Scroll down for report on "Barack Obama Betrays the Black
Community—Again!" by Sr. Aisha ,
"Muhammad (PBUH) Slandered in the Bible" By Um Esma ,
and "Outwardly the Grave is Stillness; Inwardly Punishment or Bliss" by
Sr. Yasmin
Editorial Corner
What Muslims Should Do Now
By Dr. Kaukab Siddique
Many Muslims seem not to realize that Israel is able to
continue its crimes against the people of Palestine and
Lebanon owing primarily to the support of the United States,
and secondly, Germany. Most Muslims do not speak up against
the US, because they haven't identified the critical US role
in the Israeli genocide. And if the US does not cease
assistance for Israel, Israeli bombardment of Palestine and
Lebanon will continue. In fact, Trump may be harsher on the
Palestinians (and on Muslims in general) than Biden.
Muslims should know what the Old Testament says about
justice: "An eye for an eye." This is found in the Book of
Exodus, which is part of the Torah. The Torah is the holy
book followed by observant Jews. By this ruling, since
Israel has killed 48,000 Muslims and Christians, then Israel
ought to be dealt the same numbers of losses. That is what
the Old Testament says. We Muslims, however, lament the loss
of all innocent life, and therefore do not advocate that as
the preferred course of action.
What then should be done? Muslims must find ways to
effectively and legally stop money and weapons from going to
Israel. It is essential to find creative ways to stop the
aid which the US is giving to Israel for its genocidal
campaigns in Palestine and Lebanon.
How? Firstly, Muslims must realize we are one ummah. There
are 1.8 - 2 billion Muslims spread all over the world. Many
of us are highly educated and highly placed. If each Muslim
did even a little to challenge the US, the situation would
change. And the US would realize it cannot get away with its
actions targeting Muslims.
One major tool at our disposal in challenging the power
structure is the power of the pen. It's odd that even when
open attacks on Islam occur in major media, e.g. in the New
York Times or Washington Post, no one responds. These two
media organs have been publishing attacks on Islam, and they
are far from subtle. For example, even a trip to the Hajj by
American Muslims was ridiculed by the Washington Post.
Corporate media attacks on Islam must be answered in
writing. Those who analyze the media, observe that for
years, the New York Times, the Washington Post and their
subsidiaries have published only negative stories relating
to Islam and Muslim nations.
Take, for example, the New York Times. Thousands of Muslims,
myself included, read this newspaper. However, nothing
positive about Islam is published in its pages. It's all
either criticisms or outright attacks on Islam and Muslim
peoples, particularly those who don't roll over and play
dead for the US government.
If one checks the letters and op-ed sections of this
newspaper, one finds there are few, if any, Muslim
responses. So, either Muslims don't know how to write
(unlikely!), they are not taking the time or trouble to
write, or this paper is simply ignoring Muslim responses.
It's as if we Muslims are so ignorant, we won't write
anything in our own defense.
Muslims should realize that in the US, freedom of expression
still exists. "I am a Muslim, and I will write a response"
should be our attitude. Imagine if 10,000 Muslims were to
write to the New York Times. If they were to publish even 1%
of the Muslim responses, the flood gates would open. The
American public would be exposed to a totally different
narrative, a Muslim one.
So please, dear Muslims, if you read a vicious, illogical,
or imbalanced report on a story about Muslims or Islam, send
a critical letter to the issuing newspaper, whether it's the
New York Times or another corporate media organ. Always be
polite, to the point, and where relevant, include quotes
from Qur'an and hadith.
Islamic Victory in Afghanistan: The Role of Women
October 7 was the anniversary of the US invasion of
Afghanistan. The US invaded on the pretext that
Afghanistan's Taliban government was harboring Osama Bin
Laden, whose organization purportedly played a role in the
September 11 attacks and was using Afghanistan as a base.
However no direct connection between September 11 and Bin
Laden was definitively established. In the meantime, the US
and NATO committed terrible war crimes against the Afghan
people, including killing 46,319 civilians in Afghanistan
and 24,099 civilians in Pakistan. (Those killed in Pakistan
were in the border areas, where Afghans live in refugee
camps, and Pakistani nomads travel back and forth across the
Afghan-Pakistan border for trade and grazing of
livestock.)
From 2001 - 2021, the US and NATO struggled to subjugate
Afghanistan. The US threw 2.3 trillion dollars into the
effort. In 2010, the number of NATO troops in Afghanistan
was a staggering 150,000. With all its firepower, the US and
NATO were unable to retain control of the country. In August
2021 (after nearly two decades of fighting), the mujahideen
reclaimed the Afghan capital, Kabul, forcing the US and NATO
to withdraw unilaterally and unconditionally.
Most people do not know the role of Afghan women in this
great victory. The Taliban won against the overwhelming
firepower of the US and NATO because Afghan women told their
sons, husbands, and brothers to go and fight the occupiers.
The women did not want to see the face of a husband who did
not oppose the occupiers.
World News
Lebanon
Israel is bombing throughout Lebanon. According to the
Lebanese news agency NNA, an Israeli airstrike deliberately
targeted the home of Ali Allam, the director ofDar Al Amal
Hospital in Douris town of Baalbek. Six other health care
workers were killed along with him.
The number of Lebanese civilian deaths is now over 3,600. Of
the dead, 214 are medical workers. The number of wounded is
over 15,300. And over one million Lebanese have been
displaced. (Anadolu News Agency, November 23, 2024)
But Hizbullah is hitting back inside Zionist-controlled
territory. In response, the Israelis are retreating.
Netherlands
Historic Move by International Criminal Court: War Criminals
Netanyahu and Gallant Indicted on War Crimes Charges
November 21, 2024 - The International Criminal Court issued
an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamen
Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for
war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Among the charges against the two men is the use of
starvation and the deliberate targeting of medical
facilities. (Al-Jazeera, November 21, 2024)
The ruling means that all member states of the ICC are bound
to arrest them, if they set foot in the territory of a
member state. A few countries, e.g. Hungary, have declared
they will not arrest Netanyahu or Gallant if they enter
their territory.
Editorial comment: So it is that the men who have committed
the crimes and atrocities of the century, i.e. the genocide
in Palestine and Lebanon, may finally meet their just
deserts. Muslims are rejoicing that finally the arch
criminals may be detained for the 48,000 deaths in Palestine
and 3,500 deaths in Lebanon, with staggering numbers of
injuries including amputations, in both countries. It is
doubtful there are any crimes these two have not committed.
They have burned Qur'ans, bombed mosques, hospitals, and
schools, denied people food and water, and forced starving
populations to repeatedly relocate, often with their
possessions on their backs.
In the meantime, the bombing continues on a daily basis.
Arms shipments to Israel from the US and Germany continue,
despite widespread protests. The number of children in
Palestine who have lost their parents, and the number of
parents who have lost their children to Israeli bombardment
continues to grow. The sooner these two war criminals are
locked up, the better. And Muslims should make it their duty
to ensure they do not escape.
Not surprisingly, Netanyahu, Gallant, and their chief
patron, President Biden, claim the indictment is
antisemitic. In other words, to accuse a mass murderer of
civilians of committing mass murder—is now
antisemitic!
Gaza
The Israeli Occupation Force is continuing its slaughter of
women and children. The Zionists are trying to capture the
West Bank. Hamas is fighting back.
India
Three thousand troops have been rushed to Manipur as the
ethnic conflict between Hindus and Christians have
escalated. Many homes and shops which were under curfew
defied the government.
United States
In August, the US Congress authorized $20 billion dollars in
arms sales to Israel. On November 21, a Joint Resolution of
Disapproval (JRD) was introduced in the US Senate by Vermont
Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders argued that the US arms
shipments to Israel violate US laws, which prohibit sending
weapons to human rights violators. The fact that such a
resolution came up for a vote at all in the ordinarily very
pro-Israel US Senate was very unusual. Even more unusual was
the fact that 19 U.S. senators voted for it, i.e., to block
the arms sale! While there were not enough votes to actually
block the arms sale, the significant numbers of "yes" votes
showed that the tide is turning, as more and more Americans
become aware of the bloodletting being committed in their
name and with their tax dollars in Palestine.
Pakistan
Imran Khan's Wife's Video Causes Furor in Pakistan
Government, Indicates his Islamization
November 23, 2024 - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran
Khan remains locked up in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi,
Pakistan. The charges against him are mere allegations. That
is old news. Recently however, Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, an
observant Muslim, issued a video in advance of a mass
protest to demand his release.
In the video, Bushra Bibi, who wears niqab, says that her
husband's troubles began when he visited Madinah tul-Nabi
(the Prophet's Mosque) in 2018 while still prime minister.
During that visit, he emerged from his private plane
barefooted. She continues in the video: Shortly thereafter,
the army chiefQamar Javed Bajwa began receiving calls
saying "Whom have you brought? We are ending the Sharia
system in this country, and you have brought promoters of
Sharia." (News18, November 23, 2024)
Bushra Bibi does not explicitly name the Saudis in the
video, but the implication is the calls to Bajwa were from
the Saudi government which was perturbed that Khan, a head
of state, had the gall to appear at the Prophet's Mosque
following the Sharia of going shoeless. She seems to imply
that the Saudis were involved in her husband's ouster from
power.
Apparently the video caused a furor among top Pakistani
government officials, including the current Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Ishaq Dar. Sharif said Bushra Bibi was deliberately
trying to cause friction between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Since the Kingdom is viewed as a close ally of Pakistan, to
which it provides large amounts of aid, the video was viewed
as a threat to relations between the two countries. In
addition to the public statements issued by the Pakistan
government, Bushra Bibi was also slapped with four cases
from private individuals, under the Telegraph Act of 1885.
(The Express Tribune, November 23, 2024). Observers say
those charges were likely also instigated by the Pakistan
government.
Khan, in a statement issued on X, stood behind his wife, but
said she did not mention Saudi Arabia.
Side note: Many visitors to Masjid an-Nabi or even the
Ka'aba when it is not Hajj season (i.e., for umrah) dress in
their finest robes. There was a time when people used to
come from other countries on their donkeys, camels, or on
foot. Imran Khan's visit to Masjid an-Nabi in bare feet
shows that he is at least trying to be a humble Muslim,
going there to gather inspiration from the Prophet's (PBUH)
life. On top of that, it appears that his going barefoot was
at the admonition of his wife.
The mass protest demanding Khan's release will be in
Islamabad on November 24.
Barack Obama Betrays the Black Community—Again!
By Sis. 'Aisha Jamaat al-Muslimeen New York City
Former President Obama is going to do the same thing to
Black Chicago residents that former President Bill Clinton
did to longtime Harlem, New York residents: run them out of
town!
In 2001, Congressman Charles Rangel "invited" Bill Clinton
to open an office on 125th Street in Harlem. It seemed
innocent at the time...and validating. A former U.S.
President working from his Harlem office was a big deal. An
embattled Harlem became even more relevant.
However, the only thing that went up was the rent! For
property owners and investors, a former U.S. President with
an office in the area was a good reason to hike rents and
property values. And that is what happened, leading to many
working-class residents' exodus.
The same thing is about to happen in the Chicago South Shore
area.
The South Shore community is located on Chicago's South
Side, which is predominantly Black. Despite its location
near the wealthy Lake Shore Drive area and major attractions
such as the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and
Industry, and Jackson Park, South Shore has seen a 40%
decrease in its population since 1950. However, by 2023,
nearly 40% of the area properties were purchased by
businesses, not individuals.
It is believed that the Obama Presidential Center, due to
open in Spring 2026 on the University of Chicago campus, is
the culprit. The center will feature a 45,000-square-foot
athletic and conference center, a test kitchen, and a
children's play area. Real estate investors hope the center
will increase property values in the area.
Longtime residents like 83-year-old Arlean Pleasant have
been offered money well above market value to sell their
homes. Properties that were purchased are not being
renovated, rented, or resold. Residents have reported that
many investors are holding these properties.
As the Spring 2026 opening date approaches, investors may
start some activity. They may renovate these properties to
rent or sell at higher prices to newer residents willing to
pay them. Of course, these people will come from outside of
South Shore.
When there were reports that former President Clinton might
open office in Harlem, many investors bought nearby
properties. These properties were renovated and new ones
constructed but, not for the local low-income residents.
Investors marketed their properties to wealthy people
outside the Harlem community.
A few factors create barriers to individual homeownership,
nationwide, including companies buying up properties and a
housing shortage. People who find it difficult to buy homes
become renters. Congressional efforts to introduce
legislation limiting the amount of properties businesses can
buy have failed.
Chicago residents were proactive in protesting the Obama
Presidential Center unlike Harlem residents who initially
welcomed Bill Clinton. Former Presidents Clinton and Obama
played an underhanded role in gentrifying Harlem and
Chicago's South Shore, respectively.
The Obama family spends very little time in Chicago. Former
President Clinton has admitted to rarely visiting his Harlem
office in the 20 years he has had it.
Source: MSN.com
Guidance from Sis. Yasmin
Outwardly the Grave is Stillness; Inwardly Punishment or Bliss
[Qur`an'~'Du`a~ Ibn Al-Qayyim]
"Race to forgiveness from your Lord,
and a garden whose breadth is like the breadth
of the heaven and the earth." -Quran, 57:21
"Outwardly the Grave is stillness while
inwardly it is either punishment or bliss."
The intelligent man is the one who protects himself against
the evil of this punishment before it is too late.
Such a man knows with certainty
that sooner or later his day will come,
and that this moment is known
only to the Almighty Creator.
It might come without warning... !
When it comes a man leaves behind
all the wealth he has amassed and moves
to another world.
only there will he feel regret !
But, regret then will not do him any good.
because in that place,
only good actions are of any use.
They alone will be useful currency
on that critical day.
Only with them will he be able to purchase a magnificent
mansion in the Garden with all the luxuries and blessings it
contains,
and an everlasting mansion,
not one which disappears as things do in this world!
The intelligent man is the one who acts
for this world as if he were going to live
forever and acts for the
Next World as if he were going to die tomorrow."
Muhammad (PBUH) Slandered in the Bible
By Um Esma
In order to understand how the Jews slandered the Prophet,
one must understand that the Jews compiled and edited their
Greek Bible (the LXX or Septuagint) under the Ptolemaic
Dynasty in Alexandria Egypt between 300 BCE - 100 BCE.
Between 650 CE to 1000 CE, Jewish scholars called the
Masoretes, who lived under the Arab Caliphate, recompiled
and re-edited their Hebrew Bible using the LXX as one of
their sources. These Jewish scholars viciously slandered
Muhammad (PBUH). Muhammad was addressed by the name Abu
al-Qasim (Father of Qasim), which was the name of his first
born son, Qasim, who died in infancy. The Masoretes
contorted the name Qasim or Geshem in Hebrew into the word
'Goshen' or 'qoshan", an Arabic word which means 'cruppers'
or the 'ass straps' of horses, camels and donkeys. The
method these Jewish scholars used to contort the Prophet's
nickname or kunia begins with the Greek Bible's Book of
Genesis.
Here is the LXX (Septuagint or Greek Bible) version of Gen
45:10: καὶ
κατοικήσει#962; ἐν γῇ
Γεσεμ
Ἀραβίας
καὶ ἔσῃ
ἐγγύς μου
σὺ καὶ οἱ
υἱοί σου
καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ
τῶν υἱῶν
σου τὰ
πρόβατά
σου καὶ αἱ
βόες σου
καὶ ὅσα σοί
ἐστιν
Translation of the Greek Bible: Gen 45:10 says: "And you
(Jacob and sons) shall dwell in the land of Gesem (Geshem in
Hebrew & Qasim in Arabic) of Arabia, and you shall be near
me (Joseph), you and your sons, and the sons of your sons,
your sheep and your oxen, and as much as is yours."
Here is Gen 45:10 in the Hebrew Bible or Masoretic Text:
(וְיָשַׁבœתָּ
בְאֶרֶץ־Œֹּשֶׁן
וְהָיִית קָרוֹב
אֵלַי
אַתָּה
וּבָנֶיך וּבְנֵי
בָנֶיךָ
וְצֹאנְך
וּבְקָרְ”ָ
וְכָל־אֲ™ֶׁר־לָךְǛ)
Translation of Hebrew Bible Gen 45:10:You (Jacob & sons_)
shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to
me (Joseph), you and your children, your children's
children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you
have.
The Greek transliteration of Qasim (Gesem) is distorted in
the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis as Goshen.
Geshem (גֶּשֶׁם)
the Arabian appears in the Hebrew Book of Nehemiah 2:19, 6:1
& 6:2 as (גֶשֶׁם
הָעַרְבִ“) and in the LXX as Gesam the Arabian
(Γησαμ ὁ
Αραβι). This name is slightly
altered in the LXX Book of Genesis as
Γεσεμ or Gesem. The name Gesam or
Γησαμ in Greek and Geshem in Hebrew
is Qasim (قاسم) in Arabic. The name
Qasim is associated with generosity. The LXX authors thought
that Pharaoh gave Joseph's kin land in an area controlled by
a friendly tribal sheikh named Qasim. The LXX authors
transliterated the Arabic name Qasim of Arabia into Gesam of
Arabia and the authors of the Hebrew Bible transliterated
Gesam of Arabia into Geshem of Arabia in the Book of
Nehemiah. The Jewish scholars aka the Masoretes changed the
name of Gesem/Gesam/Geshem to Goshen in the Book of
Genesis.
The name Goshen is found in 14 places in the Hebrew Bible
beginning in Gen 45:10. 'Goshen' is not a Hebrew word
according to Strong's Bible Dictionary. The authors of the
Hebrew Bible (Masoretic Text or MT) attempted to disgrace
the Prophet by distorting his nickname
(كنية ) Abu al-Qasim, which means
the Father of Qasim. Qasim is transliterated as Gesam/Gesem
in the LXX and Geshem in Nehemiah, but, in the Hebrew Bible
Book of Genesis, Qasim is twisted into the derogatory word
Goshen (قوشان).
The MT or Hebrew Bible was compiled under the Arab
Caliphate, The MT authors, who were fluent in Arabic,
decided to deride the Prophet's nickname by changing the
meaning of the word Gesam/Gesem/Geshem or Qasim in Arabic to
another Arabic word with a derogatory meaning. In Arabic,
Qoshan (Goshen in the Hebrew Bible) is the dual plural of
the word qosh (قوش ) which means crupper,
a strap buckled to the back of a saddle and looped under the
horse's tail to prevent the saddle or harness from slipping
forward. In other words, Goshen means the ass straps of
horses or camels.
The biblical authors were famous for distorting names as
Šulmānu-ašarēdu (Shulman is pre-eminent)
to Shalmanesser which means Shulman is in chains (a slave)
or Meribaal (Baal contends or advocates) to Miphibosheth
(mouth of shame), Ishbaal (man of Baal) to Ishbosheth (man
of shame) etc. Changing Geshem/Gesem/Gesam (Qasim) the
Arabian to Goshen (ass straps) is especially indicative of
the hostility of the Jewish authors toward Arabs and
Muslims, especially the Prophet, even though it was the
Muslims who returned them from their Roman diaspora back to
Jerusalem under the Caliph Omar ibn Al-Khattab.