Bismillah: Assalamo Alikum.


recently one of my customers asked me to find some factories in China who can supply Funeral boxes... are we allowed to sell these products?


Thanks a lot for your help.


Salam


Wael.

Sleeping and missing salaat al-fajr -


by Shaykh Munajjid - may Allah reward him with


goodness.


A brother complained: “I miss


salaat al-Fajr on most days, and I hardly ever pray it at the right time.


Usually I do not wake up until after the sun has risen, or at best I wake up


after the time for praying fajr in jamaa’ah. I have tried to wake up at the


right time, with no success. What is the solution to this problem?”


All praise be to Allaah. The


solution to this problem, like others, has two aspects: theoretical and


practical.


The theoretical aspect may be


further broken down into two points:


(1) The Muslim should know the


great status of salaat al-fajr in the sight of Allaah, may He be glorified.


The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah


be upon him) said: “Whoever prays the dawn prayer in congregation, it is as if


he had prayed the whole night long.” (Muslim, p. 454, no. 656; al-Tirmidhi,


221).


The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him) also said:


“The most burdensome prayers for


the hypocrites are salaat al-’isha’ and salaat al-fajr, but if they only knew


what they contain, they would come even if they had to crawl.” (Reported by


Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/424; Saheeh al-Jaami’,


133).


“Whoever prays fajr is under the


protection of Allaah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allaah has to


call you to account for your negligence.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 7/267;


Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 6344).


“Angels come to you in shifts by


night and by day. They meet at salaat al-fajr and salaat al-‘asr, then those


who had stayed with you at night ascend, and are asked by the One Who knows


better than they: ‘How did you find My servants?’ They say, ‘We left them when


they were praying, and we came to them when they were praying.’” (Reported by


al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2/33).


“The best of prayers in the sight


of Allaah is the dawn prayer on Friday, in congregation.” (Reported by Abu


Na’eem in al-Hilyah, 7/207, and in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah,


1566).


According to a saheeh hadeeth:


“Whoever prays al-Bardayn will enter Paradise.” (Reported by


al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2/52). Al-Bardayn are fajr and


‘asr.


(2) The Muslim should understand


the seriousness of missing salaat al-fajr. This is explained by the hadeeth


already quoted:


“The most burdensome prayers for


the hypocrites are salaat al-’isha’ and salaat al-Fajr…”


In al-Saheeh, it is


reported that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “If we


did not see a person at fajr and ‘isha’ prayers, we would think badly of him.”


(Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 12/271. Al-Haythami


said, the men of al-Tabaraani are muwaththaqoon (trustworthy).


al-Majma’, 2/40). They thought badly of a person who was absent from


these two prayers because regular performance of them is an indication of a


person’s faith and a measure of his sincerity. Other prayers may be easier to


do because they are more convenient to a person’s circumstances and fit in


with his work and his sleep, but only those who are determined and sincere,


people whom one hopes are good people, will be able to pray fajr and ‘isha’


regularly in congregation.


Another hadeeth which indicates


the seriousness of missing salaat al-fajr is: “Whoever prays fajr is under the


protection of Allaah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allaah has to


call you to account for your negligence, because whoever finds himself in this


situation will be sorted out and then thrown on his face in the Fire of Hell.”


(Reported by Muslim, p. 454).


These two points are sufficient to


guarantee that the Muslim’s heart will burn with the concern to ensure that he


does not miss fajr. The first motivates him to strive to earn the reward for


fajr, and the second acts as a warning that will deter him from committing the


sin of negligence.


The practical aspect of dealing


with this problem includes a number of steps which the Muslim can take in


order to get used to performing salaat al-fajr regularly in congregation.


These steps include:


Sleeping early. According to a


saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and


blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to dislike sleeping before ‘isha’


and talking afterwards. The Muslim should not sleep before salaat


al-’isha’ because it is obvious that most of those who sleep before it


will spend the rest of the night feeling so tired and heavy that it will


be as if they are ill.


Also, the Muslim should not


talk after ‘isha’, and the scholars have explained the reason why doing so


is disliked: it is because doing so leads to people staying up late, which


in turns leads to the fear that they will sleep and miss qiyaam


al-layl, or the correct or preferred time for fajr prayer.


The kind of talk that is


disliked after ‘isha’, as the commentators explain, is that in which there


is no clear benefit, but if there is some benefit – such as studying and


gaining knowledge, learning stories of righteous people, speaking to a


guest, spending time with one’s wife and family, speaking to travellers


and taking care of them and their luggage, or any other permissible reason


– then there is nothing wrong with it. This has no connection with the


reasons for which many people stay up late nowadays, to do wrong and


commit sin! So the Muslim should sleep early, so that he can wake up


refreshed to pray fajr and avoid the kind of late nights that make him too


tired to get up and pray fajr in congregation.


It is a fact that people


differ with regard to their need for sleep, so it is not possible to


dictate a set number of hours that people should sleep, but each person


should stick to the time that will give him enough sleep to wake up


refreshed for salaat al-fajr. If a person knows from experience that


sleeping after 11 p.m., for example, will mean that he cannot get up for


fajr, then from an Islamic point of view he should not sleep any later


than that… and so on.


Making sure that one is clean


(taahir) and reciting adhkaar (prayers) before sleeping.


This helps a person to get up for fajr.


Having a sincere intention and


being determined, when going to sleep, that one will get up for fajr. But


a person who goes to sleep hoping that the alarm will not go off, and that


no one will come and wake him up, will not – with such a corrupt intention


– be able to get up to pray fajr whilst he still has this bad


intention.


Remembering Allaah as soon as


one wakes up. Some people may initially wake up, then they go back to


sleep again. But if a person remembers Allaah straight after waking up,


this will loosen one of the knots of Shaytaan, and will motivate him to


get up. When he performs wudoo’, his determination becomes stronger, and


Shaytaan is driven further away, and when he prays, his shaytaan is


defeated, his balance (of good deeds) becomes heavier, and he will feel


happy and energetic.


Seeking help from one’s family


and friends to pray fajr, and encouraging one another in this regard. This


is essential, and is undoubtedly included in the words of Allaah


(interpretation of the meanings):


“… Help you one another in


al-birr and al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)…” [al-Maa’idah


5:2]


“By al-‘asr (time). Verily!


Man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and


recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience.”


[al-‘Asr 103:1-3]


The Muslim should encourage


his wife, for example by waking her up to pray fajr, and she should


encourage him, no matter how tired and exhausted he may be. Children


should also seek their father’s help to wake up, so he can wake them when


it is time for the prayer. No father should say “They have exams, they are


tired, let them sleep, poor kids.” It is a mistake to think that be doing


this one is being a kind and merciful parent; true parental mercy means


that the father wakes them up to worship Allaah. “And enjoin al-salaah


(the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them (the


prayers)…” [Ta-Ha 20:132 – interpretation of the meaning].


Just as family members should


help and encourage one another to pray fajr, so brothers in Islam can also


help one another. For example, university students living in the same


residence or neighbours in the same neighbourhood can help one another by


knocking on a neighbour’s door to wake him for prayer and helping him to


worship Allaah.


Praying to Allaah to help him


to wake up to pray fajr in congregation. Du’aa’ is one of the greatest


sources of strength and success in all things.


Using various means of being


woken up, such as alarm clocks. These should be put in the most


appropriate place. Some people put the alarm clock next to their head, and


when it rings, they turn if off at once and go straight back to sleep.


Such a person should put the clock a little further away, so that he can


feel that it is really waking him up.


One can also arrange to


receive alarm calls from the telephone company, and no Muslim should think


that it is too much to pay for this service if he needs it, because this


is spending in the way of Allaah, and waking up to obey the command of


Allaah cannot be measured in terms of worldly wealth.


Throwing water in the face of


the person who is sleeping. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him) praised the man who gets up at night to pray, and wakes his wife, and


when she refuses to get up, he throws water in her face; and he praised


the woman who gets up at night to pray, and wakes her husband, and when he


refuses to get up, she throws water in his face. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad


in al-Musnad, 2/250; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3494).


Throwing water in a person’s


face is one of the means of waking a person for prayer that is prescribed


by sharee’ah. In fact it is quite refreshing and energizing. Some people


may become enraged when woken in this manner, and they may shout and swear


and issue threats, so the person who is seeking to wake another should


employ wisdom and patience, and remember that the pens are lifted from the


record of one who is sleeping (i.e., his deeds are not being recorded


while he is asleep) – so he should put up with any bad treatment, and not


let this put him off trying to wake people up for prayer.


Not sleeping alone. The


Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah


be upon him) forbade any man to sleep alone. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in


al-Musnad, 2/91; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 60). Perhaps


the wisdom behind this prohibition is that a person could sleep too long


if there is no-one to wake him up for prayer.


Not sleeping in remote places


where it would not occur to anyone that someone could be sleeping there,


such as a person sleeping on the roof of a house without telling his


family where he is, or sleeping in a remote part of the house or student


residence, so that no-one will know to wake him for prayer, but everyone


will think that he is in the mosque when in fact he is fast asleep. Anyone


who needs to sleep in a remote place should tell the people around him


where he will be so that they can come and wake him.


Being lively and active upon


waking. One should get up straightaway, and not wake up in stages, as some


people do. A person could be woken up several times, and each time he gets


up, but when his friend leaves, he goes back to bed. Waking up in stages


usually ends in failure, and the only way to prevent falling asleep again


is to get up straight away.


Not setting the alarm too


early. If a person knows that there is still a long time to go until the


time of the prayer, he may think, “I still have time, let me sleep a


little more…” Everyone should know how to handle himself and avoid this


situation.


Lighting a lamp when waking up


– or, in our modern times, switching on the light. This has the effect of


dispelling sleepiness.


Not staying up late, even to


pray qiyaam al-layl. Some people may stay up late to pray qiyaam


al-layl, then fall asleep a few minutes before fajr and be unable to


wake up for the prayer. This happens a lot in Ramadaan – people stay up


late and sleep a little while before fajr, so they miss the prayer. No


doubt this is a grave error, because fard (obligatory) prayer should take


precedence over naafil (supererogatory) prayer. So what about those who


stay up late not to pray but to commit sin, or at best to do permissible


things? The Shaytaan may make the idea of staying up late to discuss


important matters attractive to some daa’iyahs (Islamic workers), then


they sleep late and miss the prayer, thus losing much more than they


gained.


Not eating too much before


going to sleep. Eating too much makes one sleep deeply. The one who eats a


lot gets very tired, and sleeps a lot, thus losing a lot. So one should


try to eat lightly in the evening.


Warning about the


misinterpretation of the sunnah to lie down after praying the sunnah of


fajr. Some people may have heard the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him) said: “When any one of you has prayed, let him lie down on his right


side.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 420; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 642).


It was also reported that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him) had prayed the sunnah of fajr, he would lie down, then Bilaal would


call him to prayer, and he would stand up to pray. People may have heard


these ahaadeeth, and be keen to follow this proven sunnah, but they do not


understand how to do it properly. So a person may pray the sunnah of fajr,


then lie down on his right side, and fall fast asleep until the sun rises.


This is because of a lack of proper understanding. The lying down is not


for the purpose of sleeping, and Bilaal used to come and tell the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him) when it was time to pray. Moreover, as was reported by Imaam Ahmad


and Ibn Hibbaan in a saheeh hadeeth, if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him) wanted to rest before fajr, he would put his head on his right palm,


propped up on his elbow. (Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 5/298;


Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 4752). This kind of resting prevents one from


falling fast asleep, because in this case one’s head is propped up on


one’s palm and elbow, and will drop if one dozes off, thus waking one up


again. In addition to this, Bilaal was entrusted with the responsibility


of waking the Prophet (peace and


blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the fajr prayer.


Praying qiyaam al-layl late in


the night, just before fajr, so that when one finishes witr, the call for


fajr prayer is given, making the worship continuous. The night prayer


should be offered during the last third of the night – which is the


preferred time – and immediately followed by the fajr prayer, whilst one


is feeling awake and energetic.


Following the example of the


Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah


be upon him) in lying down to sleep. So a person should lie on his right


side, placing his right cheek on his right hand. This position makes it


easy to wake up. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon


him), and this is better than sleeping in any other position which may


make it difficult to wake up.


Helping oneself by taking a


nap during the day, because this will help a person by making him need


less sleep at night.


Not sleeping after ‘asr or


maghrib, because this will make a person sleep late, and whoever sleeps


late will find it difficult to wake up.


Finally, sincere devotion to


Allaah is the best thing to motivate a person to get up for prayer,


because Allaah is the One Who is controlling all means of help. If a


person has that true sincerity and his heart is burning with devotion to


Allaah, then Allaah will help him to get up to pray fajr in congregation,


even if he goes to sleep only a few moments before


fajr.


This sincerity and devotion may


cause some very enthusiastic people to find unusual ways to help themselves to


wake up to pray, which is a sign of their eagerness and keenness. One of them


may set a number of alarm clocks to wake him up, setting each one a few


minutes later than the other, so that if he turns the first one off, the next


one will wake him a few moments later, and so on. Another may tie a string to


his wrist, with the other end dangling from his window, so that when one of


his friends passes by on his way to the mosque, he can pull on the string and


wake him for fajr prayer.


See what can be achieved with


sincerity and determination, may Allaah guide you! But the bitter truth is


that weakness of faith and lack of sincerity are widespread among people


nowadays, as we can see from the small numbers of people to be found praying


in the mosques at fajr, despite the fact that there are so many people living


around the mosques in many neighbourhoods.


But no doubt there are people who


sleep so heavily that it is almost like an illness, and they may be excused,


because the matter is beyond their control. People in this situation should


turn to Allaah for help, and do everything that they possibly can, and visit


the doctor, to try to find a cure.


Finally, a word about a well known


phenomenon: some people claim that there is a hadeeth which says that the


person who wants to get up for fajr should recite the last part of Soorat


al-Kahf before sleeping, and have the intention in his heart to get up at a


certain hour, and this will make him get up at that time. They claim that this


is a tried and tested method. Our response is that there is no such saheeh


hadeeth, and this carries no weight whatsoever. The best guidance is the


guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings


of Allaah be upon him).


by Shaykh


Munajjid


Yearning for Allah and His meeting is like the gentle breeze


blowing upon the heart, extinguishing the blaze of the Dunya. Whosoever caused


his heart to settle with his Lord shall be in a state, calm and tranquil, and


whosoever sent it amongst the people shall be disturbed and excessively


perturbed.

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