Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015 Issue No. 621

Friday BulletinTheThe Weekly Muslim News Update

www.islamkenya.org

Page 2 Page 7Page 5

Garissa women representative Shukran Hussein (Left) and nominated ODM Member of Par-liament Zulekha Juma receive a cheque from Khadija Ali, Salma Ahmed, Nawal Abdulrahman and Fatma Ramadhan . The cheque amounting to sh 103,750 was presented on Wednesday at Jamia Mosque multipurpose hall and in support of an appeal to be made against a high court ruling that banned hijab.

'Hijab did not stop me from getting an A'

National news

Appeal against anti-Hijab ruling

This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

Editorial: Need for a Muslim hospital

Continued To Page 2

Call for strategy plan for Muslim education in KenyaEducation stakeholders have been called upon to put in place short and long term strategic plans to improve on education standards in the Muslim community.

At the same time, intellectuals and research-ers have been urged to document the history of Muslims and their institutions in Kenya.

Speaking during the launch of Ummah Foun-dation Think Tank report on state of Muslim education in Kenya, the Umma University Vice chancellor Prof Shaukat Abdulrazak noted that education is a fundamental pillar in enhancing human lives and social economic development and pointed out that there is need for the Mus-lim leadership to explore strategies and long term solutions to address challenges of educa-tion in the community.

Prof Shaukat said the move will contribute

to the improvement of the status of educa-tion among Muslims reiterating the need for all stakeholders to join hands in uplifting the education standards in order to steer Muslim schools' academic performances to greater heights.

He however, lamented about the low rates of Muslim students higher institutions of learn-ing and urged the Muslim leadership to put in place mechanisms such as the establishment of a comprehensive bursary structure to ad-dress the situation.

Prof Shaukat further advised parents to prevail on their children to take up the Islamic Reli-gious Education (IRE) teaching course to help contain the prevailing shortage of IRE teach-ers. ''Giving your child religious education only

An appeal challenging a high court ruling against the wearing of the hi-jab in schools is soon going to be lodged in the Court of Appeal.

Announcing the move, legislators from the National Assembly faulted the ruling saying it was unconstitu-tional as it clearly went against the dictates of freedom of worship out-lined in article 32 (4) of the Consti-tution of Kenya.

The article says: A person shall not be compelled to act, or engage in any act, that is contrary to the persons belief or religion. We will stand up and appeal against this ruling which violated the constitu-tion, said Nominated MP Zuleikha Juma when she received financial contributions from students in Mus-lim girls school to support the ap-peal.

She made it clear that wearing of a hijab is a religious edict and mandatory for all Muslim women, stressing that the dress is meant to protect and safeguard the honor, dignity, chastity, integrity and moral character of Muslim women.

The MP acknowledged that various schools in the country are faced with the same predicament which needs to be addressed and demanded that the government address the prevailing discrimination of Muslim students in public schools, as an act which she said threatened unity and national cohesion.

Students are being denied the rights to observe their five daily prayers, being forced to attend church services, forcing Muslim girls to remove their headscarves and stopping them from covering their legs, she said.

The other day when a woman was undressed for indecent dressing, we heard cries of 'my dress my choice. Asking a Muslim woman to walk without her hijab is the same as undressing her. Let the law ap-ply equally to all, she said.

Echoing the same sentiments Garissa women representative

Continued To Page 2

The Friday Bulletin

Page 2

EDITORIAL

Continued from Page 1

Appeal againt anti-hijab ruling

A robust case for a Muslim hospital The story of the orphan girl from Garissa Ayan Gedi, whose both of her kidneys are dysfunctional, has been a familiar tale in the media in the past few weeks.Her story was first highlighted by the Star newspaper before The Friday Bulletin joined in to make frantic calls to help save the poor family from the mounting bur-den of the hospital bill which had almost peaked to Sh 1 million.While the calls were positively reacted to by well-wishers-may Allah abundantly re-ward them for their kind hearts -she still requires an urgent kidney transplant and it is the only way she will have an oppor-tunity to live a normal life. The other alternative is to remain on dial-ysis for the rest of her life which will mean spending more time in hospital translat-ing into a financial burden which her fam-ily cannot be able to afford. Further, her education will be in jeopardy as all the at-tention will focus on measures to improve her health. To provide her an opportunity to live, be-tween Sh 1.5 to 2 million is required for a kidney transplant operation. Of much regret, so far much progress has yet to be achieved in realizing this amount and the family desperate not to incur more as-tronomical hospital bills,is contemplating taking the young girl back to Garissa to

Sheikhs to make duas for her.Ayans situation is not unique. It is a re-flection of the desperate conditions of the challenges facing many Muslims to access health care. Every month, Jamia Mosque alone receives hundreds of request for medical assistance which runs into millions of shillings and the coffers can barely able to satisfy this demand.Quality medical care is perhaps becoming a preserve for those who can afford while the needy continue to suffer and others have given up hope and only patiently wait-ing for their demise. With these conditions, it is perhaps time for stakeholdersto take an opportunity and ex-plore the possibility of establishing a com-munity hospital whose main goal is provide affordable and quality health care to Mus-lims and the nation as a whole.This is one area which unfortunately, it is not getting much attention despite the growing health care needs. It is a fact that a significant majority of Muslims live in hardship prone situation, Muslim areas are some of the most deprived and marginal-ized communities in the country and they could as well be classified as among the most vulnerable areas in the provision of health care. Currently, there is no single doctor in pub-lic health institutions in the whole county

Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015

of Lamu and the same is virtually true in many Muslim dominated areas.While the government has announced an ambitious drive to equip public hospital in all the 47 counties, still this will contribute little to address the health care situation in Muslim areas.The Muslim community is not devoid of resources which could contribute towards the establishment of a hospital to provide the much needed health care services to community members. While hundreds of millions of shillings are being invested in shopping malls, real estate developments and construction of magnificent mosques, at the same time, it is important to explore at the possibil-ity of setting up a quality and affordable Muslim hospital. Almost every other reli-gious community in this country has their own health institutions providing services which also address their lifestyle needs and there is no reason why Muslims should not have their own institution.Our wives, sisters and mothers are forced to surrender their dignity and honour to male medical practitioners but with our own institutions, these concerns are aptly taken care of.It might appear to an arduous journey but as the Chinese saying goes, the journey of one thousand miles begins with one step.

Shukran Hussein Gure noted that wearing the hijab is a constitutional right and that Muslims are determined to use all available avenues to reverse the ruling.We are not asking anybody to allow us to wear the hijab, it is our religious right granted by the constitution. Let it be clear that we cannot and will not walk without hijab she said.

Asking Muslim female adults to walk around without hi-jab is like forcing them to walk naked. This is unaccep-table, she added.

She commended the girls efforts to defend their right and urged the whole community to emulate them for their determination to stand up for their rights.

On his part deputy Imam Jamia mosque Nairobi Sheikh Juma Amir said the banning of hijab is an affront to the freedom of religion and right to worship.Banning hijab is like closing mosques and banning religion and all its aspects. Hijab is one of the acts of worship in Islam said the Imam.

The director of Andalucia Academy Faisal Ibrahim said he will mobilize all Muslims girl schools in Nairobi to come together and partner in the education endeavors to improve on academic standards in the Muslim com-munity.

In their unprecedented efforts, the female students drawn from Andalucia Academy, Mahaad Academy, Wamy Academy and Nairobi Muslim Academy managed to raise Sh 103,750 to go towards legal process and fees for the lawyer handling the case.

The students expressed solidarity with their fellow stu-dents at St Paul Kiwanjani secondary school in Isiolo county who were barred from wearing hijab following a ruling by a judge Nzioki Makau in a Meru court.

Plan for Muslim education is inadequate for the current com-petitive and growing world. We need to have all round Muslim men and women for a developed pluralistic so-ciety,'' he said.

The academician who was the chief guest at the event further called on Muslim intellectuals, researchers and organizations to document the history of Muslims lamenting that there was scanty information on their contribu-tion in the social-economic develop-ment of the country from pre-colonial era to the present times.

''Muslim history has not been suffi-ciently documented, we don't know the population of Muslims in the country, number of Muslim profes-sionals, students and institutions. Muslim intellectuals, researchers and organizations have an obligation to ensure that this history and database is carefully recollected and preserved for reference purposes for the benefit of future generations,'' he said.

On his part, the Ummah Founda-tion education committee chairman Ahmed Yusuf called on Muslims to in-vest in education through the estab-lishment of more community schools to provide opportunities to Muslim children to access education.

The Ummah Think Tank is an initiative established by Ummah Foundation in

the year 2009 to carry out research on Muslim affairs and suggest rec-ommendations that will enhance and promote the place of the Mus-lim community in the country. The event brought together Muslim ed-ucationists scholars, professionals, businessmen, schools, universities and Muslim organizations.

Continued from Page 1

Taasia Muslim community in Em-bakasi Nairobi is calling on Mus-lims to support the clearing of 2.6 million debt to the National Social Security Fund(NSSF) to secure the mosque. The pension fund is de-manding a total of Sh 4,532,736 for the land where the mosque stands and had threatened to take over the facility and demolish the mosque if the amount is not cleared. well-wishers have donated 2,845,000. Another additional infrastructure development fee of 948,500 is re-quired bringing the total balance needed to secure the mosque to 2, 636,236. Contributions can be made to Jamia Mosque Commit-tee-Reserves Account number 00101464 -004 First Community Bank Wabera branch or Jamia Mosque MPESA paybill number 150770 Account number Taasia Mosque.

Tassia Mosque Fund

The Friday Bulletin

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DA'WA

SUNDAY LECTURE

Before we come to the Qur'n's teachings concerning the Companions, I would just like to very briefly clarify some matters relat-ed to the character of the Muslim. Imm Ah-mad and at-Tirmidh relate with an authentic isnd that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: The believer is not given to insults, nor cursing, nor is he one given to wicked, shameless speech.Allh has addressed the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam in the Qur'n describing him thusly: And verily, you are on an ex-alted standard of character. [68:4]Thus, it comes as no surprise that the Proph-et salallahu alayhi wa sallam refrained from engaging in cursing or other vulgar speech. Al-Bukhr reports from `'ishah, may Allh be pleased with her saying: Once, a group of Jews entered upon Allh's Messenger and said Al-Smu `Alaykum (Death be upon you).I understood what they had said, so I re-sponded, Al-Smu `Alaykum Wa'l-La`nah (Death be upon you and curse).At this, Allh's Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Take it easy `'ishah, for indeed, Allh loves gentleness in all mat-ters. I said, O Messenger of Allh, did you not hear what they said? Allh's Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, I already said, 'wa `alaykum (and upon you)'.With regards to cursing or reviling a Mus-lim, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam has stated, Cursing a Muslim is fusq. [Al-Bukhr, Muslim] The meaning of fusq is to depart from obedience to Allh. In fact, such revulsion can even lead to disbelief if it is on account of that person's religiosity. Thus, in that case, it would amount to reviling the re-ligion and that is one of the nullifiers of faith.In fact, Allh has prohibited us from insulting even the idols, the false gods, of the disbe-lievers lest this should lead them to insulting Allh: And insult not those whom they (dis-believers) invoke besides Allh, lest they insult Allh wrongfully without knowledge. [6:108]With this precaution, let us now come to the main theme of the article:The status of the companions in the Qur'nAnd know that among you is the Messen-ger of Allh. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allh has made beloved to you the faith and has beautified it in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided. [49:7]This verse is clearly addressed to the Companions, for the Messenger of Allh is amongst them. Note that Allh says that He has made mn beloved to them and has beautified it in their hearts and He has made them hate kufr, fusq, and `isyn. He fur-ther describes them as being rightly-guided (rshidn). Surely, no one will doubt that anyone to whom Allh has made faith belov-ed and beautified in their hearts would not be rightly guided? Then, furthermore, after that, who can deny they are rightly guided

The status of the companions in the Qur'an

SUNDAY LECTUREFunguo za faraja

By: Abu JabirDate: 29th March 2015

Time: 2 pm- 4 pmVenue: Makina Kibra

when He has also made all forms of disbe-lief, wickedness and disobedience hated to them?This particular categorization: disbelief (kufr), wickedness (fusq), and disobedi-ence (`isyn) has been mentioned for the purpose of clarification. It emphasizes their innocence of any quality that would expel them from the religion while also exonerat-ing them of having any love for committing any sort of sin that would be less than that. The term fusq is applied to those acts of disobedience which are particularly repre-hensible or wicked, whereas the term `isyn would encompass even the slightest act of disobedience. Thus, they can neither be thought of as disbelievers (kuffr) nor sin-ners (fussq).Promise fulfilledAllh has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession [to authority] in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He is pleased with for them. And He will surely give them in exchange a safe se-curity after their fear (provided) they (believ-ers) worship Me and do not associate any-thing with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are disobedient sinners. [24:55]To understand the implications of this verse, we must look back at history. Allh is prom-ising those who were present at the revela-tion of this verse that those of them who believe and do righteous deeds (1) shall be granted authority in the earth, (2) He will establish for them their religion, and (3) He will exchange their state of fear for one of security.Consider what happened after the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Does history not show us how Allh granted the Companions authority in the earth and established for them their religion? Indeed it does. In fact, the conquests achieved in their short rule were so great that nothing the like of it has been seen before nor since in history. The `Arabs, with little technologi-cal know-how or numbers, swept all the way into Spain in the West and the heart of Asia in the East in just a matter of decades. At their hands, not just one but both of the world superpowers were humbled. What is most amazing of all is that most of these far-fetched lands that entered into Islm at the hands of the Companions so many centu-ries ago are still Muslim lands to this day. If the words of this verse are not true of them, then tell me, by Allh, of whom then are they true?Does this verse not also indicate to us that in their time, Allh established for them the religion with which He is pleased? Is this not an indication that the Islm of Ab Bakr, `Umar, `Uthmn, `Al, and all of the beloved Companions was the very Islm that was brought by our beloved Messenger salal-lahu alayhi wa sallam?The people of BadrIn Srah al-Anfl, Allh states: He it is Who

has supported you with His Help and with the believers. [8:62]This verse refers to Allh's Aid of the Proph-et salallahu alayhi wa sallam at the Battle of Badr. Thus, Allh has testified that those of the Companions who witnessed Badr were believers. This testimony has come to us in a verse of the Qur'n that shall be recited in the masjids, upon the pulpits, and upon the lips of every believer until the time when Allh shall inherit the earth and all those upon it. Is there any greater testimony of faith than that? At this battle, the Compan-ions who were present were some three hundred plus Companions.The pledge of divine pleasure (Bay`ah al-Ridwn)Certainly was Allh pleased with the believ-ers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest. [48:18]The Companions who witnessed this pledge were some 1400 in number. In this verse, Allh has stated:(1) He was pleased with them(2) Borne witness that they are believers(3) And borne witness to the purity of their hearts.

Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015

SATURDAY LECTURETopic: Ethics of Disagreement in Islam

Lecturer: Br. Abdur-Rahman Wandati-Date: 28th March 2015Time: 2.00 4.00 pm.

Venue: Jamia Mosque Multi purpose

Reverts Basic 6-Months CourseThe Programme will In Shaa Allaah

commence on 12th April 2015.Venue: Jamia Training Institute

(JTI) at Lecture Room 2Time: 2pm. All are welcome

Dr. Salh al-Sw

Jamia Mosque Qur-aan Competition 1436 H/ 2015 CERegistration for this year's competi-

tion is now open. Madrasah or Islamic Institution wishing to be included in the

Competition should register with the Dawah Office in Jamia on or before 1st

Rajab 1436/ 20th April 2015.The participating Madaaris should be

in Nairobi County and Its Environs. Late Registration will not be entertained.

SHUKRAN!

The Friday Bulletin

Page 4

The great women behind great men Khadija, the wife of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam

WOMEN

Aisha Stacey

Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015

One of the greatest role models for women, particularly wives, was born in this time of ignorance, yet she was able to rise above the discrimination around her and have one of historys most success-ful marriages. She was Khadijah, the first, and for 25 years, the only wife of Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam. What do we know about Khadijah that made her such a fantastic wife and incredible role model? Why do we consider Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwaylid, to be a great women standing by the side of a great man?Maryam, the daughter of 'Imran, was the best among the women (of the world of her time) and Khadijah is the best amongst the women (of this nation). [ Saheeh Al-Bukhari] Khadijah was 40 years old and twice widowed when she married Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam, then aged 25, who had not at that stage been granted prophethood. She was an accomplished businesswoman, wealthy in her own right with a reputation of deal-ing with the disabled, orphans, widows and the poor with kindness and compassion. Just as Prophet Muhammad was known as Al-Amin the trustwor-thy one, Khadijah was known as At-Tahira, the pure one. Khadijah was impressed by Muhammads honesty when she employed him to trade for her in Syria and on his return to Makkah she defied the conventions of her time and proposed marriage to him. Muhammad accepted eagerly and promptly.Islam teaches that a woman should always display tenderness and care towards her husband. Khadijah loved and supported Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam through the difficult years of the establishment of Islam. In the spirit of partnership and com-panionship inherent in a truly Islamic marriage, great men and women find no difficulty helping each other. Prophet Muhammad was known to perform many household chores such as cleaning and mending garments. It was narrated regarding him, He used to keep himself busy in household chores and went out when the time for prayer came. [ Bukhari]Khadijah, for her part kept a home that was a refuge from the trou-ble and problems Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam faced every day. She also gave freely of her time and knowledge. She supported her husband with advice, and opinions and generally helped in practical ways. Prophet Muhamad said: This world is just temporary conveniences, and the best comfort in this world is a righteous woman. [Bukhari] (Wife, mother, daughter)When the Prophet first received revelation from the angel Jibril, it was a very frightening experience. Although it was his habit to spend time alone in a cave meditating and pondering the wonders of the universe he did not expect to be visited by an angel demand-ing that he, an unlettered man, read. He ran home to his loving supportive wife as soon as he was able, saying Cover me, cover me! Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam told her what had happened and expressed his fear. Khadijah did not belittle him or disbelieve him rather she responded to his request to cover me and reassured him with kind loving words. Allah would never for-sake you. You uphold the ties of kinship, speak the truth, spend money on the needy, give money to the penniless, honour your guests and help those beset by difficulties [Bukhari]Consequently Khadijah was the first person to accept the message of Islam and she stood by her husband as family and friends turned against him, and plotted to kill him. As the fledgling band of Mus-lims grew, Khadijah supported the rise of Islam with her wealth and health. She provided food, water and medicines for the banished and boycotted community. Even though she was not accustomed to deprivation, Khadijah never complained about the poor conditions she was forced to endure nor did she begrudge that all her money went to support her husband in his mission. Khadijah was the perfect role model for wives in any situation or century. A marriage in the eyes of Allah makes two people one. They love and protect one another and never lose sight of the big picture. Khadijah understood that her real and everlasting life with Muhammad would be in Paradise where they would not need mon-ey nor want for comfort and shelter. One day the angel Jibril came to Prophet Muhammad salallahu

alayhi wa sallam and said, O Messenger of Allah, Khadijah is com-ing to you with vessels containing food and drink. When she comes to you, convey to her the greeting of peace from Allah the Cher-isher and Sustainer and from me, and give her the glad tidings of a house of pearls in Paradise, in which there is no noise or hard work. [Bukhari and Muslim]Khadijah died shortly after the banishment ended, almost surely as a result of the poor conditions she endured. However, the love and mercy between the Messenger of Allah and Khadijah had contin-ued to grow through their trials and tribulations and not even death could break the ties that bound them. Aisha asked Prophet Muham-mad if she had reached what Khadijah had reached in terms of the Prophets love. He replied, "She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand." [Ahmad] Aishas words also reveal the depth of love that is possible between a man and a woman whose marriage is based on seeking the pleasure of Allah.Never did I feel jealous of any woman as I was jealous of Khadijah. She had died three years before he married me. I often heard him praise her, and his Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, had commanded him to give her the glad tidings of a palace of jewels in Paradise: and whenever he slaughtered a sheep he presented (its meat) to her female companions [Bukhari].It is said that marriage is half of ones religion [Bayhaqi] and this becomes understandable and obvious when we are able to observe a marriage such as that of Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam and Khadijah. This great woman stood beside a great man when he felt lost, alone and worried.

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Islamic Teachers Training College

The Friday Bulletin

page 5

Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015

The Hijab does not cover the brain it actually makes you think wider. These were the words of the top girl at Pangani Girls High School in last years Kenya certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE).Nawal Abdulrahman Ali was one of the top two Muslim girls who attained mean grade A of 84 points at Nairobi school the only na-tional school in the country that allows Muslim girls to wear the hijab.Contributing to the current debate that has drawn anger and much condemnation from the Muslim community on the recent ban of hi-jab in Christian sponsored public schools, Nawal said hijab should be a testimony of how Muslim girls performed in the last years KSCE examinations.Two weeks ago Meru High court judge Nzioki Makau made a rul-ing that banned Muslim female students at the St Paul Kiwanjani Secondary School in Isiolo from wearing the veil and trousers on the basis that the students violated the schools rules and regula-tion.Having faced similar struggles during her four year education journey,she has today come out strongly in solidarity with the girls in Isiolo who have been denied their right to perform religious obli-gations at the same time diffusing the notion that hijab is a symbol of oppression.She noted that while in high school she and her Muslim colleagues were at loggerheads with the schools administration and received constant threats on the wearing of hijab and praying the five daily prayers.According to the school wearing hijab was a privilege rather than a right, however that did not put us off we still managed to score good marks, she told the Friday Bulletin.Her strong determination saw her register sterling performance a factor she attributes to the discipline brought about by the wearing of hijab and later winning the heart of the schools administration.Nawal was in a group of girls drawn from Muslim schools who raised funds in support of an appeal against the ruling that barred Muslim students at the Isiolo school from wearing the veil.This ban on hijab shows how much we are ignorant in terms of what hijab represents us as Muslims. Hijab is a sense of in-dependence, it is a sense of dignity and modesty. Our hijab our right, she added.She accused the government of doublespeak by preaching peace for national cohesion and integration at the same time banning the hijab a move she sees as discriminatory and against the constitu-tion of the country and the Bill of Rights.In a candid interview with The Friday Bulletin, seventeen year old

Nawal made a passionate appeal to Muslims leaders to be at the forefront in protecting the rights of girls and acting as role models for the upcoming generations. Muslim girls need you, stand up and fight for them because you are the ones representing us, if you want us to be the leaders of tomorrow show us how the leaders of today should be, she con-tinued.Nawal is currently a volunteer teacher at Andalucia Academy one of the four girls schools in Nairobi that raised funds for the appeal-ing of the hijab case. Despite acknowledging it is a male dominated career, eloquent Nawal wants to pursue civil engineer in her university studies ar-guing that the Muslim community needs all kinds of professionals in order make strive in all spheres of development.She challenged Muslim girls to dream big and discover their full potential and being a Lamu native she urged the girls in the region to work smart in their studies adding high dropout rate is to blame for the dismal performance in national exams.She further urged Islamic banks emulate conventional banks and sponsor bright students who have done exceptionally well in na-tional examinations saying this will prevent Muslim students from accessing scholarships with interest (ribaa). Regarding her sterling performance in the national exams Nawal owes it to Allah, her parents and all the people who positively im-pacted on her life.

Hijab did not deter me from getting an A says top girlA jovial Nawal Ab-dulrahman Ali the top student at Pan-gani girls High school Nairobi in the last year's 2014 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Educa-tion (KCSE) exami-nation. She attained an A of 84 points.

Attention by the mainstream press on the situation of Chinese Uy-ghur Muslim minority is dwindling. This, however, does not mean that their oppression by the Chinese government has ended. Just a couple of weeks ago I met a Chinese Uyghur Muslim who had left enormous landlocked Xinjiang to pursue further education in the UK. We had a thought-provoking conversation about the situ-ation of his community in China.To practice Islm completely in the vast autonomous region of north-western China is to live under an intricate series of regula-tions and restrictions directed to prevent the spread of Islm in the country. For around 8 million Muslim Uyghurs, discrimination, harassment, and oppression have become a horrific reality. Vio-lent clashes with state forces have frequently occurred. Last year, for example, a protest turned riot ended in a large number dead.The Chinese government has and continues to use heavy-handed strategies to suppress the Uyghur minority. Two of Islms five pillars observing the fast in the holy month of Ramadhan and the pilgrimage to Makkah are also strictly regulated. Workers may lose their job if found to be praying or fasting at work during Ramahn this is, reportedly, as it has been all along. There have been cases where school students are forced to eat and drink during daylight in Ramahn or face dismissal. Restaurants which closed during Ramahn are threatened with fines and caf-

eterias at state institutions are required to keep records of who has eaten. Not satisfied with prohibiting fasting, praying, and ajj, the govern-ment has long attempted to restrict the use of a veil for Muslim women, often through official order. More recently, the government introduced a new repressive regulation called Project Beauty, in which women are prohibited from wearing the face veil, known as Niqb in Arabic, and men are not permitted to grow their beard. The New York Times also reported that Chinese Uyghurs are only permitted to use a specific version of the Qurn which had been approved by the authority. Imms are forbidden to hold private Islamic circles, and learning Arabic is only permissible at particu-lar government institutions. It was reported earlier this year that Imms were forced to dance in the street and to tell the people to stop practicing Islm. There have also been incidents where Imms are specifically targeted by the security forces. The government has labeled every major attack in the country as terrorist attacks and has blamed them on Muslim Uyghurs.] Many of them have been sentenced to death and some to life imprison-ment. However, most of these allegations are weak, and evidence is rarely publicized. China has also imprisoned Uyghur activists, teachers, journalists, and writers for exposing the regimes policy

Chinese Uyghur Muslims under oppression: Where is the world? Muhammad Zulfikar Rahmat

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The Friday Bulletin Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015

Islam addresses the topic of extremism much more than many people think. What's interesting about the Islamic ap-proach is that it solves the problem at its roots instead of attempting to solve the symptoms. My motivation for writing this piece is twofold. First is to counter what has become a fact in the minds of many non-Muslims that Islam is syn-onymous to extremism. Second and more importantly is to address some relatively recent examples of Muslim extremism and the fact that this goes against the very essence of Islam.The Qurn does use the word Ghuluw which can fairly be translated as ex-tremism. In an address to the People of the Book, the Jews and Christians, it says: Oh People of the Book, don't go extreme in your religion, and do not say about Allah except the Truth. Indeed, the Messiah Iysa the son of Maryam is the Messenger of Allah, His Word revealed on Maryam, and a spirit sent from Him [Surah An-Nisa': 171]In essence, the Qurn is saying that people can go into extremes in how they show love to a person. A good ex-ample is Prophet Iysa peace be upon him. While one group went extreme in opposing Iysa, another went extreme in loving Iysa to a point that they wor-shiped Iysa and claimed that he was Allah or the Son of Allah.Now this type of extremism is not lim-ited to the People of the Book. This is why Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him warned his followers of the same. In a Hadith narrated by Bukhari he said, Do not exaggerate in praising me like the Christians have exaggerat-ed in praising Iysa the son of Maryam. Rather, say that I'm the Servant of Allah and His MessengerThat doesn't mean the Muslims later al-ways followed this injunction. You still find examples of such exaggeration in Madeeh or Muslim poetry praising Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. For example, in a rather famous poem called al-Burda praising Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, the author claims:So it's from your generosity this life and the Hereafter. And from your knowl-edge, is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen. According to Islam, the [Preserved] Tablet has a record of what's going to happen since the crea-tion of this World till the Day of Judg-ment. Now, to claim that Prophet peace be upon him has all this knowledge is not only an exaggeration but it goes directly against the Qurn that clearly states that only Allah knows the unseen or the future. The Prophet's knowledge on the other hand is limited to what Al-lah revealed to him.The Islamic history is not void of figures which Muslims went extreme over ei-ther. A prime example, an example that has quite a resemblance to the Iysa

Islams antidote to extremism example in fact, is the person of Ali bin Abi Twalib the cousin of the Prophet peace be upon him. As one group fought Ali, mostly due to political reasons, another group started showing extreme love towards Ali and his family, till believing that they are in-fallible or even divine. Although the group that showed enmity or hatred towards Ali has very much dissolved in history, there are still sects nowadays that show the ex-treme and undue love towards Ali such as the Shia and the Alawite.In fact, going extreme in showing love or hatred towards anyone is the foundation of the many examples of extremism we see out there. Going extreme in loving a leader or a religious figure leads to blind following and to the conviction that they can never err. Again, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him warned us against such tenden-cies. He said in a Hadith found in Tirmidhi: Love the one you love a little easy, for he could turn into someone you hate one day. And hate the one you hate a little easy, for he could one day turn into someone you loveIn other words, we always need to take it easy when it comes to matters of love and hate. Don't be blinded by either love or hatred.I keep marveling at this invaluable advice that we Muslims can't seem to fol-low these days. We Muslims have turned into a very emotional people. Even when we claim to be defending the honor of the Prophet peace be upon him, we violate the very advice of the Prophet. When our Prophet is insulted, we see people bursting into the streets full of anger. They burn flags, they destroy property, and they scream their lungs out. Is this really how the Prophet peace be upon him would like us to show our love towards him? Or is it better shown through following his exam-ple? No doubt, the Prophet peace be upon him had emotions. But his emotions were controlled by intellect and reason, and were controlled by the Qurn and wisdom.The Prophet taught us to be moderate even when it came to simple rituals. In casting rocks during Hajj symbolizing the casting of the devil out of our lives, he advised that we use small rocks. The Prophet peace be upon him in fact made using big rocks a sign of extremism. Nowadays we see some Muslims throwing even sandals during Hajj thinking they're getting at the devil. Perhaps, they don't realize that it might be the devil playing them since they're not fol-lowing the way of their Prophet. Another example is how we scream Allah Akbar for any occasion. One time the Compan-ions were going over a hill and they started shouting Allah Akbar. The Prophet peace be upon him com-manded them to calm down and he said, Take it easy on yourselves! For sure the One you're calling is neither deaf nor ab-sent. Indeed the One you're calling is all-hearing and very near.We Muslims nowadays need to take it easy, but with intellect and reason!

Anas Hlayhel

towards the Uyghur minority. The BBC re-ported that central government policies have gradually curtailed their commercial and cul-tural activities. Although several Human Rights organisations have warned the Chinese government for its continuous oppression against the Muslim Uy-ghur minority, their calls have frequently fallen on deaf ears. The government claims that their actions are justified as a means of coun-ter-terrorism. China has been seeking global support for its own campaign against the Uy-ghur minority by depicting them as terrorists with overseas connections. This situation has been exacerbated by the fact that not only has the government unwittingly contributed to the oppression, but the international community has also largely maintained its silence on the situation.Undoubtedly, the ongoing oppression against the Chinese Muslim Uyghur minority cannot be allowed to continue. These people need serious, real, and genuine efforts by both the Chinese government and the world commu-nity to end this continuing misery.If it is true that these people are a threat to Chinese society, it must be acknowledged that assassinating them, imprisoning them, or in-hibiting them from practicing their religious du-ties would not in any way solve the problem. Rather, they are only likely to enforce antago-nism and extremism. It is hard to see when all of this is going to end, but one thing has to be made very clear: if all of us remain silent, we will eventually have to pay a heavy price.So what now?So what can we do for our brothers and sisters in China? Firstly we must continually remind ourselves that they are in fact our brothers and sistersdespite their plight being notably absent from our public discourse. We must remember that the bond of mn is stronger and more sacred than the bond of biology, as the Prophet (sallAllhu alayhi wa sallam) lik-ened us to one body. This should bring about a sincere love, and an eagerness and sincere desire to help our brothers and sisters.The first and foremost means to anything as a Muslim is to turn to Allh sincerely that He gives us the tawfq to make change. A truly believing Muslim is one who sees this causal relationship between du and achievement, like he or she sees the relationship between eating and satiation; between fire and burning; the natural laws. Once we have established our need for Allhs help and make du to Him regularly for facilitating a path to ease for our brothers and sisters suffering, we must think of strategies to bring about this desired objective. It may be that Allh, once He has seen the sincerity with which we beseech Him for our brothers and sisters, opens up a path for us to take as a means to this end. This may be in anything from speaking to politicians, activists, celebrities and wealthy business people, to creating petitions, documentaries, raising awareness or even imploring people with power and influence closer to the region. if we truly care enough about our brothers and sisters, and we sincerely beseech Allh con-stantly, He will facilitate a path for us to help our brothers and sisters one day.

Chinese Uyghur Muslim oppressed

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The Friday Bulletin NATIONAL Jamaada Al Thanny 07,1436/March 27, 2015

Muslim schools giving positive hopes to studentsThe increasing number of Muslim schools is providing more opportunities for young people to further their education thereby contributing to shape them into good citi-zens.

The chairman and founder of RAF Interna-tional University Sheikh Muhammad Os-man further noted that the improved per-formance exhibited by Muslim schools in national examinations has seen more Mus-lim students accessing universities and higher education institutions expressing optimism that they will eventually emerge as professionals with a potential to uplift the community and the nation as a whole.

The education opportunities have further helped to turn away many youth from so-cietal crimes such as drug abuse and mi-raa consumption that have ruined the lives of many young men and women. Lack of education and employment opportunities has served as a tool to lure Muslim youth to drugs and social crimes but the increas-ing number of Muslim schools has provid-ed alternatives for the youth to shape their lives and contribute positively to society, he said during the prize giving day of Alim

The Ugandan based Kibuli Muslim Hos-pital leadership last week on Saturday paid a courtesy call at Jamia Mosque in Nairobi.An eight members delegation led by Dr Mahmoud El- Gazar who is the director of the hospital met members of Jamia Mosque Committee and discussed pos-sibility of cooperation in matters pertain-ing to health to improve on the livelihood of the Muslim community in the two countries.Dr Mahmoud urged Muslims within East Africa to take advantage of the ongoing regional integration drive and tap the economic opportunities as well as strengthen their faith and Islamic brotherhood. ''We want to see unity and peace among the Muslims in Uganda and Kenya and the entire region to eas-ily benefit from the fruits of integration.'' he said. He explained that their visit in Kenya was particularly aimed at sharing ex-perience and ideas on how Muslim pro-jects in the country are being run and managed, particularly in the health sec-tor and exploring ways of addressing shared challenges.Kibuli Muslim Hospital is among the main important health facilities in the neighbouring country and also serves as the study centre for the Faculty of Medicine for Islamic University in Ugan-da (IUIU).

Uganda's Kibuli Muslim Hospital delegation visits

Jamia

High School in Machakos county where he was the chief guest.

He praised the performance of Muslim schools saying that while a few years ago they were in obscurity, the situation has changed and they are now a power-ful force to reckon within national exami-nations. I support calls to bring back the national rankings as this will further give our schools the opportunityto show case their education potential , he said.

In his remarks, Sheikh Muhammad pointed to the positive strides made in the education sector saying that several Muslim universities have also emerged to further compliment on the provision of education in the community. Several applications for the recognition of Mus-lim universities are being considered by the Commission for University Edu-cation and this point to a positive trend in the progress of education within the community, he added.

As a reward for the exemplary perfor-mance of Alim High School which for the second straight year emerged as the best private school in Machakos County, the vice chancellor of Ummah University Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak awarded two scholarships to the 2014 students to pursue degree programmes at the Ka-jiado based university.

Muslim parents in Kilifi county have been challenged to take girl child education se-riously and treat boys and girls equally in education matters. Speaking during the 3rd anniversary of Mamsa High School in Malindi sub-county, Nuzla Shaibu, an official from the Gover-nors office urged parents to send all their children to school irrespective of their gen-der.It is obligatory for both boys and girls to seek knowledge and be treated equally, said Nuzla. Discrimination against girls has no Islam-ic basis but amounts to ignorance and is a great sin, she warned.She stressed upon the importance of gen-der balance in families and communities on matters of education and other socio-economic development.Nuzla reminded parents that the teachings of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him did not prescribe giving unfair treatment to girls. She noted with regret that some Muslim parents deny their daughters the right to access education through early marriag-es, a factor which has contributed too high number of girls dropping from schools. It is quite unfortunate that some parents in our community do not recognize their girl-child in matters pertaining to family issues and education, she said. The official told parents to ensure their children including girls get both secular and religious education to provide them with a holistic approach to life and warned them from engaging their daughters in ear-ly marriage instead of supporting them to complete their education.

Treat boys and girls equally in education,

Kilifi parents told

The top performing student at Alim High School Omar Mdoe receiving a laptop and other gifts as a reward for his exemplary performance. He had earlier failed his ad-mission interview and it was only after his incessant pleas that he will strive and emerge the best performing student that he was offered a place at the school and ulti-mately he lived to to his promise.

He also announced that the university will in May introduce new academic programmes in education and nursing. Currently, it provides courses in Islamic Studies, Shariah, Business Management and Computer Studies.

16-year-old Garissa or-phan Ayan Gedi is suf-fering from life threaten-ing condition of bilateral acute failure, a medical condition which has ren-dered both of her kid-neys not to function.She urgently needs kid-ney transplant that will

Medical appeal

cost Ksh1.5 million which her needy family is unable to raise. Please foward your contribu-tions to Jamia Mosque Committee Reserve Ac-count no. 00101464004 or MPESA Pay Bill no. 150770. Account name Ayan Medical.You sadaqah and Zakah will inshallah con-tribute in saving her life.

Al KHAIR FOUNDATION is sponsoring FREE circumcision & FREE

minor tumor operations. Kindly call on the following cellphone no's: 0775 240 614, 0733 734 447 to

book for your appointment.

LADIES IJTIMAITalks include, Imaan guidance, mar-riage counselling, chidren welfare and

health education.Date: 3rd-5th April 2015

Venue: Masjid Rahma Biafra estateOrganized by Khairat Sisters Biafra

For details call 0722479530/0722699445

Last Sunday Ummah Foundation officially launched a research report in a book entitled Access to Higher Education- Beyond brick and mortar. The launch was presided over by Professor Shaukat Abdulrazak, Vice Chancellor, Umma University. The final document was born of efforts initiated by the Ummah Foundation Think Tank. The purpose of the Ummah Think Tank is to advocate for best val-ues, to influence policy in the Muslim Community, to develop best practices through mutual exchange of ideas and in-depth analy-ses and concrete recommendations for policymakers.Within its mandate, research is the core and in 2011, the Ummah Think Tank tasked Brother Abdulhamid Swaleh a lead research-er and a full bright scholar, together with a team of research as-sistants embarked on finding out why Muslim schools in general dont perform well in national examinations hence low absorption rate in Universities. Unlike the other faith oriented schools, our schools have always faced challenges of competing unfavourably in the national results index. The survey and research was car-ried out for a period of a year. The research was geared towards assessing the potential of the established high schools in Kenya by the Muslim community irrespective of the mode of establish-ment towards achieving its maximum potential of admitting more students through secondary schools education and thereby posts more qualified students in university admissions and enrolment. Also, the research was geared towards linking the established and developed secondary schools with the Muslim Foundations that expend a huge amount of their funding to support students financially in accessing secondary education. The hypothesis for this research is that higher utilization of the established community secondary schools will lead to better fi-nancial viability and sustainability of the schools resulting in better educational standards and performances attained, better annual examination performance rating and an increase in university ad-missions. The research has come up with several recommendations that are supposed to be taken up by all stakeholders to the next level of implementation. One example is the case of a performance framework for all the schools. The survey showed that all the schools that featured in the study have no performance frame-works and hence they have been operating very informally all these years. We all know how a performance framework for all our schools is important. Therefore there is great need to bring all schools together through a national consortium to have a working framework. We also need to know that the booklet has widely been distributed to various institutions and the best we need from you all are the feedbacks and ideas that can bring the efforts ren-dered in the report come to fruition. Unlike other research papers that have gathered dust in shelves, let us all join hands and make sure we implement all the ideas and suggestions so that our next performances can remarkably improve nationwide.Contact us:Ummah FoundationVillage Plaza, 2nd Floor,Ngara RdP.O. Box 58717-00200 NairobiTel: +254-20-2680610/13 Mob. 0734-845277Email: info@ummahfoundation.netwww.ummahfoundation.net

Ummah Launches a research report

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@islamkenya.org. Printed by Graphic Lineups Limited-Kweria Road info@graphic.co.ke

Israel must end its 50-year occupation of Palestine- the White House

An initiative to economically empower and improve the living con-ditions of widows and orphans has been launched in Bungoma county.

The initiative is being spearheaded by Zakat Foundation of Amer-ica (ZFA) in partnership with the Bungoma based Islamic Youth Community Organization (IYCO).

According to Zakat Foundation of America East Africa representa-tive Muhammad Wangusi, the project aims at providing sustain-able living to 70 orphans and 40 widows in Bungoma county and eradicate poverty in the local Muslim community.

Already 40 widows in the county have benefited from the project with each widow being given livestock and cash.

Speaking at a Workshop that brought together widows and or-phans from Malakisi subcounty Wangusi said the project will also support the needy and bright orphans to pursue education at vari-ous educational institutions through financial assistance for them to be responsible persons in the society and prosper.

During the workshop, the widows were given entrepreneurship skills to enhance their capacity and enable them venture into trad-ing and farming activities with ease and with an aim to sustain themselves economically to support their families and improve on their living standards.

Wangusi further noted that the project will be expanded to benefit more widows and orphans in Kakamega, Busia and Vihiga coun-ties within Western region.

On her part IYCO representative Sister Aziza Kipsang thanked Zakat Foundation of America for the project adding that the pro-ject will contribute to the social economic development of the local Muslims and improve on their livelihood.

Aziza advised widows to utilize the cash well in the intended cause for them to make a different in their lives, society and also contrib-ute to social economic development of the Muslim community in the region.

Widows empowerment project launched in Bungoma

Israel must end its 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territo-ries, Barack Obamas White House has said.

In a speech on Monday, the White House chief of staff Denis Mc-Donough called into question the Israeli governments commit-ment to finding a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefi-nitely, he told a meeting of liberal American pro-Israel lobbyists, J-Street. An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end.

Mr McDonough, the most senior official in the US presidents team, was highly critical of earlier comments made by Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the countrys leader indicated he was not interested in working towards Palestinian sovereignty.

The White House comments are the latest salvo from the United States government in what appears to be a noticeable cooling of relations between the two countries.

After the election, the prime minister said that he had not changed his position, but for many in Israel and in the interna-tional community, such contradictory comments call into question his commitment to a two-state solution, as did his suggestion that the construction of settlements has a strategic purpose of divid-ing Palestinian communities and his claim that conditions in the larger Middle East must be more stable before a Palestinian state can be established, the chief of staff said.(The Independent).