| Press Release on the International Baltimore Conference: From Imam Badi Ali, North Carolina: It was an extremely successful conference considering Jamaat al-Muslimeen's resources and lack of media support. A new direction is now available to the Muslims of America. Coalitions are emerging which will change, inshallah, the humiliating position in which Muslims of America had been placed. The conference showed that truth and integrity has survived among those who want genuine peace. Each person in the conference represented the aspirations of entire communities and groups. Once more it has been proven that numbers do not count: human quality, knowledge and understanding based on worship of the Creator are essential. Remember that few were with the messenger of Allah, peace be on him, in Makka. Later too, the forces of Islam were always heavily outnumbered. Once Umar ibn al-Khattab, r.a., sent two people to help his forces and said that these two are equal to two thousand. We thank all those who came as well as others who are showing support even though they have fear in them. Inshallah, Islam in America will win the hearts and souls of those who want a better America. Glimpses of International Islamic Conference for Peace and Awareness Preliminary Report Star Studded Conference Signals Historic Change in American Muslim Initiatives for Peace Zionist Control and Manipulation of American Power Structure for War Exposed Analytically Baltimore, Maryland: August 16, 2008: Who could have thought that major forces for peace would emerge under the banner of Islam in America. The apex of the conference was the speech of Ramsey Clark, leader of the anti-war movement in America who initiated a campaign to impeach President George Bush. Mr. Clark is known for his moral courage and legal acumen. His defense of Dr. Omar 'Abdel Rahman, President Saddam Hussain, the Ikhwan in Egypt, and many oppressed people in South America, has marked him out as a giant of the peace movement, standing for the Rule of Law. He spoke for more than an hour and responded to a range of questions. Very briefly he trashed the U.S. defense of the Georgian government, a regime which the U.S. helped install. About Afghanistan, he said NATO is violating international law. It has occupied an entire country on the excuse of finding half a dozen opponents Two major presentations were made: The first by Mark Weber, Director of the Institute of Historical Research [IHR] His paper, thoroughly documented and unanswerable in its argumentation was titled: "Consequences of the U.S. alliance with Israel for America and the world." He spoke to an attentive audience for over an hour. He noted that some of the best minds in America have seen serious harm in Israeli manipulation and control of this great nation. The Iraq war was basically an Israeli-Jewish program. [For more on Mr. Weber's work, see www.ihr.org ] The second major presentation was by Dr. Hesham Tillawi, Director Current Events TV, on the subject of "Islam and the Media after 9.11." Dr. Hesham mixed Palestinian style humor with his cutting edge criticism of the way war is presented to the American public on TV. His report included scathing analysis of the way many Muslims go crawling to the American-Zionist power structure. [For more of Dr. Hesham's amazing work see www.currentissues.tv ] In a conference featuring the unusual and the "out of the box" presentations, some the most resounding points were scored by two followers of Jesus [peace be on him]: Charles Carlson and Mark Glenn. Carlson used power point to present a report titled: "unraveling Christian Zionism's Roots." His devastating criticism of Christian Zionism included illustrations of the Jewish commentary inserted into the Bible to justify the occupation of Palestine. He debunked the term "judeo-christian" as a contradiction in terms. Mr. Carlson and his friends travel far and wide to churches controlled by Christian Zionists and try to educate the people. He was the first Christian leader to discover that the "Slavery in Sudan" story was a fake. [See WHTT.com ] Mark Glenn's topic was "Islamic 'extremism' may Save Western Civilization." Note that the word 'extremism' is within quotes. He said that America has abandoned the original teachings of Jesus [pbuh] and has espoused the most shameful sins of paganism. The stern Islamic resistance to the rampant corruption of America is a blessing for true Christians. Mr. Glenn thinks that very little of genuine Christianity has survived in America owing to the steady attack on Christian values by Zionist-Jewish media. Mr. Glenn is the father of many children and notices with horror the daily attack on family values and on the sacred teachings of Jesus. [For more on Mark Glenn's work, see crescentandcross.com .] RACISM was a major topic in the conference. Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz led the way by dissecting the roots of war in the soil of racism. A Distinguished Professor of Mathematics with an Endowed Chair at Grambling University [Louisiana], Dr. Shabazz has influenced two generations of African-American intellectuals with his understanding of Race as a key factor in conflict. Racism leads to constant war against "inferior" people and is a major factor in the genocidal actions of U.S. troops in Iraq, he says. [For Dr. Shabazz' educational theories see: DrAAS.info ] Racism is connected with the "War in the Cities" of America. Ms. Murphy Browne, from Toronto, spoke of police brutality, drugs and crime in seemingly affluent Canada. She has taken numerous initiatives to mobilize her own community [of African descent from Guyana] as well as oppressed people in general living in Toronto. Ms. Browne's presence in the conference proved very inspiring for the participants. She is very sympathetic to Muslims and dresses like a Muslim. ISLAMIC ACTIVISTS in the U.S. Imam Jamil al-Amin's representative, Br. Masai Ehehasi, from Newark, New Jersey, brought a message of struggle and activism to the Islamic Conference. Imam Jamil's arrest and conviction on fake evidence has undermined peace and stability in America's Black and Muslim communities. The speaker himself was arrested when he was part of the Black Panther Party and imprisoned for 13 years during which he embraced Islam. Black opposition to the American power structure has received steady repression from the regime for decades which is usually ignored by the international community. The community of Imam Jamil is very strong and uncompromising in its struggle for the rights of oppressed people. The Islamic Political Party of America [IPPA] had several representatives at the conference. IPPA's message was delivered by Dr. Suhir Ahmed, National Coordinator, in complete hijab. She spoke of the Federal Government's attempts to implement "terrorist" profiling, targeting Muslims, Arabs and other racial and ethnic groups. IPPA is calling for organizations and individuals to form a coalition that will open a forum to address government and congressional officials on profiling which damages constitutional and civil rights. [For more, see ippausa.org Jamaat al-Muslimeen Activist Abu Talib from Brooklyn, New York set up a literature table at the conference to emphasize support for the cause of Karrim Ibraheem from Trinidad and the two Muslims from Guyana who are being tried in the fake JFK "terrorism" case which has sent shock waves through the Shi'a community of Trinidad and the Sunnis in Guyana. [Letters of support should be sent to: Karrim Ibraheem #6465705, Nassau County Correctional Center, 100 Carmen Ave., East Meadow, New York 11554.] Sis. Nadia Auxila and supporters of Al-Mumtahinah organization which helps homeless women made their presence felt with a very active table. This organization is doing solid work to help women. Sis. Nadia's husband Br. Abdul Haqq is a grassroots activist. Sis. Nadia, herself homeless once, gives a strong Islamic message with her full hijab and niqab. POLITICAL PRISONER'S MOM SPEAKS Masoud Khan was sentenced to 90 years in prison, life in prison, though he has never been an opponent of the U.S. He was punished because the U.S. has become an ally of India which occupies Kashmir. His mother, sis. Bilquis stood up in the historic August 16 conference to explain in detail the games the U.S. "justice" system played to put this innocent devout Muslim in prison. The mother was articulate and systematic in her presentation. Great sorrow permeated the gathering as she spoke wrapped in Pakistani style islamic clothing. All Muslims are urged by Jamaat al-Muslimeen to study Masoud's case and call for his unconditional release from prison. [When the family residence was raided by the FBI, the officer bursting in was wearing the Israeli flag on his lapel.] [For details of the case, see: FreeMasoudKhan.net ] SPIRITUAL AURA of the Conference: Christians and Jews should know Muhammad, pbuh, and accept him. The conference began with recitation of the Qu'ran, sura al-Balad [chapter 90 of the Qur'an] by Maulana Qari Muhammad Ehsanullah, followed by English translation read by a revert to Islam and commentary by Dr. Kaukab Siddique. In his Urdu language speech on Tawheed [oneness of Allah], Qari Ehsanullah said that the root of all true religion is the acceptance of the ONE God Allah. Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad [peace be on them] all taught the Oneness of Allah. Muslims accept Abraham, Moses and Jesus and see the completion and culmination of their teachings in the mission of Muhammad, pbuh. Maulana Ehsanullah said that Islam does not teach war against any religion. The conflict arises because many non-Muslims do not know Muhammad, pbuh, and do not accept him. Maulana Ehsanullah said that Islam cannot be defeated by any power on earth because it brings the truth. A true Muslim, he said, would rather die than bow before the forces of corruption and worldly power. [The speech was translated into English] Jamaat al-Muslimeen Awarded three Presenters with Symbolic Plaques To Ramsey Clark From Jamaat al-Muslimeen For Unequalled Service to Justice & Humanity and for Moral Courage beyond Measure 8.16.2008 To Mark Glenn From Jamaat al-Muslimeen For Islamic-Christian Alliance & for Speaking Truly against Zionism 8.16.2008 To Charles Carlson From Jamaat al-Muslimeen For Scholarship & Courage and for honest research 8.16.2008 A little about Dr. Siddique's role in the Conference. Almost the entire conference was presided over by Dr. Kaukab siddique. Segments were chaired by Imam Warith Deen Umar and ohers. Dr. Siddique also made a presentation about Mass Culture and Muslim Youth. He said that unless Muslims understand how mass culture works, they'll continue to be surprised and shocked that their youths are going astray in spite of prayers and fasting. In the mid point of the conference, Dr. Siddique was interviewed LIVE by Dr. Wilmer Leon of the "On with Leon" Show which is heard all over the country on XM Radio. High praise for Dr. Siddique came from a Christian speaker in front of the entire audience. He had visited three mosques in the Detroit area where he met Muslims who told him that they know Dr. Siddique and that he cannot be "bought." Jamaat al-Muslimeen Resolutions connected to the International Islamic Conference 1. Muslims of America should unite on the basis of the Quran and the authentic Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh. There is no other Islamic way to unity. The Unity of immigrants and indigenous, men and women, interracial groups and ethnicities, has to have an Islamic basis to be effective. 2. All Muslim political prisoners should be released. These victims of Zionist control of the Justice system have committed no crime and their trials were bogus. Imam Jamil al-Amin, Dr. Omar 'Abdel Rahman, Prof. Sami al-Arian, Dr. Ali Tamimi , Dr. Afia Siddiqui, Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar , Dr. Kifah al-Jayyousi, Masoud Khan, Momin Khawaja, Imam Siddique Abdullah Hasan, Jose Padilla, Karrim Ibraheem of Trinidad along with all the innocents of Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan who number in the tens of thousands should be released. Pharoah, let my people go! 3. The occupation of Palestine by Israel is the central cause of war around the world. We urge the people of Palestine to unite against the so-called "two-state solution." Weakened by their factionalism, the Palestinians are being targeted by the Israelis who are making inroads into Palestinian ranks, killing some directly, imprisoning others, and making the rest fight each other. Palestine is not a narrow national issue. It belongs to the entire world of Islam and to the freedom loving people of the world. 4. We hail the emerging unity between Syria and Lebanon as well as between the Salafis and Hizbullah within Lebanon. This should be a good example for the people of Iraq. 5. Georgia was created as another "Israel" on the border of Russia. The quick defeat of Georgia is related to its fake existence as a state based on support from the U.S. and Israel. Georgia became a gathering place for Jewish groups from the defunct USSR. USA and EU are deliberately provoking Russia by trying to include it in NATO. This is a kind of cold war all over again. 6. All occupation armies should be withdrawn to open the way to international peace. In particular American forces should be withdrawn from Iraq, NATO forces from Afghanistan, Ethiopian forces from Somalia, Indian forces from Kashmir and Russian forces from Chechnia. Self-determination of the Muslim populations of these nations based upon Islam can only become real once the occupation ends. 7. We condemn the new tragedy enacted by the Pakistani army in Bajaur where within the last 9 days more than 200,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and hundreds killed by armored columns and helicopter gunships of the U.S. armed and backed mercenary forces of the new Pakistani military commander. 8. We congratulate the Islamic movement in Pakistan on the resignation of General Musharraf. The constant activism and mobilization of Islamic groups cooped up CIA's agent and finally forced America to replace the General with new faces. In particular, we hail the efforts of Jamaate Islami Pakistan and the sacrifices of Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa and the Islamic resistance in the northern areas of Pakistan which made Musharraf a failure. 9. We hail the renewed mass uprising of the Kashmiri people. We condemn the Indian police shootings of unarmed people and in particular the Indian murder of Sheikh Abdul Aziz. |
Rabi' al-Thani 19,1429/ April 25, 2008, #25Letter: Children Taken Away from non-Conformists in Texas
As salaamu alaikum Kaukab,
Alhamdulillah for your analysis on the so-called Polygamist cult scandal. I pay close attention to the language of the pundits who develop the phrases that most of America accepts. For example, the sexual terrorism committed by the Roman Catholic Priest is referred to by media as "Sexual Misconduct;" however this latest raid on the Texas Sect of Christians is vilified as being a "Polygamist Colony" as if all they do is sit around and practice polygamy.
These are the same people who give us the terms like "Islamophobia" which suggests a defect in the religion. When terms are used like Anti-American or Anti-Semite, it suggests the defect is within the person who opposes either of the two. Please continue to provide your critical analysis on our condition as Muslims in America. You are the best of nations brought forth for the people of the world: you enjoin right and forbid wrong and believe in Allah. . .3:110.
Adam Jeffers [San Diego, California]
Ed Note: Texas is violating international law by taking away ALL 435 children from a community, not allowing the mothers to meet them, doing DNA testing on them without parental consent. All the children have been distributed to families they have never known. This is a form of genocide being carried out under the facade of "child protection" services. For a full scale analysis of the forces behind this scandal, see our Christian friend Mark Glenn's article below. Please scroll all the way down.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen [News] [4 items only]
P.O. Box 10881
Baltimore, MD 21234
Critical Analysis of Carter's Visit to Hamas Leaders
Imam Badi Ali, Jamaat al-Muslimeen's Shoora leader, says that
President Carter's attempts to contact Hamas are seemingly
very positive because Israel is bent on isolating Hamas.
However, says Imam Ali, strategically Carter is trying to help Israel. Muslims should remember that when he was the President, he successfully separated Egypt from the Muslim world and got it to recognize Israel, the arch enemy of our people.
Carter is trying to get Hamas to stop resisting Israel. He took the trouble to look at the empty shells of weak little rockets fired at Israel. He did not look at the lethal weaponry Israel has been using. He showed concern for ONE Israeli soldier in the hands of Hamas while ignoring the thousands of Palestinian civilians the Israeli terrorist entity is holding.
The trick Carter is playing is that his trip should be seen as a big sacrifice. Israel tries to stop him from meeting Hamas: so tomorrow if Israel is seen as willing to talk to Hamas, it will be seen as a BIG BREAKTHROUGH.
This drama should not fool us. The only answer to Israel should be resistance, unless we want our people to become the slaves of Israel.
However, says Imam Ali, strategically Carter is trying to help Israel. Muslims should remember that when he was the President, he successfully separated Egypt from the Muslim world and got it to recognize Israel, the arch enemy of our people.
Carter is trying to get Hamas to stop resisting Israel. He took the trouble to look at the empty shells of weak little rockets fired at Israel. He did not look at the lethal weaponry Israel has been using. He showed concern for ONE Israeli soldier in the hands of Hamas while ignoring the thousands of Palestinian civilians the Israeli terrorist entity is holding.
The trick Carter is playing is that his trip should be seen as a big sacrifice. Israel tries to stop him from meeting Hamas: so tomorrow if Israel is seen as willing to talk to Hamas, it will be seen as a BIG BREAKTHROUGH.
This drama should not fool us. The only answer to Israel should be resistance, unless we want our people to become the slaves of Israel.
Islamic National Shoora to Meet in Greensboro, North Carolina [inshallah], May 24
Dr. Abdul Alim Shabazz , Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, will address the Shoora of Jamaat al-Muslimeen on issues related to the education of Muslim, Black and oppressed peoples' children. The CD of the presentation will be distributed in various Muslim countries across the country.
Sis. Karen English, Secretary General of Jamaat al-Muslimeen will address the Shoora on the Campaign to Boycott businesses which support Israel. Now that both Coca Cola and Starbucks are facing serious losses in profits, it is time for the Muslims of America to make a big effort. Sis. English's CD too will be distributed in Muslim communities.
International Islamic Conference for Peace and Awareness, 8.16.'08
The International Conference Committee now has its own web site. Please visit:
www.JAM4PEACE.org
and contact Br. Aziz, the organizer of the Conference
Miami's Innocents Still not Released after Second Mistrial: America's "Justice" is a Joke
April 16, 2008. After 13 days of deliberation, the jury for a second time could not convict the 6 Haitian Muslims and interested-in-Islam defendants. In December too the same had happened.
However, the prosecution wants to continue till it can convict the 6. [One was acquitted and released earlier.]
This trial of 6 people is obviously a fraud and a shameful joke on the people of America. Bush's men claimed that the six wanted to blow up the Sears tower in Chicago! Actually they were trapped by government agents who lured them with a promise of $50,000 if they would take the oath of allegiance to Osama!
They were so poor that they wanted the informant [an agent whose real name is Elie, presumably a Jew] to get them shoes!
The 6 should be released. These absurd cases of the innocent and the poor have made America look ridiculous all over the world.
Saturday April 19, 2008
Israeli army troops assaulted nine-year old Palestinian Saqer al-'Aramen from the town of al-'Ezariah in Jerusalem on Friday evening.
Muqith Abu Roomy, director of the Media office of Asrana center in Jerusalem reported that an Israeli force comprised of 8 soldiers heavily beat the child while he was on his way home. Soldiers claimed they were confused by a toy-gun the child was playing with.
The child was hospitalized as he received injuries to his head and different parts of his body. Medics declared that he's also psychologically hurt and confused as a result of battering.
Abu Roomy called upon the Human Rights organizations, the Arab League, the Quartet Committee and the United Nations to provide protection for Palestinian Children. A number of Palestinian children were killed and others wounded by Israeli army gun-fire when troops claimed that they were confused by toy-guns the children were playing with. Translated by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News.
Thinking outside the Box
Iqbal: Taught Self-Determination: Poet of the East: Dreamt of Pakistan, an Islamic State: He Prognosticated 70+ years back the Questions which the "War on Terror" Has brought up
by Kaukab Siddique [with help from one who knows Iqbal's work]
Allama Iqbal passed away on April 21, 1938.
Iqbal was a visionary who wrote of the glory of Islamic
revival at a time when most of the Muslim world had been
occupied and colonized by western powers. He wrote to
Mohomed Ali Jinnah about the absolute necessity of an Islamic
state for the Muslims of South Asia. He invited Maulana
Maudoodi to leave what was to remain as India and come to
the area which was to be Pakistan.
Only a visionary who had empathy with and understanding of the core of the teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith could have written so clearly and with such power about the issues facing the Muslim ummah. Like Maudoodi, who made his mark much later, Iqbal was not a conventional scholar of religion. He went through many changes. He went to Heidelberg university in Germany for his Ph.D. [I have been to the street named after him and the plaque the German people have put up in his honor.] His study of western philosophy convinced him that the western world was in decline and was cutting its own roots. When he discovered the Qur'an and the life of the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, it was as if he was re-born in knowledge. His love of the Prophet, pbuh, was so great that the very mention of Muhammad, pbuh, would bring tears to his eyes.
Here are some of Iqbal's great insights
Only a visionary who had empathy with and understanding of the core of the teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith could have written so clearly and with such power about the issues facing the Muslim ummah. Like Maudoodi, who made his mark much later, Iqbal was not a conventional scholar of religion. He went through many changes. He went to Heidelberg university in Germany for his Ph.D. [I have been to the street named after him and the plaque the German people have put up in his honor.] His study of western philosophy convinced him that the western world was in decline and was cutting its own roots. When he discovered the Qur'an and the life of the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, it was as if he was re-born in knowledge. His love of the Prophet, pbuh, was so great that the very mention of Muhammad, pbuh, would bring tears to his eyes.
Here are some of Iqbal's great insights
- Palestine will be central to the future of the Muslim world. Afghanistan and the land of Euphrates and Tigris will be centers of resistance.
- The Muslim Ummah is ONE. Nationalism must be rejected.
- Pakistan is to be the homeland of those who put Islam above all. It is not to be a national state but an ideological state. Without Islam it is meaningless.
- SELF-DETERMINATION is essential as a principle of human development. The Muslim Ummah has the right to fashion its institutions according to Islam.
- The self is central to human development. It is not to be confused with "selfishness." Recognition of the real being of the person and the nation is essential for progress.
- Assimilation into Anglo-European way of life is suicidal for Muslims. Capitalism [and Marxism] must be rejected. Read the Qur'an!
- Those who claim to be the friends of Muslims must respect this KHUDI [selfhood] of the Muslim.
- The way forward for the Ummah is through Jihad and armed resistance to the powers of imperialism and colonialism.
- The Qadianis [a sect which calls itself "Ahmeddi"] are the greatest danger to the Muslim ummah because they were stabbing the ummah from within [UNDER the PROTECTION of British power]. They were trying to create a new "Islam" which would break global Muslim unity for ever by focusing the Muslims attention on India rather than on Makkah.
- [Notice how today America is trying to do almost exactly the same as the British tried in India. We have the bootlicker groups who want an "American Islam," a "moderate Islam" which condemns the 9.11 attacks but is silent about the million plus Muslims killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnia, Somalia, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Bosnia.]
- Allama Iqbal attacked the intellectual roots of the Qadiani ["Ahmeddi"] movement with his immense intellectual energy. He brought out the basic contradiction in the Qadiani and pro-British "moderate" Muslim position. They were teaching "peace" to the Muslims who are unarmed and defenseless instead of teaching peace to the western powers who were heavily armed and were in occupation of Muslim lands.
Here are a few lines from Iqbal's poetry from Zarbe
kaleem against "Moderate" Muslim "leaders."
"fatwa hay shaikh ka yeh zamana qalam ka hay dunya main ub rahi nahin talwar kargur"
[The Shaikh gives the ruling that this is the era of the Pen The sword is no longer relevant in our world, he says.]
After noticing that this message of peace is being given to Muslims who are already unarmed and unwilling to fight, thus taking away their selfhood, he points to the West:
"batil kay fal o fur ki hifazat kay wastay Europe zara main doob gia dosh ta kamar!
hum poochtay hain shaikh-e-kalisa nawaz say mushriq main jung shur hay to maghrib may bhi hay shur huq say ghurz hay to zayba hay kia yeh baat Islam ka mahasba, Europe say durguzar?"
["To protect the grandeur and pomp of Falsehood Europe has come forth armed, encased in steel from head to waist.
We ask the pro-crusader shaikh If war is evil in the East, then it must be evil in the west too.
If you are concerned with Truth, then is it proper that you investigate and judge Islam but let Europe go unquestioned."]
Allama Iqbal taught armed resistance and hailed the highest level of Islamic resistance which is martyrdom. He wrote at length on this subject but here are two couplets from "Tariq ki d'ua" in Bal-e-jibril:
"shahadat hay matloob o maqsood-e-momin na mal-e-ghanimat, na kishwar kushai khayaban main hay muntazar lala kub say qaba chahiay is ko khoon-e-Arab say!"
["Martyrdom is the desire and the objective of the true believer not the spoils of war or conquest of nations
In the desert the tulip awaits, bereft, since ages It is waiting for the blood of the Arab to assume its full beauty."
"fatwa hay shaikh ka yeh zamana qalam ka hay dunya main ub rahi nahin talwar kargur"
[The Shaikh gives the ruling that this is the era of the Pen The sword is no longer relevant in our world, he says.]
After noticing that this message of peace is being given to Muslims who are already unarmed and unwilling to fight, thus taking away their selfhood, he points to the West:
"batil kay fal o fur ki hifazat kay wastay Europe zara main doob gia dosh ta kamar!
hum poochtay hain shaikh-e-kalisa nawaz say mushriq main jung shur hay to maghrib may bhi hay shur huq say ghurz hay to zayba hay kia yeh baat Islam ka mahasba, Europe say durguzar?"
["To protect the grandeur and pomp of Falsehood Europe has come forth armed, encased in steel from head to waist.
We ask the pro-crusader shaikh If war is evil in the East, then it must be evil in the west too.
If you are concerned with Truth, then is it proper that you investigate and judge Islam but let Europe go unquestioned."]
Allama Iqbal taught armed resistance and hailed the highest level of Islamic resistance which is martyrdom. He wrote at length on this subject but here are two couplets from "Tariq ki d'ua" in Bal-e-jibril:
"shahadat hay matloob o maqsood-e-momin na mal-e-ghanimat, na kishwar kushai khayaban main hay muntazar lala kub say qaba chahiay is ko khoon-e-Arab say!"
["Martyrdom is the desire and the objective of the true believer not the spoils of war or conquest of nations
In the desert the tulip awaits, bereft, since ages It is waiting for the blood of the Arab to assume its full beauty."
New York
Abusive attack on Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, based on lies and misinformation Endorsed by Zionists
Villain of Crown Heights Incident Facing Poetic Justice?
by Aisha', Jamaat al-Muslimeen New York City
New York City - In the April 17th edition of the New York Daily News column Rush & Malloy it was reported that a new book, Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out, will be released next week. It was written by British journalist Susan Crimp and Islam "expert" Joel Richardson (not his real name because of a fatwa against him). WND Books is the publisher. The writers interviewed former Muslims and the book will have an image of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) torn in half on the front cover.
One disbeliever, Khaled Waleed, stated that his Islamic teachers told him it was his "duty to revile and ridicule non-Muslims." He also stated that on Spetember 11, 2001, he "saw the real face of Islam." The biggest blow comes from Ali Sina, a Pakistani man who has his own web site promoting peace and wome's rights in Islam. He does a psychoanalysis of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and comes to the conclusion that "he grew up as an orphan in the care of five different foster parents before he reached the age of 8. ...[He was] a person who has not received enough love, who is incapable of loving...Muhammad was a ruthless man with no feelings."
Of course, this book is based on nothing but lies and misinformation, but I can picture many upper west side residents sitting on the train enthralled with this garbage on their daily commutes to and from work.
Poetic Justice?
Here is another New York Daily News article titled, "Give Back Our Son", dated March 25, 2008. A Jewish family is suing a Caribbean bootcamp for teens for abusing their son. The boy is Isaac Hersh, 16, and the boot camp is Tranquility Bay on the island of Jamaica. Apparently, the boy has had a difficult relationship with his parents and was living with an orthodox Jewish foster family in Texas. His parents had him sent to Tranquility Bay, which promises to reform bad boys instead the facility has been accused of beating children and forcing them to eat their own vomit. Isaac's foster parents have sued on his behalf.
Who is Isaac's father?
His father is Michael Hersh, CEO of Brooklyn's huge Orthodox volunteer ambulance service, Hatzolah. The way this ambulance service handled responded to a car accident on August 19, 1991 sparked the Crown Heights Riots, which lasted for three days.
Jewish driver, Yosef Lifsh, was driving in a police escorted motorcade when his car veered into two children, Gavin and Angela Cato, both 7 years old. Hatzolah EMS workers arrived on the scene to treat Lifsh, who had very minor injuries. Gavin Cato was under the car while his cousin Angela lay nearby. Hatzolah took off with Lifsh to the nearest hospital and left the two blcak children to die. Eventually, New York City EMS workers came to the scene but, Gavin Cato had died. Yosef Lifsh fled to Israel to avoid any manslaughter charges. Many eyewitnesses claimed he was speeding to catch up to the motorcade.
Now, Michael Hersh claims he wants his son back when the very company he is the chairman of played a role in taking the life of someone else's son. Now, Isaac Hayes is in the middle of a bitter custody battle between relatives and his biological parents. That's why I call it poetic justice.
Letter: From a Muslim Woman: Suggested Readings, mostly recent, to understand the thinking of non-Muslim Elites
Here are some recently published books available in American bookstores :
(1)
CROSSING THE RUBICON: THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE AT THE END OF THE AGE OF OIL
BY MICHAEL C. RUPPERT
PUBLISHED BY NEW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS IN 2004 (Price $22.95) (594 pages)
(2)
THE POWER ELITE BY C. WRIGHT MILLS (Published in 1956)
A study of how America really works---controlled by a small achelon of "deciders" ---a small national power elite).
(3)
SUPERCLASS: THE GLOBAL POWER ELITE AND THE WORLD THEY ARE MAKING
BY: DAVID ROTHKOPF
PUBLISHED BY FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX (2008) (PRICE: $26.00)
The author mentions Davos, a hotel in Switzerland where this planet's elites/power wrestlers(?) meet (annually?)
"It's a small world at the top" is a quote from the book.
(4)
A Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho, whose book The Alchemist has sold a million copies worldwide and is the second best selling author on this planet after J.K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter books).
He is also read by some of these elitists power brokers of the world I'm sure, so it might be worth a glance.
"Know thine enemy better than thou knoweth thyself" ---says Common Sense!
As-Salaam Elekum!
Sister Sofia
The Ugly Truth Just another WordPress.com weblog
Raid on Texas Religious Community Part of New World Order Psyops?
by Mark Glenn [Idaho]
April 22, 2008
The recent 'raid' on the Yearning For Zion religious
community by Texas authorities was anything but an accident
that just happened to 'pop up' out of nowhere. Likewise, the
24-7 attention paid to it by the mainstream media in the US
had nothing to do with concern for the well-being of
children, nor was it all the result of a slow news cycle.
Rather, like most things taking place these days, it was
carefully planned and executed in order to achieve maximum
psychological effect on the collective American psyche.
Astute Americans recognizing that there is a definite,
quantifiable and qualifiable agenda at work today in
corralling them (as well as their political and financial
resources) by interested parties will easily see the hand of
powerful forces at work here. The reasons for doing so by
these forces are simple to see as well-to convey to would-be
enemies of totalitarianism the subtle yet powerful message
that 'resistance is futile' and if 'Big Brutha wantsa getcha'
he will, and can do so with the speed and destructive power
of a bolt of lightening.
The news coverage of the raid-almost in every single instance-did not hesitate in noting the many similarities between it and what took place over a decade ago in Waco, Texas when militarized federal law enforcement assets assaulted the Branch Davidian compound resulting in almost 100 men, women and children being gassed and burned to death. Besides the fact both events took place in Texas, they also involved separatist-minded religious communities living apart from a 'corrupt' world they saw as threatening to their way of life. Both groups were apocalyptic in their theology, pointing to the decline in public morals, the loss of constitutional freedoms and the heavy hand of God that they anticipated coming down soon upon mankind in a big way. In both cases, allegations of child molestation (as well as other out-of-the-mainstream ideas concerning marital relations) were concocted or blown out of proportion and itemized as THE defining characteristics of both groups as if nothing else took place in their communities. And, last but not least, this recent raid took place almost immediately prior to April 19th.
The news coverage of the raid-almost in every single instance-did not hesitate in noting the many similarities between it and what took place over a decade ago in Waco, Texas when militarized federal law enforcement assets assaulted the Branch Davidian compound resulting in almost 100 men, women and children being gassed and burned to death. Besides the fact both events took place in Texas, they also involved separatist-minded religious communities living apart from a 'corrupt' world they saw as threatening to their way of life. Both groups were apocalyptic in their theology, pointing to the decline in public morals, the loss of constitutional freedoms and the heavy hand of God that they anticipated coming down soon upon mankind in a big way. In both cases, allegations of child molestation (as well as other out-of-the-mainstream ideas concerning marital relations) were concocted or blown out of proportion and itemized as THE defining characteristics of both groups as if nothing else took place in their communities. And, last but not least, this recent raid took place almost immediately prior to April 19th.
For those who have misplaced the significance of this date, it is one forever associated with clashes between anti-government radicals and the 'rule of law'. Although hardly mentioned in this context, it is the day American militiamen clashed with British troops at Lexington and Concord, sparking the 'shot heard 'round the world' and the American Revolution. Over 200 years later, it was the date federal officials assaulted the Weaver family at Ruby Ridge Idaho, resulting in 14-year old Sammy Weaver being shot in the back and his mother Vicki having her head blown off by an FBI sniper. A few years later, the aforementioned Waco massacre took place, a mere pre-cursor to the same 'shock and awe' meted out against Israel's greatest-perceived enemy in the Middle East, Iraq, and televised before the entire world. A few years later it was the day the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was blown to bits by one Timothy McVeigh, said to be working with 'anti-government' citizen paramilitary groups in the US.
Besides these striking similarities, there is something as well connecting all of these events with the recent raid in Texas, and-surprise, surprise-it just so happens to deal with powerful Zionist groups working for Israel's interests in the United States.
In the case involving the 'Yearning For Zion' group in Texas (an offshoot of the large and very powerful Mormon church) Morris 'Dees' Seligman and his Southern Poverty Law Center recently named both the church and the church's former leader Warren Jeffs to the SPLC's list of 'extremist' elements operating in the US. The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (whose activities include spying on Americans and working closely with law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels in 'advising' them on who to target in the US) has publicly denounced the Mormon Church in recent years for its practice of 'spiritually' baptizing Jews into the church after their deaths. As an interesting side note, the now-infamous 2006 arsons of 9 Baptist churches in Alabama were preceded by the ADL's public excoriation of the Southern Baptist Convention for its decision to specifically target Jews for proselytizing and conversion to Christianity.
It should be remembered as well that both of these groups-SPLC and the ADL-were deeply involved with 'investigating' the aforementioned groups and individuals prior to the events culminating on April 19th of their respective years. Randy Weaver was being 'watched' by SPLC for his involvement with the Aryan Nations. Dittoes with the ADL and the Branch Davidians, a fact mentioned in passing by a high-ranking ADL operative a mere few days before the assault began. (In yet another interesting side note, during the run-up to the Waco slaughter various Jewish outlets worldwide made clear their collective outrage over the fact that Branch Davidian leader David Koresh called himself the Messiah and dared to fly a flag at the Davidian compound closely resembling the flag of Israel.) A few months prior to the destruction of the Murrah Federal Building, the SPLC issued in typical screeching tones one of its infamous 'Intelligence Reports' warning about anti-government militias operating in the US, and, almost as if by magic, the Mossad-connected group led by Morris Dees Seligman had its dire predictions come to fruition with the detonation of a fertilizer bomb in the back of a rented Rider truck.
Although as of this moment the 'Yearning for Zion' church has not said anything publicly with regards to Israel and American foreign policy therewith, what makes it a target for the recent heavy-handed action is that it's not considered 'mainstream,' meaning it marches to the beat of different drum. Like a growing number of Christian communities these days, the YFZ church recognizes (and operates under the conclusion) that the ruling elite are the enemy. Rather than putting their children in public schools where they are robbed of their ability to think critically and where they are taught to base their moral judgments on what the system tells them, the parents of the YFZ church homeschool their children where their minds and consciences are kept safe from the debilitating intellectual narcotic dispensed in America's public schools.
Other events indicate the timing of this event was carefully planned for maximum effect as well. All the talk of pedophilia and dirty old men in the minute-by-minute news reports just so happened to precede the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to America. With all the trouble the Catholic church has dealt with recently regarding priest sex abuse scandals, the pope (who, based upon his opposition to George Bush's war-mongering in the Middle East) could have been expected to give critical words to the US President was cut off at the knees before he even arrived. As a result, George Bush was spared an embarrassing lecture by a man whose opinion matters to over a billion Catholics worldwide.
Besides any embarrassing comments from the Pope being kept out of the mainstream, the saturated coverage the Texas raid received resulted in other news being kept off the front pages as well, and once again, it deals with Israel and powerful Jewish interests. In the weeks running up to the raid, a spate of shocking news stories appeared in Israel and elsewhere dealing with the same topics of pedophilia and dirty old men, the only difference being that in this case it was not Catholic priests or Mormon preachers involved but rather rabbis teaching in Yeshivas.
A few weeks before the Texas raid, a story appearing in The Age (one of Australia's biggest newspapers) detailed a huge scandal that erupted at the Adass Israel Girls' School involving one Malka Leifer, wife of an orthodox rabbi and a teacher at that school who fled to Israel with the school's assistance after allegations of sexual abuse were raised. Parents of girls ranging in age from 15 and 16 reported their daughters being molested by the said female teacher. In one case one of the molested girls was so depressed she attempted suicide while another suffered from eating disorders and anxiety attacks. Interestingly, the girls at this school (as with the girls at the Texas church) have their marriages arranged by their religious leaders while they are very young and usually to much older men. Before fleeing, the fugitive teacher stole $20,000, money earned from part-time jobs done by the students and kept in a kitty. The school so far is not talking to anyone, including to the parents of the abused girls and has instructed the members of its community not to talk about the issue at all, citing the religious principle of lashon hara or malicious gossip.
Another story breaking a few weeks before the Texas raid and kept out of sight and thus out of mind involved a Brooklyn yeshiva (orthodox religious school) and its head administrator being sued for $10 million over allegations of sexual abuse by a rabbi who taught there for several decades. This present lawsuit is not the first, but rather the fifth to be filed against Yeshiva Torah Temimah and its administrator Lipa Margulies alleging sexual abuse by Rabbi Yudi Kolko. The molestations are said to date as far back as the 1980s and were covered up by the school's administrator who threatened victims into silence with clear and not-so-clear threats of retaliation.
Another story appearing in Haaretz, one of the biggest news outlets in the Jewish state, details the frightening tale of Rabbi Elior Chen and his recent flight to Canada when it was learned he and his sect were being investigated for child abuse. Chen is said to have ordered his followers to discipline their children by beating, burning, breaking their bones with hammers, scalding them with boiling water and forcing them to eat feces. An investigation was opened when one of the children in his 'community' was beaten so badly he went into a coma. The paper claims Rabbi Chen chose Canada as a refuge because "Only in very exceptional cases does Canada extradite." A short time later, another story here in the US revealed Rabbi Edward Schlaeger of Bridgeport, Ct was convicted of possessing child pornography but had his five-year prison sentence suspended, yet another embarrassing scandal for Jewish issues kept out of the mainstream as a result of the blinding, deafening news coverage concerning the events in Texas.
It is also worth mentioning that a search of the SPLC and ADL websites regarding the aforementioned cases involving Jewish sexual abuse of minors and the cult-like behavior of certain Jewish religious communities turned up nothing, compared with page after page after page of detailed information concerning 'extremist' Christian and Muslim groups.
In sum, what all of this seems to indicate is that when it comes to Christian groups in America, subversive organizations such as the ADL and SPLC are always there, watching, listening, and slithering about as silently as the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Their motto can be summed up simply thus-'We're making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty or nice' with regards to what is considered 'acceptable' dogma in Christian churches operating in America and more importantly, the 'proper' view of Israel. Therefore, someone coming along with any kind of novel ideas that may in the near (or not-so-near) future threaten to undermine the backwards, demonic tenets of Christian Zionism, they must be crushed and made examples of lest someone else get any funny ideas.
The reason for spying on Christian groups in the US by groups such as SPLC and ADL needs no real elaboration. Christian supporters of Israel and her murderous policies in the Middle East number in the tens of millions, along with a good portion of what's found in their wallets. Led by false prophets and Judas goats such as John Hagee, Pat Robertson, Tim LaHaye and the late (and not-so-great) Jerry Falwell, the umbilical cord from America to Israel providing the financial and political lifeblood necessary if the great experiment in Jewish self rule is to remain viable would wither on the vine if Christian support began to wane or disappear. Therefore, Christianity in America, in order to be considered 'acceptable' by Israel and her unregistered foreign agents must conform to certain dogmatic positions, a few of them being
(a) the Jews are God's chosen people
(b) that the land of Palestine was given to them by divine mandate
(c) that the Arabs in the region resisting Israel's murderous activities are thwarting the will of God, and
(d) that it is the duty of Christians in America to support Israel.
Any fringe groups therefore veering off the paved highway leading to Armageddon, groups that read their bibles instead of having them read to them by the likes of Hagee & Co are considered a threat to maintaining the great Zionist delusion that has rendered so many in America today blind and mad.
The message conveyed in this recent event in Texas was clear-religious groups seeking to divorce themselves from the system will have hell to pay for doing so. As the Book of the Apocalypse predicted, 'He forced all, both free and slave, rich and poor to receive a mark on the right hand or forehead' and without which persons or entities could not function.
Can there be little doubt then that this recent event, as well as those sure to happen in the future are but manifestations of this same system?
© 2008 by Mark Glenn, Correspondent, American Free Press Newspaper
NewTrendMag.org
Muslims have been migrating to the US for centuries
Descendants
of Syrian immigrants to North Dakota stand before a replica of one of
the first mosques in the US, built in the city of Ross around 1930.
National Endowment for the Humanities' “Bridging Cultures” Courtesy
Muslims
have been coming to the US for centuries, but you wouldn’t know it by
the intense debates that continue to surround the movement of Muslims
across international borders.
Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and
Donald Trump have called for the US to effectively ban Syrian refugees
from entering the country. The South Carolina Senate passed a bill
that would require all refugees to register with the state, subjecting
themselves to surveillance. On social media, the hashtag #StopIslam trended internationally in the hours after the Mar. 22 terrorist attack in Brussels.
Together, these reactions contribute to the idea
that Muslim migration to the US is somehow distinct from America’s
history as a “nation of immigrants.” Columnist Mark Nuckols summarized
the sentiment when he wrote in Townhall about “problematic immigrants” to the US.
The “most problematic,” he writes, are Muslims from
the Middle East and Africa. “This most recent wave of immigrants are
often more resistant to easy assimilation and more reluctant to accept
this country as truly their own,” he says.
In truth, Muslims have been part of this country
since before the thirteen original colonies even declared their
independence and became a nation. The examples below offer a glimpse of
the long history of their migration and contributions to the US.
Muslims were among the first to explore the “New World”
In
his book Meadows of Gold, published around 950 CE, Muslim geographer
Al-Musudi described the experiences of Khashkhash Ibn Saeed Ibn Aswad, a
Muslim explorer who he claims sailed across the Atlantic in 889 CE.
This reconstruction of a world map from Meadows of Gold depicts a world
before Europeans arrived in the Americas.
cartographic-images.netCourtesy
Individuals like Christopher Columbus are often
recognized as among the first to “discover” the Americas (despite, of
course, the long presence of the indigenous).
But those explorations would not have been possible without Muslims.
Historian Leslie Brout Jr. notes in his book The African Experience in Spanish America: 1502 to the Present Day
that many Muslim men accompanied European travelers clamoring to
“discover” the Americas in the 1500s. Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Hernán
Cortés, Pánfilo de Narváez, Pedro de Alvarado, Francisco de Montejo, and
other conquistadors all brought Muslims with them to aid in their early
expeditions in the Western Hemisphere.
For example, a Muslim man named Estevanico was sold
into slavery in the 1520s and brought to the Americas to aid Spain’s
exploration of present-day Florida. Although he was a slave until his
death, Brout writes that Estevanico became famous for completing an
eight-year journey on foot from Florida to Mexico City.
The labor of enslaved Muslims helped build the United States
As historian Sylviane A. Diouf writes in her book Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas,
Muslim men, women, and children were among the first people taken by
force from their homes in West Africa in the Atlantic slave trade.
It’s estimated that between 10 and 15 percent
of all Africans forced into bondage in the United States were Muslims.
These individuals, many of whom were among the most educated and
renowned in their homelands, were forced to work as slaves in the
Americas. Several of them published narratives about their time in
captivity.
Left:
Omar Ibn Sayyid, a Muslim slave in the United States, published his
autobiography in 1831. Right: The first known portrait of an African man
by a British portraitist was completed shortly after Job Ben Solomon's
arrival in London in 1733.
University of North Carolina and the National Portrait Gallery/Courtesy
Omar Ibn Sayyid, for example, was taken from his
home in present day Senegal and forced into slavery in South Carolina
around the year 1770. In 1831 he published his autobiography in Arabic,
which was later translated into English.
Sayyid’s autobiography reveals in his own words his experiences being taken from his home, his life under slavery in the United States and his devotion to Islam. Today, a mosque in Fayetteville, North Carolina is named in his honor.
In his book Muslims in America, historian
Edward Curtis describes the experience of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, who
became known as Job Ben Solomon after he was taken from West Africa in
1731 and sold into slavery to a tobacco farmer in Annapolis, Maryland.
Solomon was able to escape slavery after less than
three years of bondage. He could read and write in Arabic, so he wrote a
letter to his father with the hopes that he might send money to ransom
his freedom. His father never received the letter. However, the letter
did finds its way to the hands of James Oglethorpe, the founder of
Georgia, who had it translated into English.
Oglethorpe was so impressed with Solomon that he purchased the freedom bond himself.
Slavery ends, Muslim influence continues
Historian
Edward Curtis writes in his book Muslims in America that Alexander
Russell Webb used Islam in America to “promote Islam as a religion that
expressed some of America’s most deeply held values, especially those of
rationality, human equality, broadmindedness, and acceptance of
religious diversity.”
Harvard University Library/Courtesy
Muslims played important roles in securing a
Northern victory in the United States Civil War and bringing about the
end of slavery. Curtis’s Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History explains that nearly 300 people with Muslim last names fought in the Civil War.
Several became officers, including Moses Osman, a
captain in the 104th Illinois Infantry. After being subjected to slavery
in Turkey, Russia, and the US when he was forced to serve a European
traveler who crossed the Atlantic, Mohammed Ali ben Said fought
in the Civil War from 1863 to 1865 and earned the rank of sergeant in
the Union Army. After his emancipation, Said went on to travel the world
before settling in Alabama. He published his autobiography in 1873 before passing away in 1882.
While emancipation allowed former Muslim slaves to
practice their religion more freely, they were not the only ones who
practiced Islam in the US after the Civil War.
Alexander Russell Webb, born in 1846, was a middle
class white Protestant who converted to Islam in 1887 after traveling
the world in his capacity as the US Consul to the Philippines. When he
returned to the US in 1893, he started a newspaper called "The Moslem
World," published a book called Islam in America and was selected to be a representative of Islam at the Chicago World Fair.
Nativism and exclusionary immigration laws took hold in the early 1900s, but Muslims lived all over the country
With the turn of the 20th century came the rise of
anti-immigrant feelings among Americans. Nevertheless, Muslim American
communities continued to grow. In North Dakota, for example, Syrian and
Lebanese Muslim immigrants worked as farmers in the Great Plains.
As part of the New Deal, the Works Progress Administration interviewed Mike Abdullah,
a Syrian native, about life in North Dakota. Abdullah and his fellow
community members in North Dakota were practicing Muslims whose
experiences mirrored those of many farmers who worked the land in the
American heartland from the 1900s through the middle of the century.
Muslims lived and worked across the US. Historian Vivek Bald writes in Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian Americans that
Muslims labored not only as farmers but also as industrial and service
workers. They immersed themselves in Creole, African American and Puerto
Rican neighborhoods in New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore and New York City.
The growth of these diverse communities continued despite the passing
of laws that didn’t bode well for Muslims hoping to come to the US.
The
Dillingham Commission formed in 1907 out of growing anti-immigrant
sentiment in the US. The “Dictionary of Races or Peoples," included in
the 41-volume report that the Commission published in 1911, tried to
legitimize ideas about racial difference, which were often intertwined
with religion. The Commission’s report helped create laws that curtailed
immigration from countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and
Southern and Eastern Europe.
University of California Libraries via archive.org/Courtesy
The Immigration Act of 1917 barred immigration from
Asia, and the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 introduced numerical quotas that
restricted the entry of immigrants according to their country of origin.
Many countries with sizeable Muslim populations received low quotas and
Muslims from Asian countries were excluded outright.
The Hart-Cellar Act of 1965 eventually eliminated
national origins quotas and made it easier for Muslims — at least those
who were skilled and professional workers — to migrate to the US. This
landmark legislation was just part of the continuation of Muslim
migration to the US — not the beginning.
These examples only scratch the surface of
stories about the long history of Muslims in the United States. Feel
free to share more stories and histories in the comments. This story was
produced in partnership with the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota.
Newswires
on Muslim students at a Swiss school don't have to shake hands with female teachers
A school in Bern, Switzerland, on Oct. 1
Ruben SprichReuters
Male
Muslim students at a school in northern Switzerland will no longer have
to shake hands with their female teachers, following a ruling that was
on Monday causing an uproar in the country.
A school in the northern municipality of Therwil, in
the canton of Basel, reached the controversial decision after two male
students, aged 14 and 15, complained that the Swiss custom of shaking
hands with the teacher is counter to their religious beliefs if the
teacher is a woman.
They argued that Islam does not permit physical
contact with a person of the opposite sex, with the exception of certain
immediate family members.
The local Therwil council did not support the
school's decision, "but will not intervene as (it) is the responsibility
of the school to set the rules," spokeswoman Monika Wyss told AFP in a
statement.
The decision triggered an outcry across Switzerland
with Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga insisting on Swiss public
television Monday that "shaking hands is part of our culture."
Felix Mueri, who heads the parliamentary commission
on science, education and culture, meanwhile described the custom to the
20Minuten news site as "a gesture of respect and good manners."
Christoph Eymann, who heads the Swiss Conference of
Cantonal Ministers of Education, agreed, insisting: "We cannot tolerate
that women in the public service are treated differently from men."
Basel-Country canton authorities, who have the power
to overturn the Therwil decision, did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
But the canton's education chief Monica Gschwind
told media she viewed the school's decision as "pragmatic" although "not
a lasting solution".
Muslim groups meanwhile decried the polemic around the issue.
"One would think that the continued existence of
Switzerland's core values was at stake, when this particular case in
fact involves just two high school students who have said they wish to
greet their teacher in a different way than with a handshake," the
Islamic Central Council of Switzerland said in a statement.
The group pointed out that "classical (Islamic)
jurisprudence and the vast majority of contemporary legal scholars ...
assume a clear prohibition of this contact form (handshakes) between the
sexes."
The Federation of Islamic Organizations in
Switzerland (FIOS) however maintained that handshakes between men and
women were "theologically premissable" and were common in some Muslim
countries, insisting the issue should not be problematic in Switzerland.
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