Sunday, February 27, 2011

All Hindus are not terrorists but most terrorists in India belong to the Sangh Parivar


Swaminathan Aiyar is a senior columnist at The Sunday Times of India. He wrote the following article on Jul 23, 2006. Much water has flowed down the bridge, but the hangover of all 'terror' in the world being the sole handiwork and monopoly of Muslim, still persists. Swaminathan faults India's Mainstream Media blindly and sheepishly following western media and its anti-Muslim propaganda in its demonizing of Muslims and even Indian Muslims.

However, a few days back, Indian National Congress General Secretary, Digvijay Singh, on exposing Hindutva hand in a series of bomb blasts at Muslim religious sites, has come out with a different take on the old slogan - "All Hindus are not terrorists but most terrorists in India belong to Sangh Parivar". 
To recall back the entire gamut of 'terrorism' and its latest face, it is time to flash back to the very thought provoking summation by Mr. Aiyar. Times have changed but the pressure on Muslims is still most suffocating and there is no sign of any let up by world media to try and present an objective assessment of its Islamophobia. 
The great failing of India's main secular political party, the Indian National Congress, is that it has overtly or covertly caused the arrest of hundreds of innocent Muslims, in bombings in their own Muslim religious places, be that Masjids or Dargahs or passenger trains carrying Muslim passengers to Pakistan.
The recent Judicial confession by a mastermind of the entire series of bomb blasts, Swami Seemanand owning up the crime, has clearly exonerated all innocent Muslims who are incarcerated in Indian jails. Indian government, police, media should all magnanimously acknowledge their mistake, deliberate or inadvertent and swiftly move to free the innocents and grant them full pardon and generous compensation, so that India's head be held high in the comity of nations of the world as a moral force for the good of all.  
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai



Terrorism is not a Muslim monopoly
BY S ANKLESARIA AIYAR -TNN

‘‘All Muslims may not be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.’’ This comment , frequently heard after the Mumbai bomb blasts implies that terrorism is a Muslim specialty, if not a monopoly. The facts are very different.

First, there is nothing new about terrorism. In 1881, anarchists killed the Russian Tsar Alexander II and 21 bystanders. In 1901, anarchists killed US President McKinley as well as King Humbert I of Italy. World War I started in 1914 when anarchists killed Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. These terrorist attacks were not Muslim.

Terrorism is generally defined as the killing of civilians for political reasons. Going by this definition, the British Raj referred to Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and many other Indian freedom fighters as terrorists. These were Hindu and Sikh rather than Muslim.

Guerrilla fighters from Mao Zedong to Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro killed civilians during their revolutionary campaigns. They too were called terrorists until they triumphed. Nothing Muslim about them.

In Palestine, after World War II, Jewish groups (the Haganah, Irgun and Stern Gang) fought for the creation of a Jewish state, bombing hotels and installations and killing civilians. The British, who then governed Palestine, rightly called these Jewish groups terrorists. Many of these terrorists later became leaders of independent Israel — Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon. Ironically, these former terrorists then lambasted terrorism, applying this label only to Arabs fighting for the very same nationhood that the Jews had fought for earlier.

In Germany in 1968-92, the Baader-Meinhoff Gang killed dozens, including the head of Treuhand, the German privatisation agency. In Italy, the Red Brigades kidnapped and killed Aldo Moro, former prime minister.

The Japanese Red Army was an Asian version of this. Japan was also the home of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist cult that tried to kill thousands in the Tokyo metro system using nerve gas in 1995.

In Europe, the Irish Republican Army has been a Catholic terrorist organisation for almost a century. Spain and France face a terrorist challenge from ETA, the Basque terrorist organisation.

Africa is ravaged by so much civil war and internal strife that few people even bother to check which groups can be labelled terrorist. They stretch across the continent. Possibly the most notorious is the

Lord’s Salvation Army in Uganda, a Christian outfit that uses children as warriors.

In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers have long constituted one of the most vicious and formidable terrorist groups in the world. They were the first to train children as terrorists. They happen to be Hindus. Suicide bombing is widely associated with Muslim Palestinians and Iraqis, but the Tamil Tigers were the first to use this tactic on a large scale. One such suicide bomber assassinated Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

In India, the militants in Kashmir are Muslim. But they are only one of several militant groups. The Punjab militants, led by Bhindranwale, were Sikhs. The United Liberation Front of Assam is a Hindu terrorist group that targets Muslims rather than the other way round. Tripura has witnessed the rise and fall of several terrorist groups, and so have Bodo strongholds in Assam. Christian Mizos mounted an insurrection for decades, and Christian Nagas are still heading militant groups.

But most important of all are the Maoist terrorist groups that now exist in no less than 150 out of India’s 600 districts. They have attacked police stations, and killed and razed entire villages that oppose them. These are secular terrorists (like the Baader Meinhof Gang or Red Brigades). In terms of membership and area controlled, secular terrorists are far ahead of Muslim terrorists.

In sum, terrorism is certainly not a Muslim monopoly. There are or have been terrorist groups among Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and even Buddhists. Secular terrorists (anarchists, Maoists) have been the biggest killers.

Why then is there such a widespread impression that most or all terrorist groups are Muslim? I see two reasons. First, the Indian elite keenly follows the western media, and the West feels under attack from Islamic groups. Catholic Irish terrorists have killed far more people in Britain than Muslims, yet the subway bombings in London and Madrid are what Europeans remember today. The Baader Meinhof Gang, IRA and Red Brigades no longer pose much of a threat, but after 9/11 Americans and Europeans fear that they could be hit anywhere anytime. So they focus attention on Islamic militancy. They pay little notice to other forms of terrorism in Africa, Sri Lanka or India: these pose no threat to the West.

Within India, Maoists pose a far greater threat than Muslim militants in 150 districts, one-third of India’s area. But major cities feel threatened only by Muslim groups. So the national elite and media focus overwhelmingly on Muslim terrorism. The elite are hardly aware that this is an elite phenomenon.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

THE GEMS OF SHRI LANKA

 Many are drawn by the ‘island charm’ of Sri Lanka, its natural resources and its proud population. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, author of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” described it as the best place in the world from which to view the universe.
He said: “The island of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is a small universe; it contains as many variations of culture, scenery and climate as some countries a dozen times its size.”
Sri Lanka — the island jewel of the Indian Ocean — is endowed with the best things that the nature could provide, be it natural landscape or climate.
Its smiling people and precious gems add luster to this resplendent isle. Early Arabs described the island as Serendib, the “land of rubies.” As far back as in 700, Sri Lanka was a familiar port of call of Arab merchants in the Indian Ocean during the period.
Marco Polo wrote of his visit in 1292: “I want you to understand that the island of Ceylon is, for its size, the finest island in the world, and from its streams comes rubies, sapphires, topazes, amethyst and garnet.” Little has changed since Marco Polo’s time. 
Many ancient travelers and traders made Sri Lanka one of their destinations for valuable treasures of gems. The Arabian Nights regales readers with the description of Sinbad the Sailor discovering the rarest and most precious rainbow-hued priceless gemstones on the island of Sri Lanka, when he was washed ashore here.
Geologically, gemstones originated within a broad belt known as the Highland Series, which runs through the center of Sri Lanka. The edges of the belt form a trough bordered by chains of mountains and peaks. The trough, made up of highly crystalline Precambrian metamorphosed rock, featured components of schists, quartzite, marbles, and sometimes pegmatite deposits. Rock erosion resulted in the formation of extensive gem-laden placer deposits along streambeds in lower valleys.
Gems found here are far superior to those found in the rest of the world. Perfected in the laboratory of nature, they lay hidden for countless ages. The radiance, luminosity and other qualities attributed to Sri Lankan gems are of the highest quality, Added to this, the exquisite craftsmanship of the local jewelers has made Sri Lanka a paradise for lovers of gems and gem-studded jewelry.
While traditional designs are still in great demand, Sri Lankan jewelers have reoriented their craftsmanship to cater to foreigners. Most leading jewelry manufacturers showcase their collections overseas at jewelry trade fairs, where they find many buyers from all over the world.
The National Gem and Jewelry Authority (NGJA) of Sri Lanka is the only regulatory body of the gem and jewelry trade in Sri Lanka.
The authority exercises a quality control function in the trade as the law says that all gem and jewelry exported from Sri Lanka should be compulsorily channeled through its export division.
This is in order to ensure that only genuine gems and jewelry are exported from Sri Lanka, boosting the profile of the country as a source of genuine and reliable gems and jewelry of very high quality.
The gems and jewelry are tested for genuineness by a panel consisting of NGJA and Sri Lanka Customs gemologists.
Besides the authority also maintains a state-of-the-art gem-testing laboratory, providing gem testing and certification facilities for a nominal fee for the local gem dealers, and completely free of charge for foreigners.
It also exercises regulatory functions such as issuing licenses to gem dealers, miners, and lapidaries, and also licenses for gem auctions and gem-land auctions.
The authority also provides the following services on payment: Providing a brief opinion on the authenticity of gems, valuation services for banks, assaying and hallmarking of jewelry, valuation reports for migrants and technical training for those engaged in the pawn-broking trade.
The NGJA offers its expertise in identifying primary and secondary gem deposits in potential gem-bearing areas in Sri Lanka.
It also provides comprehensive scientific reports and environmental impact assessments on gem exploration. The organization is involved in research and training activities and offers courses in gem identification, gemology, lapidary training, jewelry designing, jewelry manufacturing and on the heat treatment of milk corundum, locally known as “Geuda.” It has facilitated export procedure by bringing together all arms involved in export activities under one roof at its headquarters in Colombo.
The NGJA is also involved in the setting up and management of the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewelry Exchange, the state-sponsored gem and jewelry gallery in Sri Lanka. The facilities available at the exchange include a service center to promote and facilitate the export-oriented gem and jewelry trade and gem testing and certification facilities offered by the NGJA.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Signs of Weak Imaan


  • Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.
  • Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.
  • Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for Salat
  • Neglecting the Sunnah.
  • Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and
    bothered and irritated most of the time.
  • Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for
    example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad
    tidings.
  • Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.
  • Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.
  • Desiring status and wealth.
  • Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.
  • Ordering others to do good deeds when not practicing them
    ourselves.
  • Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.
  • Being concerned with whether something is Haraam or Halaalonly; and
    not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.
  • Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the
    Masjid.
  • Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.
  • Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.
  • Being unable to deal with calamities, for instance crying and
    yelling in funerals.
  • Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.
  • Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things,
    i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material
    wealth.
  • Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.
  • Liking to hang around people of opposite sex.

Possible cure to weak imaan

Avoid Major Sins:
Avoid all your sins, open or secret. (Al_Quraan_006.120)
If ye avoid the great (sins), which ye are forbidden, we will remit from you your evil deeds and make you enter at a noble gate.(Al_Quraan_004.031)
(If anyone does, whatever Allah has forbidden us to do; it will be a great sin. While if anyone does, whatever Muhammad has forbidden us to do, other than what is already in Quraan, the majority of that will be small sins.)
Ask Allah to forgive you, in such a way that you will never ever do it again; otherwise it will be like a joke with Allah. May Allah forgive you.AMEEN.
List of Some of the major sins are as follows: (www.islamonline.net)
1>                           Associating partners with Allah (Shirk)
2>                           Committing murder (25:68)
3>                           Performing Sorcery (2:102)
4>                           Not performing the Prayers (19:59)
5>                           Withholding the Zakah (3:180)
6>                           Breaking the fast of Ramadan or not fasting in that month without a valid excuse.
7>                           Not performing the pilgrimage when one has the ability to do so.
8>                           Disobeying one’s parents (17:23)
9>                           Severing ties of kinship. (47:22)
10>                      Committing adultery or fornication (17:30)
11>                      Committing sodomy
12>                      Taking or paying interest (2:275)
13>                      Devouring the wealth of orphans (4:10)
14>                      Forging statements concerning Allah or forging Hadeeth (39:60)
15>                      Fleeing from the battle (8:16)
16>                      Wrongdoing, deception or oppression on the part of the ruler (42:42)
17>                      Being arrogant, boastful and vain (16:23)
18>                      Giving false testimony (25:72)
19>                      Drinking alcoholic beverages (5:90)
20>                      Gambling (5:90)
21>                      Slandering innocent women (24:23)
22>                      Misappropriating something from the booty (3:161)
23>                      Stealing (5:38)
24>                      Committing highway robbery (5:33)
25>                      Making false oath
26>                      Committing oppression
27>                      Levying illegal taxes
28>                      Consuming forbidden wealth or taking it by any means (2:188)
29>                      Committing suicide (4:29)
30>                      Being a perpetual liar (3:61)
31>                      Ruling by laws other than the laws of Islam (5:44)
32>                      Engaging in bribery (2:188)
33>                      Women appearing like men and vice-versa.
34>                      Being a “dayyouth.”
35>                      Marrying for the purpose of making a woman allowable for another (Halaalaa).
36>                      Not keeping clean from the remains of urine.
37>                      Acting for show (107:4-6)
38>                      Acquiring knowledge only for worldly gain or concealing knowledge (2:160)
39>                      Breaching trusts (8:27)
40>                      Reminding people of one's kindness (2:27)
41>                      Denying predestination (54:49)
42>                      Eavesdropping on other’s private conversation. (49:12)
43>                      Spreading harmful tales (54:10)
44>                      Cursing others.
45>                      Not fulfilling one’s promises.
46>                      Believing in what soothsayers & astrologers say.
47>                      A wife being rebellious to her husband (4:34)
48>                      Striking one's self, wailing, tearing one's clothing, pulling one's hair & similar deeds as a form of mourning.
49>                      Being overbearing or taking advantage of the weak, slaves, wives or animals
50>                      Harming neighbors.
51>                      Harming and abusing Muslims (33:58)
52>                      Harming the slaves of Allah.
53>                      Men wearing silk & gold.
54>                      Sacrificing animals for other than Allah.
55>                      Claiming that somebody is one’s father while the claimant knows it is not true.
56>                      Arguing or quarreling for show & not seeking the truth.
57>                      Not measuring weights properly (83:1-3)
58>                      Thinking that one is safe from Allah’s planning (7:99)
59>                      Eating carrion, blood or pork meat (6:145)
60>                      Continually not performing the Friday prayers and congregational prayers without any valid excuse.
61>                      Harming others by manipulation one’s bequests (4: 12)
62>                      Being deceitful or deceptive (35:43)
63>                      Spying on the Muslims & pointing out their secrets (68:11)
64>                      Abusing or reviling anyone of the Companions of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
65>                      Making statues.
Mission to save the whole world from Disasters
Always Remember:
Allah is One  <---> Quraan is One <---> Siraat_
a
l_Mustaqeem is One
One Ummah <---> One Islaam 
      <---> One Voice <---> One Worshipping Method
Quraan is full of Wisdom (Al_Quraan_036.002)
Quraan
 is a Light and to see a light, you don’t need any other light.

Quraan is Free from any Error or Contradictions.

when the Quraan is recited, then listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you. (Al_Quraan_007.204)Repeating and Reminding is a Key to the success of Effective Communication.
You are FULLY allowed to copy / forward 
/ Print / Distribute / Clone Web / Duplicate Web any or all part of it.
For more details and latest update please visit the following websites:
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And withhold yourself with those who call on their Lord morning and evening desiring His goodwill, and let not your eyes pass from them (always yes sir, till they follow the Quraan and Really Authentic Sunnah), desiring the beauties of this world's life; and do not follow him whose heart We have made unmindful to Our remembrance, and he follows his low desires and his case is one in which due bounds are exceeded.(Al_Quraan_018.028)
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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Thus Spoke The Prophet




Charity with Attitude

"Receiving your friend with a smile is a type of 
charity and putting some water in your 
neighbour's bucket is a charity”

Verse of the Week


Verse of the Week



Al-Quran 6:151

“take not life, which God hath made sacred, 
except by way of justice and law:thus doth He
 command you, that ye may learn Wisdom.”

Monday, February 14, 2011

WHY ISLAM news letter



Unity 
Dear Friend,

Greetings & Peace from 877-WHY-ISLAM. 
 
This edition comes to you with important information on varies topics allowing you to explore common values, principles and trials we all face on a daily bases as a society. We pray, it answers many of your questions and clears up any misconceptions by bringing us closer with understanding, respect and peace.
 
Your questions, feedback and suggestions are very important to us. We look forward on hearing from you, Thank you.
family in Islam   
        Family in Islam

    We live in an era in which the nature, function, and structure of the family have been thrown into question here in the west. Many, for example, would consider an unmarried couple, a single mother, and homosexual couples as equally legitimate expressions of the family unit. Islam takes a more conservative stance, arguing that the family is a divinely inspired institution, with marriage at its core. In this article, we explore what the family means for Muslims living. 

 Read more
Muslim Couple 
  Marriage in Islam

The fact that we come from the same soul signifies our equality as humans. When the essence of our creation is the same, the argument of who is better or greater is redundant. To stress on this fact, and then to talk about marriage in the same verse, is of great significance for those of us who are in the field of marriage counseling.
A shift in this attitude of gender equality as human beings causes an imbalance in marital relationships leading to dysfunctional marriages. Whenever one party considers that they are superior or above the law there is a power shift which may subsequently lead to misuse or abuse of that power. As a result, the less valuable partner is seen as an easy prey. Many marital difficulties are based on, or caused by, control and rule stratagem.


Sister making DuaStatus of Women 

The status of women in Islam, is an issue that is pertinent in present times; both due to the divergence of cultural practices in the Muslim world from the Islamic perspective and the erroneous perception in the West, that Islam subjugates womenfolk.
A dispassionate study of the primary sources of Islam, along with an analysis of the position of women in societies where
Islam was implemented, actually proves that for women Islam is a special blessing.
Gender Equity 
Gender Equity in Islam 

When dealing with the Islamic perspective of any topic, there should be a clear distinction between the normative teachings of Islam and the diverse cultural practices among Muslims, which may or may not be consistent with them. The focus of this paper is the normative teachings of Islam as the criteria to judge Muslim practices and evaluate their compliance with Islam. In identifying what is "Islamic" it is necessary to make a distinction between the primary sources of Islam (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) and legal opinions of scholars on specific issues, which may vary and be influenced by their times, circumstances, and cultures.

Domestic Violence RibbonDomestic Violence

"The most perfect of believers in belief is the best of them in character.; The best of you are those who are the best to their women."

Domestic violence against women remains a major concern in today's society. The problem is so severe that it affects people from all ways of life regardless of socio-ecomomic status, ethnicity, age and religion. The statistics on this issue are alarming.