VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 146, August 30, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

Editorial:

In continuing the spirit of the Holy month of Ramadan, we would like to share the "Faith in Action" photos of the Global Ummah to highlight the diverse groups of Muslims in terms of their nationality, culture, ethnicity, customs, current social situations (fasting while crisis involving floods, while in jail/prison) et.c. In particular we would like to thank Br. Sameer Qureishi of Los Angeles, California who had forwarded an e-mail with below photos from Boston Globe. Our special thanks to Boston Globe (www.boston.com) for having published (in our personal opinion) one of the best set of Ramadan photos.

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS

ASIA

A young Palestinian Muslim girl walks in an alley of Jerusalem's old city holding a traditional Ramadan lantern while celebrating with other children the announcing of the holy month of Ramadan on Tuesday, Aug. 10 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

A Palestinian boy plays with a homemade sparkler after breaking his fast during Ramadan, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

A Syrian Muslim girl stands at the top of Mount Qassioun, which overlooks Damascus city, during sunset and prays before eating her Iftar meal on August 22, 2010. (REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri)

Flood-affected people break their fast on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in a camp in Nowshera, Pakistan on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010. Pakistani flood survivors, already short on food and water, began the fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday, a normally festive, social time marked this year by misery and fears of an uncertain future. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

An Indian Muslim perfumer selects a bottle of ather (non-alcoholic perfume) for customers at his shop in Hyderabad on August 17, 2010. Muslims apply ather to their clothes as a traditional custom before going for daily prayers during the Holy month of Ramadan. Hyderabad is a well known place for selling Ather some 157 varieties of perfume available on the market. (NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images)

Her hands decorated with henna, an Afghan Muslim woman takes part in evening prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on August 13, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

A Bahraini man points skyward at dusk Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, in Hamad Town, Bahrain, towards where a slim crescent moon should be visible to indicate the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a time of prayer, fasting and charitable giving. Clouds hampered skywatchers in the Persian Gulf island nation. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

Kashmiri Muslims pray on a street on the third Friday of Ramadan, in Srinagar, India, Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A Palestinian Muslim man decorates an alley of Jerusalem's old city with festive lights in preparation for Ramadan on Tuesday, Aug. 10 2010. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

A child sits with a plate of food that was distributed as part of the holy month of Ramadan, at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)

Indonesian chefs make miniature chocolate mosques for sale during the fasting month of Ramadan, at a chocolate shop in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Muslim pilgrims pray inside the Grand Mosque, with the Mecca Clock in the background, on the second day of the fasting month of Ramadan in Mecca August 12, 2010. The giant clock on a skyscraper in Islam's holiest city Mecca began ticking on Wednesday at the start of the fasting month of Ramadan, amid hopes by Saudi Arabia that it will become the Muslim world's official timekeeper. (REUTERS/Hassan Ali)

Thousands of Muslims gather in the Grand Mosque, in Islam's holiest city of Mecca and home to the Kaaba (center), as they take part in dawn (fajir) prayers on August 29, 2010, to start their day-long fast during the holy month or Ramadan. (AMER HILABI/AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands of Muslims circle the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque in Islam's holiest city of Mecca, taking part in dawn (fajir) prayers on August 29, 2010. (AMER HILABI/AFP/Getty Images)

Muslim girls offer prayers before having their Iftar (fast-breaking) meal during the holy month of Ramadan at a madrasa on the outskirts of Jammu on August 21, 2010. (REUTERS/Mukesh Gupta)

Some 200 Muslims, inmates of the Quezon city jail in suburban Manila, are seen through a fence praying at the prison courtyard on August 13, 2010. The large Muslim minority in the Philippines - a country home to 75 million Catholics - is observing Ramadan, the holy fasting month of Islam. (JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images)

AFRICA:

The crescent moon is seen near mosques in old Cairo on the fifth day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on August 15, 2010. (REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih)

A Sudanese man reads the Koran on the first Friday of Ramadan in a mosque at Umdowan Ban village outside Khartoum, Sudan on August 13, 2010. (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

EUROPE:

A mahya reading "Hold the fast. find good health" hangs between the minarets of the Ottoman-era Eminonu New Mosque in Istanbul August 12, 2010. Mahya, where dangling lights suspended between minarets spell out devotional messages in huge letters, are intended to reward and inspire the faithful who have spent the daylight hours fasting. Today just a handful of Istanbul's mosques use Mahya, the phrases dictated by Turkey's directorate of religious affairs. (REUTERS/Murad Sezer)

Muslim men pray before Iftar, the evening meal in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the London Muslim Centre on August 18, 2010 in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A Muslim man places a chart which marks the times to pray on a wall during the first day of Ramadan at a mosque in the southern Spanish town of Estepona, near Malaga August 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Jon Nazca)

Shop owner Boualem Bensalem (left) prays in his flat with family and friends before for Iftar meal in Geneva, Switzerland on August 23, 2010. Switzerland is home to some 311,000 Muslims (4.3% of the population). (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

A Muslim man performs ablution before prayer during the holy month of Ramadan at the London Muslim Centre on August 18, 2010 in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

NORTH AMERICA:

A member of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, lower left, participates in an Iftar, the evening meal when Muslim break their fast during Ramadan, August 17, 2010 at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia. The Islamic center invited frontline responders for Ramadan dinner to show appreciation and foster increased understanding. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Jim Otun of Fairfield, New Jersey uses his iPad to read a dua in the Quran at Zinnur Books in Paterson, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 145, August 22, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

Editorial:

During this special month of Ramdan, our focus in this E-Zine issue is on Ummah's Health. Below three articles are related to fasting during the month of Ramdan.

PART I:

ED NOTE: Special thanks to Sister. Najmunisa Khanum from Bangalore, India who forwarded below e-mail originated by Sister Amina Omer. The author of below article is Dr. Farouk Haffejee from Islamic Medical Association of South Africa - Durban

B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Bismillaahi walhamdulillaahi wassalaatu wassalaamu `alaa rasoolillaahi

Assalaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu

Health Guidelines for Ramadhan

This article provides useful advice on how to avoid some common problems encountered in Ramadan. If followed, it would enable one to fast comfortably and enjoy fully the spiritual benefits of Ramadan.

During the holy month of Ramadan, our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. The diet should be such that we maintain our normal weight, neither losing nor gaining. However, if one is over-weight, Ramadan is an ideal time to normalize one's weight.

In view of the long hours of fasting, we should consume slow digesting foods including fibre containing-foods rather than fast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods last up to 8 hours, while fast-digesting foods last for only 3 to 4 hours.

* Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc. (called complex carbohydrates).

* Fast-burning foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, etc. (called refined carbohydrates).

* Fiber-containing foods are bran-containing foods, whole wheat, grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, sem (papry), marrow, mealies, spinach, and other herbs like methie, the leaves of beetroot (iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs and prunes, almonds, etc.

The foods eaten should be well-balanced, containing foods from each food group, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat/chicken/fish, bread/cereals and dairy products. Fried foods are unhealthy and should be limited. They cause indigestion, heart-burn, and weight problems.

AVOID

* Fried and fatty foods.
* Foods containing too much sugar.
* Over-eating especially during the meal before Dawn (sehri. or suhur)

* Too much tea during the meal before Dawn (sehri. or suhur). Tea makes you pass more urine taking with it valuable mineral salts that your body would need during the day.

* Smoking cigarettes. If you cannot give up smoking, cut down gradually starting a few weeks before Ramadan. Smoking is unhealthy and one should stop completely.

EAT

* Complex carbohydrates during the meal before Dawn (sehri. or suhur) so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry.
* Haleem is an excellent source of protein and is a slow-burning food.
* Dates are excellent source of sugar, fibre, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium.
* Almonds are rich in protein and fibre with less fat.
* Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates.

DRINK

* As much water or fruit juices as possible between iftar (Breaking fasting) and bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid levels in time.

Common Medical Problems

CONSTIPATION

Constipation can cause piles (haemorrhoid's), fissures (painful cracks in anal canal) and indigestion with a bloated feeling.

Causes: Too much refined foods, too little water and not enough fibre in the diet.

Remedy: Avoid excessive refined foods, increase water intake, use bran in baking, brown flour when making roti.

INDIGESTION AND WIND

Causes: Over-eating. Too much fried and fatty foods, spicy foods, and foods that produce wind e.g. eggs, cabbage, lentils, carbonated drinks like Cola also produce gas.

Remedy: Do not over-eat, drink fruit juices or better still drink water. Avoid fried foods, add ajmor to wind-producing foods.

LETHARGY ('low blood pressure')

Excessive sweating, weakness, tiredness, lack of energy, dizziness, especially on getting up from sitting position, pale appearance and feeling faint are symptoms associated with "low blood pressure". This tends to occur towards the afternoon.

Causes: Too little fluid intake, decreased salt intake.

Remedy: Keep cool, increase fluid and salt intake.

Caution: Low blood pressure should be confirmed by taking a blood pressure reading when symptoms are present. Persons with high blood pressure may need their medication adjusted during Ramadan. They should consult their doctor.

HEADACHE

Causes: Caffeine and tobacco-withdrawal, doing too much in one day, lack of sleep, hunger usually occur as the day goes by and worsens at the end of the day. When associated with "low blood pressure", the headache can be quite severe and can also cause nausea before Iftar (Breaking Fasting).

Remedy: Cut down caffeine and tobacco slowly starting a week or two before Ramadan. Herbal and caffeine-free teas may be substituted. Reorganize your schedule during the Ramadan so as to have adequate sleep.

LOW BLOOD SUGAR

Weakness, dizziness, tiredness, poor concentration, perspiring easily, feeling shaky (tremor), unable to perform physical activities, headache, palpitations are symptoms of low blood sugar.

Causes in non-diabetics: Having too much sugar i.e. refined carbohydrates especially during the meal before Dawn (sehri or suhur) . The body produces too much insulin causing the blood glucose to drop.

Remedy: Eat something at suhur (sehri) and limit sugar-containing foods and drinks.

Caution: Diabetics may need to adjust their medication in Ramadan, consult your doctor.

MUSCLE CRAMPS

Causes: Inadequate intake of calcium, magnesium and potassium foods.

Remedy: Eat foods rich in the above minerals e.g. vegetables, fruit, dairy products, meat and dates.

Caution: Those on high blood pressure medication and with kidney stone problems should consult their doctor.

PEPTIC ULCERS, HEART BURN, GASTRITIS AND HIATUS HERNIA

Increased acid levels in the empty stomach in Ramadan aggravate the above conditions. It presents as a burning feeling in the stomach area under the ribs and can extend up to the throat. Spicy foods, coffee, and Cola drinks worsen these conditions.

Medications are available to control acid levels in the stomach. People with proven peptic ulcers and hiatus hernia should consult their doctor well before Ramadan.

KIDNEY STONES

Kidney stones may occur in people who have less liquids to drink. Therefore, it is essential to drink extra liquids so as to prevent stone formation.

JOINT PAINS

Causes: The increased pressure on the knee joints during Salat. In the elderly and those with arthritis this may result in pain, stiffness, swelling and discomfort.

Remedy: Lose weight so that the knees do not have to carry any extra load. Exercise the lower limbs. Being physically fit allows greater fulfillment, thus enabling one to be able to perform salat with ease.

PART II:

FASTING WOMEN RISKING HEALTH BY TAKING TABLETS TO DELAY PERIODS

(Saudi Arabia)
Written By: Imran on August 22, 2010
(Arab News)

There is a growing tendency among young women, especially unmarried ones, to take drugs to delay menstrual cycle in the holy month of Ramadan.

“Out of their eagerness to observe fasting throughout the month of Ramadan without missing any days, many young women customers, including unmarried, are coming to buy Primolut N tablet. The sale of the tablet is on the rise with the advent of the fasting month of Ramadan,” Al-Watan daily reported, quoting a pharmacist in Taif.

According to the pharmacist, most of the customers of this tablet are unmarried girls. “They are not at all bothered about the side effects after using these tablets. They approach familiar pharmacists to buy it without a prescription,” he said.

Primolut N tablet contains the active ingredient norethisterone, which is a synthetic hormonal product similar to the natural female hormone progesterone. It is used in a wide range of menstrual disorders.

Primolout N is used for timing of menstruation and to treat disturbances in monthly bleeding, premenstrual complaints, menstrual cycle related complaints of the breast, endometriosis and heavy menstrual bleeding.

Ummu Faris, a private sector employee, says that she takes the tablet out of eagerness not to miss any days of fasting in the holy month. “Being a married woman, I had never encountered difficulties while buying the tablet,” she said.

Reem Salem, whose marriage took place one month ago, said that she started using the tablet one week before marriage to delay menstrual bleeding for some days. “I consulted this matter with one pharmacist, and started using it as per his advice. I stopped using it two days after the marriage,” she said.

Nawf Al-Owad, an unmarried young woman, says that she has been using this tablet for about eight years. “I use this medication only during Ramadan. I never experienced any complications after using it,” she said.

Hayat Ahmad, another unmarried girl, says that she uses contraceptive drugs obtained from her married sister to delay menstrual bleeding during Ramadan. “I use this secretly without telling any other members of my family to avoid any misunderstanding among them,” she said.

Dr. Hanan Oyara, consultant gynecologist at Al-Ameen Hospital in Taif, warns young women against using such tablets. “Using such tablets may lead to serious health complications, including a possibility for sterility,” she said.

Echoing the same view, Dr. Fatima Younis, internist at the same hospital, says that these tablets would cause serious complications among women with hormone deficiencies. However, some other medical sources played down side effects of using the tablets.

Dr. Dalal Namnaqani, consultant pathologist at King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif, says that taking this drug should be under medical supervision and that the quantity should be limited and only for a temporary period. “There may not be any serious effects if young women use them once,” she said.

Despite all these medical warnings, there has been huge increase in the number of customers for this tablet.

Muhammad Al-Sayyid, a pharmacist, says that a large number of women, especially girls, are coming to buy this tablet to delay menstruation. “This was more evident during Ramadan as well as during the Haj season. Similar was the case with the newly married women,” he said, adding that most of these women come without a medical prescription despite repeated warnings from medical experts.

Source : Arab News

PART III:

ENERGY DRINKS FOR IFTAR - WRONG CHOICE
(Saudi Arabia)

Written by: Imran on August 22, 2010
(Arab News)

It is true that after a long day of fasting and partaking of the iftar one can usually feel weak and in need of a long nap, but to get around this many youths in the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) have turned to taking energy drinks to break their fasts in order to give them a boost to enjoy Ramadan nightly activities and to stay up until the pre-dawn suhur.

“I prefer an energy drink after I have eaten my iftar meal,” said 22-year-old Saudi Afnan Labban. “It gives me a pick-me-up to go shopping and to enjoy other Ramadan activities with my family and friends.”

Faiz Al-Otaibi, a 19-year-old Makkawi, said using energy drinks has “become the newest way we have found of beating the fatigue we feel after fasting and allowing us to go out with our friends to clubs and malls.”

However, nutritionists advise against using such beverages to break fasts.

“After fasting the body is in need of fluids to cleanse and replenish the body as well as help moderately adjust sugar levels in the blood,” said Dr. Khalid Madani, general supervisor of the Nutrition Department at the Ministry of Health and vice president of the Saudi Society for Food and Nutrition.

“Consuming energy drinks which are high in sugar and caffeine can cause many health problems, such as kidney and liver damage and cause conditions such as diabetes and symptoms such as dizziness, nervousness, and severe headaches.”

Water is considered the best fluid to drink during fast-breaking. A recent article by researchers at Nova Southeastern University in the US state of Florida — published in The Physician and Sports Medicine journal — said energy drinks “may cause adverse effects, particularly with high episodic consumption.”

Energy drinks contain as much as 505 mg of caffeine in a single 355 ml can, the same as contained in 14 cans of cola, in addition to high amounts of sugar and taurine.

Stephanie Ballard, one of the US researchers who coauthored the article also said there is conflicting evidence about whether these drinks contribute to weight loss.

Ballard also indicated that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined the acceptable amount of caffeine to be 71 mg in a 355 ml can while energy drinks contain 505 mg in the same container.

“Many people think that one cannot overdose on caffeine, but it is a drug as any other and consumption of too much caffeine whether from energy drinks or other sources can cause sleepy and nervous tension, osteoporosis, heart disease, vascular problems as well as complications in the intestine and even death,” she said.

Source : Arab News

THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 144, August 16, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

LETTER TO EDITORS:

Assalamo Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu

Brother:

A gentleman of your caliber, qualifications, and strong Iman must be honored, complimented and encouraged to continue the great work you are doing. I am happy to learn the progress you have made especially in the area of psychological behavior of our Umma.

May Allah SWT give you and your family excellent health and a long life so many people can benefit from your work. Please remember me in your duaas. May the blessings of Ramdan always showers upon you.

Wassalam

Dr. Shaikh

EDITORIAL:

Many of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Pakistan continue to be in great hardship due to the relentless devastation by the floods. May the United Nations and other countries pool their resources together and join the global ummah to assist the flood victims. The mudslide in China was also a tragedy and our hearts go out to all the victims both in Pakistan and China. May Almighty Allah ease their difficulties. The controversy over the proposed plan to build a Cordoba Cultural Center in New York is getting more intense. We are glad to get the support of the New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and US President Obama for above plan that is proposed to be built close to Ground Zero in New York.

CONTROVERSY OVER CULTURAL CENTER NEAR GROUND ZERO - NEW YORK

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, third from left, and members of local religious institutions stand in front of the Statue of Liberty for a news conference in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. The political and religious leaders were there to show their support for a mosque and Islamic cultural center planned in lower Manhattan. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

File photo shows US President Barack Obama taking part in a student round table discussion in Istanbul. Obama has waded into a bitter controversy over a plan by Muslims to build a mosque just blocks from Ground Zero, endorsing the project on religious freedom grounds. (AFP/File/Saul Loeb)

Unidentified guests listen to US President Barack Obama speak at an Iftar meal, the breaking of the Ramadan fast, at the White House in Washington, DC on August 13. Obama's endorsement of a controversial plan to build a mosque just blocks from Ground Zero poured fuel Saturday on a raging debate over religious freedom and sensitivities over the 9/11 attacks. (AFP/Nicholas Kamm)

Guests listen as President Barack Obama speaks at an iftar dinner, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. For over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection. Obama emphasized the American tenet of religious freedom just as New York City is immersed in a deeply sensitive debate about whether a mosque should be built near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. President Barack Obama and his daughter Sasha swim at Alligator Point in Panama City Beach, Florida, August 14, 2010. REUTERS/Pete Souza-The White House/Handout

CRISIS IN PAKISTAN:
FLOODS CONTINUES ITS DEVASTATION IMPACTING MILLIONS


(yahoo.news.photos)

A flood victim holding her sibling during a downpour weeps after having rice, donated by passing vehicles, snatched from her as she took refuge roadside with thousands of other internally displaced in Pakistan's Muzaffargarh district of Punjab province August 16, 2010. Pakistani flood victims, burning straw and waving sticks, blocked a highway on Monday to demand government help as aid agencies warned relief was too slow to arrive for millions without clean water, food and homes. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (Newsweek)

Residents evacuating through flood waters dodge an army truck carrying relief supplies for flood victims in Pakistan's Muzaffargarh district in Punjab province August 11, 2010. The floods have ploughed a swathe of destruction more than 1,000 km (600 miles) long from northern Pakistan to the south, killing more than 1,600 people. REUTERS/Adrees Latif. (Newsweek)

Pakistani flood victim Mohammed Nawaz hangs onto a moving raft as he is rescued by the Pakistan Navy August 10, 2010 in Sukkur, Pakistan. Pakistan is suffering from the worst flooding in 80 years as the army and aid organizations are struggling to cope with the scope of the widespread disaster, which has killed at least 1,500 people and displaced millions. Meanwhile, Pakistanis have become more frustrated with the government's response and President Asif Ali Zardari's trip to Europe, as Islamic charities step up to gain local grassroots support as they did in the 2005 earthquake. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)




A man bogged with cattle begs for help in the submerged area of Ghouspur. Asif Hassan / AFP-Getty Images (Newsweek)




Local residents of Sukkar, Pakistan carry their stuff fleeing houses due to flooding in low-lying areas on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010. In Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari returned Tuesday to a storm of criticism for visiting Europe as his country was gripped by the worst floods in its history that have affected nearly 14 million people. His arrival came as thousands of people fled a major city in central Pakistan as rivers nearby swelled and threatened to submerge the area. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) NEWSWEEK




A Pakistani crosses a canal with the help of cable wire on a damaged bridge, which was washed away by heave flood in Ghazi Gat near Muzaffargarh, in central Pakistan on Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. The number of people suffering from the massive floods in Pakistan exceeds 13 million — more than the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the United Nations said.(AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) NEWSWEEK




In this Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 picture, people stand on the remnants of a bridge washed away by heavy flooding in Bannu in northwest Pakistan. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the weather-related cataclysms of July and August fit patterns predicted by climate scientists, although those scientists always shy from tying individual disasters directly to global warming.(AP Photo/Ijaz Mohammad) NEWSWEEK




Pakistani villagers cross a flooded area of Bassera village near Muzaffargarh. The United States is increasing its financial contribution to flood relief in Pakistan by another 21 million dollars, bringing the total to 76 million dollars, officials said Thursday. (AFP/Arif Ali) NEWSWEEK



Villagers scramble for food as an Army helicopter touches down in the flood-hit area of Kot Addu, central Pakistan. (Newsweek)

People who had been stranded in Kalam, arrive in Khawaza Kheila in northwest Pakistan, on the U. S. Chinook helicopters on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010. The floods have already killed an estimated 1,500 people over the past week, most of them in the northwest, the center of Pakistan's fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban. An estimated 4.2 million Pakistanis have been affected, including many in eastern Punjab province, which has seen numerous villages swallowed by rising water in recent days. (AP Photo/Sherin Zada) NEWSWEEK

Pakistani flood affected families arrive at a tent city established by the government along the highway connecting flooded towns and villages to Sukkur. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday 20 million people had been affected by the worst floods in the country's history as the UN confirmed the first cholera case. (AFP/Aamir Qureshi)

A girl receives relief food at a camp for flood affected people on the outskirt of Sukkur, in southern Pakistan on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010. The flood waters that have ravaged Pakistan will not recede fully until the end of August, the country's top meteorologist said, a grim forecast for the more than 20 million people living homeless or otherwise affected by the deluge. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

Displaced Pakistani flood affected children receive food at a camp in Nowshera, Pakistan on Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. International aid for Pakistani floodvictims is coming in slowly compared to other recent disasters despite the massive number of people affected and the potential for dire economic consequences in a country key to Western hopes in the fight against Islamist extremists.(AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

An elderly Pakistani flood survivor is carried by a rescue workers as he is evacuated with other residents from Khangarh. Pakistan's Prime MinisterYousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday 20 million people had been affected by the worst floods in the country's history as the UN confirmed the first cholera case.(AFP/Banaras Khan)

Villager walks through waters while others make way to divert flood waters in Jacobabad, about 78 km (40 miles) from Sukkur in Pakistan's Sindh province,August 15, 2010. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged foreign donors to speed up aid to Pakistan after the country's worst floods in decades disrupted the lives of more than a tenth of its 170 million people. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Residents sit on a boat as they are rescued from rising floodwaters in Naogoth, a village located in the Dadu district of Pakistan's Punjab province August 15, 2010. REUTERS/Akram Shahid

Pakistani flood survivors struggle for biscuit packets distributed by volunteers in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. The deadly waterbornedisease cholera has surfaced in flood-ravaged Pakistan, the U.N. confirmed Saturday, adding to the misery of 20 million people the government says have been made homeless by the disaster. A fresh surge of floodwater swelled the Indus River, threatening previously spared cities and towns in the south. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

A man distributes rice at a camp for people affected by floods in Nowshera, northwest of Pakistan on Sunday Aug. 15, 2010. U.N. Secretary-General BanKi-moon traveled to flood-ravaged Pakistan today to boost relief efforts as the 20 million people made homeless in one of the worst disasters to hit the country grew increasingly desperate. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Pakistani flood affected families arrive at a tent city established by the government along the highway connecting flooded towns and villages to Sukkur.Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday 20 million people had been affected by the worst floods in the country's history as the UN confirmed the first cholera case. (AFP/Aamir Qureshi)

Displaced Pakistani flood victims wait in a queue for food relief at a camp in Nowshera, Pakistan on Friday, Aug. 13, 2010. International aid for Pakistaniflood victims is coming in slowly compared to other recent disasters despite the massive number of people affected and the potential for dire economic consequences in a country key to Western hopes in the fight against Islamist extremists. (AP Photo / Mohammad Sajjad)

A young flood victim, who was yet to be given a name, slept in a road median after her family evacuated their villages in Pakistan's Muzaffargarh districtin Punjab province on August 14, 2010. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

A Pakistani woman named Rowyda looks at her day old baby at a camp for people affected by floods in Nowshera, northwest Pakistan Sunday Aug. 15, 2010.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon traveled to flood-ravaged Pakistan Sunday to boost relief efforts as the 20 million people made homeless in one of the worst disasters to hit the country grew increasingly desperate. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Pakistani flood victims sit in a U.S. Navy MH-53E helicopter during a rescue and aid mission by the U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) August 17, 2010in Kalaam ,Upper Swat, Pakistan. The U.S. military has been taking part in the recovery efforts during the devastating Pakistan floods since August 4, that has carried 215 metric tons of relief supplies from the World Food Program (WFP) to the Swat region, a region that has been cut off when bridges were washed away during flash flooding. According to the U.S. military, they have evacuated 3,571 people from Kalam in Upper Swat. The country's agricultural heartland has been devastated, with rice, corn and wheat crops destroyed by floods. Officials say as many as 20 million people have been effected during Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years. The army and aid organizations are struggling to cope with the scope of the wide spread scale of the disaster that has killed over 1,600 people and displaced millions. The UN has described the disaster as unprecedented, with over a third of the country under water. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) NEWSWEEK

A displaced family escapes torrential rain in a tent beside a motorway on the outskirts of Peshawar. Behrouz Mehri / AFP-Getty Images (Newsweek)

MUDSLIDE IN CHINA

(ED NOTE: Yet another tragic loss in the mudslide in China. Our deep heart felt sympathy and condolences to all family members of the dead victims. May Allah ease their difficulties)

Graphic on the Zhouqu mudslide in China's Gansu province. Authorities warned heavy rains would continue into Sunday and said further flash floods, landslides and floating debris continued to pose dangers in Gansu province and neighbouring Sichuan, Xinhua said.(AFP/Graphic)

Women wail after a loved one is pulled out from the mud. Frederic J. Brown / AFP-Getty Images (Newsweek)

GREECE

(ED NOTE: We mourn the tragic loss of below Greek elderly brother and sister as a result of fire. Our deep heart felt sympathy and condolences to the family members of below fire victims).

The hand of an elderly woman is seen, on the right, on the balcony of a burning top floor apartment in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, Monday,Aug. 16, 2010. Firefighters were unable to reach the woman and her brother with a ladder, and both perished in the fire before a high enough crane could be brought in. The cause of the fire was unclear. (AP Photo)

An elderly man on the balcony of a burning top floor apartment tries to put out flames with a hose as he waits for help from rescuers in the northern Greekport city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. Firefighters were unable to reach him and his sister with a ladder, and both perished in the fire before a high enough crane could be brought in. The cause of the fire was unclear. (AP Photo)

(ED NOTE: We appreciate all Greeks who support the cause of a Palestinian State)

Protesters shout slogans outside, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's hotel, in Athens, Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. About 500 mainly left-wing and pro-Palestinian activists held a peaceful demonstration to protest Benjamin Netanyahu 's visit, marching to the Israeli Embassy which was surrounded by riot police. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Left-wing groups demonstrate against Israeli policies outside the Greek parliament in central Athens,on Monday, Aug. 16, 2010, as Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu held talks with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. Demonstrators protested the raid in May on a convoy of ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, in which Israeli commandos shot dead eight Turkish and one Turkish American peace activist. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A protester with a Palestinian flag stops outside, Netanyahu's hotel, in Athens, Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. About 500 mainly left-wing and pro-Palestinianactivists held a peaceful demonstration to protest Netanyahu's visit, marching to the Israeli Embassy which was surrounded by riot police. (AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis)

A PEEK OUTSIDE THE ISLAMIC BOX:

(ED NOTE: WE FULLY SUPPORT TURKEY FOR LIFTING BELOW 88 YEAR OLD BAN):

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, center, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, conducts a service at the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon,northeastern Turkey, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010. The mass conducted by Patriarch Bartholomew I, religious leader of all Orthodox Christians, marks the first official religious service carried out at the ancient monastery since the foundation of the modern Turkish Republic (AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, conducts a service at the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon, northeastern Turkey, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

THE END