When a dress becomes an act of Resistance


The Vibrant Colours of Palestine

When I was  young, I was fascinated by the beautiful dresses of my grandmothers, their intricate colourful embroidery, their comfort and modesty appealed to my taste. It became a ritual for me to “borrow” such dresses from both my grandmothers, whenever we went to visit. My happiest and most exciting were the times I would wear such a dress and run outside to play, or to walk to the apple and grape orchard of my grandfather.

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As I grew older, my fascination grew, to the delight of my grandmother, who was overjoyed to see one of her granddaughters taking a liking to something she likes and wearing her embroidered dresses and coin-decorated hat. Filled with pride and happiness and with her usual huge grin, she would always choose the best of her dresses and help me put it on.

Several years later, I was able to produce some of my own embroidered dresses, and wore them with passion.

Until one day, my sister  told me a story that made me not only want to wear my Palestinian dresses out of love for the artwork and the beauty they represent, but also for a totally different reason.

My sister who lives in Australia, told me that she was shopping one day, and was enthralled to find one of the shops displaying some of these Palestinian embroidered dresses and crafts.

She ran into the shop in utter joy and excitement. She told the shopkeeper how wonderful these pieces are, and was about to tell her that she is a Palestinian herself and this is her Homeland’s traditional costume.

But before my sister could say a word, the shopkeeper made a shockingly false statement: “oh, this is our “Israeli” traditional dress and embroidery” ! ! !

My sister was left gobsmacked, outraged and fuming with anger!

“These people have no decency

They have no shame

Not only that they ROBBED our Homeland,   waterbooks organs, trees,  stones, homes,  property, food and native dishes, including hummus and falafel, but even our embroidery and traditional dress.

A disparate gang of rootless, disconnected robbers who have NO homogeneous culture, so they invent one by stealing ours !!”

The theft of Palestine became the greatest robbery in the history of mankind, a robbery of millennia old heritage and the attempted destruction of a superbly refined  and peaceful agricultural culture.

Caressed with the same gentle hands that tended the land, painted with love and embroidered with tenderness, one stitch at a time, a visual poetry exquisitely echoing the vibrant breathtaking beauty of the landscape, my Palestinian dresses became since that day, more than the beautiful traditional dress of my grandmothers, they are no longer mere functional and durable garments;

 Since that day, wearing my Palestinian dress, became a Historic Statement to set the records straight.

My Palestinian dress became an act of RESISTANCE.

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My Hajj Experience


Humbled by the sheer number of people, their dedication, sincerity, and longing, enriched by the rainbow of eager fervent faces celebrating humanity’s full spectrum, empowered by an invisible bond of spiritual brotherhood, love, and togetherness; what a scene! All in a state of total devotion, adoration and gratitude to the One Most Loving Creator.
Stunned, I froze.
Everything else froze with me.
I wanted to capture every face, happy or sad, to save every smile or frown. I wanted to hold every heart with all its joys and sorrows, to wrap it up warm and hide it deep in mine. I wanted to whisper to every soul therein “humanity, I love you”.
Feelings! What can I say about feelings in such a time and a place? Fondness with absolute submission, elation with total humility, euphoria with utter serenity, weakness with boundless vigour, despair with endless hope, yearning with eternal contentment; permanently travelling constantly arriving.
Pilgrims floating in their own orbits in a peaceful august harmony, chanting their prayers, whispers of unspoken words, songs of silent sighs, transforming the ambience into one of stillness and tranquillity. Numinous music resonates charging the atmosphere,transcends into a realm of magnificent existence, hypnotizing you into a gentle unfathomable daze.
Submerged in an ocean of calm and tranquility, yet engulfed with joy and overwhelmed with uncontrollable desire to bounce, spin and fly, waves of ecstasy ran through my astounded being. Am I in Heaven!
The humble prayers and profound appreciation of millions hearts of devotees resonated as a mesmerizing melody

“labbaika’allahumma labbaik…
labbaika la shareeka laka labbaik”.
The eager soulful chants ascended the Mount of Mercy in a dazzling display of grace and purity echoing its nobility and sincerity at every level of existence; celestial and subatomic, known or unknown. On the Mount of Mercy Divine Mercy cascaded around; In a sublime embrace Divine Mercy showered all.

 

Swathed with love, held with tenderness, enchanted with splendour the entire universe spiraled upwards.
Before my very own eyes lines were erased and boundaries faded away.

 

The bond gets stronger and stronger as you start blending into the background of a magnificent masterpiece, diminishing into nothingness. You experience being one with the whole there is. You are an atom spinning passionately with the totality of the universe. The macro, the micro and all in between are in a state of unanimity as never sensed before, with such depth, scale or intensity. Mind dazzling, heart rendering and awe inspiring experience.

Engulfed in mystical mist of love and grace, and like all those around me I could find nothing but tears streaming down to tell of my joy.

Time lapsed, motion relapsed and all anguish collapsed as I stood there; drinking ecstasy and tasting infinity.

Deluded

I thought I could sing before

Why can’t I hear my voice today?

I thought I could tell tales and write stories

Where are my words now?

Why can’t I find them?

To tell of how I felt and what I saw

I thought I could wave words and carve meanings

Like a dough, with ease

To speak of I want and plait my poetry

I thought I was articulate before

How wrong I was!

Melting like a July snowman

A flock of dears – foreseeing an earthquake- running away

Dry autumn leaves

Scattered in a stormy day

My words are gone!

How can I construct sentences when my dictionary is blank?

How can I?

Ashamed of their flaws

Fearful of their impotence

All escaped

Words are no more

For how could they describe the indescribable?

How could the finite define the infinite?

Motion falls into stillness

Space fades into nothingness

Sound faints into silence

Time ceases to be

In the presence of the Most Sublime

The question of faith


Having lived in the West for decades, and having witnessed how religion is used, misused and abused by every corrupt, arrogant and greedy, I understand and sympathize with the views of atheists and agnostics who tend to throw the baby with the bath water as a reaction to such malevolent behaviour by some of the so called religious people, institutions or entities.

In my approach and personal experience, I beg to differ with the observed generalization, blame and hostility against religion.

When George Bush claims for example that “God told him to attack Iraq”, and when I read that Jesus said “love thy neighbour as yourself”, unlike the former, the latter resonate in my most inner being as meaningful, Godly, profound, beautiful, and true.

When discussing Belief Systems (including Atheism), one must distinguish between the principles of a given ideology and the practice of those principles by followers or those who claim to be followers.

The ideals and principles are the pure form of a belief system, and the practice is the human interpretation and implementation of those ideals.

The existence of people who try to justify their bad deeds, control or manipulate others by hiding under the banner of religion does not pollute the principles, nor does it change the fact that their deeds are in contradiction with these principles.

Abusers and fanatics of every ideology exist; criminals and those who act evil for their self interest or out of ignorance also exist in every society.

Coming from a different background, with different exposure, understanding and experience with regards to religion and faith-related matters, I certainly have arrived to and hold a different view, which is not as hostile to religion as yours.

Allow me to explain:

Arriving at where we are in our understanding of the world has much to do with our long painstaking quest for answers through our diverse and profound personal experiences, and of course directed and predisposed by our intellectual capabilities, emotional capacities, cultural influences and psychological tendencies.

We all arrive to this world without a choice of our own, and as soon as we open our eyes to the wonders around and within ourselves we are driven to question, and to long for meanings that explain our existence.

Our curiosity is magnified as we grow.
Drawing on my personal experience, this inquisitive curious mind was no different from anyone else, as a little girl I parched and yearned for answers.

I started asking questions and thinking about the world and later on about my very own existence, and about God, at a very young age.

As a toddler I lived in a small village in Palestine, I was fascinated by my surroundings, the trees, birds, flowers, people, but more so the sky, how vast! How beautiful! How perfect!

It was always urging me to look at, at first to admire and then to question. I spent endless hours staring at it day and night.

As I grew a little older my fascination and curiosity grew deeper, I started to look for meanings and explanations, trying to make sense of what’s around me.

“What is all this? … Why is all this? … Who am I? … Do I really exist? … How and why I can comprehend the fact that I exist? …. Why am I here? … Is there a purpose to my life? If there is, what is that purpose?”

Endless questions burned in my little head.

I thought and contemplated for many years, I used to be drawn into this inner world of mine searching for meanings and answers.

The only explanation and conclusion I was ever able to arrive at was always that there must be a mastermind, an intelligent power, a supreme Being, a perfect designer who is greater than I, who is more intelligent than I, and who is more loving than I.
My perception of that Being is what I call “faith”, “spirituality”.

Later, and as I went through certain spiritual experiences I came to feel God in the real sense.

(By spiritual experience I mean an inner awareness or realisation which might be described as a profound feeling in which you are overwhelmingly moved to a state of boundless joy and serenity, with a sensation of total awareness and nearness of a Sublime Most Loving Presence which is far Greater than you are and far more Loving than you are, to whom you are ever so grateful, as well as being intimately close to all what you perceive in this vast universe).  

As I prayed, an overwhelming, sublime, gentle, subtle, loving, magnificent presence engulfed me.

Words always fail me and fall very short, for I can’t put that feeling in words.

God for me was as real -if not more- than my own reality. So in my own perception God is a certainty; however, that does not give me the right to impose my perception upon others.

Now then, if faith and the concept of God provides a logical explanation to my existence, and if it helps me understand myself and the world around me in a rational manner, if it can give me a sense of fulfilment, contentment and satisfaction, if it enables me to survive adversities of life with minimum trauma and more patience, grace and sanity, if it fills my soul with love, joy, peace and tranquillity, if it makes life more fun, more enjoyable and my experiences more real and intense ; then how and why should I complain or deny?

After all there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. My logic concludes.

As seen from above, and taking me as an example, my embrace of faith was an organic evolvement and a natural outcome to my specific circumstances and life-journey; I did not find faith through indoctrination or manipulation; but rather through genuine inner quest for meanings and thirst for answers.

Through my fascination with this breathtaking beauty that I see all around.

Through my amazement, astonishment, and wonder at my ability to think and use logic and reason.

Through the heart melting awesome feelings that engulfed me as I felt my baby’s hand wrapped around my finger.

Through the superb fabulous sensation as I caress a soft velvety rose and as I fill my being with its sweet scent that leaves me speechless and awe struck.

Through the marvellous, splendid and magnificent sensation of love that captures my soul and overwhelms me with infinite joy and bliss

Having said that, I also found that my faith helps me through my suffering, it enables me to rise above and overcome hardships and adversities

My faith gives me inner strength; I don’t need rely on anything; people, things, or mind-blocking substances to cope with the adversities of life, pain, worries or sorrow.
My faith is my inner strength.

It gives me a sense of purpose, it gives my life a meaning, it gives my mind a sense of direction, it gives my heart endless fulfilment and fills it with boundless love, and it gives my soul overwhelming sensation of joy and delight.

My faith brings to me none but the most pleasant, most amazing feelings of contentment, tranquillity, peace; that life could be raging around me but I am sitting there ever so calm, ever so still, ever so safe, as if sitting in the eye of the storm.

My faith enthuse me with hope, happiness and bliss that nothing, absolutely nothing in this life I’ve ever experienced can be weighed against, measured up to, or compared with those intense wonderful experiences.

It is like trying to describe the feeling of your magnificent love to some one who’s never been in love before.

The feeling of exhilaration of intellectual stimulation, the joy and delight of being in love and feeling loved pale into insignificance compared to the overwhelming enchantment and ecstasy that the soul enjoys in one moment of closeness and inspiration.

Can I ever give it up for anything? Can I ever swap it with the entire material world and all of what’s in it?

Never

Not even if I were to be chopped and diced into pieces or burnt at the stake.

Finally, I consider my choice to have faith as an essential part of my Human Rights and my right to Freedom of Though in as much as I see it anyone’s right not to have faith, as long as neither of us impose his/her belief of others, nor cause others harm through it.
====
This article was born as comment in response to Jonathan Blakeley’s comment about religion. I thought I could share it.

 That moment

If I was to use all the words
Of all languages
Ever used by poets
Since time began
I’d never be able to describe
That moment

If I was to collect all the masterpieces
Of all the works of art
Ever designed
By man’s imagination
I could never repaint
That moment

If I was to live
All my past, present
And future
In pain, fear, and sorrow
Absorbing the suffering
Of all humanity
Since life began
It’s a price worth paying
To experience
That moment

Thank you for giving me
A taste of paradise on earth
If only for a moment

Thank you for opening a window
In my confined heart
In the here and now
Into eternity and infinity
If only for moment

Thank you
For blessing me with
That moment
.

Sheltered

Lightning strikes
Thunder rumbles
Wind blows
Gales bluster
Tornados threaten
Hurricanes rage

Aware of it all
Yet

There I am
Sitting…so… still

Tranquil

Content

Serene

Unharmed

I am

Sitting

In the eye

Of the storm

 

 

Contrast!


Rabbis circle occupied Palestine while praying to ward off the swine flu virus

 

Rabbis praying in the STOLEN Ibrahimi Mosque in Al- Khalil

 

Compare it with this:

Muslims praying in the street of Alexandria during Ramadan

 

 

Can you feel the difference?

 

Equal Rights for serial killers, and for their victims ???


.


Equal Rights for serial killers, and for their
victims ???

Can anyone see some ethical flaws with that?

I have no authority to speak in the name of all
Palestinians, but I have previously stated that I personally DO NOT wish the zionist
murderers, those of whom
who were directly or indirectly involved in massacres,
theft of land, subjugation and oppression, to remain in Palestine after its
liberation from the occupier, except of course for the very few good people
amongst them -as no soul should carry the liability of another-

 I reiterate,
I do not wish the invader, occupier and criminal racists to stay in
Palestine, the land that they have incessantly raped,
destroyed and disfigured, nor do I desire them to be my neighbours

They have shown no respect, no appreciation, and no
love to this land or to her people

They do not deserve to live there

Many of our supporters freak out upon hearing this
declaration of mine, they think that I am becoming an uncaring person, or
turning into a radical hardliner; and some
curiously
and
attentively listen, then, timidly
and modestly, try to understand

I will try here to elucidate by asking some simple
questions, as to why I think it is unreasonable to make the premises of a JUST SOLUTION
dependent upon our acceptance –as Palestinians, of giving the right of
permanent residency and equal rights of citizenship
to ALL
zionist Jewish occupiers
in our stolen land of Palestine

Here are my questions:

·       
 Why do our supporters, progressives who
advocate a one state solution, keep asking us –Palestinians- to share our land with
those who acquired it by theft, military force and murder
?

·       
 Would you share your home with the armed
robber who came to steal from you?

·       
Should
a thief get to enjoy the same rights of ownership to
materials and assets that he acquired by armed robbery, as the person
whom he robbed?

·       
Should
a colonialist imperialist occupier regime, who keeps hold of countries by
terrorizing the indigenous population and perpetrating endless scores of
bloodshed, not be severely sanctioned as legislated wisely by
International Law ?

·       
Should
USA decided to move a few dozens of millions of its citizens to Iraq or
Afghanistan, confiscate Iraqi lands, give it to those colonizers, then demands
that those citizens have equal rights with Iraqis or Afghanis; should we
support the equal rights of those colonizers?

·       
 Should the Algerians have waited for the
French occupiers to be magnanimous enough to give them "equal rights”?

·       
 Would Algeria be to the Algerians today, had they not fought for
the liberation of their country against colonial
France?

·       
Under International Law; is an occupying entity entitled to ANY
rights
whatsoever?

·       
 Why defend the “right” of the barbaric
occupier
-who has been engaged in ethnic cleansing and genocide for over
six decades, to stay in Palestine after its liberation , and this while
keeping land
and houses, villages, archaeological treasures, churches and
mosques, libraries, they’ve forcibly stolen at gun point?

·       
 Why imagine that it is unrealistic to
return the stolen land and property to its legitimate owners while ignoring
its mode of acquisition
by zionists?

·       
 Why instead of defending the right
Palestinians to get ALL their country back; including: homes, orchards
and land, supporters ask the victims to keep on giving, by the supposition that
returning back stolen property creates "another injustice" to the OCCUPIER?

·       
 Why are we –Palestinians- continuously pressed
to accept this scurrilous logic, by our supporters?

·       
 Are people so naïve that they don’t realize
that doing so, invariably corresponds in fact to… a full support -quasi
unconditional, of the zionist thieves and their ideological core
which deems colonising Palestine as a “Divine
and
historical
right” for the
Jewish people
?

·       
 What does the notion of Justice, social
responsibility, fair dealing mean if we are to equate criminals with
victims
in terms of rights to ownership of stolen property?

My logic is simple:

Supporting "equal rights" in which the
occupier gets the privilege of staying in the land they’ve looted and
destroyed, while keep holding of the estate of absentees, would mean grave
violation of the fundamentals of ethical foundations of human social
interaction

The message it gives: bullies, criminals,
thieves are allowed to get away with MURDER…. literally
!

It is a carte blanche for bullies to do what they
like, steal, kill, colonize, rape, oppress, torture…

Advocating "equal rights" between the criminal
and victim
, in which the criminal escapes punishment for his crimes,
gets to keep stolen lands, while being rewarded by enjoying the fruits
of his aggression in terms of total participation in decision and law making
in the land he abused, is an assassination of the concept of justice,
on which peaceful Civilization is built and needs to prosper

Furthermore, I reiterate; any future decision on
the status of ILLEGAL COLONIZERS in Palestine should be a PALESTINIAN DECISION;
they, and ONLY they, can choose whether to allow their tormentors to stay or
not


 

 

 

 

WHY??


WHY??

 


The New Ten Commandments:

1) Thou shall not criticize Israel

2) Thou shall revere the holocaust with all thy heart

3) Thou shall have no doubt in your heart of the number 6 million

4) Thou shall not compare the unique suffering of the Jews with any other

5) Thou shall honour Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state

6) Thou shall adore the “sinless” Israel, regardless of allegations of sins

7) Thou shall believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and protect
its security by all means (but not Muslims)

8 ) Thou shall not kill (except Muslims)

9) Thou shall not lie (except about Islam and Muslim’s WMD)

10) Thou shall obediently share your earning with Israel (through your tax
money)

And there is a bonus eleventh commandment:

11) Thou shall sacrifice as many humans as humanly possible (specially those
who dare to say NO) on the altar of greed and security of the Jewish state

* * *
NOW a question:

We protest and moan much about ethnic minorities when underrepresented in work places and government positions -and rightly so- as this is clearly a reflection of injustice.

But why do we keep utterly silent when a “certain” minority is HUGELY overrepresented in sensitive positions in many world governments??

WHY??

Where is the uproar??

Isn’t this also a blatant injustice against the majority of those countries?

PS

And please no one should come with the reiterated myth that they are more “clever” than the rest of us as a justification for this absurdity, because this fable is the MOST RACIST claim they have managed to indoctrinate the masses to accept

see how they spread myths and lies:
http://baconeatingatheistjew.blogspot.com/2006/03/arab-intelligence…

A call for those zionists who wish to save their souls


A call for those zionists who wish to save their souls

 

You have come from far away countries, occupied our land by force and terror, oppressed our people with your might and power, furthermore, instead of showing good will or remorse and a sincere desire to befriend and live in peace with your neighbours; you still go beside yourselves to prove to us and to the world how reprehensible you have become, as you sink deeper and deeper into corruption, fabrication and violence

 

What you fail to understand is that every thing in the world is a flux

 

The situation in the Middle East will not stay the same for ever

The balance of power will undoubtedly change

Sooner or later it will shift, and it won’t be a shift in your favour

And before you know it, you will suddenly find yourselves surrounded by billions of outraged Muslims and angry people from all over the world 

 

Instead of preparing for a good future with the people who surround you, who are mostly Muslims; what do you do? You go berserk with your lies and aggression; and like a mad dog, you wage a wild decadent war against Islam as a religion and against Muslims as followers

 

What a pathetic vision of a pathetic tribe, who chose to implant itself in the heart of two billion Muslims!

Can’t you see the pitiable sad future you are creating for yourselves, generating only anger by your uninvited aggression?

 

Instead of attempting to understand the culture and the faith of those around you, you go spewing lies and propaganda in an attempt to disfigure the Islamic resistance that refuses to bow down to your arrogance and greed

 

Instead of embracing the humane and civilised culture that is still willing to forgive you despite the horrors you have shown, by being nothing but a revolting boil in its midst; you go attacking the very religion that teaches its followers that forgiveness is better that revenge

 

 Instead of trying to understand those humans whom you’ve dehumanised; you still feel smug and self-satisfied

drunken by your temporary superficial might, and you keep deluding yourselves by perceiving those you’ve oppressed as monsters and terrorist

 

Instead of opening your heart to learning some aspects of civilization (such as compassion, honesty, generosity, and tolerance) from your culturally refined neighbours, you deceive yourselves by the delusion of your chosen-ness and you fantasise that your barbarity is a “light unto the nations”!

 

Be ware poor souls of zion; this wretched attack against Islam could be the final straw that will shatter your might once and for all

 

 

You still smother yourselves with conceit and self-importance as you shrivel into your tribal mentality, obscuring every opportunity of understanding, destroying bridges and building walls around your clan, isolating yourselves further and further away from the human family

 

The superiority features and nauseating arrogance that you display reflects only an inferior mentality if only you could grasp

 

You have disfigured and blemished your own faith, if only you could comprehend!

 

The same religion that was once inclusive you’ve managed to reduce into the most tribalistic and exclusive ideology man had ever known!

 

You are very short-sighted in that sense, as you fail to look even a few years ahead!

 

Hear me well clan of zion; even though we, Muslims, are not vengeful, nor are we unforgiving by the virtues of our faith; however if you continue in the same mannerism of barbaric behaviour, along with your shameless lies; you will inevitably face your retribution

 

What you fail also to see is that the world around you is changing

The world is awakening to the reality of your crimes

 

And guess what? There is no going back

There is no way of covering up your crimes now

 

I know that you are still living in your comfort bubble behind your “security” wall (psychological and physical);  but be absolutely sure that when you come face to face with the hard reality about the changing world around you, the TRUTH will hit you hard like a tsunami as never before

 

And while you are still choosing to live in a state of complete denial, refusing to see what is happening elsewhere, the truth will strike in a manner unknown

 

It will disturb your sleep as you wake up to the nightmare of your creation

Shatter your illusions as you open your eyes to the new reality

Paralyse your limbs as your missiles and weapons rendered useless

And silence your lies once and for all

 

NOTHING… NOTHING will save you then from the outrage and anger of the good people of the world except what you could save NOW of whatever little left of your morality and humanity

 

Things as they stand now:

 

You are tiny tiny minority in a sea of Muslims that surrounds you, and an ocean of world population who are sick to their bones with your never-ending crimes

Sooner or later you are going to find yourself in a position of vulnerability

Sooner or later the scale of power will shift

This is only natural

 

Think……………….

………………………

 

Think of what would you like to happen to you in this imminent future?

Would you rather carry on with your crimes against Muslims in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan…etc?

 

Would you rather carry on with your hateful lies and fabrication against Islam?

 

Would you rather create more and more enraged and infuriated enemies?

 

Or would you rather STOP your crimes, EMBRACE the TRUE owners of the land and WELCOME them back home, SEEK PEACE SINCERELY and bleed for FORGIVENESS before it’s too late?

 

I am speaking with the same words that many before me had spoken to you with

 

I am giving you a warning

 

(But don’t be so pathetic as to think that this warning is from a little exiled Palestinian woman)

 

Ignore it if you wish

 

Or be wise and heed

 

The choice is yours

 

Some thoughts on Resistance, Hamas, and the future of Palestine


Some Thoughts on Resistance

 

I have befriended and cooperated with many Quakers over the years, and I deeply admire their commitment to peace, and the time and efforts that they give towards achieving this goal

 

However, there is a fundamental issue that tends to be misjudged and miscalculated by those lovely, compassionate and peace-loving people; when they talk about the problem of Palestine, they are inclined to blame and condemn both sides equally; i.e they equate the immoral actions of the criminal with the understandable reactions of the victim

 

Equating the instinctive response of the oppressed -who have been massacred, humiliated and dehumanized day in and day out for generations-, with the aggressive and brutal acts of the oppressor is a severe deviation from justice 

 

Morally speaking: how -for the love of God- could we condemn those who are being slaughtered when they try to push their butchers away?

 

Some times the only way to sincerely help a criminal is by stopping him/ her from committing more crimes.

 

There is nothing more helpful or supportive to the tyrant criminals than teaching the man who has been constantly crushed and incessantly raped, victimized and butchered not to defend himself

 

We can not possibly equate the violent assault of oppressor with the self-protection of oppressed

 

The ACTION of AGGRESSION and OPPRESSION is NOT the same as the REACTION of SELF-PRESERVATION

 

 

To teach otherwise and to condemn equally both the oppressor and the oppressed, to
measure the actions of the two with the same yardstick, does not hold well with laws or ethics, human or Divine.


 God
looks with tenderness, love, forgiveness and compassion at those who are
severely abused, brutalized, oppressed exploited and browbeaten, so much so
that they are forced to react

 

"Beware of the plea of the oppressed, for he asks God most high only for his due, and God does not keep one who has a right from receiving what is due." A saying of Muhammed peace be upon him

 

Our disapproval and condemnation must be focused on those who initiate aggression, oppress nations, and commit genocide.


The
permeation to defend oneself (but NEVER to initiate aggression) is given to
those who suffer the risk of annihilation and extermination by the One who
created them

Who am I to deny those who are burning under tonnes of blazing missiles, that
basic human right?

Who am I to judge their re-actions or intentions, as they tremble under the
explosions of bombs?

Who am I to moralise with them as they pick up the limbs of their babies and
loved ones?

“To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight back),
because they are wronged; and verily, God is most powerful for their aid; (
22:39-40)

 

Did we not know that

A man

With a knife

Against his throat

Has the right

To push His butcher

Away!!

 

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." Bishop Desmond Tutu

 

To give an analogy;

 

If a thief comes to your home, kills some of your children, kicks some of them out, and locks you in the basement for sixty years, while raging havoc in your house and garden

 

Then you are told that the only solution is to negotiate with the murderer thief; however the thief refuses to talk to you because you words are unpleasant and they disturb his peace; as you keep making noise in the basement, and you throw some fire works out to your garden to get the attention of some neighbours with conscience.

 

 Then finally the police intervene, and then after arming the thief to his teeth they persuade him to agree to talk to you.

 

At long last the thief agrees to talk to you, but he comes with a list of demands, including:

 

No talks about your children, who’ve been kicked out

 No talks about any room in the house

 No talks about his incessant torture of your children

No talks about allowing you to use the bathroom upstairs

 No talks about which corner of the basement he might give you

 

Furthermore, he demands that you respect the facts on the grounds, and should never ask to resolve the injustice by going back to how things were 60 years ago

 

Not only that, he demands also that you accept his right to exist in your house forever, and his right to control your water supply, electricity, food, and movement

 

 Then to add the icing on the cake, of course, you are not supposed to moan or mention your pain over the past sixty years

 

You must only be grateful, that the murderer thief would humble himself and talk to you

 

I am intrigued to find out what would YOU do if you were in that situation?

 

Would you accept sharing your house with the thief and live in the basement?

 

If you say you do, I would like to see you openly inviting some zionists who settled in my stolen farm to come to yours and share it with you, and if they come fully armed I hope you don’t mind, and that you accept them graciously

 

If all the Quakers and those who condemn the desperate Palestinians for their extreme reactions to extreme situations would live by their word and do exactly what they want the Palestinians to do; i.e. offer their homes to the zionists, that would be a breakthrough

 

 All we need is a few millions to do this ultimate act of sacrifice by being a living archetype, in fact that could be a vital approach to a peaceful solution and a good lesson to us all

 

We humans find it easy to moralise and pass judgements, but much harder to live by what we preach

As
for killing innocent people, here are some thoughts
:

 

 

Firstly:

We, as Muslims, must NOT allow our pain and outrage at the hostility, horrors
and crimes we have seen to deviate us from justice and from upholding our
ethics!

"O ye who believe! be steadfast firmly for God, as witnesses to fair
dealing, Let not a group’s hostility to you cause you to deviate from
justice
. Be just, for it is closer to piety. Be God conscious; for God is
Well Aware of what you do." (Quran; 5-8 )

secondly:

Qur’anic principles admonish followers of Islam against killing children and
innocent people who are not actively involved in war, Muslims are prohibited
from even cutting trees, demolishing homes and houses of worship, or causing
damage to nature during war

"No soul shall be made to bear the burden (liability) of another." (35:18
)

Thirdly:


In the zionist entity, there are no civilians except children, , every man and
woman MUST serve in the army for 2-3 years, and they stay in the reserve until they
retire


Fourthly:

 

Hamas, as an Islamic
Resistance Movement, theoretically adheres to those principles, and respects
them; however, the human factor, the incessant devastatation, the constant
trauma caused by long term brutality and the never-ending killing of
Palestinian children infuriates the most sane person into anger and outrage

In no way, Hamas, justifies the killing of innocent children:

Hamas: Rocket attacks not aimed at Israeli women, children

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/971873.html

Gaza – The Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday denied
targeting Israeli children and women with rocket fire from the
Gaza Strip.

"Hamas doesn’t mean to kill children with its rockets," spokesman
Ismail Radwan told reporters in the Hamas-ruled
Gaza Strip in response to a statement made by
al-Qaida’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who said Hamas’ random rockets
kill women and children in violation of Islamic law.

Radwan added that "the ongoing conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians may involve some killing of children," accusing the Israeli
army of "deliberately killing children, women and destroying houses and
mosques."

“We are freedom fighters, not gangs,” a senior Hamas official in Gaza told the AP. “Women and children are not a
target for Hamas. They have never been a target and they will never be our main
target despite the daily killing of our women and children by
Israel in cold blood.

Abu Mahmoud, a spokesman for the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank,
said the group was “shocked by what we see on television” about the Russian
school standoff.
“We would never agree to such a thing,” he said. “We never did such a thing and
never would. When there is an explosion and children are killed, we are sorry
for this because this was a mistake, not on purpose.”

http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=2&x_article=756

Hamas: rocket attacks not meant to kill Israeli children

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/05/content_7924868.htm

Enough to look at the figures to see who is really targeting children:

123 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians and 1,050 Palestinian
children have been killed by Israelis since September 29, 2000. http://www.ifamericansknew.org/

Fifthly:

Hamas has offered cease fire many times, Hamas has offered the ending of
killing civilians on both sides, and all this was rejected and ignored by the
warmongers of zion, time and again

Hamas offers to renew cease-fire with Israel
Friday, June 16, 2006


http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/15/hamas.ceasefire/index.html

Israel rejects Gaza cease-fire offer
Sep 21, 2007

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411457380&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Ehud Olmert rejects Hamas’ offer of cease-fire in Gaza Strip
23/12/2007

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/937196.html

Olmert rejects Hamas cease-fire offer
Tue., December 25, 2007

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/937511.html

ISRAEL REJECTS HAMAS CEASE-FIRE OFFER AS HUMANITARIAN CRISIS DEEPENS IN GAZA
April 25, 2008

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0425/p99s01-duts.html

Israel rejects Hamas cease-fire offer as humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza
Fri Apr 25 08


http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080425/wl_csm/odu0425

 
.

About Islam


What does Islam mean to you?” people ask

 

Islam is an Arabic word that shares the same root (slm) with the words “salam” and “Istislam” Where “salam” means: peace, and “Istislam” means: submission. Therefore, Islam means: achieving peace through submission to God Islam consequently is nothing but total devotion and utter surrender to the will of the Beloved.

When we love our Creator deeply, we are in a state of constant adoration, our will becomes nothing but His will and our desire will be identical to His desire. Hence, the essence of our faith is that mankind can achieve peace by knowing and bonding with the All-Loving Creator; for souls can only find tranquillity, happiness, and contentment by being in a state of constant awareness and remembrance of the Most Loving through which intimate closeness and true peace can be achieved.

Everything observable in our world is in a permanent state of submission, they cannot break the laws of our Beloved Creator; unlike us humans (maybe there are other intelligent life forms in other parts of the universe that we are not aware of).

We are blessed with the gift of freewill. When we, out of own freewill, choose to surrender to the laws of God, we experience the ever lasting joy of tranquillity, inner peace and harmony within ourselves, with our fellow humans, with the universe around us and with our Beloved.

But what are the laws of God? These laws are found deep down in the innermost of our souls, they are known to us intrinsically, we are created to know them inherently, to recognize them by our “fitrah” or inner nature. We can also discover them by observing and studying ourselves and the universe around us, which we call the visual book of signs.

At the core of these laws, and as in the case of the universe lies BALANCE, which translate in our human terminology as JUSTICE. The rest are also easy to identify, it’s in the yearning for perfection in our most intimate imprint, and it’s longing for idealism, excellence, morality, goodness and compassion from the depth of our souls. Even though we had this inner knowledge, God still did not leave us to our own devices with no guidance.

Many prophets, messengers and inspired teachers came to remind and to give glad tidings for those who embrace the truth and those who desire goodness. Every single one of them came with the utterly simple yet superbly comprehensive message: believe in God and be Good (i.e. follow the inner law) All knowledge is available to all, transparent, clear, organic, effortless, open, and natural.

There is no secrecy, no occultism, no darkness, no hidden knowledge, no privileged few, no murkiness or deception, no shadowy characters, no obscure concealed information, no hierarchy, no ones are more enlightened than others. This is the simple yet profound message of Islam (submission that leads to peace) that ALL the prophets adhered to. The differences that we observe between the followers of those good people are all man-made interpretation, which could sometimes misunderstand, overlook, and add flawed human construal to the original simple message.

We as Muslims see absolutely no difference between the essence of all the messages nor we differentiate between the messengers. They are all brothers and their message is ONE. The Arabic word for God is: Allah. This word is unique in its characteristics; it has no plural, it is not a feminine or a masculine (unlike all Arabic nouns). It reflects perfectly the Islamic perception of God, who is not personified in a human form, God the Unique, the One, and the matchless. When we refer to God with “He” or “His”, it’s not that we perceive God as a male for God has no gender; it’s simply because of linguistic requirements.

All nouns are referred to either as a male or female in Arabic, there is no neutral, the general rule is that things that come in multiples are depicted in a feminine form (such as eye, ear, hand, foot) and things that we don’t have in pairs we use the masculine to describe ( nose, mouth, chin) Hence, God being Unique, we use the masculine to refer to Him.

 

This faith we embrace is that of Love and pure goodness; it is summed up by the words “allatheena amanou waamilou essalehat”; those who believe and do good deeds. Love of the Creator and all creation is the hub of that faith; aspiring and striving to live by the highest moral attributes that belongs to the Most Perfect and exists in its Ultimate Excellence in the Most Loving Creator.

This message leads to inner and outer peace through following the fitra (innate nature) that has been implanted inside each and every one of us. This embossed intrinsic yet veiled knowledge is where all our morality stems from.

This subtle awareness is precisely what leads us to long for, love, mimic and impersonate the example of God’s perfect and beautiful attributes.

The all Merciful (Ar-Rahman)

The Most Merciful (Ar-Raheem)

The Most Gracious (Al-Hafi)

The Most Friendly Most Kind (al-Rafeeq)

The Most Compassionate (al-Shafeeq)

The All-Loving (al-Wadoud)

The All-Gentle (al-Ra’uof)

The Most Tender (al-Hannan)

The Beneficent (al-Muhsin)

The All-Subtle (Al-Lateef)

The All- Good (Al-Barr)

The Enricher (Al-Mughnî)

The Ever-Giving (Al-Wahhab)

The Benefactor (Al-Mannan)

The Magnanimous (Al-Jawâd)

The Light (An-Nur)

The Guide (Al-Hadi)

The Ever-Truthful (As-Sâdiq)

The Secure (Al-Ameen)

The Faithful (Al-Wafî)

The Guarantor (Al-Kafeel)

The Praiseworthy (Al-Hameed)

The Guardian (Al-Wakeel)

The One Who Suffices (Al-Kâfî)

The Timelessly Eternal (Al-Qadeem)

The Pre-Eternal (Al-Azalî)

The Post-Eternal (Al-Abadî)

The Abiding (Al-Bâqî)

The Everlasting (Ad-Dâ’im)

The Constant (As-Sarmadî)

The Safe-guarder (Al-Muhaymin)

The Ever-Forgiving (Al-Ghaffar)

The All-Pardoning (Al-Afuw)

The All-Forbearing (Al-Haleem)

The Most Patient (As-Sabour)

The All-Perfect (As-Subbuh)

The Utterly Pure (Al-Qudus)

The Perfect Peace (As-Salam)

The Pure (At-Tahir)

The Magnificent (Al-Adheem)

The Majestic (Al-Jaleel)

The Most Beautiful (Al-Jameel)

The Most Generous (Al-Kareem)

The First (Al-Awal)

The Last (Al-Akher)

The Outward (Az-Zahir)

The Inward (Al-Batin)

The Trust-worthy (Al-Mu’min)

The Most Faithful (Al-Wafi)

The Just (Al-Adl)

The Equitable (AL-Muqsit)

The Judge (Al-Hakam)

The Ever-Thankful (Ash-Shakour)

The Unique (Al-Waheed)

The Unequalled (Al-Fard)

The Originator with beauty (Al-Badee)

The Creator (Al-Khaliq)

The Ever-Truthful (As-Sadiq)

The Ever-Sure (Al-Mateen)

The Lord of Majesty and Generosity (Dhû’l-Jalâl wa’l-Ikrâm)

The more we live by, and the deeper we acquire of these attributes the more joy and delight our souls could experience and contain, and the more people recognize and appreciate. The more hope for our world to attain peace and justice for all.

Whether we recognize it or not, this engraved undeviating yearning for God is what leads us to pursue every good sublime principal and ideal there is. It is the real drive behind our desire for perfection and the longing towards pure goodness and excellence. And this is what’s meant by the concept that we are created in the image of God; not as mistakenly understood in the physical sense.

That is why whoever strive for, and live by these high morals are much closer to the Most Loving than they can ever imagine even if they deny it; yet those who act evil in the name of religion yet claim to be religious are much further away. No man or woman dies before their time; the duration of each life span is precisely determined by the All Knowing Creator.

Death is tragic only if we leave unprepared and unaware. Here, I would like to end with a short affirmation: Praise be to God, Most Compassionate, Most Kind. I bear witness that there is no divinity but the One God (Allah in Arabic), the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, the Creator of the universe, of the heaven and the earth and all therein, God The Unique, The All-Perfect, The Most Just, the Most Loving, The Source of Peace, who is exalted above all deficiency and imperfection, to the Almighty belongs all Perfect and Beautiful names and attributes. God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammed and all the prophets and good teachers known and unknown, mercy and peace be upon them. I bear witness that God is Truth and God’s promise is truth, and the gathering of mankind to a day of accountability is truth.

I bear witness to the simple, intact, unaltered, and comprehensive message of Islam that has been taught by all the Prophets And finally, a simple message to my family and friends: I urge all of you to keep hope alive in your hearts, keep doing the good work that you do, never give up; for every good thing you do is worthwhile.

Be like a tree, people attack with stones, yet it gives them its fruits in return Be like a rose, generous and graceful, giving its fragrance even when cut off, and even to those who end its life. Never despair; for with the company, grace, and bliss of the Beloved, All Loving, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful there is neither misery nor despair. Have faith and trust in humanity and the Creator of humanity; as through that faith and trust you can find everlasting happiness and endless joy. Try to hold on, embrace, and get absorbed with this trust as a baby utterly trusting while held in his mother’s arms.

© Copyright 2006 PoetryforPalestine – All Rights Reserved

Muslim Women… The Real Oppression


 

 

Muslim Women… The Real Oppression

 

I find it really outrageous and inconceivable to watch this fierce campaign rallying in “defence” of “our rights”, the rights of Muslim women, such as the recent staging of the Islamo-fascist Awareness Week in USA sponsored by David Horowitz.

 

What disturbs and frustrates me about this impious movement is the fact that those who are holding the banner of our “liberation” are precisely the ones whose hands are dripping with our blood, the blood of Muslim women!

 

Wouldn’t it be a good idea if they stop killing us first (in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine with the imminent threat to Iran)?

I mean honestly, at least their hideous and bogus calls might gain some legitimacy and credibility then.

 

Wouldn’t it be a good idea if they could spare us their fake concern, and their crocodile tears weeping over our state of affairs and act honestly for once, by stopping their genocide against us, and by washing our blood off their hands?

This shrieking and fussing calling for our liberation from the “oppression” and

“dominance” of Islam; is not innocent, it’s rather sinister and disturbing dare I say.

These systematic attempts in the Western media to dehumanise one quarter of the world population, namely the Muslims are influenced and manipulated by the Zionists propaganda.

This recent study shows ‘demonisation’ of Muslims in the British media:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion

 

The Zionists are discovering that their long concealed hideous crimes in Palestine have been exposed now, they are realizing that slowly but surely they are losing the world support, so they are trying to regain their grip and manipulate the world’s opinion by using new tactics; and by doing so they kill two birds with one stone:

1) They create a rift between Muslims and the progressive antiwar left, through their ever favourite “DIVIDE and CONQUIRE” game, as they convince many on the left that’s it is not befitting for liberal people to side with “Islamo-fascists” who value religion, and who practise “uncivilized” life-styles of subjugation and oppression of women and minorities.

2) They present themselves as the victims of the “Islamic terror” who are fighting on behalf of the civilised west against the religion of “terror”.

Zionist new propaganda techniques:

They claim that:

{The greatest danger and the most ruthless enemy of the world now is Islam, and they the "poor brave" Zionists are living amidst millions and millions of "Islamo-fascists", "terrorists" or "potential terrorists", and they courageously are trying to fight this “evil” to save the “civilized” world.

What they are doing in Palestine is not occupation, not oppression, not human right abuses, not racism, not apartheid, not theft of land, not destruction of a civilization, not criminal, not collective punishment, not murdering babies and children, none of that… it is simply fighting the "Islamic terror"! }

They are claiming that Islam is the “enemy of civilization”, the “oppressor of women”,  ( http://www.zionism-israel.com/ezine/Islamism_and_women.htm ) the “hater of peace”, the “opponent of democracy”, and the “foe of humanity”, and that they the "poor and brave" Zionists are the spearhead of morality and evolution that’s actually fighting this monster on behalf of humanity, all alone.

Their favourite new propaganda technique now is not defending the Zionist dream, or the need for a homeland for the Jews, rather, it’s the claim that they are the "brave, humane, moral and civilized" society that is standing against the destruction of the world by Islam the "evil, backward, and uncivilized” religion, the religion that "preaches hatred, violence, terrorism and oppression of women and minorities, and promising its followers of 72 virgins for doing so"!!


For God’s sake would any one show me where does the Qur’an preaches such nonsense!!


The Zionists have lied their heads off for decades regarding what they did and still do to Palestinians, they have used every trick in the book to conceal the truth about their crimes whether by threat, intimidation, or even murder; and now their smear campaign continues with wider victims this time; Islam and Muslim.

That is done overtly as well as subliminally, and it’s enough to read some newspapers and watch some Hollywood movies that mention Muslims to see what I mean.

When a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or an atheist comments a crime, he/she is “so and so” committed a crime…. Their religious affiliation is never mentioned.
When a Muslim commits a crime however, he is a “Muslim” terrorist, and a “Muslim” murderer.

From what one reads in the news one is led to believe that all Muslims are none but a cult of psychopaths.  
They accuse Islam of oppressing women and the backup their claims by selective reporting that highlights cases of criminality within the Muslim societies and present it as if it is a consequence of the teaching of Islam.

 

They rattle on about honour killing, genital mutilation and forced marriages for example as if they are characteristics of Islam and Muslim societies, when in fact:

§        Hhonour killing is a CRIME in whatever society, and no matter what ethical standard is used, more so from an Islamic stance.

 

§        Genital mutilation is a cultural practice in some parts of the world that is practised by all in those cultures. It has absolutely no connection with Islam.

 

§        And forced marriages are NOT legal under Islamic law, they are considered invalid.

Of course we  have bad men who might be cruel and who might abuse women, and of course we have some bad cultural practices that blatantly contradicts the teaching of Islam. but it’s not up to any outsider to come and change those bad practices, people in those cultures are no less humans, no less intelligent, and no less moral than Westerners, they are well capable of evolving and modifying these bad practices in their own time, and in their own way NOT anyone else’s.

Islam exists in almost every country in the world, there isn’t something that you can call the unique Islamic culture, different races and different geographical areas have their own customs and traditions.

Believing that Muslim women are oppressed, makes some racists bigoted people feel good, it makes them feel morally superior, I am sorry to burst their bubble and tell them that the propaganda that they are fed day and night about us –Muslim women- is nothing but what it is just mere PROPAGANDA.

The Zionists and their supporters influence and manipulate people through playing with our emotions of hate and fear; when someone reads a story of a young Pakistani girl killed or forced to marry, we instinctively become emotionally entangled with sympathy with her and loathing to her “Muslim” (criminal, yet conveniently omitted) father, and we lose sight to see that this is a criminal case and not a genuine Islamic practice.

When the media raises the alert of terrorism from green to yellow to orange or red, they play with our fear, we cease to be rational, we lose our level-headedness and we fall an easy prey to whatever they want us to swallow.

 

Any fair-minded researcher cannot fail to see that all these accusations and allegations have nothing to do with the authentic teaching of Islam, bad cultural practices exists in all human societies.

In fact if those propagandists are truly genuine in their defence of the rights of Muslim women, they would’ve discovered that the best way to counteract and defeat these bad practices is by teaching those illiterate and poor Muslims the correct Islamic views regarding these matters.

Those Muslims who are engaged in criminal activities due to ignorance can only be helped through teaching them what Islam really say about their misdeeds, and it’s through their pure love and reverence to Islam that we might hope for any success in challenging all those wicked practices.

 

All good people of the world need to wake up URGENTLY and not swallow the lies of Zion so easily.

All of you can read, for God’s sake, then; READ.

READ about Islam from its authentic and original sources, and make some effort to talk to Muslims, listen to what we have to say!
and if you truly care about our oppression as Muslim women, please come and talk to us, listen to what we have to say, not what Horowitz, Dershowitz,
or Cohen have to say.

Do not just swallow the Zionist bait!
The future of our world depends on your informed choices

 

Since its inception, Islam had been perceived by its followers as the driving force for women liberation as seen by those who understood the message. The prophet of Islam zealously condemned the mistreatment of women in the ancient Arabian culture.

He campaigned tirelessly for the rights, equality and protection of women in a society where women were not seen any thing more than a commodity for the service and pleasure of men.

Our history is teeming with prominent names of Muslim women scholars in all fields of knowledge, material as well as spiritual; starting from arts ending with philosophy, including all what’s in between such as poetry, science medicine, theology and much more.

Muslim women have always had the financial independence for example, as a fundamental and unquestionable right; whatever a woman earns is hers and hers alone. She is under no obligation to spend it on anything but what she wishes. Her husband on the other hand is obliged from a legal and spiritual perspective to provide for her and her children, no matter how well she is doing financially.

Muslim women do not change their name when they get married, they are independent entities and not defined by their association with their husbands.

In other words, we do NOT carry the baggage of oppression that European women had endured, nor do we harbour their -understandable- animosity to men.

Furthermore, we are not interested in a life of quarrel and antagonism with men, we love our men, as husbands, brothers, fathers, sons, uncles, and friends, and we view our relationships with them as one of complement and harmony rather than of conflict, competition and hostility.

To get to the real truth about Islam and women, one must be equipped with enough historical, theological, and cultural knowledge about that which he/ she are criticising.

If anyone wants to criticise Islam, by all means feel free to do so, but DO NOT do it ignorantly or arrogantly, without equipping yourself with sufficient and reliable FACTS from authentic and original sources.

It is unscientific, irrational, meaningless, and dishonest to be critical of something that you know nothing or very little about, (and that which you know, comes mainly from shallow media sources or phoney stories from Hollywood rather the authentic books of that religion).

Academic integrity requires the application of proper criteria of research; it necessitates that one must study the valid sources, otherwise all research would be a sham and a scam, and all conclusions would be lacking in credibility, faulty and flawed.

Simply put: do your homework

Did it ever occur to you to ask why is it that 4 out of 5 converts to Islam are women; knowing that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world?  http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/results.htm

Total Number of Muslims on the Earth (1998) ….  1,678,442,000

Expected Number of Muslims on the Earth (2000) 1,902,095,000

 

34,000 Americans have converted to Islam following the events of September 11, and this is the highest rate reached in the U.S. since Islam arrived there.

  http://sultan.org/articles/convert.html

Interesting also to notice that in the so called “Democratic Free World” the number of women in Parliaments is less than those in the “Undemocratic, Un-Free” Islamic countries

The free world: US 16.3% , UK 19.7%, Israel 14.2%, and France 12.2%

The “other” world: Rwanda 48.8%, Afghanistan 27.3%, Iraq 25.5%, United Arab Emirates 22.5%,Pakistan 21.3%, Monaco 20.8%, Sudan 17.8%

http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

 

At this point, suffice to know:

 

 What the Quran say about women:

Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions”. (16-97)

 “The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey God and His Messenger. On them will God pour His mercy: for God is exalted in power, Wise”. (9:71)

“If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female – and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them”. (3-124)

“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it”. (99:7-8)

“It is He who created you from a single soul, and made its mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love)”. (7:189)

“And among His Signs is this: He created for you mates from among yourselves that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He plants love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. 30-21

“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise; for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward”. (33:35) 

 “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (one who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)” (Qur’an 49:13)

“O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, Who created you from a single soul, created, of like nature, its mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women-reverence God, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for God ever watches over you” (Qur’an 4:1)

 “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he/she male or female: you are members one of another…” If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them” (Qur’an 4:124)

“Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs: of what the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge of”. (36; 36) 

The very FIRST revealed verse in the Quran -which was addressing both men and women- was the word: READ;

 “Read!! in the name of your Lord Who created.
Created man from “alaq” (something which clings)
Read: And thy Lord is the Most bountiful,
Who taught (the use of) the pen,
Taught man that which he knew not.
Nay, but verily man is rebellious
That he thinks himself independent and self-sufficient.
Surely to your Lord is the return” (96:1-7)

Some of Muhammad’s sayings:

“Women are but shaqa’iq (twin halves or sisters) of men”

“I commend you to be good to women”

“Heaven lies at the feet of mothers”

“The best of you are the kindest to their wives”

“Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim male and female”

Any honest observer and researcher will not fail to notice the Islam is a practical religion, a religion of “fitra”, inner nature, and indeed Islam deals with human-nature rather than suppresses it, it does not deny it nor go against it.

 

It combines the materialistic side of our human-nature with the spiritual, without compromising either.

 

One of the nicest descriptions of Islam I’ve ever heard was from a new Muslim friend, who said: “Islam is organic, it just feels so natural”

And another convert friend said: “Islam is a treasure covered with a blanket of Muslims”

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-768956312207897325&q=when

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4312980342283025421&q=empire

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7502243539190558658&q=empire

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=94144204270367302&q=empire

Every person of integrity, every peace loving and harmony seeking human; should set their prejudice (that was picked up from Hollywood and tabloid newspapers) aside and to try to answer the simple question: why do one quarter of the world chose Islam as a faith?
Is it not worth real investigations and honest research?

To summarize, from a Muslim woman’s standpoint; our real oppression comes not from Islam, but rather from those who wage war against our people in the name of "democracy", "liberation", and spreading “civilised” values, while not only ignoring our feelings and opinions but also murdering our beloved ones, and destroying all that is dear in our lives.

To believe in God or not believe, to have a faith or not is not the issue, it will forever be matter of disagreement, it is the individual’s choice of how he/ she perceive the world; but what is of crucial importance for the survival of our world is: are we able to learn to live together -as compassionate human beings- with those differences by putting into practice our high principles of tolerance and respect of those who chose a different view of the world.

Finally, I call upon all truth and justice seekers, freedom hunters and peace lovers to exercise their right of FREEDOM of THOUGHT and investigate, examine, and explore this mystifying religion, and please do not think that I am proselytising, in fact this word sickens me…

All I am asking is: for the sake of a better future of our world, people need to educate themselves about the Islam, and not be afraid of KNOWLEDGE and AWARNESS.


The atheistic call for killing God, terminating religion or uprooting faith from humans’ hearts and minds is a mirage, it’s an impossible dream, because humans will always thirst for spiritual fulfilment, and will forever ask the inevitable and  challenging questions about our reality and the purpose of our existence.

The longing for answers for existential questions will never cease to exist as long as humans exist.

 Atheists are free to reject religion, they can deny God all they like, but their denial simply would offer nothing for a seeker’s inquisitive and curious mind.

 Their denial is powerless; as it fails to provide any contentment, tranquillity or peace to one single longing soul.

 

Islam, with its utter simplicity, pure logic, and total comprehensiveness, will always exist, as a philosophy that satisfies the inquisitiveness of many hearts, souls, and minds; hence, it’s wise and worthwhile that secular people on the left come to terms with this reality, and acknowledge that there is room in the intellectual-world, as well as the material world, for all of us.

 

Therefore, a dialogue with Muslims is inevitable, and our hope for a peaceful world requires a minimum degree of understanding of the other that should enables TRUST -rather than fear- to flourish and COOPERATION -rather than aggression- to be the norm.

 

Our dream of a peaceful future for our children necessitates taking the dignified step of setting our prejudices aside and opening our hearts and minds to finding out the truth about the other, beyond this murky thick fog of propaganda.

 

We can only see with open eyes

We can only hear with open ears

We can only think with open minds

 

 

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