VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 90, 2nd August, 2009, Toronto, Canada
Editors: Haja Mohideen and Azra HM Yusuf

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

13 year old Muslim Girl Headed to University

WEST HAVEN - In many ways, Maeda Hanafi is a typical kid.She likes to ride her bicycle, inline skate and play with friends, as well as with other youngsters who attend Masjid Al-Islam, her family's mosque in New Haven.But while most 13-year-olds are just completing seventh grade, Maeda already has earned 15 college credits and will be a full-time student at the University of New Haven in the fall.

"I have lots of friends of different ages," Maeda said of her stint this year at Gateway Community College in North Haven, where she was on the dean's list, completing courses in physics, pre-calculus, calculus and computer programming.The oldest child of Anna and Imam Hanafi, Maeda and her three siblings, Aisya, 5, Idris, 10, and Adam, 11, all are home-schooled.She did attend Forest Elementary School through second grade, but found she was bored. Five years later, with her parents as her teachers, Maeda had advanced enough to win a $12,000 merit scholarship to UNH.

Both parents have math and science backgrounds - Imam Hanafi has marine engineering and computer science degrees, while Anna Hanafi was trained as an economist - and felt confident they could offer their children a good education.

Maeda is the youngest student ever admitted to the college ..
"I enjoy home-schooling. When I was in public school, I played too much, and I didn't learn that much. When I was home-schooled I was focused," Maeda said.

Melissa Laskowski, assistant director of undergraduate admissions at UNH, said it appears that Maeda is the youngest student ever admitted to the college. She was 12 when she got her acceptance notice this spring.Before that, a 16-year-old matriculated to UNH and graduated a few years ago, Laskowski said.Maeda's grade point average and SAT scores qualified her for the merit scholarship, which will help her family with the almost $30,000 bill. Laskowski said Maeda also came in for an interview when she applied for admission, which was optional.The admissions official said Maeda was highly recommended by one of her Gateway professors for her maturity and academic ability. She said it was possible the young teen will graduate early from UNH, given the number of credits she has already earned."We are really excited about having her here," Laskowski said.

20 Muslims honoured by the Queen
By Elham Asaad Buaras, Muslim News

Twenty (2 CBEs, 4 OBEs, 11 MBEs, 1 BEM, and 1 QPM) Muslims were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year along with 15 members of the Hindu and Sikh communities (1 Knighthood, 1 MVO, 3 CBEs, 1 OBE, 10 MBEs and 1 BEM) and thirteen members of the Jewish community (1 Damehood , 3 CBEs, 4 OBEs, and 5 MBEs). The majority of Muslims honoured gave their expertise to charities and the voluntary sector and six worked to advance social cohesion or Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) standard of living.

Muslim recipients in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2009

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE): Dr Anas Al-Shaikh Ali, academic advisor, Intl Inst of Islamic Thought, for services to community relations. Shaukat Moledina, for services to social housing & to charity.

Order of the British Empire (OBE): Reshard Auladin, Deputy Chair, Met Police Authority, for services to police & to the admin of justice. Rokhsana Fiaz, Dir, Change Inst, for services to, BME. Dr Mohammed Hossain, Dir, Research & Intl Coop, national physical lab, for services to industry. Fiyaz Mughal, Dir, Faith Matters, for services to, the voluntary sector.

Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE); Jamila Aftab, for services to the community in Bristol. Ashuk Ahmed, for services to young people. Syeda Begum, fst Bengali & Somali people in Tower Hamlets. Mostapha Bouker Deputy Race Equality Officer, Prison Officer, HM Prison Belmarsh, Ministry of Justice. Ahmadul Haque, Chair, Al Islah Community Trust, for services to the community. Iftakhar Hussain, for services to Asian people in Hartlepool. Nurul Islam, for services to Bengali people. Ebrahim Kharodia, for services to, pharmacy in London & to charity in Malawi. Javaid Naveed, for services to BME in N Ireland. Dr Haifa Takruri-Rizk senior lecturer, Uni of Salford, for services to women, BME in science, engineering & tech education. Yusuf Saleh, admin officer, pension disability & carers’ service, Dept for Work & Pensions, for services to, public & voluntary service.

British Empire Medal (BEM); Anis Tiki, for services to the community.

Queens Police Medal (QPM); Mohammed Aziz, constable West Yorkshire Police

Protest ALDO Group
American shoe company ALDO has launched its new range of shoes in USA and named it FATIMA for Ladies and ABDULLAH for Men... names are written on the sole and inside the shoe. Protest ALDO Group……forward to all Muslims………..do it before Allah asks you what did you do for your Religion….this is a confirmed news plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. do not doubt its authenticity ALLAH SAYS: 'If you deny me in front of your friends, I shall deny you on the day of Judgment 93% of people won’t pass this on.... Will you be one of them ?????????????????

It’s Barbie’s world

Altmuslimah, By Farah Banihali

Islamic Barbie Dolls

Now, we have Fulla, who is marketed as a Muslim doll. She represents a “culturally sensitive alternative” to Barbie’s flashy lifestyle. Fulla is not manufactured by Mattel, but by a Syrian based company called NewBoy. She does bear obvious physical similarities to her white American counterpart: 11” tall, unable to stand on her own, and made in the same factories in China as Barbie. Fulla has “outdoor” and “indoor” clothes; her outdoor clothes include a hijab, a black abaya, or a long, cream coat, while her indoor clothes consist of trendy, Western-style outfits. She also comes with a mini pink prayer mat. Fulla herself has long black hair, large brown eyes, painted-on eyebrows, and an olive complexion, although some of the Internet images of the doll show her color ranging from dark brown to as white as Barbie’s. She also has two ‘friends’; blonde-haired Yasmine and red-haired Nada.

Razanne, a Muslim doll (again, similar to Barbie) is made by a Muslim couple in the U.S. and sold through their website. Buyers can purchase different varieties of Razanne – Fair Skin/Fair Hair, Olive Skin/Dark Hair or Dark Skin/Dark Hair. Like Fulla, Razanne has “inside” and “outside” attire. At home, Razanne dresses in all the latest fashions, and when she is out and about she dons her hijab and jilbaab. Yaqin argues that while Razanna is a “veiled mimicry” of Barbie, such dolls do offer an alternative representation of Muslim identity because the dolls are presented as a substitute to the culture of commodification. However, she concludes that it remains debatable whether the dolls break stereotypes of Muslim women, or reinforce them through constructing a universal female Muslim subject. It is important to realize that while dolls like Fulla and Razanne do offer an alternative to Barbie, the dolls remain inherently consumerist and construct their own discourse of femininity. (Photo: Chandra Marsono)

Americans lead humanitarian convoy to Gaza

Over two hundred Americans of all faiths led a humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza. Although initially denied the possibility to travel to Gaza, Viva Palestina endured the Egyptian bureaucracy and prevailed. Humanitarian aid convoy included former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and New York City Councilman Charles Barron joined by many Americans witnessed the destruction of Gaza by Israel and speaking to the victims, including children.

Farah Pandith America’s special Muslim representative By Elham Asaad Buaras, Muslim News

The US Department of State’s appointment of veteran advisor Farah Pandith as Special Representative to Muslim Communities has been welcomed by some quarters in Capitol Hill but left others wishing Secretary Hillary Clinton selected someone less seasoned by years serving the Bush Administration.

Clinton said Kashmiri-born Pandith “sees her personal experience as an illustration of how Muslim immigrants to the US can successfully integrate themselves into American society.”

Pandith, who has been in various Government departments since 2003 and had worked in Kabul, with the US Agency for International Development, spoke to The Muslim News about her new job created “for the first time in American history” and the trials that comes with it. Among her many challenges is the accusations that her role is not as ‘new’ nor as ‘historic’ as Clintons’ State Department would have people believe.

India: A group formed to wage Jihad against terrorism
twocircles.net

New Delhi: Some peace-loving citizens of Mumbai have established a new organization, National Institute for Jihad Against Terrorism (NIJAT), to fight against terrorism and abolish it.

Talking with newsmen in Mumbai, the national convener of NIJAT, Farooq Azam said, “The world is facing a macabre situation in the form of anti-human terrorism. Lives of lacs of people have been devastated and innumerable have become a victim of painful circumstances all over the world.” He further said, “This is a proven fact that terrorism does not spread without any cause but we also believe that in this civilized society of 21st century, terrorism is no solution to any problem.”

“Irrespective of the religion he adheres to, none has got a right to exploit religious belief to justify his satanic ways at the cost of human suffering”, Farooq Azam said, “Because every religion spreads the message of peace, harmony, brotherhood, mutual care and not harming others.” He avowed to spread this message of Jihad against terrorism across the country.

On this occasion, the president of All India Ulema Board, Maulana Naushad Alam Siddiqui said, “In order to eliminate this human tragedy and make this world a better place for our children and coming generations, we should associate ourselves with such movements.” He congratulated Farooq Azam for launching NIJAT.

NIJAT has planned to make people aware of the scourge of terrorism and bring back the astray youths on right path through national level seminars, conferences and dramas.