Miracle Media Inc.

BC Canada

BRINGING HARMONY TO ALL THE COMMUNITIES

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012 - $1

Bi-Weekly & Bilingual

www.miraclenews.com

Syria urged to implement faltering peace plan Khadr transfer request from Gitmo now in Ottawa’s hands Omar Khadr may be one step closer to returning to Canadian soil after the U.S. officially filed a formal request to transfer the convicted war criminal to Canadian custody. Khadr, 25, has spent the past decade in the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba following his arrest as a 15-year-old terror suspect in Afghanistan.

Central bank stands pat but hints at rate hikes

Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney elected today to keep the benchmark target for the overnight rate unchanged at one per cent, a level held at since September 2010. Despite standing pat for the 13th consecutive policy session, the central bank offered a few hints that the outlook has improved enough to consider raising interest rates sooner rather than later. The bank may have held steady, but the choice of words in the statement accompanying the decision itself “sent a clear signal that it may not stay there a whole lot longer,” BMO economist Doug Porter noted. The central bank tipped its hand most obviously near the end of the statement. “Some modest withdrawal of the present considerable monetary policy stimulus may become appropriate,” the bank said Tuesday. That may not sound overly aggressive, but compared to previous statements, it’s tellingly hawkish. In its outlook, the bank raised its forecast for Canada’s economy this year. The bank now expects the economy to expand by 2.4 per cent in 2012 and 2013, a rise from two per cent previously. That stronger growth in an environment of low rates is a recipe for inflation, something the central bank is mandated to keep in a range of between two and three per cent. The bank also said that personal debt loads remain “the biggest domestic risk” to Canada’s economy, an additional sign the bank is getting closer to making good on its repeated warnings for Canadians to get

their financial houses in order. The bank also noted that some of the “slack” in the economy is tightening, meaning the economy is becoming more efficient — another sign the bank has leeway to act. The Canadian dollar rose sharply following the statement, gaining almost a full cent to 101.05 cents US within minutes of the bank’s decision becoming public. That reaction in the dollar actually made Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney’s balancing act even harder, as the bank again cited the persistently high Canadian loonie as a drag on growth moving forward. Raising rates will add more lift to the loonie, widening the spread with Canada’s major trading partner, the U.S., which would in turn slow Canada’s economy. Some say a strong loonie isn’t Carney’s only conundrum. Capital Economics analyst David Madani said he thinks Carney is genuine in his desire to discourage Canadians from taking on more debt. But he said taking action toward that would be a shock to the economy in the short term at least. “If the bank did actually raise rates, we suspect that it would have to reverse course again pretty quickly as the housing market slumped,” Madani said.

Beyond a vague pledge to raise rates if it was “appropriate,” the bank was characteristically vague in the details.

Still, most experts predict a hike some time later this year, or possibly into 2013 at the latest. “The bank is clearly uncomfortable with keeping interest rates below inflation when household debt continues to grind higher, and with the economy poised to reach capacity by early next year,” Porter said. “At a minimum, the bank will be raising rates …sometime in the first half of next year.” “I would interpret that as something on the order of three quarter-point hikes [to 1.75 per cent] and then followed by another pause,” CIBC economist Avery Shenfeld said. Source: CBC News

The Arab League ministerial committee on Syria has backed the six-point plan devised by international envoy Kofi Annan and called on Damascus to stick to it. “We hope the Syrian government responds” to Annan’s plan, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister, said during talks in Doha on Tuesday. “We don’t see any progress in implementing it. Nothing has changed except for (Damascus) accepting (the plan)”, he said at the opening of the meeting. “Implementation is more important.” The talks came as UN observers admitted on Tuesday they face a tough task to firm up a ceasefire in Syria, as five civilians were killed in the latest violence on the sixth day of a tenuous truce. Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi, attending the Doha meeting along with Annan, called for the ceasefire to be implemented “completely and immediately”. “Annan’s mission is a political one which would take some time,” he said.

The Arab ministerial committee, chaired by Qatar, includes Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, and Kuwait. After a spike in violence the Arab League ended its own Syrian monitoring mission in late January, barely a month after sending observers.

On Monday, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said the chances of Annan’s plan succeeding “are no higher than three per cent” and that Syrians should not be supported through peaceful means but “with arms”. Qatar has taken an aggressive stance in favour of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Continuing violence in Syria has dampened expectations in many quarters for the prospects of a peace plan proposed by Annan, which was supposed to halt all fighting and bring about a withdrawal of Syrian heavy weaponry from areas under attack. The plan was agreed to by Assad, but compliance by Syrian forces appears to have been partial, despite the arrival in Damascus on Sunday of a six-man advance team of UN monitors. UN officials said the team was still drawing up plans, and the head of the observer team, Moroccan Colonel Ahmed Himmiche, said on Tuesday it would take time to reach badly affected towns

Special Fares for Pakistan by Gulf Air Line

1-800-663-6696

Continued on pg 6

2

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

3

p a k i s t a n

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Kayani urges less spending on defence

Pakistan’s powerful army chief Wednesday said he would like to see the country spend less on defence, arguing that national security depended on development as much as on protecting borders.Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, said “peaceful coexistence” with archrivals India was vital to both countries and the welfare of the people should be a priority reported by AFP. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought several wars since independence in 1947 and both spend heavily on their military while millions of their people languish in poverty.“Peaceful coexistence between the two neighbours is very important so that everybody can concentrate on the well-being of the people,” he told reporters.

The general was speaking at Skardu airport in northern Pakistan after visiting the remote Gayari army base in disputed Kashmir, which was hit by a massive avalanche on April 7.Rescuers are still searching for nearly 140 people buried by the mass of snow and rock at the camp, which lies around 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) above sea level.

Pakistan and India invest significant resources in maintaining a military presence on the Siachen Glacier - dubbed “the world’s highest battleground” - and the

tragedy has sparked lively debate about the human and financial cost of defending an uninhabitable patch of snow and rock.Kayani said soldiers would do their duty come what may, but defending borders should not be the country’s sole priority.“We in the army understand very well that there should be a very good balance between defence and development. You cannot be spending on defence alone and forgetting about development,” he said.

“Ultimately the security of a country is not only that you secure boundaries and borders but it is when people that live in the country feel happy, their needs are being met.

Only in that case will a country be truly safe.” He said national security should be a comprehensive concept.

“And therefore we would like to spend less on defence, definitely,” he said.“Any country should do the same - more focus should be on the welfare of the people.”

Pakistan has spent more than half its history since independence under military rule and Kayani is widely regarded as the most powerful man in the country.He said the decades of enmity between India and Pakistan should be resolved through negotiation and stressed the urgency of halting the damage to the environment caused by troop deployment on the Siachen Glacier.

“Ultimately it’s going to affect the River Indus adversely and we understand water is important and water management is very important,” he said.

Kashmir has been the cause of two wars between India and Pakistan and the nuclear-armed rivals fought over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004.

DCC decides not to restore Nato supplies for now ISLAMABAD: The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) under Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has decided here on Tuesday not to tolerate the use of drones by the US as they are counterproductive. It also agreed to forbid supplies for US and Nato forces from passing through Pakistan. The DCC has also decided to work out a framework for implementation of the guidelines drawn up by parliament regarding foreign affairs and security issues. The work plan for the purpose would be arranged by experts of various stakeholders in their meetings commencing from today (Wednesday).

The DCC will have another meeting next week to discuss the formulated framework. The meeting took stock of the overall situation pertaining to the defence environment, especially with reference to the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan. No tangible decision has been taken having an impact on the ground in the committee’s meeting, except that a broad understanding has been developed regarding a future course of action. The meeting has divided the guidelines of parliament into two categories: one comprises actionable steps suggested in the recommendations while the other is related to principles.

Well-placed sources told The News late in the evening that participating representatives of different stakeholders took part in the discussion and everyone was speaking highly of parliament’s resolution.

Sources are attaching importance to the release issued after the meeting that mentioned the nuclear programme, especially the point that the government may pursue the aim of international civilian nuclear cooperation after reaffirming that there will be no compromise on Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Finance Minister Senator Hafeez Shaikh who is on his way to Washington and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will be leaving for the US later and they will both be discussing as a priority this resolve of their

government during their interaction with the US high-ups.

No definite schedule has been finalised about the visit of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani for the US but she took the DCC into confidence about her discussions with her counterpart in Washington a day earlier, the sources said.

The Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Ashfaq Nadeem gave a detailed account of the rescue operation being undertaken for the trapped troops and civilians in Siachen.

The DCC offered prayers for the brave officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army who are trapped under the avalanche in Siachen and decided to declare Friday (April 20, 2012) as Youm-e-Dua. The proposal for Youm-e-Dua was suggested by Prime Minister Gilani, sources said.

It was decided in the meeting that a work plan may be developed for effective implementation of parliamentary guidelines based on Pakistan’s national interests. It was agreed that the parliamentary review and oversight would not only give public ownership to our foreign and security policies but also help strengthen the hands of the government in dealing with the international community on issues of great national importance.

The DCC strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Kabul and other Afghan cities and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned inclusive peace and reconciliation process.

The sources pointed out that it was observed that US authorities tried to be careful when assigning the responsibilities for the Kabul attacks of Sunday but still some voices were heard which were not desirable. Pakistan is already in touch with the US authorities regarding the regrettable incidents through diplomatic channels and Islamabad has conveyed its sentiments to Washington on this count.

We specialize in Pakistan, India, Middle East, Fiji, Europe, South America and South Pacific.

We do Hajj, Umrah packages, Cruises and Disney Land tours etc.

Abdul Rauf (President)

galaxytravel@live.ca

www.galaxytravel.ca

www.junaidiqbal.ca

NOTARY PUBLIC

SHAHNAZ RAHMITULA

CGA

On Saturday by Appointment only.

#202 -7288 137 Street, Surrey

604-591-7171

NOTARY PUBLIC

Shoaib Rauf T: (604) 596 1861 C: (778) 855 1861

shoaib.surrey@gmail.com

#220 -13711 72 Ave.Surrey; BC V3W 2P2 (Opposite Newton Wave Pool)

Buy/Sell your house with the No. 1 realtor of the year 2011 for Omax Realty Ltd

Abdul Qayyum Omax Realty Ltd C: 778-688-4777 9287 120th St. Delta BC www.abdulqayyum.com

Get a Free return ticket when you Buy or Sell your house with me. some conditions may apply. limited time offer

Abbotsford 2-2488 Clearbrook Rd. 604-854-6088 Vancouver 6550 Fraser St. 604-324-2277 Surrey: Unit # 303, 8128-128th St. Surrey (Payal business centre) 604-584-1411

See Anis Shah in our Surrey Office

PAKISTAN

INDIA

BANGLADESH MIDDLE EAST

$990 $799 $730

AFRICA

FIJI

SRI LANKA

$752 $750 $1050 $1030 “taxes & surcharges extra”

Visit: www.bainstravel.com www.indiatour.ca www.cruiseconcepts.net

4

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Ayyaz at Crystal @ York Banquet Hall

Real Estate Consultant (Realtor)

604-839-7863 ayyazrealtor@gmail.com

info@amexrealty.ca

Free Appraisal and Legal Fees

TERMS Our Rates*

1 Year 2.89%

3 Year 2.89%

5 Year 3.29%

5 yrs Variable 2.85% * Rates are subject to change without notice

Ayyaz

AMP

Senior Mortgage Consultant

* * * * *

Purchase Renewal Pre Approval 1st & 2nd Mortgages Self Employed

* * * *

New Immigrants Debts Consolidation Construction/Renovations Commercial Mortgage

Surrey Office: 115-13740 72A Avenue, Surrey BC V3W 1N5 Vancouver Office: 6241 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC V3W 3A2

604-839-7863 ~

ayyazshums@shaw.ca ~ www.a2zmortgage.ca

5

i n t e r n a t i o n a l Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Defiant Breivik ‘would carry out massacre again’

The man who killed 77 people in bomb and gun attacks in Norway last July has boasted of his actions in a statement at his trial in Oslo. “I have carried out the most spectacular and sophisticated attack on Europe since World War II,”

Anders Behring Breivik told the court. Breivik said he would do it all again and asked to be acquitted. Although he admits the bombing and attack on a youth camp, he has pleaded not guilty to terror and mass murder. “These acts are based on goodness, not evil,” he said, adding that he had toned down his rhetoric out of concern for the victims.

As he closed his statement, pressed by the judge Breivik said that he acted to defend Norway against immigration and multi-culturalism. After a lunch break, the prosecution began its cross-examination of Breivik. Topics covered include his choice of uniform and his claim to be a member of the Knights Templar group, which the prosecution has previously asserted does not exist. Breivik insisted the

group did have a few members, but conceded that the language he used to describe it may have been “pompous”.

He also implied that he drew inspiration for his strategies from al-Qaeda and added that he had not expected to survive the day. Cross-examined over his hatred of Islam, Breivik said he and a friend had once been attacked by Muslims and he had suffered a broken nose. Earlier, Breivik’s lawyers warned that many Norwegians would find his comments upsetting. Geir Lippestad also said that he understood concerns by victims’ families that Breivik would use his trial as a pulpit, but added that Breivik had a right to explain himself. His testimony and that of his witnesses will not be broadcast. His testimony is expected to last for five days. One of the questions at the very heart of this trial, which is expected to last for 10 weeks, is Breivik’s mental state. He has already said that he does not recognise the court. Despite repeated interruptions from the judge to cut down his speech, Breivik insisted that he had more to say, although he agreed to limit his comments to Norway. Breivik’s comments have ranged from vehement criticisms of liberalism and multi-culturalism to claims that he “supports the model in South Korea and Japan”. Our correspondent says his comments about Norway fit in with his belief that liberal ideals are ruining Norway and are the reason why he attacked the governing Labour party summer camp on Utoeya island and government offices. “I am not scared by the prospect of being in prison all my life. I was born in a prison where I could not express my beliefs,” he told the court, adding: “This prison is called Norway.” Breivik said he was speaking as a representative of a Norwegian

and European “resistance movement”. Shortly before the close of Tuesday’s hearing, prosecutors questioned what had led to Breivik becoming radicalised. He said the Nato bombing of Serbia in the 1990s and the attacks of 9/11 were “important factors”. As the day began, the court was briefly adjourned and one of three lay judges dismissed for saying last July that Breivik should face the death penalty. A lay judge is an ordinary member of the public who forms part of the judgement panel. Thomas Indreboe was replaced by a substitute lay judge who observed proceedings yesterday. On Monday, prosecutors played harrowing recordings of the events and described the fate of each victim in detail. Breivik detonated a bomb in a van parked outside government offices in Oslo on 22 July, killing eight people. He then travelled to Utoeya where, dressed as a police officer, he shot dead a further 69 people who were attending a youth camp run by the governing Labour party. The 33-year-old Norwegian was found insane in one examination, while a second assessment made public last week found him mentally competent. If the court decides he is criminally insane, he will be committed to psychiatric care; if he is judged to be mentally stable, he will be jailed if found guilty. If jailed, he faces a sentence of 21 years which could be extended to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life. The courtroom has been specially built for the trial to accommodate more than 200 people. Glass partitions have been put up to separate the victims and their families from Breivik.

Source: BBC News

Sudan calls government of South an ‘enemy’ Sudan’s parliament has branded South Sudan’s government an “enemy” and called for a swift recapture of a disputed oil-producing region, as rising border tensions pushed the old civil war foes closer to another full-blown conflict. South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan last July, seized the contested Heglig oilfield last Tuesday, prompting its northern neighbour to vow to recapture the area by “all means”. Addressing the Khartoum parliament on Monday, speaker Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir accused the South’s ruling party - the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) - of posing a security threat to the north. “We declare that we will confront the SPLM until we end its rule of the South, and will work to gather our resources to realise this aim,” he said. “We are in a battle that does not finish with the recovery of Heglig, but with an end to the danger that comes from South Sudan.” The assembly went on to adopt a resolution describing the SPLM government as “an enemy”, but it did not spell out the full implications of the decision. South Sudanese Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin called the decision “ludicrous”. “How can they call us an enemy?” he said.

South Sudan insists Heglig is rightfully part of the South and says it will not withdraw its troops unless the United Nations deploys a neutral force to monitor a ceasefire. It accused Khartoum on Sunday of reducing the oil facility “to rubble” in an air strike, an accusation denied by Sudan. “If any damage

has occurred in Heglig it may have been on the part of the army of South Sudan,” Sudanese Information Minister Abdallah Ali Masar said. Meanwhile, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has confirmed that a UN peacekeepers’ camp was among targets bombed by Sudanese warplanes.

Kouider Zerrouk, spokesman for the UNMISS, said on Monday that there had been no casualties in Sunday’s attack. But a South Sudanese minister said that seven civilians had been killed and 14 others wounded in an attack on Mayom, while the region of Bentiu was also bombed. Gideon Gatpan, the minister, said that two bombs had fallen in the UN camp, destroying a generator and a radio. Bombing raids on Sunday also killed nine civilians in South Sudan’s Unity border state, Gatpan said. Colonel Philip Aguer, South Sudan’s military spokesman, said on Monday that Sudanese attacks had also hit oil wells in Heglig, which has been occupied by South Sudanese forces. A spokesman for Sudan’s military denied that its forces were conducting bombing raids anywhere inside South Sudan.

South Sudan said on Sunday that it had also captured at least 14 Sudanese soldiers. Fighting has been raging for almost a week since South Sudan captured Heglig, which provided half of Sudan oil needs. The African Union as well as the UN have condemned the South and asked it to withdraw its troops from Heglig.

Source: Al-Jazeera

TransLink puts brakes on transit expansion TransLink has halted its transit expansion plan as it searches for more stable funding, undergoes a government audit and considers sweeping recommendations from the TransLink Commissioner. A rapid bus along King George Boulevard in Surrey is also on hold, while upgrades to SkyTrain and SeaBus terminals may have to wait.

Karzai wants ‘intelligence failure’ probed Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has said intelligence failure allowed the Taliban to carry out the latest attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in the country. “The terrorists’ infiltration in Kabul and other provinces is an intelligence failure for us and especially for NATO and should be seriously investigated,” Karzai said in a statement on Monday. The president however, praised the “bravery and sacrifice of the security forces who quickly and timely reacted to contain the terrorists”. In his first reaction after the series of attacks targeting Western embassies and NATO bases, which continued till Monday morning, Karzai said that “Afghan security forces proved to the people that they can defend their country successfully”. Gun battles between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in the capital, Kabul, ended after almost 18 hours of fierce fighting, according to government and police officials. “The latest information we have about the Afghan parliament area is that the attack is over now and the only insurgent who was resisting has been killed,” Hashmatullah Stanikzai, the Kabul police chief’s spokesman, said on Monday. There were conflicting reports regarding the number of casualties in the co-ordinated attacks that targeted mainly western installations in Kabul, which the Taliban described as the launch of a “spring offensive”. Afghanistan’s defence ministry said 32 gunmen and three Afghan soldiers were killed in the operation against the multiple assaults, Reuters news agency reported. But Bismillah Mohammadi, the Afghan interior minister, said 36 fighters, eight members of security forces and three civilians were killed and 44 others wounded in the gun battle, the AFP news agency reported. The Afghan capital awoke on Monday to a second day of explosions and heavy gunfire as a joint operation by Afghan and international forces worked to defeat the fighters holed up in one building in the heart of the city and another near the Afghan parliament. Afghan-led forces fired one rocket-propelled grenade after another into a building in the centre of the city, where gunmen began the co-ordinated attacks on Sunday in the capital and three eastern cities. Janan Mosazai, Afghan foreign ministry spokesman, said: “It is nearly impossible to stop all attacks by terrorists who continue to have sanctuaries and receive ideological, financial and logistical support outside Afghanistan.” “We will continue to fight the terrorists who pose a threat and danger to Afghanistan’s security and stability and its young democracy,” he said. “At the same time we will continue to pursue peace efforts with armed opposition groups, including the Taliban and other groups. “And for that we are engaging not only leaders within the Taliban and other opposition groups, but also countries in the region, particularly the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

Source: Al-Jazeera

6

i n t e r n a t i o n a l

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Bahrain criticised for ‘inadequate’ reforms

Rights violations continue in Bahrain and the government’s response to the findings of an international commission of inquiry have proved inadequate, Amnesty International has said. In a report released on Tuesday, the rights group found that Bahrain had failed to achieve justice for protesters with the piecemeal reforms implemented following the November 2011 report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). The BICI, set up by King Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa submitted a hardhitting report of its investigation into human rights violations committed in connection with the antigovernment protests last year. It found that security forces had used excessive force to suppress protests and tortured detainees to extract confessions.

Amnesty’s investigation found that despite some institutional and other reforms, Bahrain’s overall response to those findings has been inadequate.

“The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the road to reform, but we continue to receive reports of torture and use of unnecessary and excessive force against protests. Their reforms have only scratched the surface,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director. “The government’s huge finan-

cial investment in international experts to help them reform will go to waste unless it shows real political will to take difficult decisions - in particular, holding to account senior members of the security forces accused of violations, releasing prisoners of conscience and addressing the underlying discrimination against the Shia majority population.” Amnesty’s report found that no senior members of Bahrain’s security forces, including the National Security Agency and Bahrain Defence Force, had been held to account for their part in last year’s violence. It also said that some security officials accused of using torture methods, and a few who were found to be responsible for the deaths of protesters, still remained in their posts. The special office created to investigate violations against protesters also lacked independence, Amnesty said, with only a small number of low-ranking officials having faced trial so far. In practice, Bahrain’s security forces remain largely unaffected by the changes called for in the BICI, Amnesty said, despite the government introducing a new code of conduct for members to follow.

Detainees also continue to face ill-treatment, including torture, in unofficial detention centres. Dozens of prisoners who were tried for participating in anti-government protests without using or advocating violence have still not been released, the rights group found. Amnesty called on the government to release all prisoners of conscience, and ensure that the changes called for in the commission of inquiry be fully implemented. “Nearly five months after the report’s publication, real change has not materialised,” Amnesty’s Sahraoui said of the BICI findings.

“It is time for the Bahraini government to match its public pronouncements with genuine actions.”

Source: Al-Jazeera

Egypt panel turns downà candidates’ appeal

The committee overseeing the Egyptian presidential election has upheld rulings disqualifying 10 candidates from the race including Hosni Mubarak’s spy chief Omar Suleiman and Salafi preacher Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, the state-owned al-Ahram newspaper has reported. Disqualification of Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat al-Shater was also upheld on Tuesday. A final list of candidates is expected to be released on April 26, just under a month before the May 23-24 vote. On Monday, the US voiced support for “free and fair” elections in Egypt but declined to wade into a debate over the disqualification of leading presidential candidates. “Our only concern is that this is a free and fair and transparent process, that it move forward in a way that meets the aspirations of the Egyptian people,” Mark Toner, the spokesman for the US state department, told reporters. The election commission had said it barred the candidates on legal grounds. Abu Ismail, a lawyer-turned-preacher with a devoted following, was reportedly barred from running because his late mother allegedly held dual American-Egyptian citizenship. Under a new Egyptian electoral law, the

candidate, the candidate’s spouse or the candidate’s parents cannot hold any citizenship other than Egyptian. Abu Ismail has questioned why the election commission had not made public the documents that allegedly prove his mother held US citizenship. Shater’s candidacy had been challenged because of his previous criminal record. Shater, who was deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood banned under Mubarak - had been in jail on charges of terrorism and money laundering. He was granted an amnesty this year. His lawyers say that this means he is allowed to run. Suleiman, Mubarak’s head of intelligence for two decades, was briefly appointed vice-president, but quit the post in February 2011 when the president resigned following weeks of mass protests against his 30-year rule. Suleiman sent his assistant to file an appeal on Sunday. Suleiman’s campaign says he was disqualified because of a problem with collecting voter endorsements.

This comes as Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt’s military leader, met with the heads of 17 political parties and groups on Sunday to discuss the dilemma surrounding the constituent assembly and the writing of the new constitution ahead of the first presidential poll. Tantawi stressed that the new constitution had to be written by June 30, in time for the new presidency. A panel created by parliament is supposed to draw up the document. Last month, the Brotherhood and other Islamists, who hold 70 per cent of parliament’s seats, formed a 100-member panel. However, a court suspended that panel due to fears that they it was trying to control the process. The parliament must still vote on the final makeup.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Britain’s Lord Nazir denies bounty offer for Obama capture

A British politician on Tuesday denied offering a 10 million pound reward for the capture of US President Barack Obama, an allegation reported then later retracted by Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper.

Nazir Ahmed, a member of parliament’s upper chamber and a long-time member of Britain’s opposition Labour party, said he was deliberately misquoted during a recent speech in an effort by political enemies in Pakistan to discredit him. “I never mentioned Obama and I never mentioned a bounty. I do not support terrorism and would never urge anybody to attack someone or capture someone,” Ahmed, who was suspended by the Labour party pending an investigation, told Reuters.

The newspaper on Tuesday said Ahmed did not say the word “bounty” or Obama’s name and that its earlier story was incorrect. Ahmed told Reuters last week that he would be ready to help raise money for the prosecution of former US President George Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for what he considered war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. His comments were in response to a US $10 million reward announced earlier this month for help in the arrest of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who is suspected of masterminding attacks in India.

Ahmed, who became Britain’s first Muslim peer in 1998, had been quoted as saying: “If the US can announce a reward of $10 million for the capture of Hafiz Saeed, I can announce a bounty of £10 million for the capture of President Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush.”

The Labor Party moved swiftly and suspended the peer on Sunday evening. “We have suspended Lord Ahmed pending investigation. If these comments are accurate we utterly condemn these remarks which are totally unacceptable,” a spokesman said. “The international community is rightly doing all in its power to seek justice for the victims of the Mumbai bombings and halt terrorism,” the spokesman added.

However, Ahmed, speaking from Pakistan on Monday, said he had only told the meeting that Bush and former Prime Minister Tony Blair should be prosecuted for war crimes. “I never said those words. I did not offer a bounty. I said that there have been war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan and those people who have got strong allegations against them – Bush and Blair have been involved in illegal wars and should be brought to justice. I do not think there’s anything wrong with that,” he said, adding that he was equally concerned that anyone suspected of terrorism should face justice as well. He challenged the party to produce evidence against him Source: DAWN

Syria : Continued from pg 1 and cities. “There should be co-ordination and planning and we should move ... step by step,” he said. “It’s not an easy process.” The group is to be reinforced by an additional 25 monitors who are expected to arrive in the next few days, he said. Hopes for the observation mission have been tempered by the failure of a previous Arab League mission which was hampered by regime restrictions on movement, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon has demanded his monitors be given free access. Activist reports of shelling against opposition strongholds by Syrian government forces appeared to deal a fresh blow to the ceasefire. While the overall level of violence is down since the ceasefire formally took effect on Thursday, the regime has stepped up attacks. The number of people killed every day has also risen steadily since a brief lull that coincided with the start of the truce. Activists reported at least 26 people killed on Monday. Army tanks were reported to have shelled the southern town of Busra al-Harir, killing at least two people, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The town, about 70km south of the capital of Damascus, is considered a stronghold of anti-government Free Syrian Army fighters. Government forces also shelled the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood in the central city of Homs, a centre of the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Observatory.

Areas of Homs have been under continuous attack for weeks, with only a short lull on the first day of the ceasefire, according to activists.

Source: Al-Jazeera

7

e d i t o r i a l

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

LET US STRENGTHEN OUR FAMILIES

With the exception of a single individual, a family is the smallest possible unit of the group of the persons; the least of which may be comprised of two individuals only.

In the greater part, the families are found to be sharing the bonds of unshakable nature, primarily because of the ties of common blood and ancestry and marital relationships. Indubitably, these bonds often contribute a great deal towards the intensification of the family bonds and making good times much better and bad times more endurable in life. These are lifelong bonds, thus, are required to be strengthened all the time. The traits that often characterize the strong relationship between the various members of the same family are indisputably the cornerstones of the love, care, happiness, amity and harmony of the family in entirety. This, however, squarely depends on the following, amongst other factors: Loyalty: This is usually contained in the appreciation and recognition of the genuine needs and goals of the rest of the members of the family-fold and the extension of the requisite support and encouragement for the realization of the same. Sometimes senior or junior members of the family are further required to accord proper respect and honor to one another and sacrifice their own cherished dreams for the fulfillment of the objectives of the others. Besides, there are the ties of the parents-children relation-

L E T T E R S

&

ships in every family unit. It is the bounden duty of both sides to show respect and consideration for each other at all the times, specifically at the time of conflicts on any issue. To ensure unanimity, accord and concurrence in the family, it is the required obligation of the younger generation to take care of all requirements of their elders and make them available to them well in time and in the best possible manner (and to their satisfaction, so far as it is possible). Likewise, it is equally imperative for the elders of the family too to be equally considerate to the younger generation in the matters of their genuine goals, desires and aspirations. This will lead to the successful avoidance of the lot of unwarranted bickering in the family and go afar to bridge the generation gaps in between them.

Adjustments and Flexibility: It has been observed very commonly that in the families holding strong ties, members are willing to accept compromises at most of the times willfully and with understanding, rather than resentment. Although the elders remain in charge, however, the decisionmaking is shared with the youngsters, as far as possible. This should be encouraged as much as possible, for attitude of rigidity in affairs of the family often weakens the domestic ties and persuades the young generation to raise heads in rebellion and disobedience, which undoubtedly provides

O P I N I O N S

When the Pupil is ready, the Teacher appears

By M Hajee, Surrey The Chinese have known this for thousands of years; we are just waking up to it: When the Pupil is ready, the Teacher appears.

If a person is not receptive to what you have to say, no matter what you do or say, it will not make a difference. Take the example of today’s disobedient Teens. The parents can give all kinds of advice, but if the child is too busy being “one of the gang”, the advice will fall on deaf ears. Yet the same advice, on someone who is ready for it, will soak it up and act upon it. How many times have parents seen that one child behaves totally differently from another one raised in the same household!

The Quran, and indeed mankind’s history, is full of examples: The Pharaoh was not receptive to Hazrat Musa, so no matter what he did or said, it made no difference to the Pharaoh.

Yet some of his subjects willingly converted to Hazrat Musa’s way of thought. When our beloved Rasul delivered his message to some cities, they outright rejected him, cursed him and chased him away. Yet the same message found willing listeners in

other cities.

Your recent stories of a young boy who “discovered” Islam, or the lady who accepted and recited the Shahada, all bear testimony to what the Chinese have been saying for thousands of years: When the Pupil is ready, the Teacher appears.

It is our duty as Muslims to spread the message of Islam to any one and everyone, by whatever means possible: publishing letters in papers, message boards on various fora, talking to our friends and classmates, etc. Someone somewhere will read the article or follow the argument and be totally repulsed by it; yet someone else will read the same words and will be convinced it is the truth.

You never know who will accept and act upon the advice.

Remember, Allah will ask you: What did you do with your knowledge?

Are you ready with the answer?

IMPORTANT NOTE: We do not publish anonymous letters or the letters of the people who do not disclose their identity to ‘The Miracle.’ A writer can use a pen name or request ‘The Miracle’ to withhold his / her identity.

Please include your daytime telephone number for the confirmation of your letter. We regret the inconvenience.

fuel to the fire and leads the family only towards the direction of disharmony.

Time together: It is an essential feature of the strong-bonded families to share on regular basis their meals and other household activities. This promotes their inter se socialization and exchange of the views on the matters of common family concerns. Besides, their get-together on regular basis creates the chain of continuity from one generation to the other and, thus, goes a long way to plug in the gaps of their varied mode of thinking. Furthermore, the members of such family are bestowed with ample time and patience to listen to and understand each other by comfortably expressing their needs and emotions at the family events. Since every member has the same amount of voice in the family affairs, no one feels neglected or isolated. In such an environment, none feels shy to apologize even for his erroneous sayings and actions.

Voluntary Spirit: Owing to the congenial and friendly environment found prevalent in a strong family, its members are frequently found participating in different capacities on voluntary basis, in one or the other organization of the community. Such type of voluntary social service in their community often brings for them very rich dividends of visible and invisible nature.

Thus, they happen to be the valuable asset

of their community and are always backed by the community in their pursuits. Thus, with the massive support of the community it is not beyond possibility that someday there may wide open for that family both the doors of the Federal or Provincial legislature.

Thus, there is no denying that the energy, security and strength that often emanates from a well-knit and supportive family can make easier for the community to face any challenge, howsoever, big or small that may be. It has, therefore, been rightly stated that only strong families make strong communities and strong communities alone enjoy the distinct privilege to make strong nations. For this reason, it is of the essence for every Canadian of any origin to strengthen his family, so that it is able to contribute, as per its might, towards growth and further escalation of the society. By doing so, the strong family would not only be able to carve the niche for itself, but will also play a predominant role in making the presence of the community felt more in the Diaspora of the Canadian communities.

Waan laysa lil insani illa ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC) During the month of Ramadan, we need HUFFAZ (memorizers of the holy Qur’an) for Taraweeh prayers. Please contact me immediately, if you are a Hafiz and interested in leading the Taraweeh prayers.

You must be a Canadian resident and follow the AQEEDAH of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama’t, Hanafi Fiqh.

1. Calgary: Five Huffaz needed 3. Toronto: Two Huffaz needed 5. Edmonton: One Hafiz needed

2. Montreal: One Hafiz needed 4. Vancouver: One Hafiz needed

Thanks,

Syed Soharwardy Phone: 403-831-6330

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ALL READERS The Miracle Media Group has been serving the community for almost 11 years.

The management has kept and maintained newspaper boxes at the entrances of the Mosques entrances for the facility of Miracle’s readers to avoid violation of any regulations by the mosques. It also keeps the newspapers to be scattered around the place by wind and other elements and inadvertently, creating a problem on Mosque premises. We also avoid forcefully distributing the copies in your hands and leave it on your discretion to pick up the copy at your convenience without disrespecting Islamic literature and pictures. Therefore, we request all of you to continue using the newspaper boxes to obtain a copy of your favorite newspaper.

In spite of repeated requests, it is being observed that different newspapers are still using Miracle boxes without prior consent.

Such businesses are asked to respect business ethics and principles.

Miracle Management

Miracle Media Group Inc.©

Contact Info Mailing and Office Address 9160-136A Street Surrey BC. V3V 7Z8 Canada Fax: 604-582-7809

Founder : Nusrat Hussain Managing Editor: M. Naseer Pirzada Sub-Editors: Khadija, Misbah & Sabeeh Hon. Chief Editor & Urdu Editor Mohammad Rafiq Advertising : info@miraclenews.com Ph: 604-690-0400 Email: naseer@telus.net,

Editorial Board : Mr.Shums Jillani, Mr Aslam Hayat, Azhar Syed, Mr. Shams Siddiqui, M.A.L. Naumani, Mr Tariq Mian Graphic Design: Design Teams Copyright ® 2001 Miracle Media Group Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in Canada

Attention: The opinions expressed herein contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of ‘The Miracle’. These are offered as a means for ‘The Miracle’ to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of ‘Bringing Harmony To All The Communities.’

Phone: 604-690-0400 -Email: miraclenews@telus.net, info@miraclenews.com ,Website: www.miraclenews.com

Contents Editorial & Letters Int. News Local Special Articles Faith Health Sports Urdu

7 5,6 13 14,20,21 16, 25 8 15 27 28-36

8

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

f a i t h

The Destroyed Generations

By: Atiya Islam The message of Allah has been sent to all previous generations through various Prophets. Whenever the transgression of a generations exceeded, Allah destroyed them all because of their iniquities except a few whom he pleased. Allah sent Prophets after Prophets but there were always a large number of people who ridiculed the signs of Allah. Allah tells us in the Quran to reflect upon the stories of the old and to learn a lesson from their fate. The final result of their constant transgression was destruction. When punishment came to these sinners their only last utterance was: “Indeed we did wrong” (7:5). In the end they did cry for mercy but it was no longer time for being saved (38:3).

Surat number 7, Al-A’raf, tells us about some of these incidents that has taken place in the world. The whole Surat is logically built up and guides you step by step with information that will make you reflect. In the very beginning of this chapter we are being told that the Quran has been revealed to warn the ones who err and to teach the ones who believe. Further we are being introduced to the story of Adam and Eve in the garden and how Iblis made them disobey Allah and promised to seduce men and to misled them from the straight way. The consequences of it was that Allah made the earth a dwelling place for mankind and gave them a respite until the day of Judgment.

Another important point in this Surat is in verses 7:38-41. Every time a company of evil people will enter the Fire of hell, they will curse the people who went before.

They will blame their evil deeds on the earlier generation and say that they were misled. But their curse will have no effect.

Both parties will receive a double penalty.

The first generation will get penalty for their own bad sins and for setting up bad example to the next generation. The later generation will get double penalty for their own bad sins and for the failure in learning from the past generation.

Some of the historical events taken place in the past:

Noah (r.a.)

7:59 We sent Noah to his people. He said: “O my people! worship Allah. ye have no other god but Him. I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day!

7:60 The leaders of his people said: “Ah! we see thee evidently wandering (in mind).”

7:61 He said: “O my people! No wandering is there in my (mind): on the contrary I am an apostle from the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds!

7:62 “I but fulfil towards you the duties of my Lord’s mission: Sincere is my advice to you, and I know from Allah something that ye know not.

7:63 “Do ye wonder that there hath come to you a message from your Lord, through a man of your own people, to warn you,- so that ye may fear Allah and happily receive His Mercy?”

7:64 But they rejected him, and We delivered him, and those with him, in the Ark: but We overwhelmed in the flood those who rejected Our signs. They were indeed a blind people!

Hud (r.a.)

7:65 To the ‘Ad people, (We sent) Hud, one of their (own) brethren: He said: O my people! worship Allah. ye have no other god but Him will ye not fear ((Allah))?”

7:66 The leaders of the Unbelievers among his people said: “Ah! we see thou art an

imbecile!” and “We think thou art a liar!”

7:67 He said: “O my people! I am no imbecile, but (I am) an apostle from the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds!

7:68 “I but fulfil towards you the duties of my Lord’s mission: I am to you a sincere and trustworthy adviser.

7:69 “Do ye wonder that there hath come to you a message from your Lord through a man of your own people, to warn you? call in remembrance that He made you inheritors after the people of Noah, and gave you a stature tall among the nations. Call in remembrance the benefits (ye have received) from Allah. that so ye may prosper.”

7:70 They said: “Comest thou to us, that we may worship Allah alone, and give up the cult of our fathers? bring us what thou threatenest us with, if so be that thou tellest the truth!”

7:71 He said: “Punishment and wrath have already come upon you from your Lord: dispute ye with me over names which ye have devised - ye and your fathers,- without authority from Allah. then wait: I am amongst you, also waiting.”

7:72 We saved him and those who adhered to him. By Our mercy, and We cut off the roots of those who rejected Our signs and did not believe.

Salih (r.a.)

worlds,7:105 One for whom it is right to say nothing but truth about Allah. Now have I come unto you (people), from your Lord, with a clear (Sign): So let the Children of Israel depart along with me.”

7:132 They said (to Moses): “Whatever be the Signs thou bringest, to work therewith thy sorcery on us, we shall never believe in thee.

7:133 So We sent (plagues) on them: Wholesale death, Locusts, Lice, Frogs, And Blood: Signs openly self-explained: but they were steeped in arrogance,- a people given to sin.

7:134 Every time the penalty fell on them, they said: “O Moses! on your behalf call on thy Lord in virtue of his promise to thee: If thou wilt remove the penalty from us, we shall truly believe in thee, and we shall send away the Children of Israel with thee.”

7:135 But every time We removed the penalty from them according to a fixed term which they had to fulfill,- Behold! they broke their word!

7:136 So We exacted retribution from them: We drowned them in the sea, because they rejected Our Signs and failed to take warning from them.

History shows us that Allah has punished people severely by drowning them on the sea, by earthquakes, by flood, a shower of brimstones, by suffering, adversity and plagues like: wholesale death, locusts, lice, frogs and blood.

To every people there is a term appointed, and when the term has been appointed it cannot be delayed by even an hour.

Respite itself can be a mercy if used in Allah’s way but for the unbelievers the respite can be granted in order to make the sinners grow in their iniquities to make them deserve their upcoming punishment.

Allah’s scheme is strong (7:183). A sinner or a believer will never be dealth unjustly in the very last.

Allah gave the rebellious many opportunities but they continued rejecting Him until it was too late and a calamity came on them. We are coming closer and closer to the time of reckoning. Our lesson is to learn from the past before there will come a time when we will regret. Surat Al-A’raf ends with encouraging verses that tells us to read the Quran and accept Allah’s guid-

7:73 To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said: “O my people! worship Allah. ye have no other god but Him. Now hath come unto you a clear (Sign) from your Lord! This she-camel of Allah is a Sign unto you: So leave her to graze in Allah’s earth, and let her come to no harm, or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment.

7:74 “And remember how He made you inheritors after the ‘Ad people and gave you habitations in the land: ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in (open) plains, and care out homes in the mountains; so bring to remembrance the benefits (ye have received) from Allah, and refrain from evil and mischief on the earth.”

7:75 The leaders of the arrogant party among his people said to those who were reckoned powerless - those among them who believed: “know ye indeed that Salih is an apostle from his Lord?” They said: “We do indeed believe in the revelation which hath been sent through him.”

7:76 The Arrogant party said: “For our part, we reject what ye believe in.”

7:77 Then they ham-strung the she-camel, and insolently defied the order of their Lord, saying: “O Salih! bring about thy threats, if thou art an apostle (of Allah.!”)

From March 7:78 So the earthquake J.ul. T April Day took them unawares, and 28 Fri 20 they lay prostrate in their homes in the morning!

29 Sat 21 7:79 So Salih left them, J.ul. S1 22 Sun saying: “O my people! I 2 23 Mon did indeed convey to you 3 Tue 24 the message for which I was sent by my Lord: I 4 25 Wed gave you good counsel, 5 26 Thu but ye love not good coun6 Fri 27 sellors!”

Moses (r.a.)

7:103 Then after them We sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they wrongfully rejected them: So see what was the end of those who made mischief.

7:104 Moses said: “O Pharaoh! I am an apostle from the Lord of the

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

28 29 30 May 1 2 3 4

Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

Hadith Qudsi 3: On the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhaniyy (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what your Lord has said? They said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-andsuch a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars.

ance - if not we will be punished in ways we cant even imagine.

7:204 When the Qur’an is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace: that ye may receive Mercy.

7:205 And do thou (O reader!) Bring thy Lord to remembrance in thy (very) soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not thou of those who are unheedful.

7:206 Those who are near to thy Lord, disdain not to do Him worship: They celebrate His praises, and bow down before Him. The time has arrived for the believers to put their hearts in humility and to engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the truth that has been revealed. We should not become like those of the old whose hearts grew hard (57:16). We are created to obey Allah and we all have a personal responsibility of not to listen to the evil whispers of Iblis. Our present generation is critical because Muhammad (saw) was the last in the range of the messengers.

There will come no more Prophets of Allah in the future. The present generation is critical because when it will be destroyed, no new generation will be established after us. There will be given no more respite to any new people. The only thing after this will be The Akhirah - The Day of Judgment.

Source: The Glorious Quran - translated

by Yusuf Ali

9 - 23, 2012 (R.ul Thani-2-16, 1433H) Fajar 4:41 4:39 4:37 4:35 4:33 4:31 4:29 4:27 4:26 4:24 4:22 4:21 4:20 4:18 4:16

SunR Zawa1 Dhuhr 1:11 1:16 6:11 1:11 1:16 6:09 1:11 1:16 6:07 1:11 1:16 6:05 1:11 1:15 6:03 1:10 1:15 6:01 1:10 1:15 5:59 1:10 1:15 5:57 1:10 1:15 5:56 1:10 1:15 5:54 1:10 1:15 5:52 1:09 1:14 5:51 1:09 1:14 5:50 1:09 1:14 5:48 1:09 1:14 5:46

AQEEM USS SALAAT

Isha Asr Maghrib 9:45 6:04 8:18 9:46 6:05 8:20 9:48 6:06 8:21 9:50 6:07 8:23 9:51 6:08 8:25 9:53 6:09 8:26 9:55 6:10 8:27 9:56 6:12 8:29 9:57 6:13 8:31 9:59 6:14 8:32 6:15 8:33 10:01 6:16 8:35 10:02 6:17 8:37 10:03 6:18 8:38 10:05 6:19 8:39 10:07 Source: BCMA

(Establish Prayer)

9

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

p o l i t i c s

Breivik’s Toxic Legacy

By Aslak Sira Myhre, The Guardian The terror of Oslo and Utøya has given us Norwegians a shared trauma that will stay with us for ever. We are also bonded by our sympathy for the survivors, and the family and friends of the 77 people killed last July.

In the aftermath of the attack we gathered in marches and public displays of sorrow.

But I fear this response differs little from how we would have reacted to a natural disaster or a fatal accident of the same dimensions. As the trial against selfconfessed killer Anders Behring Breivik starts, Norwegian politics seems to be back to normal. Though Behring Breivik’s deeds, trial and psyche totally dominate the national media, we seem to be shying away from the political matters close to the terrorist’s heart.

This winter Norway signed an agreement to return young asylum seekers to Ethiopia.

These children have lived all their lives in our country, they speak Norwegian and go to Norwegian schools. A coalition of organisations tried to stop this forced return to an unstable dictatorship, but the deportations seem likely to begin. The love that should be the answer to Behring Breivik’s hatred has not extended to these children, nor to Palestinians, Kurds or other refugees.

In the same manner, the debate on Islam and Islamophobia has hardened rather than softened after 22/7. In the aftermath of the killings, some anti-Islamic organisations

and websites showed remorse, but that phase passed, and now the venom is even stronger.

Those who insist that Islam poses a threat to Europeans and Norwegians, and claim the past 1,500 years is a story of a neverending clash between a Christian civilisation and Islamic barbary, are just as insistent as before. Instead of opening a door to decent debate, the terror has cemented divisions. Both rightwing politicians, and anti-islamic webpages sites like document. no has after some months of afterthought return to business as usual. Norwegian newspapers still have to shut down their web debates due to verbal abuse every time an article or comment on Islam or immigration is published.

Both these subjectsgo to the core of Behring Breivik’s ideology. And even though many words have been used to declare how 22/7 has and will change Norway, it is still exactly the same people who oppose the inhumanity of our immigration policies, and the same rightwingers who criticise anything that looks like “giving in to Islam”. Alongside this, the Islamophobes object to claims that they have something in common with Behring Breivik, and they are now fighting even harder to defend their paranoia.

After the attack, prime minister Stoltenberg stated that Norway’s response would be more democracy and more openness.

Human Care BC Society, Vancouver, B.C.

APRIL 2012 AN APPEAL FOR FIJI FLOOD SEEING THE CRITICAL NEED FOR IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY AID THE HUMAN CARE BC SOCIETY IS REPEATING ITS APPEAL FOR THE VICTIMS OF FIJI FLOOD FOR AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE Fiji Is Experiencing A Severe Flooding (March 29th To Date) Which Is Worst Of Any Flood Fiji Ever Saw. There Is Devastation All Over The Islands.

People Did Not Recover From The January Mishap, And This Act Of Mother Nature Has Sent The Entire Population, Years Behind.

All Schools In The Low Lying Areas Have Been Closed For A Week Now And The Chance Of Reopening Soon Is Very Slim.

MORE ARE AT RISK OF SUFFERING FROM FOOD AND MEDICATION SHORTAGE IF WE DONOT PLAY OUR ROLE NOW THE HUMAN CARE BC SOCIETY, WITH YOUR HELP HAS DISPATCHED A CONTAINER LOAD OF FOOD HAMPERS AND CLOTHING AND IS PLANNING TO SEND MORE FOOD AND RATION VOUCHERS TO THE NEEDY, BY THE 15TH OF APRIL* (*THIS WILL COINCIDE WITH THE ARRIVAL OF OUR CONTAINER IN FIJI)

EACH FOOD VOUCHER IN FIJI WILL BE FOR

FIJI $50 WHICH MEANS CDN$30, ONLY e.g. 10 VOUCHERS = $300.00 PLEASE PLEDGE AS MANY VOUCHERS AS YOU CAN. TO PICK YOUR PLEDGE AND FUND, YOU MAY PHONE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING DIRECTORS: 1. ADAM BUKSH 2. IMRAN ALI 3. AHMED ALI 4. HASSAN MALLAM 5. DAUD BUKSH 6. ABDUL JALIL 7. SAIYED ALI 8. IRSHAD MOHAMMED 9. NIZAMUDDIN DEAN

PRESIDENT TREASURER SECRETARY MEMBER MEMBER MEMBER MEMBER MEMBER MEMBER

604 596 7865 604 597 7721 604 591 7631 604 572 8123 604 590 6332 604 597 0321 604 599 9557 604 594 7869 604 582 8651

Politicians of all parties joined him in a declaration that the elections last September would be the nation’s answer to the terror. People should turn up and vote to defend democracy. But the count showed no significant growth in turnout.

The debate and discourse on the terror of 22/7 is more and more focused on details: of the act itself, of the mistakes of the police and government and, most of all, of Behring Breivik’s biography. We are looking so intensely into the eyes of the terrorist that we are becoming blind. We know all his guns, his suits and uniforms, his family and friends. He is becoming a celebrity, an icon of evil. But we close our eyes to the fact that Behring Breivik’s worldview is shared by many all over Europe.

The collective disgust for his acts is not matched by the same unanimous disgust for his motives. On YouTube, underneath the BBC’s September documentary on 22/7, you can read comments such as the following, by people who claim to be Norwegian: “this what happens when you destroy once a peaceful nation like Norway when you bring Muslims , Africans and 3rd world scum”.

The Norwegian prime minister, and many

with him, said we should not let the terrorist change us. We have succeeded to the extent that debating Behring Breivik’s connection to contemporary political life has become taboo. I believe we should change after Utøya. We should reconsider the most serious question of them all: how do we deal with a future where people of different religions and cultures live side by side in Europe? And how do we deal with the

ideology that tells us this is impossible? We need to poison the soil that Behring Breivik grew from.

This is what is at stake during Behring Breivik’s trial: more than his punishment, it is how we will understand 22/7. What will our children read in their textbooks in 15 years’ time? Will it be seen as the mad act of Behring Breivik alone, or as the product of a growing Islamophobia and political hatred? The conclusion will follow us for generations.

10

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Thousands of American, Canadian and British Muslims protest against Taliban and the Government of Pakistan

The streets across the Embassies and Consulates of Pakistan in London, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary were filled with protestors chanting slogans against the Taliban and against the Government of Pakistan. They were protesting the barbaric murders of innocent Shia Muslims on April 02, 2012, where buses travelling between Rawalpindi and Gilgit were stopped in Chilas and the Shia Muslims were identified and brutally slaughtered by the Taliban as their families watched and screamed in horror. The protestors also expressed their pain and anger at the ongoing genocide in Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and other areas of Pakistan and demanded an immediate end to the killings.

Speakers at the rallies categorically stated that they are not protesting against Pakistan or against any sect of Islam. They are against the extremist ideology followed by the murderers committing the massacres, against the Government of Pakistan for failing to close schools that preach hatred and the Government’s inaction against the barbaric killers who graduate from these Saudi-funded hate schools.

The largest rallies were taken out in Washington DC (USA), London (UK) and Toronto (Canada), where thousands of Muslims belonging to various sects of Islam gathered to show their solidarity with the victims.

They raised the slogans of “Shias and Sunnis are brothers”, “Long live Pakistan” and

“Shame Shame Taliban”. The participants of the Washington DC rally had traveled from Houston, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Atlanta and other cities to register their protest. These were the largest protest ever held against the Government of Pakistan and showcased the extreme pain and anger felt by the British, American and Canadian Muslims.

Hundreds also gathered in Los Angeles, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton to show their solidarity with the victims whose eyes were gouged out and heads smashed with rocks in front of their families without any reason.

The Saturday protests in USA, UK and Canada were called in solidarity with the protes-

tors in Pakistan who staged a long sit-in at the parliament house in Islamabad to press for the arrest of the murderers. Delegation of the protestors across North America and Europe met with the officials at the Pakistani Embassies and Consulates and submitted their demands for the Government to take action against the perpetrators within 15 days and to take concrete steps to end the ongoing genocide. The protestors passed a resolution that if the Government does not arrest the perpetrators within 15 days they will hold larger and frequent protests across North America and Europe and will take their case to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.

The inconvenient truth the Pentagon would prefer we didn’t see The LA Times released new photos Wednesday of US soldiers posing in a celebratory manner with the corpses of dead Afghan suicide bombers. The photos were provided by a soldier from the 82nd Airborne division who felt that they revealed a “breakdown in leadership and discipline”, with the hope that the photos would force the Army to correct this situation.

However, US military officials requested the LA Times not publish any of the photos. The Pentagon statement argued that the photos “do not represent the character and professionalism of the great majority of our troops in Afghanistan” and that the photos “have the potential to indict” all of our troops in Afghanistan “in the minds of local Afghans, inciting violence and perhaps causing needless casualties”.

Treating these photos as an isolated incident by a few bad apples is the Pentagon’s second favorite response to news of our troops committing shameful acts overseas.

This was how they treated the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the rape and murder of A’beer Qassim al-Janabi (a 15-year-old Iraqi girl), the Haditha Massacre, the “kill

team” in Afghanistan, the Marines who urinated on dead Afghans, the recent murder of 16 Afghan civilians, and many similar incidents. If we count all the times US officials have claimed that the abhorrent and embarrassing acts of US troops overseas were isolated incidents, the numbers would reveal that this sort of behavior is actually quite regular.

The Pentagon’s preferred response to these sorts of incidents is to claim that acknowledging them puts our troops overseas in danger, because news of these incidents could enrage the populations that we victimized and provoke them to attack our troops. Thus, these incidents are better kept a secret.

There are several things that trouble me about this line of logic. First, it implies that the blame for the harm that comes to our troops falls on Afghan insurgents, not on the politicians and generals who sent soldiers to Afghanistan. This rhetorical sleight of hand shifts the blame from the architects of the occupation to the people we are occupying.

More importantly, this type of reasoning

Newborn and Children Circumcision (Khatna) Dr. Kim-Sing is a practicing Pediatrician in Burnaby with over 20 years of experience.

The Circumcision is performed under local anesthetic and virtually complication free.

For appointment and inquiry Contact Dr. Malcolm Kim-Sing, MB, FRCP

604-433-5750 108-3825 Sunset Street, Burnaby, B.C V5G 1T4

reveals just how little we care about bringing democracy to Afghanistan, because Afghan opinion is regarded as an obstacle to be forestalled or overcome. The “white man’s burden” is still very much alive in American war culture.

Very few Americans question the assumption that we know what is best for Afghans; we don’t feel that they have a right to object to what we are doing in their country.

So when some Afghans resist and fight back, we consider it to be criminal.

Our goal, then, is to keep Afghans passive, rather than treating them as rational actors and encouraging them to have a voice. If Afghans want something other than what the Pentagon wants, it is deemed irrelevant; and our actions that might enrage them (since, again, they are not rational actors) are best kept a secret.

The Pentagon rhetoric is meant to deflect attention from all the moral questions that American citizens should be engaging in and focus their attention on the plight of our troops. Honest public discourse would

address a persistent pattern of brutal and inhuman behavior by our troops and why that sort of behavior is to be expected in this war with all of its ideological distortions and immoral foundations. And it would address the right of Afghans to resist the imposition of our policies in their country, and the callousness of our leaders for putting our troops in harm’s way by asking them to violate the rights of Afghans.

These photos do not reveal an individual instance of “breakdown in leadership and discipline”, but rather the reality of an immoral occupation. Revealing such photos to the public will not endanger our troops any more than a continuation of this war will. It is the simple fact of the occupation of Afghanistan that is the real inciter of violence. And as long as US chooses to continue the occupation, more Afghan and American lives will be lost.

BULLAY SHAH ACADEMY OF CANADA Pir Afzal Ahmed Naqashbandi S.R. Pirzada Syed Wali Hussain Shah Astana-e-Alia Shahenshah-e-Weelayt Hazrat Qiblah-Sheik-ul-Hadith Gujrat-Pakistan We invite brothers & sisters every last Saturday of the month for the Holy Darse Quran @ 6:00pm

Visit Us at:- Club House of Mandley Village Unit 33, 12110 75A Ave. Surrey.

Tel/Fax: 604-592-9416 , Cell: 604-760-0096

11

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Exclusive Country Independence Day Feature

SYRIA

The national day of Syria is celebrated on April 17. This day commemorates Syria’s freedom from France. A treaty of independence was negotiated by Syria and France in September 1936. Since the French Legislature refused to ratify this treaty, it never came into force. Syria proclaimed its independence in 1941, but it was only in 1944 that it was recognized as an independent republic.

By 1946, French troops had left the place. The independence came when the last French soldier left the territory of Syrian Arab Republic.

This is a real celebration day for the nation as the country gained independence after a series of long struggle and political upheavals. In fact every year, Syria Independence Day is considered to be the national holiday. Syria Independence Day ended the long waged war with France.

In 1920, the Syrian army under the leadership of Yousef Al-Azmah organized a planned struggle against the powerful French at Maisaloun, proclaiming the beginning of the war.

On 30th September 1918, Damascus attained liberation and

(April 17, 1946)

the city saw the establishment of an Arabian government.

But the French had some other diplomatic plans in mind.

Taking help from the British, the French army proceeded towards Damascus to partition the ‘Bilad-esh-Sham’ and defeat the young Syrian armed forces in the war front of Maysaloun. However, with the Sykes-Picot treaty, the war came to an end but led to the division of the Syrian mainland into four distinct states. Syria together with Lebanon was clubbed under a French mandate, while Trans-Jordanian region and Palestine were given to the British mandate. In fact, the entire Syrian mainland was segregated into different administrative provinces, leading to a total re-shuffling of the country’s political situation.

Yet, revolts continued to take place in different parts of then country, probably because the inhabitants were not satisfied with the then political re-organization. Rebellion raged in various parts of the country, to protest against the French occupation on the land. The most prominent among these rebels was the 1925 Great Syrian Revolt. Together with a handful of small rebellious struggles which followed, the country ultimately advanced towards becoming an independent nation, with complete autonomy on political grounds. With autonomous powers in hand, Syria then became the founding member of the League of Arab States and the United Nations Organization in 1945. Syrian Arab Republic is located in Western Asia. It shares its borders with Lebanon and Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordon to the south, and Israel to the southwest.

Geographic coordinate: 32 38N, 35 43E. Capital: Damascus The largest city is Aleppo.73.4 square miles and has an estimated population of 2,301,570.

Area: 71,479 square miles, 185,180 km2 (89th largest country in the world)

Population: 22,717,417. Syria is predominantly a Muslim state: 87% of the population is Muslim.

Christian and Druze are the religious minorities in the country, constituting 10% and 3% of the population respectively.

Currency: The Syrian Pound (SYP) Border Linked: It lies 45 kilometers east of the SyrianTurkish border Official Language: Arabic, Apart from Arabic, Kurdish, English, French Armenian and Turkish are also spoken.

Syria is a single-party state: Syrian government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

The executive branch comprises the president, two vice presidents, the prime minister, and the Council of Ministers.

Education: is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 12. Schooling consists of 6 years of primary education followed by a 3-year general or vocational training period and a 3-year academic or vocational program. The second 3-year period of academic training is required for university admission. Total enrollment at post-secondary schools is over 150,000. The literacy rate of Syrians aged 15 and older is 90.7% for males and 82.2% for females Government Unitary presidential republic: President Bashar al-Assad & Legislature People’s Council Independence: From France 17 April. & From the United Arab Republic 28 September 1961 GDP (PPP) 2011 estimate: Total $105.238 billion (65th) Per capita US$5,043[2] (114th) Currency: Syrian pound (SYP) Time zone: EET (UTC+2) - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Drives on the Right Calling code: 9632

Current conflict in Syria Anti-Government protests and violence: 2011-2012 Peaceful anti-government protests began in February-March 2011 and spread from Dar’a to Al Ldhiqiyah, Baniyas, Damascus, Dayr Az Zawr, Homs, Hama and Idlib.

Protesters, calling for far-reaching legal, economic and political reforms and, subsequently, the toppling of President Assad, were soon met with violence by the Government’s army, security forces and militias .President Assad announced steps toward reform in April, including lifting the state of emergency in effect in the country since 1963, and again in August, such as electoral reform and preparing a new constitution) Violence has nevertheless continued and the strength of the opposition, composed largely of defectors from the Syrian army, has grown. By March 2012, the main armed opposition group, the Free Syrian Army, claimed its numbers had risen to 70,000. There are reports of violent attacks by both government forces and opposition groups. On 8 November 2011, the OHCHR listed the number of civilians killed by state forces since March 2011 at 3,500; that number has since risen to March 2012 high estimates of 7,000 civilian casualties out of approximately 10,000 overall deaths.

Reports of abuses during the conflict There have been numerous reports of abuses, mainly by state forces, during the Syrian conflict. The UN international commission of inquiry listed excessive use of force and extrajudicial executions, including orders to shoot without warning and to shoot to kill, as well as killings of soldiers refusing to carry out orders to shoot civilians. Arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, sexual violence and violations of children’s rights were further identified

by the UN commission, leading it to express grave concern at this all amounting to crimes against humanity committed against the Syrian population. International NGOs have also issued reports on abuses (for a full list, see International Other section).

Human Rights Watch has also indicated its assessment of abuses by government forces as amounting to crimes against humanity. It particularly identified the use of torture, including against children and in hospitals, as well as the use of sniper fire and mortars, and of banned antipersonnel and anti vehicle landmines along the borders with Turkey and Lebanon. Amnesty International has echoed such reports.

Reports of abuses by armed opposition groups have also emerged. Human Rights Watch has pointed to “kidnapping, detention, and torture of security force members, government supporters, and people identified as members of pro-government militias”, as well as executions by armed opposition groups of security force members and civilians. The U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict has expressed concern that the Free Syrian Army was recruiting child soldiers.

International response to the conflict The violence in Syria has drawn increasing condemnation, with the United States and European Union imposing sanctions. A UN Security Council resolution based on Art. 41 of the UN Charter were vetoed by China and Russia on 4 October 2011. A work plan to end the violence and protect citizens was announced by the League of Arab States on 2 November 2011, to which Syria formally agreed. However, the continued violence and non-implementation of the agreement led the League to suspend Syrian membership as well as to impose economic and political sanctions. The UN General

Assembly has condemned the “continued widespread and systematic human rights violations by the Syrian authorities.”

Mr. Kofi Annan was appointed as Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States in February 2012, with the mission of “bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations, and promoting a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis.” On 27 March 2012, it was announced that the Syrian Government had agreed to a six-point plan put forth by the Special Envoy.

Clashes between government forces and the Syrian opposition continued into April 2012, despite efforts by the international community to end the violence. The appointment of Kofi Annan as UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy to Syria led to a 16 March presentation to the Security Council of a six-point plan, which included a ceasefire deadline of 10 April, the end of government troop movements towards population centers, the withdrawal

of heavy weapons and troop withdrawal.

Contrary to skepticism from the international community - including France and the United States - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted Annan’s proposal for the ceasefire. The Security Council, after being briefed by Annan on 2 April, issued a presidential statement on 5 April in support of the plan and calling on the government to follow through on its pledge, and on all

parties to cease armed violence. Additional demands made by the Syrian government on 8 April - including a written ceasefire agreement and observer mission deployment occurring simultaneously with the

ceasefire – were refused by the Syrian opposition; the armed opposition group Free Syrian Army warned they would resume attacks if the government did not adhere to ceasefire deadlines.

Despite the 10 April deadline – and complete ceasefire deadline of 12 April - set by Kofi Annan, attacks continued with no sign of troop withdrawal. According to Syrian National Council representatives in Geneva, over 1,000 civilians were killed in the first two weeks of April, with shelling and mortar fire in the northern village of Marea and the city of Homs on 10 April. Reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch highlighted ongoing rights abuses, from the arrest of minors to extrajudicial executions. The impact of the conflict began taking its toll on the countries bordering Syria, with over 24,000 Syrians occupying the Turkish refugee camp of Kilis, which reportedly came under fire from government forces on 9 April; meanwhile Lebanese opposition leader Amin Gemayel has voiced concern that the fighting could spill over into Lebanon.

12

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

youth

12 Tips for Muslim Youth

Why should you, a young Muslim, be helping to bring your friends closer to Allah?

After all, you’ve got your own struggles to deal with: trying to explain why you pray to hostile teachers, Hijab discrimination, standing up in class when the professor attacks Islam, dealing with parents who think you’ve gone nuts because you’re growing a beard, or all the other difficulties faced by a number of practicing Muslim youth?

Islam was never meant to be an individualistic faith, reserved for the “chosen few”. Muslims have a duty to spread the Deen, and practicing Muslim youth, whether beginners, activists or leaders have a crucial role to play.”Allah has put them in a position that perhaps no one else is in,” notes Sheema Khan, former Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) advisor for eastern Canada.

“They have the means to communicate with their peers, they have an understanding of what they’re going through plus they have the guidance of Islam.”

Who is your childhood friend, who would rather spend Fridays at MacDonald’s than the Masjid, or your classmate who is Muslim in name and only knows that “Muslims don’t eat pork” going to listen to: the nice Imam of the Masjid who would freak out if he saw the way they were dressed and talked or you who may have grown up with them, joked with them, or see them everyday in school?The answer is obvious: you.

Don’t panic. Here are some tips and advice which can help from other Muslims, many of whom have been there and done that:

Tip #1: Make your intention sincere All work we do should ideally be for the sake of Allah.

That includes the task of bringing someone closer to Allah. That of course means this should not be connected to arrogance, thinking you’re the teacher and everyone else should be lucky you’ve embarked on a crusade to save them. Guidance is from Allah. Make Dua and make sincere efforts and remember Allah can also misguide you if He wills (we seek refuge in Allah from that).

Tip #2: Practice what you preach Not practicing what you preach is wrong and you will lose the confidence of anyone, young or old, once they figure you out. Don’t do it.

Tip #3: Use the Quran and Seerah (biography of the Prophet) as Dawa guides Read and understand those chapters of the Quran which talk about how the Prophets presented the message of Islam to their people. Read the Seerah (for some good Seerah books)to see especially how the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought Islam to so many different people, including young people.

As well, talk to Dawa workers, and check out manuals they may have written, like Yahiya Emerick’s How to Tell Others About Islam.

Tip #4: Talk to people as if you really don’t know them Don’t assume you know someone just by looking at them.

You don’t know that the Muslim girl in your homeroom who walks through the school’s hallways as if they were fashion show catwalks (see Ambe Rehman’s perspective on this) is not someone you can talk to about Allah because she looks like a snob. Or that the Muslim guy who you’ve never seen at Juma at your university is a “bad Muslim”.

Maybe he was never really taught Islam and has no idea what importance Friday prayers have in Islam, especially for Muslim men.

Tip #5: Smile Did you know the Prophet was big on smiling? But many

“practicing” Muslims seem to have “their faces on upside down” as one speaker once said-frowning and serious.

Smiling, being polite and kind are all part of the manners of the Prophet, which we must exercise in our daily lives.

If we want to approach others with Islam, we have to make ourselves approachable. Smiling is key to this. But note that being approachable does not mean being flirtations with the other gender. There are Islamic rules for how men and women should deal with each other which have to be respected. Dawa is no excuse to have long and private conversations and meetings with the other sex, for example.

Set up a system where someone expressing an interest in Islam is referred to someone of the same sex.

Tip #6: Take the initiative and hang out with them Take the first step and invite someone you may have spoken to a couple of times to sit at lunch together, to check out a hockey game or invite them over for Iftar in Ramadan. Also, share difficulties, sorrows and frustrations. Help with homework, be a shoulder to cry on when depression hits, or just plain listen when your friend is upset, discuss common problems and KEEP THEIR SECRETS. There are few things as annoying as a snitch and backstabber. But an important note: if the problem is of a serious nature,(i.e. your friend is thinking of committing suicide or is taking drugs), notify and consult an adult immediately.

Tip #7: Show them Islam is relevant today, right here, right now Young people may think Islam is too “old fashioned” and not in tune with the modern age. Prove this wrong. Show how Islam is really about relating to Allah, which any human being can do, anywhere, anytime. Allah is always closer to you than your jugular vein and He hears and knows everything. Encourage friends to ask Allah’s help during tests, exams, and in dealing with problems at home with parents and siblings. Also point out how Islam relates to teenagers: Islam gives you focus and an understanding of who you are and where you are going, which most of “teen culture” does not.

Tip #8: Get them involved in volunteer work with you If you are already involved in the community, get your friend to help out. Ask them to make a flyer for one of your youth group’s events or brainstorm for ideas about activities to hold this school year. This involvement makes them feel part of the Muslim community and deepens your friendship, since you are now working together on something beneficial for both of you. Make sure you thank them for their contribution.

Tip #9: Ask them 4 fundamental questions As your friendship develops, you will notice the topics you discuss may become more serious. You may be discussing, for instance, future goals and plans.

Khan recommends four questions to ask that can steer the topic to Allah and Islam: a. Where am I going in life and what would make me really happy deep down inside? b. What do I believe? c. Who should I be grateful to? d. Did I get to where I am today

RCMP GRC

ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE GENDARMERIE ROYALE DU CANADA

Community Forum 9OU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS OPEN COMMUNITY FORUM ON

TUESDAY, May 1st, 2012 6:00pm - 8:00pm Masjid al-Salaam & Education Centre, 5060 Canada Way

without the help of anyone?

Tip #10: Emphasize praying five times a day before any other aspect of Islam A person’s main connection with Allah, on a daily basis, is through the prayer five times a day. Don’t emphasize any other aspect of Islam until your friend starts making a real effort to pray five times a day. Emphasize the direct connection one has with Allah in prayer. If they are facing a problem, tell them to pray, and to ask Allah for help in Salah and outside this time. When possible, make it a point to pray together during your “hang out time”. If your friend begins to pray, that is the first step to other aspects of Islam like giving up swearing, treating parents with respect or dressing Islamically.

Tip# 11: Help instill confidence in adults Adults, like Bart Simpson’s dad Homer, are considered bumbling idiots in the eyes of “teen culture”. Your job as a young Muslim is to help turn the tables on this false and unIslamic belief. All you have to do is this: when a Muslim adult does something good (i.e. saving someone’s life, donating money to a worthy cause, the Imam gives a good speech, taking good care of his/her family) bring it up in the course of your conversations with your friend and praise the adult in question. Doing this regularly may not only change your friend’s perspective, but could lead to them seeing their own parents in a more respectful way.

Tip #12: Support them even when they become more practicing Remember, just because a person starts practicing Islam more regularly, this does not mean everything will be okay from this point onwards. There will still be hard times, difficulties. There may be times when your friend may have doubts about his or her newfound practice of Islam. Be there to reassure them.

13

l o c a l

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

12th Anniversary of Muslim Youth Centre

The Muslim Youth Centre hosted their 12th Anniversary and Fundraising Dinner on Sunday, April 15, 2012 at Bombay Banquet Hall in Surrey.

The event’s theme was, Youth: An Aspiring Generation.

The program consisted of Quran recitation, an outstanding self defense performance, a slide show and an Islamic Knowledge Game.

Ms. Jinny Sims MP, Ms.Sue Hammell MLA, and Jasbir Sandhu MP attended and spoke about participating and serving the community. Maryam Baksh, a grade 10 student of Panorama Ridge Secondary School and Jamal Dumas, a grade 10 student of Burnaby Mountain gave inspirational speeches.

The MYC’s Self Defense Class of 17 students was led by youths Adam Ishmail, 3rd Degree Black Belt and Alia Ishmail, 2nd Degree

Tories launch bid to speed up immigration for entrepreneurs Ottawa is starting consultations with industry groups and immigrant settlement organizations across the country to develop a new “startup-visa program” to fast track immigration of entrepreneurs.

“Canada cannot afford to lose out in the competition for foreign entrepreneurs among immigrant-receiving countries,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said.

His announcement in Toronto on Wednesday was attended by venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary, chairman of O’Leary Ventures, who called it a “huge opportunity” to develop global companies based in Canada. “It creates a way to reduce Canada’s dependence on growth in the slow-recovering North American economy,” Mr. O’Leary said.

The government’s plan is innovative because it involves the business and investment community identifying potential high-growth startups, said Victoria Lennox, co-founder of non-profit advocacy group Startup Canada, who got a heads-up about the plan on Tuesday in Ottawa.

Who are they looking to attract?

Immigrant entrepreneurs with an innovative business plan in areas such as technology, energy and resources that can compete on a global scale and create jobs in Canada. Job creation and growth potential will be the key goals, Mr. Kenney said.

Unlike the former entrepreneur program and provincial nominee programs, there’s no requirement that entrepreneurs put up a minimum investment. But Mr. Kenney has said he believes there are many millionaires overseas who see Canada as a better place to set up shop than their home countries. “These people are very mobile and if they are in a long queue as they were in the past, they will go somewhere else,” he added.

What’s new?

Applicants must prepare a business plan to be vetted by industry groups and venture capitalists for viability.

On arrival, entrepreneurs would receive mentorship

Continued on pg 15

Black Belt in Taekwondo. The boys did nine strike with the single sticks and the girls demonstrated Songham 1 and nunchuck form. The performance was a big hit with the cheering crowd.

Imam Shujaat gave a brilliant talk on charity and giving generously. The high-spirited auction was led enthusiasti-

cally by Br. Irfan Sheikh.

The Muslim Youth Centre would like to thank everyone who attended for their support and generous donations.

The MYC would also like to thank all those who volunteered.

14

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

R

oofing & enovation Solutions

Miracle’s Building Construction and Maintenance series

Imran Tipu, B.Sc. Civil Eng. In our series of articles for roofing and renovation solutions, this current seventh article is regarding the window installation process Types of Materials Used in Replacement Windows Window frames are available in a variety of materials including aluminum, wood, vinyl, and fibreglass. Frames may be primarily composed of one material, or they may be a combination of different materials such as wood and vinyl. Each frame material has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Aluminum Though ideal for customized window design, aluminum frames cause conductive heat loss (i.e., they have low R-values) and condensation.

Vinyl Windows made from vinyl are strong and conserve energy quite efficiently as well.

They are available in a wide range of styles and shapes. The main ingredient of vinyl windows is PVC. Wood Producing higher R-values, wood windows are unaffected by temperature extremes, and are less prone to condensation, but they require considerable maintenance in the form of periodic painting.

Fibreglass Relatively new and not yet widely available, they have the highest R-values of all

frames however they will be more expensive than replacement windows made of aluminum or vinyl.

Fibrex Combines excellent strength and insulation properties, the durability of wood, and provides the low maintenance of vinyl Window Installation process This guide provides basic information on the installation of PVC windows inflowrise housing in both new and replacement situations. The materials and the terminology involved in the window installation are shims, fasteners, polyurethane foam, flashing, glazing technology, low-emissivity coatings, and inert gas.

Shims A shim is a thin wedge of wood generally used for positioning window or door units within their respective openings.

Polyurethane Foam A solid or spongy cellular material produced by the reaction of its ingredients.

Flashing The sheet metal used to reinforce the joints and angles in any building component assembly.

Glazing Technology The act of furnishing or fitting with glass; the business or work of a glazier or the panes or sheets of glass set or made to be set in frames, as in windows and doors.

Window types: Awning: Hinged at the top. Swing in or out.

Casement: Hinged at side. Swing out.

Fixed: Does not open.

Side Sliders: One or both sash slide hori-

zontally.

Single Hung: Top sash is fixed. Bottom sash slides vertically.

Double Hung: Both sash slide vertically.

Tilt & Turn: Tilts in for ventilation or opens in.

Hopper: Hinged at bottom. Opposite of awning Bay & Bow: Combination of windows that project out.

Handling: Windows are stored upright, sill down indoors or under protection from sun and rain. They should be carried by the jambs or by the sill, not by the head.

Shimming and Fastening: Position and shim windows in the opening, plumb, level and square. Shim every 16 inches on the sill and every 24 inches on the jambs. Fasten through jambs at shim locations with round head rust protected screws.

No shims go at the head due to possible deflection of the header. No fasteners go through a sill because they could compromise drainage. Wide windows greater than 65 inches may require a fastener placed at the mid-point of the sill through the accessory groove to prevent bowing.

Shim placement is very important and varies depending on the style of the window.

Weather Tightness The components of a weather tight installation are: Interior Air (vapour) Barrier: The air-barrier provided by the polyethylene sheet under the drywall must be continued through to the window frame.

To accomplish this, apply low-expanding polyurethane foam in the space around the window making sure that the foam makes continuous contact with the poly.

Caulk the ends of shims.

Insulation: Use any insulation like polyurethane foam. Apply two beads of foam about one inch in depth on all four sides of

the window frame. One bead goes along the outside edge of the window frame directly behind the brick mould (nailing flange). The other bead of foam goes near the inside edge of the window frame.

If jamb extensions are not sealed to the frame, be sure that the bead of foam covers the joint between the jamb extension and the window frame on all four sides of the window.

Shedding of Rain Water: The space around a window must be covered on the outside with a flashing and then caulk with silicone. In the initial construction process, the window is placed before the exterior finish so caulking the joint between these two components is done after the exterior finish is installed.

Drip Cap: The building code requires a drip cap to be placed above the head of a window. This is a very important flashing for effective shedding of rain water.

The back leg of a drip cap extends at least 2 inches up behind the building paper / exterior air barrier. If siding j-channel is placed above a drip cap it must have drainage holes.

Sub-Sill Drainage: Flashing of the subsill before installing a window creates a secondary drainage path for any rain water that may enter the window opening. If the window drains as it should and if the window is installed as per these instructions no water will enter the window opening.

For more information regarding roofing, construction or renovation please visit: www.rtmroofingandrenovations.com

ALLIED INSURANCE SERVICES INC.

Fast Efficient And Friendly Service For All Your Insurance Needs

Home • Tenants • Condominium • Business • Travel • Medical • Life • Accident • Sickness We’ve Got You Covered!

DELTA / SURREY Nordel Annex #105 – 12025 Nordel Way (x Scott Rd)

+

$24.99

$24.99 FREE

+ Enviro Fee

MAINTENANCE CHECKUP

MAINTENANCE

Fleetwood Town Square #103-15988 Fraser Hwy., Surrey

CHANGE + FREE FREEOILCHECKUP

604-572-3311

With front brake pads & rear brake shoe replacement

GUILDFORD

FRONT BRAKES

Guildford Plaza #60-10330-152nd St., Surrey

Newton Town Centre #121-7135-138th St., Surrey

Transmission & Engine Replacement (From $300 & up)

OIL CHANGE CHANGE OIL Enviro Up+ to 5L Fee

FLEETWOOD

NEWTON

Special Offers Up to 5L

604-596-4588

604-582-8644

We repair all makes and models 4 less.

Complete auto repair 4 less!

Starting from $79.99 & up

Open 7 days 9am to 9pm

604-572-9292 NEW WEST/BURNABY

WHALLEY

Burnaby Square #106 – 7885 6th Street, Burnaby

Plaza 102 10235 King George Hwy., Surrey

604-523-0900

604-582-8699

$29.99

LABOUR FRONT BRAKES + parts

LABOUR

$29.99 MAINTENANCE

parts + +FREE + FREE

CHECKUP

MAINTENANCE CHECKUP

BEST PRICES ON: • New & used tires • Suspension • Cooling system • Starter • Alternator • Clutch • Water pumps • Special rates on timing belts 3 months warranty on new parts

Business Hours:

Monday to Friday 9:30am-6:00pm Friday (Closed for Juma Prayer) Saturday 11 - 6 pm Sunday By Appointment only

Unit 113-12465-82nd Ave. Surrey, BC Contact Muhammad Amir @

604-572-7861

15

h e a l t h

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Fight Against Cancer - April 27 is Daffodil Day

In 1957, a Canadian Cancer Society volunteer in Toronto by the name of Fran Shannon decided to sell daffodils to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. An anonymous donor flew in 5,000 daffodils from Victoria, British Columbia.

That first year, volunteers approached restaurants and major hotels in Toronto and proposed that they purchase daffodils to offer to their clients. In doing so, the volunteers raised $1,200. Three years later, proud of these early accomplishments, they decided to expand their network by selling the daffodils themselves. This time around they raised $17,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

In 1961, it was Montreal’s turn to embark on the initiative. Two women, A.F.D. Campbell and G.A. Havers, the wife of the owner of the Mont-Royal hotel, along with other Canadian Cancer Society volunteers, organized the first Daffodil Day in Quebec.

Among those early pioneers was Aline

Biron, who continued to work on Daffodil Day until her death in 1989. Gradually, Daffodil Day spread to the four corners of the province. In 15 years, the number of cities and towns that organized Daffodil Day grew from 22 to 157, and the money raised tripled. The sale of daffodils in 1986 generated $272,000, and in the years since, ever increasing amounts have been raised.

This spectacular growth can be credited to the commitment of thousands of volunteers, the loyalty of our sponsors and the generous support of the Quebec public.

In terms of steadfast support, Canadian Pacific, our main transporter, deserves special mention for shipping the daffodils free of charge since 1965. Every year, CP has unfailingly honoured its commitment by assigning an entire freight car to ship the daffodils from Victoria to Montreal.

Transporting such large quantities of fresh flowers from one end of the country to the other, led to many unpleasant surprises. For

Cancer Prevention 7 Tips to reduce your risk

By Mayo Clinic staff You’ve probably heard conflicting reports about cancer prevention. Sometimes the specific cancer-prevention tip recommended in one study or news report is advised against in another. If you’re concerned about cancer prevention, take comfort in the fact that small changes in your daily life can make a big difference. Consider seven real-life cancer prevention tips.

1. Don’t use tobacco Using any type of tobacco puts you on a collision course with cancer. Smoking has been linked to various types of cancer — including cancer of the lung, bladder, cervix and kidney — and chewing tobacco has been linked to cancer of the oral cavity and pancreas. Even if you don’t use tobacco, exposure to second hand smoke may increase your risk of lung cancer.

Avoiding tobacco - or deciding to stop using it - is one of the most important health decisions you can make. It’s also an important part of cancer prevention. If you need help quitting tobacco, ask your doctor about stop-smoking products and other strategies for quitting.

2. Eat a healthy diet Although making healthy selections at the grocery store and at mealtime can’t guarantee cancer prevention, it may help reduce your risk. Consider these guidelines: • Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Base your diet on fruits, vegetables and other foods from plant sources - such as whole grains and beans.

• Limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-fat foods, particularly those from animal sources. High-fat diets tend to be higher in calories and may increase the risk of overweight or obesity - which can, in turn, increase cancer risk.

3. Maintain a healthy weight and include physical activity in your daily routine Maintaining a healthy weight may lower the risk of various types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney. Physical activity counts, too. In addition to helping you control your weight, physical activity on its own may lower the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.

As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine — and if you can do more, even better. Try a fitness class, rediscover a favorite sport or meet a friend for daily brisk walks.

4. Protect yourself from the sun Skin cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer — and one of the most preventable. Try these tips: • Avoid midday sun. Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest.

• Stay in the shade. When you’re outdoors, stay in the shade as much as possible. Sunglasses and a broad-rimmed hat help, too.

• Cover exposed areas. Wear tightly woven, loosefitting clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible. Opt for bright or dark colors, which reflect more ultraviolet radiation than pastels or bleached cotton.

• Don’t skimp on sunscreen. Use generous amounts of sunscreen when you’re outdoors, and reapply often.

• Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps. These are just as damaging as natural sunlight.

5. Get immunized Cancer prevention includes protection from certain viral infections. Talk to your doctor about immunization against: • Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can increase the risk of developing liver cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine is routinely given to infants.

It’s also recommended for certain high-risk adults — such as adults who are sexually active but not in a mutually monogamous relationship, men who have sex with men, and health care or public safety workers who might be exposed to infected blood or body fluids.

• Human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a virus that can lead to cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine is available to both men and women age 26 or younger who didn’t have the vaccine as an adolescent.

6. Avoid risky behaviors Another effective cancer prevention tactic is to avoid risky behaviors that can lead to infections that, in turn, may increase the risk of cancer.

7. Take early detection seriously Regular self-exams and professional screening for various types of cancers — such as cancer of the skin, colon, prostate, cervix and breast — can increase your chances of discovering cancer early, when treatment is most likely to be successful.

Ask your doctor about the best cancer screening schedule for you.

Take cancer prevention into your own hands, starting today. The rewards will last a lifetime.

instance, in 1969, volunteers in Montreal discovered that the daffodils, stored in the garages of the Molson Brewery, had been completely wilted by carbon monoxide emissions and cold air drafts. In 1972, the truck transporting the daffodils from Victoria to Calgary went up in flames—taking its load with it! In 1985, daffodils destined for Toronto froze along the way. In 1989, Quebec’s Daffodil Day had to be postponed until the end of April after a hailstorm destroyed the daffodil crop in Victoria.

Despite storms and downpours, Daffodil Days remains one of the Canadian Cancer Society’s great success stories. This annual fundraising campaign is now known as the Daffodils Days since it is held for four consecutive days in the month of April. The Daffodil has become the emblem of the fight against cancer and a symbol of hope for thousands of people directly or indirectly affected by cancer.

April is now Daffodil Month and on this

occasion, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) launches a big solidarity movement

in Canada to make a difference and help thousands of Canadians in their fight.

The daffodil is the CCS symbol of life in the courageous fight we lead together against cancer. By supporting Daffodil Month, you show solidarity for your loved ones living with the disease, demonstrating your membership in a group of citizens who are fighting cancer and joining forces with the CCS to say that we are “With you.

Against cancers.

StatsCan figures show parents overestimate children’s activity levels Statistics Canada released details of a study that found parents reported, on average, about 105 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity for their children aged six to 11, while direct measurements using a movementdetecting device called an accelerometer showed it was actually 63 minutes.

The figures were based on data taken between 2007 and 2009, with 878 children included in the analysis.

Some might interpret these results as measuring up well against recommendations from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, which says children between the ages of five and 11 should get at least 60 minutes of activity daily. However, Rachel Colley, a research analyst at Statistics Canada who helped author the report, said it must be remembered that these are averages and that many children are falling below the guidelines.

She noted that an earlier analysis of the same data, released last year, found just seven per cent of children and youths aged six to 19 were getting the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day, at least six days per week. “A lot of kids are coming quite close, but very few are actually meeting the guideline, as it is defined,” Colley said.

This latest Statistics Canada report said it was “not unexpected” to see a wide gap between the amount of activity parents report their children getting and the amount they actually do. For example, it noted how a parent might record participation in a 60-minute soccer game as a full hour of

activity, but in actuality, the child likely would be taking breaks in the action, and

the accelerometer would pick this up.

“This example highlights a fundamental difference between the methods; parent reports capture time spent doing a specific activity, while accelerometry captures actual movement at a defined intensity,” the report said. Colley said the discrepancy between how much activity children get and what their parents think they get could be one of many factors contributing to unhealthy conditions among children. In this study, 23 per cent of the children were found to be either overweight or obese.

According to the study, parents reported an average of 2.5 hours a day of screen time for their children, which would include things such as watching television, playing video games, and the usage of computers or other electronic devices. The movement trackers picked up an average of 7.6 hours a day of sedentary time for children, or behaviour that would involve very little physical movement. (Source: Postmedia news)

Kenny : Continued from pg 13 from organizations that have experience working with startups on how to do business in Canada. “Linking immigrant entrepreneurs with private-sector organizations that have experience and expertise working with startups will be important, as newcomers often require outside assistance to successfully navigate the Canadian business environment,” Mr. Kenney said.

BY THE NUMBERS 2,750 – Number of startup visa applications

to be accepted annually for five years.

1,000 to 1,500 – Number of immigrant entrepreneurs admitted annually under former entrepreneur-class immigration program.

7 years – Backlog of applications under former immigration program that ended last July.

5 years – Life of the pilot program, which could be extended if it proves successful.

16

lif e

style

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Rid yourself of backbiting!

BY J.Samia Mair’s Backbiting is easy to commit. A perfectly acceptable conversation can take a nasty turn in an instant. You can find yourself backbiting without even realising how it happened.

Someone asked the Prophet r about backbiting and he said, “It is to mention about a man what he does not want to hear.” He said, “Messenger of Allah! Even if it is true?”

The Messenger of Allah r said, “If you utter something false, then it is slander.” (Muwatta). Many people do not realise how broadly ‘backbiting’ is defined. Backbiting includes listening as well as making statements. It can be done by words, a glance, gestures, or writing. That a person might make the same statement (verbal or otherwise) in the presence of the absent person is no excuse.

The gravity of backbiting is reflected in Allah I description of it: “Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?” (49:12) And the punishment is severe, as described by the Prophet r, “When I was taken up to heaven I passed by people who had nails of copper and were scratching their faces and their breasts. I said: ‘Who are these people, Gabriel?’ He replied: ‘ They are those who were given to backbiting and who aspersed people’s honour.’” (Dawud) Fortunately, backbiting can be avoided. Here are 10 tips that should help you curb this nasty habit: 1. Increase your knowledge Islam is a religion for thinkers. We are expected to learn our deen and to research what we do not understand. Allah I instructs in the Qu’ran, “And say: ‘My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” ( Ta-ha:114) A person cannot adequately address backbiting unless she knows the Islamic rulings that govern it. Each of us has the responsibility to learn what constitutes as backbiting, when it is permissible to speak about an absent person and what to do after we backbite.

2. Avoid people who talk about others Some people have very little to say if they are not talking about someone else. I once told someone close to me about the Islamic prohibition against backbiting and she replied, “Then, we’ll have nothing to talk about.” The sad thing was she was right. Avoid conversations with those who will not stop backbiting, even if you lose a friend or two.

3. Avoid places of gossip The infamous “water cooler” is well-known as a meeting place for exchanging office gossip. University cafeterias and other lunchroom settings are other notorious places for spreading rumours. The internet with its chat rooms and blogs provides a nearly limitless opportunity to backbite. If every time you eat at the lunchroom, you become involved in backbiting, then find another place to eat. If backbiting is prevalent in certain chat rooms, surf the web for other sites. The point is that you should not place yourself in a setting where backbiting is the norm, because you will become involved in it.

4. Don’t ask leading questions Seemingly innocuous questions can lead to backbiting: “I haven’t seen so-and-so for a while. How is she doing?” Instead of getting a simple reply, the response might be “Did you hear that she … ” Some scholars advise not to ask about an absent person for fear of backbiting.

5. Stop backbiting the first time it happens If you are in a new situation and people around you start backbiting, let them know immediately that you cannot be involved in such conversations. Make it clear from the beginning where you stand. If you are in a

group of non-Muslims who likely do not understand the gravity of backbiting, it presents a great da’wah opportunity. One need not be hostile or self-righteous. The Prophet r stated: “Keep to gentleness and avoid harshness and coarseness. Gentleness is not found in anything without adorning it, and is not withdrawn from anything without shaming it.” (Muslim) 6. Let people know you are trying not to backbite The more difficult task is to stop backbiting with people whom you have previously engaged in backbiting. A good way to change the dynamic is to let them know the next time you talk with them that you are working hard not to backbite and ask them to help you with it. If backbiting creeps up in the conversation, gently remind them about what you are trying to do. Perhaps, your efforts will encourage them to do the same. If not, refer to Tip #2.

7. Maintain a policy with friends to remind each other not to backbite Make a commitment with your friends to help each other not to backbite. If you discuss it beforehand, your friends should feel comfortable reminding you if you slip and you should feel comfortable reminding them if they slip. A simple statement such as “Uh oh, I think we may be getting close to backbiting,” should be enough to turn the conversation in the right direction.

8. Play it safe “He who keeps silence will be safe.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi) The safest course to avoid backbiting is not to talk about people who are not present in the conversation. If you start with that rule and allow only a few exceptions, you will drastically limit the opportunities to backbite.

9. Forgive those who backbite about you We all make mistakes and Allah I knows that we will sin. We are taught how to repent and how to ask Allah I, al-Ghafur, al-Raheem, for forgiveness. We are also encouraged to forgive others as mentioned in the Qur’an: “And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give to their kinsmen, Al-Masakin (the needy), and those who left their homes for Allah’s Cause. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (24:22) Al-Hasan al-Basri explained that what it means to repel evil with good, “When they are deprived, they give; and when they are wronged, they forgive.”

In short, if someone backbites you, forgive them - perhaps you will be treated in the same fashion.

10. Remember death often Since the time of the Prophet r, Muslims have been reminded of the brevity of this life and the consequences in the Hereafter.

Some scholars reportedly dug graves in their homes and lay in them to remind themselves that one day they would be in the grave and no longer able to repent for their sins.

The Prophet r sought refuge in Allah I from punishment in the grave and we are encouraged to do so as well. When one realises that death can occur at any time and that even the next moment is not guaranteed, the urgency to stop oneself from backbiting becomes very real.

J. Samia Mair is the author of two children’s books, Amira’s Totally Chocolate World, and The Perfect Gift. She is a freelance author and has published in magazines, books, anthologies, scientific journals, and elsewhere.

When The Good You Do Doesn’t Do You Any Good Shabnam Khan - Family Counsellor Women are traditionally trained to place other’s needs first......

What could possibly be wrong with doing good?

We want to please others, and we please ourselves when we feel to do so, that’s maybe! When we do both the same time, there’s twice the bonus.

We’ve done it for as long as we can remember. The concept is based on the following logic: If I can make other people happy, then they will like me. If they like me, I must be good enough. If I’m good enough, they’ll keep me around, I’ll be safe and secure, and that’s all I need to be happy.

The happier I can make others, the happier and therefore the safer I will be. The only problem is, it doesn’t work that way. Till which extend are you prepared to please everyone?

Make no mistake. There’s nothing wrong with pleasing others - unless, of course, it becomes all-encompassing. True giving is a part of making any relationship work, but it’s not the only part - particularly if you’re On April 16th, Surrey-Tynehead NDP Candidate Raj Hundal attended the Surrey 2012 BC Summer Games community reception at the Fraser Downs in Cloverdale. Also in attendance were many business leaders and BC Games President Kelly Mann. The purpose of the reception was to find out how the Surrey Business Community can get involved in the Surrey BC Summer Games.

The BC Summer Games will invite 3000 junior athletes and coaches to our community this summer and will be a great economic generator for Surrey.

doing all the giving and they’re doing all the taking. That is not a balanced relationship! This malady starts with an ernest attempt to make someone else happy, but it can quickly become a pattern of behavior with a far-reaching consequences. You may not like the end result later on and that might be too late.

Now the truth is, this mostly affects women! Women have evolved to be relationship driven, and they seek out social situations as opportunities to relate to others. In ancient days, almost every task required communication, coordination and cooperation. In other words, a network of relationships supported every task. Evolution has virtually assured that women on the other will be caregivers. The better women were at these skills, the more value and status they realized within their families and their social circle.

Nowadays women are playing various roles in the Society and instead of playing a Pleaser Role, do something even small that you are confident and proud of!

Happy Women Know That If You Want To Take Care Of Others, You Must FirstOr Simultaneously- Take Care Of Yourself.........

For any further inquiries email, shabnam@ skcounselling.ca

17

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

GLOBAL FINANCIAL EXCHANGE Unit 107 - 12827 76th Ave, Surrey 604-591-3241

Sending Money to Pakistan!

Don’t worry, we are here!

Same day service in Accounts.

Pickup Daily!

Mohammad Pasha 778-895-9335 Zaman Ali Pasha 778-552-7371 Akhtar Tanoli 604-618-3777

Guar Best anteed

Rate s

18

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

QR CODE

10% Off LAL Take Out Enjoy Delicious and mouth watering Afghani food in our Unique Environment

ONLY HA

Call for Party Reservations

ctions apply

* Some restri

Winner will be Announced August 31, 2012

We will now have the seating capicity of 150-175 guests for Aqiqa, Wedding, Political, Birthday, Religious and Social gatherings and other conferences etc.

Afghan Chopan is famous since a decade for its specialties: - Chopan Kabab - Seekh Kabab - Tikka Kabab - Chicken Tikka - Chapli Kabab - Chicken Karahi - Freshly Baked Afghani Bread

Lunch Buffet 11:30 AM- 3:00 PM Monday &Tuesday Thursday- Sunday

$8.95 $9.95

Menu: • Soup/Veggie Dish • Special Afghani Appetizer • Tandoori Roasted • Chicken Pallow • Channa • Yogurt • Naan • Chutney • Dessert • Green Tea

19

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

BOOKMAN OR TAXMAN! DOES YOUR ACCOUNTANT SAVE TAXES FOR YOU OR JUST FILE YOUR TAX RETURNS?

 Does your accountant file your taxes including Corporation or Personal Tax Returns accurately and on a timely basis preventing unnecessary audits and penalties?  Does your accountant show you how to save your taxes?  Does your accountant help you understand the Canadian taxation system?

Income Tax Season!!

CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNTANTS AT TWO LOCATIONS

Tel: 604-227-1120 Toll Free: 1-800-380-6TAX (6829) 235- 11590 Cambie Rd, Richmond - 110-11518 141A Street, Surrey www.aadcga.com | www.advancedtax.ca | www.aadconsulting.ca

20

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

www.gllaw.ca

• • • • • • •

ICBC Medical and Dental Malpractice Civil Litigation Securities Corporate /Commercial Employment Estate Administration

We are able to meet with you in Surrey, if that is more convenient for you.

No charge for initial consultations.

Suite 490 - 789 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1H2 Tel: 604.249.5025 Fax: 604.249.5026

21

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

eat in or get it delivered with debit at the door Now We Intro duce!

Monday Special any large pizza and a dipping sauce

$11

Try Our new Butter Chicken Pizza!

Tuesday Special

10 pcs of Chicken

$12

7711-128th St. , Surrey Help Wanted!

604-502-7773 All offers from this ad are limited time offers. We reserve the right to limit quantities.

22

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

23

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

/106*.; #06+9#4 4#..; 2'6+6+10 &4+8' TAHCHIN Rice dish flavored with saffron, yogurt and egg yolks, layered with choice of spinach or chicken, overturned and then baked to a crispy, golden crusted perfection.

$8.50

$12.50

Split pea Fruit Stew Split peas, tomato paste, onions, Apple, Cranberry, apricot, served with saffron rice.

$6.50

$8.50

Fesenjoon (Walnut-Pomegranate Stew) Pure ground walnuts enriched with the pomegranate paste and the sweetness of carrots, apples, served Veggie or with choice of beed or chicken and rice.

Mirza Ghasemi Smoked baked eggplants, tomatoes, egg, onion and garlic, served with Pita Bread.

. + 4 2 #

; # 5#674& ..'4; # ) 2/

6 4 #

4 ' 8#0% 516 758 +& ' 41$510

4

# 5 0 9 01 #0%6+1 5

( 1 ( 0 1

5

& # + 0 *# 5;4 +4#0

'P F VJ G 1E EW RC VKQ PU Q H # HI JC PK UV CP + TC S 2 CNG UV KP G *C KVK 5C WF K C PF CN N ( QT GK IP 6T QQ RU Q WV Q H $ CJ TC KP 7 5 7 - %C PC FC ( TC PE G 0 #6 1 * CP FU 1 HH .K D[ C 0 QY 7 5 *C PF U 1 HH 0 QT VJ # HT KEC VJ G /K FF NG 'C UV 5G NH &G VG TO KPC VKQ P H QT +P FKI GP QW U 0 CV KQP U #N

N 1 RR TG UUG F 0 CV KQP U

/#-' 2'#%' 016 9#4 /1$+.+<#6+10 #)#+056 9#4 1%%72#6+10 /#91

999 /#918#0%178'4 14)

24

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

BUYING - SELLING - INVESTING NAME TO REMEMBER HAMED YAYAH *if you are thinking of buying, selling, investing or evaluating your home please call me.

I will pay your legal and inspection fee or up to $1000 cash at closing when you buy or sell with me.

Contact:

Hamed Yayah 604-716-6450 Email: hamed@omaxrealty.com www.realestatehamed.com *Some conditions and restrictions may apply. ~ This ad is not intended to solicit any property is already for sale.

No Weight Restrictions - Safe & Secure Service Next shipment Cut off Date: April 4th, 2012 / Arriving Suva, Fiji (ETA): May 3rd, 2012 Head Office

Calgary

8891 144 Street, Surrey BC

Ph: 403-475-6055

Email: vfs@vititfreight.com

www.vititfreight.com

Edmonton Ph: 780-758-3510

Toll Free: vfs@vititfreight.com

Call Apsara@778-395-5656 / Toll Free 1-855-744-7837

A. Mamun & Company Certified General Accountant

Offers following professional services: • T1 Individual tax returns preparation (E-file) • Bookkeeping • Payroll • Government filing ALAUDDIN MAMUN, CGA, CPA (Virginia) 202 -8185 Main Street 317 – 8031 Ryan Road Vancouver, BC V5X 3L2 Richmond, BC V7A 2E4 Telephone: (604) 336-2141 or 366-7807 E-mail: info@amamuncga.com or alauddinmamun@yahoo.com Web: www.amamuncga.com

BC MUSLIM SCHOOL

Invitation

EXPRESS IMMIGRATION LTD We specialize in student permit, work visa, sponsorship, PNP and immigration matters Call for an Initial Consultation

for 3 and 4 your olds and their parents/caregivers Place: BC Muslim School Date: April 25, 2012, Wednesday Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm This information session aims to give participants resources that will enable children to have a rich leaning experiences prior to entering formal schooling.

Each registered participant (family unit) will get an information booklet and an activities kit.

To register, please call the school office at 604-270-2511 or via email at admin@bcmuslimschool.ca

7733 124 St, Surrey, BC

V3W 8N2

info@xpressimmigration.com ~ www.xpressimmigration.com

25

lifestyle

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

BC MUSLIM SCHOOL

Kindergarten - Best Choice for Your Precious Little One For four years, BC Muslim School has participated in a UBC based project called Early Development Instrument or (EDI). This project was developed by the Canadian Centre for Studies of Children at Risk at McMaster University. This instrument assesses school readiness in the spring of a 5-year old’s kindergarten year.

For Assessment, our teachers filled in a checklist for each student designed to measure readiness to learn at school. Five domains of a kindergarteners’s early development were measuredphysical health and well–being, social competence, emotional maturity, language & cognitive development and communication skills & general knowledge.

Each of the five domains were rated on a scale of 0-10, with a higher score indicating more advanced readiness to learn skills. As such, the EDI information of our kindergarteners is a very good indication of future academic successes of our children.

Here are the results of the assessment of our kindergarteners last spring compared with Richmond School District:

The EDI above shows very clearly that kindergarteners at BCMS are more advantaged than their peers in the Richmond School district.

The EDI also measures “vulnerability” of students. Vulnerable students are the ones who are at risk of future academic failure. Below is a comparison of vulnerability of BC Muslim School kindergarteners versus Richmond & Vancouver School Districts.

Again, the figures clearly show that there is almost no risk for future academic failure at BCMS. You are building a firm foundation for your child’s future when you start him/her off in the BC Muslim School Kindergarten.

We are currently assessing students for kindergarten admission. Don’t miss this chance of enrolment for the future success of your child.

Literary Success at BC Muslim School BC Muslim School is committed to raising the literacy interests, competence and standards of our students.

For the last few years, we have been implementing the Smart Writing Program and the 6 Traits + 1 Writing Program. There is a strong focus on linking reading & writing, teaching the writing process and scrutinizing with the purpose of acquiring the traits of a good writer.

With sharp focus and undaunted efforts, we are beginning to reap the profits. This year, 18 poems from Grade 6 and 11 poems from Grade 5 have been selected for publication in Canada Young Writers Poetry Collection 2013. Other students from Grades 1 and 2 and Grade 5 again, have also published a collection of their writings.

These include Friends & Winter’s Poem in Grade 1, Haiku in Grade 2, Proud to Be a Muslim in Grade 5.

April is now designated as our Literacy Month with a range of activities such as Spelling Bee, Writing Competition, Book Reports and school wide D.E.A.R., Handwriting/ Printing Competitions, just to name a few. Throughout the year, we also have other literacy enhancement activities. For example, in October this school year, we invited Karen Autio, an author of children’s historical novels for a presentation.

This year, we are very proud of our FSA results:

With continued commitment to improving literacy at the school, I pray that we will be climbing greater heights in future.

QR CODE

Scan with your smartphone to visit our website for the latest news in BC Muslim Community! www.miraclenews.com

26

sports

Volume 12 Issue 308 Jumada-al-Awal 28, 1433 AH / April 20 2012

Pakistan ‘ready’ to host international cricket

Pakistan is ‘ready’ for the return of international cricket to the country, after Bangladesh confirmed they would tour for a short limited-overs series at the end of this month.

Bangladesh will be the first Full Member of the ICC to tour Pakistan since March 2009.

The teams will play two matches, an ODI and a T20, both at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The ODI is scheduled for April 29 and the T20 for April 30. “We are ready to host them,” Intikhab Alam, PCB’s director for international operations told ESPNcricinfo.

“We have world-class stadiums that are always ready to host cricket all year long.

Everything is in place so there is no difficulty for us to host them at short notice.” There’s been no international cricket in Pakistan since March 2009, after terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus and a van carrying ICC officials to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on what would have been the third day of the second Test of that tour. Some members of the Sri Lanka contingent and reserve umpire Ahsan Raza sustained injuries, and six secu-

rity personnel and two civilians were killed.

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said the security situation in the country had improved over the last three years. “It’s a major breakthrough and I am excited to see Bangladesh touring Pakistan,” Afridi told ESPNcricinfo.

“It is a much-needed development. Not only will it revive international cricket here, the people in the country will also be entertained.

“Obviously the incident in Lahore (terror attack) was unfortunate but Pakistan has learnt its lessons. I understand the security concerns are up on their minds but things have improved and everything will go well. I have always believed that cricket is a game which keeps a relationship cordial between two countries. All countries should support Pakistan in a time of difficulty.” The PCB, under the chairman Zaka Ashraf, has been keen to revive international cricket in Pakistan, using all its resources and engaging the government to provide full-fledged security to visiting teams. Pakistan have been playing their “home series” in off-shore venues like UAE,

New Zealand and England. There’s also a plan to “host” Australia in Sri Lanka later this year. Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, who turned down a county offer to remain home with his family, welcomed the fact that the team will not have to travel outside the country to play this series. “Playing our home series in Pakistan is always helpful,” Ajmal said. “Though we have been playing in similar conditions in UAE, there are so many factors involved that give you the advantage. The news about Bangladesh touring Pakistan is good for players and the country.” Pakistan’s politicians also supported the development. The foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, said: “PCB’s efforts have finally borne fruit and Bangladesh team’s visit will help bring international cricket back to Pakistan and will motivate more teams to come to our country.” The interior minister, Rehman Malik, said the best security would be in place. “We will leave no stone unturned and put in place the best pos-

sible security for the Bangladesh team as per our promise and make this tour an exemplary one so that other teams also tour us.” Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, stressed the need for the “best arrangements”.

“We must not leave any loopholes in security because we cannot afford a minor mistake or any lapse in arrangements.”

Source: Cricinfo

Riot defendants claim innocence

Fans charged in Egypt’s deadliest soccer riot declared their innocence in the first session of their trial Tuesday, directing their anger toward police, charged with collaborating in the killing of 75 support-

ers of a rival team. Nine senior officers, including six police generals and a colonel, are among the 73 people charged in the case. The officers were present in the courtroom, dressed in traditional white defendant uniforms, but they were not held in the courtroom cage with the rest of those on trial. If the police are convicted, it would further fuel widespread speculation that the country’s much-despised Interior Ministry force allowed the bloody Feb. 1 attack on fans of a soccer club with which they have a long antagonistic history. Most of the defendants are fans of Al-Masry, the main sports club in the Mediterranean city of Port Said, where the attack took place. The majority of the victims were fans of a rival team, Cairo’s AlAhly, whose supporters are credited with playing a major role in the 18-day popular uprising that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak last year. Survivors of the attack charge that police allowed the attack by Al-Masry fans to deteriorate into bloodshed. Others have suggested that former regime loyalists hired thugs to infiltrate the stadium and kill Al-Ahly fans. “Where is Mubarak?” the defendants chanted, reflecting their suspicions against the ousted regime and the justice system in Egypt. The hearing took place in the

same courtroom where Mubarak has faced charges related to the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the uprising. “We will get them their justice or die like them,” the defendants in the courtroom cage shouted, fists pumping in the air as they referred to those killed in the riots. Outside the courtroom, hundreds of Al-Ahly fans held photos of those killed and raised posters that said, “I will never forget justice for our brothers.”

Some wore black T-shirts with the words, “We were killed in Port Said.” The 30-minute killing frenzy in Port Said broke out when Al-Masry fans stormed the field just seconds after the final whistle blew, even though the home team won the match. What happened next is not entirely clear, but according to witnesses and survivors, Al-Ahly fans were attacked with batons, knives, fireworks and other weapons. Some were tossed from the tops of bleachers. Others said they were stripped and Port Said fans carved slogans into their skin. The lights at the stadium were abruptly turned off and the exit doors closed during the melee, forcing a stampede down a narrow corridor. The stadium gate, which was locked from the outside, was forced open by the crowd. Dozens were crushed to death there, including fans of Al-Masry. The youngest victim was 14 years old. Prosecutor Mahmoud al-Hennawy said the attack that night was “planned” both by Al-Masry fans and thugs. Some of the defendants face murder charges. The officers have been charged with assisting the attackers. They could face up to 10 years in prison. The trial is scheduled to resume May 5. After the riot, Egypt imposed a two-year ban on Al-Masry, and this year’s club season has been suspended. Port Said residents say their city has been stigmatized and boycotted by other Egyptians.

Source: ESPN

STILL ALIVE! Cory Schneider made 43 saves and stopped Dustin Brown’s penalty shot in his first career playoff victory, Daniel Sedin sparked Vancouver’s power play in his return from injury, and the top-seeded Canucks avoided an embarrassing first-round sweep with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 on Wednesday night.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Canadian designs hijab for soccer players The international soccer governing body will consider a prototype of a sports hijab designed by an Iranian-Canadian. The International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its acronym FIFA, banned the hijab in 2007. Rule 4 of FIFA’s Laws of the Game states that a player’s equipment “must not have any political religious or personal statements.”

However, FIFA announced last month that it will allow women to wear specially designed sport hijabs. A final decision on the new headwear is expected in summer. Elham Seyed Javad, 28, owner of Montreal-based IQO Design, told QMI Agency that she didn’t think twice about submitting her proposal to FIFA after it reversed its decision. “Not even nine hours after my letter was received, the director general of FIFA’s board called me,” she said. Javad’s design will be considered along with a prototype from Capsters, a Netherlands-based company that specializes in sports headwear for Muslim women.

If chosen, Javad said the financial rewards could be “enormous” as Muslim women around the world could be wearing her design. She said FIFA is expecting her prototype in a few weeks.

This marks the second time Javad has designed a sporty hijab. In 2008, she created ResportOn, a hijab for female martial arts athletes. ResportOn was designed and is manufactured in Canada, and it’s already being sold around the world.

The garment looks like a tank top attached to a balaclava. She said the Australian federal police

bought one of her hijabs for its first female Muslim recruit.

The Iranian government is also considering one of her designs for all of its female athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she said. “The hijab is often associated in the media with a loss of power for women,” she said. “However, I think that people understand that in this case, it’s more of a form of freedom for Muslim women who want to play sports.” FIFA’s decision will also have implications for Quebec soccer. Last June, Sarah Benkirane, a 15-year-old referee was fired for wearing a hijab. Quebec’s soccer federation justified her dismissal by claiming that it was following international rules set by FIFA. “The situation is clear,” the federation said in a statement following that decision. “Wearing a hijab is not allowed on Quebec’s soccer fields just as necklaces, earrings, rings are prohibited, and we will follow the rule until FIFA says otherwise.”

Michel Dugas, a spokesman for the Quebec Soccer Federation, told QMI Agency that the organization looks to the Canadian Soccer Association when updating its rules. He added that if FIFA decides to reverse its hijab ban, then “it’s foreseen that (Quebec) will follow.”

Source: London Free Press

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

Launch Special Mon-fri. 11am-4pm

Takeout Specials

- Chicken Shawarma (Donair ) and fountain drink for

- 12 skewers of grilled lamb cubes $29.99 - 12 skewers of grilled chicken sheesh

$4.99

- Two skewers of chicken sheesh tawook or beef kebabs and fries or rice,garlic and hummus dips,pita bread,and fountain drink for

$9.99

tawook or beef kebabs $24.99 - 10 pieces of fried chicken $12.99 - Whole grilled chicken or fried with garlic dip $17.99

*We do special orders of kebeh, lahmbaajeen, roasted lamb leg, half /full lamb on traditional rice orders, manakeesh on saj and Lebanese breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays and Eed days. Come and join us, be part of our great Muslim and Arab group community

we welcome catering orders and you can enjoy our 55 Seats hall for all of your occasions for the price of your foods

Serving great food since 2003

Comming Soon: Flame Grill / BBQ CHICKEN

#1 12842 96 Ave. Surrey

604-588-0221 2nd location in Vancouver !

1412 East 49 Ave We Deliver Knight Street (Parking at Rear)

604-322-0059 Franchise avaliable info at www.chickenworlds.com

37

ctions apply

* Some restri

Winner will be Announced August 31, 2012

38

39

Best Choice Travel Inc.

Established since 2002

We do the best trip for you!

www.alwatantandoori.com

- Rao Fish $1.99/lb BCMA approved Halal Meat Shop

Scan with your smartphone to visit our website for the latest news in BC Muslim Community!

Our Services Include: - Airline Tickets - Hajj & Umrah Package - Car Rentals - Cruise - Travel Insurance Saman Saghir (Manager) - Package Holidays Eng. Ali Raza (Owner) 105C-12830 80th Ave, Surrey ~ 604-507-8549 bestchoicetravelinc@gmail.com