Today many people are familiar with the term ‘Jihad’ but most of them don’t know its exact meaning. “Jihad” is an Arabic word which holds significant importance to the Muslim world. Today this word is very commonly misused. Terrorists such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban have wrongly illustrated the true meaning of ‘Jihad’. They are spreading terrorism around the world within western countries and Muslims countries, under the claim that they are doing jihad for the sake of Allah. In Arabic, the word “Jihad” means striving oneself, but according to the religious context of the Qur’an and the Prophet’s (PBUH) narrations, it expresses the struggle against one’s evil inclinations or the exertion for the sake of Islam and the Muslim community.
Jurists have distinguished four different ways through which a believer can fulfill his Jihad obligations that is by heart, tongue, hand and by sword. Jihad by heart is to defeat evil, perfect inner self and rid heart of all evil thoughts. Jihad by tongue is to tell the truth, be honest, point what is wrong and then correct it, and also to invite non believers to Islam. Jihad by sword is to fight against attackers for defend yourself. So, Jihad is the use of all energies and resources to establish the Islamic system of life. In other words, Jihad before anything else, encourages Muslims to live better and establish what is right and wrong.
During the early years of spreading Islam, Muslims in Makah were tortured by Quraish tribe, insulted and attacked. By the command of Allah they left their properties and migrated to Medina. This was, also, Jihad for the sake of Allah, as Allah ordered Prophet Muhammad to leave all valuable belongings behind and to not to fight any non believer unless he is commanded to do so. In Quran the reason for war is to stop aggression, to protect Islam and to defend religious freedom and human rights.
You can do jihad by several ways like by tongue and by writing. We should preach our religion in an inviting and a friendly manner. If you are Muslim but you are not behaving as one, then you cannot support your religion. Keep in mind that people do not look at what is in heart and mind, instead they judge the actions. Therefore you cannot force any person to accept Islam with sword or weapon, what should be done instead is to understand your religion properly. It is a real fact that Muslims of this era are the biggest hindrance in the spread of Islam since many of them have forgotten the real teachings of their religion. Unfortunately, many current Muslims are Muslims only by name.
Many young people do not want to look like they are from the Stone Age with the Islamic clothing they wear. This is their translation since the modern world makes them think that they are not suitable for society and they need to change the way in which they dress. This is a sin before Allah, and punishable – especially when revealing your body to the entire world. A true Muslim knows that the Quran does not permit women and men to show their body parts, or to invest in ungodly behavior that undermines them as Muslims and humans. Before choosing any clothing or activity, it is important to seek guidance through prayers and to seek advice from Islamic teachers on the choice of clothes to wear.
In Islam, modeling is only allowed for women when they are highlighting Islamic clothing. The setting should only deal with the correct code of attires for men, women, and children. It is important to find the correct modeling companies – those only dealing with Islamic models. Some women want to win beauty pageants, and will strip down to a bikini, wear tight skirts, and wear heavy makeup with the aim of looking attractive in order to win the pageant. However, this is not permitted in the Islamic religion and anyone doing this needs to seek forgiveness. In Islam, maintaining respect and dignity is important in society since it defines who a person is. Going around showing people your body in magazines will not give you a good reputation and society will ignore you since you are a disgrace to the region.
Some men want to look like characters they have seen in magazines and in music videos. This includes tattooing the body, and having many body piercings on the tongue, ears, and other parts of the body. These men wear heavy ornaments that have different images such as skulls, or shapes that even they cannot understand. The same men like to plait their hair, apply different colors, or trim it in different shapes. This is not indicated in the Islamic clothing description and the person doing it needs to change their ways. Many parents will not want to associate with children who do not want to follow Islam’s clothing requirements.
Islamic clothing should not be transparent, or cling to the body. Many women want to look fashionable and in the process, they start wearing tighter robes which show all the contours of their bodies. Some of the robes will have slits, showing their inner clothing, such as short skirts or tight trousers. This trend is common with many urban Muslim women who want to look fashionable and imitate other women. The main aim of wearing robes is to cover the body, but some want to wear them tighter and that attracts the wrong attention. Some will even choose to wear transparent robes. They are only creating temptation, and woe unto them since they do not know the kind of danger they are getting into.
Parents cannot track every move their kids make and do not know the evils that go on when in school or in different social places. Most leave their homes with the right Islamic clothing on, but they hide these clothes in a bag to look like other kids. When they go back home, they change into Islamic attire so that they look innocent. One needs to realize that they are sinning before the eyes of Allah by pretending to have morals, while in reality, they are not following the Islamic modes of dress.
Organizations using fear and anger to spread negative messages about Muslims have moved from the fringes of public discourse into the mainstream media since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to new research by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sociologist.
Christopher Bail, an assistant professor of sociology in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, used plagiarism detection software to track the influence of 1,084 press releases about Muslims from 120 organizations on more than 50,000 television transcripts and newspaper articles produced from 2001 to 2008.
"I found that organizations with negative messages about Muslims captivated the mass media after the Sept. 11 attacks, even though the vast majority of civil society organizations depict Muslims as peaceful, contributing members of American society," said Bail, who also is a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar at the University of Michigan. "As a result, public condemnations of terrorism by Muslims have received little media attention, but organizations spreading negative messages continue to stoke public fears that Muslims are secretly plotting to overthrow the U.S. government."
Bail said the mass media has not only contributed to the spread of negative messages about Islam, but also given fringe organizations the opportunity to raise funds and build social networks within elite conservative circles.
"They are now so much a part of the mainstream that they have been able to recast genuinely mainstream Muslim organizations as radicals," he said.
Most importantly, Bail added, "The rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment in the American media not only tests foundational principles about religious tolerance, but may also validate foreign extremists who argue that the United States is at war with Islam, since American media messages routinely travel to the Middle East."
Bail is working on a book that expands on this study. The book will explain how fringe groups not only create cultural change in the mass media, but also public policy and public opinion more broadly.
Earlier this month Anjem Choudary announced his latest publicity stunt – a conference at the Lal Masjid in Islamabad on 30 November, where fatwas would be issued against Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, its current president Asif Zardari, and Malala Yousafzai, the young woman shot by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan last month.
Choudary of course has a long history of announcing provocative plans that he has no intention of actually carrying through, and then, having milked the resulting outrage for all the publicity he can, calling them off at the last minute. These non-events have included a March for Shari'ah in London in 2009, a demonstration at Wootton Bassett in 2010 where his followers were to carry 500 coffins to symbolise the deaths of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, a rally outside the White House the same year to advocate sharia law in the US, and a protest against the royal wedding in April 2011. So nobody had any excuse for falling for Choudary's latest con-trick.
If any confirmation was required that Choudary's Islamabad conference was a fraud, on 21 November the London correspondent of The News reported that a representative of Lal Masjid had contacted the paper to insist that they had never even spoken to Choudary or his organisation and knew of no proposal to hold a conference at the mosque on 30 November. The spokesman emphasised that "Maulana Abdul Aziz and the whole mosque administration condemn the inflammatory statements used by this group, clearly seeking publicity".
It was hardly unexpected, therefore, that earlier this week Choudary should issue a press release stating that the conference had been "postponed". In a statement to The News, Choudary cited as one of the reasons for this decision "the refusal of the apostate Pakistani regime to issue visas to key speakers". However, the paper reported that he and his supporters "never applied for Pakistani visas" in the first place.
This entirely predictable outcome didn't prevent certain interested parties from treating Choudary's Lal Masjid conference as if it was a serious proposal. In response to the initial announcement of the event, Maajid Nawaaz of Quilliam demanded indignantly "We gonna let this happen??" On 18 November, in an article that was considered sufficiently important to be advertised on its front page as an "exclusive", the Daily Star Sunday informed its readers: "British-based Muslim extremists want the schoolgirl shot by the Taliban to face a possible death sentence. The radicals will head to the Pakistani capital of Islamabad to link up with hardliners for a demonstration urging a fatwa against Malala Yousafzai."
The Spectator for its part ran a piece by Shiraz Maher which similarly accepted the announcement of the Islamabad conference as good coin, and went on to suggest that Choudary – a British citizen – should be prevented from re-entering the UK when he came back from Pakistan. The article, headlined "Few would shed tears if Britain barred Anjem Choudary from returning", appeared on 27 November – the same day that Choudary revealed that he had in fact no intention of going. Maher's stupid article was reproduced with evident approval by the anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate.
Will this latest nonsense from Anjem Choudary lead to commentators taking a more sceptical view of his next provocation? It's highly unlikely, unfortunately. Whether it's the Islamophobic right-wing press or "experts" like Maajid Nawaz and Shiraz Maher who have built careers out of exaggerating and misrepresenting the threat of "Islamist extremism", there are plenty of people who have a vested interest in promoting Choudary and his minuscule group of nutters as if they represent a significant trend within the British Muslim community.
Plans to build Britain's biggest place of worship – a "monolithic, overly dominant and incongruous" mosque in east London – are set to be thrown out despite 25,000 letters in favour.
The mosque, which could take 12,000 people – four times as many as St Paul's Cathedral – would be as big as Battersea power station and become the HQ of Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat. However, officers for Newham council recommend the plan is refused.
The sect, to which the July 7 bombers and shoe bomber Richard Reid have been linked, could now be forced to leave the Abbey Mills site altogether in Canning Road, near the Olympic Park, after a 13-year battle.
Alan Craig, campaign director of MegaMosque No Thanks and a former Newham councillor, said: "Now it's up to the planning committee to follow the recommendation to reject. The building would be ugly, it would add nothing to the area and we have huge concerns about the group behind it."
Tablighi Jamaat first submitted plans to use the site, which has several prefab buildings, in 1999, arousing intense opposition from the start. In 2001, it agreed worship there would be on a temporary basis only, but when permission expired in 2006 the group continued to use the site.
In 2010, the council issued an enforcement notice but Tablighi Jamaat won its appeal last year and more than 5,000 people a week now worship at the site. The giant new mosque would have 40ft minarets, a visitors centre, a library and a 300-space car park.
The council's special strategic development committee meets next Wednesday to decide. The planning office received 3,000 letters opposing the scheme. Only one per cent of the 25,000 letters of support were from people living in the local consultation area.
Critics claim Tablighi Jamaat preaches "separation and segregation". The group maintains its main objective is peaceful missionary work.
The Anjuman-E-Islahul-Muslimeen of London UK Trust, Tablighi Jamaat's charitable trust and the site's owner, said it will appeal if the plan is thrown out. Newham council said: "Officers have made a recommendation for refusal, which will be considered.
"Our planning policies promote the development of the Abbey Mills site for a mix of residential, employment and community uses, to help create a new local centre near West Ham station and regenerate the area. It is not considered this application is consistent with these policies.
"There are also concerns about the size of the proposed buildings and impact on parking and traffic."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, said today that it is calling on the SUBWAY restaurant chain to apologize to a Louisiana Muslim allegedly locked out of a sandwich shop in that state because of his faith.
A retired 63-year-old U.S. citizen of South Asian heritage who lives in New Orleans reported to CAIR that on November 21, 2012, he and his wife stopped at the SUBWAY restaurant in Shreveport, La. Before ordering, they went to the restrooms in the facility. The husband exited the restroom first and went outside the restaurant to wait for his wife in anticipation of re-entering to order their food.
While his wife was still inside the restaurant, the victim attempted to re-enter, but was blocked at the door by a female SUBWAY employee who allegedly asked him "Are you Muslim?" When the victim replied that he is indeed Muslim, the SUBWAY employee reportedly responded, "We can't serve you." The employee then went inside the restaurant and locked the door behind her. Fearing for his wife's safety and distraught at the violation of his civil rights, the man called 911.
When the Shreveport Police Department arrived, an officer went inside the SUBWAY restaurant and later came out to tell the victim that the manager was "scared" of him and that he "better leave."
[NOTE: The victim is 5'6" and weighs approximately 155 pounds. He wears an Islamic cap, called a "kufi," and a beard for religious reasons. His wife, a teacher, wears an Islamic headscarf, or "hijab."]
In a letter to SUBWAY President and CEO Fred DeLuca, CAIR National Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili wrote in part:
"Louisiana Revised Statutes 51:2247 states that it is a 'discriminatory practice for a person to deny an individual the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodation, resort, or amusement, as defined in this Chapter, on the grounds of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, disability, as defined in R.S. 51:2232(11), or national origin.' According to the law, a place of public accommodation 'means any place, store, or other establishment, either licensed or unlicensed, which supplies goods or services to the general public.'"
Al-Khalili's letter cited Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on account of religion in places of public accommodation and service. She also referred to the company's diversity policy that claims SUBWAY "does not tolerate discrimination of any kind on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, religion, color or national origin."
CAIR requested that SUBWAY (1) investigate this troubling incident, (2) offer a formal written apology to the victim and his wife, (3) institute policy changes that will ensure that this type of incident does not occur in the future, (4) offer compensation to the victim and his wife for the humiliation and emotional distress caused by the SUBWAY employee and the police, and (5) participate in a corporate religious sensitivity program for franchise managers.
A copy of the letter was sent to Chief Willie L. Shaw, Jr. of the Shreveport Police Department and to the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
Derived from Allama Talib Jauhri Whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good; and whoever goes astray goes but astray to his own hurt; and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden. Moreover, We would never chastise [any community for the wrong they may do] ere We have sent an apostle [to them]. (17:16) But when [this has been done, and] it is Our will to destroy a community, We convey Our last warning to those of its people who have lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of pleasures; and [if] they [continue to] act sinfully, the sentence [of doom] passed on the community takes effect, and We break it to smithereens. [Bani Israel:15, 16]
[From translation by Allama Asad]
As indicated, these are fifteen and sixteen verses of this chapter named Bani Israel [children of Israel]. Allah says “whosoever chooses the right path”, he chooses it for his own good. This means he will benefit from the right path if he follows it and if he follows the wrong path, nobody else but he would be at loss. And then nobody else will carry the burden of [sins of others]. Then Allah says, “We do not unleash our wrath on any community until we have sent our prophets [apostle].” Then He orders the rich and the leaders [wealthy people] to do good. Look at how close this Koranic act is to the human mind and attitude. Allah says, “When we are determined to destroy any community, we order good to the rich”. This is the literal translation of the given verses. Then what is the reaction? They, meaning the rich, do not accept command of Allah. Just observe and see how a man does not accept God’s fit and engages in strife. Then God says we destroy that community so that here should be nobody to feel pride. This is the entire introduction. Now come to the point. Look! If you follow the right path, you will benefit, if wrong, you will come to harm. So this is the decision of the mind to go toward benefit and not to harm. Now, decide whether you should go toward benefit or for harm. Let us discuss this mind later. First come to emotions. God has gifted you with a few emotions.
The first one is love – love with your personality, your generation, survival of your generation, survival of your wealth; this is the first emotion. This is an emotion for you, your progeny, your wealth and property.
The second is the emotion for popularity and fame. We wish to have our names to stay in the world even after us and for the world to pay homage to us.
The third is love to others and that others should love you. It is natural. The entire humankind can agree over these emotions. They are natural to us disregard of race, area, country and region. However, the most dominant emotion is curiosity of universe. We want to know what it is. How we can control it. If we are successful in our curiosity, then we have conquered it. [to be continued]
The heir to cigarette smoking, shisha smoking is becoming more and more popular in society nowadays. This increasing habit of shisha smoking is emerging as a fashion statement in both boys and girls. A general misconception is that, unlike cigarette smoking, hookah or shisha smoking is safe for the health. The ever increasing trend of shisha smoking is bringing the new generation to destruction and is playing an important role in pulling down the future of upcoming youth. According to a survey by the world health organization it is estimated that 36 percent of young boys and nine percent of young girls are a part of the 25 million people who smoke shisha in Pakistan. Basically, shisha or Hookah is a water pipe with a hose and smoke chamber. The specially-made tobacco, or “flavored tobacco” is not less toxic than cigarette tobacco. In fact, it has been proven through research that one hour of smoking shisha is equal to the smoke inhaled by smoking 100-200 cigarettes. So in that sense, shisha is far more harmful to your health.
During the last few years, shisha smoking has gained popularity not only in Pakistan, but also in many other countries such as India, Bangladesh and China. Although the government has announced rules and regulations regarding smoking – specifically, that children under the age of 16 are prohibited to smoke, the government is unable to ensure any kind of check and balance of these rules and underage boys and girls are seen smoking openly. Now, this fashionable trend of shisha smoking has surpassed all limits. Shisha clubs are open in places that are accessible to the young generation.
Shisha smoking has many health disadvantages. First, it contains high levels of compounds which are very harmful to the human body such as heavy metals and many other harmful compounds which are capable of producing cancer. Shisha smoking is extremely dangerous for pregnant women as it can cause abnormalities and lower birth weights in babies. The shisha pipes which are used in the shisha clubs are also not properly cleaned so there is also the short-term chance for germs to be transferred from one to another by secondhand pipe smoking.
Because of these reasons, the future of the upcoming youth is in danger due to shisha smoking. Therefore, it is important to stop this trend in order to save the health of these children throughout the world.
In December 1947, the British government announced that they would leave the region of Palestine in May of 1948. At that point, Palestinians conducted strikes to take control of their own country, but they were not listened to. Then, in April 1948, Zionists attacked the regions granted to Palestinian Arabs. Additionally, Muslims captured a few of the areas including Gaza, the West Bank, and the capital of East Jerusalem, which has very important religious places for Muslims, Christians and Jews including the Temple Mount, Al Aqsa Mosque and the Church of Holy Sepulcher. When the Zionist control forced out the Arabs from Palestine in great numbers, the Quartet countries and the Arab League tried to resolve that conflict but they did not succeed in their mission. Despite all of this, Israel attacked Palestinian regions again and captured East Jerusalem, which was very important for the Muslims due to its religious importance. After that, many conflicts occurred, such as the first and second Intifada and the Passover massacre – all of which were painful for both nations.
Israel attacked again and again on Palestinian regions but you will find only the records of Palestinian attacks on Israel. Besides this, Palestine is not recognized as a country by the United Nations nor by most of the countries in the world, which is very painful. In return, Arabs and most of the Muslim countries also do not recognize the state of Israel yet. They consider it to be a Palestinian area occupied by Israel.
The areas taken over by the Muslims are Gaza and the West Bank. Muslims wanted to free a least those areas from the Israeli government, but Israel settled many Jews in those areas to increase the population of the Jews there. Then, the Israeli president enacted the Gaza resettlement in which the Jews were moved out of the Gaza area. This step was heavily criticized by the Israeli people. And hence, a few authorities were given to the Palestine Liberation Organization who were captured by the Hamas group in Gaza and after that, the group achieved political success there. On the other hand, the West Bank is in a very miserable condition because of the blockages and the barrier in Israel. So Hamas and Israel have attacked each other and continue to take revenge on each other.
Recently, the chief of the Hamas group of Gaza was killed by Israeli forces and, in retaliation, Gaza attacked Israel. As a result, Israel attacked with technologically sophisticated missiles and broke international laws. Obama’s remark about this incidence was that “Everyone has right for its self defense.” However, he does not give Pakistan the right of self defense against the drone attacks on its innocent citizens.
This eight day war killed many innocent Muslims and Jews who wanted a peaceful resolution of this conflict. Israel had the support of the UK and USA governments, and the governments of varying European countries. But then they became discouraged from conducting the ground invasion in Gaza and hence the Israeli Prime Minister ordered a cease fire. This decision is disliked by most people and they named their Prime Minister “Bibi loser” because the army was ready to enter into Gaza. However, this was a good step taken by the Israel government.
The important point here is that most American people, including Jewish people, who are living in the US and other countries are against these violent attacks by the Israel government. One of the newspapers in the US, The Washington Post, mentioned these violent acts on their front page when Israel attacked Gaza. The Jewish community in the US is mostly against this Zionist approach to make Palestine an entirely Jewish country. They are running a number of websites to support their views.
The problem of the Israel-Palestine conflict should be resolved by considering the point of views of both nations. The region is important for both nations so the allies of Israel and corresponding information sources should not hide the facts to achieve their desired aims and benefits. This conflict could also cause a problem for other Muslim and non-Muslim countries. If the rights of a nation will be oppressed again and again and there will be no one who will consider them and help to solve their problems, the results will become even more adverse. The oppressed nation will attempt to gain their rights through force and power, and the international community will call that innocent nation “the terrorists.”
“…Ve birbirinizle tanışmanız için sizi kavimlere ve kabilelere ayırdık….“ [Surah Al-Hujraat:13]
Şüphesiz, kültürlerin harmanlanması, ve farkı ırklardan, dillerden ve renklerden insanların birbirleriyle iletişim kurması mükemmel bir şey. Toplumların iletişimleri insanlara eşyaların, kültürlerin, dinlerin ve özellikle dillerin paylaşım kapısını açar. Türkiye’de İslam’ın yayılması ve Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun Arap topraklarındaki gücü sebebiyle birbirlerinden etkilenmiş en göze çarpan diller Türkçe ve Arapçadır. Ama Türkiye Cumhuriyeti kurulduktan sonra 1928’de Harf Devrimi yaşandı ve Arap harfleri değişip Latin harfleri kullanılmaya başlandı. Ve Türk Dil Kurumu Arapça kelimeler yerine Türkçe kelimeler buldu. Ama hala Türk insanı birçok Arapça kelime kullanmaktadır.
Aşağıdaki tablo, kökenleri belirtilmeksizin birbirine benzer olan Türkçe ve Arapça kelimeleri içermektedir. Ayrıca Müslümanlar tarafından kullanılan dini terimler bu tabloya dahil edilmemiştir.
Bana çeviride ve kelimeleri toplamada yardım eden sevgili Türk arkadaşıma da teşekkür etmek isterim <3
من الرائع حقاً امتزاج الحضارات واختلاط الناس من مختلف الأجناس واللغات والألوان. تواصل المجتمعات يفتح المجال لمشاركة الخيرات والثقافات والأديان ولا سيما التأثر باللغات. فمن أبرز اللغات التي تأثرت ببعضها البعض هما اللغة العربية واللغة التركية، حيث ساهم في ذلك انتشار الإسلام في تركيا ونفوذ الدولة العثمانية في الأراضي العربية. لكن بعد تأسيس الجمهورية التركية قامت ثورة بتغيير الحروف العربية إلى حروف لاتينية سنة 1928. حيث قامت رابطة للغة التركية باستبدال الكلمات العربية بكلمات تركية. لكن لا يزال حاليا الكثير من الكلمات العربية المستخدمة من قبل الأتراك.
هنا بعض الكلمات المتشابهة في اللغتين العربية والتركية بدون التطرق إلى ذكر أصل الكلمة وتاريخها. أيضاً لم أضف الكثير من الكلمات الإسلامية التي يستخدمها المسلمون فقط.
كما احب أن أشكر صديقتي التركية الغالية على مساعدتي في الترجمة وتجميع الكلمات <3
In Australia, people can express their beliefs and practise their religion without fear and interference. The Muslim population is as diverse as the population of Australia in terms of their natural heritage, customs and traditions. They represent less than two percent of the total population of Australia. Almost 40 percent of the Muslim population were born here. There are Muslims who have migrated from over 70 countries. The three main languages spoken by them at home are Arabic, Turkish and English.
Muslims can choose to become citizens of Australia, which gives them certain rights and places obligations on them as well. A wide-range research on the relations between Muslims and Non-Muslims was conducted over a period of two years. There has been a proliferation of misperceptions and lack of understanding between them. This can lead to ‘fear’ of the other and influence judgement. Stereotypes and prejudices widens the division between them not just in Australia but globally as well.
The international political issues and Australia’s foreign policy towards the Middle East are seriously and intently observed by the Muslim community here. There is a lot of discontent and frustration because of the lack of resolution on the Israel-Palestine conflict and ongoing suffering of the Palestine people; this affects the attitude of the Australian Muslim community towards the West.
The Media has played a huge role in perpetuating misunderstandings and misconceptions about Islam to the West which are not true of all Muslims. The best way to remove such misunderstandings is communication and learning and getting to know each other. There is the willingness on both sides to learn more about each other and co-exist in peace and harmony.
Authorities said a man vowed to shoot up a San Antonio mosque and then turn the gun on himself, but law enforcement foiled the violent plot before it ever materialized.
Worshippers prayed Tuesday night at the Islamic Academy of San Antonio amid an atmosphere of concern. "Very bad news for us," said Solomon Hamideh, president of the Islamic Academy of San Antonio.
According to an affidavit, Christopher Bane "had intentions of going to a mosque in the Medical Center area and was going to shoot as many people" as he could, and then shoot himself. A witness, who police are not identifying for safety concerns, said Bane told him he had a .45 caliber handgun and ammunition.
"We took it seriously. You know, this is a real big problem," said Hamideh.
Officers also took the threats quite seriously. They notified all three mosques in the city. Some even pinned Bane's picture on the wall. "We have done everything possible to make sure we are safe," said the president of the mosque.
It wasn't long before police arrested Bane. He's charged with making terroristic threats.
Hamideh said it brought a sense of relief to the largest mosque in San Antonio but said there are poeple out there who have warped perceptions about the Islamic faith.
Jewish, Hindu and Muslim leaders from Queens gathered with lawmakers to denounce the possible hate crime committed at a Kew Gardens Hills Mosque earlier this month, and city Comptroller John Liu suggested some of the NYPD's policies could make bias crimes more common.
"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," said Imam Shamsi Ali, of the Jamaica Muslim Center, who gathered religious leaders from around Flushing in the wake of the Nov. 18 attack.
At about 5 a.m., 57-year-old Bashir Amad was opening the doors of the mosque for morning prayers when he was beaten, bitten and stabbed by a suspect police described as a 6-foot white man between the ages of 35 and 45 and weighing 180 pounds. According to the NYPD, the man shouted anti-Muslim statements before ambushing Bashir outside the house of worship, at 72-55 Kissena Blvd. As of press time Tuesday no arrests had been made.
Liu condemned the incident and called for justice, assuring everyone that the NYPD was following all possible leads to find the attacker. But he also contended that policies, like the NYPD's practice of monitoring Muslims or barring Sikhs from wearing religious headwear while on the job, sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against these groups.
"Unfortunately, when Muslims are singled out for profiling, surveillance and other discriminatory actions, hate crimes such as this are more likely," he said. Liu was referring to the NYPD's controversial practice of infiltrating and monitoring mosques and student and business groups, even though the intelligence did not produce any indictments. The Police Department and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have defended the practice as essential to protecting the city from terror attacks.
To show solidarity after the Kissena Boulevard attack, Ali called leaders from other houses of worship who gathered to decry the possible hate crime.
"Let's not pretend we are all the same," said Dr. Uma Mysorekar, of the Hindu Temple Society of North America. "We are different, but let's respect those differences."
Mysorekar stood with Amad and other members of the mosque, along with Rabbi Michael Weisser, of Flushing's Free Synagogue, who also encouraged tolerance and understanding between the different faiths. "No act like this will drive us apart – eventually that will only draw us closer together," he said.
An independent candidate in the Rotherham by-election is a member of the far-right English Defence League who has criminal convictions, The Star can reveal.
Clint Bristow, aged 39, of Cantley, Doncaster, is one of 11 people standing in tomorrow's by-election caused by the resignation of Labour MP Denis MacShane over dishonest expenses claims.
Bristow is currently subject to a five-year conviction-related anti-social behaviour order, banning him from attending English Defence League marches after admitting a charge of threatening behaviour towards a man running a stall providing Islamic literature near Speakers' Corner, London, in October 2010. He served seven days in jail after not paying a fine imposed at Woolwich Crown Court last year for the same offence.
Also in October 2010, Bristow admitted possessing cannabis following his arrest at an EDL demonstration in Leicester that month. Leicester Magistrates fined him £100 with £85 costs.
Former soldier Bristow, who promotes the English Defence League on his election literature, said "left wing scum" was behind internet publicity about his convictions. He told The Star: "The incident at Speakers' Corner was in self-defence. EDL members were pinned in a corner by police and the Muslims were throwing things at us. I can't stand by and let people be attacked. I am a suitable candidate for Parliament – I'm a street lad and I know the people."
The Electoral Commission said ex-criminals cannot be barred from standing.
Although Bristow cannot officially stand for the EDL because it is not a registered political party, the EDL has stated that he is standing as their candidate, as has Bristow himself, while The Star report confirms that he "promotes the English Defence League on his election literature".
As we have pointed out previously, Bristow's CRASBO prohibits him from participating in any EDL event without having notified Westminster police at least seven days beforehand. So unless he has informed them of all his campaigning activities in Rotherham a week in advance, then Bristow is clearly in breach of his CRASBO.
I understand that this has been raised with Westminster police, and it will be interesting to see what action is taken.
A Sinn Fein councillor has challenged former Craigavon Mayor Alan Carson to "make a full public apology to Muslims living in Craigavon" after remarks he made during a debate on Monday night. However the DUP man insists that Councillor Johnny McGibbon is "simply scoring political points from a genuine mistake I made and for which I apologised immediately".
In the heat of the exchange, Mr Carson stated that Muslims were "causing bother in the Middle East". He said that the British Army represented all sides, "Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Jew, Muslim whatever – well, maybe not Muslim". Afterwards he said, "I realised immediately that I'd put my foot in it and apologised without reserve. But that wasn't enough for Councillor McGibbon who saw fit to issue a press statement, accusing me of all sorts and inferring I am racist, which I certainly am not."
The McGibbon statement claimed, "These remarks reveal the mind set that has prevented unionists from developing a realistic political programme for the future. To make insinuations against any section of the community is outrageous and unacceptable. Only a very arrogant or politically immature individual would presume to deny to others the right to voice alternative views.
"We must all accept differing points of view, but we should never allow any section of our society to be isolated or labelled during debate. Given that Councillor Carson was a recent Mayor of Craigavon, it is reasonable to assume that he understands this fundamental principle. The least therefore that can be done to make amends is a full public apology to the citizens of Craigavon and in particular our sizeable Muslim community."
After the incident of 9/11, the people of the USA and government have considered the Muslim as the terrorist and they are focusing on the threats. Much less attention is paid to the home grown terrorists who are steadily establishing their hold and carry attacks across the nation in unrelated incidents. However, federal authorities and some organizations are keeping an eye on them. Talking about the domestic terrorism, what does domestic terrorism actually mean? In 1994, a memo was produced by the Terrorist Research and Analytical Center under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in which domestic terrorism is defined as an illegal use of force or aggression by a group of individuals two or more in number against people or property to threaten the government or civilian population in furtherance of any kind of objectives socially or politically. According to the current laws of the United States, domestic terrorism involves dangerous acts for human life, to interference with the government policy, kidnapping, mass destruction, assassination, violence and primarily occurrence within the territorial authority of the government of the United States.
There are many organizations working in the United States of America and listed as terrorist organizations by the Department of Homeland security. First, the Animal Liberation Front, this organization is involved in the direct actions for removing and stealing animals from any place like farms or research laboratories and supply them anywhere their potential customers want. The Alpha 66 and Omega 7 (now dysfunctional) are involved in major bombings and damage. Besides these two, there are many other organizations such as Army of God, Aryan Nations, Black liberation Army, The Sword, The Covenant, Earth Liberation Front, Jewish Defense League, The Order, United Freedom Front, Weathermen and The Arm of the Lord all are regarded as terrorist organizations.
These organizations were involved in many domestic terrorist activities. Many of these organization are dysfunctional, but many of them are working. The criminal activities such as rape, kidnapping and harassment are very common in the USA. Who is responsible for these activities? Most people say that Muslims are terrorists, then what is the cause of domestic violence in the USA? The fact is that bad people are present in each religion and society. Therefore, we cannot say whole a country is full of terrorists due to some people. We should change our way of thinking and promote positive ideas and thinking. We should not blame each other, instead we should try to bring a change in our behavior. We cannot change the whole world, but we can change ourselves to bring some change. Now, most of communities are blaming each other and no one is ready to change his self. We should change this trend in the world.
History has seen the rise and fall of many prominent Muslim politicians who have played an active role in shaping global policies, defining political outlooks of their regions and establishing friendly ties with the rest of the world.
Although today’s Muslim world is experiencing an arduous task of combating global terrorism and extremism, their contribution in the world’s political scenario cannot be neglected. Leaders such as King Fahad of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto, Ahmedinjad of Iran and many others have played key roles in the development of the Muslim world and strengthening ties with other nations.
Of all the Muslim leaders the world has seen in the last few decades, perhaps that one leader who deserves special mention would be Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan and chairperson of Pakistan’s Peoples Party. Her charismatic and influential personality won her the honor of being the first ever female prime minister in the world and especially in a Muslim country.
Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, founder of Pakistan’s Peoples Party (PPP), a political organization that would play the dominant role in Pakistan’s politics in the coming years. Popularly known in Pakistan as “Bibi” (a title of honor and respect), Benazir Bhutto took oath from the prime minister’s seat in 1988.
Early life
Benazir was a talented young girl, different from many other girls of her age from the start. After receiving elementary education in various schools in Pakistan and completing her O’ Levels, she was sent to the U.S. at Harvard University Radcliffe College. There she obtained a degree in political science and moved on to Oxford University. She was elected to the Standing Committee of Oxford Union Debating Society, one of the most esteemed committees in the world.
Achievements and prominence
Throughout her political career during power and during exile, she adamantly persisted in introducing reforms in the education system, rights of Pakistani women, the end of corruption, improvement of the economy and much more. Following the footsteps of her father, she took to the task of changing the rather gloomy political set up of Pakistan and addressing the needs of the underdeveloped regions in the country. She was seen as a hope for the people of Pakistan, especially the female sector.
Assassination
Benazir Bhutto was given the title of “Iron Lady” by her Indian counterparts. After giving up her self-imposed exile of 9 years and coming back to the political scenario in 2007, she was returning after addressing an immense rally when she was shot in the head, followed by a suicide blast. The assassination was captured on video but no clue to the people behind this political murder has been found so far.
By demonstrating courage and will to fight in the hardest of circumstances and by the mere fact that she was fighting in a heavily male- dominated society, Benazir Bhutto undoubtedly established herself as the most prominent Muslim leader of the 21st century. She was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 2008.
Muslim people are very well aware of the fact that Allah is the creator of the entire universe, and Allah has prohibited only those things that are harmful and not in the welfare of the Muslim people and Islam. As we also know, Islam is the complete code of life in this world, and our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the sparkling example for all of us as to how Muslims should spend their lives. Nowadays there is an interesting issue becoming part of the people’s discussion. The media is paying much attention to whether or not music and singing is prohibited in Islam. It is a common observation that most people are singing Naat-e-Rasool-e-Maqbool (PBUH) and Hamd-e-baritallah with rock music in the background. There is a conflict between the Muslim scholars regarding this topic, but let’s see what the Quran and Hadees say about music and singing. In the Quran, Surah Al Isra, verse number 64, Allah has clearly told Muslims that songs and music except Azaan are the call from Satan (the devil), and that he is trying to diverge the attention of Muslims from the right track and allure them to earn wealth from unlawful ways and many other wrong deeds and sins.
In Surah Luqman verse number six, Allah Almighty has again told about Satan, that he will mislead people from path of Allah by disparagement and for those people there will be terrible suffering in hell. Besides this, Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari has narrated the hearing from the prophet (PBUH) that in the future some followers of Islam will mull over in drinking alcohol, unlawful intercourse, wear silk dress and use musical instruments. They will not pay the salary to the poor people or their servants on time, and Allah will destroy them and change them into monkeys and pigs, and they will remain in that position until the day of judgment. These quotings from the Holy Quran and Hadees have made clear that music is forbidden in Islam.
Most people consider music as good for the soul, but it is a wrong concept. Music cannot provide relaxation and relief to any person; however, it can increase the level of stress. The listening of music is not allowed in the Islam religion. Although, some Muslim scholars are not agreeing with this point, and they don’t consider music prohibited. According to the Quran and Hadees, music is call a from devil and is not allowed. However, most Muslims are very interested in music and songs due to media performance. Music is not welfare for any person in the world; therefore, we should not waste our time in listening to music.
The people of Egypt are always ready to help Palestine at any cost. The Muslim Brotherhood itself always fought for the interest of its neighbor Palestine. Now, the question is, how Morsi will satisfy the demand of the treaty and the Palestine people together as he promised to maintain both the treaty and the freedom of Gaza. We just have to wait and see what the merits of the newly elected president do on this very complicated issue.
The present situation of Egypt is not that positive from the real sense of democracy but when you look two years back, you will see the present state of Egypt much better. Now, the biggest impediment to the fair and perfect democracy in Egypt is the military and the SCAF. President Morsi; however, is an Islamic president, but he declared himself the president of all the Egyptians. This is a very good start. He met all the religious leaders of different religions after being elected as president and promised to ensure the right of all the communities to prevail the democracy.
The people of Egypt shaded their blood to make their dearest country free from Mubarak’s tyranny and they chose president Morsi to make their dream real. He has numerous challenges ahead. Egypt has a very complicated stand with the international community especially it’s relation with Israel is profoundly complicated. The other Arab countries are always against Israel and ready to destroy them, but Egypt made a treaty with Israel which has been convened to continue by the international community especially by the United States. President Morsi has said that he will continue all the international treaty which includes the treaty with Israel. He also promised to help Gaza to be freed. President Morsi, however, should believe that he has not been elected just as the other presidents are elected. Rather, he has been elected after the best revolution of the century, so his responsibility and merits-demerits will greatly effect the future democracy in Egypt.
With extremely high expectations, Morsi is not upsetting the people. He has done many very popular things. He decreased the power of the SCAF, the ascendency of military. In the crisis moment of Gaza, people he stood behind them. As Al Jazeera reports, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has condemned Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip by calling them “unacceptable” and emphasized they would destabilize the region. Morsi lambasted the Jewish state on Thursday for the first time since he took office in June following the overthrow of Hosni Mubabrak.
“We are in contact with the people of Gaza and with Palestinians, and we stand by them until we stop the aggression, and we do not accept under any circumstances the continuation of this aggression on the Strip,” Mursi said.
Egypt can play an important role in making Gaza free. Morsi should proceed with due patience and wisdom.
Guantanamo Bay is a stain on the image of America. How could a country defined by its freedoms condone a project like the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. Created in 2002 by the Bush Administration as a grounds for holding high-level captives from the war in Afghanistan, and later Iraq, information about the practices of the detention camp soon leaked out, and allegations of misconduct and even torture surfaced. Despite the best efforts of the Obama Administration to close Guantanamo Bay, although many of its prisoners have since been transferred elsewhere, the U.S. Congress has prohibited the detention camp’s closing, because that would mean transferring its prisoners to detention facilities in the U.S., an unpalatable prospect for voters. Thus, Guantanamo still sits in limbo, continuing to stain the fabric of American liberty.
HISTORY
Guantanamo Bay lies at the southern tip of the island of Cuba. The name Guantanamo was given by the original inhabitants of the island, called Tainos. The crew of Christopher Columbus arrived there in 1494 C.E., calling the bay Puerto Grande. The Bay remained in the hands of Spanish settlers until 1741, when it was overtaken briefly by British soldiers and renamed Cumberland Bay. The name didn’t last long, as British soldiers were quickly repelled by thousands of guerrilla fighters. The Bay would soon switch hands again; this time to the Americans.
Spain’s control over the island was tenuous, and growing cries for independence by its native inhabitants were not lost on the ears of the opportunistic United States, which seldom misses the chance to intervene at the expense of a rival. The U.S. Navy and later Marine Corps invaded Guantanamo bay in 1898, and with the assistance of the native inhabitants, defeated the Spanish forces, thus claiming Guantanamo Bay for the United States.
Cuba became an independent country following the completion of its sustained revolution throughout the 1950s. The ownership of Guantanamo Bay, however, remained with the United States. Interestingly enough, the Bay is only being leased by the U.S. government, and American checks paying for this rental property have been dutifully handed over to the Cuban government, which refuses to cash them out of protest. If you didn’t know, Cuba and the United States have not historically gotten a long since the Cold War, but things are cooling now as a result of the Obama Administration’s incremental efforts to improve relations.
CONTROVERSY
After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, Guantanamo Bay was designated as the detention camp for the worst of the worst. It was controversial because inmates were denied habeus corpus (a requirement of the U.S. Constitution that criminals receive a fair trial) and Bush Administration legal experts said the same restrictions applied for the Geneva Convention (international treatises regarding humanitarian treatment of captured combatants).
In 2006, the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Hamdan was a Yemeni, as well as a member of al-Qaeda who was captured in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld was the Secretary of Defense for the Bush Administration. In the decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan’s favor, acknowledging that inmates at Guantanamo were to be covered by the Geneva Conventions, and entitled to habeus corpus.
Who was Hamdan? He was a taxi driver from Yemen. He drove Osama bin Laden a few times, and heard him speak in person. He supported al-Qaeda, but was never charged with hurting anyone. He is now back in Yemen, and his entire experience is recalled word for word by him in the documentary “The Oath” (here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Oath-Salim-Hamdan/dp/B003PTP5H6).
Torture did occur at Guantanamo Bay. This is reported by Hamdan in the film, and it was also reported to Bob Woodward, perhaps America’s most famous political journalist, by a high-level Bush Administration insider. Conversely, it was revealed in the documentary film Sicko, by Michael Moore, that the inmates of Guantanamo Bay received better healthcare, administered by the U.S. Military and funded by U.S. tax payers, than did the average American citizen.
The truth is, the U.S. government wants Guantanamo Bay closed down, for the same reasons it wants to end its buddy-buddy relationship with Israel: bad press. Just as the relationship wit Israel hurts American credibility in the Arab world specifically, Guantanamo Bay is an even wider symbolic stain on America’s integrity. It violates everything we hope that our country stands for, and Americans aren’t the only ones privy to this notion.
But, there are politics involved. As hard as it may try, the Obama Administration will not be able to close Guantanamo Bay without the help of Congress. And Congress won’t approve this, because it will mean transferring the inmates to prison facilities in the United States, which is oh so very scary to the average simple-minded American. Even though new inmates are not being received at Guantanamo, the detention center continues to operate with a few inmates still housed there.
But, if its torture you’re angry about, or “extraordinary rendition” as its euphemistically called by the U.S. government, the worst cases were not at Guantanamo Bay. If you live in a Muslim country that is a close ally of the United States, like (Mubarak’s) Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, there is a good possibility that your government is complicit. “The U.S. doesn’t torture.” That’s the famous slogan of the Bush Era. The full slogan, though, should be more like, “The U.S. doesn’t torture inside the U.S. or with our own personnel.” But they were happy to transfer prisoners from Iraq and Afghanistan to nearby locations in allied countries, where the U.S. just had to stand back and ask questions.
Of course, we don’t want to exaggerate the frequency of such tactics, because we don’t know exactly what went on in the past or what is occurring currently. Thankfully, the Obama Administration, though it is disappointingly continuing the war in Afghanistan, which by the way doesn’t end in 2014, but simply replaces “soldiers” with “contractors,” has been much better on the subject of human rights than the Bush Administration. But until the U.S. can say “We don’t torture” and mean it in its fullest sense, the flag of liberty will forever be tarnished by stains like Guantanamo Bay.
