The Muslim Link ~ 06/26/09 ~ Rajab 1430 by The Muslim Link

NEW FINANCIAL REPORT SHOWS FEARS, CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH >> PG MUSLIM CHARITIES

TheMusl mL nk Rajab 1430 A.H. Issue

w w w. M u s l i m L i n k P a p e r. c o m

June 26, 2009 – July 24, 2009

SAVE BIG WITH OUR NEW COUPONS >> PG 26

MD, VA, and DC. Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE

Seif Chapman Describes Oppressive Conditions of Special Federal Prison Program

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

In letter to Muslim Link, VA youth says harsh treatment may be in retaliation for lawsuit ﬁled with Royer, Benkahla against Bureau of Prisons

• College Park Honors Young Mayor Hopefuls | PG 5

Dear Muslim Link, As salaamu alaikum. I pray that you receive this while in the highest of emaan. Alhamdulillah, you have always been there with us during our years of incarceration, supporting us and letting others know of our situation. As I have not written to you in a while, this is the latest update of our current situation; I hope that you can inform people about our situation, your readers, and

also incarcerated Muslims who might end up in the Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) new Special Management Unit (SMU) program, where I am currently being housed. Prior to arriving at United States Penitentiary (USP) Lewisburg’s SMU program on

April 20, 2009, I spent twenty-three months at FCI Terre Haute in the Communications Management Unit (CMU). There has been much reported about that Department of Justice program, its illegality, and its targeting of the Muslims. The CMU program is basically designed to keep a certain group

Metro Bus Da’wa Campaign Rolls Into DC By Salman Sheikh There is a silver lining to being stuck in lunch-hour trafﬁc in the District. Dawah.

This campaign started last year when local WhyIslam activists thought about doing a bus >> DA’WA Pg 12

Early this year, Ismail Royer, Sabri Benkhala and I ﬁled a law suit against the BOP over the CMU program. Prior to >> CHAPMAN Pg 10

Omeish Comes in 3rd in Hotly Contested Delegate Race Campaign says groups mobilized against Omeish, but having a Muslim elected ofﬁcial in VA ‘only a matter of time’

Muslim Link Contributing Writer

Beginning June 29, WhyIslam bus ads are paying a visit to a D.C. Metro bus near you.

off the prison compounds, and to restrict their communications in an attempt to completely cut them off from the rest of the world. Many a relationship had been harmed or destroyed by this program. May Allah forgive us and help us.

WhyIslam DC is launching a da’wa campaign that will have large ads on 50 metro buses later this month. A similar WhyIslam bus campaign was done in San Fransisco (pictured here) and other metropolitan areas. (Internet photo)

As reported in the May 29, 2009 issue of the Muslim Link, Northern Virginia surgeon Dr. Esam Omeish ran for delegate for Virginia’s 35th District in Fairfax County. The election on June 9, 2009 resulted in a win for Mark Keam who

• ICM Showcases Community Youth at Graduation | PG 6

Social Services Conference Comes to NOVA | PG 8 • Mass Distribution of Arabic Bibles by US in Iraq | PG 14 • Problems Engendered by Superﬁcial Piety | PG 15 • TML Reporter Discusses Her Journalism Award | PG 24

Marketplace took 3,653 of the 6,635 votes cast (55%). John Carroll came in second >> RACE Pg 8

Your Guide to Products and Services for Your Muslim Lifestyle

PG 26

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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�� AN URGENT CALL FOR HELP ISWA is appealing to our Muslim brothers and sisters for ﬁnancial help to complete our masjid project. ISWA leadership has been in the forefront of Islamic Activities in this area for over thirty-ﬁve years, and the need for completion of our present facility is urgent. We need $300,000 Insh Allah, to complete our project for Ramadhan. Your contribution to help build the House of Allah (swt) will be rewarded manifold times. Act today - don’t delay. Please send your tax-exempt donation to:

��

�� or donate online at �� Jazakumullahu khairan for your help - Imam and Executive Board of ISWA Please visit ISWA’s Booth #739 at the ISNA Convention

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

INDEX

INSIDE THIS ISSUE RAJAB 1430 | June 26 - July 24 , 2009

ML_10.25x6_sadaqa.pdf

6/15/09

Community News

World Press

Islam

Editor’s Desk

Marketplace

10:33:33 AM

The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the path of God is as the likeness of a grain that sprouts seven spikes. In every spike, there are a hundred grains. Thus does God multiply reward for whomever He so wills. (Surah al-Baqarah: 261)

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COMMUNITY NEWS

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

Community News Creating links through mutual understanding and cooperation

New Financial Report Shows Fears,

Concerns Associated With Muslim Charities By Rashad Mulla Muslim Link Staff Writer Terrorism ﬁnance laws put into place after Sept. 11, 2001, adversely affect American Muslim charities and have created a climate of fear surrounding Muslim charitable giving, according to an American Civil Liberties Union report released June 16. In the 166-page report, “Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity,” author Jennifer Turner documented the experiences of 120 people in the U.S., most of them Muslim community leaders or charity donors. She found that a combination of these new laws and government intervention and investigations into the practices of American Muslim charities has left potential donors fearful and less willing to donate money, she said. Nine Islamic charities, including three of the largest in the U.S. – the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the Global Relief Foundation, and Benevolence International Foundation – have all been shut down by the government under the allegations that they were funding international terrorist organizations. “[These laws] are chilling American Muslims’ charitable giving,” said Turner, a researcher with the ACLU. “I spoke with donors who had given tens of thousands of dollars who have now scaled back to zero or 10 percent of what they previously donated.”

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The report was the first comprehensive study on the state of American Muslim charities in the U.S., the ACLU claims. Turner, a lawyer by trade, spent the last year working on this study, conducting phone interviews and visiting Muslim community leaders and donors in Texas and Michigan. Others have taken note of her findings. “The ACLU report solidifies what we’ve been hearing from the community,” said Akil Vohra, who heads the Muslim Charity Works Campaign for Muslim Advocates, a San Francisco-based group that offers legal and policy advice to high-level government officials and the American Muslim community. “The way the prosecutions have gone about, there’s an issue about how Muslim organizations were tarred and feathered by having this designation.” Turner documented many stories in the ACLU report, including the words of Jamal Eddine Saih, a Plano, Texas resident. “We don’t know how to give now, and there is no way to give Zakat (charitable giving) now,” Saih said. “Right now I am not giving. I have halted my Zakat, and this means I am not complying with my religion. Even international law says I can help people in need according to my religion.” The report is already gaining traction in the media and in the political world.

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According to the report, the Treasury Department – which oversees charities – has unchecked power and can even make decisions based on secret evidence. Department officials have said they are taking a look at some of these concerns. The report also coincided with President Barack Obama’s speech on Islam in Cairo last week, in which he touched on the issue of Islamic charitable giving. “The rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation,” he said “That’s why I’m committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill Zakat.” Turner is interested in gathering hard data on American Islamic charities, but that would require a quantitative report based on a greater number of surveys and questionnaires. Also, faith-based organizations are not required to fill out a 990 form, a tax document that tax-exempt nonprofits file annually with the IRS, Vohra said, making statistics near impossible to gather. But the report is not the ACLU’s last project covering terrorism-related financial laws, Turner said. She plans to get back in touch with the leaders and donors she interviewed to hold a continued discussion about this topic.

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Excerpts from “Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity”: Chilling Muslim Charitable Giving in the ‘War on Terrorism Financing’ – A Report from the ACLU “The United States has long been regarded as a beacon of religious freedom. And yet U.S. Terrorism financing laws and policies developed under the Bush administration are inhibiting American Muslims’ ability to freely and fully practice their religion.” “The laws prohibiting material support for terrorism punish wholly innocent assistance to arbitrarily blacklisted individuals and organizations, undermine legitimate humanitarian efforts, and can be used to prosecute innocent donors who intend to support only lawful activity through religious practice.” “Executive Order 13224 confers broad powers on the Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of State, contains vague criteria for designation, and lacks any evidentiary standard for designation.” “It is a bait and switch starting with allegations of links to terrorism financing, then from there it goes to broader money-laundering issues, and in the end the individuals or groups get nailed for typically small financial irregularities.” Also see online: http://aclu.org/ muslimcharities and www.youtube. com/watch?v=4z1x0di4eXM

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

COMMUNITY NEWS

College Park Honors Young Mayor Hopefuls By Noor Tagouri Muslim Link Contributing Writer

to the students about the responsibility of his position as well as what exactly his job entails.

College Park, Md. Mayor Stephen Brayman honored Asma Farooqui, 9, and Muhumed Tagouri, 10, fourth-graders at Al-Huda School, for essays they penned on what policy they would put forward if they took over his job.

Although Mayor Brayman was unable to visit each of the schools that participated in the contest, he applauded the involvement of each of the schools.

On Tuesday, May 26, the mayor’s ofﬁce – in conjunction with the City Council of College Park – paid tribute to the two Al-Huda students, along with two fourth-graders from private Christian schools. The students had submitted entries in the Maryland Mayor’s Association’s, “If I were Mayor, I would…” essay competition. The writing competition was open to any student in the fourth grade from eleven districts throughout the state of Maryland. According to ofﬁcial numbers, a total of 2,895 entries were submitted in the competition. Prince George’s County, where Al-Huda School is located, put forward a total of 374 entries. The mayor also made an effort to visit several schools, talking

“Some of the schools that I was not able to get to this year still wrote essays, so I think that is just fantastic,” Brayman said at the Council meeting. Tagouri and Farooqui presented their essays during the council meeting. Both students received compliments on their essays, with Mayor Brayman heralding them as, “fabulous” and “fantastic.” The focus of their essays was on the environment and the merits of recycling and possible repercussions for littering. “All of us can help save the world by not polluting,” Farooqui wrote. The students, who were photographed alongside Mayor Brayman, were allowed to remain at the meeting and observe the

Asma Farooqui and Muhumed Tagouri, fourth-graders at Al-Huda School, receive their awards for their winning essay entries in the “If I Were Mayor, I Would ...” contest. Above, College Park Mayor Stephen Brayman presents the awards. mayor in action. “Maybe one day I will be the mayor and try

to help our community become an Earthfriendly society,” Tagouri said, clad in his “I Love College Park” badge.

George Galloway and MAS Freedom Prepare for July 4th American Humanitarian Convoy to Gaza WASHINGTON (MASNET) June 22, 2009 – MAS Freedom (MASF), the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS) and British Parliament Member George Galloway’s ‘Viva Palestina’ campaign, together with a coalition of American advocacy, peace and faith based groups, have teamed up for a massive American humanitarian convoy scheduled to set out on July 4, 2009 to deliver badly needed supplies to the people of Gaza. The initiative has been launched in response to the Israeli imposed embargo that denies the people of Gaza the basic necessities of life such as food, medical supplies, and building materials to rebuild homes destroyed by the brutal and lethal December 2008 Israeli invasion of Gaza. The American Humanitarian Convoy to Gaza will set out on July 4, 2009 from New York on its journey to Egypt with the purpose of delivering its massive truckload of urgently needed supplies through the Egyptian border of Rafah into Gaza. MAS Freedom is providing a container of

meal is often provided by them forging through garbage heaps.” “Regardless of varying political perspectives concerning the embargo, no one in the 21st century should have to live like the people of Gaza. MAS Freedom is determined to do its part to end this atrocity and inhumane form of barbarism,” Bray added. George Galloway, a renowned human rights activist and member of the British Parliament, began taking trucks loaded with supplies to Gaza in February 2009.

medical supplies and equipment for the mission through its ‘LET GAZA LIVE’ campaign which focuses not only on responding to the embargo on Gaza, but to applying political pressure on the U.S. government to end the embargo as well. MAS Freedom Executive Director, Mahdi Bray stated, “The Israeli imposed embargo is medieval in nature and transgresses all norms of human decency. The people in Gaza may eat only one meal a day and that

Through the Viva Palestina program, Galloway has continued to provide the basic necessities of life to the people of Gaza with truck convoys from the UK traveling through Egypt to Gaza. On March 29, 2009, MAS Freedom accepted Galloway’s challenge to provide an American convoy to Gaza at a fundraising event held for the Muslim Link Newspaper where Galloway served as key note speaker. Recently Galloway and Bray travelled to Orlando, Florida and Dallas, Texas to

promote both the July 4th ‘Viva Palestina’ American Humanitarian Convoy to Gaza campaign and MAS Freedom’s ‘Let Gaza Live’ campaign. Galloway stated, “The responsive support we’ve received from Muslim community leaders, MAS Orlando, MAS-Youth Dallas, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and the American Muslim community, has been phenomenal and greatly appreciated. I am certain that the spirits of the people of Gaza will be lifted by knowing that there is such concern, compassion, and activism on their behalf by their brothers and sisters in America.” To donate to the American Humanitarian Convoy to Gaza or Let Gaza Live campaigns mail your check or money order made payable to MAS Freedom at 1325 G Street NW., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005 or donate securely online. Contact MAS Freedom at (202) 552-7414, (703) 642-6265 or 1-888627-8471 for additional information. Email inquiries can be sent to info @ masfreedom. org. Learn more at www.masfreedom.org; www.masfreedomvip.com; or www.masnet. org.

COMMUNITY NEWS

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

ICM Showcases Community Youth at Graduation By Hytham Younis Muslim Link Contributing Writer

By Amina Haleem Muslim Link Staff Writer

Around two hundred people gathered on a beautiful day Sunday, June 14 for the graduation ceremony of the Islamic Center of Maryland’s (ICM) Sunday school for the 2008–09 school year. Though the night before saw torrential rain, the sun came out all day for what was the most elaborate and well planned graduation ICM has ever held. About three hundred students were enrolled at the Gaithersburg, Maryland Sunday school. Many were present to perform recitations of the Qur’an, theatrical skits, as well as to show works of Arabic calligraphy. Awards were given, and the day’s events included many enjoyable activities such as a petting zoo and a pony ride. Along with these, there were tables set up for cotton candy and popcorn and, of course, a bazaar in which items of clothing as well as toys for the kids were sold. Books were also available for purchase. Finally, there were stands for donations to the ICM cemetery

Muslimah Seeks to Tie Knot Between Wedding Vendors, Ethnic Couples The Washington, D.C. area is comprised of numerous ethnic minorities with various cultural practices for weddings and other big events. But despite the colorful diversity of its people, the area seems to lack a variety of choices when it comes to searching for vendors for ethnic marriages. This is why Hala Durrah created and launched ProjectIDo.com.

ICM’s Mannan Dasti helps make sure they Sunday School graduates are heard during their presentation at the ICM Sunday School graduation. (Photo courtesy of ICM). project as well as the ICM mosque and school expansion project. The program began with an introduction and welcoming by Mannan Dasti, principal of the school. Br. Mannan introduced Nadeem Ahmad, former school principal,

�� The Islamic Society of Annapolis (ISA) is looking for a full time paid Resident Imam who will oversee the religious affairs at the two centers that are affiliated with the organization (Makkah Learning Center in Gambrills & the Annapolis Center in Annapolis). The qualified candidate will work side by side with the Shura/ Governing Council and is expected to have a degree in Islamic Studies, be knowledgeable about Qur’an and fiqh, competent and fluent in English and Arabic, leadership qualities, able to engage in interfaith activities, capable of interacting with the youth, dedicated to build the community and be a legal resident in the US. Interested candidates are asked to email their resume and references to ISA through email rsiddiqi@comcast.net no later than

JULY 24th, 2009.

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and Mustafa Saifi, the present vice principal. Recognition was also given to Mohammed Aslam who tirelessly runs the main office at ICM and is responsible for the actual setting up and execution of most of the ICM’s programs. The first presentation by students of the Sunday school was a recitation of Surat Al-Faatiha by the kindergarten class. Then the first grade recited a beautiful nasheed about the five pillars of Islam. After that, the kindergarten students returned for more nasheed, followed by a presentation by the third grade afternoon class. Mannan Dasti then returned to inform the attendees about the efforts of the school with regards to new safety and security drills which were held during this school year. Then he spoke of a new survey which was conducted with the intent of improving the school’s functioning and curriculum. The goal now, according to Mannan Dasti, is to improve the quality of the academics and to improve the future curriculum. When it came time for the awards, the outstanding students from each grade level were called forward to receive their recognition certificates. Next, certificates of appreciation to the teachers along with gift money orders were handed out. Then came the awards for volunteers who had taken an active roll in making the school year so successful. First and second place winners of the Arabic calligraphy (Asmaaul-Husnaa) competition from each grade level were also recognized. A display of the most outstanding submissions of the students in calligraphy was present near the podium for all to view. >> See GRADUATION ON Pg 9

As the CEO of the company, she envisioned “the best online multi-ethnic wedding planning guide” for minorities in the metropolitan area. Durrah states that her company is “the ﬁrst Web site of [its] kind to offer a multi-ethnic focus.” The sense of diversity is one that is unique to Project I Do, especially because other Web sites such as the Knot and WeddingWire do not cater to the small cultural details that ethnic couples require. After all, where can you rent an elephant for three hours to ride to the wedding hall? Durrah hopes her website will be the one-stop destination for ethnic wedding planners. As an accomplished event planner, Durrah has chosen not to make Project I Do a wedding planning company, but instead provides a comprehensive list of vendors that is extremely useful and convenient for any client to use. Launched in 2008, Project I Do offers users easy access to information like Indian and Pakistani bridal preparation, African wedding attire, traditional Middle Eastern food and Asian and South Asian Islamic wedding customs. Businesses in the metropolitan area are increasingly aware that planning for a cultural event is difﬁcult, and therefore must be more inclined to cater to the demands of the region’s diverse and wealthy ethnic customers. Project I Do allows customers to search for and rate the cultural and ethnic businesses listed on the Web site. Site visitors have the ability to leave comments based on their experiences with businesses on the site for other users to read. They can also recommend vendors that are not listed. Companies can advertise on ProjectIDo.com. Durrah and her staff researched every vendor and business on the list by reading information on the Internet, in advertisements >> See WEDDING ON Pg 13

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

COMMUNITY NEWS

Baltimore Area Muslim Youth Welcome Resident Scholar at ISB By Rana Khan Muslim Link Contributing Writer It is a common sight to witness him sharing Islamic advice with youth seated around him in an atmosphere of pin-drop silence as each one listens attentively to his words, even in unlikely places like a restaurant or at the Baltimore National Aquarium. He has attended the ISB Youth Group’s Friday evening events and has accompanied them on their trips. He enjoys playing basketball with them. He has delivered a Jummuah sermon at the campus of the University of Maryland in Baltimore County (UMBC) in rooms packed with students. He was one of the speakers at the Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament (MIST) during the March weekend event. Despite being a new arrival on the community scene in the Baltimore area, Shaykh Imran Ahmed has been working hard at establishing strong ties with the Muslim youth in the region. A young scholar himself, his humble demeanor, ease of interaction with others

and wealth of knowledge has allowed him to connect with the youth and provide them with a platform for sharing ideas, discussing issues that affect them, and disseminating sacred knowledge.

daily basis - between school and the home. The pressure that the youth face to maintain these cultures is a very daunting challenge and one they are not given the support to handle.”

The resident scholar at the Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) is a hafidh of the Quran and has completed an eight-year advanced study program in “Hadith”, “Tafseer”, “Seerah” and “Fiqh”. He speaks 17 languages at different levels of proficiency, including Turkish, Persian, French, Thai and Urdu and is fluent in the Arabic Language.

“There are a wide range of challenges,” evaluates Madiha. “Some of these are ageold ones faced by all youth, and some are unique to this generation of youth. The biggest challenge by far, and perhaps the underlying root of all the other challenges, is the culture clash the youth face with their parents. As part of this culture clash, the youth form a set of values that may be very different from their parents, resulting in a lot of parent-youth conﬂict and with neither side understanding how the other is managing the two cultures. This causes a lot of arguments centered around religious issues, such as curfews, dress, observing religious practices, boy-girl relations, and so on.”

“Inter-generational conﬂict is a common challenge faced by all teenagers - almost a rite of passage,” says Madiha Tahseen, who has had extensive experience with the area youth through her involvement with the ISB Youth Group since its inception in April 2007, as well as through her role as coach for the MIST and Muslim Debate Competitions. “For the youth today, this issue gets magniﬁed by the different cultures they must transition between on a

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In the face of these challenges, Shaykh Imran’s dedication, commitment and

extension of support to the youth is already seen by many as being invaluable. Abdullah Shafi, vice-president of the ISB Youth Group says, “When he first came here, we approached him and wanted him to be involved with the youth. He was very eager to help and wanted to be with us.” Abdullah says that whenever the youth gather with Shaykh Imran, they thoroughly enjoy his company. “He doesn’t try to teach us something every five minutes, but when he does talk to us at the end of the event, everyone really enjoys listening to what he says. He has a great sense of connection with the youth.” Mohsin Majed, a student at UMBC and member of the ISB Youth Group responsible for coordinating events and maintaining their website, reiterates this emotion. “Shaykh Imran is an imam who is young at heart and connects very well with the youth,” says Mohsin. “He knows our language and understands our mindset. From everything I have heard, the youth love him.”

COMMUNITY NEWS

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

Special Training About Muslims for Social Workers at NASW By Tamara Elassal Muslim Link Contributing Writer The National Association of Social Workers had a full house in their D.C. ofﬁces Friday, June 19. Many social service workers from D.C., Maryland and Virginia attended cultural competency training to be more effective with Muslims, a joint effort between NASW and the Islamic Social Services Association. The event’s facilitators, Annesah Nadir and Fatima Mirza both hold Master’s degrees in social work and have pursued higher education. Nadir earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona, and Mirza is a candidate for a doctorate at the University of Maryland. The objective of the program was to enable non-Muslim professionals to work effectively with the Muslim population. Participants focused on increasing their knowledge of Muslim practices, learning

about the diversity of the American-Muslim population and identifying culturally sensitive strategies for interacting with Muslims. The full day presentation covered Islamic terminology, beliefs, practices and worldview, Islamic family law, demographics and historical context, gender issues, contemporary issues facing American Muslim families and considerations for social work practice with American Muslim families. The presenters focused on removing some of the stereotypical ideas that many non-Muslims hold about Muslims and demystifying many of the things that Muslims do. Some examples included the idea of Muslims stopping everything to pray and the deﬁnition of the words “Allahu Akhbar.” As the presenters pointed out, those words are not a rallying cry, but a beautiful praise to Allah.

For social workers that do home visits, the presenters explained the idea behind removing shoes when entering a residence. Other issues they covered included fasting during Ramadan and why a Muslim family would offer the social worker food and drink when they came into the house. The presenters discussed the importance of placing Muslim children that enter the Child Protective Services system into Muslim homes as a protection of their identity. This situation becomes very confusing for children when they are placed with a nonMuslim family, where the customs of the family counter everything they have learned – for example, they might have to eat pork, which is forbidden in Islam, the presenters said. Participants agreed that this was a very important issue, but pointed out the reality that there are so few Muslim foster homes, bringing up a call for our communities to become involved by volunteering to take in Muslim foster children.

The audience raised many questions regarding the rights of women, particularly concerning the oppression of females. Even the Bible has references that appear to degrade or take away the rights of women that can easily be taken out of context, the presenters said. Women in Islam have had many rights for 1400 years that women in this country only received in the past 100, such as the right to vote, the presenters said. Many Muslim women feel that hijab/ modesty is their right and not a form of oppression, the presenters said. One audience member raised a question: “Were Muslim women demonstrating for their rights?” The answer was that they were, but contrary to Western ideas, women would rally for their right to wear hijab. A signiﬁcant effort is underway in the construction of a website: www. muslimcounselors.org. This website is designed to help Muslims in need of mental health services ﬁnd Muslim or culturally competent counselors.

Omeish Comes in 3rd in Hotly Contested Delegate Race Campaign says groups mobilized against Omeish, but having a Muslim elected ofﬁcial in VA ‘only a matter of time’ RACE >> continued from pg 1

with 1,163 votes, Esam Omeish came in third with 1,050, and Roy Baldwin took 769 votes. We spoke with key campaign member Mukit Hossain, also of the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee (VMPAC), to get his post-election thoughts. Dr. Esam Omeish was unavailable for comment. -TML The Muslim Link (TML): What is your analysis of the election results? Mukit Hossain (MH): I think Esam’s candidacy to begin with and especially when the second quarter campaign ﬁnance results came out and Esam was leading everyone else, I think it made a lot of people especially in certain quarters very, very nervous. I was half expecting some attack [that would come much later], but when people started seeing him as a very serious contender, things suddenly started changing during the last week of the campaign. There was a tremendous ﬂurry and mobilization of activity against him. The more unfortunate part about it is that a lot of politicians that we considered friends – people for whom we’ve worked rather hard over the past few years – turned out becoming instruments of this mobilization [against Esam]. I think as a community we should contemplate a kind

of electoral response to those candidates who decided to essentially abandon us for whatever set of incentives they had.

thing [as Connolly]. All in all, it was very disappointing.

candidates were. Then suddenly there was all this activity. It was quite unusual.

TML: Who were these ofﬁcials?

TML: What evidence was there for a mobilization against the Omeish campaign?

TML: But some candidates said they kept to the issues?

MH: A few elected ofﬁcials. The most disappointing one was Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA). When he became chairman of the Board of Supervisors for Fairfax

MH: The endorsements of course, and there were several rallies put together by [Esam’s] opponents and they were attended by Connolly. Also, several of our volunteers

MH: Apparently, some supporters of [winner] Mark Keam were very active in raising the “jihad” issue. A number of his voters came to us at the voting precincts [on election day] and said categorically they did not want jihadists in their midst. From the numbers that came out, it was clear there was a mobilization, and they were told to make their views amply clear.

The more unfortunate part about it is that a lot of politicians that we considered friends – people for whom we’ve worked rather hard over the past few years – turned out becoming instruments of this mobilization [against Esam]. I think as a community we should contemplate a kind of electoral response to those candidates who decided to essentially abandon us for whatever set of incentives they had. County, the Muslim community completely [supported him]. When he declared his run for Congress, the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee [VMPAC] was the ﬁrst entity to give a fundraiser for him. So it was very disappointing to see him endorse an opponent in Mark Keam, and it was rather unusual for a congressman to weigh in on a [delegate] primary. There were several other state delegates who did the same

were approached by folks [from the opponent’s camp] and they were extremely belligerent. Participation in this race was much higher than normal. In the governor’s race voter participation was just around 6%. For our race, there was a 12% turnout. In the run up to the election – the last 10 days or so – quite a few people came up to us and said they don’t want jihadists [being elected]. Prior to this, hardly anyone knew who the

TML: How many votes did Esam get? MH: 1100 or so. Under normal circumstances, that could be [very] close to a victory number, the entire district only has about 60,000 voters. If you take historical precedence as an indication, we would have expected 3,000-4,000 voters [voting in this primary], but we had close to 6,700 voters. If you had a normal turnout, each candidate would get around 1,000 votes or so. But the winner in this primary had about 4,000 votes. It seems that a certain group mobilized around this one candidate. TML: Who voted for Esam?

>> See RACE II on Pg 9

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009 GRADUATION >> continued from pg 6

Perhaps one of the most interesting of events at the graduation ceremony was a play by teenage volunteers and participants of the MIST (Muslim Interscholastic Tournament). Having been authored and prepared by the students themselves, the play illustrated the problems which both young and grown up Muslims encounter within the community. Filled with as much humor as insight, the presentation was enjoyed by all who were present. Last but certainly not the least was the award given to Boy Scout Omar Solaiman who, with sponsorship from his father Dr. Solaiman, brought his troop members to work long hours to landscape and beautify the green areas around the ICM property. Before bringing the ceremony to its official end ICM recognized four guests from the community at large who had been very helpful in promoting Muslim causes and voices in Montgomery County. Dr. Judy Docca of the Board of Education was recognized for her leadership. She spoke of her pleasure to be associated with the ICM community and affirmed her continued support in accommodating the needs of the Muslim students. Lily Qi, Community Liaison Asian and Middle Eastern Community for the County Executive’s office of Community Partnerships, was also

RACE II >> continued from pg 8

MH: A large percent of them were Muslim voters, but we had others also who we targeted during the campaign and many of them came out to vote for Esam, like the senior citizens who [agreed with Esam] on healthcare. TML: is the campaign officially dismantled? MH: No, Esam did not run for office just to get elected. Esam is a very accomplished professional, and he ran because he cares about the society as a whole and [the area] in which he lives. He deeply cares for the issues, and he’ll probably continue to fight for the issues as a candidate or as a civic activist. His advocacy for the issues like healthcare will continue. One million Virginians don’t have healthcare. It will continue to be a huge issue. I’m sure he’ll regroup and talk to his family and his supporters and decide on whether to run again. TML: What are some of the lessons you’ll take from this campaign?

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recognized for her friendship and service. She expressed her commitment to helping immigrant communities including Muslims associated with ICM. Lastly, Nivea CordovaBerrios Supervisor of the International Student Admission Office of Montgomery County Public Schools came forward to thank ICM for their recognition and to express her pleasure at being associated with Muslims in the area. Reverend Tim Warner, Community Liaison Faith Communities for the County Executive’s Office of Community Partnerships and a long time friend of ICM, was also recognized. Since Tim wasn’t able to attend, Lilly Qi received the award on his behalf. The ceremony was then officially closed by a prayer offered to the Almighty by ICM’s own Imam Jamil Dasti. After all the formal presentations were done, it was time for the fun. Catered food was brought in for all. Children ran around and enjoyed the moon bounce, water pistols, cotton candy and popcorn. It was a very festive atmosphere in which all who attended were pleased to take part. The desire of the ICM community to have a successful and beneficial Sunday school has, over the years, come to true fruition. Year after year, the ICM Sunday school program has been more and more successful; it is to Allah, then the people who work so tirelessly to make it happen, that the thanks go to.

MH: One is we need to have an open and meaningful dialog with communities who don’t mind attacking our candidates. As a VMPAC organizer, I am certainly going to put some emphasis on this issue going forward. On the mobilization of supporters, it was really quite extraordinary. It was a very positive sign [how many people got involved in the campaign]. We need to have more visible civic roles. As part of our religion we believe good deeds should be done privately and secretly, but perhaps for the sake of encouraging our community further [in civic engagement], we need to be a bit more public. It was remarkable how many volunteers we had. Our community has the education, the financial resources, and the motivation to take its rightful place in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All the ingredients are there, its just a matter of time. We’re going to have to deal with certain issues, certain groups and communities, but I think time is on our side and history is on our side, we’ll have Muslim elected officials in Virginia. Another important lesson is from the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When he first came to Medina, he made a simple masjid but built an institution that will protect and empower the community. We need strong institutions to protect the community. Also, from the pact

Mukit Hossain (standing) listens as then candidate Esam Omeish (center) gets advice from supporters at a small fundraising dinner at Abshar Restaurant in Springﬁeld, Virginia, held a few weeks before the June 9 election. Pictured from right are Montgomery County Muslim Council activists Rashid Makhdoom and Tufail Ahmed. (Photo by Muslim Link staff) of Hudaybiyah, we learn the importance of strategic thinking, about our long terms gains and the purpose of our engagement.

We need to look at things for the long term gains of our community.

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

Seif Chapman Describes Oppressive Conditions of Special Federal Prison Program CHAPMAN >> continued from pg 1

that, and for the entire duration of my time spent in the CMU, I never had any problem with prison staff, but all of that ended abruptly when the law suit was filed. It was not much more than a month later that I was transferred to USP Lewisburg’s SMU program in retaliation for our law suit. For a year and a half at CMU the administrative staff had permitted all of us to pray in small groups of three. A short time after filing the law suit, Ismail and I (and one other brother) were given incident reports for praying in a group of three and not cutting our prayer when we were told that we needed to go pray in our cells. There was no emergency that would have necessitated us leaving the prayer, and we were praying in the same outof-the-way corner that we had prayed in for months. There is no staff member that had not seen us pray there in the past and this was the first mention of the “pray alone in your cell policy”. The BOP claims that this is the reason for my disciplinary transfer to the SMU – for praying in a group of three. Subhanallah. So, I was transferred to USP Lewisburg. My transfer to USP Lewisburg was an eventful one; one which might be indicative of the future outcome of this program. I was flown from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania aboard one of the BOP’s con-air flights along with about sixty other prisoners. All of the talk on the flight was about a the SMU. When we landed in Pennsylvania we were separated onto two buses; one for medium security and the other for maximum security. I was put on the maximum security bus along with 32 other prisoners. Most of those on the bus had been to Supermax facilities, Marion or ADX, and some had been to both. Almost as soon as we were on the bus, one prisoner came out of his restraints (consisting of handcuffs, a black box, a master key, and a belly chain), and used those restraints to assault another prisoner. Blood covered the bus with every swing of the restraints. There were puddles of blood on the floor, the ceiling was sprayed, and many of the bus’s occupants were covered in blood. The prisoner that was assaulted was in the seat directly in front of mine. With this, the prison guards sprayed the bus with pepper spray, temporarily blinding some, and causing extreme difficulties in breathing to most. The prisoner that was hit was taken off the bus and taken to the hospital. Our bus was

then surrounded. There were prison guards with their weapons drawn, airport police and safety vehicles, and I counted 15 state troopers’ vehicles. Everyone was armed. This scene attracted so much attention that the two local news stations set up cameras outside the airport perimeter. Two hours later we were escorted by state troopers to the prison. During and after the assault, the prisoners were explaining that this was

in Florence, Colorado, is comparatively a hotel compared to this program, and ADX is a disciplinary institution. ADX has single-man cells with televisions in each cell, a great commissary and many prisoner programs, just to mention a few qualities. There is none of that here. Even the SHU, or “Special Housing Unit”, which is likewise used for disciplinary infractions, enjoys many more privileges than do we in

Most of those on the bus had been to Supermax facilities, Marion or ADX, and some had been to both. Almost as soon as we were on the bus, one prisoner came out of his restraints (consisting of handcuffs, a black box, a master key, and a belly chain), and used those restraints to assault another prisoner. Blood covered the bus with ever y swing of the restraints. going to be just the beginning. Just as we were being introduced to the SMU. so too, were these prisoners introducing themselves. They knew what the SMU program was all about and they were letting the prison staff know that they were not going to take it laying down. Plenty of threats were laid down, and no doubt these were not simply idle threats made by people who were not ready to fulﬁll them. Our arrival at USP Lewisburg was no less uneventful. We were met by dozens of prison

the SMU “non-punitive” program. They are also calling the SMU “voluntary” because you can choose not to participate. Nonparticipation means spending 30 months in Level One, the most restrictive level in the program. If you “volunteer” and decide to participate, you can leave in as little as 18 months. In the SMU we are not permitted to have our own property. I have enclosed a copy of the “Inmate Handbook” for the SMU as well as the Program Statement. So I will not

We are not permitted a comb. I currently use a plastic fork to comb my hair and beard. We are permitted a Qur’an and one book, and that’s all. We are permitted one cubic foot of legal paper work. My trial transcripts alone are two and one half cubic feet. guards in swat gear, wearing gas masks and carrying paintball guns ﬁlled with pepper spray. We were removed from the bus in small groups; a prison guard to each group’s left, right, front and rear. At 4:30a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, the day after my travel began, I was ﬁnally put into a cell. The BOP is calling the SMU a “non-punitive” and “voluntary” program. Although they claim that it is “non-punitive” it is nonetheless the most punitive program in all of the BOP. ADX, the Supermax facility

go over each and every restriction, enough to mention only a few. We are not permitted a comb. I currently use a plastic fork to comb my hair and beard. We are permitted a Qur’an and one book, and that’s all. We are permitted one cubic foot of legal paper work. My trial transcripts alone are two and one half cubic feet. We are not permitted any of our clothing or shoes, few hygiene items, and absolutely no food. No watches, clocks or radios are permitted. Even in the SHU, a unit designed to house prisoners for disciplinary reasons, you can have these

types of items and food. The prison gives us soap, toothpaste and deodorant, all of which would not befit use by a dog. The list of prohibitions is a long one, suffice it to say, we are basically not permitted to have anything. In addition, the phone and visitation have been severely restricted. On the compound, prisoners receive 300 minutes of phone time. I just came from the “Communications” Management Unit, a unit designed to regulate communications, yet in the SMU the phone has been restricted even to a greater degree. In Levels One and Two, SMU prisoners are permitted only two 15-minute phone calls per month., 10% of that which compound prisoners enjoy. At the CMU, prisoners had double what SMU prisoners have. In the “special” circumstances surrounding my case, I have been restricted even further at SMU. I am only permitted one call per month. According to SIS (the prison’s Special Investigative Service) the reason for this additional restriction is, according to them, because “Inmate Chapman has a history of threatening and intimidating others in attempts to convert others to his own radical perceptions and radical beliefs. Inmate Chapman demonstrated an increasingly disruptive pattern of behavior at his previous institution by blatantly challenging regulations. In order to protect public safety and maintain security of this institution, this request is being submitted.” Now, the BOP can say about a prisoner whatever they wish as there is absolutely no recourse to correcting their “mistakes”. As for the “history of threatening and intimidating others”, I have asked SIS to give me the name of at least one person that I have “threatened” or “intimidated”. To date, I have received no response. As for my “radical perceptions and radical beliefs”, I have asked SIS what they are, as I know of none. With the usage of the word “convert” I can only believe that they are talking about my religion, yet throughout my entire incarceration I have never talked to others about my religion, let alone tried to “convert” anyone. As for my “increasingly disruptive pattern of behavior at his previous institution by blatantly challenging regulations”, my very first incident report in six years of incarceration occurred only months ago, and that was for praying in a group of three. I have not been told what this statement is referring to so I can only assume that this is what it is referring to, or perhaps, it is my law suit which I filed against CMU staff. And as

>> See CHAPMAN II on Pg 11

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009 CHAPMAN II >> continued from pg 10

for taking away my telephone privileges to “protect public safety and maintain security of this institution”, my telephone calls are live-monitored by SIS staff and the only ones that I speak to on the phone are my wife and our children. I am locked in my cell 163 out of every 168 hours every week so I cannot understand how me using the telephone in my cell to talk to my wife and daughters could possibly disrupt the “security of this institution”. Allah, make it easy. As for visitation, in Level One and Two, it is done via video-visiting. I never leave the unit; I look at my family on a video screen and talk to them on a phone. They do the same. I have not been permitted to hug or kiss my wife or daughters since February 2007 when I was sent from USP Big Sandy to the CMU. Allah,return me to them now. I have always had difﬁculty controlling my diabetes in prison and my biggest problem right now is with my diabetes. Lock-down prisons are not designed to treat prisoners with chronic care issues. I have been here for over a month now and my diabetes has remained out of control. There are many problems here, but the worst is that I am supposed to receive insulin twice a day, at a twelve-hour interval. I have been receiving both my morning and evening doses of insulin within a 6-hour period and then nothing for the next 18 hours. The two injections back-to-back cause me to have low blood sugar, and the 18-hour delay between injections causes me to have high blood sugar. The low blood sugars are extremely dangerous, especially in the SMU as we are not permitted to have any food which could be used to bring my sugar back up to normal. Alhamdulillah, Allah has placed me in a cell with a good brother. Abdul Mu’min already knows more about diabetes than the prison nurses. He knows how to respond to my low and high blood sugars, and he has aided me greatly, by Allah’s permission. In addition to not being permitted to have food, Medical has barred me access to glucose squeeze tubes which are used for low blood sugar reactions. For the past six years I have been prescribed these tubes at every institution that I have been to. Here at USP Lewisburg I was told that I would not be permitted to have them, as some people make wine with them. I wonder if making wine is one of my so-called “radical beliefs”? Probably not. Every problem that I have ever encountered

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with Medical in any of the institutions that I have been to have all been compiled in one place, USP Lewisburg. This is the worst medical treatment that I have ever received in prison, and that’s saying something.

a single book in the cell. Alhamdulillah, we are only two in the cell so I should not have to worry about being put on a bus for disciplinary transfer for praying in a group of three. Allah is the Greatest!

Let me give you an example of the medical treatment provided herein the SMU. On May 8, 2009, the nurse brought my evening dose of insulin at 2:30p.m.. When he checked my blood sugar level it was 43. This is critically low, and in many cases can cause coma or even death. The nurse then asked me to take my insulin. With low blood sugar the brain is not functioning properly, it needs

The make-up of the prison population in the SMU consists of prisoners from every part of the country and from every gang or group that is found on the penitentiary compounds. Each group is segregated from the other because many of these groups are enemies one to another. Then, these prisoners are locked in their cells for at least one year. Everything is taken away

Lock-down prisons are not designed to treat prisoners with chronic care issues. I have been here for over a month now and my diabetes has remained out of control. glucose, but Alhamdulillah, I was cognizant enough to know that I could not take insulin that early before dinner. The dinner meal is not served until 5:00p.m. So I would have had to go two and a half hours without food (as we have no food in the cell), all the while my medication would be working to lower my blood sugar even lower. Having spent all of this time in the cell with me, my cell mate understood that doing as the nurse asked would kill me. Abdul Mu’min tried to reason with the nurse and have him reconsider what he was trying to do, and even told him that he was going to kill me, and at this the nurse told me to “take it or leave it”. I had no choice, I couldn’t take it. I did not see a nurse again until 9:00a.m. the flowing morning when the the nurse from the afternoon before returned. Thus, I went 26 ½ hours without medication, and nearly that long without food. Alhamdulillah, for Allah’s Mercy. These people have none. All of our medical services take place cell-side as we never come out of the cell except for our five hours a week or “recreation” which consists of being put into another cell for a one hour period, Monday through Friday. So much for doctor-patient confidentiality. We are kept in our cells so we are not permitted to participate in prison programs. We cannot go to Education, Recreation, or worse, we have no access the Chapel. We are not permitted to go to jumu’ah prayers. We cannot have Islamic classes. We cannot go to the Chapel and use the Islamic books that are in the library there or watch the Islamic videos. Access to our First Amendment right in the U.S. Constitution, freedom of religion, has been restricted to a Qur’an and

from them. Then in Level Three they are supposed to live together in a unit – to live in peace? Unfortunately, this is not going to be the ﬁnal outcome. Many are preparing themselves for the inevitable encounter. They are training together, they are working out and getting ready to face their enemies. Plotting and planning. The ﬁnal outcome will make what happened on the bus ride here forgettable; it will be one hundred times the bus. It is impossible to put these rival groups together in the same unit and think that they are going to sit down and program with each other. Program? They are going to kill each other, this is the only outcome for this type of program and everyone knows that. It is unfortunate, but is is reality. There are several Muslims already in the SMU program, good brothers like Abdul Mu’min, and you can be sure that there are many more to follow. May Allah protect us all . May Allah protect those still in the CMU. I hope that you will inform as many people as you can. This program will not only affect those of us who are already here, but it will affect many more in the future. Although I have only explained some of my situation here, for sure mine is not unlike others here, each individual having his own set of issues, whether medical or otherwise. Over the past month prisoners in the SMU have been chained to their beds, four-pointed, (chained by each limb) for days, while others have knocked holes in the walls of their cells in an attempt to get at other prisoners. Just a few days ago prisoners were gassed when they became upset that they were brought here, off of the compound, with absolutely

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no infraction of any rule. They had not even prayed in a group of three. This is the most restrictive program in the BOP; some have said that this is a program for “the worst of the worst”, and the end result here is going to be deadly. Lots of people are going to die in the SMU before the BOP is going to be willing to change this program. That is basically our current situation, so please pray for us. Pray that Allah frees us. Pray that no more are sent here. I am trying to find a constitutional law attorney who will take this case. Any help from the community in finding one would be much appreciated. Just before I was transferred from the CMU, Sabri Benkhala was contacted by the ACLU, hopefully that means that they will take up the CMU law suit. May Allah make him and us successful in that. Any help that I can get in finding a constitutional law attorney would be great as currently we have no legal law library, and no one seems to know when, or if, we will get one. Just making a single photocopy here can take more than two weeks. There is not really much that I, or others, can do from here right now. I know for sure that Allah will make a way out for all of us, so I hope that my letter does not come across as a complaint. I have no complaints. Alhamdulillah, I am happy with what Allah has written for me and I have no fear other than Him. Ibn Mu’ash said in one of his poems; “...Surrounded by chains in lock, Surrounded by wind of patience, Songs of steel successive rounds, Hymns of prayer in devoted grounds, Cries of pain in sorrowful melody. By Allah! They are not sobs of tragedy. ...When people were sawed in proportion, When their skins were torn in succession, When they were squeezed to change their conviction Their bodies cried from cruel distortion, Their emotions swam in exhaustion, But their hearts remained in full submission...” Allah help us. Thank you Muslim Link for all of your support, please continue to keep all of us in your prayers. Allah ma’ak, Sincerely, Seifullah Chapman USP Lewisburg, PA

>> READ ALSO:

ACLU Lawsuit Challenges Secret Creation Of Isolated Housing Units InFederal Prisons, pg 12

COMMUNITY NEWS

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

ACLU Lawsuit Challenges Secret Creation Of Isolated Housing Units InFederal Prisons Prisoners Unfairly Assigned To Draconian Units Government Claims Are For Terrorists FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2009 CONTACT: Will Matthews, (212) 549-2582 or 2666; media@aclu.org TERRE HAUTE, IN – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana today filed a legal complaint challenging the unprecedented and secret creation of housing units inside federal prisons in which prisoners are condemned to live in stark isolation from the outside world. Called Communication Management Units (CMUs) and designed to house prisoners viewed by the government as terrorists, they were established in violation of federal laws requiring public scrutiny and today are disproportionately inhabited by Muslim prisoners – many of whom have never been convicted of terrorism-related crimes. The complaint, which names as defendants U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder and two senior Bureau of Prisons officials, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on behalf of Sabri Benkahla, an American citizen confined in the CMU at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana despite being found not guilty by a federal judge in

2004 of providing support to the Taliban. “The government created CMUs without any opportunity for public comment or oversight in an effort to skirt Sabri Benkahla obligations of accountability and transparency,” said David Shapiro, a staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project. “And after inventing these units behind closed doors, prison officials arbitrarily assigned prisoners to them without providing prisoners any real ability to challenge their placement there.” Born and raised in Virginia and a graduate of George Mason University, Benkahla was studying Islamic law and jurisprudence in Saudi Arabia in 2003 when he was abducted at gunpoint by the Saudi secret police the night before his wedding, transferred to the custody of the FBI, flown back to America and charged with supplying services to the Taliban and using a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. After a bench trial,

U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema found him not guilty. Brinkema called his arrest and transfer to American authorities “a Kafkaesque situation.” Less than a month later, however, the government – not satisfied with Bankahla’s acquittal – forced him to testify before a federal grand jury. He was accused and convicted of perjury, despite the fact that most of the allegedly false statements he was accused of making involved the same subject matter that served as the basis for his previous trial. Benkahla was sentenced to 121 months in prison, but even his sentencing judge, U.S. District Court Judge James C. Cacheris, declared unequivocally that “Sabri Benkahla is not a terrorist,” highlighted his “model citizenry,” and stated that the chances of Benkahla ever committing another crime were “infinitesimal.” Despite Judge Cacheris’ findings, Benkahla was nonetheless moved from the Northern Ohio Correctional Facility in Youngstown, Ohio to the CMU in Terre Haute without any kind of a hearing or legitimate means of challenging his placement. He now endures severe restrictions on his communication with his friends and family and is unable to interact with non-CMU prisoners. Should he

be forced to remain in the CMU, Benkahla will be prohibited from and contact with visitors for the duration of his sentence – including being barred from hugging his son. “It is simply unfair to force Sabri Benkahla to serve his sentence in a horriﬁcally isolated housing unit designed by the government to hold terrorists when he has never been convicted of any crime of terrorism,” said Shapiro. “The Bureau of Prisons should be held accountable for these units and the people like Sabri who are wrongfully held there.” Additional information about the ACLU’s case, including a copy of the complaint and a letter in support of Benkahla from U.S. Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia, is available online at: www.aclu.org/prison/ restrict/39924res20090618.html Additional information about the ACLU National Prison Project is available online at: www.aclu.org/prison Additional information about the ACLU of Indiana is available online at: www.aclu-in.org

DA’WA >> continued from pg 1

advertising campaign similar to those done in other cities around the country. Despite not having the funding, the group felt bus ads were a natural progression from static billboard ads. On April 18, WhyIslamD.C. held a fundraiser in Herndon, Va., to reach the goal of $52,000 to fund WhyIslam activities for the next calendar year. The bus project alone costs $30,000 ($600 per bus for four weeks for 50 buses). All of the buses will run in Washington, D.C. The group initially considered using some of the designs from other WhyIslam bus ad campaigns in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Houston and San Francisco. After much deliberation, they decided to create new designs so as to have the most impact using the donated money from the Muslim community. A professional graphic artist, herself a revert to Islam, generated some designs. A small team of WhyIslam volunteers and others deliberated on what message would pique

One of ﬁve ad designs which will appear on Metro buses in the District this summer as part of a WhyIslam - DC da’wa effort. Image courtesy by WhyIslam - DC people’s interest. Rather than limit the ads to a single design, the group opted for a series of ﬁve designs.

average of shahadahs per day by phone varies throughout the year but peaks in Ramadan.

information booths at fairs, festivals and community days throughout the rest of the summer in the D.C. area.

Each of the 50 buses will feature a singleside poster featuring one of the ﬁve designs. The designs all feature the 1-877-Why-Islam toll-free phone number and the WhyIslam. org website address.

The Web site provides basic information on the true teachings of Islam and has links for free literature on hot topics from hijab and terrorism to how Islam was spread. Also covered are Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them) in English and Spanish. They provide a free English translation of the Qur’an for anyone who asks for it.

WhyIslam is hoping to extend the bus ads longer and also fund another billboard campaign as they have become cheaper in this sluggish economy. The group intends to provide stafﬁng for the WhyIslam booth at the Islamic Society of North America conference next month.

The WhyIslam phone number is operated by a group of volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on a rotating basis by a system that is run by WhyIslam (national) based in New Jersey. They take calls from all kinds of people - some even become Muslim on the phone. The daily

About $35,000 was raised at the fundraiser, which covers bus ads and $2,000 for printing costs. This leaves little money for WhyIslam’s main activity – sponsoring

Interested in donating or volunteering for WhyIslam-DC? Please visit WhyIslamDC.org. The writer volunteers with WhyIslam-DC.

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

About the Islamic Social Ser vices Association By Tamara Elassal Muslim Link Contributing Writer The Islamic Social Services Association originated in 1999 as a joint effort between American and Canadian Muslim social services workers. The theme of the 10th annual event was “Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future.” At the conference, presenters addressed Muslim singles and facilitation of ﬁnding a partner. Efforts are being made on local levels to have ways for Muslims singles to meet in an Islamically appropriate environment. Another topic discussed was accessibility to mosques and community centers for the disabled, particularly the blind and deaf. Issues facing the elderly Muslim population, one that will grow tremendously over the next decade, were also discussed.

COMMUNITY NEWS

often a taboo topic in Muslim communities. Event organizers hope this stigma will continue to decrease so more Muslim will seek professional help when it is needed. The event featured discussions centering on the need for Muslims to establish scholarship funds to assist persons interested in the social work and mental health fields to with educational expenses. Though we are all called to be “helpers” in Islam, we are also called to seek knowledge. Being trained in helping professions is an ultimate perfection of one’s character in Islam. Scholarships would enable more Muslims to enter the field so that persons in need of these services would not need to seek them from outside the community. ISSA is establishing internships, available in various communities across the US, for those entering the field. Virginia local Altaf Hussain gave the final keynote address, entitled, “Lessons Learned and The Way Forward.”

Throughout the years, the ISSA has cooperated with several initiatives, one being the Peaceful Families Project. This project’s mission is to end abuse in Muslim families by creating community awareness workshops in mosques and other Muslim community sites. This project is co-directed by Virginia locals Salma ElKadi Abugedeiri Maha Alkahteeb. PFP has developed an educational tool entitled, “Garments of One Another: Ending Domestic Violence in Muslim Families,” which includes a DVD and other materials. It is available through faithtrustinstitute.org. Other areas of focus for ISSA include premarital and marital Services, including a program entitled, “Sakinah Healthy Marriage Initiative,” in which Imams agree not to marry people until they have completed at least three premarital counseling sessions. This initiative promotes healthy marriages and, insha’Allah, will decrease divorce and abuse rates.

Another subject was how mental illness is WEDDING >> continued from pg 6 and in community newspapers. They also spoke to people with varying opinions of the businesses’ services. On July 19, The Crowne Plaza in Tysons Corner, Va. is hosting an information session about Project I Do, which is being touted as an “opportunity to learn valuable tips on wedding planning from a variety of wedding professionals.” There is no fee, but registration is encouraged. Durrah hopes to expand Project I Do to serve populated areas on the West Coast, in the Midwest and in the southern part of the U.S. She would also like to see Project I Do provide information for other big events besides weddings.

During the conference, many Imams from across the United States and Canada were recognized for their work on social issues, including some from the area: • Imam Hassan A. Amin – Chaplain Johns Hopkins Hospital, Founder Muslim Social Services Agency, Inc., Baltimore • Imam Faizul Khan – Founder and President of Muslim Youth League, Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations, Director Inter Faith Community Against Domestic Violent and Islamic Freedom Foundation – DC • Imam Mohamed Magid – VP of ISNA, Executive director of ADAMS center, known for his counseling and family counseling expertise • Imam Johari Abdul-Malik – Director of community outreach for Dar Al-Hijrah, helped start “Ramadan Feedthe Needy”, founding member of Muslim Advocacy Commission of Washington DC and Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence Lastly, at the evening banquet, Maryam Funches, EdD, (Baltimore) may Allah give her peace, was honored for her years of dedication and helping found ISSA. Her children accepted the reward and made a generous $1000 donation in her name. Any future awards that are given by the ISSA will be called: “The Maryam Funches Excellence in Service Award”.

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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Christian Soldiers A cadre of 40 U.S. chaplains took part in a 2003 project to distribute 2.4 million Arabic-language Bibles in Iraq By Kathryn Joyce Newsweek, June 19, 2009 [Joyce is the author of Quiverfull: Inside The Christian Patriarchy Movement.] Ever since former president George W. Bushreferred to the war on terror as a crusade in the days after the September 11 attacks, many have charged that the United States was conducting a holy war, pitting a Christian America against the Muslim world. That perception grew as prominent military leaders such as Lt. Gen. William Boykin described the wars in evangelical terms, casting the U.S. military as the “army of God.” Although President Obama addressed the Muslim world this month in an attempt to undo the Bush administration’s legacy of militant Christian rhetoric that often antagonized Muslim countries, several recent stories have framed the issue as a wider problem of an evangelical military culture that sees spreading Christianity as part of its mission. A May article in Harpers by Jeff Sharlet illustrated a military engaged in an internal battle over religious practice. Then came news about former Defense secretary Donald Rumsfelds Scripture-themed briefings to President Bush that paired war scenes with Bible verses. (In an e-mail published on Politico, Rumsfeld aide Keith Urbahn denied that the former Defense secretary had created or even seen many of the briefings.) Later in May, Al-Jazeera broadcast clips filmed in 2008 showing stacks of Bibles translated into Pashto and Dari at the U.S. air base in Bagram and featuring the chief of U.S. military chaplains in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Gary Hensley, telling soldiers to hunt people for Jesus. In the aftermath of that report, the Pentagon responded that it had confiscated and destroyed the Bibles and said there was no effort to convert Afghans. But while the military dismissed the Bagram Bibles as an isolated incident, a civilrights watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), says this is not the case. According to the group’s president, Mikey Weinstein, a cadre of 40 U.S. chaplains took part in a 2003 project to distribute 2.4

million Arabic-language Bibles in Iraq. This would be a serious violation of U.S. military Central Command’s General Order Number One forbidding active-duty troops from trying to convert people to any religion. A Defense Department spokeswoman, in an e-mail to NEWSWEEK, denies any knowledge of this project.

supplied fewer chaplains, creating a vacuum ﬁlled by conservative churches. This imbalance was exacerbated by regulation revisions in the 1980s that helped create hundreds of new “endorsing agencies” that brought a ﬂood of evangelical chaplains into the military and by the simple fact that evangelical and Pentecostal churches are the fastest-growing in the U.S.

The Bible initiative was handled by former Army chaplain Jim Ammerman, the 83-yearold founder of the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches (CFGC), an organization in charge of endorsing 270 chaplains and chaplain candidates for the armed services. Ammerman worked with an evangelical group based in Arkansas, the International Missions Network Center, to distribute the Bibles through the efforts of his 40 active-duty chaplains in Iraq. A 2003 newsletter for the group said of the effort, “The goal is to establish a wedge for the kingdom of God in the Middle East, directly affecting the Islamic world.”

The chaplains minister to ﬂocks that are, on the whole, slightly less religious than the general population and slightly less evangelical. According to a 2008 Department of Defense survey, 22 percent of active-duty members of the military described themselves as evangelical or Pentecostal (although the actual number of evangelical-minded believers is likely higher when encompassing personnel who follow more evangelical expressions of mainline Protestant denominations, as well as a sizable percentage of the additional 20 percent that describe themselves simply as “Christian”).

J. E. Wadkins, vice president of student life at Ecclesia College who oversees the International Missions Network Center, says they have worked with Ammerman for 20 years and reached out to him as part of their “Bibles for the Nations” mission. He estimates that in the end, between 100,000 and 500,000 Arabic Bibles were distributed in under one year, beginning not long after Saddam Hussein’s ouster. “It was a really early effort there,” says Wadkins, “when things ﬁrst opened up.”

Among the “endorsing agencies” is CFGC, which represents a conglomeration of independent Pentecostal churches outside established denominations. The group was accepted as a chaplain-endorsing agency by the Department of Defense in 1984, two years after it ﬁrst applied. Since 1984, MRFF charges, Ammerman’s agency has violated numerous codes that govern chaplaincies, including a constant denigration of other religions, particularly Islam, Judaism, mainline Protestantism and Catholicism, but also non-Pentecostal evangelical churches. In a 2008 sermon, Ammerman described a CFGC chaplain at Fort Riley, Kans., who demanded the 42 chaplains below him “speak up for Jesus” or leave his outﬁt. In a video for an organization called the Prophesy Club, CFGC chaplain Maj. James Linzey called mainstream Protestant churches “demonic, dastardly creatures from the pit of hell,” that should be “[stomped] out.” But the primary target of CFGC’s ire is Islam. A 2001 CFGC newsletter asserted that the real enemy of the U.S. wasn’t Osama bin Laden, but Allah, whom the newsletter called “Lucifer.” A 2006 issue argued that all Muslim-Americans should

The effort is an example of what critics call a growing culture of militarized Christianity in the armed forces. It is inﬂuenced in part by changes in outlook among the various branches’ 2,900 chaplains, who are sworn to serve all soldiers, regardless of religion, with a respectful, religiously pluralistic approach. However, with an estimated two thirds of all current chaplains afﬁliated with evangelical and Pentecostal denominations, which often prioritize conversion and evangelizing, and a marked decline in chaplains from Catholic and mainstream Protestant churches, this ideal is suffering. Historian Anne C. Loveland attributes the shift to the Vietnam War, when many liberal churches opposed to the war

>> See SOLDIERS ON Pg 25

Iraq-born teen cracks maths puzzle Source: AFP, May 28, 2009 STOCKHOLM (AFP) – A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden has cracked a maths puzzle that has stumped experts for more than 300 years, Swedish media reported on Thursday. In just four months, Mohamed Altoumaimi has found a formula to explain and simplify the so-called Bernoulli numbers, a sequence of calculations named after the 17th century Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli, the Dagens Nyheter daily said. Altoumaimi, who came to Sweden six years ago, said teachers at his high school in Falun, central Sweden were not convinced about his work at ﬁrst. “When I ﬁrst showed it to my teachers, none of them thought the formula I had written down really worked,” Altoumaimi told the Falu Kuriren newspaper. He then got in touch with professors at Uppsala University, one of Sweden’s top institutions, to ask them to check his work. After going through his notebooks, the professors found his work was indeed correct and offered him a place in Uppsala. But for now, Altoumaimi is focusing on his school studies and plans to take summer classes in advanced mathematics and physics this year. “I wanted to be a researcher in physics or mathematics; I really like those subjects. But I have to improve in English and social sciences,” he told Falu Kuriren.

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

ISLAM

Islam

��

The way of life given to us by our Creator and practiced by our Messenger Sallallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam

Problems Engendered by Superﬁcial Piety By Sheikh Abdullah al-Khulaywi islamtoday.com

which the main impetus for conformity is the threat of public disgrace.

For a long time, our minds have been conditioned to connect religiousness with outward appearances more than with a person’s convictions. It has become the dominant tendency in our society to take our ﬁrst impression about a person’s ideology and thinking from what that person looks like. We forget other critical factors that make up a person’s identity and character.

[Some Arab] societal fabrics, for instance, have a predominantly shame-culture orientation. This is ﬁne. This is not something negative in itself. A sense of shame is part

For example, it is easy for a man to let his beard grow and wear a short robe, which in [some] societies gives people the impression that he is religious. Yet, there are many important things that we do not know about this person. Outward customs have come to carry more weight than matters of worship. This has turned matters on their heads so that societal norms have come to play an inordinate role in the conceptualization of religious law. This has led to a very narrow and constricted understanding of religious teachings for

the understanding of many people is one where form is given priority to content. You can see the conspicuous signs of religion everywhere and at all times, but many of those who exhibit these signs are as far as can be from Islam’s guidance, magnanimity, and purity. We all to often ﬁnd people

Abû Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah does not look at your bodies or your outward appearances, but He looks at your hearts.” [Sahîh Muslim] of faith. However, it becomes something negative when our understanding of the sacred texts becomes crippled by fear of public censure and when the shame-culture dictates to us how we interpret the verses of the Qur’ân. The culture of religiousness which informs

behaving in ways that are diametrically opposed to Islamic teachings, which in turn gives “religiousness” a bad reputation. Certainly, the truth is not to be judged on the basis of some people’s bad conduct, but taken instead from the Qur’ân and Sunnah. Nevertheless people are impressionable and are affected by what they see.

Join in the Celebration By Sheikh Salman al-Oadah islamtoday.com Everything in our life experience as human beings – everything in our surroundings, from inanimate objects to living things to the stars in the heavens – are manifestations of Allah’s greatness and of His infinite capability. In this way, all of creation participates in a grand celebration of Allah’s praises. The heavens and Earth, the stars and the firmaments, the flora and fauna: everything glorifies Allah and testifies to the divinity and suzerainty which are His alone. “The seven heavens and the Earth and all they contain glorify Him, and there is not a thing but extols His glory; but you do not understand how they glorify Him.” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’: 44] Let us join in this celebration by remembering

Allah, praising Him, and extolling His glory. Allah possesses the most sublime names and attributes, all of which are intrinsically linked with the religious and everyday aspects of a believer’s life. This is why knowledge of Allah’s names and attributes is the greatest and purest of all forms of knowledge.

experiences they provide.

We should endeavor to make ourselves more aware of Allah by becoming better acquainted with His noble names and attributes, and by increasing our awareness of how those attributes relate to our lives.

As believers in Allah, we can appropriate something of that magniﬁcence, just enough to illuminate the way ahead. This is the faith that resides in our hearts and expels the surrounding darkness. In our troubled times – rife with injustice, tragedy, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles – Muslims and non-Muslims alike are faced with more insecurity and uncertainty than ever before.

We encounter, on a daily basis, stories of various kinds, from news reports to novels to epic adventures. Some of us even center our lives on our favorite television programs, following them day after day. Most of these stories are imaginary and serve no purpose other than to provide ﬂeeting entertainment. Nevertheless, our ﬁxation on them is undeniable, because we crave the variety of

So how is it when we focus our awareness on Allah and His greatness which we cannot describe in words, which transcends human cognition, and which not even our imaginations can begin to grasp?

We really need to have Allah in our lives, and to be in touch with His names and attributes. We must turn to Him with love and awe, and purify our hearts with God-consciousness and a commitment to draw near to Him.

When the concept of religiousness is obscured and diluted by cultural biases and inherited tradition, it creates a society which judges religious commitment by superﬁcial standards. This, in turn, causes a lot of people to be turned away from religion on account of the conduct they witness and experience from people their society judges to be “religious”. Those who, by society’s standards, openly display a badge of piety through their outward appearance have an added responsibility to behave in a manner that will endear other people to Islam. They need to become a true reﬂection of Islam’s lofty values and guidance to those around them. They have to be an example both to Muslims and nonMuslims. True religiousness is not only in our confession and our appearances. It is in our behavior and in how we conduct our lives. It is the outward manifestation of the love of >> See PROBLEMS ON Pg 17

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FATAAWA

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

Fataawa Questions about Islamic life and practice

Praying for a Person Who Did Me a Favor QUESTION: If someone does some act of kindness for me and I have no other way to repay that person, should I pray to Allah for that person by supplication to Allah on that person’s behalf? Answered by Sheikh Hishâm b. Ismâ`îl alSînî, Umm al-Qurâ University If you do a good deed or an act of kindness for another person, you should not expect any reward or recompense from that person whatsoever. You should look forward to your reward from your Lord and from nowhere else. However, if someone shows you a kindness, you should repay that person in some way if you are able to do so. If you are unable to return the kindness, then you should beseech Allah in supplication for that person. You should do so often, until you feel that you have fully honored the good deed that the person has done for you. It is authentically related from In `Umar that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks refuge in Allah’s name, give him refuge. Whoever begs from you in Allah’s name, give to that person. Whoever invites you, accept the invitation. Ad whoever does you a kindness, repay him. If you do not ﬁnd the wherewithal to repay him, then supplicate to Allah for him until you feel you have compensated him.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1672) and Sunan al-Nasâ’î (2567)] And Allah knows best.

Eating Fruit from a Public Park QUESTION: We recently went to a public park, and in it we found trees that bore plums and cherries. We picked them thinking that the park is public property and that as tax payers, we have a right to it. We also did not see at the park any sign stating that we could not eat of its fruits. However, since then we have been worried that perhaps what we did was wrong Islamically. Please clarify this issue for us. Answered by the Fatwa Department Research Committee - chaired by Sheikh `Abd alWahhâb al-Turayrî If these public parks or other public lands

having fruit trees are not subject to ofﬁcial regulations that eating from those trees is prohibited, and if no prohibition is implicitly understood by the people of the area, then we see no legal objection to what you have done by eating fruit from those trees. However, this permission is conditional. No fruit is to be picked at a park and then taken away to be eaten later. This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever enters a garden may eat from it but should not take anything away in his shirt.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1287)] We should be aware that some people of knowledge have understood this permission to be for travelers only. Others have opined that it is disliked to eat of fruit without paying for it. However, it appears that the differences of opinion expressed by some scholars on this matter refers to privately owned gardens. This is understood from the context of their statements and from the fact that public parks were not prevalent in the past when those statements were made. Therefore, we must understand those divergent views in the context in which they were expressed. As for the hadîth itself, it is general and applies to public parks as well as private gardens, and naturally, greater leniency is to be applied to public parks. Of course, if there are written regulations prohibiting the picking of fruit off the trees in public parks or if this is customarily understood in society as being prohibited, then it is Islamically not allowed. And Allah knows best.

Doctor Liability in Patient Death QUESTION: If a patient dies due to the professional negligence of a doctor, is it considered murder, provided the doctor did not intend to kill the patient? Answered by Sheikh `Abd al-Rahmân alJar`î, professor at King Khâlid University in Abhâ Any death resulting from the professional negligence of a doctor is deemed to be an unintentional killing. The doctor has to pay compensation (diyah) to the inheritors of the

deceased, either on his own or with the help of his family. The doctor has to atone for the killing by either freeing a Muslim slave or by fasting two consecutive months. Allah says: “It is not for a believer to kill a believer unless (it be) by mistake. He who hath killed a believer by mistake must set free a believing slave, and pay the bloodmoney to the family of the slain, unless they remit it as a charity…And whoever has not the wherewithal (to free a slave) must fast two consecutive months, a penance from Allah. Allah is Knowing, Wise.” [Sûrah alNisâ’: 92]

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As for the death of a patient that is not a result of professional negligence, but is a natural consequence of an inherently dangerous operation or the seriousness of the patient’s condition, then the doctor is not liable. And Allah knows best

Testing on Animals QUESTION: I am a science student, and at the moment I am doing a course in gene expression. During the course, we are sacriﬁcing animals. We are injecting mice with viruses and bateria in order to make observation on their immune responses. Later, we kill the mice. My question is what does Islam say regarding research done on animals, especially higher organisms like mice and rabbits, when those experiments causes suffering or injury to the animals? Answered by Sheikh Sa`d al-Shuwayrikh If these laboratory experiments are being conducted for some real beneﬁt that cannot be achieved without them, then carrying out such experiments is permissible. The reason for this is that all animals have been made subject to human welfare. However, it would be impermissible to do such experiment just for fun and for groundless reasons, since this would be plain torture and it is prohibited in Islam to torture animals. Also, even if the experment itself is valid, every care should be taken to make the subject animal as comfortable as possible. No animal should be subjected to any unnecessary discomfort. Source: All fatawa from islamtoday.com.

Check out TML’s Masjid Locator PG 33 Over 50 Masajid Listed!

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

SALAH TIMES

Salaah times for 3 Rajab Al-Awwal - 1 Shaban 1430 A.H. Day

If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it fi ve times a day, do you think he would have any fi lth left on him?” The people said, “No filth would remain on him whatsoever.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “That is like the fi ve daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them.” ---Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari and Muslim

PROBLEMS >> continued from pg 15 Allah that exists in our hearts. Abû Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah does not look at your bodies or your outward appearances, but He looks at your hearts.” [Sahîh Muslim] In Islam, there is no intermediary between the individual and his or her Lord. This means that the crucial aspect of all of our works is what s in our hearts. The Prophet (peace e upon him) came to humanity as a

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June 26

Rajab 3/7

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July 1

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9/7

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12/7

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13/7

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5:48

1:13

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14/7

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15/7

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20/7

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23/7

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24/7

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25/7

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26/7

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27/7

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9:59

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28/7

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29/7

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6:00

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warner and a giver of glad tidings to call people to Allah – to take them from the darkness of ignorance to the light of faith. In doing so, many of the long-standing traditions of the society of the time were overturned. Islam brought a true concept of religiousness that embraced all aspects of a person’s life, including good manners, Godconsciousness, dutifulness, eschewing sin, and even shedding tears out of awe and love of Allah. This is why one of the seven types of people who will be “shaded by Allah on the day when there will be no shade save for His shade” is someone who “remembered Allah in solitude with eyes overﬂowing with tears.” This world, with its delights and tribulations,

is a test. Those who give preference to what is with their Lord over what others possess and who are upright, eschewing sin because they genuinely fear Allah, these are people who enjoy true religiousness. Limiting religiousness to outward appearances and conspicuous observances is actually a disservice to Islam and is harmful for Islamic work. Proper ethical behavior and mannerly conduct is what fosters genuine religiousness. When improper conduct is linked to a superﬁcial and traditionallydeﬁned appearance of religion, it makes people averse to the Message. This is why Allah says to His Messenger: “Had you been rough, hard hearted, they

would certainly have dispersed from around you.” [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 159] We really need to call non-Muslims to Islam through our good conduct, before we even say anything to them about Islam. Our good dealings with people should be more eloquent than our preaching. We should be known for our scrupulous ethics, our tolerance, and our ability to forgive. When we make our Islamic convictions visible in public, let us at the same time be a true living example of Islam, one that people will admire, and one that will win their hearts.

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

NOTICES

Request For Dua’s

{ To A l l a h We Belong, and to Him is Our Return } “Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned.” (Surah Al-Anbiya:35)” 5-28-09 Sr. Habiba Awan, wife of Dr. Mushtaq Awan and a resident of Potomac, Maryland, passed away. May Allah accept her good deeds and enter her in Jannat ul Firdaus, aameen. Salaat ul Janazah for her was at Muslim Community Center, followed by her burial at the Al-Firdaus Memorial Gardens in Frederick, MD. (Source:Muslim Community Center – MCC) 5-27-09 Baby Abd Arrahman, son of Br. Loai Abdullah and Sr. Dina Mallah, returned to his Lord. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon. The janaazah prayer was at ADAMS Center. The burial was at AMAA cemetery in Stafford, VA. Our deepest condolences to Br. Loai and Sr. Dina. May Allah give sabar to the parents and accept young Abd Arrahman into Jannah. Aameen. (Source: ADAMS Center) 5-29-09 Br. Mohammed Ismail Din, of Germantown, MD, passed away at Shady Grove Hospital. May Allah (SWT) forgive his sins, enter him into Jannat-ul Firdaus and give sabr to the family to bear this loss. Aameen. Salaat-ul janaazah was at Islamic Society of Frederick. Burial was at Al-Firdaus Memorial Gardens in Frederick, MD (Source: ICM) 5-29-09 Br. Abdul Qahar Khan passed away. His janaazah was held at the ADAMS Main Center. Inna lilllahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon. (Source; Faisal I. Khan) 6-5-09 Br. Babar Khan, a resident of West Virginia, brother of Sr. Shahla, and brother-in-law of Br. Zahid Shamim of Gaithersburg, has returned to Allah. May Allah (SWT) forgive his sins; enter him into Jannat ul Firdaus and give Sabr to the family to bear this loss. Aameen. His salaat ul-janaazah was at Adams Center, and he was buried at Al-Firdaus Memorial Gardens in Frederick, MD. (Source: ICM) 6-10-09 Dr. Syed Shamim Ahmad, uncle of Sr. Sheeba Masroor and uncle-in-law of and Br. Sayed Naved, passed away in India. He had retired as colonel from the Indian Air Force and was living in New Delhi. Please pray for his maghfirah and that he be rewarded with Jannat-ul-Firdaus. Aameen. 6-10-09 The mother of Br Juma Sulaiman passed away in Malaysia. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon. May Allah give her the highest Jannah. May Allah make it easy for our beloved Br. Juma who lost both his mother, and his younger brother just a few weeks ago in Malaysia, while Br. Juma was in USA working for the Malaysian embassy. (Source: Shaheen Hossain) 6-15-09 Br. Ansarullah Abdul has returned to his Lord. Br. Ansarullah was one of the victims of the shooting incident that took place Monday June 15th in Woodbridge, VA at the PRTC bus depot. He was listed in the news account as William Anderson however, his Muslim name was Ansarullah Abdul. His janaazah was held at Dar al Noor Islamic Community Center in Manassas, VA. May Allah have mercy on him and grant him paradise, and give patience to his family in this time of difficulty. (Source: Rafi Uddin Ahmed)

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Upcoming Events In Your Area VIVA Palestina Fundraiser with George Galloway Sunday, June 28, 2009 7:00p.m.

George Galloway has linked up with the Vietnam veteran and peace campaigner, Ron Kovic, to launch a humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza from the States. We invite you to help make that happen by joining in a Fundraiser for a special US convoy, which will travel from New York City to Egypt before making its way across the Rafah border into Gaza in order to deliver the humanitarian aid. Suggested Donation: $30. RSVP at vpdcfundraiser@ gmail.com. All proceeds go to Viva Palestina. Location: American University, School of Public Affairs, Ward Circle Building, Auditorium 1 (Floor T),4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW - Wash., DC 20016. Contact: www.vivapalestina-us.org, or email to naqvia@gmail.com for more information

Summer Intensive Arabic Program for Children Monday, June 29, 2009 to Friday, July 3, 2009

Pathways to Quality Education is pleased to announce the 2009 summer intensive program for Arabic language for children ages 8-13 years. The program will run for 4 hours daily from 10 am-2 pm from Monday June 29 to Saturday July 3, 2009. Participants will be immersed in an Arabic language and culture environment. Teachers will use authentic Arabic materials and advanced methods to help instill in children the love and practice of Arabic. The language curriculum will be story-based developed by Dr. Saleh Alnusairat Professor of Arabic language. Tuition $200. Seats are limited! Location: Al-Iman Center 3431 Carlin Springs Falls Church, VA 22041. Contact: For more registration and information, please contact us at Pqe2007@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 703-856-7005

ISNA’S 46TH ANNUAL CONVENTION Friday, July 3, 2009 to Monday, July 7, 2009

ISNA highlights this year’s convention with the theme “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” as it relates to Islam. The convention offers an Islamic ﬁlm festival, Islamic art exhibit, over 500 bazaar booths, Qirat competition, Meet the Author, matrimonial banquet, children’s program, ISNA, MSA and MYNA sessions, a health services fair and more. Registration deadline: JUNE 15, 2009. Register on line at www. isna.net. Location: Washington D.C. Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. Contact: 317-838-8129 or visit www.isna.net

HUMAN RIGHTS MOBILIZATION Friday, July 3, 2009

The Peace and Justice Foundation will hold a press conference followed by a rally to draw attention to and educate the public on the U.S. Treasury’s unchecked authority to designate charities as terrorist organizations, insertion of “agents provocateurs” into the Muslim community, the genocide being committed against the Palestinian people, and other topics. Location: D.C. Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, N.W., Washington , D.C. 20001 Contact: 301-762-9162 or email peacethrujustice@aol. com

SOS – STRENGTHENING OUR SOUL Monday, July 6, 2009 to Friday, July 17, 2009

Dar u-Salaam Summer Programs present this 2-week intensive Shari’ah program. Courses include: The Heart Part: Puriﬁcation of the soul; The Narration Nation: History of hadeeth compilation ; PR: Preparing for Ramadhan ; and Money Matters: Islamic Finance...and more! Seats are limited! Course fee; $100 ($90 if registered and paid by May 3) Register at www.duscommunity.org/sos Location: Dar us-Salaam, 5301 Edgewood Rd, College Park, MD 20740 Contact: 301-389-0108, or sos@dusscommunity.org

FAMILY BARBEQUE! Saturday, July 11, 2009, 3:00pm-8:00pm

Masjid al Falaah hosts a barbeque for all at the beautiful Susquehanna State Park. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets! Please RSVP at alfalaah7@yahoo.com. Location: Susquehanna State Park, 4122 Wilkinson Rd, Havre de Grace, MD 21078. Contact: 410-569-0429

TALEEM AL QUR’AN INSTITUTION (TAQI) Sunday, June 14, 2009 to Sunday, August 2, 2009

Dar al Taqwa presents Taleem al-Qur’an Institute summer classes for children and adults. Learn, memorize and apply the rules of tajweed! Register NOW for this popular program. Includes Arabic class for adults. This 7-week program is under the supervision of Sheikh Mohammad ar-Ra’ee. (Holds 5 ijaazahs; one of his former students is Sh. Abdullah Awwaad al-Juhany, who is currently the imam of Masjid al-Haram in Mekkah). Space is limited to 10 children, 20 adults. Register at www.taqwa.net. Location: Dar al Taqwa, 10740 Clarksville Pike (Rt. 108), Ellicott City, MD 21042 Contact: 443-812-4335, or taqi@taqwa.net

WEDDING PLANNING 101 Sunday, July 19 2009, 11:00am-1:00pm

Got nikah? Project I Do plans to show you ways to make your nikah and walima manageable, unique and affordable with an afternoon seminar of valuable tips on wedding planning from a variety of wedding professionals. There will be refreshments and give-aways! Come join us! The event is free, but you must register at www.projectido.com . Location: Crowne Plaza, Tysons Corner, 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22102 Contact: info@projectido.com

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

EDITORS DESK Editor-in-Chief: Minhaj Hasan Office Manager : Jann McClary News Desk: Rashad Mulla Layout & Design: Fadlullah Firman Staff Writers: Farkhunda Ali Farha Marfani Rashad Mulla Maryam bint DawudMussallihullah Sharia Advisors: Sheikh Salah as-Sawi Imam Safi Khan The Muslim Link (TML) is published on the first Friday of every Islamic month (Hijri calendar) and distributed throughout the Washington, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia Metropolitan Areas. TML is a non-profit publication and is based at Dar-us-Salaam in College Park, Maryland, USA. Staff and contributors are not necessarily affiliated with Dar-us-Salaam. The views expressed in The Muslim Link do not necessarily reflect those of Dar-us-Salaam or TML management or their underwriters. Dar-us-Salaam and TML are not responsible for the accuracy of information presented by advertisers, or for the religious compliance of events, products, or services published in TML. This publication contains the names of ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). Please keep, recycle, or share it with others The Muslim Link 5301 Edgewood Road College Park, MD 20740 Phone : (301) 982-1020 Fax: 240-209-0702 editor@muslimlinkpaper.com Advertising: 301-982-1020 or email us at ads@muslimlinkpaper.com The Muslim Link. All Rights Reserved 2009

EDITOR’S DESK

Letter to the Editor Dear Brothers and Sisters: As salaamu alaikum. This letter is to the staff of the Muslim Link paper. My name is Michael Christian # 52047-019. My Muslim name is Qawi Aziz Kabir. I really hope Allah has blessed your paper for all the good information you all publish. Keep up the good work, insha Allah. I was reading one story you had published about my beloved sisters in Islam. The story really moved my heart. I really could not believe what I was reading. Abu Hurairah (ra) reported: Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

said: “Take my advice with regard to women: Act kindly toward women”. The story was about the sister being abused and being displaced to a homeless shelter for Muslim sisters. My heart goes out to the sisters. The reason for this letter is I really believe I can help right now. I am in Federal Prison in South Carolina and as a Muslim it is prohibited to free-mingle among men and women who are not married. So if your paper can ﬁnd a way to send me some information on who we send the donation to, I will pass this information on to others. We are always looking for ways to help the

Muslims. Insha Allah, this will uplift the awareness of the pain of our sisters. So if you can write me back with this information I would be grateful. May Allah protect all the Muslims from the evil of this world. Sincerely, Michael Christian #52047-019 Bennettsvills Federal Correctional Institution P O Box 52020 Bennettsvills, SC 29512

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ATTENTION INMATES:

As much as we would like to, we are unable to honor requests for free subscriptions at this time. REPORTING >> continued from pg 24 to work which is exceptional. And small papers are doing respectable work because they have the ability to ﬁnd those special stories that mainstream press does not have the time to search. Ethnic media are on the rise. At the Expo, the Census Bureau representatives were reaching out to ethnic reporters with hope of building positive relationships with minority communities. The Census Bureau said they are willing to invest $145 million on media to promote the 2010 census, with more than half of that money going to local and regionally targeted media. This clearly justiﬁes our right to a portion of the $72 million dollars. NAM is tackling the issue of emergency communication within ethnic media. When a natural disaster hits an ethnic community, those with little or no English skills are at high

risk because language barriers can prevent access to timely and correct information. Many of us might be at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving information on emergency and preparedness plans. With this in mind, I perceive Muslim Link a necessity, not a privilege. As American Muslims, we need to think deeply about the prospects of our future in the U.S. Muslim media are as important as weekend Quran School or Islamic social services in the various Masajid. I am emphasizing that Islamic centers in the US step up and raise the importance for Muslims to practice their American right of freedom of speech. With this being said, we as readers can start donating to the Muslim Link and honorable organizations such as NAM for them to continue their work. The DC Metro Muslims can easily loosen their pockets just a bit to save our voice, the Muslim Link, in a matter of weeks. This could be done with dedication to save something necessary for us. It is all about

our perception. Are we going to complain about how mainstream media represent us all of the time, or are we going to do something about it? If we don’t deﬁne ourselves, then somebody else easily will. If we don’t say anything about others shaping and documenting our views without any of us refuting their description of us, then it is going to remain this way in history books. Right now the western philosophical term “survival of the ﬁttest” comes to my mind where only the people who are standing up for their beliefs, Muslims raising awareness on their true identity, and the younger generation’s involvement in documenting their own history are going to determine whether we are included in the process of history making or excluded. It is truly all up to us and our level of interaction and extent of contribution. Please help support our paper, and donate to the Muslim Link via online www. muslimlinkpaper.com.

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THE MUSLIM LINK IN YOUR AREA If you would like to earn blessings from Allah and help the Muslim Link, consider helping us with our distribution. To learn more, email ofﬁce@muslimlinkpaper.com or call 301-982-1020

OPINIONS

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

What My Reporting Award Means to Our Community By Farkhunda Ali While President Barack Obama spoke in Egypt, and televised on CNN for the first time about the Middle East leaders committing to a solution in the IsraeliPalestinian region, I was receiving the first place award in the category of international affairs for the story “Palestinians Remember Their Catastrophe” published in the Muslim Link in May 2008. The story was about the sixty years of sufferings of the Palestinians since Al-Nakba (the catastrophe) occurred. It was ironic that President Obama asked for a peaceful process to address the Middle East conflict when that is what the Palestinians have been waiting for during the last sixtyone years. It was an honor to be given the award by the famous CNN correspondent and anchor Richelle Carey. The awards banquet and the two-day expo were held in downtown Atlanta at the Regency Hyatt Hotel in downtown. The event was co-sponsored by the New America Media (NAM) and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. NAM is the nation’s first and largest national collaboration of over 2000 ethnic news organizations. Over 60 million ethnic adults connect to each other, to home countries and to America through more than 3,000 ethnic media, the fastest growing sector of American journalism. The function of NAM is to bring the voices of the marginalized into the national discourse. The communities of the New America will then be better informed, better connected to one another, and better able to influence policy makers, according to its mission statement. “Ten years from now, this won’t be ethnic media. These mediums will become more media outlets in mainstream media,” said Sandy Close, executive director of NAM and Founder of Pacifica News Service. During my three-year tenure as the only staff reporter at the Muslim Link, many of our stories exposed similar themes, ideas, and issues as stories published in mainstream media. At the Muslim Link, every two weeks, we brainstormed creative story ideas that would benefit the community by serving as a link among Muslims in the tristate region. Our stories created a dialogue about how to address community and personal dilemmas in immigrant Muslims, and American Muslim communities. Ethnic communities’ stories have our personal touch to them. Ethnic mediums

exist because people of different nationalities want to practice their right to reach out to people with special interests, needs, and sometimes a language barrier. I would say every story about the DC-Region Muslims is a unique story because it targets a special group with rare needs and therefore making it an exceptional story. According to NAM, new research shows the number of adults reached by ethnic media increased by sixteen percent in four years. I can start by saying there are many topics that are repeated in mainstream media such as elderly care, education, immigration reform, Middle East Conﬂict, healthcare, and immigrant civic & political engagement or lack thereof. Either way, a story published or broadcasted in an ethnic medium reveals the cultural sensitivities or barriers and

that were not mentioned in mainstream reporting. I am an avid reader of mainstream press. I also faithfully pay my cable bill to be able to have CSPAN, CNN, and BBC Channels because I respect these mediums and enjoy their news stories. I also read African American and Latino Newspapers so I can learn from them. I believe mainstream media are learning some basic aspects of foreign cultures such as the tactics and the manners of approaching sources of other ethnicities from ethnic reporters. Just as mainstream journalists can learn from reporters and writers from various ethnicities, so can se learn from mainstream journalism. In my opinion, the three key elements that have led mainstream press

Among the representatives of 200 media outlets, I was the only one coming from a Muslim oriented paper in the nation. There were other Indian and Arab newspapers present that were impressed with the work of the Muslim Link. presents a solution to the problem of getting the information across to a large group of Americans that speak different languages or have cultural differences.

to their success is foremost their readers’ support, their organization and networking skills, and their widespread ability to inﬂuence public opinion.

A Muslim Link story written about elderly care opened up a dialogue between doctors and care takers to think about a Muslim nursing home. An immigration story about a three-year-old boy being separated from his Moroccan parents described the suffering of the family and recognized the emotional trauma of the mother being forced to leave her son in her native. The mother had to make the choice of fleeing to the US for better economic opportunities while leaving her loved one behind. In addition, another Muslim Link story about the Pandemic Flu (similar to the current outbreak of the swine flu) created a dialogue between faith-based leaders and the Fairfax County Government to educate their communities on disaster preparedness. Recently when I visited the Fairfax County Human Services Office to help a family member get information on immunization, I picked up a pamphlet on Pandemic Flu which was translated in Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Spanish, Amharic, and other languages spoken by Muslims and other immigrants. During the Muslim Link’s coverage of immigration issues and high profile terrorism related issues, we established relationships with families and shared the missing parts of their stories

I’m trying to make my fellow Muslims think about their future in America. If we are here to stay, we must collaborate with one another, share our resources, and rethink the purpose for our existence. The younger generation is crying out for the older generation’s support in every realm of our lives. We need to be able to successfully establish and sustain our organizations. We can do it by making a little bit of sacriﬁce. I want my readers to open their eyes and realize that establishing Muslim mediums is a priority that has long been marginalized when other projects have been given precedence. When I attended several protests and press conferences regarding the Al-Naka, the celebration of the sixtieth year of Israel, it never crossed my mind that my story in the Muslim Link would be considered for a nation award. But by the grace of Allah (God) this story was selected. For this recognition, I thank NAM and especially Sandy Close for allowing my work to be recognized. I think members of this foundation are honorable people working diligently day and night to provide specialized training and assistance for writers struggling to produce professional work just as mainstream reporters.

Furthermore, I give all compliments to my editor for allowing me to have the freedom to choose the angle of my stories. Secondly, I thank my sources for telling me their stories. I thank my supporters for their friendships and their prayers. Most of all, I pray that my late mother rests in Paradise. It is due to her that gave birth to my passion for writing the truth to even to make a small difference in my community. Although my mother was not educated beyond high school, she spoke to me like and adult over tea since I was eight years old. She taught me everything I know. Through the knowledge I have gained from my mother, I was inﬂuenced to use my skills to beneﬁt myself, family, community members, and others. As an Indo-Pakistani Muslim journalist, I was a bit disappointed to experience the loneliness that I did at the Expo. Among the representatives of 200 media outlets, I was the only one coming from a Muslim oriented paper in the nation. There were other Indian and Arab newspapers present that were impressed with the work of the Muslim Link. My only constructive criticism to the Muslim journalists and Islamic oriented mediums is to get engaged in public discourse because our voice matters and will be high in demand as we progress as a nation under the presidency of President Obama. We need to jump on the bandwagon at a time when the competition is not as tough due to the harsh economic conditions. We need to support our ethnic mediums either by donating, recruiting advertisements, or writing on issues affecting us today in America. If Muslims think we can mark the pages of history, then we need to become an integral part of the American society. Being a reporter at the Muslim Link has been a rewarding experience. Having said all of this, my humble editor does not like to coerce people into giving him money that is much needed. I don’t have a problem asking everyone to give whatever he or she can to the paper weekly, monthly, or yearly. Giving donations is the least we can do. We need more young writers getting educated in journalism, other creative writers to do some story writing, and documenting their history. No one else is going to write our history for us. We have to do it ourselves. I was inspired by one of the speakers who represented a Hispanic newspaper in the West Coast, which will celebrate the hundred years of its existence. I realized it does not matter how small or large an organization is, the recognition is given >> See REPORTING on Pg 23

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

CONTINUED

SOLDIERS >> continued from pg 14

be treated with suspicion, as they “obviously can’t be good Americans.” In a 2008 sermon, Ammerman called Islam “a killer religion” and Muslims “the devil.” Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says it’s “counterproductive to the interests of our military to have officers or servicepeople proselytizing. It should be addressed at the highest levels of the military.” Hooper says that while he can’t say whether events such as these constitute a systematic problem in the military, “we’ve certainly seen enough incidents for it to be a concern.” Weinstein, an Air Force veteran who founded MRFF in 2005 after both he and his sons say they encountered anti-Semitic harassment and proselytizing in the service, has waged legal battles against what he sees as an improper mingling of church and state in the military, including a current lawsuit against the Department of Defense alleging service members’ compulsory attendance at military functions that include sectarian Christian prayers and a broader “pattern and practice of constitutionally impermissible promotions of religious beliefs within the Department of Defense and the United States Army.” Weinstein says MRFF hears from 400 to 500 service members monthlyincluding Jews, atheists and religious minorities, but mostly nonevangelical Christianswho claim religious discrimination in the military, often from chaplains or officers implying that they aren’t Christian enough. “The vast majority of chaplains now see the military as a mission field with a lot of low-hanging fruit,” says Weinstein. Art Schulcz, a lawyer representing CFGC in a lawsuit against the Navy, says that evangelicals are the real victims, at least in that branch of the service. (As of 2008, all three chiefs of chaplains were evangelicals.) Numerous evangelical Navy chaplains, Schulcz says, have been discriminated against, denied promotions and subjected to denominational preferences by a Catholic- and mainline Protestantdominated chaplaincy that is intolerant of how evangelicals worship. Many, he says, have fled to the more evangelical-friendly Army.

Department of Defense policy says that chaplain-endorsing agencies should “express willingness” for their chaplains to cooperate with other religious traditions. But Schulcz claims that Ammerman, who is not a paid government ofﬁcial, and his chaplains, who are, are entitled to say whatever they want unless they’re advocating insurrection.

“Mikey Weinstein says they’re shipping Bibles there,” Schulcz says. “I want to say, ‘So what?’ The Constitution protects that kind of activity.” He contends that General Order Number One’s prohibition on religion, which has been in effect since 2000, is overly vague and a violation of religious freedom, and that, in any case, chaplains should be exempt since, he argues, they are not military representatives but representatives of their faith groups: “The Constitution prohibits absolutely the government from proselytizing, but it protects the proselytizer to do so, unless they’re harming the public good.”

On this point, MRFF charges they come close. Ammerman and chaplain Linzey have espoused conspiracy theories about “Satanic forces” at work in the U.S. government facilitating a military takeover by foreign troops; Ammerman even appears in a video favored by militia groups titled The Imminent Military Takeover of the USA. In 2008, Ammerman implied that four presidential candidates should be “arrested, quickly tried and hanged” for not voting to designate English America’s ofﬁcial language, and speculated that Barack Obama would be assassinated as a secret Muslim.

Among the Pentagon directives MRFF charges CFGC or its chaplains have violated are the command that chaplaincies express willingness for interfaith cooperation; that they be bona fide religious organizations with a primary mission beyond the military; that they not join organizations with religious or nationalist supremacist causes or that espouse violence; and that active military personnel not utter disloyal or contemptuous statements about officials or the country. The last two underlay a 1997 call by Lt. Gen. Normand Lezy for the Pentagon tto investigate the CFGC, due largely to Ammerman’s video and radio statements concerning military overthrow of the U.S. The Department of Defense confirms that a review was conducted, but that Ammerman’s statements were determined to be within the bounds of free speech. “That review found Mr. Ammerman’s opinions and statements did not transgress beyond that normally considered protected by Constitutional free-speech standards,” explains

Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez, “nor was a speciﬁc connection established between Mr. Ammerman’s organization and prohibited activitiesa necessary requirement in justifying the revocation of one’s status as an ecclesiastical endorser.” Ammerman has not changed his rhetoric or agenda since the ‘90s, and he will not comment further, saying his record stands on its own. “I know the three chiefs of chaplains,” he says, “and they know me, and know that I give them the best chaplains.” MRFF is calling, in a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, to strip the CFGC of its endorsing authority and to investigate its chaplains for various code violations. But they fear the Obama administration will not press this issue given the announced replacement of Army Secretary Pete Geren with Rep. John McHugh, a New York Republican with a conservative record on church-state separation issues.

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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Muslim Link worth to you?

Alhumdulillah, many of ou rreaders responded to our appeal at the start of the year, donating $50,000 to keep us in operation. However, after advertising income, we still need around $80,000 to continue for the rest of 2009. If you’ve already donated, consider donating more or encouraging friends and family to donate. If you haven’t donated, please ask yourself if having a voice is important to you. Donate to this non-profit voice by sending your check or money order payable to the muslim link to: the muslim link, 5301 edgewood road, college park md 20740.

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

MARKETPLACE: DINING REVIEW

A Bird in Hand is Better With Two on the Plate

Germantown’s Chicken Basket By v The woman behind Chicken Basket in Germantown knows what her customers like: It’s all about the dajaajah, the pollo, the murghi, the yard bird. American’s favorite meat, chicken. Sister Lamia Mahmud also knows that people like choices, and she gives them a dizzying array of combos, a la carte, platters, dinners and subs. Chicken Basket is old-school; they give you the familiar foods you love, and lots of it. Think summer bar-be-que and you’ll come up with homemade coleslaw and potato salad, fries, shrimp, chicken strips, crab cakes, burgers and fried calamari. Well, the calamari’s not exactly old-school, unless you’re from the Mediterranean, but you get the idea. So what does she do with all this chicken? First, she does Buffalo wings. Chicken Basket is known for having the most choices of wing-marinating sauces of any place around: robust cajun, a not-too-sweet honey mustard, traditional tangy BBQ, a more southern honey BBQ, perky honey dijon, and roasted garlic. Then there’s the mild for folks who want to concentrate solely on the ﬂavor of the chicken, regular hot for all of you who like it a little more invigorating, and for those who like ﬁre with their chicken, a concoction called toxic

waste, which is perfect for those who don’t really need to feel their lips or tongues to enjoy their chicken. Buffalo wings are a long-held American favorite, so much so that American consumption was up 6.7% in 2008 according to Australian Food News. (Wait a minute - why are they tracking how much of it we eat? They should be tracking their own wing-gobbling.) But this could turn out to be the destination for nibbling on wings. Then Sister Lamia does a crispy-skinned fried chicken, and it’s best to request a few extra napkins because it’s that juicy. The batter is more of a dusting than a coating, and you get that really satisfying crunch when you bite into a succulent drumstick. It’s not cloaked in breading like some of the big-chain chicken places, so if you want to eat bread with your fried chicken, order a roll on the side, because here you’ll chomp the chicken, not the bite the batter. A dozen different sub varieties line the menu from a cheeseburger subs to a beef BBQ sub, but the best seller is the Philly Cheesesteak. This writer hails from the City of Brotherly Love, which is famous far and wide for its cheesesteak joints. Chicken Basket’s is a variation on that classic, and they do a pretty good job. It deﬁnitely brought back some

STAFF WRITERS WANTED

South Street vibes. Eat your bird in, carry it out, or have it delivered to your door - every order is done fresh.

Chicken Basket – 12951 Wisteria Drive, Germantown, MD 20874. 301-515-4405. Open Monday – Saturday 11 am to 9 pm, Sunday 12 pm to 9 pm.

The Muslim Link newspaper is looking for full and part-time candidates to fill upcoming staff writer positions. The ideal candidates are committed Muslims who have a penchant for good writing, are involved in community work, have a strong work ethic, and believe in establishing Muslim media. To join our team and start on a job which offers ground breaking opportunities and excitement, send your resume, cover letter, and a writing sample to the editor.

Start your involvement in Muslim media today! Email editor@muslimlinkpaper.com.

MARKETPLACE: HEALTHCARE

Najla Abdur-Rahman, M.D. Board Certified Johns Hopkins Trained Pediatrician

7001 Johnnycake Road, Suite101 Baltii more, MD 21244 (Intersection of Rolling and Johnnycake Roads near Masjid Al-Rahmah)

Phone: 410-719-0063

7658 Belair Road, Baltimore, MD 21236 (Exit 32A off 695 Towards Overlea in the Beltway Shopping Plaza near Masjid An-Nur)

Phone: 410-882-6841

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301.949.7000

Silver Spring MD

12107 Heritage Park Circle

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

HairSystems in Rockville Loemans Plaza

5214 Randolph Road, Rockville, MD 20852

301-881-0338 (ask for Sr. Fatima) Private Room available for sisters wearing Hijab.

Ask For Special Price: Sundays and Wednesdays

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

MARKETPLACE: REAL ESTATE, EDUCATION, SERVICES

Rahma’s Shop A taste of Dubai in the USA for all occasions �� Islamic clothing, Scarves, Pashmina Shawls, Lace Materials, Rugs, Bakhoor/Incense?Churai, Smokeless charcoal & Incense, Burners, Perfumes & Jells, Aqua sprays, 21 karat Gold jewelry, Abayas, Hijabs, Jallabiyas, African Gowns & Dresses and MORE...

TEL:240.305.6354/301.989.9231, FAX 301.384.2975 EMAIL rahmatg@hotmail.com

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Mohammad Al-Suqi

Cell: 703-861-1625 Ofﬁce: 703-752-3929 Fax: 703-914-0869 Email: Talsuqi@aol.com Address: 916 W. Broad St., Suite 203, Falls Church, VA 22046

Quality Service - LOW COST! Serving the Community since 1991 �� - Surah Al-Imran

�� Sales Associate/ Realtor® Business: (410) 730-8888 Direct: (410) 964-8844 Cell: (410) 967-6919 E-mail: smomayezi@htbrown.com www.htbrown.com H.T. Brown Real Estate, Inc. First-time home-buyers and investors, take advantage of current low market prices! For free list of short sales and foreclosure homes, please call me! Buying or Selling a home, I can help with all your real estate needs!

CLASSIFIEDS

TML Classiﬁeds

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

Place a personal classified ad. Call us at 301-982-1020 $1 per 3 words. You may place a classified on muslimlinkpaper.com free of charge. All classifieds run 3 months in the marketplace section. To place a classified, email office@muslimlinkpaper.com with the exact text of the classified, and send a check or money order payable to the Muslim Link to: The Muslim Link, 5301 Edgewood Rd, College Park MD 20740.

Childcare Exchange BABYSITTING IN MY HOME

I am a licensed childcare provider available to babysit at my Silver Spring home. Children age 1 and up. Snacks provided. Call now for the summer! For information. 301-593-4769.

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DOMESTIC HELP WANTED

Experienced female house keeper, child care, cooking, live-in person for McLean, VA home. Tuesday-Saturday with ﬂexibility. Energetic, trustworthy, and gentle person with recent references. English-speaking preferred. Driving a plus. Starting salary from $350 a week with extra consideration for experience and ability. Call 703-851-7979

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Loving, caring feel-like-home licensed daycare in Baltimore. Near Al Rahmah, near 695, exit 17. Meals, multi-child discount. Voucher accepted. 2years and up. License #151808. Contact Samina 410-281-7155 or 410-292-9274.

EMPLOYMENT www.WorkHalal.com A Job Site for Muslims

For Sale 3 BUSINESSES IN ONE FOR SALE OR SUBLEASE:

They are: Nationals Pizza, 7-10 Express Market and Capital Hill Trucks Rental (a Budget Trucks Rental). They all have plenty parking. If you are a family, or good friends that could work as partners, you can not go wrong with this. Location is excellent in Washington DC and the asking price is not too much for the business and the potential. If you are a serious buyer or buyers, Please contact me at 202-841-0600 or bekrinuru1@gmail.com

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AUTO FOR SALE

2004 Mercury Sable. Gray interior/exterior. PS/PB, sunroof, PW, auto., 125K miles. Good condition. $5000 obo. Contact Shezad A. Khan 301-535-0448.

Matrimonial SEEKING MUSLIM WOMAN

Handsome, smart, African-American Sunni Muslim. I’m kind-hearted, gentle and physically in shape. Seeking Muslimah. Race, nationality unimportant. If interested, write. I have photos on standby. Amir Abdul Wali Naqib ibn Grifﬁn, #376023, WRSP, P.O. Box 759, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219

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IN SEARCH OF MUSLIMA

Sunni Muslim, 30, sincere and patient student of Islam. ISO Muslima for correspondence, laughter and marriage. Age, race unimportant. Write: Jose Diaz, #03A1777, E.N.Y.C.F., PO Box 388, Napanoch, NY 12458-0338 ----------------------------------------------------------

SEEKING A MUSLIMA

Jamaican Sunni Muslim, age 32, handsome, honest and loyal, seeking an empress/Muslima between 20-45 to become one with. Ethnicity is irrelevant. Please respond with your biography and photo, insha Allah, to: Orville Tucker, #50259-004, PO Box 7000, Florence, CO 81226

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GENTLEMAN SEEKING MUSLIMA

Gentleman, Sunni Muslim, 52 years old, US citizen. BS degree, looking for Muslima for marriage and to have children. 703-931-5303.

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SEEKING DEVOUT MUSLIMAH

Incarcerated Sunni Muslim Man, 29, black male, seeking a devout Muslimah for correspondence and marriage preparation. Write to: Robert Burns, 06A3316, Box 338, Napanoch, NY 12458

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MUSLIM SEEKING WIFE

African American, following Ahlus-Sunnah was Jama’ah, community (amir), educated. Drug-free. disease-free, non-smoker, healthy , weightlifter, no kids, born 5-31-70, 5ft 7in., 170 lbs. Never married, light-brown skin, reverted to Islam 1992. Honest, trustworthy, generous, thorough, loving, caring, patient, respectable, studious, protective. Caller to the right, forbidder of the wrong, seeker of Paradise. My parents are alive, retired, living together. I’m seeking a wife between the ages of 21-41. Must believe in One God without committing any shirk. Race, nationality unimportant, wanting kids, attractive, classy, a match to my characteristics, seeking Paradise. Sincere religious women’s inquiries only. Contact through mail: Vincent Sanders #320-328, MCTC, 18800 Roxbury Rd, Hagerstown, MD 21746

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INVITING INQUIRY FOR MARRIAGE

Indo Pakistani Sunni Muslim parents are inviting communication from a well educated, ﬁnancially independent & secure, practicing Muslim for their 42 year-old daughter. She is divorced, independent, charming, and well educated in US with a Masters degree; she has a 18 year old, highly disciplined son who will soon be independent. Contact with details & a recent photo: matrimonials@shah.org

Miscellaneous PEN PALS WANTED

I am a 28 yr old converted Muslim brother in search of brothers and sisters in Islam with whom to become friends. I’m a prisoner at a super maximum security prison in Illinois often compared to Guantanamo Bay. In the cell all day by myself without any physical contact whatsoever..no television, nor radio. I rely on fellow inmates to

inform me of the situation in the Middle East. I praise Allah, for He and my Qur’an are my source of peace. I have a passion for poetry, mastered the art of drawing realistic things with ink pen. I have very little communication with the outside world. Allahu akbar, I am ﬁghting in court to prove my innocence. If you would like to share the experiences of a passionate Muslim, write and let the journey begin. Age, race, nationality unimportant. Arturo “Haﬁz” Orozco, #R25704, 8500 Supermax Rd., Tamms, IL 62988

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Labaik

Allahumma Labaik!

“Action, education behind the walls, actionParadise outside the walls”. We seek sabaha! Financial, educational material, training outside, contact Yusuf Mustafa Abdul Wahab #856264, 5501 S. 1100 W., Westville, IN 46931. After screening, another address will be provided. To review “charter” of our studies, intelligence, information as to the structure of our operation, request such when writing.

Services MASSAGE FOR BROTHERS

1 hour Deep Tissue Massage $ 50 for Brothers by appointment only at 4802 Niagara Rd., College Park, MD 20740. Please call 202-903-6419 or e-mail roycaspari@yahoo. com). ----------------------------------------------------------

HOME SERVICES

Licensed contractor. Home Improvement work , interior/exterior painting, drywall install/repair, brick/concrete repair . Estimates done. Contact Br. Allen Scott at 443 538 7643 or 410 467 1259

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Start your own VoIP or Calling Card Business! Investment begins at $ 5,000. Call today. 703-871-5273 bizop@ipsmarx.com

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COMMUNITY THRIFT STORE

Store hours Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, 5115 Park Heights, Baltimore, MD 21215. Donation accepted or pickup. Slighted worn items only. 410 542-6925, or 443 538 7643

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Rental

BASEMENT FOR RENT

1-bedroom basement located in Burtonsville. Private separate entrance, private deck opens to garden, full windows, full kitchen, ﬁreplace. Available immediately. Please call (301)5201703.

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ROOM FOR RENT

Room for rent for brother only rent is $ 425 + utilities. Please call 202-903-6419 or e-mail roycaspari@yahoo.com

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OFFICE RENTAL

Excellent Ofﬁce location in Baltimore , on Security Blvd is available for rent . Please call Muhammad Asif at 443-742-8800 for more details

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ROOMMATE

Only 375.00/mo. plus 1/2 utilities. Looking for male roommate starting in August/September. Metro D.C., Crofton (MD). Nice, spacious townhouse in friendly, safe neighborhood. Close to Masjid. Call

Looking for a place for your ad? Stop looking! try our classiﬁed section Call the muslim link now ! 301.982.1020 Call Now . . . !

Abdelmajid, 352-484-1075.

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PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD TODAY

CALL 301-982-1020 OR EMAIL US AR OFFICE@MUSLIMLINKPAPER.COM

FREE FREE FREE Online Personal Classiﬁeds are FREE at muslimlinkpaper.com !

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

MASJID LOCATOR

Do you have additions, changes, or corrections to the event listings in the Muslim Link? Email us at events@muslimlinkpaper.com, or call us at 301-982-1020.

MASJID LOCATOR

IRHSCA (ISLAMIC RESEARCH AND HUM. SERVICES OF AMERICA): Chambers Ave, Capitol Heights, MD Tel: 301-324-5040, www.irhsca.org.

ISLAMIC CENTER OF MARYLAND (ICM): 19401 Woodﬁeld Rd. Gaithersburg,MD 20879 Tel:301-840-9440, www.icomd.org.

ISLAMIC CENTER OF NORTHERN VA TRUST (ICNVT): 4420 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030 Tel: 703-941-6558, E-mail: info@icnvt.org www.icnvt.org

ISLAMIC COM. CENTER OF LAUREL (ICCL): 7306 Contee Rd., Laurel, MD 20707 Tel: 301-317-4584, www.icclmd.org.

ISLAMIC FOUND. OF AMERICA (IFA): ADAMS CENTER: 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling,VA 20164, Tel: 703-433-1325, www.adamscenter.org.

AVONDALE ISLAMIC CENTER: 4637 Eastern Ave., Hyattsville, MD, 20782, Tel: 301-779-9292.

BAITUL MUKARRAM: 2116 S Nelson St., Arlington, VA, 22204, Tel: 703-778-1550.

DAR AL HIJRAH: 3159 Rowe St., Falls Church, VA 22044, Tel: 703-536-1030, www.hijrah.org.

DAR AL-SALAAM: 15250 Dumfries Rd., Mannassas,VA 20112.

DAR UL-GHURABA (Masjid ur Rahmah): 155 Baker St., Emporia, VA 23487, Tel. 434-348-786.

DAR-UL HUDA: 6666 Commerce St., Springﬁeld, VA 22150, Tel: 703-922-0111, www.darulhuda.org

DAR AL-NOOR (MUSLIM ASSOC. OF VA): 5404 Hoadly Rd., Manassas, VA 20112, Tel: 703-580-0808, Fax: 703-221-8513, www.daralnoor.org. DAR-US-SALAAM: 5301 Edgewood Rd. College Park, MD 20740, Tel: 301-982-9848, www.darussalaam.org.

DAR AL-TAQWA: 10740 Rte. 108, Ellicott City, MD 21042, Tel: 410-997-5711, www.taqwa.net.

FIRST HIJRA MUSLIM COMM. CENTER: 4324 Georgia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20011 www.ﬁrsthijrah.org.

ICNA VA CENTER: 2913 Woodlawn Trail, Alexandria, VA 22306.

IDARA DAWAT-O-IRSHAD: 4803 Valley St, Alexandria, VA 22312 703-256-8622, www.irshad.org.

INDONESIAN MUSLIM ASSOC. IN AMERICA (IMAAM): 1611 Veirs Mill Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20851 Tel: 240-453-0808, e-mail: fkadir@imaamnet.org.

INST.OF ISLAMIC AND ARABIC SCIENCES IN AMERICA (IIASA): 8500 Hilltop Rd., Fairfax, VA 22031 Tel: 703-641-4890, www.iiasa.org

6606 Electronic Dr., Springﬁeld, VA 22151 Tel: 703-914-4982, www.ifa.ws.

ISLAMIC HERITAGE CENTER (IHC): 262 A-3 Cedar Ln., Vienna, VA 22180 Tel: 703-206-9056.

ISLAMIC SOC. OF ANNAPOLIS (ISA): 2635 Riva RdSuite 110Annapolis, MD 21401 Tel: 410-266-6660 www.islamannapolis.org, Email: info@islamannapolis.org

ISLAMIC SOC. OF FREDERICK (ISF): 1250 Key Parkway , Frederick,MD 21702 Tel: 301-682-6090, www.isfmd.org.

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GERMANTOWN (ISG): 19900 Brandermill Rd., Germantown, MD 20876 Tel: (301)-972-0504, www.isgtown.org.

ISLAMIC SOC. OF SOUTHERN PG COUNTY (ISSPGC): PO Box 251 Upper Marlboro, MD 20773; 7400 Temple Hill Rd., Camp Springs, MD Tel: 301-627-5710.

ISLAMIC SOC. OF THE WASHINGTON AREA (ISWA): 2701 Briggs Chaney Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20904 Tel: 301-879-0930, www.iswamd.org.

MASJID AL-ISLAM: 4603 Benning Rd., SE, Washington, DC 20019 Tel: 202-581-1616, e-mail: imammusa@hotmail.com

MASJID AL-INSHIRAH: 7832 Fairbrook Road , Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Tel: 410-298-2977, Fax: 410-298-0266, www.al-inshirahweb.net.

MASJID AL-MUMINEEN: 2642 Harford Rd. Baltimore, MD 21218 Tel: 410-467-8798.

MASJID JAMAAT AL-MUSLIMEEN: 4624 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212 Tel. 410-435-5000.

MASJID MUHAMMAD: 1519 4th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20001 Tel: 202-483-8832. MASJID AL-NOOR: 10012 Harford Rd., Carney, MD 21234 Tel: 410-663-9637, Fax: 410-663-9817.

MASJID AL-RAHMAH/ISB: 6631 Johnny Cake Rd. Baltimore, MD 21244 Tel: 410-747-4869, www.isb.org

MASJID AS SAFFAT: 1335 W. North Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-669-0655.

MASJID BAIT-ALLAH: 1910 Frederick Avenue (2 Floor) Baltimore, MD 21223 Tel: 443-224-4423, E-mail:info@masjidbaitallah.org. www.masjidbaitallah.org

MASJID TAQWA ANNOOR: 8000 MLK Highway, Glenarden MD Tel: 301-772-5969.

MASJID ZAMZAM 1510 Lynch Road, Dundalk, MD 21222 Phone: 410-284-2840

ISLAMIC SOC. OF WESTERN MARYLAND: 2036 Day Rd., Hagerstown, MD 21740 Tel: 301-797-0922.

IVY CITY MASJID: 2001 Galludet St. NE, Washington, DC 20002 Tel: 202-529-3100.

LA PLATA MASJID: 111 Howard Street, La Plata, MD 20646 Tel: 301-609-8769.

MAKKAH LEARNING CENTER (MLC): 814 Brandy Farms Ln Gambrills, MD 21054 Tel: 410-721-5880 www.mlcmd.org, Email: info@mlcmd.org

MANASSAS MOSQUE: 12950 Center Entrance Ct, Manassas, VA Tel: 703-257-5537.

MASJID AL-GHURABAA: 8220 Washington St., South, Laurel, MD 20724. Tel: 301-604-3295. MASJID AL-HIKMAH: 11064 Livingston Road Unit L (101) Ft. Washington, MD 20744, Tel: 301 292-9009.

MASJID UL-HAQ: 514 Islamic Way (Wilson St. ), Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-728-1363.

MEDINA CENTER: 9426 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda MD 20814 www.medinacenter.net

MUSLIM COM. CENTER (MCC): 15200 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20904 Tel: 301-384-3454, www.mccmd.org.

MUSLIM SOC. OF WASHINGTON, D.C. (MSWDC): Howard Center, Room 805 (Above HU Bookstore) Tel: 202-328-3236, www.mswdc.org.

MUSTAFA CENTER: 6844 Braddock Rd., Annandale, VA 22003.

PRINCE GEORGES MUSLIM ASSOC. (PGMA): 9150 Lanham Severn Rd. Lanham, MD, 20706, Tel: 301-459-4942, www.pgmamd.org. Imam’s Ofﬁce: 301-459-1441, imam@pgmamd.org. SOUTHERN MARYLAND ISLAMIC CENTER(SMIC): 1046 Solomons Island Rd, Huntingtown, MD, 20639. Tel: 410- 535-0000 THE ISLAMIC CENTER: 2551 Mass. Ave. NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-332-8343.

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, MD 20705 Court, Beltsville k ee Cr an di In 991 12111 or 240 -264 -1 240 -264 -1990 w.rjcafeonline.com Visit us at ww m afe1@yahoo.co or email us at rjc

MARKETPLACE

TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

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Maiwand Kabob Burtonsville, MD

Mandarin Restaurant Springfield, VA

Maurya Kababs Beltsville, MD

Pizza Roma College Park, MD

RJ Café Beltsville, MD

Silver Spoon Gaithersburg, MD

Skewers House of Kababs Rockville, MD

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TML, Rajab 1430 | June 26 - July 24, 2009

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

202-298-8750 www.LilesParker.com

Representing a wide variety of clients including Physicians, Hospitals, Billing Centers, Business Owners, Professionals, Overseas Residents, Investors, Criminal Defendants, Families and More…

COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS FOR CHALLENGING LEGAL PROBLEMS. BUSINESS LAWYERING AND MORE… Auto Accidents, Agreements, Business Law, Contracts, Commercial Complexes, Corporate Compliance, Criminal Defense, Debt & Equity Finance; Family Law; Health Law; Health Fraud Defense, Immigration, Investment Compliance, Land Deals, Mortgages, Mr. Laher is an Atty since 1991. He is a Mergers and Acquisitions; Peer Review Disputes, Real Estate Closings, graduate of Harvard and Georgetown Univ Regulatory Compliance, Whistle Blower Litigation, White Collar and has helped many many clients over the Representation, Zoning Issues.. and more

Our Success is YOUR success!

years. Mr. Laher uses specialist attorneys to assist him to best represent clients on a case by case basis. Mr. Laher is associated with Liles Parker LLP, whose ofﬁces are near Georgetown in DC.

WE WILL ONLY TAKE ON YOUR CASE IF WE BELIEVE WE CAN HELP YOU !

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410.744.4313 Cell (Evenings & Weekends)

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2 East Rolling Crossroads Suite 151 Catonsville, MD 21228

Personal Injury

Auto Accident, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice,Slip & Fall Injuries, Airplane, Train & Bus Accidents