Assault on American Muslims: The False Report Saga

Assault on American Muslims: The False Report Saga

In the wake of revelations that two Muslim girls made up allegations of rights violations based on faith, the Muslim community in America has raised concerns that this could be used by Islamophobes to discredit legitimate complaints. The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Center for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) two of the biggest Muslim bodies in America have stressed through their respective spoke persons that the legitimate complaints by far out-number the false and as such, the police should take complaints by Muslims especially women seriously in future. The spokes person for MPAC, Rabiah Ahmed said when speaking to the press 22^nd December, “The way our community is treated in the media is unfortunately very monolithic." It would be observed that western media outfits publicized the false claim report far more than they ever did for the legitimate ones. The national communications director of CAIR, Ibrahim Hooper, told the press "These false reports unfortunately give ammunition to the industry of Islamophobes who promote the demonization and dehumanization of Islamic Muslims," he said. "But one or two false reports should not take away from the credibility of dozens of other real ones."

The Golden Age of Islam in Science

The Golden Age of Islam in Science

The golden age of Islam where science, technology and inventions thrived has long passed leaving Muslims in the ‘catch-up’ state. It would be an understatement to say Muslims are backward in science and technology as statistics show that 41 out of the 57 OIC member states account for less than 5% of the world technological output. What went wrong? Bad leadership, unnecessary conservatism and lack of fore-sight on the part Muslim scholars. These and the likes were among the issues touched when 150 fellows along with 30 scientists from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Egypt, Oman, India, Jordan, Morocco and Malaysia met in Kwala Lumpur Malaysia on a five-day event jointly organized by the Mustafa (PBUH) Science and Technology Foundation (MSTF)and the University of Putra Malaysia (UPM). It was the first edition of the Science and Technology Exchange Program (STEP). The organizers of the event said STEP was created to serve as a platform where Muslim scientists can meet and share scientific views and experiences. The MSTF is contributing its cota to the Muslim dream by giving the Mustafa(PBUH) prize worth $500,000 to an outstanding Muslim scientist every year. The winner of the prize in 2015 who was also a guest speaker at this year’s event, Professor Umar Yaghi was quoted to have said, “We are here to solve peoblems and not to complain about them.” The STEP forum which began on 19^th December ended on the 22^nd of December with a scientific tour of Kwala Lumpur. The organizers posited that the main aim of the event was to bring back the Golden Age of Islam in science. 

Americans Rising Against Islamophobia

Americans Rising Against Islamophobia

Despite politicians doing what they called “voicing concerns on the Muslim/Islam threat”, average Americans every now and then come out to show their support for the Muslim community. Hundreds of people belonging to the Jewish Voice for Peace and the Centre for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have graced an anti-Islamophobia event organized by the two organizations with several other non-Muslims taking part. The December 21th event recorded people making remarks such as, "Donald trump seems to go back and forth on what he will and will not do. That's not important. What's important is ensuring our community feels safe and secure". Other comments include, "Because if I don't show support for Muslims who's gonna show support for me when I get in trouble?" said Merrill Nosler."We all have to show support for one another I feel like it shouldn't be an ‘us versus them’."

Nepal’s Rautahat Muslims Fight Against Dowry

Nepal’s Rautahat Muslims Fight Against Dowry

The Muslims in Nepal’s Rautahat region have launched a campaign against what they called the “evil dowry system”. Muslim leaders in the region had a committee set up to end the practice of women having to pay dowries to the families of men for marriage. A Woman paying the dowry is generally a hindu practice but, over the years due to the domination of Muslims in nations bordering India (Hindustan) by hindus, some Muslims willing or unwilling took to the practice. This contradicts the tenets of Islam where the male pays the dowry. In the wake of the new initiative, even couples who have long been married have been told to conform. This is by the men returning the dowries they had collected from their wives at the time of marriage, several men have done so and those who have refused have and are being sanctioned. A popular Imam Maulana Mustapha was made to pay a fine of Rs50,000 for presiding over a marriage in which the bride had to pay the dowry. The coordinator of the Joint Muslim Struggle Alliance Haji Jikurulla was quoted to have said over Rs10million (rupees) in dowry more has been returned to families of brides. Though, It is not clear what their intentions are as Jikurulla was also quoted to have said, “As our religion doesn’t entertain giving or taking dowry, we are doing the needful to ensure that the practice is uprooted from our community; for this we have formed monitoring sub-committees in villages.”

CNN Surprisingly Sides with Islam

CNN Surprisingly Sides with Islam

In the wake of the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, by the off-duty policeman Mevlut Mert Altintash, most Muslims saw it as another opportunity for know Islamophobic media outfits such as CNN to further their attacks against Islam and Muslims but, the contrary was the case. CNN reporter Nic Robertson was heard to have immediately added in his reportage on the killing the words “there is no guarantee he represents Muslims of any sort”. From history, the words that would be repeated over and over again would have been: Islamist, Islamic terrorist, Muslim fundamentalist, e.t.c.  Has there been a change in CNN’s outlook on Islam and Muslims or is it just a drama playing itself out? Time will tell.

MISCONCEPTION 4: Islam Encourages Begging

Street beggar

Points:

• Most people who beg are Muslims.
• Muhammad (SAW) permitted begging. Muhammad (SAW) was quoted to have said, "O! Qabisa,

Remembering Junaid Jamsheed Four Years After

Snapshot of Junaid Jamshed

Junaid Jamshed, also known as JJ (pronounced Jay-Jay) was a  Pakistani recording artist, television personality, fashion designer, occasional actor, singer-songwriter and Islamic preacher. Junaid Jamshed and one of his wives (Nahya Junaid) were on-board the plane that was travelling from

Islam Teaches Safe Business Practices

The role of business in the spread of Islam cannot be over emphasized. Whole communities embraced Islam by merely coming in contact with Muslim merchants. This is the most popular story from northern Africa all the way down to southern Africa and from the middle east through to the far east. Islam; through direct statements from ALLAH and expressions by Muhammad (SAW), showed clearly that an individual with no standards in business will not be on the good books of ALLAH. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "The

Why Legalization Won’t Work

The author of this article is a gentleman by the name Ed Gogek, MD Steering Committee Member,

Keep AZ Drug Free.

I could not find a way to share it on social media that why had to copy it to my blog and then post it from here. All credits are due to the author Ed Gogek.

Legalization decriminalization and medical marijuana laws all increase crime, not decrease it as its supporters claim. Here’s why:

MISCONCEPTION 3:Islam paints a carnal picture of Paradise

Jannah

Points:

1. The Qur’an talks about drinking in Paradise.
2. The Qur’an talks about unlimited sexual pleasure for men in Paradise.

“Those will have a provision determined-Fruits; and they will be honored

In gardens of pleasure on thrones facing one another.

There will be circulated among them a cup [of wine] from a                flowing spring,

Calls for Aid to Sudan

Calls for Aid to Sudan

Hamad Eligizouli Morowa, the head of the Refugee Commission for Sudan has visited Bradford in the UK to persuade Islamic charity organizations to resume relief supplies to the republic of Sudan. Mr Hamad will be meeting mainly the members of the Muslim Charities Forum like the Human Relief Foundation, Islamic Relief and Penny Appeal. The visit is been sponsored by Charity Right- a UK based organization currently operating in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia providing food aid to the needy. 

Islamic Significance of Friendship

A Muslim is always friendly and welcoming or at least, not quarrelsome. All the same, we should stay away from the one who is not well mannered and gives no attention to what pleases or displeases Allah (SWT), for he will surely affect us negatively. There is no good if the companion drowns us in sins. Our friends, especially our close friends should be among the best people in the community by Islamic standards.  If we share our feelings with the wrongdoers whose actions are worthless and based on corruption, then we are following the same ways and standards as they are doing, and we will end up being as

ADNAN RASHID

Adnan Rashid

Adnan Rashid is active in dawah and has visited over 30 countries for this purpose. He has attained a number of ijazas in hadith from reputable hadith authorities. He attained his BA with honours in history from Birkbeck College, University of London. He has appeared on major Islamic channels such as Iqra Tv and Islam Channel. The Ustadh has taught seerah, tafseer and hadith to hundreds of students through TV and other platforms. He intends to finish the tafseer of al-Quran in the coming years. Ustadh Adnan has worked with renowned dawah organisations such as Mercy Mission, iERA and Convivencia. He has led a number of dawah missions to Africa. He served as Senior Researcher as well as lecturer while working with iERA. He is a very close associate of the Al Kauthar Institute. He has been serving as Khateeb in a number of West London mosques, where he regularly delivers

Over N102million to Be Disbursed By Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation

Over N102million to Be Disbursed By Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation
An Islamic charity group Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation in Nigeria has hinted that they will on Sunday next week distribute money to indigents in Lagos state worth N102,251,490. This year’s Zakat Distribution Ceremony which  will be the 12th of its kind will take place at the Alausa Secretariat Central Mosque Auditorium. The group Managing Director of Complete Communication Limited Alhaji Mumuni Alao will chair the occasion. Students, retailers and artisans will be the major beneficiaries.

Nadiya Hussein Suffers Racial Abuse on Train

Nadiya Hussein Suffers Racial Abuse on Train
Nadiya Hussein, 31, has revealed that a male passenger on a train her boarded told her point-blank “I ain’t sitting near a Muslim”. The incident which happened on Wednesday Dec 14 left the 2015 winner of the Great British Bake off devastated as reflected by her tweeter post on the incident. Nadiya, the mother of three said abuse on the grounds being Muslim has become part of her life.

Muslim Countries Need to Strengthen Each Other: Ali Khamenei

Muslim Countries Need to Strengthen Each Other: Ali Khamenei
The leader made this and related statements in a meeting with the Indonesian president Jiko Widodo. The main aim of the meeting was to discuss energy deals between Iran and Indonesia but they took time to discuss the Ummah. Ali Khameni was quoted to have said, “We believe that Muslim countries should reinforce each other and avoid division against the wishes of enemies”. Khameni also touched on the Palestinian cause by saying, “Many of these crises have been created with the goal of causing the most difficult crisis in the region and the most important issue of the Islamic world, Palestine, to be forgotten while this issue must not be allowed to be forgotten.” President Widodo also reiterated his countries commitment to the Palestinian people, he said, “Indonesia considers itself committed to the issue of Palestine and we are serious and active in supporting the rights of the Palestinian people.”

Muslim Elders Holds 9th Meeting in Abu Dhabi

Muslim Elders Holds 9th Meeting in Abu Dhabi

The ninth meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders held on Tuesday 13^th of December in Abu Dhabi. The chairman of the occasion was the Imam of Al Azhar and the President of the Council Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb. Among the topics discussed were; the appalling condition of civilians in Alepo, mechanisms for combating terrorism and extremism and the state of Muslims in Burma. They also offered condolences to the victims of the church bomb attack in Egypt.

Malaysia Expresses Outrage at Rohingya Massacre

Malaysia Expresses Outrage at Rohingya Massacre

In a statement issued on Thursday 14^th December, the Malaysian ministry of foreign affairs denounced the actions of the Burmese government with regards to the killing of Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state of Burma. The Burmese government embarked on a heavy-handed military crack-down on the marginalized community in the wake of an attack on a police station on October 9 in which 9 police officers died near the Burmese border with Bangladesh. Advocacy groups for the Rohingyas have said around 400 Rohingyas were killed, women were raped and Rohingya villages burnt. A Kwala lumpur rally led by Najib Razak the Malaysian Prime minister was attended by thousands of Rohingyas main refugees to tell the Myanmar state counselor Ang San Suu Kyi that “enough is enough”.

Fribourg Islamic Center Stands

Fribourg Islamic Center Stands
The highest court in Switzerland has throw out on Wednesday 14th December a proposal by the anti-Islam group Swiss People’s Party to close down the Islamic center of Fribourg University which was opened in June. This ruling means that the Center for Islam and Society of the Fribourg University which offers training for Imams in Switzerland is legally part of the University. The backers of the initiative argue that the state cannot be involved in religious training for a religion that is not recognized under public law in Switzweland.

Facebook Says It Will Not Help Build a National Muslim Registry

Facebook And Others Say They Will Not Help Build a National Muslim Registry
After American President-elect, Donald Trump expressed his wish institute a national Muslim registry, facebook has disclosed that they will not be part of it. On BuzzFeed News, a spokesman for facebook said, “No one has asked us to build a Muslim registry, and of course we would not do so." Hundreds of Silicon Valley employees including engineers, designers and executives recently signed a neveragain.tech promise refusing to help build a database of people "based on their constitutionally-protected religious beliefs" under a Trump presidency. The signatories included employees from GitHub, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Google, Stripe, Pandora,  and others. "We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration's proposed data collection policies,". The pledge which has garnered well over a thousand signatures so far, reads. "We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable." Earlier in November, The Intercept reported that of nine tech companies that were approached by the government on the proposed Muslim registry only Twitter was willing to state officially that it would not be a party to it. This week, 22 advocacy groups led by CREDO sent letters to eight major technology firms including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook and IBM urging them "to do better".

China Muslim Net Faces Cyber Attack

China Muslim Net Faces Cyber Attack

A popular website among Chinese Muslim ‘China Muslim Net’ has been inaccessible since Saturday last week. It is suspected that the current situation is as a result of a post that was made on one of its forums criticizing the Chinese President Xi Zinping. According to the reuters, the post which is seen as an open letter to the President was calling for the release of a student, Kwong Pyong who has been missing since October this year. Xi Wuyi, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Science shortly after the post was made posted screen-shots of the letter on her Weibo account accussing the Muslim website of spreading ‘Islamic’ extremism. There has been no official confirmation of the reason behind the inaccessibility of the site.

Syria Takes Part in International Islamic Unity Conference In Tehran

Syria Takes Part in International Islamic Unity Conference In Tehran
The Assad family have not been known to take Islamic initiatives seriously but since the war started things begun to change. Delegates from 60 countries are attending the 30th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran which has kicked off Thursday Dec 15. The three-day conference has been themed “Unity and Necessity of Confrontation with Takfiri Movements” and seeks to discusses the role of Takfiri trends in sowing discord among Muslims, the role of colonialism in disintegration of the Muslim world and the necessity of facing these trends for the unity of the Islamic nation. Other issues to be discussed include: The need to study the false thought and psychological conditions of takfiris for confronting them, the Zionist entity’s use of Takfiri currents, the threat posed by Takfiri terrorists to hinder mobilizing ranks for liberating Palestine and the role of media in facing these currents are among topics of the conference.

MISCONCEPTION 2: Homosexuality is Allowed in Islam

Gay icon

Point:

• There are no verses in the Qur’an that shows that being gay is haram

MISCONCEPTION 1: Muslims Worship the Pagan Moon god

Moon gods

Points: 

• A lot of Muslim countries have the moon and star on their flags.
• Muslims use the moon to tell when a new month arrives, like when to begin fasting.
• Muslims pray according to the position of the moon and sun.
• Muslims use 'ALLAH' just like the pagan Arabs.

Building Love in the Ummah

United

Firstly, we should know that to build love in the ummah means to purify the hearts of the people in the ummah so that they feel nothing but love for one another. We should be the change we want to see in others, consequently, we should commence this task by purifying our own hearts first. We shouldn’t be like the corrupt leaders of today who urge sacrifice from the masses while they keep looting. We must purify our souls as ALLAH urges in the Qur’an; “He has succeeded who purifies it(soul), and he has failed who instills it with corruption”(Suratul Shams:9-10). To purify our souls, we must try as much as possible to remove anything that has to do with perpetual sinning (e.g envy, greed, arrogance, pride, jealousy, e.t.c) and replace those vices with compassion, mercy, benevolence,  e.t.c.

Assalamualaykum!

image source: shtterstock.com

Assalamualaykum! Welcome to Towards Da Light. This blog is aimed at providing Islamic information and news