New Trend Magazine (www.newtrendmag.org)

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LETTER from Br. Solano, Texas:

In the USA there are no concubines. Rich people simply hire illegal aliens to take care of their children and cook for them.
They call them "nannies".... These woman lead lonely lives and at times except for a few rapes from the "master" go without a sexual life until they are deported or dismissed because the children are grownup.
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ROLE OF MUSLIMS IN AMERICA: WITNESSES TO THE TRUTH,
NOT SUPPORTERS OF ANY PARTY OR GROUP
RELEVANCE OF PROPHET's EXPERIENCE IN CAVE OF HIRA

On November 11, 2003 Dr. Kaukab Siddique was the keynote speaker at the Johns Hopkins [Graduate] Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland at a Ramadan iftar gathering organized by Muslim students. The gathering was unusual in that along with about 80 Muslim men and women [mostly graduate students] there were about 70 non-Muslims, mostly "White." Dr. Siddique led the Maghrib prayers and made the following points in his address:

Text: "....The messenger of Allah ...used to go into seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to Worship (in contemplation) for many days before his desire to see his family took him back. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to Khadija to take his food likewise till SUDDENLY THE TRUTH DESCENDED ON HIM WHILE HE WAS IN THE CAVE OF HIRA...." [Sahih Bukhari]

  1. The Prophet's (pbuh) experience in the cave distinguishes Islam from spirituality and mysticism. For the Sufi, the descent of Allah's light on the heart of the human [known as ma'arifa] is the ultimate in spirituality. For Islam, the descent of truth is just the beginning. The messenger receives the ultimate truth and then LEAVES THE CAVE TO TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD HE LIVES IN.
  2. Muslims in America must understand the people among whom they live and be witnesses to the truth without taking sides with any of the misled forces at work here.
  3. America has serious problems which only Islam can solve. Among them:
Muslims should not go in for tactical gains by supporting any party. Thinking strategically, the Qur'an has made it their role to be supporters of whatever is right anywhere.

[The program concluded with brief presentations by six Muslim graduate students, 4 women, two men, who described what fasting meant to them personally.]
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2003-11-27 Thu 13:33ct