Competing religions and ideologies that do not espouse the intolerance and revulsion of an alternate view are at a disadvantage to one ideology in particular that has not shed the violence and hatred that were prevalent when it emerged from 7th century Arabia. The result is all too frequently dead infidels


HTTP://WWW.ASIANEWS.IT/INDEX.PHP?L=EN&ART=8053&SIZE=A

Quote:INDONESIA
Risk of anti-Christian attack growing as Christmas approaches


Bomb threat made against Christian radio in Jakarta. More than 18,000 police officers will be deployed to protect places of worship across the Indonesian capital. Tensions are running high in Poso.


Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A Christian radio station is threatened whilst authorities increase security details around Christian places of worship and community centres as fears of Christmas attacks grow.


On Saturday afternoon Radio Pelita Kasih, which is in Dewi Sartika in eastern Jakarta, received a phone call that threatened a bomb attack. Police and the bomb squad inspected the premises but found nothing. The radio station broadcast Christian music and religious programmes.


On Monday, Colonel Ketut Untung Yoga, spokesman for the police, announced that 18,000 police officers would be deployed to protect thousands of churches and other religious sites in Jakarta for fear of attacks by Islamic extremists. “Places of worship are our priority,” Yoga said.


In 2000 a series of coordinated bombs killed 19 people during the Christmas season.


On December 31, 2005, a market in a Christian area in the city of Palu (Sulawesi) was the scene of another attack that left seven people dead.


In both cases Jemaah Islamyah, a militant Islamist group thought to be linked with al-Qaeda, was blamed.

Quote:ABU Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah, has been cleared of involvement in two of Indonesia's most devastating attacks of recent times - the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 Marriott Hotel blast
Indonesia's highest court late yesterday overturned Bashir's 2004 conviction over the two atrocities, which killed 202 people and 14 people respectively.


The decision clears the way for Bashir, 68, to claim compensation for time he has served in jail.


He was released from a Jakarta prison in June to wild adulation after serving almost 26 months of a 2½-year sentence for terrorist conspiracy charges, but continued with the Supreme Court appeal in order, he said, to clear his name.


"He thanks God and says he is glad everything has now been revealed," his son Abdurrohim said late yesterday.


"We welcome this decision with great happiness. Hopefully it can become a signal that for all this time, everything was slander from the enemies of Islam who wanted to destroy the image of Indonesian Muslim preachers.


"We're happy the judges have made their decision according to the facts, and have taken into account nothing that was fabricated."

Quote:(Bangkokpost.com, Agencies)
Insurgents killed two men and launched arson attacks in southernmost provinces, police said Wednesday.


A 33-year-old Buddhist man was shot and then set alight by gunmen who ambushed him in front of his house in Pattani late Tuesday night.


Police could not confirm if the former community police officer died of the four gunshot wounds or his burns.


Also Tuesday, a 27-year-old villager was killed in a drive-by shooting in nearby Narathiwat.


Militants also set fire to two government-run elementary schools in Pattani, while in nearby Yala province insurgents staged arson attacks on a local health office and a day care centre.


No one was injured in the arsons, which were carried out in the middle of the night.

Bismillah:


<b>the prophet Muhammad pbuh said:</b>


<b>Character </b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "One who covers up the failings of someone in this world will have his shortcomings covered up by God on the Day of Judgment." - Riyadh us-Saleheen, 240


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "By his good character, a believer will attain the degree of one who prays during the night and fasts during the day." - Abu Dawood, Hadith 2233


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Being rich does not mean having a great amount of property, but [it] is being content [with what one has]." - Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 453


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(God) has revealed to me that you should adopt humility so that no one oppresses another." - Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 1589


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "No one has swallowed anything more excellent in the sight of God...than the anger he restrains, seeking to please God most high." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1324


- A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "What is faith?" The Prophet replied: "When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust, then you are a believer." He was then asked: "What is a sin?" The Prophet said: "When something pricks your conscience, give it up." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 8


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Envy is not permitted except in two cases: (Envy) of a person who God has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and (envy of) a person who God has given wisdom and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to others." - Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 490


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Wealth consists of various kinds of treasures, and those treasures (all) have keys. Blessed is the man whom God has made a key for good and a lock for evil." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever suffers an injury and forgives (the person responsible), God will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 998


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I tell you who are the best among you?...The best of you are those who when seen are a means of God Being brought to mind." AL-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1302


- Narrated Masruq: "I asked (the Prophet Muhammad's wife) Aisha which (good) deed was most loved by the Prophet. She said: 'A deed done continuously.'" Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 232


<b>Charity </b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Charity does not diminish wealth." - Riyadh-us-Saleheen, Volume 1, Hadith 556


Equality


The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds."


<b>Family </b>


- A man once told the Prophet that he had many children but did not kiss any of them. The Prophet (pbuh) replied: "Verily, God will only show mercy to those of His servants who do good to others." Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


- "Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worhsip none save Him, and show kindness to your parents. If one or both of them attain old age with thee, say not "Fie" unto them or repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word." Holy Quran, Surah 17, Verses 23-24


<b>Forgiveness </b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever suffers an injury and forgives (the person responsible), God will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 998


<b>Honesty </b>


- The Prophet (peace be upon him) quoted a person who will face severe punishment on Judgment day as saying: "I enjoined others to do good, but did not do it myself, and I forbade them to do evil, but did it myself." - Riyadh-us-Saleheen, Hadith 198


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "If you guarantee me six things on your part I shall guarantee you Paradise : Speak the truth when you talk, keep a promise when you make it, when you are trusted with something fulfill your trust, avoid sexual immorality, lower your gaze (in modesty), and restrain your hands from injustice." - Al Tirmidhi, Hadith 1260


<b>Justice </b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is oppressed." People asked, "…It is right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet said, "By preventing him from oppressing others." Sahih Al-Bukhari, 3:624


- The Prophet also stated that God said: "O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another." - Hadith Qudsi, 17


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "To administer justice between two people is charity." - Fiqh-us-Sunnah, 3:98


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The just and fair will be seated on chairs of light before God. Such people are those who decide with justice and deal justly in matters relating to their families and other affairs entrusted to them." - Riyadh-us-Saleheen, Hadith 650


- "God does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Each will enjoy the good it earns, as indeed each will suffer for the wrong." - The Holy Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 286


<b>Kindness </b>


- A man once told the Prophet that he had many children but did not kiss any of them. The Prophet (pbuh) replied: "Verily, God will only show mercy to those of His servants who do good to others." Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If one of you loves his brother, he should tell him that he loves him." - Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Be kind, for whenever kindness becomes part of something, it beautifies it. Whenever it is taken from something, it leaves it tarnished." He also said: "Make things simple and do not complicate them. Calm people and do not drive them away." - Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would hear the crying of a child in the company of his mother during payer, and he would then recite only a short portion of the Quran (to end the prayer and let the mother comfort her child)." - Sahih Muslim, Hadith 220


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy." - Sahih Muslim, Hadith 707


<b>Life & Human Nature </b>


- "God does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Each will enjoy the good it earns, as indeed each will suffer for the wrong." - The Holy Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 286


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There is no disease that God has created, except that He has also created its treatment." - Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume, Hadith 582


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone would like to receive an answer from God in times of difficulty, he should make many supplications when times are easy."


- A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "What is faith?" The Prophet replied: "When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust, then you are a believer." He was then asked: "What is a sin?" The Prophet said: "When something pricks your conscience, give it up." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 8


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Wealth consists of various kinds of treasures, and those treasures (all) have keys. Blessed is the man whom God has made a key for good and a lock for evil." Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366


<b>Manners </b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "One who covers up the failings of someone in this world will have his shortcomings covered up by God on the Day of Judgment." - Riyadh us-Saleheen, 240


<b>Mercy </b>


- A man once told the Prophet that he had many children but did not kiss any of them. The Prophet (pbuh) replied: "Verily, God will only show mercy to those of His servants who do good to others." Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


<b>Moderation </b>


- The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, "Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights." - Sahih Al Bukhari - Volumn I, Hadith 8


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy." - Sahih Muslim, Hadith 707


<b>Time</b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A time will come when the murderer will not know why he has committed the murder, and the victim will not know why he has been killed." - Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1356


<b>War </b>


- "During [a military expedition], a woman was found killed, so [the Prophet Muhammad] forbade the killing of women and children." Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 258


<b>Witnessing </b>


- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Should I not tell you of the best witness? He is the one who produces his evidence before he is asked for it." - Sahih Muslim, Hadith 799


<b>Women </b>


- The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife."


- The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The best thing in this world is a virtuous woman (wife)." - Riyadh us-Salaheen, 1:280


- The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Whoever has three daughters, cares and provides for them, and shows them mercy, will enter Paradise ." Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


- A man once told the Prophet that he had many children but did not kiss any of them. The Prophet (pbuh) replied: "Verily, God will only show mercy to those of His servants who do good to others." Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners


- As he carried his grandson on his shoulders, the Prophet was heard to say: "O God! I love him, so You love him too." Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners.


Salam.

Yes. Since becoming flush with infidel aid money, things have gone swimmingly well for the Feudal, 7th century kingdom of <i>Fear and Loathing</i>, previously known as Aceh.


Some real headway has been made, with new and exciting achievements from Muslims every day. Things like: human rights
!

Quote:The Sunday Times December 17, 2006
Tsunami survivors given the lash


MICHAEL SHERIDAN AND DEWI LOVEARD, BANDA ACEH


Disaster donations help Islamic vigilante force impose punishments on women


WHEN people around the world sent millions of pounds to help the stricken Indonesian province of Aceh after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, few could have imagined that their money would end up subsidising the lashing of women in public.


But militant Islamists have since imposed sharia law in Aceh and have cornered Indonesian government funds to organise a moral vigilante force that harasses women and stages frequent displays of humiliation and state-sanctioned violence.


International aid workers and Indonesian women’s organisations are now expressing dismay that the flow of foreign cash for reconstruction has allowed the government to spend scarce money on a new bureaucracy and religious police to enforce puritan laws, such as the compulsory wearing of headscarves.


Some say there are more “sharia police” than regular police on the local government payroll and that many of them are aggressive young men.


“Who are these sharia police?” demanded Nurjannah Ismail, a lecturer at Aceh’s Ar-Raniri University. “They are men who, most of the time, are trying to send the message that their position is higher than women.”


In one town, Lhokseumawe, the authorities are even planning to impose a curfew on women — a move that social workers warn will force tsunami widows to quit night-time jobs as food sellers or waitresses and could drive them into prostitution.


None of that daunts the enthusiasts for sharia, who gather in droves whenever there is an opportunity to glory in its enforcement.


The scene is always the same, and it has been enacted at least 140 times in squares and market places in front of mosques, from the towering minarets of Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, to humble village places of worship.


The transgressor can be a man accused of gambling or drinking alcohol. But if it is a woman guilty of wearing “improper” clothing or being caught in proximity to a man, there is a particular ritual to the punishment.


She is dressed in white robes and veiled. Policemen escort her up on to a stage erected before a jeering crowd, which, witnesses say, is usually almost exclusively male.


Forced to kneel, the woman waits while a masked man ascends the platform. He is carrying a cane with a curved handle designed to give the inflictor of God’s punishment a better grip. From the loudspeakers, a man’s voice sonorously recites the appropriate religious chastisement. Then he begins to count. With each number, the cane descends with a vicious lash.


According to witnesses, male onlookers often roar in delight and hurl pious imprecations at the victims, working themselves up to a pitch of excitement.


In one collective punishment last summer, four women denounced for gambling were given between six and 10 lashes. One passed out as she was dragged off the stage.

Established 1981


London School of Islamics


An Educational Trust


63 Margery Park Road London E7 9LD


Email: info@londonschoolofislamics.org.uk


www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk


Tel/Fax: 0208 555 2733 / 07817 112


Criticism and Praise for Muslim Schools


Muslim schools offer a more conducive environment for learning because Islam teaches respect and stress learning whereas in state schools, there is a high level of disrespect. There is no evidence that Muslim schools foster separatism and hatred and indoctrinate children with values that endanger shared society.


There is a positive co-relation between faith, culture and language. Faith needs culture and languages to flourish. According to a research, children who study the language and culture of their parents may achieve more and become more involved citizens. Migrant Muslims speak variety of languages. State schools as well as Muslim schools give lip service to the community languages but majority of Muslim schools completely ignore or discourage community languages. The chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools Mr.Idrees Mears, a native revert totally rejects the teaching of Urdu and other languages. The same opinion was expressed by the head of state funded Islamia School as well as by the Chairman of the Nida Trust. They are not in a position to understand the needs and demands of the bilingual children because they are themselves monolinguals. It is a well known fact that social and emotional education comes with ones own language, literature and poetry. Pakistani children suffer more than other children. They speak different languages at home and when they go to the Masajid they are exposed to Urdu and Arabic. At schools they are exposed to English and at the age of 11 are exposed to European languages. Now European languages are introduced at Primary level, but Urdu is totally ignored and discouraged by the state as well as by the Muslim schools. English, Arabic and Urdu must be introduced at nursery level so that the children can grow up with three languages. We have already lost three generation and the fourth one is in the process of losing its linguistic and cultural identity by not learning Urdu. The Muslim community is suffering because of social and cultural problems of high rate of divorce, run away young girls, low academic achievements, drug addiction, drinking, teenage pregnancies, disrespect for their parents and elders, forced marriages and honour killings. It is all because our youth are cut off from their cultural roots and languages. I blame state schools because they have never been serious in the teaching of Urdu, Arabic and other community languages.


An American research reveals in 2005 that bilingual learners with no education in their first language take longer to learn English and a bilingual learner with a good education in their own language do best of all. Muslim schools are committing the same mistake by ignoring community languages. Even DFES and OFSTEAD are not serious about the importance of bilingualism and bilingual education. Their priority is the teaching of English language. No body is denying the importance of English as an economic language but equally important is the first languages of the children for social and emotional literacy.


I have been campaigning for Muslim schools since early 70s because there is no place for foreign cultures, languages and faiths in state schools. Muslim children are victim of racial abuse and discrimination. Neither Muslim community nor the DFE paid any attention to my proposal. Muslim community kept on setting up Masajid for worshiping and for the education of their children. Masajid help Muslim children to recite the Holy Quran without understanding and teach them how to perform their prayers. DFE introduced Multicultural education for the integration and assimilation of the Muslims.


I regard Muslim schools not just Faith schools but more or less bilingual schools. I set up the first Muslim school in Forest Gate London in 1981. Special attention was given to Standard English, Arabic and Urdu languages along with National Curriculum. But due to its closure, it could not become a model school for others to follow. Islamia School, founded by Yusuf Islam became the model school where there is no place for the teaching of Urdu and other community languages and only Arabic is taught.


The sound knowledge of ones owns language would appear to help – not hinder the acquisition of a second language and bilingual children may even have cognitive advantages and that the ability to speak more than one language is going to be increasingly important for the world of the future. Therefore, Muslim children and young Muslims have potentially a major educational advantage, although sadly this is not being developed well at present. British policy makers now recognise bilingualism as an educational asset rather than a problem. Education plays a central role in the transmission of languages from one generation to the next. The teaching of mother tongues is essential in terms of culture and identity. Arabic is a religious language for the Muslims but for Pakistanis, Urdu is also essential for culture and identity. Blind Muslim children in Bradford are learning to read Arabic and Urdu Braille, by a blind teacher who traveled from Pakistan. Now blind Muslim children are not going to miss out on culture, religion, language and the social aspects and integration into their own community and identity.


Majority of Muslim children are from Pakistan. They need to learn Arabic and Urdu to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Bilingualism and bilingual education should be part and parcel of each and every Muslim school. The problem is that most of Muslim schools are running by British educated Muslims who are made monolinguals by state schools. They do not feel the charm of bilingualism. They have never been given the chance to learn Arabic and Urdu along with English. An English man is proud of his language, culture and faith or no faith. In the same way a Muslim should be proud of his faith, languages and cultures. In my opinion at least three hours a day must be given for the teaching of English, Arabic, Urdu and other community languages from nursery level. The teaching of Standard English will help them to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity.


Iftikhar Ahmad

Irony is such sweet nectar. Call the number. 1-800-VICTIM!


One has to wonder if the jihadi’s in suits, (the various convicted criminals at CAIR), spend way too much time thinking of ways to make themselves look truly stupid.


Isn’t it ironic that the jihadi’s in suits are on the look out for discrimination against muslims when it is muslims who are exploiting the many benefits of Western democracy while on their way to a city that is closed to the dirty infidel.


Muslim pilgrims urged to complain

Quote:American Muslims making a religious pilgrimage to Mecca are being encouraged to file civil rights complaints if they feel discriminated against by airlines.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), citing what it called the "airport profiling" of six imams removed from a recent flight, yesterday said Muslims traveling this month to the holy site in Saudi Arabia need to be aware of their rights.


"Given the increase in the number of complaints CAIR has received alleging airport profiling of American Muslims, we believe it is important that all those taking part in this year's hajj be aware of their legal and civil rights," said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR spokesman.


The group has established a toll-free hot line (800/784-7526) for victims of "flying while Muslim," as Muslims have begun departing for the weeklong hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime obligation to visit the holy city of Mecca, which this year begins Dec. 29.


But M. Zuhdi Jasser, a Phoenix physician and chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), said the announcement by CAIR "continues the tired stoking of the flames of victimization."


"They are unfortunately exploiting, for purely political reasons, what should be a sacred and purely spiritual story of our faith's annual holy pilgrimage to Mecca," Dr. Jasser said.


"We need new leadership and organizations which use their passions and the bandwidth of the media to lead the ideological fight against radical and political Islam rather than this tired pre-emption of supposed discrimination."

Bismillah:


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


By Geneive Abdo and Dalia Mogahed


13 December 2006


The Wall Street Journal Europe, 12


(Copyright © 2006, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)


Religion and modernity are butting heads again, or so it seems -- this time in Egypt. The country's cultural minister, Farouk Hosni, touched off a fiery, mostly male-dominated debate last month when he commented to a local newspaper that the increasing numbers of women in his country wearing headscarves marked a "regressive" trend in society and a turn away from modernity. But do millions of Muslim women agree that embracing Islam, expressed by wearing the hijab, is in conflict with modernity? In fact, Muslim women paint a much more complex picture of their lives and desires than others paint for them. In their minds, the choice is not one between Islamic law and modernity; the two are not mutually exclusive.


Consider the recent findings of a Gallup Poll of 22 predominantly Muslim countries, including Egypt, over the last 16 months. The survey represents the views of more than 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims. Majorities of women in these countries say they think women should have the same rights as men. At the same time, they also say that Shariah, the sacred law of Islam, should be a source of the nation's laws. For many Westerners who associate Shariah with the lack of women's rights, this might appear to be a stark contradiction. But that is not quite correct.


Shariah literally means "the road to water," and represents the moral compass of a Muslim's personal and public life. Historically, the principles of Shariah could be used to limit the power of the sultan; after all, he would never claim he was above God's law. Therefore, when Muslims call for Shariah and gender equality, both are calls for the rule of law and an end to inequality. In many countries, Muslims are calling for the application of Shariah because even when the constitution states that Shariah is the primary basis of law, in practice, this is not enforced by officially secular governments.


Among the women surveyed in our poll, Egyptian women are most likely to believe Shariah should be the primary source of legislation: 62% say it should be the only source of law, and 28% say it should be a source, but not the only source. In nearly every country surveyed, aside from officially secular Turkey, a majority of women say Islamic law should either be the primary source of legislation or a source.


For decades, the role of women in Islamic societies has provided one of the primary battlegrounds in the cultural war between East and West. As a result, Muslim women have been placed in two artificial and mutually exclusive categories: modern and secular or religious and traditional -- even backward. The assumption is that, although the numbers of women choosing to veil in Egypt and elsewhere are growing, this trend is a result of either ignorance or women surrendering to pressure from their husbands or fathers.


In contrast to the popular wisdom that women are content even if they believe they are second-class citizens, Gallup's survey found that women in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed believe they should have equal legal rights as men, from voting rights to employment opportunities and access to the highest posts in government. Some 83% of Iranian women, for example, say women should be able to hold leadership positions in the cabinet and national council. Still, when the same Iranian women were asked the Shariah question, 66% said Islamic law should be a source, and 14% said the sole source, of legislation.


Majorities of Muslim women also say that religion is an important part of their daily lives. When asked to associate descriptions with the Islamic world, the most often chosen statement among men and women was "attachment to their spiritual and moral values is crucial to progress." When asked an open-ended question about what they admire most about their own societies the most frequent response was "people's attachment to the teachings of Islam."


These findings muddy the oversimplified debate that posits religion against modernity, and they reflect a trend in Islamic societies that is gaining momentum: While Muslim women favor gender equality, they do not favor wholesale adoption of Western cultural values. Instead, they want to pick and choose which aspects of the West and the East will form the basis of their lives.


This trend is evident among the rich and famous Egyptian movie stars who have opted for a veiled life off the screen. Egypt's stars are powerful cultural icons, and it was their recent testimonials of embracing Islam and leaving behind their lives in the fast lane that were a factor in Farouk Hosni's remarks. As more and more prominent women in Egypt have announced publicly their desire to wear headscarves, the public debate in the country has become more heated.


As Muslim women try to reconcile religion with modernity, a few clerics are helping them along the way. Amr Khaled, arguably the most popular television preacher in the Arab world, has become the guardian for Muslim youth and educated women who are embracing Islam. With the business suits (not clerical robes) he wears for sermons and a London address, Amr Khaled has found a third way between secular liberalism and radical Islam. Through his teaching, he has attracted millions of followers much like Enas, a fashion-conscious member of the Egypt's affluent class. After listening to Amr Khaled, she was "awakened spiritually" and then began wearing the hijab. "Our image of Islam used to be that it was only for poor people, old fashioned people who wore white galabyias [long traditional tunics] and had scruffy beards, not the chic upper class," says Enas. "By listening to Amr, I realized how much my life was missing without a focus on God."


The young Egyptian, who has a doctorate in pharmacy, is now pursuing a degree in Shariah studies. "Because our laws are not based on Shariah today, injustice and corruption are rampant. I wanted to study Shariah," she says, "to teach the young people so the next generation would be better than the current one -- so our country would progress."


SOURCE: AMRKHALED.net


Salam


Wael.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...7579389947


To most the producer must be Un-Patriotic... <_<

Bismillah


President Bush will soon seek about <b>$100 billion in additional emergency funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan</b>, according to a House report Wednesday.


<b>Story Highlights
</b>

Quote:• NEW: Report says Pres. Bush wants $100 billion more for Iraq, Afghanistan
• Congress already had appropriated about $379 billion for the war in Iraq


• Congress approved $70 billion for wars in the current fiscal year


• Report accuses Republicans of causing long-term damage with overspending

Explanation of Surah al-Ikhlaas - The Chapter of Purity


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


by


Shaykh-ul-Islam Taqi ad-Deen Ibn Taymiyyah


Born 1263 C. E. / 661 A. H., Died 1328 C. E. / 728 A. H.


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


The Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah (i.e. the Sunnis) do not deviate from those things which have been brought by the Messengers, for that is the Straight Path, the path of those whom God has bestowed His favour upon from among the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous. It is in this collection of what has been described about Almighty God by Himself in Surah al-Ikhlaas (literally: "The Chapter of Purity") that makes it equal to one third of the Qur'an. In this surah, Almighty God has said:


"Say! He is God, the One!


The Eternally Besought of all!


He does not beget, nor is He begotten.


And there is nothing comparable to Him."


1. Whatever the Messenger of God, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, brought with him, that alone is real. It is obligatory to obey it and forbidden to deviate from it as this alone is the Straight Path which has no curves.


2. The Straight Path is only one and whoever deviates from it he strays onto the wrong path, innovation and injustice. Almighty God commands (in the Qur'an):


"And this is My Straight Path, so follow it and do not follow the other paths lest they divert you from His way.


3. The Straight Path is that path of the Ummah (community of Muslim believers) which lies in between the two extremes. Hence, the supplication in every rak'ah (i.e. unit) of the prayer: "Guide us to the Straight Path", that He should help, assist, guide, support and lead us in those things which will help us to obey Him and keep us steadfast on His Path. This is the Path of those who were favoured by God: the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous, and these are the best for keeping company.


4. The Concept of Tawheed has been explained in Surah al-Ikhlaas by separating and purging it from Shirk (associating others with Almighty God, polytheism and idolatry).


5. Imam Ahmad's narration of 'Ubayy bin Ka'ab that the mushrikoon (i.e. pagan idolaters) asked: "Oh Muhammed! Tell us the geneology of Your Lordl", whereupon God revealed this surah.


6. From authentic hadiths, it is proven that this surah is equal to one third of the of the Qur'an. The substance of the statement of Ibn 'Abbaas (a Companion of the Prophet) is as follows: that the Qur'an consists of three fundamental objectives:


a) Those commands and prohibitions which contain the laws and practical ways. These form the subject matter of the science of Fiqh (jurisprudence) and Ethics.


B) The tales and narratives which include the stories of the Prophets and Messengers of God and their communities. The punishments and disasters which befell those who resisted and denied the Messengers of God. Also, the promises, rewards, warnings and dooms.


c) The knowledge of Tawheed (the Unity of God) and the description of those matters which relate to the Names of Almighty God and His Attributes, which to have faith in is obligatory upon the servant of God (i.e. each Muslim). This has precedence over the first three.


7. Surah al-Ikhlaas contains the third objective and a general description of it. Thus, it is correct to say that this surah is equal to one third of the Qur'an.


8. The answer to the question that how does this surah contain comprehensively the knowledge of Tawheed and its principles which form the essence of the belief in Almighty God. God's command "He is God, the One" negates partnership with Him in every sense, whether it concerns His Self, Attributes or His Deeds. It also demonstrates the distinctiveness of God in His perfection, magnificence and majesty. The word Ahad is not used in affirmation for anyone besides God, since Ahad is more emphatic than Wahid.


9. The Tafseer (commentary, exegis) of Ibn 'Abbaas for the verse "God! al-Samad (i.e. the Eternally Besought of all).": The Chief who is best in His Nobility. The Great one who is best in His greatness. The Tolerant One who is best in His toleration. The Omnipotent who is the best in His omnipotence, the All Knowing who is best in His knowledge. The Self which is perfect in all types of nobility and greatness - that Self is only God - the Most Revered and the Most Powerful. He alone has these qualities for they do not apply to anyone save Him. No one is equal to Him and no one is like Him.


10. The Tafseer is also as follows: The Self who has no fear, around whom all creatures turn and Whom they seek after for all their needs and actions.


11. Affirmation in the Oneness negates all forms of polytheism and similitude. Affirmation of all the meanings of al-Samad includes all the noble Names and the most exalted Attributes. This is the Tawheed of Affirmation.


12. The Tawheed of Purity is in the statement: "He does not beget not nor is He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him". This statement can also be understood from the general statement: "Say! He is God! The One". Nothing came out of Him nor did He come out of anything. He has no equal, no likeness and no similarity.


13. Domination of of the concept of Tawheed in this surah. The afffirmation of Oneness for the Lord in total and absolute contradiction to all forms of Polytheism. His character of being "Eternally Besought of all", which proves all His Attributes, that He cannot suffer from any defect, negation of father and son which is an implication of Him being in no need and that all is in need of Him. All is characterised in the statement of His being besought and His Oneness. Negation of an equal which includes negation of similarity, resemblances and likeness. This surah includes all of these matters and is therefore rightly deserving of being called equal to a third of the Qur'an.


Explanation of Surah al-Ikhlaas - The Chapter of Purity

Assalamu alaikum,


I am a new shahadah Alhamdullilah and in the short time as a muslimah, I have noticed and experienced the blatant degree of prejudice and racism displayed with the Middle Easterns against other Muslims. I must admit this type of treatment enraged and caused me some stress. I also have been told of a comment made by a sister stating, "I am so glad to get away from those Arabs!" O Allah! This is certainly ridiculous! Please if anyone has any positive feedback in reference how to deal with situations like this, please by all means, insha'Allah send me your input.


Jazakallah khair,


Jahmia Scott