The Muslim Link - December 24, 2010

MUHARRAM 18, 1432|Safar|Rabi Al-Awaal|Rabi Al-Thani|Jumada Al-Awwal|Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab|Shaban|Ramadan|Shawwal|Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

Saalakhan: Why A Masjid Press Release On ‘Home Grown Terror’ Doesn’t Speak For Me PG 11

Jesus and The Virgin Mary in Islam PG 12

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

Deaf Muslims Set Sights on ASL Qur’an

Indian Muslim Advocacy Group Convenes in Baltimore | pg 3

By Muslim Link Staff “Hard of hearing people people have been able to do more to be religious...but as deaf people...[we] are not able to hear anything. We must sit there and act as if we understand—but we really don’t.” said the the president of Global Deaf Muslim, Nashiru Abdulai through an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter at a fundraising dinner held in Herndon,VA on December 11.

In hopes of making the audience realize how cut-off deaf Muslims feel from the

MCC Clinic Founder Awarded For Serving Needy | pg 4 Global Deaf Muslims organized an event in Northern Virginia to raise funds for what they hope will be the first American Sign Language video translation of the Qur’an. Above, GDM organizers communicate with hearing Muslims through an interpreter. Photo courtesy of GDM. greater Muslim community, Abdulai illustrated the frustration he and others felt so often when trying to take

part in Islamic gatherings, “when I go, I would like to be able to understand but, instead, I have to ask other

people what’s going on and a lot of times I just decide I >> QUR’AN Pg 5

Balt. Youth Arrested in Fake FBI Bomb Plot

By Muslim Link Staff T h e r e g i o n ’s M u s l i m community once again stood numb with little to say about the latest “homegrown terrorist” plot preemptively disrupted by federal law enforcement.

Antonio Martinez, a 21-year old who became Muslim in Baltimore, Maryland just about 1 year ago, was arrested

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

a s h e attempted to detonate what he thought was a van loaded with explosives on the morning of December 8, 2010. The bombs were in fact fakes, and the entire operation was a set-up by the Federal Bureau of Investigations

and an informant embedded within the Catonsville area Muslim community.

According to the FBI’s publicly available criminal complaint Matinez, who also went by Muhammad Hussain, posted comments on his Facebook page in late September writing “the sword is cummin the reign of oppression is about 2 cease inshallah ta’ala YA

muslimeen! don’t execept the free world we are slaves of the Most High and never forget it!”. The FBI informant embedded in Baltimore’s Muslim community alerted the FBI, and then the informant began communicating with Martinez via Facebook, after which they began meeting in

Dar-us-Salaam Expresses Gratitude at Fundraiser | pg 4 DC Somalis Gather To Support Free Hospital | pg 5 Muslims Criticize Handling of Israeli Hotel Stay | pg 7 Christmas Card From a Muslim Daughter | pg 7 Muslim Student Pop. Increase at CatholicU | pg 8 The Muslim Link

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

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CLARIFICATION

In the re-print of “Muhammad Institute for Space Science Begins Fundraising for Canadian Space Launce Site” from our December 10, 2010 issue, a clarification was provided by a reader from Maryland after he contacted Dr. Redouane Al Fakir, head of the Muhammad Institute for Space Sciences, who emailed: “Space Launch Candada is a Canadian business enterprise (seeking investments) that has nothing to do with the nonprofit Muhammad Institute (seeking donations), except for being founded by the same person (myself).” We thank our reader for taking the initiative and for sending us the clarificaiton. -- TML

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

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Community News Evening For Indian Muslim Advocacy Group About Accomplishments, Expansion

By Rana Khan

Muslim Link Staff Writer The Indian American Muslim Council held its annual fundraising dinner at the Paradise Indian Cuisine in Baltimore, MD, on Saturday, December 11, 2010.

The evening’s program provided a platform for IAMC to inform the audience on the importance of the advocacy work it undertakes on behalf of Muslims in India, who make up the largest minority living in a democracy and constitute 15% of India’s population.

IAMC’s work focuses on the “protection of human rights and human dignity”, which are the values that provide the “foundation for freedom, justice and peace”. Since its initiation in August 2002 in the aftermath of the genocide of Muslims in Gujurat, India, in which thousands of men, women and children were burned alive, violated, mutilated and hacked to death by rampaging mobs of Hindu extremists, IAMC’s mission has been to raise awareness of issues of concern to Indian Muslims and to break the cycle of socio-economic disadvantage that has plagued the Muslim population in the 50 years since the country’s independence.

“The Indian Muslim issue is something very nuanced. It is something no one else will work on,” noted Attaulla Khan, outgoing General Secretary of IAMC’s National Executive Board, as he recalled how little public awareness there was on the Gujurat massacre, outside of India. “We are at fault because we did not inform people about it.” Khan also observed how amongst Indian representation in Washington, D.C. which includes organizations like the Sikh Coalition, Dalit Freedom Network and the Hindu American Foundation - a Muslim presence is notably missing.

The organization recently changed its name, adding “American” to its former name, the “Indian Muslim Council”. The change, which took place on U.N. Human Rights Day, was also done to “truly reflect who we are”, said Khan. “The new name defines the identity and the geography we work from with more clarity.” Khan also noted that this would help the younger generation better identify themselves with IAMC.

groups in the U.K. and Canada to initiate a Global Council of Indian Muslims. The initiation of a women’s group of IAMC in Maryland was also announced.

Currently active in 8 cities in the U.S.A. and with 10 chapters nationwide, IAMC’s goal over the next few years is to have 20 chapters. IAMC is also working with

The audience was updated on the newly elected IAMC leadership on the local and national levels, which will steer the organization’s work through July 2012.

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS

MCC Clinic Founder Awarded For Ser ving Underprivileged

By Rashid Makhdoom

Muslim Link Contributing Writer Dr. Asif Qadri, Medical Director of the Muslim Community Center (MCC) Clinic, was presented with the prestigious Mary C. Jackson “Good Works, Done Well” Award on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at the Argyle Country Club, Silver Spring, Maryland.

The award was presented at a ceremony attended by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Council Member for Health and Human Resources George Leventhal, and several other elected officials and dignitaries who were among about 150 guests including clinic staff, community members and leaders. Steve Galen, President & CEO of the Primary Care Coalition, Montgomery County,

Maryland, presented the award to Dr. Qadri.

The award takes its name from the former D e p u t y Director of the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland, Inc. Mary Jackson devoted her entire professional life to developing programs to aid underprivileged and under-served children and their families. Before she died of cancer in 2002 she helped to heighten awareness of the needs of struggling families and the inadequacy of services. She herself was a single mother

of four. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate similar outstanding efforts on behalf of the under-served, underprivileged and overlooked segment of Montgomery County residents.

MCC Medical Clinic served approximately 6,000 patients in 2009. A group of 21 medical doctors, specializing in their respective specialties, take time off from their busy medical practices to volunteer time at the MCC Medical Clinic, founded by Dr. Qadri in 2003.

Located in the main building of the MCC, the clinic coordinates its services with the Montgomery County Health and Human Resources Department, the Primary Care Coalition and local hospitals. It helps in reducing the pressures on emergency services provided by the local hospitals.

According to an independent study, the

economic value of the services provided by the MCC Medical Center exceeds $2.5 million. The MCC Medical Clinic has been cited by the Washington Post as the second largest of its kind in the nation after a similar faith based medical facility in Paulo Alto, California.

Two individuals are selected annually, one from within the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, and the other from the community, to receive this coveted award. Each award winner receives both a cash award and an individual recognition award for his/her home or office. In addition, the name of each recipient will be added to the Mary C. Jackson “Good Works, Done Well” Endowment Fund Award plaque that hangs in the Primary Care Coalition office.

Despite Growth Challenges, Gratitude Theme of Dar-us-Salaam Annual Dinner

By Muslim Link Staff Over one thousand area Muslims responded to Dar-us-Salaam’s invitation for a night of thankfulness and humility on December 18, 2010 at the community’s annual fundraising dinner.

The Dar-us-Salaam community -- based in College Park, Maryland and home to Al-Huda School -- continues to work through county zoning issues restricting use of the property on Edgewood Road.

Since moving into the facility over ten years ago, the K-12 school and community have outgrown the building; off-site parking and streams of cars on Fridays and during Ramadhan irked some neighbors who pressured county and city officials to clamp down on the growing community. With the exception of the five daily prayers, all religious services are now held at rented off-site locations.

Despite these challenges, Dar-us-Salaam decided on the theme of gratitude for this year’s dinner, centered on the verse from Surah Ibrahim where Allah says “if you are grateful, I will give you more”.

Imam Safi Khan, the founder and head of Dar-us-Salaam, stressed to the capacity crowd at the University of Maryland University College Inn and Conference Center that their collective achievements over the past decade should make them more humble and grateful to Allah rather than proud.

“It is the highest honor that Allah chose us to remind people [about Him],” said Imam Safi. “We should focus on being grateful, and on moving forward to serve Allah.”

As in previous annual dinners, Imam Siraj Wahaj was the chief guest and fundrasier. Entertainment for the evening was provided by Baba Ali of Ummah Films. Normally presenting light-hearted stories to remind audiences about good behavior and manners, for their annual dinner Dar-us-Salaam arranged for Baba Ali (real name Ali Ardekani) to engage in an unrehearsed question and answer with five Al-Huda School children from kindergarten, second, and third grades.

Judging from the smiles and laughter in the auditorium, the question and answer session went very well.

Baba Ali of Ummah Films questions Al-Huda Elementary School children about their likes and dislikes, what they want to ask Allah when they meet Him, and about their views on fundraising. The unrehearsed performance elicited responses from the children ranging from cute to thoughtful to shocking. Photo

by Muslim Link.

About $240,000 of the $300,000 target was raised in cash and pledges. With over 100 employees, Dar-us-Salaam’s annual operating expense is close to $4.5

million. While about $3.15 million is generated through tuition and other fees, the community building project still has to raise the difference though donations and other means each year.

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS |

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DC Somalis Gather To Support ‘Mother Teresa’ of Somalia

By Ahmed Elmi

Muslim Link Contributing Writer One may ask how three women can provide more services to the people of Somalia, particularly the poor and displaced people, than the Somali government or the United Nations.

However, It is true that Dr. Hawa Abdi and her two daughters, Deqo and Amina, all physicians, provide more services to Somali people, particularly the internally displaced and the poor, than both the Somali national government and United Nations combined.

QURAN

>> continued from pg 1 won’t go because I really won’t be able to understand anything.” He recalled how he and deaf Muslim college friends would skip events they had originally planned to attend because they would lose hope of ever being any more than outsiders looking in. Isolated and unable to benefit from the knowledge and camaraderie of hearing Muslims, they would sit with each other to hold on to their Muslim identity.

As perhaps many who hear do not realize, lip-reading is very difficult, and many deaf have not mastered it.

Written text can also be hard to follow because most deaf do not develop a strong reading vocabulary. Unable to hear words, even their own, speaking properly is also a great challenge for the deaf.

Most are comfortable with sign language, a system of hand movements and other gestures to communicate thoughts. There are many sign languages throughout the world. American Sign Language is dominant in the United States and Canada. ASL is also used in other parts of the world.

Parents of deaf Muslims often neglect their children’s religious education.

And since the Quran and Sunnah are not translated into ASL (or any other sign language) nor are most Islamic events and Friday Khutbahs interpreted, deaf Muslim Americans have very

Dr. Abdi’s career as a safety-net health care provider started in a one-room clinic on her family’s farm in 1983 to provide basic health care to indigents that the government and NGOs have long neglected. Since the collapse of the central government, Dr. Abdi and her two daughters have managed to run one of a handful of clinics in the ruined capital city Mogadishu to treat civilians wounded by various militia groups, including Ethiopian and foreign forces, to help poor women deliver their babies, and to aid those suffering from malaria and other tropical diseases. The one-room clinic is limited access to Islamic teachings.

Learning about Islam can be an even more daunting task for converts and non-Muslim deaf.

“So, many times we just go through the motions but don’t understand what is behind those motions” said Abdulai.

“Their knowledge of Islam is poor no doubt, to say the least” Dr. Muhammad Alvi told The Muslim Link. “For a simple reason—nobody tells them anything” he explained. Dr. Alvi teaches Islam to a group of 15 to 20 metro area deaf Muslims at Adams Center in Herndon, VA, many of whom attended the dinner.

Global Deaf Muslim is an advocacy group based in Bethesda, MD. The group organized the event to raise money for a project to present a video translation and commentary of the Quran in ASL. “There are about 500,000 to 2 million people in the United States that are using ASL...so if we can produce the Quran in sign language, I’m sure it will reach lots and lots of hearts and they will come to Islam, too.” Dr. Alvi speculated.

GDF has global ambitions and a few high-level connections. It was announced during the event that Rashad Hussain, known as President Obama’s special envoy to the Muslim world, was working to set up a Global Deaf Muslim forum in Qatar for 2012. Another of GDF’s projects aims to analyze the sign

now a three-floor building, surrounded by one of the largest refugee camps in the world, serving over 90,000 internally displaced people. The camp provides food, shelter, health care, education, and job training.

Dr. Abdi is touring the United States, seeking assistance from those who support her work, and the Somali community in the Washington, DC area raised approximately $20,000 in response. The funds -- raised at an event held at the Best Western Hotel in Falls Church, VA and attended by approximately 150 people -will be used to expand the clinic, purchase languages across the Muslim world to create a universal hand sign system for Islamic words and concepts.

Many deaf people in the U.S. and elsewhere have developed their own culture due to their lack of full integration with the hearing world, separate system of communication and distinct views on deafness. “Deaf” with a capital “D” is preferred by those who embrace this culture. Most deaf people in the U.S. consider themselves a part of the Deaf community. GDF mostly presents the views and interests of Muslims who are a part of this culture.

(We have mostly used “deaf” in this article for simplicity.)

“Deaf people have their own traditions” Maher Esghi, a professor at Towson University who teaches ASL and himself is deaf, told the audience. “We actually have a large culture. We have lots of jokes and humor and idioms within our language. But hearing people aren’t exposed to that.”

Prof. Esghi spoke, through an interpreter, about misconceptions hearing people have about the deaf. He said many deaf Muslims don’t think of themselves as lacking something or having a problem, “we accept deafness...Allah blessed me with this. We take it as a whole. It’s a different perspective.”

Several deaf Muslims could be seen throughout the evening energetically running the event in a sort of noble silence which was, however, frequently broken by those quick, coded hand

modern equipment such as incubators for pre-term babies, laboratory equipment, and other essential medical supplies.

Dr. Abdi hopes she will be able to raise enough to establish the first intensive care unit in the war torn nation. The Somali community in Washington, DC area gave numerous standing ovations to Dr. Abdi and her daughters for their work.

-----------------------------------------------For more information contact http://www. drhawaabdifoundation.org/. Donations can be made to Adar Foundation, 501 C (3) organization. Please visit www. adarfoundation.org. gestures which inevitably make one long to learn sign.

Yet, you would not have been able to tell from their appearances that the deaf attendees were challenged by a disability. They are so often among us without our notice.

The bright-eyed, enthusiastic men and women—many young, some new to Islam and a few obviously not very knowledgeable on religious matters— sat together, signing away to each other throughout the evening. And, irony of ironies, one sometimes felt a yearning to be included in their circle.

The dinner seemed a success. Though a bit short of the stated goal, thousands of dollars were raised during a call for donations by Dr. Altaf Husain of the Islamic Circle of North America.

All speeches by the hearing were interpreted in sign. There were deaf panelists sharing their thoughts and experiences. It was an evening when deaf Muslims could tell non-deaf Muslims about their pains and struggles, their hopes and dreams. It was their night, their event.

At one point, guest speaker Daoud Nassimi called on all deaf to stand up to be recognized. And as they rose, surrounded by a crowd of their hearing brothers and sisters, it was as if close family members, long absent and nearly forgotten had, at last, come home.

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS

YOUTH

>> continued from pg 1 person.

Through October and November, the FBI informant met with Martinez, driving around and scouting places to launch an attacks. According to the FBI, Martinez wanted to blow up the Armed Forces Recruiting Center on US Route 40 in Catonsville, Maryland. According to the criminal complaint, Martinez wanted to target US soldiers.

In mid-November, the FBI informant arranged a meeting with someone Martinez was told was from Afghanistan who had bomb making expertise. The man was actually an FBI agent. The three planned and discussed how the recruiting center would be attacked, and how the

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group would make their getaway. The operation was planned for the morning of Wednesday, December 8. Once Martinez “detonated” the fake bomb, the FBI arrested him. He faces life in prison if convicted.

The Muslim Link spoke to several Baltimore area Muslims who recognized Martinez from photos in the media; the community members did not know his name, however, saying he was extremely quiet and did not interact much with others. At the Islamic Society of

Baltimore (ISB) Friday khutbah just two days after the arrest, no mention was made of the recent events.

The arrest is the third such case nationwide within the last few months. The FBI cites these as success, while many in the Muslim community and in civil rights advocacy circles say these cases are examples of entrapment.

“Why doesn’t the FBI go into poor neighborhoods and offer homeless [people] money and [support] to plant

fake bombs in malls, and then arrest them when they do it? This is not about making [the country] safer, its about targeting the [Muslim community],” said one attendee at ISB who asked that his name not be mentioned. “These spies in our [congregation] will keep doing this, and [ignorant] people will continue getting arrested.”

The Muslim Link will update the community as the case develops, Insha’Allah.

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS |

7

Muslims Criticize Handling of Israelis’ Stay At D.C. Hotel

By Tara Bahrampour,

Washington Post December 18, 2010

Muslim employees of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington said they felt discriminated against after being barred over the weekend from floors where an Israeli delegation was staying, a Muslim advocacy group said.

One hotel worker whose duties involve going to all the hotel’s floors said he was preparing for his shift Friday when his supervisor told him to steer clear of the eighth and ninth floors, where Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his delegation had booked rooms.

“I said, ‘Why?’” said the worker, who is Muslim and wanted to remain unidentified to protect his job. He said his supervisor told him, “They’re Israelis there, and they don’t want no face-to-face with Muslims.”

The hotel’s general manager, Amanda

Hyndman, said the hotel rearranged some shifts and told some workers not to come in after a routine State Department background check found “irregularities” in the checks of 12 employees.

“We don’t know the reasons why,” Hyndman said, adding that not all the people on the list were Muslim. She said she did not know whether any Muslim employees were allowed to work on the eighth and ninth floors over the weekend.

A State Department official said routine background checks are conducted on people who “may have access to, or be working in, the vicinity of the official we are protecting.” The official said that “at no time do these checks include questions regarding religious or political affiliation” and that the same standards are applied for for all delegations.

After receiving a letter Tuesday from the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, Hyndman said the hotel planned to investigate the incident. “We uphold our policies of antidiscrimination,” she said.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for CAIR, said that the organization was waiting for a formal response from the hotel and that it might consider litigation. “We need to determine what criteria were used to remove these people from their positions,” he said. “It’s of concern to us that there’s at least a perception that they were singled out because they were Muslim or Middle Eastern.”

An official at the Israeli Embassy said that “as a policy, the embassy does not discuss the logistical arrangements for visiting Israeli officials.”

The one worker said that after he was barred from the floors in question, co-workers teased him about being a terrorist.

“In the cafeteria, they were looking at me, laughing, saying: ‘Ah, they don’t want you there. They maybe think you have a bomb in your belly,’” said the worker, who came to the United States from Africa more than two decades ago.

He said he had worked in proximity to other VIPs, such as George W. Bush, with no security concerns.

“I don’t care about Israel. To me, it’s just another country,” he said. “I work for [the hotel] 12, 14 hours a day, and they profile me like I’m a criminal, like I’m going to harm them. I’m like, ‘If I’m going to harm them, why would you keep me in your hotel even one day?’”

In a similar case in 2004, a Muslim security guard at the Madison Hotel was told to stay away from the 10th floor while an Israeli delegation was there. In that case, the hotel’s general manager said the request was made by security units guarding the delegation.

A Christmas Card From a Muslim Daughter

By Kari Ansari

The Huffington Post, December 20, 2010 When I became a Muslim thirteen years ago this month, I left behind the Christmas traditions my family celebrated every year of my childhood. My mother was able to transform our Southern California home into a Winter Wonderland as soon as we walked in the door; it may have been 75 degrees and sunny outside, but inside we felt we were in a Currier and Ives world of red velvet beribboned pine boughs, twinkling lights and beautiful music.

I loved it. The Christmas season and our small traditions remained the same no matter how many years passed. My mother worked extremely hard to build warm, and loving holiday memories, and I sincerely cherish them.

Like many American homes, there wasn’t much Christ in my family’s Christmas. There would always be some discussion surrounding the reason for our celebration, but we didn’t attend

church services or talk too much about what my parents believed. The beautiful nativity on the mantle, hand-painted by my grandmother, was flanked by tasteful, secular decorations. This led to a kind of vague confusion between the miraculous birth of Jesus, and the magical feat of Santa Claus zipping around the world in one night.

Nostalgia not withstanding, thinking about Christmas is now far more meaningful to me on a spiritual level than it was when I was young. The fact that Muslims accept and believe in the virgin birth of Jesus has been a golden thread that links my childhood Christmas memories to my very fulfilling adult life as a Muslim.

The world’s more than 1.5 billion Muslims would like their Christian neighbors to know that we believe in the Annunciation; in the Quran we read that God sent the angels to Mary: “When the angels said: O Mary, surely God gives you good news with a Word from Him of one whose name is the

Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, worthy of regard in this world and the hereafter and of those who are made near to God. And he shall speak to the people when in the cradle and when of old age, and he shall be one of the good ones.” Quran 3:45-46 The Quran has only one chapter named after a woman; Chapter 19 is titled “Mary”, or as it is translated in Arabic -- Maryam. The Quran tells us that the infant Jesus, (or Isa as it is translated in Arabic), spoke from Mary’s arms: “...He said: Surely I am a servant of God; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and charity so long as I live; And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed; And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.’” Quran 19:30-33* While Muslims don’t celebrate Christmas, we believe in the awesome and miraculous

birth of Jesus, in the miracles he performed

by God’s Grace, and in the message of love and peace Jesus brought to the world.

I hope my family knows that I am more attached to the account of Jesus and Mary than I ever was as a child, now that I am a practicing Muslim. It is a vital part of my faith; a faith that I share with over a billion and a half people around the world.

This is my Christmas card to my family, and all my Christian friends and neighbors: Peace on earth and goodwill toward men. *Muslims understand this verse in reference to the to death of Jesus after the second coming and resurrection on the Day of Judgment. See Quran, 4:157 Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ kari-ansari. Follow Kari Ansari on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KariAnsari.

The writer is the co-creator of America’s Muslim Family Magazine and lives in Northern Virginia.

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

COMMUNITY NEWS

Enrollment of Muslim Students Is Growing At Catholic Colleges In U.S.

By William Wan

Washington Post Staff Writer December 20, 2010 On a quick break between classes last week, Reef Al-Shabnan slipped into an empty room at Catholic University to start her daily prayers to Allah.

In one corner was a life-size painting of Jesus carrying the cross. In another, the portrait of a late priest and theologian looked on. And high above the room hung a small wooden crucifix.

This was not, Shabnan acknowledged, the ideal space for a Muslim to pray in. After her more than two years on campus, though, it has become routine and sacred in its own way. You can find Allah anywhere, the 19-year-old from Saudi Arabia said, even at the flagship university of the U.S. Catholic world.

In the past few years, enrollment of Muslim students such as Shabnan has spiked at Catholic campuses across the country. Last year, Catholic colleges had an even higher percentage of Muslim students than the average four-year institution in the United States, according to the Higher Education Research Institute.

The influx has astonished and sometimes befuddled administrators. Some Catholic campuses are creating prayer rooms for new Muslim students and hiring Islamic chaplains to minister to them. Others are unsure how to adapt.

One of the sharpest increases in Muslims students has been at Catholic University in Northeast Washington. In the past five years, as the number of self-identified Catholics on the campus has decreased, the number of Muslims has more than doubled, from 41 in 2006 to 91 this fall.

The largest group of international students by far now comes from Saudi Arabia.

Muslim students say they enroll at Catholic schools for many of the same reasons as their classmates: attractive campuses, appealing professors and academic programs that fit their interests.

But there is also a spiritual attraction to

the values that overlap the two faiths.

“Because it is an overtly religious place, it’s not strange or weird to care about your religion here, to pray and make God a priority,” said Shabnan, a political science major who often covers her head with a pale beige scarf. “They have the same values we do.”

A Place To Pray Echoing Islam’s conservative culture, the school separates men and women in its dorms and imposes visiting hours. The university prohibits sex before marriage.

Daily prayer and periodic fasting are common concepts.

At the same time, Muslim students find themselves immersed in what can seem at times alien iconography. Almost every classroom is adorned with a crucifix.

Statues of the Virgin Mary and Holy Child dot the campus. Professors often open their classes with an appeal to Jesus.

Courses in theology are an undergraduate requirement.

Gibbons Hall, the iconic stately building on the DC campus of Catholic University, serves as a student residence. Photo courtesy of Catholic University.

That’s how Shabnan found herself buying her first Bible, for a required Old Testament class. It’s also the reason, she said with a smile, that she registered for an introductory course on Islam.

Some students meditate in the school’s chapels and at the cathedral that looms over the entire campus - the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

“I was looking for an easy course,” she said. “I learned a lot that was new to me . . . and just seeing how someone completely outside our religion views it was fascinating.”

An Adjustment

But there are also drawbacks to being Muslim on an overwhelmingly Catholic campus.

Most of the students eat everything but the pork in the student union. For the more orthodox, eating can be a tricky proposition that involves driving as far as Potomac to find halal meat, which is slaughtered according to strict guidelines.

Although other Catholic schools have established prayer rooms and student associations for their growing Muslim

populations, Catholic University has neither. For their five daily prayers, Muslims often scramble to find empty classrooms where they can kneel, face Mecca and bow before God.

During his more than four years as a graduate student at Catholic, Ali Basiri has become one of the regulars at the small chapel in Caldwell Hall, the oldest building on campus. Basiri, 27, has spent so much time in the chapel’s pews that he has befriended the organist who practices there.

It took him a while to adjust to life outside Iran. During his first semester, he lived in the dorms and tried not to be shocked when women held out their hands to shake his and sometimes hugged him.

In Iran, Basiri said, all schools run by the Islamic government are religious. The Iranian university where he studied for his bachelor’s degree was named after a Muslim cleric, and his engineering

department had detailed rules for praying and a dedicated room separated for men and women by blankets.

But at Catholic, he has forged new ways to connect spiritually. Several times a week, the electrical engineering student makes his way past the marble statue of the Virgin Mary at the Caldwell chapel entrance and listens in the pews to Islamic prayers on his MP3 player.

“I feel there is something powerful here because people are thinking about God all the time and not just about their own life or studies,” Basiri said.

He has struck up friendships with equally fervent Catholic believers.

“We do this thing where he teaches me his prayers in Arabic, and I share with him the prayers I say as a Catholic,” said one of his friends, Kenny White, 20, a sophomore from Annapolis. “I’ve learned about God by learning about him and his own faith. It’s been a really important and beautiful part of being here.”

>> ENROLEMENT Pg 10

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011 INDIAN

>> continued from pg 3 President, Zafar Haq as General Secretary and Jawad Khan as Treasurer.

Speaking about the motivating factor behind those whose volunteer work has helped produce such an impact, Khan said the mission is connected to faith.

“The work we do excites us. The kind of comfort and reward you get at the end of the day when you go to sleep knowing that you are trying to help someone who is weak, someone who is helpless...and doing Allah’s work [is what motivates us]. It is an honor to be doing this work.

It is a privilege that Allah has chosen us [to do this work].”

IAMC paid tribute to the dedicated work and legacy of one of its founding members, Dr. Omar Khalidi, who was tragically killed in an accident in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Khalidi was a pioneer in the field of research on Indian Muslims and Contemporary Politics, leaving behind a monumental legacy that had a significant impact on the political landscape of India. One of his most prominent published works, “Khaki and Ethnic Violence in India : Armed Forces, Police and Paramilitary During Communal Riots” caused an “uproar in Indian Parliament.” Attaulla Khan recalled that Dr. Khaildi’s goal in his work was to bring about improvement and that he would say, “when you see a deficiency, you point it out - not to find fault but to try to improve.”

“Omar Khalidi was an inspiration to IAMC,” recalled Khan. “When he came to the meetings, he was always excited.”

Khan quoted a frequent saying of Dr. Khalidi that IAMC had taken to heart, “ What is good for India is good for Indian Muslims. What is good for Indian Muslims is good for India.” Khan announced that IAMC was starting a “Dr.Omar Khalidi Memorial Fund, in memory of Dr.Khalidi, to preserve and perpetuate his research work and make it available to current researchers and the future generations.”

He also said that IAMC will try to put his work online at the domain (omarkhalidi. com) that Dr.Khalidi had registered under his name a short period of time before his death.

Alia Khalidi, daughter of Dr. Khalidi,

a law student at Suffolk College in Massachusets, delivered a moving speech in honor of the memory of her father and his relentless work in the advocacy for Indian Muslims. She recalled how she would accompany him on the lectures he would deliver on a regular basis to inform people about the situation of Muslims in India and how he had traveled

COMMUNITY NEWS | attend. In 2008, amidst rumors of another planned visit to the U.S. by Modi, IAMC undertook another campaign involving hand-delivering about 12,000 letters from constituents in different states to the Congress. 38 Congressmen also wrote letters to the Department of State, leading to the latter confirming that there would be no visa for Modi.

The organization recently changed its name, adding “American” to its former name, the “Indian Muslim Council”. The change, which took place on U.N. Human Rights Day, was also done to “truly reflect who we are”, said Khan. all over the world through the U.S. State Department to share his knowledge on Islamic architecture.

“He left India early, but never forgot India,” said Ms.Khalidi. “At the heart of his work was a deep-rooted desire to help the Muslims in India.”

Attaulla Khan also briefed the audience on

IAMC’s efforts played a pivotal role in the release of all but one of 100 Muslim youth arrested in Hyderabad, India, on false terrorism charges following bomb blasts in the city. IAMC was able to help prove that the youth were subjected to torture under police custody and were forced to give false testimonies in the case. IAMC has sponsored a documentary film on fake

IAMC’s efforts played a pivotal role in the release of all but one of 100 Muslim youth arrested in Hyderabad, India, on false terrorism charges following bomb blasts in the city. some of the projects that IAMC has been involved in during the past 8 years, such as the campaign in 2005 against Narendra Modi, the Gujurat Minister during the 2002 genocide who had sanctioned the massacre and who was planning to visit the U.S. During the 45 day campaign, which included the work of paid lobbyists, 21 congressmen signed up to the cause, resulting in the the House condemning Modi and the U.S. State Department revoking his U.S. visa. IAMC’s awareness campaign also resulted in Modi being disinvited from a World Economic Forum (WEF) summit that he was scheduled to

encounter killings in India, a phenomenon whose frequency has subsided in recent years due to media exposure. IAMC is also working, in conjunction with director Shubhradeep Chakravorty, on two other documentary films; one on attempts to subvert the Indian Judicial system and one following the impacted lives of those falsely accused of terrorism.

As part of its media awareness efforts, IAMC sponsors the work of an independent community media organization, TwoCircles.net (TCN), that seeks to present news and views on

9

media stories of interest in India from the Muslim perspective. The founder and editor-in-chief of TCN, Kashif-ulHuda, based in Massachusets, was the keynote speaker for the evening. After asking the audience’s opinion on some of the challenges facing Muslims in India, Huda explained the need for community media.

“The majority of our opinion doesn’t get represented in the media,” said Huda.

“Usually Muslim news in mainstream media is in a negative context.” Huda said the goal of the efforts of TCN with regards to Non-Muslim Indian readers was to educate them about Muslim viewpoints, to present a positive image of Muslims and to provide a platform for exchange of views and removal of misconceptions. For Muslim readers, Huda said, this provides an opportunity to educate, inform and empower, through highlighting positive role models, community news, field reporting and new ideas. Huda said that most traffic on the site was from areas around India with higher Muslim concentrations. High-traffic areas in the U.S. included California, Illinois, New York and Texas, and worldwide traffic was mainly generated from India, the U.S.A., some Gulf countries and Australia. Huda said reporting for TCN currently comes from some hired full-time reporters in India, and other part-time and freelance reporters. He said TCN’s goal ultimately is to have a reporter based in every state of India.

Huda said that TCN stories and articles have had a lot of impact on mainstream media, with major news sources like the ‘Times of India’ and ‘Hindustan Times’ following up on stories first brought to light by TCN. Huda said he is regularly contacted by mainstream media organizations and TCN has become an important source of news on Indian Muslims, as well as providing intellectual and strategic support to Muslims.

The fund-raising portion of the evening was conducted by Imam Irfan Kabeeruddin, director of Dar-ul-Uloom Maryland. The goal of $20,000 to cover the cost of IAMC’s projects was quickly reached and slightly exceeded by the end of the evening. The program was concluded with entertainment by Amaan Ali, a young American of Indian heritage who has been doing comedy shows for a number of years.

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

10 | COMMUNITY NEWS ENROLEMENT

>> continued from pg 8 ‘Proud Of Who We Are’ It was that kind of exchange that prompted Basiri’s attempts to start a Muslim student association. He wanted to help Muslim students connect and gather for prayer in addition to helping spur conversations across religions.

He found a faculty adviser and filled out the required paperwork but heard nothing back for a while.

Then, an administrator pulled him aside and said it wouldn’t work to have a Muslim group at such a major Catholic institution.

When asked about the experience, Basiri is hesitant to say anything negative about a school that he says has embraced him so fully and given him a chance to grow in faith and academics.

“I understand the difficulty,” he said. “In Iran, if you tried to start a Catholic group at a Muslim university, that would be just as strange and hard to make it work.”

Many other Catholic schools with rising numbers of Muslim students have set up prayer rooms and formed Muslim student associations.

Georgetown University, whose Muslim student numbers have also been climbing, has a prayer room, student association and an entire center devoted to MuslimChristian understanding, and the school hired a full-time Muslim chaplain in 1999. Catholic administrators at colleges that have added similar features say they haven’t perceived the efforts as a challenge to their religious identity.

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“We’re not going to take down the cross or change our name. We’re proud of who we are,” said Marco Masini, associate vice president of student life at Benedictine University in Illinois. “Hospitality is a part of the Benedictine philosophy, so it’s important we welcome individuals of all faiths.”

When Catholic University has declined to officially recognize other student groups, such as a gay advocacy organization, it has been because their beliefs run contrary to church teaching. University

President John Garvey said that although other religious services aren’t offered at Catholic, its campus ministry collects information from nearby religious centers and offers those connections to students.

list of firsts: meeting a nun and priest, celebrating Mass, witnessing Easter and Thanksgiving.

“I think there’s a lot of benefits to having students of other faiths here,” he said.

“They bring the grace of many of their own religious traditions.”

Basiri said his Islamic faith has grown and matured in the past four years while studying in buildings named after Catholic leaders, in classrooms adorned with crucifixes, and with classmates often named after saints.

Muslim students there say they have benefited as well. In his years at Catholic, Basiri said, he has experienced a long

“The face of my prophet and my God has changed,” he said. “It is even more beautiful now.”

The Muslim Community Center (MCC) 15200 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20905

Invites all to

THE ARABIC LANGUAGE CENTER SEMESTER STARTS: January 15th 2011 REGISTRATION: IN-PERSON: Saturday, January 8th, 10:30AM-12:00PM ONLINE: http://mccmd.org/education/arabic PLACEMENT TEST—FOR NEW STUDENTS: Saturday, January 8th, 12:00PM- 1:00PM PROGRAM GOAL: Upon completion of this course (approx. 9 semesters), that student will reach a level of skills that will allow meaningful communication in spoken and written Arabic, as well as comprehension of Arabic texts, including the Al-Qur’an.

More information at http://mccmd.org/education/arabic CLASS INFORMATION: Classes will be held every Saturday and Sunday for 2 hours each day between 8AM and 10AM. TUITION: $300 per semester plus $50 registration fee Instructors Wanted: The MCC is adding to its panel of quali������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �����������������������������������������

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

Opinion

PG

OPINION | 11

On December 8, 2010, a 21-year old Muslim man from Baltimore was arrested after allegedly trying to detonate a fake bomb at an armed forces recruiting center in Catonsville, Maryland (see story on page 1). The case is being called entrapment by many Muslim groups and civil rights organizations. Shortly after the media reported the arrest, one local Muslim organization issued a press release congratulating law enforcement for “arresting the alleged perpetrator” and encouraging members of the Muslim community to report “suspicious activity” to federal authorities. Mauri’ Saalakhan, a local human rights activist based in Maryland, took issue with the press release and submitted the opinion piece below. -- TML Assalaamu Alaikum (Greetings of Peace): As a matter of urgency, my conscience requires that I respond to an official press release from one of the large centers in the Metropolitan Washington area, in response to the alleged terrorist plot that targeted a military recruitment center in the Baltimore area.

The release in question reminded me of the need to complete an analysis that was already in the works; and of the pressing need for broad-based, and faithbased, internal criticism. (And please know that constructive criticism of my criticism is welcome.)

be quick to pick up the phone to call the FBI on a fellow Muslim. This should be the absolute LAST resort (after everything else has been attempted and failed) in a case where a Muslim genuinely believes violence may be imminent!

4. The fourth mistake of this misguided release was in calling for the “maximum penalty” for this obviously disturbed and misguided young man (if what has been alleged is true). Are they even aware of what the “maximum penalty” is? Despite

serve in the United States Military.”

Given all of the lies, distortions and demonic manipulations which now has the USA embroiled in full scale wars in two Muslim countries, and involved in deadly ongoing skirmishes in a number of other Muslim countries - how could any responsible Muslim promote such insanity?

I feel for the souls of all of the men and women (esp Muslims) who are killing and dying in these unjust wars! As we

Why A Masjid Press Release On ‘Home Grown Terror’ Doesn’t Speak For Me

1. The first mistake made by whoever drafted the press release, is one that U.S. politicians (from both parties) make all of the time; presuming to speak for “the American people.” In this case, our brothers presumed to speak for “the entire Muslim community of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.” However, in the position they took on the matter, they did not.

2. The second mistake is in commending and congratulating law enforcement agencies before all the facts are in; particularly given the FBI’s track record of using agents-provocateurs to manufacture “conspiracies.”

3. The third mistake is to aid in the cultivation of a culture of suspicion within the Muslim community; causing members of their own community to believe they are fulfilling their patriotic duty (to America) by harboring a suspicious nature, and serving as the defacto eyes and ears of law enforcement. Muslims should NOT

By Mauri Saalakhan the fact that this was an aspirational offense and no one was hurt, if past is prologue, this 21 year old brother will face LIFE IMPRISONMENT (without the possibility of parole)!

I’m going to give my brethren the benefit of the doubt, and presume that they are ignorant as to what the “maximum penalty” is. I’m also going to advise that they break away from their lofty offices from time to time, and visit a federal courthouse or two (and monitor a few of these cases). It may deepen the well of empathy, and curb a few reactionary tendencies.

5. The fifth mistake is in conveying the message that it is somehow noble for Muslim men and women to “faithfully

all should. (Especially considering the Day of Accountability we all must face; wherein ‘I was simply following orders,’ will not be an acceptable excuse.) Our commitment to our faith, and to truth, justice, and the preservation of ALL LIFE, trumps any commitment we have to “country” - i.e. nationalism!

6. The sixth mistake revolves around our penchant for referencing Islam (i.e.

Qur’an and Sunnah) when it suits us, but ignoring fundamental precepts when it doesn’t; and so often being selective in our outrage. We claim to be against ALL acts of terrorism, while our government commits acts terrorism everyday and most of us say nothing! We are eloquent when speaking of the sin of taking innocent life, except of course when the innocent life is

that of oppressed Muslims in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine or Kashmir. When the bombs are raining down on the heads of Muslims (from the fighter planes, or from the warships of the US, NATO or Israel) a large part of our eloquence and outrage goes into hibernation.

While this writer absolutely agrees with the premise that the terror and brutality visited upon Muslims (in America and other parts of the world) can never justify Muslims lashing out at innocent nonMuslims in kind, I would also argue (in the same breath) that the size and power of the oppressor can never justify silence from a committed Muslim, or even worse, complicity!

7. The seventh mistake made by the drafters of that regrettable release, is in serving on the Advisory Committee to the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO). Given the FBI’s long, regrettable track record in the Muslim community, Muslims serving in any advisory capacity is nothing to boast about (in my humble view). While some of us operate under the illusion that our counter-productive policies, rooted in fear, help to “protect our nation and to protect individual civil rights,” the human rights of Muslims are being trampled under foot on a daily basis (both here and abroad); and the Bill Of Rights - the heart and soul of the U.S. Constitution (for ALL Americans) - is being eviscerated with each passing day!

8. The eighth mistake revolves around an assortment of programs supposedly designed “to prevent extremism.”

While many youth-centered programs do indeed serve a positive end, at the end of the day, where it pertains to the >> OPINION Pg 16

vzz

V December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

12 | ISLAM

Islam

Jesus and The Virgin Mar y in Islam

By Juan Galvan Many people may be surprised that Muslims love Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In the Quran, no woman is given more attention than Mary. Mary receives the most attention of any woman mentioned in the Quran even though all the Prophets with the exception of Adam had mothers.

Of the Quran’s 114 chapters, she is among the eight people who have a chapter named after them. The nineteenth chapter of the Quran is named after her, Mariam.

Mariam means Mary in Arabic. The third chapter in the Quran is named after her father, Imran. Chapters Mariam and Imran are among the most beautiful chapters in the Quran. Mary (peace be upon her) is the only woman specifically named in the Quran. An authentic Haddith states that the Prophet said, “The superiority of ‘Aisha to other ladies is like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. meat and bread dish) to other meals. Many men reached the level of perfection, but no woman reached such a level except Mary, the daughter of Imran and Asia, the wife of Pharaoh.” (Bukhari 4.643). Indeed, both Mary and Pharoah’s wife are an example (Quran 66:11-12). The Virgin Mary plays a very significant role in Islam. She is an example and a sign for all people.

In the Quran, Mary’s story begins while she is still in her mother’s womb. The mother of Mary, said: “O my Lord! I do dedicate into Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things.” (Quran 3:35).

She wanted the baby in her womb to serve only the Creator. When Mary was delivered, she said: “O my Lord! Behold!

I am delivered of a female child!” (Quran 3:36). She had expected her baby to be a male child who would grow up to be a scholar or religious leader. However, God had a better plan. God is the best of planners. Quran 3:36 continues “…and God knew best what she brought forth-

‘And no wise is the male like the female.

I have named her Mariam, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from Satan, the Rejected.’” Mariam literally means “maidservant of God.”

announced John’s birth. The response to his skepticism was “Doth God accomplish what He willeth” (Quran 3:40). John would become a noble and chaste Prophet as the angels had stated (Quran 3:39).

In Quran 3:37, God states that He

The Quran discusses Mary’s miraculous

Mar y receives the most attention of any woman mentioned in the Quran even though all the Prophets with the exception of Adam had mothers. accepted Mary as her mother had asked.

He made Mary grow in purity and beauty.

She was assigned to the care of a priest named Zacharias. This is interesting considering few women were given this opportunity.

“Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: ‘O Mary! Whence (comes) this to you?’ She said: ‘From God.

conception as well. “Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.

She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.” (Quran 19:16-17). After seeing the angel, she said: “I seek refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear God.” (Quran 19:18). The angel Gabriel responded:

Jesus was calling people to the worship of only God. Only by God’s leave was Jesus able to perform miracles. for God provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure.’” (Quran 3:37).

Upon hearing Mary’s answer, “There did Zakariya pray to his Lord, saying: ‘O my Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!’” (Quran 3:38).

Although his wife was barren and he was very old, God blesses Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth with John. John is known as “John the Baptist” in the Bible.

Zacharias was skeptical after the angels

“Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a pure son.” (Quran 19:19). Her next response is expected. She asked: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”

(Quran 19:20). The Angel Gabriel said: “So (it will be): thy Lord saith, ‘That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us.’ It is a matter (so) decreed.” (Quran 19:21).

Mary then becomes pregnant.

Jesus is a Prophet and a Messenger. A Messenger is a Prophet who is given revelation from God. Whereas the Torah was revealed to Moses, the Gospel was revealed to Jesus. Messengers are a mercy, guidance, and sign from God. “And God will teach him (Jesus) the Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, and (appoint him) as a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): ‘I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I bring the dead into life, by God’s leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe. (I have come to you) to attest the Torah which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (before) forbidden to you. I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear God, and obey me. It is God Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.’” (Quran 3:48-51).

God appointed messengers to help us answer questions such as: What happens after I die? What’s right and wrong? Does a supernatural world exist? What’s the purpose of my creation? Jesus was calling people to the worship of only God. Only

by God’s leave was Jesus able to perform miracles.

“When Jesus found unbelief on their (the disciples) part he said: ‘Who will be my helpers to (the work of) God?” Said the disciples: “We are God’s helpers: We believe in God, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.’” (Quran 3:52).

After conceiving Jesus, Mary went away with the baby to a distant place (Quran >> JESUS Pg 13

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011 JESUS

>> continued from pg 12

19:22). “And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She cried (in her anguish): ‘Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten!’” (Quran 19:23). “But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): ‘Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.’” (Quran 19:24-26).

Joseph, the magi, and manger are not mentioned in the Quran. God was Mary’s only Provider. Muslims do not accept the virgin birth of Jesus as evidence of Jesus’ divinity. “The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be.’ And he was.” (Quran 3:59). Adam’s creation was even more miraculous because he was born without father and mother. When she brings the baby to her people, they said: “O Mary! truly a strange thing has thou brought! O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!” (Quran 19:27-8).

Mary then points to the baby. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?” (Quran 19:29). Then a miracle occurs that is not mentioned in the Bible. In defense of his mother, Jesus said: “I am indeed a servant of God. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on

me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; (He hath made me) kind to my mother, and not overbearing or unblest; So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)!” (Quran 19:30-33).

The virgin birth of Jesus was a sign. “And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.” (Quran 21:91). All previous Prophets confirmed the oneness of God, Tawheed. Whereas the Holy Trinity

ISLAM | 13 People should not worship any of God’s creation, including Jesus and Mary. We must not assign any of God’s creation His divine attributes and characteristics.

“He is God the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the AllMighty, the All-Wise.” (Qur’an 59:24).

Although God can do all things, He only does things that are consistent with His fundamental nature. Begetting a son is not consistent with God’s magnificent

Muslims do not accept the virgin birth of Jesus as evidence of Jesus’ divinity. “The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be.’ And he was.” (Quran 3:59). Adam’s creation was even more miraculous because he was born without father and mother. is the fundamental concept of God in Christianity, Tawheed is the fundamental concept of God in Islam. God exists independent of religion. Muslims do not believe in the concept of Holy Trinity (Quran 5:73). God is not Jesus (Quran 5:72). On the Day of Judgment, when Jesus is asked if he had called people to worship him and his mother as two gods, Jesus will say: “Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say).

Had I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.” (Quran 5:116).

nature (Quran 19:92, Quran 19:35).

Consistent with His fundamental nature is forgiveness. Although Adam and Eve could no longer live in the Paradise, God forgave Adam and Eve for their sin after they sincerely repented (Quran 2:35-37).

We are responsible for our own deeds and will not be punished for the deeds of another person (Quran 53:38-42).

Therefore, Muslims reject the doctrine of original sin. Although Adam and Eve were punished, God would still be merciful by sending Guidance to mankind. “We said: ‘Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no

fear on them, nor shall they grieve.’”

(Quran 2:38).

When people hear the term Islam, they naturally tend to think of the organized religion of Islam which started in the 7th century CE with prophet Mohammed.

However, in Arabic the word Islam comes from the root “salema” which means peace, purity, submission, and obedience.

In the religious sense, Islam means peace and purity achieved by submitting to the will of God and obedience to His law.

Muslims are those who submit. Muslims believe that all those who submitted to the will of God in line with divine revelation received before the advent of formal Islam with prophet Mohammed, were themselves also Muslim. So coming from this understanding, Muslims believe that we are part of one continuing faith community with Jesus and Mary.

Mary, Jesus, and the disciples were all “Muslims” because they submitted to God. “Behold! the angels said: ‘O Mary!

God hath chosen thee and purified thee - chosen thee above the women of all nations. O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.’”

(Quran 3:42-43).

Another Prophet with a message similar to Jesus’ would later be born in Arabia in the sixth century. He also called people to the worship of only God. Although unable to read and write, Muhammad (peace be upon him) would recite beautiful verses of the Quran as they were revealed to him.

The Quran is a beautiful miracle, a sign, a mercy, a warner, and a guidance for all >> JESUS II Pg 14

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

14 | SALAAH TIMES

Salaah times for December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it fi ve times a day, do you think he would have any fi lth left on him?”

The people said, “No filth would remain on him whatsoever.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “That is like the fi ve daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them.”

---Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari and Muslim

Day Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu

Date 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Jan1 2 3 4 5 6

Hijri 18/1 19/1 20/1 21/1 22/1 23/1 24/1 25/1 26/1 27/1 28/1 29/1 1/2 2/2

Sunrise 7:24 7:24 7:25 7:25 7:25 7:26 7:26 7:26 7:26 7:26 7:26 7:27 7:27 7:27

Dhuhr 12:08 12:09 12:09 12:10 12:10 12:11 12:11 12:11 12:12 12:13 12:13 12:13 12:14 12:14

Asr 2:33 2:34 :35 2:36 2:36 2:37 2:38 2:38 2:38 2:40 2:41 2:42 2:42 2:43

Maghrib 4:51 4:52 4:53 4:53 4:54 4:55 4:56 4:56 4:56 4:58 4:59 5:00 5:01 5:01

Isha 6:11 6:12 6:12 6:13 6:14 6:14 6:15 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19 6:20 6:21

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

and the Last Day, and remembers God much.” (Quran 33:21).

JESUS II

>> continued from pg 13

people. Muhammad is the last Prophet from a line of Prophets that included Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them). All Prophets were models for righteous living. Muhammad’s sunnah, his sayings, example, and traditions, is also considered revelation. His sunnah is expressed in various books of Haddith.

“Indeed in the Messenger of God you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) God

Write to us!

Fajr 6:05 6:06 6:06 6:06 6:07 6:07 6:07 6:07 6:07 6:08 6:08 6:08 6:08 6:08

God created all people to worship Him and to live life based on His teachings and guidance. “And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that

by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth God make His Signs clear to you that ye may be guided.” (Quran 3:103).

We accomplish this by bearing witness to God’s oneness and accepting His final revelation in our daily lives. “O ye who believe! Fear God as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.”

(Quran 3:102).

Mary, I wanted to avoid as much confusion as possible among non-Muslims. My article was written with a non-Muslim audience in mind. Consequently, I used English terms and figures familiar to Christians rather than those in Arabic.

For example, “Isa” means Jesus in Arabic, and “Yahya” means John in Arabic. I also avoided using terms of respectability commonly used among Muslims such as SWT, PBUH, SAWS, RA, and AS. I apologize if I have offended anyone.

There is none worthy of worship but God, and Muhammad is His messenger.

Source: http://www.islamfortoday.com/ galvan03.htm

“If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost.” (Quran 3:85).

End Note: While writing about the Virgin

Stop venting at dinner parties and in masjid parking lots. Cool down, get your points together, and send us a letter to the

editor or post a comment online.

REACH US AT editor@muslimlinkpaper.com or http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com

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December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

MASJID LOCATOR ADAMS CENTER: 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling,VA 20164, Tel: 703-433-1325, www.adamscenter.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------ALL MUSLIM BROTHERS ASSOCIATION 3900 King Street Alexandria, VA 22302 703-647-0515 Jumma Prayer ONLY - 1:15 p.m -------------------------------------------------------------AVONDALE ISLAMIC CENTER: 4637 Eastern Ave., Hyattsville, MD, 20782, Tel: 301-779-9292.

-------------------------------------------------------------BADR COMMUNITY CENTER OF DUMFRIES (BCCD) 17794 Main Street Dumfries, VA 22026 Tel: 703-585-1689, 703-5547983. www.bccd.org E-mail: info@bccd.org -------------------------------------------------------------BAITUL MUKARRAM: 2116 S Nelson St., Arlington, VA, 22204, Tel: 703-778-1550.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------DAR AL-NOOR (MUSLIM ASSOC. OF VA): 5404 Hoadly Rd., Manassas, VA 20112, Tel: 703-580-0808, Fax: 703221-8513, www.daralnoor.org.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------DAR UL ULOOM, 6334 Dogwoood Rd, Baltimore, MD 21207, 410-493-0785 Email:darululoommd@aol.com -------------------------------------------------------------DAR UL-GHURABA (Masjid ur Rahmah): 155 Baker St., Emporia, VA 23487, -------------------------------------------------------------DAR-UL HUDA: 6666 Commerce St., Springfield, VA 22150,

MASJID LOCATOR | 15 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.

Tel: 703-922-0111, www.darulhuda.org -------------------------------------------------------------DAR-US-SALAAM: 5301 Edgewood Rd. College Park, MD 20740, Tel: 301-982-9848, www.darussalaam.org.

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

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

703-660-1255 -------------------------------------------------------------IDARA DAWAT-O-IRSHAD: 4803 Valley St, Alexandria, VA 22312 703-256-8622, www.irshad.org.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC CENTER OF MARYLAND (ICM): 19411 Woodfield Rd. Gaithersburg,MD 20879 Tel:301-840-9440, www.icomd.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC CENTER OF NORTHERN VA TRUST (ICNVT): 4420 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030 Tel: 703-941-6558, info@icnvt.org | www.icnvt.org -------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC COM. CENTER OF LAUREL (ICCL): 7306 Contee Rd., Laurel, MD 20707 Tel: 301-317-4584, www.icclmd.org -------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC HERITAGE CENTER (IHC): 262 A-3 Cedar Ln., Vienna, VA 22180 Tel: 703-206-9056.

-------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC SOC. OF ANNAPOLIS (ISA): 2635 Riva RdSuite 110

Annapolis, MD 21401 Tel: 410-266-6660 www.isamd.org, Email: info@islamannapolis.org -------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC SOC. OF FREDERICK (ISF): 1250 Key Parkway , Frederick,MD 21702 Tel: 301-682-6090, www.isfmd.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF GERMANTOWN (ISG): 19900 Brandermill Rd., Germantown, MD 20876 Tel: (240)-277-7758, www.isgtown.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC SOC. OF SOUTHERN PG COUNTY (ISSPGC): P O Box 99, Clinton, MD 20735 5410 Indian Head Hwy, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 Tel: 240 603 4618 -------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMIC SOC. OF THE WASHINGTON AREA (ISWA): 2701 Briggs Chaney Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20904 Tel: 301-879-0930, www.iswamd.org.

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

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

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

-------------------------------------------------------------MAKKAH LEARNING CENTER (MLC): 814 Brandy Farms Ln Gambrills, MD 21054 Tel: 410-721-5880 www.isamd. org, Email: info@mlcmd.org -------------------------------------------------------------MANASSAS MOSQUE: 12950 Center Entrance Ct, Manassas, VA Tel: 703-257-5537.

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AL-GHURABAA:

8220 Washington St., South, Laurel, MD 20724.

Tel: 301-604-3295.

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AL-HIKMAH: 11064 Livingston Road Unit L (101) Ft. Washington, MD 20744, Tel: 301 292-9009.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AL-ISLAM: 4603 Benning Rd., SE, Washington, DC 20019 e-mail: imammusa@hotmail.com -------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AL-INSHIRAH: 7832 Fairbrook Road , Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Tel: 410-298-2977, Fax: 410298-0266, www.al-inshirahweb. net.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID JAMAAT ALMUSLIMEEN: 4624 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212 Tel. 410-891-8451 -------------------------------------------------------------MASJID MUHAMMAD: 1519 4th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20001 Tel: 202-483-8832.

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AN-NUR: 5418 Ebenezer Road, White Marsh, MD 21162 Tel: 410-663-9637, Fax: 410-663-9817.

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AL-RAHMAH/ISB: 6631 Johnny Cake Rd. Baltimore, MD 21244 Tel: 410-747-4869, www.isb.org -------------------------------------------------------------MASJID AS SAFFAT: 1335 W. North Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-669-0655.

-------------------------------------------------------------Bilal Dawah Center, Inc: 1935 Frederick Avenue Baltimore, MD 21223 Tel: 443-224-4423 --------------------------------------------------------------

MASJID IBN TAYMIYYAH: 8000 MLK Highway, Glenarden MD Tel: 301-461-9325.

-------------------------------------------------------------MASJID ZAMZAM 1510 Lynch Road, Dundalk, MD 21222 Phone: 410-284-2840 -------------------------------------------------------------MEDINA CENTER: 11600 Falls Road, Potomac MD 20854 www.medinacenter.net -------------------------------------------------------------MUSLIM COM. CENTER (MCC): 15200 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20905 Tel: 301-384-3454, www.mccmd.org.

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

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

-------------------------------------------------------------PRINCE GEORGES MUSLIM ASSOC. (PGMA): 9150 Lanham Severn Rd. Lanham, MD, 20706, Tel: 301-459-4942, www. pgmamd.org.

Imam’s Office: 301-459-1441, imam@pgmamd.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------RANDALLSTOWN ISLAMIC CENTER 9019 Marcella Ave. Randallstown, MD 21133 Tel: 410 971 4018 www.ricbaltimore.org -------------------------------------------------------------SOUTHERN MARYLAND ISLAMIC CENTER(SMIC): 1046 Solomons Island Rd, Huntingtown, MD, 20639.

Tel: 410- 535-0000 -------------------------------------------------------------THE ISLAMIC CENTER: 2551 Mass. Ave. NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-332-8343 --------------------------------------------------------------

16 | OBITS & UPCOMING EVENTS

Request For Dua’s

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011

Upcoming Events In Your Area

{ To Allah We B e l o n g , a n d t o H i m i s O u r R e t u r n }

“Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned.” (Surah Al-Anbiya:35)” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12-9-10 Inna Lillaahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raaji’oon. It is with

great sadness that we announce the passing of sister Adiatu Bah. The Janaazah Prayer was on December 11, 2010 in Lanham, Maryland. May Allah (SWT) bestow mercy on her soul and grant her Jannat’ul Firdaus. (Source: PGMA)

OPINION

>> continued from pg 11 threat of radicalization, they are simply inconsequential. Why? Because (a) they ignore hardcore realities; (b) fail to address the legitimate needs and concerns of the most vulnerable segments of the Muslim-American population; (c) and seek to isolate and ostracize the very Muslims in the community who would be most effective in addressing this growing problem.

On a final note I want to share something else that just came to my attention. The Muslim Public Affairs Council released their own statement in response to this latest “terrorist plot.” The final paragraphs of their statement warrant deep reflection (and I congratulate MPAC for making this needed observation): “...Going beyond asking communities to identify violent extremists, we believe there needs to be a partnership to help communities intervene earlier in the radicalization process and help rehabilitate troubled individuals. If communities were able to address these issues proactively, tension with law enforcement would be greatly minimized. These cases could be prevented in an early stage without sending

another person to jail and creating a media circus that harms all of our communities and feeds negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims.

In short, there needs to be a shift in emphasis, both in discourse and action, from relying solely on proactive police investigations to making greater use of proactive community interventions. As one of our nation’s Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” MPAC News & Views release of 12/10/10 (“When It Comes to Violent Extremism, An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure”) I couldn’t agree more! This is the message that all of our Muslim organizations, large and small, should be conveying from coast to coast! May ALLAH help us.

In the struggle for peace thru justice, El-Hajj Mauri’ Saalakhan -- Muharram 4, 1432 / December 10, 2010 -----------------------------------------------Mauri’ Saalakhan runs the Peace Thru Justice Foundation and is the author of “Islam & Terrorism: Myth Vs. Reality”.

9th Annual MAS/ICNA Convention From Thursday, Dec 23 To Monday, December 27 2010

MAS and ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) 9th Annual Convention. Lend A Hand, Help Light the Way. Topics of Interest Include: Spirituality, Family and Parenting, Social Issues, Shariah Knowledge and Jurisprudence, Intellectual, Dawa Workshops, Activism, Volunteerism and more. Youth Conference. Various discussions on topics such as “peer-pressure” and generational gaps. Register: http:// www.masicna.com/home/Registration/Onlineregistration/tabid/73/Default.aspx Location: Hyatt Regency O’Hare; 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue; Rosemont, IL 60018 Contact: MAS Chicago Chapter;(708)430-1060 ;www.maschicago.org; ICNA 866-497-9037; www.icnachicago.or ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Annual ICNA Council for Social Justice Fundraiser Friday, December 24 2010, 5:00pm - 8:00pm

First Annual Banquet and Fundraiser ICNA Council for Social Justice. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tariq Ramadan Renowned Islamic Scholar and Professor Oxford University. Other Speakers: Imam Khalid Griggs, Chairman ICNA Council for Social Justice; Dr Zahid Bukhari, Central President ICNA; Naeem Baig, Executive Director ICNA Council for Social Justice; Dwayne Dail, North Carolina man vindicated after 17 yrs of imprisonment. Tickets only $30 per person. Location: Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge; 1900 N Fort Myer Drive; Arlington, VA 22209 Contact: 202-642-3064; executivedirector@icnacsj.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Central Virginia Qur’an Competition Saturday, January 15 2011

Central Virginia Qur’an Competition. Al Fatihah Symposium. With Special Guests: Imam Javid Bhaiyat and Imam Ammar Ammonette. The symposium will be an informative meeting in which we endeavor to become more knowledgeable regarding the meaning, application and pondering of the oft repeated verses of the Qur’an. Registration opens Dec 22, 2010.

Contact: www.cvqc.org; centralvqcc@gmail.com ; 804-859-3084 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Salam Networking, Thursday, January 20 2011, 6:00pm - 9:30pm

We invite you to join us for dinner & networking with other Business Owners, Professionals & Community Leaders. Regular tickets: $35 each; Jan 18 or later $50 each. This is a catered event & advance purchase is required. For tickets and more information: Muhammad Farooq 703-591-0999; President - Mrs. Shaheen Hossini ,703-725-7335.Location: ICNVT ShirleyGate Community Hall;4420 Shirley Gate Rd; Fairfax VA 22030 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

International Sisters Network: 15th Annual Fashion Show & Luncheon Sunday, March 13 2011, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

International Sisters Network presents it’s 15th Annual Sisters Only Fashion Show & Luncheon. “Treasures of the East”. Washington Navy Yard Catering & Conference Center; 1454 Parsons Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20374. Tickets: $50, $25 Children (Purchase tickets at www.eventbrite.com before Feb 20, 2011 for discount) Contact: For further information, call 240-606-612

LETTER TO THE EDITOR | 17

December 24th, 2010 - January 6th, 2011 Editor-in-Chief: Minhaj Hasan Office Manager : Stephanie Benmoha News Desk: Rashad Mulla Layout & Design: Fadlullah Firman Staff Writers: Farkhunda Ali Farha Marfani Rashad Mulla Yaman Shalabi Sharia Advisors: Sheikh Salah as-Sawi Imam Safi Khan The Muslim Link (TML) is published every other week 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.

The views expressed in The Muslim Link do not necessarily reflect those of Dar-us-Salaam or TML management or their underwriters. Dar-usSalaam and TML are not responsible for the accuracy of information presented by advertisers, or for the religious compliance of events, products, or services published in TML. This publication contains the names of ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). Please keep, recycle, or share it with others The Muslim Link 5301 Edgewood Road College Park, MD 20740 Phone : (301) 982-1020 Fax: 240-209-0702 editor@muslimlinkpaper.com

Letter to the Editor Thank You For Addressing Pornography Addiction You are so right about the major reason for the “silent suffering” [“Suffering In Silence: Pornography Addiction”, in the Muslim Link’s December 10, 2010 issue].

Humans are subject to fall from grace occasionally. Yet the fall need not be a silent, lonely death sentence. Until our communities are more open to helping than to criticizing, no one will come forward to ask for help for fear of being ostracized, shunned, or demonized. -- Muslimah (online reader) ------------------------------------------------

Looking Homegrown Terrorism In the Face Assalamu’alykum. In reacting to the arrest of a Baltimore youth accused of plotting to bomb a military recruiting center [“Another Local Youth Arrested in Fake FBI Bomb Plot”, from the Muslim Link’s web edition posted December 10, 2010], my first point: this is a very sad event; for the boy who was arrested, for his family, for the Muslim community and for the community at large.

Of course masjids in the area should be making statements condemning the act. It is true that it is not fair....and many people have wondered aloud why the Muslim community as a whole should have to apologize every time a random Muslim does something crazy (Christian’s and republicans, for example, are not held to the same standard). We cannot dwell on this double-standard. It’s not always fair but our community’s leaders should condemn any sort of violence against innocents. In fact, it is my personal opinion they should speak out about ANY violence. Other immigrant and religious groups before us have faced the same pressure. We should look to them not as a model of behavior, but as a model of survival. We should always do what is right. Our ummah has higher standards.

We all know that the FBI has “spies” in probably every masjid on the east coast, and there is something inherently suspicious about a brand new convert to Islam (probably with a troubled past) becoming radicalized so quickly. My feeling is that these issues will slowly be exposed as organizations like the ACLU begin to scrutinize these cases. We know this deen can flourish here, Insha’Allah it will, but we have to face some practical realities.

The second point I wanted to make is that we have to come to grips with the fact that for at least some young Muslims, physical jihad is the center of Islam.

Instead of learning Arabic, studying the Noble Qur’an, studying Hadith, making da’wah, etc. we have a tiny population of young people who have been convinced that physical jihad is something that comes before everything else.

Imam Zaid Shakir once said that after speaking with some radicalized Muslim youth in London he was stunned by the fact that they could come up with all sorts of justifications for jihad against the west, but they had NEVER even spoken to a non Muslim about Islam. They had never made da’wah and had never even approached their neighbors with a friendly word about Islam. Imam Shakir pointed out most astutely the tragedy in all of this, these young people were ready to fight someone for Islam, before even inviting them to Islam. Does anyone else see the irony in this? We need to talk about these things.

May Allah (SWT) guide us and keep our young people on the straight path. -- DC Seeker (online reader) ------------------------------------------------

FBI Tactics Lead Weak Minded To Pursue Plots The tactics used in this and similar cases can actually induce the behavior they are

in tended to discover. The tactics should definitely be subject to legal and ethical scrutiny.

These tactics should not be accepted just because they appear to work, and each case should be carefully looked at. We in the public should not jump to conclusions -- we are still a society in which people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

As numerous experiments and also real-life situations indicate, the majority of ordinary people in controlled situations, especially those involving people who are viewed as experts or leaders, can be persuaded to do acts they would never do under normal circumstances.

They seem to be involving suspects over time in controlled, artificial situations (i.e. the fake plot) under the guidance of individuals they are persuaded are leaders and experts.

Within the fake group they do not have the benefit of dissenting voices that would arise in a real group, and perhaps endure increasing social isolation as a condition or result of the controlled situation. This type of artificial situations create strong psychological conditions that can make the most normal people take actions they are ordinarily profoundly morally opposed to.

See these links to read about social experiments and a real life case regarding obedience to authority, and the power of situations to change behavior. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_ experiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strip_search_ prank_call_scam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_ prison_experiment

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Islamic Center of Maryland has established a Musallah in Rockville at The Legacy Hotel for Friday prayers.

The Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre

Time: 12:30 pm 1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20858  Close to Congressional Plaza  Walking distance to Twinbrook Metro Station  Free Parking Below is a list of our Friday prayer locations ICM Masjid

19411 Woodfield Road Gaithersburg MD 20879 Time 12:30 pm (Plus daily 5 times Salaah)

Casey Community Center

810 South Frederick Avenue Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Time 1:30 pm

Thomas Farm Community Center 700 Fallsgrove Drive Rockville, Md. 20850 Time 12:30 pm

Please visit our website at www.icomd.org and subscribe to ICM’s weekly e-newsletter.

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CHILDCARE EXCHANGE LICENSED HOME DAYCARE Licensed Home Daycare. Infant and Up. 301-593-4769.

-----------------------------------------------HOME AWAY FROM HOME IN MUSLIM ENVIRONMENT Licensed, operated by a pre-school teacher; Full-time, Part-time, Before and After Care; Weekends and Extended Hours; Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks Provided; Near MCC; Must See & Compare with Others; 301-570-4245 or www.ashtondaycare.com ----------------------------------------------ZOHAIB’S CHILD CARE Zohaib’s Child Care. 8:00AM to 6:00PM. Monday-Friday. Providing drink & snack. Age: Infant-12 yo. Starting in middle of January. 301-604-4939 or 301-247-5210.

FOR RENT NICE TOWNHOUSE FOR RENT CLOSE TO ICM Townhouse, 5 BR, 3 1/2 BA, Walk out basement. New windows. At Montgomery Village, MD. Rent $1,450 not including utilities. 240-751-6563.

240-751-6568.

----------------------------------------------ROOM FOR RENTCOLLEGE PARK Brothers ONLY. Room for rent at College Park for $400 plus shared

utilities. less than 1 mile from Al-Huda School, 1.2 miles from Greenbelt Metro, 0.5 miles from MOMs Organic Market, 1.1 miles from Shoppers, - 0.3 miles to a MetroBus Stop. Contact Roy Caspari 202.903.6419, roycaspari@yahoo.com -----------------------------------------------ROOMS FOR RENT 2 separate rooms for rent in College Park close to Al Huda, University of MD, close to Greenbelt Metro. Call 240-2719552.

FOR SALE HALAL GROCERY STORE/ MEAT MARKET FOR SALE Asking Price: $115K, Sales: $324K, Net Profit: $60K (Alexandria, VA) Call Lou for additional information 202688-1303 Woodstel Capital Business Brokerage

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To place an ad in the Muslim Link call us at 301-982-1020 or email us at office@muslimlinkpaper.com

MISCELLANEOUS FREE TO GOOD HOME Free to a good home, 2 Yorkie puppies for adoption. If interested, contact me on rbradley987@gmail.com

MATRIMONIAL

Ismail LAHER - REAL ESTATE Commercial, Residential & Investments Transactions • Provider of Title Insurance, Real Estate Settlement & Escrow Services.

• Years of experience, reliability and know-how ensure on-time, hassle free, successful real estate transactions.

• Access to multiple Attorneys who can assist you with Deeds, Liens, Easements, Payoffs, Financing Options, 1031 Investments, Starker Exchanges, etc.

Please visit www.Laher.com for details, bio, newsletter signup, etc.

Fax: 202-518-9301 • Email: title@Laher.com • Tel: 202-596-7863

Mr. LAHER thanks YOU for your Business & Referrals!

BROTHER SEEKING WIFE Gentleman, 57, from Iran, no children.

Non-smoker, taxi driver. Seeking Muslim lady for marriage. For more information call Ali from 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week.

202-669-5699.

-----------------------------------------------SEEKING MUSLIM WIFE Seeking Muslim wife who is marriageminded and God fearing. Race, nationality, age unimportant. I’m 36, 5-11”, 180 lbs, handsome, ambitious, affectionate. I’m drug/disease free, nonsmoker. If interested, please contact me with any questions. Frederick Adams #00B2570, Fishkill Correctional Facility, Box 1245, Beacon NY 12508.

-----------------------------------------------MOROCCAN SISTER FOR MARRIAGE 36 yr old Moroccan Sister looking for Good Muslim man living in USA, homemaker, never married, will aid in translations if necessary, contact her Wali at mahdikm1@earthlink.net or 410-988-0705.

-----------------------------------------------AS SALAMU ALEIKUM As Salamu Aleikum Muslimahs’ and Muslimah Walis’ My name is Ron Eugene Neal #769053 (AKA) Mumin Aziz Jabbar. I’ve ask Allahuta’la to be my guide to my Muslima in Nikah. So go check out my FaceBook and My Space Page Websites. Jazak allah! Neal Unit, 9055 Spur 591, Amarillo, Texas 79107.

SERVICES HANDYMAN AVAILABLE Assalamu’alaykum! My name is Varga Syahroni. I am an experienced technician in D.C. and Maryland. I offer service and repair for cooling, heating, plumbing, refrigerator, dish washers, dryer machines and much more. Call me for reliable service! Free estimates (301) 792-1004 or email varga_syahroni@yahoo.com -----------------------------------------------HOME SERVICES Licensed contractor. Home Improvement work, interior/exterior painting, drywall install/repair, brick/concrete repair.

License #30385946 Estimates done.

Contact Br. Allen Scott at 410-467-1259 or 443-538-7643(cell) -----------------------------------------------THE FALL IS A GOOD TIME FOR PLANTING We do landscape design, planting trees, shrubs, and flowers, garden maintenance and yard clean up. We do hauling and delivery of large, bulky items for the winter. We take care of your garden without chemicals or pesticides. We serve the Northern VA area and parts of Montgomery County. Evergreen Organic Landscapes, Annandale, VA call 571-277-6241 for a free estimate.

-----------------------------------------------PLACE AN AD WITH TML To place an ad in the Muslim Link call us at 301-982-1020 or email us at office@muslimlinkpaper.com

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