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Sha'ban 30, 1433/July 20, 2012 # 31
Ramadan begins on July 21 for Muslims who follow the Sunnah
of Muhammad, pbuh.
See Dr. Omar Afzal's web site:
www.islamicmoon.com
The Islamic texts on crescent sighting are very clear.
Scroll to end
for texts of Islam.
ISNA's Shiateen blatantly Violate Islam again & Mislead
Muslims on Ramadan
The westernized, secularized upper echelon of the so-called
Islamic Society of North America [ISNA] completely ignored
Islamic teachings on the sighting of the crescent and
announced that Ramadan begins on July 20. This direct
violation is part of ISNA's attempts to make American
Muslims so secular that they won't take the trouble to sight
the crescent. Nationalism and Saudi control also play a part
in this shameless behavior of ISNA,
If this fitna continues, Eid will become like Christmas. The
corrupt ISNA-types may as well shift Ramadan to an "easy"
month. These people love their masters and are playing with
the DEEN of innocent Muslims.
Our America
Nine Georgia prisoners on hunger strike.
First fast of Ramadan should be linked to support for the
hunger strikers.
Baltimore activist Ameejill Whitlock reports that prisoners
are on hunger strike in Georgia for their rights.
Please scroll to end
for the link.
Breaking News:
Sinister Attempts to label Iran as "terrorist" after attack
on Israelis in Bulgaria
The July 18 attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in which
an alleged human bomber killed 5 Israeli Jews and wounded 33
is being attributed to Iran by the US and Israel. This claim
came from Israel 20 minutes after the bombing and hours
later {july 19] the US chimed in, even identifying the
attacker as "hizbullah." It looks like a blatant attempt to
pin the label of "terrorist" on Iran and its allies.
Iran does not carry out "suicide" bombings. Even when Gaza
was under attack both Iran and Hizbullah were silent. Iran
has categorically rejected the claims for this attack.
Many Islamic groups hate Israel and are capable of carrying
out such attacks. The lebel being put on Iran is meant to
tighten sanctions on Iran and to give a chance to Israel,
the terrorist Jewish entity imposed on Palestine, to attack
Iran.
As New Trend has pointed out many times before, any attack
on Iran will lead to serious consequences for Israel. Iran
wants peace and has never fired a shot at Israel or the US.
Blatant attempts to label Iran must be rejected.
Latest news from Syria: Islamic Forces Countering Assad's
power
On July 18, a human bomber struck tyrant Assad's top
security building in Damascus. The Defense Minister, Rajha,
a former general, was killed along with others. The Interior
Minister and several others were seriously wounded. Rajha
was a Syrian Christian, along with Alawites the main power
constituency of Assad. Al-Qaida is suspected of taking over
the fighting with Assad which could explain why Israel and
the US have failed to do anything against Assad in spite of
15 months of upheaval in which Assad has killed more than
12,000 Muslims.
The Islamics have killed about 3,000 of his troops.
July 15-18, fighting has raged in Damascus. Syrians who
defected from Assad's army are fighting his troops and are
said to be receiving a slow but steady stream of small arms
from Turkey
Viewpoint: Kaukab Siddique, Phd
Conspiracy theories see Islamic people as creations of the
West.
Ego inflated "intellectuals," Iranian propagandists and
Mentally defeated Muslims are at work.
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and met weak but
steadily growing resistance, Selig Harrison advised the US
to arm the mujahideen. He claimed that the Islamics could
never defeat the Soviets but could bleed them and thus the
US would be revenged for Vietnam.
Unfortunately for Harrison, the Afghans not only kept
fighting but forced the Soviets to withdraw. Suddenly the US
faced the reality of an emerging Islamic state in
Afghanistan. The US then encouraged groups like that of
Hikmatyar, who had received most of the US weaponry but had
done little fighting, to go in and challenge the mujahideen
led by Burhanuddin Rabbani and others who had actually
fought the Soviets. The result was that an Islamic state
could not emerge and Afghanistan collapsed into chaos and
intergroup fighting resembling civil war.
Once the lustre of the Islamic victory over the Soviets had
been reduced, American writers on the left started claiming
that it had been the CIA's war and compared the mujahideen
to the American project in central America [even compared
them to the Contras]..
From within the Afghan jihad emerged the Arab fighters led
by Azzam and later Osama who were anti-American. Instead of
seeing this as a natural development within the Islamic
movement, the left in the US described the unpleasant fact
as "blow back." It created the impression that somehow the
Osama fighters were like the frankenstein which had escaped
the American inventor's laboratory! Thus Americans could
never understand that Islamic forces are quite independent
of what America wants or does not want.
On a smaller scale, American intellectuals claimed that
Hamas had been created by Israel. This was another mindless
image of Muslims which clouded the fact that Hamas is a
major Islamic movement with its own agenda and independent
leadership working in a difficult environment.
The Arab Spring took both the American Left and the American
Right by surprise. America had been quite happy with the
dictators ruling Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria and Libya.
[This last was a late addition when Qaddafi the
"revolutionary" decided to become a capitalist and invested
several billion dollars in the US and UK through his sons.]
The attacks on high value targets on September 11, 2001 by
19 Arab Muslims provided a rich source of conspiracy
theories to both Iran and American intellectuals which came
in handy when the Arab Spring Occurred. 9.11, as the
devastating attacks came to be known, was seen as an
"inside" job by "intellectuals." Pro-Iran media declared the
day after the attack that it had been done by "Jews," and
the "Israelis" in the towers did not turn up for work
because they "knew."
Claims were made that "Muslims can't fly planes that well."
Or that the planes were "remote controlled." Or that
explosives had been placed within the towers, or the attack
on the Pentagon was staged. Some even said that the
hijackers were still alive. Or that Bush was going to be the
next Hitler and this was the equivalent of the Reichstag
fire!
The absurdity of all these conspiracy theories comes out if
one realizes that 3000 Americans being killed in high value
targets followed by trillions of dollars in losses from
which America never recovered would not have allowed any
conspirators [the Jews in particular] to survive in America.
Why were so many "intellectuals" so stupid? There are a
number of basic reasons. Most important is the idea that
the "enemy" is too strong and whatever happens is done by
the "enemy." Secondly, Islamic people cannot possibly fight
against and hurt a superpower like America. Killing three
thousand White elites in one day? No way! It must have been
Bush, or the neo-cons, or the "powers that be."
The Iranians had their own reasons. They have been using the
image of Imam Khomeini as the leader of the world's Muslims.
Iran is sectarian and nationalistic to an extreme but still
claims that only those Islamic movements are legitimate
which are controlled by it. For Iran, Shaykh Osama was a
serious problem. He was also considered a savage by other
Muslim intellectuls such as those living in Pakistan [quite
comfortably] Remember all those stories that Osama had died
of kidney failure in December 2001 or was it 2002?
These conspiracy theories have proliferated to such an
extent that a Carlucci or a Romondo can openly claim that
the Arab Spring was the conspiracy of the USA or that USA
invented al-Qaida.
Meanwhile the wars rage on and no Islamic fighting group
[people who should know] has ever claimed that 9.11 was a
conpiracy or that Osama died 12 years back.
July 17. Mass Rally blocks Nato route from Pakistan into
Afghanistan which is battling NATO
Pakistan
NATO Supply routes can be blocked by force but we want it
done by peaceful means.
Munawar Hasan Calls for United Action by Imran Khan and
Nawaz Sharif
Lahore, July 17: Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Syed
Munawar Hasan has claimed that JI can block the NATO supply
line by force but it wants the government to take the
decision in the larger interests of the nation.
According to a press release issued here at Mansoora on
Tuesday, he said this while addressing a sit-in protest
staged against the NATO supply resumption at Jamrood, Kyber
Agency.
He again invited PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Chairman PTI
Imran Khan to come to streets against reopening of NATO
supply. "It is the right time for Imran and Nawaz Sharif to
come forward against NATO supply restoration. If they do not
come, the nation would be right to consider them as an ally
of the US," he added.
He said JI and other religious parties had a keen desire for
a peaceful world but the US and anti-Islam forces considered
their weakness. He strongly criticized the US for its
anti-Muslim policies saying the terrorism and anarchy were
making ways throughout the world due to the ill policies of
the US. He said the US had massacred innocent people in the
region on the pretext of war on terror. "The US has openly
described its enmity against the Muslims and Islam by
burning the Holy Quran and depicting derogatory sketches of
the Holy Prophet, he added.
The JI ameer said the US not only wanted to block Pakistan
nuclear program and take resources of Central Asia in
possession but also to raise India as the sole power in the
region in opposition to China.. He said the military
operation in tribal areas was also launched on the dictation
of the US which rendered 3 million people homeless. He
demanded of the government to offer compensation to the
affectees.
He said the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from the
region was a must for the welfare and progress of the people
of the region.
Basic Facts about Ramadan, the Global Month of Fasting
by Imam Ali Siddiqui
O! You who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was
prescribed for the people
before you, so that you may acquire self control and
God-consciousness - Quran 2:183
1433rd Ramadan - the Month of Blessings and Peace
2.8 billion Muslims of the world will celebrate the blessed
month of Ramadan
starting Saturday, July 21, 2012. During this month, healthy
Muslim adults will
observe fasting during the daylight hours.
Muslim Fasting is a total abstention from eating and
drinking from dawn to dusk for 29
or 30 days of the month of Ramadan. In addition, avoiding
immoral behavior and anger
and showing compassion is part of the requirements of
fasting. The purpose of fasting is
manifold. Allah (the God Almighty) mentioned it in the Holy
Book of Islam, Quran, that
fasting is prescribed for the believers as it was prescribed
for the people before them, so
that they may acquire self control and God-consciousness
(Quran 2:183). Therefore, the
purpose of fasting is to develop self-control,
God-consciousness, improvement of health
by reducing or eliminating impurities from the body, and to
become aware of the plight
of the poor, hungry, and the sick.
Ramadan is a month of spiritual consciousness and high sense
of social responsibility.
The fulfillment of one's obligations during this month is
rewarded 70 times. Fasting is
one of the 5 pillars of Islam including Announcement of
Faith, Salaat (praying 5 times a
day), Zakaat (the right of the poor on the wealth of the
financially able), Fasting during
the month of Ramadan, and Hajj (once in a life time
pilgrimage to Kaaba). It is an
obligation on every adult and healthy Muslim to fast during
the month of Ramadan.
The month of Ramadan is also the month in which Holy Quran
was sent down from
the highest level of heaven to the 1st level, from where it
was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a piece meal basis over a
period of 23 years. It is a
very joyous occasion for the Muslims of the world. They fast
during the day, pray, and
read Quran during the part of the night.
There is a special night called the Night of Power, which is
mentioned in the Quran
(Chapter 97), as a night of peace, mercy, and light.
Worshiping during this night is better
than the worship of 1,000 months. During this night,
Muhammad was chosen by Allah,
as the Messenger and Quran was sent to the 1st level of
heaven. During this night, Allah,
God Almighty, sends down an army of special angels, under
the leadership of Archangel
Gabriel, who go to every nook and cranny of the earth to
pray for the mercy of Allah,
God Almighty, and salvation of the believers.
Unlike common calendar, which is Solar based, Islamic
calendar is Lunar based. It does
not mean that Muslims worship moon. It is another way to
count days of the month and
the year. Like all Islamic months, Ramadan, 9th lunar month,
begins after sighting the
Crescent, but not the new moon. The probability to see the
Crescent for Ramadan is on
Friday, July 20, 2012 just after the sunset on the western
horizon.
The population of Muslims in the US is estimated at 9
million, of which about 2 million
lives in California. All healthy Muslim adults including
homemakers, school-going kids
around the age of 13, factory workers, businessmen, and
others among them will be
fasting. Your Muslim neighbors will be getting up very early
to take their sahoor, a pre-
dawn meal before starting their fast. So, don't get alarmed
if you hear lot of noise next
door. School staff has to show understanding and
consideration towards Muslim students
who may be fasting during the month of Ramadan from July 20
to August 18, 2012. They
should be assigned alternate activities instead of strenuous
gym activities.
Physicians should also understand that their patients might
be fasting. They should
prescribe the medicine in a way that they could take it with
their pre-dawn or after sunset
meals. However, if the patients' life may be in jeopardy,
explain it to the patients or seek
help from a Muslim Medical Chaplain at a local hospital or
an Imam/director of a local
Masjid/Islamic Center. According to Muslim physicians, there
are some physiological
benefits from Muslim Fasting (total abstention from food and
liquids) including lowering
of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol, and lowering of
systolic blood pressure.
At the completion of month of Fasting, Muslims all over the
world celebrate their
holiday of Eid al-Fitr. It is the biggest Muslim holiday. It
is a true thanksgiving for a
Muslim believer for having the opportunity to obey Allah,
God Almighty, by observing
Fasting. It is celebrated on the 1st day of 10th lunar
month, Shaw'waal.
The holiday begins with Muslims putting on their
best, preferably new clothes and going to the Eid
congregation. Eid congregations are
very large gatherings of Muslim men, women, and children
across the country. You can
witness these gathering at local Convention Centers, Fair
grounds, and/or Community
Parks. Afterwards, people greet each other with hugs and
handshakes. The children
receive gifts of money and toys. After the congregation,
Muslims visit each other at their
homes and hold lunches or dinners for family and friends.
Don't be surprised if you are
invited to an Eid dinner or Eid celebration by your Muslim
neighbors or friends. Please
do accept such an invitation. The hospitality, friendliness,
and variety of international
Muslim cuisine will pleasantly surprise you.
Greetings of Ramadan, Ramadan Karim!
Appreciation for the Police and the Interfaith
Volunteers
The Muslim Communities across the nations appreciate the
police and the law
enforcement agencies for looking after their safety and
request them to take extra
precautions during the month of Ramadan around the local
Masjid / mosque / Islamic
Center, and the places of Eid Congregations.
They are also thankful of interfaith volunteers who have
provided support and vigilance.
Thank you! May Allah, the Creator, look after you in your
hour of need! Amen!
© Imam Ali Siddiqui
P.S. Muslims should call their local Masjid for the
beginning and end of Ramadan.
Additional information can be acquired through e-mail:
alisiddiqui.imam@gmail.com
About the author:
Imam Ali Siddiqui with 40 years of service, is a Friday
Khatib, Islamic teacher, Muslim Chaplain, youth
advisor, family counselor, educator, poet, and writer with a
vision who has been involved in the teaching
Islam, history, comparative religion, contemporary issues to
Muslims and non-Muslims. He is actively
involved in the community service including
spiritual/educational development, service to the sick and
the
incarcerated; and the interfaith work. His work has been
successfully building bridges between faiths and
communities. Presently Imam Siddiqui serves the North Bay
Muslim Community, CA. including Muslim
Institute for Interfaith Studies & Understanding, Santa
Rosa, CA; North Bay Jewish Muslim Dialogue;
Santa Rosa Interfaith Ministerial Association, Japanese
American Citizen League, and Khatib at North
Marin Islamic Center and Muslim Society of Napa. For
additional information about the author, please
Google: "Imam Ali Siddiqui". For speaking engagement:
alisiddiqui.imam@gmail.com.
•
•
Zakat-ul-Fitr is Wajib
Zakat al-Maal - the right
of the Poor
Lai-la-tul Qadr - The
Night of Mercy and
Peace
Eid al-Fitr - A True
Thanksgiving
The Significance of Eid
Combat Islamophobia with Interfaith Engagement
About Ramadan - A PowerPoint presentation for schools
What Do You Need to
Know about Islam and
Muslims?
Muslims in Americas and
Their Contributions: 889
AD to Present - A Brief
History
Published by Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies &
Understanding as a public service.
Please post on your website or mail to your lists including
your local newspaper. Editing
and translation is permitted. Please forward a copy of
translation to:
MIISU, 1841 Vermillion Way, Santa Rosa, CA 95403;
alisiddiqui.imam@gmail.com; 707-545-5234
"Bridging the gap of understanding between Muslims and the
community through teaching about Islam, Muslims, and Islamic
Civilization and developing the understanding of other
religions, cultures, and civilizations through interfaith
engagement."
With thanks to Salim Mansur Khalid
Diplomatic Catastrophe Awaits Bangladesh
by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Weekly Blitz July 15, 2012
United Nations Human Rights Commission [UNHRC] will be
sending delegation to Bangladesh soon to investigate the
cases of disappearances, secret killing and gross violation
of human rights. The independent human rights experts of the
United Nations have examined 13 reported cases of enforced
disappearance under its urgent action procedure, as well as
information on more than 200 cases in 33 countries,
including in Bangladesh. According to UN News Agency, the
United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances during its 97th session, that took place in
Geneva from July 9 to 13, also reviewed the newly-submitted
cases and the previously accepted ones. Bangladesh topped
the list of the UNHRC committee following alarming rise in
enforced or involuntary disappearances of numerous people,
including Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader and former MP
Ilias Ali as well as the secret killing of Saudi diplomat
Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali who was found dead only 30
metres from his home in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave named
Gulshan. He had bullet wounds to his chest and was taken to
a hospital. Though Bangladeshi police confirmed that the
murder was "pre-planned" and professional killers were used
in it, the case has not been investigated in proper manner
yet and the culprits are yet to be traced by the Bangladeshi
intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
The 5-member investigation team from UNHRC will be arriving
in Bangladesh during first week of August. It is anticipated
that current government in Bangladesh may face severe
diplomatic catastrophe once the investigation team
convincingly finds the facts about enforced disappearance of
various individuals particularly the case enforced
disappearance of Ilias Ali as well as murder of Saudi
diplomat Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali, garment trade
unionist Aminul Islam, journo couple Sagor Sarwar and
Meherun Runi, it will submit report with the United Nations,
which may ultimately result in sending back of Bangladeshi
troops from the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces. United
Nations may even recommend punitive measures against the
Bangladeshi government for gross violation of human rights
and extreme expression of press. While signals of imminent
diplomatic catastrophe for the current government is already
prominent, the Bangladeshi foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni
and entire team are totally ignorant as well as reluctant in
taking any immediate measures in resolving the issue without
further delay. The foreign minister even did not send any
emergency note to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, briefing
her of the possible outcome of the investigation of the
UNHRC team.
Since assuming power in January 2009, the current government
led by Bangladesh Awami League has been facing serious
diplomatic setbacks internationally as the government and
particularly the foreign minister is completely depending on
New Delhi's protection and blessings, while she is
continuing to ignore the importance of the international
community. Dr. Dipu Moni's series of failures has already
caused severe crisis to country's manpower exports to
various countries including the Middle East, while in recent
times, there are signs that US buyers of Bangladeshi textile
products are already moving to other countries seeing
unending repression of garment workers including the murder
of trade unionist Aminul Islam. The US ambassador in
Bangladesh, Dan Mozena had already warned the government
that large buyers in his country may refrain from buying
textile products from Bangladesh due to recent murder of the
trade unionist as well as numerous forms of repressive
actions of the readymade garment workers in the country.
According to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters
Association, there had already been significant decline in
export of textile products to United States and the European
nations. It expressed grave concern at such scenario
stating, further decline in orders from the United States in
particular may force the owners of the garment factories in
either suspending productions or cutting off the work
forces. If the readymade garment industry owners will go for
slicing down the number of their workers, it will surely
create a huge employment crisis in Bangladesh, which would
be added to already trouble manpower export sector. It may
be mentioned here that, a few million female workers are
employed in readymade garment factories in Bangladesh as the
country is still one of the major producers of textile
products in the world.
Following the enforced disappearance of Bangladesh
Nationalist Party leader M Ilias Ali, the Prime Minister,
home minister and most of the important figures in the
government gave assurances to the family of the missing
politician that the government would do everything possible
in finding out the facts behind this case. There had also
been numerous blank promises from the government of finding
the missing opposition leader, though now the hope has
already started fading out. According to newspaper reports,
M Ilias Ali was picked up during late hours of the night by
plain-clothe members of an intelligence agency.
Similarly, the current government gave fullest assurances to
the Saudi authorities in identifying the murderers of Khalaf
bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali, which also has now been proven to
be another blank promise of the ruling party. The murder of
Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali and subsequent reluctance
of Bangladeshi Awami League led government in investigating
the case has already caused dissatisfaction and anger into
the minds of the Saudi policymakers as well it also has
generated serious doubts about good governance and rule of
law in Bangladesh.
United Nations and the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces
were already concerned following statements of the ruling
party saying a significant segment of the members of
Bangladesh Armed Forces were belonging to radical Islamic
ideology. Current Prime Minister's son wrote a
research-based paper in Harvard journal giving further
details of his accusation of madrassa-educated radical
Jihadists inside Bangladesh Army. The paper was further
supported by statement from Bangladesh Army few months back,
following a foiled coup attempt, where claims were made that
radical Islamists inside Bangladesh Army were conspiring to
stage coup against the current government in the country.
Such statements and claims had generated serious concern
within United Nations Peace Keeping Forces, who were raising
eyebrows thinking, if it was safe to recruit such radical
Jihadists or Islamists in the peace keeping force.
Nine Georgia prisoners are literally starving for human
rights
blacktalkradionetwork.com
Nine prisoners starving for human rights Georgian prisoners
starving to death for human rights Nine prisoners face death
on a hunger strike for human rights
Hadrat Sayyiduna Ibn-e-'Umar Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu
reported that the Messenger of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa
Sallam has said,
"Do not commence fasting (Ramadan) till you see the new
moon, and do not cease fasting (perform Eid) till you see
it. But if the weather is cloudy, or there is a smog in the
sky (which prevents sighting of the moon), then complete 30
days of the month." [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 256]
In another narration, the Messenger of Allah SallAllaho
Alaihi wa Sallam said,
"The month sometimes is of twenty-nine days, but do not fast
till you see the moon. But if the weather is cloudy or there
is a smog, then complete thirty days of the month." [Sahih
Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 256]
2012-07-20 Fri 18:09:30 cdt
NewTrendMag.org