Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
http://bit.ly/
Thursday, January 22, 2015
14 Things I’ve Learned Since I Started Wearing A Hijab
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Muslim who saved Jews ‘can’t let an innocent person be killed’
Now the supermarket worker is a household name in France, yet he is modest about his recent heroics.
When his workplace in the Vincennes district of Paris was attacked on 9th January, and heavily armed gunman Amedy Coulibaly fatally shot Jewish customers and held others hostage in an act of terrorism, Bathily took six customers into hiding in a basement cold storage room and then slipped out to inform the police.
He said in an interview on French television: “It could be a Christian, an atheist or a Muslim, if I see a bad person killing, it hurts me. I didn’t just do it for the Jews. It’s simply inhuman. You can’t let an innocent person be killed.”
Bathily started out in France illegally. He managed not to be deported in 2009 when his school spoke up for him. Two years later, he was given a work permit. He’s had the supermarket job for four years. He applied for French nationality last July.
“I like this country because even if you have nothing, even if you don’t have your papers, don’t have money, they help you. It’s a great country. I really like France.”
Bathily might have waited a long time before his wish was granted.
Under increasingly restrictive immigration policy put in place by France’s previous President Sarkozy, the number of naturalisations roughly halved after 2010. President Hollande’s Socialist government, from 2012 began to change application handling.
Rights lobby France Terre d’Asile in 2013 said that immigrants only waited longer in Luxembourg and Switzerland, and that in France they waited an average of 14 years to be naturalised.
Video if him talking: http://www.euronews.com/2015/01/20/muslim-who-saved-jews-can-t-let-an-innocent-person-be-killed/
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Doa Dan Amalan Untuk Menajamkan Penglihatan Mata
DOA UNTUK PELBAGAI SAKIT MATA
19 January 1824), one of the earliest Muslims in America, Yarrow Mamout, died in Georgetown Virginia.
He was enslaved in West Africa and brought to Maryland in the late 1700s. He eventually received his freedom in 1796 and went on to live, as a Muslim, in Washington DC until he died.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Hypocrisy of 'Free speech' when it comes to insulting Muslims
Insult Jews = Anti-Semitism
Insult women = sexism
Insult gays = homophobia
Insult Muhammad = Free Speech ??
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
They said we would surround the castle or the city, for a month or more and our besieging of them is doing nothing, and we are almost going to give up and leave. Then when the people of that town or castle, would start cursing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) suddenly it would fall in our hands, sometimes the delay would not be even a day or two and it would be opened by force. So we would take it as a glad tiding when we would hear them curse the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) even though our hearts would be filled with hatred but we would see it as a glad tiding because it is a sign of our coming victory.”
And that is the meaning of the ayah in Surah al Kawthar:
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الاٌّبْتَرُ
“Indeed your enemy is the one who is cut off!“
Being a Jewish Woman in Palestine- Answers to 3 FAQs
(by Katya)
I’ve been back from Palestine for two weeks, and I’ve gotten a lot of questions and comments about my experiences there. I really appreciate people asking questions and wanting to learn about what reality looks like, but some of the questions conveyed a lot of persisting stereotypes, racism, Islamaphobia and misconceptions. For that reason, I’d like to answer those questions here. They are:
1. “What was it like being a woman in Palestine? Did you get a feel for the oppression of women in that society?”
2. “Did you face a lot of anti-Semitism or hostility as a Jew in Palestine?”
and, not to be outdone:
3. “What was it like being surrounded by Islamic extremism?”
On being a woman in Palestine:
-I was treated with respect- noticeably more respect than I experience as a woman in America. I didn’t get creeped on or leered at or hit on like I do in America on a daily basis. I was taken seriously as a professional in my career path, which is a huge struggle for me every day in America. There was one incident where a juice bar owner made some comment about my eyes and then got a little weird, but that was it. As I went all over the West Bank, traveling from Jerusalem to Ramallah to Hebron to Bil’in to Bethlehem- even at bus stations at night and walking down city streets- I never felt disrespected or oppressed.
-I made friends with and was treated like a real human being by Palestinians of all genders. People asked me about my job and what I studied in school; no one was surprised that I was educated or had a career. No one said anything to the tune of “you should get married and have kids and stay at home!”
-I met women who chose to stay home and raise their children, women who chose to work from home, and women who chose to have careers outside the home; all seemed happy with their decisions. I met men who celebrated and supported their wives’ and fiancées’ choices regarding hijab, employment, education, reproduction, etc. I’m sure it wasn’t all like that because there is misogynistic oppression in every society, but from an outsiders’ perspective it felt like a significant step up from how women are treated in America.
-People have asked me “Did you have to wear a hijab or cover your head in public?”
Sometimes I covered my head
and sometimes I didn’t,
and whether I covered my head or not was 100% my choice. That choice was based on what made me feel comfortable and what was most respectful each given situation. When I did choose to cover my head, it felt empowering, but I was treated with the exact same amount or respect regardless of whether or not my head was covered. Whether I was with strangers in the cities or with friends in the little village of Bil’in, I wasn’t treated differently based on whether or not my head was covered.
Likewise, many Palestinian women chose to wear hijab, but some chose not to. I can’t speak for Palestinian women, but the women I passed on the street every day wore their hijabs with a confidence and individuality that made it seem like they fully owned and cherished their decision. Those who chose not to wear hijabs also walked confidently.
-People didn’t expect me to fulfill certain gender roles. When I tried to help out around the house, the older boys (specifically 14-year-old Abdul Khaleik) would stop me and insist on doing the housework themselves. There seemed to be no expectation of subservience to men.
I do not want to claim that there is no misogyny in Palestine. There is misogyny everywhere to different extents and in different manifestations, and all of it is a problem. Palestinian society, just like every society I know of, has areas in which active work needs to be done in order for people of all genders to have equal rights and opportunities. I don’t know the nuances of how patriarchy intersects with being a people under occupation. But considering I hear Zionist propaganda claim every day that Palestinian society is incredibly misogynistic, people need to know what gender relations in Palestine actually look like.
I’d also like to point out- since Zionists keep trying to take the moral higher ground on gender issues- that I’ve experienced a significant amount of cultural misogyny in Israel. From getting catcalled to dealing with incredibly aggressive Israeli men who felt entitled to my body to being told things like “you’re practical; that’s a trait you don’t find in most women” to getting sexually assaulted when I went out in Tel Aviv (there, I said it)…I experienced none of this bullshit in Palestine. So Israel, please at least fix these toxic, pervasive and dangerous issues before claiming to be the “enlightened side.”
On being a Jew in Palestine
I experienced zero hostility toward my being Jewish; the fact that we were Jewish didn’t have any effect on how we were treated. Whether people knew we were Jewish or not, we were treated with the same amazing warmth, hospitality and generosity. If our Jewishness came up in conversation, sometimes people would make a point to say things like “I respect people of all religions and backgrounds as long as they believe in peace and justice” or “Jews and Muslims are like cousins! We come from the same roots!” or “I think the Jews should be able to live and practice their religion in peace here, and so should the Christians and so should we. We just want to live with equal rights.” The bottom line was “as long as you support human rights for everyone and you don’t support the ethnic cleansing of our people, you are absolutely welcome in my home for tea and falafel.”
From these conversations, I gathered that most Palestinians seem to understand a concept that I fight to explain to Americans every day: Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing. They are related, yes. But #notallZionists are Jews (just ask the conservative Evangelical Christian movement in America) and not all Jews are Zionists and contrary to hasbara propaganda, non-Zionism is not the same as anti-Semitism. Every Palestinian we talked to understood that already; they understood that we were ethnically, culturally and religiously Jewish but that we opposed the mass oppression and injustice that is Zionism. Our good friend Hamde, a prominent Palestinian photojournalist, constantly reiterates that Judaism is not the problem for the Palestinian people; Zionism is. The Occupation is.
“…but extremist Islam”
No. Nope. Fanaticism was not something I saw even once in the ways people practiced Islam in Palestine.
A quick note: Palestinians are predominantly Muslim, with a significant Christian population. The attitude towards Palestinian Christians seemed warm and accepting. When Palestinian Christians came to a protest during Christmastime, they were unified with the Muslims and everyone else there.
While the vast majority of Palestinians we met identified as Muslim, there was a broad spectrum of diversity in terms of religious practice. There were devout Muslims whose religious practice was close to their hearts and a big part of their daily lives, there were people who weren’t religious but identified as Muslims because they were born to Muslim families, and everything in between. Everyone seemed to practice their religion (or lack thereof) in whatever way/to whatever degree was meaningful to them, and let other people do the same. What we didn’t come across was anyone who would resemble an “Islamic extremist”: the devout Muslims we met all expressed respect for different religions and ways of life, and didn’t seem to use their religion as a tool to oppress others in any way. They wanted the Jews to be able to pray in their holy spaces like the Kotel and have that be respected, and they wanted to be able to pray in their holy spaces like al-Aqsa and have that be respected. The Orthodox Jews who forced Palestinian families out of their homes and violently attacked Palestinians and shouted “death to Arabs”, however, were extremists. (Though not all Orthodox Jews are Zionist extremists either. Some are openly non-Zionist.)
Since we were in a place that is holy for Christians, Jews, Muslims and Baha’i, religion was woven into the landscape and cultures all around us. But in Palestine, there seemed to be an intrinsic understanding that spirituality is personal and not to be homogenized or forced on people. That was a really nice contrast from the US, where I feel like Christianity has been shoved down my throat for my entire life.
I know that in my different posts, I keep bringing up the fact that Palestinians are so vastly different from the caricatures and stereotypes that are ascribed to them. This is crucial for everyone to know because our attitudes and even foreign policy procedures are highly influenced by these false perceptions. It shouldn’t take an American white person to get people to actually re-consider the racist myths they’ve internalized about Arab people and spaces. But the world needs to know about the whole-hearted warmth, kindness and generosity that is built into every facet of Palestinian culture. So please take my experience for whatever it’s worth and, if need be, re-consider everything that American media tells you about Palestine.
“This is the document which Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, God’s Prophet, Warner and Bearer of glad tidings has caused to be written so that there should remain no excuse for those coming after. I have caused this document to be written for the Christians of the East and West, for those who live near,and for those of the distant lands, for the Christians living at present and for those who will come after, for those Christians who are known to us and for those as well whom we do not know. Any Muslim violating or distorting what has been ordained will be considered to be violating God’s Covenant and will be transgressing against His Promise and by doing so, will incur God’s wrath, be he a monarch or an ordinary subject.
''I promise that any monk or wayfarer who will seek my help on the mountains, in forests, deserts or habitations, or places of worship, I will repel his enemies with my friends and helpers, with all my relatives and with all those who profess to follow me and will defend them, because they are my covenant. And I will defend the covenanted against the persecution, injury and embarrassment of their enemies in lieu of the poll tax they have promised to pay.If they prefer to defend their properties and persons themselves, they will be allowed to do so and will not be put to any inconvenience on that account. No bishop will be expelled from his bishopric, no monk from his monastery, no priest from his place of worship,and no pilgrim will be detained in his pilgrimage. None of their churches or other places of worship will be desolated or destroyed or demolished. No material of their churches will be used to build mosques or houses for the Muslims; any Muslim doing so will be regarded as recalcitrant to God and His Prophet. Monks and Bishops will be subject to no poll tax or indemnity whether they live in forests or on rivers, in the East or in the West, in the North or in the South. I give them my word of honour. They are on my promise and covenant and will enjoy perfect immunity from all sorts of inconveniences. Every help shall be given to them in the repair of their churches.They shall be absolved of wearing arms. They shall be protected by the Muslims.Let this document not be disobeyed till Judgement Day.” (Signed: Muhammad, the Messenger of God. ([Letters of the Messenger]) (Al-Wasaiq-ul-Siyasiyya, pp. 187-190)
This important historical document affirms the sincerity of the Prophet of Islam Mohammad leaves no room for doubting his disposition to peace. This Charter is not only a guideline but also a great warning for Muslims to remember.
"And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace,"
Whoever acquires (religious) knowledge, which is (normally) acquired to gain the Pleasure of Allah, (for the sole reason) to secure worldly comforts will not even smell the fragrance of Jannah on the Day of Resurrection (i.e., will not enter Paradise).” [Related by Abu Dawud, 3179, with a good Sanad (chain of narrators)].
This is a great threat for a person who has an evil intention. It is reported that the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever acquires knowledge in order to compete with the scholars or dispute with the ignorant or attract the attention of people to him will enter Hellfire.” [Related by Ibn Majah, no. 250, Introduction, Chapter on utilization of knowledge]
Knowledge is acquired by studying, then implementing it for Allah's sake because He has ordered it and made it a means by which the Truth is manifested. It is reported in a Sahih Hadith: Three types of people will be admitted to the Hellfire first. Amongst them: The one who seeks knowledge or recites Qur'an not for the sake of Allah, but in order for it to be said: He is a scholar or he is a good reciter of the Qur'an. There is neither might nor power except with Allah! [Sahih Muslim 3527]
Friday, January 16, 2015
How Muslim Scholars View Paris Attack (In-depth)
Freedom of Expression from an Islamic Perspective
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Some other episodes of The Deen Show
The Prophet Muhammad Under Attack - Nouman Ali Khan
Some other episodes of The Deen Show
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
istighotsah rutin di rumah Ustadz Anang
Asriyanto di Desa Glagah Arum, Kecamatan
Porong, Sidoarjo.
Saat istighotsah berlangsung, tiba-tiba terdengar
suara keras di bagian kamar rumah Pak Ustadz.
Warga was-was karena mengira lumpur Lapindo
"mengamuk" lagi. Tanggul lumpur Lapindo
jaraknya hanya sekitar 500 meter. .TANDA TANDA APAKAH INI?
SubhanAllah maha besar Allah
Allah hu Akbar
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Our Prophet PBUH had mentioned " Anyone who says ' Radhitu Billahi Rabba, wa bil islami deena, wa bi Muhammadin Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam nabiyyan wa rasoola' three times every morning and evening, Allah will please with him on the Day of Judgement". [ Narrated by Abu Dawood ] "
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Non-Muslim Rights in the Ottoman Empire
http://lostislamichistory.com/non-muslim-rights-in-the-ottoman-empire/
Much like previous Muslim Empires, the Ottomans showed great toleration and acceptance of non-Muslim communities in their empire. This is based on existing Muslim laws regarding the status of non-Muslims. They are protected, given religious freedoms, and free from persecution according to the Shariah. One of the first precedents of this was the Treaty of Umar ibn al-Khattab, in which he guaranteed the Christians of Jerusalem total religious freedom and safety.
The Millet System
The first instance of the Ottomans having to rule a large number of Christians was after the conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II in 1453. Constantinople had historically been the center of the Orthodox Christian world, and still had a large Christian population. As the empire grew into Europe, more and more non-Muslims came under Ottoman authority. For example, in the 1530s, over 80% of the population in Ottoman Europe was not Muslim. In order to deal with these new Ottoman subjects, Mehmed instituted a new system, later called the millet system.
This portrait of Mehmed II was painted by an Italian Christian, Gentile Bellini
Under this system, each religious group was organized into a millet. Millet comes from the Arabic word for “nation”, indicating that the Ottomans considered themselves the protectors of multiple nations. Each religious group was considered its own millet, with multiple millets existing in the empire. For example, all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire were considered as constituting a millet, while all Jews constituted another millet.
Each millet was allowed to elect its own religious figure to lead them. In the case of the Orthodox Church (the biggest Church in the Ottoman Empire), the Orthodox Patriarch (the Archbishop of Constantinople) was the elected leader of the millet. The leaders of the millets were allowed to enforce their own religion’s rules on their people. Islamic law (Shariah) had no jurisdiction over non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire.
In cases of crime, people would be punished according to the rules of their own religion, not Islamic rules or rules of other religions. For example, if a Christian were to steal, he would be punished according to the Christian laws regarding theft. If a Jew were to steal, he were to be punished according to Jewish laws, etc. The only time Islamic law would come into account was if the criminal was a Muslim, or when there was a case involving two people from different millets. In that case, a Muslim judge was to preside over the case and judge according to his best judgement and common law.
In addition to religious law, millets were given freedom to use their own language, develop their own institutions (churches, schools, etc), and collect taxes. The Ottoman sultan only exercised control over the millets through their leaders. The millet leaders ultimately reported to the sultan, and if there was a problem with a millet, the sultan would consult that millet leader. Theoretically, the Muslim population of the Ottoman Empire also constituted a millet, with the Ottoman sultan as the millet leader.
Legacy
The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1300 to 1922. Throughout most of this history, the millet system provided a system of religious harmony and belonging throughout the empire. As the empire expanded, more millets were organized. Separate millets existed for Armenian, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians, for example, with each sect being divided further into more specific regional churches.
These imperial decrees by the Ottoman sultans Mehmed II and Bayezid II granted the Greek community ownership of the church. The decrees and church remain in Istanbul today.
The millet system did not last until the end of the Ottoman Empire. As the empire weakened in the 1700s and 1800s, European intervention in the empire expanded. When the liberal Tanzimat were passed in the 1800s, the millet system was abolished, in favor of a more European-style secularist government. The Ottomans were forced to guarantee vague “rights” to religious minorities, which in fact limited their freedoms. Instead of being allowed to rule themselves according to their own rules, all religious groups were forced to follow the same set of secular laws. This actually ended up causing more religious tension in the empire, which was one of the causes of the genocide of the Armenians during World War One in the Ottoman Empire’s dying days.
The millet system was a unique and creative solution to running a multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. The rights and freedoms it gave to religious minorities were far ahead of their time. While Europe struggled with religious persecution into the 1900s, the Ottomans created a harmonious and stable religious pluralistic system that guaranteed religious freedom for hundreds of years.
Bibliography:
Itzkowitz, Norman. Ottoman Empire And Islamic Tradition. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1981. Print.
Ochsenwald, William, and Sydney Fisher. The Middle East: A History. 6th. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.