Self-Determination is the destiny for Kashmiris, says Geelani

New Delhi : India | Feb 25, 2011

By Sajjad Ahmad

The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has said that the people of Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK) have to continue their peaceful Quit Kashmir Movement against Indian occupation, till the right of Self-Determination is not granted to them.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who is also the President of Jammu & Kashmir Tahreek e Hurriyat, was talking to the international media in his New Delhi residence.

He also said that the people of Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK) are holding peaceful demonstrations and protests against illegal Indian occupation. He also demanded for the complete withdrawal of Indian armed forces from OSJK and demanded to end the Indian human rights violations against Kashmiris.

Criticising the Indian government and its armed forces, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the President of Jammu & Kashmir Tahreek e Hurriyat (TeH), Syed Ali Shah Geelani had accused Indian armed forces against gross human right abuses in OSJK.

It is worth mentioning here that till 1947, Indian armed forces and its sponsored Hindu terrorists groups, such as Shev Sina, RSS & Bajrang Dal etc had killed more than 3,00,000 innocent Kashmiris so far. While, nearly 20s of thousands of Kashmiris girls are sexually assaulted by Indian Armed forces and its sponsored Hindu terrorists organisations. Not even a single army officer of Indian army had so far been punished.

The APHC Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani had also condemned the illegal arrest of APHC leaders and activists. Syed Ali Shah Geelani demanded the Indian government for immediate and un-conditional release of all Kashmiris including school and college students, who were arrested by Indian armed forces on false charges.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that until or unless India does not publicly accept Jammu & Kashmir as a disputed territory and does not withdraw its armed forces from OSJK. It is illogical to engage into any talks with the Indian authorities.

While repeating his famous six points, Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that India will have to repeal black laws such as PSA, withdraw its armed forces, punish the guilty officers and personnel of Indian army, release all illegally detained Kashmiris leaders and activists. Geelani said that implementation of his six points are crucial in resolving the Kashmir dispute.

It is also worth to be mentioned here that the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the President of Jammu & Kashmir Tahreek e Hurriyat (TeH) Syed Ali Shah Geelani went India for his medical treatment, where he had been shown a notice, issued by the Indian government, forcing him to stay in New Delhi, stopping him from going back to Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK), where he is spearheading the ongoing Quit Kashmir Movement..

Indian occupying forces arrested two more TeH leaders, Pervez Ahmad Butt and Tariq Ahmad Ganai, in Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK).

The Jammu & Kashmir Tahreek e Hurriyat (TeH) strongly denounced the illegal detention of both TeH leaders and demanded for the immediate release.

Talking with the media, the spokesman of TeH termed the illegal arrest of two of its leaders as "political vengeance" by the Indian authorities.

The spokesman of TeH had strongly criticised India on its double standards. "At one hand, India is talking about negotiations to settle the (Jammu &) Kashmir dispute and on the other hands its armed forces are killing and detaining innocent Kashmiris in the occupied territory." the spokesman said.

URL OF THIS PAGE: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8298584-selfdetermination-is-the-destiny-for-kashmiris-says-geelani?print=true?print=true
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Asadullah Syed

Americanization of Islam

Friday, February 25, 2011

STAFF WRITER

PRINCETON BOROUGH -- As religious scholar Yvonne Haddad has watched Islam become the fastest growing religion in the United States, she sees the opportunity for broader acceptance in American society without other religions sacrificing their identity.

"Islam is becoming an American religion," Haddad, an expert in the history of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations at Georgetown University told students and faculty at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School on Wednesday.

"Muslims are eager to be part of this country," Haddad said. "They don't want to be discriminated against. They want their children to be able to live here. They would like Islam to be recognized as a positive force for justice and peace."

Haddad pointed to Sept. 11th as a watershed moment for Islamic unity within the United States that strengthened ties between Muslims across the nation.

"Before 9/11, if a mosque collected money for charity purposes, usually that money would be sent to Pakistan or to somewhere else abroad," Haddad said.

"But now what you see is a greater influence being put on how to serve the community here," she said. "Now the money is going to national interfaith groups, social justice groups, and clinics. There is a lot of internal networking now."

Haddad explained that after Sept. 11, mosques across the country also began to place priority in appealing to younger Muslims with "American experiences." That shift, Haddad said, helped turn the post-9/11 mosque into a place where interfaith conversation could take place.

"What we see today is an importance being placed on dialogue," Haddad said.

"Muslims were very afraid prior to 9/11 to engage in dialogue because they saw it as a ruse of conversion. After 9/11, Muslims opened up their mosques and said "Please come in' and "See, you have nothing to be afraid of.'"

Haddad said that the Americanization of Islam is evident in the vocational choices of young Muslims.

"Another area you see change is that more young people are studying Islamic studies and studying to become lawyers," Haddad said.

"In earlier generations, Muslims were doctors and engineers because in the Middle East, if you were a bright student, this is what you became, but not anymore."

By becoming lawyers and academics, Haddad said young Muslims demonstrate their willingness to participate in--and add their perspective to--a larger American dialogue.

While the Muslims of America may be on the path to Americanization, what that means for the future remains uncertain, she said.

Describing the post-Sept. 11 world as "bifurcated," Haddad called for greater pluralism.

"Today, you still have a division between the Judeo-Christian America and the multicultural America," Haddad said.

"What you see today are Muslims who are advocating for pluralism, because Islam is pluralistic. The Koran says that it is God's will that there will be differences between people. Pluralism is the essence of Islam."

URL OF THIS PAGE: http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-22/129861633285830.xml&coll=5

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Asadullah Syed

Suit Accuses F.B.I. of Spying at Mosques in California

By JENNIFER MEDINA

Published: February 24, 2011

At the Islamic Center of Irvine, some members look at each new person who walks into the Los Angeles-area mosque with suspicion. They worry that their conversations are being recorded or that law enforcement officers are watching, simply because they are Muslim.

The fears were stoked by charges that the Federal Bureau of Investigation paid an informant to infiltrate their mosque and others in Southern California, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations say in the suit that the informant, Craig Monteilh, violated members' civil rights and subjected them to "indiscriminate surveillance" because of their religion.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs say that the case represents just one of countless complaints they hear from Muslims in Southern California, who say they are routinely singled out for questioning. They hope the case will encourage other Muslims who believe they have been unfairly monitored to come forward.

"We hear about this kind of targeting by the F.B.I. without basis again and again from all over," said Ameena Mirza Qazi, the deputy director and staff attorney for CAIR Los Angeles. "This is the perfect test case because we have evidence that there was surveillance."

F.B.I. officials said that they could not comment on the lawsuit, but that they based any investigation on allegations of criminal activity. They said that they did not single out specific religious or ethnic groups.

Mr. Monteilh, who has a criminal history that includes forgery, has said publicly that the F.B.I. told him to monitor several mosques in Orange County in 2006 and 2007, using a hidden camera and tape recorder. After he began to talk at the mosque about jihad and violence, members contacted the F.B.I. He ultimately helped the bureau build a case against one member of the mosque, but it was dismissed.

The suit also charges that F.B.I. agents "explicitly told Monteilh that Islam was a threat to America's national security."

Mr. Monteilh has also sued the F.B.I., saying that it failed to protect him from charges of grand theft that he says were related to his work in a drug-ring operation. The class-action lawsuit seeks a court order for the F.B.I. to destroy or return the information Mr. Monteilh obtained.

URL OF THIS PAGE: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/us/25mosque.html?_r=1&src=twrhp

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Asadullah Syed

Prophet: A model to emulate

Zeeshan Ahmed, Feb 15, 2011, 12.00am IST

The life of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Mohammed, sets an example to follow in every field of life.

The high tributes paid to his personality in the Quran and the Sunnah or Islamic practices remind us of his exalted stature. Five times in a day, the adhan, the call to prayer, reminds Muslims that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah. In addition, the namaz recited by Muslims also emphasises the unity of Allah and the messengership of the Prophet in the same breath, thereby underscoring the significance of his persona.

Islam teaches us that Allah introduced Himself in His own words. For the guidance of humankind, Allah sent 124,000 prophets, the first of them being Adam and the last being Mohammed. It was the Holy Prophet of Islam upon whom Allah chose to reveal His final message and complete the chain of prophethood and messengership. The Quran says: "This day, I have perfected the religion (Islam) for you; completed My proof upon you and am satisfied with Islam as a religion". Again, we find that Allah emphasises the finality of prophethood and messengership of the Prophet with the words, "Mohammed is not the father of any of the men among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets."

At one place, the Holy Prophet is called "Uswatul Hasanah" - the ideal model to emulate, while at another place, he is called the "bearer of good news" (paradise) and a "One who warns" for divine chastisement and retribution.

The period before the arrival of the Holy Prophet in Arabia was one of ignorance. Wars were fought for petty matters, superstitions were rife and respect for women at its lowest. The social fabric of the Arabs veered more towards vice and debauchery than religion. Principles like justice and shame, which we take for granted in our lives, were thrown to the winds. It was in such difficult circumstances that the Holy Prophet announced his message – one that would change the face and social fabric of the Arabs, and perhaps the world forever. Within a period of 23 years, surely, but surely; with extreme patience; with the odds of success staked against him, the Prophet attracted people towards Allah's message. Enmity was replaced by brotherhood and superstitions traded with firm beliefs and reliance upon Allah.

A single verse from the Quran abolished unspeakable practices that discriminated against the girl child. Through the love showered upon his only daughter, Fatemah, the Prophet reiterated his commitment to the respect and uplift of women.

The path adopted by the Prophet to spread the message and attract more and more people to his message was his excellent character and morals. So whether it was dealing with his family members, his friends or his enemies, he set the highest standards of ethics. It is for this reason that despite the passage of 1,400 years since his birth, he lives amongst us through his teachings. Muslims need to adopt this mode themselves in their lives and through their behaviour and actions, illustrate to the world that they are adherents of a Prophet who was respected for his morals and values. This will be true homage to the leader on whom Allah bestowed the distinction of being His last Prophet and Messenger.

Tomorrow is Milad un Nabi, the Prophet's birthday.
URL OF THIS PAGE: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/7494284.cms?prtpage=1

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Asadullah Syed

Islam Awareness Week in UK

Islam Awareness Week in UK Although shrouded with controversy concerning guest speaker Mufti Muhammad Ibn Adam Al Kawthari, York's Islamic Society have several other events lined up for this week worth taking note of

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The aim of the week is to raise awareness and understanding of the Islam faith and to address misconceptions about the faith.

To kick start the week, a talk entitled 'Blind Eyes not Heart' will be given by Abu Hafsa Abdul Malik today. Tuesday sees an 'Ask me about Islam' stall being created outside the Physics building where there will be the opportunity to ask questions about the faith, have some free henna painting and enjoy refreshments.

On Wednesday a question and answer session will follow the much-contested talk by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari on the 'Misconceptions about Islam', which will cover issues such as women's rights, arranged marriages and Shariah law.

An interactive workshop will be held on Thursday entitled 'Hijab- Is it Oppression or Liberation?' led by a member of Isoc. The final event on Friday will be a talk called 'The Essence of Islam Lecture' given by Abu Muntasir.

Islamic Society Committee member Samaya Ayaz emphasised that the week's events are not only for university students but also the wider community of York. "Everyone, whether they are religious or not, is welcome."

url of this page: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=226225

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Asadullah Syed

Blast kills nine Shia pilgrims in Iraq

Blast kills nine Shia pilgrims in Iraq

Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:35PM

Smoke rises as firefighters hose a building down after a bomb attack in Kirkuk, some 250 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad February 9, 2011.

At least nine people have been killed and 43 others wounded when a car bomb targeted Shia Muslim pilgrims in Iraq's northern province of Salahuddin.

An explosives-laden vehicle went off near worshippers at around 1:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) local time in the small Shia town of Dujail, situated about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported.

The pilgrims were on their way to the holy city of Samarra to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hasan al-Askari (PBUH) - the eleventh Shia Imam - in the year 874 CE (260 AH).

The attack comes a day after eight people were killed and 68 others injured as three car bombs were detonated in quick succession in Iraq's northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The triple attack targeted a security building.

The attacks are the latest in a new spate of deadly bombings that have claimed dozens of lives across war-torn Iraq.

On January 27, at least 48 people were killed and 65 wounded when a car bomb targeted a funeral ceremony in Baghdad's predominantly Shia district of Shula.

Recent terrorist attacks in Iraq have mainly targeted the majority Shia community and security forces.

Sporadic high-profile bomb explosions have raised concerns about an uptick in violence in Iraq. They also pose a major challenge to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose coalition government took office in December 2010.

MP/AKM

URL OF THIS PAGE: http://www.presstv.com/detail/164559.html

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Asadullah Syed

Islamic Revolution of Iran, A Model for Muslim Nations + PIC

Islamic Revolution of Iran, A Model for Muslim Nations + PIC   The anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran is celebrated in February every year. It was on February 1, 1979, that the Iranian Muslims' defiance of the shah and his regime culminated in Imam Khomeini (r.a.) arriving in Tehran, where he was greeted by enormous crowds, from Paris to take over the country's governance. The shah of Iran had flown the country on January 16. On February 11, the Iranian army announced that it was halting its attempts to suppress the Muslims who had come into the streets to fight the shah's government, and was returning to its barracks.

 

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The Islamic Revolution neither began nor ended in February 1979, of course. Its victory that month was the result of years of struggle and sacrifice by hundreds of thousands of people, dating at least as far back as the dark days of 1963, when more than 15,000 people were shot down in Qum for protesting against the government. It was at this time that the Imam had been exiled. He would undoubtedly have been killed had the shah not feared, even then, for the consequences. And nor did the the Revolution end that month; it is no exaggeration to say that it is continuing to this day, as Iran's Muslims struggle to implement Islam in practice under the leadership of the Imam's successor, Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamenei. The events in Iran in February 1979 were about far more than simply overthrowing a tyrannical ruler. Had that been the sole object of the exercise, western governments would have been happy enough to accept the new reality, and work with the new government. And Muslims around the world would quickly have been disillusioned and lost interest in the Revolution. However, Imam Khomeini's objective, supported by the Iranian people, was more than simply overthrowing the shah; it extended to replacing Iran's pro-western system with an Islamic social order and political system in order to create an Islamic state - the first of the modern era. The external signs of the Revolution's Islamic nature were not difficult to see. Most importantly, they lay in the total condemnation of the west's immoral and exploitative role in the world, the influence of zionism and the Jewish occupation of Palestine, and the denunciation of the pro-western Muslim regimes.

The harder task confronting the Revolution was inside Iran: cleansing the society of the immorality that had been introduced under western influence, and restructuring it to ensure collective morality and social justice. These are tasks which are still underway; in the timescale of history and social change, 21 years is a very short period of time. Writing in 1980, in the immediate aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, when Muslims around the world were both exultant and very optimistic, Dr Kalim Siddiqui warned of the dangers of inflated and unreasonable expectations. "I want [people] to understand," he said, "that our model is only the first model... a prototype, so to speak... an experimental model. It is going to take a considerable period of time, and a process of trial and error, for the new Islamic state to find its feet in the world, and learn to function at the same level of efficiency as other states in the world today. "What is important," Dr Siddiqui said in another paper, "is that we identify ourselves with the model irrespective of its level of performance... The proof that Iran is that new reality is to be found in three ways: the internal make-up of the Islamic movement in Iran, in the worldview of the movement, and in the reaction of the opposing civilisation." The experiment of the Islamic State has not been a failure by any means, despite the clamorous propaganda of its enemies. In fact, huge social changes have been brought about in Iran, including the provision of basic services to Iran's ordinary people who had been marginalised under the pro-western order, and their empowerment through the reform and massive expansion of the academic system. Thousands of miles of new roads have been built, electricity, running water and primary health-care taken into rural areas which had been ignored as irrelevant in the shah's 'modernization' programmes, and literacy levels raised to almost 100 percent.

What is more, these successes have been achieved even though the experiment has hardly been conducted in laboratory conditions - the eight-year war waged by Iraq on the west's behalf, the economic sanctions, the international isolation, and the manipulation of oil-prices, are just a few of the tactics that the western powers have used to try to undermine the 'experiment'. Other factors - which are more difficult to attribute to western interference - have also had to be overcome, not least a near-doubling of the population since the Revolution. Among Dr Siddiqui's proofs of the nature of Iran's Revolution was the reaction of the opposing civilization, the west. The fact that the west is continuing to regard Islamic Iran as a source of danger, and to fight it at every step, is a key sign that they continue to fear its example and power, despite their propaganda that the experiment has failed. The hysterical western coverage of recent political developments in Iran must be seen as part of this fight, deliberately designed to exacerbate the situation in Iran.

It is interesting to note three points about the current political debate within Iran. The first is that it is taking place almost entirely within the established political system. The Islamic system is never supposed to be rigid and closed, and discussion and debate about the nature and direction of the state are inevitable and desirable. The sort of debate taking place in Iran is unimaginable in any other Muslim country today, where any sort of dissension from the secular received truths are harshly repressed by the pro-western governments. That itself is a sign of Iran's political and systemic maturity. Trial and error being an essential part of the political experience, debate on the system's performance is inevitable, indeed essential, and a sign of the system's strength, not its weakness. Secondly, the success of the revolution over the last 21 years is not questioned. No one doubts that the revolution was necessary, that Iran's ordinary people have benefited hugely, and that any return to the pre-Islamic system is out of the question. The debate is about consolidating and building on the achievements of the Revolution, not reversing any failures. And thirdly, western support and sympathy remain a kiss-of-death in Iran. A few misguided youth - mainly from the classes that lost most of their ill-gotten gains through the Revolution - may yearn for the material luxuries and hedonistic 'freedoms' of the west, but for the vast majority of Iran's people, even those called 'reformers' in the west, support for the Islamic system and enmity to the west remain unquestionable. The massive and spontaneous demonstrations in support of the Vali-e Faqih and the Islamic system in Tehran in July, following student protests against police actions in which some students were needlessly killed, gave the lie to the west's claim that Iran's people are 'pro-western'.

Years after the Revolution, it is impossible to say that the experiment could not have gone better; but what is clear to Muslims all over the world, despite the west's propaganda, is that the experiment remains alive and well, and is making progress. The Islamic Revolution remains a model for all Islamic movements, and an inspiration for all Muslims, who eagerly await future developments, insha'Allah.

 

 

 

SYED ASADULLAH