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Final Stages THE

LIVING AND DYING WITH DIGNITY

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CONTENTS 16

THE FINAL STAGES

Care for Seniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Life Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Final Rites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Etiquette Around Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Q&A Muzammil Siddiqi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Muslims and Jews Buried Alike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

ISLAM IN AMERICA

Muslim Unity Shines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

THE MUSLIM WORLD

The Inner Dimension of Hajj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Kashmir Livewire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The Voice of Freedom: Alija Izetbegovic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

INTERVIEW

Expressions of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

VOL.33 NO.1 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

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48

SPIRIT FOOD FOR THE

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DEPARTMENTS

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ISNA Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

National News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

World News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Food for the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Matrimonials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6 8 12 14 50 52 53

DESIGN & LAYOUT BY : Omar El-Haddad, DesignWorks The views expressed in Islamic Horizons are not necessarily the views of its editors nor of the Islamic Society of North America.

All references to the Qur'an made are from The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Amana, Brentwood, MD.

EDITORIAL Fulfilling Obligations

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ast year, ISNA inaugurated two important centers: the ISNA Center for Aging, Support and Counseling (ISNA-CASC) and the ISNA Center For Health and Human Services. While focusing on aging and family issues, ISNA, also, kept the youth in sight, establishing an office of youth activities, which is closely involved with the revitalization of the Muslim youth organization.

These projects are significant not only because ISNA has stepped forward to facilitate much needed services, but, also, because ISNA has sought to fulfill its Islamic obligations.

It is a blessing of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) that both of these centers are being managed by people who are not only dedicated to serving humanity but are also experts in their fields.

The Qur’an (17:23-24) delineates a Muslim’s obligations toward parents, especially aging parents. The Qur’an (22:5) describes the stages of birth and growth and reminds us of the inevitable death (3:185). Every human being has an appointed path and an appointed time to depart.

Until that appointed time, the family and the community have an obligation to honor and care for the older generation.

ISNA-CASC will highlight issues related to aging and end-of-life. The ISNA Center For Health and Human Services will focus on issues related to the integrity of the family structure, mental health and caring. ISNA aims to help communities develop their responses to these issues.

Since its inception as a student organization, ISNA has focused special attention on the needs of youth and their development as Muslim Americans, mindful of their heritage and national obligations. This need was addressed by Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) that has served as a remarkable avenue for youth to express themselves. It has produced many Muslim Americans achievers, who are not only serving their fields with pride but, also, serving their communities and the nation.

During the last 3 years, attention to youth issues waned slightly. However, ISNA leadership never lost sight of the importance of providing a nurturing environment for the youth. Consequently, an effort has been launched to restructure and revitalize youth activities-an effort led by youth leaders themselves. ISNA has appointed a youth activities coordinator at the headquarters and is committed to pursuing the development of youth activities. However, in keeping with its tradition as a catalyst, ISNA will not only sponsor youth activities but will also cooperate with communities in developing and sustaining youth activities, especially leadership development.

ISNA is an organization that belongs to Muslim Americans across the ethnic spectrum. We invite you to participate in these and the many other projects that ISNA sponsors and arranges.

The Muslim American presence in the U.S. and Canada will continue to grow Insha’Allah, and we need to focus our attention on all areas of life in order to ensure that our community lives according to its Qu’ranic ideal of a model community.

PUBLISHER

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) PRESIDENT

Muhammad Nur Abdullah SECRETARY GENERAL & CHAIRMAN OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Sayyid M. Syeed

______________________

EDITOR

Omer Bin Abdullah ______________________

A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R

Fawad Siddiqui

______________________

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Dilnawaz Siddiqui (Chair); Dr. Kathy Bullock; Susan Douglas; Dr. Jimmy Jones; Dr. Ingrid Mattson; Dr. Sulayman Nyang; Dr. Louay Safi. ______________________

ISLAMIC HORIZONS

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ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

ISNAMATTERS ISNA Hosts Catholic Bishops

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his year, once again, ISNA Headquarters hosted the Annual Midwest Dialogue of Muslims and Catholics from Oct. 21st22nd, in an effort to finalize work on a text publication that has been in progress over the course of the past 7 conferences, since the dialogues began in 1996.

Over 25 representatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and various university theological programs from across the country were in attendance. Representing Muslims were ISNA President Sheikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah, Secretary General Dr. Syeed, Dr. Irfan Ahmed Khan of Chicago, IL, and others.

Entitled “Revelation: Christian and Muslim Perspectives,” the 60-page draft, based on the dialogues, outlines and explains both faiths’ concepts of God’s message and the similarities and differences therein. The draft is to published as a booklet to be distributed for teaching and educational purposes in Catholic and Muslim communities. The text “is primarily a text from a dialogue for dialogue. It marks an intermediate step in Catholic-Muslim relations

in the United States between a purely introductory level of dialogue and an advanced level of joint research...These eight years have been a remarkable period of spiritual friendship for us in the dialogue,” reads the joint preface by Dr. Syeed and Bishop Kevin Britt of the UCCB. It was, also, the last such dialogue to be organized by the Conference’s Director of Interreligious Relations Dr. John Borelli, who has taken a new position at Georgetown University as associate director, Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and will no longer be organizing the event. Dr. Borelli was presented with a plaque (left) ISNA secretary general Dr. Syeed acknowledges Dr. Borelli's contributions with an award.

(Top) ISNA President Dr. Nur Abdullah shares a moment with Dr. Borelli.

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ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

in recognition of his service to both communities and the cause of interfaith understanding. Dr. Syeed said, “This dialogue would not have been possible without the hard work of Dr. John Borelli. We can’t forget what he has done, and he will be sorely missed.”

“He didn’t represent the Catholic side. He represented the dialogue,” said Dr. Borelli’s longtime assistant on the project Sr. Mary Margaret Funk.

“When the history of the interaction of Catholicism with Islam is written, the place of John Borelli will be of genuine import,” added attendee Rev. Dr .Leo Lefebure of Yonkers, NY. The proposed topic for next year’s dialogue is “Shared Concepts of Family Values between Islam and Christianity.”

Dallas Muslims Plan Future

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uslims in Dallas, TX are considering the establishment of a council of Islamic centers for the area.

The initial idea was discussed during a meeting, on July 4th, of 25 Muslim leaders representing Dallas/Ft. Worth area Islamic organizations and ISNA Secretary General Dr. Syeed. The final shape of the council may emerge during next year’s South Central Regional Conference in Dallas on July 4th, 2004. Dr. Syeed, encouraging the leaders to form an area council, referred them to examples such as the one in Chicago.

During his visit, Dr. Syeed, also, met with the editorial board of the “Dallas Morning News” at the newspaper’s

ISNA Starts Center for Health and Human Services

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offices, informing them of ISNA, its activities and historical background, and thanking them for the positive coverage ISNA received during the July conference.

On Friday, Dr. Syeed led the prayer in the area’s largest Islamic center, the Richardson Islamic Center, with about 2,000 people in attendance.

That evening, he addressed a community town-hall meeting of nearly 150 people at Dallas’ Mid-City Islamic Center. Finally, Saturday night, Dr. Syeed served as keynote speaker at the annual fundraiser banquet, attended by about 500 people, for the Plano Islamic Center. Other speakers at the banquet included Shaukat Gaziani, amir of the Plano masjid; Dr. Yusuf Zia Kavakci, imam at the Richardson masjid; and newly inaugurated ISNA Central Zone Representative Azhar Azeez.

SNA has established a promote research, educaCenter For Health and tion, and training activities; Human Services to help introduce an Islamic perdeal with social and mental spective in therapeutic health problems that are sur- approaches; and enhance facing at an alarming rate the prevention, treatment among Muslim Americans. and rehabilitation services.

ISNA-CHHS will, also, These problems include provide outreach and supmarital discord, mental illport to the ness, substance families and abuse, intergenera- The federal friends of pertional conflicts, do- government was sons with mestic violence, surprised to learn social and emotional and that there were mental health behavioral probno Muslim problems and lems in Muslim organizations with assist them in youths, and resetfinding tlement of Muslim specially trained staff to address resources for refugees. the refugees’ prevention, Social service centers established resettlement needs. treatment and rehabilitation. by some Muslim It will carry out vigorous communities to address educational and training these issues have only marprograms in coordination ginally met the needs. Consequently, ISNA is continual- with Islamic centers to facilitate better professional and ly flooded with requests for public awareness and underconsultation with Muslim standing of social and menmental health clinicians.

Despite the fact that there tal health issues.

The organization will are 7-9 million Muslims in develop expertise and North America, no nationresources especially wide organization caters to designed to respond to the different social and culresettlement issues of Mustural backgrounds of Muslim refugees in North Amerlim clients. Consequently, ica, and it will contribute to when the resettlement of the development of a deepMuslim refugees in this country became widespread, er clinical understanding essential to providing approthe federal government was surprised to learn that there priate services. ISNA-CHHS aims to develop a nationwere no Muslim organizawide network of professiontions with specially trained staff to address the refugees’ als with the understanding and expertise necessary to resettlement needs. provide culturally appropriIn response to the compelling needs of the Muslim ate services to Muslims.

ISNA-CHHS will, also, help communities, ISNA decided to establish the ISNA Center to promote awareness and understanding of mental illfor Health and Human Sernesses in order to combat vices (ISNA-CHHS).

ISNA-CHHS will provide a the related social stigmas in broad-spectrum of healththe Muslim community. It care services to Muslim will conduct educational communities; these services and research activities, and will respond to cultural con- disseminate such knowledge cerns, including their tradithrough meetings, seminars, tions, beliefs, and values; workshops, journals, publica-

tions and various other means of communication.

Besides this, ISNA-CHHS will provide consultation to other local, state, and federal healthcare organizations and develop collaborative relationships with major medical schools that are conducting scientific and research activities.

ISNA-CHHS CEO Dr. Abdul Basit said, “to make ISNA-CHHS a vibrant and dynamic national organization, we need your help and support. This can be by way of donations and by way of volunteering from healthcare professionals with experience in providing services to Muslims.”

The center is headed by Dr. Abdul Basit, and Mohammad Yunus is the executive director. The Advisory Board includes Dr. Tahir Abbasi (Ingalls Memorial Hospital, IL); Dr. Afzal Ahmad (chairman, Board of Trustees, American Islamic Association, IL); Dr. Shahid Athar (former IMANA president); Dr. Osman Ali (fellow of Public Psychiatry at Columbia University); Dr. Williams R. Beardslee (Harvard Medical School); Patrick W. Corrigan and Dr. Stanley McCracken (Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago); Dr. Daniel J. Luchins (clinical director, Illinois Dept. of Human Services); Dr. Abdulrauf Mir (president, Islamic Medical Association of North America); Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi (former president of ISNA), Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed (ISNA secretary general); and Dr. John J. Tuskan (senior advisor, U.S. Center for Mental Health Services, Rockville, MD).

For more information, contact Dr. Abdul Basit, ISNA CHHS, 3612 Lincoln Highway, Suite 17, Olympia Fields, IL 60461.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS

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ISNA Appreciates Volunteers T

wo festive, volunteer appreciation services took place on the weekend of Oct. 10th-12th. The services celebrated the efforts of the hundreds of volunteers who helped with the two most successful ISNA conferences to date: the South Central Regional Conference in Dallas Texas on July 4th weekend,

2003, and the ISNA Annual Convention on Aug. 29thSept. 1st, 2003.

It was an especially busy weekend for ISNA General Secretary Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, and ISNA Interfaith and Community Outreach, Media, and Special Projects Coordinator Mohamed ElSanousi, who flew from

Plainfield, IN to Dallas, TX to Chicago to express ISNA’s appreciation.

Dallas’ volunteer appreciation event took the form of a picnic, with approximately 70 volunteers on-hand, mostly high school and college aged youths. During the picnic, Conference Chairman Moazzam Ahmed, Advisor Ghulam

Bakali, Dr. Syeed and others addressed the volunteers and distributed appreciation plaques, certificates and gifts of CDs of speeches from the Annual Convention.

Dr. Syeed and Elsanousi were, also, on hand for a volunteer appreciation event in Chicago. Approximately 200 volunteers and community members, who helped during the event, attended the ISNA 40th Annual Convention (2003) Volunteer Appreciation dinner. The volunteers were addressed by Dr. Syeed; Ahmed ElHattab, executive director of the ISNA Development Foundation; Tipu Ahmed, director of ISNA Conventions Department; and Kareem Irfan, chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. Dr. Syeed distributed gifts to the volunteers, thanked them, and recognized their efforts.

Muslim charities need unambiguous federal guidelines for improved working.

Charities Seek Clear Answer

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SNA Secretary General Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed asked federal authorities to offer practical outlines and to remove hurdles for nonprofit organizations to enable them adopt “best practices.”

Addressing a forum on the issue of charitable giving to Muslim charities, sponsored by the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and held in Washington.

DC one week prior to Ramadan, Dr. Syeed stressed the resolution of the issue of frozen zakat funds held by some of the banned Muslim charities. He reminded that the funds have to be disbursed to their intended recipients within one year and that these funds belong to the recipients and not the collectors. The U.S. has frozen approximately $5 million to $7 million in assets belonging to

three charities - Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, Global Relief Foundation and the Benevolence International Foundation - on allegations of terrorist financing.

MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati moderated the panel that, also, included Peter Gubsner, president of the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA); LaDele K. George, attorney at law and advisor to Muslim American charities; Dr. Laila AlMarayati, board member of Kids in Need of Development, Education and Relief USA (KINDER USA); and Juan Zarate, the U.S. Treasury Department’s deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes.

George, who was consulting with Muslim charities on the process of complying with the

10 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

government’s “best practices” guidelines well before September 11, 2001, i.e. before increased scrutiny by the government, said that in the post 9-11 era even those who follow the guidelines to the letter do not have any assurance that they will be safe. He asked the government to provide more reasonable and modest guidelines to rectify this problem.

Gubsner, offering recommendations to the government on how to make charitable giving easier, said a consolidated list of terrorist organizations should be made public in order to assist charities in distributing their funds correctly.

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati touched upon some of the problems and issues faced by Muslim American charities, particularly ones

that work in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. She expressed concern over the quality of intelligence provided to the U.S. from foreign governments. She, also, spoke on the impact on giving to organizations later deemed by the U.S. to be terrorist organizations, saying that the lack of assurance that donors will be protected in this instance “punishes charities for not being able to predict the future.”

Zarate reiterated that the Bush administration felt strongly about the sanctity of charitable giving and the need to encourage American Muslim and Arab organizations to take a muchneeded leadership role on this issue. He added that the administration saw Muslim American charities as a possible vanguard to help increase transparency in charities abroad. Zarate said that the government’s guidelines, provided in November of

2002, were a challenge and a benchmark for charities, and that the guidelines were never intended to have the force or effect of law. He suggested the formation of a committee of major members of the charitable community, which would provide an internal vetting method that would grant a seal of approval to certain charities. Zarate said that the government’s attempts to stop terrorist funding are not directed at donors themselves.

Salam Al-Marayati reminded that the failure to aid the most needy in countries in which terrorism takes place is counter to U.S. interests.

There was agreement that more such forums would take place on a regular basis in order to iron out concerns, and that future meetings should include representatives from other government agencies involved in the issue of charity financing.

NATIONALNEWS

Islamic School for Edmonton

The Edmonton city council unanimously agreed on Oct. 16, 2003 to permit the development of a CD$12-million Edmonton Islamic Academy, a private school in the northwest part of the city.

The Academy will accommodate 1,000 students from kindergarten to grade 12. The 12,500square-meter, two-story school will have four sports fields, an adjacent 200-car parking lot and a separate entrance for school buses. Tariq Deeb, a key organizer of the project from the Arabian Muslim Association, which serves approximately 10,000 Muslims in north Edmonton, says the school will follow the Alberta curriculum, with the addition of at least one hour of instruction per day in both Arabic language and Islamic studies. He, also, said that children of other faiths are welcome to enroll.

Muslim is Top Cop

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ouston Police Department Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi was one of ten police officers presented with the 2003 Police Officer of the Year award in Philadelphia, PA, on Oct. 24th. He was, also, featured in the October 19, 2003 issue of “Parade” magazine.

The nation’s top law enforcement award recognizes exceptional police work and is given by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and “Parade” magazine, based on nominations submitted nationwide. IACP is the world’s oldest and largest nonprofit, membership organization of police executives, with over 19,000 members in 89 different countries.

A Muslim American of Pakistani descent, Siddiqi’s past awards include 2000 HPD Officer of the Year award; U.S. Congressional Recognition; State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award given

by Governor Rick Perry; Four Chief Commendations given by former Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford; American Society of Industrial Security Officer Of the Month Award; and the Bravo Award given by Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown.

Muslim Achievers Patrice Abduallah was elected to the Indianapolis City County Council on Nov. 4th, securing 83 percent of the votes. In his victory message, Abduallah profusely thanked the local Muslim community for their generous political contributions that enabled him to continue his campaign and win.

However, from amongst all the candidates, he had the least amount of money for his election campaign.

Nigar Sheikh of Lawrence, NY won the Presidential Award for securing perfect results on the 2003 SAT. She was honored at the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) at their 13th annual convention, in Houston, TX on Sept. 27-28, 2003.

Ferhina Ali, a 2003 graduate of Susan Wagner High School in Staten Island, NY, who is studying ophthalmology at the University of Rochester, was among the top

Stanford Islamic Program Uplifted

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10 in the $10,000 Tylenol Scholarships. The scholarship, funded by McNeil Pharmaceuticals, is one of the nation’s largest merit scholarship programs for health related studies.

Suburban Chicago freelance writer Kiran Rasul’s feature article “Ramadan: Why Muslim Families Fast,” was the cover story for the November 2003 issue of “Chicago Parent” magazine. The award-winning monthly newsmagazine offers information, inspiration, and perspective to parents in the Chicago metropolitan area.

ohaib Abbasi, a retired Oracle executive, and his wife, Sara, have given $2.5 million to endow a program and professorship in Islamic studies at Stanford University. In addition, Stanford alumna Lysbeth Warren gave $2 million to a new Islamic studies professorship. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation matched both gifts bringing the total to $9 million. These gifts will help the school become a powerhouse in the discipline.

Abbasi said he and his wife made the gift “to ensure this [Stanford] becomes the premier program of Islamic studies in North America.” The Stanford donation is the Abbasi’s largest gift to date, and they will continue to help raise money for the program, said “Mercury News”. They previously endowed a computer science professor- Abbasi on stage at an Oracle event ship and fellowship at the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana, Sohaib’s alma mater. Abbasi, originally from Pakistan, joined Oracle in 1982 when it was a start-up company with 30 workers. By the time he retired in March last year, the software giant boasted 42,000 employees and yearly revenues of $9.5 billion. Sara Abbasi is on the executive board of Developments in Literacy, an international nonprofit that has built 200 schools in Pakistan since 1997.

Robert Gregg, a Stanford religious studies professor, will direct the new program. The gifts will secure funding for graduate students; increase offerings in Arabic and other languages spoken in the Muslim world; and strengthen Stanford’s library.

12 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Imam Warith Deen Addresses Young Muslims

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mam Warith Deen Mohammed addressed the 6th Annual National Young Adult Association (NYAA) Conference, “Developing the Model Community Envisioned

By Our Forefathers”, held in Atlanta, GA on Dec. 18-21, 2003.

NYAA, a nonprofit organization, serves to support, nurture, and strengthen the skills of young adult Muslims and to act as a catalyst for growth in the community, while preparing members for leadership roles in the areas of education, economics, culture, and government relations.

The program included a 3point shoot out and slamdunk competition; a step show; a singles social; a fashion show; the black and white gala; and a cultural extravaganza where artists showcased their talents. (For information, visit www.asmforallpeople.org).

WORLDNEWS

Peace Prize for Ashrawi

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Malaysia Seeks Spaceman

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Malaysian will join two Russian cosmonauts on the Soyuz spaceship that will rendezvous with the international space station. Malaysia, in consultation with Russia, will select two astronauts, one of who will become the first Malaysian in space in 2005.

This decision is part of a defense agreement signed with Moscow in May 2003, during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Under the program, Russia will train the Malaysians starting in 2004, said “Bernama”, the Malaysian national news agency.

Malaysian participation in the program is part of a $900 million deal to buy 18 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 MKM fighter jets.

Malaysia hopes that the space program will persuade more Malaysians to pursue careers in space studies and encourage development in national scientific and space industries.

A successful launch of the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft on April 26, 2003

Largest Hospital for Jeddah

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eddah, Saudi Arabia, will soon have the largest medical college complex in the Middle East, the Saudi German Hospitals Group (SGH). SGH President and CEO Sobhi A. Batterjee said the complex being built on a 100,000 square meter lot, would have five colleges — medical, nursing, radiology, laboratory and dental — that will work in cooperation with Germany’s Heidelberg University. The complex, which includes college buildings, faculty and student housing, mosques and recreation centers, will initially accommodate 1,800 students, men and women separately.

In another development, Jeddah Mayor Abdullah Al-Mouallimi announced an ambitious $7 billion expansion program for Jeddah that includes the preservation of the historic city center, expansion of the airport, and new museums. The city aims to complete several projects by 2005, when it celebrates the 1,400th

14 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

anniversary of the declaration by the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, making Jeddah the sole port of entry for pilgrims on Hajj and Umrah.

Bechtel, a major U.S. engineering company, and its Saudi partner have been awarded a $1.5 billion contract to expand and upgrade the King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA), to increase its capacity from 13 million to 21 million passengers per year. KAIA currently handles about 80 percent of pilgrim traffic and 40 percent of overall air traffic in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi German Hospitals Group’s Medical Tower in Jeddah houses out patient department facilities under one roof

r. Hanan Ashrawi received the Sydney Peace Prize-Australia’s highest international award— from New South Wales Prime Minister Bob Carr on Nov. 6th. Even though a debate raged in Australia, she received a standing ovation from politicians, corporate leaders and celebrities in the state parliament house. She declared, “. . . We have to be on the side of justice, of human dignity, of human rights and of freedom, and we have to provide accountability for people who refuse to acknowledge that there is such a thing as global rule of law.”

“The Palestinians have no homeland,” Carr said. “Israel has no peace.

In one fact, Hanan Ashrawi knows, lies the solution to the other.”

Kathryn Greiner, former chairwoman of the Sydney Peace Foundation, said the jury that chose Dr. Ashrawi still believed her a “worthy winner.” However, city Mayor Lucy Turnbull refused to attend the ceremony, and some charge that her absence was calculated to win over voters in her husband’s heavily Jewish constituency.

Regarding the Australian response to her visit, Dr. Ashrawi said: “I was amazed at the degree of, not just negative response, but a certain degree of hatred, which I don’t find even with my discussion with Israelis.”

Medical Journal Launched

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he Faculty of Medicine of the International Islamic University Malaysia has launched the “International Medical Journal” (IMJ) that can be accessed at http://www.eimj.com/ or http://uia4.tripod.com.

IMJ is an on-line medical journal published bi-annually, said Prof. Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule Sr., IMJ editor-in-chief.

The journal includes papers on clinopathological conferences; medical and ethical quizzes; community surveys; ethico-legal issues; and reviews. Dr. Kasule said, “The vision is to develop this into a respected international journal publishing quality scientific work by Muslim health professionals.”

The latest issue was published in December 2003. Current and past issues are available on the website http://www.e-imj.com.

COVER STORY

Final Sta THE

LIVING AND DYING WITH DIGNITY

ages

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slam makes the family central to life and enjoins Muslims to respect and care for their parents and elders — repaying them for their care and love. This sets into motion an unending cycle of care and love through the journey of life. The faith equally stresses the care and respect of those who complete their worldly journey, advising a respectable send off that is also to serve as a reminder that all of us leave with nothing from all that we adored in life.

ISNA has initiated projects to tend to these aspects of life and caring.

In this section, we focus on issues of aging, life decisions when medicine can no longer help, and burial.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 17

COVER STORY

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ur life, a gift from Allah, is much enhanced by the sacrifices and hard work of o u r parents. They n u r tured, fed, clothed, protected and cared for us. This is why Allah gave them the highest rights over us, next to Him: “Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents whenever one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And lower to them the wing of humility, out of mercy and say, ‘My Lord! Bestow on them your mercy, as they did bring my up when I was young’” (Qur’an, 17:23-24).

Despite the progress of Muslim life in North America, little if any attention is given to the growing number of aging Muslims. Although political activism, civil rights advocacy and Islamic media have become essential and central, Muslim elders and their needs are overlooked and unidentified. The establishment of an organized and systematic effort to provide the necessary support and accommodations to Muslim elders represents a necessity, a moral responsibility, and a religious obligation that is long overdue and must not be delayed any further. The immigrants, as well as reverts, of the sixties, or “Muslim boomers”, are now reaching retirement and old age. Unfortunately, after having given so much of their energy, time, finances, and expertise to Islamic causes, they are not receiving their due share of attention and support in their times of need, vulnerability and weakness.

The Qur’an states that life begins and ends with vulnerability and weakness. The first vulnerable state is that of infancy and childhood. The last one is shaikhakhah, i.e. old age. Although death could interrupt life at any time between these two stages, old age represents the normal final phase of life. Many tend to fight the signs of aging by dying gray hair or even undergoing surgical procedures; however, the reality is that such a stage and such effects on physical

18 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

CARE

Muslim S

Muslims need to focus on develop for elderly care. BY AHMED NEZAR

and mental existence are irreversible. Furthermore, regardless of how long life is, death is the final conclusion of life; no soul will escape death. Allah (subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) states: “O mankind! If you have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term, then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that you may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much), and (further), you see the earth barren and lifeless, but

when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).” (22:5) In the Qur’an, Allah repetitively asserts that every soul shall taste the inescapable certainty: “Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense.

Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception” (3:185); “Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. To Us must you return.”

(21:55. See also 29:57). Allah, addressing Prophet Muhammad, calls death a certainty: “And serve your Lord until there come to you the Hour that is Certain.” (15:99)

you must have prepared good answers for the questions which you will be asked.”

for

Seniors ng systems KOBEISY

Our progression in age is a sign of approaching this inevitable moment in our life. While many consider it the end of

are about to meet with Him. The man: Inna lillahi wainna ilayhi Rajeoun (We belong to Allah and to Allah

Elderly Muslims need physical and emotional assistance and care to help them fulfill their duties toward themselves; to meet Allah’s expectations of them; to remain active for as long as they live; and to take the necessary steps to leave behind a good example and a good memory.

With this in mind, our duty is twofold.

First, we must help Muslims realize their responsibilities and rights in all social circumstances and challenges so that they depart this life with a sense of accomplishment and a sense of comfort. From a personal perspective, I feel that I need to depart this life with good deeds, including ones that last and continue to produce rewards for me even after death. The Prophet said: “When the son of Adam dies, all his deeds are cut off except from three things: A righteous child who prays for him, a continuous reward generating charity (sadaqah Jariyah) and beneficial knowledge.” Furthermore, I do not want to leave behind anything, action or material, that is either harmful or going to be left undone, thus exposing me to possible questioning and punishment.

One of the most important issues that is ignored and unattended is the Islamic duty of writing a will. For a Muslim to write a will in a Muslim country, it may be easy and simple. In most Islamic countries, the Islamic will is known, available and recognized by local laws and implemented at the death of the individual. Furthermore, Islamic scholars are readily accessible to solve any problems and answer any questions. According to a hadith, narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet stated: “It is not the right of a Muslim to stay two nights without a will written and kept next to his head, if he/she has something to be included in a will.” Several Muslim scholars concluded that according to this hadith, the final will and testament becomes mandatory when the person has specific obligations and

ELDERLY MUSLIMS NEED PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP THEM FULFILL THEIR DUTIES TOWARD THEMSELVES, TO MEET ALLAH’S EXPECTATIONS OF THEM, AND TO REMAIN ACTIVE FOR AS LONG AS THEY LIVE. life, Islam states that it is the end of one stage of life and the beginning of another.

In a very informative and heartening story, Imam Hasan Al-Basry (radi Allahu anhu) had the following exchange with a man: Al-Basry: How old are you?

The man: 60.

Al-Basry: Subhana Allah, for 60 years you are traveling towards Allah, and you

we shall return).

Al-Basry: Do you know what the statement you just uttered means? It means that if you know you that are returning to Allah, you should have realized that you will be held accountable. If you realize you will be held accountable, you should have realized that you will be questioned. And if you realize that you will be questioned,

responsibilities that need to be mentioned in order for the obligations and responsibilities to be fulfilled.

In the North American context, with the absence of recognition of Islamic laws; prevalence of ignorance among the Muslims; and the unavailability of Muslim scholars to answer questions or provide guidance, the lack of an Islamic will could have JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 19

COVER STORY

WITH THE PROLONGED LIFE EXPECTANCY, MUSLIMS, LIKE ALL OTHERS, WILL HAVE MORE ELDERS, RETIRED, AND AGING PERSONS WHO WILL BE IN NEED FOR CARE, RESPECT AND SUPPORT. a devastating impact on the deceased. Possible essential issues, ranging from how one should be buried and cared for after death to financial distribution of assets, could be unspecified and therefore not carried out appropriately. There are many painful examples where, in the absence of a will, a non-Muslim wife has prepared and buried her deceased Muslim husband in her own religious tradition and in a non-Muslim cemetery despite the objection and appeals of his living parents. In the absence of a will, legal fees, taxes, and liabilities could consume financial assets and result in unfair distribution while ignoring the important financial obligations toward Allah, such as missed zakat, hajj, vows and expiations (kaffarat). Based on a hadith, in which the Prophet stated, “So pay to Allah, for the debts owed to Allah are more worthy of being paid than all others” (Bukhari), several Muslim scholars have concluded that

after the expenses of shrouding and burial, the deceased’s own wealth must next be used to fulfill Allah’s rights. This means that if the person has not performed hajj while capable, paid zakat when it was due, made up missed fasting, or paid expiation for unfulfilled oaths or vows, it must be taken from his wealth before his financial assets are distributed. Not doing so will expose the deceased to a liability that could result in punishment. Other issues related to a will include patient’s rights and decisionmaking regarding euthanasia and organ donation.

S

econd, we need to help Muslim communities r e a l i z e t h e i r responsibilities and duties toward aging Muslims and Muslims approaching death, and make sure that they are accommodated, physically and spiritually, in programs,

activities and plans. It is obvious that most Muslim communities design their programs to fit one age group, that of adults, ignoring both the young and old. While many efforts have started to consider young Muslims and youth, the needs of the older population have yet to enter the radar screen of Muslim leaders and organizations. Most Islamic centers and mosques are not accessible for the handicapped or disabled. Spiritually, most programs and activities are not inclusive of this age group. Furthermore, this lack of accommodation adds to the loss of Muslim communities because by not involving this large segment of our population, we lose their valuable expertise and help on the local and national levels.

There is no doubt that with the prolonged life expectancy, Muslims, like all others, will have more elders, retired, and aging persons who will be in need for care,

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

ARABIC/ISLAMIC

International Academy of Cincinnati

International Academy of Cincinnati

TEACHER

Welcomes Applicants for the position of

Welcomes Applicants for the position of

School Principal

Arabic / Islamic Studies Teacher

Minimum Qualifications: 1. Masters degree in education/teaching area from an accredited institution in the USA. 2. State certification in the area of school administration and in a teaching area.

3. Teaching and administrative experience of at least two years in USA, preferably in an Islamic school.

4. US citizenship required.

5. Fluency in the English language.

6. Broad knowledge of Islam and an enlightened approach to the understanding of Islam.

Salary: Negotiable Please send a letter of interest and a resume including references to: Dr. Mohammed Nawaz, Chairman Search Committee 8094 Plantation Drive, West Chester, OH 45069 Phone: (513) 755-0169, Fax: (513) 755-0179

20 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Teacher qualified to teach Arabic, Islamic Studies and Qu’ranic Studies for the academic year 2004-05.

Minimum Qualifications: 1. BS or BA degree from USA. 2. Fluent in Arabic Language (Reading & Writing).

3. Eligible to work in the USA. Permanent Resident or US Citizen preferred.

Salary: Negotiable Medical Benefits for full time teacher will be paid.

Please send a letter of interest and a resume including references to: Dr. S. A. Tanveer, Principal International Academy of Cincinnati 8094 Plantation Drive, West Chester, OH 45069 Phone: (513) 755-0169, Fax: (513) 755-0179 The Academy recruits and admits students of any race, color, gender or ethnic origin to all its rights, privileges, programs and activities.

respect and support. Muslims, due to religious and cultural conflicts, do not like to use nursing homes or assisted living facilities unless out of shear necessity. From a religious perspective, such facilities, their regulations, and physical accommodations are not conducive to the needs of Muslims; living arrangements, food, religious services and medical care are frequently unsuited, and even offensive, to Islamic values and principles.

In Muslim cultures based on Islamic teachings, the idea of younger members honoring elders is imbedded in hearts and mind. An authentic Prophetic tradition states: “He is not one of us, the one who does not show mercy to our youngsters, respect to our elders and acknowledge the rights of our scholars.” Numerous Prophetic traditions dictate: “Heavens will be granted only to those who revere parents and respect their rights.” The Qur’an orders excellent (ihsan) treatment of parents, makes their rights next only to those of Allah, and warns people not to disobey their parents except when obedience to parents conflicts with obedience to Allah. Caring for parents and elders is at the heart of Muslim cultures and traditions, and sending one’s parents or elder loved ones to nursing homes or hospice facilities is unheard of in most Muslim cultures. It is seen as a form of disrespect, abandonment, and detachment and can cause embarrassment and shame to the all members of the family.

No doubt elders would love to have the trust, the warmth and companionship their loving young children can provide for them if it is at all possible. The problem is that this is not always possible due to various cultural, economic and even medical reasons. Our cultures have changed, and these traditions have disappeared from most Muslim cultures due to global cultural shifts, including industrialization, division of labor and Westernization. For instance, arranged marriage from within the clan is no longer the norm.

The nuclear family structure has replaced the extended one. Economic pressures and demands force both spouses in most families to work just to make ends meet.

Children are no longer living with parents due to highly specialized job demands and relocation in order to acquire a job. Furthermore, advancement in medical diagnosis and treatment has made it necessary for such care to be provided by professional medical staff. With these factors of change, in most cases, care facilities for elders have become a necessity. ■ __________________________________ Dr. Ahmed Nezar Kobeisy, imam at the Islamic Society of Central New York, Muslim chaplain at Syracuse University, and adjunct professor at two New York colleges, is author of the upcoming book “Toward Multicultural Counseling: The case of American Muslims.”

ISNA TAKES LEAD

I

SNA has appointed provide information and the author to head advocate for Muslims in the ISNA Center for order to change existing Aging, Support and unfair operational poliCounseling (ISNAcies in facilities. This will CASC). ISNAhelp Muslims to utilize CASC will start as a such services without sufwebsite with the aim of fering oppression, insenexpanding to meet the sitivity or infringement needs and expectations of upon religious principles the community. ISNAor cultural values.

CASC is intendFor the ed to help future, the The project Muslim individ- envisages the project uals and comestablishment of envisages munities become the estabelderly care more aware of lishment of facilities, owned relevant issues facilities, and more able to and operated by owned and Muslims and help those in operated by providing services Muslims need of such care. This assis- to Muslims and and providtance will extend others. ing services on many fronts to Muslims and will occur at several and others. Such facilities levels. will maintain high quality First, it will focus on service for all, while giveducating Muslims, ing Muslims the support including aging persons and the treatment they themselves, about the need and deserve in their rights of elders; proper last days of life. The facilcare; how to plan for old ities will serve Muslims age while young; and and others regardless of emotional, psychological, their ethnic, racial or social, religious, medical religious divides. and legal issues related to Such facilities will aging. Furthermore, offer two types of assisMuslims need to know tance and support. One their rights and how to type will be for healthy go about obtaining them and competent elders. from health and residenSuch living arrangements tial care facilities if and would provide space for when needed. Therefore, sports activities and another important elesocialization, in addition ment in this educational to religious services. Furcampaign is to provide thermore, they will allow Muslims with a clear elders to contribute their understanding of local expertise to help local and state laws as they and national Islamic relate to Islamic wills, organizations by particiinheritance, care for the pating in and administerterminally ill, and funering various activities such als. This will allow them as voter registration, to act in line with local, fundraising, interfaith state and national laws dialogues, and memberwithout compromising ship drives. In such facilitheir Islamic principles ties, they will be able to and values. develop friendships, The project will, also, maintain kinship, and be conduct a campaign to provided with daily and

routine needs such as meals and healthcare.

Retired elders will be able to afford such services, and therefore not be forced to do them themselves. These facilities will allow elder Muslims to find true Islamic support while actualizing their own ambitions and continuing to live their lives.

The other type will be for elders who suffer from chronic medical problems and/or need constant care and attention. This type will provide the necessary, specialized medical assistance in a manner consistent with Islamic beliefs, while simultaneously maintaining dignity.

The Muslim presence will not be complete without establishing Muslim homes for the aging and growing Muslim population. Furthermore, we cannot truly manifest the Islamic teachings until we care for our elders; it is not compatible with our core Islamic values of mercy, love, and care to leave our elders unattended, thus exposing them to suffering, neglect and humiliation.

ISNA invites all Muslims to extend their helping hands to actualize this project. The involvement of experts in related fields, including legal, religious, health, management and counseling, is especially welcome.

To inquire about ISNA-CASC, please email akobeisy@syr.edu or log onto ISNA’s web site at www.isna.net and go to the section related to Death, Dying and Counseling.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 21

COVER STORY

LIFE Decisions

Decisions

Muslims physicians seek guidance from faith in life

T

he introduction of technology in areas, such as life support for terminal patients, organ transplantation, and biotechnical parenting, poses ethical questions for Muslim physicians and patients. Ethics is not simply black or white; usually it is gray. It is the process of making better or worse decisions compared to the worst decision. Islamic medical ethics are based on the principles of sanctity of life and safeguarding its values.

In addition to this, biomedical ethics include promoting and restoring health; alleviating suffering; respecting patients’ autonomy; doing medical justice; telling the truth; and doing no further harm. Muslim physicians have to face dilemmas in medical ethics on a daily basis.

22 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Life, though short as it may look on this planet, is still a precious gift from Allah (subhanahu wa Ta‘ala). Since we did not create life, nor are we its owners, we do not have absolute power over it. Our soul and spirit live in our body for a certain period, as if living in a beautiful, leased apartment or house. The only thing, which the landlord would like the tenant to do, is to live with certain rules and regulations and to improve rather than destroy the property. We have a duty to preserve our life and to use it for glory and pleasure in the service of Allah.

The guiding principle in Islamic medical ethics is, “If anyone has saved a life, it would be as if he has saved the life of the whole of mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32) However, the question is at what cost and what quality. Does the quality of life modify

decisions. BY SHAHID ATHAR decision-making? When resources are scarce, who takes precedence, the individual or the community?

Physicians cannot remain aloof from their or the patient’s religion. An understanding of the patients’ religion can help physicians to better communicate with them; help them make viable decisions; and help them comply with a prescribed treatment. Sickness precipitates questions about self and future in the patient and drives him closer to Allah, whatever his distance might have been at the beginning of the illness. During illness, many go through spiritual growth and find their spirituality at the end. A physician’s own belief may influence what he sees as treatment options. For example, a physician who is totally against abortion will never advise his patient to undergo an abortion, while a

physician who does not value the sanctity of life may become a suicide-doctor.

Some of the rules of medical ethics include respect for autonomy and beneficence. People are autonomous in the decision-making process if they are able to understand and make intelligent decisions for themselves, which are intentional and voluntary. The right of patient self-determination accepted by the state is based on this principle. Beneficence obliges persons to benefit and help others. This principle requires positive action to prevent and remove what is bad or harmful, and to do or promote what is good and beneficial.

The Islamic principle of forbidding the wrong and enjoining the good illustrates this. The knowledge of medical technology obliges Muslim physicians to offer what medical justice requires. Medical justice by

itself is a principle of fair distribution of benefits and burdens.

Justice requires that persons receive that which they deserve.

These principles involve decisions to allocate scarce health resources. The actual implementation of this principle remains somewhat controversial. Physicians’ response to individual justice differs at times with “societal” justice.

Another rule is nonmaleficence, which obliges refraining from harming others, including refraining from killing or treating them cruelly. It is one of the non-interventions. It also requires the person to exercise due care so that they do not unintentionally harm others, as in malpractice.

These rights may be considered in relation to the right to die; to abort a viable fetus; to have a child in case of infertility; to donate or receive an organ; or the rights of the individual whose disease maybe due to a deviant lifestyle. Not only should we discuss the right of the individual, but also the rights of the spouse, relatives, physician and other caregivers, the unborn, and Allah.

We must, also, discuss the obligations of the state, community, individual, spouse, and relatives.

In the question of the right to live or die, the question is should one prolong the life or the misery. Who determines (the unconscious patient, the family, or the doctor?), that the plug should be pulled and life support system stopped? What definition of death is acceptable to both the medical technology and Islamic jurists? Is a living will justified?

Is stopping the life support system an act of mercy, a medical decision, murder, or a financial decision?

W

hile Islam gives importance to saving life, it, also, is clear that dying is part of the contract with Allah and part of the journey on this planet. The final decision of the term is up to Allah. The quality of life is equally, if not more important than the life span on this planet. Muslims consider euthanasia an act of murder. However, physicians and the family should realize the limitations of medical technology JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 23

COVER STORY

AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PATIENTS’ RELIGION CAN HELP PHYSICIANS TO BETTER COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, HELP THEM MAKE VIABLE DECISIONS, AND HELP THEM COMPLY WITH A PRESCRIBED TREATMENT. and should not attempt to do heroic measures for a vegetative, terminally ill patient who cannot be resurrected to a quality of life acceptable to him. The heroic measures taken at the beginning of life like saving a premature baby are more justifiable than at the end of the life.

Organ transplantation raises questions about the rights of the living donor, the dead body, and the recipient. To prolong life, does the recipient have a right to take away the organ from the dead? Is the sale of the organs justified? Is the taking of animal organs justified? Is accepting organs from aborted fetuses justified?

Is harvesting fetuses for fetal tissue justified? Is the cost of transplantation worth the benefit derived from it? For instance, heart transplantation costs in excess of several hundred thousand dollars, with an average post-transplantation lifespan of two to three years, and the quality of post-

transplantation life is not necessarily the same as it was before the development of end-stage heart disease. I have not seen a single heart transplant patient going back to work.

Transplantation is permitted, especially if it is a gift from a living donor to another living person. From the Islamic perspective, transplantation from the dead to the living may not be permitted unless a free will is available before the person’s death. The relatives and the physicians should respect the rights of the dead body, even though their intention to save another life is noble.

A

bortion raises the ethical question of when does life begin?

If a fetus is a living individual then is terminating its life a murder? What are the rights of the fetus and who guards them? Do both parents, even if unwed, have the same

(BISM) In the name of Allah the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

The Second International Conference on Islamic Renaissance:

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY CHICAGO MAY 29-30, 2004 ORGANIZED

BY

THE ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL (Sponsorship welcome from individuals and organizations)

The objectives of the Conference are to find practical solutions to the problems facing the Muslim community in the 21st century of science and technology. The Conference is focusing on three critical areas: > > >

Exegesis of the Qur’an in the light of emerging sciences and technologies Achievements of Muslim Women in Science and Technology Opportunities and future directions for Muslim youth Titles or Abstracts of papers for presentation should be submitted by e-mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Please contact us by e-mail: irfi@iname.com or president@irfi.org; Or visit our website: http://www.irfi.org/ Mailing Address: 7102 W. Shefford Lane, Louisville, KY 40242, USA

24 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

rights over the life of the fetus? What should be done with the pregnancy that is the outcome of a rape? Should all such pregnancies be terminated? What if the woman wants to keep her baby even if she did not want it to begin with? Is promoting or not preventing abortion, which will lead to more sales of aborted fetuses for transplantation and to make expensive cosmetics, justified? Islam believes that life begins when the zygote is formed.

The pagans of pre-Islamic Arabia killed their infants for the fear of poverty or the shame of birth of a girl. The Qur’an condemns both these acts. Allah reminds them: “Such as took their religion to be mere amusement and play, and were deceived by the life of the world.

That day shall We forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day of theirs, and as they were wont to reject Our Signs.”

(Qur’an, 7:51)

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become the plague of the century. In the U.S. alone, over 220,000 have been diagnosed and half of them have already died. The ethical questions are: Who will pay for the billions of dollars spent on the care of AIDS patients since insurance companies do not insure them? Should AIDS patients be quarantined and forced to change their lifestyle? Should IV users be given free, clean needles, syringes and drugs since IV drug use and AIDS are closely correlated? Should HIV positive carriers carry an ID card? Should everyone be tested for HIV without consent, and if so, what should be done with the positive results in terms of employment and medical care? Does paying for AIDS cases by the public or the government mean that they endorse the lifestyle of the patient? Should Muslim physicians care for AIDS patients?

The Islamic response to AIDS is directed at a different level, first, to prevent the disease by promoting a sexual lifestyle prescribed by Allah and proper sex education. In those cases where AIDS can be acquired without sexual contact, for example, by transfusion, all measures should be taken to protect the individual. After AIDS has been acquired, it should be treated like any other chronic disease. We never question the patient’s lifestyle with other diseases like diabetes, hypertension, nor do we discriminate against them or stop caring for them. Thus Muslim physicians have an obligation to continue caring for AIDS patients while taking the necessary precautions for themselves when participating in preventive measures and education.

The issue of medical ethics is very complicated and intricate. Nonetheless, it is an area that cannot be avoided. In general, in all endeavors, Muslims should follow the following principles.

The Creator of life and death has certain rights over His Creations which man should acknowledge. He should be believed in. His will and injunction should be sought. Once known, His and His messengers’ decisions should be given preference over man’s ever changing opinions (Qur’an, 33:36), and no deliberate attempt should be made to go against His Will (Qur’an, 36:77). ■

_______________________________

Shahid Athar, MD, FACP, FACE, is a volunteer clinical associate professor, Indiana University School of Medicine, and chair, Medical Ethics Committee, Islamic Medical Association of North America.

Condensed from a paper presented at the “Islam in America Conference”, DePaul University, Chicago, September 29, 1995. He can be contacted on www.islam-usa.com; email sathar3624@aol.com.

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COVER STORY

Final RIGHTS The

BY MAMDOUH N. MOHAMED

26 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

W

hen death approaches, family and friends, especially the pious ones, should be present at the side of the dying person to help him turn his thoughts to Allah; encourage him gently to repent; and remind him of all of his good deeds and of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said: “Let no Muslim die except expecting and hoping the best from Allah.” (Muslim)

Those who are present with a dying Muslim should be kind and patient. Never leave him alone. Give him hope, and do not allow him to collapse out of pain or panic. Prompt him gently to every now and then say the shahada, La ilaha illa Allah, as these may be his last words. Abu-Saeed Al-Khuduri reported that Prophet Muhammad said: “Help Muslims who are dying to say: ‘La ilaha illa Allah’.” (Muslim) There are no authentic traditions regarding reading Surah Yasin beside a dying Muslim; directing the dying Muslim to the Qiblah; putting the Qur’an under the head of a dying Muslim; nor of asking junubs (those not in state of ritual cleanliness) or menstruating women to leave the room.

When the person’s death is confirmed, family members or those who are present should close the eyes of the deceased. Um Salma reported: “When her husband died, Prophet Muhammad closed his eyes.” (Muslim) They should bind his lower jaw to his head to prevent sagging and cover the body completely with a clean sheet. Aisha reported: “Muslims covered Prophet Muhammad’s body when he died.”

(Bukhari & Muslim) They should make dua’ for his forgiveness and hasten to prepare the body for washing, shrouding and burial. The Prophet advised to hasten the burial.

(Bukhari & Muslim) Expressing grief is normal. Islam allows mourning and even weeping. The Prophet wept when his son died and said: “It is a mercy that Allah made in the hearts of his servants.”

(Bukhari) However, wailing, shrieking, beating the chest and cheeks, tearing the hair or clothes, breaking things or scratching faces or saying phrases that make a Muslim lose faith are inappropriate. Bukhari and Muslim report that the Prophet said the deceased suffers when someone bewails loudly and that described such as kufr, ignorance. He said: “I detest a woman who cries out very loudly, or shaves her hair, or tears her clothes when a beloved one dies.” He said: “He is not of us who beats his face, tears his clothes and bewails loudly when misfortune happens to him as was done before during the days of ignorance.” (Bukhari and Muslim) No loss, however great, should lead a Muslim to sour his faith. They should bear the loss patiently and accept Allah’s will.

Relatives of a deceased Muslim may mourn him for three days only, but a widow may mourn her husband four months and ten days. The Prophet said: “It is prohibited for a woman who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment to mourn any dead person more than three days except her husband four months and ten days.” (Bukhari) This period is called the ‘idda (waiting period) that is prescribed by Allah in the Qur’an (2: 234).

To show their sadness, some let their beard grow, then after several days shave it. Others wear CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 27

COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

black clothes, or ties. All of this has no basis in Islam. It is a Muslim’s duty to advise gently those who do these things that they are not Islamic expressions of grief.

WA S H I N G T H E D E A D Washing the dead is a family and community responsibility. Two or three adult Muslims, who know the Islamic rituals, should perform the washing. Only males may wash a male, and females a woman. A spouse may perform the washing for his/her spouse. For minors, males or females may do the washing.

1. The wash area should be clean and secluded, where clean water, soap, gloves and cotton are available.

2. The unclothed body should be placed on a table or platform. The head and the upper body should be raised slightly to ensure drainage of water and body fluids. At all times the ‘aura (private parts) should be covered with a piece of cloth or towel. A towel is preferable as it does not become transparent when wet.

The ‘aura for males and females, in the presence of their respective sexes, is from the belly button to the knees.

3. All objects should be removed from the body, including jewelry, hair accessories, and medical devices such as IVs and bandages. If the medical devices are internal and cannot be removed, the openings should be filled with cotton.

4. If the body has any large cuts of surgical incisions, these must be closed. Usually this will be taken care of by the hospital or funeral home.

5. The washing should start with Bismillah (In the name of Allah). The washer should use a gloved hand or cotton to remove any major impurities from the body.

6. Then the upper torso of the body should be raised slightly and the stomach pressed on in a downward motion to expel any remnants therein. After this is done a

ing from the head, then the upper right side of the body then the left side, after that the lower right and left.. This should be

10. Camphor, or another fragrance, can be put on those parts of the body upon which one rests during prostration—the

WHEN THE PERSON’S DEATH IS CONFIRMED, FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD CLOSE HIS EYES, PREPARE THE BODY FOR WASHING, SHROUDING AND BURIAL. THE PROPHET ADVISED TO HASTEN THE BURIAL. few times, the lower private areas show be cleaned with cotton and soap without fragrance. This should be done until no impurities are visible. After completing this, gloves should be changed.

7. Next, the washer should perform wudu (ablution) on the deceased. Wudu should be performed as it would be in life with the exception that water should not be inserted into the nose or mouth; it should be wiped externally only.

8. Then, the entire body is washed, start30 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

done with gloves, soap and clean water.

The soap should have no fragrance. For women, the hair should be loosened, washed, combed, and braided in three braids, which are placed behind the back.

9. After this the wet towel that is covering the body should replaced with a dry one, and the body should be dried completely. (Note: In case the deceased female was in her menstrual period or in postnatal bleeding, cotton should be used to prevent the flow of blood.)

forehead, nose, hands, knees, and feet.

Um Atiyah narrated: “When Prophet Muhammad’s daughter died, he instructed us, ‘Wash her 3 times, or more, if necessary, with water and sidr (aromatic leaves), and after the last wash, apply some camphor to the body, then loosen her hair, wash it, comb it, and make it in three braids laid behind her back.” (Bukhari & Muslim) It is recommended that the washers should take a bath and make wudu afterwards. There is no Islamic teaching for

is lifted and laid on her back on the shroud.

3. The loincloth, if used, is bound round her upper legs, as underwear.

4. The waist wrapper is wrapped around the lower body, and the sleeveless shirt is pulled over the head. If possible, the deceased’s left hand should be placed on his chest, then his right hand on the left hand, as in prayer.

5. The head veil is then used to cover the head of the deceased.

6. The edge of the top sheet is wrapped around the body, right side first and then left. Then the second sheet should be folded the same way. These sheets should be fastened with cloth ties: one above the head, another under the feet, and two around the body.

NOTE: There is no Islamic teaching of writing anything on the shrouds.

reading the Qur’an or doing dhikr during the ghusul.

SHROUDING THE DEAD Shrouding should start soon after ghusul. It is recommended to use inexpensive white cotton cloth with no sewn seams or designs.

Aisha related: “When the Prophet Muhammad died, he was shrouded in three white sheets from Yemen.” (Bukhari & Muslim) The Kafan of a Male consists of 3 white sheets, each large enough to conceal the whole body and four ties.

Steps of Shrouding a Male: 1. The sheets should be spread out one on the top of the other.

2. The deceased, covered with a sheet, is lifted and laid on his back on the winding sheets.

3. If possible, the deceased’s left hand should be placed on his chest, then his right hand on the left hand, as in prayer.

4. The edge of the top sheet is folded over the deceased’s right side, then the other edge over his left side. Then the second sheet should be folded the same way. The third and the largest sheet should be treated the same way. These sheets should be fastened with a piece of cloth tie (ropes), one above the head, another under the feet, and two around the body.

The Kafan of a Female: 5 white garments; 2 winding sheets, a long loose sleeveless shirt (from shoulder to mid thigh), a waist wrapper, and a head veil. A loincloth may be used to bind the upper part of her legs. 4 ties are used.

Steps of Shrouding a Female: 1. First spread out winding sheets.

Spread the long loose sleeveless shirt with a hole cut in the center for the head on top of that. Then the waist wrapper, the head veil, and finally the loincloth, if used.

2. The deceased, covered with a sheet,

J A N A Z A H P R AY E R The Janazah Prayer, done both for males and females, is very important for the deceased. The Prophet said: “If 40 Muslims, who do not have shirk [in their hearts] perform it, Allah will forgive the deceased person.” It is a collective obligation, fardh kifayah, to be done by Muslims, who are free, sane and adult. It can be done any time before burial, preferably during the day, in a mosque or hall, or even graveside after burial.

1. The deceased’s shrouded body should be placed between the imam and Qibla. The imam should be opposite the head of a male and opposite the center of a female.

2. The congregants should have wudu; silently make the intention to pray for the deceased; and raise their hands in Takbirat Al-Ihram. Both men and women perform it in the standing position, collectively or individually.

3. This prayer contains 4 takbriahs. After the first takbirah, Fatihah should be recited. After the 2nd takbirah, the salutation to the Prophet is offered: “Allahumma sallee ala-Muhammad wa‘ala alee Muhammad kama sallayta ala Ibrahim wa ala alee Ibrahim, wa barik ala Muhammad wa‘ala alee Muhammad kama barakta ala Ibrahim wa ala alee Ibrahim, innaka hamidun Majeed.” After the 3rd takbirah, supplications are made for the deceased person, and after the 4th takbirah, supplications are made for all Muslims.

Then the taslim is made to the right only.

It is recommended to have 3 rows or more. There is no harm even if you miss some takbirat. You do not need to compensate, i.e. make them up. ■ _________________________________ Mamdouh N. Mohamed, mamdouh2000@hotmail.com.

NOTE: This article is drawn from Dr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed, an associate professor at The American Open University, and “Authentic Step

by Step Illustrated Janazah Guide” by Mohamed Ebrahim Siala, Salman al -Farisi Islamic Center, Corvallis, OR. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 31

COVER STORY

O

ften we overlook the reality of our existence, as explained in the Qur’an (45:26): “Say: ‘It is Allah Who gives you life, then gives you death; then He will gather you together for the Day of Judgment about which there is no doubt’; But most men do not understand.”

There is a pall of gloom that accompanies the news of a death.

It brings shock and grief to the immediate family, and to others there is a small voice that whispers that it could have been anyone of them. A voice of introspection that harkens, “Are you ready to exit too? Now?” To most people that question is overwhelming; it is not an easy concept to grasp by any means, and it gives whole new perspective to the importance of tying up loose ends.

The display of grief has varying decibels in different cultures. During my stint as a house physician in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, one knew from loud wailing that there had been a death in our ward. I contrast that to being the bearer of bad news here in the U.S., one will see eyes being dabbed or at the maximum soft sobbing interspersed with many “I’m sorry” phrases. When people feel particularly overcome and when their “excuse me’s” become even more frequent, I tell them that with freedom of speech that is enshrined in our constitution should come the freedom to express grief without apology.

This brings us to the etiquette of condolence. Some pointers. Don’t say “be patient.” One of the favorites, and the winner of the trophy for trite phrases, is “time is a great healer.” It is true, but the one that is grieving is going through denial and cannot relate temporally to 5 years down the road when they will be romping through a daisy filled garden. In cases of sudden or young death, the best thing to do is to hug the person and murmur an unintelligible “I am so sorry”, and then just sit there for a while. Avoid reflections, philosophizing and knowledge sharing.

32 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Etiqu Around De The

Around De

ALIGNING BURIAL AND GRIEVING TO GU

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D., a psychiatrist and author of the groundbreaking “On Death and Dying” (1969; Touchstone, 1997) identified the stages of grief as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Different people negotiate these at different rates, but most people do go through all the stages identified. In each stage, appropriate condolence differs and, thus, requires others to be attentive and considerate.

The ritual of showing the face of the deceased to the family is something Muslims should and can dispense with for it is not a religious ritual. In Muslim victims of sudden or accidental death, and even those that succumb to disease, the fact that cosmetic enhancements are not done

presents them in a fashion that the family would not want to picture forever. The excuse that it is done to allow closure is a poor one for it does not take much to realize that the funeral that is taking place is not around an empty casket or shroud (kafan). If only it were make-believe. Parents, spouses and siblings, and, especially, children would be much better off remembering their loved one the way they were in life, not ashen or cyanotic, lying helplessly in a white sheet.

In the funeral traditions of some other religions, it is different. The person is dressed in their best with makeup on, hair and nails done, looking peaceful in a bed of satin and flowers. A colleague’s 85-yearold mother died, and I arrived at the

uette ue eath ea

eath ea

BY MAHJABEEN ISLAM

UID IDANCE FROM QUR’AN AND SUNNAH. funeral hall five minutes late and hence sat in the last row. The minister at the end

paused for about a minute or so and then walked on. The congregation that fol-

Asian subcontinent, is well stated in the Urdu couplet, which can be summarized as “Let me tell you what will happen after my death. Friends will gather, eat fancy rice, and intone a prayer.” The idea of bringing food to the grieving family originated so that the burden of activities of daily living is decreased for them. It has acquired unfortunately an almost celebratory form and soyems (prayer on the third day after death), daswaan (prayer on the tenth day after death), and chehlums (prayer on the fortieth day after death) have become large affairs with fancy cuisine. Insult is added to injury when people are overheard praising the food or commenting on the dearth of salt.

Needless to say, the tastiest dish in the largest proportion does nothing for the deceased, and even less for the grief of the survivors.

The first thing you feel, as though you have hit in your stomach, when you learn of a sudden and especially a young death is that we should always remember death.

It is a standard eulogy, especially in Muslim funerals to exhort all to remember death for as the Qur’an says in 3:185: “Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.”

And yet we are teary eyed at the funeral, more so on pouring a handful of earth on the coffin at the burial, but by the time the soyem rolls around, life has re-magnetized us and we feel a sense of invincibility: “It won’t happen to me, at least not now.” If the finality of death and even more so the Day of Judgment stayed with us, what a phenomenal sense of perspective we would have. How unimportant all our schedules and plans would become, and we would realize that we were indeed sweating all the small stuff.

FROM AHADITH AND SUNNAH, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE ONLY GIFT THAT CAN BE GIVEN TO THE DECEASED IS READING OF THE QUR’AN. of his prayer said, “We shall now begin visitation, and we will start with the last row.”

I took a quick peek behind me and my worst fear was confirmed; there was no one behind me! As my unsure legs carried me down the aisle toward the wake, my mind furiously flipped through all funeral scenes in the movies I had seen. But by now I was right up to the casket and this little old lady, dressed in pink with pink blush to match, lay there peacefully. I

lowed did the very same thing! I did a mental pat on the back and admonished myself to not think of movies as an entire waste of time in the future.

From ahadith and sunnah, it is evident that the only gift that can be given to the deceased is reading of the Qur’an.

It is said that it is as if a window of Heaven is opened for the person. The ritual around death that has been created, especially by the Muslims of the South

The memorable words of the greatest of all men, Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) should be our guide in matters of life and death: “Do for your life as though you will live forever and do for your akhira (the next life) as though you will die tomorrow.” ■

__________________________________ Mahjabeen Islam is medical director of the Palliative Care Program at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio. Her email address is mahjabeenislam@hotmail.com.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 33

COVER STORY

Q&A: By Muzammil Siddiqi

LIFE and DEATH ISSUES QUESTION: How should a Muslim who is facing death prepare?

ANSWER: A Muslim facing death must keep up regular prayers, read the

Qur’an, seek Allah’s forgiveness, and recite the Kalimah of Shahadah as much as possible. He must pray to Allah to take his life when he is in full state of iman (faith) and his total being is engaged in His praise.

Prepare a will, if you have not done so already. Give instructions in your will stating that your burial should be performed Islamically. Also, state that your assets be distributed after the death according to the Islamic law of inheritance. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) will kit is available on www.isna.net; or, it can be obtained from ISNA headquarters at P.O. Box 38, Plainfield, IN 46168, Tel. 317 839-8157 or Fax 317 839-1840.

What should be done after a Muslim’s body is taken to the morgue. Does it have to go to a funeral home before burial?

Upon death the body should be taken, from the home, hospital or morgue, to a mortuary for washing and preparation. The burial should be done as soon as possible, and family or friends should make the burial arrangements. As soon as the arrangements are made and the time for burial is given, 2 or 3 adult Muslims (male for male, female for female, with the exception of spouses) should wash and kafan (shroud) the body. The shroud, different for males and females, consists of multiple pieces of unsown white cloth, including an external sheet large enough to wrap the whole body and be fastened at the head and feet.

Before the burial the Janazah prayer should be offered. If a Muslim cemetery is not available in your town, the body may be taken to the nearest available Muslim cemetery. If this is not possible, then the burial can be done in any cemetery.

Two days after my father passed away, the family invited family, friends, and religious professionals for fateha, where a du’a was read for the deceased. Forty days after his death people were invited for ziyaret where du‘a was made and lunch was served. Could you please clarify the practice of ziyaret, and how it came about because I believe, in Islam, that the mourning period is 3 days only.

You duties toward your father are to remember him in your prayers; give charity on his behalf; and take care of his friends and his commitments as much as possible. There is also great reward and blessing in visiting and condoling with the bereaved for which the bereaved should set aside three days to receive condolences. No special ceremony or ritual is required, nor is it necessary for relatives and friends to get together on the third day to do the khatam or to share a meal. However, people should not be criticized or condemned for doing khatam. People need time to recover from their loss, and such gatherings help people to begin the healing process. Also, the forty-day ceremony, known in India and Pakistan as chaliswan, is a local custom and not a sunnah of the Prophet.

Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi is a former ISNA president and present chairman of the Shura Council of Southern California.

34 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Is it necessary to delay burial to await arrival of out of town family members, if so what is the significance in terms of shari’ah or benefit to the deceased? Does the deceased benefit from khatam of Yasin for his sake?

The burial should be done as soon as possible. However, it is not forbidden to delay the funeral for a reasonable time -but not several days- to allow close relatives to attend. The deceased does not benefit from this, but it is indeed comforting to the family.

It is permissible to make the intention that the reward of one’s virtuous deeds benefit another person, living or dead.

This is called isal thawab, and its opposite is isal ‘iqab which is to pray that the punishment of one’s bad deeds go to someone else. The latter cannot happen, and it is not allowed in Islam to ask for such.

According to some jurists, one is allowed to do isal thawab through monetary charity only. Imam Abu Hanifah and some other jurists allow this for any good deed. You may read the Qur’an, pray nafl prayer, make nafl fast, do a nafl hajj, umrah or tawaf, or any other good deed and ask Allah to give the reward of these good deeds to your relatives, friends, teachers or any Muslim or Muslims.

This is permissible, and it is a kind of du’a.

Muslims make du’a also for those who have passed away. After doing some deeds of piety and charity, it is good to make du’a and to include our relatives and teachers in this du’a. Such du’a help those who are living as well as those who have passed away. But it is bid‘ah to make special ceremonies or appoint special days for isal thawab.

Is euthanasia (mercy killing) allowed in Islam?

If someone is in blinding pain, can a doctor end his/her misery?

Euthanasia is not allowed in Islam. Islam considers human life sacred. Life is to be protected and promoted as much as possi-

any circumstances to kill the patient. The patient, also, should patiently endure the pain and should pray to Allah. In patience, there will be a great reward and blessing in the eternal life. If, however, medical experts determine that a patient is in a terminal condition and there is no hope for recovery, then it could be permissible for them to stop the medication. If the patient is on life support, it may be permissible, with due consultation and care, to decide to switch off life support and let nature take its course; but under no condition it is permissible to induce the patient’s death.

Can Muslim women pray “Salatul Janazah?”

There is no basis for the belief that Muslim women are not allowed to perform the Salatul Janazah. Both, men and women are urged to offer the Janazah prayers. It is a right of the deceased Muslim upon the living, and the Janazah prayer is a fard kifayah (collective duty) for men. If a person dies, and some community members perform the Janazah prayer, then others have no blame; but if no one in the community performs it, then the sin of this negligence will fall on the entire community. Islam does not insist that women must come out for the Janazah prayer. Of course, like other salat, this salat requires taharah and wudu; therefore women, during their menses, are not allowed to perform the Salatul Janazah.

When we perform the Janazah prayers, we not only seek Allah’s blessings and forgiveness for the deceased Muslim, but we, also, receive His blessings. It is important that more and more Muslims attend the Janazah prayers of other Muslims. The Prophet said that those who attend the funeral of a Muslim, out of faith and seeking the reward from Allah, and stay till the prayer is offered and burial is complete, will return with a reward.

IF THE PATIENT IS ON LIFE SUPPORT, IT MAY BE PERMISSIBLE, WITH DUE CONSULTATION AND CARE, TO DECIDE TO SWITCH OFF LIFE SUPPORT ble. It is neither permissible in Islam to kill another human being, or to kill one’s self (suicide). Killing is allowed only in a declared, just war for self-defense. Also, a court of law may pass a death sentence against a person as a punishment for crimes such as premeditated murder or other serious offenses. However, there is no provision in Islam for killing a person to reduce his pain or suffering from sickness. It is the duty of the doctors, the patient’s relatives, and the state to take care of the sick and to do their best to reduce the patient’s pain and suffering, but they are not allowed under

Is it is permissible to attend a non-Muslim’s funeral?

Islam is a religion that emphasizes human relations. Our relations should be based on common courtesy and goodness. The Qur’an (60:8) states: “Allah does not forbid you concerning those who did not fight you against your religion and did not expel you from your homes, that you should show them kindness and deal justly with them.

Indeed, Allah loves those who are just...”

Participating in the funerals or expressing condolences is a form of al-birr (kindness) that should be extended to all people, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 35

COVER STORY

regardless of their religion, as long as they did not fight against Islam. Thus, it is allowed for Muslims to attend funerals of non-Muslim relatives, friends or neighbors.

One can, also, express condolences and sympathies to their relatives. It is reported that the Prophet once told one of his companions to go and bury his non-Muslim father when he heard of his death. It is, also, reported that the Prophet saw a funeral procession, and he stood showing his respect for the deceased. Upon being told that the deceased was not a Muslim, but a Jewish woman, he said, “Did she not have a human soul?” This means that a human soul should be respected in life as well as in death. We should participate in the funerals of our non-Muslim friends, co-workers and neighbors, but without participating in their funeral prayers. We are neither allowed to participate in non-Muslim prayers, nor are we allowed to pray for those who died in the state of unbelief.

Does Islam permit donation of human organs?

In recent years, this question has been much debated by the fuqaha’ (jurists). The Supreme Council of Ulama’ in Riyadh (Resolution no. 99 dated 6 Dhul Qi‘dah 1402) has allowed both organ donation and transplantation in the case of idtirar (necessity). The organ can be taken from the body of a living person with his/her consent and approval and, also, from a dead person. In the case of the living, the jurists have stipulated that this donation should not deprive him/her of vital organs, nor cause risk to his/her normal life. The Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League, Makkah, also, allowed organ donation and transplantation (8th session held between 28 Rabi’ul Thani - 7 Jumadal Ula, 1405). The Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah (1408) and the Mufti of Egypt Dr. Saeed al-Tantawi allowed the use of the organs of a person who has died in an accident, if the necessity requires the use of any organ to cure a patient, provided that a competent and trustworthy Muslim physician makes the decision.

It is important to note that the fuqaha’ have allowed the donation, not the sale, of organs. They maintain that the sale of human organs violates the rules of dignity and honor of human being and so it is haram. Some jurists suggest that because people have become so materialistic, and it may not be possible to find a free organ, one can under necessity purchase organs, but a Muslim should never sell his/her organs. ■

_______________________________

Editor’s Note: These questions and answers have been extracted from the author’s published works.

36 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Buried Ali

Muslim and Jewish practices around death are other and very different from the rest of society

R

abbi Arthur Waskow, a thinker and social activist who has been a visiting professor in the religion departments of Swarthmore College, Temple University, Drew University, and Vassar College, tells this story: Ishmael and Isaac came together to bury their father Abraham, and then Isaac went to live in peace with Ishmael.

Such a coming together happened in suburban Maryland when I met Muhammad Yusuf Chaudry at his home in Laurel. The Islamic Community Center of Laurel, along with all the other Islamic centers in the Washington metropolitan area, had asked a Maryland senator to help make it possible to perform the washing of the dead at the Islamic centers. I heard about the proposed legislation and called Yusuf, a member of the Laurel center, to learn about his work.

I asked him, “What are the problems with the current setup?”

“There are a number of issues,” he responded. “First we want to maintain modesty. Only men handle men; women handle women.

ke

very similar to each

BY DAVID ZINNER

My conversation with Yusuf was powerful and for me it had significant implications about religious traditions, death practices, and the funeral home and cemetery industry. Where I previously had seen only a gulf between Jews and Muslims, now I was seeing amazing commonalities.

Over the next few months, Yusuf and I talked frequently and worked together closely. We strategized on the wording of the proposed legislation. We discussed the points to make in testimony before the legislature. We jointly presented the importance of this legislation to a very reserved Maryland Board of Morticians. We toured Jewish washing facilities. We talked about every aspect of religious practices around death, as well as other Muslim and Jewish views, beliefs and practices. And we became friends.

MUCH IN COMMON. In North America, the Muslim and Jewish populations are roughly equal, about 2 percent of the total population. As minorities in the Christian dominated U.S. and Canada, traditional Jews and Muslims each have their own way of dress, eating rules and worship patterns that place them out of the norm. Both religions stress the importance of family, education and hard work. Jews and Muslims have extensive faith-based social service networks. In the area of death, Jews and Muslims strive to care for there own, and provide for those who cannot afford funerals and burials.

Historically in North Africa and in Europe, Muslims and Jews created golden ages of cooperation and peace and because

organizational obstacles to development and assist them to help each other? Can we develop a national capacity for assistance to these groups? And, most important, can we utilize these local and national contacts to help foster relationships that go well beyond meetings and discussions? Can we sow the seeds of peace, salaam, shalom?

WHY THE FOCUS ON DEATH? 1. Common practice: Jewish and Muslim practices around death are very similar to each other, and very different from the rest of society. These practices include ritual washing, simple dressing, ground burial and defined mourning periods. They exclude body preservation and ostentation. Both religions stress communal obligations and provide for the poor.

2. Traditions at risk: We know how easy it is to lose traditions just a few generations after immigration. Education is key because we may have forgotten, or never learned, traditional practices, and because understanding the other’s practices helps us better understand and appreciate our own practices.

3. Action is better than talk: We focus on action because problem solving is c o n c r e t e .

Working together widens available resources, and creates a long lasting level of satisfaction. For example Jewish and Muslim groups can share information about specifications for tahara facilities.

This can include construction, water, drainage, ventilation, as well as health codes, licensing, and zoning. Joint education sessions could be held on communi-

WHERE I PREVIOUSLY HAD SEEN ONLY A GULF BETWEEN JEWS AND MUSLIMS, NOW I WAS SEEING AMAZING COMMONALITIES. We don’t want the funeral director handling the deceased. It is a community and religious responsibility, and we especially don’t want funeral directors of the opposite sex dressing, undressing, washing, removing tubes, etc.” I nodded in agreement. “We, also want to wash and bury quickly. We need to have the person picked up quickly from where they die, and we need immediate access to be able to wash and dress them,” he continued. I felt like I was listening to myself talk about Jewish traditions.

Over tea, he explained the Muslim tradition of tahara (purification), preparing the body. Judaism, also, has a ritual called tahara, which translates from Hebrew to English as purification. The Jewish tahara, performed by men for men, and by women for women, consists of prayers and washing; ritual pouring of water; and dressing in simple white garments.

of these historical roots and similar practices, and despite the obstacles that are before us, Jews and Muslims are logical allies.

WORKING TOGETHER. Yet true cooperation, working together, is required to develop trust and the needed extensive, ongoing relationships between Jews and Muslims. Is death and mourning our common bond, the beginning link to establishing trust? Can we build grassroots relationships through education and action around the funeral and burial practices of Muslims and Jews?

Can we bring together local mosque and synagogue members interested, or involved in, traditional Muslim and Jewish practices around death, including body preparation, burial, and mourning?

Can we facilitate education on these death-related practices? Can we help each group identify bureaucratic, financial and

cable disease issues and protection.

4. Local first: We focus at the grassroots level to avoid complicated organizational entanglements. We are not “the other,” a nameless unknown statistic. We live in the same communities; breathe the same air; fill up our cars in the same gas station; and drive on the same roads. We build peace one relationship at a time.

Just as our ancestors buried Abraham together, so we too must learn about our burial traditions and practices, and use that knowledge to foster mutual understanding. When we work together to solve practical problems, we create trust that leads to strong working relationships and a solid foundation for peace. ■

_________________________________ David Zinner is executive director of Kavod v’Nichum, a U.S.-Canadian organization that provides education and identifies resources on Jewish traditions around dying, funerals, burial and mourning (www.Jewish-funerals.org).

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 37

ISLAM IN AMERICA

MUSLIM UNITY Internet Islamic University & School hosts an epoch-making event in Southern California.

knowledge. He added that it was such considerations that inspired the founding of IIU as a tool to bring Islamic knowledge to all ages at their convenience. He said that besides offering degree and diploma programs in Islamic studies, IIU also offers an Islam 101 for people of other faiths and courses to help new Muslims grow in their faith. (www.studyislam.com).

Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, president of the Shari’ah Scholars Association of North America (SSANA) and former president of the Islamic Circle of North America, stressed the importance of Islamic training for children and exhorted the audience to

Muslim’s obligation is to leave the world as a better place and serve humanity irrespective of worldly differences, reminded Saffet Catovic addressing the Unity celebration sponsored by the Internet Islamic University (IIU) on Oct. 12, 2003 in Anaheim, CA. The event, held in cooperation with Shura Council of Southern California (SCSC) that embraces 30 Islamic community and civic organizations, brought together about 1,000 Muslim Americans, scholars and leaders from North America and worldwide. Islamicity Vice President Shakeel Syed served as event presenter.

Catovic, a member of the IIU board, added that Islamic knowledge lies in the hearts of our scholars, and today Internet helps these scholars to send this knowledge worldwide. IIU, he said, offers a clear and transparent way of making Islamic knowledge available worldwide and at the convenience of the users.

Dr. Ihsan Bagby of the University of Kentucky and secretary general of Muslim Association of North America (MANA) stressed that diversity is the greatest asset of Muslims. He said Muslims must put it into practice and strengthen communication. Prof. Ahmad Azzam of the Devry Institute of Technology emphasized the significance of Islamic education and the role of the Internet Dr. Ahmad Sakr, a founder of the Muslim Students Association, scientist, scholar, author, and da’wah worker, highlighted the fact that, from its very inception, Islam stressed the need to seek education. He added that this education is to be obtained from scholars. Muslims, he said, need to create Islamic learning centers on every corner.

Dr. Sakr added that it was a blessing that, today, instead of traveling to scholars, the Internet brings scholars into our homes. He reminded that every Muslim will be asked about what he did to spread the word of Allah subhanahu wa Ta’ala, and he stressed the need to support projects such as IIU.

help IIU grow and serve its noble mission.

Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, a former ISNA president and the SCSC chair, said that the way to make the world a better place is to become human; a person becomes a human when he/she follows the Will of the Creator. He stressed the importance of raising children as humans.

Dr. Zakir Naik, a world-renowned da’wah expert, stated that it is the duty of all Muslims to share knowledge with all, including people of other faiths. He stressed the importance of using every opportunity to share the message of Islam with love and wisdom.

Civil rights activist Mauri Salakhan read his poetry. The main program followed an entertainment program.

IIU meritorious services awards were presented to Dr. Ahmad Sakr, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, and Dr. Zakir Naik. ■

SHINES A

38 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

The event brought together about 1,000 Muslim Americans, scholars and leaders from North America and worldwide.

Maulana Yusuf Islahi, a renowned scholar from India and author of “Everyday Fiqh”, said that Muslims are in America for a God-given purpose and have an obligation to make the word of Allah known here. He stressed that the greatest challenge for Muslims is to pass Islamic knowledge to future generations and to preserve their Islamic identity. He asked Muslims to use the Internet to strengthen their Islamic identity.

Zaheer Uddin, president and founder of the IIU, made a multimedia presentation and said that Muslims who now number 7 million in North America will double their population by 2018. However, they face two major challenge: the struggle against societal pressures and the media attacks. He offered facts to highlight the disturbing situation facing Islamic education in America, where the vast majority of children have no exposure to Islamic

THE MUSLIM WORLD During the period of two to three months, from the time of deciding and preparing for hajj to the time of returning home, great effects are produced in the heart and mind of man! By Syed Abul Ala Maududi

THE INNER DIMENSIONS OF HAJJ

H

uman beings are usually aware of two kinds of journey: one made to earn livelihood and the other for pleasure and sightseeing. In both, a person is impelled by his needs and desires to go away from home. He leaves home for his purpose and spends money and time for his own requirements Therefore, no question of sacrifice arises in such a journey.

However, the position of this particular journey, that is called hajj, is quite different from that of other journeys. The purpose of this journey is not to gain any personal end or any desire of the nafs; it is intended solely for Allah (subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and for fulfillment of the duty prescribed by Him. No person can prepare himself to undertake this journey until and unless he has love of Allah, as well as fear of Him. A person must feel strongly that the fard (obligation) ordained by Allah is incumbent on him. Therefore, whosoever sets out for hajj, parting from his family and relatives for a long period, putting aside his mundane affairs, spending money and bearing the rigors of the travel, furnishes, by his act of devotion, a proof that there

40 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

is in his heart fear and love of Allah, as well as a sense of duty. It, also, indicates that he possesses the strength to leave his home, when called upon to do so, for the cause of Allah; he can face hardships and willingly sacrifice his wealth and comfort for Allah’s pleasure.

Inclination Towards Virtue and Piety.

As the pilgrim prepares for the journey with pure intention, his disposition assumes a different hue. His heart, which is alight with the love of Allah and pulsating with a longing to visit His House, starts harboring only virtuous thoughts. He does penance for past sins; seeks forgiveness from those he might have wronged; tries to render his due to others where necessary so as not to go to His Court trammeled with the unfulfilled rights of his fellow beings; shuns vice; and develops fondness for virtue.

As he steps out to begin the journey and the nearer he gets to the House of Allah, the more he strives to do good deeds. He is careful to not harm anyone, and he tries to render whatever service or help he can to others. His own nature desists from abuse, indecency, dishonesty, squabbles and bickering because he is proceeding on the path of Allah. Thus, the entire journey

constitutes a complete ibadah. On this journey, in contrast to all other types of journeys, oppression and vice have no place.

This journey continuously purifies a person’s nafs. It is a great reformatory course that must be compulsorily gone through by every Muslim who sets out to perform hajj.

Blessings and Effects of Hajj. During the period of two to three months, from the time of deciding and preparing for hajj to the time of returning home, great effects are produced in the heart and mind of man! The process entails sacrifice of time,

You cannot fully appreciate the benefits of hajj unless you keep in mind the fact that hajj is not an individual ibadah; it is a collective ibadah money, comfort, some worldly relations and many corporeal desires and pleasures, simply and selflessly, for Allah’s sake.

Together with piety, virtuousness, the incessant remembrance of Allah, the longing for and love of Him pervade the mind of the pilgrim; these sentiments leave a firm impression on his mind that lasts for years to come. On reaching the sacred land, he witnesses, at every step, the relics of those who sacrificed everything in servitude and obedience to Allah.

They fought against the pagan Arabs; suffered persecution; became migrants; suf-

fered unbearable hardships; but ultimately did raise aloft the Word of Allah.

They did not rest till they subdued every false power that urged man to become subservient to other entities than Allah.

The lessons in courage and determination, which a devotee of Allah can draw from these clear signs and sacred relics, can hardly be available from any other source. The attachment developed with this focal point of deen (religion) through the circumambulation of the Kaaba and the rehearsal of a mujahid’s life through the manasik (rites) of hajj (such as running about and repeated departures and halts) are combined with prayer, fasting and zakat. They are all conjoined, and it becomes obvious that these processes constitute a training, which Allah wants Muslims to execute in order that they may be better equipped.

A Collective Ibadah. You cannot fully

appreciate the benefits of hajj unless you keep in mind the fact that hajj is not an individual ibadah; it is a collective ibadah that is performed by hundreds of thousands of Muslims during one set period.

The effect of this ibadah on every pilgrim is enhanced manifold by appointing

one single period of hajj for the entire world. The excellence of Islam lies in this very fact that by one stroke it achieves manifold purposes.

The advantages of offering salah individually are by no means small, but by making it conditional with congregation; enforcing the system of imamat (leadership) in salah; and enlarging the congregations of the Friday and the two Eid prayers, its benefits have been increased to a limitless extent.

Fasting separately is, also, a great source of reformation and training, but by appointing a specific month, Ramadan, in which all Muslims fast, these benefits have been increased beyond tabulation.

Zakat, too, has many advantages even if dispensed individually, but with the establishment of bait-ul-maal (public exchequer of the Islamic State), its usefulness has been increased inestimably. The true manifestation of this will, of course, come when an Islamic government collects and disburses the zakat of all Muslims.

Similarly, if every individual were to perform hajj singly it would bring about a big change in his life, but by formulating the rules for the entire Muslim ummah to perform it together at one time, its benefits have been increased to a limitless degree.

When every intending pilgrim decides to perform hajj, immediately with this intent the virtues of fear of Allah, piety, penance, istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) and good morals begin to cast their influence on him. As he says farewell to his kin, friends, and professional and other associates, and as he settles all his affairs, his mind becomes pure and clean.

These same effects occur in every individual who performs hajj.

If every year an average of 100,000 hajis from around the world prepare for hajj in this manner, their influence could and will improve the moral state of a vast number of people. The hearts of a large number of people will be warmed by the hajis, by seeing them, meeting them and by hearing from them the call of Labbaik, Labbaik (O Allah I am here as commanded). There will be many whose attention is diverted toward Allah and Allah’s House, and the eagerness for hajj will stir their slumbering souls.

Furthermore, when these people, filled with the thrill of hajj, return from the center of their deen to their cities and towns and are met by numerous persons, their interactions with others and their accounts of the hajj experience will enliven religious sentiments among countless circles. ■

__________________________________ Syed Abul Ala Maududi, the eminent Islamic scholar, thinker, author, and leader, has left a valuable heritage of knowledge and inspiration.

NOTE: This article is based on the author’s “The Fundamentals of Islam.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 41

THE MUSLIM WORLD A PEACEFUL SOLUTION IS ATTAINABLE IN KASHMIR, IF THE WORLD ENDS ITS APATHY.

L

BY GHULAM NABI FAI ast October, some 13 million Kashmiris marked the 56th anniversary of their deprivation of fundamental rights. The anniversary marks the day India invaded and occupied their land, turning it into a concentration camp today controlled by more than 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary personnel.

The Kashmir dispute involves not only the lives and futures of the Kashmiris, but it also significantly impacts India-Pakistan relations and the peace and stability of the South-Asian subcontinent-home to onefifth of the world’s population. The dispute appears to be irresolvable peacefully because international apathy encourages the obduracy of one of the parties. To distract from its occupation of Kashmir in defiance of UN resolutions, India has mastered the art of propagating myths about the genesis and nature of the dispute.

The UN Security Council unanimously agreed with the common position taken by the three parties in the dispute — the Kashmiris, Pakistan, and India — that the status of Jammu and Kashmir can be settled only in accordance with the will of the Kashmiris, ascertained through the democratic method, i.e. a free and impartial plebiscite. The U.S. and other democracies, also, endorsed this agreement.

The terms stipulated by the UN Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), in close and continuous consultation with both countries, were crystallized in two resolutions adopted on Aug. 13th, 1948 and Jan. 5th, 1949. Both governments formally accepted the terms in a binding international agreement similar to a treaty.

A ceasefire was immediately enforced, and UNCIP started negotiations on a plan for the withdrawal of Indian and Pakistani armies from Kashmir, a plan that would not disadvantage either side or imperil impartiality of the plebiscite.

42 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

THE KASHMIR

The U.S., Britain and France sponsored all of the Security Council resolutions that called for a plebiscite. Their commitment was indicated in a personal appeal made by President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Clement Atlee that differences over demilitarization be submitted to arbitration by the plebiscite administrator, a distinguished American war hero: Admiral Chester Nimitz. Unfortunately, India rejected this appeal and, later, objected to an American acting as the plebiscite administrator.

No permanent obstacles bar the establishment of a UN-run plebiscite adminis-

tration in Kashmir. The world organization has proved its ability, even in the most forbidding circumstances, to institute an electoral process under its supervision and control, with the help of a neutral peacekeeping force. One such striking example is Namibia, which was peacefully brought to independence after seven decades of occupation and control by South Africa. More recently, the UN peacefully settled the East Timor issue.

Four decades ago, UN Representative Sir Owen Dixon envisaged that the Kashmiri plebiscite could be so regionalized that none of the state’s different zones

LIVEWIRE would be forced to accept an outcome contrary to its wishes. The idea of a referendum or plebiscite can be seamlessly translated into the idea of elections to one or more constituent assemblies that will determine the future status of the state or of its different zones. However, any such election must be completely free, transparent, and conducted under UN control and supervision.

Kashmir, it might be said, is the AlsaceLorraine of South Asia, substituting India and Pakistan for France and Germany. It has sparked two conventional wars and a nuclear arms race between the South Asian

rivals, making it the world’s most dangerous territory. Any new war may have nuclear implications that could endanger every nation and every human. Both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers that have developed sophisticated missile delivery vehicles, and both are adamant against signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Furthermore, both feature domestic constituencies that universally celebrate their muscular, nuclear postures; no political party or serious private association champions nuclear controls or disarmament. The reality is that neither India

nor Pakistan will accept non-trivial limits on their nuclear arsenals in the foreseeable future. India’s intransigent position for more than 30 years has been to accept no nuclear constraints unless every nation, including the Big-5 under the NPT, the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, and France, abandons its nuclear forces and stockpiles. India has, thus, scoffed at Pakistan’s proposals for nuclear or missile free zones in South Asia and is racing toward intercontinental ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads to the U.S. despite the absence of any reciprocal nuclear danger. The U.S. has never said nor done anything in history that would fuel Indian military anxieties.

Pakistan maintains that it will only cease its nuclear and missile race with India, if the disarmament or restraints are mutual, as is proposed in its nuclear and missile free zones for South Asia. Pakistan justifies its nuclear program as a deterrent to Indian aggression; Pakistan fears war with India, whose conventional superiority over Pakistan is colossal. American military and foreign aid sanctions against Pakistan for nuclear testing and missile development, as outlined in the Pressler and Symington Amendments, failed. A nuclear arsenal is too important to Pakistan’s immediate national security imperatives to be arrested by such pinpricks.

The nuclear clock in South Asia can be turned back only by addressing the source of the proliferation, i.e. Kashmir. If this conflict is settled with fairness and justice to all parties, the possession of nuclear weapons by India and Pakistan will be dramatically less worrisome. Britain and France, for instance, do not fret that the other is a nuclear power, and meaningful nuclear arms reductions talks between the U.S. and Russia came only after the end of the Cold War. In summary, Kashmir is the key to slowing the nuclear arms race in South Asia.

Two approaches, which are not mutually exclusive, are available to the U.S. and the European Union (E.U.) in order to turn back the nuclear clock in South Asia.

The first emphasizes restraints on nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles; the second gives primacy to eliminating the probable cause of nuclear exchanges.

They have chosen the first, and give but lip service to the second.

A WORTHY CAUSE

The Kashmiri cause deserves support because peace in Kashmir would dent the spiraling missile and nuclear race and JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 43

THE MUSLIM WORLD arrest the frightening potential of nuclear volleys between the South Asian neighbors. Resolving the conflict would, also, end the on-going holocaust in Indianoccupied Kashmir, holocaust that makes the horrors of Kosovo, East Timor, and Chile under General Pinochet pale in comparison. More than 70,000 extra-judicial killings have taken place in the last decade alone, and rape, torture, mutilations, abductions, arbitrary detentions, and ruthless suppression of political dissent are commonplace.

The U.S. and the E.U. should make Kashmir the center of their peace and nonproliferation strategies in South Asia by: (a) Making it clear to the world community that India and Pakistan will neither cap nor renounce their respective nuclear programs unless the only source of antagonism between the two — Kashmir — is resolved, and that a lasting settlement must be based on justice for the Kashmiris and recognition of their inherent rights. (b) Facilitating Kashmir negotiations, instead of continuing to allow India veto power over the gambit, and recognizing that bilateral Pakistan-Indian talks have

retary General Kofi Annan to do the same. (d) Insisting on the inclusion of genuine representatives of the Kashmiris, whose political destiny and human rights are at stake, at the negotiating table, and recognizing that any solution that fails to command their consent will not endure. (e) Understanding that moral persuasion and diplomatic gambits by individual nations and international organizations should be the chief instruments for achieving a peaceful settlement in Kashmir, just as they were employed to accelerate the end of apartheid in South Africa. (f) Recognizing that self-determination for Kashmir would strengthen respect for justice, international law and legality.

Kashmir is too important to world peace, global security and human rights to be regarded or addressed with apathy or passivity by the international community. ■

THE NUCLEAR CLOCK IN SOUTH ASIA CAN BE TURNED BACK ONLY BY ADDRESSING THE SOURCE OF THE PROLIFERATION, I.E. KASHMIR proven barren for more than 56 years, and nothing suggests any non-hallucinogenic possibility of breaking that bilateral stalemate. (c) Appointing a special envoy, a person of international stature, such as Nelson Mandela, to Kashmir, and urging UN Sec-

_______________________________

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is executive director of the Kashmiri American Council (www.kashmiri.com), Washington, DC.

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44 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

THE MUSLIM WORLD

THE VOICE OF

FREEDOM Alija Izetbegovic lived a life of service to his people and humanity under the most trying circumstances.

M

uslim Bosnians lost their Dedo (Grandpa), Alija Izetbegovic, 78, on Oct. 19 when the former president died following an accidental fall at his home in September. Over 100,000 mourners, including former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, gathered in Sarajevo for his funeral.

Izetbegovic was elected Bosnian president in 1990 and was immediately faced with the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the subsequent ethnic war. Izetbegovic led the Muslim defense against Serb ethnic cleansing during 1992-1995. He came to international attention when he led Bosnia’s government during the siege of Sarajevo. Westerners criticized him for seeking Muslim nations support during this bitter conflict.

Izetbegovic’s tenure as president and later co-president of Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1990-2000, was dominated by conflict in the Balkans, and, suffering from heart disease, he retired from the three-man presidency in October 2000.

Born in 1925 in Bosanki Samac, Izetbegovic moved to Sarajevo as a child. His adolescence was spent under Nazi occupation.

After World War II, he graduated from Sarajevo University and earned a reputation as a fervent anti-communist. In the late 1940s, he was jailed for three years by Tito’s communist authorities for membership in the Young Muslims, a group dedicated to religious freedom.

Izetbegovic wrote an “Islamic Declaration” in 1970 that former communist authorities interpreted as a call for Shari‘ah law in Bosnia-Herzegovina, then one of the Yugoslav republics. Izetbegovic was jailed again in 1983 by Tito’s successors, who accused him of plotting a coup and disseminating “Islamic propaganda.” He was released in 1988.

The Ottoman Turks brought Islam to Bosnia in 1463. Bosnia remained under Ottoman rule until 1878, when it was given to Austria-Hungary as a colony. While those living in Bosnia enjoyed benefits of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, South Slavs in Serbia were demanding a South Slav state. World War I began when Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand. After the war, Bosnia became part of the South Slav state, Yugoslavia, which was given to Croatia in World War II. During the Cold War, the Communist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was established under Josef Tito, and Bosnia was reestablished as a republic with its medieval borders.

In April 1992, Bosnia Herzegovina was the most ethnically diverse of the Yugoslav republics: 43.7 percent Muslim; 31.4 percent Serbian; and 17.3 percent Croatian.

As Yugoslavia began disintegrating, Izetbegovic worked to preserve the country, but Croats and Serbs were preparing to carve up Bosnia. Izetbegovic pushed for independence backed by referendum. This ignited the war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.

The Bosnians resisted the genocidal Serb attacks despite the arms embargo, through 1995, ending with the Dayton Accord, signed on November 21, 1995, that retained the multiethnic ideals that Bosnians cherished. However, for Muslims the accord is a nightmare rather than a dream come true.

In July last year, Izetbegovic released his new book, “Inescapable Questions: Auto-

biographical Notes”, hoping that the autobiographical work will help heal his wartorn country, without forgetting the Muslims killed by the Serbs during the war.

Izetbegovic has authored other books, including: “Islam Between East and West” (American Trust Publications); “Islamic Declaration”; “Problems of Islamic Renaissance”; and “My Escape to Freedom”.

Imam Mustafa Ceric, mufti of Bosnia, said, “Bosnia always had sons who wanted to live together and be tolerant and it will always be like that because Bosnia’s sons will honor the memory of Alija Izetbegovic.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared, “The death of President Izetbegovic, is the loss of not only a person whose distinguished personality has written history but also the loss of a personality who has enlightened our thinking and ... of a brave spirit who has become a great source of courage for his country and people.”

ISNA Secretary General Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed said, “President Izetbegovich, who was a towering personality in the European Muslim community during the later half of the 20th century, despite enduring so much of persecution and suffering at the hands of communists and ethnic fascists, maintained his balanced and moderate approach to Islam. He provided a steadfast model of a Muslim leader with full faith in democracy. He visited ISNA and advised Muslim Americans to get fully involved in their mainstream society here and be bridge-builders between the East and the West. ISNA had the honor of publishing his famous book “Islam Between East and West” and making his inspiring thoughts available to readers in North America.”

Dr. Ahmed Totonji, an early founder of the MSA, fondly remembers Dr. Izetbegovic as a true man of peace, who wanted to protect human lives, especially of his own Muslim people whose sufferings he had seen. “He was indeed an inspiration not only to the Muslims of Bosnia but to the sincere dedicated Muslims who wanted to work for peace in the world and a role model for them,” Dr. Totonji added.

The late president is survived by his wife, Halida (Khalida) Repovac, and three children, Sabina, Lejla (Layla) and Bakir.

Bosnia always had sons who wanted to live together and be tolerant and it will always be so because Bosnia’s sons will honor the memory of Alija Izetbegovic.

46 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

INTERVIEW

EXPRESSIONS Guided by faith, Reem Hussein lets her spirituality find expression in art. BY SARAH KHAN

E

ver since Reem Hussein was a child, she associated colors with her emotions.

Even today, specific colors flood her mind when she thinks about Allah or listens to the recitation of the Qur’an. Now she is an accomplished artist, and her paintings reflect her spiritual feelings.

“Everybody, when they think about Allah, they relate something that they can visualize in some way,” says Hussein. “The idea behind the background renderings of my pieces is that those are the colors that I feel when I think about Allah.”

Hussein is rapidly gaining widespread recognition for her current series on Islamic calligraphy. She began the project three years ago, experimenting with oils and watercolors, while consciously steering away from the traditional pen and ink.

“I don’t categorize myself as a calligrapher,” she says. “I’m an artist or a painter.

But I started doing calligraphy as a pro-

48 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

ject because I really wanted to understand the art form for what it is and to develop an appreciation for it, and the only way to do that is to try it.”

Hussein grew up on Long Island, NY, to Egyptian parents, and harbored a love for painting from a very early age. “I was a very quiet child, and according to my parents, all I liked to do was color,” she remembers. Her parents soon realized that she possessed tremendous talent and encouraged her to take classes and develop her skill. Her high school had an excellent art department, and her teachers gave her additional projects and worked with her individually to hone her technique.

Though she wanted to study fine arts in college, Hussein opted instead to attend the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City to study interior design and restoration of antiques. “I felt that I had been training as an artist since I was a child, so I wanted to develop some sort of technical skill I could fall back on if I failed as an artist,” she says. “I originally thought about fashion design, thinking I

could revolutionize the fashion world, making clothes suitable for conservative women, but I didn’t really enjoy it.”

Her work as an antiques restorer has further inspired her paintings, but on a subconscious level. “A lot of people look at my work and see this antique-ish quality. At first I didn’t even realize that I was doing it. It wasn’t until later, when I was handling manuscripts, that I realized that this was where I was getting it.” “I study old Qur’anic manuscripts to see the calligraphy, but I love the way the paper has aged and I try to mimic that,” she adds.

Hussein has exhibited her work in the Muslim community in New York, displaying her Islamic pieces at local events. As a result, her reputation has grown, and she

OF FAITH finds that people occasionally recognize her on the street. She has, also, had the opportunity to show her work in exhibitions in Massachusetts, California and New

ple of other faiths alike, share the spiritual emotions evoked by her paintings.

“People who aren’t Muslim, they can sense it has a lot of spiritual significance, even if they don’t know what it means.

Everyone can relate to that because everyone feels Allah and experiences Allah in their own way,” she says. “I’ve had nonMuslims buy my work, and in a lot of ways you’re doing da’wah with it. What they see in the work is a deep level of spirituality, and if they see it in my work, I’m probably doing what I intend to do.”

Hussein looks to prominent Muslims and Arabs who have succeeded in the field for inspiration. The work of Shirin Nishat,

EVOKING SPIRITUAL EMOTIONS : Reem Hussein enjoys the company of her creations

art of their parents’ cultures here in their new homes. “I feel like if we’re here, Allah put us here for a reason. He wanted these people to contribute to this community and He wanted their children to,” she believes. Hussein’s brother is a lawyer who helps the Muslim community by offering them special rates and helping them work the shari’ah into American law. Similarly, Hussein feels her artwork is her unique way of contributing to society.

“We’re moving into a phase where we’re developing our own Islamic culture in

“We’re moving into a phase where we’re developing our own Islamic culture in America.”

York. She held her first solo exhibition at the Tribes Gallery in New York City from November 22nd to December 6th last year.

Though she has displayed her work throughout the Muslim community, Hussein’s Islamic artwork receives tremendous acclaim from people of other faiths as well. She has observed an added interest in Muslim and Middle Eastern culture since September 11th, 2001, and she believes that everyone, Muslim and peo-

an Iranian photographer, has been displayed at a top gallery in New York City, and Hussein has similar aspirations. “I have bigger goals for myself, and I want to be part of that too. I want to have my work being shown all over the world.”

Though she has chosen a path not common in the Muslim community, Hussein is optimistic about the future of Islamic art in America. She believes that it is up to the younger generations to revive the

America,” she says. “A lot of that depends on the artists, filmmakers and musicians.

It’s not the academics who are necessarily going to do that for us, it’s not the doctors and the scientists and the lawyers that shape it, it’s the writers and the artists,” she says.

“There’s going to be a deeper appreciation for Islam in America, and I think it’s going to continue to flourish.” ■

_______________________________ Sarah Khan is a graduate student at Syracuse University.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 49

BY IMAM MAGID BIN MUHAMMAD HAGMAGID WITH SAM ROSS

This will be the first in a new, and insha Allah, continuing series of columns entitled “Food for the Spirit.” Why the spirit? As Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) repeatedly shows us in the Qur’an, all matters in life are interconnected with the life to come and our belief in Him. Their nexus lies within the spiritual dimension, and it is in this realm that our lives are moored.

To persevere in life, we all need spiritual energy; we need it to witness the beauty of Islam, to taste of its sweetness, and to embrace its softness.

Moreover, as Allah tells us in Surah alBaqarah: “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or West; But it is righteousness—to believe in Allah and the last Day...To spend of your substance out of love for Him” (Qur’an, 2:177). Islam is not about rituals, but about the spirit of rituals. It is not about turning your face to the East or to the West, but about what lies to the East or West. Islam is above all about the striving for and attaining a higher spiritual state.

Our goal, therefore, is to foster the requisite spiritual energy necessary to uplift our spirits and to soften our hearts.

Yet too often we get bogged down in achieving materialistic goals. We lose track of our purposes in life, and life seems both empty and hollow. We must never forget the essential, spiritual aspect of existence; we must never become alienated from the spiritual realm.

In so emphasizing the spirit, it should be noted that our goal is by no means to partition Islam from life. There is inherent integration in Islam, integration reflecting the divine tawheed that renders any partitioning of life un-Islamic. Our goal is, rather, to show how spirituality unites Islam’s other aspects, imbuing them with purpose, reminding us all of why we do the things that we do.

In the upcoming articles we hope to discuss these questions and the myriad diseases of the heart with their respective solutions. Nevertheless, improvement cannot happen by mere intellection 50 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Food for the Spirit

How Close Do You Feel To Allah? alone. The spiritual journey is a serious journey that requires constant introspection and self-evaluation; spiritual fitness requires a spiritual workout. At the end of every column, you will therefore find exercises to perform at home, in your car, and at work in order to increase your connectedness with Allah. We encourage you to cut out these articles so that you might reference them whenever you seek to improve in a particular area. Through reflection, we hope to nurture wholesome

S P I R I T UA L I T Y

Imam Magid bin Muhammad Hagmagid, a Sudanese-born Muslim American, is a son of a leading Islamic scholar, who was an Al-Azhar graduate and the Mufti of Sudan.

Imam Magid studied at the hand of his father and other notable scholars, gaining ijaza in several disciplines, including “Al-Muwatta”, and “Ihya ‘Ulum Ad-Deen” by Imam Al-Ghazali.

He has been in the U.S. for over 13 years, and presently he is the imam and director of the All-Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center, Sterling, VA. Sam Ross teaches high school physics and comparative religion in Fairfax County, VA.

behaviors that engender positive virtues; a salubrious attitude toward life; a closer relationship with Allah; an increased commitment to Islam; and a deeper love of one’s fellow Muslims and human beings.

Consider the following questions, for example: How close do you feel to Allah?

How many times per day do you remember Him? How would you characterize your relationship with Muhammad? Do you imagine him in your every situation and wonder what he would do? How much enjoyment do you get out of prayer? How would you rate the quality of your relations with fellow human beings? Are you a loving and caring person? How much do negative feelings affect your life? Before reading our next column, please take a moment to think about your answers to these questions.

By the time that you read this, the blessed month of Ramadan will be either finishing or recently concluded, but the ultimate challenge of Ramadan lies in the rest of the year. Can we continue to suffuse our homes and environment with its sweet smell and spirit? May this column insha Allah, be one additional source of strength for you on the road ahead.

We look forward to incorporating your feedback and questions into our future columns. Please send all emails to foodforthespirit@isna.net.

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REVIEWS COMMON CONCERNS

T

his enjoyable book has three sections: “Jewish Stories,” “Christian Stories,” and “Muslim Stories.” Each story is written by a woman about a woman. Some are based upon traditional accounts, while others are speculative or wholly fictional.

In “Jewish Stories,” Sarah tries to save her family after the covenant is taken from Ishmael and given to Isaac; an Egyptian midwife disobeys Pharaoh’s order to kill all Daughters of the Desert new-born Hebrew males; Miriam, Claire Rudolf Murphy et al. sister of Moses and Aaron, is isolat2003; HB; pp. 178; $19.95 Woodstock, VT ed via a rash to calm things down; Skylight Paths Publishing Huldah has to ascertain if a found scroll (the Book of Deuteronomy) is true; and Esther doubts herself when called upon to save her people after her husband, King Ahasuerus, orders their slaughter.

In “Christian Stories,” Mary seeks out her cousin Elizabeth after Gabriel’s visit; a non-Jewish woman overcomes Jesus’ reluctance to heal her possessed daughter; Salome seeks to guarantee her sons’ (James and John) places in heaven; Binah, a servant, questions Peter the night before Jesus’ crucifixion and finds faith the next day; Mary Magdalene deals with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection; and Lydia, an early church leader, solves a problem.

In “Muslim Stories,” we read about Eve’s life before and after the Fall, and her reunion with Adam; Hagar’s thoughts upon being left in the valley with Ishmael; Khadijah’s thoughts about Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his new role; Fatima’s asking her father for a servant; an imaginary tale of an insulted Muslim woman restraining herself; and Aisha’s thoughts before the Battle of the Camel and upon hearing the dogs of Haw’ab barking.

—JAY WILLOUGHBY, MANAGING EDITOR, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC SOCIAL SCIENCES

HAPPY FAMILIES

T

he experienced husband and wife team now offer gems on married life, after having successfully provided manuals on parenting and raising teens in North America. The authors, who serve as marriage counselors, use a A Manual of Hajj and mix of theory and practice to guide Umrah; Riaz Ahmad Akhtar; 2003. PB. pp. 195; couples to marital bliss, based on Oak Brook Terrace, IL: the Qur’an and Sunnah and exBarakah Publications. plained in the contemporary environment.

One of the tools that the authors provide is a detailed questionnaire for prospective spouses, when personal visits are not possible.

52 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

Short Takes A Manual of Hajj and Umrah Riaz Ahmad Akhtar 2003. PB. Oak Brook Terrace, IL: Barakah Publications

Dr. Akhtar, who conducts an annual seminar on hajj at the Islamic Foundation in Chicago, has now made the content of the seminar available as an illustrated, easy-to-follow and understand guide. The work is a product of the author’s experiences and offers hints on practical situations.

Refugees in Our Own Land: Chronicles from a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Bethlehem Muna Hamza 2001. HB. pp. 166 London/Sterling, VA: Pluto Press

The volume comprises the diaries of a Palestinian journalist, born to Muslim and Christian parents. The diary entries cover the period between October and December 2000, while the author lived in the Dheisheh refugee camp.

This report of deprivation, injustice, and cruelty will stir everyone with a soul. It should be a required reading for anyone interested in human affairs, especially the issues revolving around the occupation of Palestine.

Islamic Political Identity in Turkey M. Hakan Yavuz 2003. HB. pp x+328 Oxford University Press

An insightful work that addresses questions that arose regarding Islam and democracy after the success of

Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (Nov. 2002). Hakan, who offers a new understanding of the role of Islam in politics, notes that the crisis of legitimacy created by the 1997 military coup can only end through the liberalization of the political system.

Rise of Islam Dr. Abdel Shafi M. Abdul Latif (trans.)

2003. PB. pp. 162 Cairo, Egypt: Safeer International Publishing

This slim volume by an AlAzhar professor of history focuses on the early period of Islam and traces the evolution of the dynamic new civilization. The author uses short sections to cover each particular aspect or personality.

Scholars of Hadith Syed Bashir Ali 2003, Pp. 186 PB. $8.00; Iqra’ International Education Foundation, Skokie, IL

Ali offers an in depth analysis of the great compilers of Hadith, with each chapter dedicated to one scholar’s biography and the methods they used in hadith collection and classification.

Islam Our Choice: Portraits of Modern American Muslim Women Debra L. Dirks & Stephanie Parlove, eds.

2003, pp. vi+298; Amana Publications, Beltsville, MD.

Six American women share their individual journeys into Islam, offering deep insights into their lives; they tell how they entered and live Islam without giving up their American heritage.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Matrimonials

The Islamic Society of Boston

And of His signs is this; He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find peace in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy.

Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect.

would like to announce the opening of a new is currently seeking a full-time Executive Director to oversee the activities of this vibrant organization.

(Qur’an 30:21)

SEEKING WIFE

BO65 Jan/Feb 2004 Sunni Syed Pakistani Muslim parents seeks match for American born, 26 year old, religious, third year medical student son. He prefers religious and Hijabwearing wife. Please send photo and information to PO Box 205382, Sunset Sta., Brooklyn, NY 11220.

SEEKING HUSBAND SO140 Jan/Feb 2004 Sunni Muslim parents seeking

Canada/U.S. raised professional. Daughter is Canadian born, 21 year old in 4th year Economics; wears Hijab.

E-mail b1728@hotmail.com (Canada)

SO203 Jan/Feb 2004 Sunni Muslim, Urdu-speaking

parents seek match for their U.S. born/raised registered nurse/anesthetist daughter, 26, slim, 5’ 3”, from medical doctor (26-32). Contact (916) 548-2259 or tabassam02@yahoo.com

RESPONSIBILITIES : ■ To oversee both administrative and financial activities of the organization.

■ To develop (with staff & volunteers) organizational goals, and strategies that will ensure their effective execution in the form of projects and programs.

■ To play a leading role in the formation and implementation of a community development plan for the ISB community.

■ To serve as a representative of the ISB in building and strengthening relations and with the Muslim and non-Muslim community.

QUALIFICATIONS : Strong written and communication skills in English and Arabic.

Computer literacy Proven management skills Some prior experience in and Islamic or other non-profit environment preferred.

■ ■ ■ ■

Resumes and inquiries should be directed to: jobs@isboston.org or mailed to: Islamic Society of Boston 204 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

SO204 Jan/Feb 2004 Egyptian parents of a U.S. born

college educated good-looking daughter invite interested marriage committed Muslims, 29-35 years old, to e-mail: parents1021@yahoo.com (CA)

SO205 Jan/Feb 2004 Sunni Muslim, North Indian parents seek matrimonial correspondence for 24-year-old daughter, an electrical engineer working for a Fortune 100 company.

Fair complexion, perfect blend of East and West, bilingual, broadminded, good family values. Seek professional, U.S. citizen, age 25-29. Please respond with photo. (OH)

For correspondence: ISNA Matrimonials PO Box 38, Plainfield, IN 46168 Tel.: 317-839-8157 ext 248

For advertising and contact info: www.isna.net

Experienced K-12

PRINCIPAL NEEDED School Information: The Islamic Foundation School (IFS), located in Villa Park, IL is seeking a dynamic and energetic Principal to lead its K-12 school beginning in the 2004 - 2005 academic year. The IFS has over 600 students taught by 60 dedicated and highly qualified faculty members..

The IFS is one of the prominent Islamic schools in North America and is accredited by the North Central Association (NCA).

Benefit Information: The IFS offers a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with qualification and experience.

Description of Position: This is a challenging position requiring the ability to foster all-round development of teachers, support staff and students through a shared and collaborative process. The Principal is responsible for developing, supervising and maintaining a positive learning environment in a prestigious Islamic institution.

Qualifications and Education: The candidate should have an advanced degree in education, and at least 3 to 5 years relevant experience in school administration and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Teaching experience is preferred. The candidate should be a U.S. citizen or green card holder.

Contact Information: To apply, send a resume detailing work history and qualifications. All applications will be dealt with in strictest confidence.

Fax or email resumes to: Dr. Nasrullah Basha, MD; Chairman, IFS School Email: nbasha@comcast.net; Fax: 630-850-7684 Additional information is available at www.islamicfoundationvp.org/school/

V I S I T

W W W . I S N A . N E T

41

ST

ANNUAL

ISNA CONVENTION

ISLAM: Dialogue, Devotion, and DEVELOPMENT SEPTEMBER 3 - 6, 2004

Rosemont Convention Center, Chicago, IL Islamic Society of North America, PO Box 38, Plainfield, IN 46168

F O R I N F O R M AT I O N: (317) 839-8157 x 239; 241; 242

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) P.O. Box 38 • Plainfield, IN 46168-0038

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