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Thread: Today's Top Islamic News (DAILY)

  1. #21
    The heartrending reality of bigotry and Islamophobia in today's American environment is overwhelming.

    The Islamophobes use the media as a propaganda tool to poison the minds of the American people under the disguise of "freedom of speech." This was evident when Mr. Glen Sheller, editor of The Columbus Dispatch newspaper's editorial page, defended the Dispatch's distribution of the fear mongering DVD "Obsession," which was intended to instill fear in the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting American people.

    While we should relish and strive to benefit from our freedom of expression without fear or favor, we should also be mindful that the way we use our "freedom of speech" speaks volumes about us.

    The gate keepers of public forums should remain neutral moderators and not compromise their ability to objectively protect the principles of this American value. Once reason is overshadowed, and objectivity diluted with hate, positive public discourse becomes more elusive.

    Writer Abukar Arman warns us in an article titled "DVD's makers used newspapers to spread hatred," published in The Columbus Dispatch: "Gone are the days when the perpetrators of hate would march with banners that explicitly express their negative views of other groups. Today, hate messages and propaganda often are camouflaged as talk-radio punditry, political speeches and infomercials."

    Attesting to his legitimate concern was the campaign, in September of this year (during the sacred month of Ramadan), to distribute 28 million copies of the Obsession DVD as a free insert into 70 newspapers in a number of key battle-ground states.

    There is a fine line between the healthy use of freedom of speech, and employing such "freedom" to advance bigotry and Islamophobia. The Media has become an effective tool for prolonging the psychological terrorization of the American people. American citizens must be vigilant in not allowing hate mongering interest groups, such as the producers of this DVD, to subvert such values as liberty, peace, and justice for all.

    I am strongly opposed to newspaper editors, like Mr. Sheller, allowing themselves to be used to advance the agenda of hate mongering Islamophobes. As a mother who must carefully shelter her child from dangers lurking in the dark, I also feel the need to protect our cherished Constitutional principles, and the hard earned image of the better of the "two Americas."

    I fully understand the pain and anxiety caused by these hate mongering, Islamophobic groups who try to cloak their agendas under the umbrella of "freedom of speech". They are far more detrimental to the health and welfare of America than meets the eye.

    The promulgation of hatred and bigotry does not lead to positive public discourse. A case in point is the statement that I received from an American (Caucasian) woman who shared Mr. Sheller's interpretation of "freedom of speech." She said to me, "With that scarf on your head, you are a disgrace to every American women." Surprised and saddened, I responded, "This is ironic, because I am a proud American woman and I am far from being disgraced."

    In such an atmosphere that fosters so much pain and fear, a more healthy journalism – one that is balanced and fair - must be exerted. I support freedom of speech, but not at the expense of truth and justice! I realize that to achieve such a task takes dedication, perseverance and true integrity. May Mr. Sheller, and others who share his views in defense of the "Obsession" DVD, learn this lesson before it's too late.

    -- Sadia Ali Aden is a peace activist and a writer whose work has appeared in various publications.
    Source: Middle East Online

  2. #22
    BAGHDAD — Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets on Saturday, October 18, to demand an immediate US withdrawal from Iraq and to protest a planned security deal that would prolong the US troop presence in the oil-rich country. "We are marching to reject the occupation," Karim Kadhim, a Shiite from the southern holy city of Najaf, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    "Would America like to be occupied by any other country? Would America like its sons to be attacked? Why are they occupying our country?" he asked.

    Carrying Iraqi flags and banners of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr's movement, the protestors began their march from east Baghdad.

    "No, No, to America! No, No to the devil!" shouted crowds of men, women and children as they walked through the dusty streets of Sadr City towards Mustansiriyah Square, some three kilometers (two miles) away.

    The protestors set fire to US flag and effigies of President George W. Bush, but the atmosphere appeared mostly peaceful.

    "Get out occupier! We demand an end to the occupation!" shouted the protestors.

    "They have been lying for the past five years," said Kadhim, referring to the US administration.

    "They told us they are coming to free us and go. But they are still lying."

    Without UN authorization, the US invaded Iraq on claims of possessing weapons of mass destruction and links to Al-Qaeda, both proved unfounded.

    Since then, the country has plunged into an abyss of violence, claiming the lives of thousands, and according to some estimates hundreds of thousands, of civilians.

    No No

    The protestors also rejected a planned US-Iraqi security deal that would prolong the US military presence in Iraq.

    "We reject this agreement with the occupier because it is a long term pact which will give it (US) a guarantee to rule Iraq as long as possible," protestor Sami al-Arraji said.

    US and Iraqi negotiators have reached agreement on a draft security deal which would govern the future status of US forces in Iraq after the present UN mandate ends in December.

    Details of the pact, which has still to be approved by leaders of both countries, have not been made public.

    US and Iraqi officials have previously said agreement was reached on a timeline for a withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

    In Washington, US officials briefed members of Congress about the pact on Friday and sought to reassure them that it protects US troops.

    "I think there is not reason to be concerned," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters, adding that top military brass were happy with the protections in the pact.

    Sadr and his followers are opposed to any kind of deal with Washington that would keep US forces in the oil-rich country.

    Sadr, reportedly to be in Iran, has been a strong opponent of the US presence in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

    He launched two bloody rebellions in 2004 from Najaf which killed hundreds of his supporters.

    "The Mahdi Army is still powerful and Sadr is still powerful," the crowd chanted on Saturday, referring to Sadr's 60,000-strong militia.

    "We demand that the Iraqi government and the parliament force the occupier out of Iraq."

    Source: IslamOnline

  3. #23
    Chinese authorities have enforced laws restricting Muslims in the northwestern region of Xinjiang from practicing their faith.

    CAIRO — With prayers banned in public areas, no private hajj trips allowed, teaching of the Noble Qur'an not allowed in private and students and government officials forced to eat during Ramadan, China in enforcing laws and regulations to control the spread of Islam.

    "Of course this makes people angry," Muhammad, a teacher, told The New York Times on Sunday, October 19.

    "Excitable people think the government is wrong in what it does. They say that government officials who are Muslims should also be allowed to pray."

    In recent week, Chinese authorities have enforced laws restricting Muslims in the northwestern region of Xinjiang to practice their faith.

    In Khotan, signs are posted in front of the grand mosque saying that the religious sermon at the Friday weekly prayer must run no longer than a half-hour.

    Prayers in public areas outside the mosque is forbidden and Khotan residents banned from worshipping at mosques outside of town.

    Under the rules, imams are banned from teaching the Qur'an in private and only official versions of the Qur'an are allowed.

    Studying Arabic is only allowed at special government schools.

    Government workers are banned from practicing Islam, which means the slightest sign of devotion.

    For example, a Muslim female civil servant could be sacked for donning hijab.

    Many of the rules have been on the books for years, but some local governments in Xinjiang have publicly highlighted them in recent weeks by posting the laws on websites or hanging banners in towns.

    Atheist China recognizes five religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Taoism and Buddhism — and tightly regulates their administration and practice.

    * Restricted

    Under the rules, two of Islam's five pillars – the fasting during Ramadan and hajj – are strictly controlled.

    Students and government workers are compelled to eat during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

    Several local governments began posting the regulations requiring restaurants to stay open during daylight hours and mandating that women not wear veils and men shave their beards.

    China has also revived a law prohibiting Muslims from arranging own trips for the annual hajj.

    Signs painted on mud-brick walls in the winding alleyways of old Kashgar warn against making "illegal" hajj.

    "Implement the policy of organized and planned pilgrimage; individual pilgrimage is forbidden," reads a red banner hanging on a large mosque in the Uighur area of Urumqi, the regional capital.

    Uighur Muslims are a Turkish-speaking minority of more than eight million in Xinjiang, a northwest vast area that borders Central Asia.

    Authorities have also confiscated passports of Uighur Muslims across Xinjiang to force them to join government-run hajj tours rather than own trips.

    Now virtually no Uighurs have passports, though they can apply for them for short trips.

    The new restriction has made life especially difficult for businessmen who travel to neighboring countries.

    To get a passport to go on an official hajj tour or a business trip, applicants must leave a deposit of nearly $6,000.

    The government argues that the move aims to avoid deadly stampedes in Saudi Arabia during hajj and that Muslims who leave China on their own sometimes spend too much money on hajj.

    Critics say the government is trying to restrict contacts of Uighur Muslims with other Muslims, fearing that such exchanges could build a pan-Islamic identity in Xinjiang.

    An official hajj trip costs $3,700, and hefty bribes usually raise the price.

    Once a person files an application, the authorities do a background check into the family.

    If the applicant has children, the children must be old enough to be financially self-sufficient, and the applicant is required to show that he or she has substantial savings in the bank.

    Officials say these conditions ensure that a hajj trip will not leave the family impoverished.
    Source: IslamOnline

  4. #24
    1001 Inventions have been given the privilege of exhibiting at the UK Houses of Parliament from 13th-17th October 2008.

    Through the exhibition, 1001 Inventions sought to raise awareness of the contribution the Muslim world has made in building the foundations of modern day civilisation to promote cultural understanding and social cohesion and prevent violent extremism.

    The exhibition, which was exclusively for Ministers (MPs) and not open to the general public, showcased the likes of Al-Jazari’s Elephant Clock and Scribe Clock as well as his famous water pump raising machine.

    (Watch video: Muslim Heritage: Al-Jazari's Elephant Clock)

    It also covered pioneering projects such as the 1001 Inventions Curriculum Enrichment Programme (CEP) and Cultural Understanding in Science Project (CUSP).

    The exhibition has been developed by an education group dedicated to improving knowledge about Muslim history in Britain.

    The Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation has also made packs for secondary school teachers to provide teaching on Islamic inventions in a range of lessons, following a relaxation on the rules governing the National Curriculum last month.

    "Here is a project that brings together science, history, RE, citizenship and community cohesion – some of the most pressing problems for me as the minister responsible for the curriculum,” Jim Knight, UK Minister for Schools and Learning, said at the opening of the exhibition.

    Mr Knight also said that children should be taught about the contribution Muslims have made to civilisation in order to combat the threats of extremism and discrimination.

    He argues that lessons in the scientific and cultural innovations of Islam over the centuries would give young Muslims a sense of worth and reduce their risk of becoming alienated and falling under the spell of radicals.

    He said the exhibition could also bring divided communities closer together, by teaching children from other backgrounds about the debt we all owe to Muslims – from coffee and pinhole cameras to the three-course dinner and advancements in maths.

    "One of the major reasons for the alienation of British Muslims is a lack of clear identity. This can leave them vulnerable to messages from extremists,” Mr Knight added.

    "This offers a whole series of remedies and an education for the rest of us. It is very important for the whole country to understand the hugely positive impact that Islamic inventors have had upon the world, and for Muslims to take pride in it,” he added.

    Salim Al-Hassani, the honorary chairman of FSTC, added: "At present there is a widespread mis-conception among many people worldwide that the state of science and technology during the period known as The Dark Ages was that of stagnation and decline.

    "Learned intellectuals are challenging this myth and showing how, during the same period, the Muslim civilisation flourished and contributed to thousands of essential inventions that still affect our daily life.

    "We believe that open recognition of the contributions of all civilisations to our present civilisation should be reflected in the National Curriculum."

    Source: AJP

  5. #25
    JERUSALEM , October 19, 2008 (WAFA)- Extreme Jewish groups attacked Al-Aqsa Mosque esplanade in East Jerusalem on Sunday, backed up by the Israeli police.



    Israeli police force backed the Jewish group by attempting to arrest three guards from Al-Aqsa, who were trying to prevent the extreme Jews from forcefully entering Al-Aqsa, in order to perform religious rituals at the religious site.



    These attacks generated bitter resentment in the public, especially since attempts to enter Al-Aqsa are frequent and repeated particularly during the current Jewish holidays.



    Jerusalem governor, Adnan Husseini called on Jerusalemites to concentrate their presence in Al-Aqsa esplanade, to prevent such assaults. He stated, “the crowds of Muslim worshippers will put an end to extreme aggressions of the extreme Jews against Al-Aqsa.”



    Husseini warned that if, “extreme Jewish groups gathering in Jerusalem , close to Al-Aqsa Mosque” are not held back by the authorities, violent confrontations tend to occur, leading to a state no one wants.



    The Higher Islamic Commission for Jerusalem , had an urgent session, a few days earlier, to discuss the ongoing aggressions that target Al-Aqsa, and held the Israeli Government responsible for armed extreme Jews entering Al-Aqsa by using force.

    Source: AJP

  6. #26
    WASHINGTON: Colin Powell, America’s former top military commander and President Bush’s former secretary of state who crossed party lines and endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Sunday, has lambasted American attitude toward Muslims.

    Speaking at NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, Powell was more critical of the Republican Party and John McCain’s campaign than of the candidate himself. “I’m also troubled by not what Sen. McCain says but what members of the party say, and it is permitted to be said. Such things as ‘Well you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well the correct answer is ‘He is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian, he’s always been a Christian.’ But the really right answer is ‘What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?’ The answer is ‘No. That’s not America.’

    “Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she can be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion he’s a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

    “I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo-essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave.”

    “And as the picture focused in you can see the writing on the headstone. And the awards, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, it didn’t have a Star of David.

    It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American, he was born in New Jersey, he was 14 at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he can go serve his country and he gave his life.” ¬
    Source: Arab News

  7. #27
    Muslims caught in campaign crossfire
    23 Oct 2008, 0002 hrs IST, REUTERS

    CHICAGO: These are uneasy times for America's Muslims, caught in a backwash from a presidential election campaign where the false notion that Bar
    ack Obama is Muslim has been seized on by some who link Islam with terrorism.

    The Democratic White House candidate, who would be the first black US president and whose middle name is Hussein, is a Christian. Son of a Kenyan father and white American mother, he spent part of his childhood in largely Muslim Indonesia.

    The idea Obama is Muslim has circulated on the Internet for months, presented by some as a fact to reinforce the position that Obama is not a suitable candidate for the White House. Not since the election of John Kennedy as the first Catholic US president in 1960 has the faith of a White House hopeful generated so much distortion, said about 100 "concerned scholars" and others who have signed an October 7 proclamation aimed at countering Islamophobia they say is on the rise.

    Meanwhile, more than 20 million video disc copies of a film called "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" were included as advertising supplements in newspapers across the country, many in battleground states where Obama is in a close fight with Republican candidate John McCain.

    The film, distributed by a private group unaffiliated with the McCain campaign, features suicide bombers, children being trained with guns, and a Christian church said to have been defiled by Muslims.

    A city council candidate in Irvine, California, who is a Muslim convert, said he got a telephone call saying, "I want to cut your head off just like all the other Muslims deserve," the Los Angeles Times reported.

    A mosque in a suburb of Chicago, Obama's home city, was vandalized four times in less than two months, with anti-Islamic messages left on its outer walls, and windows.

  8. #28
    Muslims caught in campaign crossfire
    23 Oct 2008, 0002 hrs IST, REUTERS

    CHICAGO: These are uneasy times for America's Muslims, caught in a backwash from a presidential election campaign where the false notion that Bar
    ack Obama is Muslim has been seized on by some who link Islam with terrorism.

    The Democratic White House candidate, who would be the first black US president and whose middle name is Hussein, is a Christian. Son of a Kenyan father and white American mother, he spent part of his childhood in largely Muslim Indonesia.

    The idea Obama is Muslim has circulated on the Internet for months, presented by some as a fact to reinforce the position that Obama is not a suitable candidate for the White House. Not since the election of John Kennedy as the first Catholic US president in 1960 has the faith of a White House hopeful generated so much distortion, said about 100 "concerned scholars" and others who have signed an October 7 proclamation aimed at countering Islamophobia they say is on the rise.

    Meanwhile, more than 20 million video disc copies of a film called "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" were included as advertising supplements in newspapers across the country, many in battleground states where Obama is in a close fight with Republican candidate John McCain.

    The film, distributed by a private group unaffiliated with the McCain campaign, features suicide bombers, children being trained with guns, and a Christian church said to have been defiled by Muslims.

    A city council candidate in Irvine, California, who is a Muslim convert, said he got a telephone call saying, "I want to cut your head off just like all the other Muslims deserve," the Los Angeles Times reported.

    A mosque in a suburb of Chicago, Obama's home city, was vandalized four times in less than two months, with anti-Islamic messages left on its outer walls, and windows.

  9. #29
    'US missiles' hit Pakistan school
    Map

    Missiles thought to have been fired by the US have killed at least seven students of a religious school in north-western Pakistan, witnesses say.

    The school, in North Waziristan, is close to the residence of a fugitive Taleban leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani, witnesses told the BBC Urdu Service.

    At least two missiles, reportedly fired by pilotless US drones, hit the school early on Thursday.

    The Pakistani army is investigating the incident. The US has made no comment.

    The latest missile attack comes hours after the Pakistani parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the government to defend its sovereignty and expel foreign fighters from the region.

    The resolution also called upon the government to prevent the use of Pakistani territory for attacks on another country.

    Growing tension

    Witnesses told the BBC that the missiles destroyed nearly half of the school building in the Dande Darpakhel area near Miran Shah, the headquarters of the north-western tribal region.

    At least six people were injured in the attack. It is still not clear whether there were any foreign fighters among the dead students.

    Local people have said that most of the injured were local students at the seminary.

    The residential complex of Jalaluddin Haqqani had been targeted by a previous missile attack, in which more than 10 people had been killed or injured.

    North Waziristan is known as a haven for Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters seeking sanctuary from fighting in Afghanistan.

    Foreign fighters from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and the Middle East are all thought to be based there.

    Pakistani troops in the Khyber region
    Tensions in the border region are rising

    In recent weeks the United States has launched several missile strikes against suspected militant targets in the Afghan border region.

    Washington says the strikes are used against militant targets, correspondents say that intelligence failures have sometimes led to civilian casualties.

    According to BBC Urdu, some 80 people have been killed in a number of suspected US missile strikes in South and North Waziristan region over the past month.

    Earlier in October a suspected pilotless American drone fired missiles in North Waziristan, killing at least six people, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

    The United States rarely confirms or denies such attacks.

    Tensions between the US and Pakistan have increased over the issue of cross-border incursions against militants by American forces based in Afghanistan.

    Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has said he will not tolerate violations of his country's territory.

    The US state department has affirmed "its support for Pakistan's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity"

  10. #30
    Forteen Chicagoans embraced Islam this month alone thanks to the Islam ad campaign of GainPeace.

    CHICAGO — Leslie C. Toole has been considering to embrace Islam for the past ten years. But when the Chicagoan teacher saw a simple, yet striking ad on a public bus, he knew the moment has come.

    "I never truly committed and when I saw that sign I knew that was the final sign to complete my move," Toole, 45, told IslamOnline.

    Toole had come across Islam on a street corner ten years ago when a man handed him a pamphlet telling him he'll find enlightenment in it.

    "And I kept reading and reading and I wanted to make sure that I understand what I got involved in."

    Just last month, an Islam advertisement rolled past him on one of the Chicago Transit Authority buses. The sign caught his eyes and eventually he called the number on the giant ad.

    "How to become a member of Islam was my primary question."

    Toole embraced Islam on Monday, September 29.

    His story is similar to that of 13 other Chicagoans accepted Islam this month alone thanks to the Islam ad campaign of GainPeace, a Chicago area outreach project of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).

    The group spent $30,900 to place signs on 25 public buses serving across Chicago.

    The ads direct people to a toll-free hotline, 800.662.Islam, and a website established to help those who are seeking answers to questions about Islam.

    The campaign was initially to run from September 19 to October 20, but it has been extended till November 23 because of the massive positive feedback.

    The hotline has received thousands of calls, in addition to up to 300,000 hits on the website.

    When curious Chicagoans dial the hotline, GainPeace also provides them with an English copy of the Noble Qur'an, The Message magazine on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as well as brochures and books on topics related to Islam.

    * Novel

    Campaigners say the aim of the bus ad campaign was to find a novel way to steer people toward information on Islam.

    "The topic of the ad is Islam: the way of life with different prophets' names," Sabeel Ahmed, Director of GainPeace, told IOL.

    "The bottom and top message are supposed to generate more interest in people."

    Ahmed affirms that with the hotline and the website, people would get the chance to know more about Islam, with the opportunity to call knowledgeable Muslims to clear up any misconceptions, biases or fears.

    "We want to create a channel through the website so people can interact with us and work out the commonalities, to get to know each other better."

    Toole, the new Muslim, believes that the simple yet stark ad which merely says "Got Questions? Get Answers" is a brilliant way to draw people's attention.

    "I thought it was a neat idea…I had never seen that before."

    The Islam ad campaign does not run in Chicago alone.

    ICNA, a New York-based grassroot organization that has 22 chapters across the US, has organized similar campaigns in Seattle and New York.

    In Big Apple, 1,000 ads went up on the city's subway cars last month, portraying in a visual format questions that people may have about Islam.

    Because of campaign's success, other cities in the US and Canada have asked the group to help start similar projects.

    A recent US survey revealed that the majority of Americans know very little about Islam and do not see any common grounds between the Muslim faith and their own Christian beliefs.

    * Mentoring

    GainPeace role does not end with educating people about Islam.

    When a person embraces Islam, the group appoints a Big Brother or Big Sister, who becomes a mentor for the new Muslim, proving information, support and advice.

    "The mentor is like a guardian angel," says Ahmed, the GainPeace director.

    The mentor and the new Muslim meet face-to-face and stay in touch with mails and phone calls.

    Toole, who has chosen Ilyas as his new Muslim name, is very grateful to his mentor.

    "He's been very helpful. He's provided me with tons of books to move me forward."

    GainPeace also provides the new Muslim with the Shahada package, which includes: A How to Pray DVD, a Help Yourself in Reading the Qur'an book, and brochures on various topics about Islam.

    It also offers online classes once a week for new Muslims, which Ilyas is looking forward to joining.

    "I'll be able to learn everything from Muslims' lifestyle to prayer practices and the Arabic language."

    Ilyas says that the more he knows about his new religion, the more confident he feels that he has made the right decision.

    "It's definitely perfect for me.

    "It's hard to explain because when you know something is right, it’s just a deep-rooted feeling inside of you that you found home."

    Source: IslamOnline

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