Pluralism in Islam - a video discussion.

VIDEO: Pluralism in Islam | World Muslim Congress

There are no conclusions, we have simply made an effort to understand pluralism, and we request the people who watch will carry on their own discussions, it is simply a process of learning. Please share it with your friends.

The presentation includes - a 20 minutes talk on Pluralism in Islam with a few verses from Quran and examples of the Prophet that are highlights of pluralism followed by commentary by Imam Zia Sheikh and discussion by fellow Muslims.

PLURALISM IN ISLAM VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Tyt7raIXM

Pluralism is respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each other. In this video, Mike quotes from Quran and the Prophet's examples, and how pluralism is a way of life in Islam.

1. Presenters: Dr. Imam Zia Sheikh, Adam Rasheed and Mike Ghouse
2. Participants: Dr. Khawaja Nauman Anwar, Sana Anam Anwar, Dr. Mona Kazim Shah, Moazam Syed and Dr. Amer Suleman
3. Video by: Bombay Photography
4. Produced by: Mike Ghouse of World Muslim Congress, a think tank in Dallas.
5. Sponsored by:  Mani Rahman,  Dr. Nauman Anwar and Dr. Amer Suleman for making this video possible.

We invite sponsor to produce a few more videos.
www.worldMuslimCongress.com

Thank you,

Mike Ghouuse is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist,  TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com 

Christians in Philippines Fear Creation of Muslim Sub-State, Sharia Law, Increased Persecution

"If Bangsamoro, or 'Moro Country' with Moro being colloquial for 'Muslim', were ruled under sharia, non-Muslims would become second-class citizens with drastically reduced rights." Muslim separatist groups have increased their deadly jihad attacks in recent years...

Scroll down for map and link to report on Muslim Persecution of Christians in Philippines...

Morning Star News � June 26, 2015

MINDANAO, Philippines (Morning Star News) � Christians and others in the southern Philippines have expressed strong fears that legislation creating an Islamic sub-state on Mindanao Island will exacerbate religious tensions rather than resolve them.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), proposed by President Benigno Aquino III last September with the aim of ending decades of Islamist rebel violence in Mindanao, was approved by a House Ad Hoc Committee on May 20 with 50 members voting yes, 17 voting no and one abstaining. The area, comprising five provinces with sizeable non-Muslim populations, already enjoys a measure of autonomy as the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and the proposed BBL would give leaders sufficient independence to impose sharia (Islamic law).

�What President Aquino is doing is treasonous to Christian communities in Mindanao,� Rolly Pelinggon, national convener of Mindanaoans for Mindanao (M4M), told Morning Star News.

If Bangsamoro, or �Moro Country� with Moro being colloquial for �Muslim,� were ruled under sharia, non-Muslims would become second-class citizens with drastically reduced rights. Critics of the bill say it would render the federal government powerless to redress human rights abuses under Islamic law.

Pelinggon said the BBL would thus worsen Muslim-Christian conflict. Besides intensifying religious-cultural differences between Christians and Muslims, the BBL would also facilitate monopoly of oil and gas resources by vested groups in Mindanao, he said.

The BBL came about as part of a preliminary peace accord, the Bangsamoro Peace Framework Agreement (BPFA), between the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel group, but it has done little to reduce violence. The BPFA was signed in 2013 as a precursor to a final peace agreement. The government claimed there would be no more Muslim rebel attacks in Mindanao after it was signed, but in some areas violence has increased.

In Basilan Province of the ARMM, Muslim separatist groups raided the town of Maluso on June 1 and cut off the Water District Office, managed mostly by Christians. The municipality is now suffering from water crisis that has destabilized the local economy, while security forces have engaged in a firefight with rebels that put more than 20,000 civilians in evacuation centers.

In Pikit, Cotabato Province, two men aboard a motorcycle in October 2014 threw a grenade at a United Church of Christ congregation at the height of worship, killing a nurse and a teacher. The blast injured another teacher and two other businessmen. Separatist rebels have been active in North Cotabato for past 20 years.

In Zamboanga City, an anti-bomb squad of the Philippine Police detonated an Improvised Explosive Device on Oct. 11, 2014. The bomb was similar to previous devices manufactured by separatist rebels. Zamboanga is home to more than 100,000 evangelical Christians and Ebenezer Bible College and Seminary, one of the first Protestant Bible schools in the Philippines.

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabella Climaco announced in public that Zamboanga will never be part of the BBL and is one of the country�s staunchest critics of the legislation.

See: Voice of the Martyrs Philippines Newsletter � A Timetable of Terrorism

In Cotabato, indigenous tribal leader and village chieftain Jojo Sibug also told Morning Star News the BBL would aggravate religious conflict in Mindanao. Noting that the first inhabitants of Mindanao were the Manobo and other indigenous tribes, Sibug denied Islamic claims to the region.

�Our ancestors were already here even before Islam came to Mindanao,� he said. �This Philippine government should consider the welfare and plight of the indigenous tribes, and the Aquino administration should not only focus on one sector, but it should remember the indigenous people were also the first inhabitants of Mindanao.�

Tribal chiefs ruled Mindanao until the 1400s, when many of them embraced Islam after an Arab trader arrived to the island. In the 1900s, U.S. missionaries came to the Philippines and built a number of Christian schools in Mindanao. Many of the indigenous tribes embraced the evangelical Christian faith, including the ancestors of Sibug.

As part of the peace process, early this month the MILF surrendered 75 World War II firearms out of its 16,000 weapons to the government. Opposition Sen. Bongbong Marcos questioned why only 75 weapons were surrendered as part of the decommissioning process. Marcos presides over the Senate committee that conducts hearings on the BBL.

The fate of the BBL lies in the hands of the country�s 24 senators now deliberating the bill. A March poll found that 44 percent of Filipinos opposed the bill, and 22 percent supported it. In Mindanao, 62 percent of those surveyed opposed the bill.

Some have also questioned the 75 billion-peso (US$170 million) budget that would be allocated for the Bangsamoro government. Some critics believe that the MILF could use this huge amount to buy more sophisticated firearms to expand its control. By comparison, the Philippine military has a budget of only 15 billion pesos annually (between 2012 and 2017), or US$34 million.

In Manila, three archbishops, former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, former Sen. Francisco Tatad and the Philippine Constitution Assembly on June 19 filed a petition with the Supreme Court to nullify the March 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro that gave rise to the BBL. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case.

While Christian leaders fear abuses if the BBL were passed into law, some lawmakers also warned there would be war if the BBL fails to pass. Rep. Tupay Loong of Sulu, a former member of the rebel Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), said in February that if the BBL is not passed, �the war will continue.�

The BBL measure was reportedly fast-tracked by bribes to lawmakers; the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported the accord was endorsed by a majority in Congress after lawmakers accepted US$10 million in bribes to endorse it to the Senate.

In spite of congressional denials, investigative journalist Christine Herrera, who first exposed the alleged $10 million in bribes, has said she stands by the story because no fewer than two high-ranking officials of Congress confirmed the wrongdoing.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigue Duterte said the BBL could increase chances of Christians getting caught between the MNLF and the MILF, who are fighting each other.

�What I don�t like about Manila is they make wrong decisions for Mindanao,� he recently told a national newspaper. �They act as if they know everything about our land, and then put us in jeopardy.�

�THE WORLD EXISTS ON HOPE� � MUKHTAR MAI

 

Ramadan Mubarak.

Many of you know the story of Mukhtar Mai, one of my personal heroes.

In 2002, Mukhtar, a Pakistani village woman, was brutally gang raped by four men of a powerful neighboring tribe, on the order of a local council; the attack was said to be punishment for an alleged affair that her young brother had with a girl from another tribe. To humiliate her further, Mukhtar was forced to walk home, nearly naked, as villagers looked on. People expected her to commit suicide; she thought about it. But instead, Mukhtar took the rapists to court. Initially, six men were sentenced to death for the rape. Then in 2011, the Pakistan Supreme Court overturned all but one of the convictions and the men were freed; they continue to live in her neighboring village.

I first met Mukhtar seven years ago when she was in Washington, D.C. for a Vital Voices event. I was asked to be her translator when she was invited to speak with Hillary Clinton at the inaugural Women in the World Summit in 2010; unfortunately she had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. In April we had the chance to meet again when she was in town for a Developments in Literacy (DIL) fundraiser.

She smiles when she greets me, remembering that we had met before; she laughs as she shares some of her stories; but it�s her eyes � her eyes can�t hide the unfathomable pain that she�s endured. Her voice is soft, I sit right beside her to hear her. She seems timid, a bit withdrawn. But Mukhtar Mai has the courage of a warrior, and a voice that has challenged centuries of brutality and injustice against women.

We talk about her typical day, her schools, her children, life for women in Pakistan, her fears, her dreams, who inspires her, what makes her so strong.

�Allah jin sey kaam laina hota hey, leta hey,� (loosely translated, �God chooses certain people to do certain things�).

Mukhtar runs the Mukhtar Mai Women�s Organisation. It includes a resource center, which deals with 500 cases of violence against women each year, and includes legal support, a hotline and a mobile emergency unit; a shelter, which started in Mukhtar�s bedroom with women sleeping beside her; and two schools, which provide free education, books, uniforms and supplies; the schools are for both girls and boys until primary, and for girls until high school.

In 2003, she used funds she won from her case to start a school for girls, the first in her village. Illiterate herself, she understood that only education could bring about change.  She laid the bricks with her own hands, she tells me proudly, and enrolled herself as her first student; she made it through primary school, she laughs, then got too busy running her organization. Now the school has 700 children; the second in a neighboring village has 300.

People used to slam the door in her face when she tried to encourage families to send their daughters to her school; now their only wish is for their girls to attend. �If they miss the bus, the parents themselves bring their daughters to school. One way or another, they have understood that girls should get an education,� she says smiling. Visiting the schools is the brightest part of Mukhtar�s day. The kids crowd around her, they all want to shake her hand; sometimes three hands hold on to hers, she says smiling. �The kids love me; the children are very happy at school. And we feel the same way. We consider them our own kids.�

The children of her rapists attend her school too.

Mukhtar got married in 2009, and has two kids of her own, a daughter who is almost five and a son who is three; she also adopted her sister�s daughter, 9. We share stories, and stresses, about our children. She fears for their security. �For myself I don�t worry; whatever happens to me will happen; I worry for my children.� She also worries that her kids are not taking school seriously; since it�s located next to their house and their mother is always there, they don�t see it as a place to study.  Mothers� worries are always the same � our children�s safety, well being, and education.

Her other big stress is funding for her schools; for the past six years, it�s been very difficult to get funds; DIL helps with some of the teacher salaries. �I�ve been so tense; I don�t want the schools to close down. I hope this mission continues.� She has faith that she will get through this difficult time too.

Mukhtar has big dreams, even if limited resources. �I want to open schools all over Pakistan,� she says, �wherever there isn�t a school.� She also wants to make a college for girls so they can continue studying. �One wishes for so many things, our dreams never stop. But what happens is what Allah wants to happen; if He wishes, then this will happen too.�

We talk about her case, and if things have gotten better for women in Pakistan. She�s frustrated that laws for women are made on paper, but not implemented. �If no one gets punished, there�s no justice. A country that does not have an effective justice system, that country will perish.�  Maybe her kids will see justice, she says, even is she doesn�t. And adds, �Omeed pay dunya kaim hay,� (the world exists on hope).Hakumat mai nai, lekin Allah pey to hai (not in government, but [we have faith] in God).

I ask her what gives her so much strength. �First of all, Allah,� she says, �what Allah wants done, he enables it to happen.� She also gains courage from her mother; and from the support of all of us. �I know that the whole world�s duas are with me,� she says.

I set aside my notebook, hold her hands, and ask her how she�s really doing. She says, unconvincingly, that she�s ok, Allah ka shukr. Adding, �Aik cheez insan key andar ajai, phir wo jatee nahi� (one thing if it gets inside you, then it never leaves you). She hasn�t been able to sleep well in 13 years. �But you have to go on; you still have to laugh; no one likes someone who cries all the time. Zindagi to gozarnee hai�(You have to continue to go on with your life).

I assure her that she�s not alone, that we�re by her side; I tell her that I will share her story during Ramadan, and that we will give generously to make sure her schools stay open; I promise her that I will pray for her children, and ask her to pray for mine.

To learn more about Mukhtar Mai�s work and to donate to her efforts, please visit:http://www.mukhtarmai.org

Source

In Ramadhan, Saudi gave France $12 billion while Children Die in Yemen

News:

In a TV news report, the father was sitting on the hospital bed next to his daughter, Amal, trying to distract her from the pain. Her mother and two brothers had been killed in the fighting in Yemen and she had horrible burns on her arms and legs. The hospitals in Yemen were complaining of lack of medicine to treat such patients and reports say nearly 20 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian aid. In the same week, Saudi Arabia�s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited France and was due to sign $12 billion worth of defence contracts.

---

Comment:

Ramadhan is a time where one witnesses the unity of this noble Ummah in our ibadat and worship of Allah ?????? ??????. Muslims everywhere performing the same actions; fasting, filling the masajid and praying for forgiveness. Muslims empathising with one another and donating generously to the poor amongst us as the Prophet ? was most generous in Ramadhan. A few days ago, I watched a news report of the young Yemeni girl Amal, with her badly burned body, as well as news that the Saudi government was signing a $12 billion defence deal with France. I thought of the Rohingya�s fleeing persecution, the poverty in Somalia, the medicine Amal and others need and I imagine that all that will cost a fraction of the $12 billion dollar Ramadhan present the French will receive from the Saudi government.

In the Qur�an, in Surah Quraish, Allah ?????? ?????? reminds the Quraish that despite living in a barren place, they have wealth and prestige and their caravans travel untroubled to Yemen and Ash-Sham in winter and summer because they are seen as people of the House, the Kaabah. So shouldn�t they worship the Lord of this House, who gives them all these blessings?

?????????????? ????? ?????? ?????????

�Let them worship the Lord of this House�

(Quraish 106:3)

Shouldn�t they follow His Prophet ? and the revelation from this Lord? Thinking of this ayah, I think of the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia�s role in Yemen where they are causing mischief and killing � aided by foreign powers. Like Quraish, these two government�s sit in lands blessed with oil, gas and other immense wealth, yet have abandoned the Sunnah and ruling by what the Lord of the Kaabah sent. Instead, they are busy shedding the blood of the Ummah, fostering a deadly Sunni-Shia division and watching as Amal and others suffer while they play games with the body of this noble ummah. May Allah ?????? ?????? aid the ummah to re-establish the Khilafah Rashidah that follows the Prophetic model so we are once again ruled by a caretaker who unites us, and rules us by Allah�s Book in every aspect hence following the command of Allah ?????? ?????? when He says,

?????????????? ????? ?????? ?????????

�Let them worship the Lord of this House�

(Quraish 106:3)

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Taji Mustafa

Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain

'Islamic State in Palestine' tells Christians to leave by Ramadan�s end or be killed

Many Palestinian Christians stand in solidarity with their Muslims neighbors, yet this report from East Jerusalem, together with threats against Christians throughout the Palestinian territories, make it clear that Islamic supremacism is overwhelming whatever tolerant attitudes local Muslims used to hold for their Christian neighbors.

See also: Muslim Persecution of Christians worsens in Israel & Palestinian Territories; Influence of Islamic State grows

A Chilling Message Was Sent to Christians from the �Islamic State in Palestine�

by Sharona Schwartz, The Blaze, June 28, 2015 (via Jihad Watch):

A group calling itself the �Islamic State in Palestine� spread fliers in east Jerusalem warning Christians who live there to brace themselves for �revenge,� an Israeli television station reported.

Israel�s Channel 10 television reported Thursday that it was the first time such a leaflet attributed to the Islamic State group was distributed threatening Christian residents of Jerusalem. The text of the message vowed to take �revenge� on �heretics.�

According to the Jewish Press, the flier threatened Christians that they would be killed if they did not leave by the end of the current Muslim holiday month of Ramadan.

The leaflet was emblazoned with the black flag associated with the notorious jihadist group that has seized parts of Iraq and Syria, whose border is about 300 miles from Jerusalem.

�One can assume the Islamic State group is far from here and it�s not in the territories [West Bank],� said Channel 10�s Arab affairs reporter Zvi Yehezkeli. �But it�s an absolute reminder that the Islamic State isn�t only on the Iraqi border, it�s also getting closer to the territories [West Bank] and to Gaza � and also to the areas of Arab Israelis.�

Channel 10 reported that the threat against Palestinian Christians who live in east Jerusalem is �being taken seriously� by Israeli security forces.

Ramadan Advice - Where is Your Heart? by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

The Confederate Flag and the Flag of Jihad

Even Southerners are calling for the retiring of the Confederate Flag. Where are the Muslim protests to ban the Black Flag of Islam?

by Ralph H. Sidway

Over at The American Conservative, Rod Dreher has a really stirring piece in which he grapples with the complexity and pain of the guerre du jour, the movement to finally banish forever the Confederate Flag (a movement so sweeping that the classic film �Gone With The Wind� may itself soon be gone with the wind). Dreher is a born and raised Southerner, and shares his inner struggle over the issue:

From the time I was old enough to realize what slavery and the ideology of white supremacy that sustained it, and that remained after slavery died, I have had a troubled conscience about the South. I found it so difficult to reconcile the place and the culture into which I was born, and which I loved, and do love, with the hideous facts of our history.

That is the tone of honesty grappling with reality. There�s much more, for Dreher strives to place himself (and his readers) in the shoes of any and all who have dark shadows in their cultural and societal and ideological history. To wit: 

Even though your people may have thought and behaved wrongly in a particular instance, you may try to explain the context in which the sin was committed, and to point out the complexity of the situation � not to excuse it, necessarily, but to shed light on the broken humanity of the phenomenon...

I would assert that such issues of situational �complexity� and �context� won�t wash when it comes to Islam and Muslims, because in Islam, it�s not about what Dreher calls �a few bad actors� in �particular instances.� It�s about a lot of bad actors � beginning with one in particular � consistently acting badly over fourteen centuries, under the black flag of divine sanction and command.

Indeed, if anyone has dark shadows in their history, it is Muslims. Yet we rarely if ever see from them any self-examination or troubled conscience such as Rod Dreher and other Southern progeny are displaying now. President el-Sisi of Egypt comes to mind, but most Muslim critics of Islam are ex-Muslims (think Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ibn Warraq). 

The darker side of Islam � jihad, genocide, sharia, apostasy and blasphemy laws, honor killings, abuse of women, child marriage, FGM, and that whole supremacist culture which eternally demands for Islam to reign supreme � is analogous neither to the white-supremacist side of Southern Culture, nor to other examples Dreher uses, such as the challenges within Black America or the Roman Catholic sex abuse scandals, all of which derive from the flaws of human nature in each person, extended at times to the mob.

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote, �The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.�

Yet this is precisely why the case of Islam and American Muslims is radically unlike that of any other cultural, racial or religious group. The evils being perpetrated by the �bad actors� of Islam do not merely stem from the human heart of darkness, �the line dividing good and evil [which] cuts through the heart of every human being.� 

No, Islam�s �bad actors� are acting out of deeply held beliefs created by one man � Muhammad � who fourteen hundred years ago unleashed upon the world his own tormented heart of darkness. His devotees take the words he recited (the Quran) as the literal words of God, investing in them eternal validity and unbounded dominion. And they adopt his example as the lens through which to view, understand and apply those words, emulating Muhammad in every manner possible, the more devout they become.

Mass beheadings of Christians by Muslims in Libya, the rape and sexual assault of thousands if not a million British schoolgirls by Muslims, the death penalty for apostasy, blasphemy, and criticizing Islam: all stem from Muhammad�s example and the commands in the Quran. 

Another example of Islam�s dark allure is what Daniel Greenfield calls �the Nice ISIS Jihadist Next Door.�  How is it we keep seeing more and more American Muslim men and women � �moderate� Muslims: affluent, college-educated, successful � sneak off through Turkey to join the Islamic State, or simply become �lone wolf� jihadis here at home? �Until they began killing people, they seemed just like the rest of us. And with one difference, they were.�  

That one difference, my friends, is Islam, Muhammad, the Quran.

Even Southerners now are calling for the removal of the Confederate Flag from public display, yet Muslims can�t seem to raise more than 24 protesters against jihad attacks in North America. 

We have even seen a Pope (John Paul II) publicly repent over and ask forgiveness for the treatment of Jews, women and minorities under the flag of Christendom over the centuries. Yet where is the Muslim mea culpa for 14 centuries of warfare, land expropriation, slavery, persecution and genocide?

Islam now has a new caliphate and a reinvigorated global jihad, and Muslims are committing a new genocide against Christians in the name of Allah. Yet where are the Moderate Muslim protests against the Black Flag of Jihad? Where is the Muslim repentance and soul-searching analogous to what we saw in Rod Dreher�s lament over the �hideous facts of our history�? 

There is none. Instead we see Muslim condemnations and death fatwas against those brave souls who try to shine light on the dark recesses of Islam and its endless threat against all non-Muslims. We see Muslims saying they have no reason to apologize for Islamic terrorism and jihad.

As long as Muslims see no reason to apologize en masse or reform Islam, we shall continue to hammer on Islam�s crimes against humanity, on the fact that 80% of mosques in the United States promote jihad and sharia law over the Constitution, and nearly 30% of U.S. Muslims think violence is justified against those who insult Muhammad. 

We are at a critical moment in human history, when proclaiming the truth about evil is essential for any people anywhere to have a free future. Solzhenitsyn warned that it is essential to expose evil itself � the evil ideology � as well as to punish the evildoers. Behold the Epitaph of America and Europe, from The Gulag Archipelago:

In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations. 

Let�s get the Confederate Flag out of the news cycle and concentrate on the real threat to free people everywhere: the Black Flag of Islam. Let us not keep silent about the evil. 

Eid Ul Fitr 2015 Wallpapers and Cards

Eid Ul Fitr 2015 is just around the corner as we are going the Holy Month of Ramadan Kareem after which Eid Will be celebrated by Muslims around the world. the expected date is 19th July 2015. This Islamic festival is also known as Small Eid and it is celebrated on first date of Islamic month Shawwal.

Following are some Wallpapers and cards for Eid Al Fitr that you might Like:

Bad Islamic Books fabricated by Muslim scholars need to be shelved

Bad Islamic Books | World Muslim Congress
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2015/06/bad-islamic-books-fabricated-by-muslims.html

Don't jump to conclusions, it is not the Muslim thing to do. 

Muslims never had the freedom to speak out, even though freedom of speech is one of the greatest values of Islam.   Quran positively asserts on freedom � there is no compulsion, period!

In the 1400 years of our history, we did not get a chance to question anything lest the tyrant deputies of Caliphs (after the first four righteous ones), dictators and Monarchs would make us disappear in a hurry.  Thank God for the western societies, and in particular America and Canada, we have the Allah given freedom to cherish and enjoy  the life and have noting to complain. The Verse from Sura Rahman 55:13 (Y. Ali) perfectly describes our situation, "Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?"  None! We can think, write, speak, and question everything in America, Alhamdu Lillah (Praise the Lord)!

 Ibn Taymiyyah denounced Mongols for not following Sharia

Over a period of time, the books written by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathir, Hasan Banna, Qutub, Maududi and their likes have been unfortunately equated with Quran. While Quran is eternal guidance, their work was a product of their times, and whatever they wrote was  a knee jerk reaction to the tough situations they were dealing with, and certainly lacked the universalism of God and the Prophet that Quran preaches, both were referred to as God of the Universe and Mercy to the Universe respectively. 

Sad Situation

The Country of Jordan is under pressure to remove the books of Ibn Taymiyyah, and Egypt has already done that. This goes against the freedom of speech, we cannot undo the books that are already written, even though they are wrong.  Instead we should produce books that are reflective of Islam � of equal treatment, non-judgmentalism, justice and mercy to all of the humanity.  Good books will chase the bad books out of circulation.

Had God wanted, he would have wiped Satan out, but he chose to keep him and let him tempt humans to go astray, while he gave us guidance to stick to the right path. It was the question of free will and freedom to chose again, it is a God's gift to humanity.  They should not have wiped the books, they could have stored them in a Library and marked,  "these were the books written by scholars of the past, and should not be equated with Quran. They are flawed."

My conservative friend Ryan Mauro asked, "What actions should be taken when mosques include these materials in their libraries as authoritative texts, though? " The response should be consistent with freedom, "Those books should be locked up and made available for research, and or labeled "Questionable book - finding the truth is your own responsibility". 

Why are those books wrong?

Quran mistranslations: Verse 1:7 reads � God help me walk the right path, and not the path of those who went astray or earned your anger.  Now, the people of that time probably asked Ibn Kathir, who were the people that went astray? He was neither resourceful nor his audience had the ability to reason � he said, Christians!  And those who earned his anger? He said, Jews!  Good lord, that is not only wrong, but sinful to misquote Quran. I gave a full power point presentation of Chapter 1:1- 1:7 at the Parliament of Worlds religions in Melbourne in 2009 to a shocking audience, and that is another full story.

Let�s reason with Ibn Kathir without defending him, he lived from 1300 and 1373 A.D., right after the crusades, and he must have felt that would be the right answer after what the European men did to Muslims in the name of Christianity.  Six hundred years later in the 1920�s Hilali Khan translated Quran, and adopted what  Ibn Kathir wrote, whereas the other two translations from the same decade by Yusuf Ali and Picktall did not.

It was very irresponsible! Indeed,  copy of that translation was freely distributed to millions of Jews, Christians and Hindus, all you had to do was call the toll free number and you get the book. This translation was the source of Islamophobia, and rightfully so, why should a "Muslim God" tell them to hate Jews and Christians? The bad translation created a Muslim God out of a single God for the whole humanity. Thank God, that translation was corrected in 2012, but there are still many verses that need correction (check out www.QuraanConference.com for the list of the verses).

What about Sharia Books?  

Allah's Sharia (a way of life) in Quran (2:225-245) says, �Those who intend to divorce their wives shall wait four months; if they change their minds and reconcile, Allah is the forgiver, merciful. If they go through with the divorce, then Allah is hearer, knower.� (The wives have the exact same rights)

American Sharia ( a way of life) gives 3-6 months waiting period to finalize a divorce, except in Nevada where it requires half that time.

Sharia Laws (or Men�s Sharia) allows, "The man can utter divorce three times in a row" and the marriage is over. The woman who had built her life with him, and raised the children is out on her own." This is not Islam and this is not Quran. 
Critical thinking

Somewhere in our history, we took off on the wrong path, or we were prevented from questioning Quran, Prophet, Allah and Islam.  I thank the lord for blessing me with that ability, and as a result, I have  a very strong faith in Islam.  I was able to reject all that was dished out to me,  and learn Quran afresh from a critical point of view; from the pluralistic point of view.  I questioned everything.  Now, the more I question, the more wisdom I find in Quran about sustaining cohesive societies. 

I feel sorry for the faith of some of my fellow Muslims who do not have the confidence in the books they believe. Once I challenged Pastor Robert Jeffress and did the same with Pastor Terry Jones, �I will give you the right translation of Quran, take your time, and then we will discuss in public, and if you find three faults in Quran, and we agree to it, I would give up my religion and join you.� Such was my faith, a strong Imaan and I feel sorry for the weak faith in those men who thought the Pastor may find faults in Quran. I can never forget an Imam telling me that I should not have challenged him, what if he finds three faults?  The man did not have faith because he never learned to question.

The free speech is an enduring value and the hallmark of civilizations, and we simply cannot compromise on it, however much a few may abuse it. We believe in free speech and that is the only way societies will grow. As Muslims we seriously appreciate the gains we have had, that far outweigh the tensions given by a handful of miscreants.

Freedom is a God given gift that we should cherish! God could have stopped Lucifer from tempting Adam and Eve, he could have stopped Adam from consuming the forbidden fruit, and he could have prevented Jesus from the crucifix, Moses did not have to speak up against Pharaoh, Muhammad (pbuh) did not have to endure persecution. God Almighty could have stopped everyone in the tract, but he did not, he gave us the freedom to choose how we deal with conflicts and restore harmony.

Quran positively asserts on freedom � there is no compulsion, period!

No matter how much the radicals among us may resent the western democracies, without free speech, Islam did not have a chance of being preached here, and Muslims would not have  practiced Islam in America, had the western democracies followed the policies of a few Muslim nations where you cannot even pray in public other than Islam.

We need to honor the freedom of speech, in the long term that is what will endure. 

 ADDENDUM TO THE ARTICLE:

Thanks for pointing out the mistake, �and he could have prevented Jesus from the crucifix.� My apologies for the same, and I am pleased to add this note instead of removing the mistake.  As a Muslim, I believe Jesus was beamed up.

This is the most critical difference and the root cause of much of the conflict between Christians and Muslims.  There was a pastor in Syria in and around 850 AD, who was seriously concerned about losing his flock to Islam, and he figured how to capitalize on it to regain his losing membership.  He said something to this effect �that Quran is a false book written by a false prophet� and to this day, you hear similar words echoing about Islam in different places of worship. 

Then in 1142 AD the first Quran translation was �made� in Latin with full of errors to mischaracterize Islam, Quran and the Prophet for the political gains of the European kings threatened by the invasion from Arab kings at that time. I will write the full story some day about it. 

On our part we addressed a similar situation in Dallas.  On August 23, 2010, Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church (don�t hold against the church, it was him) said on camera, �Quran is a false book written by a false prophet.� He and I debated for a week,  and then finally we held a Quran conference to address some of those issues, and the link www.QuraanConference.com will give you all the videos and story of the conference. It was a powerful event and first of its kind and has not been repeated.

New age Islam readers will have the stomach to watch some of the videos, but most people will not � they will be seething with anger for what they hear on the videos.

The only way to address the difference is given in Quran � that is to accept the difference and live with it in the most civil manner.  Elsewhere God says, he could have made us all alike, but chose to make us different and then adds the best ones amongst you are those who understand each other.  You don�t have to agree to live in peace, but respect the otherness of others. 

God�s wisdom shines through this verse.  109:6 (Asad) �Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine !" and 109:6 (Y. Ali) �To you be your Way, and to me mine.� And 109:6 (Picktall)� Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.� 

By the way Christians, Jews and others will not go to hell for holding a different belief; God assures them that if they are good to fellow beings, he will recompense them for their care.  

[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. Similar things are said, in 5:69, 22:17 etc.

Another great quote from Ghulam Mohiyuddin,  "If we call their Book false, they will call our Book false! Let us learn to respect the Books of others." 

Mike is a speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, TV-Radio commentator and a human rights activist committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His info in 63 links at MikeGhouse.net and writings at TheGhouseDiary.com

==============================================================

Jordan under pressure to ban Ibn Taymiyyah's books & Egypt will remove the books
By: Al-Araby al-Jadeed staff Date of publication: 10 June, 2015

Leaked correspondence claims works by the medieval Islamic scholar have been used by the Islamic State group to justify its barbaric massacres.

Owner of publishing houses are reportedly withholding the works of a medieval Islamic scholar amid claims a total ban is imminent.

Ibn Taymiyyah's books are also reportedly being prevented from entering Jordan, although no official statement has been released by Jordanian authorities.

The move, if confirmed, follows the killing of a Jordanian pilot, Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was burned to death in Syria last year by the Islamic State group. It is further claimed that IS is highly influenced by the work of Ibn Taymiyyah.

A 12th century Islamic scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah is considered to have had considerable influence in the development of contemporary Wahhabism, Salafism, and Jihadism.

He sought the return of Sunni Islam to what he viewed as earlier interpretations of the Quran, and was known for issuing a fatwa and declaring jihad against Mongol rulers on the basis that they did not follow Sharia, and thus were not "truly" Muslim.

Some experts believe that the Islamic State group have exploited the idea of Ibn Taymiyyah's fatwas as justification for their barbaric acts.

The reported "decision" was hailed by Egyptian TV presenter Islam el-Behery, who praised Jordan and King Abdullah for the move.

"This is the beginning," he posted on Facebook. "Today, officially, the Jordanian Department of Press and Publications is implementing a ban on the books of Ibn Taymiyyah.

"Jordan becomes the first Arab country taking such measures against the books of the murderous Ibn Taymiyyah and to confront terrorism in deeds not just words. Bravo Jordan and King Abdullah," he added.

But Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a Salafi Islamist Jordanian-Palestinian writer, and a former jihadist, did not share the presenter's sentiments.

"The folly of withholding the books of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah or banning them on the pretext of Islamic State's mis-comprehension of his fatwas is as bad as allowing books that directly insult our religion and prophets," Maqdisi tweeted.

An official decision is yet to be announced by Amman authorities.

Jordan's minister of Islamic affairs, Hayel Dawood, has denied that he or his ministry had issued any decision regarding any ban on the books, saying that the leaked correspondence was a draft proposal that he had not yet examined.

Dawood said a decision regarding the ban will be "issued soon" - and that an internal inquiry had been opened regarding the leaked correspondence.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed's correspondent in Jordan, Mohammad Fadilat, confirmed that no such ban had yet taken place.

A conference is due to take place next week to discuss IS ideology and to look into whether university courses featuring Ibn Taymiyyah's work should be changed, reported our correspondent.

- See more at: http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/6/10/jordan-under-pressure-to-ban-ibn-taymiyyahs-books#sthash.gP3s2iWU.dpuf
=================================================

Egypt to remove books of Ibn Tamiyah, Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymeen

http://www.doamuslims.org/?p=3861

Names of scholars whose books are to be removed or confiscated:-

� Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab
� Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
� Sheikh Ibn Baz
� Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen
� Sheikh Abu Ishaq al-Huweini
� Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Yacoub
� Sheikh Mohammed Hassan

They have already confiscated 7000 books and CDs from mosque libraries in Cairo, Alexandria and Giza. The authors of these materials include:

� Sheikh Wagdi al-Ghoneim
� Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi
� Sheikh Muhammad al-Maqsood
� Yasser al-Burhami
� Sheikh Abu Ishaq al-Huweini
� Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Yacoub
� Sheikh Mohammed Hassan

The ministry�s department is currently launching an inspection campaign on mosques and libraries in all provinces, to make sure they are free of any books and media calling for �militancy and extremism�.

----

Q&A: Iran�s Role in the Region

Question:

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu. Dear respected Shaykh, may Allah ?????? ?????? protect and safeguard you. Why has the United States allowed Iran to escalate in its relatively rapid diverse military capabilities which has become one of the more important countries in the region in terms of playing influential roles on the course of events in both Iraq, Syria, the Gulf and the enflamed region in general? What is the American policy in containing this evasive role? May Allah ?????? ?????? reward you.

From Mais Bader

---

Answer:

1. To say that the role of Iran in the region is one of evasion is a misdirected saying. Whereas Iran is proceeding with America in all of the region�s issues� And Iran is a central state in the US policy in the region, and America depends on it in Iraq and Syria, and in Yemen, Afghanistan, and in Lebanon and others� The one following Iran�s actions with detailed analysis finds that apparent, as more than one of the Iranian leaders have expressed that Iran�s cooperation with the United States is what enabled it to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq� and so is the case in the other issues.
2. We had published an Answer to Question on the 14th Shawwal 1434 AH, corresponding 21/8/2013 CE titled: �Reality of Iran in relation to US Policy�, in which we explained in detail the reality of Iran�s relationship with America and Iran�s cooperation with it in the region�s issues, you can refer to it to find out what is in it, and I have cited the following for you:

�All of the political work in the region carried out by Iran is in congruence and accordance with American agendas:

1. In Lebanon, Iran founded and armed a party from the followers of its Madhab and, such that it became a special army separate from the Lebanese army, and the Lebanese regime acknowledged it and their weaponry, knowing that the Lebanese system is a secular regime that follows American politics. The Lebanese regime does not allow any other party to bear arms nor did it acknowledge the arming of any other party. The Party of Iran in Lebanon with the support of the Syrian regime associated with America as did Iran, and America did not prevent the Lebanese regime from allowing Iran�s Hezb intervention in Syria to prop up the secular regime of Bashar al-Assad, rather there was an American implied consent to the intervention of this party in Syria without being hampered by the Lebanese army.
2. When America occupied Iraq it was met with an unexpected resistance, so it entered Iran into Iraq to help influence those belonging to its Madhab, to affect them and prevent their movement against the occupation, even to make them stand against the resistance, even confronting it and giving legitimacy to the occupation and to the established system. Especially after 2005 America allowed the ascension of a coalition of pro-Iranian parties into power, led by Ibrahim al-Jaafari and then al-Maliki, and these governments were installed by America and are linked to it. Maliki�s government, backed by Iran, signed security and strategic agreements with the United States to maintain its influence after the official end of the occupation of Iraq, indicating American satisfaction with the role played by Iran whose officials admitted its cooperation with the United States in the occupation and its work to secure the stability of American influence in Iraq. Iran opened its embassy in Iraq immediately after the occupation, and al-Jaafari was not elected until the Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi visited Baghdad in 2005 at the height of the occupation. The two sides condemned the acts of resistance to the occupation under the pretext of condemning terrorism in Iraq. Jaafari�s visit to Iran was used to sign several agreements, including a cooperation agreement in the field of intelligence between them to establish security and control of border crossings and linking Basra to Iran�s electricity grid and the establishment of an oil pipeline between Basra and Abadan.

The relationship between Iran and the Syrian regime is an old one, dating back to the time of the first Intifada in the early 80�s of the past century. Iran then supported the Syrian regime in suppressing the Muslims of Syria, so as to keep it within the American project in support of the regime led by its agents from the Assad family. Iran did this knowing that it is a secular nationalist Baathi system congruent with the regime of Saddam, which they were fighting although it had nothing to do with Islam, rather Saddam fought Islam and its people. Iran did this well aware that Saddam was linked to America, it did not defend the rights of the Muslims, they did just the opposite in declaring war against them and bringing victory to a criminal Kufr regime, and Iran continues to do so. The Iranian regime maintains close relations with the Syrian leadership, which includes military, economic and political ties. Iran transferred many weapons to support the Assad regime and provided it with oil and gas at discounted prices due to the lack of reserves of energy in Syria. These political relations can particularly be observed in the Iranian interference in the Syrian revolution when the Assad regime stood on the verge of collapse. Had it not been for Iranian interference by sending troops of the Revolutionary Guards, and troops from Iran�s Hezb and Maliki�s militias that follow Iran, Bashar and his regime would have collapsed. The massacres of Qusair, Homs and today�s chemical massacres in al-Ghouta and others bear witness to this intervention.

� As for Afghanistan, Iran supported the U.S. occupation and the constitution laid down by the government created by America with Karzai as president, all of that was an Iranian service to America. Iran has secured the north of the country when America failed to defeat the Taliban. Former Iranian President Rafsanjani mentioned that: �If it were not for our troops fighting the Taliban, America would have sunk in the Afghan quagmire.� (al-Sharq al-Awsat Newspaper, 2/9/2002). Mohammad Ali Abtahi, vice for the former Iranian President Khatami for legal affairs and parliamentary elections in the Gulf and the Challenges of the Future Congress, held in Abu Dhabi on the evening of 1/13/2004, said: �If it were not for Iranian cooperation, Kabul and Baghdad would have never fallen so easily. But we received a bonus and we are within the axis of evil!� (Islam Online Net, 1/13/2004)  President Ahmadinejad has repeated the like on his visit to New York to attend the United Nations meetings in an interview with The New York Times on 9/26/2008 where he said, �Iran has provided a helping hand to the United States with regard to Afghanistan and the result of this assistance was the U.S. President�s direct threat to launch a military attack against us. Our country has also provided assistance to America in the restoration of calmness and stability in Iraq.�

3. What testifies to all the above is the outcome of the nuclear negotiations and America�s insistence on closing this file in order to improve public relations with Iran to implement the role America dictates for it in the region, under the pretext of common interests and without a cover, not even with a shroud as it was in the past! The American president delivered a speech in front of the White House to specifically talk about the latest nuclear agreement with Iran, in which he described the agreement as �good and meets our core goals�, and he said, �for the Iranian people, we are ready to work for the common interests� (Source: Radio Sawa of America 2/4/2015)� It is clear from the US President�s statements that he wants to work with Iran under so-called common interests! What could be the common interest with the big Shaytaan other than to accomplish America�s projects in the region?!
4. Then what had happened and what is happening of harmonious plans between America, Iran and the Houthis in the Yemen events! As for the Houthi relationship with Iran, it needs no proof as it is more apparent than a flag lit with fire� As for America�s support for the Houthis, then every person who has sight and insight is aware of that, as America is behaving in Yemen with its known arrogance, i.e. with armed power and brutality. Then the Houthis occupied Sanaa and other places other than Sanaa, arresting and killing under the excuse of �the People�s Revolt and the People�s Committees��, and America has been supporting these movements of the Houthis on both politically and security-wise:

Politically: America does not regard the Houthis as terrorists like Al-Qaeda, instead it regards them as a political movement. The US Ambassador Matthew Tauler said in his press conference on 18/9/2014 that: �We differentiate between those groups that participated in the political process, the Houthi movement participated in the National Dialogue Conference and many positive outcomes were achieved as a result, and they have political positions and legitimate ambitions� and therefore, we support the Houthis and their movement to do the same practices as those performed by the political movements and groups�. (Source: Press Observers Website)

Security: Upon the entry of the Houthis to Sana�a, the army and police resisted them and killed seven of the Houthis on 9/9/2014, and Hadi was about to prevail until America rushed to sending Ibn Omar, the UN representative (or in reality America�s representative), and he put pressure on Hadi, and floated the issue by calling for negotiations, and giving the green light to the Houthis to heat up their movement through the atmosphere of negotiation, backed by the US pressures on Ibn Omar Ali Hadi�

5. Moreover, the recent events confirm this support, and I cite some of what was mentioned for you from the Answer to Question dated 27/3/2015 on this matter: �America has extended support to the Houthis by way of Iran with various kinds of weapons and equipment so that they are able to dominate Yemen by force because it realizes that the political medium in Yemen is dominated by Britain�s creations� Thus, the Houthis thought they had the power to dominate Yemen. Therefore, they besieged the president to force him to give them what they sought for the laws they had issued. He would agree, then delay in implementation�until they imposed house arrest on him but he escaped, moving to Aden. They pursued him there, but he escaped again� America realized that its Houthi followers found themselves in a shambles. They had extended themselves across the country, but were unable to either successfully dominate nor were they able to return to their stronghold in the north. therefore America saw to save them through limited military action, to strike two birds with one stone: to show them as being assaulted, after the people had begun to see them as aggressors; and to create the atmosphere for pressing negotiations for a compromise solution as this is its well-trodden path, when unable to take it alone� All of this has become clearer by following what took place, and what is taking place. Thereby Saudi Arabia consulted with America before the military action and those undertaking the active military role � especially the Saudi King Salman and Egyptian President Sisi � are American agents. As for the rest of the Gulf States, Jordan and Morocco, their role is more political, as per the British habit in countering America, such that it remains in the picture and has a share in the forthcoming negotiations, to take its piece of the cake in the distribution of influence. While pressing military action succeeds at times, in opening the door of negotiation, it also fails at times, destabilizing matters anew, engulfing Yemen in its fire � Yemen, who was content and happy a time not long ago�when its pure land was not desecrated by the agents and disbelieving colonialists�.

And reflecting on what happened and its results demonstrate the fact that America is the one in charge of the course of events, thus the focus of the Saudi attacks were on the weapons that the Muslims paid for, and most of the victims were civilians, while only a little were of the Houthis� Meanwhile, Iran did not interfere, but remained watching from afar although the voices were raised with the Decisive Storm military operation which is falling on the heads of the Houthis! This proves that the Maestro of the movements adjusts the rhythms to arrive to solutions which save the Houthis, not destroy them, and to give them a significant share, not eradicate them� and that Saudi Arabia is aware of this, and is driving the Storm of its decisiveness and hope in accordance with this rhythm�! In addition, Iran is aware of this and watches without military intervention, according to this rhythm�! Even further, it even agreed to the inspections of its ships carrying aid before reaching Yemen�s shores, that is because it is what America had wanted, thus Iran succumbed..! Thus, just as Saudi Arabia is disciplined with its decisiveness and hope according to America�s directions, so is Iran, as both of them realize the purpose of these intense actions which we have outlined. And there they are turning towards a heated ceasefire that precedes the cold solutions!

6. In conclusion, Iran is not �evading� from American policy, rather it did not even leave it, all under the pretext of common interest with the big Shaytaan!

Your Brother,

Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah

15 Sha�ban 1436 AH

02/06/2015 CE

The link to the answer from the Ameer�s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Ata.abualrashtah/photos/a.154439224724163.1073741827.154433208058098/453238908177525/?type=1&theater