The Muslim Link ~ August 15, 2008 by The Muslim Link

Muharram . Safar . Rabi’ al-awwal . Rabi’ al-thani . Jumada Al-awwal . Jumada al-akhir . Rajab . 14 SHA’ABAN . Ramadan . Shawwal . Dhu al-Qi’dah . Dhu al-Hijjah . 1429 A.H. FRIDAY, August 15, 2008

PG 24 WEEKEND CONFERENCE EDUCATES, RAISES SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS WOMEN PG 04

THE AL-ARIAN CASE:

ACTIVISTS, LEGAL EXPERTS WEIGH IN As Panel Convenes in DC, Appeal Goes to Supreme Court

photo courtesy of USA vs Al-Arian producers

AIPAC DOES NOT SPEAK FOR AMERICAN JEWS

A MD, VA, and DC. Metropolitan Area Bi-Weekly Newspaper | FREE

See also Civil Rights on page 21 By Rashad Mulla Muslim Link Staff Writer

trial was postponed indefinitely last Friday by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema.

Laila Al-Arian, the daughter of jailed professor Dr. Sami Al-Arian, was one of nine speakers at an American Muslim Alliance-sponsored civil rights forum Tuesday evening, Aug. 12, in Washington, D.C.

Still, over 130 people, including a group of supporters from Tampa Bay, Fla., Sami Al-Arian’s hometown, attended the forum, despite the lastminute trial postponement.

The event, held at the Historical Society of Washington, was supposed to be a precursor to Al-Arian’s high-profile criminal contempt trial on Wednesday. Instead, it stood on its own as the

The speeches ranged from general talks about interfaith dialogue to the particulars of the case, which Laila Al-Arian reviewed in the beginning of the forum. She said the case was put on hold

Costco Conﬁrms Lamb is Halal Some Fear News Will Impact Local Halal Meat Stores

until the U.S. Supreme Court reviews an appeal that exempts Sami Al-Arian from having to testify in court. Prosecutors originally sought criminal contempt charges due to the Islamic activist’s refusal to testify in an ongoing case against some Islamic organizations in Virginia.

Laila Al-Arian talked about the day FBI agents entered to arrest her father at 5 a.m. That morning, the family “woke up with guns in their faces.” Since then, the case has

>> Al-Arianv Pg 08

DON’T BLINK .... THE BREAK IS ALMOST OVER

they had halal meat in the stores. Many do not know what halal meat is and in some chains they often open up the packaging, cut and repackage the halal meat. This meat, which is Australian-certified, is halal when it is sent to the stores. But the meat manager at a Woodbridge, Va., Safeway said he was unaware that the Australian and New Zealand lamb was halal.

By Amalia Rehman Muslim Link Contributing Writer

selling halal, or Islamically lawful, meat.

Recently, there have been many emails concerning Costco, Safeway and Giant apparently

Before getting too excited, one should know that some meat managers and store managers in the D.C. area did not even know

“The cryovac packages are not the best quality. We have found them to be dark and unattractive. So, often we open the packages

>> Costco Pg 10

A martial artist from the Al-Azhar School of Pencak Silat demonstrates his skills at Summerfest 2008. Photo by Marc Manley

LOOKING BACK AT ISB SUMMERFEST 2008

> Pg 13

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

Each One, Reach One Support the Muslim Link’s Campaign in Service of the Qur’an This Ramadhan, the Muslim Link in cooperation with the Islamic Information Center of Dar-us-Salaam located in College Park, Maryland, is planning on helping area Muslims to help their friends, neighbors, and co-workers learn about the Qur’an.

copy of the Muslim Link’s September 12th or September 26th issue. Our readers can then pass the insert on to a colleague, neighbor, or non-Muslim relative.

We are seeking sponsors to pay for the design, printing and inserting of this special CHOICE publication, estimated at Widely quoted in the media but mostly misunderstood, the $2,000. To earn major rewards this Ramadhan in the service of Qur’an is the revelation Muslims follow to establish peace, the Qur’an, send your tax deductible donation to: The Muslim Link, 5301 Edgewood Road, College Park, MD 20740. Checks justice, and harmony in society. should be made payable to ‘The Muslim Link’ and the memo We plan on printing 10,000 full-color, attractive CHOICE should say ‘CHOICE’. newsletters focusing on the Qur’an, and inserting one into each

INDEX

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FRIDAY AUGUST 15, 2008

��

Community News

World Press

Islam

Civil Rights

Opinion & Editorials

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COMMUNITY NEWS

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

Community News Creating links through mutual understanding and cooperation

Darul Uloom Pool Helps Students Dive into Knowledge By S. Junaid Hassan Muslim Link Contributing Writer Muslims in America have long been faced with their desire for a good swim in a pool, but have resisted due to the lack of acceptable facilities where modesty and decorum are priorities. However, when Darul Uloom Maryland bought the property on 6334 Dogwood Road in Baltimore, an immense opportunity was realized for Muslims trying to cool off in a Maryland summer, but above all, to practice a Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). With the help of Allah (Subhanahu-wata’ala), Darul Uloom Maryland has been able to provide this valuable facility to Muslim

brothers in the Baltimore metro area since July 1st, 2008. The current season will continue through Sunday, August 31st, 2008. A season permit has been currently set at $25 for students (under 18), and $50 for adults. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by their parents. Brother Fayaz of Darul Uloom stated that, “the fee may change next year as the season will also be expanded to include May and June starting in 2009, Insha-allah.” Since other pools facilities such as the one at Darul Uloom are so rare, no word has yet been said of the potential for swimming to join the expanding Muslim competitive sports arena. Adjacent to the pool is the Muslim boys

dormitory building. Currently rented to Muslim tenants, the proximity of the dorm to the pool will help enhance the comfort for tenants and students alike. Considering that the pool and dormitory complex is only 50 feet from the Darul Uloom’s main building, it is worth noting that such accommodations are not available anywhere in this area and possibly the rest of the country. Sheikh Irfan Kabiruddin, director of Darul Uloom Maryland, stated that the current zoning permits for both the main campus residence as well as the pool-side building allow their use as both a dormitory and classrooms. Capable of housing 50 boys, these dormitory accommodations will be the only ones of their kind in the BaltimoreWashington DC metro area.

Though the ﬁrst public hearing on converting the corner property into a mosque and school was successful, critical neighbors have appealed the decision and the next court date has been set for September 23rd, 2008. Many Muslim proponents of the project state that when Darul Uloom opens full-time, from the looks of it thus far, Insha-Allah it will prove to be a very necessary, valuable, and well-rounded facility for the Muslim youth in the search for knowledge and Islamic activities. May Allah (Subhanahu-wata’ala) help Darul Uloom Maryland in establishing its school for teaching the proper knowledge of Islam in this time of religious upheaval. Ameen.

Weekend Conference Educates, Raises Support for Homeless Women By Farkhunda Ali Muslim Link Staff Writer It was time to break all of the myths about homelessness. It was a weekend to uncover the truth about the sufferings of Muslim women and children without homes. The entire two-day seminar was dedicated to raising awareness on women and children, who often become victims of homelessness and domestic violence. Approximately 250 DC Metropolitan Muslims attended the 2nd fundraiser for the Muslimat Al-Nisaa Health, Education, Social & Shelter Services. The educational conference was held the entire weekend of August 2-3 at the University of Maryland Marriott Inn and Conference Center in College Park, Maryland. The fundraising banquet was held on Saturday evening with renowned Sheikh Abdullah Idris Ali as their fundraiser. The series of lectures and workshops focused

also raised funds to address the immediate need of the Muslims deprived of a warm home, food, clothing, and healthcare. The fundraiser collected $20,000 in cash and checks and an additional $45,000 in pledges. Muslimat Al-Nisaa will continue to provide assistance with food, temporary housing, clothing, health services, and other services to the homeless and the underprivileged with the funds that were raised. The amount of money raised is far from Asma Hanif’s goal to get her project off the ground. Although she was thankful for the donations, she said she was more grateful to see that there has been a progress in the Muslim community’s consciousness of these issues. While it was often ignored, she said now people are coming in the forefront to address these problems and offering their support. “It wasn’t just about raising money for me,” said Hanif, founder and director of Muslimat

“We had the support of several nationally known organizations at our fundraiser and well known Muslim ﬁgures are now speaking up about it. This is the beginning of the big change we needed to address these problems.” on ways to help these underprivileged of the DC Area Muslim community. While making awareness through educational sessions, they

Al-Nisaa in Baltimore, Maryland. “I wanted to change the attitude of the people in the

The larger crowd this year shows awareness is growing for homeless women’s issue, said conference director Sister Asma Hanif. Photo courtesy of Ayub Hanif. Muslim community toward domestic violence and homelessness.” Hanif estimated a better turnout than the ﬁrst fundraiser, and said this was a turning point in the organization’s history. “We had the support of several nationally known organizations at our fundraiser and well known Muslim ﬁgures are now speaking up about it,” she said. “This is the beginning of the big change we needed to address these problems.” During the dinner, Nihad Awad of the

Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) reminded the audience the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fed the hungry and sheltered the homeless. Awad said these attributes are characteristics of Taqwa. “Tonight is a sign of showing our level of Taqwa,” said Awad. “Sheltering is only a temporary help but the next phase is to get them prepared to

>> Educate Pg 12

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

COMMUNITY NEWS

Seated in center is advocate for the blind Mohammed Shahid Memon. To his right, Iqbal Marfani from the Islamic Society of Annapolis, and to his left, Farooq Marfani, from the Islamic Society of Baltimore. Photo courtesy of Farha Marfani.

Blind Advocate for the Disabled Gains Support from Local Community By Farha Marfani Muslim Link Staff Writer

be treated as equal partners of society,” he added.

Slowly debilitated by blindness in his youth, Mohammed Shahid Memon became the first blind student at Karachi University to obtain his Masters degree. Today, he empowers others who are disabled as founder and chairman of the Pakistan Disabled Foundation. This past weekend, Memon visited the Baltimore area and gained local support for his charity work in Pakistan.

PDF carries out its mission via a two-pronged approach, through training at PDF’s Quaide-Azam Academy for Disabled Persons, and through the provision and dissemination of equipment catered to the disabled. The Academy teaches the blind, deaf, and other disabled persons necessary skills for daily life, including speech therapy and mobility.

Memon strongly believes that the blind and disabled are integral members of society, provided that they are given proper education, training, and rehabilitation. Founded in 1997, PDF’s main mission is to provide advocacy and to protect the rights and privileges of the disabled community. “We emphasize that the disabled members of the community should

Memon recalled a story of a blind woman who learned how to cook at the Academy and who is now married and living a healthy family life. Though the Academy is comprised of staff members, most of the training is done by dedicated volunteers, some who are even disabled. Of course without the proper equipment

“It is the responsibility of the Muslim community not to leave the blind community to other communities. The Muslim community has a lot of resources and they should pay attention to the 10% of the population that is the disabled community,” he expressed.

suited to the disabled, training and education becomes difﬁcult. Special devices are also essential for daily living activities. PDF tries to arrange the equipment on a subsidized basis or free of cost according to individual and family situations. “We are asking our government to take the responsibility to patronize the disability issue and provide equipment and arrange the production and publication of Braille books, and other necessary resources,” voiced Memon.

According to Memon, there isn’t a collective arrangement to print the Quran in Braille, a necessity for blind Muslims everywhere. While Middle Eastern countries are printing Braille Qurans, they are not involved in international efforts. Through PDF, Qurans are being printed in Pakistan in Arabic script as well as in Urdu translation and are being disseminated throughout the Indian

>> Advocate Pg 12

Religious Leaders and Animal Advocates Pledge to Make More Humane Food Choices Arjumand Yousuf Muslim Link Contributing Writer The humane society of the United States is coming together with religious leaders of various faiths in a campaign entitled “All Creatures Great and Small” that urges individuals to make more humane food choices during the month of October. The Humane Society, with ofﬁces in 40 states and 10 million members strong is the nation’s largest animal protection organization. Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane

Society U.S.A. said the organization believes food has a central place in religious practice and that individuals have a moral responsibility to food and the power to make a difference. The majority of egg laying hens are raised in battery cages so small that hens are unable to engage in natural behaviors vital to their well-being such as walking, spreading their wings, and laying eggs in their nests. The campaign, launched August 13 with a tele-conference, brings religious leaders and animal advocates together and asks individuals to stand up against factory farms that employ cruel and inhumane practices by

making more conscious and compassionate food choices in the month of October by taking a pledge against cruelty to animals. Some suggestions on how consumers can make a difference include switching to cagefree eggs, reducing the consumption of eggs, or using egg substitutes. Islam stresses the ethical and kind treatment of animal and adheres to strict slaughtering practices. Among one of the advocates of the campaign is Imam Muhammad Hagmagid Ali, Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America and Imam and Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim

Society (ADAMS) in Sterling, Virginia. He states that “The compassionate treatment of all animals, including farm animals, is consistent with the highest principles of Muslim belief and practice. The Quran bids us to treat animals with respect and not abuse them.” He made a plea to all members of the Muslim community to take the pledge against cruelty to all animals, especially during the month of Ramadan. To take the pledge against factory farms, or to ﬁnd out more about the campaign go to humanesociety.org/allcreatures.

COMMUNITY NEWS

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

Baltimore Muslims Campaign to Bar Gujarat Criminal from US By Farkhunda Ali Muslim Link Staff Writer

previously written by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN), and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA).

Baltimore Muslims urged the State Department to deny visa to an Indian politician due to his systematic human rights violations against Muslims and Christians in India.

In 2005, IMC-USA’s campaign was successful. When Modi was trying to enter US for another conference, the State Department forbade his entry.

The Indian Muslim Council (IMC-USA), which is a member of the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG), joined a campaign to bar Gujarati Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s entry to the US to attend the World Gujarati Conference in New Jersey from August 29th-31st. CAG has already gained support of more than twenty-seven lawmakers to continue the ban on Modi from entering the US. Currently, members of IMC-USA and others in the DC Metropolitan are lobbying to get more cosigners on this campaign. On August 9, 2008, Congressman Joseph Pitts (R-PA) wrote a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appealing to consider Modi’s persecution of religious minorities. The letter states, “Mr. Modi and his administration closed the ﬁles on over 2,000 police cases where victims filed reports of rapes, killings and destruction of their property.” Congressman Pitts’ letter was similar to letters

In 2002, after 59 Hindu Karsavaks (pilgrims) died in a train ﬁre in the city of Godhra in Gujarat, Hindu militant groups carried out coordinated attacks on Muslims, which destroyed several hundred Muslim properties, killed thousands, and left hundreds brutally raped Muslim women.

of ten organizations were Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist oriented.

“We have to do what we can to prevent Modi from coming in the US. We were successful in 2005 from banning his entry and we are going to be persistent in our campaign to prevent him from entering into the US again,” said Dr. Hari Sharma of the Salvation Network of Secularism and Democracy in Canada.

Dr. Sharma stated 2002 genocide in Gujarat is considered one of the most disastrous events that occurred in India in the last ten years. He said like himself, many Hindus and Buddhists appose Modi’s entry into the US because of his human rights violations that are prohibited according to US principles and international law.

“There are several thousand pending cases in the Supreme Court with a dozen of actual convictions,” said Khan. “The displaced people are living under pathetic living conditions while their cases haven been on the waitlist for years.”

In a press release issued on 12/7/07, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Modi’s violent acts against Muslims and called for an investigation of these blatant human rights violations.

The Godhra fire incident was taken as a pretext for the Minister Modi to begin his killing rampage as revenge against Muslims, according to Attaulla Khan, secretary of IMCUSA and a resident of Baltimore, Maryland.

The Religious Freedom Act (RFA) of 1998 promotes “freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries.”

“Without any investigation or sufficient evidence provided by police authorities, Modi started killing of Muslims the next day,” said Khan.

Human rights activists, secular, and Muslim organizations have accused Modi of responsibility for perpetrating antiMuslim violence in Gujarat in February and March 2002, leaving 1,000 dead and several displaced.

Khan said these attacks on Muslims were planned and organized with extensive police participation and support of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the state government. CAG has 25 members, which signed on the campaign against Modi’s entry. Estimated

Khan, who is a South-Indian and an IT professional, said the current campaign is trying to educate people and media that things in Gujarat have not changed since 2005.

The Baltimore Muslims who are members of the IMC-USA do not believe this is a MuslimHindu issue nor do they want to portray it as such. They said it is about human rights, upholding law, and protecting the religious freedom of all. IMC is an international non-proﬁt organization established to safeguard the social justice of Indians living in the Indian subcontinent. IMC-USA began its ﬁrst chapter in Chicago, Illinois in 2002 and now has chapters in several states around the nation. According to the website www.imc-usa.org, its mission is to promote peace, pluralism, and social justice through strategic advocacy. IMC-USA is an advocacy group dedicated to protecting India’s pluralist and tolerant culture.

“Alhumdulillah ! Blessings Around the Community” Brother Ja’fr and Sister Waty Yirka would like to announce that they are the proud grandparents of Zakareya Zaibi, born on Tuesday, August 5, at 8 lb, 12 oz, and 20 inches. His mother, Jannah, is recovering nicely and his father, Tarek, is very happy. May Allah bless them all and guide Zakareya in his life. Ameen. Brother Khaled Banout and His wife were blessed with a baby Boy (Mousa ) the morning of 8/7/2008. Alhumdulillah, both mother and the baby are doing ﬁne. We ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala to bless them all and shower them with His mercy, Amen! Do you have good news to share? A marriage, birth, appointment, or other blessing to praise Allah for? Send us the news in no more than 60 words and we’ll print it for free, insha’Allah. Email news@muslimlinkpaper.com.

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

COMMUNITY NEWS

8 continued >> Al-Arian from pg 1

seen one development after another and Sami Al-Arian in jail since Feb. 2003, when the U.S. government originally arrested Al-Arian on charges of helping Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Other speakers at the event voiced their anger with the case’s developments, especially since a Florida jury was unable to return a single guilty verdict on 17 terrorism-related charges against Al-Arian in a December 2005 hearing. “How is his life and where is his pursuit of happiness?” Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, said at the forum.

Bray went on to compare Al-Arian to Patrick Henry, the ﬁrst of many comparisons throughout the evening. Dr. Agha Saeed, chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, likened Al-Arian to Nelson Mandela, and said Muslim speakers and leaders are regularly conspired against. Norm Finklestein, a former political science professor at DePaul University, said this case has been blown up so huge that Al-Arian is almost a household name.

of words involved,” Voll said.

Finklestein, an Al-Arian family friend, said continued public support is vital to the outcome of the case.

Since 2003, Al-Arian has been subject to mental and physical torture in prisons, his daughter said. In March 2003, he was moved from the jail in Tampa, Fla. to Coleman, Fla., 75 miles away. In June, U.S. District Judge James Moody announced Al-Arian’s trial would be held in January 2005, almost two years after his arrest, with no conviction yet. At one point, Al-Arian went six months without a phone call.

“For the Al-Arian family, I’ll go to the other side of the moon in a moment’s notice,” he said. Another speaker, Georgetown Islamic history professor John Voll, said toned-down, rational religious arguments are needed to strengthen the defense. Currently, the prosecution is using “rhetorical extremism that changes the meaning

Other speakers included Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Mauri Saalakhan, Director of Operations at The Peace and Justice Foundation, University of Maryland political science professor Charles Butterworth and William Mitchell College of Law professor Peter Erlinder.

In March 2006, three months after the Florida jury acquitted Al-Arian on eight charges, he

First Annual Muslim Networking Social Saturday, August 16, 2008

Saturday, August 16, 2008, 10am-10pm at George Washington University’s Marvin Center Hippodrome, 5th Floor Student Lounge. Invited Special Guests include Dr. Adam As Sheikh, Islamic Family Law Counselor, Former Dar Hijrah Imam & Shariah Court Judge; Imam Faisal Khan from the Islamic Society of Washington Area; Sheikh Ahmed Lampty, AMAANA & IRHASA; Preacher Moss, Allah Made Me Funny; Native Dean; Salma Abugideiri, VA-based Marriage Counselor; and Rashied Flewellen from DC. For more information, contact Talib at 202-256-0499 or email talib.karim@gmail. com or Farah - 202-246-4354, f_shakour@yahoo.com talib.karim@gmail.com

International Islamic Peace Conference Saturday, August 16, 2008

This event showcases rarely heard Muslim voices, and focuses on the possibility of peace through an understanding of the plight of Muslim peoples throughout the world. For more information, call Br. Aziz(443) 823-0316 JAM4PEACE@gmail.com

Summer Spash 2008 Saturday, August 16, 2008

Brothers event sponsored by Nomad Camps at Elks Camps Barrett, 1001 Chesterﬁeld Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401. Contact nomadcamps@gmail.com for more information.

ADAMS Civic Picnic Saturday, August 16, 2008

8th Annual Northern Virginia Family and Civic Picnic We have 14 Government Ofﬁcials and Candidates conﬁrmed and many more expected. From US Presidential Campaigns (invited), US Congressional Campaigns, and many Virginia state and local candidates have accepted the invitation. Call 703-433-1325 for more information.

Aqabah Karate - Leadership Reaction Course Sunday, August 17, 2008 At Elks Camps Barrett, 1001 Chesterﬁeld RdAnnapolis, MD 21401 . Call 240-565-8709 for more info.

DUS Family Camping Trip Friday, August 22, 2008

Location: Gifford Pinchot State Park (Just 1.5 hours from Dar-us-Salaam)2200 Rosstown Road, Lewisberry, PA 17339 | Phone: 717.292.4112Cost:- $65: Immediate family- $30: Individuals- $20: Children up to 12 years- Electric s i t e : $ 9 0 p e r f a m i l y. 3 0 1 - 9 8 2 - 9 8 4 8 e v e n t s @ d u s c o m m u n i t y. o r g

ANA’s Forging an Agenda of Social Justice and Community Activism with Imam Siraj Wahaj, Dr. Ihsan Bagby, and Imam Qasim Khan. Call 703-433-1325 for more information.

pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, “making contributions” to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian was dismissed of eight other charges and was granted deportation to a country of his choice after his jail sentence. In May 2006, Judge Moody sentenced him to the maximum 57 months in prison, and gave him credit for the 38 months already served. Now, after two hunger strikes, various charges and ﬁve years since the original February 2003 arrest, Al-Arian will have to wait for possibly “three to four months” before the Supreme Court hears his appeal in the criminal contempt case, Laila Al-Arian said. Saalakhan announced a silent vigil in front of the Albert V. Bryan U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandira, Va. The vigil was held Wednesday morning, with protesters holding signs demanding the release of Al-Arian.

Request For Dua’s

Upcoming Events In Your Area

MANA Event at ADAMS Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

{ To Alla h We B e l o n g , a n d t o H i m i s O u r R e t u r n } ““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)” Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilaihi raaje’oon. We regret to inform the passing away of Haji Ghulam Rasool (grandfather of Br. Asif Qadir of Potomac, Maryland) on Sunday August 3rd in Lahore, Pakistan at the age of 105. Please make dua for the deceased - may Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala forgive his sins and enter him into Jannat ul Firdous, Aameen. ~~ We regret to announce the passing away of Sr. Khadija Maruf Mother of Brs. Nizam and Mirza Zaheer Maruf At 5:30 PM on Monday Aug. 4 at Shady Grove Nursing Home May Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) forgive her sins, enter her into Jannat ul Firdous and give Sabr to the family to bear this loss. Aameen. Salaat ul Janazah was held at Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg on Tuesday Aug.5 after Salaat ul Zuhr. She was buried at the Maryland Muslim Cemetery in Frederick. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “He who attends the funeral till the prayer is offered, for him is the reward of one qirat, and he who attends and stays till the burial, for him is the reward of two qirats”. It was said: What are the qirats? He (peace be upon him) said: “They are equivalent to two huge mountains”. Ibn Umar used to pray and then depart without waiting for burial. When the tradition of Abu Huraira reached him, he said: “We have lost many qirats”. [Source: Islamic Center of Maryland email, August 4, 2008] ~~ We regret to inform you of the passing of Shahid Qazi, the uncle of Dr. Abdul Munim. Indeed it is to Allah we belong, and to Him is our return. Salat-ul-Janaazah was held on Thursday, August 7, 2008 after Dhur Salah at the Islamic Community Center of Laurel. May Allah have mercy on him, forgive him and enter him into Jannat ul-Firdous. May Allah increase his family with patience and Imaan. Allhumma Aameen. (Source: ICCL email list, Weds, August 6, 2008) ~~ Br. Magid Ali, a Leader and Community Member from Masjid Muhammad in DC has returned to Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala. Br. Magid Ali was a member and leader on the DC Area Eid Committee. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala have mercy on him and accept him into the Highest Heaven. Please make dua for his family - Sr. Hasiba Ali (his wife and one of the leaders from Masjid Muhammad and DC Area Eid Committee), Br. Malik Ali (son and business manager of Masjid Muhammad), his daughters and grandchildren. The janazah was at Masjid Muhammad on Monday Aug 11 at 11am. [Source: DC Eid Committee Email, August 10, 2008] ~~ One of Al-Rahmah’s students has passed away while on a return trip form Pakistan. She took ill en route to the States, was taken from the plane she was on, and rushed to a German hospital where she passed away. There were complications, and she generally died from cardiac arrest (heart failure) on Sunday. Her father Br Zahid Hussain [and Br. Abid’s son who accompanied them on the trip] remained in Germany and the father was working on getting her body released to fly it back to the states for Janaza and burial. Tayyabah Hussain was only about 8 or 9 in the fourth grade, and had been promoted to the fifth with anticipation to begin this new school term. You may have remembered the very small, quiet, sweet little girl, whose general appearance was infantile-like (smaller than the average kindergärtner)- She actually had a condition known as primordial dwarfism which made her growth development stunted. Her siblings were normal size for their age. Tayyabah was born without a regular digestive system, so this complicated some matters in her development, too. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’la be merciful to her and grant her Al-Jannah, and may He be merciful to her family and friends she leaves behind; she will be missed by all! The Salat-ul-Janaza was held Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at ISB. May Allah SWT have mercy on her soul, and give her family patience during this difficult period. [Source: Email from Baltimore community member, August 11, 2008] ~~

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

10 continued >> Costco from pg 1

and cut it up for repackaging,” he said. This is sometimes done with machines that handle pork products, he said. Ray, the store manager did not even want to discuss the matter and deferred to the Public Affairs Department of Safeway. “As an individual store manager [I cannot] comment and make an official statement on a company policy,” Ray said. At the Lake Ridge, Va., Giant, the meat manager, Rob, said he didn’t know the Australian meat was halal. “I come from New York, so I know what kosher is,” he said. “But we open and cut the product that comes in whole and package it for our store. By doing that, it is no longer kosher…The legs come in whole and we cut them up and the shoulders are cut into chops.” Rob said it didn’t really matter if there was a label on the meat that indicated it was certified halal. “Even if we were getting this halal meat, the whole Giant chain is switching over to American pre-packed lamb and veal,” he said. “We don’t buy much of that product at all,” Jim Lambkins, the Operations Officer for meat purchasing for Giant, said. “Down South it is about at zero. If we do buy any lamb, it is only saddles and legs. Saddles would be cut up by us to make into chops and legs would also be cut up to make into roasts.” Lambkins also confirmed that there is no effort on the part of Giant to provide halal meat and to draw in the Muslim market. He said there wasn’t much interest in the nationwide policy to start to purchase American packaged lamb and veal. “There really isn’t much of that product even being purchased to warrant any attention,” Lambkins said. Well then, what about Costco? Like the Safeway and Giant managers, Erin, the membership manager in the Woodbridge store, said he did not know the meat was halal. In examining the packages, there was no indication that the meat was halal certified. The packages do say “Australia Inspected” and includes an inspection number. That may indicate that it is halal meat, but you would have to know that and look for it. There are two basic cuts that are halal, leg of lamb and rack of lamb. A meat department employee indicated that they are sealed by the Australian company and shipped, via the warehouses, directly to the stores. They do not open the packages or cut the meat. Erin, reluctant to speak on the

COMMUNITY NEWS subject, suggested contacting the wholesale center in Sterling, Va., who suggested contacting the corporate ofﬁces in Washington State. At the corporate ofﬁces, Rob Plefkoff stated that Costco is aware that they are buying halal meat, but it was not a conscious choice initially. “First, it is an issue of quality and it builds up. The membership is so big and diverse that this issue just builds on itself,” Plefkoff said.

might affect my business,” Brother Tahir, the owner of Ali Grocery said. “There are some stores like Restaurant Depot, that sells frozen halal meat and some people do go there for meat. They drive all the way, about 20 to 25 miles to get cheaper meat…Restaurant Depot sells lamb and goat cheaper, but that meat is frozen. People who buy fresh meat regularly will not buy the frozen. It is not as fresh and they are used to fresh.” The owner of Desi Bazaar had similar comments.

“The Australian meat industry recognizes the needs of the people to which they export and they have developed a stringent halal certiﬁcation system. Costco purchases from them. And we have been getting so many inquiries about it.” “The Australian meat industry recognizes the needs of the people to which they export and they have developed a stringent halal certiﬁcation system. Costco purchases from them. And we have been getting so many inquiries about it.” Costco purchases both loins and cryovacked

“I think, in general people will not want it for a few reasons,” he said. “Of course this is my opinion and you may ﬁnd the opinion of others different, but people do not trust these companies to be really halal. Desi people like to buy from a Desi store. They can trust it and they know what they are getting…Even Restaurant Depot. There are some people who

“Giant tried to sell halal meat before, but it did not work for them,” he recalled. “They need a higher mark up than a small grocery because of all their employees etc. They used to sell lamb shanks for $3.99 per pound while Medina Market was able to sell theirs for $2.99 per pound.” legs and racks of lamb. Loins are further processed by Costco. These saddles are not cryovacked. They are sold by the case & cut up. They are not halal. But the legs and racks of lamb are halal. Although Costco is not making a speciﬁc effort to attract the Muslim market, as long as

do not trust it… I have people come as far as Fredericksburg and Stafford to buy fresh meat from me.” Brother Ibrahim, owner of two Medina Market stores, did not know about the halal meat being sold by Costco, Safeway or Giant.

“The cryovac packages are not the best quality. We have found them to be dark and unattractive. So, often we open the packages and cut it up for repackaging,” he said. This is sometimes done with machines that handle pork products, they can, they will accommodate the desires of their customers, Plefkoff said. “Within 6 to 8 weeks each cell unit of meat will have the halal certiﬁcation seal on it so customers will know they are buying halal meat,” he said. Owners of small ethnic grocery stores in the area are not as worried as you might think. “Yes, I have some concern that [ultimately] it

“Giant tried to sell halal meat before, but it did not work for them,” he recalled. “They need a higher mark up than a small grocery because of all their employees etc. They used to sell lamb shanks for $3.99 per pound while Medina Market was able to sell theirs for $2.99 per pound.” In general, owners of small groceries that cater to the Muslim community feel some apprehension about a large competitor in their midst possibly competing for a share of their

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 market. But so far, these pitches have been unsuccessful. The certified halal meat from Australia is clearly halal. But, most managers of meat departments and even store managers are unaware of this. Some large grocery chains may buy the halal meat, but then they need to cut it up and package it for the U.S. market. This explains, in part, people’s hesitancy to purchase halal products from large nonMuslim chains. If the majority of the people who are handling a halal product are unaware of it and its regulations, there is the possibility that it has been treated in a way that would nullify its ‘halalness’. It is not that people do not trust the Australian company; it is the players involved in getting to and displaying it in our local markets. For those that are interested, according to a Costco meat department employee, the lamb at Costco that is in cryovac and is from Australia is packaged by the slaughtering companies and is halal all the way to your house. They are packaged in Kirkland packaging and have not been repacked by Costco. Is Australian-certified meat halal? One email copied a statement from the website www.Australian-beef.com. “The Muslim consumer market is very important to the Australian meat industry. Australia has a Government Supervised Muslim Slaughter System (AGSMS) which ensures high quality product that is strictly Halal (“lawful” in Arabic). Australia is recognized as a world leader in Halal meat production. For its success, the AGSMS relies heavily upon the involvement and expertise of various Islamic organizations. These organizations are licensed to supervise, inspect and certify all Halal meat and meat products by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS). Halal meat must have a program which complies 100 percent with AGSMS guidelines. All Halal meat processing facilities must submit to regular AGSMS inspections: Processors may only employ registered Muslim slaughter men. Haram (“unlawful”) meat may not be processed in the same area as Halal product Halal and non-Halal product must be adequately separated and identified at all times. Equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and washed if non-Halal meat has been in contact. Only genuine Halal products may be issued a Halal certificate and only by recognized Islamic organizations.” Therefore, one may feel confident in buying Australian Halal Certified Meat. The difficulty is that until the individual packages are labeled as halal certified, the individual consumer has no way of knowing if they are buying halal meat. At present, only cases of meat have the halal certification label. “The master cases that are sent to Costco do carry a MS (Muslim Slaughter) legend,” Marybeth Laleman, a representative of the Australian Lamb Company wrote in an email to a DC area community member. “The individual packages do not, but they will in the future.”

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

COMMUNITY NEWS

Sewing Class at ICM for the Frugal or Fashionable This program was organized and is being run by Sister Hidayat Dabiri the owner of Hidabi Sewing & More. Hidabi is a home based sewing business and has been open for about 2 ½ years now walhamdulillah. Sister Hidayat ran a sewing class at the Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg this summer. The Muslim Link interviewed Sister Hidayat on her class. What is the purpose of this class? Many people have asked if I could teach them sewing, so I decided to make arrangements so they can learn a skill that is well known to be very useful for everyone. What is your background in sewing? I’ve been sewing (with a machine) for six years. As a child living in Nigeria, I learned how to hand sew as well as many other hand crafts. I learned machine sewing as an apprentice of a woman who owned her sewing business. My apprenticeship lasted for about one year. How many and what type of people are in the class? The class consists of nine students and there is a waiting list. There are 2 adults, 3 teenagers and 4 girls between the ages 7-11. The class is restricted to females only. Why do the students want to learn sewing? Hobby? Saving money on clothes?

The reasons that people learn to sew are varied: These reasons include: to have a valuable craft to pass down from one generation to the next; as an extra curricular activity for homeschoolers; and to be able to make clothing and things for themselves. One student wants to be a Fashion designer. Other students told me they’ve enrolled because sewing is a lifelong learning goal they have. What type of work do you have the students doing? The students are learning the basics of how to use their machines and fundamentals such as threading, maintenance, learning types of stitches and simple projects like pillow cases, tote bags, table runners, aprons, a-line skirts and a lot more. Is this the ﬁrst time the class took place? Do you have plans for more classes, more topics? This is the first time this class has been sponsored by Hidabi (formerly Hiddab) at the Islamic Center of Maryland. The next beginner class will commence September 6, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. insha ALLAH. It will focus on making Eid projects, crafts, gifts for family and friends and basic wearable art as well. There will also be an intermediate class for the present students, the date will be announced soon insha ALLAH.

Why should people learn sewing? Sewing is an ancient, valuable craft that is useful for thousands of applications. Even the Companions of the Prophet Sallallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam (may Allah be pleased with all of them) would mend their clothes when they were torn as opposed to throwing them away. With the knowledge of basic sewing skills, one can change the style of clothing, lengthen or shorten, make those beautiful long skirts or tops we hardly ever ﬁnd in stores and so on. Creativity is unlimited; you can start a home based business doing something that requires knowing hot to sew like Sample makers, alterations and lots more.

Can you share any success stories with us from your students? Khadijah Ali, the mother of Sumayyah Mu’min, a 7-year old student, said: “Since my daughter started to sew, she has been very excited because it makes her feel like she is accomplishing something. As a mother, I feel good about the class because it gives me something to pass down to her.” You can contact me, Sister Hidayat Dabiri, for more information about having a garment sewn for you or about the classes at 240-6449817 or 301-330-3910. You can also email monisoladab@yahoo.com. Jazak ALLAHU khairan!

COMMUNITY NEWS

12 continued >> Educate from pg 04

return back to their communities and live independently,” said Hanif. Several survivors of domestic violence and homelessness came to the podium and told their stories. One common surviving factor of these women was their belief in Allah and persistence for a change. “Talk is cheap. If we are not treating our women equally, not providing for our children, people are not going to come to Islam,” said keynote speaker Imam Zaid Shakir of Zaytuna Institute in California Homelessness is everywhere, the speakers said. Whether one lives in the inner city or the suburbs, homeless individuals and families have relied on various avenues to seek shelter in their cars, tents, under bridges, or in abandoned homes. “Muslim women and children have suffered from physical abuse and are ﬁlling the shelters all around the US,” said Imam Khalid Griggs of Winston Salem, North Carolina. “I believe this is the primary reason why Muslim leaders of all of the Masajid and Islamic organizations should have been here today to learn about homelessness and come together to ﬁnd ways of eliminating it.” The city probably allows easy access to resources, while the suburbia often ignores the fact that they exist, said one panelist in a workshop called “Nurturing Your Sister and

continued >> Advicate from pg 05

subcontinent. Other international organizations and other communities are arranging equipment collectively. “If our Muslim community joins the effort and arranges collective projects and programs to educate, train and rehabilitate the disabled persons, I hope the disabled persons will not have to depend on other communities,” he said. Memon stressed the importance of the Muslim community to be inclusive and mentioned that he felt neglected by international and American Muslim organizations. Simply inviting him to their widely attended conferences to raise awareness would be helpful to PDF’s central mission of advocacy for the disabled. “It is the responsibility of the Muslim community not to leave the blind community to other communities. The Muslim community has a lot of resources and they should pay attention to the 10% of the population that is the disabled community,” he said. Memon was able to draw upon resources

Nurturing Yourself.” “Our statistics show that homelessness and domestic violence are just as much a problem in the Muslim community just as any other religious community,” said Niemah K. Gaal, director of Washington-based, self-funded non-profit support group called Power in Sisters-Sister Power. Gaal said there are many ways Muslims can help in eradicating homelessness. As part of religious obligation, she said “we” [Muslims] need to take the proper steps in understanding who are the homeless, learn how to treat them with kindness and respect, and ﬁnd creative ways of helping them. “We have a covenant with Allah to treat our sisters with integrity and we have a responsibility to help our fellow Muslims,” said Gaal. Her organization is a developmental group which assists women to make transition through different life journeys. Attendees enjoyed the two-day seminars. Some dined out between breaks of the panel discussions and some reserved hotel rooms for the entire weekend. Some women came from as far as state of Washington, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania to show their support. “We are appreciative and thankful to everyone in the community who supported our event and program, however, the amount we raised is still far from our goal,” said Ayyub Hanif, associate director of Muslimat AlNisaa. “Inshallah, we plan to save as much as we can while still trying to service the community. Raising enough funds to purchase a permanent facility is a very important goal

of the local community during his recent visit to the United States. In the U.S. for meetings in academia, government, and media, Memon was also able to solicit equipment from the National Federation of the Blind, which provided Memon and PDF with equipment such as computer software used for the disabled, special hand watches made for the blind and Braille playing cards and recreational games. By visiting the Islamic Society of Baltimore and the Islamic Society of Annapolis, he was able to collect approximately $13,000 in funds from both masajids and their respective communities, with ISA donating money speciﬁcally for the provision of equipment. Memon was very impressed and conﬁdent with the response he received from the local community. “People were very inspired and inquisitive. Though some people are always reluctant about a new, untouched topic, the topic has

for us. However, we recognize the immediate needs of our homeless sisters and we are trying our best to provide assistance to them while working towards our ﬁnancial goals.” Muslimat Al-Nisaa staff is searching for an affordable property in Baltimore city to make a shelter home with various services for the Muslim women and children. At this point, they have one property in mind which has been on hold for them for a few months. Hanif wants to turn this property into Baitul An-Nisaa, a Muslim Women Shelter. Baitul An-Nisaa is a sister organization of the Muslimat Al-Nisaa. It will be a clean place equipped with the space of housing. It will provide a safe, nurturing, and an Islamic environment for its members. The center will provide transitional housing, food, clothing, medical & health services, and job training to any Muslim woman in need across the nation. Hanif started the Baitul An-Nisaa project in 2002 with another community activist Maryam Funches. Although Funches returned to Allah in the beginning of 2007, she left behind a legacy of aiding the most unfortunate in the community. During the fundraiser, Funches and another pioneer Sharifa Al-Khateeb were recognized for their community activism and remembered for their kind character towards the needy. The multi-faceted property costs $300,000. It will not require any additional costs for renovations. At the time of closing, the property will immediately be available for occupancy.

been established in the community and people have been made aware of our needs and our mission,” he said. Annapolis community member Iqbal Marfani, who helped to arrange fundraising efforts in the local community, echoed Memon’s views and found the community to be very responsive. “People wanted to hear more and help more with the efforts,” he said. Even though light has been shed on the disabled portion of society, more needs to be done on an international scale. Memon pointed to the Human Rights Commission, which, as he commented, is keeping itself isolated from the disablitiy issue. Memon strongly believes that the disabled deserve the attention of HRC and thus PDF is trying to develop liaisons with HRC. A credible and crucial vehicle to affecting awareness and change is the media.

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 Several months ago, representatives of Muslimat Al-Nisaa were looking into a similar property for $250,000, which needed some renovations. That particular property was on hold for a year. When Muslimat Al-Nisaa was not able to come up with the down payment, eventually the Muslim landlord sold it to someone else. This time, they worry the same thing will happen if the community members don’t assist in raising the remaining funds to purchase the property. “All shelters are ﬁne. However, we need to understand that other faith-based agencies are not conducive to the Muslim way of life and will not respect the rights of the Muslim woman,” said Asma Simmons, founding director of Sisters of Sunnah Islamic Services and SOS House in Tacoma, Washington. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) reports more than 3 million people experience homelessness including 1.3 million children. One-third of the homeless population is made up of families. According to national studies, many lowincome families are at the risk of homelessness. A missed paycheck, a health emergency, or an unpaid bill creates a crisis, pushing them out of their homes and into homelessness. The weekend seminar was sponsored by ADAMS, Al Maghrib Institute, CCMO-DC, CAIR, MANA, ISWA, Islamic Relief, MAS, ISNA, The Islamic Post, Peaceful Families Project, Baitul Islam, Powers in Sisters, Islamic Center of Maryland, and Muslimat Al-Nisaa.

“The role of the media is very poor. In my opinion, the media neglects the important aspects when it publishes. The media is responsible; the media should pay attention to these issues and register our problems accurately. Through the media’s efforts, the disabled people will be properly introduced into the community,” said Memon. “We are hoping that the media will motivate people to help our efforts, and that the disabled will be linked into the community through this newspaper: The Muslim Link.” PDF is in need of funding to help carry out its programs to empower the disabled internationally. For more information about Pakistan Disabled Foundation, visit pdf.org. pk. Contributions can be made online. To also contribute your tax-exempt donation, you can donate to the Islamic Society of Annapolis or the Islamic Society of Baltimore with a memo that the donation is for the Disabled Foundation.

COMMUNITY NEWS

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

Holding On to Summer Memories

ISB’s SummerFest 2008 in Pictures The Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) Youth Group held their annual Summerfest on Saturday, July 26th. This year’s festival included the usual crowd favorites such as a grand bazaar, barbeque, pony rides, a reptile show and endless activities. The highlight of the

festival was two new sporting activities including a 26 foot rock climbing wall and a massive laser tag course for all to enjoy. As always, this year’s summer festival was sponsored by many local businesses and organizations

Former ISB President Bassam Sayyad, shown here spinning some cotton sweetness, was among approximately 40 volunteers manning stations. Most stations were manned by the organizers, members of the ISB Youth Group. Photo by Muslim Link.

with the premier sponsor again being Islamic Relief of North America. Muslim families from all over the mid-Atlantic region attended as this year’s participants numbered over 2,000 people. The Summerfest was coordinated by the ISB Youth Group who dedicated

About 70 vendors ﬁlled the ISB’s huge gymnasium with clothing, artwork, perfumes, Islamic toys and games, and offers of professional services. Photo by Muslim Link.

many weeks to plan this wonderful event. Community leaders were once again impressed by the management and organization of the festival by the youth. The youth group plans to donate all proceeds from the festival

Samer Atiya, left, takes a quick 30-second break with his “right-hand man” Abdullah Shafi. Brother Samer is the main force behind Summerfest events each year along with the ISB Youth Group. Photo by Muslim Link.

Also new and popular this year was the The grilled burgers and corn on the cobs were a lunch treat laser tag arena. Long lines formed as teams for the Fest-goers. Photo by Marc Manley. of children geared up to enter the dark, portable laser tag shoot em’ up corral. Here, one competitor knows that he has an inherent advantage – he provides a smaller target. Photo by Marc Manley.

Big crowd overview: About 2400 people came throughout the day, the biggest attendance ever at ISB’s funfest. Photo by Marc Manley

on ISB’s Fundraising Dinner, which will be held on September 13th! The youth group hopes for the community’s continued support so that it can continue to plan successful events for the community.

The Summerfest allowed kids and even parents to get up close and personal with the scalier members of Allah’s Creation. A particular favorite was a long python that several children carried together, and a smaller Komodo Dragon. A large Komodo would be a danger to the crowd, as Komodos are very dangerous. Photo by Marc Manley.

A new addition to this year’s Summerfest was this climbing wall standing 26-feet tall. A big hit with young climbers, the pillar simulated a rugged mountain face. Experts could climb by getting their ﬁngers in the cracks and crevices, while novices could try and then enjoy hanging around in the safety harness. Pictures by Muslim Link.

COMMUNITY NEWS

By Arif Kabir Muslim Link Contributing Writer On Thursday evening, July 24, two charter buses parked in front of the University of Maryland. Soon after, more than 50 excited high school students crammed into the buses. The students came from all over the Washington D.C. Metro Area. They came from Jeb Stuart High and the Regional High School Consortium (RHSC) in Virginia, and Dar-usSalaam and Blair High School in Maryland. Even though the youth were from different places, their purpose that night was all the same:

to enjoy themselves at the Muslim Inter Scholastic Tournament (MIST) Nationals, held in Atlanta, Ga., the weekend of July 25. After everyone prayed Maghrib, the brothers and sisters got into their own buses and soon, started on their way to Richmond, Va., where more students would join the group. People began complaining about the long ride before the coaches got onto the highway. As people began getting acquainted, time began to ﬂy by. Two short hours later, the buses were in front of the Islamic Center of Virginia in Richmond.

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

ABOVE: Team DC arrived back home Monday evening, after a grueling but rewarding trip. As the national champs in 2007, they are looking forward to retaking the title in 2009. RIGHT: Team DC’s Mascot carries the DC flag, ready to help DC fans compete with the boisterous Houston cheering section. After the newcomers boarded the buses, the group was on their way south once again. Nearing midnight, the buses slowly became quieter until the only sounds were snoring and the soft, melodic tunes of people reciting Quran. Hours later, everyone awoke for Fajr as the coaches stopped in front of a convenience store in North Carolina. People were literally gaping as they saw Muslims of all nationalities coming in the store. They were even more “mystified” (pun intended) when they saw the Muslims with their feet in the sinks for Wudu and later on, in neat rows praying to Allah. After Fajr, everyone got back into the buses, and a few minutes later, stopped in front of a Waffle House (the first of many to come) as well as a McDonalds for breakfast. Thirty minutes later, everyone got back in the buses again and decided to start the day with Quran recitation. Everyone took a turn in reciting small passages from the Quran.

Guess who is the coach from Houston in this picture? Most all of the Houston players and coaches sported their state garb, or at least the headgear.

After that, Salahudeen AbdulKareem, RHSC Coach, gave a talk about the importance of remembering Allah throughout

the day and to keep our intentions pure. He mentioned that being alive and in full health after such a long ride was all from Allah and that we must always be thankful to Him for keeping us safe. After the lecture, the youth decided to sing different Nasheeds such as “Sing Children of the World” by Dawud Warnsby Ali, “Ghurabaa” by Saad Al-Ghamdi, and songs by Ahmad Bukhatir. Yunos Amireh, from Jeb Stuart High, sang his DC MIST ﬁrst-place song, “Diversity,” to the group, and everyone joined in for the chorus. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white – if you’re dark or if you’re light. Yah Allah, we are brothers - coming from different mothers…”

Soon after, the buses reached Atlanta and everyone was amazed as they saw the beautiful skyline of Atlanta. They were even more amazed when they reached W.D. Mohammad School, a sprawling complex with multiple buildings for the high school gymnasium, and elementary and middle schools. As the DC team passed the “Welcome to MIST Atlanta!” sign and walked into the gym, they were amazed with the amount of people that had come from different regions, including Houston, Knoxville, Tenn., Boston, and even Toledo, Ohio. The team then went through

>> MIST I Pg 15

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 continued >> MIST I from pg 14

registration and was surprised by the different rules at MIST Atlanta. For example, all projects were required to be submitted on Friday (unlike at DC, which only required the short film and writing submissions on Friday). This was a letdown, since the team was still making last minute touches. However, MIST Atlanta allowed a competitor to turn in projects done by team members that were not able to make it. The rule was nice, but the DC MIST Team was at a disadvantage because they didn’t know about it beforehand. Instead, they left many Regionals-winning projects at home, because the individual team members couldn’t make the trip to Atlanta. The organizers at MIST Atlanta apologized for the miscommunication and as a result, they allowed the DC MIST Team an extra day to submit their projects.

On the bus, Ridwanur Rahman, Team Blair’s coach, gave a pep talk to the members of the DC basketball team. “The ﬁrst thing we must remember before playing is that we must have no arrogance whatsoever on the court because if we do so, losing is better for us than winning,” he said. “Also, we have a secret weapon that the home team doesn’t… And that is nothing less than the weapon of a traveler’s Dua. The chance that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will accept our Duas is higher during certain times, and being a traveler is among those times”. The buses reached the hotel shortly thereafter and everyone got off, went to the lobby, and waited while the DC MIST organizers completed the registrations for the hotel rooms. As the team waited and settled down on the couches, they noticed a lemonade fountain and a platter of chocolate chip cookies. When the team found out it was free, there was a huge rush towards the fountain and in no time, the cookies were

This came as a relief to many of the participants that were still ﬁnishing up their projects.

ﬁnished. However, that was the last time the team saw the lemonade fountain for the rest of the visit.

After registration, everyone went for Jumuah at a Masjid about a block away from the school. For most, the Khutbah was an interesting and unique experience.

Once registration was completed, everyone went to their designated hotel rooms. Some, exhausted from the trip, fell asleep immediately. Others worked on their MIST projects. Most, however, got ready for the upcoming basketball tournament.

After prayer, the sisters headed off to their basketball tournament at the gym. The brothers boarded buses that would take them to the hotel so they could freshen up before

their basketball tournament later that night.

Team DC member Ammar Habib works on his Community Service Project display in his hotel room.

Aside from making the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest Khutbah ever (1 hour and 20 minutes not including the prayer), the Khateeb talked not only about spiritual matters, but current affairs as well. When the Khutbah came to a close, he concluded, “And that is why… WE SHOULD VOTE FOR OBAMA!”

COMMUNITY NEWS

The DC basketball players and supporters boarded the buses that would take them to the gym. When they arrived, they walked in the gym with their heads down amid the applause and cheering. DC’s ﬁrst opponent was a team from Houston. At ﬁrst, the DC team was trailing by more than 14 points, and it seemed near impossible to even get close.

One of DC’s coaches, Ridwanur Rahman, right, gives his team a pep talk before their basketball game against eventual winners Houston. “No arrogance on the court,” he advised. Team DC lost by 2 points on a foul in the ﬁnal 3 seconds. During halftime, Coach Ridwanur Rahman, gave the team a quick pep talk, which seemed to do the trick. The audience watched DC make a surprising comeback to take the lead. The Houston team made a change in strategy and soon starting driving to the basket and getting fouled repeatedly. They trailed DC by a point with only a minute left in the game. It seemed like DC was poised for the win, but with three seconds left, Houston went in for the shot, missed, and fell on the way down, getting fouled on the play. Houston made both foul shots to seal the win. After that game, Houston played against the Atlanta team. Atlanta came out as the victor but lost against a different team from Houston. In the end, Houston took ﬁrst place, followed by Atlanta and then DC. After the games, everyone prayed and then had a dinner of pizza, hot dogs, and tortillas with hot chili. After dinner, the DC team headed back to the hotels in the buses. Just as the team had started the day with the recital of the Quran, the team also ended the day with Quran before turning in for the night.

Tech, where the MIST competitions were being held for the day. When they arrived at the university, everyone went their separate ways; some went to workshops while others went to competitions. The day went in this fashion until Dhuhr time, when everyone gathered in the main hall for prayer. After prayer, everyone got in line for a Southernstyle lunch of fried chicken, boiled corn, and mashed potatoes. During this time, Imam Saﬁ Khan of Dar-us-Salaam arrived at the university after a long drive from Maryland. Everyone from the Darus-Salaam team greeted him and he took turns looking at the different projects. After lunch, he helped escort many of the projects to the designated rooms and attended many of the competitions. After lunch, there was a keynote speech by an Imam from Atlanta who talked about the great love and brotherhood between the Ansar and Muhajiroon. He discussed how the present Muslims in America should try to show the same type of

brotherhood for each other. Once the speech came to a close, everyone went to their various competitions and workshops. One such workshop was conducted by Tarek El-Messidi, who is the cofounder and director of the Fast-aThon. He talked about Dawah, and that the most effective way to do so is not by talking about Islam, but rather by acting as a true Muslim. Another workshop was being given by Muhammad Abu Talib, who is a native from DC currently studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He gave a talk on diversity, the theme for this year’s tournament, and talked about the fact that every group of people have their own special qualities and only together can there be successful results for the Muslim Ummah. After the workshops, there was a screening for the different short ﬁlms that were submitted this year.

>> MIST II Pg 16

Around 4:30 a.m., the different hotel rooms were aroused by phone calls from the lobby office (DC MIST Organizers had asked the office to call all the registered rooms at that time so that they could pray Fajr). After praying Fajr, everyone went to sleep and then woke up again around 7:00 a.m. for breakfast, which included scrambled eggs as well as scrumptious waffles with whipped cream. After breakfast, everyone boarded the buses and headed out to Georgia

It’s no wonder the Houston chering section was going bannanas. Their mascot pictured above.

COMMUNITY NEWS

16 continued >> MIST II from pg 15

buses and headed out. Everyone on the bus was awestruck at the immensity and magniﬁcence of the large Masjid.

The theme was diversity, but there was great variety in the portrayal of the subject and people were very amazed at the quality of the ﬁlms.

Once they entered, they prayed Dhuhr in the beautiful Musallah and then they were greeted by one of the board members, who gave them a speech of the Masjid’s history and had an interactive session as he asked the youth what they wanted and expected from a Masjid.

After the short film screening, everyone got ready for dinner: Chinese food from a local Muslim restaurant. “We (the organizers) take much care in making sure the participants enjoy their time here,” Ahmed Salim, MIST Atlanta Director, said. “We try giving the best food possible and hope they enjoy our Southern hospitality.” After dinner, there was one last speech that was given by Imam Saﬁ Khan. He talked about great Muslim figures in history that performed great actions while still in their teenage years. Furthermore, he mentioned many of the problems that youth faced. He talked about his personal youth and mentioned that in his time, there weren’t many Imams that understood the dilemma that many of the youth faced. He urged the youth to study more about Islam so that future youth will be able to relate to the problems that they face in America in a more effective manner. After the speech, everyone headed back to the hotel to rest before one last day of MIST Nationals. On Sunday morning, the DC team had breakfast, checked out of the hotel, and headed to Georgia Tech for the last batch of competitions. After a few hours, Atlanta MIST organizers informed everyone that Dhuhr and lunch was going to be served at Al-Farooq Masjid, so everyone boarded their designated

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

After the discussion, the team was directed to the colossal multifloored garage of the Masjid. There, they were served a lunch of chicken biryani, hummus and bread. As there was limited seating, the brothers from the DC Team decided to sit on the hot concrete floor so that the sisters could have a place to sit at the tables. Once lunch was over, everyone headed back to the hotel where the award ceremony was going to be held. Before the award ceremony, the debate finals were held. This turned out to be a heated argument between a DC participant from RHSC and a Houston participant on whether or not the United Nations should be given the rights to govern a country. After that, there were also the finals for the Islamic Scholastic bowl (a Jeopardy-style completion) as well, which had teams from Houston and DC as the final contestants. Once the two competitions were over, Ahmed Salim, MIST Atlanta director, came to the stage and gave a motivational speech to all the participants decrying the fact that in places such as Bosnia, women were being raped by UN “peace-keeping” troops and that in those places, there was hardly anybody standing up for them. He said that that the youth have an obligation to speak out against

MIST players in Atlanta for the ﬁrst time were rightly amazed at the Al-Farooq Masjid, which look like it was transported from the Middle East. Above, the exterior of the immensely beautiful structure.

these atrocities that were making little headway in the media since the Muslim youth in this country are very blessed and have the power to make a change in the world. Once he ﬁnished talking, the longawaited award ceremony began. At first, Houston was winning everything and each time they would win a competition, they would start chanting the usual “Houston, TEXAS!” but this year, they did something different; they started chanting “Sweep, sweep, sweep” every time they won, alluding to the fact that they were the best and they were going to “sweep” the competition. However, soon the awards for

other regions started pouring in, as DC placed at least once in each competition. Team Dar-us-Salaam in particular, did well as each team member won at least two to three medals, which was unheard of in most of the teams. In the end, Team Houston came out as the ﬁrst place winner, which didn’t come out as a surprise because they had triple the people. But people were very surprised with the amount of winnings that the DC team made, as well as the show of brotherhood. When everyone was on the buses on the way back, Adam Stevenson, DC MIST Coach, told the team, “What makes this team so remarkable is that even though just a few months

ago we were all separate teams and there was fierce competition, our team overcame that and out of all the teams tonight, our team displayed the most brotherhood” All in all, the trip to MIST Atlanta was a very memorable experience. One parent put it the best. “This trip was like a mini Hajj in the sense that we were always moving from place to place and there were many difficulties that were encountered. However, at the end, the trip was very blessed and definitely worth it…” The writer, Arif Kabir, is a member of Dar-us-Salaam’s MIST team.

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

COMMUNITY NEWS

Networking Their Way to Marriage Area Muslim Professionals Organize Social, Educational Events to Help in Finding Spouses Talib Karim Muslim Link Contributing Writer Area Muslims face a daunting task in meeting and building relationships with prospective mates in a manner that is sanctioned by the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace be upon him). Yet, rather falling into the trap of unhalal relationships, which recently ensnared the likes of former presidential contender Senator John Edwards, area Muslims are taking action. Along with making dua, professionals, students, and other hard working Muslims are engaging in a number of activities with the intention of fulﬁlling half of their deen. One such program is set to take place this weekend. Saturday, August 16, from 10 am – to 10 am, are the dates and time for the First Annual Muslim Networking Social. This event takes place at the George Washington University Marvin Center on the 5th Floor in the Hippodrome, the GW student lounge. Organizing the event is a group that includes a couple of lawyers, a scientist, non proﬁt professionals, teachers, an IT professional, and a student. Motivating the event is the goal to bring together Muslims to form new friendships, network, and to help those seeking good Muslim mates. Set just days from the start of Ramadan, this innovative approach to encouraging networking, friendship, and marriage has attracted the attention of Muslims from around the metro area and across the east coast. Based upon the group’s Facebook page http://www. facebook.com/event.php?eid=25314640683, some participants are traveling from as far away as Atlanta to attend.

However, Dr. As Sheikh encourages Muslims to be patient and to fast. “In this society here, the best solution for the brothers and sisters is fasting, based upon the advice from the hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)…And for those who are unable to fast for upon them is fasting, verily it is a shield,” notes Dr. As Sheikh. “If you were in another country, where the law permits, a man could take more than one wife, so long as he could fulﬁll their rights,” advises Dr. As Sheikh. But for now, according to Dr. As Sheikh, the only solution is for sisters to fast and to encourage all those brothers who are single to get married.” Salma Abugideiri, a family and marriage therapist, counsels single sisters and Muslim families in the Dar Hijrah and ADAMS communities about similar issues. Abugideiri, who’s amongst the speakers for this weekend’s Networking Social sees the disproportionate number of Muslim women in comparison to men as one of the key factors of the problems faced by her clients and others in the Muslim American community today. “This is a complicated problem; there is not just one reason why this problem exists. There is a difference in the generational context of the traditional methods used by Muslims to get married and how things are done today,” states Abugideiri. According to Abugideiri, the culture of Muslims in many ways conflicts with the culture of this society. For example, Abugideiri points out “We don’t really meet, and our kids are taught not to mix with the opposite gender.” This translates into some

“Generally, we have more sisters looking to get married. Some are divorced, widowers. And that’s a problem with some of these independent [marriage search] agencies who only cater to young professionals. We need to also cater to older sisters.” Wisdom from the Quran and Sunnah on friendship and marriage, loving for the sake of Allah, secrets & best practices for building lasting friendships and marriages, and halal approaches to ﬁnding companions and mates are topics that the Muslim Networking Social offers participants. Dr. Adam As Sheikh, an Islamic Family Law counselor and former Imam of Masjid Ar Rahmah and Dar Hijrah communities, is no stranger to these topics. Dr. As Sheikh, who served as a Shariah court judge Sudan often consults brothers and sisters who are confronted with a host of relationship issues.

youth growing up becoming adults and lacking certain skills needed to ﬁnd mates, believes Abugideiri. “We don’t really have environments for people to get to know each other. I don’t have any concrete solution, but I applaud all those efforts, such as the event at GW this weekend, for Muslims to get to know each other,” states Abugideiri. Ahmed Lamptey, Assistant Imam, at the Islamic Research & Humanitarian Services Center (IRHSA), in Capitol Heights, MD, is another veteran in advising young and old Muslims alike with marital, familial, and

friendship dynamics. With marriage, Lamptey states, “we need to follow what Allah has said and then the advice of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings

Instead, Lamptey advises, “We should follow that taught by the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) who stated that we should look for a woman based upon her beauty, wealth,

Abugideiri, who’s amongst the speakers for this weekend’s Networking Social sees the disproportionate number of Muslim women in comparison to men as one of the key factors of the problems faced by her clients and others in the Muslim American community today. be upon him). The Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) encouraged us to look for the person strongest in the deen, rather than focusing on career qualiﬁcations. We often put our priorities backwards.” Lamptey, a native of Ghana, notes that many immigrants place great emphasis on the ethnicity of a mate. “Many people who are immigrants narrow their search by saying, I only want an American to marry, I only want a Pakistani to marry, I only want an African.”

family, or religion, and I see that there is a ﬁfth [criteria] that re-emphasizes the fourth [criteria].” According to Lamptey, the Prophet (prayers and peace upon him) ended the above hadeeth by saying… if you’re looking for a woman

>> Networking Pg 18

COMMUNITY NEWS

continued >> Networking from pg 17

look for a religious woman. “Why did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) re-emphasize the fourth?” queries Lamptey. “Beauty will fade, wealth will deplete, fame will not last, but religion will last. Same for a man,” he answers. “For [any] relationship to last, there must be important ingredients, fear of Allah, patience, and communications. Fear of Allah is the most important,” in Lamptey’s opinion. He continues “I may step on my wife’s toe, she may step on my toe, but just because of this, neither she nor I should seek a divorce.” Lamptey also believes that parents must become more wise and sensitive to the needs and desires of their children as they mature into adults. “Often we play the ostrich game, we put our head in the sand thinking that my child is ok because she wears hijab,” Lamptey notes. “We need to take a serious look at marrying our children younger,” Lamptey asserts. He points out that many Muslim parents encourage their mature children to focus on academics and put off marriage plans. However, Lamptey believes that many young Muslims who pursue this path ﬁnd themselves falling into the trap of unislamic relationships, and even worse. “And this is our fault, especially for our female children. We have to listen to them,” states Lamptey. On this point, Lamptey recounts his personal experience with his step-daughter who got married before she had completed high school. “She saw a brother at Eid [salat], the brother came to us and said he wanted to get married, the parents of the bother were open and even invited the couple to live in their home after they were married, recalls Lamptey. “Today they are still married and doing well,” boasts Lamptey. Imam Faisal Khan of Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA) knows well the woes of those seeking marriage in the Muslim community. Each year, ISWA hosts a matrimonial event that draws upwards of two hundred. “We offer this program without

charge, and we even encourage sisters and brothers who are students to attend,” states Imam Faisal. “We always advise that it is incumbent upon Muslims to get married,” Imam Faisal points out. Yet, despite this advice and the ISWAS marriage program, many Muslims still ﬁnd themselves challenged, resorting to desperate and non-halal approaches to companionship. “Some sisters have approached us to marry them to Christians or Jews as ‘People of the Book’, and of course we don’t perform these [ceremonies],” notes Imam Faisal. Imam Faisal acknowledges that part of the problem stems from the numerical imbalance between women and men in our community. “Generally, we have more sisters looking to get married. Some are divorced, widowers. And that’s a problem with some of these

The Ocean, the Ocean, has told her tales. Of greedy men and funny smells, Of ships galore! Who could ask for more? But the Ocean, the Ocean, She doesn’t want these things. She wants frolic and ﬂight and beautiful rings!

Imam Faisal also believes that Muslims answer to a higher authority, and should not allow man-made policies to stand in the way of what they believe is right. “We don’t really need legal opinion on the issue of plural

“We don’t really need legal opinion on the issue of plural marriages because Allah’s law permits it. But it is not recognized by the states. And yet I know for a fact that such marriages exist,” Imam Faisal notes. independent [marriage search] agencies who only cater to young professionals. We need to also cater to older sisters.” To address the exploding imbalance between the numbers of Muslim women and men, some believe that it is time for Muslims to take courageous steps to change the cultural attitudes and legal impediments that make the Islamic custom of plural marriage or poliginy (i.e., a relationship involving the marriage of a man to more than one woman at the same time) difﬁcult to practice in America. IRHASA’s Assistant Imam Lamptey, who also works for a leading Muslim civil rights group, believes that the time has come for Muslims to advocate for plural marriage as a civil liberty. “What better civil liberty is there than the liberty to follow the law of Allah? Instead of striving to obey man-made law and setting aside Allah’s law, we should do the reverse,” argues Lamptey. Yet, Lamptey acknowledges the legal and political challenges of such an approach.

The Ocean’s Iman Attiya Huda Latif, Grade 6, Hagerstown, Maryland.

Undeterred, Lamptey believes that the Muslim American community possesses American legal scholars, political leaders, and even scholars of Islamic law needed to come up with a workable solution to the dilemma faced by Muslim women and men seeking both halal and legally recognizable ways for marriage. “We should get our scholars together and ﬁnd a way to obey Allah’s law. This is not an Islamic nation, but at least there is a right to ﬁnd a way in this society to obey Allah’s law. This is much better than just waiting on others to solve our problems or keep hitting our heads against the brick wall,” states Lamptey.

marriages because Allah’s law permits it. But it is not recognized by the states. And yet I know for a fact that such marriages exist,” Imam Faisal notes. “If brother wants a second wife and the wife is an agreement and the other sister is willing, then Islam allows it,” states Imam Faisal. For Shaakira Raheem, a sophomore at Kenyon College, and one of the organizers of Saturday’s Muslim Networking Social, she believes that this weekend’s event has the potential of making a big impact on the dilemma confronting Muslims, young and old, in finding ideal Muslim mates and friends. For sister Shaakira, Saturday’s event offers her a win-win-win opportunity. Specifically, sister Shaakira is well aware of the shortage of Muslim men, and understands that by pursuing higher education and a career field of foreign service, she runs the risk of missing the opportunity to marry a single Muslim man, who may be looking

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 for a woman younger than she’ll be after completion of her studies. Yet sister Shaakira remains confident. “I’m designing my career in a manner that also allows me to fulfill my personal desire to be a good wife and mother.” Further, sister Shaakira points out “The event [the Muslim Networking Social] can help me achieve all these desires.” Sister Shaakira notes “Networking is the number one way to get ahead. It’s sad that most of my opportunities have come through networking with and getting help from non Muslims. We have so many Muslims on the Hill but they are not really reaching out to help other Muslims, particularly youth, to break in.” “As far as finding a spouse, it’s [the Networking Social] good, because people who are at the event all have the same career goals and thus building bonds with such people can help me with my goals of finding a spouse. I want someone who shares my goals of helping humanity, someone who I can come home to and we can talk about we made the world better, even in little way,” sister Shaakira adds. And also she believes that Saturday’s event can even help both sisters and brothers better understand the idea of plural marriage, and even make these relationships beneficial for all parties. “Sharing a husband would require a lot of patience. And I pray Allah for patience. Right now I’m not there yet. I know [however] there is a shortage of brothers who are really trying to follow the deen. And it would be a blessing to have the patience to share with another sister a good brother,” explains sister Shaakira. Approaches to developing such patience is one of the topics slated for the Muslim Networking Social at George Washington. Registration fees for the event are $35 for general admission and students. However, the general admission fee goes up to $55 on the day of the event. For advance tickets or more call Farah at 202-246-4354 or f_shakour@yahoo.com or Taahir at 202-4873874 or cmmovement@gmail.com. The author, Talib Karim, is an organizer of the August 16th Muslim Networking Social.

In a thundering tone, “I want trees, and mud, and beautiful stones!!

Of greedy men and funny smells, Of ships galore! Who could ask for more?

“Fear Allah!” boomed the land, And noise echoed around, And a terrible earthquake shook the ground!

Now Ocean has A contented smile, As big and wide as the river named Nile.

So one day ocean rolled some waves ashore, And sent the message to Land, “Why can’t I have more?”

“Your Iman is as important as The water on your face. Living without Iman Is like being stranded in space!”

She knows her Iman Wasn’t strong, which was what She had wrong.

“But of course!” said Land, “You already have plenty, With humongous boats on you by the tens and twenties!”

Ocean then became ashamed And sank so low, The water barely reached above your toes.

Her knowledge was also The moral of this poem All along!!

At this Ocean rolled Her immense blue eyes, And far away a tsunami loomed high! “I want more!” she said

“I’m sorry,” she said In a quivering tone, “If I do that again make me dry as a bone!” So the Ocean, the Ocean, has told her tales

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

WORLD PRESS

World Press

News you might have missed. News that might have missed you.

Do You Feel Safe Now? Proud? By Paul Craig Roberts [Source: Antiwar.com, August 7, 2008] Now that military officers selected by the Bush Pentagon have reached a split verdict convicting Salim Hamdan, a onetime driver for Osama bin Laden, of supporting terrorism, but innocent of terrorist conspiracy, do you feel safe? Or are we superpower Americans still at risk until we capture bin Laden’s dentist, barber, and the person who installed the carpet in his living room? The Bush regime with its comic huffings and puffings is unaware that it has made itself the laughingstock of the world, a comedy version of the Third Reich. Hamdan was not defended by the slick lawyers that got O.J. Simpson off, and he most certainly did not have a jury of his

The one certain fact about U.S. law is that it is expanded until it applies to everyone. Consider RICO, for example, the asset freeze law that was intended only in criminal cases involving the Maﬁa; it wasn’t long before RICO found its way into civil divorce proceedings. Bush’s multi-year, multi-billion dollar “war on terror” has been reduced to railroading a lowlevel employee, a driver, for “terrorism.” One would hope that the Hamdan verdict would be enough shame and ridicule for the U.S. in one day. But no, Bush didn’t stop there. On his way to the Beijing Olympics, President Bush expressed “deep concerns” for the state of human rights in China. But not in Guantanamo, nor in Abu Ghraib, nor in the CIA’s torture dungeons used for “renditions,” nor in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. is expert at bombing weddings, funerals, children’s soccer games, and every assortment of civilians imaginable.

But Americans, the salt of the earth, have neither beams nor motes. We are the virtuous few, ordained by God to impose our hegemony on the world. It is written, or so say the neocons. peers. Hamdan was defended by a Pentagonappointed U.S. Navy officer, and his jurors were all Pentagon-appointed U.S. military officers with an eye on their careers. Even in this kangaroo court, Hamdan was cleared of the main charge. The U.S. Navy officer who was Hamdan’s appointed attorney is certainly no terrorist sympathizer. Yet even this United States officer said that the rules Bush designed for the military tribunals were designed to achieve convictions. He also said that the judge allowed evidence that would not have been admitted by any civilian or military U.S. court. He said that the interrogations of Hamdan, which comprised the basis of the Bush regime’s case, were tainted by coercive tactics, including sleep deprivation and solitary confinement. Does this make you a proud American? Do you think you are made more safe when you stand there while “your” government implements its own version of Joseph Stalin’s show trials? The trial and conviction of Hamdan has made every American very unsafe.

As the good book says, clean the beam from your own eye before pointing to the mote in your brother’s eye. But Americans, the salt of the earth, have neither beams nor motes. We are the virtuous few, ordained by God to impose our hegemony on the world. It is written, or so say the neocons. What would President Bush say if, heaven forbid, the Chinese were as rude as he is and asked Mr. Superpower why the land of “freedom and democracy” has one million names on a watch list. China with a population four times as large doesn’t have a watch list with one million names. What would President Bush say if China asked him why the U.S., with a population one-fourth the size of China’s, has hundreds of thousands more of its citizens in prison? The percentage of Americans in prison is far higher than in China and is a larger absolute number. What would President Bush say if China asked him why he used lies and deception to justify his invasion of Iraq. China, unlike

Bush, is not responsible for 1.2 million dead Iraqis and 4 million displaced Iraqis.

enable the suppression of the Palestinians and with which to bomb the civilian population

Or are we superpower Americans still at risk until we capture bin Laden’s dentist, barber, and the person who installed the carpet in his living room?

China’s human rights policy is not perfect. China’s greatest human rights failing is that China is the Bush regime’s prime enabler of its war crimes and human rights abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan. By financing Bush’s budget deficit, China is financing Bush’s gratuitous wars. Indeed, China can be said to finance the weaponry that the U.S. gives Israel to

of Lebanon. China is a serious human rights abuser, because China is complicit in Bush’s human rights abuses. If we are honest about who is actually murdering and abusing people, it is the U.S., Israel, and the UK. There’s your “axis of

Islam

ISLAM

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

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

How to Instigate the Love of Allah – Part 1 By Muhammad Kamil Ahmad

have loved.” [Bukhari, Muslim, and Tirmidhi]

The love of Allah is something that every Muslim strives to attain, it is the station that the pious would compete against one another to reach. It’s easy for one to claim that he loves Allah, but how many can claim that Allah loves them?

The following are ten reasons that are required to instigate the love of Allah, as mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in his famous book Madarij as-Salikeen, and he stated that these reasons are required for one to move from the station of al-Muhibb lillah (the ones who love Allah) to the station of al-Mahboob min Allah (the ones loved by Allah).

It is reported by Anas bin Malik (RA) that he said: As me and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) were leaving the Masjid, we came across a man at the door of the Masjid, he said: “O Messenger of Allah! When is the Hour?” The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “what have you prepared for it?” Anas said: it seemed as if the man gave in. Then he said: “O Messenger of Allah! I have not prepared for it anything great of Salah, nor of Siyam, nor of Sadaqah, however I love Allah and His Messenger.” So he (SAW) said: “then you are with whom you have loved.” And in another narration Anas added: “So we were never happy over anything after our Islam, a happiness greater than the statement of the Prophet (SAW): “then you are with whom you

1. Recitation of the Qur’an with contemplation and understanding of its meanings, and what is meant of it, just as the contemplation of a book that someone memorizes and explains in order to make others understand the intent of the author from it. Allah says: “Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein many a contradiction.” [An-Nisaa 4:82] Al-Qurtubi said: “This Ayah proves that it is wajib (obligatory) to contemplate over the Qur’an so that its meaning is known.”

Hasan ibn ‘Ali (RA) says: “Verily those who came before you used to see the Qur’an as letters from their Rabb, so they used to contemplate upon it during the night, and search for it during the day.” There was once a companion of the Prophet (SAW) who caused himself to gain the love of Allah simply by reciting one Surah, contemplating over it, and loving it. That Surah was Surah al-Ikhlas, which contains one of the attributes of Allah. So he would constantly repeat it over and over again in his Salah, then when he was asked concerning that, he said: “because it is the attribute of ar-Rahman, and I love to read it in my Salah,” so the Prophet (SAW) said: “inform him that Allah loves him.” [Bukhari and Muslim] 2. Getting close to Allah by way of an-Nawaﬁl (supererogatory actions) after the Fara’id (obligatory actions), for indeed it leads to the rank of being loved after the rank of loving. In the Hadeeth of Abu Huraira (RA) where

he narrates the Prophet (SAW) narrating from his Rabb, he mentions that Allah says: “And my slave does not get closer to me with anything more beloved to me than that which I have made obligatory upon him, and my slave continues to get closer to me with an-Nawaﬁl (the supererogatory actions) until I have loved him, then if I have loved him I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks, and if he asks me then I have given to him, and if he seeks my refuge I have provided for him refuge.” [Bukhari] Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali says: “The Awliyaa’ of Allah, those closest to Him, can be divided into two categories: a. Those who get close to Allah by performing the obligatory actions, and that includes doing all of what Allah ordered and refraining from

>> Love Pg 22

Sha’ban – the Month of Training for Ramadhan Sha’baan is the name of the (eighth) month of the Hijri calendar. Fasting in Sha’baan ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allaah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’baan.”(1) “He used to fast all of Sha’baan, he used to fast all but a little of Sha’baan.”(2) A group of scholars, including Ibn alMubaarak and others, thought that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast all of Sha’baan, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “I never knew of him – meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadaan.”(3) Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast any entire month apart from

Ramadaan.”(4) Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha’baan.’ He said, ‘That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.’” (5) Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Fasting in Sha’baan is better than fasting in the Sacred Months, and the best of voluntary fasts are those that are (observed in the months) closest to Ramadaan, before or after. The status of these fasts is like that of al-Sunan al-Rawaatib which are done before and after fard (prayers) and which make up for any shortfall in the number of obliagtory prayers. The same applies to fasts observed before and after Ramadaan. Just as al-Sunan al-Rawaatib are better than other kinds of voluntary prayers, so fasts observed (in the months) before and after Ramadaan are better than fasts at other times. The phrase “Sha’baan is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan” indicates that because it comes between two important months, the

Sacred Month of Rajab and the month of fasting, people are preoccupied with those two months and they do not pay attention to Sha’baan. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in Sha’baan, because Rajab is one of the Sacred Months, but this is not the case. The scholars differed as to the reasons why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted so much in Sha’baan. Their various opinions were as follows: 1. That he had been unable to fast three days out of every month because he was travelling or for some other reason, so he made them all up together in Sha’baan. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) began to do some naaﬁl action, he would persist in it, and if he missed it, he would make it up later. 2. It was said that his wives used to make up the days that they missed of Ramadaan in Sha’baan, so he used to fast because of that. This is the opposite of what was reported from ‘Aa’ishah, that she used to delay making up days that she had missed in Ramadaan until Sha’baan because she was too busy with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast. 3. It was said that it was because this is a month which people do not pay attention to.

This is the most correct view, because of the hadeeth of Usaamah quoted above, in which it says: “That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan.” (6) ‘Aa’ishah used to make the most of this opportunity to make up any obligatory Ramadaan fasts that she had missed because of menstruation; during other months she was too busy with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to fast. We should also note here that anyone who has any missed fasts to make up has to make them up before the next Ramadaan comes. It is not permissible to delay it until after the following Ramadaan except in cases of necessity (such as a valid excuse that continues between the two Ramadaans). Whoever is able to make them up before the (second) Ramadaan and does not do so, has to make them up after the (second) Ramadaan and in addition to that, he has to repent and to feed one poor person for each day that he missed. This is the view of Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad. Another benefit of fasting in Sha’baan is that it is a kind of training for the Ramadaan fast, in case a person finds it difficult to fast when

>> Ramadan Pg 26

CIVIL RIGHTS

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

Civil Rights What you don’t know can hurt you

After Intense Courtroom Battle, Dr. Al-Arian’s Trial Postponed Prosecution emotionally accuses defense of carrying out personal attacks; Judge to attorneys: “Cool down!” August 9, 2008 / Alexandria, VA - On Friday, in a pre-trial hearing which witnessed one of the single most dramatic clashes between Dr. Sami Al-Arian’s attorneys and the government, a federal judge unexpectedly postponed Dr. Al-Arian’s trial on criminal contempt. The trial, originally scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday (August 13th), will now be delayed until the Supreme Court addresses the appeal submitted by Dr. AlArian’s attorneys on the lawfulness of the federal subpoena which led to the contempt charges, a process which could take several months. Several other important issues were vigorously debated by both sides. One of the defense’s primary objections to the legality of the contempt charges was that the immunity order given to Dr. Al-Arian was not written in the standard language set forth by Congress. Not only that, government prosecutor Gordon Kromberg had concealed that his attempt to make such modiﬁcations had been stricken down by a federal judge for the very trial which Dr. Al-Arian has been summoned to testify in. Judge Brinkema expressed

concern at this unorthodox practice, ordering all related documents to be turned over to the court before issuing a ruling. The judge indicated that a hearing could be held to determine whether the prosecutor had acted inappropriately and whether the immunity order given to Dr. Al-Arian was lawful. Assistant US Attorney Kromberg for his part vehemently denied any wrongdoing. During the course of the 90-minute hearing, Kromberg also complained to the court about public comments recently made by former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel. Kromberg claimed that Gravel had called for him to be stalked, further maintaining that the web log of lead defense attorney Jonathan Turley had incited such sentiments. In one moment of hyperbole, Kromberg went so far as to refer to the blog posts as “anti-Semitic.” Judge Brinkema cautioned both parties from allowing the case to “heat up”, warning that she would not hesitate to replace attorneys on either side if the situation did not improve. Turley pointed out that the defense had publicly repudiated Gravel’s comments,

Activist Mauri Saalakhan, along with other supporters of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, protested in front of the Albert V. Bryan U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandria, Va. The protest was held Wednesday morning at 8 a.m.; before the courthouse opened for the day. Photo courtesy of Enver Masud.

and further noted that, while Dr. Al-Arian and his family are continuously attacked by extremist websites, the defense has never attributed responsibility for such attacks to the government. Nevertheless, Turley offered to remove all postings related to Dr. Al-Arian’s case from his website in order to help refocus attention on the more essential issues at hand.

struck down Kromberg’s objection, frankly noting that it was “insulting” not only to Dr. Al-Arian and his daughter, but to the Court as well. The audience in the courtroom was stunned by the prosecutor’s overtly sexist and racist comments, though Kromberg has developed his notoriety for the bigotry displayed toward Arab and Muslim Americans.

Instead of calming down, however, the hourand-a-half-long hearing ended on another heated note. After Judge Brinkema ordered that Dr. Al-Arian be released on bail under the custodianship of his eldest daughter, Kromberg abruptly objected, claiming that, as an Arab woman, Dr. Al-Arian’s daughter would be too weak and submissive to oppose any potential attempt by Dr. Al-Arian to ﬂee, saying that “in this particular [Arab-Islamic] culture, she would not be able to stop him from leaving...” Before the defense could express its objection however, the judge

Nevertheless, despite the judge’s order to have Dr. Al-Arian released on bail, it is still not clear whether this will actually happen. Judge Brinkema had originally ordered bail for Dr. Al-Arian on July 10th, but the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used the pretext that it was in the process of deporting Dr. Al-Arian to keep him detained. With the trial months away, however, it is uncertain what exactly will happen next. [Source: Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice]

22 continued >> Love from pg 20 all of what He forbade. b. Those who get close to Allah by performing an-Nawafil after having performed the Fara’id.” 3. Continuance of His remembrance at all times, with the tongue, the heart, the action, and in every state, so his share of love is in proportion to his share of this remembrance. Allah says: “Therefore remember Me (by praying and glorifying), I will remember you.” [Baqarah 2:152] And He says: “O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.” [Al-Ahzab 33:41] And He says: “O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance ofAllah, and whosoever does that, then they are the losers.” [Al-Munaﬁqun 63:9] In a Hadeeth narrated by Abu Huraira (RA), he narrates the Prophet (SAW) narrating from his Rabb, and he mentions that Allah says: “I am with my servant as long as he remembers me, and so long as his lips moved out of my remembrance.” [At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb] And in another Hadeeth narrated by Abu Huraira (RA), the Prophet (SAW) said: Allah ‘Azza wa Jall says: “I am just as my slave thinks I am, and I am with him if he remembers Me, if he remembers Me in himself, I too remember him in myself, and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group of people that is

ISLAM better than them, and if he comes one span nearer to me, I go one cubit nearer to him, and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him, and if he comes to me walking, I go to him running.” [Bukhari and Muslim] And in the Hadeeth of ‘Abdullah ibn Busr alMazini, he said: A man said to the Messenger of Allah (SAW): “O Messenger of Allah! Verily the legislations of Islam have become too much for us, so is there something we can hold on to which includes everything?” So he (SAW) said: “Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah.” [Tirmidhi] 4. Giving precedence to what He loves over what you love when the Hawaa (whims and desires) start prevailing, and then ascending to what He loves even if the ascent becomes difﬁcult. From this statement of Ibn ul-Qayyim, it can be said that to give precedence to what Allah loves over what you love can be achieved through three ways: a. Defeating the Hawaa of the Nafs, and that is because when a person is faced with a prevailing Hawaa he is left with two choices: either he chooses that which pleases Allah or that which please his Hawaa. Allah says: “Then for him who transgressed all bounds, and preferred the life of this world, verily his abode will be Hell-Fire, but as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts, verily Paradise will be his abode.” [An-Nazi’at 79:37-41] Ibn Abbas and Muqatil said about this Ayah: “It

refers to a man who thinks about committing a certain sin, then he remembers and imagines himself being called to account before Allah, so he becomes afraid and leaves the sin.” b. Opposing the Hawaa of the people, and that is by not deviating with them or being carried along with their desires in that which does not correspond with the Haqq (truth). Allah says: “And verily this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not other paths, for they will separate you away from His path.” [Al-An’am 6:153] And He says: “And let them not turn you away from preaching the Ayat of Allah after they have been sent down to you, and invite men to believe in your Lord, and be not of the Mushrikun.” [Al-Qasas 28:87] c. Guarding against Shaitan and fighting against his Awliyaa’, and that is because the love of Allah and submitting to Shaitan are two opposites that can never come together. Allah says: “Surely, Shaitan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy, he only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.” [Fatir 35:6] And He says: “Those who believe, fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of Taghut (Shaitan), so fight you against the friends of Shaitan, ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitan.” [An-Nisaa 4:76] 5. Having the heart to examine His names and His attributes, and observing them and being aware of them, and rolling about in the gardens of this awareness, for the one who is aware of Allah through His names, his attributes, and

Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah on Fasting The Invocation of God - Al-Wabil alS a y y i b m i n a l - K a l i m a l - Ta y y i b © 2000, Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald & Moulay Youssef Slitine (Translators) Islamic Texts Society, UK http://islaam.com//Article.aspx?id=668 …Let us return to the commentary on the hadith of Harith, where he Prophet speaks of what will rescue a servant from the Foe: “And [God] enjoins upon you the fast. Verily, the similitude of that is a man carrying a sack-full of musk in a crowd of people, all of them marvelling at its fragrance—for the breath of someone lasting is more fragrant to God, Most High, than the scent of musk.” [Tirmidhi, Amthal, 2790; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 16542.] The Prophet uses the image of someone carrying a sack-full of musk concealed from

view, hidden under his garments, after the habit of those who carry musk. Fasting is, likewise, hidden from the eyes of men and unperceived by their senses. The fasting person’s limbs fast from sins; his tongue fasts from lies, base language and false witness; his stomach fasts from food and drink; and his pudenda fast from union. If he speaks, he says nothing to violate his fast; and if he acts, he does nothing to spoil his fast. All his speech is salutary and wholesome, as are his deeds—like the fragrance one smells while sitting next to the bearer of musk. Anyone who sits with a fasting person beneﬁts from his presence and is safe from false witness, lies, base language and wrongdoing. This is the fast prescribed by the Sacred Law, not simply abstinence from eating and drinking. Hence, a sound hadith states: “When

someone does not refrain from speaking falsely and the action that springs from it and from ignorance, God does not need him to refrain from food and drink.” [Bukhari, Adab, 5597; Ibn Maja, Siyam, 1679; also in Bukhari, Sawm, 1770, without the word ‘ignorance’] And in [another] hadith: “Some who fast obtain nothing from it but hunger and thirst.” [Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 8501, with the ending ‘And some may tand for prayer at night and receive nothing from it but sleeplessness.’ Also in Bahyaqi, Shu`ab al-Iman, 3542, with ‘standing at night’ mentioned ﬁrst.] True fasting is when the limbs fast from sin and the stomach fasts from food and drink. As food and drink can break the fast or spoil it, so sins can cut off its reward and spoil its fruits, as if one had not fasted at all.

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 his actions then He has certainly loved him. So there is no doubt that we must be aware of the names and attributes of Allah, and there is no doubt that the most dangerous of people are the ones who denied and rejected the names and attributes of Allah, because they failed to afﬁrm what Allah afﬁrmed for Himself of His names and attributes in the Qur’an or through His Messenger (SAW). In order to keep away from falling into this type of Shirk (which is the type of Shirk contrary to the third type of Tawheed, the Tawheed of the Names and Attributes of Allah) one must take the steps towards getting to know his Rabb, of these steps are the following: a. Stopping at what has come to us from the texts of the revelation (the Qur’an and the Sunnah) of the Sifaat (attributes) of Allah as revealed, without corrupting these texts by either distorting them or rejecting them or misinterpreting its meanings. So when one believes in the attributes of Allah that have been affirmed through revelation then he will be aware that his Rabb has attributes of complete perfectness. b. Observing the creation of the universe and all that exists in it, for in the existence of creation is that which proves that there exists its Creator, and which proves that He is living, that He is able to do all things, that He has knowledge of everything, and that with Him lies all power. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: “Whoever is aware and knows his Rabb, he will love him.” Source: http://m-kamil-ahmad.blogspot.com

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) has said: “The example of the scholar who teaches the people good things but forgets himself, is that of a lantern, it gives light to the people but burns itself out.” [At-Tabarani in alMu’jam al-Kabeer]

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

EDITORS DESK Editor-in-Chief: Minhaj Hasan Office Manager : Jann McClary News Desk: Umm ‘Abdullah (Events) Distribution: Elwaleed Elshowya Layout & Design: Fadlullah Firman Staff Writers: Lensay Abadula Amina Ali Farkhunda Ali Fasiha Khan Farha Marfani Rashad Mulla Maryam bint DawudMussallihullah Sharia Advisors: Sheikh Salah as-Sawi Safi Khan The Muslim Link (TML) is published every other Friday on a Bi-Weekly Schedule 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-usSalaam 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 2008

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Correction on Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman

Abdul Rahman with the 1993 World Trade Center attack is a small but important part of that manipulation.

[What follows is a portion of an email posting by Mauri’ Saalakhan in regard to “Crossing the Line: NY Post Attempts to Label Prominent Muslim Advocate as ‘Terror Imam’, reprinted from MAS Freedom Foundation in the Muslim Link’s August 1, 2008 issue -- TML]

Sheikh Omar has been trapped in torturous imprisonment conditions since his conviction in the mid-90s. Even if he were guilty of what he was accused and convicted of (which I seriously doubt), it would not justify the sentence he received, nor the imprisonment conditions that he has been subjected to; conditions which violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment.” By repeatedly linking him to the “attack on the World Trade Center,” the propagandists are engaged in a subliminal ploy to try to justify the unjustiﬁable, and to maintain and reinforce the widely accepted link between Islam/Muslims and the attacks of 9/11. Muslims should resist becoming (conscious or unconscious) agents of this vile, maliciously driven propaganda conspiracy!

Once again Muslim writers and publications have repeated the unvarnished lie made against Sheikh Omar by ideologically driven, corporate-ﬁnanced propagandists who care nothing about the truth. MAS Freedom’s Ibrahim Raimey, writing in the August 1, 2008 edition of The Muslim Link, and Adem Carrol, writing in the August 1, 2008 edition of the Tri-State Muslim, both repeated the false accusation that the blind Egyptian cleric was convicted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He was not! I spoke to Br. Ibrahim about his otherwise excellent front-page article in The Muslim Link (“Crossing The Line: NY Post Attempts to Label Prominent Muslim Advocate as ‘Terror Imam’ “), and he thanked me the compliment and correction. While both articles, by Ibrahim and Adem, were well written defenses of Imam Siraj and ICNA, we should be careful not to abuse or abandon less palatable Muslim leaders (for some of us) in the process of defending those we favor.

El-Hajj Mauri’ Saalakhan Silver Spring, MD

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Muslims Are Making A Difference in Push Against Slots!

Dear Editor, Assalam-u-Alaikum, I read with great interest your recent article describing the absence of Muslim voices opposed to the upcoming Slots referendum (“As Religious Leaders Push Against Slots, Muslims Mostly Absent”, August 1, 2008) I felt that this article missed a very important piece of information. I am the only Muslim member of the Maryland General Assembly. During the 2007 Special Legislative Session, the Constitutional Amendment to allow slots was introduced in the Maryland General Assembly. This bill needed 85 out of 141 votes to pass the House of Delegates. In the face of intense lobbying by many inﬂuential parties, I voted against this bill as you can see on the voting record on the MD general assembly website. The bill passed with 86 votes. That passage allowed for this issue to placed on the ballot in November 2008. If that bill had failed, there would be no slots and no referendum. It is important for your readers to understand that I cast a crucial vote against slots at a time of crucial importance despite heavy pressure to do otherwise. Delegate Saqib Ali Montgomery County, MD Wa’alykum as salaam Brother Saqib. Thanks for your letter. We did miss that point of information about your vote. Thanks for letting our readers know. - TML

I advise the editors of [ALL] Muslim publications to become more vigilant whenever future articles referencing the case of Sheikh Omar are submitted for publication. Why is this so important? Sheikh Omar was convicted for having allegedly violated a rarely used law in the United States called “Seditious Conspiracy.” Sedition constitutes actions or words intended to provoke or incite rebellion against government authority. Conspiracy constitutes a plan or agreement between two or more persons to commit an illegal or subversive act. Sheikh Omar was accused (and convicted) of being the leader of an alleged conspiracy to provoke a rebellion against the United States through acts of terrorism that never materialized. (It is widely believed, however, that the real reason for Sheikh Omar’s arrest, prosecution and 240 year sentence, was to neutralize the pressure that he was bringing upon the corrupt and repressive government of Egypt. In short, his arrest and prosecution was considered a favor to both Egypt and Israel!) The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, et. al, have taken on a deeply symbolic life of their own (at the expense of Muslims around the world). Despite the many unanswered questions and blatant contradictions in the “ofﬁcial account,” this tragedy has been cleverly manipulated, by the powers that be, toward nefarious and fundamentally un-American ends (both here and abroad). The repeated link of Sheikh Omar

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The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

AIPAC Does Not Speak for American Jews Allan C. Brownfeld Issues, Summer 2008 [The following article was sent to the Muslim Link by a Virginia based Jewish organization. We share it with our readers to educate them about the views of many of our Jewish neighbors. -- TML] The role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — and of the larger organized American Jewish community — in the 2008 presidential election campaign is coming under increasingly critical scrutiny. USA Today reports that, “Jewish voters made up about 3% of the electorate in 2004, according to surveys of voters as they left polling places. But high turnout among Jewish voters in November could make a difference for McCain or Obama in battleground states.” AIPAC, which presents itself as representing the views of American Jews, held its annual meeting in June and was addressed by a host of political leaders of both parties, including Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. The reality is that AIPAC’s claim to speak in behalf of American Jews is false. The positions it advocates are far removed from the opinions of the vast majority of Jewish Americans, as indicated in national polls and in voting behavior. Still, AIPAC’s inﬂuence, precisely because it is perceived as representing American Jewish opinion, is widespread and, in the view of many, both excessive and destructive of both American interests in the Middle East and I s r a e l ’s o w n l o n g - r u n s e c u r i t y.

It would be hard to imagine a more naked exhibition of political power: a convention of 7,000 mostly rich people, with more than half the Congress in attendance, as well as all the major presidential candidates, the prime minister of Israel, the minority leader, the majority leader and the speaker of the House. Yet there is precious little journalism about the spectacle in full. The reason seems obvious: the press would have to write openly about a forbidden subject, Jewish inﬂuence. years for modern weaponry to soft loans for building the $2.5 billion physical barrier between Israelis and Palestinians, and under the radar the steady expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.” Senators Obama, Clinton and McCain told AIPAC exactly what it wanted to hear. Senator Obama went so far as to declare that, “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.” The reaction to this statement was negative throughout the Middle East and is in opposition to longstanding U.S. policy which holds that the status of Jerusalem is a subject to be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians. AIPAC activists welcomed Obama’s declaration. In the Middle East, however, reaction to Obama’s speech, which was broadcast live on several Arab-language television stations, was immediate and strongly negative. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, said that, “This statement is totally rejected. We will not accept a Palestinian state without having

identiﬁed Iran as a threat to Israel’s interests. ... Both Republicans and Democrats view Jewish Americans as key swing voters in the presidential election.” Philip Weiss, who is at work on a book about Jewish issues, attended the AIPAC meeting and reported on it in an article, “Looking into the Lobby,” in The American Conservative. Discussing Senator Obama’s speech, Weiss writes: “His speech became the annual example the conference provides of a powerful man truckling. Two years ago, it was Vice President Cheney’s red-meat speech attacking the Palestinians. Last year, it was Pastor John Hagee’s scary speech saying that giving Arabs any part of Jerusalem was the same as giving it to the Taliban. Obama took a similar line. He suggested that he would use force to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, made no mention of Palestinian human rights, and said that Jerusalem ‘must remain undivided,’ a statement so disastrous to the peace process that his staff rescinded it the next day ... It would be hard to imagine a more naked exhibition of political power: a

Often when political candidates address Jewish forums, they assume that the way to appeal to Jewish voters is to take the most extreme possible position in behalf of Israel. This, of course, is the idea promoted so effectively by AIPAC. The fact is, however, that most American Jews do not share this perspective at all. AIPAC’s Role Consider AIPAC’s role in our political life. “Once a year, the Israel lobby in Washington known as AIPAC holds its annual convention where anyone who is anyone in the political world comes to render fealty, rather than homage,” writes Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-at-large of The Washington Times. “It has become a political rite of passage, like a medieval contract for exchanging goods and services ... Anyone who doesn’t pass the litmus test can forget about becoming president of the United States, or senator or even congressman ... The lobby, reputedly Washington’s most powerful (though this is disputed by the National Riﬂe Association and the AARP) ensures that anything Israel wants or needs gets quick action on the Hill. That covers anything from $3 billion a year for the next 10

Jerusalem as its capital.” Even in Israel, some analysts suggested that Obama had staked out a position beyond that of current leaders. Within 24 hours, Obama backtracked, and said that the ﬁnal status of Jerusalem “is going to be up to the parties to negotiate.” Bellicose Statements The AIPAC meeting also featured bellicose anti-Iran statements. Richard Perle, a leading neoconservative spokesman, urged that Iran be placed on the terrorist regime hit list. Senator McCain told the AIPAC audience that if elected president he would drastically ramp up ﬁnancial pressure on Iran’s rulers by targeting the country’s gasoline imports and imposing sanctions against its central bank. Senator Obama presented an equally firm position concerning Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that, “AIPAC and other Jewish-American organizations have

convention of 7,000 mostly rich people, with more than half the Congress in attendance, as well as all the major presidential candidates, the prime minister of Israel, the minority leader, the majority leader and the speaker of the House. Yet there is precious little journalism about the spectacle in full. The reason seems obvious: the press would have to write openly about a forbidden subject, Jewish inﬂuence. They would have to take on an unpleasant informative task that they have instead left to two international relations scholars ... Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of last year’s book The Israel Lobby.” Dramatic Impact on Policy For more than 30 years, Weiss declares, AIPAC has supported Israel’s policy of expanding into the West Bank and has had a dramatic impact upon U.S. policy: “In 1975,

when President Ford wanted to reassess Mideast policy over Israeli intransigence, he was cut off at the knees by an AIPAC letter signed by 76 senators. Then in 1989, when James Baker went before AIPAC and told them to give up their idea of a Greater Israel including the West Bank, George H.W. Bush received a letter of anger signed by 94 senators. In both instances, AIPAC was hewing to the Israeli government line and nullifying American policymaking ... They have passed on their full powers of judgment to the Israeli government. In that sense, the Zionists in that hall might best be compared to Communists of the ’30s and ’40s, who also abandoned their judgment to a far off authority ...” In Weiss’ view, “The great sadness here is that American Jewry is the most educated, most afﬂuent segment of the public. Yet on this issue there is little independent thinking. The obvious question is whether they don’t have dual loyalty. As a Jew, I feel uncomfortable using the phrase, given its long history, but the facts are inarguable. Leon Wieseltier of The New Republic speaks of everything ‘we’ should do to make peace with the Palestinians, then corrects himself to say what Israel should do. Speaker after speaker says that Israel is in our hearts. People who emigrate to Israel are applauded, and when the national anthems are played, one cantor sings the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ but the ‘Hatikvah’ has two cantors belting it out, with the audience roaring along. Maybe most revealing, I heard a right-wing Israeli politician sharply criticizing Olmert’s policy in the West Bank. Think of the scandal it would cause if American politicians went abroad and criticized the president’s foreign policy. It’s no scandal here because AIPAC is a virtual extension of Israel.” More Extreme Positions Ironically, AIPAC and other groups such as the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, take positions more extreme than those taken by the government of Israel itself. Editorially, The Forward notes that, “There’s something almost comical in the timing of announcements ... that Israel had achieved diplomatic breakthroughs with foes in its northern and southern fronts. The word came out during the very week that Republicans were mounting their fiercest attacks yet on liberals who favor negotiating with those same enemies. Once again, Israel’s

>> Representation Pg 25

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 continued >> Representation from pg 24

self-appointed defenders in this country were out peddling notions of what is good for Israel that bear little resemblance to what Israel actually wants. Liberals, thrown on the defensive, were absurdly forced to pledge, in the name of Israel’s defense, that they would never do precisely what Israel itself is doing. Through it all, the main target was the Jewish voter, who is apparently presumed too dumb to know the difference.” Often when political candidates address Jewish forums, they assume that the way to appeal to Jewish voters is to take the most extreme possible position in behalf of Israel. This, of course, is the idea promoted so effectively by AIPAC. The fact is, however, that most American Jews do not share this perspective at all. In a survey of American Jewish opinion conducted by the American Jewish Committee, respondents were asked about the issues that will determine their presidential vote this year. A strong plurality of 42 percent picked either “economy and jobs” or “health care,” the two domestic choices offered. By contrast, only 36 percent picked one of the three Middle East-related suggestions, the war in Iraq (16 percent), and “national security” (14 percent) or “support for Israel” (6 percent). The notion that Jewish voters are waiting for a stamp of approval from self-proclaimed “leaders,” such as those in AIPAC, of a “pro-Israel” label on particular candidates bears no relationship to reality. Variety of Views Even those Jews who focus upon U.S. Middle East policy share a variety of views, hardly those represented by AIPAC. Recently, a new political action and lobbying group known as JStreet and JStreet PAC has been established to counter the influence of organizations such as AIPAC. In a full-page ad in The New York Times (June 23, 2008), JStreet declared: “When Israel goes to war, supporters rally. When Israel negotiates, why the deafening silence? A new ceaseﬁre has been brokered between Israel and Hamas. Israel and Syria are quietly resuming diplomatic contacts. Israel is offering talks with Lebanon, and Israeli and Palestinian leaders are negotiating to establish two states living side by side in peace and security. These efforts may or may not succeed. But they are designed to enhance Israel’s security, the region’s stability and to bring peace closer. And they deserve our support. If Israel had gone to war this week, established pro-Israel organizations would have rallied to its side. There would have been ads, press releases, fundraising appeals and political speeches. Let’s have the courage to support Israel loudly and clearly when it pursues security through diplomacy.” David Kimche, a former director general of the Israeli foreign ministry and a supporter of JStreet, outlined the need for an alternative in The Jerusalem Post: “AIPAC has become more militant than the Israeli government. Its messages reﬂect more the oppositionist Likud doctrine than the moderate stance of Prime Minister Olmert. Moreover, whereas ... some 80 per cent of the Jewish voters traditionally cast their votes for the Democrats, AIPAC is geared to an extreme right-wing agenda,

often more in line with the Jewish neo-cons than with the majority of American Jews.” Jeremy Ben-Ami, JStreet’s executive director, says of AIPAC that, “They have come to promote another agenda. Our agenda is that we believe the security of Israel, the survival of Israel, depends in large measure on whether or not it can resolve these conﬂicts peacefully with its neighbors. This is also in America’s best interest.” Negative Inﬂuence

Rather than supporting AIPAC’s embrace of the war in Iraq, a recent Gallup Poll placed the American Jewish community at the top of the list of “major” religious groups opposed to the war. The Reform movement — the largest synagogue denomination in the U.S. — has gone on record in opposition to the war. According to Rabbi Eric Yofﬁe, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, his group’s resolution fairly reﬂects the Jewish community’s attitude toward the war. “It is not us that are out of step with American Jews,” he said.

25 Congress to water down a particularly uncompromising bit of legislation, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, which would have prevented any American contact with the Palestinian leadership. ... The growing activism of liberal Jewish groups underline a worrying fact for AIPAC: most Jews are fairly left wing. Fully 77 percent of them think that the Iraq war was a mistake compared with 52 percent of all Americans.” Stricter Lobbying Laws Former National Security adviser Zbigniew

“The virtually unqualiﬁed support of organized American Jewry for Israel’s brutal actions ... is not new but no longer tolerable to me,” Sara Roy, a scholar at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, writes in her book, The War on Lebanon. Many prominent Israelis view AIPAC as a negative and counterproductive influence and have joined JStreet’s advisory council. One of these is Daniel Levy, who was part of the Israeli delegation to the Taba Summit with the Palestinians in January 2001. “The mainstream pro-Israel camp,” he states, “has decided so brazenly to throw its lot in with neoconservative ideologues within the administration and with the far Right dispensationalist Christian Zionists, and this unholy triangle has pulled things so

Exceeded Its Mission George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist and political activist, wrote in The New York Review of Books: “AIPAC under its current leadership has clearly exceeded its mission, and far from guaranteeing Israel’s existence has endangered it ... I have a great deal of sympathy for my fellow Jews and a deep concern for the survival of Israel ... I cannot remain silent now when the pro-Israel lobby is one of the last unexposed redoubts of this dogmatic way of thinking ... I believe that a

Brzezinski worries that America is seen in the Middle East as “acting increasingly on behalf of Israel.” In his book Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower, he calls for “stricter lobbying laws” because groups such as AIPAC have too tight a hold on U.S. policy. It is Brzezinski’s view that AIPAC has seriously distorted U.S. policy in the Middle East. Increasingly, more and more Jews feel alienated from Jewish organizations that supported both the Iraq war and Israel’s

By any standard, AIPAC appears, more and more, to be a rogue organization speaking only for a narrow extremist constituency within both Israel and the U.S. much to the right-wing direction that we are desperately in need of a corrective ... I think other groups that care about this issue feel more comfortable expressing a sensible position on the Middle East when there is also a very credible and hopefully very loud Jewish voice saying, ‘This is the most pro-American and pro-Israeli position you can take’ ... just like you can be a pro-American patriot and be against bombing Iran and staying in Iraq for 100 years.” Samuel Freedman, a journalism professor at Columbia University and columnist for The

much-needed self-examination of American policy in the Middle East has started in this country; but it can’t make much headway as long as AIPAC retains powerful inﬂuence in both the Democratic and Republican parties . . . ” The Economist devoted a full page to a discussion of the “changing climate” facing AIPAC: “The Iraq debacle has produced a fierce backlash against pro-war hawks of which AIPAC was certainly one. It has also encouraged serious people to ask awkward questions about America’s alliance with Israel. And a growing number of people want

war in Lebanon. “The virtually unqualiﬁed support of organized American Jewry for Israel’s brutal actions ... is not new but no longer tolerable to me,” Sara Roy, a scholar at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, writes in her book, The War on Lebanon. Explaining how AIPAC’s positions are far from the American Jewish mainstream, columnist Douglas Bloomﬁeld wrote in The Washington Jewish Week that, “Most American Jews, like the rest of the country, oppose the Iraq war but (Israeli Prime Minister) Olmert gave it a ringing endorsement

It pains me deeply to see the Israel Lobby so successful in turning many of the Jews who are supposedly religious into worshippers of power; people who believe that the Will of God can be read by the outcome of military struggles like the 1967 Six Day War. This is straightforward idolatry — the worship of power and the betrayal of the God of Israel.” Jerusalem Post, declares that, “There are plenty of good reasons for an alternative to AIPAC. American Jewish opinion is indeed too variegated to be represented by one and only one voice on Israel issues. A lobby that gave its podium to the bigoted pastor John Hagee and has had several of its ofﬁcials implicated in a scandal involving classiﬁed information needs a competitor to keep it honest.”

to push against AIPAC ... AIPAC’s ace in the hole is the idea that it represents Jewish interests in a country that is generally philoSemitic. But liberal Jewish groups retort that it represents only a sliver of Jewish opinion. A number of liberal groups have started to use their political muscle — groups such as the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Americans for Peace Now and the Israel Policy Forum. These groups scored a signiﬁcant victory over AIPAC by persuading

in his live satellite hook-up to AIPAC ... that could have been written by Dick Cheney ... Olmert’s over-the-top embrace of the Bush policies is one more example of how the Israeli government is out of touch with the m a i n s t r e a m o f A m e r i c a n J e w r y. ”

>> Representation II Pg 26

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

26 continued >> Representation II from pg 25

Bloomfield went on to point out that, “Most Americans support a peace process leading to a two-state solution, and they see settlements as an obstacle to that goal — which is what backers intended. Settlements have never been popular among most American Jews (or most Israelis these days), and Olmert’s recent decision to expand them did not sit well in the Jewish community. More damaging may be the perception of excessive Israeli government tolerance of settler violence against Palestinians, which reinforces the belief there is a double standard for justice in Israeli society. Most American Jews are uncomfortable with AIPAC’s and the Israeli government’s warm embrace of the religious right. AIPAC delegates ... enthusiastically cheered a speech by evangelical Pastor John Hagee, who railed against territorial concessions to the Palestinians as ‘appeasement’ and ‘crocodile food.’ Most American Jews are progressives and uncomfortable with the alliance with evangelicals like Hagee; and don’t share his hard-line views about peace with the Palestinians and have less to agree about on domestic policy.” Sharing Classified Material Not only is AIPAC not representative of the constituency in whose name it professes to speak, but its former foreign policy chief, Steve Rosen, and its former Iran analyst, Keith Weissman, are now being prosecuted by the U.S. Government for allegedly sharing classified U.S. information about Iran with Israeli diplomats, journalists and others. By any standard, AIPAC appears, more and more, to be a rogue organization speaking only for a narrow extremist constituency within both Israel and the U.S.

continued >> Ramadan from pg 020

Following the indictments, AIPAC began receiving a closer look. Writing in The New Yorker, Jeffrey Goldberg noted that, “AIPAC is unique in the top tier of lobbies because its concerns are the economic health and security of a foreign nation, and because its members are drawn almost entirely from a single ethnic group.” According to Goldberg, “AIPAC’s professional staff — it employs about a hundred people at its headquarters, two blocks from the Capitol — analyzes congressional voting records and shares the results with its members, who can then contribute money to candidates directly or to a network of pro-Israel political action committees. The Center for Responsive Politics, a public policy group, estimates that between 1990 and 2004 these PACs gave candidates and parties more than 20 million dollars.” Writing in The Nation, Chris Hedges declared that, “The Israel lobby in the U.S. does not serve Israel or the Jewish community — it serves the interests of the Israeli extreme right wing. Most Israelis have come to understand that peace will be possible only when their country complies with international law and permits Palestinians to build a viable and sustainable state based on the 1967 borders, including, in some configuration, East Jerusalem.” Rabin’s Dismay Hedges recalled that, “This stark demarcation between Israeli pragmatists and the extreme right wing was apparent when I was in the Middle East for The New York Times during Yitzhak Rabin’s 1992 campaign for prime minister. The majority of American Jewish organizations and neoconservative intellectuals made no pretense of neutrality. They had morphed into extensions of the right-wing Likud Party. These American groups, to Rabin’s dismay, had gone on to build, with

time to reading the Qur’aan. Fasting at the end of Sha’baan

Habeeb ibn Abi Thaabit used to say, when Sha’baan came, “This is the month of reciters (of the Qur’aan).”

It is makrooh to observe a voluntary fast one or two days before Ramadaan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have not previously fasted until the end of Sha’baan. It may be asked: why is it makrooh to fast just before Ramadaan (for those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there are a number of reasons why this is so, such as: Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadaan that are not part of it. Fasting on the day of Eid is prohibited for the same reason. For the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the “day of doubt”. ‘Ammaar said: whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abu’l-Qaasim (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

When Sha’baan came, ‘Amr ibn Qays alMalaa’i used to close his store and devote his

The “day of doubt” is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadaan or not,

Ramadaan starts; if he fasts in Sha’baan he will have gotten used to fasting and he will feel strong and energetic when Ramadaan comes. Sha’baan is like an introduction to Ramadaan and it has some things in common with Ramadaan, such as fasting, reciting Qur’aan and giving in charity. Salamah ibn Suhayl used to say: “The month of Sha’baan is the month of reciters (of the Qur’aan).”

Likud, an alliance with right-wing Christian groups ... whose cultural and historical ignorance of the Middle East was breathtaking. This collection of messianic Jews and Christians ... believed they had been handed a divine or moral mandate to rule the Middle East, whether the Arabs liked it or not.” It seems clear that AIPAC has not done enough to maintain a clear division between the lobbying group and Israel. AIPAC ofﬁcials have left the organization to serve in the Israeli government. Lenny Ben-David, formerly known as Leonard Davis, for example, worked at AIPAC for 25 years — ﬁrst in Washington, then in Jerusalem — before he was tapped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1998 to be the deputy chief of mission in Israel’s Washington Embassy. Henry Siegman, once a leader in the American Jewish Congress and now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, charges that many American Jewish organizations, such as AIPAC, have substituted blind support for Israel for the traditional Jewish search for truth and justice. “We have lost much in American Jewish organizational life,” Siegman says. “I was a student and admirer of Rabbi Abraham Heschel. I read his books, We were friends. We marched together in the South during the civil rights movement. He helped me understand the prophetic passion for truth and justice as the keystone of Judaism. This is not, however, an understanding that now animates the American Jewish community ... American Jewish organizations confuse support for the State of Israel and its people with uncritical endorsement of the actions of Israeli governments, even when these governments do things that in an American context these Jewish organizations would never tolerate. It was inconceivable that a Jewish leader in America 20 or 30 years ago would be silent if a political party in the Israeli government called for the transfer of Palestinians — in

when news of the sighting of the crescent moon comes from one whose word cannot be accepted. As for a cloudy day, some of the ‘ulamaa’ said that this was also a ‘day of doubt’ and said that fasting was not allowed on this day. This is the view of the majority. Secondly: to make a distinction between fard (obligatory) fasts and naafil (supererogatory) fasts, because making a clear distinction between fard actions and naafil actions is prescribed in Islam. Hence it is haraam to fast on the day of Eid, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with another prayer unless they are separated by saying salaam or speaking, especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr. Some ignorant people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before Ramadaan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting. This is

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008 other words, ethnic cleansing. Today, there are at least three such parties, but there has never been a word of criticism from American Jewish organizations.” Bad for Jews Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun, believes that AIPAC is bad for Israel, bad for the U.S., and bad for Jews. “The most decisive reason the Israel lobby is bad for the Jews,” he writes, “is that it strengthens idolatry in the Jewish world by reinforcing our tendencies to believe in power and domination rather than in love, compassion and open-heartedness ... It pains me deeply to see the Israel Lobby so successful in turning many of the Jews who are supposedly religious into worshippers of power; people who believe that the Will of God can be read by the outcome of military struggles like the 1967 Six Day War. This is straightforward idolatry — the worship of power and the betrayal of the God of Israel.” As the 2008 campaign proceeds, AIPAC’s role should continue to be carefully examined. It is abundantly clear that its claim to represent American Jewish opinion is false. It is also beyond question that the vast majority of Jewish voters cast their ballots on the basis of a variety of issues, domestic and foreign, not on the single issue of U.S. Middle East policy. Judaism, it must be remembered, is a religion of universal values, not a narrow special interest group in behalf of Israel or any other political consideration, To the extent that AIPAC’s inﬂuence in our political life is diminished, the chance to develop a constructive U.S. policy which leads both Israelis and Palestinians to a meaningful peace is enhanced. Please feel free to forward your comments to my attention at either the address or e-mail listed below. We need and appreciate your continued involvement to ensure that our voice is heard.

an ignorant mistake on the part of those who think this. And Allaah knows best. References: Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif fimaa li Mawaasim al-’Aam min al-Wazaa’if, by Ibn Rajab alHanbali Al-Ilmaan bi shay’in min Ahkaam al-Siyaam, by ‘Abd al-’Azeez al-Raajihi (1) Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1833; Muslim, 1956. (2) Report narrated by Muslim (no. 1957). (3) Saheeh Muslim (no. 1954). (4) Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1971, and Muslim, no. 1157. (5) Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, see Saheeh alTargheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, page 425. (6) Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, see Saheeh alTargheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, p. 425 By Shaykh Salih Munajjid Islam-qa.com

The Muslim Link, AUGUST 15, 2008

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