VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 24, April 21, 2008

Editor: Hajji Mohamed Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficient and the Most Merciful

"DECLARING ALLAH'S TRUTH, ONE SURAH AT A TIME"

"O HUMAN KIND, WE HAVE CREATED YOU FROM MALE AND FEMALE, EVOLVED YOU INTO A VARIETY OF PEOPLES AND ORGANIZED COMMUNITIES IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY KNOW AND RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER. CERTAINLY THE MOST HONORABLE OF ALL OF YOU (IN THE ESTIMATION OF ALLAH) ARE THOSE WHO ARE MOST SINCERE & DUTIFUL AND GOD-CONSCIOUS. SURELY, ALLAH IS ALL-KNOWING, BEST INFORMED.
(Holy Quran 49:13).

PART A:

ISLAM: THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION:

WORDS OF THE BLIND AND IGNORANT - "Mecca: Center of Evil"

"Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world's fastest growing religion". ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States"...NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989 and TIME MAGAZINE

"Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." USA TODAY. The population reference bureau, Feb 17, 1989.

"MUHUMMED IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL OF ALL PROPHETS AND RELIGIOUS PERSONALITIES". Encyclopedia Britannica.

"There are more Muslims in North America than Jews now". Dan Rathers, CBS NEWS

"The religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world". MIKE WALLACE, 60 minutes.

"Muslims in America already outnumber Presbyterians, Episcopalians and Mormons, and they are more numerous than Quakers, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Scientists combined. Many demographers say Islam has ovetaken Judaism as the country's second-most commonly practiced religion; others say it is in the passing lane". Johan Blank, US NEWS (7/20/98)

ITALY SEIZES QURAN PRINTED TOILET SEATS:

Following Muslim complaints, police raided the four branches of the company in the town of Latina, 60km south of Rome, and seized 2,000 such pieces on sale.

Interior minister Giuliano Amato met Friday with Italian Muslim leaders at the main Rome Mosque to reassure them that Italy would not tolerate such outrageous acts.“This is an insult to the Muslim faith,” The Imam of the Lazio town of Latina’s mosque, Sheikh Yusuf, told Amato. Amato reassured Yusuf, saying: “I would like to tell our friends from Latina that we have been informed of this matter and are taking action because it is offensive.”

(sheikermami.com)

Part B:

FOCUS OF THE WEEK:

Our Ummah in Germany

EDITORIAL NOTE:

Many of our Muslim brothers and sisters settled in the western world experience a similar set of problems while at the same time have their own unique political, legal and social challenges based on their respective western country of residence. For reasons not clearly known, our Ummah in Germany has been off the Global Ummah's radar screen for too long and we thought it best to put them as our spotlight in this issue.

INTERVIEW WITH ISLAM EXPERT DIETRICH REETZ:

(Only part of the interview published below).

Interview conducted by Norbert F. Pötzl and Rainer Traub

'Muslims Have a Right to Be Different'

INTERVIEW WITH GERMAN ISLAMIC EXPERT DIETRICH REETZ (4-18-08)

Islamic expert Dietrich Reetz of Berlin's Center for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) speaks to SPIEGEL about Muslims in Germany, social tensions and the prospects for dialogue between the communities.

Students at a class in Islamic School in Berlin, Germany.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Reetz, recently the debate about the propensity to violence, among young Muslim men in particular, has heated up in Germany. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung co-editor Frank Schirrmacher wrote that, “the mixture of youth criminality and Muslim fundamentalism” is “the closest thing today to the deadly ideologies of the 20th century.” He is drawing an analogy to fascism and Stalinism. Is that excessive dramatization or is there a real threat?

Dietrich Reetz: The incidents have been exaggerated. The negative images that are projected on Islam have little to do with religion, but instead are largely a result of the political problems and social situation of the people in question. Before immigrants’ beliefs came to the forefront, the same problems were treated mainly under terms such as immigration, integration, and multicultural society.

SPIEGEL: Muslims are often perceived as aggressive, demanding, and intolerant.

Reetz: First we need to take note of the fact that the vast majority of Muslims in Germany behave peacefully. Furthermore, not everyone who comes from a Muslim-influenced cultural group is religious or Muslim. So we can’t ascribe the problems that occur in socially troubled areas to religion or Islam.

SPIEGEL: Muslims in Germany mostly live in urban areas with social problems: unemployment, political discrimination, societal stigmatization. In this context, what is the significance of young Muslim men’s identification with Islam?

Reetz: Recourse to religion offers young immigrants a cultural foothold when they feel excluded from society or sense that their chances of advancement are slight. The youth who increasingly turn to religion belong to a generation that was born and grew up in Germany, but asserts its right to live its own culture and religion self-confidently and without restrictions.

SPIEGEL: Is publicly and demonstratively declaring oneself a Muslim intended as a rejection of European values?

Reetz: Islam has contributed to European identity since the early Middle Ages and was present in Spain for centuries. Moreover, Islam grew from the same historical and cultural roots in the eastern Mediterranean as Christianity and Judaism. In this respect it too belongs to the heritage of the European West. However, after being separate so long, Islam seems alien to many Europeans. The new generation wants to be considered European Muslims.

SPIEGEL: .....You’re counting on a resolution from within Islam?

Reetz: Islam is easier to deal with, the less you interfere. Attempts to reform from the outside only lead to strange developments, make things more complicated and get things even more mixed up with political problems. What is important is that everyone complies with the legal system, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims, immigrants or have German ancestry. For me the keyword is mutual trust.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Reetz, thank you for speaking with us. (Norbert Potzl & Rainer traub).

PART C:

Teaching Islamic religion in German schools:

Few schools offer religious education for Muslim students. This question is of particular interest to Germany's Muslim community. The country's three million Muslims are also guaranteed freedom of worship under German law. But there are still some difficulties when it comes to religious education for Muslims. Only a few federal states in Germany currently have pilot projects for Islamic religion classes in schools. This is partially due to a lack of initiative on the part of the German school system. But another challenge is the high number of Muslim umbrella groups and different Islamic religious denominations in Germany. Government officials say it is difficult to find a consistent representative for the entire Muslim community who can decide on a fixed curriculum for Islamic religion classes. But this will likely be resolved in the near future. At the same time, the influence of churches on German society continues to decline. While churches were an especially strong political force in the early days of the federal republic, their role is fading increasingly into the background, said church historian Michael Basse. "The times in which politicians had to fear the power of the churches are long gone," he said.

DW staff

PART D:

SPECIAL GYM IN GERMANY CATERS TO MUSLIM WOMEN, BANS BODY CULT:

Even swimwear is created for Muslim women

A gym in the city of Cologne has made many Muslim women feel at home. After a successful year in business, others want to open up more fitness centers where devout women can get a great work-out while remaining modest.The city of Cologne is a true melting pot, with one of the largest Muslim populations in Germany. In the Ehrenfeld city district, Muslim women who want to be physically fit can follow the lead of female personal trainers at the "Hayat" (which means "life" in Turkish) gym and still keep their clothes on. Whether it's running on the treadmill, rowing on a machine, or doing aerobics to Turkish pop music, trainers Emine and Yasmin do their best to help modestly dressed Muslim women get in shape. The fitness crowd does not just have access to a full range of gym machines and exercise bikes, they can also take a break in the prayer room.

Pumping iron doesn't always have to mean showing a lot of skin But, you won't find these women wearing short shorts, flashing skin or working out for the sake of being seen. Many even don headscarves while they work the machines. Customers from different countries Emine Aydemir, the 39-year-old owner of the fitness club now celebrating its first anniversary, knows why her business has been a success. "Many women who wear scarves come here because so many other gyms treat them badly," she told DPA news service. "At Hayat, they feel at home and nobody stares at them because of what they're wearing."She said she has around 350 customers; 90 percent are Turkish, or Turkish-German, the rest are from Morocco, Tunisia, Romania and Egypt. The average age is 30, and some non-Muslim German women are also members, since being Muslim is not a requirement."We Muslim women don't envy one another's bodies," Aydemir told DPA. "We don't stare at each another and compare our figures. We accept each other as we are," she said.

Muslimas on the move

The Hayat fitness club in Cologne DSSV, an organization representing fitness and spa-industry employers throughout Germany, said only one other gym -- in the northern city of Hamburg -- caters specially to Muslimas.

DSSV's Refit Kamberovic said it was an opportunity for investors in other urban areas in Germany to develop the market niche. Aydemir also said she believes others are gearing up to imitate her idea. "I've fielded a lot of phone calls from people who ask exactly how they should go about setting up a gym like this," she said. "I tell them the recipe for success is to ban the cult of beautiful bodies and to emphasize health, enjoyment and sharing." Even so, being among other Muslims is what attracts many women to "Hayat." Hatice Aydin, a 27-year-old who works out every day, told DPA: "Before I came here, I used to go to another women-only gym, but I was the only one there wearing a headscarf. They were always giving me funny looks."I had to go into the toilet cubicles to get undressed and dressed," she said. "A lot of German women don't know our etiquette and they were always staring at me if I got dressed in the group changing rooms."

Respecting modesty "The recipe for success is to ban the cult of beautiful bodies and emphasize health" Aydemir explained that she was taught that Islam forbids exposing any part of the body between the bosom and knees, even to other women.So, changing rooms and showers at Hayat are divided into cubicles to respect this rule of modesty, and women who want to use the saunas wrap up in towels. Even busy mothers can get their work-out. They can drop off their kids at a playroom in the gym.


PART E:

THERE IS NO OTHER PIECE OF CLOTH IN THE WORLD THAT HAS GAINED AS MUCH INDIVIDUAL, NATIONAL, RELIGIOUS, LEGAL AND GLOBAL ATTENTION AS A POWER OF IDENTITY AS THE LOVELY - HIJAB.

German Court Upholds School Ban on Muslim Headscarf:

3/18/2008: A German court has rejected a bid by a Muslim teacher to wear her headscarf during lessons who argued she be treated the same as nuns at a state school who are permitted to teach in their religious habits.


The headscarf issue is a hot topic in Germany, a country with many Muslims

A German court has rejected a bid by a Muslim teacher to wear her headscarf during lessons who argued she be treated the same as nuns at a state school who are permitted to teach in their religious habits. Upholding a regional ban on teachers wearing the Islamic headscarf in public schools, the administrative court in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg ruled that a teacher who converted to Islam will not be allowed to wear her headscarf in the classroom, The court in Mannheim rejected a bid by 58-year-old Doris Graber who converted to Islam to wear her headscarf during lessons, saying the teacher was violating her obligation to keep religious expression out of the classroom and that the ban fully complied with the country's Basic Law."The directive issued by the school administration for those working at the school not to wear such a head covering is lawful," the court said in a statement, summarizing the ruling made Friday. "This also applies when the teacher in question is an employee with tenure who has worked at a school for several years with such a head covering without complaints from pupils or students."No to headscarves, yes to habits?

The judges overturned a ruling by a lower court that allowed Graber to wear a headscarf because nuns who taught at state schools were permitted to do so in their religious habits. The administrative court however rejected Graber's argument that she should be treated the same as three nuns in a public school elsewhere in the state on the grounds of religious equality. The judges however did not give a reason for rejecting the argument. Graber argues she should be treated the same as nuns. The state attorney spoke of a "historic exception" in the aforementioned public school where the nuns still teach in habit. The public school, which was formerly a monastery, was taken over by the state and authorities are bound to a contract governing the "exceptions status" of the school, he said. Graber, who has taught at a joint elementary and secondary school for more than three decades, converted to Islam in 1984. She had worn a traditional Muslim headscarf in the classroom since 1995 during which time no objections were raised. But in December 2004, the school board in the state capital Stuttgart ordered her to stop covering her head in the classroom on the grounds that it could influence impressionable children, prompting her to go to court. "I've been wearing a headscarf for 13 years and nobody has taken offence until now," Graber said at a court hearing.

Differing laws on headscarf Baden-Württemberg was the first of Germany's 16 states to ban the headscarf in schools after it was outlawed in France in 2004. The French ban sparked a heated debate in Germany and the federal constitutional court, the country's top court, finally ruled that each region had the right to make its own law in this regard. So far eight out of Germany's 16 states have ordered teachers not to wear the headscarf at schools, though Muslim pupils are generally allowed to do so. Germany is home to three million Muslims, the majority of them Turkish.

German State Court Upholds Headscarf Ban for Teachers

Teacher Brigitte Weiss, who converted from Christianity to Islam, lost the case.

A court in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia has upheld a ban on female Muslim teachers wearing headscarves in schools.Wearing a headscarf violated a state regulation against religious symbols in public schools, the administrative court in the western city of Düsseldorf ruled on Tuesday.The case was brought by a 52-year-old secondary school teacher, who said she would appeal Tuesday's ruling.The teacher had argued that her headscarf was a "fashion accessory à la Grace Kelly" that was in line with Christian-Occidental values. The judges did not accept the argument, pointing out that since the teacher always wore the scarf, it was a symbol of her religous beliefs. Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia imposed a ban on headscarves in June 2006. A similar ban was introduced in the southern state of Bavaria in 2005 with the aim of protecting children from the influence of Islamic fundamentalists.

A German flag as headscarf

Headscarves are banned in eight of Germany's 16 states, but laws vary about other headdress. After the headscarf prohibition came into effect in June 2006 in North Rhine-Westphalia, one teacher appeared at school wearing a beret. A court said the beret fell under the headscarf rule and asked the teacher to consider wearing a wig instead, which she refused.

In Bavaria, on the other hand, teachers may wear hats in school. At an administrative court in Stuttgart in the state of Baden-Württemburg, judges in July 2006 reversed an earlier decision. There, Muslim teachers may now wear headscarves since nuns are also permitted to wear their habits in public schools.

GERMANY (09/25/06)

Study Challenges Widely-held Notions About Islamic Headscarf

An instrument of suppression or harmless clothing of choice?

The headscarf is widely regarded in German society as a religious or political symbol that stands for the suppression of women or Muslim fundamentalism. A new study dismantles some of the clichés. The familiar thinking regarding the Islamic headscarf in Germany goes something like this -- it's a symbol of female suppression, a badge of sexual inhibition as well as a protest against Western cultural and moral decadence.

For those who thought they knew everything there is to know as to why certain Muslim women opt to cover their hair, a study published in Germany is likely to give them some food for thought.

Called "The Headscarf -- Unveiling of a Symbol?" and conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the study polled 135 religious women of Turkish origin between the ages of 18 and 40 in various conservative and liberal Muslim communities across Germany. The interviews were conducted by bilingual volunteers. "Our aim was to gain access to how such women think and find answers to the question of what the headscarf means for the women who wear it," said Christoph Kannengiesser, the deputy secretary general of the foundation, which has close links to the conservative Christian Democratic Union political party.

Far from being suppressed and intimidated

Some 97 percent of the women polled said they wear the headscarf for religious reasons. For most, the decision to don a headscarf is personal and one that -- contrary to widespread perception -- is hardly influenced by the father, brother or husband. Instead, female role models within the family played a larger role in the decision, according to the study.

Headscarf-wearing Muslim women often say they feel discriminated against. Nine out of 10 women said the headscarf gave them self-confidence -- a point that the authors of the study say is "needed" because more than half the women feel discriminated against on account of their headgear at the work place or during a job search. Half of Germany's 16 federal states have already banned the wearing of a headscarf in public buildings and while performing state jobs.

However, 85 percent of those polled said they were friends with women who didn't
wear headscarves.

More importantly, for a society which to a great extent believes the headscarf to be an instrument of suppression and those women who wear it to be uneducated, most of the Turkish women said that it was "feeling like a free person" was more important than marriage and home. On questions of financial independence, male partners and children, most of those polled displayed attitudes similar to German women.

Irrespective of whether they had German citizenship, 90 percent said they are
in favor of a democratically elected government.

An ambivalent picture: However, there were big differences when it came to matters of faith. Some 32 percent said they believed that Islam was superior to other religions. Most of the headscarf-wearing women said they did not feel at home in Germany. About 71 percent said they felt more affinity with Turkey, while 80 percent said Turks in Germany are treated like second-class citizens. The authors of the study stress that on account of the low number of women surveyed and the fact that almost half of them had at least a high school diploma, the report is not representative and highly subjective.

The study offers an ambivalent picture of Muslims in Germany The study, however, remains the most comprehensive to date. It also finds no proof for the widely-held view that the headscarf stands for patriarchal suppression or domination or Muslim fundamentalism. The authors point out that the majority of those surveyed were convinced of the equality of the sexes. Kannengiesser said the study offered a slightly ambivalent picture. "There's a surprising similarity between the attitudes of headscarf-wearing women and the majority of the population," he said. "But there's a series of revelations, where you do have to say that it's given us something to think about. The latter shows that it's necessary to initiate an intensive dialogue because those are attitudes that aren't conducive for integration."

Study underlines need for better integration

At the same time, the authors point out that the study demonstrates that the integration of foreigners, particularly Germany's 3.2-million strong Muslim population needs to be improved. "It's clear that we can't allow such women or other groups to be isolated in Germany," Kannengiesser said. "This is a call for German society and also an appeal to the group surveyed here to be more open to integration. Muslims are now a part of German society. And that includes headscarf-wearing girls and women."

GERMANY April 29.2006

School Suspends Burka-Clad Students

School authorities say turning up for class clad like this is unacceptable

A high school in the German city of Bonn has suspended two Muslim girls for wearing a burka, an all-enveloping cloak worn by women in central and south Asia. The two teenagers who returned to school following the Easter holidays dressed in burkas were considered to have disturbed the peaceful running of the school and were handed initial suspensions of two weeks, a school official said.

The Muslim council of Germany too has criticized the schoolgirls' decision to attend school in burkas. It said it was necessary for teachers to have eye contact with pupils in classes.

August Gmünd from the local government, which supports the suspension, said the action had caused disruption throughout the school.

“A heated discussion broke out in the school the instant the two girls turned up, not just amongst the kids, but also the teachers," said Gmünd. "It was just impossible to maintain a controlled environment in the school.”

The girls have been suspended from school for two weeks, for disrupting lessons. Officials say they are welcome to return to school, if they shed their all-enveloping garb. At the school playground, the appearance of the covered girls confused and annoyed pupils. "Provocation" and "fundamentalist character"

“One of the girls was in class with me," said a student. "I find it very strange: before the Easter holidays, she was personable and outgoing. Now, after the holidays, she turns up in a Burka.” Ulrich Stahnke, head master at the school in Tannenbusch on the outskirts of Bonn, said he spent days considering whether to suspend the girls. He added he and his colleagues had tried to convince them to discard their Burkas, without success. Some say turning up for class like this in Germany is a provocation “For me, this is a new development in Central Europe, which one is either aware of, or consciously brings into school as a provocation," Stahnke said. "Or, one takes a religious angle with it, which, in a very specific way, has a fundamentalist character.”

The two girls have cited freedom of religion in defense of their outfits. Their families have hired a lawyer, who has yet to issue a statement.......

Not helping integration

For head master Stahnke, the girls are harming the school’s integration policy. Around 30 percent of pupils either come from migrant families, or are themselves migrants. Stahnke said the school ‘wants to show these children that they can follow their religion without wearing Burkas’. He now hopes the girls will participate in counseling sessions with a theological expert, and reconsider their decision. The case follows moves by France, home to Europe's largest Islamic minority, to ban Islamic headscarves and other "conspicuous religious signs" in state schools in 2004. The measures is aimed at stemming what it said was the rising influence of radical Islamists among youths.

PART F:

GERMAN MUSLIMS IN PICTURES:

An integration course for foreigners in Germany

MUSLIM BAKERY IN GERMANY

HALAL STORE IN GERMANY

MOSQUE IN GERMANY

GERMAN MUSLIMS BY THE NUMBERS:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
(1) Der Spiegel International Online Newsletter
(2) Deutsche Welle - World Newsletter

As usual, feel free to e-mail your comments: mehrunyusuficds.com

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

(Your window to complexities facing the the Muslim World Today)

Volume 23, April 14, 2008

Editor: Hajji. Mohamed Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful.

ARE EXTREMISTS OF ALL RELIGIONS A THREAT TO HUMANITY ?

GEMS OF ISLAM PERTANING TO KNOWLEDGE:

(1) Prophet Mohamed (SAW): ""Acquire knowledge. It enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong. It lights the way to Heaven: it is our friend in the desert, our society in solitude, our companion when friendless, it guides us to happiness: it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends; and armor against enemies”.

(2) "SEEK KNOWLEDGE FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE"

(3) "SEEK KNOWLEDGE EVEN IN CHINA"

(4) "THE INK OF A SCHOLAR'S PEN IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN THE BLOOD OF A MARTYR"

PRAYER:

OH ALLAH, PLEASE HAVE MERCY AND FORGIVE THE IGNORANT. OH ALLAH, PLEASE BLESS THE IGNORANT TO SEEK GENUINE KNOWLEDGE OF ISLAM AND GUIDE THEM TO THE RIGHT PATH. OH ALLAH, PLEASE DON'T BLIND THEM AND THEREBY PREVENT THEM TO SEE THE BEAUTY AND TRANQUILITY OF WHAT THE PEACEFUL RELIGION OF ISLAM HAS TO OFFER.

PART A:

EXPECTED OUTCOME #1:

WHEN NON-MUSLIM(S) DELIBERATELY REFUSE TO RESEARCH ISLAM OBJECTIVELY IN THEIR QUEST TO SEEK KNOWLEDGE, BELOW IS THE UNFORTUNATE SAD AND PATHETIC OUTCOME:

(A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS AND BELOW PICTURE REFLECTS NOTHING BUT IGNORANCE AND IS AN INDICATOR OF UTTER HATE AND CONTEMPT FOR ISLAM):

(www.freerepublic.com)

Common characteristics of extremists of all religions - "Hoots to value of human life and aggressive actions either in thought or deed (Eg. 9/11 and above fictional photo) Below reviewer's "comment"(amazon.com) to Michael Hart's book (refered below -"The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History"). speaks for itself in terms of the reviewer's ignorance, hate and contempt for Islam.

"Further Proof of the Atheist Commie Gay Liberal Media Conspiracy, November 29, 2005. By renato "rynato" "Muhammad is ranked 1st, Jesus only 3rd, and George W. Bush not at all? Michael H. Hart is clearly an islamofascist who loves Saddam and Osama bin Laden, and I bet he is as fat as Michael Moore as well."

PART B:

EXPECTED OUTCOME # 2:

WHEN A NON-MUSLIM PRACTICES ABOVE IMPORTANCE OF SEEKING GENUINE KNOWLEDGE AS IT RELATES TO UNDERSTANDING ISLAM:

American author Michael H. Hart, out of his ranking Top 100 Worlds most successful, most influential, and greatest people who have ever lived has ranked the Prophet Muhammad to be NUMBER ONE. (Issac Newton - 2nd and Jesus Christ - 3rd).

He says: "My Choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.

" Michael H. Hart: (The Greatest 100 Influential Persons in History, NY. 1978, p.33)

Other notable quotes from the author are indicated below:

"It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder; the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Mecca and Madina is preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran... The Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object of their faith and devotion to a level with the senses and imagination of man. "I believe in One God and Mahomet is the Apostle of God' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honors of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion."

A SECOND COMMENT BY A READER OF ABOVE BOOK BY MICHAEL HART. (amazon.com)

By A. Tynyshov (KL, Malaysia)

"When I heard about this book I went to book shop and bought a copy for myself. The reason I bought this book was the No.1 placement of Prophet Muhammad. I was surprised as well as moved by this man's work (by the way he is not a Muslim). First of all, why I was surprised? Because by placing Prophet Muhammad to No.1 he is proving to everybody out there that he has really done a good job, why? Because I believe if he didn't know much about Prophet Muhammad and has not done enough research, he would probably put Jesus Christ or Issac Newton to first place. So being a non-Muslim and putting a Muslim Prophet on No.1 means that he just had to present the truth in correct way, whether people oppose it religiously or politically and whether we like it or not. Prophet Muhammad indeed was the Most Influential Man in History (and in Future).

For every person who does not agree with Mr. Hart's placement of Prophet Muhammad to No.1, I would suggest that they search Amazon and pick up a book on Prophet Muhammad and read it, upon completion of the book I am sure you will have some idea why he is the No.1. Because what most Westerners know of Prophet Muhammad is far from truth, for years Islam has been misinterpreted by Orientalists. And when they (people who have been influenced by Orientalist's works) see books like this one, they just cannot believe or accept it. But at the end: Truth Prevails!......"

What do notable non-Muslims say about Muhammad?

Just who was Muhammad? According to all accounts, which are authentic and accepted by all Muslim scholars,up until the age of forty he was known to his people as a decent man. He was not a statesman, a preacher, or an orator. He was never seen discussing principles or theories associated with metaphysics, ethics, law, politics, economics, or sociology. He possessed an excellent character, charming manners, and was highly cultured. But his characteristics are not so deeply striking and so radically extraordinary that people would expect something great and revolutionary from him in the future. Before forty, he led a life void of ambition for greatness, or aspirations for conquest with leadership, honor and praise of humanity. As a youth he spent his days, hour after hour, shepherding sheep in the dessert wilderness of Arabia. So what led him to forever change the world as we know it? What made the person of Muhammad so incomparably successful and triumphant? Was it the message he taught? What made his Light shine so brightly, effecting all who came in contact with him. Was it his Message?

The message that humanity's purpose is to live a life of gratitude, to show thanks to God for his endless favors A path of obedience and worship of the creator alone; that Salvation is in submitting our wills to the will of the Almighty (i.e. Islam). His message was not new. To the oneness of God he called. He taught the belief in Moses, Jesus Christ, and all of the other Prophets of God as a basic requirement of the Islamic Faith. Is it not an incontrovertible proof of his prophethood that, despite being unlettered (illiterate) and having led a very normal and quiet life for forty years, that all of Arabia stood in awe and wonder of his wonderful eloquence and oratory (i.e. his speech, which was the Qur'an) when he began to preach Islam? It was so matchless that legions of Arab poets, preachers, and orators of the highest caliber failed to produce a composition that could compare with or equal it. And, above all, how could he state scientific truths that would not be known to the rest of humanity for centuries and that he could not learn about in any other way except through divine revelation. Now to avoid any possible bias, let's hear what those of other faiths have said about Muhammad (pbuh). Below is a list of the sayings of several of the worlds greatest thinkers, scholars and in various fields of academics in the West. Let's see what they have said about this extraordinary man.

Lamartine, the world famous French Author and Statesmen has the following to say about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):

"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modem history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers, which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then-inhabited world; and more than that he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls.... His forbearance in victory, his ambition which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death-all these attest not to an imposture, but to a firm conviction, which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two fold: the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words. Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he."

George Bernard Shaw, one of the greatest playwrights that ever lived had the following to say about Muhammad (pbuh):

"I believe that if a man like him were to assume the leadership of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring to this world much needed peace and happiness." Bernard Shaw: (The genuine Islam, Vol. I P. 8)

Famous historian DIVAN had the following to say about Prophet Mohamed (SAW):

"He is a prophet and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as a divine law and not as a human being, made for education or entertainment." (Divan, WA I, 7, 32)

Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay History of the Saracen Empire, London 1870, p 54.

"He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports."

Bosworth Smith: "Mohammad and Mohammadanism", London 1874, p 92.

"It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher."

PART 3:

IF PRIORITY IS GIVEN FOR CONTINUED POSITIVE INTERFAITH WORK BY THE SILENT MAJORITY OF ALL FAITHS, WOULD THE WORLD SUCCEED TO KEEP THE MINORITY EXTREMISTS IN CHECK ?

While the extremists of all religions and affiliations (political & secular) are feeding themselves with hate and literally fighting like cats and dogs in our mother earth, if they only realize that in the eyes of that SPECIAL HIGHER POWER, the whole earth with population of billions of people is nothing but a PALE BLUE DOT or a spec in the cosmos as seen in below picture.

Seen from 6.4 billion kilometers away, Earth is a dot obscured in a beam of scattered sunlight (pinpointed by artificial blue circle).

Extremists of all religions have five common points:

(1) Myopic in global vision of peace and extremely narrow minded.

(2)Their form of communication with people of other faiths or political opponents is dominated by aggression and destruction be it the fantasy of blowing up the Kaaba as in above picture, 9/11, train bombings in Spain, bombing abortion clinics, communal violence perpetrated by extremist Hindus towards Christians and Muslims in India et.c.

(3) Pigeon holed in the box of their individual religion WITH WISH THAT INTERFAITH RELATIONS NEVER EXIST because it undercuts the dominance of their particular religion over others.

(4) Utopian belief that their faith is the ONLY RIGHT FAITH and people of every other faith are doomed and bound to be destined to HELL.

(5) They believe that they have all the answers to the world’s problems and that IF ONLY the whole world follows their particular religion, ONLY THEN there will be world peace.

Most of the people of all faiths are essentially good human beings and have a moral conscience. It is high time that the silent majority of all faiths (who unfortunately are passive in asserting themselves compared to the aggressive & destructive extremists) get together and work for the common good of humanity.

We should be careful and avoid labeling an entire faith due to the mistake of few bad apples (the extremist minority). For example in the picture above with simulation of blowing up the Kaaba, it would be more accurate to state that it was drawn from a site of “Jewish extremists” rather than just a general “Jewish site” because of the fact that the majority of the Jews would disapprove above destructive act. There are hundreds if not thousands of Jews who condemn the expression and actions of extremist Jews in whatever forms it may be and it is UNFAIR to label all the Jews under one umbrella. There are currently several Jewish organizations that support an independent Palestinian State and have reached out to the Muslims to explore joint inter-faith partnerships for the common good of both faiths.

The same mistake (of giving blanket label to an entire religion) has already been done by the non-Muslims by labeling the actions of few extremist Muslim terrorists to all MUSLIMS. LET NOT THE MUSLIMS REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE AS THE NON-MUSLIMS. An example of Islamic-Jewish Partnership that was published today is indicated below.

(Huffington Post - 4/14/2008) Nice Jewish Girl Attends JUMA'S Before Shabbat:

In an effort to improve Muslim-Jewish relations in New York City, the city's most prominent mosque and the flagship seminary of the Jewish Conservative movement have reached out to one another. Last month, Imam Shamsi Ali of the Islamic Cultural Center, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, gave a sermon after minha (afternoon prayer) at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Returning the favor, Rabbi Burton Visotzky, a JTS professor of Interreligious Studies, spoke at the ICC (also known as the 96th Street Mosque) last Friday after jum'a (Friday noon prayer).

………Imam Ali delivered his khutba (sermon). He told the worshippers that Muslims need to reach out and live harmoniously with other people because all people are servants of Allah. If someone chooses another path, he said, Muslims have a responsibility to show them the right way. However, one may not force others to follow the Islamic way. "We must show respect and dignity to all children of Adam," he said. "Everyone is dignified by Allah." It is human nature, he continued, that different people have different opinions, and Allah knows this. "But this difference of opinions does not make us hate each other. This diversity is seen in Islam as good," Imam Ali declared, and all of us must "make an effort to get to know one another."

……..Then it was the Rabbi's turn. Dr. Rabbi Visotzky thanked the Imam for inviting him to speak in this "beautiful house of God." He recalled when Jews and Muslims lived together relatively harmoniously in medieval Muslim rule and then as co-minorities under Christian rule. He lamented that the relationship today has deteriorated and called on both communities to come together as New Yorkers to help people in need. He announced that JTS and the Mosque have agreed to a joint social action program that will include students from both institutions volunteering side by side at a Manhattan soup kitchen. Imam Ali presented the Rabbi with a Qur'an, and everyone was all smiles....."

We urge all Masjids to if feasible be actively involved in INTERFAITH RELATIONS. CAIR (Council of American Islamic Relations) in the US is doing a wonderful job in this respect and they are also an advocate for the entire American Ummah. There are many other Muslim Organizations working on the same footing.

We urge all Muslims to open a dialogue with their non-Muslim friends. Let people of all faith focus on being “humanity centric” rather than “centric” on their particular faith when interacting with people of other faith.

Ideally it would have been good that the Ummah has its doors open for any non-Muslim who is curious to learn or clarify on issues pertaining to Islam. On an organizational level, some Islamic Centers have scheduled OPEN HOUSES for non-Muslims on specific days and times. This is a positive step in the right direction. However on a personal level, there is room for improvement for the Muslims to improve their communication with non-Muslims in a variety of ways.

THERE IS TOO MUCH AT STAKE HERE. THE AGGRESSIVE EXTREMISTS OF ALL RELIGIONS ARE WORKING OVERTIME TO INTENSIFY THE HATE BETWEEN THEIR SPECIFIC RELIGION AGAINST OTHER RELIGIONS AND WE THE PEACE-LOVING NON-EXTREMIST PRACTICING PEOPLE OF OUR RESPECTIVE FAITHS AND ALSO THE “SILENT MAJORITY” SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO BE PASSIVE ANYMORE AND NEED TO ASSERTIVELY RAISE UP AND REACH OUT TO THE MODERATE MAJORITIES OF ALL OTHER FAITHS AND FOCUS ON THE COMMON POINTS WE ALL HAVE, WHICH BY DEFAULT ENHANCES THE GENERAL WELL BEING OF HUMANITY.

THROUGH INTERFAITH RELATIONS WE NEED TO FOCUS AND HIGHLIGHT ON OUR COMMON HUMANISTIC GOALS AND WORK TOGETHER ON ACHIEVING SUCH GOALS. REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, WE NEED TO UNITEDLY CONDEMN ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CIVILIANS AND INNOCENTS BE IT BY TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS OR THE STATE AND ALSO UNITEDLY CONDEMN ALL ACTS OF DESTRUCTION, VERBAL & PHYSICAL AGGRESSION ON ANY OF OUR INTERFAITH MEMBERS DUE TO HATE (the value loved and obsessed by the extremists).

The writer had very good friends who were Jewish, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists and would like to assure everybody that people of other faiths are not as bad as our extremist Muslims would portray them to be. WE MUSLIMS NEED TO BE ROLE MODELS TO LEAD ON THIS ISSUE. On the same note as above, when a Jewish, Christian, Hindu or Buddhist tells to people of their respective faith that they have good Muslim friends, the first to literally attack them would be the extremists of their respective religions accusing them of “befriending people who are terrorists (Muslims)”.

On a personal note, if there is any Jew or Christian who challenges the Media’s negative stereotype of Muslims and would like to visit the home of a Muslim family out of curiosity and/or to visit an Islamic Center, please contact the writer at below e-mail address. The writer offers his own home as the first choice for a visit with a possible interfaith dialogue on a personal 1 to 1 level. The writer would also be happy to co-ordinate with the local Islamic Center for a tour. Writer has no qualms to state that besides the UMMAH, on the level of humanity, he also loves the Jews and Christians, the PEOPLE OF THE BOOK and the PEOPLE OF THE ABRAHAMIC FAITH. Writer is fully cognizant that the Muslim extremists may be upset and possibly send angry e-mails. It’s perfectly okay. The writer would defend to death their right to express their views however different it may be from the writer.

Let’s remind ourselves that Allah DID NOT say in the Holy Quran that “MUSLIMS ARE BUT ONE COMMUNITY”. Instead Allah states: “MANKIND IS BUT ONE COMMUNITY” which includes people of all faiths.

Having said all the above, nobody is preventing the Muslims to be devout in their Islamic practice. When writer talks about extremist Muslims, he is referring to those group of Muslims who have harbored nothing but hate and contempt for non-Muslims and the West and whose actions reflect aggression, death and destruction and THIS IS NOT WHAT THE PEACEFUL RELIGION OF ISLAM IS ABOUT.

As Muslims we need to clearly distinguish between an extremist (violent and aggressive) Muslim and a practicing peace loving Muslim. REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS TO BUILD A BRIDGE OF UNDERSTANDING IN NO WAY COMPROMISES OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO PRACTICE OUR FAITH IN ALL ITS DETAILS. All Muslims should continue to be free to practice their religion to the best of their ability. For example, besides performing the basic fard prayers five times a day, there is always room for improvement by including the Sunnat and Nafeel prayers. They can also do the Tahajud prayers in the wee hours before the morning begins, increase the time spent on Zikr, on social services to the needy Muslims in their local community. The room for individual Islamic growth is limitless. As they say, ONLY THE SKY IS THE LIMIT.

In short, just because one talks of INTERFAITH and GLOBAL PEACE, this in no way should deter a Muslim to BRING OUT THE BEST IN HIM OR HER.

SO GO AHEAD AND MAKE MY DAY: “Build further on strengthening your Islamic faith while at the same time, work for the good of humanity through building on INTERFAITH WORK in your local community at the grass roots level”.

Feel free to contribute your valuable feedback by e-mail to info@mehrunyusuficds.com.