tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22610729529541584502024-03-14T16:36:14.636+00:00Lutf's BlogIslam in the West - Islam and the West... Islam or the West?Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-48985786518780511022018-03-23T23:36:00.000+00:002018-07-02T17:42:01.574+01:00The metamorphosis of Imran Khan: From the cornered tiger to a cornered rat<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.dawn.com/large/2018/03/5aafc553adb6c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://i.dawn.com/large/2018/03/5aafc553adb6c.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">courtesy dawn.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Updated: 30 Jun 2018 - With Imran Khan starting his 2018 election campaign by the </span><a href="https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/334828-imran-visits-baba-farids-shrine-along-with-wife" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">infamous 'prostration'</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> at Baba Fareed's tomb, and his wholesale induction of the corrupt turncoat 'electables' into his party, this article is even more relevant. (if I say so myself).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Imran Khan has never been known for his wit. His two major
achievements in life were to be good at cricket/winning a world cup and building a hospital in his
beloved mother’s memory. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His foray into national politics was expected, but in the early 90's, he always dismissed such suggestion and said 'I am no politician'. </span></div>
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Then he became a politician. What he unleashed upon an expectant nation was a mediocre intellect hiding behind mere charisma. He added to this an increasingly vulgar rhetoric and his fan club followed suit. His detractors, both mainstream politicians
and mullahs have called him a Zionist, for his first wife was a
Goldsmith; an Indian and/or a western puppet, as he has admirers in those nations and more recently, a Qadiani agent. But one
cannot find even a remotest link between him and the persecuted reformist </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmadiyya"><span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadiyya sect</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> derogatorily
referred to as Qadianis in Pakistan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One reason could be that he had initially given some indication of his intentions to
champion the rights of minorities in Pakistan. This face of Khan was only shown while he was fundraising in the west. This raised
hopes for some who saw Khan as the change Pakistan needed. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What followed in
the years to come was an ugly creature crawl out of this cocoon of false
promises of reform and justice. Khan had fallen from grace at the very
first hurdle. He didn't even try to scale it. The cornered tiger turned out to be a cornered rat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He was so aware of the toxicity of the Qadiani label that during the last general elections, Imran Khan
issued multiple statements to reassure the religious right that he was as
bigoted about Ahmadis as them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few months ago Captain Safdar took to the floor of the
national assembly and made an impassioned speech on the conspiracies being
hatched by the Ahmadis against Pakistan. There was no apparent cause for such
speech. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It became clear later that it was a pre-emptive strike against what was to come. In a matter of days, the whole country was
gripped in the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat controversy.
We have seen the emergence of the colourful Sunni Barelvi maulvis. They seem set to run a huge campaign in the next
election on a sectarian, anti-Ahmadi agenda. Imran Khan needs the same vote
bank to succeed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His recent maneuverings to woo the working class religious voter should
cause some concerns over his capacity to radicalize his followers. Recruiting Amir Liaqat Hussain is another piece of evidence that Khan has
completely sold his soul to the devil. And this has been a long time coming. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take for example his recent speaking engagements. One at a
shrine near Islamabad called Golra shareef. The shrine is the ancestral seat of
holy men of a sufi order, well known in Punjab with a significant following in
the immigrant diaspora across the western world. The shrine hosts a </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SKFZdzk-l0"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Khatme Nabuwwat’ conference</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">
every year, which is well attended by the Barelvi
clergy and holy men. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">With the next general elections looming, Muslim League (N) has
had its day. The Sharifs are trying
desperately to make peace with the military and knowing their track record, it
should never succeed. Nominally liberal People’s party has no spine, no
principles and no hope. With no other major contenders in sight, Khan seems to
be the only option left for the military establishment, but he cannot win
Punjab without the religious vote. Whoever wins the populous, economically strong
Punjab province will form the government after the next elections. But he also
needs Karachi. With MQM in disarray, PTI may be able to gather enough
support to make some inroads into the
MQM strongholds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Khan hasn’t stopped at Golra. On 22nd of March, he </span><a href="https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/428763-PML-N-secretly-changed-Khatm-e-Nabawwot-(PBUH)-oath-Imran-Khan"><span style="font-size: large;">attended
another Khatme Nabuwwat conference</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, this time in Lahore. His reputation has
taken a hit due to his recent marriage. His new wife, Ms. Maneka is a </span><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/imran-khans-hat-trick-cricketer-turned-politician-marries-bushra-maneka-11258507"><span style="font-size: large;">faith
healer of some description</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. In the past, Imran Khan has been a willing
disciple to such self-made suburban Sufis. A late bloomer in religious
zealotry, Khan has kept clear of the puritanical clerics until now. He prefers
the populist version of Islam, the simpler variety through which he can placate
his zealous followers and disarm his opponents with rhetorical piety. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He often begins his speeches with quarter of a verse from
the Quran, something which the more learned Muslims find a bit naïve, even in poor taste. His new
wife’s teachings or faith-healing methods are not known, but it has been widely
reported that the lady has prophesised Khan’s ascent to the PM house if he
married her. With the marriage out of
the way, Khan has to undo the damage by replacing the lost votes from the
educated class with the rural Barelvi votes that are easily mobilized by the
clerics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It seems that there will be more Khatme Nabuwwat conferences,
especially in KPK to rally support from a religiously conservative province in
the coming months. His yobs have contributed to the lynching of Mashal Khan who
was declared an Ahmadi by his opponents.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It will come as no surprise if Amir Liaqat Hussain, who has
a history of anti-Ahmadi hate speech , may use the same tactics in Karachi to
appeal to the religious right. All the indications are the Khadim Rizvi and his
henchmen are being put on the back burner for now. But come the general elections they will be
unleashed to break the backs of any
politicians who harbour any democratic ambitions. Imran Khan is not one of those politicians. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, Imran Khan is no politician. He is a narcissistic, ageing sports hero who can't let go of fame.</span></div>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-20082791338473932592017-05-02T14:27:00.000+01:002017-05-04T11:34:17.437+01:00Pakistani Mango Reigns Supreme <br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">India is a great nation. A billion Indians on the most
fertile patch of land on our planet know a thing or two about flavour, spice
and the harvest. Unfortunately, they know nothing about the excellence of the
Pakistani Mango. I feel sorry for them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTnzxEZZOk7m1bRVA4PQOuFM_0kX2VcfdW7KGKiEBo6eX6gbLoSiQ7lfPEdOMjyBCLpgJdVIV3HAUHqriUmrwDAGFvOXFvIur25cMI9nXVdwf_ToOAb2yVY6Fl7Q3S6vboEgSRYySiqA/s1600/Anwar+Ratol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTnzxEZZOk7m1bRVA4PQOuFM_0kX2VcfdW7KGKiEBo6eX6gbLoSiQ7lfPEdOMjyBCLpgJdVIV3HAUHqriUmrwDAGFvOXFvIur25cMI9nXVdwf_ToOAb2yVY6Fl7Q3S6vboEgSRYySiqA/s400/Anwar+Ratol.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Anwar Ratol</em> - The best mango in the world. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">I grew up on mangoes. <em>Anwar Ratol</em> was our family favourite.
Every summer, crates of <em>Anwar Ratol</em> mangoes were purchased almost on a weekly
basis. In the sweltering heat of mid-summer Punjab, our father would get
buckets of iced water and pour into it dozens and dozens of greenish, gold tinged mangoes. We helped in the ritual; picking bits of husk from the
sticky resin that perfectly ripe mangoes ooze from the bud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would wait a little, just enough for the
mangoes to get deliciously cold. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Eating <em>Anwar Ratols</em> is a competitive pursuit. You don’t
eat them; You gulp them after mushing the pulp with your thumbs and sucking the
rich, flavoursome chunky nectar from the stalk end of the fruit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You dress for the occasion too. It must be the
<em>kurta</em> that needs to go to the wash the same afternoon. Sleeves must be rolled
up and you must be seated on the cool floor as close to the bucket as possible.
You carry on until there are no more mangoes. Then you calm your stomach with a
nice glass of ‘<em>kachi lassi’</em> - an ounce of milk watered down to repel the heat of
the greatest fruit on earth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Then you sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">We were also treated with the whole range of mango varieties
throughout the summer. Our kitchen and the fridge remained fragrant with
mangoes for the summer holidays. Monsoons brought the best crop to the shops
and a good chunk of our food budget would go to the fruit sellers. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3xwqfQdnlwdom86O8NTUMMP3BRKqwS7YHFVU7Fq-hrqy2rL7ofXy5EzqtJnNr_ve-ENYx6kpjVe6cFRJ_hrLkjdHiRb5QtEPIweT0SVKjwwjp-RVH182FxMOMm00uRS_L2eRM4LEYBs/s1600/sindhri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3xwqfQdnlwdom86O8NTUMMP3BRKqwS7YHFVU7Fq-hrqy2rL7ofXy5EzqtJnNr_ve-ENYx6kpjVe6cFRJ_hrLkjdHiRb5QtEPIweT0SVKjwwjp-RVH182FxMOMm00uRS_L2eRM4LEYBs/s1600/sindhri.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sindhri - A gift from the mighty Indus river</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Pakistani mangoes are the greatest fruit on earth. There is
no doubt about it. We prepare for our thermometer bursting, electricity
deprived summers by consoling ourselves in the hope of mangoes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">I know that </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/04/26/why-pakistan-exports-more-mangoes-than-india_a_22057404/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">some Indian friends</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> are under this illusion that
Indian mangoes are better. I have no doubt that their home grown fruit is more
appealing for them. Had they ever tasted the <em>Anwar Ratol</em> ripened in the humid,
unbearable heat of southern Punjab, they would change their mind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have never been invited to a mango party
which happens under some trees by the canal. They never tried the mango
Ice-cream frozen by rolling the barrels for hours by hand on the streets and plentiful
scoops of it presented with chunks of mangoes freshly sliced over it. They
have never stopped in a busy night market in urban Faisalabad, ogled at the
golden <em>Dueshri</em> and <em>Malda</em> bobbing among the ice-cubes in a glass tank of a
roadside vendor, and ordered a few kilos to share with your friends. The vendor also presents you with the watery sweet milk remedy in the
end. That is on the house, usually.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">To not know the earthy fragrance of a sweet <em>Sindhri</em> and the
irresistible, bursting with a bouquet of flavours <em>Chaunsa</em> is one of the greatest misfortunes akin to not visiting
Lahore or disliking cricket while being an Indian. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">I have nothing against Indian cultivars. They seem to be
adequate for the Indian palate. I also accept the fact that Pakistan is part of
the Indian subcontinent, so nothing which claims to be a product of biology can
ever be inherently purely Pakistani. We are all Indians.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">But with the creation of Pakistan, we had effectively
firewalled a few things for our great nation. The best mangoes, fast bowlers,
fried breakfasts, classical singers, pop musicians, dictatorships, good TV
dramas and bad films etc etc. I can carry on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Did I say mangoes? The humble Indian mango was allowed to thrive by our
nation of talented horticulturists, and fertile sandy soil planes of Sindh and
Punjab. Saplings of top quality cultivars were nurtured with love and
affection. A mango farmer in Sindh cries over his flood or wind ravaged mango
plants as if a beloved family member died. The harsh summer season in the
planes of the mighty river Sindh has given an evolutionary edge to the
Pakistani mango which is apparent in its manifold qualities. Pakistan has been
an evolutionary hot spot for a few choicest things. Islamists, mystery spinners,
con men, mangoes! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnTwTPbPIg9jFE6_XWl-MCREzLo_WfF5CEqs5o4DThRyzaxBGKZsxSvwyonwhUqL2N12GMjD-Pw5tIJ8cBH69FAjSAa_cF3-5ipKUkienyXYPar7qn78bR3i0vHT4-IgJoO4g_nR1uMQ/s1600/mango+farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnTwTPbPIg9jFE6_XWl-MCREzLo_WfF5CEqs5o4DThRyzaxBGKZsxSvwyonwhUqL2N12GMjD-Pw5tIJ8cBH69FAjSAa_cF3-5ipKUkienyXYPar7qn78bR3i0vHT4-IgJoO4g_nR1uMQ/s400/mango+farm.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A mango farm in Sindh - Tando Allahyar</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Compared to the Pakistani mango, the Indian mango is
mediocre at best in taste and flavour. Like an Indian batsman, it only gets
high scores in home conditions and is ridiculously overrated by its adoring
fans. I have been forced to try the Indian mango once or twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <em>Alphonso</em>, the so-called
‘king of mangoes’ is mostly skin. Not impressed! <em>Kesar,</em> the other famous
variety, looks good, but barely tastes like a mango. Sweetness aside, both
mangoes provided ample fibres to floss ones teeth while eating them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Our Indian neighbours are lucky to have proper democracy,
first dibs at most of our shared history, a definite sense of identity, batsmen
and a booming economy. But with partition, us Pakistanis got the frail economy,
a constitutional crisis In every decade, Urdu humour and the best mangoes. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyfnDFI22VQDsvDl7q7kncDkbGe1hX8qLRRYe6aAFNIvHiwxzhmoPSsOi_CQnee5dUOkY42VsPQmnl4xH6U9ViGY4q7mZcwZPGuQpmpSVdyGF9OyrgG5EEl8JS1RuIawzwW3XGs0RnsM/s320/Mango+iceceram.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="225" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chaman's mango Ice cream. One of the best!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">In addition to a robust mango based summer sub-culture,
mango parties, the mango Ice-cream and millions of tons of mango produce every
year from Sindh and Punjab, mangoes also helped rid us of our worst dictator.
Our diplomacy, both domestic and international relies heavily on the greatness
of our mango. We are a nation indebted to the mango. And we wish to share this
gift with the world. That is why our mango is distributed far and wide.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">The Indian mango has its place in the world market. That is
in the canned goods isle, next to the Bombay mix and Tilde basmati rice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqihGc7gATZfyKQTONwAWmm-8mYVMVJc02EaJWr1zM4qd32RH-x0qekZna8VKEK69s7BgSaUBaBzmf-0M7TJrUFut_rfGMPE67BqrFU6x1QXFw7L_ps0XzOBcQ-Cp_g1xWWGIfZejNcW4/s1600/Kesar-Mango-Pulp-for-Mango-Pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqihGc7gATZfyKQTONwAWmm-8mYVMVJc02EaJWr1zM4qd32RH-x0qekZna8VKEK69s7BgSaUBaBzmf-0M7TJrUFut_rfGMPE67BqrFU6x1QXFw7L_ps0XzOBcQ-Cp_g1xWWGIfZejNcW4/s320/Kesar-Mango-Pulp-for-Mango-Pudding.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King of the canned goods isle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">It is not all lost for the Indians. After all, Anwar Ratol
was a migrant from India. They can definitely have some pride in its heritage.
Also, they still have the best coconuts and papaya fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not settle on that? Leave Pakistani
mangoes at their rightful place. Top of the World!</span></div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-27254691851378800312017-03-29T17:27:00.000+01:002017-03-29T17:27:44.558+01:00Criticizing Islam<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbyE5v0CGK4mwUODGoMJL4R_9tfmvoykviVjNzWe-nBl8lElE8ciiisiAw8k0g8lkm-geJAsZXR3qlbwmX759QdgMnxLGvKwTZQF0mFayiOp2OzUbMRlY5ZN0TYZzWZ4qq1DXWZWxsfM/s1600/love4all+banner+westminster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbyE5v0CGK4mwUODGoMJL4R_9tfmvoykviVjNzWe-nBl8lElE8ciiisiAw8k0g8lkm-geJAsZXR3qlbwmX759QdgMnxLGvKwTZQF0mFayiOp2OzUbMRlY5ZN0TYZzWZ4qq1DXWZWxsfM/s640/love4all+banner+westminster.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahmadi Muslims are at the forefront of the fight against radicalization. <br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Courtesy </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/29/love-for-all-hatred-for-none-hundreds-gather-for-westminster-attack-vigil#img-1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Guardian Website</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">In his </span><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-times/stand-up-for-the-right-to-criticise-islam/news-story/2198da6d15ad27ee132a78dd47f1e9b9"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">article
in the Times</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> entitled ‘Stand up for the right to criticize Islam’ Matt Ridley
writes that there is a spectrum of religious beliefs, from spiritual to the
violent extreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ridley, himself a
humanist, is skeptical even of the power of a moderate form of religion to
bring about social justice and peace. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Ridley takes issue with PM May’s statement that terrorist
acts are a ‘perversion of the great faith of Islam’. He thinks that Khalid
Masood was follower of a version of Islam (not a perversion) and we must accept
that as a fact. The religion of Islam must be criticized for its faults. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">He then cites the oppression of women, homosexuals and
suppression of science by religions (primarily Islam) to prove that religion
has nothing good to offer to the society, and such practises do not deserve any
respect. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I agree wholeheartedly. Well said Mr. Ridley!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is Islam, then I, a practicing Muslim
myself will stand with you and criticize it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">But the question is; to whom should we address this
criticism? God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prophet Muhammad? Saudi
Royals? Irani Ayatollahs? Your neighbour who happens to be a Muslim?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I personally would address it to the clerics who have for
generations misrepresented the scriptures, providing various violent political
movements with religious sanctions to commit atrocities. As I am a Muslim who
reads and understands the Quran, I will also take a position based on
knowledge, not prejudice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know for a
fact that this violent interpretation represents a fictitious faith born out of
malice, human misery and selfish desires of the clergy. It is not Islam.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Mr. Ridley himself agrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He says, ‘The one thing they (terrorists) have in common is that they
had been radicalized by religious preachers claiming to interpret the Koran.’</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">As my criticism has a clear target, Ridley like many others
has erred in finding the right language, tone or even logic to address the
issue of Islamist violent extremism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
many cases, there is a deliberate attempt to obfuscate the facts in favour of a
deeply cynical and malevolent narrative against Islam.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">This is largely due to their lack of knowledge about Islam
and partly due to the traditional European indoctrination against Islam. Islam
has always been a ‘pretend’ religion which had nothing new to offer to the
world as </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI_and_Islam"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Pope
Benedict let slip a few years ago</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">. All the classical European historic
texts take the standard stance that Prophet Muhammad was an impostor, and
Muslims were a conquering force which threatened Europe for centuries. That
reptilian fear reflex has been embedded so deep in the European psyche that
even the atheist scholars of today can’t help this knee jerk reaction.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take for example Mr. Ridley mentioning over 400 acid attacks
in Britain. He thinks that it has something to do with sharia-enabled men
disfiguring women all across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/11/acid-attacks-victorian-britain"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">The
fact is</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> that this heinous practice was a British invention, exported to
other parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most victims come from Colombia and India.
But unfortunately, people have associated it with Islam. Was this an easy
mistake to make? Perhaps you will think twice before calling FGM an Islamic
practice. Or perhaps not! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is more convenient
to support bigotry with fake facts these days. What about those 400 or so acid
attack victims you may ask? These were mostly gang related incidents and
majority of them were men. Acid attacks and FGM, just like terrorism, have
nothing to do with Islam. It is all about politics, sexual and territorial, as
well as that of identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">When it comes to people seeking the license to mock
religions and their founders, Islam becomes the obvious focus of
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are being killed
around the Islamic world for criticizing Islam. This is also another gross
perversion of Islamic teachings. It is the clerics who perpetuate these ideas,
and there is no evidence, none whatsoever in the Quran to support such barbaric
acts. I, like millions of my </span><a href="http://peacesymposium.org.uk/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Ahmadiyya
Muslim brothers and sisters around the world</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="color: blue;">,</span></u>
criticize these clerics and their followers with proofs, arguments and with
grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For us, Islam is free from all
blame just as the God that we worship and the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) that
we love and follow.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">My sincere advice to Mr. Ridley and his fellow commentators
is to join us in our 125 year old campaign to reform Muslims by understanding
Islam and initiating a dialogue with those we disagree. Ridicule, fake facts
and divisive Islamophobic propaganda is not the solution.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-11346390128125248082017-01-19T17:28:00.003+00:002017-01-20T21:37:12.061+00:00Mufti Hanif Qureshi, The Singing Hate Preacher Visits Luton<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6N_Le3mCS5O7r21v6CZmwJF3KQVsgiHlSJx4-YUr-IJam7YpSn9PYkz3zTNZIdTFqbjdXOxfnCjd5sRVgdRKt4N4hQnWZSgK2pi-N7BS7gt35oDJGHql0vllVH97Se8tBMWfLMpPBik/s1600/Haneef+Qureshi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6N_Le3mCS5O7r21v6CZmwJF3KQVsgiHlSJx4-YUr-IJam7YpSn9PYkz3zTNZIdTFqbjdXOxfnCjd5sRVgdRKt4N4hQnWZSgK2pi-N7BS7gt35oDJGHql0vllVH97Se8tBMWfLMpPBik/s400/Haneef+Qureshi.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanif Qureshi gets top billing for a May 2016 event in Ghousia Mosque, Luton </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">It appears that <a href="http://hurryupharry.org/2016/08/30/the-jamia-islamia-ghousia-trust-of-luton-%E2%80%93-an-extremist-mosque-in-the-mainstream/" target="_blank">Luton’s Ghousia mosque</a> has no intention of
dissociating itself from extremist clerics from Pakistan. Their latest
crowd-puller is Mufti Hanif Qureshi . Despite objections <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:jafh49ybFvoJ:https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-06-29/debates/16062963000001/UKSecurityAndEntryClearanceProcedures+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ch" target="_blank">raised in the house of Parliament </a>on allowing him entry into the country, Qureshi’s appearance at
various events in Luton went ahead as planned in 2016. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">Qureshi is quite an entertainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would have pulled a decent sized crowd in
Hyde Park's speakers corner back in the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
most clerics, he has the gift of the gob, but he belongs to a more
talented variety. He is a rabble-rouser, a fire and brimstone preacher who
craves for controversy.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">In Pakistan, his home
country, Qureshi’s sermons and speeches are very well-attended. He shouts and
screams into the microphone, breaks frequently into the traditional song-prose style of
preaching and puntuates his speech with devotional songs. He gets the crowd going.
He keeps them engaged and enraged in equal measure.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">It is widely believed in Pakistan that his one such performance
in Rawalpindi caused a high profile murder. The <a href="http://dailytimes.com.pk/islamabad/05-May-16/uk-grants-visa-to-cleric-who-incited-mumtaz-qadri" target="_blank">murderer was Mumtaz Qadri</a>, who heard him speak at his local mosque. The victim was Salman Taseer,
an outspoken liberal governor of the Punjab province and the topic of that
particular speech. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">Qureshi, like most other Sunni clerics in Pakistan have
vowed to carry on with their mission of maintaining the death penalty for
blasphemy an absolute law in Pakistan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, such preachers frequently
condone vigilante acts against perceived blasphemers and against anyone trying to defend the accused.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">Qureshi’s performance on the occasion of the ‘Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Conference’ in 2015 is worth noting here. It
is an annual event marking the anniversary of the declaration of Ahmadis as
non-Muslim in the Pakistani constitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many <a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.ch/2016/03/bigotry-in-uk.html" target="_blank">mosques around the UK</a> hold similar events every year. Most have
guest speakers like Mufti Qureshi from Pakistan. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9nJ9ymX7Wdc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9nJ9ymX7Wdc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">He starts his speech in sober fashion but warms up very quickly. On what could be the
equivalent of 0-60 mph in 3 seconds in oratory, he escalates from rather sombre
invocation of prayers to full-blown death to apostates vitriol within minutes.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">The crowd, already admiring his verbosity and his singing voice are fully engaged;
chanting and singing with him and responding to his rhetorical questions. They respond
with a childish zeal. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">He isn’t happy at the energy levels. He tells them that blasphemers
are watching them closely. He knows that the mosque was probably
questioned about the purpose of his visit. He tells them that they must show
how passionate they are about the honour of the Prophet. Realizing that not condemning blasphemers loudly enough could also be blasphemy, the crowd goes crazy.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">Qureshi isn’t too impressed. But he must press on to more urgent matters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">His formula is simple. Its all the hits and no new material. Blasphemy, apostasy, wars, beheadings and pulling out blasphemous tongues etc. He
acknowledges his hosts a couple of times and t</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">ells the crowd that UK has laws but
thankfully Pakistan also has laws, much better laws - like the death penalty for
blasphemy. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">Then he goes on to another tirade about blasphemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His choice of words is careful. He avoids
using explicitly violent language, but he implies violence through his interpretation of
historic events. He relies on the audience’s misinformation about history to
hint that violence against Ahmadis will be a heroic deed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>He tells the crowd that Ahmadis are ‘Murtad’
(apostates) and tells them that apostates were murdered in the olden days. He
glorifies it. He sings about it. He tells them that hundreds of early Muslim (i.e,
Sahaba, the companions of the Prophet) gave their lives in fighting the Riddah
wars. (Factually this version is incorrect. ‘Riddah wars’ is a misnomer. These
were wars against a rebellion against the state).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">He tells the crowd that according to the Quran, Ahmadis are
Murtad and they are the ones opposing the apostates, i.e., the good guys who should
follow in the footsteps of the esteemed ‘Sahaba’. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do the
algebra and come to the conclusion that Ahmadis are liable to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Qureshi doesn’t say that. He tells them
that apostates were murdered by strangulation by the heroic good Muslims. He
urges the crowd to challenge the Ahmadis with full force. He has obviously been
told not to incite violence by the organizers, but he can’t help himself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It</span> is all tongue in cheek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is lightweight stuff compared to his
performances in Pakistan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">He then turns his attack to the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
community. He is abusive, vulgar, slanderous and obscene; all of which are
considered valuable assets for a sectarian preacher in Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowd readily consumes the filth and
responds to the presumed blasphemies of Ahmadis with gasps of shock and horror. He
finishes his performance by asking the crowd to declare the Ahmadis as
blasphemers. He laments the fact that they can’t do anything in the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t recommend any actions for the crowd
apart from hating the Ahmadis and teach their children at home that Ahmadis are
Kafir. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">Since the <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2016/08/asad-shah-murder-its-time-government-cracked-down-hate-preachers" target="_blank">murder of Asad Shah in Glasgow</a>, it has
become painfully clear that hate preachers wield too much influence in the UK.
Amongst the many fans of Tanveer Ahmed, the murderer, the most prominent one appears to be none other than <a href="http://hurryupharry.org/2016/09/06/hate-preacher-hanif-qureshi-and-tanveer-ahmed/" target="_blank">the talented Mufti Qureshi.</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Ghousia Mosque in Luton has not only hosted a hate preacher, it has allowed him
to incite violence and hatred against the Ahmadis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sad reality is that for most Pakistani
immigrant communities, these Barelvi firebrands offer a sordid entertainment
which feeds their religious bigotries and makes them feel pious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The next Mumtaz Qadri or Tanveer Ahmed could
be getting his murderous motivation from these speeches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The government response to the parliamentary question regarding this imported hate preacher was inadequate, and evidently, ineffective. This has to stop!</span></span></div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-21529690560994411442016-08-16T12:02:00.000+01:002016-08-16T12:02:39.298+01:00My #JalsaUK post on the New Statesman <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2016/08/asad-shah-murder-its-time-government-cracked-down-hate-preachers">http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2016/08/asad-shah-murder-its-time-government-cracked-down-hate-preachers</a><br />
<br />
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-75066278159863077852016-08-05T11:15:00.001+01:002016-08-05T11:15:24.788+01:00Thanks but no thanks Mr. Murray<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "minion" , "serif";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44464000/jpg/_44464561_douglasmurray203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44464000/jpg/_44464561_douglasmurray203.jpg" height="299" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Douglas Murray - Image from <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/7274865.stm" target="_blank">bbc</a> website</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">In the
aftermath of the horrendous and barbaric attacks in France in recent weeks,
many Muslims turned out in their numbers to attend church services across
France and Italy. This made</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://time.com/4432359/muslims-catholic-mass-france-italy-solidarity/"><span style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"> headlines</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/rouen-muslims-cathedral.jpg?quality=75&strip=color&w=1100" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/rouen-muslims-cathedral.jpg?quality=75&strip=color&w=1100" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muslims attending Mass in Rome. Image from <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #ababab; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 500 12px/16.8px franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: right; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://time.com/4432359/muslims-catholic-mass-france-italy-solidarity/" target="_blank">Massimo Percossi—EPA</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Not
known for his impartiality or balanced opinion, Douglas Murray has issued what
appears to be a </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/08/post-terror-good-news-story-came-islams-persecuted-sect/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter"><span style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="color: blue;">deeply cynical take on these news stories</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">He has
a theory. A conspiracy theory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">He
thinks that there is a media conspiracy to push a positive, feel-good story about
Muslims soon after the horrors of the latest ISIS inspired episode have been
covered on a 24/7 loop by all news channels. He also seems to imply that
somehow </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.loveforallhatredfornone.org/"><span style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="color: blue;">Ahmadi
Muslims</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">,
a small sect founded in 19<sup>th</sup> century India and rejected by the
mainstream Muslims are in on this conspiracy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">I
don’t exactly know what compels news outlets to crave for a 'positive Muslim
story'. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">In
this Orwellian dystopia, as Murray imagines it to be, is it for the sake of the
sanity of a society at the brink of mental breakdown? Or is it the ratings?
Keeping the hit counts growing and message boards and phone lines busy with
anguished contributors trying to make sense of things in line with their
personal worldviews? It could be a deliberate attempt to engineer public
opinion – to keep it just left of the fascist scale, but enough to keep the
white working-class scared with a slight tinge of hope to keep them going with
their daily lives? </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dc-cdn.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/c8892af3aa1a3ae8cac33cef00a2fc5ff485223f-tc-img-preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://dc-cdn.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/c8892af3aa1a3ae8cac33cef00a2fc5ff485223f-tc-img-preview.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are mainstream Sunni Muslims. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">But
Murray's conspiracy theory is more fantastic than that. He thinks that the
media and the marginalized Ahmadiyya Muslims are in-fact masquerading these
feel-good stories to keep the public dis-informed about the irredeemable evils
of the Islamic religion; to hoodwink them into believing in the so-called
‘religion or peace’ narrative so that they can sleep walk into a Europe ruled
by Sharia law with mosques at every street corner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Murray's
latest post is a masterpiece of shameless obfuscation of plain facts. French
and Italian Muslims attending Mass to show solidarity with Christians was not
an engineered story. It was plain to see from the news coverage that Muslims
belonging to various groups, sects and organizations were represented at many
churches, including the Ahmadiyya Muslims who appear to have attended a church
event with their famous banner stating Love for All, Hatred for None. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_960w/Boston/2011-2020/2016/08/02/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/2016-08-02T132312Z_972624304_LR1EC82116DFS_RTRMADP_3_EUROPE-ATTACKS-FRANCE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_960w/Boston/2011-2020/2016/08/02/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/2016-08-02T132312Z_972624304_LR1EC82116DFS_RTRMADP_3_EUROPE-ATTACKS-FRANCE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahmadi Muslims pay their respects outside a Church. Image courtesy <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #999999; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/21px Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; letter-spacing: 0.6px; text-align: right; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2016/08/02/french-muslims-step-out-invisibility-after-attacks/Y3Ul2C5EqKEAB9mTmXAKsM/story.html" target="_blank">JACKY NAEGELENREUTERS</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Murray
doesn’t want to believe that mainstream Islam has any redeeming features and in
his recent posts has highlighted that only the marginalized, persecuted and
rejected Ahmadiyya sect is the only source of positive news stories about
Islam. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">As an
Ahmadi Muslim, I couldn’t disagree more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is true that Ahmadi Muslims have been at the forefront of this battle
against bigotry of extremist Islamophobes as well as the militant Islamists.
But there are Muslim groups in the western world, representing the mainstream
Sunni and Shia sects who do respond to such tragedies with gestures of
solidarity and goodwill. They may be small in numbers now, but this is a good
sign of things to come.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">For
example, in France, the call to solidarity was led by CFCM, the French
equivalent of the MCB. The BBC news story, of which Murray is so critical,
shows a number of photographs with Imams belonging to mainly Sunni sects clearly.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">I know
the garbs, headdresses and other distinctive features of Sunni Imams, something
of which Murray may not be cognizant. If I was commenting on various Islamic
sects and there validity in the public discourse, I would take care to find out
more about their distinctive features. White round hats, conical Qaraqul caps,
long gowns, long beards, short beards, black turbans; you can distinguish
between various denominations if you know what you are looking at. And if you
see all of these turbans, gowns and beards in a news story, from across the
European continent, it is not a media conspiracy, but a true show of humanity
and solidarity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadi
Muslims are only a tiny minority in France and it appears that they did attend
a service. They would have attended regardless of CFCM appeal, but that is
beside the point.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Murray
says that Ahmadiyya efforts in reaching out to the wider European community are
meaningless as they are shunned and dismissed by the rest. Nothing could be further
from the truth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">They say
that mimicry is the best form of flattery. You can see that mainstream Muslim
sects are adopting the Ahmadiyya ways of dialogue and social intercourse which
has been missing in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">In
Britain, more and more progressive Imams are visible in the media and are
challenging the orthodox positions on many subjects. It is also true that the
traditionalists and literalists still hold sway in most communities, especially
the ghettoized ones. But you can’t ignore the fact that Ahmadiyya Muslims have
paved way to some reform in the Muslim communities across Europe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
long ago, hardly any cleric in any of the Sunni or Shia mosques in Europe would
have dared to denounce the violent interpretation of Jihad. Ahmadis have been
branded as ‘deniers of Jihad’ by the orthodoxy since their sect was founded in
1889.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was because their
interpretation of the Quranic verses differed from the misguided political
definition of Jihad. To them Jihad is not an armed rebellion, but a struggle, a
long and personal journey to find God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-_z5sTW7Tq83uNu-dNao0BrCQ12Y4DWjPp3lDyj8MbgoearBnMS7P7rdoDRdNN6g1mHUCmxzhhCb2vqvTcHe0oyZdqoPwiSAPOxKA_lHKscrRaHCjyXZTDZNAiBOIscY8XeUjQn2QVA/s1600/Khalifatul+Masih+Hazrat+Mirza+Masroor+Ahmad+Addressing+Jalsa+UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-_z5sTW7Tq83uNu-dNao0BrCQ12Y4DWjPp3lDyj8MbgoearBnMS7P7rdoDRdNN6g1mHUCmxzhhCb2vqvTcHe0oyZdqoPwiSAPOxKA_lHKscrRaHCjyXZTDZNAiBOIscY8XeUjQn2QVA/s640/Khalifatul+Masih+Hazrat+Mirza+Masroor+Ahmad+Addressing+Jalsa+UK.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahamd. A champion for peace and Caliph of the Ahmadiya Muslim Community. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">I am
happy to see that those clerics and Imams who traditionally reject the
Ahmadiyya message of reform are accepting this very same definition. They may be
hesitant to admit to it, but they are reforming themselves, very slowly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Mr.
Murray should be happy too. But unfortunately he has chosen to believe in a
bigoted view of history. He sees Islam and the message of the Quran as the
problem. While he praises the Ahmadiyya Muslims, he ignores the fact that
Ahmadis do believe in the Quran as the literal word of God and they do believe
that Muhammad, the Prophet was a perfect exemplar for all of mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Mr.
Murray, please don’t use Ahmadi shoulders to shoot your Islamophobic gun. We
are doing fine without your support.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">And if
you so wish to find out what an Ahmadi Imam looks like, come visit us at the </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://jalsauk.org/"><span style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><span style="color: blue;">Jalsa
Salana UK</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>12-14th<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>August. It is our 50th annual convention in the UK with over 30,000
guests anticipated to attend for three days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There will be many Ahmadi Imams in attendance from all around the world,
including a contingent from France who will be happy to educate you about Islam
and the Ahmadiyya reform efforts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"></span></span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kri1xqg1tFO-UvIFnNAZaTVTMvcyrSZTKfI-5UkB5gNCDfzVUJsdbwRMzgeRzmUegTInubsxU5-ICXw8ge9G3LF4-BVZHdDX8K9JR7GPm64gMBeQF_hi9xXZhyphenhypheneGmY8fBfPgx3OFKmA/s1600/Jalsa+Salana+UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kri1xqg1tFO-UvIFnNAZaTVTMvcyrSZTKfI-5UkB5gNCDfzVUJsdbwRMzgeRzmUegTInubsxU5-ICXw8ge9G3LF4-BVZHdDX8K9JR7GPm64gMBeQF_hi9xXZhyphenhypheneGmY8fBfPgx3OFKmA/s640/Jalsa+Salana+UK.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 30,000 Ahmadi Muslims attend #JalsaUK at Alton, Hampshire. </td></tr>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-89200171057924642822016-04-09T12:27:00.000+01:002016-04-19T12:08:43.577+01:00Muslim Council of Britain - The Islamist Big Brother <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hR2U8xIXNjRd1CQUhH6mMfapihJNiU7NgEPPa6YcA3ryGii_zxSXUVNWkckdjmqt7q0B6EsahiLEhaaidg2s4yI_rfTzGK1a_sF473LY_JLUqceJGUqdidRk1vdTgADVQHDg45-wL_o/s1600/MCB+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hR2U8xIXNjRd1CQUhH6mMfapihJNiU7NgEPPa6YcA3ryGii_zxSXUVNWkckdjmqt7q0B6EsahiLEhaaidg2s4yI_rfTzGK1a_sF473LY_JLUqceJGUqdidRk1vdTgADVQHDg45-wL_o/s640/MCB+logo.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Muslim Council of Britain has </span><a href="http://www.mcb.org.uk/about-mcb/affiliates/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">many affiliates</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. Shia, Sunni, Wahabi, Salafi, progressives as well as orthodox; the council does seem to strive to represent the interests of British Muslims. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We can safely assume that theological differences among various sects are put aside while dealing with key issues which affect all Muslims alike. i.e., Islamophobia, community tensions, discrimination at workplace, mosque applications getting refused on flimsy grounds etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It doesn't matter to the council for example if a shia muslim holds a theologically distinct position regarding the superiority of</span><a href="http://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia-ahlul-bayt-dilp-team/imamat-versus-prophethood-part-1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"> Imams over the Prophets</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, a belief which is fiercely contested by the Sunnis. But why should it matter? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Your local council, or a fiery UKIP candidate, or your boss don't need to know these intricacies while judging you to be a person of concern around the place. Your beard, hijab or the need to go for prayer breaks will be sufficient to provoke prejudice against you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Similarly, it doesn't matter for the MCB if a certain proportion of their membership is barelvi sub-sect of sunni Islam. Barelvi's tend to be more devotional towards the saints and sufis of the past and their present day successors. They find it much easier to prostrate themselves before their holy men and indulge in mystical music and dancing. An observant barelvi will spend much of his life in certain social and religious practices which are shunned by the wahabi/salafi sect of Islam. Wahabi/Salafi Muslims are strict monotheists. To them, barelvis are </span><a href="https://islamqa.info/en/150265" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">'Mushrik'</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, polytheists. The act of 'shirk' is enough to condemn a person to eternal hell!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Both wahabis and barelvis are proud members of the MCB, and why shouldn't they be? As it doesn't matter to the local residents to protest against a mosque project if it is going to be a barelvi or a wahabi mosque. We all look and sound the same to them, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why should then the MCB go out of its way to say that </span><a href="http://www.mcb.org.uk/position-statement-the-muslim-council-of-britain-and-ahmadis/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadis cannot be called Muslims</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to their statement the MCB feels that muslims are unduly pressurized to refer to Ahmadis as muslims. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In my experience, it is infact the ordinary mainstream Muslims </span><a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/604779/hate-speech-conference-calls-for-boycott-of-ahmadis/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">who are being pressurized unduly to boycott Ahmadis</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> and consider them non-Muslims. Most of my muslim friends consider me a muslim like themselves. But if some of them unfortunately cross paths with a takfiri Mullah, they change their views. Not all of them, but some of them. And when I confront them about their views their standard reply is that 'I am not expert in such things, but the Maulvi knows much more than I do.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A famous slogan goes 'whoever doesn't believe them to be kafir is a kafir himsef'. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZ-GDO0QfLNGdIbu6d-RFMCWfHLUsFxUVihxVAje0aMjQfbt5S5hLdHAkB4q1VzjR4BnX7eczGE83Q4l8XFqTUWkBS4FLKBJGUw-EiRTDnvhnRw5nrxlWzFO-6PbdR2oWQuqQjp4xZfA/s400/Ahmadi_hateleaflet_w_MED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZ-GDO0QfLNGdIbu6d-RFMCWfHLUsFxUVihxVAje0aMjQfbt5S5hLdHAkB4q1VzjR4BnX7eczGE83Q4l8XFqTUWkBS4FLKBJGUw-EiRTDnvhnRw5nrxlWzFO-6PbdR2oWQuqQjp4xZfA/s320/Ahmadi_hateleaflet_w_MED.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hate filled pamphlets called for the boycott of Ahmadis are common sight in the UK threse days.</span> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We should sympathize with those poor souls who are being held hostage by the enemies of freedom of belief and expression. The MCB is playing big brother for UK muslims, just like its proud affiliate, the <a href="http://www.khatm-e-nubuwwat.com/" target="_blank">Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwwat,</a> AMTKN, a well funded organization which is responsible for Ahmadi persecution worldwide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Imam </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjXhKa0soHMAhXkYJoKHUNVAkMQ6F4IIzAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FIbrahimMogra%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Eauthor&usg=AFQjCNEmSURY_Chxbhn2YsxpF4WV4AQxSQ&sig2=4WLSiAJEbyXMBUjManms2A&bvm=bv.119028448,d.bGg" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Ibrahim Mogra</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> of the MCB, a polite and well-spoken muslim faith leader, spent an hour on the BBC Asian Network trying to explain to the audience what it is that gives him and the MCB the right to say such an absurd thing. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ukasian.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SheikhIbrahim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://ukasian.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SheikhIbrahim.jpg" height="197" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Imam Ibrahim Mogra. Image courtesy ukasian.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mogra cites the two fundamentals of Islam, 1) Belief in Allah as the only God and 2) Belief in Muhammad as the final messenger of God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He says that because Ahmadis do not believe in the finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad and they hold a distinctly unislamic belief in another prophet after him, therefore they cannot be Muslims.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A number of Ahmadi callers to the show refuted the Imam's assertions by stating that almost all muslims are awaiting another prophet to arrive any day now, hence his stance is not only illogical but against the commonly agreed doctrine of the majority of Muslims. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I could go into more details on this fine and nuanced theological debate, but it should be sufficient to say that Ahmadi Muslims believe in a messiah, namely <a href="https://www.alislam.org/topics/messiah/" target="_blank">Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian</a> who claimed to have fulfilled the prophecy regarding the awaited prophet. Others however believe that Jesus who is in heavens will descend on a minaret in Damascus and conduct a worldwide holy war against all non-believers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My point is that whereas shia belief challenges the fundamental concept of prophethood of sunni Islam, and whereas the barelvi practices clearly contravene the fundamental idea of the oneness of God as held by the non-barelvis, both these groups are muslim in the eyes of the MCB. Ahmadi Muslims do not hold any beliefs that cannot be interpreted from the words of Quran and the sayings of the Prophet. Then why display such malice against a persecuted, peaceful minority?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-so-special-about-ahmadis.html" target="_blank">I know the answer</a>, and it is time that you know it too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahamdiyya Islam has challenged the orthodox establishment in Islamic countries for over a hundred years. Whether it is the concept of violent jihad or the place of science in the muslim society, women's rights or interfaith relations, rejection of political Islamism or the use of modern methods to defend Islam against the missionary onslaught in the colonial days; Ahmadiyya Islam has been winning hearts and minds all around the world. And this does not sit right with the orthodoxy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The early opponnets of Ahmadiyya Islam were great scholars in their own right. They still hold revered status among the orthodox Muslims today, but most of them accepted the Ahmadi Islam as a part of Muslim polity. They may have declared them 'kafir' in a theological sense, but they did not dare deny them their identity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is only when in <a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-background.html" target="_blank">1974 Pakistan a Saudi backed conglomerate</a> of mosque and Parliament took the ill-fated step of enforcing jealousy and hatred as a law. Yes, such laws exist. They were jealous of the advances the Ahmadis had made in all spheres of life in Pakistan and abroad. Statesmen, businessmen, scientists, military heroes, diplomats and economists, Ahamdis had proven their true value to the nation and the Muslim world as a whole. In fact, most new converts to Islam were because of the Ahmadiyya missionary work around the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After causing hundreds of targetted killings in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, when the same jealousy and hatred spills over to the UK with the scholars and Imams of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin, people like </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/09/shunned-for-saying-theyre-muslims-life-for-ahmadis-after-asad-shahs" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Asad Shah</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> get murdered in Glasgow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the same hatred and jealousy is the cause of such statements to be made which reek of complicity and guilt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadi Muslims do not need a certificate of approval of their faith. But as a political entity, Muslims who self-identify as Muslims must stand united, regardless of theological differences. If MCB is failing thousands of Muslims in this country like this, I am happy to join any other council which does what it says on its label.</span></div>
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<br />Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-14989634552509238192016-04-03T01:10:00.000+01:002016-04-03T01:10:45.846+01:00Bill Maher and 'that' Pew survey
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Bill
Maher is a well-known TV personality in USA. He is a touring comedian who hosts
a regular late-night talk show on HBO. He is a left-wing liberal and is a
devout atheist. He loves to berate religion and conservatives in his shows and
finds little in common with people of faith. In recent months, Maher has turned
his most acerbic wit to criticize Islam. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trbimg.com/img-5435ab2b/turbine/la-ol-bill-maher-ben-affleck-islam-20141008" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-5435ab2b/turbine/la-ol-bill-maher-ben-affleck-islam-20141008" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maher (center) had a heated argument on his HO show with Ben Affleck (left) on his negative remarks about Islam<br />
(image courtesy LA times)</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">His jokes fall flat as I can see through his ignorance of my religion. His opinions are informed by certain Islamophobes who think that they know all there is to know
about Islam. They see the Islamic world in turmoil, suicide attacks on the
innocent civilians all around the world and a constant stream of negative
headlines and deduce that there must be something wrong with the religion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Maher
cites <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-exec/" target="_blank">a pew survey very regularly</a> to prove his point. The survey does seem to show some worrying results. In Egypt, 86% of Muslims believe
that apostates should be killed. This is also Bill Maher’s favourite statistic. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-kxjRUZE9Gnhhw-c5E16PdIDpQa4KNDTdsLiUW_qe_OUrhCMRwLvUk5wDoSqlAQyGMZnWqxW5NYLO-fCMgibtzTLjrw1eiZT9f80GyRJvtYRrd8APnP5S_Xq-Z7FNAiK4AoakIDerN8/s1600/apostasy+survey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-kxjRUZE9Gnhhw-c5E16PdIDpQa4KNDTdsLiUW_qe_OUrhCMRwLvUk5wDoSqlAQyGMZnWqxW5NYLO-fCMgibtzTLjrw1eiZT9f80GyRJvtYRrd8APnP5S_Xq-Z7FNAiK4AoakIDerN8/s400/apostasy+survey.png" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pew Survey (2013) 86% of Egyptians think that punishment of apostasy should be death</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">From a
statistical point of view the survey has some merits. With a considerable
sample size and a good geographic spread, this survey goes to some lengths to
understand the socioeconomic profile of the target demographic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">From
my reading, I can see some flaws in how the data is being presented. For
example, when it comes to the controversial topics like the stoning to death of
adulterers or apostates, the data is presented as if it represents the views of
the same population who responded to the prior questions. The caption on the
graph does explain that it represents the answers from only the subset of
people who stated that sharia law must be the law of the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If recalculated, 86% turns into 63%; still a
very high percentage. Who would like to live in a place where more than half of
its population is so bigoted? I wouldn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Lets
look at some more variables to understand this data. My stance is that indeed
Muslims around the world are invariably influenced by the rigid interpretation
of Islam exported from Saudi Arabia, but the situation is not as bad as
portrayed by the survey. It is partly due to the fact that the questions were over-simplified and we cannot rule out extreme response bias due to the nature of the survey and the current environment. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Countries
scoring very high in the survey for violence and prejudice have been in a state
of socio-economic upheaval for a long time. Add to that failing political
system, mistrust of the politicians and a constant dose of counter-narrative
from the Islamist camp and you are bound to get such poll results. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A survey recently found out that <a href="http://time.com/4236640/donald-trump-racist-supporters/" target="_blank">almost 20% of Trump supporters</a> think that slavery should not have been abolished. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">This
is far more alarming than a politically disenfranchised Egyptian or Pakistani
wishing for an ideological state which can never exist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Results
from central Asia, Turkey and most African countries show Muslims to be
tolerant and accepting of other faiths. Countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Indonesia and Malaysia are among those showing high numbers in markers for
intolerance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">These
countries are also very diverse in their ethnic mix, urban and rural make-up of
religious groups and how the current political establishment may be impacting
the opinions of the common people. Also, if the surveyors had gone to the major
urban centers like Lahore, Rawalpindi, Dhaka, Jakarta etc., they may have found
highly opinionated responders who are not representative of the opinions found in
the wider population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">It is
not unlikely that a large proportion of people living in economically deprived
areas would hold rather extreme political views. The prevailing political
system would dictate how much of that is translated into a real change. Mr.
Trump’s disenfranchised white, working class supporters prove that point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">The
religion of Islam is undergoing a crisis since the past two centuries. It is
the same crisis that the Western world went though and came out of it without a
faith. Some say it is a good thing. I disagree. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Some
western liberals believe that this problem can be solved by listening to lapsed
or ex-Muslims who hold<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>opinions not to
dissimilar to many Islamophobes. I hear them speak about discarding certain
verses from the Quran or even accepting the hate filled criticisms of modern
orientalists with open hearts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.salon.com/2015/05/bill-maher-hirsi-ali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.salon.com/2015/05/bill-maher-hirsi-ali.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayan Hirsi Ali, an ex-Muslim and Maher's favourite Islamophobe (image: Salon.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">It may get them some airtime on an HBO talk show but it means nothing to 1.6 billion Muslims, majority of whom struggle for their daily bread.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">In the same survey, a majority of Egyptians and Pakistanis thought their country's economy was in a bad state. Similarly, most responders across the board were dissatisfied with the general state of affairs their country. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">To
such people religion offers the justice that they deserve in the afterlife. This
notion of Sharia law which their local cleric has taught them is nothing but an
alternative political system to end all injustice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">The
survey also establishes that many Muslims believe that Sharia is a Divinely revealed
law with no room for interpretation. They also believe that according to the
same law apostate should be killed and adulterers should be stoned to
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">I see
not a single verse in the Quran to support either punishment. In this
discrepancy lies the answer to all involved; liberals, lapsed or ex-Muslim
intellectuals, Islamophobes and most importantly, the practicing Muslims. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Intellectual
thought in mainstream Islam has been frozen in time and opportunist elements
from within and without want to keep it that way. This intellectual leap which
would allow Muslims to embrace modernity can only be made through economic
welfare and education, both of which impossible without peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">Modernity
does not mean discarding of the fundamental Islamic tenets. It means that
educated Muslims will be able to read and understand the Quran themselves, they
will be empowered to challenge the clergy, run their own democratic
governments, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and cause a peaceful
revolution which will be in the best interest of all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Minion","serif";">In the
meantime, Bill Maher should worry more about a fascist regime which is about to
take over his own country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-81904848519347575062016-03-25T23:34:00.004+00:002016-03-27T13:09:07.824+01:00Bigotry in the UK <div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I visit the northern English city of Bradford often, famous for its redundant textile mills and a large Pakistani diaspora which settled here thanks to the mills. These mills offered employment to the many thousands of Kashmiri, Potoharis and Bengalis who flocked here in the 60s and 70s. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">A shocking haircut!</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now Bradford is a bustling town which has a lot to offer. Curries, Asian clothing, cheap motor repairs and all the desi groceries you can imagine...and religious bigotry.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A few months ago, expecting a quick haircut, I stepped into a barbershop on Great Horton Road. This road is famous for its fine Pakistani restaurants and sweet shops. Two young men were busy clipping away on the heads of their customers. While waiting for my turn, I looked around to find something to read. The local newspaper, a magazine, or a special treat; maybe an Urdu language digest that can be found in these establishments often. While scanning the table top, I spotted something familiar. It was the picture of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. It was on a pamphlet entitled 'Beware, the impostor of Qadian'.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As an Ahmadi Muslim, the sight of this pamphlet and its wording sickened me to the core. I looked at the young kids who ran the shop and considered my options. They look like your typical British Pakistani kids. Slingy jeans, wacky hair cuts and facial hair which seemed like drawn on with a fine pencil, listening to loud music of the urban variety. Not your madrassah qualified maulvis by any stretch of imagination. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Should I ask them why they are displaying such materials in a place of business? Should I threaten them with a report to the police? Or should I just ask them why they felt it necessary to share their religious bigotries to their customers? Was it left by someone? If yes, why did they not remove it?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I didn't do any of that. I just got up and left. As a visitor to the city, I thought that the more meaningful course of action would be to make my acquaintances in Bradford aware of this and recommend reporting this to the police.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A similar incidence happened in London. In my local Pakistani grocery shop someone had placed similar literature. They were promptly challenged by an Ahmadi and the shop owner after learning that most of the local Ahmadis shopped there, wisely removed the offensive materials. His excuse was that someone had placed them there without his knowledge. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Do all homegrown terrorists start as armchair takfiris?</strong> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A few years back, an anti-radicalization police representative called upon our local Ahmadi community. He inform us that the police are a bit concerned about the clandestine activities of a local salafist group who are publishing hate materials on a website against other communities, Ahmadis being one of them. He thought that these groups represent the final steps before they engage in real terrorist activities like going to the training camps run by al-Qaeda. These were pre-ISIS/Daesh days when Al-Qaeda was the main recruiter of terrorists from the western world. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The war on terror had its repercussions on the domestic front in the West as well. When suicide bombers of Pakistani origin blew themselves up on London's tubes and buses, the British government found itself in a tricky situation. Curbing the activities of clerics qualified in Pakistani or South African seminaries was impossible due to political sensitivities. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The 'Luton' incidence.</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">An example of this was seen in 2014 in Luton, another town with a large Pakistani population of mainly Barelvi variety. When the local Ahmadiyya Muslim community decided to take out newspaper adverts to mark 125 years since the establishment of the Ahmadiyya Caliphate, the newspaper offices were visited by a delegation of local clerics who forced the paper to publish an </span><a href="http://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/in-luton-town/"><span style="font-size: large;">apology in their next edition for referring to Ahmadis as Muslims. </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">This was such a ridiculous situation that it was picked up by the national press and media. The resulting controversy further reinforced the public perception about Muslims being intolerant and a constant source of problems for the British society.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Luton's Ahmadis then tried to organize an event, a peace conference to clear the air. The local labour member of Parliament excused himself from the event, even though the elections were looming and he could do with a few votes. But he had the votes from the majority of non-Ahmadi Muslims so he found it more convenient to ignore the invitation. Politics indeed is a fickle affair. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I also wrote about this controversy in my blog </span><a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/fatwa-on-sunday-unlikely-ayatollah-of.html"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Halal life in a Haram society:</strong> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">London's mayoral hopeful for the Labour Party is Sadiq Khan. He is also a senior labour leader and a member of parliament. He has a good chance of winning the elections. His constituency is also the home of a well known Deobandi mosque, Tooting Islamic Center. One of its Imams, Suliman Gani is a well known supporter of Sadiq Khan, a campaigner for the Guantanamo detainees and more importantly an anti-Ahmadiyya campaigner in the city. Tooting and the surrounding areas have a large Ahmadi Muslim presence. They have built the largest mosque in Western Europe in Morden not far from Tooting. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Back in 2010, Imam Gani </span><a href="http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/8451539.Worshippers_told_to_boycott_Ahma%20diyya_shops/"><span style="font-size: large;">headed a campaign to boycott a shop which was owned by Ahmadis</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. He declared the meat sold in the shop might not be halal (despite the fact the shops' supplier dealt with halal meat only). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There have also been more serious incidents in the same area, including literature containing the </span><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hardliners-call-for-deaths-of-surrey-muslims-2112268.html"><span style="font-size: large;">fatwa of death</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> for Ahmadis and physical assault on </span><a href="http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/douglas-murray/2013/06/sadiq-khan-has-unwittingly-highlighted-the-problem-of-islamic-extremism/"><span style="font-size: large;">someone who was merely suspected of being an Ahmadi.</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Such attitudes can only be explained as a collective psychoses of religious bigotry which does not reconcile with the eagerness of such people to live in a non-Muslim society. Such extremes and contradictions eventually result in turning many second generation immigrants into extremists - Some of whom may travel to join Daesh, Al-Shabab or Al-Qaeda. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The visiting ulema and peers:</strong> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Many of my elders have confirmed this observation about the clerics. It is that Ahmadiyya Islam was a biggest threat to the livelihood of Maulvis (clerics) in the subcontinent, so anti-Ahmadiyya agitations became their new business. And ironically, it is destined to remain their livelihood as long as Ahmadiyyat keeps flourishing. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">United kingdom has been a destination for mainly poorly educated, rural class of Muslims from Pakistan. They had to import their religious teachers and scholars from back home - a trend which continues to date. In comparison, countries like Canada and Australia who have invited the skilled migrants from around the Muslim world have a large number of clerics who speak English as their first language. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, the clerics who have made UK their home, or visit annually for the benefit of their followers spread across the UK, also bring with them the bigotries that have been their bread and butter back home. If anything, the business of the 'protection of the finality of Prophethood' has been a lucrative activity for the Pakistani and Bangladeshi clerics. They have successfully applied the same business model in this country. Several ethnic religious TV channels regularly spew hatred against the Ahmadis using premium rate phone lines and frequent charity appeals. All of them have been </span><a href="http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement/broadcast-bulletins/obb167/"><span style="font-size: large;">reprimanded or fined by the UK's regulators for hate speech and defamation</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. They tone down their language after a slap to the wrist, but make sure that their audience get the message of takfir of Ahmadis loud and clear. And in return, they earn brownie points for protecting the faith and fill their coffers with revenue from the charity donations. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It is ironic that the same freedom of speech which is denied to Ahmadis in Pakistan is utilized fully by the clerics in the UK to persecute them. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">One outlet, the Barelvi oriented Ahle-sunnat organization boasts of holding 35 Khatme Nabuwwat conferences in the UK to date. A Bangali Deobandi mosque in Bradford has held 19 so far. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The largest conglomerate of Islamic organizations in the UK, the Muslim Council of Britain has also issued statemetns to the national media to stress that Ahmadis are not Muslims. This organization has many prominent supporters among the British politicians, and has in its ranks a Knight of the British Empire (Sir Iqbal Sacranie) who served as its secretary general. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.khatmenubuwwat.org/media/Image/introduction/KNA001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="http://www.khatmenubuwwat.org/media/Image/introduction/KNA001.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Academy in London. Yes. It looks like a shop.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to these, the resident Khatm-en-Nabuwwat coordinator in Lodnon is Maulana Sohail Bawa, who has strong links to the Pakistan based Alami-Majlis-e-Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (AMTKN), an organization which has never hidden its ideological affiliation to the banned ASWJ and Sipah-e-Sahaba outfits. These are Bawa has made a career out of anti-Ahmadi polemics in the UK and travels to other western countries to speak at mosques regularly. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Another celebrity cleric, much in demand these days, is Allam Tahirul Qadri. With many tall claims of having destroyed Ahmadi doctrines in public debates and converting thousands of Ahmadis to Islam, the Allama has spoken at various Khatm-e-Nabuwwat conferences in the UK in recent years. His speeches are carefully worded so as not to distort his already questionable credentials with the British authorities.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Multan and Karachi based leadership of the AMTKN pay occasional visits to the UK in their bid to chase the Qadiani's out of every country of the world. Most of their efforts although, are to collect funds for one charitable cause or the other. The main selling point - to protect the oft-attacked, the most vulnerable and the most fundamental - Finality of the Prophethood.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You probably have heard of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumtaz_Qadri" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Mumtaz Qadri</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, a Pakistani policeman who murdered the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer because he was deemed a blasphemer by the clergy. Qadri handed himself to the police and was lauded as a hero by many. A true believer and a real soldier of Islam, a 'ghazi'. After his execution by hanging, millions mourned his death. Some clerics in the UK also took to the airways and openly declared their disgust at the exectuion. I could understand if they were arguing against the idea of death penalty, but that wasn't the case. They were preaching to their audience that blasphemy is a crime punishable by death and Qadri was just doing his religious duty.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The unlikeliest of allies - The far-right white folk and the brown immigrants:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">English defense league is/was a far-right movement of mainly English hooligans who have been active in recent years all across the country. They organize marches and rallies and most importantly, they are not known for their intellectual prowess. They usually hold threatening protests if a new mosque is being planned or built in any area. UKIP, another anti-immigrant party facilitates the opposition to such mosques through political means. It is very common that if a mosque is being refused permission in an area, it is due to underlying tensions caused by such right wing activism. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A story made headlines in the local British papers a few years ago. Wallsall council, under pressure from the local residents refused the building of an Ahmadi Mosque. I assumed that it must have been pressure from the right wing groups and xenophobic residents. Until I saw a picture of the local residents smiling for the cameras after the decision was announced. All of them were Pakistani Muslims. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">EDL, after learning of their protest, decided to cancel their plans to descend on this town to show their disgust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadis in Scunthorpe, Yorkshire also want to build a mosque, but a number of complaints were raised by the locals. All of them were Muslims of Pakistani origins. Some of them even turned up to protest against it. The </span><a href="http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/Objections-mosque-fear-unknown/story-28475175-detail/story.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">local council was wise enough to spot the real agenda behind the anti-mosque campaign and approved the plans.</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aCJkPv8-5Yo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aCJkPv8-5Yo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Scunthorpe Mosque being opposed by a group of 'Muslims'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Walsall Ahmadis, like Scunthorpe Ahmadis, eventually got their mosque plans approved. Currently there is an investigation going on by the local police on a </span><a href="http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/police-hunting-man-who-hurled-9774785"><span style="font-size: large;">brick attack on </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">the newly built mosque. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Could it be a racist neo-Nazi? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Could it be a Muslim kid who knows Ahmadis to be disgusting kafirs worthy of such violence and more? It is anybody's guess. </span></div>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-22493709905243014752015-11-15T01:22:00.000+00:002015-11-19T16:39:10.690+00:00ISIS, nuclear apocalypse and hypocrisy: What we do best.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/19g0dq9wnp8aijpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/19g0dq9wnp8aijpg.jpg" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nuclear apocalypse is looking more and more likely. image courtesy <a href="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/19g0dq9wnp8aijpg.jpg" target="_blank">io9</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mumbai, Baghdad, London, Beirut, Peshawar, Kabul, Kuwait, Lahore, Nairobi... Just a few cities I could list out of recent memory which have witnessed coordinated suicide attacks resulting in civilian massacres. Paris is the latest in this list. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2015/11/14/103169102-RTS6ZSC.530x298.jpg?v=1447514427" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2015/11/14/103169102-RTS6ZSC.530x298.jpg?v=1447514427" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy: cnbc</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Such an atrocity may bring a hasty, ill-advised backlash by the French government and her allies. But no meaningful action will be taken by any nation or alliance to get rid of ISIS. This is because all decisions will be based on ill-intent, malice and greed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While European right-wing is spoilt for choice on how to exploit the Paris attacks to shut our gates to refugees, make more war overseas and demonize millions of European Muslims; I am dreading what awaits humanity if they got their wish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Douglas Murray and Richard Dawkins are still parroting on about how uncivilized the Islamic religion is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They, of course are doing what they do best. Being bigots. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before we ask whether Islam is the cause of such horrendous violence, we must ask first where do these people come from, what drives them to do such evil and who controls them? Popular answers are that these are individuals radicalized by political islamism, driven to violence by hate preachers and they are instructed to do so by ISIS or Al-Qaeda. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Political islamism has been around for a long time as a general nuisance in Muslim societies. They fail in elections and go through cycles of popularity depending on how bad the dictators get. Hate preachers can be controlled by vigilance and effective law enforcement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But what about ISIS? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The ideological nerve center for the current wave of terror is in fact a manufactured entity. It smacks of think-tank naivete and juvenile policy blunders. Someone collected venomous vipers from around the world in a bag and then carelessly dropped it over Syria. And then they ran for their lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is what US and Co. do when Saudis, Turks and Israelis get twitchy about Iran's nuclear ambitions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Israel did what it does best: Make a fuss and divert the world's attention from its ongoing apartheid against the Palestinians. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/308183/benjamin-netanyahu-bomb-cartoon.jpg?w=736" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/308183/benjamin-netanyahu-bomb-cartoon.jpg?w=736" height="291" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy ibtimes.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And Saudis did what they do best: Bankrolled another jihad, blessed by their US and EU patrons. Turks joined in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Arab spring didn't quiet catch on in Syria. Assad regime may have been as bad as other dictatorships, but the Syrians turned out to be less bitter than Egyptians. One factor was that Muslim Brotherhood (political islamism) had little political clout in Syria, the other; Assad, despite his cruelties, has a very loyal support base in many parts of the country. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As early as 2011, analysts at Stratfor (as exposed by Wikileaks) were predicting a limited regional war between Israel and Syria to solve the Hezbollah problem once and for all. Same group of analysts were also spotting Jihadi propaganda in Arabic newspapers in the guise of defending human rights of Syrian Muslims. <a href="https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/12/1294359_re-mesa-iraq-syria-sunni-jihadists-in-iraq-demand-for.html" target="_blank">'It's the Saudis'</a>, remarks an analyst on a news piece quoting a rebel leader's call to arms. In 2013, UK and France were planning to arm the rebel groups in Syria. Nowadays, US secretary of state cannot stop mentioning the 'moderate' groups whose aspirations of toppling the government have been dashed by the Russian intervention. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i1.wp.com/stopwar.org.uk/images/news/syria_whose_side_cartoon_468_clipped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://i1.wp.com/stopwar.org.uk/images/news/syria_whose_side_cartoon_468_clipped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy: wall of controversy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One must give credit to the Saudis and Qataris for not doing this Jihad business half-heatedly. Once they decide to go to war, they make sure that there is enough manpower and dollars to bankroll it for a long period of time. A thirty year war we hear.. with the sole aim to weaken Iran's position in the region. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But at this juncture, once the many headed hydra of Islamist insurgency has established itself in the region, Iran did what it does best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Iran compromised without losing influence in the region. Russia came to the rescue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wonder why ISIS has posed no real threat to Israel, Saudi Arabia or Turkey? Even when Turkey had the opportunity to play a decisive role in getting rid of ISIS. They only pretended to play the role for a few days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then it became clear that they also were doing what they did best. Killing Kurds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These thirty years look very lucrative for certain industries. Someone has to make the daily load of bombs to be dropped on a vast area. And who makes the expensive fighter jets to be sold to the Arab states? And boots on the ground are always good business of the military industrial complex. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a price to remain in power in the Middle East. You have to buy protection from the West and hire mercenaries to fight your wars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What if you can't afford it? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, spring comes every year. It could be your turn in a few months..</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While all this goes on, thousands of innocents are being killed in the conflict zone, in Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon. With civilian lives lost on European soil, a EU/NATO invasion is becoming more and more likely. But this time, Putin's Russia may be ready and waiting to settle old scores. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then we will all do what we do best. Fight another world war and kill each other!</span></div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-62518778379507319822015-10-07T20:52:00.001+01:002015-10-07T20:52:54.904+01:00A small town with an even smaller heart<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If you profess to be a Muslim, you are required to pray five times a day. An adult male must attend the mosque to pray in congregation as many times as he can. That is why you can hear muezzins call to prayer, the Adhan, in all towns and cities around the Islamic world. Five times a day, the muezzin invites the faithful to his mosque to fulfill their duty towards their God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A Mosque is like a second home to a Muslim; his first if he achieves the spiritual devotion as intended by the scriptures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now imagine a town where the local residents have tried to block the building of a Mosque for a tiny community. Imagine how hard it is to be a practicing Muslim having no access to a mosque. The townsfolk have a serious reason for their rejection of this mosque. They think that it would be a serious threat to their way of life. Not only that, they feel that any such construction would be against the religious tradition of the town and the country. Mobs attacked the under construction mosque numerous times despite repeated attempts by the community to seek police protection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The community dropped the plans to build their mosque for the sake of maintaining peace in their small town and instead agreed with the local administration to build a residence in its place. They had an Imam to accommodate and living quarters of the mosque would have been ideal. Mosque or no mosque, the Imam was there to stay to cater for their spiritual and educational needs. But the locals weren't content with this arrangement. They wanted a guarantee that no prayer congregation could take place in that house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You will be shocked to learn that a sworn affidavit to this effect was also duly signed by this community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This all happened more than ten years ago. Now the community has received various threats from their neighbours to stop using the facility for prayers. They suspect that the Imam may be leading some of his visitors and guests in prayers in secret. The local police has been reminded of the affidavit and requested to take immediate action against the clandestine activities of this group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It could easily have been a story of Christian, Mongol, Hindu or Sikh oppression of their Muslim subjects in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this story is about Pakistan: A Muslim majority country where these particular Muslims are not Muslim. Their mosque is not Mosque. In this town of Tatlay Aali, near Gujranwala, like the rest of the country since 1974, Ahmadis are a non-Muslim minority. Since 1984 they have no rights to build a mosque or call it one. Now we have learnt that according to the pious and right-minded residents of TatlayAali, they can't even pray within the confines of their homes as it is considered to be against the law of the land.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I heard this story from an acquaintance and had it verified. For me it came as no surprise as I have seen it happen numerous times before. Back in the early 90s, I witnessed the destruction of the under-construction mosque (or Qadiani temple as described by the press) in Rawalpindi. Local mullahs petitioned against the mosque in the courts and as a result, many thousands of Ahmadis in Rawalpindi are still without a mosque of their own. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=%D8%AA%D8%AA%D9%84%DB%92+%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C&start=10"><span style="font-size: large;">Tatlay Aali is a typical small town </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">in Punjab. It probably could still be classed as a village, but increasing urbanization in the region has blurred the line between a village and a small town even more. It probably used to have a diverse population. A beautiful Sikh Gurudawara still stands tall, although deteriorating due to lack of use and maintenance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't need to explain why the Sikhs left. A small Christian community also lives here. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh646GePLmj_T4f9b2Mk5-PiNq4VccAclt_tWlo35F1dOGSNrEjrh9437Fhk2rko6-T2Mc5XrIJao63tkK_cbz7uU0IVSFo4hYzS8Msp7whPLcGxeG7jjUtwP-C55Kupso-KXTnMIPxGJA/s1600/Tatle+Aali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh646GePLmj_T4f9b2Mk5-PiNq4VccAclt_tWlo35F1dOGSNrEjrh9437Fhk2rko6-T2Mc5XrIJao63tkK_cbz7uU0IVSFo4hYzS8Msp7whPLcGxeG7jjUtwP-C55Kupso-KXTnMIPxGJA/s320/Tatle+Aali.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like the rest of the country, terrorism and religious extremism are threatening the very core of this society too. In Tatlay Aali, you hear the news of armed militants seeking safe houses in the local madrassah and engaging the local police in a shootout. A seminary teacher also got arrested for training small children for terror activities.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20110519/Sub_Images/1101244466-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20110519/Sub_Images/1101244466-1.jpg" height="76" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tatlay Aali: Four terrorists with their pressure cooker bombs. Image courtesy express.com.pk</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It also appears to be a </span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/urdu/pakistan/story/2007/08/070822_police_encounter_zs.shtml"><span style="font-size: large;">good spot to hide </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">and </span><a href="http://www.dunya.com.pk/index.php/city/gujranwala/2014-03-05/321796#.VhVpaflViH8"><span style="font-size: large;">negotiate ransom</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> for kidnappings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The town isn't doing so well on the moral front either. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While the local seminary provides shelter to terrorists, crime against donkeys makes headlines. </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=15&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCgQFjAEOApqFQoTCP-OmvWDscgCFaKpcgodZWoEpQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fur.newhub.shafaqna.com%2FAL%2F128596-%25D8%25AA%25D8%25AA%25D9%2584%25DB%2592-%25D8%25B9%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25DB%258C-%25DA%2586%25D9%2588%25D8%25B14%25DA%25AF%25D8%25AF%25DA%25BE%25D9%2588%25DA%25BA-%25DA%25A9%25DB%258C-%25DA%25A9%25DA%25BE%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25DB%258C%25DA%25BA-%25D8%25A7%25D8%25AA%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B1-%25DA%25A9%25D8%25B1-%25D9%2581%25D8%25B1%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B1&usg=AFQjCNGrUSHHuOexoZpdNAeaXKXuw1q5_g"><span style="font-size: large;">Four poor donkeys</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> were abducted by thieves and their skinless carcasses were discovered in the fields. I am puzzled myself, but in a country where donkey meat has been served in many a restaurants as mutton, donkey hide must have its uses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another news item described a case of incest - rather the rape of a girl by her father. Also in the news are numerous stories of murder and abductions. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.hrcp-web.org/ar/ar2008.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Human rights commission of Pakistan reported in 2008</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> two harrowing incidents in Tatlay Aali . One, of a labourer whose fingers were chopped off by a landlord for refusing to do his bidding, and of a family of seven sold in slavery to another landlord for just over 1400 US dollars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A young man commits suicide after having an argument with his older sister. Whereas the local police arrested a number of gentlemen on drug and alcohol related offenses. Police also discovered a brothel and arrested few people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Organizations of various Sunni or Wahabi affiliations are aplenty in this part of the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One news site lists all the happening news in the region and almost the whole page is full of statements from religious leaders of this town decrying the threat of secularism to the country. One Jamaat-e-Islami leader told a rally that one should never compromise on the belief of Khatme nabuwwat, the finality of prophethood. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A leader of Sunni Tehreek laments the fact that crimes of corruption, nepotism and armed robberies are rife in the area, sewers and garbage dumps are overflowing on their streets and people are suffering under the current government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Despite a couple of seminaries, dozens of constitutionally acceptable Mosques and tens of religious organizations, the very small Pakistani town of Tatlay Aali seems to be festering in all sorts of depravity and moral ills. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Should I be surprised that the congregational prayers of a small group of Ahmadis are a threat to the town's religious way of life?</span></div>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-65342581469217992762015-08-09T01:31:00.001+01:002015-08-13T17:16:37.075+01:00What so special about the Ahmadis?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU0__bc_L7jJa8ncZHSKFSWHxw_Lf514J782-RT_R8UxWZQL3DfqAjXHj65_O6WWZn8rK-sUcsp7ltbpd4xRlCEF5cWEhpEyrCW7nU9ZIWI5iDqOwXvd7uv0XWdDPBZer1qU30KcosBw/s1600/Panorama+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU0__bc_L7jJa8ncZHSKFSWHxw_Lf514J782-RT_R8UxWZQL3DfqAjXHj65_O6WWZn8rK-sUcsp7ltbpd4xRlCEF5cWEhpEyrCW7nU9ZIWI5iDqOwXvd7uv0XWdDPBZer1qU30KcosBw/s640/Panorama+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahmadiyya Muslim Annual Convention; Jalsa Salana 2014</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is so special about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Those of us who count themselves to be the part of this movement will have many answers to this question. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the most important answer in my eyes is that the Ahmadi Muslims follow a Caliph, the Khalifatul Masih, who they believe to have been chosen by God, through the democratic vote of a large electoral college comprising of representatives from all over the world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYaiAnqDCKkgLPJIz1YpAUv19XcwpvhS7dhlwPOu31LN0TYiRC7vxMNtMAVT67nbTOaDV0e5iSNDnRLA56WonPY167N7Rt81PAaCz-6nTwiTRxz62Ycz-eeSkr_tJHagekouM8kM8xQ8/s1600/2+Khalifa+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYaiAnqDCKkgLPJIz1YpAUv19XcwpvhS7dhlwPOu31LN0TYiRC7vxMNtMAVT67nbTOaDV0e5iSNDnRLA56WonPY167N7Rt81PAaCz-6nTwiTRxz62Ycz-eeSkr_tJHagekouM8kM8xQ8/s400/2+Khalifa+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are tens of millions of Ahmadi Muslims in the world and they are not short of adversaries; mostly their coreligionists, who have been told that Messiahs have to fly down from the skies on the shoulders of angels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The community would have been just another sect in Islam if it was only a theological argument about the nature of prophecy and the revival of faith, but the fact is, it is much more than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadiyya Islam is the only solution to the scourge of violent extremism which has engulfed the world of Islam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sir Zafrulla Khan, the Pakistani Ahmadi jurist and statesman, while speaking at the first constituent assembly of his newly founded homeland, warned his countrymen that 'in place of the ideals set up by Islam, people may fall into the error of substituting tinsel limitations and narrow bigotries'.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWm_guuH2XA8ejvMHd2Syp5jf_Ld4kJH5MlVWVRtekHCxrDaMMbEzElY15H-Gmm7nGvcg70VO3Yp5Zz7llAIgrh_H9hN75BYY_-iUcW_N_CdEmVbYoY75hB5EUsc7l-8W4xn1wVurClQ/s1600/sir+zafrullah+khan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWm_guuH2XA8ejvMHd2Syp5jf_Ld4kJH5MlVWVRtekHCxrDaMMbEzElY15H-Gmm7nGvcg70VO3Yp5Zz7llAIgrh_H9hN75BYY_-iUcW_N_CdEmVbYoY75hB5EUsc7l-8W4xn1wVurClQ/s320/sir+zafrullah+khan.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Zafrulla Khan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A companion of the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement and his succssors, Sir Zafrulla was acutely aware of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takfiri" target="_blank">takfiri</a> mindset of many Muslims. Saudi Arabia was gradually rising as the power-broker in the middle-east and the Wahabi/Salafi House of Saud had no intention of letting any tolerant version of Islam to prevail if they could help it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wahabism or its tributaries had opposed Ahmadiyya Islam since its inception. But the rise of the Saudis had given Wahabism a source of power and influence which grew steadily across the Muslim world. Debates and fatwas of heresy were no longer sufficient to curb the growing intellectual and spiritual impact of the Ahmadiyya caliphate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the universal declaration of human rights was being debated at the UN, Saudi Arabia disagreed with the clause on the rights of an individual to adopt any faith they choose. Sir Zafrulla, an Ahmadi Muslim and the delegate for Pakistan not only supported the UDHR but declared that Islam advocates the full freedom of conscience. Saudis disagreed and also noted that Zafrulla did not belong to mainstream Islam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">A prominent Iraqi journalist Ali Effendi revealed that in 1949 he was asked to write against the community in Arabic newspapers by certain 'agents' of imperialism. Instead, Mr Effendi defended the community by writing a tract listing the services of the Ahmadis for the rights of Palestinians and other Arab nations on various forums. A few years later, a violent movement broke out against the Pakistani Ahmadis in Pakistan. One of the main demands of the agitators was to remov<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Lahore_riots" target="_blank">e Sir Zafrulla Khan from his post as the foreign minister.</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Strangely enough, in the coming years, Saudis and their Arab allies could not thank Sir Zafrulla enough for being the lone warrior for the Palestinian cause at the UN. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recently, Wikileaks latest project, </span><a href="http://ahmadiyyatimes.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/persecution-watch-leaked-cables-back.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Saudi Cables revealed that Prince Nayef himself</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> had instructed his embassy in Indonesia to increase their activities against the Indonesian Ahmadis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wasn't surprised to learn that. In fact, the Saudis were instrumental in severe persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan, even getting them declared non-Muslims and banning their entry to Makkah. I have discussed this in great detail in my blog <a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/wikileaks-and-1974-anti-ahmadiyya.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-background.html" target="_blank">here.</a> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Nayef_bin_AbdulAziz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Nayef_bin_AbdulAziz.jpg" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Nayef, the hardline Wahabi/Salafist Crown prince who died in 2012. (Image courtesy Wikipedia)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CIY3LxDWEAAFNLh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CIY3LxDWEAAFNLh.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cable from Prince Nayef to Saudi embass in Jakarta: (source Wikileaks)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Prince Faisal, later the Saudi King, knew of the community as early as 1924. He knew Sir Zafrulla Khan personally. Faisal, dreaming of a caliphate of his own, assumed the leadership of the Arab world already in tatters and in deep political turmoil, and used his oil money to fund a global takfiri campaign. His first target was the Ahmadis. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/King_Faisal_with_Qathafi_1970s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/King_Faisal_with_Qathafi_1970s.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faisal withi a young Muammar Qaddafi (Image courtesy Wikipedia)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After he was assassinated, King Faisal's successors dove head first into the business of Jihad. Afghanistan and Pakistan became their playgrounds. Whereas their bigoted worldview and a thirst for blood has helped maintain a favourable economic outcome for the West, Taliban and other subsidiary Jihadi organizations have continued to</span><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQFjAAahUKEwi8zO3w1JrHAhXmoNsKHfD3ACM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amnesty.org%2Fdownload%2FDocuments%2F160000%2Fasa330251997en.pdf&ei=45PGVfzOI-bB7gbw74OYAg&usg=AFQjCNE3QCdsjXKIqqhmITDoq9m9TaTl9Q&sig2=RzLdtJeZ9IRiHXYpUliarQ&bvm=bv.99804247,d.d24" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"> target Ahmadis in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia in the last 30 years.</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1984, Gen. Zia, another sworn ally of Saudi Arabia and the US </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinance_XX" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">attempted to incarcerate the</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> Khalifatul Masih, but failed. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJie74KUCgM9BqjhwMyOlLYfxpjZsLb-2WQH1wLT_8ACAh8I3aIrReqaWLa4uotdiP9txqIKgGigSOYo8P0Yat76vYW_5e9O9cr6LLo2R-pydxBAO0804MD6GO6BpTLUP0ZYr0mwrapU/s1600/Ahmadis+arrested.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJie74KUCgM9BqjhwMyOlLYfxpjZsLb-2WQH1wLT_8ACAh8I3aIrReqaWLa4uotdiP9txqIKgGigSOYo8P0Yat76vYW_5e9O9cr6LLo2R-pydxBAO0804MD6GO6BpTLUP0ZYr0mwrapU/s320/Ahmadis+arrested.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Zia's draconian laws resulted in state sponsored persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Khalifatul Masih IV moved to London and continued his mission with much greater effectiveness in the UK. Zia, like Faisal left the world unrequited in his dream to destroy the Ahmadiyya Caliphate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Post Soviet war Taliban had a short-lived Emirate (wannabe caliphate) of their own which died its own death. Mullah Omar and his advisers turned Afghanistan into a haven for the jihadis and invited a destruction upon their people which continues to this day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now everyone is talking about ISIS and their Caliphate, of Boko Haraam, the new Taliban in Afghanistan and ex Al-Qaeda groups pledging their allegiance to the so-called caliph Baghdadi. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Post revolution Shia Iran and numerous Western misadventures have caused this takfiri fervour to intensify. Sponsoring one murderous campaign after another, we can sense the desperation of a dying empire. An empire built on misplaced sense of entitlement to lead the Muslim through force and coercion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus, the Messiah to the children of Israel, once spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and of creating new heavens and a new earth. Of course he meant that his coming will transform the spiritual life of the Jews and will give them a new purpose to make the world a better place. In Islamic terms, Jesus was a caliph to Moses and David. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Islam is need of its very own true Caliphate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadiyya Caliphate has been winning the hearts and minds for the past 100 years and this conquest is destined to save the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.jalsasalana.org/uk/" target="_blank">UK will host over 30000 Muslims</a> from across the country and around the world this month at the <a href="https://twitter.com/JalsaUK" target="_blank">Jalsa Salana.</a> They will renew their pledge to the Khalifatul Masih in a global Baia'at ceremony, promising to carry on the mission to create new heavens and a new earth. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bai'at: The Pledge of allegiance to the Khalifatul Masih:</td></tr>
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My pervious posts on Jalsa Salana UK:<br />
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<a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.ch/2014/08/on-real-war-front-against-islamist.html" target="_blank">The real war front against Islamic extremism</a><br />
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<a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.ch/2013/09/a-photographic-journey-through-jalsa.html" target="_blank">A photographic journey through Jalsa Salana</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="http://lutfislam.blogspot.ch/2012/09/jalsauk.html" target="_blank"> #JalsaUK</a></div>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-91973373934703780562015-06-23T00:50:00.000+01:002015-06-23T00:50:13.499+01:00Qadri's 'fool them twice' curriculum <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">No curriculum could have saved this family from radicalization. source: </span><a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/missing-muslim-bradford-family-parents-missing-sisters-do-not-support-their-actions-1506913"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/missing-muslim-bradford-family-parents-missing-sisters-do-not-support-their-actions-1506913</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Families fleeing the UK to join ISIS is no joke. But recruiting a rent-a-cleric to issue new fatwas shows the naivete of the UK establishment trying to deal with this crisis. The infamous Dr. Tahirul Qadri has been the go-to fatwa guy for some Whitehall pen pusher or a very incompetent think tank. A few years ago, he issued a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwa_on_Terrorism" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">fatwa against terrorism</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, which is in the same league as </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2906866/They-ve-really-got-hump-Fatwa-declared-against-snowmen-look-like-camels-Arabs-Saudi-represent-Western-values.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">fatwa against snowmen</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. Those who ordered the fatwa should at least have changed the title of the memo that was circulating in the internal emails. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They could have asked for a 'fatwa against evil', overarching all bad things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now comes the latest gimmick. A </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11690630/Counter-extremism-lessons-should-be-part-of-national-curriculum.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">curriculum to combat radicalization</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> in Muslim children. According to Tahirul Qadri, this should be made compulsory in British schools. Apparently this publication contains all the counter-arguments to successfully combat the poisonous ideology of ISIS. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only if things were that simple. It is easy to churn out booklets and articles on any subject. Internet is full of such expert blogs and websites which are always used as vehicles for advertising other products. The product in this curriculum is not peace or counter-terrorism, it is the author himself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mr. </span><a href="http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-19712-What-a-high-court-commission-wrote-about-Dr-Qadri" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Qadri is a proven liar and cheat,</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> who has also been hired by the Pakistani establishment for his rabble rousing skills in his native country to pressurize the democratically elected Sharif government into subservience. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Qadri addressing a crowd of his followers from his 'container' during the 2014 anti-government sit-in. (source:http://journalismtimes.com/actual-pm-pakistan-shahbaz-sharif-dr-tahir-ul-qadri/#prettyPhoto)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He doesn't live in Pakistan, but his livelihood appears to be based on the Minhaj foundation network of educational establishments in Pakistan. He is a skilled orator, and a master manipulator; bread and butter for the evangelical clerics from southern Punjab. He is extremely ambitious and has rose to prominence thanks to the superstitious nature of the 'sufi' Barelvi Islam. Qadri is famous for sharing spiritual experiences and dreams which somehow result in increased revenue for his Minhaj foundation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Barelvis form the majority of the Pakistan diaspora in the UK. Most of the immigrants who came to the UK decades ago belong to this sect which takes its name after the city of Bareli in India where the founder of the sect, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Raza_Khan_Barelvi" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Ahmad Raza Khan</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> was born. Ahmad Raza spent most of his life fighting a sectarian battle against the Deobandi and Wahabi clerics. His fatwas against these sects make an entertaining read; full of floral language and meticulously outlining all possible scenarios where the heresy of those infidels could be identified and shunned. Takfir was a favourite pass time of an average cleric in pre-partition India. It became a vocation after Saudi influence reached the newly found laboratory of Islam, Pakistan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Qadri is a follower of Ahmad Raza, although many of his co-religionist Barelvis also have declared him an infidel and a crook. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Qadri was too much of a maverick to stick with the crowd. He carved out his own little sect which revolves around his person; a pseudo-sufi cult which has a religious face, Minhajul Quran foundation and political face, the PAT (Pakistan Awami Tahreek). His followers consider him to be the Sheikh-ul-Islam, a grand title for an intellectual pygmy. Some even elevated him to the title of the 'Mujaddid', the reformer of this era, but this claim would have been a step too far. To date, he has abstained from proclaiming this title for himself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Qadri has been busy producing booklets on various contemporary and classical Islamic issues, none worthy of any scholarly merit, especially nothing to shift the Pakistani Muslim mindset to a better more enlightened understanding of the world. His spiritual and intellectual heritage is based on meaningless debates on matters of history and dogma which have no relevance to the modern world. He has tried to break free from that mould to appeal to a more educated audience with some success, but he still belongs to the same tradition which has given nothing to the Muslim world but endless schisms and divisions. They can't even agree on sighting of the new moon on the same day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Qadri's tolerance mantra is not only superficial, it is a deception. As a young cleric of rising fame during General Zia's dictatorship, Qadri claims to have forced the dictator's hand to create the infamous </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law_in_Pakistan" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">blasphemy laws</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. According to Qadri himself, not even children or insane people could be spared their life if they had insulted the Prophet of Islam. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZKkCLqhEwORD8Kj4Sz-lijs3hdCBffpAiIbprIqSKvyxlqheThDGk_cbDEXP4eoFV2pZck7_vHvsIlTjEqnssv5B0Vt387A132I_goDAfzW4AgPyMzOxcqbELM6P232XYvZKqFL9THE/s1600/Qadir+blasphemy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZKkCLqhEwORD8Kj4Sz-lijs3hdCBffpAiIbprIqSKvyxlqheThDGk_cbDEXP4eoFV2pZck7_vHvsIlTjEqnssv5B0Vt387A132I_goDAfzW4AgPyMzOxcqbELM6P232XYvZKqFL9THE/s400/Qadir+blasphemy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Qadri taking the credit for introducing the death penalty for Blasphemy in Pakistan (source </span><a href="http://www.downvids.net/mullah-tahir-ul-qadri-caught-red-handed-telling-the-most-blunt-434499.html"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.downvids.net/mullah-tahir-ul-qadri-caught-red-handed-telling-the-most-blunt-434499.html</span></a><span style="font-size: small;">)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Freedom of religion and expression is a fundamental human right and the Quran enjoins all Muslims to establish and safeguard this right for all mankind. Tahirul Qadri's ideological foundations are still deeply rooted in the small-minded distortion of Islam that indoctrinates all its followers to keep the avenue of violence open, albeit theoretical. It is this fundamentally flawed ideology which he cannot correct without reneging on his own claims and more importantly, to go against the very core of his barelvi beliefs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most recent ISIS recruits, three Bradford sisters and their children are a typical example of the impotence of this so-called sufi Islam. Barelvis have long been loosing ground to the more puritanical Wahabi beliefs in all over the world. First and second generations of many immigrant families have been abandoning their highly ritualistic, traditional Pakistani Islam to join the more puritanical and seemingly more intellectual wahabi/salafi Islam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They keep what is common between the two sects; lack of tolerance for those who criticise Islam and absolute rejection for those who chose to leave Islam. According to them death is the only Islamic punishment for those who insult Islam or become apostates. Why do they act surprised when some of their children take such horrendous beliefs to their logical conclusion and travel to Syria?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Islam is need of reform and a return to the fundamental truths and principles of freedom and respect as outlined in the Quran. And for that to happen, selfish and opportunist clerics like Qadri must be challenged. They have fooled their followers for too long. Will the British public, including the British Muslims continue to play fools for such charlatans?</span></div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-31615754367216900222015-02-28T13:53:00.001+00:002015-02-28T13:53:31.490+00:00Jihadi Johns and Jihadi Janes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The so-called 'Jihadi' John. image courtesy telegraph.co.uk</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As long as the narrative of Muslim victimization by the West will prevail among the Muslim youth , cases like that of Jihadi John and of absconding would-be-Jihadi-brides will keep on happening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is easy for organisations like </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11437703/Jihadi-John-identity-revealed-Cage-claims-that-MI5-drove-Mohammed-Emwazi-to-extremism-are-pathetic.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">CAGE to blame the security agencies</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> for exploiting Emwazi and others like him for some vague, half-baked undercover operations. But this stance only reinforces the view that many bright, young Muslim men and women are being viewed as the enemy without any justification. I for one cannot believe this narrative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We can see a thriving and diverse, young, Muslim subculture in all major cities of the country. Teenagers, university students, graduate workers and young skilled migrants from all over are thrown together in Islamic societies, mosque study circles, sheesha lounges, snooker clubs etc. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some of these gatherings are either run by or are frequented by politically motivated Islamists. Add to this mix the poisonous Salafist/Wahabi preaching and you get a generation of cultural narcissists who have lost their minds to the myth of a global Islamist state. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">IS may be condemned in these circles, but there will be some who will marvel at its successes. Israeli atrocities, the massacre of the Rohingya people, the Chinese suppression of the Uyghurs and the drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and Afghanistan are also hot topics in such gatherings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Young girls wishing to be empowered look to break free from a South Asian/Middle Eastern patriarchy only to </span><a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2013/09/25/Sexual-jihad-propaganda-or-truth-.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">fall prey to the promises of an even more misogynistic radical cult</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We did not lose these teenagers after the intervention by MI5. In fact, a majority of these gap-year Jihadis have surfaced in Syria to the shock and horror of their families as well as to their respective governments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had lost them between their mosques and University campuses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">MI5 picked on only the most rotten ones. I do not say that the over-zealous security agencies are not to blame for pushing a few psychopaths over the edge; but that they are also guilty of entrapping some dimwit fantasists and in doing so, providing the media with an all-you-can-eat buffet of potential Islamophobic headlines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Parents, Imams and charismatic preachers are the main culprits. If your faith does not offer you reconciliation between your spiritual needs and the world you live in, and pitches you against the very society you inhabit, that faith needs to be discarded. These young people have been fed this dogmatic faith at home, at their mosques and in their university's Islamic society. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Regardless of what the 'moderates' among the Sunni and Shia clerics say to condemn ISIS and the wayward youth who go and join them, the real problem still remains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why is that hundreds of Islamic Organisations in the UK have failed to gain consensus on the most basic of issues. i.e., freedom of conscience. Those who have spoken against the issues of apostasy and blasphemy have been sidelined. The mainstream is pretending its best to reform, but there is no evidence of actual reform taking place.</span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31293196" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"> If over 20% of Muslims</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> feel some kind of sympathy for the Charlie Hebdo murderers, many would have only condemned it conditionally. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I say this because the 'Preacher Circuit' of Muslim clerics around the UK is overwhelmingly represented by political Islamists. People who can produce moderate views for the consumption of the others, but for their own congregations they speak about the Utopian 'Islamic state' where punishments for apostasy, blasphemy and adultery/homosexuality would be carried out. Such preachers are routinely barred from university campuses but their notoriety only helps their impact online. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As long as we have such preachers who are deluding their audiences about the ideal Islamic state we cannot feel safe. We need to challenge these people publicly, in their congregations, on their TV channels and websites and twitter-feeds. A robust and aggressive theological debate which should be led by reasonable Muslims themselves is the best way forward. When they are defeated ideologically at home, we will be able to defeat them overseas as well.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UcYEI6NvrUQ8FN8CjqlGkvPVLdFWTviukoRsJUG7T2IFTYbFl7KJ04WuAq5z5WXpwpx__wTHmAnPnE3X3J58giRfFw-RO6x84_MLG9ceshJ45NnAUUsPwB25GGSrGdbOSX_2Q-zNR2c/s1600/Blogging+the+Quran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UcYEI6NvrUQ8FN8CjqlGkvPVLdFWTviukoRsJUG7T2IFTYbFl7KJ04WuAq5z5WXpwpx__wTHmAnPnE3X3J58giRfFw-RO6x84_MLG9ceshJ45NnAUUsPwB25GGSrGdbOSX_2Q-zNR2c/s1600/Blogging+the+Quran.jpg" height="176" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Guardian's </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jan/07/ayearagoinwashington" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Blogging the Quran</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">: One of the most effective ways of bringing the debate within Islam to the public.</span> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our Media can help by allowing the reformists to have their say against such hate preachers and by hosting and publishing such debates for all to make up their own minds about Islam and Islamism. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, One of the leading reform movements in Islam is based in the UK. The current head of the movement, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih, Mirza Masroor Ahmad has called for greater scrutiny of the content of what is being said by the clerics. Also, he has advised that law enforcement agencies should be armed and ready for any attacks on the targets at home. In his speech at a major peace symposium last year, his Holiness also pointed out to the fact that ISIS has a continuous and robust supply line of arms and other resources. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhtAcYD9OH7fz18iQ21g1c-_gb49IOgE25CNT7VeVXLUT7sRJdyPb3dqmmgTikP1hmq1PiYwD3RhtN_CSpjzjUzZr_B66rR5qKtA1IT_ch3P11S6v1599IqbHJO1Fn3WD5hNGxWeh00w/s1600/quote3.jpg" height="435" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhtAcYD9OH7fz18iQ21g1c-_gb49IOgE25CNT7VeVXLUT7sRJdyPb3dqmmgTikP1hmq1PiYwD3RhtN_CSpjzjUzZr_B66rR5qKtA1IT_ch3P11S6v1599IqbHJO1Fn3WD5hNGxWeh00w/s1600/quote3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V will be speaking again <a href="http://peacesymposium.org.uk/" target="_blank">at a similar event</a> on 14th of March this year. </span></div>
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<br />Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-53516398690414803182015-01-15T18:49:00.000+00:002015-01-16T10:28:42.627+00:00Cluedo for the lamenters of Asma Bint Marwan<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It appears that a few historians and critics of Islam have yet to understand the value of the Islamic scholarship on history and its transmission through the ages. Islamic historical sources can be divided into three categories. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Seerah </strong>(Sira) or the biographies of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These contain orally transmitted history of the life and times of the Prophet. Ibn Ishaq's Sira is the earliest known record of Holy Prophet's life, but no known transcripts survived. We rely on Ibn Hisham's rendering of Ibn Ishaq's manuscripts for reference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Hadith</strong> and their commentaries. All narrators of these prophetic sayings and incidents from his and his companions' lives are recorded in chronological order before narrating the story or quotation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Tafseer and other early scholarly works</strong>: Early books on Quranic exegesis also contain some historic materials not found on other books. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It has been well established principle of Islamic scholarship that in the matter of Shariah (laws, do's and dont's) Sira books cannot be relied upon due to the poor transmission of the events from the time of the Prophet. That is why Imam Hanbal, one of the first jurist Imams specifically indicated his mistrust of Ibn Ishaq Sira for deciding on the matters of jurisprudence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Quran remains the unaltered and unadulterated Word of God in a Muslim's eyes; the source of dispute within Islam is not the words of Quran, but what they mean? And to the more literalistic, Orthodox Sects, these words cannot mean anything more than what the Prophet or his companions or some esteemed Imams have already said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This not only provides ammunition to the endless ongoing schisms within Islam, but also helps fuel the Islamophobic propaganda by the bigots. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the most violent Shia-Sunni war to the ridiculous debates on whether God has hands and feet, all disputes are deeply rooted in a bunch of texts which require constant scrutiny and criticism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I keep hearing and reading about the vengeful killings of some 'esteemed' satirist poets in Medina and Makkah ordered by the Prophet Muhammad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tom Holland and Douglas Murray have both mentioned Asma bint Marwan, a Jewish poetess of Medina who lampooned the Prophet and was executed by one of his companions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The argument goes that Charlie Hebdo attack was not so out of character, considering the founder of Islam himself did not tolerate any satire aimed at him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the fact is that what these commentators and scholars consider to be a fact, isn't actually true. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you read the story of Asma's alleged killing, it becomes clear that this was a poorly fabricated tale. Firstly, this incidence was only reported by Ibn Ishaq and Waqidi in their Sira and not in the more authentic books of Hadith. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One may say that this was a deliberate omission by the Hadith collectors, but then you will find many other Ahadith in their collections which could have been discarded for the same purposes. This is simply not the scholarly tradition of the collectors of Hadith. They tested all narrations based on two criteria. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">a. Chain of narrators, which must be continuous and sound. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">b. The content of the story. Which must match between different chains of narrators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even then, the Hadith scholars would class the narrations as weak, doubtful, reliable, authentic etc., based on their own opinions. Debates on individual hadith reports have raged on ever since; usually it is one of the links in the 'chain' which is found unsound, unreliable, old, suffering from amnesia or just a habitual fabricator. Very few Ahadith have been spared this criticism. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the presence of such an unforgiving evaluation, most of these sensational stories about magic, jinns, blasphemous poets and poetesses and imagined satanic verses can be proved as fabrications or misheard, misremembered or confused accounts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take the tale of Asma bint Marwan. According to the Sira literature she is said to have been killed barely a year and half into Hijrah, by a blind man, in the middle of the night, in her own home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The blind man was <em>Umair ibn Adiyy</em> according to Ibn Ishaq. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But Al-Qastalani states that according to Ibn Duraid the assassin was called <em>Ghashmir.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another source Suhaili reveals that she was murdered by her own husband.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet Al-Qastalani also opined that she may have been killed by her own people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But lets for once imagine that it was the blind Umair who killed Asma the poetess with the sword, in her house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But another historian states that Umair did not kill Asma, but his own sister, <em>Binte Adiyy.</em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The murdered was blind. The most popular version of the story says that he felt his way into Asma's house, found her, identified her and then plunged a blade into her chest. Or was it his sister? Indeed he was blind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But so are those who actually believe that this event took place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">OK, say that in the presence of such contradictory stories, one or two mavericks still wish to rely on this story as fact. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Consider this.. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is year 2 After Hijra. Muslims are in a bitter conflict with the Meccans. The battle of Badr has already taken place. Banu Qanuqa, one of the Jewish tribes of Medina have denounced the treaty with the Muslims and have been expelled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But why would Muslims start a conflict with their fellow Jewish citizens who remain their allies barely a year into their treaty of Medina. Such murders would certainly have antagonised the proud Jewish tribes and given them a reason to rebel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We know for a fact that Kaa'b bin Ashraf was executed for treason around the same time. He was a leader Banu Nadir Jews in Medina, but his guilt was so obvious that no one dared to defend him or dispute the decision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In short, Hadith books do not mention the assassination of Asma or <em>Abu ifak</em> (another alleged satirist), there is no concrete evidence of the event every taking place. All the circumstantial evidence is against it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And above all, the Prophet of Islam, May peace be upon him, would never have punished those who attacked his character. If you know the man, you will also come to respect and love his nobility, forgiveness and sense of justice. </span></div>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-53828787063754570172015-01-07T18:57:00.002+00:002015-01-07T19:01:41.021+00:00Charlie Hebdo Terror Attack: Nothing to do with Islam, but something to do with the Imams.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read and hear a range of reactions from the public on the <a href="http://time.com/3657489/vigipirate-paris-terrorism-charlie-hebdo/" target="_blank">Charlie Hebdo terror attack</a>. All sane voices, Muslims and others have condemned it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Muslims will say that this is a terrible atrocity. Some will use it as yet another proof that ISIS and Al-Qaeda have nothing to do with Islam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our moderate leaders and organizations will condemn it as an attack on free speech. Most of them will also say that this has nothing to do with Islam. Far-right groups, religious bigots and populist columnists will blame Islam, Muslims and Immigration policies for the attack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And then there are two groups which will use this as another ‘told you so’ moment to further their agenda of hatred and intolerance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On one hand, we have the perpetrators of the attack and their supporters, who believe that their religion justifies such violence. They would say that Charlie Hebdo’s cartoonists had crossed all bounds when they mocked the Prophet of Islam and their religion in such derogatory cartoons over the years. They had it coming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The other group, the militant atheists will say that all religion including Islam are backward and superstitious. Their pontiff-in-chief Richard Dawkins says that not all religions are violent, only Islam is. And yes, Charlie Hebdo and their likes had it coming because our society is too scared to insult or ban Islam.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTubeuOuwgiaeAV4ngClcj-OQC_EzUwm_O-y8GFkVVw-vHqwa865mLDrsV0G3iV4OL-HOvexltzbNfou_hKQfOtAcvOLS7kxdC8f8ab1RC-bNo7ojF9FApmAPwKfSORq9NerXdrhTRu44/s1600/Dawkins+tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTubeuOuwgiaeAV4ngClcj-OQC_EzUwm_O-y8GFkVVw-vHqwa865mLDrsV0G3iV4OL-HOvexltzbNfou_hKQfOtAcvOLS7kxdC8f8ab1RC-bNo7ojF9FApmAPwKfSORq9NerXdrhTRu44/s1600/Dawkins+tweet.jpg" height="196" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blame the religion of course. How logical! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I am going through the back catalogue Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon covers. I never saw one of them before, and do not wish to be subjected to such vulgarity again. It is a veritable collection of cheap humour masquerading as journalism. Graffiti has a place in human history, but it belongs to the doors and walls of public toilets, not on your local news stand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Why would anyone need to insult a religion is beyond me. But if they want to do so, I would rather be reading, viewing or listening to something less offensive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But there are those who are compelled to mock and ridicule the ideas they don’t like. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can mock politicians for their behavior or policies. You can ridicule a celebrity for the latest fad they are into. Or you can make poignant observations through the medium of cartoons to draw your viewer’s attention to a controversial subject. And there are no limits to what you want to express. From the sublime to the blasphemous, you can do what you like. As a viewer or a reader, I can choose not to read or view such works. As a Muslim, this is what Quran tells me to do. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZu4xayZcd0vHX3U6HQ20-2yKLOyvAPGNNw1AXbwZMOU4gs1MTAY_upBmvQeck5jq24CSnlL-k-R0SbZG8a06XltIN4DOrGHDoUhetmlsPsmurb0MLiuawfMiFufP5RlzAaLxOZBaEhDU/s1600/say+salam+verse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZu4xayZcd0vHX3U6HQ20-2yKLOyvAPGNNw1AXbwZMOU4gs1MTAY_upBmvQeck5jq24CSnlL-k-R0SbZG8a06XltIN4DOrGHDoUhetmlsPsmurb0MLiuawfMiFufP5RlzAaLxOZBaEhDU/s1600/say+salam+verse.jpg" height="185" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTbWoaYF6ETbNfbpxWje9zQK06y5diey94sQdUdBDLqfF0Od8-m_1FTpDm3Jcrlola6GWgeYDn7yw4DtixNaGC2ASdV8vTrMFJOOvA0qN20i36tp5dIInXzkvTky0jElw_AtKkN3GzQQ/s1600/blasphemy+gatherings+quran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will be very curious to learn the views of certain Imams of mosques of various denominations in the UK on this subject. I suspect that a majority of them would rather not express themselves honestly in the media. The truth is very uncomfortable to both these Imams and those politicians who go to them begging for votes every election season. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most orthodox Muslim scholars do support very draconian punishments for the act of blasphemy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This has to change. Quran does not consider blasphemy as a crime. It is a sin of course, the punishment of which if not repented, will be in the afterlife.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTbWoaYF6ETbNfbpxWje9zQK06y5diey94sQdUdBDLqfF0Od8-m_1FTpDm3Jcrlola6GWgeYDn7yw4DtixNaGC2ASdV8vTrMFJOOvA0qN20i36tp5dIInXzkvTky0jElw_AtKkN3GzQQ/s1600/blasphemy+gatherings+quran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTbWoaYF6ETbNfbpxWje9zQK06y5diey94sQdUdBDLqfF0Od8-m_1FTpDm3Jcrlola6GWgeYDn7yw4DtixNaGC2ASdV8vTrMFJOOvA0qN20i36tp5dIInXzkvTky0jElw_AtKkN3GzQQ/s1600/blasphemy+gatherings+quran.jpg" height="347" width="640" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But if you look at certain interpretations of some well-known scholars, and you will be surprised that their opinions contradict the Quran. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mufti Obaidullah Qasmi of <a href="http://www.deoband.net/blogs/blasphemy-in-islam-the-quran-curses-and-hadith-prescribes-punishment" target="_blank">Darul Uloom Deoband </a> writes </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘The death punishment assigned for blasphemy is agreed by all Islamic scholars of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah and, is normally covered in Kitabul Hudud in Islamic juridical texts’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Deoband school of though is followed by a large number of Muslims from the Indian sub-continent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The more ‘moderate’ Barelvi sect which makes up a large proportion of the Immigrant Pakistani Diaspora in Britain is no different. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/sadanand-dhume-pakistans-blasphemy-impasse-1415813337" target="_blank">Sadanand Dhume of the Wallstreet Journal</a> observes in a recent news report </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘ Clerics from Pakistan’s majority Barelvi stream of Islam—widely regarded as more tolerant than the rival Deobandi school associated with the Taliban—are among the loudest defenders of the country’s blasphemy laws.’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pakistan’s blasphemy laws condemn the accused to death by hanging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Same is true for the wide range of Sunni and Shia sects which have sway over the Muslim world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Such interpretations of Quran which ignore its actual content but rely on the various medieval interpretations imposed upon it through the centuries have to be rejected. Ahmadiyya Muslim movement has denounced such notions of violence in the name of religion for many decades now. And it is heartening to see more and more Muslims coming closer to our way of understanding the Quran. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am happy that our Muslim friends will stand up and condemn this horrendous and murderous attack, but please also ask the Imams and clerics in your mosques to denounce the ideas of punishments for blasphemy and apostasy in their Friday sermons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For Muslims, this is another opportunity to think and question their faith leaders. </span><span style="font-size: large;">This menace and hatred ISIS and Al-Qaeda have manifested in their extreme acts may need to be rooted out form their own mosques and homes first.</span> </div>
Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-80916278695135732492014-12-18T19:34:00.000+00:002014-12-18T19:34:16.124+00:00To kill the Swine..<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>قصہ سات خنزیروں کا <a href="http://t.co/buwN5JgC0s">http://t.co/buwN5JgC0s</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeshawarAttack?src=hash">#PeshawarAttack</a></p>— Lutf (@Lutfislam) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lutfislam/status/545533893873782784">December 18, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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From the book <a href="https://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/part_7_section_3.html">'Revelation Rationality, Knowledge and Truth'</a><br />
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<blockquote>The real task assigned to the Promised Christ in this prophecy was to purify the human society from inhuman behaviour and some evil habits which the swine symbolizes. There are many animals and birds which steal the fruits of the farmer's labour for the sake of their survival but do not destroy the crops and trees just for the fun of it. The swine stands out among all the animals in this destructive tendency. The swine is also notorious for eating the corpses of its young ones. No other non-marine animals are known to devour their young ones when they die. A bloodthirsty lion, or even a ferocious wolf, will rather die of hunger, woefully sitting beside the dead bodies of their brood, than to even dream of eating their flesh. Dogs do not eat the corpses of their dead puppies either. Pigs and boars, it should be remembered, are vegetarians, yet by some devilish instinct they relish eating the corpses of their young ones. Evidently therefore, the message implied in this prophecy has to be to wage a Holy War against the perverted habit of humans to be inclined to genocide and to feel free to usurp the rights of the weak. The pig's habit of eating its own piglets could be likened to the child abuse of the modern age. Child abuse may be directed against one's own children or against the children of others, either way it is swinish in character. Recently it has become a subject of common talk in modern society, so needs no further elaboration. No other animal can match humans in this ugliness.</blockquote>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-12555004668358907172014-12-16T23:48:00.000+00:002014-12-18T08:19:24.053+00:00Peshawar Massacre: Who will avenge our children, and how? <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In Peshawar, the Army Public School must have been a prestigious institution. A place in the school will ensure good education fit for middle-class children. Today the school was<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30507836" target="_blank"> attacked by seven Taliban terrorists </a>who probably never saw the inside of a proper school. They went around asking who were the children of Army personnel and shot them dead. This must have been tiresome and slow as many children were not from military families. Then, they killed indiscriminately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In anger and desperation, I followed the twitter feed and various websites for more details. With each update, the count increased, my heart sank lower and lower.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I remembered today a retired Christian officer from Pakistan Army and two civilians who I met a long time ago. He was a proud cavalry man if I remember correctly, the two civilians were much more intriguing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the early-1990s, in my college days I had the opportunity to spend some days in a Pakistan Army guest house in Rawalpindi. It was adjacent to the 'Artillary Mess' which offered lounging and dining for the officers. Here I met Major Anthony. He must have been in his late 60s then. He told me the stories of his younger days, when he used to study at </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_College_(Pakistan)" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Gordon College</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, run by the Christian missionaries in Rawalpindi. He used to be a long distance runner in his college days. The college was famous for its sporting and academic excellence. He remembered fondly how the students finally persuaded an ageing professor to get married. They found him a match, another teacher from Lahore. They celebrated the marriage in style. The whole college went to Lahore and brought Mrs Professor back in the best wedding precession he Anthony ever took part in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">'Those were the good old days'. He used to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He never mentioned the nationalization of the college in the 70s and its inevitable decline. Anthony also remembered vividly his great luck, when as a young officer in the Army, he was appointed as the protocol officer to the visiting Queen Elizabeth during the Ayub Khan dictatorship. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">'Those were the good old days', he would say. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then his conversation would move to how he lives his retired life in peace and how his wife is still enamoured with the Royal family and collects all the memorabilia she can get her hands on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I remember him well, because I never met anyone like him since. I met other Pakistani Christians, mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds. And I felt ashamed to see their plight. Post-Islamization era Pakistan is no place for minorities. No respect, no life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the same Army mess, I once saw two young men. Confident, educated and civilians. One day, they dropped by for a cup of tea with a friend, and they found me in the sitting room watching TV. Greetings were exchanged. They wore shalwar qameez and waist-coats and had beards. I knew the type from my personal experience. Middle class, religious types. <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaat-e-Islami" target="_blank">'Jamaat-e-Islami'</a></em> types. I sat with them while they chatted away with their friend. One of them mentioned the conspiracies being hatched against the Ummah by the Jews. It was a common excuse for all the misfortunes of Pakistan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the bearded gentlemen mentioned the Protocol of the elders of Zion. 'They (Jews) buy out all the copies of the book as soon as it is published'. I had heard of the book and must have read about its content by that age, but never took it too seriously. But this man was making his argument with such force that I still remember the whole meeting. Both of the visitors believed in a global conspiracy, Pakistan being its prime target. They left after tea. Their friend who remained behind mentioned that both his friends were in <em>ISI</em>, the Inter Services Intelligence agency. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a Pakistan where Major Anthony thrived, made a life and retired with honour and dignity. And then there was a Pakistan of conspiracy theorists, religious zealots who fantasized themselves to be playing a great game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And these middle-class Jamaatia types had now a foothold in Pakistani deep state. ISI was swamped by such ideological zealots, both uniformed and civilians. Zia era Islamization had a profound impact on the composition of the ranks in Pakistan Army. Megalomaniacs like ISI's DG, Gen. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Gul" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Hameed Gull</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> inherited the hubris of Afghan 'Jihad' victory and created a monster which no one could tame, even the ISI.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a college and university student, I witnessed the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and its slow creep into Pakistan from the frontier region. Like a damp patch on a wall, it keeps growing, gathering mould. Taliban were now accepted as genuine and rightful rulers of Afghanistan. ISI had its allies providing the much needed strategic depth against India, while they kept mutilating and maiming the minds of a whole generation of Afghans and Pakistanis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The generals who resisted a coup during the successive, spineless democratic governments had kept a strong control on all the things that mattered to them. They nurtured a poisoned generation which fought a proxy war in Kashmir. I knew another middle-class Jamaatia-type in university who trained for Jihad over the summer holiday and was killed while crossing the line of control in Kashmir. I knew many more who didn't want to go, but were happy to glorify those 'brothers' who went and became martyrs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are <em>Jamaatia types</em> and then there are the <em>Taliban types</em>. Jamaatias are middle-class, educated, from the urban centers of Punjab and KPK. They are happy to facilitate the lesser classes to pick up the gun and fight for whichever Jihad is underway at the time, the <em>Taliban types</em>; from the tribal belt or rural Punjab. They are the side product of a village welfare system, where the Madrassah takes on the surplus child from a poor family. The child eats leftovers, gets abused and radicalized. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The same abused, radicalized children grew up, and in the name of a fantasy cause, murdered over a hundred middle-class children in cold blood in Peshawar yesterday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pakistan seems to have woken up after this massacre. Only a year ago, the same city saw over 120 Christian worshippers killed in a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawar_church_attack" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">similar attack on All Saints Church</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. But no one cares for them. No revenge for the Christians. Almost 100 Ahmadis perished in Lahore in 2010, and it went unpunished even when one of the assailants was handed over to the police.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There will be revenge for the children, for right or wrong reason. This will bring an end to the Taliban fundamentalist at least in the tribal areas for now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But who will punish the middle-class Jamaati types who have caused this mess in the first place? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Follow me @lutfislam </span></div>
<br />Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-15068106231482977212014-12-02T23:52:00.000+00:002014-12-03T10:19:42.279+00:00Quran and the West - A history of prejudice.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When UKIP’s Lord Pearson says that Muslims should address </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/25/ukip-lord-pearson-quran-lee-rigby-murder"><span style="font-size: large;">the violence in the Quran</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, he is most definitely not pretending to be ignorant. He should know that there is a <a href="https://www.alislam.org/khilafat/fifth/Islam_and_World_Peace-20080930MN.html" target="_blank">counter narrative available for those who wish to listen</a>; that of a peaceful, non-political Islam in which Quran and the Sunnah (conduct of the Prophet of Islam) still hold a central, fundamental position.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even Lord Pearson’s critics can’t help but defend his ‘intellectual’ message. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/28/lord-pearson-right-address-violence-quran"><span style="font-size: large;">Andrew Brown</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> says that in a ‘literal sense’ the Quran does contain an ‘unpleasant and violent political message’. I wonder what exactly he means by the phrase ‘in a literal sense’. What is<em> literal</em>? Is it ‘taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or exaggeration.’ as Google informs us? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or in the case of the Quran it must mean contextomizing the text?. i.e., the literal reading of the Quran which teaches its readers a violent political message can only be done if each ‘problem’ verse is read in its usual and most basic sense… without any context: Both historic and textual. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let us discuss a bit of historic context.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first contact of the Muslims with the West was a hostile one. The Byzantine Empire shrank and eventually retreated under the onslaught of Muslim armies from the time of Umar, the second Caliph. Since then, misrepresenting Islam has become an age old western tradition. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have a Greek-Syriac text from the time of Umar which informs its readers of a ‘false prophet of the Saracens’ whose armies have invaded Palestine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That was an inevitable, unavoidable war. Empires did not suffer barbarian tribes for too long before sending armies to neutralize them. But these were no barbarians. They were a society of converts to a religion which taught morality and required its followers to proselytize it to the world. A clash was inevitable. And for the Byzantines, it resulted in a defeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By now you must be wondering why I am digressing from the issue of context to the problematic Quranic verses. If you want that discussion, pick up a copy of the Quran and a book on the Sira of the Prophet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to discuss the historical context of these periodic statements put out by politicians and academics about revising the Quran, discarding some of it, denouncing it, even <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1559877/Ban-Koran-like-Mein-Kampf-says-Dutch-MP.html" target="_blank">banning</a> it. That is the real problem here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So where were we? Yes, Islam’s encounters with the Byzantine empire... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Centuries later, by the time Islamic civilization was in decline, Orientalist missionaries started producing literature on Islam. They belonged to many denominations of the Christian faith, but had one thing in common. They could not bear to accept any virtues in the Holy Prophet or his message.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to them the rise of Islam had nothing to do with the actual message of the Quran. Socio-economically speaking, Islam was a product of an Arab renaissance of sorts. With a culture in love with its language and tribes taking pride in their poets – A nation was aching to unite under a cause to challenge the Byzantine and Persian Empires who had dismissed them as illiterate nomads for too long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Add to the mix a poet who aspired to be a prophet the same as those who came to the Israelites. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.muhammadanism.com/MacDonald/aspects_islam/aspects_islam.pdf"><span style="font-size: large;">D C MacDonald</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> writes about how Quran came into being; </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘Muhammad’s brain had for long been treasuring up such things (sic. segments of Old Testament); but treasuring them up with the most singular, most unparalleled inaccuracy; and then making them over with the utmost freedom of imagination.’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take <a href="https://archive.org/details/mohammedandmoha00koelgoog" target="_blank">SW Koelle</a> for example, another 19th century Orientalist who faithfully reproduces passage after passage from Ibn e Ishaq’s Sira while commenting on the person of the Prophet with the aim to negate any heroic quality that was apparent or implied in those writings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the 17th Century, George Sale translated the Quran into English and in his opening notes introduced it as ‘the Book what that false prophet very grosly invented’. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfepZdRkys6fzh1zNwfupgxCbKkNcwUMVBA5jkqV95wNYv28xsFOQTr1HXCan0PClCJdVpFMM7L_Lr3agVTdD4Z1soEX89_dLLOaZ3rSiBA1fQioIAHd41N0E3Sol2rYWCGHcOMQ1vAbY/s1600/George+Sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfepZdRkys6fzh1zNwfupgxCbKkNcwUMVBA5jkqV95wNYv28xsFOQTr1HXCan0PClCJdVpFMM7L_Lr3agVTdD4Z1soEX89_dLLOaZ3rSiBA1fQioIAHd41N0E3Sol2rYWCGHcOMQ1vAbY/s400/George+Sale.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Title page of Sale's translation of the Quran</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With such a rich history of academic prejudice, no wonder that the western scholarship never could look at the Quran in a neutral light. They hated and feared both the book and its bearers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The same thought process has been inherited by the present day Orientalist-Historians. No longer burdened by Christian faith, they do not want to glorify Christ the Saviour and demean all the false prophets who came after him. But because Islam challenges the perceived notions of those who research it with an open mind, it does take a lot of effort to oppose it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first reaction is to reject the text as a forgery; something post-scripted to fit a changing geo-political landscape of Arabia. Any parallels with the older scriptures are considered plagiarisms and interpolations by unknown editors of the Quran. Any departures from the Bibilical narratives are just mistakes and evidence that the author of the Quran must have taken any apocryphal stories and adopted them for their new book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Patricia Crone accepts that the Quran was indeed uttered by a person called Muhammad, but she is not convinced if Mecca ever existed. Similar doubts have been raised by Tom Holland in his recent work. Another attempt to discredit the Quran was made by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Syro-Aramaic_Reading_of_the_Koran" target="_blank">Luxenberg</a>,who thinks that it originated as a Syriac text outside of Arabia and transformed into classic Arabic over a period of time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14933.html" target="_blank">One of the new theories</a> states that Islam was in fact a doomsday cult which just carried on growing. Early Muslims were awaiting the Armageddon imminently. Maybe this explains the fanaticism of the Muslim armies who conquered the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, the message of the Quran, its conviction on absolute justice, equality of human kind, rights of women and social justice, has all been ignored due to prejudice. Muslims did not come out of Arabia with a nationalist cause; they came out because they had something to share with the world. And they made sure the world knew of this treasure - the Quran.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We cannot deny that there is a problem with the Muslim world today. It is a problem of literal reading: but not of the Quran itself. It is of the disparate Hadith texts which require even more context and validations than the Quran. The creed of Salafis and Wahabis, the two factions of Sunni Islam providing almost all the fighters in ISIS and Al-Qaeda, are Hadith-centric. i.e. They believe the Quran to be the word of God, but they dare not understand its words without a Hadith reference. This means that if a verse’s explanation is not accompanied by an alleged explanation by the prophet himself or his esteemed companions, or those who came immediately after them - it is not a valid interpretation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, in Orthodox Sunni Islam, the Quran has been the secondary source of doctrinal authority for many centuries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This approach restricts the understanding of the Quran to a particular era of history which is only remembered for its violence. Nations were at war with each other, slavery was still a common practice and society was still being ruled by very tribal traditions. The ideas of citizenship, loyalty and national identities were very different then. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact it was the Quran which spurred on the Muslim civilizations around the world to take huge leaps in philosophy, science, arts and culture which benefited the whole of mankind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How strange it must be to live in the 21st century; in the era of the Internet and smartphones and idealizing a medieval lifestyle at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So the next time someone blames Quran for the punishment of beheadings and hanging for apostasy, blasphemy and heresy, or stoning to death for adultery or homosexuality, please remember that Quran does not prescribe such punishments at all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This debate on how to interpret Quran has been going on among theMuslims for many centuries, and it will continue for the time to come. But if history has taught us anything, it is that reform is an ongoing process which may take centuries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The problem is not the Quran, it never has been. The problem has been those who twisted the meanings of the Quran to create suspicions, and those who ignored its message. And above all, those Muslims who were given this gift and they chose to replace it with the opinions of men.</span></div>
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Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-73448972556735891292014-11-06T19:29:00.000+00:002014-11-06T19:29:12.277+00:00The Mahdi cometh!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first ever person to be known as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi"><span style="font-size: large;">Mahdi</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> was called</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_al-Hanafiyyah"><span style="font-size: large;"> Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph. After the tragic events of Karbala, there was no one the Muslim masses could see as their spiritual leader. Imam Hussain’s only surviving son was too young at that time. As is the case with all political intrigues, a gap needed to be filled by opportunists. Muhammad ibn Ali was proclaimed the rightful heir to the Prophet. He was called the Mahdi, the Promised Guided Leader as was foretold by the Holy Prophet himself.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This did not last for long. Muhammad ibn Ali vanished from Madina one day. A famous poet of his time wrote a eulogy, calling him to return and take his rightful place as the leader of Muslims. The story of a hidden Imam in a cave began from this Mahdi, the first one but not the most famous one.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since then, the title of Mahdi has been used by many people in the hope to gain popular support. Revolutionaries used it to overthrow the incumbent Caliphs. Caliphs used it to cement their authority. Various religious sects used it to attract converts into their cults. But none of these so-called Mahdis ever fulfilled the propehcised purpose of his advent.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then there was the boy-Mahdi who also vanished into a cave. Shia Muslims await for his triumphant reappearance even to this day.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlwedZmhf71j9wdLnO6zR8yPq8CkXqwKz5UelOHlEXwvefaMMeWPsFf24GkuqDmKRiCvfWQWG_u8bth2rA8TXPeNwGTVVaAUYsw2gWPaXsjTJQnO5ZSM4ZUngNK6IAqd8eZwS-TyIeS4/s1600/Child+Mahdi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" closure_lm_710032="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlwedZmhf71j9wdLnO6zR8yPq8CkXqwKz5UelOHlEXwvefaMMeWPsFf24GkuqDmKRiCvfWQWG_u8bth2rA8TXPeNwGTVVaAUYsw2gWPaXsjTJQnO5ZSM4ZUngNK6IAqd8eZwS-TyIeS4/s1600/Child+Mahdi.jpg" height="400" mua="true" width="277" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4><span style="font-size: large;">The Boy Mahdi. Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Mahdī</span></h4></td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Waliullah"><span style="font-size: large;">Shah Waliullah</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> was a scholar and Sufi who witnessed the post-Aurangzeb decline of the Mughal empire.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">He was known as the Muhaddath of Delhi. A great scholar of Quran and Hadith as well as a Saint. And in his case, he also claimed that God spoke to him.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">He could not bear to see political and moral decline of his people. It is said that he received visions and revelations about the imminent arrival of the Mahdi. One of these revelations even said that if Waliullah was to affect a revolution, he may well be the Mahdi himself. But he was not very comfortable with this idea. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">He knew that Mahdi is supposed to appear in Arabia, fulfilling many prophecies mentioned in Hadith. We don't know if it was the ernest desire of Shah Waliullah to find the rightful Mahdi or failing that, be that Mahdi himself: He left Delhi for Hejaz. He would remain in Makkah and Madina for almost a decade.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shah Waliullah was certain of the coming of the Mahdi whose arrival would begin a new era of glory for Islam. His estimates placed the Mahdi during his time, as a famous Hadith had foretold that the signs for Mahdi would start appearing after one thousand years. But no Mahdi appeared in his life time. Shah Waliullah wrote that he received instructions in various visiions to go back to India and continue his religious leadership for the Indian Muslims. He died in 1762. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The beginning of 19th century saw a failed claimant of Mahdi in India. It was before the British had taken full control over the subcontinent. A man calling himself Ahmad and Rajah Nukluk sent a letter to the English governor or Surat to accept him as the Imam. The governor sent his army as the response, and he was killed along with a handful of his followers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Ahmad_Barelvi"><span style="font-size: large;">Syed Ahmad of Bareli,</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> the famous freedom fighter and a follower of Shah Waliullah was also hailed as the Mahdi by some of his followers. But he also vanished mysteriously after the Battle of Balakot in 1831, never to be seen again. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ahmad"><span style="font-size: large;">Muhammad Ahmad of Sudan</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, a famous scholar of the Qadri order of Sufis arose as the next Mahdi. He claimed to have received revelations and visions confirming him to the status of the promised Imam. He rose against the Turkish as well as the British Colonial rulers. Inflicting defeat after defeat to his adversaries, he finally succumbed to the British onslaught. Muhammad Ahmad had all the hallmarks for a successful revolutionary. Like Shah Waliullah, he was educated and pious. He had a fanatical following and influence over a vast territory. Even the Sharif’s of Makkah feared him. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In order to fulfil the prophecies regarding the Mahdi to the letter, Muhammad Ahmad even planned to go to the Hajj in 1882 to claim his leadership over all Muslims. He either abstained from going through with his plan or was prevented from it due to his military campaigns. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad"><span style="font-size: large;">Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahamd of Qadian</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> India, also claimed to be the Mahdi. He founded the Ahmadiyya Movement in 1889. He did not have a political agenda or a military solution for the Muslims. His defense of Islam against he onslaught of Christian and Arya missions stood the test of time. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad#The_sun_and_moon_eclipse">Even the sun and the moon eclipsed </a>in his time in a particular order as foretold in a famous Hadith. If there was ever a Mahdi prophecised, and I believe there was, it was bound to be someone who fulfilled the prophetic words not only in his person, but also in deeds. Most importantly for an outside observer it is the outcome of his deeds which have started a revolution.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of his followers and companions was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahibzada_Abdul_Latif">Abdul Latif of Afghanistan</a>. A high ranking official of the court of Kabul and a well known scholar of his time. He once told that before he had known about the claims of Hadhrat Ahmad, he had received so many revelations from God about the immediate appearance of Imam Madhi that he feared that it could even be him. Like Shah Waliullah, he also knew the significance of these revelations. So he also started his Journey to Arabia for Hajj, only to discover that a Mahdi has appeared in Qadian. Abdul Latif never went to Hajj, instead he pledged his life to the Mahdi. Soon after his return to Afghanistan, Abdul Latif was charged with apostasy and stoned to death in Kabul. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Success is the best proof of Divine support. Where all the other claimants of Mahdi failed, Hadhrat Ahmad's success despite intense persecution and opposition around the world shows that he was true in his claims. All those prophecies about the guided one were true all along. </span></div></div></div></div>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-32280705415295999142014-09-25T15:55:00.001+01:002014-09-25T15:55:35.893+01:00ISIL/ISIS: How to defeat them. (BBC Three Counties Radio Contributions).<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/utfislam/lutful-islam-on-jvs-show-bbc3cr-25sep2014">BBC Three Counties Radio 25th of Sep, 2014</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/utfislam/lutfislam-three-counties-radio-roberto-perroni-drive-time-show-18sep2014">BBC Three Counties Radio 18th of Sep 2014</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/lutful-islam/bbc-3-counties-radio-show-isis"><br />
BBC Three Counties Radio Aug 2014</a>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-73188173797086325042014-08-08T23:28:00.000+01:002014-08-26T15:27:09.431+01:00On The Real War Front Against Islamist Extremism<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></span><span style="font-size: large;">What do you imagine the front line against Islamist extremism looks like?</span> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stripes.com/polopoly_fs/1.282108.1399553036!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_804/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_361807="null" src="http://www.stripes.com/polopoly_fs/1.282108.1399553036!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_804/image.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will this war fix anything? Image courtesy Stars and Stripes.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Does it comprise of NATO led troops, security agencies and hired guns fighting against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan? </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Or is it the Iraqi and Kurdish military forces retreating against the </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">rising tide of the Salafist terrorists in the Middle-East? </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Is it the unmanned drones raining fire upon the militant hideouts in tribal Pakistan or in far-flung areas of the Yemen? Or is it yet another battlefield getting ready in Sub-Saharan Africa?</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What if I told you that none of the above have anything to do with fighting extremism. These wars have everything to do with the world economy and its dependence on oil and arms trade. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But the righteous soldiers who fight the real war are not armed with any weapons. Most of them haven't committed a single violent act in their lives. And another thing, bad guys don't die in this war. Good guys do. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Three of its </span><a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1123245/my-daughter-and-kainat"><span style="font-size: large;">latest casualties </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">were a 60 years old lady, a 7 years old girl and an 8 months old baby. They all died fighting the good fight against a blood thirsty mob in a city called Gujranwala, in Pakistan. The mob, charged in religious frenzy, angered by the false accusation of blasphemy torched the houses of Ahmadi Muslims and in the process, killed three of them.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The War has been on for over a hundred years. Since then, the world has seen cycles of pointless destruction the latest of which is being conducted in the guise of 'war on terror'. This senseless violence is bringing us closer to a nuclear apocalypse. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The only way to save the world is to join the real struggle. The quest for Absolute Justice. The real Jihad to reform ourselves to change the world around us, one person at a time. I know it is cliched and perhaps too boring for those who wish to see the good triumph against evil in a fairytale fashion. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But for those who join the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community find themselves pitched against all forms of adversity on a daily basis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">From </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahibzada_Abdul_Latif"><span style="font-size: large;">Abdul Lateef</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, who stood buried waist deep in a Kabul square in 1902, telling his executors that he will never renounce his belief in the Living God; to 7 year old Hira Tabassum, who recited the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Kalimas"><span style="font-size: large;">Kalima</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> while she choked to death in the toxic smoke of her burning home in Gujranwala, hundreds have laid down their lives for this cause.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dawn.com/primary/2014/07/53d7836b4b99d.png?r=1390194664" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_361807="null" src="http://i.dawn.com/primary/2014/07/53d7836b4b99d.png?r=1390194664" height="220" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Gujranwala mob: Dancing and celebrating after murdering two little girls and their grandmother. Courtesy: Dawn.com </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadiyya Muslims believe in true Islamic teachings of freedom of concience, thought and speech. They understand Quran and the Islamic tradition through the prophetic guidance of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who claimed to be the Divinely Guided Imam Mahdi who will reform the world.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_361807="null" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad.jpg" height="400" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Through his claims and extensive writings, Hazrat Ahmad declared Jihad on the false beliefs and doctrines which had caused mankind to forget God and to follow their own vain desires. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He also announced that the false notion of violent Jihad has no place in Islam. Surely enough, religious leaders from various faith groups started opposing him. Soon, this opposition turned into hatred and widespread persecution followed.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first and foremost indicator of militant, extremist Islamist activity is 'Takfir', the declaration of a person, group or community to be lesser humans, worthy of persecution and even death. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ahmadis were perhaps the first victims of a global Takfiri movement facilitated and funded by those who think that they have monopoly over Islam.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After 125 years of valiant and constant struggle, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is now established in almost all countries of the world. It is the fastest spreading Islamic sect in the world and is gaining adherents from all nations of the world, including the Arabic speaking communities.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It may not be so apparent, but the war against bigotry and injustice is being won, one person at a time. Those who are too eager to partake in the violent wars are destined to be forgotten by history. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each year an English country town, Alton, Hampshire receives over 30,000 delegates who attend the <a href="http://www.jalsasalana.org/uk/2014/index.html" target="_blank">three day Jalsa Salana.</a>. It is the annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which becomes the spiritual focal point for the millions around the world.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BTKDhBaCAAA-vCy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_361807="null" height="180" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BTKDhBaCAAA-vCy.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over 30,000 delegates, men, women and children attend the 3 day event every year.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When some misguided Muslim youths raise black banners in London while demonstrating for Gaza, news media is quick to point out the creeping Islamist agenda among the <a href="http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/douglas-murray/2014/08/the-black-flag-of-isis-is-flying-in-london/" target="_blank">mainstream British Muslims.</a> The black banner of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam has been flying over the UK Jalsa Salana for almost half a century. This banner represents the peaceful, spiritual and unifying message of Islam.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liwa-e-Ahmadiyyat, the black flag of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community flies over the Jalsa Salana. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Khalifatul Masih, fifth successor of the Promised Messiah takes the pledge of allegiance from the thousands who join the community. Existing members also renew their ba'iyah (pledge). The pledge binds each of them to promise their lives for the cause of God and the Jihad for the soul of Islam until the final victory.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ahmadi Muslim delegates at Jalsa Salana waiting for the Khalifatul Masih to pledge their allegiance</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you want to see the real front line of the real 'War' against terrorism, extremism and injustice.. Come visit Jalsa Salana UK.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our weapon of choice: Books. </span></td></tr>
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Follow the event on twitter @JalsaUK<br />
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On TV on <a href="http://www.mta.tv/">www.mta.tv</a> or sky channel 787<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en data-scribe-reduced-action-queue="><p>I was on BBC 3 Counties Radio's JVS show on Friday, discussing ISIS, Timothy Furnish and the causes of extremism <a href="https://t.co/wydqhyOrag">https://t.co/wydqhyOrag</a></p>— Lutf (@Lutfislam) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lutfislam/statuses/503912476853813248">August 25, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-84898078581789223622014-07-24T18:45:00.000+01:002014-07-25T11:53:39.851+01:00How to Block a Mosque <div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The website <a href="http://mosqueblock.wordpress.com/category/how-to-fight-applications/">Mosqueblock </a>offers a wide range of advice on how to fight mosque planning applications. </span></div></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">It asks its readers to steer clear of stating any racial or religious reasons while objecting to the mosque plans at their local council.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">In a recent news announcement, it states</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Our message to you is to get organised , and use the council planning process to your advantage. It`s your community , and your choice. Silence implies assent !!’</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The site runs a methodical breakdown of a mosque blocking project. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Do your homework</i>!!’, it says.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Its time to run your street petition’</i>.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Speak to the local residents’</i></span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Don’t bother with the MPs, they will only refer you back to the council’</i>.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some articles go in great detail on describing the planning permission applications, the hearings and how to effectively present an Anti-Mosque case.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The site also features news on the recent ‘victories’ by various local residents who have successfully petitioned and campaigned against new Mosques in various British towns and cities.</span></div></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrXGtKmOyofXwL0hUpvQeJKvIX4vhvTnbauGx1mOSzdjlzcTVTmX8MNv7sMRI-8VJTO8S4_MYx-AR934FfrPQlg7n03ynfo6XN_tlFEl1wO1z8NqZNXEqI9I_EnZ2pA7Sm-Tisg_4AIg/s1600/MosqueBlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_684239="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrXGtKmOyofXwL0hUpvQeJKvIX4vhvTnbauGx1mOSzdjlzcTVTmX8MNv7sMRI-8VJTO8S4_MYx-AR934FfrPQlg7n03ynfo6XN_tlFEl1wO1z8NqZNXEqI9I_EnZ2pA7Sm-Tisg_4AIg/s1600/MosqueBlock.jpg" height="330" width="640" yua="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great News!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The latest news is from the town of Halesowen, where residents rejoice at the rejection of a plan to add minarets and a dome to the Baitul Ghafoor Mosque, run by the <a href="http://www.ahmadiyya.org.uk/">Ahmadiyya Muslim Association</a>.</span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/regional/11360961.Halesowen_mosque_plan_sparks_racist_claims/#commentsList">The local paper, Worcester News </a>thinks that the Mosque organizers may have considered the anti-mosque campaign to be racist in nature. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I read further, I read a disgruntled local woman resenting the fact that she has been branded a racist for only speaking her mind.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">What were the remarks Dr. Muhammad Ashraf which may have insinuated racist motivations behind this organized campaign? A campaign supported by the local councilors, but mostly by UKIP's Stuart Henley. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Ashraf had only said that the locals misunderstood the religion of Islam and that may have caused their opposition to the Mosque. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">If anything, Dr. Ashraf suggested that Islamophobia is a fuelling the campaign, not racism.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the petitions signed by dozens of residents states</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Local residents will be very unhappy to be overlooked by the minarets’ </i>and <i>‘the logical progression might be loudspeakers for calls to prayer…five times a day’</i></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www2.dudley.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPDETAIL.DisplayUrl?theApnID=P14/0787&theTabNo=2&backURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=730030%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E%20%3E%20%3Ca%20href=%27wphappsearchres.displayResultsURL?ResultID=1408044%26StartIndex=1%26SortOrder=rgndat:decs%26DispResultsAs=WPHAPPSEARCHRES%26BackURL=%3Ca%20href=wphappcriteria.display?paSearchKey=730030%3ESearch%20Criteria%3C/a%3E%27%3ESearch%20Results%3C/a%3E">Having seen the proposed maps of the changes</a>, it appears that both the dome and the minaret were only symbolic to identify the building as a mosque. No Muezzin was to go up the minaret five times a day for call to prayers, neither was there any plans to use loudspeakers on them.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Obviously the objectors had imagined their neighborhood turning into down-town Istanbul within days of the minarets going up.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Almost <a href="http://planningdocuments.dudley.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/00306712.pdf">every petition against </a>the Mosque stated that the change will not be in keeping with the local area. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>It will be totally out of character for this part of Halesowen North’</i>. Writes Councillor Hillary Bills. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Despite being progressive, are we to disregard our heritage for a welcome?</i>’ Asks one gentleman</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">But, why can’t you accept a Mosque as a new addition to your heritage? There are Mosques in this country which can truly be called heritage buildings. Fazl Mosque in Southfields or Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking are two such examples.</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Fazl-Moschee_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_684239="null" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Fazl-Moschee_2010.jpg" height="318" width="320" yua="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fazl Mosque. The first Mosque built in London is almost 100 years old</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Would you allow an alteration to the building if the Minarets were in line with the architecture of the building and in keeping with the surrounding area? Or is it the idea of the Minaret, symbolizing a Mosque which bothers you?</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then there is the argument that in this day and age Mosque do not need to have any identifying features, as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Stuart.UKIP.Henley">Mr. Henly (of UKIP) argues on his facebook page</a>.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mosques are not only spaces for worship; they are also converging points for a Muslim community. They are part of their identity. A Muslim is required to attend the mosque five times a day. Just as you cannot ask a bearded Jewish or Muslim man to do away with facial hair, just as you cannot tell a nun or a hijab wearing lady to discard their head covering, you cannot tell Muslims what their mosques should look like. (I am hoping that I am right in my assumption of tolerance here)</span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, aesthetics are also very important, and keeping the building in harmony with its surroundings is a matter of common sense, but refusing to allow minarets is an extreme act. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pakistani Government does not allow Ahmadi Muslims (who own the Halesowen Mosque) to build Mosques which look like Mosques as it hurts the sentiments of the Muslims.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Should a Mosque not have its identifying features? Yes, you can put up a signboard in front of any building to call it anything you like, but is that aesthetically pleasing?</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The problem here is that the British people are being fed a constant diet of suspicion, hatred and paranoia by the media and various political interests. </span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to the<a href="http://mosqueblock.wordpress.com/category/how-to-fight-applications/"> How to block a Mosque Course 101</a>, the objectors should ask questions </span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘<i>Where would worshipers park</i>?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Is there any on site parking</i>?</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>How many will attend</i>?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>And at what times of the day</i>?’</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">And sure enough, some Halesowen residents suggested that the minarets will attract more traffic in the street. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Minarets don’t emit homing beacons for any cars carrying Muslim drivers to converge at that spot. It is already a functioning Mosque, having minarets won’t change the attendance levels.</span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">One comment summarizes it all for me. One lady, who apparently works in a Muslim majority school, opined that she knows about ‘their faith’, and she knows that the minarets are for cosmetic reasons only.</span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: large;">It appears that everyone in Halesowen have an opinion on how its Muslims residents should practice their faith, apart for those Muslims who wish to worship in the Baitul Ghafoor Mosque.</span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-25221946194406092182014-07-21T18:56:00.000+01:002014-07-22T14:25:19.742+01:00Immigrant apocalypse : The next Intifada <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">True Story:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two ships were intercepted by the authorities, laden with almost 2000 illegal immigrants. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both ships were barely seaworthy, and it was a miracle that they made it to their destination in one piece.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those on board had escaped violence, racism, religious discrimination in their country of birth. They had surely been incarcerated and made to live in abject poverty by their tormentors. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the authorities at their port of arrival did not let them disembark. 'We've had too many of your lot here already. We can't afford to have more of you here.' </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were widespread protests against such unkind attitude of the government. Finally it was decided that rather than letting these people disembark here, they would be taken to a tropical Island, and kept there as refugees until the situation improved back home.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The decision was an unpopular one when announced on board the ships. The persecuted thousands had not escaped from a despotic regime to be incarcerated by a benevolent one. They wanted to live free. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">They were ordered to move to the larger of the two ships to be taken to the refugee Island. But many of these passengers had barely set foot on the ship when alarm was sounded. Everyone off the ship! Danger! Danger! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">They all jumped into the water just before a loud explosion was heard. The ship sank right there in the docks, taking along with it 300 people.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who survived were granted asylum in the country of their choice.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was in fact some of the passengers who blew up the ship. They could not bear to live another day in confinement, no matter how open their next prison was promised to be. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patria_disaster">This incident </a>happened in Palestine, in November 1940. The ships were carrying Jewish immigrants escaping Nazi atrocities in Europe.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The British had tried to stop the influx of hundreds of thousands of illegal Jewish immigrants into Palestine, which resulted in acts of violence by the Zionist movement against the British authorities.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">70 years on, the very same immigrants have created another concentration camp in which to confine their host nation. And if acts of resistance were committed by the Palestinians, no different in nature than those perpetrated by their immigrant grandfathers, they would be punished by unprecedented and seemingly unmeasured brutal force.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The state of Israel has demonized the Palestinian so much that now its citizens cheer on while the military sends deadly missiles and rockets into the most densely populated urban areas in the world. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whatever Mr. Nethanyahu is trying to achieve, it surely is not peace. He has successfully run the best recruitment drive for Hamas and its likes. And by defending Israel's right to 'self-defence', and by not condemning and trying to stop the loss of civilian lives, Europe and USA have more to worry about than just the middle-east. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another crop of wannabe western jihadis must surely be ready. </span></div>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261072952954158450.post-86569838504753216632014-06-30T01:00:00.000+01:002014-06-30T03:49:47.185+01:00Caliphate of the Damned<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">As Muslims around the world start the month of Ramadan, ISIS, a group of Salafist militants have announced the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/29/isis-iraq-caliphate-delcaration-war">re-establishment of Khilafah</a>, the Islamic form of government as idealized by the orthodox Muslims. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One Abu Bakr Baghdadi has been chosen as the Khalifa (Caliph) who is in the process of accepting the Bay'ah, the pledge of allegiance from his followers. He is now the head of state and the undisputed religious leader of this new country being carved out of Iraq and Syria. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Baghdadi uses the same name as the first Khalifa of Muslims, Abu Bakr, who was elected as the leader of the faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). He was followed by three more caliphs, Umar, Uthman and Ali. After Ali's assasination, Muslims could never agree on a single leader. Khalifa became a title used by various dynasties who ruled the Islamic world until the fall of the Ottomans in the last century.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is no surprise that a Khalifa has emerged from amongst the militants. If anything, it has taken them two decades longer than it should have. Usama bin Laden was rumoured to be accepting the bay'ah from Al-Qaeda recruits in the build-up to his call to arms against the West. He was never proclaimed as the Khalifa. There must have been some theological expediencies as Al-Qaeda was trying to appeal to a broad spectrum of Sunni sects. ISIS have discarded all such shackles. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Political Islamism has always been fantasizing about Khilafah for a long time. Even Gandhi had joined the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khilafat_Movement">Indian Khilafat Movement</a> in early 1920s. Qutb and Maudoodi, the two major 20th century ideologues for political Islamists saw Khilafah as the only viable solution for returning the Ummah to its glory days. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hizb-e-Tehrir, the torchbearers for the return of Khilafah have also <a href="http://www.hizb.org.uk/current-affairs/challenging-the-demonisation-of-the-caliphate">issued a statement defending their beliefs </a>and mildly disagreeing with the violent group's methods of achieving what they have been dreaming for decades.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Regardless of the means of attaining it, or how they define the objectives of this institution, this caliphate will fail. As will any other which harbours the ambition of political leadership of the Muslim world. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Holy Quran contains a verse called the Ayah of Istikhlaf. (the Verse of Khilafah) which describes the institution of Khilafah in these words </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Allah had promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors (Khalifah) in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then who so is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious. (Surah Al-Nur, Verse 56)</span></div></blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to this verse </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">a. Khilafah is a promise made by God for the Muslims.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">b. It will be established amongst those who do good works. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">c. It will be established for spiritual guidance</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">d. Khilafah will bring peace and remove fear.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">e. Those who forsake this Khilafah will be the rebellious ones.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are many more finer points which can be inferred, but I will keep my discourse to the most obvious ones stated in the verse. Islamic Khilafah is not a political institution. The first four Caliphs were also the political leaders for the nascent Muslim community as they had inherited it from the Prophet (Peace be upon him). </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who are flocking to pledge their lives to Al-Baghdadi should reflect on this verse and seriously ask themselves these questions: </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Is Al-Baghdadi claiming to be a Khalifah made by God Himself? <br />
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Are they doing the 'good works' as defined by the Holy Quran. i.e., charity, saving lives, serving mankind and above all, keeping away from all forms of rebellion?</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is their Khalifa guiding them on how to achieve spiritual excellence through prayer and contemplation on the deeper meanings of the Quran?</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is this Khilafah removing fear and establishing peace?</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, the answer to all these questions is NO. This so-called Khalifah is nothing but a murderer who is gathering around him a bunch of killers to spread fear and terror in the name of Islam. Quran informs us of the fate of such rebels in these words </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">So when they deviated from the right course, Allah caused their hearts to deviate, for Allah guides not the rebellious people. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span></blockquote>Lutfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684053950430480392noreply@blogger.com0