Our Duty to free Muslim "slaves": Palestinians, Rohingyas,
Uighurs, Egyptians, Bangladeshis, Pakistani women.....
[Helpless & Oppressed.]
"I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on
him, saying: One who frees an enslaved Muslim male, that act
will free him from the fire of hell, each bone in his body
for reach bone of the slave, and one who frees two enslaved
women, they will save him from hell fire, bone for bone. "
[Narrated by Kaab bin Marra, r.a., Sunan of Ibn Maja,
chapters on freedom.]
Required Reading about Baltimore Uprising
Baltimore: The New Gaza . What Role for Muslims [and other
People of Conscience]?
39 pages of Solid information
by Nadrat Siddique
Order from : jamaatalmuslimeendc(at)yahoo(dot)com
or from New Trend. [Donations welcome to help inner city
children.]
Required Reading for Peaceful Da'wah.
Global Islamic Movement: Why and How? by Shamim Siddiqi. 118
pages. $6
Free for committed activists who lack funds.
Order from: New Trend. P.O. Box 84, Oxford, Pa. 19363
Some of the best khutbas.
4624 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212.
Phone: 443 629 6283
Administrator: Sis. Ashira Naim
For Zakatul Fitr info by Imam Ali Siddiqui,
scroll down to the end.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Activist Arrested.
Br. Ali Randall was arrested in Petersburg, Virginia, around
June 16.
It's still not clear why. He is being held under various
pretexts while he is reportedly being questioned about New
Trend. His wife, a hijabi, is distressed.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen spreads its message by peaceful means
strictly within the limits of the law.
Please show support by writing to him at this prison
address:
Vance Randall #29735, 500 Folar Trail, N. Prince George, VA
23860
Turkey: Rallies Against Chinese Oppression of Muslims during Ramadan
On July 3 there were rallies in cities across Turkey against
China's ban on fasting in Ramadan. China is oppressing
Muslims in Eastern Turkistan. The rallies came after 173
Uighur Muslim refugees from China who had been stranded in
Thailand arrived in Turkey. The rallies were lead by a
conservative group known as the Grey Wolves.
Turkey's government called in the Chinese ambassador to
complain against the oppression. In turn China complained
that it is its internal issue and some Chinese tourists were
manhandled during the rallies.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Activity near Bel Air, Maryland: 38
Muslims reached in conservative Community.
On July 3, a six page Jamaat al-Muslimeen document in
various ways to the military bases in the region. The six
pages were:
Jamaat al-Muslimeen's condemnation of the racist murders
in Charleston, SC [sis. Nadrat Siddique].
Critique of the pro-India regime in Dhaka's sell out to
Indian hegemony [from Jamaae Islami Bangladesh.]
&
Main points of Br. Kaukab Siddique's khutba to
1,000 Arab Americans in Greensboro, NC, discussing the
connection of taqwa and fasting to the rights of women,
dealing with America's need for Islam, condemnation of
homosexual movement, opposition to US bombing in the middle
east, and about food.
China, the new imperialism, has banned fasting in
Xinjiang and ordered sale of cigarettes and alcohol.
Syrian mujahideen preparing to expel the last enclaves of
Assad's regime from Aleppo, Syria's biggest city.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Activity in White Oaks, south Maryland
to 100 Muslims in second Juma Prayer.
Owing to increase in numbers, Muslim Community Center in
White Oaks, 7 miles north of Wasjington DC, holds two juma
prayers. In this second prayer, big numbers of African
Muslims congregate.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen literature was given to 100 Muslims
here. Main items:
&
&
Resolutions of Jamaat al-Muslimeen's National
Shoora [central committee] condemning the Egyptian death
verdict on President Morsi, urging Muslims to boycott
businesses supporting Israel, calling for support for Muslim
political prisoners, criticizing the exploitation of women
in America, condemning the oppression of Islamic scholars in
Bangladesh, urging help for needy families in Africa.
A Muslim woman's right to travel alone for a good cause:
Example of Ikrima's wife to find her kafir husband, bring
him to Islam and to have him pardoned by the Prophet, pbuh.
Travelled from Makka to Yemen.
Battle news from Syria and Iraq as mujahideen
advance.
Negative impact of "Mother's Day in America. [Sis.
Aisha.]
What I learned from Ramadan
by Imam Badi Ali
Not to waste food, drinks, or resources
The importance of Muslim unity
The importance and the value of time
The hours and minutes - they are too precious to be
wasted
Some of the righteous used to recite the whole
Qur'an in one day. It is possible to do it if you are
focused during the month. All you need is 7.5 hours. For
each part of the Qur'an, you need 15 minutes.
The blessing of time when you use it wisely
Ramadan teaches time management and discipline.
Ramadan teaches the importance of setting
priorities.
Redistributing food to those in need, realizing
that whether it is big or small, will help make a difference
in the lives of people.
Ramadan helps rekindle the love and commitment to
improve the lives of people.
Ramadan develops the will power, patience and
control over our needs/desires.
Ramadan will help us focus on commitment, kindness
and hard work, which are valuable skills in our daily
lives.
Ramadan pushes our limits, shows our hidden
strengths and encourages us to be good servants of Allah
Ramadan teaches us sharing and giving.
Ramadan teaches us the importance of planning,
preparation, teamwork and cooperation.
Ramadan teaches us how to face life's challenges,
struggles, temptations, addictions, extremes and
desires.
Ramadan teaches us humility
Imam Badi Ali is a Palestinian American who leads a large
congregation In North Carolina
Analysis
Knowledge can squash Sectarianism. [See evidence.]
Ali, r.a., and Umar, r.a., were great friends. Ruqayya,
r.a., was the Prophet's, pbuh, greatest Daughter.
Facts about Muawiyya, r.a. Did he hate Ali, r.a.? His
Achievements Should be Known.
by Kaukab Siddique, Phd
The Prophet, pbuh, had more than one daughter.
Fatima, r.a., was not his only daughter. The Qur'an refers
to the Prophet's, pbuh, daughters. [1]
Hadith give the names of the daughters Prophet Muhammad,
pbuh, had with Khadija, r.a., Zainab, Umm Kulthum, Ruqayya
and Fatima [Allah be pleased with them]. Of these Ruqayya,
r.a., outdid the others in carrying out the greatest duty of
Muslims, second only to Jihad. She did the first hijra in
Islamic history which was to Africa. [2]
Zainab, r.a., was married to an Umayyad, Abu al-'As, r.a.,
who embraced Islam and turned out to be a great fighter for
Islam. So the sectarian attacks on Ummayads are actually
attacks on the Prophet's, pbuh, in-laws.[3]
Ali, r.a., and Umar, r.a., were great friends. In fact Ali,
r.a., gave his daughter in marriage to Umar., r.a. She loved
Umar. r.a, though much younger than him, and gave him two
children. She cried uncontrollably when Umar, r.a., was
assassinated. Thus the sectarian hatred aimed at Umar, r.a.,
which has gone beyond all limits of decency, is absurd and
baseless as far as the facts of Ali.'s, r.a., own life are
concerned. [4]
Ali, r.a., was part of Umar's, r.a., shoora council,
[decision making body] when Umar, r.a., became the second
Rightly Guided Caliph of Islam.
Ali, r.a, never insulted or abused Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman,
Allah be pleased with them. In fact he accepted their
leadership, gave his oath of allegiance [ba'yat] to them and
prayed behind them. They in turn loved, respected and
honored him. Ali, r.a., became Caliph and never said a word
against his predecessors.
The sectarian Shi'is have extended their hatred to Muawiya,
r.a., because he was the father of Yazeed who is blamed for
the tragedy of Kerbala and the martyrdom of Hussain, r.a,
the grandson of the Prophet, pbuh. This endless stream of
abuse directed at Muawiyya, r.a., is guilt by associaton
which is totally unacceptable in Islam. Here are the facts
in authentic narrations which Shi'a sectarians try to
hide.
Muawiyya, r.a., was a katib-e-wahy. The Prophet, pbuh,
trusted Muawiyya, r.a., to the extent that he had the
revelations of parts of the Qur'an written down by Muawiyya,
r.a.,
Muawiyya, r.a., never fought against the Prophet, pbuh.
The idea that he fought against Ali, r.a. to gain the
Caliphate is not correct. He was fighting to punish the
killers of Uthman, r.a., one of the greatest Muslims of all
times and the third Rightly guided Caliph of Islam.
Muawiyya, r.a. served Islam on the battlefield and as an
organizer and leader and was fully trusted by the first
three rightly guided Caliphs. Ali, r.a., never objected to
any of the actions of Muawiyya r.a., during the time of the
three Caliphs.
Both Hasan and Hussain, Allah be pleased with them, gave
their oath of allegiance to Muawiyya, r.a., when he became
Caliph.
A story has been concocted that Muawiyya, r.a., had Hasan,
r.a., poisoned by his wife. The story is far fetched to say
the least because after Hasan, r.a., passed away, his brave
and fearless brother Hussain, r.a., retained his allegiance
[ba'yat] to Muawiyyah, r.a., for TEN YEARS while Muawiyyah,
r.a., remained Caliph.
All historians agree that during the Caliphate of Muawiyya,
r.a., the Muslim Ummah, which went through fratricidal war
during the caliphate of Ali, r.a., was once again solidly
united and the jihad against the powers of that time gained
tremendous momentum.
Thus the roots of Shi'ite sectarianism and hatred against
the Muslim ummah derive from attempts to extend the blame on
Yazeed to Muawiyya, r.a., and then to Usman, r.a., then to
Ayesha, r.a., then to Umar, r.a., and then to Abu Bakr,
r.a., and then to all who were not from the family of
Fatima, r.a., and Ali, r.a., and in particular to great
Mujahideen like Khalid, Abu Sufian, and Ikrima [Allah be
pleased with them]
By attacking the holiest personalities of Islam, the Shi'a
sectarians have isolated themselves from the Muslim Ummah
and opened up the doors of Muslim countries to invading
armies coming in from the West.
References
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters, and the
believing women, that they should draw their coverings over
their bodies. That will be better that they should be known
so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is ever Forgiving , Most
Merciful." [The Qur'an 33: 59]
From Hadith narrations: "Ruqayya, was the daughter of the
Messenger of Allah, pbuh, and her mother was Khadija, the
daughter of Khuwaylad. Before receiving prophethood
Muhammad, pbuh, had married her to Utba, the son of Abi
Lahab bin Abdul Mutallib who divorced her soon thereafter
before taking her as his wife because in the meantime the
prophet received prophethood and the verses condemning Abu
Lahab were revealed in the Qur'an. She never went to Utba's
home."
"She embraced Islam the very day her mother, Khadija, r.a.,
embraced Islam." [Among the very first to embrace
Islam.]
"She was among the first women to take the oath of
allegiance [baiat] to the Prophet, pbuh."
"She was married to one of the greatest Companions of the
Prophet, Usman, r.a."
" She did hijra TWICE to Africa with Usman, r.a.. The
Prophet, pbuh, said this is the first hijra in all of human
history for the sake of Allah since the time of the Prophet
Lut."
"Ruqayya suffered greatly [for Allah's sake] during hijra
and lost her unborn child through miscarriage."
All quotes are from Tabqat al-kubra by Muhammad Ibn Sa'ad,
first and earliest collection of biographical Hadith.
[Comment: By the standard of the Qur'an, the Hijra by
Ruqayya, r.a., puts her above other women, including Fatima,
r.a. who was also a great woman. We love Fatima, r.a., but
facts must be above feelings.]
"And their Lord has accepted of them and answered them:
'Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be
you male or female, you are one community: those of you who
have done hijra from their homes or been driven out
therefrom ......... [The Qur;an 3:195.]
A Shi'i scholar admits what most Shi'is do not like to
know, that the Prophet, pbuh, married three of his daughters
to Ummayads, that is outside his family & tribe: " The
Prophet gave two of his daughters in marriage to Usman and
his daughter Zainab to Abi al-Aas, and both were not of the
Bani Hashm." Zainuddin in his book Masalik al-Afham,
published from Tehran, original in Arabic and now in Urdu
translation." Famous Iranian philosopher Ali Shariati writes
about Usman, r.a., : "He did two hijras in Islam and was the
son-n-law of the Prophet and known as the keeper of the Two
Lights. He was the husband first of Ruqayya and then of Umm
Kulthum, both of whom were daughters of the Prophet." [
Fatima Fatima ast, original in Persian, p.176, now available
in English as Fatima is Fatima.]
. Shi'i scholars admit this though for Shi'i sectarians it
is unbearable. "Ali had two daughters from Fatima Zahra,
peace be on her, Zainab and Umm Kulthum. He gave Zainab in
marriage to Abdullah the son of Ja'afar Tayyar and Umm
Kulthum to Umar. Zayd, the son of Umar, was from her." [
Lughat Nama by Ali Akbar Dehkhuda, an almanac published from
Tehran in Persian, now available in Urdu.] This fact is
mentioned quite casually by Shi'i scholars: " The marriage
of Umm Kulthum and Umar Khattab is narrated in our books."
Abbas Qummi in Muntaha al-'Aamal, published from Iran. I
have the Urdu translation of this segment. Ali, r.a., and
Umar, r.a., were definitely NOT enemies.
Our America: New York
"Amazing Grace" was a Slave Ship owner's Song. Does Obama know?
Muslims and Blacks are Arrested before a Crime. Dylann Roof
killed 9 in a church. Proper investigation? No! Who wrote
his Manifesto?
The Pre-Crime Agency is in Full Effect
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen]
New York City - After witnessing someone on my job get
disrespected, an elder told me that people get away with
what you allow them to get away with. On 6/29/2015, there
was another report of a Muslim brother being arrested for
trying to join ISIS in Syria. Alaa Saadeh and Samuel Rahamin
Topaz were arrested this month for allegedly offering
material and personnel support to ISIS, whatever that means.
The media simply accuses them of being ISIS
sympathizers.
Is this The Minority Report or what? The Minority Report was
a movie starring Tom Cruise where his main character was a
pre-crime agent who could foresee crimes before they
occurred. He then, arrested the "criminals" before they
could commit these crimes. It is based on a short science
fiction story of the same name written by Philip K. Dick.
The irony is that The Minority Report was adapted and
directed into a film by staunch Zionist Steven Spielberg.
(Source wikipedia.org)
Under the laws of this land known as America, no one can be
arrested until a crime has been committed. If "hough crimes"
were the case then, every White supremacist would be under
arrest. Interestingly, there have been......
An upsurge of police murders of unarmed citizens,NAACP
offices and Black churches have been firebombed, Black
people and Arab Muslims have been targeted for murder by the
average White citizen, just like in the good old days of Jim
Crow. Ah, the good old days some might reflect!
The FBI would never dare arrest a White terrorist before
he/she has actually committed a crime! The U.S. Attorney
would berate them and demand solid evidence that would get
them that notch in their belt known as a conviction.
According to the weekly local cable show, Community Cop,
co-host Michael Greys reminded viewers that the so-called
Boston Bomber was arrested and investigated along with his
friends, schoolmates, and family members. His friends have
been unjustly arrested and imprisoned but, I digress. The
fact remains that this did not happen with Dylann Roof, the
alleged murderer of nine Black parishioners in a church!
A racist manifesto has been uncovered. Some people don't
believe a 21 year old high school drop out is capable of
writing a 2,444 word manifesto and the government is not
trying to dig that deep either. They refuse to label Roof a
terrorist and want all of us to see him as a lone wolf, who
became self-radicalized.
So, why is law enforcement arresting Muslims for "crimes"
that have not happened, yet? The answer is very simple:
Because they can without any retribution from the Muslim
Ummah. (Note: The Muslim World is in a very unique position
to pressure the U.S. and carry out punishment for its human
rights violations against Muslims but, these governments are
very weak).
It is just like Stop and Frisk in the Black community: You
can always stand up to the police and say, "No, I will not
allow you to subject me to a frisk. Let's sort this out at
the precinct!" Some police officers may not take you to the
precinct because
You actually did not commit a crime and the arresting
officers will be forced to explain to your attorney why they
chose you, in the first place!They also hate the paper
work!
But, many of us don't want to go to the precinct either. We
just want to go home. So, we will allow the officers to get
their jollies out of frisking us with both parties knowing
that it will not result in an arrest. It is a power trip for
the cop! If enough individuals spoke up and said, "No!"
then, may be that would pose some type of problem for stop
and frisk. We have to be willing to go down to the precinct
and sort it all out.
When Muslims are being harassed by the government that is
also a test for the Ummah and, with the exception of New
Trend and its contributors and other associations, we are
failing miserably. The number one thing we must do is stop
our relationships with "Muslim" organizations in bed with
the Justice Department. The same way Blacks need to stop
contacting Rev. Charlatan (Sharpton) for help in these
police criminality cases, we Muslims need to stop contacting
CAIR, ISNA, ICNA, and MSA for help when we are in trouble!
We can't let these people get too close to us!
Rev. Charlatan has been accused of taking information from
the police shooting victim's family and giving it to the
police officers' defense team and/or the prosecutor, who is
working for the police. Sharpton is a known self-saboteur.
Since all of these boot licking "Muslim leaders" proclaim
their allegiance to the Justice Department, I am sure they
give information about the accused to the government, as
well.
I am not pretending to know all of the answers but, these
are the roadblocks that the Black struggle in America have
had to overcome, as well. By the way, the Klu Klux Klan lost
its teeth only when Blacks started seriously arming and
defending themselves against them, according to my high
school history teacher, and not with government help. This
fact is further corroborated by Civil Rights Activist
Charles E. Cobb Jr.'s soon to be released book: This
Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil
Rights Movement Possible. Muslims should read this book and
others about the Black armed resistance against the Klan and
other White racists to understand how the practicing
Christians protected themselves in America. We never see
these examples because the revolution will not be televised,
poet Gil Scot-Heron once said. As far as I am concerned,
trouble is already here. We also need to understand that
following the Holy Qur'an and Authentic Hadith gives us an
even further advantage against our enemies.
(Source 7Online.com)
President Obama Goes Minstrel
Community Cop co-host Michael Greys referred to Pres. Obama
as a minstrel for his performance at Rev. Clementa
Pinckney's funeral, this past week. He broke out in song and
sang Amazing Grace. Many of the Black minstrels beside him
got up and started singing too! It is a very popular hymn
written by sailor, John Newton, after a particularly rough
night at sea on his slave ship. Even after he quit importing
African slaves and became a minister, he still supported
slavery for many years until very late in life. The big lie
is that he immediately stopped slave trading and became an
outspoken minister against slavery. (Courtesy of Artist's
Work B.e.n.c.h.: Amazing Grace: The True Story...
Really!!)
Artist's Work B.e.n.c.h.: Amazing Grace: The True
Story....Have you heard the story of the hymn "Amazing
Grace"?
View on artistsworkbench.bl...
Preview by Yahoo
Activist Dick Gregory questioned if the Jews would be
singing a song in their temple about a German asking God for
forgiveness for the terrible wrongs he conducted against the
Jews? The "wretch" in the song refers to Newton, himself.
The irony is that the melody for the song may have come from
an old slave work song.
Pres. Obama has done ABSOLUTELY nothing to help improve the
Black community at all. Yet, he can appear in blackened face
with blood dripping from his hands and sing hymns, as if he
were massa entertaining the slaves on the plantation. Many
program callers were disturbed by this "performance" citing
Obama's record for supporting White gaydom and this new
trade agreement, which benefits Western countries, no
doubt.
A caller also noted that a speaker at the funeral made a
negative remark about the revolution going on in Baltimore
and how the Blacks in South Carolina are the good ones (a
White term) because they are staying out of the streets.
Malcolm X stated that the White man's power is in the courts
and the Black man's power is in the streets. Keep it in the
streets. These funerals and the whole handling of these
church murders have been sanctioned by the politicos just as
the 1963 March on Washington had been.
Ironically, Obama may be the reason for these Black church
burnings. These Whites resent a Black president in office
and they feel with this Browning of America that they are
losing control of a land they killed for. Anything can set
these devils off!
Just like the Hadith warns Muslims to "tie your camel."
Well, Black churches must not rely on government for
protection. Black churches and towns were destroyed with
government help. Anyway, government protection is reserved
for the synagogues. There must be armed protection of Black
churches by parishioners themselves.
It's interesting how a White "Christian" like Dylann Roof
can be welcomed into a Black church only to betray its
members in such a dastardly way. But, historically speaking,
should Dylann Roof really be considered a wolf in sheep's
clothing? There are Black churches who treat Black Muslims
like we're God's avowed enemy and we certainly do not have a
history of carrying out such a lethal agenda against them.
Some Black Christians still do not know who their friends
are and they are paying for it in the worst way!
Our America
How to Talk Against Homosexual ["Gay"] sex to non-Muslims.
Why not Legalize Polygamy? Sodomy can be a Healh Hazard,
Islam Forbids it.
by Sis. Karin Friedemann [Boston]
Everything is Rainbow Gay this Week
In the 80's, the Rainbow Flag meant the Rainbow Coalition,
which was a black anti-racism campaign that eventually
morphed into the Green Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, and
other paths. It could also refer to the Rainbow Family,
which is a group of anti-war hippies, mainly white
Christians. But somehow it got associated with Gay Pride.
There doesn't seem to be anything else being discussed on
anybody's newsfeed, including that of my children, other
than this, lately.
I explained to them that in Islam, if two women are married
to the same man, they are allowed to be naked together. But
sodomy is very bad because mixing poopoo germs into the
mouth or the vagina is very disgusting and leads to
diseases, which could even involve death of a fetus. In my
opinion, the preference of the people of Lut is very harmful
to both men and women. This taboo is important to my
culture. Some other cultures view sodomy between man and
wife to be acceptable, but I do not personally feel
comfortable accepting it. In my opinion, regarding
religion, I think that sodomy should be avoided by both
males and females.
Even though homosexual practices are against my religion, I
am not going to raise a voice against gay marriage because I
believe that freedom of religion is very important to this
country and also to religion itself. If a person wants to
practice homosexuality, this means they are essentially a
pagan. But pagan beliefs should not be criminalized any more
than any other religious belief. Also, normalization leads
to more stable relationships, which will significantly
reduce the spread of disease. In the same vein, I would like
to see more activists lobbying for polygamous marriage
legalization. In Canada, I have heard (please correct me if
I am wrong) that a man or a woman can marry as many as will
consent to the marriage. It is very important as Muslims to
understand the value of the contract. It is far superior to
the chaos of desire and fear mixed with freedom.
In my personal life experience, gay partnerships that I am
acquainted with are the bedrock of artist and gardening
communities because they do not dissolve in the way that
heterosexual marriages so often break up. Decades go by and
you can visit their home and nothing has changed.
Politicians love the gay community because they have
expendable income - they have no more children, so they
invest in property and pets. They have professional jobs but
no heirs. They are like a priesthood. For those who view
gays as a threat to society (which they are in many ways),
we can only try to demonstrate that we do better with our
own families and communities.
Tonight, which is July 3, Boston is so noisy with loud
explosions from fireworks. Just like the starlets outside my
window that chirp so loudly at 5am, the Boston Marathon
trial seems to have resulted in unprecedented
experimentation with explosives. However, despite the very
very loud booms coming from all directions, there is an
absolute silence of police sirens. It is midnight and I am
hearing explosions echoing through the sky from all
directions and a complete police absence.
At exactly 1am there is total silence.
I was driving down my own street at 11am and the sound of
the explosions were very loud! I felt scared. But also I
feel safer knowing that my neighbors hopefully know how to
defend us! Now I am hearing a loud helicopter and the
explosions stopped for like 45 seconds but then
continued.
The local Dorchester radio station, 105.3 plays reggae and
promotes a Christian/Rastafarai agenda. The theme that they
were promoting I agree with. They said, "We do not curse our
enemies. We pray for their redemption." Honestly, I think
this is the best way.
Gaza, Palestine
"The Drone Eats With Me: Diaries from a City Under Fire."
[Wih thanks to Sharif and Br. Zaheer Bawany.]
By Vacy Vlazna
"We prepare the suhoor. We all sit around five dishes: white
cheese, hummus, orange jam, yellow cheese, and olives.
Darkness eats with us. Fear and anxiety eat with us. The
unknown eats with us. The F16 eats with us. The drone, and
its operator somewhere out in Israel, eat with us."
I read The Drone Eats With Me: Diaries from a City Under
Fire by Atef Abu Saif in almost one sitting - resenting that
I had to break to cook and eat dinner. These beautifully
written searing diaries recounting each of the horrific 51
days of Israel's monstrous war on the people of Gaza sweeps
the reader into Atef's anguished experience. An experience
so dreadfully encompassing of the dark depths of human
sentience that it is simultaneously personal and
collective.
"Your personal concerns start to erode; even your gravest
fears begin to seem unjustified. What does it matter if
you're afraid for your children when all the children in the
Strip are in immediate danger? What does it matter if you're
worried that your house may be reduced to rubble when
thousands are being destroyed up and down the Strip? Is your
house any better than these countless others? Are your
children any better than the hundreds who have been killed
or maimed already?"
Atef shares with us the mental and emotional torment of
every Palestinian parent, child, husband, wife, sibling,
friend trapped in Gaza, as Chomsky puts it in the foreword,
"under remorseless, relentless assault by the most advanced
technology of killing and destruction that the ingenuity of
modern civilization has devised".
The horror that to the outsider was unimaginable, becomes
from the first to the last words, felt, real, and
confronting. We are challenged to go way, way beyond the
statistics and images of news-bites....
"Everything is turned into numbers. The stories are hidden,
disguised, lost behind these numbers. Human beings, souls,
bodies - all are converted into numbers."
...to the core truth of Palestinian suffering and the
infernal Israeli cruelty that inhumanly inflicts it
.....
"The Kawareh family - from Khan Younis, whom the drone
decided to prevent from enjoying a meal on the roof of their
small building under the moonlight - they were not just
'SIX'. They were six infinitely rich, infinitely unknowable
stories that came to a stop when a dumb missile fell from a
drone and tore their bodies apart. Six novels that Mahfouz,
Dickens or Márquez could not have written satisfactorily.
Novels that would have needed a miracle, a genius, to find
the structure and poetry they deserved."
Israel systematically inflicts it on 1.7 million innocents
with no place to escape in "a prison, one called Gaza"
behind the bars of an illegal siege now in its eighth
year.
We stand with Atef at the window of his home in al-Saftawi
watching the deadly flashing of drones, the flames and 'Gobs
of red fire [that] can be seen spitting out of the
warships". We feel the house shake, feel all of Gaza shake
under incessant explosions. We listen to "The constant
pounding of the warships.... boom, boom, boom... are hollow
sounds, mocking the thud of your heart", to the "sobbing and
screaming of children", to F16's sonic thunder and "the
symphony of explosions, the roar of mortars, the whir of
drones." We negotiate with him the split second danger from
the vigilant drone on his walk home from Jabalia where his
family has taken overcrowded refuge. We wait in queues for
food, put body parts in plastic bags and are engulfed by the
dire agony of parents:
"The voice of a man from the Abu Namous family cries out; a
reporter explains that the head he is carrying is that of
his son, the brain is outside the head... The father cries
out, begging his boy to wake up to see some toy he has
bought him. Poor boy. Poor father."
"the father of one of the children killed in an attack on
the Shuja'iyya quarter wails at the corpse of his son:
'Forgive me, son, I could not protect you!'"
"looking at my children and thinking they could be dead in a
moment's time, that they could be transformed into one of
those images on the TV - it's too much."
Abu Saif, 37 ex-prisoner, author, lecturer, playwright,
columnist with his wife Hanna are parents of 5 children:
"Talal, Mostafa, Naeem, Yasser. As my youngest, Jaffa, is
only 19 months old..... This will be the third war my
children have witnessed in five years."
The harrowing fate, devised by Israel, of Atef's children
and of generations of Gaza's young innocents, "there's one
[war] planted firmly in your childhood, one or two more in
your adolescence, and so on... they toll the passing of time
as you grow older like rings in a tree trunk", indicts
Israel and its allies- the indifferent silent spectators of
Gaza's suffering.
Those rings are the scars of war repeatedly torn open by the
force of trauma; "Hearing a bomb in real life, for the first
time in a couple of years, is like having a PTSD flashback.
It jolts you to exactly where you were two years ago, five
years ago, four decades ago, to the most recent, or very
first time you heard one."
The nuclear tension of time in the diaries is in our knowing
what Atef doesn't know as his narration unfolds day by day -
that the Palestinians are doomed to 51 days of horror,
"Everything becomes normal. The barbarity of it, the terror,
the danger. It all becomes positively ordinary. The only
real worry you have, after so many weeks, is a nagging
feeling that this war is never going to end." And we know
there will be no easing of the torment for the children
especially,
"Whenever you hear the screams of children or think about
their fear, the terror that can overwhelm them, the
questions in their eyes, the quiver of their lips, the panic
in their faces. Whenever you hear the things they say in the
heat of confusion, their attempts to understand what's going
on.
"One boy is still hysterical after seeing the flesh of his
father and his uncle, mixed together like meat in a
butcher's shop. They have yet to calm him down."
And then there is the sorrowful litany, that punctuates the
diaries, of massacred families and of children of whom the
Bakir boys playing football on the beach are merely 4 of 527
dead: "A series of missiles from a warship miles out to sea
tore their game to shreds. Their blood mixed with the sand
and the sea water, while their bodies were retrieved amid
screams and continued shelling."
The diaries are a minute by minute collation of Israeli
primeval war crimes and crimes against humanity in, what
Hearst rightly labels Operation Stone Age - "The casualty
rate grows steadily every day. More people are killed by
single strikes in groups; in fives, sevens, nines.
Individuals aren't the targets, but residences, family
houses. They're bombed until there's nothing left."
Atef's experiences confirm the test imonies by Israeli
soldiers' in the recent This is How We Fought in Gaza 2014
collected and released by Breaking the Silence and juxtapose
the predictable hasbaric report that absolved Israel of war
crimes. One hopes that there will be further published
diaries by Palestinians at the front lines of humanitarian
relief like Atef's friend Hisham, Red Crescent workers and
medical staff.
There was a conspicuous omission in Atef's diaries; I
expected with every turn of the page, among the detailed
items of news, reference to Gaza's resistance fighters.
Apart from a grudging entry about the 7th August, "Five
military personnel have been killed in accidents during the
day and are being carried to the graveyard, to their final
rest. The gunshot was for their passing."
The integrity of the diaries would have been strengthened by
a generous acknowledgement of the courage of the freedom
fighters; the thousands of young 'sons of Palestine' and
their 531 comrades who were martyred while holding their
'ground, costing Israel serious military losses, and
igniting worldwide sympathy and respect' for defending
Gaza.
On his return home from Gaza, Norwegian surgeon, Mads
Gilbert made a dignifiedspeech lauding the Palestinian
'unbending determination not to submit to the occupation!'.
By comparing Gaza to Norwegian resistance to the Nazis,
Gilbert upheld the Palestinian' right to resist, even with
weapons.'
Even, top senior Israeli intelligence official admitted that
Israel underestimated the tenacity of Gaza fighters. A
tenacity that boosted Palestinian morale and according to
Samah Sabawi, gave Hamas its 'biggest and most significant
gain ... an increase in popular support and admiration from
Palestinians across the political and factional divide, as
it became the epicentre of Palestinian resistance." as well
as a valid claim to victory. This victory was affirmed by
Hanin Zoabi and Marwan Barghouti as well as a poll by
Ramallah-based Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey
Research's which found 79% believed Hamas had won the
war.
Atef's diaries are an essential must read that sheds light
on the phenomenal heroic resilience of all Palestinians in
Gaza's hell. Ultimately, on behalf of Gaza, Atef throws down
a moral gauntlet,
"Who will convince this generation of Israelis that what
they've done this summer is a crime? ....Who will convince
the international community that it has a responsibility to
be objective when things like this happen? No one, I
suspect. Gaza has no one to help it. The people have only
hope and their own resilience to fall back on."
We, all of us, have the means to convince Israel and the
international community that Palestinians "have a right to
live in peace" through Boycott Divestment and Sanctions,
(BDS) which now has the legal and obligatory force of the
Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) signed by 130 nations.
Through BDS, we can pressure our governments to strike off
Israel's killing and maiming power as the ATT, on 24
December 2014, became binding in international law requiring
states to end the transfer of arms that would be used in war
crimes and genocide.
- Dr. Vacy Vlazna is Coordinator of Justice for Palestine
Matters. She was Human Rights Advisor to the GAM team in the
second round of the Acheh peace talks, Helsinki, February
2005 then withdrew on principle. Vacy was coordinator of the
East Timor Justice Lobby as well as serving in East Timor
with UNAMET and UNTAET from 1999-2001. She contributed
this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
War News:
Heavy Fighting in Aleppo, Hasakeh, Qalamoun, Damascus suburb
June 29 to July 5. An intense battle is going on in Aleppo
as a mujahideen coalition advances on Assad forces
entrenched in western Aleppo. The Assad air force is going
all out to bomb the mujahideen. The Islamic fighters have
captured the former research center, heavily defended by
Alawite troops from where they can strike at other Assad
positions. [Assad's agents blew up a mosque at iftar time
killing 35 Islamic fighters.]
On July 5 Islamic State fighters are holding on to a
district in Hasakeh, northeastern Syria in spite of steady
attacks by the Assad air force and the US air force.
In the Qalamoun mountains, Hizbullah has entered the resort
town of Zabadani to keep a supply route open for Assad. A
small mujahideen force is defending the town.
Earlier, IS raided Tel Abyed now in YPG [Communist Kurdish]
hands and withdrew after inflicting casualties.
Also on July 4, US air force carried out its heaviest
bombing of Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State, killing
23 Islamic fighters and 10 civilians including a 10 year
old. Scores of civilians were injured. [Source BBC.]
IS has released a video showing its execution of 25 Assad
troops in Palmyra accused of crimes against humanity.
The Islamic State [IS] blew up the notorious Tadmur prison
[in Palmyra] after emptying it. The prison was the center of
the Assad families' crimes, including horrific torture and
burning alive and unmentionable humiliation and execution of
Muslim prisoners over 35 years.
A Bangladeshi family of 12 has reported to the BBC from
Raqqa that they are doing well in the Islamic State. These
were British citizens who flew to Bangladesh and then to
Istanbul and finally entered Syria. The head of the family
is Abdul Mannan, 73, with his wife, three sons and a
daughter and another relative and his wife and children. The
21 year old daughter is said to have initiated the move
under the influence of al-Muhajeroun movement in Luton,
England.
Also, in England, the lawyer of the three young women [two
Bangladeshi, one Ethiopian[ who slipped through British
security to join the Islamic State [IS] said that they have
reported that two of them have married 20 year old
mujahideen and are very happy. Their parents in England are
in turmoil. The three were A grade level students and no one
believes British government disinformation that the girls
were fooled by IS.
War News: Egypt
Egyptian Army units Stopping Access to Gaza attacked by
Islamic State Sinai Group.
Heavy Losses
On July 1 and 2, mujahideen fighters linked to the Sinai
branch of the Islamic State [IS] attacked army units at 5
checkpoints at Abu Zuweid controlling the access to Gaza. In
fast moving attacks the Islamics inflicted heavy casualties.
The Egyptian government is downplaying its losses but
Christian Science Monitor and wire service say 70 Egyptian
troops were killed and scores of their vehicles
destroyed.
As the fighters withdrew, they were attacked by the Egyptian
air force which bombed and killed 22 fighters.
The IS mujahideen fired two rockets into Israel [occupied
Palestine]. before the Egyptian air force scrambled to
attack them.
Israel's Netanyahoo expressed concern that now IS is near
Israeli positions.
Earlier on Monday, June 29, a huge bomb attack near Cairo
fatally wounded General Sissi's chief public prosecutor
Hisham Barakat who had been busy getting opponents of the
regime sentenced to death. He died of his wounds the next
day.
Later, Egyptian police entered an apartment and killed 9
leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, unarmed, who were
discussing relief for the families of thousands of political
prisoners detained by General Sissi's regime,
War News: Somalia
al-Shabab's Unexpected Victory leads to chaotic retreat of
pro-West Forces from western Somalia
July 1: Al-Shabab mujahideen launched a surprise attack on
an army base of the African Union troops sent in by western
powers, These were from Burundi . [Western powers send in
non-Muslim troops to crush Muslim Somali people.] Of the one
hundred Burundi troops in Leedo, 70 were killed and the rest
wounded.
As the news spread, the entire anti-Shabab military
structure collapsed [says BBC] and there was a general
retreat. Most of Somalia is back in the hands of
al-Shabab.
War News: Nigeria
Boko Haram at the gates of Maiduguri, also attacks in
Chad.
French President arrives in Cameroon to stop BH.
Most reports from Nigeria come via the military and carry
atrocity stories against Boko Haram with no evidence.
However a few facts are available that Boko Haram is
stronger than before and advancing.
July 1 to July 4. Fighting is reported near Maiduguri,
northeastern Nigeria. Loud explosions are heard and troops
are working hard to stop the Boko Haram advance into this
key city.
Also earlier, BH attacked police headquarters in the capital
of Chad, Ndjamena, killing dozens of Chadian officers, only
weeks after Chadian troops attacked Boko Haram on the
Nigerian border.
The French president, Hollande, alarmed at the BH advances,
arrived in Cameroon to coordinate forces against the
mujahideen.
Cameroon admitted that it had mistakenly attacked a Quran
study school, killing teachers and arresting a hundred
students, some of them 10 years old. Cameroon has now
realized that they are not terrorists and has released 83 of
the children.
War News: Yemen
Saudis using Cluster bombs. 100 days of bombing.
Al-Qaeda breaks prison, releases 1200 Prisoners.
News reports, including an eye witness on NPR, indicate that
the Saudi air force has committed serious crimes in Yemen
with its daily bombing campaign. Almost 3000 people have
been killed and 30,000 wounded. Of those killed 1700 are
said to be civilians including women and children.
Human Rights Watch reported on July 1 that the Saudi planes
are dropping cluster bombs which are an illegal weapon if
used on civilians.
Also, on June 30, in Taiz there was a huge prison break.
Taking advantage of the fighting between the Houthis and the
pro-Saudis, al-Qaeda attacked the biggest prison in Yemen
and released 1200 prisoners, many of them their supporters.
. Most of southeastern and eastern Yemen is now in al-Qaida
hands while from Sanaa to Saada in the north is in the hands
of the Houthis.
Fighting continues on a daily basis in Aden.
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Lord of Mercy
It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Remember! Zakat-ul-Fitr is Wajib (strongly
recommended, just short of obligatory) on every Muslim, man
or woman, free or in servitude, adult or child."
Literal meaning of Zakat (or Zakah) is the process of
purification. Fitr is from the word Fitrah and its
literal
meaning is (one's) nature or natural state. Hence the
meaning of Zakat-ul-Fitr is to purify one's nature.
Ibn Abbas (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) made the
Zakat-ul-Fitr obligatory for the purpose of: purifying
our fasting from vain talk and shameful mistakes, to make
arrangements for the poor and the needy for food
and clothing (for the festival of Eid). (Hadith: Abu Dawud,
Ibn Maja)
Every adult Muslim, with sufficient food for the family for
a day, should pay Zakat-ul-Fitr for himself/herself
and all his/her dependents. Even those who did not fast
should pay it. Zakat-ul-Fitr should also be paid for the
child born or the person died before the Fajr (dawn) on the
day of Eid.
At the time of the Prophet (saw), payment of Zakat-ul-Fitr
was made in terms of weight of grain. It is one Sa
for each person. One Sa approximately equals to 3.15 kg or
6.94 lbs. The Muslim jurists agree that Zakat-ul-Fitr
can also be paid in cash equivalent to the cost of
3.15kg/6.94 lb. of grain including rice, wheat, lentils,
corn,
Abu Saeed (ra) said: "We used to give for Zakat al-Fitr on
behalf of every child, aged person, free man or slave
during the lifetime of the Messanger of Allah (saw), one
Sa'a of food, or one Sa'a of dried yogurt, or one Sa'a
of barley, or one Sa'a of dates, or one Sa'a of raisins."
(Hadith, Agreed Upon)
Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said, "Whoever paid it
(Zakat-ul-Fitr) before Salatul Eid, it is acceptable
Zakat
before Al'lah. Whoever paid it after Salat-ul-Eid, it is
just a charity." The companion of the Prophet (ra) used
Imam Shafi'i held the opinion that Zakat-ul-Fitr can be paid
as early as the beginning of Ramadan. I suggest
that Zakat-ul-Fitr should be paid early enough so it will
reach the needy and the poor before the Eid day. It
will enable them to use it for food and clothes and give
them the opportunity to enjoy the happiness of Eid-ul-
Zakat-ul-Fitr should be paid directly to the needy and the
poor. However, you can also pay it to an
organization, which would distribute it in accordance with
the teaching of Islam. Remember! It is still your
responsibility.
So, make sure before paying that the organization will
distribute it according to the teaching of
There is a new concern in collection and distribution of
Zakat-ul-Fitr and Zakat-ul-Maal in the Western
countries. Millions of dollars have been confiscated by the
government agencies. This requires additional care
on our part to select an organization carefully and
rationally so that Zakat is delivered to the rightful
person.
Year after year, Zakat is sent to deserving persons in the
Muslim World by the Muslims living in the Western
countries. Let's try to spend some of it in our own
communities including Moaliful Qoloob, non-Muslims to
turn their hearts and minds as friends of our communities.
This will require knowing our own communities and
friendly and deserving non-Muslims. It may be difficult at
first but it will be better for us.
One Masjid recently in Florida reached out to the community
to help in reaching out to those who maybe in
need to receive Zakat-ul-Fitr, yet they don't to ask for
help.
I heard many amounts over the years. It is a tendency to fix
a higher amount by many organizations so that
they may collect sufficient amount to distribute among the
poor and the needy. One year it even went up to
$15 per person. When specifying an amount "it should be
fixed at a minimum amount" in accordance with the
teaching of Islam, so that everyone can pay it with ease;
however, we should "encourage Muslims to pay a
Minimum Zakat-ul-Fitr is "one Sa" in weight of grain. One Sa
is approximately equal to 3.15 kg or 6.94 lbs.
Every person should look at the price of grain where they
shop. One either pays Zakat-ul-Fitr a weight of 6.94
lbs. or 3.15 kg in grain or its cash equivalent. Additional
point, if in your life style you eat top-of-the-line fancy,
pay accordingly.
