CEO of $2 billion value Sonus Networks

Hassan M. Ahmed has been Chief Executive Officer and a member of board of directors of Sonus Networks since November 1998 and Chairman of the board of directors since April 2004. From November 1998 to April 2004, he was also President. Sonus provides voice infrastructure products which enable customers to deploy an integrated packet-based network carrying both voice and data traffic. The company employs 900 workers and has a market value of around $2 billion.

Ahmed, 49, was born in Pakistan, but his family moved to Canada when he was 4. His father was a physicist and Ahmed soon found a passion for engineering. After high school, Ahmed earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa, close to his parents, before moving to California and earning his doctorate at Stanford University. Ahmed later landed a job at Cascade Communications, where he became chief technology officer.

But after Cascade was sold to Ascend Communications Inc. in 1998, Ahmed agreed to run Sonus, then a one-year-old startup with just 30 people.

Though it took Sonus years to start selling products, it has since signed up marquee customers such as AT&T Inc., Deutsche Telekom AG and Verizon Communications Inc. And VOIP is becoming a household term. “This market is really starting to take off,” Ahmed says.

But Ahmed has also faced challenges. Like many telecom equipment makers, Sonus was hit hard by the tech crash in late 2000. Sonus’ revenue plunged from $129 million in 2001 to $93 million in 2003. Ahmed called it “telecom nuclear winter.” Many competitors disappeared.

To survive, Sonus had to eliminate more than 300 jobs. To avoid further cuts, executives gave up half their salary and other employees took a 10 percent pay cut.

“The company went through a difficult period where we really had to strengthen our financial controls,’’ Ahmed says. But he adds: “The Sonus business was never in doubt. This was really about applying very complicated accounting rules.”

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By Marzia Chowdhury, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

Students at the University of Michigan – Dearborn will notice a small change in the bathrooms on campus in the upcoming months. New foot baths. Not in all the bathrooms, just in two to be exact. One will be located in the University Center and the other at the Fairlane Center.

Approximately three years ago the office of Facilities Planning at UM-D (FP) noticed puddles of water on the floor in the bathrooms, which could cause possible health hazards for students. It turned out that some Muslim students were using the sinks to perform wudu, or ablution. FP came up with a possible solution, the idea of installing foot baths. After consulting the Muslim Students’ Association at UM-D, they decided it was a good idea. Three years later, the foot baths were finally approved by the administration.

There aren’t any foot baths on campus just yet. They were supposed to be installed in August for the fall 2007 term, but due to the construction companies’ bidding wars the actual installation of the baths had been postponed. Recently a company has come forth with a steady contract, but the exact date for when they will appear has not been determined. Construction must wait until students are not on campus, possibly during breaks. These bathrooms are not exclusively for Muslim students only. “We believe the university isn’t just accommodating one single group of students, but all students in general”, says MSA President Zeshan Humayun. Not only are they accommodating students but also the community of Dearborn.

U of M Dearborn isn’t the first university to install footbaths. Dozens of other universities across the country already have them, including Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Neither university made the issue as controversial as this.

As soon as the news of the foot baths leaked, the small campus society became the center of hot debate. People were angry. Tax dollars were said to be used to install the footbaths, where in fact a percentage of students’ tuition would be deducted to update the bathrooms. Some argued that the university was promoting Islam and therefore violating the separation of church and state.

“I respect Muslims and their religion, but I really believe that the footbaths are conflicting with the whole separation of church and state issue”, says UM-D Criminal Justice student Arlena Currie.

“Foot baths don’t promote religion. They promote hygiene and public safety”, says MSA Finance Chair Person Abrar Founas.

On the other hand Jessica Matthews, a Marketing student at UM-D remained neutral saying, “I’m not for it, nor am I against it. The school system respects the Christian faith, so they should do the same for Muslims as well”. Schools are in fact closed for Christmas and Easter holidays.

After the MSA’s Muslims Accommodations task force, with help from administration successfully got the university to accommodate them with a room for Iftar dinners for the month of Ramadan, rooms for Jummah Prayers, halal food on campus upon request, and the Reflection Room where members of all faiths can pray, it was no surprise that the MSA was the initial target by others. Even the American Civil Liberties Union took heat for not objecting to the foot baths.

In a letter to the Detroit News, Kary Moss, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan wrote, “This issue would be simpler if the government were building inherently religious facilities. Here, the footbaths are not inherently religious facilities — they are not blessed, cannot be desecrated and are open to everyone for any purpose. They are essentially spigots in the bathroom wall. In addition, the motivation of the university seems to be a response to a practical cleanliness and safety issue. Not every government expenditure to promote safety is unconstitutional because it has an incidental benefit to worshippers. When Pope John Paul II visited Hamtramck two decades ago, the ACLU of Michigan did not oppose the use of city funds for security because the motive and effect was to ensure the pope’s safety, not to promote Christianity.”

Suffice it to say though that the foot baths are more convenient for Dearborn’s Muslim students, who are a significant portion of the university. However it is in no way imposing Islam, or advocating it to anyone. Whatever the purpose, whether it is for a Muslim student to wash their feet, or a cleaning staff to fill up their bucket, it’s there to be used. It is not to be over analyzed and criticized. For those who don’t have any use for the foot baths, it’s better to just disregard them.

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By Sumayyah Meehan, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

With only a few more days left in Ramadan, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor hopes to be able to observe the fast from outer space. Shukor, 35, is the first astronaut to represent Malaysia in the International Space Station (ISS). Blasting off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday, October 10, 2007, he travelled to space in a Russian built Soyuz spacecraft adorned with the Malaysian flag. The deal for a Malaysian to travel to space was reached back in 2003. The price tag for the ticket to space cost $25 million with the Malaysian government also expected to shell out another $300 million to purchase one and a half dozen Russian–made fighter jets.

Shukor will also be traveling to space with American Peggy Whitson and Russian Cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko. His trip to space will last for approximately 12 days during which he will study micro gravity and how space radiation affects living cells and microbes. As a doctor, he also hopes to perform experiments with proteins that could one day lead to a vaccine for the HIV virus, which causes AIDS.

As a Muslim, Shukor must also grapple with aspects of Islam and how to apply them to living in space. Like, how to perform wudu and which way to face Mecca so that he can pray. Malaysian clerics have already agreed that Shukor must only know the location of Mecca at the beginning of the prayer because the space station is in a constant state of motion and it would be impossible for him to face Mecca during the entire prayer even though he will be belted into one position. As a result of Shukor’s trip to space the Islamic National Fatwa Council (INFC) published a 12-page rulebook entitled ‘Muslim Obligations in the International Space Station’. One of the rules stipulates that it is not necessary to perform the entire wudu when traveling in space. A wet towel is sufficient . Another rule states that the actions of the prayer, like bowing and prostrating, are not necessary if they are too cumbersome for the Muslim astronaut to perform. A simple silent prayer is sufficient according to Islamic scholars from the INFC.

Shukor will also bring a taste of Malaysia with him to the ISS, in the form of a consignment of Malaysian food. One item he will bring will be Malaysian biscuits, which are traditional fare to mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. In addition to the food, Shukor had also reportedly promised to make Malaysia’s national drink for his colleagues at the ISS. The drink, called ‘Teh Tarik’, is basically hot milky tea. But the way it is made is quite dangerous especially if it is done in space. The boiling tea is poured quickly between two vessels, one high and one low, in the hands of whoever is making it. The quick action creates a unique foam that floats on the top of the tea. According to the Malaysian government, the purpose of making the tea in space is to see what happens to ‘Teh Tarik’ in space. So, it is more of an exercise in physics than Malaysian hospitality!

Local Malaysian bloggers and citizens seem to be split over the decision to send a Malaysian to the ISS. One blogger writes, “It actually sounds stupid. When I read that PM Abdullah Badawi said “it would be the first step by Malaysia to prove its capability in the field of aerospace.” I mean sending an astronaut to space without our own technology, what’s there to achieve?” Another blogger laments, “What new experiments that we Malaysians could possibly do in space? Something that brilliant scientists in NASA, Europe, Russia and all over the world themselves have not done? The answer is nothing. So, forget about doing some mind boggling, scientifically challenged experiments that even scientist at NASA would sit up and take note.” Other bloggers have simply labelled it a publicity stunt to get more people across the World to take notice of Malaysia.

Regardless of the purpose of sending a Malaysian to space, it is pretty exciting for the rest of us Muslims sitting safely on the ground to see one of our own blast off to space. May Allah bless Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor’s journey to space and make it fruitful.

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By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

Verily! We have sent this Qur’an down in the Night of Power. And what will make you know what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the Angels and the Spirit by ALLAH’S leave. Peace! Until the appearance of the Dawn.

97:1-5

This religion of Al-Islam through the Holy Qur’an was sent down during the month of Ramadan and brought by Jibril to the Prophet Muhammad (s) over twenty-three years of his life, from the time he was forty years old until he passed from this life at 63 years of age.

None of us knows exactly which day it was sent down – it could have been the 1st or 30th day of Ramadan, or any day in between. The Prophet (s) said to look for it in the last 10 days of Ramadan, most probably on an odd night, and most probable on the 27th night.
The Lord, ALLAH, says this night is better than a whole lifetime – nearly 84 years literally, and incalculable spiritually. The angels, with Jibril (as) leading them, come out in full force, showering us with blessings akin to a waterfall coming over a cliff.

Like everything ALLAH gives us, there is a sign in the Night of Power as well. Putting yourself on a more spiritual plan, praying, making dhikr, invoking the power of Allah, enhances and enriches you as no other. If we enhanced ourselves like that more regularly throughout the year, it would elevate us to great spiritual heights, thus taking us to a more peaceful, productive level.

Of course, this doesn’t mean to try and re-enact the Night of Power every night. It doesn’t mean to try and pray and dhikr like on Laylatul Qadr. Doing so might take you so high out of yourself that you may not be able to come back down. It is OK to have your head in the clouds, but your feet must be anchored on the ground as well. No levitating in this life.

This glorious month of fasting gives us time to make dhikr (remember ALLAH) Dhikrullah is the best way our showing our gratitude to our Lord for His design of us and the rest of creation. Concentration on ALLAH does not, I repeat, does not increase His power at all. And if you do not remember Him, His power will not suffer in the least. ALLAH says “Remember Me and I shall remember you. Give thanks to Me and forever show your gratitude.

Prophet Muhammad (s) said “The likeness of one who remembers ALLAH and one who does not is the comparison of a living person and a dead person. This is clear revelation to help ensure our entrance to Paradise. ALLAH is so merciful, He makes difficult for us to go to the fire. We can 10 times the blessings if we just think and do a good deed. So doesn’t it make sense to consciously strive to do right? I don’t know about you but I want to try and get all the help I can to make it to jannad. The beautiful thing is your life here will be blissful, peaceful, and prosperous.

ALLAH says so.

As Salaam Alaikum
(Al Hajj) Abdullah Bey El-Amin

By Bob Wood, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

On October 5, 2007, we learned from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest monthly jobs report that another 110,000 new jobs have been generated in the U.S. economy. For days before the announcement, financial media debate centered on whether the forthcoming number would be bullish for the stock market. Of course, we should know by now, that number will be judged bullish, no matter what it is!

Such is what now passes for analysis in the financial media. It doesn’t really matter at all if jobs numbers are positive or negative. Media promoters were once again ready with whatever rationale necessary to convince us that the number offered yet even more evidence that we should buy stocks aggressively for fear of missing the market’s next leg up.

Here’s how the game works. If the jobs number announced is strongly positive, let’s say 250,000 new jobs have been created, that shows how strong the economy is and means good things happening in terms of spending and corporate profits. If the number is shockingly low, perhaps a loss of 200,000 jobs, it surely signifies that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates more aggressively than previously thought. So how could that not be bullish for stocks?

Those of you who follow the markets closely must be aware of this tactic by now. Surely I’m not alone in noticing how bad news can be spun as still more good news for stocks.

Just recently, we heard the announcement that Citigroup would suffer a massive loss on its investments in mortgage-related vehicles such as bonds and derivatives. Normally, one would think that such a massive loss would scare investors away from the company’s stock. Yet shares of Citigroup traded higher on the day! The rationale given was that the company had come clean. So by throwing all the bad news into that one announcement, we now had more clarity about future earnings. Read this explanation as: this must be the extent of the bad news, so earnings should be back on a normal track higher.

Think about this! If one of the companies in which you own shares goes public about how badly it has managed a large portion of its portfolio, would you possibly think more trouble might yet come?

Recently, Apple announced that it would drastically cut the price of its vaunted new mobile phone. Again, if one of my companies saw its stock price rise higher on the hype of a new product, then, almost immediately, announced a heavily discounted price, I would view that as a big negative. But Apple’s shares are much higher today than they were before introduction of the new phone. Go figure, eh?

It seems now that our housing market hits new lows every month. News of rapidly rising foreclosures hits the newspaper headlines almost daily. Mortgage troubles, in the form of already issued mortgages going into default at record numbers, normally would be seen as a negative for the economy, as the number of jobs generated by a healthy housing market is not at all inconsequential.

Yet as the bad news keeps rolling in, with housing and mortgage bonds blowing up all over the world, the stock market simply shrugs it off as though it were a minor bump in the road. When the smartest people on Wall Street, such as those at companies like Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, UBS and Bear Stearns are losing hundreds of millions in housing related investments, I have to think that the pain is widespread. Yet it seems that all it takes to offset the bad news, as monumentally large as it is, is for someone from the government, the Fed, or one of the big brokers to announce on TV that a bottom in housing is in sight, and all will be well in no time.

I remember a few years back when we heard steady talk about the rising price of oil. Some said then that if oil were to rise as high as $50/barrel, that would cause a real strain on the economy and have recessionary implications. Now as oil trades at more than $80/barrel, we hear that all is well and there is little to fear?

Our government is bankrupt and needs a steady infusion of cash from foreign lenders to the tune of over $2 billion/day, every day. For some reason, this is viewed as yet another sign of a vibrant economy – “the envy of the developed world!” Never would I have guessed that anyone would have the nerve to spin a fiscal crisis as a positive development for our economy. Yet again and again, it is simply waved away as nothing to worry about.

We also hear talk about inflation. Normally, rising prices result in lower living standards for consumers, especially when wages are rising slower than prices, as they are now. Yet the climbing prices of essentials such as food, energy, health care, insurance coverage of all sorts and more are simply waved away as “unimportant,” since the ‘’core rate’’ of inflation ignores these numbers.

These issues are at the center of what worries me most now. Maybe the Fed appreciates these concerns as much as anyone else and knows full well the threats they pose to our economy. At the least, I’m sure someone at the Fed does! But when facing a set of risks like this, what would anyone of us do? Would we elect to let the chips fall where they may and watch the economy sink into a nasty recession — or even a depression?

Or would we take the easy way out and inflate our troubles away? John Williams, who writes the web site, shadowstats.com and tracks our money supply, believes that the broadest measure of inflation – M3 — has risen about 14% so far this year. That means the Fed has printed and put into circulation over a trillion new dollars to keep the economy moving higher.

But who can complain when all prices are rising? The appearance is that the economy and stock market are growing impressively, isn’t it? William contends that the Fed could print money so aggressively that we might one day see the Dow Jones Industrial Average move above the 100,000 mark!

Of course, for that to happen, gas would be selling for $10/gallon, milk at $10/gallon, too, gold at $3,000/ounce and other basic necessities would cost far more than they do today. As long as wages rise in step with prices, everything would look just super, wouldn’t it? The government could claim economic growth of about 6% per year and crow about the growth of investors’ brokerage accounts. Talk about bullish!

But this is an article about economics, and one iron-clad economics rule will never change or be altered in any way: there is no free lunch! What benefits one class of citizens economically frequently comes at a price to another class — in this case, consumers.

I am continually amazed at how the falling dollar is viewed as a bullish development by so many in the financial media. Sure, the drop helps our exporters, since our goods become cheaper for foreign buyers. And some think a devalued dollar helps ease our trade deficit, too.

An annoying fact, however, is that the dollar has lost a lot of value over the past six years — and for even longer than that. But the trade deficit is now at record highs! So where, again, is the positive effect from the falling dollar?

Of course, since we import so much of what we consume, doesn’t the cost of those imports, like energy, increase, too? And don’t we all pay higher prices for those imports? With wages rising slowly, if at all, in the past few years, isn’t the average consumer being squeezed a little bit more each year?

But sharing that little fact doesn’t help sell stocks, does it? So promoters simply gloss over it — if they even mention it. Oh, but don’t hesitate to buy stocks, or you’ll miss the big rally!

I find much to be concerned about regarding our economy — from rising prices to astronomical amounts of debt to unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare looming around the next corner. Massive costs continue to mount for funding two losing wars and a hollowed our manufacturing base, the latter meaning that our best paying jobs are disappearing and being replaced with lower paying service jobs.

The list is long, but for every rational concern we face, no shortage of optimistic people appears on CNBC to explain how each is just one more reason to be bullish! I know they need to make a living, and a rising stock market is preferable to a falling one. But remember all the bullish reasons offered for buying stocks in 1999, especially high flying technology shares, and be sure that the spin continues!

Stocks, bonds and so many investment asset classes sell at premiums that only a truly vibrant, healthy economy could justify. Our economy fails to come close to such conditions, but who knows what can happen? Maybe the Fed can inflate all prices across the board into the stratosphere? If so, look for big returns in stocks. But don’t look for those gains to improve your standard of living. You’ll need those big gains just to keep pace!

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to buy gold and energy shares.

Have a great week.
Bob

Bob Wood ChFC, CLU Yusuf Kadiwala. Registered Investment Advisors, KMA, Inc., invest@muslimobserver.com.

New Jersey travel agency accused of Hajj fraud

NEWARK – The Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Consumer Affairs have filed a Consumer Fraud Act suit against a Woodbridge travel agency that sold travel packages for religious pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that were never provided.

The state’s four-count complaint was filed in State Superior Court in Middlesex County against Shama Hajj Ziyarat Tours, L.L.C., also doing business as Karwan-E-Iman-E-Sajjad (USA), and its owner, Molana Syed Alihaider Abidi. The travel agency is located at 104 Second Street in Woodbridge.

Throughout 2006, the defendants advertised and sold the Hajj Travel Package, which was represented to include round-trip airfare from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Saudi Arabia as well as hotel accommodations and transportation within Saudi Arabia. More than 50 consumers each paid in excess of $4,500 for the trip, with some consumers paying an additional $1,000 for purportedly upgraded hotel accommodations.

The consumers were to depart from JFK Airport on December 20, 2006 and return from Saudi Arabia on January 4, 2007. Upon arriving at JFK Airport for their departure flight, consumers learned that there were no airline tickets purchased for them. During the period of December 22 to 24, 2006, defendants told consumers that the trip was cancelled.

“We are seeking restitution for consumers who suffered both financially and emotionally,’‘ Attorney General Anne Milgram said. “These last minute cancellations without explanation cost consumers thousands of dollars and prevented them from making a pilgrimage to Mecca.’‘

As part of the division’s action, the court has granted a request for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the defendants from advertising and selling travel packages to Mecca; from disposing of any assets, including monies paid by consumers for travel packages to Mecca; and from disposing of books and records. The state is seeking to make the order permanent.

“We are aware that this travel agency is advertising and selling a December 2007 travel package to Mecca. Given the company’s cancellation of the 2006 trip and failure to provide refunds, we are seeking to stop the advertisement and sale of the 2007 trip,” said Acting Consumer Affairs Director Larry DeMarzo.

The state’s complaint alleges that the defendants violated the Consumer Fraud Act and General Advertising Regulations by the following:

a.. Increasing the price of the 2006 Hajj Travel Package without explanation;
b.. Accepting payment for the 2006 Hajj Travel Package and then failing to provide consumers with the trip to Mecca;
c.. Upon cancellation of the 2006 Hajj Travel Package, leading consumers to believe that alternative travel arrangements were being made;
d.. Failing to provide consumers with advance notice that the 2006 Hajj Travel Package had been cancelled, to permit consumers to make their own alternative arrangements for the trip to Mecca;
e.. Promising, then failing to provide consumers with complete refunds following cancellation of the 2006 Hajj Travel Package; and
f.. Failing to disclose to consumers that the purchase price would not be refunded if the 2006 Hajj Travel Package was cancelled.

By its complaint, the state seeks restitution for affected consumers, maximum civil penalties, reimbursement of its attorneys’ fees and costs and compliance with the Consumer Fraud Act.

The Consumer Fraud Act provides for a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for the initial violation and up to $20,000 for each subsequent violation.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Koziar is representing the state in this matter.

Muslim inmate sues Missouri jail

SPRINGFIELD, MO–A Muslim inmate is suing a southwest Missouri jail, claiming the facility’s administrators violated his religious rights by feeding him sandwiches with a pork product concealed in them.

Odell M. Edwards, as a Muslim, is prohibited from eating pork. Jail officials maintain that the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches did not contain pork, just fruit pectin extracted from plants. Pectin is a natural substance that thickens jams and jellies.

But Edwards said the jelly in the sandwiches contained gelatin, which is often extracted from pig tissue. He appears to be seeking $250,000 per day for the period in which he was served the jelly.

Edwards, a federal prisoner, is awaiting trial in Springfield on drug charges. He’s been an inmate since April 2006.

First Iftar dinner held at University of Nevada

LAS VEGAS–The Muslims Students Association at University of Nevada organized its first ever Iftar dinner and it turned out to be a big success.

Members from the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Newman Center, where the event was held, students from the Latter Day Saints Institute of Religion Center, professors and local members of the Muslim community were among the nearly 100 attendants at the event, reports the student newspaper.

Azam Bir, a sophomore in the management information systems department from Bangladesh and the outreach coordinator of the MSA, noted that while his father has experienced prejudice and discrimination in other parts of the country, he has found Las Vegas and specifically UNLV to be an extremely open and peaceful place to be a Muslim.

After a call to prayer and the evening prayer, non-Muslim dinner guests joined Muslims who broke their fast and were invited to ask questions and openly discuss Islam.

In turn, Muslim attendants also learned more about the other religious-based groups on campus, with students asking about similarities in prayers and traditions, along with the more secular conversations addressing experiences at UNLV and areas of study.

Dr. Zafeer Ahmed, appointed VP, Manufacturing of Bradmer Pharma

TORONTO–Bradmer Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of cancer therapies, today announced that it has appointed Zafeer Ahmad, Ph.D, to the position of Vice President, Manufacturing Operations, and that it has accepted the resignation of Kerry M. Barnhart, Ph.D, as President and Chief Scientific Officer effective November 1, 2007. Chief Executive Officer Alan M. Ezrin, Ph.D. will assume the additional role of President.

“Dr. Ahmad brings a wealth of knowledge in late-stage drug development. As we prepare to submit our proposed multi-center Phase III trial protocol and manufacturing data for Neuradiab to the FDA, Dr. Ahmad’s experience in working with contract research and contract manufacturing organizations will be indispensable to Bradmer. Zafeer will also be a strong addition to our team as we complete the validation and transfer of drug production from Duke University to a commercial manufacturer,” said Dr. Ezrin, Chief Executive Officer of Bradmer. “Dr. Barnhart made a significant contribution to Bradmer

at an early stage and we wish him our best as he pursues other opportunities. His decision to leave at this stage, after we’ve recruited a team with broad experience in preparation for initiating the Phase III trial, will allow us to make a seamless transition in the roles and responsibilities of the existing management team.”

Dr. Ahmad most recently held the position of Vice President, Process Development and Manufacturing at NeoPharm, Inc. Prior to his work with NeoPharm, Dr. Ahmad held senior positions at GlaxoSmithKline plc and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. He has more than 19 years of industry experience in drug development, aseptic manufacturing operations, facility design and validation, batch record and SOP preparation, outsourcing, tech transfer, process validation and regulatory submission of drugs. Based on this experience, Dr. Ahmad has a strong working knowledge of cGMP and CMC documentation for IND and BLA preparation. From an academic perspective, Dr. Ahmad held the position of Senior Scientist/Assistant Professor at Indiana University, and was a Visiting Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. He received his Ph.D in Biochemistry from Aligarh Muslim University in India. He has published numerous peer reviewed articles including nine papers in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Oak Lawn school district adds Ramadan to its calendar

OAK LAWN, IL–The Oak Lawn school district has decided to include Ramadan as well as Christmas on its calendar.

The school board, which serves the west end of Oak Lawn and parts of Bridgeview, agreed to add to the school calendar observances of the Muslim religious holiday of Ramadan and to continue traditional observances of Christmas. Halloween celebrations also will continue.

The board’s action followed an evening of public comment last week during which residents protested earlier administrative decisions to “tone down” all holiday celebrations in response to complaints from a Muslim mother that her religion’s traditions were being neglected. The mother also complained about the inclusion of Jell-O on the menus in school cafeterias. Jell-O includes pork products, Muslims do not eat.

Muslims now comprise one-third of the school enrollment.

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By Mahvish Akhtar, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

I am going to tell you a story. A story of loss, grief, love and newfound hope: I know these are all clichés you have heard before. But as you read on remember that this is not just a story, this is my story; If it feels like a big cliché then just imagine my life as a cliché altogether. But imagine it all as true, because it is. I am going to do something I have never done before. I am going to bring out all the pain and confusion and smear it over these pages. I will do this because I am hoping someone will help me make sense of things that confuse me and make the situation even harder then it already is.

I am a mother…let me correct that: I was a mother…no I think it’s accurate to say that I am a mother because I will always be my child’s mother whether he is with me or not. I lost my son just recently. He had come into my life after a lot of wanting and hoping. He was a dream come true when he was born. Although he was born after a lot of complications and had brain damage as a result of all of it- but it didn’t matter since he was my son and he was perfect.

It’s a weird thing love for one’s child. It makes you say and do stupid thing. A person as practical and as unemotional as me would have never imagined herself thinking and doing things that I used to with my son. I remember when my husband would be out of town or would have to work late I would lay down with my son and talk to him. I would tell him all about my day and how I feel as though he understood. In return he would coo and smile and that was enough re assurance for me. I would tell him that the whole world could leave me but as long as he was with me it wouldn’t matter. No life is without irony…the whole world is the way it was and he is not!

The day he passed on to his other life I was sad. But I was also relieved for him. I knew he was better off for it. And I also knew I am better off for it too. I wouldn’t have to go through the practice of what it takes to take care of a severely sick child. I knew I would miss him terribly but at the same there was a sense of relief. I sat on the ground and prayed that day. I thanked Allah for making this decision for me and making things easier. I thanked Him for making my son Jannah bound without any efforts on our parts at all. I thanked Him for taking my son out of the misery that he would have been in if he had lived. And once I did all that I felt better. It didn’t seem like such a terrible thing after all. So, I was sad but I was not miserable. I was satisfied with the decision my Allah had made for me.

Now here is where the confusion started. People started to come and visit. They started to tell me how sorry they were for my loss. They told me they understand how it feels (even though most of them have not lost a child). They told me they prayed to Allah to give me a better substitute. I was confused not knowing how to respond…Why were they sorry? Did they not realize he was sick and now he is comfortable in Jannah? And even if they didn’t when I made them look at it that way why did they look at me like I was crazy? Also how could they possibly understand what it feels like? Why were they treating me like they knew how I should be acting…I mean is there a manual on this that I didn’t read? And lastly…a better substitute? Is that possible? I can have more kids and I am sure I will love them but will anyone ever take my son’s place? Absolutely not. My kids could be prettier than him they can be more intelligent and everything but the one thing they will never be is him. They will never be my first born…they will not be the one with whom I experienced the most exceptional role in life-motherhood!

I understand that the way I handled things was different. I know I didn’t cry my eyes out like everyone else. I know I didn’t sit in a corner and ignore the world for weeks. I know I didn’t try to gather sympathies by talking about my son in a miserable way. No, I did what came naturally to me as an intelligent and educated human being. I understood that this has come from Allah and that He does what is best. I tried to move on and tried to keep moving on with life. I didn’t do this by avoiding the reality that my son is gone. I did that thinking about him…missing him… and discussing what life would be like without him. But I realized that this is not how we are supposed to be…we are supposed to be miserable and sad regardless of what we really feel.

Here I am today a month and a half later asking you to help me with my confusion. Where did I go wrong? How is not crying constantly a crime? How is not wanting to waste my life being sad for someone who is happy wrong? How is smiling because you are imagining your son happy and playing in the gardens of heaven incorrect? Even now either people think I am either insensitive or just didn’t love my son enough. This is funny to me though…I mean do they really believe that those people who were crying their eyes out loved my son more then me? It’s my own fault…when they were crying and looking at me like I am some kind of a monster for not crying I should have asked them. I should have asked them how many times during the night he woke up. I should have asked them what his favorite lullaby was. I should have asked them what it meant when he raised one of his hands to his mouth. To be honest no one but me can answer these questions but me because I was the only one dealing with him every day. And everyone who has the audacity to tell me that I am not acting like a good mother by not crying I have something to say to them… it wasn’t your child who just like that disappeared from in front of your eyes forever. It wasn’t your life that was turned upside down in the matter of minutes…so do me a favor and keep your opinions about my life to yourself because my life is not yours to judge just like your life is not mine to poke holes in!

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By Donna Abu-Nasr

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — For the first time ever, a group of women in the only country that bans female drivers have formed a committee to lobby for the right to get behind the wheel, and they plan to petition King Abdullah in the next few days for the privilege.

The government is unlikely to respond because the issue remains so highly sensitive and divisive. But committee members say their petition will at least highlight what many Saudis — both men and women — consider a “stolen” right.

“We would like to remind officials that this is, as many have said, a social and not a religious or political issue,” said Fowziyyah al-Oyouni, a founding member of the Committee of Demanders of Women’s Right to Drive Cars. “And since it’s a social issue, we have the right to lobby for it.”

Committee members want to deliver their petition to the king by Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s national day.

The driving ban applies to all women, Saudi and foreign, and forces families to hire live-in drivers. Women whose families cannot afford $300-$400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor’s.

The last time the issue was raised was two years ago, when Mohammed al-Zulfa, a member of the unelected Consultative Council, asked his colleagues to think about studying the possibility of allowing women over age 35 or 40 to drive — unchaperoned on city streets but accompanied by a male guardian on highways.

The suggestion touched off a fierce controversy that included calls for al-Zulfa’s removal from the council and stripping him of Saudi citizenship, as well as accusations he was encouraging women to commit the double sins of discarding their veils and mixing with men.

The uproar underscored the divisions in Saudi society between the guardians of its super-strict Islamic codes of behavior and those who want to usher in more liberal attitudes.

Conservatives, who believe women should be shielded from male strangers, say women in the driver’s seat will be free to leave home alone and go when and where they please. They also will unduly expose their eyes while driving and interact with male strangers, such as traffic police and mechanics.

But supporters of female drivers say the prohibition exists neither in law nor Islam, but is based on fatwas, or edicts, by senior clerics who say women at the wheel create situations for sinful temptation.

Women tried to defy the ban once and paid heavily for it. In November 1990, when U.S. troops were in Saudi Arabia following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, some 50 women got behind the wheel and drove family cars. They were jailed for one day, their passports were confiscated and they lost their jobs.

Although the furor over al-Zulfa’s comments has abated, anything that touches on the issue provokes strong feelings.

In the weeks ushering in the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began Thursday, a furious debate erupted in a Saudi newspaper over a Ramadan television serial that takes up the hardships the ban has caused.

In the serial, “Amsha bint Ammash,” the main character, Amsha, loses her father and is forced to relocate from her village to Jiddah. After an unsuccessful round of job searching, she decides to become a taxi driver — a job open only to men.

To get around the ban, she disguises herself as a man, adding a mustache and donning the white robe and red-and-white-checkered headdress Saudi men wear.

When the program was first advertised, some reacted with shock that a Saudi woman was not only portraying a man, but also one who drives. Conservatives say women should not emulate men in behavior or dress.

The controversy has forced the serial’s writer, Abdullah Abdul-Amer, to issue a statement stressing the goal of the program, aired on the Lebanese satellite channel LBC, “is not to incite women to drive.”

“All I wanted to do was raise our contemporary issues from a Saudi viewpoint and through comedy,” said Abdul-Amer.

But that has not appeased Saudis determined to uphold the driving ban.

In a letter to Al-Hayat daily titled “Amsha, we don’t need you,” reader Iman Abdul-Wahhab wondered why the driving issue “has become an obsession for many, Saudis and non-Saudis.”

“Has this become a weak point for us?” she wrote. “As a Saudi girl, I say, ‘No.’”

“This is a tradition that has become acceptable,” she added. “No one has any right to use it as a means to mock or ridicule.”

On Monday, another Saudi newspaper, Al-Watan, ran an article about a major car dealership sending out invitations for women in Jiddah to come try out a new family sedan for 24 hours. But the dealership stressed the invitation was for women and their drivers, who are the only ones permitted to test-drive the cars.

Al-Oyouni said she understands that some women oppose ending the ban.

“We won’t force it on those who don’t want it,” she said.

The petition, circulated electronically for signatures, has received a lot of support from within the kingdom, from both men and women, as well as from outside Saudi Arabia, al-Oyouni said. “This is a right that has been delayed for too long.”

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By Riverbend

Editor’s note: This is the most recent blog post of Riverbend, riverbendblog.blogspot.com, in which she describes her journey to Syria to escape the violence in Iraq.

To see the article in its original context, please go to: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Two months ago, the suitcases were packed. My lone, large suitcase sat in my bedroom for nearly six weeks, so full of clothes and personal items, that it took me, E. and our six year old neighbor to zip it closed.

Packing that suitcase was one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do. It was Mission Impossible: Your mission, R., should you choose to accept it is to go through the items you’ve accumulated over nearly three decades and decide which ones you cannot do without. The difficulty of your mission, R., is that you must contain these items in a space totaling 1 m by 0.7 m by 0.4 m. This, of course, includes the clothes you will be wearing for the next months, as well as any personal memorabilia- photos, diaries, stuffed animals, CDs and the like.

I packed and unpacked it four times. Each time I unpacked it, I swore I’d eliminate some of the items that were not absolutely necessary. Each time I packed it again, I would add more ‘stuff’ than the time before. E. finally came in a month and a half later and insisted we zip up the bag so I wouldn’t be tempted to update its contents constantly.

The decision that we would each take one suitcase was made by my father. He took one look at the box of assorted memories we were beginning to prepare and it was final: Four large identical suitcases were purchased- one for each member of the family and a fifth smaller one was dug out of a closet for the documentation we’d collectively need- graduation certificates, personal identification papers, etc.

We waited… and waited… and waited. It was decided we would leave mid to late June- examinations would be over and as we were planning to leave with my aunt and her two children- that was the time considered most convenient for all involved. The day we finally appointed as THE DAY, we woke up to an explosion not 2 km away and a curfew. The trip was postponed a week. The night before we were scheduled to travel, the driver who owned the GMC that would take us to the border excused himself from the trip- his brother had been killed in a shooting. Once again, it was postponed.

There was one point, during the final days of June, where I simply sat on my packed suitcase and cried. By early July, I was convinced we would never leave. I was sure the Iraqi border was as far away, for me, as the borders of Alaska. It had taken us well over two months to decide to leave by car instead of by plane. It had taken us yet another month to settle on Syria as opposed to Jordan. How long would it take us to reschedule leaving?

It happened almost overnight. My aunt called with the exciting news that one of her neighbors was going to leave for Syria in 48 hours because their son was being threatened and they wanted another family on the road with them in another car- like gazelles in the jungle, it’s safer to travel in groups. It was a flurry of activity for two days. We checked to make sure everything we could possibly need was prepared and packed. We arranged for a distant cousin of my moms who was to stay in our house with his family to come the night before we left (we can’t leave the house empty because someone might take it).

It was a tearful farewell as we left the house. One of my other aunts and an uncle came to say goodbye the morning of the trip. It was a solemn morning and I’d been preparing myself for the last two days not to cry. You won’t cry, I kept saying, because you’re coming back. You won’t cry because it’s just a little trip like the ones you used to take to Mosul or Basrah before the war. In spite of my assurances to myself of a safe and happy return, I spent several hours before leaving with a huge lump lodged firmly in my throat. My eyes burned and my nose ran in spite of me. I told myself it was an allergy.

We didn’t sleep the night before we had to leave because there seemed to be so many little things to do… It helped that there was no electricity at all- the area generator wasn’t working and ‘national electricity’ was hopeless. There just wasn’t time to sleep.

The last few hours in the house were a blur. It was time to go and I went from room to room saying goodbye to everything. I said goodbye to my desk- the one I’d used all through high school and college. I said goodbye to the curtains and the bed and the couch. I said goodbye to the armchair E. and I broke when we were younger. I said goodbye to the big table over which we’d gathered for meals and to do homework. I said goodbye to the ghosts of the framed pictures that once hung on the walls, because the pictures have long since been taken down and stored away- but I knew just what hung where. I said goodbye to the silly board games we inevitably fought over- the Arabic Monopoly with the missing cards and money that no one had the heart to throw away.

I knew then as I know now that these were all just items- people are so much more important. Still, a house is like a museum in that it tells a certain history. You look at a cup or stuffed toy and a chapter of memories opens up before your very eyes. It suddenly hit me that I wanted to leave so much less than I thought I did.

Six AM finally came. The GMC waited outside while we gathered the necessities- a thermos of hot tea, biscuits, juice, olives (olives?!) which my dad insisted we take with us in the car, etc. My aunt and uncle watched us sorrowfully. There’s no other word to describe it. It was the same look I got in my eyes when I watched other relatives and friends prepare to leave. It was a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, tinged with anger. Why did the good people have to go?

I cried as we left- in spite of promises not to. The aunt cried… the uncle cried. My parents tried to be stoic but there were tears in their voices as they said their goodbyes. The worst part is saying goodbye and wondering if you’re ever going to see these people again. My uncle tightened the shawl I’d thrown over my hair and advised me firmly to ‘keep it on until you get to the border’. The aunt rushed out behind us as the car pulled out of the garage and dumped a bowl of water on the ground, which is a tradition- its to wish the travelers a safe return… eventually.

The trip was long and uneventful, other than two checkpoints being run by masked men. They asked to see identification, took a cursory glance at the passports and asked where we were going. The same was done for the car behind us. Those checkpoints are terrifying but I’ve learned that the best technique is to avoid eye-contact, answer questions politely and pray under your breath. My mother and I had been careful not to wear any apparent jewelry, just in case, and we were both in long skirts and head scarves.

Syria is the only country, other than Jordan, that was allowing people in without a visa. The Jordanians are being horrible with refugees. Families risk being turned back at the Jordanian border, or denied entry at Amman Airport. It’s too high a risk for most families.

We waited for hours, in spite of the fact that the driver we were with had ‘connections’, which meant he’d been to Syria and back so many times, he knew all the right people to bribe for a safe passage through the borders. I sat nervously at the border. The tears had stopped about an hour after we’d left Baghdad. Just seeing the dirty streets, the ruins of buildings and houses, the smoke-filled horizon all helped me realize how fortunate I was to have a chance for something safer.

By the time we were out of Baghdad, my heart was no longer aching as it had been while we were still leaving it. The cars around us on the border were making me nervous. I hated being in the middle of so many possibly explosive vehicles. A part of me wanted to study the faces of the people around me, mostly families, and the other part of me, the one that’s been trained to stay out of trouble the last four years, told me to keep my eyes to myself- it was almost over.

It was finally our turn. I sat stiffly in the car and waited as money passed hands; our passports were looked over and finally stamped. We were ushered along and the driver smiled with satisfaction, “It’s been an easy trip, Alhamdulillah,” he said cheerfully.

As we crossed the border and saw the last of the Iraqi flags, the tears began again. The car was silent except for the prattling of the driver who was telling us stories of escapades he had while crossing the border. I sneaked a look at my mother sitting beside me and her tears were flowing as well. There was simply nothing to say as we left Iraq. I wanted to sob, but I didn’t want to seem like a baby. I didn’t want the driver to think I was ungrateful for the chance to leave what had become a hellish place over the last four and a half years.

The Syrian border was almost equally packed, but the environment was more relaxed. People were getting out of their cars and stretching. Some recognized each other and waved or shared woeful stories or comments through the windows of the cars. Most importantly, we were all equal. Sunnis and Shia, Arabs and Kurds… we were all equal in front of the Syrian border personnel.

We were all refugees- rich or poor. And refugees all look the same- there’s a unique expression you’ll find on their faces- relief, mixed with sorrow, tinged with apprehension. The faces almost all look the same.

The first minutes after passing the border were overwhelming. Overwhelming relief and overwhelming sadness… How is it that only a stretch of several kilometers and maybe twenty minutes, so firmly segregates life from death?

How is it that a border no one can see or touch stands between car bombs, militias, death squads and… peace, safety? It’s difficult to believe- even now. I sit here and write this and wonder why I can’t hear the explosions.

I wonder at how the windows don’t rattle as the planes pass overhead. I’m trying to rid myself of the expectation that armed people in black will break through the door and into our lives. I’m trying to let my eyes grow accustomed to streets free of road blocks, hummers and pictures of Muqtada and the rest…

How is it that all of this lies a short car ride away?

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The Senate agreed on Thursday to increase the federal debt limit by $850 billion — from $8.965 trillion to $9.815 trillion — and then proceeded to approve a stop-gap spending bill that gives the Bush White House at least $9 billion in new funding for its war in Iraq.

Additionally, the administration has been given emergency authority to tap further into a $70 billion “bridge fund” to provide new infusions of money for the occupation while the Congress works on appropriations bills for the Department of Defense and other agencies.

Translation: Under the guise of a stop-gap spending bill that is simply supposed to keep the government running until a long-delayed appropriations process is completed — probably in November — the Congress has just approved a massive increase in war funding.

The move was backed by every senator who cast a vote, save one.

Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, the maverick Democrat who has led the fight to end the war and bring U.S. troops home from Iraq, was on the losing end of the 94-1 vote. (The five senators who did not vote, all presidential candidates who are more involved in campaigning than governing, were Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Republicans John McCain and Sam Brownback.)

Said Feingold, “I am disappointed that we are about to begin the 2008 fiscal year without having enacted any of the appropriations bills for that year. I am even more disappointed that we voted on a continuing resolution that provides tens of billions of dollars to continue the misguided war in Iraq but does not include any language to bring that war to a close. We need to keep the federal government operating and make sure our brave troops get all the equipment and supplies they need, but we should not be giving the President a blank check to continue a war that is hurting our national security.”

In the House, the continuing resolution passed by a vote of 404 to 14, with 14 other members not voting.

The “no” votes in the House, all cast by anti-war members, came from one Republican, Ron Paul of Texas, and 13 Democrats: Oregon’s Earl Blumenauer, Missouri’s William Clay, Minnesota’s Keith Ellison, California’s Bob Filner, Massachusetts’ Barney Frank, New York’s Maurice Hinchey, Ohio’s Dennis Kucinich, Washington’s Jim McDermott, New Jersey’s Donald Payne, California’s Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson and Lynn Woolsey.

That means that, of the 2008 presidential candidates, only Republican Paul and Democrat Kucinich voted against giving the Bush administration a dramatic — if not particularly well publicized — infusion of new money for the war.

“Each year this war is getting more and more costly — both in the amount of money spent and in the number of lives lost. Now this Congress is providing more funds so the administration can continue down a path of destruction and chaos,” said Kucinich, who noted the essential role of House and Senate Democratic leaders, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in passing the continuing resolution. “The Democratic leadership in Congress needs to take a stand against this President and say they will not give him any more money. That is the only way to end this war and bring our troops home.”

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