Narrated 'Ikrima: I prayed behind a Sheikh at Mekka and he
said twenty two Takbirs (during the prayer). I told Ibn
'Abbas that he (i.e. that Sheikh) was foolish. Ibn 'Abbas
admonished me and said, "This is the tradition of
Abu-l-Qasim." And narrated Abu Huraira: Whenever Allah's
Apostle stood for the prayer, he said Takbir on starting the
prayer and then on bowing. On rising from bowing he said,
"Sami' a-l-lahu liman hamida," and then while standing
straight he used to say, "Rabbana laka-l hamd" (Al-Laith
said, "(The Prophet said), 'Walaka-l-hamd'." He used to say
Takbir on prostrating and on raising his head from
prostration; again he would Say Takbir on prostrating and
raising his head. He would then do the same in the whole of
the prayer till it was completed. On rising from the second
Rak'a (after sitting for At-Tahiyyat), he used to say
Takbir.
(Sahih Bukhari, Book #12, Hadith #755)
Comment by Kaukab Siddique: The five daily prayers are
obligatory on Muslims. For us to be able to pray properly ,
we need Hadith. These details are not given in the
Qur'an.
This hadith refutes the propaganda of the "Qur'an only"
renegade group.
The kunniyah [or known title] of Abul Qasim is used for the
Prophet, pbuh.
Afghanistan
Taliban Victories Spreading
August 20: Taliban mujahideen captured the city of Khanabad,
30 miles east of Kunduz. Taliban forces reached Kunduz but
were stopped by a regime counteroffensive.
Taliban have captured various areas in the provinces of
Baghlan, Helmand and Ghor.
US air force is active in Afghanistan and claims to have
killed a leader of the Islamic State in southern
Afghanistan.
Pakistan
Islamic fighters entering Tirah. Gen. Raheel Launches Full
Scale Offensive.
August 20. The Pakistan army launched a full scale offensive
in the northern approaches of Khyber agency known as Tirah
owing to reports of Islamic activity. According to the
government's mouth piece DAWN daily, air force and ground
forces were used in the regime's latest offensive.
Mujahideen evidently are still active in Khyber agency in
spite of regime claims that it has wiped out the Islamic
uprising. The situation is going against the regime so much
so that General Raheel himself is visiting the area to rally
his troops.. [The general, a friend of Egypt's Sissi,is free
to use the Pakistani military against the people of Pakistan
as he wishes..]
Important Questions about Badr and Ramadhan.
Salaam
I was reading Sura Anfal about Battle of Bader.
Everybody says it happened in Ramadhan.
I didn't read a single thing in the sura that suggests it
happened in Ramadhan, why is this?
There is plenty of mention of the spiritual significance of
the event, angels providing support. Surely the fact that it
was within a holy time period would be mentioned. Why is it
not mentioned?
On a further point, the surah emphasizes the timing of the
event. Why we don't mark the Islamic calendar from this
event?
Also, why we don't start the Islamic calendar at Ramadhan?
It would make more sense, as a time of resolution, divine
decree, revelations of quran and some say Badr as well. if
Badr really happened in Ramadhan and we started our Islamic
calendar from this date it would change the emphasis of
Ramadhan from something placid to something militant?
Labour leadership challenger Owen Smith has suggested the
so-called Islamic State could be involved in negotiations
with the West in the future.
Mr Smith said all conflicts ended in "dialogue", during a
two-hour debate with Jeremy Corbyn on the BBC's Victoria
Derbyshire programme.
The Labour leader said he would not negotiate with so-called
Islamic State.
The pair also clashed over allegations of abuse within the
Labour Party, nuclear weapons and the EU referendum.
Commenting after the debate, Mr Corbyn's campaign team
called Mr Smith's comments on IS "hasty and
ill-considered".
But Mr Smith stressed he was not suggesting "we're going to
be able to bring ISIS round the table right now."
Pressed on how soon it might happen, he told BBC News: "We
don't know. We would all hope that it happens quickly, we
would all hope they stop being a murderous terrorist
organization and try and bring about peace. But at the
moment there's no evidence of that, is there?"
"Persian Conspiracy" Theory about Hadith: Shows Parwez's
Ignorance
by Kaukab Siddique, PhD [hadithandwomen.wordpress.com]
"Deem not the summons of the Messenger among yourselves like
the summons of one of you to another: Allah does know those
of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse: then let
those beware who withstand the Messenger's order, lest some
trial befall them, or a grievous chastisement be inflicted
on them." [The Qur'an 24:63.] Quoted by Imam Ahmed Ibn
Hanbal in his confrontation with a despotic ruler who wanted
to include sectarian concerns into the fabric of Islam.
[The following writer has sent several questions this time.
We'll answer only one at a time so as not to burden a
substantial segment of our readers who are already quite
well read in Islam.]
Question from: M., Canada. You are trying to connect the
"Qur'an Only" movement to Jewish scholars but Allama Parvez
writes so well about some facts of Hadith which no one else
had noticed. He wrote that ALL the scholars of Hadith were
Persians. He saw that Hadith was not collected by the early
Arab scholars. The Persians brought Hadith to oppose the
Arabs. He writes about Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu
Dawood, Ibn Maja and Nasai:
"All of them were Iranians. None of them was an inhabitant
of Arabia. It's an astonishing fact that none of the Arabs
took up this great task and the collection and compilation
of Hadith was fulfilled by non-Arabs (ajamis). Secondly, all
of these persons were in the third century Hijra ...."
[Maqame Hadith, G.A. Parvez, page 13.]
Answer by Kaukab Siddique: Parwez's theory is absurd for
anyone who has done any reading on Hadith ; hence I feel as
if I am wasting my time answering this question. However, I
need to answer because Parwez has been effective among
people who have not studied Hadith. Among them is a man
named Dr. .... ..... ..... who wrote a book titled
Conspiracies against the Qur'an in which he made a straight
copy of Parvez's list of the six scholars of Hadith in the
form of a chart indicating their Persian origin. A very
sincere gentleman (who is in Canada), Akbarally Meherally,
was taken in by .... .....'s book and wrote a book of his
own Myths and Realities of Hadith in which he reproduces the
same chart as ...(p.86) quite confidently. I doubt if
Meherally knew that ..... .. is a follower of Parwez. Let's
break down the issue.
Were the six actually all Iranians? The answer is NO.
Probably Parwez did not look at any map connected to Muslim
history. Even the area known as "Khurasan" was a vast area,
much of it now included in Afghanistan. Allama Tajuddin
Subki (died 771 H.) has left us a good impression of the
area known as Khurasan. He writes in his Tabqat al-Shafi'a:
"The leading cities of Khurasan were four which were like
its pillars which marked its foundation: Merv, Nishapur,
Balkh and Herat. These were its greatest cities but if you
were to say that they were actually the cities of Islam,
that wouldn't be wrong because these were the centers of
Islamic knowledge as well as of government."
Of the six Parwez noticed, the greatest, Imam Bukhari was
born in Bukhara, which is in central Asia and is not
included it in Iran or in Khurasan. So Parwez's theory is
busted by the very one he hated most. Perhaps Parwez should
have come up with a Central Asian theory.
Ibn Maja was from Qazwin which is and was in AZERBAIJAN.
Talk to any Azerbaijani, and it becomes apparent that though
Azerbaijan today is in Iran, it has its own history and
background. Azerbaijanis are not Persians.
Abu Dawood was from Sijistan which is or overlaps with what
we call Baluchistan today, some of it now in modern Iran and
some in Pakistan.
Thus we are left with a Persian conspiracy with three
"conspirators." Of these, Tirmidhi actually differed with
Imam Bukhari and criticized the technical quality of some of
Imam Bukhari's texts. He also has some criticism of Imam
Muslim's texts. Thus this "conspiracy" was certainly not
working.
Nasai and Muslim were from the general area of Khurassan but
there are serious differences in the way they presented
Hadith. Nasai actually ignores quite a few of the narrators
Bukhari accepted. The methodology, purpose and style of all
six is unique, each in its own way.
All six were independent scholars who stayed away from any
control by rulers and took extreme pains to make sure that
no one could pressure or buy them. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
WHATSOEVER that they were organizing some kind of cultural
"counter revolution" against the Arabs. They loved the
Prophet (pbuh) so much and were so fearful of attributing
anything to him incorrectly that they would differ among
themselves and debate over the best possible sources of
information about the Prophet's (pbuh) Hadith. For instance,
Tirmidhi differed with Bukhari over his sources for a Hadith
about ISTINJA (or cleaning oneself after going to the
bathroom). This was indeed a strange "conspiracy" that these
two were differing over which chain of narrators was best
for reference to the Prophet's (pbuh) mode of cleaning
himself. This must have been a revolution about
cleanliness!
When Parwez gave his neat little chart about the six
Persian "conspirators," he conveniently forgot that Hadith
was collected in non-Persian cities too. For instance,
numerous scholars who met the companions (r.a.) of the
Prophet (pbuh) in cities outside Khurasan, also compiled
Hadith. Among the great centers of Hadith scholarship were
Arab cities, Makka, Madina, Damascus, Kufa, Basra and parts
of Egypt and Palestine. The greatest center of learning
turned out to be Baghdad which was cosmopolitan, both Arabic
and Ajami.
Parwez did not understand Hadith scholarship. Hence he
did not realize that the six greats he attacked were merely
compilers of selective editions of Hadith WHICH ALREADY
EXISTED. [A comparison for understanding: Various scholars
prepare selections of Iqbal's poetry from his many years of
poetry. This does not mean that the anthologists invented
Iqbal's poetry. They simply put together what they thought
was Iqbal's best or what was best for their purposes.] The
six were simply trying, each in his own way, to check on the
authenticity of Hadith narrations by the most stringent of
tests.
In ADDITION to the six, there were other giants of Hadith
scholarship who concentrated on the APPLICATION of the
Qur'an and the Hadith to the issues facing the community.
Of the FIVE MOST FAMOUS OF THESE GREATS, four were Arabs:
Imam Jafar as-Sadiq
Imam Malik
Imam Shafi'i
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
[The only non-Arab, great by comparison with these four, was
Imam Abu Hanifa. Perhaps Parwez should have come up with a
theory of ARAB CONSPIRACY to control non-Arabs.
Unfortunately for him, Imam Abu Hanifa was the student of
Imam Jafar. The Arabs and the non-Arabs worked together.
Islam for both was about the Qur'an and the AUTHENTICITY OF
HADITH. All were SCHOLARS OF THE QUR'AN, a requirement
before anyone could study Hadith.]
Incidentally, Imam Ahmad's Musnad is not included in the six
books of Hadith because its purpose (by definition of the
word 'Musnad') was to be INCLUSIVE, while Imam Bukhari and
the others were EXCLUSIVE, trying to keep out any narration
which had any weakness OF ANY KIND.
Imam Jafar is from the Ahlul Bait [the line of Ali, r.a.,
and Fatima, r.a.], so nobody can suspect him of being an
Ajami or non-Arab. He took Hadith from Hazrat Ali (r.a.),
one of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) who WROTE Hadith
during the time of the Prophet (pbuh), which debunks the
idea that Hadith were first written down in the third
century.
Imam Malik (most influential and with a wide FOLLOWING IN
AFRICA) was from the holy city of Madina. His dates are
93-179 H and his collection of Hadith, MUWATTA, written in
130 H. (before the middle of the second century) is one of
the most famous books of Hadith. Its very existence refutes
the story that Hadith were first written in the third
century. [It is not included in the SIX because its focus is
on hadith RELATING TO LAW and not to the entire gamut of the
Prophet's life (pbuh).] Malik had thousands of students,
many of whom were great scholars of Hadith in their own
right.
Most amazingly, Parwez missed Imam Shafai'i. [His dates:
150-204 also show that Hadith was available in writing in
the Second century of Islam.] This great scholar took on
those who were trying to claim that ONE REPORT FROM THE
PROPHET (pbuh) was not sufficient for purposes of law. His
work was definitive in this field. There are few who have
served Hadith scholarship better. For purposes of this
discussion, I will only look at his Arab descent.
Muhammad (Shafaii son of Idrees, son of Abbas, son of
'Usman, son of Shafa'e, son of Saib, son of Ubaid, son of
Abd Yazeed, son of Hashim, son of Abdul Muttalib son of Abd
Manaf.
[Pakistani readers should look up Imam Shafaii kay ahd,
mujahidat aur zaat-o-sifat ka mukammal jaiza (A Complete
Appraisal of the Era, scholarly decisions, personality and
qualities of Imam Shafii) by Egyptian writer Muhammad Abu
Zahra, translated by Syed Raees Ahmad J'afri into Urdu.]
Parwez's fatal mistake was that he ignored AHMAD IBN HANBAL,
who was not only an Arab scholar of Hadith but one who
insisted that in the presence of Hadith, there is no need
for qiyas [analogy]. As pointed out earlier, his Musnad, a
compendium of Hadith bigger than Bukhari's Sahih is
available today. Ahmad's dates are very significant: 164-241
H. Thus he was the contemporary of Bukhari and most of the
other five greats of Hadith. He was part of the huge variety
of scholarship which emerged from Islam's cultural center
BAGHDAD.
That Parwez would try to condemn Bukhari for being "Iranian"
while ignoring Ahmad ibn Hanbal is a sign of scholarly
dishonesty. Ahmad's MUSNAD is a deadly blow for Parwez
because it contains the ENTIRE TEXT of a FIRST CENTURY
collection of Hadith, which was prepared in WRITING by
Hammam ibn Munabbih who listened to Abu Huraira (r.a.) and
wrote down 138 Hadith from him. [The ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT of
Hammam's collection was discovered by the Indian scholar,
Dr. Hamidullah.]
What we are looking at here is that:
A FIRST CENTURY collection in WRITING reached the THIRD
CENTURY intact and was PUBLISHED IN FULL TEXT in the Musnad
of Ahmad ibn Hanbal which EXISTS TODAY. Thus, there can be
no doubt that Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) were successfully
transmitted to future generations by the scholars of
Hadith.
[By the way, Ahmad was Arab, not a Persian "conspirator. He
was from the Arab tribe of Sheiban which settled in Basra
when Omar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) asked for volunteers to
settle in that seemingly inhospitable area. Ahmad's line
connects with that of the Prophet (pbuh) through Nazar bin
Maadan bin 'Adnan.]
Imam Ahmed defied THREE ABBASID Caliphs who were trying to
bring sectarian concepts into Islam. I am not surprised that
Parwez ignored him. Parwez was helping the secularist rulers
of his time to bring sectarian ideas into Islam to help
defeat the independent Islamic scholars of our time like
Syed Abul 'Ala Maudoodi (rahmatullah alaih).
We as Muslims can be proud that people of all nations have
contributed to Islamic learning
PAKISTAN
Pakistan's $200 Trillion in Swiss Banks; Afghan Refugees;
;and the Indian Flag Fell Down in Kashmir
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, Aug. 16; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has announced that the JI would fight the
battle against corruption even in the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference at Peshawar on Tuesday, he
said that the Secretary General, Supreme Court Bar
Association, Asad Manzur Butt, would file a petition in this
respect in the apex court on August 22, on behalf of the
JI.
In reply to a question on Afghan refugees return, Sirajul
Haq said that Pakistan had played host to the Afghan
refugees for 35 years and sending them home by force would
nullify the humanitarian services rendered by this country
to their Afghan brethren in distress. He said the Afghan
refugees themselves wanted to return home but the federal
government institutions and the provincial government were
handling the issue in an improper manner which was bound to
have adverse effect for this country. He called upon the
provincial government not to compel the Afghans to leave and
instead deal with them with respect.
Sirajul Haq said that according to Swiss Banks reports, a
huge sum of 200 trillion dollars owned by the Pakistanis
were lying in Swiss Banks as had been confirmed by the Swiss
Finance Minister. He said that under an agreement between
Pakistan and Switzerland, Switzerland was to provide
information to Pakistan about the details of this wealth by
2017. However, he said, no one knew when this information
would be available.
The JI chief sad that the world at large came to know
through the Panama leaks about the wealth of a large number
of Pakistanis including the Prime Minister and his family,
in off shore companies. He said the Prime Minister had
addressed the nation three times on this issue.
He said that the government had requested the Supreme Court
for the setting up of a judicial commission under an act of
1956. However, the Supreme Court wrote in its reply that the
1956 act was toothless, and a judicial commission under it
would be of no use. The Supreme Court suggested an amendment
in the 1956 act and called for explicitly naming the
institutions and individuals against whom anti corruption
proceedings were required.
The JI chief noted that the government had ignored the
Supreme Court instructions as also the ToR's prepared by the
Opposition under the pretext of dialogue and the government
attitude had forced the JI to move the apex court in this
respect.
Kashmir
Secretary General, Jamaat e Islami, Liaqat Baloch, has said
that the falling down of the Indian tricolor from the hands
of the puppet Chief Minister of Held Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti,
was a bad omen for India predicting her defeat and the
victory of the Kashmiris struggling for liberation.
Addressing youth gathering in the city, he said that the
Indian Chief Justice had correctly analyzed Indian Prime
Minister Modi's address to his nation. He said that India
was badly suffering from anarchy and separatist movements
and Modi was talking of Balochistan, Gilgit and Baltistan
only to hide his own weaknesses.
He said it was high time that the eyes of the Indian masses
were open to the bitter realities within their country and
the gross human rights violations in Kashmir.
War News
Syria
Heavy Clashes as "Hizbullah" Tries to supply Alawite enclave
in western Aleppo
Damascus Troops Fighting Communist Kurds in Hasakeh and
Qamlishi
Russians bombing IS, al-Nusra and FSA. US bombing Unable to
Stop IS leaving Manbig
[Sources: SOHR, Guardian and Reuters.]
August 17-20: Steady attempts by "hizbullah" and Shia forces
to supply Alawite enclave in western Aleppo led to battles
with mujahedeen of al-Nusra, FSA and Ahrar al-Sham. The
re-supply efforts failed but both sides suffered heavy
losses, with "hizbullah", the shias and the Alawites
suffering 43 soldiers and 16 officers killed. The
Mujaheddeen too suffered with 61 killed, including a
Tunisian commander and 4 junior commanders.
In Hasakeh [northeastern Syria, attempts by Communist Kurds
[YPG] to advance into the area held by the Alawite garrison
loyal to Assad led to heavy fighting with losses on both
sides. Assad sent his jets to bomb the Kurds.
After 4 days of fighting in Hasakeh, there are signs of
tension in the city of Qamishli, and first reports of firing
between Assad garrison and Kurds .
These cities are divided but with American support for
Kurds, the Kurds are trying to advance.
In Deir ez Zor, another divided city, Islamic State forces
are firing heavy machine guns and mortars at the Alawite
garrison. Russia is trying to supply this garrison and has
partially succeeded.
Near Damascus, the city of Darayya has been subjected to
daily attacks of barrel bombs by Assad's helicopters leading
to widespread death and destruction .
Mujehedeen groups in Lattakia are under attack by Russian
bombers.
Iraq
For two weeks Shia and Kurdish forces have not been able to
advance against the Islamic State. [IS].
US air force has been busy bombing IS daily. The Baghdad
regime has issued several statements claiming heavy IS
losses in the bombing.
The Baghdad regime has also issued disinformation claiming
serious divisions within IS; however there is no evidence or
source for these claims.
Eight days back the Kurds claimed to have captured 11
villages from IS. However the claim has not been
substantiated and no journalists have visited or reported on
the 11 villages.
Libya
In Spite of US Ar Support for pro-West Forces, Bitter ISIS
Resistance Continues in Sirte. Odds of 10 to one against
IS.
[Here is the one sided BBC report.]
Since August 1, their progress has been aided by US air
strikes on ISIL vehicles, weapons and fighting positions. US
President Barack Obama said it was "in America's national
security interest" to help the pro-government forces "finish
the job" of ousting ISIL from Sirte.
The internationally backed government's forces and those of
a rival authority in the east are currently engaged in a
race to be the first to drive ISIL out of the city. But some
analysts believe this could jeopardise efforts to defeat the
armed group.
Libya has suffered from chaos since the 2011 overthrow of
Gaddafi, with numerous revolutionary militias formed along
regional and ideological lines vying for power.
Late Model Russian Bombers Using Iran to Attack Islamic
forces, IS and al-Nusra and Civilians in Syria.Horrific
murders from the Air. (Source: Reuters. Aug 16 By Andrew
Osborn)
MOSCOW Russia used Iran as a base from which to launch air
strikes against Syrian militants for the first time on
Tuesday, widening its air campaign in Syria and deepening
its involvement in the Middle East.
In a move underscoring Moscow's increasingly close ties with
Tehran, long-range Russian Tupolev-22M3 bombers and
Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers used Iran's Hamadan air base to
strike a range of targets in Syria.
It was the first time Russia has used the territory of
another nation, apart from Syria itself, to launch such
strikes since the Kremlin launched a bombing campaign to
support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September last
year.
It was also thought to be the first time that Iran has
allowed a foreign power to use its territory for military
operations since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The Iranian
deployment will boost Russia's image as a central player in
the Middle East and allow the Russian air force to cut
flight times and increase bombing payloads.
The head of Iran's National Security Council was quoted by
state news agency IRNA as saying Tehran and Moscow were now
sharing facilities to fight against terrorism, calling their
cooperation strategic.
Both countries back Assad, and Russia, after a delay, has
supplied Iran with its S-300 missile air defense system,
evidence of a growing partnership between the pair that has
helped turn the tide in Syria's civil war and is testing
U.S. influence in the Middle East.
Relations between Tehran and Moscow have grown warmer since
Iran reached agreement last year with global powers to curb
its nuclear program in return for the lifting of U.N., EU
and U.S. financial sanctions.
President Vladimir Putin visited in November and the two
countries regularly discuss military planning for Syria,
where Iran has provided ground forces that work with local
allies while Russia provides air power.
TARGET: ALEPPO
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday Iraq,
which lies between Iran and Syria, had granted Russia
permission to use its air space, on the condition the planes
use corridors along Iraq's borders and not fly over Iraqi
cities.
Abadi told a press conference the same permission has been
given to air forces of a separate U.S.-led coalition against
Islamic State flying to Syria from Kuwait.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its bombers had taken off
on Tuesday from the Hamadan air base in north-west Iran.The
ministry said Tuesday's strikes had targeted Islamic State
as well as militants previously known as the Nusra Front in
the Aleppo, Idlib and Deir al Zour provinces. It said its
Iranian-based bombers had been escorted by fighter jets
based at Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria's Latakia
Province.
"As a result of the strikes five large arms depots were
destroyed ... a militant training camp ... three command and
control points ... and a significant number of militants,"
the ministry said in a statement.
The destroyed facilities had all been used to support
militants in the Aleppo area, it said, where battle for
control of the divided city, which had some 2 million people
before the war, has intensified in recent weeks.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war
monitor, said heavy air strikes on Tuesday had hit many
targets in and around Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria, killing
dozens.
Strikes in the Tariq al-Bab and al-Sakhour districts of
northeast Aleppo had killed around 20 people, while air
raids in a corridor rebels opened this month into
opposition-held eastern parts of the city had killed another
nine, the observatory said.
The Russian Defence Ministry says it takes great care to
avoid civilian casualties in its air strikes.Zakaria
Malahifi, political officer of an Aleppo-based rebel group,
Fastaqim, said he could not confirm if the newly deployed
Russian bombers were in use, but said air strikes on Aleppo
had intensified in recent days.
"It is much heavier," he told Reuters. "There is no weapon
they have not dropped on Aleppo - cluster bombs, phosphorus
bombs, and so on."
Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, is divided into
rebel and government-held zones. The government aims to
capture full control of it, which would be its biggest
victory of the five year conflict.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to be
trapped in rebel areas, facing potential siege if the
government closes off the corridor linking it with the
outside. Russian media reported on Tuesday that Russia had
also requested and received permission to use Iran and Iraq
as a route to fire cruise missiles from its Caspian Sea
fleet into Syria, as it has done in the past. Russia has
built up its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and
the Caspian as part of what it says are planned military
exercises.
Russia's state-backed Rossiya 24 channel earlier on Tuesday
broadcast uncaptioned images of at least three Russian
Tupolev-22M3 bombers and a Russian military transport plane
inside Iran.
The channel said the Iranian deployment would allow the
Russian air force to cut flight times by 60 percent. The
Tupolev-22M3 bombers, which before Tuesday had conducted
strikes on Syria from their home bases in southern Russia,
were too large to be accommodated at Russia's own air base
inside Syria, Russian media reported.
News Within the U.S.
Brooklyn, NY
Muslims Mourn Bangladeshi Imam and his friend.
Brooklyn Man Charged With Killing Imam and Assistant
Two days after an imam and his assistant were gunned down
after afternoon prayers in Queens, the police said late
Monday that a man they had in custody had been charged in
the killings.
The man, Oscar Morel of Brooklyn, 35 (seen in picture on
right), who was taken into custody late Sunday after the
police connected him to a hit and run that occurred about a
mile away from the fatal attack, faces two counts of
second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession
of a weapon, the police said. A police official said
investigators had found what they believe was the murder
weapon in the man's home as well as clothes matching the
description of what the gunman had been wearing during the
shootings.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said
the gun was found inside a wall in his apartment, on Miller
Avenue in the East New York neighborhood, in a cavity that
had apparently been cut open and resealed.
A man who answered a phone listed for Mr. Morel's family
said that he was stunned by the arrest. "That is our
relative," the man said, his voice soft and shaking with
emotion. "We are just finding out ourselves. We're pulling
together the pieces as well."
In Bangladesh, the oldest of the imam's seven children,
Fayez Uddin Akonjee, 28, said he was relieved at the charges
and expressed gratitude to the police. But in an interview
in his native language, Bengali, he was still seething with
anger.
The funeral prayers for the two slain men drew hundreds of
mourners.
"We want to know as victims why he killed my father," he
said. "What was his motive behind killing my father? Whether
he was hired or appointed by someone else to kill my father
or did he himself plan and kill my father?"
Earlier Monday evening, New York City officials sought to
reassure members of the Muslim community in New York, saying
that a "strong person of interest" was in police
custody.
At a news conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged the
fear that had spread among members of the city's Bangladeshi
community over concerns that the two men, who were dressed
in religious garb at the time of the attack, had been
targeted because of their faith.
Portraits of Injustice - Reem Jayyousi writes about visiting
her father in prison
August 16, 2016
When Dr. Kifah Jayyousi was arrested, he left behind a wife
and five children to fend for themselves. Dr. Jayyousi was a
respected professor at Wayne State University, but he was
critical of U.S. foreign policy. He also was part of a small
charity to benefit victims of the war in Bosnia and
Chechnya, helping the same people that the U.S. government
was trying to help! In a case that even the judge noted was
"very light on facts", Dr. Jayyousi was convicted of
conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim overseas and sentenced
to 12 years in prison - in yet another case of pre-emptive
prosecution.
The years have passed, the family has grown up without their
father, but Dr. Jayyousi still has more than a year in
prison left to serve.
Reem Jayyousi, the middle child and oldest daughter, was 14
years old when her father was arrested. The Jayyousi family
have been important participants in the NCPCF Family
Conferences/ Retreats, and Reem is now the Social Media
Expert of the NCPCF.
She has recently returned from a rare visit with her father.
In the essay below, she reflects on her experiences.
In solidarity,
Mel Underbakke, Ph.D.
Director, Education and Outreach Committee
National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms
Reem Jayyousi:
Day 1:
Pre-visit:
Can't remember the jail, can't remember what you looked like
the last time I saw you. Everything is a haze.
I wonder if you'll notice the little changes. Like the way I
wear my hijab... I don't twist it as much as I used to.
Would you notice my weight loss?
Day 1:
Post-visit:
The drive to the prison was exciting; I was actually going
to see you. The excitement soon slid through my trembling
fingers as the guard who "greeted" us gave my mom an
attitude. I was suddenly brought back to the bitter reality.
I was brought back to the realization that this is prison.
After the situation was over, I had to calm my mom down. I
couldn't let her be angry after a 9-hour car drive. After
all that money spent, I couldn't allow her to be
uncomfortable for even a second just because some guard was
doing his job wrong.
When we finally got our names checked and we walked through
the metal detector, I remember praying "Allahuma sahil wa la
to'aser" (Oh Allah, make things easier for me and do not
make them difficult). When we finally were walking to the
visitation building, I lost all thought waiting in
anticipation for what you look like and if you were doing
okay.
When we finally walked in and went through the final phase
of identity and security checks, I scanned the room and
tried to find you even though I knew you wouldn't be there.
Since they always brought us first before you. I don't
remember how long we waited for you to come out but it felt
like an eternity.
When you finally came out I noticed you right away but you
didn't see us. When our eyes finally met, you went from
being 39551-039 to baba and your eyes lit up even though I
was on the other side of the room.
I could already feel his warmth. He came up to us and he
hugged mama first, Maryam, then me, Mohammed, and then Sara.
All our eyes got teary as he took a seat.
I remember the way you held me and kissed my cheek. I tried
to quickly memorize your smell, the way you felt, so I can
bottle it and open it up when I need you at home.
First visits are always special. I have no idea what we
talked about or what exactly was said but I can tell you how
many kids were in the room, the color of the old lady's
jacket who walked in with us. I can tell you how many black
hairs you still had left and how you styled it.
First visits are physical. I try to take in the atmosphere.
I try to take in the physical characteristics of everything.
Home is where my mom and dad are, and for the next two days,
FCI Allenwood, PA and this visiting room is my home.
Day 2:
Pre-visit:
I feel sick... could it be the weather change? Could it be
the different bed I slept in? I wonder what it is, but my
entire body aches and I feel nauseous. I wonder if the guard
will notice I'm pale and cancel the visit? Should I even
visit baba? Will I make him sick? Maybe I should sit this
one out... or maybe I can drive back to the prison
later.
Day 2:
Post-visit:
Walked the same path to the visitation building as the day
before but my tummy ache was getting worse. At this point my
head was pounding but I sat through it. I fought through it
for him. I came all this way and I don't want to waste five
minutes. We took our seats and as I crossed my arms to hold
the pain back I waited until they brought you out. When you
finally came out of the large metal door, even though you
were across the room and you weren't physically next to me,
I felt as if you wiped all of my pain away. I couldn't hear,
feel, or see anyone except you. The next couple of hours I
spent the majority of the time rekindling my relationship
with my father. I grew from being a 14-year-old girl to a
24-year-old woman.
I spoke to you in depth about my goals and aspirations. You
complemented my new shoes, I spoke to you about my
heartache, and we spoke for a while about religion.
Today he went from being 39551-039 to being Kifah Jayyousi.
Before I knew it, time was being called and visitation was
over. I glance over at the clock and it is 2:55, 5 minutes
before visitation is actually over. 5 minutes, 300 seconds
earlier than I anticipated. Five minutes mean a lot when my
father spent 3 total years in solitary confinement and more
than 3 years in the CMUs or the communication management
units with no physical contact.
Day 3:
Pre-visit:
I woke up feeling tired and moody. I tried to fall asleep on
the car ride to the prison but I couldn't so I closed my
eyes and I was brought back to my childhood. I could almost
taste the pop-rocks I had in my mouth when my dad was
teaching me how to ride my bike, back when we lived in
Maryland. Oh no... today is the last visit.
Day 3:
Post-visit:
The vibe in the visitation room was calm, or maybe I just
got used to our "home". My father went from 39550-039, to
Kifah Jayyousi and now he is baba. This was the most
comfortable day during our stay. I hugged him with open arms
I said jokes and I even laid on his shoulder. I was finally
getting comfortable. The visitation patio chairs transformed
to our microfiber couch in our living room in Qatar. The
guard's desk transformed to our television stand. The barbed
fence morphed into our white fence around our villa and it
gave us privacy. I felt at home. At home in Qatar, its been
11 years since I've been home, 11 years ago when I was 14,
before I was exposed to his unwanted heartache and America's
diluted vision of freedom.
2:00 hit and my smile started fading and I started hearing
the clock tick over the noise of the overcrowded visiting
room that consisted of inmates and mostly little kids. I
overheard the clock tick.
With each tick the world that was colored suddenly became
greyscale again. My thoughts that had finally become clear
and organized became a mess again. I stumble to fill bottles
with emotions and mental calmness. I hold on his shoulder
tightly and I don't let go until 3:00 hit and they announced
that visitation hours are over.
I walk away from the visitation building leaving my father
on what was a leather couch in my head. I walk away carrying
my bottles of emotions, physical energy, mental energy, and
strength. Till whenever I see him again these bottles will
keep me going.
