The Muslim Link, August 8, 2014

Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |Rabi Al-Thani| Jumada Al-Awwal| Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab | Shaban | Ramadan |Shawwal, 1435| Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

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>> PG 21

12 Shawwal - 9 thul-qedah 1435 A.H. | www.MuslimLinkPaper.com August 8th - September 4th 2014

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50,000 Protest Israeli Genocide In Gaza, Demand Obama Stand Up to Israel

By Niyah Hamilton

At 1 pm on Saturday, August 2, 2014 thousands gathered for The National March on the White House demanding an end to the Israeli massacre in Gaza, Palestine.

The large turnout spanned twelve blocks as Americans from across the nation assembled in Washington DC to protest Israel's invasion of Gaza and President Obama's strong support of Israel's "right to self-defense". Photo by Riya Ortiz for ANSWER Coalition.

Corporation. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” was one

of the many chants that an estimated 50,000 passionate protesters shouted

A Light On and Off the Court Local Muslim Represents Maryland at USA National Games Special Olympics Muslim Link Staff Reporter A well used basketball hoop shares the Vohra’s driveway with several pots of Arabian Jasmine plants which perfume the heavy air. A thunderstorm is on the way as a wiry young man waits for his cousin to drive him to the masjid.

>> light Pg 13

Dar-Us-Salaam Must Close On HoCo Property In Sept | pg 2

MCC Adds Dentistry to Award Winning Medical Clinic | pg 6

DEMAND >> pg 18

By Hena Zuberi

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Building Ties Through Taraweeh: 1500 At DMV Unity Iftar | pg 5

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

The March began at Lafayette Park across from the White House. Demonstrators crowded around a stage and listened to an assortment of speakers, sharing their perspectives and shouting in support of Palestine. The protesters then flooded downtown, Washington, marching through Pennsylvania Ave, and stopping at the Washington Post and Caterpillar

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VA Muslims: Dep. County Clerk Must Go for Remarks | pg 12 NOVA Man Waits for Word from Family In Gaza | pg 14 Eid & the "Gypsy" Beggars: Caution w/out Stereotyping | pg 16 WPRESS: Examining the "Israel Self-Defense" Narrative | pg 29 Virtue to Virture: Fasting The 6 Days of Shawwal | pg 32 The Muslim Link

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

COMMUNITY NEWS

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Community News Building Ties Through Taraweeh: 1500 Attend DMV Unity Iftar A high note of the events was that after the first eight rakat, a woman took her shahadah, causing the witnesses to erupt in takbiraat, glorifying Allah for her guidance.

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter On July 25, 2014 over a fifteen hundred Muslims gathered to break fast and pray in the Ritchie Coliseum at the University of Maryland, for the Second Annual Night of Unity—a Multi Masjid Iftar and Taraweeh, coordinated by the Muslim Youth DMV Council. 16 youth groups are a part of this organization.

Families in the region were excited that one of their favorite events of Ramadan was coming back for the second year.

The event costs $10,000 to host and is sponsored by the area masajid and with

donations from community members.

Media Spokesman Ammar Ibn Yasser from Dar us Salaam (DUS), part of the DMV Council for the past year, said that Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) took a lot of responsibility this year.

“They brought in a lot of volunteers and sponsorship. DUS hosted the location,” he said.

According to Ibn Yasser, PGMA played a big role and DAT, the Islamic Research and Humanitarian Services (IRHSA),

>> taraweeh Pg 24

Laurel, Annapolis Area Muslims Join for Eid

By Hena Zuberi

than 3000 worshippers, “Our coming together here these two masjids is a call to true unity. Yes! “United we stand” is familiar to us all. But it is incomplete, we must in this day and age always beg to ask the question what exactly are we standing for?

The Quran states “Oh you who believe!

Be of those persistently standing for justice, witnesses for Allah”. The Quran calls us to stand and be united, but let not that standing be in vain, let it not be according to our whims and desires but rather standing united for Allah on the way of the Prophet.”

Muslim Link Staff Reporter It was a beautiful, balmy morning on the rolling 22 acres of Makkah Learning Center at Brandy Farms Lane in Gambrills, MD. A colorful sea of men, women and children of many races and ethnicities were united in takbeerat: Allah hu Akbar Allah hu Akbar as the Islamic Society of Annapolis and the Islamic Community Center of Laurel held a combined Eid salah.

The vast majority of the DC Metro celebrated Eid on the same day.

In his talk Imam Mikaeel Smith, the resident scholar at the Islamic Society of Annapolis, stated to the crowd of more

As the event came to a close, the words of the imam came to mind when he said celebrating, and happiness is deeply connected to the quality of thankfulness.

The praying area for the men was in the field and the women were in the basketball court. Both masajid also held

>> EID Pg 20

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

6 | COMMUNITY NEWS

MCC Adds Dentistry to Award Winning Community Clinic

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter The Muslim Community Center Clinic celebrated the inauguration of the dental clinic inside its current facility on New Hampshire Road in Silver Springs, MD on August 1, 2014.

Bright, clean and and classy, the clinic met and exceeded the county’s expectations.

“I would get my teeth cleaned here,” said Councilman George Leventhal. The clinic was inaugurated by Leventhal, a Democratic politician who won his third term as an At-large member of the Montgomery County Council and Uma S. Ahluwalia, Director of Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

The construction costs and the first year operating expenses are provided by Montgomery County. The clinic will open on Saturday and Monday from 9-5 in the beginning. As demand increases, MCC Clinic plans to add more days to the patient calendar.

All appointments for the month of August are already booked. Nancy, a resident of Rockville, who brings her parents for their checkups signed up when she saw the sign on the door.

Zaffer Mirza, representing the MCC BOD was present delighted to see the work Muslims were doing to put faith into action. "Our values are serving the community and serving those who are underserved," he said.

Equipped with the latest dental chairs and TV monitors with the ability to display patient x rays ‘so they don't have to get up from the chairs’, the room can accommodate two patients at a time.

Several thousand patients at the MCC Medical clinic are diabetic and need eye exams and dental checkups as a part of their routine tests. “We already have eye

exams, but needed to add dental to our list of services offered,” says Dr. Azad Ejaz, Executive Director of the clinic. The motivation in starting the dental clinic was to serve these patients needs as dental care is particularly important for people with diabetes because they face a higher than normal risk of oral health problems due to poorly controlled blood sugar levels.

In accordance to their insurance, right now the clinic is adults-only, but Dr. Ejaz thinks that they may be able to accommodate children in the future.

Councilman Leventhal said the county has been working very hard to make >> dentistry Pg 22

ADAMS Continues Expansion with Planned Purchase of Gainesville Property

By Muslim Link Staff ADAMS Greater Gainesville is set to purchase a 15 acre property in Bristow, VA for a masjid and Islamic Community center. A potluck iftar was held on July 19th, 2014 at the Wyndham Hotel at 10800 Vandor Lane in Manassas, VA. The community raised $80,000 at the iftar, bringing them closer to their goal.

ADAMS Imam Muhammad Magid and Farooq Syed were the keynote speakers.

Currently Jummah is prayed at the same hotel, and the community holds taraweeh at the Bristow Montessori School.

....

Enthusiastically trying to meet its goals, in June the organizing committee held an event with nasheed artists Junaid Jamshed and Native Deen at the George Mason University campus to raise funds for the project.

title search, water flow determination, archeological studies, military and civil war studies, endangered species studies, civil engineering drawings, traffic impact analysis and preliminary architectural design,” say the committee members.

In April 2014, the Islamic Center filed the application for Special Use Permit (SUP) with the Prince Williams County.

On an average, the application takes 6 to 9 months to process. Once the county approves the SUP application, ADAMS Greater Gainesville will buy the land for the Islamic Center.

So far the ADAMS GG has paid approximately $ 50,000 to file the SUP, but it may cost more than $150,000 to complete whole SUP process. During SUP process, county will ask to fulfill more requirements and a public hearing will take place. The county will assess if building a religious institution at that location will impact the larger community adversely. At the hearing, the county will also take into account how many Muslims live in that community who will benefit from the center. Organizers

“The process of preparing the application was very long and tedious. It involves land use attorneys, civil engineers, land study firm and architect. The application includes

hope the Muslim community in Greater Gainsville will attend the hearing to show their support of the project.

ADAMS Greater Gainesville held its first Eid salah on August 8, 2013, at the Piedmont Country Club,14675 Piedmont Vista Drive, Haymarket, VA. ADAMS GG is a part of ADAMS, follows guidelines for ADAMS branches and is governed by the rules and policies of ADAMS. It will serve Muslims living in Gainesville, Haymarket, Bristow, Manassas, and Warrenton.

Visit the website for more details and to donate: http://www.adamsgg.org

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

8 | COMMUNITY NEWS

ADAMS Partners with Islamic Relief to Celebrate, Support World’s Muslims

By Jonathan Dodge

Muslim Link Contributing Writer

Little Big Kids was also at the outdoor festival. Founder and author of their children books, Omar Khawaja, stood by his tent in the heat, showing his new Eid book. Ilyas & Duck and the Fantastic Festival of Eid-al-Fitr contains information on Eid as well as the holidays of other major religions, such as Christmas and Hanukkah. Omar Khawaja started writing the Ilyas & Duck series in 2012.

“It’s very important for us to do work in the community,” says Said Durrah, who is the Event Coordinator of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA). He was among many of the IRUSA volunteers who were helping on Sunday, August 3rd, 2014 at the ADAMS Center, for their Eid Al-Fitr Festival.

“We bring people out here to a large Eid Festival; [and] our slogan this year is ‘You are the heart of IRUSA.’ There are a lot of things going on around the world, so to show people that we appreciate them and what they do, we give them that Eid feeling,” said Durrah.

Durrah talked about how going to prayer and having a nice lunch is what Eid seems to have become for people in America. He is pleased to be spreading good cheer and happiness. He says people have walked up to him, saying how much it feels like a grand Eid festival, spreading the feeling

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of celebration “Even though it seems like it’s rather simple, it’s three thousand people coming together to mark the end of Eid Al-Fitr. [It also] raises money for the current emergence in Gaza,” he continued.

Islamic Relief wasn’t the only organization spreading the word and collecting donations. Muslimat Al-Nisaa, an organization whose goal is to provide help

to homeless Muslim woman and children; was also there among the vendors joining in the festivities. These vendors include Attar Mist and Habibi Consulting, LLC. Big Country Amusement provided an Inflatable castle, pirate ship, obstacle course, and a mechanical bull; as well as a train for the kids and their youth filled adult counterparts to ride around on; along with a couple of small rides for the very little kids.

Little Big Kids started in 2007, when he found out his wife was expecting their first child. Through his company, he has been working on his goal of doing something with more meaning in his life than his last job; and to create a world known icon for teaching Islam to kids in a way that grabs their attention and that will stick in their youthful minds.

With Native Deen performing live for visitors, a rented ice cream truck for kids,

>> ADAMS Pg 23

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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10 |COMMUNITY NEWS

Iftar Held for World’s Most Persecuted Minority

By Muslim Link Staff The Rohingya are called ‘Bengali’ and have been denied citizenship rights since 1982 and are treated as illegal immigrants in their own home. They are not allowed to hold jobs, have more than 2 children, go to school or travel even between two villages. A quarter million have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

Imagine the grounds of Arafah filled with 5 million pilgrims and then imagine 2 million of them them wiped away. That is the story of the decades of extermination of the Muslims of Myanmar, the Rohingya, the world’s most persecuted minority.

On July 20, 2014 the Zakat Foundation of America hosted the third annual iftar at the Burmese restaurant Mandalay Restaurant and Cafe for a tri-fold effort of educating, raising funds while networking with activists. Mariam Mehter’s family is from Burma. With the help of her sister Khadijah Mehter, Hena Zuberi and Dr. Naba Sharif, she arranged an evening of support for the Rohingya.

Human Rights Watch has accused the Burmese government of a campaign of “ethnic cleansing.”

Thousands of Rohingya board boats operated by human traffickers each year aiming to reach Malaysia [Asiapix]

Dr. Sharif shared how she got involved in the cause of the Rohingya because they were ignored by many in the mainstream.

the Arakan Rohingya Union. A professor at Penn State University, he is a firm believer in a multiethnic-multicultural federal Burma.

There are only about a hundred Rohingya living in the United States. One of them is Dr. Wakar Uddin, Director General of

He discussed the current crisis in Burma's western most Arakan State (Rakhine). He informed the guests that the Rohingya

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were ethnic Burmese and were painted as outsiders by the military junta and its propaganda machine. The crisis averts the attention of the Burmese people from the real economic and social problems that plagued the country, said Dr. Wakar Uddin, who was raised and educated in Burma.

The United to End Genocide completed a four week fact-finding mission to Burma in March of 2014. What they discovered was extremely alarming: “Nowhere in the world are there more known precursors to genocide than in Burma today. Hundreds have been killed with a death toll mounting daily, tens of thousands have fled under the most hazardous conditions, and 140,000 have been forced into >> persecuted Pg 22

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

12 |COMMUNITY NEWS

Virginia Muslims Say Bigoted Remarks Should Lead to Removal of County Official

By Muslim Link Staff On July 31, 2014, the Muslim Association of Virginia (MAV) issued an action alert to contact the Prince William county clerk Michele McQuigg's office and request for the resignation of deputy clerk Bob FitzSimmons.

According to MAV, FitzSimmons, who is also the Treasurer of the Republican Party of Virginia, made bigoted and intolerant remarks towards Muslims. He dismissed President Obama’s Eid-ul-Fitr greeting as “pure nonsense”. “Exactly what part of our nation’s fabric was woven by Muslims? What about Sikhs, Animists, and Jainists? Should we be thanking them too?” he wrote responding to the President’s message.

The association released a statement

emphasizing that the Muslim residents of Prince William County serve the country everyday as soldiers in the U.S. military, public servants in federal agencies, and volunteers in community organizations.

“To question the contributions of Muslims in America is to question the contributions of all patriotic Americans.”

“I follow him on Facebook and I saw his comments on Tuesday, I have known him for while, [and] didn't think he held those kind of feelings,” said Rafiuddin Ahmed, President of MAV. FitzSimmons has visited the Dar al Noor masjid in the past when he endorsed candidate Faisal Gill in his run for State Senate (the same Gill that was spied by the National Security Agency) and campaigned there for his run for Virginia State Senate.

Ahmed says that the MAV is the largest

Muslim organization in Prince William's and is very much engaged with local government and civic organizations.

“So far we have a goal of sending out a thousand emails to the clerk’s office; we are getting a good response from the community,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed sent an email to the court clerk Michèle McQuigg (an elected position) and relayed his concerns to her.

Initially she defended FitzSimmons and Ahmed said they agreed to disagree.

FitzSimmonds reached out to MAV, and Ahmed insisted on an in person meeting at the Islamic center. “We jointly agreed to meet in person,” says Ahmed. “[On Tuesday], we will meet them along with representatives from Dar al Hijrah,

>> removal Pg 23

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

COMMUNITY NEWS | 13

A Light On and Off the Court Local Muslim Represents Maryland at USA National Games Special Olympics light

>> continued from pg 1

Munir Vohra is a champion on the court and off. This 30-year old Miami Heat fan was raised in Laurel, Maryland, a graduate of Atholton High School and Howard Community College. This summer Munir Vohra and his basketball team represented the state of Maryland in the USA National Games from June 14-21, 2014 in Princeton, NJ, winning the silver medal.

Munir has Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder which results in a set of cognitive and physical symptoms from having a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. According to the Special Olympics website, Down syndrome is the most frequent chromosomal cause of mild to moderate intellectual disability, and occurs in all ethnic and economic groups.

Special Olympics has been a part of Munir’s life for ten years, when his social worker introduced the family to this great resource. He started with softball, then basketball, tennis and flag football; and now is the only Muslim on the county team.

With tears glistening in his eyes and then spilling into his fist length beard, Munir talks about the hard work and effort that went into winning second place in the Special Olympics. Only ten athletes were picked, when his Howard County team was chosen to represent the state.

During the tournament, he recalls how his teammate and good friend fell and twisted his ankle landing him in a wheelchair for the rest of the event. This fired up the team. Munir told his teammates ‘we have to try even harder to win this.’

When he was presented the silver medal and flowers, “it was the best moment of Munir’s life.”

At the Special Olympics, Munir learned new skills, made new friends and had fun at the mini carnival set up for the athletes.

The dinner cruise along the New Jersey harbor and Hudson River was a ‘good thing’ says Munir. He spent a week at the Rider University Princeton campus.

In the last game, Maryland played Utah and Munir’s team came in a close second place, 20-25.

He has been asked by Special Olympics Maryland to be apart of the Global Messenger Program where he will train to become a public speaker and share why Special Olympics has been so important to him.

Back in Laurel the the whole community was praying for him. Proud community members announced his advancement at Jummah salah. Munir is an active part of the masjid as it is his family’s second home. His father, Mohammed Nazir Vohra, was one of the founders of the Islamic Community Center of Laurel (ICCL) and his mother, Shamim, volunteers her Sundays at the Sunday School. The community has grown up to embrace how special Munir is and finds his presence rather endearing. He can often be seen on the court after Taraweeh and at the ICCL annual picnic basketball tournament showing his moves on the court.

As a child he accompanied his younger brother, Omair, to Quran class, while his brother was doing hifdh, Munir learned the Qaidah under Imam Javid Bhaiyat. Just like he mastered the English language, Munir learned to read the Quran by recognizing entire words. “He recites from Juz Amma, I sometimes stand

outside his door and can hear him reading aloud,” says Mrs. Vohra.

out the trash, folds laundry and helps around the house.

Munir loves to travel, accompanying his family on Umrah (where his favorite memory is when he kissed the black stone), London, Richmond, and Houston.

His mother says that even if masajid or Islamic Centers don’t have resources for children with special needs, families should not hesitate to take their children.

“It is the house of Allah and it will find a place in their heart,” she says. Her advice to parents is ‘don’t take too much on yourself, your child is a gift from Allah and they should treat it as such. He found you capable of being tested, so accept it.

Munir’s greatest supporter and cheerleader is his sister, Batool. They train together at the gym, running to building up stamina and endurance. The camaraderie between this duo is contagious as they banter over sports teams, (she is a Red#&*ns fan and he raves about the Ravens). Close to his Nanni (grandmother), Munir’s mother says that he is very caring especially towards the elderly in the community.

He was born in Pakistan and his parents moved to Howard County when he was quite young. Grateful for the resources that they were provided, the Vohra’s believe that Munir’s personality developed because they exposed him to everything.

Many people shut down if their child has special needs, comments Mrs. Vohra, but she raised her son differently.

“We never treated him differently, we had normal expectations and he exceeded them on his own,” says his sister, Batool.

Extremely independent, Munir had chores growing up and now has duties around the house just as his brother and sister do. He vacuums the house ‘top to bottom’, takes

He wanted to stay for itikaf at the masjid but couldn't because of his job at Safeway where he is a customer service representative. He has worked there for the past eleven years.

Munir doesn't let anything—or anyone— put limits on his abilities. He doesn't like anyone telling him that he can not do something, says his mother. It only empowers him more to prove everyone wrong.

He fasts, prays all his salah on time and wakes his family for Fajr, spends between Asr and Fajr at the masjid during Ramadan, and loves to play sports. “If he can’t take part, he still loves to watch,” says Mrs. Vohra.

When asked what his next goal is Munir cheerfully says, “I was thinking that I could be in the NBA."

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

14 |COMMUNITY NEWS

NOVA Gazan Survived Last Israeli Invasion, Now Waits for Calls from Family In Gaza

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Writer

Neighbors and friends in Gaza don’t just share food and water, they share graves.

On December 27, 2008, Abu Hamzah Hijjii lost an uncle to shrapnel from an Israeli bomb during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. A day later his father passed away from cancer. All he got was a phone call in his Northern Virginia home, his father’s dying moments audibly recorded in his memory, as he could not enter Gaza, despite his American passport—just like when his mother died.

Going to the main graveyard could mean more death, even at night, so his brothers buried their father and uncle in a neighbor’s grave. Digging new graves is a luxury of time and place that they couldn't effort.

They live in tiny Gaza where no place is safe, not the playgrounds, nor the shelters, not even the beach. Under the current attack, more than 1700 have died including children, countless injured and thousands displaced. Hospitals and the university lay dismantled; entire neighborhood are flattened.

Now even the phone calls have stopped.

He can’t get in touch with his sister. She fled to find shelter with her husband’s relatives after her neighborhood which is close to the border was shelled continuously. He imagines her cowering in fear, holding her children tight—all seven of them—crammed with her husband, father in law, mother in law, and several other relatives: confined, can’t sleep with tension but staying awake means drones buzzing and buildings shaking with the sounds of bombing, day in and day out.

“I didn't have a job like so many Gazan men, so I would collect flesh and body parts of the dead bombed in my neighborhood- resistance fighters and civilians.”

He calls his other sister and the signal is so bad. “They bombed all the buildings where the cell phone companies had put their antennas,” he says, matter of factly.

Every day communication with his sisters and brothers gets harder as the cellular antennas bombarded by US provided Israeli bombs vanish.

The local masjid in his sisters’ neighborhood was obliterated this week, buckling her metal enforced door. It is a mile walk to the masjid, but her apartment building has cracks, and that front door doesn’t shut any more.

“We are tired of hearing someone else we know died," says Hijjee.

He talks about the infamous tunnels. Just like the Jews in Warsaw who survived using tunnels, Gazans use the tunnels as vital arteries for survival. Tunnels controlled by businessmen for gasoline, food, medical needs and included the import of cows and sheep coming in from Egypt to Gaza. Until President Sisi took power in Egypt- now the people are barely living, says Hijjee.

“It has been real miserable for everyone in Gaza," says Abu Hamzah.

The water needs to be pumped up into the buildings, but there is no electricity to pump the water. The power plant was destroyed last week.

Hijjee lived in Gaza for almost three years with his wife and 2 sons. With one son he crossed the Egyptian border in 2005 to visit family. His Egyptian American wife flew into Tel Aviv airport with their baby.

There is no fuel so they have not been able to run the diesel generators. When they do run them—carefully rationed—it is for an hour, to charge their cell phones, pump water, and do extremely necessary chores.

Hijjee describes trying to cross the Rafah border, built on demolitioned homes which house the buffer zone and an eight meter high and 1.6 kilometers long metal wall along the border.

Hijjee's father had dug a well in their family land, so a line of neighbors and relatives wait at their family home with buckets and gallon bottles, to fill up drinking water.

They couldn't leave after the borders closed.

In June 2007, Hamas took over power in the Gaza Strip after elections. Since then, the area has been under siege by the Israelis. Gazans cannot get concrete or sand to build their homes, wire to repair circuits, rams to do aqeeqahs, take a flight out to consult a specialist. They are imprisoned in an open prison. Israel

....

controls the airspace and territorial waters of Gaza, and does not allow Palestinians to build an airport or seaport.

Unable to leave he would spend the days cleaning the streets of dead bodies dying under Operation Cast Lead. “We would go and wait at the Rafah border for days hoping that we could leave,” says Hijjee who finally made it back to NoVA in 2008.

“I didn't have a job like so many Gazan >> gazan Pg 24

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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16 |COMMUNITY NEWS

Eid and “Gypsy” Beggars: Muslims Asked to Be Cautious With Donations and Stereotyping Many Romani think the term gypsy itself is an ethnic slur and do not wish to be called by it. Their entire race is looked upon as criminal and so they are treated as a ‘lower race’.

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter A woman in her 30s in a headscarf hails the worshippers as they leave Eid salah.

Feeling a curious mix of guilt and joy, most don’t hesitate in handing over some money.

They have cash in their pockets and purses today, expecting to give it as gifts to the children in their own families.

Some have not paid their Sadaqah Fitr [charity due at before Eid Salah] and jump at the chance to give it in person. The woman looks like she is in need, she also knows the right things to say.

From New Orleans to New York, beggars have become a part of the Eid prayers. A set of seven or eight were outside a large East Coast masjid, says Sarah, who was visiting family. Some are visibly Middle Eastern or from the Indian subcontinent, and many are supposedly Romani, often with index cards asking for money.

The worshippers at the Islamic Center of Laurel were also targeted by a group of women and children, who would be dropped of by a man in a white van. They had been coming for years.

In the past the board of ICCL has politely requested that they stop begging and fill a zakat form. They refused and eventually admitted that they were not Muslim. “[This Ramadan] I chased them out,” says Ibrahim Zuberi, Director of Communications at ICCL. He told them that they have to leave immediately or ICCL will call the police say that they are trespassing.

According to a documentary made by the BBC, in the United Kingdom, gangs dress women and children in modest clothes and headscarves, despite not being Muslim.

....

They know that giving to the poor is a religious tenet and that is why they single out ‘wealthy’ Muslims. They target masajid and areas popular with rich tourists from the Gulf States and their minders collect all the funds at the end of the day.

Kimberly Hutchins has encountered some beggars around the DC Metro area. “It burns me up that they're likely just taking advantage of the generosity of certain brothers and sisters at Eid. Last year, a woman followed her into a store and asked her for money (after giving perfect salaam),” she said. Hutchins did not fall for it as her suspicions were raised.

She saw the same woman at the joint PGMA- DUS Eid salah at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex last year, where she begged her for money.

“I told her, game's up, you asked me for money a few days ago. Not this time, either,” Hutchins chastised her.

Hutchins says she had a horrible feeling that the woman was working a ‘job’ and could be a part of human trafficking gang.

“If I know what I know, and I could be wrong, this is their job, they are sent out by [a] pimp-like man to do this every day and they give him a cut [or] all of what they make begging,” she shares.

An investigation by a British media outlet found that some child beggars associated with “gypsy” groups solicited up to $170,000 per year from passersby. Internet photos.

The best way to make sure your donations get to someone in real need is to give to person to person through trusted community workers, through international organizations or local Muslim charities. generosity.”

Hutchins’ hunch could be correct. Malika Bey Rushdan, Director of ICNA Relief Boston, sent a warning in an email to ICNA donors during Ramadan, ”many of you have seen the Roma women outside your masjids begging for money - this is a network of Romani people (gypsies). They are not in need!! They are dropped off at the masjids and picked back up after the prayers; often by [men] in very nice cars.

Beware, they are taking advantage of your

Bey-Rushdan suggests people educate themselves about beggars, as many of the women and children are victims of trafficking. “The best thing to do is contact the authorities,” writes Bey-Rushdan.

Young children in hijab are used to wheedle hearts and then all the money collected is taken away by their minders.

The manipulation of using babies and

kids on the corner on the occasion of Eid also offends Hutchins, a mother of young children. “Everything about it screams "wrong”. She felt uncomfortable that they find Muslim places of worship and have acquainted themselves enough so that they can "blend".

There are many myths and tropes about

>> beggars Pg 23

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

COMMUNITY NEWS | 17

New Baltimore ShopRite Has Halal Meat Section

By Muslim Link Staff After a decade long struggle the ShopRite finally opens its doors in the Gwynn Oaks neighborhood on July 31, 2014. The grocery store is located at 4601 Liberty Heights Avenue in the Howard Park community of Baltimore, MD. Mayor of Baltimore City Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Howard Park deserved a quality supermarket. In a radio interview, she credited the cooperation between the community, faith leaders and members of her administration for making the new grocery store possible.

The area had been a food desert since 1999 when Super Pride closed its doors, but now the 67,000 square foot supermarket will offer a huge variety of groceries and fresh produce, meat, seafood, healthy fast food, a fresh bake shop, natural, organic and gluten-free products and a full-service pharmacy. The pharmacy was what caused the delay in opening of the store as there was a restrictive covenant in zoning laws that prohibited the inclusion of a pharmacy.

an innovation that will ensure even more quality and accessible healthcare for all.

This is a first of its kind in the State of Maryland for a Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC)”.

Two community rooms and a kitchen classroom for students in the culinary program at Calvin Rodwell Elementary School are also a part of the store.

Howard Park residents and residents of Northwest Baltimore, once qualified, got priority consideration in hiring, according to the Howard Park Civic Association. In fact all 250 jobs were filled by neighbors, as two community coordinators on staff live in the Howard Park. The local Enoch Pratt library made librarians available to help residents file application for work at the store.

The store is owned by the Klein family who operate eight other ShopRite stores in the Harford and Baltimore Counties of Maryland.

Another step in making the area surrounding the Gwynn Oaks masjid a family-friendly section of the city.

5 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

A huge Halal-Zabihah sign is on top of the freezer section pointing the large Muslim population of the area to religiously sanctioned meat products. There is even a halal butcher on site. Another section for Midamar Co. can be visibly seen as are signs for fresh meat : cube steak, lamb shoulders, ground beef, round steak, skinless chicken thighs (bone in), and chicken wings.

1. MLFA is a charity that defends Muslims’ rights in court.

The very first customer was a Muslim sister in a cream colored hijab filmed by the owner who said it was pleasure to shop there and she thanked all of the workers, owners and civic leaders who brought the shop to the area. She shared how to cook the pre-seasoned halal meat that she was purchasing in a slow cooker with a Radalia onion, rice and vegetables.

5. MLFA needs your donations today so we can continue

According to a ShopRite corporation statement, the store will have a Q-Care health suite, managed by Park West Healthcare System in partnership with nonprofit UpLift Solutions. The in-store health suite will provide walk-in convenient and quality health care services for children and adults starting October 2014. Dr. Allen Bennett, CEO of Park West states “The presence of the Park West Q-Care Health Suite within the ShopRite is such

2. MLFA funds legal cases where we see injustice against Muslims in American courtrooms.

3. MLFA is the only national legal fund dedicated to defending Muslim’s legal rights in American courtrooms.

4. Donations to MLFA are tax-deductible and zakat-eligible. funding the fight for liberty, freedom, and justice for Muslims.

Make a donation today at mlfa.org or scan the QR code with your mobile phone.

____ MLFA.ORG 501(c)(3) 01-0548371

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18 |COMMUNITY NEWS demand

>> continued from pg 1

as they marched through the streets of Washington, D.C. Holding signs that read “Free Palestine, Let Gaza Live”, demonstrators demanded an end to the US support of Israel.

The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) along with approximately 40 other cosponsors, all in solidarity with the Palestinian people. According to organizers, the demonstration was the largest yet in the United States in support of this cause. Flights and buses flooded the Nation’s capital from an array of states including New York, Florida, Detroit, California, Texas and even small cities in Louisiana.

“Its interesting to call it a conflict in the first place,” says Karla Reyes, a volunteer from the Answer Coalition in New York who came to Washington, D.C. for the rally. She states that the violence in Palestine is the “epitome of injustice”, and describes it as a “onesided genocide” in support of Israel.

Rayes states that the rallies are important for the consciousness of the cause. “The American government needs to know that a lot of the community does not agree with our money being used to fund genocide.”

The goal of such demonstrations is “awareness,” says Eugene Puryear, one of Answer Coalition’s organizers at a sign making work session the evening before the rally. Protestors from all around the United States who traveled to Washington, D.C. for the National March were invited to help make signs that would be held during the event. “I think this is helpful, [as well as] a great way for like minded people who feel the same way about this issue to meet each other and to come together,” says Puryear. “It helps us build our forces and our unity in a way so that we can go out and be more effective.”

Many of the protesters displayed fervor as they made coffins draped with the Palestinian flag and delivered them to the White House doorstep, symbolic of the large number of civilian deaths.

They dressed in traditional Palestinian clothing, held and supported ensembles made of the Palestinian flag and even

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

August 8th - September 4th, 2014 painted their faces with the flag colors.

Signs embodied an assortment of different messages, revealing graphic images of deceased and wounded children, and exhibiting phrases such as “Israel, USA: how many kids have you killed today?”

Activists from all over the United States headed to the Nation’s capital with congruent yet personal reasons for why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important to them. Fatima Sultan Mohammadi from Maryland states that the atrocities are “getting out of hand…we came out specifically today, at this time, because the massacre is [now] happening on a larger scale.” Mohammadi views the conflict as horrific. “If the Israeli government isn’t stopped… then it is a representation of how low we have come as humans. This is what we are [here] standing up for, humanity.”

Ahmad Mohammed from Springfield, Virginia says he traveled to Washington D.C. in hopes of receiving “justice and peace for Gaza and all of Palestine. He believes that advocacy for Palestine should be universal. “As Nelson Mandela said, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere so no matter where you’re from, if your Muslim, Jewish- if you know the reality of what’s going on you should stand up for change,” said Mohammed who is originally from Gaza.

The demonstrators in Washington DC as well as many other US cities stand united in requesting change starting with the US government. “It’s a long term struggle, for years people [have done] all sorts of things; marching, demonstrating and boycotting for civil rights and they didn’t see a lot of movement. It can take some time when you have all these powerful voices: the media, the government completely pushing one thing. So I would say for people not to get discouraged,” said Puryear. He claims that marching is the first step of many to come that will lead to an independent Palestine. “Obviously marching is not the only thing that we need to do, we need to put pressure on politicians, and not only that, we need to elect people who think like us into these seats. Just like apartheid in South Africa, civil rights, the labor movement its that long term commitment that makes it so that we can make a change.”

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20 |COMMUNITY NEWS eid

>> continued from pg 5

a smaller Eid prayer early in the day to accommodate those who had to go to their jobs on Eid day.

A special tent had been set up with tables and chairs for an extravagant breakfast.

The tents were segregated in such a way that women were comfortable and could enjoy the Eid celebration in the privacy of a women-only section, away from the male gaze.

Those wanted to spend time with their entire family met up after the prayers away from the prayer area, where several icecream trucks were contracted to sell, keeping the attendees cool at the day got warmer.

Aminatu from Laurel, MD prayed that the Ummah increases in Maryland. She was dressed in her Eid best and the joy she felt in her heart in a big smile. Originally from Guinea, West Africa, in a regal boubou she sat with her family near the car parking after the prayers. They were taking family pictures.

Her sons were dressed in ethnic agbadas.

Ahmadu had given all his eid money to donation box at the masjid entrance.

“He copied me,” pointing to his younger brother. He was happy to know that he would be rewarded for his brother’s generosity too.

Local and international television stations could be seen interviewing attendees after the event.

“They served delicious food, all for free,” said an attendee who had never tasted the traditional Pakistani breakfast of halwa (sweetmeats), bread, Aloo Ki Katlian (spicy potato curry), chickpeas in sauce, and seviyan (vermicelli in sweet cream).

Goodybags filled with candy were handed out to the children and for adults there were packets of savories to enjoy on the drive back home.

The arrangement included support from the local police department and emergency services. A elderly woman passed out because of the sun but was quickly attended to by the ambulatory services.

Several volunteers helped cars park in an orderly manner.

Ishrat came to attend from Savage, MD said it was the most flavorful Eid the family had experienced in the US.

Some attendees from the ICCL community were upset that many did not calmly listen to the Eid Khutbah, which takes places after the salah. They are used to their congregation participating in the complete ritual and when people got up en masse after the two rakah to meet and greet and get in the shade, drowning out the voice of the khateeb, this bothered the worshippers.

Moina was visiting her sister from Nigeria. ‘This reminds me of Eid Salah at home,’ she shared and of performing Hajj with all the different races. She thoroughly enjoyed herself. Other newcomers to the area also found community on Eid day as they met new people and learned about Muslim resources in the area.

Imam Mikaeel said that the joint salah was a ‘a step closer to the sunnah of the Prophet and there lies much khair in this. It is a union, and unions are in this life always celebrated. Today it is two masjids, tomorrow four and then we are standing united.’

As the event came to a close, the words of the imam came to mind when he said celebrating, and happiness is deeply connected to the quality of thankfulness.

“For it is not a happy person who is thankful, but rather the thankful who are happy,” said Imam Mikaeel.

He reminded everyone that although Eid is a joyous occasion, ‘many of us are saddened today, we are saddened because we will miss the large crowds in the masjid, miss listening to the daily recitation of the Quran, miss the large number of brothers and sisters at fajr...we are saddened like Umm Ayman [was] at the time of the death of the Prophet. When Abu Bakr asked her why she was crying so much. She replied that she was crying because the wahi (revelation) would not becoming any more.’

“Oh Muslims of Maryland, [remember] what Abu Bakr said upon to demise of our beloved Prophet, when all the companions were in a bewildered shock: ‘Whosoever worships Muhammad, know that he has died. But whosoever worshiped Allah know that he ever-lives and will never die’,” extolled the imam.

He repeated ‘whosoever worshiped only because it is Ramadan know that Ramadan is gone and whosoever worshiped Allah know that Allah is ever present.’

Eid Mubarak.

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SEPTEMBER 2014

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

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22 | COMMUNITY NEWS dentistry

appreciated the good work that MCC has done and continues to do.

>> continued from pg 6

universal health care available for all and MCC has been a ‘vital part’ of the effort.

Oral health is an area that the county has fallen short on—efforts to expand the availability of dental and other oral health services are ongoing. “We still have gaps in dental, specialty care, behavioral and mental health, although I am confident primary care will be universally to all residents in the next couple of years,“ he said, noting that between Affordable Healthcare exchanges and more than a dozen county clinics that serve those on Medicaid and those who are not eligible for Medicaid, all county residents will have access to primary care. He

persecuted

>> continued from pg 10

horrible, overcrowded camps where they face severe restrictions and are denied basic necessities including medical care.”

Coincidentally, the State Department iftar had been cancelled the same day due to Secretary John Kerry's visit to the Middle East.

The Director of Zakat Foundation of America, Murat Kose, explained how his organization gets the donations to the Rohingya into the refugee camps in Bangladesh. Due to prejudice in Bangladesh, the Rohingya are not allowed to get married outside the refugee camps and aid to them is severely restricted.

Zaffer Mirza, representing the MCC BOD was present delighted to see the work Muslims were doing to put faith into action. "Our values are serving the community and serving those who are underserved," he said. He showed the Muslim Link the new van the clinic purchased to shuttle patients from the bus and train stations in a 5 mile radius. MCC is not currently on a regular bus route.

Representing the founders of the MCC Clinic, Dr. and Mrs. Asif Qadri attended with their daughter Shireen Qadri, a member of the Board of Directors of Child Nurture and Relief (CHINAR), a non-profit organization focused on the

Many have been trafficked to Thailand where the men are held in hard labor camps and the women are sold into the sex trade, said Dr. Wakar Uddin.

A gofundme online fundraiser to support Zakat Foundation's Ramadan campaign to provide food packages to the Burmese refugees in Bangladesh and to the Rohingya in the Rakhine state of Burma was also taking place simultaneously.

Simon Billenness, Interim Executive Director of the U.S Campaign for Burma, informed the audience of the various lobbying and political effort made for the Rohingya. Two years after violent burning of villages that left thousands homeless, the United Nations says that 135,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims are still cloistered in refugee camps on the western coast of Burma.

psycho-social rehabilitation of children of conflict areas and her husband JD Walsh. The couple was visiting from New York. Other community partners were also present.

The MoCo patients only have to pay $20 for a checkup, panoramic x ray and standard cleaning. All other patients are expected to pay $50. Root canals, extractions, and filling will be fifty percent off from the market rate.

These dental clinics visits will not be reimbursed by the county, so the clinic needs to make sure that it is self-sustained.

Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield are all accepted by MCC. The dental clinic is not yet covered by Medicaid and Medicare, however MCC has applied for

The U.S. government paints a rosy picture of the democracy in Burma, says Billenness. It is a feather in President Obama’s foreign policy cap, where decades of military rule has changed to democracy guided by American diplomacy. There is intense pressure from U.S. companies to normalize relations as the Europeans countries have eased sanctions and US companies feel like they are left behind. Obama is scheduled to travel there in November for a regional conference.

Hena Zuberi conducted the fundraising and urged the audience to pray for the Rohingya with the same passion as they would for their own siblings in the Ramadan nights.

qualification and is aggressively pursuing approval. Those who have Medicare or Medicaid can pay $50 or wait until MCC gets approved from the government.

Two male and one female dentist will be on the team: Dr. Arif Masood, Dr. Ali from Georgetown, and Dr. Baig will see patients at the MCC dental clinic. The doctors will be paid a reasonable market rate. Along with the three dentists, the clinic has also hired a dental hygienist and a dental assistant.

“We hope that we will generate enough money to sustain the operation as no further funds will be coming from the county,” says Dr. Ejaz with a smile, as he urges Muslims in the area to use the facilities.

and their online friends. An additional $1500 was raised for the US Campaign for Burma. The fact that most of the attendees were young professionals who are connected and social media savvy was a good sign.

The guests were served a traditional Burmese dinner of Tea Leaf Salad, Ginger Salad, Coconut Rice, Tilapia Curry, Coconut Tofu, Khawswe Jaw (fried noodles), and flat noodles with tofu.

The biggest setback to the Rohingya cause is that many people are uninformed of their persecution as their stories are seldom shared.

Tell someone about the Rohingya, advocate for their rights, keep them in your prayers and donate generously to their cause.

The event raised upwards of $10,000 from the 50 people who had gathered

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>> continued from pg 8

along with several food trucks and food booths, overall, the place had a wonderful homey feel to it; with friends and family enjoying themselves in celebrating Eid al-Fitr, and being able to take a break to pray at the ADAMS Center. Among booths and rides, there were candidates for Congress John Foust, Democrat and

removal

>> continued from pg 12

ADAMS, Amir Muhammad from the American Islamic Heritage Museum as well as board members including those of African American and Caucasian American descent,” says Ahmed.

Primarily local Muslim leadership will be at the meeting.

FitzSimmons tried clarifying his remarks by writing that Muslims were not around in 1700s to ‘build the country’, disregarding the Muslim slave population forcibly brought over to build the country.

Ahmed thinks that ignorance plays a big role as many Americans are not aware that an estimated twenty percent of slaves

beggars

>> continued from pg 16 Romanis that further complicate matters.

Needless to say not all Romanis are criminals or beggars and some are Muslims.

They have a horrific history of persecution in Europe; many were enslaved until the mid 1800s in Romania after they left the Punjab region of India as early as the 11th century. More than half a million were murdered by the Nazis during World War II. Their distrust of governments, that persecuted and forcibly assimilated them, took away their children and sterilized them, forced them to adopt a nomadic lifestyle that is considered unconventional, partly to preserve their heritage. Even though there are roughly one million Romani Americans, many who are nonnomadic, anti-Gypsy laws have been in effect in the United States until 1998.

Historically they have been banned from owning property in the countries they

ADVERTISEMENT | 23 Republican Barbara Comstock; who also showed up to join in the festivities that were taking place.

John Foust had this to say when asked about this experience about “[Northern Virginia community’s] greatness is because of our diversity. We have so many talents and different diverse people living here…and to bring us altogether [is wonderful].” Fairfax Country Board of supervisors member Foust continued

brought to America were Muslims, that Thomas Jefferson had a copy of the Quran, and how Islam played a role as the founding fathers drafted the constitution of the country. “Morocco was the first country that recognized independence of the US from Great Britain,” said Ahmed.

Local politicians and elected officials often attend Friday and Eid prayers and are given two minutes to speak to the community and they know that the community is civically involved. Most elected officials shun extreme opinions.

Along with MAV, the Virginia Black Conservatives, Speaker of the House of Delegates William Howell (R-Stafford) and the Chairman of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia John Scott have also called for FitzSimmons to resign. settled in, barred from many professions, and not given the opportunity get an education, because of this they end up in marginal professions.

They are seen as callous trouble-makers who don’t care for their children, leading to severe racial prejudice. According to writer Isabel Fonseca who spent four years researching Gypsies, ‘Gypsy women, whatever the earnings of their husbands, are ultimately charged with supporting and feeding their children.’ They do not let anyone take care of their children, except family and friends. So to think that all Roma would willingly give up their children to become beggars or worse sell them is simply dehumanizing them.

‘Gypsy’ kidnappers are also a myth that has been used for centuries to other this oppressed minority.

Many Romani think the term gypsy itself is an ethnic slur and do not wish to be called by it. Their entire race is looked upon as criminal and so they are treated as

by saying that he has been coming out to the ADAMS Center and working with the Muslim community since 2003, and how he used his spot on the Board of supervisors towards integrating all of Northern Virginia’s communities together into one.

different diverse backgrounds coming here to have a good fun time; and at the same time, we’ll be raising money for good causes. [The donations from today will allow] our joy and happiness here in America, to bring happiness to those who unfortunately don’t have much.”

The CEO and co-founder of Islamic Relief USA, Anwar Khan enthusiastically said, “We are very happy to celebrate the joyous occasion of Eid, with so many

With food booths collecting money for Palestine and the small entrance fee being donated to those suffering in Gaza, this Eid Al-Fitr brought everyone together.

Speaker Howell said that the comments are reprehensible and not reflective of the values of the commonwealth or its citizens.

Many Muslims do not feel welcome by the Republican party despite sharing many conservative values. But Ahmed says that the community has support as “we have friends on both sides of the aisle.” When the Anti Foreign legislation (which was essentially the anti Shariah bill) was presented to state legislators, Republicans especially from Prince William County stood up against the bill, said Ahmed. Jackson Miller, the Majority Whip in Republican party, challenged Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) on the bill, he added.

a ‘lower race’.

Just as there are criminals in every race there may be in the Roma people too. Just like there are people in each community who take advantage of desperate people in their own community so there may be in the Roma community as well.

In general, begging or duping people is a universal phenomenon which cannot be confined to one race.

Locally, in 2012 the panhandling bill became law in the State of Maryland, which requires permits. Seven Maryland counties have banned roadway soliciting: Anne Arundel, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Prince George's and Washington.

In Montgomery County, aggressive panhandling is not legal—which involves using verbal or physical threats when seeking donations—but begging is. In an interview with the Gazette, County Executive Ike Leggett said panhandlers often stand in the median strip of county

The Association says that if FitzSimmons refuses to resign, then it is essential that Clerk of the Circuit Court Michèle McQuigg take decisive action by asking for his resignation. Otherwise, Muslims in Prince William County will not be able to trust that civil and criminal court cases are being fairly administered when a senior court official holds such blatantly discriminatory views towards such a large segment of the county's population.

Northern Virginia has a significantly large Muslim population.

MAV has asked the Muslims in Prince William County to contact Michèle McQuigg at mmcquigg@pwcgov.org or circuitcourt@pwcgov.org and request that FitzSimmons be removed as her deputy.

roads — which is allowed under county law — but that many approach drivers by walking into the street, which is not.

In Howard County, permits can be purchased for $100 four times per year, and Baltimore County issues as many as a dozen permits per year at no charge.

In most areas of Virginia, beggars need a permit to verbally request donations.

Although some civil liberties organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union think that it is unjust and unconstitutional to require permits, proponents argue that the process helps connects the needy with social services.

Many people wonder if the beggars, Roma or otherwise, are really in need, are doing this as a job or are being forced into panhandling. The best way to make sure your donations get to someone in real need is to give to person to person through trusted community workers, through international organizations or local Muslim charities.

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24 | COMMUNITY NEWS taraweeh

>> continued from pg 5

Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA), Muslim Community Center (MCC), Islamic Community Center of Laurel (ICCL), Mclean Islamic Center (MIC), Masjid Fatima, Nur Foundation, Islamic Center Northern Virginia Trust, Muslim Family Center, Maryam Islamic Center, First Hijrah Foundation in Washington DC, ADAMS and Dar Al Hijrah joined in to help support this community building effort.

Arif Kabir, an active member of the MY DMV Council, was very happy to see more masajid join in the efforts towards unity. These youth group leaders have the desire to bring the Muslim community together, reduce turf wars and remove discord between the community.

Some changes from last year included vending spaces opened for organizations and individuals. Fatima Waseem and Zara Tariq had set up a stall of custom made Islamic calligraphy. Brothers from the inititaive nodeadkids.com were at the event urging people to take the 60 seconds it takes to send a letter to the President, Senator and Congressmen about Gaza through their website. Helping Hands, Creative Muslims, Islamic Leadership Institute of America also set up booths.

Gazan

>> continued from pg 14

men, so I would collect flesh and body parts of the dead bombed in my neighborhood- resistance fighters and civilians.”

If you are not a person who is eligible for zakat then it is every man for himself.

Even the middle class with money have a hard time surviving there. “I could not afford a car so I bought a motorcycle.

Imagine paying up to $40 for a liter of gas!” The Israelis control the gasoline from entering Gaza.

Abu Hamzah Hijjee was born and raised in Abu Dhabi. His family is from the Zaitoun area. They moved to Gaza in 1999 from the United Arab Emirates

....

There was also a bounce house for children set up outside the coliseum.

A high note of the events was that after the first eight rakat, a woman took her shahadah, causing the witnesses to erupt in takbiraat, glorifying Allah for her guidance.

Sh. Adam Butt (DAT) led the Maghrib salah, while Imam Haroon Baqai of DUS performed the isha salah. Qari Mohammad Zahid of ISB treated the audience with a beautiful rendition of Surah Abasa and Humaza in the Warsh style of recitation and the worshipers cried with Imam Safi Khan as he recited Surah Qaaf during the last rakahs, while dedicated volunteers cleaned up the coliseum.

MCC’s Sh. Muhammad Abdullahi’s voice resonated with verses from Surah Furqan, Hafidh Abd Al-Baasit Khan (PGMA), Sh. Muhammad Ar-Raee recited Surah Nisaa, Sameer Ali of the Islamic Research & Humanitarian Services, Imam Faisal Khan of Islamic Society of Washington Area was represented by Qari Muhammad Ishaq. Hafidh Hammad Hai represented ICCL as as last year’s favorite young qari, Masihullah Bhaiyat was out of the country. New on the scene was Dr Mohamed Abu Talib of the Muslim Family Center in Columbia, MD.

where his father was in the construction business. Despite making a good living, the Hijjas say that they could not afford a large family in the UAE, nor did they feel welcome there. Their business was owned by a silent majority partner called a kafeel. His uncle worked as a driver until he was deported.

The racism and prejudice they suffered in the UAE because they were Palestinian made the Hijjees leave.

Abu Hamzah came to the United States to study chemical engineering at Virginia Tech. His father didn’t want him to come.

Here he met his wife—an Egyptian American.

Desperate for his parents to meet her, he was heartbroken when they could not

Qari Mohammad Abid (Nur Foundation) recited choice verses from Surah Ibrahim.

Br. Ibrahim Khan (MIC) recited from Surah Hadeed. Qari Fahad Hijazi lead the witr salah with a profoundly moving dua.

Prince George's Muslim Association (PGMA) generously donated their catering services for the event and provided the dinner. Imam Azzarri of PGMA was featured to attend but Allah blessed him with a new baby in his house the very same day, so he could not be a part of the night but he was in people’s duas. The Council was hoping Imam Magid of ADAMS would join them.

There was a little confusion amongst the sisters section about the lines leading to the iftar tables, so some attendees suggested that the council could work on planning that aspect of logistics differently next year.

The Muslim Youth Council of DMV recognized the Imams after each set of rak'ahs.

The youth honored the imams and teachers in the DMV area as ‘they are the ones who inspired [them].’

There were more sisters involvement this year led by Shaima Gimie of PGMA who brought in sponsorships, as well as managed logistics for the women and child care. This year the council had arranged for 1500-2000 guests.

She coordinated the female volunteers.

Many young women were seen helping set out the food, watching the children so the parents could pray in peace, and cleaning up.

Tawheed, an attendee from Maryland, suggested that only the imams that attend should be recognized at the event, as precious time is wasted making announcement when leaders do not to show up to the event. “It just makes it look like the event and youth are not important to them,” he said. However, others felt that this was unfair as many local imams are sitting in itikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan, so even if they wanted to attend they could not as they are bound by the rules of itikaf.

T h e M u s l i m Yo u t h o f D C , Maryland,Virginia (DMV) prepared for the event for three months. This year’s event flowed more smoothly as the the venue was at the same as last year. More events and coordination are in the works, says Ibn Yasser.

Sister Hajaratu attends PGMA, she was very happy with how organized the event was. “Wow!”, “Ma sha Allah,” commented attendees as they left the hall on the last fleeting days of Ramdan, looking forward to meeting again next year.

travel to the US for his wedding and he could not go to Gaza without jeopardizing his visa status.

The extensive security checks and prejudice against brown men in the US kept him out of his field, he says.

Now he runs a wholesale food business, distributing Hispanic baked goods to megamarts and international stores.

He closes his eyes and remembers his trip to Al Aqsa and the Dead Sea with his uncle as a teenager. The breeze, the banter, the masjid—some of his best moments in the land of his ancestors.

Hijjee is so fed up and he is one of the lucky ones. He just wants the Israelis to leave. “Go back, go back to where you came from: Poland, Germany, or live

in a one fair democratic country, where resources are shared. What was wrong with what you had before 1948? You were living with us as your neighbors, but the greed of your so called ‘religious’ teachings," he sighs, and pauses, "people are dying from both sides.”

In short he just wants the Gazan people to live.

“Open up the borders so they can feed their families.”

As an American, the US government's blind loyalty to Israel frustrates him; as a Muslim the closed eyes of the Muslim world pains him.

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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26 | CIVIL RIGHTS

Civil Rights

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

Researching the Haters CAIR's Groundbreaking Report on Islamophobia in America Shows Organized, Well Funded Effort to Spread Fear of Muslims

By Colin Christopher

Muslim Link Contributing Writer In 2013, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) published a report on the state of Islamophobia in the United States. The CAIR authors cited the primary goal of the report as an effort to more consistently track perceptions and policies that negatively affect Muslims living in the United States.

Compiled from research and interviews with Muslim and non-Muslim contributors in academia, civil rights organizations, and the government, the 162-page document provides a comprehensive snapshot of the inner and outer core funders of the Islamophobia network, their strategies, and the patterns of funding they receive.

The report, Legislating Fear: Islamophobia and its impact in the United States, found that while overall levels of Islamophobia have decreased slightly from 2010, discrimination against Muslims and negative feelings toward the Islamic faith remain relatively stable among a sizeable percentage of Americans The report specifies a number of areas where anti-Muslim activities and activism have taken place over the last few years. From widespread circulation of propaganda films to mainstream media outlets to local, state, and federal government houses, Islamophobic activities were found to be realities in a variety of public forums.

In what may be the most revealing part of the report, CAIR provides a thorough financial account of the anti-Islam/antiMuslim network operating primarily within the U.S. CAIR estimates that an “inner core” of 37 Islamophobia networks had access to nearly $120 million of total revenue from 2008-2011.

....

Legislating Fear also credits its findings to a number of reports published over the last four years that have tracked the paper trails of Islamophobic networks around the world. The Center for American Progress’ (CAP) 2011 publication, Fear, Inc, was the first report to comprehensively document the financial backing of groups and individuals promoting prejudice against Muslims. CAP cited seven primary foundations contributing $42.6 million over a ten-year period to organizations promoting anti-Islam sentiment within the United States.

In addition to the primary funding and operational sources of Islamophobia, Legislating Fear also documents 32 “outer core” groups, identified as “groups or individuals whose primary purpose does not appear to include promoting prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims but whose work regularly demonstrates or supports Islamophobic themes.” The report suggests that the breadth of outer core activities, such as comments consistently made on the Fox News Network, have contributed to the social acceptability of anti-Muslim legislation and hearings. In 2011 and 2012 alone, 78 bills or amendments framed to vilify the religious practice of Muslims were introduced in 29 states and the U.S. Congress. Further, the report cites 11 states where mainstream Republicans introduced or supported blatant antiMuslim legislation, and an Ohio State University study that found an increase of fear toward American-Muslims among political moderates and liberals following the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Although the CAIR report documents an extensive network of Islamophobic activities and negative sentiments toward Muslims within public and private spheres, the report also highlights

specific events that have contributed to a slightly improved atmosphere for Muslims living in the United States. From Congressional hearings on the status of civil rights among American Muslims, to a bipartisan rejection of Rep Michelle Bachman’s (R-MN) characterization of Muslim extremists infiltrating the U.S. Government as public servants, the report claims that overall acknowledgement of Islamophobia has increased.

In addition to outlining the Islamophobia network, the CAIR report also proposes proactive strategies to mitigate the efficacy of anti-Muslim efforts. One recommendation suggests ostracizing Anti-Islam hate groups from mainstream public discourse in a manner similar to efforts that have successfully counter the Ku Klux Clan. Other ideas include removing anti-Muslim, discriminatory

trainers and materials used by the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies, providing further safety measures for Mosques and attendees, and supporting the End Racial Profiling Act. The report also draws attention to the word “Islamist,” and the unfair, and often times inaccurate, assertions that accompany the word’s usage within mainstream American media. The authors suggest that media outlets either drop or modify their usage of “Islamist,” arguing that the usage of “Judaist,” “Christianist,” or “Hinduist” would never be used due to the ambiguous and offensive nature of the terms.

Legislating Fear was released in late 2013, and CAIR is expected to continue publishing similar reports every two to three years.

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

CIVIL RIGHTS

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You Want to Be a US Citizen? Muslims Need Not Apply BREAKING: Lawsuit charges U.S. is denying citizenship to Muslim immigrants due to secret, unfounded ‘national security concerns’ ACLU - July 31, 2014 LOS ANGELES – Five people who have lived in the United States legally for decades filed a lawsuit today challenging a little-known government program that is being used to deny thousands of law-abiding people citizenship, green cards, asylum, and visas on counterterrorism grounds – most of them from Muslim-majority countries.

Like people who find themselves in the government’s watchlist system, immigrants whose applications are denied under the program do not find out why or have a meaningful opportunity to respond.

The suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California, the national ACLU and the law firms of Jones Day and Stacy Tolchin. It charges that the program violates immigration law, and is unconstitutional because it was adopted without any congressional approval and violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security, reviews and adjudicates immigration applications. In 2008, the agency unilaterally adopted the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP), which

Civil Rights Orgs Demand Answers From White House on Surveillance of Muslim Leaders

By Murtaza Hussain The Intercept, July 9 2014

prohibits USCIS field officers from routinely approving an application with a potential “national security concern.”

They must instead deny the application or delay a final determination, often indefinitely. The plaintiffs’ immigration applications have been pending for as long as 14 years, even though the process is only supposed to take no more than six months.

“Our clients are long-time, law-abiding residents of the United States who, for years, the government has walled off from becoming citizens and lawful residents of this country without legal authority to do so,” said Jennie Pasquarella, a staff attorney with the

by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act, which USCIS is required to follow. For example, CARRP automatically covers anyone whose name is on the government’s Terrorist Watch List, which has been reported to include close to a million names. Also last week, the government guidelines for including people on the watchlist were leaked, showing that the standards are vague and overbroad, particularly for non-citizens. The document showed that a person could be added to the list simply because he or she is “associated” with someone already on the watchlist, and even if the government does not have reliable information about that person’s activities.

Like people who find themselves in the government’s watchlist system, immigrants whose applications are denied under the program do not find out why or have a meaningful opportunity to respond.

ACLU SoCal. “Under this unfair and unconstitutional program, the government has blacklisted their applications without telling them why and barred them from upgrading their immigration status in violation of the immigration laws.”

CARRP’s definition of a “national security concern” is far more expansive than the ineligibility criteria specified In the wake of our story this morning reporting on the FBI and NSA’s monitoring of prominent Muslim-Americans, a coalition of 44 civil rights groups organized by the American Civil Liberties Union has sent a letter to President Obama demanding a “full public accounting” of the government’s “targeting of community leaders” for surveillance. Separately, the White House told the Guardian that it has asked the intelligence community to “review their training and policy materials for racial or religious bias” after we published an internal instructional memo that referred to a hypothetical surveillance tar-

Although USCIS has not revealed the total number of people who have been subject to CARRP, the agency’s data reveals that between fiscal years 2008 and 2012, more than 19,000 people from 21 Muslim-majority countries or regions were subjected to the program.

“CARRP’s definition of a ‘national security concern’ is far broader that any get as “Mohammed Raghead.”

The joint letter, which also requests meetings with President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and FBI Director James Comey, compares the surveillance detailed by the Intercept—including the monitoring of Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Committee on American-Islamic Relations—to the government’s history of spying on political dissidents:

national security bar to immigration benefits set forth in the law,” said Stacy Tolchin, of the Los Angeles-based Tolchin Immigration law firm. “It is the imperative of Congress, not USCIS, to set the standards for who can become American citizens or legally immigrate to this country.”

“It’s deeply problematic that USCIS has a secret program identifying people as national security concerns based in part on their inclusion in the government’s flawed watchlist system,” said Hugh Handeyside, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project.

“The watchlist system is composed of overbroad, exception-ridden standards that inevitably result in many individuals, like our clients, being blacklisted even though they are wholly innocent of wrongdoing.”

The case, Muhanna, et al. v. USCIS, et al., was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Read the complaint: https://www.aclusocal.org/cases/muhanna-v-uscis/complaint Learn more about the case and our plaintiffs: https://www.aclusocal.org/ muhanna Download our report Muslims Need Not Apply: https://www.aclusocal.org/carrp Contact: Sandra Hernandez, ACLU SoCal, 213.977.5252 or shernandez@ aclusocal.org. were subjected to unlawful and abusive government surveillance based not on what they had done, but what they believed and who they were. Despite reform efforts, abusive practices continue today. Federal, state, and local law enforcement are targeting entire communities—particularly American Muslims—for secret surveillance based on their race, religion, ethnicity or national origin.

The White House didn’t immediately

In an earlier era, during the 1960s and 1970s, civil rights leaders, activists and members of minority communities

>> LEADERS Pg 35

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

28 | HEALTH & FAMILY

Running for the Hills: Dispatches from Muslim Homesteaders

“Refuge from the Critters”

bears get sick and everything, too, but they certainly shouldn't be stomping around in the woods not covering their mouths and spreading bear germs all over the place.

That cough is actually a I'm-standing-

By Jann McClary

Muslim Link Contributing Writer First, it was the mice. They were the advance guard, the scouts. They ran the recon maneuvers. I thought they had a pretty sophisticated operation for bunch of high-strung rodents with no weaponry and only razor sharp teeth and night vision in the way of special ops skills. But I was wrong. They were stone cold mercenaries. They were in it for themselves. Every mouse went solo when it ran the mousetrap mission. Some made it through to the cabinets. We'd find crumbs and cardboard shavings the next morning.

Most never made it out alive, the quick, sharp 'snap!' evidence of a fallen comrade.

The cabinet wars saw heavy collateral damage on their side, so they passed the word down the chain of command and retreated. We'd won the war. We got a cat.

But bears aren't afraid of cats. Or people either, actually. It's not that they're so big, bad and snarly vicious. It's just that they don't really care enough about you to put out the energy to harass you. Unless you mess with mommy bear's cubs. Or... there is a cooler. With food in it. And we had one.

Since we've been building our cabin we've been living in a travel trailer. It's got a kitchen, but no fridge, so we kept our food in an ice-filled cooler. And with all our stuff packed into the trailer we had no room for the cooler inside. Now, Allah does what He wills and He has given bears an awesome sense of smell. It's a fact confirmed by the Colorado Department of Wildlife that bears can smell food up to 5 miles away, which is to say that our cooler was to bears what a flashing neon all-you-can-eat-buffet sign is to a Muslim just coming out of Ramadhaan.

In July 2011 alone we had 11 visits from bears. We set up motion detecting alarms so we could get to them first and run them

....

TOP: A bear ambles through the neighborhood looking for something to eat. Left: One of Sister Jann's neighbors with a mountain lion he shot.

off by shooting blanks from a rifle. One night the alarm goes off again and we find this mini bear, probably not quite a year old, digging head-deep in the cooler, little bear rump in the air. My husband, Tariq, runs at him, gun at the ready just in case, shouting to run him off. Little Bear doesn't move, just keeps rummaging in the cooler.

So Tariq shoots a blank up in the air to let Little Bear know he means business.

Little Bear lifts his head from the cooler and looks at Tariq like, “WHAT?!! I'm busy here!!”, with one paw still grabbing at stuff! A second shot finally sends Little Bear scampering off, along with two or three of his bear cub cohorts who'd been hiding behind trees waiting to split up the booty.

While these little guys were more of an annoyance than a threat, if a bear coughs at you, that's a definite threat. It's kind of like a rough cough sound, except it's not a cough because why would a bear be in the woods with a cough? I mean, I'm sure

my-ground-so you-better-leave-becausethings-might-get-ugly kinda cough. So unless you have a cough drop with you, just back away and give him his space.

And if you have the presence of mind at that moment, remember the du'a from Sahih Muslim: A'udhu bikalimaatil-laahittaammaati min sharri ma khalaq. (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created.)

Mountain lions, on the other hand, will not cough. They won't even politely clear their throats. They are masters of stealth. Ask the deer who never saw it coming. Watch your cat the next time she's stalking her squeaky toy. Did you hear her pounce? No. You only heard the pitiful 'aak!” as the toy succumbed to her attack. Mountain lions are like that. You never hear them. Or see them, for that matter. Neighbors of ours who've lived in these parts for generations have told us they've seen maybe one in 15 or 20 years. We saw four in one day.

We were having dinner in our trailer on May 31, 2012, right before sunset. I was facing the door and admiring the rust and gold hues spreading over the grassy slope

of ground about 30 feet away. A movement of tan caught my eye and then my breath snagged in my throat. Coming down the slope, as nonchalantly as a mother leading her children home after a day of romping in the park, was a lioness with two not-so-little cubs behind her. As she went just out of view behind a bush, a third cub emerged from the trees and brought up the rear. Silently, but excitedly, I waved my hand at Tariq, then pointed out the door. He turned in time to see the last cub pass by. He quickly stepped outside, without his gun mind you, and across to the slope. I followed and we watched as the lioness and the first two cubs crossed the dirt road at the bottom of the slope and vanished into the scrub bushes. In awe, we saw the last cub stop at the road, then as deliberately as you can imagine, turn and look us square in the eyes before it, too, retreated and melted into the shrubbery. Ghost cats.

Subhaaaaanallah.

Then there's the dogs. We don't know if they're wild dogs, coyotes, some owner's loose pets, or maybe it's just the Phantom Devil-Dog and his Canine Minions out for a romp in the woods. But we often hear them right after dusk, yapping and barking in a frenzied, restless clamor, and always just out of view. My husband will rush out with his rifle, determined to confront the beasts and put a stop to the cacophony.

But the sounds move farther away, as if the dogs are playing some lunatic hideand-seek game. Tariq will start heading back to the trailer and the barking starts up again, closer, or somewhere in front of him. You remember the hadith about who spreads out at dusk, right? “And when you hear a dog barking or a donkey braying at night, then seek refuge in Allah from them, for surely they have seen what you see not.” (Abu Dawud) A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytaan-ir rajeem!

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

World Press

WORLD PRESS | 29

Examining the "Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself" Narrative Real News Network August 5, 2014

Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges and Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour deconstruct the narrative around Israel's right to defend itself and the media's depiction of the Gaza assault -

ing "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" (2008). His book "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" (2003) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction.

Thousands took to the streets of

strikes continue, killing a six-year-old girl and injuring dozens.

Meanwhile, the United Nations, along with the United States, has condemned what has become the seventh Israeli strike on a UN school being used as a shelter, this time killing

But even as the U.S. steps up its criticism of Israel for killing civilians in Gaza, new documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden bring to light the complicity of the U.S. government in Israeli military actions. Glenn Greenwald writes in The Intercept, quote, "The new Snowden documents illustrate a crucial fact: Israeli aggression would be impossible without the constant, lavish support and protection of the U.S. government, which is anything but a neutral, peace-brokering party in these attacks.

And the relationship between the NSA and its partners on the one hand, and the Israeli spying agency on the other, is at the center of that enabling."

Linda Sarsour is a Palestinian-Muslim-American civil rights activist born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and co-founder of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. In 2011, Linda was named a "Champion of Change" by the White House. She has been featured in local, national, and international media speaking on issues ranging from domestic policies targeting Arab and Muslim Americans, women's issues to discussions on the Middle East.

Chris Hedges, whose column is published Mondays on Truthdig , spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans.

He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. He has written nine books, including "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle" (2009), "I Don't Believe in Atheists" (2008) and the best-sell-

today's disgraceful shelling outside an UNRWA school in Rafah sheltering some 3,000 displaced persons, in which at least ten more Palestinian civilians were tragically killed. (...)

We once again stress that Israel must do more to meet its own standards and avoid civilian casualties."

Under the UN Charter, Article 51, a group of people that are attacked like this and that appeal to the outside world for help, and when that help is not forthcoming, have a right to defend themselves.

Washington Saturday in one of the U.S.'s largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations. As the death toll in Gaza surpassed 1,800, Israeli forces have carried out a unilateral withdrawal from portions of Gaza. But Israeli air-

seven people. This is what the State Department had to say about the incident. State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said:

And now joining us to discuss all of this are our two guests, Linda Sarsour and Chris Hedges. Thank you both for joining us.

DESVARIEUX: Linda, let's start off with you. You took to the streets of Washington with thousands of others this past weekend expressing your outrage at the ongoing civilian death toll in Gaza. As I mentioned in the introduction, 1,800 people have been killed. So what's your response to supporters of Israel who say they have a right to defend themselves?

"The United States is appalled by

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

30 | HEALTH & FAMILY selfdefense

>> continued from pg 29

SARSOUR: Every country has the right to defend itself, but it doesn't justify the killing of over 85 percent civilians, children, schools, mosques in the region. And to continue to say that you have the right to defend yourself while you have a whole entire population under siege in the largest openair prison, for me, is beyond anything that I can personally comprehend.

tacked like this and that appeal to the outside world for help, and when that help is not forthcoming, have a right to defend themselves. I'm not excusing the indiscriminate rocket fire that is unleashed on Israel. That is a war crime. But it in no way compares to the war crimes that are being carried out against the Palestinian people by the Israeli military, who fatuously talk about defending themselves--this is

JOHN SNOW, PRESENTER, CHANNEL 4 NEWS: I was on the streets of Gaza last week for several days. And I have to say the idea that these people are human shields--you see people being wounded and killed simply because strikes hit the street they're on.

I mean, they are not human shields.

This is a densely populated area in which there are ordinary people living ordinary lives, inasfar as is pos-

And our message is that we can't just continue to call for ceasefires.

We need to call to an end of siege on Gaza. We need to call for an end to military occupation in the West Bank and go back to the table with real negotiations, genuine negotiations, and not ones that include one million and one conditions by the state of Israel.

DESVARIEUX: Yeah. And Chris, as I mentioned in the introduction, it's no secret that the U.S. supplies Israel with billions of dollars weapons and diplomatic support. What's the significance of these newest Snowden revelations?

HEDGES: Well, I think they confirm something that those of us who cover the region always suspected, and that is that there is a close intertwining of the American military and intelligence establishment with the Israeli military and intelligence establishment. Let's not forget that many of the ordinances that are being dropped on Gaza are actually manufactured in the United States. I've picked up pieces of shell casings from bombs that have been dropped by the Israeli Air Force on Gaza City, and it says, "Manufactured in Dayton, Ohio". So this is just one more piece of the puzzle. We are deeply complicit in the slaughter that is being unleashed by the Israeli military against a defenseless population, a population that has no air force, no navy, no command-and-control, no mechanized units, no heavy artillery, and certainly no air force.

And the idea that this is a war or that the Palestinians in Gaza represent any kind of an existential threat to Israel is absurd. Under the UN Charter, Article 51, a group of people that are at-

....

The outcry across the world has been really pro-Palestinian. And I think people can't deny what's happening in Gaza.

And social media has been a very important tool to tell our story. absurd--and use terms like war, which is also absurd. There's only one word for what's happening in Gaza, and that's called murder.

DESVARIEUX: And I want to turn and talk about how the mainstream press is covering this. Chris, you mentioned how people have been complicit in the slaughter, but there are some saying that they've been more willing to challenge the Israeli narrative. I want to play a clip from BBC's [Channel 4's] John Snow questioning Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren about claims that Hamas uses human shields. And then we'll run a clip from CNN's Chris Cuomo asking State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, how can you condemn Israeli attacks while giving them weapons. Let's roll that clip.:

sible in this extraordinary situation.

They're not human shields. ~~~ CHRIS CUOMO, JOURNALIST, CNN: You say, this is wrong, you can't do this kind of shelling or targeted attacks. You are providing the weapons and artillery that allow these attacks to continue. Does that complicate a message of humanity coming from the United States?

JEN PSAKI, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Well, Chris, let me first say that it's no secret to anyone in the world that the United States and Israel have a strong security relationship. And that includes providing them with equipment and supplies when it's needed. That's been ongoing. We also do an enormous

amount of funding for the Iron Dome.

We worked with their military.

But that does not change the fact that when you have a situation where innocent civilians are killed in Gaza, there's more that Israel can do to hold themselves to their own standards.

And the United States, of all countries, has experienced this in places like Afghanistan. We're saying they need to hold themselves to their own standards and do more here in Gaza. ~~~ DESVARIEUX: So, Chris, we just saw those clips. What's your take?

What's your response to that?

HEDGES: I think the American press has not done a particularly good job in covering this conflict. In fact, it's pretty much caved to the Israeli lobby in the same way that our elected officials, including 100 percent of the American Senate, have caved to the Israeli lobby, which, of course, includes supposedly our most liberal figures in the Senate, like Bernie Sanders and others. As somebody who comes out of the region and spent as long as I did the region, I'm kind of appalled. I thought the BBC [Channel 4] interview was good in that it was so exceptional, but the European coverage of this has always been better than the American coverage. You see such a disproportionate amount of time handed over to Israeli spokespeople, especially on the airwaves.

And if you get a voice in that dissents from the Israeli narrative, it invariably, in terms of time, is cut off. And often these people are banished, especially the most vocal critics; people like Rabbi Henry Siegman, the great scholar Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, you know, real critics of the Israeli policy are pretty much not on the airwaves at all.

DESVARIEUX: Linda, I want to get your take. What about Palestinian voices? Do you think the mainstream media has done a good job at representing their voice?

SARSOUR: I absolutely agree with Chris that if you compare the airtime that Palestinian voices have received >> SELFDEFENSE Pg 31

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>> continued from pg 30

versus Israeli voices, it's not comparable. And when someone dares to criticize the bias of the media, their interviews get canceled, as we saw recently with Rula Jebreal criticizing her own network, MSNBC. And I think there has been a shift from previous attacks on Gaza and in this entire conflict that we've been dealing with for 66 years is that social media has played a huge part. There is no way the media cannot report on what's happening in Gaza while civilians and citizen journalists and surgeons are putting out horrific images from the region and videos of people getting murdered as they're taping, for example, destruction of neighborhoods. So social media has been our opportunity and the opportunity for the Palestinians in Gaza to tell their own story. And nobody can deny, no one in the media can deny what is happening right now in Gaza.

And while some media outlets can continue to justify what's happening based on the premise that Israel has a right to defend itself, which then justifies the killing of innocent children, mostly, and women and men and seniors, but at the same time the general public, I mean, the outcry across the world has been really pro-Palestinian.

And I think people can't deny what's happening in Gaza. And social media has been a very important tool to tell our story.

DESVARIEUX: This premise that Israel has a right to defend itself really has picked up in Congress. As Chris mentioned, Congress unanimously voted to support Israel. And, Chris, I want to take get your take on this, because this is more than in the past.

We've had Glen Ford on who mentioned how Representative Barbara Lee in the past was against supporting resolutions like this. But now we're seeing this united front. What's behind this? What do you think's the rationale behind this?

HEDGES: Money. You know, money.

That's how AIPAC works. And they have a lot of money to spend, and they

COMMUNITY NEWS | 31 have a large public relations arm to punish people who don't toe the line.

So there's no daylight between the Republican and Democratic policy vis-Ă -vis Israel. And it really comes down to something that crass. Bernie Sanders, who wants to run for president, is not going to buck the Israeli lobby. And it's kind of pathetic that there's not even one dissenting voice on something that is this flagrant in terms of the violation of international law and the clear carrying out by the Israeli Defense Forces of war crimes.

That's not a contentious issue. That's a fact.

DESVARIEUX: But, Chris, money was always an issue before. Why? Is it because it's an election year? Is that really what, specifically? Or is there more to this?

HEDGES: Well, you get a little more variance in the House. So when you talk about Barbara Lee, you're not talking about the Senate. But always there's been pretty much overwhelming support within the political establishment for--you know, I hate to call it Israeli policy. It's really a neocon right-wing policy. I covered the election campaign Yitzhak Rabin carried out for prime minister, and AIPAC and these groups put a lot of money into Likud at the time to challenge Rabin because he wanted to carry out a peace process, which led, of course, to the Oslo agreement. And that's why when Rabin was inaugurated as prime minister he did not invite these American groups like AIPAC to his inaugural. There was a great deal of tension.

So I think sometimes we misname this when we call it an Israeli policy.

It's a neocon far right wing policy.

Bibi Netanyahu has been unequivocal, before he became prime minister, about saying he would never permit a Palestinian state. He may mouth a sort of mantra of the two-state solution, but we have all sorts of stuff, including in his book, where he says that he will never, ever allowed the Palestinian state.And then all we ever hear about is Hamas in their charter. And, you know, I have issues with Hamas.

I'm not defending them as sort of any kind of paradigm of democracy and

enlightenment. But Israel gets a pass on this. The Israeli government that is in power now, including Avigdor Lieberman and others, are unequivocal in their statements that they will never, ever permit a Palestinian state.

And the fact is, with the expansion of settlements, the use of force, the creation of ringed ghettos, open-air prisons like Gaza--but we must look at the West Bank, where we have essentially created eight roughly podlike structures completely surrounded by the Israelis, the impoverishment, the kind of Africanization of the Palestinians so that they must struggle at a subsistence level--all of this is done by design.

And the fact is, whatever Hamas says, they don't have any capacity to affect the Israeli state, while the Israeli state is carrying out a policy not only of--I think at this point genocide is not too strong a word, but certainly the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents, but it's also carrying a policy of a landgrab, 40 percent of the land on the West Bank, and the kind of creation of apartheid, an apartheid-like system that makes any semblance of a Palestinian state impossible. And I think many of us fear that with the expansion of Israeli policy day by day--I mean, take a look at East Jerusalem.

It's unrecognizable from when I went first went there in 1988 because of Israeli buildings and seizures of land.

We are seeing an active campaign by the Israeli state to do what they accuse Hamas of doing and not being able to do, and that is crushing the existence of the Palestinian state itself. That is the policy, that is what is being carried out, and that is never spoken.

DESVARIEUX: I'm glad that you mention Hamas and this idea of coexistence, because that's one of the biggest arguments against Hamas is that there's a portion in their charter that says that they want to kill the Jews, they don't want to coexist with Jews.

But what are the real facts behind this, Linda? Can you give us sort of an update?

SARSOUR: So I'm obviously no expert on Hamas and on their charter, but what I do understand is that their

point of contention is that Hamas has in their charter that it will not recognize the state of Israel. And people will say, how do we then acknowledge a Palestinian state or Hamas if they don't recognize the existence of the state of Israel? My understanding is that in 2006 they moved away from that position as they were getting ready for elections that they obviously won. And my understanding also is, in a recent interview that Khaled Mashal, one of the top leaders of Hamas, who's currently in Qatar, said to Charlie Rose, look, we've always been ready to coexist with the Jews; we're just not ready to coexist with the occupiers. So the talking point always stands with the other side and the opposition, because they don't want anyone to know that there could potentially be progress, but that there is a potential for peace and that Hamas could be a part of the Palestinian unity government.

I mean, we just saw recently Fatah and Hamas join together for a unity government. This is when all the chaos erupted in the Middle East and, I mean, in the region. So I'm no defender of Hamas, even though I am a proPalestinian, I'm a Palestinian myself, I support the plight of the Palestinian people for their own state, I support an end of siege on Gaza and an end to military occupation. And, unfortunately, the opposition has equated all of that with people, to say that we are pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic for even believing those three things. So I'm no defender of Hamas or an expert on their charter, but my understanding that's clearly documented online is that they have moved away from their position about wanting the destruction of the state of Israel and not to recognize Israel as a state.

HEDGES: There's long been negotiations through Egyptian security officials with Israel. That is why al-Qaeda condemned Hamas as an apostate movement, because they had communications with the Israeli government, especially under the Mubarak regime, through a third party. And I don't think it's fair to Hamas, or, certainly, >> SELFDEFENSE Pg 35

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32 |

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

ISLAM

Islam

Following Virtue with Virture: The Six Days of Shawwal

By Sheikh Salman al-Oadah Abû Ayyûb al-Ansârî relates that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) says: "Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of fasting in the month of Shawwâl, it will be as if he had fasted the year through." [Sahîh Muslim (1163)] The month of Shawwâl is singled out for the observance of extra fasts, since this month follows immediately after Ramadan. The six days of voluntary fasting are to the obligatory fast of Ramadan what the Sunnah prayers are to the obligatory prayers.

It is related from Thawbân that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The fast of Ramadan is like observing ten months of fasting. Fasting six days of Shawwâl is like observing two months of fasting. This together is like fasting throughout the year." [Sahîh Ibn Khuzaymah (2115) and Sunan al-Nasâ'î alKubrâ (2860) – and authenticated by al-Albânî] Al-Nawawî observes [Sharh Sahîh Muslim (8/56)]: Scholars have explained that it is like observing a year of fasting because the reward of one's good deeds are multiplied tenfold.

Therefore fasting the month of Ramadan is like fasting for ten months and fasting six days in the month of Shawwâl is like fasting for two months.

acts of worship will compensate for the shortcomings in how we carried out our duties. Most of us have deficiencies in our observance of our Ramadan fasts and we need something to cover up for those deficiencies.

[Note: The deficiencies being discussed here are not missing days of fasting.

Rather, they are the deficiencies in our conduct that detract from the value of our worship.]

3. Our return to the habit of fasting right after Ramadan is a sign that our Ramadan fasts were accepted. When Allah accepts our worship, He blesses us to

2. The fasts of Sha`bân and Shawwâl are like the Sunnah prayers that accompany the five obligatory prayers. Like the Sunnah prayers, these extra fasts cover up for the deficiencies in our performance of our obligatory worship.

On the Day of Judgment, our voluntary

....

Fasting these days in Shawwâl is one way for us to express our thanks for Allah blessing us in our observance of the Ramadan fast.

It is known that some of the Pious Predecessors would try to get up at night to pray the Tahajjud prayer. When Al-

Our return to the habit of fasting right after Ramadan is a sign that our Ramadan fasts were accepted. When Allah accepts our worship, He blesses us to engage in further acts of piety. engage in further acts of piety. The saying goes: The reward of virtue is further virtue. Therefore, following one good deed with others like it is a sign that the first deed had been accepted by Allah.

By contrast, if a person's good deed is followed by a sinful one, it is an indication that the first good deed might not have been accepted.

Virtues of Fasting Six Days in Shawwâl 1. Fasting six days in Shawwâl after observing the Ramadan fast gives the person the reward of fasting throughout the year.

thanks for the blessings of the Ramadan fast and to do so by making mention of Him and through other means of giving thanks. Allah says: "(He wants you) to complete the number of days, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance you may give thanks."

[Sûrah al-Baqarah: 185]

4. Those who observe the fast of Ramadan are given their recompense of the day of`Id al-Fitr, the day when the fast is rewarded. Getting into the habit of fasting again soon thereafter is a means of giving thanks to Allah for the blessings that we have received. There is no blessing greater than forgiveness for one's sins, and we know that fast of Ramadan is recompensed with forgiveness of one's previous sins.

Indeed, Allah has commanded us to give

lah blessed them to wake up and do so, they would fast the next day in thanks to Allah for blessing them to observe that prayer.

Once Wuhayb b. al-Ward was asked about the blessings of various acts of devotion and he replied: "Do not ask about the blessings that can be earned by performing these acts of worship.

Rather, ask how you can show your thanks to Allah if He blesses you to perform them, for he is the one who assists us in doing so."

Every blessing that Allah gives us is something that we have to be thankful about. Moreover, when Allah blesses us to show thanks, this is a further blessing from Allah that deserves further thanks from us. If we show further thanks, this in turn is another blessing deserving our gratitude. There is no end to this

and we can never be thankful enough.

When we recognize that our thanks is never enough, this is the highest expression of gratitude we can give.

The Legal Ruling Regarding the Six Days of Shawwâl Al-Shâfi`î, Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Ishâq al-Râhawayh hold that is preferable and recommended to fast six days in the month of Shawwâl. This opinion has also been related from Ibn `Abbâs, Ka`b al-Ahbâr, Tâwûs, al-Sha`bî, Maymûn b. Mahrân, and Ibn al-Mubârak.

They base their opinion upon the hadîth that we have discussed above.

Others have regarded fasting six days in the month of Shawwâl to be something disliked. This view has been related from Mâlik and Abû Hanîfah.

They argue that it is feared from the general public that they might misconstrue fasting these six days to be something obligatory. They also see it as emulating the People of the Scripture to exceed the number of fasting days in the prescribed month of fasting.

However, these objections are spurious in the face of the clear statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that encourage this fast. If we were to abandon a Sunnah act on the grounds that we are exceeding what is obligatory, then we would have to abandon all recommended fasts, including the fast of `Ashûrâ' and the fast of the middle of the month.

It has been related that Mâlik used to personally fast six days in Shawwâl.

Also, later Hanafî scholars decided that there is no objection to fasting these days.

The Mâlikî jurist Ibn `Abd al-Bar explains [al-Istidhkâr (3/380)]: Mâlik did not know of the hadîth related by >> shawwal Pg 33

August 8th - September 4th, 2014 shawwal

>> continued from pg 32

Abû Ayyûb al-Ansârî, even though it is a hadîth from the people of Madînah.

No one possesses all the knowledge held by others. Mâlik explained and clarified what he disliked about it – He was afraid that it would be added to the obligatory fast of Ramadan by the general public. Mâlik was extremely cautious when it came to matters of religion.

As for fasting six days in the month of Shawwâl to seek extra blessings – as Thawbân depicts it – this is something that Mâlik had no objection against – and Allah knows best – since fasting is a person's protective shield and its virtues are well-known. When we give up our food and drink for Allah's sake, it is a virtuous and good deed. Allah says: "and engage in good works that perchance you will be successful." [Sûrah al-Hajj: 77] Mâlik was well aware of all this.

How We Should Fast the Six Days in Shawwâl There are various opinions about this question: 1. Some scholars hold the view that it is preferable to fast the six days in consecutive order, starting from the second day of Shawwâl. This is the view of alShâfi`î and Ibn al-Mubârak.

2. Others are of the opinion that it is preferable to fast the six days intermittently, spreading them out throughout the month of Shawwâl. Thisis the position of Ahmad b. Hanbal and Wakî`.

3. Then there are those who hold the view that the days should all be postponed until later in the month and not close to the day of `Id, which is a time of celebration and feasting. They prefer fasting the three days in the middle of the month (ayyâm al-bîd) along with the three days right before or after. This is the opinion of Ma`mar and `Abd alRazzâq.

There is considerable flexibility in all of this. We can choose to follow any of these approaches that we wish. And Allah knows best. [Source: islamtoday. net]

ISLAM | 33

Waking up after Ramadan, Starting Anew

By Maria Zain For those who feel that they have succeeded well throughout Ramadan, there is most certainly a chance to continue on a good deed reel It’s the morning after Ramadan.

The Takbir in the distance croons the call for prayer.

Muslims hustle pass, together, gravitating towards the mosque.

How do you feel after the month of Ramadan?

That one sacred Month where Satan was shackled and the only thing stopping you from committing to good deeds was your soul. And now, this morning after, how are your good deeds rippling into your lives?

Scholars say that Eid is the acid test to Ramadan. Whatever happens on Eid, how one behaves, how one arranges his thoughts, is a reflection on how Ramadan had unfolded for him or her.

The ripple effect of good deeds vs. bad ones is also a telling sign as to how Ramadan has changed a person. If a good deed is followed by another good deed, this person is amongst those who have successfully committed themselves to spiritual enlightenment throughout Ramadan. If a person commits a good deed, followed by a bad deed, then it is telling sign that there is more work to be done than to please God. It is never too late to change one’s route however, and for those who feel that they have succeeded well throughout Ramadan, there is most certainly a chance to continue on a good deed reel, even after Ramadan.

Here are a few tips to continue being the best of Muslims after waking up the day of Ramadan.

Remember and Savor the Importance of the Fast This is the simplest way to experience the magic of the fast outside of Ramadan

There is no time like Ramadan for a full fledge monthly fast, as that is the pillar of Islam that requires us to commit to such an activity for the entire month.

However, the benefits of fasting trickle throughout the year.

It first starts with the six days of Shawwal (the month after Ramadan), at the very earliest on the 2nd. day of the month. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days fasting in Shawwal has done as if he has fast for life." (Muslim, 1164) Following suit, there are opportunities to fast throughout the year: "Fasting for three days in every month is equal to fasting forever." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim, 270) It is also well known that Prophet Muhammad used to fast on Mondays and Thursdays as that is when our deeds are presented to Allah.

This is the simplest way to experience the magic of the fast outside of Ramadan.

Take Time to Perfect Your Prayer Another integral part about Ramadan is prayer. This is mostly because of the special Tarawih (Night prayer) as a Ramadan Sunnah. Praying Tarawih is always a humbling experience as we only put our foreheads on the floor for God so many times late at night. And sometimes it is during Ramadan that we also pay more heed to our obligatory prayers. This is a good reminder that we should pay more attention to perfecting our daily prayers every day.

Study the Sunnah of prayers. Are your movements correct? Are your recitations correct? What could you do to achieve a higher focus? What could you do to add to your merits (in accordance to the Sunnah)?

When we perform our prayers we are effectively asking for guidance, something that should never cease from our invocations.

{Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate after You have guided us; and give us mercy from You; You are the Bestower.} (3: 8) Perfecting our prayers shows gratitude towards God, because on Judgment Day, our prayers will be the first to be questioned.

Be in Constant Remembrance of the Day of Judgment Rremembering the Day of Judgment automatically forces us to be better Muslims There is nothing more humbling that constantly remembering the Day of Judgment for Muslims. The Day of Judgment is not hearsay; it has been fully recorded in numerous Prophetic sayings in detail. Remembering the Day of Judgment is vital throughout the year, even after Ramadan. During Ramadan we are more alert to Islamic lectures, Islamic reminders, Quranic recitations – so sometimes we forget the grandiosity of Judgment Day after the month has passed.

Constantly remembering the Day of Judgment automatically forces us to be better Muslims, to be more conscientious of our deeds, to take more care in our behavior and to be wiser in our speech. {Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have succeeded. For the life of this world is but goods of chattels of deception} (3: 185) A reminder of a temporary life is a good reminder that just like the month of Ramadan that passes each year, our lives are also temporary. They pass.

So while we love Ramadan for all its blessings, we need to actively work on our lives to have them showered with blessings as well. This is the only way >> ramadan Pg 34

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

34 | ISLAM

Salaah times for August 8th - September 5th, 2014

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

---Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari and Muslim

Prayer times generated from www.islamicfinder.com for the WASHINGTON, DC area.

Day

Date

Hijri

Fajr

Sunrise

Dhuhr

Fri

8

12/10

4:54

6:15

1:14

5:04

to attain Paradise, the most sought after resting abode in the Hereafter – and to attain such pleasure would be to engage in good deeds.

Constantly Find Ways to Engage in Good Deeds What deeds did you cultivate during Ramadan? Would you like to see more?

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, advised: "The best of deeds is the one that is little but is consistent." (Al-Bukhari, 6464)

....

Maghrib

Isha

8:12

9:35

Sat

9

13/10

4:55

6:16

1:14

5:04

8:11

9:33

Sun

10

14/10

4:56

6:17

1:14

5:03

8:10

9:32

Mon

11

15/10

4:57

6:18

1:14

5:03

8:08

9:30

Tue

12

16/10

4:59

6:18

1:14

5:02

8:07

9:29

Wed

13

17/10

5:00

6:19

1:13

5:02

8:06

9:27

Thu

14

18/10

5:01

6:20

1:13

5:01

8:05

9:25

Fri

15

19/10

5:02

6:21

1:13

5:00

8:03

9:24

Sat

16

20/10

5:03

6:22

1:13

5:00

8:02

9:22

Sun

17

21/10

5:05

6:23

1:13

4:59

8:01

9:21

Mon

18

22/10

5:06

6:24

1:12

4:59

7:59

9:19

Tue

19

23/10

5:07

6:25

1:12

4:58

7:58

9:17

Wed

20

24/10

5:08

6:26

1:12

4:57

7:57

9:16

Thu

21

25/10

5:09

6:27

1:12

4:57

7:55

9:14

Fri

22

26/10

5:11

6:27

1:11

4:56

7:54

9:12

Sat

23

27/10

5:12

6:28

1:11

4:55

7:52

9:11

Sun

24

28/10

5:13

6:29

1:11

4:55

7:51

9:09

Mon

25

29/10

5:14

6:30

1:11

4:54

7:49

9:07

Tue

26

30/10

5:15

6:31

1:10

4:53

7:48

9:06

Wed

27

1/11

5:16

6:32

1:10

4:52

7:46

9:04

Thu

28

2/11

5:17

6:33

1:10

4:51

7:45

9:02

Fri

29

3/11

5:19

6:34

1:09

4:51

7:44

9:00

Sat

30

4/11

5:20

6:35

1:09

4:50

7:42

8:59

Sun

31

5/11

5:21

6:36

1:09

4:49

7:40

8:57

Mon

1

6/11

5:22

6:37

1:09

4:48

7:39

8:55

Tue

2

7/11

5:23

6:37

1:08

4:47

7:37

8:53

Wed

3

8/11

5:24

6:38

1:08

4:46

7:36

8:52

Thu

4

9/11

5:25

6:39

1:08

4:45

7:34

8:50

ramadan

>> continued from pg 33

Asr

Keeping consistent in good habits, in good deeds, in helping others engage in good deeds will pay benefit in the long run. So as Ramadan passes, keep in mind this hadith so that all the charity you gave away during the sacred month will not be in vain. All the kind words you uttered will continue throughout the year. And all those supplications and dhikr (remembrance) will become extremely light on the tongue.

key to any successful day for a Muslim, whether during Ramadan or after Ramadan. Good company would keep you abreast with good deeds. Good company would keep the Quran in our hearts, accompany us to religious classes and remind us of Ramadan throughout the year.

Keep Good Company Who Can Remind You of Ramadan

Besides that, good company helps dispel bad habits that we have tried to break throughout Ramadan. While breaking these habits during Ramadan may be possible, the true test surfaces after the month are over: can you really continue on that route?

Keeping good camaraderie who can enjoin in good and shun evil is often the

That’s the best thing about keeping good friends, you share thoughts, so there is a sense of camaraderie, just like

the companions who advised each other humbly and held on to each other for the sake of God. Ramadan comes and goes. When it comes, it’s normal for Muslims to go rushing to perform good deeds to capitalize on the month. As it leaves, a little sadness ensues, maybe a little concern.

After all, there is no month like the blessed Ramadan, where there is some sort of safeguard to work on performing good deeds. But there are plans for everyone even after Ramadan. It takes willpower and constant remembrance of God to make that happen. It all starts the day after Ramadan.

August 8th - September 4th, 2014 LEADERS

>> continued from pg 27

respond to the letter. But White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden told the Guardian that the administration takes the publication of the memorandum using an ethnic slur “extremely seriously”: Upon learning of this matter, the White House immediately requested that the director of national intelligence underSELFDEFENSE

CONTINUED | 35 take an assessment of intelligence community policies, training standards or directives that promote diversity and tolerance, and as necessary, make any recommendations changes or additional reforms.

An earlier response to the story by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice— which repeatedly refused to discuss the story with The Intercept prior to publication—denied that any individuals had

you first, Linda.

>> continued from pg 31

to the Palestinians, to talk about this kind of hostile attitude toward the Israeli government while you have the blockade in place, where even the most basic amenities--medical aid, food, and everything else--is denied intentionally to the Palestinian people so that all of their energy goes into the struggle to survive itself. And that's an Israeli policy. I mean, there's very little difference between life in Gaza and life in the ghettos that were set up by the Nazi regimes initially in Europe.

Of course, those regimes eventually went on to do something Israel will never do, extermination camps and everything else. But the existence, the horror, the overcrowding, the fact that people can't leave, can't work, have struggles just getting clean water, what they have done, this collective punishment on 1.8 million people, is one of the most egregious war crimes on the planet. And to somehow expect the Palestinian people to lie down and speak civilly to a government that is carrying out this horror--and let's remember that most of the residents in Gaza are children--I think it's just not fair. I don't think it's fair to the Palestinians, and I finally don't even think it's fair to Hamas.

DESVARIEUX: Alright. Just finally, really quickly, I want to get both your takes on this issue. You rarely hear the mainstream media talk about the root causes of this conflict. And Hamas and the Arab world has offered Israel peace if they withdraw to the 1967 borders. Why is this never discussed in the mainstream, and why is it so critical to achieving peace? I'll ask

SARSOUR: It's absolutely critical to achieve peace to go back to the root cause of military occupation, and even the shift within the Jewish community and the pro-Israel folks who are pro-Israel about ending military occupation. And I think the media again toes the same line. There is, like, this-I mean, I try not to be a conspiracy theorist, but I'm really--personally, as a Palestinian, I sit back and I'm like, really? There are people right now in Gaza who cannot even become refugees again. And when we look at the atrocities, for example, in Syria, we look at people fleeing to Jordan, fleeing to Turkey, the Gazans have nowhere to go. And for us to continue to sit back and talk about this as if it just started three weeks ago and not talk about the open-air prison, not talk about military occupation and the apartheid wall and checkpoints and the conditions of the Palestinian people is beyond me. And we must go back to the root cause, right?

But what happens is, when we start going back to the root cause, we become the radicals, we become proHamas, and we become toeing the line of the Palestinian terrorists. And I think one of the talking points is that Hamas equals Palestinians and Palestinians all equal Hamas, and that is why the justification of killing of innocents in Gaza is justified by the Israeli government, because, oh! They all voted for Hamas, so they deserve this; they put themselves in this situation. And I think that is the most ridiculous argument. When we look at our country as Americans, when we had George Bush as our president, I

been targeted for surveillance solely for political dissent or an ethnic basis and stressed that “with limited exceptions…intelligence agencies must have a court order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to target any U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for electronic surveillance.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, long a critic of NSA policies, issued a statement describing the use of the term “raghead” in NSA documents “appalling,” and saying that

didn't vote for George Bush and he did not represent my interests when we killed over 1 million Iraqis in Iraq in a war that was based on lies. So I think that same rhetoric and that same talking points are being used against the Palestinian people. Fifty percent of the population of Gaza is under the age of 14. These young people are not eligible to vote. And I think that mainstream media needs to start pushing back on these talking points that are all put in this PR playbook that every single Israeli official has used if you watch and compare the interviews that have happened.

So, yes, let's go back to the root cause, let's look at long-term solutions and not temporary Band-Aids by calling for ceasefires.

DESVARIEUX: Chris, I'll let you have the final word.

HEDGES: Well, I mean, this is the problem: people don't have any context by which they understand what's happening. Go back to 1948: 700,000 Palestinians driven in a ruthless campaign of ethnic cleansing, which included the massacre of large numbers of civilians intentionally to drive them into Gaza, into refugee camps, out of the country. This process of ethnic cleansing by various forms has long been a part of the Israeli agenda. It has certainly been ramped up under the right-wing Kadima and, previously, Likud governments. We see the foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, calling for transfer. That means throwing people, Palestinian families, over the border, out of the country, or, in his words, driving them into the sea.

the story “raises new questions about agencies’ internal oversight of domestic surveillance activities and the adequacy of protections for the privacy of lawabiding Americans.”

Rep. Keith Ellison, the first MuslimAmerican elected to Congress, released a statement saying that “an American’s faith does not give law enforcement reasonable suspicion to violate their constitutional rights.”

And I think rather than respond to this particular event alone, we have to understand that this is part of a process, and a very dark and criminal process, not only denying the dignity and right of Palestinians to control their own lives and their own fate, but an attempt to essentially seize the entire land of Palestine, to violate international law by not only not going back to the 1967 borders, but creating, in essence, bantustans or Israeli-type townships where you have a dwindling and an impoverished and deeply repressed group of Palestinians withering away.

That is the policy, and the attacks on Gaza illustrate that when put into that context. It's part of a pattern. And we have many statements by people who who are in power, including Netanyahu himself, some of which were recorded candidly, that confirm this.

So the problem is the press tends to look at things in isolation. Americans are not good in terms of historical knowledge and putting issues in context. And when you don't put things in context, you can't understand what's happening. You can understand the horror of the moment, but you don't finally understand what it means. And the press has done a bad job.

But it's not, in the end, the job of the press to do it. One has to have a sense of history in order to make rational judgments about what's happening anywhere in the world. And the IsraelPalestinian conflict is no exception to that.

DESVARIEUX: Alright. Chris Hedges and Linda Sarsour, thank you both for joining us.

....

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

36 | OBITS & EVENTS

Request For Duaa

{ To Allah We B e lon g, a n d t o H im is 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)” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07-09-2014 The Prince George's Muslim Association extends sincere condolences to the family of Sister Gwendolyn Sharifah Turner has passed away. The Janazah Salat for Sister Gwendolyn Sharifah Turner was on July 10, 2014 in Lanham, Maryland. (Source: PGMA) 07-10-2014 It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of sister Bilqees Bibi, mother of Abid Khan and aunt of Dilshad Yasin. The Janaza was on July 11, 2014 in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Source: ICCL) 07-12-2014 It is with a very heavy heart that we inform our community of the passing of Salman Ahmed Mustafa. Fourteen year old Salman spent nearly every night of this and previous Ramadans with his family at MAS Community Center. You could not help but respond to his ever present smile.

Salman was a soft spoken young man who was always polite and courteous. He was always helpful, and a real presence in our community. Salman joined our community as a young Cub Scout and graduated to Boy Scout. He attended Scout camping trips, youth halaqas as well as this year's MAS Youth Ramadan program. The MAS DC family extends its deepest condolences to our Sister Rehab, our brother Ahmed and Salmans sisters and brother Arwa, Abrar, Sana and Hassan. Janaza prayers were on July 13, 2014 in Falls Church, Virginia.(Source: S. Ali Khan) 07-13-2014 Sister Soraya Elba, mother of Dr. Ahmed Gharib, has passed away. Janazah prayer was on July 13, 2014 in Sterling, Virginia.(Source: A. Ahmad) 07-14-2014 We are sad to announce our dear Dr. Isa Mohamed Ahmad, has passed away. Dr. Isa has been a member of the MCC community for over 15 years. In that time, he served this community by caring for the Masjid, selling tickets to some of our most important events and always keeping us on our toes. He will be greatly missed. Janaza prayer for Dr. Isa was on July 15, 2014 in Lanham, Maryland.

(Source: MCC) 07-20-2014 It is with a very heavy heart that we inform our community of the passing of Brother Mian Asam. The MAS DC family and the WIA family extends its deepest condolences to our Sister Amna, his daughter Aiza, and his sons Arsal and Arham. They have a real presence in our community as part of Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts and Washington International Academy (WIA). Janaza prayers were on July 20, 2014 in Springfield, Virginia.(Source: MAS DC) 07-21-2014 Haji Kafayatullah Rahmani has passed away. Br. Rahmani was one of the founders of Muslim Association of Virginia and played a vital role in providing services to Muslims in Prince William county and elsewhere. Br. Rahmani's Janazah was on July 23, 2014 in Manassas, Virginia.

(Source: Dar Alnoor) 07-21-2014 Janazah prayer was on July 22, 2014 for baby Mahad Wali in Sterling, VA. (Source: A. Ahmad) 07-24-2014 We are sad to announce the demise of our brother Abdul Ghaffar Karzai. Janaza prayer for Br. Abdul Ghaffar was on July 25, 2014 in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Source: MCC) 07-24-2014 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sr. Naseem Raoof Rathore, wife of Br. Abdul Raoof Rathore and mother of Sr. Naveed Raoof. The Salat ul Janaza was on July 25, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Source: ISB) 07-25-2014 Brother Muhammad Arshid has returned to Allah. Janazah Prayer was on July 25, 2014 in Sterling, Virginia. (Source: A. Ahmad) 07-29-2014 It is with great sadness and heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of our community member Brother Abdul Jabbar Salkini, father of Brother Jay Jihad Salkini. Janaza was on July 29, 2014 in Ellicott City, Maryland.(Source: Dar Al Taqwa ) 07-31-2014 It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of brother Taha Muhammad. May Allah swt forgive him, have mercy on him, and grant him jannatul firdous.

(Source: ICCL) 08-01-2014 It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of brother Mohammad Abdul Aziz, the father of Mohammad Nader and uncle of Dr. Kashif Yahya. (Source: ICCL) 07-29-2014 It is with great sadness and heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of our community member Brother Abdul Jabbar Salkini, father of Brother Jay Jihad Salkini. Janaza was on July 29, 2014 in Ellicott City, Maryland. (Source: Dar Al Taqwa ) 08-01-2014 We are sad to announce the demise of our brother Ajab Khan. Janaza prayer for Br. Ajab was on August 1, 2014 in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Source: MCC) 08-04-2014 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Br. Mir Iqbal Ali, father of Asra Tabbasum and Father-in-law of Abdul Hakeem Siddiqui. The Salat ul Janaza was on August 4, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Source: ISB)

....

Upcoming Events In Your Area WhyIslam at Arlington County Fair Friday, August 08 2014 Spend a weekend in Virginia! How? Join WhyIslam at the Arlington County Fair! Team up with WhyIslam on August 8th, 9th & 10th and spread the message of Islam at the Arlington County Fair. Take questions, give answers, build bridges! Da'wah shifts are currently available from 4-7PM. Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501 S 2nd St Arlington, VA 22204 Contact: Sign up on MuslimsPitchIn.org and get the outreach going ====================================================== Pretty 'N Pink Sisters' Social Saturday, August 16 2014, 3:00pm - 6:00pm Join us for an afternoon of fun with your SISTERS, But Here's the twist...

YOU MUST WEAR SOMETHING PINK! So channel your inner PINK DIVA and wear your SHARPEST outfit because we are giving prizes to the sister who is DRESSED THE BEST!!! Admission is Free. Childcare will be provided. $5 for the first child. $3 for the second and more. Space is Limited. Register today: http:www.eventbrite.com and search for Pretty N Pink Sisters' Social. Location: Jane E. Lawton Community Center, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD Contact: For vendors (non-food vendors only) Atiya Abdulmalik 240-855-2245 or atiya.abdulmalik@gmail.com ====================================================== Let's Read 2014 Sunday, August 17 2014 Let's emulate the Seerah: Reflect, Educate, Apply & Disseminate. Theme: The Seerah of the Prophet(s). K-12 student competitions, Qur'an Recitation, Multimedia, Meet the Media, Talent Show, Quizzes, Artwork, Jeopardy, Hadeeth Expo. Weekend School Expo. Attractive prizes. Registration fee (lunch included): $35/family, $10/individual. Early bird $25/family by 7/13/2014. Organized by MUNA Youth (contact Dr. Nazrul Islam 301-3269561). Starts: 9:30AM. For registration and competition details, please visit www.lets-read.org, Email: info@lets-read.org Location: ADAMS Center, 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling, VA 20164 Contact: Sohaira Sultan, Secretary, EPOC, 703-433-1325 ====================================================== First Hijrah Foundation Community Picnic Sunday, August 17 2014, 10:00am - 6:00pm You and your family are cordially invited to attend the annual picnic in the spirit of celebrating Eid and recognizing our 2014 graduates. Food, games, and a lot of fun for the whole family. Location: Fort Hunt Park, 8999 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, VA 22308 ====================================================== IRHSCA 14th Annual Fundraising Banquet Sunday, August 17 2014, 7:00pm - 10:00pm Planting the Seeds for the Next Generation - Establishing an Islamic Community for the Benefit of Mankind. Featuring: Talib Abdul-Samad, Executive Director; Shiekh Azzam Abdel-Karim, Keynote Speaker; Shiekh Abdul-Rahman Yaki. All tickets $35 before Aug 1st, $60 for couples. After Aug 1st, $50 per ticket, $60 at the door. $15 for children under 12. Doors open at 6:30PM. Location: PG Ballroom, 2411 Pinebrook Ave, Landover, MD 20785 Contact: For more info, call 240-461-8662 or visit www.irhsca.org

MASJID LISTING

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

| 37

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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------All Muslim Brothers Association 3900 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302 Tel: 703-647-0515 Jumma Prayer Only - 1:15 P.m --------------------------------------------------------------------------Icna VA Center: 2913 Woodlawn Trail, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Tel: 703-660-1255 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Idara Dawat-o-irshad: 4803 VAlley St, Alexandria, VA 22312 Tel: 703-256-8622 | ww.irshad.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Mustafa Center: 6844 Braddock Rd., Annandale, VA 22003 Tel: 703-658-7134 www.mustafacenter.org E-mail: Mustafacenter@gmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Baitul Mukarram: 2116 S Nelson St., Arlington, VA, 22204, Tel: 703-778-1550 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Zakaria Islamic Academy: Galesbury Lane, Chantilly, VA 20151

Tel: 571-969-2123|www.ziacademy.org

E-mail: Contact@ziacademy.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Badr Community Center Of Dumfries: 17794 Main Street, Dumfries, VA 22026 Tel: 703-554-7983 www.bccd.org E-mail: Info@bccd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar Ul-ghuraba (Masjid Ur Rahmah): 155 Baker St., Emporia, VA 23487 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar Al Hijrah: 3159 Rowe St., Falls Church, VA 22044, Tel: 703-536-1030 | www.hijrah.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Moroccan American community Organization Center 5613 Lessaburg Pike,#1 Falls Church,Va 22041 Info@macous.org | www.macous.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Northern VA Trust (Icnvt): 4420 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030 Tel: 703-591-0999 www.icnvt.org | E-mail: Info@icnvt.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar Al-noor (Muslim Assoc. Of VA): 5404 Hoadly Rd., Manassas, VA 20112, Tel: 703-580-0808 Fax: 703-221-8513 www.daralnoor.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Manassas Mosque: 12950 Center Entrance Ct, Manassas, VA Tel: 703-257-5537 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Virginia: 1241 Buford Rd., Richmond, VA 23235 Tel: 804-320-7333 www.icva1.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Greater Richmond (Isgr): 6324 Rigsby Road, Richamond, VA 23226 Tel: 804-673-4177 | www.isgr.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al Rahman: 1305 Hull St., Richmond, VA 23224 Tel: 804-232-7640 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjidullah Of Richmond: 211 North Ave., Richmond, VA 23222 Tel: 804-321-8864/804-647-4297 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar-ul Huda: 6666 Commerce St., Springfield, VA 22150, Tel: 703-922-0111 | www.darulhuda.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Foundation of America: 6606 Electronic Drive, Springfield, VA 22151 Tel: 703-914-4982 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Noor: 8608 Pohick Rd, Springfield, VA 22153 Tel: 703-451-7615 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Adams Center: 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling,VA 20164, Tel: 703-433-1325 www.adamscenter.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Heritage Center (Ihc): 262 A-3 Cedar Ln., Vienna, VA 22180 Tel: 703-206-9056 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-Falah 14918 Jefferson Davis Hwy Woodbridge, VA 22191 Tel: 703-490-2220|masjidal-falah.com masjidalfalah@verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON D.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Ivy City Masjid: 2001 Galludet St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 Tel: 202-904-9668 E-mail: masjidivycity@yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Muhammad: 1519 4th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20001 Tel: 202-483-8832 www.masjidmuhammad.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------The Islamic Center: 2551 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-332-8343 www.theislamiccenter.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------First Hijra Muslim Comm. Center: 4324 Georgia Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20011 www.firsthijrah.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-islam: 4603 Benning Rd., SE, Washington, D.C. 20019 E-mail: Imammusa@hotmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------New Africa Islamic Community Center of Washington. DC.

1628 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC. 20020 202.678-1881 | www.naiccdc.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Muslim Society Of Washington, D.C.: Howard Center, Room 805 (Above Hu Bookstore) Tel: 202-328-3236 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

MARYLAND

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Annapolis (Isa): 2635 Riva Rd. Suite 110, Annapolis, MD 21401 Tel: 410-266-6660 www.isamd.org Email: Info@islamannapolis.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Bait-Allah Masjid of Baltimore Inc 200 S. Calhoun Street Baltimore, MD 21223 Imam’s cell: 571-721-9938 email: baitallahmasjid@yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Bilal Dawah Center, Inc: 1910 Frederick Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21223 Tel: 410-945-1515 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar ul Uloom: 6334 Dogwoood Rd, Baltimore, MD 21207, Tel: 410-493-0785 Email: Darululoommd@aol.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Ul-haq: 514 Islamic Way (Wilson St. ), Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-728-1363 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-mumineen: 2642 Harford Rd., Baltimore, MD 21218 Tel: 410-467-8798 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Jamaat Al-Muslimeen: 4624 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212 Tel: 443-438-7986 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-rahmah/isb: 6631 Johnnycake Rd., Baltimore, MD 21244 Tel: 410-747-4869 | www.isb.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid As Saffat: 1335 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-669-0655 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Fatima 1928 Powers Lane Catonsville MD, 21228 Phone: 410 800 4880 Email: info@masjidfatima.com Website: www.masjidfatima.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Irhsca (Islamic Research And Hum. Services Center Of America): 1 Chambers Ave, Capitol Heights, MD Tel: 301-324-5040 www.irhsca.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Southern Pg County (Isspgc): P O Box 99, Clinton, MD 20735 5410 Indian Head Hwy, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 Tel: 240 603 4618 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dar-us-Salaam: 5301 Edgewood Rd., College Park, MD 20740, Tel: 301-982-9848 www.duscommunity.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Easton 126 Port Street Unit # 1 Easton, MD 21601 Tel: 410-829 7924 islamicsocietyofeastonmd.yolasite.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Zamzam 1510 Lynch Road, Dundalk, MD 21222 Tel: 410-284-2840 www.masjidzamzam.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar al-Taqwa: 10740 Rte. 108, Ellicott City, MD 21042, Tel: 410-997-5711 www.taqwa.net --------------------------------------------------------------------------Maryum Islamic Center (MIC) 3280 Pine Orchard Lane Suite A Ellicott City, MD 21042 Tel: 443-574-5188 www.maryumcenter.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-Hikmah: 11064 Livingston Road Unit L (101) Ft. Washington, MD 20744, Tel: 301 292-9009 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Frederick (Isf): 1250 Key Parkway, Frederick, MD 21702 Tel: 301-682-6090 www.isfmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Maryland (Icm): 19411 Woodfield Rd. Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Tel:301-840-9440 www.icomd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Makkah Learning Center (Mlc): 814 Brandy Farms Ln., Gambrills, MD 21054 Tel: 410-721-5880 www.isamd.org Email: Info@mlcmd.org--------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Germantown (Isg): 19900 Brandermill Rd., Germantown, MD 20876 Tel: (240)-277-7758 www.isgtown.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Ibn Taymiyyah: 8000 Mlk Highway, Glenarden MD Tel: 301-322-8105 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society of Western Maryland: 2036 Day Rd., Hagerstown, MD 21740 Tel: 301-797-0922 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Southern Maryland Islamic Center (Smic): 1046 Solomons Island Rd, Huntingtown, MD, 20639 Tel: 410-535-0000 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Avondale Islamic Center: 4637 Eastern Ave., Hyattsville, MD, 20782

Tel: 301-779-9292 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Prince Georges Muslim Assoc.(Pgma): 9150 Lanham Severn Rd., Lanham, MD, 20706, Tel: 301-459-4942 www.pgmamd.org Imam’s Office: 301-459-1441 E-mail: Imam@pgmamd.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Turkish American Community Center 9704 Good Luck Rd, Lanham, MD 20706 Tel: 301-459-9589 | www.taccenter.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------La Plata Masjid: 111 Howard Street, La Plata, MD 20646 Tel: 301-609-8769 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Com. Center Of Laurel (ICCL): 7306 Contee Rd., Laurel, MD 20707 Tel: 301-317-4584 | www.icclmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-Ghurabaa: 8220 Washington St., South Laurel, MD 20724.

Tel: 301-604-3295 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Lexington Park 22583 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park, MD 20619 Tel: 240-538-7839 or 561-414-0994 www.iclpmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Community Center of Potomac 10601River Road, Potomac MD 20854 www.iccpmd.com | 301-983-0383 E-mail: info@iccpmd.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Randallstown Islamic Center 9019 Marcella Ave. Randallstown, MD 21133 Tel: 410-971-4018 www.ricbaltimore.org E-mail: Info@ricbaltimore.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of The Washington Area (Iswa): 2701 Briggs Chaney Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20904 Tel: 301-879-0930 | www.iswamd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Education Society of Maryland 11504 Veirs Mills Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902 Tel: 301- 933-3838 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Muslim Community Center (MCC): 15200 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20905 Tel: 301-384-3454 | www.mccmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Imaam: (Jumuah Only) Jumuah: 12:50pm 3201 Randolph Rd, Wheaton, MD 20906 www.imaam.org Email: Fridayprayer@imaam.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid An-nur: 5418 Ebenezer Road, White Marsh, MD 21162 Tel: 410-663-9637 Fax: 410-663-9817 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-inshirah: 7832 Fairbrook Road, Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Tel: 410-298-2977

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

38 | CONTINUED

Editor-in-Chief: Minhaj Hasan Office Manager: Stephanie Benmoha Layout: Fadlullah Firman Staff Writers: Urooj Fatima Yaman Shalabi Fatimah Waseem Hena Zuberi Sharia Advisors: Sheikh Salah as-Sawi Imam Safi Khan The Muslim Link (TML) is published once a month on Fridays 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.

SEPTEMBER 2014

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

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 PO Box 596 College Park, MD 20741 Phone : (301) 982-1020 Fax: (240) 209-0702 editor@muslimlinkpaper.com Advertising: 301-982-1020 or email us at office@muslimlinkpaper.com The Muslim Link.

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40 | MP - Advertisements

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With Choice of: Spaghetti MARINARA SAUCE $7.99 MEATBALLS $8.99 MUSHROOMS $8.99 CHICKEN PARMESAN $8.99 EGGPLANT PARMESAN $8.99 ITALIAN SAUSAGE $8.99 ALFREDO PASTA (CHICKEN OR SHRIMP) $9.99 NEW BUFFALO OR BBQ CHICKEN $9.99

Include Bleu Cheese 5 Pieces 1 Bleu Cheese 10 Pieces 2 Bleu Cheese 20 Pieces 4 Bleu Cheese Add French Fries & Can Soda 30 Pieces 3 Bleu Cheese 50 Pieces 5 Bleu Cheese 100 Pieces 10 Bleu Cheese

CALZONES

Buffalo Wings $7.49 $13.49 $25.99 $2.59 $21.99 $36.99 $67.99

New Mediterranean Kabbo Chicken Kabbo

$8.99

Specially marinated boneless Chicken breasts,

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Green Peppers, Cucumbers, Black Olives & Pepperoncinis.

(These thing come with all kinds of salads)

Garden Salad Chicken Salad Greek Salad Chef Slald Falafel Salad New Caesar Salad

$5.49 $7.49 $6.99 $8.49 $7.99 $6.99

Add chicken $2.00, Shrimp $3.00

Subs 8” 5.99

All subs come with your choice off FREE fixins: lettuce, tomato, fried or raw onios, mayo, hot peppers, green peppers, ketchup and mustard

Fish Sub Gyro Italian Meatball Ham And Cheese Buffalo Chicken Cheese Burger Sub Chicken Permesan

New Arabic Pizza $14.99

$16.99 $18.99

Spinach, balck olives, green peppers, onions, olives our special sauce

Wraps

any wraps 6.99

Choice of deep fried or grilled chicken tenders served on a tortilla. fixed with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, mayo, ketchup and mustard

Cajun Style Sandwich

Special Pizza

Italian Chicken

$8.99

Specially marinated boneless chicken breasts, Skewered with bell peppers and onions, BBQ, Fire-grilled to your perfection

Beef Kabbo

$9.99

Specially marinated Chunk of fillet mignon,

Kufta Kabbo

Fresh Salads

$16.99 $18.99

Fresh chicken Tenders, Teriyaki sauce grilled onions & green peppers

BBQ Chicken Kabbo

$7.99 $7.99 $9.99

Square Pizza

New Steak Pizza $14.99

Philly Steak, onions, green peppers, mushroom, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese

(Gyro or shrimp)

fire-grilled to your perfection

with Fries or Coleslaw or Rice

Includes Bleu Cheese. Extra Bleu Cheese or Sauce. 50 eacht

$16.99 $18.99

fire-grilled to your perfection

real cheese warpped in our fresh dough.

Additional items extra charge ( see our pizza toppings)

Tilapia Filets Haddock Fish Salmon Fish

Add French Fries & can soda $2.59

New Greek Pizza $14.99

Feta cheese, black olives, green pepper, onions, tomatoes, olives oil and mozzarella cheese

skewered with bell peppers and onions, BBQ,

skewered with bell pappers and onions,

$7.99 $8.99 $9.99 $13.99 $13.99 $11.99 $1.25

Traditional or Boneless Wings 6 Pieces 1 Bleu Cheese $4.99 10 Pieces 1 Bleu Cheese $7.99 15 Pieces 2 Bleu Cheese $11.99 20 Pieces 2 Bleu Cheese $15.99 30 Pieces 3 Bleu Cheese $21.99 50 Pieces 5 Bleu Cheese $36.99 100 Pieces 10 Bleu Cheese $67.99

NEW! Oringinal Classic Taste The Difference! sm(10”) md(12”) Cheese $6.99 $8.99 Extra Topping $1.00 $1.25 Special Topping $1.50 $2.00

our secret sauce, ground beef and 100%

Regular 1 Item 2 Items Meat Special Vegetable Stormboli New Buffalo or BBQ Chicken Extra Topping

ORDER ONLINE

Salad: Garden, Chicken, Caesar, Greek

Garlic Bread include with this orders.

Cheeseteak Chicken Tender Chicken Cheeseteak Falafel Eggplant Parmesan Grilled Veggi Chicken Patty Chicken Salad

in

www.casadellapizza.com

bo Kab

Hummus W/ Pita Bread Falafel W/ Pita Bread 4 Buffalo Shrimp w/ Fries or rice

Homemade Pasta

Fish

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MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 45

$9.99

Ground beef mixed with special, skewered and broiled to your prefection

Lamb Kabbo

$11.99

fresh chicken tenders, cajun sauce and fix Em’ the way you want

lg(14”) xlg(16”) $9.99

$11.99

$1.50

$1.80

$3.00

$3.50

Fajita Chicken Fresh Chicken Tenders, Garilled onions and peppers and toppet with salsa

Buffalao Chicken Fresh Chicken tenders, Blue cheese and choice of hot sauce

Southern Style fresh chicken tanders, cole slaw and BBQ sauce

Teriyaki Chicken

Casa Dela Deluxe $14.99 $16.99 $18.99

Fresh Chicken tenders, marinara sauce & provolone cheese

Pepperoni, sausage, ham, mushroom,

Steak & Cheese wrap

Specially marinated leg of lamb,

green pepper, onion, black olives and cheese

fix me the way you want

skewered with eggplant, fire grilled to your perfection

Buffalo

Gyro Wrap Hummus Warp

Salmon Kabbo

Buffalo sauce, topped with melted provolone cheese,

A smooth blend of pureed chickenpeas, tahini, lemon juice & virgin olive oil.

A gourment’s delight, salmon marinated

blue cheese crumbles and garlic chicken

BBQ

Falafel Wrap

fire-grilled to your perfection

Shrimp Kabbo

$10.99

$10.99

$9.99

$9.99

$11.99 $13.99

$11.99 $13.99

BBQ sauce topped with melted provolone cheese,

5 jumbo shrimp marinated and

blue cheese crumbles and garlic chicken

fire-grilled to your perfaction

Veggie

Fish Kabbo

$8.99

Cajun talapia marinated and fire-grilled to your perfaction

Extra skewers

chicken $5.99, Beef $6.99, lamb $7.99 Shrimp $7.49, Fish $5.99, Salmon $7.99

New Casa Della Specials

Quesadilla Prepared with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and mozerrella cheese and svered with fries or salad Chicken Quesadillas $7.99 Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas $8.99 Beef Quesadillas $8.99 Veggie Quesadillas $7.99 Chesse Quersadillas $6.99 Seafood served with onions rings or Fries Cajun Talapia $7.99

$14.99

$16.99 $18.99

Served on large pita bread, hummus, lettuce, tomato, onion, thahini sauce.

New Greek Wrap Lettuce, tomatoes, black olive, cucumber, onions, green pepper and feta cheese

Mushroom, tomato, onion, green paper,

New Chicken Steak

black olive, green olive & extra cheese

fix me the way you want

Italian White

Fish Fillet

$8.99

$10.99 $12.99

Garlic herb aioli combined with Italian fontina, smoked provolone, parmeasan and asiago cheese to create a flavorful white pizza

Meatlovers’

$14.99

$16.99 $18.99

Pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham, canadian bacon & extra cheese

Hawaiian Pizza

$9.99

$11.99 $13.99

Pineapple, ham and extra cheese

Gyro Pizza

$14.99

$16.99 $18.99

Gyro mear, onions, tomatoes, green papers, black olives, mazzrella cheese and feta cheese

Alfredo Pizza (Shrimp or chicken) $14.99 $16.99 $18.99

Lettuce, tomatoe, onions, tartar sauce or mayo

Add French Fries & Can Soda $2.59

Homemade Burgers Hamburger Cheeseburger Double Cheeseburger Canadian Bacon Cheeseburger Grilled Chicken Chicken Filet Fish Filet

Single $3.49 $3.99 $4.99 $4.59 $4.99 $4.39 $4.39

Add French Fries & Can Soda $2.59

Grilled chicken or shrimp with creamy alfredo sauce

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HALAL MENUS

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

HALAL MENUS

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HALAL MENUS

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 49

HALAL MENUS

“Best Burger in NoVA” Northern Virginia Magazine June 2014

Virginia

Arlington Ashburn - One Loudoun Fair Oaks Mall Falls Church Turnpike/Fairfax Tyson’s Corner Center Vienna

Maryland Frederick Hyattsville Park Potomac National Harbor Wheaton

8-31-14

100% Organic, Grass-fed Beef Certified Halal at slaughter

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HALAL MENUS

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Appetizers 1. Samosa 2. Samosa chat 3. Shami kabob

$1.25 $2.49 $2.49

Kabob House All Kabobs are cooked on charcoal and served with rice,tandoori naan (bread), salad, chutney (yogurt sauce) andone side of your choice (chickpeas, vegetables or lentils). l. Chicken Kabob (Bone1css) $7.99 2. Lamb Kabob $9.99 3. Beef kabob* $8.49 4. Lamb Chops $12.99 5. Seekh Kabob $7.99 6. Chicken Kabob (Bone-In) $7.49 7. Reshmi Kabob $8.49

Weekend Special 1. Nihari 2. Haleem

$7.99 $7.99

Sweets 1. Rice Pudding 2. Sweets(2pieces) Sweets(Mix)

$2.99 $1.99 $5.99/Lbs

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

Salads Served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and yogurt sauce on the side...

1. Chicken Salad $6.49 2. Beef Salad $7.49 3. Lamb Salad $8.49 4. Gyro/Falafel Salad $5.49 Drinks Buffet Menu MON-FRI (11AM-4PM) $7.99 MON-FRI (4PM-10PM) $8.99 Weekends $9.99

8. Chapli Kabob* 9. Combination Kabob 10. Bihari Kabob* ll. Fish Kabob Side Orders 1. Naan(Bread) 2. Rice 3. Salad 4. Chutney (Yogurt Sauce) 5. Vegetable Curry 6. Meat Curry 7. Grilled Tomatoes

....

$8.99 $14.99 $8.99 $9.99

$1.00 & $1.25 $1.99 $2.49 8oz. $1.491 12oz. $1.99 8oz. $2.49 / 12oz. $3.49 8oz. $2.99! 12oz. $3.99 $2.99

By Special Order 1. Biryani(Chicken or Vegetable) $5.99 2. Chicken Karahi (For Two) $17.99 3- Lamb/Beef Karahi (For Two)$19-99 Wraps Served on freshly baked bread with cucumber sauce, lettuce,tomatoes, onions and cheese and yogurt sauce on the side...

1. Gyro Wrap (Lamb and becf mix) $5.99 2. Falafel Wrap $5.49 3. Chicken Wrap $6.49 4. Ground Chicken Wrap $6.99 5. Beef Wrap $6.99 6. Ground Beef Wrap $7.49 7. Lamb Wrap $7.99

1. Can Soda 2. Bottle Soda 3. Chai 4. Yogurt Drinks and Mango Laasi $2.49 5. Bottle Water....

6. Bottle Juice......

$ .99 $1.49 $l.50

$1.25 $1.75

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

HALAL MENUS

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 51

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HALAL MENUS

52 | MP - Advertisements

M

Hours

6366 Commerce Street Springfield, VA 22150

Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm (Last Dine In: 9:30pm) Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm (Last Dine In: 10:30pm)

Phone: 703-912-3118, 703-912-5855

Lunch Buffet (except holiday) 11am-3:30pm Monday-Friday 7.95 plus tax

CHEF’S SPECIALS Served with White Rice Hakka Crispy Chicken Hakka Crispy Beef Spicy Crispy Shrimp Sweet & Sour Combo (Chicken & Shrimp) Sesame Chicken General Tao’s Chicken General Tao’s Beef General Tao’s Combo (Chicken & Beef) Orange Chicken Orange Beef Orange Combo (Chicken & Beef) Sweet & Sour Fish Chili Fish Spicy Crispy Fish Manchurian Fish Hunan Fish Triple Delight (Chicken, Beef & Shrimp) Chicken in Chef’s Special Sauce

14.25 15.00 12.95 13.95 11.50 11.50 12.95 13.95 11.50 12.95 13.95 16.95 16.95 16.95 16.95 16.95 12.95 11.25

APPETIZERS Fried Chicken Wings (8) Spicy Chicken Wings (8) General Tao’s Wings (8) Buffalo Style Wings (8) Spring Rolls (2) Spicy Chicken Pakora Teriyaki Beef/Chicken Fried Wontons (8)

6.50 7.00 8.00 8.00 3.00 8.95 5.50 4.25

SIZZLING PLATTERS Shrimp on Sizzling Platter Steak on Sizzling Platter Scallops on Sizzling Platter Sizzling Chicken Sizzling Fish

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nt

Restau n i r a ra d n a Chinese Halal Cuisine

100 Zab % ih Hal a al

100% a Zabih Halal

We and delive cate r r

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

17.95 17.95 17.95 17.95 17.95

Spicy Fried Tofu (8) Shrimp Tempura (4) Crab Rangoon (6) French Fries

5.50 5.25 5.25 3.00

DAILY SOUP Egg Drop Soup Wonton Soup Chicken Corn Soup Hot & Sour Soup Chicken Tom Yum Soup Shrimp Tom Yum Soup

5.00 5.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 7.50

FRIED RICE Reg.

Vegetable Fried Rice 8.00 Chicken Fried Rice 8.00 Beef Fried Rice 8.25 Shrimp Fried Rice 8.25 Combo Fried Rice 8.75 (Chicken , Beef & Shrimp) Hakka Fried Rice 8.75 (Chicken & Shrimp)

Spicy

Manchuria

8.25 8.25 8.50 8.50 9.00

9.00 9.00 9.25 9.25 9.75

8.75

9.75

7.25 9.00 9.00 9.75 9.75 10.25

8.00 9.75 9.75 10.50 10.50 11.00

SINGAPORE RICE NOODLE With curry or brown sauce Vegetarian Singapore10.00 10.25 Chicken Singapore 10.00 10.25 Chicken & Shrimp Singapore 10.00 10.25 Beef Singapore 10.50 10.75 Shrimp Singapore 10.50 10.75 Combo Singapore 11.00 11.25

CHICKEN Served with White Rice Chicken with Broccoli Chicken with Mixed Vegetables Hunan Chicken Chicken in Garlic Sauce Chicken in Cashew Nuts Mongolian Chicken Manchurian Chicken Chicken Chilli Kung Pao Chicken Szechuan Chicken Sweet & Sour Chicken

10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.95 10.95 10.95 10.95 10.95 10.95 11.25

VEGETABLES Served with White Rice Sauteed Mix Vegetables Hunan Mixed Vegetables Eggplant in Garlic Sauce Szechuan String Beans Bean Curd w/ Mixed Vegetables

LUNCH SPECIAL

8.95 8.95 8.95 8.95 9.25

$6.95

Monday - Friday 12pm - 3:30pm

All Lunch Specials Served with Vegetable of the Day White Rice or Egg Fried Rice or Plain Lo Mein

LO MEIN (NOODLE) Plain Lo Mein 7.00 Vegetable Lo Mein 8.75 Chicken Lo Mein 8.75 Beef Lo Mein 9.50 Shrimp Lo Mein 9.50 Combo Lo Mein 10.00 (Chicken, Beef & Shrimp)

Website: www.mandarinchinesehalal.com Email: mandarinhalal@hotmail.com

11.00 11.00 11.00 11.50 11.50 12.00

(Please No Substitutions)

Beef with Mixed Vegetables Chicken with Broccoli Chicken Chilly General Tao’s Chicken Kung Tao’ Chicken Manchurian Chicken Pepper Steak with Onions Sauteed Mixed Vegetables Shrimp in Garlic Sauce Sweet & Sour Chicken

NEW ITEMS Beef, Chicken or Shrimp Teriyaki Or Combination Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp Bean Thread Rice Noodle with Fried Bananas with Ice Cream Gulab Jamun (2 pieces)

10.95 11.50 11.50 4.95 2.25

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

HALAL MENUS

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 53

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HALAL MENUS

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

HALAL MENUS

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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Dynamic Family Dentistry 159 Hillwood Ave, Falls Church, VA 22046

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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Classifieds | 69

Place a personal classified ad. Call us at 301-982-1020. Office@muslimlinkpaper.com

We invite you to place a personal classified on the web FREE of charge at www.muslimlinkpaper.com. Classifieds in the print edition of the Muslim Link newspaper are only $1 for every 3 words. All classifieds run for a single monthly issue in the Marketplace section. Get started by emailing your exact text to office@muslimlinkpaper.com and then call in your credit card payment to 301-982-1020 or send a check or money order payable to: The Muslim Link, PO Box 596, College Park MD 20741.

employment HELP WANTED Looking for an experienced cook for halal pizzeria in Ellicott City, 410929-1163.

FOR SALE ---------------------------------------------------

FRANCHISE RESTAURANT IN SOUTHERN HOWARD COUNTY Howard County, MD. Seller Financing Available. Asking Price: $125,000. Gross Income: $484,000.

Cash Flow: $95,000. Business Description: Simply perfect! This fast food franchise is located in a very upscale and highly populated area

in southern Howard County. Gross yearly sales: $440,000,Rent: $2,872 for 1900 sq ft CAM: $ 868 (includes water, trash and security),4 FT and 5 PT employees. Net: $95,000. Ample free parking. Also has seating outside: two tables with umbrellas and eight chairs. Owner has permission to place six additional tables outside.

The store has two side entrances. No similar competition in the area. Tons of residential units and more are being built! Seller Financing Available! Liberty Business Brokerage 240/535-2643 (call anytime)

Services

HOME SERVICES Contractor, Need Home Improvement work done? Interior/ Exterior Estimations. Contact Bro. Allen Scott at 443 538 7643 or ascott1529@yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------

LOVELY HOMES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY Zero-Low% 1st time Home Buyers.

Call Now Nancy Afifi, Realtor/Architect 301-503-9262 -------------------------------------------Place a personal Classified ad We invite you to place a personal classified on the web FREE of charge at www.muslimlinkpaper. com. Classifieds in the print edition of the Muslim Link newspaper are only $1 for every 3 words.

All classifieds run for a single monthly issue in the Marketplace section. Get started by emailing your exact text to office@muslimlinkpaper.com and then call in your credit card payment to 301-982-1020 or send a check or money order payable to: The Muslim Link, PO Box 596, College Park MD 20741.

-------------------------------------------GRAPHIC DESIGNER Need a flyer? An Ad Designed? Brochures? Business Cards? Logo? Stop looking! Contact office@muslimlinkpaper.com or call 301-982-1020.

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August 8th - September 4th, 2014

August 8th - September 4th, 2014

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