Women in the Islamic Struggle
Narrated Anas bin Malik, r.a. [Excerpted from a long
hadith.]
Um Haram, r.a. said,
"What makes you smile,
O Allah's messenger?"
He said, "Some people of
my followers were
presented before me
(in a dream) as fighters in Allah's Cause."
He said the same as
he had said before.
I said, "O Allah's messenger! Invoke Allah to make
me from them."
He said, "You are among
the first ones."
[Sahih Bukhari 9.87.130]
Comment by Br. Kaukab Siddique:
In Islam, participation is based on ability, not on gender.
During the Caliphate of Usman, r.a., Um Haram, r.a., joined
the Islamic naval force led by Muawiyya, r,a. She died
during the campaign owing to an accident..
Our America
Greensboro, North Carolina
Hail the New Generation of Muslims.
by Imam Badi Ali
All praise to Allah (swt). My daughter, Ramma, is now
officially the President of 3rd Grade at Triad Math and
Science Academy (TMSA). She's following the footsteps of her
sister, Maitha, who is also the President of the student
body. I am so proud of all of my children, Alhamdoillah.
San Francisco
Open Air Urinals in the U.S.A.: Nasty Situation for Women
and Children
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen]
San Francisco, some would say it is one of the sister cities
of the Sodom & Gomorrah legend, New York being the other
one. There is a fight that has begun there against open-air
urinals or pissoirs, as they are referred to in Europe.
These are located in England and France and make it readily
available for men to use whenever they need to do so. Of
course, as usual, in these male-centered societies, women
and children are not even given any consideration when it
comes to relieving themselves.
These public urinals have been showcased on shows
highlighting the weird provisions in countries around the
world. Well, somehow the public urinal has made its way to
San Francisco's popular Dolores Park, which, recently,
underwent a $20 million dollar renovation that includes
increasing the number of public bathrooms from a meager
three to twenty seven.
Six civic organizations have sent a letter to the city of
San Francisco threatening a lawsuit if the public urinals
are not removed within twenty days. They claim that the
open-air urinals are a "flagrant violation of the law and
basic public policy", is unsanitary and discriminatory
towards women and children because it is only designed for
adult male use. The open-air urinal is a circular cement
structure with a shielded gate on-top for "privacy." There
is a drain located in the center for the urine to flow down
into it.
This issue and the negative feelings towards it is no
different than what the Muslims in Tunisia are going through
with the European tourists flocking to the beaches and
displaying their nudity there. The problem in Tunisia is
that you have the staunch defenders of Islam being countered
by more mainstream Muslims. Now, it becomes Muslim vs
Muslim, rather than Muslim vs kuffar. Then again, once
Muslims have left the Islamic fold they are to be counted as
kuffar, anyway. There are efforts there to curb Muslim
sentiment toward "fanaticism," which is a dirty word for the
Shariah. Of course, the Western nations applaud this effort
to curb Islamic practice. However, the fight in Tunisia,
although more involved, is less complicated with the Qur'an
as a point of reference.
The San Francisco fight could be a little more daunting.
What is the point of reference for those fighting against
the indecency of public urinals? Scripture? LOL!
Surprisingly, Americans can be pretty conservative and
family oriented but, in America it is not the majority that
wins. It is big business. The feelings of Americans have
never been considered. After all, look at the courts and how
they have betrayed the American people by "legalizing"
homosexuality and forcing businesses to cater to this sinful
lifestyle. Without God or his Law a factor, the arguments
against immorality in this society would need to be
compelling
(Source Kron4.com)
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Activity in 16 degree weather in Newark, Delaware.
Feb 12, 2016. A 4-page document was given to 41 people after
Juma' salat.
It was 16 degrees in the sun, so people were rushing to get
to their cars. The 4-pager could only be given to 41.
The khutba was above average. The imam, Arab brother, gave
the example of a Sahabi [Companion of the Prophet, pbuh] who
embraced Islam after meeting the Prophet, pbuh, JUST ONCE.
The imam challenged the audience, mostly immigrants, to ask
themselves why no one has accepted Islam at their hands
although they have been here for 8 years or more.
The Jamaat al-Muslimeen 4-pager consisted of the
following:
&
Br. Kaukab's scathing Islamic analysis of President
Obama's opportunistic visit to Masjid Rahma [ISB] in
Baltimore.
Mujahideen in Syria blocked Russian-Hizbullah advance
towards Aleppo. Indiscriminate bombing by Russia and
Shiites-Alawites of populations which have no anti-aircraft
defenses.
Tribute to Br. Rich for his work with the New Trend web
site, newtrendmag.org, which received 20171 visitors in
January. Also highlighted web sites linked to New Trend of
three Muslim political prisoners : Ahmed Abdel Sattar, Ziyad
Yaghi and Masoud Khan. [Egyptian, Palestinian and Pakistani]
Jamaat al-Muslimeen's Humanitarian Program in Ethiopia.
Arrival & First two Weeks.
by Sis. Ashira Naim.
I Arrived in Ethiopia on January 7th, and am getting rest
and recovery from 12 straight hours flight, with 2 and a
half hours stay in Dubai airport, followed by about 4 more
hours to finally enter Bole Airport in Addis Ababa. And now,
after 10 days in Addis, followed by an hour's ride to the
bus station and a one and a half hours bus ride (taxi) to
Adama/Nazareth, we find that we are not quite settled
yet.
Nevertheless, after 3 previous visits to continue our
program here, this is all too familiar. Peering out my
window or from the balcony, I feel comforted by the beauty
of the mountains against the skyline and by the peaceful
"march" of the sellers and buyers throughout the streets.
This is Addis Ababa, the Capital city. Joining the flow I
realize how much I have neglected daily walking exercise as
my knees remind me with each step. So, after exchanging
dollars for birrs, I make my way back through the streets
and to my balcony. Oh yes, visitors came today--a wonderful
Christian lady who sat next to me on the plane from Dubai
had come to visit me at the hotel along with her husband and
17 year old daughter. In the hotel restaurant it soon became
clear why she had brought all of them along. I was to be the
object of their dawah. Afterall, it was Sunday.
Fortunately, these were intelligently sincere Christians and
we were able to exchange ideas in peaceful discussion. My
appeal to them was my "Islam in a nutshell" as seen on the
masjid webpage. (See www.Masjid JAM).
The news of the freezing weather on the East Coast of the US
was met by an astonishing change in the weather here in
Ethiopia also. Though not as drastic as the snow and cold
there in Baltimore, MD where I and my family live, the
temperature throughout the Ethiopia also fell and was
accompanied by forceful winds blowing blinding dust in some
parts. We thank Allah for His Mercy.
The uprising of farmers and students in the Oromia region
made for a delay in my departure from Addis to Adama (Oromia
region). Reports since the latter part of December, 2015
revealed that police had shot and killed some of the
demonstrators. I thought to myself "how small the world has
truly become" same problems of police killing citizens,
oppression, corrupt government, lamenting people
worldwide.
18th January, I stood at the receptionist desk to pay for my
room in Adama. It was one day before the yearly Christian
celebration, Epiphany. Now, it appeared things were back to
normal as the people marched and chanted full breast across
the entire road in both directions, carrying crosses,
wearing crosses, robes and full traditional dress. People
from all over the world come to Ethiopia (primarily Addis
Ababa, the capital city)
to participate in this celebration.
It didn't take long to realize that the cost of living has
also risen in this country and the poor people (that's an
overwhelming majority) --their lamentations fall only on the
ears of their fellows in suffering, for the leaders are
DEAF. Talks with young men over coffee and tea always
revealed the same: "We are hungry; we have lst degrees and
some have 2nd degree, and there are no jobs here, and we are
punished if we say anything!" Though it sound simple, it was
the simple truth to tell them that it is the same way all
over the world--US, France, etc. watch the world news
stations and keep up with what is going on all over the
world.
Since then, for over a week now I have moved to another side
of town--right near a masjid so that I can hear the call to
prayer, Alhamdullilah. Soon we will begin the program of
feeding the hungry/needy and report to you, inshallah. With
All Praise and Thanks to Allah for keeping us safe through
this journey. And May Allah's bountiful blessings be
bestowed on all who contributed to this effort. Amen.
This I told the young men one day and now it rings in my
ears, but I don't remember where I got it from: "This is
God's Work. No man can do it, and no man can stop it
SPOTLIGHTS from Imam Badi Ali
I think that using the electronic tools of today such
as the iPod, iPad, and iPhone is not smart, but it
contributes to the ignorance of the new generation. They are
not depending on their brains or memory anymore. They are
online Googling the answers and that's that. They do not
memorize anything anymore.
Those who use their digital tools all the time are
becoming antisocial. They do not know how to interact with
other humans.
These digital tools are taking over our lives.
They're becoming an alternative for TV's, movies, other
sources of entertainment, and our educational resources.
Let us hope they don't become an alternative for our
friends and family.
Another form of addiction - you can call the new
electronic tools Digital Drugs. They make us look like
walking zombies. People are walking and driving around and
they're all hooked to these small screens in their hands - a
new form of addiction.
We are paying a heavy price for this new technology.
Look at the new statistics about car accidents, educational
performances, and loss of memory, new social diseases,
stress and anxiety.
Nowadays, it doesn't matter whether people can pay
their bills. What's important to them is pursuing the brand
name of the iPhone.
iPod, iPhone, iPad, or ice cream. The Arabs did not
invent any. They only invented, "I scream!"
-Imam Badi Ali leads a large Muslim community in Greensboro,
NC
RESEARCH
Hunt's mind-blowing documentary on holocaust claims.
Muslims Should Study the Jewish Holocaust story, the main
source of sympathy for Israel and the control of media by
International Jewry. New Trend and Kaukab Siddique do not
have expertise in holocaust studies, so we are indebted to
Bradley Smith and others who have been critical researchers
in this field.
The Majdanek Gas Chamber Myth (DVD)
by Eric Hunt
The Majdanek Gas Chamber Myth debunks the "Gas Chambers
Disguised as Shower Rooms" propaganda coup. Majdanek was the
first major concentration camp liberated by the victorious
Allies. Upon capture by the Soviet Union, original
propaganda claimed that 2 million were murdered in a
"factory of death" which included seven homicidal gas
chambers.
However, Majdanek was captured largely intact and a large
amount of documentation and physical evidence helps to
acquit the Germans of the "Gas Chambers disguised as shower
rooms" blood libel.
The original, outrageously inflated propaganda death toll
has precipitously dropped, and 5 of the 7 originally alleged
"homicidal gas chambers" have been admitted to never have
served as homicidal gas chambers.
Hunt's mind-blowing documentary on The Majdanek Gas Chamber
Myth is now available on DVD! CODOH offers it at a low price
$9.95: With thanks to: Bradley Smith, CODOH, P.O. Box
439016, San Ysidro, CA 92143
War News
Syria
Hizbullah with Russian air support Approaching Aleppo.
People fleeing towards Turkey.
Kurds took advantage of situation to capture border areas.
Turkey Responds.
Assad's Shiite- Alawite Troops run into
Deadly Ambush near Damascus [From wire services.]
February 14: Intense Russian bombing continues across Syria,
mostly on the "moderate" FSA controlled areas, but also
against al-Nusra in Latakia and ISIS in DEr ez Zor and
Palmyra.
The bombing triggered outflow of the civilian population. A
wave of fear has spread owing to Russian bombing which is
around the clock and hitting many civilian areas. The second
fear is that if Aleppo comes under siege by Hizbullah, food
supplies will be cut off to break the population's support
of the Islamic fighters.
Hizbullah has now captured the village of Tamoura after its
defenders were wiped out by the Russian bombing campaign. If
Hizbullah captures 4 more villages, Aleppo will be
encircled.
Mujahideen groups from near the Turkish border withdrew to
defend Aleppo. YPG Communist Kurds took advantage of the
fluid situation to capture several northern villages.
Assad's exultation over the Russian bombing evaporated when
his forces fell into a well coordinated by Jaysh al-Islam
[the army of Islam] near Damascus. First reports indicated
45 of the Shiite-Alawite troops were killed but latest
figures from the Associated Press are 75 Alawite troops
killed. There are reports of grief in the ranks of the
regime.
TURKEY
For once a Muslim country supports mujahideen [somewhat].
On February 12, Turkish tanks on the border with Syria
opened fire on the YPG Kurds who have occupied border
villages.
On February 13, Turkish tanks and artillery continued to
shell the YPG Turks inside the Syrian border. Turkey is
saying YPG must withdraw from the border villages. Turkey
says, the Kurdish move, which Assad's forces have now
joined, is a way of ethnic cleansing to force the population
of Aleppo to run away from their homes.
The YPG Communists are refusing to withdraw and the US air
force supports them. A strange situation because USA is an
ally of Turkey.
Afghanistan
Afghan Taliban use captured Humvees
February 13. [From Reuters]
LASHKAR GAH: Taliban insurgents in captured military Humvee
vehicles launched martyrdom attacks in the southern Afghan
province of Helmand on Saturday, killing several members of
the security forces in the district center of Sangin, a
senior official said.
The incident came amid bitter fighting in Helmand, a
traditional Taliban heartland where insurgents have overrun
many areas, leaving government forces in some district
centers including Sangin and Marjah barely clinging on.
Iraq
Serious Clashes between Baghdad troops and ISIL
February 14. Fighting continues between IS groups who have
withdrawn from Ramadi under US air strikes. The fighters are
mounting counterattacks outside Ramadi.
An attack just outside northern Baghdad left numerous police
officers dead and wounded.
Fallujah remains under IS control.
Shiite atrocities against Sunnis have been reported from
Diyala province.
More than 500 US special forces are now in al-Asad air base
north west of Ramadi.
The northern areas of Iraq, Kurdish majority, remain under
IS control with ongoing skirmishes with westernized Kurdish
forces and US air strikes.
Mali [West Africa].
Ansar Deen attack on UN force after Germany Announced Troops
going to Mali. [From Reuters.]
On February 12, an African Islamic human bomber attacked
United Nations troops at Kidal in northern Mali. Six UN
troops from Guinea were killed. Ansar Deen has accepted
responsibility. It has announced the bomber's name: Muhammad
Abdullah bin Hudhayfa al-Hosni from Mauritania.
Ansar's leader is a Taurag named Iyad Ag Ghali.
The attack came immediately after Germany announced that it
was sending 650 troops to Mali to fight the Islamic uprising
following the German president's visit to Mali.
Ansar issued this statement after the attack:
"The (Kidal) operation is a message to the Crusader invaders
and all those who support them and promise to send their
soldiers to us, like the German President said in his
current visit to Bamako."
Libya
ISIS Shoots Down Two Jet Planes of the West-backed Regime
February 13 [Quoted from Al-Jazeera.]
Looks like they are using Gaddafi's weapons... Editor New
Trend.
A Soviet-made MIG-23 fighter seen during the Libyan Army
Officers 5th Forum in 2015 [Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty
Images]
A MiG-23 fighter jet flown by Libya's internationally
recognized government was shot down as it carried out air
strikes on opposition positions in the coastal city of
Benghazi.
Nasser el-Hassi, spokesman for the government's forces, told
AFP news agency the plane was shot down in Qaryunes,
northwest Benghazi, as it bombed targets on Friday.
A military source said the pilot survived having parachuted
to safety, but his whereabouts were not immediately clear.
It was the second military air crash this week.
Brigade General Saqr al-Jaroushi, a Libyan military
official, also confirmed the incident to the Associated
Press.
On Monday, another MiG-23 operated by forces loyal to
Libya's recognised government crashed near the eastern city
of Derna after attacking fighter positions.
The LANA news agency, which is close to the recognised
government, blamed "technical problems" for the downing.
Before crashing, the fighter had carried out raids on
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions about
15km from Derna.
PAKISTAN
Red Mosque Leader, Maulana Abdul Aziz, Under Pressure from
Sectarian Interests and his own "Daughters"
[From New Trend's Pakistan monitor.]
Pakistan is effectively under military control. General
Sharif carried out a sophisticated takeover without
declaring a coup. The country now is in a situation where
anyone sympathetic even in expression to the mujahideen can
be arrested. The Islamic fighters can now only be called
"terrorists" while military personnel killed in operations
against the Muslims are described as "martyrs."
The only person defying the military mind set of the
Pakistani system is the leader of the Red Mosque in
Islamabad, Maulana Abdul Aziz. Secularist and Shia elements
have become very bold . They have heavy infiltration in the
media and the military and are loudly calling for the arrest
of Maulana Abdul Aziz. The Maulana has big support in
Islamabad's Islamic seminaries and mosques and among the
ordinary workers and artisans, the masses. Still, the
pressure on him is intense both from his own constituency
and externally from the Shias in the governmemt.
Military action against him would turn multitudes of
ordinary Pakistanis against the military who often see the
military as a positive force. General Musharraf was brutal
enough to attack the original Red Mosque. It took the
country by surprise and led to Islamic uprisings in the
tribal areas from where many of the female students had come
to study at Jamia Hafsa, the female wing of the Red
Mosque.
The pressure on the Maulana also comes from his own people.
The young women in the seminary attached to the Red Mosque
think that in a Muslim country they should have the right to
express support for mujahideen. They issued a statement
supporting the Islamic State, IS, and the caliphate of Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Qureshi al Hussaini. This was too much
even for Maulana Abdul Aziz. He disassociated himself from
the statement.
A further problem for him is that a part of the Red Mosque
school system is dedicated to Shaykh Osama bin Laden. This
was done before the current General Raheel Sharif cleverly
clamped down on all fighters against America.
Now if Maulana Abdul Aziz removes the dedication to Osama,
his own community will turn against him.
The Maulana has found an interesting way out of his dilemma.
He says he wants to pardon General Musharraf for his brutal
assault on the Red Mosque and Jamia Hafsa. Again the several
thousand women studying there find this "solution" repulsive
and unacceptable.
Strategic Studies: Controversial but Thoughtful
Muslim World: The Leaders Who Could Not Lead
By Mahboob A Khawaja
Synoptic View of the Contemporary Muslim World
The entire Muslim world is engaged in self-destructive
conflicts. Unwarranted wars and sectarian bloodbaths are the
order of the day, so unparalleled in contemporary history.
You wonder, what are they fighting for? While the 21st
century stands at the verge of knowledge-based global
transformation, ignorant and arrogant leaders are
perpetuating individualistic political absolutism and
tyranny to divide the Muslims.Who are the real warriors
fighting for human freedom and justice, and who are the
hired culprits to prolong proxy wars for other hegemonic
powers? Both the US and Russia are competing for hegemonic
strategic influence, increased sales of weaponry and to
acquire direct control over the natural resources of Arab
Middle East. Western Europeans - the former lords of
colonialism - prefer their own strategic priorities wherever
they could find a gap between the two competing superpowers.
People are not the target of mind control, but victims of
the interventionist policies and raging wars. Believe it or
not, people are little more than numbers in police-run
states as they could not challenge the Arab authoritarianism
for decades. It was unthinkable that ideological adversaries
like the US and Russia would some day collaborate to bomb
the Arab people, their culture and habitats. The Middle East
is not a fertile place for ideological contrasts as the Arab
culture and civilization overwhelms the entire landscape. At
issue are political change and the aspirations of younger
generations for an effective role in shaping the present and
their future. Yet they are denied opportunities by the
authoritarian rulers to have any say in the political
change. Arab Spring articulated a vision that became an
illusion as it was rapidly replaced by the foreign powers
with tyranny and militarization.
The Muslim world as a whole is a quagmire of ethnic cliques,
linguistic identities and individualistic political
diversions. Islam professed a universal message of
brotherhood amongst the divided people of Arabia and unity
of faith to become One Ummah- One People, all equal in
rights and obligations before God. The essence and spirit of
this message has been neglected and its imperatives betrayed
in the political governance and official policies and
practices. No authoritarian Arab ruler will ever admit being
part of the problem. Should humans not be moral in our
political and intellectual endeavors? Do we have the
rudimentary imagination to cure the incurable ignorance,
sectarian resentment and nationalistic bloody rampage - the
malice and perfidy out of the sadistic human plans and
priorities across the Arabian Peninsula? Can we critically
look at ourselves and ask why Muslims have become so
stagnated in moral, spiritual and intellectual values that
we are on the verge of destroying any hope of freedom,
equality and justice for the future? Can Muslims see the
mirror with a collective consciousness?
Arab Authoritarianism is a Chronic Problem
The authoritarian puppet Arab-Muslim leaders, propelled by
self-serving Western leaders, are engaged in a desperate
struggle for survival with unknown disastrous consequences
for the entire world. None of the self-made kings and
dictators will ever surrender to the will of the people and
make way for a peaceful transfer of power to the next
generation. Deliberate killings of the innocents go unabated
across Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Egypt as if there were
no human conscience, knowledge, or rational thinking on the
part of earth's inhabitants. The unending conflicts have
become a war syndrome representing human madness, the guilt
of having plunged the whole of the mankind into cruel abyss.
It seems that no one can imagine a way out of the sadistic
messy plan for the future of humanity. Individual self
interest has replaced the collective goodness of a besieged
mankind. For sure, wickedness and righteousness cannot be
combined in one policy statement, and in a decision maker's
mind. All those possessing absolute political power appear
to be cruelly indifference towards their fellow human
beings.
Americans and Europeans have divided the Arab-Muslim world
into sectarian identities, cliques all antagonistic towards
each other. The cruelty of unwanted wars is raging across
the Arab- Muslim societies -Shiite-Sunnis fighting daily
bloodbaths happening as if it is the normal sacrifices of
the religious festival. None seem to have any sense of
accountability. The leaders are comfortable and unmoved to
see their people benumbed by killing and madness. Who is
going undue the irretrievable historical mistakes in these
leader's judgment? History shall see people and the leaders
by their actions, not by their claims. When difficult
problems erupt, intelligent and competent leaders are always
conscious and open to the voices of reason, change, and
remedial action. This helps all to navigate change and to
solve the problems. Borrowed weapons and corrupt and failed
rulers do not have the capacity to extend moral or
intellectual security to the Arab masses. Most oil pumping
Arab countries are merely satellites of the US Empire. Those
who plan and wage wars are not innocent belligerents, or
acting without knowledge. They know well what they are
engaged in and its consequences. Those warriors who go to
Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere to kill innocent
people, massacring men, women and children, fully understand
what they are doing.
Do the Authoritarian Leaders Listen to Voices of Reason?
Tyranny complements transgression and corruption. The
contemporary Muslim world is a living picture of this
political stigma. To replace Bashr al-Assad, self acclaimed
Arab kings and Princess, Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak, Ghadaffi
and Hussein millions could be displaced, made refugees and
exterminated and nothing will change. What if the Arab
leaders had developed public institutions and an islamically
people-oriented system of governance, could all of this not
have been averted? Surely, the outcome could have been
different and more sustainable than the raging sectarian
bloodbaths occurring daily across Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya,
Egypt, and Lebanon and soon overlapping to Saudi Arabia.
One wonders, "Why are the oil enriched Arab leaders buying
billions of dollars worth of military hardware from America
or Europe?" How and against whom would it be used? If Iraq,
Syria, Yemen, Libya and Egypt are any example, the
militarization is meant to quell the public involvement and
aspirations for political change and building a brighter
future. Imagine if the Arab world had competent armed forces
and leadership on the one hand, and were open to common
sense diplomacy and dialogue on the other. Could peace and
normalcy have not been restored in Iraq, Syria, Palestine,
Yemen and Libya? Any rational person wonders who is fighting
whom and why? Are they not entrapped by the US warmongering
in the region? America is fighting to support the failing
Shiite regime in Iraq, and it is supporting Saudis (so to
speak) against the Shiite Houtis in Yemen and anti-Assad
regime in Syria. There is no sense to be made out of the
political and intellectual nonsense.
Critical issues call for thoughtful analysis, change, and
new ideas to replace the obsolete thinking. It is also
critical to replace the obsessive values flourishing across
the Arabian Gulf Peninsula. But the ruling elite have failed
to build a foundation that addresses the imperatives of
security policies, peace and conflict resolution, and human
progress in a global community. Global politics are not
fixed, but a constantly changing phenomenon of life. Arab
leaders do not comprehend the necessity for political
change, but reality will not diminish because nobody is
conscious of its presence. Of most important are the issues
of establishment of an independent State of Palestine,
normalization of relationships between the Arab and the
non-Arab Muslim countries and with the State of Israel. The
Arab Middle East faces many critical crises. Even a cursory
examination of the American-British wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the resulting sectarian bloodbaths
predictable crises show that nothing is being tackled in
their proper context or by any rational analysis.
At the heart of Arab discontent is the freedom of Palestine
and how to normalize relations with the State of Israel. All
other crises are superficial and subservient to the focal
issue of Palestine. There are no independent public
institutions to analyze the political problems and find
workable solutions; no proactive thinking exists in any Arab
quarter to strive for political unity and to have coherent
leadership. How can leaders who cannot think intelligently,
or understand the nature of the current crises, lead in any
strategic direction? The sectarian madness appears to have
gone out of control implicating the traditional Arab-Muslim
societies into hatred and fear of survival.
How to Change the Role and Perceptions of Sadistic
Leaders?
Leaders create new leaders and unite the masses when faced
with formidable challenges. The contemporary Muslim leaders
owe allegiance to foreign masters and lack the vision and
capacity to perceive and manage changing political affairs.
When Islam ushered in a universal message of human unity in
faith and tolerance to build bridges across many continents,
the conscientious leaders were people-oriented and were open
to voices of reason and truth to manage the affairs of the
state. Today, ignorance and arrogance make the Iranian
leaders to focus on Shia identity contradicting the essence
of Islam. The neighboring Arabs from Saudi Arabia to other
oil exporting states align themselves with the Sunni sect as
claims the terrorism powerhouse, the so called - Islamic
State-IS. Were there any sects in the original Islam? After
all, this all appears to be man-made precepts to further
individual interests and generating disharmony in the body
of Islam. What kind of Islam do the Iranian and Saudi
leaders are propagating to the watchful eyes of the world?
Do the leaders know how to unite the masses? If they had any
sense of the originality of Islam, would they be engaged in
bloody sectarian warfare and killing the innocents in Iraq,
Syria, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere? Would they be hanging
religious scholars if they knew the repercussions and the
Divine punishment for such heinous crimes? Ironically, The
Islamic Revolution in Iran outcome of the universal message
of Islam and carried out successfully against the Shah of
Iran-the infamous authoritarian king. But now the Iranian
leadership is supporting another dictator- Bashar Al Assad-
the destructive force behind the Syrian crisis. Where is the
logic in this stance? How could Saudi hang a religious
scholar, Sheik Nimar, just for speaking against the regime?
How strange that paid judges can conveniently order to chop
off the head of another Muslim activist? Both the Saudi and
Iranian leaders need to learn from the annals of history.
They are entrapped by wrong thinking and doing the wrong
things. Their reactionary political antagonism is a menace
to the message of Islam for peace and tolerance. Do they
know how to implement the Islamic jurisprudence and its
manifestation? Islam seeks a just balance- 'al-mezaan' in
human affairs, not extremism. History will judge them by
their actions, not by their claims. Leaders are crushing the
human spirit; squashing rational thinking and opportunities
to dispel the differences. The raging conflicts in the
Muslim world are nothing other than the sectarian infested
madness and horror irrelevant to the values and principles
of Islam. The solution must come out of new thinking and new
vision for change, dialogue between the sectarian divides,
and competent leadership to achieve the stated goals. What
if societies were organized as morally and intellectually
conscientious people? What if they knew the complex nature
of global politics and the freedom to think, act, and
communicate with moral strength to the enemies within the
Arab societies? Given the opportunity, educated generations
could make the difference when time and history warrant a
change in direction. The new generations are proactive and
well equipped to think intelligently and address the
differences with knowledge-based creative strategies and
decent effective communication to unfold an era of political
tolerance, stability and normalization- moving away from the
tyranny of bloody authoritarianism. Is this not the rational
remedy much needed to restore peace and stability in the
Muslim world?
Recently, Chris Hedges ("The Terror We Give Is the Terror We
Get" Truthdig: 2/08/2015) spelled out how the sectarian
violence and terror and foreign fetched wars could undermine
the future of global humanity:
"Terror is the engine of war. And terror is what all sides
in this conflict produce in overabundance .......We torture
hostages in our black sites and choke them to death by
stuffing rags down their throats. They torture hostages in
squalid hovels and behead them. We organize Shiite death
squads to kill Sunnis. They organize Sunni death squads to
kill Shiites. We produce high-budget films such as "American
Sniper" to glorify our war crimes. They produce
inspirational videos to glorify their twisted version of
jihad. The barbarism we condemn is the barbarism we commit.
The line that separates us from the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS) is technological, not moral. We are those
we fight. ....."From violence, only violence is born," Primo
Leviwrote, "following a pendular action that, as time goes
by, rather than dying down, becomes more frenzied."
Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace
and conflict resolution with keen interests in
Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and
author of several publications including the latest: Global
Peace and Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of
New Thinking. Lambert Academic Publishing Germany-May, 2012.
VIEWPOINT
Why are both Men and Women unhappy today? The World has
changed.
by Xavier William
[A controversial article which will make you think... Editor
NT.]
THE FAMILY APPENDIX: One of the greatest problems of the new
age is our utter loneliness as detailed before. Another
colossal problem of the present age is the nuclear family.
Biologists say that our appendix is the remnant of a useful
organ we had in our previous stage of evolution. At present,
the appendix is more of a problem than of any use. Likewise,
the nuclear family is a remnant of the joint family, which
is becoming more of a liability than an asset.
Sex is the main factor that holds men, women and children
together. In the Original State, sex came naturally as the
means of propagation of the species. There was promiscuity
with few taboos attached. With the Agrarian Wave, creation
of inheritors, who would carry forward the bloodline and
strengthen the clans, became the main objective of sex and
marriage. In these two waves, sex had an end; it made up for
the death tolls from famine, decease and strife. The family
had to proliferate or perish. Fecundity was a high virtue
and families produced as many children as possible. Gay and
Lesbian marriage had no place in this scheme of things. With
the Industrial and Digital waves, death was reined in
leading to a population explosion, and birth control became
imperative. Sex became an end in itself as more, more
couples opted for fewer, and fewer children, and gay and
Lesbian marriages became as viable as heterosexual ones.
With fewer and fewer children to raise, man and wife have no
common task or interests to hold them together in matrimony,
especially when both have their own carriers to nurture in
preference to the family, which used to be the universal
career for our ancestors.
All social institutions like family and religion have
relevance only in the economic context in accordance with
'The Law of Optimum Efficiencies'. We saw that in the
Original State and in the Agrarian Wave, age was respected
for its economic knowledge. Sexual relationships are no
different. All relationships, including sexual relationships
are forged for maximum economic efficiency and for emotional
stability. In the Original State and the Agrarian Wave, we
lived in nomadic communes or stationary joint families. The
group as a whole, whether commune or family, was involved
with the same economic activity. It is economics and its
efficiency that held the group together. On the other hand,
in the Industrial and Digital waves of transience, there
cannot be permanent relationships. What is more marriage has
no economic relevance in these modern times. It is an
appendix. Unlike in the Original State and the Agrarian
Wave, men, women and children are alienated in the
Industrial and Digital waves as they are pigeonholed in
their own occupations, and often at great physical distances
from each other. These economic realities put insurmountable
strains on irrelevant relationships.
The concept of equality of sexes also puts almost impossible
strains on this appendix, waiting to burst. The women's
rights movement further exacerbates things. A coalition or
cooperation between individuals cannot last if the members
involved are only concerned about their rights in the
organization. It is a sense of duty in the members of the
organization alone that can hold an organization together.
It is no different in a family. A family setup in which the
man, woman and children are clamoring for their rights and
shirking there responsibilities cannot last in harmony.
It has been established that men and women are different
constitutionally, emotionally, intellectually and in every
which way. Feminists boast that it is their weak physique
alone that holds them back from competing with men on an
equal footing. If it were so, how come women cannot compete
with men in games like chess and bridge, which do not
require any physical strength? Women cannot compete
efficiently with men in chess, because chess is a game
invented by men for men. Chess is designed to suit men's
cerebral specialties, and women stand only an outside chance
against men in chess. In the same way, today's economics,
politics, religion and the very ways of life are designed by
men for men, and women can at best stay on the fringe in
this man's world, except for the lucky few women who get
more than a fair share of male hormones and neurons. The
computer and the new world it opens up is another field
designed by men for men, and most softwares are developed by
men in tune with their intellectual or cerebral
constitution. The computer is going to make it even tougher
for women to compete with men. For this reason, though in
the family women can clamor for equal rights at the expense
of conjugal harmony, in the work place, in a computer
environment, women will have to play the second fiddle
whether they like it or not.
That man and woman can give companionship to each other in
matrimony is just an idyllic dream. We have seen in the
introductory chapter that the concept of romantic love,
which is now taken for granted, had its beginnings in Arabia
ca 1150. Before that, as among all social animals, men and
women lived almost in separate groups. Their relationships
were built on the firm foundations of economic efficiency.
This situation exists no more. Present sexual relationships
have no economic or emotional relevance as mentioned.
Man has his own unique perceptions of problems and their
solutions and women have their own, and never the twain
shall meet. What men perceive as problems may not be deemed
problems by women and vice versa. Man is a problem solver,
and women can live with problems and let problems sort
themselves out. In the Original State societies, as well as
in the Agrarian Wave joint families, men and women seldom
mixed. Men formed their groups and women formed their own.
Men are in a better position to solve male problems than
women, and men formed male groups for problem solving. With
the nuclear family, this pincushion of male camaraderie is
gone and a woman can often exacerbate a man's problems. The
same goes for women. The theatrical Draculean kisses and the
I-love-you-I-love-you-too routine we see in movies are good
only for the cameras. (I wonder whether our
great-great-grand parents kissed mouth to mouth like Dracula
or repeated that silly I-love-you-I-love-you-too sequence
like parrots) Women and men are not meant for regular,
constant company. (Read 'Men Are From Mars And Women Are
From Venus' and other books by John Gray and 'Why Men Do Not
Listen And Women Cant Read Maps' and 'Why Men Tell Lies And
Women Cry' by Allan & Barbara Pease and other works on the
subject)
What is the solution? To start with we have to realize that
men and women are not unequal, as those 'male chauvinist
pigs' put it, nor equal as our bird-brained feminists would
have it. Men and women are unique in their own ways and are
complementary to each other. They have different functions
to perform in nature, and so have different perceptions and
perspectives. Instead of trying to compete with men in their
world, women have to form a world of their own, different
but complementary to a man's world.
There is no multi-headed system - biological, economical,
political or social. The nuclear family, based on the
concept of equality of husband and wife is a pipedream and
looks good on TV ads. The nuclear family, founded on the
equality of sexes, is as feasible as multi-headed hydras or
Siamese twins and has to give way, sooner than later, to new
sexual and family equations to suit our Industrial and
Digital wave realities. We have to find a more viable
alternative to the nuclear family 'appendix'.
Most animals are evolution led and their socio-economic
developments are in tune with their bio-evolution. Man too
followed the same pattern until he broke away from nature
with the Agrarian Wave. Original State or animal sexual
relationships are the most natural with the minimum of
internal strains. They evolved in tune with our physique and
would have lasted for ever had we not broken away from the
original state of things. Thus matriarchal, communal living
comes most naturally to the human species. Such life styles
became unfeasible in the Agrarian Wave. Women were subdued
and everything looked smooth and ripple-free on the surface.
With the Industrial Wave, the strains inherent in Agrarian
Wave family relationships broke through and, marriages
became unfeasible, as marriages were Agrarian Wave
institutions, built on the concept of the subjugation of
women. If any new and meaningful sexual equations are to
evolve now, they have to be in tune with the Industrial or
Digital wave economic realities. Such equations have also to
make allowances for the fundamental and complementary
differences between men and women. Obviously such equations
cannot be based on the concept of the equality of the sexes,
a concept that we saw is as feasible as Siamese twins.
Not only is that the family a redundant appendix, but also
our whole way of life seems to be out of tune with our
bio-system. For all animals their ways of life are dictated
by their DNA or chromosomes or whatever. On the other hand,
things have spun out of control with the human being. Our
body remains much the same as it was millions of years ago,
though our way of life has changed drastically. Thanks to
our technology, we can dive to the greatest of depths or
soar to outer space where no life can survive. We travel at
greater speeds than any other animal or bird, speeds which
no organism is designed to travel at. For the other animals,
it is the environment that mutates and changes them. In the
case of man, we have already changed the environment for
better and for worse.
Because economic compulsions take precedence over all else,
our modern way of life especially our social life is
completely out of tune with our evolved biology and psyche,
which are still more than a million years in the past. It is
this dislocation in our way of social life with what it
should be evolutionally that is the main cause of our
present-day ills, especially vis-à-vis sex and
relationships. Divorced from the natural bloodline societies
of the past we live lonely lives in overcrowded cities in
the company of others like us who can never replace natural
blood relationships based on mutual trust and dependence and
with common goals and/or problems.
Along with our environment we have changed our ways of lives
too, ways, which are not in tune with our body-structure. As
with the males of all species, the human male is genetically
programmed to sow his sperm as far and wide as possible.
However, our Patriarchal laws and regulations have curbed
the natural sexual drive and limited it to monogamist
relationships. Nevertheless, there is ample scope for
fornication and sexual blow-down to release pressure
buildups. Whereas sex seems to be an end in itself as far as
the male is concerned, for the female sex is the means to an
end. The end, the basic purpose of the female reality is to
bear and rear children. Her mental, hormonal and emotive set
up is all fine-tuned to this one end. As in all animals, the
female of our species too is totally programmed to bear as
many children as she can, all through her productive years.
Nevertheless, with birth control, this basic female function
is reined in and with childless families, which are becoming
more and more common these days, our women lead an
unfulfilled life in terms of her biological drives. In her
frustration, she takes it out on the male and invades the
male domain in the name of sexual equality. But, these
efforts are doomed to failure, as she is not equipped to
take on the male in the environment designed by him and for
him. She tries to smoothen out her frustration in the best
way she knows, by talking about it endlessly. This endless
chatter gets on the male nerves, as he thinks that she is
blaming him for her ills. He tries to take on the woman word
for word, but fails miserably as he is no equal to the woman
when it comes to verbal dexterity or to a slanging match. So
he resorts to the thing he is good at - he takes on the
woman by brute force and the battle of words ends up in
violence. Women have to find ways to re-channel their
pent-up frustrations into more constructive ways away from
the men into women's own self-help groups. It is not the
males that are their greatest enemies; it is their own
unfulfilled, childless and unnatural lives that need to be
addressed for a more biologically meaningful life. Only an
environment, providing for plenty of sex for men and
numerous kids for women, can provide for a lasting and
satisfactory sexual relationship. All else can only be
stopgap arrangements.
Xavier William was born in Cochin in the state of Kerala,
India in 1947. He studied philosophy in a Catholic seminary
which kicked off his inquisitive nature. His formal
qualifications include a degree in Chemistry and another in
Chemical engineering. He has been active in rationalist and
humanist groups from the age of 18. He has been in a
relentless war against superstitions and alternate
therapies. He lives with his wife on the outskirts of
Cochin. He has two sons employed abroad.
