If you have read my blog post that I wrote last year on January 11th 2011, then you would know the story and the answer. Not much has changed since then except in the person who was name calling. If you missed it then the link is given at the end.

So this teacher asked me smilingly “Are you from Saudi Arabia?” in a class full with students.

I asked him smilingly “Are you serious, do I look like an Arab? You should know that.”

He responded “I don’t know- Saudia Arabia or Afghanistan.“

Me: “Are you kidding me, just because of the beard.”

Teacher: “Well you have this beard and you look like Bin Laden.”

Me: “Woah are you serious, this is soo stereotypical.”

A student: “If it was someone else this would be considered racist but since you (teacher) are saying it, so it is not.”

Me: “This is soo stereotypical.”

Yes this time it was a Muslim from a South Asian Muslim country who named called me in the class full with people.

Then he started talking about that anyone can have a beard. My question is why would you pass out such comments then.

So Stupid. Him being a South Asian should know this that Arab (& Africans) normally don’t write the name Umer with letter ‘U,’ instead, they write with ‘O’ as in Omar? Also he have had many Saudi students in his class before (he mentioned that later) then he should be totally familiar with people with Saudi facial features and of that of his part of the world, i.e. South Asian.

!!Why there is soo much stupidity!!

Photo Courtesy: Facebook.com/Sunnahbeard

I wrote about the first such incident related to the beard on January 11th 2011 [What Do You Call A Brown Guy With A Beard?] and today again it happened on January 18th 2012.

While Muslims focus on fighting anti-Islamic sentiments in other communities, we need to have a separate campaign to target our own communities and societies infested with Secularism, Anti-Shariah and Anti-Sunnah mindset.

Will there be any such group, I wonder! For ideas click here. Until the next Beard Attack, this is a reminder to our community activists in the West and in the East that much of our focus should be outreach within our communities, otherwise, our own people can become back-stabbers.

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As some of you may know, I have been following this cult of Zaid Hamid in Pakistan. I also posted twice on this subject at my blog (here and here last year), both of which were re-posted by the Zaid Hamid Exposition [ZHE] team at their website.

After more than a year of exposing and consolidating evidences against him by the ZHE Team, on November 30, 2011, the Ulema (Islamic Scholars) of Pakistan at Jamia Binoria, a well-known and leading Islamic Seminary, gave a detailed verdict (Fatwa) that Zaid Hamid, also known as Zaid Zaman Hamid, and those who follow him are outside the fold of Islam, hence ‘Kafir’ or dis-believers. Thus adding the word ‘Kazzab‘ meaning liar with Zaid Hamid’s name.

Those who can read Urdu, link to the detail verdict is given below. I will talk about it soon inshallah (God willing) but let me give a brief history on Zaid Zaman Hamid-Kazzab.

Who is Zaid Hamid?

Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid-Kazzab

Zaid Hamid presents himself as a defense analyst, calls himself a Mujahid (claims to participate in the Jihad against Soviet Union in Afghanistan), calls himself Aashiq-e-Rusool (having immense love for Prophet Muhammad), and is known for dropping war mongering rhetoric about India and American forces in Afghanistan. He has repeatedly said that the Khilafah needs to be established in Pakistan (something that Ulema-Islamic Scholars never preach).

He is always seen in public with a red hat of a soldier, and often in military jacket. He is eloquent and mesmerizing, hence was shooting to his fame last year when few unknown brothers saw the serious issues in his aqeedah (believes) and started organizing against him.

Initial Reaction:

In 2010, I came to know of this name through Kashif Hafeez’s blog Kashifiat. Kashif Hafeez is a columnist at the Ummat Newspaper, Karachi’s well known Urdu newspaper often considered to be ‘right leaning’ or ‘Islamist leaning.’ He posted on March 6 and 7, 2010 two of his Ummat’s columns (Part 1 and Part 2) about Zaid Hamid and his concerns regarding his connection with a person named Yusuf Ali.

Kashif Hafeez, also wrote about the projects Zaid Hamid was publicizing (Part 1 and Part 2), for example ‘Takmeel-e-Pakistan’ (Movement for Completion of Pakistan) and the ‘Wake-Up Call’ for the Pakistani Youth.

Zaid Hamid’s 3 aides

Then Zaid Hamid added three people to his ‘Takmeel-e-Pakistan’ movement. First one was the well-known Pakistani singer Ali Azmat, who was popular and youth loved him. Soon he started to speak like Zaid Hamid, and was invited to speak as an expert on Khilafah (Islamic Caliphate) and religio-political issues. A blog post at Express Tribune humorously presents how it takes place, but reminds us of the dangerous path media is heading in Pakistan to earn ratings.

Second was Ahmed Quraishi, who was the supporter of General Musharraf’s secular policies and now writes and maintains his ‘PakNationalist‘ website creating a new phenomenon of Pakistani Nationalism, which is at its infancy right now. Except based on his writings and Facebook posts, he believes in separation of Islam and Politics.

From an ad by Maria B. "Wake-Up Pakistan." Maria B. is in the middle.

Third was Maria B. who is a fashion designer in Pakistan and designs dresses which violates the Islamic instructions of clothing for women- for example sleeve less, short sleeves, Hijab less, tight dresses and other violations. Of course, she is free to do her business in Pakistan, and she is also free to choose the kind of dressing and the life style for herself.

However, in the video [*in English] below from last year, she explains why she supports Zaid Hamid and why she is leading and funding now defunct project “Wake Up Pakistan.” She explains how she has been into “Sufism” and recognizes that Zaid Hamid is a faqir (Sufi ascetic) and this claim of hers would require me to write a whole new post. Needless to say, Sufism is not what she understands, in fact the real Sufi scholars would shun her lifestyle of modeling and glamor, unless of course, she follows the deviated sects and bogus sufis like these. Sufism is free from anything that she associates with.

If the video is missing, click here please.

With such people around him who had no qualifications in Islam, and who were not even practicing Islam in their lives, Zaid Hamid-Kazzab believed that he will bring Khilafah in Pakistan. In March a secret video was released on Youtube, in which he admitted his connection with Yusuf Ali-Kazzab and told the students not to upload this video because the ‘fasadi mullah’ (Corrupt Mullah) will start giving out fatwa as they have nothing better to do.

The video was released and the downfall of Zaid Zaman Hamid-Kazzab started.

Zaid Hamid Exposition Team’s Truth Digging:

ZHE team started a blog on the WordPress.com and started collecting and consolidating the problematic things he said about Islam. During the course their blog was censored by the WordPress probably because Zaid Hamid’s supporters would have sent too many complaints against them.

ZHE team came back with a proper website and continues exposing him. They contacted the Ulema of various school of thoughts and exposed his lies. Since Zaid Hamid had himself admitted that he knew Yusuf Ali and refused to call him “Yusuf Kazzab” (Yusuf Liar), the ZHE team contacted the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat organization [K.N.] (Organization defending the ideology of the Finality of Prophethood). K.N. gave them the conclusive evidences regarding Yusuf Ali Kazzab.

Who was Yusuf Ali?

Poster informing public about Fitna-Yusuf Kazzab

Yusuf Ali presented himself as a Sufi. He had his own circle of followers, and he had no traditional learning in Islamic sciences. He started a cult in the name of Sufism, due to which a case was registered against him. Khatm-e-Nubuwwat (K.N.) led the Ulema (Islamic Scholars) in the 2000, Lahore Session Court of Pakistan declared Yusuf Ali to be a murtid (an apostate) based on overwhelming evidences and sentenced him to death according to the Islamic Law included in the Pakistan’s Constitution. Yusuf Ali was then came to be known as Yusuf Kazzab (Yusuf Liar) and was killed by a prison inmate before the government could hang him.

He was declared murtid (apostate) because he called himself “Anna Muhammad” meaning “I am Muhammad” as a reincarnation of the Prophet Muhammad, idea that is in direct violation of Islam for the Prophet Muhammad is the Final and the Seal of the Prophets according to the Noble Qur’an and Hadith; for associating and equating his congregation and Mosque to the sanctity of the congregation of the Sahaba (companions of the Prophet Muhammad) and the Masjid Al Haram, among many things.

Passing down the legacy of cult:

Yusuf Kazzab before getting arrested, appointed Zaid Zaman as his ‘Khalifa’ in a secret meeting. According to the Pakistani newspaper reports all collected and posted by the ZHE Team at their website and included in the questioner asking for the Fatwa, give conclusive evidence that Zaid Zaman did everything that he could to save Yusuf Kazzab from the sentence. He defended Yusuf Kazzab and was reported in the Dawn, Pakistan’s major English newspaper. He contacted some scholars and tried to deceive them but couldn’t. At the last resort he also tried to come up with a plan to jail break in order to free his mentor. Yusuf Kazzab was destined to be sentenced to death by the Lahore Session Court of Pakistan and to be killed by a fellow prisoner.

2010-2011 Chasing Zaid Zaman Hamid-Kazzab:

After this incident, Zaid Zaman came back with the name Zaid Hamid after few years of absence from public. He came as a security analyst and talked about how Pakistan is going to fulfill some divine destiny in which a group will wage war with India and will over come.

Ghazwa-e-Hind:

He is using “Ghazwa-e-Hind” Hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad). Since like his mentor, he himself has no qualification in Islamic sciences, he could only fool the masses. According to the Scholars of Hadith, they consider this Hadith to be weak. When a Hadith is rated weak, it cannot be used for legislation purposes, and definitely not for waging wars.

Weak Ahadith (pl. of Hadith) according to some Hadith scholars can only be used to affirm to the already established practice. For example, if  a weak Hadith talks about the rewards of Fasting, then since Fasting is prescribed in the Qur’an and it is established that it has a high reward from Qur’an and authentic Ahadith, then the weak Hadith regarding the virtues of fasting could be used. This particular hadith (rated Weak-Da’ef) is only used by groups that like to engage in arms conflict with India. The Hadith is soo weak that I couldn’t verify its authenticity from a couple of different Hadith scholars myself.

Al-Hamra Stadium where 'Takmeel-e-Pakistan' took place. Can you count how many people attended

Maulana Jalalpuri lead K.N. and chased him from 2009 to 2010 and challenged him to debate at a public forum, until he was assassinated on March 11, 2010 [See the interview with Jalalpuri and his booklet on this issue]. It was a sad incident, but the movement continued. Zaid Hamid was chased by ZHE team and K.N. at every University campus that he was scheduled to speak [see how the last story went], every media outlet he was invited to give his “analysis” and every public forum he tried to speak, so much so that his “Takmeel-e-Pakistan” day met a humiliating fate of only about 25-30 attendees with a rally of over 200 people outside the stadium, where he was suppose to speak, and soon he was escorted by the police out of the place lest things get out of hand.

Recently, he was invited to debate at a public forum by Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, but Zaid Hamid-Kazzab didn’t agree to such proposal.

The Fatwa- Verdict has been reached:

On November 30, 2011, Jamia Binoria in Karachi, a well-known Institution of Islamic Sciences published the Fatwa [posted here-in Urdu] in which the Muftis of the Institution presented the evidences of the belief (aqeedah) of Prophet Muhammad being the Final and the Seal of the Prophethood, which is among the important elements of the Deen (Islamic way of life).

Evidence presented were from Qur’an, Hadith, and of major Mufasireen (Qur’an exegesist) showing the consensus (‘Ijma) of the Scholars that anyone who declares to be the prophet rejecting the belief of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat (the Finality of the Prophethood on Prophet Muhammad) is outside the fold of Islam, and anyone who follows such a person also becomes a Kaafir (disbeliever).

Allah says in the Noble Qur’an [Surah Ahzab 33:40]:

“Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah is ever Aware of all things.”

Some of the major Mufasireen mentioned in the Verdict (Fatwa) regarding the above verse are ‘Allamah Ibn Kathir ad-Damishqi, Imam Qurtabi, At-Tabari, Mullah Ali Qari, Imam Ghazali, Qadi ‘Ayad Maliki, Ibn Hajar, and ‘Allamah Zafar Ahmed Usmani among others, rahimullah ajma’en (Allah’s mercy descend upon them all).

Muhammad Ibn Jarir at-Tabari writes:
“Muhammad, peace be upon him, was a Messenger of Allah and The Seal of the Prophets, meaning the one who has finished the Prophethood and put a Seal on it. Thus, it won’t get open after him until the Day of Judgement gets established.”

Allamah Ibn Kathir ad-Damishqi writes:
Allah Ta’ala in His Book and His Messenger in his Ahadith Mutawatira has informed that after me (Muhammad) no Nabi (Prophet) will be born, so that the Ummah can know that every single person who claims to be at the position of Prophethood after Prophet Muhammad, that person is a major liar, iftira pardaz?, Dajjal, himself misguided, and misguiding others.” [Tafseer Ibn Kathir]

Mullah ‘Ali Qari writes:
“After our Prophet peace be upon him, a person claiming to be a prophet is by ‘Ijma (consensus) Kaafir.” [Sarh Fiqh al-Akbar]

‘Allamah Ibn Najeem al-Hanafi writes:
“One who doesn’t know that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is Allah Ta’ala’s Last Prophet is not a Muslim because to believe in the Prophet’s Finality is among the important elements of the Deen.”

Syed Al-Wasi Baghdadi, in fact writes:
“And Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to be the Final of Prophets is under such issues over which the Qur’an has spoken and the Ahadith has clearly declared to be, upon which the Ummah reached ‘Ijma (consensus); thus one who claims to be otherwise (claim to prophethood) will be considered a Kaafir and if doesn’t repent then must be killed.”

*English translations here is by me. Any mistake in translation when compared with the document please do correct me.

The sentence is given by the court of the government, a layman cannot take matters into his/her own hands.

The Fate of Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid-Kazzab:

Will the fate of Zaid Hamid-Kazzab will be the same as of his mentor, Yusuf Ali-Kazzab? This is to be seen. If someone do register a case against him over the Blasphemy Law, the evidences are crystal clear and overwhelming with a precedence from the verdict of the Lahore Session Court of Pakistan. The last thing Maulana Jalalpuri did before he got assassinated was that he finalized the case with the lawyer against Zaid Hamid, according to the ZHE team.

He can still publicly declare that he considers the verdict of the Lahore Session Court of Pakistan to be correct, that he declares Yusuf Ali to be the Kazzab (Liar) for rejecting the belief of the Prophet Muahammad in the Seal of the Prophets. That he distances himself from the teachings of Yusuf Ali Kazzab and he declares that “There is no God worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is His Final Prophet and servant.“

If he doesn’t publicly declares even now (as he didn’t before) then I think we all know where this is going!

The Followers and Fans of the Kazzab

Zaid Hamid and his close followers.

The followers of Zaid Hamid-Kazzab will defend him, and curse the Ulema since they never bothered to study Islam. They are overwhelmed with the ideology of Nationalism, which blindfolds them from witnessing and accepting the Haq (Truth). I sincerely ask the “fans” of the Kazzab, evidences are clear, please offer two rakaah nafl asking for guidance from Allah Ta’ala and go through the entire website and look at each and every evidence from the start. I went through the site last year and it took me a week, it will take you way longer but if you are in search of truth then you owe it to your self.

Otherwise, trust the research and verdict of those who have done this for you to safeguard your ‘Imaan.

Dignity is in adhering to the Qur’an and Sunnah, as understood by the Sahaba-the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets. Only adhering to this lies the success of this world and of the hereafter.

“We were the lowliest of people but Allah gave us might and glory through Islam. If we seek glory through other than what Allah gave us glory through, He will abase us (again).” 

-Umar ibn Al-Khattab

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Here is what happened!

Video has too much music, otherwise it is an excellent video.

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by James M. Wall

To mounting excitement and wild applause, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), voted 107-14 with 52 abstentions, to approve full Palestinian membership in the international body. The vote came on Monday.

Fully aware that the negotiations track pushed by the US and Israel does nothing but enhance Israel’s continued take over of Palestinian land,  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has chosen to enlist the UN in Palestine’s request for justice.

The UNESCO vote is step one, and a hugely popular step it is, outside of the US.

In addition to leaving the US and Israel with a demonstratively shrinking number of friends in the international community, the UNESCO vote has far-reaching implications for the PLO’s earlier request to the UN Security Council, which requested full statehood membership in the UN General Assembly.

MJ Rosenberg was out Tuesday morning with his Huffington Post summary of the consequences of the vote to US interests. He starts with a dire warning from former Sen. Tim Wirth (D-CO), President of the UN Foundation:

The United States is on the brink of abandoning its decades-long leadership in several international organizations – a process that will fundamentally undermine American national security and economic interests.

Israel’s grip on the US Congress led to the passage of US laws in 1990 and 1994 that locked the US in a dangerous embrace with disaster.

The laws are strict. When Palestine is admitted to a UN agency, the United States must automatically stop paying its membership dues. The laws were written to prevent any future president from waiving these prohibitions, even if such a waiver is in the national interest to do so.

The US has made a deal with the destruction of its own national interest. Wirth adds:

UNESCO leads global efforts to bring clean water to the poor, promotes educational and curriculum building in the developing world, and manages a tsunami early warning system in the Pacific, among other important tasks.

Rosenberg points to this warning from Politico’s Jonathan Allen:

American tech companies — such as Apple, Google and Microsoft — and movie studios that use UNESCO to open markets in the developing world and rely upon an associated entity, the World Intellectual Property Organization, to police international disputes over music, movies and software.

Potentially, the damage can be much, much worse if Palestine seeks and gains recognition from such other critical U.N. entities as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The IAEA is the agency that the U.S. government has relied on to restrain nuclear weapon development (and proliferation) by Iran, North Korea, and others. The WHO works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to protect us from potential pandemics like the Avian flu.

Those two Congressional fail-safe votes in the 1990s were written to keep Palestinians stateless. In Stanley Kramer’s prophetic film, Dr. Strangelove, this was called a “doomsday machine”. US reliance on its “negotiations” track has led this country to trigger the “doomsday machine”.

The American empire can no longer strike back. The laws passed in the 1990s has forced an automatic halt (on October 31, 2011) in US funding to UNESCO programs. This represents a loss of at least 23%, or $80 million a year, of UNESCO’s budget.

UNESCO must either drastically cut important programs, or find new funding sources. Among positive votes for the Palestine entry into UNESCO were Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia, a trio of financial centers for which an annual gift of $80 million will pose no problem.

By admitting Palestine to membership in UNESCO, the international community announces, “we will manage without the Yankee dollar”.

Let the US waste its billions on wars against small nations. The rest of the world prefers to take a different path.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), a Washington-based organization, released the three minute video above which shows delegates casting key votes in the UNESCO session. The video captures the emotion of a UN body willing to defy the American empire.

The growing excitement in the hall begins early in the video with the surprise announcement of a positive “oui” vote by Austria (pronounced in the roll call in French as Autrische). It took a few seconds for delegates to realize Austria was a “yes” vote.

The 59 abstention votes are not counted in the final tally, so they are irrelevant, except for the fact that they reduce the number of votes required to pass the resolution. Among the abstentions was the United Kingdom, a vote which was surprising since the Israel Lobby has almost as much control over UK politics as it does that in the US.

Canada, which also has a strong Lobby presence, joined the US and Israel in voting against the resolution. The total 14 negative vote count included anti-Palestine votes by Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sweden, United States of America, and Vanuatu.

For the entire positive vote list, and the abstentions, click on the blog, The Human Province, which notes the split, no doubt dictated by both domestic and international politics, among European nations. The shrinking US influence in international affairs is reflected in the voting.  The Human Province concluded:

Most of these are no surprise, although it is worth noting the division in Europe, with Spain, France, Ireland, Austria, Finland and Greece voting “yes,” Germany, Czech Republic and Sweden voting “no,” and the UK, Italy and Denmark abstaining.

It’s also probably worth noting that the US didn’t manage to get a “no” vote from such solid supporters as countries like Latvia (which voted “no” to bringing the motion to the General Assembly earlier this month but abstained today) and Tuvalu, Nauru and other island states that almost always support the US  in international forums.

Sweden, which has a reputation for supporting human and civil rights, cast a surprising vote against Palestinian membership.

US and Israel trotted out the usual talking points to defend their votes. Since nothing they now say is new and has been shown repeatedly to be devoid of meaning, it is sad to hear how feeble the rhetoric is on a world stage.

The swagger of an AIPAC rally or congressional campaign oration fades rapidly when exposed to the enthusiasm of those 107 international positive votes at the UNESCO General Conference.

President Abbas’ decision to lead the Palestinian Authority and the PLO away from the dead-end track of “negotiations” into the United Nations track has worked. As a strategy to defy both the US and Israel, it was a remarkable step.

UNESCO membership brings with it both a way of showing UN backing for a Palestinian state and access to some significant UN units

The Institute for Middle East Understanding points out that “the PLO’s push for full membership to UNESCO was, in part, a litmus test of UN support for Palestinian claims to statehood”.

UNESCO membership means that Palestine is now in a position to become a member of several important UN bodies, none of whose membership rolls are subject to a US veto.

UNESCO membership also means that Palestine can become a member of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as these bodies allow UNESCO members to become full members.

It also places the Palestinians in a good position to become members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where admission is similarly contingent on a majority or two-thirds majority vote.

If an increasing number of UN agencies admit Palestine as a member state, it strengthens their claim to statehood, internationalizes the Israel-Palestine conflict, and opens up avenues previously closed to the Palestinians to pursue grievances related to the Israeli military occupation of their lands.

In addition to these agencies, Mondoweiss points to the blog of former British Ambassador Craig Murray, who writes that the UNESCO vote sets a precedent for Palestine to join the International Criminal Court:

The UNESCO membership is crucial recognition of Palestine’s statehood, not an empty gesture. With this evidence of international acceptance, there is now absolutely no reason why Palestine cannot, instantly and without a vote, join the International Criminal Court.

Palestine can now become a member of the International Criminal Court simply by submitting an instrument of accession to the Statute of Rome, and joining the list of states parties.

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Chair in Arab Studies at Columbia University, identifies yet another benefit to a Palestinian state’s membership in UNESCO:

“The vote to accept Palestine into UNESCO is a long overdue recognition from international community that Palestinian culture is a part of the rich heritage of the Middle East and the world. The idea that this vote is a threat to Israel or the U.S. is another absurd example of how Israeli policy (with U.S. support) is directed at the erasure of Palestinian identity and culture in addition to the denial of political, legal and human rights.”

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland wilts under intense questioning from AP’s Matthew Lee, as she tries to defend her country’s automatic cut off of funds to UNESCO.  (For more on Matthew Lee versus the State Department, click here.)

To watch, listen and mourn the level to which Israel has dragged American diplomacy down into Zionist darkness, click below, twice.

The exchange between Spokeswoman Nuland and Matthew Lee, is worth the double click.

Source: James Wall

By Lauren Hendrick | THE EASTERN ECHO

Invited speaker Mike Ferner, director of Veterans for Peace.

Mike Ferner, executive director of Veterans for Peace and author of “Inside the Red Zone: A Veteran for Peace Reports from Iraq” will speak at “Voices for Peace from Afghanistan” at Eastern Michigan University.

The free event will start at 7 p.m. today (Oct 27th) in 207 Pray-Harrold Hall.

Vietnam veteran Ferner, who was a participant in one of the 2010 peace delegations to Afghanistan by Voices for Creative Non-Violence, will speak about his experience as part of the peace delegation.

According to the Michigan Peaceworks’ website, “It will give you a perspective you won’t see on television.”

Jen Chapin-Smith, administrative director at Michigan Peaceworks, said Ferner is expected to present a slideshow of pictures he took of Afghanistan.

“So for those of us who have been reading the newspapers, you don’t always get many pictures because it’s dangerous for reporters to go in Afghanistan,” Chapin-Smith said. “But since he’s actually been there, we’ll get to see what it really looks like there.”

Other experiences he’ll share pertain to meetings with citizens, victims of war and other non-violent activists, including members of the Afghan youth peace movement.

“[Ferner] has been to peace delegations in Afghanistan, on top of meeting with peace activists and a lot of youth activists in Afghanistan,” Chapin-Smith said, “so he obviously has knowledge of how the people of Afghanistan feel about the war.”

The event is sponsored in part by the Michigan Peaceworks Association and EMU’s Muslim Student Association.

“We are sponsoring this event because it has been 10 years of the Afghan war, which is the longest war of the American history, and it does not look like it will end any time soon,” said Umer Sultan, vice president board member of the EMU’s MSA. “It is important for us to understand how the Afghan people perceive this on-going invasion and what they think is the way to bring an end to it.”

Additional sponsors include EMU’s Amnesty International, Center for Multicultural Affairs, the University of Michigan’s Muslim Student Association, the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice and United Nations Association and Huron Valley Chapter.

This event is LBC credit approved by the CMA. Students of EMU can go to the check-in table to fill out the LBC slip. For more information, visit: www.michiganpeaceworks.org/?p=1252

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Source: The Eastern Echo

Picture Courtesy: MikeFerner.org

By Samana Siddiqui| Soundvision.com

Religion is an important aspect of life for a majority of Muslim youth in the United States. According to the Gallup Organization’s 2009 report Muslim Americans: A National Portrait, the percentage of young Muslims who say faith is important (77%) is roughly similar to the proportion of young Protestants (74%).

Yet, walk into most Masajid, whether that’s on a busy Friday or a weekend when classes are being held, and you’ll find Muslims under 10 or over 30. Those in between are usually absent. Especially noticeable is the lack of youth, between the ages of 11 and 19. While they may have attended weekend school classes as children, they have chosen to distance themselves from the Masjid as teens.

It’s an old crisis that requires new strategies and answers. Some Masajid have caught on and are trying to bring the youth back. Others believe it’s a lost cause. Others still, are willfully ignorant or are not willing to be a little flexible to allow greater space for teen participation in our mosques.

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was not only aware of the dynamism and strength of young Muslims. He made sure to harness them to build a better Muslim community. He gave responsible youth positions of leadership; he interacted with them in a down-to-earth manner, making a point to not only hear them out but to praise them for raising a good point in front of their elders.

The Masjid is the heart of the community, the core of who we are collectively. These houses of worship were not built exclusively for men over 30 or children 10 and under. They were built for everyone. And Muslim teens, those who we rely on to keep Islam going after the older generation is gone, cannot and will not participate unless we make a strong effort to not only organize programs for them, but really make an effort to make them feel close to the Masjid.

Below are 10 ideas that can be used as starting points.

1. Use congregational activities to create a sense of belonging

There is power in the Jama’ah (group). We know that praying together, doing Dhikr (remembrance of God) together, eating together, and more are all considered acts that are given higher reward than if done individually.

One of the most important things teens seek is a sense of belonging. This is why Masajid should capitalize on various acts of collective worship to bring teens in. Some ideas include:

-Muslim teen back to Juma program. Have a couple of young Muslims take charge of texting or tweeting their friends, encouraging them to attend Friday prayers together.

-Daily collective prayer reminder: do the same as the above, except for daily prayers, especially Fajr and Isha, when teens are not in school, as well as all five of the Salaat on weekends.

2. Hold monthly youth open houses

Open houses at Masajid have become a staple activity in the community, especially for interfaith purposes. Expand this concept to Muslim youth by hosting “Youth Night”. The point is to reacquaint teens with their mosque.

Make sure plenty of pizza, snacks, and drinks are present, along with healthier alternatives (e.g. vegetables and dip). In terms of activities, choose a topic focused on God’s Attributes and character-building and hold a discussion. Teens often complain of not being allowed to express themselves and discuss issues with their parents and other community elders. Let them do this during the course of this event, but lay some ground rules from the start so it doesn’t get out of hand.

Avoid topics that have been presented over and over again to this age group (e.g. music, Hijab, modesty, etc.). It’s not that they should not be talked about. But the purpose of this kind of an event is to start off with the basics of the faith that will instill a deeper faith and connection with Allah and the mosque as a community institution.

3. Offer good customer service

In America, many houses of worship have caught on to this concept. Some have bent over backwards to bring youth in, sometimes at the expense of their principles. But good customer service means some simple things smart businesses do that allow customers to feel welcome to buy products: smiling customer service representatives; clean surroundings; affordable products; perks like loyalty cards, or even benches and vending machines near the entrance so potential buyers can be comfortable.

At our mosques, we are not “selling” Islam. However, we do want to make sure we all represent it in the best way through, as the Qur’an says, “wisdom and beautiful preaching”. Do we see that at most mosques? Frankly, no.

When it comes to Muslim teens, we often tend to be even harsher. Whether it’s the constant frowning at them or in general, Khutbas of little relevance to the lives of most youth, and sometimes intolerance of someone’s way of praying or dressing.

Let’s consider the big and small ways we can “add value” to the Masjid experience by re-embracing the original concept of “wisdom and beautiful preaching” when it comes to mosques and teens.

4. Make your Masjid text-friendly

Studies have found that Four out of five teens (17 million) in the United States carry a wireless device (a 40% increase since 2004). As well, texting is replacing talking among teens. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting were no longer an option 47% of teens say their social life would end or be worsened.

A number of Masjids have caught on and text their members updates of events, and allow them to text donations as well. Most, however, don’t. Making the Masjid text-friendly is critical to connecting teens to the mosque.

5. Get onto Facebook – today

At the start of 2010, 40% of Facebook users were under the age of 25. Teens are heavy Facebook and social media users. Every Masjid in America needs to have its own Facebook page which is regularly updated with events, prayer times, activities, and more.

The page should not only be a repository of information about the mosque. It should allow for carefully moderated posts and discussions of issues pertaining to the Masjid. As mentioned above, teens want to be heard. A Facebook page offers them a way to establish first contact with the mosque, which insha Allah, will develop into a desire to visit in person.

6. Hold a Khutba meeting with them

Sleeping or texting worshipers are hardly uncommon at Friday prayers. Some of this may be due to genuine fatigue or an emergency. But more often than not, they are a reflection of a boring Khutba.

Hold a meeting with a couple of the youth who attend your Masjid regularly. Seek out their advice on what kinds of topics to discuss in Friday sermons. Also post this question on your mosque’s Facebook page, and solicit feedback through texting as well.

Take it a step further and offer one Friday a month as a time when a teen will give a Khutba. Offer Khutba training for those who need it.

7. Make a special effort to include young Muslim women

Many Muslims still hold myths about women’s attendance and participation at the Masjid, ranging from “girls and women can’t go” to “women can’t have any decision-making power”.

Make a special effort to create a sister-friendly environment for women in general. Also encourage young Muslim women to be part of the board or mosque’s main committee, so they can share their concerns and issues.

8. Sell hope

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Make things easy and do not make them difficult, cheer the people up by conveying glad tidings to them, and do not repulse (them)” (Bukhari and Muslim).

We are living in difficult times for Muslims in America and around the world. The Masjid should not only be a place where these challenges are talked about it, but it should also be where Muslims can find solace.

Young Muslims, in particular, may face bullying at school because of their faith. Other than that, the pressure to do the right thing in line with Islamic values is hard, especially at this age.

Make your Masjid a repository of hope and comfort for Muslims. At least once a month, Khutbas should be about an optimistic topic, something that will infuse listeners with joy; Imams, Khateebs, and everyone who volunteers regularly at the Masjid should smile more often; positive news about good things Muslims are doing or of others standing up for Muslims should be given publicity in sermons and newsletters.

9. Provide a forum for community service

Young adults have a great amount of energy that, if directed to the right channels, can reap incredible results for not just themselves, but the entire community at large. One way to do that is to organize service projects planned by youth, in collaboration with a responsible adult. Events like Islamic Relief’s Day of Dignity are one example.

Anything that makes teens feel they are doing good and benefiting others are the kinds of things that will build self-esteem individually, as well as collectively. If done at the Masjid in a proper way, they will elicit respect from the youth, and in the long-term, a desire to become more connected and involved insha Allah.

10. Encourage Halal entertainment

Music has long been considered a controversial issue in Islam and the Muslim community, while teens grapple with the fact that most contemporary music they listen to spouts ideas and values antithetical to their faith.

However, Islam does and has allowed for artistic expression, and there are ways young Muslims, who often enjoy music and other forms of entertainment can benefit from a Masjid-focused Halal entertainment event. One is Quran recitation competitions (these can be conducted in front of men-only and women-only audiences). Another is Nasheed (Islamic song) competitions. Others could include Islamic art and poetry.

In addition, on Eid, encourage young brothers of the community to take the responsibility of reciting the Takbir-al-Eid in a beautiful, melodious manner that will uplift hearts and bring joy on this day of happiness.

Source: SoundVision.com

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“This week, we offer ways to bring our youth back to our community’s premiere institution, the Masjid. The youth are the future. We hear this mantra all the time. Yet, when we look at the leadership of most of the Masjids today, it is the same people running the show for the last 20 years. We need to cultivate our youth to take the responsibility for the community today.

One Imam in Atlanta did just that. He decided to step down and allowed a qualified, twenty-something youth to take over. He said he wanted the community to capitalize on this young man’s energy and talents. That is what more of us need to do. But this process starts by instilling a love for and attachment to the Masjid, which can only come when we reassess how teen-friendly our Masjids and what we can do if they are not.” -Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, founder and the President of Soundvision.com

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Other posts of interest:

Focusing on the Muslim Youth

One Stop Guide for Introductory Understanding of Islam

“Muslim Youth don’t be an ignorant Shaykh” by Urwah bin Al-Zuhair

Since his acceptance of Islam, Neelain Mohammad have been giving talks in dawah on deen channel, doing dawah work in Canada and has also appeared in Saudi channels. His speeches are geared toward people of other faith and youth. He is the advisor for the Canadian Dawah Association.

So please share it with others. He addresses many important issues that the American Muslim communities are facing especially related to the youth. This talk is a reminder for both the uncles and the youngsters and a point of reflection.

If the Talk is missing please click here.

One of the most common topic of discussion among Muslims now a days is about the Sunnah.  Most of us Muslims have heard this word ‘Sunnah‘ and in many discussions we might have heard brothers and sisters questioning, discussing and arguing the following:

If Hadith is the saying of Prophet Muhammad, is Sunnah the actions of the Prophet? What is the significance of either one?

What is Sunnah? What is the authority of Sunnah?

I don’t have to follow Sunnah, I can leave it. It is not like it is Fard (obligatory).

Is Sunnah below the Qur’an? Is Sunnah inferior than the Qur’an?

I don’t understand the difference between Sunnah and Hadith!

Is beard a Sunnah or Wajib (commanded)? I was told it is Sunnah, but others say it is Wajib?  What is the difference? Can both be true at the same time or not? I am confused.

The list, however, continues and I am not here to compile the list. Each of these issues will be addressed piece meal inshallah (God Willing) in the course of this post and the ones that will Inshallah follow it. Every week I will inshallah try to post a new one.

The Sunnah has been defined by the scholars of the science of Hadith as follows:

“A word spoken, or an act done, or a confirmation given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).”

We are in the 21st century, where the Muslim communities are blissful with the ignorance of Islam. Picking up a book on Islam and reading is considered being very religious thus something not needed beyond the Cultural Islam; attending weekly halaqa (gathering) of ‘Ulema (Islamic Scholars) is either looked down upon by self described “modern” Muslims or a person attending is considered to be “very religious” by our uncles and aunts in the community. Thus with all this negative stigma associated with learning Islamic knowledge, youth remains forever blissful in ignorance while firmly believing that they know all about Islam, which they learned from their parents, from watching other people act, accompanied with a book and a lecture or two here and there.

This is where our understanding of the Sunnah or the lack of understanding of the Sunnah comes in. Those of us from the South Asian background- Indo-Pak, have a different understanding of the Sunnah from the Muslims of other backgrounds based on my observations and experiences. We believe that the Sunnah is “recommended or optional,” at least that was I learned from the Cultural Islam and have noticed others think this way too. This notion will be changed in due time Inshallah, if you finish the series.

In this 21st Century, there is also a growing movement that is busy in creating confusion among the minds of the Muslims about the authority of the Sunnah and Hadith. As I have mentioned, the status of the understanding of Islam among the Muslim populace is probably at its record low, it is very easy for the Orientalists and their aides within Muslim communities to create confusion in our youth’s minds. The authenticity of Hadith is questioned and there are people rejecting the Sunnah and Hadith out of lack of understanding. However, once a person sees the real nature of the Science of Hadith even to its intro level, it is an humbling experience! Inshallah you will get that after you will finish the series.

In this series, I will be basically summarizing a very introductory book on the Sunnah for everyone with some additional information from other scholarly sources if possible. I was able to finish this book within 24 hours, because of its very simple English and easy organization of topics. I think this book should be taught to Muslims in their Middle Schools, infact I believe so!

Part 1 will start from an Introduction to Sunnah. It will cover the status of Prophet Muhammad, the 2 kinds of revelations he received-1st we all know as The Qur’an, and the 2nd will be covered!! “Is obedience to Prophet Muhammad a prerequisite of being Muslim?” will be addressed based entirely from the Qur’an. Then the authority of Prophet Muhammad himself will be addressed, whether he had the authority to interpret the Qur’an? and does the Qur’an even needs explanation and interpretation?? What was the authority of Prophet Muhammad and how does this authority differs from his worldly affairs?

Part 2 will begin with the foundation of things learned in Part 1. It will address how Sunnah was preserved by introducing Hadith and its three different kinds. Was Hadith compiled only in the third century, 300 years after the Prophet left this world as Orientalist say?? The authenticity of these three major forms of Hadith and the four methods used to preserve Hadith  will be addressed. We will also learn how the Prophet Muhammad dealt with the issue of Hadith himself, and what books and letters he ordered to be written!!

In Part 2 we will also meet Abu Hurairah, the most Hadith narrator; ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, author of ‘The Script of Truth’ (Sahifah as-Sadiqah); young Anas ibn Malik; ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and his collection, and other companions of Prophet Muhammad; then we will learn about the Tabi’in- the pupils of the companions, like Imam Sha’bi, Khalifah Umar ibn ‘Abdul Aziz, Imam Zuhri with a list of names and books of many other Tabi’in and their students called Taba Tabi’in.

In the end of Part 2, we will learn about the criticism of Hadith, how the Ahadith (plural of Hadith) are rated and graded-Sound, good, weak, fabricated; how the narrators are scrutinized in order to accept a Hadith from them.

Please share this post with others as a preface to posts that are to come. This is the part of knowledge of Islam that is obligatory on us to learn. Truly if we start understanding even the basics of Sunnah, we will start appreciating Islam even more and we will thank Allah Ta’ala even more for granting us His gift of Islam.

Of course, my summarized blog version will not do justice to the original book by the Shaykh. As I said this book is so easy, I believe it should be taught to Muslim Middle School students.

Stay tuned via e-mails and blog’s Facebook page and invite your friends to spread the khair (good).

“Believe, then, in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him so that you may be on the right path.” [The Noble Qur'an 7:158]

Other Blog Posts to check out:

“One Stop Guide for an Introductory Understanding of Islam“ 

“Steering in the new direction!“

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Remember me in your Du’a (supplication).

If the video is missing click here.

MyFellowAmerican is one of the projects that is asking people to come forward against Islamophobia and marginalization of Muslims in America. Hate crimes have sky rocketed against Muslims and people who “look Muslims,” where as this Islamophobic movement across America is very well funded, evidences of which have been exposed by following the money trail by pro-sanity groups. One such exposure came from dear Murdoch’s “scandal” that you must read at all times! Who is Rupert Murdoch?

Project MyFellowAmerican is asking people, especially Americans of other faith, to sign a pledge at their website at the time of the 10th memory of the 9/11 attacks. You can also upload a video about your Fellow American Muslim like some have done here, here, and here (among others). You can also submit a story and read others here.

9/11 was the day when Islam was hijacked by two groups. One group hijacked by wearing a cloak of Islam on their actions and the other group was ready to capitalize on the fear of the unknown. Both groups need each other to sustain, and both groups use the same rhetoric against each other, thus complementing each other. We cannot leave our world at the mercy of such groups.

I believe Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) across the United States should pass this on to their contacts and be part of the come back of what I call the Pro-Sanity Alliance (PSA). The PSA includes among many Americans Against Islamophobia, My Fellow American, Coalition to Stop Islamophobia in America,  Jewish Voice for Peace, Informed Comment by Juan Cole, Ahmed Rehab, Dawud Walid, Loonwatch, Spencerwatch, Islamophobia Today among others who constantly monitor hate in America.

Some independent efforts have also produced high quality videos on Youtube as well, for example “Burn Quran Day,”  ”Try Islam Away,” “Young Conservative Hip Hop Guide to Muslims” and The End of Islamophobia.

Join the fight against bigotry and Islamophobia, and the least you can do is share this post with your friends via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlets.

You can stay updated with this blog via Facebook: The Sultan’s Corner.