Killer Drones

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

Peace March, Political Stunt and Killer Drones

You don't have to be a PTI worker to see what Imran Khan's peace march to Waziristan has achieved. Nor can you be so blind, unable to read and recognise the hypocrisy written all over Fazl-ur-Rehman's and Abdul Ghafoor Haidri's statements calling Imran Khan an agent of the 'Jews' and by personally attacking his ex-wife and children. And guess what! Fazl-ur-Rehman, self-proclaimed Pakistani pseudoliberals and US were all on one side, either due to being Anti-Peace-March or pro-drone or both. Not surprising actually!

Any independent unbiased activist, anti-war and anti-drone humanist would wholeheartedly appreciate this big step that was taken by Imran Khan. I was appalled to hear and read some lame arguments from some 'senior journalist' who once shouted 'Why-Islamabad-and-Why-Not-Waziristan'. Now the objection changed to 'Why-South-and-Why-not-North-Waziristan'. Some of them asked why invite Americans to protest in Waziristan and rather not go to USA and protest in front of the White House (which CodePink activists did before coming to Pakistan). A few days before the march, the pseudo-liberal lot claimed TTP and Imran are friends and so they will provide him security which was later denied by the Taliban. Then, the march was stopped near Tank and was denied access to the area. It sounded amusing to some. The critics somehow overlooked that the mission was to highlight the issue with the help of the international activists which was symbolic as well as revealing. Do the noise makers suggest it should have been turned into a violent protest, to get to the area by hook or by crook? Hilarious indeed!

The international media covered the issue for two consecutive days. This same media is used to brainwash people about the effectiveness of War on Terror and 'accuracy' of American drone strikes killing 'militants' alone. By raising the issue in an extra ordinary way this march has shown the people of these countries, the other side of the story.

Clive Stafford Smith (who came from UK to attend this rally) writes in his article,

"During the day I shook the hand of a 16-year-old kid from Waziristan named Tariq Aziz. One of his cousins had died in a missile strike, and he wanted to know what he could do to bring the truth to the west. At the Reprieve charity, we have a transparency project: importing cameras to the region to try to export the truth back out. Tariq wanted to take part, but I thought him too young.

Then, three days later, the CIA announced that it had eliminated "four militants". In truth there were only two victims: Tariq had been driving his 12-year-old cousin to their aunt's house when the Hellfire missile killed them both."

According to a major study released by Stanford University and New York University named 'Living Under Drones' only 2 out of every hundred killed may be militants and the fear is immeasurable.

"Drones hover twenty-four hours a day over communities in northwest Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles, and public spaces without warning. Their presence terrorizes men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities. Those living under drones have to face the constant worry that a deadly strike may be fired at any moment, and the knowledge that they are powerless to protect themselves."

Drones are a familiar phenomenon for Pakistanis, Yemenis and Afghans but not so for the rest of the world. It was effectively highlighted; no sane person can deny the fact. And how many Pakistanis know where they operate from, how illegal they are according to international law and even US constitution and how they CANNOT operate without our government's permission. 'We condemn; you carry on' policy of the Pakistani civil and military authorities is utterly disgusting. And now the whole world knows our leaders have made us a US colony where they are only puppets displayed to deceive us.

Some leaders labelled the march as a 'political stunt' risking the lives of people and activists from the world to gain votes? Not so surprisingly, this does happen in Pakistan by the parties who have ruled us again and again so they painted their formula to label the march as a political drama. The silliest argument that really surprised me was 'Would this march stop the drones?' If that's the point then beware: All marches are political stunts, all processions are pointless and all protests are useless as they don't change anything most of the time.

Let's leave the intentions to God and not undermine the cause by such unjustified and childish squabble. The issue is national. There is a war imposed on us without declaration and one faction of intellectuals is bent upon legalising what the world holds illegitimate i.e. drones. The biggest ally is the major sufferer with innocent women and children being killed in double tap attacks (targeting the rescuers) or left amputated with post-traumatic stress disorder; Attacks that are carried out on the basis of 'local intelligence' gathered by awarding a few thousand dollars and using locals to tag the target with a GPS device, make someone's fortune and ruin someone's home and family. The march has brought attention to the forgotten people of Waziristan living under the killer buzzes in fear, avoiding meeting with each other with confidence and trust due to suspicion and terror  created  by the US.

Support whatever is good and let not your personal, political and/or egoistic 'self' weaken the cause and make the world laugh at us. We have a problem, we raise voice, the good people from the world come out to help us but we doubt each other's intentions. Woah! Don't let the voice go weak. Strengthen it for the sake of the country and humanity. Play your part, positively. You're answerable for your bit and every word that you contribute for or against the truth.

By : Sister Aisha Aijaz

Dt: Oct 9th, 2012

Source: http://www.mybitforchange.org/2012/peace-march-drones/




May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
   M.Imran.

A Method in The Madness?

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

A Method in The Madness?

Attacking a girl who expressed her will to educate herself and others like her is a crime most heinous is something every right-minded human being would assent to. There is, quite unsurprisingly therefore, an absolute consensus among Pakistanis and the rest of the world about the reprehensibility of the act_ and that certainly tells us our hearts are still in the right place. It is also a given that whoever is behind this attack is evil.

Thinking thus is not leftist or rightist, or liberal or conservative or religious or secular. It is just common decency. But I must risk being controversial beyond the facile narrative of this episode. There are vital questions that need to be asked. For one, who would do this, and why really? I am told it is the thing called Taliban. But I must be cautious against unproven assumptions. Not because I am a Taliban sympathizer, but because I do not know enough to make that conclusion other than the fact that one Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed it was the Taliban. He also tells me he wants her killed because she 'promoted secularism' and had the shamelessness to quote to me the Quran and the Sunnah to justify the most despicable act. Indeed, the devil can cite scriptures for his purpose.

I would really like to know and condemn whoever is behind this in the strongest possible terms. But I cannot but put my finger on a murky, dubious and elusive entity that is called Taliban. I do not know what that is, except that it is an umbrella-term for something far more nuanced and complex than the term implies; used more liberally, loosely and expediently than it should- by both those who call themselves the Taliban as well as those who use it for others. Because while it originally described a popular defensive struggle against warlordism and civil strife in Afghanistan and thereafter against the US occupation of the same, it is now adopted by a band of sorts, consisting of mercenaries, petty criminals, hired assassins, agency funded terrorists, double agents, spies and pathological fanatics. Their link with the original Pashtun resistance by this name in Afghanistan remains unclear and questionable, and often denied by mainstream Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.

The skewed up mindset I read in the letter by Ehsanullah Ehsan is sickeningly diabolical. I stop and think what kind of a mind would call for the killing of a mere child using a completely irrelevant, ill-fitting and utterly out-of-context sacred text to justify the point-blank targeting of a female child who had come to mean so much for so many. Even if one cannot expect moral scrupulousness from the Taliban, this sounds like a masterstroke of grandiose stupidity in terms of political consequences as well as psychological repercussions. It is an absolutely suicidal move on the part of the Taliban, given the fact that the very natural and very expected sympathy for the innocent victim will bring utter condemnation and ruination to their cause. It is only natural that a pretty little girl wanting to educate herself and getting shot in the head by misogynistic terrorists for it will deflect any sympathy there may have been for what the Taliban fight for and will provoke the ire of all feeling hearts.

But perhaps there is method in this madness? For one, the episode came to light right after Imran Khan's peace march against drone strikes had managed to draw attention to this issue that ails the heart of many Pakistanis, and just when there was talk of creating grounds for an operation in North Waziristan. A news report in 'The Express Tribune' on September 17, 2012 entitled 'North Waziristan Operation to Stay Under Wraps' quotes a Pakistan government official saying that Pakistani authorities plan to create a 'necessary environment' for the Waziristan operation. Moreover, soon after the attack given the overwhelming public sympathy there is conspicuous effort to swing opinion in favour of the necessity to use drones to hit targets in the region and the necessity to begin a military operation in North Waziristan agency. This had been a demand from the White House since some time. I must be allowed to wonder who really is the beneficiary of it all? The pattern I detect is a familiar one. Before the Swat operation some years ago, opinion had been swung in support of it after the screening of a video that showed the Taliban lashing a yelping woman. Months later, a small news strip revealed the video had been a fake one. It did not matter then, for the deftness of the forgery had come in handy to justify the operation and to give an inept regime reasons for self-congratulation over something the Former Dictator had failed to do: rally public opinion before a military move into the restive, bleeding north.

Last month's joint report by Stanford and NYU on the impact of the drone strikes in Pakistan calls them 'damaging and counterproductive' as opposed to the false US narrative of these being 'surgically precise effective tools' to hit specified targets with minimal collateral damage. The report documents 2562 to 3325 casualties by drone strikes since 2004, out of which 474-881 are civilians including 176 children. The number of injured is roughly between 1226 to 1362 individuals. The report includes harrowing narratives of survivors and victim communities in a region where the 'free media' of the country cannot dare to tread.

I may be dubbed a hopelessly 'illiberal' fanatic for linking up the Malala incident to the drones when I say that the sympathy generated for Malala must also be for all victims of terror, drone strikes, sectarian and ethnic killings, indiscriminately. We cannot discriminate between dead bodies just because it may not be 'politically correct' to question and condemn the cause of the deaths of some, depending on who the killer is. However, the necessary link between Malala and the drone strikes is best drawn by an anonymous lady holding up a most unforgettable placard that confounds the senses: 'Drones kill so Malala can live.' I commend her scathing honesty. Few can put so succinctly the political agenda behind the state-sponsored media campaign for Malala and the vital link that does exist between the two. It is, in fact, quite ordinarily a strategy of psychological warfare to generate favourable opinion and support for a planned military offensive which may otherwise be opposed and questioned on moral grounds. In American military terminology, this vital strategy is called PSYOPS (Psychological Operations). Wikipedia explains:

"Psychological operations are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.The purpose of the United States psychological operations (PSYOP) is to induce or reinforce behavior favorable to US objectives. They are an important part of the range of diplomatic, informational, military, and economic activities available to the US. Strategic PSYOPS include informational activities conducted by the US government agencies outside of the military arena."

So now again I hear talk of military operations with renewed vigour while public outrage is toned down and muted. Hawks who cannot see beyond a military solution to the complex, deep-rooted phenomena on the rampage in the tribal north must be patting themselves on the back for yet another tawdry, meaningless triumph. I shudder to think of the possibilities being contemplated.

And I wonder if this really is all about girls education as it is being made out to be? How effective will this be to further the cause of education for the girlchild in this country? Or will it blow to smithereens more lives, generate more terror wreaking havoc on human lives and keeping little girls away from school? And I think of those other victims it is not good manners to make mention of: those battered anonymous and unsung lives connected to so many other lives; of children whose dreams of brighter futures die away and recede into the falling debris; and of my religion audaciously sinned against and made a malleable ploy to the whims and unholy ambitions of evil self-appointed guardians of it.

But if we wish to reach solutions we must be ready to understand, ask questions and wonder why, really? If it is really an ideology that motivates the Taliban's diabolical moves, I wonder why the ideology never drove these misogynistic Pashtuns into paroxysms of fury and frenzy when Swat hosted tourists and many young honeymooning couples a decade ago? A friend born and raised in Swat speaks of the cheerful, chivalrous, hospitable people with well-knit and warm community lives. My mother who went to school in Nowshehra and Peshawar reminisces of ruddy chivalrous Pathan youths escorting groups of girls to school and of bright-eyed Pathan girls following their dreams into high school and college, many of whom graduated as professionals. So where exactly has it all turned awry? Ideologies do not take birth instantaneously; but vengeance does.
And, if it really is an ideology that motivates the madness, can the use of wholesale, blind brute-force that does not discriminate, defeat it? The answer is a most basic lesson of history it would serve us well to learn.

And somewhere, this simplistic narrative I must believe, just does not cohere.

The pointer here is that maybe this uncontrollable hydra of insane extremism and terrorism is the work of our own fumbling, bloodsoaked, sinning hands? Maybe it is the inevitable result of the dirty deals we brokered and the unholy alliance we forged in indecent haste and sinister hush? And maybe the monster will not be tamed and cut down to size unless we dare to understand that violence begets violence, and the victim does not forget or forgive; that drones don't see the faces in the dust nor hear the moans in the darkness, but that the faces are people and lives and stories forever knitted into several other stories with the silken ties of love. And by being complicit in this unholy mission, we make these sad stories ugly, grotesque, haunting, terrifying, vengeful. And our own story of ignominy and annihilation is writ indelibly by the Moving Finger.

By : Sister Maryam Sakeenah

Dt: Oct 21st, 2012

Source: http://www.mybitforchange.org/2012/a-method-in-the-madness/



May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
   M.Imran.

Malala and The Justified War of Terror – II

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

Malala and The Justified War of Terror – II

I got in to the car and in the hour long drive back I reflected on the hopeless failure for dialogue. There has been endless condemnation of 9/11 from the "Muslim world" but the propaganda of the last decade drowns it out. Somewhere along shouting out support for such sacred morals as "freedom of speech" the west drowned out its own conscience as conveniently as it blocked out the "Muslim world" asking it, "what about the right to be heard?" I pause and reflect at the flow of my own thoughts. I realize how I have succumbed to "generalizations" while claiming to raise my voice against this very evil. Perhaps the propaganda of our times is best reflected by the quote noted below, and attributed to Confucius with some variations:

"If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot."

While the domestic narrative in the US is one of their military being out to do wonderful things, reinforced over and over again by  blacking out the body bags coming back from the war zones but soldiers returning to propose on camera, giving parents a surprise, helping disabled teens cross finish lines are etched in the minds. I wonder if the lady I had met just moments ago could name even one of the Iraqi or Afghani children that died in the 90's or a million Iraqis that died as a result of war based on lies. She will likely not remember the names of the Iranians who will be killed by the sanctions in the coming years and in all likelihood yet more that will be killed as a war that "breaks out" in the coming years. I wonder if she ever switches off her television and reflects on the disconnection with Iraq's experience. Churchill was threatening to "gas" them in not so remote history, followed by the deliberate destruction of infrastructure like water purification plants, during the first Gulf war, followed by crippling sanctions, followed by a full scale invasion that has killed at least a million more and displaced millions internally and externally. I wonder if she could name a single civilian killed in Pakistan during the drone strikes or if she knew the names of the victims of Raymond Davis, who shot people in broad daylight.The US government subsequently, in the mother of all ironies, flew him out of the country based on loopholes created by their cronies in Islamabad on the very Sharia they demonize. The only legal consequences he received were due to a brawl he got in to after returning to the US.

I wonder if she knew the 16 year old Tariq Aziz, a boy from the tribal areas of Pakistan who had volunteered to learn photography to begin documenting drone strikes near his home. He had come to Islamabad to protest. A few days later he was murdered – in yet another drone strike. I wonder if she could name a single Pakistani soldier or civilian killed by these terrorists – over 40,000 dead. Above all I wondered if she realized that for Pakistanis and Muslims it is a two way struggle of responding to American imperialism and the lunatic fringe. Of course, in Pakistan we have to do this in the absence of any governance since our saviours in Washington are probably already working on an exit plan for their current servants in Islamabad. I wonder if this lady had even an inkling of understanding of the how much better people outside the US understand America's own history. It is therefore, no surprise that George Bush could stand in Philippines in 2003 and talk about his plans for the Middle East and no one in America questioned the almost comical historical contrast. No one in America cares about history especially if it doesn't fit right in to American exceptionalism. Naturally, there is no need to think about USS Maine.

My mind shifts back to Malala. A few days before the attack on Malala, thousands of people from all corners of Pakistan had invested their own money and time and risked their lives in a show of solidarity with their brethren in the Tribal areas. They raised their voices for innocent lives being wiped out by drones in a grotesque video game like new war tool that is even more dehumanizing than the chilling brutality humanity has displayed in the most recently concluded bloodiest century to date. It was fascinating to see how this story would be replaced by the likes of stories such as Justin Bieber's throwing up on stage on "CNN USA", the "CNN international" website being slightly more generous in the number of hours this seemed to be on any notable corner of the main page.

Efforts like the peace march to the tribal areas could be turning points in ending this seemingly endless cycle of violence, especially given that many Americans who joined this peace march . In the few days that these wonderful human beings spent in Pakistan, they won the "hearts and minds" of not just Pakistanis but Muslims around the world and created a stark contrast in results produced by arrogant euphemisms about wars to win hearts and minds. It called the bluff of western governments and its media of labelling every casualty in this endless war as a "terrorist" and where the over one million Iraqis, unknown thousands of Afghanis, drone wars killing in Pakistan, Yemen and an ever growing list of "sovereign" countries is not even a consideration in the discourse that is delivered by crisply dressed men and women with a plastic smile.

Among the people who came to Pakistan was the British convert to Islam, Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British Prime minister. The schizophrenic self-talk emanating from the TV screen in the west chooses to ignore her as much as it chooses to ignore the ever growing number of western converts to Islam unless of course it is about fear-mongering about the Islamic takeover of Europe with impossible numbers projected from birth rates amongst Muslims. The war on terror is simultaneously a war of civilizing the savage as the latest Islamophobic ads In New York subways explicitly state; it is not just about saving a people from their God, Muslim women from Muslim men but it is also about objecting to Muslims having children. A recent study determined that the majority of converts to Islam are British women with an average age of 27 and many have adopted traditional Muslim attire and wear a head scarf. The very symbol of oppression to the west is a choice for many but the media in the west has the luxury to talk right past these contradictions.

It gets dark and I pull in to a gas station and pray Maghrib in my car after trying to align myself the best I can to the Kaaba. I imagine millions more if not well over a billion are engaged in this very same act for the five daily prayers. I miss my daughter who lately has developed a fondness of climbing all over me while I pray. I marvel at the connection of Muslims to the Prophet Mohammed, Peace be upon him, who would prolong his prostration in prayers if his grandchildren climbed on his back. 1400 years later my child playing with me during prayers becomes a Sunnah. The sun has almost disappeared and I am saddened by how much we have failed to represent the teachings of the most magnificent man to walk the earth; a man who was sent as a mercy to the entire universe.

In the stream of propaganda we have become fathers that kill our daughters for honour. I run my hands over my face and feel my beard. The war on terror has come as close as my facial hair. If it had been better times I would have laughed at how ridiculous this thought was. Daughters and men with beards burying them … we learn no different than Pavlov's dogs but if we use the intellect that we are gifted with we will see the Quran talking about avenging the girl child that was buried alive. The closest association Muslims finds in their heritage of how bearded men feel towards their daughters is the Prophet Mohammed, Peace be upon him, crying to the point that his beard was drenched when a man confessed to having buried his daughter alive before the advent of Islam. I put the car in drive and after a long time I seem to know what my journey is.

By : Ahmed Javed

Dt: Oct 16th, 2012

Source: http://www.mybitforchange.org/2012/war-of-terror-ii/




May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
   M.Imran.

Malala and The Justified War of Terror – I

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

Malala and The Justified War of Terror – I

I glance down at the empty plastic cup, circled in two small hands; a pair of gleaming eyes looked on intently as she pretended to take a sip and teased "It's only for girls." I make a rather exaggerated attempt to snatch it. In an instant she has turned and disappeared in to her room. I catch a glimpse of her curly locks as she intercepts the sunlight crashing through the living room window. My smile disappears instantly as I focus on the picture of a girl, some years senior to the child who filled my universe just minutes ago. I am filled with sadness for Malala, for her family, for us as humanity in general and for us as Muslims in particular. A familiar anguish registers forcefully yet again and I watch, like the majority of Muslims globally, as we fail to undo, the curse of a black and white world that George W. Bush initiated but since has been furthered relentlessly by his successor. An endless war rooted in grandiosity, condescendence and greed as much as it is supposedly about an endless stream of terror that masquerades as forces of absolute evil against forces of darkness. The narrative that unfolds and as it is retold endlessly, around the clock, with slight variations in flavour but absolute unanimity in incriminating the religion of the "other", is shouted from the television screens and Radios across the west. Who is the West? Is it the by and large wonderful people I have had the pleasure to meet in the US, my teachers, colleagues and friends? Or is it the people who sanctioned two wars, one supposedly over but with great dividends of control of energy resources and somewhere along the way re-elected a President who started these war on lies, while simultaneously asking Muslims to chant in unison, their denunciation of the acts of people who they, like the west, sees as obscure figures on television when they come out with reported videos threatening to kill everyone and everything that breathes?

Just prior to the weekend, in a small town of 3000, an elderly lady in rural America approached me and asked about "surviving Pakistan." I braced for a familiar conversation about how it is a country of a 180 million and not really just about the constant bad news you see on the media. Of course I can never explain in two minutes of sympathy coming my way the role of her own country in the mess in Afghanistan, the devastation of the economy that comes in the aftermath of US policies, the current corrupt lot that Washington has installed through unprecedented black laws such as the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that resulted in a puppet dictator exiting the country to find refuge abroad and ushered in well-known corrupt figures whose corruption of billions of dollars was forgiven by the outgoing dictator. I wanted to tell her that these are not crazy conspiracy theories but the very deception that alienates good people like herself and her fellow citizens from the "Muslim world." I wanted to tell her diplomacy in the Muslim world to the US is the mockery of democracy. That what I was saying to her was not a secret but documented by numerous western writers including the very officials in the midst of these ugly hijacking of the will of millions such as the former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice writing about her role in this wonderful piece of diplomacy in her book, believe it or not, titled "No higher honour." Within the borders of the US she is celebrated as the first Afro-American secretary of state, a testament to how America is overcoming its prejudices and simultaneously doing 'good' around the world. I wondered what she would think if I told her what this "other" from a distant land of murderers believes.

I wondered if she, her curiosity and genuine kindness would seem less condescending to me if she had the information she needed to judge me. Beyond the caricatures of me and many like me that she saw on TV, this woman knew nothing of my history or faith. I thought of Hazrat Bilal who had been a black Ethiopian slave in Makkah prior to the advent of Islam and who came to adore Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) and was one of his closest companions and who was tortured for accepting Islam as he was made to lay naked in the desert sand, burnt and crushed under the weight of stones on his chest as he continued to chant "Ahad … Ahad", a proclamation of his faith in the Oneness of God. I suspect that she would have at best either stared back blankly or at worst called the authorities for "she saw something, therefore she must say something."

Perhaps she would have been angered by my response, although staring at her bright blue eyes, repeated compliments on how well I speak English and the gentleness that she exuded it seemed quite unlikely. She may have challenged me stating that Islam does not sanction slavery and I would have invited her to sit down and have a discussion of what my faith represents. I would have loved to tell her the wisdom behind gradual phasing out of slavery that Islam represented. As I contemplated this elaborate conversation all in my mind I found eagerness to share how Islam had shaped for us an classless society based on justice. The very interests of the US leave it in need for feudals and dictators and works against the justice in society that Muslims long for. I would have loved to speak for myself instead of the convenience of her hearing a convenient truth about a complex world through the TV. I would have loved to share the following Hadith Narrated by Al-Ma'rur:

At Ar-Rabadha I met Abu Dhar who was wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a similar one. I asked about the reason for it. He replied, "I abused a person by calling his mother with bad names." The Prophet said to me, 'O Abu Dhar! Did you abuse him by calling his mother with bad names You still have some characteristics of ignorance. Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them.'

I could see that the pleasantness of our interaction as human beings had perhaps surprised her. I wanted to tell her that if she saw any goodness in me it was not despite the Quran that is my guide to life, but solely because of it. That this very book teaches me:

"It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat ), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfil their covenant when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqun (the pious)"

I would have loved to reference for her western authors documenting Islam's creation of a just and equal society. I would have loved to have a debate on the universality of human understanding of what is right and just, how America under Lincoln struggled with the same dilemma that to me Allah and his Messenger, Mohammed, Peace be upon him, showed us the wisdom to handle. In 1854 Lincoln stated in a speech:
"My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia,—to their own native land. But a moment's reflection would convince me that whatever of high hope (as I think there is) there may be in this, in the long run, its sudden execution is impossible"

In 1862 Lincoln established a colony in Haiti where 500 freed slaves were sent. Many of them died of starvation and an outbreak of smallpox. In my mind thoughts raced of how to pick words to share the experience of watching the poorest amongst us lead us in prayers, pray side by side or in the front rows while many more affluent would stand way in the back of the mosque. I wanted to tell her that a 7 year old child praying next to me can ask me to align my feet with the rest right before the prayer commences with "Allahu Akbar" which to us means that our Creator is greater than anything and everything, be it the most comforts I can acquire in this world or the biggest calamity that can befall me. It liberates me from fear and sorrow. It is my understanding of freedom from greed, envy and hatred.

I worried she may have read the recent series on CNN about Slavery in Mauritania that seemingly popped up randomly and in the typical convenience of the western narrative on Islam equated slavery in Mauritania to Islam. It was convenient because a couple of days earlier one (or many?) US soldiers had murdered 16 Afghans. Lest any humanity of the other seep through the mirage created by the media a diversion is created to "contain" opinion. I was surprised at the extensive and random thoughts running through my head and was looking for a polite way to end our interaction when her next comment caught me off guard.

"It's terrible isn't it? The Taliban shooting this school girl ….."

In an instant she had assigned a face of convenience to the war on terror; The Muslim girls that the West is out to save. I felt sad for her ignorance and anguished at the state of Muslims worldwide. I wanted to tell her that the same puppets that her country has mounted as rulers, and who move around in security convoys of 100's of cars while citizens give birth and die on their way to the hospital in resultant traffic jams, had failed to give any security to this girl against a fringe element of criminals. The unprecedented looting and plundering of the country that has left people in abject poverty, without access to healthcare and education is not just seen as "collateral damage" of US policies but the very goals. I wanted to tell her that if China had drones killing people on the east coast with the US government not just failing to protect its citizens but being complicit in the murder of its civilians, surely there will be a segment of society that will take up arms against the government. I wished to have the wisdom to express that for every Malala that America has the delusion of being out to save; there are a million Iraqi children that die due to sanctions that did not target the dictators of yesteryears but the very people of the countries that you are out to save. A loss that Muslims around the world hear justified by Madeleine Albright as "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price–we think the price is worth it. " I wanted to tell her that if Americans could at least begin to understand the dichotomy of what the US represents within its borders and without, even if is a statement like "Saddam was a bastard but he was our bastard", that Phil Donahue had the courage to express, the world would be a much less angry place.

I nodded with my eyes lowered and as we began to walk away I heard myself say, "Things are very different from what you see on TV."She smiled and walked away.

By: Ahmed Javed

Dt:Oct 15th, 2012

Source:   http://www.mybitforchange.org/2012/war-of-terror-i/

May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
   M.Imran.

Gaza and after the ceasefire

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

Oppression will resume, the land-grab will continue, more rewards for Israel will flow…

And it will be business as usual for Western leaders and their Zionist friends

In 2009, when Israel's 22-day blitzkrieg was over, nearly 1,400 Palestinians had been wiped off the planet of whom four-fifths were civilians and 350 children, and over 5,000 wounded.

Israel had destroyed or damaged 58,000 homes, 280 schools, 1,500 factories, water and sewage installations, and 80 per cent of agricultural crops. The cost to Gaza's civilian infrastructure was estimated at 660 to 900 million US dollars while the total economic cost was put at 3 to 3.5 billion dollars.

It was really a non-war, said Norman Finkelstein in his book This Time We Went Too Far, and testimonies of Israeli soldiers included remarks like: "There was nothing there … nothing moved"; "No real resistance"; "Everyone was disappointed about not engaging anyone".

Towards the end of the invasion the then Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, said: "Hamas now understands that when you fire on Israel's citizens it responds by going wild – and this is a very good thing." She later waxed proud of how Israel had "demonstrated real hooliganism" and said she would happily repeat her decisions because they were meant to restore Israel's deterrence and had done so.

And after that slaughter binge in which Gaza has been reduced to rubble and its civilian population devastated, what did the European Union's 27 foreign ministers do?

Israel's admirers in Europe queued up to pay with our tax money for the humanitarian mess and the economic wreckage, and to offer Israel the services of EU member states in helping to turn the screw yet again on the people Israel had terrorized, abused and dispossessed for 60 years

They sat down to dinner in Brussels with Livni.

This must have come as a slap in the face for the millions of justice-loving EU citizens who were expecting to see Ms Livni arrested for crimes against humanity the minute she set foot outside Israel.

But no. All was forgiven. Normal poodle service was resumed. Israel's admirers in Europe queued up to pay with our tax money for the humanitarian mess and the economic wreckage, and to offer Israel the services of EU member states in helping to turn the screw yet again on the people Israel had terrorized, abused and dispossessed for 60 years.

Never mind that the EU had spent billions over the years on infrastructure projects in Gaza, only to see them wantonly smashed by Israel's military. The EU was especially eager to help with stopping the "smuggling" of arms to the Palestinians, who by then were crushed and stripped of everything amid the ruins of their homes, their wrecked utilities, their shattered hospitals and schools, and faced with a public health disaster. That's what happens when people have only AK47s, RPGs and ineffective rockets to fend off a ruthless occupying force bristling with all the armour and high-tech weaponry of modern warfare.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that a people under illegal occupation and siege are entitled in international law to take up arms against their oppressor. Israel's relentless assaults to annihilate Gaza's civil society was unlawful and a war crime then, and is today. Who are we to interfere and deny their right of self-defence?

Nevertheless six European leaders – including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and our very own British Prime Minister Gordon Brown – pledged ships, troops and technology for anti-smuggling operations. "We will do everything that we can to prevent the arms trafficking that is at the root of some of the problems that have caused the conflict," Mr Brown said, offering the services of the Royal Navy.

But he couldn't possibly send navy ships to protect British flag vessels carrying medics and humanitarian supplies from lethal acts of piracy by Israeli gunboats.

He wouldn't send ships to ensure the freedom of the seas, or even the freedom of their own territorial waters for Gaza's fishermen.

He wouldn't send ships to shoo away Israeli gunboats shelling Gaza's beaches.

But he'd happily send ships to make sure Palestinians have no weapons with which to exercise their right of self-defence.

But I was forgetting – our political élite know which side their bread is buttered.

Meanwhile, in the British Parliament Sir Gerald Kaufman was congratulating Foreign Secretary David Miliband on steering Resolution 1860 through the Security Council of the United Nations. Its aim, apart from a durable ceasefire, was to ensure the sustained reopening of crossing points on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. The US abstained.

"May I ask him what the international reaction would be if Hamas had slaughtered nearly 900 Israelis [the blitz was only 13 days old at that point] and subjected nearly 1.5 million Israelis to degradation and deprivation?" enquired the feisty Jewish MP.

Is it not an incontrovertible fact that Olmert, Livni and Barak are mass-murderers and war criminals? Yes. And they bring shame on the Jewish people whose Star of David they use as a flag in Gaza, but whose ethos and morals go completely against what this Israeli government are doing.

I'm itching to hear what Kaufman says about Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in regard to this repetition of the Cast Lead murder spree.

Miliband, apparently in all seriousness, said:

It is important to point out that people talk about Hamas being the representatives of Palestinians, without recognizing that there is an elected leader of all the Palestinians – a president of the Palestinian Authority, elected in 2004 by all Palestinians to represent them. A further president will be elected this year or next year. That is a vital part of the issue, and we should not fall into the trap of allowing Hamas's leadership in Gaza to claim that it represents all the Palestinians.

But the 2006 general election established precisely that! What Miliband omitted to say was that Mahmoud Abbas "won" the presidency in January 2005 in a dodgy and lopsided contest – let's not dignify it with the word "election" – in which Israel seriously interfered to obstruct other candidates. Abbass's term ran out in 2009 but he's still there. He is now regarded as having no legitimacy and no popular mandate. However, he continues to be propped up by those mighty champions of democracy, the US, Israel and Britain.

And what help has this loser been in the crisis? He clearly feels he doesn't represent the Palestinians of Gaza or he'd be fighting tooth and nail for them instead of skulking in the shadows.

I close in despair. This message has just arrived from MAP (Medical Aid for Palestine): "Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai has said openly that "the goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages". Palestinians in Gaza have been living under blockade for over five years and have still not recovered from the last war. Health facilities were severely overstretched before the current bombardment and hospitals are facing critical shortages, with 40 per cent of essential medicines and 65 per cent of medical disposables at zero stock."

What despicable world leaders we are cursed with.

By Stuart Littlewood


Source: http://www.redressonline.com/2012/11/gaza-and-after-the-ceasefire/




Article to give some thought about:

Ethnic cleansing, says Erdogan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, saying the air raids could not be considered self-defence. "Israel is committing ethnic cleansing by ignoring peace in this region and violating international law," said Mr. Erdogan. "It is occupying the Palestinian territory step by step."

He said the raids could not be deemed self-defence, accusing Western countries of aiding what he called a "terrorist state" by condoning its violence in West Asia.

"Sooner or later, Israel will answer for the innocent blood it has shed so far."

Mr. Erdogan said Turkey, Egypt and the Gulf countries, particularly Qatar and Saudi Arabia, had to take their own initiative. He accused the Security Council of doing nothing to save Gazans.

"It is against them today, tomorrow it will be us, keep that in mind," he said. "If we are going to die, let's go down with decency. Keep that in mind too." — AFP

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/ethnic-cleansing-says-erdogan/article4121576.ece

Note: ONLY man to speak out against this oppression?




News Links:

1. http://whatreallyhappened.com/category/palestine

2. How many children will Israel slaughter…- http://www.redressonline.com/2012/11/how-many-children-will-israel-slaughter/

3. Searching for meaning in the deaths of innocents - http://972mag.com/searching-for-meaning-in-the-deaths-of-innocents/60524/

4. Teaching the Palestinians a lesson- http://972mag.com/teaching-the-palestinians-a-lesson/60098/

5. Gaza operation will be declared a success, until the next war - http://972mag.com/gaza-operation-will-be-declared-a-success-until-the-next-war/59829/

6.Table- http://mycatbirdseat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GazaAd-lr.jpg

7. The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall - http://mycatbirdseat.com/2012/11/34755-the-bigger-they-are-the-harder-they-fall/

8.Why Gaza must suffer again - http://www.redressonline.com/2012/11/why-gaza-must-suffer-again/

9. UK minister in denial on Israel's nuclear weapons - http://www.redressonline.com/2012/11/british-minister-in-denial-on-israels-nuclear-weapons/

10. Speaking to Palestinians in the language of death- http://www.redressonline.com/2012/11/speaking-to-the-palestinians-in-the-language-of-death/

11. Is attacking Gaza really about Hamas rockets? - http://www.redressonline.com/2012/11/does-anyone-seriously-think-attacking-gaza-is-about-rockets/



Few Flash backs:

1. White Phosphorous - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKgph9PV3SA&feature=relmfu

2. Death in Gaza Documentary - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohSO_MGNw1Q&feature=related

3. Gaza in Plain Language—Revisited - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxdaHM7rgag&feature=player_embedded#

4. Cleansing Gaza - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKHaowFEOsw&feature=related

"A believer is not stung from the same hole twice"

May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
   M.Imran.

Recommendation to fast Taasoo’a’ with ‘Ashoora’

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

 

 

1-Qstn: I want to fast 'Ashoora' this year, but some people told me that the Sunnah is to fast the day before as well (Taasoo'a'). Is there any report that this was the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?.

 

You can check this link: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/21785

 

Or you can read below:

 

Ans:

 

Praise be to Allaah.  

'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on the day of 'Ashoora and told the people to fast, they said, "O Messenger of Allaah, this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Next year, if Allaah wills, we will fast on the ninth day." But by the time the following year came, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had passed away.

 Narrated by Muslim, 1916. 

 

Al-Shaafa'i and his companions, Ahmad, Ishaaq and others said: It is mustahabb [recommended] to fast both the ninth and the tenth, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted the tenth and intended to fast the ninth. 

Based on this, there are different ways of fasting 'Ashoora', the least of which is to fast the tenth only, but it is better to fast the ninth as well. The more one fasts in Muharram, the better. 

 

If one were to ask, what is the wisdom behind fasting the ninth as well as the tenth?

The answer is: 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The scholars among our companions and others said that there are several reasons for recommending fasting on the ninth day (Tasoo'a'): 

1 – The intention behind it is to be different from the Jews who limit their fasting to the tenth day. This was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas. 

2 – The intention was to join the fast of 'Ashoora' to another day, just as it is not allowed to fast on a Friday on its own [but it is allowed if one fasts the day before or the day after as well]. 

3 – The idea is to be on the safe side and make sure one is fasting on the tenth, in case the moon sighting was not accurate and what people think is the ninth is actually the tenth. 

The strongest of these reasons is in order to be different from the People of the Book. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade resembling the People of the Book in many ahaadeeth. For example, he said concerning 'Ashoora': "If I live until next year I will certainly fast the ninth." Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 6. 

Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the hadeeth "If I live until next year I will certainly fast the ninth": His concern to fast the ninth may be understood as meaning that he would not limit himself to that, rather that he would add it to the tenth, either to be on the safe side, or to be different from the Jews and Christians, which is more likely to be correct; this is what may be understood from some of the reports narrated by Muslim." 

From Fath al-Baari, 4/245.

 

 

The virtue of fasting 'Ashoora'

 

2-Qstn: I heard that fasting the day of 'Ashoora' expiates for the past year, is this true? 
Does it expiate for everything, even major sins? What is the reason for venerating this day?.

 

You can check this link:   http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/21775

 

Or you can read below

 

Ans:

 

Praise be to Allaah.  

Firstly: 

Fasting the day of 'Ashoora' does expiate for the past year, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Fasting the day of 'Arafah I hope Allaah will expiate thereby for the year before it and the year after it, and fasting the day of 'Ashoora' I hope Allaah will expiate thereby for the year that came before it." Narrated by Muslim, 1162. This is by the bounty that Allaah bestows upon us, whereby fasting one day expiates for the sins of a whole year. And Allaah is the Owner of great bounty. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to be very keen to make sure he fasted on the day of 'Ashoora' because of its great status. It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I never saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so keen to make sure he fasted any day and preferring it over another except this day, the day of 'Ashoora', and this month – meaning Ramadaan. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1867. 

What is meant by being keen to make sure he fasted it is so as to earn its reward. 

 

Secondly: 

 

With regard to the reason why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on the day of 'Ashoora' and urged the people to do likewise is mentioned in the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (1865) from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of 'Ashoora'. He said, "What is this?" They said, "This is a good day, this is the day when Allaah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy and Moosa fasted on this day." He said, "We have closer to Moosa than you." So he fasted on this day and told the people to fast. 

The words "this is a good day" – according to a version narrated by Muslim, "This is a great day when Allaah saved Moosa and his people and drowned Pharaoh and his people." 

The words "so Moosa fasted on this day" – Muslim added in his report: "In gratitude to Allaah, so that is we fast on this day." 

According to another version narrated by al-Bukhaari, "So we fast it out of respect for it." 

The words "and told the people to fast" – according to another version narrated by al-Bukhaari, "He said to his companions, 'You are closer to Moosa than them, so fast this day." 

 

Thirdly: 

 

The expiation of sins that is achieved by fasting 'Ashoora' refers to minor sins; with regard to major sins, they need separate repentance. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Fasting the day of 'Arafaah expiates for all minor sins, in other words this brings forgiveness for all sins except for major sins. 

Then he said: 

Fasting the day of 'Arafaah is an expiation for two years, and the day of 'Ashoora is an expiation for one year, and if a person's Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven… Each of the things mentioned may bring expiation. If he does something that expiates for minor sins he will be expiated, and if there are no minor or major sins, it will be recorded for him as good deeds and he will rise in status thereby… If there is one or more major sins and no minor sins, we hope that it will reduce his major sins.  Al-Majmoo' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, part 6. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The expiation of purification, prayer, and fasting Ramadaan, 'Arafah and 'Ashoora' applies to minor sins only.  Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 5.

 

 

Courtesy : Islam Q&A

 

 

May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

 

Jazak Allahu Kharun,

   M.Imran.

Malala – A Victim of Evil Desires

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

A journalist tweeted yesterday "Why Malala and why NOW?"

And it speaks volumes. The innocent girl became a victim of some people's evil desires; desire to rule the world, a desire to dictate one's own terms and conditions and a desire to create chaos. The horrific incident of shooting Malala and other two girls is barbaric to the core.

A million dollar question certainly is that who is Ahsanullah Ahsan and why on earth his calls are never tracked. Why does he take blame on himself (i.e. TTP) whatever the incident is and always manages to call international media but no one bothers to trace out who is he in reality.

But before that we need to focus on 'Why Malala' question? The innocent brave girl was made an icon against Taliban by all those who sit in their drawing rooms commenting on social media and TV channels while remaining within their comfort zones. Her stories were recorded by BBC Urdu and published as a diary. She was purposely brought to limelight to make her a symbol.  The role of media in bringing Malala to limelight and promoting her out of proportion was surprising. Poor girl was used for media ratings. To serve the vested interests, they put the life of innocent girl at risk. She became a target for the terrorists. Even now, media is surely serving someone else's purpose by giving the issue a lot of twists and turns.

'Why Now'? The timing is also very crucial. Exactly when the entire world was getting breaking news about drone attacks and questioning the legitimacy of such attacks, suddenly Malala was attacked, she was identified first and then targeted and all of a sudden all the pro US policies, pseudoliberals started talking about Waziristan operation and legitimising illegal drone strikes.

An important thing to note is that the leader of Swat Taliban, Mullah Fazlullah reportedly hides in Afghanistan and operates with the cooperation of US/Afghan forces; so if Taliban of Swat are responsible for this attack, they are operating from Afghanistan and not Waziristan. Why there is never a drone strike across the border, not that I am demanding it, but it's logical that US definitely has a dubious agenda in the region.

The case looks quite simple; another event in Swat to make grounds for another military operation. Previously it was a fake video, and now the 'tool' was an innocent 14 year old girl. The quick and strong condemnation from USA (by President Obama and Hillary Clinton) gives a message in itself. Drone attacks would be portrayed as essential, by citing that government of Pakistan is unable to protect its own citizens from terrorist activities.

The role of government is deplorable. Governments are supposed to protect their citizens, in which our government has terribly failed. Blaming terrorists and arranging air ambulance is not the solution. Government should take complete responsibility of protecting its citizens.

Malala is an asset for the nation. Whether its Malala, Aafia Siddiqui, missing persons, drone attacks , suicide bombs, target killings in Karachi and elsewhere, Pakistanis are at the suffering end.

Dr Shahid Masood quite reasonably asked the people who pick and choose cases for condemnation, if those who are killed in drone attacks are not plastic toys. We are being killed for no reason. The only way out is to get out of this American war. We must not put more and more lives at risk.

By:   Muhammad Saad Khan

Dt: Oct 11th, 2012

Source:  http://www.mybitforchange.org/2012/malala/




May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
   M.Imran.

Re:I am Mrs.Halifat Mohammed

I am Mrs.Halifat Mohammed, a Muslim woman.I have picked you for an inheritance.I am aware that this is certainly not a conventional way of approach to establish a relationship of trust and confidence, but you will realize the need for my action.Please contact me on my private email for more details: halifatmohammed@gmx.com

Few Photos from Gaza

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!


Please check the below links:(Jazak Allah Khair)

1. http://972mag.com/photos-deadliest-day-yet-in-gaza/60288/

2. http://972mag.com/photos-gazans-mourn-victims-of-latest-israel-strikes/59615/

3. Complete- http://972mag.com/author/activestills/

4. http://972mag.com/photo-essay-death-fear-and-protest-as-attacks-on-gaza-israel-intensify/60214/

5. http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/16/civilians-under-attack-in-gaza/

6. http://activestills.org/



May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
    M.Imran.

The least we can do for our Brothers & Sisters in Gaza-Qunoot al-Nawaazil /Naazilah (Qunoot at times of calamity)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Assalaam-Alaikum!

The least we can do for our Muslim Brothers & Sisters in Gaza is to pray Qunoot al-Nawaazil & make lots dua.

Dua:

O Allaah! Save the weak and oppressed believers in Gaza.
O Allaah! Help them; O Allaah, punish the jews and christians, and those who support and help them, severely.
O Allaah! curse them.
O Allaah! send upon them years like the years of Yoosuf (a.s).

O Allaah! Accept the believers as martyrs and defeat the jewish aggressors and Enable us to prevail over them so that we might rule over them in accordance with Your justice.

O Allaah! Destroy the israel army & make the ground shake under their feet
O Allaah! Destroy them all make their children orphans,their wives widows just like they made Muslim wives & children widows & orphans.
O Allaah! Grant victory to our Muslim Brother & Sisters in Gaza & Everywhere in the world.
O Allaah! Have mercy on the families of those people who are killed in your sake. O Allaah! Have mercy on those widowed women & those orphaned children.
O Allaah! All those 

believers who died in this oppression and persecution in Gaza & all those who are oppressed around world in the past & present by Your mercy forgive them & enter them into Jannat ul-Firdaus.

O Allaah! Forgive us,
O Allaah! Forgive us,
O Allaah! Forgive us,
Forgive us for doing nothing but watch them Die.

Ameen!!!Ameen!!!Ameen!!!

1.The Muslims have to pray for their brothers in Gaza in the daily prayers and otherwise

Qstn :Is it mustahabb to say Qunoot during the daily prayers for our brothers in Gaza, so that Allaah will relieve them of the aggression of the Jews? In which prayer should Qunoot be said?.

You can check this link:http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/126219

Or you can read below:

Ans:

Praise be to Allaah.

Yes, the Muslims should pray for their brothers in Gaza, asking Allaah to protect them and save them, and to help them against their enemy, and to defeat the Jews and those who help them. 

The imam should say the du'aa' out loud and the people behind him should say Ameen. If a person is offering the obligatory prayer on his own, he should also say Qunoot.

It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said Qunoot at the time of calamity on a number of occasions:

1.Some of the Arab tribes betrayed 70 of the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and killed them. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: News of that reached the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him), and he prayed Qunoot for a month, praying during Fajr prayer against some of the tribes of the Arabs, against Ri'l, Dhakwaan, 'Usayyah and Bani Lahyaan. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3064). 

2.It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Qunoot was offered in Maghrib and Fajr prayer. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (798). 

3.It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami'a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak'ah, praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri'l, Dhakwaan and 'Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood,

A number of things may be learned from these hadeeths, including the following:

Firstly: it is prescribed to pray Qunoot at times of calamity. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Qunoot is Sunnah at the time of calamity. This view is that of the fuqaha' among the muhadditheen. And it is narrated from the Rightly Guided Caliphs. End quote. 

Majmoo' al-Fataawa (23/108)

Secondly: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said Qunoot at times of calamity in all of the five daily prayers, and he said Qunoot in Fajr and Maghrib prayer, and especially in Fajr. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Most of his Qunoot -- referring to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) -- was in Fajr. End quote. 

Majmoo' al-Fataawa (22/269).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) was to say Qunoot especially at times of calamity, and not to do so at other times. He did not limit it only to Fajr, rather most of his Qunoot was in Fajr because it is prescribed to make that prayer lengthy. End quote. 

Zaad al-Ma'aad (1/273)

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

To sum up, saying Qunoot during the obligatory prayers is not prescribed either in Fajr or any other prayer, except when a calamity befalls the Muslims that is deserving of Qunoot, in which case it is prescribed to say Qunoot for every worshipper in Maghrib and Fajr prayer, and if one says Qunoot in all the prayers, there is nothing wrong with that as some of the scholars said. And when this calamity ceases, Qunoot should be stopped. End quote. 

Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen (14/175)

We ask Allaah to hasten relief for our brothers in Gaza, and to give them a way out of every difficulty and relief for every distress, and to curse and destroy the Jews and their helpers, and to send punishment upon them, for He is able to do that. 

And Allaah knows best.

2. Will a Muslim who is killed wrongfully or treacherously or as a result of his house collapsing on him be a martyr?

Qstn:  I know if a Muslim is killed by defending himself against an enemy then insha Allah he dies as a martyr. Also if he dies by drowning, stomach disease he also dies as a martyr. However if a Muslim is killed unexpectedly without being able to defend himself, for instance if he was killed from behind him would he still be considered as a martyr? Also in the case of the Gaza bombings, the Muslims that are killed by being bombed in their houses without expecting it, therefore not being able to defend themselves are they also considered as martyrs?.


You can check this link: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/129214

Or you can read below:

Ans:

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Every Muslim who is killed wrongfully will have the reward of the martyr in the Hereafter, but in terms of this world, he is to be washed and the funeral prayer offered for him, and he is not to be dealt with in the same manner as one who was killed in battle. 

It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (29/174):

The fuqaha' are of the view that wrongdoing or injustice mean that the one who is killed in such ways is deemed a martyr, but not in the same sense as the martyr who is killed in battle with the kuffaar. Kinds of unlawful killing include one who is killed by thieves, criminals or bandits; one who is killed defending himself or his wealth or his life or his religion or his family or the Muslims or ahl al-dhimmah (non-Muslims living under Muslim rule); or one who is killed trying to prevent injustice; or one who dies in prison who has been imprisoned unlawfully. 

They differed as to whether he is regarded as a martyr in this world and in the Hereafter, or as a martyr in the Hereafter only. 

The majority of fuqaha' were of the view that the one who is killed unlawfully is to be regarded as a martyr in the Hereafter only. He comes under the same ruling as the martyr in battle with the kuffaar in the Hereafter with regard to reward, but he does not come under the same ruling in this world, so he is to be washed (ghusl, after death) and the funeral prayer is to be offered for him. End quote. 

In order to attain the reward of the martyrs it is not essential for the one who is killed to have been in a confrontation with those aggressors. If they kill him unawares, then he will be deserving of the reward of the martyrs, in sha Allaah.

Among the evidence for that is the fact that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab was stabbed by Abu Lu'lu'ah al-Majoosi when he was leading the Muslims in Fajr prayer, and 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan was killed by those who had rebelled against him unlawfully, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) described them as martyrs. 

It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) climbed up Uhud, accompanied by Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmaan, and the mountain shook with them. He struck it with his foot and said: "Stand firm, O Uhud, for there is no one on you but a Prophet or a Siddeeq or two martyrs." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3483). 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: By "Prophet" he was referring to himself, "Siddeeq" was Abu Bakr and the "two martyrs" were 'Umar and 'Uthmaan, both of whom (may Allaah be pleased with them) were slain as martyrs. 'Umar was killed when he was leading the Muslims in Fajr prayer, and he was killed in the mihraab. 'Uthmaan was killed in his house. May Allaah be pleased with them both and join us and the righteous Muslims with them in the abode of eternal bliss. End quote. 

Sharh Riyadh al-Saaliheen, 4/129, 130

Secondly: 

With regard to our brothers in Gaza whose houses collapsed on them, we hope that they will be martyrs for two reasons: 

1.     They were slain unlawfully

2.     The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: "the one who is crushed beneath a falling wall is a martyr." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2674) and Muslim (1914). 

We would not be exaggerating if we add a third reason, which is that they were killed by the kuffaar on the battlefield, so they will be martyrs in this world and in the Hereafter, because all of Gaza was a battlefield. 

Prof. 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Gharmaan ibn 'Abd-Allaah (may Allaah preserve him) said: 

The view of the majority of Hanafis and Hanbalis, the correct view according to the Maalikis and the view of the Shaafa'is is that the one who is slain in war but not on the battlefield is a martyr in the general sense, regardless of the way in which he was killed, whether he was unaware or sleeping, whether he was engaged in fighting or not.  

What seems to me to be the case -- and Allaah knows best -- is that the view of the majority is correct, because there is no clear evidence that the killing should be in battle. End quote. 

Ahkaam al-Shaheed fi'l-Fiqh al-Islami, 103-106 

We ask Allaah to accept them as martyrs and to defeat the Jewish aggressors and enable us to prevail over them so that we might rule over them in accordance with His justice.  

And Allaah knows best.

3.Qunoot should be said at times of calamity with a supplication that is appropriate, not with Du'aa' al-Qunoot

 Qstn: At times of calamity, some imams say Qunoot asking for forgiveness and mercy, or they recite Du'aa' al-Qunoot ("Allaahumma ihdina fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide us among those whom You have guided.."). What is prescribed in Islam in such cases?.

You can check this link: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/126258

Or you can read below:

Ans:

Praise be to Allaah.

What Islam prescribes for Qunoot at times of calamity is that the supplication should be appropriate to the calamity, and that Du'aa' al-Qunoot ("Allaahumma ihdina fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide us and among those whom You have guided..") should not be recited.

The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) offered supplication (du'aa') at times of calamity on a number of occasions, and his supplication was appropriate to the calamity for which he was praying Qunoot. When he prayed for the salvation of the weak and oppressed in Makkah, he said: "O Allaah, O Allaah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, 'Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee'ah and the weak and oppressed believers." When he prayed against some of the Arab tribes because of the severity of their enmity towards Allaah and His Messenger, he said: "O Allaah, punish Mudar severely and send upon them a famine like that of Yoosuf." Narrated by Muslim (675).

When he (blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed against some of the Arab tribes who had betrayed 70 of the Sahaabah and killed them, he prayed that they be cursed. It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami'a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak'ah, praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri'l, Dhakwaan and 'Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

According to a report narrated by Muslim (679), he said: "O Allaah, curse Banu Lihyaan, Ri'l, Dhakwaan and 'Usayyah, for they have disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger." 

According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (4070) from Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), he [Ibn 'Umar] heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say, when he lifted his head from bowing in the second rak'ah of Fajr: "O Allaah, curse So and so, and So and so, and So and so," after he said Sami'a Allaahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka'l-hamd.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

It is prescribed to say Qunoot at times of calamity, praying for the believers and praying against the disbelievers, in Fajr and other prayers. Thus 'Umar said Qunoot when fighting the Christians, in his du'aa' in which he said: "O Allaah, curse the disbelievers of the people of the Book…" Similarly, 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) once fought a people and said Qunoot and prayed against them. The person who is saying Qunoot should say, at the time of each calamity, a supplication that is appropriate to that calamity. If he names the believers for whom he is praying and the disbelievers against whom he is praying, that is good. 

Majmoo' al-Fataawa (22/271).

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/271): 

It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) used to say Qunoot at times of calamity, praying against the aggressors among the disbelievers, and praying for the week and oppressed Muslims to be saved from the plots and captivity of the kaafirs. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti' (4/45): He should say Qunoot with a supplication that is appropriate to the calamity that has come. Hence the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) used to say Qunoot with words that were appropriate to the calamity, and he did not say "Allaahumma ihdini fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided…" as some of the common folk do. It is not narrated in any hadeeth, saheeh or da'eef, that the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) ever used to say "Allaahumma ihdini fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided…") in obligatory prayers; rather he would offer a supplication that was appropriate to that calamity. On one occasion, he (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed for some of the weak and oppressed people, asking Allaah to save them, until they came (to him in Madeenah). End quote.

Based on this, the worshipper should choose a supplication that is appropriate to the calamity, and say that.

Whoever says the du'aa' of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) because it is appropriate to a calamity that has befallen the Muslim, such as saying with regard to that which has befallen us nowadays, "O Allaah, save the weak and oppressed believers in Gaza; O Allaah, help them; O Allaah, punish the Jews and Christians, and those who support and help them, severely; O Allaah, curse them; O Allaah, send upon them years like the years of Yoosuf," has done well, because the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) is the best and most comprehensive supplication that can be offered.

And Allaah knows best.

4.For how long should Qunoot during prayers be said at times of calamity?

Qstn:Some imams say Qunoot for one or two days at times of calamity then they stop. For how long should du'aa' be offered at times of calamity?.


You can check this link: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/126173

Or you can read below:

Ans:

Praise be to Allaah.

Saying Qunoot in the obligatory prayers is prescribed when there is a reason for that -- which is when calamity is befalling the Muslims. So long as calamity is occurring, then Qunoot should be said for that, and when the reason is no longer present, then Qunoot should stop, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) continued to pray Qunoot against the mushrikeen and to pray for the oppressed Muslims in Makkah for a month, then he stopped saying Qunoot when the reason for it stopped with the arrival of those for whom he had prayed Qunoot. This is indicated by the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Prophet (blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month. After saying Sami'a Allaahu liman hamidah, he said in his Qunoot: "O Allaah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, 'Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee'ah and the weak and oppressed believers. O Allaah, punish Mudar severely and send upon them a famine like that of Yoosuf." Then Abu Hurayrah (the Allaah be pleased with him) said that they were saved from the clutches of the kuffaar and came to Madeenah, so the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) stopped praying for them. Narrated by Muslim (675).

Ibn al-Qayyim said: He prayed Qunoot at the time of calamity to offer supplication for some people and to pray against others, then he stopped when those for whom he had prayed came (to Madeenah) and were saved from captivity, and those against whom he had prayed became Muslim and came repenting. So his Qunoot was for a purpose, and when that was achieved he stopped Qunoot. End quote. 

Zaad al-Ma'aad (1/272)

If the calamity is still ongoing and has not ceased, such as the occupation of Iraq for example, or the occupation of Palestine, then Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated that in this case it may be said that Qunoot may be offered for a month and then stopped. 

And Allaah knows best.

Courtesy: Islam Q&A


Please do the Least: Please pray Qunoot al-Naazilah/al-Nawaazil for our Muslim Brothers & Sisters in Gaza & Palestine,Jazak Allah Khair.




May Allah guide us all in the straight Path,Ameen!!!

Jazak Allahu Khairun,
    M.Imran.