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3 Rajab 1440 A.H. - March 10 2019 Issue # 10, Newsletter #1801



Hadith of the Week

Narrated by Al-A'rai,r.a.

Abu Huraira said, Allah's Apostle said:
"By Him in Whose Hand my life is, I would love to fight in Allah's Cause and then get martyred and then resurrected
(come to life) and then get martyred and then resurrected
(come to life) and then get martyred, and then resurrected
(come to life) and then get martyred and then resurrected
(come to life)." Abu Huraira used to repeat those words three times and I testify to it with Allah's Oath.

Bukhari, Vol 9, Book 90, Number 333
 Sis Kristi

[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]





 Breaking News

Quick Thoughts: Thomas Serres on Algeria's Protests
By : Thomas Serres

Algeria has in recent weeks been gripped by a growing wave of popular demonstrations, which are reaching a crescendo as the closing date for nominations for the 18 April presidential elections approaches. Central in this equation is the prospective candidacy of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, incapacitated for several years and demonstrably incapable of leading the country or its government. To learn more about the context and prospects of the Algerian protest movement Jadaliyya turned to Thomas Serres of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and author of the forthcoming L'Algérie face à la catastrophe suspendue. Gérer la crise et blâmer le peuple sous Bouteflika (1999-2014) (Algeria and the Suspended Disaster. Managing the Crisis and Blaming the People under Bouteflika (1999-2014)

Jadaliyya.com/Details/38428/Quick-Thoughts-Thomas-Serres-on-Algeria%E2%80%99s-Protests



 Taking it to the Streets

Catonsville, Maryland
6 page document given to 65 Muslims.


After Juma on March 8, at Masjid Fatima, a document was given to 65 muslims. Here is an outline of it's contents:

  1. Indian army in Kashmir.

  2. Islamic women defy US bombing.

  3. 300 vs. 3,000 at Bughuz in Eastern Syria

  4. Nike's 1.1 Billion $ Bust

  5. China's Muslims Victims (by Dr Kamal)

  6. Guidance by Sis. Yasmin on Muslims as Mirrors


Political Prisoners :

AhmedAbdelSattar.org

FreeZiyadYaghi.info

FreeMasoudKhan.net

Civil Discord Show





 Word Around The Net

With Thanks to
Br. Nazeer, Texas
No survivors in Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crash near Addis Ababa
CNN.com/2019/03/10/africa/ethiopia-airline-crash-nairobi-intl

Turkey's Erdogan stands by Russia missile deal in spite of US warnings
MiddleEastEye.net/news/turkeys-erdogan-stands-russia-missile-deal-spite-us-warnings

1 Killed In Latest Attack On Ebola Treatment Center In Congo
NPR.org/2019/03/09/701888768/1-killed-in-latest-attack-on-ebola-treatment-center-in-congo

British citizens are being deprived of their nationality because of racism, not terrorism
MiddleEastEye.net/opinion/british-citizens-are-being-deprived-their-nationality-because-racism-not-terrorism

Activity At 2nd North Korean Missile Site Indicates Possible Launch Preparations
NPR.org/2019/03/08/701630382/activity-at-2nd-north-korean-missile-site-indicates-possible-launch-preparations





 Outreach

Ethiopia
Jamaat al-Muslimeen feeding the needy

by Sis. Ashira Naim

With much gratitude to Allah we have safely arrived and gradually readjusted to the change of environment here in Ethiopia.

The last visit was for 10 months and our stay away has been a year and a half. We see much more development taking place via the newly constructed hotel buildings, renovated buildings for housing and businesses. And this is speaking not to the capital city, Addis Ababa, but to a town an hour and a half away by car, Adama (Nazareth), Ethiopia.

We have made this our hometown owing to our desire to keep expenses lower and to live in a less crowded area.
The FEEDING THE NEEDY program in Ethiopia will begin here in Adama this month of March, 2019 inshallah.

We want to thank all those who have contributed to this cause and we encourage those who still have the will to make your donation payable to

Jamaat al Muslimeen, 4624 York Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21212

and note on the bottom of your check: For Ethiopia.

We will keep you informed as we progress, inshallah. Pray for our progress.

Prayers do work.





Editorial

 Editorial

BBC Lacks Authenticity in reporting on armed Islamic groups.

Month long bombing of Baghouz area by the US and
othern western air forces was reported several times by the BBC.
It is understandable that BBC id anti-IS because the British air force has been bombing IS both in Iraq and Syria, in tandem with the US and other wetern air forces.

What is lacking in BBC's reporting on thde bombing and the fighting iindicate is the honesty required in any news system which claims to be reporting and not doing propaganda.

  1. BBC does not report that Islamic groups do not have anti-aircraft weaponry. Thus IS towns and vilages are SOFT TARGETS for the British and othern air forces. No fighting force can survive bombing by a modern air force if it lacks the ability to shoot back.

  2. Secondly BBC does not report that SDF, backed by western air forces, outnumbers Islamic State fighters TEN to ONE. The US has organized about 65000 SDF fighters. At various places, SDF outnumbers IS, ten to one. No other force in modern war history has faced such odds.


BBC does show sympathy for the Syrian people but it does so in a way which indicates that it considers its audience naive if not childish. BBC's latest is a lengthy report on a Syrian man who takes care of cats in an area near Aleppo.
Cute!
But wives and children of islamic fighters are not cute!




PAKISTAN

 Pakistan

Oppressed, Helpless Person hits those within his own Family.

Looks like Imran Khan has banned all the small Islamic groups to please India and the western powers. Some of these were on the roster sent by India:

[The titles of the groups indicate they are almost all Sharia based.]

GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN NATIONAL COUNTER TERRORISM AUTHORITY ISLAMABAD https://www.nacta.gov.pk

68 Organizations Proscribed by Ministry of Interior u/s 11-B-(1) r/w Schedule-I, ATA 1997





War News

 War News

Syria
ISIS Tricked SDF.
Russia renews bombing.
16 towns shelled by Assad-Iranians.
Who is Shamima Begum?

March 7 to 10.
Suddenly the SDF advance on the Baghouz farms and villages has stopped. Large numbers of SDF prisoners are in the Islamic State hands, being kept in tunnels where the fighters survive US air strikes.

So SDF had to negotiate with IS and had to allow women and children of IS families to leave.

Several thousand civilians from Baghouz [southern Euphrates] were permitted by SDF to leave and go to the refugee camp in Hasakeh province known as al-Hool [or al-Houl].

Conditions in al-Hool camp are severe and scores of children have died of cold and lack of nutrition. However the bulk of the civilians, pro-Islamic State, have survived.

Tragically, Iraqi civilians who had escaped the Shia regime in Baghdad were identified and handed over to the Shia regime.

Unfortunately for SDF and Assad, more than 300 IS fighters skirted around the columns of refugees and reached eastern Homs province, near al-Sokhna. SOHR estimates that IS controls 4000 square miles in this Homs area.

Idlib being bombed by Russia

On March 19, Russian jets and Assad helicopters again started bombing Idlib province. Typical Assad targets are facilities which sustain the Muslim population. Among those hit are two hospitals, a bakery, a blood bank and a civil defense center.

Northern Hama province

Assad's long range Iranian artillery is shelling Muslim towns all over northern Hama province and north western Aleppo province causing casualties in the population.

Attempts to advance into northern Hama were thwarted by small mujahideen groups, with casualties on both sides. Latest Islamic counter attacks pushed Assad troops back.
Shamima Begum and IS.

Shamima Begum, 15 year old, escaped from Britain and married a convert to Islam in IS controlled eastern Syria.
Now that IS cities have been destroyed by the US air force,

Shamima is in a crowded refugee camp. Her baby has died and she is living in severe conditions. Britain is refusing to let her come back. The refusal is coming from a renegade "Muslim" named Javid who is Britain;s Minister of the Interior. The brits have mastered the use of subsrveient "Muslms" who are instruments to terrify those Muslims who support IS or other Islamic groups.





News Within the U.S.

 News within the US

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's prostitution charges were part of a large-scale human-trafficking and prostitution ring in Florida.

Victims of alleged human-trafficking ring that ensnared Robert Kraft were forced to live in massage parlors and perform sex acts, according to police.

Kraft was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution. In a statement, he denied he broke the law.

Within the ring, women were trafficked and coerced into working as prostitutes in 10 different spas and massage parlors, according to the Vero Beach Police Department.

The victims were forced to live in the spas for days, sometimes months, "for the purpose of sexual servitude," according to the charges. Many of them came from China on temporary work visas, believing they'd get legitimate jobs in the US, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said in a press conference.

"These girls are there all day long, into the evening. They can't leave and they're performing sex acts," he said. "Some of them may tell us they're OK, but they're not."

"These women were sleeping in massage parlors, on the massage tables and had no access to transportation," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said in a press conference Tuesday. "If you do the math, that is about 1,500 men a year, with no days off."

The police investigation, which included multiple agencies, began in August. It was triggered by "numerous complaints" by concerned citizens, as well as online reviews, according to a Jupiter Police Department case file reviewed by INSIDER.

-with thanks to Br. Nazeer, Texas
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-kraft-arrest-sex-traficking-ring-bust-women-sex-against-will-2019-2





Invitation to Think

 Invitation to Think

How to understand the Qur'an: Issues of Women's Rights.
Doesn't the Qur'an 4:34 Put Men Above Women, Even Giving them the Right to Beat Women?


Question from Adam Seedat, South Africa:
How do you reconcile your view on the wife's obediance to verse 4:34 which deals with the light beating of the wife?
WS Adam

[Reply by Br. Kaukab Siddique, PhD]

Some Muslims in our times have delinked the Qur'an from the Hadith which enshrines the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). When these misled Muslims take the Qur'an, they take it one verse at a time and try to make the claim that in itself each verse is ultimate in meaning. Thus when they are faced with chapter 4 verse 34 of the Qur'an, we find Muslims taking these postures:

GROUP A

  1. Some say the verse makes men the "rulers" of women.

  2. They add that women must obey their husbands (be "qanitat.")

  3. They claim that if women display "nushuz" (rebellion) against the husband, then the husband can carry out a three stage withdrawal from the wife, resulting in him beating her (lightly) for her rebellion.

  4. The commentary of this group gives the impression that women are the slaves of men.


GROUP B

These are the 'modernist' apologists who are reacting to the West's attack on the Qur'an. They make weird efforts to twist the meaning of the verse to avoid its obvious meaning. The Pervaizi sectarian types use the dictionary. They find that, Arabic being a versatile language, the word used for 'beating' can also mean having sex. So they grab hold of this straw to, in their thinking, save Islam from barbarism which Western writers accuse it of. For them 4:34 does not imply inequality at all.


[Some writers, who are not Pervaizi but also want to have "Qur'an alone," like Amina Wadud, have worked hard on 4:34 to make it say what it obviously does not.]

The problem with the writings of this group is that it creates a "Qur'an" made in their own image according to which there is no issue of application or context. For them, there is no difference between war torn Afghanistan and an 'Islamic' conference in a Hilton Hotel.

In my book THE STRUGGLE OF MUSLIM WOMEN, I have shown the original, Islamic way of understanding the Qur'an, which is through the Hadith.

My viewpoint is that the Qur'an was a PROGRESSIVE REVELATION. "Progressive" here means that it went from stage to stage. The HADITH indicates and provides SOCIAL CONTEXT without which the Qur'an cannot be understood. I note in my book, for instance, that according to HADITH, 4:34 was revealed in the early period of Madina (Sahih of Bukhari, kitab al-Fadail). That was a time when the Muslim community was not fully formulated and people coming into Islam, especially women, had to be disciplined to understand that they could no longer keep in touch with men they knew beforehand. Sexual promiscuity was common in pre-Islamic Arab society. Also, on marriage, men would not take proper economic care of the wife. Hence the emphasis on this verse on men being "maintainers and providers" [qawwamun].

I also showed that the word NUSHUZ in 4:34 is not about the willfulness or rebellion of the wife but, as indicated by Hadith, sexual misconduct. It's the kind of loose sexual behavior which can undermine a marriage.

As the Qur'an was revealed progressively, Sura 24 verses 6-10, do not indicate any right to physically discipline the wife. In fact these verses indicate that even where the husband is alleging adultery, he cannot do anything other than to take an oath. The Hadith makes it clear to us that the Prophet (pbuh) forbade men to hit their wives. His SUNNAH, which is the model for all Muslims, shows, according to 'Ayesha (r.a.), that he never raised his hand against any woman.

From Hadith, we know that the last verses on male-female relationships were 9:70-71 and these state very clearly that BELIEVING MEN AND WOMEN are EACH OTHER'S GUARDIANS and PROTECTORS. [These verses do not say that men are guardians and protectors of the women.] Obviously, by the time Sura Tauba (chapter 9) was revealed, the Islamic community led by the Prophet (pbuh) had reached its perfection, which of course we know from Hadith.

Those who have a static view of the Qur'an tie themselves into knots by applying the "Qur'an only" method to 4:34 (of course in the process adding the Arabic dictionary while leaving out the Hadith).





Africa

 Africa

Nigeria

IZALA MOVEMENT IN THE NORTH:
Muslims Reconciling

By Abdulkabir Oyemomi

From the angle of a dissertation submitted by Ramzi Amera for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at University of Bayreuth as supervised by Dr. Franz Kogelmann, Ramzi believes that "after the last-longing conflict between Sheik Abubakar Gummi and the Nigerian Sufi Brotherhoods which eventually developed into clashes between Sufi and Izala ,internal issues had been increasingly weakening the organization between Jos and Kaduna affected the image of the movement and especially its credibility amongst Muslim in matters of leadership. Most (if not all) Izala leaders confess that the division of the movement has nothing to do with Aqidah but rather orientation within the organization".

To appreciate Amera's position, it is pertinent to discuss the evolution of the group which was formed as Jama'at Izalat al Bida'a Wa Iqamat as Sunna(JIBWIS), which can be translated to 'Society of Removal of Innovation and Re-establishment of Sunna'. JIBWIS was formed by Sheik Ismail Idris in 1978 with intention of bringing Muslim back to puritanical Islam as the then northern Muslim had been greatly influenced and almost completely eroded by syncretism of Sufi from both Tijjaniyah and Qadriyyah movement. Discussing this surely brings Sheik Abubakar Gummi,the then Grand Khadi of northern Nigeria,to the fore: Sheik Idris was a student of Sheik Abubakar Gummi.

Late Gummi was a strong proponent of permissibility of democracy in Islam; he believed Muslims needed to take leadership position through democracy to be able to uphold the law of Allah. He was able to penetrate and control both Islamic and political space, especially with his closeness to political leaders who were also seriously concerned about the matters of Islam. He was a close ally of former Premier of the Northern Region in the person of Alh. Sir Ahmadu Bello.

However, some critics of Izala Movement challenged the movement of compromising its fundamental aim of strict adherence to the teaching of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), which is believed to have tacitly or expressly ruled democracy as Kufru system for its inconsistency with the law of Allah.

But what evidently actually set Izala against majority of ordinary Muslims of the north is the success its critic scholars achieved by labeling the mode of preaching to be characterized by rudeness and name-calling by some of her most vocal preachers.

Izala was greatly helped by the new crop of more learned scholars that later joined the group. Thus for sometime now Izala has been involved in fence-mending with various groups and individuals by trying to convince them the movement has changed positively in that regard. Their approach to Dharika(Tijanniyah and Qadiriyyah)has even become softer with the two groups now intermingling and attending meetings on different platforms.

President Muhammadu Buhari who was hitherto stunt adversary of Izala Movement ( Buhari retired Sheik Abubakar Gummi from his position as the consulting Grand Khadi of Northern Nigeria when the former was a Military Head of States) has been reconciled with and appears as the group's unspoken patron now. But unfortunately the first son of the late Sheik (Ahmad Gummi) remains Buhari's stunt enemy in all fronts, especially politics.





Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.

~MUSLIMS PRAYING IN PUBLIC PLACES ~

'The only way Muslims who pray 5 times a day can avoid delaying the act.
Muslims praying in public places

 Muslims praying in public

For Muslims, praying in public can be risky.
Dubbed a "social experiment," one recent viral video of a Muslim woman praying in the streets of New York City showed how negatively some passers-by reacted to her. In it, one man asks the woman if Islam is linked to terrorism, while another tries to physically stop her from praying.

Although Muslims often pray in public spaces, they tend to find less busy areas to do so (in high school, I prayed in the library and computer lab when classes were over, for example). Praying in public isn't ideal but it's often the only way Muslims—who pray five times a day—can avoid delaying the act.

Prayer, which typically takes five to seven minutes, involves standing, bowing, kneeling, prostrating, and reciting verses from the Qur'an.

Most Muslims pray on a prayer rug if they're not in a mosque.

Sana Ullah, a Muslim American born in Florida, started an Instagram photo series in January 2015 called "Places You'll Pray" to combat negative images of Muslims in the media. It features photos of Muslims praying in public spaces across America.

We talked to Ullah, 24, to find out more about why she started the project.

How did "Places You'll Pray" start?

Many years ago ... I was going into the journalism field with this idea that I could tell stories about anything other than Islam and Muslims because it felt like I would be pigeonholed into that. If someone looks at me, they will be like, "Of course she is going to tell stories about Muslims." I don't know why I had that mentality.

As I got older and started to take more images, and meeting more mentors in my life, a lot of them told me, "If you don't tell stories about Muslims, someone else will do it. If you don't tell your truth, no one else will know it." So, I started this project during my break from undergrad to grad school. I kept thinking in my head that I want to do a project that connects me with Islam and photography. I couldn't think of anything because at the time, hijab fashion was in, and everyone was doing that. There were many stories about Muslim professionals, and that was also becoming popular. So I was like: I need something completely different.

I was with my sister [to go] shopping one day, and it was time for prayer. So my sister was like, "Sana, let's grab a shirt, and go into the dressing room to pray." At that moment, I thought that was so silly ... There are so many places where people have prayed, but [non-Muslims] who are passing by are not familiar with what is happening. A lot of people don't realize that [praying] is so common, and it connects us in a very simple way.

From there, I came up with the idea of taking photographs of people praying outside of a designated praying area ... When I shared [photos] on Instagram, the first person who responded was a person from Indonesia praying on the beach. From there, it just grew. It's been really exciting to see what everyone from around the globe is contributing to this project.

What's the goal of your project, and how is it breaking barriers?

"Places You'll Pray" can change perspectives and gives [Muslims] a chance. We are constantly seeing images of Islamophobia, and constantly seeing images of hate crimes. This is [bothering us and] making it seem like we don't do anything but cause chaos—and that is not true. There is a majority of Muslims not [portrayed in] mainstream media who I am trying to show today through this project. If someone can see an image of a Muslim praying peacefully in a place that is very common to everyone, then that is [the first step to understanding]. We are no longer seeing negative images, but rather seeing more positive.

What kind of feedback have you received from non-Muslims ?

A lot, actually. In the beginning, there was a pagan woman who was following our page; she was wonderful, and sent messages saying she really appreciated ["Places You'll Pray"] and that it reminds her a lot of her prayers. I got comments from people from different religions. When I introduced it to my classmates, they were very intrigued, and asked many questions about Islam and why we pray five times a day ... It is exactly what I wanted: discussion and questions. I wanted people to ask, rather than walk by and have something in their head but never ask.

Praying is a very personal act; why do Muslims pray in public places?

I do question why we have to pray in public, and we shouldn't have to. But when you think about it, there is not a mosque on every single block. If there was a mosque on every single block, then people would take the opportunity to pray at a mosque. But when it's time to pray, it's time to pray. Even if you have to stop and do it somewhere publicly, then you will, but safety is always first ... If you are alone, especially right now, make sure you are safe.

And this is not a project to try to start some kind of statement; it is a project that is showcasing what Muslims do during prayer. Most of the time, if you are an American Muslim that works from 9 to 5, you are not at home for two of your prayers. So, you're bound to pray where people are around.

Do you believe "Places You'll Pray" is bridging a gap between non-Muslim Americans and the Muslim American community?

Absolutely. There was a really funny comment on one of the photos where someone was thinking it was yoga. It's not yoga, but if you want to join in with whoever is praying, then go for it.

~ 'Salaams' to all ~
~ Y a s m i n ~

2019-03-11 Mon 10:27:44 ct

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