Contents
Rabi al-Awwal/Rabi al - Thani 1423 1423 - June 2002
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Cover Issue 6 Volume 15
Editorial
Reference
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News from around the world
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1. The Freedom of Truancy, 2. Prince of Darkness, 3. Pakistan's Missile, 4. Top Shelf Labour, 5. "My House is your House", 6. JFortuyn Assassinated, 7. August 6th 2002
Cardinal Sin
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The Catholic Church has been rocked by allegations that its clergy molested children. This revelation was further exacerbated by evidence suggesting senior Cardinals conducted damage limitation cover ups which often resulted in moving known paedophile priests to different parishes thereby moving the problem on...
A Matter of Life and Death?
As Muslims we realise that life is merely a prelude to death and that life is an incredibly weighty and serious affair. We regularly remind ourselves of this issue when we read the Qur'an, when we contemplate deeply about the world around us. At least five times a day we turn our faces towards Makkah in prayer and we follow the takbir-alihram (the opening takbir) with the verse;
"‌my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds" [TMQ Al-An'am: 162]
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"Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed or "disappeared", at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame." Amnesty International, in its annual report on US military aid and human rights...
Tensions between India and Pakistan
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magazine
CIA: Global Terrorist Par Excellence
The topic on the lips of many this month is World Cup football. Football has become a global obsession. For some there is nothing more important than football. It is at times like these, that we should reflect on world events and realise that there is probably nothing lower in the scale of importance for Muslims than football...
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Khilafah
Great Responsibility
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The summer is coming and with the lengthening days come the big Box Office movies, the money-spinners of Hollywood. People flock to these movies in throngs, seeking and finding two hours of escapism, or a roller-coaster ride of an action film and by and large it is there to be found..
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Do You Feel Valued?
Those who call themselves the bastions of human freedom, those who will fight to the ends of the earth to guarantee justice to every single person are often the same people to allow the desecration of human life. Whilst they themselves play ignorant because it is not in their interests to lose American soldiers for the truth, especially when there isn't a buck to make from it...
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Leaflet from Hizb utTahrir Uzbekistan
The New Xenophobia
The increase in popularity of right-wing parties in Europe and elsewhere is not your classic xenophobia of whites against non-white or natives against non-natives. Rather it is the undisguised hatred of Muslims and Islam. Pim Fortuyn is not the only one who has attacked Islam as intolerant, backward and a threat to European liberal views...
Lessons from The Battle of Ahzab
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The harsh reality that the Muslims are faced with today; a reality in which the wound of Palestine continues to bleed and the alliance of the Kuffar is preparing to attack Iraq, some from amongst us have begun to feel that the situation has deteriorated with no hope of salvation. The feeling of helplessness has crept into their hearts when they witness the continuous barrage of attack against Islam and the Muslims...
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Quotes
The Ruler of Uzbekistan increases in his oppression and provocation of Muslims.
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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Editorial
Khilafah Magazine · www.khilafah.com · magazine@khilafah.com
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu The topic on the lips of many this month is World Cup football. Football has become a global obsession. For some there is nothing more important than football. It is at times like these, that we should reflect on world events and realise that there is probably nothing lower in the scale of importance for Muslims than football. Recent weeks have shown a rise in the support of far right parties and organisations in Europe. Jean-Marie Le-Pen's far right National Front succeeded in relegating Lionel Jospin's Socialist Party to third place in the first round of the French elections and took almost 20% of the votes in the second round. In Denmark, the Danish People's Party took a 12% share of the votes in the Danish elections last November nearly doubling its previous share. In the Netherlands, Pim Fortuyn's LPF party won 26 parliamentary seats in the recent national elections following his death. And in England, the local council victories in Burnley for the British National Party all add to the evidence. September 11th has exposed another side of these far right organisations and a reason for their perceived rise - their stance vis-à-vis Muslims and Islam. Pim Fortuyn argued that Muslim immigrants possess an anti-feminist, anti-tolerant and backward-looking religion. In the Danish Peoples Party campaign during the November elections, their campaign poster was that of a young Danish blonde girl with the slogan "when she retires, Denmark will have a Muslim majority". Jean-Marie Le-Pen said about the Hijab that, "it keeps us away from ugly looking women". The BNP in Britain have held meetings with Hindus and Sikhs in specific campaigns against Muslims. Having been allowed to fight national elections by the Capitalist systems of Europe, such a rise has taken some Muslims by surprise. For some this surprise has turned to fear and for others awareness. For those who fear the consequences of such a far right rise, it should be understood that these far right parties are not legitimately allowed to run without reason. The fact that they run shows that they largely hold values, ideas and policies consistent in principle with Capitalism, as it would be inconceivable for them to participate if they presented a threat to the beliefs and standards of the ideology. Indeed, the anti-immigration stance is argued from the perspective of economic prosperity and a growing financial strain on the state, and the anti-Muslim stance argued from the perspective of national security and the protection of Western values, all perfectly consistent with ideals of Capitalism. Further, the feeling of fear creates fertile ground for the call for integration. Peter Hain, a UK Minister, in recent comments about Muslims in Britain stated that "there is a tendency amongst a minority to isolate themselves and that leaves them vulnerable to 4
Khilafah Magazine June 2002
either exploitation by Osama bin Laden-type extremists and fanatics on the one hand, or targeting by racists and Nazis on the other". Such comments are designed to push Muslims closer to the Western Capitalist way of life so that they abandon the elevated values of Islam for the rotten values of the West. It is through creating a fear of the consequences of not integrating that this is achieved. Indeed the path to the adoption of such ideas and concepts of life, will lead one to become liberal with Allah (swt) and His (swt) Law as it would require compromising our obedience to Him (swt) in areas of marriage, education, earnings, the link to the global Ummah and the overall aim in life. On the theme of trading Islam for temporal benefit and promised security, the treachery of Pakistan's President is also all too apparent. As this edition of Khilafah Magazine goes to print, tensions between India and Pakistan are at their perilous heights. Richard Armitage and Donald Rumsfeld have both planned visits to the region in light of recent tensions, and Jack Straw, the UK Foreign Secretary, has only just concluded his visit. The 'unstinting' support offered to the USA after the attacks in New York in the 'war against terrorism' in Afghanistan was conceded because of apparent benefits that were promised to Pakistan. Irrespective of this, such concessions were at the expense of Muslims in Afghanistan and the security of Muslims in the region. But on the subject of benefits, none ever emerged and in fact the USA's condemnation of Pakistan in 'not preventing incursions across the line of control' has been more so than that of India and illustrates that once on the path of compromise, treachery is its only conclusion. The conclusion to all this is to understand that obedience to Allah (swt) and adherence to Islam is a matter for all Muslims irrespective of the time, difficulty or pressures placed upon the Ummah by those who seek to obstruct its return to life and society, as Allah (swt) says:
Khilafah magazine
Published by Al-Khilafah Publications Suite 298, 56 Gloucester Road, London, SW7 4UB
Editor Dr Imran Waheed
News Editor Samiul Muquit
Editorial Board Dr Baber Qureshi Jalaluddin Patel Asim Khan Abdul Hamid Jassat
Production and Publishing Mokbul Hussain Nurul Amin
Sisters Editorial Advisors Dr Nazreen Nawaz Ruksana Rahman Sameena Asghar
No Copyrights Since Islam rejects copyrights and patents you are free to reproduce articles contained within this publication. It is our kind request that when doing so you cite the author and source of the article.
Translation of the Qur’an It should be perfectly clear that the Qur’an is only authentic in its original language, Arabic. Since perfect translation of the Qur’an is impossible, the term ‘Translation of the Meaning of the Qur’an (TMQ) has been used, as the result is only a crude meaning of the Arabic text.
Subscription details Subscription charges: "They (the disbelievers) want to extinguish Allah's Light (Islam) with their mouths, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the Kafireen may hate it." [TMQ At-Taubah: 32] Akmal Asghar
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Reference
Quotes
"We have 50 per cent of the world's wealth, but only 6.3 per cent of its population. In this situation, our real job in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which permit us to maintain this position of disparity. To do so, we have to dispense with all sentimentality ... we should cease thinking about human rights, the raising of living standards and democratisation" George Kennan, US Cold War planner, 1948
Tensions between India and Pakistan
•
On May 22nd the Indian Prime Minister, Vajpayee, told soldiers near the front line in Jammu and Kashmir to prepare for a "decisive battle" with Pakistan. The Economist commented at this juncture "war looked imminent".
•
Pakistan then repeated its earlier commitment to pull back organisations operating in Kashmir, but made clear it was ready to defend itself against India and then proceeded to test missiles.
•
•
President Bush said in St Petersburg, Russia: "It's very important for President Musharraf to do what he said he was going to do ... and that is to stop the incursions across the border" and "We are deeply concerned about the rhetoric". Mr Bush said. "It's important that India know that he [Musharraf] is going to fulfil his promise." [BBC, 25 May 2002].
•
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said, "I hope both sides realize they are at a very critical point, and we will get them to step back." [Washington Post; May 25, 2002].
•
US Officials told the Washington Post newspaper: "Under the U.S. strategy, an end to militant infiltration would be followed by a pullback by many of the 1 million troops deployed by the two sides along the border. Then, the two governments would be encouraged to resume their political talks to resolve the underlying political disputes, including the status of Kashmir." The paper also reported "although U.S. diplomats have not "directly" linked a Pakistani crackdown to the opening of discussions on Kashmir, a senior administration official said "we do tell the Indians they've got to deal with underlying causes.""[Washington Post May 25, 2002].
"The de facto role of the US armed forces will be to keep the world safe for our economy and open to our cultural assault. To those ends, we will do a fair amount of killings." Major Ralph Peters, Constant Conflict, Parameters, Summer 1997, pp. 4-14, quoted by Susan George, The Lugano Report, (Pluto Press, 1999), p.104 “There are people who control spacious territories teeming with manifest and hidden resources. They dominate the intersections of world routes. Their lands were the cradles of human civilizations and religions. These people have one faith, one language, one history and the same aspirations. No natural barriers can isolate these people from one another ... if, per chance, this nation were to be unified into one state, it would then take the fate of the world into its hands and would separate Europe from the rest of the world. Taking these considerations seriously, a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never-ending wars. It could also serve as a springboard for the West to gain its coveted objects.” Sir Campbell Bannerman, Prime Minister of Britain [1905-08] said in 1902
The American government all the while made statements reassuring India that Pakistan would behave, and that they would guide the region back to normality:
•
America scheduled Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage to visit the region on June 6 and 7, two whole weeks after the killing that caused the tension.
•
But America can never be an impartial mediator. Defence Under Secretary Douglas Feith, confirmed recently that the United States and India had signed an agreement on securing shared defence information and were co-operating on naval operations. Furthermore, America has its own nefarious designs on Kashmir as part of its general strategy for increasing hegemony over Central and South Asia.
•
May's Indian and American joint war exercise in Agra reflects a growing strategic co-operation between the two countries, and the "most topical area", according to Christina Rocca, of the emerging partnership is related to military-to-military relations.
•
India stood to gain a lot from what were the first joint military exercises with America in nearly four decades. India was exposed to the American style of warfare at close quarters. As India's enemy Pakistan is American trained, India can become better able to predict Pakistan's moves.
•
Pakistan itself has strengthened India, by committing itself to the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to India, via Pakistan, the government is working to solve India¹s energy problems.
•
And the recent events in Gujarat show just how India deals with Muslims, but this is not anything new or unique to Gujarat. Human rights groups in Kashmir have documented hundreds of extra-judicial killings carried out by carried out by Indian forces. In its annual report covering events of 1995, the U.S. State Department stated, "Human rights groups consider credible reports that dozens of such killings occur every month" [Human Rights Watch Report, May 1996].
•
The greatest affliction that we suffer from is that the Kafir has authority over us, and our affairs are in his hands, as if we have no say in them at all. The Kafir imposes oppressive, hypocritical and two-faced rulers, who seek dignity from the Kuffar, and not from Allah (swt). They also remove other rulers according to their own wishes and interests. These rulers dedicated themselves with heart and soul for the service of the Kafir, and safeguarding his interests. They oppress this Noble Ummah and violate her sanctities, and increase the oppression in the absence of anyone questioning, accounting or imposing any deterring punishment.
•
The liberation of Kashmir, and India, from the Kafir Hindus, as well as the liberation of Palestine from the Jews, and the liberation of all other parts of the Islamic lands under Kafir rule, will not take place through armed groups and organisations, however well they may be armed. This is because liberation is the duty of states, after sufficient preparation has been undertaken. Relying on organisations to liberate lands, enables the Kafir to have power over us, and acts as a cover for the shortcomings, negligence and treachery of the ruler. Although it is obligatory to repel aggression inside the occupied lands, according to the rules of defensive Jihad, it is obligatory on those outside the occupied lands to mobilise the armies to liberate these lands, and not to depend solely on the struggle inside, which offers only limited results. Nor does this exempt anyone who is able to, from involving himself or herself in the obligation to work to establish the rule of Islam i.e. establish the Righteous Khilafah for whose establishment every Muslim yearns.
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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News From Around The World
The Freedom of Truancy On any single day in England 5,000 children will be missing school according to a recent statistic. Throughout the country truancy rates have increased leaving everyone to question the trend of truancy and its causes. Missing school isn't the only problem. Recent figures showed that 40% of street crime is by 10-16 year olds who should have been in school. In the U.S., statistics mentioned that 82% of prisoners were school dropouts. Initial analysis leads people to think that parental responsibility is the cause along with the lack of assigning appropriate funds. Others believe that these students are the bad apples that are present in any country. Such analysis still leaves open the question, why do students miss school? Students here believe that they can decide the direction of their lives and are free to live the way they want to. The environment that children grow up and mature in indoctrinates them with the idea of freedom. Life's ambition is to enjoy, which is underpinned with secularism. The point is that truancy should not be seen as a sudden problem, but should be expected from personal freedom that prevails Britain. As much as truancy is rising due to students deciding that they just do not want to go to school, everything else that they have done, are doing and will do is the product of personal freedom; do what you want. Truancy can never be uprooted as long as freedom has the last say. And the same can be said for crime. Unfortunately such societal ills end up effecting the Muslim youth as well. How does Islam view the problem? The starting point is that Islam takes on the most important question that a student will face, or for that matter any person will face - What is life all about? By personally understanding that the Creator of the universe is Allah (swt) and that He (swt) placed a detailed way to proceed through life upon which our actions will be accounted for on the Day of Judgement, it answers the question and enables a Muslim to realize that his/her life's' ambition is not to place freedom on the top but the pleasure of his Rabb. The Islamic Shari'ah answers all problems that one will face from the day he is a student till the moment of the last breath. This is all made practical through the Islamic State that applies the Shari'ah and protects the people from deviation.
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Khilafah Magazine June 2002
In terms of education it views it as necessary for a Muslim to understand what is relevant from an early age to ensure that the pleasure of Allah (swt) is sought through obedience to the commands of Allah (swt). This cannot be understood unless a student is educated in this. Muhammad (saw) said:
"Every Muslim is obliged to seek knowledge." This creates a unique environment that produced the likes of Abdullah bin Masud who personified the Islamic struggle at a tender age of 14 while Imam Shafi memorised the Qur'an at seven and was able to do ijtihad not long after. Islam answers the question of life and then consolidates this through living by the Ahkam Shari'ah while Capitalism leaves Western countries without the correct answer to life and perpetuates societal ills like truancy.
The deep-rooted political values and human rights are just slogans used by the West to disguise their real motives. Is it not America that has been responsible for the killing and bombardment of unarmed civilians in Afghanistan? Or the misery and death they have caused by placing sanctions against Iraq? The confused prince needs to step down from his position of ruling and realise that the Prophet (saw) is our true example and sole reference in all aspects of life including politics and leadership. Referring to the West for solutions will only bring misery in this life and the hereafter. The Prophet (saw) implemented the Shari'ah more than fourteen hundred years ago and he (saw) ensured that Allah (swt) was sovereign over all affairs. This Islamic Khilafah protected the rights of every citizen regardless of their status or belief.
Farhad Khodabaksh
Prince of Darkness Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah said in remarks published recently that je had to spend hours getting U.S. President George W. Bush up to speed on Middle East issues, but his impression of the U.S. leader was positive. "I found a man totally different from what I had expected," Saudi newspaper Okaz quoted the prince as saying about his first face-toface meeting with Bush last month. "He has noble qualities. He is honest, courageous and highly compassionate. These are all good news for the Palestinians." He further stated: "I told him you are the president of the world's most powerful country, you have principles and deeprooted political values that stress human rights, justice and equality. You also have the ability to move towards justice and peace." Only the naive would not see that Bush has concerns other than peace with regard to the intense conflict occurring in the Middle East. Has the prince forgotten that the Kafir he has praised tremendously concerning human rights and so-called justice, has proclaimed war against the Muslims in Afghanistan in which thousands have been killed in the last few months?
"O you who believe! If you support (the cause of) Allah, then He will aid you and consolidate your foothold firmly" [TMQ Muhammad: 7] Humaiyun Qureshi
Pakistan's Missile The tensions between India and Pakistan were brought to the head of international events in May as firing across the border intensified and the prospects of an 'allout war' became the topic on the tongue of international leaders. Accusations of 'terrorism' had led to this stand-off, with Vajpayee riding the train of the 'antiterrorism' campaign already set in motion by the US and Britain.
between Pakistan and India over Kashmir was really a conflict between Islam and Kufr. Musharraf would have the Ummah believe that he is the
champion of justice and his intentions are purely for the sake of Islam. However, his actions have time and time again discredited any defence for his motives. The first successful testing of a Pakistani built nuclear missile had been heralded by the Muslims as a joyous occasion, and it was labelled the first 'Islamic Bomb'. This marked the existence of a weapon, now in Muslim hands, capable of being used to free the Muslims from tyranny and oppression. However, to this day this missile has not been used to free the Muslims of Kashmir, Palestine, China, Afghanistan, nor anywhere else in the world. Musharraf does not lack the opportunity to use this missile; rather he lacks the will to do as he is commanded by Allah (swt). The Pakistani Military is known for its potency, especially the air force, and is one of the most experienced forces in the world. However, its hands have been tied. In following his declaration of "Allahu-Akbar" the only appropriate action for Musharraf would be implement Islam completely and use the military resources in the Way of Allah (swt) rather than tying Pakistan's political destiny to the interests of Kafir international powers. Samiul Muquit
Top Shelf Labour
With the purchasing of more weapons and the piling up of troops on both sides of the border, the Pakistani President Pervaiz Musharraf announced another successful testing of a home built missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. "Allahu-Akbar," he proclaimed to conclude his speech. Musharraf's audience seemed pleased at this gesture as were the many listening to his address across Pakistan. It would seem from this statement that the recent tension
In recent years the British government, in keeping with other Western capitalist nations, has been forced to admit to a number of embarrassing issues linked to the way in which it functions. Not least was the cash for questions affair, closely followed by resounding calls for greater openness regarding donations to political parties. Hot on the heels of the Bernie Ecclestone fiasco, the UK government is now under fire following revelations that it accepted ÂŁ100,000 from pornography publisher Richard Desmond. Tony Blair, the UK Prime Minister, defended his decision to accept the donation, but stated that in an attempt to cut out the "innuendo" the Labour Party would be setting up a new
News From Around The World
six-member fund raising committee to vet future donations of over ÂŁ5000. In an effort to diffuse the allegations of 'cash for favours', the Labour Party chairman Charles Clarke, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme "The most important moral standard is that people should not expect that in giving money to the Labour Party, they are getting some favour in return". The true reality however is that the vast sums that are pledged to the various political parties come, not as a result of goodwill or random gestures of appreciation, but with the direct expectation of influencing party policy. This mindset should not appear strange or unusual - after all, if one were to examine the capitalist doctrine, then he would find that it is clear that actions are only taken if there is a perceived benefit to be gained, and indeed this is the yardstick used to measure all actions. The governments in the Capitalist West exist primarily to further the interests of the few, via securing contracts, altering legislation, and consider the task of looking after the affairs of the common man as secondary. The war in Afghanistan is a striking example of this - the Bush regime has worked hard to secure oil and gas reserves for the American multi-nationals, who coincidentally were the ones pumping millions of dollars into the Republican party during the election campaign. Contrast this with Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saw) stated in a hadith, narrated by Ibn Umar,
"The Imam is a shepherd, and he is responsible for his subjects" [Bukhari]. Ghyyass Hussain
"My House is your House" This could have been a statement that many so-called homeowners may have been uttering this month, regarding the fact that their houses may well remain the property of the banks from which they have loaned money. For the prospective house purchaser in the Western nations the choice of usurious mortgages that they may
choose from is truly expansive. One of these types is that called an endowments policy. With this policy the foolish victim decides to pay an amount of money (plus added interest) each month towards their house. In addition to that, they pay another amount to the nice friendly bank which the bank then carefully invests in things which don't actually exist (otherwise known as the stock market) and then at the end of the mortgage contract period the money which has been made on the stock market contributes towards the final mortgage payments and the lucky customer also gets to keep any profit which their stock "investments" have yielded. The reality of the mortgage system is that the people never own their own houses until the last payment is paid. By which time they have paid many times its value anyway. The added comedy element of the endowments policy, which many people in the UK came into intimate contact with this month, is the fact that the investments made in the stock markets may not go as predicted and leave them with a deficit to pay at the end. No doubt the bank would be happy to give you another interest-based loan secured on your house to pay it off. The method of property ownership in Islam is nothing like this. Whereas in the Western nations, the needs of the people are taken as an opportunity for the wealthy to exploit them, in the Islamic system they are seen only as needs. If someone has no means of their own then the state may help them, or it may be taken as an opportunity for the wealthy to earn the pleasure of Allah (swt) through their help.
scrapping of a constitutional clause banning discrimination. However the controversy surrounding this incident only boosted his reputation, which led him to win one third of the vote in municipal elections in Rotterdam, the countries' second largest city. His anti-Islamic views, calls to end all immigration and pledges to come down hard on crime have hit a chord with voters despite Holland's proud reputation for liberalism and religious tolerance that stretches back to the 16th century. Fortuyn argued that it was defence of liberalism and tolerance that led him to form his anti-Islamic views. Openly homosexual he raged against Islam, which forbids homosexuality and claimed that Muslim women weren't treated as equal citizens. Islam, he said, was therefore a "backward culture", a view he elaborated in his book "Against the Islamisation of our Culture". In an interview weeks before his assassination he stated "What we are witnessing now is a clash of civilisations, not just between states but within them," referring to the fact that Islam is incompatible with the Western way of life and in fact opposes it. As the anti-terror coalition reiterates that their war is not against Islam, the likes of Fortuyn are emerging to champion that very cause. Allah (swt) says,
Certainly only Islam can offer fairness to all people and release them from the economic oppression they face today.
"And the unbelievers said to the apostles: "Be sure we shall drive you out of our land or ye shall return to our religion." But their Lord inspired (this message) to them: "Verily We shall cause the wrongdoers to perish!" [TMQ Ibrahim: 13]
Dawud Masieh
Mohammed Ashifuddin
Fortuyn Assassinated
August 6th 2002
Last month the Netherlands was horrified by the assassination of the radical right wing politician Pim Fortuyn. The assassination happened nine days before the recent Dutch general elections, in which as expected Fortuyn's party made considerable gains making them one of the largest parties in the Dutch parliament.
America's "war on terror" looked distinctly suspect when the White House admitted that George W. Bush received a CIA analysis as early as August the 6th 2001 that raised the possibility of a jet hijacking involving Osama Bin Laden.
Fortuyn's death came at a time when the 'maverick' politician was making leaps and bounds in Dutch politics. In February, the anti-Islam politician was sacked from his own party, Livable Netherlands, after calling for the
of the Senate Intelligence committee, "sadly it was not." Perhaps the most blatant warning was delivered in September 1999 in an interagency government report entitled the "Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: who becomes a terrorist and why?" In an executive summary of the report available on the Library of Congress website, the authors wrote. "Suicide bombers belonging to AlQaeda's Martyrdom battalion could crash land an aircraft packed with high explosives into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the CIA or the White House." As criticism of Bush's administration gained momentum, the White House launched a fierce rearguard action. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer downplayed the significance of all reports. "For decades, governments have taken steps about warnings on hijackings, but never did we imagine what would take place on September 11th, where people used airplanes as missiles and as weapons." With all the speculation and denial, guilt or innocence cannot realistically be established. However, if America knew of the threat beforehand, this would clearly demonstrate the ruthlessness of the Capitalist ideology. An ideology that seeks to take the "moral high ground," yet allows the mass murder of its own citizens to further its global interests and ambitions. Faisal Chaudhary
Further reports confirmed that in July, an FBI agent in Arizona wrote a memo questioning the number of Arabs taking flight lessons in the United States. "This memo was very consequential and should have been analysed at the highest levels of the intelligence community," said Senator Diane Feinstein, a member
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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Cardinal Sin
CARDINAL SIN some cases. This backtracking so quickly is disturbing."
"I always said going to church was setting the right example for my kids", Peggy Morales of East Harlem told The New York Times. "Now I am just so glad he wasn't an altar boy."
Introduction The Catholic Church has been rocked by allegations that its clergy molested children. This revelation was further exacerbated by evidence suggesting senior Cardinals conducted damage limitation cover ups which often resulted in moving known paedophile priests to different parishes thereby moving the problem on. In the US alone, almost 200 Catholic priests have been suspended in 18 different states since the child abuse scandal broke in January 2002. The seriousness of the problem forced the Pope to hold a meeting with senior cardinals in the Vatican, yet all that came of this meeting was a condemnation of the practice rather than the much anticipated zero tolerance policy which many saw as being the only step to take in order to secure the tarnished image of the Catholic Church. The feeling of too little too late was expressed by David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests, "We weren't terribly optimistic to start with, but we're disappointed." He also expressed worry at the weakness of the Vatican's condemnation that was mirrored by the Cardinals, who were almost advocating turning the blind eye in certain circumstances: "Yesterday the Pope said there is no place in ministry for an abuser, but today the cardinals seemed to be saying, well, maybe sometimes, 8
Khilafah Magazine June 2002
The case of John Geoghan, a Boston priest who received a sentence of up to 10 years for sexually molesting a young boy, opened the floodgates. Over 200 alleged victims who have accused him and other Boston-area priests of sexually abusing them over the last three decades have now voiced their complaints. A lawsuit was launched by 86 alleged sexual abuse victims against Cardinals in the Boston Diocese, including Cardinal Bernard Law. The Boston Globe newspaper, which carried out detailed investigations concluded Cardinal Law knew about Geoghan's abuse but instead of taking action to protect potential victims he moved him on from parish to parish. Further evidence indicated that a cover-up had been taking place throughout the last three decades. One such case involved a priest who threatened to reveal damning evidence against other priests after a Cardinal threatened to reassign him to another parish in 1979. Amongst the 800 documents released by the Archdiocese of Boston revealed that Church officials were well aware that Rev. Paul Shanley publicly advocated sex between men and boys; other documents connected him to the organisers of the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA). The Church knew he had attended a meeting in 1979 where they advocated man-boy (paedophile) relationships, a meeting which later led to the organising of NAMBLA, which is committed to the, "Abolition of age-of- consent and all other laws which prevent men and boys from freely enjoying their bodies." When Cardinal Humberto Madeiros threatened Shanley with reassignment to a parish in Massachusetts, Shanley threatened to, "Release this [material] to the press", claiming the consequences of this would mean, "You would have to fire another half dozen of your top priests since what they are saying is far more shocking than my poor offerings." The situation in the US is not unique as similar revelations have emerged in recent years in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France and Belgium, as well as other countries, yet the sheer number of allegations and cover-ups revealed since January in the US led the Pope to make an unprecedented statement condemning paedophilia. It is important to look into the causes and explanation for the phenomenon of paedophilia in the
Catholic Church and society in general. There are three elements that are key to understanding this problem. •
Celibacy - forced suppression of the procreation instinct.
•
The secular organisation of society that promotes freedom.
•
The attribution of divinity of, "Holy Men".
Celibacy and Society Not even the Pope could legitimately deny that for many, celibacy is a problem in the church. Firstly from the reality of the number of desertions from the priesthood one could conclude it to be against an innate quality endowed in human beings. In the past 25 years, over 20,000 American priests have left the priesthood to marry, an average of 400 per state (in the US) and 110,000 throughout the world. Historically celibacy was not a requirement for Catholic priests. Although there are different variations of the same reason, they all boil down to the view regarding the impurity of women. St Augustine of Hippo, regarded as one of the founding Fathers of the Christian Church, even taught that sex, through the act of procreation, was the means by which the human race passed on the stain of sinfulness. The priest who had sexual intercourse, even with his wife, was not supposed to administer the mass (Catholic religious ceremony); he must not touch holy things, until he had been ritually cleansed. It was allowed for the mass to be administered by a priest who had relations with his wife the night before and it was impossible for the rules to be adequately policed, therefore celibacy was at first discouraged, until 1139CE, when the Second Lateran Council finally forbade clerical marriage under the Papacy of Pope Gregory VII (1073-85). Celibacy is a definite factor due to the realisation that human beings are endowed with the procreation instinct, which is naturally satisfied through relations between men and women. The non-satisfaction of this instinct leads to anxiety and frustration. It is a necessary and natural element of human endeavour in order to maintain the survival
"I always said going to church was setting the right example for my kids", Peggy Morales of East Harlem told The New York Times. "Now I am just so glad he wasn't an altar boy."
of the human species. Although this instinct can be satisfied by a man with an animal, a child or another man, these would be considered to be abnormal and deviations, as they do not realise the reason for the existence of the procreation instinct. Suppression of this instinct without the necessary thoughts to accompany it would lead to grave consequences for society. Although what is being mentioned in relation to celibacy should not be understood to mean this is the sole motivation for priests to molest children, if it were the sole reason every priest would be a child abuser and not even the arch enemy of Rome, Ian Paisley could justify the veracity of such a claim. The Church, like every other institution, believes in secularism - it exists only in order to preach moral values. However, once any institution which seeks moral revival through the pulpit has failed, it is society which becomes the determinant for influencing behaviour. Once the church had enacted the mistaken and corrupt thinking which introduced secularism, by dividing the temporal from the afterlife - Caesar was 'rendered' the spoils and God was relegated to Sunday if that. When this occurred society was man's domain. Therefore Edward and Peter who led limited lives which began and ended within 50-90 years, possessing constrained banks of knowledge and the understanding of their own lives isolated from the lives of others, became arrogant enough as worshippers at the altar of Capitalism to believe they were in the best position to determine the shape - not only of their own lives - but also the direction of the whole society. They set initial limits but introduced all kinds of freedoms as a precursor to the evolving society. In the realms of the procreation instinct human tastes changed, similar to every other aspect of human existence the state would not set laws in stone, human organisation was deemed an elastic model which changes according to the need of the people. In the realms of sexual freedom Capitalism set as loose a framework as the morals of people. It wrongly perceived the relations between people on a sexual level as being a personal matter that does not deserve the interference of the legislators. Those who acted as the peoples' representatives in parliament for example would respond to public opinion; legalisation of homosexuality, the age of consent, gay rights were all normalised through a single vote. The key plank of this thesis being that the Catholic Church does not live in a vacuum, just like society at large emancipated itself from what it perceived to be the shackles of the creator,
so did the Church. Whether Cardinal, Bishop, priest, monk or nun is the title, Capitalism with all its trimmings is the adopted default mindset. The Psalms, Romans and Corinthians may be the recognised text for the Sunday sermon but Machiavelli, Rousseau and Hobbs are the required text for the rest of the week, for both parishioner and preacher alike. The corruption of these ideas without the correct mindset leads the one who is surrounded by these ideas to very easily act upon them. What motivated these clergymen to turn on children placed under their trusted care was not solely the fact that the Pope has refused to abolish the requirement of celibacy, yet that has to play a part. The fact that Bishops in Africa as well as other parts of the world are flouting the terms of their vows and committing to marriage is an indication of the frustration that exists in the Catholic fold. The movement for reform in the Church is growing. Yet merely changing this man made law will not solve the problem of paedophilia in the Church, as to be fair the Church as an institution cannot be blamed for paedophilia, as it exists within society at large. The whole framework of society and especially the organisation of the social system are to blame. The procreation instinct on a practical level like all other instincts is agitated by external stimuli, or the recollection of these stimuli internally. Without these the sexual element of the instinct is not activated. Taking into account what has already been mentioned with regards to Capitalist society, the external elements are not hidden along with the inculcated ideas. The ideas being freedom, accountability to self and the law (if caught), as it is, it is like carrying a ticking time bomb, the external agitations being the intermingling and socialising between the sexes, dancing, advertising which treats everyone like sexual commodities - these are some examples of the detonators. Although there is not (yet) an opinion in society at large which either accepts or even sympathises with paedophilia - the general reaction in Britain for example was to name and shame publicly in the Sunday tabloids, followed by vigilantes driving paedophiles (or in some cases paediatricians!) out of town - what is apparent to those who look beyond the talk show psycho-babble is once the atmosphere of sexual freedom and freedom in general is engendered, paedophilia is the result.
A hundred years ago practicing homosexuals were jailed, although it did not stop homosexuals from abnormally enacting their twisted desires, this was because the foundation for such depravity existed. Today the same ideas exist, although their practical implementation has seen homosexuality normalised. What is to say that paedophilia will not be accorded the same status? Its not as farfetched as it sounds, NAMBLA is mounting a campaign to abolish the age of consent in the USA so that their man - boy love is not hampered. They may even, through time, succeed in getting the age of consent for boys lowered to 15, arguing that 15 year olds have the ability to consent to relations. As time progresses this could be lowered further. Sensing screams of "never" - if only the Victorians shouted "never" loud enough maybe homosexuality would not have been legalised. The nature of Capitalism is that it boasts progression, yet in actuality it achieves degradation. The Church is not immune from society, but it has to take responsibility for its historical mistakes. By this I do not refer to apologising for the Crusades, but rather for the enactment of contradictions resulting from abandonment of that which was ordained by the Creator, in deference to the whims of the Pope and the Church hierarchy. As an example it is relevant to refer to the infamous narration regarding Abu Bakr ibn Al-Baqillani, a leading light and scholar from the history of the Islamic Ummah. The emperor of the Romans asked the Muslim Sultan (Khalifah) Adud Al-Dawla to send him a scholar to answer questions related to Islam. So the Khalifah sent the scholar Abu Bakr Ibn AlBaqillani who was known as, "The Judge". In the course of his visit, he asked a Church dignitary; "How are your wife and children?" Hearing this, the emperor said; "Lo! Do you, the spokesman of Islam, not know that a monk exempts himself of such things?" Al-Baqillani replied; "You exempt a monk from such things, but you do not exempt the Lord of the Worlds from having a mate and child?" In a short conversation he uncovered a glaring contradiction with regards to falsely ascribing fatherhood to the Creator, whilst also by implication declaring incredulous the practice of celibacy.
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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Cardinal Sin
Simply divine? Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Jarir reported that 'Adi bin Hatim al-Ta'i - before his conversion to Islam - entered the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw) whilst he was reciting the ayah:
"They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah, and (they also took as their lord) Messiah, son of Maryam, while they were commanded to worship none but One God. There is no God but He. Praise and glory be to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)" [TMQ AtTaubah: 31]. He said; "They did not worship them." The Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"Indeed they did. They prohibited upon them the halal and they allowed for them the haram, so they followed them (obeyed them), and that is what worshipping them means." There does not exist within anyone - no matter how he looks or what he does - an innate or acquired divinity, which precludes him from sin. The possession of infallibility is the sole monopoly of Prophets and Messengers who deliver a message from the Creator to the people. The mistaken perception of sin is as an earthly (lowly) characteristic whereas the Catholic Church and its priests are deemed to be soldiers of God. The Pope in particular is placed on a pedestal of supernatural proportions that renders him and the Church incapable of sin and error. Many have noted the level of trust placed in the institution of priesthood, which some sought to abuse. Some who claimed abuse at the hands of a priest were not believed and the institution manipulated this trust by moving on priests who had been accused many times over of child abuse. On many occasions the Church was well aware of the existence of paedophile priests such as Reverend Gavin O'Connor, whose practice was to have boys spend the weekend with him in his bed in the rectory. Documents leaked to a New York newspaper indicated the mindset that existed and still exists in the Church. When a complaint was made, it was viewed as an unsubstantiated allegation, which the victim had to prove before it was given any 10
Khilafah Magazine June 2002
serious consideration. Frankly speaking the only substantiation, which the Church recognised was a confession by the alleged priest. Even after separate allegations from multiple localities, the complaints were filed away into the diocese's secret archive. The mentality was no action would be taken unless, "The accuser‌intends to take legal action of any kind, and there has been no publicity concerning the accusation." Such a cynical mentality placed the priest on a pedestal so high that he was beyond reproach from the accusations of the laity, which were viewed as untrustworthy and incredulous. The church did not and still does not have set guidelines as to how to handle paedophile priests other than to brush it under the carpet through an internal move to another parish. This merely moves the problems along. Human beings are by nature imperfect and no man is endowed with infallibility. The Messenger of Allah (saw) regarded the Clergy and Rabbis as having placed themselves on par with Allah (swt). This was due to their belief that they had the legitimate right to abandon the revelation in favour of that which they perceived to be more fitting; in other words they lost the objective behind worship. The Catholic Church was abandoned by many who believed that the Pope was steeped in dogma although this was a watered down and selfimposed rigidity. The Church of England was formed out of the convenience of the monarch who was refused annulment of his marriage by Rome. The Catholic Church was fully shaped by the Roman Empire, which used its own imagery as a convenient ruse to provide legitimacy for its conquests. The Crusades were not a fight by the Popes to protect the Eastern Christians from "the scourge of Islam" [sic]; it was a means by which to halt the Western expansion of Islam. Christianity in all its guises is a merger of many other influences, which have changed the entire face of what Prophet Isa (as) was commanded with. The implications for Muslims The result for Muslims of re-moulding their Deen is a slippery slope to destruction. It would mean the same as abandoning Islam, as its essence, which captivated entire peoples winning over their hearts would be lost. The result would be great corruption and indecency; where would the boundaries for acceptability end once the markers have been shifted? It may seem fanciful to ever believe acceptance of homosexuality by the Muslims as a whole, yet this would be the end result of man legislating how people should live their lives. The Catholic Church and all Christian and Jewish institutions have changed their Deen to something that the Prophets of Allah (as) would never recognise as even a semblance of what they delivered. In short, the maxim "when in Rome do
as the Romans do", was taken literally by the earlier Christians who re-marketed their belief so that it would be more palatable to the Romans and in the process they lost everything that they believed would be afforded protection by a superpower. In one narration the Jews approached Umar bin alKhattab (ra) and proclaimed astonishment that the Muslims had not marked the occasion of the revelation of one Ayah in particular. Umar (ra) enquired which verse they were referring to. The Jews proclaimed if this verse was revealed we would surely have added it as a celebration to our calendar. The verse is quoted below:
"This day, I have perfected your deen (religion) for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen" [TMQ AlMa'idah: 3]. This Ayah perfected Islam and it led to the abrogation of all that came before it in terms of the books of the previous peoples in a definitive manner. This is why we have been warned against compromising a part of Islam to please anyone, the dangerous results of this is too much to ever even consider. Safeguarding the Child and Society Any serious discussion of the solution to paedophiles preying on children's innocence must not sidestep the environment, which exists in society. Any society, which represents the procreation instinct as a commodity that must be sought, has propagated the incorrect view of the instinct. They portray it as if it were for sensory gratification, when the actual reason for the existence of this instinct is as the safeguard for preserving the human race. This is what Western society has imposed upon its people, agitating the instincts of the people whilst legislating very little, it has convinced everyone that they are free and the state exists merely to oversee the business of protecting man's every pleasure. The corrupt Capitalist system - whose founders envisaged a system so free that the state would be only a watchman that intervenes only to safeguard freedoms - has failed. There are very few actions which man performs which do not affect explicitly or implicitly the lives of other people who share the ship that is society. Capitalism does not recognise this fact as it views that man is by nature innately good. Rousseau - who coined the famous slogan, "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains‌and man must be forced to be free" - was enacting his freedom when he fathered five children, abandoning them all in foundling hospitals; he illustrated in this action his 'innate goodness'.
Islam recognises that man has instincts, which drive him to seek their satisfaction, and that this requires organisation since man cannot determine the correct manner for satisfaction without external judgement, as actions are actions neither endowed with goodness or evil. This judgement cannot be from the mind of man, for it is limited by experience and cannot conceivably determine the impact of his judgement until it is put into effect. We can visualise the impact of parliamentary legislation and its deficiencies in being able to encapsulate the wording that covers every reality, for man can only pass judgement on the here and now. The thinking man realises his Creator (swt) is in the position no man or woman - no matter how intelligent, eloquent or sensitive - can reach; since by definition the level of the Creator is unattainable. It is He (swt) who created the world out of nothing including its inhabitants; surely He (swt) is in the best position to be able to determine the law that regulates society. The Islamic society is neither based on the mistaken realisation that man is by nature good or bad. Rather man is a created being who requires guidance and direction on the thorny road of life, in order that he may worship Allah (swt). Islam engenders social cohesion, where either gender is not elevated to an artificial status, or a commodity, which can be bought or sold. A key element of society is the relationship between the sexes that must be regulated so as not to plunge society into degradation and licentiousness. The meeting between men and women is a key element of this. The Prophet (saw) said,
"Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day (Al-yawm al-akhir) let him not be alone with a woman who has not a mahram with her. Indeed, the third (person) is al-Shaytan!" By preventing khulwa (seclusion) the Shar'a took the necessary safeguards between men and women. The reality of khulwa is that it makes the man and woman more sexually agitated. By prohibiting this solitary privacy (Khulwa fardiyya) the causes of corruption are eliminated, because the khulwa is one of the direct means to corruption. The society is not transformed into a paradigm of perfection, for no matter how imbued by taqwa human beings are, there will always be disobedience to Allah (swt). This cannot be eliminated altogether, but the environment filled with reminders and direction will lessen this. Marriage is a mainstay of society, children are a blessing and are conceived through a marriage between man and a woman.
It is encouraged to marry, and encouragement is given to those who are unable. He (saw) said;
"O you who are young. Whoever amongst you can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him refrain from looking at other women, and guard his modesty (i.e. private parts from unlawful sex). And whoever is not able to marry he should fast because it will protect him." The recommendation to fast is not to suppress the procreation instinct but to build a reminder as to man's objective in life, which is to worship Allah (swt). Unlike in the West where it is abnormal for women not to step out of their homes without layers of make-up, lipstick and revealing clothes, Islam forbade this for its impact on society is devastating in spreading immorality. It has been narrated by Abu Musa al-Ashari that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
"Any women that uses perfume and walks past men in order for them to smell her fragrance; she is a fornicator."
due to being preoccupied with the worship of Allah (swt). The Qur'an has clearly mentioned the issue of marriage. He (swt) said:
"Marry women of your choice, two or three, or four" [TMQ An-Nisa: 3]. He (swt) said:
"And marry those among you who are single and the virtuous ones among your slaves, male and female" [TMQ An - Nur: 32]. The absence of Islam from life has legitimised degeneration under the misguided apprehension of freedom. Paedophilia, homosexuality, rape and incest are all results of a society that elevates the procreation instinct and fills society with means by which to achieve abnormal satisfaction. The Muslim countries are being pushed towards the same rotten path. It is up to the Islamic Ummah to protect themselves from this path to Jahannam by working to bring back Allah's (swt) Deen upon this earth. Yusuf Patel
Meaning she is similar to the fornicator in terms of sin. He (saw) also said:
"Two categories of people I have not seen them (yet): some people who hold whips like the tails of the cows by which they lash the people. And women who wear (clothes) but (are) halfnaked, bending (their bodies) and bending the sight of the men to them. Their heads are like the tilted humps of the camels. These women will not enter the paradise nor will they experience its smell (odour), though its odour is felt at a distance of so and so (days)." The prohibition of Tabarruj (revealing the charms) is a safeguard for society. As for abstaining from relations with the opposite sex through marriage under the guise of achieving godliness this is false. Monasticism is equated to celibacy, which is abstinence from women and abandonment of marriage June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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Urgency of Life and Death
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much much more important than that." Bill Shankly
"O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and His Messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life" [TMQ Al-Anfal: 24].
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH? Allah (swt) has described for us how our very life was installed in our bodily structures with the sole purpose of testing us.
"Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the AllMighty, the Oft-Forgiving" [TMQ Al-Mulk: 2]. As Muslims we realise that life is merely a prelude to death and that life is an incredibly weighty and serious affair. We regularly remind ourselves of this issue when we read the Qur'an, when we contemplate deeply about the world around us. At least five times a day we turn our faces towards Makkah in prayer and we follow the takbir-alihram (the opening takbir) with the verse;
"‌my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds" [TMQ Al-An'am: 162] Thus, every prayer reminds us about life and death. Allah (swt) prompts us to obey the laws that He (swt) revealed. In encouraging us to shoulder the burden with which we have been charged, Allah (swt) again refers to this same issue; life.
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It can be concluded, that our attitude to life is absolutely paramount to understanding our purpose in this world. It is paramount for us as individuals and it is paramount to us as a society. The urgency of the term 'life and death' has also been demonstrated in the example of RasoolAllah (saw). Several incidences during the seerah of Rasool-Allah (saw) point to the issue of life and death. Whenever the ultimatum of life or death arose it was always a serious scenario. Abu Talib told Rasool-Allah (saw) that Quraish wanted the Prophet (saw) to stop attacking their beliefs and values. Rasool-Allah's (saw) reply was;
you it is much much more important than that." The reader may at this point consider it cheap and distasteful to discuss that which Allah (swt) and Rasool-Allah (saw) said and then compare it to what Bill Shankly said. You may also consider it out of place to quote such a crassly frivolous and obviously ironic witticism. I apologise now to anyone who feels this way. I assure you, I do not wish to offend. I am simply trying to point out how seriously some, perhaps many, feel about football. Anyone who is au fait with the biography of Bill Shankly would know that his statement may not have been said in jest. Shankly was absolutely obsessed with football. It took over his life. He lived and breathed football. This individual's life was a mere extension to the 90 minutes of happenings on a football pitch. So, was Shankly a one off? Or is football, for many, really a matter of life and death?
"...by Allah, I will continue fighting for what Allah sent me with until Allah makes it dominant or I lose my neck for it." Thus on reading the Seerah, one is struck by the solemnity of the situation. 'Life and death' should be a distressingly serious statement, denude of frivolity.
Passions run high in relation to football, this can be seen in recent events. For instance, on 5 May 2002 loyalists and republicans clashed in North Belfast following the Scottish Cup final. Two policemen were seriously hurt and ten civilians injured. Trouble on the streets either followed or preceded many of the play-off matches this season. Some would argue, that high spirits do not necessarily make football a matter of life and death. However, in March 2002 it was reported that a 15-year-old Somali youth was stabbed to death in an argument over a game of football in Harlesden, North-west London. Kayser Osman's family had escaped the warlords of Mogadishu to Britain in 1989. He was stabbed in the chest and leg. Meanwhile a full police enquiry was being mounted to investigate the tragic murder of Damilola Taylor in November 2000 - thousands were spent on a collapsed trial and miles of columns were written on the case. Kayser Osman's death was merely put down to football. Damilola had been to the library, Kayser had been playing football, both are tragedies but only one got sustained coverage in the Daily Mail. His death was just put down to the passions associated with football. That was what the tabloids said and that is what the public believed.
Please contrast this with the topic of football. On this issue Bill Shankly once said; "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure
But these are just kids; surely adults don't kill over football. Well, in April 2000 two Leeds United supporters were stabbed to death in Istanbul, allegedly over football. Other deaths are also well
"O uncle, by Allah if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand in order for me to leave this matter, I will not. Until Allah makes it dominant and apparent or I die for it." Also, when Rasool-Allah (saw) was going to perform the Umrah (in the incident of Hudaybiyah), Rasool-Allah (saw) was told that Quraish were armed, ready and waiting. He (saw) replied,
Urgency of Life and Death
So, was Shankly a one off? Or is football, for many, really a matter of life and death?
documented at all levels of football. In the mid 1980s, 39 died at the Heysel stadium in Brussels before a European Cup final when Liverpool fans charged Juventus supporters and a retaining wall collapsed. From the late 60s until the late 80s English football experienced death on a regular basis. Rival fans stabbed one another as a matter of routine and those attempting to flee the trouble risked being killed by falling brickwork in decrepit stadia. Trouble was not only directed at rival supporters. During the 1994 World cup finals the Colombian defender Andres Escobar's own goal sent his team packing early - and the player paid for the simple slip with his life. Escobar stunned a watching nation when he deflected the ball into his own net. Colombia failed to recover, losing 2-1 to a jubilant USA. The South Americans returned home in shame and, 10 days later, Escobar was shot 12 times outside a club in his hometown. So is football a matter of life and death? If not a life and death matter it is surely extremely significant. Football has sparked riots. When power went off while watching one World Cup match, angry viewers in Bangladesh rushed into the power plant and held a large demonstration protesting against the power shortage. During a regional match held between Cameroon and Congo in Yaounde, Cameroon to qualify for 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina the Congo's GK began to attack the referee because he assigned the penalty shooting to Cameroon. At this juncture an uncontrollable riot started. The president of Congo, Ahidjo sent a paratroop to the stadium to stop this madness. The result of the game was that Congo won by 2:1. Argentina was defeated by Uruguay in the final match of 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. Argentineans rioted in front of the Uruguayan Embassy. This riot brought about the breaking off the diplomatic relations between two countries. If anyone still needs convincing that football passions have reached abnormal proportions, I still have one more argument. That is, specifically related to the English and the English disease. Alan Clarke described the English football fans
abroad as demonstrating the Marshal spirit, during Euro 2000. His comments say more about the English establishment than it does about the baboons that ran amuck in Brussels and Charleroi shouting, "If it wasn't for the English you'd be Krauts." Their comments about the English liberating Belgium from Germany also reflect the standard of history that is taught English schools. The English got the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Nepalese or any other nation they could to fight most of their battles. The other favourite chant of the English, is the poetic ditty, "I'd rather be a Paki than a Turk." Although Leeds United fans have an addendum to this superlative, which refers to their deep hatred for people of Indian origin. An emotion that stems from an incident involving J. Woodgate, L. Bowyer and S. Najeeb. So the topic of the month is definitely football, and passions that lie therein. Where there is passion, there are opportunists. That is the other issue that I want to touch upon. As with the rugby world cup, the Olympics and other world athletics events there are those that use and those that are used. At these events Kenyan, Russians, and Chinese athletes often do well. But it's usually Kodak-Eastman, Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike et al that really excel. Adidas has spent ÂŁ24m on the World Cup 2002. Adidas has spent on direct promotions of the World Cup and sponsorship of 10 of the 32 football teams. There was an 8% increase in clothing sales in the first three months to the end of March, as consumers bought up football shirts and kit ahead of the tournament. Adidas is confident of hitting its full-year sales targets. The orders for its sportswear indicate that the huge costs invested with sponsoring teams, such as World Cup holders France, will pay dividends. Adidas is an official sponsor of the World Cup, unlike its rival Nike. Both companies have launched aggressive marketing and advertising around the tournament.
It is often said that when Zinedine Zidane scored those first two goals in the final in 1998, whilst Ronaldo stumbled around dazed and confused, this marked a victory of Adidas over Nike. It seems that then Nike backed the wrong horse. They built up Ronaldo as the next Pele, to be the world's greatest ever player. Nike signed a $200 million, 10-year deal with the Confederation de Brazilian Football to sponsor the national team. The Oregon-based shoe company completed a 10year $100 million deal to outfit Inter Milan. ''This is the first time we've applied the Michael Jordan model globally,'' said Nike's Steve Scott. Like Jordan, Nike was giving Ronaldo his own clothing line. Ronaldo had a mysterious fit hours before the game. Rumours emerged that Nike insisted he play against medical advice. Nike had too much to lose by not having the man they had built up play, even if it was detrimental to his health. Nike considered him not as a human being but as a walking talking advertisement hoarding. Nike lost out and very few will cry for them. Their attitude epitomises the nature of the involvement of the multinationals in international sports events. Football has become a global obsession. For some there is nothing more important than football. It is at times like these, we should reflect on world events and we should conclude that there is probably nothing lower in the scale of importance than football. Salim Fredericks
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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concerns? Can the Italians who exited the last 3 finals on penalty shootouts turn their luck? These are the questions that will be occupying the minds of many. Argentina come to the finals ranking number two in the FIFA rankings and with perhaps the most potent attack in football, having hit 42 goals in topping the South American qualifying. Combined with a fine footballing tradition and Latin flair they are favoured by many experts as well as neutral and passionate fans.
GREAT RESPONSIBILITY T
he summer is coming and with the lengthening days come the big Box Office movies, the money-spinners of Hollywood. People flock to these movies in throngs, seeking and finding two hours of escapism, or a roller-coaster ride of an action film and by and large it is there to be found. For the Kuffar there is little wrong in this, as their lives are about enjoyment, and this is but another means of doing so. The danger of course is that their hedonism and selfindulgence affects the Noble Muslims, whose life is of course not bereft of direction and purpose.
Star Wars Episode II, 'Attack of the Clones' is one such box office winner tempting the punters to the dark side, but the runaway winner thus far in the money-making stakes has been the movie adaptation of marvel comics Spiderman, which opens in the UK in June. The movie had to be edited prior to release to delete sensitive scenes of our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman webspinning his way around the now non-existent twin towers. It is interesting that Spiderman's motto that he learns and lives by happens to be "With great power comes great responsibility" a responsibility he takes very seriously spinning around the New York skylines, defending Joe Public from the terror of The Green Goblin! It can be said that each and every Muslim possesses a great power and that is the truth and awareness of life, its purpose and meaning and with this awareness comes the very greatest of responsibilities. To worship Allah (swt) and live by the Ahkam Shari'ah in every aspect, be it in one's personal life by safeguarding ones own Salah, or in the public and societal issues through the establishment of Khilafah. Like Spiderman, the Muslims too have a responsibility to Joe Public as he struggles to find ways to fill his life, without understanding its true purpose. To take them away from decadence and emptiness, and teach them
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Khilafah Magazine June 2002
right from wrong and save them from Jahilliyah and Jahannam, a fate far worse than anything the Green Goblin could ever afflict. This necessitates that the Muslim first of all protects himself from overindulgence in the Dunya's temptations and gives Da'wah to those Muslims who have forgotten their noble purpose and taken the erroneous way, as well as the Kuffar that he or she encounters in everyday life. Furthermore we must not forget the main way by which the final aim will be realised and Islam will enter into each and every household, and that is of course the work for Khilafah, for only through the Da'wah of the State will the masses be turned to Truth as history attests. Of course the eyes of those who are easily distracted from important affairs to matters more trivial will not only be fixed on the Cineplex's this summer. The focus of the World will be on South Korea and Japan as they host the greatest sporting event of this age or any; the 2002 World Cup. The very fact that football is treated as a matter of life or death, has turned this event into something less than trivial. On the contrary it is especially important to view this sporting extravaganza in the correct light. 32 countries will compete for football's greatest prize and the World waits with baited breath to watch the greatest players dazzle us with their skill. Can Rivaldo and Brazil overcome a less than vintage qualifying stage and take advantage of an easy group to address some of the difficulties a squad which used some 60 players in qualifying face, and how much of a force will Ronaldo be following his two knee operations in their return? Or will it be two in a row for Zidane and number one ranked defenders France? Will England be able to survive the 'group of death' and growing injury
In Argentina the people are known to love football, and the whole nation will cheer for their team when they win, and cry for them should they fail. They will urge their heroes, Batistuta and Ortega to victory with fervour. Should their team lift the World Cup come June 30th the question arises, has it made Argentina great? Has it made their economy strong after its great weakness, put food on the people's table, won jobs back that have been lost? Have the Argentineans been freed from the West's multinationals, has the championship taught them the truth, or saved them from Jahannam? Has it brought peoples divided according to borders and nationalities together or driven them further apart? Has it directed their attentions to their economics, their lives and their purpose or has it woven a spell and turned them from it? Again it is the Muslims who realise that life is more than football, as obvious as it may seem. And again the responsibility falls upon those who are aware to bring light to those who are not through the active Da'wah and Jihad behind the might of the Khilafah. Is it not sad then to see Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tunisia and Nigeria competing in the same tournament, giving their time and devotion to an erroneous cause and turning the Ummah to it. The young and aware Muslim, clear on his purpose, his role model is not Mohammed Kallon of Inter Milan or Zinedine Zidane of France, but Muhammad (saw) greatest of the Prophets and his Companions, favoured of generations and the vision they brought. It is the responsibility of those who follow them to call the distracted masses away from the squander of their time to that, which gives them life. The Messenger of Allah (saw) was most truthful when he (saw) said,
"The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgement until he is asked about five matters: about his life, how he spent it; about his youth, how he took care of it; about his wealth, how he earned it and how he spent it; and about that which he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired" [Tirmidhi]. Dr Baber Qureshi
DO YOU FEEL VALUED? B
BC reporter Michael Burke asked Dennis Halliday, "You can't possibly draw a moral equivalence between Saddam Hussain and George Bush Senior can you?"
Government. So do the Human Rights obsessed West really care for humanity? Especially when they seem to be inextricably linked with some of the greatest carnage that mankind can attest to.
Halliday's response was that in comparison to George Bush, Saddam Hussain was an 'amateur'. Dennis Halliday is the former assistant secretary general of the UN who resigned rather than administer what he described as a 'genocide' sanctions policy on Iraq. This is common knowledge with Muslims who are aware that more Iraqi children die every month as a result of the Anglo-American embargo then the total number of dead in the WTC twin towers; a truth that is not allowed to enter the consciousness of the Western public.
On August the 8th 1945 the United States, Britain, France and the then USSR signed what became known as the London Agreement. These countries were, as now, the representatives of the United Nations. This agreement was one of two documents agreed upon to create a body of legislature designed to deal with the injustices of international war crimes. The other agreement was Law Number 10, which was created and agreed to by the Allied Control Council of Berlin on December 20th 1945.
It is also well known that Muslim life is cheaper than crude oil; for American policy makers that is. 10,000 Somalis murdered by US Marines can attest to that [a figure quoted by the CIA]. However, the true crime of the Western power-hungry governments is deeper than this first analysis, because not only do they not value Muslim blood, in truth they do not value human life per se. What matters, simply put, is money. The dollar has a real value, and if that means you crush a few thousand humans in the process, then so be it. Western foreign policy is propagated in the media; "Through a self-righteous one-war moral/legal screen with positive images of western values and innocence portrayed as threatened, validating a campaign of unrestricted political violence", said Richard Falk, professor of international politics at Princeton University in America. Those who call themselves the bastions of human freedom, those who will fight to the ends of the earth to guarantee justice to every single person are often the same people to allow the desecration of human life. Whilst they themselves play ignorant because it is not in their interests to lose American soldiers for the truth, especially when there isn't a buck to make from it. In truth, human life has no value in these democratic, freedom loving societies. What has value is the dollar, material wealth, a lucrative oil contract or construction deal. Even if this means you have to flatten a city to rebuild it, or you take over a country to build a pipeline through it. In fact many of us have witnessed the constant stream of information become more detailed and gory with each subsequent war. This is why the news of the Afghan war, even in its dying throes, is forever edited by the establishments to make sure that the images we received were first approved by the American
The London Agreement provided for the establishment of the International Military Tribunal composed of one judge and one alternate judge from each of the signatory nations to try war criminals. The crimes charged against defendants fell into three categories. 1.
Crimes Against Peace; that is crimes involving the planning, and waging of aggressive war.
2.
War Crimes; that is to say, violations of the laws and customs of war as embodied in the Hague Conventions and generally recognised by the military forces of ' civilised' nations.
3.
Crimes Against Humanity; such as the extermination of racial, ethnic and religious groups and other large-scale atrocities against civilians.
Seemingly then, the Western powers presented themselves to be the bearers of justice. Not only would they police the world for injustices, they had even created a body of international legislation so as to judge those who committed those crimes. There were judges assigned, courts built and the world was all set to resolve the problem of innocent civilians being killed in the name of war. For those seasoned with the actions of the superpower club, it is not surprising to find that the faรงade of 'international justice' and 'war crime tribunals' were nothing but a cover for the morose intentions of those for whom material benefit is the guiding light. Perhaps the oddest case can be found in America's own back yard; the case of the banana. Ecuador is one of the largest suppliers of bananas to the Western consumer market. Yet even here children are under constant abuse, working slave like to bring cheap
bananas to America and Europe. Companies such as Dole and Del-Monte take their bulk supplies of bananas from companies who employ children as young as 8 years old, working shifts of 12 hours a day. By the age of 14, over 60% of these children are no longer in school. It has been reported in the international media, that whilst airplanes filled with fungicides spray the banana crop against disease, the children are expected to continue their work in the same field. The pay for such an easy life? Just over two pounds a day. Yet for all the financial power these large American corporations could wield, they do nothing. This is so because bananas are the most popular selling single item in Britain's supermarkets. As attested to by the sales director of Asda who in one corporate training conference made every department manager swear an oath to a banana that they would work hard to keep its price down and the companies' dominance strong. Odd behaviour, but one that shows the value the West places on humans. To protect humans under the guise of 'Human Rights' is nothing but a Trojan horse so as to interfere in international politics as and when it is suitable for America. Sierra Leone, a small African country has over 6000 'peace-keepers' deployed there. In January/February 2000, in the area of Port Loko, an area allegedly under government control there were 14 cases of rape, including girls as young as 11 years old. There were 118 cases of abduction of villagers, three murders, several cases of mutilations, forced labour and massive looting. Women were kidnapped as forced labour, a mother of 6 beaten to death because she didn't work hard enough. Several of these attacks took place less than 1 kilometre from checkpoints manned by the Western peacekeeping forces. Yet nothing was done to protect these people. It comes as no surprise then that the American government moved to try and exempt her own nation from any War Crimes Court in June 2000. In 1998 in the city of Rome the Treaty for the International Criminal Court was finalised. Only 7 countries out of 120 refused to sign. These included the United States, alongside the likes of China and Saddam Hussein. On August 23 2000, President Clinton signed a waiver allowing the United States to ignore any human right abuses in Columbia, South America, thus allowing a $1.3 billion military aid package to go through. In the UK, Clare Short, a Cabinet minister, recently set up a 'development' programme in Ghana. The department of International Development, for which
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
15
Hope for Humanity?
she is responsible, informed the Ghanaian government that it would only release aid to fund a major water project if the country effectively privatised the water supply, allowing British and other multinational corporations to make a killing. This demand was made in a country where more than half the population lack regular and safe drinking water. Since this 'private-public partnership' began, the cost of water bills rose sharply to make the water company competitive and thus sold off. Short's department froze funds for the expansion of the water supply in the city of Kumasr until all contracts for the lease of the countries' water supply were agreed. Ghana's water is now effectively owned by the World Bank. In 1988 the Burmese military dictatorship banned opposition parties and arrested and killed civilians under the pretext of keeping peace. The response of the West was not that they scrambled to attention demanding that people be given their so called 'Human Rights', rather it was said that it was the responsibility of Burma's government to deal with her own internal affairs. So why the blasĂŠ attitude from the upholders of real justice? Why didn't America take unilateral action and liberate the suppressed people of Burma? "Look here", said Pat James - Texas businessman and an associate of the SLORC, "the cost of labour is very low by international standards and that makes Myanmar a very attractive location." Succinct, but true. In 1990, when the same government needed bullets to 'control' further unrest it was the British company BMARC who supplied them. In 1993, Richard Needham, Britain's then Trade minister, told Parliament, "The government's policy is to provide no specific encouragement to British firms to trade or invest in Burma." Then in written parliamentary replies the government admitted that it had appointed four new trade promotion staff in its Burmese embassy and was organising British trade missions and was helping to fund them. In 1996, the United States imposed a ban on 'new' investments in Burma. They however chose to exempt the UNOCAL/Total pipeline whose construction was surrounded by stories of forced labour. The list of human tragedies can be cited ad infinitum. There is the case of the Rwandan civil war where half a million people were slaughtered in 1994. Only 20 people were taken to the International Crimes Court. The litany of examples from the Muslim world has not even been cited. The human tomb we called Jenin, a residential area, roughly 1/3 of a mile wide reduced to dust, where half of the population were under 18. Or Yugoslavia, where according to
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Khilafah Magazine June 2002
some reports, 250,000 people were murdered. The 5,000 unexploded US cluster bombs in Afghanistan. Each bomb containing smaller bomblets the size of a canned drink, yellow in colour - the same colour and packing as the food packages dropped to the starving population. Some stories will perhaps never be told. Money, wealth, power, more contracts for home companies and greater world dominance are the real directing factors for the United States and her like. There is, in reality, no place for humanity in the foreign policies of the West. Had they really cared for humanity they would not have given Saddam Hussain the weapons by which he became such a ruthless killer of Muslims. They would not have armed the Taliban with rocket launchers to kill Russians, and then carpet-bombed these same people when the Russians had gone. Only Islam now offers a true hope for humanity. Dilpazier Aslam
THE RULER OF UZBEKISTAN INCREASES IN HIS OPPRESSION AND PROVOCATION OF MUSLIMS Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem
T
he ruler of Uzbekistan, Karimov, has ordered the introduction of a new method to torture Muslims who have been arrested. That is the use of repetitive stabbing. Using this method they have already killed two shabab of Hizb ut-Tahrir, not to mention the countless others who have been killed by other brutal methods. The shabab mentioned above are the following: Tashbolatov Ahmadjaan Rahim Janavitsh, born 1960, who lived at house number 57 N Aminov Street, Shayhantor district, Tashkent. He had been sentenced to seventeen years imprisonment, and died on 4/3/2002. His body was returned to his family the following day, and with instructions to bury him immediately. Hashim Khojayev Aybek Hamidullah Vitch was born in 1969. He lived at house number 5, F Ibraheemov Street, Akmal Ikramov district in Tashkent. He had been sentenced to five and a half years and died on 6/10/2001. His body was returned to his family the next day, and they were instructed to bury him immediately. This ruler, a Jew, who hates Muslims, was not content to simply issue long harsh sentences, ranging from 10 to 20 years. Rather he ordered the use of different brutal methods of torture against the carriers of the Islamic Da'wah, to be practiced throughout the period of their arrest and
imprisonment. Some of the mothers, wives and sisters of those arrested undertook a protest march against the injustice, torture and killing which Karimov ordered to be unleashed against the carriers of the Islamic Da'wah, especially the shabab of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Karimov ordered that these women be arrested. He sent police to inspect their homes. Interrogators began to brutally torture the women, upon his orders, not contented with arresting, torturing and killing the men only. Rather he went to the extent of arresting women and torturing them, simply because they were opposing and protesting against the oppression of their sons and husbands. We know Karimov, the Jew, hates Islam and the Muslims, and he is keen to select non-Muslims for the government apparatus through which he rules the country, so that they show no compassion or mercy for Muslims, especially the carriers of the Islamic Da'wah. He is striving hard to select officials for the interior ministry, secret service, interrogators, judges and even many from the police force and other institutions; who are non-Muslims or Muslims who, through their own ignorance, have recanted from Islam by their disloyalty to Allah, His Messenger and
Leaflet from Hizb ut- Tahrir
His Book, while at the same time showing loyalty to Karimov, the Jewish tyrant, who hates Islam and the Muslims. Those who have recanted from Islam, or those in whose hearts there is a semblance of Islam, are absorbed in the disobedience to Allah and His Messenger, because they have left obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and instead obey the Jewish Kaafir, who is an enemy to their Deen and their Ummah. We want these people to know what their true interest is, in this world and in the Hereafter. Their true interest is to be on the side of their Deen, Qur'an and Ummah. It is incumbent on their fathers, mothers, relatives and neighbours to advise such people, and to guide them to the truth. Karimov will not remain forever in this post, or in this world. Tomorrow a day will come when the Muslims will take revenge against all those who participated in their oppression. Allah (swt) will take revenge against anyone who committed aggression against His servants and tortured them. When Karimov or any one of his accomplices orders you to fight Islam, or fight the carriers of the Islamic Da'wah, do not obey him or execute his command. When he orders you to commit aggression against Muslim women, do not obey him. Your Rizq (provision) is from Allah, and not from Karimov. Your Ajal (life span) is in the hands of Allah, and not in the hands of Karimov. Nothing can afflict you except what Allah has written, and not what Karimov has written. Be with Allah and not with the enemy of Allah. The enemy of Allah will not save you in this world or in the Hereafter. If you do not take heed now, then you will live to regret it, for on that Day, regret will not avail you of anything:
[TMQ At-Talaq: 2-3] Carrying the Islamic Da'wah is obligatory on the women just as it is for men, each according to his or her ability. For example, Sumayyah, the wife of Yaasir, who was a great Sahabiyyah, was the first martyr in Islam. When Allah's Messenger (saw) passed them while they were being tortured, he said to them: 'Patience! O family of Yaasir, for your abode shall be the Paradise.' [Sira of Ibn Hisham] Today, each one of your sisters in Palestine is sending their young sons to undertake martyrdom operations against the Jews, the enemies of Allah. When she hears of her son's martyrdom she prostrates in shukr to Allah (swt). So have patience, your Islamic Ummah which has regained her vitality, is on the path to re-establishing the Righteous Khilafah on the way of the Prophethood. By doing this she will save herself and rescue mankind from the tyranny of the tyrants, and the haughty aggressors who are imposing their aggression on the world in the name of fighting terrorism. Such harshness and brutality practiced by Karimov against the Da'wah carriers, whether they are men or women, is not an evidence for the strength of this regime. Rather it is an evidence of weakness, fear and defeatism. This regime fears thoughts and it fears discussion. The mere word frightens it. Hizb ut-Tahrir does not use weapons or resort to violence, nor uses any physical means in its call. Despite this fact, Karimov's regime shakes in fear. Other regimes in the Islamic lands where the Hizb works, they also tremble with fear. Islam is the truth and everything else is falsehood. The truth is strong by its nature and the falsehood is weak by its nature. He (swt) said:
'The worst of your Imams are those whom you hate and they hate you, and you curse them and they curse you.' [Sahih Muslim] Do the Muslims expect from Karimov anything other than hatred, suppression and injustice? Only yesterday he was a communist, a tool in the hands of the Russians. Today he has handed over the country to the Americans, so as to enable her to extend her domination and plunder the country's resources, and then leave the people in poverty and humiliation. Uzbekistan (like the rest of the states in Central Asia) is one of the richest countries in terms of the resources Allah has deposited in its land. But despite all this, the Muslims in these lands are some of the poorest in the world. This is because their resources are looted by the ruler and his cronies, and by his masters, the colonialist states, on whom he relies to protect his throne. But the time is running out for these rulers and their regimes, insha' Allah. However, do not expect, O Muslims, that these rulers and their regimes will collapse all by themselves. On the contrary, patient believers are required to shake these regimes and uproot them. Believers who will establish, in their place, a single system which is the system of Islam: the Khilafah system. This system will unite the Islamic lands and the Islamic peoples, in one state. This is the vital issue for the Islamic Ummah. Such a vital issue will only be realised by Muslim men and women who are willing to speak the truth and fear no one for Allah's sake. Those whose eyes are always set on the saying of the Messenger of Allah (saw):
'Truth has come and Batil (falsehood) has vanished. Surely! Batil (falsehood) is ever bound to vanish.' [TMQ Al-Isra: 81] 'On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: 'We wish that we would have obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad [saw]).' 'And they will say: Our Lord! Verily! We obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (Right) Way. Our Lord! Give them double torment and curse them with a mighty curse!'[TMQ Al-Ahzab:66-68] We say to the Muslim women who went out to protest against the injustice and the brutal practices of Karimov and his cronies: Have patience, for Allah will grant you relief from the suffering and a way out:
And He (swt) said:
'The best struggle (jihad) is the word of truth spoken to a tyrant ruler.' [Abu Dawud and atTirmidhi] The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
'Nay, We fling (send down) the truth (this Qur'an) against the falsehood (disbelief), so it destroys it, and behold, it (falsehood) is vanished.' [TMQ AlAnbiya: 18] Rational, sane people would say: Justice is the basis of authority. But the rulers who have usurped the authority from the Ummah, and rely on the foreign colonialist states to protect their power say: Injustice is the basis of authority. Hence the saying of Allah's Messenger (saw) applies to them:
'The master of martyrs is Hamzah, and a man who stood up to a tyrant ruler to enjoin (the good) and forbid (the evil) and got killed.' [Al-Haakim] Hizb ut-Tahrir Uzbekistan 3 Muharram 1423 AH 17/3/2002
'And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.' June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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Intelligence
CIA: GLOBAL TERRORIST PAR EXCELLENCE
"
Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed or "disappeared", at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame." Amnesty International, in its annual report on US military aid and human rights. •
In contemporary politics, society and household seldom does a day elapse without 'terrorism' being discussed subjectively to one persuasion or another.
•
In a so-called 'civilised world' where an innocent person accused of terrorism is presumed to be guilty until exonerated, the slanderous labels of 'terrorist' and 'terrorist organization' have been used as a powerful political tool to stun the prey, falsely castigate, and conceal the real identities and motives of the aggressors and perpetrators.
•
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In the hazy media world of accusation and counter-accusation, it is easy to lose track of the fact that the biggest Global Terrorist is not a Third-World country; rather it is the USA. And that the most powerful terrorist organization is not an Islamic group; rather, it is the US intelligence agency known as the CIA. Allah (swt) states
"And when it said to them 'cause not mischief on the earth', they say, 'nay verily we are the peacemakers. Verily, they are the mischief makers, but they perceive not" [TMQ Al Baqarah: 11-12].
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Khilafah Magazine June 2002
The CIA •
The CIA was founded in the aftermath of World War II in 1947, charged with coordinating America's intelligence activities by correlating, evaluating and disseminating intelligence, which affects US national security.
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It proudly boasts that it adds substantial value to the management of crises, the conduct of war, and the development of policy. Its vision being, to be the keystone of the US intelligence community that is pre-eminent in the world, known for both the high quality of its work and the excellence of its people.
•
However, the following paragraphs will poignantly illustrate that this embellished rhetoric and deception starts and ends with the CIA's homepage!
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The means available to an intelligence agency to execute its mandate to affect the political climate in other nations have expanded with the growth of trade, the ease and speed of travel, and technological advances in communications.
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Today the US arrogantly purports to be the beacon of human rights and the saviour of humanity, however, since the creation of the CIA it has used 'covert action' as a top priority of US foreign policy to terrorise the world. As Martin Luther King stated, "The greatest purveyor of violence on earth is my own government."
Varied Forms of Covert Action •
Henry Kissinger, commenting on the US sellout of the Muslim Kurds in Iraq 1975 in which thousands and thousands of Muslim Kurds were slaughtered said, "Covert action should not be confused with missionary work."
•
Covert action can be grouped into three broad categories.
What are Intelligence Agencies? •
Seeking to influence the affairs of foreign governments and societies is invariably an element of the foreign policy of an ideological state.
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Intelligence Agencies are a tool utilised by an ideological government to secretly influence another state or territory.
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Their work includes information gathering and covert operations such as secret conduct of, and support for, military and paramilitary activities in foreign countries, terror, assassination, kidnapping, torture, sabotage, secret propaganda, and the use of 'plausible denial' to conceal these activities from the public.
1. Some operations are initiated to influence the general climate of opinion in foreign states, so that they might favour American objectives and 'democratic values' in general. 2. Other operations attempt to influence the political balance within foreign countries by strengthening the position of some individuals and institutions and by weakening those of others. 3. A third hopes to induce some specific national interest serving US objectives. •
The most publicized covert operations have been conducted in this third category. According
to John Oseth, an army intelligence officer, the types of covert operations most often undertaken in the third category include the following: 1. Provision of political advice and counsel to leaders and influential individuals in the foreign states. 2. Development of contacts and relationships with individuals who, though not in leadership or influential positions at the time, might advance to such positions.
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The ensuing rebellion lasted several months before being quashed and a 1977 Amnesty International report cited a tally of "many more than one million dead."
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Within a year of the coup, the Indonesian economy was redesigned in America, and the West was given access to vast mineral resources, markets and cheap labour. Suharto quickly transformed Indonesia into an "investor's paradise," only slightly qualified by the steep bribery charge for entry!
3. Provision of financial support or other assistance to foreign political parties. 4. Provision of assistance to private organizations such as labour unions, youth groups, and professional associations. 5. Promulgation of covert propaganda undertaken with the assistance of foreign media organizations and individual journalists.
10. Development of political action and paramilitary operations that attempt to topple foreign regimes and install successors more favourable to US objectives
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An examination of US covert-action policy since World War II reveals that the scale of such operations has been enormous. A cursory list of the post-World War II CIA operations illustrates that over the years, the CIA has amassed a horrific record of fomenting bloodbaths and coups (Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954, Chile 1973, etc.); rigging or subverting elections (e.g. Italy, Australia, Central America, etc); plotting to assassinate foreign leaders (Sihanouk, Lumumba, Castro, etc.) and propaganda campaigns (1965 to overthrow the Sukarno government in Indonesia).
In an effort to depose Sukarno for Suharto (a US backed general), the CIA trained thousands of
In January 1991, the CIA began aiming propaganda at the Kurds again in Iraq. The Kurds listened to Bush's call to "force Saddam Hussein the dictator to step aside." And they were slaughtered by the thousands and thousands when Saddam struck back.
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Post Gulf war with the arms inspectors' fiasco, one of UNSCOM's former inspectors in Iraq, Scott Ritter, has written that the CIA since 1992 has planted its spies among members assigned by the UN to monitor the Iraqi armament program.
As he served US economic and geopolitical interests, not only did Washington help him into power, but also his dictatorial rule was warmly supported for 32 years by the US economic and political establishment.
Egypt •
In 1990, Kathy Kadane revealed that the CIA officials in Jakarta systematically compiled lists of thousands of communists and other opponents of the Indonesian military and passed them onto to Suharto's generals. In the words of Bertrand Russell, "...in four months, five times as many people died in Indonesia as in Vietnam in twelve years."
The activities of the CIA in the region at this time are well documented in Miles Copeland's books "The Game of Nations" and "The Game Player"
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The CIA supported coup d'etat that ousted the British puppet King Farukh and brought the Free Officers to power is particularly important because from 1952 to 1970 Gamal Abdel Nasser dominated Arab politics.
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After the coup (23rd July 1952) in 1953, the CIA assisted in the reorganization of the Egyptian Mukhabarat (intelligence service).
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Iraq •
•
May 1972, President Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met in Tehran with the Shah of Iran to arm the Kurds in their struggle against Iraq. On Nixon's orders, the CIA shipped $16 million in weapons and supplies through Iran to the Kurds. The Kurds were "a uniquely useful tool for weakening Iraq's potential for international adventurism," a 1974 CIA memorandum said.
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In March 1975, as the operation continued under President Ford, the Shah cut a secret deal with Saddam, then Iraq's vice president and most powerful military man.
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Within hours, Iraqi forces attacked the Kurds, who sent an urgent appeal to the CIA. "Intervene according to your promises," it read. No answer came and thousands and thousands of Muslim Kurds were slaughtered.
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Kissinger was questioned about the operation by a congressional panel in 1976. "Covert action," he observed, "should not be confused with missionary work."
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The CIA further tried for years to create political
Indonesia •
•
•
Exposing CIA Terrorist Activity •
The CIA's 1996 coup attempt against Saddam Hussein witnessed many Iraqi CIA agents executed as a result of the botched action. According to the Washington Post the antiSaddam operation has cost the CIA $100 million.
US investors flocked in to exploit the timber, mineral and oil resources, as well as the cheap, repressed labour, often in joint ventures with Suharto family members and cronies.
8. Provision of paramilitary or counterinsurgency training to regimes facing civil strife where acknowledgement of official US involvement is not desired. 9. Development of influential connections inside a particular regime with government departments and factions.
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•
6. Establishment of relationships with friendly intelligence services to provide technical training and other assistance. 7. Provision of economic operations by which financial assistance can be provided to foreign states for various purposes but conducted through intermediate sources not overtly connected with the American government.
and paramilitary organizations that could supplant Saddam with covert operations to undermine his regime still under way.
Indonesian dissidents and mercenaries--one estimate puts the number of trainees at 42,000-and returned them to Sumatra, where they recruited other rebels.
Syria •
Britain, who had occupied militarily Iraq, Trans Jordan, Egypt and Palestine, was decisively in control of Syria and resisted America's efforts.
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This pushed America into thinking that the only way to change the situation of the region was for the US to apply the same policies she had carried out in South America, namely, bringing military leaders to power through military coups.
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The first fruit of the new US policy was to be the Za'im coup of 1949; by the time Hafez Assad took power in 1970 a further 15 coups had taken place - not all inspired by America, but it was America that started this chain of coups in the Middle East.
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Once in power Za'im agreed to allow construction of the Aramco oil pipeline and endorsed a US project for a Middle East military pact.
June 2002 Khilafah Magazine
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Intelligence
"Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed or "disappeared", at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame." Amnesty International, in its annual report on US military aid and human rights.
sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phoney evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war."
Vietnam •
•
The great CIA paramilitary fiasco of the 1960s and early 1970s was its program in Vietnam. The CIA undertook a large and long paramilitary effort, providing advice, training, and equipment to Meo tribesmen in Laos from 1962 to 1971. The CIA was also in charge of the controversial Phoenix pacification program in Vietnam. Officially Phoenix was a massive intelligence program to collect information on suspected Vietcong, who could then be "neutralized" by South Vietnamese security forces. According to most reports "Operation Phoenix" in Vietnam, consisted of American run death squads, which killed up to 20,000-50,000 people.
Nicaragua •
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This article demonstrates only a handful of examples to redress the discussion on terrorism and truly demonstrate the world's greatest terrorist organization.
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The CIA engineered coups and counter-coups in Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq, amongst other Muslim and non-Muslim lands, so-called 'democratically' elected heads of state were removed and thousands have been slaughtered, simply because of their lack of compatibility with US foreign policy.
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The wave of crack addiction that crippled innercity neighbourhoods across the US in the 1980s had its roots in the CIA's efforts to fund the secret contra war against Nicaragua, according to an investigative report by the San Jose Mercury News' Gary Webb (8/18-20/96).
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The CIA's profile makes a mockery of America's foolhardy claim to be 'champions of democracy' or the so-called 'war on terrorism' around the globe. As John Stockwell, former CIA official and author states " ...the CIA has overthrown functioning democracies in over 20 countries."
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In 1984 the CIA's "Psychological Operations in Guerrilla Warfare" manual was produced and distributed to the contras. Written by a CIA contract employee, one section spoke of hiring professional criminals for some activities. Another discussed the creation of "martyrs" to aid the cause, if necessary, by arranging the death of the contras' own men. Other sections dealt with the selective use of violence, as in assassinating Sandinista officials to intimidate village populations.
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The CIA continues in its role as America's shadowy forces of 'facilitation by any means necessary', a Machiavellian tool specially built to enact the concept - 'the end justifies the means'.
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The real prey of this ferocious campaign in the 'war on terrorism' since September 2001 has been the Islamic Ummah. Worldwide it has faced a calculated assault from the non-Muslims and hypocrites being labelled as 'terrorists'.
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But Allah (swt) describes this Ummah as:
Northwood Operation refers to a plan allegedly hatched by Pentagon brass in the 1960s to commit terrorist acts and use them as a pretext for war with Cuba. Bamford summarizes: "the plan, which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be
Khilafah Magazine June 2002
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The Muslim rulers are allies of the CIA and slaves to Western foreign policy. We have witnessed the treachery of Musharraf, Suharto, Arafat, Abdullah etc and have also seen recently the CIA Director George Tenet visiting these rulers to advise them of ways of repressing and deceiving this Islamic Ummah.
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However, it was narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad, from Tameem Al-Daari, who said that he heard the Prophet (saw) say:
Conclusion
The Contra based in Honduras, whose death squads waged a war against the reformist, Sandinista government of Nicaragua following its victory in democratic elections were trained and funded by CIA.
Northwood operation
and strengthen US hegemony and influence over the Muslim lands, their people, and their resources in order to repress the Islamic resurgence.
"the best nation raised amongst mankind, you enjoin the good and forbid the evil and believe in Allah"[TMQ Ale-Imran: 110] •
The real motive for waging a war against Afghanistan or the Palestinians is not to counter terrorism. The real motive is clearly to establish
"Verily, this matter (Islam) will reach where day and night have reached, and it will not leave a house of Madar (mud or clay) or a house of Wabar (fur of camels and goats, i.e. tents) except Allah will bring it into this Deen, (either) with the honour of an honoured one, or the disgrace of a disgraced one; honour with which Allah honours Islam, and disgrace with which Allah disgraces Kufr."
Shaban ul-Haq
Citizenship
THE NEW XENOPHOBIA T
he increase in popularity of right-wing parties in Europe and elsewhere is not your classic xenophobia of whites against non-white or natives against non-natives. Rather it is the undisguised hatred of Muslims and Islam. Pim Fortuyn is not the only one who has attacked Islam as intolerant, backward and a threat to European liberal views. The world witnessed the effects of this phenomenon in the Balkans and more recently in India. It is now finding a voice in Europe, including Britain. The members of BJP (India) may be brown and the members of the BNP (Britain) white, but they have more in common then just the swastika (a Hindu religious symbol and a Nazi emblem). They both share a common hatred of Islam. The BNP have gone on record to say that they are not racist. They proudly speak of their collaboration with the Hindus and Sikhs against Islam and advertise this on their official website.
The Ghost of Hitler arises September 11th has changed the world and has highlighted the inherent flaws of democracy in that nothing is guaranteed. How can it be so when the whims and desires of the people influence the legislation? Thus it has become easy, post September 11th for politicians to scapegoat Muslims and Islam for any issue of their choosing. What is of concern to Muslims is that these incidents are not isolated but part of a Europe-wide shift. As mentioned above, it is not an attack against all immigrants in general, but Muslims in particular. In Belgium, Jan Niessen, director of the Migration Policy Group, a research organization in Brussels said, "There is this fear for national identity combined with a fear of Muslims that has fuelled this debate on immigration." In Denmark, the far-right Danish People's Party aimed much of its campaign for the November elections at a foreign-born population that is 70 per cent Muslim. Its member of the European Parliament, Mogens Camre, was quoted in the newspaper Politiken as saying, "All countries of the Western world are infiltrated by Muslims - some of them speak to us politely, while they wait until they are enough to kill all of us." This same party produced an anti-welfare poster with a picture of a white homeless man with the caption, "When I become Muslim, I'll have a house." This is a common unfounded claim, that Muslims get special treatment when it comes to welfare. Absurd perhaps, but appealing to a shallow populace.
The changing mood has found its fullest political expression in Denmark, where an anti-immigrant party won 12 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections in November, nearly doubling its showing from the previous election. Its campaign posters featured a picture of a young blond girl and the slogan, "When she retires, Denmark will have a Muslim majority." Now the Danish Parliament is considering a bill that would close many doors to the country, long known as one of Europe's most receptive to foreigners. It is host to about 300,000, most of them Muslims. In Hamburg, Germany, the Party for a Law and Order Offensive received 20% of the vote in state elections after the attacks on the United States. Its leader, Judge Ronald Schill, became the state interior minister. The German magazine Der Spiegel quoted Schill as saying during his campaign that he wanted to bring the; "Black African drug dealers and the knife-stabbing Turks", to justice. Schill now says he may start a national campaign. Rising crime is also a common theme for which Muslims are blamed as if to say that non-Muslims are not criminals or that crime did not exist before the Muslims came! In Rotterdam, Netherlands, a branch of the Livable Netherlands party recently won 17 of 45 seats on the Rotterdam local council, attracting more votes than any of the three parties in the national coalition. "I think 16 million Dutchmen are about enough", Pim Fortuyn, the former leader of the Livable Netherlands party and author of, "Against the Islamization of Our Culture" told the newspaper De Volkskrant. "This is a full country." He said Islam is a, "Backward culture", and, "Moroccan boys never steal from Moroccans. Have you noticed that?" Pim Fortuyn feared that the influx of Muslim immigration into the Netherlands was undermining the ultra-liberal permissive values, which made his the first country in the world to fully legalise same-sex marriages. "Muslims have a very bad attitude to homosexuality, they're very intolerant‌. For them women are second class citizens." He continued, in a recent BBC interview, "What we are witnessing now is a clash of civilisations, not just between states but within them." The man who has pictures and statues of numerous nude men in his home was shot dead on Monday 6th May. He will not find it as easy to convince Munkar and Nakir of his views. The death of Fortuyn is another failing of democracy, which allows people to say what they like, but is then unable to cope with it practically.
Causes So why do so many immigrants, in particular Muslims come to the West? The initial wave of immigrants came at the behest of the host governments to fill the labour shortages and to do menial jobs the locals were not prepared to do. They played a significant role in building the economies of their host nations. Some have come as refugees from war-torn regions and others as economic migrants. No one, no matter who they are, likes to leave their friends, family and familiar surrounding to go to a foreign and strange land unless there exist serious problems at home. The vast majority of refugees in Europe are from the recent trouble hot spots around the world, like the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. There are also economic migrants who give their life savings to secure false travel documents in places like Pakistan and Nigeria. They make such sacrifices due to the dire economic situations in their countries. In December, a 16-year-old who had fled to Denmark from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan set himself ablaze with gasoline after he was told he would be deported. The discussion of immigration cannot be divorced from the political and economic problems these people are fleeing from. The Capitalist nations are mercilessly sucking the wealth from any nation it pleases and reducing its people to begging and stealing. The Argentineans are the Capitalist's latest victims. Huge queues can be seen outside Western embassies in Buenos Aires. Thus, the immigrants are victims of the policies of the countries they seek refuge in. Commercial rivalry and strategic interests have created many wars, killed millions and made many more homeless. The war in Afghanistan is the most recent example of this. Woodrow Wilson said in 1919 what all leaders know, "Is there any man, is there any woman, let me say any child here, that does not know that the seed of war in the modern world is industrial and commercial rivalry." The World Bank and the IMF are the single greatest factor that has led to the negative trend of all third world economies, forcing their people to desperate measures. The West through its institutions denies other nations of the world a level-playing field to seek their livelihood. They impoverish them and then refuse its people entry into their lands or if they do, treat them with contempt. This is the nature of Capitalism. It is Capitalism that is greedy, not the economic migrant.
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Citizenship
“There is this fear for national identity combined with a fear of Muslims that has fuelled this debate on immigration.� Jan Niessen, director of the Migration Policy Group, a research organization in Brussels
The Roots of the problem The Capitalist establishment have a problem with right-wing extremists and their nationalism, since they are trying hard to unify people under Capitalism. To quote Chris Suellentrog, an American, "European viewpoint stems from an exclusionary ethnocentric nationalism, summed up by Le Pen's slogan, 'France for the French', Haider's slogan, 'Austria for the Austrians', and Vlaams Blok's slogan, 'Our Own People First.' Muslims from North Africa cannot assimilate even if they want to. Pia Kjaersgaard, the housewife leader of the Danish People's Party, wants the Muslims in Denmark to 'go home'; 'They must not be allowed to integrate into Danish society.'" Nationalism does not provide progress, nor does it provide long-term unity since it is inherently divisive. The BNP call for, "British First", but amongst the British are those who want independence from England, like the Scots, Welsh, and the Irish. Even amongst the English are some like the Celts of Cornwall among others who want devolution. This applies to all nation states. Nationalism leads to division. Pakistan divided into two in 1971. Yet some in Pakistan still call for further disintegration; Pathans call for a Paktun state whilst the Sindhis for a Sindhudesh.
The Real Problem The right-wing problem in Europe has arisen due to the failings of Capitalism. Capitalism, at one level has failed to provide for the basic needs of the people. Secondly, Capitalism is intellectually unconvincing and has been unable to integrate Muslims who are convinced of their own ideology, which is in harmony with their nature as human beings. People in Europe are thus searching for solutions for their problems. People are not turning to Nazism because they are racist but because the system is failing them. This frustration is incorrectly directed at the Muslims, when it should in fact be directed at Capitalism. The right wing politicians point out the problems of immigrants. They are depicted as a burden on the social security system. They are accused of claiming many benefits, getting help with special needs and getting council housing at the expense of the local
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people. The poverty and ill housing is thus blamed on immigrants. On the surface this has an appeal. The real problem has nothing to do with immigration, but everything to do with the system.
places. Had the Muslims behaved like the Hindus, not a single temple would have remained standing in the thousand years they ruled India, from the Delhi sultanate to the Mogul empire.
In Victorian England, Britain was the undisputed super-power. She ruled (and looted) Canada, Southern Africa, India and Australia to name but a few. Wealth was pouring into Britain, which helped to build many of today's famous landmarks. By any yardstick Britain was wealthy. However the condition of the working class in Britain was dire. Children played in the streets bare foot. Orphans were sent to work in workhouses. The majority of the people worked in mills and lived in two-up twodowns. These houses had no bathrooms. The system was unwilling to look after its own citizens due to its Capitalist creed. The condition of the common man was much worse then it is now. There were no 'Blacks' and 'Pakis' to blame then. The system failed them then and the system is failing them now. If all the Muslims left, it would do nothing to solve the problems of the common man, since Capitalism is not an ideology that cares for the people. Dickens' England provides ample proof of that.
The civility Islam brought prevented places of worship being destroyed. The Church of Nativity still remains unscathed through over a thousand years of Islamic rule in the Near East. However during the brief period the Crusaders were there, they desecrated Masjid al-Aqsa and slaughtered its people. The Jews in a shorter period of time have sunk even lower.
Islam and Citizenship Any nation built on the basis of race or nationality will discriminate against those of a different race or nationality. The basis of an Islamic state is the Islamic creed. Any person of any race can bond with another Muslim on the basis of Islam. A non-Muslim bonds on the basis of his citizenship, and he is extended the same rights and is not viewed as an immigrant or an asylum seeker, but a fellow citizen. The famous incident in which the head of state Ali bin Abu Talib (ra) whose shield was stolen by a Jew were both treated equally as citizens in a common court is one of many examples that highlight this point. Historically no one can doubt that Islam successfully accommodated people of different creeds and colours under the Islamic State. The treatment of Jews in Spain is well documented by all. The accommodation of Jews into Turkey after their expulsion from Spain too has been well documented. The protection of the Christians in the Near East by Islam was a great astonishment to the invading crusader forces from Europe. In short, people of differing background and religions lived side by side in peace in places like Palestine, Bosnia, Chechnya and India. Places that today are subjected to man made laws and afflicted with perpetual violence. There are no examples in Islamic history of systematic slaughter of civilians in the aforementioned
L. S. Stavrianos wrote in his book, 'The Balkans since 1453' about the Islamic state, "During the period from 1543 to 1623, when the empire was at its height, only five of the forty-seven grand-wazirs were of Turkish origin. The remaining forty-two consisted of eleven Albanians, eleven South Slavs, six Greeks, one Circassian, one Armenian, one Georgian, one Italian, and ten of unknown origin. Contemporary Western observers could not help being impressed and overawed by this unique system which took humble Christian peasant boys and transformed them into the great leaders of Islam and the most feared enemies of Christendom." He also wrote, "In addition there were the Jews who at this time were migrating in large numbers to the lands of the Sultan because they found there a degree of religious toleration unknown and unimaginable in the Christian Europe of that day." We have witnessed the people of Europe rejecting the mainstream parties. Since all parties are Capitalistic the people have no choice. Abstention and a vote for nationalism is a vote of no confidence in the system of Capitalism. Nationalism is not a solution, but Islam is, since it is an ideology with a rational basis and one that is compatible with human nature. Had the Islamic State existed, the Khalifah could have invited the people of Europe to live in his domain to taste the fruits of Islam. Mazhar Khan Pathan
LESSONS FROM THE BATTLE OF AHZAB T
he harsh reality that the Muslims are faced with today; a reality in which the wound of Palestine continues to bleed and the alliance of the Kuffar is preparing to attack Iraq, some from amongst us have begun to feel that the situation has deteriorated with no hope of salvation. The feeling of helplessness has crept into their hearts when they witness the continuous barrage of attack against Islam and the Muslims. We should realise that this hardship that has befallen the Ummah is not the only hardship that it has witnessed. In fact when we look back to history it is apparent that the Islamic Ummah has overcome difficult situations that at first glance would look impossible to overcome. One such example is one of the famous battles of our beloved Messenger Muhammad (saw), the battle of Ahzab. Allah (swt) chose this name for a Surah (chapter) in the Qur'an. This battle was against an unholy alliance or coalition not too dissimilar to the one we face today. The term "Ahzab" in Arabic means alliance, confederates or coalition. This battle is also known as the battle of Khandaq (the trench). Ali ibn Hussain said, "We used to teach the battles of the Prophet (saw) equally as we used to teach the Suwar of the glorious Qur'an." Imam az-Zuhri said, "In studying the battles (of the Prophet) lies knowledge of this world as well as the Akhirah." Background to the Battle After the battle of Uhud there were no less than eight battles. After this there was a period of relative calm for approximately one year. However, the Jews whose treachery and intrigues had made them taste all kinds of humiliation and disgrace had still not learnt their lesson. After they had been exiled to Khaybar, they remained waiting anxiously for the results of the battles taking place between the Muslims and the Mushrikeen. Contrary to their hopes, the events of the war were in favour of the Muslims, therefore they started a new stage of conspiracy and prepared themselves to deal a deadly blow against the Muslims, but they were too cowardly to manoeuvre directly against them, so they laid a dreadful plan in order to achieve their objectives. Twenty chiefs of the Jews with some of the influentials of Banu Nadir went to Makkah to negotiate an unholy alliance with Quraish. They began to goad the people there to attack the Messenger of Allah (saw) promising them full support and backing. The people of Quraish, who had been languid and had proved too weak to challenge the Muslims at Badr, seized this opportunity to redeem their stained honour and blemished reputation.
It was the Jews of Banu Nadir who endeavoured to incite the Arabs against the Messenger of Allah (saw) in order to exact their revenge for being expelled from Madinah. A number of them had formed a party against the Messenger of Allah (saw), among whom were Huyai ibn Akhtab, Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq and Kinanah ibn Abi al-Huqayq, and from Banu Wa'il were Haudhah ibn Qays and Abu 'Ammar, and it was this party which approached Quraish in Makkah. The Quraish asked Huyai about his people and he said, "I left them between Khaybar and Madinah hesitating and waiting for you to march with them against Muhammad and his companions." They also asked him about Banu Qurayzah and he said, "They remained in Madinah to deceive Muhammad. They are waiting for you to raid Madinah to help you from within." At that stage Quraish were hesitant, not knowing whether to attack Madinah or not. They considered that there was no difference between them and Muhammad (saw) except his (saw) call to Allah (swt) and Islam. They therefore wondered whether Muhammad (saw) was in the right? To allay their doubts Quraish asked the Jews, "You, O Jews, are the first scripture people and know the nature of our dispute with Muhammad. Is our deen the best or is his?" The Jews replied, "Certainly your Deen is better than his and you have a better claim to be in the right!" The Jews were of the people who supposedly called to the Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) and they knew very well that the Deen of Muhammad (saw) was the right one, but their burning desire to incite the Arabs against him (saw) landed them in this despicable blunder. To declare that the worshipping of idols was better than the Tawheed was their eternal disgrace and shame, but the Jews did it and they were to ably demonstrate that they could do even worse. The same delegation set out for Ghatafan, called them to do the same, and they responded positively. The Jewish delegation then started a fresh effort and toured some parts of Arabia and managed to incite a confederation of disbelief against the Prophet (saw), His Message and those that believed in Allah (swt). Quraish, Kinanah and other allies from Tihama, in the south, rallied, ranked and recruited four thousand men under the leadership of Abu Sufyan. From the east there came tribes of Banu Saleem, Ghatafan, Bani Murrah, etc. They all headed for Madinah and gathered in its vicinity at a time already agreed upon. It was a great army of ten thousand fighters. They in fact outnumbered all the Muslims in Madinah, women, children and elders included. In reality if they had launched a surprise attack against Madinah, they could have exterminated all the Muslims.
The Digging of the Trench The leadership inside the Islamic state was on the alert and the intelligence personnel managed to reconnoitre the area of the enemies, and reported their movement to the people in authority in Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (saw) as the ruler of the Muslims summoned an advisory committee and conducted a careful discussion of a plan to defend Madinah. After a lengthy talk between military leaders and people who possessed sound advice, they agreed on the proposal of one of the honourable Sahabah, Salman Al-Farsi (ra), to dig trenches as defensive lines. The Muslims, with the Prophet (saw) at their head - to encourage, help and remind them of the reward in the Hereafter - actively and diligently started to build a trench around Madinah. Severe hunger, bordering on starvation, could not dissuade or discourage them from achieving their desperately sought objective. Salman Al-Farsi (ra) said; "O Messenger of Allah! When siege was laid to us in Persia, we used to dig trenches to defend ourselves." It was a plan both unprecedented and wise. The Messenger of Allah (saw) hurriedly gave orders to implement the plan. Forty yards was allocated to each group of ten to dig. Sahl bin Sa'd (ra) said, "We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (saw), the men used to dig and we [would] evacuate the earth on our backs." Miraculous Events The Muslims were digging this trench in starvation and the biting cold but Allah (swt) provided their Rizq. Allah (swt) in addition showed them many miracles to reassure their souls about the truth and strengthen the Iman of the believers. One Sahabah called Jabir ibn Abdullah (saw) who was digging the trench could not deal with a rock so he called upon the Messenger of Allah (swt), as he climbed down he noticed that the Prophet (saw) had a stone tied to his belly (due to hunger). So he asked the Prophet (saw) for permission to go home. He felt uneasy at what he had seen and desired to return home quickly in order to ask his wife what food they had to feed the Prophet (saw) with. They only had some grain to make a small amount of bread, which his wife started to make and they possessed a small animal that Jabir (ra) sacrificed and cleaned ready for his wife to cook. Upon returning back to the Prophet (saw) he said, "O Messenger of Allah I have slaughtered a she-animal of ours and we have ground a Sa'a of barley‌So please come, you and another person along with you." The Prophet (saw) got up and shouted out to the men,
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Lessons from the past
"O people of the trench, Jabir has prepared a meal for us, so let's go." Consequently all the men went to the house of Jabir (ra) over one thousand of them. When the Prophet (saw) arrived he opened the cooking pot and placed some of his saliva into it and invoked the blessings of Allah (swt) upon it then he opened the oven and did the same. He (saw) told the people to eat and they ate until they were all completely full and yet the shoulder of mutton and dough that was being baked remained as they were undiminished. In another incident a woman brought a handful of dates and passed by the Prophet (saw), who took the dates, threw them over his cloak and invited his followers to eat. The dates began to increase in number until they dropped over the trim of his robe. Sparks of Prophecy Al-Bara' (ra) said, "On Al-Khandaq (the trench) Day there stood out a rock too immune for our spades to break up. We therefore went to see the Messenger of Allah for advice. He took the spade, and struck the rock uttering,
'Bismillah, Allahu Akbar (in the Name of Allah, Allah is Great) the keys of Ash-Sham (geographical Syria) are mine, I swear by Allah, I can see its palaces at the moment.' On the second strike he said; 'Allahu Akbar, Persia is mine, I swear by Allah, I can now see the white palace of Madain.' And for the third time he struck the rock, which turned into very small pieces, he said; 'Allah is Great, I have been given the keys of Yemen, I swear by Allah, I can see the gates of San'a while I am in my place'" [Ahmad & An-Nasai]. The Prophet (saw) gave these prophecies of victory whilst the believers were facing a difficult time. Today we have the prophecies of Islam dominating the world however unlike that time we don't have the Khilafah state to protect us. The prophecies did not deter the Sahabah from struggling to achieve the victory; rather it further pushed them to achieve these victories.
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Similarly it is not enough for us to wait for the victory to be granted rather we must strive to achieve it with our utmost effort.
Messenger! I have not offered the afternoon prayer and the sun has set.' The Prophet (saw) replied:
The Attack The northern part of Madinah was the most vulnerable, all the other sides being surrounded by mountains and palm tree orchards - the Prophet (saw) understood that the alliance (Ahzab) would march in that direction, so the trench was ordered to be on that side. The Muslims went on digging the trench for several days - working on it during the day and going home in the evening until it had assumed its full dimensions in front of the huge army of the Mushrikeen (idolaters) that had arrived and settled in the vicinity of Madinah in places called Al-Asyal and Uhud.
'By Allah! I too have not offered the prayer yet.' The Prophet then went to Buthan, performed ablution and observed the afternoon prayer after the sun had set and then offered the sunset prayer after it." Ali (ra) narrated that on the day of Khandaq, the Prophet (saw) said, "(Let) Allah fill their houses and graves with fire just as they have prevented us from offering the Asr prayer" [Bukhari].
"And when the believers saw 'Al-Ahzab' (the confederates), they said: 'This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth, and it only added to their Faith and to their submissiveness (to Allah)" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 22].
It was narrated by Ahmed and Shafa'i that the events of that battle detained him from the noon, afternoon, evening and night prayers, but he observed them combined. The different narrations point to the fact that the situation lasted for a few days.
Three thousand Muslims, with Muhammad (saw) at their head, came out to encounter the idolaters, with Allah's (swt) Promise of victory deeply established in their minds. They entrenched themselves in Sila' Mountain with the trench standing as a barrier between them and the disbelievers.
It is clear that because of the trench standing between the two parties no direct engagement took place, but rather there were military activities confined to arrow hurling - consequently the fight claimed the lives of a small number of fighters, six Muslims and ten polytheists, one or two of those killed by the sword.
On attempting to attack the Muslims and break into Madinah, the Quraish were surprised to see a wide trench, a new stratagem unknown in Arabia before, standing as an obstinate obstruction. Consequently they decided to lay siege to Madinah and began to manoeuvre around the trench trying hard to find a vulnerable spot through which they could infiltrate into Madinah. To deter their enemies from approaching or bridging any gap in their defences, the Muslims hurled arrows, and engaged in skirmishes with them. The veteran fighters of Quraish were averse to this situation waiting in vain in anticipation of what the siege might reveal. Therefore they decided that a group of fighters led by 'Amr bin 'Abd-e-Wudd, 'Ikrima bin Abi Jahl and Dirar bin Al-Khattab, should work its way through the trench. They did in fact manage to do that and their horsemen captured a marshy area between the trench and Sila' Mountain. 'Amr challenged the Muslims to a duel, and Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) was deputed. Ali accepted the challenge and said to him, "I call on you to dismount." 'Amr replied, "O son of my brother, I do not want to kill you." Ali said, "But I want to kill you." So they fought and Ali killed him and obliged the others to evacuate in a state of panic and confusion. However, some days later, the polytheists conducted fresh desperate attempts but all of them failed due to the Muslims' steadfastness and heroic confrontation.
During the process of fighting, Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra) was shot by an arrow that pierced his artery. Perceiving his end approaching, he invoked Allah saying: "O, Allah, you know nothing is closer to my heart than striving in Your way against those people (disbelievers) who belied Your Messenger and banished him from his town. O, Allah, I deeply believe that You have decreed that we should fight them, so if there is still more fighting to go with them, let me stay alive in order to strive more against them. If it has settled down, I beseech you to ignite it again so that I breathe my last in its context." He concluded his supplication beseeching Allah (swt) not to let him die until he had had full revenge on Banu Qurayzah.
Missing of the Asr prayer In the context of the events of the Battle of Ahzab, the Messenger of Allah (saw) failed to observe some prayers in their right time. Jabir (ra) narrated, "On the Day of the Trench 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (ra) came, cursing the disbelievers of Quraish and said: 'O Allah's
The Treachery of Banu Qurayzah In the midst of these difficult circumstances, plots and intrigues were in fervent action against the Muslims. The chief criminal of Banu Nadir, Huyai, headed for the habitations of Banu Qurayzah to incite their chief Ka'b bin Asad Al-Qurazi, who had drawn a pact with the Messenger of Allah (saw) to run to his aid in times of war. Ka'b, in the beginning resisted all Huyai's temptations, but Huyai was clever enough to manipulate him and managed to win Ka'b to his side and persuade him to break his covenant with the Muslims. Banu Qurayzah then started to launch war operations against the Muslims especially the secluded garrisons that housed the women and children of the Muslims. On the authority of Ibn Ishaq, Safiyah (ra), daughter of 'Abdul Mutallib happened to be in a garrison with Hassan bin Thabit as well as some women and children. Safiyah said, "A Jew was spotted lurking around our
site, which was vulnerable to any enemy attacks because there were no men to defend it. I informed Hassan that I was suspicious of that man's presence near us, [and that] he might take us by surprise now that the Messenger of Allah (saw) and the Muslims are too busy to come to our aid, [so I said] why don't you get down and kill him? Hassan answered that he would not do it, so I took a bar of wood, went down and struck the Jew to death. I returned and asked Hassan to loot him but again Hassan refused to do that." This event had a far-reaching effect and discouraged the Jews from conducting further attacks thinking that those sites were fortified and protected by Muslim fighters. They, however, went on providing the idolaters with supplies in token of their support against the Muslims.
the Prophet saying: 'Truly, our homes lie open (to the enemy).' And they lay not open. They but wished to flee" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 12-13].
On hearing this bad news, the Messenger (saw) despatched four Muslim prominent leaders Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra), Sa'd bin 'Ubada (ra), 'Abdullah bin Rawaha (ra) and Khawat bin Jubair (ra) for investigation but warning against any sort of spreading panic amongst the Muslims and advising that they should declare in public that the rumours are groundless if they happen to be so. Unfortunately the four men discovered that the news was true and that the Jews announced openly that no pact of alliance existed any longer with Muhammad (saw). The Messenger of Allah (saw) was briefed on this situation, and the Muslims understood their critical position with the horrible danger implied therein. Their back was vulnerable to the attacks of Banu Qurayzah, and a huge army at the front, while their women and children were unprotected standing in between. In this regard, Allah (swt) says,
They first asked, "O Messenger of Allah, is it mere plan for you, or a Divine order", He (saw) replied,
"And when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 10]. Response of the Hypocrites Now that the Muslims were shut in within the Trench on the defensive, just as the hypocrites today taunt the Muslims saying that the re-establishment of the Khilafah is a dream, the hypocrites then taunted the Muslims. One man, Mu'attib ibn Qushair said, "Muhammad used to promise us that we should eat the treasures of Khosrau and Caesar and today not one of us can feel safe in going to the toilet."
Response of the Believers According to Ibn Kathir twelve days went by without fighting; only the occasional shooting of arrows. When the condition pressed hard upon the people, the Prophet (saw) had in mind to conclude a sort of reconciliation with the chiefs of Ghatafan on the basis of donating them a third of Madinah's fruit crops. He sought the advice of the two leaders of the Ansar, namely, Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra) and Sa'd bin 'Ubadah (ra), the leaders of the Aws and Khazraj, whose reply went as follows:
Hudhaifah said that as he walked over to the enemy camp he felt warm as if he was walking in a heated bath, then he saw Abu Sufyan and pointed an arrow at him then remembered the instructions of the Prophet (saw) so he didn't shoot. When he walked back he felt warm as if he was walking in a heated bath and gave the information to the Prophet (saw) and then he felt cold again. The Victory In this terrible situation with all of these problems internally and externally let us see how Allah (swt) fulfilled his promise of victory.
"It is my plan to protect you against the allied forces" Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra) then said, "Allah has honoured us with Islam, guided us to Him, and granted us dignity by believing in him and following you. How could we give them our money! By Allah we will give them nothing but swords (fighting) until Allah judges between us and them." Hudhaifa's mission Once a man who was sitting in the company of Hudhaifah (ra) started talking about how if he had been alive at the time of the Prophet (saw) he would have fought by his side and striven for his causes. Hudhaifah (ra) said, "You might have done that (but do not make a flourish of your enthusiasm), I was with the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the night of the battle of Ahzab and we were gripped with a violent and severe cold. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
They began to sow the seeds of defeatism, and pretended to withdraw for the defence of their homes, though these were in no way exposed to danger. Allah (swt) then revealed:
"And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said, 'Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusions!' And when a party of them said: 'O people of Yathrib (Al-Madinah), there is no stand (possible) for you (against the enemy attack!) therefore go back!' And a band of them asked for permission of
Most High.' We all kept quiet and none of us responded to him. He said it again and again and all kept quiet, then he said it again, and again no response, then he said, 'Stand up, Hudhaifah bring me the news of the enemy and do nothing that may provoke them against me.'"
'The man who brings me news of the enemy shall be ranked with me in the Day of Judgement by Allah,
Relief came in the form of Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud. He had already embraced Islam though his own people did not know it and he came to the Messenger of Allah (saw). Nu'aym proposed to the Messenger of Allah (saw) a way in which he could awaken distrust amongst the disbelievers. So Nu'aym was instructed by the Messenger of Allah (saw) to go to Banu Qurayzah, with whom he had been a companion in Jahiliyyah days, and remind them of his affection and the special ties that existed between them; remarking to him in a most famous statement, "For war is deceit." Nu'aym thus set about achieving this by speculating what would be their fate should things go badly for them and Ghatafan together with Quraish were to leave them to face Muhammad (saw) alone. He emphasised that Quraish and Ghatafan might not bear waiting for a long time because they were not inhabitants of that land and hence had much less motivation to stay. He told them that if they were left to face Muhammad on their own they would not be able to do so. Finally, he suggested to them not to fight alongside the Allies until they had taken hostages from their chiefs who would remain in their hands as security. Only then should they fight Muhammad (saw) with their allies until they made an end of him. Qurayzah thought that this was excellent advice. Nu'aym then went to Quraish and told them that the Jews of Qurayzah had regretted their action in opposing Muhammad (saw) and that they had sent him to tell them so. He stated that they were prepared to make it up with him by handing over some chiefs of the two tribes, Quraish and Ghatafan, so that he could cut their heads off. He said to them, "So if the Jews send to you to demand hostages, do not send to them a single man." Then he went to Ghatafan and told them the same story that he had told Quraish. The Arabs' suspicion of the Jews grew and Abu Sufyan sent for Ka'b informing him that they had been besieging Muhammad (saw) for a long time and that they should make ready for battle the next day. Ka'b replied that it was the Sabbath, a day on which they did nothing, no fighting and no work. Abu Sufyan was enraged and he came to believe what Nu'aym had told him. He sent an envoy back to Qurayzah to tell them to
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Quotes make another Sabbath instead of this one for it was essential to fight Muhammad (saw) the next day. The envoy also told them that if Quraish and Ghatafan went out to fight and they were not there, their agreements would be cancelled and they might be fought before Muhammad (saw). When Qurayzah heard Abu Sufyan's comments they asserted their stand that they would not violate the Sabbath, then they mentioned the hostages whom they should hold as security. When Abu Sufyan heard this he had no doubt left concerning what Nu'aym had told him. He began to think of a new strategy and he liaised with Ghatafan only to find out that they too had second thoughts about fighting Muhammad (saw). That night Allah (swt) sent a bitter wind and a thunderous storm which overthrew their tents and upset their cooking-pots. They were panic-stricken and thought that the Muslims would seize the chance to direct their onslaught against them, so Tulayha arose up and shouted, "Muhammad has come after you, so run for your lives". Abu Sufyan said, "O Quraish! Be off, for I am going." So they grabbed hurriedly whatever they could carry and fled. Ghatafan and the rest of the Allies did the same. In the morning they were all gone. Allah (swt) says,
Musharraf's Islam
Israeli quotes
"We are all Muslims. No one has the right to champion the cause of Islam."
"There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies - not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbours here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy."
President Gen Pervaiz Musharraf referring to religious parties in Pakistan Dawn 24/04/2002
Chechnya "Israel has carried out one sweep in the Jenin camp during the past eight years. The Russians have conducted 33 such operations in the village of Tsotsan-Yurt since September 1999, and 20 in Starye Atagi, with far bloodier results. According to the Russian human rights group Memorial, some 2,000 Chechens have disappeared in Russian sweeps, at least 12,000 have been killed outright and thousands more have been tortured, robbed or raped." Jackson Diehl, The Washington Post, Tuesday, April 30, 2002
"O you who believe! Remember the grace of Allah, on you when there came down on you hosts (to overwhelm you). But we sent against them a hurricane and forces that you did not see. But Allah sees (clearly all that you do)" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 9]. The battle of Ahzab should make us realise that no matter how difficult our present predicament is, Allah (swt) will definitely provide us with the victory. We have to remain strong, patient and work for this victory. Abdul-Hamid Jassat
The Arabs "The world's 280 million Arabs spread across 22 countries, have a fair degree of diplomatic, economic and military clout. What they have always lacked is the cohesion and leadership to overcome handicaps, such as their dependence on American Aid and arms." The Economist, 27th April 2002
India "What happened in Gujarat was not a spontaneous uprising, it was a carefully orchestrated attack against Muslims. The attacks were planned in advance and organized with extensive participation of the police and state government officials."
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Smita Narula, senior South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch
The Spread of Jewish Extremism "A senior Democratic senator told a visiting European the other day, "All of us here are members of Likud now." So any criticism of the policies and philosophy of Likud condemns one as an anti-Semite?" Chris Patten IHT, Wednesday, May 8, 2002
Israeli president Moshe Katsav, The Jerusalem Post, May 10, 2001. "The Palestinians are like crocodiles, the more you give them meat, they want more". Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel at the time August 28, 2000. Reported in the Jerusalem Post August 30, 2000 " [The Palestinians are] beasts walking on two legs." Menachem Begin, speech to the Knesset, quoted in Amnon Kapeliouk, "Begin and the Beasts". New Statesman, 25 June 1982. "The Palestinians" would be crushed like grasshoppers ... heads smashed against the boulders and walls." Israeli Prime Minister (at the time) in a speech to Jewish settlers New York Times April 1, 1988 "We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves." Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat, the mayor of Tel Aviv, October 1983. "I don't know something called International Principles. I vow that I'll burn every Palestinian child (that) will be born in this area. The Palestinian woman and child are more dangerous than the man, because the Palestinian Childs existence infers that generations will go on, but the man causes limited danger. I vow that if I was just an Israeli civilian and I met a Palestinian I would burn him and I would make him suffer before killing him. With one hit I've killed 750 Palestinians (in Rafah in 1956). I wanted to encourage my soldiers by raping Arabic girls as the Palestinian women is a slave for Jews, and we do whatever we want to her and nobody tells us what we shall do but we tell others what they shall do." Ariel Sharon, current Prime Minister, In an interview with General Ouze Merham, 1956.
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Khilafah Magazine June 2002