Muslim Voice Sep 2010

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MOHAMMED ALZAIDI ACCIDENT & INJURY LAWYER

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AMERICAN-MUSLIMS COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Monthly Newspaper

Vol.13 Issue No.168

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602-306-1111

September 2010 Ramadan / Shawwal 1431H

Lending a helping hand to Pakistan flood victims Muslim Voice

organizations working together in 99 countries to overcome poverty and injustice. Your gifts to Oxfam can help flood victims in a plethora of ways:

By: Sumbal Akhter

Poll: Last month’s results: Does wearing Hijab bring you positive or negative experience in your life?

Are there enough Eid activities for the entire Muslim family in the Valley?

Yes No

58 % Positive 42 % Negative

Visit www.azmuslimvoice.com to vote

Word on the Street “What do you look most forward to in Ramadan?”

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Lending a helping hand to Pakistan flood victims

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The overwhelming floods in Pakistan as of August 3, 2010 have affected more than 14 million people. This number is expected to unfortunately increase due to more of the approaching monsoon rains. International Red Cross officials report that these have been the most devastating floods in Pakistan in the last 80 years. Even though the damage has already been done, it can be pacified by helpful donations from people living around the world. What can you do to lend a supportive hand to your Muslim brothers and sisters? You can text “SWAT” to 50555 to contribute money for flood victims in Pakistan. Each text donates $10 to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), whose emergency response teams are delivering supplies in Balochistan and Kyber provinces. Money can also be donated at http://www.oxfam.org to Oxfam, an international union of 14

Somalia: The Nation Peace forgot

• $25 can buy one family hygiene kit (including oral rehydration salts, soap, sanitary cloths and towels).

• $90 can buy three family household kits (including water containers and purification tablets).

• $500 can buy a full set of tools for the relief effort (including shovels, pickaxes, buckets and wheelbarrows).

“The water has swept away everything,” says Iftikhar Khalid, an Oxfam manager in Pakistan. “Families are desperate about the loss of their loved ones, their belongings and their livelihoods. Water sources and crops are destroyed.” Oxfam Pakistan Director Neva Khan entails, “The countryside is drowning in an ocean of contaminated water.” So to help prevent an epidemic of waterborne illness, donate today to help save the lives of millions impacted by the Pakistan floods.

Passions rise at dueling NYC mosque demonstrations

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UN: Israel uncooperative in Gaza flotilla probe

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SEPTEMBER 2010

CARTOON/EID ANNOUNCEMENT

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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

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Prayer & Picnics will be held at:

• Islamic Community Center of Tempe

• Eid Prayer Friday, September 10, 2010 - 9:30 AM Phoenix Convention Center (West Halls 1-3) You can make your zakatul fitr donations online before coming to eid prayer (www.tempemasjid.com) • Eid Picnic 9/25/10 Tumbleweed Park, Chandler

• Islamic Community Center of Phoenix (ICCP) • Eid Prayer Eid in the West Valley is the same location at Glendale Civic Center at 9:30 AM • Eid Picnic September 19th at Encanto park, Phoenix

• Islamic Center of North/East Valley – Scottsdale Masjid

Member of:

Eid Al-Fitr prayer at ICNEV on Friday Sept 10th. Eid prayer will start at 9:00am SHARP. Khateeb will be Imam Anas Hlayhel. We will also hold the Jumaa prayer at its normal scheduled time (12:45pm).

media network

Address: At ICNEV - 12125 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, AZ (122nd street & E. Via Linda)

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www.mosaicmadianetwork.net

Deadlines for submission of letters is the 20th of every month, and for advertisements by the 25th. Only letters and articles submitted on disk or 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.

DON’T FORGET YOUR PRAYER RUGS! For updated information please visit our website: www.AzMuslimVoice.Com

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SEPTEMBER 2010

3

Word on the Street

“What do you look most forward to in Ramadan?”

Muslim Voice By: Sumbal Akhter During Ramadan, I really look forward to gaining a stronger sense of spiritual purification. This month helps me to strengthen my religious beliefs and values, as it should for all of us.

The month of Ramadan helps remind me to not take anything I have for granted and to thank Allah (SWA) for all that I am given.

It is truly a blessed month, and I look forward to it every year.

– Maham Fayyaz The right answer would be the blessings and rewards of doing what is both required and asked by Allah (SWT). But in a more sublunary sense I try to look at Ramadan as a time to ask for forgiveness for what I’ve done and guidance for what I’m about to do. It’s easy to get caught up in eccentricity of all the Muslims around you during this time of year and end up fasting, praying, among other things for the wrong reasons. Not that enthusiasm is a bad thing I just find that some people become super Muslims one month out of the year and we take our capes off on the morning of Eid. In other words things like lying, gossiping, cheating, and other things I probably shouldn’t mention aren’t just off limits while your fasting...they just happen to break it.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that Ramadan is a chance to train and better yourself and not just be a better version of yourself. If Ramadan is an invitation to bring your soul to the table instead of an appetite lets just make sure it’s not a guest.

-Mahad Zara During Ramadan, I look forward to the feeling of unity and love amongst friends and our local community. Everyone looks forward to praying Taraweeh together at our local masjids and breaking our fasts with family and friends. It is

a blessed month and sharing it with our loved ones makes it such a wonderful experience. The month of Ramadan motivates each and everyone of us to be the best we can be and I look forward to this month each year because it brings out the best in everyone. And of course, the best part of Ramadan is Eid! :) Getting together for Eid prayer is always the highlight of the year to celebrate such a holy and blessed month with our family and friends. Ramadan Mubarak to everyone!

- Ariba Bhuvad What I look forward to the most in Ramadan is the strengthening of faith. When I spend my whole day fasting it reminds me of my beliefs and I feel closer to God. I refrain from not only eating but other activities which are forbidden such as lying and it makes me feel like a better person and a better Muslim. Then all of the time spent praying this month fortifies my faith in Islam. I begin the month as what I hope is a good Muslim and finish it as a much better one iA. That’s always my goal and why I look forward to Ramadan.

Maham Fayyaz

Mahad Zara

– Mohammad Athar Javed The thing that I look most forward to in Ramadan is fasting and doing the taraweeh prayers because this month is as an opportunity for Muslims to practice self-discipline by abstaining from sins and doing as much ibadah as they can since it is a time in which repentance is accepted and good deeds are multiplied in reward.

Ariba Bhuvad

Mohammad Athar Javed

Rabia Memon

Sadaf Assadi

–Rabia Memon I really love the month of Ramadan. I look forward to the challenges I must face and endure, which are much more than just hunger and thirst. However what I really look forward to is the precious time I get to spend with family and friends during Iftar, and the opportunities I have to get closer to God each day. Ramadan is a month full of blessings, and I hope by the end of it I will have become a better person.

–Sadaf Assadi

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Cities turning to bill collectors for past debts

LOCAL

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Arizona shelves idea of changing immigration law

By PAUL DAVENPORT

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton.

Associated Press Writer

Legislative leaders voiced skepticism about Brewer’s idea from the get-go but had aides review it before concluding that no immediate action should be taken.

PHOENIX (AP) _ Arizona legislators are setting aside Gov. Jan Brewer’s suggestion that lawmakers consider changing parts of the state’s controversial immigration law.

``It’s in the middle of the appeal process.

Brewer on July 30 floated the idea of making ``tweaks’’ to the law shortly after a federal judge blocked implementation of numerous provisions. Legislative aides said Tuesday the idea has been shelved, at least temporarily, mainly because of the state’s pending appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. ``Everyone agreed ... that it would have been acting in haste to act at this point,’’ said Victor Riches, chief of staff for the House’s Republican majority.

Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) _ Owe money to a city for power, gas and water and the chances are you will be hearing from a bill collector.

Cash strapped cities say their staffs lack the expertise, resources and time to track down delinquent consumers and that private collection efforts help keep residents’ utility costs low.

Mesa uses a collection agency and last year, it recouped $1.4 million, about half of a percent of overall revenue.

Peoria has used collection agencies for eight years.

The utility billing and revenue manager for Surprise says they started using a collection agency in September and recovered 32 percent of past-due water and sewage bills.

Besides the provision on immigration checks for arrested people, blocked provisions included a requirement that police check a person’s status while enforcing other laws if there’s a reasonable suspicion the person is in the United States illegally. Also blocked were provisions that required immigrants to carry their papers and banned immigrants from soliciting employment in public places.

There’s still a possibility that lawmakers could take up the issue in the future but nothing is in the works now, Riches added.

Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brewer didn’t suggest specific changes to the law but expressed a willingness to consider changes in response to the preliminary injunction issued July 28 by

We need to see how at least what the 9th Circuit says,’’ said Greg Jernigan, general counsel to Senate Republicans.

Legislative aides said Brewer raised the possibility of considering changes to the immigration law during a brief special session held last week on an unrelated topic, but she ultimately didn’t include it in her special session call.

Jernigan noted that the appellate court has agreed to put the case on a fast track, scheduling a hearing on the case in early November.

Although lawmakers could narrow the reach of a blocked provision barring release of arrested people pending checks of their immigration status, it wasn’t realistic to consider changing other provisions blocked by Bolton on grounds that they’re pre-empted by federal authority over immigration matters, Jernigan said.

The pre-emption issue will have to be settled by the courts, Jernigan added.

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This internship will count toward your credit hours at your college or university. Space is limited, for information please call 602-258-7770 or email us at inter@azmuslimvoice.com

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Feel free to share this evaluation with your Leadership Team and Board of Directors. You may be surprised at the results!

“Allah loves that if a person does something he does it perfectly” – Hadith

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OPINIONS

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5

Somalia: The Nation Peace forgot

Letter to Editor By: Mohamud Shalab

Somalia, also known as the horn of Africa, used to be a home to many. It was a place filled with beautiful sights, with the longest coastal area in Africa and attracted tourism from all over the world. Now the once peaceful nation is destroyed by civil war. A large amount of its civilians fled their country seeking refuge and found it here in America, also known as the Land of Immigrants.

The Somali community is one of Africa’s largest communities in America. Somalis

have been pouring into the states since the 1990’s; that was when the civil war began in Somalia. The first Somali was a sailor that arrived in the 1920s in New York.

Minnesota has the heaviest concentration in North America with around 75,000.

They established multiple Somali-owned businesses, and Stores in shopping malls and selling everything from the latest fashion to halal meat. There are even video stores with the newest Somali films and music.

Somalis face daily hardship and discrimination. They struggle to hold their families together. Some live by a check-tocheck basis, usually from welfare. Most of these are single mothers who cannot afford to work or are unable due to the language barrier. There was a time when immigrants

were mistreated and certainly those times still lurk upon us. People have to recognize the tremendous challenges that immigrants face in their efforts to establish themselves in their new communities across America.

It is never easy to set up a home in a place that is foreign to you.

The Horn of Africa has now become a place of great suffering. War, famine and all sorts of crime has torn the nation apart. The ongoing war is now an international issue which has caused the United Nations to step in. When they entered the country they committed mass violations of the rights of the Somali citizens. They were disarmed and confiscated thousands of weapons.

This created an upsurge in violence and put more stress on the helpless civilians. In 1994, when the United Nations retreated

the fighting subsided.

The only way Somalia can ever finally end the ongoing civil war is if they put their differences aside and see what the war has done to their country. Too many men, women and children have died. From 2007 to present day, Somalia has been taken over by a hardcore group called Al Shabab which have no political framework.

Somalia has become the breeding ground of terror. They have been destroying, and indoctrinating with the youth wing in order to continue their army struggle .

What the ungoverned nation needs now is a perspicacious leader and a stable government with rules and regulations that the civilians can abide by. Therefore the Somalis could one day return to their home land with peace and stability.

Collective Joy, Collective Shame

Opinions

By Ahmad Daniels, M.Ed.

Of all the pictures taken at the end of World War II, none are as memorable as the photo snapped on V-J Day in Times Square, August 14, 1945, of a sailor passionately kissing a woman wearing a white dress. This shot captured the joy the nation was feeling having received news that war had finally come to a close. All of which is reminiscent of another collective sharing.

When heavyweight champ Joe Louis took to the ring, all of Black America might as well have been fighting his opponent along with him. In Louis’ return bout with German champ Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938 at Yankee Stadium, 70 million persons in the U.S. listened with rapt attention to this historical fight. History reminds all that it was possible to walk for blocks and blocks through any Black community and never miss a second of the radio announcer’s blow-by-blow account of Louis’ delivering one devastating blow after another. When Joe Louis won a fight Black

America won and when Louis was defeated, as he was in his first fight with Schmeling two years earlier, so did Black America feel the crushing blow of failure; a failure that lingered in the air like Los Angeles’ smog.

Muslims too have come to know more than a little about these two emotions.

President Obama in Egypt When President Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world in particular and all else in general from Cairo University in June of 2009, there existed a pride and interest among many Muslims. Yet, despite this fleeting feeling of euphoria, many Muslims know all too well that ever since 9-11, the title “Muslim” means different things to different people. Reports come in from Pakistan, a nation that has been all but devastated from flooding, indicating there are many in the U.S. who are hesitant to assist this ravaged country for fear their charitable dollars would be used to fund terrorists organizations within Pakistan’s borders. It is difficult to imagine the same line of thinking being applied to a Christian or Buddhist nation flattened by a natural disaster. Yet is the burden that accompanies the collective Muslims of the world today.

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Ground Zero Cultural Center Whereas there exists enough shame and guilt to go around when one considers the shoe and underwear bombers and a host of other attention getting gestures of those acting according to how they interpret the Qur’an, an opportunity to revel in a collective joy exists in what has come to be knows as the Mosque near Ground Zero or Park51.

Muslims too are torn between whether the construction of an Islamic anything near the site where thousands of lives were loss and untold numbers of families scarred forever was a good idea. Some Muslims believe a smaller building would not have provoked as much public rancor while others inquire, “How far away would be acceptable? Five blocks? 15?”

There is a tendency among groups that are in the cross hairs of a broader population to attempt to remain low on the radar screen. This is seen among undocumented workers in Arizona and other states who, when victimized, are reluctant to call law enforcement.

Such behavior was also exhibited in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, when Dr.

Martin L. King, Jr., and the Montgomery Improvement Association when bargaining with city officials, initially asked for a more “humane” from of Jim Crow (segregation) and not the full rights afforded them as citizens of the United States.

An opportunity to Muslims to again breathe a sigh of collective joy is being afforded them and other freedom loving persons of all faiths through the Ground Zero Cultural Center. The planners of this peaceful edifice is extending an invitation to New York City and the world to join them in their study halls, basket ball courts, and yes, mosque when construction has been completed.

Muslims, like those of other faiths, will do what their hearts and assessments of social conditions dictate. This is seen in the USA and other locations around the world where Muslims kill Muslims who happen to be innocent women and children. If Muslims are to continue proclaiming from the highest minaret that Islam is a religion of peace, it appears that an opportunity exists right this minute in New York City to support the Ground Zero Cultural Center aka Park51.

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Hostess won’t wear Disney’s head scarf alternative Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) _ A woman who accused the Disney Co. of discrimination for refusing to let her wear a Muslim head scarf at work says she won’t wear a specially designed hat instead.

Imane Boudlal, who’s a restaurant hostess at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, says Disney’s suggested hat-and-bonnet is embarrassing and makes a joke of her religion.

She has gone home without pay seven times rather than remove

NATIONAL

her hijab or accept jobs away from customers.

D i s n e y spokeswoman Suzi Brown says the head covering accommodates both Boudlal’s beliefs and Disney costuming guidelines. She says it was one of several options Disney made after Boudlal requested alterations to her approved apparel.

Last week, Boudlal filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Fla. House candidate says Islam against America Associated Press PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) _ A Republican U.S. House candidate in the Florida Panhandle has told a group of middle and high school students that Islam ``is against everything America stands for.’’

Some applauded after Ron McNeil’s comment Tuesday at a candidate forum for students in Panama City, but one student challenged McNeil’s comments.

McNeil then said Islam’s ``plan is to

destroy our way of life.’’

The exchange began when McNeil voiced opposition to a proposed Islamic center, including a mosque, two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

McNeil said if it’s built, it should be ``nine stories underground, so we can walk above it as citizens and Christians.’’

McNeil is one of five Republicans vying to challenge Democratic Rep. Allen Boyd.

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

The Economy is in Big Trouble

By MIKE WHITNEY Imagine the reaction at the White House when the Department of Labor released its weekly unemployment figures on Thursday.

Jobless claims rose by 12,000 to 500,000 in the second week of August. There’s been no improvement in the jobs market in 9 months and now unemployment is edging upwards again. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Obama administration had bet everything that the economy had turned the corner and would gradually get better. Many economists saw less than a 10 per cent chance that the economy would tip back into recession. After all, double dip recessions are “extremely rare”. Now more people are losing their jobs and Team Obama is caught in the headlights. There is no back-up plan, no Plan B. The Democrats will face the midterms with no stimulus to create new jobs and with an economy that is steadily deteriorating. It’s going to be a massacre and they know it.

Obama and his lieutenants have stopped talking about austerity measures. The plan to dismantle Social Security has been put on hold,( though the Commission headed by the appalling former Senator Alan Simpson grinds on with its mission of destruction.)

No one wants to hear about belt tightening when the future is uncertain and they’re worried about losing their jobs. Obama will have to shift-gears again; switch from promoting the elitist “privatize everything” agenda to his “I feel your pain” routine. He might want to dig up some archived video of B. Clinton chewing his lip and blinking back the tears.

All of the economic data is being revised downwards. The economy is in big trouble and the politicians are just starting to catch on. Stocks fell sharply on Thursday (Dow down 144 points) on news that manufacturing (Philly Fed Index) shrank in August beyond analysts expectations.

Nearly every category fell including shipments and new orders. The Dow Jones is off 10 per cent since April 23, more than

a 1,000 point loss in the last 4 months. Also, Moody’s reported that commercial real estate prices slipped another 4 per cent in June. According to Calculated risk website, “Commercial real estate values are now down 41.3 per cent from the peak in late 2007.” It’s a bloodbath.

Bond yields on US Treasuries continue to tumble as investor pessimism grows and increasingly bleak news feeds the fears of another slump. The two-year note has been setting records nearly every day.

The benchmark 10-year which peaked at 3.99 per cent in April has since descended into Bernanke’s inferno. It was last seen parachuting to terra firma at 2.61 per cent.

If it continues to plunge at this rate, it will be below 2 per cent by year-end. Welcome to Japan.

Try to grasp the significance of bond yields.

The business media spins the news and tries to dress up the data with all kinds of happy talk. Bond yields reflect cold hard reality. Investors only plunk their money into low-yielding liquid assets when they’re sure things are going to get worse. Much worse. The rumors of a “bond bubble” is all nonsense. These aren’t leveraged assets; there’s no risk. People accept modest returns because they’re afraid to put their money anywhere else. It’s a referendum on failed monetary policy.

30-year mortgage rates are pinned to the 10-year which is why rates are lower now than any time in history. Still, housing inventory continues to build. Realtors are finding that they can’t giveaway homes at any price. So much for the American dream.

Policymakers at the Fed, the Treasury, the White House and the Congress now look on as the foundations of the so-called recovery crack before their very eyes.

Many of their careers will undoubtedly follow the economy down the drain. As the stimulus runs out, unemployment will rise, deleveraging and debt liquidation will gain momentum, and the economy will succumb to a second vicious contraction. Digging out will not be easy.

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SEPTEMBER 2010

7

Passions rise at dueling NYC mosque demonstrations

By VERENA DOBNIK

Steve Ayling, a 40-year-old Brooklyn plumber, said the people behind the mosque project are ``the same people who took down the twin towers.’’

Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) _ Hundreds of impassioned demonstrators _ all waving American flags, but separated into two groups by police _ descended on the site of the proposed mosque near ground zero, with opponents chanting, ``No mosque, no way!’’ and supporters shouting, ``We say no to racist fear!’’

The two leaders of the construction project, meanwhile, defended their plans on Sunday, though one suggested that organizers might eventually be willing to discuss an alternative site.

The other, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, said during a Middle East trip that the attention generated by the project is actually positive and that he hopes it will bring greater understanding.

The rallies took place around the corner from the cordonedoff old building that is to become a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque. There were no reports of physical clashes but there were some noseto-nose confrontations, including a man and a woman screaming at each other across a barricade under a steady rain.

Opponents demand that the mosque be moved farther from the site where more than 2,700 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001. ``They should put it in the Middle East,’’ Ayling said.

by Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, who insist the center will promote moderate Islam. The dispute has sparked a national debate on religious freedom and American values and is becoming an issue on the campaign trail ahead of the midterm elections.

Republicans have been critical of

Signs hoisted by dozens of protesters standing behind police barricades read ``SHARIA’’ _ using dripping, blood-red letters to describe Islam’s Shariah law, which governs Muslims’ behavior.

``We want to build bridges,’’ Khan said. ``We don’t want to create conflict, this is not where we were coming from.’’

But Khan also said the angry reaction to the project ``is like a metastasized antiSemitism.’’

On a nearby sidewalk, police chased away a group that unfurled a banner with images of beating, stoning and other torture they said was committed by those who followed Islamic law.

At the pro-mosque rally, staged a block away from opponents’ demonstration, several hundred people chanted, ``Muslims are welcome here!

We say no to racist fear!’’

A mannequin wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress, was mounted on one of two mock missiles that were part of an antimosque installation. One missile was inscribed with the words: ``Again?

Freedom Targeted by Religion’’; the other with ``Obama: With a President Barack Obama’s stance: He has said the Muslims have the right to build the center at the site but has not commented on whether he thinks they should.

Opponents of the $100 million project two blocks from the World Trade Center site appeared to outnumber supporters.

Bruce Springsteen’s ``Born in the USA’’ blared over loudspeakers as mosque opponents chanted, ``No mosque, no way!’’

openness to that idea on ABC’s ``This Week with Christiane Amanpour,’’ but said she would have to meet with the center’s other ``stakeholders’’ first.

Rauf is in the middle of a Mideast trip funded by the U.S. State Department that is intended to promote religious tolerance. He told a gathering Sunday at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain that he took heart from the dispute over the mosque, saying ``the fact we are getting this kind of attention is a sign of success.’’ middle name Hussein. We understand.

Bloomberg: What is your excuse?’’

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has fiercely defended plans for the proposed mosque, saying that the right ``to practice your religion was one of the real reasons America was founded.’’

The

mosque

project

is

being

led

``It is my hope that people will understand more,’’ Rauf said without elaborating.

Democratic New York Gov. David Paterson has suggested that state land farther from ground zero be used for the center. Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, expressed some

Dr. Ali Akram, a 39-year-old Brooklyn physician, came with his three sons and an 11-year-old nephew waving an American flag. He noted that scores of Muslims were among those who died in the towers, and he called those who oppose the mosque ``un-American.’’ ``They teach their children about the freedom of religion in America _ but they don’t practice what they preach,’’ Akram said.

Rauf, in an interview with Bahrain’s Al Wasat newspaper, said America’s sweeping constitutional rights are more in line with Islamic principles than the limits imposed by some Muslim nations. ``American Muslims have the right to practice their religion in accordance with the Constitution of the United States,’’ Rauf said. ``I see the article of independence as more compliant with the principles of Islam than what is available in many of the current Muslim countries.’’

A portion of the Al Wasat interview _ to be published Monday _ was seen Sunday by The Associated Press.

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SEPTEMBER 2010

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How to Put out the Fire?

By: Dr. Aslam Abdullah

We are in the second 10 days of Ramadan, the days of Maghfirah. Our Prophet said that the first ten days of Ramadan are the days of mercy, the next days are the days of maghfirah (forgiveness) and the last ten days are the days of atonement and saving us from hell.

We need Maghfirah, which literally means protection and forgiveness. During this month the Muslim community in the United States has come under severe attack from Islamophobes who are making Islam and Muslims an easy scapegoat for their frustration and anger over the election of a black president, depleting economy and rising unemployment as well as declining income. Muslims as usual are divided and unable to respond in a unified manner. Interfaith Councils all over the country have taken a unified stand as is evident from their statements in New York, California and Nevada. However, Muslim organizations have yet to meet and discuss the ways and means to take a unified stand on the issue to counter hate-Islam campaign led primarily by the Christian evangelical fanatics, media madmen, Zionist extremists and political opportunists such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin. Thus, Muslims are exposed to far bigger dangers. Of course, in all circumstances We ask Allah to protect us and show us the guidance to take a better course of action.

Allah tells us that things would not change for better unless we are willing to change ourselves and our conditions.

At this time, when the media is full with reports and talk shows intent on lighting a fire of hate in our country, it is our duty to respond and put out this fire. Two years ago during the last Presidential campaign, the Islamophobics distributed a documentary called Obsession to spread hatred against Islam and Muslims and this year, which is an election year, they have turned construction of an Islamic

Center in Lower Manhattan as a national issue to implicate Islam and Muslims in 9/11. Muslims responded to the 2008 challenge befittingly and forced Obsession into obscurity. Now we must stand up for what is good for us and what is good for America.

Those who are actively speaking against Islam and Muslims have planned a series of actions against Islam and Muslims.

Some of them plan to burn a copy of the

• Allah asks us not to be intimidated and not to feel hopeless.

• Allah asks us to be positive for his mercy.

• Allah asks us to put our heads together and work to improve the situation.

• Allah asks us to spread the truth about his message to all those ignorant.

• Allah asks to be always prayerful.

• Allah asks us to be respectful to people and fair and just to everyone.

• Allah asks us to be peaceful even when provoked.

• Allah asks us to refrain from attacking other’s religious beliefs.

Based on what Allah taught us in the Quran this is what our Prophet did in adverse conditions.

• He developed alliances with those who were willing to understand him and Allah’s message.

• He developed dialogue with those nonMuslims who were willing to listen to him.

Quran on September 11. Others plan to take rallies out against masajids on the same day. Conservative talk show hosts and politicians are encouraging such groups by vomiting poison against Muslims by equating them to Nazis and barbarians.

Attacks against Muslims have increased in the last one month. According to reports in news media, more than 50 incidents of violence against Muslims have been reported in the last 30 days. The media in general is quiet about these issues. But we cannot be. We must be proactive. We must seek the protection in Allah at this time. Seeking protection in Allah means doing things that Allah has asked us to do in these situations.

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• He even appealed to the hearts and minds of his foes to listen to him.

• He mobilized his companions to be actively involved in the social issues of their time.

• He motivated his followers to help the poor and the needy regardless of their background.

• He inspired his supporters to use every possible channel to spread the words about Allah and the message of Islam.

• He took the challenge seriously and planned ahead to deal with it.

• He gave confidence to his followers of the legitimacy of their stand.

• He was proactive and he took risks in improving the situation.

• He was peaceful in his response.

Based on the Quran and the teachings of our Prophet, we can develop a unified strategy to work for the betterment of Islam in our country. We can create a positive interaction with the society at large. It is time that we are seen working as one people standing for our dignity and truth and challenging all those who are bent on denying the rights that Allah has given us.

Muslims of conscious should come together and help sort out a strategy. If their organizations are not willing to sit together, they should mobilize masses and take leadership in this area. Specifically, Muslim professionals, men and women should take a leadership role in this situation. Our religious scholars are still busy in locating the moon and they should not be disturbed because that is all they can do.

Let us not ignore the signs. The holocaust did not begin suddenly. Christian leaders of Germany prepared grounds for that decades before that. They burned Torah.

They accused Jews of treachery. They called them fifth columnist. They equated Judaism with the devil and they called Jews anti-Christ. The rhetoric of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and those who are speaking their language is not different than those Christians who were leading anti-Jewish movement in Germany. The hatred that is being spread might move us closer to something more dreadful. We do not have time to bicker about who did what in the past. We do not have time to point fingers at others. We do not have time to sit in isolation in our own ego castles while the people suffer. We do not have time to beat the ethnic drums or play the race card. We do not have the time to project a holier than thou attitude. We have a duty to ourselves to our country and our Creator to be a voice of truth and justice for everyone and we must demonstrate through our action that we are capable of fulfilling our duty.

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Holy month, hot days: Football nights in Michigan

By JEFF KAROUB

really hot and everything.’’

Associated Press Writer DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) _ Illuminated by the night lights on the football field, Adnan Restum joined a scrum of teammates at the end-zone water fountain, taking a break from a grueling preseason workout to guzzle a drink.

In just a few hours, he wouldn’t be able to take a sip. But the 17-year-old defensive tackle could rehydrate guiltfree during the 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. practice, and succumb to tempting boxes full of granola bars and chocolate milk, too.

The moonlight practice is tailored for Restum and fellow Muslim teammates who make up a majority of the Fordson High School squad in the large Arab community of Dearborn. It’s a way for the players to practice football and their faith, and balance the fasting common during the 30-day holy month of Ramadan that started last week. ``It feels really great,’’ said Restum, who has been fasting since he was about 10. ``If we’re doing it during the day, we wouldn’t have water and it would be

Fordson High’s head coach Fouad Zaban proposed reversing the clock and moving practice to nighttime after realizing the rotating Ramadan would fall squarely during the start of a two-a-day practice schedule that launches football season.

Cutting practice wasn’t an option at football-crazy Fordson, which has won four state titles and three runnerup seasons since it was established in 1928, and is coming off a one-loss season. But no one wanted to lessen the significance of Ramadan at the school in the Detroit suburb widely known as the capital of Arab America.

Zaban, 40, a Muslim and former Fordson player, knows the high stakes.

When Ramadan falls during football season, the players practice during daylight hours. But with August’s heat and doubled practice schedule, concerns grew about players’ health, particularly the high risk of heat stroke. ``We know how hot it’s been this summer _ it’s not safe,’’ Zaban said.

Working it out meant getting the approval of school and district administrators and the blessings of players, parents and police. Then, there

were the residents in the surrounding neighborhood, who would hear more noise and see the illuminated field. So he sent letters explaining the decision.

Zaban is unaware of such schedule switches elsewhere, though other teams at the school and in the district have moved practices earlier or later in the day. It’s been more than three decades since Ramadan last fell during football preseason and Fordson’s Muslim population was far smaller then _ and, he notes, there were no field lights.

Zaban said the goal has been to let players break the fast at sundown and go to the mosque, and get players out in time for a meal and morning prayer before sunrise. The field is near bustling bakeries, cafes and restaurants catering to late-night customers.

But first, there are drills. ``Keep running! Heads up!’’ Zaban yelled while leading a passing drill. And, when a receiver flubbed a one-handed catch, the coach barked, ``Hey, two hands!’’ The result was 20 push-ups.

Zaban said whether players fast is a personal choice and never an issue raised by him or his staff. Still, he

says, it shouldn’t be an excuse for poor performance for the roughly 95 percent who do.

He ended the session before 4 a.m. with a message to the huddled, padded masses to ``drink lots of water,’’ ``get a good meal in,’’ and ``man up.’’

Defensive tackle William Powell, one of the team’s few non-Muslims, initially thought the coach was ``out of his mind,’’ but he’s come around. In fact, he’s even fasted. ``I’m around ‘em, so I’ve tried a couple times but it’s hard,’’ the 17-year-old said.

For Rami Fakih, a wide receiver and defensive back, the nocturnal regimen has taken some adjustment but for different reasons. The brother of recently crowned Miss USA Rima Fakih said he had to think twice before hitting the fountain. ``Oh yeah,’’ he said. ``Then I remembered, you know. I looked up.

There’s no sun. I can drink. I can eat.’’

With that, he walked off the field and into the darkness with plans to grab a quick bite with friends at a local bakery.

Nation’s first Muslim college opens in California

By JOANNA CORMAN BERKELEY, Calif. (RNS) Faatimah Knight’s college decision came down to eight schools where she would have majored in English, or Zaytuna College, where she could study Islamic classical teachings in an environment that embraces all aspects of her Muslim faith.

The Brooklyn native is part of the inaugural class of what Zaytuna’s founders hope will be the country’s first accredited, four-year Muslim liberal arts college — a flagship of higher learning with an Islamic identity yet open to all faiths.

Knight, 18, chose Zaytuna, she said, because she wants to grow in her faith, learn more about the religion that inspired her parents to convert from Christianity and be able to defend Islam during a time of stepped-up suspicion.

Four years of college, Knight said, “has to bring me more than book smarts.” ‘’I want to feel like I’m improving as a person. I want to feel like I’m improving in terms of my character,” she said. “I’m almost positive that I can only get that here.”

Knight, an aspiring writer, is one of 15 Zaytuna students who started classes Tuesday (Aug. 24). Zaytuna College grew out of a pilot seminary program at the Zaytuna Institute, which graduated a handful of students in 2008. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, an American-born convert from the San Francisco Bay Area who studied Islam abroad, started the institute in 1996, offering continuing education classes in Arabic and Islamic studies.

college two years ago with two colleagues: Imam Zaid Shakir, a Berkeley convert who studied Islam abroad; and Hatem Bazian, a professor at the University of California Berkeley and a Palestinian native who’s lived in the Bay Area for nearly 27 years.

The three are among the best-known and most-respected Muslim scholars in America, said Zahra Billoo, the programs and outreach director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ San Francisco Bay Area chapter.

The college will seek accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and founders hope to graduate students who can work in any profession, including serving the Muslim American community as imams, nonprofit managers and Islamic school teachers.

Co-founder Bazian said the college is needed because of a lack of native-born Muslim professionals with a strong understanding of their faith and the needs of U.S. Muslims. ‘’We feel the college is very important in that it provides a grounding for the community in its own tradition — not in a sense to create a difference with the larger society, but to actually normalize its presence within the larger society, that there is no contradiction between being an American and being Muslim,” Bazian said.

While Muslims have been in the U.S. for centuries, most immigrated here within the last 40 years, with 80 percent of U.S. Muslims arriving after 1980, said Farid Senzai, a member of Zaytuna’s management committee and the research director at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a Michigan-based think tank focused on U.S. Muslims.

Yusuf began planning Zaytuna’s transition to a full-fledged

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The college could help bridge the gap between different segments of the community, such as immigrants and nativeborn Muslims, said CAIR’s Billoo. It could also provide ranks of homegrown imams to lead the country’s estimated 2,000 mosques instead of foreign-born leaders who sometimes face cultural, language and generational gaps.

Zaytuna is offering two majors to start: Arabic language, and Islamic law and theology. There are plans to add advanced degrees, adult education classes and professional certificate programs in areas such as Islamic medical ethics, Islamic finance and religious training for imams and undergraduates.

Zaytuna, which means “olive tree” in Arabic, also hopes to be a vehicle for interfaith dialogue. The college was intentionally planted in progressive Berkeley, an intellectual hub with a sizable Muslim community. The college will be housed at the American Baptist Seminary of the West for five years until founders can establish its own campus.

The college can help promote cross-cultural understanding, when visitors “see it in action,” said Senzai, who also teaches political science at Santa Clara University. ‘’In fact, these kinds of institutions in the long term are absolutely necessary for bridging the divide that currently exists and the misunderstanding that many have about Islam and Muslims,” he said.

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Bangladesh court:

Women do not have to wear burqa

By JUHLAS ALAM Associated Press Writer

Most institutions are closed in Bangladesh because of the holy month of Ramadan.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) _ Bangladesh’s High Court ordered the government to ensure women will not be forced to wear burqas at educational institutions after one college reportedly barred females without the veil from entering.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 150 million people, is ruled by secular laws, but some groups and political parties campaign for Islamic law, or Shariah. Schools usually encourage secular values but many female students in thousands of Islamic schools wear burqas.

The court issued a similar order in April, but Sunday’s ruling took the law a step further by stating any kind of religious attire could not be imposed, including Islamic skull caps worn by males.

The ruling followed a recent report in a Bengali-language newspaper that the Rani Bhabani Women’s College in northern Bangladesh demanded women wear burqas _ the all-encompassing veil worn by conservative Muslim women. It also reportedly barred them from playing school sports and attending cultural activities.

High Court judges A.H.M. Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain also told the government to take action against the college’s administrator for imposing the restrictions.

Calls to the school’s office rang unanswered Monday.

Lawyer Mahbub Shafique petitioned the court about the incident after reading the news report. He said Monday Bangladesh’s law stipulates that wearing the burqa is a matter of personal choice and it cannot be forced by authorities.

Some Bangladeshis welcomed the court’s ruling. ``I don’t need to wear burqa, why should I?’’ said Anika Yasmin, 26, who works for a travel agency in Dhaka, the capital. ``My education and my personality are more than enough, not a burqa.’’

But others disagreed. ``Our wives and daughters are to draw their veils all over their bodies, which make them respectable women,’’ said Sheikh Monirul Islam in an online comment to a newspaper article on the issue Monday. ``I have serious objection as it restricts my fundamental rights.’’

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UN appeals for more Pakistan aid The United Nations has issued an urgent appeal asking donors to “open their wallets” for more aid to help rebuild Pakistan, which has been devastated by the worst flooding in the country’s history.

the floods have pushed up food prices across the country.

The UN has called the disaster bigger than the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and this year’s Haiti earthquake - but it has attracted far less in donations.

Qureshi also pledged that his government will create “transparent and accountable” mechanisms to handle the international aid.

At least 1,600 people are known to have died during three weeks of flooding, and Pakistan’s government says 20 million people have been affected.

More than 1.7 million acres of farmland have been submerged, much of it in Punjab province, considered the “rice bowl” of Pakistan.

The Pakistani government has been strongly criticised for its slow response to the floods, and Qureshi acknowledged the

“We do need international assistance, we need international assistance now,” he said.

Pakistani plea Qureshi warned the UN that food shortages could spark riots in the coming days. There have already been isolated reports of displaced persons fighting with relief workers for supplies, and

The United Kingdom on Thursday also vowed to increase its emergency aid: Britain’s contribution will be doubled, to more than $99m.

But officials told the UN that funds will only be released to partners who prove “capable” of delivering medicine, food, clean water and shelter.

“I have come to New York directly from Pakistan, where I saw the dire need for more help,” Andrew Mitchells, the British development secretary, said.

“It is deeply depressing that the international community is only now waking up to the true scale of this disaster.”

In a special session on Thursday, Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretarygeneral, said donors have given $230m about 60 per cent of the UN’s appeal - to provide food, shelter and clean water over the next three months.

Ban called the floods a “slow-motion tsunami” and urged millions in additional pledges.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Pakistani foreign minister, also pleaded with international donors for additional aid.

the UN’s global aid appeal.

scepticism and criticism.

“Initially there was shock [and] paralysis, but we are out of it now,” he said at the Asia Society in New York, ahead of the UN meeting. “We are getting our acts together.”

The United States, already the biggest donor, said it will commit another $60m, to bring its total aid package to more than $150m.

Donor pledge Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said approximately $92m will be used to support

The doubling of British aid, Mitchell said, “should now provide water and sanitation to 500,000 people; shelter to 170,000 people; help meet the nutritional needs of 380,000 people and provide enough health services to cover a population of 2.4 million people”.

Unicef, the UN children’s fund, said parts of Pakistan may remain flooded even after the rain stops. The agency warned that stagnant water will increase the risk of malaria, diarrhoea and cholera.

The floods began in the northwest of the country after exceptionally heavy monsoon rains and have since swamped thousands of towns and villages in Punjab and Sindh provinces.

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11 US-Iraq - US troops unlikely to resume combat duties in Iraq INTERNATIONAL

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By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) _ It would take ``a complete failure’’ of the Iraqi security forces for the U.S. to resume combat operations there, the top American commander in Iraq said as the final U.S. fighting forces prepared to leave the country.

would involve assisting the Iraqis secure their airspace and borders.

While Iraq forces can handle internal security and protect Iraqis, Odierno said he believes military commanders want to have the U.S. involved beyond 2011 to help Iraqis acquire the required equipment, training and technical capabilities.

He said Iraq’s security forces have

SEPTEMBER 2010

national security advisers.

Odierno’s assessment, while optimistic, also acknowledges the difficult road ahead for the Iraqis as they take control of their own security, even as political divisions threaten the formation of the fledgling democracy.

South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who’s on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS’ ``Face

With a major military milestone in sight, Gen. Ray Odierno said in interviews broadcast Sunday that any resumption of combat duties by American forces is unlikely.

Much of that may hinge on whether Iraq’s political leaders can overcome ethnic divisions and work toward a more unified government, while also enabling security forces to tamp down a simmering insurgency.

President Barack Obama plans a major speech on Iraq after his return to Washington, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because details were being finalized.

The speech will come shortly after Obama returns to the White House on Aug. 29 from his Martha’s Vineyard vacation.

Obama will face a delicate balancing act in his speech between welcoming signs of progress and bringing an end to the 7-year-old war without prematurely declaring the mission accomplished, as former President George W. Bush once did.

U.S. involvement in Iraq beyond the end of 2011, Odierno said, probably

In interviews with CBS’ ``Face the Nation’’ and CNN’s ``State of the Union,’’ Odierno said it may take several years before America can determine if the war was a success. ``A strong democratic Iraq will bring stability to the Middle East, and if we see Iraq that’s moving toward that, two, three, five years from now, I think we can call our operations a success,’’ he said.

``We don’t see that happening,’’ Odierno said. The Iraqi security forces have been doing ``so well for so long now that we really believe we’re beyond that point.’’

About 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in the country until the end of 2011 to serve as a training and assistance force, a dramatic drawdown from the peak of more than 170,000 during the surge of American forces in 2007.

leave Iraq. Its exodus, along with that of the approximately 2,000 remaining U.S. combat forces destined to leave in the coming days, fulfills Obama’s pledge to end combat operations in Iraq by Aug. 31.

Iraq’s political parties have been bickering for more than five months since the March parliamentary elections failed to produce a clear winner. They have yet to reach agreements on how to share power or whether to replace embattled Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and amid the political instability, other economic and governmental problems fester.

matured to the point where they will be ready to shoulder enough of the burden to permit the remaining 50,000 soldiers to go home at the end of next year.

If the Iraqis asked that American troops remain in the country after 2011, Odierno said U.S. officials would consider it, but that would be a policy decision made by the president and his

the Nation’’ that he hopes ``we will have an enduring relationship of having some military presence in Iraq.

I think that would be smart not to let things unwind over the next three or five years.’’

On Thursday, the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division began crossing the border from Iraq into Kuwait, becoming the last combat brigade to

Fueling that instability is neighboring Iran which, Odierno said, continues to fund and train Shiite extremist groups. ``They don’t want to see Iraq turn into a strong democratic country.

They’d rather see it become a weak governmental institution,’’ said Odierno.

He added that he is not worried that Iraq will fall back into a military dictatorship, as it was under the reign of Saddam Hussein.

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12

INTERNATIONAL

SEPTEMBER 2010

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Afghanistan security force more than a year away

By ANNE FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) _ A senior U.S. commander on Monday would not predict when Afghanistan might take control of its own security and warned that NATO needs at least another year to recruit and train enough soldiers and police officers.

The assessment by Lt. Gen. Bill Caldwell, the head of NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan, further dims U.S. hopes that the planned U.S. withdrawal next year will be significant in size.

President Barack Obama has said that troops will begin pulling out in July 2011, the size and pace of withdrawal depending on security conditions. Defense officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, have said they believe next summer’s pullout would be modest.

In a Pentagon briefing, Caldwell told reporters that Afghan army and police forces will not reach sufficient numbers until Oct. 31, 2011 _ three months after Obama’s deadline to start U.S. withdrawals.

NATO has set the goal of creating an Afghan military and police force of 305,600 personnel _ 171,600 army and 134,000 police.

There are currently 249,500 personnel _ 134,000 army and 115,500 police.

But Caldwell predicted that desertion and injury rates are so

high among Afghan forces that NATO will have to recruit and train 141,000 people to ensure it has the 56,000 additional personnel needed next fall.

Because Afghanistan is still scrambling to recruit and train its security forces, Caldwell said there was no accurate estimate on when Kabul might take control of even the more peaceful parts of the country.

hand over may not occur until early next year.

Afghan government to boost recruitment.

A NATO conference in Lisbon in November would decide which areas would be handed over first.

The U.S. also has sent more police and military trainers to Afghanistan, mostly fixing a severe shortfall that dominated NATO meetings last fall, Caldwell said.

Caldwell said that notable gains have been made in the past nine months. For example, he

Still,

challenges

remain.

an electronic banking system, established by NATO to reduce the risk that corrupt officers would divert some of the money.

Caldwell said that some 27,000 recruits are enrolled in NATO literacy programs _ a figure he hopes will grow to 100,000 by

``It doesn’t mean in small isolated pockets that they can’t have the lead with coalition’’ support, Caldwell said of Afghan forces. ``But to say that they’ll be able to do much more before October of next year would be stretching it, only because we haven’t finished the development of their force.’’

Caldwell also said it is likely the U.S. and international community will have to pay for that force for some time, even after NATO troops leave. ``The U.S. has made an enduring commitment to be supportive,’’ he said.

As was the case in Iraq, the training and equipping of Afghan security forces is considered the linchpin in the U.S. exit strategy. However, the effort has been particularly difficult in Afghanistan, where illiteracy rates are high, corruption is rampant and there is little banking infrastructure to ensure troops get paid.

Last June, Gates predicted that Afghan forces could take control of security in some areas by the end of this year.

But diplomats in the U.S. and Europe have since said the first

said that the size of the Afghan army and police has more than doubled from levels in previous years.

Caldwell said that recruiting and retention has been aided by pay increases, particularly for Afghan police, as well as a ``new sense of urgency’’ by the

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Caldwell said that fewer than 18 percent of the Afghan force is literate, preventing most soldiers from recognizing the serial number on their weapons or performing other basic tasks.

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Another major issue is attrition.

Caldwell said the attrition rate last month for Afghanistan’s civil order police force was 47 percent. The figure is down from 70 percent last year but remains ``unacceptable,’’ he said.

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13 UN: Israel uncooperative in Gaza flotilla probe

INTERNATIONAL

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Last US combatants leave Iraq KHABARI CROSSING, Kuwait: A line of heavily armored American military vehicles, their headlights twinkling in the pre-dawn desert, lumbered past the barbed wire and metal gates marking the border between Iraq and Kuwait early Thursday and rolled into history.

For the troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, it was a moment of relief fraught with symbolism but lightened by the whoops and cheers of soldiers one step closer to going home. Seven years and five months after the US-led invasion, the last American combat brigade was leaving Iraq, well ahead of President Barack Obama’s Aug. 31 deadline for ending US combat operations there.

When 18-year-old Spc. Luke Dill first rolled into Iraq as part of the US invasion, his Humvee was so vulnerable to bombs that the troops lined its floor with flak jackets.

Now 25 and a staff sergeant after two tours of duty, he rode out of Iraq this week in a Stryker, an eight-wheeled behemoth encrusted with armor and add-ons to ward off grenades and other projectiles.

“It’s something I’m going to be proud of for the rest of my life — the fact that I came in on the initial push and now I’m leaving with the last of the combat units,” he said.

The US presence is far from over.

Scatterings of troops still await departure, and some 50,000 will stay another year in what is designated as a noncombat role. They will carry weapons to defend themselves and accompany Iraqi troops on missions (but only if asked). Special forces will continue to help Iraqis hunt for terrorists.

So the US death toll — at least 4,415 by Pentagon count as of Wednesday — may not yet be final.

The Stryker brigade’s departure left about 52,600 US troops in Iraq as of Thursday, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone.

The US military’s top spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, called Iraqi security forces ready to defend the country despite “some violent acts that we’ve seen.” “Their capability continues to grow, which has enabled us to conduct our responsible drawdown,” Lanza said on CBS’s “The Early Show.”

SEPTEMBER 2010

By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER | AP GENEVA: Israel is not cooperating with the UN Human Rights Council’s probe of May’s deadly raid on a Gazabound aid flotilla, and it was unclear if investigators will be able to speak with Israeli soldiers involved, a UN official said Tuesday.

creation in June that the Jewish state wouldn’t cooperate. Israel considers the Human Rights Council to be anti-Israel, and points to a series of critical resolutions by the body in its four-year history.

Israel is working with a separate UN group under New Zealand’s ex-

Juan Carlos Monge, a UN human rights officer working with the factfinding mission, said the panel was speaking with other witnesses and government officials in Turkey and Jordan.

The US military kept a tight lid on security, restricting the media embedded with the US troops from reporting on the brigade’s movements until they were almost to the border.

The brigade’s leadership volunteered to have half of its 4,000 soldiers depart overland instead of taking the traditional flight out, a decision that allowed the unit to keep 360 Strykers in the country for an extra three weeks.

The remainder of the brigade flew out with the last of the troops later Thursday.

US commanders say it was the brigade’s idea to drive out, not an order from on high. The intent was to keep additional firepower handy through the “period of angst” that followed Iraq’s inconclusive March 7 election, said brigade chief, Col. John Norris.

It took months of preparation to move the troops and armor across more than 500 km of desert highway through potentially hostile territory at night.

But Israel hasn’t granted an invitation to the team, which is examining whether Israeli commandos broke international law by killing nine pro-Palestinian activists trying to break the Jewish state’s blockade of Gaza. Eight of the dead activists were Turks, and the ninth was Turkish-American. Israel says the soldiers acted in self defense.

Monge said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the mission would only speak with Israeli soldiers about the incident if permission was given by the Israeli government.

Such approval is important to the investigation if it hopes to be objective, but Israel has refused to work with council probes in the past, citing their bias.

Israel’s UN mission said Tuesday it will not comment on the investigation, but Israeli officials have suggested since the panel’s

Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and Colombia’s ex-President Alvaro Uribe that is also examining the incident, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.

But Palmor said the 47-nation rights council “deals obsessively and morbidly with Israel.” Former UN war crimes prosecutor Desmond de Silva, Trinidadian judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips and Malaysian women’s rights advocate Mary Shanthi Dairiam are investigating on behalf of the rights council.

They will present their report to the council on Sept. 27.

The separate examination ordered by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon includes an Israeli and a Turkish representative on the panel, and both countries have pledged cooperation.

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INTERNATIONAL

SEPTEMBER 2010

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Israel, Palestinians cautious on peace talk invite JERUSALEM: A Middle East treaty creating a Palestinian state at peace with Israel can be completed in one year of negotiations, said major powers who were due on Friday to invite both parties to start talks in two weeks.

A diplomatic source in the United States said the Quartet of world powers engaged in Middle East peacemaking had agreed on the details of the invitation on Thursday and would issue it formally on Friday.

the role of the Quartet, was focused on the forthcoming US invitation.

In three statements on the Middle East conflict this year, the Quartet said Israel should stop building settlements in the West Bank and agree to a Palestinian state within the borders of land it has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel says direct talks should begin

process which began in the early 1990s long ago established the basic outlines of a deal acceptable to Israel and the Palestinians, and identified crunch issues remaining to be thrashed out.

form of “proximity talks” via Obama’s envoy George Mitchell, who has been working for weeks to get Abbas to agree to upgrade the process by resuming direct negotiation.

In one year from now, the Palestinian Authority government intends to have established all the attributes of statehood, raising speculation that it might declare independence should talks fail to make progress on a “final

The Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza and refuses to renounce violence against Israel, said the proposed peace talks would do nothing to help the Palestinian cause.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said they expected to see the statement and US invitation by the end of the day.

Launching the talks early September is seen as crucial.

“We are waiting to see the formulation of the American invitation draft. Our position remains that we don’t want preconditions,” an Israeli official said.

in

Obama wants them started well before Sept. 26, when Israel’s 10-month moratorium on Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank is due to end. Full-scale return to settlement construction could sink the talks for good.

A Palestinian official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “If the statement meets what we are calling for, we will say yes of course.”

The Palestinians were focused on the statement they expect from the Quartet — the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations — which would set out terms of reference for the talks. Negotiations would begin with a summit hosted by President Barack Obama on Sept 2.

“There is no use at all in resuming the negotiations,” Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said in Gaza after Friday prayers.

with no preconditions. For the Palestinians, however, the Quartet statement constitutes a minimum guarantee of the terms of reference.

A draft statement that was being discussed by the partners on Thursday says 12 months should be sufficient. A Quartet statement in June said a deal could be concluded in 24 months.

The Palestinian official said that if the statement of the Quartet was not satisfactory “we will express our demands.”

The Israel government, playing down

Middle East analysts say the peace

LAUNCH IN SEPTEMBER

status” treaty.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah party rules the West Bank, broke off talks with the previous Israeli prime minister in 2008. Contacts were frozen after Israel’s massive offensive in the Gaza Strip in that same year against Hamas.

Contacts resumed in May this year after a hiatus of 19 months in the

The draft statement as described by diplomatic sources on Thursday reaffirms the Quartet’s “full commitment to its previous statements.” But it does not explicitly repeat the demand for a settlement freeze — wording which would almost certainly be rejected

by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s center-right coalition.

Abbas needs the endorsement of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the support of Arab states to engage Netanyahu in direct talks.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has warned the Israelis not to offer Abbas “some Mickey Mouse state.”

Food prices in Somali capital go up during Ramadan

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN Associated Press Writer MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) _ Residents in Somalia’s capital have feared a threatened increase in fighting during Ramadan, but the Muslim religious month has brought another hardship as well: high food prices.

Somali businessmen on Monday said prices of some food items in Mogadishu have increased by up to 50 percent since the holy month of Ramadan began in this predominantly Muslim city.

Fighting flared in the capital, meanwhile, and shelling between al-Qaida linked insurgents and government and African Union forces killed at least 10 people and wounded 25 Monday, said Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service.

Many traders fled Mogadishu after Islamic militants said last week that they would increase their attacks on government and AU troops during the Muslim holy month, which began last week.

high during Ramadan and the second is that the traders who sell cows and camels have raised their prices,’’ Aden said.

In Afghanistan, shopkeeper Mohammad Doud said a can of cooking oil that used to sell for $5 now sells

for more than $6, and that a large bag of floor that was $18 has increased to $24.

Doud said he thinks recent flooding in Pakistan has increased prices in neighboring Afghanistan, because the country imports flour, cooking oil and other necessities from Pakistan.

Ahmed Reda, a 35-year-old resident of Cairo, said prices always rise ahead of Ramadan, partially because traders take advantage and because families shop for food ``blindly.’’ The father of two said meat prices have gone up about 10 percent. ``During holidays and special occasions, things become more expensive,’’ Reda, a government official, said. ``People are also shopping with a blindfold on. They think they need all these things and more during Ramadan. You would think there is a famine approaching when you visit the supermarket days before Ramadan.’’

Mogadishu residents said the price increases on basic items such as milk, tomatoes and onions has only exacerbated a bad situation during Ramadan.

As the Muslim world observes the holiday devoted to prayer and dawn-to-dusk fasting, Somalis in the capital say they feel left out of the goodwill and charity that are supposed to mark the holiday.

Residents reported that last Friday hundreds of militants in big trucks entered Mogadishu from other parts of southern Somalia following calls of their leaders to take the battle to the weak, U.N.backed government.

``If there is peace today I do not mind hunger because I will wait to eat the next day. But if there is war, what can I expect? Only death or shock,’’ said Asha Abdulle, a mother of two who begs in Mogadishu streets.

In Monday’s battle, a shell from the insurgent side landed in a camp for internally displaced Somalis.

Abdifitah Ali, a resident of the camp, told The Associated Press that three people in the camp were killed.

The traders who stayed behind have also taken advantage of decreased competition by raising prices.

``We kept hiding under the concrete buildings in our village for several hours because the shelling was untargeted and rained on to the residential areas,’’ said Osman Elmi, another witness.

``Food items are scare in the markets because the traders have either left or halted importing food, fearing that fighting might increase,’’ said Ali Dahir, a businessman who imports sugar.

Food prices typically rise around the Muslim world during Ramadan, though unlike in Somalia it is often a supply and demand issue and not one of warfare. Mohamud Aden, who owns a butcher shop in Mogadishu, said he is selling a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of meat for $3, up from $2 before Ramadan began. ``There are two reasons: The demand of meat is

Mogadishu sees near daily fighting between Islamic insurgents and government soldiers and Africa Union peacekeepers. The city has been the epicenter of Somalia’s 19 years of anarchy and chaos and in recent years hundreds of thousands of residents have fled fighting here.

The al-Qaida linked militant group al-Shabab is fighting to dislodge Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed’s government, which is backed by a more than 5,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force.

15 Role of parents in influencing the behaviour of their children YOUTH

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

As I have said many times, “Children will become what we want them to be if we are what we want them to be.”

Children cannot be expected to practice Islam by sending them to Sunday school if we are not doing that ourselves in our day to day life. If we want them to get up early in the morning to perform the prescribed prayer, we have to do it ourselves and ask them to join us. If we want them to read the Quran, we should read with them and so on.

and share with them information of all kinds whether related to the outside world or inside the family. It is not the knowledge which hurts, but the lack of it or misuse of it which causes problems.

DECISIONS

Growing children may not take an order, but will do things out of love and respect for their parents. So love and respect on a mutual basis is our best weapon against all the negative influences on them.

Parental love should be unconditional and on biological grounds rather than on their achievements at school or in sports. Love should not be confused with unlimited permissiveness or with closed eyes towards a child’s faults.

Criticizing certain faults of the child should not diminish the love by the parents.

Parents should help children make appropriate decisions and be responsible for their decisions. Younger children can only make decisions about the present (i.e. what clothes to wear that day), but grown-ups can make decisions that may affect their future, under parental guidance (i.e. selection of career, school and hobbies). Children left to grow on their own, will regret a lack of direction they had in their childhood. Children should be taught how to be responsible by being given the chance to share household work, keep their desk and room clean and how to handle their “own” money. Let them spend all their money and suffer from the lack of it. A sense of deprivation once in awhile is good for them as long as the reason for deprivation is explained well.

INFORMATION

Problems with parents

Children are not bom knowing everything right or wrong in social norms. They need clear guidelines about good and bad behavior, Islamic and un-Islamic way of life. The greatest effect is of the parent’s attitude and example rather than the words in a book. If children see their parents not practicing what they themselves are told to practice they become rebellious and non-believers (in the value system).

A typical example is of alcoholism in the American scene. Children are told it is bad for you until you are 18, while it is not bad for the parents. Therefore children seeing this as hypocrisy, rebel and get alcohol, not from a liquor store, but from their own home or from a friend at parties. Therefore, parents should set the same standards for themselves as they set for their children,

If the parents are authoritarian, the child becomes fearful of making mistakes, starts lying for the fear of being punished and feels insecure.

Unfortunately, abused children become abusers when they grow up. The parent should remember that the only absolute authority in the house is the Will of God, and everyone has to submit to His Will, in order to expect submission from a younger person.

LOVE

If the parents are emotionally disturbed and depressed themselves they will not have time for the children, leading them to withdraw, become depressed or develop anti-social activities.

If the parents are perfectionists and expect the child to be perfect all the time, the child will have two options.

Either he or she will live up to the

HAJI BABA

SEPTEMBER 2010

expectations, or will develop opposite tendencies, i.e. a teenager keeping his or her room messy to get back at the “ever cleaning” mom. Parents should not make “all” the choices for their children, but help in their individual growth.

The over-protective, anxious parent cannot raise a confident child ready to deal with the real life. This child will feel danger everywhere. While the child has to be supervised, he or she does not need the physical presence of the parent at all time. They should raise a strong child, strong enough to carry on their work if they meet a sudden death themselves.

The parent who cannot say no to a child, spoils him or her by providing him or her with every wish every time.

This child will demand whatever he or she wants immediately and put on a manipulative show to get it. One parent complained how their five year old will stop breathing until she got what she wanted. The parents have to learn to control their love and discipline themselves in order to discipline their children The child’s necessary desires should be met according to the means of the family, but a time may come when a firm no should be put into practice.

Parents who take sides in sibling rivalry encourage jealousy and hate. They should not prefer boys over girls or the reverse and fair complexion over dark ones, bright ones over less bright, but try to be fair to all of them and neutral in their fights.

How parents can communicate with their children Neither party can influence the other unless they communicate. This is a serious problem in American families.

One father told me that at best all his teenage daughter would say to him would be “Hi” one or two times a day.

This can be substituted by a “peace be upon you,” (as-salam alaykum) in a

Muslim family in which parents and teenagers are not getting along well.

One should avoid getting into this stage of strained communication.

Find a time and place to talk to your children. Children are sometimes in a “bad mood” upon returning from school, loaded with home work, as are parents in the afternoon with a busy day at work. The best time to have a chat is during breakfast and evening dinner together. Better than this is allotting ten minutes after either the evening or night prescribed prayer or even better, after the dawn prescribed prayer, if time pemits. During this session, the parent can inform the children of all the good things they did that day and ask the children the same and share their problems.

When you do argue, do it patiently, one person speaking at a time. Be specific and separate emotions from facts. Speak in a low voice. Screaming decreases the intake of the message.

Finding fault may make you look like a winner, but remember, just as we want God to forget and forgive our faults, we should do the same for others.

Practice active listening to each other’s view, even if you don’t agree. For religious issues consult the Quran or the Traditions together, rather than quoting from your memory.

Refrain from sarcasm, name calling, humiliation, pointing your finger, etc.

Read God’s injunction about these again and again in Surah Al-Hujurat (49th Surah).

Encourage each other even in areas of shortcomings, rather than making fun or making a negative remark. If your child brings a B report, then instead of, “I doubt you will ever improve or pass your exam,” say “A ‘B’ is better than a ‘C’, and I am sure you are talented enough to do better. Perhaps I can help you in the areas that you have difficulties at school?”

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ISLAM / FAMILY

SEPTEMBER 2010

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

Divorce in the Shari’ah “Generally speaking married couples make their best efforts to continue their marital relations in cordiality and happiness.”(1) There are those occasions where it becomes impossible for a couple to maintain a viable relationship (i.e. neglect, abuse, etc.). In these cases “the Shari’ah takes a very reasonable view of such an intolerable situation and instead of forcing the couple to stay together....”(2) it permits a divorce.

2. Talaq al-Bain: (irrevocable divorce). This is a divorce that with three pronouncements in successive sittings or at the same sitting or before the consummation of the marriage. There is no

Talaq Al-Bida’h (Divorce of Innovation) This was a type of divorce that made its appearance after the death of the Prophet (pbuh). It is where the man pronounces Talaq three times at one sitting or sends it in writing to his wife. This is a sin against the precepts of the Shari’ah and was severely denounced by the Prophet and Khalif `Umar would whip a husband who did such a thing.

The first is Talaq (by the husband) and the second is Talaq Al-Bida’h (Divorce of Innovation) and Khul’ (by the wife).

Talaq Talaq has two forms: 1. Talaq ar-Raji’: (revocable divorce) which has two types:

• Talaq Hasan: (approved). In this form divorce is pronounced in three successive periods. After the first two the husband has the right to take his wife back if they so desire to reunite but if he pronounces divorce a third time it becomes irrevocable. The wife must marry another at this time.

Surah Al-Baqarah 229: “A divorce is only permissible twice. After that the parties should either hold together on equitable terms or separate with kindness.”

This could be likened to the “three strikes and you’re out” policy.

There are three kinds of divorce in Islam:

• Talaq Ahsan: (the most approved divorce). It is meant as a means to heal the breach between a couple and allow for the soothing of frayed nerves.

It has three conditions. The husband must only pronounce one Talaq. The Talaq must be only pronounced when the wife is in a state of purity.

The husband must abstain from sexual contact with his wife for the ‘iddah (the waiting period) which is three months.

is regarded as most condemnable in Islam.” (3)

Khul’ This a divorce that is instigated by the wife. It is where she applies to a Qadi for divorce.

return allowed under these circumstances unless the woman has an intervening marriage.

“Talaq is a right available mainly to the husband, but not to the wife. Even though Islam allows divorce, the Prophet (pbuh) says: ‘Of all things that Islam has permitted, divorce is the most hated by Allah.’ Hasty and wanton use of the right of divorce

Surah An-Nisa’ 128 : If a wife fears cruelty or desertion on husband’s part, there is no blame on them if they arrange an amicable settlement between themselves; and such settlement is best; even though men’s souls are swayed by greed. But if you practice self-restraint, Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.

In the case of Khul’, the wife must return all or part of the mahr (the dower). A case in point, where the woman would be allowed to keep the mahr, is what Imam Malik said and that was if a wife was forced by her husband to enter Khul’, she would be entitled to get the mahr back.

16 ways to make this Eid special for your family

By Sound Vision Staff Writer For a number of Muslim families, Eid is simply a twice-yearly routine that doesn’t change: get up, pray Fajr, eat breakfast, go pray, hug Eid Mubarak, come home, maybe go out, maybe have people over, eat, eat, eat, get gifts or Eid money, eat and sleep.

This year, why not make Eid the special holiday that it is? Here are some ideas of things you can do with the family to get out of the usual routine.

Put each family member’s name in a Kufi and have each person pull one out. Whoever picks a person’s name has to buy or make that person a gift.

One catch: babies have to get gifts from everyone.

5. Have the kids make gifts for each other If you’re not into the gift exchange idea and want everyone to get a present try this. Arts and crafts are the best tool for making these gifts. They are personal

The money can also be sent to Chechnya, Palestine, Kosova, etc.

8. Wash the car Who wants to go to Eid prayers in a dirt stained car filled with gum wrappers and cookie crumbs? And think about what will happen to everyone’s nice Eid clothes sitting in a vehicle like that!

Get the car clean and ready. Everyone should help with this. One person vacuums, another cleans the windows, a third person washes the exterior, etc.

1. Plan in advance Call a family meeting a week before and plan what you want to do on Eid day. Invite others over in the afternoon, and have dinner at a restaurant in the evening? Or vice-versa? Discuss ideas with the family, including all of the kids.

2. Clean and decorate the home

Put an Islamic song on the CD or cassette player so everyone can sing or hum along while they work. The ideal one would be A Whisper of Peace which features the song “These are the Days of Eid”.

3. Make special food Make something special which the family does not normally eat, it can be sweet, sour or in-between. The point is that Eid is special, and the food we eat on this day should be better and different from our usual meals.

4. Set up a family gift exchange

12. Head For the open road!

Drive the family out into the countryside and try to get lost on some unfamiliar roads, challenging the kids to help remember the way home.

(Always keep change for the pay-phone, a map andsome food for everyone just in case it takes longer to get back).

Also do some Dawa by telling workers at the shelter what Eid, charity in Islam and Ramadan are about. Bring pamphlets and other written material. The visit can help remind everyone what it was like when they were hungry while fasting during the month of Ramadan.

And make sure EVERYONE has a day off from work, school or any other commitments.

Then, once the house is virtually spotless, decorate it with balloons, lights, banners, streamers,etc. Get the younger kids involved in this process.

Have them make decorative signs saying “Eid Mubarak” and post these around the house.

From the time everyone wakes up in the morning till everyone conks out happily at the end of the day, record this Eid on video or audio to make it memorable. It will probably make a hilarious piece of family history as well.

Give the responsibility for recording to one of the responsible, technologically adept members of the family.

13. Visit a homeless shelter or food bank and donate your extra Eid food

Also, talk about the menu and delegate cooking responsibilities instead of dumping the whole workload on mom.

Get everyone in on this. Make the house as sparkling clean as you can. If there is enough time and the weather is warm, consider white washing the house and putting mattresses and bedding outside to air out.

11. Record Eid day events

and cheap and save useless trips to the shopping center.

You can have the kids collect all of the odds and ends they find during the Eid house clean up in a box. Then they can use these things to make strange but meaningful Eid gifts .

6. Buy new clothes Kids will not feel Eid is special if they are sporting the same Shalwar Kameez, suit or Thobe they’ve worn on Eid for the last two years. Invest in Eid and get them something new. Or at least get everyone to prepare nice clothes for Eid by washing or getting them dry cleaned.

7. Do this as you plan for new clothes Have everyone go through their clothes and toys (for kids) to find items they have outgrown. Then arrange to have them sold through a garage sale and give the money to a local Masjid or community fundraising event.

If possible get the car checked and fill tank so you don’t end Eid day surprises.

14. Share neighbors up the gas up with any

9. At Eid prayer, look for those who are alone and invite them over At the Eid prayer place, where a lot of hugging goes on, you will find some Muslims standing alone. They are either new Muslims or new immigrants without relatives and friends here.

Do hug and greet them. If possible invite them to your home for a meal.

Also inform them of any planned Eid celebrations at any community center.

10. Go to a Muslim restaurant to eat as a family Not only will you have a family outing on Eid day this way, but you’ll be supporting a Muslim business. If the food and service are good,put in a good word for the restaurant to your friends.

Eid

with

your

Make dessert (something simple that everyone likes, like chocolate cake) and write up a short definition about Eid on a decorative card or small posterboard. Share this with your neighbors.

15. Visit relatives and friends Visit those far away especially. There is almost no better time than Eid.It’s also a great way to acquaint the kids with their relatives near and far.

16. Make Eid evening entertainment night

family

If 16-year-old Jameel knows how to play the Duff, while his sister Amira, 14, can write and sing well, let them prepare a few songs for Eid night family entertainment. Also, have 12-year-old Ridwan recite some of his best poetry.

Make one of the teens in charge of this event. Help them establish a criteria of Halal entertainment.

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

DEAR SISTER HANA / HEALTH

SEPTEMBER 2010

17

DEAR SISTER HANA Dear Sister Hana, I’ve been wanting serious advice about my son. He is almost 21 years of age. He started working about when he was 16, but he constantly quits jobs and spends months at home. He also dropped out of college in the first year. I don’t mind helping him out from time to time, but he treats me badly. At home, I can’t talk to him without being cursed out. Outside the house, people see him as a shy good boy, but at home his personality changes completely. He also can’t keep friends. He constantly gets close with people then ruins his friendships with them. He also wants me to open a business for him, but I am scared because of his past experiences with giving up on work. Please if there is any advice you could give me I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank You. Dear Brother, Thank you so much for your question. The situation that is going with your son is really unfortunate. I hope and pray that Allah will open his and your heart to what is right and what is best for your son. As far as it goes with his communication with you, I personally believe that communication is a two way street. Usually when a child is disrespectful to their parent, the child is also perciving thier parent as either being disrespectful or at least not understanding of what the child is going through.

I know that your son is an adult know, I am sure however that this is a pattern of behavior for him and not something that recently started. In order to help your son best, I believe that there are so changes that need to be made in the home. If he is behaving differently with people outside of the home than with you, most likely there is something going on in the home that your son is not happy with. I understand that I cannot speak for him, but from experience and seeing a pattern and silimarities with other families, this could be what is going on. Parents have to try thier best to make thier home a pleasent place for thier children to live in. When our children start looking outside of the home for happiness, then there must be a fundamental miscommunication going on at home. It would be a good idea for you to talk to your son about what is going on with him, why he seems unhappy and why he communicates with you disrecpecfully. Even though you might not find any logical reason as to why he is behaving this way, its a good idea to ask him and I assure you he will have a reason for it. I also ask you to be very nonjudgmental with what he has to tell you and that you will provide him with the security of not getting upset with him when he openly talks to you and shares with you his true emotions and conflicts. If he has a pattern of not making or keeping friends, there is obviously not just a miscommunication issue with his parents but also with others as well. We are not born with an understanding of how to make friends and how to communicate with people. These are skills that we must learn from our parents. It would be a good idea for you to reeducate your son on what is good communication and what is not to help him in the home and outside of the home. You have to try to do this as lovingly as possible. As for the buisness, I understand your frustration and conflict of helping vs not helping him. I think working on your relationship with him first is more of a priority than a business. Therefore, try to improve your relationship with him through healthy and open communication with love and mercy and then work on the business ideas. That way business conflict which are inevidable, will be resloved with respect and understanding. Please dont give up on your child, if you give up on

him, then there is no one else to help. Our children need us, we are responsible for them always. I will pray for you. Keeping praying for him yourself and may ALLAH guide him to the right path. Thank you so much.

Sincerely, Sister Hana Dear Hana, I watched you on whats happening show, very impressed with you. I hope you can help me with my daughter she’s 20yrs old, since she was at a young age, had many problems with her, being unruly, and very disrespetable to, both parents, one of the main issues is she thinks to have men pay attention to her is to dress and model like porn and put it on face book and other internet sites, she loves black people. she is shaming the family name with her porn like pictures all over face book. she lives at home and goes to school, but she will not listen to anyone friends or relatives to take those shameful pictures out. please help me in what to do. and how to handle this situation.

Dear Sister, Thank you so much for your question. This is a really touchy subject and I hope to help you with my words. As I have been reading your question over and over again, I continue to believe more and more that your daughter has low self esteem, and low self worth. These issues can absolutely be resolved with the appropriate strategies.

Currenlty your daughter will not repsond to any comments or suggestions from other people or family members. If her self esteem is that low, making her feel like she is shaming her family will only make her feel worse. Even though you may be thinking tha she deserves to feel this way (bad about her actions) , this is not helpful for her or for you for her future. If you want her to improve her life and stop with these behaviors that are bringing you shame, you have to understand that there is a core issue behind all of these behaviors. If the core issue does not get resolved then the behavior will not change. Her core issue is that she feels the need to be loved and wanted because that need is not being met. Now, its not improtant for us to analyze why she feels this way, it would not be productive to figure that out. Its only helpful for us to now understand that she needs help and needs to feel loved by people around her in a healthy way so that she stops on her own with her negative attention seeking.

This might be the hardest part for you as a parent, and I understand that it must be very hard for you, but you have to believe and understand that nothing can be solved with adding more conflict to conflict, things can only be solved with love and understanding. You have nothing to lose to try to approch her in a loving and caring manner. Tell her that she is beautiful and mean it. Dont tell her what not to do, just that she is beautiful and that you love her. GIver her some time and encourage her to love herself and do things that she loves to do, to find a hobby or embrace her talents.

When she improves her self love and self esteem on her own, she will automatically on her own stop engaging in these behaviors that you are not happy with. I will pray for you and for her and may ALLAH protect her and help her see the right direction in her life. Thanks so much.

SIncerely, Sister Hana

Sister Hana is a Certified Counselor from Arizona State University. She is a Muslim therapist who is able to provide guidance and support to my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters in an Islamic and therapeutic way. She has experience in a large range of concerns including depression, anxiety, identity crisis, relationships, life skills, coping skills, anger management, and trauma. Inshallah with this column she will be able to provide you with confidentiality and help to any concern you may have. Please feel free to write to us and anticipate my reply in the monthly edition of Muslim Voice to dearhana@azmuslimvoice.com

Why not take a day out and pamper yourself?

By ALVA CARPENTER Occasionally it is good for you to take time out to give your body the care and attention it needs and to give yourself permission to take your time and enjoy it.

Start with a lie-in. Not too long or you can end up feeling sluggish; just enough to give your body a rest.

Give yourself permission to forget your worries and relax. Begin the day well. When you wake up, start your day with a glass of hot water and a slice of lemon to cleanse your skin and liver.

and leave on for at least 5 minutes before rinsing off with cold water.

of cucumber on your eyelids and relax for about ten minutes.

Facial Exercises

Exfoliator

We exercise to keep the rest of our bodies toned and youthful, and to prevent gravity from taking over, but as we age we use our facial muscles less and less and our faces can descend too. But with daily exercise and massage you will see a real change: Far more effective than any ‘lifting’ creams. Exercise can help prevent soft jaw lines developing and can also tighten up existing

Follow your bath with a cool shower and use exfoliating cream to scrub your body. Exfoliation dislodges dead skin cells and speeds up cell renewal. This helps stop skin becoming crêpey as you grow older. Now is the time to shower off hair oil. Shampoo and condition your hair. Leave the conditioner on for 5 minutes, towel off and feed your body with body lotion.

Facial Massage

Stretch into the Day

Give your face a gentle massage with your favorite moisturiser. Don’t forget your lips too. A massage keeps skin looking nice and plump. Throughout the day drink plenty of water to cleanse your system and keep you hydrated.

Don’t spring out of bed. Start with some gentle stretching exercises. Starting with your feet, make circles with your toes, keeping your heels on the mattress. Then slowly work up your body. Circle your hands, do five shoulder shrugs to relieve stress, followed by neck stretches. Point your fingertips to the ceiling and stretch your arms.

Tip If you find worries or negative thoughts creep into your mind, banish them by concentrating on what you are doing and by taking really deep, refreshing breaths.

Enjoy a Healthy Low-Cal Breakfast Try a homemade fruit smoothie. Blend soft berries with plain low fat yoghurt with a little runny honey for sweetness. Drink fresh juice and try a cup of green tea if you can.

Take Care of your Hands Hands are real age indicators and are often forgotten when applying sunscreen. Give your hands a gentle massage in warm olive oil. It also softens the cuticles to enable you to take care of your nails.

Hair Treat Gulf hair bakes in the sun and always needs extra conditioning. Gently warm some olive oil or coconut oil in the microwave for 10 seconds. Massage into the scalp for 2 minutes to feed the follicles and into the ends of the hair.

Cleanse your Skin There are plenty of natural moisturisers around.

Exfoliate your skin with a mild face scrub and rinse with cold water. Make your own facemask. You probably spend loads of money on skin care, so why not splash out on the real thing and use all natural ingredients? Live bio-yoghurt is a great base and add some mashed papaya. Fruit acids have been used for centuries to beautify the skin and are commonplace ingredients in expensive skin creams. Apply to the skin

Perfect Time for Lunch

problems. If you are not sure what to do, you can send for my facial exercises by emailing to facialan@ naturalhealthlines.com.

Bathroom Retreat Run a warm bath and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Lavender is a good one. Frankincense is great for young looking skin and it will rejuvenate the whole body whilst you relax. Don’t be tempted to read, just put your head back on a towel, put two slices

You haven’t been doing anything too strenuous so lunch can be light. Indulge in your favorite brightly coloured salad with a whole meal roll. My favorite is salad Niçoise, with plenty of green leaves. After lunch, how a bout a siesta or just lie down for half an hour and listen to music or read a book.

Tackle your Feet Partly fill a bowl with warm water and add a few drops of lavender oil. Gently massage your feet and toes, shape nails and push back cuticles.

For the remainder of your Time-In just relax. Watch a romantic video or spend an hour or so reading a book.

Enjoy!

18

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Eid Food Recipes

Mamoul for Eid Also called maamoul, mamool (Lebanese Filled Cookies) are Middle Eastern cookies served typically for special holidays such as Pascha. The cookies have three traditional fillings including walnut, pistachio and date. Each is formed in a specific designed wooden mold. The design on the cookie lets you know what the filling is inside.

cookie even with the lip of the mold. Be sure you have not revealed filling or it will stick to the pan as it bakes.

Tap cookies out onto the work area with a sharp firm hit to the top of the mold.

Transfer cookies to baking sheet with a spatula. Bake at 300 to 325deg F about 12 minutes, until barely colored.

Cool.

User Rating: Not Yet Rated! view all comments (0) About Mamoul To make the cookie the mold is floured, then round, filled, balls of dough are packed into the mold. The mold is rapped on the work surface to remove the cookie. Cookies are then baked, cooled and coated in powdered (confectioner’s) sugar.

Badam ki Methai

INSTRUCTIONS Do not expect the dough to be cohesive but it will be damp enough to form into balls to pack into the cookie molds. This recipe needs to be started a day ahead.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving.

The Wooden Molds Each mold is made of wood and handturned on a lathe so they tend to be “crude” and not overly refined. Each mold has a pattern which corresponds to the type of filling used.

We have not found any historical reference yet but the recipe and the mold are very similar to Chinese moon cakes.

Basic Mamoul Recipe INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup solid shortening 8 tablespoons or 4 ounces butter 1 cup flour, all purpose 2 cups semolina 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking power 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon rose flower water and 1 tablespoon orange flower water 7 tablespoons water walnut, pistachio or date filling (recipe links this page) confectioners sugar

Melt shortening and butter together or use all butter if you wish a richer cookie. cool slightly. Mix flour, semolina, salt, baking powder and sugar together.

Rub melted shortening into dough with fingertips until it is like fine soft meal.

Cover bowl and let it rest overnight.

Combine flower waters with 7 tablespoons water and sprinkle over the dough. Toss lightly with a fork to distribute liquid evenly. Mix until just combined, like pie dough. (another person says to knead the dough well).

Dust maamoul molds well with flour.

Invert and tap gently to remove excess flour. Estimate the amount of dough need to fill maamoul mold and make a ball of dough. Flatten it out slightly and place a good tablespoon of filling in center. Close dough around filling to cover it. Pack ball into mold. Level off

walnut maamoul mold

Ingredients: 125 gms almonds 250 gms oil ¼ tsp nut and mace powder 250 gms sugar date maamoul mold

4 eggs Method: *Boil almonds in water, peel and grind. *Beat eggs with an egg beater. Heat oil in a pan. *Add sugar, beaten eggs, almonds, nuts and mace powder and keep stirring.

pistachio maamoul mold

*When oil separates, pour the mixture over a greased tray and flatten the top. *When cool cut into square pieces.

CALENDAR / ANNOUNCEMENTS

www.AZMuslimVoice.com

SEPTEMBER 2010

Tucson Prayer Times

Phoenix Prayer Times

September 2010 • Ramadan / Shawwal 1431 H

September 2010 • Ramadan / Shawwal 1431 H

DIRECTIONS TO THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER CEMETERY

ISLAMIC WEEKEND SCHOOLS Islamic Community Center of Phoenix:

Sunday at 9:45 am-1:20 pm.

Islamic Cultural Center:

Sunday at 10:00 am

Muslim Community Mosque:

Sunday at 10:00 am until 2:30 pm.

Masjid Omar

Saturday & Sunday from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm.

ICNEV Weekend Islamic School

Tel: (480) 346-2081Classes held on Sunday

FROM THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER (ICC):

Check our website for up to date information www.tempemasjid.com

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.

19

K thru’ grade 12 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

ACA Weekend School

Sunday 10:00 am-1:15 pm. www.azacademy.org/weekend

Sultan Education in Chandler

Saturdays & Sundays - children/adults 480-593-7066

Greenway Islamic Academy

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

COLORING CONTEST August Winner Kareem Basel Send your coloring to the Muslim Voice to enter the drawing for the best picture.

Hint: If the paper is too thin to color, make a Xerox copy then color it.

Ages 3-12, please send a picture of yourself.

COLORING CONTEST FOR KIDS

ISLAMIC CENTERS IN ARIZONA

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