<b>Britsh declare Armitage a Knight Commander</b>


Honoured with a KCMG is Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state under Colin Powell between 2001 and 2005 and a leading player in rallying diplomatic support for the Iraq invasion. Mr Armitage's role in the Iran-contra arms smuggling scandal was controversial enough to prevent him becoming army secretary in 1989. He worked alongside Oliver North to trade arms to Iran illegally and siphon profits to the Nicaraguan contra rebels.


In all, nine Americans received honours for helping to strengthen relations between the US and Britain, notably during the Iraq war. Captain John Peterson, chief of staff to the commander of the US navy in the Middle East, was awarded a CBE for - according to the Pentagon - leading British and American forces "in the campaign to secure Iraqi oil assets" at the start of the 2003 invasion. An honorary knighthood goes to Arnold Fisher, chairman of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which has given financial support to the widows and children of US and UK service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.


General Michael Moseley, chief of staff to the US Air Force, has also been made into an honorary "sir", as has Admiral Frank "Skip" Bowman, who served 38 years in the US navy, ending up as the director of the organisation responsible for running US nuclear submarines and ships.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics...1759821,00.html


As one can see the christians judge a persons' morals and honor on what he has contributed to sabotage the "Kingdom of God".


<b>So who is a KCMG?</b>


He is a Knight Commander of St Michael and St. George. A military tradition traced back to The Crusades.





St. George was adopted as the patron saint of soldiers after he was said to have appeared to the Crusader army at the Battle of Antioch in 1098. Many similar stories were transmitted to the West by Crusaders who had heard them from Byzantine troops, and were circulated further by the troubadours. When Richard 1 was campaigning in Palestine in 1191-92 he put the army under the protection of St George.


In 1348, George was adopted by Edward 111 as principal Patron of his new order of chivalry, the Knights of the Garter. The objective of the Order was probably to focus the efforts of England on further Crusades to reconquer the Holy Land. The earliest records of the Order of the Garter were destroyed by fire, but it is believed that either in 1348 or in 1344 Edward proclaimed St George Patron Saint of England.


http://www.britannia.com/history/stgeorge.html

A Treasure chest of reminders


From the back cover:



Do you want to be happy? We are all looking for an escape from worry, stress and depression, and for ways to find happiness. This books presents the route to happincess drawing on Islamic teachings and the voices of "experts" both western and eastern.


It's really a heartwarming and inspirational book celebrating the Muslim woman.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E40...BDF42F93125.htm


Three bombs that exploded in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Dahab leaving at least 23 people dead were the work of suicide bombers, the governor of the south Sinai region has said.


Egyptian television had earlier reported that Monday's blasts, which also wounded 62 people, were caused by remote controlled devices.


"The explosions were a bit weaker than the previous ones, but now they are using suicide attacks," said Muhammad Hani.


Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, described the attacks as a "heinous act of terrorism" and vowed to punish those responsible.


Multiple attacks


Three foreigners were among those killed, including a German boy, the Egyptian interior ministry said.





"There was a plume of smoke and people started running and screaming."


French tourist Frederic Mingeon


The wounded included people from Denmark, Britain, Italy, Germany, France, Australia, South Korea, the US, Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.


The Dahab attacks are the third directed at Sinai since October 2004, when 34 people died in simultaneous blasts at hotels in Taba, on the border with Israel.


In July 2005, 70 people were killed in multiple bombings in the southern Sinai resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.


The Egyptian authorities attributed those attacks to a small, Sinai-based group founded by a militant Islamist of Palestinian origin.


Screaming


Three explosions ripped through two restaurants and a supermarket in an area of Dahab, popular with tourists at around 0415 GMT on Monday.


Witnesses said shop windows and furniture were smashed and pools of blood lay on the floor. People had abandoned restaurants in mid-meal and fled from the scene.





Shops and stalls were destroyed


by the blast


"We heard three explosions close to the seafront alongside a supermarket in the centre of Dahab," said French tourist Frederic Mingeon.


"There was a plume of smoke and people started running and screaming."


"We ran towards the scene and we found people, our friends, lying on the ground. some were already dead," said Hani Sadeq, who worked at a local shop.


"Some were alive, with arms broken. We took them to the hospital. we want to know why this happened, I wish we knew who did it. If I saw him, I would tear him apart.


"Dahab is dead now," he added.


The town is a beach and diving destination popular with foreign backpackers and Egyptians - who were celebrating the Egyptian spring festival of Shamm al-Nassim.

I heard in a discussion that Mohammed said that 70,000 believers would enter glory? Is that correct?

Sura 33:55

Quote:[33:50] O prophet, we made lawful for you your wives to whom you have paid their due dowry, or what you already have, as granted to you by GOD. Also lawful for you in marriage are the daughters of your father's brothers, the daughters of your father's sisters, the daughters of your mother's brothers, the daughters of your mother's sisters, who have emigrated with you. Also, if a believing woman gave herself to the prophet - by forfeiting the dowry - the prophet may marry her without a dowry, if he so wishes. <b>However, her forfeiting of the dowry applies only to the prophet, and not to the other believers.</b> We have already decreed their rights in regard to their spouses or what they already have. <b>This is to spare you any embarrassment.</b> GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

As Salaamu 'alaikum!


Thank you for linking to <b>Alhambra Productions</b>!


We appreciate your support. May Allah s.w.t. reward you with abundance.


We have just released a new Hamza Yusuf CD.


Title: <b>Nine Hundred Years - Reviving the Spirit of Andalusia</b>





To hear a sample clip: please click here.


We look forward to your continued support.


Salaam,


Mikael Pittam, Operations Manager


Alhambra Productions


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Bismillah


as salam alykom


As it has been clear to everyone, the issue of apostasy and its punishment in Islam raises questions on the side on non Muslims in general and some Muslims who are not quite familiar with Sharia`.


On this thread, will try Insh aAllah to compile as much as possible on this subject matter hoping to clarify it to anyone who is seeking to know about it.


Usually, we Muslims face the usual statement: how come the Quran says no compulsion in religion when a death penalty is enforced on those who turn away from Islam?


Matter of fact, the death penalty is nothing but a confirmation to the principle of no compulsion. Some may inquire how come, this is contradiction. But if u look at it carefully, it does pose a serious deterrance to anyone who is thinking of joining and not quite sure or even making an attempt to hinder the religion. One must think carefully, for those who are seeking to revert, they must be sure they want to do this. Thus, it does confirm the sense of no compulsion. It is telling people think carefully before coming on board.


Any way, let me leave you with the words of a well respected scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, after I started translating the article, I found that our brothers and sisters on www.islamonline.net did a wonderful job translating it, may Allah Reward them much.


Insh a Allah I will post it on several parts since it is quite long, them will compliment it through other sources in order to cover the matter as much as possible.

<b>A very rivoting description of Paradise.</b>


These files are store in one of those free upload/download sites so in time they will be 'de-listed'. If someone wants to listen to them after the download time expires plz PM me and I will re-load them.


Description of Paradise Part One


Description of Paradise Part 2

Bismillah


as salam alykom brothers and sisters


Reading this article i became really alarmed, as we are not fully aware of the surrounding threat, but we rather tend to be impressed and infatuated with anything western. I m mainly talking about us Muslims living in Muslim countries. We struggle everyday to eliminate the different impacts such as Valentine, Easter, Christmas celebrations.... and look how organized and systematic they are:


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


http://2muslims.com/directory/Detailed/225537.shtml


The Missionary Campaigns


Unfortunately, the imperialists employed the missionary campaigns -that should have conveyed the Christ?s spiritual guidance, characteristics, asceticism, and rectitude- for threatening people and subjecting them to impartiality and persecution. They also employed those campaigns for deviating and straying Muslims.


The missionary campaigns were the leading instruments of the imperialists? predominance. The British minister of foreign affairs said in Edinburgh Conference, ?The missionaries have aided the government in all of its tasks. Without them many obstacles would not have been passed. On that base, the government is in need for a permanent committee for managing the missionaries? affairs.?.


In a report stated by the chairman of the Commerce Chamber in Hamburg, it was said, ?The growth of the imperialists? wealth is dependent upon those men who have visited the occupied territories. The most significant method of achieving this expectation lies in taking the churchmen to these territories. This is surely the first condition for achieving such a growth, from an economic viewpoint.?


The imperialists used the missionaries for seizing peoples? treasures and confiscating their earnings. They worked painstakingly for antagonizing Islam because it opposed imperialism and stood against their illegal purposes. The following decision, issued in the German Conference, assured this fact:


?The growth of Islam threatens a serious danger to the occupied territories. From this cause, the Imperialistic Conference recommends the governments to increase the supervision on this movement ?Islam-, and confesses of the necessity of keeping up the plan of complete neutrality in the religious affairs. The Conference also counsels those managing the occupied territories to resist any activity that may lead to the expansion of Islam, and handles the missionaries? actions that spread out the principals of civility, especially in the fields of disciplinary and clinical services. Because of the Islamic threat, it is necessary to work on advancing the German Christianity for taking the required reasonable steps in all of the countries that have not received Islam so far??


The imperialists have used all of their powers and systems for opposing Islam and Christianizing Muslims or taking them away from their religion. To some extent, the missionary campaigns achieved these goals. A good number of Muslims converted to Christianity. In Indonesia, for instance, 250 thousand Muslims converted to Christianity. The same occurred in other Islamic states. This was natural because Muslims had ignored the reality of their religion; therefore, the misleading propaganda cheated them.


At any rate, the committees of missionary campaigns have been waylaying Muslims. The usurpation of the Islamic faith has been the job of such committees. Monsieur Chattily -one of the major personalities in the committee of missionary- says, ?Various opinions have been said about the results of the plan of destruction, which is the second part of the Missionaries? duties. The uprooting of the Islamic faith has been permanently coinciding with the efforts that have been exerted in the field of the Christian education. The new political map of Muslims will surely pave the way to the application of the European civility. Politically, such a map will vanish, but still we do not need lengthy time to see Islam surrounded by European wires.?


The plans of missionaries have carried the signs of death and devastation to Muslims. They have been the most dangerous means of the eradication of Muslims? genuineness and the submission to the imperialistic predominance.

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,


Is there a Quran Reciter who sounds similar to Abdul Basit? By this I mean nice and slow with sita harakat - 6 stretch tajweed?