islamically speaking newsletter vol. 6

8/14/2019 Islamically Speaking Newsletter VOL. 6

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Previously, we had described what theworld was like when it was plunged intocomplete ignorance. We had alsodescribed the miraculous incident of thedestruction of Abraha al Ashram and hisarmy that occurred in the year of TheProphets (PBUH) birth. Finally, the worldcould let out a sigh of relief due to theemergence of a mercy to all the worlds,

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We willconduct a more specific study of Arabsociety at the time of Muhammads(PBUH) birth and then continue where weleft off...

Prelude II: The Reality of pre

- Islamic Arabia

Muhammad (PBUH) was truly a specialperson, to be so pure while born into, andsurrounded by a completely depraved

setting. Before we touch upon the story ofthe young boys childhood, we will outlinethe types of ignorant practices prevalentin more detail. Hopefully, the reader will

understand the true nature of the societythat this boy was sent to revive.

Social life in The Arabian Peninsula atthat time was full of debauchery. Withregards to marriage, a group of mencould have disgusting orgies with women,when the women had given birth to achild, she would choose her husbandaccording to who she though was the

father. Prostitution was widespread andrampant and such women were used bymany men in the community, and menwould claim illegitimate children from thisprostitute as their own. Among all levelsof society, especially the aristocracy,adultery was widespread and rampant,very few people had any restraint incontrolling their lusts, and so, they losttheir self respect. Indeed, the sexualpractices of these people were wild andbarbaric.

While some children were loved andrespecte d by The Arabs, others,especially young girls, were subject tomistreatment and abuse. Consequently,many infant females were buried alive by

their own fathers. This had happened tothe younger sister of Sumayyah bintKhayyat (RA). Before Umar ibn alKhattab (RA) was a Muslim, he himselfburied his daughter alive, and as aMuslim, he would later cry upon theremembrance of this.

The economic practices were alsocorrupt, Mecca was a centre of trade and

commerce and in the marketplace, andthere were dishonest merchants whowould engage in fraud, among othertypes of cheating and stealing. Shopowners would take full price from peoplewhen selling their products, but when anytime came to give money to others for aparticular reason, they would give lessthan due.

1- al Muhit as

Sahra

Part 2

2- Islam

Around theWorld:

The Korean

Peninsula.

3-The Caller to

Success,

Bilal ibn Ribah

(RA):

The Voice of

Medina.

4-Respecting

and Servingthe Parents.

5-The Fallacy

of

British Politics

6 - The Grand

Stage:

The Devils

Deception of

Barrack

Obama

ISLAMICALLYSPEAKING...19th Dhul-Qa`dah 1430 A.H (06 November 2009) C.E.

Bismillah ir Rahman ir RaheemAsSalamu Alaykum

Greetingsdear BrothersandSisters. Wearehappy tonowshareVolume6 ofourfortnightlynewsletter

withyou. Inthisinstalment,wehaveacontinuationof theepic: alMuhitas Sahra (TheOceanof the

Desert),aSeerahofTheProphet (PBUH). Inaddition,wealsohavepreparedanotherarticle forIslam

AroundtheWorld,thistimedealing withKorea (wecan guess whatyouarethinking,butread and you

willreceiveclarification). Wealsohavea storyfromthelifeofTheCompanionBilalibn RibahalHabashi

(RA),detailinghis specialstatus amongstus. ThisVolumealso containsvaluableinformationrelating totheIslamicviewonparentalrelations withchildren,andhowto achievea harmoniousfamilylife. There

isalsoanarticledeals withtheillsand unreliabilityofBritishPolitics,and arefutationofafewattacks

madeagainst Islam. Furthermore,wealsohaveanotherarticle forTheGrandStage,whichcontains

analysison BarrackObamasactionstowards TheMuslimWorld,andajudgementonhis legitimacyasa

hope for Muslimsglobally. InshaAllah, you will enjoy this volume and take much enjoyment and

benefitfromit.

al Muhit as Sahra(The Ocean of The Desert)


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There was no just political governance. In the absenceof any holistic ideology, there was tribalism, which was akey component of the pre-Islamic political construct inArabia, and a kind of fanatical devotion developed amongpeople in relationship to their clan. People of the same clandeveloped strong emotional bonds, and began to perceivethose from outside their clan as alien enemies. Thus, warwas extremely common in Arabia, and while there was nofighting in or around Mecca itself, pointless bloodshed wasa common day event everywhere else. The intellectual level

of the people at that time was low, and their awareness ofthe world was shallow, they perceived the dominance oftheir blood relations as a purpose of life. This dominancedriven way of behaviour was what made The Arab societyfunction in a very animalistic way. Many social groupsformed, blindly adhering to their forefathers traditions, andthese people despised others, who themselves honouredtheir own ancestors blindly. This gave rise to the ignorantpractice of Asabiyyah (Tribalism).

The idols surrounding The Kaaba were many innumber. While the people believed in a powerful, unseenGod, they took these idols as intercessors and partners with

God, and so they fell into Shirk. The wood and stonethemselves were worshipped as opposed to The One whocreated the wood and stone with which these gods weremade.

Chapter 1: Birth and Childhood

It was within this decadent society, that a special childwas born. According to ibn Hisham, The Messenger ofAllah, Muhammad (PBUH), was born on the 12th of Rabi alAwwal, in The Year of the Elephant, this roughlycorresponds to the 20th of April, 571 C.E. Abdullah, thefather of The Prophet, had already died roughly sevenmonths previously, and so this life had already begun withloss and some degree of hardship.

Despite this however, the birth of The Prophet wasreceived with joy by Amina, and also Abdul Muttalib,grandfather of Muhammad (PBUH). It was the custom ofThe Arabs of that time, to have their infants taken out intothe desert to be raised by Bedouins in that harshenvironment. This was done for the purpose of hardeningthe young, and making them strong and able in body, and inmind. This kind of nurturing would also protect infants fromthe widespread vices of the society at that time.

The Prophet (PBUH) was blessed by Allah (SWT), in

that he was safe and free from this corruption. TheBedouins were a nomadic people who tended to exemptthemselves from what then considered as urban life. Itwas for that reason that they were seen as noble andvirtuous, and consequently, many parents wanted theirchildren to be raised by such people.

Muhammad (PBUH) was very small, when he wassuckled a maid named Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb. It isnarrated that afterwards, Halimah begged Amina to let herlook after the boy for a time. She had been experiencinggood fortunes ever since she had suckled The Prophet(PBUH), and so she begged Amina to let her be with him.When she received permission, Halimah, and her husband,Al-Harith bin Abdul Uzza, were ecstatic. And so it was, thatMuhammad (PBUH) stayed with Halimah until he wasnearing the age of six years. It was at this point that Aminahad her son returned to her.

By this stage, it had been a few years since the deathof Abdullah, Aminas husband. Thus, out of respect to herdeceased partner, Amina decided to go to a small oasistown named Yathrib, where her late husband was buried.Amina took her son along for the trip, and so it was thatthey left Mecca on a long journey. The Arabian Desert wasa harsh environment, and the journey was long, spanningroughly 500 kilometers.

It was in Yathrib that Amina and Muhammad spent onemonth before making their way back to Mecca. However,

severe fatigue and illness took its toll on Amina, who hadbeen suffering under such burdens for some time, and so itwas that she eventually died. She passed away on the roadback to Mecca, in a place named Abwa, which is a smallvillage between the two cities. The Prophets (PBUH) lifewas full of loss and hardship, to the extent that he was nowan orphan by the age of six. Alas, for The Messenger ofAllah (PBUH), there would be many more times like this tocome in the future.

The boy, now an orphan, was taken in by hisgrandfather, Abdul Muttalib. The two developed a lovingrelationship whereby they became more akin to father andson. Muhammad (PBUH) was treated by his relative with

love and respect. In fact, even the actual children of AbdulMuttalib were not treated with the degree of respect andtolerance that The Prophet (PBUH) was treated with.Unfortunately, it was only to last until the boy had reachedthe age of eight years, as it was then that his grandfatheralso died.

Now, it was up to the uncle of The Prophet, Abu Talib,to look after his nephew. Abu Talib was the same as AbdulMuttalib, in the sense that he also loved and respectedMuhammad (PBUH), even more than his own children. Theboy also grew to love and respect his uncle, that is, asanother father figure.

Abu Talib was a business man, as many Meccanswere. They made revenue via the conduct of trade,

especially to Syria, to buy from and sell to with the citizensof the various cities in that land. At this point, Syria wasunder the control of The Roman Byzantine Empire. WhenAbu Talib decided to go on a business trip to with hiscaravan in order to conduct trade in Syria, he tookMuhammad (PBUH) along for the journey.

The trading caravan eventually reached a city in Syriacalled Bosra, it was in this city that there lived a man namedBahira, who was a Christian scholar, living in hermitage.While usually a recluse, who kept himself separated fromworldly affairs, there was something about Muhammad(PBUH) that has struck Bahira, and caught his attention.

On one hot day, while he was staring out from hismonastery, Bahira caught sight of The Prophet. It wasduring the day, and the sky seemed to be more or less barewith almost no clouds, except for one which seemed toalways follow Muhammad (PBUH) wherever he went in thecity. While caravan members and the people of the city allhad to endure the suns uncompromising heat, this onepiece of shade always pursued the young boy, who Bahiraintently fixed his eyes upon. In a fashion just as peculiar,whenever Muhammad (PBUH) sat near a tree, its branchesseemed to bend and reach out to him, further shading himfrom the sun and its heat. Again, no one else seemed to beafforded this luxury.

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While usually a recluse who did notwant a great deal of company, thisphenomena was too much for Bahira topass up. Bahira had a great desire tomeet this small boy, who appeared tohave divine blessing on his side. And so,the monk descended from his place ofprivacy and called out to the entirecaravan group in hopes of getting their

attention.Oh commun i t y o f Quraysh !

exclaimed Bahira. I have made food foryou, and I would like all of you to attend,be you old or young, master or slave.

By God Bahira! responded one ofthe Qurayshis. This is indeed a surprisegesture you have never enacted before,even though we have passed by yourplace several times, what is the matterwith you?

That is true! Bahira answered.However, you are guests, and I wish tobe your host by preparing food for you to

eat.The group responded in acceptance

and began to gather for food, all exceptThe Prophet (PBUH), who was left tendingto the peoples luggage and goods under atree. Bahira eventually noticed that theboy he really wanted to see was notamong his patrons. All of you have toattend my meal. Bahira exclaimed.

Oh Bahira! Only one of us has notattended, he is young man looking afterour luggage, and he is but still a boy.Responded the group.

Do not do that, get him to come too.Bahira requested with a great urgency.

By God! It is shameful to attendwithout Muhammad ibn Abdullah!exclaimed one of the Qurayshis.

One of the men hurried to fetch TheProphet (PBUH), and when he returned tothe feast with the boy, Bahira eagerlyexamined him, searching for some kind ofmark or sign. The feast members ate anddrank their fill, and Bahira, growing evermore anxious, waited for the men todepart after their meal. He then askedMuhammad (PBUH) a question.

Swear to me by al Lat and al Uzza, ifI were to ask you something, would yourespond in truth? enquired Bahira.

Please dont ask me to swear by alLat and al Uzza, for there is nothing more

vile to me than them. replied The Prophet(PBUH).

Swear by Allah! If I were to ask yousomething, will you be truthful? askedBahira.

I will. responded The Prophet(PBUH).

Bahira began asking Muhammad(PBUH) many di f ferent quest ions

regarding his disposition and mannerisms.Things like his mood, how he slept, howhe generally behaved etc.

Most of the men had gone, but AbuTalib was still in the room, and whenBahira had finished his examination of TheProphet (PBUH), he turned and askedAbu Talib some questions.

How are you related to this boy?Bahira asked.

I am his father. Abu Talib replied.This boys father should not be alive.

Bahira stated.Well! He is my nephew. said Abu

Talib.And where is his father? enquired

Bahira.He had died during the pregnancy of

his mother. Abu Talib responded.Indeed, this is true. said Bahira.It was rather uncanny, how Bahira

seemed to know so much aboutMuhammad (PBUH), despite the fact thathe had only just met him. Bahira hadactually been examining him in relation tothe Christian scriptures in his possession.While Christians had knowledge of a

coming Prophet (PBUH), in their books,partly inspired by Allah (SWT) they werenot the only ones. The Jews, having alsoreceived revelation from Allah (SWT) alsoknew of a coming Prophet.

This is the master of humans, Allahwill send him with a message which will bea mercy for all human beings. Bahiraforetold.

How do you know this? asked AbuTalib, having been shocked by such arevelation.

When you came to this town, youcame from the direction of Aqaba, and

when you entered with the boy, the treesand the stones prostrated, and they neverdo this, except for a Prophet. Also, I amable to recognise him by The Seal ofProphethood beneath his shoulder, like an

apple. This is the knowledge we have fromour scripture. explained Bahira.

In Syria, there were some Jews whobelieved that a Messiah was coming tothem, and they anticipated that he wouldbe like, in the sense that he would be ofJewish origin, like Moses (AS), Jesus (AS)and many of the other respected Prophetsof the past. However, this was not the

case, as Muhammad (PBUH) was an Arabin his ethnicity, not Jewish. From Bahirasperspective, he feared that, if The Jewsfound out that Muhammad fulfilled signs ofProphethood, and that he was a Gentile(non-Jew), they would hurt him. And soBahira cautioned Abu Talib.

Go back with your nephew andguard him well, and please protect himfrom The Jews. By God! Your nephew willbe very important, and if Jews learnsomething of what I have known, they willhurt him. Bahira warned, with great worry

for the boy.Having been made aware, Abu Talib

hurried back to Mecca with his nephew,intent to protect him. In the future, somepeople, from among the Christians andJews would seek to harm and even killThe Prophet, some would be morehonourable and simply disagree with TheProphet yet not harm him, and somewould even join with The ProphetMuhammad (PBUH), becoming Muslims,and in so doing, becoming brothers withHim (PBUH) and the other Muslims.

As you have seen, there is much tonarrate just about The Prophets (PBUH)life before His Prophethood, and it simplycannot be covered in a single chapterlasting only a mere few pages, thus, weshall continue the story of The Prophet(PBUH) in the next chapter, inshaAllah.


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6November2009 Islam Around the World:

The Korean

PeninsulaPreviously, in Volume 5, I had written

about Islam in China, and of course, giventhe fact that Islam has a deep seated, butgenerally unknown history in that land, itwould be easy to make a case to write thatarticle, because that generally unknownhis to ry cou ld then becom e moreacknowledged. However, when someonethinks of Islam in countries like Japan orKorea, then there really is much less to talkabout, because truth be told, Islam has notreally had any ingrained cultural orideological presence in these places, and ithas not yet penetrated the hearts andminds of the people in these places, atleast not on a large scale. However, thereare still matters to discuss in relation to

Islam and its past and present role in thesesocieties. It is also important to establishthe fact that Islam is an ideology which isglobal, and not merely for Arabs. Hencecommenting on Islam in places like EastAsia is a good way of destroying that myth.This is why I have written an articleregarding Islam and its ties with Korea,and in the next volume, inshaAllah, therewill be an article on Islam in Japan.

The story of Islam in this part of theworld roughly begins in the 7th CenturyC.E. We have already been through howKhalifa Uthman ibn Affan (RA) was the onewho established relations with China viathe diplomatic envoy he sent. That decisionhad a great effect in that it established notonly Islam in China, but also in an indirectway, Korea as well. Korean people werefirst introduced to The Deen via Muslimtraders from China, not to mention fromprovinces within The Islamic State. Thesetraders managed to establish themselves inSilla, one of the three ancient Koreankingdoms. The geographical location of thiskingdom is now in what we call SouthKorea. Small concentrations of Persian and

Arab traders entered into the KoreanPeninsula, with larger groups entering atthe beginning of the 9th Century C.E. As anatural consequence, there was someintermarriage that took place between the

two peoples, naturally, there would havebeen some form of Dawah.

The Islamic State continued to engagein relations with The Goryeo Dynasty,which followed and took the place of TheKingdom of Silla. Muslims from The IslamicState from both the Abbasid period and theOsmani (Ottoman) period would travel toKorea and settle there. The Chinese YuanDynasty was run by Mongols, whoemployed many Muslims in its army. TheMongols conquered The Goryeo Dynastyand Muslim soldiers were stationed thereas a result, and so, yet again on a minimallevel, Muslims and Koreans intermarried.There is also a theory, proposed by JamesHuntley Grayson, in his book A Religious

History of Korea, that The Chang Family,one of the Korean clans, is descended insome part from Muslims.

Relations between Muslims andKoreans continued in a very meagre way,with one people not really having anysignificant effect upon the other. There washowever the small contribution Muslimsmade in the arts and sciences. Muslimgeographers from both The Khilafah andChina were able to put forward significantcontributions to Korean geographicaladvancement. One of the oldest maps inKorea, The Kangido, was formulated usingdifferent sources, including the maps ofChinese and Arab geographers. Muslimsalso developed distillation methods andtechnology, which brought advancement inmedicine, by being able to producenecessary medical ingredients.

In terms of astronomy and calandermaking, Muslim Arabs were urged by TheChinese to help correct and update theirtechniques concerning the calculation ofsun, moon and star movement. TheKoreans also sent their own astronomers to

Beijing so they could learn from TheMuslims methodology. This facilitated moreefficient astronomical technique andcalendar making in both China and Korea.


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There have also been theories thatUyghur Muslims of Western China hada minimal effect upon The KoreanHangeul, or alphabet. The Mongol YuanDynasty had adopted the Uyghur writingsystem for some time before usinganother one, we also know that it wasthis same dynasty that also helddominion over Korea for a period oftime, and so some have suggested thatthe Koreans must have come intocontact with this writing system and inturn, adopted from it.

The Joseon Dynasty eventuallyrose up and held dominance over thepeninsula. This government was moreconservative regarding immigration, andso it was that Muslims, either fromArabia or China, were shunned orbarred entry. The Joseon Dynasty wasknown for its adopting a very isolationistpolicy, and it had a way of shutting itselfoff from the world in general. The Storyof Islam in Korea halted for sometime

afterwards.However, it was renewed in the

20th Century C.E. At this stage, theKhilafah was on its knees, and the ageo f W e s t e r n d o m i n a n c e h a dunfor tunately arr ived. EuropeanImperialism was rife, and Japan hadadopted this same style of foreignpolicy. In 1910 C.E, The Empire ofJapan succeeded in its occupation ofthe entire of Korea, and until the defeatof The Japanese at the end of WorldWar Two, citizens would be subject to aseries of brutal war crimes, includingrape and mass murder.

The colonial mindset of the early20th Century was born from a rather lowlevel dominance driven perspective, andthe pride of the nation was the mantraadopted in defence of any expansionistaggression. Consequently, when TheJapanese had been able to conquer theKoreans, who were of a different ethnicbackground and who were seen asinferior, they inflicted harsh oppressionupon them out of animosity towardsthem. This animosity was born out of

the fact that Koreans did not share theexact same culture or heritage as theiroccupiers

With the defeat of The Japaneseand their removal from power, there wasa rise in Korean Nationalism, which wasborn out of the solidarity Koreansfo rmed wh i le under Japaneseoccupation. This rise in nationalistic

sentiments allowed The Koreans tobond upon a common identity, in theface of a perceived common enemy.

However, this nationalistic bondcould not stand up to more holisticideological thought, and so there wasthe eventual adoption of Communismand Capitalism, which were modelled byRussia and America respectively in theirCold War. How it happened is anotherstory in itself, but eventually, there wasthe rise of a Communist North Korea,and a Capitalist South Korea. NorthKorea was a totalitarian dictatorshipunder Kim il Sung, as for South Korea, itwas headed by Syngman Rhee, whowas a western backed corrupt elitistdictator. And of course, by this point,The Khilafah was destroyed, and so TheIslamic System of Governance was nowhere to be offered as a just and viablealternative. This schism and division ofKorea lead to The Korean War of 1950

1953. It is important to set Muslim

people within the context of this newand unique situation within the Koreanpeninsula. It is also important to setIslam within this scenario as a viablealternative ideology for Korean peopleto benefit from.

North Korea, being a CommunistState has been massively authoritarianand oppressive towards the people itdominates. Kim il Sung eventually diedin 1994 C.E, and so his son, Kim Jong-iltook up the throne. Like his fatherbefore him, Kim Jong-il conducted andstill conducts brutal oppression of theNorth Korean populace. The U.S StateDepartment annually publishes HumanRights Reports on many countries,including North Korea. In its 2008Human Rights Report, the followingintroduction is made: The DemocraticPeople's Republic of Korea (DPRK orNorth Korea) is a dictatorship under theabsolute rule of Kim Jong-il, generalsecretary of the Korean Workers' Party(KWP) and chairman of the NationalDefense Commission (NDC), the"highest office of state." The country has

an estimated population of 23.5 million.Kim's father, the late Kim Il-sung,remains "eternal president." Localelections held in July 2007 were not freeor fair. There was no civilian control ofthe security forces, and members of thesecurity forces committed numerousserious human rights abuses. Americais not one to be talking about Human

Rights by any means given the itstrack record of committing many abusesglobally in the past and present,however, North Korea is not a prettypicture by any means.

The above quote is not an emptystatement. In summary, the reportdetails many issues including murder,(such as the killing of homeless peoplefor attempting to steal food to survive),the operation of gulags (reminiscent ofSoviet Russian concentration/slavecamps), people being sent to thesecamps are denied the right to have atrial despite the law saying that theymust. The North Korean Government isfully able to arrest and hold people foras long as they wish to, which in adisturbing way, is similar to The BritishGovernments anti-terror legislation,more on that in another volume,inshaAllah. In short, North Korea is apolice state.

The State Department report goes

on to report the humiliation and tortureof detainees in camps and prisons:Methods of torture and other abusereportedly included severe beatings;electric shock; prolonged periods ofexposure to the elements; humiliationssuch as public nakedness; confinementfor up to several weeks in small"punishment cells" in which prisonerswere unable to stand upright or liedown; being forced to kneel or sitimmobilized for long periods; beinghung by the wrists; being forced tostand up and sit down to the point ofcollapse; and forcing mothers recentlyrepatriated from China to watch theinfanticide of their newborn infants.Defectors continued to report that manyprisoners died from torture, disease,starvation, exposure to the elements, ora combination of these causes. Nodoubt, some of these reports arereminiscent of what goes on in TheMuslim World to those who seek tochallenge the Western supported,dictatorial regimes there.


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North Korea has been accused byAmnesty International and RefugeesInternational as having elitist rulingauthority. Despite being a CommunistState, the country has various socialand political classes. The country haslarge wealth and food shortages anddiscriminates on the basis of class withregard to the distribution of these

commodities. As a result of this, manyare subject to poverty and starvation.

All of the above are hallmarks of aCommunist State, be it previous entitiessuch as The Soviet Union, or presentday manifestations such as NorthKorea. China is only more affluentmainly in its eastern provinces, but alsoplays favouritism and neglects itswestern provinces and non- ethnic HanChinese populace.

The North Korean economicstructur e is one of a CommandEconomy, and the state owns andcontrols everything relating to resourcesand the a l loca t ion o f them tobusinesses. And so in Pyongyang andother urban settings, the running andset up of businesses to supply productsis at least partially available, but in themajority of the land, which is rural, suchprivileges are less readily accessible.

North Korea is an oppressive entityin the overt sense due to its adoption ofCommunism as an ideology, theoppression comes in the form of torture,abduction, elitism, poverty, famine and

the mindset of fear that comes alongwith these. North Korea has adoptedthe unnatural outlook that people aremerely existing matter without an initialintelligent cause, rather the state hasconstructed a false purpose for thepeople, which is to be a mere worker tohelp bring about the realisation of thestates aims. The state, or rather itsleader, is superficially taken as a godbesides Allah (SWT), and this is shirk,and may He (SWT) save us from that.As a result, North Korea, through itsadoption of Communism has failed tosatisfy the need of its people tovenerate and adore something abovethemselves. This instinct has not beensatisfied due to how the Communistobject of veneration, the state, is a meresuperficial entity. Because of his, thestate must use harsh and brutalmethods in order to make people dowhat it desires, hence the totalitariannature of Communist North Korea.

Moving on to South Korea, it is aCapitalist State, and as such, it has adifferent position regarding economics

in particular. South Korea has adopted aFree Market Economy, whereby there isa laissez faire (basically laid back)approach on the part of the state in itsattitude towards economic activity.

While South Korea may have moreeconomic vitality than North Korea, andwhile South Korea may have the 15thlargest GDP in the world, it is has alsosuffered and continues to suffer theeffects of the failures of Capitalism inthe form The Asian Financial Crisis of1997 and of course, the current GlobalRecession.

South Koreas economy suffered in1997 1998 in The Asian FinancialCrisis. Businesses began taking risks byaggressively expanding, despite the factthat there was only so much fundingavailable to be able to continue thispolicy. There was a great desire to buildlarger corporations that could competewith other companies abroad. However,there was a resounding failure at thistime on the part of borrowers, whobecame increasingly unable to pay backthe interest based loans they took out.And so the risks they took in order toprocure funds for expanding businessactivity ended up turning against them.In the early 1990s South Korea beganincreasing its short term debt, whichmeant that the amount of money it hadto pay back within one year began torise to higher amounts. The amount offoreign debt South Korea incurred roseto $158 Billion, and financial crisisensued. South Korea asked The IMF fora loan of a further $20 Billion just tohandle its short term financial needs.

The emergence of this crisis is

reflective of the greed based mentalitythat Capitalism generated within people.Business owners wanted to expand inorder to make more revenue, and thedesire for profit was the catalyst thatmade them resort to taking out largeamounts of loans that they could notpay back, and carelessly continue withtheir expansion manoeuvres.

South Korea is also currently miredin another Economic Crisis, but this oneis global, and is still going on today. Theeffects of the recession on South Koreahas resulted in the decline in the valueof the South Korean Won by 30%.Household debt also rose even fasterthen that of America, with a 210%growth from 2001 2006. Due to theeffects of recession, The South KoreanGovernment was also forced to goagainst the Capitalist pillar of laissezfaire non intervention by introducing astimulus package and directly intervenein economic affairs. Capitalist SouthKorea experienced two major economicmeltdowns with barely a few yearssetting them apart.

Capitalism also perpetuates theconcept of f reedom, which inconjunction with an emphasis onpleasure seeking and materialism,creates a society whereby various kinds

of social corruption can take place.South Korea has given into westernculture, and the various kinds ofdecadence that comes along with it,including the availability of red lightdistricts and the currently small, butgradually rising crime rates.

Looking at the religion of SouthKorea, we find that both Buddhism and

Christianity are the major ones. Both ofthese religions and their adherents havebeen highly secularised to the pointwhereby the doctrines of these religionshave no real political or economicbearing on the society. Roughly half ofthe population of South Korea followsome kind of re l ig ion, as theyacknowledge some kind of divineforce/person. However, by adoptingSecularism, they have effectively toldthis god, that it has no say in lifeaffairs, unless they be spiritual affairs.This is highly irrational as this concludesthat mere human beings can tell thedivine thing (that they perceive as allpowerful) what it can and cannot do,when it should actually be the other wayaround.

The Islamic State, The Khilafah isnot Communist, it is haraam (forbidden)to have a police state where people arespied upon, it is also haraam to tortureand humiliate people as well. TheKhilafah is obliged by The IslamicShairah to make sure that every singleperson within its dominion, Muslim or

non-Muslim has the basic necessities offood, clothing and shelter. At the sametime, however, Islam mandates thatpeoples desires are satisfied, but alsomoderated, and those who seek tocommit crime would be forced to bepunished according to the IslamicHudood, and of course, Islam is on theside of the victim, not the criminal. TheIslamic Economic System is also aneffective alternative in that it prohibitsthe hoarding of wealth by greedybusinessman, but at the same time,makes sure that l i fe is madecomfortable for its citizens. It alsoprohibits interest based debts that landcountries like South Korea in financialmeltdown, more on the specifics in thefuture, inshaAllah. There is an up andcoming series on Islamic Economics,but this is sometime away, so much towrite, yet so little time!


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Don Baker of Harvar d AsiaQuarterly concludes his article IslamStruggles to Gain a Toehold in Koreaby saying that Islam has failed to winhearts and minds in Korea due itsinability to adapt, he sais in hisconclusion: Does Islam have a future inKorea? Yes, if that question meanswhether Islam has established apermanent presence on the peninsula.However, if that question is asking ifIslam will soon become a significantreligious force in Korea, challenging thed o m i n a n c e o f B u d d h i s m a n dChristianity, the answer is probably no.Christianity succeeded in Korea byadapting to Korean ways. A KoreanChristian church is unlike most Christian

churches in the rest of the world. Thereis a Korean approach to worship andchurch organization that draws Koreansto Korean churches even when they liveoverseas and have to drive past non-Korean churches in order to reach achurch in which they will feel morecomfortable.

Islam, on the other hand, has resistedKoreanization. Perhaps because thenumber of foreign-born Muslimsoutnumbered the Korean-born only afew decades after the first KoreanIslamic community was established,Islam in Korea still has the look and feelof an imported religion. A mosque inKorea does not look very Korean, insideor out. Moreover, Muslim worshipservices do not resemble any of thetraditional Korean modes of worship.This non-Korean appearance of Muslimritual and worship, and the reluctance ofIslam to bend its ethical and ritualdemands to local customs, may be theprimary reason why Islam will remain a

minority rel igion on the Koreanpeninsula.

While his opinion is respected,there are a number of flaws in thisargument. Islam has come into contactwith just about every culture in theglobe, regardless of whether it is ofMiddle Eastern, Asian, African orEuropean/American flavour, and hasalways made a name for itself, thequestion is the amount of time neededfor Islam to make a name for itself.Muslim presence in Korea has beenhistorically documented to have goneback for centuries, but there was nosubstantial establishment of Islam, andhence, nor real opportunity to engage ina battle for hearts and minds. It isknown that Islam is the fastest growing

way of life on earth, and people from allparts of the world are becoming part ofone global Ummah, and of course, thisincludes Korea as well. Here in Britain,people are coming to Islam in vastnumbers, however, that is becausethere is a rather substantial Muslimcommunity of roughly 3 million, many ofwhom are engaged in the call to Islam .One hundred years ago, this numberwas far less, but because Muslimscame to Britain and engaged in Dawah,that situation is now changing. If thesame happens in Korea, then I dontsee why Islam wouldnt flourish there aswell.

Baker also cites how Christianitysucceeded due to its ability to changeso it could fit the environment. However,this, in my opinion is not a move ofstrength, but of compromise. What ifthere are aspects of Korean culture thatdo not conform with Christianity? Wouldthey also be adopted? The UnifticationChurch of Reverend Sun Myung Moonis an appropriate example of how someforms of Korean Christianity do not

conform with contemporary Christiandoctrine. From an Islamic perspectivehowever, we dont change Islam to fitwith the reality, but rather, we changethe reality to fit with Islam via engagingin the Islamic Dawah and winning in thebattle of ideas. Of course, if the problemis merely of architecture, then there isno real problem. As far as I am aware, itis not an obligation to build Masjidsaccording to an Arabian fashion, this isproven by some of the Masjids in China,which resembles Pagodas and othertypes of East Asian buildings. While nosystems emanate from Buddhism orChristianity, Islam proposes Political,Economic and Social solutions, not justfor Korea, but for the world over. Islamhas come into contact with heavily

nationalistic/tribalistic peoples before,but through the strength of i t sideological call, it eventually won aplace for itself. History does testify tothis, and indeed, there will be a series atsome point in the future proving this,though this is in the very distant future.For now, it is enough to prove what Ihave said by pointing to the truly diverseethnic make up of people within TheMuslim Ummah, whose ancestors camefrom non-Islamic cultures, but acceptedIslam due its being The Truth.

To conclude, Islam has a humble,yet all the more growing presence inKorea, and in the end, it does take timeto nurture groups of Muslims and toorganise them. However, the formationof groups such as The Korea MuslimFederation and the pockets of Koreanreverts does give some hope. In theend, only with the progression of timeand with hard work, will Islam be ableadvance in this land, and inshaAllah,Korea will prosper with Islam as adriving force within its society


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I n p r e - I s l a m i c

Arabia, the general opinion of a black slavewas very low, for the aristocracy of any Arabian city, suchpeople would be worth little, but could be abused a greatdeal. Usually, black slaves came from al Habasha,otherwise known as Abyssinia or more commonly today,Ethiopia. In the 7th Cenutry C.E, al Habasha was underthe political authority of The Kingdom of Axum, otherwiseknown as The Axsumite Empire. This empire was ruled byThe Negus, which was basically the title of the ruler of thekingdom. This land had adopted the religion ofChristianity, however, it still had relations with The Arabs,who were idolaters. These two peoples had quite cordial

relations and The Kingdom of Axum, who would even sellslaves to The Arabs, who would use them to do theirbidding.

These slaves would go to Mecca, and their childrenwould be born to them there, and they too would beslaves. Bilal ibn Ribah (RA) was the son of such people,he was a black man from Axum, but who was born inMecca, in roughly 580 C.E. He was owned by anextremely oppressive and pompous man namedUmayyah ibn Khallaf, an aristocrat from al Quraysh andhead of The Bani Jumah clan. The entire life of Bilal (RA)will not be detailed here, but suffice it to say, Bilal wouldtake revenge on this tyrant in The Battle of Badr for the

years of mistreatment he suffered.

What this article is dealing with, is a story of a morepassive nature. The Hijrah had taken place, and TheMuslims had escaped the oppression of al Quraysh in

Mecca, and The Islamic State was established in Medina.The Muslims now had a greater degree of security, andso they could concentrate on ways to make the daily lifeof the people more comfortable. One thing that allowedthe practice of Islam to become much easier was thebuilding of al Masjid an Nabawi. However, after thisaccomplishment, the community was faced with otherproblems.

When Muhammad (PBUH) and his Sahabah (RA)came to Medina, The Dawah to Islam began, and thenumber of Muslims began to increase. Months later, it gotto the point whereby it became difficult to inform all thepeople of prayer time. And so, Muhammad (PBUH) met

with his Companions (RA) to resolve this issue. At themeeting, a number of different suggestions were made tothe people. Some suggested the use of a bell, like thatwhich The Christians used. Others, put forwards the ideaof using a horn, like that of The Jews. In the end, it wasUmar ibn al Khattab (RA), who suggested the use of thehuman voice instead. And so, Muhammad (PBUH)ordered

Bilal ibn Ribah (RA): The Voice of Medina

The Callerto Success


6November2009

The Prophet (PBUH) said: If the people knew what was in the

Athaan (of virtues and rewards)

and the first row (i.e. the first line incongregational prayer), and that

they could not get it except by

drawing lots, they would drawlots (Al-Bukhaari)


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Bilal ibn Ribah (RA), who was renowned for hisstrong and wonderful voice, to call the people to prayer.

Bilal got up and went to face the Qiblah, afterwards,he recited the following:

Allahu Akbar!

Allahu Akbar!

Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah!

Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah!

Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah!Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah!

Hayya 'ala-s-Salah!Hayya 'ala-s-Salah!

Hayya 'ala-l-Falah!Hayya 'ala-l-Falah!

Allahu Akbar!

Allahu Akbar!

La ilaha illa Allah!

As we all should know, this means the following:

Allah is the greatest!Allah is the greatest!

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy ofworship but Allah!

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worshipbut Allah!

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of

Allah!I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of

Allah!

Come to Prayer!Come to Prayer!

Come to Success!Come to Success!

Allah is the greatestAllah is the greatest

There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah!

This is the same call to prayer, or Adhaan, which isused to this day, in mosques all around the globe. It wasIslam that took a slave who was deemed as socially andracially inferior, and gave him the great responsibility of

being the first Muezzin of The Muslim Ummah. Bilal

would receive great esteem and honour for this, andsurely, he will have a great rank in the next world.

The Prophet (PBUH) also said: Your Lord, theExalted, says: Look at my slave there who makes thecall to Prayer and establishes the Prayer out of fear ofMe. I have forgiven My slave and have allowed him to

enter Paradise. (Ahmad, Abu Daawood and An-Nasaai)


6November2009


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6November2009

Respecting&Serving

ParentsAs Muslims, we know that we place a high value on the

idea of a stable family. Islam regards the famly as afundamental unit in society. Without families, society wouldcompletely break down, and the human race would lose amassively important tool to cultivate positive contributors tosociety. An important aspect of this family life, often missed, is

the relationship between the parents and the children, butspecifically about how the children should treat their parents. Itis often expected that the parents will love and look after thechildren; the Islamic position on the matter is clear. But howoften do we ask ourselves, how should I be towards myparents? What is it that Allah SWT has asked of me? What is itthat I can do for my parents that will ultimately please AllahSWT?

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none

but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of

them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to

them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address

them in terms of honour

TMQ [ 17:23 ]

Of course, to ask a child what its parent wants of it can bea deep question, perhaps too deep for someone young. AllahSWT makes it easy for us to understand what it is that weshould do. Being dutiful to our parents only requires that welisten to what they say, and try our best to do what is asked ofus.

As we grow older as sons and daughters, we are gatheringresources; intelligence, money, property, abilities and more. Weshould spend of these things with our parents in the forefront ofour mind (of course, not neglecting our immediate

responsibilties). For many of us, it will be as long as twodecades before we can become independent individuals,capable of looking after ourselves. In this time, our parents willhave spent thousands of hours, thousands of pounds, andmaybe even developing some grey hairs, making sure that weare comfortable and our needs are taken care of. It is only rightthat we look after them, as they did for us!

Of our parents, who deserves the best treatment? Themother or the father? The following hadith is very clear on thematter: Hadrat Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) reports: "A mancame to the presence of the Holy Prophet PBUH and submitted"O Prophet of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon you!'Who deserves the noblest treatment from me?' The HolyProphet PBUH observed: "Your mother." He again submitted:"And next?' The Holy Prophet PBUH observed : "Your mother."When the man submitted for the fourth time: "And who next?"The Holy Prophet PBUH observed: "Your father." [Al-Adab al-Mufrad]

And Allah SWT Says:

And we have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind

to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship. And

she brings him forth with hardship, and the bearing of him

and the weaning of him is thirty months

[ TMQ 46:15 ]

In this very early stage of our life we are completelydefenceless. If it wasn't for our parents who care so much,especially our mothers, we would surely die! How thankfulshould we be that in this early stage our parents were savingour lives (by the permission of Allah SWT) on a daily basis! Forsome of us, the case isn't so simple. Sometimes, we haveother things we want to do. We want to play computer games,hang out with friends, and sometimes just do anything else butto spend time with our parents, and to be kind and respectful toour parents. Rest assured, that such a response is exactly thekind of thing that Shaytan would love to see us do, to watch usbe cruel to our parents. We should have no doubt in our mindthat such ideas are the things that Shaytan would whisper tous, to help us be sinful. SubhanAllah!

May Allah SWT always protect us from such ideas. Is therea limit to the respect and dutifulness? Some of us will faceissues when it comes to doing as our parents asked.Sometimes they don't know what Allah SWT has asked ofthem, because they aren't practicing muslims, or because wereverted to Islam and our parents aren't even Muslim! In thiscase, we need to think a little more carefully about what isbeing asked of us, whilst still maintaining upmost respect forthem; after all, they are still our beloved parents! May AllahSWT guide them and us:

And we enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his

parents; but if they strive to make you join with Me (in

worship) anything (as a partner) of which you have no

knowledge, then obey them not. To me is your return and I

shall tell you what you used to do.

TMQ [ 29:8 ]

With all the information above in mind, lets think about howwe can become closer to our parents by being dutiful to them.After all, obeying Allah SWT is to do as he asks of us, and welive in the hopeful anticipation that we can do enough for him toearn his good mercy, inshaAllah.

"We have instructed man to honour his parents." TMQ [29:8]


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6November2009

It was on the 22nd of October that BBC Question Timefeatured three important guests: Labour MP Jack Straw,Conservative Shadow Minister Sayeeda Warsi and Leader ofThe BNP, Nick Griffin on their programme. While all The

Muslims watching would understandably revile Griffin, it isimportant that take up the same attitude against SayeedaWarsi and Jack Straw.

In brief, the entire programme was just a chance for thedifferent political parties to try their best to win votes andsalvage the reputation of their party. It was for that reason andthat reason only that Jack Straw, Sayeeda Warsi were onQuestion Time in the first place, to have a contest to see justwho could win the most votes by attacking The BNP. In thecase of Nick Griffin, he was either trying to get sympathy inhis areas of influence by making them see how he wasabused by those in multicultural London, either that, or he just

didnt do a very good job of making his case to the people inLondon.

Griffin attacked Islam saying that it allowed women to bestoned to death if raped because it was seen as adultery inthe eyes of The Shariah. This is ridiculous, and showsGriffins utter ignorance, Imam Malik (RA) said: Thepunishment is to be carried out on the rapist and there is nopunishment for the woman who has been raped, whatever thecase. Ibn Abd al Barr said: The scholars are unanimouslyagreed that the rapist is to be subjected to the haddpunishment if there is clear evidence against him that hedeserves the hadd punishment, or if he admits to that.Otherwise, he is to be punished (i.e., if there is no proof that

the hadd punishment for zina may be carried out against himbecause he does not confess, and there are not fourwitnesses, then the judge may punish him and stipulate apunishment that will deter him and others like him). There isno punishment for the woman if it is true that he forced herand overpowered her, which may be proven by her screamingand shouting for help. The Hadd Punishment is stoning ofthe rapist, not the raped woman. And of course, Griffin speaksout in defence of Britain, which has startling rape statistics.

Griffin also went on to say that Islam obliges Muslims tobe harsh with the non-Muslims and that Islam allows us to killJews and other non-Muslims at any given time. If there are

those like Griffin, who are bigoted and display enmity to Islam,then yes, were are harsh with them, and those like them.However, Allah (SWT) also said:

God forbids you not--with regard to those who do notfight you for your Faith nor drive you out of your homes--fromdealing kindly and justly with them: for God loves those who

are just. God only forbids you with regard to those who fightyou for your Faith, and drive you out of your homes, andsupport others in driving you out, from turning to them forprotection. It is such as turn to them that do wrong!

(al Quran, Surah al-Mumtahanah, Ayats 8 and 9)

Furthermore, in the time of al Khilafah Rashida, whenThe Four Rightly Guided Caliphs ruled, Jews and Christianswere protected by Muslim armies, and were given statebenefits, and were only taxed sometimes as little as a fewgold coins. Indeed, how non-Muslims were treated byMuslims in The Islamic Khilafah is superior to Griffins view ofhow Muslims would be treated in his vision of Britain.

Asides from Griffins overt attacks on Islam, there arealso those from the other parties who are more covert in their

attacks, and who are just as much our adversaries as Griffinis. People like Jack Straw, who attacked Muslim Sisters whowear the Niqab, and who is a part of The Labour Government,which was behind the PVE Agenda (Preventing ViolentExtremism). There will be more on this in a coming volume,but for now, it is enough to say that The Government want tocreate a British Islam, as if such a thing makes any sense,Islam is Islam, there are not tailored versions to fit onecountry or another. It also seeks to facilitate spying onMuslims, as stated in the Guardian Newspaper, local councilshave drawn up ISAs (Information Sharing Agreements) withthe police. According to the Guardian, the ISA between TheIslington Council and The Metropolitan Police was obtained,among the data to be acquired would be: "Sensitive personal

data; personal data which consists of information concerningracial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or othersimilar beliefs, physical/mental health or conditions, sexuallife, alleged or committed offences, proceedings " The ISAbetween Waltham Forest Council and The Metropolitan Policestates: "If a community intervention is required to prevent acrime then personal information processed in this regard isdone so as a matter of public protection informationrelating to public protection must be retained until such timeas the subject is deemed to have reached 100 years of age the minimum review period for this information is every 10years." Jack Straw is a part of The Labour Government thathas pushed this kind of policy that is making Britain become

more like a police state for Muslims. It is also important toknow that Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also sent500 more troops to Afghanistan, and Jack Straw is arepresentative of the same government who sent thosesoldiers.

TheFallacyofBritish Politics

fallacyn pl -cies

1. an incorrect or misleading notion or opinion based on inaccurate facts or invalid reasoning

2. unsound or invalid reasoning

3. the tendency to mislead


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6November2009

Sayeeda Warsi is a prominent figure in The ConservativeParty, which will most likely get into power in the next GeneralElection. The conservatives are arguably worse for Muslimsthan Labour are. They are ready to apply pressure on and evenban many Muslim groups in Britain, including Tableeghi Jamaat,which is known for Dawah work, and has never been linked toany trouble making, yet they will still be examined according toPauline Neville Jones of The Conservatives. They also plan toengage in their own PVE Agenda, having gone on the recordsaying they would make youngsters proud of our country,which is absurd. How can a Muslim be proud of a country that is

involved in the occupation of Muslim land, and the killing ofMuslims? As for Chris Huhne of The Liberal Democrats, he alsoappeared in the show, but he is to be discarded, as it is wellknown that the competition in the next election will be betweenLabour and Conservatives, and so he and his party should beignored.

These are not the people we need to tell us what to believeand think. We are Muslims, and we should not dirty ourselves inthe filthy game of British Politcs. We should not forget The MPsExpenses Scandal, where government ministers were caughtred handed taking taxpayers money. Including Jack Straw, whofrom 2005 2009 took taxpayers money for a bathroom refit,redecorations, two beds, garage doors and an LCD Television.He also wrote to the Commons Fees Office asking for asking for

permission to buy a 7,500 kitchen. Sayeeda Warsi, while nothaving herself stolen any money 9as far as I am aware),nevertheless represents a party whose members have stolenmoney, among them is Party Leader David Cameron. This is thefruit of British, Secular values.

This is not the kind of governance and politics Islam talksabout. Islam prohibits the state to spy on people, Allah (SWT)said:

O you who Believe avoid much suspicion, indeed somesuspicion

is a sin. And spy not on one an other neither backbite oneanother.

(al Quran, Surah al Hujuraat, Ayat 12)

Rather than steal money from the people, a proper IslamicGovernment invests in its people. The populace of The IslamicState of The Rightly Guided Caliphs were taxed lightly and evengiven state benefits. As an example, Umar ibn al Khattab (RA)

established al Bayt al Mal (State Treasury) which gave pensionsand allowances to the people, including non-Muslims. It isnarrated in al Kitab al Amwal by Ubayd by Abu Ubayd al Qasinibn Sallam (RA) that Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) had seen an oldJewish man begging at doors, and he said: We have not done

justice to you if we have taken jizya from you in the prime ofyour youth and neglected you in your old age. He then orderedfrom the treasury enough money for the old man to sustainhimself. Non-Muslims were only charged what they could affordin terms of taxes, in Sahih al Bukhari it has been narrated byAbu Najeeh (RA) who said, I said to Mujahid: What is thematter with the people of Ash-Sham who pay 4 Dinars and thepeople of Yemen pay 1 Dinar? He said, This was decidedbased on prosperity. This is the type of advancement Islamic

Values produce, and so we should be proud of that, and weshould never feel like our values are inferior. What are inferiorare the values that have created the monstrosity known asBritish Politics. And so, please do not fall for the evil tricks of thepolitical parties of Britain, and please beware of them.

Sayeeda Warsi Nick Griffin


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6November2009 The Grand Stage:

The Devils

Deceptionof BarrackObama

And when it is said to them: Make not

mischief on the earth, they say: We are only

peacemakers. Verily, they are the ones who make

mischief, but they perceive not.

(al Quran Surah al-Baqarah, Ayat 11-12)

We all know that Dajjal (The Anti-Christ) is the terribleone-eyed deceiver, and he will mislead many from TheStraight Path, however, if there was ever to be a two-eyedversion of this great imposter, my personal guess is that itwould be someone like Barrack Obama. In the realm ofcontemporary politics, he is one of Shaytans greatesthenchmen, whether he knows it, or not. Indeed, this man hasbeen held up by many a person as a sign of hope. After all,having been through almost a decade of having George W.Bush as President of The United States of America, anyone

with at least one more IQ point becoming the next Presidentwould be seen as a great relief by just about anyone. Luckilyfor Obama, he has far more than just one more IQ point thanBush, however, that should not be taken as a compliment. Weshould be certain that Obama is just as much an adversary tous as Bush was, the only difference being that he is smarter,which only makes him more dangerous.

The sad irony of recent events is the fact that Obamawas awarded The Nobel Peace Prize on October 9th, 2009.The Nobel Committee stated he had: "created a newclimate in international politics. ... Only very rarely has aperson to the same extent as Obama captured the world's

attention and given its people hope for a better future. Thestatement continued on to remark: His diplomacy is foundedin the concept that those who are to lead the world must doso on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by themajority of the world's population.

My estimation is that a book could well be written on howObama absolutely should not be allowed anywhere near anykind of peace prize, but instead this article will have tosuffice. I am sure that there are some Muslim Brothers andSisters here in Britain, and elsewhere, who may take thisman to be some kind of saviour, but I would respectfully urge

these fellow Muslims to re-consider this opinion should theyhave it. This man had promised Change We Can Believe In,but it has been some months now since he becamePresident, and I am afraid to say that despite the rhetoric, hehas simply not delivered what we Muslims so desperatelywant.

It was on June 4th, 2009, that Obama made a very wellknown and remembered speech in Cairo, Egypt. This speechwas rather comically entitled: A New Beginning. Whileaddressing The Muslim Ummah in this speech, Obama hadsaid: "I have come here to seek a new beginning between theUnited States and Muslims around the world; one based uponmutual interest and mutual respect." Such words soundwonderful, to some, many of the things that Obama saidsounded pleasing. However, as the old saying goes, actionsspeak louder than words, and words without action areshallow.

Obama had touched on five key parts of The MuslimWorld, and issues America has with them, these were:

1. Military Operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan2. Military Operations in Iraq3. The Issue of Palestine4. The Issue of Iran and Nuclear Weapons.

These are the main issues that Muslims globally hold as

matters of great importance, and rightly so. Looking at theseareas and American actions towards them, we should realisethat what Obama says and what he does are distinctlydifferent.

"Two-faced Obama"


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6November2009

Afghanistan: Escalation in The War on Islam

Obama talked about Afghanistan first, saying: Make nomistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan.We seek no military bases there. The first point to mention isthat one should find it impossible to believe such a statement,given the fact that America has military bases just abouteverywhere on the planet. And of course, The Muslim Worldis no different in this regard. America has access to and

actual ownership of military bases in countries such asKuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. America still hasmilitary bases in Japan and South Korea despite the fact thatit has been decades since World War Two and The KoreanWar. Generally speaking, America has had military baseswherever it has gone, it has over 700 bases in dozens ofcountries with thousands upon thousands of soldiersstationed within them, so are we really to believe this lie ofObama? Even if what he said was true, the fact remains thatAmerica has bases in every country that surroundsAfghanistan, such as the nations of Central Asia, not tomention Pakistan.

Even more importantly, one would have to ask whyObama did not address the fact that he was sending 17,000more troops to Afghanistan, something he approved ofmonths before. These troops will be an addition to the 34,000troops already deployed. This move has been made despitethe fact that global opinion is very much against this war. In2007, The Pew Research Centre published a GlobalAttitudes Survey, in which it asked citizens of 47 countriestheir opinions regarding the war.

The survey found that 41 of the 47 countries held themajority opinion of opposing it. The 2009 instalment of thesame survey polled 25 countries, of which 21 generallyopposed the war. As for the 4 countries that remained, two of

them were America and Israel, which hardly leaves anysurprise.

Obama also supports the treacherous AfghanGovernment, headed by Hamid Karzai, who is known to bean incompetent, bumbling fool. The Afghan elections havebeen proven to of been steeped in corruption, with a newround of voting having been promised. But that promise hasnow been broken due to Karzai recently having been able tosustain his Presidency of Afghanistan, having won bydefault instead. Obama of course, praised Karzais next termin office, thus, so much for the democratic elections that wassupposedly the Afghan peoples right. The politicalcorruption of Afghanistan has now shown that Americas

supposed reason for going to war was a phoney one. The realreason was to expand his crusade into Pakistan, and to useAfghanistan as a base from which to do so.

Pakistan: An Expansion in the War on Islam

Obamas militarism has also spread to Pakistan, wherehe has continued George Bushs attacks on the people there.Rather than trying to spread democracy to Afghanistan,Obama has instead used that country as a base in order toconduct more terrorist military operations in NorthernPakistan. In effect, America has made an Undeclared Warwhich had its origins in 2004, when George Bush was still

president. Pervez Musharraf, obeying the commands of theAmericans, ordered attacks on the South Waziristan town ofWana, the alleged reason being the threat of a PakistaniTaliban that threatened Pakistans sovereignty and vowedtake over the country. This led to a fight against a mere 400

fighters, who were the fellow Muslims of the Soldiers killingthem. It was in this battle that the first attacks were made byAmerica, who used attack drones, or unmanned aircraft tobomb Rana. And so, this more covert war has been gainingmomentum from that day onwards. It was because of theseactions that the tribal people began to rise up and becameknown as militants or Pakistani Taliban. And so, the conflictexpanded and still continues to this day, with drone attacksincreasing in frequency.

Graham E. Fuller, a former CIA station chief in Kabul and

a former vice-chair of the CIA's National Intelligence Councilactually said: For all the talk of "smart power," PresidentObama is pressing down the same path of failure in Pakistanmarked out by George Bush. He also said: Military force willnot win the day in either Afghanistan or Pakistan; crises haveonly grown worse under the U.S. military footprint. Indeed,these statements are not empty. It was George Bush whosaid that: Defeating these terrorists and extremists is alsoPakistans responsibility because every nation has anobligation to govern its own territory and make certain that itdoes not become a safe haven for terror Obama parrotedGeorge Bush when he pathetically tried to justify his actionsin Pakistan by saying the following during his PresidentialCampaign: There are terrorists holed up in those mountains

that killed 3,000 Americans if we have actionable intelligenceabout high value terrorist targets and President Musharraf willnot act, we will. He also said: and Pakistans instabilityright now, its turning away from democracy, the rise of Islamicmilitants inside the country that he (Musharraf) has noteffectively dealt with, all of these threaten instability in theregion. These are the same sentiments he echoed in hisCairo speech.

These, however are false reasons that Obama has given.Pakistani authorities themselves say that 701 civilians havebeen killed in these drone attacks with only 14 militantshaving been killed. Furthermore, there have been 2,000,000

3,000,000 people who have become IDPs (InternallyDisplaced Peoples) who have had to flee their homes inSWAT due to the attacks. Obama used 9/11 as an argument,however, the number who have been killed, injured, andforced to flee their homes in Pakistan far outnumber thosewho were killed in that one day. It is America with thecompliance of puppets like Musharraf and also Zardari whohave caused political instability in Pakistan, having bombedthe north and having historically supported the variousdictators of Pakistan. And so it is safe to say that Obama hasdone all harm and no good, and if the reasons he gave werehis actual reasons, then it is safe to say that he has failed.

However, there is more to Obamas motives than meets

the eye. He is the same as Bush in that he regards Pakistanas a threat due to the Islamic sentiments of all the people,and so they fear the rise and establishment of Islam not justthere, but also in Afghanistan. It is for this reason that TheAmericans have created the term AfPak having grouped thetwo together, due to their fear of Islam surging in theseterritories, and Obama, being an agent of American interests,has expanded the conflict in Pakistan under this premise, notthe lies he has stated above.

The ZardariGilani regime has also accepted andcondones the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act2009, which stipulates that Pakistani national, regional, and

local officials and members of Pakistani civil society and localprivate sector, civic, religious, and tribal leaders are to actaccording to U.S dictates, and that Pakistan must blame itselffor the U.S problems in Afghanistan, rather than the U.Sblaming themselves and their own arrogance.


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6November2009

It is America and its puppets like Zardari and Gilani thatare the problem, together, they have spread the myth that amere handful of poorly armed men could seize the country,despite the fact that they face The Pakistani Army (6th largestin the world), not to mention the American drone attacks.They have done this so they can justify their intervention,which truly seeks to destabilise Pakistan like they did Iraq,and prevent the rise of a true Islamic State and to make surethat can continue to exploit the region.

Iraq: An Ongoing Colonialist Project

Obama said in his speech: I have made it clear to theIraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on theirterritory or resources. While I have addressed Obamas claimregarding military bases, there are also the claims he hasmade regarding territory and resources. The above quote is aclassic display of colonialist rhetoric, Obama can afford to saythis due to the fact that America has already gotten what itwants from Iraq. America has installed a puppet regime underNouri al Maliki, who has allowed the continued occupation ofits own country, yet still has the audacity to claim that Iraq isa sovereign nation.

Obama used an ace up his sleeve when he remarked:Iraq's sovereignty is its own. That is why I ordered theremoval of our combat brigades by next August. That is whywe will honour our agreement with Iraq's democraticallyelected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi citiesby July, and to remove all our troops from Iraq by 2012.Here, it is good to seek that the man is being at least a slightbit more honest. Obama has always stated he would removecombat troops by August 31st 2010, of course, that does notmean that American troops as a whole will be removed bythen. Most of American troops in Iraq are actually reservetroops, not combat ones, Obama himself said that he would

keep 35,000 50,000 troops in Iraq for the purpose of: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi Security Forces as longas they remain nonsectarian; conducting targetedcounterterrorism missions; and protecting our ongoing civilianand military efforts within Iraq." He also said he would keepthese reserves to: advise Iraqi troops and protect USinterests. In other words, Obama does not care about Iraqipeople, or of Iraqs prosperity, but rather, Iraq is a place forAmerica to continue to occupy and interfere with.

Also Nouri al Maliki himself has actually stated that U.Stroops may stay as far in the future as beyond 2011, which iswhen all U.S reserve troops are supposed to have withdrawn.Maliki justified this saying: if the Iraqis require furthertraining and support we shall examine this at that time, basedon the needs of Iraq." Maliki cannot hide behind the needs ofIraqi people, who do not want American troops in their land,and who have suffered through an American instigated warthat has resulted in the deaths of 650,000 1,000,000 Iraqicivilians.

It is an open secret that America has very meatyeconomic interests in Iraq. Alan Greenspan, who Obamaappointed as one of his economic advisors said that Americacannot be: beholden to potentially unfriendly sources of oiland gas." This is the heart of the issue, America has interestin Iraq, among which is the need for energy resources and

puppet regimes who will supply it to them, these interestshowever, are not centred on the slogans of freedom anddemocracy.

Palestine: A Continuation of Colonialist Brutality

Another open secret is how every single AmericanPresident has supported Israel, and of course, Obama is notfoolish enough to break away from that trend of Americanpolitics. Before his election, Obama made a speech to AIPAC(The American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee) on June 4th,2009, where in he stated: I always understood the Zionistidea, that there is always a homeland at the centre of our

story. He further went on to say: We know that theestablishment of Israel was just and necessary, rooted incenturies of struggle and decades of patient hard work. Butsixty years later, we know that we cannot relent, we cannotyield, and as President I will never compromise when itcomes to Israels security. These pro-Israeli, pro-Zionistsentiments were echoed in his Cairo speech: America'sstrong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond isunbreakable.

It is easy predict that this is the kind of Zionist rhetoricthat Obama would come out with. He also went on to say:America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinianaspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.

While Obama says he supports the Palestinians having astate, he neglects to mention that this state will be founded onless than 20% of the land they had lost, spanning a mere6,209 square kilometres of the 27,009 square kilometres thatthe Palestinians once called their own under The IslamicKhilafah. This state will be completely dependant on Israeldue its severe lack of resources, it will be dependent onIsrael for trade due to the fact that Palestinian imports andexports will pass through Israeli control, which has led tomillions of dollars worth of lost exports in the past forPalestinians. It would use the Israeli currency, the Shekel, itwould depend upon Israel for electricity and water, it wouldhave a negligent armed force. Infact, Obama is increasing on

military ties with Israel, as he also said: Our alliance is basedon shared interests and shared values, those who threatenIsrael threaten us. Israel has always faced these threats onthe front lines, and I will bring to the White House anunshakable commitment to Israels security. That starts withensuring Israels qualitative military advantage. I will ensurethat Israel that Israel can defend itself from any threat, fromGaza to Tehran. Defence co-operation is a model of successand it must be deepened. As President, I will implement amemorandum of understanding, that provides $ 30 Billion inassistance to Israel over the next decade. Investments thatwill not be tied to any other nation. Obama speaks as thoughIsrael actually faced a legitimate threat from Hamas in Gaza,or Iran. He spoke as though Israel was a poor, frail victim,

under serious threat, when we know this is not the case. Hehas even admitted that he is playing favouritism with Israel,given the fact that the scale of military assistance he isproviding to Israel will go to no one else.

As a final point, Obama himself said in his AIPACspeech: Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and itmust remain undivided. And as we speak, Israeli authoritiesare evicting Palestinians from their homes, not just in EastJerusalem, but in The West Bank and elsewhere. Despitepressure from Obama, Israel ignores and continues toengage in its fascist evictions of Muslims.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/israelhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/israelhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/israel


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6November2009 Iran: The Subject of Propaganda

Obama went on to talk about Iran and its nuclearweaponry. He said in his Cairo speech: I understand thosewho protest that some countries have weapons that others donot. No single nation should pick and choose which nationshold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmedAmerica's commitment to seek a world in which no nationshold nuclear weapons. With regards to nuclear weaponry,this issue has already been addressed in an article in the

previous volume, so please read that inshaAllah. Suffice it tosay however, that this is a ridiculous statement, the politicalreality of the world does not allow for such rhetoric to be areality, and even if we were to accept this kind of sweetspeech, it should not ever be from Obama in the first place.

This segment specifically deals with Iran, who Americahas tried to paint as a major threat to Israel. To that end, theyhave spouted ridiculous propaganda which is reminiscent of avery badly written script for a Hollywood film. The Americanpropaganda essentially states that The Iranian Governmentare all insane, and that when Ahmedinejad he would wipeIsrael of the map, he actually meant it. And of course, whenHilary Clinton, who Obama appointed as his Secretary of

State said America would obliterate Iran, that was just ajoke.

Let us just for a second, suppose that this script everbecame reality, the fact of the matter is this: nuclear weaponshave come a long way in their destructive potential since1945, when they were used for the first and only times. Thus,if Iran ever fired even one nuclear weapon on Israel, he wouldalso be killing Muslims who live under occupation there. Firingthese weapons would also kill Muslims in The West Bank andGaza, not to mention Muslims in other parts of the region. Infact, The Iranians may well be killing themselves too. Anexplosion from such weapons are in themselves enormously

destructive, then there are the various diseases and bodilyharms that occur as a result the radiation effect of suchweapons, such problems are long lasting and far reaching.Nagasaki and Hiroshima were the two Japanese citiesbombed and obliterated by America in 1945, and as a result150,000 people were killed. Still, even to this day, the effectsof radiation can be felt, as people are still contractingdiseases as a result of what happened decades ago. Thiswas the result of only two primitive nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, it still remains to conclusively establishwhether or not Iran actually has nuclear weapons in the firstplace, of course, Obama and The American Governmenthave already written their script, and they have decided they

want to say that Iran does have nuclear weapons. It is alsowell known that Israel itself has nuclear weapons, and thedifference is that this is definitively established and true, yetwe do not see America applying the same magnitude ofpressure upon Israel. This indicates that Iran is being used asa part of fear mongering tactics that Obama can use to justifycontinued American intervention in the region, as there is acrazy regime that wants to destroy the entire Middle East, andAmerica must save the day.

The Guardian of Capitalism, Not Islam

Today, America is the grand patron of Capitalism, and

Barrack Obama is its President. In reality, this country is anempire whose Government is not driven by notions of good,but rather, of benefit. America is driven by interest, and it isrun by those who champion this concept. It is for that reasonwhy Obamas administration is full of people who are of thementality just described.

Obamas administration includes people such as TimothyGeitner, Hilary Clinton, Alan Greenspan, Lawrence Summers,Robert Gates and Henry Kissinger. Some of these nameshave been associated with economic corruption, such asLawrence Summers, while others have been seen asengineers of The Global Financial Crisis due to corporategreed, such as Timothy Geitner. All of these people havesomething in common, and that is the fact that they are theelite, the people of influence, and it is people like them who

have a large role in dictating America policy. While Presidentscome and go, such figures always remain.

There is a prevailing false notion that Obama hasabsolute authority, but that is simply not the case, nor has itever been. America never was one man, rather, it has alwaysbeen many men. America has various branches ofgovernment, The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch,and The Judicial Branch. As President, Obama has someExecutive power and less Legislative and Judicial power.America also has many big businesses with influential andwealthy CEOs, large media corporations, various think tanks,and a massive military-industrial complex. America is all ofthese things, not just one man alone. And so, even if Obama

was sincere, the fact of the matter is, there is much more toAmerica than this one little figure. And in the end, while thefaces within these branches of government and institutionschange, the goals remain the same, and the goal of Americais to dominate the world, and that includes The Muslim World.America is a state with super power status, and it intends tokeep it.

We must stop looking at the fact that the mans middlename is Hussein. He is not a Muslim, either he was once as achild, or not even that. His father was from Indonesia, aMuslim for part of his life, who then left The Deen. Hisancestry includes Muslims, and they may have been

righteous, but that says nothing for Obama at all. Instead oflooking at these superficial things, we should instead look tothe reality of what he is now, and what he is doing to TheMuslim Ummah.

America believes in its ideology of Capitalism, and it isthis idea that has led it to engage in something calledglobalisation, which aims to spread this ideology across theworld. This is the substance of America, it is only the style thatchanges. George Bush, Barrack Obama and those like themare merely parts of the style, nothing more. Obamas CairoSpeech, and all of his appealing rhetoric is nothing more thanan attempt to deceive us, and so we as Muslims shouldbeware of him.


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6November2009

It Is Time for The Real Change We Can Believe In

Alhamdulillah, in Muslim lands, Obama magic has failedto charm the populace. According to The Gallup WorldOrganisation, The Muslim World collectively has no positiveopinion of Obama, in Egypt, his approval rating is only 25%, inSaudi Arabia it is 29%, in Syria it is 15%, in Lebanon it is 22%and in Palestine it is a mere 7%.

While I hate to borrow one of Obamas slogans, we doneed change, but a real change. If we wish to redeem TheMuslim Ummah and restore it to its former glory, we mustreturn our Deen again. The Shariah of Allah (SWT) was notrevealed just to be but away in a cupboard or put on top of ashelf. By now, I have grown tired of quoting from Obama, butthere is one honest thing he said: As a student of history, Ialso know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam at placeslike al-Azhar University that carried the light of learningthrough so many centuries, paving the way for Europe'sRenaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslimcommunities that developed the order of algebra; ourmagnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery ofpens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreadsand how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us

majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry andcherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peacefulcontemplation. And throughout history, Islam hasdemonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities ofreligious tolerance and racial equality.

It is this level of civilization that we need to reach oncemore, so we can be a beacon for the rest of the world. Indeed,the only time we had such a high standing in the world waswhen The Ummah was under the shade of The IslamicKhilafah. And so, we must work to re-establish it, we mustimprove ourselves and make sure we are good Islamicpersonalities, and also, we must spread the message to TheUmmah that Khilafah is Fard (obligatory) and that we mustinspire others to seek real change from sincere Muslims. Wemust give this message to our friends, families and the societyat large in whatever way we can. Also, we must carry the

message that our Prophet (PBUH) made a promise to us:

On the authority of Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman, who reportedthat the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Prophethood willremain with you for as long as Allah wills it to remain, thenAllah will raise it up whenever he wills to raise it up.Afterwards, there will be a Khilafah that follows the guidanceof Prophethood remaining with you for as long as Allah wills itto remain. Then, He will raise it up whenever He wills to raise itup. Afterwards, there will be a reign of violently oppressive ruleand it will remain with you for as long as Allah wills it toremain. Then, there will be a reign of tyrannical rule and it willremain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then, Allah will

raise it up whenever He wills to raise it up. Then, there will bea Khilafah that follows the guidance of Prophethood." ThenHudhaifah said, "The Prophet stopped speaking." (Musnad ofImam Ahmed ibn Hanbal)

Before anything else, we must also

know that the work to re-establish The

Khilafah is done only for The Sake of Allah

(SWT) who said:

!Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work

righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land,inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that Hewill establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosenfor them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in whichthey (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me

(alone) and not associate aught with Me. 'If any do reject Faith after

this, they are rebellious and wicked.

(al Quran, Surah an-Noor, Ayat 55)

FarewellMessage:

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