The Day After Tomorrow


The Recent Alarming Blockbuster Provides Much Food for Thought


HARUN YAHYA


Cinemas are currently screening a film that has attracted the interest of the whole world: "The Day After Tomorrow."


The Day After Tomorrow is based on a "global catastrophe," an issue which is frequently debated and the subject of many screenplays.


To give a brief summary of the subject matter of the film:


Research into global warming by the climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) indicates that the Earth will soon experience a new climate. Hall witnesses an iceberg the size of Rhode Island break away from the Antarctic ice pack. Following this, odd reports regarding the climate begin coming in from all over the world. Hailstones the size of grapefruits fall on Tokyo, a gale of record speeds begins blowing in Hawaii, snow falls in New Delhi, and tornadoes blow up in Los Angeles. Professor Rapson, Hall's colleague, phones from Scotland to confirm that their worst fear has become reality. He says that the recent climate change has actually become a global one. The melting ice is depositing more water in the oceans than there should be, and the world climate is changing. Global warming is dragging our planet towards a new Ice Age. This change will come about as the result of a single massive storm. Everyone apart from Jack Hall, who tries to reach his son in New York, begins to flee southwards away from the freezing death the new climate brings with it ...


More than being just a screenplay, this film, which deals with a climatologist's predictions suddenly coming true, actually portrays a likely environmental catastrophe. The melting of the ice packs; larger than normal hailstones; changes greater than "normal" in the climatic balance; extreme drought; heavy rains or unexpected cold; various natural events observed in the world ... The Day After Tomorrow depicts a terrible disruption of the balance of nature and its striking effects on human life, accompanied by magnificent special effects.


One would expect anyone with reason and conscience to think in some detail about the present "perfect balance of nature."


God created the Earth on which we live and the entire universe to be ideally suited to life. When this balance, maintained with miraculous precision, is disrupted then life on Earth will head towards disaster, just as portrayed in the film. Let us now recall some examples of this magnificent equilibrium.


The Earth: The Magnificent Planet


In contrast to all its neighbours in the Solar System, the Earth is a planet teeming with life. There is an exceedingly harmonious balance of life in the sky, on the land and in the sea. Millions of kinds of animals, plants, insects or marine life forms, all with their own very different structures, colors and features, live together on this very special planet. The survival of the life created on Earth is a great miracle. This continuity is ensured by very special conditions adapted to life. The slightest alteration in these conditions could lead to terrible catastrophes on the Earth. However, no such catastrophe takes place in the absence of any outside intervention. The Blue Planet has been created in a miraculous manner, with a precision capable of supporting all the living things on it, with an infinite number of special characteristics.


The Earth's Distance from the Sun


If the Earth were as far from the Sun as Venus or Saturn are, then there could be no temperature balance to make life possible. The temperature range that permits life is a very narrow one in the giant temperature range in the universe as a whole. Our Earth is located exactly within that narrow spectrum.


The Special Distribution of Heat on Earth


The Earth's ideal temperature, the balanced distribution of heat over the planet, is of vital importance. Various special precautions have been taken to maintain that balance. The Earth's 23° 27´ angle of tilt prevents excessive temperature differences between the Poles and the Equator. Were it not for that tilt, the temperature difference between the Poles and the Equator would rise considerably and the existence of an atmosphere capable of sustaining life would become impossible. Land forms also assist in balanced temperature distribution. There is a temperature difference of around 100o C between the Equator and the Poles. Were such a temperature difference to come about on an Earth without considerable surface irregularities, then storms blowing at up to 1,000 km/hour would wreak devastation on Earth. The fact is, however, that the Earth's uneven surface prevents violent air currents that might be caused by such a temperature difference.


The Earth Is Specially Protected


The atmosphere that surrounds the Earth performs a vital function for the survival of life. It melts and destroys meteors, large and small, that approach the planet and prevents them falling to ground and inflicting harm on living things.


In addition, the atmosphere filters out harmful rays from space. The most striking aspect of this feature of the atmosphere is the way that it only permits harmless rays, in other words visible light, infra-red rays and radio waves, to pass through it. All these rays are essential for life. For example, the ultraviolet rays that are permitted to pass through at specific levels are of great importance to plants in making photosynthesis, and thus to the survival of all living things. Neither are the protective characteristics of the atmosphere limited to these. It is thanks to the atmosphere that the Earth is protected from the average -270o C freezing cold of space.


It is not only the atmosphere that protects the Earth from harm. The "Van Allen Belts," a layer stemming from the Earth's magnetic field, act like a shield in protecting our planet from harmful rays. These rays, constantly emitted by the Sun and other planets, are lethal to human beings. In particular, the explosions of energy in the Sun, known as "solar bursts," would be powerful enough to destroy all life on Earth were it not for the Van Allen Belts. In the Qur'an God draws attention to this protective feature of the sky:


We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs. (Qur'an, 21: 32)


The Measure in Rain


Another instance of the perfect equilibrium on earth is "the measure in rain." Measurements show that 16 million tons of water evaporates from Earth every second. This means 505 trillion tons a year. This is also the amount of rain that falls on Earth. In other words, water is in a constant cycle "in a specific measure," and in constant equilibrium. Life on Earth owes its continuity to this water cycle. Even if mankind used all the technical resources at its disposal it could never artificially replicate this cycle.


Even the slightest variation in this quantity would shortly lead to a major ecological imbalance and to the end of life. Yet nothing of the kind ever happens; rain continues to fall in the same quantities every year, as revealed in the Qur'an:


It is He who sends down water in due measure from the sky by which We bring a dead land back to life. That is how you too will be brought forth. (Qur'an, 43: 11)


The well-known American astronomer Hugh Ross summarizes some of the other balances on Earth:


Surface Gravity;


- If stronger: atmosphere would retain too much ammonia and methane


- If weaker: planet's atmosphere would lose too much water


Thickness of crust;


- if thicker: too much oxygen would be transferred from the atmosphere to the crust


- if thinner: volcanic and tectonic activity would be too great


Rotation period;


-If longer: diurnal temperature differences would be too great


-If shorter: atmospheric wind velocities would be too great


Ozone level in Atmosphere;


- if greater: surface temperature would be too low


- if less: surface temperatures would be too high; there would be too much uv radiation at the surface


Seismic Activity;


- if greater: too many life-forms would be destroyed


- if less: nutrients on ocean floors (from river runoff) would not be recycled to the continents through tectonic uplift.(1)


This magnificent balance and all the living things on Earth are proof of God's existence and of His art of creation. The slightest disruption to this balance will mean a chain reaction of catastrophes, as depicted in films. Every rational person concerned about "The Day After Tomorrow" must stop to think about this wondrous equilibrium.


People are invited to consider this in a verse from the Qur'an:


It is God Who created the heavens with no support - you can see them - and cast firmly embedded mountains on the earth so that it would not move under you, and scattered about in it creatures of every kind. And We send down water from the sky and make every generous species grow in it. This is God's creation. (Qur'an, 31: 10-11)


http://www.harunyahya.com/articles/32day...morrow.php

Praise be to Allaah.


Clapping during parties is one of the actions of jaahiliyyah. The least that can be said about it is that it is makrooh (disliked), but the evidence suggests rather that it is haraam, because the Muslims are not allowed to resemble the kuffaar. Allah says describing the kuffaar of Makkah (interpretation of the meaning):


"Their Salaah (prayer) at the House (of Allaah, i.e. the Ka‘bah at Makkah) was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands”


[al-Anfaal 8:35]


The Sunnah is, when the believer sees something that he likes or dislikes, to say ‘Subhaan Allaah (Glory be to Allaah)’ or ‘Allaahu akbar (Allaah is Most Great),’ as was narrated from the Prophet in many ahaadeeth.


Clapping is prescribed specifically for women if something alarms them during the prayer, or they are praying with the men and the imaam makes a mistake in the prayer. In that case they should draw his attention to that by clapping, whereas men should do so by saying ‘Subhaan Allaah’, as was narrated in the saheeh Sunnah from the Prophet . From this it may be known that clapping on the part of men implies imitation of kaafirs and women, and all of that is forbidden. And Allaah is the source of strength.


Shaykh Ibn Baaz.


The Standing Committee was asked about men clapping when they play with children, or children clapping to encourage their classmates. They replied:


This clapping is not appropriate, and at the very least it is intensely makrooh because this is one of the characteristics of the jaahiliyyah, and because it is something that is done only by women, to draw attention to a mistake in the prayer. And Allaah is the Source of strength.


From Fataawa Islamiyyah, vol. 4, p. 332-333


Children can be encouraged by saying ‘Allaahu akbar’ if they do something that the watcher or listener likes, or one may use other suitable phrases, or raise one’s hands, or raise one’s voice in words of praise such as “Well done!” or “Excellent!” and so on. And Allaah is the Source of strength.


Islam Q&A (www.islamqa.com)


Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Terrorist V Terrorism


According to British writer and lecturer, Karen Armstrong, the west is deeply Islamophobic and the Islamophobia is the result of a long process of prejudice, dating back to the Crusades. The recent events have strengthened the prejudiced belief that “Islam is the religion of the sword”. Islamophobia can manifest itself directly in verbal or physical attacks on Muslims but also indirectly in negative images of Muslims presented by the media. Islamophobia was worsened by anti-Islamic policies, publications and activities in Europe and the US. Islamophobia is not only a cause of discrimination against Muslims but also an open threat to world peace. The western media and intellectuals play a significant role in spreading Islamophobia. Hate-mongers have come out of the woodworks in full force. Now, not a day passes without the newspapers, magazines, radio and TV talk shows, Hollywood movies, computer games and even children’s cartoons and the myriad of internet websites and chat rooms, attacking Islam and Muslims. Muslim communities in the western world and its so called leaders have taken the Ostrich-approach. They have buried their heads in the sand hoping the problems would go away. It is not going to go away. The neck of the Ostrich will be cut. Entire Muslim communities living in the west are under attack. According to a survey, 70% of Americans do not want to see Muslims living in their neighborhood. There is not a single day when Islam and Muslims are not attacked by the mainstream news media outlets. Muslims are referred barbarians who must either be civilised or banished before they pollute the egalitarian societies in which they were born or now live. According to a survey in Scotland, half of Scots see Muslims as a ‘cultural threat’. Scotland would lose its identity if more Muslims went to live there. According to DEMOS, British public is more worried about violent crime and immigration, but the British establishment has focused too heavily on terrorism.


Masajid and Muslim organizations are regarded as training centers for terrorists. Thousands of innocent Muslim youths are being searched in streets and hundreds of them are behind the bar with out any trial. No religion advocates terrorism. However, West has directed its anger against Islam and Muslims by inventing Islamic Terrorism. It is the western extremism which is portraying Islam as an evil. It is the extremism in France, Turkey and other European countries where Muslim women are not allowed to cover their heads. Now the Turkish education chief wants headscarf ban lifted. In Britain, there is a social and economic pressure on Muslim women not to cover their heads. Despite international outrage and the US authorities’ own stated wish to close Camp Guantanamo is still holding detainees illegally… in cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions.


There is an undeclared World War III going on in the name of War on Terrorism. The fact of the matter is that Islam is all peace and hence this war is war of terrorism and not against terrorism. Deception and lies are frequently part of the wars and with powerful Hollywood film tools and other media communications devices people of the world are thoroughly fooled, deceived and made confused. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is an unmitigated disaster that had brought the west generally into disrepute. Inter Milan, the Italian foot-ball team played with an Istanbul team, wearing a strip with “Crusader-Style” red crosses which is offensive to Muslims. The red-cross brings to mind one thing: the symbol of the “Templar Knights”. The cross also symbolised “western racist superiority over Islam”. Inter Milan had manifested in the most explicit manner the superiority of one religion over another. Many EU countries are against Turkey joining EU on the ground that majority of Turks are Muslims with secular constitution. Widespread ignorance and Right-wing groups is the main culprit behind the demonized image of Islam in the west. Islamophobic west has become politically motivated. Western media and politicians are portraying Muslims as “satanic figures”. A recent British study has found that a torrent of negative and imbalance stories in the British media demonize the sizeable Muslim minority and their faith by spreading prejudices and portraying them as the enemy within. Many people in the west, including researchers and those working in the media, unintentionally provide a blemished image of Islam because they are ignorant about Islam and Muslims. The republication of Danish cartoons clearly shows the prevalent ignorance about Islam. The United Nation wanted to introduce a universal law to protect Muslims from Islamophobia, which is spreading like wildfire, but the so-called civilised western establishments, voted against it. It is the fundamental duty of Muslims settled in the west to raise awareness of the spirit and core of Islam.


One by one all Muslim Organizations are going to be classified as ‘Terrorists’. BBC Newsnight has already branded world Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) as terrorist. According to TES, dated 1st Feb2002, Muslim teacher’s website has been condemned for links to militant Islamic groups. It is absurd to brand Muslim teachers website as a terrorist. Its aim is to provide guidance, share experience and discuss every day issues and problems facing Muslim teachers. It is also going to help British teachers to learn to respect and understand Islamic culture and most misunderstood British Muslim community. Racism in schools is alive and well was recognized by the Focus Institute on Rights. Staff in many schools is unwittingly racist but in my view, all British teachers are chicken racist. Racism is rife in National Curriculum. There is no mention of Muslim contribution in the world. Schools reinforce the racism that has been promulgated for centuries. The curriculum is supposed to encourage respect for different nationals, religious and ethnic identities and encourage pupils to challenge injustice. A report on teachers from the minority communities found that racism coupled with a lack of support and career progression is holding some back. Even teacher trainees were encountering racism at placement schools. They would like to discuss their worries more, but only if the senior management team was visibly open and supportive. The management at schools was very defensive about any mention of racism, so the issue could not be discussed in any meaningful way. If a teacher in English school calls a teddy bear Jesus Christ, there would be seriously hostile comments in much of the media. While in Sudan a British teacher was tried and imprisoned for insulting Islam for fifteen days but was pardoned by the President and released after eight days. She said after her release that she encountered nothing but kindness and generosity from Sudanese people. She was treated well in a Government Villa instead of a prison cell. She could have been imprisoned for six months and forty lashes. It is a fact that British teachers have no respect for Islamic faith and subsequently Muslim community, according to research by the University of Derby.


All the Masajid and Muslim organizations are there for humanitarian, educational and youth works. None of them promotes acts of terrorism or support so called Islamic Terrorism. They are busy in those aspects of education, which are neglected by state schools. They satisfy the needs and demands of the Muslim children and teenagers, which were denied by state schools and LEAs. Without their support and guidance the young generation of Muslim would have lost its Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development. Their contribution will be more effective if all Muslim pupils attend Muslim schools with Muslim teachers. It will help to develop positive co-relation between school and home resulting in raising the standard of education of future Muslim generations. For this purpose, I have a proposition that those state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority may be designated as Muslim Community Schools, managed and controlled by Muslim Educational Trusts and Charities. They are in a better position to educate Muslim children according to their needs and demands. A study by the National Foundation for Educational Research confirmed that all faith schools had better results than their secular counterparts. Conservative spokesman on education has praised schools affiliated to religious groups, saying Muslim schools deserved “support” not suspicion.


Iftikhar Ahmad


www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8ED...896CA84B83D.htm


Palestinians in Gaza demanded the pilgrims be allowed to return through the Rafah crossing [AFP]


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Hundreds of Palestinian pilgrims have rioted in temporary camps set up to house them until a dispute over their return to the Gaza Strip has been resolved.


Israel has insisted that the pilgrims returning from Hajj must all pass through Israeli crossing points from Egypt, saying that some may be carrying arms or money for Hamas.


The pilgrims have refused to comply, saying Israel could arrest some of them. They are insisting they be allowed to return to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.


"There were massive protests today by hundreds of angry Palestinian pilgrims inside the shelter set up by Egyptian authorities," a security source told Reuters news agency.


Media reports said that windows were smashed and fires started in the camps in the town of El-Arish in Siani as the Palestinians rioted.


An elderly woman died of heart attack as she was caught up in the violence, according to local medical officials.


During Monday's riots, the pilgrims shouted angry slogans against Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, and his government for not allowing them to cross into Gaza through Rafah, where Israel has no control.


'Egypt pressured'


Al Jazeera's Amr el-Kahky in El-Arish said that Egypt was under pressure from Israel not to let the pilgrims through the Rafah crossing.


"Egypt cannot let them through after intelligence reports that they are carrying huge amounts of money and that some of them have been military trained outside the country," he said.


Egyptian authorities had tried to persuade them to spend the night in shelters in a sports complex or at a youth hostel in El-Arish until a decision was reached on their return.


But hundreds of them refused to stay in the shelters, spending the night outside before Monday's violence.


After Egyptian security brought the rioting under control, many of the pilgrims continued their protest by refusing to accept meals provided by the government.


Gaza protest


Egypt's refusal to open the Rafah crossing has angered Hamas officials and supporters in Gaza, who say Cairo has a moral obligation to allow the pilgrims to return as quickly as possible.


About 7,000 demonstrators gathered at the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, waving Palestinian and Hamas flags and demanding that the pilgrims be allowed to cross.


Mubarak said on Sunday that his government was doing everything it could to resolve the crisis, indicating the problem with using Rafah was that European monitors were no longer at the crossing.


EU monitors were deployed on the Palestinian side of the crossing until Hamas took full control of the territory and the checkpoint in the summer.


Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

For those of us who claim al-Islam as our way of life, and call ourselves Muslim, murder is unlawful, and an abomination in the eyes of our Creator.


By Ibrahim Abdil-Mu'id Ramey


MAS Freedom Civil and Human Rights Director


WASHINGTON, D.C. (MASNET) Dec. 27, 2007 - I am struggling to find words to express my grief and outrage after hearing the news of the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto earlier today in Pakistan.


Regardless of one's political sentiments, or support for any of the factions struggling for political supremacy in that nation, the killing of Mrs. Bhutto is a tragic blow to democratic rule in Pakistan.


And, make no mistake about it, while the identities of the culprits are not known at this time, one thing is<b> a virtual certainty: they are Muslims.</b>



Sadly, the phenomenon of Muslims killing other Muslims is not shocking news for a world drenched in sensational, mass violence; and the people of Pakistan are certainly no strangers to political intrigue or fratricide. But with Pakistan - the world's second most populous majority-Muslim nation - at the crossroads of political change, and with the promise of that change being electoral, and nonviolent - the consequences of this killing are both profound and immense.


Benazir Bhutto, to be sure, had both staunch supporters and vehement enemies, among them being Muslims who categorically rejected the idea of a woman possibly, once again, becoming the leader of their nation.


There were also numerous Pakistanis, of all ideological persuasions, who viewed Bhutto's previous terms of leadership with deep disfavor.


But the idea of political assassination as a legitimate expression of dissent is un- categorically haram.


For those of us who claim al-Islam as our way of life and call ourselves Muslim, murder is unlawful, and an abomination in the eyes of our Creator.


Now is not the time to deconstruct and interrogate the legacy of Benazir Bhutto's past terms as a Prime Minister of Pakistan. Nor should we speculate on who is responsible for her murder, or for the deaths of scores of her supporters in the suicide bombing and shooting that claimed her life.


We must recognize that the violent authoritarian and repressive government of Pakistan has created a climate of hostility and hatred that made the murder of Mrs. Bhutto not only likely, but perhaps inevitable.


The unconditional U.S. political support for the Musharraf dictatorship, coupled with massive American economic and military support, added fuel to the fire of extremism that ultimately claimed her life.


And now, as we offer our condolences to the family of Benazir Bhutto and the people of Pakistan, we must pray for an end to the cancer of violence that has affected our Ummah, as we diligently work for the restoration of peace and democratic values that are vital to our collective survival.


Benazir Bhutto Killed in Attack


Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack.


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Compliments of the Season


Wishing you all a very Happy Eid Mubarak, A Happy Festive Season


and


A Prosperous


Highly Motivated


2008!!!


Iftikhar Ahmad


London School of Islamics Trust

Bismillah


as salam alykom brothers and sisters


May Allah Accept our deeds and Forgive our sins ameen.

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Peace.....



Found this article and since I didn't see any discussions about it, thought I'd post it here (curious that John Doe didn't jump all over this)


<a>Saudi King Pardons Rape Victim</a>


It brings to mind a few questions:


1. If this case had not attracted world wide attention, would the King had pardoned the woman?


and


2. Does his pardon still imply the woman was guilty of the charges?


Just thoughts I wanted to get other's opinions on.


Shamms

Bismillah


as salam alykom


I feel very happy for those who went for Haj, specially when one suddenly, without pre arrangement finds him/herself being sent. A friend of mine is looking after her old father who is also an Alzheimer patient. To her Haj was out of question, suddenly somone came almost at last moment to tell her that she might have a chance thru the government which is also in a very reasonable cost. She kept consulting if she should go, people at Fatwa committee told her yes. The best part is that she asked her father, who highly encouraged her, not only this, she also felt a 360 degree improvement in his condition. Her husband and children will be looking after him while she is gone. I was soooo happy for her. Another colleauge who suddenly Mash aAllah received an invitation from the Ministry of Haj in Saudia, I almost cried when he called me to say salam. May Allah Accept from all of them ameen.


Meanwhile, streets are full of troops of sheep, Sobhan Allah, grocery stores are displaying (Ruqaq), a special type of filo that is usually cooked for eid. It is soaked in soup, then filled with cooked minced meet and ghee, and then cooked in the oven.


May Allah Allow us to benefit of those blessed times ameen and may Allah Forgive our sins tomorrow along with those who are standing on Arafa.

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