Muslim Voice October 2014 by Arabesque Media & Breek Media

Muslim Voice ARIZONA

october 2014

THUL HIJA / muharam

Monthly Newspaper

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Vol.19 Issue No. 218

Outrage over Muslim Player’s Prayer

Reacting to growing anger over undue penalty, officials from the National Football League said on Tuesday that Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for prostrating after scoring a touchdown. “Abdullah should not have been penalized. Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons,” Michael Signora, spokesman of NFL, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, September 30. During Monday’s game, the National Football League (NFL) player Abdullah received a 15yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after punctuating his 39-yard interception return for a touchdown. Islam and World Football Stars The refs flagged the 29-year-old veteran for dropping to his knees after the play to prostrate to Allah, technically a violation of the league’s celebration rules.

Are you in pain? We can help with physician-led physical therapy. We treat: Neurological, Musculoskeletal & Post Operative Conditions, Pediatric Disorders,

Sports Injuries.

We perform EMG/ NCS exams!

5690 W Chandler Blvd, Suite #2 Chandler, AZ 85226 Phone: (480) 878-7425 Fax: (480) 207-1025 Website: www.azpmrpc.com

With over 24 years of experience in the medical Þeld, Dr. Uddin is dedicated to ensuring you receive the best quality of care here in the valley.

Mohammad Iqbal Uddin, MD, FAAPMR

1435H

“If I get a pick, I’m going to prostrate before God in the end zone,” Husain Abdullah, a devout Muslim player, told The Kansas City Star on Tuesday, September 30. Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (d) of the NFL rulebook states that “players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground.” However, NFL experts confirmed that going to one’s knees to give praise is exempt from that enforcement. “You’re not penalized for going to the ground to give praise after a TD,” former NFL referee Mike Pereira pointed out last season. Over the past years, there have been some exceptions made for religious expressions, such as Tim Tebow’s prayer while kneeling. For Tebow, falling into his knees to perform his Christian prayer has not been penalized, but became a highly embraced phenomenon during the 2011 Continued on page 4

October 2014

CARTOON / NATIONAL

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Terms used in this paper Alhamdulilah: Praise God Allah: Arabic word for God Fatwa: Islamic decision based on Shari’a Hadith: Sayings of the Prophet Mohammad Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca Halal: Allowed in Islam Halaqa: Group study Haram: Prohibited in Islam Hijab: Head cover for women Hijra: Migration of the Prophet from Mecca to Madina Imam: Islamic scholar Iman: Faith Inshallah: God willing Madina: City near Mecca in Saudia Arabia Masjid: Place were Muslims gather for prayer and studies Mecca: City in Saudi Arabia where Prophet Mohammad was born Pbuh: Peace be upon him Quran: Islam’s Holy book Shahadah: Is saying “I accept Allah as the one God and Mohammad as his messenger” when someone accepts Islam. Sharia’: Islamic law Shura: A council of Muslim scholars (SWT) Subhanahu Watala: Praise be to Allah Taqwa: God consciousness

Muslim Voice

AMERICAN MUSLIM Community Newspaper

Published Monthly by

BREEK MEDIA editor in Chief MARWAN AHMAD editor@azmuslimvoice.com Community Editor Janan Atiyeh commeditor@azmuslimvoice.com contributing writers

Sumbal Akhter • Mohamud Shalab • Lolita V Jefferson Ed.D. • Ahmad Daniels • Yousef Ahmad • Hasana Abdul-Quadir

Art DeSIGN eXPRESS info@designexpressus.com Advertisements

602-258-7770

sales@azmuslimvoice.com

Muslim Voice

1604 Spring Hill Rd. Vienna, VA Phone: (602) 258-7770 Fax: 1(866) 859-8595 info@azmuslimvoice.com Deadlines for submission of letters is the 24th of every month, and for advertisements by the 25th. Only letters and articles submitted on electronically or by email will be accepted for review. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse any letters, articles or advertisement or any other material. The Publisher will not be liable for more than the advertisement cost in case of an error. The Muslim Voice is not responsible for the contents of advertisements or articles nor endorses them in any way or form.

Being Organized leads to Productivity By Lolita V. Jefferson Ed.D Is disorganization congesting your life? Are you feeling scattered and frustrated? Is your life in disarray? Are you stressed out? Are you buying things you already have? Are you procrastinating and leaving things for the last minute? De-cluttering and organizing your space helps to eliminate the physical and mental clutter in your life and mind that is robbing you of your of vitality and productivity. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Verily Allah loves Ihsan (proficiency and excellence) in all things.” (Muslim) Islam encourages us to be neat, to be organized and to strive for excellence in all things. In the seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) we can see that he was organized, efficient and productive. Allah does not like disorganization nor laziness. Ultimate Steps to Getting Organised and Staying That Way!It’s a myth that some people are born with an organizing gene or are natural organizers and others will never be organized. The honest reality is that organized and productive people have learned skills and made it a habit of being organized! Now that we all can form the habit of being organized its time to roll up your sleeves and get in there!! If you want to be a successful Productive Muslim you need to be on top of your game! Let me introduce you to the 5s Method. The most effective, simple and easy to remember technique! The 5S method was originally developed in Japan

and can be applied in just about any environment. Giant Companies,have taken this kaizen technique and applied it to their workforce, because its simple,and keeps everything efficient. Implementing the 5S as a part of our daily life can improve efficiency and productivity tremendously. 1) SORT Sort through everything. Pick one place in your life that is cluttered and unorganized and spend 10-15 minutes every day de-cluttering and being more organized. Get rid of anything that is broken, is never used, is outdated, or is not needed. Keep only what is needed and sell, donate, recycle or throw out anything that isn’t needed! 2) SET IN ORDER Find a place for everything, including your car keys. Organize and put away everything where it will be most efficient and can easily be found. Store items used for the same task together. In this way, things would never be lost and it will always be easy to get the things you need with as little effort as possible! 3) SHINE Clean the area and place all the things neatly. Don’t dump. Make it neat and spotless. 4) STANDARDIZE This is extremely important. You must have a procedure that will ensure that your environment is kept ordered and neat. Example have a procedure in place that a few minutes daily you will neaten up and put things in their rightful places. Or a procedure that every evening, you will spend

10minutes sorting out your papers or homework. Also have procedures in place, that everything has a place and when an item is used, it should be put back in place immediately. Establish procedures for yourself, for your kids. Having procedures will ensure that you will be able to keep things organized always and will help with the next S. 5) SUSTAIN Okay so your environment is neat, uncluttered and organized. Once the first 4 S’s are complete, the most important thing is to keep it that way. Easier said than done, but it is possible and this is what makes you efficient. Monitor it and make organization and efficiency part of your habits and clutter and disorder would never be able to settle again. Make the 5 S a habit! Remember don’t expect to get organized overnight. Unless you’re really fast at it, or it’s a small area. Don’t have high expectations by getting all organized and few days later you are back to your old mess. Take it slowly and stick with it. Organization is a habit just as being disorganized is a habit.Don’t worry if you’re not “perfectly” organized, as long as your area is in order and neat and reasonably efficient for you. Start today, start small and start with the most important. Strive to develop the habit of being organized and you will be amazed at how much more productive you will become. Implement the 5S today and everyday. Remember Allah loves proficiency and excellence in all things! Implement

NATIONAL

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

OCtober 2014

Muslim Softball League Competes for Charity Reviving memories of golden Islamic empires, Muslims in Ontario’s city of Mississauga have organized their first softball league, to strengthen ties connecting their community and channel proceeds to their own charities. “We just want to get out there, be active, meet with new people, build camaraderie and give back to the community,” Zahid Merchant, founder and commissioner of the Brotherhood Softball League (BSL), told Brampton Guardian. “Many of us have played in mixed (gender) leagues or work leagues, but we want to play competitive softball in a safe space where we don’t have to compromise our faith and responsibility. That’s why we created something for ourselves,” said Merchant, 34, who has had 27 hits for a 0.614 this season, making him the Mughals’ top hitter. In the BSL league, made up of immigrant and second-generation players of South Asian and Arab descent, six teams on compete for the cup. The teams are named after great Muslim empires and dynasties, namely: the Abbasids, Ayyubids, Mughals, Ottomans, Seljuqs and Sultans. Though it carries on lots of baseball traditions, including trade rumors, “trash-talk” and scouting of players, the BSL league has no alcohol at the games or afterward. Meeting every Sunday, Muslim players gather with one goal in their mind; to channel proceeds from a win to their own charities: Project Ramadan, the Muslim Welfare Centre, the Canadian Tire Jump Start Foundation, a local food bank or orphan sponsorship. Last Sunday, players for Ottoman team, (recalling an empire that lasted from 1299 to 1923), played against the top-ranked Mughal (1526 to 1857) in the season finals at Mount Charles Park in

Mississauga. “I love the Blue Jays, but this is the next best thing,” said Teresa Jawaid, whose husband, Faraz,

the end of a busy work week. “Softball is a great sport to play. It’s easy on your body,” said Hashim Ghazi, who plays on the Ottomans.

played on the Ottomans. “This league is a cool idea. It gets my husband out of the house,” she added with a chuckle. At the other end of the field, Maryam Dadabhoy and daughter Amaanah, 5, wore headscarves matching the light blue jersey of the Mughals, with her son, Belaal, 8, and nephew, Eesa, 10, in tow, waving homemade signs that said, “Let’s Go, Mughals! #1. “We have many enthusiastic wives, screaming and shouting. This is fun and family-friendly,” said Dadabhoy. “My friend’s husband is on the other team. So tomorrow, we both will have sore husbands, but only one will have a happy husband.” Bonding Community Meeting every week, Muslims praised the league idea for giving members of the community another outlet to get together at

“When you are not up to bat, you sit around and watch. It’s a much slower sport and you can interact with each other. It’s great for community building,” the 29-yearold Mississauga resident, a lawyer by profession, added.

HEGAZY REALTY

Work on the league idea started last year, with the first match starting last May. Players signed up as individuals and were then drafted by team captains to ensure more or less even skill levels on each team, and so participants could meet people they didn’t know before. “This is very unique due to the Muslim aspect of it, but sport is just a great way to bring people out,” said Ghazi, who came up with the idea to name the teams after Islamic dynasties to honor their history and heritage. “We always have friendly rivalries and we go after each other. But we do take our games very seriously,” added Ghazi, who plays for Project Ramadan, which delivers food baskets to people in need regardless of religious background. Muslims make around 2.8 percent of Canada’s 32.8 million population, and Islam is the number one nonChristian faith in the country. A recent survey showed that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are proud to be Canadian, and that they are more educated than the general population.

Principal Position The Toledo Islamic Academy is seeking a qualified and highly motivated principal with an Islamic background to serve in a Pre-K through 12th grade full time school. Qualifications include: • • • • •

Ohio principal certificate or equivalent experience Minimum of 3 years of successful teaching experience Experience in curriculum development and instruction Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills Masters degree or higher in educational leadership is preferred

YOUR PHOENIX REAL ESTATE SPECIALISTS

M OHAMED H EGAZY SOMAYA HEGAZY SOHAIB HEGAZY | | 602.326.3552 480.388.6972 480.277.1992

FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS INFO@HEGAZYREALTY.COM | WWW.HEGAZYREALTY.COM SELLERS: LIST AND SELL YOUR HOME FOR 4% BUYERS: USE OUR SERVICES TO PURCHASE A PROPERTY AT NO COST TO YOU RESIDENTIAL | LAND | COMMERCIAL

ASK US ABOUT ISLAMIC FINANCING OPTIONS

This is not intended as a solicitation from clients of other brokers.

Benefits include: • Competitive salary • 100% tuition discount • Full health insurance Please email resume and references to Ed.C@tiaus.net

Phone: 248-755-1342

NATIONAL

October 2014

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

West Virginia Students Try Muslims’ Hijab CAIRO ¬– Offering West Virginia students in Marshall University a chance to try the Islamic headscarf, a group of Muslim students held a hijab event to raise awareness about the Islamic headscarf and correct misconceptions surrounding it. “We want to revive the Muslim Student Association group because we haven’t been involved as much as we would like, lately,” Suzann Al-Qawasmi, graduate from Marshall University, who helped in coordinating the event, told Marshall Parthenon on Tuesday, September 16. “So, we set up a table and brought scarves for girls to try on, just to see what it’s like. One girl said she still felt pretty even with the scarf on. That was the kind of reaction we were hoping for.” Organized by the Muslim Student Association (MSA), the event was held on Tuesday from 11am to 3pm at the Memorial Student Center. At the event, several students tried hijab, sharing their experience after donning it for the first time. “One girl wanted to try the hijab on, and then her whole group of friends she was with tried them

on,” Al-Qawasmi said. “They walked around campus afterward with the hijabs still on, so they could see the reactions

Muslim women want to see in their full beauty are the men who are closest to their hearts,” Payne said.

from other people.” For C.J. Payne, a business major, the event has educated her on interesting details about hijab. “I learned that the only men that

“It is for modesty.” Not only students but also university staff has tried the hijab. “It was an experience for me,”

HAJI BABA

Continued from p. 1

Outrage over Muslim Player’s Prayer

MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD

RESTAURANT, GROCERY & DELI Fresh Quality • Low Prices • Cultural Needs

GIFTS • BOOKS • MAGAZINES HALAL MEAT

Owners Nabil Torfa & Zuhier Khatib

5% Discount Off groceries

480-894-1905

1513 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe, AZ 85281

ongoin

said Allyson Jasper, elementary education major specializing in pre-k, who tried on the hijab for the first time at the event. “I put the hijab on, and I still felt like me. It made me realize that you can shine through and be yourself no matter what you’re wearing.” Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations. US Muslims are estimated to be between six to seven millions and a recent Pew research found that American Muslims are the most moderate around the world. The research showed that US Muslims generally express strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in a modern society.

season. Anger Though Abdullah seemed to accept the decision, the penalty sparked a quick outrage. “To prevent the appearance of a double standard, we urge league officials to clarify the policy on prayer and recognize that the official made a mistake in this case,” Ibrahim Hooper from Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, a civil liberties and advocacy organization, said in a statement early Tuesday. Others poured anger on Twitter where it was noted that plenty of Christian players mark their scores with prayers. “Brandon Marshall gets on knees & raises hands to Jesus after TD..No penalty..Husain Abdullah bows to Mecca..15 yards!,” Arsalan Iftikhar™ wrote on Twitter. “Husain Abdullah was very gracious about the penalty. Says he was praying but thought he was flagged for sliding into it. “I got too excited”,” Danny Parkins tweeted. “Abdullah said the ref didn’t say anything to him and he didn’t ask

for an explanation because he was pretty sure it was for the slide,” he added. Feeling that the penalty has been justified, rumors about further penalties sparked Abdullah’s agent anger. “If the NFL tries to fine @ HAbdullah39 for his TD celebration there’s going to be some problems,” the agent, CJ LaBoy, said on Twitter late Monday night. Offering a role-model to young Muslims, Abdullah and his brother, Hamza, who spent 2005-11 with the Arizona Cardinals, made a 30-cityin-30-day, cross-country road trip in a minivan during the 30 days of Ramadan in July and August. They spoke and prayed at mosques and performed community service from coast-to-coast and in Canada, even while fasting during Ramadan. After the trip, Abdullah decided not to return to the Minnesota Vikings, taking his wife, parents and two older brothers on a month-long spiritual journey to Saudi Arabia at the prime time of his career.

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

LOCAL

OCtober 2014

Arizona Muslims Protest Islamophobic Trainer America’s Department of Justice has been urged to cancel a training session for prosecutors and law enforcement personnel featuring anti-Islam conspiracy theorist John Guandolo who claims that CIA director is a “secret Muslim”. “Any prosecutor or police officer whose view of the world has been colored by John Guandolo’s Islamophobia and conspiracy theories would inevitably view every Arizona Muslim with suspicion,” Ibrahim Hooper National Communications Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net. “The Department of Justice should intervene to prevent the civil rights of Arizona Muslims from being negatively impacted in the courts and in interactions with law enforcement.” Hooper’s calls to the DOJ was echoed in a request by CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, to cancel a training planned later this week in Arizona. Offered by Guandolo, a session titled “Understanding the Threat” is sponsored by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, on September 19 in Tempe, Arizona. Demanding protection of Arizona Muslims civil rights, CAIR said Guandolo’s conspiracy theories, including claims that respected Arizona Muslim leaders are members of the Muslim Brotherhood and that the current CIA director is a Muslim “agent,” will prevent local Muslims who come in contact with the justice system from being treated fairly. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an organization that tracks hate groups in America, describes Guandolo as “a disreputable character, who regularly attacks the US government. Known as conspiracy theorist, Guandolo claims that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency is a secret Muslim agent for the Saudi government and says that American Muslims ‘do not have a First Amendment right to do anything.’” In February of this year, Virginia’s Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy rescinded its earlier approval of in-service training credits for state law enforcement scheduled to attend a training Guandolo was conducting in Culpeper, Va., after being made aware of his anti-Islam rhetoric. In May, a sheriff in Kansas decided not to partner with a citizens group sponsoring a Guandolo

training after being informed of his conspiracy theories. When a journalist at Kansas’ Wichita Eagle covered the controversy, Guandolo accused the reporter of material support of terrorism. Anti-Muslim Extremism CAIR’s request to the DOJ comes as Attorney General Eric Holder

war on the West as a training material for its officers. The film, “The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America”, says “the true agenda of much of Muslim leadership here in America” is to “infiltrate and dominate America.” It claims that there were three

announced on Monday a strategy designed to disrupt Americans from joining terrorist groups. “Anti-Muslim extremism is never the answer to legitimate concerns about those who might adopt extremist religious views,” said Hooper. Imraan Siddiqi, president of CAIR’s Arizona chapter, echoed similar concerns. “Sadly, this continues a disturbing trend by Maricopa County of promoting discriminatory practices, such as the racial profiling of Latinos, which was deemed unconstitutional,” Siddiqi said. “We have already seen an upswing in cases of religious questioning at the border, which could certainly be a result of biased law enforcement trainings such as this.” In August, CAIR joined a coalition of 75 groups urging the Obama administration to take “immediate action to end the use of anti-Muslim training materials and address antiMuslim conduct exhibited by agencies throughout the federal government.” Although there are no official figures, the United States is believed to be home to between 6-8 million Muslims. Anti-Muslim training materials for army, police and government officials have been a major concern for Muslims in the US. In 2012, the New York police used a video screening accusing Muslims of launching a holy

jihads: One at the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him), a second in the Middle Ages and a third that is underway covertly in the West today.

In July 2011, the FBI used training materials that claim Islam “transforms [a] country’s culture into 7th-century Arabian ways”. Earlier in 2011, CAIR and the University of California released a report titled “Same Hate, New Target: Islamophobia and Its Impact in the United States 2009-2010,” which warned of growing Islamophobia in the US since President Barack Obama was elected. Last September, Danger Room cited an FBI training material which described Muslims as “terrorist sympathizers”, who turn into violent people once they become pious. It also described Islam as an indicator of terrorist activity and that the Muslim practice of giving charity as no more than a “funding mechanism for combat.” Earlier this February 2012, the FBI purged hundreds of documents offensive to Muslims and their faith, describing those document as “offensive” while others were “inaccurate” and “overbroad”. The White House also ordered a government-wide review of counterterrorism training late last year.

Internship with

Muslim Voice Become a Reporter, Photographer or Marketer and earn school credit

for information please call 602-258-7770 or email us at intern@azmuslimvoice.com

INTERNATIONAL

October 2014

Hajj App Guides Indian Pilgrims JEDDAH – A new hajj guide app has been introduced by the Indian consulate in Jeddah to offer help to thousands of pilgrims in overcrowded hajj rituals, prompting the Saudi government to study expanding it to pilgrims from other countries. “The Indian Haji Accommodation Locater App has been a huge success and in fact the Saudi Ministry of Hajj has said that they want to follow through how they can use it for other countries for other pilgrims,” Indian Consul General BS Mubarak told Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday, September 29. “We have over 9,600 downloads of the app from Google play and a further 1,000 from iTunes,” he said. The hajj app aims to guide Indian pilgrims who can’t find their way in the holy cities including Makkah, Madinah and Mina. Indian Pilgrims, volunteers and members of the Hajj mission can use the app to determine their residents in about “300 buildings in Makkah Indian pilgrims, 100 buildings in Madina and 28 in camps in Mina”. This process depends on the data of the pilgrims provided by the Indian consulate. “We have taken the coordinates of each of the building in Makkah, Madinah and the camps in Mina and have linked it with the data of pilgrims who

would stay in a particular building or camp,” Mubarak said. “When we feed the pilgrim’s number or passport number in the software, it gives the details of the pilgrim and shows the location of his or her accommodation on the Google Map,” he said. Besides guiding pilgrims to their residents, the app also helps in navigating to certain locations. Some 136,020 Indian Muslim will perform hajj this year, among them 36,000 are travelling through private tour operators. Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah every year to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. Hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family. Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime. Hajj is officially expected to fall between October 2 and 7, with the climax falling on October 3 when the faithful descend the Mount `Arafat.

ADVERTISE

Click the advertise button on your phone to list your business in Daleelo! Or call us at 1-800-Daleelo

BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TO YOUR FINGERTIPS

Over 12,000 Businesses Listed!

Prayer Times & Compass Check prayer times and receive reminders. Use the compass to determine your Qibla.

Category Listings Over 40 categories listed provides you with the best place to list your business and ease in finding what you are looking for.

SPOTLIGHT

Find all new businesses and products . Restaurants

Travel

Grocery

Clothing

Doctors

Auto

Attorneys

Real Estate

DEALS

Check out coupons, sales and promotions going on at your local businesses.

JAN

EVENTS

Stay up-to-date on the events happening in your community.

MASAJID

Locate the nearest masjids wherever you are.

CLASSIFIEDS

TRIP PLANNER

Plan your gas, food, rest and prayer stops all right here.

- Sell, buy & rent - Post & look for jobs - Volunteer opportunities

HASANAT

- Calculate/pay your zakat. - Donate or give Sadaqa - Fundraising Events

COMING TO AN APP STORE/GOOGLE PLAY NEAR YOU RAMADAN 2012

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Kashmir Floods Ignite Hindu-Muslim Row DELHI – While all eyes were fixed on offering help to floods-hit India’s Jammu and Kashmir, right wing Hindu groups have exploited the devastating tragedy for the purpose of religion-based politicking, igniting war on social media websites. “The people of Kashmir should now understand that Indian army is there to help them and they should not protest against their presence in the valley,” Pramod Soni, an Indian Hindu, told OnIslam.net. “The Indian army has done a commendable work during floods and saved many lives,” he added. Soni’s comments reflected widespread opinion among Indians who were affected by campaigns by Hindu rightist outfits. Devastating floods have hit Kashmir earlier this month, killing hundreds of people, while thousands remained marooned for days without food or water. Though natural calamities usually bring people of different faiths closer, the latest floods became an issue for bickering between Hindus and Muslims after right wing Hindu groups tried to exploit floods for the purpose of religion-based politicking. Those who voiced their support for the Kashmiri people had to face the wrath of Hindu groups, including Professor Jawahar Lal Kaul, the vicechancellor (V-C) of Vikram University in Ujjain district in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Kaul was attacked by activists of Hindu outfits after he made an appeal to the landlords to waive the rent of Kashmiri students living as tenants in their houses, while educational institutions were urged to waive their tuition fees. Following the appeal, dozens of members of Hindu outfits went on rampage at the office of the vicechancellor, assaulting him and vandalizing his chamber. “We had only appealed to the people to help Kashmiri students affected by the floods that have killed hundreds of people and nearly destroyed everything in the capital city Srinagar,” Jawaharlal Kaul said. The attackers reportedly belonged to Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), both of them closely associated with ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The vice-chancellor had to be hospitalized after the attack with complaint of chest pain and high blood pressure. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the local police station against unidentified people. “The attackers were not happy with vice-chancellor’s appeal to help Kashmiri students. They (attackers) asked him (the V-C) why similar appeals had not been made when floods had hit the states of Gujarat and Uttarakhand,” said a police officer dealing with the case. Social Media War Hindu-Muslim bickering has spread to

the internet, with both communities openly coming against each other on social media sites. Vijay Manohar Tiwari, a Hindu journalist working for a Hindi daily, wrote on Facebook, “The Kashmiris are seeking help from the government as if the Indian government is responsible for the floods. This flood also reminds me of Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to leave their land.” Tiwari called for ending any help to Kashmiris, claiming that they were responsible for forcing Hindu Kashmiri Pandits to leave the valley. Kashmiri Pandits had to flee the Kashmir valley as they were allegedly targeted by Kashmiri and foreign militants. Others used the floods to attack the people of Kashmir, claiming that they were facing that wrath of God for their past sins. Muslim-majority Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in its entirety by both countries. Unity Away from social media wars, there were many Indians who stood by the side of Kashmiris and opposed unfruitful debates between both faith groups. “At this time we should not go for Hindu-Muslim issues. But we should concentrate on how we can provide maximum relief to them,” Prashant Jain, a Hindu based in Uttar Pradesh state, told OnIslam.net. Kashmiris too were grateful to faith groups which came forward to overcome differences and offer help to those affected by the tragedy. “Everyone is coming forward to help flood victims,” Asif Butt, a Kashmiri student studying in central India, told OnIslam.net. “There is no point in discussing about Kashmiri Pandits at this time. People should use their energy in providing relief to the affected people,” he added. In the flood ravaged valley, people belonging to all faiths were lodged in temporary shelters that were set up at mosques and gurudwaras (Gurudwara is the place of worship for Sikhs). In another incident that showed solidarity between people of different faiths, around 100,000 food packets were dispatched daily from Golden Temple, Amritsar, for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. These packets were prepared by people of Sikh community at various Gurudwaras for distribution among flood-hit Kashmiris. Golden Temple is the prominent Sikh Gurudwara in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. “I believe we have been helped by everyone in these difficult times,” Haroon Mirani, a Muslim journalist based in Kashmir, told OnIslam.net. “It is wrong to make it a HinduMuslim issue. Natural calamity could strike at any place.”

InterNATIONAL

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

OCtober 2014

Empty Chairs Await Traumatized Gaza Students

CAIRO – Returning to a new school year after a 50-day hefty war, traumatized Gaza children have found empty chairs of hundreds of their friends who were either killed or forced to leave their homes to escape Israeli continuous shelling. “In Gaza, conflict has profoundly affected the traditional learning environment and delayed the academic year for almost three weeks,” UNRWA CommissionerGeneral Pierre Krähenbühl said in a statement obtained by Onislam.net on Sunday, September 14. “But after the traumatic 50 days of brutal conflict, of death, destruction and massive displacement, including to many of our schools, we are determined to give the children a sense of renewed hope and better prospects by opening the schools so soon again.” Nearly 500,000 Palestinian students returned to schools on Sunday, September 14, after a three-week delay over the mass destruction caused by this summer’s Israeli war on the besieged strip and using schools as shelters for refugees. Missing their colleagues, Gaza students could not feel excited while going to school with scores of students either killed or wounded by

Israeli shelling. In a bid to offer help to Gaza students, UN aid organizations will be working with local authorities and NGOs to offer psychological counseling for the war-weary Gaza

children. “The top priority now is making sure that after a period of psychosocial support, including the use of theater for development techniques, our students can return to their regular curricula,” Krähenbühl said. More than 200 UNRWA counselors will be hired to offer support for

Arabic Yellow Pages

more than 240,000 Palestinian students in 252 UNRWA schools. Others students at Gaza’s public schools will be offered counseling from a coalition of international and local non-government agencies along with the Palestinian Education Ministry. Symbolic Honor A symbolic honor for students killed in the war was made at schools by placing a sign of the martyr’s name on his empty desk. “Martyr Ghalya Al-Helu, ninth grade,” read one sign placed on an empty chair at a girls’ school in Shejaia, a Gaza neighborhood where hundreds of houses were destroyed and more than 72 people died in the war. During the Israeli war on Gaza, more than 250 schools have been damaged, with 22 totally destroyed and cannot

be used any more, according to the UNICEF. Up to date, UNRWA estimates that about 64,000 internally displaced Palestinians are still sheltering in 20 Gaza schools. Israel has launched relentless airstrikes against Gaza on July 8 where more than 2,100 have been killed and thousands injured. Out of 2,131 Palestinians who died in the latest fighting, 501 were children, said the United Nations. About 70 percent of the children killed were under 12, according to the UN children’s agency, UNICEF. The large scale of mass destruction in Gaza has left about 5,510 homes completely destroyed and about 31,000 partially damaged, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes that were caught up in the Israeli air strikes. Last week, Human Rights Watch said that the Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip, including those on UN schools, have caused numerous civilian casualties in violation of the laws of war and even amount to “war crimes”.

‫الدليل العربي‬

2014 EDITION NOW AVAILABLE AT LOCAL STORES & mASJIDS www.ArabicDaleel.com For More Info call 602-258-7770

October 2014

NATIONAL

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Anti-Islam Bus Ads Infuriate US Muslims NEW YORK – A new anti-Islam advertisement campaign by a proIsrael group has been criticized by New York Muslims and officials as “outrageous”, considering the hate campaign deeply “offensive”. “This is her usual schtick: anti-Muslim bigotry,” Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) communication director Ibrahim Hooper told Think Progress. “Basically what she does is go into a market and introduce the most inflammatory, defamatory remarks that she can possibly come up with, knowing that it will all give her free publicity. Then, if the [local transit authority] denies her, she sues and gets more publicity,” he added, referring to anti-Islam blogger Pamela Geller. The campaign, funded by Geller’s American Freedom

Defense Initiative (AFDI), will place anti-Islam adverts on New York buses and in Subway stations. The ads feature an image for James

State (ISIL), along with the slogan: “Yesterday’s moderate is today’s headline.” The ad also shows a photo for the

Foley, the American journalist, who was killed by the so-called Islamic

masked man who appeared in Foley’s beheading video. Promoting her group’s inflammatory campaign, AFDI President Geller said that the ads aim to combat radicalism. “Controversial during its first run for calling jihadis “savages,” now this ad has been abundantly vindicated by the savagery of the Islamic State,” she was quoted by the Telegraph. “As numerous political leaders, including Barack Obama, call the Isis jihadis “savages” or “barbarians,” she added, using another acronym for the militant group. The hate group, AFDI, has launched similar anti-Muslim campaigns that were vehemently opposed by the American community. Last May, an ad campaign hit Washington DC with a strong antiMuslim message that falsely links Islam to Nazism. The controversial ad showed Adolf Hitler meeting with Palestinian grand mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini. Countering hate speech promoted by Washington anti-Islam bus ads, several campaigns and rallies have been organized in Washington and Maryland to present the true-face of Islam. CAIR has also responded by offering free Qur’ans to anyone who wished to verify the inaccuracy of ADFI’s message. Criticism

The campaign that will put ads on 100 buses and two subway entrances could not win New York mayor’s support, who considered it “outrageous, inflammatory and wrong”. “These hateful messages serve only to divide and stigmatize when we should be coming together as one city,” he told The New York Daily News. A similar criticism was shared by Linda Sarsour, the executive director of the Arab-American Association of New York, who pointed to the rise in the number of antiMuslims attacks in the US. “The question here is what could be the consequences of these ads going up at a time like this,” Sarsour told the Guardian. “We have ignorant people walking around who are waiting to act on their hatred for Muslims. We don’t need ads across New York City that try to link Islam and Isis.” Aiming to extend its provocative campaign, the AFDI has launched an appeal to raise $20,000 for additional anti-Muslim activities. Geller, who has bragged online that she uses a Qur’an as a doorstop, was the subject of a CAIR “Islamophobe profile” documenting the individuals and organizations involved in spreading anti-Muslim bias in the United States. CAIR also listed her as a member of the “inner core” of those promoting anti-Muslim bigotry. Although there are no official figures, the United States is believed to be home to between 6-8 million Muslims. According to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender said that Islamophobia in the US is on the rise. A US survey has also revealed that the majority of Americans know very little about Muslims and their faith. A recent Gallup poll has found 43 percent of Americans Nationwide admitted to feeling at least “a little” prejudice against Muslims.

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

CALENDAR / ANNOUNCEMENTS

Phoenix Prayer Times

October 2014 • Thulquidah/Thulhija 1435 H

OCtober 2014

Directions to the Islamic Cultural Center Cemetery

From the Islamic Cultural Center (ICC):

ISLAMIC WEEKEND SCHOOLS Islamic Community Center of Phoenix: Islamic Cultural Center: Muslim Community Mosque: Masjid Omar ICNEV Weekend Islamic School ACA Weekend School Sultan Education in Chandler Greenway Islamic Academy

Sunday at 9:45 am-1:20 pm. Sunday at 10:00 am Sunday at 10:00 am until 2:30 pm. Saturday & Sunday from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. Tel: (480) 346-2081Classes held on Sunday K thru’ grade 12 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Sunday 10:00 am-1:15 pm. www.azacademy.org/weekend Saturdays & Sundays - children/adults 480-593-7066 Tajweed, Islamic Studies, & Arabic Language 602-565-0500

1) Go South on Forest to University Drive. Turn right. 2) Go West on University to the I-10 highway. Take I-10 East. 3) Proceed on I-10 East (~12 Miles). Exit at Queen Creek Rd. (EXIT #164). 4) Turn right on route 347 South. Proceed for about 14 miles. 5) Turn right on route 238 West. Proceed for about 8.7 miles. 6) Turn right on unnamed/unpaved street after you see the street sign which reads “36 miles” and proceed to the cemetery.

IN CASE OF DEATH • Call Sandy at Angel’s Burial, at 480-962-6435 • Total cost is $1,800.00

Check our website for up to date information www.tempemasjid.com ISLAMIC CENTERS IN ARIZONA

PHOENIX Arizona Cultural Academy 7810 S. 42nd Pl. • Phoenix 602-454-1222 Islamic Center of Arizona 9032 N. 9th St. • Phoenix

Islamic Center of N. Phoenix 13246 N. 23rd Ave. 85029 602-371-3440 Islamic Comnty Ctr of Phx 7516 N. Black Canyon Hwy. Phoenix • 602-249-0496 Muslim Community Mosque 1818 N. 32nd St. • Phoenix 602-306-4959 Masjid Al-Rahmah 2645 E. McDowell Rd. • Phoenix 602-275-5493 Masjid Muhammad Ibn Abdullah

5648 N. 15th ave. Phoenix, AZ 85015 602-413-5279

Al Rasoul Mosque 5302 N. 35th Ave. • Phoenix 602-864-1817

CHANDLER Masjid AsSalam 1071 N. Alma School Rd.• Chandler 480-250-7522

PEORIA Greenway Islamic Center 6724 West Greenway • Peoria, Islamic Center of East Valley AZ www.greenwaymasjid.com 425 N. Alma School Dr. • Chandler TEMPE 602-388-9900 Islamic Comnty Ctr of Tempe LAVEEN 131 E. 6th Street • Tempe 480-894-6070 Islamic Center of Laveen P.O. Box 1107 • Laveen Masjid Al Mahdi 602-361-4401 1016 S. River Dr. • Tempe MARICOPA 480-557-9699 Masjid Bilal Ibn Rabah Masjid Omar Bin Al-Khattab 44370 W. Arizona Ave. Maricopa Arizona 85138 6225 S.McClintock • Tempe contact# (602)312-7913 480-775-6627 MESA Masjid-el-Noor 55 N. Matlock • Mesa 480-644-0074 SCOTTSDALE Islamic Center of N.E. Valley 12125 E. Via Linda • Scottsdale 480-612-4044

CASA GRANDE Masjid Sajda is located c/o: The Legacy Suites 540 North Cacheris Court Casa Grande`, Arizona 85122 480.332.8618