PassionIslam September 09

Issue: 18 September 2009

British spy agencies have come under fire after an annual surveillance report revealed that 504,073 requests were made to spy on British citizens last year.

According to a report released by the interception of communications commissioner, Sir Paul Kennedy, intelligence services, police and councils made more than half a million requests in 2008 to monitor citizen’s private correspondence from emails to telephone records.

All of the requests were approved under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), said the report.

Recently, Local authorities and government agencies were criticized for abusing the RIPA for monitoring criminally-unimportant incidents

such as littering, dog fouling, and parking rules after winning the right to request private communication data.

In his report, Kennedy also found 595 errors in interception requests last year, including mistakes made by the domestic and foreign intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6.

“It cannot be a justified response to the problems we face in this country that the state is spying on half a million people a year,” Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne was quoted by British dailies as saying.

“The Government forgets that George Orwell’s 1984 was a warning, and not a blueprint. We are still a long way from living under East

Germany’s Stasi but it beggars belief to spy on one in every 78 adults,” Huhne said, revoking the totalitarian ruler of the British author’s book.

The figure corresponds to spy requests made for every minute of the previous year.

“We have sleepwalked into a surveillance state but without adequate safeguards,” he regretted.

A Home Office spokesman said the powers should be used only when they were “proportionate,” to ensure a “balance between individual privacy and collective security.”

In Britain, the average citizen is picked up by no less than 300 separate cameras per day, not counting road traffic cameras, according to a 2006 BBC report.

1 in 78 UK Citizensspied on in 2008

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2 I LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS Passion Islam I September 2009

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t h e P a s s i o n - By Moazzam Begg

Imagine, gathered under one roof, over a dozen men who were once regarded as the most dangerous people on the planet – and a man who once guarded them, breaking their Ramadan fast together with lords and baronesses, poets and writers, activists and lawyers and students and children on a summer’s eve in London’s Kensington area – in its town hall to be exact. This is precisely what happened at the “Beyond Guantánamo” fundraising event hosted by Cageprisoners.

Among the five hundred or more attendees were the wife and children of Shaker Aamer, a man held captive without charge in Guantánamo for eight years. Shaker’s wife gave me a copy of the latest letter she received from her husband – over a year ago – part of which I read to the audience:

Yes I lost a lot of weight, yes I have a lot of sicknesses, yes I’ve got short sight, yes my bones are aching, yes I got white hair, yes I got old, but my heart is still young, my mind still strong – a lot stronger than ever. My soul’s got the biggest wings to fly and help others to fly. I am a lot wiser, a lot [more] patient, a lot [more] knowledgeable, a lot [more] merciful, a lot [more] loving and caring, a lot [more] helpful. I feel I can change the world to be a better place. I feel I can restore justice so we can have peace and love amongst each other.

And what crime has Shaker committed for which both he and his family are paying such an astronomical price?

Of 775 prisoners once held in Guantánamo approximately 530, including myself, have been released without charge – including two senior Taliban ministers. Shaker Aamer, even by the ludicrously low standards of proof required by the military commissions process, has never been charged with a crime and, in eight years, has never been designated for trial. As one of his first acts as US President Barak Obama ordered an end to torture, an end to secret detention and the closure of Guantanamo within a year. He also

instructed the expressly set up Detainee Review Task Force to re-examine the cases of all of the prisoners in order to help determine who might be charged with crimes in the US justice system and which ones should be repatriated or transferred to other countries. But even after this process Shaker Aamer faces no charges.

Among the people released this year was Mohammed Jawad, a 20-year old Afghan who was held as a captive since the age of 12 and, a 22-year old Chadian, Mohammed al-Gharani, who came to Guantánamo at the age of 14. The latter was taken under the wing of Shaker Aamer who looked to him like a little brother – or a son. When I spoke to him earlier this week al-Gharani told me:

Shaker took a special interest in the younger Gitmo prisoners and was like a father to us. He taught me to be patient and I benefitted from him so much. Once, after a particularly harsh interrogation I returned to my cell exhausted and depressed. Through his words, Shaker took me away from that place – away from the cages and chains and screams and into his world, telling me about his family and his life before Gitmo, making me forget my torturous surroundings ...

Why is the case of Shaker Aamer so difficult to resolve?In 2007 the UK government officially called for the return of Omar Deghyaes, Jamil el-Banna, Abdenour Sameur, Binyam Mohamed and Shaker Aamer. The former three were returned soon after that, but Binyam had to wait another two years. Believing he was also returning, Shaker’s wife and children prepared a welcome-back party for him. I remember how overjoyed the children were at the prospect of meeting a father they’d known only through photographs – much like my own children had many years ago. But it was to be a cruel wait in vain.

Binyam Mohamed was released earlier this year under an eruption of embarrassing facts that showed

just how deeply British complicity into torture had reached. As a result, Scotland Yard began an unprecedented criminal investigation against MI5. Shortly after his release, Binyam told me he’d thought Shaker was coming back with him too. Instead, Shaker remained incarcerated and was allegedly regularly mistreated due to his constant advocacy for prisoners’ rights and his refusal to accept any legitimacy of his imprisonment. In June this year Shaker’s lawyer, Brent Mickum, went to see his client but was told that Shaker refused to see him. It is alleged that a squad of guards in riot gear had forcibly entered Shaker’s cell and severely beaten him, allegedly for refusing to take down a shirt he’d hung up. After that his clothes were allegedly forcibly removed and he was left with nothing to wear.

This coincided with the time of his legal visit which Shaker did not attend. Another prisoner explained to his lawyer why he thought that was: “What, did you expect him to show up to an attorney meeting in his birthday suit?”

Shaker Aamer, who is now 42, maintains that at least one British intelligence officer was present while his head was allegedly repeatedly hit against a cell wall during interrogation in 2002 at Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Perhaps there’s more to this allegation – more that some people don’t want released in public. Perhaps one criminal investigation of our intelligence services is quite enough.

Perhaps that’s why Shaker Aamer is not being reunited with his wife and young children.

Aamer’s long wait for justiceShaker Aamer has never been charged with a crime, or given a

date for trial. But still he languishes in Guantánamo

Passion Islam I September 2009 LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS I 3

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Many young British Muslims feel they have been demonized and under attack by the UK police and media ever since the September 11 events and 2005 London bombings, a study shows.

The study, carried out by an Islamic Think Tank called the Policy Research Center, reported on Monday that since the September 11 attacks and 2005 London bombings, Muslims in Britain have been under pressure to prove they can be both British and Muslim at the same time.

Moreover, they believe that Britain’s role in Iraq and Afghanistan has only increased the pressure.

The report also revealed young Muslims feel they are under attack by the media, saying that it portrays them as a threat to society.

“This is especially damaging when myths and stereotypes surmount

accurate information, resulting in young British Muslims being portrayed as a threat to the wellbeing of the wider British communities,” it said.

The think tank added that many young British Muslims not only say they do not trust the police, but feel harassed by them, as well.

This comes as the report cited a dramatic rise in Muslims being stopped and searched in the street after the July 2005 bombings, which killed 52 people in London.

The police blamed the attack on four British Muslims, three of Pakistani origin.

According to the last census in 2001, there are currently more than 1.6 million Muslims residing in Britain. Unofficial estimates, however, suggest the number could now be well above 2 million.

www.passionislam.com

New study shows Muslim youth feel demonizedThe study found many young British Muslims do not trust the police and feel harassed by them

Experts from industry and academia are being invited to provide groundbreaking innovations to help combat the threat of terrorism as part of the government’s science and technology counter terrorism strategy.

Scientists are being asked to come forward with state-of-the-art ideas that could be used to identify new threats and develop ways to counter the challenges we face from international terrorism.

The three-year science and technology counter terrorism strategy published aims to understand future threats and opportunities, develop effective solutions, work with international partners on counter terrorism-related science and technology.

The government’s counter terrorism strategy has identified that terrorists will continue to exploit modern technology, not only to plan and conduct attacks, but also to disseminate propaganda and recruit people to their cause.

Government launches counter terrorism science and technology strategy


A project aimed at helping young Muslim girls who have suffered abuse and hostility because of wearing the veil has been launched.

The Young Muslim Women Professionals Project was given a grant of nearly £500,000 from the Big Lottery fund and was set up after women came forward to describe the abuse they suffered.

Set up by the Leyton-based Kiran Project, which has traditionally

supported Asian women and children suffering domestic violence and abuse, the scheme is set to run for three years.

Fiaz Akhtar, who works for Kiran as a project co-ordinator and wears a head scarf, said: “After 7/7, I was in my car with my daughter and a guy came up behind me. He came out of his car and started swearing and saying ‘get back to your country’. It came to the point where I was petrified.”

Mrs Akhtar also had a lit cigarette thrown at her and said many women have been spat at, verbally abused in the street and even had their veils pulled off in the years following 9/11 and 7/7.

She said: “My clothes almost caught fire - luckily I was sitting forward. I cried a lot - it’s something that could have been harmful to me.”

She described how her 12-year-old daughter, who also wears the veil, had been verbally abused in Walthamstow market because of the way she was dressed.

Mrs Akhtar added that a number of young women had come forward to say they had suffered similar problems and the project grew from there, as a way to rebuild their self-confidence.

Project director Zahir Fatima said: “After 9/11 and 7/7 we’ve been pushed underground. People are afraid to air their concerns. Discussions need to be held in an open and safe environment.”

Aimed at girls and young women aged 10 to 25, the scheme will include mentoring projects, “skills for life” such as ICT and counselling training and advice on how to deal with abuse safely. Asian Image

The Government’s flagship scheme on tackling extremism is alienating Muslim communities and should be scrapped, according to a new report published last month.

The New Local Government Network (NLGN) think tank is calling for the £45 million scheme to focus on tackling all extremism – including far-right extremists – rather than just focusing on Islamic extremism.

The Government set up the Prevent scheme in 2006 to help local councils to tackle violent extremism at a local level.

Currently 94 local authorities receive funding from the scheme. NLGN’s independent report argues that whilst the scheme has helped in some areas, overall it risks alienating some local communities and particularly Muslim communities.

The report calls for the Government to allocate resources to tackle all extremist ideologies, arguing that the recent increase in far-right extremism is as much of as a challenge for local councils as Islamic extremism.

In July this year Scotland Yard warned that far-right extremists are planning a “spectacular” terrorist

attack in Britain to try to stoke racial tensions and that more resources need to be targeted to tackle this form of extremism.

It also calls for reform of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) to allow an expert on ‘home-grown’ terrorism to sit on the Committee.

It suggests that the Communities and Local Government department should have a permanent seat on the JIC alongside the seven other government departments on the Committee and that experienced local authority Chief Executives should be consulted when assessing potential security risks.

Author of the report, Anna Turley argues that reform of Prevent is vital to rebuilding confidence within local communities: “While Islamist extremism remains a very serious threat to our security, this kind of extremism is not the only threat to the stability and security of our communities.

“Prevent is too proscriptive from the centre, undermines broader

community cohesion objectives and lacks sufficient integration with police and security services at local and national level. Concern has also been acknowledged over the agenda’s impact on relations with Muslim communities and whether it unfairly stigmatises an entire community.

While it is too early to assess the success of the Prevent agenda in terms of outcomes, the lack of support from within the Muslim community, as well as the changing threat of wider extremist voices mean that it is time to review whether the separation of the Preventing Violent Extremism approach from wider community cohesion approaches is still relevant.”

Scheme to tackle extremismshould be scrapped - report

Project launched to support veil-wearers


A Muslim community leader was kidnapped from his home at knifepoint and ordered to stop holding prayer sessions following a BNP hate campaign.

Noor Ramjanally, from Loughton, Essex, was abducted by two men, bundled into a car boot and driven to Epping Forest.

He said he feared he was about to be murdered when one of the kidnappers said: “Let’s do it here.” Then they told him: “We don’t want the Islamic group in Loughton.”

Mr Ramjanally, 35, has received hate mail threatening his family since he started regular Friday prayer sessions in a community hall in March. Last month his home was firebombed.

The BNP, which has four councillors in the area, has been accused of whipping up racial tensions after it issued an inflammatory leaflet attacking Mr Ramjanally’s Islamic community group for hiring the local Murray Hall.

Essex Police confirmed they are treating the kidnapping as a hate crime and are linking it to the two previous incidents and the group’s use of the hall.

The BNP strongly denies any responsibility for the crimes.

Mr Ramjanally, a married father of one, was at home alone when his doorbell rang. He said: “When I opened the door, two white men just grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me outside. They put a knife upon my stomach and said to me, Do what you are told or you will get hurt’. I was scared.

“They forced me into the boot of a 4x4 and one of the men held me with a knife to my chest. They drove me to Epping Forest and one said, Do it here’. I thought that my life was over.”

He added: “They walked with me deep into the forest and said: We don’t want the Islamic group in Loughton. If you don’t stop, we’ll come back’. Then they disappeared.

“The men did not say anything about the BNP or who they were. But it is only the BNP who want my Islamic group out of Loughton. I believe the BNP campaign has inspired the violence.”

On 2 July a petrol bomb damaged the front of Mr Ramjanally’s house. The next day he received a typed letter that read: “We know which school your kid goes to and which car you drive.”

He said his family is in fear of further attacks but vowed to continue his sessions, which attract 80 worshippers.

The BNP believes the meetings are a precursor to a mosque. Pat Richardson, BNP group leader in Epping Forest, denied the party was behind the attacks, saying: “Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method, but firebombing is not a way of showing displeasure.”

Police said they would work to ensure that all members of the community could practise their religion safely. LES

In its response to the Government’s consultation, ‘Keeping the Right People on the DNA Database’, the Equality and Human Rights Commission believes further changes are required to the way DNA profiles are stored and used by the state if it is to comply with the law.

The Government is consulting on changes to the rules about the DNA database after a European Court of Human Rights ruling found that these were unlawful. Under the Government’s proposals, even if someone has not been charged with committing a crime their DNA profile can be kept for up to 12 years, or indefinitely if they have been found guilty of any offence.

The Commission believes this proposal does not meet the European Court of Human Rights requirement for the UK Government to have clear, justifiable reasons for holding on to DNA data from people who had not been convicted of a crime. The Commission’s response is based on advice from Michael Beloff QC.

The Commission sets out its

concerns in relation to several aspects of the Government’s proposals along with its recommendations to bring them in line with the Council of Europe’s guidance on the use of DNA in the criminal justice system:

DNA profiles must be destroyed once a final decision has been made in a case, with only a few exceptions. A person’s DNA profile should only be kept for a limited period if they have been convicted of a serious crime and where destroying that information is likely to pose a risk to the public.

There must be more of a balance between someone’s right to privacy and the right of other people to be protected from a crime that might be committed.

The rules should also differentiate more between children and adults. The Commission argues that it is not proportionate – and therefore unlawful – to keep the DNA profile of a 10 year old child arrested for a minor offence for the same length of time as an adult.

The Commission also wants an independent adjudicator to be put in

place to oversee the system. This would give innocent people a way of challenging the need to keep their DNA profile on file.

The proposals do not tackle the fact that there are a disproportionate number of black men, particularly young black men, on the database.

There are disproportionate numbers of vulnerable people are on the database, including children as young as ten and people with mental illnesses.

DNA is being collected for a broad range of offences, even when it may not be relevant as evidence.

Government DNA database proposals will still break the law

I was kidnapped at knifepointin BNP hate campaign


UK lawmakers have called for a review of all arms exports to Israel, as reports confirm that British arms were ‘almost certainly’ used by Israeli forces in Gaza.

The Committees on Arms Export Controls published their annual report on Wednesday which calls for tougher scrutiny of arms exports, especially to places like Israel.

The British parliament’s Committee on Arms Export Controls said last month that the government is not doing enough to make sure its weapons are not used against civilians in war zones.

The joint report by four House of Commons committees also urged tougher scrutiny and a case-by-case assessment of arms exports, especially to places like Israel.

The report comes as the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in April informed Parliament that Britain would re-examine its arms exports to Israel in light of Operation Cast Lead, in which over 1,400 Palestinians died, many of whom were women and children.

Three weeks of non-stop Israeli air strikes as well as a ground incursion inflicted more than USD 1.6 billion of

damage on Gaza’s economy. The UK committee, meanwhile,

called the report “regrettable” stressing that the government should do “everything possible to ensure that this does not happen in future”.

It also welcomed Downing Street’s minimum sanctions against Israel, which has reportedly led to the cancellation of five out of 182 warrants for supplying the Israeli military with equipment.

The license review, however, only affects the small armada of Sa’ar 4.5 missile boats -- deployed during the Israeli raids on the impoverished sliver -- which depend on UK supplies.

In February, Amnesty International

published a report on arms sales to Israel in which it highlighted Britain’s role in supplying engines for Hermes 450 drones. According to the report, Israel uses these drones to conduct assassinations in Gaza.

The report prompted the Palestinian organization al-Haq to file a lawsuit against the British government, arguing that British arms sales facilitate Israeli operations in the impoverished Gaza.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, continues to be generously supported by the US -- its biggest arms supplier which injects USD 2 billion worth of armaments into the defense industry per year.

A two-day Islamic finance conference is scheduled to take place between 13 to 14 October at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, to look at how Islamic banking has grown and survived despite the recent recession.

The ‘Opportunities and Challenges in the World of Islamic Finance’ is the first of its kind in the north and will aim to provide an introduction to Islamic finance, the rationale for growth in Shariah compliant financial products and the relevance of Islamic finance in today’s world.

The conference will also look at how Islamic finance and banking

sectors have survived whilst western businesses and financial institutions are still recovering from the financial crisis.

It will also explain to people the basic principles and backgrounds of Islamic finance, how it can help businesses and organizations and explore how the market has evolved internationally to date.

There will be opportunities to look at the different sectors involved in Islamic finance and the opportunities arising from these: banking, investment, insurance, derivatives and the challenges that lay ahead.

UK arms used in Israel attacks

Islamic Finance Conferencea first for the North

Royal Armouries in Leeds will be the venue for the first ever Islamic Finance Conference in the North


A British parliamentary committee has denounced loopholes in the country’s legislation, which allows war criminals to take refuge in the UK without facing

any charges. According to a report released by

the joint British committee on human rights, many war criminals are allowed to visit the UK with impunity due to the inconsistencies and legal loopholes in the British law.

The report has asserted that not fully implanting the international conventions have limited the jurisdiction of British court over crimes such as genocide and torture.

In its report, the human rights committee said that the British courts are unable to allow torture victims to sue the foreign states responsible for their abuse.

It also added that many of these criminals, in opposition, could not be charged in these courts because the offence has occurred before 2001 or the criminal is not a legal and permanent resident of the UK.

The committee criticized the existing laws, stressing that “the UK must not become a safe haven for

evil.” “The message to those who have

perpetrated the most heinous crimes imaginable must be clear: they are not welcome here -- not to visit, not to live, not to holiday, shop or get medical treatment.”

The committee therefore urged lawmakers to reform the legislation aiming to re-establish a police war crimes unit to chase down criminals, adding that some 1,863 individuals in Britain are suspected of links to genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.

It also welcomed the plan of change proposed by the government to force British citizens or residents accused of war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s to face trial.

It, however, stressed that this should be extended as far back as 1948 for genocide and 1949 for war crimes.


UK must not become safehaven for evil: British MPs

Passion Islam I September 2009 LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS I 11

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A new fingerprint sharing deal with Canada and Australia will boost the fight against identity fraud, the Home Office announced.

Under the new data sharing agreement, the United Kingdom will be able to swap fingerprint information on foreign criminals and asylum seekers with these two countries - making it easier than ever to flag up those migrants who try to hide their past from authorities, while ensuring personal information continues to be protected.

This groundbreaking agreement has been developed by the members of the Five Country Conference, which is a forum for cooperation on measures to improve immigration controls and border security. The USA will be joining the agreement shortly, and New Zealand is considering legislation to join in the near future.

Each country will have the same ability to check fingerprints, and for the first year of the agreement each country will be able to share 3,000 sets of fingerprints with partner countries - this number will rise as the deal rolls out.

The collaboration will make it

easier to detect those people with previous criminal histories in other countries, as well as speed up removals and establish previously unknown identities.

These checks are complementary to the ones we already undertake with our European partners, and trials of the data sharing agreement have already reaped results, with individuals’ identities being revealed through the exchange and checking of fingerprints.

In one such case, an individual claiming asylum in the United Kingdom as a Somali was found to have previously been fingerprinted on arrival in the USA while travelling on an Australian passport.

Australia subsequently confirmed that the individual was an Australian citizen wanted for rape. This resulted in his deportation to Australia, where he faced court proceedings and is now serving a jail sentence.

The protection of personal information is important to all the countries involved in this project and the specific measures that are being employed to protect privacy include: ensuring that all fingerprints remain

anonymous and cannot be linked to an individual unless a match is detected between countries; destroying fingerprints once a match has been completed with no fingerprint database being compiled; and using encryption and other security tools to protect files that are shared.


International crackdownon identity fraud

A man has been charged with distributing leaflets in Cumbria which alleged Muslims were responsible for the heroin trade.

Former British National Party election candidate Anthony Bamber, 53, is accused of incitement to commit religious hatred, police said.

The leaflet was also distributed in Burnley and circulated in other parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said: “Following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service a 53-year-old man from Preston has been charged in connection with an investigation into the distribution of leaflets in

Lancashire which claim Muslims are responsible for the heroin trade.”

Bamber, of Greenbank Street, Preston, and who stood for the BNP at local elections in the city in 2006, was due to appear at Preston Magistrates’ Court.

Three other men, all from East Lancashire, were also arrested as part of the investigation. They were told by police last month that they would not face charges over the matter.

Supporters of the BNP, including party leader and North West MEP Nick Griffin, demonstrated outside the police station in Burnley last November following the dawn raid arrests.

Man charged overanti-Muslim leaflets

12 I WORLD NEWS Passion Islam I September 2009

Muslims in the capital will finally have fitting place of worship with a mosque being constructed

Copenhagen’s first mosque will be a blue dome structure in the Nørrebro district after the City Council voted in favour of approving a district plan for its construction.

The council voted for a 2000sqm former machine factory on Vibevej Road to be transformed into the 32m tall place of worship for the city’s Muslims.

The building’s frontal facade will

be 13m tall, while the blue dome stretching another 24m up. The mosque will also have two minarets at a height of 32m.

The minarets will be largely symbolic as they will not be used to call people to prayer, reports TV2 News.

The building will include a prayer room, amphitheatre, conference centre, library and housing quarters for visiting imams.

The project is being organised by the Ahlul Bait Association and

is expected to cost about 50 million kroner, which will be funded through private donations.

‘Copenhagen has a cathedral, a Russian church, a synagogue and of course we should also have a new mosque. I hope it will be a place that’s full of life and inviting to show that Copenhagen is a diverse city,’ said Klaus Bondam, head of the city’s technical and environmental department.


The White House says it will directly supervise a new unit that is being set up to interrogate high value terror detainees.

The announcement came as the Obama administration named a federal prosecutor who will investigate past cases of detainee mistreatment.

For years, the Central Intelligence Agency stood at the forefront of U.S. efforts to extract information from terror suspects in the post-9/11 era. That role is changing, according to White House spokesman Bill Burton.

“The president, at the consensus recommendation of his inter-agency task force on interrogations and detainees did put in place a new group, the High-Value Interrogation Group, which will be housed at the FBI,” said Bill Burton. “And it will bring together all the different elements of the intelligence community to get the best intelligence possible.”

Administration officials say the CIA will continue to take part in interrogations, but that an FBI official will direct the effort with oversight by the National Security Council, which reports directly to the president.

President Obama came to office promising to outlaw torture in U.S. intelligence gathering. But just what constitutes torture has been a matter

of debate in Washington. The Bush administration strenuously defended so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” like sleep deprivation to obtain information from detainees, and admitted to harsher treatment, like the simulated drowning technique called water boarding, that was used in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks.

The Obama administration has made no move to prosecute former high ranking Bush administration officials for torture, but has left open the possibility of charging anyone who

exceeded Bush-era guidelines on the treatment of terror suspects.

White House spokesman Burton says President Obama’s view of the matter has not changed.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department released a declassified CIA report from 2004 detailing past interrogations of terror suspects and the techniques that were used. In one case, a U.S. interrogator reportedly threatened to kill the children of detained al Qaida mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed if new terrorist attacks were launched on the United States.

Permission Issued for BuildingFirst Mosque in Copenhagen

US establishes newinterrogation unit

Passion Islam I September 2009 WORLD NEWS I 13

The opening of the Russian Islamic University named after Kunta-Haji in Grozny was attended by dozens of Muslim leaders from Russia and other countries, Interfax said.

The opening ceremony started with a video message from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin transmitted on a big screen.

Students at the new university will study both Islamic and secular disciplines. The curriculum includes Russian and Chechen languages, sociology, political studies, philosophy and English.

During the first two years students

can take a beginners course in Arabic which is a requirement for any student wanting to go on and study Islam.

Teachers at the institution have reportedly been recruited from the Egyptian University Al-Azhar, one of the oldest world universities, the Asia Minor University, the Abu-Nour University in Syria.

The education lasts 5 years in the university.

The event in Grozny was attended by dozens of guests, delegations from the Russian Council of Muftis led by chairman Ravil Gainutdin, Muslim leaders from the North Caucasus republics, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, as well as Palestinian muftis, envoys and plenipotentiary from Malaysia, Turkey, Kuwait, Yemen and other Islamic states.

Islamic University Rector Abdul-Rahim Mutusev was quoted as saying that in 2009-2010 academic year they are expecting at around 300 students to get education .

One of the sweeping criminal complaints unveiled in New Jersey against 44 public officials and others includes a New York man accused of trying to arrange the private sale of a kidney from a donor in Israel.

Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, who lives in Brooklyn and is not a licensed physician or medical professional, faces charges of acting as a human organ broker. He offered to obtain a kidney for an undercover FBI agent and a confidential witness working for authorities, the criminal complaint says. The price was $160,000.

“I am what you call a matchmaker,” Rosenbaum is quoted as saying at a July 13 meeting with the two undercover agents.

The undercover FBI agent told Rosenbaum one of her uncles needed a kidney because he had been on dialysis for two years and

on a transplant list at a Philadelphia hospital, the complaint says. The first meeting took place at Rosenbaum’s home on February 18, 2008, three days after the confidential witness contacted Rosenbaum by telephone, the document says.

At that meeting, the complaint alleges, Rosenbaum said he could obtain a kidney for $150,000. He later raised the price to $160,000.

“I’m doing this a long time,” the complaint says Rosenbaum told the two agents. He then added: “Let me explain to you one thing. It’s illegal to buy or sell organs. ... So you cannot buy it. What you do is, you’re giving a compensation for the time.”

At their last meeting, on July 13, Rosenbaum said he had been arranging kidney sales for 10 years, the complaint says. Asked how many transplants he had brokered,

Rosenbaum is said to have responded, “Quite a lot. ... Quite a lot.”

Rosenbaum also told the agents he had brokered a transplant two weeks before their meeting, the document says.

All of the donors “come from Israel,” Rosenbaum is alleged to have said.

The price had gone up to $160,000, he said, because “it’s hard to get people,” noting that Israel had passed laws prohibiting the sale of human organs, the complaint states.

The agents had already paid $10,000 and were told to bring another $70,000 at a meeting. “I prefer you do it with cash,” the complaint quotes Rosenbaum as saying.

The remaining $80,000 would be due “when I get the donor in the hospital, check them out,” the complaint

New York Rabbi accused of tryingto broker palestine kidney sale

First Islamic UniversityOpened in Chechnya

The European Union stressed its role in building world peace and said that the main objective of European integration was to prevent a new war.

In a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the Swedish EU Presidency in a statement noted that “the unnatural division of our continent has now been overcome.” “We have a duty not to let the memory of the experience of this most terrifying of all wars fall into oblivion. Today, we Europeans share the responsibility for peace in the world. This is both a moral and a political responsibility,’ it said.

Seventy years ago, on September 1, 1939 in Westerplatte in Gdansk World War II began after Germany invaded Poland . In the years that followed, Europe witnessed the bloodiest war in its history. It saw the loss of millions of lives and immense grief. It saw the destruction of cities and communities.

EU bears responsbilityfor preserving world peace

14 I WORLD NEWS Passion Islam I September 2009

CIA report: Detainees threatened with family rape

US President Barack Obama used an annual Ramazan message to assure the Muslims that his administration had an ‘unyielding’ determination to resolve the issues that plague relations between the Muslim and western worlds.

‘We are…committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure,’ he said. ‘That is why we are responsibly ending the war in Iraq. That is why we are isolating violent extremists while empowering the people in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.’

Mr Obama also assured the Muslims that he and his government were ‘unyielding in our support for a two-state solution that recognises the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security’.

Mr Obama’s message was very different from the terse and brief Ramazan messages of his predecessor which did not go much beyond formal felicitations and the expression of a desire for better relations between the two civilisations.

In his first Ramazan message, the US president not only identified the real issues but also demonstrated a better understanding of Islam and its rituals.

All his efforts, he said, were a part of America’s commitment to engage Muslims and Muslim-majority nations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect.

‘And at this time of renewal, I

want to reiterate my commitment to a new beginning between America and Muslims around the world.’

Mr Obama recalled that in a speech in Cairo on June 4, he had stressed the need for a new beginning between the Muslim and western worlds.

‘This new beginning must be borne out in a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another and to seek common ground,’ he said. ‘I believe an important part of this is listening.’

He said that in the last two months, American embassies around the world had reached out not just to

governments, but directly to people in Muslim-majority countries, receiving ‘an outpouring of feedback’ about how America could be a partner on behalf of peoples’ aspirations.

Mr Obama said his administration was also moving forward in partnering with the OIC and OIC member states to eradicate polio, while working closely with the international community to confront common health challenges like H1N1 which was of particular concern to many Muslims preparing for the upcoming Haj.


Obama pledges to resolveissues with Muslim world

A newly declassified report released by the US Justice Department says CIA interrogators told terror suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri that his mother would be raped before his eyes if he refused to talk.

The inquisitors also told alleged terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his children would be killed, if the US were attacked again.

In another instance, Nashiri was shown a gun and frightened into thinking he would be shot. He was also threatened with a power drill held near him and repeatedly turned on and off.

Captured in 2002 over the USS Cole bombing two years earlier, Nashiri was held four years in a secret CIA prison and became one of three leading suspects to later suffer waterboarding.

The report on CIA interrogation methods, written in 2004 by the agency’s then inspector-general John Helgerson, was kept secret until Monday, when it was released as part of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The revelations propelled the US Attorney General Eric Holder to

appoint a special prosecutor, John Durham, to investigate allegations of abuse of terror suspects, hours after President Barack Obama set up a new team of interrogators to question terror suspects.

Reports of the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects could lead to the prosecution of CIA employees and officials who sanctioned such methods.

Assistant attorney John Durham has already been conducting a probe into the destruction of videotapes of detainee interrogations by the CIA.

Passion Islam I September 2009 WORLD NEWS I 15

Got News! Let us know by emailing us [email protected]

An international conference on “Islamic Banking” will be held by Euromoney Center in Paris on September 29.

According to ‘lemaghrebdz’ website, the meeting will be attended by bank managers, directors of financial institutes, and economic activists as well as Western traders who have shown an increasing interest in the products and services offered by Islamic banking.

Islamic banking is considered by many as a solution to the recent economic crisis as it leads to development of investments.

In the Islamic banking system, giving credit means to participate in an economic activity.

For the first time in Algeria, the Berber population has access to the Quran in their own language after the Saudi embassy started an initiative to print copies of Islam’s Holy Book in the Amazigh language, press reports said.

The embassy in Algiers distributed hundreds of paper and audio copies of the Quran amongst Berber tribes, which will allow thousands of non-Arabic speaking Berbers to understand the Quran.

“The translation was done under the supervision of the Algerian Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments “Saudi ambassador to AlgeriaIn the

past, the community only had access to local translations of only three parts of the Quran, the London-based Asharq Alawsat reported.

The translation to Amazigh was done by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in the western city of Medina, said Sami bin Abdullah al-Saleh, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Algiers.

The King Fahd Complex, which prints the Quran in 100 languages, gave the copies to the Saudi embassy and the ministry took charge of distributing them in regions with Berber majority, particularly the provinces of Tizi Ouzou, 100 kilometers east of the capital, and Béjaïa, 250 kilometers east of the capital.

“The reaction was very positive,” Saleh added. “Many Berbers contacted the Saudi embassy via phone and email to praise the initiative.”

Most Berbers in the area where the copies were distributed do not speak Arabic and many of them are illiterate and that is why audio copies were produced, Saleh concluded.

Algeria’s Berbers get firstQuran in local language

Paris toHost Islamic BankingConference

Quranic teachings are proper solutions for problems of man’s daily life; hence, it is incumbent upon Quran researchers to promote Quranic concepts in society, said a professor of Quranic sciences in Qom.

Hojjat-ol-Islam Mohammad Bagheriyan added that reading the revelation is not enough, but that people are in need of getting familiar with Quranic teachings to apply them in their lives.

He underlined that realization of Quranic teachings in society would help resolve the problems. “That is why Quran has been sent to human beings as a solution to all of their

social and spiritual problems.” Hojjat-ol-Islam Bagheriyan

stressed that merely reciting the Quran is not sufficient and attention has to be paid to learning its meanings and interpretations.

“Understanding the interpretation of Quranic verses as well as knowing the place and time of revelation of each verse plays a very important role in understanding the profound meaning of Quranic concepts.

There are valuable Quran interpretations which have to be presented in a simple language to be comprehensible for the public,” he went on to say.

Quran researchers urged to foster Quranic concepts in society

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16 I SPORT Passion Islam I September 2009

Jose Mourinho has been heavily criticised, claiming Sulley Muntari should not have been fasting during Ramadan.

The Inter Milan boss subbed Muntari after just half an hour in a draw with Bari - and later claimed that his lack of energy was down to his fasting.

Mourinho said: ‘Muntari had some problems related to Ramadan, perhaps with this heat it’s not good for him to be doing this (fasting). Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match.’

But the former Chelsea boss was on the receiving end of an attack from Mohamed Nour Dachan, president of the Union of Islamic communities and organisations in Italy.

‘I think Mourinho could do with talking a little less,’ he said. ‘A practising (Muslim) player is not weakened because we know from the Institute of Sports Medicine that mental and psychological stability can give a sportsman an extra edge on

the field.‘A player who is a believing

Christian, Jew or Muslim is certainly calmer psychologically and that improves his performance.’

Even the the player’s personal trainer Stefano Tirelli disagrees with Mourinho.

‘Not everyone reacts in the same

way to the abstention and change of habits that Ramadan induces,’ he said.‘Some athletes suffer a lot and have less energy in training and in matches. However, others due to their character, emotions and genetics manage to perform just the same. Muntari is one of the latter.’

Super striker Frederic Kanoute, who plays in the Spanish football league, the world’s most watched, is not only keen on fasting the holy month of Ramadan, but also see fasting as empowering.

“I try to respect my faith and follow it as best I can,” Kanoute told Goal.com, the world’s leading website for soccer fans.

“There are many Muslim footballers who people just do not know about in England, Spain, France and in many other leagues too,” asserted Kanoute, the striker of Spain’s Seville FC.

“But having faith and practicing Ramadan is not something they wish to tell the world about.”

The 32-year-old striker insists, however, that observing Ramadan is not causing him any problems with his club or fans.

“Everyone here has been very good to me and they understand,” asserts Kanoute, a French Malian origin.

“During Ramadan I give my all for my club and try not to let my team-mates and the fans down.”

Kanoute, known for his pace, strength

and technique, has helped his Seville FC qualify for a UEFA Cup position in 2008 and a Champions League direct qualification in 2009.

He was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the first foreign-born player to win the prestigious title.

Kanoute says adhering to his religious obligations makes him stronger and better.

“Personally, having faith helps my football and football helps me to be healthy and strengthens me,” he asserted.

“There is no conflict because people who know about Islam, they know that fasting empowers and does not weaken the Muslim.”

Doctor Yacine Zerguni, a member of the FIFA and CAF Sports Medical Committees, agrees. Zerguni has collaborated with F-marc, the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre, in a study on the effects ofobserving Ramadan.

“This month of physical and mental self discipline, which must also be free from any unhealthy or aggressive behavior,” he

told Goal.com, when asked if Ramadan was compatible with the practice of top-level football.

“Ramadan is intended be a period of internal purification and meditation; a period of regeneration, It is far from harmful.”

Kanoute is known to be an observing Muslim who regularly performs his prayers even in the locker room.

Last year he refused to wear a jersey advertising for an internet gambling site because gambling is forbidden in Islam.

His team had to give him a brand-free jersey until he accepted wearing the sponsored jersey in return for money to an Islamic charity.

In 2007, he saved the only mosque in the southern Spanish city of Seville from closure.

Kanoute paid 510,860 euros (some $700,000) so that fellow Muslims in Seville would not find themselves without a mosque.

He has created a foundation in his motherland Mali to help orphans.

Mourinho’s Ramadanrow over fasting

Fasting empowers Kanoute

Passion Islam I September 2009 CHARITY FEATURE I 17

Alipore hospital and research centre is a totally non profit making organisation, led by a volunteering committee.

It has a long term aim to provide healthcare support to the poor and needy of south Gujarat who would die without it. They are currently achieving their targets and aim with that help of very generous donations made by people around the world.Alipore hospital and Research centre is a continuing project hence requires continued support and donations to run successfully.

You can be a part of this project help save many lives a day by helping and

supporting the charity by sponsoring costs or giving donations… we accept gratefully all Sadqah, Zakat, Lillah,

Fitrah and interest and give you total assurance that the money will definitely be used relevantly.

You can contribute direct to:ENGLANDAlipore Social Welfare TrustLloyds/TSB bankA/C no. 0355309Sort code: 30-90-57

INDIAAlipore Social Welfare TrustBank of Baroda (Alipore branch)A/C No.: 100529swift code: ARBINBBNVSNavsari, Gujarat state, India

For more details on the charity organisation or any of their projects past or present please visit: www.aliporehospital.com

Alipore Hospital Ramadan Appeal

A LIFELINE FROM BATLEY& DEWSBURY TO GAZA

Gaza boundambulance hits the road

Ten years ago, Mustafa Saeed Rahman was travelling to a friend’s house in Portland, Oregon. Out of the blue, a drunk driver skidded around a bend in front of the car in which Mustafa was travelling. He died in the collision – it was six days before his 12th birthday. His father, Mohammad, created the One Ummah Foundation in his memory and what started as a small charity for friends and family, mushroomed into an organization that funds projects in Cambodia, Cameroon, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and has just expanded to the UK.

Mustafa is an American citizen of Pakistani origin. The Foundation, called One Ummah – or ‘One People’ aims to reach out to the world’s most disadvantaged children. Mustafa sees this as his duty, as a committed Muslim, to help the most disadvantaged in society, he says, “I wanted to keep Mustafa’s memory alive as long as I possibly could, and the best way of

doing this was creating a Foundation. Our key focus was to break the cycle of child labour.”

The Foundation has a number of educational and social programmes targeting children in many developing countries. The foundation is staffed by volunteer philanthropists, and 100 percent of donations go to those in need. Recent new projects include a housing charity in the Philippines called, ‘Gawad Kalinga’ which means ‘Giving Care’ and the support of KARE School, vocational centre and women’s centre in Hyderabad, India. Mohammad says, “One Ummah means ‘One People’ and we are all God’s people, regardless of where we are born, or what book we follow. We will help any child in need.”

One Ummah is expanding its fundraising to the UK and looking for worthy projects in the developing world. Please find out more on: http://www.oneummah.com

Ramadan Kareem!

Tragedy to HopeThe One Ummah Foundation celebrates its 10th Anniversary by expanding its network to the UK

Following Paigaam (Batley based publication) article last month, the people of Batley and Dewsbury have once again rallied to support the people of Gaza.

Donations are being received at the local masjids and at the Al-Hikmah and PKWA centres. An ambulance has already been purchased with local donations and a convoy will be leaving in December on a humanitarian mission to Gaza.

The delegation will team up with the UK convoy via Europe and Asia, which has been organised by Viva Palestina. The aim of IMWS and PKWA is to raise solidarity with the people of Palestine and especially the besieged people on the Gaza Strip.

Anyone interested in donating should forward their donations directly at the offices of IMWS or PKWA, alternatively please ring 01924 500 555 and a representative will come and collect your donations.

18 I SPECIAL FEATURE Passion Islam I September 2009

Here we are now in the first weeks of the month of Ramadhan. The Quran which has been resting on the top of our shelves for days, weeks and for some of us months has now found itself back in the hands of the believers.

We are now inshallah habitually reading it and trying our best to understand its meaning by deeply pondering over its purposes. Were hearing the Quran recited eloquently and beautifully by the Salaat-ul Taraweeh.

Many of us have realised that the Quran, its message, its verses and the vision of life which it proposes is no joke. We have also realised that it was in this blessed month that this noble Quran was revealed and finalised for mankind as the last and final revelation for humanity and what Allah (swt) wishes for his creation to do on this Earth.

Allah (swt) says in the Quran in Surah al Hashr: “Had we sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and split asunder (crumbling) by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables that we put forward to mankind that they may reflect.” [TMQ - Al-Hashr: 21]

So the Quran is no pass time in this

month or a motion of recitation, but indeed a final reminder to humanity that must be taken seriously.

Much emphasis on Reading the QuranIn this blessed month we are reminded daily on the importance of being more attached to the Quran. The Prophet (saw) said, “These hearts become rusty just as iron does when water affects it.” On being asked what could clear them he replied, “A great amount of remembrance of death and recitation of the Qur’an.” [Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shu’ab al-Iman. Abdullah ibn Umar narrated]

Hence the Quran is a reminder for us about our life and our purpose of existence. Let us not allow our hearts to become rusty devoid of the Quran! The Quran is also a remedy for us in our lives for many situations. This acts as reminding us to be close to the Quran and to making it as a reference point for the many situations we face daily.

The Prophet (saw) said “Do not turn your houses into graves. Shaytan is barred from any home where Surah Baqarah has been recited.” (Muslim).

Regarding the 56th Surah of the

Quran, Surah Waqiah, The prophet (peace be upon him) said of it “The one who reads Surah Waqiah at night will not face poverty.” (Bayhaqi)

Remembering the QuranWe are also encouraged to memorise the Quran such that our tongues remain moistened with its remembrance, acts as a guiding light in our hearts. Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: “He in whose heart there is nothing of the Qur’an is like a house in ruin.” [Transmitted by Tirmidhi]

The Quran should never be allowed to left on our shelves gathering dust, we must realise that it is the Guidance that Allah (swt) has sent for humanity. This is the Quran that will intercede for us on the day of judgement. The amount of Quran that we memorise will determine our level in Paradise.

‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-’Aas heard the Prophet (saw) saying: “It will be said to the companion of the Qur’an: Read and elevate (through the levels of the Paradise) and beautify your voice as you used to do when you were in the dunyaa! For verily, your position in the Paradise will be at the last verse you recite!” [Aboo Daawood and At-

Approaching the QuranTruly and Completely

Passion Islam I September 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE I 19Tirmithee, saheeh]

Our mindset dictates how we approach the Quran

Despite the overwhelming connection we have with the Quran, sometimes it can become an emotional affair. Hence the Quran will be read during Ramadhan and forgotten for the rest of the year.

Sometimes after a tragic event, a Muslim wants spiritual comfort, maybe a death in the family, feeling depressed or failed some major exams or loss of work.

Even listening to the Quran recited in the Taraweeh prayer may just be a comforting exercise for our souls as a soother after the stresses of the day.

Referring to the Quran for our actionsThe Quran was revealed to be the reference point for our actions, a decider of what is good and what is bad for us, laws to do with our relationship with Allah (swt), laws to do with ourselves and laws for human interaction in society. Allah (swt) says in Surah Ibrahim

“This is a Book we have revealed unto you, O Muhammad, in order that you may lead mankind out of darkness into the light”. [TMQ Ibrahim:1-2]

The Muslim who looks at Islam as the source for his thinking makes it his basis for all actions. Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Amr bin Al Aas (ra) reported that the prophet (saw) said- None of you truly believes until his desires are in line with what I have brought”

And in a similar hadith the prophet (saw) said “None of you truly believes until his aqal (thinking) is in line with what I have brought”

Hence the Prophet (saw) makes it explicit that we must make the revelation of the Quran as a permanent basis for our thinking. So are we making the Quran our source of thinking?

The “Selective” Quran ApproachWe are affected by many thoughts such as Islam is only for our personal affairs, Islam is our ‘moral’ guide, Islam is a ‘religion’ like others, Islam needs to be packaged to fit with modern western standards……and the list goes on. With this mindset we are then affected by the way in which we approach the Quran. The reality dictates to us what to do and what not to do, instead of the Quran.

Islamic Schools vs Haraam MortgageHence a parent will accommodate his

children into an Islamic school to give them a good upbringing, a praiseworthy act in response to Allah’s command in Surah Tahrim

“O ye who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones” At-Tahrim [66:6]

But the same parents will endorse having haraam mortgages on their house by making up excuses that there is no other option apart from this despite Allah addressing in the very same Quran in Surah al Baqarah.

“O ye who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains of your demand for usury, if ye are indeed believers”. Al-Baqarah [2:278]

Pushing the Islamic Solutions VS Western PoliticsWhen we face international situations as an Ummah like Gaza or the recent Swat offensive in Pakistan, many of us want to do something because Allah (swt) said“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you)”. Surah An-Nisa (4:135)

But many of us run to any option disregarding how Islam has asked us to solve our Political problems, including contacting MP’s, asking for UN resolutions, joining Political parties, asking for council motions, writing letters to the Prime Minister or President for help.

This is despite knowing that Western powers have caused the mess in the Muslim World and jeer at the continuation of this as it suits Western Political agendas. Muslims still endorse Western politics.

“Consequences” of selectively referring to the QuranMuslims should not fear to raise the correct Islamic solutions based on what the Quran says, but should stand for Justice and call for the true Solutions with no compromise. How can we in this month of Ramadhan after hearing the Quran, reading it, searching into its meaning and Tafseer still base our actions on other than it? Allah (swt) says in the Quran in Surah Al-Baqarah

“Then is it only a part of the Book that you believe in, and do you reject the rest? What is the reward for those among you who behave like this except disgrace in this life and on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty.” (2:85)

The verses in the Quran are intertwinedThe Quran has not come with chapters for specific topics. Hence there is no section only for prayer, zakat, hajj, Governance, fasting, inheritance, Economics, marriage, orphans or foreign policy. Rather the verses are addressed throughout the Quran and in some cases in three verses, one after the other, Allah addresses three completely different topics. In Surah Al-Baqarah Allah says between verses 187, 188, 189.

“It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations with your wives on the night of As-Saum (the fasts). They are Libas [i.e. body cover, or screen, or Sakan], for you and you are the same for them”. (2:187)

“And eat up not one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving, etc.), nor give bribery to the rulers (judges before presenting your cases) that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully” (2:188)

“They ask you (O Muhammad) about the new moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage”. (2:189)

Hence the Quran makes no difference in Politics and Government and ablution and prayer. So why do we? So can a Muslim pick and choose what they want to practice in the Quran?

ConclusionThe Messenger of Allah (saw) was described as a walking example of the Quran. Was he not a judge, a family man, commander of the armed forces, leader of a state, a teacher of students, Husband of his wives and a ruler?

So why should Muslims separate commands in the Quran and claim that’s too Political or this is too ‘extreme’ in this day and age?

Are we then approaching the Quran comprehensively??

Isn’t this what the British Governments British version of Islam all about? Isn’t this what Obama referred to as moderate Islam in his speeches in Egypt and Turkey??

The Quran must be the source for our thoughts, actions and behaviours. Otherwise we will suffer in the misery that we are facing internationally as an ummah and individually in our personal lives.

The Prophet (saw) said: “Allah will elevate some nations through this book and degrade others with it” [Muslim]

By Majed Iqbal


The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn; it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He Pleases. (Qur’aan 2:261)

‘Truly, to a happy state shall attain the believers, who humble themselves in their prayer, and who turn way from all that is frivolous, and who fulfil their Zakah duty.’ (Quran 23:1-4)

Five major elements constitute the foundation of Islam. These are: A declaration of belief that there is no deity other than Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger; attending to prayers, payment of Zakah (which is an obligatory charity paid by all Muslims who have more than a specified sum); fasting in Ramadhaan and pilgrimage to Makkah, if one can afford it.

Prayer and Zakah, however, have a particularly great importance. Hardly ever is faith mentioned in the Qur’an without it being associated with prayer and Zakah, and the need to fulfil both duties. Abu Bakr, the first ruler of the Muslim state after the Prophet (peace be on him), went to war against groups of Muslims who wanted to

abrogate Zakah.When the Muslim community was

given permission by Allah to fight against non-believers, Allah gave them the happy news that they would eventually gain power in the land. He also reminded them of their duties when that prospect came to be a reality. Their first duties were to establish prayers regularly, to pay their Zakah and to fulfil their social duty of helping others to do good and refrain from what is wrong and evil. Describing good believers, Allah says in the Qur’an:

“(They are) those who when We firmly establish them on Earth remain constant in prayer, and give in charity; and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong. But with Allah rests the final outcome of all events.” (Quran 22:41)

Prayer and Zakah are given precedence over other types of Islamic worship because prayer, which is offered purely for Allah’s sake, has an important role in restraining people from committing sinful and evil deeds, while Zakah has a greatly beneficial effect on both individual and society.

In reference to Zakah and other types

of charity, Allah says in the Qur’an: “Take a portion of their wealth as charity, so that you may cleanse and purify them thereby; and pray for them; for your prayers are a source of comfort for them. allah hears all and knows all.” (Quran 9:103). This means that charity, in general, and Zakah, in particular, work in such a way as to purify believing hearts and generate growth and increase, as well as blessings for the Muslim community.

In fact, the very word, Zakah, combines both sets of connotations: purification and growth. But the question is asked:What does nit purify; and how does it bring about growth?

ZAKAH AS A PURIFIERZakah and other charity purifies the believer’s hearts of various negative feelings, such as a sense of guilt, envy, grudge, hostility, hatred, worry, isolation, powerlessness, as well as the feeling of being a social outcast or abandoned.

Divine wisdom necessitates that Allah grants people different aspects of His grace in different measures. Thus, some people are rich, while others are poor; some are healthy while others suffer from

Zakah- FINANCIAL PURIFICATION

Passion Islam I September 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE I 21

Zakah- FINANCIAL PURIFICATION

sickness, and some are physically strong while others are weak. But believers are brought up as Allah-fearing, nurturing a lively conscience and a compassionate attitude.

A believer, who enjoys an abundance of something other people have not been given, will find that his active conscience will not let him enjoy such abundance fully, while others are deprived. He will feel a twinge of conscience every time he enjoys his blessings because others are not sharing that enjoyment, even though it may not be a necessity. Although he knows that he is not responsible for the fact that others do not have what he has been given in abundance, he will continue to feel ill at ease, when he realizes that he has plenty while others have little.

A sense of guilt has been experienced by a person who escapes a massacre or a concentration camp in war times, when others with him are killed. Such sense of guilt is felt by such a person, simply because he manages to escape, while others do not, even though he has no role in their fate. He realises that his escape has not been at their expense, but simply Allah has determined that he would live longer. If the case is so, we can imagine what feelings are experienced by a believer with a refined conscience, when he has much to enjoy while others are deprived.

A believer will undoubtedly experience something of the guilt-consciousness experienced by those who survive massacres and disasters. He will not be satisfied until he shares with those, who are deprived, something of the blessings he enjoys. Does this mean that he should give everything he has in charity so as to join the poor and share with them their deprivation? This is definitely a non-starter, as it is in direct conflict with human nature. Moreover, it remains at variance with Divine wisdom, which has dictated that people differ in the type and amount of the grace their receive from Allah.

We can discern here the wisdom of imposing obligatory Zakaat or charity on a believer, which he pays out of what he has over and above his needs for a full year. We also appreciate the benefit of the precise determination of the amount of Zakaat one pays out.

It is merely 2.5 percent of one’s entire wealth and property that is not essential for his own and his family’s living. He may enjoy the other portion of 97.5 percent provided that he spends it in legitimate ways. when he has paid out that portion of Zakat, he may enjoy the rest without a twinge of conscience. Should he give more to charity, as he is encouraged to do, he feels greater satisfaction. This is the case with a believer, whenever he or she decides voluntarily to do something good for Allah’s sake and in the hope of earning reward only from Him.

As it is well-known, Zakaat is an act of Islamic worship, specifying a financial duty on every Muslim, male or female, who has money in excess of a certain threshold. It is collected at specified rates, and its beneficiaries are clearly defined. It aims to ensure full social security in Islamic society, including Muslims and non-Muslims living within it.

Zakaat, normally, levied at a rate of 2.5 percent on both capital and income, apart from what is essentially needed for living and business, is the obligatory part of Islamic charity, constituting the minimum that every one liable to it should pay. Had it not been set at a certain rate, and a believer donates even double that rate, he may still feel that he is not doing well enough, or that he really has no right to keep for himself 95 percent of his money. This feeling of failing to do one’s duty may remain even when one pays 10 percent of his money to the poor, or even a higher share. Some people are so sensitive in this particular aspect that they would always be blaming themselves for not doing enough, even when they are doing fine by all standards.

As it is Allah, Who has set the rate of Zakat, this gives believers a sense of satisfaction that the fulfillment of this duty at its minimum rate is certain to provide sufficient help. Allah, Who knows all, has set this limit which He in His wisdom known to be sufficient to alleviate poverty and eventually eradicate it from Muslim society.

Thus, a believer would not belittle the amount of the obligatory Zakaat, realizing that he or she could do more and pay voluntary charity as they please, hoping for great reward from Allah. indeed, Allah reward Sadaqaat, which means voluntary charitable donations to the poor, with upto 700 times its value and even more.

This means that Zakat is the minimum and voluntary charity is wide open. However, the Prophet(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not allow his companions to give charitable bequests amounting to more than one third of the total of their property, in order not to jeopardize the rights of their legal heirs.

This last point applies to the property one leaves behind on one’s death. During one’s lifetime, one is required to take care of one’s dependants, paying their living expenses and other essential requirements. Dependants and close relatives have a stronger claim to be looked after. Whatever a believer pays for his wife’s and children’s needs is credited to him by Allah in the same category as Sadaqat or charitable donations so that Allah may reward him for it as such. Beyond this, the best type of charity is defined by the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) as the one that keeps the donor within good means. It must not take away all his money, leaving him in poverty.

All charity, or Sadaqaat in Islamic terminology, including Zakaat, is a tangible gift which reflects man’s attainment of the highest degree of maturity in the psychological sense of the word. A mature person is one, who is always ready to give without expectation of a reward.

As the age of 40 represents the climax of a person’s maturity, it also represents, according to psychological studies, the stage of giving in a person’s life. From that point onward, a person devotes more of his ability and energy to being a giver. He gives more and more, starting with his children and including all humanity.

Giving is a demonstration of love, and mature love is the love of giving to others, not taking from them. If we watch children carefully, we note that theirs is a love based on taking from others. A child loves his parents because he needs them and takes from them.

A mature person, on the other hand, loves to give and is ready to sacrifice for his beloved. However, romantic love by adolescents and young people has its distinctive aspects.

Sadaqaat is an act that reflects feelings of love and compassion on the part of the giver, who is considered to be ‘rich’ in the sense that he has more than he needs. Thus, it has a dual effect of purification: It purges the beneficiaries of any feelings of grudge and class hatred toward rich people, and purges the rich givers of feelings of greed, self-aggrandisement and miserliness. Allah says in the Qur’aan, ‘Those that are saved from their own covetousness are indeed the one who will attain to a happy state.’ (Quraan 59:9)

Furthermore, Sadaqaat purges the hearts and minds of feelings of anger at their lot, reflected in an attitude of displeasure with the Creator. They are also free from hostility toward other members of society which may result from intense frustration. They no longer experience feelings of being isolated or deprived, or that they are a class apart from the rest of society. A person’s poverty and deprivation, coupled with his heavy responsibilities, may cause him to think that Allah has deserted him, or that society has shown him no compassion. This may enhance his sense of frustration and weaken his allegiance to the society.

All these negative feelings may lead to different types of negative behaviour, starting with immorality, prostitution, drug-addiction and even violent crime. In fact, they may lead, when experienced on a wide scale, to violent revolution propelled by hatred and a blind desire for revenge.

By contract, a believer, who is ready with his charitable donations, experiences a genuine sense of happiness and satisfaction as he pays his Zakaat and Sadaqaat. In paying them he fulfils part of the role Allah has assigned to man as His vicegerent on Earth. Indeed by making

Continued on Page 22


such charitable payments, a believer activates within himself some of Allah’s own attributes, as Allah is the one who gives and feeds.

When a believer is able to give others so as to make them happy, he himself experiences a sense of real happiness. His is a sense of personal satisfaction, not arrogance or conceit. He simply realizes that his action brings him closer to the ideal image of a Allah-fearing believer, which is his ultimate goal. Whenever the reality draws closer to the ideal image one paints for oneself, a sense of serenity and reassurance, as well as freedom from worry, becomes paramount.

Charity: Too Much or Too LittleWe quoted earlier several Hadiths making it clear that Islam prefers that people should steer a middle way when giving money for charity, without being stingy or careless. Even when a person is approaching death, the portion of his own estate he may leave for charity, for relatives who are not his heirs, and for good causes is set at a maximum of one-third. Another highly authentic Hadith that may be quoted in this regard is one related by both al-Bukhari and Muslim quoting Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas (Radhiallaahu Anhu), a close companion of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam).

‘Allah’s messenger came to visit me when I was very ill at the time of his farewell pilgrimage. I said to him, ‘Messenger of Allah, you see how poor I am and I have some property. I have no heirs other than my one daughter. May I leave two-thirds of my property for charity.’ The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Then, what about one-half?’ again, the prophet said, ‘No.’ I asked again, ‘What about one-third?’ He said, ‘You may leave one-third, even though one-third is plenty (or too much). To leave your heirs well-off is better than leaving them in poverty, asking people for help. You will certainly be rewarded for any amount you give away for Allah’s sake, even the bite you put in your wife’s mouth.’

Abu Dawud and al-Darimi transmit a report that may be seen to contradict what we have quoted above. Both quote Umar ibn al-Khattaab as saying,

One day, the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) asked us to donate to charity, and I happened to have some money. I thought that this provided me with the chance of doing better than Abu Bakr, if I could ever do better than him. I took half of my property and gave it to the Prophet.’ He asked, ‘What have you left for your family?’ I said, ‘I have an

equal amount to this.’ Then Abu Bakr (Radhiallaahu Anhu) came with all his property. The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) asked him, ‘What have you left for your family?’ he said, ‘I have left them with (faith in) Allah and His Messenger.’ I said, ‘I will never try to compete with you again.’

This report, however, which suggests that a believer is free to give away half or all his property for a cause to earn Allah’s pleasure and reward, relates to a case of emergency and Jihaad. The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) had learnt that the Byzantines had mobilized to invade Arabia, and the Muslims were going through a period of hardship, with farm produce at a very low level and blazing summer heat. Hence, the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) encourages his well-off followers to donate for army equipment and to help others who did not have enough to provide themselves with mounts and arms. The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) needed an army to withstand a very long march to meet the Byzantines at Tabuk in North Arabia. That army was termed, ‘The hardship army’, and it was for equipping it that Abu Bakr (Radhiallaahu Anhu) donated all his wealth and Umar (Radhiallaahu Anhu) donated half his wealth, while Uthmaan donated 10,000 Dinaars, 300 fully-equipped horses. That donation had a profound effect on the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) who said, ‘My Lord, be pleased with Uthmaan, for I am pleased with him.’

These were exceptional circumstances, when the Muslim community was facing a very serious external threat. In fact, it was a situation of life and death for many Muslims and their newly-born state. Hence, the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) accepted such large donations like half the property of Umar and the whole property of Abu Bakr (Radhiallaahu Anhu). But exception does not override the rule. In fact, it confirms it. The rule here is that the best charity is that which leaves the donor self-sufficient.

We may reflect on these verses in which Allah orders his Messenger to donate to charity, and if he has nothing to give, then to speak kindly to those in need, as he hopes to get something of Allah’s favours when he can help the needy. It is in this context that God tells His messenger not to give away carelessly, so that he would not come to rue his actions. The best charity is that which leaves the donor in a good situation to look after himself and his dependants. It is not the charity that takes away his means so as to leave him poor. Allah Ta’ala says in the noble Qur’aan:

Give to the near of kin their due, and also to the needy and the wayfarer. Do not squander your substance wastefully, for the wasteful squanderers are Satan’s brothers, and Satan has always been ungrateful to His Lord. But if you must turn aside from them in pursuit of an act of kindness you hope to receive from your Lord, then at least speak to them kindly. Do not be miserly, allowing your hand to remain shackled to your neck, nor stretch it out fully to maximum limit, lest you find yourself being blamed or reduced to destitution. Your Lord gives in abundance, or in scant measure, to whom He wills. He is indeed fully aware of all His servants, and sees them all.’ (Qur’aan 17:26:30)

A believer may feel ashamed or guilty if he holds on to what he has without giving it away to poor and needy people. But Allah reassures us that it is He who gives some of His servants in plenty, while He gives others in a scant measure. That which He does has a wise purpose behind it.

A believer, however, helps the poor and donates for charity, but leaves himself enough to look after his family and cater for any emergency. He is keen to belong to the believers described by Allah in the following terms, ‘Successful are the believers who humble themselves in their prayer, and turn away from all that is frivolous, and who pay out their Zakaat.’ (Qur’aan 23:1-4)

I am not calling on believers to reduce what they give away in charity, but I am simply saying to them that they must not feel any sense of guilt or deprecate their own action when they hear that some devout people of the past used to give away everything they earned. When all Muslims pay out their Zakaat on time, the eradication of poverty may not require anything more than such Zakaat or a little more in Sadaqaat or voluntary charity.

A believer, who limits himself to spending a portion of his money, retaining the larger part for himself is neither guilty, nor failing to meet his duty. When he remains in funds, this means that he will be able to give to charity repeatedly. giving away a little amount on a regular basis is better than giving a large donation once only. We should remember Allah’s statement, ‘They ask you (O Muhammad) what they should spend in charity; say, ‘Whatever you can spare?’ (Qur’aan 2:219). Al-Qurtubi, a famous commentator on the Qur’aan, says that this means what a person can easily dispense with, without having to struggle within himself for giving it away. Thus, Allah tells us to spend in charity what we can spare without leaving ourselves in a position of need.

Continued from Page 21

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and we will forward it onto our team of Scholars to answer.Just A

SK


Imagine being handed a lump of clay with the challenge of moulding it into something beautiful. You have seven years “wet” time when it will be easier to mould, followed by seven years “drying” time when you are able to correct those imperfections made during the wet period followed by a lifetime of back seat viewing to be there for when the finished product needs attention.

Although, you have absolutely no idea on how to mould clay, you naturally accept the offer as it resembles you or your partner. After an undefined amount of time (1 day – many years), the rightful owner will take it back and you will be asked about how you dealt with the challenge.

Yes, the lump of clay is a baby. Even though we carry them for up to 42 weeks whilst fathers wait eagerly, nothing can prepare us for the first time we lay our eyes on them. Although, they are purple and look like something out of a science fiction movie, to us they seem like the most beautiful person ever.

I remember the first time I saw my eldest son, he was so small with shiny black hair and as his little eyes scanned the surroundings, I found myself repeatedly saying “You are so beautiful!”

Hours later, when alone with him; I stroked his soft face gently, amazed to finally meet the one who had been living inside me all this time. It was then the realisation hit me – I was a mother. A huge sense of responsibility overwhelmed me and for the first time since becoming pregnant, I felt fear. What do I do with the baby? How do I take care of him? What kind of upbringing do I give to him? All these new problems started popping up and I felt a feeling of awe of the creator. How small and insignificant I really was that I did not even know what to do with a newborn baby and I dreaded to hear him cry!

In the weeks following, it became a common practice that he cried for food, cried when wet, cried when bored and cried when in pain and the fact of the matter was it all sounded the same for a while. Crying was all he knew. He worked both day and night shifts without prior warning, resulting in countless sleepless nights and bags under my eyes and my weekly shop to the supermarket consisted of a chance to meet up with new mothers in the nappy aisle to discuss best nappy brands. Welcome to the countless problems of parenthood!

I knew that I wanted the best solutions for my child just like any

parent. However, what was the best? I did not just want him to be successful in this life I wanted him to be successful in this life and the Akhirah. I wanted him to enter Jannah and to achieve that I would have to teach how to pray at seven so he could be regularly praying by ten, I wanted him to be a walking, talking Qur’an like the Prophet Muhammed (sallallahu alahi wasalam) and the sahabah. The only problem was I was not practicing and children learn from what we do not what we say!

I suddenly realised I had two paths in front of me; years later, I compare this to how Neo from Matrix must have felt when he was offered the choice of the red or blue pill. In my case and many other parents who embark on the journey of Islam the taking of one pill would keep us in the rat race life which would have surely lead us to our destruction and the fire or the other pill which would lead us to an undiscovered path into Jannah. That day, I chose the pill, which would lead to Jannah Insha Allah.

I began by naming him after Usamah ibn Zaid. (The son of Zaid – Prophets adopted son) We shaved his hair on the seventh day, endured the pain of circumcision six weeks later all for the love of Allah Subhana Wa

A lump of Clay

Passion Islam I September 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE I 25

Ta’ala and his beloved Prophet.Every problem, I came across

had many solutions, given by mums, parenting books and western specialists. I took the positive, which did not contradict Islam and left the ones that did.

I remember the midwife telling me to leave my baby crying and to only feed him every two hours but when he cried, my natural reaction was to comfort and feed him because he seemed hungry. It became a constant battle between trusting my instincts or trusting the “professionals”. I came across the hadith of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) making the prayer shorter because a baby was crying and he knew the amount of distress it was causing the mother. He did that so the mother could tend to the baby. I compared the two reactions to a baby crying and found the Islamic solution a better option and my baby did too…

How do our children learn?Learning begins in the womb and continues with admission into the world, by hearing voices and watching actions. Children are like sponges. They absorb information at an alarming rate, they boogy with boogy beebies and stick pencil

crayons between knuckles imitating Wolverine. With the wide variety of TV programmes, movies, pop idols, internet, magazines and graphic novels available – you will find them picking up some bad habits too.It begins with a word which becomes a habit, a continued habit becomes apart of their personality and their personality determines their success in the present, future and Akhirah.

So, what is our role as mums and dads? Should we sit and watch our cherished lump of clay turn into a prickly cactus, or do we try to reshape it back into the intended flower before it becomes dry?Form a bond of affection with them so they will turn to you when they have problems InshaAllah

One of my toughest challenges was to show affection in the early days as all he wanted to do was cry, which I later understood was his way of communicating needs. As I had not been shown affection as a child, I did not know how to give it until I came across the story of a Bedouin who came to the Prophet Muhammed (sallahu alaihi wa salam) and said “Do you kiss your sons? As we do not.” To which the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa salam replied, “What can I do for you if Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala has

removed mercy from your heart?”In a beautiful hadith, where Aaishah (radhi alllahu anha) reported that whenever Fatimah came into the room, the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) would stand up, welcome her, kiss her and offer her a seat, and whenever he came into the room, she would stand up, take his hand, welcome him, kiss him and offer him her seat. SubhanAllah, this is a beautiful example of how our child can learn from us with the simplest of habits.

I realised that if I wanted him to be affectionate, I would have to show him affection, so from that moment on, I cuddled and kissed him when he was sad and happy, stroked his hair as I passed him, I tickled him for no other reason apart from showing him affection. When we meet, we give salaam and when we depart, we give salaam.

My youngest picked this up alhamdulillah, you will see him running up to aunties with hijabs on he does not know in the supermarket and giving salaam to them and he will be stroking babies heads in a loving manner and shushing the crying babies in the masjid for Jumah prayers.

Give them a sound education so

A lump of Clay


they are able to distinguish right from wrong.

Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala reminds us “O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones…”Surah 66 verse 6

So what is education? Is education just academia?When I began home schooling my sons, years ago – It was the scariest moment ever but I did it for the pleasure of Allah swt and his deen and he swt made it easy for me.

I realised the definition of education from Islam wasn’t just academia, it was about having an Islamic personality which would be distinct from the western personality, it would be someone who knew what was right and wrong and be aware that all actions had an affect in this life and the Akhirah.

Someone who would do that which pleased Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala and keep away from those actions which displeased him. They would feel the love of the Ummah when it cried, when Gaza was in pain, these children would join marches, demos, and make sincere du’as in their prayers. They would defend the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa salam when others made fun of him. The Qur‘an would be entwined in their life. They would dream about meeting the Prophets one day and imagine the questions they would ask them. They would draw paintings of what they would like in Jannah…

Make sure they have good friends.The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa salam reminds us “The good companion and the bad companion are like the bearer of musk and the one who pumps the

bellows. With the bearer of Musk, either he will give you a share, or you will buy from him or you will smell a pleasant scent from him; but with the one, who pumps the bellows, either he will burn your clothes or you will smell a foul stench from him (Bukhari and Muslim).

Therefore, we must guide our children to choose good friends.

Discipline on which displeases Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala rather than the peopleWhen children misbehave, ask yourself “Have they done something to displease Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala or the people?” Is their a difference?

A child spilling a drink on the floor isn’t displeasing Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala as the child is not accounted for this action but the recording angel will note down the parents reaction. Understanding the child is not held accountable by Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala shines a different light to the scenario.

In many homes, you will find Mothers wiping up spills asking their child in a calm manner to be careful next time and educating the child to be more responsible by watching their drink. They understand their reward is from Allah SWT.

When you chose the solution from Islam over other solutions, you feel totally liberated, almost as though the shackles have been broken and you can breathe the fresh air. You feel the peace and tranquility flow through your veins instantly.

I recently asked a father how he managed to discipline his 14-year-old son, to which he replied, “Our children always knew we were the parents” They set this principle from the beginning and kept it consistent in their life.

How do you deal with challenges that children face in the west?“We talk to our children about all issues they come across in great detail openly, It’s then up to us to trust them enough to make correct decisions”

Another parent jokingly replied, “I have told him that if he has a relationship with a girl, I will perform their nikah straight away!” Giving clear solutions from Islam at all times SubhanAllah.We need to remember that children are an amanah (trust) for a set period; they may leave this earth before or after us.

We have no guarantees of how they turn out and that is the beauty of Islam. We will not be asked about how they turned out by Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala, just what we did with the time we had with our little lump of clay.

The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa salam reminded us: Beware! Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible and answerable for his flock.

The leader and the ruler is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects; a man is a guardian over his family and shall be questioned about them; a woman is the guardian over the household of her husband and his children and will be questioned about them….Beware! Every one of you is a guardian and every one of you will be questioned with regard to this trust (Bukhari & Muslim)

It is true what a loving sister once wrote “What we do in this life truly echoes in eternity” And as Muslims, we want what we do in this life to echo in this life and in the Akhirah Insha Allah…

By Zaythoun Suleman

Passion Islam I September 2009 CORRESPONDENCE I 27

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