Islam today - issue 4 - February 2013

issue 4 vol.1 February 2013

UK ÂŁ3.00

Contents 24

In brief Febraury 2013 Published Monthly Vol. 1 No. 4

islam today magazine intends to address the concerns and aspirations of a vibrant Muslim community by providing readers with inspiration, information, a sense of community and solutions through its unique and specialised contents. It also sets out to help Muslims and non-Muslims, further understand and appreciate the nature of a dynamic faith.

Managing Director

Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour

Chief Editor

Amir De Martino

Managing Editor

Anousheh Mireskandari

Health Editor

Laleh Lohrasbi

Art Editor

Moriam Grillo

Science Editor

Hannah Smith

Events Editor

Mohsen Biparva

Layout and Design

Alireza Bahmanpour

Design and Production

Isthmus Press

6

News & Analysis

Professor James Petra explains how powerful nations misuse international law for the benefit of their dominating agenda

Life & Community 10

Can Muslims Celebrate Chinese New Year?

Moriam Grillo reviews the book ‘Making and Remaking Mosques in Senegal’ by Cleo Cantone

14

www.islam-today.net

Letters to the Editor letters@islam-today.net submit@islam-today.net

16

ISSN 2051-2503

2

36

From opulence to simplicity Mohammad Reza Amirinia contrasts the opposing worlds of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Imam Khomeini

18 In the SpotLight Places to be

Iran’s rediscovery of its destiny M Haghir reviews the challenges facing Iran as it marks the 34th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution

38

Interview with Halima Cassell, internationally renowned sculptural ceramic artist

The Mammy Caricature Mammy is the most well known and enduring racial caricature of African American women. Dr David Pilgrim examines real, fictional and commercial mammies

Marriage

Politics 44

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Masterpiece

Churchill, Ataturk & Kiwi National Identity Mohsen Biparva explains why the battle of Gallipoli remains one of the most seminal battles in modern history

‘Pottery seller’ by Nour Eddine - photographic print

Heritage The Chahardah Ma’sum; 17th century Calligraphic Plaque

Disclaimer: Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of the publisher or islam today. All information in this magazine is verified to the best of the authors’ and the publisher’s ability. However, islam today shall not be liable or responsible for loss or damage arising from any users’ reliance on information obtained from the magazine.

32

No one to talk to

Art

Publisher: Islamic Centre of England 140 Maida Vale London, W9 1QB - UK

Feature

When thinking about marriage, the first thought that pops up in many people’s minds is, will it last? By Nadia Jamil

Contributors

From Slavery to Institutional Racism Reza Murshid talks about the reality of the African-American community, 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation

‘The obliviousness of some parents to what is happening to their children can prove instrumental in turning their children into bitter, confused and troubled youth’ says Mirsaed

Information info@islam-today.net

Ahmad Haneef Alexander Khaleeli Charles Mercieca David Pilgrim Firdaus Wong Wai Hung Frank Julian Gelli James Petra Mirsaed Mohammad Haghir Mohammad Reza Amirinia Nadia Jamil Reza Murshid Taraneh Eskandari

28

Book review

Youth Matters

Contributions and Submissions

Cover

Firdaus Wong Wai Hung looks at the Chinese New Year from the perspective of a convert to Islam providing advice on how to utilise this occasion to interact with the rest of the family

12

The Legal Foundations for War Crimes, Debt Collection and Colonisation

Faith 48

Opinions 22

State violence is replicated in society Should it surprise us that a country which exports violence and the tools of war is itself one of the most violent societies on the planet? Charles Mercieca believes not…

Repentance: A Platform for Spiritual Upliftment Sins darken our hearts and turn us away from God, but as Ahmad Haneef explains, God in His infinite mercy lets us return to Him through our remorse and sincere repentance.

3

Editorial

Contents 50

The Politics of Austerity

It pays to be just

Places

Alexander Khaleeli says modern politicians could learn a thing or two about austerity and leadership from Imam Ali(a)

62

O

The Alhambra palace

ne of the most fundamental principles that the social moral system of Islam is based on is the exhortation to do good for oneself and for society at large. Islam, similar to previous monotheistic religions, sees society as one entity. While recognising individual privacy, it severely sanctions selfishness and greed. The best evidence of this is in the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad(s), in which high consideration is accorded to those who do well in respect of all creatures of God.

Taraneh Eskandari illustrates the masterpiece of Moorish Architecture.

Interfaith 52

Lent as Fasting and Warfare The Revd Gelli provides some insight into the Christian practices of fasting and spiritual development during the upcoming season of Lent.

56

Are animals conscious? Hannah Smith explores.

The influence of Islam on Science

Scientific Breakthroughs of 2012

The Idea of Iran: From Seljuk Collapse to Mongol Conquest

- Evolutionary emergence of the first biological clock 2.5 million years ago

Health Stem Cell Technologies: A New Era Dr Laleh Lohrasbi talks about the 4th pillar of medicine; ‘the Cellular Based Therapies’

Circumcisions Why Circumcision is not just a religious ritual.

61

Fruit juice and medicines When fruit and medicine don’t mix.

4

The Edge: Faith, Fear & Friendship

Free Knowledge Exchange Seminar on Islam

- Extraordinary new mathematical proof for a= b+c enigma

60

Friday Nights Thought Forum

Animal Consciousness and Ethical Implications

- Detection of the elusive Higgs boson particle

58

66

Amir De Martino Chief Editor

The Art of Heritage Collection: traditional dress in Saudi Arabia

Science 54

What & Where

These examples and many others are proof of the general principles of his teachings; to speak kind words to convey peace and serenity, to do good deeds to reduce the suffering of others, to eliminate fear and distress among the needy. These are Islamic objectives following the traditions of our beloved Prophet Muhammad(s).

There is no doubt that any of the above are acts of beneficence, loved by God and His Messenger. These acts produce love in the hearts of those who receive them and as the Prophet said: “The doer of good is better than the deed itself”.

With such example it is hard to believe that any real follower of the Prophet Muhammad(s) would inflict, so readily, pain and sorrow on other human beings.

Winter Walk for Gaza Urban Violence in the Middle East

Last month the massacre of tens of Shia Muslims in Quetta - Pakistan, by a suicide bomber, once again forces us to redefine who the true follower of the Prophet(s) is. If the Prophet was alive, he would be ashamed of those who in the name of Islam commit such atrocities against fellow Muslims.

Engagement before Encagement The Appeal of Islamic Fundamentalism Conversion to Islam: Interrogation & Negotiation 12th Annual Islamic Finance Summit Islamic Finance and Shari’a Compliance Philosophy and Medicine in the Islamic World Iran’s Expanding Relations with Latin America

Once the Prophet was asked, if giving water to a thirsty dog, is considered an act of charity. He replied: “Giving water to any living creature has a reward”. In another similar tradition the Prophet said: “To smile at your brother; to encourage others to do good and prevent them from doing evil; to guide a person who has gone astray; to remove a stone, a thorn or a bone from the road; to pour water from your bucket into your friend’s bucket, all these acts are considered on be deeds of charity”.

Glossary of Islamic Symbols The letters [swt] after the name of Allah[swt] (God), stand for the Arabic phrase subhanahu wa-ta’ala meaning: “Glorious and exalted be He”.

The letter [s] after the name of the Prophet Muhammad[s], stands for the Arabic phrase sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam, meaning: “May Allah bless him and grant him peace”.

The letter [a] after the name of the Imams form the progeny of the Prophet Muhammad[s], and for his daughter Fatimah[a] stands for the Arabic phrase ‘alayhis-salaam, ‘alayhas-salaam (feminine) and ‘alayhimus-salaam (plural) meaning respectively: (God’s) peace be with him, her, or them.

The political developments in the Middle East have repercussions across the Islamic world and beyond. There are many perceived Western interests at stake for the West not to get involved and for sure there must be some strategies in place in order to obtain the desired result.

The bane of the Muslim community is extremism. By extremism we mean the exclusivist attitude of certain Muslim groups that considers other Muslim denominations as unbelievers and are ready to take their lives. The blunt and simplistic attitude of their members, which is common to extremists across the globe, makes them a perfect tool in the hands of those who wish to plant the seed of discord. Extremism serves only the interests of those who wish to divide and rule.

Patrick Cockburn’s ‘The war against the Shia catches all in its crossfire’ (The Independent 13th Jan 2013) encapsulates perfectly how Western governments are willing to turn their old enemies into allies, with the knowledge that they are in control.

We are confident that both the perpetrators of recent atrocities and their instigators will ultimately face God’s Justice which demands that those who do wrong are punished to the degree of their crimes, if not now, certainly in the Hereafter.

Meanwhile the pain and suffering goes on, and for those of us not physically in the midst of it, there is a greater test. We ought to be the voices of those who are oppressed. Our responsibility is to let the world know about their suffering and to rekindle the justice-seeking flame in the hearts of people, enabling them to transcend political double-standards and understand that ‘it always pays to do justice’. •

5

In brief French Rally Against Same Sex Marriage Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris decrying the French president’s plan to legalise same-sex marriages and adoptions.

They converged on the Eiffel Tower, chanting and waving flags, posters and balloons.

‘I do not personally agree with gay marriage as I am a Christian and believe what the Bible says about marriage being between one woman and one man for a lifetime,’ said Oluwasegun Olowu-Davies who took part in the march.

would rock the foundations of society and lead to discrimination between children, he said.

Other religious groups in France, including Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, have also expressed their concern over the draft bill, and more than 100 lawmakers are against the proposed legislation.

Hundreds of mayors around the country have also voiced their opposition

‘Mosque Buster’ Dreams of Stemming the Tide of Islam

Extending the right to marry and adopt to same-sex couples was one of President Francois Hollande’s electoral pledges last year.

Opening up marriage to same-sex couples ‘would be a transformation of marriage that would affect everyone,’ he said.

At the same time, failing to recognise gender difference within marriage and the family would be a ‘deceit’ that

6

Vacancies for volunteers were posted on the EDL website.

Father blames U.S. Govt for Death of Tech Genius

After his win, the Cabinet approved a draft bill that is expected to go before the National Assembly and Senate soon. It is likely to be voted on in February or March.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris, voiced his opposition at a meeting of French bishops in Lourdes last year.

These include mosques in York, Blackpool, Bolton, Ealing and one in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, which was to replace ‘the beautiful old Jolly Sailor Pub’, according to the site.

EDL has since endorsed the Law and Freedom Foundation, saying on Twitter that it is a ‘great organisation’ and referring its followers who have a proposed mosque in their area to Mr Boby.

‘If your lifestyle doesn’t allow you to conceive, there is a reason,’ he said.

The plan faces stiff opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and social conservatives.

Mr Boby, from Bristol, runs a planning consultancy but also provides legal assistance for those who oppose mosque developments. On the foundation website he claims to have stopped the construction of 16 out of 17 mosques in total.

Aaron Swartz, the 26-year-old Internet genius, has been eulogised as a person who wanted to make the world better but was hounded into killing himself by harsh U.S. government policies.

A self-styled ‘mosque buster’ claims he is fighting to stop the ‘tide of Islam’ by blocking plans for the building of mosques across the UK. Gavin Boby, a planning lawyer once linked to the far-right English Defence League, boasts he has already blocked plans for 16 out of 17 mosques being built.

Swartz was ‘killed by the [U.S.] government,’ his father, Robert Swartz, said at the service at Central Avenue Synagogue in Highland Park, Ill., in Chicago.

Under the banner of the Law and Freedom Foundation, he calls for people to come to him for free professional legal help in opposing mosque proposals.

He claims to help followers resist planning applications for mosque developments by raising opposition with councils.

The 48-year-old says in a video posted online: ‘If anyone out there knows of an application for a new mosque, a cultural centre for some phoney community centre or some multi-faith inter-faith harmony institute then let me know.’

he illegally downloaded millions of academic journal articles, Swartz hanged himself in his New York apartment. The death of one of the founders of news and entertainment website Reddit and a long-time activist for an open Internet has ignited outrage among many in the electronic community who view him as a martyr to government prosecution.

Some 350 mourners filled the Synagogue, with some lining the back wall and others sitting on the floor.

Facing the possibility of a long prison sentence if convicted of charges that

The two main UK public fronts for farright sentiment, the British National Party and the street-based anti-Islam English Defence League, are both in

Swartz was accused of downloading articles from JSTOR, an academic database at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His activism for an open Internet brought him into conflict with prosecutors who accused him of 13 felonies.

Aaron Swartz was influenced by his grandfather, the late William Swartz, who was active in the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a peace and disarmament group, Robert Swartz said.

Two Internet giants — Lawrence Lessig and Tim Berners Lee — extolled Swartz in memorials as a hero of the open source movement who set an example in how to better the world.

Had he been found guilty, Swartz would have faced up to 35 years in prison. Family and friends of Swartz say it is the manner of the investigation by the Department of Justice that contributed to his suicide.

MIT announced that the university will investigate its own possible role in Swartz’s death. ‘It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy,’ said MIT President Raphael Reif.

New Centre Established to Study Anti-Islamic Fascism ‘He was killed by the government, and MIT betrayed all of its basic principles,’ he said.

academics, Professor Nigel Copsey and Dr Matthew Feldman.

A British university has established a dedicated centre to study the extremist far right, with a particular focus on the increase in violent anti-Islamic sentiment.

The Centre for Fascist, Anti-Fascist and Post-Fascist Studies at Teesside University will specialise in both the history of far-right radicalism in the UK, and current trends and dangers.

Initially the centre will start with two

apparent decline. The BNP has lost almost all its council seats, and last autumn one of its two MEPs, Andrew Brons, publicly quit, saying the party had shed 90% of its membership. The leader of the EDL, meanwhile, was jailed this month for travelling to the US using someone else’s passport.

Feldman, a historian by background, said organisations such as the EDL, which began in Luton in response to anti-armed forces demonstrations by radical Islamist groups, tended to fizzle out: ‘You can only mobilise people to come out on a Saturday and shout slogans for a couple of years. Then people will say, I’ve been to five of these demonstrations, they’re getting smaller, my chance of getting arrested is getting bigger. Then you get fragmentation.’

But Feldman said this should not obscure a more gradual shift from race-based far-right activism towards ‘cultural nationalism’, notably against Islam. He said: ‘For the first time since, I believe, the National Front in the late 70s and early 80s, the far right is really going for popular support. It’s moving out into the mainstream, with some success.’

A significant element to this, he added, was the internet, which allowed activists to organise without having to gather in pubs or meeting rooms.

A good deal of the work at The Centre for Fascist, Anti-Fascist and PostFascist Studies will be devoted to assessing the risk of an attack fuelled

by web-based ideologies, as happened in Norway in 2011 when Anders Behring Breivik slaughtered 77 people.

Feldman said he was keen not to create alarm: ‘I don’t want to overstate the risk of it, but there is a conjunction between what the far right has always done – what we call lone-wolf terrorism, of which Breivik is the perfect example – and what you have on the internet in terms of logistics and communication.’

A particular danger, he said, was the rapid spread of terrorism manuals online, guiding people on techniques for making bombs or even weapons based on toxins such as ricin.

Subway Pusher Admits Hatred of Muslims A woman suspected of shoving a man to his death in front of an oncoming New York subway train was recently arrested and charged with ‘seconddegree murder as a hate crime’ in the second such fatality in recent weeks on one of the world’s busiest transit systems.

The district attorney for the New York City borough of Queens said Erika Menendez, 31, who was seen pacing the subway platform and muttering to herself before the attack, had told investigators that she pushed the victim, Sunando Sen, 46, because ‘I hate Hindus and Muslims.’

Menendez was taken into custody in Brooklyn by authorities acting on a tip from someone who recognised the suspect from a video of the incident that was aired on television.

‘The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter’s

7

worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train,’ District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

‘Beyond that, the hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant’s actions can never be tolerated in a civilised society,’ he said.

The protestors, including Hazara Shi‘as, rights activists and parliamentarians, held posters that read ‘Stop Shi‘a Genocide!’ and ‘Why government is unable to face the killers’.

Muslim-Americans, as well as Hindus, Sikhs and others who purportedly ‘look Muslim’ have been humiliated, assaulted, and in many cases murdered by individuals often galvanised to violence by politicians and media figures who have enthusiastically engaged in public hatemongering against Muslims in the United States.

As we were going to press, a judge in New York announced at a hearing that Menendez had been found fit for trial. She did not appear in court. An attorney hired by her family says she remains hospitalised.

Thousands Protest in Pakistan against Shi’a Killings

8

Rabbi Steinlauf is the president of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.

‘We are all part of one community,’ she said.

The prosecutor’s statement quoted Menendez as telling investigators: ‘I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the Twin Towers I’ve been beating them up.’

Sunando Sen was not a Muslim, but as a brown-skinned foreigner living in the United States, he was targeted and killed in an act of hate which many analysts believe is the by-product of an ongoing campaign of bigotry and demonisation against Muslims living in America.

affirm our commitment both to free speech and to a society that deplores hate and hate speech,’ said Rabbi Batya Steinlauf.

have targeted Shi‘as.

Freedom Defense Initiative purchased space next to 228 clocks in 39 stations for ads with an image of the burning World Trade Center and a quote attributed to the Quran saying: ‘Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said the ads will run for a month.

Last summer, the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Center (NOREF) published a report calling sectarian violence the biggest security threat facing Pakistan.

‘Most frequently, such violence involves clashes between members of the two main sects of Islam -- Sunnis and Shi’as – but violent incidents between… sub-sects of Sunni Islam are also on the rise,’ wrote columnist Huma Yusuf on behalf of NOREF.

The same group paid for ads to be displayed in 10 stations last September.

Those ads implied enemies of Israel are ‘savages.’

In October, a group of Jewish organisations in the United States joined a coalition of religious groups critical of an anti-Islam ad in the Washington DC metro system and urged that the profits made from the ads be donated to a charity.

‘The heightened frequency and brutality of Sunni-Shi’a clashes threaten national security -- Pakistan’s is the second-largest Shi’a population in the world after Iran – as well as bilateral relations with Iran and the regional power dynamic vis-à-vis Saudi Arabian influence.’

New York Subway Ads Promote Blatant Islamophobia

In Islamabad, scores of people joined a protest near the National Press Club.

The protesters later staged a sit-in on a road, chanting slogans against militant groups like the banned Lashkare-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba that

The group that equated Muslim radicals with savages in advertisements last year has put up another set of provocative ads featuring quotes from the Qur’an in dozens of New York City subway stations. The American

Germany’s Catholic Bishops Conference said it hoped the bill would help safeguard religious freedoms.

U.S. Muslim Activist: Muslims Discovered America before Columbus

It is notable that this time around the American Freedom Defense Initiative purchased advertising space next to the clocks where no one could put stickers such as ‘Hate Speech’ on it.

Germany Passes Law to Protect Circumcision German politicians have passed a law to protect the right to circumcise infant boys in a show of support for Muslims and Jews angered by a local court ban on the practice in May.

Muslims discovered the Americas long before Columbus in 1492, the head of Washington D.C.-based Council on American Islamic Relations recently told a Saudi TV channel.

‘There are historical accounts according to which the Muslims preceded Columbus, who is said to have discovered the U.S.,’ Nihad Awad said.

‘Some documents and accounts indicate that Muslim seafarers were the first to reach the U.S., [so] the bottom line is that Islam played a part in the establishment and development of the U.S.,’ Awad stated.

A Muslim historian and geographer Abul-Hassan Ali Ibn Al-Hussain Al-Mas‘udi (871-957 CE) wrote in his book Muruj Adh-dhahab wa Ma‘adin al-Jawahir (The Meadows of Gold and Quarries of Jewels) that during the rule of the Muslim caliph of Spain, Abdullah Ibn Muhammad (888-912 CE), a Muslim navigator Khashkhash Ibn Sa‘id Ibn Aswad of Cordoba, Spain, sailed from Delba (Palos) in 889 CE, crossed the Atlantic, reached an unknown territory (Ard Maj-houla) and returned with fabulous treasures.

In Al-Mas‘udi’s map of the world there is a large area in the ocean of darkness and fog (the Atlantic Ocean) to which he referred as the Unknown Territory (the Americas).

The ban – imposed on the grounds that circumcision amounted to ‘bodily harm’ – triggered an emotional debate over the treatment of Jews and other religious minorities, a sensitive subject in a country still haunted by its Nazi past.

The outcry prompted Germany’s centre-right government and opposition parties to draw up legislation confirming the practice was legal - overruling the decision by a court in the western city of Cologne.

Yusuf traced the surge in sectarian violence to the rise of the Pakistani Taliban in the mid-2000s and their deepening alliances with home-grown militant groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Civil society and Shi‘a groups have organised protests in several Pakistani cities, including Islamabad, against bomb attacks that killed nearly 100 Hazara Shi‘as and demanded action against militant groups that are targeting the minority community.

A similar ad in the New York subway system was sprayed-over in September

by Egyptian-American activist Mona Eltahway who was briefly detained and argued that her move was an act of freedom of expression just as the ad was.

Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress.

The new law passed by an overwhelming majority in the Bundestag lower house said the operation could be carried out, as long as parents were informed about the risks.

Jewish groups welcomed the move.

Countering the placement ‘of offensive, anti-Muslim ads in the D.C. Metro system is an important opportunity to

‘This vote and the strong commitment shown … to protect this most integral practice of the Jewish religion is a strong message to our community for the continuation and flourishing of Jewish life in Germany,’ said Moshe

9

The Chinese word for ‘year’ is the same as the name of this beast. A phrase for celebrating Chinese New Year, ‘guo nian’ means ‘the passing of the beast’.

Environment

Can Muslims Celebrate Chinese New Year?

In ancient China people were mostly farmers. These farmers could rarely afford big feasts except after the harvest. Harvest time occurred around the onset of spring. So to welcome spring people prepared foods that were not normally cooked at other times of the year. Dishes such as fish, pork and chicken became part of family dinners on New Year’s Eve, known as ‘Reunion Dinners’. So basically according to this tradition Chinese New Year was celebrated to welcome the beginning of the new season according to the Lunar Calendar and the end of the harvest.

providing advice on how to utilise this occasion to interact with the rest of the family.

B

It is a big issue when a Chinese person embraces Islam. Some have experienced total isolation from their families and communities. After my reversion to Islam, I tried to find out how to approach the Chinese New Year celebrations. Would it be appropriate for a Muslim to visit friends and families during this period?

I came to understand that Islam celebrates diversity of cultures as long as they are not in direct conflict with the

10

teachings of Islam. But what cultural aspects does Chinese New Year exactly represent?

Mythology In Chinese mythology, a Nian is a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains. Every spring, on or around Chinese New Year, it comes out of hiding to attack people, especially children. The Nian is sensitive to loud

noises and is afraid of the colour red.

In the Chinese New Year customs such as decorating things in red, exploding firecrackers, and performing a lion dance were originally used to scare the beast away. Some people display Chinese couplets on red banners to prevent the Nian from returning. Numerous other traditions such as wearing red clothing or handing out red envelopes are also designed to protect against the Nian.

In my opinion the most authentic version is the second version. Chinese New Year is purely a cultural celebration.

However the entanglement of this celebration with mythology and legend even nowadays makes it difficult for Muslims to get involved.

Islam is a simple, easy and practical religion. When someone embraces Islam, any cultural or traditional expression which contradicts its directives is unlawful especially when the said cultures make life even more difficult for the practising believer.

It should be said that Islam does not, by default, discourage us from conforming to our cultural or national traditions.

For example, visiting relatives even if they are not Muslim, is strongly encouraged. Therefore the Chinese tradition of the Reunion Dinner can be considered to be acceptable.

A word of advice would be that when it comes to cultural celebrations, observing Islamic manners is a must but showing sensitivity to other cultures is also essential. There are some dos and don’ts that can help Muslims celebrate Chinese New Year with their families and friends without compromising one’s beliefs.

Firdaus Wong Wai Hung looks at the Chinese New Year from the perspective of a convert to Islam

efore I became Muslim I did not know much about Chinese New Year. My only concern was to collect my ‘ang pow’ (red money envelope), watch the lion dance and eat as much as I could at my family’s reunion dinner. During my teenage years, Chinese New Year was mostly about ‘ang pow’ - which says if you are single even at 60, you can still be entitled to a money envelope.

tive such as the wearing of the colour red (as opposed to black, a colour associated with sorrow and sadness).

Do’s - When visiting families and friends offer ang pow even if they are married.

Islamic perspective According to the mythological version, Chinese New Year is a legend with neither religious meaning nor a national one such as the fourth of July in America.

Those who subscribe to this version celebrate the New Year with a degree of superstition with actions aimed at scaring away the beast or bringing good luck. This belief has no place in Islam and cannot be endorsed. However even with this version one can find action and customs which can be said to be neutral from an Islamic perspec-

- Attend reunion dinners with awareness of halal and haram foods. If you like to eat Bak Kwa, a delicacy made of dry meat, you can order it from halal Chinese butchers and you can even offer it to your family.

- Wishing the family members Xin Nian Kuai Re or ‘May Allah guide all of us’.

- Wear red, as long as the wording and design on the clothing do not have un-Islamic elements.

- You can enjoy watching the lion dance or dragon dance.

- Identify relatives who are broader minded and accept your religious views on alcohol and gambling.

Don’ts - Do not wear black. The Chinese believe black is a sign of mourning and sadness.

- Reading and listening to horoscope predictions is a common tradition among the Chinese. Don’t get involved.

- Avoid participation in Chinese ancestor worship and the ritual of welcoming the god of prosperity and Tian Gong, the Jade Emperor god.

- If you have doubts about the permissibility of the food you are offered, do not ask your hosts, they will be offended. If you’re not sure make an excuse.

- Do not open discussions about accidents or deaths during Chinese New Year. If any of your relatives have just passed away or you have attended a funeral ceremony, do not inform them. The Chinese believe that such a person will bring bad luck.

The above traditions may be considered superstitious but they are nevertheless an important part of Chinese culture. The main thing is to keep in touch with one’s family, especially parents, even if they are not Muslims.

This is beneficial and recommended

by Islam. God has created us differently not for us to ignore each other but to know and understand each other. Mindfulness of other cultures can remove barriers and allow us to project our Islamic behaviour without being confrontational.

Lastly when visiting families take along some booklets about Islam and give them as a gift. Chinese people do not reject any gifts during this time. Godwilling this may provide an opportunity for them to know your faith at their own pace. •

11

Book Review

Making and Remaking Mosques in Senegal

By Moriam Grillo “It is the marabout [religious leader] of each village who takes the responsibility of calling everyone to prayer. They gather on the public square to do this for they do not have any mosques.

They stand in several rows behind the marabout and follow the prayer he recites aloud. The all face the Levant [east].” [Studies of Islam in Senegal, Pere Labat 1917 Cleo Cantone]

brought to our attention, questioning the concept of sacred spaces being male oriented.

The marginal place of women in this region is noted but much of the references that are referred to in the book are gathered from sources that are ignorant of Islamic rituals and the courteous and genteel gender segregation in Muslim societies. Bearing this in mind, it was difficult for me to respect the viewpoints of individual writers who claimed women “appeared to be passive beings, dependent on the good will of men to obtain baraka [blessing]” or “women achieve fulfilment through

Women’s Wall

Making and Remaking Mosques in Senegal is based on a body of work developed by the author, Cleo Cantone, for her PHD. It is the study of the fundamental trends in the development of the mosque in sub-Saharan Africa.

Her work spans the historical advancement of the building and utilising of space for worship and prayer in relation to changing habits and structures in society. The investigative research took over a decade to produce, culminating in a book that stands alone in its summation of a uniquely historical standpoint. Cantone travelled extensively in Africa and Europe collating historical archives and consulting with experts in the field. The result is an investigative journal which maps the history of French speaking sub-Saharan Africa from both a historical and sociological perspective.

Jakka Ndiegen

“The place where they assemble to do their prayers is a small space closed off with palisades made of millet straw and reeds”(page 31)

subordination to men” when their judgements are based on personal observation which appeared to overlay counter cultural perspectives.

The book essentially conveys the history of the socio-cultural landscape in this region. It begins by defining the trends that existed in the fifteenth century and follows the trail of destruction or instruction [depending on where your opinions lie] informed by the colonial influences that infiltrated the geographic structure.

in 1885. Both possess a deliberate monumentality and bear a close resemblance to church architecture” (pages 149- 150)

“A great mosque was built in Saint Louis in 1848 and another in Dakar

Cantone has included studies on slave migration, the social repercussions

12

Bilal Windows

of repatriated slaves and the attitude towards women in society; themes which acknowledge the underdog and empathise with the narrative of their plight. The gender dynamics of an essentially patriarchal society are also

Much of the literature presented women in Islam as ‘muted’ and ‘invisible’...need[ing] to be ‘reclaimed from the margins of history’ (page 298) Cantone has developed in her writing a historical framework which, initially, depicts an architectural history of Francophone sub-Saharan Africa. She has skilfully interwoven an understanding of how

historical, political and sociological influences have entrenched the development of public spaces, in this case mosques, and how they are used. Cantone’s approach allows the reader an opportunity to explore a culture that they may not be exposed to and to understand the motives of its people, whilst acknowledging how its development has been influenced by a current of change that infiltrated the world at large.

Cleo Cantone, PhD in Art and Archaeology at London University (2006), is a freelance translator and

researcher specialising in the architecture and sociology of mosques as well as the issues of gender and space in Islam. Her current research interests include sustainable architecture and Islamic influences on Siculo-Norman architecture. • Making and Remaking Mosques in Senegal

by Cleo Cantone. April 2012. Published by Brill, Hardback 436 pp. price EUR 133/ US$ 182.

13

Youth Matters

No one to talk to Sometimes situations arise which help people have a clearer view of life and society. There is a Muslim Students Counselling Centre at the University where I study. As I am training in this centre I am given the opportunity to sit in when the files are reviewed.

In this section I talk about some of these cases, hoping to present an opportunity for other youth to find answers to their own problems. Mirsaed

B

atool had just turned seventeen when things started going wrong. She shrugged it off and put it down to her constant mood swings but negativity took over her life. In a letter to the Muslim Students’ Counselling Centre she wrote: “The ball of hate and anger knotted around my heart. Everything just got too much one day; my friends hated me, I hated me, the world hated me and I didn’t know how I got like this. I didn’t want to talk to anyone about anything; what if they thought I was being stupid? That my problems where nothing but exaggerated and I was just being some drama queen? I was convinced my friends thought I was looking for attention. I was also convinced no matter how hard I tried my friends would never understand where I was coming from, after all some things are too personal even to admit to yourself.”

14

She continued: “My sister having a boyfriend was what preyed on my consicence. I wouldn’t say I was 100% religious, but I knew what my sister was doing was wrong and I felt guilty for being part of the conspiracy to cover it up from my parents. I hated myself for supporting her by lying and I hated her for putting me in such a position. I wanted to tell my parents, but not knowing their reactions killed me. They could be fine with it - which was too far-fetched - so naturally I thought the worst.”

“The ball of hate and anger got bitter and more knotty and totally consumed me.

Everything was a mess and no answers were forthcoming. There is no worse feeling than knowing, 100% believing you are alone. I was just finding it hard to cope. Like any normal teen, albeit mine went one step further.”

The impression we had from her letter was one of immense confusion and pain. Her love towards her sister made her want to keep her secret but at the same time, she was afraid of losing her parents’ trust for which she hated her sister. Batool put pressure on herself to study better and more as she strived to be the perfect daughter to compensate for her guilt; she also started helping her mother with housework.

She explained how her mother’s trust put her even more under pressure when her sister snuck out at night and her mum caught on. She says: “We lied to mum obviously and mum wanting to believe us and not having any evidence to the contrary didn’t make a fuss.” But she was feeling guilty for a sin her sister was committing. The conflict in her mind was based on her suspicion that her parents may have

known, deep down, but they denied it to themselves because who wants to think the worst of their kids?

That was when she decided to contact the Counselling Centre. She wanted to talk to someone who wouldn’t judge her, who wouldn’t turn against her or use this piece of information against her in the future.

able that she finally decided to take action. She told her mum.

She wrote: “It was naive to think that we all could live happily ever after. My devastated mother cried and wept. She had no idea and I was the bearer of bad news. But for some weird reason, I felt relieved. I no longer had to worry and feel guilty. Now it was my mum’s

“There is no worse feeling than knowing, 100% believing you are alone. I was just finding it hard to cope. Like any normal teen, albeit mine went one step further.”

The Counsellors advised her to confront her sister and talk to their parents in person instead of leaving it until they found out. Regrettably her sister refused and dared Batool not to do it.

A couple of months later the Centre received another letter from Batool. It was during her first year final exams, when the pressure became so unbear-

turn to feel conflicted. She didn’t know if and how to tell this to my dad.”

Batool met up with the counsellors again, and this time it was to advise her mum. They explained that sometimes in order to keep a close relationship with their children, parents give them more freedom than they should. They fear that putting restrictions on their children may alienate them. That may

be so; surely we have heard enough stories about runaway children and estranged youth to believe this is correct but parental control need not be a form of overbearing restriction.

It is the right of parents to be kept in the picture about their children’s whereabouts and activities. If Batool’s parents had an adequate system of control and observation in place they would have realised that their daughter came to know this so-called ‘boy friend’ over the internet.

In most non-Muslim families a seventeen year old youth is considered to be someone not in need of parental control, but is this really right?

Batool’s parent’s unawareness of their daughter’s adventure could have been prevented if firstly they had exercised effective parental control and secondly if their daughter did not have any fear of talking to her parents about her feelings.

It is a satisfying feeling when at the end of a counselling session you see a mood transformation in a client when they are finally presented with solutions to their nagging problems. •

15

Marriage...

first thought that pops up...

Will it last?

By Nadia Jamil

F

irst of all it should never be about looking for the right person because honestly, there is no such thing as the right person. Nobody is perfect and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. The whole idea behind marriage is about forging a partnership and then making it work.

Many people fall into the trap of always seeking that right person. There are several reasons for this but one of the main ones is that from an early age many people hear themselves talked about admiringly amongst families, teachers, co-workers and friends. Since they get complimented a lot this sometimes puts a seed of ‘self-importance’ or ‘you are better than others’ in their hearts. Hollywood movies come in as toppings on the cake to make it even worse.

A marriage can only last as long as both people are working on it.

When this individual sets out to seek a spouse he/she finds it very hard to decide who is good enough for them.

They have been filled with so much praise and unnecessary attention that it becomes easy for the devil to make them think no one out there matches

16

up to their high standards. This leads them to ignore or overlook many good people who might actually make very good partners.

A marriage can only last as long as both people are working on it. In practice this means looking after each other’s needs, understanding each other’s backgrounds and values, mutual respect, taking on specific roles, and sharing certain duties.

If two people enter into a relationship with this mentality they should be more relaxed and have fewer unrealistic expectations. Since they would always be ‘working on their marriage’ rather than just being in a marriage this kind of mindset should lead towards a lasting relationship. Also it should ensure a balance of duties so that one person doesn’t carry the daily workload. In this way marriage becomes a cycle of give and take.

The same perspective should be applied in the spouse selection process. Right from the beginning things should be set straight. However, for this to work it’s very important for two people to be honest, upfront and straight with each other.

So this is what I suggest you can do.

Conduct interviews with each other but get your families involved as well.

If your family chooses somebody for you don’t just go with it. Have a chat with the other person and exchange

ideas; in this way you stand to get a better understanding of the other person. Please avoid dating and seeing people without involving your families; this is particularly so for females as they can more easily be taken for granted. Always get to know the other person by involving parents or a guardian so that they can help you make the correct decision. Don’t be afraid of discussing some nitty gritty stuff such as division of duties in a marriage. Apart from making things clear from the outset this will help both parties to realise that marriage is a very serious step.

The pressure upon young people to think that one must date and go out with random people to create a spark which may or may not lead to marriage is a fabrication of western culture. Such sparks often do not last and in many cases they are simply traps set by the devil to deceive us. If you are religious let the other person know and stand by your values and be proud of who you are. If you get rejected know that everything happens for a reason and don’t blame yourself too much if you are still single. Rather have patience, enjoy and appreciate life and always count your blessings.

When one door shuts another one always opens. •

17

ARTS

In The Spotlight

H

alima Cassell is an internationally renowned and respected sculptural ceramic artist. She was born in Kashmir, Pakistan and came to live in England when she was just a year old.

Halima studied 3D Design majoring in ceramics and has a Master’s degree in Design. She has undertaken artist residencies in several countries including Italy, Japan and Pakistan.

Her work has been exhibited in the UK, Sweden, Japan, Belgium, Korea, Holland, Germany, Swaziland, and the USA.

Every month our arts editor Moriam Grillo explores the wealth of creativity inherent in the Islamic world and highlights the achievements of contemporary Muslim artists as they convey the richness of Islamic culture through the pure principles of the faith.

18

Her work consists of ceramic forms which are inspired by Islamic and African art. Unglazed and in an array of colours, each piece is developed from a simple round or square vessel form, with intricate lines and curves sculpted into the clay akin to the geometric patterns of Islamic architraves. She carves deeply into the clay to create an intense and dynamic surface texture. Each piece conveys the visual language of modern architectural geometry whilst maintaining an energetic earthiness that alludes to yesteryear.

So what is it that inspires her to carve vessel forms? “These all-embracing obsessions of bringing into being the poetry of faceted forms are my creations. They are buried in layers of forgotten history, like subcutaneous memories waiting to be plumbed; like the ocean deep they float in darkness waiting to be revealed by the light. I carve out parts of my history, an exorcism of thought forms, a compulsion to make manifest the intangible, transmuting it into something hard and permanent. Like life everything begins with the energy of a thought,” she explains “I want my work to be on the edge of reason yet speaking with an eloquence that is understood by the universal consciousness – altered states yet accessible tectonic plates in dialogue, setting up tensions, the ‘Ley Lines’ of my world made visible within the forms and folds of my beloved earth.”

three, six or eight-fold symmetry, a traditional method for producing balanced patterns based on Islamic geometry.

“Artists in general create their own mood and feeling through the use of colour, line and texture in their work, I try to do the same through my pieces but through playfully manipulating the planes and facets of the pattern, one against the other. This juxtaposition helps me to create the maximum impact within the overall design, “The most exciting moment for me is when my flat designs become dramatically transformed

when charted over a structure taking on a different life. The hue of the clay body is crucial because I rarely use glazes, I solely rely on the piece itself to dramatise the tones and textures through the effects of light and shadow”: she explains.

Halima has produced two publications: ‘Carved Earth’ and ‘Dreams Made Manifest’.

The Shape of Things - An interview with Halima Cassell is available to view on Vimeo.com

Her work is unique and profoundly beautiful; each piece exudes a mystical quality and is simultaneously familiar. Each piece takes 100 to 250 hours to produce and is based on a repeat pattern created within a circle using

19

PLACE TO BE

THE

Masterpiece

T

‘Pottery seller’ by Nour Eddine - photographic print

Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

he Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is the largest museum in America and houses in its main building the largest gallery in the world.

Its Islamic art collection contains over 12,000 items. There are several decorative items in a range of materials including ceramics and textiles from the historical Islamic cultures of Spain, Asia and Africa. An extensive collection of calligraphy connected to Solomon the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire between 1520-1566. Quranic manuscripts are on display from different periods depicting a variety of calligraphy styles. There is also a collection of miniature paintings from Iran and Mughal India.

This section of the Met was refurbished just over a year ago and the collection has been revised to reflect public responses to work that was previously displayed.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York, NY

B

eing a photographer myself, I suppose it’s easy to admire the work of other photographers without justification.

I find the work of Nour Eddine El Ghoumari refreshing and inspiring.

This image has an air of calm and sedateness that allows the viewer to reflect on the narrative that lies beyond the frame. We can allow

ourselves to be transported from the predictability of our everyday lives to a world that appears timeless due to its simplicity and its ordinary nature.

When is it? Where is it? One of many places where the struggle between timed ordinance and timelessness meet in submissive agreement; a place where the focus is the hereafter as opposed to the here and now. The man in the foreground depicts an austere yet content disposition which understands the nature of things in a truer sense than any high powered banker or such could dream of. Trade is a means to an end; a way to nourish the self without giving rise to the ego.

I am reminded of the Prophet Solomom(s) who wove a mat each

day to sell at market to earn the provision for his daily needs.

What appears at first to be a simple image is filled with subtle complexities. A sharp forbearing focus lifts the protagonist from his humble poise.

There are stark contrasting tonal qualities as well as the merging of fore and background.

I suppose any work of art has the remit to engage its audience with an open heart and provide an arena from which joy flows. This image not only transports me, but permits me to alight at a place in myself that is reminded of the subtlety of Prophetic teachings and the simplicity of true contentment. For this reason it is a masterpiece in my eyes. I have the ability to engage, inspire and permit an aspiration that takes one beyond the trappings of this world. All this through the eyes of a potter who sells clay from which he too was wrought.

HERITAGE

Calligraphic Plaque Date: probably late 17th century Geography: Iran Medium: Steel; forged and pierced Dimensions: H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) W. 15 in. (38.1 cm)

T

the doors of shrines, mosques, and theological schools.

The inscription, in Arabic in Thuluth script, begins: And by Zahra’ the Immaculate One....

The chahardah ma’sum Calligraphic Plaque is currently on display in Gallery 462 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

his cartouche shaped plaque was created from a single sheet of solid steel, whose wide, flat border encloses a hemistich referring to Fatima(a) and her sons. The text is part of a versification of the names of the chahardah ma’sum, or the fourteen infallible ones (the Prophet, Fatima(a), and the twelve imams). Such plaques, which served both a decorative and invocative function, were often set in

20

21

Opinions

State Violence is Replicated

in Society

Should it surprise us that a country which exports violence and the tools of war is itself one of the most violent societies on the planet? Charles Mercieca believes not….

W

hen they were drafting the constitution the founding fathers of the US saw it wise to insert the phrase “a right to bear arms and that such a right cannot be infringed”.

The right was seen as an essential safeguard of personal security. In an age when the ability of the state as protector was still weak the idea that one could bear arms to protect oneself enjoyed almost universal approval.

Today, more than two centuries later, the exponential growth in the power and reach of the state means that the “security threat” no longer pertains.

This means that the constitutional phrase referring to the right of everyone to bear arms everywhere is no longer applicable. But instead of abrogating this malignant phrase or replacing the word “right” with the world “privilege,” leading figures in the nation continue to fight to protect The US this “right.”

police to effectively safeguard people.

Some politicians appear to have recognised that the situation needs to change. Following the massacre of last December President Barack Obama vowed to do his utmost to have the US government ban assault weapons.

Despite opposition from a number of Congressmen, this ban is expected to take effect in early 2013. The ban is a step the right direction because the safety of people in the US and around the world requires some kind of control over the excessive manufacture and sale of guns.

The US is built on a culture of war with the real goal of generating profit. The more violence is created within the US and around the world, the more the capitalists in this nation become richer. The philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, said: “No one can give something

policy especially in its foreign affairs, it is hardly surprising to see this violence replicated on a domestic level. Should it surprise us to see individuals resorting to wanton violence when the state does it as a matter of routine?

The US government has regularly put the bulk of its money not on the health care, education and housing facilities of its people, but on the manufacture and sale of weapons and the systematic promotion of wars.

The US has some 900 foreign military bases consuming billions of dollars which should be spent on meeting the vital needs of the American people. If only the military budget were to be cut by just 50%, the US would still remain militarily the most powerful nation on earth, as pointed out by former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.

The nation could then use most of this “wasted military money” to eliminate some of the suffering and misery from the the surface of our planet.

is built on a culture of war with real goal of generating profit. The more violence is created within the US and around the world, the more the capitalists in this nation become richer.

As a result, there are millions of guns and firearms in the hands of people who have often used them to kill innocent people including children, as we saw in December 2012 in Newton, Connecticut, where 20 schoolchildren were gunned down in just one morning along with six teachers. It was just the latest in a long line of murderous rampages characterising life in the United States..

In order to understand the tremendous opposition to repealing the right to bear arms it is necessary to understand how the manufacture and sales of weapons has emerged into a lucrative business.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is the manufacturers’ lobby group and spin machine. With an annual income of tens of millions of dollars and a membership running into millions it is one of the most powerful lobbies on Capitol Hill. The political careers of many members of Congress are wholly dependent on the NRA’s support.

Today the US is so saturated with firearms that it is impossible for the

22

that one does not have; as a rule, we give others only from what we have”.

Today the US has military bases in more than 146 nations. Ironically while such countries as China and Japan offer other nations assistance in the areas of medicine and education, the United States more often than not chooses to offer to these same nations assistance in the provision of weapons and military equipment.

History shows us that the best solutions to problems come through peaceful dialogue. Jesus warned his disciple Peter when he took out his sword to defend his Master: “Put the sword away for he who kills by the sword will die by the sword”. If Jesus were to address the US at this stage of history he would probably say: “Put your guns away for those who kill by the gun will die by the gun”.

Needless to say, there are many sources that continue to encourage the American addiction to violence and wars. All those responsible individuals and organisations that remain silent when confronted with US foreign war policies share in the guilt of all those that promote violence and war.

Clergymen need to advocate our moral obligation to promote love and peace among each other instead of hatred and wars. Teachers at all levels of education should make it clear that all human beings, regardless of where they come from, are morally obligated to promote policies of harmony and peace. And all law-abiding citizens should communicate periodically to their government officials to remind them that they expect to see policies that lead to healthy dialogue and never to violence. • Charles Mercieca is President of the International Association of Educators for World Peace and Professor Emeritus of Alabama A&M University.

When violence becomes a standard

23

The Legal Foundations for War Crimes, Debt Collection & Colonisation Powerful nations who use their military and political power to subdue smaller nations seek legitimacy by applying jurisdictions of international law in a selective and subjective manner to fit their dominating agenda, explains Professor James Petra.

24

25

B

y now we are familiar with imperial states using their military power to attack, destroy and occupy independent countries. Boatloads of important studies have documented how imperial countries have seized and pillaged the resources of mineral-rich and agriculturally productive countries, in consort with multi-national corporations.

Financial critics have provided abundant data on the ways in which imperial creditors have extracted onerous rents, royalties and debt payments from indebted countries and their taxpayers, workers, employees and productive sectors. What has not been examined fully is the over-arching legal architecture which informs, justifies and facilitates imperial wars, pillage and debt collection.

The Centrality of Imperial Law While force and violence, especially through overt and covert military intervention, have always been an essential part of empire-building, it does not operate in a legal vacuum: Judicial institutions, rulings and legal precedents precede, accompany and follow the process of empire building. The legality of imperial activity is based largely on the imperial state’s judicial system and its own legal experts. Their legal theories and opinions are always presented as overruling international law as well as the laws of the countries targeted for imperial intervention. Imperial law supersedes international law simply because imperial law is backed by brute force; it possesses imperial/ colonial air, ground and naval armed forces to ensure the supremacy of imperial law. In contrast, international law lacks an effective enforcement mechanism. Moreover, international law, to the extent that it is effective, is applied only to the weaker powers and to regimes designated by the imperial powers as ‘violators’. The very judicial processes, including the appointment of judges and prosecutors who interpret international law, investigate international crime and arrest, sentence and punish ‘guilty’ parties are under the influence of the reigning imperial powers. In other words, the application and jurisdiction of international law is selective and subject to

26

constraints imposed by the configurations of imperial and national power.

International law, at best, can provide a ‘moral’ judgment, a not insignificant basis for strengthening the political claims of countries, regimes and people seeking redress from imperial war crimes and economic pillage. To counter the claims and judgments pertaining to international law, especially in the area of the Geneva protocols such as war crimes and crimes against humanity, imperial legal experts, scholars and judges have elaborated a legal framework to justify or exempt imperial-state activity.

The Uses of Imperial Law Empire-building throughout history is the result of conquest - the use or threat of superior military force. The US global empire is no exception.

Where compliant rulers ‘invite’ or ‘submit’ to imperial domination, such

Maintaining ‘law and order’ in the conquered nations requires a legal system and doctrine to uphold imperial rule, giving the facade of legitimacy to the outside world , attracting collaborator classes and individuals and providing the basis for the recruitment of local military, judicial and police officials.

Imperial legal pronouncements, whether issued directly by executive, judicial, military or administrative bodies, are deemed the ‘supreme law of the universe’, superior to international law and protocols fashioned by nonimperial authorities and legal experts.

This does not imply that imperial rulers totally discard international law: they just apply it selectively to their adversaries, especially against independent nations and rulers, in order to justify imperial intervention and aggression - Hence the ‘legal bases’ for dismantling Yugoslavia or invading Iraq and assassinating its rulers.

Imperial legal doctrines and judicial decisions set the groundwork for imperial wars and economic pillage. The empire’s legal experts redefine assassinations, coercion, torture and arbitrary arrests as compatible with the ‘constitutional order’ by claiming imminent and constant threats to the security of the imperial state. acts of treason on the part of ‘puppet’ or ‘client’ rulers usually precipitate popular rebellions, which are then suppressed by joint imperial and collaborator armies. They cite imperial legal doctrine to justify their intervention to repress a subject people in revolt. While empires arose through the direct or indirect use of unbridled force, the maintenance and consolidation of empires requires a legal framework. Legal doctrines precede, accompany and follow the expansion and consolidation of empire for several reasons.

Legality is really an extension of imperial conquest by other means. A state of constant warfare raises the cost of imperial maintenance. Force, especially in imperial democracies undermines the sense of civic virtue, which the rulers and citizens claim to uphold.

Legal rulings are issued by the imperial judiciary to force states to comply with the economic demands of multi-national corporations, banks, creditors and speculators, even after the local or national courts have ruled such claims unlawful. Imperial law protects and provides sanctuary and financial protection to convicted former collaborator-rulers charged with human rights crimes, pillage of public treasury and destruction of democratic institutions. Imperial judicial and administrative agencies selectively investigate, prosecute and levy severe fines and even jail sentences on banks, individuals and financial institutions of their competitor imperial countries, thereby strengthening the economic position of their own ‘national’ imperial firms.

ments’ of closely related imperial political and economic powers; they also instrumentalise and, in some cases, override officials from other branches of their own imperial government and economic sectors. Judges, with ties to particular financial sectors, may rule in favour of one group of creditors thereby prejudicing others. In a recent ruling, a New York judge ruled in favour of the demands by minority creditors that the Argentine government make ‘full payment’ on long-standing national debt, prejudicing already agreed upon payments to the majority of creditors who had negotiated an earlier debtrestructuring arrangement.

Imperial legal doctrine has played a central role in justifying and providing a basis for the exercise of international terrorism. Executives, such as US Presidents Bush and Obama, have been provided with the legal power to undertake cross-national ‘targeted’ assassinations of opponents using predator drones and ordering military intervention, in clear violation of international law and national sovereignty. Imperial law, above all else, ‘legalises’ aggression and economic pillage and undermines the laws of targeted countries, creating lawlessness and chaos among its victims.

Imperial law and judicial rulings form the basis for imperial subjugation on the assumption that the world legal systems are multi-tiered: Imperialcentred legal systems supersede those of less powerful states. Within each ‘tier’ there are further refinements: Competing imperial legal systems adjudicate in favour of their partisan political and economic elites. Imperial clients who obey their imperial overlords are favoured by imperial laws while imperial laws are applied against their adversaries.

judicial bodies who abide by universally accepted legal codes. Each set of judicial authorities reflect and actively promote policies favouring and extending their imperial prerogatives. There are rare exceptions where a judge will rule against a particular imperial policy but over the long run imperial law guides judicial opinions

James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York. He is the author of 64 books published in 29 languages, and over 560 articles in professional journals, including the American Sociological Review, British Journal of Sociology, Journal of Contemporary Asia, and Journal of Peasant Studies.

His latest book is; “The Arab Revolt and the Imperialist Counterattack”

Imperial legal doctrines and judicial decisions set the groundwork for imperial wars and economic pillage.

The empire’s legal experts redefine assassinations, coercion, torture and arbitrary arrests as compatible with the ‘constitutional order’ by claiming imminent and constant threats to the security of the imperial state.

Disclaimer: Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of the publisher or islam today. It should be clear that the sole purpose of this section is to introduce different ideas as reflections of contemporary views.

Law is not simply part of the superstructure “reflecting” the power of economic or political institutions: it also guides and directs political and economic institutions committing material resources to implement imperial doctrines.

In this sense, imperial rulers are not ‘lawless’ as some liberal critics would argue; they function in accordance with ‘imperial jurisprudence’ and are faithful to the legal doctrines of empire building. It is pointless to argue that most imperial leaders trample on constitutional guarantees and international laws. If an imperial ruler pursued a “constitutional agenda” eroding imperial prerogatives or, even worse, applied international law to prosecute those carrying out brutal imperial policy, he would be quickly condemned for dereliction of duty and/or immoral behaviour and impeached or overthrown. •

Clearly in a world imperial system there can be no independent

Judicial officials are not only ‘instru-

27

Cover Story

By Reza Murshid

Abolishing of a Dark Cruel Practice Exactly 150 years ago, on the first of January 1863, then US president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared all African slaves in Confederate territories to be forever free.

The proclamation was issued in the midst of the American Civil War. It was not a universal solution to the problem of slavery and did not end the plight of millions of enslaved Africans forcefully brought to the New World because it did not free all the slaves in the Union, nor did it abolish slavery. The Civil War, which has been billed as the deadliest war in American history, left in its wake 750,000 soldiers dead and countless other civilian casualties.

But the Emancipation Proclamation, declared by Lincoln as the commander in chief during the war, could have been easily be construed by the southern states as a temporary war measure, and not an atemporal injunction. Hence, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, on December 6, 1865, i.e. after the end of the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment was adopted which made slavery illegal. The

28

amendment partly read: ‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction.’

Abolishing slavery was a great feat and Lincoln paid with his life for working towards this end. Slavery had been such an integral part of America that many American founding fathers were themselves slave owners. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin owned slaves. Important ecclesiastical personalities such as theologian Jonathan Edwards had slaves and John Newton, the composer of “Amazing Grace,” captained a slave ship early in his life.

Beginning at least as early as 1502, European slave traders shipped approximately 11-16 million slaves to the Americas, including 500,000 to what is now the United States. During the decades before the Civil War, slave grown cotton accounted for over half the value of all United States exports, and provided virtually all of the cotton used in the northern textile industry and 70 percent of the cotton used in British mills.

So prior to its independence, and long after, the United States was

a beneficiary of the backbreaking labour of the enslaved African masses in plantations both in the south and in the north. And this was done with a cruelty unheard of in human history. At least two million Africans died during the infamous Middle Passage across the Atlantic. A broader look at African deaths directly attributable to the institution of slavery from 1500 to 1900 suggests up to four million African deaths arose because the slaves were given little room in the slave ships that carried them. The men were normally chained together in pairs to save space - right leg to the next man’s left leg - while the women and children may have had somewhat more room. The captives were fed very small portions of corn, yams, rice, and palm oil, normally just enough to sustain them.

Not a done deal These days popular culture is abuzz with the commemoration of these tragic moments in American history. Steven Spielberg’s latest movie, Lincoln, deals with the struggles of the American president in this crucial moment in American history, as does Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

The fact that these films are produced by major accomplished

29

directors and have become box office hits may give the impression that the end of slavery is a ‘done deal’ and that man’s servitude to man, solely based on the colour of their skin, does not extend to the present.

Far from being a fait accompli, the slavery and its cause, racism, extend into every aspect of US society today.

The whole American identity has been influenced, and haunted, by the experience of slavery. There isn’t any aspect of American culture which has been immune to the powerful narrative of slavery. From jazz to blues, from poetry to prose, from rural landscapes to the urban cityscapes, the American psyche shows the deep, bruising furrows of slavery.

More than anything else, the effect of slavery, and the institutional racism that emerged in the wake of the abolition of slavery, can be seen these days in the fabric of the African-American community. No other ethnic community in America bears such deep scars as the African-American community.

Of course, the rise of the American empire in the 20th century has had other victims, starting with the ethnic cleansing of the American-Indians and wholesale destruction of their culture and mode of life. Other ethnic groups who immigrated into the United States also fell prey to American power. The best example of such victimisation was the forceful internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II based on the fear that because they were of Japanese descent, they might disrupt the US war effort against Imperial Japan. (This was a measure taken purely out of racism against those considered to be part of the ‘yellow race’.

No such measures were taken against the German-Americans despite the fact that Germany was the number one adversary of the United States in the war.)

Institutional racism replaces slavery Slavery might well be over for over a century but it has been replaced by an institutional racism that is all too apparent in every facet of life in

30

the United States. The destruction of the black family structure seemed like an unwritten agenda of the white masters. During the slavery era, slave sales frequently broke up slave fami-

lot and the lot of their families. Most of these young men are themselves products of broken families where values such as empowerment and selfdevelopment were not inculcated by a

A 2006 study shows that 4.8 percent of all black American men were imprisoned, compared to 1.9 percent of all Hispanic men, and 0.7 percent of white men. In other words, if you are a young black man in the States, your chances of being incarcerated is seven times more than the white guy with whom you went to high school.

lies and in the past 150 years it has been a challenge for black families to stay together. As a result, today a huge number of African-American families in the States are headed by single mothers who are for the most part unemployed and eke out an existence on welfare.

Statistics show that one in four children in the United States are being raised by a single parent. But the figure for the African-American family is almost three times more: Almost three in four African-American children are being raised by a single parent. Two caveats are in order here. First, the figure is a rounded up figure and it varies from state to state. Second, like all social phenomena, this phenomenon, the decimation of the black family, has a number of causes but one would have to be blind not to see the debilitating effect of racism that first turned the black family into an underclass, making it difficult for black men to gain a job and hold a job, and then forced the unemployed male head of the family out of the fabric of the home.

The cultural poverty prevailing in the economic underclass in the States does not help either. For young black men in the States, opportunities to get involved with the wrong type of activities are far more readily available than opportunities to advance, to educate themselves and to improve their own

father who could have been there at every stage of the child’s development.

In certain American cities, it is more common for a young African-American to be stopped and searched by the police than to be offered a chance to gain an experience in any field, to be mentored by someone older than him or to have a crack at a new job.

Take a close look at the ‘correctional landscape’ and the figures are really staggering. A 2006 study show that 4.8 percent of all black American men were imprisoned, compared to 1.9 percent of all Hispanic men, and 0.7 percent of white men. In other words, if you are a young black man in the States, your chances of being incarcerated is seven times more than the white guy with whom you went to high school.

This is the reality of the African-American community, 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. For sure, there are individuals who have been fortunate enough to rise above this morass of negativity and victimhood.

But the majority have had a tough time, as attested by the state of the family, employment and incarceration in the African-American community.

Slavery may have ended but institutional racism continues to clip the wings of any aspiring young black man or woman who happens to believe in the promise of America. •

31

Feature

Real Mammies From slavery through the Jim Crow era*, the mammy image served the political, social and economic interests of mainstream white America. During slavery, the mammy caricature was posited as proof that blacks - in this case, black women - were contented, even happy, as slaves. Her wide grin, hearty laugher, and loyal servitude were offered as evidence of the supposed humanity of the institution of slavery.

This was the mammy caricature, and, like all caricatures, it contained a little truth surrounded by a larger lie. The caricature portrayed an obese, coarse, maternal figure. She had great love for her white “family,” but often treated her own family with disdain. Although she had children, sometimes many, she was completely desexualised. She “belonged” to the white family, though it was rarely stated. Unlike Sambo, she was a faithful worker. She had no black friends; the white family was her entire world. Obviously, the mammy caricature was more myth than accurate portrayal.

women as house servants rather than as field hands” (p. 44). Moreover, Turner claims that house servants were usually mixed raced, skinny (blacks were not given much food), and young (fewer than 10 percent of black women lived beyond the age of 50). Why were the fictional mammies so different from their real-life counterparts? The answer lies squarely within the complex sexual relations between blacks and whites.

Abolitionists claimed that one of the many brutal aspects of slavery was that slave owners sexually exploited their female slaves, especially lightskinned ones who approximated the

mainstream definition of female sexual attractiveness. The mammy caricature was deliberately constructed to suggest ugliness. Mammy was portrayed as dark-skinned; often pitch black, in a society that regarded black skin as ugly, tainted. She was obese, sometimes morbidly overweight. Moreover, she was often portrayed as old, or at least middle-aged. The attempt was to desexualise mammy. The implicit assumption was this: No reasonable white man would choose a fat, elderly black woman instead of the idealised white woman. The black mammy was portrayed as lacking all sexual and sensual qualities. The de-eroticism of mammy meant that the white wife

Catherine Clinton (1982), a historian, claimed that real antebellum mammies were rare:

Caricature Mammies Mammy is the most well known and enduring racial caricature of African American women.

The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University has more than 100 items with the mammy image, including ashtrays, postcards, detergent, toys, candles, and kitchenware. Dr. David Pilgrim examines real, fictional and commercial mammies.

32

Records do acknowledge the presence of female slaves who served as the “right hand” of plantation mistresses.

Yet documents from the planter class during the first 50 years following the American Revolution reveal only a handful of such examples. Not until after Emancipation did black women run white households or occupy in any significant number the special positions ascribed to them in folklore and fiction. The mammy was created by white Southerners to redeem the relationship between black women and white men within slave society in response to the anti-slavery attack from the North during the ante-bellum period. In the primary records from before the Civil War, hard evidence for its existence simply does not appear. (pp. 201-202) According to Patricia Turner (1994), Professor of African American and African Studies, before the Civil War only very wealthy whites could afford the luxury of “utilising the (black)

33

- and by extension, the white family, was safe.

The sexual exploitation of black women by white men was unfortunately common during the antebellum period, and this was true irrespective of the economic relationship involved; in other words, black women were sexually exploited by rich whites, middle

The mammy caricature implied that black women were only fit to be domestic workers; thus, the stereotype became a rationalisation for economic discrimination. During the Jim Crow period, approximately 1877-1966, America’s race-based, race-segregated job economy limited most blacks to menial, low paying, and low status jobs.

Black women found themselves forced

baby for as little as twenty dollars per week. (p. 107) During slavery only the very wealthy could afford to “purchase” black women and use them as “house servants,” but during Jim Crow even middle class white women could hire black domestic workers. These black women were not mammies. Mammy was “black, fat

era were poor women denied other opportunities. They performed many of the duties of the fictional mammies, but, unlike the caricature, they were dedicated to their own families, and often resentful of their lowly societal status.

Fictional Mammies The slavery-era mammy did not want to be free. She was too busy serving as surrogate mother/grandmother to white families. Mammy was so loyal to her white family that she was often willing to risk her life to defend them.

In D. W. Griffith’s movie The Birth of a Nation (1915) - based on Thomas Dixon’s racist novel The Clansman (1905) - the mammy defends her white master’s home against black and white Union soldiers. The message was clear: Mammy would rather fight than be free. In the famous movie Gone With The Wind (Selznick & Fleming, 1939), the black mammy also fights black soldiers whom she believes to be a threat to the white mistress of the house.

Mammy found life on vaudeville stages, in novels, in plays, and finally, in films and on television. White men, wearing black face makeup, did vaudeville skits as Sambos, Mammies, and other anti-black stereotypes.

As early as 1875, Aunt Sally, a Mammy image, appeared on cans of baking powder. Later, different Mammy images appeared on Luzianne coffee and cleaners, Fun to Wash detergent, Aunt Dinah molasses, and other products. Mammy represented wholesomeness. You can trust the mammy pitchwoman.

Mammy’s most successful commercial expression was (and is) Aunt Jemima.

In 1889, Charles Rutt, a Missouri newspaper editor, and Charles G. Underwood, a mill owner, developed the idea of a self-rising flour that only needed water. He called it Aunt Jemima’s recipe. However due to their marketing failure the pancake recipe and the accompanying Aunt Jemima marketing idea was sold to the R.T. Davis Mill Company.

The R.T. Davis Mill Company renamed the Aunt Jemima Mills Company in 1914, and eventually sold it to the Quaker Oats Company in 1926.

In 1933 Anna Robinson, who weighed 350 pounds, became the second Aunt Jemima. She was much heavier and

darker in complexion than was Nancy Green. The third Aunt Jemima was Edith Wilson, who is known primarily for playing the role of Aunt Jemima on radio and television shows between 1948 and 1966. By the 1960s the Quaker Oats Company was the market leader in the frozen food business, and Aunt Jemima was an American icon. In recent years, Aunt Jemima has been given a makeover; her skin is lighter and the handkerchief has been removed from her head. She now has the appearance of an attractive maid not a Jim Crow era mammy. • Dr David Pilgrim, is Professor of Sociology and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Office at Ferris State University * After the American Civil War most states in the South passed anti African-American legislation. These became known as Jim Crow laws. They included laws that discriminated against African - Americans in relation to attendance in public schools and the use of facilities such as restaurants, hotels, cinemas and public baths.

Beulah was a television show, popular from 1950 to 1953, in which a mammy nurtures a white suburban family. The Beulah image resurfaced in the 1980s when Nell Carter, a talented black singer, played a mammy-like role on the situation comedy Gimme a Break.

She was dark-skinned, overweight, sassy, white-identified and content to live in her white employer’s home and nurture the white family.

class whites, and poor whites. Sexual relations between blacks and whites - whether consensual or rapes - were taboo; yet they occurred often. All black women and girls, regardless of their physical appearances, were vulnerable to being sexually assaulted by white men. The mammy caricature tells many lies; in this case, the lie is that white men did not find black women sexually desirable.

34

into one job category; house servant. Jo Ann Gibson Robinson (1987), a biographer of the Civil Rights Movement, described the limited opportunities for black women in the 1950s: Jobs for clerks in dime stores, cashiers in markets, and telephone operators were numerous, but were not open to black women. A fifty-dollar-a-week worker could employ a black domestic to clean her home, cook the food, wash and iron clothes, and nurse the

Commercial Mammies with huge breasts, and head covered with a kerchief to hide her nappy hair, strong, kind, loyal, sexless, religious and superstitious” (Christian, 1980, pp. 11-12). She spoke bastardised English; she did not care about her appearance. She was politically safe. She was culturally safe. She was, of course, a figment of the white imagination, a nostalgic yearning for a reality that never had been. The reallife black domestics of the Jim Crow

Mammy was born on the plantation in the imagination of slavery defenders, but she grew in popularity during the period of Jim Crow. The mainstreaming of Mammy was primarily, but not exclusively, the result of the fledging advertising industry. The mammy image was used to sell almost any household item, especially breakfast foods, detergents, planters, ashtrays, sewing accessories, and beverages.

35

for survival and continued existence.

This is despite the fact that Iran has not initiated an attack against anyone in over two hundred years. In any case, many argue that Iran has the right to prepare itself to defend against the US’s and Israeli’s predatory posture.

So, what would happen if US/Israeli threats to attack Iran became a reality?

Iran’s Rediscovery of Its Destiny

1. Any attack on Iran, other than with a nuclear arsenal, would not inflict long-term damage and thus would not achieve the objectives of the attack.

This would equate to a serious military and political blunder by the attacker;

By M Haghir

F

or ordinary Western people it is easy to be swayed by the negative Western media propaganda and psychological warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). However, reality paints a very different picture.

The Western media continuously highlights what the Western powers term ‘Iranian nuclear threats’; condemnation of and sanctions against the IRI, coupled with US/Israeli threats of military strikes and Iran’s resolute rejection of all Western pressure.

that could, potentially, wipe it out. Why would the Iranian government invite hostilities? Indeed, Iranian authorities know that the possession of nuclear arms is more of a liability than anything else.

2. The IRI would retaliate with all the might it could muster; 3. There would be a long and protracted war (probably unconventional and/or by proxy) inflicting heavy damages on both sides;

The problem is not really the Iranian possession of nuclear weapons. Rather, from the Western perspective, it is the Iranian acquisition of knowledge of the technology. For the West, despite Iranians making concrete resolutions never to make nuclear weapons, has decided that the mere possession of the requisite knowledge is problematic. That Israel possesses around 200 nuclear warheads does not enter Western equations on this subject.

and the two cannot be detached. In this case, these reports are unrelated to what is actually going on. And we do know of the Western presentaOn the nuclear issue, many are unaware tion of non-existent Weapons of Mass that the Iranian attempt to acquire nuDestruction (WMD) as the pretext to clear energy precedes the 1979 Islamic invading Iraq. Thus, the idea that any revolution. Also, Western powers, especountry could be accused of having, cially the US, blessed and assisted this Moreover, the International Atomic Eneror nearly having, nuclear weapons attempt. Only after the Islamic revolugy Agency (arguably an instrument of the and needing to be stopped at all costs tion did the founder of the (Israeli rhetoric) has surely Islamic Republic, Ayatollah passed its sell-by date. At the Khomeini, (despite being inThe ways in which the West approaches same time, the demonstravolved in a massive war with bly peaceful nature of the and treats the rest of the world does not Iraq), declare the possession Iranian nuclear programme and use of nuclear weapons work with Iran. One reason for this is that, has no effect on Western un-Islamic and halt their fursince the advent of the Islamic Republic, propaganda to the contrary. ther development. This trend The Western media/governIran has achieved a degree of independcontinues, with the supreme ments have already decided leader Ayatollah Khamenei ence and development unseen by all its how to portray what Iran’s issuing a fatwa against the predecessors in the last three centuries. intentions are. Hence, the possession and use of nucurrent impasse. clear weapons by all. But the Western media regularly However, Iran is neither warns against a nuclear Iran with varyUS and the UN), has repeatedly inspectIraq nor Afghanistan. It cannot be ing predictions regarding its nuclear ed Iranian nuclear facilities without attacked on the basis of hostile weapons capability – usually anything ever finding any trace of a weaponisWestern conjecture alone. This is between six months and five years. ing programme. Nevertheless it keeps why, whilst keeping the threat of a miliThe IRI is a rational actor in its geopolitical considerations. It knows that, in today’s world, a first nuclear strike on its enemies would provoke a backlash

36

producing unfair and biased reports on Iran to the advantage of Western strategies. The IAEA’s reports feed Western geopolitical considerations

tary attack alive, the West continues its attempts to demonise and isolate Iran, (albeit without much success since Iran, which holds the current presidency

of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) enjoys good relations with almost all of the non-Western allied countries of the world). Western powers know full well the shaky ground on which they make their claims. The West wants to pressure Iran into submission using tough sanctions designed to hurt ordinary Iranians. It has resorted to all kinds of intrigue to achieve its aims: the assassination of Iranian scientists; cyber attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities; interference with Iranian elections; accusing Iran of trying to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington; etc., all of which are designed to pressure Iran into submission. In short, as the supreme leader has highlighted, “there is nothing that Western powers could think of to adversely affect IRI that has not been tried”.

Conversely, Iran has resisted Western attempts to isolate and destabilise the country to the extent that the West simply does not know what to do with the IRI. The ways in which the West approaches and treats the rest of the world does not work with Iran. One reason for this is that, since the advent of the Islamic Republic, Iran has achieved a degree of independence and devel-

opment unseen by all its predecessors in the last three centuries. It is this aspiration for independence and development that is a source of discomfort to the West. True, Iran has its share of domestic and international problems, but these have not managed to impede Iran’s path to development and independence.

Geopolitically, Iran has been subjected to various impingements: whether it was the Russians and the British in the 19th Century; or the 1953 coup that restored Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to the throne and gave ascendancy to the US in Iranian affairs; or the eight-year long Iraq-Iran war. In 1980, the West unleashed Saddam Hussain on Iran, forcing Iranians to defend themselves against Scud missiles and Westernsupplied Iraqi chemical weapons. Thus, Iran has had good experience of what it is like to be dependent and undeveloped.

Supposing that the US does militarily attack Iran (since Iran is surrounded

by American forces in all directions), what would this achieve?

Few would argue that Iran would cease to exist even following a successful US/Israeli attack. If anything, history has demonstrated Iran’s knack

4. An already weak and unstable world economy would turn into a deeper global recession as the prices of oil and other commodities would spiral out of control; 5. Consequently, there would be a return to the 19th Century power politics that produced the First World War; We can ask what, really, is worrying the West and consider the ways in which to reverse this unhealthy situation. To do so we must recognise: 1. That an irrefutable shift has emerged in the balance of power in the Middle East; 2. That the IRI will not give up its rights; 3. That even a ‘successful’ military attack is ultimately useless and, therefore, there is no military solution to Iran; 4. The old stick and carrot approach cannot be applied to Iran; 5. That the IRI, being the power that it is, would be a much more useful player if it was to be included in the region’s geopolitics and the structure of security arrangements.

As such, Iran must be part of the solution. •

37

to

© amirinia.com

From O pulence

Simplicity

Taking a few shots in the North of Tehran Mohammad Reza Amirinia compares the worlds of two opposite personalities; a king and a leader

I

Khomeini’s rented house in Jamaran

t was a cold and misty winter morning in Tehran when I arrived there one February morning due to the demise of my father. It was a sudden and unexpected trip at a very sad and difficult time. After the burial and funeral ceremonies, a friend suggested taking my son around the city to visit some of the historic places. It was a good opportunity for someone who was born and raised in London to learn more about the history of the city.

I also joined them. We visited the Shah’s Palace in Niavaran and the house of Imam Khomeini in Jamaran, both located in north Tehran. The contrast couldn’t have been starker: the luxurious living arrangements of a ruler who claimed to be the ‘king of kings’ set against the humble residence of a leader who built his palace in the hearts of the people.

Niavaran is an area in north Tehran next to the high mountains of Alborz, near the leafy streets of Darband. The Niavaran Palace complex contains the primary residence of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It also consists of a number of buildings, two of which are the Ahmad Shahi Pavilion and Sahebqaraniyeh Palace, which goes back to the time of the Qajar Dynasty. The complex is set in eleven hectares of beautiful

38

Niavaran Palace

gardens. It is surrounded by Niavaran Park and residential neighbourhoods inhabited by wealthy people. The palace has a peaceful and calm atmosphere. Its architecture is inspired by both post and pre-Islamic culture.

Our guide, Mohsen, told us stories about the days of the revolution and when the revolutionaries entered the palace.

He said, “Despite the anger and hatred towards the Shah’s regime, amazingly, the fixtures and fittings remained intact”. We followed him to a smaller building behind the palace. He continued: “Another treasure is the library, which contains the collections of Farah, the Shah’s wife. It contains a large collection of valuable

39

I recall the glory days of the Shah in my youth. I was 13 when we were staying in Mashhad for a few months and the Shah visited the city. I watched his car and entourage pass through the streets with great pride, far removed from the people and untouchable.

I was too young to understand the politics of the time, but when I became older I always wondered about the authenticity of his power and how far it would extend. I also learned about a utopian civilisation and an ideal society claimed by Islam and socialism through the new revolutionary waves sweeping Iran.

The revolution in Iran, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, resulted in the fall of the Shah in 1979. It shook the structure and legitimacy of aristocracy and ended 2500 years of imperial rule.

Shah’s luxurious bedroom in Niavaran Palace

When I was studying about the life of Imam Ali and the monotheistic and Islamic society during his caliphate, it was like a dream come true.

Khomeini’s charisma and spiritual

Ahmad Shahi Pavilion from the time of the Qajar Dynasty

lery, sculpture, carpets and architecture. One can argue that had it not been for the ambitions of men and women in power to promote and support the creation of works of art (however egoistic they may have been in such an endeavour) we would not have witnessed some of the finest works of art in human history.

Sahebqaraniyeh Palace from the time of the Qajar Dynasty

books which were preserved after the revolution”.

It is interesting to note that though the level of opulence is outstanding, in comparison to some European palaces, it is a much simpler affair. For example, the palaces of Versailles, The Hermitage, Venaria and Buckingham are much vaster in their architectural expression of luxury and the high life. However, one can still get a good sense of the scale of power, wealth and

40

greed that inspired it.

Niavaran Palace, just like the Sa’dabad and Golestan Palaces in Tehran, was turned into a museum and now serves as a profound history lesson. One can judge the virtues and vices of the life of different monarch in all palaces around the world. They had a material vision, looking into building their dreams by sponsoring the artists who created magnificent works of art in the form of paintings, furniture, jewel-

Many artists could not have managed to work without the extensive support of wealthy aristocrats and capitalists.

Our cultural and artistic heritage, from ancient times to today, partly owes itself to that power and wealth.

The question is, to what extent did human generations have to suffer in the hands of kings and sultans throughout the ages in order to advance in art, and science and technology. There is no straightforward answer to this paradox. The fact is that whatever they did that remained for future generations they ultimately distanced themselves from their own people and stayed in power through oppression. What was the cost of keeping people suffering and starving? How could it be justified?

The reception room in Niavaran Palace

41

character resembled Imam Ali’s and it moved many people, especially the youth. When I was a student, I had an opportunity in the early years of the revolution to listen to his speech at close proximity in a large gathering in Jamaran. It was a powerful experience.

I also remember being in the city of Qom once, four months after the victory of the revolution to visit the shrine of Fatima Masuma. I suddenly saw the Imam in a car, next to a driver who was passing through the streets, without any official entourage.

My son and I left Niavaran and made for Jamaran village in the foothills of the Alborz mountains. We passed a small, busy shopping square before entering the village. We followed Mohsen through the narrow alleys of Jamaran passing by a few adobe houses, sandwiched between modern houses and grocery shops. A distinctive rustic smell could be detected around the houses characteristic of traditional countryside villages. Despite the biting cold of winter, the sunlight brought the welcome feeling of spring

Jamaran Village

Khomeini’s study and official meeting room

into the narrow alleys. We eventually found ourselves in front of Jamaran Hosseinieh (a prayer hall) with a wide corridor leading to the main door and Khomeini’s house.

Khomeini’s rented house was located behind the Hosseiniyeh. It was a very small and plain house, devoid of the luxurious décor and formality of monarchs. The front room, which measures around 12 square metres, was for resting and study. This is where Imam received government officials and foreign dignitaries. In his room, there were only a couple of books and personal effects.

A small platform connected the room to the Hosseiniyeh where hundreds of people used to assemble for public gatherings to hear Khomeini’s words.

Jamaran Hosseinieh prayer hall where hundreds came to listen to Khomeini’s speech

42

Our visit to Jamaran following the tour of Niavaran was a convenient opportunity to explore the contrast between the lives of a man of God and a king who claimed to be the shadow of God. Khomeini had a different vision to kings and sultans. The material world was worthless in his eyes; therefore he did not seek it. His life and path were in alignment with that of the prophets and saints who were interested in conquering the hearts of the people.

Khomeini’s grandeur was in his simplicity, which stands out in the history of Iran. The Shah was forced to leave Iran at the height of the revolution out of fear of prosecution. It was followed by a mass celebration in Tehran and across the country. When Khomeini’s contented soul departed from this world, the whole country mourned and millions gathered in the streets to say farewell to their leader.

Khomeini truly believed in the afterlife, that life on earth is only a temporary passage and that his mission and duty was only to serve people and spread God’s message. His life, manner and words were a real reflection of his beliefs unlike most kings, who covet the material world and act as though this life will last forever. •

43

Politics

Churchill, Ataturk & Kiwi National Identity

By Mohsen Biparva

44

45

The nineteenth of February marks the 98th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Gallipoli, one of the most significant battles in modern history.

The idea to open a new front in Asia Minor was Winston Churchill’s, then the First Lord of Admiralty. It turned out to be a total failure, overshadowing Churchill’s life and career until WWII which allowed him to salvage his reputation.

Since November 2012, the National Portrait Gallery in London has had on display a portrait of Winston Churchill

by Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, painted in 1916. The portrait shows a different Churchill from the one we know. He looks sad, worried, uncertain, depressed even. Paul Moorhouse, the gallery’s 20th-century

art curator, told the Guardian: “For me, this is the greatest Churchill portrait; undoubtedly … it is Churchill at his lowest point, the most fraught period in his entire life and career.”

This is the Churchill of 1916, after the defeat of Gallipoli.

In 1915 with armies bogged down in trench warfare (a tactic used by all armies involved in WWI) the war had reached a stalemate. In order to break the deadlock Churchill decided to attack Germany’s weakest ally, the Ottoman Empire. (Incidentally, that was also his strategy in the Second World War when he convinced the Americans to attack Germany in its “soft underbelly”, meaning Italy.)

Gallipoli is said to be near the site of the ancient city of Troy. There were references to the mythical battle of Troy at that time. Writing about the difficulties of the campaign, Sir Ian Hamilton, the commander of the Allied operation, wrote: ‘No wonder the Greeks were ten long years

46

in taking Troy’. Who knows, maybe Churchill thought he could repeat the victory of Agamemnon in Troy.

The Dardanelles, the narrow straight between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, is one the most strategic waterways in the world. Together with the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus Canal it forms one of the only three doors to the Mediterranean. Knowing that the other two were controlled by Britain at that time, it is not so difficult to understand the importance of controlling the Dardanelles for Churchill.

Gallipoli is a narrow stretch of land, a peninsula north of the Dardanelles, and this is the place that French and British naval ships began their battle on 19 February 1915.

Gallipoli was not an easy target. The first Allied attempt to deploy troops in the peninsula was disastrous. The progress was slow due to bad weather and minefields. On 18 March three battleships were sunk and three were seriously damaged. This forced the Allied naval forces to withdraw temporarily. They returned a few weeks later with more foot soldiers in order to begin a sea-land action. This time they combined troops from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and India. In a catastrophic miscalculation the troops were deployed next to the high rocky hills of Gallipoli where soldiers found themselves trapped between the hills and the sea with Turkish defenders gunning them from their vantage points above. There was another problem; the rocky surface of the peninsula with its shallow soil was not suited to digging trenches.

In summer the Allies deployed even more soldiers. The number of casualties was so high that there was no time to collect and bury them. All the troops were suffering from dysentery.

In the heat of summer the stench of rotten flesh was so bad that a truce was agreed to bury the dead.

Eventually the Allied forces accepted defeat, quietly retreating in December 1915. They left behind more than 40,000 of their own dead and over 85,000 on the Turkish side. The overall casualties from both sides, wounded and dead, reach a staggering 400,000.

The battle represented more than just a defeat for the Allies and a victory for the Turks. It left its mark on history and shaped at least the national identities of three nations: modern Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. At Gallipoli a national hero was born in the shape of Mustafa Kemal who was later given the name Ataturk (Father of Turks).

He was the commander of the Turkish 19th Division, tasked with defending the Gallipoli peninsula. Gallipoli burnished Ataturk’s credentials as a leader and gave him the popular

support he would need to found the Turkish state.

But more interestingly, the battle also played a huge role in building the national identities of Australia and New Zealand. The battle ended with 8700 Australian and 2700 New Zealand fatalities, relatively small numbers when set against the deaths suffered by other countries in the First World War (20,000 British soldiers died on just the first day of the battle of Somme on 1st July 1916). However the war ingrained itself into the nations’ psyches. Both countries now celebrate 25 April, the first day that foot soldiers landed on the peninsula, as seriously as any nation celebrates its independ-

Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial, depicting Turkish soldiers who participated at the Battle of Gallipoli

ence day. It is called “Anzac” day, an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and is a national holiday in both countries The two British colonies had previously sent soldiers to fight in modern wars, but only as mercenaries or individual volunteers. The battle of Gallipoli was the first

war in which these two colonies perceived themselves as participating nations. For Australia and New Zealand, participating in European wars turned out to be their route out of international isolation. History, at least European history, is largely built on the narrative of wars and conflicts and to some extent the centre stage in history is

occupied through participating in wars. That is why these two nations have participated in many of the wars in the northern hemisphere since Gallipoli, from the Korean War, to the Vietnam War, and to more recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, without ever having being attacked by any of those nations. •

47

Faith

“God loves those who are kind, and those who, when they commit an indecency, or have wronged their own souls, remember God, and ask forgiveness for their sins.” (Qur’an, 134-135).

Repentance is a vital deed in Islam.

This is because sins act as a barrier between man and God not only preventing us from communicating with Him but in receiving blessings that have been sent down to us.

Repentance:

The act of repentance stands as a prerequisite for many important spiritual developments in Islam and without it one cannot achieve one’s goal. Imam Ali(a) is reported to have said:

A Platform for Spiritual Upliftment

“Repentance stands upon four principles: Remorse in the heart, seeking forgiveness with the tongue, working with the limbs and resolving not to repeat the offence.”

Remorse for sins is the most significant criterion for repentance. The Prophet(s) said: “Remorse is repentance”.

Sins darken our hearts and turn us away from God, but as Ahmad Haneef explains; God in His infinite mercy lets us return to Him through our remorse and sincere repentance.

“They planted the trees of their sins before their eyes and hearts, and watered them with the water of remorse. Thus they produced safety for them and left them with contentment and dignity.”

Imam Ali al Hadi also said: (a)

“Repentance is when the inner self becomes identical to the outer self and even better”.

When we are confronted with the unsavoury character of our sins, we experience remorse and strive to overcome and eradicate the predisposition leading to that sin and that is when our inner selves become identical with our outer selves or even better than it.

The inner self is prior and more superior to the outer self and it grows with the perfection of morals.

To explain the centrality of remorse we need to understand the constructive role sin plays in the spiritual growth of the believer. We all have “There is nothing more beloved to God than negative tendencies which we may be aware or unaware of. To supa repenting believing man or woman.” press or eliminate those we are Prophet Muhammad(s) aware of, we should strive to keep on the spiritual path. However those tendencies we are oblivious For the believer the tendency to sin about are in effect dormant until a suitis something he is aware of and can able physical or psychological setting is control. Sinning is not something the created for them to surface. For exambeliever easily indulges in, and sins he ple a predisposition to steal money may commits are those that slip past his not show itself until such an opportunity moral defence system. arises. When these inner or outer stimuli present themselves, we give in to these Human beings possess intelligence, dormant tendencies and they gradually passion and free will. These three factransform our actions into sins. ulties are necessary to love God freely At this point, the believer witnesses the ugliness of his action and becomes aware of the orientations that led to the action in the first place. The ugliness of the act, the pain caused to others and the grievance inflicted upon one’s sense of virtue and uprightness, make the person recoil in disgust at himself.

Filled with regret and self-revulsion, he distances himself from that deed and this reaction is ‘remorse’.

Becoming aware of hidden mal-tendencies, the believer is now prepared

48

to root it out of his heart. Repentance is therefore a means of self-purification after confronting the consequences of one’s own sins. The positive role of recognising sins, remorse and making tawbah (repenting) is reflected in a tradition by Imam Ali(a):

and seek His pleasure. Human beings need to fight against temptations that lure their love away from its rightful place, which is God the Merciful.

God is all forgiving if we sincerely seek His forgiveness and repent. He is called the Forgiver (al-Ghaffar) and the Oft Returning (at-Tawwab). When we seek forgiveness al-Ghaffar and at-Tawwab manifest themselves in the act of forgiveness. As some traditions say God is “happy” and “pleased” with us when we repent to Him.

The Prophet(s) said: “There is nothing more beloved to God than a repenting believing man or woman.”

He also said: “God rejoices at the repentance of His servant more than a sterile person rejoices on having a child, more than the person who was lost rejoices on finding his way and more than the thirsty person on finding water.”

As the hadith from Imam Ali(a) says, one of the four principles of repentance is ‘working with the limbs’, which indicate that repentance has an active component. Repentance involves putting right the wrongs one has done, so if one has stolen something one should return it, or if one has backbitten one has to apologise to the person.

Repentance becomes futile if one has the opportunity to redress the offence and does not act upon it.

The Prophet Muhammad(s) said: “Make repentance for every sin, public repentance for public sins and private repentance for private sins.”

It is only in the realm of action or working with the limbs that one can make public repentance which includes asking the individual you have wronged for forgiveness. One should not procrastinate with repentance for we do not know when we are destined to die or if the opportunity to repent will come again. With regards to ‘sincere repentance’ (tawbatannasuhan) the holy Qur’an says: “Oh you who believe! Repent to God with sincere repentance!” (Qur’an 66:8) The Prophet

(s)

said:

“Sincere repentance is remorse for the sin as soon as you are confronted with it, then asking God for forgiveness and never returning to it.”

True repentance results in the eradication of the sin from the record of the believer and the changing of that evil deed into a good deed.

Ahmad Haneef is a Canadian convert and Islamic scholar graduated from seminaries of Qum-Iran. He currently lives and works in London as researcher and lecturer on Islam. •

49

The Politics of Austerity How modern politicians could learn a thing or two about austerity and leadership from Imam Ali(a)

By Alexander Khaleeli

I

n 2009, David Cameron promised an “Age of Austerity” to combat the ill-effects of the worst financial crisis the world has ever seen.

In practice, this meant biting cuts to government spending - even in essential areas such as healthcare, education and welfare benefits - to reduce the budget deficit. These policies have been implemented not only in Britain, but in the majority of developed countries to varying degrees. What this has meant, in effect, is that the poorest members of society are compelled to pay off the debts incurred by the wealthiest - the bankers and political elites who caused this crisis through a combination of reckless greed, systemic corruption and gross negligence.

- hundreds of thousands of pounds while simultaneously demonising those who falsely claimed housing and other benefits.

A culture of entitlement pervades Westminster, with some members of parliament believing that the British people owe them a debt of gratitude for their public service. The Tory MP, Andrew Bridgen, told BBC Radio 4: ‘Most of my colleagues on the government benches took a large pay cut to be an MP, and I think there’s a real danger, if you need good people, you need the right people, there’s a lot of exclusion… A man or a woman who’s very capable, doing very well in their profession, whatever that may be, with a family, are they going to be willing to take that pay cut, look their children in the eye when it’s Christmas say you can’t have what you normally have

age MP earns £65,738. How can MPs possibly justify that salary when the last decade has seen them embezzle public funds, lead us into an unpopular and illegal war, and preside over the worst financial crisis in human history?

It is a sad statement of the materialistic worldview that prevails in our democracies that public service has been reduced to a career choice, whose only tangible value is the pay packet to which it is attached. The primary motive of a politician should not be to advance his or even his party’s interests; it should be to serve the people - in particular the weak, needy and vulnerable. But more than the motivations of individual politicians; materialistic attitudes have penetrated But while our political elites are our very understanding of what goventhusiastically imposing austerity ernment is for. Ever since the rise of on everyone else, they are less keen neo-liberalism in the late 1970s, govto practise what they preach. ernment has become increasAt a time when many famiingly focused on ensuring lies in Britain must now While our political leaders feel entitled to claim economic growth rather than choose between keeping personal expenses from the public purse, Imam the well-being of a nation’s their houses warm and being (a) citizens. That is why we can treated the treasury as a sacred trust; he Ali able to buy food, the British squeeze the (economically would ensure that the candle he used for congovernment has decided to unproductive) poor while limit the increase in welfare ducting state affairs was never used for his own protecting the (economically benefits to 1% per annum. personal affairs. productive) wealthy.

Meanwhile, a recent survey But there are alternative policonducted in Westminster tics of austerity – those of perby the Independent sonal austerity (zuhd). In the Islamic because Mummy or Daddy wants to be Parliamentary Standards Authority has tradition, a ruler should demonstrate an MP.’ This shows how utterly out of shown that MPs feel they are entitled not just an aptitude for politics, but a touch many politicians are with ordito - on average - a 32% pay rise, takcommitment to the personal values of nary people. Never mind the fact that ing their salaries up to £86,250 a year. morality and moderation. While today some families could not even afford to This evokes memories of the expenses the mere mention of “morality” is heat their homes this Christmas (let scandal in 2009, when it emerged that anathema to politicians, who insist it alone ‘have what they normally have’ politicians had been manipulating the is the esoteric preserve of “moral phifor Christmas), but the average salary system and using taxpayers’ money to in the UK is £26,500 while your averfraudulently obtain - in some cases losophers” and has no place in govern-

50

ance, the essence of Islamic politics is morality – the creation of a just and virtuous society for all. But this cannot happen unless the rulers embody these values themselves; a maxim of Imam Ali(a) says that people resemble their rulers more than they do their own fathers, and the Qur’an admonishes the Children of Israel: ‘Will you bid others to piety and forget yourselves…?’ (2:44).

True leadership stems not from legal formality, as it is so often conceived in modern societies where politics has long been divorced from virtue, but through setting an example for others to aspire to. And how is it possible to lead people if you do not live amongst them and – more importantly – live like them? For a practical role-model of this style of leadership, we need look no further than Imam Ali(a). While our political leaders insist on living like the wealthiest members of our society,

he lived, dressed and ate like the poorest; Imam Ali(a) would distribute meat and bread to the poor, but when one of his companions visited his home he was amazed to find the ruler of the Muslims eating stale barley bread.

While our political leaders feel entitled to claim personal expenses from the public purse, Imam Ali(a) treated the treasury as a sacred trust; he would ensure that the candle he used for conducting state affairs was never used for his own personal affairs. In spite of whatever personal wealth he might have owned, he lived amongst his people and he lived like the poorest of them. In this way, Imam Ali(a) did not only rule justly and effectively, but also set a personal example to those over whom he presided – not demanding from them anything he did not first demand from himself.

Unfortunately, so long as truth and virtue are excluded from legitimate

political discourse, and so long as we continue to prioritise material interests, we will never find such qualities in our political leaders. It is up to us to change that – we must not only expect more from our leaders, but also more from ourselves. No one else is going to fix the world on our behalf. Unless we actively campaign for change, beyond simply ticking a ballot once every few years, we won’t see any. As citizens of a democracy we are accountable for the decisions of our government (just as our government is accountable to us) and, as Muslims, we are dutybound before God to strive for a better world through enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. Perhaps, in an age marked by increasing apathy and disenchantment with politics, we can restore the ideal of a virtuous government. And perhaps, at a time of much public disgust at the excesses of politicians and bankers, some austerity is exactly what we need. •

51

Interfaith

of God led Jesus into the wilderness, ‘to be tempted by the devil’. After the Messiah fasted forty days and forty nights, the tremendous metaphysical contest took place. According to the Russian writer Dostoevsky the three temptations put by Satan to Jesus were of such spiritual depth and power that they are proof enough, if proof was needed, of the supernatural agencies at work in that awesome trial. Of course, the Messiah rejected the devil’s malicious seductions and soundly defeated him, praise be to God!

Lent

as Fasting and Warfare

The Gospels say that some Jews criticised the Messiah when they saw his disciples not fasting. He then compared his own person to that of a bridegroom at a wedding feast, at which fasting would be inappropriate.

The point was that the historical presence of Jesus, the Christ of God (God’s Messiah), was better celebrated by feasting than by fasting. The Church acknowledges that truth by excluding Sundays in Lent from fasting. That is so because Sunday is the Day of the Lord; hence rejoicing and cheerfulness should be the key notes, not gloom and penance.

penitential aspect of Lent is therefore not an end in itself but a prelude to the final, decisive victory of Christ over the forces of evil and death. Again, the emphasis is on the good news. Eventually penance and asceticism must give way to joy and bliss. There is perhaps a contrast with fasting in the Old Testament here, as fasting in the previ-

There are also temptations of the mind. They are perhaps the most difficult to tame. Abstaining from food is relatively easy but how do you refrain from anger, envy and overweening pride? ous dispensation was connected with mourning over the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.

Fasting days outside Lent in the early church were usually Wednesdays and Fridays. The Lenten fast was very strict. Only one meal a day, taken towards evening, was allowed. Any kind of flesh-meat, fish, eggs and even milk were absolutely forbidden. The severity of later fasting varied according to different churches’ rules and customs.

The Revd. Gelli provides some insight into the Christian practices of fasting and spiritual development during the upcoming season of Lent.

T

he Roman emperor Decius was a pagan and a cruel persecutor of Christians. He fancied himself as a very cunning man. So he once summoned to his palace the elders of the Church and demanded of them: ‘Are you men of faith? Do you believe everything said in your Scriptures?’ ‘Yes, of course’, they replied. An evil grin came over Decius’ face. ‘Good. Do you see that mountain over there?’ he pointed through the window towards a big, blue mountain in the distance. ‘It says in your Gospel that if you have faith you would be able to move it. You have forty days to prepare. If you fail, I will exterminate you and all your people.’

52

What did the Christians do? They immediately called for a general fast of their congregations, accompanied by constant, daily prayers and almsgiving.

It was a very strict fast, with minimal eating and drinking, lasting all day and night. The appointed day came, Decius and his soldiers stood around, swords drawn, ready to make mincemeat of the Christians.

After prayer and meditation, the elders together commanded the mountain: ‘Move!’ And, lo and behold, the blue mountain did indeed shift and visibly move. The believers were saved.

This salutary story nicely encapsulates the meaning of Lent. It is a season for

spiritual warfare. A time of combat, of resistance to the devil and all his dastardly wiles and works. Running this year from 13 Feb - 31 March, Lent consists of forty days of exercises in self-control, self-denial and in mastery over the self. Indeed, Lent begins with the powerful rite of Ash Wednesday, when people come to church to have their heads sprinkled with ashes, symbolising their renewed humility and utter submission to God. Lent essentially harks back to a mighty event at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. St Matthew’s Gospel narrates that after his baptism in the river Jordan by St John the Baptist, the Spirit

During the early centuries of the Christian era ascetical practices such as mortification and fasting were also required as training and preparation for baptism, the sacrament that makes one a member of the Church. Of course, the forty days period climaxed with the celebration of Easter, the joyful festival of the Resurrection. The

Since the Reformation, Protestants have largely neglected ascetical practices and observances. It was a regrettable reaction caused by their break with the Catholic Church. Calvinists abandoned Lent altogether. Lutherans and Anglicans did not but they did not consider it especially meritorious. Since the Anglo-Catholic revival

Also, members of religious orders, monks and nuns, have more obligations than ordinary laymen, because their vows entail more austere, extraordinary duties. Today the Ethiopian Coptic Church has the longest number of fasting days in Christendom: 250 a year, 180 of which are obligatory for all. Surely a sign of great holiness...

in the 19th century, Lent self-denial and austerities have partially been revived in the Church of England. In my own parishes I always made a point of preaching about self-discipline and almsgiving, also exhorting people to fast. Once we raised thousands of pounds for charity by collectively giving up dainties for Lent!

Naturally, Lent fights against temptations of the flesh, such as gluttony, binge-drinking and fornication. There are also temptations of the mind. They are perhaps the most difficult to tame.

Abstaining from food is relatively easy but how do you refrain from anger, envy and overweening pride? I myself knew a priest-monk who had a reputation for strict austerity and great simplicity of life – rare qualities for the often worldly and shallow clergy of my church. But once I noticed how envious he was of the success of a fellow priest. That temptation the holy man could not resist. I think I then saw Satan exulting by his side...

Mind, the holy season of Lent is not about self-help and human effort. Man can do nothing by himself. God’s grace is essential for fighting the Evil One. Lent calls believers to be better but any spiritual deed is in vain if it is not prefaced by that beautiful, necessary phrase: ‘God willing’. Insh’Allah. • Revd Frank Julian Gelli is an Anglican priest working on religious dialogue. He is a cultural critic and a religious controversialist on TV and Radio. His last book is: ‘Julius Evola: the Sufi of Rome’. Available on Amazon Kindle.

53

Science Health

Animal Consciousness & Ethical Implications

I Hannah Smith has an undergraduate degree in Geophysics from Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, and a Masters degree in Geology from the University of Michigan. She currently works as a Physics teacher at a secondary school in London

n July 2012 during the auspicious Francis Crick Memorial Conference held at the University of Cambridge in the UK, a large number of scientists went against a body of mounting scientific research to declare that nonhuman animals are potentially conscious. The ‘Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness’ states that “non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviours”. Despite appearing to state what may appear obvious to those who are familiar with animals, the intention of the statement was to declare to the public that based upon scientific evidence it is likely that non-human animals are conscious based upon comparative physical similarity with conscious humans.

The debate over whether animals are conscious is a complex issue with a long history. It is made especially difficult because the nature of consciousness has been subdivided into a number of types, from the simplest level of being aware of features in the environment external to an organism, to the highest order of self-consciousness, defined by the ability of an animal to think about its own thoughts. Scientists have struggled to devise experiments to test consciousness in non-human animals for a number of reasons: the source of consciousness in humans or non-human animals is unclear, and the signs of consciousness are undefined. Scientists do not know whether all or some types of consciousness have an outward manifestation, for example in behaviour, and if non-human animals are conscious, whether their consciousness will exhibit in a similar manner to humans. Despite the difficulties in assessing animal consciousness, various pieces of empirical and anecdotal evidence that could be construed as consciousness have been collected. Evidence ranges

54

from reactions to self-reflections in mirrors by primates and other species such as dolphins, signalling potential self-recognition, to the ability of chimpanzees and baboons to master simple language constructs.

However the body of research that largely motivated the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness is that concerning the potential pain and emotions experienced by non-human animals. There is now a large body of empirical evidence suggesting that non-human animals suffer pain and can experience a number of emotions similar to humans including empa-

“Non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviours” (The ‘Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness)

thy. Historically, the question of animal suffering has been used to justify the treatment of animals. For example Descartes and his philosophical companions who denied the rational consciousness of animals used their beliefs as a justification for their practise of vivisection, arguing that the animals they dissected would feel no sensation under their knives. If animals are found to suffer pain and emotional distress then modern prevailing moral sentiment dictates that human beings have a moral obligation to limit the pain and distress they inflict upon animals.

This understanding can be tied back to

the moral precept of minimising individual harm where possible, or treating others as one would like to be treated oneself. In the absence of divine law, secular modern societies look largely to science for evidence in such cases.

The reality of animal suffering and emotion has long been recognised in the Islamic tradition. It is implicit in the instructions of ritual slaughter that the animal to be slaughtered and the group of animals with which it normally resides will all be affected by the act of slaughter itself. It is prescribed that the animal to be slaughtered should be killed with a sharp knife to minimise the pain it suffers and that it should be removed from the rest of the herd to minimise their emotional distress emanating from their empa-

thy with the animal being slaughtered. Imam Ali(a) said: “Do not slaughter sheep in the presence of other sheep, or any animal in the presence of other animals.” And the Prophet Muhammad(s) said to a man who was sharpening his knife in the presence of the animal: “Do you intend inflicting death on the animal twice - once by sharpening the knife within its sight, and once by cutting its throat?”. There are also numerous traditions calling for kind treatment to animals, for example instructing humans not to overburden animals used in laborious work or military capacities or showing affection to animals and prioritising their need and comfort where possible. Imam Ali(a) said: “Be kind to pack animals; do not hurt them; and do not load them more than their ability to bear.”

In the developed societies of the West there is strong legislation against mistreatment, abuse, and harm of non-human animals. However cruelty to animals still exists as is demonstrated by the number of animals in welfare. As human beings and vicegerents upon this Earth we have a duty to protect all of Allah’s (swt) creation - this pact is codified in Islamic Law which prohibits us from harming animals where other fundamental rights do not prevail. Muslims should take a more active role in researching, analysing, and lobbying issues such as vivisection where there is real potential that animals could be harmed and the application of Islamic Law is not clear-cut, and largely dependent upon situational fact rather than jurisprudential analysis. •

55

of modern organisms. PRX, which assists an organism in getting rid of poisonous highly reactive oxygen, is the first biological clock to be found that is common to most living organisms including mice, fruit flies, plants, fungus, algae, bacteria, and archaea – the most primitive form of cellular life.

Scientific Breakthroughs of 2012 which satisfy the equation a + b = c, the product of the prime factors of a, b, and c, known as d is usually not much smaller than c. It was considered as one of the most important unsolved problems in mathematics.

Proving the abc conjecture has many important implications as the proof also validates a number of famous proven and unproven conjectures including Fermat’s Last Theorem, proven in 1993.

Detection of the elusive Higgs boson particle On 4th July last year, the long awaited Higgs boson particle was finally detected from observations at the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland. The existence of the Higgs particle named after Peter Higgs, Professor Emeritus at University of Edinburgh, was first predicted by Peter Higgs and two other scientific teams simultaneously in 1964, but evaded scientists’ detection until the construction of the latest generation of high energy particle accelerators.

The actual Higgs particle itself was not observed but its presence was implied by the detection of the particles that it is expected to decay into. Scien-

56

tists rate the discovery as a 5 sigma result which means that they are 99.99994% certain that their data is accurate.

The Higgs particle is the last particle to be confirmed from the Standard Particle Model proving that it is essentially a correct description of matter in the universe. The Higgs particle is sometimes called “the God-particle”. However this is a misnomer as the particle and the science associated with it have nothing to do with theological issues such as creation or being. The Higgs particle is a product of and implies the existence of the similarly named Higgs field which is thought to impart the property of mass upon some par-

ticles. The discovery of the Higgs particle could afford scientists the opportunity to study the largely unknown properties of the fundamental Higgs field in more detail.

Extraordinary new mathematical proof for a=b+c enigma In August last year, 27 years after it was first proposed by Joseph Oesterlé in 1988 and David Masser in 1985, the mathematical statement known as the “abc conjecture” has possibly finally been solved by Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki working at Kyoto University.

The abc conjecture states that for three positive integers, a, b, and c

in the absence of external diurnal stimuli such as light and dark.

Circadian rhythms are responsible for regulating dozens of human bodily functions such as the onset of sleep, hunger, and body temperature.

Since circadian rhythms are found everywhere in nature, it was expected that the first biological clock would pre-date the evolutionary diversion

The PRX enzyme acts as an internal clock by oscillating between a state of activity and inactivity on a 24-hour cycle based upon whether oxygen is bound to its active site.

Gene-sequence analysis suggests it arose 2.5 billion years ago during a period in Earth history known as the Great Oxygenation Period when oxygen first began to accumulate in the atmosphere in large volumes as a result of photosynthesis of land plants. Dr Reddy thinks that PRX may have evolved from being initially responsive to diurnal fluctuations of oxygen-uptake during daylight hours to becoming anticipatory of this fluctuation. •

Mochizuki’s proof that he has been preparing alone for 20 years and which spans 512 pages utilises a new form of mathematics invented

by Mochizuki himself called “interuniversal geometry”. It will take other mathematicians considerable time to check and decipher, but could herald new breakthroughs in number theory, for example, unveiling new deep hidden connections between addition and multiplication.

Evolutionary emergence of the first biological clock 2.5 million years ago In May last year, scientists at the University of Cambridge, led by Akhilesh Reddy, discovered what is thought to be the earliest biological clock in an enzyme called peroxiredoxin (PRX). Biological clocks found in various facets in living organisms are responsible for regulating internal processes

57

Health

Stem Cell Technology

A New Era

A

s far as physicians are concerned there are only three ways to treat patients; medical devices, drugs and surgery.

These were considered the three pillars of medicine and the humanity has benefited from major advances in these areas over centuries.

Dr Laleh Lohrasbi is a pharmacologist. She has worked as an editor for the medical section of “Hamshahri”, a daily newspapaer in Tehran

Today, a 4th pillar of medicine is dominating the medical therapies: ‘Cellular Based Therapies’ or ‘Regenerative Medicine’. In cellular therapy the body’s own cells (stem cells) are used to treat diseases.

Stem Cell properties were originally discovered in the early 1900’s. However it was Dr James Thompson a scientist from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, who for the first time in 1998, successfully removed cells from spare embryos at a fertility clinic and grew them in the laboratory.

Stem cells are biological cells found in most multi-cellular organisms that can segregate and divide into different specialised cell types and can self-regenerate to produce more stem cells.

There are two types of stem cells in humans: embryonic stem cells which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts (early embryo) and adult stem cells which are found in various tissues.

In a growing embryo, stem cells can divide into all specified human organ cells.

In adults, stem cells work as a repair system for the body, replenishing tissues and

58

maintaining turnover of the regenerative organs like blood, skin or intestinal tissues.

While umbilical cord and placenta are the only link between mother and foetus during pregnancy and they become redundant after birth, they are both filled with blood, containing stem cells which can be the only hope for treatment of many patients in future.

Stem cells can be grown in-vitro (outside the body), in specific lab conditions and be transformed into different body cells such as muscles, nerves, cartilage in joints, skin, bone tissues and kidneys.

These cells can then be transplanted to the human body to repair damaged or dysfunctional organs.

Today stem cell technology is the main hope for treating diseases such as MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary (COPD), diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis. One of the most popular aspects of stem cell therapies is the cosmetic enhancements in facelifts, hand rejuvenation and age management.

Those opposed to stem cell technology believe that embryonic stem cell research can lead to reproductive cloning that can fundamentally devalue human life. They believe embryo is already a human form that should not be muddled with.

On the other hand supporters of this technology argue that such research should be pursued, as the results could

provide significant breakthroughs in medical treatments.

Despite much opposition to stem cell research in Western countries for scientific or religious reasons, Muslim scholars have acknowledged that as life begins three months (120 days) after conception scientists can - with the permission of the owners - use the human embryonic stem cells left over from fertilisation trials for their research. Although research on stem cell is compatible with Islamic rules there are guide lines which strictly forbid producing identical parts of human beings to lead to human cloning.

Among the Islamic countries equipped with this technology, Iran is a pioneer in the realm of stem cell research and has some of the most liberal laws governing such studies.

In 2002 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, endorsed ‘Embryonic Stem Cell Research’. Today after the USA, Australia, UK, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India, Iran is in the top ten countries in the development of stem cell technology. A joint study by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported in The Washington Times (2009) stated that the Iranian scientists are at the forefront of embryonic stem cell research.

In 2012, Dr Siroos Zeinali, member of the scientific board of the Iran Genetic Association, announced: “Iran has the first place in the technology of stem cells in the Middle East”. Zeinali, a strong believer in the potential scientific abilities of Iranian scientists said: “...Iran can provide outstanding development in stem cell technology....”

Iran’s stem cell research centre known as The Royan Institute - once an infertility clinic - has held six international congresses on biology and stem cell technology and routine annual programmes for international congresses and workshops since its establishment in 1998.

According to reports, scientists of The Royan Institute are now capable of producing heart muscle cells, nerve cells, blood producing cells and insulin producing cells. They have also successfully undertaken stem cell transplants.

At the moment the main research in the field of stem cells is based on em-

One of the most popular aspects of stem cell therapies is the cosmetic enhancements in facelifts, hand rejuvenation and age management.

bryonic cells but Dr Shinya Yamanaka, a stem cell researcher at the University of California, has created new cells that are similar to embryonic stem cells without using human embryos.

These cells also called IPS are developed by introducing a few genes into common adult cells such as skin cells.

Dr Yamanaka, winner of 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine, said: “We knew that embryonic stem cells and skin cells, although very different, have the same blueprint, which consists of approximately 30,000 genes”.

IPS cells in addition to avoiding the ethical issues have another advantage over embryonic stem cells. The IPS cells are created from patients’ own cells so unlike embryonic cells are less likely to be rejected by the owner’s body.

Last November the BBC reported a new technique developed by a science team at the University of Cambridge, using blood as the source for developing IPS cells. The researchers believe this method is easier and more practical than obtaining a high quality skin sample.

Although stem cell science is very young its progression is astonishingly fast and a new era in the world of medical therapy is not far off. •

59

Circumcision more than just a ritual

T

he history of ritual circumcision goes back to the time of the Prophet Abraham when God ordered circumcision for him, his sons and all his male family members. In this way the Prophet Abraham showed his complete submission to God’s will. God also ordered the Prophet Muhammad(s) to follow the religion of Abraham.

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) from the male organ. In a typical procedure, the foreskin is opened and then separated from the glans after inspection.

Although circumcision is prescribed by other religions too, Muslims are the largest religious community to practise this religious ritual. Unlike the Jewish belief that circumcision is a symbol of God’s covenant with the human being, Islam views male circumcision as an important ritual aimed at improving cleanliness and that is why in Arabic the term is known as tahara, meaning purification or cleanliness.

The long term benefits of circumcision outweigh the small risks or dangers of the surgical procedure. Better hygiene and reduced risk of urinary tract infection are the most important benefits of circumcision. There is good evidence

60

that circumcision reduces the incidence of urinary tract infections by a factor of 3 to 10 times. The male foreskin traps some urine drops during urination which provides a warm moist environment for bacteria to grow and multiply.

Circumcision also decreases the risk of sexually transmitted infections, such as syphilis and HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). HPV infection may cause penile cancer in a later stage.

WHO, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, state that circumcision decreases the rate of sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS up to 10 times. The superficial skin layers of the male organ contain the types of cells that are targets for HIV, and removing the foreskin reduces the number of these cells..

A 2011 research on circumcision showed a surprising decrease in the risk of penile and prostate cancer. Circumcision decreases the risk of developing penile cancer by up to four times; it can decrease the chances of developing prostate cancer by up to 15% by reducing the rate of infection which is the main cause of cancer in these organs.

that circumcision peaked in the 1970’s.

However a study by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine shows that the rate of circumcision among infants has since dropped and is likely to keep dropping because insurance companies have stopped covering the procedure.

The researchers believe this will cost the US health care system billions of dollars.

It has been suggested that if the rate of circumcision in the USA drops to 10% - the level seen in European countries where insurers don’t cover circumcision - then it will result in 211% more urinary tract infections in baby boys, 12% more HIV cases in men, 29% more human papillomavirus (HPV) cases in men and 18% more high risk HPV infections in women.

Obviously like any other surgical procedure, circumcision also has to be performed by experienced physicians. If performed by an inexperienced operator, or in unsterile conditions, the procedure may lead to infections and more complications. It is highly recommended to perform circumcision during childhood, preferably before the child is four years old. •

When Fruit & Medicine Don’t Mix

W

hen a medicine enters the body, regardless of how it has been administrated, via its absorption, distribution and final elimination, it closely interacts with many elements and physiological systems within the body.

Orally administered medications have the most interactions as they should be absorbed by the gastro-intestinal (GI) system. The physiologic condition of the stomach and intestine in addition to other medications, foods and beverages that are eaten before, concurrent with, or after the administration are important factors affecting the level of medication absorbed. Some foods also influence the level of drug metabolism, by activating or deactivating the breaking down process.

Lots of drug to drug, and food to drug interactions are known today and a lot more are discovered every day. One of the well known food to drug interactions is made by citrus juice and grapefruit in particular. Grapefruit juice interferes with the way the body absorbs and breaks medications. Citrus fruits contain molecules called furanocoumarins which affect drug metabolism by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down almost half of all drugs. Furanocoumarins are present in grapefruit, Seville oranges, limes and pomelos, but sweet citrus fruits like naval and Valencia oranges do not have furanocoumarins.

This enzyme is present in the lining of the gut and in liver. The furanocoumarins

in grapefruit mainly inhibits the gut enzyme so the amount of absorbed drugs broken by this enzyme before absorption, will increase. On the other hand inhibition of the liver enzyme decreases the amount of metabolism and breaking down. These processes result in the presence of a more active drug in the body than necessary, which in some cases can be lethal.

David Bailey, a clinical pharmacologist at the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, discovered the interaction between grapfruit and medications 20 years ago. In November 2012 he said: “what I’ve noticed over the last four years is really quite a disturbing trend, and that is the increase in the number of drugs that can produce not only adverse reactions but extraordinarily serious adverse drug reactions.

Between 2008 and 2012, the number of drugs in the list has gone from 17 to now 44.”

He believes taking one tablet of some medications with a glass of grapefruit can be similar to take 20 tablets at a time.

Popular prescription drugs which interfere with grapefruit are: cholesterol lowering medications, such as Atorvastatin;

heart and blood pressure medications such as Diltiazem, Nicardipine, Losartan, Carvedilol, Digoxin; antidepressants such as Sertraline; benzodiazepines such as Diazepam and Triazolam.

The amount of interaction depends on the kind of grapefruit (pink or white) and may continue up to three days from grapefruit ingestion. The important point to remember is that having grapefruit together with a regimen of any of the above medications is totally forbidden.

Some other juices may interact with drugs too. Apple juice may reduce the amount of medication absorbed so contrary to grapefruit, apple juice will decrease the effects of the medication.

Although studies are inconclusive, it is known that apple juice reduces absorption of some drugs, noticeably: fexofenadine, itraconazole, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, cyclosporine, atenolol and etoposide. It is advised to consume apple juice 4 hours before or after any of the above medications.

People over 45 buy the most fruit juices and take the most prescription medications, so they are most at risk and should be careful. •

Research carried out in the US shows

61

By Taraneh Eskandari

The Alhambra

Masterpiece of the Moorish Architecture Situated on a strategic point on the hill of Al-Sabika, the ancient palace and fortress of Alhambra overlooks the entire city of Granada in Spain.

62

63

picture 4

The name Alhambra meaning “The Red” comes from the reddish walls of the palace. The complex as we see today is a collection of palaces built gradually over time, by the order of different rulers, which explains the irregular and non orthogonal geometry of the plan.

the patio adds to the beauty of the courtyard. (picture 2)

th

The Alhambra was the last stronghold of Moors in Spain. The Christian re-conquest by the Catholic monarchs terminated the Emirate of Granada and the Nasrid Dynasty in The Court of Myrtles picture 2

the Persian Garden, Generalife is another attempt by Moorish architects to represent the Qur’anic image of Paradise on earth. Contrasting with the Alhambra, minimum decoration is used in the Generalife. The architecture of the buildings is dominated by the design of the gardens and water works.

Buildings are solid and simple, indicating the cosiness and peace that the kings were looking for in their free time. (picture 6)

The Harem consists of a collection of stunning rooms with the most detailed decorations. The hall of the Abencerrajes in the Harem has the most fascinating ceiling in the entire complex, with Honeycomb (Mocarabe) used as the main decoration. (picture 3 & 4)

Despite the lack of a master plan and the gradual expansion of the complex, all the new sections were designed following the same concept which was to create “paradise on earth”. The column arcades, the fountains with running water, and the light reflecting water pools are all examples of the physical realisation of Paradise, as depicted in Islamic poetry.

The construction began in the 13 century by the order of Muhammad Ibn Al-Ahmar, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, the last Muslim Emirs of Spain. Gradual expansions to the Moorish (medieval Muslims of Spain) palaces were continued until the mid 14th century.

Honeycomb ceiling

The Palace of Charles V, at the heart of Alhambra

the 15th century.

The Alhambra palace was later renovated and modified for the residence of the Christian kingdoms. The most significant modification was the construction of the Palace of Charles V, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, which resulted in some destruction of the Nasrid palaces and gardens to accommodate the new structure. (picture 1) The Alhambra consists of three main parts, the Royal Complex, the Alcazaba, and the Generalife.

The royal Complex, the most important section of the Alhambra, consists

picture 1

© amirinia.com

The Palace of the Lions is another fascinating addition to the private chamber of the royal family. Here one could experience the magnificence of Nasrid art and its sensibility and harmony in the palace’s light, water, colours and decoration. The central patio of this palace connects several galleries, similar to a Christian cloister. The

Considered by the UNESCO as a World Heritage site since 1984 and selected as a finalist in a campaign to

of the Mexuar, the Serallo, and the Harem. The words “Enter and fear not to ask for justice, for you will find it”, catches the eye when entering the Mexuar which was mainly used for meetings of the king with the council and to grant audiences.

The highly decorated rooms and patios of the serallo were used to welcome ambassadors and other important guests.

One of the most impressing parts of the serallo is the Court of Myrtles which consists of a long water pool surrounded by rows of myrtle bushes. The green colour of the myrtles contrasting with the white marble of

picture 6

Gardens of the Generalife

strength, power, and sovereignty.

Calligraphy decoration on the walls of Alhamra

The inventive hydraulic system of these fountains represents the brilliant architecture, design and engineering of Muslims at that time. (picture 5) picture 5

The Court of Lions

traces of the Christian architecture in the design of this palace were the result of the strong friendship between King Mohammad V and the Christian King, Pedro I.

The oldest part of the Alhambra is a fortress called Alcazaba and is located at the west of the palace.

The Alcazaba includes the massive outer walls, towers, and ramparts.

At some moments in history, the Alcazaba was used as a state prison.

The fountain at the centre of the court consist of twelve lions in white marble, with each lion producing water from its mouth for one hour. The lions are symbols of

The rural residence of the Emirs, the Gardens of the Generalife or “the Architects Garden”, is located at a short distance to the east of Alhambra. Preserving the style of

designate “New 7 Wonders of the World” in 2007, the Alhambra is the masterpiece of Spanish-Muslim art and bears exceptional testimony to Muslim Spain of the Middle Ages.

Although significant developments and alterations followed the Christian conquest, the urban fabric and the architecture of the city still represents the medieval Moorish settlement and a remarkable example of a SpanishMoorish town. • Taraneh Eskandari is a Master of Architecture Candidate at the University of Toronto. She holds an undergraduate degree in Civil/ Structural Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

picture 3

64

65

Friday Nights 2013

The Friday Nights Thought Forum at Islamic Centre of England London’s weekly open gathering.

ALL WELCOME. Muslim (Shia/Sunni) non-Muslim

Time: 7:30pm - 9pm Venue: Islamic Centre of England, 140 Maida Vale, London, W9 1QB 5 February 2013

The Edge: Faith, Fear & Friendship

Speakers: Revd Dr Catriona Laing, Parish of St Barnabas, Dulwich, London Sughra Ahmed, Policy Research Centre, Islamic Foundation, Leicester ‘Faith, Fear, Friendship: Contextualising Islam and Christianity in the UK’ will be an interactive and thought-provoking extravaganza involving leading Christian and Muslim women in the UK. Time: 10am - 5:30pm Venue: St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG Contact: Email: zahra@ christianmuslimforum.org

The Art of Heritage Collection: traditional dress in Saudi Arabia (Lecture)

Time: 5:45pm - 7pm Venue: Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Contact: Email: vp6@soas.ac.uk Web: www.soas.ac.uk/about/events/ Tel: 020 7898 4490

Free Knowledge Exchange Seminar on Islam and Higher Education The research team at the University of Derby undertaking research on ‘Collaborative partnerships between universities and Muslim institutions: dismantling the roadblocks’. This is an ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) funded project that builds on previous research about Muslim faith leader training in Britain and opportunities for young British Muslims to undertake an Islamic Studies programme that is validated by Universities, which leads to a recognised and employable qualification and which meets both religious and secular criterion.

Tickets and Venues: The events are free to attend and have been organised at venues across the country.

Time: 10am to 5pm Contact: Further information from http:// www.derby.ac.uk/collaborative-partnershipsproject.

The Principal Investigator Dr. Sariya Contractor by email (s.contractor@derby.ac.uk) The Project Administrator Michelle Wood (m.wood@derby.ac.uk) 01332 592896.

7 February 2013

The influence of Islam on Science Speaker: Dr William MacLehose, UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies This lecture discusses the impact that scholars from the Islamic world have made in the fields of medicine, astronomy, optics, geography, mechanics and many other disciplines.

Aisa Martinez, LMEI Part of the LMEI’s Tuesday Evening Lecture Programme on the Contemporary Middle East, The Middle East - Changing Economic and Political Landscapes.

66

Tickets : Admission free.

Time: 1:15pm - 1:55pm Venue: Darwin Lecture Theatre access via Malet Place | Darwin Building, Gower St | London | WC1E 6BT

Contact: Telephone: 020 3108 3838 Email: c.dean@ucl.ac.uk 9 February 2013

The Idea of Iran: From Saljuq Collapse to Mongol Conquest (Symposium) Speaker: Nassim N. Taleb The tenth Idea of Iran symposium will explore the complex political dynamics of this age – up to the second Mongol invasion under Hulegu in the 1250s and the establishment of the Il-Khanid state – and will focus also on its extraordinary literary, scientific and cultural achievements.

Tickets : £15; Conc. & LMEI Affiliates: £10; Students: Free.

Time: 9:40am - 6:10pm Venue: Brunei Gallery, SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Contact: Email: vp6@soas.ac.uk Telephone: 020 7898 4490

Winter Walk for Gaza Since 2008, thousands of children in Gaza have been trying to recover from devastating war time experiences. Psychological scars from the harsh images of war combined with malnutrition and a multitude of health disorders continue to hold these children back from reaching their true potential.

This time around ‘the Winter Walk’ is for the children of Gaza, to help them overcome their fears and challenges by raising money through walking five miles.

In spite of its relevance to contemporary events the history of public violence in Middle Eastern cities has not yet been the subject of systematic academic debate.

Tickets : Admission free Time: All Day Venue: Room: G2, SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Contact: Email: lh2@soas.ac.uk Telephone: 020 7898 4330

Conversion to Islam: Interrogation & Negotiation

23-24 February 2013

Time: 7pm - 8pm Venue: John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU Contact: www.cardiff.ac.uk/share/research/ centres/csi/index.html

Engagement before EncagementMarriage and Love in Islam (Talk) Speaker: Shaykh Reda Bedeir In Islam, the married husband and wife complete each other - together they make a single self and this is how they must strive to make their lives together and please Allah SWT. Join UCL ISoc for a two-day weekend course exploring marriage in Islam.

Tickets : £30 Students (Earlybird 20% discount - £24)- you will need to provide student ID on the day of the event £50 General (Earlybird 20% discount - £40) Time: 9am - 6pm Venue: Cruciform LT1, UCL, University College London, Gower Street, London, London, WC1E 6BT Contact: Email: mail@uclisoc.com 26 February 2013

The Appeal of Islamic Fundamentalism Professor Michael Cook FBA

13-16 February 2013

There is nothing exceptional about religion playing a role in politics, but among the major religions of the world today none plays a more salient role than Islam. Particularly conspicuous is the contribution of trends of thought that we loosely refer to as Islamic fundamentalism. What is it about the combination of the Islamic heritage and the state of the contemporary world that makes Islamic fundamentalism so attractive and Islam so politically salient?

Urban Violence in the Middle East: Histories of Place and Event (Conference)

Tickets : FREE. Seats allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Time: 6pm – 7:15pm followed by a reception

Time: Registration and set-up will begin at 10am.

Participants will begin the walk from 11am Venue: Heaton Park, Manchester.

Contact: Email: mail@muslimhands.org.uk Web: www. muslimhands.org.uk Telephone: 0115 9117222

Venue: The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1 5AG Contact: www.britac.ac.uk

Islam UK Lecture Series - Leon Moosavi The Islam UK Centre runs a free annual public lecture series each Spring. Speakers come from across the UK and overseas to present the latest research.

26-27 February 2013

12th Annual Islamic Finance Summit Euromoney Seminars’ prestigious Islamic Finance Summit is renowned for assembling the most important players in the global Islamic Finance industry. Now in its 12th year, the conference continues to play a pivotal role in the further consolidation and development of the Islamic finance market worldwide.ractive and Islam so politically salient?

Time: TBC Venue: The Landmark London Hotel, London , UK Contact: Telephone: +44 (0)20 7779 8514 Email: s_kelly@euromoneyplc.com 27 February 2013

Islamic Finance and Shari`a Compliance: Reality and Expectations Organised in conjunction with the Harvard Islamic Finance Project, a distinguished authority will discuss Islamic Finance in the Western world.

Join the debate@LSELaw

Speaker biog: Founder and Former Director of Harvard Law School’s Islamic Legal Studies Programme.

Time: 6.30pm-8pm Venue: TBC Contact: www.lse.ac.uk/collections/law/ events/events-firstpage.htm 1-2 March 2013

Philosophy and Medicine in the Islamic World

Organised by: Peter Adamson (Munich) and Peter E. Pormann (Manchester)

Tickets : £40 (£25 for concessionary rate for full-time students/retired) Time: TBC Venue: The Warburg Institute, University of London, School of Advanced Study; Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB. Contact: Email: warburg@sas.ac.uk Web: warburg.sas.ac.uk Telephone: (020) 7862 8949 5 March 2013

Iran’s Expanding Relations with Latin America (Lecture) A lecture by Manochehr Dorraj, Professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University where he teaches International and Comparative Politics.

Time: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM Venue: Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Contact: Email vp6@soas.ac.uk Telephone: 020 7898 4330 / 4490 Islam today does not necessarily endorse or recommend any of these events, their contents, individuals or groups involved in them. We are not responsible for changes to times, fees or venues. Further information should be sought directly from the organisers.

67

68

Cordoba - Spain The Great Mosque (currently Catholic Cathedral) - UNESCO world heritage site