Musings of a Muslim Mind (MOVED)

Introducing...

2007-03-10T23:32:00.001-05:00

muslimmatters.org

Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life

Editorial Staff:

Ruth (formerly blogged on Houston Chronicle)
Ibn Abee Omar
Amad (formerly of “Musings of a Muslim Mind”)
AnonyMouse (formerly of “Musings of a Muslim Mouse”)
Ahmad AlFarsi, pursuing his Masters at MIT.

Guest Writers:

Yasir Qadhi (you know him)
Tawfique Chowdhury is the founder of AlKawthar Institute
Amir Bulter, who writes for Austrolabe
Abu Bakr, who writes for Islamicsciences blog

A New Era of Blogging

2007-03-08T18:53:00.000-05:00

Inshallah, this weekend will mark the beginning (hopefully) of something special, and I and others will be moving on with this era. So, stay tuned... more details will be forthcoming (yes, still on this blog).

I should add that over the past 3 months, since I started blogging, I have learned so many things, and I have really have undergone a somewhat radical change in my outlook (perhaps you have noticed it too). Overall, I would say that I have MORE good feelings for MORE Muslims than I had before, so if this is the only positive I can take out of this, then that would mark a huge triumph for me. So, if perchance, you were turned off by my the 'old-me', perhaps you will give the 'new-me' another chance! I should mention that my principles have not changed, alhamdulilah, rather the style is what has changed and is still metamorphosing.

I do have ONE small assignment for my readers: CRITICIZE ME. Ok, I should add a qualifier...constructively criticize me... tell me what you like about the blog, and what you don't like; so in the "new era", I can persist in what I have done good (if any), and change/adjust in what I am not doing so good.

Until the weekend then, here is a list of the best of this blog (not that the best is so great either), which will eventually become inactive:

Let's Count...

2007-03-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

How many lives were destroyed or have the high potential to be destroyed (Islamically -speaking) :

Father: In prison probably forever <--- destroyed
Mother: Dead <--- destroyed
Child#1: Will be raised by non-Muslim grand-parents <--- high potential
Child#2: Ditto
Child#3: Ditto

That would be five lives. And why? Because some idiot(s), some fanatic(s), probably someone or more, who would never do it himself or themselves, convinced a young convert to go to Somalia for a "greater cause". Great job dude(s)... now be prepared to answer to Allah for destroying five lives.

Mr. Maldonado, it won't be easy for you either, whoever set you up will be asked about five lives, but you followed them in destroying four; well I should say one plus potentially three, unless Allah protects the children's Islam. I doubt that the grandparents would have much sympathy left for our faith, and I dare say rightfully so... after all, their daughter was killed for this "cause", why would they teach their grand-children about the faith that Maldonado claimed for the "cause"? Allahu Musta'aan... may Allah raise these children as Muslims and not punish them for the grave errors of their father.

That was my 2 cents after reading about this story on Tariq Nelson's and Umar Lee's blogs.

Wafa Sultan: The Bubble is Bursting

2007-03-04T16:45:00.000-05:00

I am sure many of the readers have heard of Wafa Sultan, the secularist 'humanist', the neither Muslim nor Christian nor Jew, the one who still describes herself a Muslim, but insists that "I don't even believe in Islam". No surprise there, after all it is more profitable to bash Islam while still claiming "Muslimship", ask Irshad Manji.

Originally Syrian, she is from an Alawi family, which kind of explains how she could be still a Muslim, yet not believe in Islam. I am glad that she admits this, in a sort of self-incriminating way, that Alawites are only Muslim by name, not really by their belief in Islam. After all, could this 'Alawite-Islam', which includes believing in Ali's (RD) divinity, almost similar to Christian belief in Jesus, be the Islam delivered by the Messenger of Allah (S)? I think not.

Last year, Wafa's claim to fame was via her appearance on Al-Jazeera, a piece of which was aired by the neo-con, Israeli-planted web-channel, MEMRI opposite Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli. Unfortunately, as with most of our Shayookh, they are good in what they do (Islamic education), but not good in what they don't (appearing in the media). Coupled with the fact that this was a MEMRI hit-job (apparently the Al Jazeera clip was edited out of context as per the transcript of the interview at the Annaqed website), Dr. Ibrahim didn't do too well. And the video resulted in pushing Wafa to a pedestal that she deserves not the least bit, not because she is an Islamaphobe, but because she doesn't have any real credentials, or any intellectual arguments. Amazingly, and this is an utter testimony to the media bias against Islam, she was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people. Perhaps, I should start the list of the 100 most successful liars, and she definitely will get a ticket to the top 10!

Wafa claims that said she was shocked into secularism (from Alawism-- not sure what is really worse, hmm...) by the 1979 atrocities committed by Islamic extremists of the Muslim Brotherhood against innocent Syrian people, including the machine-gun assassination of her professor, Dr. Yusef al Yusef. Well, that is what she CLAIMED. Of course, the media does not care about checking facts... any self-described Muslim 'refuse-nik' is immediately elevated to media-darling status. But, fortunately for the sake of truth, someone did, and it seems that Ms. Sultan's story is full of holes, and her image is (hopefully sooner than later) imploding. Here is a catch from CAIR's email:
[See also this scathing post from Dr.M, the master of pro-regressive analysis!]

WAFA SULTAN: REFORMIST OR OPPORTUNIST?
By Abdussalam Mohamed, InFocus, March 2007

While Sultan's admirers have nothing but praise for her, detractors charge that many of her public claims do not corroborate with facts. Moreover, they assert that the reasons behind her rise to fame have more to do with her personal life than with her desire to reform Islam.

Adnan Halabi*, a Syrian expatriate who met and got to know the Sultans when they first came to the United States, spoke at length about the Wafa Sultan that very few people know.

According to Halabi, Dr. Wafa Ahmad (her maiden name) arrived in California with her husband Moufid (now changed to David) in the late 80s on a tourist visa. Contrary to what she told the New York Times, they came as a couple, leaving their two children back in Syria.

Another source named Nabil Mustafa, also Syrian, told InFocus that he was introduced to Moufid Sultan through a personal friend who knew the family well, and both ended up having tea at the Sultans' one-bedroom apartment one evening in 1989. It was then that Moufid told Mustafa the story of how he was reunited with his two children. According to Mustafa, Moufid Sultan told him that a short time after they arrived in the country, his wife, Dr. Wafa Sultan, mailed her passport back to her sister Ilham Ahmad in Syria (while the passport still carried a valid U.S. tourist visa). With Ilham bearing a resemblance to her sister Wafa, the plan was to go to the Mexican Embassy in Damascus and obtain a visa to Mexico, making sure that the airline carrier they would book a flight on would have a layover somewhere in the Continental United States.

With an existing U.S. visa on Wafa Sultan's passport, Ilham Ahmad had no trouble obtaining an entry permit to Mexico. Shortly after, Ilham and Wafa's two children landed in Houston, Texas. She and the children then allegedly made their way through customs and were picked up by Moufid and brought to California.

Taking advantage of an amnesty law for farmers, the Sultans applied for permanent residency through a Mexican lady who worked as a farm hand. She helped Moufid with the paperwork by claiming he had worked as a farmer for four years. The application went through and the Sultans obtained their green cards.

As incredible as the story sounds, Mustafa told InFocus that to the best of his recollection, this was the exact account he heard from Moufid Sultan. Halabi, who is not acquainted with Mustafa, corroborated the story, which he heard from Dr. Wafa Sultan herself but with fewer details. Dr. Wafa Sultan declined InFocus' repeated requests to be interviewed or comment on the allegations. InFocus contacted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to check on the veracity of the story but an official said that they would look into the allegations, which could take months to investigate.

Halabi alleges that Ilham Ahmad lived as illegal resident with her sister Wafa for years until she met an Arab Christian named Khalid Musa Shihadeh whom she ended up marrying (they were married in Nevada on 12/8/1991 and filed for divorce in 2002). It was during that time that Halabi got to know the Sultans well.

Halabi alleges that the Sultans lived in dire poverty. "Their rent was over $1,000 per month and Moufid was only making $800," he said. Dr. Wafa Sultan was forced to rent out a room in her apartment and work at a pizza parlor in Norwalk, Calif. where a personal friend used to pick her up and drop her off daily. This same friend used to help the Sultans out with groceries and occasionally loaned them money just so they could make it through the month. "It was a serious struggle," Halabi recalled. "The Sultans lived hand to mouth for years on end." Further, Halabi said that at no point during the period he knew the family did Sultan ever discuss religion, politics or any topic relevant to her current activities. "She is a smart woman, articulate and forceful, but she never meddled in religion or politics to the extent she is doing now," Halabi said.

As to the claim that her professor (thought to be Yusef Al-Yusef) was gunned down before her eyes in a faculty classroom at the University of Aleppo, Halabi said the incident never took place. "There was a professor who was killed around 1979, that is true, but it was off-campus and Sultan was not even around when it happened," he added.

InFocus contacted the University of Aleppo and spoke to Dr. Riyad Asfari, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, who confirmed Halabi's account. "Yes, the assassination took place off-campus," he said. Dr. Asfari was keen to add that no one had ever been killed in a classroom anytime or anywhere at the university.

Syrian expatriate Ghada Moezzin, who attended the University of Aleppo in 1979 as a sophomore, told InFocus that she never heard of the assassination. "We would've known about the killing if it had happened," she said. "It would have been big news on campus and I do not recall ever hearing about it." Moezzin, who lives in Glendora, Calif., added that government security was always present around the university given the political climate in Syria at the time.

What are perceived as inconsistencies and half-truths like these convince Sultan's critics that the motive behind her invectives against Islam and Muslims is other than her alleged desire for reform. (MORE)

Is There Any Doubt Left??

2007-03-01T20:12:00.000-05:00

After watching this video, please tell me if there is any doubt left that Mr. Baker is motivated by prejudice and bigotry in his fight against the Katy Islamic Association (KIA) that is trying to build a mosque? I mean after having been in discussions with some of his more intelligent and reasonable neighbors, I was beginning to feel that may be we had misjudged these poor, peaceful country folk. Not any more. These 'supporters' are a bunch of red-necks who don't want their children to be in school next to "them" (with few exceptions like gb). Don't miss the statement by one of the 'supporters', who is openly threatening lynching by hanging if he is called a liar.

This short take by Jon Stewart show was hilarious... it shed a humorous light on how absurd the anti-KIA (Katy Islamic Association) crowd is, and that their 'official' position that this is not about Muslims is as big of a joke as they themselves became last night.

Check it out for yourself: Click here (its a little slow loading)

The Intrigue of Snow

2007-02-27T20:41:00.000-05:00

For newcomers to old man winter's areas, snow is indeed new, and for the kids, its also intriguing and an opportunity to have a blast... so this winter is their first one in the Northeast, and they are savoring every moment. Forget that dad has to shovel the driveway. Forget that the dreary winter seems to be dragging on almost forever, bringing with it not only bitter cold on the outside, but also affecting internal human systems (is it only me or does winter depress moods a bit??).

Forget all that! Aboodi and Reemo have a snowman to keep up with... Check it out for yourself, he looks pretty cool!

And we Thought we Had it Hard...

2007-02-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

I came across this post/blog of a family that lost a 12-year girl; a sister and a daughter named Asma. As I read the story posted by the brother a few days after her death, I could not control my tears as I imagined the pain this brother and his family went through and have been going through. Losing a family member at such a tender age, right at the cusp of adulthood, is so devastating emotionally. And I can only imagine, because I have never had to live through it. And I ask Allah's mercy and forgiveness against such a calamity.

When we read these true moments of heart-felt pain, it should remind us of our weakness, our mortality, and should put our own griefs, troubles and difficulties in perspective. We have so much thank for, and so little to be aggrieved for.

Take a moment to read this story, and other entries on Br. Omar Haq's blog and Asma/Omar's sister's blog. Make dua' for their little sister, for their family and for all the Muslims who have encountered such a loss or have a terminally sick family member. Leave a comment if you wish. After that, let's reflect on our own state, and thank Allah for everything we have.

The link to Omar's post around Asma's death
The link to Omar's post "after 2 years"
The link to Asma's sister's post "oh Asmi"

JUST (don't) DO IT!

2007-02-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

With the approach of Rabi-ul-Awal, the topic of mawlid (celebrating the Prophet S's birthday) is heating up again. Since it has been made into a controversial issue (while the facts would seemingly say that this should be a non-issue), I will try to stick to my goal of 'keep it simple, stupid' in matters of relevance to the average layman.

Let's look at mawlid ('Milaad an-nabee' in Urdu) from three perspectives:
1) Did the Prophet (S), Sahabah, Tabiyeen (the generation proceeding Sahaba), Tabe-Tabiyeen (the next generation), or any of the 4 Imams condone it or practice it?
*Answer: No, there is absolutely no evidence of the mawlid practice from these generations.

2) Were the people who started mawlid upon the mainstream Ahl-Sunnah methodology?
*Answer: No, in fact they were not even Sunnis! The first recorded celebrations of his birth occurred during the latter part of Shia Fatimid rule in Egypt (909–1171).

3) What do the scholars say?
*Answer: This is where some of the controversy has taken shape. Opinions of scholars vary from the celebrations being disallowed (e.g. Sh. Bin Baz and Mufti Taqi Uthmani) to mubah (e.g. a recent eloquent fatwa from Sh. Ibn Bayyah) all the way to mustahab (mostly braelwis and more extreme sufis).

Based on (1) and (2), it should be sufficient to raise MAJOR flags against the celebration. In fact, those two should be sufficient for us. Even if we were to consider (3), it is still perfectly clear that there are no scholars (even among extremes that I could find) who says that it is waajib (obligation). So, why risk it?

I admit that we depend on our scholars to guide us, since they are indeed the inheritors of the Prophets. And I have already shown that the 4 greatest scholars, the 4 Imams did not practice this either. However, many great scholars and Imams afterwards did allow it, so that should be considered. For this purpose, I'd like for us to use some simple logic to locate the "safe" choice. Sometimes, when we see differences of opinions, it is to our advantage to stay away from the doubtful matters, for the purposes of avoiding sin, even at the sake of losing risky reward.

First, lets assume Mawlid was indeed a sin and a blameworthy innovation:
(a) By not doing it, you have earned yourself some ajr (reward by avoiding sin).
(b) By doing it, you may be sinful (since blameworthy innovations are worse than sins, the sin may be of a greater level).

Now lets assume Mawlid was the extreme opposite, i.e. mustahab (recommended):
(c) By not doing it, you have earned yourself neither sin nor reward.
(d) By doing it, you have earned yourself reward.

Conclusion: The person who does not partake in the celebration of mawlid is subject to either (a) reward or (c) nothing. While the person who does partake in mawlid is subject to either (b) possible sin or (d) reward. So, the logical SAFE choice is the first one, which avoids all chances of sin, and has the possibility of reward, so JUST (don't) DO IT!

We can also discuss innovations for a bit. Pretty much everyone admits that the mawlid is indeed an bidah (innovation). Sh. Ibn Bayyah in the fatwa clearly states that it is NOT the sunnah, which means it is a bidah. The question comes down to whether this is a blameworthy bidah or not. The scholars that allow it consider this to be a bidah hasanah or a good bidah, while other scholars do not believe that something like 'bidah hasanah' in matters of religion exists. For the latter, bidah in deen (as opposed to the 'worldly' innovation such as cars, etc. that are ok) is blameworthy regardless of intentions. Ibn Taymiyyah gives some room for intentions as seen in the entirety of fatwa here (skip to #9 post). Here are a couple of other good reads on innovation being blameworthy (#1 and #2).

As for intentions, this is another gray area. We know that all actions are by intentions (Hadith), however, we also know that the act has to be in accordance with the Shariah to have it accepted, regardless of intention. For instance, can I choose to pray 3 rakah for tahiyat-ul-masjid (instead of the 2 rakahs sunnah) for the sake of 'increasing' reward; indeed a good intention? Everyone will respond with 'of course not'. Thus, that is a simple proof for intentions not being sufficient to make an act praiseworthy.

Bottom-line, in a confusing world, it is best to be safe. To be safe in deen is to be cool :) ! So, my dear brothers and sisters, JUST (don't) DO IT!

Injustice, Injustice, Injustice!

2007-02-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

He [Paul Cortez], James Barker and Steven Green had their eye on a farmhouse near their checkpoint in Mahmudiya, near Baghdad. They visited it before the attack and behaved so lasciviously around Abeer Qasim al-Janabi that she was sent to sleep at a neighbour's house. They made their move in broad daylight, when Abeer's parents and five-year-old sister were also home. Cortez told the court that Green took the three into a bedroom while Cortez and Barker took turns raping Abeer in the living room.

"She kept trying to keep her legs closed and saying stuff in Arabic," Cortez said. "During the time me and Barker were raping Abeer, I heard gunshots that came from the bedroom. After Barker was done, Green came out and said that he had killed them all... Green then placed himself between Abeer's legs to rape her."

Green shot the girl dead too, at which point the soldiers set her on fire.
[From the Independent]

Sgt. Paul Cortez, one of the five men, being court-martialled for raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and killing her family in March 2006 received what would be an unjust outrageously light sentence, by any standard of fairness. While the papers and news tickers are screaming "Soldier sentenced to 100 years in prison", the truth in fact is that Cortez could be free on parole in only 10 years!

Consider for a minute the circumstances of this brutal rape and murder. And then tell me, doesn't this deserve human outrage? Not just Muslims, but especially Muslims. How can it be that a rape of a 12-year old Japanese girl justified what was called a 'light' sentence of 7 years in Japanese prisons, while the gang-rape, murder of this 14-year old Iraqi girl and the murder of her father, her mother, and her 5-year old sister wasn't enough to justify a life-sentence at the least, let alone the death penalty? How will America justify this light treatment of the heinous crime to the rest of the world, especially to the Iraqis? What a farce! What Injustice!

Inna lillahi wa innah alehi raajioon.

Isam Rajab's TV Appearance on PBS Online Now!

2007-02-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

Ibn alHyderabadee was on top of this one... here is the video, Sh. Isam (a Texas Dawah speaker, Arees Founder, and ISGH Imam) seems to have done his homework! ENJOY (and learn)...

Ok, the Niqab is Out...

2007-02-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

By a Margin of 56.7% in favor, and 43.3% against, the participants at the Doha Debates have booted the Niqab out. Those in favor were 'Lord' Ahmed of Rotherham and Reem Maghribi, founder of Al Sharq, the English language British-Arab culture and lifestyle magazine.

What a relief! Phew... Now, all the niqabis can take their niqab off, because the mandate has been delivered.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Give me a BIG break folks! Doha debates idiots: do you really believe that the niqab or any other Islamic ensemble or Islamic issue is up for debates between people who don't have any real Islamic knowledge? Do you really think that Muslim women just wear the niqab, because they like it so much just to undergo the daily looks and stares? Do you really think if it was only cultural, we wouldn't be smart to figure that out?? Remember too, Doha-debate geniuses: The difference of opinion among the people of Sunnah is limited to two: (1) It is obligatory or (2) it is optional but mustahab (recommended). The third opinion that it is only cultural is the pro-regressive, Western brown-nosing, "we are different from everyone else" opinion, which has absolutely no backing in Islamic jurisprudence.

While I am a bit disappointed that "Lord" Ahmed wants the niqab out, it is almost hilarous that Ms. Maghribi is on the same side. I mean what do you expect from this pro-regressive woman, who does not even wear the hijab! Check her 'young and energetic' team... does it even look like that she cares about Muslim issues, let alone have any right to discuss the niqab?? I mean are you going to let George Bush or Dick Cheney vote too? In fact, give Condi a special place on the table, I wonder which way she will vote, hmm.... What right does Maghribi or for that matter ANYONE have to vote what is right for Muslim women or not? Since it is an insult to real Muslims to have someone like Maghribi be part of a discussion that involves practicing Muslims as opposed to her obvious position, I don't think it is particularly beneficial to even bother about her. She should focus on her magazine and continue 'modernizing' Arabs so that they can fully leave Islam and adopt the Western mold that she has adopted.

On the other hand, Lord Ahmed's inclusion on the wrong side was a bit surprising, he wants it out because it is a barrier to integrating Muslims, a religious symbol of separation, hmm... And the point is?? Muslims don't want to assimilate Mr. Ahmed. We want to maintain our Muslim identities, but who told you that it meant that we cannot contribute to the society we live in. In a multi-cultural, diverse, dynamic society, many groups and many races, each with their lifestyles can contribute without losing their identities.

“I don’t want it (Niqab) to be banned by law but I am calling for a sensible debate on the issue,” Ahmed said, referring to the ban imposed by France and some other European countries on wearing face veil in offices, schools etc. He noted that 57 per cent of the British public feel that Muslims are not integrated to the British society and 67 per cent of them supported Jack Straw who triggered a debate on the issue by calling Muslim women to keep away from wearing the face veil.

Ok, so Mr. Ahmed, WHY stop at the niqab? If 67% of the British society starts supporting the call to remove the hijab (the head scarf), should we consider that open-game as well? Where would you draw the line? Why is that Muslim women have been wearing the scarves and the niqabs forever and only now has it become an issue??

Mr. Ahmed, your nose is already too bloody with the brown-nosing... just stop it bro, it is getting embarrassing.

On the flip side of these nonsensical debates comes a beautiful article by Sr. Sahar Ullah, a student at the prestigious University of Chicago, on her reflections about the niqab during her undergrad years. Check it out for yourself and give her major props.

When Will They Condemn?

2007-02-19T21:44:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered why Muslims are asked ad nauseam to condemn violence against innocent people? Yet, all our major Islamic organizations (CAIR/ ISNA/ ICNA/ TDC/ ETC.) are ignored, even though they have condemned and continue to condemn? Why the condemnations that we have already expressed never seem enough?

NOW, it is our turn to tables a bit, and ask the Russians, the Israelis, the Indians, and all those who are torturing and killing innocent human beings around the world, why are you not condemning the actions of your fellow country-men/government? That these human beings are Muslims should not matter the least, even though I would be naive to actually believe that. Why are you not standing up against state-terrorism? And why limit it to these three nations, why don't you (all the "enlightened" citizens of the West), who keep prodding Muslims to have a march to condemn what we have NOTHING to do with, stand up and condemn what these ruthless states are doing to Muslims? Don't you see how these very real and sad images of inhumanity could be misused to feed the scourge of terrorism? On our part, we will continue to condemn the butchers who are acting in the name of Islam. But, the real question to our non-Muslim friends is, when will you condemn the terror in the name of States.

Post-Script: The video is from turntoislam.com, a prominent Islamic website. Since I don't speak Arabic, I cannot translate all that is narrated in the video for non-Arabic speaking viewers. However, much of it is in English, and the scenes of despair and loss are quite gut-wrenching. When we see such videos, we, as Muslims, should make dua' to Allah for the innocent souls that have departed and ask Allah to grant patience to their family members, and to seek protection of innocent civilians left behind. I remind everyone that these videos should never lead us to a greater injustice, of seeking revenge upon other innocents, or being unjust in our dealings with other human beings. Two harams never make a halal, and you can take that to the bank!

Swimming for Tawafٍ

2007-02-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

The caption reads: A picture story of the Harram (sanctuary i.e. Kaba) taken in the year 1941. Rain fell so hard that the water level rose up to the black stone. And people had to do their tawaaf around the Kaba while swimming.

SubhanAllah, I can't even imagine swimming in an ihraam! Probably need to some special locking devices. And we know that this happened even in the times of the Sahaba, with Abdullah ibn Zubair having been narrated to have done.

Picture Stories on this Blog are being Collected HERE.

The Chariots Final: Immigrants at the Marathon

2007-02-17T23:55:00.000-05:00

Previous:
The Chariots Part II: Immigrants and African-Americans
The Chariots Part I: At the Marathon...

This conclusion has indeed been an arduous task. To bring together the immigrants, especially the Muslims to the Marathon, only on paper, was complicated and difficult. To discuss a touchy matter all around in a useful format is always a challenge. Most of my writings here are in terms of generalizations, and I recognize that exceptions of course exist in every case. So, please do not consider your own example or the example of a few to discount the bigger picture, if that is the case of course. Comments were closed so far, but they will be open after this last chapter. I invite all the readers to feel empowered to correct me, to suggest different outlooks, and to offer ways and means to achieve what is being put forward.

Immigrants at the Marathon
The news was out, and it echoed around the world: the great race was on... and it was happening in the distant land of America. The prize was said to be unparalleled, and opportunities were rife, even at this stage of the race. It was a long marathon, longer than any other, why else would it be called the mother of all marathons? All around the globe, many young souls, some burdened by the inequalities in their own lands, some disillusioned by the lack of political and social empowerment, and some just seeking better life and education, were more so allured to what was billed as a 'life-changing' event. So, these souls prepared, trained and practiced. The cream of the crop from the 'developing' world got in line for the chance of their lifetime. They could run with the best, and both the organizers and these souls knew it.

As the internationals began their journey to the Marathon, the organizers were delighted by the global attention to their event. They were enthused by the international runners. These international runners piled in from around the world, and they marveled at the crowd and at the race. They felt the energy, and they tasted opportunity, and more and more, they felt they had made the right decision. A sense of elation propagated through this international crowd. They weren't disappointed initially, as they were plugged in with the crowd that was farthest ahead in the race. Not all, of course, received this welcome. Some who simple managed to cross the border because of their geographical location, who were not the most gifted of runners, had to sneak their way into the race. Most of these unfortunate souls found themselves with the crowd of the 'left-behinders'.

Among the racers, especially the internationals, there were many who believed in One God and His Messengers. These believers were slightly different than others. For reasons that would form an entire story of its own, they found themselves at the receiving end of inequities. For instance, they always found themselves on the outer curve of the track. While they started their race not too behind the front-runners, they could not help noticing that it was taking significantly greater effort to catch up after each of the track curves. When they shouted out about their indignities, the same patronizing voice that had shouted condescendingly to the 'left-behinders', spoke again, "You should thank us that we even let you join this race, if you don't like it, go back to where you came from. Remember that you brought this on yourself because a few of your 'brethren' cheated, hence, the rest of you have to suffer!" The international believers looked at each other with bewilderment. Some of them wondered why they escaped injustice for another form of it. Others wondered how the rules could be changed when they were set in stone by the founders of the Marathon; why someone would risk impairing and debasing the greatest race on earth? And yet others wondered whether the opportunities were now worth the indignities? Even more bewildered were the 'local' believers. They wondered out loud, "Which land do you want us to go to? We were born and bred here, many of us have ancestors who were on the original boats that arrived to the 'new world'" But their voices were drowned in the din, as the obnoxious voice continued to mock and insult the believers.

As a result of the numerous obstacles and the longer course, some of the believers started waning, but others kept strong, keeping up with the front-runners. The superior training and exceptional talent allowed them to force their own case. Then, out of the blue, the believers heard voices; this time of the courageous voices, calling out for help. Yes, some chariots were coming, and a few of the 'left-behinders' were being helped to get them 'in the race'. But, more help was needed as the chariots had just begun to arrive. The believers looked forward and then looked back. It would only take a bit of their energy to support the courageous voices. The believers were reminded by others amongst them that they were believers only until they were just; justice formed the crux of their beliefs. From being just to the Creator (by worshiping Him alone) to being just to the creation (by supporting the elimination of injustice). The courageous voices had let them know what had transpired with the barrier that caused a whole group of people to become the 'left-behinders'. A great injustice had transpired, and the believers now knew about it. It was up to them now, will they join the courageous voices in retrieving the chariots around them, to turn back the clock on injustice or will they just keep racing, unbothered? How many believers did, and how many believers will? That is for us to ask and for us to answer.

Afterword
For many Muslims, affirmative action is an afterthought, usually in the negative form. As I discussed in Part II, most immigrants, Muslims included, remember their own usually partly struggles in order to dismiss the case for affirmation action.

I also recognize that many African-Americans have started to distance themselves from affirmative action, finding it humiliating or demeaning. However, you will find that many of these African-Americans 'have it made'; symbolizing those who darted off in the Marathon, and 'caught up' with the 'front-runners' due to extraordinary talent, phenomenal hard-work, good fortune, or some combination of the three.

However, with the Marathon analogy in the backdrop, I hope that the readers who felt or still feel differently, have at least achieved some sense of context on this issue. There are some undeniable facts in America's black history (pun intended). If you don't know it, read up on it here. Many of the blacks bought and brought to America were free men in Africa and many of them indeed were Muslims (similar to the international 'believers').

These slaves were treated as sub-humans, perhaps even worse than animals in terms of indignities. "Historical records indicate that some slaveowners were more cruel to slaves than others. Some slaveowners raped and whipped slaves, and even cut off limbs of slaves who tried to escape, while other slaveowners provided materially for their slaves and were less physically abusive. In many households, treatment of slaves varied with the slave's skin color. Darker-skinned slaves worked in the fields, while lighter-skinned slaves were made to work in the house and had better provisions."[Answers.com]

For hundreds of years, a whole nation was subjugated, based on the color of its skin. A similar situation transpired for the natives (American Indians), but that is another topic for another day. Blacks were swept under the mat for much of this nation's history. The mat was finally taken off a few decades ago, when the rules were changed to be the 'now' same for everyone. Is it fair and just then for anyone to assume that this whole nation will be able to compete immediately? Do we expect these 'left-behinders' to catch up with the 'front-runners' quickly and without any assistance? (Front-runners who are reaping the fruits of their ancestors who fashioned their fortunes on the backs of the slaves).

Everyone know its easy to make money if you already have it to start with. Donald Trump is free to invest his billions in all sorts of elite money-minting ventures, ventures that the average man cannot even touch. Similarly, the vicious cycle of poverty is unfortunately even more so resilient than the cycle of wealth. Rich and educated parents can and will provide opportunities-galore for their children, imparting to them education or wealth or a combination. Most importantly, these folks value the importance of education and its role in a capitalist society. On the other hand, how do we expect the poorest sector, those who just had the 'barrier' removed, to be real 'players' in this race of life? How do we expect them to recognize the value of education that their parents or grand-parents or preceding generations, were not able to receive? Most importantly, is it really just to expect that? Is it just not to do something to make up for the past sins, or to at least help alleviate some of their struggles as they try to catch up? Don't they deserve the chariots to pick them up and drop them at least where would have been had the barrier not been raised?

For Muslims, justice captures the essence of our faith as believers, and equality of all human beings forms the crux of the matter, as we see from the following:

"We sent aforetime our messengers with clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that men may stand forth in Justice." [Quran 57:25].
"O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female and have made you into nations and tribes for you to know one another. Truly, the noblest of you with God is the most pious.2 Truly, God is All-Knowing, All-Aware." [Quran 49:13]
"O people! Your God is one and your forefather (Adam) is one. An Arab is not better than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab, and a red (i.e. white tinged with red) person is not better than a black person and a black person is not better than a red person, except in piety." [Hadith, Musnad Ahmed #22978]
"...And act justly. Truly, God loves those who are just." [Quran, 49:9]
To be just with those who we hate, "...And let not the hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety." [Quran, 5:8]

If we have adopted this country to be our home, then we cannot separate ourselves from the injustice that has occurred in its history, even if we had no role in it. This is because removing someone from the pangs of injustice, is still a part of a Muslim's responsibility, regardless of his role in causing that injustice. There are other lesser (in importance) reasons, some perhaps self-serving, for the involvement of Muslims in pushing affirmative action:

Muslims are now facing obstacles as well, small little reminders of what transpired here with African-Americans. We are on the outer curves of the Marathon, and our struggle is becoming harder and harder in achieving the same goals as the 'average' American. If anything, it should help us recognize the struggles of those who are faced a much larger barrier, and have found themselves so far behind.
Joining hands with the Black minority will join 'our' cause of injustices occurring with Muslims everyday to African-Americans' cause of injustice that is historically rooted, but continues to occur today (in the cycle of poverty).
By understanding the civil-rights movement, and being part of it, Muslims can learn methods and ways to push their own agenda for equal treatment of Muslims in America and around the world.
African-Americans, by far, as a 'group', are most receptive to the message of Islam. For one, many of their ancestors were Muslims, so it is a going back to roots of sorts, as in the case of Br. Hakim Ellis. And secondly, the message of truth has historically been most well-received by the less materialistically endowed. Many of the Prophet's (S) first followers were poor and desolate. So, if Muslims show their 'true colors' by being part of this cause, it will be an excellent source of walking dawah.

In closing, I truly believe that affirmative action is not a hand-out, rather it is the right of the African-Americans; to help them break away from the cycle of poverty and material inequality. The chariots after all symbolize hope and justice, and whether we will join the courageous civil rights movements to gather and distribute these chariots, is up to all of us.

Note added 2.19: I would be remiss to add that affirmative action is not the only way we can help. We can start or be part of organizations that help inner-city kids, join mentorship programs in schools located in poor neighborhoods, or assist people like Siraj Wahhaj in what he is doing in his community. I hope we will hear from brothers and sisters who can make more suggestions, beyond affirmative action.

I am sure that there are many more reasons why we should be part of this noble cause, and perhaps why we should not, and I hope to read them here in your comments.

Sunday 8PM on Houston PBS

2007-02-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

Pls see this message from Br. Iesa Galloway from Houston:
--------------------
Please tune-in on Sunday at 5PM to watch “The Connection.” This episode is a round table discussion on the nature and definitions of “good” & “evil.” This round table discussion features leading lectures and figures from the Houston community in; Islam, Christianity, Judaism & Philosophy. On this program ISGH Imam, Isam Rajab, founder of the Arees Institute and a featured Texas Dawah (TDC) speaker explains Islamic perspectives on the subject.

Please pass this message to your individual lists and ask the viewers to send Houston PBS a thank you Email. JazakAllahu Khairan,

Iesa Galloway
Board Member
The Freedom and Justice Foundation (F&J)
-----------------------------------

The Chariots Part II: Immigrants and African-Americans

2007-02-13T19:38:00.000-05:00

Previous Entry: The Chariots Part I: At the Marathon...

The purpose of my post is not to offend any member of any race. As I recount my experiences, I beg the indulgence of my readers in favor of the bigger message here and to come.

I landed in the States nearly less than two decades ago, as a newly minted FOB. I was only a teenager, arriving in America as a student, like many Pakistani immigrants who had preceded me. Non-immigrants, whose temporary plans would usually turn into permanent residency. I had many things to learn, many things to achieve. From the many 'new' areas to sort out, was the diversity of people around me.

Before my life in America, I was in the Middle East, raised in relatively comfortable circumstances. As they stood at the time, things were relatively homogeneous in Dubai. Yes, we had Indians, Bangladeshis, and other nationalities, but mostly we dealt with 'our own'. As for class and race, there was some of both. The class effect was in motion usually in the 'labor class' that came mostly from the sub-continent. Probably the majority of this 'lower class' was formed by people that we referred to as 'Malabaris'. Those who lived in the Gulf would probably be tickled by this reminder. 'Malabaris' were generally Indians from the Kerala/Tamil Southern regions of India, and I have no clue how this name came about, it just was. Mind you, these people were not idiots. They were smart, and almost all of them had high-school education. But, the journey for livelihood had brought them to Dubai, many in 'minimum-wage' type jobs. 'Malabaris' were not limited to labor only, many were in high-skill jobs as engineers and doctors. Nevertheless, I recount this experience for what class meant to me. For me, the servant at home (most people had servants, so this does not say much about one's status) was a 'malabari'. He was a Muslim, and his name was Yusuf. He prayed 5 times, and he was as honest one could be. He was from Madras I believe. I loved that guy, he was awesome. My mom often reminisces about how good Yusuf was in housework. We treated him well and with respect, alhamdulilah. That is something that my parents taught us; respect for servants, which wasn't the case for many others we knew. So, that was what class and status meant to me.

As for race, some of that came into being with a superiority that many Arabs felt they had over the 'labor' class from the Indian Sub-continent. It did not matter that most of the highly-skilled and professional class came from the same region... but for our Arab brethren, the point was simply that there were too many of us wanting to come there, so in their books, we were somewhat 'dispensable'. And while many practiced this sort of discriminatory attitude, there were many more who did not have this jahiliya under their skins. Really, I don't wish to go into an Arab-bashing session here, that is not the purpose here. I don't know how I would have reacted had Pakistan been the land of opportunity and Arabs were filling lines to get a piece of the pie. Perhaps, I would have taken on some 'class superiority' of my own. I am not saying that we should recognize the lowness of this attitude in a human, let alone a Muslim, but at the same time, we should give all our brothers many excuses before attacking them.

Coming back to America then, the race divide is something that I had not really witnessed before. The few nuances of what I saw in the Middle-East were completely different. For one, they were not historically rooted. There was no 'slavery' of Pakistani/Indian labor as such. Yes, some of them were caught up in a vicious cycle of debts that made their circumstances almost as that of slaves. But, it wasn't the color of these people that got them where they found themselves. It was the livelihood, a decision usually by choice.

As I started living and breathing America, at first I picked up the stereotypes that were prevalent in the FOBs and even some second-generation immigrants. Now, interestingly, these stereotypes were not that different from what many 'red-necks' also believed in. This is how it usually went: "Blacks don't know how good they have it for them in America. Look at us, we made it, didn't we? We came here to the land of opportunity, and we are taking it in, and we are living the American dream. But, look at those losers. All they do is bum around, they are responsible for most of the crimes, they are always on TV for the wrong reasons. Look at what the '3rd wards' are filled with? Blacks, who else? And of course, be careful of 'them'. Don't get lost in one of 'their' neighborhoods." And the typical "The black guy driving the nice car is of course a drug-dealer, no ifs and buts about it" was a common feeling as well.

I remember even being somewhat open to the opinion that African-Americans just didn't have the brains developed enough, that it wasn't meant to be for them. We were kinder, of course, in our thinking about the black converts. After all, they had some brain to figure out the truth, in what we thought about as the exceptions.

Things changed, they had to change. Life's experiences have a way of teaching lessons. And fortunately for me, it happened sooner than later.

As I sat in my English class for International students, I befriended an African guy Mfon. He had to teach me how to pronounce his name properly. At first it didn't hit me, but I treated this guy differently in my perceptions, than the 'average' African-American. For some reason, blacks didn't cut it, but this guy, who was as black as any other black guy I ever met, was indeed 'cutting it'. He was smart, he was good, and he was better than me in English! Without knowing it, my stereotype was crashing in front of me. Being black was not a testimony to any mental strength or weakness. Being black was merely a skin pigmentation that had nothing to do with one's abilities. I saw it in my friend Mfon and he was to teach me many more lessons.

I remember sitting in the same English class with Mfon next to me. For some reason, the topic of crime came up. As someone never afraid to speak my mind, I proceeded to say something that was one of those moments-of-change that are permanently itched into your brain. I spoke out, in my mind thinking that what I was about to say was in favor of blacks, "The reasons that blacks commit most of the crimes is because we haven't invested enough in their education". As I blurted this out, Mfon went into a frenzy, he found my comments highly repulsive. While I sought to voice my desire to 'help blacks', what stuck with Mfon was my stereotype that preceded it, "blacks commit most of the crimes". It was a long day, that day. As I stood, sat, argued, debated, discussed with Mfon, I started seeing my own folly. Mfon reminded me that much of the crime was indeed white-collar, committed not by blacks but by whites in Armani suits. He reminded me that what I saw on TV daily was what sold ads, my first lesson in corporate media. I rued my decision to say what I said that day, but I rejoice in what I learned till today. That was not the end of my metamorphosis.

As most immigrants who have done well for themselves, I joined the camps of those who were against affirmative action. I could not fathom why black folk needed anymore help than anyone else. I mean, we made it, why can't they? The fall back evidence was always, "look at our countries, there is no opportunity back in our lands... people would do anything to jump for such opportunities as those that exist in America".

But you see, there was and is a problem with both the view and those who hold it. I was living America from a perspective that was foreign to it, and from a perspective that had not lived America in the times of injustice. Not only did I not have a lack of any well-formed perspective, but more importantly, who was I to judge what was good for those whose ancestors had suffered in the land of 'opportunity'? As my thoughts matured, as I took myself out of the bubble of affluence that I had always enjoyed, as I witnessed other perspectives, as I understood (sometimes from direct contact) what had transpired in this country years before I was even born, I started to realize something. I started to recognize that my own ignorance of historical perspective, my own ignorance of human capabilities, my own ignorance of the vicious cycles of poverty and destitution, were indeed the undoing of my very perspective.

This of course had to change. And not just one perspective, but many others needed to change as well.

Next up: Immigrants at the Marathon

The Chariots Part I: At the Marathon...

2007-02-13T01:23:00.000-05:00

Its the big Marathon, the mother of all marathons. The air is electrified as excitement ripples through. The challenge, the potential, and the hype. It's all there. The runners are ready. It's a balanced bunch, a few unfit here and there, but overall, a rather competitive field. The field of runners is separated, but no one is paying attention yet. Until of course a cordon is established and a small portion of the participants find themselves behind it. The gun goes off, and so do the runners. But, not all of them. The bunch behind the massive barrier can't go. They are rearing to join the rest of the runners, but they can't. They fret, they shout, and they scream. They cannot phantom any real reason why they can't race, but they are unable to budge the wall screening them, preventing them, from entering the race of their life.

As hope dims, and the remaining runners escape their eyesight, far, far away from them, someone starts to move the cordon. It has been a while...most runners are more than half way through. The bunch isn't paying much attention anymore. So, they find themselves a bit startled when the wall is suddenly gone. But the bunch is really not moving. Yes, a few dart off, but by and large, most are dragging. A voice that seems somewhat foreign screams to the bunch, shouting in a rather patronizing voice, "GO, what are you waiting for?". The voice continues to scream, reminding this bunch that the rules are the same now, it is equal opportunity from hereon. So, "go and win if you really want to", instead of being truthful and saying, "go win if you can". The voice is almost condescending; not almost, it is condescending. The marathon is coming to its closure. The bunch left behind is now jogging, not quite running, but some are hoping against hope for a miracle. But its getting too late for most, the unabated runners have almost made it.

Then from nowhere, voices of courage rise up, a few bring chariots to the race, with horses that are eager to run. They call to the 'left-behinders' to hitch a ride, only to catch up to their rightful place in the race, even if not all the way; just by a bit. Yet, these courageous bodies are mocked, ridiculed, and insulted. They are called cheats, they are accused of being 'unfair'. They are told that the late start that this bunch faced was history, it was time to be 'fair' now. Others more brazen mumbled that this bunch wouldn't have made it anyway, they weren't 'designed' to win. Many more felt this way but were afraid to speak. Perhaps they failed to see the failings of their own 'design' or more specifically their own 'programming'.

The Chariots Part II: Immigrants and African-Americans
The Chariots Final: Immigrants at the Marathon

What is an Identity Crisis?

2007-02-12T16:08:00.000-05:00

This is going to be short. It's a question for the readers, and food for thought for those who contemplate. It is the question of our very identity, a crisis of sorts that many may have undergone, that many may be undergoing, and that many may undergo.

When is it that when you try to fit into a different mold from a mold that you feel you have worn out, when you change your ways sufficiently from what they were before until the new way is one that you don't sufficiently recognize, when you run away from your past to a future that isn't really you, when you say what you don't firmly believe in, or don't say what you would have said unabated, when your friends become liabilities and their opinions become embarrassments, when is that you are no longer you? When you aim for the stars, yet you have to hitch a ride in a vehicle that you don't really fit in, that you don't really belong in? But you are being pushed from every direction. Where a heap of people want you in that vehicle, and somehow you feel that you 'owe it to them', even though in your heart, it is not them that you are doing this for, but rather for own self?

When is it, when the real 'you' that got you to where you are now is no longer the real 'you', but is someone else? And then you stand alone, neither here nor there, just alone. When the friends you left behind have moved on, and the friends who hoard you now, are really friends with the person you really are not?

Stop. Contemplate. And ask yourself over and over again, "what is in for you in being someone else?" Should you go there and really, why would you want to go there?

My Family's all Blogged Up!

2007-02-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

So, today my wife Umm Reem officially joined the bandwagon. I guess she got sick of seeing me on the computer, so might as well do something beneficial at that time :) Other than my 10 mths old daughter, the whole family's blogging now (including the 6 and 9 yr olds). So, have a visit and sisters, pls introduce yourself if you will, and welcome another sister in Islam to the blogosphere. The address is: ummreem.wordpress.com

Humor Alert: Culture Study with Brother Irtiza Hasan

2007-02-09T22:01:00.001-05:00

Hilarious, and some good insights. Irtiza has GUTS, and his performance at Texas Dawah (Late night with Irtiza) used many clips from this and was quite awesome!

Multaqa Ahl-Hadith in English Now!

2007-02-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

For many blog readers who don't speak Arabic, you'll be asking Multaqa what? Multaqa ahl-hadith means the 'Meeting place of the Ahl-Hadith'. This website is one of the most popular discussion forums on the internet, but until now it was only in Arabic. To give you an idea of its popularity, consider these stats:

Created in 2001.
18,000 members (despite moderated membership)
80,000 topics and 500,000 posts!
700 people online on average, up to a max. of 2100.
2600 manuscripts online.
Over 10,000 books online.
Many students of knowledge online, incl. from US such as Waleed Idrees.
Yasir Q.'s testimonial "It is - from my limited knowledge of Arabic sites - the single most beneficial site I have come across, and Allah knows best...
A wide spectrum of visitors from the non ahl-hadith to the ahl-hadith discussing in a strictly academic format.

So... now the English version has JUST been kicked off. Amazingly, the brother who runs (Sh. Haitham Hamdan, an instructor at AIU) it is a friend and a teacher, and so this is something brand-new that he sent us. The link to the English site is here. Sign up to be part of something that could be really big inshallah.

"Weird Mosque on the Prairie"...

2007-02-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

This post was so good and so detailed in its analysis of the "little (weird) mosque on the prarie", the Canadian sitcom, I had to add a whole entry for this. Read on here...

Muslim Cabbie Tales

2007-02-08T22:22:00.001-05:00

Br. Umar Lee, a convert to Islam shares some stories. Despite his modest background (which he describes a little bit in the video), he writes as well as anyone else on his blog (see blog roll).

Muslim Cabbies-- Unsung Heroes...

2007-02-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

Simple cabbies, simple Muslims, but their actions speak for themselves. Interestingly, while every negative Muslim story, is replete with references to Islam or Muslims, the stories of these cabbies doesn't mention it (except a passing reference in one). I am not asking that all positive news pieces about Muslims scream religious affiliations... all I am asking for is CONSISTENCY!

In any case, alhamdulilah, the recent story of a Muslim cab-driver returning very valuable belongings to the owners, is not the first one, and wont be the last one. But, it is a testament to the honesty of these brothers, a trait taught by our great religion of Islam. The following are only a few that I could find within a minute of searching, all Muslims, and of course hardly any mention of that fact in the story:

31-diamond rings returned by Br. Chowdhury Usman in NY (latest story)
Diamond-stuff suitcase returned by Br. Hossam Abdala in NY (August '05)
Bag of diamonds, worth $350K, returned by Br. Haider Sediqi in LA (November '05). Here's the same story in USA Today

If any of these people had kept their "findings", they would have turned their lives around quickly, but instead honest earnings, and the trust of their patrons, was more important to them than the quick "haram" buck! We ALL could taken lessons from these stories... how honest are WE at work? How many times have we been less than honest outside work? And so on... May Allah reward these brothers, and help us be honest and truthful in our dealings with all as well.

AlMaghrib Scholarships for Converts

2007-02-05T20:17:00.000-05:00

In response to one of Umar Lee's points, here's the first and small step towards greater participation of converts in AlMaghrib programs.

Scholarships are being offered for the next two Aqeedah classes, one in NJ and one in MD, both within reasonable commute of the major communities of converts:

"Rays of Faith: Fundamentals of Faith 103" @ Rockville, MD
Shaykh Waleed Basyouni March 16-18 & 23-25 2007

"Light Upon Light: Aqeedah 102" @ New Brunswick, NJ
Shaykh Yasir Qadhi February 23-25 & March 2-4, 2007

Deadline for applying for Aqeedah 102 (Yasir Q.): February 15, 2007
Deadline for applying for Aqeedah 103 (Waleed B.): March 2, 2007
*The earlier you apply, the better the chances. If the student meets all 3 priorities, then he'll get in on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The scholarships are offered by the Clear Lake Islamic Center's (CLIC) Knowledge program, which has supported these before in Houston for Aqeedah 101.

Scholarship will be for $100 each. Remaining amount has to be incurred by students or requested from Al-Maghrib independently (to the best of our information, Al-Maghrib does have programs to offset partial costs for needy students).
Scholarship priorities are as follows (in order of importance):
- Muslim converts (required)
- Financial need (not required but preference will be given)
- First-time students (not required but preference will be given)
In order to apply, simply send an email to: amad@carsreloaded.com with your name, telephone, & where you fit (or not fit) in the scholarship priorities. We'll take it on from there.
IMPORTANT POINT: Scholarships will actually be LOANS, qarda hasanah. The way to repay the loan is very easy. Every student that gets this loan, has to attend the class (of course) and ALSO take the exam... That's it! With that, his or her loan is forgiven! Simple as that. Those who do not take the exam without a good reason will owe us the scholarship amount. Our purpose is clear: the scholarship is for those who are genuinely interested in seeking knowledge!

A total of 15 scholarships will be offered between the two classes. Preference will be given to Aqeedah 102, with up to 10 scholarships assigned there. Please note that CLIC (sponsors of Texas Dawah) is not affiliated with Al-Maghrib in any official capacity.

Can’t Elect One? Then, Convert One! (STORY BEING FOLLOWED)

2007-02-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

2/5/07
The mayor has changed his name to Hakim Mansour mashallah. See story here. Obviously, it hasn't been easy. I would URGE all my good readers to send a message of support to the Mayor. Here is the link. And finally, make Dua' for him, lots of supplication.

Unfortunately, instead of showing the world that the city was a beacon of tolerance, some of the city's residents have taken their bigotry online:
Peachpundit
WMCC News (a few entries)

Stop by these if you will, and drop a comment. Be respectful, courteous, keeping your Islamic manners in tact... perhaps a discourse with these citizens will open their minds and hearts to their new Mayor. To be honest, I can only think of good that this will bring to the city, if the Mayor takes civil responsibility and civil servitude as part of his calling.

2/2/07

Alhamdulillah, the Mayor of the city of Macon, Jack Ellis, has reverted to Islam (hat-tip to CAIR for the email announcement). The news piece (here and here) states that the Mayor had raised as a Christian, had been studying the Quran for years, and then went to Senegal to make the official switch to the religion that his ancestors were on when they were brought to America from Africa.

When asked why, he replied, "Why does one become a Christian? ... You do it because it feels right. It's the right thing for you to do. ... To me it's no big deal. But people like to know what you believe in. And this is what I believe in."

I guess the question should really be, "Why not?" Perhaps Obama will also go back to his roots, once and if he becomes the President (stranger things have happened in history, and Allah is the Master of all things). Oh, by the way, we'd take Obama, even if he doesn't become President! [By the way, those were tongue-in-cheek comments... called HUMOR].

This little message of hope continues to demonstrate the resilience of the true religion of God, Islam. Despite all the anti-Islam rhetoric and propaganda in America, Allah guides whom He wills.

At Texas Dawah 2006, we had the State Senator from NC, Larry Shaw in the house. He is also a board member of CAIR. Inshallah, I will be recommending to TDC to bring Br. Jack next year! I think that will be cool. May Allah protect him and keep him on the truth. And may Allah make him a source of benefit for Muslims specifically and the society in general (Muslims and non-Muslims of course). This also reminds me of Br. William Rodriguez, the Hero of 9/11... the last person to be pulled out of the rubble that was caused by those who hijacked Islam (in addition to planes). Br. William announced at Texas Dawah that he had become a Muslim a few months ago! What could be more amazing than this, as a sign from Allah, who pulled out a believer-to-be from the rubbles of a tragedy.

The Rise and Demise of "SOME" hard-liners...

2007-02-01T22:12:00.000-05:00

This series at Umar Lee's blog is very interesting, to say the least. Well, really, only for people who were part of it. So, if you had anything to do with the "dawah" in America, you'll find it an important read. Some people read it, and found themselves depressed. Others read it, and saw great hope. I read it and felt both. But, the hope is stronger. Only when one settles the 'past accounts', can renewal be achieved. We all know that Fitnah will remain with us till the Day of Judgment. Hence, what is more important is how we deal with this continuous fitnah and whether it makes us stronger or weaker. The message of Sunnah has always been the simplest, the most practical, and the easiest to 'sell'. That is obvious, because it is the message of Islam itself- simple and pure; it doesn't require great twists and turns. Unfortunately, in what Umar discusses, some who acquired a little bit of it, sold more than they bargained for. In the process, they sold the baatil (falsehood).

On this blog, I would like to know what the people of the dawah outside the NE area felt and thought, the positive experiences?

Introducing...

2007-01-29T20:41:00.000-05:00

Here are two blogs to keep an eye on, well may be in a few years... might as well get them starting early!
Reemo's World , and Abdullah's (aboodi) Galaxy... They would love to get a few comments, so stop by, if you can, and say "salam". Ignore that Aboodi is copying everything (almost everything) from his sister, and that "co-incidentally" they both have "dens"... Aboodi's only 6, and Reemo is not much older! Btw, they are Jana's siblings.

Abu Lulu's Shrine: Knowing Your Adversaries...

2007-01-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

First, let us remember the story (source here), to rekindle our grief upon the murder of one of Islam's greatest-- Umar (RD), who even the Shaytan feared:

"When the year 644 A.D. dawned, that being the tenth year of his rule, Umar had the premonition that before the year ended, he would die.
Ayesha who was present on the occasion of the pilgrimage has left on record that as the party treaded the path between Mina and Mecca, some unseen person addressing Umar said:
"Upon such an Iman as thou be peace and blessings, With your deeds you have prepared for the journey to Heaven, In this journey no one can outstrip you. You brought glory to Islam, After you there will be distress, But so is the will of God. From God you came, and now to God return."
Ahu Musa Ashaari states that at that time he had a dream. In the dream he saw the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr standing on a mountain. Umar stood at the base. Abu Bakr and the Holy Prophet asked him to come up and he climbed the mountain. The dream was interpreted to imply that the death of Umar was imminent.
On the last Friday in October 644, while presiding at the Friday Prayers Umar said that in a dream he had seen a bird peck at him and this implied that he was going to die. He said, "May be this is the last Friday prayer for me to preside, and thus ye faithful, farewell."
After the battle of Nihawand, many Persians, men, women, and children were taken as captives by the Muslims. The captives were sold as slaves. One of these slaves was Firoz alias Abu Lulu. He was purchased by Mughirah Shu'bah the Governor of Basra. This Firoz was a craftsman, a carpenter, an iron smith and a painter. Umar did not allow non-Muslim adult captives to reside in Madina. Mughirah sought special permission for the residence of Firoz in Madina on the ground that as he was a skilled craftsman, he would be of service to the people. Umar gave the permission as a special case.
One day, Firoz waited on Umar and complained that the tax which his master Mughirah was exacting from him was too high. He wanted the Caliph to reduce the levy. Umar enquired what work did he do. He said that he worked as a carpenter, painter, and an ironsmith. He added that he could make windmills as well. Umar next enquired as to the amount of the tax that he was required to pay to his master. He said that he had to pay two dirhams a day. Umar said that keeping in view the lucrative nature of the jobs done by him, the levy of two dirhams a day was prima facie not excessive. Umar said that he would, however, write to Mughirah, and examine the question further in the light of what Mughirah said. That did not satisfy Firoz, and he went away sulking. There were Persian children slaves in Madina. Seeing them, Firoz would say, "You have been enslaved at such a tender age. This Umar sees eaten my heart. I will take his heart out". He made for himself a dagger with a very sharp edge and smeared it with poison.
On the 1st of November 644 A.D. at the time of the morning prayer, Firoz went with his dagger to the Prophet's mosque and hid himself in a corner in one of the recesses of the mosque. When the faithful stood for prayer after straightening the lines, and Umar took up his position as the Imam to lead the prayer, Firoz emerged from his place of hiding and rushed at Umar. Firoz struck Umar six consecutive blows with his dagger, and Umar fell on the floor profusely bleeding.
Other persons rushed at Firoz, but he had the fury and frenzy of a desperate man about him. He struck right and left, and thirteen Muslims were wounded, some of them fatally [seven Sahabah died], before Firoz could be overpowered. At last realizing that he could not escape, Firoz stabbed himself to death with his own dagger. From the mosque Umar was carried home. When he regained consciousness he asked who was his murderer. He was told that his murderer was the Persian slave Firoz. Thereupon Umar said, "Praise be to God that I have not been murdered by a Muslim".
The physician administered him date cordial and milk. These could not be digested and gushed out of his wounds. That indicated that the wounds were fatal and that he could not survive for long.
The people around him praised him for his virtues and sterling qualities. He asked them not to praise him. He said: "All praise is to Allah. If all the treasures of this world were to be at my disposal, I would offer them as a ransom to be saved from the trial at the Day of Judgment." He then recited the Arabic verse:
"I have been unjust to my soul, Except that I am a Muslim, Say my prayers and fast."
Umar asked his son Abdullah to wait on Ayesha and beg her permission for his burial by the side of the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr. Ayesha wept as she came to know that Umar was about to die. She said, "I had reserved this place for my own burial, but I give Umar precedence over myself. Let him be buried there". When Umar was told that Ayesha had given the permission, he felt happy and said, "God bless Ayesha. She has fulfilled my greatest wish. Now I can die in peace."
Then he asked his son to estimate the debt that he had to pay. He was told that the debt amounted to eighty six thousand dirhams. This included the salary that he had drawn from the Baitul Mal during the period of his caliphate. He instructed that the debt should be paid by the sale of his property. Thereafter Umar gave detailed instructions to his son regarding his funeral. He said:
"Be moderate in the expenses of my shroud, for verily if there is anything of good with God in my favor, He will give me in exchange what is better than it, and if I have been otherwise, He will strip me of all that I have. And be moderate in the grave that you dig for me, for verily if there be anything of good with God in my favor, He will widen it for me, and if I have been otherwise, He will make it narrow for me to squeeze my body. And let no woman go with my funeral. Praise me not for that which is not in me, for the Lord knows best what I am. Therefore when you carry me to the grave, hasten in your going for if there is anything of good with God in my favor you will speed me to that which is good, and if I have been otherwise, you will cast from your necks an evil that you bear."
Thereafter Umar turned his face to the Qibla and breathed his last. There was serene smile on his face as he lay dead."

That was the story of the Great Caliph Umar (RD). And the following is the story of the cowards who have elevated Abu Lulu', the Zorastrian murderer of Umar, to the level of saint, with a large shrine to celebrate this great crime. The following pictures were taken from two sources, one of them from Wikipedia (online encyclopedia). This is NOT a hoax. You can read more about it on Wikipedia here, and you can also see this shrine being defended on a shia forum here.

One guy at this shiachat forum comments (audhubillah mina shaytan-ul-ins), "It is your scholars abu hanifa and bukhari who are persian magis fire worshippers . Abu Lulu'a was a great persian muslim who has been praised by AhlulBayt for sending that tyrant to hell and his miserable destiny. Anyway what's your proof that he is magian from your sources ?"

Why is this reminder important at this time? Because of what is happening in Iraq, because of what is happening in Lebanon. We cannot close our eyes to reality. Ali (who is influenced by pro-regressives) on his forum Eteraz.org asked his readers to support the call of a Shia Imam's editorial in a US newspaper. Read it for yourself here, and see how slick and wicked these people are. The guy (I am talking about the Imam) talks about "external" involvement by Saudis, Egyptians, Jordanians, but casually forgets Iran and the Mahdi-army terrorists. So, before we let the lore of Ahmadinejad among the Sunnis get out of hand, and tales of the great victories of the Shiite Hezbollah, let us remember Shiites really believe, and what they really think of the Sahaba, and what their banners and slogans really are. Let us not forget who betrayed Muslims in the recent wars... in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Notwithstanding that their allies from the West soon realized too on their accord, that their allies were not the best of allies, after all; betray one, and you will betray others. May Allah help us all, and guide us all to the truth.

(Added 2/13/07) I will add that the majority of Sunni scholars consider Shias to be within the fold of Islam. Furthermore, what happened in Afghanistan & Iraq does not mean ALL Shias have the same 'problem'. Wherever we can cooperate, we should do so. Wherever we can help each other to solve the bigger issues, and help to stop the destruction of life and property anywhere, we should encourage that. The killing in Iraq is haraam, of both Shias and Sunnis. The killing of any innocent person is haraam, let alone a Muslim. The terrorists exist on both sides, but for the most part, the objective view seems to say that Shias (having the upper hand) are the bigger instigators in Iraq, so the Shias who reject this violence need to redouble their efforts to help stop the bloodshed.

I call upon the Shias to tell the Sunnis on this blog that they the shrine of Abu-Lulu is not a 'mainstream' view among them. I HOPE to hear those voices.

Picture Stories on this Blog are being Collected HERE.

"Sheikhs Speak Too Much": Closing Gems @ Texas Dawah 2006

2007-01-28T17:08:00.001-05:00

Here's a "private" taping of the last session at Texas Dawah 2006 "Islam: A Light for All Ages"

The Wahhabi Myth: Debunking the Bogeyman

2007-01-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

Background:

"Wahhabism"—a term used by different people for different reasons. My purpose was to collect some of these uses to serve the end-goal of debunking the term itself. After all, if it means enough different things for different people, it really comes down to not meaning anything real in an absolute sense. Also, as you will see, the use of this term is almost exclusively negative or with implied negative connotations. Hence, you will hardly hear anyone proudly referring to himself as a Wahhabi or a Masjid named Masjid al-Wahhabi. It simply doesn’t occur. What this implies is that there is usually some emotional or prejudicial baggage with the term’s usage or some other sinister agenda.

This Article has been moved to MuslimMatters.org (Please Click Here)

We're Going Skiing!

2007-01-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

Maybe I should correct that... we are going to try to ski again tomorrow! Last time I went skiing in Colorado, it took me a few days to get over the aches and pains. I am not fat, but I ain't fit either. So, I expect to be quite sore for a few days, hopefully inshallah, without any injuries. I am more excited about the kids... Since we just moved up NE some months ago, they are going to the slopes for the first time!

The nearest ski resort is Blue Mountains, about 2 hours from home. Any ski-tips anyone? Anyone want to share good, bad or ugly experiences?

Here are some pics of Blue Mountain... you can see a live webcam here

Another Angle to Mosques Undercover & CNN's "Exposé"

2007-01-26T20:32:00.000-05:00

As some may have seen or heard it, CNN produced another shoddy attempt at a "balanced" view of Muslims. Other blogs talking about it here and here (you can see the videos here too). The only balancing real Muslim I saw on it was Suhaib Hasan and the Niqabi sister (who wasn't given the opportunity to say much at all as opposed to the babbling "I am just like all the rest of the whitees" pro-regressive "Muslim" comedian). Most of the other "moderates" seemed pro-regressive to me as well.

These journalists or soooo out of clue. Now every Muslim kid or vain adult who wants to get famous quick knows the trick. Become extremist-upid (hey that's a neat new word!) and you will be on CNN/BBC quick-- you'll be FAMOUS big-time! You don't have to kill anyone or commit any "real" crime or be a serial killer... just say stupid things like "Listen to me, I am a Muslim with a big beard, so I must know. I know a few verses of the Quran so I am REAL... so I tell you, and you have to believe me because I said so, Islam is NOT a religion of peace. We love to kill, and we are Draculas part-time, our favorite beverage is non-Muslim blood, esp. white women and little babies". That's about all that needs to be said for a guaranteed appearance on prime time TV. And you never know, this extremistupid guy may attract a few extremistupid "chics" who will be willing to be 2nd to 4th wife. I mean all the ugly rock-stars have screaming women, so an ugly extremistupid can also get quite a following! Please, Christine AmanPOOR, give me a BIG break!

Sorry, got carried away there... back to the real point of this post, which is why these "investigative" journalists don't show the other groups engaging in pretty much the same thing. Well, I kinda know why, but to avoid being a conspiracy theorist, I'll skip that discussion. Here is a little discussion that occurred on Sr. Ruth's blog, that gives another angle to the story. Christian Evangelists (whose ranks include President Bush) say about the same kind of things as were said in those undercover secret recordings, YET they face hardly any of the ruckus:

The following exchange is between Al-Ozarka (an average FOX-worshiping, Bush-loving, Muslim-basher with a wierd name):

-------
Ruth, do you feel comfortable with these Muslim brothers [referring to the videos of the Mosques-Undercover]?
Posted by: Al-Ozarka at January 18, 2007 12:54 PM

------
Re: Ozarka... Dare I say "Here we go again"? I bet if I stayed 6 months undercover in a hard-core evangelical church, I'd catch a lot more of gay-bashing, discussions about end-time (including the killing/conversion of unbelievers) and the need to spank your children 'religiously' to keep them straight. And if I take some comments out of context, then it will be even more sensationalist!
Personally, I am sick of this topic. I think we need to start another topic instead: "Persecution of Muslims Around the Globe"... well, that doesn't fit this blog's purpose, but really we need to stop being defensive all the time, esp. considering that there are MORE Muslims dying at the hands of the non-Muslims than the other way around. Its nearly useless talking to these brainwashed individuals. Especially when there are so many open-minded individuals out there to listen and have a reasonable conversation with.
Posted by: Amad at January 18, 2007 09:24 PM

---------
What utter nonsense!
"I bet if I stayed 6 months undercover in a hard-core evangelical church, I'd catch a lot more of gay-bashing, discussions about end-time (including the killing/conversion of unbelievers) and the need to spank your children 'religiously' to keep them straight. And if I take some comments out of context, then it will be even more sensationalist!
Name ONE besides the wackos from Kansas!
Name one that good Christians do not denounce VEHEMENTLY!
Posted by: Al-Ozarka at January 22, 2007 11:25 AM

---------
Al-Ozarka, are you serious? Nice little trap you built for yourself. I don't think I'll have enough space to lay all of them out, but here are a few to get you going (It's interesting that you put the Christians from Kansas in the Wacko category, while all wacko Muslim represent the entire 1.2 billion Muslims for you... I call this double-standards):

On Homosexuality:

Falwell called the gay-oriented Metropolitan Community Churches "brute beasts" and "a vile and Satanic system" that will "one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven."

Another classic here: "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen." (to which Robertson concurred).

Pat Robertson stated that "the acceptance of homosexuality could result in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorist bombings and "possibly a meteor."

On Jews:
Falwell has asserted that when The Antichrist ("The Beast") comes, he "must be, of necessity, a Jewish male"

On Muslims:

Falwell stated on 60 minutes "I think Muhammad was a terrorist. I read enough by both Muslims and non-Muslims, [to decide] that he was a violent man, a man of war."

On End-time/Armageddon:

Gorenberg is the author of the "End of Days," a book about those Christian evangelicals who choose to read the Bible literally. "They don't love real Jewish people. They love us as characters in their story, in their play, and that's not who we are, and we never auditioned for that part, and the play is not one that ends up good for us."
"The Jews die or convert. As a Jew, I can't feel very comfortable with the affections of somebody who looks forward to that scenario,"

On Spanking for Discipline:

Jim Dobson became well-known with the publication of Dare to Discipline, a book that became a cultural phenomenon among conservative Christian families. Dare to Discipline asserts the value of spanking children who defy their parents. Google "Christian spanking of children" and you will find plenty of supporting materials, including the methodology!

The Evangelical Christian movement, which is one of the largest in America, and has the President on its rolls, believes all this and much more... so Al-Ozarka, are you ready to condemn?

As for the persecution of Muslims, I have laid this challenge out before and continue to do so, count the # of Muslim civilians dying at the hands of non-Muslims, and vice-versa. The reality will hit as soon as you look at the numbers!
Amad

----------------

Needless to say, NO response yet from Al-Ozarka... I guess he's gone to the Ozarks to get some water.... too much heat you know :)

Talking about babies...

2007-01-24T21:18:00.000-05:00

Its tough to go to work sometimes when this little one wants to stay in your lap... Dear readers, meet Jana.

60 Ways to Keep Your Wife's Love: Guaranteed!

2007-01-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

I always believed that there were no guarantees in life... but hey, I could be convinced. Here are 60 ways Muslim husbands can keep their 'oppressed' wives loving them by Sheikh Ahmad Shehab (first time I heard of him but he seems pretty good). CLICK HERE. And those brothers who are not married, maybe this is a good start to start memorizing some tips.

The Sheikh did mention that it was not necessary to know every one of the 60, but you should aim to be a Champion... so, are YOU a champion Muslim guy? Or are you going to be wimpy and only learn 30 of them?

Want to earn some money?? Here's a challenge: the first one to list all 60 from the lecture (post under comments) gets $5! Paypal'd to you!

More challenges: List another valid 5 (beyond the 60 mentioned by the Sheikh), and you'll earn another $5. We'll stop at 100 so I can stop my wallet from bleeding, if we get there!

THE CHALLENGE IS ON...

The Demise of Obama

2007-01-22T20:50:00.000-05:00

For those who are completely ignorant of what goes on in American politics, you are probably thinking it was a typo, that I really meant Osama, not Obama. Well, I certainly don't mind that slant either, but here we are talking about the once-front-runner-for-President: Barack Hussein Obama. Yes, another surprise for some of you, his middle-name is Hussein. So, let's see here... his last name rhymes with Osama, and his middle is the same as Saddamenstein's last, hmm...

As if the that wasn't enough, another story surfaced over the last few days that Obama had gone to a "Madrassa", much like Misbah Rana's mystery enrollment in one. Of course, most Muslims know that "Madrassa" means school, and that there is nothing inherently evil, malicious, or terroristic about it, but nevertheless the word pushes a big hot-button created by the media to malign Muslim seminaries. In any case, the fact that Obama allegedly attended a madrassa when he was only 6 or 8 years old for only 2-4 years, the fact that he is now a self-proclaimed Christian, the fact that he has no Muslim views-- all the facts don't really matter! Currently, it stands at a triple-whammy--- two names that ain't right and then some time at a "madrassa"-- TOO MUCH for Americans to swallow. I could muse along, "so what if the guy is STILL Muslim, so what?" and obviously that question would be foolish in so many ways, starting with a complete naivety of current affairs. After all about half of Americans don't like Muslims too much anyway (courtesy the media, which is fighting Israel's proxy war)... even the slightest indication of any Muslim blood in a candidate is enough to keep him a long distance away from America's top post. In fact, people are talking about Obama as being a Manchurian candidate for Muslims! For God's sake, give me a BIG break! I mean some people give too much credit to Muslim planning. Muslims can hardly plan well for a few months, let alone have a plan that began 35 years ago with Obama; brainwashing and preparing him for his important assignment as the secret Muslim President of USA? Thanks, but no thanks.

Some readers may take offense to the my simplistic view of American people. I agree, there is no doubt sophisticated Americans exist, that many Americans are above this childish attacks... but there are enough, much more than enough, who will let this get in the way of sensibility. Mark my words!

Back to the Elections of 2008, there are (or were) four viable candidates: McCain, Guiliani (Republicans) and Hillary, Obama (Democrats). As far as I am concerned, Obama was a long shot, and is now not even that (unless he turns the Muslim to Christian conversion into a positive for the Evangelists-- who doesn't like a Muslim apostate these days??). I have to admit that Obama may actually have been the best cchoice for Muslims (on second thought, how many times have we said that and got bitten!). He is intelligent, fresh, and seems to have been above the political fray. He is also not on record for having a love-fest with Israel. Well, that's that...

As far as the rest of the pool, they are all about the same for Muslims. Democrats may be less inclined to use pre-emptive wars as a means of propping up their poll numbers, but America really can't afford another war for several years, so either party may not affect the war thing. The remaining Democrat, Hillary, doesn't have much of a real chance. Too many people hate her too much. Too many people have made up their minds about her, and since the difference is going to be a few percentile points, that sort of extreme love and hate is likely going to be her outdoing. That leaves the Republicans... the marriage of both Guliani and McCain to Israeli interests is well-known. McCain has written articles about America's deep bonds with the terrorist state of Israel, while Guiliani refused $10 million from the Saudi Prince Talal, because Talal mentioned the need for looking into the reasons for the 9/11 attacks (i.e. how Israel's terrorism is creating monsters). One of these two will be America's next president, that's my 2-cents worth prediction.

So, in my humble estimation, 2008 Presidential Elections is not going to be a watershed moment for Muslims. My advice to Muslims then: don't hold your breath!

Its Over (Inshallah) for Misbah Rana: She Stays Put!

2007-01-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

Alhamdulillah, sanity has prevailed. The 12-yr Scotland-born girl will stay put with her father-- in 3rd world Pakistan. Here are some links on the story: here, here and here. It became more and more obvious that Misbah wasn't under any pressure or under any brainwashing to say to the rest of the world, I am a Muslim, and I want to stay with my Muslim father, in a Muslim country. The official line was that Misbah's parents reached a custody agreement. That may be so, but mind you, it wasn't out of any kindness or regard for Misbah's wishes that her mother let the matter go. But, rather as evidence and testimonies poured in from family members, Misbah's mom's case went from worse to worst. Had it been the reverse, as I have said before, there was NO case... it was only the prejudice and racism of the British media (as this link describes) and her mom's supporters that was providing the steam. There was even a recent story of Misbah's admission to a "madrassa" (which only means school of course but scares the living lights out of the bigots because all they see is Osama when madrassa is mentioned) to stoke the fires of racism further. But it was not to be, Misbah's mother is apparently a part-time druggie and mentally unstable , according to her children by the way.

Interestingly, another pro-regressive (well I don't even know if she calls herself a Muslim) in the league of Irshad Manji (in terms of her mental retardation) by the name of Zenab Eve Ahmed chimed in on "comments are free" here. Well, her comments were not only free, but quite worthless. She writes that oh, no, this isn't about a father wanting her daughter to grow up as a Muslim, this is all about protecting Misbah's virginity or in her words "Sajad Ahmed Rana, fighting over the intact state of his daughter's hymen". Really? Well, even if for one moment if we assume your premise is correct, Zenab Evel, what is exactly WRONG with that? If you want to live a promiscuous life, and want your own daughters to have their hymen "taken care of" at the age of 12, then go ahead. But, how dare you tell Muslims what they should or should not do! Even religious Christians are trying to teach their children to stay 'pure' until their marriage, and Islam, the highest protector of Muslim women's honor, should give up on one of the sanctities of marriage? Give me a BIG break! Another blog, by the way, completely rips apart the arguments from Zenab Evel (i.e. Evil).

In any case, Misbah is happy to be staying in Pakistan. And we couldn't be happier for her. May Allah preserve her, and keep her upon her religion, firm and steadfast.

Previous posts on this subject:

Yasir Qadhi Response to Channel 4 Mosques Undercover Documentary

2007-01-20T17:44:00.001-05:00

Contact Channel 4 and send in your protest:

E-mail Address: dispatches@channel4.com
Discuss it on their forums by clicking here
Call: Viewer Enquiries: 0845 076 0191
Write to: Channel 4 Enquiries
PO Box 1058
Belfast
BT1 9DU

Talking Points:
See the last few lines of my previous entry, which starts with Channel 4, "here's my message for you". You can get several other points from this forum.


Yasir Qadhi delivers a right and a left to the documentary that has rocked the Muslim community in UK. The documentary that is sinister and evil in its intent to defame Muslims and divide them along lines of the so-called Wahhabi and non-Wahhabi! I have uploaded video now on video.google.com in addition to Youtube.

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips’ Response (hats-tip to Austrolabe):

Response to Channel 4's Sinister Plot to Defame Muslims

2007-01-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

Further to my commentary on Channel 4's documentary, these are responses by two well-known Muslims, one Yasir Qadhi (not featured in the documentary), and Abu Usama (featured). I thought hard whether I should even provide the links, or promote this destructive, evil, and sinister videos. But I would be fooling myself if I think that I will prevent this Internet fire from spreading.

I was quite disappointed that Abdul Hakim Murad aka TJ Winters participated in this slanderous program against Muslims. You know personally I don't care "which" Muslims they were working against... it really doesn't matter. If we have a problem with other Muslims, we should talk about it between ourselves. "Keep it in the family"! I hope AHM will take some time out in the near future to clarify that his intent was not as portrayed. Because we would never see Hamza Yusuf or Zaid Shakir do such things? I doubt that they would ever be part of an incrimination against other Muslims, regardless of the differences and the disagreements.

The documentaries are on Youtube, some may have been removed, others in the process. Here is a link to another blog that has the videos.

Responses:
1) By Yasir Qadhi
2) By Abu Usamah

Why Do Babies Smell Soooo Good?

2007-01-18T20:39:00.000-05:00

I love to smell my baby. I love to smell her baby-breath, her "bad" breath, her after-bath J&J shampoo smell, even her morning wake-up "awful" breath. The only smell I don't like of course is her "change my diaper now" smell. With my other two "grown" kids ... 6 and 9... the smell-factor is no longer the same. I mean their bad breath in the morning, for example, is not something I enjoy anymore.

So, what is it about little babies that make them smell SOOOO good? Why is it that I find myself taking deep whiffs with my little girl's face next to mine? SubhanAllah, Allah plants the love of these children right from the bat. In their BIG cheeks, in their cuddling, in their smiles, in their laughter, in their little fingers holding your thumb, in their super-fast crawling motions, and their stumbling all over the place. Those moments are so special, that when these little babies, who added so much to your work, and took away from your sleep, when they grow up... you miss it, you want it all over again! Of course fathers can't really compete with the mothers. Ever wonder why the mother wakes up to the crying sounds of the baby only to plant a big kiss on her, not that she didn't just wake her up for the tenth time in the night. And God forbid, if I wake up my wife one time in the night, I probably will be hearing about it for many days! (wife: if you read this, I am just kidding!). Well, lets not go into the mother-child lovey dovey stuff... let's stick to this fatherly instincts. Yes, REAL fathers also love their children... REAL fathers especially love their little girls... and REAL fathers usually love to smell their children. Did you know that the Prophet (S) used to smell and kiss Hussein (RD), his grand-child?

Forget about the Eternity for Men perfume, can't I bottle up that baby-smell and take it with me to work??? Any inventors out there???

Well, there is something special indeed about odors. Here is a nice article from Islamonline. Allah has indeed made our noses and our sense of smell quite a forensic tool! Interestingly, mothers find their own kid's poop less revolting than other kid's, no kidding, see for yourself here. And babies too can locate their food-source with their smell, read here.

Am I alone in this????

The False History of Muslim Intolerance

2007-01-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting analysis, that is worth reading:

The following was the author's conclusion to give you a little taste of the content:
----------
Conclusion: A Dangerous False History
Like Johne, many of our friends on the American right who are upset with the recent actions of some Muslims would like to believe that Islamic peoples have been historically intolerant, crude, or ignorant. Unfortunately for them, history does not bear out their arguments. Indeed, a close assessment of just a few instances of Islamic history shows that tolerance, learning, and forgiveness are the historical hallmarks of Islamic civilization. Such are the facts of history; and to pretend otherwise, given the precarious situation in which the world finds itself today, is the historical equivalent of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater. The misrepresentation of history does not often such With the world at war, it is important to understand that the religion many Americans view as an enemy possesses the historical virtues of peace.

Witness the Beautiful Recitation of Quran

2007-01-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful recitation of Allah's Speech. What I particularly like about this video is the streaming translation. So, for my non-Muslim readers: please witness the beauty of Quran, while you see its English meaning. Could there be anything as beautiful as this, except if it was from Allah?

The Prostitute and the Atheist: Lessons in our Grief

2007-01-16T21:27:00.000-05:00

Two stories that I stumbled upon recently were particularly distressing. Both involved sisters, practicing sisters, who wore the hijab and by all accounts, were "good" Muslims. Yet both of them stumbled, may Allah guide them back to the truth. And stumbled mightily. One sister took to prostitution, in fact, she showed up to "work" on the first day with her hijab on! I grieve for her, I grieve for her naivety, her innocence, I grieve for her life in the brothels, where the body's hijab is stripped away for the pleasure of men acting like animals. The other sister, though she kept her worldly integrity, lost much more in the akhirah. She belied her own fitrah, and she took to the religion which denies God Himself. We should all grieve, we should all feel for these women who were misled by the denizens of sins and evils. But, while we grieve, we should learn, we should take away lessons to apply to ourselves, to our communities, and to our societies. So, after recounting the two stories, I'll put forward one out of the many lessons that I take away from this, and I'll count on the readers of this blog to put forward their thoughts and lessons as well. I am especially interested in lessons form a common thread in both stories:

--------------------------------------------------------

The Atheist
Narrated by Yahya Ibrahim in his lecture "Death is Near"
[distributed by Muslim Audio; highly-recommended buy]

I wish to begin by narrating to you a saddening story, that should fill your heart with sorrow and fear. It is the story of a Muslim story that I received an email from about 3 months ago. This Muslim sister writes: I have an older sister… alhamdulilah, we were raised as Muslims, and my sister was a very bright student, and she received a scholarship to the most prestigious engineering school in America. And since we didn’t live in the city in which the college was, my parents were forced, I repeat my parents were forced, to allow her to go and live on the residence of the university alone… She (the older sister) used to wear hijab, and she became involved in the Muslim community in this prestigious engineering school, the most prestigious in all of America, and she began to write articles about what is Islam, why I wear hijab, etc. in the Muslim newspaper as well as the newspaper of the college, but some of her classmates were atheists, and one of them was a male, who she became infatuated with…she liked the way he looked, the way he talked, the way he carried himself, the marks he got, how he dealt with his professors…she was impressed! So he began to debate her, TALK (with emphasis) to her… about Islam, and he weakened her resolve quickly.

She took off the hijab, didn’t inform the parents, and all the people she lived with, who by the way were non-Muslims, were overjoyed, “Now you can come out with us” So she used to attend their social gatherings. Three months ago, I told you the sister emailed me, she said that my sister has just sent us a hand-written letter, saying, and this story began 2 yrs ago, saying “I cannot live like this anymore, I cannot live a lie, I must inform you that I no longer believe in your God, in fact I believe in no god.” Inna lilah wa inna alahi rajioon. Say it, Inna lilah wa inna alahi rajioon. This is the greatest calamity. O Allah, the Prophet used to teach us, do not make our calamity in our religion. What causes more sorrow that the parents of this Muslim girl ask, “can you please ask the shayookh, could you please translate our questions and ask, is it permitted for us to marry her off with a Muslim man and not tell him of this deviance.. just make a contract, so maybe she would become infatuated with her new husband and forget all this stuff she is doing”. Look at how naive they are [in their grief]. “Do not die except you are in the state of Islam.”

The Prostitute
Sex workers enjoy pastoral retreat by Daniella Miletic November 25, 2006

THE MUSLIM
"JULIE" entered an arranged marriage when she was 15. She says pressure from her strict Muslim family meant there were few options if she chose not to marry.

But when she later became pregnant and decided she would not have a baby in that loveless marriage, her husband was outraged.

"My husband told the sheikhs," she says. "And there was all this guilt trip, 'You are a Muslim lady, you shouldn't do that, you have killed a human being, how dare you … you are going to go to hell in this world and then to hell in another life.' "

Julie had the abortion and divorced her husband, later moving in with a friend who seemed inexplicably wealthy. "I saw guys dropping her off but they never came inside," she says. "I asked her where do you meet these people? Where do you go when you disappear for hours? Where do you get this money from?"

Her friend reluctantly told her she worked in the sex industry. "I thought if she can do it, then so can I," says Julie.

On her first night at the brothel she wore her hijab. "The owner said to me, 'Look, I know you are different and you have got a different belief, but in many ways we are a lot alike.'

"She gave me a room and told me I didn't have to do a job straight away, just to get comfortable. But it was so hard for me because, except for my husband, the most I had said to another man was 'Hi, how are you?'

"It took me six months to learn how to say 'Hi I am (Julie), how are you? I do sex, massage, oral with condoms."

Julie says shifts were soothed with methamphetamine, or ice, and she gradually became more comfortable.

Two years into the work she became pregnant again and decided to quit the industry — and the drugs.

She says it is tough. "You miss the money, so much … sometimes you think I will just go back to pay this bill off …"

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Lesson:
The necessity and importance of good company. All of us have friends, need friends, and enjoy friends. But, it is indeed the friends that led one of our sisters into prostitution, and the other into atheism.

So, by all means, have friends, lots of them if you wish. But, for Allah's sake, choose them wisely. Choose a friend that will remind you when the prayer time is, not one that will tell you to postpone it until the football game is up. Choose a friend who will remind you to lower your gaze, not one who will rush your attention to that 'blond chic'. Remember, friends will also serve to console you when you need consolation. How they console you will affect you at this time of emotional weakness. Are they going to take you to a night-club to 'relax, and take your mind off things', or will they remind you about lessons from the Quran, Sunnah, the Sahaba, scholars or even regular people who took their grief and turned it into something positive. Remember what the Prophet (S) said, "The similitude of good company and that of bad company is that of the owner of musk and of the one (iron-smith) blowing bellows, and the owner of musk would either offer you free of charge or you would buy it from him or you would. smell its pleasant odor, and so far as one who blows the bellows is concerned, he would either burn your clothes or you shall have to smell its repugnant smell. [Sahih Muslim Book 32, #6361].

Further readings: Here and here

Jill Carroll Dishes it out to the Nay-sayers!

2007-01-14T21:41:00.000-05:00

This little article in the Chronicle really is an impressive one. I enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed how Jill has really given it on the chin of the right-wing nuts, straight-up. I love the punch-line, "Where are all the moderate Muslims? All around us." Read for yourself:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4468083.html
STOP THE SCAPEGOATING
Where are all moderate Muslims?
An answer to what has become a ubiquitous question
By JILL CARROLL

I have given hundreds of talks and lectures throughout the Houston area in the past few years on issues of world religion and religion in public life. The question that always comes in the Q&A no matter what the topic, no matter if the audience is liberal or conservative, is "Where are all the moderate Muslims?"

The ubiquity of this question is deeply problematic. Not because the desire for so-called "moderate Muslims" is bad. (It isn't.) Not because the people who ask it are bad or bigoted. (They usually aren't.) The question is problematic because of what it assumes: that Islam is naturally predisposed to extremist interpretation; that most of the up to 10 million Muslims in the United States are not moderate, but radical; that those who claim to be moderate aren't because they don't stand up and denounce the extremists. None of these assumptions is supported by evidence. In fact, evidence exists to the contrary.

Muslim condemnations of terror abound, as even the most rudimentary Google search indicates. Plug in "Muslims condemn 9/11" and take an hour or so to just get started. Or read the Fiqh Council of North America's fatwa against terrorism declared in July 2005 and endorsed by 120 organizations and groups in the United States and Canada. Or go to the Council on American-Islamic Relations Web site to view the 30-second TV public service announcements they created and ran in English, Arabic and Urdu. "Why haven't we seen these things before?" you ask. You might direct that question to your local news outlets. And, given our access to the Internet, maybe we all could take more responsibility for being accurately informed citizens.

We have not had so much as a backpack bomb in this country since 9/11, and it's not because our security measures are so foolproof. Our largely terror-free experience comes because we have a free, prosperous society governed by a stable rule of law that offers tremendous opportunities for life and happiness, including religious expression. Muslims, like so many other religious, ethnic and racial groups in America, are integrated into all areas of life in all parts of the country, all sorts of neighborhoods, in all sorts of professions. They go to work, pay their taxes, raise their kids and participate in faith communities like most other citizens and residents of this country. They peacefully co-exist with others in this demographically pluralistic nation, just like almost everyone else does. They are our neighbors, co-workers, clients, friends and in-laws.

Yet, we act like they've come straight from the burning streets of Baghdad or the caves of Tora Bora with plans to blow us up. We see imams praying in the airport and have them taken off the plane. We see women wearing a hijab get on a bus or subway, and we feel ourselves tense up. Or, as happened recently when I attended a large interfaith dinner here in Houston and the well-known president of a respected Muslim organization got up to bless the food in Arabic, someone at a nearby table said, "We'd better hope he's not calling for jihad!" And in recent days we have seen the ugly episode in Katy with the pig races to protest the construction of a mosque in the area. While concerns about flooding, traffic congestion and building permits are legitimate, the Web site set up to protest the mosque is a virtual tutorial in Islamophobia.

Such things border on the hysterical. According to a recent USA Today article, more than a third of Americans think U.S. Muslims sympathize with al-Qaida and should have to carry special ID cards. This is just a hop, skip and jump from what we did to our Japanese residents and citizens after Pearl Harbor — we rounded them up indiscriminately and sent them to internment camps, a shameful and often hidden episode in our modern history.

We have to stop this. We in Houston and in America are bigger and stronger than to give in to such outlandish demon-izing and scapegoating. We must resist this irrational fear mongering with regard to our Muslim residents and citizens, as we must with all groups who for whatever reason become targets of hatred and bigotry. We cannot allow ourselves to be pawns in the manipulative hands of the most sensation-alist media outlets in our cul-ture. We must stand up for each other in the spirit of decency, tolerance and mutual respect. The very fabric and cohesion of our society is at stake.

Where are all the moderate Muslims? All around us.

Carroll is associate director of the Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance at Rice University.

Weird Mosque on the Prairie

2007-01-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Most of you have probably heard or seen this show. I reckon out of the 2 million viewers, many have to have been Muslims, yearning for some "positive" Muslim portrayal, but ended up seeing self-deprecating "comedy". I am actually a pretty positive, optimistic person on most things, usually not that cynical. However, I find myself feeling rather humiliated and embarrassed watching this little movie, which I would refer to as a weird mosque on the prairie, and not the Little mosque. Here are some facts:
1) Only one character is Muslim, who represents the pro-regressive (borrowing the term from Dr. Maxtor) Imam, x-lawyer, ready to take the weird mosque on the prairie to the "modern world".
2) They cannot even get the Quranic recitation right.
3) Muslims will lie and cheat in order to get their way. As opposed to the honorable reverend, who will overlook the hype to be fair and just.
4) Elders, esp. the 'traditionalists' are to be ignored, mocked and removed from positions of authority.

And so much more... I didn't plan to spend too much time on this since Lotaenterprises has already got a good thing going on this with plenty of interesting comments. I am too busy on the Wahhabi-busting post... didn't realize how long that would take!

The only additional point I will make is that this one area where most Muslims can agree upon: anyone who follows, claims or wants to follow the Sunnah and who opposes Pro-regressives, whether he be the "sufi-traditionalist" or the ICNA-type traditionalist or the "salafi-traditionalists". We can agree that the program is abysmal, and almost sinister in what it is trying to portray. I am especially weary of the affect this will have on the Muslim youth, who already (regardless of methodology) have little respect for elders, and who are being pulled in all directions by the winds of "question-everything".

For the sake of having all comments in one place, post 'em here at the Lotaenterprises's Center of Excellence! Link here.

Wahhabis -- an Assignment

2007-01-11T18:18:00.000-05:00

I am personally sick of the term "wahhabis" because everyone and his brother uses this term for practically everyone they don't like. It's pretty much become a cuss word. A long time ago I gave a khutbah for MSA-UH on campus about this phenoneman (I guess they couldn't find anyone for that day!); I intend to revisit that little sermon as well. You see the problem is that no one really follows Sh. Abdul-Wahhab, like for instance Qadiyanis follow Mirza Ghulam or like Mormons follow Joseph Smith, etc. So, you will be hard-pressed to find a Muslim that follows Sh. Abdul Wahhab in everything like someone would if they were to be rightfully called Wahhabis.

With that introduction, a little assignment: find references for everyone who calls anyone Wahhabis... for instance, I know Pipes calls CAIR and pretty much every Muslim in America Wahhabi, Braelwis call Deobandis wahhabis, etc... You get the point. Let's collect all a list of those called Wahhabis and those calling them such. Of course, with references. My purpose is to debunk this term's usage, so lend me a bit of your time...

Media Inquisition of Muslims Continues...

2007-01-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Here is an article sent to me by a good friend, which appeared yesterday in one of the more Muslim-friendly newspapers in UK-- the Guardian. It seems to me that the media's attempt to continue thrusting a less than thrilling image of Islam is becoming almost desperate. Every time there seems to be the slightest lull, someone has to break it-- either one of our jihadi friends or the media with another "insider story" (NOTE: "jihadi friends" was meant to be sarcastic-- I don't have any jihadi friends; this disclaimer in itself is testimony to what positions we find ourselves in!).

So, it seems that the media cannot have enough of Islam/Muslim-related stories. Every outlet wants to break its own 'sleeper-cell' story! And I bet ya that the story sells each and every time. Of course, the good Muslim stories are never reported or buried somewhere deep, where no one can find it. Good stories, of course, don't sell. I mean a Muslim soup kitchen serving the hungry and desolate on Houston streets may be reported by one paper, but how much more attention does that deserve! On the other hand, the same soup-serving people, a bunch of barely-adults practicing to shoot arrows or guns for fun, in a camp owned by an Islamic society, is considered extremely news worthy, deserving of massive distribution since of course, stupid, they were members of a "sleeper-cell" and their "fun" activities was nothing but part of a "training camp". Remember Brandon Mayfield, the poor white-convert lawyer, who the media desperately wanted to be another John Walker Lindh? Remember how this guy had never left American shores, yet somehow his fingerprints were magically found on evidence in Spain? Well, remember how the story made front-page on all the papers? Now, fast-forward a bit, and his exoneration hardly made a dent in any of the headlines. So, what do you think the average American remembers? Another convert to Islam, with a fancy degree, out to get America!

Back to the Guardian story about the upcoming Channel 4 documentary (on UK TV). In 12 months of investigation (that is an awful long time), they found only one or two instances of what one might call outrageous and "break the law" type speech. Yet the whole commentary was labeled "Preachers' message of hatred". Some other examples of 'egregious' behavior (as defined by this journalist) were things stated by a preacher, directly from Islamic law, such as disciplining the children if they do not pray! Whoa... so, we can't even quote a hadith now? We can't even discipline our children now? To make them practice what is the most basic rights of Allah, i.e. to pray. I mean would we not hit our children if they did not study, or started to smoke, or do drugs? Most parents would answer in the affirmative. So, for Muslims, it is worse not to pray than to do any of these social wrongs. Please parents, don't get me wrong! Everything in Islam is in proportion, so hitting has its constraints: no hitting on face or head, not hitting so hard to leave bruises, etc. What is funny is that even the non-Muslim Western society is divided on the benefits/cons of child-spanking, and many religious Americans, esp. from the south, will tell you straight-up that a little spanking goes a long way. For Muslims, spanking of children is not encouraged, some say it is actually forbidden. But, the only place for its permissibility is for prayers, since prayers forms the minimum basis for a person's Islam.

What gets under my skin is that these dang investigative journalists (I assume there was more than one)... did they not see any good in 12 months? I mean they must have! Yet, to just ignore all the goodness for the sake of a few bad apples, for the sake TV ratings, at the expense of Muslim sentiments and Muslim image, is just plain incitement. What do they want?? A few lynchings? Will that satisfy their hunger for Islamophobic stories?

Channel 4, here's my message for you: The anti-Muslim sentiments are already resounding in the West, a large chunk of people already think Muslims are inherently violent or evil, Islamophobia is already rampant; so let me tell you straight-up that you have succeeded, that the media has ALREADY succeeded in destroying our image. Your "icing on the cake" with this documentary will now only serve to enrage those who already hate. That rage will lead to violence against Muslims: bodily or to property. And guess where the blame will squarely lie: at YOUR hands. As for the few Muslim extremists, they will continue preaching what they need to; they will just move around. Your story will neither bother them nor hurt them. In fact, it may embolden them. What you should have done INSTEAD, was to spend 12 months locating positive stories in the mosques. So, that you could help heal the wounds, not add insult to injury. So, that you could perhaps turn the heart of one of those bigots planning violence against Muslims, and perhaps even save a life. SHAME ON YOU, and shame on your channel, and shame on all those who support you with advertisement revenue. Prepare your hands for Muslim blood, I guarantee you that your story will lead to it, may Allah protect all our Muslim brothers and sisters. And Allah knows best.
------
Here's the story:
Revealed: Muslim Preachers' messages of hate

Muslim worshippers are being urged by radical clerics to ignore British law
By Jamie Doward
The Observer

An undercover investigation has revealed disturbing evidence of Islamic extremism at a number of Britain's leading mosques and Muslim institutions, including an organisation praised by the Prime Minister.

Secret video footage reveals Muslim preachers exhorting followers to prepare for jihad, to hi t girls for not wearing the hijab, and to create a 'state within a state'. Many of the preachers are linked to the Wahhabi strain of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia, which funds a number of Britain's leading Islamic institutions.

A forthcoming Channel 4 Dispatches programme paints an alarming picture of how preachers in some of Britain's most moderate mosques are urging followers to reject British laws in favour of those of Islam. Leaders of the mosques have expressed concern at the preachers' activities, saying they were unaware such views were being disseminated.

At the Sparkbrook mosque, run by UK Islamic Mission (UKIM), an organisation that maintains 45 mosques in Britain and which Tony Blair has said 'is extremely valued by the government for its multi-faith and multicultural activities', a preacher is captured on film p raising the Taliban. In response to the news that a British Muslim solider was killed fighting the Taliban, the speaker declares: 'The hero of Islam is the one who separated his head from his shoulders.'

Another speaker says Muslims cannot accept the rule of non-Muslims. 'You cannot accept the rule of the kaffir [non-Muslim],' a preacher, Dr Ijaz Mian, tells a meeting held within the mosque. 'We have to rule ourselves and we have to rule the others.'

The 12-month investigation also recorded a deputy headmaster of an Islamic high school in Birmingham telling a conference at the Sparkbrook mosque that he disagrees with using the word democracy. 'They should call it ... kuffrocracy, that's their plan. It's the hidden cancerous aim of these people.' The Darul Uloom school said it no longer employed the teacher and that one of the reasons he resigned 'was the incompatibility of many of his opinions with the policies of the school'.

When contacted by The Observer, UKIM said: 'We are a nationwide organisation and hold different programmes in our mosques. We are very concerned about this. We have instructed all our branches not to allow any more speakers with radical or fundamentalist views. This has occurred as a result of a n internal problem. We hired out Sparkbrook community hall, and some of the organisations that hired it allowed some speakers with views that are not our own. As a result, no more external groups will be allowed to hire the community hall at Sparkbrook.'

Elsewhere the documentary records the huge popularity of DVDs and internet broadcasts produced by extremist preachers. At the Islamic bookstore at Regent's Park Mosque in central London, DVDs of a preacher called Sheikh Yasin are sold. In one DVD, Yasin, who is promoted on the mosque's website, accuses missionaries from the World Health Organisation and Christian groups of putting the 'Aids virus' in the medicine of African people, 'which is a conspiracy'.

Another DVD on sale features Sheikh Feiz, a Saudi-trained preacher. Feiz says: 'Kaffir is the worst word that can ever be written, a sign of infidelity, disbelief, filth, a sign of dirt.'

In a statement the company that runs the bookstore said: 'We sell and supply a wide range of material and we do not necessarily agree with it. It is totally unfair to blame [us] for any of the views expressed in these lectures.'

Elsewhere, another preacher at a mosque in the East Midlands is caught on film, praying: 'God help us in our fight against the kaffir, in every field, in every department of life. We beg you to help us fight against the enemies of our religion.'

Inside the Green Lane mosque in Birmingham, a preacher is recorded saying: 'Allah has created the woman deficient.' A satellite broadcast from the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, beamed into the Green Lane mosque suggests that Muslim children should be hit if they don't pray: 'When he is seven, tell him to go and pray, and start hitting them when they are 10.' Another preacher is heard saying that if a girl 'doesn't wear hijab, we hit her'.

Another preacher says: 'The time is fast approaching where the tables are going to turn and the Muslims are going to be in the position of being uppermost in strength and, when that happens, people won't get killed - unjustly.'

In a statement to Channel 4, Lord Ahmed, the convener of the government's Preventing Extremism taskforce, said he was worried about the programme's consequences: 'While I appreciate that exaggerated opinions make good TV, they do not make for good community relations.'

A spokesman for Green Lane mosque said Islam does not denigrate women and that the instruction to hit a child was merely a smack. He accused C4 of intensifying the 'witch-hunt' against Muslims.

'Undercover Mosques', Dispatches, goes out at 8pm on Monday, 15 January

Would the Prophet (S) be Part of this Event?

2007-01-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

SubhanAllah, I wonder, what people are thinking when they do these things in the name of Islam? On the heels of my posts on RIS vs TDC, and Sami Yusuf vs Yvonne Ridley, here is one that combines both.

Look at this video... I am sorry, it is music, but you have to see it... hear it closely... hear the lyrics, hear the sisters with hijab singing, screaming, jumping... one sister offers herself to be "leaned on".

Click here to see "Aisha" by Outlandish (Viewer-discretion Advised. By the way, what an appropriate name 'Outlandish', subhanAllah--- perhaps it should have been called Islamically outlandish)

Please someone explain to me the difference between this concert and a generic U-2 concert? Oh, I know, U-2 are kuffar singers, right... anymore? OK, ok, I know there are more differences, but the PROBLEM is why are there so many SIMILARITIES? Show this video to a non-Muslim and ask him or her if they see a difference, and they will probably tell you that it looks and plays like any other concert.

I know RIS is doing good stuff, but I challenge the good brothers who organize it to just answer ONE question: Would Prophet (S) be part of this event? Would he (S) approve of it? Or would he be embarrassed of what is going on in the name of Islam? To be honest, I don't even think this is a sufi/sunnah question... I doubt even any of the sufi-leaners would accept this. I doubt that Hamza Yusuf would approve of it. At least, I hope he wouldn't.

Shame on us, that we twist this deen to suit our desires! Shame on us for changing the names of things to make them halal... So, that mom and dad won't allow their daughters at the Eminem concert, but they are happy to send them to the RIS concert. Let me tell you, mom and dad-- you have just been duped!

May Allah guide all the activists to truth, to not compromise the religion for the sake of numbers.

A Quick Layman's Primer on Attributes of Allah

2007-01-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

The post on RIS vs TDC, for some reason, spurred many tangents. One of them is on the Attributes of Allah. I think it deserves a quick, short primer. Now, I know there is tons of information out there on the web, and all sorts of proof from the texts, logic, etc. available as well. But, I'd like to give a very simple explanation. And the very fact that I can make it so simple, to me, represents the truth. Why? Because convincing someone about Islamic Aqeedah is simple, because it is the Fitrah of human beings (innate nature), and it makes sense, so its easy. Thus, the Aqeedah has to be simple to make its explanation simple. The religion of Islam is meant for everyone, from the not-very-smart to the very intellectual. The message is not like the Trinity or other complex rocket-science-type stuff. It is clear and concise.

When I took this same message to my Sunday school students, none of them had a hard time getting it, and so if they didn't, neither should you. So, ignore what you have heard in the propaganda, and lend me your ears for a few:

First of all, let's get on the same page: Allah knows what He wants to say or how He wants to say BETTER than what you can say or how you can say it. Right? If you have a problem with this sentence, then you might as well skip this post, because your very acceptance of your Creator's Knowledge is in doubt. OK, with that behind us, let's go to the basics:

Accept Allah's Attributes AS-IS. We all know what AS-IS means, right? It means, what He says about Himself, subhana wa ta'ala, ACCEPT IT like He said it. Don't get into ta'teel, tahreef, takyeef, tamtheel (or tashbih), tafweed, or any other t-beginning Arabic word.
Of course you need to know what those Arabic words are, otherwise you may fall into them.

Ta'teel: Denying the Attributes completely. Simple enough.
Ta'weel: Figuratively interpreting the Attributes. For instance, saying that Allah's Hand mentioned in the Quran refers to His Power.
Tahreef: Distorting the meaning. For instance, Allah talks about when HE spoke to Moses, some people distort it to say that Moses talked to Allah instead.
Takyeef: Describing Allah's Attributes by saying "how" they are. For instance, Allah says He has a Hand, but if someone were to describe how that hand looks, he has committed takyeef.
Tamtheel/Tashbih/Tajseem: Comparing Allah to His creation or for tajseem, it is more specifically is likening Allah to a body.
Tafweed: This is one of the more 'in-vogue' ones these days. Basically, saying that we don't know what Allah means when He talks about SOME of His Attributes. So Istiwa is like Alif-laam-meem; means nothing to us.

Remember a guiding principle at all times, an ayah from the Quran, "Laytha kimithli shayan" (There is NOTHING like Him... Quran 42:11)
Let's put it all together. Don't worry, you don't have to memorize or remember a single of these t-words, as long as you get your basic fundamentals right. Simply remember this: when Allah says anything about Himself, go back to the "AS-IS" principle. So, when Allah says that He has an Attribute in the Quran or authentic Sunnah (we only affirm what is authentic from the 2 texts), you accept it AS-IS. I'll give you an example to clarify: when Allah mentions His Hand in the Quran, we say that indeed Allah has a Hand. We all know what Hand means, but we have ABSOLUTELY no idea HOW His Hand is. Remember the ayah in bullet-3, there is nothing like Him. For instance, if I told you that someone or something has a beautiful hand, even amongst the creation, would you have any clue what it looks like? I mean it could be a chair's hand, it could be a human hand, an insect's hand (do insects have hands??), whatever, you get the point! Just because Allah has a Hand, does not mean that we know ANYTHING about it. Only He knows about it. All we do is to affirm what He has affirmed for Himself, and we STOP right there. Because you should know that our imagination cannot transcend the physical world, so we cannot imagine what Allah's Hand could look like, and trying to imagine it would take you in the realm of disbelief. So, hold your horses. Stop at the knowledge Allah has given you, and move on.
Seems pretty simple? It is. Absolutely it is. But people make it complicated. Some say that if we say Allah has a Hand, for instance, then we are comparing it to creation because the creation has hands (that we are doing tashbih/tajseem). SubhanAllah! Did we say Allah has a Hand, or did Allah HIMSELF say that He has a Hand? Allah said it! So, some will deny the hand outright, while others will use the nifty technique of tafweed, and say we really don't know what yad (arabic for hand) means in the Quran. Herein lies the logical hole you throw yourself in when you go down this route: Consider the logical conclusion of this kind of methodology... ultimately it will lead you to denying all of Allah's Attributes. Because why is it that some will accept that Allah is as-Samee (the Hearer) and al-Baseer (the Seer) with complete meaning, yet, deny this for other Attributes?? I mean human beings and animals hear and we see, Allah Hears and Sees, yet these people (Ash'arees and others) will for some reason accept this interlink between the Creator and creation, yet they will deny it for other attributes. Sorry guys, if one is tajseem, the other is tajseem too. Because if you deny one, you gotta deny all of them. Since, each of them will lead to the same logical conclusion. Eventually, here is the danger I was referring to: IF you keep denying those attributes that you think makes Allah like his creation (in a narrow mind), you will eventually deny that Allah is Al-Hayyu (the Living) . Because one can argue that we live, and Allah lives, so does that mean Allah doesn't live, naudhubillah, because saying that He lives will be tajseem (based on the same principles that saying Allah's hands cannot be hands because humans have hands)? SO, like good Ahl-Sunnah boys, if we go back to the AS-IS basics, we would say we live AND Allah Lives, but Allah's Living is of a Perfect form, that no other living compares to, and that can be imagined by no created mind in the universe.
Another point of common-sense that sometimes escapes people is that we consider the obvious meaning. What this means is that if it is obvious or if there is some other consistent and obvious evidence, then one may have to do a figurative explanation. For example, let's even take the English language... you may hear someone say "Get your head outta here", what it really means is that you should leave, not that you should cut your head and remove it. So, it is the apparent, understood meaning. Hence, an explanation of seeking Allah's Face may be seeking Allah's pleasure because of the obvious meaning. Most times you don't have to worry about it, because Allah's Attributes are usually clearly mentioned.
The same problem occurs in the unsettled hearts, as they try to remove this 'tajseem' in issues of Allah's istiwa (rising) upon the Throne, or Allah's descent to the lowest heaven during the last third of the night, etc. Rather, this unsettling is in fact a deviation from Shaytan, who tries to whisper in sincere hearts that they are comparing Allah to His creations, while they are only affirming what He Himself says for Himself. So, here's the truth folks: when Allah says that He descends, then He does descend, because He says so. HOW he descends, no one knows. But, we know descends means coming down, a direction is defined and obvious, because Allah did not, even though He could, say that He ascends, which would mean upwards. People then jump at this point and say that we are affirming a direction or space for Allah. We are neither. Rather, we are saying what Allah says about Himself, that He has affirmed the direction of his move in the last third of the night, not us. We don't affirm for Allah what He has not affirmed for Himself.
As one can see, the more one tries to delve into the hows, and the whys, and the comparisons, etc., one will start getting into doubts and confusion about Allah's Attributes. So, stick to the simple formula I mentioned: whatever Allah says, take it as-is. Never think about its "how" or its "why" or that it is "like someone". Nothing Allah is or does is like anyone else. So, rest your brain against those wacko thoughts.

In closing, Imam Malik's famous statement when a man came in and said: “O Abâ ‘Abd Allah, al-Rahmàn made istiwà on the throne. How did he make istiwà?” Màlik bowed his head [in thought] and sweat appeared on him. He said: “Al-Rahmàn did make istiwà on the Throne as He said about himself, but we do not ask how, for how does not apply to him. Moreover, you are an innovator. Put him out!” And the man was put out.

Hope this all is clear. Here are more references for further study:

Ibn Qayyim: O People of Paradise: Meet Your Lord

2007-01-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, one of the greatest scholars Islam has produced, a student of Sheikh-al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, wrote this incredible poem, which is reproduced in this stunning presentation. Props to my new half-sufi friend Mujahideen Ryder for finding it on the net, and putting it on his blog.

…………………..
And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: ‘O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!’ So they will say: ‘We hear and obey!’

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: ‘O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: ‘And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?’

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ‘O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: ‘O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!’ So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: ‘O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’

So, they will all give the same response: ‘We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’ So, He will say: ‘O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: ‘Show us your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.’

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife…

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, l ooking at their Lord…} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

قال ابن القيم رحمه الله تعالى: ينادي المنادي يا أهل الجنة! إن ربكم تبارك وتعالى يستزيركم فحيا على زيارته، فيقولون: سمعاً وطاعة، وينهضون إلى الزيارة مبادرين، فإذا بالنجائب قد أعدت لهم، ويستوون على ظهورها مسرعين، حتى إذا انتهوا إلى الوادي الأفيح الذي جعل لهم موعداً، وجمعوا هناك لم يغادر الداعي منهم أحداً، أمر الرب تبارك وتعالى بكرسيه فنصب هناك، ثم نصبت لهم منابر من نور، ومنابر من لؤلؤ، ومنابر من زبرجد، ومنابر من ذهب، ومنابر من فضة، وجلس أدناهم -وحاشاهم أن يكون فيهم دنيٌ- على كثبان المسك ما يرون أن أصحاب الكراسي فوقهم في العطايا، حتى إذا استقرت بهم مجالسهم، واطمأنت بهم أماكنهم، نادى المنادي يا أهل الجنة! إن لكم عند الله موعداً يريد أن ينجزكموه، فيقولون: ما هو؟ ألم يبيض وجوهنا، ويثقل موازيننا، ويدخلنا الجنة، ويزحزحنا عن النار؟

فبينما هم كذلك إذا سطع لهم نورٌ أشرقت له الجنة، فرفعوا رءوسهم فإذا الجبار جل جلاله وتقدست أسماؤه قد أشرف عليهم من فوقهم، وقال: يا أهل الجنة! سلام عليكم فلا ترد هذه التحية بأحسن من قولهم: اللهم أنت السلام، ومنك السلام، تباركت يا ذا الجلال والإكرام. فيتجلى لهم الرب تبارك وتعالى يضحك إليهم ويقول: يا أهل الجنة! فيكون أول ما يسمعون منه تعالى، أين عبادي الذين أطاعوني بالغيب ولم يروني فهذا يوم المزيد، فيجتمعون على كلمة واحدة: أن قد رضينا فارض عنا، فيقول: يا أهل الجنة! إني لو لم أرض عنكم لم أسكنكم جنتي، هذا يوم المزيد فاسألوني، فيجتمعون على كلمة واحدة: أرنا وجهك ننظر إليه؟

فيكشف لهم الرب جل جلاله الحجب، ويتجلى لهم، فيغشاهم من نوره ما لولا أن الله تعالى قضى ألا يحترقوا لاحترقوا، ولا يبقى في ذلك المجلس أحد إلا حاضره ربه تعالى محاضرة، حتى إنه يقول: يا فلان! أتذكر يوم فعلت كذا وكذا؟ يذكره ببعض غدراته في الدنيا، ويقول: يا رب ألم تغفر لي؟ فيقول: بلى بمغفرتي بلغت منزلتك هذه. اللهم اغفر لنا ذنوبنا وإسرافنا في أمرنا. اللهم ارزقنا توبة نصوحاً تطهر بها قلوبنا، وتمحص بها ذنوبنا يا أرحم الراحمينّ! يا أكرم الأكرمين! اللهم اغفر لنا!

قال ابن القيم رحمه الله تعالى: فيا لذة الأسماع لتلك المحاضرة، ويا قرة عيون الأبرار بالنظر إلى وجهه الكريم في الدار الآخرة، وربنا جل وعلا يقول: وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ * إِلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ [القيامة:22-23] هنيئاً لأهل الجنة ما هم فيه من النعيم المقيم نسأل الله من فضله الجنة، يا أكرم الأكرمين! ويا أجود الأجودين! اللهم اجعلنا من أهل الجنة برحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين!
من شريط :

( الجحيم والنعيم ) للشيخ : ( عبد الله حماد الرسي )

Aboodi's Eid Mania

2007-01-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of my son clowning around outside Synott Masjid for Eid in Houston... the two victims are his cousins. Thanks to my b-i-l for making the recording, while I had gone into the packed mosque for Yasir Q's Eid Khutbah. Next time you need a clown for your party, please call me, Aboodi's rates are still low!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f7kodnbo0s

Appreciation of Health

2007-01-04T20:37:00.000-05:00

The Prophet (S) urged us to take advantage of 5 before 5: your youth before you grow old; your health before you fall sick; your money before you become poor; your leisure before you become busy; and your life before you die.

A few days ago, I contracted flu. No big deal, everyone gets it. But this little bacteria/virus or combination completely wrecks you, and you realize how vulnerable you really are. I mean you can't even see this enemy, isn't it? Yet, it creates havoc inside you, making your whole body surrender to its will, which of course is subservient to the will of the Creator. So, I resisted antibiotic for a few day but then gave in, when I was too cold and too hot, both in the same night under the same ambient temperatures.

Its one thing to be sick at home, yet quite another to be sick away from home, in your beloved hometown, which you were to leave the next day! So, I had to travel yesterday, and leave Houston. Perhaps, it will be another year before I go back inshallah. Sickness, combined with sadness, contributed to a wonderfully dull and unpleasant trip back to the coldness (pun intended) of Delaware. Well, at least the weather isn't that cold here. Which is actually not a good thing when you work in the oil industry. Quick industry primer: Warm weather in winter = low demand for heating oil = low profit. So, even a nice winter isn't helping the mood here in the Shaikh household.

Am I done whining? Not really. Our youngest, Jana, 10 mths old, fell really sick as well, with temperatures hovering in the 103-104F range. Talk about misery coming altogether. She is better today alhamdulillah.

In any and all cases, Alhamdulillah ala' kuley haal (Praise and thanks to Allah in all conditions). If He gives health, He sure can take it away. And for a little while when you are sick, you can appreciate what you really had going for you when you weren't (sick). So, dear brothers and sisters, take advantage of your health before you get sick. Get up and contribute, don't wait for the whining to start! Contribute to yourself (read and listen to Islamic knowledge, it is also fine to read non-Islamic stuff if the purpose is to help contribute Islamically :)); Contribute to the Society; and finally Contribute to my Blog!! Hey, at least I can put a plug in for myself??

Texas Dawah Lectures...

2007-01-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Br. Omar of Lotaenterprises continues to add more detailed notes from some of the best lectures at Texas Dawah.... Don't be a stranger to his blog!

http://lotaenterprises.wordpress.com/

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A sister was kind enough to transcribe another of Yasir's lecture "Relationship between Reasons
and Revelation... jazakillahkhair:
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Thank you, I enjoy reading your blogs and links to others about TDC06 lecture notes, particularly lotaenterprise and ibnhayderabadee (spelling?). I wanted to share this notes (not edited) that I have poorly recorded with screaming babies and transcripted myself by sending to yours anonymously. I hope many will benefit from it and share it with others. To Sheikh Yasir, jazzakumullahu khairan and may Allah ta'ala showers you with His protection. Ameen

anonymous - wish fathers to babysit too.

The relationship between reason and revelation – Transcript lecture by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi TDC2006

There are 4 issues mentioned on the subject of roles of reasons of revelation in Islam:

1 Why concept of reasoning?
2 What is the role the Qur’an has given that says about man’s intellect?
3 What is the purpose if intellect and why did Allah blessed man with knowledge?
4 The dangers of going into extreme on all sides?

Firstly, why are we talking about this concept of reasoning?

We are living in a new age and time, entering well within the scientific era of technological advancement in every sphere of science. There is ever increasing emphasis in intellect in every single academic in rational thoughts and less and less emphasis on religion. The average vestige of our time is spent on trust of intellect and science more than trust in any religion. The average westerners look down on spirituality and religion and even if they believe in it, it will only be on odd time like once a while, once a week or once struck with trials and it doesn’t affect them. As they firmly believe what science, what reasons and intellect ell them to believe. Therefore we are living in time where traditional values are being challenged, being re-examined. People are taking a fresh look, not just at Islam but everything. Like wise an improper understanding of the role of intellect will leads to deviation in both ways. If we say that we are blind following in a religion then a Hindu can come and say: “Just like you a blind believer in Islam, I too a blind believer in my religion. What rights have you to look down the fact that I worship a cow?” And a Christian can come and say the same thing and a Jew and an atheist too can come say the same thing and all can say “I am a believer because I have a blind faith.”
There is a line of boundary that we can come to and this is the reason of the role of intellect, and this is the purpose of this topic.

Second, now let us look at the role of aqil in the Qur’an. Aqil means intellect and reason and from the concordance of the Qur’an to present all the words with aqil used and looked at every single instance of the occurrence of the word aqil with all of it’s derivatives aqil, aqala, takqiluun and all of these derivatives. Also of words that similar to them, such as faqkarah, fakiha, alima yaklamuun, and afala tafakkaruun (why don’t you think?) and I have looked at all these verses in the Qur’an that numbers in the hundred. I have then divided these verses and put them into categories that Allah has challenged us to think. They are divided into 4 such categories that I have based upon my opinion, the purpose of aqil that Allah has mentioned in the Qur’an and illustrate in the Sunnah. Now we all know especially living in this country where many are talking about the emphasis of the intellect. We all know that Allah tells us in the Qur’an: Why don’t you think? Why don’t you ponder? (Affala yaqkiluun), We have revealed the book for people who think. So we all know that Allah challenges us to think like in

Surah al Baqarah : 219
“This is why the verse is made clear so that you can think.”

Surah al Zumar : 42
“In these creations are signs for those who think.”

Surah al Baqarah : 242
“So that you can understand and ponder

Surah al Baqarah : 164
“I have created the sun and the moon, the alternate of night and day; I sent the shift in the river; the wind with rain as miracles for those who think.”

So Allah is challenging us to think, to ponder, all of us read this but very few have looked at the context of these verses.

Who is Allah vesting in?
Who is Allah talking to?
Who is Allah asking to ponder?

I have come out about 4 categories of reasons; and people that Allah Addresses to think on specific circumstances:

1 Allah address those who do not believe that Allah is the creator in the first place i.e. atheist and agnostics or those who do not believe in One deity. Basically, Allah is addressing those who do not believe in one God, either they rejecting the God or affirming many Gods, idols worship, Hindus, pagans, animists etc. Allah challenges them to use their minds, contemplate to the conclusion that there is only one God. This is the majority of verses about; challenges us to think to those who do not affirm to the Oneness of Allah.
Of these verses: Ar- Room : 8 “Do they not ponder over the creation around them, and the heavens and the earth? Don’t they think about this? (the subjects of science, physic, biology and chemistry), don’t they see for themselves : In these are signs for those who think and contemplate.”

Likewise the prophet Ibraheem alayhis sallam when he destroyed all the idols except the largest one and placed the axe on the largest idol. When the people came and accused him and want to punish him, he gave them a speech and of what he said to them: How do you think of those idols that you worship? Woe to you and what you worship beside Allah, can’t you think, don’t you have brains, can’t you understand that these idols are destroyed and not worth of worship? So Allah is telling them to think that a cow is not worthy of worship; that an idol is not worthy of worship; that a man who was sacrificed on a cross is not worthy of worship. Use your brain to come to a conclusions that Allah and only Allah is worthy of worship. Dozens of verses of this category.

2 The second category that Allah addresses and ask us to think and ponder are those who believe in a God, believe in Allah may be but they reject the prophets and the last prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him. So the first category to affirm in One God, the second category to accept the prophet hood.

In this category, Allah challenges mankind to think, to ponder, to reflect, to contemplate, to be logical and come to the conclusion that this man was prophet of God. Dozens of verses explain this:

Al Araf : 184 “Don’t they think, don’t they ponder, there is no madness in this companion of theirs i.e. Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, don’t they think that he is a normal sane human being.” Why he is doing what he is doing? Why he is telling you to believe in Allah? And go through so much pressure, so much hatred, what is he benefiting in this? Don’t you think and ponder?”

As Saba : 46 “Say, (announce to mankind) all I ask of you is to do one thing that you stand up for the sake of Allah and then think and ponder that this man is a normal human being, chosen as prophet of god, use your brain, read his biography, read his seerah that he is a mortal human being that Allah has raise to be a prophet of Allah.

Yunus : 16 “Say, (announce to them) if Allah had so willed, I would not have recited the Qur’an to you nor that I had any knowledge of what it is, indeed I live a life time amongst you before this, don’t you think, don’t you see.” The verse is referring to: for 40 years the prophet peace and blessings be upon him, did not do anything abnormal, living a life time amongst his people and didn’t do anything to recite the Qur’an and all of the sudden, one day he sprung up reciting the most poignant, melodious, miraculous verses, powerful message that the Arabs have ever heard. The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him asked them to think, where does this come from? I did not write anything, I was not an author, nor a learned. I lived a life time amongst you before this, don’t you think? So once again the challenge is to think and come to the conclusion that this man is the prophet of Allah.

3 The third category is addressed to the believers. There are very few of these verses for the believers but because they already believe in Allah and believe in the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him.

Al Imran : 191 Allah asks them to ponder: “The believers are those who think, who remember Allah always and they think about the creation of the heavens and the earth and they say: Oh Allah, you create all of this not in vain, not for no reason so save us from the fire”

So they use their mind and intellect to marvel at the beauty of creation around them. They marvel at natural sciences around them and increase them in imaan (faith). What does it do at the end of the day? It increases their faith, bring them closer to Allah, their spirituality goes up, they feel the connection with Allah and they feel that all of these have a purpose and they say: Oh Allah grants us Jannah (paradise) and save us from the fire.

So the purpose of intellect in this category is to see his creation around us and use them to ponder and reflect to come closer to Allah, increase in imaan. Look at the stars the sun when it rises and sets, the moon cycle. Look at the beauty of life itself. Animals, plants, that of creation of Allah: An Nahl, “This is creation of Allah, so show me where are the creator other than Allah?” Ponder over the creation and through it to increase our imaan.

4 Finally the last category is for mankind to ponder over the Qur’an and Sunnah and implement it. Ponder over the Qur’an and the Sunnah in order to implement it, to understand it and not to contradict or challenge it.

Surah Yusuf : 2 “We have revealed this Qur’an in Arabic so you can think and understand.” So Allah reveals the Qur’an in a language that every one understands, so that they can ponder, deduce rulings and commandment and worship Allah properly. Allah says: understand the Qur’an and ponder.
The instruction is to understand the Qur’an and NOT challenge it. The aqil is used to understand the Qur’an what Allah is saying and not to reject it simply because we don’t understand it. (This is said to be the opinion of Sheikh Yasir Qadhi himself and no scholars have so far come out with this opinion before, perhaps, he said: you can come out with other opinion as well on why we have been asked to think.)

What is the meaning of aqil in the Arabic language?

Aqala: To withhold and restrain, nothing to do with intelligent, that is why a camel rein is called ‘Iqal; in the hadith of Abu Bakr RA for those who did not give zakat, he said: “I will hold the ‘Iqal” i.e. to hold back the camel.

What has this to do with intelligent? This is the beauty of Arabic language. The more you study the more you’ll love the eloquence.”

A person’s aqil is called aqil because it supposed to restraint him from foolish or ridiculous act in this world that will harm him in his life and the hereafter and that is why those who go to the fire of hell are described in the Qur’an as being without aqal i.e. stupid, the qur’an described them as unintelligent and foolish because they did not have aqal. They may be able to solve quadratic equations and calculate how to send space rocket to the moon but their aqal could not even tell them the purpose of life so they are ignorant people.

In Surah al Mulk : 10, Allah says: “The people of Jahannam said: if we had aqil, we would not have been from the people of the fire.” And that is why every single person who disobeys Allah is a foolish person, stupid person literally. Allah calls the sinner foolish.

In Surah an Nisa : 92, Allah says: “Allah will accept the repentance of those who commit a sin foolishly and then they repent from Allah.”

Ibn Abbas said: “Every single person who disobeys Allah is a foolish.”

Meaning he didn’t use the brain and intellect that Allah gave him. He was foolish and stupid. That is why Allah said that He will forgive those who sin in the state of foolishness because you cannot sin in the state of intelligence. You cannot be intelligent and disobey Allah. By default when you disobey Allah you don’t really have intelligent. Have we learned the beauty of the meaning of the word aqil, every person who disobeys Allah is a jahil or an ignorant fool.

Notice here before we move on, the aqil has never been used in the Qur’an telling the believers to understand the rationalize Allah’s will, not once. Allah never asked: “Think why you have to fast, why pray?” On the contrary, Allah praises the believers first in the verse of the Qur’an by saying they believe in the unseen, they have blind faith (al Baqarah : 2). Allah did not praise the believers because they rationalized, He praises the believers for their blind faith.

What are the dangers in given aqil supremacy over the Qur’an and Sunnah? What happens when our logic leaves us to conclusion to be in opposition to the Qur’an and Sunnah? What should we do?

Logic here is meant by everything about common sense, science, ethic and entire gamut of mathematical equation on looking at into the world like modern science tells us that we are descendants of apes. Our Prophet peace and blessings be upon him told us that we are descendants of Adam and Eve. What do you do when there is a conflict between modern thoughts, ethic and philosophy, science and opposite Qur’an and Sunnah?

What and how should we resolve this?

First, we must understand that there can never be real contradiction between the Qur’an and intellect, reasons or common sense. In other words it is not possible for modern science to proof something that the Qur’an has another opinion and we have to believe this as believers and rationalize it based on common sense, in both, why so and how? Where does the Qur’an comes from? It is the Kalam of Allah i.e. the speech of Allah. What is modern science? It is the creation of Allah. If we claim there is a contradiction between the creation of Allah and speech of Allah then we are saying (nauuthoobillah) there is a problem with God himself. Look at the consequence in this. To claim that modern science proves x and Qur’an proves y and that x and y cannot meet, either this or that, what we are saying is that there is a problem with Allah himself. So as Muslim we believe, it is not possible for the Qur’an to contradict real reason, rational thought, common sense, natural science? No, that is not possible. To claim this contradiction means there is problem with the origin i.e. Allah himself and this is not acceptable.

Second, we have to realize that aqil does not have a precise limit (it is not infallible), thus reasons and logic does not have precise parameters. What might be logic to one person may be foolish to another vise-verse. In fact how many times in our lives we made decisions and thought it was the best and within a few days, weeks and months we changed our minds and proved ourselves wrong too many times. Therefore who decide what and truly logical or not? There are no precise limits. An example of this is the past Islamic group in history who claim to follow the aqil like the philosophers and the Mu’tazilah and other people of Kalam. All said our aqil is what we are going to base our religion on and yet every group reaches a conclusion other than the other group. Just look at the philosophers are segments of mankind who presume the aqil is all that you need to attain solution to everything and every single problem in life. The aqil will tell you why you are here, where are you going, what is the purpose of life. This is the basis premise of philosophers and yet we notice since the beginning of time until our time, no two philosophers have ever answered all these questions in exactly the same line. One philosopher said God does not exist, one said God is dead (auuthoobillah). One group said these are His attributes and that are not His attributes. A fourth group affirmed predestination, the 5th denied the Qadr and each of this group claim to follow aqil so this shows us that the inter-contradiction between those who claimed to be following the reason of logic is not sufficient proof that it is not a full proof criteria between reason and logic. You don’t know what is right and wrong.

Third, to claim that if there is a contradiction between reason and logic of the verses from the Qur’an, that we should give precedent to science i.e. like the theory of evolution. To say that this contradict the Qur’an and to say that Adam as some type of ape or Neanderthal type of species homo sapient or something. Say that we know that the theory of evolution is true and we cannot understand the Qur’an literally. What you are saying is that “I will not believe the scripture of Allah. I will give precedent to my intellect and reason based on science over Allah’s command and this goes against the very essence of servitude. As it was in the first verse of the Qur’an: “This is a book for those who believe in the unseen”

Fourth, the fourth point talks about when there is a contradiction between reason and intellect. Supposed that there was a contradiction between reason of intellect and the Qur’an, theoretically then ask a question. Should we follow the intellect or the Qur’an? Common sense will tell us to use our intellect to follow the Qur’an. Common sense, reason and intellect tell us to follow the Qur’an and reject reasoning. And this is not a contradictory at all. Reason and intellect leads us to a conclusion that there is one God and that the Prophet is one of the prophets of Allah, and the Qur’an is the book of Allah and this is achieved through reasons and intellect. After we have come to this conclusion, then blind faith will succinct.

So when someone asks, are you a blind believer? Yes I am a blind believer based upon rationality. Yes, reason leads you to a conclusion that the Qur’an is the book of Allah. Once you have come to that conclusion, your mind ceases to function, to challenge that text. It’s only function now is to understand the text and work on how to implement it. When you do not believe, the Qur’an challenges you to believe and once you believe in the creator and His messenger the purposes of the mind changes from not to not believe in Allah and His messenger but “to understand” the text that Allah revealed. So supposed, now you find some contradiction between the Qur’an and modern science, between the Qur’an and reasons, reason and common sense tell you to reject your common sense and follow guidance instead. An example was given by Ibn Taymiyah in a similitude, supposed you go to a town, walk into it’s people and you are from some where else wanting to find out about a fatwa (ruling) and you don’t know anyone. You then asked somebody, brother A to point you to a scholar who pointed you to a Sheikh. The Sheikh gave his fatwa and brother A came back and say, “The Sheikh was wrong and I am right and that you must listen to me because I am the one who told you about the Sheikh so I am more knowledgeable that him.” The brother A has contradicted himself by showing you to the Sheikh first. His testimony is now not valid.

Thus the last point gives emphasis on:

The evil implication by saying that the Qur’an and Sunnah contradict common sense, reasons and aqil, and that we should follow aqil instead. You are saying the Qur’an and Sunnah are not divine, they are not real thing. You are saying the prophet did not complete this religion and leaving us with confused religion: A religion that goes against the logic of science. Allah gave us mind and intellect and then gave us book that contradicts our aqil that goes against the mind. You are basically saying anyone can come and change the Qur’an and Sunnah as they see fit and as they wish. History tell us our study of intellectual history of group of philosopher Ibn Sinna, Ibn Rush that they believe in all in common sense and said they can be no Day of Judgment. My aqil tells me God cannot resurrect the dead (Ibn Sinna said this), thus he rejected verses of the Qur’an that talk about resurrection and said it’s just metaphor. Ibn Arabi said these are fables of desert people, there’s no such thing as real Jannah because his aqil tells him to do so. The point is who decide which is aqil and which is isn’t?

What are the roles of aqil?

Aqil is a sense, it is an organ and many people do not realize this. It is faculty that Allah has bless us with and has a function and has its limit, like eyes, ears, nose and taste buds are all faculties and they are infallible. We see a mirage in a desert and we think it is water and it is not. Our vision tells us something that can be false. So our faculties can be at fault and are not infallible. Like we cannot see in the dark and it does not mean objects are not there or we cannot see beyond this room. Similarly our aqil has its limit. The problem is there is no criterion for us to decide what those limits are, what the physical tangible are and when it comes to aqil, how do we set the limits? Where does it stop short at being acceptable or not right of foolish?

The answer is there is no criterion for judgment i.e. it is not physical. This is the main problem why of philosophers fell into and scientists rationalize has gone to extreme. They don’t have limit to aqil because he cant’ see it unlike seeing, tasting and smelling and we know the limit but not in aqil. So aqil is not infallible, like we tend to forget and made mistakes and thought we were right when we did it.

It is an organ that Allah blesses us different from the animals in order for us to worship Allah in a prescribed way.

It is an organ used to corroborate, work together, aid, help, solidify and strengthen and not meant to contradict what is in the Qur’an and Sunnah but rather helps to understand it.

Allah is the one who has given us intellect and He is the one who reveals the scriptures and the sign of Islam is that the intellect should correspond to scripture. Not that the intellect is greater than the scripture, no, but that the intellect and scripture match one another.

The intellect will never be able to understand all that is in the scripture but at the same time there will be never be a contradiction between the intellect and scripture.

Conclusions by Ahlil Sunnah of the past:

Abu Mudhaffar As Sam’aanee RaheemuAllah said:

The deciding factors that separate us Sunni Muslim from all the other Muslims, seculars and numerous others is the issue of the intellect. For they have built their religion from what they presumed as based on intellect:

Modern man, western society has built it ethics, morality, philosopher of life, secularism, democracy, humanism, freedom on what they considered to be best. They have made all others to be subservient to all these what they considered to best.

Whereas true Muslims the Ahlil Sunnah, they based their obedience to Allah and His Messenger and the intellect follows that.

Abu Mudhaffar said over one thousand years ago: “For have the basis of religion in the intellect alone, men would not have any need of inspiration from the books or the prophets and they would have no need for commandments of prohibitions from Allah and every human being would have only be left to his intellect alone. For the very fact that Allah sent books and prophets shows us that our intellect cannot ultimately guide us straight, thus aqil has a role to differentiate between real and false prophets, this is divine and that is not. Once the aqil has chose that and get to that conclusion its role ceases to be questioned but to accept”

Abu Mudhaffar concludes that: “as for these people if they were to say “la illaha illallah”, my aqil is the rasool of Allah, they will not be far from the truth”

The purpose of aqil is for us Muslims to understand the message of Islam, to come closer to Allah, to increase our imaan. The aqil was never meant to take the place of the command of Qur’an and the Sunnah.

May Allah give us the intelligent and imaan put together to be real Muslims.

(transcript taken from the recorded lecture at TDC2006)

Kindergarten Logic -- Musings of Sr. Ruth

2007-01-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

A must-read. Very well-written.
Begins: "Sometimes talking about Islam to non-Muslims is exhausting because there are so many preconceptions to overcome - preconceptions often perpetuated by repetition throughout the blogosphere.

The biggest obstacle I've faced so far is the conflation of beliefs and circumstances - people blending together ideologies, purposes and religious practices regardless of the characteristics, history, circumstances and goals of the many, many Muslims and groups of Muslims worldwide. Thus it is that some of my readers have told me my compatriots are beheaders and "throat slitters." [MORE]
Click here to go to the article.

America's Frankenstein Executed in the Gallows

2006-12-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

Finally, it's over! The chapter on Saddam closed yesterday, perfectly timed on the eve of Eid-al-Adha, presumably as a gift to the Shias of Iraq. The gift was well received, it so seems, based on the celebrations in Sadr city, under the control of devil's own brother, Muqtada al-Sadr. Yesterday Saddam laughed and Muqtada cried tears of sorrow, today Saddam is dead and Muqtada cried tears of joy, and tomorrow, Muqtada will be in the same gallows, and both him and Saddam will see the fate that they have sowed for themselves. Who has killed more, no one really knows. Perhaps Saddam, as he had much time, but Muqtada was catching up quickly. I also don't want to get caught up in the Muqtada vilification. He is just the obvious one, I am sure the other Shia "Imams" share some of his work-load. I do wonder though how the 'moderate' Shias of the world see these Shia leaders, so I would love to hear from one of the Shias. Killing Saddam on the eve of Eid-al-Adha was another chapter of follies in America's Iraqi misadventure. While America tries to curb the sectarian violence, what a message to send to Iraqi Sunnis! I mean, stuffing it to them will only enrage, and confirm for Iraqi Sunnis that Iraq is firmly in the hands of the Shias, and that they (the Sunnis) will eventually be wiped out. Hello America Iraqi policy-makers, is anyone home? Interestingly, the final exchanges and the sound bytes from the gruesome execution video (the complete, "raw" one; viewer discretion advised) included typical Shia chants (the way they say Allahuma Sale ala Muhammad). I wonder if the Iraqi government had contracted out the execution to Sadr's family?

Saddam and Frankenstein, I am sure many of you have probably picked up on the analogy. In fact, I'd like to refer to him as Saddamenstein. I don't know if you have heard the story of Saddamenstein, so if you haven't, here's your new bed-time story.

You see Saddamenstein is America's own creation that went oh, so wrong. As with America's many woeful tales of failed foreign policies, Saddamenstein was America's man in their proxy war against the Iranian Satan. For 8 years, America supplied weapons, including chemical ones, otherwise referred to as WMDs. I remember seeing a cartoon that showed Uncle Sam asserting, "We KNOW Iraq has them [WMDs]; here, we still have the receipts". As Saddamenstein used his weapons on Iranians (not that Iranians did not respond equally brutally), he became more brazen [Br. Chao's favorite word- inside joke], and used a few of them in his destructive campaign against the Kurds. Many of you may not be aware that he had prison camps, where Kurds were systematically tortured and killed, with names such as "Camp Abu Bakr", "Camp Umar", etc., names of the righteous Caliphs. And he planted hatred of Muslims and Islam in the hearts of the Muslim Kurds. Is it any wonder now that there are 3 camps in Iraq: Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds, even though Kurds are Sunnis themselves?!

So, Saddamenstein continued to go down the road of other America's failed experiments (Bin Laden also comes to mind). He next attacked Kuwait. In a thousand years, he would have never dreamed that his "creator" would turn against him, and not accept his unapproved invasion. What a folly! That marked the serious decline of Saddamenstein, as his creator was now on the crusade to take him out. After all, Saddamenstein was out of control, and the last thing you want is to have your experiment blow up in your own face. So, America's might was shipped off to the Persian Gulf to remove Saddamenstein (newly crowned as a "dictator"). Of course, America's media, partners in crime as always, started ripping Saddamenstein apart, reminding people how bad he really was. The fact that they had slept so long on these crimes against humanity mattered not. Because, before Saddamenstein was our friend, his crimes were simply 'friendly fire', merely 'collateral'; after his Kuwaiti adventure, the same crimes took on their true reality.

Once removed from Kuwait, the elder Bush made the right strategic decision for once. He let the dictator of Iraq, Saddamenstein, stay in Iraq. After all, Saddamenstein was an evil dictator, but he could be controlled, and a big Iraqi mess is not where Bush wanted to be in. Saddamenstein's rag-a-tag army was roundly defeated. His wrath was limited to some scuds that mostly didn't do much damage. In the process of course, Israel benefited, getting some extra cash and weapons to protect itself from Saddamenstein. I mean, what's wrong with that? Saddamenstein was a mean dude, and Israel needed to protect itself from this mean dude. Just like the mean Palestinian kids with rocks. Once Saddamenstein was forced to retreat to his enclave, America wanted all of its WMDs back. Saddamenstein was not so thrilled. He had gotten used to those toys, their affect was painful, and he liked to try them on people. Perhaps it was a fetish for him; perhaps the power he had been granted by the world's superpower had gone to his head. Either way, he didn't want to give up these precious toys.

In order to keep Saddamenstein happy, the mad scientists around him told him that he they were on the verge of creating nuclear weapons. The fact that Iraq did not have any materials for it, neither any technical expertise, mattered not to Saddamenstein. He was tickled pink that he could be sitting on the bomb that he so wistfully recalled, had vaporized thousands in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, used by his own creator. So, why couldn't he use it? Of course the world knew that Saddamenstein was a crazy punk, he didn't really have anything of value. The so-called WMDs were limited to a few chemicals, which had probably expired by now. But, how else could America control Saddamenstein? Sanctions, ruthless sanctions. For many, many years, these sanctions crippled Iraq, crippled its economy, and killed millions of its children, mostly under 5 years of age. Saddamenstein didn't seem affected; he was eating well of course in his palace, while the country was slipping into an improvised nation.

Finally, a few years ago, our President, surrounded by his neocon crooks, felt that they had to take out Saddamenstein, because he was thumbing his nose at his creator. Of course, it mattered little that the Inspectors had found nothing, that Iraq under the sanctions could not have developed a toy bomb, let alone a nuclear one; the only thing that mattered was that America's weapons were getting old and the army out of practice. The remote threat that Iraq posed to Israel of course did not help; as remote as aliens attacking Israel. But the facts were not important. The 'war on terror' had to go on; where it went on, and against who, were details that could be worked out later. In that, Iraq obviously had nothing to do with 9/11, was not so obvious to the American people, as a poll several months after the Iraqi invasion showed. 70% Americans were duped into believing that Iraq was responsible for 9/11, another evidence of the complicity of America's media in this error of grand proportions.

A year or so ago, when you questioned America's failed experiment in Iraq, you would be bombarded with the questions straight from the Republican play-book, "Isn't Iraq better without Saddamenstein", or "Are you saying that you support Saddamenstein". Well, now more people are asking the same question, and more and more the answer is, Saddamenstein was a freak accident, a ruthless dictator, but he killed less people in his many years in power, than have been killed since the Iraqi invasion. Henry Blix, the former Arms Inspector thinks that Iraq is far worse off. I would venture to say that many, many Americans are following suit now. Most of the world, of course, agreed with Blix a long time ago. Iraqis seem to agree with Blix too, at least about the security situation.

So, on the false pretence of WMDs, America invaded Iraq, a decision that most Americans rue. A short honey-moon, when Bush's approval sky-rocketed, was followed by reality. The bee-hive had been disturbed, and the different factions in Iraq declared a killing feast on each other. Perhaps, Iraq needed a freak like Saddamenstein to keep control. Perhaps, Iraqis would themselves eventually change the situation for themselves, in more of a controlled fashion. After all, did not America itself have its own civil war? We learned too that you can't force democracy down someone's throat, but it took 3000 American lives, and anywhere from 400,000 to 800,000 Iraqi lives.

So, Saddamenstein is dead. But, we in America, love villains. So, who's next?

Eid Mubarak to Everyone!

2006-12-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

Today, we celebrate Eid, following the Day of Arafah in Hajj. Today our Khateeb, Sh. Yasir Q., reminded us of the great day that our Eid proceeds after, not 2 or 3 days after, rather the DAY AFTER. You get the drift.

May Allah accept from all of you and from us, our sacrifice, and our deeds. My brother, Jawad, is partaking in the journey of his lifetime, at Hajj, may Allah accept from him, and make his Hajj perfect, mabroor, inshallah. All of the blog readers, please take a moment to say a quick prayer for his safe return.

Abu Aaliyah = Sufi??

2006-12-29T23:33:00.000-05:00

As I was perusing some blogs, I came across what I found rather shocking and startling. News of Abu Aaliyah's (Surkheel Sharif) conversion to Sufism, under the heading "One More Big Name Salafi who became Soofie Recently". Well, if you knew Abu Aaliyah (we had invited him to Houston once some time ago), you would react with some surprise to this news as well. So, I felt some immediacy in the need to verify the veracity of this information. What I found out was that this news was not only false, it was misleading. You see all Abu Aaliyah has done is to moderate his approach to madahibs, to the 'moderate' sufis, and so on. I think it would serve justice to touch on these subjects.

First to the madhabs, even though some of the "salafis" think that denying madhabs is bread and better of the manhaj, in fact over the centuries there have been only a few scholars who claim adherence to the Quran and Sunnah, who have also declared that there is no following of madahibs (these handful include Sh. Albani, Sh. Shawkani, Sh. Syed Sabiq and a few others). In fact, the vast majority of the ahl-hadith scholars have urged the masses that there is nothing wrong in following the madhabs, rather in most situations they should! For instance, Muhammad Hasan Ad-DaDoo is a Maliki scholar who is upon the Manhaj of the Ahl-Hadith in Mauratinia. For further info., I found this interesting article that reflects the essence of what I am trying to say here. So, what Abu Aaliyah has done in regards to following madahibs is to move to the more moderate, and common opinion amongst the scholars of ahl-hadith, like Bin Baz, IbnUthaymeen, etc. among the contemporaries. In my discussion with Sh. Yasir Q., he has been quite emphatic in not even talking or arguing about fiqhi points or madhabs, when talking to the laymen. And that the main issue is and never has been fiqh. Rather, what counts in the end, is Aqeedah. The linked article also goes into some of this detail.

Moving on to Aqeedah then, it has been confirmed by the trustworthy that Sh. Abu Aaliyah still subscribes to the pure Aqeedah of the salaf us saleh. And to be honest, that is what I really care about as well. It is true that he has Zaytuna, and a few other 'sufi-leaning' links on his website, but if you refer to my comments on the blog entry "TDC vs RIS", I have discussed this a bit. In essence, in the times we are living in, we have to be more concerned about bringing people to the Masjid or to pray 5 times, to just gain some level of religiosity, than to fight each other. I believe that is where Abu Aaliyah is coming from.

Also, I will be remiss if I fail to mention that the people of Sunnah have fallen short in pushing the areas of tazkiyah an-nafs (the purification of soul), at least in the Western lands. And that if you look at the great scholars of ahl-sunnah, they did not leave this area barren either. So, it is not that we need 'tareeqas' for this, but rather we need to urge our shayookh to address these topics as well. Hence, it seems that Abu Aaliyah is trying to bridge that gap... feeding the souls of people, who otherwise may have stepped into complete sufi zones. I do believe that Abu Aaliyah should have clarified this a bit more (perhaps he did in his UK circles), and I am not sure the exact hikmah of some of the links on his website, and why he does not still focus on Aqeedah too, but my own knowledge is so limited that I have to question myself a million times, before I question a person of knowledge.

Abu Aaliyah has his own institute (small, not at the level of AlMaghrib or others), known as the "Jawziyyah Institute". The name itself says a lot about Abu Aaliyah. That should become clear after reading the biography of the great Ibn al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah if you do not know this great scholar. Here is the link to the Abu Aaliyah's the Jawziyyah Institute.

Moving on to some recent works of Abu Aaliyah, he has done an interesting translation on a work by Shaykh Ahmad Bin Ibrahim Al-Wasiti, called "Miftah Tariq al-Awliya" (Key to the Saintly Path). I could not find anything inconsistent in this work from the position of the ahl-sunnah/ahl-hadith/salafi (whatever label one wishes to be ascribed with). Some interesting points:

Ibn Taymiyyah's tribute to Shaykh Ahmad as "our shaykh, the Imam"
His emphasis on the hadith of the Prophet (not transmission through dreams!)
Quote, "You must have a litany of invocation that are authentically related from the Prophet". So, the Shaykh not only urges the memorization of supplications, not only those from the Prophet, but rather those authentically narrated from him. This is a classic area of emphasis for the people of Sunnah.
Quote, "Be conscious that God watches you from above His Throne; from above the seven heavens." Thus, the Shaykh confirms the aqeedah of the ahl-Sunnah, that indeed is Allah is above the Throne, neither "everywhere" nor "no where".
Emphasis on the prayers (ritualistic salat, not "we pray in our hearts" extreme Sufism).

In essence, the saintly path is one that is full of worship to Allah in sincerity (the obligatory prayers, the authentic supplications, and the supererogatory prayers), the lowering of the gaze and remembering that you are in the Gaze of Allah at all times, and being in the company of the righteous, not the evil-doers. SubhanAllah, it is everything we have been learning, just in more focus. This is indeed the true tawassuf of the salaf, free from music, dancing, and other forms of shirk, bidah, and exceeding the boundaries set by the Prophet, and practised by the companions.

Texas Dawah Links

2006-12-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

Of course, I am not the only one in the post-TDC-sadness-syndrome. Many others are talking about it... here are a few links to peruse:

Abdur-Rahman Chao's Blog:
http://synkronyzer.wordpress.com/2006/12/28/post-tdc-syndrome/

Lota Enterprises:
http://lotaenterprises.wordpress.com/tag/texas-dawah/

Al-Maghrib forums:
http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=18608
http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=18785

Crescent Youth forums (needs registration before viewing):
http://www.crescentyouth.com/board/showthread.php?t=12911
http://www.crescentyouth.com/board/showthread.php?t=12928
http://www.crescentyouth.com/board/showthread.php?t=12918
http://www.crescentyouth.com/board/showthread.php?t=12923

Ruth's Straight Path blog:
http://blogs.chron.com/thestraightpath/2006/12/texas_dawah_convention_this_we.html

Young Muslims forums:
http://forum.ymsite.com/showthread.php?t=5284

Amar Razali blog (mostly in Malaysian):
http://amarrazali.blogspirit.com/

Enough of Sami Yusuf... Yvonne Ridley's Common Islamic Sense

2006-12-27T12:38:00.000-05:00

I am shocked and amazed when I saw Sami's "concerts" on youtube. When I see Muslims, men and women, screaming and waving as if they are in a U2 concert, it is indeed a scary sight. Wearing hijabs while engaging in this behavior is not only unIslamic but also wierd. Sami Yusuf responded to this with an open letter to Yvonne, suggesting that he doesn't agree with some of the behaviors but how could he be responsible for that? Well, dah... when you dress, act, sing like a rockstar, what do you expect teenage girls to do? Their parents want them away from the U2s, and now you are the 'halal' alternative. Yet, this is exactly the deception of Shaytan. Haram in the name of Islam, making it just a little easier for the parents to swallow. Same concept as what many "halal lenders" do when giving out loans, changing names and terms, and making it all soooo halal. So, a shout out to all the Muslim fans of Sami Yusuf: I know many of you listen to other music as well, or you used to. And I cannot say that this is not better (because at least the wordings are not obscene), but there is no doubt that this is haram too. So, DON'T fool yourself. If you want to listen to Sami, know it is wrong, have the guilt, so that Allah may one day remove you from the listening of Shaytan's tools, and instead fill your heart with Quran. May Allah guide Sami, Yusuf Islam, and all other "Muslim popstars" to see the deception of Shaytan's ways

The link to the following article is bad, so I had to find it in the google cache:

Pop Culture in the Name of Islam
YVONNE RIDLEY in Muslim Weekly
Monday, April 24, 2006

I FEEL very uncomfortable about the pop culture which is growing around some so-called Nasheed artists. Of course I use the term ‘Nasheed artists' very lightly. Islamic ‘boy bands' and Muslim ‘popsters' would probably be more appropriate.

Eminent scholars throughout history have often opined that music is haram, and I don't recall reading anything about the Sahaba whooping it up to the sound of music. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for people letting off steam, but in a dignified manner and one which is appropriate to their surroundings.

The reason I am expressing concern is that just a few days ago at a venue in Central London, sisters went wild in the aisles as some form of pop-mania swept through the concert venue. And I'm not just talking about silly, little girls who don't know any better; I am talking about sisters in their 20's, 30's and 40's, who squealed, shouted, swayed and danced. Even the security guys who looked more like pipe cleaners than bulldozers were left looking dazed and confused as they tried to stop hijabi sisters from standing on their chairs. Of course the stage groupies did not help at all as they waved and encouraged the largely female Muslim crowd to "get up and sing along." (They're called ‘Fluffers' in lap-dancing circles!)

The source of all this adulation was British-born Sami Yusuf, who is so proud of his claret-colored passport that he wants us all to wave the Union Jacks. I'm amazed he didn't encourage his fans to sing "Land of Hope and Glory." Brother Sami asked his audience to cheer if they were proud to be British ,and when they responded loudly, he said he couldn't hear them and asked them to cheer again.

How can anyone be proud to be British? Britain is the third most hated country in the world. The Union Jack is drenched in the blood of our brothers and sisters across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Our history is steeped in the blood of colonialism, rooted in slavery, brutality, torture, and oppression. And we haven't had a decent game of soccer since we lifted the World Cup in 1966.

Apparently Sami also said one of the selling points of Brand UK was having Muslims in the Metropolitan Police Force! Astafur'Allah! Dude, these are the same cops who have a shoot-to-kill policy and would have gunned down a Muslim last year if they could tell the difference between a Bangladeshi and a Brazilian. This is the same police force that has raided more than 3000 Muslim homes in Britain since 9/11. What sort of life is there on Planet Sami, I wonder? If he is so proud to be British, why is he living in the great Middle Eastern democracy of Egypt?

Apparently the sort of hysteria Sami helped encourage is also in America, and if it is happening on both sides of the Atlantic, then it must be creeping around the globe and poisoning the masses. Islamic boy bands like 786 and Mecca 2 Medina are also the subject of the sort of female adulation you expect to see on American Pop Idol or the X-Factor. Surely Islamic events should be promoting restrained and more sedate behavior.

Do we blame the out-of-control sisters? Or do we blame the organizers for allowing this sort of excessive behavior which demeans Islam? Or do we blame the artists themselves?

Abu Ali and Abu Abdul Malik, struggling for their Deen, would certainly not try to whip up this sort of hysteria. Neither would the anonymous heroic Nasheed artists who sing for freedom; check out Idhrib Ya Asad Fallujah, and you will know exactly what I mean.

Fallujah is now synonymous with the sort of heroic resistance that elevated the Palestinians of Jenin to the ranks of the resistance written about in the Paris Communeand the Siege of Leningrad. The US military has banned the playing of any Nasheeds about Fallujah because of the power and the passion it evokes.

If those Nasheeds had sisters running in the streets whooping and dancing, however, the Nasheeds may be encouraged because of haram activity surrounding them.

Quite frankly, I really don't know how anyone in the Ummah can really let go and scream and shout with joy at pleasure domes when there is so much brutality and suffering going on in the world today. The rivers of blood flow freely from the veins of our brothers and sisters from across the Muslim world. Screaming and shouting the names of musical heroes drown out the screams coming from the dungeons of Uzbekistan where brothers and sisters are boiled alive in vats of water. How many will jump up and down and wave their arms in the air, shouting wildly for justice for our kin in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, and Iraq? There are many more killing fields as well across the Asian and Arab world. Will you climb on theater chairs and express your rage over Guantanamo Bay and other gulags where our brothers and sisters are being tortured, raped, sodomized, beaten, and burned? Or will you just switch off this concerned sister and switch on to the likes of Sami Yusuf because he can sell you a pipe dream with his soothing words and melodic voice?

Oh, Muslims, wake up! The Ummah is not bleeding; it is hemorrhaging.

Listen not to what is haram. Listen to the pain of your global family.

Positive Story on Texas Dawah on Fox 26 News

2006-12-26T02:24:00.000-05:00

Here's the link to a FOX clip about the Texas Dawah Convention. It is truly amazing when FOX will say anything positive about Islam.

Here's the link

Islam Conference at the Brown Convention Center Show that Islam and Terrorism Have Nothing in Common
Islam and terror was the main topic at a conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Organizers say the meeting was to show terrorist how hide behind Islam and they twist the teachings of Islam for personal gain. They tell the purpose of the convetion was to teach young people the need to challenge extremist.

Texas Dawah Day 4 (Conclusion)

2006-12-26T01:07:00.000-05:00

Sadness started to seep in as the last words of yet another great TDC were spoken... sadness of leaving the brotherhood and the Hajj-like (well about 1% of it) environment at the Convention. The concluding session of TDC covered the title of the Convention -- "Islam, a light for all ages". Br. Sidky, Sh. Hasan Khalil, Sh. Sadakullah, Sh. Ibrahim Dremali, Sh. Yasir Qadhi, and finally Sh. Waleed took turns to make some concluding gems

Before the actual wrap-ups, a brother who had come all the way from the Caribbean JUST for the Convention presented a 5-10 minute slide-show on Islam in the Caribbeans. He started with some historical background, then broke it down with other interesting statistics about Muslims there. 10% of Trinidad and Guyana, for instance, is composed of Muslims. There are dawah activities there, Islamic schools, and of course Islamic politics! The brother closed with telling the audience that he did not want our funds, just our duas. Even though his presentation was simple and straightforward, it touched many people, and reminded us of how Allah's noor is reaching every corner of the globe.

Br. Ahmed Sidky was succinct and cool. He talked about how he was not practising Muslim, that he went to the Mosque just to pray his 2 rakahs of tarawih, then leave with his friends, but the Imam stopped him, smiled at him, and asked him to come to Qiyaam. Br. Ahmed asked, what Qiyaam was, and the Imam reply to them was, "just come". When he did come, he asked the Imam to give him advice because he was leaving for America. The Imam replied, "go to the Masjid whenever you can and as much as you can". Br. Ahmed asked him, "that's it?", because he is used to Sheikhs "talking too much" (audience enjoys that comment with a big laughter). The Imam replied with "yes". Br. Ahmed said this advice changed his life, because he would keep this commitment to the Masjid, and that this was advice to the audience.

Sh. Hasan Khalil started with some beautiful recitation. He reminded the audience that the Quran was a light from Allah. He said that Muslims want everyone to be guided with this light, but we have to do this with compassion and concern. He insisted that it will not be easy, that we need to expect hardships, but as someone relying on Allah, why would we stop? He asked the audience to apply what was learned. To do small actions out of sincerity. He mentioned that he felt like a stranger when stepping out of the Convention, due to the presence of Muslim brotherhood and love.

This was Sh. Sadullah Khan's first time at the Convention and he had many words of praise for it. He reminded the audience that sometimes we focus on rituals (which we should), but sometimes we miss the bigger purpose behind the rituals, such as the affect of prayer on brotherhood. He urged the audience to bridge the gap between values and action, between the glorious past and future. He said there was no such thing as "we live in a bad time". We blame the time for being bad, but it isn't bad, time will be what we want it to be. We are the problem, if we do good, then we will make it "good time" instead. We not only have to do Islamic activities, but also be involved in social works, such as feeding the hungry, etc. He ended with reminding us that we need to spread the light we earned here. That it was more important to be just than to demand justice.

Sh. Ibrahim Dremali started by telling the audience that his message was going to be one of optimism and positive energy. He admitted that Muslims were going through hardships. But, he also reminded us that the Mongols were far worse in their oppression. And later these same tyrants converted to the message of the people they killed, and became some of the greatest dai'as. He urged the Muslims to not give up, things will change. But things will change only if we change ourselves. He reminded the audience of the Prophetic saying, where when asked by his companions to make dua for Allah's victory, he reminded them about the previous nations, who had it so much harder, such that a hole would be dug, with the believer placed in it, and then cut into half. He ended on the note of hope and certainty, as the Prophet had said that things will progress from Prophethood to just Khilafa, to just Kingdoms, to dictators (hint: sounds a lot like our time), and then back to the khilafa upon the nabuwa (the message of Islam).

Sh. Yasir Qadhi (needs to hyperlinks for intros) said that he was stumped by Br. Ahmed's statement that Shayookh spoke too much... that he did not know whether he will justify Ahmed's assertion or cut his speech short. Good start Yasir, humor always works wonders. He also said that the Caribbean presentation reminded him of the hadith where the Prophet (S) said that Allah rolled the earth for him, so that he could see the East and the West and what he saw was this Ummah was everywhere subhanAllah...and we see the evidence of this. Who could have thought that ummah was thriving in Caribbean, he asked the audience if anyone knew where Carribean even was (the brother who did the presentation raised his hand and the audience enjoyed that). Yasir reminded everyone that the Ummah was thriving. Yes, he said, that we do live in times that can be depressing. But the depression cannot and should not last permanently. How about the story of Taif, where the Prophet was unsuccessful after 10 yrs of dawah, pelted, bleeding, till he stumbled 5 miles away! He was in shock. But right after this shock, the Prophet came across a man, who he gave dawah, and this man became a Muslim. So, he did not let one sad incident prevent the good from another. Yasir asserted that Wallahi if we are not saddened by the Muslim situation, then we don't have faith. But that we needed to use the sadness to do something positive, and not to despair. We will overcome, this is the promise of Allah. But change begins with me and change begins with you. What can we do, Sheikh asked? Some people think that they have the responsibility of the entire ummah upon their shoulders, and they get depressed, and not do anything! Think differently, what can we do to benefit the ummah, that we need to stop thinking we can fix the entire world, and start with tiny steps first, and make an impact on things we can control and/or affect. That we use our individual unique talents to do something constructive. Then, we'll see the domino effect. Sh. Yasir then set forth the parable of the ummah like the room where the lights go out. And each person takes out a small light, consequently leading to the whole room being lighted. [See the blog entry with Yasir's video on the 12x6 hijab, which was a repetition of this parable]. He questioned the audience if Salahudin knew what he will become when he grew up? No. So how do you know that you won't be the next salahudin or ibn taymiah? At the least if we can't affect anyone else, we can at least change ourselves, and save our souls from the hellfire. Was that not sufficient in itself as a reason to do something? So after the Convention, will we the same? Or will we change? Yasir concluded with the Quranic ayah, that they wish to destroy light of Allah, of surety Allah will perfect the light , even if the disbelievers don't like it.

Sh. Waleed was the last to take the podium. He took some lessons from the Seerah and spoke about the need for optimism. Once a young woman came whose name was Asiya, and the Prophet called her Jamilah, another man came whose name was Harb (war) and the Prophet said, no, you are Silm (peace), and so on. Names reflect the spirits of optimism or pessimism and the Prophet (S) did not lose the opportunity to spread the spirit of optimism. When he preached, he delivered messages, brimming with optimism. He (S) said to not say inshallah after dua, because that means you are adding some uncertainty, and pessimism in the supplication to Allah, have no doubt about it. However, optimism, Sh. Waleed, asserted was a skill that needed to be developed, and he gave several pointers: (1) Put your trust in Allah, He will deliver, because He has control over all the dominion. He mentioned the hadith where the whole mankind cannot do something or do something if Allah has not permitted it, (2) Be optimistic in appearance, look fresh, smell good [Amad's comment: esp. if you have to come to pray Jamah, so you don't have to make your brother try to steal fresh air far away from you :)], (3) Smile, it will help u get over problems, (4) Fill your heart with goodness, and it will make you optimistic. Sheikh mentioned a joke about a person who was a chain smoker, and when the local Sheikh asked him to quit, the guy gave him the proverbial "make dua for me". So, the local Sheikh took him in front of the Kabah and started making dua for more than 10 minutes, to give this smoker everything one could think of in the duniya and the akhira. The smoker, right behind him, was in high heavens, repeating amen after amen. In the end the Sheikh concluded the dua by saying "Ya Allah, don't accept any of my duas for him until he quits smoking!" The audience went into fits of laughter! (5) Choose to use positive words, (6) Be practical in your goals, so that you do not set yourself up for failure, and finally (7) Allah created us in different levels, so don't try to do everything that others do, but instead focus on your own strengths and on your own energies.

Alhamdulillah, truly, Texas Dawah was a blessed event. There were really no fights, no arguments to speak of. A few small issues here and there. But overall, the atmosphere was unmatched, the speakers were highly motivated, and the audience entirely thrilled. The number of people who witnessed this event was unofficially between 3000 to 3500. Considering that likely 500-1000 of Texas Dawah's potential attendees were at Hajj, this large number was truly outstanding. The Bazaar was great too, with a variety of Islamic stuff. It was pretty interesting to see how Islamic literature has increased and how the quality has really went up a notch. Inshallah, the CDs of all the lectures should be available soon...when that happens I'll post a reminder here. If you weren't there, and you wanted to be there, well, then there is no excuse not to get these CDs and obtain some of the light that the attendees received. And I urge all of the readers to please make plans for the next Texas Dawah, "Family in Focus: the best of you is the best to his family".

Texas Dawah Day 3

2006-12-25T00:59:00.000-05:00

Another terrific day at Texas Dawah, although there was steep drop in the night entertainment value.

A few highlights from today:
Yasir Q.'s lectures were awesome as usual. For his second MSA lecture, the hall was overflowing to the point that they moved the lecture downstairs in the open prayer area to accommodate the large audience. His lecture on "Making Progress with Progressives" was excellently prepared. Since I attend this one, I have a few mental notes... in other words, there may be some errors, so don't quote me on this. His speech revolved around a fictional nation called "Veganapolis", where all the nationals only ate veggies, and they considered the rest of the world as "Primary", where people were uncivilized due to their eating habits (i.e. they ate meat). At this point, a man had 3 children: Salman, Khalid and Ali. When he died, his children were in a state of mental crises in their father's adopted homeland of Veganapolis. After some serious study, Salman came to his brothers and tells them that they have been duped, that Islam is indeed a false religion since all the Islamic texts are fill of carnivorous information, including the Prophet's love of a meat dish. So, according to Salman, a religion with such low 'morals' cannot be true. The brothers listen to Salman in great distress. It's Khalid's turn. He tells Salman that Salman has some valid points, but he has not done justice to the religion. Rather, Khalid says, in essence, "why do you want Allah to do everything?" That is, that the religion came for a certain time and place, and that we now have to adjust it to the new region. He further says that if you look at the madahibs, indeed the Hanafi madhab for instance disallows many types of meat from the sea, so the whole religion can and should evolve. So, Khalid tells Salman, I am a Muslim alhamdulilah, and the intellectual, 'reformed' Muslims need to adjust to the new reality of Veganapolis. It is now Ali's turn. He tells his brothers that though they stand apart in their declarations of faiths, they are indeed not that far apart. Both of them are operation from the same paradigm. Both hold the premise that meat is bad, and that eating meat is uncivilized and wrong, and assume that this must be true, and this must be the way god wanted it. But, who said so? Who makes that call? Yes, there are some things that are universally understood, like stealing is wrong, murder is wrong, etc. But, other things are different to different people. Some may like it, others may not. So, if it is not divine, then it is not an absolute reality or a firm premise. So, really, Ali tells both his brothers, both of you are indeed wrong. In fact, Ali tells Khalid, you have a bigger problem, because you have thrown water over 1400 years of scholarship and texts, so you will continue to face obstacle over obstacle as you try to blend your worldly premises with the divine messages. At least, Salman has completely separated himself from the religion, which no longer makes him accountable to be judged upon it.

Besides the 2 lectures that Sh. Yasir gave, he also participated in a get-together with AlMaghrib students. Here, we got to see another side of Mr. Q. He was asked about the conferences he attended recently, esp. about the one in Denmark alongside Irshad Manji, and other so-called progressives. And his answers were interesting to say the least. This would be considered privileged information... ask your qabeelah rep. to find out more!

Khalid, of course, stands for the progressives! They are a minority, but they are affecting people and their message is full of self-contradictions, and problems. Yes, there is some element of truth in their message. Indeed, every culture may have some difficulty in accepting all elements of Islam. When the revelations of inheritance for women was revealed in Makkah, the Sahaba had a hard time coming to terms with that, because it did not make sense to them. Similar is the case to certain things in certain places, as the world evolves, and human mentality changes. But, the message of Islam, if allowed to change with whims and desires, will no longer be the same message given by Allah. Sh. Yasir also threw water over comparisons that Progressives make with their being similar to Mutazilah. Yes, some elements of similarity exist, like rejection of hadith, like arrogance, etc. but while the Mutazilah were concerned with real matters of theology like predestination, etc., progressives complete concerns are around worldly human rights issues, like gay rights, women rights, etc. So, it is in fact an insult to the Mutazilah to be compared with Progressives!

Another speech I sat with was in the MSA with Abdur Rahman Chao, a Taiwanese student of knowledge from Maryland. He delved into many taboo topics about human sexuality, esp. as concerned with the youth. He talked about the pervasive amount of porn on the net, and how it can affect the human mind. There was much more that I am sure the teens in the crowd appreciated the frankness of.

Isa Galloway and Mohamed Elibiary talked about 'Navigating the Spheres of Influence'. Isa made some great points about influencing the different publics. He reminded the audience of the attacks on Texas Dawah by Chris Baker in 2003 due to a Shia Saudi dissident who fed the media misleading information about a scholar who was to speak to the audience via videolink. Texas Dawah passed that media test quite well, and build bridges with Baker. In fact, Baker was invited to Texas Dawah last year, and accepted but could not make it. Instead, Chris Critico came and talked to the audience. So, making bridges with different spheres of influence is an important step to get our message heard. Sh. Waleed's "In the mind of the terrorist" touched this somewhat tricky subject, and he mentioned several points to why and how the terrorists have lost touch with Islamic reality and how they have misinterpreted and sometimes even mis-translated religious edicts to suit their own message. He talked about how suicide attacks are becoming so common, and why these people don't consider the consequences of such an attack a million times before committing it. Because if they are indeed wrong, they will go to hell, so how is it that they are making this such an easy decision?

The career fair had a panel of eight guests who talked about different careers, which are in need of Muslims. A pschycotherapist mentiond how much Muslims are needed in this field. Because if Muslim kids come to a non-Muslim pschytrist to talk about problems with girls, what will the non-Muslim therapist know about this Muslim kid's values? The other reps. were from media industry, dentistry, etc.

The kids enjoyed a great showing by the Mad Scientist Show! Late night shows included a game-show, that kind of fell flat. It seems that game-shows just don't work well at Texas Dawah! However, it was followed by a fascinating short-movie production by the SEMY (Southeast Muslim youth) group that charted the story of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf and the scholar Sa'd ibn Jubeir. The movie was entitled 'the Scholar and the Tyrant'. The half an hour show was moving and well-directed. Well done!

Houston Chronicle Highlights Texas Dawah Convention

2006-12-24T01:57:00.000-05:00

Finally, Chronicle wakes up to the event of the year, and something positive about Muslims. But credit where credit's due... where are the TV stations, where is 740KTRH, which is always jumping on Muslims' case about not doing 'enough' to portray positive images.

To the Muslim readers, take one minute, and email the author anne.kilday@chron.com, as well as the Readers' Rep: readerrep@chron.com and thank them for the positive story

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4423492.html

Dec. 23, 2006, 10:57PM
'For the benefit of all mankind'
Local conference highlights Quran's teachings about the importance of honoring animals

By ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

A red-tailed hawk and a large horned owl were brought on stage Saturday morning as participants in the state's largest Islamic conference learned about Muslim values and animal rights.

"Animals have been created by Allah for the benefit of all mankind," said Sheik Yasir Qadhi. "This is a very fundamental idea in Islam."

Because animal rights have become an issue in recent years, Qadhi, a Ph.D. student of theology at Yale University, said he decided to study the issue as it relates to Muslims.

Qadhi said the Quran teaches that one reason God created animals was to worship God and to inspire people to do the same.

"One verse says, 'You will appreciate their beauty,' and that brings you closer to God," Qadhi said. "It is a part of faith and spirituality to contemplate nature around you. Believers are those who contemplate the creation, and that brings them closer to God."

'A finer point'

Animals rights are "a finer point" of the Muslim faith, but Qadhi said he wanted to study the issue and make the presentation during the conference.

An estimated 3,000 Muslims participated in the five-day Texas Dawah convention, which continues through Tuesday at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The hawk and horned owls were brought on stage by members of Wildlife Rehab & Education a nonprofit organization that helps rescue and rehabilitate injured animals in the Houston and Galveston area. The Texas Dawah convention made a contribution to the organization. Volunteers also took the wild birds into the convention's "Kid Zone" for a demonstration.

During his lecture, Qadhi cited specific verses from the Quran relating to the treatment of animals.

The animal rights specifically noted in the Quran include the proper feeding of animals; the merciful treatment of animals; using animals for the purpose they were created; leaving animals in their "natural state," without mutilation, and allowing animals to live, unless they are a threat or a nuisance, Qadhi said.

Other highlights

For example, he said, Muslims can take steps to kill ants, roaches and rodents in their homes or property to protect their food and their children.

The five-day conference also included an interfaith panel discussion about the First Amendment, a discussion about tolerance in Islam and an award ceremony to honor positive role models in the American Muslim Community.

Awards were presented Saturday to former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon, Farouq Al-Baz who participated in the Apollo program as supervisor of lunar science planning at Bellcomm Inc., a division of AT&T; Charif Bassiouni, law professor and president emeritus of the International Human Rights Law Institute at DePaul University in Chicago; and Sen. Larry Shaw a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly.

anne.kilday@chron.com

Texas Dawah Day 2

2006-12-24T01:22:00.000-05:00

TODAY, it ROCKED!
My boys from Delaware are saying, "I heaardd dat!"

Yasir Q.'s lecture on Animal Rights was excellent. He gave the examples of the woman who went to the hellfire due to a cat, though she was a Muslim. While another woman who was a prostitute went to paradise with her compassion, feeding a thirsty dog.

Ibrahim Dremali's lecture on Khushoo in Prayer was amazing. He explained the Surah Fatiha and the hadith on it. And if you learn everything about this Surah we read in every rakah, then it will affect your whole prayer.

Sh. Salah as Sawy talked about the difference of opinion among the madahibs. His lectures were in Arabic, and his classes were packed.

The 2 highlights of the whole Convention were (1) Celebrating their success, profiling high-achieving Muslims of America, and (2) Late night with Irtiza Hasan, who could take on Jon Stewart after tonight's performance.

In celebrating the success of 4 individuals in America, Texas Dawah awarded honors to Larry Shaw, Senator from North Carolina; Cherrif Basyouni, Nobel Prize Nominee; Hakeem Olajuwan, NBA great, and Muslim role-model; Farooq al-Baz, part of the Apollo missions, and recognized at NASA for great achievements. The message from all of them was quite clear: as a Muslim, you have to work double as hard to achieve what a typical American would, because you look different, you talk different, and your name is different. But, they emphasized that knowledge will take you places where nothing else will, and will get you respected.

Late night with Irtiza was extremely entertaining. First up, Irtiza, following Jon Stewart's lead, showed several interesting pictures that threw the audience into fits of laughter. Then, the two brothers: Shariq and Bassam, who traveled all around Texas, documenting Muslims in the state, took the stage and shared interesting stories. After that, Larry Shaw took stage. He shared his experience in that he was supposed to fly to a CAIR dinner (he is on their national board), but didn't feel 'good' about it, and refused despite pleas from the CAIR organizers. And only to find out that this plane crashed, all 48 passengers dead, and the 49th, Larry Shaw, was not on board subhanAllah! Then Reem took stage... this girl memorized the Quran at the age of 7, and Irtiza shared a story about her, where she took her mom's credit card, and bought Finding Nemo over the internet (when she was 5 yrs old). Her dad (moa) took a few minutes to highlight how great Houston was (as opposed to Northeast America), and how we miss Houston. Then, I plagiarized a few notes from Reem's mother about the efforts and reasons for her memorization.

The next guest on Irtiza's show requires special mention. William Rodriguez was the last person to be pulled out of the rubble on 9/11. He gave a moving account of the events of that day. He talked about his efforts to get a proper and true investigation of 9/11, about his testimony in front of Congress, and other achievements and recognitions. Then, he vowed the audience, by telling them that he had recently become a Muslim!! He said that the aim of American media was to criminalize all the Muslims, yet when he went to Malaysia, he received better treatment than he had ever received. He took shahada at the hands of Sheikh Yusuf Estes, Allahu Akbar!

The last 2 guests were Sh. Waleed and Sh. Ibrahim Dremali. Irtiza reminded them of a story from Sh. Hasan Khalil where the imam went to the rest-room with his microphone (and it was on!). Both the 2 guest Shayookhs started laughing hard. It was interesting to hear that both the Shayookh had done a lot of diving. In fact, Sh. Ibrahim Dremali prayed Maghrib underwater (otherwise he would have missed it)! This reminded Sh. Waleed about the Sahaba-- it rained so hard in Makkah that there was flooding, so the Sahaba swam for the tawaaf around Kaba, diving to kiss the black stone. Also interestingly, Sh. Ibrahim also is a 3rd degree black-belt in karate, and loves to hunt! This is besides his doctorates in Islamic Shariah, and geology. Also. Sh. Ibrahim mentioned that he had recently been recognized by NASA for his study of minerals on the West and East coasts of Florida. Mashallah, what a full life, both worldly and for the akhirah!

Texas Dawah Day 1

2006-12-23T01:24:00.000-05:00

Note: I have been pulled into organizational activities, so my blog will be weak at best... I'll try to pull info. from other people... see the following links for more blogs/tid-bits:
http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=18785
http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=18781

The highlight of today was the khutbah that we went to at the ISGH-SEZ mosque. The khateeb was Ibrahim Dremali. And he did not disappoint! All the major Mosques of Houston hosted speakers of TDC... Yasir Qadhi was the Main Center, Dr. Mamduh Mohammed (a surprise last-minute showing) at the El-Farooq, and so on. Houston had a real treat today!

So Sh. Ibrahim's Khutbah was full of gems (as our AlMaghrib brothers call it). He captured each person's attention and never let it go till the last words of the Khutbah. He talked about living with Taqwa, not just talking about it. He urged people to live for the akhira, not for the duniya. A funeral prayer was supposed to follow the Khutbah, and he used this opportunity to remind the folks that today we are praying for someone, tomorrow others will be praying for us. Every person will depart. He reminded people of the 4 things that afflict us, that will make our life miserable and not something Allah desires for us: (1) Consistent worry about issues in life (2) Work that never ends, (3) Fear of poverty, and never feeling satisfied, (4) Hope in worldly things that is never quenched.

Registration was pretty active, but tomorrow will be the big explosion inshallah of pre-registrations, and new registrations.

The only session today was the open session on 1st Amendment, and the place of religion in public life. The discussion was interesting, and touched many subjects of public life. Sh. Waleed mentioned how the Prophet never prohibited freedom of expression, and how he worked with the Jews of Madinah when he came there. Other people with more detailed notes can comment inshallah.

Houston Musings with Delaware Buddies....

2006-12-22T02:03:00.000-05:00

Today, I was the tour guide for my homies from Delaware. This tour blog is in tribute to our missing friend from Delaware, who couldn't join due to Mash and other Mushy reasons... I can't call him out by name, his dad may choke me (inside joke). Three friends have actually arrived from Delaware to join the Texas Dawah Convention: Malik, Mash, and Dr. Abu-Pain. Those who know them, know who I am talking about...
So, we did our little Masjid tour... went to the North Zone Masjid. My friends were amazed at the size of this Masjid, a few minutes away from the Houston's George Bush airport. Then, we were off to the "Laal Masjid" which is the breakaway tableeghi masjid, next to the original tableeghi masjid called 'Madrassa Islamia'. Mashallah, Madrassa is the most active Masjid in Houston--- about 40:60 Arabs:Desi. And the Imam, Hafiz Iqbal is a force of good in Houston. He's cool with everyone, and most are cool with him. They have a full time hifdh school at the Madrassa, and they have some amazing Qaris there. Most or all of the teachers/Qaris are from Pakistan, but that doesn't bother anyone.
Later, we met up the ISGH Main Center, which has been newly renovated. Looked quite nice. This was for the Muslims in Texas exhibition as described in the Texas Dawah prelude. From there, we were off to the famous restaurants of Houston. Darband, an Iranian restaurants serves delicious kabobs and chicken (all halal 'allegedly':)). We weren't really hungry, but Dr. Abu-pain was, so we joined him, and ended up getting too full again.
From there, we somehow ended up going to Galveston on that aweful ferry ride, which sounds like a really good idea every 5 or so years. And then as soon as you spend about 10 minutes on it, you remember how bad it was the last time. And it was too cold to be there, the wind-chill got to your spine (of course Houston's 55F nights are no comparison to Delaware's 30F, but the wind on a fast-moving ferry made it seem like 10F). Things did get a little interesting here. As were getting ready to get in line for the ferry, we were moved to a closed lane, and realized that we were 'randomly' picked for vehicle search! Random, of course. I have some choicy words for this random pickings, but I'll reserve it for myself. The only other random cars out of perhaps 30 of them, was a black guy. "Driving while black" syndrome still exists, but "Driving while Muslim" is surely taking over! Finally, after our "awesome" ferry adventure, we got home, late and tired. But this entry had to go in while the mind was fresh. Oh, the homies from Delaware did buy a flash-disposable-camera to take pictures of mosques and shayookhs... its my job now to get the sheikhs in the pics! Later.

Texas Dawah Blog - Prelude

2006-12-22T01:52:00.000-05:00

Today, Texas Dawah kinda began, with the official opening of the "Muslims in Texas" exhibit organized by University of Texas MSA. It was a media event. Well, at least the Chronicle showed up, which was good of them. As we Muslims all know, there would be a lot more media if Muslims were involved in something negative, and not much interest when it is positive. Side-bar to Muslim-bashers, this is another example of media not covering the 'good Muslims'.
Anyway, the event was still mashallah well-organized. Simple and succint. Some portraits and banners were set up. There were some honorary guests: MJ Khan, who is an elected member of the Houston City Council, which is quite a big deal here (its the 4th largest city in America). Rodwan Saleh, the respected President of ISGH was there. Mashallah, he is a humble man, probably the best president that ISGH has ever had. And there was Sh. Waleed of course and Esa Galloway (former Ex. Director of CAIR Houston). Of course, the purpose was to get some news out on the Convention, hopefully the Chronicle article will help. I'll post the link to it when I see it. Registrations have been very encouraging so far... may Allah make this the most successful TDC.

An Unheard Tragedy in America

2006-12-21T01:18:00.000-05:00

This story will make you sad (link below). It may make you cry. But, it will remind you yet again where America is heading.

So, listen to it, then read on: This American Life (look for Episode 322): http://www.thisamericanlife.com/

Play close attention to the topic of 9/11 memory materials issued by the school district. Consider the ongoing indoctrination of little kids against Islam and Muslims. Similar to what happens in Israel regarding Palestinians, and similar to what the West blames Muslims for (i.e. we are teaching our kids hatred). But remain optimistic. A Muslim is never pessimistic. Keep struggling to stem the tide of hatred, bigotry and racism. Block Islamophobia before it consumes you. All of us have a part to play, all of us. Start with supporting CAIR, make a donation right now, or tomorrow or this month, but definitely this year. Earmark at least 0.5% of your income to it, preferably 1%. You, and me, we all need to do it. Its the only play we have left. And before I finished writing, I went here and gave a little... so why don't you: https://www.cair.com/asp/default.asp

A few musings about this story concerning the Muslims in it... I hate to be critical of the family who faced such hardships. All my sympathies are for them but there are a few lessons other Muslims considering similar situations should take to heart: I wish the couple had thought harder before moving to a 'quaint' town, away from Muslims. Muslims need to stay close to Muslims. If anything, its provides a support group, it gives the Muslim kids the opportunity to have Muslim friends (in addition to non-Muslim friends). A finger is easy to break, a fist gives strength to all of the fingers. It may have helped avoid the situation the poor lady found herself in. I wish the husband would not desert his wife. Perhaps he was too new to America and couldn't communicate or do much, but he could stick it out--- for his wife and for her kids. I wish the mom was not so stubborn. What's wrong with living near more Muslims, or even in Palestine? At least the kids would remain Muslim or want to be Muslim versus being under so much pressure to denounce Islam. I wish the parents had gone to CAIR and discussed the issues with them. Finally, I wish that we all donate to CAIR so that it would be able to help other families in similar situations, who pick up the phone and call CAIR. HELP CAIR HELP THEM.

Back to Houston, for Vacation (??!) and Texas Dawah...

2006-12-21T01:08:00.000-05:00

I have arrived in good ole Houston... yesterday, I landed in the city that I love most in America. Yeah, its bland, its hot, its humid and its flat. But you know what, you could have the ugliest kid, but to you he would be the most beautiful. So, I grew up (at least since i have been in America as a teenager) in Houston. And Houston grew on me. It is absolutely true that the culture and environment of a city will affect all of its people... so the southern hospitality creeps into the Muslim community here as well. While up in the Northeast where I HAD to move, the non-friendliness, the independent, uncaring nature has also seeped into the Muslim community there. Of course exceptions all around.
I will be spending my vacation in Houston--- who would have thought that one would want to spend his vacation in Houston?? Well when you leave Houston, you miss it.
I'll be at Texas Dawah inshallah starting Friday. I was planning to be simply an attendee for the FIRST time instead of running around like a chicken with a neck cut-off, as has been the case in my previous years as an organizer. However, I was given the glad (or sad depending on how you see it) tidings by Sh. Waleed himself that I will be the 3rd floor manager... what?? Well, I'll find out what that means when I get there. For now, I am happy to help Texas Dawah, the infant that I cradled, the giant that it has become. Alhamdulilah.

Last Breath...

2006-12-18T18:11:00.000-05:00

The same inspiring nasheed with a different twist... the soccer player who was here one moment, and gone the next...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPvVBOUs2iw&mode=related&search

Muslims Facing Increasing Islamaphobia in Europe-- Daah

2006-12-18T16:09:00.000-05:00

On the heels of Yasir Q's thunderous speech in UK (see below) where he criticized Europe's growing xenophobia, and more precisely islamophobia, an official report from the European Union affirms that Muslims aren't just dreaming up this rising racism in Europe (already here in USA too, but we haven't seen anything yet!). The report confirms what Muslims already know, and already experience in Europe and to a lesser extent in America. The report is wide-ranging in the topics of discussion as well as the statistics mentioned.

On the web:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061218/ap_on_re_eu/europe_muslims
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/18/news/muslims.php
http://eumc.europa.eu/eumc/index.php (Download full report here)

For instance, the report asserts that Muslims are all too often 'disproportionately represented' in unemployment statistics, and many are well behind the European mainstream in education and housing conditions, the report says. I believe that is what makes American Muslims a little different from European Muslims. So far, Islamophobia in America is more hidden, however, that is changing fast too. Here's a small example of why I say that: A recent study done by a Rice professor found that 2 Muslim women on an apartment-hunting mission were treated starkly differently with one wearing the hijab, and the other not. 60% refusal rate on the sister with the hijab, how's that for America's growing Islamophobia. Such a report would obviously make headlines if it was a Jew with a yamaka or even a Sikh with his turban. But not so for Muslims. We make headlines only when we are the ones committing injustice, not when injustice is committed upon us. See this discrimination study hidden in the article: http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou061214_cd_muslims.e4c0095.html

Threatened by a 12x6 Piece of Cloth-- Yasir Rises to the Occasion!

2006-12-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

Take 12 minutes of your time to watch this bombastic, superlative display of powerful oration in front of 30,000+ people.

“Correct me if I’m wrong here, but the way I see it is that if you feel threatened by this piece of cloth, you feel this is shaking your identity, and challenging who you are, then I think that shows your own prejudices, and your own fears, and your own xenophobia, and your own hatred of our religion.”

ALTERNATIVE LOCATION:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HeziacT1-XU

Silence of the media lambs... Ex-President Carter's words falling on deaf ears...

2006-12-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

I can see it happening... boardrooms of major newspapers and media outlets cringing... as calls from Israeli lobbyists, supporters, mercenaries start pouring in, requesting... no, rather demanding that Carter be silenced, maligned or both. The media, long beholden to Israeli interests and pressure, doesn't know how to react! [To learn why, see this]. On one side is the ex-President of their country, on the other, the pressure groups, ready to start campaigns that will affect the papers', stations', outlets' bottom-line (by getting advertisers to cancel, readers to boycott, etc.). And so far, the LOBBY is winning. I capitalize for a reason. There isn't a bigger and stronger lobby out there that can come close to touching the muscle that AIPAC and other aligned myriad of lobbies, and groups have. No one has the guts, not even the ex-President. "How dare he" says AIPAC, and it throws the media and the politicians into a frenzy to protect mother Israel's reputation. I was even surprised to see that the Israeli influence is spreading to the usually freer, and usually less-controlled media of Europe, with BBC now picking up the official, Israeli-issued lingo for state terrorism--- for instance, "targeted killings" in lieu of the correctly worded (less politically-favorable of course)- assassinations.
In any case, Carter has done what sitting politicians will not have the guts to do so, he has spoken the truth. And all he has done is to give a balanced version of the Israeli occupation, not favorable to either side. But the American people are not used to seeing fairness on this topic, and Israeli PR dogs will not let that fairness even see the light of the day. God-speed to you Carter, keep fighting the injustice, you didn't win the Nobel for nothing!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4403923.html
How I see Palestine and why I want to talk about it
Real debate about Mideast is nonexistent in America
By JIMMY CARTER

I signed a contract with Simon & Schuster two years ago to write a book about the Middle East, based on my personal observations as the Carter Center monitored three elections in Palestine and on my consultations with Israeli political leaders and peace activists.

We covered every Palestinian community in 1996, 2005 and 2006, when Yasser Arafat and later Mahmoud Abbas were elected president and members of parliament were chosen. The elections were almost flawless, and turnout was very high — except in East Jerusalem, where, under severe Israeli restraints, only about 2 percent of registered voters managed to cast ballots.

The many controversial issues concerning Palestine and the path to peace for Israel are intensely debated among Israelis and throughout other nations — but not in the United States. For the last 30 years, I have witnessed and experienced the severe restraints on any free and balanced discussion of the facts. This reluctance to criticize policies of the Israeli government is due to the extraordinary lobbying efforts of the American-Israel Political Action Committee and the absence of any significant contrary voices.

It would be almost politically suicidal for members of Congress to espouse a balanced position between Israel and Palestine, to suggest that Israel comply with international law or to speak in defense of justice or human rights for Palestinians. Very few would ever deign to visit the Palestinian cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Gaza City or even Bethlehem and talk to the beleaguered residents.

What is even more difficult to comprehend is why the editorial pages of the major newspapers and magazines in the United States exercise similar self-restraint, quite contrary to private assessments expressed forcefully by their correspondents in the Holy Land.

With some degree of reluctance and some uncertainty about the reception my book would receive, I used maps, text and documents to describe the situation and to analyze the only possible path to peace: Israelis and Palestinians living side by side within their own internationally recognized boundaries.

These options are consistent with key U.N. resolutions supported by the United States and Israel, official American policy since 1967, agreements consummated by Israeli leaders and their governments in 1978 and 1993 (for which they earned Nobel Peace Prizes), the Arab League's offer to recognize Israel in 2002 and the International Quartet's "Roadmap for Peace," which has been accepted by the PLO and largely rejected by Israel.

My book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, is devoted to circumstances and events in Palestine and not in Israel, where democracy prevails and citizens live together and are legally guaranteed equal status.

Sales of the book have been brisk, and I have had interesting interviews on TV, including Larry King Live, Hardball, Meet the Press, The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer, the Charlie Rose show, C-SPAN and others. But I have seen few news stories in major newspapers about what I have written.

Book reviews in the mainstream media have been written mostly by representatives of Jewish organizations who would be unlikely to visit the occupied territories, and their primary criticism is that the book is anti-Israel. Two members of Congress have been publicly critical. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for instance, issued a statement (before the book was published) saying that "he does not speak for the Democratic Party on Israel." Some reviews posted on Amazon.com call me "anti-Semitic," and others accuse the book of "lies" and "distortions." A former Carter Center fellow has taken issue with it, and Alan Dershowitz called the book's title "indecent."

Out in the real world, however, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I've signed books in five stores, with more than 1,000 buyers at each site. I've had one negative remark — that I should be tried for treason — and one caller on C-SPAN said that I was an anti-Semite. My most troubling experience has been the rejection of my offers to speak, for free, about the book on university campuses with high Jewish enrollment and to answer questions from students and professors. I have been most encouraged by prominent Jewish citizens and members of Congress who have thanked me privately for presenting the facts and some new ideas.

The book describes the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required passes and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens and Jewish settlers in the West Bank. An enormous imprisonment wall is now under construction, snaking through what is left of Palestine, to encompass more and more land for Israeli settlers. In many ways, this is more oppressive than what blacks lived under in South Africa during apartheid. I have made it clear that the motivation is not racism but the desire of a minority of Israelis to confiscate and colonize choice sites in Palestine, and then to forcefully suppress any objections from the displaced citizens. Obviously, I condemn acts of terrorism or violence against innocent civilians, and I present information about the casualties on both sides.

The ultimate purpose of my book is to present facts about the Middle East that are largely unknown in America, to precipitate discussion and to help restart peace talks (now absent for six years) that can lead to permanent peace for Israel and its neighbors. Another hope is that Jews and other Americans who share this goal might be motivated to express their views, even publicly, and perhaps in concert. I would be glad to help with that effort.

Carter was the 39th president of the United States. His newest book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," was published in November. This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

The Vultures are Circling

2006-12-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

Democratic hold on the US Senate is a bit vulnerable at the moment with the Senator from South Dakota critically ill. Shamefully, the Republican vultures are circling over the Senate in anticipation of stealing yet another election! Here's the gist: If Senator Johnson from SD dies, then the Republican governer of SD gets to hand-pick a replacement, likely a Republican. That would move the Senate to a 50:50 split, and leave the tying vote in the hand of our favorite VP, Cheney. So, in essence, back to Republican control. This shows how the political system needs a major overhaul to remove the inconsistencies across states. Why should it be possible for a governer of any State to change the entire balance of the Senate, consequently affecting the future of the country's direction? Doesn't make much sense to me, but at this time the conservative bloggers are seeing a faint light in the tunnel and they are having a hard time containing the glee! What a pathetic state of human affairs, where power becomes more important than life.

Here's the link for more information: http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20061214/pl_bloomberg/aqlenc1mves_1

Texas Dawah Releases an AMAZING Program

2006-12-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN UPLOADED... JUST GOING THROUGH IT GIVES ME THE GOOSE-BUMPS... IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING (CAPS OUT OF EXCITEMENT!)

http://www.texasdawah.org/txdawah/program.html

One small snippet:
Friday, December 22nd, 2006
7:10 - 8:40 PM Assembly B
The 1st Amendment: Religious Liberty, Free Speech, and Open Government -Protecting the Foundation of America

Greg Abbott, The Attorney General of TX (invited); Suzzii Paynter, Executive Director of the Christian Life Commision of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; Gene Policinski, Executive Dirctor of the First Amendment Center; and Br. Mohammad Elibiary

Convert or Die!

2006-12-13T15:15:00.000-05:00

Imagine a new game that is carried by all the major stores. Where the goal is for the non-Muslims to become Muslims or be killed. Imagine the furor that would be created. You would probably expect the manufacturers and the game-designers to be all shipped to Guantanamo for a nice, endless summer vacation.
Fortunately, for Muslims, this is a Christian invention. The game is based on the hugely-popular, Evangelical series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The book bases events that takes place after the Rapture, when Jesus has taken his people to heaven and left non-Christians behind to face the Antichrist. Interestingly, and somewhat humorously, "Left Behind Games" president, Jeffrey Frichner claims that the game is actually pacifist, because you lose points when you kill a believer instead of converting him... phew, what a relief! And if you can make your infidel (infidel is a nonbeliever regardless of which religion the believer is from, and is not exclusive to Muslim usage) pray, then you get some extra points. So, it seems you have three choices for the infidels, either (1) kill them, (2) convert them, (3) convert and make them pray. Of course, you get the most points for choice (3).
Here's the kicker-- the enemy "team" has members with Muslim-sounding names and rock stars! So, Mohammed and Eminem are on the same team. For some misguided Muslims, being in Eminem's company may be not so bad after all! Of course, there is an entirely reasonable explanation for this. According to Freakner (err Frichner), "Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ" and so of course they have to be in the enemy's team. What were we Muslims thinking! Can't we just all get along and enjoy killing a few 'Muslim-sounding' named folks along with Enimem, Britney, and other 'rock star-sounding' named folks. Frichner's goal is to get parents and kids to talk about the bible. I guess he wants the next dinner-time chat to be about how many Muslims/Jews/Hindus, etc. and rock stars they converted or killed that day; and how being with Jesus just rocked! Brilliant Frichner, pile it on. Start brainwashing kids at an early age to hate Muslims. Ironically, both of these stereotypes are stamped on Muslims, i.e. non-Muslims have only two options (convert or die) and that Muslims teach their children to hate the nonbelievers. Thank you Frichner for stepping forward to share the stereotypes!

Rest of the story can be found at:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNG8TMU1KQ1.DTL

Is America's Military Becoming an "Evangelical Christian Force"?

2006-12-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

The following from Washington Post should be highly unsettling for Muslims, Jews, and all other non-Christians, but especially for Muslims. It is one thing for the military men to be 'people of God', but quite another when that faith is the Evangelical kind. As Muslims are keenly aware, the Evangelical movement has been the most vitriolic against Islam. We cannot forget how Pat Robertson, Falwell and the like have demonized Muslims and our beloved Prophet (S). So, when you find the followers of these bigots and fanatics running the ‘show’ at the Pentagon, you really do wonder if they will be any more ‘fair and balanced’ than FOX is, in their attitudes and opinions about Muslims, esp. the Muslims they are fighting in the battles raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wouldn’t the terrorists find this more of a fodder for their propaganda that America’s war is a war against Islam? [Note: excerpts only]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/10/AR2006121000883.html

Inquiry Sought Over Evangelical Video
Defense Department Asked to Examine Officers' Acts Supporting Christian Group
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff WriterMonday, December 11, 2006; Page A03
A military watchdog group is asking the Defense Department to investigate whether seven Army and Air Force officers violated regulations by appearing in uniform in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian organization.
In the video, much of which was filmed inside the Pentagon, four generals and three colonels praise the Christian Embassy, a group that evangelizes among military leaders, politicians and diplomats in Washington. Some of the officers describe their efforts to spread their faith within the military.
"I found a wonderful opportunity as a director on the joint staff, as I meet the people that come into my directorate," Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack J. Catton Jr. says in the video. "And I tell them right up front who Jack Catton is, and I start with the fact that I'm an old-fashioned American, and my first priority is my faith in God, then my family and then country. I share my faith because it describes who I am."…
The 10-minute video is on the group's Web site, Christianembassy.com. The organization was founded nearly 30 years ago by the late Bill Bright, who also founded Campus Crusade for Christ. The Christian Embassy Web site says the group holds prayer breakfasts each Wednesday in the Pentagon's executive dining room and organizes small groups to help military leaders "bridge the gap between faith and work."
Army Brig. Gen. Bob Casen refers in the video to the Christian Embassy's special efforts to reach admirals and generals through Flag Fellowship groups. Whenever he sees another fellowship member, he says, "I immediately feel like I am being held accountable, because we are the aroma of Jesus Christ."…
In 2003, Army Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin drew criticism for appearing in uniform before church groups and saying, in remarks captured on video, that President Bush was "appointed by God," that the United States is "a Christian nation" and that Muslims worship "an idol." The inspector general's office determined that Boykin had not violated any rules, and he remained in a top intelligence post. [MORE]

Check it out: "Got proof Islam is violent? Let's hear it!"

2006-12-12T08:28:00.000-05:00

Sister Ruth has taken on the blog circles by storm, google her name and you will find that it is going around fast. Considering the thousands of blogs out there begging for attention, the rapid growth of her blog, with some entries receiving 50+ comments, is quite remarkable.

So, to my few (but growing) readers & friends, I say join the crowd. Let’s keep pushing the “Straight Path” blog so that it may become a light of reason in the sea of bigotry online.

An interesting discussion is raging on Sister Ruth’s “Straight Path” blog residing with the Houston Chronicle, entitled “Got proof Islam is violent? Let's hear it!”. Although I may disagree with this approach since the basic premise of the challenge puts Muslims on the defensive, I have been wrong enough times to respect differences of style and dawah. I added a few words of my own that Sister Ruth has graciously posted in the comments to this entry. This was in response to those who are calling for Muslim to mass-protest against terrorism, as if we (the Muslims) are somehow responsible for it:

“I'll join the MMM (Million Moderates March) when the cause is to rally against injustice and terrorism of all forms, including that committed in the name of Islam, but extending to the state-sponsored terrorism committed by Israel, Russia, Uzbekistan, and the list goes on. I do recognize that nation-sponsored terrorists have killed many, many more in the name of their states, but Muslims will overlook the lop-sidedness, and will be happy to join people like you Al-Ozarka.
Seriously, do those who affix the terrorist label to Muslims, consider for a minute why this phenomenon (of Muslims involved in terrorism) is only a story of the last few decades? It leads me to wonder why so many Americans have such lack of general historical perspective. Consider for instance, when Hitler killed millions, or before that the Crusades killed tons, Muslims have not resorted to labeling Christianity terrorist. We understood and understand that true Christianity or true Judaism does not promote the killing of innocents, regardless of how many people are killed under that label. Why don't the non-Muslims spare us the same justice? Count, if you are truthful, count the numbers. Put the innocent Muslims killed in one column, and innocent non-Muslims killed in the other. While both are equally reprehensible, the numbers will be clear that it is the Muslims who are bearing the brunt of terror.
Coming back to the terrorists among the Muslims, have the people not considered that some among the Muslim masses have lost all hope, due to a combination of their own governments, and then as a lesser result of Western complicity. When there is no hope, when there are no jobs, nothing to look forward to... then the vacuum is filled by the terror-recruiters. Intelligent people then do what is against humanity, and against Islam, and put on belts to die and kill. Even though the Quran tells believers that to kill one innocent life is to kill humanity. Yet, these people give up their life in futility. Has anyone asked why? Has anyone of our enlightened Western minds thought why?
Whenever Muslims bring up reasons for these episodes, namely the Middle-Eastern conflicts, Muslim sufferings, etc.; immediately there is a reaction from them. It is called "you are justifying it" reaction. This was put into place by the powerful Israeli lobby right after 9/11...why? Because people were bringing up the Israeli occupation as a root-cause, so the best way to take attention away was to instead accuse the person of justifying the crimes of 9/11. Let me ask you, since you all are indeed intelligent human beings: If you continue to have a certain crime perpetrated by people from a certain locality, would you not ask what is behind it? Let me be clear: Of course you would not let the criminal go. The criminal has to face his punishment, but in the course of the trial, you will examine circumstances that led to the person's criminal disposition. Other researchers will examine the background of that locality, to see what the root-causes of the disproportionately higher criminal behavior are. Asking about the causes or examining the circumstances does not justify or exonerate the criminal or the crime. Absolutely, America, along with true Muslims needs to go after the terrorists who are bent on killing and destruction of innocent life. And indeed, the terrorists need to face the worst consequences. But, at the same time, one must examine why this historical juncture is leading to a violent breed of Muslims-- minority yes, but still painfully growing. Examining the root-causes of this phenomenon is not justification, rather it is wisdom! Recently, the Baker-Hamilton report did mention the Israeli occupation as an issue that needs to be addressed, but that portion was conspicuously not highlighted too much by the media. Ex-President Carter made a similar argument, but he was countered with cries of anti-Semitism.
My point in this post is not to go into the conflict in the Middle-East, but it is a plea to readers to consider all sides of the issue. It is a plea to the readers to educate their own selves of the historical perspective of the conflicts through objective reading. My point is that labeling 1+ billion people in a certain way will not solve the problem. Rather, addressing and removing the root-causes of the hatred, growing rapidly in the Muslim world, is the better alternative for all of us Americans- Muslims and non-Muslims alike. We have seen that going in with a big stick in Iraq did not work, in fact it INCREASED hatred and the recruitment of terrorists. So, why don't we learn? Why don't we stop acting like we are in 3rd grade, calling the ones who we don't like vile names, and drowning the voices of reason? Why are we being led on by the hate-mongers on TV (e.g. FOX), radio (e.g. Savage, Hannity, etc.) and on paper (e.g. Wash Times)? They are the same ones who helped carry the drum-beat, and sold the nation on a war that is bleeding America and killing our soldiers. Why should anyone believe them again?In conclusion, Read, Learn, Think, then Say or Act."

A Must-See for Everyone, and Here's Why....

2006-12-11T11:37:00.002-05:00

It is not propaganda, rather it counters it. Very professional, and objective. Why is it important for us to see this? Because an understanding of the 'other' perspective, and how that other perspective is formed, and more importantly, why our perspective is so different, will help increase our comprehension of world events, and it will improve our understanding of what breeds violent extremism.

Many of us in America wonder why there is such a different view of the Israel-Palestine conflict in the rest of the world (Europe, Middle East, Asia, etc.). While most Americans feel that the world is biased against Israel, this documentary will perhaps elucidate for you that things may not be quite that way. Rather, perhaps, what we see and hear is only one side of the coin.

An important note... most of the narrators in the documentary are Jewish. Why is this important to point out? In our time, any critical discussion of Israel is criticized and discarded as anti-Semitism.This phenomenon of labeling everything critical of Israel as anti-Semitic chokes discussions and critical analysis. It makes our nation an unfair arbitrator, and it leads to injustice in our dealings with the non-ally in this conflict. Injustice breeds hatred, and our nation is now more despised by the world than ever before, and by more people in the world than any other country. It is easy to dismiss this by resorting to 'who cares?'. Well, we should care. We live in an age of globalization, and if we want to rid the world of the scourge of terrorism, or win the so-called 'war on terror', we sure are not going to do it alone. And unless we understand what some of the root-causes of the hatred are, and unless we open our eyes to what the rest of the world sees and hears, we will have difficulty succeeding.

Let the learning, and hopefully the healing, begin. Pls view the documentary with an open mind... and if you believe it contained useful information, please send it to others...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6604775898578139565

JunJun live!

2006-12-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

My cutie is on youtube now!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lLHG2gyixBo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lCU1ZDOOapk

Saga of Misbah Rana Continues...

2006-12-08T15:55:00.000-05:00

I will be following this story...

Seems that the Supreme Court has vacated the lower court ruling that wanted to send Misbah back to Scotland to the mother she doesn't want to be with... hopefully common sense and Islamic spirit will prevail in this case and the Supreme Court will let the girl be with who she wishes to be with:

Pakistan's SC suspends Molly Campbell's return to Britain

Islamabad, Dec. 8 (ANI): Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday suspended a lower court decision ordering the return of Molly Campbell, the 12-year-old Scottish girl who ran away from her mother's home in Scotland in August to her father's home in Lahore.

Supreme Court Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, issued the order on an appeal filed by Sajad Rana, father of Molly Campbell, The News reported.

The court suspended the lower court order pending the outcome of the appeal.

Sajad Rana filed an appeal in the Supreme Court on Thursday after a high court ordered that Molly Campbell, be sent back to her mother in Scotland.

Last week, the Lahore High Court had ordered Molly, who is known in Pakistan as Misbah Rana, to be handed to the custody of the British High Commission in Islamabad. (ANI)

The Journey of a Believer...

2006-12-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

How easy it is for us Muslims in the West to go to Hajj. Yet, many of us who are in a position to afford the pilgrimage, haven't done it. This story should serve both as a lesson of endurance and patience during Hajj for those that make the effort to take the relatively easy journey to get there (usually by plane), and also serves as a lesson for those who continue to push it off into the future, and missing opportunity after opportunity. It also reminds me of my father's journey by bus from Pakistan to Saudi in the early 70s I believe, and his experience in Iran's snows... this only makes me appreciate his effort more:

Azeri Pilgrim in 4,000-Kilometer Odyssey
M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News

RIYADH, 5 December 2006 — Narrowly escaping death six times and negotiating ferocious wolves and highway robbers, a modern-day Ibn Batuta has so far trekked 4,000 km on foot from his native Azerbaijan across Iran, Kuwait and then Saudi Arabia on the way to Makkah in time for the annual Haj, which is set to take place in a few weeks.

The Azeri man, Shahid Qurbanov, 39, gave a vivid description of his two-month-and-counting journey that has been marked with perils, adventures, road accidents and other hardships including terrible weather, wild animals and bandits. Qurbanov began his trek from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and is currently in Riyadh awaiting permission from Saudi authorities to perform Haj.

“In my case, surviving the long journey became a larger test of endurance than the pilgrimage itself,” said Qurbanov in an interview yesterday with Arab News at the Azeri Embassy. Qurbanov will proceed to the holy city of Makkah once he receives permission for Haj.

A journey such as Qurbanov’s to the holy land on foot while enduring the most difficult of hardships to partake in the annual Haj is something indicated in the Qur’an: “And proclaim unto all people the duty of the Haj pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every kind of fast mount. They will come from the farthest locations (on Earth).”

When asked about the most memorable and fearsome moments of his journey, the fearless pilgrim described how he was stalked by wolves in Iran. “Wolves stalked me for nearly three hours, then suddenly they walked away... once the tire of a huge lorry burst on the Ahwaj Highway in Iran and it stopped just short of where I was resting on the side of the road,” he said, adding, “I also survived for three days and three nights without food and water.”

Despite the dangers, Qurbanov said he has received considerable help from generous strangers in Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He says that once he obtains his Haj visa, he will continue on foot to Makkah.

“With a target of walking 50 km every day, it will be easy for me to soon set foot on the soil of the holy city,” said the pilgrim, who says he is inspired by ancient Arab travelers such as Ibn Batuta. Qurbanov added that his journey highlights the importance of peace and love between the people of the Kingdom and Azerbaijan, as well as his love for the Islamic world. He also plans to write a book about his trip.

Qurbanov left Baku on Sept. 1. He carries a 16-kilogram bag full of daily necessities and an Azeri flag. He said he did not have a clear route planned and had set out for Iran and then Kuwait before entering the Kingdom on Nov. 25.

Double-standards at full display.. and the brown sahib judge in Pakistan

2006-12-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

Misbah Rana, preferred to be called Molly Campbell by the media (ignoring her wishes of course to be called by her Muslim name) does NOT want to return to Scotland to her mom and her boy-friend. She wants to be with her father in Pakistan, she wants to be a Muslim. In her own words, ""I really don't like her [Misbah's mom] now. I'm getting older and I can see what she's really like. There's nothing that would make me go back to Scotland. I used to get called Paki at school or at the bus station. Here, I can practise my religion and we go to prayers five times a day and everyone's really respectful."

Yet, despite everything she wants, and despite her clear display of sadness (weeping openly), the White sahib (Scotland) wants her back. And our own brown sahib (a Pakistan high court judge) wants to comply with Lord sahib. Herein lies my cow! Reverse the whole thing. Assume that Misbah was born in Pakistan, with custody granted her to Pakistani dad. And then assume that she is taken by her non-Muslim British mom, away from her Pakistani dad,to Scotland. And also assume that she insists that she hates Pakistan, and doesn't like her dad either. That she wants to absolutely stay with her mom in England. Do you think anyone would even give the dad a shot? No way, not in his dreams! That case would be open and shut immediately: British mom keeps girl who wants to be with her, and not her Muslim Pakistani father.

But unfortunately, some Muslims, the appeasers of the West have completely given up their identities, and their sovereignty to the West. How dare this judge decide that the girl should be sent back to Scotland?? How dare he force a girl who has reached the age of puberty, back to a non-Muslim environment, where she does NOT want to go! Where is the justice in all of this? Before I note what brown sahib said, let me explain what this term means for those who don't know--- the mentality of colonialism in the Indian subcontinent, going back to the British colonization of India. The appeasing Indians served their masters or sided with the occupation entity, and spent their time in the elite circles. They would be called brown sahibs. Unfortunately, the British are long gone, but the mentality continues to reside amongst some-- the inferiority complex. So, Pakistan's brown sahib, Judge Saqib Nisar, wrote a 14-page ruling, criticising Misbah's father, Sajad, 45, declaring he had not acted as an "upright, fair and honest man". He said: "He has removed the child and is guilty of violating court orders. "He cannot be allowed to have the benefit." The judge also accused Sajad of "tutoring" his daughter to claim her mother was preventing her from living a life of "Islamic virtue".

Misbah counters, "If the judge thinks dad told me what to say, he's completely wrong. I'm old enough to make my own mind up. I got on three planes to come to Pakistan. If I didn't want to come, I could have screamed for help or run to the police."

Vowing to appeal against the judge's ruling, Misbah's father, Sajad said: "Misbah is still very upset. She cries and sobs. I'm devastated at the thought of her going back to that house."

News sources:

And Destiny Overtook Him...

2006-12-04T09:19:00.000-05:00

Here is a story for Muslims to reflect on. The story-line from the Times of UK reads:

"Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian intelligence agent poisoned in London, is to be buried according to Muslim tradition after converting to Islam on his deathbed. The spy's father, Walter Litvinenko, said in an interview published today that his son - who was born an Orthodox Christian but had close links to Islamist rebels in Chechnya - made the request as he lay dying in University College Hospital."He said ’I want to be buried according to Muslim tradition’," Mr Litvinenko told Moscow's Kommersant daily."I said, ’Well son, as you wish. We already have one Muslim in our family - my daughter is married to a Muslim. The important thing is to believe in the Almighty. God is one.’"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2486268,00.html

As a Muslim, this news gave me the chills (the good kind!)... may Allah enter Alexander Litvinenko into Paradise if he indeed converted to Islam on his death-bed. Reminds me of the following two authentic traditions from the Messenger of Allah (S),

"Verily, each one of you is formed in his mother's womb forty days as a drop, then he is something suspended for a similar period, then he is a piece of flesh like a chewed piece of meat for another period of forty days, then the angel is sent to insert the soul. This angel is ordered to record four things: the sustenance which he will receive during his lifetime, the length of his life, all actions that he will do, and whether he will end up miserable (in hell) or joyous (in paradise). I swear by the One other than whom there is no deity, one of you may do the works of the people of paradise right up until there is only an arm's length between him and paradise, but his destiny overtakes him, so he does the actions of the poeple of the fire and enters it. And, verily, one of you may do the works of the people of hell until there is nothing between them and hell except for one arm's length, but his destiny overtakes him, and so he does the works of the people of paradise, and enters it." [Muslim]

“A Jewish boy who would serve the Prophet fell sick, so the Prophet said: ‘Let us go and visit him.’ They (the Prophet and his illustrious Companions) went to visit him and found his father sitting by his head. The Messenger of God, may God praise him, said: ‘Proclaim that there is no true deity worthy of being worshipped except God alone, and I will intercede on your behalf on account of it on the Day of Resurrection.’ The boy looked at his father and the father said: ‘Obey Abul-Qasim (Muhammad)!’ So the boy uttered: ‘There is no true deity worthy of being worshipped except God alone, and Muhammad is the last Messenger.’ The Messenger of God then said: ‘All praise is due to God Who saved him from the Fire of Hell.’”[Ibn Hibban]

Identify Muslims in American with a Crescent-Tatoo!

2006-12-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

The following article from the Reuters is not surprising, but chilling nevertheless. God forbid something happens again in America, and Muslims or Muslim-pretenders are again responsible, then we could easily see the 40% negativity reach majority levels! For the Islamaphobia-deniers, and for those who are distributing vitriolic comments about Islam, this is their success. For the Muslims, this is our challenge.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061201/us_nm/usa_muslims_fear_dc

In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep

By Bernd Debusmann, Special Correspondent Fri Dec 1, 9:05 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters)- When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.

The first caller to the station in Washington said that Klein must be "off his rocker." The second congratulated him and added: "Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead but you ship them out of this country ... they are here to kill us."

Another said that tattoos, armbands and other identifying markers such as crescent marks on driver's licenses, passports and birth certificates did not go far enough. "What good is identifying them?" he asked. "You have to set up encampments like during World War Two with the Japanese and Germans."

At the end of the one-hour show, rich with arguments on why visual identification of "the threat in our midst" would alleviate the public's fears, Klein revealed that he had staged a hoax. It drew out reactions that are not uncommon in post-9/11 America.

"I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything I said," he told his audience on the AM station 630 WMAL (http://www.wmal.com/), which covers Washington, Northern Virginia and Maryland

"For me to suggest to tattoo marks on people's bodies, have them wear armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license on their passport or birth certificate is disgusting. It's beyond disgusting.

"Because basically what you just did was show me how the German people allowed what happened to the Jews to happen ... We need to separate them, we need to tattoo their arms, we need to make them wear the yellow Star of David, we need to put them in concentration camps, we basically just need to kill them all because they are dangerous."

The show aired on November 26, the Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday, and Klein said in an interview afterwards he had been surprised by the response.

"The switchboard went from empty to totally jammed within minutes," said Klein. "There were plenty of callers angry with me, but there were plenty who agreed."

POLLS SHOW WIDESPREAD ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT

Those in agreement are not a fringe minority: A Gallup poll this summer of more than 1,000 Americans showed that 39 percent were in favor of requiring Muslims in the United States, including American citizens, to carry special identification.

Roughly a quarter of those polled said they would not want to live next door to a Muslim and a third thought that Muslims in the United States sympathized with al Qaeda, the extremist group behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

A poll carried out by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group, found that for one in three Americans, the word Islam triggers negative connotations such as "war," "hatred" and "terrorist." The war in Iraq has contributed to such perceptions.

Klein's show followed a week of heated discussions on talk radio, including his own, and online forums over an incident on November 22 involving six Muslim clerics. They were handcuffed and taken off a US Airways flight after passengers reported "suspicious behavior" that included praying in the departure gate area.

The clerics, on their way to a meeting of the North American Imams Federation, were detained in a holding cell, questioned by police and FBI agents, and released. Muslim community leaders saw the incident as yet more evidence of anti-Muslim prejudice.

IGNORANCE SEEN AS KEY PROBLEM

Several American Muslims interviewed on the subject of prejudice over the past few weeks said ignorance was at the core of the problem.

"The level of knowledge is very, very low," said Mohamed Esa, a U.S. Muslim of Arab descent who teaches a course on Islam at McDaniel College in Maryland. "There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and some people think they are all terrorists."

Hossam Ahmed, a retired Air Force Reserve colonel who occasionally leads prayer meetings for the small Muslim congregation at the Pentagon

There are no hard figures on how many Muslims have been subject to harassment or prejudice and community leaders say that ugly incidents can prompt spontaneous expressions of support. Such as the e-mail a Minneapolis woman sent to CAIR after the imams were taken off their flight.

"I would like to ... help," the e-mail said. "While I cannot offer plane tickets, I would be happy to drive at least 2 or 3 of them. My car is small, but at least some of our hearts in this land of the free are large."

And optimists saw signs of change in the November 4 election of the first Muslim to the U.S. House of Representatives, which has 435 members.

Democrat Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old African-American lawyer, did not stress his religion during his campaign for a Minnesota seat, but said his victory would "signal to people who are not Muslims that Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of our country."

TDC Video

2006-12-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

Get a taste of Texas Dawah (TDC), Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRMfT8HVJtE (about 5 mins)

Shorter version: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-972607880278511949&q=texas+dawah

Another location for the larger version:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7825707656422849440&q=texas+dawah

To dress or to undress?

2006-11-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

Sister Ruth Nasrullah, who is fast becoming a Houston icons for converts to Islam, is now hosting her own blog via Houston Chronicle. Sister Ruth is a journalist by education, and her writings convey that art well. Her blog has an interesting entry regarding the picture of a Muslim woman that appeared in the Chronicle. By all accounts, the picture was not very accurate in its portrayal of Islamic dress (what a surprise). So, Sister Ruth discusses that, and some interesting comments come her way.

Here's her blog : http://blogs.chron.com/thestraightpath/. Look for insert "I'm Disappointed".

One comment that probably got under Sister Ruth's skin, and under mine and probably most Muslims was this comment by a Dennis:
"Ruth - it's an interesting concept that you are promoting here, this idea of freedom through oppression. I thought our society had advanced well beyond that point, even if it is based on a religious philosophy. To steal a line from Richard Dawkins, we tolerate a lot of really bad ideas becase we are told that they have some sort of religious basis. I don't think most Americans will buy into what you are suggesting."

Here's my response:
To Dennis:
Your statement, I quote, "this idea of freedom through oppression" is actually quite amusing. It's as contradictory as Bush's goal of promoting 'liberty' i.e. if people choose to behave in a certain way that you don't like, then it must be oppression, and if they choose to behave in a way that you like, then it has to be liberty! Why is it that you and your ilk feel that they are somehow so enlightened to pick and choose what represents liberty or oppression for others?
For you, liberty may mean women appearing in playboy or penthouse magazines or appearing barely-clad or not clad at all in advertisements that have nothing to do with women. For you, liberty may mean women selling themselves, and be sold by others, for the enjoyment of men. For you, liberty may mean women wearing mini-skirts at work for the visual pleasure of men dressed in 3-piece suits. For you, liberty may be little girls dressing in enticing and 'sexy' clothes, while they haven't yet grasped simple concepts of life. For you, liberty may mean women spending their entire lives trying to please men, whether on the street, on the bill-boards, on TV, in magazines or whatever else purpose they are being exploited for.
For us Muslims, Dennis, liberty means quite something else. For us Muslims, liberty means a women's subservience not to the society or its male sector, but to the God who created her. For us Muslims, liberty means a woman's role not as an object of pleasure for nations, but rather as a mother of nations. And finally, for us Muslims, liberty means dressing to dress, and not to entice; dressing to cover, and not to uncover illicit relations.
As the verse in Quran states, what means, "To you, your religion, to us ours". So, to you, your perverted sense of liberty, to us, our true liberty; Liberty from the worship of man, and liberty in the worship of man's creator.
-amad

11 Reasons to attend Texas Dawah!!!

2006-11-21T18:35:00.000-05:00

www.texasdawah.org

1) TDC just recieved confirmation from two additional speakers; Shk. Yasir Birjas and Shk. Mohammad Faqih!

2) There will be a Muslim career program with seven panelists discussing halal career options for Muslims outside of the usual careers Muslims seem to aim for.

3) This year we will have amazing recreational activities, and programs including indoor rockclimbing, as well as basketball tournaments. We will have a guest Shaykh that will come by to shoot air ball with the brothers!

4) The Texas Dawah Convention will be hosting a History of Islam in Texas, 'research and presentation'. This is a brilliant piece organized by brothers at the University of Texas MSA and sponsored by Clear Lake Islamic Center and Texas Dawah Convention.

5) By far this convention will be one of the most amazing and the largest in Houston, with amazing speakers and programs for the 5,000 plus attendees expected, insha'Allah.

6) We will have as our guest, one of the highest Muslim elected in the US government, Senator Larry Shaw, from North Carolina. Closer to home we will have Texas's very own Teacher of the Year, Patricia El-Kassir.

7) The environment is a constant faith booster. Scholars, Friends, and families will fill the convention center. Insha Allah pure bliss will surround each and everyone of the attendees.

8) For all our single brothers and sisters out there, we will have a matrimonial program at TDC.

9) There will be an array of wonderful parallel sessions for adults, MSA, youth, and sister-only sessions. There will also be a sister's talk show and leadership-training seminar!

10) Unlike any other convention, this convention will have students of knowledge directly involved with the organization. This ensures that everyone will be getting the most of what he/she can from this convention. By having the Shayookh, and other students of knowledge directing the program, it helps to increase and ensure great quality and results insha' Allah.

11) For those who cannot wait what the Texas Dawah Convention has in store for next year, there will be a sneak peak at the theme and topic for TDC VII! Don't miss out!

Musings of a Muslim Mind (MOVED)

Introducing...

A New Era of Blogging

Let's Count...

Wafa Sultan: The Bubble is Bursting

Is There Any Doubt Left??

The Intrigue of Snow

And we Thought we Had it Hard...

JUST (don't) DO IT!

Injustice, Injustice, Injustice!

Isam Rajab's TV Appearance on PBS Online Now!

Ok, the Niqab is Out...

When Will They Condemn?

Swimming for Tawafٍ

The Chariots Final: Immigrants at the Marathon

Sunday 8PM on Houston PBS

The Chariots Part II: Immigrants and African-Americans

The Chariots Part I: At the Marathon...

What is an Identity Crisis?

My Family's all Blogged Up!

Humor Alert: Culture Study with Brother Irtiza Hasan

Multaqa Ahl-Hadith in English Now!

"Weird Mosque on the Prairie"...

Muslim Cabbie Tales

Muslim Cabbies-- Unsung Heroes...

AlMaghrib Scholarships for Converts

Can’t Elect One? Then, Convert One! (STORY BEING FOLLOWED)

The Rise and Demise of "SOME" hard-liners...

Introducing...

Abu Lulu's Shrine: Knowing Your Adversaries...

"Sheikhs Speak Too Much": Closing Gems @ Texas Dawah 2006

The Wahhabi Myth: Debunking the Bogeyman

We're Going Skiing!

Another Angle to Mosques Undercover & CNN's "Exposé"

Talking about babies...

60 Ways to Keep Your Wife's Love: Guaranteed!

The Demise of Obama

Its Over (Inshallah) for Misbah Rana: She Stays Put!

Yasir Qadhi Response to Channel 4 Mosques Undercover Documentary

Response to Channel 4's Sinister Plot to Defame Muslims

Why Do Babies Smell Soooo Good?

The False History of Muslim Intolerance

Witness the Beautiful Recitation of Quran

The Prostitute and the Atheist: Lessons in our Grief

THE MUSLIM"JULIE" entered an arranged marriage when she was 15. She says pressure from her strict Muslim family meant there were few options if she chose not to marry.

Jill Carroll Dishes it out to the Nay-sayers!

Weird Mosque on the Prairie

Wahhabis -- an Assignment

Media Inquisition of Muslims Continues...

Would the Prophet (S) be Part of this Event?

A Quick Layman's Primer on Attributes of Allah

Ibn Qayyim: O People of Paradise: Meet Your Lord

Aboodi's Eid Mania

Appreciation of Health

Texas Dawah Lectures...

Kindergarten Logic -- Musings of Sr. Ruth

America's Frankenstein Executed in the Gallows

Eid Mubarak to Everyone!

Abu Aaliyah = Sufi??

Texas Dawah Links

Enough of Sami Yusuf... Yvonne Ridley's Common Islamic Sense

Positive Story on Texas Dawah on Fox 26 News

Texas Dawah Day 4 (Conclusion)

Texas Dawah Day 3

Houston Chronicle Highlights Texas Dawah Convention

'A finer point'

Other highlights

Texas Dawah Day 2

Texas Dawah Day 1

Houston Musings with Delaware Buddies....

Texas Dawah Blog - Prelude

An Unheard Tragedy in America

Back to Houston, for Vacation (??!) and Texas Dawah...

Last Breath...

Muslims Facing Increasing Islamaphobia in Europe-- Daah

Threatened by a 12x6 Piece of Cloth-- Yasir Rises to the Occasion!

Silence of the media lambs... Ex-President Carter's words falling on deaf ears...

The Vultures are Circling

Texas Dawah Releases an AMAZING Program

Convert or Die!

THE MUSLIM
"JULIE" entered an arranged marriage when she was 15. She says pressure from her strict Muslim family meant there were few options if she chose not to marry.