Obama Should Prove America isn't the Enemy of the Muslim World in Deeds Not in Empty Words

Obama tells Muslim world 'America is not your enemy'

US President seeks to restore respect of Muslim nations, calls on Iran to 'unclench' fist for diplomacy.

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama Monday told the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" and renewed his pledge to travel to make an address in the capital of a major Muslim nation.

Obama noted that he had lived in Indonesia for several years while growing up, and said his travels through Muslim nations had convinced him that regardless of faith, people had certain common hopes and dreams.

"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy -- we sometimes make mistakes -- we have not been perfect," Obama said in an interview with the Al-Arabiya satellite television network.

"But if you look at the track record ... America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."

During the 2008 election campaign, Obama vowed to improve US ties with the Muslim world and said he would travel to a major Islamic forum abroad to send that message.

"We're going to follow through on our commitment for me to address the Muslim world from a Muslim capital," Obama said in the interview with the Dubai-based channel.

"We are going to follow through on many of my commitments to do a more effective job of reaching out, listening as well as speaking to the Muslim world," he said.

Obama did not give a time, or a venue for his visit to a major Muslim capital.

He was also asked about the highly personal tone of recent Al-Qaeda messages released since he was elected president in November.

He agreed with his interviewer that the tone of recent videos seemed "nervous."

"What that tells me is that their ideas are bankrupt," he said.

Obama calls on Iran to 'unclench' fist

Obama on Monday said that the United States would offer Iran an extended hand of diplomacy if Tehran's leaders "unclenched their fist."

Obama said he would in the next few months lay out a general framework of policy towards Tehran in an interview with Al-Arabiya.

"As I said in my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us."

"It is very important for us to make sure that we are using all the tools of US power, including diplomacy, in our relationship with Iran," Obama said.

Earlier, Susan Rice, the new US ambassador to the United Nations made her debut and pledged vigorous" and "direct" nuclear diplomacy with Iran but warned of increased pressure if Tehran refuses to halt uranium enrichment.

"We will look at what is necessary and appropriate with respect to maintaining pressure toward that goal of ending Iran's nuclear program," she added.

"Dialogue and diplomacy must go hand in hand with a very firm message from the United States and the international community that Iran needs to meet its obligations as defined by the Security Council and its continued refusal to do so will only cause pressure to increase."

Time for Israelis and Palestinians to return to talks

Obama told Israelis and Palestinians Monday it was time to return to the negotiating table, as he dispatched his new special envoy George Mitchell on a debut tour of the region.

The US president, a week after his historic inauguration, cautioned however that he did not want expectations raised too high of swift progress in the volatile region, following the Israeli war on Gaza.

"I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people," Obama told Al-Arabiya television network.

"Instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table."

The new US president had earlier met Mitchell at the White House along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, before sending him off on a mission to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, London and Paris.

Obama, who has promised to directly address Middle East questions at the start of his presidency, rather than waiting for years like his predecessor George W. Bush, warned however against expectations of quick results.

"I want to make sure that expectations are not raised so that we think that this is going to be resolved in a few months," the president told the Dubai-based satellite television channel.

"But if we start the steady progress on these issues, I'm absolutely confident that the United States, working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab States in the region -- I'm absolutely certain that we can make significant progress."

He said in the interview that he would formulate a "specific response" to recent events in the Middle East once Mitchell has reported back to him.

Mitchell begins his Middle East tour in Cairo Tuesday with a brief from Obama to "engage vigorously" to achieve real progress in Arab-Israeli peace efforts.

"The charge that Senator Mitchell has is to engage vigorously and consistently in order for us to achieve genuine progress," Obama said after the talks at the White House attended also by Clinton.

Source: Middle East Online

Beware of France: Hamas slams France for sending frigate to Gaza

Hamas PM: we expected France to send hospital ships to treat Palestinian children burned by banned Israeli weapons.


GAZA CITY - The head of the Hamas government in Gaza Ismail Haniya on Tuesday lashed out over the deployment of a French frigate to take part in a mission that Paris claims is against arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory.

"We expected France, whose motto is 'liberty, equality, fraternity' to send hospital ships to treat the children burned by banned weapons or to set up a humanitarian bridge... rather than deploy a navy ship to reinforce the blockade," Haniya said in a statement.

The Germinal frigate has been deployed to international waters off Gaza.

Haniya also dismissed criticism by European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel who on Monday said Hamas bore "overwhelming responsibility" for the Israel's 22-day war in Gaza.

"We are astonished by the European position which blames the victims and the oppressed people for the tragedy that befell the Gaza Strip," he said.

Observers note that the "weapon's smuggling" issue has further exposed the system of hypocrisy and double standards that the Middle East conflict has been subjected to.

While Israel, a brutal occupying power that is a threat to all of its neighbours, has access to advanced and sophisticated military aid (which is often used against civilians) from the US and elsewhere, Hamas, a democratically elected government and a resistance group determined to free Palestinian territories (Gaza, West Bank and east Jerusalem) from illegal Israel occupation, is denied the means to even defend itself or fight back.

“Israel’s total defence budget in the previous year was 7.2 billion USD, plus of course, another 2.2 billion USD in US ‘aid’ and this has risen since...Of course, Israel imports their arms directly, using seaports, airports and land borders,” notes Pat Bernstein, who writes about the situation in Palestine and its parallels to Apartheid South Africa.

“If Gaza was actually a state, without a total and illegal blockade, they too could import arms. Their qassam rockets would not need to be ‘smuggled’,” Bernstein adds.

“On average, every Israeli spends more on arms, than a Palestinian in Gaza has to live on.”


Source: Middle East Online

Yusuf Islam records charity song for Gaza: UNWRA

Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:42pm GMT E

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - British singer Yusuf Islam released a charity song on Monday for which all proceeds will be donated to a United Nations agency helping refugees in Gaza.

Islam -- who changed his name from Cat Stevens when he became a Muslim -- will donate the money made from "The Day the World Gets Round" to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Save the Children to help families in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA said in a statement.

The song, which was originally recorded by the late Beatle George Harrison, features Islam on vocals and Klaus Voorman, known to many as the fifth Beatle, on bass.

Islam said he hoped the music will "help remind people of the immense legacy of love, peace and happiness we can share when we get round to looking at mankind's futile wars and prejudices, and start to change our foolish ways."

Israel's three-week Israeli in Gaza killed 1,300 Palestinians, including 700 civilians.

The war, which began on December 27, tentatively ended on January 18 when Israel and Hamas began separate ceasefires. Israel says it launched the offensive because of rocket fire by Hamas into Israel, which has killed at least 21 Israelis since 2001.

UNRWA said it has provided over 50,000 civilians refuge in over 50 improvised shelters, mostly in its school buildings, and has been a focal point for aid supplies.

It is also playing a leading role in recovery response as well as providing on-going education, health relief and social services. This includes providing schooling for over 196,000 children and food aid to over 750,000 refugees.

(Editing by Dominic Evans)

Source: Reuters

Qunut Nazilah dalam solat

اللهُمَّ إنَّا نَسْتَعِيْنُكَ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ ، وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ وَنُثْنِيْ عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ وَلَا نَكْفُرُكَ ، اللهُمَّ إيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ ، وَلَكَ نُصَلِّيْ وَنَسْجُدُ ، وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَى وَنَحْفِدُ ، نَرْجُوْ رَحْمَتَكَ وَنَخْشَى عَذَابَكَ ، إنَّ عَذَابَكَ الجِدَّ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحَقٌ ، اللهُمَّ عَذِّبِ الْكَفَرَةَ أهْل الكِتَابِ الَّذِيْنَ يَصُدُّوْنَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِكَاللهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإسْلَامَ وَالْمُسلمين، وَأَذِلَّ الشِّرْكَ وَالْمُشْرِكِيْنَ، وَدَمِّرْ أَعْدَاءَكَ أَعْدَاءَ الدِّيْن, اللهم أَهْلِكِ الْكَفَرَةَ وَالطُّغَاةَ وَالظَّالِمِيْنَ يا رب العالمين.. اللهم اِنَّنَا نَجْعَلُ فى نُحُورِ أعداءِنَا و نَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شُرُورِهِم, اللهُمَّ بَدِّدْ شَمْلَهُم وَ فَرِّقْ جَمْعَهم و شَتِّتْ كَلِمَتَهم و زَلْزِلْ أَقْدَامَهم يا قهَّار , يا جبَّار , يا مُنْتَقِم, يا الله, يا الله, يا الله.اللهُمَّ يَا مُنْزِلَ الْكِتَابَ وَيَا مُجْرِيَ السَّحَابَ وَيَا هَازِمَ الْأَحْزَابَ اِهْزِمْهُمْ وَاْنصُرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ.اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ المسلمين في فلسطين اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ المسلمين في كُلِّ مَكَان, اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ, اللَّهُمَّ أهْلِكْ أمْرِيْكَانَ وَمَنْ وَالَاهُمْ, اللهُمَّ أَهْلِكِ الْيَهُوْدَ وَمَنْ وَالَاهُمْ,اللهُمَّ انْصُرْ إِخْوَانَنَا الْمُجَاهِدِيْنَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِكْ، والْمُضْطَهَدِيْنَ فِيْ دِيْنِهِمْ فِيْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ، اللهُمَّ انْصُرْ إخْوَانَنَا فِيْ فَلَسْطِيْن ، اللهُمَّ انْصُرْهُمْ عَلَى عَدُوِّكَ وَعَدُوِّهِمْ، اللهُمَّ اجْمَعْ كَلِمَتَهُمْ، وَوَحِّدْ صُفُوْفَهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ, رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنْ الْخَاسِرِينَ.


Maksudnya: “Ya Allah sesungguhnya kami memohon pertolongan dariMU dan kami beriman denganMu, dan kami bertawakkal kepada Mu, dan kami memuja Mu dengan kebaikan dan kami tidak mengkufuriMU, Ya Allah hanya engkau yang kami sembah dan kepada Mu kami menunaikan solat dan bersujud, kepadaMu kami menuju, dan kami menyegerakan langkah, kami mengharapkan rahmatMu dan kami takutkan azabMu, sesungguhnya azabMu sangat pedih akan dikenakan kepada orang-orang yang kafir, Ya Allah azablah orang-orag kafir Ahli kitab yang menghalang-halangi dari jalanMU.Ya Allah muliakanlah Islam dan kaum muslimin, dan hinakanlah kesyirikan dan kaum musyrik, Ya Allah hancurkan musuh-musuhMu yang merupakan musuh-musuh agama (Islam), Ya Allah binasakanlah kekufuran, toghout dan orang-orang yang zalim, Wahai tuhan sekelian alam.
Ya Allah kami serahkan leher-leher musuh kami (kepadaMu) dan kami berlindung denganMu daripada kejahatan-kejahatan mereka. Ya Allah cerai-beraikan himpunan mereka, pecah-belahkan kesatuan mereka, selerakkanlah kalimah mereka, dan goncangkan kedudukan mereka, Wahai tuhan yang maha gagah, wahai tuhan yang maha keras, wahai tuhan yang maha membalas, Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah,Ya Allah, wahai tuhan, yang menurunkan al-Kitab, wahai tuhan yang menjalankan awan, wahai tuhan yang mengalahkan tentera al-Ahzab, kalahkanlah mereka (orang-orang kuffar) dan bantulah kami menghadapi mereka.Ya Allah, selamatkanlah kaum muslimin di Palestin, Ya Allah selamatkanlah kaum muslimin di semua tempat, Ya Allah selamatkanlah kaum-kaum yang lemah dari kalangan orang-orang yang beriman, Ya Allah hancurkan Amerika dan sekutu-sekutunya, Ya Allah hancurkan Yahudi dan sekutu-sekutunya.Ya Allah bantulah saudara-saudara kami para pejuang di jalanMu, yang ditindas kerana agama yang mereka anuti di semua tempat.
Ya Allah bantulah saudara-saudara kami di Palestin, Ya Allah bantulah mereka, Ya Allah bantulah mereka berdepan dengan musuhMu dan musuh mereka, Ya Allah satukanlah kalimah mereka, dan saf-saf mereka, wahai tuhan sekelian alam, Wahai tuhan kami sesungguhnya kami telah menzalimi diri kami sendiri, jika Engkau tidak mengampunkan kami dan mengasihani kami, sudah pasti kami akan tergolong dari kalangan orang-orang yang rugi.”

Dari Abu Hurairah ra katanya "Demi Allah! Akan kuajarkan kepadamu cara solat Rasulullah saw. Maka Abu Hurairah qunut ketika solat zohor, isyak dan subuh. Mendoakan kebaikan bagi orang-orang mukmin dan mengutuk orang-orang kafir"(Hadis riwayat Muslim)

Sumber : http://abunajmi-asqalani.blogspot.com/

Jagailah Hubungan Insan yang kerdil dengan Allah Maha Pencipta

Berdoa dan Berwirid medekatkan Insan yang kerdil dengan Allah Maha Pencipta
BERDOA dan berwirid mendekatkan hubungan insan dengan Allah, sekali gus mengelakkan penulisan persenda Islam.

Penulis jahil sering salah guna blog, internet untuk persenda kemuliaan ajaran Islam.

LAUNGAN slogan kembali kepada Islam menimbulkan reaksi pelbagai lapisan masyarakat. Ada bersikap prejudis penuh kecurigaan dan menganggap sebagai seruan kembali kepada kemunduran, semua serba haram dan bayangan kerumitan dalam melaksanakan nilai ajarannya.

Wujud juga golongan mahu mengambil kesempatan terhadap Islam, mereka mengambil semangat Islam untuk kepentingan peribadi. Ada pula golongan yang Islamnya hanya kulit, mereka menggunakan Islam pada saat diperlukan untuk mendapat keuntungan duniawi.

Sementara inti ajaran Islam yang mengatur seluruh dimensi kehidupan dicampak bagai sampah tidak terpakai. Lalu, bagaimanakah sikap seorang Muslim ketika menyahut seruan ini?

Sudahkah dikaji keaslian Islamnya bersih daripada penyelewengan akibat percampuran fahaman buatan manusia seperti kapitalisme, sosialisme, nasionalisme, liberalisme, hedonisme dan pelbagai isme lainnya.

Apakah Islam yang dianuti itu bebas sama sekali daripada pengaruh transformasi budaya yang sudah membuka pintu dunia seluas-luasnya? Atau masih digigit dengan gigi geraham peninggalan nenek moyang tanpa usul periksa?

Untuk itu, sesiapa yang mahu hidup dalam pimpinan Islam yang benar hendaklah kembali kepada asal. Hanya pendedahan ilmu yang boleh menjawab semua persoalan itu kerana pusaka nabi yang tidak akan hilang ditelan zaman.

Pada masa teknologi maklumat yang semuanya serba hebat dan cepat seperti sekarang, muncullah Islam yang terpampang di blog ciptaan manusia. Ramai pula orang Islam yang mencari hidayah Allah dengan belayar di lautan siber tanpa sempadan.

Hakikatnya pemikiran dan fahaman dipaparkan dalam blog berkenaan perlu dikaji, diuji dan diperiksa kesahihannya, adakah benar ia tidak menyalahi al-Quran dan hadis Rasulullah SAW. Proses mencari ilmu tidak boleh terlepas daripada amalan membaca, berdialog bersama ulama dan melakukan perbandingan kajian secara bertanggungjawab.

Boleh jadi, ajaran sesat sudah menyusup masuk tanpa disedari melalui teknologi maklumat dengan begitu mudah. Sikap menerima dan mengikut secara membuta-tuli tanpa usul periksa dan mencari daripada sumber lain boleh memudaratkan seorang penuntut ilmu.

Mencari kebenaran Islam mestilah dipandu oleh ulama yang amanah dengan ilmunya. Jangan pula taksub kepada seseorang dan menolak pandangan ulama lain. Ada kala hujah dinyatakan dalam blog sebegini terlalu miskin ilmu umpama perbualan di kedai kopi dengan memperguna dalil al-Quran dan hadis yang disalah guna, lebih teruk lagi sikap hentam dan caci maki, fitnah dan kebencian mula menjadi aliran dihalalkan dalam blog yang kononnya berlandaskan Islam itu.

Islam yang begitukah boleh diharap membangkitkan jiwa umat supaya berjuang memartabatkan agama? Tidak nampak keindahan ketika membaca maklumat yang bertajuk Islam tetapi berisi sumpah seranah tidak bertamadun.

Rasulullah SAW bersabda bermaksud: “Setiap Muslim itu bersaudara, maka jangan kamu menganiaya dan menghina saudaramu. Takwa itu ada di sini (me-nunjuk dada tiga kali). Seseorang cukup dianggap jahat apabila ia menghina saudara muslimnya, setiap Muslim diharamkan darah, harta dan kehormatannya.” (Hadis riwayat Muslim)

Bukankah satu ayat yang ditulis itu akan menjadi saksi bagi penulis pada hari kiamat nanti, adakah dia berkata jujur atau menipu manusia atas nama Allah dan Rasul-Nya? Seperti sabda Baginda SAW bermaksud: “Sesungguhnya kebenaran itu menunjukkan jalan kebaikan dan kebaikan pula memimpin ke syurga. Sesungguhnya seseorang itu bersikap jujur (siddiq) sehingga ditulis di sisi Allah sebagai orang yang siddiq.

Sesungguhnya dusta itu menunjukkan kepada jalan kemaksiatan dan maksiat menunjukkan pada neraka. Sesungguhnya seseorang itu berbuat dusta hingga ditulis di sisi Allah sebagai pendusta.” (Hadis riwayat al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud dan al-Tirmizi)
Melalui tulisan, seorang penulis boleh membuka mata hati manusia dan menolongnya mencari cahaya Allah di atas jalan yang diredai. Tetapi tidak mustahil dia bertanggungjawab menjerumuskan manusia dengan tulisan ke lembah gelap, penuh kebencian dan membutakan hati.

Oleh itu, pencari Islam mesti mengikuti arahan al-Quran dalam mengumpulkan maklumat supaya mereka tidak tersesat dalam pencariannya. Firman Allah bermaksud; “Wahai orang beriman, jika datang kepadamu orang fasik membawa suatu berita, maka periksalah dengan teliti supaya kamu tidak menimpakan suatu musibah kepada suatu kaum tanpa mengetahui keadaan menyebabkan kamu menyesal atas perbuatanmu itu.” (Surah al-Hujurat, ayat 6)

Penulis mesti bersikap adil dalam memandang suatu isu. Sikap fanatik dengan pandangan sendiri biasanya terbentuk kerana mereka tidak berminat bermuzakarah dan berbincang dengan orang berlainan pendapat dengan mereka.

Tertutup pintu musyawarah dan usaha menganalisis kesahihan maklumat antara mereka. Keadaan mereka seperti diceritakan al-Quran bermaksud: “Iaitu orang memecah-belah agama mereka dan mereka menjadi beberapa golongan. Tiap-tiap golongan berasa bangga dengan apa yang ada pada golongan mereka.” (Surah al-Rum, ayat 32)

Apabila sikap fanatik itu mencapai puncaknya, kadang-kadang mereka berdusta atas nama Rasulullah SAW untuk menguatkan hujah mereka tanpa takut lagi atas ancaman neraka. Sabda Rasulullah SAW bermaksud: “Sesiapa yang berdusta ke atasku secara sengaja dia sudah menempah tempatnya dalam neraka.” (Hadis riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim)

Di manakah kedudukan ilmu jika hati mereka dipenuhi kebencian dan permusuhan. Keadaan sebegini bukan hanya ditemui di internet bahkan di masjid yang mengadakan majlis ilmu pun dijumpai sikap tak beradab yang semestinya dikawal oleh seorang penuntut ilmu.


Tidakkah mereka melihat keagungan Al-Imam Al-Syafi’ie yang mencari ilmu daripada pelbagai sumber dan manhaj. Beliau bersedia menerima pandangan guru mempunyai manhaj dan kaedah berlainan.


Beliau pernah berguru dengan Imam Malik, bahkan pernah dikatakan berguru pada guru berfahaman Muktazilah dalam menzahirkan ilmu kalam tetapi tidak pernah mengakui bahawa beliau termasuk daripada golongan Muktazilah. Sesungguhnya penyelewengan di atas jalan ilmu terjadi apabila matlamat akhir dalam mencari ilmu itu berada pada puncak kepuasan hawa nafsu.


Penulis dan pembaca blog yang bernafaskan Islam akan mendapatkan faedah dan ganjaran serta keluasan ilmu daripada aktiviti mereka jika mereka mengamalkan adab yang dituntut al-Quran dan hadis kepada seorang pencari hidayah antaranya:

* Meletakkan sumber utama bagi setiap pandangan berasaskan al-Quran dan hadis.
* Berbuat adil dan menghormati kewibawaan, ketokohan dan pandangan orang lain walaupun bertentangan dengan pendapat peribadi seperti seruan Al-Quran bermaksud: “Jangan sekali-kali kebencianmu terhadap sesuatu kaum, mendorong kamu untuk berlaku tidak adil. Berlaku adillah, kerana adil itu lebih dekat kepada takwa dan bertakwalah kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha mengetahui apa yang kamu kerjakan.” (Surah al-Maidah)

* Tidak terikat dengan taklid buta dan semangat asabiyah yang memandulkan kajian ilmiah.
* Ikhlaskan niat, bersihkan hati dan meletakkan matlamat mencari ilmu untuk mendekatkan diri kepada Allah, mengenal kelemahan diri dan memperbaiki hubungan sesama manusia.
* Sentiasa mengemaskini maklumat dan menganalisis semula maklumat dengan melakukan ujian dan pemeriksaan berterusan terhadapnya serta bersedia berubah pandangan jika menepati al-Quran dan al-Sunnah.


Penulis ialah pendakwah dari Sarawak dan boleh dihubungi melalui Juanda@msu.edu.my

This post was submitted by Ibnu Bhatutah.

Reposted on HikmahWP by Dr A.H. Awang Mois

Source: Brudirect.com

BBC's Impartiality or An Indirect Admission of Strong Support of Israeli Genocide in Gaza?

BBC refuses to air Gaza aid film

Posted: 24-01-2009 , 14:28 GMT

The BBC has defended a decision not to air a TV fund-raising appeal for Gaza Strip, saying it wanted to avoid compromising public confidence in its impartiality. It said a decision was taken with other broadcasters not to show the Disasters Emergency Committee crisis appeal on any network in the UK.

A corporation statement added there were also doubts about "the delivery of aid in a volatile situation". On its part, DEC said there was "clear evidence" the British public wanted to help.

In a statement, the BBC said: "The BBC decision was made because of question marks about the delivery of aid in a volatile situation and also to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC's impartiality in the context of an ongoing news story.

"However, the BBC will, of course, continue to report the humanitarian story in Gaza." Later on Saturday, a protest was held over the BBC's decision.

DEC is an umbrella organisation representing a number of aid agencies. Spokeswoman Shaista Aziz said it was confident in the abilities of DEC members and other parts of the organisation to respond and there was an "overwhelming humanitarian need". She added: "We regret the fact that the message we wanted to get across will not reach as many people as hoped."

ITV and Channel 4 are to air the charity appeal for Gaza. ITV said its move came after "the majority of broadcasters" reached a consensus. The BBC, ITV and Sky had previously agreed not to show the ad.

Before the new decision, a spokesman for ITV told the Times website: "The DEC did ask broadcasters if they could support the appeal. "We assessed the DEC's request carefully against agreed criteria and were unable to reach the consensus which is necessary for an appeal."

A cabinet minister urged broadcast of the Disasters Emergency Committee film to recognise "immense human suffering".

© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

Canada Staunch Supporter of Israel Against Gazan Palestinians

Arab leaders criticize Canada's support of Israel


Arab ambassadors urge Ottawa to be more balanced, take into account ‘realities on the ground’.


OTTAWA - Arab ambassadors have complained to Canada's top diplomat about his "unbalanced" Mideast policies, which they said Friday favor Israel and disregard the plight of Palestinians.

"We've encouraged Canada to take a more balanced position, which takes into account the realities on the ground and does not side with one party," said Amin Abou-Hassira, the Palestinian Authority's representative in Ottawa.

Canada's position now is "unbalanced," he said.

The 15 envoys, including Abou-Hassira, met with Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon earlier this week to ask him why his official statements "do not reflect reality and place blame for the war in Gaza entirely on Hamas's rocket-firing into Israel," he said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government, since its election in 2006, has been unabashedly pro-Israel.

Ottawa had echoed Israel’s propaganda, despite the facts on the ground.

"The Palestinian movement's home-made rockets, which are more cries of hardship in the face of occupation and a heartless blockade than weapons of war, killed 13 Israelis in eight years," the diplomats told Cannon.

More than 1,300 Palestinians –mainly civilians and a third of them children - dead and 5,000 wounded during Israel's 22-day Operation Cast Lead, while on the Israeli side three civilians and 10 soldiers died in combat and rocket strikes and dozens were wounded, according to Israeli official figures.

Canada, during Harper's administration, was the first to suspend aid to the Palestinian government after the election of Hamas in 2006.

Canada is also the only country to vote against a UN Human Rights Council resolution in Geneva to condemn Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Source: Middle East Online

To All The Faithful: A Letter From Gaza

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

My dear sisters and brothers I wanted to take this opportunity to send you a message from the sisters and brothers in Gaza. Please hear our situation and tell everyone that you know and don't know.

When the Zionists attacked us on 27th December 2008, they not only attacked Hamas, they not only attacked the Muslims of Gaza, they attacked Muslims everywhere. They attacked Islam in the hope that they will weaken it and ultimately destroy it and ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم.


And they will never stop here. They want the beloved Al Aqsa, they want the West Bank and believe me when I tell you that they want the whole of the Middle East.

But they will never succeed. They will never remove the light of Allah inshAllah.

Our situation is dire but our iman is strong Alhamdulillah, even though we have no water to speak of, and when we do, it is polluted and diseased. We have no money to buy mineral water. When we find the money those that sell it say that it is too dangerous for them to travel out to get new supplies. We have no gas, and have not had for the last four months. We cook the little food we have on real fires that we have learned to prepare.

Our men have lost all of their jobs. They spend their days at home now. My husband can spend a day just going from place to place just for the basic need of water. He usually returns empty handed. There are no schools, no banks from which we can withdraw our money. Few hospitals are open for our wounded. You are constantly aware that you risk your life when you go out and when you are indoors. They give us a curfew between 1-4pm. We can go out, they say, in safety to get your supplies, but that is a lie. They have often used that opportunity to add more shuhadaa to their list.

We eat one day rice and one day bread. Meat and milk are a luxury. They are using chemical warfare in the areas which are on the borders. They are killing us by bullets and tanks and B52s, but they are also killing us slowly by starving our children, inflicting indescribable diseases with their chemical warfare and laughing as our suffering becomes prolonged and unbearable.

All this and we are being told that people demonstrate all over the world. MashAllah the fact that you go to embassies and leave your homes makes us feel truly that we are not alone in our struggle.

But you go home at night and lock your door. We cannot do that. I have to leave my home on the second floor every night and stay with my sister on the ground floor. Should there be an attack, it's quicker to leave from the ground floor.

But the ummah is asking where are the Muslim armies? Where is the victory? And where is our true leader who will save us from this death? Where are the armies of Salahadeen Ayubi? Do not look to the UN, they recognised Israel in 1949 as a state and sealed our fate as it is today. Do not turn to America or Britain, did they not invade our ummah in Iraq and Afghanistan. Call the armies in Egypt, in Syria, in Turkey, in Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. In Bangladesh, in the Gulf, in Indonesia and in Libya where are they? Are they content to watch women scream for their help as they bury their young children? Are the screams of their sisters and brothers falling on deaf ears? We have a right to eat and drink in safety and security. We have a right to laugh and live in hope, do we not?

Yes we are tired. When we hear rockets and bombs and see planes that fly too close to our building, I scream with my young son and my husband feels helpless. The brothers will know what it must be like to feel helpless to protect the honour and lives of your family. It kills something of him inside. We often wonder when will they sell our land cheaply, will it take one thousand or two thousand deaths. We wait to see. The Israelis have started to plan where their settlements will be in Gaza. This is what we have become.

In all this there is no one but Allah سبحانه وتعالى that can save us. Don't forget us because you are all that we have now. Your sadaqaat is not reaching us, and when they open borders it only reaches a few who can do nothing with it because we risk our lives just to buy food. They will kill anyone, anyone even if he is a five year old child carrying food for his family. We want to live from the sweat of our men, not from the sweat of others because we are dying.

Keep up the work of Allah and pray and work for the victory that will come soon and rescue our ummah everywhere inshAllah.

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى make us steadfast in our deen, during struggle and during ease. Ya Allah bring us the victory soon and re-establish Islam as the authority by which we live, Ya Allah send us the sons of Salahudeen, the army of Islam to rescue Mohammed's صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ummah from the oppression under which we live. Ya Allah protect our children and remove the zionists from our land. Ya Allah witness today that we account our rulers, we pray that you return our true leader the Khaleefah soon. Ameen.



والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Your sister umm Taqi

Source and Courtesy: Khilafah.com

Obama calls for 'new way forward' with Muslim world

Obama calls for 'new way forward' with Muslim world


New US President says America’s dealing with Muslim world to be based on mutual interest, mutual respect.

WASHINGTON - New US President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to seek a "new way forward" with the Muslim world after eight rocky years under his predecessor George W. Bush.

In his speech upon taking office, Obama echoed campaign promises by saying the United States will "begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan."

The first black US president said "we reject the false choice between our safety and our ideals" of liberty and the rule of law, which critics worldwide say the Bush administration trampled on in its handling of the so called “war on terror”.

In a jab at the use of unilateral military force Bush used to invade Iraq in 2003, Obama said previous American generations had defeated fascism and communism with "sturdy alliances and enduring convictions" in addition to using brute military force.

These generations "knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint," Obama said.

"Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations," Obama declared.

"We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan," he said.

During his long presidential campaign, Obama vowed to mend alliances, in particular with Europe, whose support he seeks to help stabilize Afghanistan where a resurgent Taliban has emerged after its ouster by US forces in 2001.

"With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat," he said.

He was alluding to a new approach of engaging diplomatically with Iran to rein in its nuclear ambitions.

"And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you," he said.

He said the United States is a mix of people of different ethnic, language and religious groups from around the world who have tried to overcome tensions and hatred among such groups.

"We cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve," he said.

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect," he added.

Source: Middle East Online

Usaha Meringankan Beban Golongan Miskin di Brunei Darussalam

Khamis, 15 Januari 2009

Sekitar 16,000 fakir miskin sudah berdaftar

Oleh Nurul Hayatee Badaruddin

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Rabu - Seramai 16,000 fakir miskin termasuk tanggungan didaftarkan oleh Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei bagi menerima agihan zakat fakir miskin.

Pengagihan zakat kepada asnaf fakir miskin itu dibuat berdasarkan syarat yang diletakkan oleh Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei, kata sumber Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei kepada Media Permata dalam temu bual hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas kandungan titah Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam ketika mempengerusikan Persidangan Majlis Agama Islam Brunei semalam.

Dalam titah itu, Baginda Sultan bertitah mempersoalkan baki wang zakat yang berjumlah hampir $240 juta, sedangkan masih ada golongan miskin di negara ini.

Baginda Sultan juga bertitah menanyakan sama ada wang zakat boleh ditahan, ditangguhkan dan dilaburkan sedangkan masih ada orang miskin yang layak menerimanya.

Satu lagi soalan yang dititahkan oleh Baginda Sultan ialah sama ada baki wang zakat dari Brunei boleh dipindahkan dan diagihkan kepada fakir miskin di tempat lain, sedangkan masih ada orang miskin di Brunei yang layak menerimanya.

Sementara itu, sumber Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei memberitahu Media Permata mereka juga menggunakan wang zakat bagi membantu fakir miskin membayar hutang tertunggak seperti bayaran bil elektrik.

Mengenai agihan zakat kepada penanggung hutang Al-Gharimin, beliau berkata sepanjang tahun lalu saja, agihan zakat itu membabitkan pembinaan lima buah masjid.

Baginda Sultan bertitah jika bahagian Al-Gharimin itu turut ditimbangkan untuk membayar hutang tertunggak adalah tidak munasabah bagi penghutang yang berhutang kerana maslahat peribadi jika mereka layak untuk menerima wang zakat bahagian Al-Gharimin.

Dalam titah itu, Baginda Sultan menanyakan sama ada kedudukan penanggung hutang yang tidak dapat membayar hutang mereka seperti membeli rumah kerajaan melalui Skim Tanah Kurnia Rakyat Jati, Rancangan Perumahan Negara dan Skim Perumahan Yayasan pernah dikaji.

Selain itu jurucakap Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei juga menyatakan wang zakat berkenaan turut diagihkan kepada mualaf yang memeluk agama Islam di negara ini termasuk digunakan untuk perbelanjaan kursus bimbingan, sambutan Hari Raya, menunaikan fardu haji dan perumahan bagi mualaf berkenaan.

Majlis Agama Islam Brunei pada masa ini mengadakan mesyuarat khas bagi membincangkan titah Baginda Sultan itu.

Sumber: Media Permata Online

Posted by: Dr. A.H.Awang Mois

Middle East: Arab Traitors

Arab Traitors

Original Publication time: 29 September 2008, 21:06

Our Arab friends have to suffer many sad things, but perhaps the saddest of all is when their suffering is due to the cowardice and treachery of Arab rulers, whose only interest is in staying on their thrones or presidential armchairs. They are willing to force their weaker brethren to bow down before the military might of the clapped-out former super-power, the USA, and to permit the expansion of the Zionist colonisation of the Holy Land and subjection of adjoining lands to the Zionist 'state'.


It is particularly galling when these traitors are lauded by the Angle-Saxon media as being "moderate", when we all know that they are among the most repressive régimes in the world. Certain Arab rulers stand out by their refusal to betray those who have every right to expect their help, and we can see the moves made by the presidents of Syria and the Lebanon, despite severe interference by the rulers of the USA, and even by the Emir of Qatar, in contrast with too many other rulers.


The present rulers of the USA continue to pretend that there was a link between the late Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti and al-Qaeda, when they know that this movement was set up, as were the Taliban, by the Mossad/CIA to cause as much damage as possible to the former Soviet empire, without any thought for the future effects on the whole world. The Mossad/CIA, the worst and most powerful terrorist organisation in the world, has as its main aim the total destabilisation of the Arab world. The ordinary taxpayer in the USA is thereby funding those whose aims are certainly not to help said taxpayer.


If the present rulers of the USA really wished to fight terrorism, they would put an immediate end to the Mossad/CIA, and remove the obvious excuses for others to indulge the same bloodthirsty whims by copying this organisation. This is, of course, highly unlikely, since these rulers, like the treacherous Arab rulers, only hold on to power by the use of such means. With such "friends" as the Zionists and their puppets in the USA, these rulers feel safe behind their bodyguards and barriers. But we have to hope that all their respective reigns may end as speedily as possible.

Robert Thompson

Source: Axis of Logic

Downloaded from Kavkaz Center

Posted by Dr. A.H. Awang Mois

We have told our readers Attitude of Arab and Muslim Leaders Pathetic: Even Qatari Emir disappointed over lack of quorum for emergency Arab summit ...

[ 15/01/2009 - 11:14 AM ]

DOHA, (PIC)-- The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, has expressed disappointment at the lack of quorum to hold the emergency Arab summit which he called for to discuss the Israeli occupation forces' devastating aggression on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for three weeks.

In a speech he delivered Wednesday night to the Arab World, he said that whenever quorum is almost secured it fails to anew.

He said it was a shame to reduce discussion of the IOF aggression to a consultative meeting at the sidelines of a previously prepared summit. He asserted that his call for the extraordinary summit was still on and the decision was left to the Arab leaders.

Sheikh Hamad said that when he delivered his first speech in which he called for holding the summit the number of Palestinian martyrs was 500 and 2400 wounded but now the number has risen to 1033 martyrs and the wounded to 4560.

The Emir said that the summit could have taken important steps such as suspending the Arab peace initiative and ending all forms of normalization with Israel including re-considering diplomatic relations. He added that the summit could also call for an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of troops, opening crossings and lifting all forms of the illegitimate siege.

He announced the establishment of a fund for the re-construction of the Gaza Strip, declaring that his country would donate 250 million dollars to this fund. He also called for organizing a sea route through which all Arab countries would supply Gaza with its needs.

Israel must be brought to account for its war crimes and crimes against humanity before international courts, Sheikh Hamad underlined in conclusion.

Source: PIC

Bolivia Negara Kristian Latin Amerika Yang Kedua Tegas Memutuskan Hubungan Diplomatik Dengan Negara Yahud Israel

Bolivia breaks Israel ties, claims Gaza 'genocide'
18 hours ago

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — President Evo Morales announced Wednesday he was breaking relations with Israel over its invasion of the Gaza Strip and said he will ask the International Criminal Court to bring genocide charges against top Israeli officials.

Morales' ally Hugo Chavez of Venezuela broke ties with Israel last week.

Morales told the country's diplomatic corps that the Israeli attack "seriously threatened world peace" and he called for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Cabinet to face criminal charges.

Morales chided the United Nations' "Insecurity Council" for its "lukewarm" response to the crisis and said the U.N. General Assembly should condemn the invasion.

He also said Israeli President Shimon Peres should be stripped of his Nobel Peace Prize for failing to stop the invasion.

Israel launched the onslaught in Gaza on Dec. 27, seeking to force the ruling Hamas militant group to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel. The offensive has killed more than 940 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, according to Palestinian officials.

Morales and Chavez have worked to cultivate ties to Iran, which supports Hamas. Morales met Tuesday with visiting Iranian officials, who gave him a letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad thanking Morales for his previously voicing supporting for the Palestinians.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Risalah Usrah 1 – Konsep-konsep Umum Islam oleh Abu’ Urwah.

(Sambungan 1.1 Muqaddimah)

Pengertian kepada keimanan atau aqidah itu tersusun daripada enam perkara:

• Keimanan kepada Allah,
• Keimanan kepada yang ghaib,
• Keimanan dengan kitab-kitab,
• Keimanan kepada nabi-nabi dan rasul-rasul,
• Keimanan kepada hari Akhirat,
• Keimanan kepada qada’ dan qadar atau taqdir.

Asas aqidah Islamiyyah adalah tauhid kepada Allah. Tauhid dalam Islam adalah inti bagi Islam itu sendiri. Al-Quran keseluruhannya berbicara tentang tauhid, baik dalam ayat-ayat yang mengandungi cerita, berita tentang adanya Allah serta sifat-sifat Nya dan juga dalam ayat-ayat yang menerangkan makhluk dan perbuatannya.

Bersumber daripada tauhid ini lahirlah cabang-cabangnya yang berupa peraturan-peraturan yang mengatur hubungan sesama manusia dan manusia dengan Tuhannya. Dalam semua bentuk peraturan ini, tujuan utamanya adalah untuk memperkuatkan serta menanam tauhid terhadap Allah ke dalam hati setiap orang yang beriman.

Petikan daripada Risalah Usrah 1, Konsep-konsep Umum Islam oleh Abu' Urwah.

Keprihatinan Indonesia Dalam Isu Palestina: HAMAS ucapkan Salam dan Terima Kasih Kerana Bantuan Islam Indonesia

JAKARTA-Para pejuang Haroqah Al Muqowammah Al Islamiyah ( Hamas ) di Palestina menitipkan salam untuk masyarakat Indonesia. Solidaritas dan sumbangan dana kemanusiaan sudah diterima dan siap digunakan.

Salam itu dititipkan pada Ketua MPR Hidayat Nur Wahid yang baru saja pulang dari Timur Tengah. Hidayat berangkat dalam kapasitasnya selaku anggota organisasi Al Quds International yang dipimpin oleh Dr Yusuf Qardhawi.

"Saya sudah bertemu pemimpin-pemimpin mereka di Damaskus, Syria dan Amman, Jordania.Mereka mengucapkan salam dan terima kasih untuk bangsa Indonesia," ujar Hidayat saat berorasi di Tugu Monas, Jakarta kemarin. Ribuan massa PKS menyambutnya dengan teriakan takbir.

Menurut Hidayat, dirinya berkunjung ke sejumlah negara Arab untuk mencari jalan perdamaian. Hidayat berangkat sejak Kamis 1 Januari dan pulang Kamis 8 Januari.. Dia sempat bertemu Amir Qatar Syeikh Hamd Khalifah Ali Tsani , Raja Arab Saudi King Abdullah, Presiden Syria Bashar Assad, Raja Abdullah ke II Yordania (Selasa), dan Presiden Turki Abdullah Gul.

Hidayat juga bertemu dengan pimpinan empat kelompok Palestina, Faksi Hamas, Faksi Jihad, Faksi Nasional dan Kemasyarakatan, dan Faksi Fatah. Ketika di Jordania delegasi mengunjungi korban agresi Israel di Rumah Sakit Elia.

"Para pejuang Palestina bersyukur saudaranya di Indonesia ikhlas membantu dengan apapun yang bisa dilakukan," kata Hidayat yang kemarin berkoko lengan pendek warna putih. Selain Hidayat dan tokoh-tokoh PKS, demo juga dihadiri perwakilan umat Budha, perwakilan PGI, dan beberapa organisasi masyarakat.

Menurut Hidayat, PBB sudah tak bisa lagi diharapkan. "Resolusi saja diingkari oleh Israel, mereka tak bisa berbuat apa-apa. Jadi, sebaiknya memang perlu ada badan baru," kata mantan Presiden PKS itu. Hidayat juga akan menemui SBY agar segera melakukan langkah lebih nyata. "Saya akan bicara dengan bapak Presiden karena Indonesia punya peran yang sangat strategis di dunia Arab maupun di badan-badan internasional," katanya.

Demo yang berakhir tengah hari itu juga diikuti anak-anak. Bahkan, putra Hidayat Hubaib, juga ikut berorasi di atas panggung. Massa PKS tidak membawa bendera partainya. Hanya bendera merah putih dan bendera Palestina.

Aksi ditutup dengan happening art berjudul Menembus Camp Israel. Hidayat dan Adang berlari membawa bendera Palestina dan menerobos semacam papan tipis bergambar bendera Israel. Massa juga membakar bendera Israel lalu berdoa bersama.(rdl)

Sumber: Fajar online, (berita nasional)

Di Sulawesi Usaha Membantu Rakyat Palestina Diteruskan:Wahdah Islamiyah Bantu Palestina Rp 5,68 Juta

Minggu, 11-01-09 13:33 111

PALOPO -- Wahdah Islamiyah (WI) Palopo terus menggalang bantuan dana untuk Palestina. Hingga hari tiga sejak Kamis, 8 Januari, WI Palopo telah berhasil mengumpulkan dana sebesar Rp 5.680.000.

Jumlah tersebut belum termasuk dengan bantuan yang kembali diperoleh Minggu, 11 Januari. Kemarin, WI menggelar Tablik Akbar dan Sejuta Doa Palestina di Masjid Agung Palopo, sambil mengedarkan kotak amal untuk Palestina. Peserta yang ikut di antaranya Walikota HPA Tenriadjeng dan Wakil Walikota Rahmat Masri Bandaso.

Walikota secara tegas mengatakan, Pemkot Palopo mengecam dan mengutuk agresi militer yang dilancarkan Israel ke Palestina, khususnya di Jalur Gaza. Tenriadjeng menilai, tindakan Israel yang telah menghilangkan ratusan jiwa warga Palestina tidak berperikemanusian. (ram)

Sumber: Fajar online

Why Muslims Have Failed

Education! The figures speak for themselves very loudly.

Extracts of a speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed,
Director-General, Al-Baraka Bank, SouthAfrica.

Demographics:

World Jewish Population.

7m in America
5m in Asia
2m in Europe
100 thousand in Africa

World Muslim Population:

1,500 million
I, 000 million in Asia/Mid-East
400 M in Africa
44 M in Europe

6 M in the Americas

o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.

20%
o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims
1 : 2
o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims
1 : 2
o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims
1 : 107

Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1,500 million Muslims Why? Here are some of the reasons.

Movers of Current History
O Albert Einstein
Jewish
O Sigmund Freud
Jewish
O Karl Marx
Jewish
O Paul Samuelson
Jewish
O Milton Friedman
Jewish Medical Milestones
O Vaccinating Needle
Benjamin Ruben
Jewish
O Polio Vaccine
Jonas Salk
Jewish
O Leukaemia Drug
Gertrude Elion
Jewish
O Hepatitis B
Baruch Blumberg
Jewish
O Syphilis Drug
Paul Ehrlich
Jewish
O Neuro muscular
Elie Metchnikoff
Jewish
O Endocrinology
Andrew Schally
Jewish
O Cognitive therapy
Aaron Beck
Jewish
O Contraceptive Pill
Gregory Pincus
Jewish
O Understanding of Human Eye
G. Wald
Jewish
O Embryology.
Stanley Cohen
Jewish
O Kidney Dialysis
Willem Kloffcame
Jewish Nobel Prize Winners In the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 180 Nobel prizes whilst 1.5 billion Muslims have contributed only 3 Nobel winners (all Egyptians) Inventions that changed History
O Micro- Processing Chip.
Stanley Mezor
Jewish
O Nuclear Chain Reactor
Leo Sziland
Jewish
O Optical Fibre Cable
Peter Schultz
Jewish
O Traffic Lights
Charles Adler
Jewish
O Stainless Steel
Benno Strauss
Jewish
O Sound Movies
Isador Kisee
Jewish
O Telephone Microphone
Emile Berliner
Jewish
O Video Tape Recorder
Charles Ginsburg
Jewish Influential Global Business
O Polo
Ralph Lauren
Jewish
O Coca Cola

Jewish
O Levi's Jeans
Levi Strauss
Jewish
O Sawbuck's
Howard Schultz
Jewish
O Google
Sergey Brin
Jewish
O Dell Computers
Michael Dell
Jewish
O Oracle
Larry Ellison
Jewish
O DKNY
Donna Karan
Jewish
O Baskin & Robbins
Irv Robbins
Jewish
O Dunkin Donuts
Bill Rosenberg
Jewish Influential Intellectuals/ Politicians
O Henry Kissinger
US Sec of State
Jewish
O Richard Levin
President Yale University
Jewish
O Alan Greenspan
US Federal Reserve
Jewish
O Joseph Lieberman

Jewish
O Madeleine Albright
US Sec of State
Jewish
O CasperWeinberger
US Sec of Defence
Jewish
O Maxim Litvinov
USSR Foreign Minister
Jewish
O David Marshal
Singapore Chief Minister
Jewish
O Isaacs Isaacs
Gov-Gen Australia
Jewish
O Benjamin Disraeli
British Statesman
Jewish
O Yevgeny Primakov
Russian PM
Jewish
O Barry Goldwater
US Politician
Jewish
O Jorge Sampaio
President Portugal
Jewish
O Herb Gray
Canadian Deputy - PM
Jewish
O Pierre Mendes
French PM
Jewish
O Michael Howard
British Home Sec.
Jewish
O Bruno Kriesky
Austrian Chancellor
Jewish
O Robert Rubin
US Sec of Treasury
Jewish Global Media Influential
O Wolf Blitzer
CNN
Jewish
O Barbara Walters
ABC News
Jewish
O Eugene Meyer
Washington Post
Jewish
O Henry Grunwald
Time Magazine
Jewish
O Katherine Graham
Washington Post
Jewish
O Joseph Lelyeld
New York Times
Jewish
O Max Frankel
New York Times
Jewish Global Philanthropists
O George Soros
Jewish
O Walter Annenberg
Jewish

Why are they powerful? So why are Muslims powerless? Here's another reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge. o In the entire Muslim World (57 Muslim Countries) there are only 500 universities. o In USA alone, 5,758 universities o In India alone, 8,407 universities o Not one university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World o Literacy in the Christian World 90% o Literacy in the Muslim World 40% o 15 Christian majority-countries, literacy rate 100% o Muslim majority - countries , None o 98% in Christian countries completed primary o Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary. o 40% in Christian countries attended university o In Muslim countries a dismal 2% attended. o Muslim majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims o The USA has 5000 per million o The Christian world 1000 technicians per million. o Entire Arab World only 50 technicians per million. o Muslim World spends on research/developmen t 0.2% of GDP o Christian World spends 5 % of GDP Conclusion. The Muslim World lacks the capacity to produce knowledge. Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge. o Pakistan 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens o Singapore 460 per 1000 citizens. o In UK book titles per million is 2000 o In Egypt book titles per million is only 17 Conclusion. o Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge Applying Knowledge is another such test. o Exports of high-tech products from Pakistan is 0.9% of its [gross] exports. In Saudi Arabia is 0.2% o Kuwait , Morocco and Algeria 0.3% o Singapore alone is 68% Conclusion. Muslim World is failing to apply knowledge. What do you conclude? no need to tell …… the figures speak for themselves very loudly. [We have not listened to Allah's commandments in the first ayah revealed to the Holy PBUH ]

My Advice: Please educate yourself and your children. Always promote education, don't compromise on it, don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education (and please, for God's Sake, don't use your personal contacts or sources to promote your children in their education; if they fail, let them and make them learn to pass; b/c if they can't do it now, they can't ever). We are World's biggest and strongest nation, all we need is to identify and explore our ownselves. Our victory is with our knowledge, our creativity, our literacy....And nothing else. Please Muslims all over the world....Wake up... Its not too late....

Posted by: Riziandy b. Nawawi

Ed. Due to the haphazard nature of the original posting the posting is only slightly edited. The Blog's main intention is to show how much Muslims have neglected the teachings of the religion itself and why as a result we have lagged behind some other communities.

Risalah Usrah 1 - Konsep-konsep Umum Islam

1. Aqidah Tauhid

1.1 Muqaddimah

Islam adalah Ad-Din yang telah diwahyukan Allah kepada Rasulullah s.a.w. Ia adalah Ad-Din yang berintikan iman dan amal. Iman itu merupakan aqidah atau pokok dan di atasnya berdiri syariat Islam. Dari pokok itu keluarlah cabang-cabangnya.

Firman Allah;

"Tidakkah kamu perhatikan bagaimana Allah telah membuat perumpamaan kalimah yang baik seperti pohon yang baik, akarnya teguh dan cabangnya (menjulang) ke langit, pohon itu memberi buahnya pada setiap musim dengan izin Tuhannya. Allah membuat perumpamaan-perumpamaan itu untuk manusia supaya mereka selalu ingat."

(Ibrahim: 24-25)


Iman dan amal ataupun dengan kata lain, aqidah dan syariat, tidak dapat dipisahkan antara satu sama lain. Keduanya adalah umpama buah dengan pohonnya atau sebagai natijah dengan muqaddimahnya.

Petikan daripada Risalah Usrah 1, Konsep-konsep Umum Islam oleh Abu 'Urwah.

This Brutality Will Never Break our Will to be Free

For six months we in Hamas observed the ceasefire. Israel broke it repeatedly from the start

FOR 18 months my people in Gaza have been under siege, incarcerated inside the world's biggest prison, sealed off from land, air and sea, caged and starved, denied even medication for our sick. After the slow death policy came the bombardment. In this most densely populated of places, nothing has been spared Israel's warplanes, from government buildings to homes, mosques, hospitals, schools and markets. More than 540 have been killed and thousands permanently maimed. A third are women and children. Whole families have been massacred, some while they slept.

This river of blood is being shed under lies and false pretexts. For six months we in Hamas observed the ceasefire. Israel broke it repeatedly from the start. Israel was required to open crossings to Gaza, and extend the truce to the West Bank. It proceeded to tighten its deadly siege of Gaza, repeatedly cutting electricity and water supplies. The collective punishment did not halt, but accelerated - as did the assassinations and killings. Thirty Gazans were killed by Israeli fire and hundreds of patients died as a direct effect of the siege during the so-called ceasefire. Israel enjoyed a period of calm. Our people did not.

When this broken truce neared its end, we expressed our readiness for a new comprehensive truce in return for lifting the blockade and opening all Gaza border crossings, including Rafah. Our calls fell on deaf ears. Yet still we would be willing to begin a new truce on these terms following the complete withdrawal of the invading forces from Gaza.

No rockets have ever been fired from the West Bank. But 50 died and hundreds more were injured there last year at Israel's hands, while its expansionism proceeded relentlessly. We are meant to be content with shrinking scraps of territory, a handful of cantons at Israel's mercy, enclosed by it from all sides. The truth is that Israel seeks a one-sided ceasefire, observed by my people alone, in return for siege, starvation, bombardment, assassinations, incursions and colonial settlement. What Israel wants is a gratuitous ceasefire.

The logic of those who demand that we stop our resistance is absurd. They absolve the aggressor and occupier - armed with the deadliest weapons of death and destruction - of responsibility, while blaming the victim, prisoner and occupied. Our modest, home-made rockets are our cry of protest to the world. Israel and its American and European sponsors want us to be killed in silence. But die in silence we will not.

What is being visited on Gaza today was visited on Yasser Arafat before. When he refused to bow to Israel's dictates, he was imprisoned in his Ramallah headquarters, surrounded by tanks for two years. When this failed to break his resolve, he was murdered by poisoning.

Gaza enters 2009 just as it did 2008: under Israeli fire. Between January and February of last year 140 Gazans died in air strikes. And just before it embarked on its failed military assault on Lebanon in July 2006, Israel rained thousands of shells on Gaza, killing 240. From Deir Yassin in 1948 to Gaza today, the list of Israel's crimes is long. The justifications change, but the reality is the same: colonial occupation, oppression, and never-ending injustice. If this is the "free world" whose "values" Israel is defending, as its foreign minister Tzipi Livni alleges, then we want nothing to do with it.

Israel's leaders remain in the grip of confusion, unable to set clear goals for the attacks - from ousting the legitimately elected Hamas government and destroying its infrastructure, to stopping the rockets. As they fail to break Gaza's resistance the benchmark has been lowered. Now they speak of weakening Hamas and limiting the resistance. But they will achieve neither. Gaza's people are more united than ever, determined not to be terrorised into submission. Our fighters, armed with the justice of their cause, have already caused many casualties among the occupation army and will fight on to defend their land and people. Nothing can defeat our will to be free.

Once again, Washington and Europe have opted to aid and abet the jailer, occupier and aggressor, and to condemn its victims. We hoped Barack Obama would break with George Bush's disastrous legacy but his start is not encouraging. While he swiftly moved to denounce the Mumbai attacks, he remains tongue-tied after 10 days of slaughter in Gaza. But my people are not alone. Millions of freedom-loving men and women stand by its struggle for justice and liberation - witness the daily protests against Israeli aggression, not only in the Arab and Islamic region, but worldwide.

Israel will no doubt wreak untold destruction, death and suffering in Gaza. But it will meet the same fate in Gaza as it did in Lebanon. We will not be broken by siege and bombardment, and will never surrender to occupation. (Guardian)

• Khalid Mish'al is the head of the Hamas political bureau

Source: Daily Muslims

Mesir Sebahagian Axis of Evil Amerika & Israel: Dr. Yousef Al-Qaradawi dan Para Ulama Islam Tidak Dibenar Masuk

DOHA, (PIC)-- Dr. Yousef Al-Qaradawi, the head of the world federation of Muslim scholars, on Wednesday said that Egypt refused to receive a delegation from the federation in order to meet with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and said that the conditions are not appropriate for such a visit.


In a press conference held in Doha, Dr. Qaradawi stated that the delegation urged the leaders of the visited countries (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Turkey) to mediate with the Egyptian regime and pressure it to open the Rafah crossing and allow the passage of humanitarian aid to the Gaza people.


The noted Muslim scholar affirmed that the delegation highlighted during its visits to Arab countries that the Palestinian resistance in Palestine must continue and receive all support, and stressed the need to confront the Israeli attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause.


He also pointed that most of the leaders positively responded to the delegation's demands and some of them expressed willingness to hold the Arab summit.



Source: PIC

Pictures of Palestinian Children Killed and Wounded by American-Funded Israeli Terrorism and Genocide in GAZA

Sources: Muslim Websites

The Security Council is Now Under American-Israeli Seige: Muslims and Palestinians No Longer Secure

UN general assembly slams security council's failure to take action about Gaza
[ 07/01/2009 - 04:14 PM ]

NEW YORK, (PIC)-- Miguel Brockmann, the head of the UN general assembly, strongly denounced the security council's failure to take action to stop the Israeli wanton aggression on the Gaza Strip, pointing out that some council members are trying to protect their political interests.

"Do they not think that the illegitimate occupation of the Palestinian lands and the treatment they are daily exposed to is deemed as an act of aggression?" Brockmann said in reference to the members of the security council.

In a news conference held in New York, Miguel held the security council members responsible for the deterioration of the UN image because of their inability to take action, highlighting that the security council urgently needs deep reform.

In his response to a question about the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli targets, the UN official confirmed that the Palestinians have the right to defend themselves, adding that the responsibility for this entire situation is due to the security council's resolutions which were not fulfilled.

The UN official also noted that the US protection of Israel did not enable the UN to force Israel to comply with the international resolutions.
In another related context, Turkish premier Recep Erdogan strongly denounced Israel for committing massacres in Gaza, affirming that the Israeli aggression on Gaza is aimed to achieve electoral gains.

In a speech in the presence of his party's justice and development parliamentary bloc members, Erdogan held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the tension in the region.
The Turkish premier underlined that the Israeli massacres against the Palestinians cause hard-to-heal wounds in the conscience of humanity.

John Ging, the director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, said that three Israeli artillery shells fired on its school in the Jabaliya refugee camp killed more than 30 people and injured 55 others, pointing out that all the victims were families who took refuge at the school.

Ging underscored that all UN schools in Gaza are easy to recognize and clearly marked with UN flags, adding that the locations of the UN buildings had been already reported to the Israel.

Posted by Dr.A.H.Awang Mois

Courtesy: PIC

This May Not Be Israel's Good Middle-East Outing

January 7, 2009

Abu Jundal stands on a Gaza City street, unarmed and wearing civilian clothes. Only his black, multi-pocketed tabard and his beard give a hint of who he really is: a Hamas platoon commander having a day off in the middle of the war with Israel.

“We work in shifts, one day on, one day off, so we do not get exhausted,” he said, adding that his shifts run from 10pm until 5am every other night. His was one of three platoons operating in this sector of the northern Gaza Strip.

Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defence Minister, has promised “all-out war” against the Islamist movement, but Abu Jundal, 29, said that Hamas had so far thrown only a fraction of its 15,000-strong guerrilla force into the fray. At the current rate of attrition, he said, it could carry on the battle for another three months.

“We are only working at 10 per cent of our capacity. There is always somebody backing us up, held in reserve. There are different lines of defence,” he said, looking strained from days of fighting. Despite serving on the shifting front lines, Hamas fighters still have to provide for their families in their time off, as Gaza runs out of basic supplies of food and fuel.

He said that his unit had not yet seen close-quarters combat, having used only rocket grenades, landmines and mortars to try to halt the onslaught, in which Israeli officials claim have killed 130 Hamas fighters. “The Israelis are not coming on foot, they are mostly in tanks and using helicopters and drones,” he said.

To combat the superiority of Israel's US-funded war machine, Hamas has prepared a number of what the platoon leader called “surprises”. He refused to elaborate, but said that the key priority for him and his comrades was to kidnap Israeli soldiers in an attempt to use them as bargaining chips. Hamas already holds one Israeli corporal seized in a tunnel raid under the border in 2006.

“Our main aim is to capture as many Israeli soldiers as we can,” he said. “We'll do whatever we can to achieve this and to destroy the myth of the invincible Israeli army.”

Israeli security sources have described finding elaborate tunnel complexes running from houses and mosques, allowing Hamas to outflank Israeli forces, emerge with anti-tank rockets and to try to snatch soldiers who have strayed too far from their units.

Israeli media reported a capture attempt on the first day of the ground offensive, when a soldier from the Golani Brigade climbed into a tunnel that his unit had found underneath a house.
He ran into waiting Hamas fighters and fought a gunfight in which he was wounded as the guerrillas tried to capture him. The Israeli managed to flee back to his comrades, who blew up the tunnel.


“Until now, we have not faced any enemy worthy of our respect. Any army that concentrates on killing civilians does not deserve our respect,” said Abu Jundal, whose comrades have been firing crude but occasionally deadly rockets at Israeli towns for years. “They will pay a high price for their crimes,” he said, adding that morale was high among his men.


The overall commander of Hamas's armed wing said yesterday that close combat had occurred in some sectors of the front, which now snakes around the outskirts of Gaza City and down to Khan Younis, a large city in the south.


Abu Obeida, head of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that his fighters had ambushed a unit of undercover Israeli soldiers trying to infiltrate deep into the strip, hitting them with mortar shells and a buried landmine weighing 100lb.


He said that another Israeli unit had entered a house with Hamas fighters inside, one of whom had blown himself up with a suicide bomb.


“We have hundreds of suicide bombers waiting for the Israelis, whose options are limited to either be killed, wounded or captured,” he said in a telephone interview with al-Jazeera, the Arabic television news channel.

Source: Times Online

Posted by Dr A.H. Awang Mois

Only Turkey's Erdogan Dares to Rap Israel For Its Gazan Holocaust?

Erdogan Raps Israel's Gaza Savagery

IslamOnline.net & News Agencies

There is an atrocity in our region, and we cannot support those who are responsible for it," said Erdogan. (Reuters)

ANKARA — With more bloodshed spelt in the devastated Gaza Strip, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan rapped Israel on Tuesday, January 6, insisting its slaughter of armless civilians, including children, is unjustifiable.

"Any reason cannot justify the fact that 550 people were killed and more than two thousand others were injured in the strikes," Erdogan told the parliament, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"What reason can justify such savagery?"

More than 40 Palestinians were killed Tuesday in an Israeli strike on a UN-run school in the northern town of Jabaliya where civilians had taken shelter.

Earlier in the day, two people were killed when an artillery shell slammed into another UN-run school in the southern town of Khan Yunis and three in a raid on a school in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

One strike killed 13 -- including seven children -- from the same family in Gaza City.

The latest fatalities, which included 13 members of the same family, took the Palestinian death toll in 11 days of Israeli attacks to over 600.

"They should have been aware of the fact that lives of children, women and the elderly are so sacred," said Erdogan, who shuttled Arab countries to broker a truce conducive the end of Israeli onslaught.

"We are trying to do our utmost in search for a ceasefire in the region. There is an atrocity in our region, and we cannot support those who are responsible for it."

Israel has spurned all international calls, including an initiative by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for an immediate ceasefire.

Millions of Turks have taken to the streets in recent days to condemn the Israeli onslaught.
A basketball game between a Turkish and an Israeli team was suspended on Tuesday after hundreds of Turkish fans began chanting "Israel, killers!"

Political War

Erdogan, whose country has good ties with Tel Aviv, accused Israeli leaders of waging an all-out war against the coastal enclave of 1.6 million people for political gains.

"I am telling Ehud Barak and (Tzipi) Livni to forget about the elections, because history will judge them for the black stain they are leaving on humanity," he said, refereeing for the Israeli defence and foreign ministers.

Many observers believe the Gaza offensive may make or break Barak’s political future, and that of his Labor Party.

Success probably wouldn’t be enough to propel Barak to the premiership but would strengthen his position within the ruling coalition and help restore Labor’s flagging political fortunes.

"It is unforgivable that the people who suffered profound pains in their history, could do such a thing," said Erdogan.

"In fact, they should have displayed more respect to human life than anyone else in the world."

The Turkish premier noted that hundreds of Jews have protested against the Israeli aggression.

"As a matter of fact, Jewish people living in different parts of the world also express their concerns about the developments."

On Tuesday, more than 100 Australian Jews, including a former environment minister, two novelists and a politician, denounced Israel's invasion of Gaza.

"We are Australian Jews who join thousands in Israel and around the world condemning ongoing Israeli military attacks on Gaza," they said in a joint statement.

"Together with Israeli peace group Gush Shalom, we condemn the current war as 'inhuman, superfluous' and 'abominable.'"

Source: IslamOnline.net & News Agencies

Posted by Dr. A.H. Awang Mois

One of the 44 Ways of Supporting Jihad

44 Ways of Supporting Jihad
05-01-2009
By Anwar al Awlaki

No (13) Fighting the lies of the Western Media

The perceptions of many Muslims are formed by the Western media. Allah says: “O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one (fasiq) with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful” (49:6) So what about when the news is coming from a kafir rather than a fasiq?!

The danger of the Western media stems from the fact that it puts on the cloak of truth and objectivity when in reality it is no more than the mouth piece of the devil. Can’t you see that the Western media is constantly trying to underplay the atrocities committed by the West while exaggerating the violations – which are few and far in between - committed by Muslims? Can’t you see how the Western media succeeded in presenting the awlyaa’ (friends) of Allah, the ones who are fighting in His cause, as the followers of evil, while it presents the Pharaoh of this day and his armies as the army of good? The Western media is so good in its deception that its lies pass on a wide section of the Muslim ummah. The fact is that this media demonizes the Mujahideen, spreads lies about them, blows out of proportion their mistakes, tries to sow the seeds of disunity amongst them, attempts to ruin the reputations of their leaders, and ignores or demonizes the scholars of truth when on the other hand, it glorifies and promotes the scholars of falsehood.

So my dear brothers and sisters part of your duty is to campaign amongst Muslims to raise their awareness regarding this issue. You should encourage them to be careful and critical of the Western media. A Muslim should not believe Western sources unless they are confirmed by a trustworthy Muslim one. I say a “trustworthy” Muslim source because the verse was warning us from accepting the news of a disobeying Muslim. Now that is not to say that we should not believe the media in anything it says even in its weather forecasts! No, what we are saying is that you should not believe what they say about Islam and Muslims. A media source that could otherwise be very objective and truthful could become a fabricator when it comes to covering news on Muslims. That is how the disbelievers dealt with Muslims since the dawn of history…and there is no reason for us to believe why that would change.

Source: TheUnjustMedia.Com

Analysis: How HAMAS Wins by Losing

By Bobby Ghosh Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2009

Watching the TV coverage of Israel's ground offensive on Gaza over the weekend, I could have sworn that I heard the ghost of Abdel Azzis Rantissi laughing. (See pictures of Israel's sweep into Gaza.)

Rantissi was Hamas' political leader in Gaza when we met, in a dark safehouse, in April 2002. The second Palestinian intifada was at its height. The previous week, Israeli troops had bulldozed into the refugee camp in Jenin, in the West Bank, smashing the terror infrastructure of another militant group, Islamic Jihad, but also killing civilians. Israeli forces were also easily beating Hamas forces in Gaza; in Ramallah, Yasser Arafat was practically under house arrest as Israeli snipers took up position around the seat of Palestinian government.

I put it to Rantissi that Palestinian militancy was failing, that groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad were only playing into Israel's hands. In any confrontation that involved guns and tanks, I said, Israel would win. Rantissi gave me a patronizing smile, and explained that military defeat was the best thing that could happen to Hamas.

In Rantissi's view, it didn't matter if a few dozen — or a few hundred — Hamas fighters were killed. Their "martyrdom" would only strengthen Palestinian hatred for Israel, and sympathy for Hamas.

It didn't matter if Israeli jets bombed Hamas offices, because cinder-block structures could easily be replaced. And it didn't matter if Israel took out Hamas' leaders, either, because they were replaceable.

"Any moment, a rocket could come through that window and kill me," Rantissi said, "But even before the smoke has cleared, there will be a replacement ready." What the Israelis didn't realize, he concluded, "that when they win, we don't lose — we win, too."

Almost exactly two years later, an Israeli missile did come through the window, killing Rantissi. Only three weeks before, a similar strike had killed Hamas' founder, the paraplegic, blind Ahmed Yassin.

The assassinations of its two top men were meant to break the back of Hamas's leadership. But Rantissi was right: he and Yassin were replaced in short order, and Hamas actually grew stronger, more radical — and more popular.

Rantissi's analysis, which had seemed so perverse and bizarre in 2002, has now become conventional wisdom: most commentators agree that while Israel's incursion into Gaza may leave Hamas deeply wounded in the short term, the militants will ultimately benefit.

In every scenario short of a long, long Israeli occupation — which is unlikely — Hamas will have the opportunity to eventually regenerate. New fighters can be trained, new rockets acquired, new smuggling tunnels built. If Israel's chokehold on Gaza for the past year hasn't stopped Hamas from arming itself, then it's a good bet that the presence of international monitors won't either.

The argument that Israel's incursion will give it an upper hand in any future talks — and allow it to dictate the terms of a new ceasefire — doesn't really wash. Any new truce will be brokered by third parties; while U.S. President-elect Barack Obama chooses to remain silent, France's Nicholas Sarkozy is offering himself for the role. That alone means Israel won't have everything its way.

The international outcry over the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza means the broker will insist Israel loosen the economic shackles as well as withdraw troops. And when the money begins to flow in, it will flow through the Hamas networks that control every aspect of Gaza. The militants will distribute some of the money to Gazans, and look like generous benefactors; the rest, they will use to rebuild their military capability.

And Rantissi's ghost will be laughing the whole time.

Source and courtesy: TimeCnn