Fourteen centuries is a long time for smoldering embers of hate to burn. I think as we’ll see, those smoldering hatreds are going to erupt into a raging inferno.


Revered Saudi cleric denounces Shi'ites as infidels

Quote:DUBAI, Dec 29 (Reuters) - An influential cleric of Saudi Arabia's hardline Sunni school of Islam has denounced Shi'ite Muslims as "infidels" in a new religious edict that comes amid rising sectarian tension in the region.
"The rejectionists (Shi'ites) in their entirety are the worst of the Islamic nation's sects. They bear all the characteristics of infidels," Sheikh Abdel-Rahman al-Barrak said in the fatwa, or ruling, distributed on Islamist Web sites.


"They are in truth polytheist infidels, though they hide this," it said, citing theological differences 14 centuries after the death of the Prophet Mohammad, such as reverence of shrines which followers of Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi school consider abhorrent.


Concern is growing in Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam, over Shi'ite-Sunni violence in Iraq which has taken the northern neighbour to the brink of civil war. Sunni-Shi'ite tensions are also high in Lebanon, where Shi'ites are leading efforts to bring down a Sunni-led cabinet.


"The Sunni and Shi'ites schools of Islam are opposites that can never agree, there can be no coming together unless Sunnis give up their principles," the fatwa said.


Barrak, an independent scholar, has come to be regarded by many as the highest authority for Wahhabi Muslims.

Hajj an Adventure for Young Americans


By LEE KEATH


The Associated Press


Sunday, December 31, 2006; 6:14 PM


MINA, Saudi Arabia -- The 20-year-old American tells his hajj pilgrimage stories a mile a minute, his hands moving in excitement _ about how he arrived in Mecca days ago, lost amid the massive crowds, and saw a man drop dead while circling the Kaaba.


"Dude, I saw it, the guy had the most peaceful smile on his face," Adil Muschelewicz, performing the pilgrimage for the first time, said Sunday, his head shaved bald after a ritual a day earlier.


An aerial view of two of three huge stone pillars as Muslim pilgrims seen cast stones at it in the symbolic stoning of the devil for the second day in Mina, near Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006. Some threw with fury, others just tossed their stones quietly cursing evil and temptation as some 3 million Muslims performed a symbolic stoning of the devil Sunday in one of the most dramatic _ and dangerous _ rites of the hajj pilgrimage. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) (Khalil Hamra - AP)


The young man from Easley, S.C., had arrived alone in Mecca because of a travel agent screw-up that prevented his family from arriving for three days. He was with hundreds of thousands of others circling the Kaaba, the black stone cube that is Islam's holiest site, when he saw the elderly man fall dead. The body was quickly lifted out of the crowd.


Muschelewicz didn't know the cause of the man's death _ exhaustion maybe, he said _ but it became one of the many powerful religious moments that have shaken him during the trip.


"I looked at his face and I looked at the Kaaba, and it was like he was happy, he'd gotten close to God. It just went boom, like this deep bass line in my heart," he said. "It was so emotional. I was by myself, in this wild place I'd never been before."


For young American Muslims far from home, the hajj pilgrimage is an awesome adventure that they say deepens their faith and connects them with the wide range of Muslim peoples.


The annual hajj is overwhelming even for those who have done it before.


Some 3 million pilgrims from all over the world move between the holiest sites of Islam, in and around Mecca, over the course of five days, tracing the steps of the Prophet Muhammad and Ibrahim _ or Abraham to Christians and Jews _ considered in Islam as the first Muslim.


Traffic jams are epic _ it can take more than an hour for a bus to drive 200 yards.


Amid the hundreds of thousands of people moving on foot for miles, you can turn and find the friend by your side has disappeared. Pilgrims often go days on only a few hours sleep, snatched whenever possible amid the constant movement.


It is also a sensory overload, with a soundtrack in languages from around the world _ Arabic, English, Turkish, Malay and Bahasa, Urdu and Hindi. Intense poverty collides with wealth, with some pilgrims sleeping on the garbage-strewn pavement and others staying in "five-star" tents with meals and other facilities provided.


More than 20,000 Americans are participating in this year's hajj, a higher number than usual because the pilgrimage, which began Thursday and ends Monday, coincides with Christmas and New Year's holidays.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6123100438.html

AFTER HAJJ


How fortunate are these souls who are blessed with the following words from Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam :


"Whoever performs Hajj for the Pleasure of Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall return from it (free from sin) as the day on which his mother gave birth to him."


Bukhaari, Muslim


"Verily there shall be no reward for a Mabroor Hajj except Jannah."


Bukhaari, Muslim


It is hoped that all the pilgrims were sincere in their intentions and had traveled thousands of miles only to secure the Pleasure of Allah by fulfilling the obligation laid down upon them. May Allah the Almighty grant all the pilgrim’s acceptance and grant them opportunity again and again to visit the Sacred bud. Aameen.


Nevertheless, we wish to draw the attention of the pilgrims towards certain points which are necessary and of utmost importance to observe and for which many pilgrims are seen neglectful of their significance.


Firstly the sincerity of intention should remain even after the performance of Hajj. There should be no pomp or show. One should not wish to be called or recognized as a Haajjee.


Many people adopt the habit of talking frequently about their journey in order that people may come to know of their Hajj. They talk about the expenses incurred in the way of Allah, their charity amongst the poor and needy, their devotion and worship, their assisting the weak and old, etc.; and all is mentioned only with the intention of gaining fame. This is a deceit from Shaytaan who ruins the ibaadat without the person even knowing. It is therefore of great importance that the pilgrim does not talk about his Hajj without necessity as it may lead to 'Riyaa' (show, insincerity). However, if necessity arises and one must talk about his Hajj then he is at liberty to do so. But, he must not indulge in this type of conversation unnecessarily.


Secondly it is noted through experience, that many pilgrims return with only the bad side of the journey and make it a habit of talking about nothing except the hardships they have encountered during Hajj. The pilgrims should strictly refrain from this. On the contrary they should talk about the greatness of the sacred places, the spiritual gains, the enjoyment in devotions of Haramayn - Umrah, Tawaaf, Salaam on the Sacred Grave, Salaat in Masjid-ul-Haraam and Masjid-un-Nabawi etc. If one looks at his journey of Hajj carefully he will find that the good things far outweighs the bad. Every second spent in these sacred places is incomparable with anything in the world.


The journey of Hajj is a long journey; one has to travel by air, pass the immigrations, go through the customs, encounter people who speak foreign languages, etc. In these circumstances, difficulties are certain to arise. when we travel in our country do we always travel with comfort and ease? Do we never encounter difficulty? Do we not find ourselves held up in traffic for hours on a Motorway? Considering the fact that 2 - 3 million pilgrims perform the rituals of Hajj at one time, in one place and that they all come from different countries and backgrounds and that many of them have never before used or seen the facilities available to them. We think the difficulties encountered are insignificant. Moreover, the pilgrims are rewarded abundantly by Allah Ta'aala upon every difficulty encountered in their journey whereas tile same is not tile case whilst we are on another journey.


Those people who engage in these types of conversation become the cause of discouragement to others who have not yet had the opportunity to perform Hajj. These unfortunate pilgrims fall into the category


... and who stop (men) from the way of Allah, and from the Sacred Masjid, ...


mentioned in Surah Hajj in the Qur'aan. They should take heed that if people are discouraged by their conversation and postpone their Hajj then those who have discouraged them will be equally responsible.


Thirdly the sign of a 'Mabroor Hajj' or an 'accepted Hajj' is that upon one's return, his life changes from worst to good. He becomes totally punctual in fulfilling the commands of Allah Ta'aala. His love and inclination towards the Hereafter increases and love for the worldly pleasures decline. Therefore, it is essential that the pilgrim is watchful over his actions and should try his utmost to instill in himself good characters and refrain from all types of evil. He should try his best to fulfill the obligations laid down by Allah and avoid all the things forbidden by Him.


http://www.islaam.org/Hajj/hajj-36.htm

Hold your breath infidels. We’re on the verge of completing 2006 without enjoying the fruits of <i>peaceful inner strugglers</i>™ murderous plans for us in the West. While jihad's apologists in the West wring their hands over our <i>islamophobic</i>™ treatment of those who would murder us wholesale in the name of their deity, the laws and measures to protect us and our way of life have kept us free from the hoped for mass murder
that would otherwise have been visited upon us by Islam’s holy warriors.

Quote:MADRID, Spain: Bombs left on commuter trains in a busy station in Germany. A plot to blow up tunnels and flood New York City's financial district. Another to bring down packed commuter airliners flying out of London.
Islamic militants had no shortage of murderous ideas in 2006, but for the first time since before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a year neared its close without a major attack in the West.


In a wide-ranging analysis, security and intelligence leaders around the world told The Associated Press that their success was due to more than just luck. Far greater human and technological resources, tougher anti-terror laws, a deeper understanding of the homegrown nature of the threat and the hard lessons learned from past failures — all these have all helped avert catastrophe, they said.


But they also cautioned against complacency, saying another attack is inevitable. A senior Spanish intelligence official who recently stepped down as head of a national counter-terror unit warned that the absence of deadly attacks this year does not mean the world should expect similar results in 2007.

whats the difference between Shia and Sunni ?


and in a general way where did Sharia law come from and whats peoples thoughts about living in a country governed by these laws?

Happy new years to you all


may we all find peace and happyness in 2007 and beyond

Man this is going to be bad for many. Majority of the countries were against his death,even the majority of iraqis and muslims.Trial was unfair and provided no solid proof under the bush administration. Many iraqi's didn't wanted saddam to be dead, ohh well. The results are goin to be bad, hope everyone stay safe. Hussein was hanged before dawn on Saturday in Iraq, at about 6 a.m. (9 p.m. Friday USA central time). Judge Haddad who announced this final sentence is bought by the bush administration. Hussein will be hanged along with two others, Barzan Hassan and Awad Bandar. All were convicted of killing 148 Shiite Muslims in the Iraqi town of Dujail nearly 25 years ago. 25 years ago when usa supported saddam, now anyone gets it?


Saturday is a start of Eid Al-Adha and its against islamic beliefs to kill a person during this period, its a sin and for sunni's Eid had began on saturday and saddam was a sunni and he was executed on saturday in iraq. I am not ready what the muslims in iraq would do after hearing that saddam is dead specially begining of eid. The US army has put a curfew on the streets of iraq and specially baghdad and faluja. U.S. soldiers guarding Hussein on Tuesday took away a radio he kept in his cell so he could not hear news reports about his death sentence, which was confirmed that day.

So, you say that your Islamist dystopia is ethically and morally bankrupt, your citizens are starving, you’re a third world nation and you’re obsessed with creating the elements to wage nuclear jihad and all you can think to do is to build a colossal worldview of lies and deceit complete with a military armed with nukes? Blame America! Or perhaps your oil drunk leaders are apathetic to the grinding oppression of your wretched existence, with only hatred for the sake of a deity as your only respite? <i>Marg bar Amrika!</i> (Death to America!) Maybe you've reached the upper echelons in the depraved world of the Indonesian jihad mafia, only to have some incompetent's shoddy bomb explode in front of your house? You, my death cult jihadi, should blame America

Quote:Tehran's Substitute Friday prayers leader Ayatollah Emami Kashani warned Muslims against plots made by the West to sow discord among the Shia and Sunni.
"The enemy is preparing a massive plan for the Islamic world and for the entire region," said the cleric addressing the worshipers at Tehran University campus.


He stressed that after the Western states were obliged to admit the defeat of their policies in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, they have decided to set up new plans.


"Shia-Sunni division is a dirty lesson taught by the world arrogance in Muslim countries," Ayatollah Kashani said regretting that the lesson was used by some of the Muslim states.


The cleric urged Muslims countries to stay united and close their ranks further in order "to disappoint enemies of the Islamic world." Referring to adoption of the anti-Iran Resolution 1737 by the United Nations Security Council, the ayatollah said that West has "falsely portrayed Iran as a country which threatens international security by developing nuclear weapons."


"Those who produce atomic arms and kill other human beings by giving such arms to other countries are now accusing Iran of developing nuclear weapons," Ayatollah Kashani said.


He added that the West was to question Iran's political and economic place by introducing it as threat to the world security.


"Iran is committed to its international obligations and favors negotiations," said the cleric reassuring that Tehran was not pursuing any program to develop nuclear arms.


However, he stressed, Iranian nation would not give up its efforts to achieve its scientific goals.


Stressing that the issue of Iran's peaceful nuclear activities was politicized, the cleric said "it is now considered as a cold war." 1486/1394/1414

Dec. 28, 2006 0:51 | Updated Dec. 28, 2006 12:04


Hizbullah paying for Kassam attacks


By HERB KEINON AND YAAKOV KATZ


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

Quote:Hizbullah is paying Palestinian splinter groups "thousands of dollars" for each Kassam rocket fired at the western Negev, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
According to Israeli intelligence information, Hizbullah is smuggling cash into the Gaza Strip and paying "a number of unknown local splinter groups" for each attack.


Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) sources said the Islamist organization paid several thousand dollars for each attack, with the amount dependent on the number of Israelis killed or wounded.


"We know that Hizbullah is involved in funding terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," a security official said.


"Palestinian terrorists get thousands of dollars per attack. Sometimes they are paid before the attack and sometimes they submit a bill to Lebanon afterward and the money gets transferred a short while later."


According to the officials, while Islamic Jihad was behind most recent rocket attacks - including the one on Tuesday night that critically wounded 14-year-old Adir Basad in Sderot - several splinter terrorists groups are also involved and have received direct funding from Hizbullah.


According to security officials, Islamic Jihad gets the money via its headquarters in Damascus while Fatah's Tanzim terror group and the Popular Resistance Committees receive payment from Hizbullah in Lebanon.

In the Name of God - Father (Love) Son (Grace) Holy Spirit (Truth)


May the peace of Christ be with you all.

Quote:we are living those blessed days of dhul Hija which makes muslims somehow busy in different kinds of worship and voluntary acts to come closer to Allah

Quote:Moreover, the Muslim Ummah is one body, we ach for whoever aches FHC

Quote:In fact, the current situation, if persisted, shall lead to nowhere but more war

Quote:In regard to us as being what exactly, me and others would simply categorise ourselves as Muslims, simply Muslims.
The Messenger, prayer and peace be upon him, warned us against breaking into sects, which concurrently, he foretold that it will happen.

Quote:Your brother's "date" had better be careful, a zealous relative may be ready to restore the family honour at any time