By Dr. A. S. Nakadar, TMO Publisher

President Obama will deliver an unprecedented speech in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, June 4, 09, addressed to the Arab and Muslim world. Unfortunately the actual speech will happen after TMO goes to press, but here are some thoughts on what are the important issues facing the Muslim world that we hope he will address.

As I am writing this, President Obama is meeting with King Abdullah, discussing Middle East policy generally and the perception Muslims have of the United States and of our new president, and likely in both directions the two leaders are exchanging advice as to how to go forward.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech in the Grand Hall of Cairo University June 4, 2009. Obama sought a "new beginning" between the United States and the Muslim world on Thursday but offered no new initiative to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, an omission likely to disappoint many.  REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Muslims around the world hope for much from Obama.  Muslims are also paying close attention to what he will say in Cairo, and perhaps more importantly to where he is putting the facts on the ground–and a great deal of hopefulness stems from the perceived tensions between Israel and the US, especially on the issue of settlements–which he apparently wants to halt, much to the consternation of the far-right Israelis including Netanyahu, who are having trouble stomaching the idea of an American president who is anything other than a rubber stamp for Israeli foreign policy. 

An issue that he can bring to the table is the ridiculous perception among some Americans that Islam and fascism are in any way connected–a perception that was nurtured by the previous administration.

Also, we would hope that he will work towards the former 2002 Arab peace plan: in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967, the Arab countries would recognize Israel and normalize relations with it. This proposal may even speed up overtures to Israel by the Arab countries.

We hope Obama will work towards an inclusive perception of the world community.  You can’t expect to be a world’s leader by excluding the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims–more than 20% of the world. There are 48 countries with a Muslim population of over 50% out of the total 195 countries in the world (i.e. 24.61%).

We also hope he will address two critical issues: increasing disenchantment of Muslim youths because of past tilted policies, and tyrannical regimes: we hope he will address the heads of countries with Muslim majorities to move them towards nurturing their own people.

If he instills confidence and vision in the younger generation it will go a long way. By fostering in them “by working together” we will achieve a better world that will help humanity at large.

And he should remind the heads of these nations of their responsibilities to weed out extremists who advocate hatred and violence. Address the human rights issues in their countries, encourage democratic processes and espouse associated values.

Many will question him for speaking from Cairo where  Mubarak has been president since 1981. The country is still ruled under a “state of emergency!” During the last election in 2005 no international observers were allowed to observe.

We hope this doesn’t dampen his message intended for the Arabs and the Muslim world; if his message is sincere, courageous, concrete and unambiguous, he may find Muslims extremely receptive and warm–his overtures of goodwill can lead towards an international flowering of unimaginable cooperation.

11-24

By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS Middle East Correspondent

Islamic music bands are popping up all over the world and most share a common mission, which is to spread the message of Islam through music. Islamic Nasheeds, or the raising of the voice without musical instrument accompaniment, is popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Middle East and has been growing popularity amongst Muslims in Europe and North America for years.

The Islamic Nasheed sends a message, which is related to the Islamic lifestyle. However, they also often include references to social issues such as avoiding sin, staying in school or showing kindness to others. The Nasheed styling is based on vocal harmonies delivered by a sole singer.  Musical instruments are kept to a bare minimum so that the beauty of the human voice is the primary focal point. However, sometimes a drum or stringed instrument is also included.

The Middle East is no stranger to the popularity of the outrageously famous American television show ‘American Idol’ and copycats can be found in most countries. The most popular of which is known as ‘Star Academy’. However, in keeping with the Islamic faith, a new television/reality/talent channel has emerged in Egypt. It is being touted as the Islamic world’s ‘American Idol’. It is called ‘4shbab’ or ‘For the Youth’ in English. The channel was developed by an up and coming media mogul named Ahmed Abu Heiba who hopes that it will spread the message of Islam far and wide.

The show exclusively features male Nasheed singers who take the stage in a blaze of glory as flames shoot out from the edge of the stage and machine-generated fog swirls around the contestant’s feet. Some of the contestants even perform intense dance routines that would make even Michael Jackson stand up and take notice. Critics have blasted the show for mimicking the West and watering down the Islamic message that is trying to be conveyed with slickly choreographed dance moves. Women are not allowed to participate in the competition. However, they are allowed in the audience, which is segregated based on gender lines. 

The debate on whether or not music is acceptable in the Islamic faith has raged on for years with some saying that it is forbidden while others say that it is acceptable, within reason. Depending on which part of the globe the aspiring singer is from, singing can be a matter of life or death. In Iran, singers are often jailed for singing or even listening to music. In Pakistan, the Taliban routinely dole out punishments for anyone indulging in music. Some Muslim women, in particular, often bear the brunt of censorship regarding singing. Last year Lima Sahar made it to the final three on the Afghan version of American Idol called Afghan Star. She has received so many death threats since her appearance that she now lives in exile in her own country as she seeks asylum from any country that will welcome her. Another female singer, Aiman Udas, who was a Pakistani native was gunned down this past April by her own brothers who disliked her performing in music concerts.

Nasheeds are not the only ways in which some Muslims are seeking to express themselves through music. There are several rock and roll bands that are slowly making a name for themselves across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, the message in their songs is not always inclusive of the Islamic faith. In fact, the songs mirror American heavy metal, punk rock and pop music.

11-24

Locals sell all they have to help millions displaced by battles with the Taliban

By Andrew Buncombe

Internally displaced men, fleeing military operations in the Swat valley region, walk through a dust storm at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district, 75 miles northwest of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, June 3, 2009.     REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Saima is one of 37 refugees now sharing the house of a stranger. Their host, Rizwan Ali, 59, says: ‘It would be easier to die than to ask displaced people to leave for the camps’

The language was already biblical; now the scale of what is happening matches it. The exodus of people forced from their homes in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and elsewhere in the country’s north-west may be as high as 2.4 million, aid officials say. Around the world, only a handful of war-spoiled countries – Sudan, Iraq, Colombia – have larger numbers of internal refugees. The speed of the displacement at its height – up to 85,000 people a day – was matched only during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This is now one of the biggest sudden refugee crises the world has ever seen.

Until now, the worst of the problem has been kept largely out of sight. Of the total displaced by the military’s operations against the Taliban – the army yesterday claimed a crucial breakthrough, taking control of the Swat Valley’s main town, Mingora – just 200,000 people have been forced to live in the makeshift tent camps dotted around the southern fringe of the conflict zone. The vast majority were taken in by relatives, extended family members and local people wanting to help.

But this grassroots sense of charity is slowly starting to show real strain. In a week when the relentless danger of the militants was underlined by a massive car bomb in the city of Lahore that killed at least 30 people and injured hundreds more, aid groups have warned that the communities taking people in – already some of the planet’s poorest people – could themselves be displaced as they desperately sell their few assets to help the homeless.

In these “homestay” situations, some that exist purely because of tribal links between the displaced and those opening their doors, anywhere from 10 to 15 people are crowded into one room. A single latrine is shared by, on average, 35 people. Aid groups have called for a large and immediate injection of funds to help these host families who have stood forward to help those with nothing.

Graham Strong, the country director of the charity World Vision, said: “Families have provided refuge for up to 90 per cent of those escaping the fighting. They are sharing their homes, food, clothes and water. They are poor already and are making themselves poorer in the process. As the disaster continues, hosts are having to sell their land, cattle and other assets at far less than the market value to keep providing for their guests. The cultural ethic of generosity and hospitality means hosts are now facing the agonising choice between asking guests to leave and becoming destitute and displaced themselves.”

Among those facing possible destitution as a result of his kindness is Rizwan Ali, 59, who lives in a village in the Buner district – another of the areas from which the military has been involved in a major operation against militants. When he heard about the countless people from nearby villages being forced to flee, he sent a truck to collect them. Now he shares his home with 37 strangers.

Confronted with this massive influx, Mr Ali – not his real name – has already sold a portion of his land to meet the additional burden. He has watched as other villagers, taking people in, have been pushed to the brink of impoverishment. He says they now face having to ask their guests to leave – something he would be loathe to do.

“It would be easier to die than to ask displaced people to leave for the camps. It will be heartbreaking and will feel as though the earth has caved in on us,” said Mr Ali, who is already helping to look after the newborn baby of his daughter-in-law, who died in childbirth. “I’m exhausted, we have to play so many roles – host, provider, security, breadwinner,” he told aid workers.

Confronted by such circumstances, many of the host families of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) have been selling cattle at a mere fraction of their normal value to raise funds. Others are pawning gold and jewelry for as little as 5 per cent of what it would usually generate. Certainly, those who arrived came with nothing, depending entirely on the generosity of their hosts.

“Our host has done a beautiful thing in taking us in and providing for us,” said one man staying at Mr Ali’s house. “He has given us food and shelter but most of all he has given us our dignity.”

One man, aged 90, said that because there had been no warning to leave, when the gunfire erupted around them they gathered what they could carry and fled. “Many of us didn’t even have any shoes. We walked [13 miles] on mountain paths. It took the whole day,” he said.

Another of those staying with Mr Ali is 12-year-old Saima. “I don’t know where my friends are. We were separated when we left,” said the young girl, who is helping to care for the household’s newborn baby. “It was scary when we ran. It was like my heart was beating in my feet as we ran. There was a time I couldn’t walk another inch because of ulcers under my feet, but the fear kept us going somehow.”

For all the humanitarian problems that the military operation against the Taliban has created, the Pakistani army and the government of Asif Ali Zardari believe they have no alternative but to carry on and try to crush the militants, who had taken control of several areas barely 60 miles from Islamabad. Under considerable international pressure, the military launched the operations earlier this month after a controversial ceasefire deal – under which the government allowed the operation of Islamic law, or sharia, in parts of the Swat Valley and elsewhere – fell apart.

The military claimed a strategic victory yesterday, saying it had taken control of almost all of Mingora. While troops were still meeting pockets of resistance on the outskirts of the town, Mingora itself was under the full control of the military, said a spokesman, Maj- Gen Athar Abbas. “As far as Mingora city, security forces have taken over,” he said. “There are still pockets of resistance. They are on the periphery of Mingora city.”

In addition to the humanitarian problem, of course, the military operation – which it claims has so far killed anywhere up to 1,100 militants – has already apparently led the Taliban into revenge attacks. After militants launched a gun and bomb attack on police and intelligence offices in Lahore last week, a spokesman for Baitullah Mehsud, one of the senior Taliban leaders, claimed responsibility and said the devastating attack – the third major incident in the Punjabi capital this year – had been carried out in response to what has been happening in Swat. The Taliban also threatened more attacks, raising the prospect of a fresh wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan’s major cities. The following day, at least 14 people were killed in suicide bombings in Peshawar.

Hakimullah Mehsud, a commander loyal to his namesake, told reporters: “We have achieved our target. We were looking at this target for a long time. It was a reaction to the Swat operation. W e want the people of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Multan to leave those cities as we plan major attacks against government facilities in coming days.”

Yesterday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Yousuf Gilani, defended the decision to launch the offensive, saying that the authorities had no genuine alternative.

“The very existence of Pakistan was at stake. We had to start the operation,” he said. While speaking to workers at state-owned Pakistan Television, Mr Gilani also promised payments of cash to help the hundreds of thousands of people forced from their homes, as well as a massive reconstruction.

Such words, had they learned of them, would have been welcome to Rizwan Ali and the 37 people – strangers until this military operation began – squeezed into his home.

11-24

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin, MMNS

Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these:  It might have been.

The secret to success is preparation and opportunity.  When these two meet, coupled with action,  your success is all but guaranteed.  Since we rarely know opportunity will present itself, we must be prepared when it does, and it will come.  Numerous opportunities come our way frequently, but most of them we let slip by by failing to seize the moment for your 15 minutes of fame.  Then all you can say is “it might have been.”

Remember, ALLAH has special dreams and goals that are especially meant for you.  It is your opportunity.  It is your opportunity.  It is your dream.   Sometimes it is something you have thought of; sometimes not.  But whether you thought of it or it just “appeared in your head”’ you must believe that ALLAH can put something in your path that will be a big benefit  to you, and the humanity we all serve.

This article has special meaning to me because I have decided to seek the public office of City Councilman in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan.  It is a monumental undertaking and something I had much contemplation, encouragement, and prayer on before making my decision to go forward.

At first, I was not interested in seeking public office.  I was/am quite comfortable and pleased with my life as it is.  But many factors came into view including lots of encouragement from many people of different many different persuasions.   I decided to ask ALLAH should I run for office and so I made two Istakirah prayers and asked Almighty ALLAH if this was right for me to make the path easy; and if not, please remove it.

After these prayers, amazing help and jubilation started coming from many people and many different quarters.  Pledges of support from reputable, upstanding, and  honorable people started pouring in and so I said Oh ALLAH, You have made my decision for me.   Now, I am committed and excited about what I can bring to the office and how the office allows me a platform to bring positive change to the society.

Of course there are also many factors that will come up when you make a decision about something.  You will get lots of advice both for and against what you are doing.  But that is one of the big advantages of being Muslim and having access to a direct line to ALLAH via Instikarah prayer.  ALLAH thinks you can do it.  He has given you wisdom to run your own life.  This does not mean you don’t take advice .  This is part of shura consultation.  So you should make shura and then when you have made a decision, go forth with the help of ALLAH. 

Also in steppin out, don’t let others absolutely do your work for you.  Sometimes people will make big promises to you and can’t or won’t be able to come through.  Then you must do it.  Remember, it is not their work, it is yours.

Also, don’t get discouraged when things get tough.  You will get stretched and you will get tired.  But remember, you get what you strive for.  ALLAH says “Don’t get discouraged when you are having a tough time.  Your enemies (opponents, adversaries’ are as well.  But you have the help of Allah and they don’t.

You must see and visualize your dream.  Remember, if you can’t see your dream, you can’t be in it.

I ask for your prayers and support as I start this next new phase of my life.  I will need support from many people who think as I do and believe I can fulfill.

Please visit my website www.el-aminforcitycouncil.com and see the many ways you can help.  I need and will appreciate any and all donations to my campaign.  I will need lots of money (upwards of $170,000) to wage a credible campaign.  My website has PayPal information on it and you may also mail contributions to El-Amin for City Council.  16500 Ashton  Ave.  Detroit, Michigan  48219.  Please remember that political campaigns are NOT allowed to accept corporate checks.  They must be personal checks and under Michigan law, cannot exceed $3,400.

11-24

By Bob Wood, MMNS

I realize that the stuff I fill this page with runs contrary to conventional wisdom. I know that when you compare the investment advice you read on this page to what you hear from the financial media, Wall Street, and most brokers and financial advisors, it must seem as though we’re talking about two different subjects. This week, I’ll try to widen that gap even more.

In previous articles, I’ve made statements that may have raised a few eyebrows, most notably when I pronounced the stock market a scam and noted its similarities to places like Las Vegas — they can be a lot of fun, but ultimately, most people lose money there.

Of course, this flies in the face of what notable academics like Jeremy Siegel have made a comfortable living on — expounding on the wonders of long-term investing, having wrung every last drop of value from his theories by revising his famous Stocks for the Long Run book into four updated editions. As I’ve said in the past, the man is a hack and not to be taken seriously.

Fortunately, unlike Mr. Siegel, I can actually prove my point. Let’s start with a basic observation I’ve mentioned here before:

Successful long-term investors are hard to find.

How many people do you personally know who’ve gotten rich by investing in stocks over time? How many have you heard of in your lifetime? Who are the great investors of our day, those who’ve made their fortunes investing their own money in stocks? I’ll wait while you think about it.

Stock market promoters can easily do what Mr. Siegel does — data mine the history of the markets to come up with what sounds like reliable information. They cite average annual returns that look great on the surface, and then remind us that there’s never been a ten-year period in which stocks have lost value…that is, until this decade.

But again, where are these successful investors that have prospered over time? Where are their yachts? Why is it such a struggle to find anyone who credits the stock market with having generated their wealth and assured their financial security?

Let me see if I can clear this up a bit. First, let’s look at some basic facts about stock market performance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which began the year 1900 at 66, stands at 8,403 as I write this. If that increase truly represented a return of 127 times your investment, that would look pretty impressive, right?
The problem, of course, is that it took so long for the Dow to reach that point. The average annual compound gain is a mere 4.57%. I’m not including dividends, but I’m also leaving out the drag of taxes, management fees, and trading costs. The effects of inflation are also left out. And I’m assuming that all investors were passive index types.

If someone came to you today and wanted to invest your life savings in risky assets that offered a gross return of just over 4.5%, how eager would you be to accept that offer? After paying taxes and fees, and feeling the effects of inflation at roughly 3% per year, what would you expect to gain over time?

Here’s another interesting item I came across this week on Doug Short’s website, www.dshort.com. This works very nicely with another concept I keep hammering you with in these articles — the importance of understanding the power of secular trends.

What Mr. Short discovered was this: Since the year 1877, there have been 10 long-term trends in the domestic stock market. Long-running bull markets have been invariably followed by long-term bear markets. Recall the huge rally from 1982-2000, followed by the bear market that began in 2000 and still lingers today. Now consider Japan’s market from 1975 to the present, 34 years running and still going. If anything puts the lie to the whole “stocks for the long run” argument, this is surely it.

Mr. Short went back and observed that the secular bull markets over that period sported gains of 333%, 396%, 266%, 413%, and even 666% for the latest bull cycle ending in 2000. Pretty smart-looking gains, aren’t they? Who wouldn’t have gotten rich after enjoying gains like those? As it turns out, far too few did.

We’ve been convinced that remaining fully invested is the time-proven way to achieve stock market riches. But as surely as night follows day, bear markets follow bull cycles, and those bear markets were killers. The lavish gains cited above were followed by bear markets that ended with index losses of 69% in 1921, 81% in 1932, 54% in 1949, 63% in 1982, and 58% as of the recent March low.

The average gain for the bull cycles was a hefty 415%. The average loss during the bear cycles was 65%. Secular bull markets lasted for 80 years, while bear cycles lasted 52. So far, that looks okay, doesn’t it? Somewhere I sense the loud rejection from a Math major out there.

What the Math wizard has most likely noticed is that when all was said and done, any hypothetical investor who actually managed to live long enough would have ended that 132-year time span boasting a 1,300% total gain. That looks great until you notice that it took 132 years to get there, bringing the average gain down to a mere 1.96% since then.

Again, this is a gross return number, not including dividends, taxes, management fees, and trading costs, which used to be much higher than they are today, and of course, inflation. Using this set of data, do you believe long-term investors come out ahead? It sure doesn’t look like it!

Maybe more than anything, this calculation supports my steady harping on the importance of secular, or long-term trends, in the stock market. After reviewing the data above, it’s readily apparent that lots of money can be made in stocks. It’s just that over time, long bear markets ensue, and take back most of those gains.

For most who have tried their hand at it, this market has been a dead loser for decades, if not the entire history of publicly traded markets. And that doesn’t take into consideration the scores of investors who invested outside the indices in managed funds or individual stocks. We know that most investors don’t beat the markets over time, even the professionals who make their living doing it. So what were the real world results for investors over the long run?

Most importantly, let’s get back to my reasons for not investing one dollar in today’s domestic stock market. We’ve discussed how secular bear markets are the killers of investor hopes and dreams. And with the S&P 500 about 40% lower today than it was at the beginning of this decade, is there any doubt that we’re in a secular bear market?

Lucky for us, we can review the calculations above and not only surmise that secular bull markets are where investors can really stand to profit, but also enjoy the great fortune to be able to look around the world for better places to invest. Just take a look at a few charts for markets in China, India, Brazil, and Russia, and you’ll see that they’re all higher today than they were at the beginning of this decade. Ding! Big clue there, secular bull markets in force! Gold, silver, and oil prices are also much higher today than they were in 2000. Bingo! Secular bull markets in force!

I know that what you read in this space is far from conventional, in fact inviting ridicule from most other investors, professionals included. But take a moment to look at the cold, hard data and let it point you in a better direction. With so many conventionally invested professionals losing their shirts over the past eight years, at some point you’d think they’d find a better way.

Find the secular bull markets and load up in them. Find the secular bear markets and get as far away from them as you can. The theory is supported by plenty of data, not to mention a healthy dose of common sense.

Mr. Siegel? Paging Mr. Siegel?…
Have a great week.

Bob

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

11-24

By Adil James, MMNS

E. Lansing–May 30–Muslim Family Services is a powerful local institution designed to provide social services to Muslims in Southeast Michigan.

While it is generally true that Muslim families are stronger by many measures than their non-Muslim counterparts, nevertheless there are problems that Muslims face in their family lives.  This past Saturday afternoon a surprisingly large daytime group of about 60 Muslims, men and women, attended the Islamic Society of Greater Lansing to listen to a five hour presentation by MFS on the troubles faced by Muslim families.

A part of the presentation was an engaging conversation in which each member of the audience was asked to provide a “recipe for a happy marriage,” and then each spouse’s response was introduced to that spouse–an interesting means of encouraging Muslim families to engage with one another on sharing dreams and aspirations, and understanding of responsibilities and roles–and of making sure that all members of the team have thought about the needs and wants of the others.

Also, MFS encouraged people to make an effort to show love for one another by surprising them with gifts.

According to its website, MFS is a division of ICNA Relief, a social welfare department of ICNA, whose mission is “to assist, educate, and facilitate in the success and flourishing of families based on Islamic teachings through education, counseling and liaison and supportive services.”

In fact Muslim social service organizations are sometimes the neglected stepchild among Muslim institutions.  Muslims would frequently rather look the other way than admit that there are family problems of abuse in our families.  Perhaps only the imams know the full extent of the difficulties faced by their congregants, because the imams are the first people contacted by people with issues.  In fact most of us would probably rather not know the problems that are around us.

And so it is actually a sign of courage that some people face these problems head on, such as Shaikh Ali Suleman Ali, imam of MCWS, Prof. Asim Hussain of Wayne State University, Sr. Sharifa Harvey, MSW, and many others.

Shaykh Ali of MCWS discussed at length the procedure for determining whether people are suitable for one another, emphasizing that the man should not be much older than his wife, and that the woman should generally not be older than the man. 

He explored ways in which Muslims can approach one another in order to seek marriage, encouraging men to speak either indirectly through friends or even directly but in a halal way, starting from the beginning with the question “I am interested in you for marriage–if you are interested in me also, then I can speak to my parents and we can begin the process of approaching marriage–if you are not interested, then I will look elsewhere.”

Shaykh Aki told a beautiful story of a Sahabi named Julaybib whom Prophet (s) encouraged to marry, and who became engaged through Prophet’s (s) barakah to a woman.  Before they were able to be married Sayyidina Julaybib (ra) was killed at the battle of Uhud.  And although so many close Companions were killed there, Prophet (s) said “I miss Julaybib.”

For more information about Muslim Family Services, please visit www.muslimfamilyservices.org or call 313-366-6800.  MFS is located at 12346 McDougall, in Detroit.

11-24

Junior High School Year Done At Darul Arqam Southwest

The Darul Arqam Islamic School at Synott Road, Masjid Attaqwa in Sugar Land, completed its first year of Jr. High School 9th grade class. Due to the building space shortage, the management has decided to hold only the girl classes in Jr. High and High school until a new building is constructed. Pre-K, KG, Elementary and Middle School classes will not be affected by this decision as School starts 10th grade next year.

The school established a brand new Computer lab and a library this year and announced that the Science lab is ready to start this Fall. The first 9th grade class showed off expertise of the computers and made power point presentations of the class projects at the Saturday graduation ceremony. Graduation was well attended by the parents and well wishers of the students.

We Need A Secure South Asian Region: Together We Can Do It: Congresswoman Lee

Several community leaders and prominent personalities like the City of Houston Councilperson M. J. Khan; President of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) Dr. Aziz Siddiqi; President of the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) Khalid Khan; Dr. Asaf Qadeer; Dr. Mubashir Chaudhry; and many others; joined Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at her Houston Downtown Office this past Sunday, to affirm their resolve to assist those affected by the unstable situation in Northwest Pakistan.

“We must come together as a community to secure safety in the region:” Said Congresswoman Jackson Lee.

Hon. Lee requested that everyone join the efforts to solicit assistance for Pakistan by texting the word “SWAT” to the number 20222 and this way $5 will be contributed to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who are providing tents, clothing, food and medicines to hundreds of thousands of affected people.

The U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that about 80% of previously displaced and newly displaced populations are residing outside camps. One can visit: www.Reliefweb.Int

Zain Bhikha Enthralled 600+ People: $70,000 Raised By Helping Hand

The World Fame Inspirational Nasheed Presenter from South Africa Zain Bhikha was at Westchase Houston Hotel this past Saturday. His outstanding performance mesmerized more than 600 persons, who had gathered there. They included President of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) Dr. Aziz Siddiqi. The City of Houston Councilperson M. J. Khan gave Honorary Citizenship Proclamation to Zain Bhikha.

Volunteer Security persons of Crescent Arts provided the necessary services, while the attendees in large numbers purchased the CDs and then have them signed by Zain Bhikha.

Earlier everyone went through half an hour hilarious time with Baba Ali: No one wanted him to stop, but then Mughrib Prayers timing came. Later on local Chapter of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and Helping Hand made PowerPoint and DVD presentations and funds were raised for Worldwide Orphan Support Program of Helping Hand and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan. About $70,000 were raised.

For more information, one can call 832-275-0786 or visit www.HelpingHandOnline.Org