VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 212, December 4, 2011
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin


IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST BENEFICENT AND THE MOST MERCIFUL

("TRULY HEART RUST JUST AS IRON RUSTS, AND THEIR POLISHING IS SEEKING FORGIVENESS")

(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)

ED NOTE:

As we indicated earlier, our main focus is on the welfare of HUMANITY. The concept of GLOBAL UMMAH is the first step towards attaining the larger step of ONE LOVE, ONE HUMANITY. Like many other extremists, we REFUSE to voluntarily imprison ourselves in a single box and with a smile and cheer, we extend our hand of friendship, love and affection to all human beings of all faiths, cultures and persuasions.

With such an approach indicated above, it should come as no surprise that we would work for the betterment of Ummah by seeking knowledge from all sources including highlighting news, articles from Christian and Jewish sources that are listed below. In a way, it is yet another step for us to focus on the common points of all religions.

Islam places a lot of emphasis on the stability of the smallest social unit - FAMILY. Both the father and mother's role is important in terms of contributing to a healthy FUNCTIONAL family.

Unfortunately certain Muslim men have unintentionally practiced the negative cultural aspects in the name of Islam which has ultimately culminated doing more harm than good to the family. Below articles are an eyeopener to the devastating impact on the children especially daughters who are raised without fathers at home. However by no stretch of imagination are we ever going to support the presence of the father at home if he has violated Islam on all counts in terms of committing the crime of severe abuse to his spouse and children.

Prophet Mohamed (SAW) is the best role model we ever can have in terms of his NOT ever emotionally or physically abusing any of his family members.

In this E-Zine, our focus is on continuation of "Fathers" and "Fatherhood" Part II as an extension from the previous issue. We start off from an Islamic perspective in terms of highlighting an excellent article on importance of fathers, followed by an article that analyzes the impact that absent fathers have on female development and college attendance and later with another article on the severe impact on the consequences of fatherlessness and yet another article on the best gift that a father can give - HIS PRESENCE.

We wanted to give an example to highlight the awesome work some Christian organizations have done to help those daughters who have no fathers as indicated in below note from www.daughterswithoutdads.net

Their Mission Statement sums it all: "Restoring women to wholeness, one life at a time". We in particular wanted to quote the first sentence of their MISSION:

"The mission of Daughters without Dads Inc. is to provide counseling, assistance and spiritual guidance for young girls and adult women based on Christian biblical values".

We apologize for our ignorance and lack of knowledge if anyone of you could e-mail and confirm one single Muslim organization in the global ummah that dedicates its exclusive service to helping Muslim daughters without dads. If you are aware of it, please e-mail us and we will publish it in our subsequent issue. Until we hear otherwise we are presuming that none exists.

WE HAVE A DREAM, THAT SOMEDAY, SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE GLOBE, A GROUP OF MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS WILL JOIN TOGETHER AND DEVELOP A ORGANIZATION WITH ITS FOCUS ON DAUGHTERS WITHOUT DADS AND ASSIST THEM BY PROVIDING COUNSELING AND SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE TO THE YOUNG MUSLIMAS BASED ON THE TEACHINGS OF HOLY QURAN AND HADITH.

WILL YOU HELP OUR DREAM TO TURN INTO REALITY ?

PART I

THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHERS:
www.iqrafoundation.com
(condensed version)

It is well known that Islam places a heavy emphasis on the importance of loving and respecting parents. In fact Allah (swt) has repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an that parents hold the next highest status after our Lord and beloved Prophet (s).

Allah (swt) is our supreme provider, sustain-er, and protector. He uses parents as a means to provide us, as we grow, with food, shelter, clothing, guidance, and protection from harm. As creations of Allah (swt) we can never return the favors of our Lord except by being obedient and showing gratitude. The same can be said for parents. As children we can never repay the countless favors of our parents accept by being obedient and showing gratitude.

Allah (swt) says in Surah 17 Ayah 23:

“Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor.’

However, it is important to note that the role of a father is also highly recognized in Islam. It is said that,

“God’s pleasure is in the pleasure of the father, and God’s displeasure is in the displeasure of the father.”

Fathers are significant because they are commanded by Allah (swt) to work hard to provide the physical, educational, psychological, and spiritual needs of a child. ‘

Ali ibn al-Husain (r) is reported to have said:

“The right of your father on you is that you should know that it is he who brought you into existence, and you are a branch of the tree of his life.”

According to an article from Family and Consumer Sciences:

“Fathers are essential to the healthy growth and development of their children. Dads bring a unique perspective to the family and lives of their children.”

Fathers have a powerful influence on the healthy development of their daughters and sons.

School-aged children show significant gains in intellectual development when their fathers are involved with them as infants.

Involved fathers enrich their daughter’s and son’s self image.

Children who have involved fathers show more sense of humor, longer attention spans, and more eagerness for learning.

Father involvement helps teens to develop a strong sense of who they are and increases their ability to resist peer pressure.

Dads are role models who teach their children to be strong, flexible adults.

Fathers teach gender roles: they are generally more physically active with their sons and more protective of their daughters.

Fathers often think “out of the box” and offer alternative strategies for problem solving.
Dads tend to offer more physical play than mothers, which increases the physical competency of their young children.

When fathers model behaviors that are respectful to women, their sons are more likely to model their father’s respectful behavior as well.

http://fcs.tamu.edu/families/parenting/fathering/fathering_text/fathers_are_important.php

Islam encourages the need to show continuous kindness, respect, care, and concern towards fathers as it can often be difficult to keep a steady balance between working, taking care of a household, and fulfilling the many roles of a parent.

Abu Hurairah always encouraged other people to be kind and good to their parents.

One day he saw two men walking together and inquired of the younger one, “Who is this man to you?” to which the young man replied, “He is my father.” Abu Hurairah advised him by saying, “Do not call him by his name, do not walk in front of him, and do not seat yourself before he does.”

PART II

THE EFFECTS ABSENT FATHERS HAVE ON FEMALE DEVELOPMENT AND COLLEGE ATTENDANCE:

by Franklin B. Krohn, Zoe Bogan

Researchers agree the females who lack father figures are more prone to experience diminished cognitive development and poor school performance (Grimm-Wassil, 1994, p. 149). Children who experience early father absence inevitably have weaker mathematical than verbal skills and usually find it difficult to adjust well with others although fatherlessness alone does not cause poor adjustment (Adams, Milner and Schrepf, 1984, p. 140).

PART III

THE CONSEQUENCES OF FATHERLESSNESS

www.fathers.com

Some fathering advocates would say that almost every social ill faced by America's children is related to fatherlessness.

Six are noted here. ....Children from fatherless homes are
(1) more likely to be poor,
(2) become involved in drug and alcohol abuse,
(3) drop out of school, and
(4) suffer from health and emotional problems.
(5) Boys are more likely to become involved in crime, and
(6) girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens.

PART IV:

www.dadsworld.com

(1) 63% of teen suicides come from fatherless homes.
That’s 5 times the national average.

SOURCE: U.S. Dept of Health

(2) 90% of all runaways and homeless children are from fatherless homes.
That’s 32 times the national average.

(3) 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes.
14 times the national average.

SOURCE: Justice and Behavior

(4) 85% of children with behavioral problems come from fatherless homes.
20 times the national average.

SOURCE: Center for Disease Control

(5) 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
9 times the national average.

SOURCE: National Principals Association Report

(6) 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes.
10 times the national average.

SOURCE: Rainbow’s for all God’s Children

(7) 85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes.
20 times the national average.

SOURCE: U.S. Dept. of Justice

(8) Daughters of single parents without a Father involved are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 711% more likely to have children as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a pre-marital birth and 92% more likely to get divorced themselves.

(9) 91% of 701 fathers surveyed by the University of Texas at Austin agreed that there is a “father-absence crisis in America.”

What were the 4 major obstacles for fathers to overcome? 1) Work demands 2) The media 3) Pop Culture 4) Finances

PART V:

A FATHER'S BEST GIFT: HIS PRESENCE:

Jewish World Review Oct. 4, 1999

Kathleen Parker

A father's best gift? His presence

IT IS SAID that the best thing a father can do for his daughter is to love her mother.

A girl lucky enough to observe her "first man" demonstrating affection and respect for the woman with whom she most strongly identifies grows up with confidence and high self-esteem.

More likely than not, she'll set her standards high when seeking her own mate.

Now, new research published in the August issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that there's more fathers can do: Be there.

The gist of the study of 173 girls and their families is that girls who have a close, positive family relationship in their first five years --especially with their fathers -- enter puberty later in life. Specifically, the researchers found that girls reaching puberty later had fathers who were active caregivers and had positive relationships with the mothers.

Conversely, the researchers -- led by Dr. Bruce Ellis of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand -- found that girls who grew up without their father at home, or in dysfunctional homes where the father was present, entered puberty earlier.

Why? Apparently, girls' biological clocks are tuned not only to their physical environment but to the emotional atmosphere as well. We've all heard of female roommates who, after living together a few months, mysteriously synchronize their menstrual cycles. The same principle may apply to the onset of puberty in relation to the man of the house.

Ellis and his colleagues believe that girls subconsciously adjust the timing of their puberty based on their fathers' behavior. Pheromones -- those information-packed hormones we hear so much about -- hold the key.

The theory is that girls who grow up in a stable relationship with their biological father are exposed to his pheromones, which causes them to postpone puberty -- possibly as a shield against incest. Who knows? Maybe Neanderthal Dad was a randy creep when Mom was napping.

Girls who grow up with stepfathers or their mothers' boyfriends, on the other hand, are exposed to other-guy pheromones that may accelerate puberty. Draw your own conclusions.

PART VI:

DAUGHTERS WITHOUT DADS

www.daughterswithoutdads.net

Daughters without Dads Inc.

MISSION STATEMENT :

“Restoring women to wholeness, one life at a time”


MISSION :

The mission of Daughters without Dads Inc. is to provide counseling, assistance and spiritual guidance for young girls and adult women based on Christian biblical values. We offer several educational resources to help bring balance in adjusting to living and/or growing up without a father or other positive male influence in the household and/or community. Daughters without Dads Inc. will embrace all girls/women within the community in efforts to prevent and/or address such issues as self-esteem, purity, education, prevention of addiction and physical well being.

WHO WE ARE :

An organization that provides a safe and supportive environment where young girls and women who are dealing with situations, such as emotional imbalance resulting from a void in the home or community when a father or positive male relationship is missing. We want to open up the door for girls/women to have an opportunity to communicate and reflect on how they feel about father. We believe that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. We have a holistic approach to the well being of all girls/ women by addressing issues such as domestic violence and emotional wellness.

SERVICES OFFERED :

Monthly Recreational Activities
After School Program
Homework/Tutoring Assistance
Summer Soul Success ( 12 sessions)
One on One Mentoring
Parenting Support Network
Child Minding Services
Community Investment (Volunteerism)
Purity Program
Domestic Violence Support Services


THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 211, November 27, 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)

Or have they adopted intercessors besides Allah? Say: “Even though they do not control a thing and have no awareness?” Say: “ Intercession is entirely Allah's affair . The kingdom of the heavens and Earth is His. Then you will be returned to Him.” (Surat az-Zumar, 39:43-44)

Those who have faith in Allah and yet associate partners with Him assume that these partners will intercede for them on the Day of Judgment. According to their belief, such “guardians” will take responsibility for their followers or purify them. And so they undertake strenuous efforts to earn their approval and constantly think of them. But this is no more than a huge delusion, for Allah states that He will be the only Protector on the Day of Judgment, as follows:

Abandon those who have turned their religion into a game and a diversion, who have been deluded by the life of the world. Remind [them] by it [the Qur'an], lest a person is delivered up to destruction for what he has earned with no protector or intercessor besides Allah. Were he to offer every kind of compensation, it would not be accepted from him... ( Surat al-An‘am, 6:70)

On that Day, no one will befriend another or bear some one's sins. As Allah informs us, only those who please Him will be allowed to intercede, and this person will surely say the truth. Unbelievers will find no guardian or intercessor on that Day, and no support, protection, or intercession, for Allah is the only Guardian and Intercessor:

Allah created the heavens and Earth and everything between them in six days, and then established Himself firmly upon the Throne. You have no protector or intercessor apart from Him. So will you not pay heed? ( Surat as-Sajda, 32:4)

By Harun Yahya
(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)

ED NOTE:

In this E-Zine, our focus is on "fathers" and we wanted to share few articles on the topic of fatherhood. This is Part I and we will conclude on this topic with next issue as Part II.

PART I

PART I-a

FATHER HOOD

Below note received by e-mail from Sr. Najmunisa seem to have been initiated by Sr. Rizwana Ahmed.

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 years old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?' The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions......sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man.. committed suicide. . .

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life & remember this:

Things are to be used and people are to be loved.
The problem in today's world is that people are used while things are loved.

Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:
Things are to be used,
People are to be loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder..
I hope you have a good day no matter what problems you may
face it's the only day you'll have before it's over.

PART I-b

FATHERHOOD IN ISLAM
www.tariqramadan.com

20 June 2010
Tariq Ramadan

It is important for Muslims to have a discussion about fatherhood while keeping in mind the ever-fragile state of Muslim families. We need to re-assess the language we use and the ontological assumptions we make when we speak about the role of the father because often, the problem doesn’t just lie with the crisis but the way we deal with it.

Muslims naturally feel inclined to place the mother at the centre of the process of raising children, unwittingly ignoring the father’s role. Islamic tradition does stress the role of the mother. For example, when asked who a Muslim should love most, the Prophet Muhammad said, “Your mother, your mother, your mother and then your father.” It is also said that paradise lies at the feet of the mother. As a result, we tend to focus on the father as an individual, not as someone who should and can play a central role within his family.

When we assess issues from an Islamic perspective, we categorise everything according to “rights” and “duties”. We speak of the rights of the man, the rights of the woman, the duties of the man, the duties of the woman. This mentality is dangerous. It reduces issues to black and white, right and wrong absolutes. This approach is more prevalent than we realise.

We must take from all the human sciences that can deal with family problems.

Another problem in our approach is the idealism. We speak about an idealised past and idealised families which have nothing to do with reality, whether it be now or the history of our ancestors.

Muslims must realise we may be Muslims but we live in Western societies and therefore, face the same problems as other families.

There are various reasons why we are facing this crisis of the family.

1.) Immigration

Immigration is a very difficult process because it involves uprooting oneself from a familiar cultural environment and transplanting oneself in a foreign land. Many immigrants fear that if they adapt to their host culture, they will lose their own. This rarely lasts because the peer pressure and constant bombardment of the host culture inevitably has an effect on children. We have to find healthier and more comfortable ways to effectively interact with the dominant culture.

2.) Unemployment

Many Muslim fathers are unemployed. The inability to fulfil the traditional role of bread-winner and protector destroys the self-confidence of a father in a very profound way. This is not just a Muslim problem. In fact, many problems face by European-Muslim families have nothing to do with Islam so why do we remain afraid to search for solutions outside our faith?

What is the way forward?

We need to creatively tap into Islamic values for solutions because that is what Muslim families are most likely to be receptive to. The father is more than just an individual. He can play an important role, far beyond that of just the financial protector.

The Prophet Muhammad himself was a role model as a father. When his own daughter would come to him, he would stand up out of respect for her, as people in traditional societies often do.

We have forgotten these aspects of the Prophetic example. We are replacing these values with an obsession with enforcing rights and duties. That is what is destroying the spirit of the family.

But what does fatherly authority mean in the Islamic tradition? Is it all about saying yes or no to the actions of your children? Many fathers miss the opportunity to educate their children and accompany them through life. An absentee father spends long hours working or engaged in voluntary community service, at the expense of time with his family.

Muslims keep saying the Islamic tradition cares for wholesome family life but Muslims themselves are having a difficult time upholding these values because we have lost our grasp of what it means to be a good Muslim and a good parent.

Fathers have poor relationships with their children. There is lack of dialogue, tenderness and affection. Also, feeling uncomfortable in his social surroundings can add to disengagement at home as he tries to grapple with his insecurities.

We need local and dynamic social policies which will counter this problem. For example, in the Mauritan Islands, a scheme is underway whereby fathers are told their children will be taken care of if fathers attend training workshops several times a year.

Muslim families need to share experiences with those who share the same problems.

We need to be open and learn from different sources, including non-Muslim ones. We need to take the best from mainstream psychology and social studies and incorporate these into solutions custom-made to help Muslim families.

We don’t necessarily have to integrate into society by abandoning our heritage but rather, integrate the positive things we learn from society into our lives.

What we need to do is not to name and shame mosques or families. Don’t look for the guilty people – look for solutions. We need grassroots workers working between families and mosques, people who are rooted in Islam and connected to reality.

Resources on fatherhood: Fatherhood Institute

PART I-c

(ED NOTE:

Smoking unfortunately is the biggest addiction that Muslim men have in the global ummah. While we acknowledge that we have no right to impose our view on their personal lifestyle, we humbly wanted to just present below article as food for thought).

FATHER'S SMOKING MAY LEAD TO DAUGHTER'S EARLIER MENOPAUSE:

By Join Together Staff
June 3, 2011

The smoking habits of fathers may influence the timing of their daughters’ menopause, a new study suggests. Japanese researchers found that a woman whose father smoked, while her mother was pregnant with her, may go through menopause about a year earlier than a woman whose father did not smoke.

Previous studies have shown that a woman’s own smoking habits, as well as her partner’s, can also influence the timing of menopause, Reuters reports. The new study found that a father’s smoking has a greater effect on the timing of a woman’s menopause than her partner’s smoking, lead researcher Dr. Misao Fukuda, of the M&K Health Institute in Ako, Japan, told Reuters.

The study included more than 1,000 women who were past menopause. The researchers found that women whose fathers smoked while their mother was pregnant hit menopause about 13 months earlier, than those whose fathers didn’t smoke. The findings are published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

PART I-d

(ED NOTE:

Canada has been judged as the "Best country to live in the world" couple of times in the past and it is considered one of the leaders representing the west in this 21st century. But we ask with what values and where is it heading towards? There is no question it has several positive aspects. But when it comes to the rights of a father who has biologically contributed to the fetus, it is sad that he has no rights. No doubt Islam continues to stand the test of time)

CANADA:

SHUT OUT: FATHERS OF UNBORN CHILDREN HAVE NO LEGAL SAY WHETHER THEIR CHILDREN LIVE OR DIE
October 28, 2010
Hilary White
(www.lifesitenews.com)
(condensed version)

Rome:
What is the first thing that pops into the minds of ordinary people when they hear the word “abortion”? If you have been lucky, or blessed, enough to have seen through the common rhetoric of our death-cult culture, you may answer something like, “…kills an unborn child.” But, sadly and despite our continuing efforts, the world at large has not yet made that connection.

No, what most people think spontaneously when they hear the word is “women’s rights.” The issue of “rights” in abortion rhetoric is the first and last one in any debate on the subject.

I was not involved in the pro-life movement, nor was I even paying much attention, when the Chantal Daigle case was making headlines in Canada, but the decision of the Supreme Court in Tremblay v. Daigle (1989) found that a fetus has no legal status in Canada as a person, either in Canadian common law or in Quebec civil law. While Canada has no positive law about abortion, the status of the unborn child is firmly established: there isn’t one.

Between the legal non-status of abortion and the legal non-existence of the unborn child, the question in the Daigle case that was under debate at the time, was, “should a father have any rights?” In Canada, the Supreme Court decided, No.

....... I was powerfully reminded of two incidents I experienced when I was working in Toronto and giving talks in local Catholic high schools. I was often able to surprise the kids by telling them that the legal situation in Canada gave absolutely no rights to men to have any say in whether their children live or die.

I usually related the story of a man I once spoke to on the phone who had called our office asking for legal help. He and his girlfriend were refugees from Honduras, and had no idea what the laws were in Canada. The man’s girlfriend was pregnant and was living in a woman's shelter. These places are often run by the hardest core of radical feminists, and they had arranged for her to have an abortion (immigrant/refugee women, many of whom don't speak English, are often told by social workers that they will be deported if they have a child, that their child is "illegal").

This poor man, who was in Canada having fled Honduras during one of their political difficulties and who could not risk being sent back, asked me, begged me, to tell him what he could do to save his child's life and get his girlfriend some other kind of help.

I was forced to tell him that in Canada, he had no legal rights whatever and if he tried to intervene to save his child, he could be arrested and probably deported.

At the end of one of these talks, a nice kid in one of the grade eleven classes was asked to escort me to the next class. He was tall and gangly and was tremendously good looking, but looked so sad; his face would have made you burst into tears. He quietly and very politely thanked me for having brought the subject of men's rights up in the talk. He felt very strongly about it, he said, because his own girlfriend had had an abortion the year before. He said that he had wanted to help raise the child and that his parents had agreed, saying they would help too. But he was shut out of the discussion and his child was dead. He was 16.

For more details check out: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/oct/10102801.html

THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 210, November 20, 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)

(ED NOTE:

In this E-Zine we have shifted our focus to India and we first highlighted a positive note in terms of long overdue justice done in terms convicting extremist Hindu perpetrators, followed by highlights on interfaith relations and extremism.)

PART I:

POSITIVE NEWS:

(ED NOTE:
We are glad that finally at least to some small extent justice that was already long overdue has finally been done in terms of Court sentencing 31 people to life in prison for their role in the death of 33 Muslims).

LIFE SENTENCES IN GUJARAT RIOT CASE
November 10, 2011
(www.cathnewsindia.com)

A Jesuit rights activist has welcomed a verdict by a Gujarat court that sentenced 31 people to life in prison for their involvement in riots in 2002 that led to the death of 33 Muslims.

Father Cedric Prakash SJ said of the case that “the wheels of truth and justice were slowly but surely moving in the right direction.”

A mob numbering about 1,500 set fire to the home of Ibrahim Sheikh of Sardarpura village, where people had taken refuge from rioting.

More than a 1,000 mostly Muslim villagers were killed after 60 Hindu pilgrims died in a train attack that sparked widespread anti-Muslim riots that lasted three days.

Wajahat Habibullah, head of the National Commission for Minorities, said the verdict would give “some kind of sense of justice” to the Sardarpura victims, including 17 women and 11 children.

“Though coming after nine long years, the judgment will serve as an effective deterrent to those creating hatred between communities,” said Fr Babu Joseph, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.

Among the convicted were village leader Kanubhai Patel, an active pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party member who led the mob, and his successor, Kacharabhai Patel, a member of Congress, Dhobal said.

Source: ucanews.com

PART II:

INTERFAITH RELATIONS:

PART II-a

(ED NOTE:
For too long, people of various faiths have been focusing on their DIFFERENCES rather than on their SIMILARITIES. Below is an excellent example of a common point when it comes to women wearing their dress modestly. Although the hockey star below is a Christian, there are millions of Muslims who could connect with him on the same level of what he is saying).

HOCKEY STAR: LADIES, HONOR GOD WITH THE WAY YOU DRESS

Kathleen Gilbert
October 5, 2011
(www.lifesitenews.com)

A young hockey player for the University of North Dakota has an unusual message from the world of sports for women.

(UND forward Rocco Grimaldi tweeted that being beautiful isn't about wearing the least amount of clothing).

“Ladies, you can help us guys out big time. Put your boobs away and everything else that is hanging out,” wrote UND forward Rocco Grimaldi on Twitter last week, as picked up by Yahoo! Sports.

Grimaldi, who is outspokenly Christian, kept his explanation going through several Twitter posts.

“Guys have a hard enough time with that temptation without u helping it along.

When did being a beautiful girl become dressing with the least amount of clothes on?” Grimaldi tweeted. “When did what u wear become a competition?


“Before you dress ask, ‘Does this outfit honor God, does it honor my body, does it help serve/love my brothers? If it’s a no to any of those questions, then u shouldn’t wear that outfit. "ThinkBeforeYouDress"

Grimaldi followed up with a series of tweets reprimanding promiscuous men. “Guys, when did sleeping with every girl u can, make you a man?” he wrote. “And don’t blame the women for how they dress ... Women are not an object for playing with".

“Sex is a gift from God. We have made it idolatry by how we use it. We blame the women for what they’re wearing, we blame the media for what they’re producing, but we never blame OURSELVES for how WE’VE twisted God’s gift to only glorify ourselves. WE are the men and WE are to blame. God put US in charge of this earth so WE are the ones who need to man up and lay down our lust. Don’t fall into that temptation. If you don’t do this, you may be a boy for the rest of ur life "ManUp”

PART II-b

MUSLIMS HELP RE-BUILD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
September 22, 2011

Muslims are helping to re-build a Christian school in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir that was destroyed by fire during anti-Christian violence last year.

“What happened here is certainly wrong and it should not have happened. I can assure you that our people will not allow it to happen again,” said Munshi Mukhtar Ahmed, a Muslim teacher.

He said that the burning of the school was a big loss for the local (Muslim) community and they are still feeling its pinch. The Tyndale Biscoe School has about 450 students, almost all of them Muslims. The school is run by the Church of North India (CNI).

“The arson was led by a group from outside. They did not know the damage they have done,” said Gulam Mohammed Bhat, a Muslim on the school management committee, after meeting on September 20 to plan the school’s reconstruction.

CNI Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantroy of Amritsar said, “We are happy that the (Muslim) community has deplored what had happened. Our loss has been heavy but the most important thing is that we have been able to rebuild peace.”

The Jammu and Kashmir government is contributing to the reconstruction of school. Bhat said that local Muslims will volunteer to help during construction of the new school building.

The school had to face the ire of Muslims on September 13, 2010, agitating against the desecration of Quran in the US.

Two dozen Muslim protesters were killed by security forces and over 100 injured. There are about four million Muslims in Kashmir and 5,000 Christians.

Source: Christian century

PART II-c

PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS ATTEND CHARISMATIC CONVENTION:
November 16, 2011
(www.cathnewsindia.com)

More than 10,000 people belonging to different faiths attended a charismatic convention held in Varanasi over the weekend.

Fostering inter-faith harmony, Hindu sages, a maulavi (Muslim priest), a Sikh Granthi, and a lady teacher of Jain religion prayed in their own traditions during the Nov 11-13 convention.

This deepened the commitment of the participants towards inter-religious harmony and peace, said Fr Ajesh in a statement.

An inter-religious prayer meeting was held with the theme “Satyameva Jayate” (truth alone wins). Fr. Anil Dev led religious leaders of different faiths in reciting St.Francis of Assissi’s prayer “Lord make me an instrument of peace..”

Source: Press release

PART III:

EXTREMISM:

CHRISTIAN GROUPS CONDEMN TOGADIA'S REMARK
November 11, 2011
(www.cathnewsindia.com)

Church groups have condemned the inflammatory speech of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia who called for a new constitution that allows to “behead anyone” who converts Hindus.



Togadia made the controversial statement at a function in Ahmedabad on Monday.

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) condemned the “hate campaign” of the VHP leader and said the inciting speech was against the values preached by the Constitution, especially the Right to Freedom of Religion.

Stating that Togadia’s speech disturbed peace and harmony, NCCI demanded the government to take stern action and prevent such events in the future.

“Will Togadia endorse the same beheading for conversion by Hindu new-age god-men and women, people from other faiths?” asked GCIC President Sajan George.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based advocacy group, Thursday expressed concern over Togadia’s speech and said such statements previously led to increasing violence against religious minority communities.

Source: Christian today

THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 209, November 13, 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:

In this E-Zine, we started highlights about the positive news, followed by Islam in Europe and Extremism.

PART I

POSITIVE NEWS:

PART I-a

(ED NOTE:

Below program is yet another excellent program run in mosque that is aimed to steer young people away from crime, drugs and gangs. As we indicated in our earlier issue, although Mosque is primarily meant for prayers, it could be open for multi-purpose use that could go a long way to benefit not only the Muslims but the community at large. In the process it could also enhance partnership with other faiths and other private and public entities for the benefit of the local community. We applaud the superb work done by our Muslims in below Mosque and ardently hope that other Mosques not only across the UK but across the world emulate the same in what ever ways feasible).

YORKSHIRE:
PROGRAM IN MOSQUE AGAINST CRIME, DRUGS AND GANGS
October 14, 2011
(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Via Dewsbury Reporter:

A BID to steer young people away from crime, drugs and gangs is being run in mosques.The ‘cutting edge’ talks are also a response to a Dewsbury councillor’s claim that some communities are living in fear. Coun Karam Hussain recently told the Reporter some Asian youths were creating a climate of fear with violent burglaries. Speaking after a member of his own family was targeted, Coun Hussain said some residents in Ravensthorpe were too frightened to report problems to the police.

Originally aimed at the aftermath of the summer riots, the talks, delivered by youth services officer PC Pete Whitehouse, are a partnership between police, Kirklees Faith Network and Street Chance Dewsbury.

PART I-b

SWEDEN:

ICE MOSQUE PLANNED FOR LAPLAND

October 19, 2011

By Richard Orange in Malmö

Sweden's Muslims are planning to build an 'Ice Mosque' in Jukkasjärvi, the Lapland home of the country's famous Ice Hotel.The Ice Hotel includes an ice church, where around 150 couples are married each winter

Photo: The Ice Hotel

Imam Mahmoud Aldebe, head of the Swedish Muslim Association, said that the mosque would be an opportunity to tell tourists about Islam."It would be a new way of seeking dialogue between different cultures and religions," he told Norrländska Socialdemokraten, a local paper."It's not actually such a controversial idea. It has been received well with everyone we have spoken to."

Each winter, Ice Hotel founder Yngve Bergqvist, oversees the sculpting of a giant 5,500 square metre complex, using ice cut from the local Torne river

PART I-c

(ED NOTE:

Below is yet another excellent initiative in Finland by bringing new textbooks for Islam class in Public Schools. In particular we like the message it conveys of being tolerant to people of other religions and customs. How awesome would it be if the same message of being tolerant is also introduced in Madrassas and other Islamic schools specially in Muslim countries. The very fact that there would be significant opposition to such initiative reflects that we really have a long way to go to put in practice what ISLAM ALREADY STANDS FOR - TOLERANCE).

FINLAND:

NEW TEXTBOOKS FOR ISLAM CLASS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

October 14, 2011

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Tundra Tabloids points out that the book is part of a program for Muslims.

Via OnIslam:

Seeking to teach younger generations about Islam, Finland has introduced textbooks about the Islamic faith and Muslim traditions in public schools." The stories are set in Finland so that the events would have resonance with the lives of the pupils,” Suaad Onniselka, an author of the textbook, said, reported Ahlul Bayt news agency.

The new book, tilted “Salam – islamin polku (Salam – the Path of Islam), teaches pupils about the Islamic calendar and Muslim traditions.

It also teaches young Finnish about other religions and the importance of tolerance for others. The book features two Finnish Muslim children, Fatima and Adam, who visit a forest, a grandmother’s farm, and bake wheat buns.

“The status of Islam as a minority religion is reflected in the fact that the stories also teach how it is possible to live along with other people even though the religion and customs are different,” said Onniselka, who teaches Islam at the lower level comprehensive school in Vesala in the east of Helsinki.

PART I-d

UNITED KINGDOM:

ABDUL ARAIN COULD BECOME THE FIRST MUSLIM CHANCELLOR OF CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY SWEEPING ASIDE CENTURIES OF TRADITION

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Reporter Raymond Brown spoke to the Mill Road trader about his bed for the prestigious position.

The names of some of its colleges, Jesus, Christ’s, Trinity, Magdalene, St John’s, are straight out of the Bible. And a succession of princes, earls, dukes, and lords have assumed the largely ceremonial position of Chancellor down the ages. But on Sunday night, after the votes are counted, the institution may have a Muslim community leader at its helm for the first time.

The owner of Al-Amin grocery store – which means ‘just or fair one’ and was the nickname given to Mr Arain by his father – says his faith and candidature is simply a reflection of a diverse community.

He said: “I think it will be good for Cambridge and the varied and diverse community it has.“What I’d say is that I believe in God and share the values of the Christian and Jewish faiths, which come from the same roots as the Muslim faith. We pray to the same God.“I will not have any problem attending any Christian ceremonies or going to church if that is what the duties will involve.“The Muslim community in Cambridge have been very supportive and encouraging.”

PART II

ISLAM IN EUROPE

PART II-A

(ED NOTE:

There is lot of emphasis on both the Holy Quran and the Hadith of seeking knowledge. We believe that seeking knowledge is not confined only on Islamic matters but encompasses all available knowledge that could be accessed for the betterment of humanity. It is definetely NOT new information that physical abuse of children is widespread across the globe specially in the underdeveloped and developing world. There is no question that the incidence of physical abuse of children in the Western countries is lower compared to non-western countries. Unfortunately many immigrants who have settled down in the western countries have not let go of the outdated mode of discipline that they learnt as kids while they were in their home countries which primarily involves physical abuse of the children as a way to change their child's behavior.

Several research studies have clearly indicated that physical abuse as a disciplinary measure is not as effective as other non-aggressive behavioral forms of discipline. The above problem is two fold. First, even if the parents want to abstain from physical abuse of the child as a form of discipline, many of them are not aware of concrete alternative forms of discipline that are free of physical abuse. Therefore they continue to perpetuate the ONLY FORM of discipline they experienced in their own childhood. Second, there is no program in 99.99 percent of the Masjids or local Muslim organizations to educate them on such forms on non-aggressive disciplinary techniques. FOR SOME REASON THE GLOBAL UMMAH HAS FAILED TO IMPLEMENT THE ISLAMIC EMPHASIS ON SEEKING KNOWLEDGE TO APPLY IN THIS AREA OF DISCIPLINING CHILDREN.

Here again the role of Muslim psychologists and social workers to educate the local Muslim Ummah on the various non-aggressive forms of discipline cannot be overemphasized. The PRIMARY PROBLEM continues to remain in most local Muslim communities in terms of absence of an organizational structure to HOST, CONDUCT WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS et.c. by both Muslim and non-Muslim professionals specialized in this field to educate parents and school teachers on the latest non-aggressive techniques and interventions that are available to successfully disciplining children.

We not only agree with the below title of Child Abuse in the Madrassas being the "tip of the iceberg" but go one step further to state that even within certain Muslim families (not all families), the problem of physical abuse of children and wife remains a silent and often ignored problem. It is easy to call the Police or local CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES HOTLINE. But once the father is in jail, who is going to support the family ? This remains the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION that unfortunately prevents many from reporting and as a result in many cases, it remains unreported and the problem possibly continues unabated)

UNITED KINGDOM:

CHILD ABUSE CLAIMS AT MADRASSAS "TIP OF ICEBERG"

October 23, 2011

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Via the BBC (h/t EuropeNews):

Britain's madrassas have faced more than 400 allegations of physical abuse in the past three years, a BBC investigation has discovered.But only a tiny number have led to successful prosecutions.The revelation has led to calls for formal regulation of the schools, attended by more than 250,000 Muslim children every day for Koran lessons.The chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board said he would treat the issue as a matter of urgency.Leading Muslim figures said families often faced pressure not to go to court or even to make a formal complaint. A senior prosecutor told the BBC its figures were likely to represent the tip of an iceberg.

PART II-b


NORWAY: 25 % THINK THERE ARE TOO MANY MUSLIMS

October 27, 2011

Via NRK (Norwegian):

Norstat recently conducted an opinion survey for Norwegian broadcaster NRK to check the attitudes of Norwegians towards Islam. 65% said they don't have a Muslim among their acquaintances. 42% were OK with a family member marrying a Muslim, compared with 21% who weren't.25% agreed with the statement that there were too many Muslims in Norway, 49% disagreed. 24% thought Islam is a threat to Norwegian culture, while 54% disagreed.

The opinion poll shows signs of change in Norwegian's attitudes towards Islam. Anders Ravik Jupskås of the Department of Political Science at Oslo University says that this "shows a kind of July 22 effect, in which we maybe see a more positive attitude towards a multicultural Norway." Men were more skeptic towards Islam than women, and those with a low-education level were more skeptic than those with a hgiher-education level. There were also regional differences. 6% of Oslo residents very much agreed with the statement that Islam is a threat to Norwegian culture, compared with 20% in the Sørlandet region.

EXTREMISM RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN:

PART III

(ED NOTE:

As we had indicated earlier, we oppose forcing one's values on other adults. We believe the youth in below incident had no right to threaten to kill another man for not fasting on Ramadan and such behavior falls into the category of extremism)

AMSTERDAM:

POLICE LOOKING FOR YOUTH WHO THREATENED TO KILL A MAN FOR NOT FASTING ON RAMADAN

October 31, 2011

Via De Pers (Dutch):

The Amsterdam police published photos of a group of youth who threatened to kill a man in Amsterdam-West last August because he did not fast on Ramadan. The group shouted at the man that they'll shoot him in the head, the police reported Monday.

The man was called a 'filthy homo who doesn't comply with the Ramadan". The youth also told him that they've been very clear and that next time they'll catch him and kill him 'after which you'll go to hell'. The police tried solving the case on their own, without success. They did not publish the photos earlier because for privacy reasons they don't put everything on the internet, according to a police spokesperson.

It's unclear whether this is a homophobic crime. "That they called him 'gay' doesn't mean that he is. For us it doesn't matter in any case if it is or not. What these people did is criminal and therefore they must be caught." Jupskås points out that the trend is for people who know some Muslims to be more positive than those who don't know any. He says similar polls in other European countries show that a higher proportion of Muslims doesn't necessarily lead to more prejudices.

THE END