The Adams Compassionate Healthcare Network, a nonprofit arm of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, opened a new clinic June 8 with an inaugural ceremony at the ADAMS Sully Center.The clinic is aimed at providing medical services to low income groups.
An interfaith team of volunteer doctors and other medical professionals donate their services Saturdays at the clinic, which ADAMS officials describe as “the first Muslim-organized initiative in Virginia that seeks to meet the comprehensive health-care needs of all qualifying, low-income individuals.†Organizers said the clinic is the first of what they hope becomes a network of free clinics across Virginia and, eventually, in other states.
Sarah Rahman receives Solon Women’s Club scholarship
SOLON,OH–The Solon Women’s Club awarded one of its two $1000 scholarships to Sarah Rahman for her dedication to improving the community through volunteer service.
Among Rahman’s achievements, she created a Muslim youth group and a Music for Society group, celebrated accomplishments with Speech and Debate, National Honor Society, Future Problem Solving, LifeSmarts and Mock Trial and acted as the captain of the bowling team. In addition, she took 14 AP tests and achieved a perfect SAT score. Richman has also worked hard throughout her high school career, volunteering at the Hospice of the Western Reserve for seven years, and also acting as the Vice President of the Council for Exceptional Children, among other volunteer endeavors.
SimplyTapp Adds Mohammad Khan to Board of Directors
SimplyTapp, a provider of Host Card Emulation (HCE) solutions for mobile payments, today announced that Mohammad Khan has been named to its Board of Directors. As a visionary leader of mobile payments and with more than 30 years of experience in growing the payments industry, Khan brings unprecedented experience, knowledge and insight to SimplyTapp.
“The addition of Khan to our board is tremendous. His ideas over the last decade have revolutionized the payment card industry and have enhanced the shopping experience through mobile for millions of card holders in markets across the globe. His vision of using contactless technology for card payments was a fundamental building block to where the industry stands today,†said Doug Yeager, CEO of SimplyTapp.
“Khan’s unparalleled understanding of the payments ecosystem will be a great asset to SimplyTapp as we take the next evolutionary step into mobile by making digital issuance, storage and distribution painless, cost effective and scalable for card issuers.â€
Mohammad Khan co-founded ViVOtech in 2001, the early leader in contactless and Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payments. As its President and Board Member, Khan paved the road for mobile payments by shipping more than one million NFC point of sale (POS) terminals to a wide variety of brand name merchants around the world. Khan and the team also ran multiple successful field trials globally for mobile payments, offers, and loyalty programs confirming to the industry that consumers liked using their mobile devices to shop, save and pay at physical stores. Prior to ViVotech, Khan worked at VeriFone for 15 years joining in its infancy days, and contributed in making magnetic stripe and smart cards to be the leading payment medias for the industry globally.
Milwaukee museum focuses on Muslim dress
The Milwaukee Public Museum’s new exhibit focuses on the dress of Muslim women from the area.
It features 30 traditional outfits as well as special occasion and day-to-day items like table sets and jewelry.
It’s called “Beyond the Veil†and is a joint project between the museum and Muslim Women’s Research and Resource Institute. It aims to expand public knowledge concerning the significance of cultural clothing beyond stereotypes.
The museum says the exhibit also illustrates how women from different generations continue to recreate and adapt elements of their cultural dress.
It runs through September 1 and is free with museum admission.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Noam Chomsky, whom I interviewed last Thursday at his office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has influenced intellectuals in the United States and abroad in incalculable ways. His explications of empire, mass propaganda, the hypocrisy and pliability of the liberal class and the failings of academics, as well as the way language is used as a mask by the power elite to prevent us from seeing reality, make him the most important intellectual in the country. The force of his intellect, which is combined with a ferocious independence, terrifies the corporate state—which is why the commercial media and much of the academic establishment treat him as a pariah. He is the Socrates of our time.
We live in a bleak moment in human history. And Chomsky begins from this reality. He quoted the late Ernst Mayr, a leading evolutionary biologist of the 20th century who argued that we probably will never encounter intelligent extraterrestrials because higher life forms render themselves extinct in a relatively short time.
“Mayr argued that the adaptive value of what is called ‘higher intelligence’ is very low,†Chomsky said. “Beetles and bacteria are much more adaptive than humans. We will find out if it is better to be smart than stupid. We may be a biological error, using the 100,000 years which Mayr gives [as] the life expectancy of a species to destroy ourselves and many other life forms on the planet.†Climate change “may doom us all, and not in the distant future,†Chomsky said. “It may overwhelm everything. This is the first time in human history that we have the capacity to destroy the conditions for decent survival. It is already happening. Look at species destruction. It is estimated to be at about the level of 65 million years ago when an asteroid hit the earth, ended the period of the dinosaurs and wiped out a huge number of species. It is the same level today. And we are the asteroid. If anyone could see us from outer space they would be astonished. There are sectors of the global population trying to impede the global catastrophe. There are other sectors trying to accelerate it. Take a look at whom they are. Those who are trying to impede it are the ones we call backward, indigenous populations—the First Nations in Canada, the aboriginals in Australia, the tribal people in India. Who is accelerating it? The most privileged, so-called advanced, educated populations of the world.â€
If Mayr was right, we are at the tail end of a binge, accelerated by the Industrial Revolution, that is about to drive us over a cliff environmentally and economically. A looming breakdown, in Chomsky’s eyes, offers us opportunity as well as danger. He has warned repeatedly that if we are to adapt and survive we must overthrow the corporate power elite through mass movements and return power to autonomous collectives that are focused on sustaining communities rather than exploiting them. Appealing to the established institutions and mechanisms of power will not work. “We can draw many very good lessons from the early period of the Industrial Revolution,†he said. “The Industrial Revolution took off right around here in eastern Massachusetts in the mid-19th century. This was a period when independent farmers were being driven into the industrial system. Men and women—women left the farms to be ‘factory girls’—bitterly resented it. This was also a period of a very free press, the freest in the history of the country. There were a wide variety of journals. When you read them they are pretty fascinating. The people driven into the industrial system regarded it as an attack on their personal dignity, on their rights as human beings. They were free human beings being forced into what they called ‘wage labor,’ which they regarded as not very different from chattel slavery. In fact this was such a popular mood it was a slogan of the Republican Party—‘The only difference between working for a wage and being a slave is that working for the wage is supposed to be temporary.’ â€
Chomsky said this shift, which forced agrarian workers off the land into the factories in urban centers, was accompanied by a destruction of culture. Laborers, he said, had once been part of the “high culture of the day.â€
“I remember this as late as the 1930s with my own family,†he said. “This was being taken away from us. We were being forced to become something like slaves. They argued that if you were a journeyman, a craftsman, and you sell a product that you produce, then as a wage earner what you are doing is selling yourself. And this was deeply offensive. They condemned what they called ‘the new spirit of the age,’ ‘gaining wealth and forgetting all but self.’ This sounds familiar.â€
It is this radical consciousness, which took root in the mid-19th century among farmers and many factory workers, that Chomsky says we must recover if we are to move forward as a society and a civilization. In the late 19th century farmers, especially in the Midwest, freed themselves from the bankers and capital markets by forming their own banks and co-operatives. They understood the danger of falling victim to a vicious debt peonage run by the capitalist class. The radical farmers made alliances with the Knights of Labor, which believed that those who worked in the mills should own them.
“By the 1890s workers were taking over towns and running them in eastern and western Pennsylvania, such as Homestead,†Chomsky said. “But they were crushed by force. It took some time. The final blow was Woodrow Wilson’s Red Scare.â€
“The idea should still be that of the Knights of Labor,†he said. “Those who work in the mills should own them. There is plenty of manufacturing going on. There will be more. Energy prices are going down in the United States because of the massive exploitation of fossil fuels, which is going to destroy our grandchildren. But under the capitalist morality the calculus is profits tomorrow outweigh the existence of your grandchildren. We are getting lower energy prices. They [business leaders] are enthusiastic that we can undercut manufacturing in Europe because we have lower energy prices. And we can undermine European efforts at developing sustainable energy.â€
Chomsky hopes that those who work in the service industry and in manufacturing can organize to begin to take control of their workplaces. He notes that in the Rust Belt, including in states such as Ohio, there is a growth of worker-owned enterprises.
The rise of powerful populist movements in the early 20th century meant that the business class could no longer keep workers subjugated purely through violence. Business interests had to build systems of mass propaganda to control opinions and attitudes. The rise of the public relations industry, initiated by President Wilson’s Committee on Public Information to instill a pro-war sentiment in the population, ushered in an era of not only permanent war but also permanent propaganda. Consumption was instilled as an inner compulsion. The cult of the self became paramount. And opinions and attitudes, as they are today, were crafted and shaped by the centers of power.
“A pacifist population was driven to become war-mongering fanatics,†Chomsky said. “It was this experience that led the power elite to discover that through effective propaganda they could, as Walter Lippmann wrote, employ “a new art in democracy, manufacturing consent.’ â€
Democracy was eviscerated. Citizens became spectators rather than participants in power. The few intellectuals, including Randolph Bourne, who maintained their independence and who refused to serve the power elite were pushed out of the mainstream, as Chomsky has been.
“Most of the intellectuals on all sides were passionately dedicated to the national cause,†Chomsky said of the First World War. “There were only a few fringe dissenters. Bertrand Russell went to jail. Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were killed. Randolph Bourne was marginalized. Eugene Debs was in jail. They dared to question the magnificence of the war.â€
This war hysteria has never ceased, moving seamlessly from a fear of the German Hun to a fear of communists to a fear of Islamic jihadists and terrorists.
“The public is frightened into believing we have to defend ourselves,†Chomsky said. “This is not entirely false. The military system generates forces that will be harmful to us. Take Obama’s terrorist drone campaign, the biggest terrorist campaign in history. This program generates potential terrorists faster than it destroys suspects. You can see it now in Iraq. Go back to the Nuremburg judgments. Aggression was defined as the supreme international crime. It differed from other war crimes in that it encompasses all the evil that follows. The U.S. and British invasion of Iraq is a textbook case of aggression. By the standards of Nuremberg they [the British and U.S. leaders] would all be hanged. And one of the crimes they committed was to ignite the Sunni and Shiite conflict.â€
The conflict, which is now enflaming the region, is “a U.S. crime if we believe the validity of the judgments against the Nazis. Robert Jackson, the chief prosecutor at the [Nuremberg] tribunal, addressed the tribunal. He pointed out that we were giving these defendants a poisoned chalice. He said that if we ever sipped from it we had to be treated the same way or else the whole thing is a farce.â€
Today’s elite schools and universities inculcate into their students the worldview endorsed by the power elite. They train students to be deferential to authority. Chomsky calls education at most of these schools, including Harvard, a few blocks away from MIT, “a deep indoctrination system.â€
“There is the understanding that there are certain things you do not say and do not think,†Chomsky said. “This is very broad among the educated classes. It is why they overwhelmingly support state power and state violence, with some qualifications. Obama is regarded as a critic of the invasion of Iraq. Why? Because he thought it was a strategic blunder. That puts him on the same moral level as a Nazi general who thought the second front was a strategic blunder. That’s what we call criticism.â€
And yet, Chomsky does not discount a resurgent populism.
“In the 1920s the labor movement had been practically destroyed,†he said. “This had been a very militant labor movement. In the 1930s it changed, and it changed because of popular activism. There were circumstances [the Great Depression] that led to the opportunity to do something. We are living with that constantly. Take the last 30 years. For a majority of the population it has been stagnation or worse. It is not the deep Depression, but it is a semi-permanent depression for most of the population. There is plenty of kindling out there that can be lighted.â€
Chomsky believes that the propaganda used to manufacture consent, even in the age of digital media, is losing its effectiveness as our reality bears less and less resemblance to the portrayal of reality by the organs of mass media. While state propaganda can still “drive the population into terror and fear and war hysteria, as we saw before the invasion of Iraq,†it is failing to maintain an unquestioned faith in the systems of power. Chomsky credits the Occupy movement, which he describes as a tactic, with “lighting a spark†and, most important, “breaking through the atomization of society.â€
“There are all sorts of efforts to separate people from one another,†he said. “The ideal social unit [in the world of state propagandists] is you and your television screen. The Occupy actions brought that down for a large part of the population. People recognized that we could get together and do things for ourselves. We can have a common kitchen. We can have a place for public discourse. We can form our ideas. We can do something. This is an important attack on the core of the means by which the public is controlled. You are not just an individual trying to maximize consumption. You find there are other concerns in life. If those attitudes and associations can be sustained and move in new directions, that will be important.â€
Union City (Calif.)–This well-known Swiss (citizen) scholar was born in Europe in 1962 of Egyptian refugees. His grandfather was the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and his great-uncle was a progressive reformer of Islam.
He is, also, a recent political cause celebre here in America for his long fight to successfully gain a visa into the United States. The whole unpleasant episode appears to have been due to institutionalized Islamophobia within the (U.S.) State Department. Tariq was not only persona non grata in America, but, also, was so in (pre-democratic) Tunisia and Libya, and still is in (post-coup) Egypt along with the current regimes in Saudi Arabia and Syria due to their contempt for human rights.
Ramadan is a Professor of Islam (within the study of Theology) at Oxford University in the United Kingdom and, also, lectures widely. Most importantly he believes that Islam must adapt uniquely in the West while still holding onto its basic tenets. He is a deeply religious personally which is, moreover, expressed within his writings.
Tariq Ramadan came to speak to an American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) funding banquet here in the San Francisco Bay Area. He expounded upon that occupied nation.
He began his comments with Palestine “…is central and critical,†and its plight connects our lives here in the Occident to theirs in the Middle East, and, further, to the rest of the world. He emphasized that we residing in the United States have special responsibilities to that (denied) nationality (because of our irrational support of the Jewish State).
Speaking of himself and his audience, “We here must promote [recognition] of what is wrong [there] and to oppose it!†This should form the basis of our actions and reactions to injustices in that part of the Levant. “Pray to Allah and be courageous,†for “Our religion teaches [us] to stand [up] for life.†Our Islamic message is “…to stand up for Allah [SVT]!†You are “…not in America by accident!†Speaking to the largely Muslim audience, he urged them to be aware of what has been happening in that benighted land.
“It is the Arabs [regimes] who are repressing the Palestinians, [too]–†along with the Israelis. [Furthermore,] the Americans are “merely†the enablers of this outrage.
Egypt, again, is under a dictatorship. The Israelis are acting upon their (own) interests, but we “have to criticize the [Arabs],†too. Furthermore, the American citizenry are repressing Palestine.
“The Israelis are making a two-State solution impossible!â€
What you cannot say directly, you can say with your pocket book. You must, further, keep talking about the atrocities within the Holy Land in North America of where you currently reside as Muslims.
“We [Muslims] are powerful†Although we are powerful, “The psychological greatness of [our] civilization resides more in its thinking than in its power.†and our history demonstrates the depth of our thought.
“You are on the side of justice… [and]…You are powerful…[because] you are lucky [enough] to be in America.â€
“Support for Israel is fading…We have to [influence] your [U.S] media [to be more] supportive of Palestine…It is not only for the Muslims, but for all the people†here and there. “Islamic lands and Muslims here are not against the Western nations.â€
Israel is putting the United States of America in a bad position. We “should [join and] support the discourse.†American Muslims must help dismantle Settler Colonialism in the Palestinian parts of the Fertile Crescent. We must support the resistance that is happening on the ground between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. By its de-humanization of the Palestinians, the Israelis are encouraging a culture of death.
You “As American Muslim…have to resist.†You cannot be content when anyone is murdered because he is human. “We have to resist any type of de-humanization.â€
We (you) have to connect with Afro-American Muslims as well (to shore up your strength and unity with their oppression). Although there has developed a societal fear against us after 9/11, “Be Faithful…Trust Allah!†Speak about love. “We came here with a mission….Wake up to serve Allah in life:†To serve America and Palestine — even though I (he) had been banned from your country, and, in my (his)country of employment, Britain, anti-Sharia Bills are being debated in Parliament.
“It is important that we… go beyond Islam…we have to have people with us who are not Muslim…You need [have] to remember Allah†within the new context of the world!
“We have to support Palestine, and change the United States, and “ Never forget the oppressed: Never be far from them…Ask Allah to help the oppressed: Be close to the poor; close to Allah…We have to be close to Allah in the U.S.A†especially!
Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, argued that the only truths in a newspaper are to be found in its advertisements. I wonder how the great man, who lived and died nearly two centuries ago, would have viewed journalism and journalists of our times with their paid news and sponsored views.
We have a surfeit of news, information and opinion everywhere today live as we do in the age of communication. With the latest computers and tablets and ubiquitous mobile phones now being within the reach of just about everyone, there has been an unprecedented explosion of information. Statistics and facts are at everyone’s fingertips. Truth, however, remains in short supply.
Thomas L Friedman, the old Middle East hand of the New York Times and its most followed columnist, had been one of the most passionate champions of George W Bush’s mission to “liberate†the Middle East. Short of ‘embedding’ and triumphantly driving into Baghdad atop a US tank, Friedman did everything to cheer for the US-Western invasion of Iraq.
He led the brigade of influential Western journalists and opinion makers who, using the power and political clout at their disposal, helped the Neocons build the case for war on a country already down and out after years of Western sanctions.
From possessing weapons of mass destruction to planning 9/11 attacks, Saddam Hussain had been accused of virtually every plausible crime in Western lexicon. And from promoting freedom and democracy to standing up for Iraq’s long persecuted multitudes, what epic lies hadn’t been invented and fed to global public opinion?
It was journalists and intellectuals like Friedman who provided the fig leaves of excuses and justifications to the coalition of the willing, paving the way for the war that has claimed more than a million lives.
Iraq, one of the richest and oldest countries in the world, has been decimated beyond recognition. Not to mention the other inestimable costs the country and the region at large have paid in terms of political and economic strife, extremism and sectarian warfare that now threatens to consume the whole of Middle East.
It has been 11 years since the Iraq invasion and all the lies spread as part of the new American century project have been exposed for what they are — plain, white, barefaced lies. Yet one hasn’t heard a single word of remorse or by way of apology from Bush and Blair or their apologists and spin-meisters like Friedman.
Indeed, far from being repentant, Blair is pitching for more Iraq-like adventures across the Muslim world. That pretense of promoting democracy and freedom is dispensed with too. I haven’t come across anything remotely resembling an apology or admission of guilt from Friedman either. In his latest piece titled, The real war of ideas (New York Times, June 10) he blames everyone but the empire for the mind-numbing mess that is today’s Iraq.
Friedman bemoans the loss of Iraq’s famous Marshes, Kurdistan’s depleting forest cover and oak and loss of Megafauna that threatens species like Persian leopard. Talking of a ‘real war of ideas’ between the religious extremists and committed environmentalists (“the only one worth taking sidesâ€), he voices grave concern over the ecological disaster that threatens Iraq.
“If the extremists win — and right now they are winning — this region will become a human and ecological disaster zone. If the environmentalists win, it will be because enough people realize that if they don’t learn to share this space, either they will destroy each other or Mother Nature will soon destroy them all,†Friedman postulates.
This profound concern for Iraq and its environment is touching. But how did the fabled land of Euphrates and Tigris, end up here?
It was on the bank of river Tigris that the idea of agriculture and human civilization as we know it was born some 7,000 years ago. Today, in the words of Christian Science Monitor, “it is dammed, dirty and drained by war.†Much like the rest of the country.
Surely, what Iraq confronts is nothing short of an environment disaster. But it is nothing compared to the catastrophe and general breakdown and misery the country faces on all fronts. More than a decade after Bush declared ‘Mission Accomplished,’ Iraq remains a virtual battle zone.
There is no peace, no security and no law and order anywhere, let alone the much promised democracy and freedom. Year 2014 has been the deadliest so far in terms of loss of life. Iraq continues to bleed, day after day, from a million wounds.
In a keynote speech on the Middle East in April, Blair virtually declared an all-out war on Islam describing the Muslim world as a “vast unfathomable mess with no end in sight and no one worthy of our support.†(The choice of words reminds one of Friedman!)
It had easily been the most vitriolic and damning speech by a Western politician in a long time. Yet it was largely missed and ignored by its targeted victims. Admonishing a “wilfully blind West†for its increasing reluctance to “engage the Middle Eastâ€(read, “bomb the Middle East,†in Steven Poole’s words), the former Labor PM urged it to “take sides†and join hands with Russia and China to build a common front against “Islamic extremism†(read Islam).
“It still represents the biggest threat to global security in the 21st century,†he declared. “The threat of this radical Islam is not abating. It is growing. It is spreading across the world. It is destabilizing communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalization. And in the face of this threat we seem curiously reluctant to acknowledge it and powerless to counter it effectively.â€
And this is the man tasked with promoting peace in the Middle East by the UN and world powers!
Imagine a Muslim leader fulminating thus against Western civilization or calling for a global front to fight Christianity or Zionism. There would have been blood and all hell would have been broken loose. Notwithstanding all the wars and destruction visited by Western powers on humanity, not to mention the recent ones in the Middle East.
Who invaded, pillaged and colonized nearly the whole world in the past few centuries? Not Muslims. Who nuked and killed millions and millions of people in the last century alone? Not Muslims again. Who polices the globe and runs military bases in virtually every part of the planet? Not us.
Yet no one in the West, except for some liberals, bothered to censure Blair’s rants against Islam and Muslims. There had been few protesting voices in the Muslim world either. No wonder the Blairs of this world get away with murder, again and again.
Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi Army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants who have taken over Mosul and other Northern provinces, travel in army trucks in Baghdad June 14, 2014. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told army officers in the city of Samarra that volunteers were arriving to help defeat Islamist militants who have swept through Sunni Muslim territory towards Baghdad. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Already in the past week and a half, many assertions are becoming commonplace in the inside-the-Beltway echo chamber about Iraq’s current crisis that are poorly grounded in knowledge of the country. Here are some sudden truisms that should be rethought.
1. “The Sunni radicals of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are popular.†They are not. Opinion polling shows that most Iraqi Sunnis are secular-minded. The ISIS is brutal and fundamentalist. Where the Sunnis have rallied to it, it is because of severe discontents with their situation after the fall of the Baath Party in 2003 with the American invasion. The appearance of video showing ISIS massacring police (most of them Sunnis) in Tikrit will severely detract from such popularity as they enjoyed.
2. “ISIS fighters achieved victory after victory in the Sunni north.†While this assertion is true, and towns continue to fall to it, it is simplistic. The central government troops, many of them Shiite, in Mosul and in towns of the north, were unpopular because representatives of a sectarian Shiite regime. The populace of Mosul, including town quarters and clan groups (‘tribes’) on the city’s outskirts, appear to have risen up in conjunction with the ISIS advance, as Patrick Cockburn argues. It was a pluralist urban rebellion, with nationalists of a socialist bent (former Baathists) joining in. In some instances locals were suppressed by the fundamentalist guerrillas and there already have been instances of local Sunnis helping the Iraqi army reassert itself in Salahuddin Province and then celebrating the departure of ISIS.
3. “Iraqi troops were afraid to fight the radical Sunni guerrillas and so ran away.†While the troops did abandon their positions in Mosul and other towns, it isn’t clear why. There are reports that they were ordered to fall back. More important, if this was a popular uprising, then a few thousand troops were facing hundreds of thousands of angry urbanites and were in danger of being overwhelmed. In Afghanistan’s Mazar-i Sharif in 1997 when the Pashtun Taliban took this largely Tajik and Uzbek city, the local populace abided it af few days and then rose up and killed 8,000 Taliban, expelling them from the city. (A year later they returned and bloodily reasserted themselves). Troops cannot always assert themselves against the biopower of urban masses.
4. “The Sunni radicals are poised to move on Baghdad.†While ISIS as a guerrilla group could infiltrate parts of Baghdad and cause trouble, they would face severe difficulty in taking it. Baghdad was roughly 45% Sunni and 55% Shiite in 2003 when Bush invaded. But in the Civil War of 2006-7, the American military disarmed the Sunni groups first, giving Shiite militias a huge advantage. The latter used it to ethnically cleanse the capital of its Sunnis. The usually Sunni districts of the west of the city were depopulated. The mixed districts of the center became almost all Shiite. There simply isn’t much of a Sunni power base left in Baghdad and so that kind of take-over by acclaim would be very difficult to achieve in the capital. As Joshua Landis puts it, ISIS has picked a fight it cannot win.
5. “The US should intervene with air power against ISIS.†The Sunni radicals are not a conventional army. There are no lines for the US to bomb, few convoys or other obvious targets. To the extent that their advance is a series of urban revolts against the government of PM Nouri al-Maliki, the US would end up bombing ordinary city folk. The Sunnis already have resentments about the Bush administration backing for the Shiite parties after 2003, which produced purges of Sunnis from their jobs and massive unemployment in Sunni areas. For the US to be bombing Sunni towns all these years later on behalf of Mr. al-Maliki would be to invite terrorism against the US. ISIS is a bad actor, but it so far hasn’t behaved like an international terrorist group; it has been oriented to achieving strategic and tactical victories in Syria against the Baath government and the Shiite Alawis, and in Iraq against the Shiite Da’wa Party government. But it could easily morph into an anti-American international terrorist network. The US should avoid actions that would push it in that direction. So far the Baath regime in Syria is winning against the Sunni radicals. The Shiite majority in Iraq can’t easily be overwhelmed by them. Local actors can handle this crisis.
6. “US interests are threatened by the ISIS capture of Mosul.†It is difficult to see what precise interest the hawks are thinking of. Petroleum prices are slightly up because the pipeline from Kirkuk to Ceyhan in Turkey is closed. But it only does a few hundred thousand barrels a day on good days. Most oil in Iraq is produced in Basra in the Iraqi deep south, Shiite country where ISIS is unlikely to gain sway. And in any case high petroleum prices may be good for the US. More Americans should be using public transport, moving to the city from the suburbs, buying electric vehicles and electric plug-in hybrids and putting solar panels on their roofs to power their EVs. These steps are desirable to fight climate change and for economic health. Wars for oil are so 20th century.
7. “The US should be concerned about Iranian influence in Iraq.†The American hawks’ attitude toward Iran in Iraq has all along been comical. US viceroy Jerry Bremer used to warn against “foreign†influence in Iraq, making Middle Easterners fall down laughing. Shiite Iraqis and Shiite Iranians don’t always get along, but warning Iraq against Shiite Iranian influence is like warning Italy against Vatican influence. Iran has an interest in seeing radical Sunnis rolled back in Iraq, and if ISIS is in fact a danger to US interests, then the obvious thing for the US to do would be to improve relations with Iran and cooperate with Tehran in defeating the al-Qaeda affiliates in the region. In fact, this has been the obvious course since 2001, when president Mohammad Khatami of Iran staged pro-US candle light vigils throughout Iran after 9/11. Instead, Neocons like David Frum maneuvered the Bush administration into declaring Iran part of an imaginary Axis of Evil on behalf of right-wing Israeli interests. This stance has all along been illogical. The Obama administration is said to be considering consultations with Iran about Iraq. Even Bush did that at one point. It is only logical.
To most of us who belong to this fraternity, membership comes pretty easy, with no fees, in due course of time and almost always with plenty of anticipation but no preparation. Once within its fold, comes the gradual realization of the awesome and often demanding responsibilities that go along with fatherhood. Many of us learn on the job as we move forward. Some go through a few books and classes but for the most part loose it all when it comes time for reality checks. Those little leaguers are quite good at throwing curved balls at us and we realize soon enough that to stay in the game we have to think pretty fast on our feet. With time many of us will adopt our own modus operandi to survive. Some become playful playmates, others become authority figures while still others choose to disengage themselves, coil in a corner claiming more important responsibilities of the world and let motherhood take over and rule.
With kindergarten comes welcome relief. A free spirit is going to school, get educated and tamed. The audacity of hope! Then comes high school graduation, a moment of pride, followed by admission to college, a period of pain as the bills start arriving in tormenting regularity. They say with college comes freedom, the end of paternal responsibility, the kid is no longer a kid, is a grown up person. They lie. The rules of engagement change, the headaches increase, the heartaches grow. It is a new dawn, moving into the dorm, cramming a houseful into a roomful; boom box, books, bike and bed. Then it is our power of belief that sustains us. Faith in the unseen as they call it. Long distance fatherhood requires imagination and a lot of talk time. Reminders we make, to read more, watch grades and party less, rarely register. By now most of us have no clue as to what our pride and joy are studying. There are myriad courses to choose from and someone they call as their counselors and advisers have become their soul mates. We are left out to imagine and to believe. All we see are reports with some numbers and some alphabets. As college concludes, yesterday’s kids arrive at our doors as motivated citizens of today, ready to do battle against all the dragons and demons of a perceived evil society. Some are more earthly and grab the first job that comes their way and go on to become wage earners, to the delight and the relief of their aging dads. Others decide to study more with the promise of making more at some distant date in the future. While we had barely emerged from the poverty imposed by our kid’s undergraduate education, it is graduate education’s turn now to push us back on to the brinks of bankruptcy. Although we complain about our financial fatigue, yet secretly we are proud of our kids’ educational vigor in pursuing these demanding studies. Somewhere around this time fatherhood often makes acquaintance with matrimony. Wedding songs, videos, limousine and honeymoon mark the end of our fatherhood chores and hopefully the beginning of theirs fairly soon.
From the nervous initiates to the confident veterans, clearly the fraternity of fatherhood includes dads of all description. There are the super dads and the dead beat dads. There are the bio dads, the foster dads and the adoptive dads. There are the busy dads and the absent dads. There are the angry dads and the happy dads. There are the disconnected dads and the visiting dads. The fraternity embraces them all. On Fathers Day it recognizes them all and salutes them all.
Many of us are privileged to see our sons growing up to wear this mantle with grace and dignity , with wisdom and responsibility. Some of us are not so fortunate. Born and bred in a nation where family values are tossed and trashed, where marriage has been redefined by the politically tainted wisdom of five, where the incessant messaging of the media has clouded their power to reason and reflect, there are some of our young dads who are missing their mark. Perhaps intoxicated by the elixir of wealth and possessions, perhaps imprisoned in the captivating world of work and profession, fatherhood no longer seems to matter for them. A narcissistic society embraces them to a life of self indulgence liberating them from the somber chores of fatherhood. They forget to realize that they too are dads. They too have obligations, not just rights. The pain they leave behind when they neglect their important roles is far greater than the pleasures they can ever receive in the pursuit of their other endeavors. To those young dads struggling to find meaning and direction in their tormented lives, we offer some words of experience: you do not have to be perfect but present, not awesome but authentic. And yes the best answer to remember: “Go ask your momâ€, always wins.
There is another group of dads among us that sadly deserves a special mention too. While millions of us are feasted and fussed over by our sons and daughters this day and while millions of us can hug and kiss and hold them in our tight embrace, there are a few who will not experience this joy and this happiness today, nor ever more in the future. For they are the dads of those 4000 plus young men and women who served on the battlegrounds of Iraq and Afghanistan and gave the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of their country. Our hearts go out to them. No pain can ever be greater than the pain of losing a son or a daughter in the fullness of youth. No words of comfort can console, no embrace of love can ease, no expression of gratitude can relieve the hurt that they must feel and the sadness that they must endure.
This is not the place for us to debate the rights and wrongs of a war on terror whose goals have become so fuzzy and whose end so unclear. This is neither the place for us to question how much blood of our sons and daughters spilled can satisfy the thirst of our leaders for cheap oil. Neither is it the time to question our claims that we are winning this war when all we see is chaos and carnage, death and destruction in the wake of wherever we have been. No that will be for history to judge when the bloodshed will cease and the fires will burn down. Today we will say a silent prayer for those special fathers in our fraternity who quietly suffer a loss that can never be replaced and whose patriotism bars them from asking the questions that can never be answered. May Allah give them patience and provide them healing.
May Allah Bless our families too as we thank Him for the gift of our children.
JK
Azher Quader; President, Community Builders Council (CBC); www.cbc7.org
“A person has no legal obligation to voluntarily provide information or things requested by investigators.â€
By Karin Friedemann, TMO
Edward Hayden, defense attorney for Khairullozhon Matanov who is accused of lying to federal investigators about his ties to accused Boston Marathon bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, talks to reporters following Matanov’s arraignment in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts June 4, 2014. Kyrgyzstan citizen Matanov on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to federal investigators about his ties to the two ethnic Chechen men accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombing. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The trial for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s friend Azamat Tazhakakov is set for June 30 before Judge Douglas Woodlock. Defense attorney Nicholas Wooldridge has submitted a highly creative set of proposed jury instructions to the Court.
“Since the indictment is not evidence and since it does not purport to prove or even indicate evidence against the defendant, you are to give no weight whatsoever to it… Remember that those are merely accusations. What matters is the evidence, or lack thereof, that you heard in the trial,†begins the 54 page document explaining US law to jurors, who might be biased by the heavy handedness of the government or by the degrading media descriptions of the defendant.
Most of the instructions are worded quite generally. They define reasonable doubt, presumption of innocence, burden of proof and explain the role of the jury. The document advises the jury to question the credibility of the witnesses: “Does the witness have a relationship with the government or the defendant which may affect how he or she testified?… Even if the witness was impartial, you should consider whether the witness had an opportunity to observe the facts he or she testified about… In assessing the credibility of any witness, you should be aware that the law provides that a jury is free, based on a witness’s demeanor, to assume the truth of what he denies.â€
Furthermore, “In evaluating credibility of the witnesses, you should take into account any evidence that the witness who testified may benefit in some way from the outcome of this case… The fact that the prosecution is brought in the name of the United States of America entitles the government to no greater consideration than that accorded to any other party to a litigation.†The document warns against the misuse of summary evidence and defines stipulation of evidence. Then, upon its 15th point it starts to become very specific to Azamat’s case. “You have heard evidence that the defendant made statements in which the government claims he admitted certain facts. It is for you to decide (1) whether the defendant made the statement attributed to him by the government, and (2) if so, how much weight to give it… The jury should consider the age, training, education, occupation, and physical and mental condition of the defendant at the time the alleged statement was made, as well as his treatment while in custody or under interrogation as shown by all the evidence in the case.â€
“A person has no legal obligation to voluntarily provide information or things requested by investigators.â€
The document warns the jurors against guilt by association and advises them to question the reliability of Russian translations.
Then, it becomes very personal! The defense seems to be worried that Dias Kadrybayev’s girlfriend, who has already testified in front of a grand jury, will try to incriminate Azamat.
“You have heard the testimony of Bayan Kumiskali. She provided evidence under an immunity agreement with the government. Some people in this position are entirely truthful when testifying. Still, you should consider the testimony of this individual with particular caution given that she was given an agreement from the government not to be prosecuted for her role in the alleged conduct. They may have had reason to make up stories or exaggerate what others did because they wanted to help themselves.â€
“Obviously, it is much more pleasant to be a witness than a defendant and the law requires that you scrupulously examine the cooperating witness’ motives in persuading the government to accept him as a witness rather than prosecute him at trial.â€
It advises the jury to make sure they are charging the right person and to take into consideration the witness’ state of mind.
“The testimony of a witness who was using drugs at the time of the events he is testifying about, or who is using drugs, or is an addict, at the time of his testimony may be less believable because of the effect the drugs may have on his ability to perceive or relate the events in question.â€
“You should judge the testimony of Defendant in the same manner as you judge the testimony of other witnesses in this case… The fact that a witness may be employed by the federal government as a law enforcement official does not mean that his testimony is necessarily deserving of more or less consideration or greater or lesser weight than that of an ordinary witness,†the document reads.
The jury is told that they are free to reject the testimony of an expert witness.
The instructions define conspiracy very carefully as “an agreement or understanding between two or more persons that they will commit an unlawful act.†The government must prove not only that the defendant disposed of or destroyed something but that he planned to obstruct justice. The jury cannot declare him guilty unless they all agree that the defendant knowingly and willfully committed an unlawful action, and they must all agree on which action and how said action was unlawful.
Whether or not Judge Woodlock will require the jury to read these instructions, this proposal from Attorney Nicholas Wooldridge makes public the defense position, which has largely been muzzled and overwhelmed by media reports on the indictment.
Dias and Azamat, who up until now had been sharing a cell, have now been separated because they requested separate trials.
DUBAI, June 16 (Reuters) – For years, the rich oil states of the Gulf have struggled to insulate themselves from political turbulence in the rest of their volatile region. Markets’ reaction to the insurgency in Iraq suggest they may finally have succeeded.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait face the potential disintegration of a country on their borders. At the very least, the turmoil in Iraq looks set to widen the Sunni-Shi’ite divide which has poisoned politics across the region.
But in contrast to past episodes of instability in the Middle East, the Gulf’s financial markets are mostly reacting calmly. Foreign investors have continued to plow hundreds of millions of dollars into Gulf bonds. There have been no signs of pressure on Gulf currencies’ pegs to the U.S. dollar.
Stock markets have dropped, but traders largely see that as a natural adjustment after big gains earlier this year, not a panicked response to geopolitical risk. The calm reflects the Gulf’s progress in building up its financial resources on the back of high oil prices as a defense against regional instability, as well as its success in containing domestic political fallout from the Arab Spring uprisings over the past three years, economists and fund managers said.
“I think people now see the Gulf as well insulated from the politics around it,†said Jason Tuvey, Middle East economist at Capital Economics, a London-based consultancy. He added that apart from Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, which has seen some low-level unrest among its Shi’ite minority, it was difficult to see how events in Iraq could have any direct impact on Gulf states. If there is any impact, governments have the monetary and security resources to deal with it, he added.
GEOPOLITICS
The region has been buffeted by a string of geopolitical shocks since early 2011, when revolutions in Egypt and other Arab states briefly raised the possibility of similar unrest within the Gulf.
Five-year Saudi Arabian credit default swaps – which insure against the risk of a Saudi sovereign debt default, and are therefore an indicator of foreign investors’ jitters about the Gulf – shot up to a peak of 140 basis points in February 2011.
They rocketed back to that level in early 2012, as international tensions over Iran’s nuclear program rose. A smaller spike occurred in August 2013, as the United States threatened to bomb Damascus over the use of chemical weapons.
This month, however, CDS have stayed low, sliding to 37 bps last week, the lowest level since early 2013. The Saudi riyal forwards market, which shot up during the Arab Spring to show expectations for riyal depreciation, has barely moved.
In another vote of confidence in the Gulf, United Arab Emirates telecommunications operator Etisalat sold $4.3 billion worth of bonds last Wednesday in the region’s biggest corporate bond issue ever.
The sale, a day after the Iraqi insurgents seized the major city of Mosul, attracted massive demand from European fund managers in particular and set a record for the cheapest pricing of any Gulf bond relative to mid-swaps, bankers said.
Shakeel Sarwar, head of asset management at Bahrain’s Securities & Investment Co, a major fund manager, said the markets recognized that the six Gulf Cooperation Council economies could function smoothly next to an unstable Iraq.
“Unless the contagion spreads to the entire region and it becomes a serious conflict, the probability of which is quite low at present, I don’t think that a contained conflict limited to Iraq is going to negatively impact the GCC economies,†he said.
SPENDING
One reason for the growing confidence in the Gulf is that three years of high global oil prices have allowed most governments to build up their financial reserves, leaving them in better shape to cope with any political or economic shocks.
Saudi Arabia’s net foreign reserves, for example, have ballooned by over a third since 2011 to $730 billion – enough to finance several years of state spending at current levels even if oil revenues plunged tomorrow.
Also, in contrast to Iraq, GCC governments have over the past three years shown they can spend their oil money effectively to maintain social peace. Riyadh has directed tens of billions of dollars towards social benefits, new housing and new jobs to avert any pro-democracy unrest.
Compared to three years ago, “governments are better prepared to confront the sectarian threat, the fiscal reserves they have to do this with are bigger, and macroeconomic conditions are better,†said Raza Agha, chief economist for the Middle East and Africa at VTB Capital in London.
He noted that since the Arab Spring, the GCC states had also developed a mutual support mechanism, with the richest governments – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar – pledging $10 billion each to the less wealthy ones to fund economic and social welfare projects.
If Iraq’s sectarian confrontation sucks in Iran on the Shi’ite side, the Sunni monarchies of the Gulf could conceivably drift towards a conflict that damages their economies and endangers their security. This would have a major effect on financial markets.
Even then, however, the financial position of the Gulf states could become stronger in some ways, as higher oil prices boosted their revenues.
Iraq has been producing around 3.5 million barrels of oil per day; if that were lost because of fighting, much of it would probably be replaced by Saudi Arabia’s almost 3 million bpd of spare capacity, raising its revenues substantially, Tuvey said. (Additional reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Giles Elgood)
A poster advertising for the search of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is pasted on a wall in Baga village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, in the north-eastern state of Borno May 13, 2013. REUTERS/Tim Cocks
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) joined the Los Angeles interfaith community last week at Los Angeles’ Wilshire Boulevard Temple to pray for the return of 300 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped this past April by Boko Haram. The well attended event was sponsored in the Temple by American Jewish World Service (AMJS) and included Muslim, Christian, and Jewish participation.
Prayers, songs, the spoken word, and speeches were all part of the evening’s moving presentation.
The event was at once a vigil, a prayer offering, a show of unity, and a call to action to end gender based violence and to encourage the United States Congress to pass the International Violence against Women Act (IVAWA). After the program petitions and postcards addressed to legislators were available for attendees to sign demanding this action. The event began with the blowing of the Shofar simultaneously with a performance on the Djembe. The former is a horn, usually a ram’s horn, used in traditional Jewish services and of ancient origin. The latter is a large drum originally from West Africa. Often it is used to tell an emotional story and, because of its size, is usually heard above other instruments in an ensemble.
Rabbi Beau Shapiro of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple welcomed the audience. He spoke of the religious and civic diversity of Los Angles, second only nationwide to Brooklyn. “We are here to show we are not indifferentâ€.
Edina Lekovic, Director of Policy and Programming at the Muslim Public Affairs Council, gave a moving address to the audience. She referenced her own current pregnancy and the fact that she knew she would give birth to a girl, making the plight of the Nigerian school girls all the more poignant to her and, by extension, her audience. She said that we want easy answers, answers that focus on one group. The very act of education is a threat to extremists.
“My heart is broken over the Nigerian girlsâ€.
Ms Lekovic continued by saying that she read about the Taliban and how they throw the name of God around. The literacy rate for girls is 25% and for boys it is not much higher – 30%. Ms Lekovic reminded the audience that the first word of the Koran is “readâ€.
“We are here to push back against hatredâ€.
Ms Lekovic has been a speaker at hundreds of national and international conferences. She is Adjunct Professor at Bayan Claremont, a part of Claremont Lincoln University, where she teaches Religious and Spiritual Leadership in A Muslim Context.
Following Ms Lekovic, Marium Mohiuddin took the podium. Ms Mohiuddin was formerly affiliated with MPAC and is presently co Chair of the Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiatives (AFPI).
Boko Haram, she said, is distorting Islam. The Koran addresses and asserts the equality of men and women. Girls in Nigeria are warriors – they choose to go to school. Boko Haram, Ms Mohiuddin continued, is afraid of them. We are not dealing with a Muslim or Christian issue. We are dealing with a humanitarian issue.
Other speakers included Allison Lee, of AJWS. Ms Lee said that abuse of women goes on. We have not forgotten the schoolgirls in Nigeria – nor others whose names we do not know but whose suffering is real. She urged the passage of the IVAWA.
Craig Tulman of the Pico Union Project offered a prayer spoken against a musical background.
Rabbi Susan Goldberg said that she had just returned from a conference in London, a conference that dealt with violence against women. She asked for a prayer for healing in this temple.
Pastor Bright Meritighan of Rhema House said he was from Nigeria. What, he asked rhetorically, if one of his daughters had been kidnapped.
“This madness does not come from religionâ€.
“What a beautiful event. I am sorry it is over.†said one young woman in the audience when the event concluded.
As the evening ended many who were in the audience continued to talk about the presentation as they congregated in the outer halls and immediately outside the temple. The presentation had a deep impact on the audience.
Sponsors of the event included, but are not limited to: the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); University of Southern California (USC) Office of Religious Life; Rhema House; Pico Union Project; Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center; Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiative; the Association of Black Women Physicians, and Walker A. M. E. Church.
U.S. television and radio personality Casey Kasem appears on the “American Top 40 Live†show in Los Angeles in this April 24, 2005 file photo. REUTERS/Lee Celano/Files
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Casey Kasem, the U.S. radio personality who counted down pop music hits on his popular weekly radio show and also lent his distinctive voice to hippie sleuth Shaggy in the “Scooby Doo†cartoons, died on Sunday. He was 82.
“Early this Father’s Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends,†his daughter, Kerri Kasem, said in a statement posted online. “Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken.â€
Kasem, whose final years were marked by dementia, had been the focus of a dispute between his three children from his first marriage and his second wife, Jean Kasem. They said she had prevented them from visiting him as he suffered from Lewy body dementia, a malady with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.
As his health deteriorated, a Los Angeles judge sided with the adult children and permitted them to withhold food, hydration and his usual medication as they chose comfort-oriented, end-of-life care at a Washington state hospital.
‘REACHING FOR THE STARS’
“Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars,†Kasem, a Detroit-born Lebanese-American, told millions of listeners at the end of his invariably cheery weekly radio program, which ran from 1970 to 2009.
On his syndicated show, Kasem counted down the 40 most popular songs of the week in order, finishing with the No. 1 song. Before each song, Kasem told an upbeat anecdote about the singer’s road to success and read letters from listeners.
At its peak, Kasem’s American Top 40 show was heard on more than 1,000 stations in about 50 countries. “I accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. That is the timeless thing,†Kasem told the New York Times in 1990. There was an immediate outpouring on Twitter from both fans and celebrities. “We’ve lost a music industry icon. Chngd the industry w/AT40 Cntdwn. RIP Casey Kasem,†said singer and actress Marie Osmond.
Motley Crue base player Nikki Sixx said, “RIP Casey Kasem who inspired all of us in radio & turned millions of people onto music. Sending love to Kerri Kasem, family and friends.â€
Television personality Carson Daly passed along his condolences over Twitter.
“Long before MTV and the internet, Casey Kasem made sure you were hearing the best music out there. Peace be to his family and RIP,†he tweeted.
Ryan Seacrest, who now hosts American Top 40, said it was a sad day for the broadcasting community and for radio listeners around the world. “He’ll be greatly missed by all of us,†Seacrest said in a statement on his website.
‘GUY NEXT DOOR’
Kasem was famed for his unmistakable tenor voice – also heard on thousands of commercials and television announcements.
“It’s a natural quality of huskiness in the midrange of my voice that I call ‘garbage,’†he told the Times. “It’s not a clear-toned announcer’s voice. It’s more like the voice of the guy next door.â€
For four decades starting in 1969, he provided the voice of Shaggy – the perpetually hungry, easily frightened, mystery-solving human pal of a Great Dane in the TV cartoon series “Scooby Doo, Where Are You!†and its various other incarnations.
“Zoinks! C’mon, Scoob!†Kasem’s Shaggy would exclaim as a mummy, zombie, snow beast or swamp monster would chase him, Scooby and fellow youthful sleuths Fred, Velma and Daphne.
He was born in Detroit as Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932, the son of a Lebanese Druze grocer. He gained broadcast experience covering sports for his high school’s radio club.
The diminutive Kasem – 5 feet, 6 1/2 inches tall (1.68 meters) – was drafted to serve in the U.S. military in 1952 and was sent to the Korean War, working as a disc jockey on U.S. armed forces radio.
In 1970, along with childhood friend Don Bustany, Kasem came up with the idea of a radio show counting down the top pop hits of the week based on the earlier successful “Your Hit Parade†program. His show debuted on July 4, 1970, as “American Top 40â€.
Kasem had three children with his first wife, Linda Myers, before divorcing in 1979. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson officiated when he married his second wife, actress Jean Kasem, in 1980. They had one child.
(Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in New York and Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Robin Pomeroy, Stephen Powell and Chris Reese)
Sri Lanka: “In this country we still have a Sinhala police; we still have a Sinhala army. After today if a single Marakkalaya or some other paraya (alien) touches a single Sinhalese…..it will be their end.â€
“Call him a Bikkhu who controls his hand, also his feet; who is well controlled, who is happy within himself; who is collected….â€
The Buddha (Dhammapada)
It is a chilling sight. On stage, Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera is raining words of poison and fire. Below, a large crowd, made up of monks and ordinary people, are listening intently. They do not look violent or angry. There is hardly a sign that an hour or so later they will turn into a baying murderous mob. Many of the lay-listeners have their hands together, in the traditional gesture of worship. That and the focused looks on their faces indicate that as far as they are concerned they are listening to not to a political speech but to a religious sermon[ii].
The Jihadists, the Crusaders, the holy warriors are here. And in this place they wear the yellow robe and call themselves Buddhist monks. All around, the police and the military stand, armed to the teeth, watching and listening. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera is inciting people to break the law. He threatens and threatens, his words like razor-sharp weapons, fiery missiles. And still the guardians of law and order watch. He is not arrested, produced before a magistrate and put away where he belongs – the jail.
The police are inactive. The law looks dead. The purveyors of hate and violence own the stage.
Holy wars, irrespective of who is fighting whom, are hell. Thanks to the nature of Buddhism – the real thing – this country escaped that hell for most of its history. Not anymore. Sinhala-Buddhism has metamorphosed into the even more bastardised and odious form of Rajapaksa-Buddhism. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera is its Prophet and Chief Prelate. It is a religion of suspicion and hate, a violent creed and a poisonous one, a faith based on murder and mayhem.
Who Permitted the BBS Rally?
The initial incident – the alleged attack on a Buddhist monk and his driver by three Muslim youths – was an accident. That was the only accident in the bloody tragedy which is being enacted even now. Everything else was non-accidental, deliberate. The BBS instigated the violence. The authorities facilitated the BBS.
After the initial outbreak of violence, calm reigned. And then someone at the top decided to permit the BBS to hold a rally in the still smouldering Aluthgama. That decision could have been made only by a certifiable lunatic or a person to whom law, morality and humanity are totally alien.
Such a momentous decision would not have been made by a police officer; or even the IGP. It would have either originated from or approved by the very top. And at the very top are President Rajapaksa – who from Bolivia tweets vague, Hallmark-type trite messages instead of condemning the violence and the violent – and his brothers. .
The BBS did not hold an illegal rally; they did not hold an illegal demonstration. They were permitted to have their rally and have their demonstration by the authorities. Without that decision Aluthgama would have returned to normal. And innocent lives could have been saved.
What was the aim of the authorities? A little riot? A controlled-riot? A stage-managed riot? A limited Black June? A short sharp lesson to all minorities to mind their words and deeds? A tiny reminder to the Muslims, Tamils and Christians that they live on sufferance? Create a new enemy to divert Sinhala-Buddhist attention? A signal to Narendra Modi and the West that we too are anti-Muslim? Some of this? All of this?
Otherwise why permit the BBS to turn smouldering ashes into an inferno? Why did the police and the STF fail to stop the rioters? Mobs are cowardly. At the first real sign of decisive action by the police and the STF the rioters would have melted away.
I lived through Black July. As a born-and-bred Sinhala-Buddhist I hope I will not have to see that horror happening again, to another minority. But I fear that controlled riots are becoming part of the Rajapaksa arsenal. And someday one of those mini-riots will spiral out of control.
This is no country for minorities; this is no country for decent Sinhalese and Buddhists. This is a moral wasteland and a paradise of lawlessness.
For the violence, for the deaths which have happened and which may happen, the BBS and the Rajapaksas must take responsibility. This is their work. This is their unpardonable crime. We elected them; we tolerate them. That is our eternal shame.
CHICAGO,IL–A growing number of Muslims, even those from immigrant communities, are making their mark in the athletic field. The Harper Community College in Palatine recently signed Abdul Mushtaq to their basketball team.
The 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Wheeling High School who is a current Harper student, is excited to get his Harper College basketball career started and impressed with the professionalism of the new coaching staff.
“They keep you on point with what you need to do and are helping you with your game,†he told the harperhawks.net.
The engineering major plans on working hard this summer to get ready for the basketball season.
“I’m going to get back in shape and work on my scoring and ball-handling,†Mushtaq said.
The US is sending an aircraft carrier and two guided missile ships into the Gulf, bolstering sea and air power before a possible US strike on the jihadist army in Iraq in the coming days.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the USS George HW Bush into the Gulf yesterday, a day after President Barack Obama indicated he would soon decide on air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), whose seizure of Sunni Iraqi cities has violently upended the region.
The 103,000-tonne warship and its air wing had been patrolling the North Arabian Sea and earlier this year were used in the Mediterranean following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Bush’s air wing includes four squadrons flying F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, one squadron flying EA-18 Growler jammer and electronic-attack planes, and other maritime helicopters and early-warning planes.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the Bush would be accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxton. The ships are expected to arrive in the Gulf this evening.
Kirby described the deployment as increasing Obama’s martial flexibility “should military options be required to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraqâ€, rather than signalling an imminent strike.
While Iran has in the past harassed US ships moving into the Gulf, its President, Hassan Rowhani, yesterday indicated openness to working alongside his country’s decades-old adversary, signalling an alignment of interests in protecting their mutual Iraqi partner.
“If we see that the United States takes action against terrorist groups in Iraq, then one can think about it,†Rouhani told reporters, according to Agence France Presse. Iraqi officials told the Guardian yesterday that Iran had sent 2,000 advance troops across the border to help the Shia government of Iraq defend itself after the Iraqi army ran from ISIL in Mosul this week.
Obama’s contemplation of air strikes against ISIL creates the prospect of US air power bolstering Iranian ground operations, an awkward one given the animosity the militaries of the two nations, which are currently engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, have long felt for each other.
In astronomy, the Earth’s orbit is the motion of the Earth around the Sun, from an average distance of 149.59787 million kilometers (93 million miles) away. A complete orbit of the Earth around the Sun occurs every 365.256363004 mean solar days (1 sidereal year).[nb 1] This motion gives an apparent movement of the Sun with respect to the stars at a rate of about 1°/day (or a Sun or Moon diameter every 12 hours) eastward, as seen from Earth. On average it takes 24 hours—a solar day—for Earth to complete a full rotation about its axis relative to the Sun so that the Sun returns to the meridian. The orbital speed of the Earth around the Sun averages about 30 km/s (108,000 km/h, or 67,108 mph), which is fast enough to cover the planet’s diameter (about 12,700 km, or 7,900 miles) in seven minutes, and the distance to the Moon of 384,000 km (239,000 miles) in four hours.
Viewed from a vantage point above the north poles of both the Sun and the Earth, the Earth would appear to revolve in a counterclockwise direction about the Sun. From the same vantage point both the Earth and the Sun would appear to rotate in a counterclockwise direction about their respective axes.
By one astronomical convention, the four seasons are determined by flanges, the solstices—the point in the orbit of maximum axial tilt toward or away from the Sun—and the equinoxes, when the direction of the tilt and the direction to the Sun are perpendicular. In the northern hemisphere winter solstice occurs on about December 21, summer solstice is near June 21, spring equinox is around March 20 and autumnal equinox is about September 23. The axial tilt in the southern hemisphere is exactly the opposite of the direction in the northern hemisphere. Thus the seasonal effects in the south are reversed.
In modern times, Earth’s perihelion occurs around January 3, and the aphelion around July 4 (for other eras, see precession and Milankovitch cycles). The changing Earth-Sun distance results in an increase of about 6.9%[2] in solar energy reaching the Earth at perihelion relative to aphelion. Since the southern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun at about the same time that the Earth reaches the closest approach to the Sun, the southern hemisphere receives slightly more energy from the Sun than does the northern over the course of a year. However, this effect is much less significant than the total energy change due to the axial tilt, and most of the excess energy is absorbed by the higher proportion of water in the southern hemisphere.
The Hill sphere (gravitational sphere of influence) of the Earth is about 1.5 Gm (or 1,500,000 kilometers) in radius.[4][nb 2] This is the maximum distance at which the Earth’s gravitational influence is stronger than the more distant Sun and planets. Objects orbiting the Earth must be within this radius, otherwise they can become unbound by the gravitational perturbation of the Sun.
In 1989, Jacques Laskar’s work showed that the Earth’s orbit (as well as the orbits of all the inner planets) is chaotic and that an error as small as 15 metres in measuring the initial position of the Earth today would make it impossible to predict where the Earth would be in its orbit in just over 100 million years’ time. Modeling the solar system is subject to the n-body problem.
The angle of the Earth’s tilt is relatively stable over long periods. However, the tilt does undergo a slight, irregular motion (known as nutation) with a main period of 18.6 years. The orientation (rather than the angle) of the Earth’s axis also changes over time, precessing around in a complete circle over each 25,800 year cycle; this precession is the reason for the difference between a sidereal year and a tropical year. Both of these motions are caused by the varying attraction of the Sun and Moon on the Earth’s equatorial bulge. From the perspective of the Earth, the poles also migrate a few meters across the surface. This polar motion has multiple, cyclical components, which collectively are termed quasiperiodic motion. In addition to an annual component to this motion, there is a 14-month cycle called the Chandler wobble. The rotational velocity of the Earth also varies in a phenomenon known as length-of-day variation.
Future geoengineering projects may preserve the habitability of Earth through the Sun’s life cycle by moving the Earth to keep it constantly within the habitable zone
One of the most perplexing phrases I heard in freshman year was ‘college career.’ Career, I thought, was an overstatement. My family was paying ridiculous amounts of money for me to sit still and nod off during lectures. Before long, I came to realize how many incredible opportunities there are for students.
First off, college is a great way to get a first job. The only downside is that often, university jobs are temporary, or slash hours during academic breaks. However, these jobs are extremely forgiving for the most part. Universities create jobs specifically for students. Employees will also get more flexible schedules than they would anywhere else.
As for jobs, there are employment fairs and resources everywhere! As usual, I’ll speak about Arizona State specifically because that’s what I’m familiar with. You can find career fairs for almost any field around the year. It is actually annoying how many I am get invited to.
There’s a job search site, which allows you to look for university opportunities as well as external jobs. There’s even internship and volunteer fairs, for students who want to bulk up their resume! I found my first full-time job from a career fair, and let me tell you, paying careers in the nonprofit field are rarer than a raw burger.
Never, ever pass up a volunteer opportunity. It’s not just about doing good. Employers regard volunteer experience just like employment- if you volunteered consistently over a long time period. If your student is in a club, maybe he could volunteer to be treasurer. There you go; leadership experience and budgeting skills you can put on a resume.
Volunteering can also be a great way to sample a career. I tried out donation sorting and procurement as volunteer positions. These are things I could have done with my career, which I thought I would enjoy as a job. A few shifts set me straight.
Volunteering can be a great way to relieve stress while building experience. Your student may be able to find something he or she loves to do, like reading to children. If they volunteer consistently, it becomes an experience you can put on a resume. Because volunteering is less demanding than work, it’s perfect for students. If you need to miss a shift to study, volunteer coordinators are usually very understanding.
You may think that work during college may be overwhelming. I have known people who worked 50 hour weeks and an internship while in full time classes. That person was also using a lot of drugs, so perhaps that’s not the best example. However, I worked up to 35 hours some weeks, and volunteered frequently, while a full-time student. You can bet I was clean, too. Working will increase a student’s stress, but it teaches them invaluable time management skills.
Work is also the only way a young person learns to value money. This is the best way to teach your student how much textbooks really cost. Tuition is an unfathomable number until you receive your first paycheck. I guarantee your child will appreciate whatever support you’re providing much more once they have to control their own money.
As for recreation, there’s so many options it’s hard to count. Many clubs are as easy to start as finding another two members and a faculty sponsor. Once you’re officially registered, you can apply for grants to fund your activities. There have been taco clubs, Grand Canyon clubs, outdoor adventure clubs, brony clubs (for adult male enthusiasts of My Little Pony), language and cultural clubs, clubs based around your major, college, or dorm, clubs for particular dances and bands… it’s endless. When your child feels bored, she can join five clubs while sitting in her dorm room and figure out which one she loves later.
In short, your student is not making the most of his time if he doesn’t work or volunteer occasionally. Bachelor’s degrees are becoming more common. Your child will need more than his diploma to impress an employer, and adding variety to his resume through extracurricular involvement and part-time work is just the way to do it.
As we eagerly wait for the blessings of the holiest month, Ramadan, to arrive, consider the following fulfilling foods to include in your diet.
1. Hummus: Hummus has been a favorite dip and mediterranean dish of many. It can easily be bought from the store or made at home, and eaten with whole wheat pita bread or Indian naan. The important fact to note is that it contains 2.7 grams of fiber allowing you to stay full for a long time.
2. Oatmeal: Let’s admit it, most of us would prefer getting an extra minute of sleep than chew breakfast, but we can’t also deny the fact that this is the most important meal of the day. For students and working professionals, it’s essential for you to maintain your energy throughout the day so have oatmeal for zuhoor. It will not only keep you full but also keep your cholesterol levels low. So, it’s win-win situation.
3. Lentils: Consider including lentils in your suhoor or after iftaar dinners because each ¼ cup has 3.9 grams of fiber and almost 4.5 grams of protein.
4. Broccoli: Veggie lovers and broccoli haters, here’s news for you. This vegetable is one of the best green veggies for you to consider adding to your Ramadan menu as it will seriously boost your fiber intake. You can add it in your salad or make a soup or even green drink out of it.
5. Fruits: Add multiple servings of fruits as your side dish in suhoor and iftaar. Pears, especially, are a solid choice as it has 5.5 grams of fiber. For the berry enthusiasts, consider raspberries because they are full of antioxidants and even includes high levels of vitamin C. Another delicious fruit is apple. They are rich in nutrients with up to 4.4 grams of fiber!
We hope these food suggestions keep you healthy and happy during this Ramadan and maybe prevent you from gaining those iftaar-party pounds.
“If every Pakistani-American Doctor gives scholarship to a talented boy or girl in Pakistan to become a doctor; And every Engineer, Lawyer, Businessperson, and persons in other fields do the same, there will be an incredible change in the fortunes of Pakistan By the Grace of God through these Sadaqae Jariah efforts. We see in Pakistan that there is a boy working in mechanic shop or pushing rickshaw cart, but then due to the God given talents and abilities also top in the examination results of 10th and 12 Grades. We at ALFalah Scholarship Scheme pick up these children, provide them scholarships, so as to make them doctors, engineers, businesspersons, lawyers, journalists, and so on.â€
These were the words of Muhammad Abdus Shakoor Sahab, Secretary General of ALKhidmat Foundation (AKF), one of the leading NGOs of Pakistan, as he spoke at a local restaurant about the various programs & projects of AKF. Others who spoke on the occasion were Famous Islamic Scholar Sheikh Yousuf Islahi, Former City of Houston Councilperson Masrur Javed Khan Sahab, Community Organizer Tahir Javed Sahab of Beaumont Texas, Helping Hand For Relief & Development (HHRD) Director of Programs ILyas Hasan Choudry, and Tilawat of Quran done by Administrative Assistant of HHRD Texas Abdullah Elasmar.
“We are credible vetted organization of leading USA NGO Helping Hand For Relief & Development (HHRD) and through a recent MoU with HHRD, AKF will implement the Student Scholarship and Water For Life Projects & Programs of HHRD in Pakistan; while everything will be monitored by HHRD Staff & volunteers in Pakistan. People wanting to participate in the $1,100 Per Year Per Student AKF ALFalah Scholarship Scheme by InShaAllah producing the best near future professionals of Pakistan, should contact HHRD through their website (www.HHRD.Org), local various USA cities offices, or by calling Director of Programs of HHRD ILyas Hasan Choudry at 1.832.275.0786 (E-Mail: ILyas.Choudry@HHRD.US).Same is the contact for the water projects like wells, water pumps, water purification systems, etc that people can get involved with. As we all know Know Water No Life: So Let’s Give Life in Pakistan a Chance through Clean Water & indeed through the Grace of God. For AKF, this 2014- 215 is the Year of Water.†Added Abdus Shakoor Sahab.
Up till now 1,078 students (661 Boys / 417 Girls) having got degrees in Medicine, Engineering, Business, etc. through ALFalah Scholarship Scheme. At this time at least 264 students have applied and waiting to get this yearly Scholarship of $1,100, meaning around $300,000.
“Ramadan is coming. Do consider giving generously towards these Sadaqae Jariah Projects like ALFalah Scholarship Scheme and Water For Life to achieve manifolds Rewards from the Lord of the Worlds, by visiting www.HHRD.Orgâ€. Exclaimed Muhammad Abdus ShakoorSahab.
Muslims in Oklahoma came together at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City for a blood drive. “We are excited to partner with the American Red Cross to aid in vital, life-saving blood donation campaigns,†Thomaira Babbit, CAIR-Oklahoma’s development coordinator, said in a news release.
“The Oklahoma Muslim community is composed of dedicated members of the broader Sooner community and they care about the well-being, as well as quality of life available to all Oklahomans in our great state.â€
The blood drive is part of the Oklahoma Muslims Care campaign designed to offer volunteers an opportunity to show their pride in their state and give back to people and communities in need. Babbit said CAIR-Oklahoma will continue the Oklahoma Muslims Care campaign throughout the summer with service days at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and food drives with Feed the Children, among other projects.
Benedictine student diplomats receive honors
A team of 23 students from Illinois’ Benedictine University were honored at the Model United Nations where they represented Seychelles and Lesotho. Model U.N. is a simulation of the U.N. General Assembly at which college students represent member states to debate pressing issues confronting the world. This interactive learning experience engages young people in the study and discussion of global issues and encourages them to develop lifelong skills such as research, writing, public speaking, problem-solving, consensus building, conflict resolution and compromise cooperation.
At this year’s conference, a team made up of seven students from Benedictine University and seven from Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, China, received the Distinguished Delegation award and three Outstanding Position Paper awards for their representation of Seychelles.
Among the winning team were Ariya Siddiqui, Ayesha Afsar, Qyle Iftikhar, Omehabiba Khan, Zara Khan, Roman Mohammed, of Bolingbrook, Mahira Musani, and Yara Rashad.
Hijab Awareness event held at UC Davis
The Hijab continues to remain a puzzle for many Americans and there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding it. Contrary to many perceptions it is not just Muslims who wear the hijab but people of other faith communities also do. In order to remove the confusion Muslim and Sikh students UC Davis organized an event last month.
The MSA partnered with the Sikh Cultural Association to host a Turban & Hijab-a-thon on May 14. For each non-covering student who agreed to wear a hijab or turban for the day, the two organizations pledged to donate $5 to the The Pantry.
Eighty students of various cultural and religious backgrounds participated in the daylong challenge, which culminated with a roundtable discussion about participants’ experiences and the ultimate meaning behind the wraps and scarves.
Syed, Islam win scholarships
Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. (CFI), producer of the award winning Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, announced the recipients of their Celebrate Fairfax Community Spirit Scholarship Program.Ten Community Spirit Scholarships are annually awarded to Fairfax County graduating seniors who demonstrate excellence in community service, leadership, academics and extracurricular activities.
Selected by the Board of the nonprofit Celebrate Fairfax, Inc., one scholarship recipient is named from each of Fairfax County’s Supervisory Districts, as well as one at-large scholarship. Among this year’s scholars are Celia Islam and Faraz Syed.
Fahim-Faraaz Syed, a Mason District resident attending Lake Braddock Secondary School, has made a difference in the lives of the residents of the Aarondale Assisted Living Home through weekly visits since his sophomore year. He has been honored with an AP Scholar award and first place in the Lake Braddock High School Science Fair. Fahim-Faraaz has held an internship at George Washington University for research in both nanotechnology and microbiology, and hopes that his research will contribute important data to the public health industry.
Fahim-Faraaz will be attending The George Washington University in the fall and plans to study Chemistry.
Celia Islam, a Providence District resident and Marshall High School student, has organized many different programs for causes that are close to her heart, including the Pennies for Patients campaign, a 5K walk in memory of Sam Solomon, and the Buddy Program at Chesterbrook Residence. She founded a non-profit organization that raises funds for impoverished children in developing countries called the Children’s Trust Fund, and is also a published writer for the Huffington Post. Celia has served as Concertmaster and President of the Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra, been a finalist in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair and is the president and Founder of the Marshall High School Key Club. Additionally, she has held an internship at the National Institute on Aging and with the George Washington University Department of Biochemistry.Celia will be attending The George Washington University in the fall and has been admitted to the Seven Year BA/MD program.
Sha’ban is the eight month of Islamic lunar calendar. In pre-Islamic era the month following Rajab was regarded as a month of trade and warfare and other worldly affairs. Ibn Kathir explains that during this month the tribes would plan plunders and raids after the month of Rajab.
In Islamic traditions, the month came to be known as the month of supplementary fasting. Umma Salama explains that the Prophet (s) used to observer supplementary fasting for almost the entire month of Sha’ban. (Abu Dawood: 2336)
Ummul Momineen (mother of the believer) Ayesha (ra) also reported that the Prophet (s) liked the month of Sha’ban more than any other month as far as supplementary fasting is concerned. (Bukhei: 1969)
However, there are ahadith that suggest the Prophet (s) prohibited people from fasting after the 15 of Sha’ban. Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet said, “when half of the Sha’ban is over, do not fast.†(Nasai: 2351)
Some scholars argue that this recommendation is for those who are weak and who fear decline in health for excessive pre-Ramadan fasting.
The Prophet (s) is also reported to have said as narrated by Abu Huraira, “None of you should fast during the last days of Ramadan for one or two days except those who are habitual of fasting regularly.†(Bukhari: 1913)
The 15th night of the month of Sha’ban is also known as Laylatul Bara, Laylatur Rahmad, or Laylatrul Mubaraka or in the Shabe Bara’t South Asian and Central Asian traditions the night of fifteenth of Sha’ban is observed as a blessed night in certain parts of the world and people make special prayers, or visit the graveyard and spend the whole night offering supplementary prayers in a specific way. However, there are scholars who do not regard this night a blessed night and they say that none of the ahadith quoted to support the sanctity of the night are authentic. Among those scholars are Abu Bakr bin Al-Arabi and Shaikh Abdullah binBaz.
They also refute the claim of many other scholars who say that verses three and four of Surah (chapter) Dukhan refers to the night of nisf sahaban and describes it a blessed night.
Some scholars quote several ahadith that are found in the books of ahadith compiled by Tirmidhi and Ibn Maja. For instance one such hadith says that Allah comes down on the heaven of earth on this night and forgives people more than the hair of the goats of the tribe of Kalb. (Tirmidshi: 739) In another hadith it is reported that Allah gives special favor to His servants on this night and forgives everyone except those who are polytheists and Muslims who have malice and animosity towards their fellow Muslims. (Ibn Maja, 1290).
In another hadith it is mentioned that when the 15th night of Sha’ban arrives, stay whole night and fast during the following day. On this night Allah descends on the first heaven and stays there until the dawn and guarantees His servants forgiveness, sustenance and salvation from calamities. (Ibn Maja: 1388) Another hadith says that on the night of the 15th of Sha’ban Allah offers special mercy to His creation and with the exception of two people, He forgives all: the one who has malice towards others in his heart and the other who takes the life of fellow human being unjustly. (Ahmad: 2:176) In Fazail il Auqat, it is mentioned that on this night all the names of those who would be born and who would die in this year are presented to Allah and on this night, the decision about sustenance are made. The same book also suggests that there are five specific nights in which the prayers of people are never rejected, the night of Rajab, the night of Nisf Sha’ban, the night of Jumu’a, the night of Eid ul Fitr, the night of Eid ul Adha.
Some scholars, however, such Hasan al-Basari and Albani reject the above ahadith.
During the night, people offer special prayers. There is a tradition of offering 100 raka’s (unit of prayer) with Surah Ikhlas and Suhal Hamd, 1000 times in each Raka. Some people offer 12 or 14 Rakas while reciting Surah Ikhlas 30 times in each.
In this night people spend their time and resources in fireworks in certain parts of the world. Some offer special food to their friends and relatives and the poor and the needy. Some people change their crockery on this night and others paint their dwellings as tokens of blessings. Many people also believe that the souls of the dead people visit the world on this night.
However several scholars reject these practices.
Finally, some people quote the hadith mentioned in Tirmidhi (663) that the Prophet (s) asked: which day of fasting is the best after the fasting of Ramadhan and then he replied: the fast of Sha’ban that is observed in honor of Ramadan.
The above discussion clearly demonstrates that not all are in agreement regarding the practices of Nisfu Sha’ban. There are three positions of people, scholars included. 1. Those who consider this night a blessed night and recommend that special prayers should be offered from evening to dawn. (2) Those who consider this night as a night of socialization and display of special skills and talents besides considering a night for visiting the cemeteries and graveyards. (3) Those who reject any special significance of this night and describe every act of worship besides obligatory prayers as innovation.
Obviously, these are strong opinions and each side produces its own interpretation of the Qur`an and references from ahadith in support of their claim. The masses as usual either act in a partisan manner or remain confused.
So, how should we look at this whole debate? Should we observe or should we not observe this night? What would happen if we observer it or if we do not? What is authentic and unauthentic? Because those who are quoting ahadith in support of their argument claim that their references are authentic and those who are rejecting it are labelling others as unauthentic.
It is really a matter of serious concern that in the last 1100 years of our recorded history, we do not find much effort for seeking a reconciliation of opposite views. Rather, our scholars have indulged in debates about the validity or non-validity of certain action on the basis of their perspectives on halal and haram. We cannot change the past, but we can certainly impact the future.
Those who consider this night have to realize a few things. 1. Allah is not only the Rabb (Lord) of 15th Sha’ban or Ramadan, but the Rabb of the whole year and all the years. 2. He listens to each and every one of us whenever we call him. 3. The issues pertaining to our life and death and sustenance occur on the basis of the divine laws, that we are not fully aware of. 4. Ibadat or acts of worshiping are serious matters and they should never be lost sight of.
Those who do not regard this night significant or different than other nights should also realize the following. 1: They are not qualified to declare things halal or haram. This decision belongs to Allah only. They can only express their likings and disliking. 2. Every research is non-conclusive because none of us knows what is in store for us the next day. Hence, to claim that the ultimate truth has been discovered through their methodology is a contestable issue. 3. Those who observe this night as special are as sincere in their commitment to their deen as they are and they have no right to question their level of Iman.
Those who use this night to show their special skills or to have fireworks should also realize that the purpose of life is to remain committed to the divine guidance in all walks of life and there should never be experimentations with the act of worshipping.
Based on this understanding, we can have the following conclusion.
Those who want to offer special supplementary prayers on this night should do so believing that Allah would respond to their calls and add to their reward as He never disappoints His servants.
Those who do not consider this night any different than other nights should at least stay away from passing judgment on the level of iman of those who observe it.
Those who want to show their special skills and talents should direct them to serving the poor and the needy and helpless. Let them spend the night and day visiting the places where the poor live, feeding them and giving them a sense of dignity.
As far as those who want to fast, they should remember that the Prophet (s) used to fast on this month more than any other month of the year except the obligatory month of fasting of Ramadan.
