The Moon (Latin: Luna) is Earth’s only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System.

The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,403 km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system (the barycentre) is located about 1,700 km—a quarter the Earth’s radius—beneath the surface of the Earth.

The Moon makes a complete orbit around the Earth every 27.3 days (the orbital period), and the periodic variations in the geometry of the Earth–Moon–Sun system are responsible for the lunar phases that repeat every 29.5 days (the synodic period).

The Moon’s diameter is 3,474 km, a little more than a quarter of that of the Earth. Thus, the Moon’s surface area is less than a tenth that of the Earth (about a quarter the Earth’s land area, approximately as large as Russia, Canada, and the United States combined), and its volume is about 2 percent that of Earth. The pull of gravity at its surface is about 17 percent of that at the Earth’s surface.

The Moon is the only celestial body to which humans have traveled and upon which humans have performed a manned landing. The first artificial object to pass near the Moon was the Soviet Union’s Luna 1, the first artificial object to impact the lunar surface was Luna 2, and the first photographs of the normally occluded far side of the Moon were made by Luna 3, all in 1959. The first spacecraft to perform a successful lunar soft landing was Luna 9, and the first unmanned vehicle to orbit the Moon was Luna 10, both in 1966.

The United States (U.S.) Apollo program achieved the only manned missions to date, resulting in six landings between 1969 and 1972.

Human exploration of the Moon ceased with the conclusion of the Apollo program, although a few robotic landers and orbiters have been sent to the Moon since that time. Several countries have announced plans to return humans to the surface of the Moon in the 2020s.

Two sides of the Moon

The Moon is in synchronous rotation, which means that it rotates about its axis in the about the same time it takes to orbit the Earth. This results in it keeping nearly the same face turned towards the Earth at all times.

The Moon used to rotate at a faster rate, but early in its history, its rotation slowed and became locked in this orientation as a result of frictional effects associated with tidal deformations caused by the Earth.

Small variations (libration) in the angle from which the Moon is seen allow about 59% of its surface to be seen from the Earth (but only half at any instant).
The side of the Moon that faces Earth is called the near side, and the opposite side the far side.

The far side is often inaccurately called the “dark side,” but in fact, it is illuminated exactly as often as the near side: once per lunar day, during the new moon phase we observe on Earth when the near side is dark.

The far side of the Moon was first photographed by the Soviet probe Luna 3 in 1959. One distinguishing feature of the far side is its almost complete lack of maria.

11-17

InFocus News, News Report, Yasmin Mogahed, Posted: Apr 01, 2009

Editor’s Note: InFocus News, one of our ethnic media partners and a winner of two awards in the just-concluded Southern and Central California NAM awards, reports that the rate of Muslims committing suicide in Orange County and Los Angeles alone between 2006 and 2008 was 15.5 times higher than the rate in the previous ten years. Some names in this story have been changed to protect privacy.

Samir was only 11 when he held a knife to his throat and threatened to kill himself. Later, at the age of 12, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a psychological illness that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy and ability to function. Samir’s condition was severe, and along with it came debilitating periods of depression.

“I just feel like there’s nothing worth living for anymore, like my life is meaningless,” explains Samir, who is now 15 years old. “I get so depressed sometimes I just think like how am I ever going to overcome these [problems], and the only way I actually can is to commit suicide.”

One day last summer, while off his medication, that’s exactly what Samir wanted to do. “Before I went to the hospital I had a plan thatI would just take a knife and stab myself in the throat,” recalls Samir. “It wouldn’t be just an attempt; it would be the real deal. I really felt that I just wanted to die.”

Samir’s story is not a rare one. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old. In the United States, a person commits suicide about every 16 minutes, with an attempt estimated once every minute. In fact, between the mid-1950s and the late 1970s, the suicide rate among U.S. males aged 15-24 more than tripled.

While hearing these staggering statistics, Muslims have a widespread misconception that they are immune. However, according to the southern California-based Muslim Mortuary and Cemetery Committee, the rate of Muslim suicides in Orange County and Los Angeles alone between the years of 2006 to 2008 was 15.5 times higher than the rate in the previous ten years. From 1996 to 2006 there were five suicides. However, in the two-year period between 2006 and 2008, there were at least 17 suicides by Muslims in Orange County and Los Angeles County alone.

Such astonishing numbers are testimony that Samir is not alone in his struggle. Samir explains that while in his depression, he felt there was no other way out. Now, looking back, Samir says he sees things differently.

“In my mind there was no way to overcome [the problems] and they were so severe in my mind,” says Samir. “Now when I look back on them, I realize they’re not that severe; it’s just the depression.”

But that depression had a profound effect on Samir’s entire demeanor. His mother, Maryam, describes how different he was when he was on his medication. Describing him as friendly and organized, she says that on his medication, he acted like “Prince Charming.”

Yet, as soon as he began to rebel and get off his medication, Samir started to isolate himself and argue with everyone. He wanted to sleep all the time and had very little energy. His mother describes looking inside his eyes and seeing nothing there. It was as if she could see right through him.

“He kept saying, ‘Life isn’t worth it, it’s not worth living here, I have a plan; No one can stop me,’” recalls Maryam. “You call someone and say ‘I’m going to commit suicide’ — that’s a cry for help.”

So, last summer, Maryam took that cry very seriously and committed him to the hospital with constant surveillance. Since then, he has been back on his medication, and Maryam describes him as a “different person.”

But even while drowning in his depression and despite his yearning to die at the time, there was one thing that Samir says held him back. As a believing Muslim, Samir knew suicide is a grave sin.

“The main reason I really wouldn’t do it is that it was a straight passage to hell,” says Samir. “I wanted to die, but I want to at least have a chance to go to heaven.”

For Samir, his faith in Allah played a major role in his ability to cope. Along with his depression came paralyzing paranoia. Samir explains that when he would stop praying, the paranoia would become increasingly severe. He says that when he would start to pray, “All those bad feelings go away.”

“Sometimes when I used to go to sleep, I would be paranoid like someone’s going to kill me tonight,” recalls Samir. “All these thoughts would flood my mind and I would say a dua’a (prayer) and everything would just stop and I finally would have tranquility sort of and just be able to fall asleep.”

But Samir wasn’t the only one suffering. For his mother, Allah was equally essential in her ability to cope.

“Allah is the only thing that kept us all above water,” says Maryam. “We would just start praying and crying at the same time; I would make a lot of dua’a.”

She explained that for a child who “never had a quiet moment,” the only thing that would calm him was the athan (call to prayer). Praying would settle him down for a while and she would work to read about the prophets and Prophet Muhammad’s (s) companions and try to fit Islam into their childhood.

“I would tell him ‘Allah wouldn’t want you to commit suicide. Allah loves you and wants you to live a long life,’” says Maryam.

Maryam explains that when Samir would get very sad, he would “pour his heart out to Allah” and it would bring him closer to Allah.

And getting closer to Allah is a big part of the solution, as described by Dr. Mohammed Sadiq, a clinical psychologist who has been practicing since 1974.

“Islam is a lifestyle,” says Sadiq. “Any Islamic solution requires that you live by Islam; if you don’t live that Islamic life, Islamic solutions don’t help you.”

It was the need for this true type of Islamic cure that inspired Shyam Sriram, certified by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as a suicide support group facilitator, to create the Muslim Suicide Survivors Association.

“MuSSA has three goals,” explains Sriram. “To provide Islamic solutions for Muslims suffering from depression and suicidal tendencies; to educate the Muslim community about depression and suicide; and lastly, to bring Muslim survivors of suicide loss – like myself – together so that we can heal our wounds in a caring, group environment.”

To work towards achieving these goals, Sriram has traveled the country giving presentations about Islamic solutions to depression and suicide. He teaches people about what Shaikh Husain Abdul-Sattar, who studied in Syria and Pakistan before returning to his hometown of Chicago, calls the depressed soul and physical depression.

According to Abdul-Sattar, in an Islamic sense, the soul becomes depressed when “those acts of worship that once made it healthy become burdensome.” Following the soul’s depression comes the physical depression, when “the depressed soul begins to shut down the physical body; the depressed Muslim starts to complain that he or she sleeps all day, is lethargic or apathetic.”

Sriram explains that in his major work, “The Alchemy of Happiness,” the great classical scholar Imam AlGhazali writes that there are four stages to purify the heart to “turn from the world to Allah.” He lists those steps as: knowledge of self, knowledge of Allah, knowledge of the world as it really is, and knowledge of the afterlife as it really is.

To achieve this purification, Abdul-Sattar says, “The crux of the cure … is the company of righteous people … as the company you keep is the epicenter of your soul.”

He recommends three ways to keep good company. First, come to the mosque regularly for prayer and other community activities. Second, immerse yourself in the company of those with whom you can discuss issues of your soul. Third, take advantage of the scholars of the deen.

But in order to retain this cure, Abdul-Sattar says the Qur’an stresses performing good deeds and acts of charity, restraining the lower nafs (desires), and constantly making dua’a, remembering Allah, and doing istighfar (repenting).

Lastly, he stresses that one should remember that the mark of the believer is the one who is tested and that this world is fleeting. He reminds the believers of the words of Allah in the Qur’an, when He says: “Allah does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear.” (Qur’an, 2:286)

According to the AFSP, risk factors for suicide among the young include suicidal thoughts, psychiatric disorders (such as depression, impulsive aggressive behavior, bipolar disorder, and certain anxiety disorders), drug and/or alcohol abuse and previous suicide attempts, with the risk increased if there is access to firearms or situational stress.

There are a number of Muslim-specific issues that often trigger depression and suicidal tendencies. These issues include pressure and unhappiness of marriages, parental pressure, adolescence, and cultural norms.

According to Shaikh Yassir Fazaga of the Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Viejo, a counselor and member of the IFN Religious Advisory Board, many of the young people expressing the desire to commit suicide are young girls.

“With the girls, it’s due to family issues,” says Fazaga. “It’s usually family relations and marital aspects.”

Sadiq found that among Muslims, depression was often caused by an identity crisis. “When a person loses an idea of what he’s about and does not know where he or she belongs, that will cause depression,” says Sadiq, who also has an internet counseling service and holds workshops around the world. “You have to help them decide what they want to be, and what is the best way to go about it and gradually motivate them to make the right choices.”

However, both Fazaga and Sadiq, explain that although these Muslims express the “desire to die,” Islam prevents many of them with carrying out the suicide. Sadiq describes one young Muslim patient who during Ramadan got into a tub and wanted to cut himself.

“It was Islam that kept him from doing it because he knew that ‘if I kill myself, I will be in hell forever and ever and ever,’” says Sadiq.

It is Islam’s strict prohibition against committing suicide which is preventing many, even non-practicing Muslims, from carrying it out. In the Qur’an says, Allah says “Do not kill yourselves. Verily, Allah is ever Merciful unto you. Whoever does that through aggression and wrongdoing, We shall cast them into Fire, and that is ever easy for Allah.” (Qur’an, 4:29-30).

According to Imam Hajar al-Haytami in his “al-Zawajir an Iqitiraf al-Kaba’ir,” suicide is classified among the “major sins” in Islam. There are a number of ahadith (prophetic teachings) which talk about the fate of those who do commit suicide. For example, the Prophet has said: “A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: ‘My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him.’” [Bukhari]

However, there are disagreements as to whether or not paradise is forbidden for them eternally.

Shaikh Salman Al-Odeh has said: “Paradise being prohibited for him does not mean he is a disbeliever (Kafir). It was said that ‘Paradise being prohibited for him’ is for a certain time, such the time the first righteous Muslims enter Paradise; it was also said that this statement was made to indicate the seriousness of such act and that the real meaning of the statement is different than the apparent meaning.”

With regards to praying Janazah (funeral prayers) for someone who committed suicide, there is also a difference of opinion among the scholars.

Since the Prophet (s) did not pray over a suicidal person, some say it is forbidden to pray on them.

However, although the Prophet himself did not pray over them in order to make a statement against the act, the companions of the Prophet did. Because of this, the majority of the scholars say it is permissible.

Survivors within the Muslim community continue to be shunned.

Fatima*, who lost her husband to suicide 20 years ago after a long fight with mental illness, describes how she was ostracized by the Muslims in her community.
“The Islamic stigma of suicide was such that almost everyone refused to perform the Janazah,” says Fatima. “Finally, a brother who had known him as a child and understood that there was mental illness involved agreed to do the Janazah.”

However, because of the stigma, the community refused to bury him in a Muslim cemetery.

And this stigma continues, despite the fact that according to the AFSP, “Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.”

And yet, Fatima found no support from the Muslim community.

She says once people found out about it, they tended to stay away from her, “as if [she] were the cause of the suicide.”

“Death is hard enough to deal with and if it is not considered a ‘normal’ death (i.e. natural causes), you are ostracized unless these are people who know you very well,” says Fatima.

“Given that most people do not understand mental illness and it’s ramifications on family and friends, it’s very difficult for people (Muslim and non-Muslim) to understand the nature and cause of suicide.”

Instead, Fatima found solace in Allah. Shortly after her husband’s death, she found the quote: “When you have nothing left but God, then for the first time you become aware that God is enough.” For a long time, she says, it was “the only thing that kept [her] going.”

Warning Signs of Suicide

If someone you know expresses thoughts of suicide, it is imperative to take those words very seriously. Warning signs include observable signs of serious difficulties (such as, unrelenting low mood, pessimism, hopelessness, desperation, anxiety, psychic pain, inner tension, withdrawal, and sleep problems), increased alcohol and/or other drug use, recent impulsiveness and taking unnecessary risks, threatening suicide or expressing strong wish to die, and making a plan (giving away prized possessions, purchasing a firearm, obtaining other means of killing oneself), and unexpected rage or anger.

Intervention

To intervene, there are three basic steps: show you care, ask the person specifically about thoughts of suicide, and get help.

It is the hope of intervention that drives many suicide prevention activists such as Sriram to continue his struggle.

“My motivation for starting MuSSA, like most of the activities in my life, was based on the wisdom of Allah through the Qur’an,” says Sriram. “I know that I cannot save every Muslim in the world who is depressed and cannot prevent their suicides, but I do know that if Allah gives me the taufiq (ability) to do something and I don’t use that ability, then I’m going to be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for my failure to help people.”

Sriram finds comfort in the words of Allah when He says: “…if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32)

11-17

By Susan Schwartz, MMNS

While the citizens of Gaza – often called the world’s largest prison – continue to suffer under the boot of Israel, the scope and intensity of their hardships are routinely ignored by the mainstream media. Human rights activists have been ready, both as individuals and as members of groups, to enter Gaza and bear personal witness to the devastation wrought by Israel, most recently through its December 27, 2008 incursion, Operation Cast Lead.

Reem Salahi, a Los Angeles immigration attorney and member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Southern California, spoke to an audience about her recent trip to Gaza as part of an National Lawyers Guild (NLG) delegation to study allegations of Israeli war crimes. Should such allegations be confirmed, a corollary concern would be whether these violations then impact US domestic law. Her presentation was titled: Report Back from Gaza. It was co sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and endorsed by L. A. Jews for Peace and Women in Black, L. A. The event was held at the Levantine Cultural Center in Los Angeles this past Wednesday evening.

Ms Salahi said that she spoke fluent Arabic and that she took the pictures and video footage that would be presented. This would have the effect of nullifying criticism often directed at Gaza eyewitnesses: that they do not speak the language and are influenced by translators and that they are shown doctored photographs.

The NLG delegation went from February 2 to February 9 of this year. The arenas of investigation of allegations concerned: the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; the use of illegal weaponry or the use of weaponry in a illegal manner; the refusal to admit medical personal to treat the wounded; the disproportionate use of force; the use of human shields, and whether all diplomatic avenues to resolve the conflict had been exhausted prior to the inception of hostilities.

Ms Salahi said that on all counts Israel was guilty of severe violations of international law and of grave war crimes. She proceeded to demonstrate this as she demolished, one by one, the lies that Israel has told the world and that its Western apologists have repeated about Operation Cast Lead.

The United States, Israel’s chief benefactor, is, by its association with Israel, guilty as well.

Ms Salahi reminded her audience that the Gaza Strip is one fifth the size of Rhode Island with one and a half million residents. Israel controls the air space, the Mediterranean coast and the points of entry and exit. This renders Gaza a prison in the physical sense as well as in the metaphorical. The people of Gaza have no where to escape to and must live with the horror Israel imposes on them. When a state is an occupier, it is virtually impossible to sustain a claim to self defense when instigating hostilities.

There were virtually no buildings left undamaged during Israel’s attacks. More than one third of the dead were children. No evidence was found of Israel’s claim that residents received cell phone calls warning them of an imminent attack.

Interviews with parents of dead children, killed by Israeli fire, even when they posed no threat, brought many audience members to tears. Israel’s use of White Phosphorus weapons, illegal under international law as anti personnel weapons, was made chillingly clear when severely wounded people were shown with large parts of their bodies bandaged. White Phosphorus burns may initially present as ordinary burns, but they continue their path of destruction through the body as long as they have a supply of oxygen. A total recovery is usually out of the question for people exposed to White Phosphorus.

“I can’t believe human beings would do this” said one woman.

“And we paid for it” observed another.

Ms Salahi referenced the Israeli attack on the UN school and on the America International school. The argument made by the Israeli military that these two buildings housed Hamas militants was ludicrous on its face and in its details.

“I expect Israel to obey the law” said Ms Salahi.

Susan Adelman who arrived in Gaza on International Women’s Day with a delegation from Code Pink also spoke to the audience. She and members of her delegation prepared baskets in Egypt to give to the women of Palestine. Ms Adelman compared Israel and its constant reference to the Holocaust to a child who has been abused. Often an abused children will become abusive adults and perpetuate a cycle of violence because they have not worked through their traumatic experiences. Ms Adelman suggested that Israelis have not worked through their abusive past – the Holocaust. Their mantra should not be “Never Again” but “Never Again to anyone”

Israel claims that Hamas is a terrorist group, yet it is the duly elected government in Gaza brought into office by an election that was deemed fair by international observers.

Ms Adelman said that the US has not been an honest broker and that Jews should be in the forefront of those who pressure this country to be an honest broker.
“AIPAC is not us”” she said referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The final speaker was Shukran Cattell of the American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER), a Washington, D. C. public interest and lobbying group. Mr. Cattell spoke of AAPER’s program, titled “Five for Palestine” which permits concerned people to aid the Palestinians with five simple steps.

A lively question and answer session followed.

The Levantine Center is a cultural center located in Los Angeles. In addition to books and art, Arabic classes are available.

To find out more about the organizations referenced, please contact these websites. American Friends Service Committee: www.afsc.org. Code Pink: www.codepink4peace.org. AAPER: www.americansforpalestine.org. LA Jews for Peace: www.lajewsforpeace.org.

11-16

Courtesy BBC

Some 200 mosques in Islam’s holiest city, Mecca, point the wrong way for prayers, reports from Saudi Arabia say.

All mosques have a niche showing the direction of the most sacred Islamic site, the Kaaba, an ancient cube-like building in Mecca’s Grand Mosque.

But people looking down from recently built high-rises in Mecca found the niches in many older mosques were not pointing directly towards the Kaaba.

Some worshippers are said to be anxious about the validity of their prayers.

There have been suggestions that laser beams could be used to make an exact measurement.

Tawfik al-Sudairy, Islamic affairs ministry deputy secretary, downplayed the problem in remarks quoted by the pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat.

“There are no major errors but corrections have been made for some old mosques, thanks to modern techniques,” he said.

“In any case, it does not affect the prayers.”

11-16

In a ceremony at FBI Headquarters on March 20, 2009, Director Robert S. Mueller, III recognized the recipients of the 2008 Director’s Community Leadership Award. These leaders, selected by their area FBI field office, have demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities through service.

“Whatever the motivation—an unfilled need, a tragic occurrence, a desire to give back—these are people who make things happen and enlist others in their cause,” said Director Mueller. “They are activists who have earned their prestige through good works.”

Among the 50 recipients were Imam Yahya Hendi (Imam of the Islamic Society of Frederick, Maryland and Muslim Chaplain at Georgetown University ), Bilal Eksili (Executive Director of the Holy Dove Foundation ), Dafer Mohammed Dakhil (Director of Community Development and External Affairs for the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation ), and Mohammed Moinuddin (Former President of the Muslim Society of Memphis).

11- 16

By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

San Francisco– April 1st–Hamid Mir, who is one of the most prominent journalists in the world, is also the Executive Editor of Pakistan’s Geo News.  He is best known for interviewing Osama bin Ladan both before and after the September 11th attacks, and he told us that he has been commissioned to write Osama’s authorized biography!  He is probably the most prominent investigative journalists in a country where that has been lacking.  He is both hated and loved in South Asia.  His critics accuse him of being the media mouthpiece of the Taliban, the CIA, or even an Indian agent.

Mir began his history of modern Pakistan with the hanging of Zulfikar Bhutto which for our journalist was the beginning of the turning point for Pakistan.   At that moment, the religious parties started their partnership with the Army with full American blessing.  He made the accusation that the hanging was a conspiracy by the Army, along with the religious parties, and various foreign forces.  While waiting for the execution Bhutto claimed that if he was killed, that would open the door to international monsters, and that is what happened when worldwide extremists came in to fight the Soviets in the Hindu Kush.  

After the Soviet War, the Americans deserted the region, leaving Al Qaeda to form in 1988 in the midst of the ensuing anarchy.

Zulifikar’s daughter, Benezir, during her first Prime Ministership, wished to repress the Muhajideen in Pakistan, but it was the late Saddam Hussein, of all people, who gave her encouragement to proceed.  Therefore Rawalpindi’s ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) asked for help from Osama bin Laden to dislodge her regime.  Al-Qaeda financed a campaign to overthrow her, as Hussein from Iraq was subsidizing an operation to overthrow the Arabs in the Kush.   After the pressure Al-Qaeda and later the (proceeding the American invasion) the Taliban found a “safe haven” in Pakistan’s Northwest Provinces (NWP).

Despite the criticism one hears in the West, Pak’s national media has paid a high price in lives and injuries in covering the War being waged in the Mountains by the Army against the insurgents.  The Pakistani Army, who considers the Forth Estate to be too nosey and critical of them, will not guarantee their safety while the irregular combatants in opposition consider them prime targets.  “To report from this sector is difficult” as it is, further, it is even hard to do over the other Provinces of the nation.  Thus, 95% of the War correspondents in the Tribal arena have left in fear for their lives.

The day before our talk (Mar. 31st) forty people had died within a mosque, butchered by a suicide bomber.  He said about this, with righteous  anger, “Any attack upon a mosque is an attack upon Islam.”  He explained that the extremists’ rationale for such appalling actions is due to the fact that often those who regularly attend (Friday) prayers are antagonistic to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban (on religio-moral grounds).

The Security Forces, unfortunately, are responsible for civilian deaths on the land, too, while their Air Force has bombed innocent villages, also. 

As far as the terror problem, it is coming from a few valleys along the Durand Line where five million people live—making up 2% of the total Pakistani population.  Yet they are brewing hell within and without the nation, creating a danger for the rest (98%) of the populace.  As for the fear of the total Talibanization over the whole of Pakistan, Mr. Mir responded that “It is not impossible to defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda since they are [still] in such a small area.”  Curiously, it is now, furthermore, being described as a Pushtoon Nationalist Movement.  At the same time under the democratic system of the nation – including the NWP, the Awami League dominates the Provincial Government in Peshawar.  Yet, neither the NWP Government nor Islamabad controls the minute mountainous district from where the troubles emanates.  To describe it as lawless is not totally accurate because it is administered through both a primitive understanding of Islamic directives and tribal customs, but the State at either the Center or the Periphery will not intervene within this expanse.  This nominal independence and isolation has cost the residents of the zone dearly, as well.  It is the most underdeveloped sector of Pakistan.  The Army did enter this high territory in 2003.  It did so because the Bush Administration in Washington demanded military operations against the militants embedded amongst the clans there.  Islamabad made promises of development to the elders, but when the Capital betrayed them the populace rebelled.  This section has become an immense quandary since  “…the situation has deteriorated …with the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban[-inspired] attacks against Mumbai,” forcing the Army to shift significant forces eastward to defend against any Indian assault.

Going back to the Durand region, Hamid Mir stated that the Afghanistani-Pakistan frontier is poorly demarked. The Pushtoons on both sides of the boundary have relatives on the other.  The line is porous, and the only profession that needs a visa to cross into the Afghani State is a journalist!  “Without well established …proper borders…Mr. Obama can’t solve this mess.”

Mir strongly disagrees with the U.S. tactic of employing drone aircraft there.   With the inaccuracies of the pilotless planes, many in the Tribal belt are being driven towards the Taliban.  Influential people are endorsing the Talibani struggle.  The citizens  are becoming ever further opposed to America; and, moreover, are becoming radicalized.  “[Former President] Musharraf was trying to fool Mr. Bush,” it does not seem to be working out in the long run, though.   Additionally,  the heightened Indo-Pakistani tensions due to  the Mumbai confrontation have to be lessened.  Development in the Tribal districts has to be expanded—besides.  “This area needs enlightenment;” i.e., education.

The regional poppy cultivation “Shouldn’t be put on the shoulders of [the Afghan President] Karzai” because of the insecurity of the borders.  Regional co-operation is important.  Hamid believes Afghanistan should be respected as a neutral space.  Unfortunately, numerous countries are fighting secretive conflicts within Afghanistan.

Regrettably, they deem their tribal traditions of the Hindu Kush to be in fact Islam!  Consequently, too, they believe they are resisting a War against Islam itself. 

Yes, democracy might be a cure, but how can there be democracy when there is the lack of education that would be required for its foundation?

11-16

By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS Middle East Correspondent

Those are the words that a new student in my son’s class launched off a razor sharp tongue this week, much to the amusement of the other students who joined in the racial taunts. While the other students were just seeking an opportunity to humiliate my son, the boy who said it did so with a glare of anger in his eyes. This racial incident came as an unexpected shock to my family, especially since we are devout Muslims and have lived in the Middle East for almost thirteen years.  We have rarely had a problem although there have been some minor incidents, ever since former President bush launched his very narrow minded foreign policy during his tenure as US President.

Up until this past week, I held out hope that President Barack Obama would truly be able to heal the bleeding wound left gaping in the hearts and minds of Muslims in the Middle East. Those hopes went up in smoke with that racial slur that flowed so easily off a brethren in my own faith’s tongue. While the school administration was swift in reprimanding the pupil, the incident just goes to show that, while there is a new American President, there is nothing even remotely similar to healing going on in the Middle East. Quite the contrary, there is a very tangible sense of a collective holding of the breath to see if President Obama is just another wolf in sheep’s clothing.

President Obama’s speech in Turkey this week, in which he said “the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam” and reiterated his “deep appreciation for the Islamic faith,” may seem to most dwellers of the Gulf as nothing more than paying lip service to a problem so gigantic that it overshadows everything else on the Presidential plate. Just because former President Bush’s hands are now bound in civilian ‘handcuffs’ does not mean that the harm he inflicted will go away any time soon. Sovereign Islamic nations were invaded, annihilated and remain occupied with the blood of the innocents staining the streets. And those that escaped with their lives were locked up in Iraq or elsewhere, most notably in Guantanamo Bay. Indeed President Obama has been forthcoming with his plans to close down Guantanamo Bay and pull American troops out of Iraq. However, actions speak louder than words as the Muslim world waits to see if he will really follow through with his campaign promises.

It’s often quite easy for me to be fooled into thinking everything is coming up like roses during my days in the Middle East. Living in  Kuwait is almost like living in my home state of  Connecticut. There’s a McDonald’s restaurant on just about every corner and American staples like ACE Hardware store or even a can of Coca-Cola are always around to remind me of the good ol’ USA. It only takes a mere three words to snap me back to my senses. “You American Dog.” Falling back on the myth of unity within my faith has always been a pipe dream. It’s sad to say that while Islam is one religion, Muslims are more culturally splintered now than ever before, regardless of who is to blame. It’s so obvious that even a child, probably listening to his parent’s dinner conversation, can pick it up and take it right to school with him.

11-16

Excerpted from the conclusion of the book A Historical Lie: the Stone Age

The Complex Structure of Life

The primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up in such a great impasse regarding the origin of life is that even those living organisms deemed to be the simplest have incredibly complex structures. The cell of a living thing is more complex than all of our man-made technological products. Today, even in the most developed laboratories of the world, a living cell cannot be produced by bringing organic chemicals together.

The conditions required for the formation of a cell are too great in quantity to be explained away by coincidences. The probability of proteins, the building blocks of a cell, being synthesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950 for an average protein made up of 500 amino acids. In mathematics, a probability smaller than 1 over 1050 is considered to be impossible in practical terms.

The DNA molecule, which is located in the nucleus of a cell and which stores genetic information, is an incredible databank. If the information coded in DNA were written down, it would make a giant library consisting of an estimated 900 volumes of encyclopedias consisting of 500 pages each.

A very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can replicate itself only with the help of some specialized proteins (enzymes). However, the synthesis of these enzymes can be realized only by the information coded in DNA. As they both depend on each other, they have to exist at the same time for replication. This brings the scenario that life originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof. Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of repute from the University of San Diego, California, confesses this fact in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific American magazine:

It is extremely improbable that proteins and nucleic acids, both of which are structurally complex, arose spontaneously in the same place at the same time. Yet it also seems impossible to have one without the other. And so, at first glance, one might have to conclude that life could never, in fact, have originated by chemical means.

No doubt, if it is impossible for life to have originated from natural causes, then it has to be accepted that life was “created” in a supernatural way. This fact explicitly invalidates the theory of evolution, whose main purpose is to deny creation.

Imaginary Mechanism of Evolution

The second important point that negates Darwin’s theory is that both concepts put forward by the theory as “evolutionary mechanisms” were understood to have, in reality, no evolutionary power.

Darwin based his evolution allegation entirely on the mechanism of “natural selection.” The importance he placed on this mechanism was evident in the name of his book: The Origin of Species, By Means of Natural Selection…

Natural selection holds that those living things that are stronger and more suited to the natural conditions of their habitats will survive in the struggle for life. For example, in a deer herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those that can run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestionably, this mechanism will not cause deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species, for instance, horses.

Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection has no evolutionary power. Darwin was also aware of this fact and had to state this in his book The Origin of Species:

Natural selection can do nothing until favorable individual differences or variations occur.

Lamarck’s Impact

So, how could these “favorable variations” occur? Darwin tried to answer this question from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science at that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829), who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they acquired during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these traits, which accumulated from one generation to another, caused new species to be formed. For instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from generation to generation.

Darwin also gave similar examples. In his book The Origin of Species, for instance, he said that some bears going into water to find food transformed themselves into whales over time.

However, the laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84) and verified by the science of genetics, which flourished in the twentieth century, utterly demolished the legend that acquired traits were passed on to subsequent generations. Thus, natural selection fell out of favor as an evolutionary mechanism.

Neo-Darwinism and Mutations

In order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the “Modern Synthetic Theory,” or as it is more commonly known, Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the 1930s. Neo-Darwinism added mutations, which are distortions formed in the genes of living beings due to such external factors as radiation or replication errors, as the “cause of favorable variations” in addition to natural mutation.

Today, the model that stands for evolution in the world is Neo-Darwinism. The theory maintains that millions of living beings formed as a result of a process whereby numerous complex organs of these organisms (e.g., ears, eyes, lungs, and wings) underwent “mutations,” that is, genetic disorders. Yet, there is an outright scientific fact that totally undermines this theory: Mutations do not cause living beings to develop; on the contrary, they are always harmful.

The reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and random effects can only harm it. The American geneticist B. G. Ranganathan explains this as follows:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of genes; any random change in a highly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better. For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there would be a random change in the framework of the building which, in all probability, would not be an improvement.

Not surprisingly, no mutation example, which is useful, that is, which is observed to develop the genetic code, has been observed so far. All mutations have proved to be harmful. It was understood that mutation, which is presented as an “evolutionary mechanism,” is actually a genetic occurrence that harms living things, and leaves them disabled. (The most common effect of mutation on human beings is cancer.) Of course, a destructive mechanism cannot be an “evolutionary mechanism.” Natural selection, on the other hand, “can do nothing by itself,” as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows us that there is no “evolutionary mechanism” in nature. Since no evolutionary mechanism exists, no such any imaginary process called “evolution” could have taken place.

The Fossil Record:No Sign of Intermediate Forms

The clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the theory of evolution did not take place is the fossil record.

According to this theory, every living species has sprung from a predecessor. A previously existing species turned into something else over time and all species have come into being in this way. In other words, this transformation proceeds gradually over millions of years.

Had this been the case, numerous intermediary species should have existed and lived within this long transformation period.

For instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the past which had acquired some reptilian traits in addition to the fish traits they already had. Or there should have existed some reptile-birds, which acquired some bird traits in addition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since these would be in a transitional phase, they should be disabled, defective, crippled living beings. Evolutionists refer to these imaginary creatures, which they believe to have lived in the past, as “transitional forms.”

If such animals ever really existed, there should be millions and even billions of them in number and variety. More importantly, the remains of these strange creatures should be present in the fossil record. In The Origin of Species, Darwin explained:

If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking most closely all of the species of the same group together must assuredly have existed… Consequently, evidence of their former existence could be found only amongst fossil remains.

11-16

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, MMNS

I was as asked to write the following article for Muslim Family Services publication and I thought I would print it today  because of a special occasion occuring this Saturday in my married life.  On April 11, my wife and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage by renewing our vows.  Our three children and their spouses are putting the affair on, of which we are grateful.

This article was written a few months ago and came out in the nick of time to be handed out at the affair.  I hope you enjoy it and please send out duas for us as I pray you have good wishes for our continued good life.

First of all I am honored to write this article because I realize that by being asked to write this article, I recognize that someone must have thought my wife is such a good lady and Muslim spouse that I must really know how to pick ‘em. Well, the truth is, praises to ALLAH,  I did get just what I was looking for.

You see, my wife was Muslim before I was.  I first saw (recognized) her at Cobo hall in Detroit, Michigan in October, 1977.  We were both on duty as host and hostess at an affair featuring Imam Wallace D. Muhammad.  I saw her standing at the top of the stairs dressed in a white dress and white scarf, the scarf tied in the “Bilalian look”.  She looked just like a pure angel.  So I went up to her and introduced myself.  After the Cobo affair, the masjid was having a dinner at a hall and I asked her if she would go with me.  She said “no, I don’t think so.  I’m going home’. That meeting convinced me that if there is such a thing as love at first sight, that meeting was very close to it.

When I became Muslim, the last part of 1976, I knew the first thing I would need was a good Muslim wife.  I was looking for someone who could help me become a better person by helping enhance good Islamic character.  If you are a new Muslim man looking for a wife, don’t look at the same kind of woman you knew before Islam.  That would take you backwards. 

A pious woman is high on the list of favors from ALLAH.  My wife (not the sheik or the mufti) is actually the one who influenced me to pray five times a day—not by badgering me, but by actually doing it herself;  (And here I was the one trying to be an imam.)

If you are looking for a good wife, you want a woman who has regard for ALLAH and bows down in prayer.  I see many men make the mistake of getting a non-Muslim woman or a woman weak in her deen, and think he can “Islamize” her  to his satisfaction.  You should never think you can change a person into what you want.  As a matter of fact, you can’t even change some things you don’t like about yourself.  Try changing yourself first.  And always remember, only ALLAH makes Muslims.

Look for piety in a wife.  Look for femininity graced in lady-like character.  Look for the type of woman that you would like to raise your children.  Would you want a street woman raising your children?  I don’t think so.  You want a woman who makes your home peaceful and puts the Islamic atmosphere in the house.

You want her to be intelligent.  And if she is educated and intelligent, so much the better.  I say that because I want to make it known that a woman/person can be intelligent without having formal education.  And, on the other hand, a woman can be formally educated and not have the intelligence to peacefully run a household.  This human, morally-conscious intelligence only comes from a submissive heart that feeds the mind so that good decisions can be made.  This submissive heart is not submissive to man; it is submissive to ALLAH alone, which is guaranteed to make the man happy.

So look and choose carefully brothers… (and sisters looking for mates).  Look for the characteristics that ALLAH lays out for the human being—then choose a woman whose character most closely comes to that which ALLAH desires in a human being and you will be happy.

11-16

By Bob Wood, MMNS

As I write this column, we are witnessing yet another stock market rally. And Wall Street promoters and the financial media are calling it the beginning of another big run higher: “Don’t you see how things are improving in the economy? Buy stocks!”

Of course, this is nothing new for purveyors of stocks, mutual funds and air time, who rely on selling advertising to the financial services companies. So, to hear them tell it, there is always room for optimism and hope. But haven’t we heard that story before?

Haven’t we heard the tired old refrain about how cheap stocks have been, all the way down from Dow 14,000 in October 2007? Haven’t we heard that buying stocks for the long run always pays off for patient investors?

And shouldn’t this remind us of how many times we heard CNBC analysts telling anyone who would listen that ‘’the only risk with technology stocks is not owning any in your portfolio’’? That was a common theme when the NASDAQ index was around the 5,000 mark in early 2000. And just how did that work out?

Promoters are lucky, since, over time, viewers tend to forget who said what. Just this week, I heard Ned Riley make another strident plea, urging investors to buy technology shares — just as he did a decade ago! The problem now is that anyone who took him seriously then probably doesn’t have the money now to take advantage of his latest “hot stock picks”!

Now that the Dow has risen over 20% in the past few weeks, we’re hearing those wonderful words again: We’re ‘’back in bull market territory.’’ Assuredly, these are words investors don’t want to ignore. Of course, when pressed for their rationale on why this trend will persist, promoters provide only the old bromides about ‘’Stocks climbing a wall of worry,” or that ‘’the stock market always recovers ahead of the economy,’’ or such other nonsense that they trot out every year.

The latest rationale used by ever-bullish types like Larry Kudlow (perhaps another wealth destroyer for those taking his advice?), is that the economy is showing signs of stabilizing. This trend is borne out by the fact that economic data isn’t getting worse at the accelerating rate that it had been. His rationale supported by the “new math,” of course, is mighty easy to beat back.

Let’s start with the example of the domestic auto industry. Promoters saw heartening news last week in GM’s announcement that March sales fell by only 42.5%. That was taken as a good sign since expectations were for a larger drop — about 46%. The rate of change has slowed, so promoters call this “a real improvement,” which indicates a more stable environment.

If this is the new math, I rather prefer the old math, which, for one thing, considers the accumulation of consecutive months of poor auto sales. With the monthly trend showing sales drops close to 50%, on average, how many more months can GM limp along with its top-line revenues coming in at half of prior years’ expectations?

Of course, GM’s costs of doing business are falling, but this drop is nothing compared to the 40 – 50% loss of sales. Over the past year, the company has lost $53/share, or about $32 billion. So do Bulls expect us to believe that GM’s cutting losses from $3 billion/month to $2.5 billion is cause for optimism? Isn’t the accumulation of losses simply too big for investors to assume any lessening in the rate of those losses?

Another sterling example of how misleading the same promoter-actors can be comes with news on monthly job creation, or more fittingly, monthly job losses. We just learned that another 663,000 jobs were lost in our economy during March. That was instantly hailed as good news, since expectations were that the lost-jobs number would be larger.

Also hailed by the aforementioned Kudlow was that the U.S. rate of change dropped, too, showing a stabilizing force at work. And since the stock market will now anticipate lower job losses in future months, what more do we need as proof that the rally will continue?

Of course, Kudlow, who appears firmly in the hip pocket of the financial services industry as well as the richest among us including those who pay to advertise on his hour of biased commentary each weeknight, surely experiences the bliss of feigned ignorance regarding the details of those jobs reports. For example, those nasty job losses add up cumulatively from recent months, and January’s job loss was revised higher from 655,000 to a loss of 741,000. Adding those to February’s loss of 651,000 equals a total of 2.055 million jobs lost so far in 2009. In the past five months, 3.3 million people have lost their jobs! That’s encouraging?

Helping the bullish case again in March was that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) simply “fudged” creation of another 114,000 jobs, using its ‘’birth/death model.’’ With this number, the Bureau casually assumes the number of new jobs that should have been created — but were not actually identified.

Also unmentioned by the Bulls is the wider measure of joblessness in our economy, as included in the numbers I’ve stated here. Identified as line U-6 in the same BLS report, this number attempts to capture how many American workers are unemployed, working part time for economic reasons (i.e., can’t find full time work), or who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and are no longer counted in the more narrow measure (used as the “lost jobs” headline number).

Also not counted in the jobless number are self-employed people who have lost their businesses but do not qualify for unemployment benefits. That measure clocked in at 15.6% in BLS adjusted form or 16.2% in unadjusted form. Just what would these numbers do for the bullish case, if announcements showed that total unemployment was running even higher?

Economist John Williams (shadowstats.com) takes an even closer look and estimates that the true rate of unemployment and under-employment is running at a 19.8% clip. Again, what would that number do to the Bulls’ case? Subscribers to Williams’ very useful website get the full breakdown of how he arrives at that number. In short, he continues to use the same method for calculating unemployment that the Federal government used — in the 1980s.

What bothers me most is how we consistently hear lies and are misled — or subjected to obvious obfuscation about the true state of our economy by shameless people whose personal stakes are tied to ever-rising stock markets. That a small group of Americans can blatantly lie to the rest of us to benefit their own personal self-interests is abhorrent — at best. At worst, it is criminal. Why should investors manage their portfolios in an environment where it takes two sets of books, so to speak, to reveal the state of our economy?

With their teams of highly paid economists, I am sure that big banks and Wall Street brokers know full well the real story about our economy. And hacks like Kudlow may well know the real story, too.

Yet we investors are fed a steady diet of nonsense and massaged statistics. This new math is designed to keep us interested in a market that has destroyed wealth for an entire decade or even longer, if we look at long-term results for stock market investors.

The new math used by promoters is yet another stellar reason to avoid the domestic stock markets and look overseas for better opportunities. How much worse can it get when it comes to lying to make a bad situation look better than it is?

Have a great week.
Bob

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

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