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Rabi' al-Awwal 24,1435/January 26, 2014 # 4
The tragedy of Bangladesh uncovered by opposition leader
Khalida Zia.
Please scroll down. An American Muslimah has been given 10 years in prison for
threatening the life of a Swedish artist who painted the
Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, as an animal. She has already spent
4 years in prison before the 10 year verdict. We urge the
government to let her go. There are 1.8 billion Muslims in
the world and punishing someone who felt like them is a
major foreign policy blunder. She did not hurt anyone. It
was just a lot of angry expression. Even the artist was
shocked at the ten year sentence.
For a detailed Reuters report,
please scroll to the end.
Please remember that the writing is hostile to Islam but we
kept it as is.
Breaking News: Egypt
On January 24, there were 4 mujahideen bomb attacks in Cairo
on police forces. A martyrdom operator blew up the front of
the Police headquarters in central Cairo causing heavy
casualties.
On January 25, the anniversary of the "revolution," General
Sisi packed Tahrir Square with his supporters. These were:
Supporters of Hosni Mubarak.
Secularized Egyptians who were "fed" by the Hosni Mubarak tyranny.
Military and police in civilian clothes.
Coptic Christians.
Muslims, even women in hijab, who hate the Muslim
Brotherhood so much that they support the new Pharoah.
'[Muslim disunity is a major factor in the success of
tyrants.]
However, thousands of Egyptians came out in every city to
oppose the General and to support President Morsi and the
Muslim Brotherhood. The army sent Hosni Mubarak gangsters
and police to attack the demonstrators. By the end of the
day, 49 Islamic people had been killed and more than 250
wounded. In addition the police arrested 1079 Muslims to
crush the Muslim Brotherhood. The Ikhwan are unarmed and are
strictly peaceful. They even condemned the martyrdom
operation.
In Suez, the same day, mujahideen killed 5 policemen and got
away.
[In Libya, January 24, 6 diplomats of the Egyptian embassy
were kidnaped after Egypt arrested a Libyan commander who
had gone to Cairo for treatment.]
Breaking News: Syria
January 25: During the Geneva talks, the Alawite army led by
Assad tried to break through the mujahideen lines in the
Damascus suburbs, in Aleppo and on the highway to Homs. The
Assad forces failed to advance in spite of air support and
in some areas were beaten back.
The infighting among the opposition groups was an
opportunity for Assad to score victory but he failed. The
Iranians had already declared that the opposition's back has
been broken and the war will soon be over. What a surprise
for Iran and Assad, the mujahideen haven't lost even one
position
The situation in the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk is
horrifying even for hardened observers. Assad is punishing
the Palestinians for supporting the mujahideen. In Homs too
the population which rose up against Assad is in terrible
distress. Assad's forces cannot win but they can use
artillery and aircraft to attack any movement on the roads,
making food movement impossible. [There has been a rally in
Ramallah by Palestinians supporting Yarmouk.]
A defector from Assad's army has brought a copy of
catalogued report of torture and murder of 10,000 and more
prisoners by the regime. The report is well authenticated
with photos, government reports and official numbering of
each prisoner murdered by the regime.
Three ideological forces are at work in Syria:
The Assad-Iranian-Hizbullah vision of a Shi'ite empire
with Assad firmly in place. The Syrian people would be
slaves. For Assad all his opponents are terrorists.
The American-Saudi-secularized Syrian coalition which
would want a gentler "democratic" version of the Assad
regime. Perhaps a transitional government with Alawites
still running the show with Syrian Christians but Assad
gently sent into exile. The role of Kurds and Turkey would
be here too but not very clear yet.
An Islamic Syria combined with western Iraq with hard
core shari'a rule, strongly supported by mujahideen and
donors from across the Muslim world, particularly Libya and
the fighters getting mobilized in Egypt and Gaza.
Breaking News: Pakistan
January 19-25. More than 30,000 people [6000 families] have
fled North Waziristan following a full scale artillery
bombardment and aerial bombing of villages seen as
supporting the Pak Taliban. [Source Fox News.] The
indiscriminate bombing and shelling by the Paki military has
killed 40 civilians and injured many more. [It has been a
long time demand of the US that the army should occupy North
Waziristan and crush the Islamic resistance.]
On January 19, the Pakistanis were sneaking an entire
military convoy into the area when it was struck by the
mujahideen with a remote controlled bomb which killed 22
troops and wounded 30. It appears that the military
commanders went bersek and started attacking all the
villages allegedly supporting the Pak Taliban.
In Karachi on January 25, attacks on police killed 6
policemen. Attackers are unknown,
Breaking News: Iraq
January 22-25. The Shi'ite Maliki regime's attacks on
Fallujah and Ramadi failed. The two towns as well as all of
Anbar province to the Syrian border are in the hands of the
Iraqi branch of al-Qaida known as ISIL. Parts of Ramadi have
been taken by pro-regime Sunnis who are fighting al-Qaida.
There are daily attacks in Baghdad and now in Baquba by the
ISIL. Meanwhile al-Maliki has executed 16 prisoners
supporting al-Qaida by hanging.
The US is rapidly shipping weapons to the Maliki regime, It
has also decided to train Maliki's Special Forces in Jordan.
Our America: Baltimore, Maryland. January 20.
A Day of Amr Bil Mauroof and Nahi Unal Munkari:
Muslim Activists and Others Rally at MLK Day Parade,
Challenge Mayor, Governor, States Attorney, and Police
By Nadrat Siddique
Special to New Trend Magazine
It was an unusual and thought-provoking day at Baltimore's
MLK Day Parade. As much of the crowd jumped and pranced as
if at a football game, an adhoc group of activists, calling
themselves the "No More Jim Crow Justice" Contingent,
brought attention to critical issues in Baltimore. It was
one of thefirst times that parade-participants and attendees
alike were challenged to consider the cynicism of holding a
parade in the name of a man who fought for race and class
equality--in a city where neither exists. The activists
carried signs bearing messages such as "NO—to Baltimore's
System of Jim Crow Justice" and "King Had a Dream?? Tell
That to Baltimore Killer Cops."
The parade start was announced, and the procession slowly
began, led by the Governor, the Mayor, and the States
Attorney. Suddenly, one of the protestors, David Anthony
Wiggins, shouted through a megaphone at the smug trio "You
have blood on your hands!" He demanded justice for Maurice
Johnson, Anthony Anderson, Tyrone West, and other Black men
murdered in cold blood by racist police in Baltimore.
Wiggins, who is a senior fellow at the Baltimore Black Think
Tank and considering a run for Baltimore City Sheriff, told
the trio "You have the power to stop police brutality." His
previous run for Sheriff propounded a platform emphasizing
accountability for public servants, including police.
Float after feel-good float passed, only to be challenged by
the band of committed activists, who were strategically
located near the Master of Ceremonies booth.
Planned Parenthood—known for its racist roots—was challenged
for its complicity in population control. More recently, the
organization pushed for Norplant, Depo-Provera, and similar
birth control devices amongst Baltimore's Black population
on a scale unparalleled in other populations here. White
Supremacist organizations, often-times in cahoots with the
government have a history of similar practices on Native
American reservations, where vast numbers of indigenous
women have been sterilized against their will.
The primarily Black drivers of a fleet of corvettes were
tossed questions on the infrequently discussed topic of
D.W.B. (Driving While Black). The Jerusalem Temple No. 24
Prince Hall masons (Freemasons) were challenged for their
grab of world markets. A Black Motorcycle riders club was
asked to "Ride Against Police Brutality."
In a sign that officials are aware that Baltimore—rife with
corruption, social inequality, and massive
disenfranchisement of the majority Black population—is a
pressure cooker, and that failure to allow some dissent
might result in a broad scale unrest, a limited number of
progressive groups were permitted official participation in
the parade. The Workers and Peoples Assembly and the United
Food and Commercial Workers Union--both protesting abuses
against drivers by Veola; Healthcare Now; Veterans for
Peace; Community Mediation; and others proudly marched in
the parade. The Women in Black, an anti-war group active
against the Iraq War since its inception, with its
eye-catching props of women in hijab, drew a great deal of
attention from the crowd. One of its members carried a sign
decrying the use of drones.
Nearing the end of the parade, a phalanx of police marched
down the parade route. Before they could reach the MC's
booth, Wiggins, followed by the growing group of activists,
walked up on them. "No more killer cops! Justice for Maurice
Johnson! Justice for Anthony Anderson! Justice for Tyrone
West," he shouted via megaphone at the Boys in Blue. Some of
the police twittered. Wiggins waxed didactical.
"I know you're not all bad cops," he said. "If you're not a
bad cop, turn in the bad cops."
It seemed the phalanx was surprised. With the cushion of a
(Zionist) attorney general, Greg Bernstein, ready to
exculpate any officer accused of wrongdoing on the wrong
side of the railroad tracks, they seemed unaccustomed to any
organized challenge.
Activists, whose near and dear ones had been murdered by
police, loudly shamed the police contingent, which was now
at a standstill. A female activist, whose boyfriend was
murdered by police, took the megaphone to chastise them for
crimes against the population they ostensibly served. Some
of the police appeared embarrassed or chagrined, while
others were in denial. A lone Black woman supporter of the
police, carrying a placard bearing an American flag,
approached the scene, commending the police on their work in
the community. Interestingly, as the police phalanx bore
down the parade route, the primarily Black crowd thinned,
until the few who were left ran off. It was clear they did
not view the police as their friend. And—in yet another
indication of the deeply compromised state of the local
corporate media—Fifth Branch of the Government, some would
opine—a major challenge to government officials and police
earned scarcely a passing reference, not even for the
purpose of selling papers with news of the highly
unprecedented action.
In another groundbreaking development, members of Masjid
Jamaat al-Muslimeen, a small grassroots mosque in the Govans
area of Baltimore's West Side, attended the parade in force.
Clearly identifying themselves as Muslim, and operating on
the principles of amr bil mauroof (enjoining the good) and
nahi unal munkari (forbidding the evil), mosque members
offered strong support to the protestors calling for an end
to police brutality. Masjid members held signs saying
"Muslims Honor Dr. King" and "Islam Advocated Racial
Equality 1400 Years Ago."
Protestors chanting slogans at police force against police
brutality on MLK Day, January 20, in Baltimore.
Thousands watched this Jamaat placard during the MLK parade
in Baltimore.
Outreach:Our America
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Literature given to 100 people in 14
degrees after Juma
January 24:
At the main Islamic Center in Newark, Delaware, 6 pages of
Jamaat al-Muslimeen literature were given to 100 Muslims,
mostly Arab Americans, after Juma' salat. The contents were:
Palestine is like Bilal r.a. [Poem by Shaukat Khan]
After Buddhist mobs, military moving against Muslim
Rohingya minority in Burma.
Bangladesh "elections," Egypt's "referendum," Assad
starving Palestinians in Yarmouk.
Those trying to stop Dr. Siddique's writings: by Sis.
Aisha
Dr. Kaukab Siddique: Khutbas on Assimilation and
Ghettoization: What does Islam say.
Extreme cold did not stop the distribution. Egyptians were
discussing the attack on Police HQ in Cairo. The khutba was
on doing good every day. A brother from West Indies loudly
gave high praise to the Jamaat literature.
Our America: Jamaat al-Muslimeen, New York
Ad shows Hijabi Woman with a Kafir Man: Media Violating our
Islamic Rights
by sis. Aisha [January 24]
I just saw a disturbing commercial on Channel 11 in New York
City for the product Snore Stop. It is an oral spray that
one uses before going to sleep to stop snoring. Well, you
see a man and a woman get into bed before retiring for the
night. The man sprays the Snore Stop in his mouth and
retires to bed. The next clip is of the same man, wearing a
military uniform, having breakfast. A Hijabi woman appears.
He asks her if she had a good night sleep and she smiles and
says, "yes", kisses him and they both leave the house. This
commercial is on You Tube: http://youtu.be/nW7K8JN12lk
I found this commercial offensive. A Hijabi woman with a
kafir man! There is, obviously, an agenda going on here
because the people behind this marketing campaign would
never feature a commercial with an Hasidic woman and a
non-Jewish man. But, who is behind this, useless, campaign?
Is it Americanized, secular "Muslims"? The kaafiruun don't
respect Muslims but, I don't see anything like this
happening without "permission" from these weak, boot licking
"Muslim leadership."
I plan to write Snore Stop to show my displeasure with this
commercial. This is a new commercial, which accompanies the
Snore Stop "Be Together" billboard campaign, in 2013. The
billboard featured an Hijabi woman hugging an American
soldier. This ad was inspired by a real life married couple,
Jamie and Aleah Sutton. However, Paul Evans and his Muslim
girlfriend are the ones posing in the billboard. There is a
December 2, 2013 PetaPixel.com article about Clear Channel,
who owns many many billboards in New York City rejected this
billboard because of its "uncomfortable imagery."
Interestingly, this move was called bigoted!
Snore Stops campaign message is this: If we can keep this
odd (my word) couple together then, we can keep anyone
together. They could not get any other advertisers to
feature their billboard campaign in heavily populated Times
Square but, I guess, they found takers for this commercial
on television.
The fact that this campaign features a real-life married
couple makes any effort to stop it difficult. It would be
the same with a Black American featured in an offensive ad
with a White American. Of course, the issue is not a racial
one. It would be an issue of the oppressive relationship
that White people have with Black people and to depict a
Black and White person holding hands or living in harmony in
an advertisement would be an insult to our intelligence.
Seeing a Muslimah hugging an American soldier is just as
offensive! These soldiers are murdering and raping Muslims
all over the world! I don't even know if the soldier is
Muslim or not but, he is proud to wear that military
uniform, which is just as much a sign of oppression in the
Muslim World as much as the American flag is to Native and
Black Americans!
However, the same idiots who promote homosexuality in ads
are going to overlook the oppression that exists in these
relationship and say, "What's wrong with it? Love is Love!"
Sectarianism buster
Evidence that Ali, r.a., gave his BAYAT [oath of allegiance]
to Abu Bakr, r.a.
Now we come to a Shia's claim that Ali, r.a., did not do
bayat of Abu Bakr, r.a.
The documentation shows that Ali, r.a., not only did bayat,
he did it TWICE. First he did it in a hurry. Then he came
back after Fatima, r.a., passed away and did it again with
full tribute to Abu Bakr, r.a.:
." Habib bin Abi Thabit narrates: Ali, r.a., was in his home
when he was told that Abu Bakr, r.a., was taking bayat in
the masjid. Ali, r.a., wearing only his long shirt and
without his chadar and lower clothes rushed to the masjid to
ensure that his bayat was not delayed. He did Abu Bakr's,
r.a., bayat, and then sat down with Abu Bakr, r.a., and sent
someone home to get the rest of his clothes . He wore his
when they were brought and kept sitting there with Abu Bakr,
r.a." [ Tabari's Tarikh, vol. 1. Page 535. The Seerah of the
Prophet, pbuh.]
Six months later after Fatima, r.a., passed away:
"Narrated by Muammar. After Zuhr prayers Abu Bakr, r.a.,
spoke from the mimbar and offered his condolences to Ali,
r.a. Then Ali, r.a., got up and spoke and stated the
validity of Abu Bakr, r.a., right to be caliph and expressed
the superiority of Abu Bakr, r.a., in Islam and Abu Bakr's,
r.a., being first in accepting Islam. Then he went up to Abu
Bakr, r.a., and did his bayat.
Ayesha, r.a., narrates, after Ali, r.a., did the bayat, all
the people congratulated Ali, r,a., and said that O Ali you
did very well. After he did Abu Bakr's bayat, people once
more felt kindly towards Ali, r.a."
[Tabari's Tarikh, Volume 1, Page 536. The Seerah of the
Prophet, pbuh.]
Bangladesh
[Bangladeshi Opposition leader uncovers the reality of
India-backed "elections." -Editor]
Diabolical roadmap to serve the regional hegemon
Sadeq Khan [via Khabor group]
On January 15, Begum Khaleda Zia held her first press
conference after losing her position as the Leader of the
Opposition in parliament following "sham" elections on
January 5 which she boycotted and which most citizens
rejected by voting with their feet or being deprived of any
chance to vote in more than half of the constituencies,
where the Election Commission failed to enlist any candidate
other than ones "selected" by the ruling "neo Bakshal"
clique of Sheikh Hasina. Khaleda thanked the people for the
seal of "illegitimacy" that the absentee voters stamped on
the infractuous 10th parliament, thereby staging a "silent
revolution."
She seemed also to indicate that the silent revolution had
enabled her to undertake a change of strategy from street
agitation to dialogue for fresh polls with the new
government by pressure of public opinion and engagements
with the international community to augment such pressure.
Earlier press reports suggested that the US ambassador and
other Western diplomats, who found the January 5 polls
ridiculously unrepresentative, had met Begum Zia and assured
her of full moral support of the international community
behind her bid for such a negotiated resolution of the
political crisis and violent unrest in Bangladesh. In the
press conference, Khaleda Zia called for "fresh dialogue"
and for installation of a truly representative government
through "fresh polls". She argued as follows:
Death of democracy
"At the very outset of 2014 of the English calendar, our
people once again witnessed the death of democracy through a
farcical election on the 5th of January. Voting centres all
over the country, including the capital Dhaka, were barren.
Nationwide, the voter turnout did not exceed a measly 5
percent. However, a completely partisan and subservient
Election Commission was made to show a turnout of close to
40 percent.
"While protesting against the farcical election of 5
January, at least 22 people were killed by police firing
alone. Since the announcement of the election schedule, more
than two hundred people have died. Many more innocent lives
have been lost because of actions of government agents in
their vile attempt to sabotage the democratic movement. In
the last five years, about twenty two thousand people have
been killed. A few hundred political leaders and workers
have been abducted and have not been heard of since. A reign
of terror has been let loose on the people. To thwart the
opposition movement for restoration of the people's voting
rights, thousands of leaders of the BNP have been arrested
on false charges, and they continue to languish in prison.
An undeclared ban has been imposed on the normal political
activities of opposition. Even peaceful protest marches were
subjected to police firing. Raids have been carried out in
people's homes under the guise of law and order drive by the
so-called joint forces. In many cases, their houses have
been destroyed; properties looted, and women and children
often taken away by force. Such atrocity cannot be allowed
to continue.
"The ordinary people, religious minded people, members of
the minority community, the business community and
professionals altogether are today passing their days in
fear and uncertainty. And yet the government continues on
its arrogant path. The country must be saved from this
abnormal course. Peace, tranquillity and healthy competition
must be restored. First and foremost, the protection of the
most vulnerable people and the minority community has to be
assured. In an attempt to divert public and international
attention from the scandalous and farcical election, attacks
are being launched on members of the minority community.
"We have been alerting all concerned of this possible
eventuality for quite some time. In different parts of the
country, incidents of violence against the minority
community have been carried out with support and
encouragement from government agencies. At the same time,
blame is being put on opposition parties, whose members are
being subjected to repression and torture. Media reports,
however, clearly show the involvement of the government's
own people in these vile incidents.
"I demand independent and credible inquiry into these wanton
attacks to identify the real culprits, mete out appropriate
punishment to all those involved and ensure that such
incidents do not recur.
"The new Parliament has no public mandate and it lacks the
approval of the people to govern.
"Hence this government lacks legality. Such a government
does not feel accountable to the people for its actions.
Continuation of such a situation is dangerous. This can only
end with the replacement of this government by one that is
elected credibly and one that enjoys public mandate."
War against people
On January 20, in a mammoth public meeting in Suhrawardy
Udyan in Dhaka, permitted by the government to be held by
the BNP and its allies on condition of exclusion of Jamaat
leaders, the 18-party alliance leader Khaleda Zia joined by
the dissident Jatiyo Party leader Kazi Zafar, again
congratulated the people of Bangladesh for boycotting the
January 5 polls and rendering the 10th parliament "selected"
by Sheikh Hasina "illegitimate". She further raised
questions about the weakened new government's supposed
extra-territorial dependence on neighbourly boost and
support in waging a war against the people countrywide, who
have been agitating against the misrule of Sheikh Hasina's
government.
She referred to the banning of daily Inqilab which published
a leaked or faked document suggesting that Indian commando
personnel borrowed by the RAB-Police-BGB joint forces'
campaign against violent agitators in border districts took
part in extra-judicial killings. The newspaper later
apologised for publishing the report without prior
confirmation from responsible quarters, but the ban on the
newspaper's printing and publication has not yet been
withdrawn. In the relevant report on January 16, the
newspaper quoted sources claiming that Indian troops were
seen among the members of law enforcers conducting joint
operation in Jamaat-dominated Satkhira area. Begum Zia made
an issue of the case as follows:
"The government had been killing and abducting people in the
name of joint forces' drive across the country.
"The reports that the daily Inqilab published also appeared
in Facebook and many online (media). If the incident was not
true, the government should explain it. Why did the
government arrest the journalists and seal off the press?"
After the action, the government did in fact contradict the
news and termed it 'completely false.'
Referring to Ershad's joining the new government of Sheikh
Hasina as the Prime Minister's special envoy, Khaleda Zia in
her public meeting in Suhrawardy Udyan commented: "The two
autocrats are (now together for) eating up the country and
plundering the country's assets." In conclusion she said it
was necessary to initiate a dialogue immediately with a view
to hold an acceptable election to bring peace in the
country.
Eyewitness Account
Old Makkah Fights Back.
[See New Trend January 19 for part 1]
How the writer battled Serious Sickness
from asqfish.wordpress.com
Salah is the easiest and can be the shortest and most
concise ebadah in all of those designated to us as muslims.
Unless behest with a debilitating disease it can be
accomplished with ease both in time and in effort.
I had promised myself forty Salah in the Masjid e Nabvi. Why
forty? Because Prophet Muhammad said that it takes forty
repetitions to make something a habit.
The Quran also speaks of 40 in many some of the surahs: The
forty days of the silent retreat of Moses with Allah. The
age of forty when a human being must turn to Allah, fulfill
his obligation to his parents and change his focus from
duniya to Akhirah. There is also a hadith:
According to Anas, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has also
said:
"The person who offers 40 prayers consecutively in my
Mosque, without missing a prayer in between, will secure
immunity from the fire of Hell and other torments and also
from hypocrisy." (Musnad Ahmad)
A Pakistani woman I had met at Hajj, who told me she had
prayed for years to be invited to the Prophets mosque to
pray forty Salah, and tears brimmed her eyes as she said she
was so thankful that finally she was here. I was extremely
touched and inspired by her devotion that I decided to do
this with a single-minded focus at some point in my
life.
Once I decided that my prime reason for being in Medina
would be to pray at the Prophets mosque, Allah opens the
path and makes it easy to get there and to resist the pull
of shopping, clothes, food and tourism while I was
there.
What I had not envisioned when I happily bound for Medina
that within me the inhaled fragments of Old Makah would come
alive and wreck havoc, within my body weeping to be let out
perhaps to lay at the feet of the Rasool pbuh and
complain.........to Allah, seek his the Wasilla of the
rasool pbuh to ask Allah to stay the sledgehammer that so
ruthlesslessly and mercilessly is taking down Old Makkah.
The incessant wrecker ball is disturbing the path of the
Prophet and his sahabah in Mecca.
The nine days in Medina became my Saee in Medina. I was not
emulating Bibi Hajra here; I was only working towards
fulfilling a promise I had made to myself of the 40 salah in
Masjed e Nabvi.
Friday came and the Khutbah was on Tauba or repentance,
surprisingly it was followed with an urdu translation. As
the day wrapped up, my body became unhinged; every joint
felt it had fallen apart and every sinew hurt. I completed
my isha salah and came to the room as I was expecting two
friends to visit for a few days. That night I fell into a
stupor of fever and my friends in consideration did not wake
me for fajr salah.........I had missed my opportunity of the
forty consecutive salah in the masjed e Nabvi. This fact
registered in my subconscious but I was not ready to give
up, perhaps the hadith doesn't say consecutive I thought, my
fevered mind pushing excuses.
I continued going to the mosque for the five Salah's, it
became a habit to stay after Maghreb and pray salaat e
awaabeen, recite the Quran till the iqama for isha would be
called.
I noticed that the thinnest attendance at the mosque would
be at Asr, which happened to be my favorite time.
At Asr when I entered the masjid the Zam Zam would cool my
fevered brow that had broken loose from the effects of the
ibuprofen and would pass into my body bringing cool comfort.
I would then find my place in the front of the ladies
section and pray Asr.
Sometimes after Asr Salah I would succumb to the peace of
the half empty mosque. The swishing sounds of the cleaning
women who whisked around picking up litter, replacing the
chairs and Qurans to their proper places would be reassuring
and were sounds of home in Pakistan.
The sunroof of the mosque would gently glide open, revealing
the blue skies. Sunlight would stream in bringing a mix of
the cool evening air mixed with the warmth of the sunbeams.
The peace and tranquility of the sunbathed musallah would
lull me into a sleep that was refreshing and energizing.
My companion on the left from Iran would cover me with her
musallah as I slept and I would feel the vibes of compassion
coming from her though no words were exchanged other that
the salutation as neither of us knew each others
language.
Somewhere along the way on one of the days I lost my phone
and along with it my morning alarm and a sense of time.
Fortunately the hotel operator surprised at my electronic
free condition agreed to give me a wake up call for
Fajr.
Fajr was my most challenging time. Getting out of the warm
bed, completing my ablutions, putting on my coat and scarf,
carrying my musallah and an extra shawl incase I could not
get into the masjed because it had filled before I got
there.
Many a time I prayed in the courtyard as the pink fingers of
dawn lit the sky and the muted gold of the minarets and
umbrellas lighted up.
The drawback of praying in the courtyard was that people
left promptly after Salah and did not wait to complete their
adkaars till the sun came up. The exiting crowd from the
interior of the masjed was also a distraction and the
temptation would be to let the adkaars be, get up and head
back to the hotel and go back to bed............
After completing the course of allopathic medicine which had
made a minor difference in my respiratory illness I decided
to go to the pharmacy and ask for something recommended by
the Prophet as a cure of many diseases. I had been taking a
course on Islamic medicine but had not reached those details
yet. I had read enough about it to know that if it was pure
the hadith recommended it.
Aisha RA said that she heard the Messenger PBUH say, "This
black seed is a cure for every disease except death."
(Bukhaari).
Allopathic medicine at Web MD says: There is some scientific
evidence to suggest that black seed might help boost the
immune system, fight cancer, prevent pregnancy, and lessen
allergic reactions by acting as an antihistamine.
Other references say: The Nigella Sativa seed itself
contains numerous esters of structurally unusual unsaturated
fatty acids and the chemical composition is very rich and
diverse. Apart from its active ingredient, crystalline
nigellone, it contains 15 amino acids (including eight of
the nine essential ones), carbohydrates, fatty acids
including linolenic and oleic, volatile oils, alkaloids and
dietary fibre, as well as minerals such as calcium, iron,
sodium and potassium. ??Recent research on the black seed as
an anti-biotic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory,
anti-histaminic, anti-bacterial, anti-bronchial and immune
boosting agent has shown great promise.
http://www.muslimhealthnetwork.org/ls_black_seed.shtml
I had read about the cure of the black seed in Imam Suyutis
book on Tib e Nabawi and regretted that I could not recall
more about dosage and frequency of taking it.
One day when I had exhausted all my allopathic medical
options and my spasms of coughing were unremitting and
becoming disturbing in their intensity and frequency I
decided to go in search of the black seed oil.
After fajr Salah I walked intto the only pharmacy that was
open besides the manic vendors selling clothes, scarfs and
perfume in the footpaths.
The pharmacist in a crisp white jacket was young, fresh
faced; soft in expression intelligent green eyes greeted me
with a reserved non-familiar greeting of salaam.
I asked if he had the black seed oil. "What kind" he asked.
Observing my nonplussed expression he asked what I wanted it
for hair or other ailments.
"Cough and bronchial infection" I said. He asked his
assistant to bring the black seed oil from the upper
echelons of the pharmacy. Meanwhile a man from Pakistan came
in and asked for a medicine, which the pharmacist could not
understand. I asked the paksitani man what it was for "he
said pain" do you have the name written somewhere I asked.
he showed me the name on a text message from his doctor
friend which was unfamiliar to me. I looked it up on my
phone and it was an anti inflammatory drug. He showed the
text message to the pharmacist who located it
immediately.
Meanwhile two types of black seed oil arrived, one was from
Syria and the other was a cold press from Wadi Nahl. "How
many times" I asked, "three times a day for your illness,
and once a day to maintain" he replied.
I was out of there coughing my lungs out; I got to the
hotel, opened the bottle and took a teaspoon of the pungent
oil. As it slid down my throat it burned in places and then
a calm settled in my chest for a few hours to the point that
I forgot that I had a cough...............
Canada
A Not-So-Subtle Campaign Against Islamic women.
Canada's Muslim Women Targeted In Latest Example Of
Islamophobia
By Laila Alawa
"I hope the charter hearings succeed, to get you all out of
the country and back home where you belong."
Sama Al-Obaidy was heading home on the Montreal Metro when
the woman came up to her and began pulling at one end of her
headscarf, trying to pull it off several times while saying,
"It doesn't belong here." It was not until Al-Obaidy brushed
the woman's hand away that the woman stopped harassing her,
and instead began yelling that Al-Obaidy was violent, just
as all Muslims are violent.
Her encounter mirrors the plethora of religious and
headscarf-related assaults that have taken place in the last
few months. The instances have been directly prompted by the
announcement of a proposed secular charter by the Parti
Quebecois that would prohibit public employees from wearing
overt religious symbols to work. The minister in charge of
the charter, Bernard Drainville, announced that if the
charter were adopted by legislature, the wearing of kippas,
turbans, burqas, hijabs and "large" crosses would be banned.
However, elected members of the national assembly would not
be subjected to the regulations. Given that the Muslim
population in Canada is growing at a rate that exceeds even
the number of Canadians identifying as having no religion,
this poses a serious issue. "I know lots of people who would
lose their jobs if [this charter] were put in motion, and
they are afraid for their safety," Al-Obaidy said in an
exclusive conversation with PolicyMic.
The harassment jarred Al-Obaidy, not so much for the actual
harassment, but because of the reactions of those present
during the event. As it happened, Al-Obaidy looked around at
those watching in the crowded metro station and saw nothing
but apathy in the young people surrounding the two women.
"People can't be bothered to react," she realized, after
another incident when a man beside her on the train told
her, "So, is this when you're going to blow yourself up,"
after seeing her reading the Quran on her phone. The
incident revealed that the man, along with many Canadians,
just do not know much about Muslims, thus prompting the fear
and ignorance from which the proposed charter is now
benefiting.
With that realization, she and two other women, her sister
Yusr Al-Obaidy and Nariman El-Doraini, set out to launch
Support Another, a campaign that promotes mutual
understanding and respect through experience and dialogue.
"Since the discussions of the charter of values have
surfaced, there have been hundreds of reported cases of
verbal and physical assaults against visible minorities,
wearing religious symbols, in our own streets of Quebec,"
the group explains on their Facebook page. In response to
the harassment, the campaign has worked to help Canadians
against the charter put themselves in the shoes of visible
minorities, letting them feel the looks and better
understand misconceptions and experiences that can only
truly be understood experientially.
Although hearings for the charter began on January 14,
Al-Obaidy is hopeful that it does not succeed in cutting off
a percentage of Quebec's vibrant population from the
opportunity to live and work in Canada. As the Support
Another campaign has developed and flourished, she has found
that people who are not religious have been defending the
campaign and subsequent dialogue. She stresses that "whether
you're for or against the charter, be against the violence."
That has happened as a result of the proposed charter.
Courtesy freedetainrees.org
Courtesy Reuters
U.S. woman known as Jihad Jane sentenced to 10 years in
plot
By John Shiffman
PHILADELPHIA Mon Jan 6, 2014 2:06pm EST
Colleen LaRose, known by the self-created pseudonym of
''Jihad Jane'', is pictured in this photo released by Site
Intelligence Group on March 10, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Site Intelligence Group/
"Jihad Jane" sentenced to 10 years in murder plot
Mon, Jan 6 2014
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday sentenced an
American woman who called herself Jihad Jane to 10 years in
prison - at least a decade less than prosecutors had sought
for her role in a failed plot to kill a Swedish artist who
had depicted the head of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad on a
dog.
Colleen R. LaRose, 50, who converted to Islam online and has
maintained her faith, was given credit for the four years
she has already served. LaRose, who pleaded guilty to
following orders in 2009 from alleged al Qaeda operatives,
could have received a life sentence.
"It's a just and reasonable sentence," her attorney, Mark
Wilson, told reporters after the hearing. "She's pleased.
Ten years is about what we were hoping for all along."
U.S. District Judge Petrese Tucker called LaRose's crimes
"gravely serious," adding: "The court has no doubt that,
given the opportunity, Ms. LaRose would have completed the
mission."
Tucker also cited the significant cooperation LaRose has
given the Federal Bureau of Investigation in other terrorism
cases since her 2009 arrest, as well as the sexual and other
abuse she suffered as a child. That abuse was chronicled in
a 2011 Reuters investigative series.
LaRose, who used the name Jihad Jane as she became involved
in the Muslim online community, traveled to Europe in 2009
intending to participate in a militant plot to shoot artist
Lars Vilks in the chest six times. But LaRose became
impatient with the men who lured her to Europe and she gave
up after six weeks and returned to Philadelphia, where she
was arrested.
At Monday's hearing, LaRose apologized for blindly following
the instructions of her handlers.
"I was in a trance and I couldn't see anything else," she
said. "I don't want to be in jihad no more."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams had
sought "decades behind bars" for LaRose, arguing that
despite her extensive cooperation, she still was a danger to
society. Prosecutors also had pointed out that LaRose - a
blond, green-eyed, white American - did not fit the
stereotype of an Islamic militant.
"This is a sentencing that people are watching," Williams
said on Monday. "Ms. LaRose had such a big impact in the
public and press because she really did change the face of
what the world thought of as a violent jihadist. It was
scary for people to hear that Ms. LaRose could have been
radicalized simply online in the U.S."
CHILDHOOD SCARS
Wilson told the court that the plot to kill Vilks was "more
aspirational than operational" and that LaRose had never
even fired a gun.
He had described LaRose as a lonely and vulnerable woman
easily manipulated by others online. Her behavior, while not
excusable, can be explained in part by deep psychological
scars from her childhood, he said.
LaRose's biological father repeatedly raped her from about
age 7 to 13, when she ran away and became a prostitute,
according to court documents. At age 16, LaRose married a
man twice her age and later became a heavy drug user.
"I survived a lot of things that should have rightfully have
killed me," LaRose told Reuters in a 2012 interview.
While LaRose was in contact with an al Qaeda operative in
Pakistan, her conspirators repeatedly bungled a plot that
never moved much past the planning stages. Vilks, the
artist, had told Reuters that he believes LaRose has spent
enough time in prison and should be freed.
"That's a pretty tough sentence," Vilks told the Swedish
news agency TT on Monday.
Under U.S. sentencing rules, LaRose likely will serve 90
percent of her sentence, which means she will be eligible
for release around 2020. She has requested imprisonment near
her sister, Pam LaRose, in the Fort Worth, Texas, area, but
a final decision will be up to the Bureau of Prisons.
LaRose was in solitary confinement for four years but
recently moved to the general population at a Philadelphia
jail.
Ali Damache, LaRose's alleged handler in Ireland, remains
jailed there, fighting extradition to the United States on
terrorism charges. Jamie Paulin Ramirez, who flew from
Colorado to marry Damache in Ireland, has pleaded guilty to
related terrorism charges and is scheduled to be sentenced
on Wednesday.
The sentencing for another co-conspirator who has pleaded
guilty, Mohammad Hassan Khalid, has delayed in order to
complete psychological evaluations. Khalid, who grew up in
Pakistan and was an honor student in suburban Baltimore,
committed his crimes when he was 15 and 16. He is the
youngest person ever charged with terrorism inside the
United States.
According to a November report in the Guardian newspaper,
documents leaked by Edward Snowden, a former contractor for
the U.S. National Security Agency, to the British newspaper
show that the FBI became involved in the Jihad Jane case
after the NSA intercepted communications.
(Reporting by John Shiffman; Editing by Bill Trott, Doina
Chiacu and Jonathan Oatis)
Rabi' al-Awwal 24,1435/January 26, 2014 # 4
