Muslims honor and respect Ali. r.a.
We mostly supported imam Khomeini's revolution.
Then why is shiism a global problem for Muslims?
by Kaukab Siddique, PhD
Isn't it strange that the Prophet, pbuh, did not teach that
Ali, r.a., would be caliph, yet we consider him a rightly
guided Caliph of Islam. Is it possible that without the
guidance of the Prophet, pbuh, anyone could become rightly
guided Caliph? The Qur'an teaches mutual consultation and
consent. How could someone be rightly guided without mutual
consultation and consent? Can the Qur'an be wrong? Can the
Prophetr, pbuh, be wrong! Naoozubillahe min zalik. Why do
Muslims so casually ignore the Qur'an and the Prophet, pbuh,
a nd think they will be successful? When will we get out of
personality cults and the idea that power should continue
within the ruling party's family?
Let us see our tragedy step by step.
When one sahabi (companion of the prophet, pbuh.) Is
raised way above the others. it creates a sect and sects are
forbidden in Islam.
Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Hussain [may Allah bless them] are
not mentioned in the Qur'an even once.
The Prophet, pbuh, did not give a position of authority
to Ali, r.a., even once.
Ali, r.a. himself was a very humble person and throughout
the caliphate of Abu Bakr, r.a., Umar, r.a., Usman, r.a., he
never challenged their rule and regularly prayed behind
them.
Ali, r.a., is reported to be a very brave and fearless
person, so there was no question of him being afraid of the
great Caliphs. There was no police or intelligence service
in those years who could have intimidated him.
It's quite possible that stories of his bravery were
fabricated. In the years of transformational battles of
Islamic armies against the Byzantine and Persian empires,
Ali, r.a., sat at home and did not participate in the earth
shattering victories of the mujahedeen.
The Prophet, pbuh, himself did not think of Ali, r.a.. as
the top notch warrior of the Ummah. Instead the prophet,
pbuh, gave the highest title of warrior to Khalid ibn
al-Waleed, r.a. calling him
SAIFULLAH [the Sword of Allah.]
Among the daughters of the Prophet, pbuh, Ruqayya, r.a.
had the highest achievement as she did the first hijra
[migration for Allah's sake] to Ethiopia.
In his personal life, the sahabi, male companion, whom
the prophet, pbuh, preferred most was Usman, r.a. He wanted
his daughter, Ruqayya, r.a., to marry Usman, r.a., and she
did. Suffering from her perilous journey to Ethiopia, she
died, a martyr. Then he urged his daughter Umm Kulthum,
r.a., to marry Usman, r.a.. She did marry him but being in
poor health, died soon after.
The prophet, pbuh, said, if he had more daughters, he would
have told them to marry Usman, r.a. Hence Usman, r.a., is
known as the keeper of the two Lights.
Owing to the blessings from the prophet, pbuh, Usman,
r.a., carried out the compilation of the Qur'an, checking
memory against writing. This greatest Islamic achievement,
according to the directions of the Prophet, pbuh, the Qur'an
is accepted and recited today by the global Ummah of Islam,
about 2 billion strong.
The murder of Usman, r.a., was the turning point in the
golden era of Islam. The murder became possible owing to a
widespread rumor mongering campaign which claimed that
Ayesha, r.a., herself had condemned Usman, r.a., and called
for his murder. She was in Makka and had no idea that the
murder campaign was being conducted in her name.
Among the murderers of Usman, r.a., were Ashtar,
commander of Ali's forces and his adopted son, Mohammad. The
murderers then raised Ali, r.a., to be the next Caliph.
Ayesha, r.a., came forth to punish the murderers. Ali,'s
r.a., forces not only fought the forces asking for justice
for Usman, r.a., but sent his forces to attack the camel on
which Ayesha, r.a., was
riding.
Ali, r.a., would not give up the murderers and fought
the army of Muawiyya, r.a., which was making the same
demand. At the crucial battle of Siffin, Ali's, forces were
divided over the idea of seeking guidance from the Qur'an or
continuing to fight Muawiyya, r.a.
Ali, r.a., then saw the forces which disobeyed him as
renegades and labeled them as "khawarij" a derogatory term
used by rulers against opponents however pious they may be.
Ali slaughtered his disobedient followers at Nahrwan. They
hardly resisted and were slaughtered by Ali's men almost to
the last man.
Weakened by this fiasco, Ali agreed to a ceasefire with
Muawiyya. A relative of one of the men killed at Nahrwan,
stabbed him and he died soon after.
His caliphate was a total disaster. His son, Hasan,
r.a., reconciled with Muawiyya and in the years which
followed under Muawiyya's rule, Islam spread far and wide
and the Muslims were
united once again for 20 years. Muawiyya, r.a., gained the
support of local Christians and inflicted shattering defeats
on the Christian Empire known as Byzantine, both at sea and
on land.
Pakistan
JI View
Imran Khan has Surrendered to
Modi. Kashmir has been Abandoned. Sind in Bad Shape.
by Qaiser Sharif.
LAHORE- December 22: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul
Haq has chided the PTI government for doing nothing for the
welfare of people in half of its tenure in government except
to build some shelter houses and provide 'free consultation
service' to public about poultry and buffalo farming.
The JI chief, who reached Mansoora yesterday after
concluding his week-long visit of Sindh, said here on
Tuesday, the majority of the people of the interior Sindh
and its capital Karachi were passing a difficult life due to
the policies of the party which had been in-charge of the
affairs of the province for many decades.
The federal government, he said, also announced huge
packages for the port city but the claims remained limited
to mere hollow slogans. He said the masses were fed up from
the agents of imperialistic forces and wanted to get rid of
them.
The JI chief regretted that after spending half of its
tenure the PTI government yet to adopt serious attitude
towards the public welfare agenda. The prime minister and
his team, he said, spent all their energy on war of words
against the opposition parties, turning a complete blind eye
toward the problems of a common man. He said the severe gas
shortage crisis gripped many parts of the country but the
government seemed busy in tackling the opposition protests
instead of developing plan to mitigate the energy
challenge.
Sirajul Haq said the Imran Khan government had made a
complete surrender before the Modi government on Kashmir
issue. The prime minister, he said, after making a speech at
the UN and announcing a protest on every Friday for Kashmir
had done nothing for the cause. He however vowed the JI and
people of Pakistan were standing shoulder to shoulder with
the struggle of their brethren against Indian occupation and
Kashmir would soon get freedom from New Delhi's yoke.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Jamaate Islami should come nearer
each other and Work for Common causes.
by Kaukab Siddique
Media censorship of Maulana Fazlur Rahman keeps the top
Islamic movements away from each other and often alienated
from each other.
On December 17 Maulana Fazlur Rahman addressed a press
conference in which he said:
"The question of recognizing Israel should not arise. We
should work to take back all of Palestine and establish
Jerusalem as its capital."
He criticized a body known as NAB established by Imran Khan
as a body whose task is to attack and suppress and humiliate
the opponents of the government.
About Maulana Fazlur Rahman's main point, Br. Humayun, an
Islamic activist, told me that all changes in Pakistan
should be brought about within the domain of the
Constitution of Pakistan.
It's my opinion that the government of Pakistan is totally
opposed to the unity of those Ulama who are independent and
not controlled by the regime.
War News
SYRIA
December 23. Syrian fighters [pro-Turk] trying to control
Hysekah-Aleppo highway suffered losses at the hands of SDF
24 Syrians and 5 SDF killed.
December 25. Syrian fighters backed by Turkey advanced in
Ain Essa area (northern al Raqqa province.)
Three days of heavy machine gun fire exchanged between
Islamic fighters and Shia militias in eastern Irbid
province.
New Israeli air strikes on Iranian positions on Hama
province.
Flames visible. No Iranian response into Israel.This time
several Israeli missiles were shot down.
Raids by IS in eastern Deir ez Zor continue. US helicopters
are hunting IS.
Columns of US troops said to be carrying ammo and equipment
for SDF are entering eastern Syria on an ongoing basis.
In al -refugee camp for women, an Iraqi informant helping
SDF was killed.
Kashmir
Indian shelling across the line of control [LOC] continued
on a daily basis killing and injuring civilians in each
shelling. Pakistani response has been weak.
India has arrested 36 Kashmiris who were friendly to India
but
wanted "democracy." Most Kashmiris oppose India.
Pakistan
In the Awaran area of Baluchistan, Pakistani troops killed
10 people suspected of being militants. There was some
return fire which killed one Pakistani soldier.
Pakistani dissident known as Karima Baluch has been found
dead in Canada. She had been consistently protesting
Pakistani' military's actions in Baluchistan where scores
have "disappeared."
Under serious pressure and threats, she left Pakistan and
found refuge in Canada. Last week her body was found under a
culvert
near Toronto. The Canadian police could not find criminal
proof but Amnesty and others are pressing for closer
scrutiny. She was in good health. [Earlier this year a
Pakistani journalist who steadily wrote about regime
atrocities against Baluchis was found dead in a river in
Sweden. The body was difficult to identify as it took
several months to be found. It appears that the military has
found a fool proof way of getting rid of Baluch
dissidents.]
News Within the U.S.
Columbus, Ohio:
Police Killed Unarmed Man at his Grandmother's Home.
[NBC Report.]
The 47-year-old unarmed Black man killed by a Columbus
officer early Tuesday lay on the ground for several minutes
without anyone rendering aid or medical assistance — a
violation of police policy and procedure — body camera
footage of the deadly encounter released Wednesday shows.
Andre Maurice Hill was a guest of the homeowner and had not
committed a crime when two officers approached the garage he
was standing in around 1:30 a.m.
The video shows Columbus Officer Adam Coy using his
flashlight as he walked up the driveway. Hill then walks
toward the officers while holding his cellphone when the
officer fired his weapon. Hill's other hand couldn't be seen
clearly.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther on Wednesday afternoon called
for the termination of Coy, a 19-year veteran of the
force.
"He was an expected guest. He was not an intruder," the
mayor said of Hill during a press conference. "It is simply
an unexplainable loss. None of the officers initially at the
scene provided medical assistance, no compression on the
wounds to stop the bleeding, no attempts of CPR, not even a
hand on the shoulder or an encouraging word that medics were
en route. It's an officer's duty to render aid."
Upon arrival, both officers also failed to activate their
body-worn cameras until immediately after the shooting,
which was another violation of police protocol, the mayor
said. Because of a 60-second "look back" function, the
shooting was captured without audio.
Because this was a non-emergency call, run lights and sirens
were not engaged as officers arrived. As a result, the dash
camera in the police cruiser was also not activated for any
part of the encounter.
The shooting on Oberlin Drive occurred nearly three weeks
after law enforcement fatally shot 23-year-old Black man
Casey Goodson as he entered his grandmother's home. He was
laid to rest on Wednesday. The investigation into his death
continues.
"Enough is enough. This community is exhausted. The
African-American community is fearful and concerned and
outraged. This is a stunning disregard for life," Ginther
said.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is
investigating.
"It's problematic and we're outraged. Those body cameras
were paid for with taxpayers money, the expectation is that
you have them on. If you don't have it on, you need to be
gone. I mean why would you not have it on?" said Nana
Watson, president of the Columbus branch of the NAACP.
Five years ago, the organization demanded Columbus officers
wear body cameras to bring change to the police division and
now it appears those recommendations aren't being
consistently followed.
"What's the punishment for not having it on? That's what we
need to know, too. We'll never know what happened because
there's no audio with the tapes. That's too much for this
community to endure."
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) called the killing
unacceptable.
"There are not enough words to express the pain and anger I
feel that another Black man has been killed in our community
at the hands of law enforcement in less than a month. While
we do not know all of the facts, what I do know is that this
is unacceptable," she wrote in a Twitter post. "I am greatly
concerned and call into question police procedures as well
as the timing and inconsistent use of body cameras. I stand
with the community in seeking the truth and demanding
justice. My condolences go out to the family and friends of
the victim."
Added the mayor: "We give our officers great power... the
power to stop, to detain, to question, to arrest, to use
force and to even take life. And with that power comes
greater (responsibility), including using body worn cameras
and rendering aid," the mayor said.
Invitation to Think
Daniel Pearl & Omar Shaikh. The Concealed Facts.
by Kaukab Siddique
December 23. The Sind High Court in Pakistan acquitted Omar
Shaikh who had been sentenced to death in the killing of
Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl. He Reports indicate
that the pardon for Shaikh is in response to Trump's pardon
for Americans who massacred Iraqis.
Earlier in April this year too Shaikh was acquitted but
pressure from the Pakistani government and America through
the family of Daniel Pearl did not allow Shaikh to be
released.
Now the Sindh High Court has thrown out the charges against
Shaikh and ordered his release. However the Pakistani
government is going to the Supreme Court in the hope that
the acquittal will be quashed and Shaikh sent back to prison
forever. [Shaikh has already been in prison for 18
years.]
Context: Most Americans forget that Daniel Pearl was
murdered in war time when Pakistan's Muslims were under
great stress.
America was bombing Afghanistan on a daily basis though no
Afghan was involved in the 9.11 attacks. Pakistan, under
General Musharraf had become a base for American attacks on
Afghanistan [fully supported by Zionist propaganda].
Pakistan had accepted the FBI as an active force against its
own citizens. The only push back came from Islamic fighters
who wanted American aggression to be ended. Israeli-Zionist
propaganda against Islam and Pakistan was at its height.
Within that context Daniel Pearl was trying to locate
Islamic "extremists" so that they may be exterminated.
Note this:
He was a Zionist with roots in the larger pro-Israeli
community in America and Israel.
He worked for the largest Zionist newspaper in America :
The Wall Street Journal [second only to the New York
Times.]
He used India as his base in his work against the
Islamic resistance. From India he repeatedly visited
Pakistan to "investigate" the resistance [a form of
spying].
He was assisted by Asra Nomani, a close friend with a
Muslim name, who later tried to disrupt prayers in mosques
in America in the name of "women's rights."
There is absolutely no evidence in any court that Shaikh
killed Daniel Pearl. However he and three of his associates
were arrested and sentenced to death for "luring" Pearl to
his death. According to American sources, 7 other people who
were actually involved in the killing of Pearl have never
been caught.
Some idea of the war context can be found in the
reporting that as America kept bombing and killing
civilians, America announced that it would air drop food for
the families of its bombing victims. So, when Pearl was
killed, his killers wrote to American officials that they
too would send food to the family of Pearl.
Afterword:
The most horrific aspect of the killing of Pearl which
affected America and Israel was that the body was chopped up
and hardly recognizable. Compare with bodies of children of
Muslims killed in drone strikes which were incinerated to
such an extent that burial of the remains was almost
impossible.
Israel mourned Pearl but itself has killed more than 1500
Palestinian children and has mutilated thousands. Think also
of the hundreds of innocent Muslims taken to Guantanamo Bay
where their humanity was destroyed through systematic
humiliation and torture.
A final problem is that Khalid Shaikh Muhammad, known as
KSM, is imprisoned in gtmo and has claimed that he killed
Pearl. Why is he not brought to trial?
I would urge both sides to maintain the standards of
civilization and not trample on the rights of helpless
people.
CHINA
Uighurs look to Turkey to lead Muslim world against China
[al Avhal via al-Jazeera]
by Nicholas Morgan.
China's western provinces of Xinjiang are looking to Turkey
to serve as a leader among Muslim-majority nations in
advocating for their protection.
China's oppression of its Uighur population is best
encapsulated by its so-called "re-education camps" that
human rights groups estimate hold over one million people in
captivity. Beijing insists all of this is to reduce
separatism and extremism in Xinjiang, known as East
Turkestan to Uighurs, but activists say it is a campaign of
cultural genocide being carried out by the state.
Uighurs are China's largest Muslim minority, and are
targeted in part for their Islamic identity. While silence
from many Muslim-majority nations against their plight has
been deafening, Turkey has been something of an
exception.
Rushan Abbas, founder and executive director for the
Campaign for Uighurs in Washington D.C., highlighted
Turkey's willingness to call out China's oppression of
Uighurs as something that placed it ahead of its
counterparts in the Muslim world.
"Turkey has always been supportive and President
Erdoğan has always been very vocal about the Uighur
situation," Abbas told Ahval in a podcast interview.
As an example, Abbas referenced remarks by the Turkish
president in 2009, following riots in Xinjiang that left
hundreds dead when he called China's treatment of Uighurs "a
genocide". Last year, Turkey's Foreign Ministry lamented
that Chinese concentration camps represent "a great cause of
shame for humanity" and pushed for their closure. Abbas said
statements like these "give us hope" that Ankara would
continue to stand up for the Uighur people, who have
cultural and linguistic ties with Turkey.
At a virtual press conference of the Organisation for
Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Abbas warned that member-states
allow themselves to be complicit in genocide by continuing
to pursue Chinese investment from its massive One Belt One
Road Initiative (OBRI), which, she said, bought their
silence and even participation in China's repression.
For instance, in July 2019, several Muslim countries
(including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt) signed a letter
praising China's policies in Xinjiang and actively deported
Uighurs residing in their countries. The reason for this,
Abbas said, was an unstated prioritisation of economic
growth over religious solidarity, something that she
reasoned was dangerously short-sighted.
"They are not just taking China's blood money and becoming
trapped," she said. "They are being colonised by China and
most of the Muslim countries are like that."
Turkey too has made it a point to court more Chinese
investment in recent years. According to the American
Enterprise Institute's Chinese Global Investment Tracker,
China has invested $11 billion in the Turkish economy and
bilateral trade stands at $21 billion. For this, the
Erdoğan government has been accused of toning down his
defence of Uighur rights to win more money from China,
something that was the subject to a report by the Turkish
opposition in parliament.
Asked whether this warranted concern that Ankara could
soften its positions like its neighbours, Abbas insisted
that she didn't doubt some contracts with Beijing had
"strings attached," but she remained confident the Turkish
government would maintain its independence.
"We appreciate Turkey for being strong against such
manipulation and tricks China is offering while maintaining
its economic relationship with China without giving up its
sovereignty," said Abbas.
Abbas travelled recently to Ankara where she says she found
a receptive audience among Turkish politicians across the
party system, though she could not secure any meetings with
the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) ministers,
attributing it to a short time frame and COVID-19
difficulties. While praising the support of Turkish
politicians, Abbas made clear that she would like to see
Turkey "to be more vocal and take some tangible actions to
condemn China's oppression of the Uighurs."
In regard to the plight of Uighurs already in Turkey, she
acknowledged youth homelessness and an inability to reach
imprisoned relatives in Xinjiang as important issues.
However, reports have emerged that suggest Uighurs were
being encouraged to tone down criticism of China or risk
deportation. In some cases, this has been done to third
countries where it would be easier for Beijing to extradite
them.
Abbas cautioned that some of these accounts should be taken
with a grain of salt, citing Chinese disinformation intended
to sow distrust among Uighurs in Turkey.
"We understand that there are people trying to manipulate
the situation and try to create hard feelings between the
Uighurs and the Turkish government," Abbas insisted, adding
that she trusted the Turkish government to not send
vulnerable Uighurs to China where they would be
persecuted.
Despite their difference in power, Abbas pointed out several
aspects about the Uighurs' relationship with Turkey that
concern China. Two of these elements are pan-Islamism and
pan-Turkism, ideologies that speak to the oneness of Muslim
and Turkic peoples respectively. These further fuel Chinese
fears of separatism and extremism in Xinjiang.
"These are the two things that China is scared of the most.
Uighurs' Muslim identity kept us from being assimilated to
become Han Chinese and Uighurs' Turkic ethnicity kept us
with strong relations with Turkey and the Turkish
government," she remarked.
Uighurs in China faced arrest for several activities
directly or indirectly connected to Turkey. In some cases,
they have been detained for travelling to the country or
even watching Turkish television dramas like the Magnificent
Century that depicts the life of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the
Magnificent. Abbas said cultural links to Turkey concerned
China in a way that was unique, compared to criticisms from
the West.
"China is not afraid of Western democratic countries or
criticism from the West, but they were so afraid of our
connection with Turkey," she said.
In the end, Abbas remained hopeful that Turkey wouldn't bend
to Chinese pressure, political or financial, and she was
confident that Ankara would continue "to act with integrity
as the leader among Islamic countries."
"It is why we want to see some actual tangible action before
it is too late," she said.
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.
The Heart's Best Medicine
Ibn Al Qayyim (r) [ may Allah have mercy upon him]
says...
In short, there is nothing more beneficial for the heart
than reading the Qur'an and
with contemplation and reflection.
The Qur'an encompasses all the levels of the travellers, the
conditions of the workers, and stations of those possessing
knowledge.
It is the Qur'an that generates love, desire, fear, hope,
repentance, reliance, pleasure, entrustment, gratitude,
patience, and the rest of the different states that are life
to the heart and perfection of it.
Likewise, it repels all the rebuked characteristics and
actions that cause the corruption and ruin of the
heart...{!}
If people were to possess a realization of what recitation
of the Qur'an with contemplation contains, they would devote
themselves to it at the expense of anything else.
When the person reads it with reflection and he comes across
an 'Aayah' that he is in need of,
for the cure of his heart, he repeats it, even if he does so
a hundred times or the whole night.
Hence, to recite a single 'Aayah' of the Qur'an with
contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the
Qur'an to completion without any contemplation or reflection
!
It is also more beneficial for the heart and more conducive
to attaining 'Eemaan' and tasting the sweetness of the
Qur'an...{!}
~ My 'Salaams' to all ~
Sis. Yasmin
Hadith of the Week
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "When the call for prayer
is made, Satan takes to his heels passing wind so that he
may not hear the Adhan and when the call is finished he
comes back, and when the Iqama is pronounced, Satan again
takes to his heels, and when the Iqama is finished he comes
back again and tries to interfere with the person and his
thoughts and say, "Remember this and that (which he has not
thought of before the prayer)", till the praying person
forgets how much he has prayed. If anyone of you does not
remember whether he has offered three or four rak'at then he
should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1231
Book 22, Hadith 9
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
Newsweek Magazine
Trying to Undermine
Indian Muslims Living in USA.
IAMC, leading organization of Muslims from India living in
USA is protesting a propaganda article published in the
December 7 issue of Newsweek.
The article by an extremist writer known as Sam Westrope,
from notorious Daniel Pipes' organization known as Middle
East Forum tries to connect IAMC to Indian PM Modi's liine
that this Muslim group is connected to a Muslim youth
organization in India known as SIMI which Modi has
banned.
IAMC wants readers to urge Newsweek to pull down the
defamatory article by Westrope.
As-slamu alaikum,
Abdullah Bin Al-Mubarak (RA) said:
"We are more in need of a small amount of Adab (manners),
than much knowledge."
This highlights that knowledge alone is insufficient to
build a sound and balanced Islamic personality.
Imam Zakariya al-Anbari once said:
'Knowledge without Adab is like fire without wood, and Adab
without knowledge is like a spirit without a body.
Ya Allah, Grant us a good end and accept our prayers, make
what is coming better than what has passed. Ameen.
December 23
Intention
As-slamu alaikum,
Ibn al-Mubarak (RA) said:
"How often does a small deed become big due to one's
intention, and how often does a big deed become small due
one's intention?"
Ibn al-Qayyim (RA) said:
"Be sincere in your aim and you will find the support of
Allaah surrounding you"
So Intention may not be the only thing, but it is the most
important thing.
Ya Rabb, help us keep our intentions pure. Ameen.
What "israel" says and what it does.
On December 25, "Israel" bombed civilian targets in Gaza.
The civilian targets hit in the At Tuffah area of Gaza
included a children's hospital, a Rehab center for Persons
with Disabilities and a refugee camp. The air strikes cut
electricity throughout Gaza.
Several people were wounded including a child. There was
severe material damage.
Al Jazeerah published photos of the damage.
In its propaganda the Zionist entity claimed that it had hit
military targets.
[Note that Christians are part of the population of Gaza and
this was Christmas.]
American Muslims should note the list of businesses which
support "Israel." The list compiled
by Jamaat al-Muslimeen can be seen on New Trend's web
site.
boycott.htm
Explosion in Nashville.
Aftermath.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sweeping communications
outages continued to plague large swaths of Tennessee on
Saturday after a recreational vehicle exploded early
Christmas morning in sleepy downtown Nashville.
Police emergency systems across Tennessee and Kentucky, as
well as Nashville's COVID-19 community hotline, remained out
of service due to an AT&T central office being affected by
the blast. The building contained a telephone exchange, with
network equipment in it — but the company has declined
to say exactly how many people have been impacted.
AT&T said restoration efforts are facing several challenges,
which include a fire that "reignited overnight and led to
the evacuation of the building." This has forced their teams
to work with safety and structural engineers and drilling
access holes into the building in order to reconnect power.
"Our teams continue to work around the clock on recovery
efforts from yesterday morning's explosion in Nashville,"
the company said in a Saturday statement. "We have two
portable cell sites operating in downtown Nashville with
numerous additional portable sites being deployed in the
Nashville area and in the region."
Gov. Bill Lee asked the White House on Saturday for federal
assistance due to the "severity and magnitude" of the
explosion's impact. At least 41 buildings were damaged, and
communications systems — including residential and
cell phone service and 911 call centers — failed
across the state, he said. Kentucky and northern Alabama
were also affected, he said.
The outages had even briefly grounded flights at the
Nashville International Airport, but service was continuing
normally as of Saturday.
According to Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake, police
officers responded on Friday to a report of shots fired when
they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a
bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Police evacuated nearby
buildings and called in the bomb squad. The RV exploded
shortly afterward.
Law enforcement officials have said they believe the blast
was intentional but don't yet know a motive or target.
"This morning I toured the site of the bombing," Gov. Bill
Lee tweeted Saturday. "The damage is shocking and it is a
miracle that no residents were killed. (First lady Maria)
and I continue to pray for those who sustained injuries from
the blast."
Lee had been in quarantine due to his wife contracting
COVID-19. However, the Republican said that he and Maria had
both tested negative, allowing the two to visit downtown
Nashville. Lee said the first lady had "fully recovered."
On Friday, Drake told reporters that investigators at the
scene "have found tissue that we believe could be remains,
but we'll have that examined and let you know at that time."
No new information regarding the tissue was made available
Saturday.
Three people taken to area hospitals for treatment were in
stable condition Friday evening.
The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation, agency
spokesman Joel Siskovic said. Federal investigators from the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also
involved in the investigation. The FBI is the primary law
enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal
crimes, such as explosives violations and acts of
terrorism.
Mayor John Cooper has enforced a curfew in the downtown area
— which includes the heart of downtown Nashville's
tourist scene, an area packed with honky-tonks, restaurants
and shops — until Sunday. The curfew was implemented
via executive order to limit public access to the area as
investigators continue to canvass the scene.
The December 20 issue of New Trend reached
146,115 Muslims through Facebook
including 22,144 women, as calculated by Facebook, with 1795
link clicks.
The contents included:
Second Coming of Jesus by Imam Ali Siddiqui.
Betrayal by Arab leaders and coming from Pakistan. by Dr. K. Siddique
Only Islam can change Pakistan by JI leader.
Syria: Russian air strikes vs ISIS.
Iraq. Heavy fighting.
New York Challenges. Sis. Aisha.
Prostrations by sis. Yasmin.
BBC fabrications caught.
Hadith. Sis. Kristi.
Du'as by Imam Badi.
Israeli woman and Australia
Afriica. Abdul Kabir Oyemomi..
Africa
Central African Republic
CAR
Christian Rebel Groups Threaten Election process.
Three peace keeping troops from Burundi have been killed by
unknown gunmen.
Christian rebels have seized several towns. Russia has sent
several hundred troops to allow election results to take
place.
The Christian rebels ruled after two fraudulent elections
and looted the country.
It is the country of diamonds and great mineral wealth but
among the poorest owing to looting by fake governments.
A Muslim minority force known as Seleka ended the fake
ruling group's power after bitter fighting.
