Allah the Exalted said: The son of Adam abuses me. He curses
time and I am time, for in my hand are the night and day.
Source: Sahih Bukhari 4549, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi
Our Web Site Breaks its own Record.
Total Hits Sept 2015: 186132
Total Visitors,Sept 2015: 14684
Hits per day, average: 6204
Visitors per day,average: 489
KASHMIR
Kashmiri Women Appreciate Pakistani PM's Speech in the UN:
India Bigotry is the Issue.
From Habib Yousafzai, Toronto, Kashmiri Diaspora.
ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM!
Nahida Nasreen the general secretary Dukhtaran-e-Millat
(DeM) while welcoming Nawaz Sharif's speech in United
Nations General Assembly said, "It is of historical
importance and has encouraged and boosted the morale of
oppressed inhabitants of Maqbooza Kashmir. However, it needs
a follow up in the shape of enhanced efforts by high
commissioners of the country all
over the world." "Pakistan PM exhibited courage by saying it
on the stage of UNGA that is has failed to fulfill the
responsibility of solving the long pending Maqbooza Kashmir
issue. He was realistic enough to say that
the Maqbooza Kashmir issue is a responsibility of UNGA which
has to get it resolved as per the aspirations and the wishes
of the people of the state," Nahida said.
World leaders must tell India that it will never be granted
the permanent membership of the UN Security Council because
of its serious human Rights violations in the occupied
territory and against other minorities such as Christians,
Sikhs and Muslims living all over India . If India is
allowed a seat on the UN SC, why not Pakistan who has
vehemently fought against terrorism and has an active role
in the international peace keeping sphere?
What of Turkey, South Africa, Brazil? There must be greater
emphasis on a nation as an international citizen and its
conduct of human rights,
especially those in its domestic sphere. How can a nation
which has ignored Resolutions by the UN, committed mass
violations become one of its leaders?
Recently Muhammad Akhlaq was killed by extremist Hindus
under the suspicion that he has eaten beef. This is an
appalling state of affairs where a man, living a supposed
secular state is killed over the eating of meat product.
Is this secularism, is this Democracy?
It is also a known fact that Dukhtaran-e-Milat chief Syeda
Aasiya Andrabi has been re-arrested to suppress her stand
against the oppressions of the
government. It is in the interest of the innocents of
Kashmir that it must quit its occupation and handover
Maqbooza Kashmir to its rightful owner: Pakistan.
Two Corrections
New Trend could not find an authentic link for the the
Qur;an fragments allegedly found in America from the
centuries before Columbus.
The report has been deleted from both our web site and our
face book time line.
Thanks go to the readers who caught this error.
Also, the scholar on hadith who was criticized in New
Trend was Brown, not Bowen.
Please print out this lettter, sign and date it. Send it to:
New Trend, PO Box 84,
Oxford, Pa. 19363.
We'll give it to Masoud's mother. Send as many as you can.
Office of the Pardon Attorney
145 N Street, N.E. Suite 5E.508,
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Mr. President:
Masoud Ahmad Khan, registration No. 46810-083, has been
unjustly incarcerated now for eleven years. He was sentenced
to life in prison and then his sentence was enhanced to add
"without parole" because he refused to testify against
others.
I feel Masoud is innocent of any crime against the United
States. This is a wrong that must be rectified. No proof was
offered that he had committed a crime against the United
States or its people; the charge was for a possible
conspiracy that never happened. He was initially charged as
conspiring against India/Kashmir and the Neutrality Act was
applied. This charge was later dropped. He travelled legally
to Pakistan to attend court hearings regarding his late
father's estate and returned back to his family in the U.S.
before such travel was declared illegal in late December
2001.
I was shocked by the sentencing and still remember Judge
Brinkema's apologetic comment after sentencing that she
"feels that this sentence is very harsh but the sentencing
laws handicapped her from giving a much lesser sentence to
Masoud."
Masoud has no history of violence or crimes. He was well
known in our community as a person of integrity; a loving
husband, father, brother and son and a loyal citizen of the
United States.
I ask for your mercy and compassion for a favorable
consideration of his petition for executive clemency or
commutation of sentence and allow Masoud to be returned home
to his mother, siblings and son from whom he has been
separated these past 11 years".
The military operation is a result of General Musharraf's
decision to join the American war on terror. Peace and
tranquility will reign if Pakistan Army stops receiving US
Military aid and thereby saying NO TO AMERICA and YES TO
PAKISTAN. US drone strikes taking place with the consent of
the Army should also stop. The drone strikes which cause
civilian casualties and destroy houses create enmity against
the Army for not stopping the drone attacks
Shaikh Mohommed
[England]
Dr. Jawaid Iqbal Passes Away. [Born 1924] Brilliant son of
globally famous Islamic thinker Allama Iqbal.
Inna lillahe wa inna alaihi rajeoon. [We come from Allah and
unto Him we return.]
Dr. Jawaid Iqbal passed away on October 2.
We have here his last interview with the reputed Pakistani
journalist Orya Maqbool Jan where he discusses the
importance of ijtihad [informed but independent Islamic
thinking] versus taqleed [conformity with established
schools of thought]. His father was one of the greatest
independent thinkers in the 20th century.
Russian parliament unanimously approves use of troops in
Syria . Numerous Russians have Joined Islamic State.
[Courtesy Citizens for Legitimate Government, CLG]| 30 Sept
2015 |
The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has unanimously
given a formal consent to President Putin to use the
nation's military in Syria to fight terrorism at a request
from the Syrian President Bashar Assad. Consent was
necessary for deployment of troops for foreign combat
missions under the Russian constitution.
The request for use of force was sent by the president after
considering the large number of Russian citizens, who went
to join terrorist groups fighting in Syria, head of the
presidential administration Sergey Ivanov told media.
The National Islamic Shoora of Jamaat al-Muslimeen will
Meet, Inshallah [Authorized by Imam Badi, Sis. Ashira, Br.
Solano, Br. Kaukab, Br. Abu Talib, and Adviser Sheikh Shamim
Siddiqi.]
This is like our Board Meeting or Central Committee Meeting.
What will be discussed?
How to free Palestine?
How to stop the Oppression of Women?
How to deal with American politics from Islamic viewpoint.
Outreach #2
How to oppose US and Russian occupation and bombing of
Muslim countries?
How to support Muslim Political prisoners?
How to help children in Africa?
War News
Syria:
Major bombing campaign by Russia: Also bombing by Assad, US,
France, Australia.
Islamic Forces unmoved: ISIS advancing in Deir el-Zor and
Hasakeh. Nusra in Latakia.
Russia opened the assault on Islamic forces in Syria on
September 30.By the end of October 4, the Russians had
bombed al-Nusra in Idlib, Free Syrian Army near Homs and
Hama and ISIS in Raqqa and east of Homs.
More than 20 mujahideen were killed along with 37 civilians
in al-Nusra areas and 40 in ISIS areas. ISIS blew up an
Assad military transport west of Palmyra killing two Shiite
officers and 4 troops. ISIS also attacked regime forces in
Deir ez-Zor and advanced towards its air base. ISIS also
advanced against YPG Communists in the north east near Te
Abyad.
Al-Nusra firmly entrenched in Lattakia. Assad joined
Russia's air assault as did western air forces.
Afghanistan:
Great Taliban Victory
On September 28
several hundred Taliban mujahideen attacked
Kunduz, a key city in northern ASfghanistan.
On September 29
Kabul regime forces counterattacked
supported by US air strikes.
On September 30
by nightfall Kabul troops re-captured
Kunduz. US airt strikes and US Special forces helped
them
On October 1
Taliban counter attacked . Heavy fighting with
US Special forces and Kabul troops,
On October 2
Taliban re-took half of Kunduz. Heavy fighting in
the city.
October 3
House to house fighting. Taliban retained half of
Kunduz. 7000 Kabul troops attacked with US air support but
could not re-take Kunduz.
October 4
[Latest.] Taliban have taken all of Kunduz.
Hundreds of Kabul troops dead; bodies littering the streets.
Scores of Taliban also killed in hand to hand fighting..
Taliban flag raised.
Hadith Studies
Anti-Hadith Polemic: A look at the claim that the Prophet,
pbuh, Forbade the Narration of Hadith
by Kaukab Siddique
One of the basic points the munkireen (rejectors) of Hadith
make is that the Prophet (pbuh) himself had forbidden the
writing of Hadith. They even quote the Prophet (pbuh) on
this and those who don't know are very impressed.
Now note the following points:
If the rejectors' view of the Qur'an was right (that it
has everything in it, even the details), they would have
been able to bring a verse from the Qur'an which would say:
Hadith of the Prophet is not needed when you have the
Qur'an.
They cannot bring such a verse.
So what do they do? They bring a hadith to support their
view!
It is a sign of their dishonesty that they do not quote
the whole hadith. Here is the complete Hadith. I have
italicized the part the rejectors quote:
From Sahih Muslim: "Abu Sa'eed Khudri narrates from the
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him: Do not
write anything from me and whoever has written anything from
me other than the Qur'an should erase it, and narrate hadith
verbally from me: there is no harm in that (in Arabic WA
HADATHU 'UNNI WA LA HARAJ), and whoever deliberately tells a
lie about me should make his place in hellfire."
Would it be wrong to assume that the rejecters have made a
place for themselves in hellfire by falsifying these words
of the Prophet (pbuh) by quoting only half the hadith.
Entire books have been written on this subject by the
scholars of Islam. (One easily available in Urdu is IBN MAJA
AUR 'ILM-e-HADITH by Muhammad Abdur Rasheed Naumani. I read
this about 20 years back.)
The Prophet (pbuh) and later Abu Bakr (ra) did not want the
words of the Qur'an and the words of the Hadith to get mixed
up with each other. Hence the WRITING ONLY of Hadith was
stopped. Remember that the reciters of the Qur'an and the
narrators of the Hadith were the same people, the companions
of the Prophet (Allah be pleased with them). In the early
stages, the danger of the two writings getting mixed up was
very real.
Even then the ban on writing was not complete. There are
numerous narrations which indicate that when a companion
(sahabi) expressed difficulty in remembering the Hadith, the
Prophet (pbuh) not only allowed him but encouraged him to
write it down. Thus many Hadith continued to be written
though memorization was the general rule in those early
days.
Every companion of the Prophet, including 'Umar and Ali
(Allah be pleased with them), depended on the Prophet's
interpretation, explanation and implementation of the Qur'an
(what we call Hadith of the Prophet). Every teaching of the
Qur'an was elaborated by the Sahaba on the basis of the
Prophet's Hadith. Thus those who attack the Hadith are
attacking the entire history of Islam. They are trying to
destroy the credibility of the Sahaba, who also are the
transmitters of the Qur'an, and thus these munkireen do the
work of the Jews to uproot Islam.
HOW THEY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD THE QUR'AN: Munkireen
(rejecters) have based their whole theory on the idea that
Prophet Muhammad's task was ONLY TO DELIVER THE QUR'AN.
One such person named ....................., or someone who
hides behind that name, quotes the last part of 24:54 thus:
"The sole duty of the messenger is to deliver." This is a
clear distortion of the Qur'an if you look at the Arabic
original and the context of the verse.
The words "illa balagh al-Mubeen" (only to preach or
proclaim clearly) can in no way be translated as "only ...
to deliver."
How do we know that? From the Qur'an itself. In several
verses the Qur'an emphasizes the Prophet's mission to
proclaim and preach the message clearly and unambiguously so
that people can make their choice between acceptance or
rejection. Islam cannot be imposed on anyone. The Qur'an was
brought to the people by the Prophet. He presented it very
honestly and clearly to them. Those who accepted, he
organized them into a community which became the model for
all future Islamic movements.
For instance 16:82, follows evidence of Allah's creativity.
The Prophet is then told" "But if they turn away, thy duty
is only to preach the Clear Message." Thus after he has
brought them the Qur'an, it's up to them to accept or turn
away. He cannot put faith in their hearts.
Even when verses on laws about intoxicants and gambling are
revealed, the Qur'an brings out the same idea of the
responsibility of the audience to make choices, and they
will be judged accordingly in the Hereafter. Here is a verse
immediately after the ban on intoxicants and gambling: "Obey
Allah, and obey the messenger, and beware if you do turn
back, know you that it is our messenger's duty to proclaim
the message in the clearest manner (al balagh al-mubeen in
Arabic)" (5:92)
Thus to claim that because the messenger's duty was to
proclaim the message clearly, he had no other duty is absurd
for anyone who has read the Qur'an. The life, words, actions
of the Prophet were interpretations of the Qur'an. After
5:92, it was his task to remove intoxicants anf gambling and
his actions come to us through the Hadith.
Allah sent the Qur'an with the messenger and together they
fulfill the final message of Allah. In fact, the Prophet
(pbuh) comes first and through him and his sahaba comes the
Qur'an.
There is no way the Qur'an can be understood without the
Prophet's Hadith. That is one reason why the Jews and other
orientalists remain KUFFAR although they have become experts
in Qur'anic terminolgy: they do not and cannot accept the
Prophet (pbuh) because the Prophet's understanding of the
Qur'an brings the Islamic revolution.
Now let's go back to 24:54 and see how the rejecters have
totally distorted the Qur'an. (In other words, here I am
going from comparison with other verses to the context of
the specific verse the rejecter used.) I will quote 24:54,
55, 56 to bring out the totality of the message:
Say:"Obey Allah and obey the Messenger: but if ye turn away,
he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and you
for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the
right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to proclaim the
clear message." Allah has promised to those among you who
believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety,
grant them in the land inheritance of power, as he granted
it to those before them; that He will establish in authority
their way of life - the one which He has chosen for them;
and that He will change their state, after the fear in which
they lived, to one of security and peace: They will worship
Me (alone) and not associate anything with Me. If any do
reject faith after this, they are wicked indeed. So
establish prayer and give zakat and OBEY THE MESSENGER that
you may receive mercy."
(emphasis added)
Thus these verses are in fact prophesying the victory of
Islam, under the Prophet and the Sahaba and whenever Muslims
follow authentic Islam. The last verse which I have
emphasized mentions obedience to the Prophet thus shattering
the theory that Allah and His messenger only mean Allah!
Does the Prophet here also means Allah! (astaghfirullah)
After the message has been proclaimed, the righteous who
accept it are being promised Caliphate (layastakhlifannahum
fil Ard in Arabic)
So there goes the theory that the Prophet (pbuh) was only
sent to "deliver" the message and that's it.
I don't know what these MUNKIREEN make of the verses about
Jihad in the Qur'an. If his task was only to deliver the
message, what about Jihad? Is this another Qadiani attempt
to abrogate Jihad?
Dear readers, our westernized elites (that is all of us)
have been given a severe case of inferiority complex by the
power and glitter of the west. Some of us fall so low that
we start insulting great Muslims like hazrat Abu Huraira and
Imam Bukhari. (Actually through this process such people
like the munkireen are used by the Jews to attack the very
basis of Islam.) A nation which does not respect its
scholars and elders soon becomes a nation of slaves.
DEADLY HISTORY
Usman, r.a. [ibn Affan]: Beloved Companion of he Prophet,
pbuh. Murder Most Foul and the Rise Of Shiism.
by Kaukab Siddique, PhD
Zulhijja 18 is the anniversary of the martyrdom of Usman,
r.a., the third rightly guided Caliph of Islam.
Considering the elevated status of Usman, r.a., in Islam
many Muslims don't understand how he could be murdered in
broad daylight.
In some ways, Usman, r.a., was the greatest sahabi
[companion] of the Prophet, pbuh. Look at this list:
He compiled the Qur'an all Muslims read nowadays from
fragments and memories of the entire Islamic community.
He made the hijra [migration for the sake of Allah]
twice. Hijra is second only to jihad in the Islamic value
levels.
He married first one daughter of the Prophet, pbuh,
Ruqayya, r.a., and then the second, Umm kulthum, r.a., Both
died of poor health conditions but he remained loyal to them
to the end. The Prophet, pbuh, said if he had another
daughter, he would have told her to marry Usman, r.a.
[Fatima, r.a., was already married to Ali, r.a.]
At Hudaibiya, when it appeared that the kafirs had killed
or captured Usman, r.a., the Prophet, pbuh, took the oath
from all the Companions to stand fast unto death. With his
one hand, he took the oath for himself and with the other on
behalf of Usman, r.a.
He bought for the entire Muslim community, water well in
Madina which was essential to its survival.
In a time of drought and hunger, he paid for and brought
in the longest camel caravan of food supplies in Arab
history.
He was very wealthy but he spent almost his wealth for
Islam and kept very little for himself
During his Caliphate, jihad against oppressive powers
spread far and wide.. In one historic battle, the united
navies of Europe were destroyed. The commander of his fleet
was Muawiyyah, r.a.
He was known for his modesty and decency and is
responsible for the realization of the Quranic idea that
males must show modesty first, and women second.
The question then arises, how could Usman, r.a., be martyred
so brutally in the center of Madinah, with the Qur'an he had
compiled in his hands?
My study of the original original hadith and history books,
such as biographical hadith books like those of Ibn Sa'ad
and ad-Dahabi, or detailed histories like those of Tabari
and Ibn Kathir, agree on the following causes and their
tragic result: [None of these were written during the
Ummayad era and they are the ones which also are the sources
for the tragedy of Kerbala.]
As the Islamic armies toppled established kingdoms and
despotisms, numbers of prisoners and freed slaves and
oppressed women became part of the Islamic commonweath.
There were few restrictions on them and they could move
freely in the Islamic realm and even into Madina. Readers
might remember that Umar, r.a., the second righteous Caliph,
was murdered by a Persian captive.
As the stupendous victories of Islam became common news,
jealousy seized many Muslims who saw that late comers into
Islam, like Muawiyya, r.a., had outclassed many the of
earliest converts.
Tribal rivalries also spread. Usman, r.a.was not as
strict as Umar, r.a., and as some of his governors made
mistakes, the fuel for finger pointing and fault finding
came to the fore.
These three groups, the captives, the jealous Arabs and
the tribal rivals, coalesced, and a coalition was formed to
remove Usman, r.a.,,from the Caliphate.
Rumor mongering was a major tool of the opponents of the
Caliph. The Companions of the Prophet, pbuh, were in the
habit of free speech and open criticism of each other.
[Readers might remember that even Abu Bakr, r.a., and Umar,
r.a., often differed.] They never thought that their
differing views and criticisms of the Caliph would be used
by the enemies of Islam.
The most effective rumor was that Ayesha, r.a., the
beloved wife of the Prophet, pbuh, , had condemned Usman,
r.a. By the time Ayesha, r.a.,found out what was being said
in her name and spoke out against it, Usman, r.a., was under
physical. attack.
The assailants planned their move with great care. They
waited till many of the sahaba, r.a., were on the far away
front lines of Jihad hundreds of miles from Madina. Many
others, including Ayesha, r.a., had gone for Hajj.
Suddenly, the enemies of the Caliph poured into Madina
and were the biggest force there. They besieged the Caliph
in his home, cutting off food and water. They demanded that
Usman, r.a,, admit his "crimes," and resign or face physical
removal.
Several hundred people of Madina came to defend Usman,
r.a. The sons of Ali, r.a., Hasan and Husain, and the sons
of Talha, r.a., and Zubair, r.a.,. stood with drawn swords
to stop the mutineers from entering the Caliph's humble
abode.
Usman, pbuh, came into the mosque of the Prophet, pbuh,
and addressed the rebels and answered all their charges and
claims against him. As he pointed out that even if the
charges were true, they would not be enough for the removal
of the Caliph.
They would not retreat and started demanding his resignation
or his head. Suddenly the sons of Ali, r.a., and others
disappeared from guarding the doorway. Ali, r.a., said he
had warned Usman, r.a., that unless he repented, he, Ali,
r.a., would no longer be able to stop the rebels.
Many ordinary Muslims wanted to defend the Caliph,
because attacking a righteous Caliph is a capital offense
deserving death. Usman, r.a., told them not to fight on his
behalf . He did not want any Muslim blood to be shed on his
behalf, he said.
Even to the end, people could not believe that those with
Muslim names would actually kill the beloved Companion of
the Prophet, pbuh.
Finally the rebels violated the Islamic law about the
sanctity of the home. They jumped over the wall and attacked
the Caliph while he was reading the Qur'an completely at
peace with Allah. As their swords descended on him, his
wife, put up her hands to save him. Her fingers were cut
off.
Among the murderers were the adopted son of Ali plus the
commander of Ali's party and army.
The murderers then proclaimed Ali as the new Caliph. He
repeated again and again that he was not involved in the
murder of Usman, r.a. He said he was reluctant to accept the
Caliphate but then he accepted it.
This was how Shiism began.
After her recovery, Nailah appealed to Muawiyyah, r,a., who
was in Damascus, for justice to avenge the murder.. She
hanged her cut off fingers in the doorway of the mosque in
Damascus thus calling for justice.
When Ayesha, r.a., learned of the murder most foul, she not
only rebutted all the rumors attributed to her but set out
to punish the murderers.
Thus began the fratricidal conflict among Muslims which
ended when Hasan, the son of Ali, r.a., accepted Muawiyya,
r.a., as Caliph in 41 Hijri.
Our America
Oregon
School Shooter Wanted to Dominate and Rule: Media Glorify
these Savages.
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen]
New York City - Another campus shooting! Christopher Sean
Harper-Mercer, 26 years old, took the lives of 16 people,
including his own life on the Umpqua Community College in
Oregon. In his movie, "Bowling for Columbine", film maker
Michael Moore questioned why these massacres occurred in
America so often. He pointed out that there are many
countries with gun-toting citizens and shootings like these
do not occur.
Just as gun advocates have said, "Guns don't kill people.
People kill people." If Americans only had access to rocks
or cyanide, cold-blooded murders would still be an issue.
These murderous events occur as a way for some
disenfranchised individual(s) to feel powerful. Even before
this shooting took place, Mercer gave an envelope to a male
student for him to give to authorities. Then, he told the
male student to go in the corner of the room because that
day was his lucky day since Mercer decided to spare him his
life. What power trippin'!
Then, after all of the carnage and hearing the police sirens
draw near, Mercer took his own life. The ultimate empowering
move for one whose actions point him toward Hell-fire!
Many Americans have issues respecting others. It starts at
the top with the American government. America has never
respected sovereign leadership, from the arrest of Panama's
Manuel Noriega for selling drugs, the murders of Iraq's
Saddam Hussein and Libya's Mommar Qadaffi, and the stealing
of 2,500 acres from the Apache and Navajo People just
because a goldmine was recently discovered on sovereign
Native American land. I can go on for quite awhile. The
attitude is, "Yeah, we did it now, what are you going to do
about it?"
Lets not forget the media's role in all of this, as well. In
the 1930s, the American government, who routinely worked
with mobsters, pleaded with Hollywood to stop creating
gangster movies that glorified the gangster life style
because American children were emulating it. I guess, it
fell on deaf ears especially, since so many of today's
rappers use mafia names for their stage name. Gotti and
Capone are the most common names used.
These gangster films allow us to understand the American Way
of doing things: Dominate and rule! The news media is just
as guilty when they give serial killers nicknames and then,
Hollywood creates a movie about them! On his social media
page, Christopher Mercer noted, after the shooting of two
Virginia reporters on television, that "the more people you
kill, the more you're in the limelight." Keith Hunter
Jesperson (a.k.a. the Happy Face Killer) went out and killed
seven more women when he became upset that someone else got
the credit for his previous murders!
Some of these people confess just for the purpose of being
idolized for their work.
I can go on about the American sociopathic thinker and his
need to use fear and oppression of others to feel powerful
but, the media is the real culprit in these circumstances.
They glorify these savages. These murderers don't even care
if they are dead or alive when they receive this media
glorification! They just know they will go down in history
as, unfortunately, one of many mass murderers.
(source: MSN.com via The Associated Press)
War News
ISIS and Women.
Why are Western Women Joining the Mujahideen?
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi al-Hussaini Urged Women to
Join.
By Warren Richey, Staff writer October 1, 2015
[The Christian Science Monitor has published a report on why
western women are joining ISIS. It's the usual western
attempt to depict ISIS as a cult. However for the first time
we get quotes of what the Islamic women themselves say. We
have kept these and deleted the rest...Editor New Trend]
A growing group of young women are rejecting the luxuries
and freedoms of Western life - and the mainstream Islamic
faith of their parents - to serve the Islamic State group as
wives, mothers, and online recruiters.
Try not to get attached ... to people'
In August, a group of women claiming to be living in the
Islamic State posted a blog of "20 Lessons We've Learned
After Hijrah [migrating to the caliphate]."
Photo: Hoda Muthana, seated in the foreground, participates
in a broadcasting class at Hoover High School in Hoover,
Ala., on Aug. 18, 2011. In November 2014, Muthana left for
Syria, tricking her parents by saying she was on a school
trip. Within a month, she was married. By March, she was a
widow.
One, identified as Mother S, advised young women
contemplating the journey to "try not to get attached too
much to people." It is better to form a permanent bond with
Allah, Mother S advised, that way "if you were to lose
everyone around you, which you most likely will, then it
won't feel like the end of the world."
Some of the advice was empowering. "Being here has taught me
to reconnect with the fitrah [inherent nature] as women,
wives, mothers, and even daughters to our families," Mother
U wrote.
"Being in a non-Muslim society contaminates your mind
whether it be with a sexualized view of women or feminist
ideals of how women should and shouldn't be, whether we
think it has affected us or not," she added.
Another writer advised: "Make sure your trip is for Allah's
sake and only His. Not marriage, or money, or so that you
may be praised as brave or pious, or for a change of routine
and adventure."
The writer added, "May Allah protect us from all such
things."
The topic of shoes even came up during an online exchange.
An anonymous writer asked if women have to wear black shoes
with their black head-to-toe veils? "No you don't HAVE to
wear black shoes," the writer was advised, "but its
preferred for your hayaa's sake to wear dark coloured shoes
that won't attract any type of attention." (Hayaa is a
concept of religious modesty.)
Of the 4,500 foreign fighters estimated to have joined the
Islamic State group by early 2015, some 550 were women from
Western countries. Experts say the number is likely
significantly higher now.
Germany estimates that 100 of the 700 Germans who have
traveled to Syria in recent years are women. Officials in
Britain estimate that more than 100 female nationals have
gone. Roughly 10 percent of the 250 Americans who have
attempted to travel to Syria are women, according to the
FBI. Only a handful of American women have actually gotten
there.
While there is evidence that the number of Western men
traveling to Syria from Europe and the US is continuing at a
steady plateau, by contrast the number of Western women
headed to Syria has grown exponentially within the past
year, researchers say.
With the declaration of the caliphate last year, Abu Bakr
Al-Baghdadi called for doctors, imams, engineers, and other
professionals to travel to occupied Syria and help establish
a formal state. Equally important was his general call for
young women to join the cause.
'Jihadi girl-power'
They aren't just fulfilling what they see as a religious
duty. Their motives also reflect a counterculture revolt
among Muslim women and girls who refuse to live as
second-class citizens in the west, researchers say. For
them, it is suddenly both dangerous and cool to be a
particular kind of Muslim. And that attraction can be
irresistible, researchers say.
"We do see a snowball effect," Saltman says. "It is almost
like a subculture punk movement. It is secretive. It is
empowering. It is against tradition and norms. So you can
see a bit of youth counterculture involved in this."
In testimony in Congress in July, Shasha Havlicek, the
founder of ISD, said the US must attempt to undermine the
allure of what she called "Brand Caliphate," and its
propagation via social media.
"Messaging is fluent, colloquial, and turns local grievances
into an international call to arms," Ms. Havlicek said. The
social media aspect of the IS recruitment effort opens what
had been a male-dominated world to females. Women who have
joined IS are fluent users of social media and ready and
available to help others seeking guidance and reassurance on
their path to the Islamic State group.
The bonds that are forged in daily online communications can
be both empowering and liberating for young Muslim women. "A
jihadi girl-power subculture has emerged on social media
networks, clearly rooted in western culture while
simultaneously rejecting it," Havlicek told Congress.
She cited the example of an Islamic State message on social
media designed to appeal to Western teens. It was a play on
a well-known cosmetics advertisement. It features a
photograph of a completely veiled woman holding a book. The
caption reads: "COVERed GIRL... because I'm worth it."
"The Caliphate offers adventure, belonging and sisterhood,
romance, spiritual fulfillment and a tangible role in
idealistic utopia-building," Havlicek testified. "Very few
youth sub-cultures or movements can claim to offer so much."
Most of those who make the journey to Syria are unmarried
and often travel in pairs or small groups. They are guided
across the Turkish-Syrian border and housed in women-only
hostels. Housing and food is provided free-of-charge, and
they are given an allowance.
As women, their movements are sharply restricted within in
the Islamic State. Their passports and other travel
documents are confiscated. And they must ask permission to
leave the confines of the home, and may do so only with a
chaperone, even after they are married.
Since most of the Western women do not speak Arabic, their
activities are further restricted based on linguistics. "The
Germans hang out with the German speakers, the English
speakers hang out together, and they don't necessarily
mingle or create strong friendships with the locals because
if they don't speak the same language they actually have
very little to talk about," Saltman says.
All women are barred from participating in combat. But that
doesn't mean many wouldn't be willing to fight, if called
upon.
War News: Kunduz [With thanks to Br. Quidwai
Doctors Without Borders leaves Kunduz after 'inexcusable'
air strike.
Group withdraws from embattled city, a day after an apparent
US raid that the UN said could amount to a war crime.
International medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
said Sunday it has withdrawn staff from the embattled Afghan
city of Kunduz, a day after an apparent United States
bombing raid on its hospital that the United Nations said
could amount to a war crime.
MSF said on Sunday that 22 people were killed, including 12
staffers and 10 patients. The group added that some victims
burned to death in their beds as the bombardment continued
for more than an hour, even after U.S. and Afghan
authorities were informed the hospital had been hit.
It is the only medical facility in the northeastern region
of Afghanistan that can deal with major war injuries. Its
closure, even temporarily, could have a devastating impact
on local civilians.
"The MSF hospital is not functional anymore. All critical
patients have been referred to other health facilities and
no MSF staff are working in our hospital," Kate Stegeman, a
spokeswoman for the charity, told Agence France-Presse. "I
can't confirm at this stage whether our Kunduz trauma center
will reopen or not."
The air raid came five days after Taliban fighters seized
control of the strategic northern city of Kunduz, in their
most spectacular victory since being toppled from power by a
U.S.-led coalition in 2001.
The medical charity condemned the bombings as "abhorrent and
a grave violation of international law," demanding answers
from U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan.
It said Afghan and coalition troops were fully aware of the
exact location of the hospital, having been given GPS
coordinates of a facility that had been providing care for
four years.
It added that despite frantic calls to military officials in
Kabul and Washington, the main building housing the
intensive care unit and emergency rooms was "repeatedly,
very precisely" hit almost every 15 minutes for more than an
hour.
Afghan officials said helicopter gunships returned fire from
Taliban fighters who were hiding in the facility.
Stegeman said there were no insurgents in the facility at
the time of the bombing. Associated Press video footage of
the burned out compound in the east of Kunduz shows
automatic weapons, including rifles and at least one machine
gun, on windowsills.
MSF said some 105 patients and their caregivers, as well as
more than 80 international and local MSF staff, were in the
hospital at the time of the bombing.
"The bombs hit and then we heard the plane circle round,"
said Heman Nagarathnam, MSF's head of programs in northern
Afghanistan. "There was a pause, and then more bombs hit.
Those people that could had moved quickly to the building's
two bunkers to seek safety. But patients who were unable to
escape burned to death as they lay in their beds."
Twelve staff members and at least seven patients, among them
three children, were killed, while 37 people were
injured.
On Saturday President Barack Obama offered his "deepest
condolences" for what he called a "tragic incident."
"The Department of Defense has launched a full
investigation, and we will await the results of that inquiry
before making a definitive judgment as to the circumstances
of this tragedy," Obama said.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said a joint investigation
is underway with U.S. Forces.
NATO earlier conceded U.S. forces may have been behind the
bombing, after its forces launched a strike that they said
was intended to target militants.
"The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a
nearby medical facility. This incident is under
investigation," a statement said.
The incident has renewed concerns about the use of U.S. air
strikes in Afghanistan, a deeply contentious issue in the
14-year campaign against Taliban insurgents.
U.N. rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called for a full
and transparent probe, noting: "An air strike on a hospital
may amount to a war crime. This event is utterly tragic,
inexcusable and possibly even criminal."
MSF's withdrawal comes as Kunduz grapples with a
humanitarian crisis, with thousands of civilians caught in
the crossfire between government forces and insurgents. At
least 60 people are known to have died and 400 to have been
wounded in the past week's fighting.
"Such attacks against health workers and facilities
undermine the capacity of humanitarian organizations to
assist the Afghan people at a time when they most urgently
need it," the International Committee of the Red Cross
said.
The deputy head of the Afghan National Disaster Management
Authority, Aslam Sayas, said he was aware of the growing
needs of people trapped inside the city. "We are waiting for
the security situation to improve to give us an opportunity
to reach those needy people," he said.
Saad Mukhar, the Kunduz provincial public health director,
estimates that more than 70 people have been killed and more
than 500 wounded in the city since the fighting began.
"I'm afraid that if this situation continues, we will not be
able to help our patients because right now we are facing a
serious, drastic shortage of medicine," he said.
SAUDI ARABIA
How did Mina Stampede happen - Who is Responsible for it -
Saudi Arabia or Africans or Iranians or God or No One..?
by Dr. Ajmal
769 Haj piligrims died in the Mina Stampede, and the
preceding week around 107 died in the Crane Crash in Mecca -
tragedies which have marred the recent history of uneventful
Haj. This year is considered to be one of the worst in the
last 25 years of Haj history. The toll is to expected to
raise as hundreds more are critically injured
Being an Emergency Medicine Physician & one of the 20 odd
Managers of Indian Medical Centers in Saudi Arabia deputed
by Govt of India in 2008 to treat Indian Haj Pilgrims I have
some fond memories as well as earnest observations to share,
hopefully giving a better picture for those interested to
understand. Our honest efforts are to do some "fact finding"
and "medically research" the causes, that lead to these
tragic incidents and not to belittle the good work the
Saudis and thousands of volunteers, put in to make Haj the
world's best largest peaceful gathering.
Mina Stampede
Mina is a large scenic place, with rows and rows of tents,
the beauty of which is simply mesmerizing. Right beneath the
beauty lies the dark facts. All men are equal before Lord,
wearing the same unstitched cloth - is sadly and
unfortunately - not True. An overview of Mina geographically
is essential to comprehend it.
As you stand over the bridge you will notice (below) the
expanse of Mina from Jamarat to Muzdaliffah, so much so the
tents are now inside muzdalifah. On the mountain top you see
the palaces of the royal family, from where they do their
rituals, going by a separate route to Jamarat.
Then there are multistory large grey colored buildings,
making you think what is an apartment doing in a tent city?
These are building reserved for the ultra-rich Muslims
shelling out thousands of dollars per night. Even in the
tents there are huge differences. The tents near the Jamarat
have better facilities and usually booked for dignitaries
and the farther the tents from Jamarat the poorer the
accommodation.
With the disparities openly seen, is it wrong to ask - do
those who buy better resources and get better benefits, ever
faced such tragedies? Has Stampede ever happened in areas
involving richer tents..??
Why is Mina Prone for Stampedes while the new Jamarat area
avoided it? Mass Gathering Medicine - involves an
interesting concept called Fluid Dynamics or Crowd Flow.
It is keeping these dynamics in mind, Gensler, World's
biggest Architectural firm, designed the Jamarat at the
request of SaudiArabia. Look at the Pictures below, how the
design itself of Y shape, wide pillars, curved oval "0"
shapes - ease the process, compared to stagnation of the
previous model. Even if there is a push the only way out is
to exit to the next Jamarat. There is adequate space in
between, so much so people can even come in cars to fulfill
the stoning ritual!
Those who have been to Jamarat will also notice that at the
edges are police stationed on high raised platforms,
watching from above. And if there is anyone tripping, they
almost jump down from top to disperse it, then and there.
Structural Flaws in Mina
Compare this to Mina, which is badly designed death trap -
in times of disasters. It has "H" and "T" intersections,
which are best avoided in such crowded places. It is exactly
at one of the T intersections that the stampede occurred.
There is absolutely no way anyone can escape if stuck in the
connecting T or H.
The side walls are fenced and tall, meaning the only way to
escape is to climb on someone and go over the fence. Which
is exactly what the people tried do, some throwing their
children to the safety of nearby roof tops.
Unlike Jamaraat Mina roads are not covered. So those who
fall down, die an agonizing death in 40C blistering heat.
Medically the time taken for death due to Stampede
(Compression Asphyxia) is around 4-8 minutes.
With the current Mina design, it is absolutely impossible
for any help or ambulance, to come through the congested
roads within 10 Minutes to site. Reaching the spot from the
Mina Hospital would easily take 15-25 minutes or even more.
There are no raised platform alongside the roads to pick up
tripped people, nor do those trapped have any outlet to
escape. The only option is to stamp on one another to reach
the top, or die. Eventually the staff can only come and pick
up the bodies later, with skin blistered and peeled. People
are destined to die if there is a stampede in the current
setup.
When the rich & powerful can have multistorey buildings to
reside, wider roads, vehicles for transport within mina, why
not others? Do their Lives matter less...?? It's high time
the inherent structural flaws in the design are rectified.
Paul Wertheimer, the founder of Los Angeles-based
consultancy Crowd Management Strategies, discussing the
ongoing carnage at Mina said, "Part of the problem was
architectural — the passageways were too narrow for
the crowds. They brought in experts and widened the
passageways. But the problem has not been solved. It looks
like a classic failure of crowd management."
Modernization of Mina vs High raise buildings in Haram
SaudiArabia not only spends billions but also earns billions
in revenue through Haj. Some stats from this article will
highlight the glaring errors in prioritizing the spendings
in recent years, especially during the previous Saudi ruler.
To Quote verbatim from the article.
"Saudis spent roughly $1.2 billion on Mina after 360
pilgrims were killed in 2006. The luxury hotel suites and
shopping centers at the Abraj al-Bait and Makkah Clock Royal
Tower cost over $15 billion. Saudis have allocated $26.6
billion to expanding the mosque itself, announcing its
intentions to increase capacity past 3 million worshipers.
This policy is misguided: The Grand Mosque is not where
capacity and transit of pilgrims are in desperate need of
repair. Grand Mosque had never even been the site of a major
disaster, despite the masses of worshipers seemingly
ever-present within its walls.(excluding the crane fall
which was due to high winds). The Abraj al-Bait complex and
an upcoming 10,000-room mega-hotel adjacent to the Grand
Mosque similarly miss the point. After repeated tragedies,
that (mina) passage demanded careful planning and decisive
action to prevent further injury and death."
Sectarian Politics & Iranian Propaganda
Iran which wants to be a part of investigations, having lost
more than 200 piligrims, should know that the false
propaganda they indulge in, need to stop. Just because they
are fighting IS, they can't assume the Sunni Muslim world
will support any action of theirs, good or bad. Iran has a
history of playing politics at Haj showing defiant behavior
even during Haj times. Their illusion of reviving the
Persian empire by arming rebels in Middle East and
exaggerating news, does more harm than good, not only to
themselves but the Muslim Ummah at large.
If Hajj is about reviving the rituals carried out by our
ancestor Prophet Ibrahim, A.S and performing it as the
Prophet Muhamamd sal commanded it, then how can they indulge
in sloganeering and political activism in haj which is
beyond shameful?
The Iranian propaganda of the Crown Prince Motorcade causing
the stampede have no basis, primarily because the routes are
entirely different. This has been clarified by Saudi Arabia
in a press release.
Iranian claims of Saudis being incapable of managing Haj,
sounds more than hollow, as Iran itself has not been able to
provide protection to various important Shia Shrines
themselves. It is such exaggerated & unfair criticism of
SaudiArabia that Turkish President, Erdogan refuted this
saying "it would be wrong to point a finger at Saudi Arabia
which does its best to make the annual Haj pilgrimage
possible. You have to see the glass as half full," he said,
adding that each country suffers failures.
Need for Open, Independent and Honest Investigation &
Dialogue
Labelling such incidents as "Acts of God" is an easy and
wrong way out rather than assuming accountability and
responsibility. Errors happen even after good efforts. True,
but errors if not rectified they get repeated. If errors are
not seen as errors but rather justified, they get
entrenched.
Just as a doctor or a hospital cannot afford to refuse or
mismanage a case of Heart Attack, by giving excuses that the
patient was a smoker or a was having lot of meat / biryani
his whole life, will these kind of excuses neglecting
deficiencies, be acceptable to anyone..??
To blame large crowds, African brothers, Shias, is to shift
responsibility, than make oneself accountable. Its unfair
and unjust to blame crowd. No one wants to die being crushed
to death or crush another fellow Muslim no matter how holy
the place is.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari urged King Salman "to
ensure a comprehensive and thorough exercise that will
identify any flaws in Hajj organisation". All nations who
lost citizens, due to humanitarian reasons, have the right
to take the case to be independently evaluated, to check if
corruption exists in giving out hajj projects as is being
alleged widely. Even the allegations of royal convey leading
to the disaster, can be easily proved or disproved by
releasing the video footage continuously been recorded. Were
the staff at Mina adequately trained, as many eye witnesses
describe that they were themselves confused at what to do?
Were they BLS (Basic Life Support) certified, as is the
requirement for all police or firefighters in western
countries?
Eye witness accounts say, it was a combination of all the
above factors that lead to this colossal death toll. There
should be an open and honest investigation rather than
brushing the issue aside - not only for the welfare of the
Hajis but also to retain the respect and sanctity of the
title Allah has bestowed on them being "Custodian of the
Holy Mosques".
King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Muhammad had to
inherit a difficult legacy from his predecessor and are
trying hard to fix the unity of Muslims by cooperating with
all including whom the previous kings fought. May Allah help
them overcome the trials and spearhead a positive change in
Muslim affairs not only in SaudiArabia but all over the
world.
Dr.Ajmal
Passionate about Islam, politics and issues connected to the
welfare of Muslims, Dr Ajmal is a Medical Practitioner and
after obtaining Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance, he
started the firm WealthCity, which advices on Islamic
Investments for Indian Muslims. He write through his
Facebook page.
FaceBook.com/Dr.Md.Ajmal
