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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief Zulhijjah 10,1427/December 31, 2006 #86


Turkish Research UNCOVERS anti-Islam network in U.S., lists dollar amounts paid to propagandists: Scroll down. A rare achievement of Islamic investigators


SALATUL JANAZA GHAIBANA for President Saddam Hussein: On the occasion of Eid al-Adha in North Carolina, Imam Badi Ali led the funeral prayer in absentia for the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussain. Br. Ali stands for justice and peace in all matters and the community supports him with tremendous support. The 4 takbirat of the salatul janaza [which is authenticated in Hadith] was followed by Eid prayers [see below]. This was indeed a unique event. Only the Jamaat al-Muslimeen leadership dared to speak the truth about Saddam Hussein


Eid al-Adha Khutba

by Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D

3 Miracles: The Qur'an, Hajj [One Ummah], Zam Zam: African Woman Founder of Makka

Saddam Hussein's Sacrifice: Reminds us of the Example of Ismail [a.s.]: America's Blunder

Saddam was transformed by his struggle into a hero and a martyr.

[Nearly a thousand people attended Eid al-Adha in Greensboro, North Carolina. This was the biggest gathering here yet. Dr. Siddique lead the prayers and gave the Khutba. After the khutba, people thanked Dr. Siddique and expressed that he had said about President Saddam what was in their hearts. Owing to the sensitive nature of the khutba, volunteer security, with low profile, had been prepared. Fortunately no sectarian or government elements tried to create a disturbance.] [Most of the people here are of Arab origin, followed by Africans and a sprinkling of African-Americans and Indo-Pakistanis.] [The main points of the khutba are give below.]

Texts: 1. "Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah...." [The Qur'an 2:158]

2. " ....She climbed mount Safa and strained to look. Seeing nobody, she came down and started running and climbed mount Marwa, ....thus she did seven times [while her child lay dying}: Suddenly [the archangel] Gabriel appeared and struck the ground with his heel, or pressed the ground with his heel, and water gushed forth...Ismail's mother was amazed... " [Excerpts from a lengthy Hadith in the Sahih of Bukhari, kitab al-Anbiya, narrated by Ibn Abbas, r.a.]

3 " ....O my son! I have seen in a dream that I offer you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view?." [The son] said: "O my father! Do as you are commanded: You will find me, if Allah so wills, one of the steadfast." [The Qur'an 37: 102]

* Three million people went for Hajj this year. It's a sign from Allah that the victory of Islam is inevitable.

* The Qur'an is the greatest miracle given to Muhammad, pbuh. It's teachings made the Hajj mandatory for all Muslims. These, the Qur'an and the Hajj, are living miracles. No government, nor marketing firm, however rich or powerful could have brought this about for 1427 years after the Hijra.

* The Hajj symbolizes that we are ONE UMMAH: from Bangladesh to Turkey, from Nigeria to Algeria, from Europe to America, we are one people.

* Our faith is integrated with a an absolute belief in the Hereafter. [The Qur'an 2:4.] This faith makes us invincible.

* One of the rites of Hajj is the wearing of one cloth, like a shroud, which symbolizes our acceptance of the inevitable return to Allah. Nothing will go with us except the record of our deeds. We must give up this world and prepare for the Return.

* The massing of pilgrims on Arafat is like the way it will be in Hashr [the Last Day].

* One of the greatest miracles of Islam is connected with an African woman's struggle symbolized in the 7 times Sa'i on the hills of Safa and Marwa. Hajira, r.a., was alone in the desert, with her child dying of thirst. Instead of feeling helpless, she kept striving to find a way out. Finally the angel Jibreel revealed himself to her and showed her the source of life in the desert. This Islamic miracle is documented in authentic Hadith, in the most authentic book, second only to the Qur'an.

* Countless millions of people have drunk the water of Zam Zam in the memory of the struggle of the mother of Ismail. Her struggle teaches us NEVER to give up hope, even when we are seemingly left alone in the desert.

* The Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, followed in the footsteps of Hajira, r.a., up and down Safa and Marwa, 7 times, and every pilgrim is required to do it because, as the Qur'an says, these are symbols of Allah. The Prophet, pbuh, used to RUN up and down these hills to awe the kuffar with his strength. We too should be strong.

* Also, the Eid festival reminds us of Abraham's vision to sacrifice his son. He asked his son about it and the son accepted. "Do as you are commanded" he said. This is what Islam is all about. Of course, Islam does not want human sacrifice but teaches the good of humanity. The sheep is sacrificed and the meat distributed.

* Within that context, understand the tragic event which happened on this Eid in Iraq. America committed its latest blunder and ordered its puppets to execute the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. Why?

* Is it because he did wrong and committed major sins? We know that the acceptance of Islam wipes away all sins except Shirk [associating others with Allah's power].

* Why has Saddam been executed? Because he stood up to the power of America, defiant to the end.

* What was his "sin?" That he would not surrender although America attacked him with overwhelming force.

* What is his record? He never surrendered. Even when America occupied Iraq, he went underground and fought till he was captured. Is there any Arab leader in modern times who has had the courage to fight on even when his country was occupied by a superpower? No!

* While he was a prisoner, they humiliated and demeaned him. Did he compromise? No!

* When they set up a puppet court to "try" him, he came to court with the Qur'an in his hand.

* When they decided to execute him, did he compromise? No! Did he ask for mercy? No!

* How did he go to his death? With a smile on his face, with complete composure and with Allah's words and words of acceptance of the Prophet in his mouth.

* They say, he sinned. Who has not sinned? The question is: did he repent? Did he accept the Path of Islam? Surely, without a doubt.

* The way we enter the HEREAFTER is central to Islam. Remember, how much the Prophet, pbuh, wanted Abu Talib to recite the kalima because he knew the Hereafter depended on it.

* Imam Ghazali [one of the greatest Islamic thinkers of all times] has taught us never to be too proud if we stand in the front rows of prayer, because if we are not careful of our faith, we might be in the last rows by the time we die.

* Ghazali also taught, do not be scornful of those whom we see in the last rows of Islam. By the time the end comes, they might be in the front rows.

* Are we ready to meet our maker? Have we prepared? How will we leave this world? What have we done for the Hereafter? That's what counts.

* O Allah! Unite the Muslims on the Qur'an and the Hadith. O Allah! Remove asabiyya [narrow national, ethnic, sectarian, racial loyalties] from our souls. O Allah! Give victory to the struggling Muslims around the world.

* O Allah! Soften our hearts, so that compassion may enter. O Allah! Remove the coverings which envelope our souls so that Your Light may enter! O Allah! Make us strong against the oppressors and soft towards the oppressed! O Allah! Help us to see the spirit of Hajira, r.a., in our sisters so that we may respect and honor all Muslim women!


Brief Interview with Br. Khalil Abdur Rahman

Imam Jamil's Representative says: The Real Criminal is Bush

Imam Jamil al-Amin's representative, Imam Khalil Abdur Rahman, was in the Eid salat reported above. After the prayers, Br. Kaukab conversed with him for quite a while and asked him some questions, the gist of which is given below.

Question: What do you make of the obscene dancing and singing by Shi'ites in Michigan and Iraq shown on TV celebrating the murder of Saddam Hussein? We should not be dancing for joy even when a murderer or rapist is killed, and this was the leader of the resistance.

Imam Khalil: These expressions miss the point. The real criminal is Bush. It is well established now that he carried out an illegal war and an illegal occupation of Iraq. Saddam had no WMDs. Bush should be tried.

Question: What do you think of pro-government Muslims touting Keith Ellison as the first Muslim elected to congress. He does not even say "Bismillah" or "asalamu alaikum" and supports Israel.

Imam Khalil: Islam has its own political and economic system. We must understand Islam and work to make it a reality. These activities which you mention are irrelevant.

Question: How is Imam Jamil al-Amin?

Imam Khalil: Physically, his situation has not changed. He is still being mistreated and held in solitary confinement. However, we are going back to court for a new appeal to be filed in the light of key evidence which was ignored in the trial. The court hearing is late in February and we need the support of the community.


Jamaat al-Muslimeen New York Activist Says:
Saddam's Trial was a Farce: His Execution was Murder!

I just heard the reports all over the cable and local news channels that Saddam Hussein had indeed been executed. They say he was executed for war crimes.

His trial was a farce. This execution was outright murder!

How can Saddam Hussein's conviction be considered legitimate when the court system is set up by the American invaders and is based on American law? I also read that a U.S. judge refused to order a stay of execution. Why is it in his hands?

What gives America the right to invade a sovereign nation and put its leader on trial for war crimes based on U.S. law and then kill him?! Former Liberian dictator is on trial now for war crimes against his people but, the trial is being held in Geneva - a neutral territory.

I pray that Allah forgives Saddam Hussein for his sins and punishes American leaders for their devilishness in this life and in the hereafter!

Sis. 'Aisha


The Hartford Seminary and Anti-Islamic Forces
by the Turkish American Journal Research Center

In order to understand the role of The Hartford Seminary after the tragedy of 9/11, we must examine how anti-Islamic forces developed and how they hijacked American Foreign policy. These forces include Neo-Cons, Conservative foundations and their funding efforts, Evangelical Churches, and opportunist missionary schools. We will discuss each of these forces in more detail as they pertain to the post 9/11 environment.

Neo-Cons

Michael Collins Piper, in his book The High Priest of War, describes most Neo-Conservatives (Neo-Cons) as former Trotskyite Communists. Many Neo-Con intellectuals, prior to the 1980's, were part of the liberal tradition often aligning themselves with the U.S. Democratic party. They were staunch pro-Zionist allies and were in close contact with the U.S.-Israeli lobby. During the Reagan administration, a tactical shift occurred in the Neo-Con agenda. A more pro-conservative U.S. platform was developed to benefit Israeli foreign policy. Many Neo-Cons became influential in the mainstream media and made inroads among conservative groups. Professor Paul Gottfried, an American Jewish academic, who opposes the Neo-Con agenda states, 'What is being correctly observed is a convergence of interests in which neo-conservatives have played a pivotal role. At this point, they control almost all ˜conservative" think-tanks, the ˜conservative TV Channel [Murdoch's Fox News], The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, together with just about every magazine that claims to be conservative' (Piper 2004).

During the Bush Jr. administration, Neo-Cons became elite advisors to the president on almost every issue pertaining to foreign policy and the Defense Department. The current wars propagated by the Bush administration have been well designed and orchestrated to meet Neo-Con objectives. Not surprisingly, these objectives serve Israeli interest rather than U.S. foreign interest. "Sharon's goal of achieving a 'Greater Israel' is part and parcel of the neo-conservative agenda and the ultimate in hate and imperialism." (Piper 2004)

In order to advance their agenda in the Middle East, Neo-Cons developed an "evil enemy" to convince the US population that they are in danger and urged a national defense policy be created. Thus with fear, they have fostered a demonizing view of Muslims and portray Islam as violent and a threat to the "civilized world." These individuals include Richard Perle, William Kristol often seen on Fox News, Henry Kissinger, and Paul Wolfowitz.

Conservative Foundations Against Islam

A number of wealthy conservative foundations are primary bankrollers of the Neo-Cons and right - wing think-tanks. A grand total of 83 research grants totaling over $4.5 million dollars are supplied to groups and researchers involved in anti-Islamic research. The following foundations currently offer financial support of anti-Islamic research: The Earhart Foundation, The Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation, The Smith Richardson Foundation, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and The John M. Olin Foundation. The chart below links some specific research individuals with their funding foundation.

Name of Primary Researcher
Amount $

Funder

Alexander Alexiev
$75,000

Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation
---------------------------------
Hillel Fradkin
$173,800

Smith Richardson Foundation
--------------
David Cook
$150,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
------------------------------
Nazeer Ahmed
$50,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
------------------------------------------------------
Zachary Abuza
$65,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
------------------------------------------------
Timur Kuran
$164,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
---------------------------------------------
Nelly Lahoud
$9,000

Earhart Foundation
----------------------------------------------------------
Hussain Haqqani
$100,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Steven Emerson
$250,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
-------------------------------------------------------
Zeyno Baran
$110,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
------------------------------------------------
Sultan Tepe
$60,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
------------------------------------------------------
Cheryl Barnard
$100,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
--------------------------------------------------
Graham Fuller
$15,000

Earhart Foundation
---------------------------------------------------------------
Ibrahim Abu-Rabi
$20,000

Earhart Foundation
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fawaz Gerges
$143,000

Smith Richardson Foundation
-----------------------------------------------------
Ahmad Mousalli
$100,000+

Earhart Foundation
--------------------------------------------
Infamous researcher Zeyno Barran, who is well known in Turkey, is heavily involved with research in the Central Turkic states. Her research protects the interests of oil companies and pipeline developments from the Caspian Sea. She is of Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

Cheryl Barnard, who is the wife of Zalmay Khalizad the current ambassador of the United States to Iraq, is the primary author of the report "Civil Democratic Islam" by the Rand Corporation. This report outlines how to distort Islam by questioning the authenticity of Qur'anic Ayats and Hadith. It also proposes a strategy to build up and popularize a modernist "Muslim" leadership, how to go on the offensive against the "Fundamentalists," advance the values of Western Democracy, promote Sufism, and focus on the education of Muslims.

This strategy utilizes hand picked individuals by the U.S. Administration to become "Islamic leaders" who promote the above agenda. For example, some of the leaders mentioned are Mustafa Ceric the Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Abou El Fadl the professor of Islamic Law at UCLA, Fethullah Gulen of the Gulen Movement of Turkey, Muhammed Shahrur the author of the "Proposal for an Islamic Covenant," and Shaykh Hisham Kabbani of the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA).

Other anti-Islamic researchers include: Sultan Tepe who researched the current leading party in Turkey, the Justice and Development party (AK Party). Hussain Haqqani made research on the state of Islamic groups in the parliament of Pakistan. Ahmed Mousalli developed a thesis called "Ideology and Politics: Islamic Fundamentalism and World Order." Ibrahim Abu-Rabi conducted research titled, "Religious Liberty in the Contemporary Middle East: Arab Islamist Expressions." Fawaz Gerges made research on Islamists groups in the Middle East (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Palestine) titled, "The Islamists and the West: Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests," Graham Fuller involved his research with the Nursi movement of Turkey through the Rand Corporation. Steve Emerson, a self proclaimed Islamic expert and Islam phobic, used research to fabricate many allegations against Islamic organizations and individuals in the US and worldwide.

Christian Right Against Islam
In addition to conservative foundations, the American Evangelical Christian churches spearhead the most vehement anti-Islamic rhetoric. Evangelicals have a vested interest in demonizing Islam. Evangelicals have long noted the rising conversion rates of Christians to Islam inside and outside the United States. According to Diana Eck, in a "New Religious America," Muslims in America outnumber Presbyterians or Episcopalians (Kevin Phillips, American Theocracy, 2006). In order for evangelical churches to stay relevant, a concerted effort to damage the authenticity of Islam was undertaken. Evangelical churches receive substantial funds from the Bush Administration under the guise of Faith-based social programs and education.
The now infamous Pat Robertson, a well known Evangelical leader who received well over 14 million dollars from U.S. taxpayers, stated on his church television show (The 700 Club) in 2002 that Islam "is not a peaceful religion that wants to coexist. They want to coexist until they can control, dominate and then, if need be, destroy." Another example of anti-Islamic statements by prominent Evangelicals comes from Franklin Graham, son of the Reverend Billy Graham who is a close personal friend of the Bush family and gave the invocation at George W. Bush's presidential inauguration , stated "The God of Islam is not the same God of the Christian or the Judeo-Christian faith. It is a different God, and I believe a very evil and a very wicked religion." (CBS Oct 26, 2006). Also, Jerry Vines, former head of the Southern Baptist Convention, has described the beloved Prophet of Islam, Muhammad,pbuh, as a "demon-obsessed pedophile."

These charlatans claim to be of Christian virtue and spreading peace, yet their agenda is quite to the contrary. They are full supporters of the various wars in the world supporting Israeli/Neo-Conservative interests and economic exploitation. Pat Robertson, for example, openly called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's President and denouncer of Bush.

In the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, Evangelists were urging support of Israel and continued aggression.

With the current Iraq war, numerous Christian groups are utilizing the chaos to proselytize Muslims of Iraq to Christianity. Let us read a statement from an Evangelical group about spreading Christianity in Iraq, "As Iraq struggles to stabilize, you can touch the very heart of Iraq by reaching its children for Christ. This opportunity has been years in the making, and now is the time to act." Campus Crusade for Christ staff teams in Iraq have been working since the American-led liberation, reaching people there with the Gospel. According to Mark Noll, from his book The Old Religion in a New World, Christian faith has spread by military and economic dominance around the World. He states, "The spread of American influence around the world has meant that American versions of the nature, purpose, and content of the Christian faith have also spread widely." (Phillips)

Opportunist Missionaries

Unlike vehement evangelicals, opportunist missionaries subtly seek to customize Islam to fit Christian values. They seek to include Muslims in their overall mission of introducing and exposing Christianity to the Muslims. Furthermore, they desire to diminish the tide of Muslim converts by minimizing important distinctions between both religions. Therefore, Christians interested in Islam would see no essential difference between the two religions and no reason for converting. This is best exemplified by the quote from the Moslem World Publication of the Hartford Seminary, "The relationship between Christianity and Islam inevitably profit the former rather than the latter, materially Christianity always gains to the detriment of Islam and socially Christianity never accords what it promises" (Vol. 2, No. 2, page 342).

In the past several years, interfaith dialogues have been promoted by Muslim organizations, such as the Fetullah Gulen group of Turkey (as mentioned earlier in the report "Civil Democratic Islam"), ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), and ICNA (Islamic Council of North America). They have made connections with leading Christian missionary schools such as the Hartford Seminary who publishes the Muslim World (formally called the Moslem World). Dr. Sayed M. Sayeed is the Director of the ISNA Interfaith and Community Initiatives. Of note, Ingrid Mattson, the current President of ISNA, is also an associate editor of the Muslim World and professor at the Hartford Seminary. Interestingly, Ibrahim Abu-Rabi, listed earlier who received funding from conservative anti-Islamic foundations (Earhart Foundation), is the editor of the Muslim World. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, an ultra conservative foundation, funded the dialogue initiative in the United States.

Another fascinating observation comes from the articles presented in the Muslim World. These articles are consistent with the Rand Reports strategies described in "Civil Democratic Islam" such as popularizing Sufism and promoting modernist Muslim leaders. In a special issue of the Muslim World (Vol. 95, No. 3, July 2005), the entire issue was devoted to Fetullah Gulen of Turkey. One article titled, "Sufism and Modernity in the Thought of Fetullah Gulen," was written by Father Thomas Michel. Father Michel is currently a Vatican official in Rome who is a promoter of interfaith dialogue (apparently dialogue has not refrained Pope Benedict from insulting Islam).

Also, Fetullah Gulen's group recently announced a donation of $2 million U.S. dollars to the Hartford Seminary for Islamic studies. Gulen's group has denied that the Harford Seminary is a missionary school or ministerial teaching school; however, our research indicates the school is both a missionary and a ministerial school. For example, in 2005, the Black and Hispanic Ministries Program classes held graduation banquets honoring minister graduates. These classes are taught by the Hartford Seminary, with Rev. Dr. Benjamin Watts as director of the Black Ministries Program and Professor Efrain Agosto as Director of the Hispanic Ministries Program.

For additional information pertaining to the Hartford Seminary, please review prior articles on the Turkish American Journal website.

Conclusion
Clearly, an anti-Islamic agenda has been working for many years. The anti-Islamic groups have multiple interests (Pro-Zionist, economic globalization/exploitation, world domination and Christian proselytism). All these forces have a similar aspiration that is to redefine Islam, and the funding sources between these various groups can be traced to conservative foundations. These foundations work closely with the neo-conservatives and the media (also owned by many neo-cons) to popularize their ideas.
Hopefully, this article has shed some light about various anti-Islamic forces. We, however, have questions that still linger. They are the following:
1. Why are popular Muslim leaders, such as Fetullah Gulen, Shaykh Hisam Kabbani, Mustafa Ceric, promoting initiatives listed in the Rand Report: "Civil Democratic Islam?"
2. Why are some Muslim leaders listed in the Rand Report to be of benefit to the West?
3. Why haven't these leaders objected publicly to being listed as stooges for anti-Islamic forces?
4. Why are so called U.S. Muslim leaders being supportive of conservative foundations that are anti-Islam?
5. Why do some of these Muslim leaders need to redefine Islam in terms of "tolerance?" Islam is inherently tolerant and numerous examples in history point to Islam's tolerance towards others.

2006-12-31 Sun 15:43:34 cst
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