Zionism, Israel Threat to Peace: Rabbi Weiss

Additional Reporting by Ahmad Maher, IOL Staff

CAIRO, August 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Trying to make his voice heard after repeatedly being hushed by the Zionist-controlled media, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss asserted in a three-hour live dialogue with IslamOnline.net audience on Monday, August 25 that there can be no true peace "as long as Zionism and the state of Israel exist."

"The tremendous injustice that is being done to the Palestinian people--which we cannot elaborate on because of the space and time limit-- the subjugation, expulsion, pain, suffering, etc. of the Palestinians, is all against the true roots and basics of Judaism," said Rabbi Weiss.

He asserted that all "Jewish religious people feel and suffer with the Palestinian suffering no matter what type, Chasidus (ultra Orthodox) or not."

Asked how he sees the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon, Weiss said that Sharon and his cabinet have nothing to do with true Judaism "because of its heresy and its tremendous cruelty."

"Sharon and his government and for that matter the whole Zionist entity are rejected from the Jewish nation and Judaism," said the rabbi, a leading figure of Neturei Karta, an organization within the Orthodox Jewish community which is dedicated to representing the hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Jews around the world.

He also lashed out at the Israeli policy of bringing the Jewish diaspora from the four corners of the world to the Palestinian territories, noting it ran counter to the true Torah "which waits for God's ruling over the world and the end of this exile, which God Himself will do without any human intervention."

According to Weiss, a Talmud instructor, Jews "are forbidden to take any action to make the end of exile come to pass, especially the Zionists' way which is through atrocity and evil decrees and subjugation of another people without right and expulsion of another nation.

"This is especially abhorrent and against God."

Heretical Zionism

Neturei Karta supporters protest the Zionist entity before the White House

Weiss drew a clear line of separation between Judaism and Zionism, regretting that "Jews have been misled by the tremendous power of the propaganda machine of Zionism."

"Zionists have gripped control of the media, and through the media, confused and integrated the Torah into the Zionist belief. With false interpretations of verses of the Torah, they have confused the truth of the Torah," he stressed.

The rabbi, a distinguished speaker and lecturer on Zionism, said that the "forefathers of Zionism were known atheists and heretics and the whole ideology of Zionism is a heretical ideology and rebellion against God. They created a state which rejected the acceptance of the Torah that the Jewish nation had accepted on Mount Sinai, and they ignored the whole Jewish religion."

Weiss said that Neturei Karta views Palestine as "a Godliness and a holy land no matter under whose rule it is. It is no difference under which country or rule Palestine is."

"The Zionists, on the other hand, come to the issue of Palestine as a physical military entity and as an issue of materialistic national entity similar to how other nations reached their power through military victory," elaborated the expert.

Putting it in a nutshell, Rabbi Weiss said, "Judaism is a Godliness, Zionism is materialism. Zionists try to clothe their materialism in the cloth of religion, but it is false and criminal."

He also agreed that the Zionist entity and the state of Israel "according to the Torah" were doomed to perish, noting that "the explosion of the punishment to this rebellion is expected at any time. We pray that the end of the State of Israel should come about speedily with God's compassion without any bloodshed or suffering for any human being."

Intimidation

Weiss further argued that there is "a vast segment" of Jews all over the world, and particularly in the U.S., who "are silent in their opposition" to the Zionist octopus, because of the "intimidation of Zionism."

He also said that Neturei Karta exposed this intimidation through its website. (Click to see cases of Zionist intimidation.) "According to our knowledge, a great percentage of Jews have given up on the whole Zionist ideology. They simply have a problem of how to become free of this monster," said the rabbi.

A majority of religious Israeli parties in the Knesset, according to him, are forced to join the political scene only to "save Judaism."

"Most religious schools do not have an Israeli flag hanging over their building, do not celebrate Israeli Independence Day, and most important, do not send their children to the Israeli army and do not study modern Hebrew," Weiss said.

He continued, "We find the Orthodox Jewish parties and members at the Knesset joined the Israeli government not because they held the view of the legitimacy of the Zionist state but rather in opposition to the Zionist state they were guided by certain Jewish rabbis and leaders to join the Israeli government to be able to in some way gain rights to the Orthodox community and to be able to fight Zionism from within the Zionist state."

Weiss recalled that one of the founders of Agudat Israel party, Yitchak Maier Levine, said when he joined the Knesset, "I am going into a lion's den."

Judaism and Islam

"We are in total opposition to the Zionists' views of the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque," said Rabbi Weiss.

The Talmud instructor also tried to dust off the portrait of true Jews that has always been penciled out by the Zionist media and to stand up to the never-ending anti-Muslim campaign to tarnish the true image of Islam.

He touched on the most thorny issue to all Muslims and Jews alike: Al-Aqsa Mosque or in "Zionist" terminology "The Temple Mount."

Weiss made it clear that the Zionists' attempts to pull down the holiest place is a "tragedy and a cardinal criminal offense."

"We are in total opposition to the Zionists' views of the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Who knows what horrific results could come from this? It is clearly forbidden according to the Torah and the rabbinical authorities.

"In 1929 the head Rabbi of Palestine and Jerusalem, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonenfeld of blessed memory, sent a letter to the heads of the Islamic community in Jerusalem declaring that the Jewish people have no want or interest to take anything which is under the Islamic ownership. And in fact he was referring to the Jews praying at the Western wall," Weiss explained.

"In the Jewish religion, there is no bias to the Muslims or their religion, and we don't know of a bias of the Jews to the Muslims. We know that the Muslim people and Islam are not in opposition to the Jewish people or their religion, and vice versa," he acknowledged.

Weiss hoped that the Muslim community will help his movement to spread their "message of peace."

"This will sanctify God's name, bring peace and harmony between the Jews and the Muslims and will succeed in squashing the concept that the Muslims are somehow anti-Semitic by clarifying the truth that the conflict is between the political movement called Zionism, and that it has nothing to do with Judaism or the Jewish people," he Rabbi Weiss averred.

He concluded also by hoping that Jews around the world would come to realize the "true old Jewish traditions and beliefs."

Muslim Brotherhood Tech-Savvy in Egypt Polls

By Mohamad Gamal Arafa, IOL Staff

CAIRO, October 31, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is getting tech-savvy in its preparations for the parliamentary elections in November with candidates posting their platforms on the Internet and launching an online radio to reach out to all cross-sections of Egyptian society.

Dozens of Web sites carrying the names of the candidates or the cities or constituencies they are vying in are streaming online, displaying audio or video materials for the parliamentary hopefuls.

In the northern city of Alexandria, Muslim Brotherhood candidates have launched an online radio called "Sama" to be their mouthpiece in the Mediterranean city.

The radio broadcasts interviews with candidates and lay people, who speak their mind out and express the high hopes they are pinning on their favorites.

The elections will be held on three stages starting from November 9 and ending December 7.

The Muslim Brotherhood has 16 deputies in parliament, which is dominated by ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) with more than 90 percent of the 454 seats.

Ten Egyptian groups including liberals, leftists and the Kefaya (Enough) protest movement joined forces on October 9 to fight the NDP in the elections.

The Muslim Brotherhood is part of the alliance but, unlike the nine other groups, its candidates will not stand on a single opposition list.

No Longer Taboo

A file photo of a mass rally by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

The Muslim Brotherhood is officially banned in Egypt but, between periodic crackdowns, is often tolerated.

Hundreds of its members have been detained and released during anti-regime protests since May.

But the Egyptian reform drive, which picked up steam with the country's first multi-candidate polls in September after decades of a one-man show, has encouraged Brotherhood candidates to go public and hold mass rallies nationwide.

And for the first time since 1953, when the group was banned, the Muslim Brotherhood candidates are running in the lections with their original two swords and the Noble Qur'an slogan, which dates back to 1928.

In the past, the group's candidates used to stand in the elections as candidates of the Islamic current. But now the Muslim Brotherhood title is no longer a taboo.

The Muslim Brotherhood candidates, meanwhile, are toning down their famous slogan "Islam is the solution" in a bid to allay fears of Egyptian Christians, especially after criticism from Egyptian liberals, intellectuals, politicians and the government.

In their rallies and seminars, particularly in predominantly Christian areas, they pledge to protect and serve the interests of people of other faiths as stipulated in Islam.

Ironically, an NDP candidate in the northern city of Al-Mahla Al-Kubra resorted to Islamic-oriented slogans to face the Muslim Brotherhood's soaring popularity in his constituency.

Thousands Mark Al-Quds Day in London

Hiba Rahim, IOL Correspondent

LONDON, October 31, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - At least two thousand demonstrators, including several anti-Zionism Jews, marched though London on Sunday, October 30, to mark the annual Al-Quds Day.

"It is our duty as Muslims to attend every single time, because no one in the world is listening to the truth," Zaynab Ziaei of Manchester told IslamOnline.net.

"We come every year to show what the truth really is."

Adults and youth of all ages marched enthusiastically to the quick beat of drums and chants as they fervently yelled slogans against US President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon.

Transforming the Iranian flag into a bandana tied around checkered Palestinian scarves, girls walked hand in hand chanting, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!"

Bystanders clapped as the demonstration proceeded towards Trafalgar Square.

As the procession continued, the volume of people increased as some onlookers joined along the way.

"[The response] was great. It helped us gauge the reaction from the public, which was quite positive," said Massoud Shadjareh, Director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, the event organizer.

The annual march aims at encouraging both participants and spectators to reflect upon the oppression of millions across the world.

It also provided an opportunity for those who oppose Zionism to protest Israeli aggression and raise awareness on the incalculable atrocities Israel is responsible for.

Not for Sale

"Those prepared to sell Al-Quds do not represent us," Tamimi said.

At Trafalgar Square, Shadjareh told demonstrators that the Palestinian struggle against Israeli atrocities is no different than the struggle for justice in South Africa or Rhodesia.

In a message to Blair, Shadjareh asked why the prime minister ardently condemned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s remarks on wiping Israel off the map, but failed to speak up about the 400 Palestinian villages Israel has thus far eradicated.

In a letter published on 30 October 2005, the anti-Zionism Neutrei Karta International called Ahmadinejad's remarks "nothing more than a yearning for a better, more peaceful world."

The Iranian leader's statements have triggered an international outrage and were condemned by the Un Security Council.

Other prominent speakers included Dr. Azam Tamimi, a spokesman of the Muslim Association of Britain.

"Those prepared to sell Al-Quds do not represent us," he said, reminding listeners to never forget the holy city.

Activists launched on Ramadan 17th the third Al-Quds International Day on the internet to remind millions of Web visitors about the history and importance of the holy city for Muslims worldwide as well as the need to stand firmly against Israeli Judaization schemes.

Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which includes Al-Aqsa Mosque, represents the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Jews claim that their alleged Haykal (Temple of Solomon) exists underneath Al-Aqsa, the first qiblah (direction Muslims take during prayers).

Israel captured and occupied Al-Quds in the six-day 1967 war, then declared its annexation in a move not recognized by the world community or UN resolutions.

Zionists Not Jews

Orthodox Jews joined the demonstration to voice what they called "disappointment in our Zionist brothers."

A Londoner who only gave his name as Abu Abdallah stressed the importance of understanding the relationship between Zionism, the occupation of Muslim lands and oppression of the Palestinian people.

"Too often, all these things get blurred with anti-Semitism. This, however, is a legitimate freedom struggle."

The crowd made clear distinctions between Jews and Zionists, yelling, "Judaism: Here to stay; Zionism: No way!"

Orthodox Jews from the New York-based Neturei Karta joined the demonstration to voice what they called "disappointment in our Zionist brothers."

Rabbi Cohen, the representative of the organization in London, explained that in the Jewish faith, it is not allowed for Jews to establish a state.

Rather, they are divinely decreed to a state of exile where they are to live peacefully in the countries in which they reside.

"There exists no hatred or animosity between Jews and Arabs. We wish to live as friends and neighbors as we have for hundreds of years."

Ending with a prayer, Rabbi Cohen concluded: "May we soon know a time when all mankind is at peace with each other."

Perhaps inspired by a glimpse of hope, a murmured "amen [Amen]" traveled through the crowd.

Founded in Palestine in 1938, Neturei Karta, dedicated to representing thousands of Orthodox Jews around the world, believes that only the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and removal of Israel would bring peace to the Middle East.

Placing Zionism at the root cause of violence and extremism in Palestine and Israel, it equates the ideology with apartheid and stress its unorthodox, secular origins.

"The world must know," states the Neturei Karta Web site, "that the Zionists have illegitimately seized the name Israel and have no right to speak in the name of the Jewish people."

DAP perlu realistik terhadap kedudukan Islam di Malaysia

Friday, October 28 @ 07:00:00 MYT


Kadang-kadang, kata Husam, beliau terasa MCA lebih matang dalam menerima realiti politik Malaysia hari ini terutama sekali berkaitan dengan Islam.

PETALING JAYA, 28 Okt (Hrkh)- DAP diminta bersikap realistik dalam perjuangan politiknya dan menerima kedudukan Islam sebagai salah satu faktor penting politik Malaysia.

Naib Presiden PAS, Husam Musa dalam wawancara khas dengan akhbar Cina, Guang Ming Daily berkata, sikap DAP itu penting bagi mengukuhkan pembangkang di negara ini.

"Saya harap DAP bersikap sedikit realistik terhadap politik Malaysia dan menerima hakikat bahawa Islam adalah faktor penting politik negara ini," kata beliau.

Beliau diwawancara oleh tiga wartawan Guang Ming di pejabat mereka dekat Petaling Jaya yang diketuai oleh Penolong Pengarang Beritanya, Ng Sern Loong.

Wawancara yang berlangsung hampir dua jam itu membincangkan pelbagai perkara termasuk persoalan arah tuju PAS di masa depan berikutan perubahan pucuk pimpinannnya dalam muktamar yang lalu.

Husam juga ditanya soal politik dan dasar kerajaan negeri Kelantan di samping hubungan PAS dengan Anwar dan lain-lain parti pembangkang termasuk DAP.

Kadang-kadang, kata Husam, beliau terasa MCA lebih matang dalam menerima realiti politik Malaysia hari ini terutama sekali berkaitan dengan Islam.

Bagi Husam, kekuatan dan kesepakatan pembangkang sekarang sangat penting bagi mencapai hasrat bersama iaitu mengubah kerajaan yang ada kerana Umno sudah tidak boleh dibaiki lagi khasnya berkaitan politik wang dan amalan korup.

Menurut Husam, agenda untuk membersihkan pentadbiran negara sekarang perlu menjadi agenda semua rakyat kerana selagi kerajaan Umno yang ada sekarang kekal, selagi itulah agenda ini tidak boleh dilaksanakan.

"Amalan korup sudah membarah dalam Umno dan tidak boleh diperbaiki lagi," katanya.

Bagi mencapai hasrat bersama, kata Husam, semua pihak perlu berkorban sedikit sebanyak.

"Misalnya jika undi kita sedikit berkurang dalam pilihan raya kita tidak boleh berpatah balik hanya kerana sedikit kekurangan itu...perjuangan mesti diteruskan baru rakyat yakin," kata beliau.

Anwar bakal PM

Bagi Husam, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim adalah bakal Perdana Menteri jika PAS dan pembangkang yang ada memerintah negara.

"Rakyat bukan Islam tentu tidak berapa yakin dengan PAS dan pemimpinnya. Mereka lebih kenal Anwar. Jadi apa salahnya Anwar dilantik jadi PM. PAS tidak tamak dalam hal ini," kata Anwar.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditanya apakah PAS menerima jika Anwar jadi pemimpin PAS.

"Tidak berbangkit soal Anwar menjadi pemimpin PAS atau tidak. Yang penting Anwar bersama kita untuk memimpin Barisan Alternatif untuk membentuk kerajaan alternatif kepada BN," kata beliau.

Fokus utama sekarang, kata Husam adalah untuk membentuk pasukan pembangkang yang kuat.

Untuk pilihan raya akan datang, fokus PAS adalah untuk berjaya memerintah Malaysia atau sekurang-kurangnya menjadi pembangkang yang kuat.

"Anwar adalah tokoh yang sesuai untuk memimpin Malaysia di waktu itu," kata Husam.

Our Force Is In Jamaat

In the name of Allah Mercy, Merciful!



The benediction month Ramadan has come. Time, when the favour of Allah comes nearer to the ground and to the believer in the one God becomes stronger belief in the Founder. This is time of reflections and actions, time of good things, which should not be forgotten by the person during all life.



Allah speaks in the Koran: "hasn't come the time for believers that their hearts were softened at a mention of Allah! "



And what testifies that we have rigid heart or soft? The moslem strictly may carry out all instructions of prayer, a post, to make Hadji, to pay zakiat, but his heart may remain rigid. What it means? Know, about moslem brother, if you are indifferent to troubles and needs of other moslems, if you do not suffer and does not try to help you have rigid heart.



Now in many points of globe flows Muslim blood. Everywhere it is difficult. However that has fallen to the Chechen Republic lot causes feeling of the greatest compassion. Enemies use refined methods to break spirit of moslems, to humiliate them.



In the Chechen Republic exist filtrational (concentration) camp, where by all refined tortures scoff at people. And though the majority of prisoners are man, there frequently get women and children. If to the person was lucky, and he leaves therefrom alive, he has beaten all internal bodies, the body is covered with traces from tortures. And kafirs aren't even strongly trying to hide.



Wide popularity was received with the facts of captures in hostages of Chechen children. So according to the stories of journalists, who have informed about these horrors from words of their native and victims, for example, in concentration camp of Chernokozov contained 10-12 years children including girls, who tortured and beat, and the 14-years girl forced four days. Among hostages were also pregnant women, one of which was on the eighth month.



About, the brother a moslem! If it was your sister or the wife, or mother, - your heart would begin to boil for anger, you would want to revenge immediately. But if, listening to it about other women "Moslem, and you do not have such emotions and you are indifferent to this - means that your heart is covered with thick crust ice.



Chechen children grasps in hostages and tortures till now. More than 40 thousand Chechen children are killed by Russians.



Chechen mukhajirs live in the hardest conditions. Many of them till now huddle on farms, in warehouses of chemical fertilizers. They do not have enough meal, medicines, some fuel. Almost all of them are sick, many people die that there is no elementary medical aid.



Someone may think, what I one can make, and then, this is so far from here! Yes, one person may make nothing. But - it is moslems uniform Umma. Our force is in Jamaat. Only so we may help the friend - to the friend, only together we may release Muslim peoples from oppression and humiliations. All moslems - brothers. And distances may not divide them.



Thinking and caring each other we may recover the heart. Let's recollect the first moslems. When believers left Messa, and made khijr for the sake of Allah, they left the houses and property, for the sake of keeping the most important - belief. And what the inhabitants of Medina did: everone took ansar to himself in the house of mukhajirs (moved) and with him as with the brother, divided in half the roof, the piece of bread and a plate of meal.



In heart of some people, to which Allah (Subkhanakhu va Taalia) has given riches, sometimes creeps in arrogance. They overlook, that these riches belong only to Allah. These people cease to notice, that occurs around them and live in the closed world, though Supreme speaks: "Spend on ways of Allah from what we have given you - "



Let's look at Umar Ibn Al-Khatab, fellower of the Prophet and the second caliph of moslems. During his board moslems have seized the greatest quantity of the grounds, lead Jikhad on a way of Allah and calling people to the Islam. And somehow only on the unique instant in head of Umar has crept in the idea, that he governs such quantity of the grounds, as anybody before him.



But he has driven away from himself this idea. Andcome out on street, Umar was directed on a market. There he has met one visitor person, who unloaded the goods. Umar began to transfer his bags with the goods, and, dealer was thinking, that is the simple worker, was going to pay him at the end of work. Each time when belivers passed by them, they spoke: "Peace to you!" And this dealer was surprised, what a polite people here, that everyone greets, though do not know him. But one person has told: "the Peace to you, the master devout!" The Dealer has thought: "But I am not the master devout!" And only then he has guessed, who this worker was actually.



So Umar has even more strengthened his iman and has recovered his heart with ideas on Allah.



Any of us buying a thing, which is not articles of prime necessity at all, may not hasten with its purchase and think of other moslems who are in heavier position, than we. There is no sense to list that we still may make, everyone knows it own.



Under certificate of Abu Khureir, the Prophet (salAllah aleihim va saliam) spoke:



"Allah will say on Dies Irae: "And son of Adam, I was sick and you have not visited me". Will tell to whom he addressed: "Oh, my God! As though I would not visit you, you see you are the Ruler of two worlds! "



He will tell :"did not you know, that someone of mine slave was sick, and you have not visited him, did not you know that if you would visit him, you would find at him also me! "



He will continue further: "Oh, son of Adam, I asked to feed me, but you have not fed! " that person also will tell: "Oh, God mine! As I shall impregnate you, you are the Mister of all worlds! "



He will tell: "Did not you know, that someone slave has fed you, and you didn't him. And whether you knew, that if you have fed him, you would find livelihood and at me".



Will tell then: "Oh, son of Adam, I tested thirst, but you have not given to drink me! " that person will tell: "Oh, my God! As I shall give to drink you, if you are the Ruler of All worlds! "



Will tell Supreme: "One of mine slave has asked you to give drink, but you have not given him drink, did not you know, that if you have given him drink, you would find it at me! "



Assaliamu alekum va rakhmatuLlakhi va barakatukhu!



A.Shishani
Kavkaz Center

2005-10-10 14:26:54

Mengapa saya benci masjid?

dipetik dari ummah online
Maszlee Malik
06:20pm 24 Mei 2005

Di dalam salah sebuah kuliah saya di universiti, saya sempat bertanyakan kepada anak-anak murid saya: “Di masjid manakah kamu menjadi AJK?”, bagaikan tsunami yang melanda mereka dikejutkan dengan soalan tersebut. Bunyinya teramat aneh, janggal lagi pelik. Samada yang bertanyakan itu seorang yang kurang waras, atau jahil dan binggung, ataupun yang ditanyakan itu yang tidak faham soalan. Secara ijmak mereka menjawab, “Kami bukannya orang tua!”. Hanya orang tua sahajalah yang layak memakmurkan masjid? Hanya orang-orang tua sahajalah yang berhak menentukaan hala tuju sesebuah masjid? Hanya orang-orang tua sahajalah yang berhak memonopoli pentadbiran sesebuah masjid? Walaupun di antara mereka itu tidak pernah muncul ke masjid kecuali menjelang pemilihan AJK sahaja? Lebih lucu lagi, di salah sebuah masjid, Jawatankuasa pembangunan belia dan remajanya, adalah seorang yang telah pun berusia 60 tahun...mungkin dia masih terasa dirinya remaja!

Ya, inilah realiti membosankan yang berleluasa di tanah air kita tecinta ini. Entah dari syariat mana mereka warisi tidak pula diketahui. Hanya orang-orang tua sahaja yang berhak berkuasa di masjid. Hanya orang-orang tua sahaja yang berhak menjadi pelanggan setia masjid. Hanya orang-orang tua (old guards) sahajalah yang berhak menentukan hala tuju sesebuah masjid. Jikalaulah Rasulullah S.A.W. dan para sahabat tinggal di Malaysia di zaman ini, nescaya, bukan hanya sekadar para sahabat yang muda-muda seperti Ali, Ibnu Abbas, Ibnu Omar, Anas bn Malik sahaja yang tidak berhak untuk mentadbir masjid, malah Rasulullah S.A.W. juga pun tidak akan dapat diberikan ruang untuk mentadbir masjid, kerana bginda belum mencapai umur pencen ketika mendapat wahyu.

Fenomena ini tidak sekadar terhenti pada ruang pentadbiran masjid sahaja, malah dalam menentukan program-program masjid juga. Jika ada orang-orang muda yang nak berikan pendapat sedikit, pastilah mereka akan dilihat sebagai kurang ajar dan melebih-lebih. Doktrin “makan garam lebih dahulu” lebih didaulatkan daripada konsep syura yang diperkenalkan oleh Islam. Sebab itulah sering kia dengar pertentangan di antara golongan muda dengan golongan tua di masjid-masjid, samada di bandar-bandar mahupun di kampung-kampung. Pada pemikiran majoriti rakyat Melayu Muslim Malysia, orang-orang muda hanyalah buruh-buruh kasar masjid yang kerjanyan hanya untuk menurut patuh perintah golongan-golongan tua kariah. Bagaimana pula dengan golongan remaja pula?, mereka hanyalah pelanggan program-program masjid yang langsung tidak menepati selera generasi MTV yang diaturkan hasil ide lapisan tok wan dan nyang mereka sahaja. Itu tidak termasuk jerkah, tengking, sumpah seranah dan wajah-wajah bengis orang-orang tua terhadap mereka dan juga golongan kanak-kanak. Jika mereka tidak ke masjid pula, mereka akan dipersalahkan sebagai golongan yang bermasalah, bermoral rendah dan juga tidak mempunyai kesedaran. Pooorah!!!

Keadaan ini amat berlainan dengan keadaan muslim di ngara-negara maju. Masjid menjadi pusat komuniti masyarakat muslim di sana. Para remaja, muda-mudi bersama-sama golongan tua memeriahkan masjid yang sama-sama mereka miliki. Tidak pelik jika didapati jawatankuasa khas untuk remaja yang dianggotai oleh para remaja sahaja, pentadbiran oleh golongan-golongan muda, dan juga golongan tua pula bertindak sebagai penasihat. Tidak perlu pergi jauh, di negara jiran kita, Singapura sahaja sudah cukup. Masjid-masjid di sana meriah dengan program-program untuk golongan muda dan juga remaja. Tidak pelik bagi mereka bagi sebuah masjid untuk mempunyai seorang manager dari kalangan orang muda, barisan AJK dari golongan profesional muda, youth developement officer bagi golongan remaja. Lebih menarik lagi, mereka mereka juga mempunyai acara sukan tahunan untuk para remaja secara “inter-masjid” yang melibatkan para remaja muslim dari seluruh Singapura. Sesuatu yang pelik bin ajaib bagi rakyat Muslim melayu Malaysia untuk mempercayainya.

Bukan hendak menafikan wujudnya usaha baik sesetengah masjid- masjid di ibu kota menganjurkan program-program untuk para remaja dan belia. Sayangnya, para remaja dan belia tersebut hanyalah sekadar menjadi peserta yang akan dipandang sepi selepas selesai sahaja program. Adapun masjid, ianya tetap kekal dimonopoli oleh golongan tua yang gila kuasa, terutamanya di tempat-tempat yang terdapat ramainya para Dato’ dan Tan Sri. Lebih memilukan lagi apabila golongan-golongan ini mempolitikkan jawatan-jawatan pentadbiran masjid. Akhirnya muncullah mereka-mereka yang kononnya berpengaruh di mata masyarakat kariah untuk mentadbir masjid, tetapi jahil tentnag hukum-hakam agama. Maka timbullah pentadbiran masjid ala korporat, ala pejabat kerajaan dan malah ala sebuah parti politik. Akhirnya masjid terus malap daripada dimakmurkan kerana banyak sangat protokol, birokrasi dan politik. Itulah realiti yang tidak boleh dinafikan berlaku di sekitar masjid-masjid di Lembah Kelang. Kadang-kadang saya tefikir, agaknya wujud atau tidak perebutan kuasa terhadap jawatan-jawatan “minister” di gereja-gereja milik orang Kristian. Ataupun jawatan sami-sami di kuil-kuil Buddha atau Hindu, ataupun jawatankuasa pentadbiran Guldhwara oleh orang-orang Sikh. Jika tidak wujud, alangkah malunya kita sebagai orang Islam yang menggunakan masjid untuk memuaskan nafsu politik dan gila kuasa kita.

Mentaliti ini perlu diubah segera. Seleras dengan kemajuan semasa, sistem pentadbiran masjid perlulah dirombak juga. Sepatutnya ada umur siling untuk para AJK masjid. Sepatutnya keutamaan diberkan kepada golongan muda untuk mempunyai peranan yang lebih demi menarik generasi muda ke masjid. Sepatutnya golongan remaja juga dilibatkan di dalam proses membuat keputusan bagi apa-apa program yang berkaitan dengan mereka. Sepatutnya para imam semua dibukakan minda mereka agar tidak terlalu tunduk kepada telunjuk golongan AJK-AJK masjid yang tua, gila kuasa dan terlalu tegar dengan idelisme pemikiran “outdated” mereka. Sepatutnya, tidak berlaku apa yang tidak sepatutnya berlaku seperti di Malaysia sekarang ini. Semua pihak perlu memainkan peranan mereka, terutamanya para aristokrasi di jabatan-jabatan agama yang masih berfikiran ala 60’an lagi.

Persoalannya, adakah ide semacam ini akan diterima oleh masyarakat Malaysia?, saya teringat seorang rakan saya, seorang penceramah dan juga seorang ustaz yang sudah agak mula dikenali ramai, pernah bertanyakan kepada saya apabila saya mengutarakan pendapat semacam ini, “Ada dalil dalam al-Quran ke?” Saya lantas tersenum sinis mengiktiraf kedangkalan otak beliau yang dililit kemas di sebalik serban besarnya. Apatah lagi masyarakat awam dan golongan old guards...

Muslim Chaplain Asks Pentagon to Apologize

WASHINGTON, October 13, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Captain James Yee is asking the Pentagon to apologize for putting him through what he called a "gross miscarriage of justice", after he was accused of spying and was thrown in solitary confinement for 76 days, only to be cleared of all charges.

Yee, 37, who was sent to Guantanamo on November 5, 2002 to serve as chaplain to Muslim detainees and soldiers, left handcuffed in September 2003, only ten months after arriving, and was held in maximum security until October 24, where he wore hand and leg irons when he left his cell.

"My experience had taught me how little cultural understanding of Islam most military leaders had," Yee, who changed his name to Youssef after reverting to Islam in 1990, wrote in a recently released 240-page book, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"I am a soldier, a citizen, and a patriot. But in the eyes of a suspicious, misguided minority who have lost touch with America's national inclusiveness, above all else I am a Muslim.

"There are times when I fear that my ordeal simply stemmed from the fact that I am one of 'them' - a Muslim," he wrote.

His knowledge of Arabic, his praying and his denunciation of mistreatment of the Noble Qur'an by some soldiers fed the suspicions against him and other Muslim soldiers, according to AFP.

Yee himself said he was accused by a linguist of having a "subversive" conversation with a detainee by allegedly mocking a poster urging detainees to cooperate.

"The accusations were retold and exaggerated in backyards and on the beaches during the hot Cuban evenings, fueled by the boredom of restless young soldiers and discount vodka," he explains in the book.

Yee, a graduate of the prestigious US Military Academy at West Point, New York, quit the US military after he was cleared of espionage charges, AFP reported.

He was raised a Lutheran but later reverted to Islam. He studied Islam in Damascus in late 1990s (as he prepared to become one of the Army’s first Muslim chaplains) where he met his Syrian wife Huda.

Hostile Environment

Yee further commented in his book on the hostility soldiers display in treating both Muslim personnel and detainees alike.

"The environment at Guantanamo was incredibly hostile for Muslims, and it was impossible to ignore the palpable division that existed between many soldiers and the Muslim personnel."

He also described the harsh tactics used by guards against offending detainees.

One detainee was forcefully removed from his cell after he pushed a guard who searched the prisoner's buttocks for weapons or contraband, Yee wrote in his book.

According to Yee, a so-called Initial Force, a team of eight soldiers wearing riot gear charged the detainee's cell, forced him to the ground, tied his hands and dragged him out of the cell and into solitary confinement.

The soldiers celebrated their action and "high-fived each other and slammed their chests together, like professional basketball players. I found it an odd victory for eight men who took down one prisoner," he wrote.

About 505 detainees are held at the notorious Guantanamo camp, which was set up in 2002 soon after the US-led offensive against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001.

Similar cases

Meanwhile, there are three other men stationed at Guantanamo Bay who have been charged with “mishandling classified materials.”

Ahmad Al-Halabi, a Syrian-born US citizen and an Air Force translator, was arrested July 25, charged with 30 counts that ranged from sneaking baklava to the prisoners to espionage and aiding the enemy, according to USA Today Thursday.

Ahmed Mehalba, a civilian interpreter at Guantanamo, was arrested Sept. 29 after a Customs inspector found a CD-ROM that appeared to contain hundreds of sensitive documents in his luggage at Boston's Logan International Airport upon returning from Cairo.

Army Col. Jack Farr, 58, head of Guantanamo's prisoner interrogation unit, was arrested October 11 and charged with mishandling intelligence and lying to investigators, the paper said.

He is now at Fort Gordon, Ga., awaiting a preliminary hearing May 25 that will determine whether he will face a court-martial.

PAS hantar sukarelawan ke kawasan bencana gempa- Presiden

Monday, October 10 @ 18:53:43 MYT


Oleh MOHD SABRI SAID


PADANG SERAI, KEDAH, 10 Okt (Hrkh)- Presiden PAS, Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang berkata, PAS akan menghantar sukarelawan untuk membantu mangsa gempa bumi di utara Pakistan secepat mungkin.



Beliau yang berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan ceramah di Kampung Sungai Badak, Kulim semalam menegaskan, pasukan itu akan diuruskan oleh NGO yang sudah terbukti berjaya membantu mangsa tsunami di Acheh pada 26 Disember 2004.



"PAS bersimpati dan mengucapkan takziah pada Perdana Menteri Pakistan, India dan juga Afganistan kerana mengalami bencana gempa bumi yang mengorbankan puluhan ribuan orang. PAS juga akan menghantar sukarelawan untuk tujuan bantuan kemanusiaan, " ujarnya.



NGO berkenaan yang ditubuhkan untuk menjalankan aktiviti bantuan kemanusiaan dan kemasyaraktan nyata telah menaikkan nama PAS di arena antara bangsa selepas berjaya menjadi rombongan terawal ke Acheh semasa tsunami lalu.



Di Pakistan nanti sambung bekas Menteri Besar Trengganu itu, pasukan terbabit akan melaksanakan perbagai bantuan seperti menyediakan pusat rawatan kecemasan, tempat tinggal sementara serta mencari mangsa yang masih terperangkap di bawah runtuhan bangunan.



"Kita akan pastikan bantuan daripada PAS akan tiba di Pakistan dengan membawa keperluan perubatan dan perkhemahan. Ini kerana lapuran mengatakan ramai rakyat terutamanya di utara Pakistan hilang tempat tinggal ekoran gempa bumi berukuran 7.6 skala Richter, " tegas beliau.



Turut berceramah dalam program anjuran PAS Kawasan Padang Serai itu ialah Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Kedah, Ustaz Azizah Abdul Razak.



Menurut Ustaz Hadi, sepatutnya Persidangan Negara-Negara Islam (OIC) ke hadapan dalam isu sebegini bukannya Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) atan pertubuhan bukan Islam.



Malangnya kata beliau, OIC lesu manakala PBB atau pertubuhan bukan Islam nyata lebih hebat dalam usaha membantu mangsa yang terlibat.



"Sudah menjadi kelaziman OIC lambat bertindak terhadap isu yang berlaku. Dulu tsunami di Acheh pun begitu juga lambat sehingga dikritik, " jelasnya.


-zs

We want to change to a just and fair Islam- Husam

KOTA BHARU, Oct 3 (Hrkh)-Kelantan State Government dispels the notion that its decision in declaring it state capital, Kota Bharu as an Islamic City, is a step toward backwardness.

Senior State Exco, Haji Husam Musa stressed that the opponents did not understand the true face of Islam, its value and teachings.

“We are adapting Islam that is just and fair. By declaring Kota Bharu, as Islamic City we want to uphold these values and teachings," he said, "adding Islamic Cities through out history were vibrant cities and centre of excellence in various fields."

Husam was interviewed by BBC World Service at his office in the State Administration Complex, Kota Darulnaim, this morning.

The Sultan of Kelantan officially declared Kota Bharu and Islamic City in a glamorous affair at the Sultan Muhammad Stadium, last night. The proclamation has attracted a lot of attention from local and international media.

Islam, said Husam, for a long time has been wrongly portrayed as oppressive and rigid leading to the various misconceptions today.

He, however, accepted the facts that the state has much to do in explaining the Islamic City concept to the public.

“We do need to do PR exercise domestically and internationally to dispel any bad notion regarding the declaration.”

On the question that the declaration is a step to backwardness, Husam retorted that one cannot relate Islam to backwardness.

“It was evident in the history almanac that Islam was progressive and the pioneers in various fields like mathematic, astronomy, medicine, science and technology.”

“So, please don’t relate Islam to backwardness,” he said.

For the record, Islam in its hey day, during the era of the second caliph, Omar Al-katab, ruled two third of the world, from Africa to China.

During the era of Middle Ages Europe, Islamic cities such as Granada, became the centre of knowledge and wisdom. It led an exemplary life with much higher standard than the rest of Europe.

While Europe was in the Dark Ages, Moslem rule cities were flourishing with trade, arts, culture and learning.

“Were there not the biggest library, the best medicine, astronomy school in the ancient time situated in the Islamic cities?" Husam quipped.

Husam revealed that in the discussion toward naming Kota Bharu as Islamic city, even things like fauna and flora was taken into consideration.

“Trees are also living thing. Even stone has it own right in Islam,” he said, adding that Islam forbid hunting and removing of stone from the Holy land – Mecca.

Muslim first than Malay

Husam said that Kota Bharu is more “alive” interm of economics activities compared previously. This is evident from the new buildings sprouted all over the city.

He attributed this phenomenon to the relaxation of the property and land laws that open up to non-Malay. Before deregulation, non Malay even born in Kelantan was restricted from owning a property or land.

“If we stick to the nationalist idea, this could not happen because the land and property law that forbid foreign ownership was enshrined in the State Constitution," Husam added.

“When we open ourself, land and property to Non – Malay, this create demand and more opportunity, thus, creating a more vibrant economy as evident today.

“Thats why we want to run an Islamic city not a Malay city. We want to educate our people to be Moslem first than Malay," he said.

For the future, the Government wants to enhance the state’s reputation as a place of cheap shopping destination.

"With good supermarkets and infrastructures we could attract, not only West Coast tourist but also from Southern Thailand," he assured.

 

World Islamic Economic Forum calls for Islamic common market

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 - The first World Islamic Economic Forum Monday called for the establishment of an Islamic common market and floated a series of initiatives to boost business cooperation amongst Muslim nations.

A declaration issued at the end of a three-day meeting listed the initiatives and urged the 57 governments of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to facilitate trade and business environments.

Delegates called for governments to "consider the establishment of an Islamic Free Trade Agreement through regional and sub-regional FTAs in a step-by-step, time-bound process that would ultimately lead to an Islamic Common Market," said the declaration.

Co-chairman of the forum, Musa Hitam, said a free trade accord signed by OIC member countries would be a "realistic" step towards achieving an Islamic common market, a long-held vision of the OIC.

"That resolution reflects a recognition on the part of the business community of the difficulties, the patience, the care that needs to be paid attention to before we can realise this idea of free trade within the OIC community," he told reporters.

The forum, which had debated poverty alleviation in Muslim countries, called for a private-sector sponsored World Islamic Economic Development Corporation to promote investment and infrastructure projects in OIC countries.

It also floated plans for a global Islamic businesswomen's network and an education trust to be funded by Muslim entrepreneurs emphasising science and information technology arenas.

The forum pledged to "establish relevant task forces each led by a prominent Islamic business leader to develop specific practical implementation plans" for the initiatives.

Musa said Muslim business communities had to lead the way in boosting economic cooperation and that the taskforces would meet in six months in Pakistan to assess their progress.

The declaration was delivered to Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also the current chairman of the OIC.

Abdullah hailed the forum and urged delegates to step up efforts to promote investment and trade amongst OIC countries, rather than relying on rhetoric.

"If we just talk and there is no implementation, nobody will take us seriously," Abdullah said in a closing speech.

Calling for greater economic co-operation amongst OIC countries, Abdullah said intra-OIC trade made up a paltry six to seven percent of global trade, with many poorer nations left out of the loop.

"Member countries often place a heavier emphasis on trade with industrialised, non-OIC countries. Of course, this has led to the poor performance of intra-OIC trade," he said.

The forum, which gathered over 500 delegates from 44 countries including government officials and business leaders, was billed as the Davos of the Muslim world, after the the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Delegates have agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Kuala Lumpur and to make the forum an annual event, with the next meeting slated for 2006 in Pakistan, to be alternated with Malaysia, said Musa.

Forum organisers include Malaysia's foreign affairs ministry, Pakistan's Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Morocco's Islamic Centre for Development and Trade and Malaysian think tank the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.

-AFP

 

'Charter ignores Iraq's historical identity'

By Ahmed Janabi
Sunday 02 October 2005, 23:58 Makka Time, 20:58 GMT

Tariq al-Hashimi, secretary-general of the Iraqi Islamic Party, tells Aljazeera.net during a visit to Doha that the fires burning in Iraq could soon engulf other Arab countries unless they change their current negative attitude.

Aljazeera.net: How do you introduce the Iraqi Islamic Party to a Western audience?

Al-Hashimi: The Iraqi Islamic Party is a political party whose philosophy is based on the Islamic Sharia. It believes in moderation and effective participation in Iraqi politics.

The party believes that this is a divine duty and everyone must perform it in order to save the country from its current situation and liberate it eventually.

When was the party established?

The party was established in 1960. Successive Iraqi governments banned the party and it operated underground inside Iraq until the removal of Saddam Hussein's government in 2003.

What impact has it had?

The Iraqi Islamic Party decided from the beginning to be a key player in post-war Iraq's politics. It thus participated in the Iraqi Interim Governing Council (IGC) and the subsequent interim Iraqi government.

We also joined the interim Iraqi general assembly, but withdrew from last January's elections in protest against the attack on Falluja in November 2004 and the killing of hundreds of civilians.

The party is currently working hard to take part in the elections to be held later this year.

Western news agencies refer to the Iraqi Islamic Party as a Sunni Arab party. Is that a correct description?

If you study the party's literature, you will know that our party has nothing to do with sectarianism. It subscribes to Islamic political principles and addresses people regardless of their ethnic and religious identities.

The Iraqi Islamic Party's history records that its first meeting in July 1960 in Baghdad was attended by Shias, Kurds, and Turkmen in greater numbers than by Sunni Arabs.

The party is dedicated to the whole Iraqi population and pursues a national agenda. But it will always stand up for any Iraqi community suffering from isolation and suppression. As this is what has happened to Iraqi Sunni Arabs, we are committed to defending them.

Sunni Arabs are being subjected to sectarian genocide and the Iraqi Islamic Party is therefore defending them. But this by no means will affect the party's commitment to its national agenda.

But this contradicts your participation in the IGC, which was set up along sectarian and ethnic lines?

You are right, but any position that we take, we discuss it first according to Sharia and subject it to a balanced debate. We tend to give any offer the benefit of the doubt and study its pros and cons.

Sharia does not mean a rigid commitment to the Quran and Sunna (the sayings of Prophet Muhammad). Political Sharia enjoys a wide discussion area. We studied the idea of joining the IGC and decided that Islam should have a voice in this council and we should take part in rebuilding Iraq on an Islamic basis.

What did you achieve in the IGC?

We did not achieve much really, but it was a useful exercise during which we took some historic stands, and we are proud of them despite the reservations of many Iraqis.

You mentioned suppression by successive Iraqi governments, and that obviously includes Saddam Hussein's government. Does that mean you had some form of cooperation with the US before the invasion of Iraq in 2003?

We worked with the then Iraqi opposition, and we were an active faction. However, we did not participate in two opposition conferences which had a big say in determining the destiny of Iraq - namely, the London conference and the Salaheddin gathering.

We distanced ourselves from those meetings for the reason that they approved of the foreign invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam. We were against this approach.

The most important issue in Iraq nowadays is the constitution. You joined the Sunnis in rejecting that charter. Can you explain your objections?

We are deeply concerned about Iraq's Arab identity being ignored. The constitution ignores Iraq's historical identity.The charter prepares the grounds for breaking up Iraq into several tiny sect- and ethnicity-based states.

You spent a week in northern Iraq discussing the differences concerning the proposed constitution with the Kurdish leader Masuod Barzani. What came out of the meeting?

The visit was in response to an official invitation by the Kurdistani coalition, to discuss some issues in the draft constitution which was submitted to the Iraqi General assembly on August 22. We believe those issues are still pending.

It was a hard and sometimes heated discussion. We managed to agree to rewrite some of the disputed articles, but some articles remained unresolved.

Issues such as federalism, the introduction of the constitution document, and the language have been resolved. But I have to voice my disappointment over submitting the draft constitution to the UN without changing the article on federalism as per our agreement with our brothers, the Kurds.

The relation between the central government and the proposed federal regions are one of our main concerns, whereas the constitution gives the right to every region to establish its own army. Those armies are referred to in the constitution as regional guards.

The regional armies have the right to claim the sovereignty for their regions and have the right to compete with the central army.

We asked our brothers, the Kurds, to define the meaning of regional guards. What are the equipment intended for them? What is the size of their manpower? We did not get clear answers. Then we asked to renegotiate the regulations that govern their work, but our request was turned down.

You have sided with the Sunni Arabs in rejecting the constitution. But what are your goals?

Our only goal is to preserve Iraqi unity, because we believe it is the only guarantee to driving the foreign forces out of our country.

Some analysts say the Sunni Arabs are rejecting the constitution because it does not guarantee them the power they enjoyed in the past and because their region is resource-poor. What is your response?

The region of the Sunni Arabs (although this forces us to talk in sectarian terms) is not poor. I will give proof for that, in the form of an incident that occurred recently.

We told our Shia and Kurdish brothers that we want a phrase in the constitution to be changed. The phrase says "each region enjoys the full control of its oil and gas resources". We wanted it to be changed to "the central government enjoys the full control over Iraq's natural resources".

They told us it is not in the Sunni Arabs' benefit because their region contains huge quantities of phosphates, sulphates and other resources in addition to their control of the country's water resources. They said why is that we want to lose our resources.

The Sunni answer was that their aim was Iraq's unity, not sectarian gains.

Do you think the Sunni Arabs will manage to get the constitution rejected in the forthcoming referendum?

The problem is we do not trust any poll in Iraq, and our experience with last January's elections has not been encouraging. There is negligence in the work of the election committee and the work of UN in this regard.

I believe Sunni Arabs will try [to have the draft charter rejected], but whether or not voting will be properly conducted, we do not know. Hundreds and thousands of voting applications were found amid garbage in the last elections. Nobody knows how that happened.

In the last election, there were people belong to certain sects and ethnic groups installed in each polling station, and they had total freedom in manipulating the results in favour of their people.

We are afraid that the same fraud will be repeated in the forthcoming referendum and the forthcoming election.

You mentioned in the beginning of the interview that you believed in political participation. Do you still believe it will achieve anything for the Iraqi Islamic Party?

We are now more determined than ever before on taking part in the political process. Although our boycott of the last election was not a mistake given the prevailing circumstances, we have to confess that we paid dearly for that decision.

Because of our absence, a very important Iraqi community got left out of the decision-making process, resulting in the domination of one sect over the country's wealth and power.

Sadly this sect is filled with ill-will and the desire to push away its partner. This is demonstrated by the daily killings and sectarian genocide of the Sunnis. We have to participate in the elections to prevent these atrocities and create a balance of power.

Does your enthusiasm about political participation mean you are against the armed revolt?

Definitely not. We know that all that we are doing is to be able to reach the final goal, which is to drive the occupier out of our country. But we think the political and the armed forces should fight shoulder to shoulder to achieve this objective.

Do you believe if you became a part of the government, you would be able to prevent operations such as the one in Tal Afar?

It is highly unlikely that we will become part of the military strategy. The US army always seeks our help in communicating with people in troubled areas and our advice on how they should they deal with any situation.

I believe if we were in power, we would have more authority to force them to take our advice more seriously.

We will push for a political solution to every problem. And we will make sure that the military option is the very last resort, which is not the case now.

The US has made it clear that it does not want dialogue with "terrorists" and, accordingly, American forces in Iraq do not hold try to talk negotiate with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's fighters who, according to the US army and the Iraqi government, had made Tal Afar their base.

This is a great insult to the heroic Iraqi resistance and a bid to hijack the pure Iraqi resistance. The resistance in Iraq is Iraqi, not Arab.

One must make a differentiation between groups such as al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad Army, which has ties to al-Qaida, and the Iraqi resistance. In fact, there are many ideological differences between al-Zarqawi and the other Iraqi Islamic resistance factions.

How do you analyse the ongoing violence in Iraq, notably incidents such as the Kadhimiya bombing which killed hundreds of innocent Iraqi workers?

I would like to say first, the Americans are the only party who know what is going on in Iraq. They are the sole player and they are the sole power.

What happened in Kadhimiya was a bid to divide the Iraqi people and establish two factions, Shias and Sunnis, fighting each other.

The US and Iran have been in deep conflict since the establishment of the Islamic republic in Iran in 1979. How do you explain the domination of pro-Iran figures on political power in a US-controlled Iraq?

I think there is a conflict between the interests of the Zionist lobby in Washington and the US national interest.

It is in America's national interest to create an ideal Iraq that would be a model for the rest of the Arab countries.

But the Zionist objective is different and it is very close to the Iranian one. This project aims at promoting Iranian influence in Iraq and the rest of the region.


There are pockets in several Arab countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia ready to explode. Upsetting regional stability and planting Iran in the Arab world is a Zionist and Israeli dream.

There is a competition going on in Washington, and thus far it is the Zionist lobby that has been winning, which is why Iran is gaining in influence in Iraq.

The other scenario is that, the US is trying to involve Iran in Iraqi affairs before it uses Tehran's involvement as a political card in its standoff with Iran over the latter's nuclear programme.

But in my view, Iran is already the winner - it has had to sacrifice nothing, yet the parties propped up by it are already ruling Iraq.

I believe the world will not have to wait for long before it wakes up to an Iranian declaration of ownership of the nuclear bomb.

Ministers and Muslims at odds on tackling terror

The Muslim News: "Ministers and Muslims at odds on tackling terror

22-09-2005

By Jimmy Burns

Financial Times:

Ministers' hopes of building a political consensus in the aftermath of the London bombings are floundering amid signs that the government and the Muslim community are divided on how to deal with the threat of terrorism.

A Muslim taskforce set up by the government two months ago is expected to recommend today a special advisory group for the training of imams, citizenship and English classes for all Muslim schoolchildren, greater representation of the views of Muslim women, and more job opportunities for Muslim youth as a way of tackling issues of integration.

But it will also be critical of media stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists and make clear its belief that the issue of extremism among British Muslims is linked to the government's conduct of foreign policy, including the war in Iraq.

Similar views have been conveyed to Hazel Blears and Paul Goggins, the Home Office ministers, who have been touring Muslim communities in the past month and holding public meetings.

"Strong feelings were expressed about foreign policy, including Iraq. It was a running theme," said one Home Office official.

Shahid Malik, Labour MP and Muslim taskforce member, said that the Muslim community was positively engaged in tackling the roots of extremism but the onus was now on the government to listen to its proposals.

The importance being attached to foreign policy is a setback for Tony Blair, who has adopted an increasingly uncompromising line on extremism while trying to persuade Muslim leaders that the root causes of the London attacks lay in warped versions of Islam rather than political causes such as the war in Iraq.

Labour peer Lord Ahmed, another leading member of the Muslim taskforce, warned that any attempt by the government to reduce radicalism in the community would fail unless it agreed to a wide-ranging public in-quiry into the London bombings headed by an independent judge.

"The inquiry would need to include an examination of the extent to which the government's foreign policy has radicalised Muslim youth. Without such an inquiry, the government is not going to win the confidence of the Muslim community," Lord Ahmed told the FT.

Charles Clarke, home secretary, yesterday wrote to Muslim leaders asking them to support the prime minister's plan for an inter-faith advisory commission on integration and cohesion, chaired by a minister. The commission would address the question of how to engender an increased sense of Britishness that is inclusive of all communities.

Its terms of reference would also include how to push the public policy along in a way that "tackles inequalities which can trap people into segregated lives".

According to Whitehall insiders, ministers led by Mr Blair are strongly opposed to the idea of an independent inquiry, fearing that could open up a political and legal can of worms.

Ahmed Versi, editor of Muslim News, said a public inquiry along the lines being demanded by Lord Ahmed was "the key to confidence building" in the Muslim community, without which extremism would not be tackled.

According to Mr Versi, e-mails and chat rooms involving young British Muslims over the past few weeks show there remains a refusal to believe the police over events on July 7. "The sense of conspiracy ranges from a suspicion that CCTV footage was doctored to a broader questioning as to whether those identified by the police as bombers were really responsible," he said.

A survey yesterday suggested that one in 10 Muslim youths would not inform the police if they discovered a fellow Muslim was planning an attack. The survey, conducted by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, was described as extremely worrying by Bill Rammell, higher education minister.

www.financial-times.org

Inter-faith Dialogue Breaking Over Politics: Experts

Inter-faith Dialogue Breaking Over Politics: Experts:

"Such dialogue can’t undo what has been done by politics and differences should have a political rather than a religious solution," said Tamimi.

By Adel Abdel Halim, IOL Correspondent

CAIRO, October 2, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The current spree of inter-faith forums cannot bridge the gap between the West and the Muslim world as differences are basically political and not religious, leading Muslim intellectuals and scholars have agreed.

"The West wrongfully thinks that interfaith dialogues could relax the strained and marred relations with the Muslim world," Azzam Al-Tamimi, the director of the London-based Islamic Political Thought Institute, told IslamOnline.net.

He said "intensifying" such dialogues by the West leaves the impression that the current standoff between both sides is religion-oriented, though it has everything to do with politics.

"Such dialogue can’t undo what has been done by politics and differences should have a political rather than a religious solution," added the Palestinian-born intellectual.

From Cairo to Rome, a series of inter-faith dialogues were held only over the past ten days.

They were culminated Friday, September 30, in Rome with a two-day conference on food traditions in the three monotheistic religions.

The Turkish capital Istanbul on September 25-27 hosted the "Alliance of Civilizations" conference, which drew scathing criticism from Islamists and some opposition parties.

In Jordan, a five-day seminar on the common ground between religions wrapped up on September 22 under the auspices of the US Institute of Peace (UIP).

Trap

Elwani said intensifying inter-faith dialogues aimed at "putting Muslims on the defensive".

Tamimi charged that the West was "trapping" Muslims into taking critical stands and making concession on key political issues without addressing the root cause of the problem.

"I urge Muslims not to take part in any inter-faith dialogue unless it is based on a clear agenda and a set of goals."

Taha Jabir Al-Elwani, the chairman of the Islamic Shura Council of North America (ISCNA), added that this kind of dialogue was designed to appease anti-West feeling prevailing across the Muslim world over the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said that such intense dialogues were aimed at "putting Muslims on the defensive."

Al-Elwani added: "Dialogues, when the power balance is disproportionate in favor of the West, are nothing but a bid to convince Muslims of normalizing relations and achieve the West's agenda."

Ambassador Nabil Badr, a former Egyptian assistant foreign minister, agreed.

He said the West wants to "contain" Muslim anger at "aggressions by the West on Muslim countries and peoples."

He maintained that intensifying inter-faith dialogues aims "at concealing the interest factor which still largely controls world affairs."

The diplomat said that instead Muslims, particularly the Sunnis and the Shiites, should talk to one another, to clear up some religious differences.

"We will not be in a weak position and will be confident in our dialogue with the West if we become united."

Beneficial

But Sheikh Fawzi El-Zefzaf, the chairman of Al-Azhar’s Committee of Inter-faith Dialogue, sees a positive side in the plethora of dialogues.

"They are an ample opportunity for Muslims to clear stereotypes on Islam and a way to reach out to the other," he said.

The Cairo-based Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world, welcomed an initiative by US Undersecretary of State for Diplomacy Karen Hughes to activate cooperation between religions in combating terrorism.

Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to deliver a message on Islamic-Christian ties and inter-faith dialogue on Tuesday, October 4, in Paris before the annual conference of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The conference itself, which marks the organization’s 60th birthday, is dedicated to the dialogue between religions and cultures.

Tranung Kite Online - Pakai Islam...

Tranung Kite Online - Pakai Islam...: "Macam baju. Baju akan nampak cantik dan ada fungsi bila ia dipakai. Kalau setakat digantung dalam almari atau berada dalam lipatan, baju yang mahal-mahal pun tiada berguna.


Macam kereta jugak. Kalau kereta tu jenis pacuan 4 roda, mesti kita cuba bawak kereta tu dulu masuk lumpur, redah sungai, panjat bukit,turun bukit dan lepas tu baru kita tahu yang kereta tu memang sesuai dengan taraf pacuan 4 rodanya.

Jadi, Islam tu tidak akan nampak cukup cantik kalau ia tidak dipakai.

Memang mudah nak kata Islam itu begitu dan begini. Tetapi mengamalkannya?

Memakai Islam bukan semudah membuat slogan dan bernada retorik.Macam slogan 'Membangun Bersama Islam', 'Ulama Mesti Memimpin' mahupun 'Islam Had-hari Terengganu Bestari'. Kalau memakai Islam itu sekadar pada slogan, sudah tentu kita boleh pertandingan mencipta nada retorika terbaik bertemakan Islam. Maka akan muncullah pelbagai cop dan label lagi seperti 'Moden Bersama Islam Progresif', 'Islam Liberal Menuju Kemajuan' atau 'Hanya Salafi
Pemusnah Bidaah'.

Islam itu mesti diamalkan. Sebab itu dalam Quran
disebut "Sesungguhnya Rasulullah itu contoh tauladan paling baik."Dan dalam hadis daripada Saiyyidatina 'Aisyah sendiri menyebut perangai Rasulullah itu adalah al-Quran.

Memang mudah sebut dan berceramah, "Rasulullah itu tuan puan sekalian, kena tabur najis, duri, perut unta waktu mahu beribadah.Tapi baginda adalah orang pertama menziarahi wanita yang sering melemparkan najis terhadap baginda.Malah, dalam peristiwa Thaif,baginda doakan lagi kebaikan orang Thaif walaupun dihalau mereka."

Tetapi kalau kena kat diri sendiri bagaimana?

Adakah kita mampu menjadi seperti pokok yang menggugurkan buah apabila dilemparkan batu seperti yang diucapkan oleh as-Syahid Imam
Hassan al-Banna?

Islam dihina sebab kita tak nak pakai Islam. Orang Islam suka pakai ideologi lain selain ajaran Islam. Sekular. Nasionalis. Komunis.Sosialis dan sebagainya.

Bila orientalis cakap hadis tak boleh pakai, sebab hadis ni hanya ada 200 tahun lepas Nabi saw wafat... maka orang Islam pun angguk dan tolong sebarkan.

Bila orientalis cakap, wanita tak perlu pakai tudung, kolot. Maka ada orang Islam angguk dan tolong pertahankan 'fatwa' orientalis tersebut.

Bila orientalis cakap, poligami ni menganiaya wanita, maka ada juga orang Islam sami'na wa ato'na dan siap berkempen '1 Suami 1 Isteri'.

Bila orientalis cakap, hukum-hakam Islam ni kejam, juga orang Islam terima sahaja dan pertahankan undang-undang yang tidak selari dengan syariat.

Kan pelik. Mengaku diri ini Muslim, tetapi tak mahu pakai Islam.Macam pengusaha rangkaian McDonalds, tetapi suka makan di Burger King. Macam mengaku sokong Liverpool tapi jadi ahli Kelab Penyokong Manchester United.

Kita tahu Bush ni memang tidak suka orang Islam, tapi ada di antara kita masih mengharap penggal kedua Bush ini dia boleh memberikan satu sinar harapan untuk Dunia Islam!

Nak pakai Islam mesti faham petunjuk Quran Sunnah. Bukan sekadar berbicara sesedap mulut dan akal. Adakalanya kita belajar Islam bukan dari orang yang sepatutnya. CNN, CIA, Agensi, Reuter, FBI,Mossad dan pelbagai agensi kuffar serta media lainnya. Malah adakalanya tidak mahu berguru. Sedangkan Malaikat Jibrail ra itu sendiri menjadi guru kepada Rasulullah saw. Sahabat-sahabat besar semua itu belajar dengan Rasulullah saw. Semua golongan Tabi'in belajar dari golongan Sahabat. Golongan Tabi' Tabi'in menuntut dari
golongan Tabi'in. Dan seterusnya. Inilah rantaian Islam. Inilah yang sejajar dengan pesanan Rasulullah, "Ulama adalah pewaris para Nabi."

Kerna tidak mahu pakai Islam inilah umat Islam sekadar menjadi buih di lautan. Bilangannya banyak. Mencecah bilion. Tetapi hampeh.Imannya nipis. Setebal kulit bawang. Semangat jihadnya pudar.Ukhuwahnya longgar.

Dia rasa itu kawan dia kalau sama jemaah sahaja. Dia rasa itu saudara dia bila sama fahaman politik sahaja. Sebab dia tak nak satu parti @ jemaah @ organisasi dengan kita, kita rasa tak perlu wujud ukhuwwah Islamiyyah."Sape suruh kau sokong pemimpin lain?" "Sape suruh kau ikut aliran lain?" Begitulah gamaknya.

Nabi pesan agar kita semua ini agar setiap hari ambil tahu pasal dunia Islam. Apa terjadi di Patani lepas tragedi Tak Bai? Apa terjadi dengan Yasser Arafat sekarang? Presiden baru Indonesia ni bagaimana sikapnya dengan orang Islam Indonesia? Darfur dan puak Janjaweed itu apa bendanya? Islam Had-hari ini ajaran apa?

Bukannya bangun berpagi-pagian mendengar dan mencari gossip artis dan selebriti. Hari ini artis mana nak buat laporan polis palsu?Hari ni anak raja mana nak kahwin? Artis mana yang makan telur dalam jamban? Artis mana yang baru bercerai?

Kalau tengah demam Akademi Fantasia dan Malaysia Idol, sanggup untuk tidak miss setiap siaran diarinya dan segala highlightnya, malah sanggup habis sehingga ribuan ringgit untuk SMS idola kesayangan.

Kalau hari Jumaat, kotak derma lalu buat-buat tidur. Kalau pakcik lalu kutip derma, buat-buat khusyu' dengar khutbah. RM 200 sebulan untuk SMS itu ini boleh, derma untuk anak yatim RM 2 pun tak sampai.

Dalam khutbah tadi juga disebut seorang warga Afrika Selatan yang meminta umat Islam Malaysia tingkatkan kesyukuran kepada Allah. Ketika berkunjung di Masjid Shah Alam, kepala paip tiada tetapi air mengalir. Di tempat dia, kepala paip ada, air tak keluar.

Pakai lah Islam dengan segera. Kaum Nabi Hud juga mampu bina bangunan pencakar langit. Tetapi Allah binasakan mereka sebab taknak pakai ajaran Islam. Dan Malaysia tidak pernah terkecuali daripada azab Allah ini kalau kita berterusan memakai ajaran selain Islam.

Wallahua'lam."

Malam Kesenian Islam Yayasan Amal Selangor

Oleh ML Hakim

Yayasan Amal Selangor telah mengadakan konsert Malam Kesenian Islam yang diadakan buat pertama kalinya di Dewan Muhibbah, Kota Damansara pada 1 Oktober yang lalu.. Konsert yang bertemakan ‘Cintai Islam Sayangi Islam’ selama 2 jam itu’, bertujuan membantu kerajaan didalam usahanya menangani masalah sosial serta menyebarkan risalah dakwah kepada golongan muda melalui seni.

Seramai 200 orang hadir untuk menyaksikan persembahan-persembahan oleh artis-artis dengan tempat-tempat penonton lelaki dan wanita diasingkan.

Artis-artis yang mengadakan persembahan di situ ialah kumpulan Mirwana, Rast, Mr. Zul & Team Dakwah Forever, serta penampilan khas oleh Azmil Mustafa, bekas pelakon yang membacakan 2 buah puisi perjuangan Islam.

Program tersebut yang berakhir jam 11.00 malam berjalan dengan penuh teratur dan aman.