Holy Land Foundation's Victory!!

subhan Allah, brought tears to my eyes.

Muslims, Environmentalism & Communal Responsibility

By Guest Blogger Irtiza Hasan

As Muslims who strive to worship Allah we have been entrusted with a great role and responsibility in this world. Our responsibility includes fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of the creation of Allah.

From the favors and blessing of Allah upon us is that he chose Islam as our religion and a complete way of living.

In Surah Al-Anaa'm (6:165) Allah says:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلاَئِفَ الأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ

(Meaning): And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you.

And in Surah Yunas (10:14):

ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلاَئِفَ فِي الأَرْضِ مِن بَعْدِهِم لِنَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ

(Meaning): Then We made you successors in the land after them so that We may observe how you will do (what deeds you will do). I would like to bring your attention to the pertinent and often overlooked topic of environmentalism .

Environmentalism is the concern for the restoration, preservation and general importance of the natural environment.

Topics closely related to environmentalism include natural resources efficiency and waste minimization. Allah and his Messenger salallahu alaihee wa salam gave great value and and importance to the environment.

Jabir bin Abdullah reported: I heard Allah's Messenger salallahu alaihee wa salam saying, "Never does a Muslim plant [trees], or cultivate, but has reward for him for what the beasts eat, or the birds eat or anything else eats out of that." (Sahih Muslim)

In another hadith Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet salallahu alaihee wa salam said, "If the Day of Judgment is starting and there is a faseela (seed or sapling) in the hand of one of you, if you can plant it before the Day of Judgment starts, then you should (go on and) plant it." (Silsila Saheeha)

There are many verses and traditions which mention trees, rivers, plants, water, rivers, the skies and the Earth.

In fact, the word "ardh " occurs almost 500 times in the Quran. Preserving the environment is one of the major aims of shariah and these aims include the "preservation of nafs (life), 'aql (intellect), nasl (progeny), maal (wealth) and deen (religion)".

For the Muslim who understands his religion and the overall purpose of the shariah, he must be concerned with the preservation of the environment. This concern ties in directly with communal responsibility; something people of all faiths, cultural backgrounds and age groups can unite upon and work together, hand in hand.

The sad truth is that currently there are not enough initiatives or efforts addressing environmentalism coming from Muslims, and certainly we can do better.At an individual and community level we must increase our efforts to recycle trash, reuse products and reduce waste. We must all do our part.

Can we carpool going to the Masjid or school?
Can we plant trees and help build parks?
Can we join efforts with our non-Muslim friends who have already initiated so many noble efforts to protect and preserve the environment?

We have a responsibility before Allah and to our children to help preserve this world and the bounties Allah ahs given us therein. I hope that as Muslims we will help to lead there efforts, insha allah and I would like to propose a plan which all the massajid, Islamic organizations, Imams and leaders can adopt and improve. Here are some practical steps we can take to help preserve the environment:

1. Every masjid should setup a recycling container for paper, plastic and other recyclable items.
2. We should strive to make our massajid, Islamic schools and centers as green as possible; we need to plant more trees around the masjid.
3. Imams, community leaders and specialists should give several lectures, workshops and sermons (khutab ) every year about environmental awareness and issues and address how we as Muslims can have a major role in protecting our planet.
4. Distribute educational materials about environment and how we can be positive consumers, use energy more efficiently and preserve natural resources.
5. Invite specialists in the field of environmentalism, recycling and related areas to talk about these pressing issues at our centers, schools and massajid.
6. Organize programs in our schools to educate our children and inculcate the idea of preserving the environment in their minds from an early age.
7. For programs we hold at our massajid and centers we should use recycled materials such as paper or plastic cups, plates and other utensils. We must avoiding non-recyclable materials such as foam cups.
8. Our massajid should reduce the use of energy & water by energy saving methods include:
a. Double tinting the windows
b. Good insulation.
c. Turning off electricity when it is not needed by using timers.
d. Using motion sensor faucets and toilets.
e. Putting up signs for being moderate in using water, electricity, etc.
9. Supporting companies who are environment friendly.
10. Participating with local community members, government agencies and local universities in any programs related to environmental issues.

This issue is a priority and a cause that all human beings must rally behind. I would love to see for us, as Muslims, to take a lead role in preserving and improving our environment and keeping this world beautiful for our communities and our children and generations after them.

For more information and resources about environmentalism and energy conservation please refer to these websites:


http://earth911.org/
http://www.recyclenow.com/
http://www.recycle.net/
http://www.practicalenvironmentalist.com

I can not help but think of the current situation with the California fires which have devastated and destroyed so much forestation in that beautiful state and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Muslims in the Media

Muslims in the Media

Shaykh Yassir Fazaga on local Rock station, KROQ.
Check out the program here.

The CW presents: Aliens in America! A new program on a Muslim boy living with an average, white, American family.

Do You Like to Think?

Well too bad for you! Apparently its overrated and illegal. That’s right. According to the new bill, HR 1955 titled the ‘Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007', targeted at truthseekers and people who want to think! By this bill millions of us are now criminals and or terrorists. It actually defines thought crimes as homegrown terrorists. The purposely vague definition of homegrown terrorism encompasses and incriminates many groups and individuals including any anti-war movements, any anti-establishment movements or anyone who doesn’t like the state and works to create change. The definition is as follows:

“..(2) VIOLENT RADICALIZATION- The term ..violent radicalization' means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.”

“..(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term ..homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

So, see you at Guantanamo. Read the article here, and check out the whole bill here.

Tancredo Not Seeking Re-election

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), in the midst of a long-shot presidential campaign, will not seek re-election, his staff confirmed Monday.
. . .
"It's the fact that I really believe I have done all I can do in the House, especially about the issue about which I care greatly (immigration)," Tancredo told the Rocky Mountain News in a phone interview from Iowa.

His presidential campaign, mired in single-digits in the polls, has been focused primarily on fighting illegal immigration and securing the nation’s borders.

Full Story: CBS News

Yes, the "immigration reform" Tancredo is the same
"right wing nutcase" who once suggested the US bomb Makkah.
Can I get an Alhamdulillah?

Q and A with Alan Johnston

I think Alan Johnston's answers say a lot about the Palestinian/Israeli 'conflict', especially in Gaza. Being a Western journalist who has lived in Gaza for years, he is in a unique position to see the bigger picture and understand both sides of the story.

His answer below sums up the situation very well:

Q: How has your experience shaped your views on the Palestinian problem? Do you think there is a solution?

For a century or more, this has been a dispute over the control of the narrow strip of land that stretches from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. If the Israelis were to withdraw from every inch of occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinians would be left with about 22% percent of that land. The Israelis would have 78% percent.

Every time you see an American president sit down with the two sides to talk peace, the question is largely about how much of that 22% the Palestinians should be allowed to have - and under what conditions.

I tend to feel that the Israelis will never really give enough - or be forced by their American friends to give enough. And for at least some angry young Palestinians, 22% could never be enough. They would want to fight on for much more.

I think that they would be hard to rein in, and in the poverty, despair and oppression of the occupation, the ranks of the radicals are only likely to grow.

Set against that, most people on both sides do want an end to the conflict - a settlement that might allow their children to live in peace and prosper. So, perhaps there is hope - "God willing", as they say in Palestine.

Click here for rest of Q and A on BBC News.com

Amr Khaled in CA!

Paradise In Our Home is a family event featuring Ustadh Amr Khaled that will be held in San Jose (Nov. 10) and Anaheim (Nov. 18).

To my knowledge, this is the first time Amr Khaled is visiting the US to give a talk. The website indicates that although Amr Khaled's portion of the program will be in Arabic, there will be English translation, and that the rest of the program (there are other talks as well) will be in English.

Even if you are not an Arabic speaker, I would highly recommend attending the event. One of the things which I truly admire Amr Khaled for is his way of giving lectures. Regardless of whether he is addressing fifty, five thousand or five million people he is always very well prepared especially in terms of knowing his audience, speaks with great passion yet without being irrational, and knows how to get his message across straight to one's heart and soul. Maybe it's his sincerity that helps him get to so many people so easily.

On his quest to change the world and bring about spiritual, social, and economical development to the Muslim ummah (particularly in the Arab world) he has presented a diversity of TV programs from hard-core spiritual to down-right practical.

His latest series TV series this Ramadan, Paradise in Our Home, (which I assume the CA talks will revolve around) was a surprise to people since it dealt with a small-scale social issue: family ties. Still, his choice makes sense: in order to bring about the development of the larger community one must start with the family.

Buy your tickets now!

"Thank you, Ann, for uniting Jews, Christians, and Muslims"

By Rebecca Trounson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 25, 2007

Full story here, excerpts below:

As Muslim students and their supporters protested outside, commentator Ann Coulter told a USC audience Wednesday night that Americans should get tough on terrorists and "stop genuflecting before Islam."

The protesters who gathered outside the auditorium, chanted, shouted and carried signs, such as "Fight the Real Fascist, Down with Coulter" and "Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate."

Another sign noted the diversity of the protesters: "Thank you, Ann, for uniting Jews, Christians and Muslims."

Along with Ayloush's organization [CAIR], others represented included the Progressive Jewish Alliance of California, MEChA, the Anti-War Coalition and the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace.

The Rev. Louis Chase, president of the interfaith group and pastor of Hamilton United Methodist Church in South Los Angeles, was among the protesters. "I have problems with Ann Coulter's characterization of the perfect society as a Christian nation, both as a pastor and a theologian," he said.

Steve Puzarne, a cantor who frequently sings at a Pacific Palisades synagogue and who heads the newly formed Pilgrimage of Peace, said he took issue both with Coulter and with what he called the demonization of Muslims.

"As I see it, these are very much cut from the same cloth," Puzarne said. "And I'm quite distressed that the Jewish community, which has responded vociferously to her comments about Jews, has remained relatively silent during her much longer history of hate speech about Muslims."

The term Islamo-Fascism, Puzarne said, is "beyond demagoguery."

Al Qaeda started California Wildfires!

Yeah that’s right, did you know it was Al Qaeda (oozing sarcasm)?!?! That’s what FOX news, I mean FAUX news is reporting. Pointing to a 2003 memo they claim Al Qaeda is the culprit…umm ok. I wonder if they were responsible for Katrina too, or AIDs? You can read the story and transcripts here: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/24/fox-news-al-qaeda-is-causing-the-ca-wildires

Soldier at Guantanamo...



The following are some excerpts from the recent New York Times article about Lt. Cmdr. Mathew Diaz who defied his military superiors to give a voice to those detained at Guantanamo Bay. It's uplifting to know that there are people on the inside who are willing to break the rules to stand up for human rights.

“Well into the night of Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, lt. Cmdr. Matthew Diaz sat alone at his desk in the headquarters of the American detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, consumed with a new project.”

“But the task that absorbed Diaz that night in January was taking him down a different path. Sitting at a secure desktop computer, he printed out page after page of classified information, pulling each batch from the printer in case anyone wandered by. When he was done, Diaz had assembled a document 39 pages long. In tiny type, it listed names, prison serial numbers and other information for each of the 551 men who were then being held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay.”

“Now, Diaz knew he was crossing a line. For nearly two weeks after printing the list, he kept it locked inside the safe in his office. On another late night, he carefully trimmed the pages down to the size of large index cards. Then, on Jan. 14, the last night of his tour, he went back to the office one more time. While his colleagues were getting ready for his farewell dinner, he slipped the stack of paper inside a Valentine’s Day card he had bought at the base exchange. It was an odd touch. The card showed a cartoon puppy with long ears and bubble eyes and the greeting, “Hope Valentine’s Day is just your style.” Diaz would later say that he chose it because it was big enough to hold the list. He also hoped the lipstick-red envelope might pass unscrutinized through the Guantánamo post office.”

“It hardly occurred to the lawyers that someone inside the detention-camp headquarters might be trying to help them, Olshansky told me not long ago. For all the public debate about Guantánamo, there was little sign that members of the military were defying their superiors. Uniformed lawyers who had been assigned to defend some of the prisoners before military commissions had begun criticizing the rules for those tribunals, but that dissent was explicitly tolerated by the Pentagon. Some Muslim servicemen at Guantanamo, including an Army chaplain, Capt. James Yee, had been investigated on suspicion of disloyal conduct. But that episode and the others seemed to suggest more about the high-security atmosphere of the camp than it did about any internal opposition to how the prisoners were treated. The valentine was different: no one had taken the law into his own hands quite like this.”

“As he lay in bed at night, Diaz said, he thought about the risk he would be taking if he went ahead. Over the previous year, the military had prosecuted or disciplined several servicemen for taking classified materials off the island. Security had been tightened. The Guantánamo counterintelligence officer slept in the next bedroom of the town house Diaz shared with several midlevel officers. The career for which he had worked so hard would be on the line. He was within striking distance of a promotion to commander, or of retiring with an officer’s pension.”

“On May 18 this year, after a weeklong trial, a panel of seven naval officers convicted Diaz on four of five counts, including one of disclosing secret defense information that “could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation.” By then, nearly two and a half years after Diaz had left Guantánamo, the politics of detention policy had shifted. The detainees’ names had been released under the Freedom of Information Act. The Supreme Court had ruled against the administration once more, upholding the minimum standards of the Geneva Conventions and derailing the military commissions. The president declared that he would like to close Guantánamo as soon as possible.”

Read on here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/magazine/21Diaz-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin