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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief Jamada al-Thani 18, 1428/ July 3, 2007 #50

Pakistan
Musharraf Launches Attack on Jamia Hafsa-Lal Masjid: First Wave Beaten Back by Students: 25 youths Killed, 68 wounded

July 3, 2007: At about mid-day, General Musharraf's elite military force known as the Rangers attacked the Islamic women's university, Jamia Hafsa, and the mosque known as Lal Masjid which is defending the school. By 7 PM [Pakistan time] Muharraf's initial assault on the mosque had failed to break the defense force consisting of feisty Islamic students chanting "jihad." However, a new assault is expected at night.

Umm Hasan, the Principal of Jamia Hafsa, told New Trend that the young women were in class when the assault began. The defenders, who are poorly armed, have suffered heavily. Ten young Islamic men and two young Islamic women were martyred in the first wave of attacks by Musharraf's military. At least 10 young women and 30 young men have been wounded. The Rangers suffered their first casualties, one killed and three wounded. Another military unit's officer was killed. The Rangers were thinking it would be a cake walk involving the slaughter of defenseless students but were surprised by the defense. The Rangers drew back when the Islamic youths set fire to a car parked at the environmental office in front of the school, fearful that it was a martyrdom attack. The car blew up.

As we went to the "press," the battle was being shown on private Pakistani TV channels, Geo and others. It appears that the supporters of Lal Masjid are fighting Musharraf's forces in the streets and bazaars of Islamabad. Violent responses by the surprised Rangers have led to deaths and injuries in the general population, as many as 12 dead and dozens injured.

It appears that the young Islamic men and women defending the Women's University raided a government office and seized weapons and thus were able to repel Musharraf's men. The youths also arrested four officials of the Musharraf regime

It's now 10.30 PM in Pakistan and the Rangers have regrouped and surrounded the mosque. First reports of negotiations with the resistance are coming in.

Comment: As usual, the Islamic forces in Pakistan stand disunited and are silent even as they watch, on TV, the Islamic resistance at Lal Masjid facing Musharraf's assault on a place of worship and a university/school for women. Neutrality between Mush and Lal Masjid means many of the Islamic groups still don't want to fight Mush.

Comedy of Errors or Much Ado About Nothing?
Britain Spreading a Large Net for Muslims: Something Very Fishy about Terrorism Plot
New Trend Special

June 29, 30, July 1, July 2, July 3, 2007. The new British government outdid Tony Blair in turning a non-event into the impression of a major terrorist attack [which was thwarted]. Britons are supposedly reticent people who use understatements. That was certainly not true of the British House of Commons on July 2 during which British parliamentarians referred to a minor incident as the "terrorist attack on Glasgow airport" and expressed determination not to allow Britain from being "undermined" by terrorists. One wonders how the people of Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq continue to live their lives despite almost daily bombardments by NATO, Israel and USA/UK.

It's still not clear how far the British government will go in unraveling the terrorist networks allegedly planning to destroy the British way of life. TEN Muslims have been arrested so far, of who at least 6 are physicians and one is a woman. A bizarre touch was added when the eighth person, an Indian Muslim doctor, Muhammad Haneef, was arrested at Brisbane airport in Australia. Looks like the British are going after people whom the "Glasgow terrorists" talked to on the phone. They are guilty until proved innocent according to the British concept of law.

The series of events as presented by the British raises serious questions about the credibility of the story. If there was a terrorist plot, the way it has been used by the British raises serious doubts about he underlying agenda of the British power structure. Here is how it went: Is Britain in great danger from terrorists? That's very doubtful. Either these terrorists were totally inept or [more probably] this is a government plot. Quite possibly the government wants to strike at the Muslim elites living in Britain. The government may have realized that the ideological Muslim leadership is located among the Islamic elites. Previous British acts of oppression have targeted young Muslim males and have backfired and in fact led to greater dissent among British Muslims.

The arrests of Muslim doctors could well be aimed at creating fear and terror among well-to-do British Muslims who see a secure future. Under this new threat they would be expected to make extra efforts to join hands with the police to hunt Muslim opponents of the regime.

Britain has much to answer for. Labour MPs in particular and the British House of Commons overall does not want to consider Islamic grievances of any kind. Thus the British creation of "Israel," [Balfour], the delinking of Kashmir from Pakistan [Radcliffe], the occupation of Iraq [along with the U.S.], the occupation of Afghanistan [with NATO], the British enslavement and plunder of Africa [mostly Muslim Africa], does not bother the British power structure, the prime White racists of our time.

In addition, Britain harbors and honors Salman Rushdie, seen as scum by the majority of Muslims, and allows Altaf Hussain to organize murder and mayhem in Karachi. The white racists who rule Britain are impervious to Islamic aspirations. Britain is unaware that Islam's ascendance is too powerful for Britain, the U.S., or Israel to defeat.

For the time being, British Muslims are scared to death. Thousands of Muslims gathered in Birmingham to pledge allegiance to the White masters and to apologize for the "terrorist attack on Glasgow."

Letter:
RE: Letter on Samarra: Are two Shi'ite Imams buried there? Analysis is unislamic?

I have read with great interest the letter from the Iranian brother and your response regarding the tomb of Samarra in Iraq and its recent destruction.

You have argued that the Shi'a narrations as to who exactly is buried there are unreliable and their ideology mythical. However, it seems that you are providing a justification for its destruction by these words.

I caution you to be careful as to the sensitive issues of the Muslims. We may not be Shi'a, but that does not mean that we have to "prove them wrong" in order to seemingly justify an attack upon a place very dear and sacred to them.

The Qur'an [ 6: 108 ] teaches us to not insult the idols of the Mushrikeen, as it may cause them to in turn insult Allah and Islam, so how about hurting the feelings of other Muslims with whom we disagree?

The attacks on Samarra, which is dear to the Shi'ites, regardless of whether their Imam is buried there or not, as well as the subsequent attack on the tomb of Talha, a companion of the Prophet [S.A.W.], are both events which are regrettable and should be condemned.
The same applies to other Mosques, temples, and Churches anywhere in the world, no matter who the culprits are.

Regards,

S Waheed

WHAT DOES ISLAM SAY ABOUT SHRINES and DEAD SAINTS?

Response by Kaukab Siddique: The reader has misunderstood 6:108. It deals with abuse and cursing [subbu in Arabic]. It's not about criticism or analysis. As I will show below, criticism of such shrines is central to the Qur'an and the Hadith and we are well within our rights as Muslims to do so.

We are dealing with analysis so that readers can understand the underlying issues. The destruction of the shrine has already happened. So the issue is not "justification" but "understanding." What does concern us is that after the first attack, the Shi'ite leadership, instead of carrying out an investigation, kept silent as the Shi'ites went on the rampage and destroyed nearly one HUNDRED mainstream Islamic places of worship.
Then the second attack took place, and the Shi'ites destroyed 29 masajid. Thus neither the attacks nor the content of the shrine have been investigated. The Shi'ite leaders, Sistani, etc., speak only AFTER the destruction of Islamic places of worship.
Many Shi'ites do not know that the Samarra shrine may historically not have anyone holy buried in them. They also do not know that in Islam, as ordained in the Qur'an, the Sahaba [Companions], r.a., of the Prophet, pbuh, are far superior to any Shi'ite or other Imams. Talha, r.a, like Ali, r.a., was extremely brave, extremely spiritual, extremely generous. He was not inferior to Ali, r.a., in any way and was certainly much greater than any of the other Shi'ite Imams as can be seen in authentic Hadith. His blood mixed with that of the Prophet, pbuh, at the battle of Uhud.

The reader's other point seems to be that such shrines should not be criticized at all. This is where the Islamic texts teach quite otherwise. The Qur'an specifically criticizes veneration of the dead and of shrines, because such activities take away from the central focus of Islam, which is Allah Almighty alone.

Invoking the dead is specifically condemned by the Qur'an:
"Those whom they invoke besides Allah create nothing and are themselves created: DEAD, LIFELESS: nor do they know when they will be raised up." [The Qur'an 16:20-21]

"And who is more astray than one who invokes, besides Allah, such as will not answer him to the Day of Judgment, and who are (in fact) UNCONSCIOUS of their call (to them)? [46:5]

Seeking guidance from holy men is specifically condemned:
"They take their priests and their clergy to be lords besides Allah. And they take as their lord Christ the son of Mary: Yet they were commanded to worship but One God: There is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: Far is He from having the partners they associate [with Him]. [9:3]

The Shi'ites are behaving in a way which is unacceptable in Islam. It is a deviation which the Qur'an condemned right from the times of Noah. SPECIFIC NAMES are mentioned in this condemnation. By studying Hadith we can know who were these people in Noah's time:

"Noah said: O my Lord, they have disobeyed me, but they follow those whose wealth and children give them no increase but only loss. And they have devised a tremendous Plot. And they have said to each other: 'Abandon not your gods: abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa, neither Yaguth nor Ya'uq, nor Nasr.' They have already misled many ..." [71:21-24]

What are these names? What is meant by these "gods?" A Companion of the Prophet, pbuh, Abdullah ibn Abbas, r.a., known for his understanding of the Qur'an derived from the Prophet, pbuh, explains:

"These names belonged to pious men from the people of Noah. When they died, Satan inspired their people to manufacture idols in their images and to erect them at places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. But the idols were not worshipped until the people who initiated them died and the ORIGIN of the idols had become obscure, whereupon people began worshipping them." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith #4539]

That's almost a description of the Askariya shrine. The Shi'ites have no idea who, if anyone, is buried there, but they are willing to go to war for them.
The Shi'ites of Iraq are not following their real Imams, Ali, r.a., Hasan, r.a., Husain, r.a., or even Baqir or Jafar [may Allah bless them]. It can be said with certainty that these 5 Imams taught their followers to follow Allah and His messenger, pbuh: Never did they teach visits to shrines and graves, and certainly not to their own graves. Baqir and Jafar did not teach anyone to go visit the graves of Ali, Hasan and Husain [Allah be pleased with them].
On top of all that Sistani, etc, are supporting the American occupation of Iraq and did not say a word against the destruction of Fallujah and five other Islamic cities [with their mosques and Islamic schools].

2007-07-03 Tue 18:06:33 cdt
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