New Trend Magazine (www.newtrendmag.org)

[Biggest Islamic web site in the U.S.]
P.O. Box 356, Kingsville, MD 21087.
Phone: 410-435-5000.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are not necessarily shared by editorial committee.
Responses (positive or negative) up to 250 words are welcome.
Names will be withheld on request.
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A Society Dissolving From Within: Sex under 15 years of Age

One out of every five teenagers in America has sex before the age of 15. Of these, one out of seven becomes pregnant. In numerous cases, "forced sex" is involved in the pregnancies.
Source: Sarah Brown, Director, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancies.
CNN: May 20, 2003

Jamaat al-Muslimeen, a human rights group based in America, urges Christians and Muslims to join hands to make families stronger to prevent the destruction of teenage lives at such an early stage. Drastic solutions and strategic planning are required.
ONE ISLAMIC SOLUTION WOULD BE CHILDHOOD MARRIAGE. At an early age, young people should be helped to focus on a person of the opposite sex with the promise that the family {and community} will help them to get married. CHILDHOOD MARRIAGE under Islam, and U.S. law, can only be consummated when the couple become adults. At adulthood, a decision is made to finalize the marriage, depending specially on the young woman's decision.

In the meantime, they can meet each other in a chaperoned, family situation where adults are always present.

In any case, marriages need to take place at a much earlier age than they are now. It is America's misfortune that the established culture discourages, and even prevents, marriage at precisely the time when young people are most in need of sexual outlet. The results are disastrous as can be seen in the figures above.
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PRINT EDITION OF NEW TREND will appear again, inshallah, on June 15, 2003. Only articles of permanent value will be published in the print edition. News, discussion items and commentaries on passing events will continue on our INTERNET edition, inshallah.

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[Our web site also carries the translation of the Qur'an. Most of it has been posted by Br. Richard A Hudlin Jr, our web master.]
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The following received with thanks from Sis. Ashira (in Baltimore)
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Update on Rabih Haddad; please write to him (ACTION REQUESTED)
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 13:22:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: A2 Area Committee for Peace
philliseng@yahoo.com

Hello friends,

Many of you are familiar with the story of Rabih Haddad,­ a local Muslim teacher, fundraiser, and father of four young children who has been jailed since December 14, 2001, on a technical visa violation. The AAACP has advocated for due process and the civil liberties of Haddad since the beginning. While government-created innuendos and rumors about Haddad and his charity, Global Relief, have been widely circulated, no criminal charges have ever been filed.

Last fall, after many protests (by the AAACP and others) and a lawsuit (by Haddad, the ACLU, John Conyers, and several media outlets), Haddad was granted an open hearing before a new immigration judge. An Orwellian affair it was, some parts of the hearing were "closed" and security guards at the gate turned away some who wished to attend (myself included), insisting the hearings were closed. The court transcript reveals that the questions posed throughout the hearing —— mostly by the judge, were petty and mean-spirited and the testimony of well-respected character witnesses was belittled and dismissed.

Haddad remains an INS prisoner in the Monroe County Jail. About a month ago, jail officials confiscated his property including his personal correspondence, address book, and books that friends had sent him. Lately they have been denying his children the right to visit. And earlier this week, Haddad's appeal to be released on bond was denied. He is, essentially, in INS limbo.

While the AAACP doesn't take a position on the supposed immigration violation, many of us in the community have befriended the Haddad family and feel that Haddad has been treated unfairly.

Letters from community members would go a long way toward lifting Rabih's spirits. His address is:
Rabih Haddad
100 E. 2nd St.
Monroe, MI 48161

Include articles, too, so he'll have more things to read. And if you wish to send books, you can do so through an online bookseller or a publisher. (You can't send books directly.)

If you wish to complain to Attorney General John Ashcroft about the treatment of Rabih Haddad, the phone number for his public comment line is 202-353-1555.

Peace,
Phillis Engelbert
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2003-05-23 Fri 18:55ct