VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 187, June 12, 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)

Editorial Note:

In this E-Zine, we have initially touched on the positive aspects benefiting the Ummah from Russia, Iran, England, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Kazakastan followed by ruthless actions by extremists, diversity in the Muslima's workforce, diversity in the global ummah et.c

PART I

POSITIVE NEWS:

RUSSIA:

Muslim Priests To Give Spiritual Guidance To Servicemen

www.rt.com
08 June, 2011


photo(RIA Novosti / Mikhail Fomichev)

Muslim muftis will soon be sent to the Russian Army for spiritual guidance of Muslim servicemen, according to Russia’s Supreme Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin. Currently, only Orthodox priests are present among Army staff.

­In an interview to the Echo of Moscow radio station, the Supreme Mufti said that the Russian Muslim University has launched a special course for priests who will work in the Army.

Soon, around a dozen Muslim priests will start their jobs in various military units. But this is only the beginning as more will follow. The work in the Army requires some special skills so this category of clergy should have specific training, Tadzhuddin explained.

“We think that retired officers could take special-purpose courses in the Russian Muslim University,” he said. “We should send to the Army those people who understand its specifics. At the same time, they should be able to make their spiritual contribution.”

He added that heads of regional spiritual centers have already started attracting people.

Talgat Tadzhuddin also said that those priests and their activities will be controlled by Russia’s Interconfessional Council.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s public relations, said on Wednesday that it is a common world practice to send representatives of major religions to the Army. He observed that the Church is now renewing the practice of assigning staff spiritual counselors to the military. He added that around 1,000 Orthodox priests have been working in the Army as volunteers.

Deputy head of the State Duma Committee for Defense Yury Savenko told Echo of Moscow that representatives of the main confessions in the Army can reduce the number of interethnic and inter-religious conflicts.

Islam is the second largest religion after Orthodox Christianity in Russia, with around 8 million believers. Most of them are concentrated in the North Caucasus, the republics of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Western Siberia and also Moscow.

Talgat Tadjutdin, the Supreme Mufti of Spiritual Directorate of Russia’s Muslims


IRAN

International Summit on "Islamic Awakening" Held in Tehran, Iran
June 10, 2011






ENGLAND

(Ed Note:

We fully support the position of INSPIRE (below) and hope that they spread their positive message not only within UK but across the Muslim world - GLOBAL UMMAH)

UK: Women's Group Launches 'Jihad Against Violence'
www.guardian.co.uk
June 6, 2011

British Muslim women's group has launched a "jihad against violence", in a bid to reclaim the term jihad from extremists.

The campaign, launched by INSPIRE at City Hall in central London on Sunday, aims to combat all forms of violence but with an emphasis on crimes, including terrorism, domestic abuse and female genital mutilation, that some perpetrators attempt to justify in the name of Islam.

Although jihad means a struggle in the way of God, it has been hijacked by extremists, who have attempted to use it to justify holy war, the group says.

"People think 'jihad against violence' is a contradictory statement but our jihad is for peace," said Inspire's director, Sara Khan.

"Islam has become synonymous with all things violent and the repression of women. We thought we couldn't sit back and stay silent while our religion is being used to carry out acts of violence." Khan has previously advised the government on tackling radicalisation and was critical of the government's Prevent programme for combating extremism for not including enough input from women.

Inspire intends to make information refuting the arguments of those who purport to use the Qur'an to justify terrorism and domestic violence against women and children more widely available – information it says is lacking in many Islamic bookshops. It also wants to put pressure on Muslim leaders to confront what Khan says are currently "taboo" subjects and is encouraging organisations and individuals to sign up to the declaration of jihad against violence on its website.

AUSTRALIA

Hijab House was held in Australia
www.abna.ir









ATHLETIC HEADSCARVES
(www.trendhunter.com)
June 08, 2011



(www.trendhunter.com)

Denmark:

Parliamentary candidates campaigning in Arabic
06 Jun 2011


Via Avisen (Danish, h/t Hodja):

Trine Mach (Socialist People's Party) has started off her parliamentary election campaign, in Arabic. Her posters speak of more and better places for internship and the Palestinian cause. The Danish People's Party says it's submission to the parallel society and that Danish citizens should know enough Danish to be able to follow an election campaign, but Trine Mach rejects the criticism, and says that the most important thing is for as many people as possible to participate in democracy. Her posters are in both Arabic and Danish.

Sweden:

Newspaper Celebrates Multiculturalism by Photoshopping Flag on Minaret



june 6, 2011

In an editorial on integration on Sweden's National Day, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet Photoshopped a Swedish flag on the minaret of Grand Mosque of Malmö, which is owned by the Libyan organization World Islamic Call Society. (h/t Muslimska friskolan).

KAZAKASTHAN

President Nazarbayev: Muslim world should defend Islam’s image

Staff Report
For CentralAsiaOnline.com
June 8, 2011

ASTANA

The Muslim world must launch a media campaign to create a more positive image of Islam, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev told participants at the 7th World Islamic Economic Forum June 8, according to Novosti-Kazakhstan.

The Islamic world needs to reinforce the image of Islam as a religion of peace, kindness, tolerance and justice, he said, adding that the Islamic world is itself a target of terrorism.

Terrorism is linked not only to trans-national crime but to geo-political sources too, he said.

Nazarbayev also called for the Islamic world’s 10 largest economies to form a group for dialogue, akin to the Western world’s G8. The Islamic world has the resources to back substantial investment in its own countries, he said.

PART II

EXTREMISM RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN:

Russia

Theology professor shot in Russia's Dagestan
en.rian.ru
June 07, 2011

Maksud Ibnugadzharovich Sadikov

Photo The Theology and International Relations Institute

The rector of a theology institute in Russia's mainly-Muslim Dagestan republic was shot by unknown assailants near his home on Tuesday, local police said.

Rector Maksud Ibnugadzharovich Sadikov was one of the founders of the first academic institutions in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region to offer both secular and religious teachings.

"According to preliminary information, Sadikov and the person accompanying him were shot by and unknown assailant by the entrance of his house, when they were getting out of a car," the source said.

Local police later confirmed that the person accompanying Sadikov was his nephew.

Sadikov had been rector of the Institute of Theology and International Relations in Dagestani capital Makhachkala since 2003 and tried to promote education as the greatest weapon in the fight against religious extremism.

He also headed a project to translate the Koran into Russian and the editorial board of the Imam Shamil encyclopedia.

He was involved in politics and held various federal government posts in the 1990s.

Terrorist attacks and shootings are common in the North Caucasus, were the Kremlin is fighting an Islamist insurgency, which led to two wars in Chechnya in the 1990s.

MAKHACHKALA, June 7 (RIA Novosti)

PART III

DIVERSITY OF THE MUSLIMA WORKFORCE:

MUSLIM FEMALE BODYGUARDS:

BREAKING THE CULTURAL GLASS CEILING ONE SMALL STEP AT A TIME

LIBYA





LIBYA'S VIRGIN BODYGUARDS

www.bharatchronicle.com


Qaddafi's Female Bodyguards
FILM REVIEW



PHOTO
Qaddafi's Female Bodyguards
USA 2004, 59 min.

A Cipher Production
by Rania Ajami

This documentary investigates the phenomenon of Qaddafi's elite female bodyguard corps and the tensions these women embody: tensions between Islam, modernization in a nomadic society, militarist feminism and an urban dictatorship. What sort of life do these women lead, what is their political position, and how has it evolved?

The female guards in Libya are unique as modern Islamic women that challenge Western stereotypes of the repressed Arab female. Using original and archival footage, and being the first to be allowed access to sites and persons in Libya, this two-year effort goes beyond existing representations of the Muslim woman by elucidating and criticizing a complicated ideal of a modern day Amazon warrior.

Montreal World Film Festival, Avignon/New York, Strasbourg, Mid-East Film Festival, Raindance - London, Fort Lauderdale Int'l Film Festival Student Comp. (Best Doc)

EGYPT

SCHOOL FOR MUSLIM FEMALE BODYGUARDS

remusicas.org

remusicas.org


Egypt's "Lady Guards"
February 9, 2010
Haley Blake

www.globalenvision.org


Photo: DruhScoff (flickr)

Egyptian women typically work at home or in agriculture.

An increase in the number of working women in Cairo is giving rise to a new niche within the local security industry: female bodyguards, or "lady guards."

In this part of the world, the mixing of single men and women is highly discouraged. So, according to the Christian Science Monitor, Egypt's leading security company has created a new division of "lady guards" to help these wealthy women feel more comfortable while being guarded.

The Falcon Group, as the Egypt-based security company is known, is pioneering a new model of protection that both signals and supports the rising status of women here. Falcon’s female-guard unit, the first of its kind for women clients, is creating an empowering new career for its employees while capitalizing on the demands of an increasingly conservative society.

These newly trained lady guards say they feel empowered by their work. Amine, a twenty year old "lady guard", tells the Jakarta Globe that "her work has given her a sense of power and status in a country where women often fall victim to male discrimination or harassment."

PART IV

DIVERSITY OF THE GLOBAL UMMAH

(Ed Note:

We would recommend that www.englishrussia.com get an award for their exceptional work on highlighting the history of Islam in the former USSR. When you talk about Russia in historical terms, most of the people across the globe including Muslims immediately tend to connect Russia with Communism and many have no clue of the historical and cultural aspects of Muslims in the former USSR.)

PART IV

AN ANCIENT CITY OF UZBEKISTAN
June 7, 2011
By Kulichik

Khiva is an ancient city of approximately 50,000 people located in Xorazm Province, Uzbekistan. It’s abundant with historical places of interest.

The city was built over two thousand years ago. Its constructions are dated to the beginning of the 18 century

The city of Khiva was first recorded by Muslim travellers in the 10th century, although archaeologists assert that the city has existed since the 6th century.

In 1919 the Russians deposed the khan of Khiva, dissolving the khanate, and in 1920 Khiva became the Khorezmian People’s Soviet Republic. In 1924, after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed, the Khorezmian People’s Soviet Republic was split between two of the constituent republics, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) and the Turkmen SSR.

The old city is walled.

That’s what the wall looks like.

This is what was seen by the local Khan standing on the high tower. Swallows make their nests inside the walls.

The highest minaret of the city.

Climbing the minaret is still allowed. But it’s not allowed to climb the minaret of the same located in Bokhara.

There is not much pleasure in climbing spiral stairs of the minaret where it’s always dark and one has to move by feel. Though local children will definitely disagree with that as investigating the space is their favorite thing.

Everyone enjoyed taking part in our photo session.

Look, how the column is decorated

The large blue tower in the central city square was supposed to be a minaret, but the Khan died and the succeeding Khan did not complete it, perhaps because he realized that if he would complete it, the minaret would overlook his harem and the muezzin would be able to see the Khan’s wives. Construction was halted and the minaret remains unfinished to this day.

Narrow streets of the city

The last restoration process took place in 1997.

Some pictures of the night Khiva.

PART V

WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE OF ONE'S INDIVIDUAL RIGHT & CHANGING CULTURAL PERCEPTION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE "COOL" OR TO EXPRESS "WOW".

(Extreme piercing) www.wahoha.com

(www.trendhunter.com.com)

THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 186 , June 5, 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

All men and women are born, live suffer and die;
what distinguishes us one from another is our aims,
whether they be aims about worldly or unworldly things,
and what we do to make them come about...
We do not choose to be born.
We do not choose our parents.
We do not choose our historical epoch,
the country of our birth,
or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing.
We do not, most of us, choose to die;
nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death.
But within this realm of choice-lessness,
we do choose how we live.

www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com

EDITORIAL:

In this E-Zine, we have started off with highlighting the positive news, then discussed how extremism is raising its ugly head again, Islam in Europe and North America, Interfaith relations and Diversity of Global Ummah with special focus on Turkmenistan.

PART I

POSITIVE NEWS:

GERMANY:

ISLAM Necessary To Develop Vibrant Society, Says President

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)
(condensed version)

Via ENInews:

Islam is part of a modern, changing Germany and necessary to develop a vibrant society, President Christian Wulff said in a panel discussion on 2 June at the ecumenical gathering called the Kirchentag.

Christians should also be more tolerant towards other religions, Wulff said. "If one is not open to other religions, one cannot expect Muslim societies to be receptive to freedom of religion." He then went on to appeal to Turkey to do more for religious freedom.

TEXAS: MUSLIM YOUTH CARRY ON TRADITION OF ISLAMIC STUDY
Safiya Ravat,
(condensed version)
Houston Chronicle
6/3/11

Standing in the pulpit at the Hamza mosque in Mission Bend, 19-year-old Hamzah Ghia made a plea to the more than 500 men and women who had gathered for the weekly khutbah, or sermon.

Photo:Alan Warren
(Shayan Syed, 13, memorizes the Quran during class at Madrasah Islamia in Houston. Syed has been at the school for almost two years).

"Shoot some hoops with your kids. Play tennis, football or even catch if they're into that," said Ghia, encouraging parents to help fight childhood obesity. "This body is a trust from God; we're not supposed to neglect it or abuse it as we please."

Ghia is the youngest Imam to deliver the Friday sermon at this mosque. Born in Houston, the Cy-Fair resident was 10 when he became a hafidh, or protector, a title given to Muslims who memorize the Quran. He believes it's important for young Muslim Americans to have a voice in the mosque, especially when it comes to their identity as contemporary Muslim Americans.

The Madrasa also offered Islamic studies classes in which students learned of Prophets such as Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, Ghia said, and were taught to respect their classmates and help others. "But never were we taught about war or anything like that," he said .

Ghia's words come in response to the recent equating of "Madrasa" to a training ground for young terrorists. Rather, he said, students who study the Quran would know better than to commit suicide or kill innocent people, two crimes directly forbidden in the Quran. Madrasa" is an Arabic term that means "school."

www.chron.com

PART II

EXTREMISM RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN:

(Ed Note:

As we had consistently mentioned in the previous issues of this E-Zine, extremists from all religions are one family with similar characteristics of feeding on hate, narrow mindedness, us VS them attitude and bent on fueling anger, inter-religious conflict and violence. Below is a sample of Jewish extremists from Israel who are of the same family of Muslim extremists. We the majority of Muslims and Jews from across the world know better that extremists have perverted away from their true faith and we call upon the MAJORITY of all faiths to work together to prevent further growth of such cancerous group).

PART II A

Rightists in Jerusalem: Muhammad is Dead, Butcher Arabs

02 June 2011
by Emperor

These Right-wing activists are increasing in numbers across Israel. Will they be a majority in 20 years?

Can you imagine if this happened in a Muslim country?

Rightists in Jerusalem: Muhammad is dead, butcher Arabs

(YNet)

Dozens of right-wing activists marching through Jerusalem Wednesday were filmed chanting inflammatory messages and singing provocative songs in the capital, including “Muhammad is dead,” “May your village burn,” “Death to leftists,” and “Butcher the Arabs.”

The disturbing utterances were made during the traditional “Flag Dance” on the occasion of Jerusalem Day, which drew tens of thousands of Israelis to the capital to celebrate its unification following the 1967 Six-Day War.

The offensive chants and songs can be clearly heard in the video, filmed by members of the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement. Elsewhere, Arab residents hurled stones at Jewish protesters during the tense day. The Jerusalem Police deployed in the city in force ahead of time in a bid to prevent friction between Jews and Arabs.

During Wednesday’s violent clashes, police detained at least 15 rioters, both Jewish and Arab. A focal point of tension was the Old City’s Damascus Gate, where Jewish marchers and Arab business owners hurled stones and fruit at each other. Some Jews entered the Muslim market in the area and chanted “Death to the Arabs” and “Muhammad is dead.”

More Jewish protesters were arrested nearby after yelling nationalistic chants and attempting to hurt Arabs.

Overall, two Jews and one Arab sustained light wounds as result of stone throwing during the day and received medical treatment.

PART II-B

South Shields Churchman Denies Hate Campaign
Garry Willey, Evening Chronicle
www.chroniclelive.co.uk

May 20 2011

A CHURCH stalwart accused of leaving rashers of bacon outside a mosque and Muslim homes has denied running a religious hate campaign.

John White was arrested as police investigated a spate of incidents in South Shields earlier this year.

He pleaded not guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to five offences of religiously aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress.

The charges all involve the deliberate targeting of Muslims on different days between January 2 and 29.

White, 63, of Homestall Close, South Shields, will now go before a jury in the week beginning July 25.

He was further remanded on bail with a number of conditions. One of those – an exclusion area – is to be challenged by White’s lawyers. Stuart Graham, defending, said: “One condition is not to enter Baring Street. “That causes difficulty for the church he has gone to for 30 years.”

White’s arrest followed a series of disturbing attacks in South Shields.

Bacon and pork was thrown at the homes of Muslim families around the town centre.

A slab of bacon was also left outside one of the community’s most popular mosques – the Jam-E-Masjid Bangladeshi Muslim Culture and Welfare Association in Baring Street.

Video: Idaho man arrested for threatening Muslim Woman

PART III:

ISLAM IN EUROPE

(Ed Note:

We would like to rephrase below title and say that GLOBAL UMMAH URGES FREEDOM FOR LEBANON KIDNAP VICTIMS. We believe that they were an innocent group of men who entered Lebanon from a bicycle tour in Syria. It is really sad that in below article, we see that once again the INNOCENTS become the victim.)

Estonia's Muslims Urge Freedom for Lebanon Kidnap Victims
Naharnet Newsdesk
27 May 2011

Estonia's small Muslim community on Friday appealed to the people of Lebanon and Syria to help secure the release of seven tourists from the Baltic state kidnapped in Lebanon in March.

"We are turning to all of you to help release the tourists from Estonia, because they are as close to all of us as the members of your families are to you," Timur Seifullen and Mufti Ildar Muhamedshin, the leaders of the Estonian Islamic Congregation, said in a joint statement.

The seven men, all in their 30s, were kidnapped on March 23 after entering Lebanon on a bicycle tour from neighboring Syria.

The case remains shrouded in mystery with little information on their whereabouts or those behind the abduction.

Several people have been arrested in Lebanon in connection with the case but there is no clear evidence as to who ordered the kidnapping or where the men are.

The men appealed for help in two videos posted on the Internet in April and earlier this month, but their abductors have made no demands, officials say.

Sources say that investigators have determined that the first video was uploaded in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Estonia, a former Soviet-ruled republic of 1.3 million people which joined the European Union in 2004, has a Muslim community estimated at only a few thousand. Most of its members are Tatars originally from Russia or hail from other ex-Soviet republics such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan.

Source Agence France Presse

ISLAM IN NORTH AMERICA

The Young Conservative’s Hip Hop Guide to Muslims (Satire)
02 Jun 2011

The Young Conservative’s Hip Hop Guide to Muslims (Satire)

The Young Conservative’s Hip Hop Guide to Muslims is social commentary through satire on the gross, yet common misconceptions perpetuated about Muslim people. Cutaways to competing facts are provided to help fight ignorance and intolerance.

SOURCES:

Statistic in Open - 3 of 4 people Republicans believe “Islam teaches hate”

Step 1 - Ethnicity/Demographics of Muslims

60% Asian
20% Arab
17% Subsaharan-African

Step 2 - FBI Terrorism Report – Chronological Summary of Terrorist Incidents in the United States 1980-2005

Step 3 – “Islam is Violence”
George W. Bush: “Islam is Peace”

Chapter 5, verse 32 – “We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person — unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land — it would be as if he slew the whole people; and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”

Step 6 – “They hate women” – 4 of 5 most populous Muslim-majority nations had ELECTED female heads-of-state

Indonesia – Megawati Sukarnoputri
Pakistan – Benazir Bhutto
Bangladesh – Khaleda Zia & Sheikh Hasina
Turkey – Tansu Ciller

Step 7 - FDR Inaugural Speech – March 4, 1933

“The only thing we have to fear is Muslims“
“The only thing we have to fear is FEAR ITSELF”

Step 8 – Jesus in the Quran, “The Messiah”

He anointed the eyes of the blind to cure them (Quran 3:43; Mark 6:13; James 5:14) www.JesusintheQuran.org, www.ChristianAnswers.net, www.IslamReligion.com

Some Muslims Say They've Been Harassed at the U.S.-Canadian Border

27 Mar 2011

By Amy Lange

WJBK/ myFOXDetroit.com

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK)

They say they're hard working Americans. They pay their taxes like everybody else, but they say they're also Muslim and that means they're being harassed at the border.

"The next two instances were both at gunpoint with six to nine officers," said Kheireddine Bouzid.

He's a 22-year-old calculus teacher, who says he was treated like a terrorist crossing the border into the United States from Canada.

"I actually said, 'What did I do?' His reply was, 'We don't know yet,'" Bouzid said.

He hadn't done anything and neither had the others.

"Before they handcuffed me, they asked me to place my hands on the wall and they searched me," said Imam Ali Suleman Ali.

"He insisted on me telling him where I go to, where I attend and where I pray," said student Abdulrahman Cherri.

Several metro Detroit professionals alleging profiling and harassment at the Canadian border solely because they're Muslim. Separate incidents at various border crossings, agents demanding to know where they pray, how many times a day and who is their imam.

They say it's also happened at Metro Airport and not just to men, but to women, as well.

"For them, it's more humiliating, so they've kept their identities anonymous, but we've received a lot of complaints from women that have been subjected to the same treatment," said Lena Masri with the Council on American-Islamic Realtions.

Now, the Council on American-Islamic Relations is asked the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to investigate the practices and policies of Homeland Security.

"They need to take a serious look at the profiling and harassment of American Muslims, who are law abiding, tax paying citizens," said Dawid Walid with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

VIDEO: MUSLIMS SAY THEY'VE BEEN HARASSED AT THE U.S.-CANADIAN BORDER (CAIR-MI) - TOP

Watch the video here.

PART IV:

INTERFAITH RELATIONS

(Ed Note:
We hundred percent support below viewpoint of the Spanish Islamic Board. We could not have expressed it better)

Spain:

Islamic Board Criticizes the Persecution of Christians and Jews in the Muslim world
02 Jun 2011
Via La Razón (Spanish, h/t Webislam):

The Spanish Islamic Board (Junta Islámica de España) has come out against the persecution and inequality suffered by religious minorities in the Arab world and other Islamic countries, and called to respect minorities, especially when it comes to Christians and Jews.

The Islamic Board demands that all Muslim and Muslim governments act in accordance with the principles of Islam, which advocates social peace, respect and recognition of your fellow's religious beliefs, even more when it comes to Christians and Jews, which the Koran sees as religions of the Book.

The Islamic Board says that Muslims in Europe, just like the Christians in the Islamic world, are a religious minority, and in that sense share some of the evils of that social status, such as discrimination, persecution, xenophobia, prejudice, defamation, exclusion, rejection, infringements of rights and demonization.

The Muslims in Europe, the Islamic Board says, know the discrimination and rejection of society, the media and politicians, towards those who practice a different religious belief, and therefore they understand and sympathize with Christian communities and groups and other minorities in the Islamic world based on denomination, creed or philosophy.

The Islamic Board advocates religious rights for Muslims and other faiths, in addition to promoting the rule of law, established on the basis of secularism and freedom of conscience. They promote interfaith dialog and coexistence between different cultures, and therefore they want to conduct their discourse and projects in the spirit of harmony, respect and inter-religious exchange.

The Islamic Board therefore rejects confrontation between religious and ethnic groups in the Arab world and denounces the persecution and inequality experienced by some religious minorities in the Arab and Muslim world. They pray to God to end the injustice and inequality in the world and call upon the leaders and citizens to go back to the values of humanism, which are fundamental to the meeting between peoples and civilizations.

PART V

DIVERSITY OF THE GLOBAL UMMAH

(Ed Note:

Put on your cyber seat belt and get ready to start your journey on a cyber visit to a Muslim country that most of the Global Ummah are unaware of: TURKMENISTAN)

TURKMENISTAN - Part A
(Former republic of USSR)


(www.infoplease.com)


FLAG OF TURKMENISTAN

(www.worldatlas.com)


Islam in Turkmenistan
www.en.wikipedia.org/

According to a 2009 Pew Research Center report, 93.1% of Turkmenistan's population is Muslim. Traditionally, the Turkmen of Turkmenistan, like their kin in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, are Sunni Muslims. Shia Muslims, the other main branch of Islam, are not numerous in Turkmenistan, and the Shia religious practices of the Azerbaijani and Kurdish minorities are not politicized. The great majority of Turkmen readily identify themselves as Muslims and acknowledge Islam as an integral part of their cultural heritage, but some support a revival of the religion's status primarily as an element of national revival.

Ashgabat’s Kipchak Mosque: Turkmenbashi’s final
resting place./www.uncorneredmarket.com

Ertugrul Gazi Mosque in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. (Jim Fitzgerald)


(Turkman women: Pearls of the East)

facebook.com
(Note: Open to Public)

Facebook: Category/Ethnic/Cultural Groups

Turkmen – women is the most brilliant expression of the arts and crafts and the culture of Turkmenistan.

The national dress is a reflection of traditions rooted in the ethnic history, social attitudes, and ethical and aesthetic values of the Turkmen people.

As such it represents a valuable means of understanding the ethnic history and culture of Turkmenistan.

High glory and incredible beauty, graceful kindness and delicate elegance are always main images of Turkmen ladies and women.

(national dress)

commons.wikimedia.org

(www.orexca.com)

wedding
www.advantour.com

(turkman brides)
www.orexca.com

www.nice-travelpictures.com/

Turkmen celebrations
www.news.bbc.co.uk
(October 2006)

Ahead of the parade, some 2,500 members of the People's Assembly held their annual gathering. Here they listen to a speech by Turkmenbashi.
www.news.bbc.co.uk (10/06)

Women in national dress took the traditional greeting of bread and salt to present to Turkmenbashi

www.news.bbc.co.uk (10/06)

The country's best horses took part. Ashgabat is home to Central Asia's finest race track and the biggest stud farm.
www.news.bbc.co.uk (10/06)

A military parade was part of the occasion, with women marching alongside men.
www.news.bbc.co.uk (10/06)

TURKMENISTAN

PART B

(Ed Note:
Once again, editorial staff from www.englishrussia.com have done a splendid job in their publication regarding Turkmenistan. Special thanks to them for below photos and notes)

WHITE MARBLE TURKMENISTAN

May23, 2011
Posted by Jencha
(www.englishrussia.com)



"Turkmenistan is one of the most colorful and at the same time closed to prying eyes country of the former USSR. Today we'll visit its capital and see themselves what a beautiful city it is and how people live there".


(The same street in daylight)


The first impression – it is a city of lit buildings, fountains and monuments to Turkmenbashi.



This fountain complex entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2010 as a facility combining the greatest number of fountains in a public place.



The largest flagpole in the world, on which the world’s largest flag hangs (confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records).



Turkmenbashi (“the father of the Turkmen”) is the official title of the former president, Saparmurat Niyazov. Until recently, the main attraction of the city was his golden statue on a huge tripod.



All students wear uniforms. Girls – green, boys – blue. A skullcap and a pigtail are both must-be. If you do not have a pigtail, you can buy the skullcap with the fake one.




Turkmen national soup called “unash”.



Turkmenistan is famous for its tasty cuisine. Wonderful meat pastries.




A woman cooks delicious bread made in a tandoor.



A lot of people are engaged in cleaning the streets.




The road police drives new Mercedes cars.



Because of the pervasive dust women are wrapped into shawls. So they are sometimes called “ninjas”.



The Independence Monument.


The fountain dedicated to Oguz Khan, the founder of the Hun Empire (according to the Ruhnama).




What really surprises is that there are absolutely no beggars, vagrants and other antisocial elements in the city.



According to the law, it’s forbidden to smoke on the streets of Ashgabat.

There are very few people on the streets. They are mainly schoolchildren, students, military men and middle-aged women.

A nice road sign.

Camels walk along the roads without paying any attention both to people and cars.At the same time it’s a noble animal with an excellent memory. Never beat or scold a camel, otherwise it will remember it, and seeing you five years later will surely revenge you. Here no one steals camels, because they are attached to the house where they were born, and anyway will find the way back.

THE END