Archive for Current Events
10.25.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 2:06 am by Abbas
I have been following this movement for awhile now, and I know I have discussed and debated some of my good friends about their actions, benefits and harmful effects. When I refer to this “movement,” I am referring to those involved with MuslimWakeUp and PMUNA. Without taking about their flawed philosophy, I will touch upon their double-standards and how they have sold-out.
The PMUNA (Progressive Muslim Union of North America) and this “movement” started a few years ago, and was the big “balance” competing against the neo-Salafi influence. A good number of “moderate” Muslims really backed them, including some Sunni and Shi’a (and sufi-oriented) with the hope that the “movement” would overcome this illness (Salafi) that was spreading like wild-file with the Saudi-petro dollar (Saudi funding). Muslim WakeUp at first was a decent site with decent articles, but it took a hypocritical and dangerous turn. They hired the most liberal of liberal editors and writers. They added pointless, derogatory, and provocative stories and columns on their online newsletter, which ultimately exposed their arrogance and agenda. Only so much could be tolerated at once.
Soon afterwards, the PMUNA was established and had a “super-star” line up. Now, lets examine where this line-up is. The founder, Ahmed Nassef loves to enjoin the Zionists and forbid the Palestinian cause. He recently spoke at a pro-zionist conference with no mention of the rights and justice of the Palestinians, while he praised the Zionist state. Ziad Asali, an advisor, believes the Palestinians should “give up” and abandon their legitimate rights.
(ref: http://pmunadebate.blogspot.com/2005/03/palestinians-worldwide-condemn-ziad.html)
Ziad and his buddy Hussein Ibish are also had a dinner with Condi Rice and Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador (I thought they were “progressive”). And this man, al-Faisal had ties with bin Laden, Taleban, and Al Qaida, yet now he is a “moderate!”
Then, we have Mona Eltahawy, yet another PMUNA advisor, who occasionally writes well, with Irshad Manji at a “moderate Muslim” conference. When did lesbian Muslims, who call on “reforming” Islam with unlimited ijteehad become “moderate” (referring to Isrhad Manji).
(ref: http://pmunadebate.blogspot.com/2006/10/progressive-neo-cons.html)
So, the advisors of this so-called movement have met with the Zionists, the Saudi Wahabis, and the “Reformists.” Are they confused? Of course not, but they are smart. They have become an opportunistic organization under the guise of labeling themselves “progressive.” They are anything but “progressive.” They are extreme, just as extreme as our neo-Salafi friends.
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10.20.06
Posted in Current Events, Poetry/Quote at 11:45 am by Abbas
Your Excellency Pope Benedict XVI
With greeting,
Considering your utterances in Germany rebuking and reproaching Islam and the rule of Islamic warfare, hurting the feelings of all Moslems, I, as one of the Moslems’ religious authorities, having many followers all around the world, and writer of more than 130 books in various Islamic sciences, including more than 40 books about commentary of Holy Quran, invite you to participate in a scientific and logical debate with live broadcast with me to discuss about two issues:
1-Does Islam advocate violence or it invites to peace, amity and kindness?
2-Did Islam spread throughout the world through the force of sword or the extreme logic, reasoning and attraction of Islamic culture?
I will be glad to declare that I leave its time and location to you, and do not have any condition for it. I hope you would declare your agreement with this.
Wishing your ever success.
(source: http://www.makarems hirazi.org/ english/modules. php?name= News&file=print&sid=294)
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10.19.06
Posted in Current Events at 3:57 pm by Abbas
(source: BBC)
Taken off northeast Greenland, the picture of a walrus feeding on clams wins Goran Ehlme of Sweden the prize of Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006.
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10.18.06
Posted in Current Events, Essay at 11:57 pm by Abbas
Bismillahirrahmanirraheem. Alhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alameen. Wa salaatu wa salaam ‘ala sayedina wa mowlana habibi quloobina abal qaasimi mohammad. wa ‘ala ahlul bayti tayabeena tahireen.
All praise belongs to Allah, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Allah has fashioned you, and I through his Infinite mercy and blessing. He is the eternal Being that has put life into us and has given us the opportunity and ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from false. No eyes, ears, or hands are able to fathom His greatness because He is the indescribable Being that has blessed us in order for us to serve Him.
DhalikumuAllahu rabbukum la ilaha illa huwa khaaliqu kulli shai faa’budoohu wa huwa kulli shai-in wakeel. (6:102).
That is Allah, your Lord, there is no god but He; the Creator of all things, therefore serve Him, and He has charge of all things.
We have been put on this earth, so that we may be able to recognize Him.
My Respected Brothers and Sisters,
Salaamun ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakahtu
He has made the absolute perfect system for us and any perceived imperfection in this system is relative to our perceptions. This is the problem with atheists. Imam Ali (a) has said,
“One of the four pillars of an atheist is that he or she is filled with hatred and anger because he or she is dissatisfied with the perfect system.”
Allah has not only just put us on this earth, but has put us on this earth as humans.
Laqad Khalaqnal Insana Fi Ahsani Taqweem. [95:4]
Certainly We created man in the best make.
He has endowed and granted us countless gifts and bounties. He is so merciful that if we’d like, not only can we use these resources provided to us, but we can also enhance them to better our lives. Other creations such as the animals were also created for the same primary purpose of servitude and worship. Allah has placed them in this universe, so we may be able to acknowledge our sophistication. For example, a lion goes and attacks its prey. And then simply wipes off the blood with dirt and dust. However, we have our feasts on a table, with table coverings and candles. We sometimes like to romanticize our eating and we love to decorate and add extra ingredients to our foods. We are given such sophistication, that we can manipulate creation, including ourselves, and at the same time are able to survive and possibly live longer and healthier. We have the capability of finding cures and discovering new scientific methods and materials that would be used to resist certain diseases and illnesses. Using our intellect, we have stopped and cured some of the most dangerous illnesses known to mankind. Allah (swt) has given us the best of instruments in this universe, so that we can reach Him.
With that being said, man is at loss ’till this day. We are at loss because we have failed to admit that God has put forth these numerous gifts and tools for us as a mercy to mankind. In fact, we have forgotten that Allah has created us through His infinite mercy.
Islam, is the best instrument we were given. I remember my co-worker complaining how there such much fictitious stories in the bible. How its filled with fairy tales of how Prophets used to wrestle God, and so forth. Islam dissects each and every of these fairy tales and breaks them apart. Non-muslims have praised our great religion. Harold Bloom has written in his book, Genius, that the Quran is the only book, where God is the sole authoritative author. Michael Hart, a Christian, has written and rated the Prophet (saw) as the number one most influential person in history. After his publication, right wing evangelical groups condemned him and asked him to take Muhammad’s name off the list. However, Hart in his second publication insisted and rated Muhammad as the most influential person known to mankind.
It is not only a religion, but it is a way of life in order for us to be victorious in this world and the hereafter. This great religion of Allah has been revealed to us by the Prophets, whom endured great pain and suffering and has been protected for us by the holy Imams, whom sacrificed everything they had for Islam’s sake. Most of our Imams were so oppressed that they were not even allowed to see sun-light, because they were imprisoned and tortured for so long, yet they resisted and persisted and never loss their faith in God. Imamate is central to our belief system. Imamate completes the circle in our deen or religion. Any school lacking this article of faith is at loss. And this is an obvious observation. With all due respect, our brothers and sisters in Ahlus Sunnah have yet to agree upon where the Prophet (saw) placed his hands during prayer. Prayer was the most conspicuous act that the Prophet performed; yet the majority of Muslims have yet to come to a consensus on where the Prophet placed his hands.
Nowadays, we like to complain about the smallest of matters. We want the world in our hands, by showing no effort. We want to live life without trials and tribulations. However, we need to know that without these trials and tests, we will never be able to really enjoy the pleasures and treasures of life.
Innallahi ma’as saabireen.
Allah is with those that are patient. All of these tests are nothing but a gift for us. At the end, they will give us strength and patience. We must not despair because Allah will never put us in a situation, where we will not be able to handle.
It is similar to the schooling system. You do your homework, go to class, study your material, and take your exams. And after four years or so depending on how much effort you put in you get a degree or a diploma. That degree is the reward we receive from our hard work and effort.
Now that we have al-Islam, we need to use it to our own advantage. We have been given the tools to survive and succeed, and now it is a matter of using them. We have been blessed with the greatest of examples, the Prophet and the pious Ahlul Bayt. We need to follow them and mimic how they lived their lives. We need to study them and their lives, so we can implement their traditions in our lives. There is not a single situation or circumstance where we cannot relate back to the Prophet or the Imams. We must become pro-active in our schools, communities and societies. We cannot limit ourselves based on our gender or age. Alhamdullah, in the plains of Kerbala with Imam Hussain(a), there were both man and woman, and both young, and old, so this excuse holds absolutely no weight. If we are able to use our intellect we are certainly in a position to make change. In fact, we have no choice, but to devote ourselves for the cause, especially being amongst the followers of Ahlul Bayt.
And the best way to effect change is to first change within by reflection and introspection. We need to understand our purpose and why we were put on this earth. And we must understand the instruments and the tools that we have been given. And most importantly, we must understand ourselves.
Imam Ali said,
“In order to know Allah, we must know ourselves.”
We must be sincere in all of our actions. We need to purify our hearts and souls for Allah because He is worthy and deserving. We must dig deep into our hearts and remove any dark spots developing, before it is too late. If we wait too long our heart will be covered with darkness and it will be next to impossible to cleanse. We must continue renewing our intentions and reminding ourselves about why we are doing what we are. It is similar to cancer. If we catch the caner early on, its possible to extract the cancer cells and possible survive. However, if we wait too long the cancer cells will spread into our blood stream and bodily organs. And that will be tantamount to our destruction I will conclude with a saying from Imam Ali (a), which I want everyone here to ponder upon. He stated,
My God, I do not worship You in fear of Your Fire, nor in desire for Your Paradise, but I worship You because I find You worthy of worship.
wa salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakahtu.
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10.13.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 1:22 pm by Abbas
Among the nights of Ramadhan is one special night, which is better than a thousand months (Quran, 97:3). Good deeds performed on that single night are equal to those performed over a thousand months. It is the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr), when the Qur’an was revealed. Some commentators believe it was the night when the Qur’an was brought down from Baytul M`amur (Heavenly abode), for Jibrael to reveal in parts to the Prophet (s). Others say it was the night when the Prophet received the entire Qur’an, but was asked to transmit it as and when the occasion demanded.
Laylatul Qadr is a celebration to commemorate the arrival of the final guidance for humans. It is a tribute to the commencement of the message revealed to mankind by their Creator, a message which shows them the way to achieve happiness in both the worlds. Just as the arrival of a child is celebrated, on its birth and then every year, as a bringer of joy and fulfilment for the family, Laylatul Qadr is celebrated as a bringer of light and guidance for mankind. Unlike the birthday which is celebrated with a feast for the senses, Laylatul Qadr includes a feast for the spirit, a feast of worship and prayers.
(taken from al-islam.org)
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In other news, the Sayyid, the local imam here at the masjid, has asked me to speak on Wednesday on any topic I want to. In the process of preparing, but I am accepting ideas! It will be a 15 minute speech. InshaAllah, please pray that I do well!
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09.30.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 2:54 pm by Abbas
During the month of Ramadan, many Muslims read a Du’a titled, “Iftitah.” Du’ al-iftutah was taught by our twelth Imam (a) to recite every night during the month Ramadha., The Du’a is excellent for moulding man’s attitude towards his Creator as it discusses many aspects of the wrethedness of the human being, and the grace of Allah. Du’a al-Iftitah is not only a supplication for our needs, but a teaching of the roots of faith, and a planning for a way of life. I decided to paste a very short excerpt from the du’a for everyone’s benefit. For a full translation, audio and transliteration, please click here.
O my Allah, many a trouble Thou hath removed; many a sorrow hath Thou dispelled; many a misery hath Thou mitigated; and at all times Thou spreadeth out mercy, and cutteth short the tightening circles of misfortunes.
All praise be to Allah, Who has not taken unto Himself a wife, nor a son, and Who has no partner in sovereignty, nor any protecting friend through dependence. Magnify Him with all magnificence.
All praise be to Allah, with full gratitude for all his bounties.
All praise be to Allah, Who has no opposition to His rule, nor any challenge to His commands.
All praise be to Allah, Who has no counsel to meddle with His operation of creation, nor is there anything similar to Him in His greatness.
All praise be to Allah, Whose commandments operate in Creation; His glory is evident through love and kindness.
His distinct overflowing generosity is freely available through His unlimited bestowals which do not exhaust His resources, and He does not swell the numerous benefits except because of generosity and kindness. Verily He is mighty, generous.
O Allah, I ask for some from much, in the midst of my very many needs for which I entirely depend on Thee, and, since eternity, Thou art able to do without it but for me it is a titanic effort and for Thee is very easy and simple.
O Allah, truly, when Thou pardon my sins, overlook my mistakes, take a lenient view of my disorderly conduct, cover up my foul actions, show consideration in spite of my many transgressions committed willfully or negligently, I am tempted to ask for that which I do not deserve, from Thee Who, through Thy mercy, gives me the daily bread provides me with that which is suitable for me, through Thy control; and distinguishes me with a favourable reply to my requests.
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09.29.06
Posted in Current Events at 6:04 pm by Abbas
There have been many organizations and institutions that have been formed and initiated in the past decade or so. There are human rights groups monitoring and assessing the abuses and misuses of human rights. Their main purpose is to protect the rights of people. However, if we truly inspect from a historical point of view, the West only made human rights a real issue after the second world war with the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while the religion of al-Islam, the way of life that was practiced by the Prophets (a), the pure Ahlul Bayt (a), and the righteous companions, protected and emphasized human dignity and morality from the very beginning. We must realize that the rules laid down to us by God is the best protector and the best guardian for our natural rights. We must obey Him (swt) and focus on implementing His rules and regulations, because it results in Absolute Perfection.
I have also attached an essay, Human Rights in Islam, by Ayatollah Sayyid Ali ‘al-Khamenei. It is a a long but very insightful read!
Read the rest of this entry »
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09.21.06
Posted in Current Events at 4:37 pm by Abbas
What really irritates is the reaction of the Muslim world to the Pope’s remarks. Yes, the Pope lost his mind and he really exposed his hatred and ignorance, but what does burning churches and attacking innocent Christians achieve? Why not take a more rational and Islamic approach? What really bothers me is the rampant hypocrisy of the Muslims. If our Ummah really cared about the Prophet why was there no uproar when the Saudis, our “brothers” attacked our Prophet (saw)? The Saudi government with the backing of the pseudo-salafi scholars razed the house of the Prophet (saw)! May Allah guide us all. Ameen.
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Posted in Current Events at 4:36 pm by Abbas
The truth is slowly coming out. Musharraf on the CBS program 60 minutes implied the only reason he complied with the US on the “War on Terror” is because the “peace-loving” nation, the United States threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age.” Now the questions is, what took him so long to reveal this information to the public? Why is he distancing himself from Mr. Bush now? Does he know something that we don’t know? Here is the full article -
Read the rest of this entry »
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09.20.06
Posted in Current Events at 2:51 pm by Abbas
So, Mr. Bush addressed the Iranian people and he touched up on the subject of “freedom.” It is very interesting that because some imperfections exists in a country it entails destroying it and replacing the ruling authority with a puppet regime. We all know that the neo-cons do not care about human rights, justice and peace. This is quite evident in the wars and conflicts Bush has got us involved with, specifically Afghanistan and Iraq. It took the United States approximately 200 hundred years to grant all people (black, white, male and female) the right to vote, but this right was granted in Iran from the beginning of the Revolution. Let us no forget how long it took us to rid the country from slavery and debating if blacks were in fact humans or not. One more point I almost forgot- the American Revolution was far more bloodier and violent than the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
As Americans, we have an obligation and the right to resist and pursue change in spheres and areas, where change is essential.
President of Iran, Dr. Ahmedinijad also spoke. I enjoyed and agreed with his sentiments. Here is an excerpt from his talk to the UN -
Today, serious reform in the structure and working methods of the Security
Council is, more than ever before, necessary. Justice and democracy dictate that the
role of the General Assembly, as the highest organ of the United Nations, must be
respected. The General Assembly can then, through appropriate mechanisms, take on
the task of reforming the Organization and particularly rescue the Security Council
from its current state. In the interim, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of
the Islamic Conference and the African continent should each have a representative as
a permanent member of the Security Council, with veto privilege. The resulting
balance would hopefully prevent further trampling of the rights of nations.
For the complete speech/text click here.
We are now living in an inter-depdent world and cooperation and balance is more than ever needed. May Allah grant us the strength and courage to be more balanced. Ameen.
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09.15.06
Posted in Personal, Current Events at 6:49 pm by Abbas
Why have we became so incompetent? Why have we became so mundane? Why are we failing? Laziness and idleness has dawned upon many of us. Our capabilities are not utilized, due to the fear of “working hard,” yet we want to reap great results. Some of us want to implement ambitions and be victorious without putting a good amount of effort into it. Many of us complain and whine whenever we get the opportunity. We must realize that we will not achieve any success, if we do not get our hands wet and dirty. I do not want to sound condescending, but it sometimes gets very irritating when I hear others complain about some of the most minute things! It really burns my heart listening. For God’s sake, our people are starving and it is our duty to help them, not only as Muslims but moral human beings. They are waiting for someone to rescue them. We must stop the criticizing and make ourselves to work even if its displeasing. The world is becoming sluggish day by day and we must resist. This concept applies to everything.
When Sa’d Ansari responded to the Holy Prophet [s] that his hands were calloused because he used to work with a rope and a shovel to earn money to spend for his wife and children, he [s] kissed his hand (as an honour) and said: “This is a hand which the Fire (of Hell) will never touch.”
Usd-ul-Ghabah, vol. 2, p. 269
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09.11.06
Posted in Current Events at 11:16 pm by Abbas
Former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami is in the United States. He has spoken at many places and has been a very tough critic of US foreign policy. He went as far as comparing George W. Bush Jr. to Osama bin Laden. He has also been recently invited to speak at Harvard University on, “Ethics of Tolerance in the Age of Violence.”
Alan Dershowitz is a professor of law at Harvard University and a hardcore neo-con, pro-zionist, who associates himself with Daniel Pipes (fyi, Pipes is on the record of calling me a “wahabi” even though I follow a completely different school of thought) compares Khatami with David Duke, a failed politician in Louisiana and a founding father of the Ku Klux Klan. He goes on to say,
“Both Duke and Khatami are racists with extremist and violent designs for repressing political dissent and ethnic opposition. Only Khatami, though, has had a chance to put his designs into effect. Khatami…”
Is not that what Mr. Dershowitz is? He fails to mention Khatami’s accomplishments and his achievements, which are ample. Granted I do not agree with all of his (Khatami) views, but we must still recognize that he is an important person in world politics. He was the founding member of the United Nation’s “Alliance of Civilizations.” And on top of that, Mr. Dershowitz supports rubbish like “Campus Watch,” a monitoring system that black lists professors whom are “anti-Zionist.”
Mr. Dershowitz concludes with,
“I only hope that those in the Kennedy School who invited Khatami did so out of a genuine commitment to unqualified open dialogue, rather than the belief that offensiveness to some groups is more deserving of solicitude than is offensiveness to others, or worse yet, substantive agreement with some of Khatami’s oppressive worldview.”
Can someone say hypocrisy?
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for full article “Universities and tolerance.”
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09.10.06
Posted in Current Events at 2:55 pm by Abbas
Message from Thaqalayn Muslim Students Association
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By the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful On the auspicious occasion of 15th Sha’ban, and on the birth anniversary of the awaited master of the time and global hope, Imam al-Mahdi (as), we would like to wish you all the acceptance of your prayers. We have enclosed a gift in this email that we hope you will find informative. Imam al-Mahdi (as) is a common figure amongst all Muslims, and the expectation of the Messiah - one who shall fill the earth with justice and equity - is shared by all of the Abrahamic faiths. Already we find ourselves in a world of oppression and injustices, yet the flame of hope will never extinguish. As we await the Global Hope, we must also awaken and rise to our responsibilities as conscientious human beings and God’s servants on this earth.
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09.03.06
Posted in Current Events at 12:28 pm by Abbas
Andre Agassi’s 20-year tennis career ends in defeat by Benjamin Becker in the third round of the US Open.
Still crying, Agassi paid a sentimental tribute to his fans.
“The scoreboard shows that I lost today, but what it doesn’t show is what I found,” he said.
“Over the last 20 years I have found loyalty, you have pulled me through on court and also in life.
“I have found inspiration - you have willed me to succeed - and I have found genorosity.
“I thank you and I wiill take you and the memory with me for the rest of my life.”… more
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09.02.06
Posted in Current Events at 2:49 pm by Abbas
Gene therapy may be the answer for cancer. Very interesting article on how a cancer was removed from this individual. It is too early to conclude this is a cure per se, but inshaAllah we are getting very close.
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Two men have been cleared of deadly skin cancer using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells.
Before the experiment, the patients were expected to only live for three to six months because their disease was so advanced.
Tests showed the genetically modified T cells used in the new treatment became specialised tumour fighters, the journal Science reports.
When the modified T cells were transfused into the patients they began to attack the tumour cells. For at least two months after the treatment, the modified cells made up at least 10% of the patients’ circulating T cells. The scientists are now looking at ways to enable greater numbers of the modified T cells to survive.
Dr Rosenberg said: “We’ve identified T cell receptors that will now recognise common cancers.”
For Mark Origer, 53, the treatment completely eliminated his skin cancer and another tumour on his liver shrunk enough that it could be removed surgically. more.
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