VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 82, June 7, 2009
St. Louis, Missouri

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

CONTENTS:

(1) Editorial

(2) US President Barack Obama in Saudi Arabia and Egypt

(3) Conflictual flashpoints of Global Ummah

a. Palestine

b. Iraq

c. Afghanistan

d. Kashmir - India

e. Muslim riots in Athens - Greece

f. Pakistan / SWAT Valley- Millions of Muslims displaced and Homeless

g. Indonesian Air Crash

h. Somalia

i. Darfur (Sudan)

k. Burma: Persecution of Rohingyas - Burmese Muslims


(1) EDITORIAL:

During the most recent speech in Friday prayers, you may have yet heard once again the word of UMMAH. Have you ever thought in what concrete ways could this organizational Islamic concept be applied in your local community and the Muslim world at large ?

How many of you have a halal date planned for this weekend ? How many of you plan to go to a Chinese restaurant or any other restaurant for a "change" during this weekend ? How many of you have a wedding or wedding related function or party to attend to this weekend ? How many of you have planned to see a movie or engage in any other kind of entertainment/recreational/sports activity during this weekend ?

For those of you who can plan to have such a CHANGE, be thankful to ALLAH, for there are millions of Muslims across the globe who do not have such an opportunity due to social, political and other factors beyond their control, as the pictures below would suggest.

Are you aware of the MAJOR FLASHPOINTS SEVERELY IMPACTING THE GLOBAL UMMAH TODAY ?

Have you ever thought about the strength of the Global Ummah of 1.5 billion Muslims in the world with an economic strength running into trillions. But still do you realize how HELPLESS the Ummah has become in face of continued onslaught against our own. As long as the Muslims focus on their differences rather than on the similarities, the sufferings of the global Ummah are likely to continue unabated. Muslims are fighting and killing other Muslims in Iraq, Sudan-Darfur, Pakistan, Afghanistan et.c.

Misguided extremists and suicide bombers are blowing themselves up literally like firecrackers killing innocent Muslim men, women and children around them in a relentless manner with total disregard to LIFE that ALLAH has given. Some of them even have the audacity to come right into the House of ALLAH and then blow themselves up. To us they are enemies of ISLAM. Our beautiful religion stands for PEACE and SUBMISSION to ALLAH and such extremists bring nothing but DISGRACE to our noble and peaceful religion.

We realize the whole situation is not as simplistic as it may sound and it is much more complicated. But still, what are we as individual Muslims doing to help reduce the sufferings of our distressed Muslims across the globe ?

A picture speaks a thousand words. For few minutes, let 's review the pictures below and ask ourselves what if we were in their shoes ? Let us truly reflect on why our loving Prophet Mohammed (SAW) emphasized in so many different ways about the concept of UMMAH. While in almost all Friday speeches we do hear the word UMMAH, let us ask ourselves whether we are practically able to apply such a beautiful, unifying, bonding organizational concept in our daily lives beyond being freezed and limited to the spiritual and important ritualistic domain. Last but not the least, we need to ask ourselves what we as individual Muslims could do from the best of our capacity to help the distressed Muslims reduce the sufferings.

(2) US President Barack Obama in Saudi Arabia and Egypt:

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud (right) meets with US President Barack Obama at his ranch in al-Janadriya on the outskirts of Riyadh. US President Barack Obama discussed Middle East peace with his Egyptian host on Thursday ahead of a much-heralded address to the world's Muslims, seeking to heal a wide rift between America and Islam.(AFP/Mandel Ngan)

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (left) greets his US counterpart Barack Obama at the presidential palace in Cairo. Obama discussed Middle East peace with his Egyptian host on Thursday ahead of a much-heralded address to the world's Muslims, seeking to heal a wide rift between America and Islam.(AFP/Khaled Desouki)

(3) Conflictural flashpoints of Global Ummah:
(All photoes below from yahoo.news/photoes)

Palestine

IRAQ

AFGHANISTAN:

(Taliban bursts poisonous gases in girls schools. Above photo is of female students hospitalized)

(Fearful of attending girls schools due to bombings most female students stay away for safety reasons, above is the lone female student)

An Afghan girl looks at Canadian soldiers on patrol as she travels with women in the back of a taxi at Bazaar e Panjwai in Kandahar May 28, 2009.
REUTERS/Jorge Silva

KASHMIR- INDIA

Kashmiri Muslims carry the body of Kashmiri youth in Srinagar. The youth, hurt in protests against the alleged rape and murder of two women in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir died in hospital Thursday, sparking fresh demonstrations, police said.

Kashmiri Muslims shout pro-freedom slogans in Srinagar. A young man hurt in protests against the alleged rape and murder of two women in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir died in hospital Thursday, sparking fresh demonstrations, police said.(AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

Muslim riots in Athens- Greece
(A Greek Police man destroyed the Holy Quran provoking a riot)

PAKISTAN / SWAT VALLEY- MILLIONS OF MUSLIMS DISPLACED AND HOMELESS

(A son lifts his father and flees the conflict zone)

INDONESIAN AIRCRASH:

(Family members of aircrash victims grieving)

SOMALIA:

(As with most wars and conflict women and children are forced to bear the brunt of displacement, violence and suffering)

DARFUR (SUDAN) :

·(DARFUR - A conflict between Muslims. Primary victims - Women and Children)

·

Jazakamullah Khair

Feel free to e-mail your valuable comments: amyusuf786@yahoo.com