Husband-Wife Relations. The Poison of Sexual Gossip.
حَدَّثَن¤ا أَبُو
بَكْرِ
بْنُ
أَبِي
شَيْبَةَž
حَدَّثَن¤ا
مَرْوَان¥ بْنُ
مُعَاوِي¤ةَ، عَنْ
عُمَرَ
بْنِ
حَمْزَةَ
الْعُمَر¦يِّ،
حَدَّثَن¤ا عَبْدُ
الرَّحْم¤نِ بْنُ
سَعْدٍ،
قَالَ
سَمِعْتُ
أَبَا
سَعِيدٍ
الْخُدْر¦يَّ،
يَقُولُ
قَالَ
رَسُولُ
اللَّهِ
صلى الله
عليه وسلم
" إِنَّ
مِنْ
أَشَرِّ
النَّاسِ
عِنْدَ
اللَّهِ
مَنْزِلًَ يَوْمَ
الْقِيَا¥َةِ
الرَّجُل¤ يُفْضِي
إِلَى
امْرَأَت¦هِ
وَتُفْضِ إِلَيْهِ
ثُمَّ
يَنْشُرُ
سِرَّهَا
"
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (RA) reported that Allah's Messenger
(ﷺ) said: The most wicked among the people in the eye
of Allah on the Day of judgment is the man who goes to his
wife and she comes to him, and then he divulges her secret.
[ Sahih Muslim]
Received from Wifaqul Ulama [UK]
Comment by Kaukab Siddique: Husband-Wife relations are
sacrosanct. Making sex and related issues a part of gossip
is evil and strictly forbidden.
Muslims must honor their women and not get into stories of
sex, not even with their parents or closest friends.
Spotlights & Guidance from Br. Badi
Muslims must Start Reading: Skimming Through the Internet is
a Waste
Remember the first verse revealed in the Qur'an: Read. So
Read!
If you want to lead you have to read.
If you want to be a leader, you have to be a reader.
Enjoy reading.
We have become so accustomed to scrolling through pages
online that we are having trouble concentrating while
reading printed books.
We should take simple pleasure in this digital age, but not
rely on it.
What good is an extensive library that fills our shelves, if
it doesn't fill our minds?
Open a book, grab a pen or highlighter, and start
reading.
Don't skim through the text in a book as fast as possible,
rather slow down. Make sure what you read gets through to
you.
- Br.Badi Ali leads a large Muslim Community in Greensboro,
NC
Mothers' Day Every Day vs Oppression
by Nadrat Siddique
On Mothers Day- and every day- we stand with of all of the
mothers who have lost their children to murderous police,
racial attacks, political imprisonment, drone strikes,
renditions, torture, and other State terror. May the Creator
give these courageous women the strength to survive the loss
of their beloved children (brothers, sons, fathers, nephews,
uncles) and inculcate in us the fighting spirit to seek
justice in all of these cases.
Sectarianism Buster. Rebutting the Latest Obscene Shia
Attacks on the Sahaba, r.a.
[In the latest attacks on the sahaba, r.a., a Shia insults
the great companions of the Prophet, pbuh while extolling
Ali, r.a., as the greatest Muslim second only to the
Prophet. This Shia evidently has the support of the Shia
community because none of the shias on the Internet have
tried to rein him in. Here is our rebuttal in civilized
language.]
,,,,,, ....... does not know the basics of Islam. He does
not know that anything to do with faith must come from the
Quran. If it is in the Quran, it can be the basis of faith
(iman).
The Quran does not mention Ali, r.a. anywhere even once.
So to claim that Ali, r.a., was greater than other Sahaba Is
absurd. Even when Allah gives the highest praise to the
sahaba, He specifies the mahajerin and ansar and those who
followed them as the top of the Islamic community. It does
not mention Ali, r.a.
See the Quran 9:100.
Seeking support from a speech by Tahirul Qadri , a Pakistani
cleric notorious for his attempts to achieve cheap
popularity, ,,,,,, tries to claim that the word Wali used
for Ali, r.a, in a hadith gives him a special status.
Again we must begin with the Quran and the Quran says that
all the Believers, men and women, are each others' AWLIYA.
See 9:71.
In hadith too all the sahaba are praised, with the highest
praise going to Abu Bakr, r.a., Umar, r.a, and Usman, r.a.
Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussain, Allah be pleased with them,
did not narrate that the Prophet , pbuh, in any hadith
placed them above other sahaba.
In fact Hasan, r.a., opposed the policies of Ali, r.a. , in
the conflict with Muawiyyah, r.a. Both Hasan, r.a. and
Hussain, r.a. gave their oath of allegiance to Muawiyyah,
r.a., as did Ali to Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman, Allah bless
all four of them.
First time Jamaat al-Muslimeen Distribution in Peekskill,
New York.
On May 6, a 4-page document was given to 50 Muslims after
Juma'. Thanks go to Br. Kwame.
These were the items in the 4 pages:
Justice for Shifa: Event in Atlanta for a Bangladeshi
Muslim unjustly stuck in a US prison.
Rally in NY for Ahmed Ferahi, an Algerian prisoner in
Attica treated so badly that he tried to kill himself.
Islam is a complete way of life including politics &
spirituality. Do you know Jinns? [Kaukab Siddique]
On keeping one's word. [Imam Badi Ali.]
Islamic State trying to enter Damascus. Hizbullah-Russian
advance on Aleppo failed. [Reuters, AP etc.]
Palestinians demonstrate for 7000 prisoners held by
Israel. [Media monitor]
One Woman's witness: Authentic hadith and Sura 24.
Movement for the rights of Sunni prisoners in Iran, many
facing execution. [Special report]
Pakistan
Leading Critic of Islamic Militants Killed.
May 7, PM. In Karachi, Pakistan, gunmen killed Khurram Zaki
and seriously wounded two people with him at a restaurant.
Zaki endorsed the army's assault on the Red Mosque and the
Women's Seminary Jamia Hafsa in which hundreds of Islamic
students including hijabi girls were killed by the
military.
Recently Zaki was calling for the elimination of the
rec-constructed Red Mosque and for the arrest of its leader
Maulana Abdul Aziz. He filed with the police for the arrest
to be carried out. The authorities found no evidence for his
charges. One charge was that some students of the Red Mosque
were supporting the Islamic State [IS]. Maulana Abdul Aziz
pointed out that those students had left the Red Mosque and
had no connection with him.
Zaki has been supporting military operations against
Pakistani Taliban and calling for Pakistan to be a secular
State.
The Hakeemullah branch of Pak Taliban has taken credit for
killing Zaki. [World News.]
Bangladesh
Top Jamaate Islami Leader Matiur Rahman Calmly Awaits his
Execution while Youths Rally for his Release.
[New Trend Monitor]
May 6. Afte a show trial. the leader of Jamaate Islami,
Matiur Rahmani Nizami has been sentenced to death and his
attorney's appeal has been rejected by highest court of
Bangladesh.
He has wide support across Bangladesh but these are
peaceful, unarmed people who can demonstrate, shout slogans
and march in the streets . They are no match for the Hindu
led armed forces of Bangladesh.
He is accused of defending Pakistan and committing horrible
crimes which the government has invented 40 years after the
conflict which brought Bangladesh into being.
Matiur Rahman like other Jamaate Islami leaders who have
been executed is calmly preparing to meet his Creator He
never hurt anyone. Owing to his belief in the Islamic roots
of Pakistan, he opposed Indian takeover of what was East
Pakistan. The regime knows its decisions are unpopular.
According to the Guardian of UK [May5]:
"Authorities have deployed additional security forces in
Dhaka and elsewhere as similar previous judgments triggered
violence that killed around 200, mainly Jamaat activists and
police.
No Peace Without Justice, a non-profit body based in Italy,
has called the tribunal's proceedings "a weapon of
politically influenced revenge whose real aim is to target
the political opposition". '
Owing to the brutal suppression of the peaceful Jamaate
Islami by the Dhaka regime, Al Qaida and Islamic State [IS}
are finding support in Bangladesh.
Photo of Matiur Rahman Nizami.
In the words of the poet:
"You cant know the ecstasy of meeting the Creator, when in
the slaughterhouse the oppressor unsheathes his sword."
Photo and poetry courtesy Shamsuddin Amjad
War News
Libya
IS on the Move
(Courtesy al Jazeera )
On May 7, Islamic State fighters captured the crossroads
going south of
Misrata into the desert.
Earlier on May 5 Islamic State fighters coming out of Sirte
captured five village along the coastline.
Egypt
Attack on police near Cairo
On May 7, in an attack at Helwan just south of Cairo, eight
policemen were killed by 4 gunmen using automatic weapons.
The armed fight back against Gen. Sissi ' s regime is
spreading out from Sinai into the Egyptian mainland.
The General has crushed all peaceful opposition.
Pretty Good for New Trend's Humble web site.
During the month of April, our web site newtrendmag.org
received 106970 hits from 16240 visitors.
Thank you Br. Rich for maintaining our web site and the web
sites of political prisoners.
We also thank Jamaat al-Muslimeen Washington, DC for posting
New Trend on 32 Muslim discussion group sites.
Military Generals Trying to Hide Facts Proving that Osama
bin Laden Fooled Them. Anti-Islamic Activity by Military to
Cover Up Humiliation by Global Islamic Leader. Stunning
Disclosures of Osama's Operational Ability to the end.
BBC did extensive reporting on the 5t anniversary of Shaykh
Osama's martyrdom . BBC reached Osama's neighbors and many
of those who knew him when he was hiding in plain sight in
Abbottabad not far from Pakistan's premier military academy.
Here are the main points of the detailed interviewing and
reporting BBC has done.
[New Trend notes that not giving a proper funeral to a
Muslim is a serious violation of Islamic Law, Shariah.
Pakistan did not even ask USA where was Osama's body. The
Americans violated Pakistan's sovereign space and the
generals in charge of security dared not say a word. Jamaate
Islami also chickened out and dared not hold even salatul
janaza ghaibana. Jamaate Islami leaders told lies for years
that Osama was on dialysis and died on 2001. Such is the ego
of these "leaders" that they consider themselves better
Muslims than Osama. This was betrayal and treachery.]
Here are the BBC's points from interviews:
Pakistani military destroyed the house in Abbottabad
where Osama lived. [Photo].]
Even the RUBBLE of the house was carted away by the
military so as not to leave even a stone behind for the
people to remember his stay there [Photo of rubble removal.]
Security forces were installed at the location of the
house to stop visitors.
Osama's neighbors are being constantly harassed and even
terrorized to stop them from talking about his stay.
Some of them who knew him have been "disappeared" and
might have been killed.
Documents taken from Osama's home and declassified after
five years indicate that Osama's youngest wife had four
babies with him while living in Abbottabad and she was
smuggled out to have the babies in government hospitals in
various areas of Pakistan.
The most stunning document in Osama's own hand is that he
went out of Abbottabad and travelled to Waziristan in May
2010 to assess the situation of the mujaheddin.. After his
return, he wrote the letter in October 2010 explaining to
the leader of the fighters in Waziristan of the great danger
of staying there.
The books captured from Osama's library in his room in
Abbottabad show that he was well aware of the major issues
facing the Muslim ummah. He read all viewpoints including
conspiracy theories.
New Trend adds here some facts we reported way before the
BBC in 2010:
Pakistani military had given the US air force permission
to enter its air space without asking for permission or
providing any information.
Pakistan has shuttled out the wives of Osama to their
home countries after ALLOWING them to be interrogated by the
Americans. One of the Americans let slip this information
that one of his wives gave them a hard time when they
interrogated her. It is a disgrace for Pakistan to have
allowed the kuffar to interrogate bahijab Islamic women, the
wives of an Islamic leader. Would Pakistani generals want
that to be done to their wives?
Pakistani regime in collusion with the Americans allowed
Dr. Afridi to carry out a search and investigation campaign
to find Osama. After he was killed, the Pakistanis
imprisoned Dr. Afridi on cooked up charges evidently to stop
him from talking to the international media.
Even the Pakistani medical services were harnessed to
find Osama under the guise of polio vaccination. The
consequences have been that ignorant Pakistanis have been
attacking the polio teams and the police protecting them.
The permission to use the medical services should lead to
the trial of the persons who allowed that. Here was
treachery and now the blood of innocent people.
by Mantaqi
History of the Brutal Suppression of the
Philippines and Muslim Resistance
The Philippine War 1899-1902
By Brian McAllister Linn
1.0. Introductory Remarks
The book "The Philippine War 1899-1902" by Brian McAllister
Linn is well written, and covers the war from the start till
the "official" end of the war. He does not touch on the fact
that the Muslims of southern Philippines and assorted bands
in the northern Philippines resisted till 1913.
Linn takes us through the initial stages when the United
States and Filipino nationalists were co-belligerents
against Spain, through the period of conventional warfare
between the two, and then the stage of guerilla warfare. His
style is objective, and he has used both American and
Filipino source materials. However, it is very obvious the
lens through which he views the data is that of an American
nationalist. That is why he refers to Filipino patriots
desperately trying to defend their land from American
invaders as "rebels", implying that American invaders were
the legitimate rulers while the Filipinos resisting them
were "rebels." He also mostly glosses over the horrendous
atrocities committed by the Americans during their scorched
earth campaigns against the Filipino people.
2.0. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Mr. Linn fails to give the historical background of the
times, without which it may be difficult to understand the
reasons for people's actions.
At this time Britain was the global superpower, on whose
flag the sun never set. It ruled twenty-five percent of the
world's land mass. Where sea-power was concerned it suffices
to say that "Britannia ruled the waves."
The "scramble for Africa" had already started, with Britain
acquiring the lion's share and the other European powers
ripping out whatever bits and pieces they could, out of the
African flesh. India lay prostrate under the British heel.
Indian farmers, more prosperous in 1750 than their French
and British counterparts, despite the instability brought
about by the collapse of the Mughal Empire, had been reduced
to starving peasants in loin cloths, cowering before their
hectoring British overlords. India had been stripped of her
riches by the British like fertile farmland is stripped by a
plague of locusts. China, a nation with a 4000 year written
history was reduced to a state of humiliation from which it
was not delivered till 1949. Ottoman Turkey was the "sick
man of Europe", while Persia had been carved up into the
British and Russian sphere's of influence.
The most striking part of this time is that it seems that
all the great nations of the East (with the exception of
Japan) went into deep slumber, giving the predatory Western
nations the chance to strip them bare. When the East finally
woke up in mid twentieth century, they realized that all
their wealth of the ages had been looted and carted off to
ignite their conquerors' "Industrial Revolutions." Thus the
narrative of this time is essentially a
"White/Western/Judeo-Christian" narrative, where other
people appear as bit players, either as vile and cruel
barbarians needing eradication, or childlike savages needing
civilizing and Christianizing.
The two rising powers of this time were the United States
and Germany. Both wanted their "place in the sun." One of
them, through its arrogance and strategic stupidity got into
wars with powerful coalitions (twice) and got itself
destroyed, while the other, through good luck and wise
leadership became part of the winning coalitions (twice) and
eventually became the world's leading power, as other great
powers were destroyed or bled white in two world wars.
2.1. United States in 1898
The United States was a rising power. The American Civil War
had resolved the inner contradictions within the American
system, and the Union had been restored in blood and flames.
"Manifest Destiny" had been achieved with the conquest all
the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and extermination
of the native inhabitants.
The idealistic efforts of the abolitionists to bring about
the advancement of non-whites had run out of steam by 1877,
and the "Reconstruction" had ended. The KKK ruled large
parts of the country. The southern states had implemented
"Jim Crow" laws to legally segregate the blacks. The blacks
who had settled down in the small towns of the mid-west
during the "spring" of the Reconstruction period were
systematically driven out of these towns in a campaign of
ethnic cleansing, starting out around 1893, and continuing
till the 1950s. The result was the creation of "Sundown
towns" where any black found after dark was a target for
arrest, beatings or lynching.
The American soldiers who went to fight the Filipinos came
from an extremely race obsessed and racist society which
targeted its own non-white citizens for oppression and
persecution. Imagine how a young man from such a society
would behave if he was heavily armed and trained, and then
sent to fight a dark skinned people of another race.
2.2. Philippines in 1898
Spanish rule had been established in 1565. By the nineteenth
century a sense of nationhood had appeared among the
Filipino people. In 1892 a secret society dedicated to
Filipino independence from Spanish rule was founded. The
Philippine revolution began in 1896. The armed struggle
against the Spanish colonial rule began in earnest, with
Philippines declaring independence in 1898.
3.0 PHILIPPINE WAR 1898-1902
Linn begins his book on May 3, 1898, when as a result of the
Spanish-American war; a decision was made to send 5,000 US
troops to occupy Philippines. At first the US forces and the
Filipino revolutionaries were co-belligerents against the
Spanish colonial regime. However, this changed when the
Spaniards surrendered to the Americans, keeping the Filipino
forces out.
3.1. Stage 1: Conventional War
Hostilities broke February 4, 1899 out between the Americans
and the Filipinos because of the American decision to keep
the Filipino forces from Manila. Linn clearly shows that the
Filipino Army was not a match for the well trained and armed
US Army. In military engagements the US Army used to easily
rout the Filipinos. As a consequence of the effectiveness of
the Americans the Filipinos changed over to guerilla warfare
in November 1899.
3.2. Stage 2: Guerilla War
The Filipino strategy of guerilla war was to inflict a
sustained number of casualties on the American occupation
troops, rather than try to defeat them in set piece battles.
However, the Filipino guerillas were plagued with the
problems of lack of training and weaponry. Many times well
laid ambushes did not inflict many casualties on the
Americans, who in turn responded with skillful and effective
counter attacks.
3.2.1. The American Response
Many American commanders in the Philippines were veterans of
the Apache wars. Their response was harsh and bloody. Whole
villages were wiped out, food supply was destroyed.
Inhabitants were slaughtered or herded into concentration
camps. As the Philippines are an archipelago the Americans
were able to isolate different islands, and crush the
resistance there. Linn downplays American atrocities by the
statement "The current view of a brutal and racist soldiery
slaughtering defenseless natives has been unchallenged for
far too long. The actual war was far too complex....."
Linn's statement is in line with the recent revisionism of
Vietnam War, and the glorification of the World War II
generation as the 'Greatest Generation." As this book was
published in 2000, it is difficult not to see it as a part
of the effort to prepare the ground for the present US wars
in the Middle East.
3.2.2. The Filipino Shortcomings
The Americans won the war because the Filipino
revolutionaries could not sustain the struggle. The
revolutionary leadership consisted of many land owners, and
therefore did not bring about any land reforms, thus
isolating themselves from the vast majority of the Filipino
population. They were also physically isolated from each
other by the sea, which was effectively patrolled by the US
Navy. In the end the Americans were able to either bribe or
terrorize the Filipino population into submission through
their "civic" programs and military campaigns.
APPENDIX A: ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Professor Linn was born in the Territory of Hawaii and
completed his graduate work at The Ohio State University
under the direction of Allan R. Millett. He is the recipient
of a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and a Woodrow Wilson
Fellowship and was a visiting professor at the Army War
College. He is the only author to have twice been awarded
the Society for Military History's book prize. His current
research project is "Elvis's Army and the Cold War,
1946-1976." He is the vice president of the Society for
Military History.
PAKISTAN
Murder of a Young Woman is an Attack on Islam and Pakistan
says Islamic Leader Sirajul Haq: Urges Urgent & Effective
Action.
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, May 7 ; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has said that the incident of the murder of a
young girl in Abbot Abad was most condemnable and a slur on
the face of Islam and Pakistan. He was talking to the local
people during a visit to Abbot Abad on Saturday.
Sirajul Haq said that Islam strongly condemned injustice,
oppression and discriminatory treatment against the
womenfolk and gave them a respectable status in the society.
He has urged the Ulema, religious circles as also the tribal
leaders to condemn the gruesome incident and also play their
role in creating public awakening to ensure prevention of
such incidents in the future. He also urged the law
enforcement agencies to make this incident a test case so
that nobody could think of committing such a heinous crime
in the days ahead.
The JI chief said the society should fear the day when
Almighty Allah would ask the victim girl standing in His
court on what crime she had been killed.
Sirajul Haq said that the incidents of torture on the women
came from ignorance of the Islamic teachings and also the
non implementation of the constitution and the law. He said
that such incidents could be controlled by the enforcement
of the Shariah.
He added that the implementation of the golden Islamic
teachings was imperative to end violence and injustice to
the women folk and to accord a respectable place to the
mothers, sisters and daughters in the society.
The JI chief also had a meeting with the D.I.G of police of
the area and discussed with him the details of the incident.
He stressed upon the police that investigation into the
incident must be completed at the earliest by taking into
account all the details and all those involved in the murder
must be handed down deterrent punishment.
Millions of Rupees and 25 Kilograms of Gold Recovered from
Minister. It is tip of the official iceberg of corruption
Says Islamic Leader.
LAHORE, May 7; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has said the recovery of millions of rupees
besides twenty KG gold from the residence of Balochistan
Finance Secretary was simply a tip of the iceberg and
indicated the loot and plunder going on in the country. He
was talking to the media at Quetta air port on Saturday.
Sirajul Haq said that the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who
was the foremost custodian of the public money was terming
those protesting against corruption as terrorists but when
the JI demanded registration of terrorism cases against
plunderers, the rulers kept silent.
The JI chief said that corruption could be wiped out only
through a harsh and ruthless accountability and this could
be done by laying hands on the big fish first. He said the
corrupt government officials and bureaucracy did not think
themselves answerable to anyone. He said that accountability
would appear to be done only if the big fish were hauled up
before they were successful in transferring their ill-gotten
wealth abroad. He however said that a mass public movement
was required for true accountability and expressed the hope
that the JI's Corruption Free Pakistan movement would bear
fruit soon.
Sirajul Haq said that the rulers had build assets abroad
through plunder while the masses in the country were
deprived of basic facilities of education, health and clean
drinking water. The hospitals were without ordinary
medicines and drugs. He said that billions of public money
were plundered by the officials and contractors.
Replying to a question, Sirajul Haq urged JUI chief Maulana
Fazlur Rahman to join the opposition in its campaign against
corruption and support the Opposition ToRs' as the country
needed a ruthless, not biased accountability.
Siraj greets London Mayor
LAHORE, May 7; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has greeted the Mayor elect of London Sadiq
Khan, and expressed the hope that the masses in Pakistan
would also be able to get rid of the ruling elite and put
forth leadership from the general public.
In a message of greetings, the JI chief said that Sadiq
Khan's electoral victory would also help the Labour Party to
put forth better leadership.
He hoped that the new London Mayor would work as a bridge
between the West and Islam and remove the misgivings in this
respect.
The JI chief also greeted the parents of Sadiq Khan on the
victory of their able son.
War News
Iraq:
Blood and Counter Blood. Kurdish Defeat plus British
Killing Fields
Bombing attacks in and around Baghdad have killed scores
of Shi'ite activists. [May 6]
US bombing raids on Islamic State targets continued over
May 2 to May 7. Casualties among supporters of Islamic State
are mounting but have not been announced.
May 3: At Tel Askuf, 14 miles north of Mosul, a Kurdish
Peshmarga force armed by the US was probing Islamic State
forces when it was attacked by Islamic State fighters [IS].
The attack inflicted heavy losses on the Kurds who have
admitted ten killed and 30 wounded.
Also killed was a US Navy Seal who was perhaps leading the
Kurds.
The IS fighters broke through the Kurdish positions and
retreated only after 20 strikes by the US air forces. They
left behind 4 dead.
The British air force stated [May 4] that it has been
targeting Islamic State forces for over a year and has left
hundreds of Islamic people dead.
Syria
Siege of Aleppo broken: Islamic Forces Advance: Both
al-Nusra & IS doing well. Air attacks Continue
May 2 to 8.[Sources Reuters, Al-Jazeera, Guardian and Syrian
Observatory]
On May 7, Islamic fighters broke the regime-Shi'ite-Alawite
encirclement of Aleppo. Both sides have suffered heavy
casualties, the regime owing to Islamic fighters and the
Islamics owing to air attacks by Russia.
The Islamic fighters captured Khan Touman, al-Khaldia and
several villages west of Aleppo thus opening up the road
between Aleppo and the Islamic stronghold of Idlib which
abuts Lattakia. The Islamic fighters lost 57 killed from
al-Nusra, Jund al-Aqsa, Turkmenistan group, and Uzbek
mujahideen.
SOHR has documented the regime's losses which include 20
Iranian troops, 13 of Assad's officers, 6 Hizbullah, 15
Afghan Shias, 8 Iraqi shias. A total of 62.
Islamic State [IS] is locked in serious clashes with Assad's
best troops in Deir ez-Zour and is advancing slowly but
steadily in spite of Russian bombing.
In central Syria, east of Homs, there have been violent
clashes between Islamic State and Assad's troops. The
Islamic State has advanced here and captured the Shaer Gas
Field in spite of Russian air strikes.
Around Palmyra, Hizbullah is unable to advance and heavy
fighting continues with the Islamic State.
Near Damascus, an FSA faction is fighting a Palestinian
group which is said to be supporting IS. Losses on both
sides and civilians are demonstrating, urging Muslims to
stop fighting each other. Assad's air force raided the
Damascus suburbs all week, including dropping barrel
bombs.
Also, FSA factions attacked the enclave of Aleppo held by
the Alawites. After an initial advance, they were stopped by
Russian air attacks.
North of Aleppo, the Islamic State is fighting pro-west
groups and has made important advances after heavy
clashes.
US air force bombed IS in northern Syria inflicting
casualties including 13 civilians killed.
About 800 of Assad's prisoners in Hama took Alawite officers
as hostages and resisted regime plan to transfer them to the
Damascus death camp where the regime executes people after
torture. The prisoners are being teargassed but refusing to
give up. [Latest is an offer by the regime to give the
prisoners amnesty if they let the hostages go. The prisoners
would be released in batches, the regime says.
Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaida leader who took over
from Osama bin Laden, has issued a statement urging al-Nusra
to follow an independent policy, This delinking would stop
the US and Russia from taking the excuse that al- Nusra
being al-Qaida is terrorist and hence it is okay to bomb
Aleppo. [Al-Nusra is mostly outside and around Aleppo, not
in Aleppo.]
News Within the U.S.
New York
Churches Burning Each other? Bizarre Quarrel over Croatia
which Supported Germany in World War 2
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen.
New York City - On May 2nd, there was a massive church fire
in the Chelsea area of Manhattan, NY. Even today there are
firemen and police guarding the area. This fire occurred
after celebrating Easter that day according their Gregorian
calendar. It was a four alarm fire that took 168 firemen to
extinguish. Lit candles may have been the culprit
The fire chief has stated that there was nothing suspicious
about the fire. However, its church members view things
differently. This church was an Orthodox Serbian Christian
Church - Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava. Three of
these Orthodox churches have had fires in other parts of the
world, recently: Russia, Sydney and Melbourne Australia.
Many Christians are suspicious because the Serbian Church
recently refused to canonize Cardinal Aloysius Stepanic. He
was the vicar-general to the Nazi-allied Croation state
during World War II. The Croation Nazis, Ustasha, is said to
have murdered Jews, Serbs, and Roma between 1941 to
1945.
It may have been candles. However, this church is huge. The
fire department said they received a call to the fire at
7pm. The fire is still under investigation.
(Sources: NYTimes.com, RT.com)
India
The Changing Face of India: What Does Islam Say to the
Masses?
An important conference was organized at Delhi today by
Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e Hind and a Dalit organisation on the need
of Muslim-Dalit unity. I penned the following article after
participating in the conference.
Muslim-Dalit Unity: Dalits need to think beyond Ambedkar
by Dr. Javed Jamil
There is absolutely no doubt that not only Dalits and
Adivasis but all the Indians have reasons to feel proud of
B. R. Ambedkar. He was a visionary whose role is no less
important than anyone else in laying the foundation of the
modern India. Dalits have an added reason to feel proud: he
was one of their men. They rightly credit him for whatever
they have got in Independent India. For them he is no less
than a Bhagwan in the typical old Hindu way of thinking,
which magnifies every benefactor, from animals and plants to
kings and saints into deities. This is another matter that
Dalits in increasing large numbers do not regard themselves
Hindus anymore. I have heard many Dalit intellectuals
arguing against Dalits being considered by the Constitution
as Hindus.
But time has come when Dalits have to move beyond Ambedkar.
Whatever the great man did was in accordance with his
understanding of the social conditions prevailing in his
time. More than half a century has passed since then, and
lots of water has passed down the Ganga since his time. In
the immediate aftermath of Partition, he felt that Islam was
not the right choice for Dalits and he decided in favour of
Buddhism. In all probability, he constructed his arguments
against Islam mainly on the basis of his perceptions of the
social reality then. After Partition, the mood in the
country was heavily tilted against Muslims who had grown
considerably weak due to Partition, which had in effect
portioned Muslims. India was declared a Secular country but
the contours of its secularism were being decided mainly by
the Hindus. In order to keep Dalits with them, they made
sure that Dalits should not move towards Islam. The
Constitution ensured that though Dalits would be given
reservation, the privilege would cease to exist if they
choose to convert to Islam or Christianity. So, even in
secularism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism were
more equal than Islam and Christianity. Ambedkar might have
thought that if he converts to Islam, he will become a
pariah for the Hindu majority. So, apparently his decision
to convert to Buddhism was more out of social compulsions
than the ideology.
If Dalits have not yet developed a strong bonding with
Muslims, Muslims will have to share the blame. Muslims need
to realise that Islam stands for equality, and if there is
any criterion of differentiation in Islam, it is based on
the quality of performance. This quality of performance
however makes one privileged in the eyes of God and not in
terms of any social privileges in this world. The Qur'an
speaks of the equality of the whole mankind by stating that
all men and women had the same father and mother, Adam and
Eve. The holy book shuns supremacy of man on any basis other
than the superiority of deeds. Islam knows no races and
castes; in religious matters, social obligations and also in
the eyes of law all are equal. If discrimination has to be
there, it has to be only between the right and the wrong,
and between the evil and the virtuous.
Quran says:
Mankind! We created you from a combination of a male and
female, and formed you into races and tribes so that you may
get introduced to one another. The noblest among you in
God's view is the one who is best in dutifulness. (49: 13)
How would you know what the Path of Progress is! It is the
granting of freedom to a slave; providing food at the time
of widespread hunger to an orphan close to you or to the
needy at the time of misery. (90: 12-16)
When Muhammad (PBUH) announced his status as the Ambassador
(Rasul) of God, slavery was, almost throughout the world, in
its most abominable form. Slaves were treated much worse
than animals; they were purchased and sold like cattle.
Islam started eradication of slavery in a systematic manner.
Several steps were taken: First came the lessons of kindness
towards slaves. They should be given to eat what the masters
eat and to wear what the masters wear. This was followed by
the Qur'anic directive to consider slaves for marriage; for
believing slaves are better than non-believing slaves (4:
25). The Qur'an further directed that slave-girls cannot be
forced into prostitution (verse 24:33). This was a clear
warning that slave-girls can be taken as wife but cannot be
forced into flesh trade. Another step that was taken by the
Prophet was the directive that any slave-woman who became
pregnant would become a free woman. This implies that a
mother can never be a slave; and also that the children of
slaves would not be slaves. The prophet did clearly express
his displeasure at the practice of some companions to
practise azl (coitus interruptus) with slave-women so that,
in case they became pregnant, they would not have to be
given the status of free wives. The most important step that
the Qur'an took that paved way for the eradication of
slavery was that freeing slaves was declared an
extraordinarily virtuous act (2: 177) for which man will be
given special incentives in the Hereafter. This was further
complemented by the declaration of freeing a slave as
compensation or punishment of some crimes and mistakes
(4:92; 5: 89; 58: 3). The Qur'an was kind to slaves in
matters of punishment, too, declaring that the punishment
for immorality by slaves will be half than that for the free
women (4: 25).
The condition of Dalits in India, throughout the ages, has
been no better than that of slaves in the pre-Islamic era.
One of the foremost reasons of Muhammad's revolution proving
to be the biggest ever revolution in the history of mankind
was the attraction it had for the deprived classes. And this
combined with the concept of absolute Oneness of God, made
people throng to the fold of Islam because they realised
that the concept of oneness of Muslim Society emanated
directly from the concept of the oneness of God. If the God
of all is One, it automatically makes none more privileged
than the other.
The problems of Dalits and Muslims are similar in many if
not in all ways. Dalits have the privilege of several
constitutional provisions on their side which have helped
them in improving their conditions. Muslims are deprived of
the benefits despite their all too known backwardness
because of their religious identity. Apart from that, both
Dalits and Muslims face discriminations at many levels. Both
of them are likely to be the victims of discrimination in
the judicial system. According to the National Crime Records
Bureau (NCRB),
"In India, you are more likely to be lodged in prison if you
are a Muslim, or belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC),
Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Communities (OBC).
Though Muslims comprise only 14.2 percent of the total
population of the country according to a recent census data,
they constitute 26.4 percent of the prison population.
Moreover, 60.3 percent of all inmates are classified as
belonging to the OBC, SC and ST communities. 'Other'
communities constitute the remaining of the prison
population. OBCs and STs constitute 38.1 percent of all
'detenues'. Detenues are persons detained in prison on the
orders of a competent authority under relevant preventative
detention laws."
The report adds: "While "Muslims constitute around 30
percent of all prisoners, in the 'pre-trial phase', the
number of convicted Muslim prisoners stand at only 16.4 per
cent.
"Activists point out that the last statistics clearly points
to a 'prejudiced' police system across the country, where
minorities are 'targeted' by the law enforcement agency."
Both of them have very little share in the big business, and
in a world dominated by corporates, this is bound to affect
the fortunes in a big way. Both will have to plan a combined
strategy to increase that share not only through their own
efforts but also through nationwide campaign against the
policies favouring the corporates at the cost of the common
masses. They will have to wage a total onslaught against the
economic disparity.
The conditions have changed since Partition. Dalits of today
are vastly more confident and vocal than they used to be in
Ambedkar's days. A large number of them are highly educated
and many are or have been in high administrative or academic
positions. Muslims too have come out of the fear psychosis,
partially if not wholly, which they used to be in at the
time of Partition. The new generation of both, Dalits as
well as Muslims, are more eager to play a role in the
functioning of the country. Both want to enjoy the fruits as
well of the progress. Both feel they have not yet got what
they deserve, and have reasons to believe that they can
achieve more if they combine rather than if they fight
alone. Demography is on their side.
When I want Dalits and Adivasis to look beyond Ambedkar, it
does not in any way mean disrespect to the great man. It
only means that Dalits need to analyse what Ambedkar would
have in the current situation if he were alive today. His
strategy would have surely been different from what he
planned in 1940s and 50s. He would have perhaps been keener
to have a closer look at Islam and develop a long lasting
bond with Muslims. Ambedkar might have had some reservations
in his time, which kept him away from Islam, but such
reasons are no more plausible now. If they come together,
socially and politically, even if not spiritually, nothing
can move in the country without their active participation.
Combined, they will be in a better position to ensure that
discrimination on religious or caste grounds finds no place
in future India.
If however, Dalits and Muslims along with Adivasis decide to
come together, it should not be aimed at sideling the other
communities. Rather than basing the campaign on religious or
caste identity, it should be aimed at ensuring justice and
equality for all. Dalits have to understand that they have
to fight Brahamanwad, not Brahamins. Even otherwise, the
truth of today's India is that Brahamanwad has been replaced
by Vaishyawad. It is Vaishyas who are calling the shots now.
Muslims have to understand that they have to fight against
Hindutva, not Hindus.
God's help to the deprived too comes only when they work for
it with determination and perseverance.
Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer with over a
dozen books including his latest, "Muslim Vision of Secular
India: Destination & Road-map" and "Qur'anic Paradigms of
Sciences & Society" (First Vol: Health), "Muslims Most
Civilised, Yet Not Enough" and Other works include "The
Devil of Economic Fundamentalism", "The Essence of the
Divine Verses", "The Killer Sex", "Islam means Peace" and
"Rediscovering the Universe". Read more about him at
http://www.worldmuslimpedia.com/dr-javed-jamil.
