanced legal system and governed by true democratic political institutions, the United States captured the admiration and earned warm feelings in all Muslim countries until after the Second World War. The creation of the State of Israel in 1948, marked a turning point in the U.S.-Muslim world relations, because of the injuries inflicted on the Palestinian people, and the humiliation suffered by Muslim masses. But despite that disaster, the sentiments prevailing in the Muslim world toward the U.S.A. remained rather cordial. This feeling was fostered by the neutral and positive stand adopted by Washington during the Suez war against Egypt waged through a combined assault by forces from Israel, U.K. and France in 1956. It was only after the 1967 War, that, the sentiments of the Muslims toward the United States started to become bitter. The American policy started to be perceived in total inclination or even submission to the demands of Israel in total disregard to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The Muslim world stood by and fought with the United States and Western Europe, against communism during the cold war era, only to be rewarded, right after the fall of Berlin Wall, by being declared the new potential enemy of the West Worse still! a wave of denigration and hate was unleashed against Islam and its adherents through venomous falsehood disseminated by some circles. As the just causes and grievances of the Muslims continued to be rebuffed over decades, especially in Palestine, a sense of helplessness and despair, and injustice started to creep into the psyche of many Muslims. This anguish and distress compounded with the socio-economic backwardness and lack of the benefits of modern life in some parts of the Muslim world. Some of them, thought that, their salvation resides in returning back to their religion which brought to their ancestors a glorious past. It is in this environment of despair, that, ultra fanatic groups flourished and took advantage of these sentiments, by alluring scores of young Muslims to their radical and deviant trends. Ladies and Gentlemen, September 11, 2001 was shocking, evil and criminal. Muslims, throughout the world, met this vile and horrible terrorist attack with upfront, swift and unanimous condemnation. These feelings were genuine and sincere, and they were not tardy or hypocritical as some alleged. The voices of good are not always silent, but the voices of hate and bigotry are often louder and bolder. The OIC, which I have the honour to represent, issued the same day a strong statement expressing our utter condemnation and indignation, as such deeds stood disavowed and denounced by the teachings of Islam. From the outset, many Muslims saw in these appalling events a pitfall to drag them to a potential harm, and to cause them more distress, hardship and denial of their rights. Muslims around the world saw themselves as the big losers. The Muslim World with its hundreds of million, was subjected to pay for the crime of a few disoriented fanatics. The war on terror was
[IslamCity] Fw: Please visit this article on www.MuslimsToday.com website !!
Dear Mr. editor/ members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.Kindly see this insightful article for publication/ information.On the warin Iraq, the article concludes, "The stakes are much higher than they seem. The foundations of the World War I were laid by decisions that were made ten to twenty years before 1914, and after that it was very hard for anyone to turn back. There is a strong case for saying that we have arrived at a similar decision point now; what happens in the next year or so matters a lot, so we need some answers fast." Shah Abdul Hannan - Watching Global Islamic Relations for better understanding الموقع العربي ISLAM THE WEST: The Coming World Orderhttp://www.MuslimsToday.com/EN/Contents.aspx?AID=4104 Gwynne Dyer The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Even more urgently, the whole world needs the United States to lose the war in Iraq. It would be nice if Iraq doesn’t lose too, but that is a lesser consideration. What is at stake now is the way we run the world for the next generation or more, and really bad things will happen if we get it wrong. The temptation to take charge of the world was bound to be great when the United States emerged from the Cold War as the only superpower, for it seemed like a goal within easy reach. It was nevertheless resisted, by Republican and Democratic administrations alike, for almost a decade. Then a random event — for 9/11 might easily not have happened —unleashed forces in Washington that were itching to make a takeover bid, and now we live in the middle of a train wreck. The idea that the United States can remain ‘the world’s sole military superpower until the end of time’ is comically overambitious, but there it is, embedded in a 34-page document submitted to Congress in September 2002 entitled The National Security Strategy of the United States. ‘The United States will not hesitate to strike preemptively against its enemies, and will never again allow its military supremacy to be challenged.’ As it becomes clear what the project to turn the United States into the world’s policeman (or, more precisely, its judge, jury, and executioner) will cost in American lives and in higher taxes, American voters themselves will pull the plug on it sooner or later. Or maybe the world will pull the plug on the project fi rst, by refusing to go on holding dollars as the gradual collapse in the value of the US currency deepens. The risk is that it will all take too long. If an American defeat in Iraq takes another four or fi ve years, huge and maybe irreparable damage will have been done to the international institutions that are our fragile fi rst line of defence against a return to the great-power wars that could destroy us all. We need the United States back as a leading architect of global order, not a hyperactive vigilante, and we need it back now. ‘The French plan, which would somehow transfer sovereignty to an unelected group of people, just isn’t workable.’ Condoleezza Rice , US National Security Adviser, September 2003 In September 2003, when French President Jacques Chirac urged a high-speed handover of power to Iraqis as the best way of clearing up the huge mess created by the illegal American invasion of Iraq, the US Government rejected the idea out of hand. The Coalition Provisional Authority ( CPA ) that ran the occupation regime under pro-consul Paul Bremer would stay in power as long as necessary to ensure the creation of an Iraqi constitution and the election of an Iraqi government that was (a) democratic and (b) pro-American. Coming up with an Iraqi government that matched both of those criteria was a very tall order, given US closeness to Israel and Washington’s determination to open the entire Iraqi economy up to foreign companies. In fact, Bremer’s predecessor, retired general Jay Garner, had been fi red in April 2003
[IslamCity] Fw: situation in Indian Gujrat- Asghar Ali Engineer-
- Original Message - From: CSSS To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 12:26 PM Subject: Secular Perspective THEY HATE US, WE FEAR THEM THE SITUATION IN GUJARAT Asghar Ali Engineer ( From Secular Perspective March 1-15, 2006) The situation in Gujarat is afar from normal even more than three years after carnage of 2002. The situation, particularly in rural areas is as Harsh Mandar, former IAS officer and prominent activist for communal harmony in Gujarat put it they (i.e. Hindus) hate us and we (i.e. Muslims) fear them. As any psychologist will know hate and fear are not normal human situations. Hindus, particularly, those of Sangh Parivar, hate Muslims and Muslims, particularly those who suffered in 2002 carnage, fear the Hindus. The Gujarat carnage was unprecedented in the history of communal riots in independent India. Never such communal violence took place with so much active collaboration of the state. There never was so much hate campaign against minorities in the history of Independent India as in Gujarat. There is no let up in the hate propaganda even now. The prophet of hate Pravin Togadia is spearheading this campaign. Generally the guilty of communal violence are not punished but the Gujarat Government has broken all records in this respect also. They closed down all the cases; soon after the carnage saying no evidence is available. It was only after the intervention of the Supreme Court that these cases were reopened, more than 2000 of them. The police are generally partial but in Gujarat it acted almost like a Hindutva force. It openly took part in killing and looting though there were some honest and committed officers who were rendered ineffective by transferring them to administrative posts or to those areas where there was no rioting. All this is history now. The present situation is no less worrisome. Harsh Mandar and some of us sat together to evolve a strategy for effective intervention. More than 50% refugees are still unable to return to their villages. Many of these refugees are rotting in ghettoes created after the carnage. They want to return to their villages but are afraid to go back. They are threatened or blackmailed to withdraw the cases. There are heart- rending stories. Those who have returned live in fear and total isolation. No one talks to them, no one invites them, no one even looks at them. So scorned they find it difficult to live there. Villages are small units of population and quite interdependent. In big cities one can live in such situation but not in small villages. These victims say we can live even with economic boycott but not when everyone hates us or neglects us. All this is due to hate campaign going on by VHP and Bajrang Dal cadres. Other political parties just do not exist including the Congress. Even if it does, it dare not speak up. There is no effective intervention by social activists. The NGOs are as much polluted by communal poison. They either hate Muslims or are totally indifferent to their fate. Harsh Mandar wants to develop some module of active intervention to bring Muslims into village mainstream again. The Congress at the Centre is not bothered. The Congress workers at the state level are more in sympathy to the BJP than to minorities. Some NGOs working in cities like Ahmedabad may have sympathy for Muslims but not those working in rural areas. We put our heads together and try to evolve some ways to effectively intervene to bring about some interaction between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus are not real obstacle in general, but militant Hindu organisations. They have acquired high stake in hate politics. They collect money in the name of protecting and promoting Hinduism (read Hindutva). They bring money for welfare of Dalits and tribals and use it for hate campaign among them and for Hinduising dalits and tribals. Thus these weaker sections of Hindu society also have become part of Hndutva campaign. These dalits and tribals, even when not in agreement with Hindutva campaign cannot speak out as they also have to live in the same village. They cannot afford to earn hostility of upper caste Hindus. Thus Muslims are totally isolated. Harsh Mandar tells us that Mrs. Malika Sarabhai has agreed to develop a cultural package for rural areas. She will give cultural performances with message of peace and harmony, with no overt propaganda. Malika Sarabhai had taken very bold stand against Narendra Modi and Narendra Modi left no stone unturned to harass her. But she stood up courageously. This will be followed up by screening the Film Gandhi to further consolidate the message of peace and non-violence. This could be followed by inter-community dialogue after carefully selecting villages, which are more prone to the message of peace. It is undoubtedly a slow process but there is no short -cuts in such matters. Hate and suspicion
[IslamCity] Indonesian City Wants Schoolgirls Dressed Modestly
Indonesian City Wants Schoolgirls Dressed
Modestly
The dress code will not be
enforced until the renovation of 221 schools in the
city.
CAIRO, March 1, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) An Indonesian city
will impose a dress code for school girls to be dressed modestly when they
go to the classes as part of a wider conservative policy cracking down on
vice and immorality, an Indonesian daily reported on Wednesday, March
1.
"In the near future, all female elementary to high school
students will no longer be allowed to wear skirts that show their knees
and thighs," Tangerang mayor Wahidin Halim was quoted as saying by the
Jakarta Post.
"If the municipality is sticking to the akhlakul kharimah
(morality) vision, then society must also be akhlakul kharimah," he
said.
The dress code will not be enforced until the renovation of
221 schools in the city is over, the Post said, adding that
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was scheduled to inaugurate the schools
next month.
Wahidin reiterated that his position had everything to with
fighting vice and preserving the moral values of society and was not
influenced by religion.
Friday Prayers
Tangerang municipality plans further to prohibit street
vendors from selling food outside mosques during Friday
prayers.
"The presence of street vendors at mosques is seen as a
public order disturbance. Therefore, I need the support of all layers of
society to issue the ban," Wahidin said.
Earlier in the month Wahidin vowed zero-tolerance for
violators of bylaws prohibiting the sale of alcohols and
prostitution.
Tangerang, an industrial town located 20 kilometers west of
Jakarta, is the second largest urban center in the Jabotabek region after
the capital Jakarta.
It has an estimated population of 3.2 million, according to
2005 statistics.
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim state where Muslims
make up 80% percent of the 220 million population.
Breaking an official silence, the Indonesian government
recently vocalized opposition to the planned debut of a local edition of
the raunchy magazine Playboy, admitting that its legal hands remain
tied.
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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[IslamCity] The cronyism of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. Please read this interesting story on World Bank management byPaul Wolfowitz from Al-Ahram weekly. Shah Abdul Hannan What a shame The cronyism of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank is ruining the institution and driving the best of its staff out, writes Mohamed Hakki* In an article on the eclipsing fortunes of the neocons vis-à-vis Bush foreign policy, the Wall Street Journal said: "In the past year, the ranks of the neoconservatives within the administration, who moulded the American response to 9/11, have grown thin and their influence has ebbed." It mentioned the departure from key policy-making positions of some of the administration's most prominent neoconservatives. Some of them left in disgrace, others left their jobs for other Bush appointments. Perhaps the most interesting of these career changes involves that of former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who was promoted for his role in the Iraq war to president of the World Bank. From day one, all vice-presidents, directors and staff members of the World Bank were apprehensive in view of his reputation as the "high priest of the hawks" or "The Vulcans"; nicknames for Mr Bush's tight-knit group of security advisors, the architect of the Iraq war, and the driving ideological force behind the decision to invade Iraq. They also wondered about his arrogant dismissal of all misgivings about the war. They remembered his rosy forecasts, his predictions that the Iraqis would greet US soldiers as liberators, with open arms, and his casual dismissal of warnings by Eric Shimseki, former US army chief of staff, that the US would need several hundred thousand troops in Iraq (and who was fired for daring to give his expert opinion). They remembered well his assertion that the "oil revenues of Iraq over the course of the next two to three years would bring in 50 to 100 billion US dollars which could more than finance its own reconstruction." But, to be fair, they were all willing to give him the benefit of the doubt despite the deep moral struggle they are each grappling with; working for a man who is morally and politically responsible for a horrendous war that has shed the blood of thousands of innocent victims in Iraq. Now, it seems that the honeymoon is over. On the cost of the Iraqi war, it is becoming more and more obvious that Wolfowitz's predictions are, at best, a joke approaching the fanciful, and, at worse, outright intentionally misleading. When White House economic advisor Lawrence Lindsay forwarded an estimate (September 2002) of the Iraq war at a higher level of $100-$200 billion, the administration dismissed his analysis as "likely very, very high" and promptly fired him (another person who lost his job because he did it conscientiously and professionally). Now it turns out that even his figures were wildly low. According to Joseph Stiglitz, professor at Columbia University and Nobel Prize winner in economics, and Linda Blimes, a Harvard budget expert, the war in Iraq is likely to cost up to $2 trillion. The American Conservative magazine says: "What is certain is that before hiring him to run the World Bank, someone should have recalled Paul Wolfowitz's prediction that Iraq would fund the operation itself." Normal people under normal circumstances would have been fired, but not "Wolfie!" However, even with this grim history in mind which they fear will impact on their ability to address their global clients' needs and fulfil their mission of addressing world poverty, World Bank staff have even more immediate worries to contend with. What everybody in the Bank perceives most evidently is the increasing rift between Wolfowitz and his inner cabal of advisors and the staff at large. The problem is manifesting itself on several levels. In recent months, there had been a massive exodus of top talent from the World Bank. The senior ethics officer of the bank has departed. Also on the exit roster are the vice president for East Asia and the Pacific, the chief legal counsel, the vice president for environmentally and socially sustainable development, the bank's top managing director, the director of institutional integrity (who monitors internal and external corruption), and the head of the information solutions group. Steve Clemons says in the Washington Note : "It looks as if Wolfowitz
[IslamCity] Muslims exhibit marvelous reverence for Prophet (PBUH)
Muslims
exhibit marvelous reverence for Prophet (PBUH)
Lahore,
March 3: A
historic protest day was observed on Friday in Pakistan and all over the
world on the appeal of national consultation committee to protest the
blasphemous caricatures of European press against the Holy Prophet
(PBUH).
In
Pakistan, a unprecedented shutter down and wheel-jam strike was observed
all over the country, besides peaceful rallies and protests which proved
that Pakistanis hate western conspiracies against their faith and to
divide Muslims on sectarian, linguistic and racial bases, and are united
around the love of the Prophet (PBUH).
The
protests were held in all Muslim countries in Asia, Africa and Europe
besides the US and Australia. In Pakistan, a number of demonstrations were
held in big and small cities where, addressing the participants, the
opposition leaders demanded complete boycott of European nations and
products till laws are enacted at the UN level to prevent such provocative
attacks in future and the culprit countries and groups offer unconditional
apology.
In
Lahore, a large demonstration was held outside JI headquarters Mansoorah
which was participated by thousands of believers raising slogans against
European countries involved in blasphemy and the dictatorial rule in
Pakistan. The protestors were also holding banners and placards with
strong anti blasphemy and anti-US slogans.
The
city government had increased police deployment at Mansoorah since last
night and traffic was also closed on Multan road while entry of people in
Mansoorah premises was also banned. Those coming to Mansoorah for offering
Jumma prayer were also stopped and made to park their vehicles far away
which caused difficulties for the aged and sick people. The restrictions
made a number of people from the adjoining localities deprived from
offering Friday prayers at Mansoorah mosque. However a large number of
people came out on Multan road raising slogans and holding banners after
the Friday prayers. Soon the demonstration was turned into a large public
meeting which was addressed by MMA deputy Secretary-General Hafiz Hussain
Ahmad, Dr. Farid Paracha, Hafiz Idrees, Hafiz Salman Butt MNA, Maulana
Abdul Maalik, MNA, Maulana Amjad Khan, Ain Ghain Karrarvi, Maulana
Mohib-un-Nabi, Azhar Iqbal Hasan, Zikrullah Mujahid and Amanullah
Khan.
Addressing
the protestors, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad said President Bush reminded Pakistani
rulers of their low status by signing a nuclear deal with India despite
that Indian rulers refused to sign NPT rejecting US pressure. He termed
the US president Bush a coward because he visited Afghanistan like
thieves. He said President Musharraf and Prime Minster Shaukat Aziz
expressed sorrow over the death of one US diplomat but expressed no
regrets over deaths of dozens of innocent citizens in the military
operation in tribal areas carried out under the US orders. He demanded of
the Supreme Court to take suo moto action against the blasphemous cartoons
under the blasphemy law.
In
his speech JI naib ameer Hafiz Mohammad Idrees said whole Muslim world
proved today that they had nothing dearer than the love of their Holy
Prophet (PBUH). He said they also announced deep hatred against those
committing blasphemy and conspiring to divide the Ummah.
The
JI leader warned that charge sheet against the dictatorial rulers is
becoming longer and longer in tribal areas and the time was near when they
would be held accountable for their crimes. He said it was high time to
rebel against those rebelling against the Almighty Allah. He said Karachi
blast was the work of US agencies which are known for killing their own
officials to carry out missions against enemies. He said dictatorial rule
has become the biggest internal challenge for Muslims particularly
Pakistani nation. Protesters dispersed peacefully after the Public
meeting.
Central Information
DepartmentJAMAAT-E-ISLAMI PAKISTANMansoorah, Multan Road, Lahore
(Pakistan)Ph. :+92-42-541 9520-4, Fax : +92-42-543 7950E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]URL:
www.jamaat.org
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
[IslamCity] Dark face of democratic India
Dark face of democratic Indiaby Ayesha Munawar India claims to be the biggest democracy in the world, having over one billion people, of which 600 million exercise their right to franchise. But it is the respect of human rights and democratic values, and not mere population and territory that is the gauge of declaring a country democratic. India's dark face under a thin coating of democracy totally exposes on this gauge. All minorities in India are victims of discrimination, persecution and genocide at the hands of its armed forces. Kashmir being the glaring example of all, where a 800 thousand strong army is crushing the freedom struggle of Muslims whose right to self determination guaranteed by UN resolutions has been usurped by India for the last 58 years. India has been pursuing a treacherous policy for the last 50 years on Kashmir issue claiming to be serious in regional peace and security but at the same time avoiding solving Kashmir dispute by delaying tactics. While Delhi proclaims to be champion of democracy and liberties, its army has committed large scale and gross violations of human rights especially in Kashmir by killing, maiming, detaining people without charges and custodial killings, raping, looting and arsoning during crackdowns. In similar fashion it always adopted a stubborn stance at the negotiation table with Pakistan, refusing to show any flexibility which is the main reason that Kashmir talks always remained a failure. This inflexibility is in stark contrast to its claims of friendship and peace with Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistani governments have always shown flexibility and took initiatives for the sake of solving Kashmir like in case of Simla Accord and negotiations at Agra and Saarc summits etc. The present regime of Gen Musharraf has gone beyond all limits to befriend India and strengthening relations on cultural, trade and public level. Particularly the stance of Gen Musharraf towards India is unprecedented, resulted in various bus services between the two country and increasing the mutual visits of politicians, artistes, intellectuals, journalists, jurists and people from other walks of life. Pakistani media has also adopted an overtly pro India gesture that has damaged the Kashmir cause though. Despite all the growing friendship Delhi's atrocities upon Kashmiri Muslims have continued unabated as dozens of them being killed, wounded or tortured everyday. What was more, India refrained from providing relief to the earthquake affected Kashmiri Muslims and also refused to allow any NGO to work in Indian held Kashmir. It was Pakistan that proposed and materialized opening of LoC for free movement of Kashmiris across it but India is opposed to that and has reluctantly implemented upon the proposal under world pressure. The lengthy, unending negotiations between the two countries on Kashmir are still continued at various levels, but fruitless as ever, due to inflexible Indian attitude while its army is busy victimizing Kashmiri Muslims, killing and wounding them to change the demographic status of the Muslim majority state. The Indian attitude is typically reflective of Chanakia philosophy which calls for adopting treacherous, conspiring stance against the enemy instead of open hostility. Philosophy of this Indian philosopher is discussed by historians. Once he happened to be traveling with his disciples as they came across a thorny bush in the way. The courtiers desired to cut away or uproot the bush but Chanakia stopped them and asked them to sprinkle some sugar on its roots instead. After some time Chanakia and disciples again passed through that way and found that the bush had withered away. Chanakia explained that after sugar was sprinkled thousands of ants thrnonged at the bush and sucked away all the fluid and life from its roots and trunk. Thus the bush was cut down without cutting or uprooting. The Indian leadership is pursuing Chanakia philosophy regarding Kashmir. They are silently changing the demographic status of Kashmir by a systematic genocide of Muslims taking cover of repeated negotiations, talks and promoting friendship through exchange of cultural and other delegations. Pakistan and the world must see through the Indian moves and make Delhi honor its commitments to UN resolutions by making the negotiations productive and decisive. Delhi must respect the human rights and civil
[IslamCity] Profiles From South Africa--- Fatima Meer--from islamonline
Profiles From South AfricaFatima MeerAn Example of Devotion and Fortitude By Goolam Vahed**Associate professor of history Mar. 01, 2006 In the context of IslamOnline.net's special coverage of the issue of Muslims in South Africa, we present a series of profiles of prominent Muslim South African figures. Below is the profile of Fatima Meer, one of the most active participants in the struggle against apartheid. Fatima Meer has arguably been the most popular and recognizable Indian South African Muslim woman over the past five decades. She was born in Durban, South Africa, on August 28, 1928, the daughter of Moosa Meer who was the editor and publisher of Indian Views (1914-1965), a weekly aimed at the Gujarati-speaking Muslim community of Southern Africa. Indian Views focused primarily on the struggle against colonialism, particularly the Indian struggle against British imperialism, as well as throughout the Islamic world. Meer's upbringing was not ordinary, and was certainly unlike that of Muslim girls who were her contemporaries. Indian-born Moosa Meer was broad-minded and respected all religions. Though not formally trained in Islamic theology, he was well read and highly respected for his immense knowledge of Islam. He was also very knowledgeable about Hinduism and Christianity, and passed these qualities on to Meer who, throughout her life, has tirelessly fought to build bridges across religious, racial, class, ethnic, and gender lines. Meer was initiated into politics at an early age. The second of nine children, she grew up in an extended family of parents, aunts, and cousins in a liberal Islamic atmosphere, one that was also highly conscious of racial discrimination and the international struggle against colonialism. Assisting with the editing of Indian Views and engaging in debates over decolonization and religion helped shape young Meer's outlook. Meer subsequently fashioned a reputation as a tireless and determined defender of the oppressed, ceaselessly fighting injustice and discrimination. Fatima embarked on her career as a public speaker by sharing the platform with formidable anti-apartheid campaigners such as Dr. Yusuf Dadoo. Moosa Meer valued education and ensured that all his children received formal education. Meer attended Durban Indian Girls High School and subsequently completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology at the University of Natal. This was a remarkable feat because it was almost unheard of for women to be educated during the years when she was growing up. Meer's political career began in 1946 while she was still in high school. From 1946 to 1948, Indians engaged in passive resistance against segregation in Durban. She joined the campaign, establishing the Student Passive Resistance Committee to support volunteers. She embarked on her career as a public speaker by sharing the platform with formidable anti-apartheid campaigners such as Dr. Yusuf Dadoo. Meer subsequently blossomed as an activist. Meer's involvement increased when the Nationalist Party came to power in 1948 and imposed its invidious policy of apartheid. She spoke publicly against apartheid. Due to her activities she was banned (1) in 1952 for a period of three years. She was one of the first South Africans to suffer this incarceration that confined her to the magisterial district of Durban and excluded her from all public gatherings and from being published. Fatima and her husband were lucky to survive an assassination attempt when her house was petrol-bombed by apartheid agents. She was a founder-member of the Federation of South African Women which organized the famous Anti-Pass March on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956. Meer organized weekly vigils outside the Durban prison and provided food and comfort for prisoners. She also organized a week-long vigil at the Gandhi Settlement in Phoenix, Natal, which brought Africans and Indians together through prayers and fasting, led by Sushila Gandhi, the daughter-in-law of Mahatma
[IslamCity] Fw: Please visit this article on www.MuslimsToday.com website !!
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 11:21 PM Subject: Please visit this article on www.MuslimsToday.com website !! Watching Global Islamic Relations for better understanding الموقع العربي Tuesday, 07 March 2006 20:21: PM At the crossroad of Islam, the Westhttp://www.MuslimsToday.com/EN/Contents.aspx?AID=4140 Tariq Ramadan IN COPENHAGEN last October, as demonstrations provoked by the Danish cartoons were starting, a reporter from the newspaper that published them told me during an interview how intensely the editorial staff had debated the issue and how many of the journalists were uncomfortable with the publication of the cartoons and surprised by the strong reaction from Muslims and the Arab embassies. At the time, the tension seemed to remain within Danish borders. To the Danish Muslims denouncing a racist behavior, a provocation that was to be capitalized on by the expanding far-right political wing, my advice was to avoid reacting emotionally, to try to explain quietly why these cartoons were offensive and to neither demonstrate nor risk activating mass movements impossible to master. At the time, a resolution seemed to be at hand. One might ask then, why is it that three months later, some are pouring fuel on the fire of a controversy with tragic and potentially out-of-control consequences? A few Danish Muslims recently visited some Middle Eastern countries and fanned the flames of resentment. Governments, only too happy to prove their attachment to Islam, took advantage of this and presented themselves as champions of the great cause. On the other side, this was just what some politicians, intellectuals, and journalists needed to paint themselves as champions of the great struggle for freedom of _expression_ and resistance fighters against religious obscurantism in the name of Western values. Here we are, facing an incredible simplification, a simplistic polarization: It would be a matter of a clash of civilizations, with the inalienable freedom of speech in one corner and the inviolable sacred sphere in the other. Presented in such terms the debate has, unfortunately, become a battle of wills. Who is going to win? Muslims want apologies, threaten to attack European interests, even to attack people; Western governments, intellectuals, and journalists refuse to bend under the threats and certain media outlets added to the controversy by republishing the cartoons. The majority of people around the world are perplexed about these excesses: What madness has gripped the world? It is critical to find a way out of this infernal circle and to demand from those fueling this fire to stop their polemics and to create a space for a serious, open, and in-depth debate and peaceful dialogue. No, this is not a predicted clash of civilizations. This affair does not symbolize the confrontation between the principles of Enlightenment and those of religion. What is at stake at the heart of this story is a measure of whether or not the parties have the capacity to be free, rational (believer or atheist), and, at the same time, reasonable. The fracture is not between the West and Islam but between those who, in both universes, are able to assert who they are and what they stand for with measure in the name of a faith and/or a rational reason and those driven by exclusive certainties, blind passions, reductive perceptions of the other, and hasty conclusions. These character traits are shared by some intellectuals, religious scholars, journalists, and the ordinary people on both sides. Facing the dangerous drifts these attitudes entail, it is urgent to launch a call for wisdom. In Islam, representations of all prophets are strictly forbidden.
[IslamCity] painful interview of Mutahana Hareth Al-Dari, spokesman of the influential Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars.
Dear editor/ members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. Please see the painful interview of Mutahana Hareth Al-Dari, spokesman of the influential Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars. Shah Abdul Hannan There is ethnic cleansing" Mutahana Hareth Al-Dari, spokesman of the influential Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars, tells Amira Howeidy that the time has come for everyone, including Sunnis, to arm themselves Al-Dari On the brink Before and after Askariya The myth of civil war Living murder Federal choices needed The threat of sectarianism Sedition in Iraq "..any voice that says "No" gets killed. They want to clear the scene to execute their plans of maintaining the sectarian and ethnic dominance that we see today. This is why Iraqis migrate in massive numbers... Yes. There is ethnic, sectarian and political cleansing and it is executed by [Iraq's] security forces." As Iraq falls near to the abyss of civil war, a security clampdown on the Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) twice this week went almost unnoticed. On Monday, US forces supported by other unidentified armed groups raided the headquarters of the influential and largely Sunni Association and arrested two of its main leaders. Al-Ahram Weekly caught up with the AMS's spokesman, Mutahana Hareth Al-Dari, 37, during a visit to Cairo where he was putting the final touches on the soon-to-be-launched AMS satellite channel Al-Rafedein, to be based in Cairo. During the interview, Al-Dari cautiously avoided adopting what could be interpreted as a sectarian discourse but argued that there are forms of ethnic cleansing occurring in Iraq. When asked about the role of Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in last week's sectarian violence, Al-Dari declined to comment. According to informed Iraqi sources who spoke to the Weekly on condition of anonymity the Mahdi army has been "infiltrated" by the Badr Organisation, the military wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq and other state-sponsored militias. And as a result, Al-Sadr gradually lost direct control over his militia which is now associated with sectarian violence in Iraq. AMS considers Al-Sadr, who is of Arab origin, a nationalist figure and ally. Excerpts: The Washington Post reported that 1300 Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, were killed in the violence that erupted following the blast in Al-Askariya Mosque in Samarra. Has the civil war started in Iraq? No. God willing, it won't start. There are attempts to ignite a civil war. How then do you describe what's happening in Iraq? What's a civil war if this isn't one? There were prospects of a civil war but they were contained. But the fire will remain underneath the ashes. The forces that were behind the recent crisis will work on igniting it again. Civil war will begin when some forces lose their conscious awareness; I mean the forces which are armed with patience and who endure pain rather than slip into fitna (civil strife). When that happens there will be civil war. But thank God, they chose the general interest of the people over personal interest. As for the number of Iraqis killed in the past week, the AMS already announced that the death toll exceeds 300. This was confirmed today when the general manager of Al-Teb Adli hospital and its morgue said they have 329 bodies. Then of course there are tens of bodies that were buried by their families before they reached the morgue. So we're actually talking about approximately 400. The 1300 figure is an exaggeration, a way to pour fuel to the fire. A death toll of 400 is not a small figure either. Reports from Iraq Tuesday said that Sunnis from across Iraq are sending or preparing to send weapons to Baghdad to protect Sunnis and their mosques. Can you confirm this? Do the Sunnis need to be armed? This need has existed for a long time now. Long before the recent violence, the current government and the security apparatus unfortunately exercised many forms of terrorism against citizens ...
[IslamCity] American agenda rules Pakistan
Dear editor / members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. I am sending to you an important article American agenda rules Pakistan By Senator Qazi Hussain Ahmad Amir Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan and Chairperson, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal for your information. Shah Abdul Hannan American agenda rules PakistanBy Senator Qazi Hussain AhmadAmir Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan andChairperson, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal President Bush is visiting Pakistan by squeezing precious time from his occupation in the large-scale security issues Washington has created for itself all over the world. Therefore, his visit purely aims at securing Washington's strategic interests in the region with the help of his ally General Musharraf at a time when US troops are facing a retreat in Afghanistan and Iraq due to massive public resistance. Contrary to the expectations generated by the pro-government lobbies and opinion makers, this visit has nothing to do with any strategic interests of the state of Pakistan. Washington has time and again in the recent past proved that it considers India as the most trusted partner in South Asia and the Bush administration has openly declared Delhi its 'Natural Strategic Ally' for its long term interests in the region. Naturally, Bush's visit will focus on strengthening India's position in the region against rivals like China and Pakistan, and protecting its interests at all costs. It has been an open secret that, besides uprooting Islamic fundamentalism, Washington's prime objective in the region is to help India become a regional super power to counter China's economic, strategic and military growth so that Beijing is confined to the Asian region and blocking its march towards expanding its strategic interest all over the world. To achieve this objective Washington wants to force Pakistan to acknowledge Indian hegemony in the region and solve the Kashmir issue for the sake of Delhi's strategic interests. The recent inking of Washington's nuclear cooperation agreement with India is an ample proof of that. The Bush administration is trying to make both countries acknowledge the LoC as international border, with slight changes and the Kashmiri people should remain contended with a temporary and limited internal autonomy. This offer of limited internal autonomy is actually a political trap because it could be withdrawn any time once the situation is normalised. India desperately wants to withdraw the privileged status already given to Kashmir in its constitution. Pakistan is ruled by a military general in uniform and under a de facto martial law, which was proved when Rangers moved into Lahore and sealed the city on January 26 to foil the rally condemning blasphemous caricatures reportedly without any formal request by the civil administration. Besides, the Corps Commander used a threatening tone against the opposition parties leading the mass protests against the west. President Bush has repeatedly praised General Musharraf's role in the US-launched war against terror because he extended unprecedented cooperation to the US army against the wishes of the Pakistani people. Perhaps as a reward, Bush has recently stated clearly that he likes Musharraf's model of democracy. Acknowledging the military commander as head of state of a democratic country proved that Bush has dual standards for Pakistani people and he is backing Musharraf's policies that are against the interests of the Pakistani nation and democracy, just because they serve Washington's interests. The real agenda of Bush in Pakistan is to speed up military operation in the Tribal Areas, even if innocent civilians are killed and carry out Bajaur like attacks to pursue hunting Islamists in the name of Al-Qaeda. Take action against religious seminaries to root out concepts of jihad and fundamentals of Islam, secularisation of syllabi and consolidation of the Aga Khan Education Foundation for this purpose. To force Pakistan to roll back its nuclear programme and hand over Dr Qadeer Khan for investigation and extracting information from him to use as a pretext for attacking Iran. Patronisation of Israeli and Indian nuclear programmes, force Pakistan to accept an Indian designed solution of the Kashmir dispute and agree upon extending an anti-Taliban like role against Iran. Musharraf is rejoicing that Bush has no objection to his being president in uniform. He is a true believer of the fallacy that the combined support of GHQ and Washington
[IslamCity] Palestine at the crossroads from al-ahram
Dear Mr editor/ members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. Kindly see thearticle Palestine at the crossroads. It says that it is Israel, not Hamas, that should be pressured to moderate its position. The writerMr Hassan Nafaa*The writer is a professor of political science at Cairo University Shah Abdul Hannan Palestine at the crossroads It is Israel, not Hamas, that should be pressured to moderate its position, writes Hassan Nafaa* The victory of Hamas in the recent legislative elections has pulled the Palestinian cause down a new path. Some people say that the Palestinian people could use some change, since the post-Oslo negotiations proved mostly fruitless. Others say the victory is damaging to the political process and gives Israel the chance to wriggle free from its commitments and press ahead with its unilateral plans. Israel has been hoping to carve off nearly one half of the West Bank through its actions. If realised, its plan would keep major settlements and security-sensitive areas under Israeli control. The rest of the West Bank would be transformed into disconnected cantons. The Palestinians would not be able to create a viable state. Let's start looking objectively at Israel's current strategy. Israel is apparently trying to use the Hamas victory for its own purposes. In cooperation with the US, Israel has launched a ferocious campaign to starve the Palestinians and isolate Hamas. Its aim is twofold. For one, Israel wants Hamas to recognise it as a legitimate entity and accept all the agreements reached with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority -- chiefly the Oslo Accords. Interestingly, Israel is not offering reciprocal concessions, even minors ones, still less meeting the Palestinians halfway. What the Israelis and Americans -- perhaps even some Arabs and Europeans -- want is for Hamas to make substantial strategic concessions on the form and content of any future solution, even before negotiations are resumed. Israel is evidently willing to negotiate with anyone who doesn't mind its building of settlements. In a sense, the Israelis are using negotiations to manage, rather than resolve, the conflict. Needless to say, Israel is making impossible conditions, ones that are tantamount to political suicide for Hamas. The Palestinians did not vote for Hamas until it became clear that Israel is not serious about negotiations. Israel besieged and liquidated Yasser Arafat, the man who espoused the peace process. Oslo, meanwhile, failed to provide the minimum of Palestinian national rights; namely a sovereign state on pre-1967 land and the return of the refugees. The Palestinians have not offered Hamas a blank check. They gave it a mandate to press on with resistance. They gave it a pledge to endure the sacrifices involved. Hamas knows that. It knows that submission to Israeli demands would undermine its popularity, let alone smash the hopes of an entire nation. Israel's second aim is to have Hamas blamed for future Palestinian suffering, for the collapse of the peace process, as well as for impending starvation and violence. Should Israel succeed in blaming Hamas, it would be in a better position to implement its current policy. In particular, it would be able to keep building the gigantic separation wall, annex large settlements, and create a situation where main roads and chunks of the West Bank remain under exclusive military control. Israel is hoping to create a new status quo. But first it has to undermine Hamas, both as a movement and legend. I expect Israel to press ahead with its unilateral agenda. This agenda includes Israel's own interpretation of "safe borders". I believe that the Israeli ruling elite, and not just the extremists, agree -- in light of what happened in the second Camp David talks in 2000 -- that what moderate Israelis are willing to offer stops way short of what moderate Palestinians are willing to accept. Israel is still fearful of the so- called Arab demographic bomb. That's why its elite is preparing for unilateral separation. That's why the elite has accepted Sharon's plans. And that's why Peres agreed to go into coalition with Sharon's allies. Israel was determined on this even before the Palestinian elections were held. The Hamas victory is not what worries Israel. Israel has become adept at turning unexpected developments to its
[IslamCity] US Priests Launch Web site Refuting Da Vinci Code about Jesus (a.s. )
US Priests Launch Web site Refuting "Da Vinci
Code"
"The Da Vinci Code" has sold
nearly 40 million copies worldwide.
LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2006 (IslamOnline.net
News Agencies) - Ahead of the release of Ron Howard's movie based on the
best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" in May, US Catholic bishops on
Thursday, March 9, launched a Web site to refute the novel's allegations
about the marital relationship of Jesus Christ.
"The Da Vinci Code' is a mess, a riot of laughable
errors and serious misstatements. Almost every page has at least one of
each," the bishops wrote on the Web site Jesusdecoded.com, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
launched the new Web site to counter key claims made in Dan Brown's novel
that are to be brought to the big screen in Howard's movie.
"What this novel does (is) ... asks people to consider
equivalent to the mainstream Christian tradition quite a few odd claims.
Some are merely distortions of hypotheses advanced by serious scholars who
do serious research. Others, however, are inaccurate or false," the site
says.
The bishops said the site was aimed at providing
"accurate information on the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity
prior to the release of the movie.
It offers articles written by theologians, media
commentators, art experts and others that "provide background and also
rebut speculation and inaccuracies about Christ and the origins of
Christianity.
Brown's novel, which has sold nearly 40 million copies
worldwide, hinges on the theory that Christ married Mary Magdalene and
that they had children.
Countering Distortion
Monsignor Francis Maniscalco of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre in New York, however, said that the Web site was not a
knee-jerk defensive reaction.
"Reporters have asked whether even a bestselling novel
can seriously damage a Church of one billion believers. No, in the long
run, it cannot. But that is not the point. The concern of the Church is
for each and every person," he said on the Web site.
"If only one person were to come away with a distorted
impression of Jesus Christ or his Church, our concern is for that person
as if he or she were the whole world."
The movie version of the film, heralded as one of the
major cinematic events of 2006, will star Tom Hanks, French actress Audrey
Tautou, and British actors Sir Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany.
In 2003, a US news television was criticized by
Catholic bishops for intention to broadcast a one-hour program on whether
Jesus Christ had been a married man and a father.
The ABC News program, based also on "The Da Vinci
Code," was to air "Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci," to explore the lives of
Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.
Muslim countries have been pressing the UN to "pass
binding resolutions obliging all countries to respect religions and
religious symbols, similarly to the anti-Semitism laws" in the aftermath
of Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him).
They further wanted respect of religions a bedrock in
the planned UN Human Rights Council.
They said in a proposal to the United Nations that the
"defamation of religions and prophets is inconsistent with the right to
freedom of _expression_" and that states, organizations and the media have a
"responsibility in promoting tolerance and respect for religious and
cultural values."
Also
read:
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without
[IslamCity] Re: wy arab words all the time ?
Dear brother,
Assalamu Alaikum.If these are the types of questions you have, you will
never find your way. Please concentrate on important issues, you can not
break a near-consensus on these issues in this way.
Shah Abdul Hannan,
Chairman, Bangladesh Institute of Islamic Thought.
- Original Message -
From: amayas toufik mostefaoui [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; islamcity@yahoogroups.com;
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 10:10 PM
Subject: [Progressive-Muslim] wy arab words all the time ?
Dear Broethers and Sisters ...
i am a Submiter to God, as most of you i think, or let's say, that i am in
the Path or the Way to submit to God.
As a non Arab submiter to God, as a member of the God Alone vision of
Islam,
i have 2 questions :
- Why do u still stick to us the Arab language even when u write in
English,
Why do o stick the Arab name of god to God ? u stil lcall Him Allah ... as
ifit s his REAL name !
- Why do u use the Salam alaykum in english, and not Peace be Upon you ?
as for my side, as submlitter to God, in my language or when i talk to
people, say peace, and God !!
Peace be upon you
amayas
Disclaimer: The readers are strongly advised to independently verify all
information of this group emails as per the command of God.
[The Noble Quran 17:36] You shall not accept any information, unless you
verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the
brain, and you are responsible for using them.
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~-
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in
His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites
(men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I
am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if
Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of
camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever
calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who
follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
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[IslamCity] proceedings of the seminar Held on March 8, 2006 on the occasion of the International Women's day, at VIP loung e of the National Press club, Dhaka , Bangladesh.
Dear members of the
list,
Assalamu Alaikum.I am forwarding to
you proceedings of the seminar Held on March 8, 2006 on the occasion of the International Womens day, at VIP lounge of the National Press club,
Dhaka ,Bangladesh. The seminar was organized by the Assembly for
Protection of Hijab,
Bangladesh.
Shah Abdul Hannan
Summary of the Seminar
Held on March 8,
2006
Women
Empowerment: Islam and Contemporary Thoughts was the title of the seminar held
on 8th March 2006, the
International Womens day, at VIP lounge of the National Press club, Dhaka
Bangladesh. The seminar was organized by the Assembly for Protection of Hijab,
Bangladesh. The
invited guests and speakers discussed the topic from different perspectives,
leaving the audience appreciative to the alternative thoughts on Women
empowerment.
In the keynote paper Kaniz
Fatema of Darul
Ihsan
University defined women empowerment
as to have right and respect for freedom of opinion, to be economically
self-dependant, to have access and support towards career development and to
have mutual respect from the male counterpart in family and in social life. The
paper clarified Islamic point of view for each of these issues of women
empowerment and showed that Islam is never a barrier rather a facilitator to
such endeavors.
Dr. Syeda
Sultana Razia, Assistant Professor of BUET explained the objectives of Assembly
for Protection of Hijab. Dr. Razia
also discussed why hijab has become a human right issue and critical to Muslim
identity. She showed how hijab can facilitate women empowerment in a Muslim
majority country like
Bangladesh. She
also summarized the recent news of hijab ban in Muslim and non-Muslim countries
all over the world.
Rezwana Kursia of International
Islamic University of Chittagong analyzed the issues related to the rights of
Muslim women to receive maintenance in depth. She identified that with the
advancement of technology the nature of job has been changed. For example, in
intricate research work, in IT field etc, the job is less labour intensive and
more favourable for women than ever before. She maintained that the negative
attitude towards working women does not have base in Islam.
Elahi Newaz
Khan, President, Dhaka Journalists association emphasized on the difference
between the demand of secular women activists and the concept of womens rights in Islam. He added that
without alleviating poverty and illiteracy from the society the discrimination
against women cannot be stopped fully.
Professor
Chemon Ara, Language activist and former Principal of Eden College, said that
the breaking down of family and social value systems as well as un-Islamic
attitudes of women in social and family life are the main reasons for womens
discrimination in Muslim society.
Dr. Razia
Akhter Banu, Professor , Dhaka
University, discussed the womens
inheritance issue in Islam. She stated that women own one percent of the total wealth of
the World. In Islam women have God given rights of inheritance, Mahr,
maintenance; therefore, she believes, that at least in Muslim countries women
should possess a substantial amount of wealth if Islamic law were in practice.
Unfortunately this was not the fact.
Shah Abdul
Hannan, Former secretary of Govt
of Bangladesh criticized the West since
West is maintianing a double standard about hijab. He pointed out that
they believe in freedom of _expression_ to such an extent that they can mock God
or Prophets at he same time they deny Muslim womens right to practice hijab. He
added that the modern Muslim societies now agree that it is high time women get
their God given rights. However, a lot more work and change of attitude towards
womens right are still needed to achieve that goal.
Chief guest
of the Seminar, Motiur rahman Nizami, Minister of Industries, Govt of Bangladesh,
called upon the women rights activists of our country to reevaluate their
attitude, concept and goal. He said that the Western World, although developed,
has failed to assure security to their women. Women trafficking, prostitution
and rape are part of their day-to day life. He emphasized that ultimately
Islamic state rule will be needed to establish all rights granted by Allah.
The seminar
was chaired by Justice Abdur Rauf, former chief election commissioner, Govt of
Bangldesh. He is also the president of Assembly for protection of
Hijab,
Bangladesh. He emphasized the need for rapid action
to grant full rights to all sections of the people.
Finally, M
A. Hannan, General Secretary of Assembly for protection of
Hijab,
Bangladesh wrapped up the
program with the vote of thanks to the guests, audience and the organizers.
Reporting by Syeda Sultana Razia
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the
[IslamCity] Move to change structure of Islami banks opposed
Dear member of the list,
Assalamualikum.
You may know that there is a move to make Shariah Council for the islami Banks
optional, not mandatory and there are some newspapers writing against Sharaiah
Council. Today (14 march 2006) there is a news published in The New Nation
regarding this issue including the opinion of Shah Abdul Hannan, former finance
secretary and former chariman of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. I am forwarding
the portion of that report which contains his opinion about the matter.
SHAKIL ABDULLAH
Move to change structure of Islami banks opposed
A move initiated to make for making Shariah Councils for Islamic Banks
optional ,not mandatory, has been opposedby a majority of members of the focus
group on Islami Banks.Experts in Banking and Finance find the move unnecessary
because the Islami Banks have been faring better than other Private Commercial
Banks(PCBs)Success of Islami Banks has prompted somePCBs to openIslamibanking
branches in Dhaka and some other parts of the country,they pointed out.
When contacted former finance secretaryShah Abdul Hannantold this correspondent
that there was some misleading news in some news papers about the Central
Shariah Board(CSB) and Shariah Councils of Islami Banks in Bangladesh.
The CSB was established on August 16, 2001 in a meeting of all the chairmen and
managing directors of Islami banks. Each bank was represented by four members.
The meeting was chaired by Shah Abdul Hannan. Khatib of Baitul Mukarram mosque
and chairman of shariah council of several banks Obaidul Huq was made chairman
of Central Shariah Board.
He also said the formation of the CSB started following a meeting of the
managing directors of the Islami banks and Bangladesh Bank authority. The
decision of the meeting drew the attention of all the Islami banks and asked
them to form Joint Shariah Board. The matter was considered by each Islami
banks and they proposed to the Islami Bank Consultative Forum (IBCF) to form
the Central Shariah Board.
Shah Abdul Hannan also said there might be conflict of opinions among the
scholars of Shariah Council of various Islami banks regarding the
permissibility or non-permissibility of some modes of investment. If opinion of
various Islami Banks differ on permissibility, the people may get confused. So
the need was felt of a higher collective body of scholars where the difference
can be resolved or where banks can refer their problems on islamic issues. And
this was the reason why the central bank and individual banks at that time felt
the need for the Central Shariah Board.
He further said all the Islami banks are now members of the CSB and Bangladesh
Bank refers issues to the CSB for advice. He claimed that CSB never violate any
law, operating within the legal system and it only advices the member banks and
the central bank on their request and references, he added.
He said CSB was not a regulatory body; it neither issues any regulation on
banking nor violates any Bangladesh Bank regulation. The CSB only research on
Islami banking, publishes a journal and advice the banks on Shariah issues. So
any understanding to the contrary of operation of the CSB is misconceived and
due to ignorance of history of the formation of it.
He also said the central bank issued the license or charter to Islami banks
with the condition that there shall be a Shariah Council. According to the
order all the Islami banks have Shariah Council in line with the islami banks
of the world
He said it is working fine and there is no need to change a good thing.
He argued the government and the central bank authority not to compound
problems, which might threaten Shariah Board for the betterment of the Islami
banking in Bangladesh.
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Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in
His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites
(men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I
am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if
Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of
camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet
[IslamCity] Islam and democracy : How far compatible? by Shah Abdul Halim from the New Nation, Dhaka
Islam and democracy : How far compatible?By Shah Abdul Halim*Fri, 10 Mar 2006 I shall raise three issues. First of all, I would discuss democracy. It is useless to debate whether Islam is democratic, presidential, parliamentarian or monarchic. Some people today are saying that Islam is against democracy. Islam and democracy are incompatible. Any form of government is Islamic provided it meets the basic principles of Islam. We, therefore, see that our earlier Islamic scholars termed king Abdul Aziz as the fifth rightly guided caliph although he was a king. He is even today considered a caliph and not a king because of the presence of Shura- consultative system and human welfare being the objective of his kingship. This consultation by the head of the state or by the head of the government is obligatory and not optional. Therefore, Islamic political system cannot be described undemocratic.I am of the view that Bangladesh is essentially an Islamic state by its constitution. Only thing we require is that we have to constitute a committee in the Ministry of Law, Justice Parliamentary Affairs consisting of eminent Islamic scholars, Ulama, jurists and Fuqaha, Islamic theologians having the essential ability for expounding Islamic law and being an authority thereon, just, virtuous, abreast of time, having political and social insight, judicious and who command and enjoy the trust and confidence of the people. The members of this committee shall examine and review all drafts acts to be passed by Parliament (also all Presidential Ordinances) and give its views on such act(s) to the Government so that parliamentary enactments are not contrary to the tenets and precepts of Islam. The inclusion of such members in the committee will ensure that the Government is being judiciously advised at the drafting stage so that no law repugnant to the Quran and Sunnah comes before the Cabinet or Parliament for consideration.Some people in Bangladesh are clamoring for Law of Allah- demanding implementation of Law of Allah- Shariah without explaining or elaborating the idea. Really, we have in Bangladesh Islamic Law in practice. The Law of Inheritance, the Law of Endowments, the Marriage Law - all these are by and large Islamic and akin to Shariah. Allah has given us a lot of freedom to enumerate laws- for example the municipal law or the traffic law, whether we walk on the left side or the right side of road etc. etc. As regards Hudud, Capital Punishment- Caliph Omar has suspended the amputation of hands of the thief and he decreed that this law couldn't be implemented if people are without food and they steal. Now what will happen if we expound this law in case of adultery? Can we implement Islamic Penal Law for adultery as long as we keep the door of obscenity open such as brothels, bars, obscene movies, obscene printed books and pornography or the government cannot ensure the marriage at appropriate age? Really what moral authority we have to demand implementation of Hudud before creating congenial and healthy social environment? Only recently Tariq Ramadan, distinguished educator of Philosophy at the University Fribourg, Switzerland and an eminent Arab Islamic scholar and grandson of Hasan Al Banna, has given a call for the suspension of Hudud for the time being till all relevant issues have been examined by the scholars.Recently a retired Secretary to the Government has examined all laws of Bangladesh and viewed that 98 percent of these laws are Islamic in the sense that these laws contain nothing in conflict with the Text of the Quran or Sunnah. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Al Qaradawi, Dean of the Faculty of Shariah, Qatar Islamic University, after examining some laws of Qatar, an Arab Muslim country, wrote in his book 'Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase' that he found nothing objectionable in these laws and many of these laws fall within the purview of amr bil maruf wa nahi al munkar - realizing interests and removing evils but were not directly linked with any revealed Text except for one or two of them. Let us again go back to the question whether Islamic political system is democratic or not. Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh is demanding Caliphate without elaborating how the Caliph of the Ummah will be elected or chosen and what shall be the qualification of such Caliph and what shall be the qualification of those who shall elect or choose the Caliph and what shall be the tenure of such Caliph. Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh also did not explain how to select or elect Caliph of Bangladeshi Ummah or how the Parliament will be formed or how laws will be made. If you look at the Quran, you will find that Queen (or the ruler) of Sheba was not removed from the throne even after she became a Muslim although she was a lady. Here comes the question whether in Islam woman is permitted to become the head of the state
[IslamCity] Worldwide Protests Planned on Iraq War Anniversary
Worldwide Protests Planned on Iraq War Anniversary "We will all be united in our call for the occupation to end immediately," German said. LONDON, March 17, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) As part of worldwide protests against the US occupation of Iraq, tens of thousands of people are planning to take to the streets of London Saturday, March 18, to denounce the US occupation on the third anniversary of the downfall of the Arab country. "Our demonstration on Saturday is one of over 200 taking place in cities and towns all over the world, including in Basra and Baghdad in Iraq," Lindsey German, Convener of Stop the War Coalition, said in a press release e-mailed to IslamOnline.net Friday, March 17. Acting without a UN mandate, US-led forces invaded oil-rich Iraq in March 2003, under the pretext of imminent threat posed by the countrys alleged weapons of mass destruction, none of which was ever found. Saturday's march will set off along Victoria Street passing the Attorney General's office on its way to Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square. "We will all be united in our call for the occupation to end immediately," German said. A cohort of world dignitaries will address the marchers on the third anniversary of the US-led invasion. Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray and British lawmaker George Galloway are but a few of prominent speakers at the march. Speakers will also include officials from the Muslim Association of Britain, the Islamic Iraqi party and Stop the War Coalition. "We believe that a peaceful solution to the chaos caused by the illegal war in Iraq will only be possible when the occupying foreign armies have all been removed so that the Iraqi people will be free to decide on their own political future," German added. The Trafalgar Square demonstration is organized by Stop the War Coalition in conjunction with the Muslim Association of Britain and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Everywhere Galloway will be among prominent speakers addressing the marchers in Saturday's protest. A letter will be signed by the marchers to the United Nations and the British Attorney General calling for bringing warmongers to account. Three years after selling the Iraqi war to the Bush administration and American public, a number of influential neo-conservatives admitted Iraq was now more dangerous than before the invasion-turned-occupation, according to The Independent Thursday, March 9. A number of Iraqi expatriates are also planning to address the marchers about the woes of their homeland under the US-led occupation. "They will no doubt express their outrage at the continuing occupation of their country which has produced yet another atrocity in Samarra," the release said, referring to the ongoing US military offensive on the northern Iraqi city. The US forces, backed by Iraqi troops, launched its largest air assault on the northern city of Samarra Thursday, March 16, on claims of clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area". Support Iraqi expatriates said the planned London march will serve efforts for withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq. "We support the call for world-wide demonstrations on March 18, and the demand for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq, the dismantling of US bases, and an end to US domination of economic and social policies and its interference in domestic Iraqi affairs," said a statement by Iraqi expatriates. They blamed the US invasion-turned-occupation for the spiraling insecurity in the occupied country. "The occupation has nurtured corruption and fostered gang crime, and it bears primary responsibility for the activities of murderous sectarian terrorists and criminals." Iran The marchers are also planning to protest reports about potential attacks against Iran over its nuclear program. "The global demonstrations will also be opposing all plans that the US andBritish governmentsappear to have for attacking Iran, with incalculable consequences for stability in the Middle East and security in the world generally." The Bush administration has been spearheading a campaign against Tehran over its nuclear program, which Tehran maintains is only for generating electricity. The International
[IslamCity] Danish Muslims to Take Prophet Cartoons to UN
- Original Message -
From: S
A Hannan
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Fakhruddin
; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ;
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 6:51 PM
Subject: Danish Muslims to Take Prophet Cartoons to UN
Danish Muslims to Take Prophet Cartoons to
UN
"The UN is the natural place for
us to file our complaint," Said
said.
STOCKHOLM, March 17, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News
Agencies) Danish Muslims are planning to take the publication of
cartoons lampooning Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) by a
Danish newspaper to the United Nations.
"The UN is the natural place for us to file our
complaint," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Qassem Said, spokesman for
the Danish Islamic Community, as telling the Ritzau national news agency
Friday, March 17.
The Islamic Community, an umbrella body grouping 27
Muslim organizations in Denmark, said it will take the cartoon issue to
the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
Said had told IOL in January, that the Muslim minority
would take the case to the EU human rights commission if rejected in
Denmark.
"Muslims living in the Islamic world have greater
confidence in the United Nations than in the European Union," he
said.
The move comes after Denmark's State Prosecutor
Henning Fode turned down Wednesday, March 15, charges against daily
Jyllands-Posten over its publication of the Prophet
cartoons.
"The state attorney's ruling was lousy," stressed
Said.
Twelve cartoons, including one showing the Prophet
with a bomb-shaped turban, were first published by the daily in September
and later reprinted by several newspapers worldwide on claims of freedom
of _expression_.
The drawings, considered blasphemous under Islam, have
triggered massive and sometimes violent demonstrations across the Muslim
world.
Breaching
Akkari said Denmark has breached
UN human rights conventions by failing to censure
Jyllands-Posten.
Danish Muslims have blasted the Danish prosecutor's
decision not to press charges against Jyllands-Posten as a breach
of UN human rights convention.
"Our point is that in failing to censure
Jyllands-Posten, Denmark has committed a breach of its duties as a
signatory of UN conventions on human and political rights as well as
international agreements on the elimination of all forms of racial
discrimination," said Ahmad Akkari, spokesman for the European Committee
for Honoring the Prophet.
The Danish prosecutor said that the mass-circulation
daily did not violate the Danish freedom of _expression_ laws by
commissioning and printing the cartoons.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and
the Arab League, the Muslim world's two main political bodies, are seeking
a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions
following the publication of the provocative cartoons.
Muslim dignitaries and organizations have also called
for the enactment of an international law banning the publication of any
insults to religious symbols and values.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European
External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner recently suggested
that the EU and the OIC co-draft a UN resolution promoting religious
tolerance.
Danish Muslims are estimated at 180,000 or around
three per cent of Denmark's 5.4 million.
Islam is Denmark's second largest religion after the
Lutheran Protestant Church, which is actively followed by four-fifths of
the country's population.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he wh
[IslamCity] Hamas to Govern Alone, Open to Peace With Israel
Hamas to Govern Alone, Open to Peace With Israel Al-Zahar was expected to be appointed foreign minister in the new Palestinian cabinet. (Reuters) GAZA, March 17, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) It became almost certain Friday, March 17, that the Islamic resistance group Hamas would rule alone after Fatah declared its rejection to join a national unity government with Hamas planning to finalize its cabinet Saturday, as its PM-designate reiterated the group's hope to reach peace with Israel. "The government will be ready tomorrow with its formation and its ministers but we will not announce the government before we hand it over to the president," Reuters quoted Hamas spokesman Salah Al-Bardaweel as saying. Bardaweel said "only some independents and a Christian will be joining the new cabinet", according to Agence FrancePresse (AFP). "Foreign affairs, interior, finance and education portfolios will all go to Hamas," another party official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. Hamas sources said Mahmoud Al-Zahar was expected to be appointed foreign minister. Another Hamas leader, Saeed Seyam, will reportedly become interior minister, giving him control over three Palestinian security agencies, the sources added. Hamas is expected to submit the list of cabinet members to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when he visits Gaza for talks Saturday, March 17. The resistance group, which swept the January Palestinian elections, has failed to agree with other Palestinian factions on forming a national unity government. The Fatah group said the movement's ruling Central Committee decided late Thursday, March 16, not to join a Hamas-led government. Western diplomatic sources said Monday, March 13, that the Bush administration had warned the Palestinian Fatah movement and other parties of strict restrictions on contacts and assistance if they joined a Hamas-led government. Khalil Abu Lila, member of Hamass politburo, told IOL that a new government of technocrats was ready and only waited the go-ahead from the Palestinian President to announce it if other Palestinian parties remain adamant to join a coalition government. Ready for Peace "We are not bloodthirsty people. We want to stop the bloodshed," Haniya said. (Reuters) Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haniya, a Hamas prominent leader, said his group hoped to reach peace with Israel, AFP reported. Asked in a television interview with CBS News if he could imagine a day when he would be asked to come to the White House to sign a peace accord with Israel, Haniya said replied: "Let's hope so." Haniya, a pragmatist who led the "Change and Reform" list of Hamas candidates to the January stunning victory, has been officially asked by the Palestinian President to form the new government. The United States and European Union have threatened to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas disarms, "renounces violence" and recognizes Israel. Asked what Hamas would require to renounce violence and recognize Israel, Haniya said Israel must first recognize the rights of the Palestinian people. "That depends on Israel's recognition of a Palestinian state within the boundaries of Gaza, the West Bank, and Al-Quds (Occupied East Jerusalem)," he said. "Only then can there be room for talks." The Palestinian PM-designate was asked what he would say if one of his children told him he wanted to be a martyr. "We are not bloodthirsty people. We want to stop the bloodshed," Haniya replied. "I've never sent anyone on a suicide mission," he said. "If one of my sons came to me and asked me that, I wouldn't even consider giving him my blessing." Haniya had told the Washington Post in February that Hamas did not harbor animosity towards Jews and could establish "peace in stages" with Israel if the latter withdraws to its 1967 borders and recognizes the inalienable rights of the Palestinians. You May Read Also: No Grudges Towards Jews: Haniya Back To News Page Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[IslamCity] Swedish FM Quits Over Cartoons, UK Church Apologizes
Swedish FM Quits Over Cartoons, UK Church
Apologizes
"I believe that the current
situation is impossible for me
and that is why I have chosen to
resign," Freivalds said.
STOCKHOLM/LONDON, March 21, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News
Agencies) Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds resigned on Tuesday,
March 21, over a row triggered by her closure of a far-right website for
publishing a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him)
as the Church of Wales apologized after its magazine printed a caricature
of the Prophet.
"I believe that the current situation is impossible for
me
and that is why I have chosen to resign," Freivalds told a news
conference, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The top diplomat has been under stinging criticism over her
decision to shut down the website of the far-right Sweden Democrats for
launching a competition for Prophet cartoons.
The criticism has increased after it was revealed that the
foreign ministry had pressured the Internet host Levonlines to shut down
the website.
Freivalds had previously denied having known anything about
pressures by her ministry on the Internet provider.
But it was revealed this week that the Swedish top diplomat
had advance knowledge of the pressures, seen as violating constitutional
guarantees of free speech.
The far-right website launched the competition on January 10
and one of the 40 contributions it had received had already been published
on the site.
The drawing, considered blasphemous under Islam, depicted the
Prophet from the back holding up a mirror. The reflection of his face has
the eyes barred over and the caption reads "Mohammedan
self-censorship."
Recall
Archbishop Morgan contacted the
general secretary of the Muslim Council of Wales to apologize for
printing a Prophet caricature.
In another development, the Church in Wales has
apologized for the Muslim minority after its magazine printed a cartoon of
Prophet Muhammad, the BBC News Online reported Monday.
Archbishop of Wales Barry Morgan contacted the general
secretary of the Muslim Council of Wales, Saleem Kidwai, to
apologize.
He has appealed to nearly 500 subscribers to return
their February copies of the Church's Welsh-language magazine Y
Llan after it printed the Prophet cartoon.
The caricature - which was from the French magazine
France Soir - shows the Prophet sitting on a heavenly cloud with
Buddha, and Christian and Jewish deities.
He is being told "don't complain...we've all been
caricatured here."
The Church said in a statement that it was "thoroughly
investigating" how the cartoon came to be reproduced.
Last month, a Cardiff University student union
newspaper was withdrawn after it printed a different Prophet
cartoon.
Some 12 cartoons, first published by Denmark's mass
circulation Jyllands-Posten last September and reprinted by many
European newspapers, have sparked uproar in the Muslim
world.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All
[IslamCity] Please read --Muslim Women Activists in North America
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum.
I believe the following book will be of interest
to and inspire both Muslim women and men. It is also likely to help
dismantle some of the stereotypes concerning Islam and especially Muslim
women both among non-Muslims and Muslims cynical about religious
commitments. While language, in the end, is representational and mediated,
this book contains first-hand accounts of Muslim women working in different
activist capacities on the ground in North America and Canada. This is
therefore as genuine a picture of a the activist aspect of the daily lives
of some socio-politically concious and devout Muslim women as anybody
not conducting field research themselves is likely to get. This book
is additionally inspiring in that unlike many men and women who live in
Muslim-majority societies, these women cannot take their Muslim identities
and values for granted but must constantly strive both to transform and
sustain themselves and their communities in a predominantly secular
environment , strive against the prejudices that many non-Muslims as well
as some ultra-orthodox and/or cynical Muslim men and women (for
instance those who feel that hijab-clad Muslim women are self-oppressed or
should not have public lives but only family lives, etc) harbor against
them, AND combat Islamophobia, growing hostilities, and proliferating
stereotypes concerning Islam and themselves in their home societies in
the USA and Canada.Book
Name
Muslim Women Activists in North AmericaSpeaking
for Ourselvesedited by Katherine BullockThis book may be downloaded
from the following link:http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/excerpts/exbulmus.html
Shah Abdul Hannan
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
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[IslamCity] Bahrain Conf. on How to Defend Prophet Kicks Off
Bahrain Conf. on How to Defend Prophet Kicks
Off
The conference's
logo.
Additional Reporting by Wessam Fauad, IOL
Correspondent
MANAMA, March 22, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies)
- Some 300 Muslim scholars open a two-day conference in Bahrain Wednesday,
March 22, in support of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
following the row over his depiction in cartoons in European
papers.
The scholars, preachers, heads of Islamic associations as
well as Arab and Muslim community leaders from Europe will explore a
strategy aimed at preventing a repeat of the crisis sparked by the
publication of the cartoons first by a Danish newspaper, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
"Our goal is to agree on plans and mechanisms to defend the
Prophet through the thought-out reactions of Muslims," conference
spokesman Sheikh Nasser Al-Fadala said.
The Manama gathering is to open Wednesday evening with an
address by its chairman Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, whose International
Union of Muslim Scholars is one of the conference's organizers.
Other organizers include "Islam Today" of Saudi Sheikh Salman
Al-Odah.
The speech will be followed by a debate on "the roots of
Western views of Islam" and the "greatness and sacred status of the
Prophet."
The participants include popular London-based Egyptian
television preacher Amr Khaled and British preacher Yusuf
Islam.
Six imams from Denmark, where the controversy originated,
will attend the conference led by Ahmad Abou Laban and Ahmad
Akkari.
Twelve cartoons, including one showing the Prophet with a
bomb-shaped turban, were first published by Danish daily
Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted by European newspapers
on claims of freedom of _expression_.
The meeting comes the day after Britain's Prince Charles
criticized the cartoons furor and appealed to religious leaders to foster
common values in a speech at Cairo's Al-Azhar university, the oldest seat
of Sunni learning.
Avoiding Violence
Qaradawi is head of the
conference.
Sheikh Adel Al-Muawda, one of the organizers, said that the
Manama conference is meant to educate Muslims about ways of securing their
rights while avoiding negative practices such as the violent cartoon
protests.
"The scholars attending the conference will underline that
Sharia`ah (Islamic law) bans such practices," he said.
The 12 drawings provoked violent protests across the Muslim
world where they were condemned as blasphemous. The caricatures also
triggered a boycott of Danish products in Muslim countries, costing the
Danish economy hundreds of millions of dollars.
Leading Muslim scholars denounced attacks on foreign
embassies in Muslim countries but urged other ways to show anger such as
an economic boycott of countries which published the cartoons.
"We believe that the incident was because of ignorance about
the Prophet," Soliman Al-Buthi, another conference spokesman, told
Reuters.
"An economic boycott is one of the ways to combat the
ignorance and protest about what has happened, but we need to educate the
West about who the Prophet was and to have an open dialogue with the
West," Buthi said.
The participants have set ambitious goals such as "regulating
relations between Islam and the West" and "unifying the Muslims' positions
on religious issues."
Deliberations will go on until Thursday evening, when
participants will announce a series of "recommendations" for an
international campaign to defend Islam and its Prophet.
The conferees will further focus on how to remove Western
stereotypes on Islam and the Prophet through media and the
Internet.
Al-Balagh Cultural Society, which owns IslamOnline.net, has
launched a fund-raising campaign for its new affiliate Web site on Prophet
Muhammad, which was launched Tuesday, March 21, in response to Danish
cartoons that lampooned the prophet of Islam.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair
[IslamCity] A sense of awe
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. I am forwarding to you the article below with comments from a scholarly Muslimah and a Ph. D. in anthropologyfor your perusal. " This article contributes a certain perspective, although by no means an original or profound one and not an unproblematic one, to reflections on the controversy created by the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). I therefore thought it might be of some interest to you. It would seem that the Ulama's call for respectful treatment of all religions is an opportune one, and might have perhaps come even sooner, instead of, once more, in "re-action" to harm already done. It seems Muslim and especially our senior Islamic scholars are not as pro-active as they could be, but too often wait to re-act to initiatives taken by others. It is time to be on the offensive, rather than on the defensive. I know that you, among others, are trying to do precisely that, and trying to do so in a positive way--by carefully critiquing stereotypes of Islam and unfair assessments of it and by facilitating discussions, education (both of the West and of Muslims.) and creative research and thinking about issues crucial for Muslims. Some of my Arab colleagues tell me that mockery of the Jewish and Christian faith, whether in the form of cartoons or newspaper columns or sermons or popular religious pamphlets and booklets are widespread in the Arab world. Needless to say, virulent mockery of Islam is also common among fundamentalist Christians in Western societies, especially the USA where Christian evangelicalism has been on the rise in recent decades. Mutual civil respect for all faiths and ideologies will become increasingly essential as societies grow more multi-cultural and diverse than ever before, and as Muslim minorities yearn for equal rights, respect, and citizenship in non-Muslim majority societies. In other words, if Muslims as a minority wish to be treated with equal respect and to have equal opportunities in the non-Western societies they migrate to, Muslim states must be willing to extend the same courtesy to non-Muslims living in those countries. It is precisely such lack of mutual respect that, among other things, has culminated in the gravely injurious images of the Prophet cartooned in the Danish daily. From that light, as the author of this interesting article says, both Westerners and Muslims are responsible for these unfortunate events, although clearly, in this particular case at least, it was a Christian or rather atheism-inspired Danish Daily that took the offensive. Clearly, globalization demands that each faith community be increasingly guarded about what it says about other communities and their beliefs and sacred icons. We live in an increasingly de-privatized world and the smallest action of hatred or frustration or prejudice or bigotry increasingly tends to have greater consequences and implications. This calls for a new evaluation of etiquette." Shah Abdul Hannan From: Munir Zilanawala [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: March 23, 2006 11:48:03 AM ESTTo: HIS Kalam [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: [HIS Kalam] A sense of aweProspect Magazine*Issue 120 / March 2006A sense of awePortrayals of the Prophet underestimate his grandeur, but they are not"banned"*Tim WinterTim Winter is a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Cambridge University--One of Marc Chagall's bitterest memories was of an encounter with a devoutgreat-uncle. On learning that there was an image-maker in the family, theold man had refused to shake his hand. To secular sensibilities this seemsbizarre, another proof of the irrational bloody-mindedness of religion;yet in Jewish terms, the event signals an interesting clash of humanisms.Neither Chagall nor his elderly relative were fanatics. They were bothconcerned to honour the mystery of the human face, but in utterlyirreconcilable ways.The second commandment is clear enough. "Thou shalt not make unto thee anygraven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, orthat is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."Many orthodox Jews and Muslims, and some Christians, have taken thisliterally. When asked to explain, they will sometimes justify the ban onthe grounds of the human tendency to fall into idolatry. But more often,such iconoclasm reflects a sense of awe and humility in the face of God'screative power. The founder of Islam taught that at the last judgement,God will summon the makers of images and command them to bring theirproductions to life. To make images, then, is to compete with God, and tounderestimate the glory of his creation, particularly of human beings.For this kind of reason, images of Jesus did not exist in Christianityuntil the 4th century. When Islam appeared on the scene, it objected inthe same spirit to portraying the Prophet, opposing the temptation todefine the sacred through
[IslamCity] Fw: Muslim Scholars Urge Religious Respect, Introducing Islam
- Original Message -
From: Mahmudul
Hasan
To: S A Hannan
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 6:27 PM
Subject: Muslim Scholars Urge Religious Respect, Introducing
Islam
Muslim Scholars Urge Religious Respect, Introducing
Islam
Some 300 Muslim scholars are exploring a
strategy to prevent a repeat of the Prophet depiction in lampooning
cartoons.
By Wessam Fauad, IOL Correspondent
MANAMA, March 23, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Muslim scholars
taking part in a two-day conference in Bahrain have called for the respect of
all religions and agreed on the need for continued efforts to promote the truce
image of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) in the
West.
Addressing the opening session late Wednesday, March 23,
prominent Muslim Scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi underlined the need to respect
all religions, including atheism.
He said such respect would prevent the recurrence of crises
like the one triggered by the Danish caricatures which mocked Prophet
Muhammad.
Al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim
Scholars, urged preachers and media people to defend Prophet Muhammad by
promoting his merciful teachings.
Some 300 Muslim scholars are huddling together in Manama to
explore a strategy to prevent a repeat of the Prophet depiction in lampooning
cartoons.
Six imams from Denmark, where the controversy originated,
are also taking part in the conference.
Twelve cartoons, including one showing the Prophet with a
bomb-shaped turban, were first published by Danish daily Jyllands-Posten
in September and reprinted by European newspapers on claims of freedom of
_expression_.
The drawings, considered blasphemous under Islam, have
triggered massive and sometimes violent demonstrations across the Muslim
world.
Introducing Islam
Participants called for promoting the
true image of Islam and the Prophet in the West.
The participants agreed on the need for organized and
continued efforts to promote the truce image of Islam on the West.
"We have a golden chance to address the European and Western
public opinion to tell them about our Prophet and our religion," said Hassan
Moussa, the chairman of the Imams Council in Sweden.
Egyptian television preacher Amr Khaled agreed.
"Dialogue is a tool to promote awareness in Western
societies of what is sacred to Muslims," he told the conference.
He called for grooming young Muslims to be able to introduce
their faith to the Western mentality in a discourse non-Muslims would be able to
understand.
The same viewpoint was echoed by Soliman Al-Buthi, spokesman
of the two-day conference.
"We believe that the (cartoon) incident was because of
ignorance about the Prophet," he said.
He said economic boycott of the Danish products was one of
the means to combat the ignorance and protest about what has
happened.
"But we need to educate the West about who the Prophet was
and to have an open dialogue with the West."
The cartoons have prompted Muslim minorities in many Western
countries to champion local campaigns to raise awareness of the merits and
characteristics of the Prophet in West.
IslamOnline.net will soon launch a multi-lingual Web site to
acquaint non-Muslims with the prophet.
A majority of 4563 people who voted in a poll organized by
IslamOnline.net on the best solution to address mounting anti-Muslim
discrimination see dialogue as the best answer.
Also
read:
Dialogue
Solution to Anti-Muslim Discrimination: IOL Poll
IslamOnline.net Launches
Multi-lingual Prophet Web site
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-03/23/article01.shtml
(23 March 06)
Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger with
Voice
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawoo
[IslamCity] Morocco Islamic Party to Fight Corruption, Poverty
-
Morocco Islamic Party to Fight Corruption,
Poverty
"Morocco needs all its energies to
tackle its problems and face its several challenges," said
Othmani.
RABAT, March 24, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News
Agencies) Morocco's main Islamic party, Development and Justice Party
(PJD) which is tipped to win the parliamentary election next year, will
focus on fighting corruption and poverty, its leader said on Friday, March
24.
"Morocco needs all its energies to tackle its problems
and face its several challenges ... so we have to mobilize and rally all
forces and synergies and we have to avoid being sectarian," Saadeddine
Othmani, who could be Morocco's first Islamist prime minister, told
Reuters in an interview.
He said widespread corruption in the government's
bloated bureaucracy was the main hurdle in the struggle against poverty,
illiteracy and unemployment.
The government acknowledges the impact of corruption
in the country and is considering setting up an agency to fight
it.
More than 4 million of Morocco's 30 million people are
poor, and some 12 million cannot read or write, while the jobless rate is
more than 10 percent, according to official figures.
The PJD is the third-largest group in the 325-member
parliament, just behind the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) which
dominates a centrist coalition government with the nationalist Istiqlal
party.
But, according to a poll by the US-based International
Republican Institute, the PJD could overwhelm USFP and Istiqlal and win 47
percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for the two other parties
together.
Othmani played down the poll and predictions of a PJD
win.
"Predictions often do not coincide with facts and
reality. So let's not think too far ahead and let's wait. Voter opinions
can change and the polls are not for tomorrow," he said.
Christian Democrat
Othmani said his party could be compared to Christian
Democrat parties in Europe.
"The PJD is a political party with Islamic
references," he said.
Othmani and other party officials are expected next
month to begin trips to France, the United States and other countries to
drum up support for the PJD's program.
"Our duty is to reach out to the other side (the West)
and listen to what they say. We must have a way with the West and use the
good manner to win acceptance and respect," he said.
The US State Department has reportedly drawn up a memo
calling for direct and permanent political dialogue with Egypt's Muslim
Brotherhood, which cruised to an impressive parliamentary victory last
year.
If the PJD wins the 2007 election, it would be the
first Islamist victory in North Africa since the Islamic Salvation Front
looked set to win Algeria's parliamentary polls in 1991.
The ISF had a commanding lead after the election's
first round. The Algerian military scrapped the elections before the final
second round, provoking civil strife that lasted more than a decade and
cost about 200,000 lives.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and
[IslamCity] Freedom and humiliation-- editorial of al-ahram
Dear editor/ members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum. Kindly see the Al- Ahram editorial
onattack on Jhericho jail and arrest of Ahmad Saadat by
Israel.
Shah Abdul Hannan
Freedom and humiliation
Throughout the history of resistance movements around the world their
dream has always been freedom -- breaking the chains of prisoners, and
coming out from behind the walls of prisons. But what took place last
Tuesday in the Palestinian city of Jericho was an absurd scene many
found difficult to comprehend.
The hero of this scene was the Palestinian resistance figure Ahmed
Saadat, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) who Israel accused of involvement in the assassination of the
Israeli minister of tourism, and extremist, Rehavam Zeevi, in 2001. An
agreement was reached to imprison him with a number of his comrades in
Jericho prison under American and British protection. Israel violated
this agreement when it decided to detain Saadat and the Israeli army's
bulldozers besieged the Jericho prison and tore down its walls while
tanks began to shell it.
Perhaps Saadat wished or expected for his end to be an Israeli bullet
or a missile exploding his car; an end any Palestinian resistance
fighter expects. Israel violates agreements every minute, and while it
left Arabs busy pressuring the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, to
recognise it, the Israeli army were unleashed to direct a disgraceful
blow to all Arabs and supporters of peace everywhere.
The awful scene was one of the resistance fighter seeking refuge in
the prison and declaring on satellite television his refusal to respond
to the demands of Israel to come out and surrender. The absurdity was
what was important -- that the conscience of the world had so withered
that this resistance fighter found no protection and security other than
behind prison walls that became a twisted symbol of safety protecting
him from the barbarity of a vicious occupier.
This strange situation revealed the extent of Arab impotence in
measuring up to the force of the Israeli occupation. The Arab world,
from the Gulf to the ocean, has shrunk, and is no longer able to provide
a secure spot of land to protect this resistance fighter, or any other,
aside from a mere 20 square metres within Jericho prison. In the end,
all were forced to raise their arms and white flags and come out,
surrendering to occupation soldiers after they razed the prison over
their heads. It was a terrifying and degrading scene the Arab world will
never forget. Added was the first scene of submission, at the beginning
of that day, when prison guards and some Palestinian detainees came out
in their underwear, their arms raised over their heads, following the
orders of occupation forces. The echo of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was
lost on no Arab.
Palestinian and Arab agreement to imprison Saadat was, from the
start, sure sign of Arab impotence. No one explained that the killing of
Zeevi was in response to the assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa, the PFLP
secretary-general, in his office on Palestinian territory by Israeli
hands. It is clear that Israel wanted, through the scenario of abducting
Saadat and his comrades, to direct a new blow to all Arab states.
Saadat, and the PFLP in general, no longer play an effective and
influential role in the political arena. So what other reason could
there be?
Perhaps if Israel had done what it did in the 1960s and 1970s it
would make sense. The PFLP, which adopts Marxist thought, was in those
years one of the most important and most widely present factions of the
Palestinian resistance. Yet this presence suffered a clear setback since
the first Palestinian Intifada in the second half of the 1980s, to the
advantage of Fateh, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israel wanted to remind
everyone, once again, that it does not bind itself to any rules or
agreements. It acts in freedom and leaves it to others to search for
justifications for what it does, the international community and the
Arab world being equal in
this.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best
[IslamCity] State terrorism in palestine--from al - ahram
State terrorism
Israel's raid on a Jericho prison exposes the worthlessness
of international guarantees, writes Ibrahim Nafie
Last Tuesday Israeli occupation forces raided Jericho's prison. They
demolished the building in stages before arresting a group of
Palestinian prisoners. This operation took place with the approval of
the acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and was ordered by
Minister of Defence Shaul Mofaz.
The aim was to arrest Ahmed Saadat, secretary-general of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and other Palestinian
figures including Fouad Al-Shoubaki, accused of overseeing the funding
of the arms deal uncovered by the Israeli navy when it intercepted the
boat Karin A on 3 January 2002.
The operation began with the mobilisation of large numbers of
armoured vehicles and equipment, including scores of bombshells.
Palestinian security personnel responsible for securing the area were
stripped of arms and their clothes and left in their underwear.
Occupation forces attacked the building with bulldozers and
explosives. After killing two members of the security personnel and
injuring another 62 they arrested the PFLP leader and his companions,
who were transferred to Israeli detention prisons.
Israel undertook the operation to kidnap a group of Palestinian
figures who, in accordance with an international agreement made with
late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat, were held in a prison guarded
by US and British forces. Ahmed Saadat was due to be tried for plotting
the assassination of the former Israeli minister of tourism Rahavam
Zeevi on 18 October 2001 -- a response to the Israeli assassination of
the PFLP secretary-general Abu Ali Mustafa on 27 August 2001.
Al-Shoubaki was facing trial for his role in the Karin A arms deal. The
agreement with Arafat was reached following Israeli demands that it
should detain and try the two men.
On the morning of 14 March the US and British monitors charged with
overseeing the Jericho prison were withdrawn. Following their departure
Israeli forces began their siege of the prison. The British prime
minister said the monitors had been withdrawn for security reasons, i.e.
ensure their safety, while US sources said they had informed PA
President Mahmoud Abbas of their decision to withdraw monitors a week
earlier. Abbas confirmed he had been notified, but said no date for the
withdrawal of the monitors had been specified. Washington also hinted it
would veto any discussion of the matter in the UN Security Council.
The raid raises many questions about the role of the US and Britain.
There can be no doubt that Washington and London were fully aware of
what Israel intended to do, and effectively colluded with Tel Aviv. They
informed Abbas of their intention to withdraw monitors without informing
him when that would take place, though Israel clearly knew. Abbas, who
cut short a European tour to return and visit the remains of the prison,
confirmed that Israeli forces stormed the area only five minutes after
the monitors were withdrawn.
The operation, and the US-British-Israeli coordination that
underwrote it, raises fundamental questions about the worth of
agreements the PA signs with Israel, as well as the worth of
international -- and in particular US -- guarantees. It undermines any
negotiating process that seeks to resolve the conflict, confirming that
Israel has no intention of abandoning the bullying tactics it has long
employed under the political and security cover provided by
international powers.
This operation will weaken calls among the Palestinian factions --
not least within Hamas -- for a political solution and will reinforce
the arguments of those pushing for armed struggle no matter what the
cost.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the
[IslamCity] Final communiqu� Adopted by the first ministerial meeting of the executive committee of the organization of the Islamic conference (OIC troikas)
Final communiqué Adopted by the first ministerial meeting of the executive committee of the organization of the Islamic conference (OIC troikas) JEDDAH KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 15 SAFAR 1427H (15 MARCH 2006) 1. Based upon the decision taken by the 3rd Extraordinary Summit held in Makkah Mukarramah to establish an Executive Committee with the view to following up the adopted resolutions and considering urgent matters which warrant attention between OIC intersessional meetings and as a results of consultations made by the OIC Secretary-General with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen, Chairman of the 32nd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) and the Foreign Minister of Malaysia, Chairman of 10th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference (ISC), the Secretary General called for the convening of the First Ministerial Meeting of the Executive Committee[1] of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 15 Safar 1427H (15 March 2006). 2. An invitation for participation was also extended to the Foreign Minister of Palestine[2] and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Iraq since the two issues of Palestine and Iraq were the Meeting's agenda. 3. The Meeting was convened at the Headquarters of the General Secretariat, and was chaired by Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qurbi, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen and Chairman of the 32nd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM). 4. The Meeting discussed the following items included on its agenda - The publication of the defamatory caricatures. - The issue of Palestine. - The Situation in Iraq. THE PUBLICATION OF THE DEFAMATORY CARICATURES 5. The Secretary-General presented a report on the efforts made and the measures taken by the General Secretariat to address the crisis which arose from the publication of the defamatory caricatures in September 2005 until the recent visit made by the Secretary-General to the United Kingdom from 8 to 10 March 2006. The participants expressed their appreciation for the extensive efforts and the important contacts made by the Secretary-General in this regard. 6. The Meeting took note of the Tripartite Statement issued upon the initiative taken by the Secretary-General and signed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the European Union (EU) High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy on 7 February 2006. The Meeting also endorsed the Joint Doha Statement issued on 25 February 2006. 7. The Meeting considered the conclusions issued by the EU Council of Foreign Ministers on 27 February 2006, which were extremely disappointing for the Muslim World. Regrettably, the conclusions of the EU Council did not include any decision on taking collective steps to ensure the non recurrence of such defamations in the future. These conclusions had clearly acknowledged that "freedoms comes with responsibilities" and that "freedom of _expression_ should be exercised in a spirit of respect for religious and other beliefs and convictions. Mutual tolerance and respect are universal values we should all uphold". 8. The Meeting agreed that the OIC Member States and the OIC Secretary General would continue to review and exert efforts at all levels in order to achieve the following objectives: (a) The adoption of a resolution by the 61st session of the UN General Assembly with a view to the proscription of the defamation of religions and religious symbols, prohibition of blasphemy, the denigration of all prophets, and preventing the recurrence of such defamatory acts in future. (b) The implementation of the Doha Statement, particularly through drawing a comprehensive strategy to prevent the defamation of religions and take necessary measures to that effect. (c) The effective utilization of both the EU-OIC Joint Forum as well as the Alliance of Civilizations, with a view to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding among cultures and civilizations. (d) The intensification of contacts with the international community, particularly European countries and International Organizations, with a view to urging them to engage in greater cooperation and encourage Muslim Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to initiate a constructive dialogue, use good offices, and follow up this issue with their European counterparts with a view to promoting the true values of Islam and underlining the tolerant and humanitarian message of Islam. 9. The Meeting urged all OIC Member States and Muslims worldwide to exercise rationality and restraint in meeting the challenges of the current crisis. THE ISSUE OF PALESTINE 10. The Meeting commended the fairness of the Palestinian legislative elections, which have demonstrated the ability of the Palestinian people to organize free and democratic elections, as attested by all observers. The meeting expressed its
[IslamCity] Dr Jamals view on apostacy from his reply in a dialogue in 2005.
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum. Iam forwarding to you Dr Jamals view on
apostacy from his reply in a dialogue in 2005.
Shah Abdul Hannan
Abdul -United States
Profession
Question
How about the hadith that claims "Kill whoever changes his
religion." (a) If a person changes his religion, is it considered
as a profound insult to Allah and to all Muslims but Allah says in the
Quran "Let there be no compulsion in the religion" (2:256).
(b) What about the status of the hadith. Is it sahih (sound),
hadith al-ahad(isolated) or dhaif (weak)? (c) What if a person
changes religion from Christianity to Judaism. Does this hadith still
apply to that person? Please shed some light on this hadith.
Answer
The question of apostasy has been debated among
scholars based on their interpretations of some hadiths since the Qur'an
does not specify any worldly punishment for it. For example, there was a
case at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) where a
man came to him in three consecutive days and told him that he wanted to
apostate. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never took any
action against him, and when the man finally left Madina, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) never sent anyone to arrest him, let
alone kill him. This hadith appears in more than one version in Sahih
Muslim and is authentic. This is why some scholars distinguished
between individual apostasy and apostasy which is accompanied by high
treason. For example, one version of a hadith narrated by `A'isha
concerning apostasy (
and one who left his religion and fought against
Muslims). The topic is broad and most Muslims are acquainted only
with the only common view and interpretation of these hadiths. The
rule of "no compulsion in religion" which appears in several verses in the
Qur'an and is consistent with its message of willing submission to God.
These verses are no doubt definitive and explicit. Other texts, in the
Qur'an or Sunnah, which are speculative (mutashabih or texts that could be
interpreted in more than one way without violating basic rules of
interpretation) in meaning must be interpreted or re-interpreted in the
light of the definitive.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
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[IslamCity] OIC Secretary General holds fruitful meeting with the visiting Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
OIC
Secretary General holds fruitful meeting with the visiting Secretary General of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and explores
various possibilities of enhancing effective cooperation between the two
organizations
The Secretary General
of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
held a fruitful meeting with Ambassador Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, the
Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) in Jeddah today. This was the first ever visit by an OSCE Secretary
General to the OIC General Secretariat.
The two Secretaries
General exchanged views on the recent global developments since their last
meeting in Vienna on 15 November 2005 and discussed various
means of enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation between their two
organizations.
The OIC Secretary General gave a detailed briefing on the various significant
developments following the printing of the blasphemous, insulting and
provocative caricatures and the imperative need to initiate various
confidence-building measures between the Muslim World and the West. While
elaborating the various elements of the ambitious Ten-year Programme of Action
adopted by the Extraordinary OIC Summit Conference in Makkah, the Secretary
General drew parallels between this Programme and the OSCE's objectives. He
specified that this could serve as a comprehensive basis for cooperation between
the two organizations. He also conveyed the willingness of his organization to
institutionalize and expand its relationship with the OSCE, particularly in the
fields of combating terrorism, extremism, Islamophobia and
intolerance.
The OSCE Secretary General commended his interlocutor for his active and
constructive role in charting a course for respectful dialogue and
understanding.
He informed that the OSCE participating States had a profound and long-standing
commitment to tolerance and respect between people of different opinions and
beliefs, as well as to freedom of _expression_. He also suggested specific areas
for closer
OSCE-OIC
cooperation on the shared objectives of promoting tolerance, combating extremism
and fostering dialogue on norms and principles relating to inter-faith practices
and co-existence.
Both sides agreed to undertake joint activities focusing upon tolerance,
Islamophobia and an effective dialogue between the West and the Muslim World.
The two organizations also agreed to intensify the exchange of information
and benefiting from each others experience in the fields of conflict management
and good governance. The two Secretaries General would also strive towards the
establishment of an OIC-OSCE Joint Forum.
Jeddah, 25 March 2006
More
News form OIC...
Main Page
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
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[IslamCity] Distinction Between Shariah and Fiqh
Dear members of the list,, .I am forwarding to you a good discussion on Shariah and Fiqh by late Dr Said Ramadan,a major Islamic scholar(father of Dr. Tariq Ramadan).You may circulate it to your friends.( article also available in www.witness-pioneer.org) Shah Abdul Hannan Chairman,Bangladesh Institute of Isl. Thought(BIIT) Dhaka. , Distinction Between Shariah and FiqhDr. Said Ramadan "Which in your opinion, are the major problems of the Muslim world, the problems upon which the attention of the workers of Islam should be focussed, and to the solution of which they should devote all, or the greater part of, their endeavours?" This was my question to my friend who has been working for Islam, for the last thirty years. For a while he remained silent and then replied: "I consider three problems to be responsible for the disastrous state of affairs in the Muslim world; first, the failure to distinguish between what God laid down in His Book and the Tradition of His Prophet, and the elaborations derived there from by our legists; second, the plight of womenfolk in Muslim society; and third, the perversion of the meaning of "obedience to those in authority" to denote abject subservience and shameless acquiescence to rulers, regardless of the extent of the wrongs that they might commit and the injustices which they might perpetrate".This observation was followed by a long discussion which centred upon these questions, with a view to the full appreciation of the importance of these problems, and the realisation of the need for earnest, unrelenting endeavour toward their solution. During the discussion, I found myself keenly responsive to the need for appreciation of the importance of these problems, and as my learned friend held forth on the subject, I had the feeling of a doctor's fingers probing sore spots. For these three problems do indeed occupy a pre-eminent position among those numerous maladies, which afflict our body-politic. Moreover, these maladies are becoming chronic ones and as time passes we are getting used to them. The first of these problems is our failure to distinguish between what has been laid down by God in His book and the Tradition of the Prophet(Sunnah) on the one hand, and the elaborations on their basis by our jurist, on the other hand. In deploring this failure, we neither wish to deny the value of the opinions of our Fuqaha nor to slight these venerable men in any way. On the contrary, we believe their work to constitute a great asset, a prized treasure of which we should feel proud. We believe that we should pore over the subtleties of their learning, and should derive the utmost benefit from it. What is necessary, however is that we should at the same time be very clear about the following important points: 1.That the Quran and the Sunnah constitute the Shariah (Islamic law) of God, which is binding on Muslims: that these two alone form the ideological and practical basis of life for the Muslim nation. 2.That there is nothing strange in the fact that dis-agreements exist among people with regard to the interpretation of certain Quranic verses, or the authenticity of certain Prophetic traditions or their rendering, so long as people do not abandon the use of their intellects. What is important is that these disagreements should remain subject to arguments based on the texts of the Quran and Sunnah, and that the opinions of particular schools of Muslim Law on controversial points should not, either owing to negligence or ignorance, be elevated to the points where they begin to be considered more authoritative that the texts of the Quran or Sunnah. Such a distorted view impairs our proper attitude towards the injunctions of God and His Prophet, as laid down in the Quranic Verse: Judge between them by that which, God hath revealed and follow not their desires(V;49) Moreover, we should be careful that our attitudes on controversial points do not harden to such a degree that they prevent Muslims applying their minds to the understanding of the Shariah, although the Shariah itself remains the criterion for all differences of opinion; and every generation of Muslims has an ordinance from God to remain in direct and constant contact with the Shariah, as embodied in the Quran and the Sunnah: ...and if ye have a dispute concerning any matter, refer it to God and the Messenger(IV:59) Abandoning reference to the Quran and attaching an exaggerated importance to the opinion of one's own school of law implies also the adoption of irrational attitude towards our Fuqaha of past generations who, though they disagreed among themselves, did not claim infallibility for their opinions. Their disagreements were based on the texts of the Shariah available to them, and with regard to its interpretation. It never occurred to our Fuqaha, however, that they would become an impregnable
[IslamCity] Fatwa on apostacy from islamonline---Mufti Ahmad Kutty
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. Please read this opinion on apostacy from a major Islamic scholar. Shah Abdul Hannan Fatwa Question Details Name Hossam Title Should an Apostate Be Put to Death? Question Respected scholars, as-salamu `alaykum. Is it true that in Islam a person must be put to death if he or she converts to another religion? Jazakum Allahu khayran. Date 27/Mar/2006 Mufti Ahmad Kutty Topic Apostasy Answer Wa`alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear brother in Islam, thanks a lot for your question, which reflects your care to have a clear view of the teachings of Islam. Allah commands Muslims to refer to knowledgeable peopleto learn more about the teachings of Islam. It is absurd for anyone to suggest that Islam advocates killing people who choose to leave Islam. To kill anyone who chooses to follow a religion other than Islam is against the fundamental teachings of the Qur'an. Freedom of conscience is a fundamental principle of the Qur'an that is clearly stated. Thus, ifapostates cause no harm to the Muslim community and do not call for spreading hostility towards Islam, they should not to be punished; rather they should be advised kindly and wisely to learn the truth about Islam. In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states the following: Freedom of conscience is one of the fundamental rights of humans enshrined in the Qur'an; it is therefore, absurd for anyone to suggest that Islam allows putting people to death just because they convert to another religion. Even a casual reader of the Qur'an will not fail to be impressed by its emphasis on the freedom of conscience as a cornerstone of its moral structure. To cite a few verses as follows: [There shall be no compulsion in religion. Distinct has now become the right way from [the wayof] error: hence, he who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing] ( Al-Baqarah 2:256) [If it had been your Lord's will, all who are in the earth would have believed. Will you, then, force the people to become believers?] (Yunus 10:99) [And if they surrender themselves unto Him (i.e. God), they are on the right path; but if they turn away behold, thy duty (O Muhammad,) is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.] (Aal `Imran 3:20) [Hence, pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Messenger, and be ever on your guard [against evil]; and if you turn away, then know that Our Messenger's only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to him].] (Al-Ma'idah 5:92) [But if they turn away [from thee, O Prophet, know that] Wehave not sent thee to be their keeper: thou art not bound to do more than deliver the message [entrusted to thee] .] (Ash-Shura 42:48) I should further state that all of the moral teachings of the Qur'an are based on the notion of moral responsibility, which entails the freedom of choice. Therefore, to state that one must be put to death for choosing to disbelieve would only undermine the entire moral edifice of the Qur'an. Furthermore, the Qur'an does not allow anyone to harm those who are leaving in peace, no matter what religion they hold on to. This principle has been clearly stated in the Qur'an as follows: [Thus, if they let you be, and do not make war on you, and offer you peace, God does
[IslamCity] ISNA Establishes Office in Washington, DC
- Original Message -
From: ISNA
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 9:02 PM
Subject: ISNA Establishes Office in Washington, DC
The Islamic Society of North America Establishes Office in
Washington, DC
(Plainfield, IN March 28, 2006) The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
is establishingan Office of Interfaith and Community Relations (IOICR) in
the nation's capital. Interfaithactivity has been a cornerstone of ISNA
activities, and has been wholeheartedly endorsed byISNA affiliates and other
Islamic organizations across the US and Canada. The establishmentof an ISNA
office in metropolitan Washington, DC area, to be opened this spring, is in
responseto emerging realities and new opportunities for ISNA to build
greater strength in fulfillingits mission. The IOICR will further work to
increase good relations and understanding betweenMuslim Americans and their
government agencies and Congressional representatives.
Considering the importance that ISNA and Muslim Americans attach to
interfaith engagement,the ISNA Secretary General Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed
is relinquishing his current positionto serve as the first National Director
of the IOICR. As National Director of ISNA'sOffice of Interfaith and
Community Relations, Dr. Syeed will build on the relationshipsISNA has
already developed with diverse interfaith, religious and social
serviceorganizations to engage American Muslim communities in addressing the
spiritualand ethical challenges of the twenty-first century.
Dr. Syeed brings extensive credentials to his new appointment. He has a
doctorate inSociolinguistics and has served as ISNA Secretary General for 12
years. He has been activelyinvolved in fostering understanding among the
world's religions and has developed significantinterfaith alliances at
different levels in the U.S., Canada, and internationally.
Accordingly,the search for a new Secretary General for the national
headquarters of ISNA in Plainfield, INis now underway. Mr. Ahmed El-Hattab
is serving as the Acting Secretary General of ISNA duringthis interim
period. Mr. El-Hattab has been with ISNA for 23 years. He has served as
AssistantSecretary General and currently is Executive Director of ISNA
Development Foundation.
CONTACT RESOURCE: Ahmed El-HattabPhone: 317-839-8157 ext
236Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Islamic Society of North America
P.O. Box 38 (mail)6555 South County Road 750 East ( Express mail and
packages)Plainfield, Indiana 46168 U S APhone (317) 839-8157Fax
(317) 839-1840E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]URL: www.isna.net
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
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[IslamCity] UN Warns Against Israeli Unilateralism
UN Warns Against Israeli Unilateralism "It will become even more difficult to persuade the Palestinians that there is anything to be gained from moving toward compromise," Kalomoh said. UNITED NATIONS, March 31, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) The United Nations warned Thursday, March 30, that Israel's unilateral moves to fix borders without consultations with the Palestinians would undermine efforts to establish peace in the Middle East as the new Palestinian premier said the Israeli plan was a recipe for conflict. "If the prospect of a viable Palestinian state in the framework of a two-state solution is seen to dwindle because of unilateral Israeli actions, it will become even more difficult to persuade the Palestinians that there is anything to be gained from moving toward compromise," Tuliameni Kalomoh, the UN assistant secretary general for political affairs, told the UN Security Council, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he intends to unilaterally set Israel's permanent borders without consultations with the Palestinians. Olmert, whose Kadima party won the Israeli elections, said Israel will hold on to large Jewish settlement blocks in the occupied West Bank, dividing Palestinian areas and making it almost impossible to create a contiguous and viable Palestinian state. The United State signaled on Thursday, March 30, the possibility of supporting Israel's unilateral moves to fix borders. Arab governments believe more unilateral steps by Israel to retain control over occupied Palestinian territories would kill stone dead any peace chances. Kalomoh, who was briefing the 15-member Security Council on recent developments in the Middle East, including Tuesday's Israeli elections, underlined the need to pursue efforts to head off security and humanitarian crises in the Palestinian territories. "Despite the gulf between the parties (Israelis and Palestinians), they and the international community share a common interest and duty to prevent a security or humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory," Kalomoh said. The United Nations warned earlier this month that the Palestinians were on the verge of a humanitarian crisis because of food shortage caused by Israeli closures. Experts said Israel added insult to injury as the agriculture-dependent territories were being sliced from the main water resources by the Israeli separation wall. "Recipe for Conflict" "Olmert's unilateralism is a recipe for conflict," Haniya said. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya said in an article published by the Guardian on Friday, March 31, that Israel's unilateral moves to fix borders was a "recipe for conflict." "Olmert's unilateralism is a recipe for conflict," Haniya wrote in an article in the British mass circulation paper. "It is a plan to impose a permanent situation in which the Palestinians end up with a homeland cut into pieces made inaccessible because of massive Jewish settlements built in contravention of international law on land seized illegally from the Palestinians." Haniya stressed that any Israeli plan would prove failure unless Tel Aviv recognizes the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. "No plan will ever work without a guarantee, in exchange for an end to hostilities by both sides, of a total Israeli withdrawal from all the land occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem; the release of all our prisoners; the removal of all settlers from all settlements; and recognition of the right of all refugees to return," he wrote. Double Standards Haniya lashed out at the West's double standards in dealing with the Palestinian cause. "Do policymakers in Washington and Europe ever feel ashamed of their scandalous double standards," he questioned. He went on: "Before and since the Palestinian elections in January, they have continually insisted that Hamas comply with certain demands. "They want us to recognize Israel, call off our resistance, and commit ourselves to whatever deals Israel and the Palestinian leadership reached in the past." The US and the EU have threatened to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority once a Hamas-led government is in place unless Hamas disarms, "renounces violence" and recognizes Israel.
[IslamCity] How Islamic Inventors Changed the World
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. The following article might be of some interest to you. Shah Abdul Hannan How Islamic inventors changed the world http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/ article350594.ece Article from The Independent - UK From coffee to cheques and the three-course meal, the Muslim world has given us many innovations that we take for granted in daily life. As a new exhibition opens, Paul Vallely nominates 20 of the most influential- and identifies the men of genius behind them Published: 11 March 2006 1 The story goes that an Arab named Khalid was tending his goats in the Kaffa region of southern Ethiopia, when he noticed his animals became livelier after eating a certain berry. He boiled the berries to make the first coffee. Certainly the first record of the drink is of beans exported from Ethiopia to Yemen where Sufis drank it to stay awake all night to pray on special occasions. By the late 15th century it had arrived in Mecca and Turkey from where it made its way to Venice in 1645. It was brought to England in 1650 by a Turk named Pasqua Rosee who opened the first coffee house in Lombard Street in the City of London. The Arabic qahwa became the Turkish kahve then the Italian caffÃ(c) and then English coffee. 2 The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realise that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word qamara for a dark or private room). He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one. 3 A form of chess was played in ancient India but the game was developed into the form we know it today in Persia. From there it spread westward to Europe - where it was introduced by the Moors in Spain in the 10th century - and eastward as far as Japan. The word rook comes from the Persian rukh, which means chariot. 4 A thousand years before the Wright brothers a Muslim poet, astronomer, musician and engineer named Abbas ibn Firnas made several attempts to construct a flying machine. In 852 he jumped from the minaret of the Grand Mosque in Cordoba using a loose cloak stiffened with wooden struts. He hoped to glide like a bird. He didnâEUR~t. But the cloak slowed his fall, creating what is thought to be the first parachute, and leaving him with only minor injuries. In 875, aged 70, having perfected a machine of silk and eaglesâEUR~ feathers he tried again, jumping from a mountain. He flew to a significant height and stayed aloft for ten minutes but crashed on landing - concluding, correctly, that it was because he had not given his device a tail so it would stall on landing. Baghdad international airport and a crater on the Moon are named after him. 5 Washing and bathing are religious requirements for Muslims, which is perhaps why they perfected the recipe for soap which we still use today. The ancient Egyptians had soap of a kind, as did the Romans who used it more as a pomade. But it was the Arabs who combined vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatics such as thyme oil. One of the CrusadersâEUR~ most striking characteristics, to Arab nostrils, was that they did not wash. Shampoo was introduced to England by a Muslim who opened MahomedâEUR~s Indian Vapour Baths on Brighton seafront in 1759 and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to Kings George IV and William IV. 6 Distillation, the means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points, was invented around the year 800 by IslamâEUR~s foremost scientist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, who transformed alchemy into chemistry, inventing many of the basic processes and apparatus still in use today - liquefaction, crystallisation, distillation, purification, oxidisation, evaporation and filtration. As well as discovering sulphuric and nitric acid, he invented the alembic still, giving the world intense rosewater and other perfumes and alcoholic spirits (although drinking them is haram, or forbidden, in Islam). Ibn Hayyan emphasised systematic experimentation and was the founder of modern chemistry. 7 The crank-shaft is a device which translates rotary into linear motion and is central to much of the machinery in the modern world, not least the internal combustion engine. One of the most important mechanical inventions in the history of humankind, it was created by an ingenious Muslim engineer called al- Jazari to raise water for irrigation. His 1206 Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices shows he also invented or refined the use of
[IslamCity] 'Jamat not involved with JMB activities' Shah Abdul Hannan tells New Nation
- Original Message - From: Shakil Abdullah Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 11:59 AM Subject: 'Jamat not involved with JMB activities' Shah Abdul Hannan tells New Nation Interview of Shah Abdul Hannan with The Daily New Nation, Dhaka. 'Jamat not involved with JMB activities' Shah Abdul Hannan tells New Nation Shah Abdul Hannan, a retired secretary to the government of Bangladesh has said Janat-e-Islami is no way involved with the JMB activities. Their (Jamat's) entire history is of democratic and peaceful movement. They want to establish Islamic system through public support and peaceful means, he said in an exclusive interview with the New Nation on Thursday. Regarding fining of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) Tk.1 lakh, under the Money Laundering Act by the central bank, Mr. Hannan who was a former Chairman of IBBL, said that the nature of offence is very minor. If the nature of offense was a big one, then there were provisions for jail under the law. The punishment would have been 10 years jail of the MD or officers who would have been involved, he said. The full text of the interview is as follows: NN: How do you evaluate the emergence of JMB militants in Bangladesh? SAH: I know only about the JMB and its emergence, which has appeared in the newspapers. I do not know much more than that. But I can also say that the people of Bangladesh did not know about this organization called JMB until recently, maybe six months or a year. The government also did not say there was a big network of the JMB in Bangladesh. We know that there is a terrorist network of Janajuddah and other Maoist organizations or communist organizations in various parts of the country. But the people did not know JMB. However, the later events if August 17 and some events before that prove that there is a big network of JMB in the country, which clearly shows that there was failure of intelligence agencies and they did not inform the government. So the government could not know it properly. It seems from their statements they have extremist ideas. they do not believe in democracy. They believe in armed revolution. They are not Islamic scholars. Their understanding of Islam is poor. I think they will get proper punishment by the courts. The government has done a good job in this connection. NN: Do you think that the Jamat-e-Islami is involved with the JMB activities in any way as some political parties alleged? SAH: Jamat-e-Islami is not a new party. It was established in 1941. They participated in all elections before 1970 and after 1971. Their vote was after Awami League. The second largest vote getter was Jamat-e-Islami in 1970. Now Jamat-e-Islami has itself stated that they are in no way involved with the JMB. I believe them. Because their entire history is of democratic and peaceful movement. They want to establish Islamic system through public support and peaceful means. The Prophet (SM) also established the first Islamic state through peaceful means by negotiation, discussion, dialogue, cooperation. So this is the way of establishing Islam. NN: Bangladesh Bank has fined IBBL TK1 luck for pipelining JMB's money through some accounts maintaining with the Bank. Would you please comment on it? SAH: I've seen today's (Thursday) news. It sways that they fined Tk 1 luck for money transaction through some accounts. They dint say that IBBL has done money laundering or IBBL has financed anything wrong, or financed terrorism. And the subsection under which they were charged was a section where the punishment is maximum Tk 1 lakh. If the nature of offense was a big one, then there were provision for jail under the law. Then the punishment would have been 10 years jail of the Managing Director (MD) or officers who would have been involved. You see the central bank fines almost everyday some banks and it never comes in the press. It never comes in the TV channels. But why it has become news in the TV channel now? There is no doubt, because of success of IBBL this propaganda is born out of Islam phobia. They are afraid of Islam. So they oppose Islamic party. They oppose Islamic organizations. They will oppose Islamic writers, scholars, thinkers and they will oppose Islamic banking. So motive is very clear. But I must say, in our conventional practice it is a big offense to create lack of confidence among the people on a bank, because then not only the owners of the bank suffer, but also the people will suffer, depositors suffer. So the rule, tradition, practice is that banks cannot be harmed, for owners have little money in the bank, the rest is the peoples' money. Front page, The New Nation, April 7, 2006. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.
[IslamCity] Visa Denials Spoil Swiss Muslim Prophet Celebration
Visa Denials Spoil Swiss Muslim Prophet
Celebration
"It was a cultural symposium
permitted by authorities," said
Kassapoglu.
By Tamer Abul Einein, IOL
Correspondent
GENEVA, April 10, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) A gala organized
by Swiss Muslims to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) was overshadowed by the Swiss authorities' decision
to deny five Qur'an reciters visas to take part.
"We need an explanation from the authorities over the visa
mishap," Abdulla Kassapoglu, the head of the Muslim community in
Switzerland, told IslamOnlin.net on Monday, April 10.
"It was a cultural symposium for which he had an official
permission," he added.
Up to 2,500 people gathering in the Almend hall in the
central city of Lucerne were shocked to learn that the five reciters, from
Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, would not show up.
The organizers had to change the night's program, which was
proposed to include a lecture on Qur'an recitation throughout the
centuries and the verses that talked about the Prophet.
Turkish professors Senai Demirci and Engin Npyan perused the
life history of the Prophet in a theatre-like dialogue.
They sent the message that there is no contradiction between
taking the Prophet as a role model and living in Europe.
They said Muslims can follow in the Prophet's footsteps and
model themselves after his characteristics like honesty, benevolence and
credibility to counter stereotypes propagated by the media.
Professor Nadeem Orhan also lectured on the significance of
the Prophet's hadiths, countering secularists who claim the sayings
reflect outdated personal viewpoints.
Double Face
Up to 2,500 people who attended
the symposium were disappointed by the absence of the five
reciters.
Kassapoglu said Switzerland, in denying the visas, does not
practice what it preaches.
"It is double face that Switzerland tries to portray itself
as a friendly country to the Muslim world, but its Muslims are taking
pains to invite prominent scholars to cultural and religious
events."
He said the visa denial contradicts stances taken by the
country encouraging multi-culturalism and interaction with the Muslim
world.
"Switzerland sometimes finances cultural events in
Muslim countries, so why the contradiction?"
It is not the first time that Swiss authorities deny
Muslims entry.
In September last year, prominent imam Wagdy Ghoneim was
banned by airport authorities in Geneva from entering the country to
attend the 15th annual meeting of the League of
Muslims in Switzerland (LMS).
In 2004, the government placed visa restrictions on
imams coming to the country during the holy month of Ramadan except for
Al-Azhar missions.
Switzerland is home to some 380,000 Muslims,
representing a sizable 4.7 percent of the countrys population.
Islam is the second religion in the country after
Christianity.
Swiss Muslims are planning to establish a federation
of Islamic organizations as an umbrella group for all Islamic bodies in
the central European country.
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee,
[IslamCity] Abbas, Haniya Denounce Aid Freeze
Abbas, Haniya Denounce Aid
Freeze
"The Palestinian people should not
be punished for their democratic choice," said Abbas.
(Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister
Ismail Haniya denounced on Friday, April 7, the European Union and the
United States for suspending direct aid payments, warning the move
punished ordinary people.
"The Palestinian people should not be punished for
their democratic choice," Abbas told reporters at a press conference,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
By cutting the aid, the United States and EU were
"punishing all the people, workers and families," Abbas added.
A spokeswoman for EU External Relations Commissioner
Benita Ferrero-Waldner confirmed in Brussels that aid payments had been
suspended "for the time being".
The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU,
had approved the payment of 120 million euros in February to a caretaker
Palestinian government following the Palestinian elections of January
25.
The EU sends around 500 million euros ($600 million) a
year to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, making it the largest
donor.
The United States also announced it would suspend
direct aid to the Hamas-led government but said it would boost funding for
humanitarian aid distributed to Palestinians through the United
Nations.
As part of a series of sanctions, Israel has since
February stopped transferring customs duties worth around $50 million a
month and previously collected for the Palestinian
Authority.
Unjust
"The Palestinian people should not
be punished for their democratic choice," said Abbas.
(Reuters)
Haniya said in a press conference following his
meeting with Abbas that these decisions were "hasty and
unjust."
"The world should respect the choice of the
Palestinian people," said Haniya.
On Wednesday, April 5, Haniya told the first regular
meeting of his ministers that his government was in a financial crisis and
that he would struggle to find the money to pay government
employees.
"We inherited a situation in which we not only have no
money in the treasury but a whole load of debts," he said.
Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek said Thursday, April
6, that his ministry was working on a package of austerity measures in a
bid to slash public spending and shoring up efforts to secure alternative
sources of foreign funds.
"The finance ministry is working on a plan to find
alternative aid and to reduce public spending. We have started to reduce
the number of civil service cars, housing and travel expenses," he
said.
The minister said the Palestinian Authority employs
around 140,000 civil servants and security service personnel, together
accounting for a staggering monthly salary cheque of $118
million.
"We are expecting aid from Arab and Islamic countries,
and friends. We have had promises of aid worth nearly $80 million and I
hope they will reach us quickly because we don't have money to pay the
salaries."
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
[IslamCity] UK Muslim Groups Step up East Africa Aid
UK Muslim Groups Step up East Africa
Aid
Muslim Aid distributes food
supplies to Somalis.
CAIRO, April 9, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Muslim aid
organizations in Britain have stepped up assistance to East Africa and
launched urgent donation campaigns as the region has been hit by the worst
drought wave in living memory.
Islamic Relief (IR) is providing emergency assistance in the
Mandera region of Kenya in the north-east, the London-based Muslim aid
group said in a press release on its website Saturday, April 8.
"Emergency water distribution continues in Kabo and
Kamor-Libaan in Lafey division where 2000 people receive 10,000lts of
water daily," it said.
Water distributions to five more villages in the Lafey area
are being organized.
A Supplementary Feeding Program is providing food each week
to almost 600 malnourished children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and
the elderly in Kamor-Libaan, Damasa, Libehiya and Kabo.
In Ethiopia, the group said up to five water tankers to
Hargelle, Charrati and Filtu towns, reaching some 30,000
people.
In partnership with UNICEF, Islamic Relief will also be
setting up two water treatment stations to purify river water.
The group has further launched an online
donation
campaign.
The United Nations appealed Friday, April 7, for hundreds of
millions of dollars in urgent aid to rescue million of lives threatened in
draught-hit East Africa.
Since late 2005, east Africans have been facing hunger and
losing livestock, due to a drought one aid agency, Oxfam, said will take
15 years to recover from.
The drought has hit Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia hardest, but
also Djibouti, Eritrea, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania.
Food Distribution
London-based Muslim Aid is now providing more than £124,000
to those suffering from famine in Somalia and Kenya.
"Muslim Aid is planning early food distribution for
communities to the west, near the Bakool border, if the hoped-for rains
fail to materialize," Ahmed Mohammad, country director of Muslim Aid
Somalia said in a press release.
In the second phase, Muslim Aid plans to distribute food,
water, medicine and nutrition biscuits to 35,000 people in the southern
Somalia regions of Gedo and Bay, where 1.7 million people are in need of
food aid.
In all, 117 tonnes of food will be distributed to 7,500
families, with each family receiving about 16 kilograms of food. The group
has accepts online
donations.
Mohammad warned that cattle and goats have been most
affected.
"Predictions indicate that the situation is likely to worsen
unless April rains bring some hope."
Hundreds of thousands of livestock and wildlife have perished
from the drought further damaging prospects for many.
Muslim Aid is also working with the Kakamenga Muslim Teachers
Welfare group and the Mandera Islamic Centre to bring emergency food,
water and medical relief to Wajir and Mandera in north-east
Kenya.
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Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless
[IslamCity] Prominent Azhar Graduates Meet for First Time
Prominent Azhar Graduates Meet for First
Time
"We receive requests from many
countries to open Al-Azhar colleges on their soils," said
Tayyip.
By Adel Abdel Halim, IOL
Correspondent
CAIRO, April 11, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) Up to 231
prominent Al-Azhar University graduates from all the world over gather
Tuesday, April 11, for the first forum of the alumni of one of the
prestigious seats of learning in the Muslim world.
"The aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the increasing
demand for an effective role by Al-Azhar scholars worldwide makes more
pressing the need for close contacts between famed graduates," Al-Azhar
University President Ahmad El-Tayyip told IslamOnline.net.
"You can hardly find a country without having Muslims
who studied in Al-Azhar," he noted.
El-Tayyip said distinguished Al-Azhar graduates are
expected now to counter radicals, who are acting in the name of
Islam.
"We receive requests from many countries to open
Al-Azhar colleges on their soils," he said.
Tayyip said the graduates will be urged to try their
best in standing up to the current campaigns sullying the image of the
Muslim faith in the West and helping resolve Muslim contentious
issues.
Chief among the prominent graduates who will up show
up are President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Qayoom and Sheikh Yusuf
Al-Qaradawi, the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars
(IUMS).
Qayoom will deliver the graduates speech at the
opening session to be followed by Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamad
Sayyed Tantawi and Qaradawi, who will talk about Al-Azhar role in serving
Islam and Muslims.
Unified Plan
Qayoom will deliver the graduates
speech.
Tayyip said that the two-day get-together will come up
with a unified action plan to be adopted by Al-Azhar scholars to meet the
serious challenges facing the Muslim nation.
The forum is made up of a number of sessions, notably:
Al-Azhar Throughout Centuries, Al-Azhar and the State, Al-Azhar's Message
and Contemporary Problems and Communication Between Al-Azhar
Graduates.
Al-Azhar has recently revealed plans to launch a
satellite channel to counter anti-Islam onslaughts and highlight the true
essence of Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance.
Al-Azhar, which means the "most flourishing and
resplendent," is the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim
world.
It was named after Fatima Al-Zahraa -- daughter of
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) -- who gave rise to the
Fatimid dynasty which governed Egypt from 969 to 1171 CE.
The first courses at Al-Azhar were given in 975 CE and
the first college was built 13 years later.
Al-Azhar first admitted women students in 1961, albeit
in separate classes.
Also in 1961, subjects in engineering and medicine
were added to classes on Shari`ah, the Noble Quran and the intricacies of
Arabic language.
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Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect
[IslamCity] Please visit this article on www.MuslimsToday.com website !!
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Watching Global Islamic Relations for better understanding الموقع العربي Wednesday, 12 April 2006 19:02: PM Islamophobia: Meaning, Manifestations, Causeshttp://www.MuslimsToday.com/EN/Contents.aspx?AID=4269 Mustafa Abu Sway A discussion and condemnation of Islamophobia. “Muslims could change their world and overcome the tyranny of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim discrimination, just as slavery was abolished”1 Islamophobia consists of violence against Muslims in the form of physical assaults, verbal abuse, and the vandalizing of property, especially of Islamic institutions including mosques, Islamic schools and Muslim cemeteries. Islamophobia also includes discrimination in employment — where Muslims are faced with unequal opportunities —discrimination in the provision of health services, exclusion from managerial positions and jobs of high responsibility; and exclusion from political and governmental posts. Ultimately, Islamophobia also comprises prejudice in the media, literature, and everyday conversation.2 Let us consider the following examples: * A mosque in the French city of Carpentras in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region came under Molotov cocktail attack on Friday, November 11, [2005] during the weekly Friday prayer.3 * Twelve drawings depicting Prophet Muhammad in different settings appeared in Denmark’s largest circulation daily Jyllands-Posten on September 30, [2005]. In one of the drawings, Prophet Muhammad appeared with a turban shaped like a bomb strapped to his head. * Police arrested two people, apparently a Jewish pimp and a prostitute, on the Friday night of August 26 [2005] on suspicion that they were responsible for a pig’s head dressed in a keffiyeh and inscribed with the nickname “the Prophet Muhammad” being thrown into the yard of Tel Aviv’s Hassan Beik Mosque.4 * The U.S. military detailed on Friday, June 3, 2005, five cases in which jailers at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had desecrated copies of the Holy Qur’an, including one incident that had occurred as recently as March. Brigadier General Jay Hood, commander of the Guantanamo prison who headed the inquiry, said the inquiry had confirmed five cases of desecration. * “Did you hear about the Muslim virgin desperate to lose it? It wasn’t really the sex she was interested in; she just didn’t want to [f**k] a suicide bomber when she died.” The British journalist Julie Burchill’s “favorite joke of the moment,” in “What Allah Wants, Allah Gets” as reprinted in the Israeli daily, Haaretz (September 24, 2005) Who Are the Islamophobes? The countries where these offensive and troubling Islamophobic examples took place are France, Denmark, Israel, and the U.S. Other examples in the article include Germany, Sri Lanka and the UK. The list fails to reflect the fact that Islamophobic incidents exist in every country where there is a Muslim minority. Islamophobia-Watch.com has documented Islamophobic entries under the name of these additional countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. In addition, the perpetrators could be categorized as either individual civilians or officials, including military. There is a problem about determining the Islamophobe in the last example given above; is it only the author, Julie Burchill? How far could Haaretz itself be held responsible for the Islamophobic content? (The original responsibility, in this case, does not pertain to Haaretz but to Burchill herself and The Times. In both dailies, however, the piece was printed verbatim, without asterisks to replace the “f” word. The comments on the article were no less Islamophobic. The
[IslamCity] statement of Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic conference At the fourth session of the conference of the Parliamentary union of the OIC member states (PUOIC)
Dear editor/ members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. I am forwarding from OIC website the statement of Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic conference At the fourth session of the conference of the Parliamentary union of the OIC member states (PUOIC) Shah Abdul Hannan Statement of His Excellency Prof. ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic conference At the fourth session of the conference of the Parliamentary union of the OIC member states (PUOIC) ISTANBUL REPUBLIC OF TURKEY 12 13 APRIL 2006. HE President of the Republic of Turkey, HE President of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, HE Prime Minister, HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Secretary General of Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, Excellencies, Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an immense honour for me to address this distinguished and unique gathering of the representatives of the peoples of the OIC Member States. At the outset, I would like to express my appreciation to the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the General Secretariat of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States for hosting and organizing this important meeting in this beautiful and historic city of Istanbul, which presided over the destiny of the Muslim world for many centuries. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe that there is a historical dimension and importance that this meeting is taking place in Istanbul, as the first elected parliament in the Islamic world, Meclis-i Mebusan, was convened in this city in 1876. This historical fact pertinently supports our argument that the Islamic world has never faced any inherited normative problem in adopting modern-democratic principles and institutions. Today, after 130 years, doesn`t it sound quite hollow and meaningless to claim, as some do, that Islam is incompatible with democracy? Excellencies, Legislative power is a basic pillar of any credible state system upholding the principles of empowerment of people and good governance. In this regard, the OIC has always attached great interest to the Member States parliaments, as they play a prominent role and authority in preparing the groundwork for the management of the affairs of the states. The representatives of the people are the custodians of the will of any given nation, and the _expression_ of its sovereignty. They are the authority that enacts the law of the land. The OIC was immensely pleased when the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States was established a few years ago. The OIC found in the Union an important forum which can fortify the ranks of the institutions of the Muslim world by introducing a new dimension to the joint actions and cooperation. I hope that the Union will soon complete developing its structures to become an effective partner in shouldering heavy responsibilities given the critical phase which the Muslim world is going through. I believe that it is incumbent upon our two institutions to coordinate their activities in a manner to gain the optimal advantage. It is in this spirit that we look forward to engage with you in discussions aiming at exploring all possibilities to combine and complement our endeavours. As you all know, today the Muslim world is faced with grave political, socio-economic, cultural and scientific challenges. Our peace, security and welfare depend on our collective response to these challenges. The OIC Member States would need to cooperate decisively and take necessary initiatives to overcome them. It has therefore become imperative for all of us to take joint actions based on common values and ideals so as to revive our pioneering role as a fine example of tolerance and enlightened moderation, and a force for international peace and harmony. The OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action which was prepared to meet all these challenges and adopted few months ago, at the historical Third Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah last December, contains many provisions entrusted to the OIC Member States to implement. The Unions role in encouraging and enhancing the implementation of the OIC Ten Year Programme of Action, through adopting measures or enacting legislations is of crucial importance. In this Programme which has drawn a path of progress and redefined the meaning of solidarity, there are provisions, among others, concerning good governance, respecting human rights, economic and social development, elimination of illiteracy, poverty and diseases, combating terrorism and propagating moderation and tolerance. All those are areas where the Unions contribution is essential through adopting adequate legislations or ratifying agreements and conventions, and approving different measures. Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your agenda contains important political, economic
[IslamCity] How to Lose Your Job at a Saudi Newspaper ---Tyranny in the Arab World
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. I found the following report somewhat interesting. It is a superficial article in some ways, but it does contain an important point. The particular inability of many Arab governments to cope with criticism and these governments' penchant for regulating the media is well known. I still thought I would share this article with you. In comparison with what a Western-Christian country such as the USA has been doing to weaker countries around the world in recent decades especially, Yasser Arafat's failure to strengthen the Palestinian position or Hosni Mobarak's lack of regard for human rights seem trivial transgressions indeed. Nonetheless, it is time Arab governments learn to handle criticisms with some dignity and use public criticisms to enhance the quality of state performance, and Muslims stop neglecting atrocities committed by other Muslim groups or states simply because Muslims elsewhere are being victimized by non-Muslims, and often to far greater extents. It is well known that Israel, for instance, uses Jewish victimization in Europe as a cover for its various current atrocities against the Palestinians and Western governments play right along. It is one thing to fight against oppressors and occupiers, and another to view one atrocity as justification for another. Given Islam's emphasis on justice and mercy, Muslims must be critical of any kind of injustice being perpetrated anywhere, whether by Muslims or non-Muslims, and constantly call for compassion towards all, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. Even though this age is clearly dominated by Islam-bashing and Islamophobia, Muslims may not excuse themselves from serious internal criticisms. Muslims must simultaneously engage in critiquing Islamophobia and those activities of Muslim individuals or groups or states that merit censure. This kind of a fair, unprejudiced Islamic character can help convey to the world what it truly means to embody Islam in its true essence. Surely, no other form of da'wah can be more powerful than that where individual Muslims, through every single word they utter in any context and every action they perform in any context, serve as exemplary representatives of the Islamic message of peace, civility, equity, justice, and kindness. Shah Abdul Hannan How to Lose Your Job at a Saudi Newspaper By Fawaz Turki Saturday, April 15, 2006; A15 I was unceremoniously fired this month by my Saudi newspaper, a leading English-language daily called Arab News. It didn't matter that I had been the senior columnist on the op-ed page for nine years or that my work was quoted widely in the European and American media, including this paper. What mattered was that I had committed one of the three cardinal sins an Arab journalist must avoid when working for the Arab press: I criticized the government. The other two? Bringing up Islam as an issue and criticizing, by name, political leaders in the Arab or Islamic world for their brazen excesses, dismal failures and blatant abuses. Never mind that a newspaper cheapens and debases the idea of the journalistic enterprise when it enjoins its commentators against being critical of the government that it is supposed to be a watchdog over. Never mind the absurdity of preventing your contributors from touching on the issue of Islam, a social ideology whose embrace by jihadists is the top news story in the world today. And never mind that Arab society -- a society that remains broken in body and spirit more than a half-century after independence -- needs very much to engage in serious self-assessment and to promote an open debate in the media among intellectuals, academics, political analysts and others about why Arabs have failed all these years to meet the challenges of modernity. But those are the stringent, not to mention pathetic, rules that determine how the Arab press conducts its business. You play by these rules or you're cut off. The problem is that if stringing words together is the only way you know how to make a living, you end up eating humble pie and playing the game by whatever rules they set for you. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call to someone high up in your paper from a semi-literate government official who couldn't run a lunch counter, or a fundamentalist imam who hasn't read a half-dozen decent books in his life, or perhaps a disgruntled diplomat at a Muslim or Arab embassy in Riyadh who didn't like what you had to say in your column about his country. The result is the same: Your career is ruined. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you will have an editorial page editor who likes your work, and he'll cut you a bit of slack and lobby on your behalf behind the scenes, often at the risk of losing his own job. But even in this case, three strikes and you're out. My first provocation was -- horror of horrors -- to criticize Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak after he cracked down on human rights activists several years ago.
[IslamCity] Islam and the Protection of Non-Muslims' Places of Worship
Title of Fatwa Islam and the Protection of Non-Muslims' Places of Worship Date of Reply 17/Jun/2003 Topic Of Fatwa Da`wah to Non- New Muslims Question of Fatwa As we notice recently brutal attacks being displayed against mosques everywhere, making them an easy target of hate crimes, something that is totally alien to the history of Islam vis-à-vis other religions, we'd like you scholars to enlighten us on how Islam shows keenness on preservation of places of worship without discrimination as to religion, race or culture. Name of Mufti Yusuf Al-Qaradawi Content of Reply In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear sister in Islam, we commend your keenness on drawing peoples attention to the noble teachings of your religion. This reflects your true spirit and religious zeal. May Allah help you preserve your faith, Amen! As regards your question, wed like to make it clear that Islams teachings as regard non-Muslims and its keenness on granting them full protection is not confined to the sphere of worship. Rather, Islams mercy and great concern for non-Muslims cover all aspects of life. But here we will tackle only the point referred to in your question, revealing the shinning history of Islam with non-Muslims, and how their places of worship are given full protection. Islam establishes a relationship with the people of different faith on the basis of tolerance, justice, benevolence, and mercy. The basis of this relationship is Allahs saying in the Quran: Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just. Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong. (Al-Mumtahina: 8- 9) According to the Quran, Muslims are required to deal with all people kindly and justly as long as they do not oppose or oppress Muslims or place obstacles in the way of spreading Islam. Of non-Muslims, Islam gives special consideration for the People of the Book, that is, Jews and Christians, whether they reside in a Muslim society or not. Being a divine religion revealed to guide all mankind, Islam tackles all aspects of man's life, regardless of whether he believes in it or not. That is why we see it granting many rights and privileges to non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic state. Muslims are ordered to show full consideration to this injunction and give due respect to non-Muslims' places of worship, which are part and parcel of their property enjoying full protection in Islam. Protection of property: The Islamic government is bound to protect the properties of non-Muslims. In his book Al-Kharaj, Abu Yusuf sheds light on the Prophets contract with the people of Najraan: Najraan and its neighboring area are in the security of Allah, the Almighty, and His Messenger. The property, religions and churches of the inhabitants, as well as properties, whether much or little, are under the protection of the Prophet. `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, in his letter to Abu `Ubaydah Ibn Al-Jarrah, may Allah be pleased with them both, wrote: Prevent Muslims from wronging or causing harm to them (non-Muslims) or taking their property illegally. Freedom of worship: This means the freedom to practice any religion or ideology and not to be forced to adopt a certain faith or compelled to convert to Islam. This is based on the verse: Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. (Al-Baqarah: 256) Commenting on
[IslamCity] New Saudi ruler fosters reforms
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.Please see the piece below. I do not understand why a part of religious leadership in Saudi Arabia is so rigid, why cant they understand that Islam allows differences of opinion within the limits of Qati ( decisive)texts and change should be accepted within those limits ? However, there is no real divide betwwen Islamists and liberals. Most of the liberals in Saudi Arabia are also Islamists who are for change where necessary and permissible. Shah Abdul Hannan New Saudi ruler fosters reforms Author: Donna Abu-nasr Dated: 04/16/2006 82-year-old king opening dialogue and ending taboos RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The all-black abayas have splashes of bold, glittery color. The book fair opened its doors to once-banned books. And stuffy government-run TV stations have started to play music, forbidden for decades. In the seven months since Saudi Arabia's new monarch, King Abdullah, took the throne, there have been small but striking signs that he is leading his country toward more openness. "He wants to turn this nation from a one-way country, in which conservatives have the upper hand, into a two-way state, where both liberals and Islamists can express themselves," Saudi analyst Dawood al-Shirian said. No one expects Abdullah's ride to be smooth, though. He needs to keep the reform momentum going despite reported differences within the royal family over the pace and direction of change. In addition, he must worry about militants still active in Saudi Arabia. The Feb. 24 attack in which suicide bombers tried, but failed, to get past the perimeter of the world's largest oil processing facility was a reminder of the harm radicals could still inflict. Islamists are expected to create trouble because of the perceived dilution of their power as more voices are allowed to be heard. The March book fair is an example. For the first time, female writers met their fans, shoppers bought formerly banned books dealing with communism, sex and other delicate topics, and families went together during newly designated family days. In previous years, the fair was a male-only event, with a few half-days set aside for women. Powerful message "King Abdullah sent a powerful message during the book fair that indicated that everyone, and not only the religious establishment, will be involved in decision-making," al-Shirian said. But the event was marred by the aggressive, organized presence of religious extremists who previously had monopolized such occasions. They ordered two female authors to cover their faces as they signed books for their fans. They demanded that salesmen refrain from discussing books with female shoppers or smiling at them. And they got so raucous during a panel featuring the country's reformist information minister that the discussion on censorship was cut short. Abdullah, 82, became king in August after the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. Although he had been de facto ruler since 1995, when Fahd suffered a stroke, Abdullah always was seen as an acting leader, his authority undermined by other centers of power. Now, however, Abdullah is the country's undisputed leader and one of its most popular. "He's a people's man," said Sarah, a 21-year-old university student whose face broke into a smile when she heard his name. The country already is feeling the effects of the lighter atmosphere Abdullah has brought. Along with the music new to government-run TV, female journalists now can interview men, appearing on the same set despite the country's strict gender-segregation rules. Encouraging dialogue Abdullah also is encouraging dialogue among various sectors of society. A few months ago, a public discussion among representatives of minority groups was televised live, allowing Saudis to hear little-heard views including those of Shiites, who are considered heretics by the harsh Wahhabi stream of Islam the country follows. On the streets of Riyadh, red, purple and yellow desert flowers are now found on black abayas, the cloaks women must wear in public. A few months ago, most of the cloaks in Riyadh were unadorned, conforming to the strict guidelines laid out by the religious establishment. Now, however, images of peacocks, crowns or a woman's children are embroidered on the cloaks. Abdullah set the tone for his rule when in his first act as king he freed three intellectuals and two teachers jailed for their reformist views. He then gave Saudis their first raise in 22 years and banned the kissing of his hand and addressing of him as "majesty." He also allowed women to run and vote in their first elections, the chamber of commerce polls. The king also is believed to be keeping tabs on how the government is spending large sums and trying to cut spending by the extended members of the royal family, part of his focus on improving the economy and lowering unemployment.
[IslamCity] Some Issues Regardingf Rape Cases--removal of misconception
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. I am forwarding one of my artticles, which I wrote several years ago ,refute the arguement that Islamic law does not help in combatting sexual crime. I am sending this now as I have noticed lot of misconception on this matter in a number of groups.A professor of a university in Bangladesh has written in a national daily that Shariah law does not help in checking sexual crime as it makes a provision of four witnesses to prove the occurrence of rape which is very difficult to fulfil. His accusation against Islam is that Islam does not play the proper role to stop rape. It is because of his inadequate knowledge of Islam that the professor has thought like that. The fact is that whereas the modern law terms only the intimate contact between two married man and woman as punishable crime, Islam defines any intimate contact outside marriage as sexual crime and makes provision of punishment for this. So his complaint against Islam is not justified. I am sorry to say that the professor bears a wrong notion about the Islamic law of evidence. As far as Islamic law is concerned, if four witnesses prove the crime then the imposition of 'Hadd' will be applied on the accused. But if a less number of witnesses prove it, it does not mean that the guilty person will be exempted from punishment rather he will be punished under Ta'jir. 'Ta'jir' is the punishment which is not determined by the text of the holy Qur'an or Sunnah but by the court of an Islamic country or by the parliament in modern days on the basis of Shariah. The provision of Ta'jir has been prevalent in Islamic tradition since the time of the Prophet (SAWS). In Pakistan's Hudud law, punishment for rape not proved by four witnesses ( but by less number of witnesses or by circumstantial evidence )is 25 years of rigorous imprisonment. Ref. Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hodood) Ordinance, 1979, Section 10. This article below may be useful to you. Shah Abdul Hannan Some Issues Regarding Rape Cases By Shah Abdul Hannan Translation: Mahmudul Hasan The news stories of different national dailies clearly show that crime especially the sexual crimes are on the increase in our country. As reported by the daily Inqilab in its 18th June 1998 issue, the number of rape cases perpetrated throughout the country during the last April and May is 212 and the shocking fact is that out of these cases 93 cases were of gang-rape. This alarming tendency of sexual crime prevailing in our society has definitely appalled us and made the people panic-stricken. The principal reasons for this frequency of rape cases as have been identified in different seminars held for the last few months on the issue are as follows: 1. The over all deterioration of law and order in the country and the failure and inefficiency of police administration and the absence of their active role in applying law are largely responsible for this ever increasing tendency of different types of crimes specially rape cases. It is evident that in most cases the law-enforcing agencies fail to detect and apprehend the criminals. 2. It takes a long time to prosecute and take legal action against the criminals because of the tardiness of the judicial inquiry and delay in trial of the cases. As a result the fear and apprehension of punishment is growing less among the criminals. 3. All kinds of pornography and porno-literature as well as obscene film are greatly responsible for the rape cases. The authority, to speak the truth, has no control over the pervasive pornography of our society which are almost open to the people of all classes and ages to tempt them into sensual indulgences and the ultimate victims are the women. These types of pornography are definitely leading our population astray, impairing the moral health of the young generation and contaminating the whole society gradually. 4. The fourth notable reason for this tendency of crime is the absence of morality from the curricula of our education system. In the name of some philosophy or doctrine, religious education has, in fact, been made marginal. These are the main causes as pointed out in different seminars held in the capital city for the last few months in 1998 on the contention. And the speakers of these seminars have opined that the solution to the problem of rape cases lies in giving proper attention to the above mentioned matters. It sounds odd and absurd that few intellectuals have given their opinion that the eviction of brothels is the main cau se of the spread of rape cases (Ref. The Holiday 22nd May 1998) and they have suggested that Govt. should restore the brothels. In fact, making such assessment of the issue by some intellectuals is really unfortunate. Such assessment and suggestion of a section of people as well as some newspapers is completely untenable and is detrimental to ethical values of the
[IslamCity] Muslims, Arabs Raise Funds for Palestinians
Muslims, Arabs Raise Funds for
Palestinians
A Palestinian girl stands in front
of her family house at Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza
Strip. (Reuters)
By Mohammad Al-Tibi, IOL
Correspondent
WORLD CAPITALS, April 17, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) With
millions of Palestinians hardly able to make ends meet, several Arab and
Muslim countries offered aid to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority
while local fund-raising campaigns have been launched across the Muslim
world to counter international aid freeze.
Iran announced on Monday, April 17, that it was giving $100
million in aid to the new Hamas-led Palestinian government, doubling the
initial figure it announced a day earlier.
Qatar also confirmed Monday giving $50 million in aid to the
PA despite calls from Washington and the EU to halt funding to the
Hamas-led government.
The Gulf emirate said the aid decision "stems from Qatar's
support for the Palestinian people."
A Foreign Ministry official told the state-owned news agency
part of the money was Qatar's contribution to the $55 million a month
pledged by Arab leaders to the PA at the Khartoum summit in
March.
The new Palestinian government, which inherited not only an
empty treasury but 1.7 billion dollars in debts, has been unable to pay
thousands of civil servants because of aid cuts by the US and the
EU.
Israel has also frozen the transfer of tax and customs
receipts it collects on behalf of the PA, worth up to $50 million a
month.
The Palestinian government needs $170 million a month, out of
which $115 million goes to paying salaries.
Fund-raising
Bouteflika is urged to allocate
one day's oil revenues every month to the
Palestinians.
Syrian Vice President Faruq Al-Shara said Sunday, April 16,
that bank accounts would be opened for people to donate to the Palestinian
people.
"I hope that Arab countries will not be swayed by the pretext
that these funds would be used for terrorist activities," he told a joint
press conference with former Iranian president Akhar Hashemi
Rafsanjani.
"This aid will serve to avoid a real catastrophe in
Palestine."
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar left on a trip
to Arab nations on Friday, April 14, hoping to drum up funding and
foil Western efforts to isolate his financially stricken
government.
The Itlaf Al-Kheir relief organization has urged Algerian
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to allocate one day's oil revenues every
month to the Palestinian people.
"The Palestinians are in a dire need of your help. It is a
duty on all of us," the organization's secretary general, Essam Yusuf,
said in remarks published by Al-Bilad newspaper.
He said the organization's call is based on a poll showing
that an overwhelming majority of Algerians supported the
campaign.
An OPEC member, Algeria produces 1.45 million barrels per day
and is projected to increase its production to two million bpd by
2010.
The North African country has confirmed oil reserves of 11.3
billion barrels of crude oil.
Itlaf Al-Kheir is comprised of some 56 Arab and Islamic
affiliate organizations.
The 22-member Arab League launched last week grassroots
campaigns across the Arab world to raise funds for the PA.
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the head of the International Union
of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), has urged world Muslims to financially support
the suffering Palestinian people.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By
[IslamCity] Democracy is our choice tawards a civil state-- Dr Mohamed Habib, Dy chairman, Muslim Brotherhood (www.ikhwanweb.com )
Dear members,
Assalamu Alaikum. Iam forwarding the statement of Deputy
leader of Muslim Brotherhood on the establishment of a civil State with an
Islamic frame of reference. He says, We accept democracy and Political
pluralism.(www.ikhwanweb.com
).
Shah Abdul Hannan
Habib:
Democracy is Our Choice Toward a Civil State
Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt
Tuesday, April 11,
2006
Dr. Mohamed Habib, Deputy Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood
(MB), reiterated that democracy is the MBs choice toward the
establishment of a civil State with an Islamic frame of
reference.
We accept democracy and Political
pluralism
In an interview with the Spanish daily ABC, Dr. Habib said,
Muslim Brothers have declared their adoption of democracy and
acceptance of that choice as a basis for change toward the
establishment of a State based on justice and freedom. They
similarly declared their acceptance of political pluralism, peaceful
rotation of power and the fact that the nation is the source of
powers.
Dr. Habibwent on to say that the people is the only
party that has the right to choose their government, deputies and
representatives and the right to bring them to account and to
dismiss them in case of failure to carry out their task.
Separation of powers protect citizens'
rights
He added, Muslim Brothers believe in a State of institutions and
that there must be a true separation of powers between the
legislative, judiciary and executive branches of government in order
to provide the basics of society that would ensure the enjoyment by
its citizens of their full rights.
Muslim Brotherhood and the Copts
In reply to a question about relations between the Muslim
Brotherhood and Copts, Dr. Habib said the latter are part of the
fabric of this society, they form with us one body of citizens
living in one country and have all the rights associated with
citizenship.
Habib went on to say that, Muslim Brothers believe that
filling public posts must be based on considerations of efficiency,
ability and distinction. Successive governments have during several
decades tried to instill in the minds Copts fears related to the
ascendancy of Muslim Brothers. This has contributed to Copts
self-imposed isolation and the absence of attempts on their part to
integrate themselves in the political life.
Hamasrestored palestinians'
dignity
The Deputy Chairman of the MB concluded his interview by
stressing that Hamas had played a vital role in redeeming the
dignity of the Palestinian people, by directing painful strikes at
the Israeli occupying forces, thereby shattering its security
doctrine and causing it human casualties, an economic slowdown and
reduced touristic activity within the Zionist state.
Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
Recommended:
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
--
All
[IslamCity] Interview of the Speaker of the Palestinian Pariament.
Dear editor/members of the lit, Assalamu Alaikum.Please see this thoughtful and responsible interview of the Speaker of the Palestinian Pariament. Shah Abdul Hannan Hamas plans ahead Amid rising tensions between the newly formed Palestinian Hamas government and Israel, Erica Silverman in Ramallah interviews Hamas member and Parliament Speaker Abdul-Aziz Duwaik Click to view caption Palestinian Parliament Speaker Duwaik prays before a Palestinian Legislative Council session in the West Bank city of Ramallah What is Hamas's short-term and long-term strategy for achieving Palestinian statehood? The main strategy of Hamas is to succeed in fulfilling its obligations and its platform. Hamas is a real, moderate Islamic movement with a comprehensive platform in terms of the socio-economic aspects of Palestinian life. It also realises that it is still in the stage of resisting the occupation; resistance by all means, not just military. Its success is good for the Palestinians and for security, stability and peace in the region. The failure of this movement will invite, by all means, radicalism into this area that will usher in a new round of violence. This is one aspect of Hamas: a combination of resistance by varied means, including arms if necessary. Since March of last year Hamas declared a truce, or a ceasefire, with Israel, with the Palestinian Authority (PA), and under the supervision of Mahmoud Abbas, our president. Until now the ceasefire is holding and since the elections were held on 25 January there has been absolutely no fighting. Yes, other Palestinian factions have conducted operations; most of them were in reaction to Israeli atrocities and the assassination of their leaders, the destruction of homes, and land confiscation. So far, I believe Hamas has been working hard to fulfil the needs of the people. Is there a phased plan of action for statehood, and how will you prepare the PA institutions? Hamas has been given a four-year mandate by the Palestinian people. I think putting the Palestinians on the right terrain will be a process that will encompass these four years. We hope the people will be convinced that this movement is fulfilling its obligations and working for the betterment of Palestinians. How will a Hamas-led government restore law and order to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank? What steps will be taken within the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to resolve the security crisis? Last week Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh stated that security forces would try to "pull our civilian gunmen off the streets". Which armed civilians will be disarmed and how will their weapons be collected? Ismail Haniyeh meant the following: any kinds of weapons used for resistance against the enemies of our nation are acceptable, but weapons that are being used against our institutions and our citizens are harmful to our society and our security. These arms, displayed on television, are harmful to the reputation of our people. When he spoke of arms he meant these weapons, which threaten the well being of our people. Those who publicly display their weapons are harming the interests of our people and fuelling insecurity; this phenomenon must come to an end. How would the determination be made regarding smaller factions, for example offshoots of Fatah and the Abu Reish Brigades, whether their weapons are being used against an occupying power or that instigate internal violence? Frankly, disarmament should occur in a gradual manner. Haniyeh has just taken office. The public show of weapons is made by some of the warlords to tell the government "we are here and we have weapons." There are internal feuds within factions, and members would like to show they are armed and they can fight. I believe order will gradually be restored when national security assumes a role. Within a few weeks, everything will be resolved. We have a goal. We must convince the armed militants that what they are doing is harmful to their interests and the interests of the people. Before this it will be necessary to achieve some economic progress. The ministers of economy and finance must meet the needs of the people. When the people are satisfied they will realise that justice is coming and
[IslamCity] LOST CHILD 3 Years Girl found in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Please circulate .
- Original Message -
From: Maryam Amen
To: maryam amen
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 9:31 AM
Subject: [history_islam] Fw: LOST CHILD 3 Years Girl found in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Original Message -
From: "Mohammed Mustafa Baig" [EMAIL PROTECTED]To:
"Sameera Begum ISS-Qatar" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject:
FW: LOST CHILD 3 Years Girl found in Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDate:
Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:16:00 +0300
Please
spread the information to your friends and contacts. Insha-Allah, with your
help this child can go back to her parents.
DOES ANY ONE KNOWS
HER PARENTS
A3 YEARS OLD
GIRL FOUND IN RIYADH, KSA
IF YOU HEARD
ABOUTPARENTS LOOKING OR ANYONE COMPLAININGABOUT MISSING
CHILD!!
PLEASE CONTACT ON
BENEATH GIVENADDRESS
Please
forward to as many people in your contact list so that this small girl could
reach to their parents soon..
Subject: FW: d
p : Lost Girl from Saudi Arabia
Assalamu
Aleykoum,
The below is story
of a 3 yearsgirl found in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2 month ago. Seems she
got lost and no body so far report her missing. Due to her age they are
unable to get any information of her family. The sad story is
thatsometimes she put the mobile phone on her ear and keep crying and
calling Baba
Baba
(Dade...dade)
I am
forwarding this message to you with the hope that any single contact may
play important role in the girl's destiny... As the range of this list
varies across different countries (yours may as well) someone may happen to
recognize the girl or may have heard about missing child...
Many thanks to all
who will make their try.
Please
contact:
Suwaiti-Al,
Saleh H. [mailto:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Saleh
Al-Suwaiti
345
2747***He that does good for good's sake seeks neither paradise nor
reward, but he is sure of both in the end.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
Recommended:
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
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[IslamCity] Islam and Muslims in Europe: Fundamental Issues
- Original Message - From: Mahmudul Hasan To: S A Hannan Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 4:41 PM Subject: Islam and Muslims in Europe: Fundamental Issues Islam and Muslims in Europe: Fundamental Issues * (Part one) By Tariq Ramadan Apr. 18, 2006 In the middle ages in Europe, Islam contributed tremendously in molding the western, secular, and modern rational thought. The new Muslim presence in the old continent dates back sixty to seventy years, thus revealing a historically very short time period. It was only through centuries of discussion and conflicts of the other religious and ethnic minorities (Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox as well as Poles, Italians, and Portuguese migrants), that it was possible to feel at home and acquire some rights in the host country. How could the issues be resolved for Muslims in a span of only two or three generations? In the 1980s, the new visibility of Muslims stimulated misconceptions, suspicion, and at times, mutual rejection. One could say that these reciprocal tensions were a relatively normal and logical response. It was difficult to bypass this atmosphere without a pronounced dialogue and close working relationship materializing. Something which until now had been impossible, judging from the characteristics of this first generation immigrant population that had an unstable economic standing and unpredictable status that was often perceived as temporary. The first waves of Muslim immigrants were predominantly laborers from North Africa, Turkey, and Indo-Pakistan. They were mainly people of modest means and pressured by the economic climate. Their educational standing and fragile status did not permit for more than a generation to ponder the realities of living in Europe. It only would be the second and third generations who would transform the mind-set of these laborers. The former demonstrated that their presence in Europe was a reality, whereas in countries like Great Britain, ethnic and religious groups often replicated the social structure of their home country or region. Furthermore, the economic context has brought about deep social hardships, such as unemployment, rejection, alienation, violence, et cetera. These factors contributed to making the process of integration increasingly difficult and complex. It is important to note that several international events of the time had a deep impact in shaping perceptions. From the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the scandal of Salman Rushdie, to the madness of the Taliban, the attacks and violence in the Near East and the daily horror in Algeria, it is hard to say to what degree these events shaped the mentality and negative perception of Islam, a widespread phenomena in European society. We do know that these scandals fed the tensions stemming from the social crisis that Europe was undergoing with its high level of unemployment, exclusive policy, and violence. Often defined as a problem of immigration because of its urgency, these factors were enough to make it very difficult or almost next to impossible to debate the issue of the Muslim presence in Europe. One can assume that a sort of Islamaphobia had been entrenched in the minds of many according to the title of a fine study commissioned in Great Britain by Runnymede Trust in 1997.(1) This diabolized image of Muslims hindered a thoughtful evaluation of the dynamics that were sweeping across the European communities. Mentioning these points right from the start allows us to avoid dangerous curtailments which bypass a strict analysis, not taking into account the past and judging without the appropriate context. If this is how we were to measure things, then most definitely we would come to the conclusion that Islam is incompatible vis à vis European legislation. or by the same token, that it is impossible for Muslims to integrate into European society. Finally, we would be given a somewhat irreversible, conflicting, and marginalized character of the Muslim identity. A true analysis would take into account the realities of history and everyday life, with its energy, fluctuation, and development. Pressure of the Second and Third Generations For two reasons, which may on the surface appear contradictory, it was the second and third generation Muslims who played
[IslamCity] Doha Inter-faith Forum Seeks UN Ban on Blasphemy
Doha Inter-faith F,tazorum Seeks UN Ban on Blasphemy The participants also declared that religions have nothing to do with "terrorist acts" carried out by "fanatics." DOHA, April 28, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) - Muslim and Christian clerics, joined by Jewish rabbis, ended the fourth edition of an inter-faith dialogue in Qatar Thursday, April 27, with a call for United Nations action to ban blasphemy and offenses to religious symbols. Participants in the three-day forum "call for the respect of religious sanctities and symbols, affirming that respect for sanctities does not clash with the right to (free) _expression_," they said in a closing statement carried by Agence France-Presse (AFP). "The participants look to the issuing of international legislation by the United Nations that would call for the respect of religions and declare any insult to their symbols to be a crime," the statement said. The participants also declared that religions have nothing to do with "terrorist acts" carried out by "fanatics." The call, one of 10 recommendations adopted by the conference, follows a crisis sparked by the publication of cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in European papers, which infuriated Muslims around the world. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner have suggested that the EU and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) co-draft a UN resolution on religious tolerance. The OIC and the Arab League, the Muslim world's main political bodies, are seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions against blasphemy. "Cultural Workshop" Huntzinger said the workshop aims at "countering the risk of the development of misunderstandings, prejudices and fear among peoples and civil societies." France announced on the sidelines of the conference the launch of a "cultural workshop" starting in September in a bid to promote understanding between the West and the Islamic world. The workshop, which is the brainchild of French President Jacques Chirac, will hold its first session in Paris on September 13-15, ambassador-at-large Jacques Huntzinger told AFP. Huntzinger said the workshop aims at "countering the risk of the development of misunderstandings, prejudices and fear among peoples and civil societies" on the two banks of the Mediterranean. According to a presentation of the project, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, the second session will be held in the Spanish city of Seville February 7-9, 2007 and the third in the Egyptian port of Alexandria in June next year. Participants in the "dialogue of peoples and cultures" will come from non- governmental organizations although organizers will seek the support of the governments concerned. "The platform must be given to historians, educators, researchers and new thinkers on both banks. With the help of the media, satellite channels and the Internet, they will know how to fight stereotypes," the document says. The series of workshops will be open to Arab countries of the Maghreb, Levant and Gulf, in addition to modern-day Israel, Turkey and member states of the European Union. Themes to be debated will range from the role of media to the relationship between society and religion in secular systems and those based on Shari`ah. Earlier this month, Spain urged the West to engage in a more constructive dialogue with the Muslim world to promote mutual understanding. Seeking to repair damages caused by the cartoons, Denmark, whose mass-circulation daily Jyllands Posten first published the odious cartoons in September, is planning to boost its spending on Middle East relations by up to 20 percent. Doha also played host in February to the second conference of the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations, which urged action not talk to bridge the yawning gap between the Muslim world and the West in the wake of the cartoons crisis. Back To News Page Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[IslamCity] US Rhetoric on Iran Reminiscent of Pre-War Iraq Stance
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum. Please read this ominous news from Islamonline.com. Shah Abdul Hannan US Rhetoric on Iran Reminiscent of Pre-War Iraq Stance "Iran is openly challenging the United Nations," said Ereli. WASHINGTON, April 30, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) Seeking to forge a unified stance against Iran, the Bush administration is increasingly resorting to the same diplomatic rhetoric it used in the run-up to the Iraq war, invoking the "coalition of the willing," "UN credibility" and "weapons of mass destruction" clichés. Nearly four years after President George W. Bush warned the UN it risked becoming "irrelevant" unless it dealt with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, his administration is billing the showdown with Iran as a new test of UN mettle, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Sunday, April 30. "Iran is openly challenging the United Nations," deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said on Friday, April 28. "That challenge should have consequences in order to sustain and to reinforce the credibility of the UN as an institution." In a report to the UN Security Council on Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Tehran had failed to heed calls to stop enriching uranium. Iran confirmed on Saturday, April 29, it was ready to re-allow snap UN atomic inspections if its case was dropped by the UN Security Council and passed back to the UN nuclear watchdog. "Like-minded Nations" Faced with stubborn resistance from veto-wielding Security Council members Russia and China to punitive measures against Iran, the US is working on an alternative to UN action as it did for Iraq. Back then it was a "coalition of the willing" rising up against Saddam; now it's a group of "like-minded nations" determined to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions in check. The US is encouraging countries to consider their own sanctions against Tehran, such as a cutoff of trade, an embargo on sales of sensitive materiel, or asset freezes and travel restrictions on Iranian leaders. "It's not beyond the realm of the possible that at some point in the future a group of countries could get together if the Security Council is not able to act," said Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns. "That's important because those that might prevent the Security Council from acting effectively need to understand that the international community has to find a way and will find a way to express our displeasure with the Iranians." Except for its chief ally the United Kingdom, the US failed to drum up support for a military action against Baghdad from world heavyweights like France and Germany, which insisted on a UN resolution first. Now the US is pressing hard for a new "chapter seven" Security Council resolution that would open the way for sanctions and, in theory, military action. "We do think there's a sense of urgency here and we hope that we can get council action just as soon as possible," US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Friday. Military Option "The right to self-defense does not necessarily require a UN Security Council resolution," said Rice. Underpinning US diplomacy is the always-present threat of force, if not to topple the Iranian regime then to strike at its nuclear facilities. While publicly committed to a diplomatic track, the US has consistently refused to take the military option off the table and has sharpened its tone in recent weeks. Before the US-led invasion of Iraq, President Bush insisted that diplomacy had not been yet exhausted to opt for a military action. Bush, speaking in the Rose Garden after the release of the IAEA report, said he is not discouraged by the failure of diplomatic pressure on Iran. "I think the diplomatic options are just beginning," he said, adding that "the world is united and concerned" about Iran's nuclear program. In a speech in Chicago on April 19, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised echoes of the Bush administration's readiness to go-it-alone if necessary that put it at odds with many US allies at the outset of the war in Iraq. "The right to self-defense does not necessarily require a UN Security Council resolution," she said. "We are prepared to use measures at our disposal -- political, economic
[IslamCity] extention of emegency in Egypt---.A Sad Day For Egypt.
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum. Please read the story of extention of
emegency in Egypt.A Sad Day For Egypt.
Shah Abdul Hannan
A
Sad Day For Egypt
Al Said Ramadan, Ikhwanweb - Cairo,
Egypt
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
What happened in the parliament on Sunday, was a mockery by all
accounts and a disgraceful day for the government. The Egyptian government
committed an act of political terrorism by extending the draconian
emergency laws for another two years. Disregarding the popular demands and
defying the will of the nation These were the harsh words of Dr. Mohamed
Morsy, member of the Muslim Brotherhood Executive Bureau, and former chief
of the MB parliamentary bloc.
In a statement to Ikhwanweb, Dr. Morsy responded to the governments
proclaimed success, through its illegitimate parliament majority,in
passing a new legislation extending the state of emergency in Egypt for
another two year.
The crime the government committed today, by extending emergency laws,
adds to its long list of crimes against the people of this country for
over 25 years and was highlighted during the last parliamentary elections.
During which, the government applied its heavy-handed tactics and
terrorized citizens to prevent them from voting, killing 14,
andstopping 40 MB candidatesshort from being electedto
parliament, according to the PM himself. Mr. Morsy added
Voting for the bill, an Egyptian
style
In his accounts of todays events, Dr. Morsy described what happened in
parliament as a Mockery, and a clear violation of the constitution and
the law of the land. He mentioned that MPs were stunned when Dr. Soror,
head of the parliament, distributed that morning a request by the
government to extend the emergency laws, a subject that was not even on
the days parliament agenda. Then the PM joined the session unexpected and
presented the governments request, afterwards, the session was adjourned.
Only 30 minutes later, the parliament reconvened and the legislative
committee came up with its recomendation to approve the bill, which also
means that the approval report was prepared in advance. To top this,
voting was taking place even on behave of absent members!
and was documented in the sessions minutes.
Dr. Morsy warned the regime that its oppressive practices and its
aggression on freedoms will not last long and the political awareness
among people is getting momentum, something that must eventually lead to
change
112 parliament members voted against the
extension
The 88 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in addition to 14 of the
independent representatives were all among those who voted against the
extension of the emergency laws. The group has formed earlier the
Parliamentarians against emergency laws coalition, which lobbied against
the extension of the emergency laws. In a statement issued today, the
representatives reaffirmed that the state of emergency ruined the nations
interests for the benefits of a corrupt minority in the ruling elite.
The statement also blamed the emergency laws for the deterioration of
the status of human rights and freedoms as protected by the constitution
and international treaties. In addition,the statement
accusedemergency law of being responsible for the loss of domestic
economic investments by more than %462; which all went to overseas
projects resulting in soaring of the unemployment rates and slowing the
rate of economys growth
Related topics
1-Egypt extends emergency rule2-Egypt extends emergency law as crackdown on
protesters continues3-Shaken by bombs, Mubarak regime lashes
out
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance
[IslamCity] Malaysia Proposes Int'l Islamic Journalism Center
- Original Message - From: Mahmudul Hasan To: S A Hannan Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 6:48 PM Subject: Malaysia Proposes Int'l Islamic Journalism Center Malaysia Proposes Int'l Islamic Journalism Center "There is no denying that there is an agenda to belittle Islam and Muslims among certain quarters in the West, using the media," Zainuddin said. KUALA LUMPUR, May 3, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) Muslim heavyweight Malaysia has proposed setting up an international Islamic journalism center to counter mounting Islamophobia and coach non-Muslim journalists about Islam and Muslims, reported the official Bernama news agency. "This center can be set up along the lines of several international journalism institutes that are already in existence, offering training and fellowship programs," Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said on Tuesday, May 2. He told a workshop for Arab journalists that the proposed center would provide a meeting point for Muslim journalists to discuss common issues. The International Islamic Journalism Center would offer training courses and fellowship for Muslim journalists, he added. The minister said it would also organize workshops to discuss issues concerning Islam and the Muslim world. Media representatives from 15 Arabic-speaking countries are attending a five-day workshop organized by Bernama and UNESCO in tandem with the Malaysian Information Ministry. Antidote The center would also coach non-Muslim journalists about the tenets of Islam to counter the rising Islamophobia in the West, Zainuddin said. "We don't want to fight with the west (by setting up this center), we only want to inform (the international community) about the real situation in the Islamic world," he added. "This center will organize journalism courses like other journalism institutes in the west. We don't want it to be regarded as a center to spread Islam." The minister blamed certain parties in the West for fueling the anti-Muslim campaigns. "There is no denying that there is an agenda to belittle Islam and Muslims among certain quarters in the West, using the media," he said. "Various tactics, including deception, are used in the onslaught against Muslims to work up their emotions because these people know full well that Muslims would respond in full agitation when their religion is attacked." US academic Stephen Schwartz on August 31 criticized the western media for failing to meet the challenge of reporting on Islam after the 9/11 attacks. Arnold Hottinger, a prominent Swiss expert, had also said that the West misjudged Islam and did it injustice, largely because of shallow knowledge of the Muslim faith driven from the distorted writings of early Orientalists. Muslim Example The information minister said Malaysia was willing to partially fund the center. "If the center is established here, we hope to show the world the example of a developed Islamic nation, Muslims who are Hadhari and able to live with people of other faiths." Islam Hadhari is the brainchild of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who maintains it is derived from the core principles and teachings of Islam. He believes the concept has the capacity to generate strength for a nation because it gives emphasis to various matters including knowledge, economy, culture, moral values and defense. Zainuddin called for activating the Jeddah-based International Islamic News Agency (IINA). He also urged Muslim countries to benefit from all media outlets to promote a tolerant and peaceful image of Islam. "We should make full use of our media organizations to expound our views and opinions about our culture, our society and above all, our religion, so that others may know what Islam is really all about." Changing Perceptions Media practitioners from Arab countries welcomed the proposal, hoping it would help change the perception of the world toward Muslims. "Through the center, we can give the true perspective on the peace-loving Islamic world to non-Muslim journalists that will participate in its program," said Qatari News Agency executive director Abdullah A. Rahman Al-Muzaffar. He regretted that presently "there are many misconceptions about the ummah, and Islamic world was often linked to terrorism." Abdullah suggested the center to be initiated by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). He said with the OIC's involvement, the center could play its role more effectively because it would be supported by all Muslim countries. Also read: Western Media Coverage of Islam a Failure: US Expert West Misjudged, Mistreated Islam: Swiss Expert http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-05/03/article03.shtml(3 May 2006) Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger with Voice
[IslamCity] The Muslim Brotherhood And Political Party
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.I am forwarding an important statement of Muslim Brotherhood on " The Muslim Brotherhood And Political Party". The statement reflects the reality of Egyptian situation and Muslim Brotherhood's effort to adjust there. The policy of Islamic groups in other countries may be different ,though the essentials will probably be the same. Shah Abdul Hannan The Muslim Brotherhood And Political Party Al Said Ramadan, Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt Friday, May 05, 2006 Prompted by those who defy granting the Muslim Brotherhood an official political party that would enable them of serving and defending the people and combating any exterior pressures (under the pretext that the law prohibits the formation of religious-based parties), the Muslim Brotherhood have issued a statement, announcing that they represent an integrated Islamic body that has historical, political and social legitimacy, and that has influence and prevalence covering all Egypt. The MB, according to the statement, seeks to establish a civil party of an Islamic authority in accordance with article II of the Egyptian constitution. The statement adds that the constitution secures freedom of political practice for all Egyptians, party members and independents, and that the MBs will adopt all possible peaceful and civilized methods, in compliance with the constitution, to practice their constitutional and political rights. Actually, the MBs keenness to form a political party is not new. Such goal goes back to 1984, when the MB drafted a program for the Shura Party, during the office of Umar At-Tilmisani, and another program for the Islah Party, during the office of Mohamed Hamed Abu-an-Nasr. This is asserted by the MB in their March 1994 statement entitled Counseling and Party Multiplicity in the Muslim Society, as well as in their March 2004 initiative under the naming Freedom of Political Party Formation. I- The Nature of the prospective party for the Muslim Brotherhood A.A civil party with an Islamic authority: a definition 1.Party: This means a group of people who advocate one and the same open political program, and who work together to promote their program with the objective of gaining rule. 2.Civil: By civil party, it is meant a party that is NOT religious-based. Religious-based parties tend to be dogmatic parties that recruit only members affiliated to the same religion, as they do not accept the other. Most such parties believe that they have the ultimate truth and reckon any opponent a disbeliever (blasphemous). They do not accede to peaceful conferring with the authorities and reject democracy, but if they do, it is only to gain power; then they slap any opponent whomsoever in the face. The MB, on the other hand, pointedly refuses all such notions. A civil party differs from a religious-based one along the following points: a.Recruits could be any civilian, irrespective of his/her religion or affiliation.b.The adopted program is developed by the groups members. It is not holy or sacred, and thus could be amended or refuted. c.The adopted program is a peaceful one. It acknowledges women rights, liberties, peaceful conferring with the authority, elections, dialogue, allies, conferences, marches, demonstrations, mass media, etc.d.The civil party rejects all means of violence, including verbal violence.e.The civil party believes that people are the source of authority, legitimacy, and self-determination: the nations will is the source of legislation. f.The civil party respects constitution and law, and acts accordingly.g.The civil party acknowledges liberties as well as civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. h.The civil party reckons the state one entity, safeguarding its institutions and refusing any practice that would distort this.i.The civil party realizes the importance of the role of the civil community, thus is keen to boost and support the different bodies and institutions in the community. It is worth mentioning that the MB has set a good example to everyone concerning the implementation of all the aforementioned points. This finds evidence in their political activities in all fields, in spite their being a political outcast. The MB, for example, fielded a feminine candidate (Gihan Al-Halafawi) for the elections of the Peoples Assembly for the year 2000. By this, they intended to demonstrate their actual acknowledgment of womens rights, and
[IslamCity] Pakistanis express solidarity with Palestinians, vow to send economic help
Pakistanis express solidarity with Palestinians,
vow to send economic help
Lahore,
May 5: On
the appeal of MMA, a country-wide
solidarity day was observed on Friday with the Palestinians fighting for
their liberation from Israeli occupation. Demonstrations were held outside
mosques after Friday prayers besides several other main points in the city
where MMA leaders addressed to the participants.
Besides,
ulema and khateebs in their Friday sermons highlighted the cause of
Palestinians and termed the economic blockade of Hamas government by
Washington as economic murder of an oppressed nation. They condemned
Washington for violating its own standards of human rights and democracy
to protect its illegitimate child in the Middle East.
Jamaat-e-Islami
Naib Ameer Hafiz Idree
s in his sermon at Mansoorah mosque expressed sorrow that military
dictators wanted to keep Islam out of Islamabad and have forgotten that
people in Georgia, Nepal, Thailand and Palestine threw the oppressive
regimes out of power through the force of their street and vote power. He
said the people of Pakistan extremely worried with price hike,
unemployment and lawlessness will soon launch a forceful and organized
struggle in Islamabad to drive the military dictatorship out of power for
ever.
He
said MMA is trying to enforce rule of Almighty in every department of life
because it is what meant by Islam. He expressed sorrow that Gen Musharraf
who captured power through barrel of gun is so weak himself that he could
not address an elected parliament of the country so far which he always
call as the biggest symbol of his 'uniformed' democracy. He said Gen
Musharraf not only ignored parliament for consulting on important national
affairs but now he has even called the parliament as
'uncivilised'.
Hafiz
Idrees
said that military rulers have forgotten that the same America upon whose
dictation they have been killing their own brothers in the name of Al
Qaeda, but on the other hands the so called think tanks and organizations
run on US funding have recently threw a slap on their face by declaring
Pakistan a failed state. He said the same US is insisting to deny the
democratic victory of Hamas to violate the mandate given by Palestinian
people. He appealed to the people to donate whole heartedly in the
Palestine fund established by JI Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad with an initial
amount of 10 million rupees in order to participate in the struggle to
liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation.
Central Information
DepartmentJAMAAT-E-ISLAMI PAKISTANMansoorah, Multan Road, Lahore
(Pakistan)Ph. :+92-42-541 9520-4, Fax : +92-42-543 7950E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]URL:
www.jamaat.org
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
Recommended:
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
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[IslamCity] Public Campaign to Aid Palestinians Kicks off in Cairo from www.ikhwanweb.com
Public
Campaign to Aid Palestinians Kicks off in Cairo
Noha El Sherbeni, IKhwanweb - Cairo,
Egypt
Saturday, May 06, 2006
The Human Relief Committee of the Arab Physicians Syndicate launched a
public campaign under the slogan of Palestine will never starve to
collect donations for the Palestinian Authority to ease embargo by western
governments. The Palestinian Culture Minister, Dr. Attallah Abu Al Sabh,
attended the launching ceremony in addition to several other prominent
figures including Dr. Abdel Moneum Abu El Fotoh, General Secretary of the
Arab Physicians Syndicate and member of the Muslim Brotherhood Executive
Bureau; Dr. Aziz Sedki, former Egyptian PM and head of the National Front
for Change (NFC); Dr. Hamdy Al Said, head of the Egyptian Physicians
Syndicate; and a delegate from the Arab League headed by Dr. Hussien
Hamouda. In its first day, the campaign received pledges for more than two
milliondollar in donations from the privatesector and
individuals.
In his speech, Dr. Abu el-Fotoh asserted that the money collected
during this campaign should not be called donations but rather a duty
towards the brothers in Palestine. He also called for all national forces
and civil society institutions-especially the media- to participate in
this campaign to ensure its success.
On Friday May 12, 2006, the campaign will organize a
telethon live on major satellite channels with a goal to collect a million
dollar in two hours starting 5:00 PM GMT. Several
prominent figures were invited to attend the telethon, including Sheikh
Youssef Al Karadawy, Dr. Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary, and Mr.
Mohamed Hassanein Hikal, a famous political writer and historian.
Ikhwanweb invites those interested in helping Palestinian people to
donate to this campaign. Money collected will be used directly to meet the
basic needs of Palestinians. Ikhwanweb will alsokeep an update
on the next Fridays event
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--
Recommended:
http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
--
All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.
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[IslamCity] The Legal Concept of an Islamic State According to The MB
Dear members of the list, Assalamu Alaikum.I am forwarding to you an article on principles drafted by Muslim Brotherhood and submitted to Military rulers of that time in Egypt. I find the document contains many innovative concepts. This was probably the first document detailing out constitutional principles in modern Muslim history.Almost simaltaneously Ulama in Pakistan formulated 22 principles for Islamic constitution and the then Constituent Assembly in Pakistan prepared Basic Principles of Constitution (BPC)report. The researchers should study all these documents, compare them. Of course constitutional ideas have further developed among Islamic parties in many respects. The right to resist oppression (article 91 ) require reformulation as right to protest oppression through peaceful means as is the policy now of MB Shah Abdul Hannan MB Today (About MB) The Legal Concept of an Islamic State According to The MB Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt Monday, May 08, 2006 One of the illuminating documents that determines the legal viewpoint on the notion of an Islamically-ruled state is that made by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the Nasserite period. The Muslim Brotherhood put forward a draft constitution for the leaders of the July Revolution. The constitution consisted of 103 articles, drafted by Dr. Mohamed Taha Badawi, Professor of General Law at Alexandria University and member of the Legal Section, and revised by Justice Mohamed Kamil, former Head of the Military Court and Chief of the Legal Section for the Muslim Brotherhood. The draft was discussed by a committee led by late Abdel Aziz Attiyya, member of the MB head office and head of the MB administrative office in Alexandria. In the committee were also lawyer Ali Fahmi and Dr. Gharib Al-Gammal, Professor of Economics (also members of the Legal Section). The draft was adopted by the Constitutive Authority in September 16, 1952. General Principal In accordance with article 77 of the draft, people are born free, equal in dignity, rights and liberties without any discrimination based on origin, language, religion, or color, and they have to treat one another as brethrens. It is noteworthy to mention that this article is compatible with article I of the Human Rights Document issued in 1948. It should also be stressed that the article includes the word people, an inclusive neutral word in the Islamic heritage, which expels any kind of discrimination based on sex or religion. This idea of equality is confirmed by article 78, which says that each individual has the right to live freely, enjoying equality, security and safety, as secured by law. Expunging the notion of Dthimmah (Custody of non-Muslims) It is also stressed in article 88, which says that each individual has freedom of thought, ideology, and religion. Both these articles assert that the MB draft constitution puts forth the notion of a civil state based on citizenship and loyalty with the state. This means that the articles of the draft excluded the divisions set up by ancient scholars. For example, the draft did not determine religion when recording rights. It only mentioned the word individual, a clear expunction of the notion of dthimmah (custody of non-Muslims). In this respect, Dr. Ibrahim Zahmoul, Professor of Law, indicates that the draft constitution proposed by the MB put forward an the idea of one state embracing Muslims and non-Muslims under the umbrella of loyalty with the nation. It never stipulated for parliamentary membership affiliation with a particular religion or cult. Rather, as obvious in article 4, the draft stipulates that the member be an Egyptian. Furthermore, in accordance with article 25, the head of state should meet all the conditions required for the MP, and these again disregard origin, language and religion, which is still compatible with the aforementioned article 77. Equality In the preamble of the draft constitution, Dr. Badawi states the following: in our endorsement of the principle of general liberties, we are not
[IslamCity] Halal Forum Tackles Industry Commercial Aspects
Halal Forum Tackles Industry Commercial Aspects "Experience has shown that theological debate as to what halal is and what isn't can delay the growth of the market considerably," said Khairy. KUALA LUMPUR, May 9, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies) Going beyond the usual academic and religious discussions, participants in the World Halal Forum, currently hosted by Kula Lumpur, are looking at the sector in commercial terms, discussing how to regulate and promote the booming industry. "We believe this event could potentially help develop the industry and chart its direction in the near future," said Jumaatun Azmi, managing director of KasehDia, the organizer, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). Abdal Hamid Evans, a KasehDia official, said industry players "want to know about market access, how to increase their sales and networking." He asserted that there are a lot of issues emerging as halal goes global. "The farm-to-fork nature of halal requires a forum where all of the different elements can get together, where issues can be resolved." Nestle Malaysia, Britain's biggest retailer Tesco and fast food giant McDonald's are joining experts and regulatory bodies participating in the forum, which closes on Wednesday, May 10. The event features interactive sessions that will cover a variety of relevant topics, with industry leaders presenting papers covering the business and trade issues that concern the halal industry. Booming Khairy Jamaluddin, a leading figure in the ruling National Front coalition, agreed that discussions should move to the commercial aspects of the industry. "Experience has shown that theological debate as to what halal is and what isn't can delay the growth of the market considerably," he told the opening session on Monday, May 8. He expects the global halal industry to hit the impressive mark of one trillion dollars. "Our own estimates put the global market value of the halal food trade at $580 billion annually. If products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other services are added in, the combined market value is believed well in excess of one trillion dollars." The concept of halal, -- meaning permissible in Arabic -- has traditionally been applied to food. Muslims should only eat meat from livestock slaughtered by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned. Now other goods and services can also be certified as halal, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals and financial services. MIHAS 2006 The third Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS 2006) will open Wednesday under the theme "Networking, Consolidating and Energizing the Global Halal Market." "We hope to arrange 2,000 business matching sessions during the event, of which 80 percent will be in business such as food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics and the other 20 percent in general trading," MIHAS chief executive director Mohd Shukri Abdullahhe told a press conference Tuesday. He said this year's event will see 358 exhibitors, of which 259 are local and 99 foreign, including those from Bosnia, Brunei, China, Egypt, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, Iran, the United Kingdom and the United States. The five-day event is expected to see the signing of at least 16 agreements each day, according to Malaysia's news agency Bernama. MIHAS 2005 reaped RM217.1 million in immediate sales and RM12.8 million in sales under negotiation, involving 93 international buyers and 753 trade meetings. Malaysia, a mainly Muslim country seeking to become a "halal hub", has said it would create a new Halal Industry Development Corporation to promote its ambitions and help expand the industry. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the center will develop halal standards and certification and procedures, and improve the skills and abilities of halal producers. Halal food production zones are already operating or being built in six Malaysian states, and a sprawling halal distribution hub has been built at a duty-free shipment zone in southern Johor state, on the busy Malacca strait. In 2004, Malaysia launched a bi-monthly magazine, The Halal Journal, as the first trade and business publication serving the global halal marketplace.
[IslamCity] Biography of Dr. Ahmadi Nejad
- Original Message -
From: friend[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: History Islam
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 7:20 AM
Subject: [history_islam] Biography of Dr. Ahmadi Nejad
Biography of Dr. Ahmadi
Nejad, Honourable President of Islamic Republic of Iran
Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad was born in 1956 in the village
of Aradan in the city of Garmsar. He moved and stayed in Tehran together with
his family while he was still one-year old and completed his primary as well as
his low and high secondary education there. In 1975, he successfully passed the
university entrance exam with high marks and started his academic studies on the
subject of civil engineering in the Science and Technology University in
Tehran.In 1986, he continued his studies at MS level in the same university.
In 1989, he became a member of the Board of Civil Engineering Faculty of the
Science and Technology University. In 1997, he managed to obtain his Ph.D. on
transportation engineering and planning from the Science and Technology
University.Dr. Ahmadi Nejad is familiar with English language. During
the years when he was teaching in the university, he wrote many scientific
papers and engaged in scientific research in various fields. During the same
period, he also supervised the theses of tens of students at MS and Ph.D. levels
on different subjects of civil engineering, road and transportation as well as
construction management. While still a student, Dr. Ahmadi Nejad engaged in
political activities by attending religious and political meetings before the
Islamic Revolution. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he became a
founder and also a member of the Islamic Association of Students in the Science
and Technology University. During the war imposed on Iran, Dr. Ahmadi Nejad was
actively present as a member of the volunteer forces (Basij) in different parts
and divisions of the battlefronts particularly in the war engineering division
until the end of the war. Dr. Ahmadi Nejad is married and has three
children- two sons and one daughter.Career
Background:- Governor of Maku- Governor of Khoy- Advisor to
the Governor General of Kordistan Province- Advisor for cultural affairs to
the Minister of Culture and Higher Education (1993)- Governor General of
Ardabil Province (1993-1997)- Member of the Board of Civil Engineering
Faculty of the Science and Technology University (since 1989 till present
date)- Tehran Mayor (2003-2005) - He was elected by the Iranian people
as the President during the 9th presidential election on June 24, 2005. In
addition to his academic and scientific pursuits as well as his executive
positions, Dr. Ahmadi Nejad has engaged in the following careers and activities
as well:- Journalism; writing various political, social, cultural and
economic articles,- In the same career, he also held the position of
managing director of Hamshahri newspaper and launched various affiliated
periodicals including Neighborhood Hamshahri published and distributed in 22
areas of the city of Tehran, Hamshahri for Passengers, Diplomatic Hamshahri,
Youth Hamshahri, Monthly Hamshahri and also extra pages attached to the
Hamshahri newspaper for thinkers, students, etc. - Founding and working as a
member of Iran Tunnel Society,- Working as a member of Iran Civil
Engineering Society,- Working as a member of the first central council of
the Islamic Association of Students in the Science and Technology
University,- Working as a member of the first central council of the Union
of Islamic Associations of University and Higher Education Institutes in
Iran.
--
Islam is the only
solution.
Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great
rates starting at 1¢/min.
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood,
[IslamCity] Stamp of authority----Egyptian political scene-- erom al-ahram weekly
Stamp of authority A recent escalation of protests by pro-reform activists was met with increased police violence, Salonaz Sami reports This week witnessed another wave of arrests and police violence targeting rights activists protesting in support of reformist judges. On 7 May, 11 activists, including four women, from the Egyptian Movement for Change (Kifaya), Youth for Change and Al-Karama Party were arrested. Three of the 11 were released the following day, leaving a total of 55 activists in detention according to Ahmed Ragheb, one of Kifaya's lawyers. Twelve of the initial 47 -arrested two weeks ago- were set to stand before Bab Al-Khalq Preliminary Court in south Cairo for a renewal of their 15-day sentence issued by the General Prosecutor Maher Abdel-Wahed last week. The hearing was postponed to the next day. "Defence lawyers had called for activists to attend the renewal hearing as witnesses, but security forces didn't allow them to enter the building," lawyer Ahmed Seif Al-Islam told Al-Ahram Weekly. "We went to attend the hearing but they refused to allow us inside the court," said Aida Seif Al-Dawla, a human rights activist and a Kifaya member, adding that later on around 30 pro-reform activists -- including journalists, lawyers, and university professors -- were besieged by security forces for about five hours in the hot midday sun. "Then they pretended to have ended the siege, but those who tried to get out were rudely insulted, beaten and then arrested," she said. Seif Al-Islam -- whose 25-year-old son Alaa Seif, an award winning blogger, was arrested that day -- explained that his wife Layla Sweif, a university professor and human rights activist broke down in tears when she saw the "savage way" her son was beaten and thrown into a police car. "And those who weren't arrested were given a message to deliver to their colleagues -- that the government will not be tolerant and will not allow protests in Egypt's streets anymore," Khaled Abdel-Hamid, Youth for Change movement coordinator, told the Weekly. Moreover, two women activists, Nadia Mabrouk from the Labour Party and Salma Said from Youth for Change were sexually harassed and beaten, Abdel-Hamid added. The initial 47 detainees never made it to the court and a request by the security officials to grant them the renewal without the detainees being present was refused by the court, according to one of their lawyers. All 47, who face charges of assembly, assaulting public functionaries, disseminating allegations that disturb public order and obstructing a street without permission, started a hunger strike last Saturday. In a statement issued by the detainees, and published on the Kifaya website, they reiterated their support for reformist judges in all their demands and condemned the government for its "continual oppression" of the judiciary, the extension of the state of emergency and the "escalation of its repressive measures" against pro-reform movements. "Despite our willingness to pay this small price for the freedom of our people, we emphasise our upholding of our most basic rights, even as prisoners of war and hereby declare a hunger strike until our demands are met," read the statement which was signed by those arrested from before the Judges' Club and the Courts of Cassation and Appeal. In the statement, the detained activists made seven demands, including demands to investigate the threats of torture allegedly made by state security personnel against them and to halt the life-threatening state that 23 of them are forced to endure in Tora prison through their internment with inmates who have been convicted of dangerous criminal offences. They also called to be allowed to pray in mosques and be granted access to newspapers and magazines, as stipulated by the prison code of regulations. One detainee, Ahmed Salah, who was said to have started a hunger strike soon after his detention, was transferred to Qasr Al-Aini Hospital on Saturday due to his ailing condition. Accordingly, a complaint was filed to the general prosecutor's office by the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, which is handling the detainees' cases, to investigate the reasons behind the hunger strike and the ill-treatment that the detainees are claimed to be receiving at Tora prison. Among the detained are prominent socialist activists Kamal Khalil and Wael Khalil, journalists Ibrahim Al-Sahari and Saher Gad. On Sunday, right after the arrests, hundreds of pro-reform activists gathered before the Egyptian Press Syndicate -- hailed as "Freedom Square" -- to protest against the arrest of their colleagues, while the area was clogged with armed trucks and thousands of security forces and anti-riot police. A conference to discuss the situation was held later the same day at the syndicate. But on Monday, a peaceful women's protest called for by Seif Al-Dawla among other women activists was not allowed by the security
[IslamCity] Palestinian Wall Painting Commemorates Nakba
Palestinian Wall Painting Commemorates Nakba A part of the wall painting symbolizing the peaceful life enjoyed by the Palestinians until 1948. By Suleiman Besharat, IOL Correspondent BALATA, West Bank, May 15, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) On Nakba, marked every year on March 15, a 50-meter wall painting in the entrance of the Balata refugee camp in the occupied West bank tells it all. A soft glowing sun rising over vast swathes of green land with waving orange trees symbolize the peaceful life enjoyed by the Palestinians until 1948. The scene, however, is abruptly interrupted by people lying in pools of thick blood with its darkish red color against a backdrop of frightened mothers carrying their babies and running for their lives, symbolizing the bombardment of the onetime tranquil Palestinian villages of Askalan and Tal Al-Rabei, now known as Tel Aviv, by Zionist gangs. Another section of the masterpiece shows an old Palestinian man holding firmly to the key of his home usurped by the Zionists, telling his grandchildren "one day we will be back." A fourth part of the wall painting illustrates the deplorable living conditions of the Palestinian refugees in their makeshift tents. On April 18, 1948, Palestinian Tiberius was captured by Menachem Begin's Irgun group, putting its 5,500 Palestinian residents in flight. On April 22, Haifa fell to the Zionist mobs and 70,000 Palestinians fled. On April 25, Irgun began bombarding civilian sectors of the Palestinian city of Jaffa - the largest city in Palestine at that time, terrifying the 750,000 inhabitants into panicky flight. On May 14, the day before the creation of Israel on the rubble of Palestine and bodies of the Palestinians, Jaffa completely surrendered to the much better-equipped Zionist gangs and only about 4,500 of its population remained. In Heart An old Palestinian man watching photos of the Nakba at an exhibition. The wall drawing is the collective work of fifteen Palestinian painters, whose grandparents were forced to leave their homes in 1948, Sabri Zawqan, from the National Assembly for the Defense of the Right of Return, who supervised the drive, told IslamOnline.net Monday, May 15. "They spent an entire week drawing several paintings to document the different phases of the Palestinian dilemma," he added. "Every year, Palestinians come up with new ideas and methods to express their resolve to return to their homes and convey their sufferings to the entire world," said Zawqan. The West Bank refugee camp of Askar, in east Nablus, has further hosted the "Bells of Return" exhibition of paintings and portraits drawn by children from different refugee camps. Nevine Al-Qisi, 12, drew a key linked with a lungs-shaped map of Palestine with Al-Quds (occupied east Jerusalem) lying in the left side and the word "heart" inscribed. Halima Ahmad, 13, for her part sketched an old man with a key of his home which he left in 1948 hanging from his neck, while his wife carries some of their belongings. They are both holding the hand of their grandchild. The exhibition further displayed belongings of some of the 1948 Palestinians like clothes, pots and axles. Return Culture Zawqan, like millions of Palestinians, live for the day they will be able to return to their motherland and pass this dream on from one generation to the other. "If they were to forget, the Palestinians would not forget the right of return even if they were in their death throes." Zawqan, 35, said Palestinian artists and painters have been promoting the culture of return. "We are instilling this culture in our children so that they would not give up the right of their forbears; and thus keeping the cause vivid in their minds," he explained. In 2005, the first Palestinian atlas was launched to document for the generations to come territories usurped and occupied by Israeli troops. Up to 50,000 maps charting Palestinian sites that date back to 1799 are found in the English-language geographical encyclopedia. Also read: The 1948 Nakba (Historical Analysis) Back To News Page Please feel free to contact News editor
[IslamCity] story on Controversial Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Dear members of the list,
Assalamu Alaikum.Please read this story on Controversial Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, infamous for
her odious attacks on Islam. She will leave the Netherlands for the US
after admitting she lied to win asylum back in 1992, a Dutch daily reported
Monday, May 15 .
Shah Abdul Hannan
Scandal-Plagued Ayaan Hirsi to Leave Holland:
Paper
Hirsi Ali's family said she had
not been forced into an arranged marriage and had had nothing to
fear as she alleged to win the asylum status. (Reuters)
THE HAGUE, May 16, 2006 (IslamOnline.net News Agencies)
Controversial Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, infamous for her
odious attacks on Islam, will leave the Netherlands for the US after
admitting she lied to win asylum back in 1992, a Dutch daily reported
Monday, May 15.
Hirsi Ali, of Somali origin, is expected to take up a job
with the Washington-based right-wing think tank the American Enterprise
Institute (AEI), De Volkskrant said on its online
edition.
"Ayaan Hirsi Ali will take up her post on September 1 with
the AEI, a conservative pressure group in the United States," Agence
France-Presse (AFP) quoted the paper as saying.
Hirsi Ali had reached a deal with the US authorities about
her safety, according to the paper.
Many members of the AEI, founded in 1943, serve or have
served in US President George W. Bush's administration.
The paper said Hirsi Ali had also been in negotiations
with two other institutes, the Johns Hopkins University and the Brookings
Institution, over the past months.
Hirsi Ali was born in 1969 in Somalia and defines herself as
a "dissident of Islam," who criticizes Islam's stance on homosexuals,
apostates and adulterers as well as what she claims women's oppression
under the Muslim faith.
She has gained notoriety in the Muslim world for her two-part
documentary "Submission," which was dubbed by the Muslim minority as
"extremely insulting."
The documentaries are about what the MP says Islam's
oppression of women and homosexuality in Islam.
The documentary infuriated the one million Muslims in the
European country and led to the November 2004 killing of its director Theo
Van Gogh by a Dutch man of Moroccan origin.
The killing, however, was strongly condemned the vast
majority of the minority.
Liar
Verdonk said that Hirsi Ali's
naturalization had likely been invalid.
Hirsi Ali, who was elected as a Member of Parliament
for the right-wing liberal VVD party in 1993, is currently the focus of a
scandal centering on her application for asylum in 1992 when she lied and
misled Dutch authorities.
She confessed to the VVD when she joined it that she
had lied in order to win refugee status.
But it emerged in a television program last week that
she had not revealed the full extent of the lies.
The program interviewed members of her family about
her background, who said that she had not been forced into an arranged
marriage and had had nothing to fear as she alleged to win the asylum
status.
Asked whether she had falsified her asylum
application, Hirsi Ali told the program she lied about her name, age and
how she came to the Netherlands, prompting calls for her to leave
parliament.
Hirsi Ali, whose real name is Hirsi Magan, had also
pretended she had come to the Netherlands from Somalia, rather than from
Kenya via Germany.
Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk said on Monday that
Hirsi Ali's naturalization had likely been invalid.
"I have told the person concerned by letter that based
on this program and the facts as they are known, the preliminary
assumption must be that she is considered not to have obtained Dutch
citizenship," Verdonk said in a written reply to questions from a member
of parliament.
Back To News
Page
Please feel free to contact News editor at:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are
[IslamCity] IOS Launches Online Islamic Magazine
- Original Message -
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Ahmad Totonji
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 2:24 PM
Subject: IOS Launches Online Islamic Magazine
A NEW GLOBAL ISLAMIC WEBSITE
New Delhi, May 16, 2006: IOS (Institute of Islamic Studies) has recently launched an online Islamic magazine, THE IOS MINARET (http://www.iosminaret.org). It is a non-political, non-profit organization headquartered in India's capital, New Delhi.
Indian academics and researchers have welcomed the new website, THE IOS MINARET. They have observe that the online magazine will serve the purpose of the Ummah by addressing the challenges of the 21st century, and by guiding the humanity to the Truth.
The Minaret will aim at fostering inter-community linkages in the country, and accelerating inter-civilisational dialogue on global plains. It will try to disseminate authentic and updated information about Muslims, and analyse contemporary issues from an Islamic perspective. Besides, there will be a wide coverage of a range of issues like Muslims contribution to knowledge and technology, social sciences and historiography, rich Islamic heritage across the world, prominent Muslim institutions and personalities.
The Minaret will be updated every fortnight and will appear with at least two special features. It will try to portray the things in contemporary idiom and in a non-polemical style. Its online brochure can be seen at http://www.iosminaret.org/minaret.php
***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels. [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all. [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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http://www.islamonline.net
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org
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[IslamCity] Is the Muslims-Jews Conflict Creedal or Political? a very impotant statement
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 3:55 PM Subject: Is the Muslims-Jews Conflict Creedal or Political? a very impotant statement Dear members, Assalamu Alaikum. Please read this important ruling of Dr Qaradawi . Shah Abdul Hannan Is the Muslims-Jews Conflict Creedal or Political? Date of Reply 14/Jan/2004 Topic Of Fatwa Muslim Belief, Misconceptions, Jihad: Rulings Regulations Question of Fatwa Is the conflict between Arabs or Muslims in general and the Jews political or it's an issue that has something to do with the religion, and what is the future of this clash in sha' Allah? Name of Mufti Yusuf Al-Qaradawi Content of Reply In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear questioner, we are greatly pleased to receive your question which shows the confidence you place in us. May Allah reward you abundantly for your interest in knowing the teachings of Islam! Responding to the question, the eminent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states the following: As I have explained before and repeat now, our conflict with the Jews is over the land. It is not about their Judaism, because they are People of the Book (i.e. they believe in a revealed religion). We are allowed to eat their food and marry their women. Allah Almighty says, The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them. (lawful) unto in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are Believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book (Al Ma'idah: 5) Accordingly, social intercourse, including inter-marriage, is permitted with the People of the Book. Virtually, the Jews lived under Muslims' protection for many centuries. However, ever since the Jews set their eyes on our land, on Palestine, the land of Al Isra' (i.e. the Night Journey) and Al Mi`raj (i.e. Prophet Muhammad's ascension to the seven heavens), the land of Al-Aqsa Mosque, ever since they contrived to set up a country on the debris of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a fierce feud broke out between us. However, this does not mean that it is not a religious, creed-oriented conflict. There is a paradox in this cause. The fact that our conflict is not based on creed does not mean that our row is not religious. We are a religious nation and so are the Jews. Our conflict over the land is cloaked with religion. When a Muslim defends his land, he is not just defending mere soil, he is actually defending the land of Islam. Thus, should he die in the process, he is a martyr. Should a Muslim die defending his money, he is a martyr. Should he die defending his family, he is a martyr. Should he die defending his religion, he is a martyr. This means that the battle we are to fight is of a religious character. A Muslim steadfastly abiding by his religion sees every conflict he is to go through as directly related to Islam. This is especially true for this particular conflict. Muslims would be defending the land of the first qiblah, the homeland of the Prophets, the land of the third most sacred mosque, and the land of Al Isra' and Al Mi`raj. This land has a very special place in the heart of every Muslim. Muslims battle to defend their holy land; likewise, Jews regard this battle as holy, as they would be defending the Promised Land. To them, this land stands as a symbol of the aspirations of the Torah and the teachings of the Talmud. They uphold three values; God, the people and the land. Some of the Jews choose to refer to them as the Torah, the people and the land. The three are evidently intertwined. Consequently, they fight us in the name of faith. Therefore, we refuse to leave Islam out of the picture. I wish to make myself clear; I do not mean to exclude aspects relating to religion from the cause. This would be undisguised treachery and it is not what I mean. I wish to dispel any possibility of misunderstanding. I am only trying to explain the verse, Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans. (Al Ma'idah: 5) This verse refers to the days of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Afterwards, the Jews enjoyed a safe life under Muslims' protection, when no one else offered them shelter. They led a life of affluence and leverage. We never experienced any kind of conflict, with the exception of occasional cultural differences. However, from the point of view of religion, Jews are, in no way, different from Christians. They are both People of the Book, notwithstanding their present aggression. I will never twist facts on account of their assault. At a certain point, Christians were a far worse enemy than the Jews, namely during the crusades. The Jews were on Muslims' side. We ought to give matters their due. If I am asked at the present time: is a Muslim allowed to marry a Jew? My answer would be, no. Scholars have unanimously agreed that we are not to marry from among the enemy even if they were People of
[IslamCity] Conflict Between Hadith and Science?
Dear members, Assalamu Alaikum. Please read this question and answer on Conflict Between Hadith and Science?. I personally feel that one of the major problems relating to Hadith literature will go if a group of experts ( including Muhaddisun, scientists, Arabic linguists) re check the Matn of all Hadith ( under the auspises of OIC fiqh academy or such other body ) and identifies those few Hadith which do not pass the criterion of Matn checking already established by the Muhaddisun.This will protect the Hadith literature from external attack and also remove most of the differences among the Muslims in the matter.Allahu Aa'lam. Shah Abdul Hannan Conflict Between Hadith and Science? By SheikhAhmadKutty Dr. Sano Koutoub Moustapha March 30, 2005 Q: I know that the Qur'an came from Allah and there is no dispute about that. My question is about hadith. I was talking to a recent revert brother and he was talking to me about the book, The Bible, the Quran and the Science by Dr. Maurice Bucaille. The author stated that the Qur'an has irrefutable scientific evidence and that all the scientific facts in the Qur'an agree with science but that many hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) contradicted science. Please could you clarify how hadiths contradict science? A: In response to this question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: Your question needs a detailed answer, but I would briefly state the following: Not everything reported as hadith is considered a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Hundreds of scholars have worked diligently to establish a scientific methodology of sorting and authenticating the traditions that can be safely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One of the principal criteria for verifying hadith is that it should not contradict reason or empirical facts. Another criterion is that it must not contradict the fundamental principles established by the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah. Thirdly, in order for a hadith to be acceptable, it must have been reported and transmitted through a reliable chain of transmission where every link is known and reliable. Having said this, we must guard against dismissing certain traditions which may appear to be contradicting reason while on a deeper study it would be found that it is our interpretation that is wrong, not the hadith itself. This often happens in regards to matters where human reason cannot operate, namely, that which is related to matters of ghayb (Unseen). As believers, we must believe that this area of reality is not accessible to reason or empirical knowledge. The only avenue for this knowledge is revelation from Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) received inspirations other than the Qur'an regarding such matters, which is often related in the Hadith. So do not rush to conclude that all hadiths are fabricated. And also we must never attribute falsehood to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). By having doubt about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) we are rejecting the entire Qur'an as well. So, pray to Allah to make your heart steadfast on the right religion. Dr. Sano Koutoub Moustapha, professor of Fiqh and Its Principles, International Islamic University, Malaysia, adds: I do thank the questioner, and pray to Allah to guide all of us and strengthen our iman. It is known that there are two types of revelation: the first one is called al-wahyu az-zahir, meaning the clear and direct revelation; and the second is called al-wahyu al-batin, meaning the hidden and indirect revelation. The first one refers to the glorious Qur'an, while the second one refers to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As Muslims we are obliged to believe in both, based on many verses in the Qur'an such as Al-Baqarah 32, Al-Maidah 92, Al `Imran 59, et cetera. Accordingly, no belief is considered acceptable before Allah if it is based on separation between these two types of revelation. However, there are differences between them in terms of their authenticity and authority. The whole Qur'an is known to be definitive and free from falsification and forgery, while the Sunnah is divided into definitive and speculative. The former is authentic and free from any falsification, while the latter has been subject to falsification and
[IslamCity] Georgetown Launches New PhD in Islamic Studies
Dear members,
Assalamu Alaikum. Please avail this opportunity
Shah Abdul Hannan
- Original Message -
From: Omer Totonji
To: Omer Totonji
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 9:18 AM
Subject: Fwd: Georgetown Launches New PhD in Islamic Studies
I think first PHD program in Islamic Studies :)
University News
Georgetown Launches New PhD in
Islamic Studies
Recent world affairs have prompted an increased demand
for professionals and scholars with advanced knowledge of Arabic and expert
knowledge of Islam. In response, Georgetown University has launched a new
degree program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic
Studies.
Georgetowns strengths in Arabic language as well as the history,
culture, religion and society of the Muslim world make this new program an
obvious addition to our academic offerings, said Georgetown University
Provost and Professor of Classics James J. O'Donnell. I am
confident that the new PhD in Islamic Studies will prepare future academics,
professionals and leaders to rigorously tackle the critical issues facing the
Muslim world today.
Drawing on Georgetowns unparalleled resources for study of the Islamic
world through the Department of Arabic, the Center for Contemporary Arab
Studies, the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian
Understanding, and the Departments of History, Theology and Government, the
new PhD program will prepare students not only for scholarly careers in
academia, but also to meet a rapidly growing demand in both the public and
private sectors for those with expert knowledge of the language and culture of
the Islamic world.
The inaugural class will begin in fall 2007 and applications will be
accepted on a rolling basis through February 2007. Courses will seek to
advance the knowledge and understanding of classical and modern Islamic
religious thought and textual traditions.The program will also introduce
students to traditional and modern scholarly approaches to the study of Islam,
as well as provide training in history, religion, culture, society, languages,
literatures and thought of the Islamic world.
Upon joining the program, students are expected to have achieved advanced
proficiency in Arabic, as demonstrated by enrollment in advanced Arabic
seminars and the ability to work with a variety of Islamic texts. Those with a
masters degree in a relevant field will take 12 courses or 36 credits, and
students with a bachelors or masters degree in an unrelated field are
required to complete 18 courses or 54 credits. In addition to progressing to
an advanced level of Arabic language, students in the program should
demonstrate intermediate mastery of a second Islamic language such as Persian,
Turkish or Urdu,as well as reading proficiency in a European research
language such as French or German.
Associate Professor Ahmad Dallal, who is currently chair
of the Arabic Department, will serve as director of the new program. Dallal
earned his PhD in Islamic studies from Columbia University and his bachelors
degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut. He is
author of An Islamic Response to Greek Astronomy: Kitab Tadil Hayat
al-Aflak of Sadr al-Sharia (Brill, 1995) and has written numerous
articles and papers on the history of science, Islamic revivalist thought and
Islamic law.
The primary purpose of this program is to train specialists in Islam to
respond to manifest needs atthe academic and professionallevels,
said Dallal. It is also an opportunity for us at Georgetown topool our
remarkable resources and contribute to shaping the field by training a new
generation of graduate students.
Applications and additional program information will be available at: http://arabic.georgetown.edu/.
Source: Office of Communications (May
17, 2006)
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***
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness), and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims.} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best
