1 Rabi ul Awal 1442 A.H. - October 18 2020 Issue # 42, Newsletter #1885
Khutba
Muslims are not a Minority.
We don't support evil, lesser or greater.
On October 16, br. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma' khutba at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore.
Here is a summary of its main points:
Text:
"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establishworship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger.As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise." [The Qur'an 9:70]
The system in which we live is confusing the American people and is rapidly moving into blatant injustice.
It was a moment of grace when the entire nation rose up against the murder of Floyd. People protested from coast to coast.
Unfortunately there has been no progress. The police officer who did has been released on bail along with his buddies. There is confusion and conflict.
People are fighting each other. Perhaps those in power want this situation. Racism is getting deeper. LGBTQ is being normalized. Allah wiped out the people who rejected Lut, pbuh. Adultery is commonplace in America. Gambling is not even noted.
Change is a mental condition which comes about when we believe that we are accountable for our deeds, with Judgement in the Hereafter and unanswerable in this very world.
Muslims should not be led into thinking that we are a minority, constantly on the defensive.
If we limit ourselves to the Black community, that is only 13 to 15 percent of a population of 325 million. Of these about 7 percent are Muslims, a minority of a minority.
We were taught by Malcolm X (al-Haj Malik Shabazz) to go forth. He went to Africa and found they are Muslims, east and west and in the middle east, Pakistan, Afghanistan.
We are a global ummah. Not a minority. More than 1.8 billion people and getting stronger. The Afghans are forcing a superpower to withdraw.
Part 2.
Many Muslims in America have adopted the cult of the "lesser evil." Muslims are urging each other to vote for one kafir or the other. Some masjids are even inviting non-Muslims to come in and urge Muslims to vote for them.
America's Muslims have become the weakest part of the global Muslim ummah.
Islam has not come to support any kind of evil, greater or lesser. We are for the Truth and Justice. We have the Quran and the authentic hadith.
Even Qur'an and hadith have to be understood in the light of the Seerah, life, of the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh.
He never cooperated with the forces of evil. He had Abu Jahl, the greater evil, and Abu Sufian, the lesser evil but he never wanted either one of them to lead the Muslims.
Du'a
May Allah give us success in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allah help us to study the Qur'an and the hadith on a daily basis, even a little. May Allah give us spouses and children who will stand with us for Islam.
Video of the khutba is on facebook, thanks to Nadrat Siddique.
Pakistan
"Imran regime must go."
Historic Rallies in Gujranwala and Karachi.
Huge crowds in Gujranwala on October 16 and in Karachi on October 18 expressed rejection of the Imran Khan government.
The main leaders were Maryam Nawaz of Pakistan Muslim League, Maulana Fazlur Rahman of Jamiat ulema e Islam and Bilawal Bhutto of PPP.
Veteran journalist Hamid Mir said that the crowds were massive and the leaders were not the main reason for the crowds. His impromptu interviews with ordinary people indicated people's disappointment with the Imran regime.
In Karachi leaders of ethnic groups spoke and expressed loyalty to Pakistan (in response to negative propaganda by the government).
Nawaz Sharif's speech from exile in London openly named the military leaders as the conspirators who brought Imran khan to power. Khan lead a powerful campaign to discredit the opposition and the elections were rigged.
Such open criticism of the military is not allowed in Pakistan though most observers agree that the generals are the real hands behind the Imran regime which has miserably failed to fulfill its promises.
Maryam Nawaz has turned out to be a popular and bold leader opposing the attacks on her father Nawaz Sharif. Another Benazir Bhutto?
War News
Iraq
Air strikes against Islamic State.
Kurdish and shia conflict.
Break down of law and order.
During the week October 12 to 18, the British air force helping the shia regime in Baghdad carried out air strikes against IS.
The British are boasting of their Reaper strikes including a GB 500 pound bomb dropped on suspected Islamic fighters in Anbar province.
The regime's air force also bombed IS hiding in an island next to Mosul. Regime is complaining that the fighters constructed tunnels and it is difficult to hit them even with air strikes.
On the eastern borders, Diyala province, IS cells have emerged in scores of areas and the regime is complaining.
Internal conflict is going on. A pro Iran militia set fire to the headquarters of the Kurdish groups allied to the regime, in Baghdad.
US is complaining of shia killing of 7 Sunni civilians in northern Farhatna area. Investigation ordered.
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict continuing.
Three weeks of shooting with several cease fires which repeatedly break down have led to world wide appeals to "stop."
Long range artillery is being used, often killing civilians.
Armenia is losing the war.
No end in sight.
The bone of contention is Nogorno-Karabakh, sandwiched between the two sides.It belongs to Azerbaijan but is occupied by Armenians.
Turkey is giving verbal support to Azerbaijan and Russia to Armenia.
Pakistan
New conflict resulting in regime losses. American vehicles burned.
In Baluchistan, on the coastal highway, a Pakistani convoy was hit in a surprise attack by Baluch fighters killing 7 Pakistani troops and 7 security service members.
Also on October 16, in North Waziristan, a mujahideen attack killed 6 Pakistani troops including an officer.
On October 17, one Pakistani soldier was killed and 3 injured.
In the Bara area, 4 American humvees and their carrier vehicles
were set on fire and destroyed. The assailants allowed their Pakistani drivers to get off safely.
This was a convoy withdrawing American equipment from Afghanistan as the retreat continues.
Most Pakistanis are not told that their military helped American military equipment to enter Afghanistsn through Pakistan. For this help in the occupation of Afghanistan, Pakistan was reportedly well paid.
Syria
Heavy fighting in the desert.
Irbid under daily Assad shelling.
US air strike kills 2 Islamic commanders.
600 ISIS non-combatants released.
In the eastern Sukhna desert, Homs province, Islamic State is advancing . Assad regime is in retreat and has called in Russian air support.
Heavy Russian bombing is continuing with mounting IS losses (not confirmed). Assad forces have also lost 63 killed and many wounded.
Around Irbid province, Assad's Iranian artillery is pounding Muslim villages to stop consolidation of opposition to Assad.
In northwestern Aleppo province, a US air strike killed 2 commanders of "Defenders of the Faith" group which the US suspects of being al-Qaida.
Turkey-supported Syrian fighters are clashing with Kurdish Communists in northwestern Aleppo province and in north central Syria.
A terrorist car bomb near El- Bab, suspected from Kurdish groups, killed 10 civilians.
In the Hasakeh area, north eastern Syria, SDF Kurds have released 600 ISIS non-combatants. Pressure came from local Arab tribes who see Kurds as outsiders. Also expenses for keeping the prisoners had gone up.
More releases are expected from the al-Hol camp where numerous women and children supporters of IS are incarcerated.
News Within the U.S.
Jews Hold Aggressive Protests Against Neighborhood Lockdown.
by Sis Aisha
[Jamaat al-Muslimeen, New York.]
New York City - Due to a surge in Coronavirus cases in certain areas of New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered restrictions on these areas to curb the spread.
One of these areas, where the new restrictions have been imposed, is Borough Park in Brooklyn.....an Orthodox Jewish enclave. It can be very difficult to walk through this area, if you are not one of them, especially if you are of African-descent.
Last week, Jews challenged these measures during protests. Heshy Tischler, a city councilman candidate, personally, used bolt cutters to break chains off of closed playgrounds, during the Summer. His profile has skyrocketed. The police were notified and the NYPD have kept a close watch to be sure that the COVID-19 restrictions are being followed. On October 7th, Tischler tweeted a video accusing Jacob Kornbluh, a Hasidic reporter for the Jewish Insider, of snitching on him. Kornbluh was called a moser, which is a term for a snitch who informs on Jews to the gentiles.
At a Tischler-led protest on October 7th, Tischler spotted Kornbluh in the Jewish crowd and incited them to attack him. After numerous kicks and punches, he is rescued. Jacob Kornbluh is suing candidate Heshy Tischler, who has become an aggressive opposer of these COVID-19 restrictions. The NYPD confirmed that there were no arrests nor any summonses issued at this particular protest. Jake Offenhartz, an onlooker, tweeted that police were joking around with the same men who beat up Kornbluh.
On October 6th, Jews burned a pile of face-masks. Some of the measures they are protesting are:
Limiting attendance in places of worship to 10.
Closing schools
And a $15,000 fine for anyone organizing a mass gathering. Fifty is the maximum amount of people for a gathering.
These restrictions have been imposed on Brooklyn, Queens, Broome, Orange, and Rockland counties. The areas with the strictest rules have very high Orthodox Jewish populations.
Earlier this week, the Archdiocese began chirping about the restrictions on attendance for worship. They believe that the restrictions should be based on the size of the facility and some of these churches are huge, normally packing in a few hundred parishioners for services. Social distancing, which is six feet apart, should be rather easy for them even if 100 people are allowed to attend at the maximum. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio announced that the Brooklyn Diocese was suing the Cuomo Administration over the Coronavirus restrictions.
Earlier, during the lockdown, Jews had been having funerals with over 2500 people in attendance and there were no shutdowns! Recently, however, the state banned the wedding of a rabbi's grandson because it was expecting 10,000 people. There will be a hearing, which is expected to be contentious.
An April 9th USA today article revealed that two independent studies indicated that New York City COVID-19 cases were of a European strain, not Chinese. It also revealed that many of the people testing positive for it had not traveled anywhere, which means that these cases were spreading undetected for quite awhile. It is believed that a mysterious flu-like illness going around as early as December 2019 was this European-strain of Coronavirus.
Insha'allah, this too shall pass. The question is what will be the aftermath? With all of these politicians accusing each other of being a bigger devil than the other while medical experts stay mum, or even worse.....limit their services, proves just how valuable a source the Quran and the Hadith can be in guiding us through these difficult times!
(Sources: NY1.com, MSN.com, USAToday.com)
China: Ways to Help Uighur Muslims
Note from the Editor:This was originally published 2 years ago - it's still important today. Uyghur are still suffering, and we see no sign of it ending anytime soon.
5 Ways You Can Practically Help the Oppressed Uighur Muslims in China
China has detained over 1 million Muslims in internment camps. In these camps, ‘re-education’ is taking place; over several months, Muslims are forced to renounce Islam, criticise it, and are forced to eat pork and drink alcohol. There are even reports of death and torture. The US Congressional Executive Commission on China describes the camp as the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today. It is a horrific, deplorable situation.
Whenever we hear of our brothers and sisters suffering, feelings of helplessness and despair are all too familiar. Syria, Palestine, Burma, the list goes on – we are so often confronted with gut-wrenching circumstances, with the same pessimistic internal dialogue echoing in our minds; ‘What can I possibly do to help? What will signing a petition do? They won’t listen, they’re too powerful!’.
Indeed, the situation is bleak. In this case especially, China, an economic and military juggernaut, is involved. Yet despite the odds, we are obligated to at least try. Let’s do what we can at the very least.
Here’s a number of ways that you can play your part in standing up to this injustice:
Lobby Government
Writing to people of influence is an effective way of bringing about change. Some of these people are very important decision-makers; they are also human beings with limited time and knowledge. They do not know everything, so if you can put together a well-written and well-evidenced letter, you may plant a seed in their head, which could blossom into tangible action.
Please do not use copy and paste letters; MPs tend to ignore these. Write sincerely, understanding that the reader of your letter is a human being with a conscious. Engage with them as such.
Raise awareness in your local mosque
Mosques are (or should be) hubs of active believers; it is certainly worth engaging with them to try and raise awareness. The Juma Khutbah, for example, is an unparalleled mode of communication; it reaches into deep crevices of the Muslim community.
A few suggestions of how you can engage with your mosque:
Ask your local imam if they can mention the Uighur Muslims before or during the Juma Khutbah. Help them along by providing them with stats and reports that they can cite. Even a request for dua would be incredibly helpful.
Make a poster for the mosque notice board, including action points.
Run a workshop, talking through various action points.
We’ve certainly got a long way to go as a community, but we’ve shown so much passion at times when confronted with hatred and division; if the Muslim community could find that passion and channel it to stand for the Uighur Muslims, God-willing, great things could happen.
Contact NGOs and Human Rights Groups
There are many NGOs and charities that do excellent work defending human rights. Engaging with these organisations would, therefore, be a good option for creating momentum.
Amnesty International have local groups that meet regularly. You can contact them, attend their regular meetings, and aim to coordinate wider campaigns in your local community.
Contacting Amnesty International at a higher level, for example, the international secretariat, is also a great way to reach a very wide audience.
Amnesty is but one example; we’ve all got contacts and knowledge of local awareness groups; use your initiative and ally yourself with such groups.
Write
You don’t have to be a journalist to be able to write to raise awareness. There’s plenty of ways that you’re writing can reach a wide audience. Here’s some suggestions:
Write a Facebook post
Write a WhatsApp message and share it among your contacts
Start a blog; it’s quick and easy to start your own blog
Write for another blog site; there’s plenty of successful and wide-reaching blog sites. Consider writing an awareness/action piece for them
You can promote your writing by tweeting at notable activists, writers etc. A single retweet could massively expand your readership.
Pray, pray and pray
If there’s one thing that we cannot escape, it’s hardship, toil, and suffering. This world will beat you down with a barrage of tragedies, both personal and distant. God never told us that there would never be any hardships. What He did tell us is that it’s not more than what we can handle. The only way we can stand up to injustice and suffering, and remain intact as humans and as Muslims, is to pray, pray and pray.
Without a doubt, this is a testing time for Muslims. For the Muslims in Uighur, their suffering is too great to put to words. As for us, our test is what we do with our privileges and freedoms; do we turn our heads away, and ignore the cries of others, or do we recognise our God-given duty to stand for those who suffer?
' Nahmaduhu Wa Nusalli Ala Rasoolilah Kareem~
'Amma 'Baad...
Fa Aouzobillahi Minash Shaitaannir Rajeem'...
'Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim'.
'Assalam Alaikum Wa Rehmath Ullahi Wa Barkatahu'.
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (Radi-Allahu 'Anhu)...
The 'Talbiyah' of *PROPHET*
*{Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam}* was...
I respond to Your call O Allah,
I respond to Your call, and I am obedient to Your orders,
You have no Partner,
I respond to Your call
All the Praises and Blessings are for You,
All the Sovereignty is for You, And You have no Partners with You.
[Source: S. Bukhari Vol. 2 :'Hadith' # 621]
When the Pilgrim is reciting the 'Talbiyah',
he feels a connection with all other created beings, as they all join
with him in submissionto Allaah alone and echo His 'Talbiyah'.
*PROPHET* (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“There is no Muslim who recites the 'Talbiyah'
but whatever is to his right and to his left of stones,
rocks and clouds recites it with him,
to the furthest point to the east and the west”.{Subhan Allah}[Source: Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 828; also by Ibn Khuzaymah
and al-Bayhaqi with a Saheeh Isnaad.]
~My 'Salaams' To All~
Y a s m i n.
Hadith of the Week
Narrated by Anas, r.a.: The Prophet said, "Whoever possesses the following three qualities will taste the sweetness of faith:
The one to whom Allah and His Apostle become dearer than anything else.
Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake.
Who hates to revert to disbelief (Atheism) after Allah has brought (saved) him out from it, as he hates to be thrown in fire."
Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2,
Number 20
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
Here is the 2019 video clipof Zakir, the youngBaluchi soldier who supports Pakistani political prisoner Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.Shortly after making the statement, he was arrested and tortured.The Pakistani government asked him to make another video, negating the earlier video. He refused, and was court martialed and sentenced to 2 - 3 years imprisonment in Baluchistan
As-slamu alaikum.
The life of our Prophet (pbuh) is filled with examples of patience and endurance in the face of hardships.
The people of Taif stoned him to the point that his shoes were full of blood. Instead of cursing at them, he prayed for them.
Oh Allah, make me extremely patient and make me extremely grateful.
Ameen.
New Trend's October 11th Issue Reached172,290 people including20896 women, with 3,552 post issue engagements
Contents included:
Ummah united. Sis. Aisha.
Habitable planets.
British convert after Gaza visit.
Syria, Iraq, Iran, Mali.
Murder of scholar Adil Khan in Karachi.
Saudi Huwaitat tribe protests Crown Prince.
More Chinese atrocities against Uighurs.
New Trend's Website received 89,207 visitors in September with an average of 442 daily visits.
Thank you Br. Rich.
We recommend viewing the Boycott list on the website.
boycott.htm
NIGERIA IN NEED OF PRAYERS
By Abdulkabir Oyemomi
Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) is a wing of The Nigeria Police Force that has, no doubt, caused irreparable lost of lives and properties to many families, both innocent and culpable ones. I had been mildly harassed by their men before, even with my conspicuous look of Islam. The officers and men of this squad look not decent at all and behave exactly like touts they are meant to deal with. But does this mean that they completely good for nothing? No.
All hardened criminals know that they will surely meet their waterloos if their matters involve SARS. No doubt about their compromise tendencies, but it is not peculiar to only them. Internet fraudsters have been followed decisively by them, albeit more to be extorted and let go eventually. It would be so sad if the country is allowed to be in war because yearnings and aspirations of internet fraudsters (Yahoo boys) against the SARS have to be considered fundamental rights to be protected. Nigeria is completely locked down from “End SARS “ protests from all nooks and crannies of major cities and State Capitals. Only Allah knows what happens next as workers and law abiding citizens could not go about their businesses. The government could be said to be in total confusion of what the next line of action should be.
All the above would be fine if it is clear that nothing is outside ordinariness. Truly, Nigerians are fed up of hunger, insecurities, hard life etc. But it seems some politicians are bankrolling the protesters to ensure the government of Muhammadu Buhari is toppled. It also appears that the international community is interested in our ordeals, which fact calls for endless supplication to the Almighty Allah. This country is clearly sitting on a gun powder and it is obvious that the major players do not realize it.
What started as “ End SARS” has gotten to other things to be ended: National Assembly allowance, reformation of the entire Force and , most cruelly, President should resign. All the Ulamah that okayed protests some years back are now silent. The irony of this all is if the numbers of people protesting could imbibe voting culture, we could have had a much better set of people at the helms of affairs than many clueless leader we have now.
