VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 178, April 10, 2011
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)

"Those who are patient, seek the pleasure of their Lord, establish regular prayers, spend secretly and openly out of the sustenance that We have provided for them, and repel evil with good - they are the ones for whom there is a home in the hereafter."
The Holy Quran, 13:22

EDITORIAL:

We have found no evidence whatsoever either in the Holy Quran or in hadith that the role of women is exclusively confined only to be at home and to be prohibited from education or making a career. Unfortunately, above seems to be the model of the Taliban's school of thought, which we RESPECTFULLY disagree.

However we equally oppose the radical feminist perspective that looks down upon housewives (domestic managers) and greatest profession a woman can ever have - MOTHERHOOD.

We argue that women should have a choice that best suits their individual needs, preferences and choices. Unless one is living in a cave, it is obvious that in the contemporary global society because of socio-cultural-economic changing needs an increasing number of women will involve both in work as well as be the bedrock of a family in terms of being a mother and raising a family. We are supportive to such an option too.

In this E-Zine, we would like to highlight the damage that the dreaded Taliban had already inflicted on thousands of our Muslim sisters by their deviated ideology not truly reflective of Islam. Historians will record the Taliban rule in Afghanistan as a BLACK MARK in the HISTORY OF ISLAM.

While we strongly encourage and advocate for the right of the Muslim female to seek education at the highest level and climb up the ladder of her career at the highest level, we would like to equally support any woman who prefers to be a housewife and dedicate her life to her husband and family. In this E-Zine, we would like to share an excellent article regarding the GREATEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD - MOTHERHOOD. In conclusion we have also highlighted the topic of DIVERSITY IN ISLAM with our focus on our Muslim brothers and sisters in Chechnya. Every spring the Chechen Republic celebrates the opening of the arable season and needless to say - "A picture speaks a thousand words".

PART- I

(news.yahoo.photos)

(ED NOTE:

In the above picture, the female who is sleeping along with her child on the sand/sidewalk is a loving Muslima of our Ummah. She stands a visual reminder of the perverted ideology of the Taliban that in our opinion was essentially ANTI-ISLAMIC. When the golden Islamic values get perverted above is the result that we get. Above sister's potential for psycho-social-educational-Islamic-career has been crushed by the Taliban forces.

We thank Almighty Allah for having answered our prayers to end the Taliban regime. We wanted to compare and contrast the Taliban era VS the Post Taliban era. In the picture above and in the picture below, both are our sisters from Afghanistan, how is that one of them has reached the position of a GENERAL in the military while the other is lying down possibly asleep on the street with her child sleeping on her side. Could you ever imagine an Afghan female becoming a GENERAL in the military during the Taliban rule ?

Please note that the Afghan sister who is in the military still wears the hijab. We strongly believe that a Muslim woman can reach the pinnacle of her education and career while at the same time maintain her Islamic identity. Below General is an excellent role model for Muslim sisters worldwide.

(Khatol Mohammad Zai, Afghanistan's first female parachutist and General in the Afghan National Army, salutes for the playing of the national anthem during a gathering organized by the Afghan Women's Association in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 21, 2010). Musadeq Sadeq/AP/File

Besides the females being negatively impacted by the Taliban, the future of the children of such women also gets equally impacted in a negative way. It is really sad that the Taliban had disenfranchised and dis-empowered half of the Afghan Ummah through culturally biased practices which unfortunately masquerade under the banner of Islam.

(www.rawa.org)

(afghaninjustice.com) Graphically violent, the photo depicts a woman kneeling in Kabul Stadium with an AK-47 pointed at her head just moments before her execution. (A.I. Correction: This picture is a split second after she was executed. Notice the pavement dust rising in front of her as the bullet ricochets after passing through her.)

(Two unidentified Afghan women chat with each other a few minutes before they were executed by Taliban in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on late Saturday, July 12, 2008. AP Photo/Rahmatullah Naikzad. mypetjawa.mu.nu)

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS

(Training Afghan females in the military)
lacp.org

(militaryphotos.net)

(Afghan women in the military)
news.yahoo.photos

Afghan police women who are amongst the 22 Afghan women who passed a training course to be part of the Afghan police take oath in Herat, Afghanistan, September 2008. The Afghan women were banned from working and going to school under the Taliban regime, between 1996 and 2001. (militaryphotos.net)

dvidshub.net

Iraqi police women train near Mosul

Female Iraqi Police recruits take aim at targets at a range near Mosul, Iraq, July 9, 2010. U.S. Soldiers with the 855th Military Police Company, 317th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military police Brigade, attached to 3rd Infantry Division and Iraqi Army soldiers helped train the recruits. UPI/Edward Reagan/US Army

(upi.com)

(Females in Iran military: www.imagegossip.com)

(Females in Pakistan military)

pamelacordoba.blogspot.com

IDF soldier (israel)
militaryphotos.net

www.vosizneias.com

Israel - New Army Program Aims to Recruit Charedi Women to IDF
September 3, 2010
News Source: Ha'aretz
(condensed version)

Israel - The IDF has launched an experimental project to recruit ultra-Orthodox women for the first time, tailoring the service to their way of life and providing them with a sought after profession. The project’s success is not yet clear.

They will serve in teams with women commanders and be separated from males. The Haredi recruits’ commanders are all men, they receive kosher food approved by Haredi rabbis and their schedule enables prayers, daily studies and going home to their families on evenings and weekends.

The program must overcome the taboo on military service in the ultra-Orthodox community. Haredi women have already been exempted from service at 18 for religious and conscientious reasons, while men are required by law to join the army as soon as they leave the yeshiva.

(www.prweb.com)

Romanian female soldiers prepare for a military parade to celebrate Romania's National Day in central Bucharest on Dec. 1, 2010. Bogdan Cristel/Reuters/File
(www.csmonitor.com)

(Israeli female soldiers
doubletapper.blogspot.com)

A cadet of the Women Reserve Officers' Training Corps participates in a bayonet drill at the Army Cadet Command camp in Seongnam, South Korea, on Jan. 19. Women ROTC members were called into South Korea's basic military training for the first time this year. Yonhap, Shin Young-gun/AP
(www.csmonitor.com)

Women soldiers train in the Israel Defense Forces' Karakal Battalion, Nov. 2010. Photo by Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye/Newscom/F (csmonitor.com)

Female Colombian cadets attend a promotion ceremony at an Army school in Bogota on Dec. 6, 2010. Fifty-six female soldiers took part in the first-ever course allowing them to pursue careers as combat officers in the Army. John Vizcaino/Reuters/File (csmonitor.com)

US Army General Ann E. Dunwoody, the first woman in US history to wear four stars, walks away after laying a wreath during a ceremony honoring female military veterans at the World War II Memorial on Veteran's Day in Washington on Nov. 11, 2010. Karen Bleier/AFP Photo/Newscom/File (csmonitor.com)

(www.israelimilitary.net)

PART II

(ED NOTE:

We appreciate millions of Muslim women who are doing their best to practice Islam and we encourage them to expand their role and involvement in advocacy issues such standing up for being pro-life, pro-family, pro-green environment et.c.)

‘The Greatest Profession On Earth’:
6 Moms Spreading The Word About Motherhood

REBECCA MILLETTE

The members of the "Speaking of Motherhood" team.

CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 4, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com)

Not only do these six moms have 44 children between them, they are beautiful, vibrant, hardworking women on a mission to spread the beauty of what they deem “THE GREATEST PROFESSION ON EARTH”: MOTHERHOOD.

Brought together by dynamic pro-life leader and mother of nine, Jenn Giroux, these six women began traveling the United States in February 2010, calling their presentation “SPEAKING OF MOTHERHOOD." They witness to women on college campuses, at women’s conferences, and even in high schools, presenting a “counter-cultural” view of motherhood.

Founder and former executive director of Human Life International America and founder of the Association of Large Families (AFLA), registered nurse Jenn Giroux holds an array of titles, but looks on her motherhood as the crowning achievement. Known for her speaking and writing on the spiritual and physical harms of contraception, Giroux’s plan for “Speaking of Motherhood” developed out of her public speaking.

“There is a huge need out there for us to show the positive side of motherhood and to once again elevate motherhood to the respect that it deserves,” Giroux said in a telephone interview with LifeSiteNews.com while traveling with her five companions to a speaking engagement.

"IT IS THE GREATEST PROFESSION ON EARTH FOR WOMEN AND IT HAS REALLY BEEN COMPLETELY DENIGRATED BY THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT".

“Speaking of Motherhood” had its inaugural presentation at Notre Dame last February. Since then, the six moms have done sessions in Missouri, Nebraska, and Indiana and have upcoming bookings in Ohio, Kansas, and Washington. “We try to go wherever we’re invited,” said Giroux, who recently started marketing the talk: “Speaking of Motherhood”

“We want them to see the visual, beautiful pictures of our children,” said Giroux, who said she often jokingly shares with the audience the number of natural and c-section births the six moms boast.

The pro-life leader begins the presentation speaking of the spiritual and physical harms of contraception. “Most girls have not heard any of this,” said Giroux, speaking of the proven high increased risks of breast cancer from contraceptives. “It is important for women and young girls to hear this.”

“Our generation is completely filled with grief and post-contraceptive regret,” she said. “We were blown away at our first talk with how many women could relate with what we were saying … we want to witness to the younger generation so they don’t repeat our mistakes.”

One mom recounts how she was told on the delivery table with her second child that neither she nor the baby would likely survive. Both the mom and her baby lived. Later, she refused to have a tubectomy (tubes “tied”) on the physician’s advice and went on to have seven more children.

In another mom’s testimony, she tells of her choice to have her “tubes tied” at age 26. She then “walks through her story of regret” that ended in a reversal of the operation and the birth of her son after three daughters.

The presentation seeks to show the beautiful and the positive aspects of motherhood lost in society, said Giroux. “We really need to show them the beauty of children, which is the actual positive message of showing them the beautiful fruits of accepting God’s gift of children.”

Another mom tells the heartbreaking story of her first born, a still-born baby. An accountant who planned and calculated through her pregnancy, she tells the humility she learned on the delivery table surrendering everything to God. She recounts how she had to learn trust in God and later went on to have four children.

Yet another testimony of trust comes from the mom who witnesses to those with financial excuses for not having children. “I’m here to talk to anybody who says they can’t afford children,” she says. While she and her husband “can’t afford” a large family, she tells the audience how through hard work and trust in God, they have had eleven children.

“Normal” Moms

“We try to give them a very realistic picture of what having a large family is,” Giroux told LSN of the moms who represent a variety of lifestyles, from working to stay-at-home moms.

Where the media is constantly bombarding women with the idea that they should not have lots of kids because it will ruin their careers, change the look of their bodies, or alter their carefree lifestyle, Giroux and her team are there to stand up as “counter-cultural.”

“We’re trying to let them know that the moms they put on T.V. are completely abnormal,” said Giroux. “The big secret of having children has been lost” through the continual lie of the secular public.

She laughingly recounts the stories of college-age girls who look at her in awe upon learning she has nine children and respond, “oh my gosh, but you’re so normal.”

“We’re giving the message back to people that ‘you know what, girls, you can have it all, you can take care of yourself, have kids, work-out, be an active mom, work outside the home and have a strong marriage and have a large family,’” said Giroux.

“Surrender everything to God”

To a culture that buys into a one to two child ideology, these six moms challenge women to “surrender everything to God” and be open to His countless blessings.

Giroux says that time and again many people express to her regret at having only one child or the grief they have at being an only child. She quotes Pope John Paul II, saying, “The greatest gift you can give your child is another sibling.”

Yet, Giroux maintains the “Speaking of Motherhood” campaign isn’t to force bigger families on everyone, even though the moms do promote large families.

“Our message isn’t just ‘have a lot of children’ because everybody isn’t intended to have 10 kids,” Giroux told LSN. “Our message is ‘trust God’ and accept the beautiful gift of children.”

“All of us say, marriage and motherhood is stressful and has its challenging moments, but the blessings so far outweigh the difficulties. We had very scary moments where we had to trust God in our motherhood and as a result we were blessed with the children that we have.

PART III

HEALTH

www.topnews.net.nz

Lack of Healthy Food Raises Health (and Mental Health) Problems among New Zealanders

Dinesh Chandra Gaur
04/04/2011
Health Research TNM

Intake of unhealthy and nutritious diet could result in serious health complications. A recent study conducted by the University of Otago's department of public health in Wellington has found that people of New Zealand who cannot afford nutritious and healthy food, suffer from more health problems as compared to others.

Lack of safe, nutritious and healthy food has also caused mental health problems among the New Zealanders. The study conducted a survey of the families, education income and employment of 19,000 adults during 2004-2005. The socio-economic and health data from Statistics New Zealand was also evaluated. People who used food banks or grants were classified as food insecure people by the researchers.

The study found that lack of healthy diet, fresh fruits and vegetables and consumption of cheaper food has caused psychological distress among the people. Women were reported to have higher levels of distress as compared to men. Food insecure women were 110% likely to suffer from distress as compared to 60% of the food insecure men. Psychological distress was also reported among young people.

The research is expected to be a wake up call for the health and welfare agencies

8th Men’s Health World Congress
October 2-5, Vienna, Austria
www.ismh.org

This is an open invitation to everyone interested in promoting and improving men’s health. You are invited to join us at our 8th Men’s Health World Congress from October 2 – 5 in Vienna, Austria. In 2011 we will focus on the problems and challenges of improving all aspects of men’s health care, but with greater emphasis on the aging male. Whilst we recognize there are increasing demands brought about by an aging population by gathering together we can focus our energies on providing solutions.

CITY OF VIENNA

www.ismh.org

To the casual observer the city seems like a film set or an open-air museum. And yet the new Vienna is visible everywhere, too. It’s still the great pulsating metropolis which set supreme standards in urban coexistence at the turn of the century, but now the clichés only apply in part. Vienna is old an new alike, tradition oriented yet progressive, cosy yet sophisticated.

Vienna – Heart of Europe

The wealth of cultural presentations is mind-boggling. Come and enjoy the unique cultural spectrum from the world famous Vienna National Opera to the breath-taking Museums quartier where the past meets the present and the future in art.Hosting international organisations such as the United Nations (UNO), the OPEC and many others more, Vienna has become the pulsating European centre where East meets West.

The Men’s Health World Congress 2011 builds upon the fantastic success of the Men’s Health World Congress 2010 that took place in Nice, France. It gathered more than 1000 men’s health practitioners, researchers, and policy analysts and kicked off the international discussion of men’s place in eHealth and mHealth.

Only by debating and examining the issues, identifying the areas needing improvement, and lobbying for the means to drive the improvement, will we succeed collectively in care improvement. The Men’s Health World Congress is the forum for bringing together the expertise and innovation needed – you are encouraged and most welcome to join us in Vienna where we have an important opportunity to make a difference. We hope you join us!

OUR MISSION:

The mission of the 8th Men’s Health World Congress is to support a rich multidisciplinary exchange about men’s well-being. Healthy aging encompasses issues across the life continuum, from boyhood to the senior stages. As men’s health practitioners, researchers, and policy analysts, it is our charge to articulate and advocate the holistic standards of health to which men and boys are entitled throughout their lives. Comprehensive approaches to well-being at every age necessarily include mental and behavioral health, oral health, and nutrition, in addition to physiological health. Diligent work is underway on specific guidelines for men’s health maintenance as are efforts to better understand men’s health within its proper context of family and community health.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND ?

Persons interested in men’s health and well-being should hurry to register. In particular we envisage an active participation from: Physicians from all disciplines where men’s health is an important issue Practitioners and researchers specializing in physiological, mental, and behavioral health conditions Health Care Professionals (nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, who are able to see and grasp the wider picture of health care improvement) Public Health Workers bringing their breadth of expertise to compliment the other disciplines Allied Health Care Workers who can bring to the meeting important “real world” concerns and solutions Communities of researchers and analysts interested in health disparities, social determinants of health and social medicine Researchers and analysts working on eHealth and mHealth

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND ?

The International Society of Men’s Health (ISMH) is the only global organization that tackles the challenges of the field across the range of important domains — from clinical to academic, policy, and program arenas. The Men’s Health World Congress 2011 brings together the practitioners, researchers, and policy analysts on the cutting edge of all things men’s health. We all have something to give, share and educate as well as learn from our colleagues and friends. Those attending therefore have opportunities:

To learn from others and develop their knowledge and skills

To bring their expertise to share with others

To use the Men’s Health World Congress as a vehicle for improving the health care of men which is our over-riding objective

PART IV

IRAN

In a seminary in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Iran, Iranian clerics gather to condemn the crackdown on the Bahraini opposition and to denounce Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia for putting down the anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom. Sadegh Zabbah/AP

YEMEN

Female anti-government protestors pray during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa,Yemen. Defying a deadly government crackdown, tens of thousands of protesters have poured into the streets. Mohammed Muhammed Muheisen/AP

GAZA STRIP

Relatives of Palestinian Mohammed Shalha mourn during his funeral in Beit Lahiya on the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli troops killed Shalha near the border fence in the northern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian medical worker and the Israeli military said. An army spokeswoman said the man was a militant and had been spotted in an area Israel has deemed off limits because militants often use it to target military patrols along the fence. Mohammed Salem/Reuters

ASSASSINATION IN WEST BANK

Palestinian actors react during a vigil in honor of Israeli Palestinian actor, director, filmmaker, and political activist Juliano Mer-Khamis, who was shot dead in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin. Mer-Khamis was gunned down Monday in the West Bank town where he ran a drama school and community theater, Palestinian police said. Text on poster reads in Arabic: The martyr of freedom and culture, genius Juliano Khamis. Mohammed Ballas/AP

Mourners react as they gather around the coffin of Israeli-Palestinian actor, director, filmmaker and political activist Juliano Mer-Khamis, during his wake in Haifa, northern Israel. Mer-Khamis was gunned down Monday in the West Bank town where he ran a drama school and community theater, and was laid to rest today in a kibbutz in northern Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP

LEBANON

A Lebanese protester whose relative is a prisoner, clashes with riot policemen who guard the main entrance of the compound of the central Roumieh prison, in Roumieh, Lebanon. Lebanese security officials say police have stormed the country's largest prison to halt a day-long riot by the inmates, and that two prisoners died during the operation. The rioting started on Saturday by prisoners demanding improved conditions. They later set a fire inside one of the prison buildings. Bilal Hussein/AP

PART V

DIVERSITY OF THE GLOBAL UMMAH

(ED NOTE:

As far as the mainstream media is concerned the only time Chechnya is mentioned is when there is some terrorist act by extremists. Chechens like every other cultural group has its own good and bad points. While we condemn any terrorist act whether by individual extremists, organizations or State, we wanted to highlight a distinct cultural practice of the Chechens in terms of celebrating the opening of the arable season. Season greetings from us to all our brothers and sisters in Chechnya. Special thanks to staff from www.englishrussia.com for doing a splendid job in capturing below celebration in photos)

SPOTLIGHT ON CHECHNYA -
CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE ARABLE SEASON
(All of below text and photos are from www.englishrussia.com)

Every spring the Chechen Republic celebrates the opening of the arable season. In former days the celebration lasted for 2 days, now it’s only one but the holiday is still very funny and worth seeing.

The first day was usually devoted to the ritual of ploughing and sowing. The traditional order of that day was the following: yoking oxen, seeing off a plowman, making a ceremonial furrow, planting, public meal and finally entertainment

Selected for the ritual plowman had to strictly comply with some requirements: he had to be “carrying an abundance”, to be an “honest worker” and have a “green thumb.” Not everyone would agree on this honorable work, fearing of the villagers’ accusations in case of a crop failure. The ox for the plowing ritual was specially decorated.