December 11th–As I write two roadside bombers struck in the city of Algiers, a major metropolis and capital of Algeria in Northwest Africa. The targets seemed have been two U.N (United Nations) buildings in that metropolitan area. The perpetrators were the Al’Quaida of the Maghreb (a large mainly Arab Muslim expanse — that contains Mauritania, [former Spanish] Sahara, Algeria, Libya and Morocco).
The two bombers missed their two larger targets, but instead an estimated 67 innocent civilians were slaughtered. Further, what is extremely frightening in last week’s incidents were that this Maghreb terrain had to fight through two vicious Wars within most of the Twentieth Century! The first was its victorious rebellion from France (1954-1962) where a total of one and half million Frenchman died while the leading Algerian political parties suffered one half million North Africans to free themselves from their Gallic Masters, too! The second War involved the (Arab) government against the Islamists during the 1990s.
Boualem Sansal is one of the most important contemporary Algerian writers. I was able to converse succinctly in French with him about a year and a half ago, but I felt his comments were too slight to make an article from them until the events of today. I adapted this brief biography from the German introduction for the Literature Festival (Berlin) in 2005. Sansal is a native born (1949) Algerian. After his doctorate, he landed a job as a high-ranking bureaucrat.
He withdrew from his promising career into a state of inner exile that left him space to write. His first book won the prestigious French award, the Prix du Priemer Roman. Further, Later in his career he was awarded the Michael Dard Literature Award (2002). In subsequent novels his themes revolved around politically charged activities including terrorism, corruption, oppression and Islam!
He is attempting to build a sense of national identity in a 45 year-old country – especially with the young! Curiously in his native Algiers he is considered as a detrimental gadfly, while in Paris, he is deemed as a great innovator. Although he finds himself often having to publish with a pseudo-name, he has chosen to reside at home in his native land. He is an artist that looks positively forward to a bright future for his nation!
Algeria is a territory that has been fought over since Roman times. In the Twentieth Century, there have two particularly brutal Wars as aforementioned! The Revolution from France, and the Civil War between the Secularists and the Islamists. The paradigm for the post-Colonial State has always been Islamic, but right after the success of the independent nation, Nasserite Arab Socialist elements crept into the concept of governance. This overwhelming Nationalism put the Berber minority into an inferior position as well.
The renewal of terrorist violence has put citizens of the country in fear of the renewal of the Civil War between the Left of Center government and the Islamists – (essentially Rightists!)
“Algeria has a pathology to its history…Conflict is part of its chronological pattern…our history [is] actually housed outside the Maghreb [i.e., in France]…â€
He concluded I’ve lost many of my family and friends. Algerians do not wish to fall back into the violence of the past century.
Tuesday, 11 December 2007–The moon was not sighted anywhere in North America on Monday December 10, 2007.
As such, Wednesday December 12, 2007 is the first day of Dhul-Hijjah 1428 AH and Eid-ul-Adha will be on Friday December 21, 2007. Eid Mubarak!!!
ISGH On Eid
Tuesday, December 11–According to the decision of ISGH Shura to follow the Fiqh Council of North America, Eidul Adha will be celebrated in Houston Wednesday – December 19, 2007. Eidul Adha will be celebrated in Houston on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. Eid prayers will be held in Downtown Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center Hall “Dâ€: Takbeerat 8AM.: Prayers at 9AM.. For more information, please call 713-524-6615 or visit www.isgh.org
Fiqh Council of North America Statement
Description: It is officially announced in Makkah Al-Mukarramah that Monday, December 10th, 2007 is the 1st day of Dhul Hijjah. Therefore, Hajj (Day of Arafat) will be on Tuesday, December 18th and Eid al-Adha will be on Wednesday, December 19th, Insha’ Allah. The Fiqh Council of North America has taken the position that Eid-AL-Adha will follow the Day of Hajj as announced in Makkah: Eid Mubarak!!!
WHY: EID-AL-ADHA AFTER THE DAY OF HAJJ
Muslims in America as well as in many other parts of the world hold two different opinions about the observance of Eid-Al-Adha. Some observe it on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah according to their local lunar date and others follow the announcement of Hajj by the authorities in Makkah and celebrate this Eid after the day of ‘Arafah. After much careful study and consideration, the Council has reached the conclusion that Eid-Al-Adha will follow the Day of Hajj as announced in Makkah. This is also the conclusion of the European Council of Fatwa and Research (EFCR). The following is a summary of a long paper on this subject. Those who are interested to know more details may refer to the full text on the EFCR website.
The institution of Hajj is very old, coming from the time of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). The Hajj ceremonies were well known to the Arabs long before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) himself performed Hajj before receiving Nubuwwah (Prophethood). The Prophet (PBUH) also observed fasting during the month of Ramadan even before receiving the revelation of the Qur’an. It was during the month of Ramadan that he received the first Qura’nic revelation while at Hira. He initiated the two Eids after his migration to Madinah to denote the start and end of the Hajj season.
The months of Hajj begin with the first day of Shawwal and Hajj ends with the Wuquf of Arafah. That is perhaps the reason that the Prophet (PBUH) introduced two days of festivities to celebrate the beginning and end of the Hajj season, as Imam Ibn Taymiyyah has clearly stated. Even the month of Dhul Hijjah is named after Hajj. The Qur’an and Sunnah both glorify the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are most sacred days because they are connected with Hajj. Therefore, the two Eids are not independent institutions; they are closely connected with some obligatory pillars of Islam, such as fasting and pilgrimage to Makkah. The Prophet (PBUH) was guided by Allah SWT to choose these two specific days as Eids because of their deep connection with two of the most significant acts of Islamic worship i.e., fasting and Hajj.
The sequence of Qur’anic verses in Surah AL-Baqarah (2:183-203) may be cited as a supportive evidence for this position. The Qur’an first mentions the obligation of fasting and then gives the rulings about Hajj. The commandment of sacrifice is also primarily addressed to the Hujjaj and then to Muslims at large. (Surah Hajj: 28; 36) Even the Takbeerat of Tashreeq are originally mandated for Hujjaj. Ordinary Muslims follow Hujjaj in these commandments. Many Classical jurists have particularly noted this connection between the rituals of Eid-Al-Adha and the rites of Hajj. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, for instance, makes a significant observation. He says that the animal slaughter at Mina is the original rule and all other localities are to follow Makkah in that. That is why Eid-Al-Adha is the greater of the two Eids. It is called the Day of al-Nahr and the Day of Great Hajj because this Eid is connected with the sacred timings and with the sacred places. The famous Hanbali Jurist Hafiz Ibn Rajab explains that Eid-Al-Adha prayer should be performed within the timeframe of the movement of Hujjaj from Muzdalifah to Mina. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal maintained that Eid-Al-Adha prayer should be offered within the time period when the Hujjaj moved from Muzdalifah to Mina and threw pebbles. Imam Ahmad clearly stated that the ordinary Muslim’s Eid prayer had to follow the Hujjaj movement and actions.
Imam al-Bhaghawi states that Ibn Abbas, Imam Malik and Imam Shafa’ee are of the opinion that Muslims all over the globe are to follow the timings of Hujjaj vis-à -vis Takbeerat of Tashreeq. Imam AL-Khazin attributes this opinion also to Ibn Umar. Imam al-Sarkhasi reports that Imams Shafa’i and Abu Yusuf were of the same opinion. This indicates that many established authorities within all the four known schools of Islamic Fiqh agree that Muslims all over the globe are to follow the Hujjaj in the Takbeerat al-Tashreeq timings.
Though there are other opinions about the exact timings of the Takbeerat of Tashreeq, the above sources are presented to make the point that many jurists held the opinion that the Eid-Al-Adha rituals such as the Eid prayer, act of sacrificing animals and even Takbeerat al-Tashreeq are in subordination to the acts of the Hujjaj. Therefore, it is not correct to say that Eid-Al-Adha is an absolutely independent Islamic institution, totally detached from Hajj and fully self-regulating according to each locality. Juristic and historical evidence indicate to the contrary and show that Eid-Al-Adha was always attached to the institution of Hajj. It is precisely celebrated to imitate and remind oneself of some of the acts of Hajj. Eid-Al-Adha is as much connected with the sacred places as with the sacred timings.
During the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, the rituals of Hajj and the acts of Hujjaj in and around the city of Makkah become paramount for Muslims all over the globe. Many Muslim jurists have said that the Day of Arafah and the Day of Eid-Al-Adha are to be determined by the actual stay of Hujjaj in Arafah and their slaughtering of the animals. Some jurists hold that this rule is specific to the Hujjaj; but others have argued that this rule is generic and applies to all Muslims. Some jurists even say that this rule applies even if the Hujjaj made a mistake and stood at Arafah on a wrong day, say a day ahead or later than the real 9th of Dhul Hijjah. This is the position of all the known Muslim jurists. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah narrates that there is no difference of opinion among the jurists that the month of Eid al-Adha should be observed in unity. No jurist has ever allowed that those who sighted the Moon should go by their sighting and do the Wuquf in Arafah or slaughter the animals according to their actual sighting. They must go with the Imam and with the majority of Muslims. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali goes further than that. He, like many other Hanbali, Maliki and Shafa’i jurists, concludes that the Day of Arafah is not the exact day of the 9th of Dhul Hijjah but what was celebrated by Muslims as the Day of Arafah by staying at the place of Arafah. Likewise the Day of Eid-Al-Adha is not the exact day of the 10th of Dhul Hijjah but the day after Hajj to the best of their knowledge even if it was proven to be on a wrong day. They derive this rule from the authentic Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) when he said, “Eid al-Fitr is when you celebrate breaking your fast and Eid-Al-Adha is when you slaughter your animals…â€
Therefore, Eid-Al-Adha is not disconnected from Wuquf of Arafah and Hajj as some contemporary scholars contend. Hajj and Eid-Al-Adha are mutually well connected. The two Eids were not prescribed by the Prophet (PBUH) without context. They were intertwined with completion of the month of Ramadan and with Hajj. The Prophet (PBUH) linked start of the new month with actual moon sighting as it was the only authentic source available at that time to confirm the month. He did not depend upon news of sighting from Makkah for the first eight years of Hijrah as the Ka’abah was occupied by polytheists who were not very careful about the Hajj dates. The Shari’ah did not require Muslims to find out about the exact date of Hajj and Arafah in order to avoid causing hardship to the Ummah. However, it is clear that wherever Muslims could figure out the actual Day of Wuquf, they had preferred to fast on that day and celebrated their Eid and sacrificed the animals on the following day. The reason is that the increased reward has more to do with the global gathering of Muslims and performance of Hajj rather than the day of Eid or Eid prayer itself.
It is pertinent to note here that there is no clear cut text which requires all Muslims of the world to celebrate Eid al-Adha after the day of Hajj. There are plenty of indirect references in the Qur’an and the Sunnah that connect this day of festivity with the acts of Hajj and Wuquf. Furthermore, there is no text whatsoever, in the Qur’an, Sunnah or in any authentic classical book of Fiqh, that either the Prophet (PBUH), his Companions or any other Muslim scholar has ever required to go, knowingly, against the known day of Wuquf of Arafah as announced by the Hajj authorities. Hajj is an expression of Muslim unity in addition to being a source of many spiritual reminders. It has political as well social dimensions. This aspect can be fulfilled only if the Muslim Ummah is united in observing it especially once it has become possible to know through rapid means of communication when the Hajj is going to be performed. In our present circumstance there is no justification, under any rules of fiqh, to go against the Day of Hajj. Currently, going with Hajj is more beneficial (Maslahah) than celebrating Eid al-Adha independent of Hajj.
12/04/07 “ The Republic “ — — Reading Naomi Wolf’s The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2007), I realized the hour is later than I thought.
Many of us have watched the Bush regime’s actions with a growing feeling of horror intertwined with a sense that somehow we’ve seen all of this before, but we aren’t sure where. We’re confused because what we’re seeing conflicts with unexamined and deeply held assumptions we have about American freedom. Wolf’s short but meticulously documented book shows that what is happening in America has indeed happened many times before, not in the United States, but rather in places like Chile, Italy, Russia, and Germany. In each case, people couldn’t understand why they didn’t recognize where they were heading before they passed the point of no return.
It’s shifting fast
Wolf argues that the United States is undergoing a “fascist shift†from an authoritarian but still relatively open society to a totalitarian society. The techniques for forcing this shift have evolved over the last century and are now studied by aspiring tyrants the world over. These methods are even part of the formal curriculum in places like the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, previously known as the School of the Americas, in Fort Benning, Georgia, where thousands of Latin Americans have been trained by the United States government in the most savage techniques of insurgency and counterinsurgency. Fascists use ten basic strategies to shut down open societies. They invoke an external and internal threat in order to convince the population to grant their rulers extraordinary powers. They establish secret prisons that practice torture, prisons that are initially few in number and only incarcerate social pariahs, but that quickly multiply and soon imprison “opposition leaders, outspoken clergy, union leaders, well-known performers, publishers, and journalists.†They develop a paramilitary force that operates without legal restraint. They set up a system of intense domestic surveillance that gathers information for the purposes of intimidating and blackmailing citizens. They infiltrate, monitor, and disorganize citizens’ groups. They arbitrarily detain and release citizens, especially at borders. They target key individuals like civil servants, academics, and artists in order to ensure their complicity or silence. They take control of the press. They publicly equate dissent with treason. Finally, they suspend the rule of law. All of these strategies are being employed in America today.
Consider the evidence
The Bush administration and its supporters have consistently portrayed the security threat posed by international terrorists as a threat to the very survival of Western civilization in order to justify permanent war and to keep the American public in a state of panic and paranoia.
The prisons at Guantanamo and God-knows how many CIA “Black Sites†torture their inmates, even though human rights organizations have demonstrated that the majority of at least Guantanamo’s inmates are innocent victims of mass arrests. The inmates are designated as “enemy combatants†who have no rights under international or American law. And there is nothing stopping American presidents from filling these prisons with American citizens. In an April 24 2007 article for the Huffington Post, Wolf writes that thanks to the Military Commissions Act of 2006, “the president has the power to call any US citizen an ‘enemy combatant’. He has the power to define what ‘enemy combatant’ means. The president can also delegate to anyone he chooses in the executive branch the right to define ‘enemy combatant’ any way he or she wants and then seize Americans accordingly. Even if you or I are American citizens, even if we turn out to be completely innocent of what he has accused us of doing, he has the power to have us seized as we are changing planes at Newark tomorrow, or have us taken with a knock on the door; ship you or me to a navy brig; and keep you or me in isolation, possibly for months, while awaiting trial.†She points out that while currently Americans in such situations will be spared any torture except psychosis-inducing isolation and can look forward to eventual trials, these rights typically evaporate in the final stages of a fascist shift.
They’re called “mercenariesâ€
Military contractors are the regime’s paramilitary force. Blackwater’s mercenaries, many of whom were trained by Latin America’s most horrific police states, have operated in Iraq outside of Iraqi, American, and military law, and have murdered uncounted innocent Iraqis with impunity. Domestically, Blackwater was contracted to provide hundreds of armed security guards in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and there’s evidence that they fired on civilians. Blackwater’s business plan calls for their use in future disasters and emergencies throughout the United States, and it’s supported by some of the biggest powerbrokers in America.
American intelligence agencies are now bypassing court orders to wiretap citizens’ telephones, spy on their e-mails, and monitor their financial transactions, and the USA Patriot Act forces corporations, booksellers, librarians, and doctors to turn over previously confidential information about Americans to the state.
Thousands of human rights, environmental, anti-war, and other citizens’ groups have been infiltrated by government agents, many of whom have clearly acted as agent provocateurs in order to undermine the groups’ solidarity and to legitimize police actions against them.
Political opponents listed
America’s Transportation Security Administration maintains a terrorist watch list of tens of thousands of Americans who are now subjected to security searches and arbitrary detention at airports. The list includes people like Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy and respected constitutional scholar Walter F Murphy.
US Attorneys, CIA agents, military lawyers, and other civil servants who’ve disagreed with the Bush administration have been threatened and fired. David Horowitz and his colleagues have mounted a well-funded nation-wide intimidation campaign that has university students spying on their professors and that has successfully coerced regents at State Universities to discipline or fire left-leaning professors like Ward Churchill. The regime’s supporters have organized campaigns to damage the careers of artists like the Dixie Chicks for criticism of the president and his policies.
The administration has Fox News in its pocket, it has paid journalists for positive coverage, it has disseminated misinformation through the media, and it’s ferociously attacking critical journalists. Arrests of US journalists are at an all-time high. The Bush administration’s outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame was done in retaliation against her husband, Joseph Wilson, whose New York Times op-ed piece exposed lies that the Bush administration used to lead the nation to war. Worse than this, independent journalists appear to be marked for death by American forces in Iraq. In her Huffington Post article, Wolf writes, “The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented multiple accounts of the US military in Iraq firing upon or threatening to fire upon unembedded (meaning independent) reporters and camera operators from organisations ranging from al-Jazeera to the BBC. . . . In some cases reporters have been wounded or killed, including ITN’s Terry Lloyd in 2003. Both CBS and the Associated Press in Iraq had staff members seized by the US military and taken to violent prisons; the news organisations were unable to see the evidence against their staffers.†The goal of these tactics, as she writes in The End of America, is to create “a new reality in which the truth can no longer be ascertained and no longer counts.â€
Dissent = treason
In recent years, prominent Republicans like Ann Coulter, Melanie Morgan, and William Kristol have accused liberal journalists of treason and espionage for publishing leaked material damaging to the administration, and in February 2007, Republican Congressman Don Young said “Congressmen who wilfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are sabateurs, and should be hanged.†This would be amusing, were it not for the Bush administration’s revival of the draconian 1917 Espionage Act after half a century’s slumber.
And finally, the Bush administration shows contempt for the law. In The End of America, Wolf writes that Bush has used more signing statements than any previous president, and by doing so has relegated “Congress to an advisory role. This abuse lets the President choose what laws he wishes to enforce or not, overruling Congress and the people. So Americans are living under laws their representatives never passed. Signing statements put the president above the law.†He has also gutted the Posse Comitatus Act, which was created to prevent the president from maintaining a standing army for use against American citizens. Wolf writes that the 2007 Defence Authorization Bill lets the president “expand his power to declare martial law and take charge of the National Guard troops without the permission of the governor when ‘public order’ has been lost; he can send these troops out into our streets at his direction―overriding local law enforcement authorities―during a national disaster, epidemic, serious public health emergency, terrorist attack, or ‘other condition.’†On its own, this is an incredible expansion of presidential power, but when combined with the use of military contractors like Blackwater it gives the president almost dictatorial authority.
Wolf shows that fascist shifts don’t happen overnight, but rather over a course of years during which the fascists’ plans unfold at an accelerating pace. Germany in 1933 was further along this path than it was in 1931, and Germany in 1935 was farther along than it was in 1933. Similarly, America in 2007 is farther along the path than it was in 2005, or will be in 2009, provided that a massive pro-democracy movement, complete with impeachment proceedings, doesn’t reverse the shift while there’s still time. A simple Democratic victory in the 2008 presidential election won’t do the job unless the institutional and legal environment created by the Bush administration is thoroughly dismantled. Regardless of whether the next president is a Republican or a Democrat, he or she will inherit a legacy of centralized power that a democracy simply can’t tolerate.
Left behind
Unfortunately, during the shift opposition politicians and activists still tend to perceive the world through a democratic frame of reference, and this prevents them from seeing that their opponents are no longer operating within this frame. As the opposition is tying its boxing gloves, the fascists are breaking out the machetes.
Wolf’s work has its problems. She doesn’t acknowledge that Black and Indigenous Americans have long lived under quasi-fascist rule, she doesn’t examine the role that previous administrations have played in setting the stage for the Bush regime, and she doesn’t acknowledge the roles played by corporatism, widespread social dislocation and the radical Christian right in the rise of a fascist American zeitgeist. Despite this, The End of America needs to be read by as many people as possible.
Wolf writes about America, but Canadians don’t have any cause for comfort. Canadian and American military forces are already deeply enmeshed. Thanks to NAFTA, we’re tied at the hip to the American economy, while the Security and Prosperity Partnership is integrating our countries’ security forces and harmonizing our no-fly lists. The Harper government is eager to kowtow to the Americans, even to the point of refusing to advocate for Canadian citizens on American death rows. The powerful think tanks and lobbying groups that influence our provincial and federal governments, such as the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, either can’t see the shift for what it is or they don’t care. More than all of this, however, is the simple reality that once the shift is complete, the American government will act even more irrationally and belligerently than before. Canada has resources like oil and water the United States is going to need, and the Canadian border is less defensible than the French border was in 1940.
Americans and Canadians have to fight back more fiercely than ever before, to organize and lobby and fill the streets with mass protests, to raise awareness and forge alliances with anyone opposed to totalitarianism regardless of whether they’re liberals, socialists, or conservatives. We have to take all the steps that have rescued dying democracies in the past, and to take them immediately, in the desperate hope that it isn’t already too late.
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran has completely stopped selling any of its oil for U.S. dollars, an Iranian news agency reported on Saturday, citing the oil minister of the world’s fourth-largest crude producer.
The ISNA news agency did not give a direct quote from Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari. A senior oil official last month said “nearly all†of Iran’s crude oil sales were now being paid for in non-U.S. currencies.
For nearly two years, OPEC’s second biggest producer has been reducing its exposure to the dollar, saying the weak U.S. currency is eroding its purchasing power.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who often rails against the West, has called the U.S. currency a “worthless piece of paper.â€
Foes since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, Tehran and Washington are also at odds over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme as well as over policy in Iraq.
“In line with the policy of selling crude oil in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, currently the sale of our country’s oil in U.S. dollars has been completely eliminated,†ISNA reported after talking with Nozari.
Nozari told ISNA: “In regards to the decrease in the dollar’s value and the loss exporters of crude oil have endured from this trend, the dollar is no longer a reliable currency.â€
“This is why, at the meeting of the heads of states, Iran proposed to OPEC members that a currency (for oil exports) would be determined that would be reliable and would not cause any loss to exporter countries,†he said.
At a November summit of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries heads of state, Iran suggested oil should be sold in a basket of currencies rather than dollars, but failed to win over other members except Venezuela.
Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, are vocal critics of U.S. influence in the world.
Hojjatollah Ghanimifard, international affairs director of the state owned National Iranian Oil Company, last month told Reuters that most of Iran’s oil export earnings were in euros, with some in yen.
(Reporting by Zahra Hosseinian, writing by Fredrik Dahl, editing by Anthony Barker)
CHICAGO, IL–When it came to helping others, Amadou Cisse pulled many times his own weight. Cisse once helped International House Director William McCartney unload 1,000 pounds of weights for the I-House exercise room.
“He was very well-liked by residents and someone who was always quick to help others,†McCartney said.
Cisse, a Muslim Ph.D. student in chemistry at the University and native of Dakar, Senegal, in Africa, was shot and killed early Monday morning.
“He was an extremely gentle person, a very caring person,†said Czerny Brasuell, Director of Multicultural Affairs at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Cisse worked closely with Brasuell during his four years as a student at Bates College. Cisse graduated from Bates College in 2001 with a B.S. degree in chemistry, physics and mathematics.
“He was very concerned with injustice, especially injustices regarding children,†Brasuell said. “He was committed to doing good in this world, particularly as it related to his country and the continent of Africa. I am horrified at the senseless nature of this act that has removed from the world someone who would have done so much good.â€
Cisse, 29, had successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on Nov. 1. The University will award him the Ph.D. posthumously at graduation on Dec. 7.
“He was a diligent researcher and very committed to his science and colleagues,†said his faculty adviser, Steven Sibener, the Carl William Eisendrath Professor in Chemistry. “He was incredibly happy last week. He smiled ear-to-ear and just sat back and enjoyed his accomplishment.â€
For his Ph.D. research, Cisse studied how molecules diffuse and migrate through films made of large molecules called polymers. “He gave us a new way of measuring diffusion in thin films. That’s quite an accomplishment,†Sibener said.
Cisse and Sibener were interested in the purely scientific aspects of the process. This is also an important problem in the technological world, where thin films act as protective layers for materials and food.
As a teaching assistant for general chemistry, Cisse impressed fellow graduate student Miriam Freedman with his concern for his students. “I think working with students was one of the things he most enjoyed,†Freedman said. “He was always talking about how to improve his students’ understanding of the material and rooting for their success.â€
Fellow students also recalled Cisse’s habit of quietly singing or humming as he went about his work. “Amadou loved Senegalese music so much that he recorded it onto tapes from Senegalese radio online,†said Nataliya Yufa, graduate student in chemistry. “That’s why he still had a Walkman. He was planning to get an iPod after graduation. His whole life was on hold til after graduation.â€
Lieve Teugels, a graduate student in chemistry, recalled Cisse’s gentle smile, with graduation now in his sight. “I remember how happy he was right after his thesis defense a couple of weeks ago, talking about how he hadn’t told his family he was defending so they wouldn’t worry.â€
In all the heat generated by the teddy bear controversy in Sudan, we are missing a deeper reality: As irrational and backward as the reaction in Khartoum might seem, it is yet another example of some Muslims attempting to assert themselves and exercise a little authority in the face of the immense onslaught of Western hegemony in the region.
The facts are that Gillian Gibbons, a British teacher at a private school in Khartoum, had her 7-year-old students name a teddy bear and they overwhelmingly chose “Muhammad.†The students took turns taking the bear home and wrote a diary about what they did with it, which was compiled into a book with a picture of the bear and the title “My Name is Muhammad.†Some parents were offended and the Sudanese government responded by arresting and charging Gibbons with insulting the Prophet of Islam.
The charge is without merit, of course. But it is worth noting that for Muslims, the idea of calling any object other than a human being “Muhammad†is sacrilegious. With Jews, Muslims share a prohibition of making physical images of any living things. An exception is made for children’s toys. Calling the image of any animal Muhammad, a name that Muslims won’t utter without a benediction is, for them, beyond the pale. Turks even prefer the contraction Mehmet to avoid using the name in common circumstances. Westerners have a hard time understanding such reverence in a markedly irreverent age.
In the West, teddy bears are objects of devotion for little children and for most adults fond memories of a cuddly teddy bear endure. A child calling a teddy bear Jesus, for instance, may seem inappropriate, but would likely elicit a response of “How cute!†Westerners are dumbfounded at what appears to be an absolutely insane response to an unfortunate lack of cultural sensitivity. But so, I would venture, are most Muslims.
I was appalled by the response of the Sudanese authorities and denounce their arrest of Ms. Gibbons. I am glad she has been released. The danger here is that despite most Sudanese being beautiful and proudly hospitable people, too many Westerners will nonetheless see them as barbarians unworthy of respect. Hence, it fuels the current attacks on them due to their government’s failure to address Darfur’s serious problems. Far from being xenophobic or genocidal, I know the Sudanese to be a serene and irenic desert people. Even Ms. Gibbons now says that she has been treated well by the Sudanese. “I have encountered nothing but kindness and generosity from the Sudanese people. I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone and I am sorry if I caused any distress,†she said.
Unfortunately, millions of Muslims all over the globe are humiliated and betrayed by the ignorance and lack of basic humanity that a small minority of Muslims too often exhibits. Should I, however, bring this up with many of my Muslim brothers and sisters a common response is: “It’s true, but look at what the West is doing to Muslims; 800,000 thousand dead in Iraq. And what about Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya and the rest? Why don’t Western people denounce these atrocities against us and only harp about how backward we are?†A famous Iraqi poet once wrote, “If one person is harmed it is an unpardonable sin, but a whole people’s destruction is something to debate.†Unfortunately, these Western horrors against the Muslims demand responses, but Muslims must also recognize and denounce these wrongs too often associated with our Prophet and our faith without always pointing fingers elsewhere.
Our current world can go one of two ways at this crossroad. We can go down the path of more violence, more hatred and more alienation, or we can attempt to understand each other, recognize our real differences, and display mutual respect. True religion — as well as the highest secular values — demands we take the latter road.
Indeed, the situation in Sudan is a medieval misunderstanding and overreaction. So are the myriad cases of torture, rape and pillaging that are now part of our daily patch of foreign, and increasingly, domestic news. Indeed, our dark medieval past seems to be having an ironic renaissance in the West and the Muslim world.
So when we see an irrational or misguided reaction of some Muslims, as we now see in Sudan, it behooves us to reflect on the deeper reality causing it.
Hamza Yusuf, an original “On Faith†panelist, is an American-born scholar of Islamic law and the executive director of the Zaytuna Institute in Berkeley, Calif.
Everything is bigger, better and more expensive in Dubai. Now even the public toilet system facilities are expected to get a massive multi-million Dirhams overhaul. With an increase in tourism in Dubai and years of tourists complaining that they simply cannot find a public toilet facility to use when nature calls, the government has finally taken action. The Dubai Municipality in a partnership with the Med K & K Advertising Company plan to develop over 100 state-of-the-art and fully automated public toilet facilities which will be situated all over the tiny Kingdom. Looking more like cubes than toilet stalls, the cost of the project is estimated to be in the upwards of 50 million Dirhams. But not to worry the project will pay for itself, as time will surely tell. The public will have to pay a rate of 2 Dirhams to use the toilets. In addition, the outer walls of the box like structures will be available for advertisers to rent and plaster up whatever they wish to promote.
So what’s so special about these toilets? First they are fully air conditioned and automated. Once the occupant leaves the toilet facility a steel spraying arm full of disinfectant will spray the enter surface of the stall (which, by the way, contains only one toilet and a sink). Then a large squeegee pops out of the wall near the floor and scraps the floor clean. So, the toilet facility is always disinfected and always dry. Hygiene was one of the most important factors considered when designing the prototype for the toilets. Previously, tourists in Dubai were heard to have used the public streets to relieve themselves, which health officials worried could spread disease in the Kingdom.
The safety of the toilet facilities was also an issue. So, once the coins are inserted and the occupant enters the stall there is no way anyone else can enter. In addition, the floors of the stalls are equipped with weight sensors that are contacted to a municipality control center to keep an eye on the stalls in case someone inadvertently gets trapped inside. The recent case of a man getting trapped in a public toilet facility in Scotland demonstrates that this is a very real concern. David Leggat got trapped for four days in a public toilet facility after entering it when the door handles fell off. He was stuck in the stall without food but did have water to drink from the cold tap and utilized the hot tap to warm his feet, which in essence warmed the rest of his body. The toilet facilities also contain an emergency telephone and a fire extinguisher to ensure safety under all eventualities.
Construction of the toilets is set to begin in January 2008 and be completed in March of the same year. The question that begs to be asked is whether or not the construction of these high-class toilets are truly in a bid to please the public or just a clever way to advertise?
24 December 2007 Issue–Gunning down seventeen Iraqi civilians in an incident the military has labeled “criminal.†Multiple Congressional investigations. A federal grand jury. Allegations of illegal arms smuggling. Wrongful death lawsuits brought by families of dead employees and US soldiers. A federal lawsuit alleging war crimes. Charges of steroid use by trigger-happy mercenaries. Allegations of “significant tax evasion.†The US-installed government in Iraq labeling its forces “murderers.†With a new scandal breaking practically every day, one would think Blackwater security would be on the ropes, facing a corporate meltdown or even a total wipeout. But it seems that business for the company has never been better, as it continues to pull in major federal contracts. And its public demeanor grows bolder and cockier by the day.
Rather than hiding out and hoping for the scandals to fade, the Bush Administration’s preferred mercenary company has launched a major rebranding campaign, changing its name to Blackwater Worldwide and softening its logo: once a bear paw in the site of a sniper scope, it’s now a bear claw wrapped in two half ovals – sort of like the outline of a globe with a United Nations feel. Its website boasts of a corporate vision “guided by integrity, innovation, and a desire for a safer world.†Blackwater mercenaries are now referred to as “global stabilization professionals.†Blackwater’s 38-year-old owner, Erik Prince, was No. 11 in Details magazine’s “Power 50,†the men “who control your viewing patterns, your buying habits, your anxieties, your lust…. the people who have taken over the space in your head.â€
In one of the company’s most bizarre recent actions, on December 1 Blackwater paratroopers staged a dramatic aerial landing, complete with Blackwater flags and parachutes – not in Baghdad or Kabul but in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium during the halftime show at the San Diego State/BYU football game. The location was interesting, given that Blackwater is fighting fierce local opposition to its attempt to open a new camp – Blackwater West – on 824 acres in the small rural community of Potrero, just outside San Diego. Blackwater’s parachute squad plans to land at the Armed Forces Bowl in Texas this month and the Virginia Gold Cup in May. The company recently sponsored a NASCAR racer, and it has teamed up with gun manufacturer Sig Sauer to create a Blackwater Special Edition full-sized 9-millimeter pistol with the company logo on the grip. It comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. For $18, parents can purchase infant onesies with the company logo.
In recent weeks, Blackwater has indicated it might quit Iraq. “We see the security market diminishing,†Prince told the Wall Street Journal in October. Yet on December 3 Blackwater posted job listings for “security specialists†and snipers as a result of its State Department diplomatic security “contract expansion.†While its name may be mud in the human rights world, Blackwater has not only made big money in Iraq (about $1 billion in State Department contracts); it has secured a reputation as a company that keeps US officials alive by any means necessary. The dirty open secret in Washington is that Blackwater has done its job in Iraq, even if it has done so by valuing the lives of Iraqis much lower than those of US VIPs. That badass image will serve it well as it expands globally.
Prince promises that Blackwater “is going to be more of a full spectrum†operation. Amid the cornucopia of scandals, Blackwater is bidding for a share of a five-year, $15 billion contract with the Pentagon to “fight terrorists with drug-trade ties.†Perhaps the firm will join the mercenary giant DynCorp in Colombia or Bolivia or be sent into Mexico on a “training†mission. This “war on drugs†contract would put Blackwater in the arena with the godfathers of the war business, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.
In addition to its robust business in law enforcement, military and homeland security training, Blackwater is branching out. Here are some of its current projects and initiatives:
Blackwater affiliate Greystone Ltd., registered offshore in Barbados, is an old-fashioned mercenary operation offering “personnel from the best militaries throughout the world†for hire by governments and private organizations. It also boasts of a “multi-national peacekeeping program,†with forces “specializing in crowd control and less than lethal techniques and military personnel for the less stable areas of operation.â€
Prince’s Total Intelligence Solutions, headed by three CIA veterans (among them Blackwater’s number two, Cofer Black), puts CIA-type services on the open market for hire by corporations or governments.
Blackwater is launching an armored vehicle called the Grizzly, which the company characterizes as the most versatile in history. Blackwater intends to modify it to be legal for use on US highways.
Blackwater’s aviation division has some 40 aircraft, including turboprop planes that can be used for unorthodox landings. It has ordered a Super Tucano paramilitary plane from Brazil, which can be used in counterinsurgency operations. In August the aviation division won a $92 million contract with the Pentagon to operate flights in Central Asia.
It recently flight-tested the unmanned Polar 400 airship, which may be marketed to the Department of Homeland Security for use in monitoring the US-Mexico border and to “military, law enforcement, and non-government customers.â€
A fast-growing maritime division has a new, 184-foot vessel that has been fitted for potential paramilitary use.
Meanwhile, Blackwater is deep in the camp of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Cofer Black is Romney’s senior adviser on counterterrorism. At the recent CNN/YouTube debate, when Romney refused to call waterboarding torture, he said, “I’m not going to specify the specific means of what is and what is not torture so that the people that we capture will know what things we’re able to do and what things we’re not able to do. And I get that advice from Cofer Black, who is a person who was responsible for counterterrorism in the CIA for some thirty-five years.†That was an exaggeration of Black’s career at the CIA (he was there twenty-eight years and head of counterterrorism for only three), but a Romney presidency could make Blackwater’s business under Bush look like a church bake sale.
In short, Blackwater is moving ahead at full steam. Individual scandals clearly aren’t enough to slow it down. The company’s critics in the Democratic-controlled Congress must confront the root of the problem: the government is in the midst of its most radical privatization in history, and companies like Blackwater are becoming ever more deeply embedded in the war apparatus. Until this system is brought down, the world’s the limit for Blackwater Worldwide and as its rebranding campaign shows, Blackwater knows it.
Jeremy Scahill, a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute, is the author of the bestselling Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. He is an award-winning investigative journalist and correspondent for the national radio and TV program Democracy Now!
NEW DELHI – Fifteenth anniversary of Babari Masjid’s demolition last week (December 6) was marked by a mixed reaction across the country. While several Muslim groups held demonstrations demanding reconstruction of the mosque, a few Hindu organizations celebrated the day as their victory. The issue dominated the proceedings in the Parliament, while the people in Ayodhya, where the mosque stood, expressed their desire for peace. With the demolition having led to communal clashes across the country, tight security was maintained particularly in communally sensitive areas. No untoward incidents were reported from any part of the country.
The common people in Ayodhya seem fed up with the way politicians continue to exploit the issue. In their opinion, a permanent solution may help normalcy return to their lives. “We are eager for peace. On any untoward incident, the minority are moved to safer places from here,†Mohammed Jameel, a resident of Ayodhya said.
“There should be an end to arson, curfew and road blockages, which affects our daily lives,†was the general opinion.
Though the Ayodhya-issue is rated to have created a strong communal divide between Hindus and Muslims, the locals here think otherwise. Despite her husband being killed in post-demolition riots, Anwari said: “I cannot even think of leaving the place. Outsiders killed my husband… but it was the support extended by the local people that I am surviving with my five children today.†“I hope a solution is reached soon, so that further untoward incidents are averted,†she said.
There is also the apprehension that a court decision may spark off riots again. “The court will take decision in favor of either party, which is dangerous for the peace and unity here. We want to maintain peace and communal harmony in the city,†Nand Kishore Mishra said.
Blaming only the politicians for creating tension, M. Hasan said: “There is no tension between both communities here. It is all because of politicians. We are the same as before.â€
Ruckus was created in the Parliament on the issue in both the Houses. Before the two Houses met at 11 AM (IST), legislators belonging to left parties, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) had gathered outside the main gate of Parliament. Shouting slogans, demanding punishment for demolishers of Babari Masjid, they held English and Urdu banners, which read: “Hang the murderers of democracy†and “Punish the guilty of Babari Masjid’s demolition.â€
Both the Houses witnessed acrimonious scenes as soon as they met in the morning, leading to repeated adjournments. In the Lok Sabha, SP legislators stormed the well of the House seeking punishment of those responsible for demolition of Babari Masjid. Countering them, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members shouted slogans and tried raising the Nandigram issue. Joining the din, Congress legislators demanded action against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who had recently justified killing of a Muslim man in a fake gun battle, which subsequently led to arrest of a senior police officer.
With the House drowned in the din, at first Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned it till noon. When the same drama continued at noon, he adjourned it till 2:00 PM (IST).
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha, where SP legislators Shahid Siddiqui and Abu Azmi demanded immediate submission of the Liberhans Commission inquiry report, set up in 1993 to probe the mosque demolition.
Though the uproar continued when the two Houses met at 2:00 PM (IST), business was transacted before they were adjourned for the day.
While All India Babari Masjid Re-building Committee (AIBRC) and All-India Muslim Unity Front (AIMUF) held a demonstration in Delhi demanding reconstruction of the mosque, the activists of Shiva Sena celebrated the day as “Vijay Divas†(victory day). Both these groups held demonstrations close to each other at Jantar Mantar. When Shiv Sainiks marched directly towards the demonstration-place of AIBRC and AIMUF, both the groups shouted slogans. The war of words soon turned into clash between them leading to five people being injured. With there being only a few policemen, additional force was rushed to the spot to control the clash. Police resorted to lath charge (use of sticks) to disperse the crowd. Both the organizations resumed their meetings after a little while.
Down south, in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), over 1,200 members of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) staged a demonstration demanding rebuilding of the mosque. Wearing black shirts, the activists raised slogans against the demolition and sought arrests of those responsible. Tight security was observed, with special vigil maintained, and no untoward incident was reported from the area.
The Muslim-majority areas of Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) observed a shut down to mark the occasion. Observing the day as “black day,†the old city and the commercial hub around Charminar and Makkah Masjid wore a deserted look, with black flags pitched on rooftops and on streets. A group clash broke out between members of two communities when demonstrators tried forcing closure of shops in Medak.
A clash was averted in Lucknow (UP), as over 20 activists of Hindu Mahasabha were detained when they tried disrupting a meeting of Muslim leaders.
Addressing a meeting in Kolkata (West Bengal), marking the 15th anniversary of Babri Masjid’s demolition, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat accused the then Narsimha Rao government of having “tacitly†allowed it. Karat said: “Narasimha Rao government tacitly allowed the demolition of Babari Masjid. 20,000 paramilitary forces which were deployed at Ayodhya and Faizabad were given instruction not to act when the mosque was demolished on this day in 1992.†Blaming BJP for communally exploiting the crisis to reap electoral gains from the demolition, he said: “Babari Mosque demolition is a turning point and the Sangh Parivar is still reaping the consequences.â€
Berkeley–December 6th–This was a small round table discussion with Dr. Neil Joeck, a CSAS Research Associate, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Security Research at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (U.S. government) with Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, Principle of the Battle Group (located in San Francisco.)
Ahmad Faruqui began talking about the 1999 coup over Karachi.
The Military has ruled the nation for over half of its existence. The Armed Forces have always been a faction of the Muslim League. General Musharraf has constantly stated his uniform was his second skin!
His most foolish mistake was to fire Chief Justice Chaudhry this year to guarantee that his victory at the polls would be upheld as Constitutional. Also, whether it was the Government’s fault or not, individuals have been disappearing. (Remember, the Peshawar, etc. regions, etc. is very anarchistic! To say this is the Government’s fault might not be all that accurate accurate in all instances)
Recently, the President felt he required another five-year term with a different assembly. The Chief Justice objected. The Justice proclaimed that the Constitution did not permit the Chief Executive to have two such positions as President and Chef of the Army Staff at the same time. Therefore, to remain president, he would have to give up his uniforms. There was no question that he was elected by a landslide, but without legitimate opposition parties the US was putting great pressure on him to allow two of the former PMs back into the country, Bhutto and Sharif. This has created an awkward security situation. Opposing political groups are now out of control, threatening the safety of the nation.
The General has finally taken off his uniform, but the message has remained that the Army is still all-powerful!
Neil Joecke: The crisis is not over yet. In fact, it is having an impact on America’s foreign policy, for Islamabad has a great influence on North America at the moment. We have to set our priorities. Is it Rawalpindi’s role in counter-terrorism, or should we be pushing that nation into Jeffersonian Democracy? Frankly, Sharif’s Administration was worse than Musharraf’s. Democracy is not always exemplary. “The U.S. is interested in pushing the Islamic Republic because it represents our values.†Bush has opted for putting up with Musharraf because he is an ally.
There is a good deal of what might be called nuclear security hysteria regarding Pakistan from Washington that has no basis in fact. Pakistan is a “Corporate Entity†with its nuclear weapons well under control.
10 December 2007–Climate change and human security: today’s Cains and Abels are armed with Kalashnikovs.
In the first chapters of the Bible we find one of humanity’s oldest stories, shared by Muslims as well as by Jews and Christians: two brothers, Cain a settled farmer, and Abel, a pastoralist, a wandering herdsman. A story of violence and death. At a public panel debate some years ago I faced up to Samuel Huntington and contested his thesis of an inevitable clash of civilizations. For many years I’ve been involved in peace-making efforts in Somalia: one of the most homogeneous countries in Africa, 85% Muslim. Even a Somalian cannot tell a Northerner from a Southerner.
Yet young boys herding their goats to a rare dam or water point will interrogate another child-herdsman as to his ancestry. He will be able to recite his family tree – on the father’s side – back over twenty generations, to work out if they are cousins, and so can share the limited precious resource, or if they must fight. And today’s Cains and Abels are armed with all-too-easily available Kalashnikovs. In the many years that I’ve been involved in conflict resolution efforts in the Horn of Africa, I’ve seen the green disappear, the dry desert spread: 70% of the forest cover has been destroyed. Rather than a ‘clash of civilizations’ so many of the world’s conflicts – I think of Darfur – go back to this conflict over resources. At least in part.
This is the importance of the Bali UN conference on climate change. We cannot for ever just deal – mostly too late – with the symptoms. The international community must address the root causes of human insecurity. That is why we have chosen this theme for the Caux 2008 conference season at the international Initiatives of Change centre in Switzerland. We all have a part to play; we are all inter-dependent. No country can progress and develop alone. In the rich countries of Europe, there are political forces that want to build walls and fences; to protect their comfort by keeping a suffering humanity at arms length. But there is also a growing awareness of the dangers of climate change, of this competition for resources, to us all, wherever we may live. The Alps are still moving, growing, and with the rising temperatures, and thawing ice, there are valleys where the roads would be impracticable in a few weeks, if the road-mending teams stopped their constant work.
‘Green issues’ are no longer a minority interest, a marginal fad. We say in the programme for the Caux conferences: ‘Human security depends not just on freedom from conflict and the threat of terrorism. It also lies in meeting basic human needs for shelter, food and work, health and education – and a sense of self-worth. For millions these needs are far from being met. In a world of plenty, poverty and injustice persist. World peace and security are also threatened by the destruction of the environment and climate change.
‘Initiatives of Change has always held that at the heart of civilization lie core values of honesty and integrity, purity of heart and motive, selflessness and courage, love for people – and forgiveness. Such values, lived out, along with fresh inspiration found through times of silent reflection, enable each of us to make a difference. They help us to address the root causes of insecurity and sustain hope for the future.’ We all have a part to play in creating and sustaining the political will for a viable future, for all of humanity’s children, for the young Cains and Abels of today, and for their sisters.
Mohamed Sahnoun, the President of IofC-International, was a member of the International Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission.
While last week’s column (The Attack on Islam) went to press, a major announcement emanating from Washington indicated that intelligence reports had concluded that Iran had stopped working towards developing a nuclear bomb in 2003. Now if the American government’s own intelligence indicated that Iran had abandoned plans for a nuclear weapon four years ago, why does the administration continually harp on the dangers of a nuclear Iran and the possibility of World War III? For the same reason that it continued to press the war with Iraq even though no weapons of mass destruction were found. It continued to press the war with Iraq even though no ties to Osama bin Laden could be found. It continues to press the war for the purpose of destroying the remaining patriarchal structure in the Muslim World.
Some will say that our primary interest in Iraq concerns our access to oil. While oil is a major consideration, why did Paul Bremer prohibit the sharia from being installed during the interim Iraqi government? Why did we insist that the new parliament have a certain percentage of women? What do these actions have to do with oil? They have to do with the breakdown of the patriarchal structure natural to all of humankind and inherent in Islamic teachings. The destruction of patriarchy paves the way for a one world socialist government devoid of gender and religion.
Now that Khadafi has Westernized his nation the America government no longer considers Libya a threat; instead it now considers that Libya has joined the ranks of “good†Muslim nations like Morocco and Tunisia where the birth rates have dropped below levels necessary to sustain society. Getting women out of the home and into colleges so that they can make money instead of babies is a goal of Western society. One of the problems that America perceives with Iran is that during the reign of the Ayatollah Khoumeni, the birth rate soared, with the result that Iran has the youngest and most virile population of any modern nation. If they decided to fight they would offer stiff resistance, and there are 71 million of them.
The attack on Iran began years ago with the introduction of propaganda through the internet and airways. It began with the introduction of drugs, which has resulted in increased prostitution, which in turn has created an increase in various diseases. The war against the Muslim is fought on many fronts, some overt but most covert. It is fought with propaganda, lies, half-truths, coercion, bribery, and intimidation.
It is not the intent of the West to destroy the religion of Islam, oh no, that would fly in the face of its supposed tradition of religious tolerance. The intent is to make it impotent, as it has done with Christianity. The divorce rate among American Christians is just as high as among those who have no religious affiliation whatsoever. The divorce rate among the ten states that comprise the Bible Belt is 50% higher than the national average. Women, lesbians, and homosexuals have been ordained into a church given the command to be fruitful and multiply. When men lose authority religion becomes empty ritual and government then controls all aspects of our lives.
As I concluded in last week’s article, to counterattack this onslaught against patriarchy and spiritual understanding will require the participation of spiritually based people of various faiths, ethnicities, and races who understand the importance of family and are willing to do their utmost to restore it to the focal point of society.
“Proclaim! (or Read) in the name of your Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man out of a leech-like clot. Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful. He Who taught man (the use of) the pen. Taught man that which he knew not. Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds, in hat he looks upon himself as self-sufficient.â€
ALLAH Almighty made each and every human being a unique creature. You have the ability to do extraordinary and powerful things – each and every one of us. Now this extraordinary ability is not the same in everybody. Some of us are good at certain things and not good at others. The good news from the above ayah is that He taught man that which he previously did not know. Man had no knowledge of the pen. ALLAH gave him the ability to read and write. So if you are a highly intelligent scholar, remember, that did not come from you.
The good news is all of our special abilities come from the same source. Imagine how confused the world would be if there were multiple creators giving man what each one wanted to give him.
ALLAH knew exactly how He wanted to make us. And He made us all different with different characteristics for the express purpose of us knowing each other, so we can grow as human beings. “O mankind. We created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other).†49:13
With such wonderful gifts from ALLAH it is certainly acceptable to acknowledge yourself when you execute something from yourself in an excellent fashion. This is very important because many people are reluctant to give themselves a pat on the back when they have done something good. They would rather look for praise from other people. This is the exact wrong place to look for accolades.
Suppose you went an extra mile at your job. You did something that you knew was beneficial to your employers and co-workers. There is nothing wrong with you letting them know it, if they didn’t know it already. Just keep in mind that the thought to do that good thing, and everything you used to execute it, came from ALLAH and not yourself.
There also is something else to keep in mind when you are rewarding yourself. There is a thin line between rewarding yourself for doing something good, and becoming arrogant about your ability to do it. As ALLAH ends the quote we have above with the fact that man transgresses bounds and looks upon himself as the source of his ability. When you become arrogant like that, you forget ALLAH is the source of your strength and not you. Arrogance will make you think it is your brain and intelligence that gave you the victory and if you don’t repent, you are on your way to becoming a devil. ALLAH will let you wander in your own ignorance
With ALLAH’S name, the Merciful Benefactor, Merciful Redeemer
As Salaam alaikum (Al Hajj) Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin
In an article that appeared on worldnetdaily.com, I together with two other Muslims were maligned by an author who did not even disclose his name. In the article he quoted Steve Emerson, a well-known so-called expert on Islam who initially blamed Muslims for the Oklahoma bombing in 1994 to make the point that “the record of Aslam Abdullah’s comments during the past few years demonstrates an ideology of militant Islamic extremism.â€
The website is run by those who are close to Zionism and Zionist Christians.
It is run by those who appear to be disturbed by the presence of Muslims in any national forum. Their main objection was that the so-called radical Muslims were asking questions pertaining to racial or religious profiles during the presidential debate. These questions, according to them, are “planted questions that promote the agenda of radical Islam.â€
What were the questions asked by three Muslims during the recent Republican or Democratic debates?
How long will Americans be subject to racial profiling? What will be done to promote better relations between the US and the Muslim world? During the last 7 years, millions of Americans have become subject to checks at airport. Some 99 percent of them happen to be people of color and people whose name sounds Arabic. During the last seven years, thousands of Muslims have written against this profiling. Half of the members of Congress have spoken against it. Almost all the civil rights advocates have taken a stand against racial and religious profiling. Even religious clergy has taken a stand against the ongoing practice of profiling people on the basis of their color or religion or race. The question asked by a Muslim American on an issue that is hurting most Americans was an American question.
Muslims do not have to apologize for asking this question. If the supporters of Israel and Christian Zionists believe that it is a sign of extremism on the part of Muslims, so be it. Muslims will not abandon their position on this issue.
On the issue of improving relations between the Muslim world and the United States, during the last seven years, the Bush administration has spent billions of dollars in PR campaigns. According to a congressional report, last year alone some 43 billion dollars were spent on intelligence-related activities mostly in the Muslim world, part of which were directed to improving relations with the Muslim world. Some 70 percent members of Congress have vowed to help improve relations with the Muslim world. In the national and local media, during the last 5 years some 3,000 references have been made about developing good relations with the Muslim world. If an American Muslim girl wearing hijab asked the question about developing better ties with the Muslim world, it was an American question and it was patriotic and Muslims do not have to apologize for that. If the supporters of Steve Emerson believe that asking this question was an act of Islamic extremism so be it. Muslims will not abandon their right to ask such questions.
Additionally, the un-named author questions my wisdom for writing critically to the policies of the Bush administration in Iraq.
Whatever I wrote about the current administration policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, I stand by that.
I will question the Bush Iraq policy loudly and clearly because it is not in the best interest of our country. I will challenge his perspectives on terrorism and violence in the Middle East because it is based on ignorance.
I wrote that when Marines killed innocent Iraqis for no reason, we didn’t blame the entire US military for organizing a campaign. I questioned the wisdom of blaming Muslims and Islam for the acts of a few people whose names appear to be Muslims.
I also believe that there is no difference between killing innocent Americans or innocent Iraqis either by those wearing the US Marine uniforms or expressing their allegiance to Osama Bin Laden. Violence must be questioned no matter what the motives for those acts of violence might be out there.
The article also accused me of running a seminary in Pakistan. I am not from Pakistan and never held Pakistani citizenship, I don’t know what are they talking about.
What I know is that they are concocting and fabricating lies to malign and character assassinate people. They don’t want Muslims to be part of American pluralism. They already support people who say that Muslims must either be converted or deported. They are promoting an agenda of which most Americans do not approve.
I am asking you to stand up to this racial and religious bigotry. I am requesting you to make your voice heard on this matter. Our readers must not sit silent on these matters. We must take a stand against lies, in the best interest of our country and community.
America prides itself on freedom, equal rights, and equal opportunity. Anti-Semitism and racism, especially against African Americans, quickly stirs disgust amongst most Americans–clearly both are unacceptable expressions of hatred.
Now, a new pattern of hate has crept up and taken our country by storm, but few Americans recognize this highly prevalent bigotry today – Islamophobia.
A bitter fruit from the same tree that produces other kinds of venom – Islamophobia is a controversial but increasingly fashionable malice against Islam or Muslims.
Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, at a 2004 conference on Islamophobia in New York, spoke out against this rising tide of anti-Islamic sentiments, ‘When the world is compelled to coin a new term to take account of increasingly widespread bigotry — that is a sad and troubling development. Such is the case with Islamophobia.’
Islamophobes are similar to anti-Semites and racists – their resentment is deliberate, designed to create fear, capitalizing on ‘ignorance of the other’. Some TV networks and a few of our newspaper editorials engage in it regularly without impunity.
In the mid-1930s, a bigoted radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin, spewed hatred against Jews across the national radio waves from Royal Oak, Michigan. Similarly today, the nationally syndicated “Michael Savage Show,†(heard locally on WDTK-AM, 1400), openly calls for forced conversion of Muslims to Christianity and the deportation of Muslims, and recommends that construction of mosques be made illegal in America. This is the sound of professional bigots wanting to demonize Muslim-Americans, portraying them as a fifth column, disloyal, violent and anti-American.
During a CNN Headline News program, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim elected to Congress was asked ‘Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.’ Adding, ‘I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.’
The alarming fact is — even our elected officials are indulging in this sort of maligning. Members of the US Congress like Rep. King, Republican of Long Island, N.Y., gets away with stealth hostility against Muslims and their religious institutions. King recently complained, during a TV interview, of too many mosques in America.
Member of the Michigan Congressional delegation, Rep. Hoekstra, exhibiting irrational suspicion, recently called for boycott of mainstream Islamic organizations like the Islamic Society of North America, although the US Administration seeks cooperation of such organizations for Homeland Security.
Why should non-Muslim Americans care? For one, any form of racism, bigotry or hate towards any American minority threatens the very fabric of what this country stands for.
It is America’s minorities, its diversity and the coming together of many ideas and talents, which have enabled our nation to flourish throughout our history.
Where would America be without our Catholics, our Jews, our Italians, our Poles, our Hispanics and our African Americans? Each of these minorities, among others, demonized and stereotyped at one time – some still continue to be.
Just think about it – how would we react if an elected official calls for reduction of Jews and Synagogues in our country? Would we tolerate such anti-Semitism? What would be our responsibility if an elected official says the same about the Catholic institutions or Black churches? It is the responsibly of all Americans to speak up, not leaving the affected minorities to defend themselves alone. Islamophobia is a n evil that requires collective response – Muslims cannot and must not fight this battle alone.
Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, misogyny or any other forms of intolerance know no religious, racial or national boundaries.
It has the implications to harm not only the Muslims but also America. Islamophobia and anti-Americanism are interlinked – The more Americans engage in Islamophobia, the more anti-Americanism it creates abroad – possibly radicalizing some young Muslims within our borders like in Europe today. Europeans have taken the steps to deal with Islamophobic menace, recognizing its mischief, but it has not been addressed in America so far.
Some argue that Muslims often misuse the term ‘Islamophobia’ to undermine legitimate criticism of Islam. The same critics totally forget extremists exist in all faiths – they condemn Islam entirely and its history as violent, denying the existence of a moderate and patriotic overwhelming Muslim majority, calling for reformation of Islam.
Racism against blacks was institutionalized, unchecked, sometimes resulted in violent outbursts like those of 1967 in Detroit. These institutions were so pervasive that our black populations are marginalized to this date, in spite of serious attempts to make amends.
Islamophobia too will be institutionalized in America, if not understood and confronted. The potential of such mindless bigotry has implications for our national interests and the world peace.
When you are investing, reliable information is an obvious benefit. Those who remember what passed for “solid†information during the closing weeks of the secular bull market in 2000 know full well that helpful information was scarce then — at best. On this score, the more things change, the more they remain the same.
Today’s biggest offender in disseminating bad information is the financial media, with the worst coming as free advice on television. In particular, I can no longer force myself to watch the garbage that fills time on the Fox Business Block. That stuff is so bad it gives me headaches!
Nearly as bad is the financial reporting on CNBC. Of course, bad information is usually hard to separate from good information until time passes and we can judge accordingly. Perhaps one good indicator of what is or is not a source of reliable information can be found in last week’s commentary from John Hussman of the Hussman Funds. In his December 3 comments, he described his recent appearance on a financial network. The following part of his message was widely posted around the web.
“I appeared briefly on CNBC last week to discuss recession risk, but beforehand, I was asked to put a positive tone on my comments, to which I responded – ‘Look, my interest is in making sure that investors have positions that they are able to hold through the complete market cycle, including a potential 30% bear market loss off the highs, without having their financial security endangered.
‘If they’re carrying more risk than they could endure through the course of a bear market, they should cut back now. I’m not going to wave my arms around about doom and gloom, but I think it’s a crucial time for investors to think about the risk they’re taking, and if you don’t want me to say that, please don’t have me on.’ Well, I went on, and though we ran short of time, that’s still my message.â€
Huffman was asked to “put a positive spin†on what he would say! Am I the only one not surprised to see that CNBC prefers offering air time to promoters who will say only positive things about the economy and the stock market? Is the network’s purpose to inform — or to sell stocks to the public?
Does this occurrence bring back memories about all the good people who lost money in stocks when the bubble burst in early 2000? Then, we were hearing that the only risk involved with technology stocks “was not owning any.†In the next couple years, the NASDAQ suffered an 80% loss. So there were, after all, bigger risks in buying shares of companies with no earnings — and none foreseen!
Does the print media offer better information? What about Money Magazine, Forbes or Fortune? I can’t speak for them since I don’t read them, but I still find myself inundated with information, and most of it is usable and valuable, too. One caveat I use about where I go for information is that it reflects my own personal bias. Be sure to note this before you go looking where I do!
Possibly the best place to start looking is in your local newspaper. Sometimes the most valuable information is what is happening right in front of you. Knowing what is going on in your local economy could be a great indicator of what is happening in the larger economy. When your local government is struggling with budget deficits and cutting jobs, these situations may well be happening in other areas of the economy, too.
Another place to look for good information is The Financial Times newspaper. For those who prefer to invest in countries and economies that are better managed than our own, the paper offers plenty of news about places and companies seldom mentioned in the domestic media.
The internet is probably the best source of information for investors, whether they manage their own accounts or simply want some contrast to what their brokers or advisors offer. Large national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post are available free online, and you can often read news items and editorials online before seeing them in your local paper, since the larger papers often feed the smaller ones. Also, for those seeking additional information on the global scene, check out the Asia Times online.
So much of what goes on geopolitically in the U.S. is spun for domestic consumption. Way too much information dispersed by major news media is sourced from the government or Pentagon — without fact checking. This gives those news items a bias that serves no other purpose than to spread propaganda, which is quite useless for investors.
While newspapers offer a broad array of worthwhile items, online sources offer a wider field in terms of what makes markets, from geopolitics to world economic news. Check out www.antiwar.com for more relevant takes and less bias than you hear on the evening news. Also, www.rawstory.com offers an interesting array of items typically not covered without bias, if at all, by more traditional news outlets.
Does it seem odd that I would recommend newspapers and online news sources as investing tools? Besides studying history, news sources, unbiased whenever possible (and, yes, that obviously rules out Fox News) are investors’ best tools.
For those wanting investment-specific information, check out www.prudentbear.com, especially the weekly piece by Doug Noland. His articles tend to be long and esoteric in places, but he does counter all the happy talk and positive spin so commonly found on CNBC. This web site also compiles articles from various contributors, offering a broad range of ideas. If you’d like and if you know what you’re talking about, you, too, could submit an article to post there!
Another good online source for investors is www.321gold.com. This site also compiles from varying sources news, submissions and articles that interest investors in precious metals. If you want a better idea of the real rate of inflation, as opposed to the bogus numbers offered by our government, you’ll find it there.
All investors should check out Hussman’s site and read his weekly commentary. John Hussman, Ph.D., the mutual fund manager who refused to put a “nice spin†on his views for CNBC, gives investors an academic look at the economy and markets. Before you rush into buying stocks based on the highly touted Fed Model, which often concerns itself with whether the Fed will cut rates by a little or a lot, check Hussman’s research to see what effects such moves have made in the past. His views often oppose the hopeful effects you hear from promoters in the financial media.
Of course there are other fine sources of information, but these will get you started and give you alternative sides to the media stories. Over time, you will come to appreciate just how biased and promotional the financial media can be and how little value their information provides.
Have a great week. Bob
Bob Wood ChFC, CLU Yusuf Kadiwala. Registered Investment Advisors, KMA, Inc., invest@muslimobserver.com.
New Boston-December 10: On Wednesday December 19th over 1.5 billion Muslims across the world will be celebrating Eid-ul-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice. That number also includes the 2.35 million Muslims living right here in the United States who now have the opportunity to perform the ritual sacrifice at home.
Although a majority of American Muslims send money overseas to have a goat or lamb sacrificed, a growing number of people are now turning to local ranchers to provide this service.
Kenneth Summers, owner of Summers Ranch in New Boston, Michigan says that his family has been working with the Muslim community for over 30 years. Summers’ father, Kenneth Summers Sr., was first contacted by a local physician, Dr. Mushtaq Bhatti, who needed a more economical way to provide fresh meat for his large family.
Soon word spread and the Michigan Muslim community began to line up.
“I feel everybody has the right to believe whatever they want and do whatever they want to do,†he said. “That’s your religion then more power to you.â€
According to Summers, during the course of the three-day celebration, he will have processed approximately 100 to 150 goats, lambs and cows. The actual sacrifice and prayer is done by the individual.
Ali Asghar Ziapury, a software engineer at Ford Motor Company, says he has always performed the sacrificed in the U.S.
“Doing it by my own hands gives me the satisfaction that I have really celebrated our great religious holiday in its right spirits,†he said.
With Eid and Christmas being celebrated in the same month, Ziapury feels it is important for his children to also take an active part in the festivities.
“With kids being born here, they might not have the taste of the celebration without actually witnessing what happens,†he said, “That’s why I bring my family with me.â€
“Animals are getting harder to find mostly because Dearborn has the Muslim population and there’s such a huge demand. Animals are getting butchered off more and more,†said Summers.
Eidul Adha is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s (as) willingness to sacrifice his son for God. The holiday is celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Dhul Hijja. This is the month of the Hajj, or Pilgrimage, is the time of year when Muslims from all over the world visit the Ka’ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Farmington Hills–December 9–The Tawheed Center is a beehive of activity despite the cold.
This weekend the mosque held a blanket drive. One of the mosque’s trustees, Mr. Asim Khan, explained that the blanket drive will continue through the end of the month.
Construction of the mosque’s extended prayer and gymnasium areas has temporarily halted. Mr. Khan explained that by waiting until winter ends, the mosque can save about $25,000 off the necessary cost of some necessary demolition that must happen for the construction to continue. The plumbing, one wall, a roof, and the innards of the newly constructed area have yet to be built.
As for Tawheed Center activities, Imam Sohel is conducting an extremely active youth training program, with a full-time hifz school whose leading student has memorized 22 juz of Qur`an.
“We don’t tell them how much to learn,†says Imam Sohel. “Hifz is with your own love for it–if you want, you do it.â€
The initial stage of the program and all of the Qur`an programs for children at the mosque is to teach the rules of correct tajweed. This may take 6 months or a year, but Imam Sohel does not believe in teaching students to memorize Qur`an and then after several juz for them to realize they are making mistakes in pronunciation.
There is also a Sunday school, and Imam Sohel also makes himself available to teach some more dedicated students 3 times a week after their full-time schooling.
In speaking of the 2nd generation Muslims, he explains that the atmosphere at home is very important. “Parents should sit with their children–if not, it’s a waste of time for us.†They need to have an Islamic atmosphere at home, he says.
“If parents do not pay attention to their children,†he explains, they “slowly slowly deteriorate.â€
If the atmosphere at home is wrong, he says, there is no way to make them correct even in a full-time Islamic school. “If the home atmosphere is wrong, the good students will be contaminated [by the bad students]–there will be swearing, they will not respect their elders.â€
Explains Imam Sohel, “this year I plan to take them skiing, go-carting, putt putt golf, laser tag, and talk to them about marriage, drugs, and motivate them away from†[bad influences].
A press release from the Michigan Secretary of State:
Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land reminds residents that Monday, Dec. 17 is the last day to register to vote in the Jan. 15 presidential primary election.
Voters may register in person or by mail. The mail-in form is on the Department of State Web site at www.Michigan.gov/sos. First-time voters who register by mail must vote in person in their first election, unless they hand-deliver the application to their local clerk, are 60 years old or older, are disabled, or are overseas.
To check their registration status, voters may visit the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.Michigan.gov/vote.
When they arrive at the polls Jan. 15, voters will be asked which party’s primary they wish to vote in and they will receive a ballot for that party. That ballot will also contain any special election issues. For voters who wish only to vote in the special election, they can ask for a ballot that does not include presidential candidates. This election replaces the regular February election for this year only.
Voters are again reminded of the identification requirement. They will be asked to present photo ID at the polls, such as a Michigan driver’s license or identification card.
Anyone who does not have an acceptable form of photo ID or is not carrying one can still vote. They will sign a brief form stating that they’re not in possession of a photo ID. Their ballots will be included with all others and counted on Election Day.
Additional information is available on the Department of State Web site at www.Michigan.gov/sos.
