Once I went out at night and found Allah's Apostle walking
all alone accompanied by nobody, and I thought that perhaps
he disliked that someone should accompany him. So I walked
in the shade, away from the moonlight, but the Prophet
looked behind and saw me and said,
"Who is that?"
I replied, "Abu Dhar, let Allah get me sacrificed
for you!" He said, "O Abu Dhar, come here!"
So I accompanied him for a while and then he said, "The rich
are in fact the poor (little rewarded) on the Day of
Resurrection except him whom Allah gives wealth which he
gives (in charity) to his right, left, front and back, and
does good deeds with it. I walked with him a little longer.
Then he said to me, "Sit down here."
So he made me sit in an open space surrounded by rocks, and
said to me, "Sit here till I come back to you." He went
towards
Al-Harra till I could not see him, and he stayed away for a
long period, and then I heard him saying, while he was
coming,
"Even if he had committed theft, and even if he had
committed illegal sexual intercourse?"
When he came, I could not remain patient and asked him, "O
Allah's Prophet! Let Allah get me sacrificed for you! Whom
were you speaking to by the side of Al-Harra? I did not hear
anybody responding to your talk." He said, "It was Gabriel
who appeared to me beside Al-Harra and said, 'Give the good
news to your followers that whoever dies without having
worshipped anything besides Allah, will enter Paradise.' I
said,
'O Gabriel! Even if he had committed theft or committed
illegal sexual intercourse?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Even
if he has committed theft or committed illegal sexual
intercourse?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Even if he has
committed theft or committed illegal sexual
intercourse?'
He said, 'Yes.'
Volume 8, Book 76, Number 450
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
CHINA
Uighur Muslim women are being sterilised at internment camps
for ethnic and religious minorities in China.
"They injected us from time to time," claimed Gulbahar
Jalilova, who was held for more than a year in government
"re-education centres" in the far-west Xinjiang region.
"We had to stick our arms out through a small opening in the
door," the 54-year-old told France24. "We soon realised that
after our injections that we didn't get our periods any
more."
Most of her time was spent with up to 50 people packed into
a cell measuring just 10ft by 20ft. "It's like we were just
piece of meat," she added.
A similar account was given by 30-year-old Mehrigul Tursun
during a video call to an Amnesty International event in
Tokyo, as reported by the Nikkei Asian Review.
Ms.Tursun, who now lives in exile in the US, told of being
given unknown drugs and injections while detained at an
internment camp in 2017.
She said she felt "tired for about a week, lost my memories
and felt depressed" and was released four months later after
being diagnosed as being mentally ill.
Doctors in the US later told her that she had been
sterilised, she said
Up to one million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other minorities have
been arbitrarily detained in internment camps, according the
UN and human rights groups.
Researchers have claimed the facilities are being run like
"wartime concentration camps" as part of a "systematic
campaign of social re-engineering and cultural
genocide".
The Chinese government however has described them as
"boarding schools" offering vocational training and rejected
allegations of torture and other abuses as "fake news".
Former detainees have previously told of torture, beatings
and electrocution as well as being forced to eat pork,
attend political re-education lessons and sing political
songs.
The global outcry over China's treatment of minority groups
has had little effect, however. Last week it was reported
that China is building even more secret camps.
Syria
Turkey Ignoring Attacks.
The Assad regime began an all out operation to take back
Irbid province from Islamic people. The Assdis are suppored
by Russia and Iran
August 17.Islamic leaders of western Aleppo province have
issued a statement condemning Turkish inaction against
Russian, Iranian and Assadi attacks.
August 16.In southern Irbid province, Russian air strikes
killed 13 civilians near Hass, towns where displaced people
had taken shelter. Assad regime's air strikes killed 2
children and injured 23 other civilians on Ariba city.
August 18. Intense fighting between regime forces and jihad
groups erupted near al-Sheykhoun as Russian bombing opened
the way for the regime. In the ground fighting 46 Islamic
fighters and 35 of the Shia Iranian assadi militia were
killed.
Afghanistan
Savagery and Extreme Violence
August 17, 2019. The Shia community in Kabul, during a
celebration, was hit by a human bomber sent by ISIS. The
explosion killed 63 persons and wounded 182. Worldwide
condemnation has been expressed.
On July 31, the UN reported that 717 civilians have been
killed in air strikes by the US and the Kabul regime in the
first 6 months of this year.
Iraq
Clashes with IS in five provinces of Iraq.
On August 12, a huge explosion in the middle of Baghdad blew
up an arms depot killing one person and injuring 35. The
regime has ordered explosive storage areas to be moved out
of cities.
Two IS persons involved in a car bomb attack in Tal Afar
which killed scores of people have been arrested. [Auust
18]
August 15. People are fleeing Daqouq town in Kirkuk province
after IS attacks killed 2 police offcers and 13 other
persons.
Latest: Baghdad regime forces are carrying out raids in
Anbar province and Diyala looking for IS cells. Details are
lacking.
Regime raids are also reported from areas near Mosul
resulting in several arrests.
A female IS fighter captured in Mosul last month is being
interrogated by the regime,
The Baghdad regime is denying reports about the numbers of
IS fighters in Iraq and says there are very few.
Newark, Delaware
Large Friday Crowd.
On August 16, a Jamaat al-Muslimeen document [6 ;pages[ was
given to 74 Muslims after Juma salat.
The crowd here is from Bangladsh, African countries, Arabs
and Pakistanis.
The khutba was quite good reminding Muslims that Islam is
more than the 5 pillars. The entire spirit of Qur'an and
Sunnah should be accepted.
Out of several hundreds people we could only reach 74.
Here is an outline of the 6-page document:
Very large rally in Islamabad supporting Kashmir.
&
Br. Kaukab's khutba on Hajira, r.a., Ibrahim, pbuh,
and main causes facing Muslims.
China: Muslims in Concentration camps.
Syria: Mujahideen & IS beating back attacks by Russia,
Iran, Assadis & Kurds.
Hadith
Brooklyn, New York.
August 11 & August 16.
Br. Abu Talib reports:
A Jamaat al-Muslimeen document containing the resolutions of
the Shoora committee was given to 40 Muslims, some at Shia
masjid and some at Sunni masjid.
Also contained info on support for children in Gambia &
Ethiopia.
At least 63 Palestinians were injured on Friday afternoon
during clashes with Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza Strip,
close to the border with Israel, medics said.
Ashraf al-Qedra, Health Ministry Spokesman in Gaza, told
reporters that 63 Palestinian demonstrators were injured,
including 32 who were shot by live ammunition and taken to
hospitals for medical treatment.
He said that among the casualties, there were 17 children
and three women.
The clashes broke out when hundreds of Palestinian
demonstrators gathered in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the
border with Israel as part of their participation in the
weekly anti-Israel rallies, better known as the Great March
of Return.
The weekly anti-Israel protests have been going on for the
70th week in-a-row, since it had started in March 30 last
year, where 307 demonstrators were killed and more than
17,000 injured by Israeli soldiers' gunfire.
Leaders of Hamas and other factions, who are part of the
highest commission of the march of return, stressed that the
protests will continue until it achieves its goals of ending
the Israeli siege, during their participation in Friday's
rally.
Israel has been imposing a blockade on the Gaza Strip, a
home for two million Palestinians, right after Hamas had
violently seized control of the impoverished coastal enclave
in the summer of 2007.
Source: Xinhuanet
Editorial
Why do Muslim Minorities Suffer so Much and no one helps
Them?
by Dr. Kaukab Siddique
Rohingyas spring to mind.
Then we have Muslims in China.
Kashmiris are a majority in Kashmir but they are steadily
being reduced to a minority in the make belief that they are
part of India.
In the east of India, in Assam, migrants or refugees from
Bangladesh are being mistreated or left without facilties as
if they are "aliens" though they might have lived for
decades in Assam.
Then we have the Muslims who lived in the defunct Soviet
Union for decades. Tatars were deported en masse to the
Russian far east. Chechens were crushed by overwhelming
military might, though they fought very well indeed.
In the United States, several million Muslims are quite
helpless though the Black converts to Islam pose a frequent
challenge to the American power structure.
The horrors which Muslims in Bosnia and Kosova faced have
become mere parts of a nightmare.
Why?
Nationalism is very strong in Muslim majority areas.
Unless these countries are attacked directly, they do not
show concern for Muslim minorities. Pakistan has been an
exception at a theoretical level but its sub-nationalism
broke it into two.. Jamaate Islami is trying to keep
support for Kashmir at a high level but is weakened by the
military's campaigns againsthard core Muslims of former
frontier province.
Secularism is surging in the Muslim majority countries.
It is fed by prosperous Muslim communities in USA, UK and
France. Muslim elites in the majority countries often know
more about western culture than they do about Islam or even
about national culture.
Muslim women in the majority countries are, by and large,
still being treated as if they are living in the medieval
ages under kings and despots. As a result, education makes
them malleable to western influences and often they start
thinking that they would have more rights under western
rules than under Islam.
Solutions.
Muslims need knowledge of other Muslim countries other
than their own. Groupings by schools of thought [Hanafi,
Shafaii, etc] are obstacles in the way of learning of the
UMMA concept, that Muslims are ONE nation. Differences of
scholars should not separate us or alienate us.
Secularism is deadly for Muslims. It takes away the sense
of the sacred and holiness from our lives. More and more
Muslims are turning against hadith [which they don't study]
and consider not as the words of the Prophet, pbuh, but
merely as narrations by human beings. Study of hadith
related to modern times and issues can take us back to
original Islam.
Women as mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, aunts,
nieces are central to the return of Islam to its original
power and glory. Equality of men and women within the
Islamic framework is essential. Islam is based on TAQWA,
awareness of Allah, not on gender.
PAKISTAN
Red Mosque leader, Maulana Abdul Aziz calls for Jihad in
Kashmir
Details from Kashmir.
[Courtesy The Times via Shaikh Mohommed.]
A Pakistani cleric once close to Osama bin Laden has called
on militants to wage jihad against Indian troops in Kashmir,
increasing the threat of a terrorist retaliation to the
imposition of direct rule in the region.
Maulana Abdul Aziz, 59, the imam at the Red Mosque in
Islamabad during a 2007 siege by the Pakistani army that
left more than a hundred people dead, declared that "jihad
is mandatory". Speaking to The Times, he denounced
Pakistan's strategy in Kashmir as a failure and demanded
that Imran Khan, the prime minister, free Islamists held in
Pakistani jails and "open the border for our fighters" to
strike Indian forces.
India's crackdown in Kashmir intensified yesterday, with
more than 500 people arrested and scores of opposition
politicians detained. Indian and Pakistani troops again
exchanged fire across the border in Kashmir on Wednesday
evening.
"Muslims in Kashmir are waiting for our help," Mr Aziz said.
An arch-conservative, he was close to Bin Laden and
al-Qaeda, as well as Mullah Omar, the Taliban founder. Under
his stewardship the Red Mosque became a haven for Islamic
militants, culminating in the bloody showdown with the
Pakistani military in Islamabad in 2007
Mr Aziz accused Mr Khan's government of bowing to
international pressure to rein in militant groups operating
on Pakistani soil. One of these, Jaish-e-Mohammed, was
behind a suicide bombing in Kashmir that killed more than 40
Indian troops in February, triggering clashes that brought
the two countries to the brink of war.
"The current policy on Kashmir is weak. We have to respond
to the Indian atrocities and the lockdown of the valley," Mr
Aziz said.
Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, addressing the
nation yesterday, defended his decision to revoke Article
370 of the constitution, limiting Kashmir's decision-making
power and eliminating its right to its own constitutions. He
argued that the region's special status, granted almost
seven decades ago, had hampered development and left the
region ripe for exploitation by Pakistan, which had used the
system "as a weapon to incite people of the region against
India".
Advocating for the "mainstreaming" of the Kashmiri people
with the rest of the nation, unlocking investment in the
region to become "the world's best tourist destination", Mr
Modi added: "I have complete faith under this new system
[that] we all will be able to free Jammu and Kashmir of
terrorism and separatism.
"Over the past three decades over 42,000 people lost their
lives. The people of Jammu and Kashmir will defeat the evil
designs of Pakistan . . . we will eliminate terrorism in the
valley."
In Kashmir itself the crackdown continued. Academics,
business leaders and activists were among hundreds of people
seized in overnight raids in Srinagar and elsewhere.
Opposition politicians were detained at the airport and a
total communications blackout remained in place, with mobile
networks and the internet cut off since Monday.
Shock has turned to anger after Monday's announcement by Mr
Modi's Hindu nationalist government that it would strip
Kashmir of the semi-autonomous status it had enjoyed for
almost seven decades. Laws that bar non-residents of India's
only Muslim-majority state from buying land or owning
businesses have been revoked, raising fears of a flood of
Hindu immigrants to erase the area's Islamic heritage.
Hospitals in Srinagar and other cities are already operating
near capacity, according to local reports. Ali Mohammed, a
Kashmiri activist, told the New Delhi Television news
channel that he had been arranging ambulances to ferry the
sick to hospital in Srinagar as residents could not use
their phones.
The Pakistani government has tried to build an international
consensus against India's actions in Kashmir, with Mr Khan
lobbying world leaders and the UN security council, but to
little avail. Today, Pakistan's foreign minister will visit
China, Islamabad's "trusted friend", in an effort to put
pressure on India over its decision.
Pakistan also announced it would expel India's ambassador to
Islamabad, downgrading diplomatic relations and suspending
bilateral trade. India responded yesterday by claiming that
Pakistan was exploiting the crisis as a pretext to "justify
its cross-border terrorism".
Despite imposing a curfew in troubled Kashmir, where heavy
security has been placed, Indian authorities have decided to
ease this curfew so that the Muslim-majority can go to
Friday prayers.
"People are allowed to pray within their neighbourhood,
there is no restriction on that," said Dilbag Singh,
director general of police for Kashmir, and added: "But they
should not venture out of their local area."
The tit-for-tat diplomatic sniping continued with Pakistan
announcing it would ban the screening of Indian films
throughout the country.
Jhelum Rally
11 Days of curfew in Kashmir did not break Resistance.
Massive Pak Support for Palestine & Kashmir.
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE- Aug 16: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has said
the India fascist tactics and threats about the use of atom
bomb have badly exposed the BJP's government war
hysteria.
But, he said while addressing "Save Kashmir Rally" in Jehlum
on Friday, people of Kashmir and Pakistan would never get
afraid from Indian blusters and ready to face every
challenge from New Delhi.
"Modi's fascist regime must learn lesson from the history
that Muslims are always ready to sacrifice their lives for
holy cause," he said, adding Kashmir was a matter of death
and life for Pakistan and thousands of Kashmiri also wanted
freedom from India. So, he added, how ministers of Modi
government could expect that millions of Muslims would ready
to surrender before their coward tactics and bullying about
the use of atom bomb.
India, said JI chief, would not only lose Kashmir but it
should be ready for further divisions. He said Khalistan,
Nagaland and other movements of separation were becoming
stronger with every day passing, clearly indicating the
future map of India.
Siraj paid tribute to the sacrifices of the people of
Kashmir against Indian aggression. He said Friday was the
11th day of the curfew in the occupied region but it could
not deter the courage and determination of the people of the
Kashmir. He reminded world of its responsibility in worst
prevailing human tragedy in IOK. Unfortunately, he
regretted, world was silent spectators of human genocide in
the area and badly failed to pay its responsibility towards
the solution of the issue.
The JI chief also reminded government not to look towards
western powers for the solution of Kashmir issue but to
approach the Muslim world and start efforts for its unity.
He urged the Muslims countries to raise a united voice
against illegal occupation and slaughters of Muslims in
Kashmir and Palestine. No one could keep Kashmiris and
Palestinians as slaves if Muslim countries raise a strong
voice against occupants, he maintained.
Siraj reiterated support from millions of Pakistanis for
Kashmir cause, saying they would never leave alone their
Kashmiri brothers and sisters in this testing moment.
News Within the U.S.
The Continued Deliberate Effort to Bombard African-American
and Children's Programming with Queer [lgbtq] Characters.
by Sis. Aisha
[Jamaat al-Muslimeen New York City]
New York City - I knew when I saw a twinkle in that boy's
eye that it was a different type of up and coming story
about a black boy in South Miami, Florida. "David Makes Man"
is a complex new series that premiered on the OWN channel,
recently. It was created by gay black actor Tarell Alvin
McCraney ("Moonlight", "Choir Boy"). The main character,
David, is not gay. However, critics are saying that the show
is redefining masculinity by exploring other points of views
and experiences involving black boys growing up in
America.
There are a few queer characters featured on the show but,
then again, it is based on some of the childhood experiences
of the show's creator. Oprah Winfrey and Actor Michael B.
Jordan ("Creed") are some of the show's executive
producers.
On another show, actress Gabrielle Union plays a bisexual
police officer. "L.A.'s Finest" is the newest show to be
featured On Demand. In April, Union attended a gay pride
parade in Miami Beach, Florida with her stepson, Zion. Her
husband, retired NBA player Dwyane Wade, posted an image of
his son at the parade on social media, which caused quite a
stir. Wade's retort was that he was being a supportive
parent. You see, Zion just came out as gay and he is only 11
years old. Many people accused the Dwyane Wade of allowing
his son to succumb to societal influences.
This year, more than ever, I saw more young people going to
the gay pride parades for support or just out of curiosity.
This support could be blamed on Disney programming efforts
to misguide American viewers, too. But, the numerous
African-American entertainers, such as Pharell, Jay-Z, Kanye
West, who have voiced support or implored people to have
understanding toward the gay lifestyle has grown.
It looks as though there is a strong effort to target
African-American and children's programming for queer
inclusion whether we watch it or not.
(Sources: Them.com & RollingOut.com)
From our Christian Friends
There is ONE God; God is One.
Hindus with Multiple gods Persecute Christians.
[Thank you sis. Abigail.]
There are at least 28 bible verses declaring that there is
One God. True Christians cling to this truth, and true
Christians are aware that anyone who claims there is more
than One God, is misguided and has been spiritually
decieved.
With the U.S. government attacking so many Muslim nations
and with Satan attempting to cause divisions among the
Believers of the One true God, it is a much needed reminder
to Christians that Muslims believe in the One God; the God
of Abraham, the God of Moses, the God of Job, and Muslim
believe God sent Jesus, born of the virgin Mary. Another
much needed reminder to Christians is that Hindu's do not
believe in the One God. Hindu's worship multiple gods and
Hindu's claim spiritual beliefs that are in stark contrast
to Bible and to the Christian faith.
India, a predominatnly Hindu nation, is a "friend" of the
U.S.; and since the U.S. allows tens of thousands of Hindu
immigrants into the U.S. each year, Christians in many U.S.
cities are surrounded by Hindus. Being surrounded by Hindus
can make is easy to become indifferent to them, and to
forget what they believe. But we should not forget. We
should remember that Hindus worship multiple gods; they do
not believe in the One God, nor in Jesus. And it's
important to remember that Christians living in India are
often persecuted for thier beliefs.
This story is a good reminder:
Christians file case against Hindu extremists for
persecution in India
By Heather Preston
A case has been filed against Hindu nationalists by
Christians in south India to prevent further religious
discrimination.
Christian members of the 'Kattunaickar' Scheduled Tribe
filed the case at the High Court at the Madras Madurai Bench
in Tamil Nadu after facing years of hardship because of
their beliefs.
There are approximately 100 Christian converts living among
the predominantly Hindu tribe, based in the village of
Sathyamoorthy Nagar in the Madurai District.
Local sources say that the hostilities towards the
Christians started in 2004, but religious discrimination
escalated when the local extremist group Hindu Munani, began
to systematically target Christians in 2016.
The Hindu Munani have now imposed sanctions on Christian
families there, preventing them from purchasing food,
attending public ceremonies and accessing public roads and
water supplies. Christian children are prohibited from
mixing with Hindu's in the playground and a tax of 50,000
rupees (approx £590) has been enforced for all families in
the area who do not follow the Hindu faith.
The case at the High Court has been filed against 11
respondents, which includes members of the Hindu Munani, the
District Collector, the Superintendent of Police, the
Revenue Divisional Officer and the Inspector of Police.
An order to prevent the respondents from imposing penalties
and excommunicating the Christians and request for police
protection has been submitted.
The petitioner of the case, who cannot be named for security
reasons said that the hostile environment has escalated to
physical violence and accusations of forcible conversions
and attempts to address the concerns with district officials
have, at present, proven futile.
C.J. Rajan, a human rights advocate who is representing the
Christian community, said: "The rule of law is being fully
violated in the Sathiamoorthy Nagar issue. No efforts have
been made on the part of the government towards bringing
peace in the village.
"Minority Christian rights are fully violated. It is the
failure of Madurai district authorities."
Freedom charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has
called the continued mistreatment of and hatred towards
Christian's in the region a "miscarriage of justice".
CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: "It is in such an
environment that hate is allowed to fester into acute
violence that can lead to targeted communal attacks, as seen
in the district of Kandhamal, Odhisa over a decade ago where
Christians were attacked for their faith.
"We urge the authorities to act quickly and to take
necessary measures to ensure that the perpetrators of this
crime are brought to justice so that the families can resume
a normal life without fear."
Source: Premier
Book Review
This Could have been a Great Love Story.
Hitler and Eva Braun.
Eva Braun. Life with Hitler by Heike B. Gortemaker,
translated by Damion Smith in 2011, published by Alfred A.
Knopf.
Understandably anything connected to Hitler would be
reported negatively, if not with intense hatred. What saves
this book
from being a book of hate projected by the victors of the
Second World War is that the bulk of the book is a research
work
on the life of Eva Braun. The focus on Eva Braun helps to
mitigate the expected hate against Hitler.
Eva was a young girl who fell in love with Hitler who was
older than her. He was much too busy with the consolidation
of National Socialist power in resurgent Germany to pay
attention to her. Millions of German women had fallen in
love with him owing to the national pride of militant
Germany which he expressed so well. However her love for him
was extraordinary. She tried to commit suicide when he would
not pay more than cursory attention to her. Her attempted
suicide softened his heart and he wanted to make sure she
would not hurt herself again.
The writer Gortemaker successfully brings out the attraction
between Eva and Hitler which was platonic love. Most of this
evidence is successfully researched. Most importantly the
writer is able to show that Eva believed in Hitler's cause
and that she was not a non-political, peripheral, person in
Hitler's life as many writers claim.
However when Gortemaker asserts that Eva was "anti-Semitic"
she is unable to bring any evidence. Being pro-Germany and
pro-Hitler automatically means being "anti-Semitic" in the
writer's viewpoint but here she is not able to use her
research method to prove it. In fact the writer uses a broad
brush to paint all the women who supported Hitler as
anti-Semitic but brings no evidence.
The book can be important for revisionists because of a
major contradiction in it. The book discusses the close
connection between Eva and Hitler and between Hitler and
many of his associates and that he openly expressed his
views and plans with them. He was very transparent in his
ideology when speaking to his inner circle. In NONE OF THESE
DISCUSSIONS does the writer find him talking about or EVEN
HINTING about the destruction and extermination of the
Jews.
The writer exerts herself to prove that Hitler made sure
that Eva would live in comfort and that what she wanted was
provided to her. The writer does not realize that as the
most powerful man in Germany, it was natural and easy for
him to provide everything for the woman he loved. The writer
expends much energy in proving that all the women in the
inner circle were jealous of her.
At the end of the war, when many leaders of Germany betrayed
Hitler, Eva stayed with him to the end. When many Germans
were running away from Hitler, she moved across war torn
Germany to be with him in his bunker in Berlin. With the
daily bombing of German cities and the great danger from
advancing enemy armies, Eva moved towards Hitler and
consummated her love for him in the final act of suicide
with him. Here our writer fails miserably because in western
mythology, Hitler and love are in sharp contradiction.
Canada
Canada should protect its citizens against threats from
Egyptian regime
(Original title: Egypt's Crackdown Domestically and Abroad:
All According to Plan)
By Mohamed S. Kamel; Contributor
Wed., Aug. 14, 2019
While the political troubles of Egypt might seem far away,
their impact on Canadians has been consistent and continues
to escalate with time.
On the anniversary of the worst massacre of civilians by
their own military in Egyptian history, it's crucial that we
do not look away from violence of the past and that which
Egypt has promised Canadians in the future. It's even more
important that we hear a commitment from our government to
protect its citizens from the Egyptian regime's violence
— something which is not new to Canadians.
Toronto man Amr Kassem was murdered in Alexandria in 2013
during those very massacres when the Egyptian military began
cracking down on people protesting for democracy. Before
that, Mississauga native Sarah Attia underwent a two-year
ordeal when her husband Khaled Al-Qazzaz was forcibly
disappeared by the Egyptian government and then held in
inhumane conditions in solitary confinement.
In a highly public case, Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy
suffered over 400 days under the same conditions. Canadian
filmmaker John Greyson and Dr. Tarek Loubani were famously
detained and tortured in Tora Prison for seven weeks. Even
now, several Canadian citizens are languishing unlawfully in
Egyptian custody under horrific conditions with no
indication of release any time soon.
It should be noted that this is all calculated and
premeditated by the state. On Aug. 12, 2014, one year after
that bloody Rabaa massacre, the largest killings of
demonstrators in a single day in recent history, Human
Rights Watch (HRW) issued its report on the atrocity that
took place under the command of Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, who
later became Egypt's de facto president.
HRW intentionally named the report "All According to Plan"
because of the Rabaa massacre's premeditated nature. It
documented at least 817 peaceful protesters who were killed,
but the total number is estimated to be around 1,000.
Fast-forward to 2019 here in Canada, as we approach the
sixth anniversary of the Rabaa massacre, I and many others
were appalled to hear an Egyptian official, Minister of
Immigration and Expatriates' Affairs Nabila Makram,
proclaiming in front of an audience of supporters in
Mississauga, Ont., that "anyone speaking against Egypt
abroad will be sliced" as she made a throat-slitting motion
with her hand.
In a bizarre but wholly expected series of apologetics, some
supporters of the Egyptian regime tried to defend or
contextualize Makram's comment as some type of joke. Killing
dissidents may qualify as humour elsewhere, but not in
Canada, where freedom of speech and media is a
constitutionally protected right and tradition.
Furthermore, given the Egyptian regime's well-documented
penchant for acts like torture, arbitrary imprisonment,
forced disappearances and murder, the minister's conduct can
only be understood as a direct threat to Canadians.
Makram's words must also be couched in the fact that
el-Sissi's government, according to HRW estimates, has
detained roughly 60,000 political prisoners, including 100
journalists, since he seized power in a bloody military coup
in 2013. This is not even to mention that Canadian citizen
Yasser Elbaz was removed from his line at the airport on a
business trip to Cairo and has been arbitrarily detained in
horrific conditions without charges since March
The issue is urgent because actual lives continue to hang in
the balance. Most recently, the only democratically elected
president in Egypt's history, Mohamed Morsi, died
suspiciously in Egyptian custody after six years in solitary
confinement and medical neglect.
Considering these facts, Makram's message in Canada was
clear: the government that openly performed the Rabaa
massacre for the world to see intends to target dissidents
abroad. The Canadian government's silence on violence being
incited on Canadian soil is not acceptable.
Moreover, the silence of the Ontario premier and the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario is not acceptable in the
face of visitation privileges being used to threaten
Canadians at home. Especially when Ontario MPP Sheref
Sabawy, instead of distancing himself from the remarks,
decided to defend them.
Aug. 14, the anniversary of the Rabaa massacre, should be a
sobering reminder to everyone that we cannot afford to be
silent in the face of such blatant assaults on our humanity
or any threat emanating from officials of a country tied to
such acts. I call on our government and all Canadian people
to declare resoundingly: let us never be silent nor
complicit.
* Mohamed S. Kamel is a human rights activist and founding
board member of the Egyptian Canadian Coalition for
Democracy. He is also a freelance writer and editor of For a
Free Egypt.
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.
*WOE TO EVERY SLANDERER & BACKBITER*
'QUR'AN'}+PROPHET (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) 'HADITH'~
{Source~ 'Qur'an'~ Surat Al-Humazah (TheSlanderer) ~104 A #
1.}
Alhamduli'Allahi Rabbil-'Aalameen wa-Salaatu wa-Salaamu
'alaa Ashrafil-Anbiyaa-e-wal-Mursaleen,'Amma 'Baa'd.
Assalaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'O you who Believe ! Avoid much suspicions,
indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither
backbite one
another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead
brother?
You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah.
Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most
Merciful'.
{Source~ 'Qur'an' ~ Surat Al-Hujuraat (The Dwellings)~ 49 A
#12}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Whomsoever Slanders to you about others, will slander
about you{!}
And whoever reports to you.... will soon report about you
{!}"
{'SUBHAN ALLAH'}
{ Source ~ Imam Al Shafi'ee ~~(may ALLAH have mercy on
him)~}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PROPHET (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) Inquired of the Sahaaba
(R.A):
"Do you know what is Gheeba"?
"Allah and His Messenger know best " they replied.
"To mention something about your brother which he would
dislike"
A person then asked... " What if this is true ? "
(That the person being spoken about is actually involved in
that sin).
replied... "If it is true then you have indeed backbitten
about him!
But if it is untrue, then you have slandered him ...(which
is worse)."
Hence... to mention anything about a person in his
absence
which he would dislike is 'Gheeba'.}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woe to every slanderer and backbiter.
Who has gathered wealth and counted it,
He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever!
Nay! Verily, he will be thrown into the crushing Fire.
And what will make you know what the crushing Fire is?
The fire of Allah, kindled,
Which leaps up over the hearts,
Verily, it shall be closed in on them,
In pillars stretched forth (they will be punished in
the Fire with pillars, etc.)
{Source~ 'Qur'an'~ Surat Al-Humazah (The Slanderer)~104~ A #
1-9}
