February 16, 2013
 
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
 
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh
 
Dear Muslims:
 
I hope and pray that this letter reaches you while you are in the best state of health and Eman.
 
The Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA, is an organization for all Muslims living in the United States of America.

Since its inception in 1968, the brothers and sisters belonging to ICNA have been working day and night for the cause of Islam, seeking only the pleasure of Allah .

In ICNA we have a very democratic process. Members of ICNA elect their leaders at various levels to run the affairs of this organization. In January of this year, the members of the ICNA General Assembly have put this great task on my shoulders by electing me as President of ICNA for the 2013 – 2014 session.

I request that all of you make dua for me and pray that Allah enables me to fulfill my responsibility in the best manner by following His Commandments and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad .

I have great respect for our elders who have given their best for the Deen of Allah . And I love all of you for the sake of Allah . I am confident that you will stand by my side, shoulder to shoulder, and we will face all hurdles and challenges together as we move forward inshaAllah.

ICNA has almost 40 chapters and sub-chapters throughout the country. This kind of grassroots presence makes it possible for us to involve the American Muslim community and the larger community in many ways. ICNA is known for its outreach/Dawah efforts; we are constantly engaged in relief work and social services and remain committed to social justice causes. ICNA Sisters’ Wing helps sisters effectively learn about Islam. Young Muslims (YM), the youth division of ICNA, runs over 60 study groups for the American Muslim youth.

Dear brothers and sisters, Allah , is All Just and All Wise. He , tells us in the Quran:

“No soul shall be given a burden that he cannot bear.” (Al-Baqarah: 286)

Allah , will not test us with what we cannot bear. I see a great horizon of opportunities for the American Muslims. Trials and tribulation will come, but, at the same time, He , will give us the ability to handle such challenges inshaAllah.

Let us all build a bond of brotherhood and strengthen our relationships with one another. ICNA is committed to working together with all Muslim organizations and masajid. We do not represent any one ethnicity or follow any particular sect. We are an organization of American Muslims and we have made a commitment to work for the betterment of all people.

I invite you to join ICNA and I assure you that, inshaAllah, you will not find yourself in the company of strangers.

May Allah , bless us all with the best in this world and in the hereafter. Ameen.

Sincerely,
Your Brother in Islam,
Naeem M. Baig

President
Islamic Circle of North America

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Quaid –e- Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a man of honor in every aspect of life – be it professional or private. It is his relentless struggle and hard work that helped Muslims of the subcontinent to realize the impossible dream of a separate independent homeland for themselves.

He addressed many people in his speeches, youth, women, businessmen, students and the general public. He asked them to be hardworking and diligent in whatever they do in life, and cling to the rules of unity, faith and discipline.

However, the question that burns the most is what Message did our Quaid really give us? What did he really want from us? Why did he give us this country of our own? What did he mean by Pakistan?

At one occasion, he said that Pakistan is not only equal to freedom and independence but also the Muslim Ideology and thoughts which is a precious gift that should be kept and protected by us and others.

Jinnah gave us a message of liberty in the form of a precious gift of Pakistan. He wanted to give us freedom from oppression; financial and cultural freedom; religious freedom; social freedom; but most important of all freedom of Ideology. Pakistan is the personification of freedom for Muslims.  Pakistan is freedom.

At another occasion, he said that we all should live and breathe freely in a state and develop based on own lights, culture, and principles of Islamic social justice.

Clearly he wanted our children to be free. Free to practice what we believe. But what is the cost of this? Everything comes at a price, and price of freedom is unity, discipline, hard work, determination and setting goals.

Time and again our Quaid stressed on the need to develop these characteristics and qualities. He himself was a very hard working man. So much so that even his health got affected because of the hard work that he did all these years and finally it took his life. He said that a nation can not be free without suffering.

At another place he said that hope, courage and confidence was his message to everyone. He also asked to mobilize all the available resources in a systematic, and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront the nation.

Our Quaid wanted us to earn this freedom, not snatch it or beg for it, and then show ourselves to be worthy of it. He wanted us to pay its full price. There is another price that we have to pay before we fully deserve to breathe in this country as free men and that is responsibility. As Roosevelt said “With great freedom comes great responsibility”.

In Short, Quaid-e-Azam gave us the gift of freedom through this country but he encouraged us to make ourselves worthy of it, and that was the message of Quaid we need to fully revive this March 23^rd.

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If we look into the past, we will see that God has sent a number of messengers on earth to guide mankind towards His Unity and Oneness. The revelation process started with Prophet Adam, who was the first man on earth. Soon after the death of Adam, his message was forgotten, and Satan guided people towards the wrong path. The time came for Prophets to be sent to humanity to guide them towards the right path. This way a number of Prophets came with the same message. Some Prophets were preceded by others, while there were also times when two or three prophets were present in the world at the same time, sent to different people. A clear example of this is Prophet Musa and Prophet Shuaib, as well as Prophet Ibrahim and prophet Lut being present in the world at the same time. However, anything that starts is definitely going to have an end. The line of prophets also ended when God sent Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon Him).

Now the question that comes in mind is; what was the need to send so many messengers on earth? Well, the main reasons for this are known to God as He is All Wise, and there is wisdom in everything He does. However, if we consider it, we can see that God sent His Messengers on Earth at different time beings, after intervals to remind people of the true message. With time, people used to forget the messages of God, passed on to them by the messengers and started following the path shown to them by Satan. That brought the need to send another messenger.

We can see that the first prophet was Adam, and his followers were believers. They submitted themselves to the worship of God. However, after his death as time passed, people started worshipping idols. God then sent Prophet Nuh for the guidance of mankind. However, he was continually scoffed and abused by his people. There were only a very few people who were believers. Then; the next major prophet who came was Prophet Ibrahim. Then came a line of prophets of his descendants. The second last prophet was Prophet Isa and years after his death, came the last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). So, the message of God was being forgotten by people, which brought the need of different messengers. Moreover, different messengers were sent to their own communities so that they could communicate with the people in thee own languages according to their own nature.

Sometimes, when one Messenger was sent to one area, another Messenger was sent to another area so that the light of guidance and the darkness of ignorance could be lifted up from the world. All these prophets and messengers passed on the actual message and were completely truthful. They never concealed or omitted anything and were the best of humanity, chosen by God over all other creation for this special purpose.

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I love to write creative articles. I have been writing on different social and religious topics for 2 years now. Give me a creative topic and I will write it for you.

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Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, one of the world’s prominent religions, was born to a family that belonged to the Quraysh clan, in Mecca. This city was in the Hejaz region of Northern Arabia. After the decline of southern Arabia, which comprised of large powers such as the Sassanians, Ethiopians and Byzantines, Mecca had become a hubbub of sixth century trade. The city of Mecca is also the original site of Ka’bah, and because of its importance in the trade aspect it was dominated by powerful merchant clans among whom Quraysh was the most prominent one.
Muhammad’s father, Abdul Muttalib had died before he was born and Muhammad’s mother, Aminah, passed away when he was only six. After the death of his mother, he was given to his grandfather. But his grandfather also passed away soon after, and Muhammad’s uncle Abu Talib continued raising him afterwards. The child became educated despite the hardships of desert life, managed his patience, and became well known for his sweet and rich way of speaking. These qualities of Muhammad made him popular in the region.
In his twenties, around the year 590, Muhammad began to serve Khadija as a merchant to conduct trade of caravans to the north. Khadija was impressed with his qualities and they married, giving birth to four daughters and two sons, the sons passing away shortly.
While working with Khadija as a trade merchant, Mohammad traveled a lot. He gained much experience and knowledge. He retired in his forties and went to the cave on Mount Hira for meditation. The first shine of Islam fell upon the world, when Mohammad heard a voice of an angle while meditating in the cave. The Angel identified himself as Gabriel and said to Mohammad:
“Recite in the name of thy Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood.”
For a while, Mohammad stood in shock and then pleaded that he was unable to do so after every time the Angel asked him to recite. Then Mohammad recited the words dictated by Angel Gabriel. These words are now the first five verses of the 96th Surah in the Quran. These words indicate the importance that God is the creator of man and only He has all the knowledge.
Mohammad shared this experience with his wife and his closest friends initially. But soon, the message the oneness of God all surroundings started to gain the support from slaves and the poor. All the revelations from that time and onwards were later combined as Islam’s scripture, known as Quran.
While Mohammad was preaching about Islam, people who did not agree with him started opposing him greatly. His fellow merchants also turned against him, but this turned out in Mohammad’s favor as he became more alert of his mission and began spreading the teachings of Islam with greater energy and devotion. The teachings taught that God is one and those who accept it will be gifted with blessings while those who disagreed and opposed were warned of punishment. He triumphed through his struggles, and it proved to be a great reward.

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The English Defence League has posted the latest message from its imprisoned leader Stephen Lennon, wishing his organisation's now severely depleted troops a happy Christmas.

As you might expect, the letter consists mostly of an extended whinge about his personal predicament. However, "Tommy" does take the opportunity to offer us the benefit of his latest thinking on the origins and aims of Islam.

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EID-UL-ADHA – HISTORY

Eid-UL-Adha is celebrated by Muslims all over the world on the 10^th of Zil Hajj according to the Islamic moon calendar. The festival is celebrated for three days to honor the sacrifice Prophet Ibrahim was about to make to Allah. Allah constantly tested Prophet Ibrahim and his family, of which they failed none. Examples of Al-Safa, Al-Marwah, Zamzam well and Holy Ka’abah are still in front of us.

Prophet Ibrahim loved his only son devotedly. When Hazrat Ismail was thirteen, Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son. Prophet Ibrahim was ready to make the sacrifice but consulted his son first who without any hesitation agreed to be sacrificed. Unbearable to watch, Prophet Ibrahim blindfolded himself and made the sacrifice. When he untied his blindfold, he found his son standing beside him and a sheep slaughtered instead. Hazrat Ismail was replaced with a sheep by Angel Jibrael.

ALL ABOUT SACRIFICE

To honor this event Muslims celebrate Eid-Ul-Adha; the message behind this festival is sacrificing a life in the way of Allah. The animals to be sacrificed are cows, sheep, goats and camels. The meat of sacrificed animals are distributed among the poor. It is also important to consider close relatives. The main objective of this sacrifice is to prepare Muslims to devote their wealth in the way of God. The objective of sacrifice is not only to eat and distribute the meat of animals once every year. Instead the purpose of this event is to remember the sacrifice of prophet Ibrahim and prepare for any kind of sacrifice to God. It is a fact that God provides us every thing like wealth, children and life. Therefore, we should not hesitate to spend these things in the way of God. We should not wonder why God needs our wealth and property; because God just wants to know whether Muslims will sacrifice it to him at all. When we spend our precious things on God, He will provide us more. Therefore, Muslims should become ready to give anything like wealth, money and life for the promotion of God’s message. Our life on earth is temporary. Therefore, it is wise to make our life more precious by following the Islamic lessons and teachings.

Hence, Eid-Ul-Adha is very important for the Muslims because it reminds them of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice to God Almighty. Therefore, every Muslim should sacrifice an animal on this event. There are several benefits to the sacrifice, as it eliminates the love of wealth from our heart. It makes us ready to sacrifice our life, wealth and children at any time for Islam. Muslims should give first preference to Islam and its revolution in the world. We should always remember the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim.

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Inae Oh of the Huffington Post interviews Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, which took out an advertisement urging New York subway users to "help stop bigotry against our Muslim neighbors", in an effort to counter Pamela Geller's notorious "savages" ad. Rabbi Jacobs explains:

"I was very concerned that people might think that these ads speak for the Jewish community, as Geller couches her anti-Muslim message in the language of supporting Israel. The suggestion that she is speaking only about terrorists, and not about Muslims in general, falls apart as soon as you read her writings, which are fear mongering about Muslims in the U.S. and in the world, and about Islam as a religion."

She adds: "I want to spread the message that 1800 rabbis – along with the majority of the American Jewish community – believes in partnership with our Muslim neighbors. We, of course, oppose all acts of terrorism. We will not, however, allow the actions of a small minority to be an excuse for dehumanizing an entire people."

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Hundreds turned out Saturday at Landreth Park in a show of solidarity with area Muslims after their mosque was destroyed in a suspected arson fire on Aug. 6. Neighbors-Joplin Mosque Rally, as it was called, was organized by Ozark Christian College student Ashley Carter.

Joplin Globe, 25 August 2012 

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San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency has a policy against political ads on its buses, but an ad being displayed now comes pretty close. The ad says, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad."

The pro-Israel ad was purchased by the American Freedom Defense Initiative run by Pamela Geller.

The bus message didn't sit very well with the city system in New York. They refused to run them and Gellen took the transit authority to court. "And interestingly enough, the day that I won, was the day that San Francisco approved my ads that are currently running on your buses," Geller said.

A coincidence? Not according to Muni's spokesman Paul Rose. "In this specific case, litigation was brought to this organization and the transit agency lost," he told ABC7 News. So, the buses with the signs will continue to roll for at least the next four weeks.

Asked how this particular ad is not considered political in light of Muni's no-politics policy, Rose struggled to answer. However, the legal action and the fact that the New York MTA has already lost in court have had an impact.

ABC, 10 August 2012

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The imam and worshipers at a new Tennessee mosque that hosted its first prayers on Friday after fighting for two years to open said they forgive those who have been enemies of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.

"Love your neighbor is a concept in every religion," Imam Ossama Bahloul told more than 200 men and women in attendance during his sermon in the mosque that replaces one where the congregation worshiped for 30 years.

To those who opposed the mosque, Bahloul said, "We forgive you all and we welcome you to our facility."

Opponents of the mosque about 30 miles south of Nashville sued to stop it from opening, claiming that not enough notice had been given before a building permit was issued. Residents opposed to the mosque have made allegations that Islam was not a faith protected by the Constitution, and that the mosque sought to impose Islamic law, or Sharia, in the U.S. legal system.

Opposition to the mosque also became an unlikely issue in a Tennessee Republican Congressional primary, with the challenger complaining that freshman Representative Diane Black, who later went on to win the primary, had not been forceful enough in her opposition to the mosque.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has characterized the campaign against the mosque as a "viciously anti-Muslim groundswell" that included accusations of treason and disloyalty along with insinuations that Muslims were predisposed to violence.

Bahloul addressed opponents' allegations in his sermon, saying that the new facility was simply a place for people to pray and children to play. And he said his congregation does abide by the U.S. Constitution.

"You can be a good Muslim and a good American," he said.

Despite the opposition, the mosque was finally able to open this week, in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, and ahead of the Eid al-Fitr feasting holiday that marks Ramadan's end.

The congregation had expected protesters on Friday, but only one showed up. Dan J. Qualls, a Murfreesboro resident who works at a nearby factory, said he felt compelled to carry a message to those at the gleaming new mosque. "Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven," he said. "I'm here to promise that."

Essam Fathy, chairman of the mosque board, said that the center's opening is "a dream come true."

"We hope the people will get to know the real us," Fathy said.

Reuters, 10 August 2012

See also "Islamic Center Imam asks for 'day of forgiveness' as new mosque opens", Daily News Journal, 10 August 2012

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro members will pass a field lined with 13 white crosses in front of Grace Baptist Church on Bradyville Pike on the way to their new mosque once it opens.

"It was more or less to make a statement to the Muslims about how we felt about our religion, our Christianity," said Mack Richards, a Middle Tennessee Baptist Church member who built the crosses at the request of Grace Baptist member and friend Bobby Francis. "We wanted them to see the crosses and know how we felt about things."

"That's what the church voted to do," said Francis, a member of Grace Baptist since the 1970s when it was on Dill Lane.

Grace Baptist moved into its current home of about 6,000 square feet two years ago and is currently served by interim pastor Dan Watts.

The Tennessean, 5 August 2012

Given that the Baptists suffered no hostile reaction when they moved to their own new premises, you might have thought they would be sensitive to the discrimination suffered by their Muslim neighbours. Indeed, two years ago Watts' predecessor as pastor, the long-serving Rev. Russell Richardson, took a public stand against the anti-mosque campaign ("If we infringe their freedom – we infringe our freedom") and the church organised a seminar in which a former missionary to Syria advised that Christians should always treat Muslims with respect. It would appear that the Grace Baptist congregation have now rejected that advice.

See also "Fight against Islam stretches beyond Murfreesboro mosque", The Tennessean, 5 August 2012

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