VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 121, March 7, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

Editorial:

Number of Muslim Countries in the world - 57

Number of Jewish Countries in the world - 01

Population of Global Ummah: One and half billion Muslims
Population of Israel: Seven and half million (20 percent of whom are Arabs)

From above, it is obvious that in terms of population and number of countries, Muslims overwhelmingly surpass the Jews. Have you ever thought why 1.5 billion Muslims from 57 countries are not able to thus far (after almost sixty years of Arab-Israeli conflict) still not able to reach an agreement with Israel to grant independent nation for Palestinians? Do you think that disunity among the Muslims may be one of the leading causes for continuation of above conflict ?

ISLAM being a religion of peace, should invariably have tools of peace to deal with difference of opinion and conflict. Seldom do we hear or see Muslims using the tools of peace to resolve their internal and external conflicts. Could this deficiency be one of the problems fueling the persistent insecurity among Jews.

If Islam is really a RELIGION OF PEACE, what tools of peace have the GLOBAL UMMAH really utilized with Israel to work for an independent Palestinian nation . When Allah has commanded in the Holy Quran that "MANKIND IS BUT ONE COMMUNITY", why is HAMAS still holding on to its rigid vision for the destruction of Israel (which is part of the above ONE COMMUNITY) and its refusal to peacefully co-exist with Israel ?

It is high time that the Global Ummah through an elected global Muslim organization and through co-ordination with other interested nations including United States and European Union negotiate with Israelis for a Palestinian homeland.

Continued Arab-Israeli conflict for over six decades is really a shame to the entire humanity. We urge all peace loving Muslims, Jews, Christians and others to actively work towards resolution of above conflict.

As for Muslims, it is high time that the Global Ummah quickly move beyond implementing the (important) concept of ONE UMMAH just in religious rituals and extend the concept of UMMAH to other major aspects impacting the political and social life of the Muslims. Unfortunately Muslims continue to be divided in sub-groups: "the Saudis are staunch Wahabi Muslims", " ongoing Sunni Vs Shia sectarian conflict", conflict between Hamas and Palestinian Authority right within the heartland of potential Palestinian nation, so on and so forth have severely crippled the Global Ummah's ability to band together as ONE UNIVERSAL TEAM OF MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

Both Muslims and Jews must work much harder to focus on common points, expand the areas of co-operation in the backdrop of PEACE, LOVE AND INTERFAITH PARTNERSHIP.

LONG LIVE - PALESTINE

(All photos below from yahoo.news.pictures)



Map of the Occupied West Bank, locating Israel settlements, the separation barrier and areas closed to Palestinians. (AFP/Graphic)

A Palestinian youth is arrested by Israeli border policemen following clashes with Israeli forces at the Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem. Israeli security forces arrested nine Palestinians in a second raid in as many days in the refugee camp in mainly Arab east Jerusalem after youths hurled stones at them. (AFP/Menahem Kahana)

(yahoo.news.photos)

Palestinian Islamic Jihad supporters shout slogans while holding the Koran, Islam's holy book, during a rally to protest against the addition of two West Bank shrines to a list of Israeli national heritage sites, in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Friday made a rare visit to the Ibrahim Mosque known also as the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a shrine holy to Muslims and Jews in the West Bank city of Hebron. Speaking to reporters after prayers Fayyad accused Israel of 'annexing' it. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

Israeli soldiers take position during clashes with Palestinian stone throwers in the West Bank town of Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked outrage earlier this week when he said he hoped to include Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron in a national heritage restoration plan. (AFP/Alessio Romenzi)

Israeli soldiers patrol in a street during clashes with Palestinians, not seen, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in months. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

yahoo.news.photos

Israeli soldiers fire tear gas canisters at Palestinians, not seen, during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in months. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Palestinian youths throw stones during clashes with Israeli soldiers, not seen, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in months. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Palestinian youths run in the street during clashes with Israeli soldiers, not seen, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in months. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Israeli left-wing activists demonstrate against Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat, not seen, outside the municipality in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Barkat has unveiled an ambitious development plan that would demolish dozens of Palestinian homes to make way for a bustling tourist center in a contested area of the city. But Jerusalem's Mayor said that at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he would discuss his plan with Palestinian residents before moving forward. Left banner reads in Hebrew: 'Barkat in the service of settlers'. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

yahoo.news.photos

A Palestinian man looks at pigeons at a rooftop in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat has unveiled an ambitious development plan that would demolish dozens of Palestinian homes in Silwan to make way for a bustling tourist center, but agreed to a last-minute request from Israel's prime minister to consult Palestinian residents before breaking ground. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

A Palestinian youth kicks a burning tire as others look on, during clashes with Israeli soldiers, not seen, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in months. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

yahoo.news.photos

A masked Palestinian youth stands next to a burning tire as others look on, during clashes with Israeli soldiers, not seen, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. A crowd of Palestinian youths pelted Israeli soldiers with stones and empty bottles on Monday, drawing tear gas and stun grenades in the most serious violence to rock this volatile West Bank city in months. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

yahoo.news.photos

Palestinians throw stones at Israeli border police during clashes in the village of Issawiya in East Jerusalem March 6, 2010. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israeli policemen run during clashes with Palestinian youths in Jerusalem's old city. Seventeen people including two Israeli policemen were wounded in clashes at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, after police entered to arrest Palestinians who had hurled rocks at visitors they believed were Jewish extremists. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

A Palestinian youth throws stones at Israeli soldiers and policemen during clashes near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's old city on February 28, 2010. Israeli police stepped up security around the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Monday after several people were wounded in clashes in and around the fiercely contested holy site. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

A Palestinian throws a stone towards Israeli police during confrontations in Jerusalem's Old City February 28, 2010. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

An elderly Palestinian woman shows her identification papers to an Israeli soldier a checkpoint in Bethlehem. There is anger among Palestinians at Israel's decision on Monday to give the go-ahead for 112 new homes to be built in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. (AFP/File/Musa al-Shaer)

Israeli police block Palestinians from entering the compound known by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif during confrontations in Jerusalem's Old City February 28, 2010. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen

Palestinian youths throw stones at Israeli soldiers and policemen during clashes near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's old city. Seventeen people including two Israeli policemen were wounded in clashes at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Sunday, after police entered to arrest Palestinians who had hurled rocks at visitors they believed were Jewish extremists. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

POSITIVE NEWS ABOUT ISRAEL'S HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

(Ed Note: Do those that get disturbed reading any positive news about Israel are as biased as certain Jews who get disturbed reading any positive news about Arab countries or Islam ? )

Israeli soldiers, part of a rescue team in Haiti, pray upon their return to Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. An Israeli team that earned international praise for its rescue efforts in Haiti returned home Thursday with a 5-year-old boy in need of urgent heart surgery. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

EGYPT

Women-only cafe set up in Cairo.

TRANSITION OF POWER IN MUSLIM COUNTRY OF NIGER

A graphic and factfile on Niger. The United States stepped up calls for a peaceful and early transition from military to civilian rule in uranium-rich Niger where a military coup has overthrown President Mamadou Tandja. (AFP/Graphic)

PICTURE OF JESUS HOLDING A BEER CAN AND A CIGARETTE FOUND IN TEXTBOOKS OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN AMRITSAR, INDIA:

(Ed Note: Above mentioned note is offensive not only to Christians but Muslims too, to whom Jesus is a revered Prophet)

Members of the Christian Action Committee shout slogans during a protest in Amritsar on February 21. Christians in India's northeast are outraged after a picture showing Jesus Christ holding a beer can and a cigarette was discovered in primary school textbooks. (AFP/Narinder Nanu)

DISPOSAL OF 5000 HUMAN EMBRYOS IN DUBAI ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS

An embryologist examines a dish with human embryos at an IVF clinic. A fertility clinic in Dubai is to begin next week disposing of about 5,000 human embryos on religious grounds, according to a report in the Khaleej Times. (AFP/Getty Images/File/Sandy Huffaker

STIFLING FREE SPEECH IN EGYPT:

Egyptian soldiers in Cairo in 2004. AN EGYPTIAN BLOGGER DETAINED FOR WRITING A POST CRITICAL OF THE ARMED FORCES FACED A MILITARY COURT on Monday accused of "publishing false information about a military institution. "(AFP/File/Ramzi Haidar)

GLOBAL UMMAH'S NOTICE TO TALIBAN:

"Your clock is ticking, and your end as a significant organization is coming very soon. Remember Allah's promise to replace Muslims who do not follow the true path of Islam"

According to below note, 64 percent of Afghan children were killed by Taliban linked militants:

Are the Taliban deviated Muslims - YES,
Are they extremist Muslims-NO
(SORRY, CHILD KILLERS CANNOT BE PRACTICING OR EXTREMIST MUSLIMS)

Graphic on child victims of the war in Afghanistan. Children are the biggest victims of the war in Afghanistan, with more than 1,050 people under 18 years old killed last year alone, according to an Afghan human rights watchdog. (AFP)

CAN YOU BELIEVE A CHILDREN'S HOME IN NEPAL CAME CLOSE TO PUTTING UP TWO CHILDREN FOR ADOPTION WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR PARENTS ?

(ED NOTE: We urge the Nepalese Government to investigate whether the Children's Home had already given up children for adoption IN THE PAST without the knowledge of the parents)

Nepalese parents Rajan Kumar Nepali (right) and Maya pose with their children during an interview with AFP at their home in Kathmandu. The couple, who cannot read or write, almost lost their children when a nearby children's home put them up for adoption without the knowledge of their biological parents. (AFP/File/Prakash Mathema)

MUSLIMS IN SPORTS:

Naseem Hamid becomes South Asia's fastest woman by winning the 100-meter race in the regional games in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid (C) is flanked by her parents as she poses with her gold medal following her arrival in Karachi. Cash prizes worth millions of rupees poured in from President Asif Ali Zardari and businessmen, and parliament promised her a bigger house. (AFP/AFP)

Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid (R) wins gold in the women's 100 metre race at the 11th South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka. She ran to victory in the 100 metres, becoming Pakistan's first woman to sprint to gold in the championship's 26-year history. (AFP/Munir Uz Zaman)



Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid flashes victory signs after winning gold in the women's 100 metre race at the 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka. (AFP/Munir Uz Zaman)

NEW WINDOW OF EXPRESSIONS FOR THE MUSLIMA

Egyptian radio presenter and divorcee Mahassen Saber listens to a radio program on her Internet-based station "Divorcees Radio" at an Internet cafe in Zagazig, 90 kms north of Cairo. (AFP/Victoria Hazou)

The logo of the Egyptian Internet-based radio station "Divorcees Radio" . Since its launch a few months ago, "Motalaqat Radio" -- Radio Divorcees in Arabic -- has broadcast on the Internet, airing programmes with titles such as "You are misunderstood" and "Diary of a divorced man". (AFP/Victoria Hazou)

Egyptian radio presenter and divorcee Mahassen Saber takes a break from working on her Internet-based radio station "Divorcees Radio" to check on her son as he watches a film at an Internet cafe in Zagazig. She says it is impossible to speak to a colleague on the street without immediately being suspected of having a relationship with him. (AFP/Victoria Hazou)

Doaa, an Egyptian blogger for the Internet-based radio station "Divorcees Radio", takes a break from work at an Internet cafe in Zagazig. Government figures show that every six minutes a couple separates in Egypt, a country where the population is more than 80 million. (AFP/Victoria Hazou)

Divorce in Egypt
(blogs.mcclatchydc.com)

CNN has an interesting online report about Egyptian women breaking a longstanding taboo and talking openly about divorce. The reporter says that the proliferation of TV programs, radio shows and blogs about marriage-related issues has helped to ease the stigma still associated with divorce throughout much of the Middle East.

CNN reports that nearly 40 percent of all marriages in Egypt end in divorce, according to 2008 figures from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. That means Egypt has the highest divorce rate in the Arab world.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT:

Once considered taboo to discuss in public, private relationships between men and women are now the hot topic of television talk shows, radio programs and blogs. Mahasen Saber, host of Divorce Radio, says that her program is helping to break the stigma.

"People are shocked at first, but after they read and listen to what we write and present, they like what we talk about...they are happy because I am talking about something they are dealing with" Saber told CNN.

Earlier this year she launched the radio show to complement her blog called "I Want A Divorce."

SEX ENTERS THE PICTURE:

Dr. Heba Kotb is a leading sexologist in Cairo who appears regularly on TV. She has two PHD's, one in sexuality from the University of Florida, and she considers herself a conservative Muslim. Dr. Kotb attributes 80 percent of divorce in Egypt to sexual problems. "In most cases couples simply don't know how to deal sexually with their partner," she told CNN. "I provide the information -- this is right, this is wrong, you should do this."

DO YOU SUPPORT GAYS TO BE SURROGATE PARENTS ?
HOW DO CURRENT ACCEPTED SOCIAL PRACTICES IMPACT THE MUSLIM GAY COMMUNITY ?

In this February 19 photograph, US citizen Brad Fister cradles his 23-day old daughter Ashton in Hyderabad. Commercial surrogacy is a booming industry in India, and in recent years the ranks of childless foreign couples coming here have been swelled by gay partners looking for a low-cost, legally friendly path to parenthood. (AFP/Noah Seelam)

In this February 19 photograph, US citizen Brad Fister kisses his 23-day old daughter Ashton in Hyderabad. Commercial surrogacy is a booming industry in India, and in recent years the ranks of childless foreign couples coming here have been swelled by gay partners looking for a low-cost, legally friendly path to parenthood. (AFP/Noah Seelam)

Israeli gay couple Omer Gher (L) and Yonatan pose with their son, who was conceived through an Indian surrogate mother, at a hospital in Mumbai in 2008. The first foreign gay partners to acquire a baby through surrogacy in India -- in May 2008 -- were Israelis who used the Rotunda Fertility Clinic in Mumbai, which has been at the forefront of what some call "pregnancy outsourcing" trend in India. (AFP/File)

NIGERIAN PRESIDENT FINALLY RETURNS BACK TO NIGERIA:

Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'adua attends a Muslim prayer session in Abuja September 29, 2009. Yar'adua, Nigeria's ailing president, has signed a supplementary 2009 budget taken to him in Saudi Arabia covering spending in sub-Saharan Africa's second biggest economy until the end of March, a presidency source said on December 29, 2009. Picture taken September 29, 2009. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

According to New York Times dated Feb 24, 2010 (President Returns to Nigeria, but Not to Work By ADAM NOSSITER) while President Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria returned home on Wednesday after three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, a spokesman indicated that he would not immediately seek to reclaim the powers that Parliament transferred to his deputy two weeks ago.

Mr. Yar’Adua’s return in the early hours of Wednesday morning had raised concerns among diplomats in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, that a power struggle might unfold. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in two weeks ago as acting president.

In a statement quoted by news agencies, Olusegun Adeniyi, the presidential spokesman, said, “President Yar’Adua wishes to reassure all Nigerians that on account of their unceasing prayers and by the special grace of God, his health has greatly improved.

“However,” the spokesman said, “while the president completes his recuperation, Vice President Jonathan will continue to oversee the affairs of state.”

POSITIVE AFGHAN NEWS:

An Afghan family rides a motorcycle in Marjah on February 25. After moving to the United States, Abdullah Qazi got so sick of seeing his country in the headlines for all the wrong reasons he set up a website to spread good news about Afghanistan. (AFP/File/Patrick Baz)

This screen grab image taken on February 28 in Kabul shows the homepage and the logo of the "Good Afghan News" website. After moving to the United States, Abdullah Qazi got so sick of seeing his country in the headlines for all the wrong reasons he set up a website to spread some good news about Afghanistan. (AFP)

A webpage and logo of the "Good Afghan News" website. After moving to the United States, Afghan man Abdullah Qazi got so fed up of seeing his country in the news over the long-running conflict which has blighted the nation that he set up a website to spread some good news about Afghanistan. (AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

CHANGING TRENDS: WHERE DO AMERICANS GET THEIR NEWS FROM ?

Graph on the most popular platforms for news in the United States. The Internet has become the third most popular news platform for American adults, trailing only local and national television stations, according to a survey. (AFP/Graphic)

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE:
(Thanks to Dr. Lewis for forwarding below two notes on gender issues)

THINGS HAVE GENDER TOO:

WEB PAGES:
Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS:
Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

GENDER WARS: THE OLDEST BATTLE IN HISTORY CONTINUES:

WIFE VS. HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?'

'Yes,' the wife replied, 'my in-laws.'

WOMEN'S REVENGE

'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet , I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. 'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked. 'No,' she replied, 'but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally...'

STREET TALK:

(1) "The other day, I was near a red signal which forced me to stop my car, I had lot of difficulty controlling my anger over another motorist who had his tape to the maximum volume of a obscene rap music that seemed to reduce women to objects, mentions of killing police officers etc. Due to his excessive tape volume I could hardly hear my Holy Quran cassette. I was so upset that I initially felt like increasing my Quranic tape to the maximum to get even. But then, I thought to myself, wait a minute, two wrongs don't make it right. He has already demonstrated that he does not care to those around him, why should I follow his wrong step. I backed off from increasing my tape volume and desperately waited for the signal to turn green. Finally the signal turned green, with a big sigh of relief, I accelerated my car and left".

(2) "Almost everyday on my way to work, I stop by at a SHELL gas station to pick up a cup of coffee. What amazed me was that there was one employee of the service station that was consistently so happy, cheerful ALL THE TIME. There was never a single day in all the past several months that I did not see her cheerful and providing exceptional customer service. One day I asked her what was her secret of being so cheerful and happy ALL THE TIME. She told me that her happiness was mainly because work gives her an opportunity to be away from her husband and child. Disappointed I left, somehow I did not expect to receive such a response".

(3) I wonder what the car driver had specifically in his mind, when his bumper sticker read: "Looking for an overnight meaningful relationship".

A PEEK OUTSIDE THE BOX INTO OBSERVATION OF THE SIKHS

Nihangs, or Sikh warriors, ride on a motorbike during celebrations of "Hola Mohalla" at Anandpur Sahib in the northern Indian state of Punjab March 1, 2010. "Hola Mohalla", or the festival of Nihangs, is celebrated during the Hindu religious festival of Holi, marking the congregation of Sikh devotees from all over the country. REUTERS/Ajay Verma

THE END