Jamaat al-Muslimeen International Press Release

{Last reminder for Feb.10 Meeting in Greensboro, NC)

THREE "PICTURES" OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD in NEWSWEEK (feb11 issue)
Qur'an in Arabic published on Cover of Zionist Magazine full of Garbage
We Urge imams in Juma Khutbas to speak against NEWSWEEK's Sacrilege

Dear Muslims: asalamu alaikum


The latest issue of Newsweek (feb.11 issue) contains three purported pictures of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) as well as of Jesus (pbuh).
As you know, Islam strictly forbids the use of images in religion. There is no real picture of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
All scholars of Islam stand against the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
There is unanimous agreement on this point.
There are many good reasons for this:
1. Islam wants to close all avenues to worship of human beings.
2. Islam's rejection of pictures is a way of stopping racism and nationalism. Muhammad (pbuh) did not belong to any race or nationality in his religious capacity as the last messenger of Allah whose example includes the best of Abraham, Moses and Jesus (pbut).
2a. Try to imagine the harm the depiction of Jesus (pbuh) as a white man has done to psyches of Black and colored people around the globe.
3. Such depictions triviliaze the greatness of Muhammad (pbuh). The Zionists have successfully trivialized Jesus (pbuh) in a variety of ways. Now they want to trivilialize Muhammad (pbuh) too.

NEWSWEEK also carries the print of a page from the Qur'an in Arabic on its cover. This too is sacrilege because Newsweek will be mishandled in all kinds of ways and by all kinds of people. Also Newsweek, being the pro-Zionist publication it is, contains all kinds of garbage, lies, fabrication, exploitative and immodest pictures of men and women. For a Quranic page in the original Arabic to appear on the cover of such a magazine is sacrilege.

I urge all the imams to speak against Newsweek this juma. There can be no difference of opinion on this issue.
Muslims around the world should protest against Newsweek and stop this latest act of cultural imperialism

Sincerely

Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
Ameer of Jamaat al-Muslimeen International

Note: Newsweek appears five days ahead of the date on its cover.
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2002-02-07 Thu 18:58ct