In the previous post, I generally discussed the idea of self-jihad which is a very important concept in Islam. It entails fighting one’s own self from committing sins that upsets God from us such as forbidden looks, the looks that any man or woman gives to illegal scenes such as immodestly dressed persons, as it may trigger some other sinful thoughts and deeds as well.

Today, I am going to discuss the significance of self-jihad with reference to the human’s soul in Islam. Firstly, for those who are not familiar with the meaning of the word “Jihad”: it means fighting, so, self-jihad means to fight your-self.

Before starting, let me brainstorm with an example: a little child who is born to find himself in the street with no mother or father to teach him what is right and what is wrong, it would be very expected from him to steal, lie, and fight for simple reasons, in other words, he would be untamed. Whereas the one who is raised in a good family with focused guidance and teaching, he would grow more controlled.

Our souls are very much like the previous example. If the soul is left untamed, it would urge the human to commit mistakes with no shame, while if the human always deter himself from sinning through remembering God and hell vs. heaven, the chances of him being a good person will definitely increase.

In the Qur’an there is a verse which says (in the meaning) “a soul urges bad deeds”. That is, if we are not in a strong relationship with God, the minute we feel allowed to do something wrong without getting punished like looking at forbidden scenes, stealing, or cheating, we would! Only when we remind ourselves with the Almighty God and learn by heart that all previous deeds are sins, that we will be able to “tame” ourselves, and be the master of ourselves. All this comes under the significance of self-jihad.

“Sins are false pleasures that strip you of your tranquility and peace of mind.  Be at peace by being obedient to Allah” this quote is said by Sheikh (Islamic Scholar) Abdul-Bary Yahya, a famous Islamic preacher who gives lectures in English. Also, there are many many evidence in the Quran and Sunnah which advise people to stay away from sins as they lead to depression. That is because God gets upset from sinning, so, if The Creator is mad at you, do you expect to live happily? Do you expect from people to love you? Of course not! If your mother gets upset from us, we feel terrible, so how about The Almighty??!

Finally, the significance of self-jihad, is one that is so great; it gives us a formula to a happy life. So, only by obeying God and strengthening our bond with him, that we will lead a healthy life full of blessings and serenity. No wonder that, many -if not all- of those who do not practice self-jihad and have uncontrolled manners, suffer from psychological problems that even their psychiatrist advise them to get to God and supplicate to Him. It is so natural! God has created us from His soul, so, the minute we are away, things go so damagingly wrong!

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Islam is among the largest religions of the world. There are more than a billion people on this planet who belong to this religion. All the basic concepts of this religion are the same in almost all the areas of the world.

Talking about the basic concepts of the politics in this religion, it is purely based on the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. Sunnah is in fact the teachings and sayings along with the living habits of the last prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W). It is also based on the history of Muslims and other elements related to the politics outside Islam. To know the political concepts of Islam, one must know the Arabic language because to learn Arabic means to learn Islam. This is quite simple to understand in this world.

To learn Muslim culture means we have done a lot of things to know the concepts of politics in Islam. Traditionally, they have been derived from the teachings of the great people selected by God. These are different in different sectors of this religion. But the basic theme is that all the political concepts are the basis from the teachings of Quran and Sunnah.

Talking specifically about politics, some people dislike its use in the religion. This is so because they have a belief that politics has no place in Islam because there is not anything like politics in this religion. They have their own point of views and they start quoting Arabic language verses to make others learn Islam. Well for the correction if such people, it must be mentioned here that politics does exist in Islam. The idea may be a modified one but it does exist in a much purified form. The politics that exists in Islam does not include lying, deception, flattery and other immoral ways. Meanings of politics in Islam are very pure and very beautiful. It means that the persons are able to good planning regarding any issues or implementation of plans along with the management. This is what Islam teaches about. The existence of politics is proved by the advantages it carries with it.

Islam does not stop here regarding the explanation of the politics. It has been a very vast terminology that is used and also implemented on the normal day to day life here in this world. They have been rich with the teachings of Islam that guide us and train us to have the ability of converting a pebble into a mountain. There are many examples in Islam that can prove the existence of politics in Islam. For example, the way Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) managed the whole state. He took care of all the aspects of the daily life and very beautifully did everything. One more beautiful example is the time of battles. There was not more beautiful example of graceful and beautifully planned politics in Islam at that time. And the list is not over. Many things can be quoted as examples of the presence of politics in Islam.

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Many Muslims and scholars want to know How to learn tajweed but they need to consider a lot since this is not one of the easy Arabic language to read and pronounce. It is important for the person who seeks to learn this language to visit the qualified people who will give the best results. This was the language, used by the Holy Prophet, more than 14 Centuries ago, and it was their official language of communication.

During those times, they were not keen on learning the writing the written aspect but more keen on pronunciation. Many Muslims do not know how to learn the language well and this makes it hard for them to read the Quran well. However, some of the scholars and the teachers of the Quran know the entire process of reading the tajweed and they ensure they give out the right message to the followers who want to learn it or grasp the gospel.

When one wants to know How to learn tajweed, they need to keep many factors in mind and this will enable them to get the right message. One of the ways is through the Islamic scholars and the Quran teachers. They have mastered this skill well and translating it to the people who want to know is very easy. They have good reference sources and the skills passed down for many centuries. Some of the scholars do refer to the recourse and research materials to aid them in understanding the tajweed. Anyone who has interest in learning it will end up getting the details with time even though it is not easy to understand it fully. One needs to take time and visit the Quran teachers and this will enable them to get the fulfilling results.

When one wants to know How to learn tajweed the easiest ways at a cheaper fee, they need to adapt the use of the internet and this will give them different resources that they will use at their free time. Some people end up getting the best results from some of the sites through knowing the pronunciations, the writing, and the audio tapes that show the directions and the guidelines of learning tajweed. It is not a requirement for every Muslim to learn this but those who want to advance to it have the option of learning it and able to recite the Quran much easily.

When one wants to know How to learn tajweed easily, they need to start learning to when they are young and going through the Quran lessons. This makes it very easy for them to know and adapt the language well since it is very easy for one to grasp the details when they are learning the Quran. Many children want to learn the tajweed, this enables them to grow up knowing more about the Islamic aspect, and others choose the settle with the basic Quran language. It is advisable for one to use the right sources to get the best results, which will enable them to learn the Islamic religion.

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The things that are prohibited in Islam are prohibited for everyone, for an ordinary person as well as the ruler. Same laws are applicable for the ruler as well as the ruled. It is obligatory for everyone to fulfill their duties so that everyone gets their rights. It is duty of the state that the people are asked about who the next political leader should be. The things that are forbidden should not be done to fulfill the rights of others and the duties of you.

In order to learn about Islam and the things that are forbidden in Islam one can join a Muslim academy where he can learn Muslim culture and learn Muslim language. One can learn Islam in detail by studying the Quran. The Quran is in Arabic language so you can even learn Arabic language in such academies. It is better to learn Arabic so that you can understand the Quran by reading it yourself. The Quran explains in detail the rights and duties of everyone. There are many verses in the Quran that explain the duties of a ruler in an Islamic state. The ruler is required to have a simple life even if he has all the resources in his hands.

Most of the duties and rights of the ruler are directly expressed but some of them are expressed indirectly. It is the duty of the state to implement and maintain justice and to maintain the rights of the people. The ruler of an Islamic state works in accordance with the teachings of Islam. It is the duty of the ruler of an Islamic state to look into Islamic teachings for guidance when needed. It is the duty of the ruler of an Islamic state to live his life to for the country, to put the interest of his people above his own interest.

It is the duty of the ruler to maintain the rights of life, property, freedom for conscience, freedom for religion and honor of his subjects.  It is the duty of the ruler of an Islamic state to ensure that the life of an individual or lives of all the groups are safe and are not harmed in any way. Another duty of the ruler is to ensure the safety of the property of his subjects, it should not be taken away with force and the subjects should not get into any frauds regarding his property. The ruler has the duty to ensure that the people have the freedom of expression and they can have the beliefs and opinions they want to keep. The ruler of the Islamic state has the duty to ensure that people of all the religions have the freedom to practice their own religions as long as their practice does not hinder the practice of other religions. The ruler has the duty to ensure that the honor of his subjects is not defamed in public. These are the rights that are also recognized as the universal human rights. The universal human rights are also based on the Islamic teachings.

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ইসলাম এর বিস্তার এই উপমহাদেশে অনেক অনেক কাল আগেই ঘটেছে । ১৩০০ শতাব্দির গোঁড়ার দিকে ইন্ডিয়ার উত্তর অঞ্ছলে মোহাম্মাদ ঘুড়ী এর আগমনের সাথে সাথে এই উপমহাদেশে মুসলিম সম্রাজ্যের বিস্তার ঘটে এর সাথে সাথেই ইসলাম এই অঞ্ছলে প্রবেশ করে। এই উপমহাদেশে ইসলাম সম্প্রসারণ এর মূলে আরবদের আগমন প্রধান ভুমিকা পালন করেছে । তবে ইসলাম ভিন্ন ভিন্ন উপায়ে এই উপমহাদেশে তথা এই দেশে প্রবেশ করেছে । যেমন – মুসলমান ব্যাবসায়ী, তুর্কীদের জয়, এবং মুসলমান সুফি সাধকদের আগমনের মাধ্যমে।  ইরাক থেকে সৈয়দ শাহ্‌ নাসিরুদ্দিন ইসলাম প্রচার এর উদ্দেশ্যে বাংলাদেশে আগমন তন্মধ্যে উল্লেখযোগ্য । ব্যাবসায়ীক তথা তৎকালীন জল যোগাযোগ সুবিধার জন্য মূলত চট্রগ্রাম এ ইসলাম এর আবির্ভাব ঘটে। ৮ম থেকে ১২শ শতাব্দী পর্যন্ত বাংলা পাল বংশের শাসনাধীন ছিল তারপর সেন বংশ বাংলার শাসন ভার গ্রহন করে। সেন সম্রাজ্জ্যের পতনের পর বাংলায় ইসলাম এর বিস্তের পুরোপুরি ভাবে শুরু হয় এবং তা প্রায় ১০০ শত বছর যাবত ব্যাপক ভাবে বিস্তার লাভ করে। এই বিস্তার একক ভাবে নয় বরং দলগত বা গোষ্ঠী গত ভাবে ঘটে। আগেই বলা হয়েছে যে সুফি গণ বাংলায় ইসলাম প্রচারে আগ্রণী ভুমিকা পালন করেছেন। ঈখতিয়ার উদ্দিন মুহাম্মাদ বখতিয়ার খিলজির আমলে বাংলায় তথা সমগ্র ভারতীয় উপমহাদেশে ইসলাম ব্যাপক ভাবে সম্প্রসারিত হয়। এর মূলে ছিলেন মুসলমান সাধক গণ। হযরত শাহ্‌ জালাল (রাঃ)  তার মামা শেখ কবির এর নির্দেশে বাংলায় আসেন এবং সিলেটের তৎকালীন হিন্দু রাজা গৌর গোবিন্দ কে হারিয়ে সেখানে বসতি স্থাপন করেন। তার এই আগমন এর মাধ্যমে বাংলায় ইসলাম এর বিস্তার বেশ এগিয়ে যায়।

বাংলাদেশের প্রধান মুসলমান সম্প্রদায় সুন্নি নামে পরিচিত। সুন্নি গণ মূলতঃ হানাফি মাজহাব অনুসরন করেন। তারা তাবলীগ জামায়াত পরিচালনা করেন। বিশ্ব ইস্তেমা তাদেরই পৃষ্টপোষকতায় হয়ে থাকে। এই বিশ্ব ইস্তেমায় প্রায় ৫০ লক্ষ মুসলমান বাংলাদেশ সহ সমস্ত দক্ষিন এশিয়া হতে অংশগ্রহন করেন। বাংলাদেশের অপর একটি উল্লেখযোগ্য মুসলিম সম্প্রদায় হল আহলে হাদিস যারা কোন মাজহাব অনুসরণ না করে সম্পূর্ণ রুপে কুরআন ও হাদিস মেনে চলে। মুলতঃ রাজশাহী এবং খুলনায় এই সম্প্রদায় এর লোকজন বেশী পাওয়া যায়। সমগ্র বাংলাদেশে এই সম্প্রদায় এর লোক সংখ্যা প্রায় ২৭৫ লক্ষ। বাংলাদেশ এ প্রায় ৬০০ আহলে হাদিস মসজিদ এবং ৫ টি আহলে হাদিস মাদ্রাসা আছে।  আহলে হাদিসদের উল্লেখযোগ্য তিনটি ধারা খুজে পাওয়া যায়। এগুলো হল মুহাম্মাদ আসাদুল্লাহ আল গালিব পরিচালিত আহলে হাদিস আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশ (AHAB), জামীয়াতে আহলে হাদিস এবং আহলে হাদিস তাবলীগ-ঈ-ইসলাম। এছাড়াও আরও দুটো সম্প্রদায় এর দেখা বাংলাদেশ এ পাওয়া যায় যথা- আহমেদিয়া এবং শিয়া। ঢাকা সহ সমগ্র বাংলাদেশ এ প্রায় ১০০,০০০ হাজার আহমেদিয়া মুসলিম এর বসবাস।

যদিও বাংলাদেশে মুসলমানরা সংখ্যা গরিষ্ঠ তথাপিও বাংলাদেশ সংবিধান প্রতিটি মানুষের নিজস্ব ধর্মকে প্রাধান্য দেয়। বিশেষত বাংলাদেশ এর বর্তমান সরকার বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ সংবিধান এ কিছু পরিবরতন আনে যা ধর্ম নিরপেক্ষতাকে প্রতিষ্ঠা করে। বাংলাদেশ এ ধর্ম মন্ত্রণালয় সকল ধর্মের পৃষ্টপোষকতা করে থাকে। এই মন্ত্রণালয় মুসলমানদের সকল মসজিদ, ঈদগাহ এবং ধর্মীয় বিভিন্ন আচার অনুষ্ঠান এর সময় সম্পর্কে সকলকে অবগত করে ও সুষ্ঠু ভাবে তা পালনে সহায়তা করে। বাংলাদেশ এ মুসলমানরা সার্বিক ভাবে তাদের ধর্ম পালনের সুবিধা ভোগ করে থাকে। মুসলমানদের একটি অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ধর্মীয় আচার বাক্তিগত অর্থায়নে মক্কাতে হাজ্জ পালনের জন্য কাগজপত্র এবং অন্যান্য  ব্যাবস্থা রাষ্ট্রীয় ভাবে করা হয়ে থাকে।

বাংলাদেশ এর প্রধান ধর্ম ভিত্তিক রাজনৈতিক দল হচ্ছে জামাত-ই-ইসলামী বাংলাদেশ। শুধু বাংলাদেশেই নয় বরং সমগ্র উপমহাদেশের মধ্যে এটিই সবচেয়ে বড় ইসলামিক রাজনৈতিক দল। বাংলাদেশ এর মুক্তিযুদ্ধে এই দলটির বিতর্কিত ভূমিকা আজও বাঙ্গালীদের মনে প্রশ্নের উদ্রেক করে।

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The organiser of a planned march of the controversial English Defence League has defended the group's decision to stage a protest in Bristol.

Mickey Bayliss said the group was committed to a peaceful demonstration against what he claimed was the "Islamification of Bristol".

The 48-year-old farmer, from Upton Cheyney, near Bitton, stressed that the group had no intention of marching through St Paul's and told the Post he had been working closely with the police and the council to ensure a trouble-free protest.

He also dismissed claims that marching on the day of a gay pride festival in the city was a provocative move. "We were given this day by the council, as initially the march clashed with the harbour festival," said the Bedminster-born activist. The last thing we want to do as an organisation is cause any trouble."

Mr Bayliss denied accusations that the EDL preached fear and hate, claiming instead that it was a tolerant organisation. He said: "Unfortunately we are being painted as a racist group, but we are clearly not."

Mr Bayliss said the EDL was not targeting Bristol in particular, although he did express concerns about the city. He said: "There's been a few incidents involving Islamic centres springing up around the city and also more mosques. We are against the extreme Islamist terrorism and Sharia law and people who preach hate and terror. We are also against the Islamification of Bristol."

Bristol Evening Post, 29 June 2012

The 2001 census found that Muslims made up 2% of the population of Bristol, while Christians accounted for 62%, and 93% of the population was white. If the city is now under serious threat of "Islamification" you can only conclude that the Muslim community must have increased at a quite staggering rate over the past decade.

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Spen MP Mike Wood is calling for a far-Right protest in Dewsbury tomorrow to be called off. He fears the protest could spark trouble which might spill over into nearby areas. And parents in parts of Heckmondwike are being warned of possible trouble.

The English Defence League plans to protest between 1pm and 3pm in Dewsbury.

Mr Wood, MP for Batley and Spen, has told police that previous EDL demonstrations have led to crime and disorder spilling into neighbouring towns. In a letter to chief constable Sir Norman Bettison he says: "Towns in the Spen Valley have suffered disorder and crime during and after EDL events."

He said a demonstration in Cleckheaton in March led to more police having to be drafted in. Shops were attacked in Heckmondwike and there was disorder on public transport. "And this was a demo designed to show the EDL could behave in order to justify larger protests, such as the one planned for this weekend.

"The history of trouble, attacks and arrests must dispel any claim the EDL has to a legitimate right to protest and demonstrates the potential for trouble to spill over into Spen Valley. The last thing local businesses and residents need is to be footing the bill and dealing with the aftermath of yet another event staged purely to cause confrontation and division. The police should ban this protest and save us all the time, trouble and expense it will cause."

In Heckmondwike, parents at some schools have been given early warning of the demo by text message.

There will be counter-demonstrations by Unite Against Fascism and the TUC and police are asking people to work with them to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Several hundred members and supporters of the groups are expected to attend.

Chief Supt David Lunn said: "I urge people not associated with the demonstrations to avoid them." He said the EDL planned a static demonstration not a march.

Spenborough Guardian, 29 June 2012

See also "MPs call for ban on EDL march", George Galloway news report, 26 June 2012

The claim that the EDL will be holding "a static demonstration not a march" is disingenuous.

According to the EDL, their agreement with the police is that they are to assemble at two designated pubs, the Principle and the Black Bull, and will then be given a police escort through the town to where they are holding their rally: "The procession will follow the route of Northgate to Market Place across Long Causeway to Dewsbury Town Hall. Then as promised the speeches will be heard outside the Town Hall." So the EDL will get to march through Dewsbury anyway.

A year ago Sir Norman Bettison rightly used his powers under the Public Order Act to prevent the EDL holding their planned protest outside Dewsbury Town Hall and restricted them to the station car park. EDL leader Stephen Lennon was outraged.

"Do the streets of Dewsbury belong to heroin-peddling Muslim gangs?" he demanded. "No they don't. Do the streets of Dewsbury belong to paedophiliac Muslim gangs? No they don't. Do the streets of Dewsbury belong to imams? No they don't. The streets of Dewsbury belong to us. They are British streets, in England, and we are taking our streets back, city by city, street by street. And there ain't no-one is going to stop it."

Lennon declared that the EDL would return to Dewsbury to stage a national demonstration in sufficient numbers that they would be able to defy the police. It would appear that Bettison has capitulated to this threat.

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Today the English Defence League has posted a number of comments and links on its Facebook page to justify the demonstration in Dewsbury tomorrow and to educate its members about the threat posed by Islam. They're worth checking out if you require confirmation that the EDL is nothing more than a mob of stupid, ignorant, violent bigots.

"An Islamic enclave where secularism is enforced"? Do they mean "Islamism is enforced" or perhaps "secularism is excluded"? It's difficult to tell. As the EDL's opponents have often pointed out, it's an odd sort of English Defence League that shows such a minimal grasp of the English language.

We are also presented with the usual Islamophobic propaganda from the mainstream right-wing press, which feeds the EDL's own more violent attitude towards the Muslim community.

It has escaped the EDL's attention (and, for that matter, the Telegraph's too) that the Dewsbury Markaz is one of the largest mosques in the UK, accommodating a congregation of up to 4,000, so the fact that Mohammed Siddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer may have attended prayers there is statistically meaningless.

And, as conclusive evidence of the plot to Islamify Britain, we are offered this.

You can watch the Youtube video here. It features a speech by former Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik at the 2008 Global Peace and Unity event, where he expressed the hope that within thirty years we might see a Muslim prime minister in Britain. The video spells out what the EDL apparently believes would be the inevitable consequences of such a development.

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A campaign to allow Muslim women football players to wear headscarves was boosted on Friday when the chairman of FIFA's medical committee said he has withdrawn his opposition.

The change of medical opinion from Michel D'Hooghe was a key step before FIFA's law-making body could approve two scarf designs when it meets in Zurich next week. "The problems I had (with scarves) were medical, and I don't have those problems anymore," D'Hooghe told The Associated Press.

The panel, known as IFAB, asked in March for further medical advice on whether new designs were safe for women players to wear. Headscarves were banned from FIFA competitions for safety reasons in 2007.

Last month, D'Hooghe said his committee's tests suggested scarves "represented a danger" to players who could sustain head and neck injuries, or overheat.

That drew an angry response from his FIFA executive committee colleague, Prince Ali of Jordan, who has led a year-long campaign seeking respect for Islamic cultural tradition, and creating more opportunities for women to play, by overturning the ban. Prince Ali said he was "quite shocked," and produced medical research which challenged FIFA's position.

On Friday, D'Hooghe said he would no longer object to the designs after "more discussions" in recent weeks. "There is no risk of strangulation. I was asked for a medical opinion, and the discussions I had were purely medical," said the Belgian doctor, who did not elaborate on what swayed his opinion.

IFAB could accept one or both designs -- one from the Netherlands, which uses quick-release velcro fasteners, and a Canadian scarf fixed with light magnets.

However, D'Hooghe cautioned that the scarves must still abide by football's rules regarding players' equipment. "Those aspects are the uniformity of players' equipment and the idea of religious and political statements," D'Hooghe said. "That is a discussion for other people."

Law 4 of football states that "basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statements."

Still, Prince Ali's campaign has been backed by the United Nations, the Nobel Prize Committee and the global players' union, FIFPro.

The IFAB panel which will decide the issue next Thursday includes the four British football associations, which have one vote each, and FIFA which has a four-vote bloc. Six votes are needed to change a rule.

Associated Press, 29 June 2012

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A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on Pentagon officials not to use a target depicting a Muslim woman wearing a religious head scarf (hijab) and verses from the Quran in combat scenarios for training Navy SEALs at the new close quarters combat range at Joint Base Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that military facility, referred to as a "kill house," features a number of combat scenarios, including a mosque and a movable target of a Muslim woman wearing hijab and aiming a handgun. Verses from the Quran, Islam's revealed text, are also displayed behind the target.

"Using a Muslim woman wearing a religious head scarf with [verses from the] Quran behind her as a target for our nation's military personnel is offensive and sends a negative and counterproductive message to trainees and to the Muslim-majority nations to which they may be deployed," wrote CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. "This is yet another example of why the Department of Defense needs to fix what appears to be an ongoing problem by consulting credible scholars and experts to review all training and training materials related to Islam or Muslims."

CAIR press release, 29 June 2012

See "Fort Story range creates combat scenarios for SEALs", Virginian-Pilot, 26 June 2012

And "Group criticizes image of Muslim woman on SEAL range", Virginian-Pilot, 29 June 2012

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In the previous post I was drawn to conclude that suspicion, in its own peculiar nature, founds itself on the consideration of things that are uncertain and doubtful themselves. Through what we’ve seen so far, I think it is correct to assume that suspicion is not necessarily endemic to the wavering doubt, but it sure is endemic in a context where doubt has come to an halt. In other words, some individuals do maintain their wavering doubt throughout their entire life, whereas others put an end to the balancing of uncertainty by erecting a personal creed that is not founded on a firm basis.

IV Part – Straitening doubt

I would now like to invite you to consider another kind of doubt that we can find in two Arabic roots: حرج (hrj), strait, or narrow; to become contracted, to doubt; to be in difficulty; and ضيق (Diq), narrow,  or strait (a thing, a place); difficult, or distressing; doubt in the heart, straitness in the mind; poverty. These two roots bear a striking evidence of what seems to be an association between doubt and that which is narrow, which, in turn, is associated with both difficulty and poverty.

I find it very interesting to see something similar to this in Greek word aporos, meaning without passage, having no way in, out, or through; hence, of places, impassable; of states or circumstances, impracticable, difficult; and of persons, without means or resources, helpless; poor, needy. You might be thinking that this word is lacking the notion of narrowness… But it isn’t; in fact, the word derives from poros, originally used to denote a means of passing a river, a ford, ferry, being as well used as synonym of a strait, that is, a narrow part of the sea. Through this idea of a narrow passage, poros was also used to allude to those tiny passages in the skin – the pores. But what I really would like you to keep in mind is that poros‘ general meaning was that of means of achieving, accomplishing, as for instance the means for performing a journey.

But you may now be asking yourselves where’s doubt in those Greek words? To answer to your pertinent question I’ll have to introduce one other Greek word, formed with that same root por-. The word is porew, that means, carry, convey by land or water, traverse. So, what we have here is the implicit idea of a passage through which something is carried. Now, if you add the prefix ‘a’ you get aporew, that is, without means or resources (just like aporos) – in other words, that passage through which things were conveyed no longer exists, and that’s why the word means, of things, to be left wanting; and in general, to be at loss, be in doubt, be puzzled.

Let’s now go back to poros as the means of passing a river to add that we find this same meaning in Arabic root عبر (‘br), a thing by means of which one crosses a river (a boat, a bridge or some other thing) – but as it also means interpreting, explaining, or studying a thing, it is possible to assume that having a means of passing, or traversing, an obstacle such as a river is the same as having the means to study and thus understand what is not known. So, basically, doubt in aporew is referred to as the same as the lacking of means to carry or convey understanding.

As to poverty being associated with the lack of means to carry things through a passage… it suffices you to remember that what we call trade is strictly dependent on the possibility of using certain means to import or export goods, and that the lack of passages to the sea, for instance, is what fuels conflicts like the one between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the first of them being called a landlocked country, that is, a country that is not only cut off from sea resources, but also impeded of having access to seaborne trade. This same notion adopts one other aspect in the word embargo, that literally means to stay in the port, that is, the prohibition of ships to sail, thus impeding the conveyance of goods. More recently, embargos’ aim is to act as a barrier to the passage of all sorts of goods, thus weakening, and eventually, leading a country to poverty, as was the case of the embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council on Iraq.

In the final part of this article, I’ll leave you with some other consequences of narrowness for you to think for yourselves

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There is a deep need to get rid of the West-Islamic relationship that is based on militancy from both sides, and that the assessment of Muslims should be carried out on the basis of the general thought of Islam and based upon the tolerance of the Islamic believes.

Moreover, there is a need for an interaction with the western media through the implementation of an organized strategy to counter “Islamophobia,”. Moreover, there is a great importance in opening information offices in the world capitals and the appointment of personnel assigned to send the positive true image of Islam.

Attention should be devoted to a joint Islamic media work for the defense of the nation’s issues and the advancement of its rights and image, especially the Palestinian issue and the issue of Jerusalem, which has special priority in the world’s concerns.

This joint Islamic media work should take into account the geography of the Islamic world with its fifty seven countries, which extends from Indonesia in the east to French Guiana and Suriname in the west, as well as all Muslim communities.Islamic countries should also speak up about the truth behind what is happening in Syria as a Muslim country. They should show their stand from the negative occurring developments, especially in light of the deepening of the crisis with the continued massacres with the hands of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Islamic countries strongly condemn, with all possible means, those latest massacres committed by the forces of al-Assad which ended the lives of dozens of children, women and men using heavy weapons.

Muslim Arabs also stress that those soldiers committing such crimes have been stripped of all human values and religious principles, disguising the true teachings of Islam that protects the sanctity of human life and calls for the protection and prohibits the killing of innocent people or causing harm civilians.

Arabs call for the punishment of the criminals committing these massacres, stressing the primary responsibility of the Syrian government in maintaining the security and integrity of the Syrian people, pointing out that the shedding of man’s blood is even more forbidden in Islam with having many sacred months.

More calls for the Security Council to take firm actions and fast to stop the killing and shedding of the blood of the innocent and condemning the massacres committed against civilians in Syria.

The west must know well that what is happening in Syria is not a sectarian conflict, but it is the people’s will to get rid of an authoritarian family system that continues to reign in the country for 40 years ago, and the requirement to achieve a comprehensive reform of the radical move to another era dominated by a democratic system.

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To find love for Allah the almighty, there are many different ways. People are always in search for different things so that they can develop love for Allah. Allah is present everywhere. Sometimes, it is very easy to find love for Him. Sometimes, people find it the most difficult thing ever in their lives. People are living in the world where they find it difficult to find live for Allah. The only thing needed in the development of love for the Almighty Allah is the will power. People belonging to different religions and different sectors are doing the efforts at their best to develop love for the Lord. People are putting their efforts according to their own beliefs and thoughts and their brought ups as well.

Sufism is also a way to find love for Allah. It is a very vast terminology that can be explained to the people. Some people have a strong belief in Sufism. Now let us see what does mean by it. It has been derived from a Greek word. It has been called as mysticism by some people and has been given other names as well especially in Arabic language.

A lot of people are very well known for finding the love for Allah by the help of this Sufism. It is a great feeling of being in direct connection with Allah and it does not require to be belonging to specific religion or tribe as it was considered earlier. In the earliest times of the human beings, it was considered that people are bound to think according to the teachings of their father and forefathers. Now, finding the love for Allah is the favorite task of the people. Young generation is especially interested in finding this because it gives satisfaction of mind and soul to the people.

There are also other methods of finding love for Allah. People can find different things for different purposes. Taking the example of one religion Islam, its followers believe in Quran and they try to do exactly what has been mentioned in it. Muslims believe in the fact that everything has been in the holy book and this is the best way of developing love for Allah. One thing is obvious by the way. That is the teachings of the Islam can show the real right path and love for the Lord. It is also a proven fact that Allah loves His creatures and He wants that His creatures love Him. Doing this is very simple and only a little effort is needed in this.

To love the creatures of the Lord, can be really helpful in developing love for Allah. Allah lives in the hearts of all the people. We only need to recognize it. It is the only thing that has been bestowed upon all the human beings. We need to recognize it just. Then the things will be very easy afterwards. People will find themselves in the safest hands.s

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Many people want to learn the Arabic language but they do not know some of the best center they will use to get the best results. Some people end up with the best results since they have done prepare research and know some of the ideal centers that do offer the best courses.

There are many reasons as to why one will want to learn the Arabic language and some of the reasons include for religious reasons linguistic, to translate the Islamic language. Other people are traveling to the Islamic nations and they want to be familiar with the language and understand all the details and communicate with people easily. When it comes to learning it for religious reasons, one needs to visit the Quran scholars and they will not only get to know the language but grasp the Islamic aspect. When one is undergoing the Islamic religion, it gets harder for them to learn the religion if they cannot translate the Quran, which is written in the Arabic language. This is the reason why all the Muslims need to know how to read and interpret the Quran and they will end up knowing the real through of the Gospel through the Quran.

Some people want to learn from home and this is much easier through the audiotapes. This is the process of listening to tapes that the student will listen to and know how to pronounce. This will not teach one how to write since it only deals with the pronunciation aspect. Some people choose to use the latest technology and they will adapt the online resources. Some sources give the students the complete course of learning the Arabic language. One needs to download the files and the end up listening to them for as long as they like. They show one all the syllable and how to write the different worlds.

This is one of the best, and authoritative ways to learn since one can listen and at the same time, they get to follow the writing techniques on the screen. This will give one the chance to know more and this will make it easier for them to learn from any location in the world where there is internet. It is advisable for the student to ensure they choose the online resources well since there are some courses that do not expound on this aspect. Some people choose to pay for the courses and others prefer to rely on the free tutorials.

You need to make sure that you settle with the sources that will give you all the details and the key aspects. Some parents prefer to give their children the chance to learn the Arabic language at the Islamic center and this will ensure that they grow up knowing the Islamic language and end up grasping more on the Quran and become children who end up knowing the faith. Some people end up choosing the Islamic religious academies and these will help them to know more when it comes to the religious and scholarly aspect.

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Over at Harry's Place Hasan Afzal of British Muslims for Israel is crowing over the success of their campaign to secure the cancellation of next month's "Month of Mercy" conference at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London organised by the Al Muntada Trust.

As we have previously noted, the "call to action" issued by Harry's Place received an enthusiastic response from the racist thugs of the English Defence League and the associated hooligan group Casuals United.

Unsurprisingly, both the EDL and Casuals United share HP's glee over the cancellation.

It is interesting that Hasan Afzal makes no mention of the reason given by the Principal Hayley Group, the hotel operator responsible for the venue, for cancelling the booking. We are left to assume that it was the dangerous "jihadist" ideology of the Al Muntada Trust that led to the decision.

However, as you can see from the Casuals United screenshot, the explanation given by the venue operator was as follows: "The safety of our staff and guests is our absolute priority at all times. After careful consideration and liaison with the local police force we have taken the decision to cancel the booking."

I had emailed the Principal Hayley Group myself, urging them to reject calls to cancel the conference, pointing out that the people behind the campaign were extremists like the EDL and Harry's Place. This morning I received the same email quoted by Casuals United. 

I emailed back saying that I couldn't understand how a conference organised by an entirely peaceful organisation like the Al Muntada Trust could have compromised the safety of staff and guests at the Grand Connaught Rooms. I received the following explanation: "We cancelled the event due to the risk of public disorder, damage to our property and safety of our staff. This decision was made on Police advice."

So it wasn't the supposed "jihadist" ideology of the conference organisers that caused the cancellation of the booking – it was the threat of violence from opponents of the conference. In other words, Harry's Place managed to get the conference cancelled by mobilising far-right racist thugs against it. They must be really pleased with themselves.

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Some French airports have begun to ask headscarf-wearing women to take off their scarves for security reasons, which has spurred criticism from Muslims in the country, who find the practice a discriminatory one.

The Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) has announced that Nantes Atlantique Airport has made it obligatory for headscarf-wearing women to take off their scarves and place them in the X-ray machine along with their other belongings.

The practice was put into effect two weeks ago by the SGA, the company responsible for Nantes Atlantique Airport's security. Women affected by the new rules requested that they be allowed to take off their headscarves in a special room staffed only by women, but the request was denied. The women were told that they must place their headscarves on the conveyor going through the X-ray machine if they wanted to avoid missing their plane.

The SGA defended their actions, claiming that dangerous materials could be hidden under the headscarves, which has triggered outrage in France's Muslim community.

According to EU airport security regulations, security staff do not have the authority to ask women to take their headscarves off.

Narin Yüksel, one of the women who were asked to remove their headscarves at Nantes Atlantique Airport, said it was the first time she faced such discrimination in the 30 years she's lived in the country. "I am 65. What could there be under the headscarf of a 65-year-old woman? They told me that I would not be able to board my plane if I don't take off my headscarf," she told Today's Zaman.

Yüksel's daughter Hatice said security officials at the airport did not even allow her mother to drop her headscarf to her shoulder, saying that the headscarf should be placed in the X-ray machine. "When we asked them to do the security check in a special room, they threatened to call the police if my mom didn't take off her headscarf," she said.

The CCIF said the new rule has been implemented not only at Nantes Atlantique Airport but also at Merignac Airport in Bordeaux after they received complaints from people using that airport.

The French Muslim Council (CFCM), which is tied to the French Interior Ministry, condemned the new security procedure and called on Interior Minister Manuel Valls to initiate an investigation into the case.

Union Des Associations Turques du Grand Ouest (UNATGO) President İsa Sevencan told Today's Zaman that they contacted Nantes Governor Christian de Lavernée and that he promised to put an end to the discriminatory practice. "We will not allow such actions, which threatens our ability to coexist, to happen again," Sevencan said.

Last week, a Turkish citizen, Kübra Kağıtçı, was not allowed into a bank in Belfort due to her headscarf. The number of Islamophobic attacks on headscarf-wearing women has been increasing in France in recent years. In 2011, 94 percent of Islamaphobic attacks in the country targeted women wearing headscarves.

The wearing of headscarves was banned at all French primary and high schools in 2004, but headscarves are still allowed at universities.

Today's Zaman, 28 June 2012

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The Ministry of Culture of Turkey revealed that a rare copy of a 1,500-year-old Bible was found written in Aramaic language and Syriac alphabet, indicating that Jesus (peace be upon him) predicted that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was coming to earth after him.

Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay: “The value of the book is estimated to be around $ 22 million, which contains the prophecy of Christ about the coming of Prophet Muhammad, but the Christian church proceeded to hide it over the past years for its similarity with what came in the Quran about it,” as quoted by El-Ahram Gate.
The British newspaper “Daily Mail” reported that the event deeply concerns the Vatican, where Pope Benedict XVI requested to preview the book, which has remained in the shadows for more than 12 years.

The content of this version of the Bible corresponds to the Islamic ideas, which describes Jesus as a human and not a God to worship, Islam rejects the Holy Trinity and Christ’s crucifixion, and that Jesus predicted the coming of Prophet Muhammad after him.

It is written in this newly found copy of the Bible that Jesus told a priest asked who his successor, he said: “Muhammad is his holy name, descending from Ismail the father of Arabs.”

Günay said that the Vatican had formally requested to preview the book, which became in the possession of the Turkish authorities, after his disappearance in 2000 in the Mediterranean region in Turkey. According to media, the Bible was seized from a gang smuggling artifacts during a police operation in southern Turkey in 2010.

The gang was reportedly convicted of smuggling various items seized during the operation, including the Bible, and all the artifacts were kept in a safe at an Ankara courthouse. The Bible was recently handed over to the care of the Ankara Ethnography Museum.

The Holy Quran says in verse 6 of Surat Elsaf: And when Jesus son of Mary said, “O Children of Israel, I am God’s Messenger to you, confirming what preceded me of the Torah, and announcing good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” But when he showed them the miracles, they said, “This is obvious sorcery.”.)
Protestant pastor Ihsan Ozbek said to “Zaman” the Turkish newspaper: “The copy of the Bible most likely dates back to one of the followers of St. Barnabas as it is written in the fifth or sixth century, while St. Barnabas lived in the first century AD for being one of the apostles of Christ”

St. Barnabas is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Church, an early Christian later named an apostle.

As explained by Professor of Theology Ömer Faruk Hermann: “The scientific examination of the hand written book will enable us to closely detect the actual age of the copy to be able to determine whether it was actually written by St. Barnabas, or one of his followers”.

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“Kehancuran Islam bukan disebabkan ulah orang-orang di luar Islam, melainkan karena kesalahan orang Islam sendiri” –KH. Mustofa Bisri—

Seringkali ketika menonton berita di televisi maupun internet, saya menyaksikan bermacam kekerasan yang dilakukan oleh kaum Muslim, baik kepada kelompok non Muslim, maupun –yang lebih ironis— dilakukan pada sesama Muslim yang dianggap berbeda dalam pemahaman tentang ajaran agama. Padahal, jika mau jujur dalam berpikir, sesungguhnya prinsip “perbedaan” dalam memahami agama ini sudah sejak lama diingatkan oleh Nabi Muhammad Shollallohu ‘alaihi wa Sallam dalam sebuah hadits yang menyebutkan bahwa pada suatu masa, umat Islam akan terpecah menjadi 73 golongan, di mana hanya satu golongan yang akan dimasukkan ke dalam surga Allah. Golongan yang akan masuk ke dalam surga ini, adalah golongan yang secara benar mengikuti sunnah rasul dalam segala sendi kehidupannya.

Dari hadits yang sudah dijelaskan sebelumnya, kita mendapat pelajaran bahwa perbedaan yang ada sekarang ini merupakan sunnah Allah yang memang sudah seharusnya terjadi. Siapa pula yang bisa menentang kehendak-Nya? Sementara dalam al-Quran Allah juga menyebutkan bahwa perbedaan antar ummat ini merupakan bagian dari irodah, bagian dari keinginan Tuhan atas makhluk ciptaan-Nya.

Dalam kesempatan lain, Nabi Muhammad menyebutkan bahwa dalam perbedaan terdapat kasih sayang Tuhan terhadap makhluk-Nya. Kasih sayang ini, antara lain terbentuk dalam kesempatan untuk memahami satu sama lain tanpa menuntut kesamaan pendapat dan pemahaman tentang Islam, antara satu golongan dengan yang lain. Inilah yang kemudian disebut di seluruh dunia sebagai prinsip “kebebasan berpikir dan berpendapat” yang menjadi bagian mutlak dalam asas-asas mengenai hak asasi manusia.

Sementara dalam hadits tentang posisi Muslim dengan Muslim lain, Nabi Muhammad menyebut bahwa antara satu Muslim dengan Muslim yang lain adalah seumpama satu tubuh, yang meski tak serupa tapi padu dalam fungsi, yang bila sebagian sakit, maka turut merasa sakitlah seluruh tubuh. Artinya, sebagai sesama muslim –tanpa memandang dari sekte apa pun, dengan perbedaan apa pun— seharusnya kita tidak saling memusuhi, tapi sebaliknya. Saling menjaga satu sama lain, dari berbagai gangguan yang berasal dari luar. Jika dari gangguan luar saja kita harus menolak dan jika perlu melawan, mana boleh kita menghancurkan tubuh kita dari dalam?.

Berada dalam perbedaan, bukan berarti kita juga harus berada dalam permusuhan antar golongan, antar paham dan sekte yang ada dalam Islam, di mana kita sebenarnya berada dalam ‘rumah’ yang sama. Ibarat keluarga, kita adalah anak-anak dari orang tua yang sama. Lalu, kenapa kita harus bertengkar? Kenapa sesama Muslim harus saling menghujat? Sementara kita tahu, bahwa ‘peperangan’ antar kita lah yang menjadi harapan dari mereka yang ingin menghancurkan Islam.

Maka, yang  seharusnya kita lakukan sebagai Muslim adalah menguatkan rasa persatuan dan persaudaraan antar sesama Muslim di seluruh dunia, tanpa memandang perbedaan pemahaman agama yang ada, tapi lebih menguatkan pemahaman dan kesadaran atas kesamaan Tauhid, keimanan pada Allah sebagai Tuhan, dan Muhammad sebagai Nabi utusan dengan ajaran yang mendamaikan bagi seluruh alam, rahmatan lil ‘alamin. Berakhir sudah masa-masa dakwah yang mengajak umat Muslim untuk berperang secara fisik, berperang dengan kekerasan otot. Zaman sudah berubah, saatnya kita sebagai Muslim merapatkan barisan dalam damai. Mewujudkan dunia yang kita impikan bersama sebagai manusia yang beradab. Tak perlu terulang lagi kasus-kasus terorisme yang selama ini diidentikkan dengan Islam, tak perlu ada lagi penindasan kaum Muslim oleh non-Muslim. Dan, tak perlu lagi, televisi dan media massa kita dihiasi oleh kekerasan, apa pun alasannya. Dalam damailah kemajuan yang sejati.

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نستهل مقالنا بقول الله تعالي بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ” وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ ” صدق الله العظيم، فقد خلق الله الإنسان في الدنيا و جعلها بالنسبة له دار ابتلاء وامتحان واختبار، وذلك لحكمة يعلمها الله جل وعلا وإن كان قد أشار إلى بعض صورها في القرآن والسنة، وما يصيب الإنسان من المصائب فهي خير له , علم ذلك أو لم يعلم لأن الله لا يقضي قضاءً إلا هو خير وكلما زاد إيمان العبد وقويت علاقته بالله تعالى كلما كان أكثر عرضة للامتحانات والابتلاءات, وقد أرشد الله المؤمنين في قوله ” يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ “، إذا ضاقت بهم الدنيا أو وقعت لهم مصيبة أن يستعينوا على ذلك بالصبر , والصلاة , ليكشف الله همهم، ويُعجل بفرجهم، فهو القدار علي كل شيئ و بيده مفاتيح كل شيئ.

إذا تأملنا وأمعنا النظر، وجدنا أن أصل التدين والإيمان راجع إلى الصبر، فالصبر هو الدرع الذى يحمى الانسان ويتقرب به الى اللّه، فيحقق بذلك طاعه اللّه والاخلاص له ورضاه ورحمته، فلابد أن يلتزم الإنسان المسلم المؤمن بما يأمره الله به فيؤديه كاملا، وأن يجتنب ما ينهاه عنه، وأن يتقبل بنفس راضية ما يصيبه من مصائب وشدائد، والمسلم يتجمل بالصبر، ويتحمل المشاق، ولا يجزع، ولا يحزن لمصائب الدهر ونكباته.

و من حكمة الله في خلقه أنه جعل في الشكر خير للإنسان و في الصبر أيضا خيرا له فقد قال النبي صليالله عليه و سلم ” عجبا لأمر المؤمن إن أمره كله له خير وليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن إن أصابته سراء شكر فكان خيرا له وإن أصابته ضراء صبر فكان خيرا له ” صدق رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم. و لعل خير المثال علي الصبر هم أنبياء الله -صلوات الله عليهم- فقد تحملوا من الأذى ما لا يطيق و لا يصبر عليه أحد من البشر من أجل الدعوة إلى الله، وكان أهل قريش يرفضون دعوة النبي محمد عليه أفضل الصلاة و السلام للإسلام ويسبونه، ولا يستجيبون له، وكان جيرانه من المشركين يؤذونه ويلقون الأذى أمام بيته، فلا يقابل ذلك إلا بالصبر الجميل كما أمره الله تعالي. ألم يكن الله قادرا عن منع الأذي عن رسله؟ بالطبع كان قادرا فنحن لسنا أفضل منهم بالتأكيد، و إنما جعل من الأنبياء و الرسل عظة لكل البشرية حتي يقتادوا بهم و يحذوا حذوهم.

وللصبر أركان لا بد من توافرها لدي المسلم حتى يكون صابراً فعلاً ومستحقاً لثواب الصابرين الذي وعد الله به، وهذه الأركان هي: الرضا بقضاء الله و قدره و عدم التسخط علي ما نزل به من أذي أو ضرر و أن يقتنع بأن الله إن لم يكن يحبه ما كان ابتلاه، و حبس اللسان عن الشكوي، فيجب أن يصبر على عسر الحياة وضيقها، ولا يشكو حاله إلا لربه، الابتعاد عن الاستعجال والغضب وشدة الحزن والضيق واليأس من رحمة الله؛ لأن كل ذلك يضعف من الصبر والمثابرة، و يجب أيضا حبس النفس عن المعصية، فإذا صبر الإنسان واحتسب الأجر عند الله انقلبت المحنة إلى منحة، وتحولت البلية والمصيبة إلى عطية وهدية، و يتذكر دائما قول الله تعالي ” إنما يوفى الصابرون أجرهم بغير حساب” ، وأن الصابرين لهم أجر عظيم يوم القيامة.

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In the previous post I was drawn to conclude that suspicion, in its own peculiar nature, founds itself on the consideration of things that are uncertain and doubtful themselves. Through what we’ve seen so far, I think it is correct to assume that suspicion is not necessarily endemic to the wavering doubt, but it sure is endemic in a context where doubt has come to an halt. In other words, some individuals do maintain their wavering doubt throughout their entire life, whereas others put an end to the balancing of uncertainty by erecting a personal creed that is not founded on a firm basis.

IV Part – Straitening doubt

I would now like to invite you to consider another kind of doubt that we can find in two Arabic roots: حرج (hrj), strait, or narrow; to become contracted, to doubt; to be in difficulty; and ضيق (Diq), narrow,  or strait (a thing, a place); difficult, or distressing; doubt in the heart, straitness in the mind; poverty. These two roots bear a striking evidence of what seems to be an association between doubt and that which is narrow, which, in turn, is associated with both difficulty and poverty.

I find it very interesting to see something similar to this in Greek word aporos, meaning without passage, having no way in, out, or through; hence, of places, impassable; of states or circumstances, impracticable, difficult; and of persons, without means or resources, helpless; poor, needy. You might be thinking that this word is lacking the notion of narrowness… But it isn’t; in fact, the word derives from poros, originally used to denote a means of passing a river, a ford, ferry, being as well used as synonym of a strait, that is, a narrow part of the sea. Through this idea of a narrow passage, poros was also used to allude to those tiny passages in the skin – the pores. But what I really would like you to keep in mind is that poros‘ general meaning was that of means of achieving, accomplishing, as for instance the means for performing a journey.

But you may now be asking yourselves where’s doubt in those Greek words? To answer to your pertinent question I’ll have to introduce one other Greek word, formed with that same root por-. The word is porew, that means, carry, convey by land or water, traverse. So, what we have here is the implicit idea of a passage through which something is carried. Now, if you add the prefix ‘a’ you get aporew, that is, without means or resources (just like aporos) – in other words, that passage through which things were conveyed no longer exists, and that’s why the word means, of things, to be left wanting; and in general, to be at loss, be in doubt, be puzzled.

Let’s now go back to poros as the means of passing a river to add that we find this same meaning in Arabic root عبر (‘br), a thing by means of which one crosses a river (a boat, a bridge or some other thing) – but as it also means interpreting, explaining, or studying a thing, it is possible to assume that having a means of passing, or traversing, an obstacle such as a river is the same as having the means to study and thus understand what is not known. So, basically, doubt in aporew is referred to as the same as the lacking of means to carry or convey understanding.

As to poverty being associated with the lack of means to carry things through a passage… it suffices you to remember that what we call trade is strictly dependent on the possibility of using certain means to import or export goods, and that the lack of passages to the sea, for instance, is what fuels conflicts like the one between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the first of them being called a landlocked country, that is, a country that is not only cut off from sea resources, but also impeded of having access to seaborne trade. This same notion adopts one other aspect in the word embargo, that literally means to stay in the port, that is, the prohibition of ships to sail, thus impeding the conveyance of goods. More recently, embargos’ aim is to act as a barrier to the passage of all sorts of goods, thus weakening, and eventually, leading a country to poverty, as was the case of the embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council on Iraq.

In the final part of this article, I’ll leave you with some other consequences of narrowness for you to think for yourselves

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There is a deep need to get rid of the West-Islamic relationship that is based on militancy from both sides, and that the assessment of Muslims should be carried out on the basis of the general thought of Islam and based upon the tolerance of the Islamic believes.

Moreover, there is a need for an interaction with the western media through the implementation of an organized strategy to counter “Islamophobia,”. Moreover, there is a great importance in opening information offices in the world capitals and the appointment of personnel assigned to send the positive true image of Islam.

Attention should be devoted to a joint Islamic media work for the defense of the nation’s issues and the advancement of its rights and image, especially the Palestinian issue and the issue of Jerusalem, which has special priority in the world’s concerns.

This joint Islamic media work should take into account the geography of the Islamic world with its fifty seven countries, which extends from Indonesia in the east to French Guiana and Suriname in the west, as well as all Muslim communities.Islamic countries should also speak up about the truth behind what is happening in Syria as a Muslim country. They should show their stand from the negative occurring developments, especially in light of the deepening of the crisis with the continued massacres with the hands of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Islamic countries strongly condemn, with all possible means, those latest massacres committed by the forces of al-Assad which ended the lives of dozens of children, women and men using heavy weapons.

Muslim Arabs also stress that those soldiers committing such crimes have been stripped of all human values and religious principles, disguising the true teachings of Islam that protects the sanctity of human life and calls for the protection and prohibits the killing of innocent people or causing harm civilians.

Arabs call for the punishment of the criminals committing these massacres, stressing the primary responsibility of the Syrian government in maintaining the security and integrity of the Syrian people, pointing out that the shedding of man’s blood is even more forbidden in Islam with having many sacred months.

More calls for the Security Council to take firm actions and fast to stop the killing and shedding of the blood of the innocent and condemning the massacres committed against civilians in Syria.

The west must know well that what is happening in Syria is not a sectarian conflict, but it is the people’s will to get rid of an authoritarian family system that continues to reign in the country for 40 years ago, and the requirement to achieve a comprehensive reform of the radical move to another era dominated by a democratic system.

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MPs, trade unionists, campaigners and community groups have called for a Celebration of Unity rally in Dewsbury on Saturday 30 June.

The call comes in response to plans by the racist thugs of the English Defence League (EDL) to “demonstrate” in the city on that Saturday.

The Unity campaign has called for people to gather for a peaceful anti-racist event.

Assemble 11am, junction of Foundry Street and Market Place, Dewsbury.
Please note: The assembly time has been brought forward from 1pm.

Dewsbury Unity said in a statement:

The EDL is a racist group dedicated to attacking Asian people and Muslims. Islamophobia — bigotry against Muslims — is as unacceptable as any other form of racism. Its aim is to divide us by making scapegoats of one community, just as the Nazis did with the Jews in the 1930s. Today the EDL threaten Muslims. Tomorrow it could be Jewish people, Hindus, Sikhs, black people, lesbians and gay men, travellers or East Europeans. There is no place for Nazis, racists or the EDL in Dewsbury’s multiracial, multicultural and multi-faith community.

The following signed the call for Dewsbury Unity event:
Huddersfield TUC (Trades Council); Kirklees UNISON; Kirklees National Union of Teachers; Pakistani and Kashmiri Welfare Association (PKWA), Batley; Leeds University Universities and Colleges Union Branch; Kirklees Unite Against Fascism; Mohammed A. Pandor (Anjuman E Zinatul Islam General Secretary); Hasan Loonat (General Secretary, Masjid-e-Noor); Azizi Daji (Chair, Indian Muslim Welfare Society); Amin Patel (ICWA Secretary); Ahmed Variava (ICWA Vice-Chair); M.H.Mulla (Vice Chair, IMWS); H.E.Dadibhai; Iqbal Bhana OBE, DL; Jamil Akhtar (Secretary South Asian Consortium Kirklees); Professor Malcolm J.W.Povey, (Past President, Leeds University UCU); John M. Drewery, (President Huddersfield TUC, aka Trades Council); Andrew Cooper (Kirklees Councillor, Green Party; Patrick Murphy (Member of NUT national executive for West Yorkshire); Paul Holmes (Secretary, Kirklees Unison); Nick Ruff (Chairperson, Kirklees Unison); Mick Ryan (senior steward, Kirklees Unison); Hazel Danson (Joint secretary Kirklees NUT, NUT nat. exec member); Roger Keely, (Kirklees UAF and Kirklees NUT); Barbara Jones (Secretary, Kirklees NAS/UWT); George Galloway (MP); Andrew Burgin; Salya Shaban (Secretary, Coalition of Resistance); Mrs. Amina Bulbulia, (Indian Muslim Welfare Society Project Manager); Ansa Jawed; Mike Richardson; David Hartley (NAPO, Shipley); Wayne Atkinson (Bradford); Ishtiaq Ahmed (Bradford); Rafat Parveen; Sarah Cartin; Lucy Galloway; Chris Chivers (Respect National Treasurer); Richard Searle (Manchester UNITE 159 Branch); Peter Mayne; Diana Raby (Respect); Councillor M.Shabir; Arshad Ali (Respect); Carole Swords (Respect); Dr. D.R.Lane (UCU); Isabel Groke; Dawood Islam (Respect); Ikyra Islam (Respect); Rob Williams (PCS Branch Secretary); Karl Dallas (Respect); Zeeshan Tariq; Zeeshan Shahid; Matthew Caygill; Aysha Ali Khan (Teacher and PA to George Galloway MP); Graham Mustin; Dave Gibson (Barnsley College UCU Treasurer); Sue Clark,retired schoolteacher, (NUT); Tom Clark (journalist); Helen Foot (barrister)

The following signed the original statement condemning the EDL demonstration:
Steve Williamson (Labour Party), Holly Simms (Beeston); Jack Talbot Ejaz Hussein (Chair, South Leeds Community Alliance); Adam Ogilvie (Beeston Councillor, Labour); Karen Mustin (Morley); Paula Russell (Brighouse); Angela Gabriel (Beeston Councillor, Labour); Mike Shepherd (Labour Party); Steve Johnston (Leeds NUT Vice-President and Leeds Trades Council); Steve Francis (Beeston primary school governor); David Congreave (Beeston Councillor, Labour); Mike Weston (Leeds Tenants’ Association, Defend Council Housing); Eileen Harris (Belle Isle Tenants’ Members Organisation); Peter Henderson Rhiannon Wright (Holbeck); Tanis Belsham-Wray; Nial Vivian (Socialist Party); Gary Jones (Socialist Party); Hanif Malif (Hamara Healthy Living Centre); Hafizur Hussein (Touchstone); Kimberley Saggu; Star Zaman (Rugby League, Leeds Rugby); Mohammed Farouk (Hamara Healthy Living Centre); Gohar Almas (Secretary, South Leeds Community Alliance); Francis Jones (Former Labour Party Councillor); Ruth Watson (Beeston); David Smith (Green Party); Sam Kirk (Leeds UAF, Bradford NUT); Phil Goodfield (UNISON); Aftab Ahmed (Beeston); Anna Pyrkosz (GMB); P.Peacock (Beeston); Ed Carlisle (Together for Peace); Garth Franklin (Socialist Resistance); John Baron (South Leeds Life); Jen Scott (Bradford Community Environment Project); Nadine Larmour; Dave Proctor (UCU); Harginder Sagoo (Beeston); Hilary Benn MP.

Unite Against Fascism news report, 26 June 2012

See also "MPs call for ban on EDL march", George Galloway news report, 26 June 2012

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Over the weekend, Jerry Boykin was interviewed on a radio program out of Bakersfield, California ahead of a scheduled appearance at a local church early next week where he will undoubtedly promote his anti-Islam conspiracy theories.

During the interview, Boykin warned that every serious Muslim was determined to enshrine Sharia wherever they lived and that they were making great progress in establishing it in America. This prompted one of the co-hosts to ask Boykin about Dearborn, Michigan which he claimed was "almost one hundred percent Muslim and operating under Sharia law now," a statement with which Boykin agreed, adding that "if you walk down the streets, you would think you were in Beirut or Damascus".

Right Wing Watch, 26 June 2012

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The vicious campaign against Tory Party co-chairman Sayeeda Warsi, led by the Sunday Telegraph and backed by the Labour Party (see here, here and here), has suffered a setback.

The BBC reports that Warsi has been cleared of any serious breach of the ministerial code over an official trip to Pakistan. The prime minister's adviser Sir Alex Allan found she had committed only a "minor" breach for failing to declare she had been accompanied on the trip by her business partner Abid Hussain, with whom she had set up a restaurant supply company called Rupert's Recipes.

In his report, Sir Alex said: "Baroness Warsi has accepted that she should have made officials aware of her business relationship with Mr Hussain, and has apologised for the oversight. But, as she says, this was not a trade-related visit; Rupert's Recipes does not do any business in Pakistan and there was no financial benefit to either Baroness Warsi or Mr Hussain; Mr Hussain was not a member of the official delegation, no part of his travel or other costs were met by the British government, and no arrangements were made by her office or the British High Commission for Mr Hussain to meet leading politicians."

He added: "I am satisfied that, had she declared her business relationship, that would not have been seen as a barrier to Mr Hussain helping to organise the visit. Nonetheless, she should have been more aware of the perception of a conflict of interest, and the potential criticism which could arise."

Sir Alex advised the prime minister: "Any action you decide to take in the light of the facts of this case is of course a matter for you, but I record my view that the breach of the code was a minor one, and that Baroness Warsi did not use her office for personal financial gain."

In a statement Warsi said: "I have always maintained that I have never misused my ministerial office for personal or financial gain. The allegations on this matter were untrue and unsubstantiated, and I am pleased that Sir Alex Allan's report has confirmed that."

Nobody acquainted with the facts of the case could have believed that Allan's investigation would reach any other conclusion. Warsi's opponents must have known that. Their aim, however, has been to create enough controversy around her that it will be impossible for David Cameron to keep her on as Tory Party co-chairman.

They may still succeed. Despite the fact that Warsi has been cleared of any wrongdoing over the Pakistan trip, the Daily Mail reports that Cameron has "hinted he may move her to a different post".

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English Defence League joins the neo-Nazis of the National Front in Newcastle on 4 JuneA thug has admitted throwing a firecracker during fierce clashes after English Defence League supporters stormed an anti-Jubilee rally.

Anthony Crawford hurled a firecracker into a group of demonstrators at Greys Monument in Newcastle on June 4, 2012. The 22-year-old, of Elmway, Chester-le-Street, Durham, pleaded guilty to the offences at Newcastle Magistrates Court on Thursday, June 28.

An 18-year-old man was taken to Newcastle Freeman Hospital for treatment to burns suffered when the explosive hit his face and landed in his hood.

He was with friends at a "Stuff The Jubilee Party" which was organised on Facebook and due to start at midday. Members of the EDL carrying banners arrived shortly beforehand. A line of around 25 officers separated the two groups.

A 45-year-old-man from South Tyneside was also arrested on suspicion of affray and was bailed pending further enquiries.

Crawford will be sentenced on July 4.

Newcastle Chronicle, 28 June 2012

See also "EDL supporter admits throwing firecracker at anti-Jubilee protester in Newcastle", Sky Tyne and Wear, 28 June 2012

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