Narrated Abu Burda, r.a.: When I came to Medina, I met
Abdullah bin Salam. He said, "Will you come to me so that I
may serve you with Sawiq (i.e. powdered barley) and dates,
and let you enter a (blessed) house that in which The
Prophet (peace be upon him) entered?" Then he added, "You
are in a country where the practice of Riba (i.e. usury) is
prevalent; so if somebody owes you something and he sends
you a present of a load of chopped straw or a load of barley
or a load of provender then do not take it, as it is
Riba."
Bukhari, Book 58 # 159
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
Newark, Delaware
On April 12, a six-page Jamaat al-Muslimeen was given to 76
Muslims after Juma salat.
Most Muslims here are Arab Americans and Bangladeshi
Americans along with Africans.
Here is an outline of the contents of the 6 pages:
54th Friday Rally to Free Palestine. Israel continues to
shoot unarmed civilians.
The Israeli shooting, which continued at around 19:00,
resulted in the killing of Maysara Mousa Suliman Abu Shalouf
(15), from 'zbit Beit Hanoun. At approximately 17:00,
Maysara sustained a live bullet wound that entered his left
waist and settled in the pelvis while standing few meters
away from the border fence in eastern Jabalia.
He was left bleeding for 20 minutes because medical
personnel were unable to access him. After that, he was
taken to a medical point and then referred to the Indonesian
Hospital, where his death was declared at approximately
17:55.
Moreover, 93 civilians, including 17 children, four women,
three paramedics, and a journalist, were wounded. Forty-four
of them were hit with live bullets and shrapnel, 46 were
directly hit with tear gas canisters and three were hit with
rubber bullets. In addition, dozens of civilians suffered
tear gas inhalation and seizures due to tear gas canisters
that were fired by the Israeli forces from the military
jeeps and rifles in the eastern Gaza Strip.
BDS: Secularist Movement against Israel doing well.
Washington, DC - A prominent Palestinian human rights
activist and cofounder of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
(BDS) movement was denied entry to the United States on
Wednesday, despite holding valid travel documents.
Omar Barghouti was travelling to the US on the invitation of
Arab American Institute (AAI) in Washington to speak at New
York University's DC campus.
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Barghouti
was told by airline staff that the US Consulate in the city
was directed by US Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) to deny him travelling to the US due to an
"immigration matter".
Barghouti holds valid travel documents and a US visa valid
until 2021.
"They just said it's a ban by the US immigration service,
nothing beyond that," he told Al Jazeera.
Barghouti was also scheduled to speak at public events at
the NYU campus in New York, Harvard University and with
policymakers and journalists, AAI said in a statement on
Thursday. At the end of his trip, he planned on attending
the wedding of his daughter who lives in the US.
Barghouti's difficulties travelling in the past were due to
the Israeli government restricting his ability to exit and
enter Israel by not renewing his travel document, but this
was the first time he has faced a ban by the US
government.
"This US entry ban against me, which is ideologically and
politically motivated, is part of Israel's escalating
repression against Palestinian, Israeli and international
human rights defenders in the BDS movement for freedom,
justice and equality," Barghouti said.
"Israel's far-right regime is not merely continuing its
decades-old system of military occupation, apartheid and
ethnic cleansing; it is increasingly outsourcing its
outrageous, McCarthyite repression to the US and to
xenophobic, far-right cohorts across the world," he added.
"The most precious thing that this ban deprives me of, and
that I cannot compensate, is being at my daughter's wedding.
I am hurt, but I am not deterred."
[Chaos in Northern Nigeria.]
ZAMFARA: FROM GOLD TO BANDITRY
By Abdulkabir Oyemomi
There have been mixed reactions towards the decision of the
Federal Government on total ban on mining activities in
Zamfara State and its environs due to the recent
violence.
Earlier, it was discovered that the rising spate of banditry
in the state was due to the activities of a cartel dealing
in gold illegally mined in the state.
A renowned journalist Segun Adeniyi noted that the violence
in Zamfara State started in 2011 in Lingyado Village of
Dansadau district, but it was in 2012 that the situation
went out of control when 52 persons, mostly vigilantes
mobilized to protect the community, were brutally murdered
in Zurmi, sending fears to many of the residents who fled
with their families and cattle.
On 7th of April, 2014 , Yar Galadima village in Maru Local
witnessed a mass burial of 112 persons killed in single
attack ; while in 2015, no fewer than 48 people were killed
in Kizara.
In desperation, parallel vigilante groups ( 'Yan Banga' and
'Yan sa kai') emerged in various local communities with
their members identifying and arresting alleged criminals
and executing them without recourse to law courts. That was
what engendered a spiral of revenge killings, mostly by
bandits who regroup to launch counter attacks.
The crises started spreading to Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto
States as sundry cartels of criminals carve out empires for
themselves.
What is more worrisome is the customary belated responses of
the Federal Government to crises that could have been nipped
in the bud ab- initio.
President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired General and former
military ruler should remember that he secured a second term
in February partly on his vow to improve security.
Editorial
Visiting a Christian Program for Kenya [Africa]. We can
learn.
On April 13, I visited a program for children from Kenya, northeast Africa.
The program was organized by a Christian group in a small town in Pennsylvania.
Owing to two-way roads, it took quite a while to get there.
Here are some positive aspects of the program.
I decided to visit because Kenya is undergoing tremendous socio-economic suffering and sexual assault.
The American Christian organizers of the program are technologically advanced and financially very prosperous.
The most important aspect of the organizers is that they are family based and the family members donate every month. [Not very different from sadaqa and zakat in Islam.]
It saddens me that many Muslim families are so individualistic that they do not pool their resources and do not unitedly pursue a focused objective [to serve Allah] .
This Christian group used Internet visuals to let Americans see the daily life of children in Kenya on video.
Finally this group has done so well that they brought 15 Kenyan children to America. The welcome committee helped the children to learn the positive aspects of life in America.
I was very sad that our Muslim people doing charitable work in Ethiopia and Gambia do not get adequate support and understanding of the cause from Muslims.
Many Muslims in America are extremely well to do and could easily do da'wah in an organized and scientific way with unity and sophistication. Unfortunately American Muslims by and large continue to be individualistic.
Transparency is required. Charity should be unpublicized but the results of charity should be transparent. Small Muslim groups in America behave as if they have support in just about every Muslim country in the world.
Please re-think what we are doing. Millions of dollars are being spent on mosques which are scared to even mention Muslim suffering. Unless we have support at the grassroots level, these fancy mosques will be useless. Lack of family unity and lack of community unity makes it difficult to come out in good numbers even for causes like Palestine
PAKISTAN
Analysis by JI.
Collapse of Imran Khan's Policies
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, Apr. 11; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirjaul Haq, has said that the PTI's was the first
government in Pakistan's history whose policies had
collapsed within eight months. He was talking to a
delegation of experts headed by president of the JI's
Economic Committee and ex-Member, F.B.R., Sarfraz Ahmed
Khan, at Mansoora.
Sirajul Haq said that despite financial support from Saudi
Arabia and UAE, the country's economy was unstable. He said
there was much talk of accountability but not a penny of the
plundered money had been recovered.
He said the amnesty schemes had proved a failure even in the
past as it was a tactic to whiten the black money. He said
each government had provided this facility to the people
amassing wealth through unfair means. He said that while in
opposition, the PTI leadership had been deadly opposed to
amnesty but was now talking of its merits.
The JI chief said the party making the nation to dream of
development and prosperity had moved the wheel of economy
backward. The poor had already been starving but their
plight had worsened now. He said the government had raised
the prices of electricity, gas and POL to an extent that the
common man was finding it hard to make both ends meet. Over
and above that, he said, the ministers were counseling the
people to have only one loaf at a time which was rubbing
salt on their wounds.
Sirajul Haq said that from the very first day, the PTI
government had been blaming the previous rulers of all
problems and it seemed that even at the end of its five year
term, the government would be harping on the same tune.
He said the businessmen were the most hard hit under the
present government. Due to government policies, small
industrial units had been closed which was adding to
unemployment. He said that neither unemployment could be
overcome without providing protection to the private sector
nor the prices could be controlled without that .
Sirajul Haq said the exporters were finding it hard to
compete in the international market and the exports were
coming down. He said that the government was exploiting the
whole nation only to secure the twelve billion dollar IMF
loan.
He advised the government to abandon the interest based
economic system and adopt the Islamic economic system and
assured that this change would bring about miraculous
results.
War News
Pakistan
Attack in Quetta: Spillover from Syria?
April 12. A massive explosion rocked
an area of Quetta frequented by Shia businesses. Late
reports indicate 19 people killed [including a soldier] and
48 injured [including 3 soldiers].
Several groups took "credit."
However on April 13, AP published a reported from the
Islamic State's media group Amaq which published the human
bomber's name and photo.
Shias have been conducting sit ins, on April 13 and 14,
despite heavy rain, to protest inadequate security by the
government. The military says it has provided maximum
security.
[New Trend's analysis is that attacks on Pakistani Shias are
a spillover from the wars in Syria and Iraq where Pakistani
Shias are fighting on behalf of Iran and the tyrant Assad of
Syria.]
Afghanistan
Taliban moving Forward
April 8: Taliban used an IED to
attack US troops at Bagram, 50 miles north of Kabul. Three
US marines were killed and 3 wounded.
April 10. Taliban attacks on regime checkpoints in Kandahar
province killed 20 regime troops and wounded several. Four
Taliban were also killed.They captured arms and
ammunition.
In Samangan province, in the north, a regime officer killed
2 of his troops and drove away with his humvee to join the
Taliban.
Taliban in Control. Exit is USA's only Choice.
[From The Diplomat. 4.10]
"Kabul maintains that the United States is not specifically
concerned about the political future of the current
government and is only focused on building consensus on
matters that favor Washington's withdrawal agenda. From
Kabul's perspective, Washington's focus on finding a way for
its own departure and reaching out to tribal chiefs and
Afghanistan's wider political community to engage the
Taliban dents political and constitutional legitimacy of the
Afghan government. While Kabul may not like Washington's
current approach, it doesn't have much of political clout
across the country to convince Washington to take up a new
approach that might place the Afghan government in a key
interlocutor role.
The next round of peace talks, which are due to begin in
Doha later this month, are not likely to change much when it
comes to the Taliban changing their position. The prevailing
frustrations, shared accusations, and differences among the
stakeholders are expected to remain in place for the
foreseeable future."
Syria
Extensive Artillery fire exchanged. Mines killing
people.
IS killed 16 Assadis searching for truffles. Israeli
raid.
April 8 to April 14.
Iranian, Assadi and Shia militia artillery shelled Islamic
dominated towns in Irbid, northern Hama province, western
Aleppo province and northeastern Lattakia province.
Casualties increasing but not specified.
Russian air force carried out three air strikes in north
western Aleppo province.
Al-Nusra related [al-Qaida] group fired at regime forces in
occupied western Aleppo. Ten Assadis reported killed.
It is dangerous to move around in the Deir ez Zor desert.
Sixteen regime troops looking for truffles were captured and
executed by IS fighters operating in the desert.
Mines are killing civilians in the areas where battles took
place near the Euphrates area.
April 11. Just outside Idlib province, 6 Assad troops were
killed in an ambush by a small jihad group called
Ansar-al-Tawheed.
Israeli jets hit an Iranian weapon storage place in
al-Maysif. Losses were not reported. Iran has not
responded.
Iraq
900 Facing Execution.
Fighting is reported between regime troops and IS.
The clashes were in Diyala, Anbar and Hamrin mountains.
Several news sources indicate that the Shia regime is ready
to bring
900 IS prisoners to trial and execution.
A clash between pro-Iran militia and regime troops is
reporte from Mosul.
Libya
General Haftar, Gen. Sissi, UAE and Saudi together.
Large areas captured by Islamic State fighters.
A heavily armed military column sent by General Haftar is
attacking the capital of Libya, Tripoli.
After serious fighting, Haftar's forces have been stppped at
the non-functional airport outside Tripoli. One of Haftar's
jets was shot down.
Hardened fighters from Misrata have stalled Haftar;s
move.
Losses: 121 people have been killed and 561 wounded in 5
days of fighting.
13500 people have been ":displaced" by the fighting.
[At one time Haftar worked for Qaddafu. Now he is visiting
General Sissi in Cairo.]
Islamic State capturing southern Libya
Owing to vacuum created by major groups fighting in the
north, Islamic State has captured extensive areas of south
western Libya and is moving towards the oil fields.
A large al-Qaida force which had been inactive is now
reportedly mobilizing to join the Islamic State groups
despite serious differences.
News Within the U.S.
Alexandria Ocasio says Ms. Omar's life is in danger. [April
13]
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is urging lawmakers
to speak out against President Trump, who shared a video
that was edited to suggest that Representative Ilhan Omar
downplayed the 9/11 attacks.
"Members of Congress have a duty to respond to the
President's explicit attack today," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted
Friday. "@IlhanMN's life is in danger. For our colleagues to
be silent is to be complicit in the outright, dangerous
targeting of a member of Congress. We must speak out."
Her post came after Trump tweeted the video that "showed
snippets of comments Omar made last month at a banquet for a
Muslim civil rights organization interspersed with footage
of the twin towers burning," notes the Washington Post.
Invitation to Think
Assange Arrested, Manning in prison,
Snowden in Exile.
Julian Assange who was in refuge in the tiny
embassy of Ecuador in London for seven years
has been arrested.
Details are not available but one report says, the US gave
over a billion dollars to Ecuador.
Through classified information sent by Manning to Assange,
Wikileaks uncovered the horrors of the Iraq war. Also it put
Afghan and Iraqi agents of the US in danger of their
lives.
Earlier, Snowden had uncovered surveillance of thde ENTIRE
USA by the US government initiated by Obama.
Freedom is no longer possible in America though it seems to
be a free country.
True or false?
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.
Thoughts which could change your life.
*WEALTH INCREASES WHILE LIFE SHORTENS *{!}~{AL GHAZALI
(R)}~*EACH BREATH IS IRREPLACEABLE*~
'Alhamduli'Allahi Rabbil-'Aalameen'
wa-Salaatu wa-Salaamu 'Alaa
Ashrafil-Anbiyaa-e-wal-Mursaleen~
'Amma 'Baa'd~
Assalaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu.
Imam Al Ghazali [May Allah have mercy on him] said...
"You should not neglect your time or use it
haphazardly{!}
on the contrary you should bring yourself to account...
structure your
litanies and other practices during each day and night, and
assign to each
period a fixed and specific function.
This is how to bring out the spiritual blessing ('Baraka')
in each period.
But if you leave yourself adrift, aimlessly wandering as
cattle do,
not knowing how to occupy yourself at every moment,
your time will be lost...{!}
It is nothing other than your life, and your life is the
capital that you make
use of to reach perpetual felicity in the proximity of Allah
the Exalted {!}
Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of
them is
irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be
retrieved....{!}
Do not be like that deceived fools who are joyous because
each day their
wealth increases while their life shortens {!}
What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever
shorter...?
Therefore be joyous only for an increase in Knowledge or in
good works
for they are your two{ 2} companions who will accompany you
in your
grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay
behind."
