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Palestine, My Mosque and African Americans
and
GLIMPSES OF MY VISIT TO IRAQ
by Dr Kaukab Siddique
The Quran, the Samiri, and the Gold Bull Calf
by Um Esma
Islam and Marriage
by Sr Aisha
For more than three decades, I used to give juma'a khutbahs at Masjid Jamaat Al-Muslimeen in the inner city of Baltimore. Around 1990, I set it up with the help of a few others. Then in September 2023, I had a terrible accident, and could no longer go to the mosque. I was cut off from my own community.
My daughter helped bring me back to health, but I could still not go to the mosque because it has numerous stairs, which I am not yet able to climb.
My daughter had a solution for this problem, too. She invited selected community members to have Eid dinner with me on June 4. Quite a number of people turned up for the dinner.
I appealed to all who came to strive for the people of Palestine. It was an unusual combination of Muslims.
An activist sister whose husband is an imam in the prison community prayed for the unity of Muslims. Some of the young brothers who came provide security for the mosque. Two new brothers I had not previously met were from the African nation of Chad.
Masjid Jamaat Al-Muslimeen is a community of African American people who know what is going on in America.
This was an unusual way of meeting my community.
May Allah bless my daughter who takes care of me and tries to solve my health problems.
GLIMPSES OF MY VISIT TO IRAQ
By Dr. Kaukab Siddique
Here is a little background to my visit to Iraq.
Some readers might remember that Iraq was placed under sanctions by supporters of Israel and by all of Europe. Saddam Hussain was demonized as evil and attacked as evil incarnate. The sanctions were so tight that more than 500,000 Iraqi children died because they lacked access to basic health care. Medical facilities in Iraq could not get basic supplies like anesthesia. Later on, the nineteen hijackers who hit the World Trade Center and who attempted to hit the Pentagon invoked the deaths of the Iraqi children as motive. However, to the American government and some of the American public, it seemed the deaths of 2,977 Americans in the WTC far outweighed the 500,000+ Iraqi child deaths.
Saddam, once known for his secularism, felt trapped. He decided to open the door to international Islamic solidarity. He also allowed mosques to speak of jihad and struggle. This was acceptable to him as long as no one tried to overthrow him.
I went as part of a small Muslim delegation from the United States to investigate what was really going on in Iraq. It was just Imam Badi Ali and myself. Badi was my friend, and he was fluent in Arabic, essential in Iraq.
Br. Badi, as we called him, helped me to move around Iraq.
Soon we were accosted by Saddam's secret police. They were near the top of Iraq's ruling hierarchy, but soon we found out they, like most Iraqis, were in bad shape. They begged us—of all things—for Vitamin C! (Sadly, we had none to give them.)
Students from Muslim countries were living in Iraq free of charge. There were no university fees for Muslim students from abroad. Pakistanis were there in good numbers. I had a special student escort for me, as I was able to visit the mausoleum of Imam Abu Hanifa. It was a reminder that the illustrious imam had taken the name of his daughter.
Our return journey was saddening. We travelled by road all the way from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan. It was cold. There were few lights. Here and there, Iraqi soldiers stood by the highway. They were poorly armed and ineffective.
When we reached Amman, it was a shocking sight. The Jordanians were partying. There was food and music everywhere. It was not one ummah.
Pro-Palestine Activist from Philippines Enters Eighth Month of ICE Detention
Ya'akub Ira Vijandre is a Muslim Filipino photojournalist who has lived in the United States for over 25 years. ICE abducted him 8 months ago at gunpoint, despite never having been accused of or convicted of a crime anywhere in the world.
Ya'akub had valid DACA status, lawfully working as a Senior Safety Specialist and living in the United States, but that was revoked by the government in December, so it flags a lot of questions around the retaliation this administration is doing against DACA holders.
So how did Ya'akub, who has no criminal history and no immigration violations, end up in immigration detention? This administration is going after him for his journalism and social media commentary. This is retaliation for what Ya'akub believes in, for what he's dedicated his life working and advocating for, and his photojournalism.
And just one month ago, Immigration Judge Blake Doughty (IJ) ordered Ya'akub's removal based on the IJ's unconstitutional determination that Ya'akub's "ideology" can be a justification for his detention and removal. This government targeted Ya'akub for exercising his right to free speech.
Ya'akub documented other people's stories so that justice could not be ignored. Today, we ask you to document his.
Stop the silence.
Protect free speech.
Free Ya'akub
To find out how you can help or to donate to his defense, go to:
FreeYaakub.org
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Notes from Ya'akub
Eid in Detention—Day 30
Allah decreed that I complete my Ramadan in detention for the very first time, Alhamdulillah rabbil 'alameen.
The scene of mass people walking towards the Mosque in the horizon as I eagerly exited my vehicle parked car in front of someone's residence was something that I only found myself imagining in my thoughts as I had awakened from my 009U bunk bed at K5 housing at D Ray James Detention Center. We had agreed the night before that we were going to do our Eid prayer at 0800.
In detention, there are no new clothes to wear, no oud oil to mask our skin, and no smart phones for selfies and photo ops. Instead, we have our grey sweat shirts and grey sweat pants that has become our everyday attire outside of our khaki uniforms. To wear it "new" is to get it back from the laundry the day before. The best scent one can have here is the after-shower aroma of that dove soap that you purchase from the commissary, Alhamdulillah.
There were no long takhbeerat, no khutbah, no stopping by your favorite coffee shop after and most definitely no seeing of your family after Eid Prayer. What we have was us, the 16 Muslims in K5 from different places from across the world with distinct stories of where we came from and how we got here in America.
The facility provided us two chicken leg quarters, over rice and lentil, along with boiled corn paste with butter and some salt and a sweet roll. Only one of us ate it along with our shared meals and the rest of us like myself reserved it for dinner time.
We invited our friends form Nepal, Ethiopia, China, and Sri Lanka but they respectfully declined to join us and instead greeted us with Eid Mubarak and told us to enjoy our meals.
Siri came by and gave us three bags of chips from his commissary box and we insisted that he join us but like everyone else he too respectfully declined. We ate to our satisfaction with the majority of us using our hangs and others with their spoon fork.
Afterwards everyone napped and I stayed up.
Just before we had our Eid meal, I decided to call my brother Omar on a video call and Alhamdulillah rabbil 'alameen he was with Imam Omar [Sulaiman], Leqaa [Kordia, former political prisoner], Ward, and Taahir at Valley Ranch Islamic Center, looking like Sheikh Al-Shams, masha'Allah.
It was a blessing for me to see Leqaa and Ward together again but only this time, outside the walls of a detention center. These two are my sisters with whom I share an unspoken bond.
I could tell how happy Ward was and me and her shared our "cooking" experiences using the microwave while her husband, my brother Taahir held the phone and I just couldn't stop smiling and laughing with her. Everyone looked beautiful, masha'Allah and for a moment I truly felt at home.
I saw a moment of what to look forward to, a moment of hope and a moment of faith. We took several selfies with me being part of it via virtual presence and Imam Omar kept telling me how the community misses me and how they miss seeing my smile.
This short-lived moment of love, appreciation, and community has truly become a treasure that I will hold in times of difficulties. For me, it was a blessing from Allah for me to have that moment. For He knows how I have been struggling in my heart to decide what to do next.. do I fight and stay or do I leave and go?
As we took another selfie, I couldn't help myself but to smile even brighter.. Leqaa and Ward were two sisters that me and Omar Khattab advocated for and fought for their freedom and to see them both together again—now free from captivity was truly a blessing for me and a reminder that no effort is truly wasted. For every delay is khayr.
No delay is such that there are hidden blessings in it that protects us from our own desires that will later be revealed to us when the time is right.
I ask that you all please make du'a to increase me in well-being, as to ask to increase me in patience defaults to increasing my difficulties. For it is in difficulties and hardship that patience is cultivated and elevated. So, in addition to that, please make du'a for all of us in detention and in prison to increase our well-being as well.
Insha'Allah ta a'la I will see you all one way or the other.
- - - - - - - - - - Editor's note: This was written by our brother in detention for Eid ul-Fitr, and we apologize that we are belatedly publishing it around Eid ul-Adha. But it is still relevant, as it reveals the strong spirit of our brother Ya'akub, behind bars. And, as Muslims, we must always remember that our deen commands us to support our political prisoners.
Um Esma
The Quran, the Samiri, and the Gold Bull Calf
By Um Esma
The Quran clears up the matter of the 'golden calf.' The Quran states that it was Hemiunu (Haman in the Quran) who was commissioned by the King of Egypt to build him a 'tall impressive building' (Great Pyramid of Giza?) so he could see the God of Moses. This king is referred to as فرعون or fr (pr or house in Egyptian) + 3wn (Egyptian: awn wailing, moaning [ verb ] D36 - E34 - N35 - A2). The word '3wn' is spelled exactly the same way in Egyptian and in Arabic. The Arabic word 'firawn' is often mistranslated as Pharaoh in English but it means in Egyptian 'House of Wailing', perhaps because Kewab, the crown prince, died before he reached the throne. This scene set the stage for the 'golden calf' episode in which biblical Aaron (Ahrown in Hebrew and Haroun in Arabic) forged the Golden Bull Calf.
According to the Quran, it was not Aaron who crafted the 'golden bull calf.' The character responsible for this crime was AlSamiri. AlSamiri ( السامري) is an Egyptian name meaning The Magician of the Fighting Bull or sAw (Magician, Amulet Maker [ noun - title ] V16) + mry (fighting bull [noun-ani.]U7-D21-D53-E2). The words 'sAw' & 'mry' are combined into one word as 'samiri'. Samiri's ability to craft a golden calf may have come from his ability to forge amulets.
Egyptian gods often had their own cult of magicians. Ancient Egyptians believed magic (heka) was a fundamental force that even the gods used to control the universe. Magicians and priests acted as the mortal intermediaries for these deities, directly channeling the power of specific gods (like Horus or Thoth) to perform spells, heal the sick, and protect the realm.
According to Wikipedia: "Worship of an Apis bull, experienced by ancient Egyptians as holy, has been known since the First Dynasty in Memphis...This animal was chosen because it symbolized the courageous heart, great strength, and fighting spirit of the king. Apis came to being considered a manifestation of the king, as bulls were symbols of strength and fertility, qualities that are closely linked with kingship." From the above information, one can conclude that the Samiri was attempting to return the fleeing Bani Israel to the worship of King Khufu. As a matter of fact, in Q 26:29, Firawn warns Moses, "If you take any god other than me, I will certainly have you imprisoned."
In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was considered a living god (a human embodiment of Horus). However, Khufu (who ruled from roughly 2589 to 2566 BCE) took this a step further. He rigidly consolidated Egypt's central authority and heavily emphasized his supreme, divine power to control the state and mobilize the massive workforce needed to build the Great Pyramid of Giza. It appears that Khufu was unwilling to let Moses and the tribes to set the example of fleeing from his building projects. Although, historians have attempted to separate Bani Israel from the Egyptians, the biblical tales of Israel's 400 + years of sojourn in Egypt makes it very clear that at least a portion of these Israelite tribes were there long enough to consider themselves Egyptians and to be considered as natives by the Egyptians. As 'Egyptians', they were thus eligible to be drafted as corvee labor to work on these construction projects.
According to the Quran, one of these tribesmen who followed Moses was a magician, a Samiri. The Samiri was reluctant to trade his special status and comfortable life as a magician dedicated to Apis for a harsh trek to a homeland which he did not know and did not offer him the same comfort and status as his Egyptian job. (BTW, Egyptians were employing Levantines as magicians since the Old Kingdom. Canaanite snake spells were found in the Pharaoh Unas' pyramid).
The story of the magician can be found in Surah 20:87: They (Bani Israel) said, "We did not break our promise to you (Moses) by our will, but we were made to carry burdens from the ornaments of the people [of Pharaoh], so we cast them [into molds], and like Samiri did cast."88: And he extracted for them [the statue of] a calf which had a lowing sound, and they said, "This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot... 96: He (the Samiri) said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the track of the messenger and threw it, and thus did my soul entice me."
This story is consistent with the Quran 40:36-37 or the story of Moses, Haman and Firawn (meaning from the House of Wailing). Haman aka Hemon aka Hemiunu was the wazir and "overseer of all construction projects of the kings". He served under King Khufu of the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. He is credited with building the great pyramid of Egypt or the sirhan aly (tall impressive building) mentioned in Quran 40:36.
Sis. 'Aisha
Islam and Marriage
I saw a good khutba (6/12) at Masjid Al-Rahmah on YouTube.
One of the messages the Imam stressed was for Muslims to get married and to do so early in life!
He said that too many Muslims are getting married in their 30s and 40s. He said that by the time you reach these older stages in life, you think you know everything. I think he also meant that people become set in their ways and can become less flexible in such a life-changing event as marriage.
The Imam stated that this society gives us too many reasons for not getting married, especially among young people.
Reasons given to discourage marriage:
Women lose their identity as a woman.
You will lose your freedom as an individual.
Children rob you of your fun time.
Children are expensive.
The Imam said that by the time we're in our 40s, we should be grandparents. He encouraged everyone to get married and have ten children because Allah would provide (Quran 17:31).
South Korea has the lowest birth rate at approximately 0.80. I listened to a young Korean woman explain that the employment system there punishes women who have children. In South Korea, just as in America, the system feasts off of child rearing. So, even if married, couples are not having children.
But I have an additional reason why young people are hesitant to get married and have families: Their own parents!
In America, some parents don't believe some topics of conversation are off limits with their children. Parents will complain about the cost of buying their growing children clothes, food, or, even worse, paying medical bills. Of course, this behavior is dysfunctional and can easily make children feel unwanted.
In these dysfunctional circumstances, children learn to associate their parents' misery with being married and parenting. They don't understand displaced anger and that their parents may really be angered by poor educational or job choices. Some parents erroneously believe that marriage and children are supposed to give them something instead of them contributing to the relationship.
Americans, in particular, have a poor self-image. Our self-respect is based on our familial roles, jobs, income, and possessions. Unfortunately, it is easier for adults, who lack introspection, to lash out at their children rather than themselves!
In Maya Angelou's memoir, Letter to My Daughter, she said, "We marry and dare to have children and call that growing up." Following the other sheep is another way to keep family dysfunction going for generations. Many people copy behaviors they see without thinking.
Although it is difficult, al-humdulillah, adult children can overcome these negative mindsets with counseling. First, they must learn to view themselves as a blessing, not a burden. Through patience, perseverance, and prayer, we can overcome anything... but it will take time...maybe into our 40s, insha'allah.
(Source: YouTube Channel: Islamic Society of Baltimore & YouTube Channel: Asian Boss: "This is WHY Korean Women Don't Want to Have Kids."
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YouTu.be/@isbalrahmah
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Salaam,
Sis. 'Aisha Jamaat al-Muslimeen New York City