VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH 

Volume 228, May 19, 2013

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin 

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

 (www.greekmuslimah.wordpress.com)

EDITORIAL:

It is really unfortunate to hear of biased anti-Muslim rhetoric equating terrorism with Islam. In fact we would like to ask "What part of the peace loving religion of Islam don't you understand".  

We human beings have become so narrow minded entrenched in our own small little boxes of nationality, religion, culture, race etc that in essence we have lost our true touch with humanity. When innocents are killed, instead of viewing the murders, mayhem, destruction  as a result of criminal acts by criminals, we have been so thoroughly soaked in our small little boxes of individual national, religious or culturally identity, that we have truly  lost our normal perceptual vision and have begun seeing it through the tinted colored glass of religion or any other of above  variables. You would tend to think that in this 21st Century modern world, we have evolved and advanced to a point that we will see humanity for what it really is - which is HUMANITY and subsequently any violation against the lives of innocents should be perceived as a  CRIME  first and the perpetrator should be tried and if convicted should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. 

The negligible percentage of Muslims who deviated away from mainstream Islam and the negligible percentage of non-Muslim, anti-Islamists who deviated away from their mainstream group be it their country or religion, both of above groups are really bad news for WORLD PEACE. The above extremist Muslims who hate and condemn USA or a particular western country are essentially ignorant of the great values of the WEST. At the same time, the anti-Islamists who falsely blame Islam for the actions of a negligible percentage of deviated Muslims are equally ignorant of the great and peaceful religion of ISLAM.

If there is really a true connection between ISLAM  and VIOLENCE, then MECCA and MEDINA should be the most violent place in the world. Since millions of Muslims from all nationalities, races, colors, cultures come together leaving worldly activities and dressed up in WHITE (representing PURITY, SIMPLICITY, UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD etc) focus EXCLUSIVELY on ISLAM for their entire duration of stay except to meet their basic needs. But in reality, we all know that the OPPOSITE IS TRUE in terms of MECCA and MEDINA being without question THE MOST PEACEFUL PLACE ON EARTH. We as the Editors of this E-Zine, have been there ourselves and we know that you can walk anytime 24 hours / 7 days a week without fear of being attacked or robbed. Having visited many other cities and countries across Europe and Asia, we have never found a city so peaceful, calm & full of tranquility despite the presence of millions of  international Muslim visitors from all over the world.  So it is almost laughable on the ignorance of those who equate Islam to violence or terrorism. 

We are aware that some may argue that there is no violence in above situation because all are Muslims. We know from the current world events that Muslims are killing Muslims in various Muslim countries  including Shites Vs Sunnis etc and therefore such an argument holds no water. In fact it  proves what we have been saying all along. The fact is that if a Muslim kills another innocent human being, it is FIRST AN  ANTI-ISLAMIC ACT in terms of symbolically "killing all of humanity" as stated in the Holy Quran and secondly it is a MAJOR CRIME. It does not matter whether the INNOCENT VICTIM in question is a Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or from any other group.  What matters is that the perpetrator & criminal has committed an anti-Islamic act. Life is sacred and valuable. Even the death of a single innocent may bring tragedy, pain and darkness in the life of the innocent's loved ones and family etc.

It is really baffling to us as to why the anti-Islamists don't understand above basic facts and keep regurgitating a fictitious link between ISLAM and VIOLENCE. It is such above negative false assumption that makes us inclined to believe that they are indeed  biased and filled with hate & contempt against Muslims to the point that they are blinded to the TRUTH about the PEACEFUL RELIGION OF ISLAM. 

They would rather focus on the negligible criminal Muslims and deliberately ignore  the peaceful day to day actions of more than one and half billion Muslims across the globe spanning all continents. 

   

For example, based on below article "A WORD OF TRUTH ON JIHAD & ISLAM" by Nihad Awad, six percent of all terrorist attacks on U.S. soil committed in twenty five years (between 1980 to 2005) were by Muslims  while ninety-four percent of terrorist attacks were by non-Muslims. Yet the religion of the above six percent keeps getting demonized while generally the religion of the remaining 94 percent is very INSIGNIFICANT to come into the radar screen of the media. How could such reporting be considered UNBIASED ?   

 

Since 2001, politically-motivated attacks by Muslim Americans have killed 33 people, while terrorist attacks by white supremacists and other right-wing extremists killed more than 200 people. In this example, even though the white supremacists and other right-wing extremists had killed MORE THAN SIX TIMES the number of victims killed by Muslim Americans, yet their religion was not highlighted, while the religion of Muslims went straight to headlines.

Last but not the least, while 66  Americans were killed in mass shootings by non-Muslims in just one single year of 2012, which was  twice as many  fatalities perpetrated from Muslim-American terrorism in a total of  11 years  since 2001. Yet, in all three examples mentioned above, it is clear beyond any iota of doubt, that while the religion of the perpetrators who killed a vast majority of above victims was deliberately ignored, however  when  it came to Muslims who were a clear minority in terms of perpetrators, yet their religion of ISLAM was super  magnified in the form of attention seeking headlines and somehow, we are expected to believe that it is UNBIASED  and FAIR reporting.  

Further in  the past year there has been an  increasing number of mass shootings resulting in deaths of innocent men, women and children. Whenever the perpetrator is a NON-MUSLIM, there is a general tendency to portray the perpetrator as mentally ill.  However when the perpetrator is a MUSLIM, the way the hysterical reports are given about such a lunatic anti-Islamic criminal, it appears that the reporters have  an automatic implied assumption that the Muslim perpetrator  is in PERFECT MENTAL HEALTH, possibly has a Ph.D in Islamic Studies and is an expert on Holy Quran and Islam and is a true role-model for the religion of Islam. (To understand the true Islam by analyzing the day to day life of the overwhelming peace loving majority Muslims is deliberately ignored because such an outcome would not reflect their hidden bias, hate and contempt towards Islam). After elevating the Muslim criminal's anti-Islamic acts to above highly esteemed status, they then reach a delusional assumption exclusively based on this super negligible minority and conclude that VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM IS LINKED WITH ISLAM. Is this a joke ?

 

DISCLAIMER: We are NOT painting a broad brush on all reporters or on all media while discussing the above. We are specifically referring to those who are anti-Islamic extremists, who are very clear about their hidden agenda. They deliberately ignore by literally having their blinders on, and do not want to waste their valuable time on any positive aspects of Muslims or Islam. All they are waiting is for an opportunity for any Muslim to be involved in a major criminal act or any other major negative act and they are fully confident and clear about their game plan as to how to proceed once they get such an opportunity. 

Paradoxically the Muslim extremists also have the same characteristics.  The non-Muslim world and non-Muslims have so many positives and a lot to offer, but the Muslim extremists are completely blinded to the great positives that the Non-Muslim world has to offer. The Muslim extremists hate has been so entrenched that they have literally buried themselves in a delusional world of the stereotypical “infidel” which is totally out of touch with reality. 

That's the reason we have been appealing to people of all faiths not to be fooled by the ALERTS  & WARNINGS given by the extremists on both sides. Don't forget, the Taliban have also claimed to be DEFENDERS AND PROTECTORS in their own deviated way and have given alerts and warnings to their womenfolk & to others with the sole  purpose of increasing their community's fear and insecurity of the WEST. 

The need of the hour for us, the MAJORITY OF ALL FAITHS, is to focus on our common points, not only respect but also celebrate our differences and diversity and actively work to further strengthen our bonds through ENHANCED INTERFAITH CO-ORDINATION. We can no longer be passive spectators waiting with unease as to when our next INNOCENT BROTHER OR SISTER IN HUMANITY is going to be a victim for no fault of his or her own by an extremist who has blood in his hands. Such extremists who although  a minority still  exist as a cancer in each of our faiths. We need to  work together to CONFRONT THE EXTREMISTS OF ALL FAITHS WHO ARE HELLBENT ON CREATING TERROR AND DIVIDING THE COMMUNITY.  

Generally the common characteristics of extremists of all faiths and groups are: (a) Looking at the world as black and white, rigidly holding on to US versus THEM attitude (b) Harboring virulent & vicious  hatred towards the other group (c) Being close minded, deliberately ignoring positives of the other group (d) Focusing, sometimes to the point of obsession, only on negatives of the other group (e) Demonizing the other group (f) Wanting to impose their values over the other group (g) Strongly opposing  any talk on INTER-FAITH CO-OPERATION and having a tendency to portray the participants of their faith in INTER-FAITH work as traitors who have betrayed them and have been sold out or abandoned their respective faith. Last but not the least and which is a no brainer  (h) Their hate towards the other group is so complete, that they have absolutely no problems to break the law of their own faith and the laws of their  local community by targeting the MOST VULNERABLE - INNOCENT CHILDREN, WOMEN AND MEN. 

Coming back to discussing about the criminals who involve in terror and killing the innocents, in as much as the 2.2  million inmates who have violated the State or Federal laws in one form or the other, and are currently in jails across the United States, DON'T REPRESENT LAW ABIDING U.S RESIDENTS,  in the same way, let us assure you that, the  criminal Muslims who broke the SACRED QURANIC LAWS by killing the innocents DON'T REPRESENT ISLAM ABIDING MUSLIMS.  The crux of this whole issue is that it really does not matter what explanation the jail inmate may give to justify his actions, the fact remains that he has violated certain law(s), has been tried and convicted and will have to serve his time in jail. Focus is not on the inmate's religion. We request the same process for Muslim criminals who violated the laws of this great land. On a side note, needless to say that from an Islamic perspective, the Muslim criminal has also violated the principles of Holy Quran. 

IN AS MUCH AS NOBODY WOULD WANT TO SERIOUSLY LISTEN TO WHAT A JAIL INMATE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE GREATNESS OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, WHY WOULD ANYONE TAKE SO SERIOUSLY OF WHAT A MUSLIM CRIMINAL HAS TO SAY ABOUT HOLY QURAN ? IF THEY STILL INSIST ON UNDERSTANDING THE HOLY QURAN EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THE MUSLIM CRIMINAL'S PERSPECTIVE, ONCE AGAIN, IT BEGS THE QUESTION OF THE ANTI-ISLAMIST'S  BIAS AND DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE WAYS TO DEMEAN &  DEFAME ISLAM.

In conclusion, we the OVERWHELMINGLY SILENT, MULTI-ETHNIC, MULTICULTURAL, MULTI-RELIGIOUS  MAJORITY SOCIALLY SANDWICHED BETWEEN  the deviated Muslim extremists and anti-Islamists are essentially PASSIVE SPECTATORS in this literal  gladiator contest of extremists. There is still a lot of room for all of us from the silent majority through intense INTER-FAITH work, MULTI-CULTURAL activities, LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTER-NATIONAL  efforts to work together to co-ordinate and bridge differences amongst above two groups. We know for sure that regardless of our nationality, religion, culture, race etc,  we all constitute ONE SINGLE HUMANITY. Please join us  to pray to God  to give us tolerance to the point of respecting & celebrating our differences and to help us  transcend beyond our conflicts and  work towards UNIVERSAL LOVE, PEACE AND JUSTICE.  

PART I-a:

A WORD OF TRUTH ON JIHAD & ISLAM

By Nihad Awad

(info.cair.com)

Nihad Awad is national executive director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at: nawad@cair.com

There is a growing attempt by some commentators to label the recent bombings in Boston as "jihad" and to blame the deadly blasts on a non-existent concept they call "radical Islam."

I call "radical Islam" non-existent because radicalism or extremism is not permissible in Islam. Islam prohibits extremism and an essential part of the faith is moderation. A more accurate term might be "Al-Qaeda ideology."

The Quran, Islam's foundational holy text, states clearly: "We made you to be a community of the middle way, so that (with the example of your lives) you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind." (Quran, 2:143)

The Quran also states: "O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can best protect both." (Quran, 4:35)

There is no such thing as radical Islam, but there are radical Muslims -- just as there are extremists of every other religion or belief.

But there's a huge difference between the existence of radical individuals and a religion that permits radical beliefs or actions. These radicals certainly do not represent the teachings of Islam or the behavior or beliefs of mainstream Muslims.

In one Islamic tradition, called a "hadith," the Prophet Muhammad said: "Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights."

In recent years, we have seen the term "jihadist" come to be used as if it means a person who kills people out of a religious motivation, but this is terribly inaccurate.

"Jihad" does not mean "holy war." Literally, jihad means to "struggle," strive and exert effort. It is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self-defense (e.g., - having a standing army for national defense), or fighting against tyranny or oppression.

For the sake of accuracy and to avoid spreading false information about a major world religion, extremist Muslims who commit crimes should be called criminals or, in cases where the definition fits, terrorists. We should not legitimize their actions by calling them jihadists, even if they attempt to call themselves by that label and seek a false religious connection or justification. These criminals should not be honored with a religious label.

Islam allows legitimate self defense, but prohibits the killing of innocent people, even in times of war or conflict. Aggression is never permitted.

"And fight in the cause of God those who fight against you, and do not commit aggression. Indeed God does not love those who are aggressors," (The Quran, 2:190).

So yes, there are some Muslims who have extreme views, or mental illnesses, or political grievances, or a host of other reasons that lead them to kill people, and this is not only a tragedy and a crime but an egregious violation of the principles of Islam.

The difference between Muslim killers and killers from other backgrounds is often the way they are described by the media and viewed by the public: with Muslim killers, the crime is almost always attributed to their religion.

Because the word "terrorism" is used almost exclusively to describe crimes whose perpetrators are Muslims, you might think that a majority of mass killings and acts of terrorism in the U.S. were committed by Muslims. But when we look at the facts, that perception does not hold up.

According to FBI statistics, of all terrorist attacks on U.S. soil from 1980 to 2005, six percent were committed by Muslims.

According to a study from the Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy, since 2011, politically-motivated attacks by Muslim Americans have killed 33 people, while terrorist attacks by white supremacists and other right-wing extremists killed more than 200 people.

According to a report by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, "66 Americans were killed in mass shootings by non-Muslims in 2012 alone, twice as many fatalities as from Muslim-American terrorism in all 11 years since 9/11."

In a well-known hadith, a man asked the Prophet Muhammad, "What is the best jihad?" to which Prophet Muhammad replied, "Speaking a word of truth to an oppressive ruler."

The constant misuse of terms like "jihad" and "radical Islam" is offensive to the truth and is counterproductive to our nation's efforts to achieve security.  It is time we all speak a word of truth by applying the proper labels to criminals and their acts of violence, no matter their religious background.

PART I-b

NY Muslims Hold First Annual 'Day at the Capitol'

  01 May 2013

(www.cair.com)

NY-Muslim-Capitol-Day(ALBANY, NY, May 1, 2013) -- Members of the New York Muslim community participated yesterday in the first annual "Muslim Day at the Capitol."

During meetings with more than 60 elected officials of the New York State Assembly and Senate, American Muslims addressed upcoming bills that directly impact the New York Muslim community, including a bill to create an independent Inspector General (IG) of the NYPD and a bill to recognize Muslim holidays in the New York City school district.

  The IG bill was introduced by the office of State Senator Kevin Parker after revelations  of mass warrant less surveillance of Muslim communities. The bill seeks to "restore public confidence in the NYPD" and to "ensure that tax dollars are used lawfully and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse by state and local law enforcement engaged intelligence activities."

The school holiday bill was introduced by Assembly Member Vanessa Gibson, and Senator Bill Perkins, and will allow for the Muslim holidays to be recognized as school holidays in the city school district of New York City--where Muslim students account for one of every ten students.

"In the recent past, American Muslims have been ignored, dismissed and even attacked by politicians seeking to court votes," said CAIR-NY Executive Director Muneer Awad. "However, grassroots efforts such as Muslim Day at the Capitol will help reverse this trend while advocating for issues that positively affect our local communities."

CAIR chapters across the United States host an annual Muslim Day at the Capitol. In New York, CAIR hosted members of the community from across the state, and the event was co-sponsored by the Bangladeshi American Advocacy Group, the Council on Immigrants Rights, and the Muslim Consultative Network.

CAIR-NY is a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-NY Executive Director Muneer Awad, 347-296-7966, mawad@cair.com

 

PART I-c

Florida Senate Bill

Dear Mohamed

Salaam,


WE DEFEATED Florida Senate Bill 58 for the third consecutive year. The Senate President just announced that SB 58 did not get enough votes to pass. What a great way to end the Florida legislative session. Congratulations to you, Florida and America.

Thank you GOD.

Our campaign to defeat this discriminatory law has been challenging from the start. But because of your support, emails and phone calls we were able to defeat it together. Thank you for doing your part, this victory belongs to you.

SB 58 was crafted by a racist lawyer and pushed by anti-Muslim hate groups, would have banned Muslim marriages, divorce and child custody agreements if they're based on Islamic values. WE FOUGHT BACK, mobilizing thousands of supporters to email, call, tweet and pressure lawmakers to oppose this bill.


Please watch this short video message on how the bill was defeated and the video clip of  the actual final vote count on the senate floor. Then forward it to your friends, let them know the great news. If you're proud of this accomplishment, please consider making a donation here, so we can continue this critical work.

We could not have defeated this bill without the help of others, Muslims, people of other faiths and people of no-faiths. Thank you to groups like the Florida ACLU, CAIR Florida, ADL, Emerge-USA and the International Law Section of the Florida Bar. In addition to all the pastors, Rabbis and other clergy who helped us lobby against this un-American bill.

Together we can defeat similar bills in other battleground states. But in order to take the fight to them, we will need your financial support. PLEASE HELP OUR MOVEMENT BY MAKING A DONATION NOW. CAN YOU DONATE $50, $100 OR $250 NOW?


Thank you again and God Bless you and your family,

Ahmed Bedier
President and Founder
United Voices for America
StopSB58.org

PART I-d

 Law Day Ceremony Honors Muslim Coalition

Karen Ali 

(The Connecticut Law Tribune)

May 3, 2013  

Members of the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut spend a great deal of time educating the legal community about Islam, promoting diversity and working to dispel stereotypes. The coalition held a special event for state Judicial Branch employees recently, in which they hosted a three-hour educational talk on the Muslim religion.

Last week, the group's outreach efforts were recognized by court administrators. During a Law Day ceremony in the state Supreme Court chambers, the coalition and its president, Aida Mansoor, were honored for helping promote "Equality for All," which was the theme of Law Day ceremonies across the country.

Refai Arefin, vice president of the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut, and a Newington solo practitioner, gave the keynote address at the event, which was attended by lawyers, students and the Supreme Court justices.

In his speech, he talked about how the organization has "taken a stance unequivocally against all forms of terrorism, by denouncing terrorism within our community."

The Newington-based non-profit organization's mission is to promote values of mutual respect and social responsibility through educational outreach activities.

Besides raising awareness about Islam, the coalition also does a great deal of community service, which is something their faith requires them to do. The coalition does not provide advocacy in the legal system. If someone needs help, they refer them to other organizations, including the ACLU and the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

They maintain a speaker's bureau and on the first Saturday of every month, the group organizes a lunch at Mercy Shelter in Hartford. They also help Habitat for Humanity build homes and have taken part in the Foodshare Walk Against Hunger.

"We organized the state interfaith gathering entitled United in Peace, Healing with Hope on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which drew over a thousand people from all walks of life as well as mosque open houses throughout the state," Arefin said. "Most recently, the Muslim Coalition has taken a strong stance against the heinous loss of life at the Boston Marathon."

The coalition was honored for educating "the public on Islam and Muslims at a time when there has been an increase in hate crimes and discrimination toward Muslims. Through the Coalition's leadership and many initiatives, it successfully embodies this year's Law Day theme, Realizing the Dream: Equality for All," according to the program to the ceremony.

Mansoor's husband, founding President Reza Mansoor, said in an interview after the ceremony that Islam is a "welcoming faith."


"That's our guiding force," Reza Mansoor, who is a cardiologist, said.

Mansoor said that a great deal of what his group does is community service, because that is an important element of their faith.

Mansoor said that his organization and other faith-based communities have to lead during times of tragedy. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of fear about Islam, he said. "We try to educate people about the sensitivities, to understand Muslims better."

"We have gone out of our way to shine a light on the fear mongering that is going on," Mansoor said. The educational talks that the coalition frequently gives consist of a short intro to Islam, a pre-test for the participants to write their perceptions, and then a post-test after the talk. Then, the talk centers on confronting misperceptions of Islam. One misperception is that the American women who wear Muslim clothing are doing it because they are forced to. But Reza Mansoor said that his wife, Aida Mansoor, wears the clothing of her own will. "It's her decision to wear it," Reza Mansoor said. She doesn't want to be treated as an object, he said.

Reza Mansoor said that in some parts of the world women may be forced to wear Islamic clothing, but it doesn't happen in America. The organization launched its outreach to the courts last year, when it invited state judges and their families to a coalition banquet in Hartford in 2012. "That helped start the process of outreach," Mansoor said.

In an interview after the Law Day ceremony, Aida Mansoor said that stereotypes do persist. She pointed out that there are many Muslim actors who can't get jobs in acting unless they play the part of a terrorist.

Mansoor, who gives frequent talks about Islam to various groups, said that her talk to the judicial department was important because they can spread understanding about Islam. The more knowledge, the better. "We are American and we are proud to be American."

After the event, Arefin said that he thinks the justices and judges in Connecticut are predominantly familiar with the Islamic faith. "In other states it can be a challenge," Arefin said. "Connecticut has always been at the forefront of expanding rights rather than restricting them."

Arefin thinks one reason the judges in Connecticut are more tolerant of Muslims in court settings is because they are vetted well during the judicial selection process. "In Connecticut, judges come at it with an open mind," Arefin said.

For the entire article: http://www.ctlawtribune.com/PubArticleCT.jsp?id=1202598712379&thepage=1

PART II:

  GERMANY:

Bayern Munich Build Mosque for Muslims
(www.loonwatch.com)

  15 May 2013

The request was made by the club’s Muslim midfielder Bilal Franck Ribery, who asked for  specifying a small room for players to perform their prayers

Hostility towards Islam and Muslims in Germany may be palpable but when it comes to making your players and fans feel comfortable and happy Bayern Munich knows what it is doing. (h/t: W. Ruiz)

MUNICH – Helping their players to fulfil their religious duties, German football giants Bayern Munich have decided to build a mosque to help Muslim footballers to perform their prayers.

The German football club agreed to a request to build a mosque in the Allianz Arena stadium to serve its Muslim players and fans. The request was made by the club’s Muslim midfielder Bilal Franck Ribery, who asked for specifying a small room for players to perform their prayers.

The new mosque would serve Muslim players and fans with a full time imam, an Islamic library and Islamic sessions. The administration also announced that they will finance 85 percent of the costs of the worship place, leaving 15% to Muslim players and fans who want to participate.The news about the new mosque was made public via the club’s official site.

Bayern Munich is the biggest sports club in Germany and the fourth biggest football club in the world, generating €368.4 million in 2012.

Bayern is not the first European club to build a mosque for its Muslim players after New Castle United specified a prayer room for Muslim players.

PART III:

SWEDEN:

 Historic Prayer Call Heard at Stockholm Mosque

26 Apr 13 

(www.thelocal.se) 

Worshippers at the Fittja mosque in southern Stockholm on Friday heard Sweden's first-ever call to prayer, which brought some congregation members to tears of joy.

THE END