Boycott Israel [IslamCity] File - Setting in receiving email
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Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Re: German Judge rules Koran allows wife Abuse
Quote: - But the female judge, who has not been named, made clear in a letter that the wife's bid had little chance of approval because, according to her, Islamic law allowed a man to strike his wife. - This is stated but no evidence from quotes of the Qur'an or Hadiths are provided to substantiate the false claim that Islamic law allows wife beating. How can Islamic law -- which is based on Quran and the authentic example of the Prophet (saaw) -- allows wife beating when the Prophet's specific words and example was the following: The example of the Holy Prophet (saws) is clear. When approached by a man about how he should treat his wife, the Prophet (saws) told him to feed her as you would feed yourself, provide for her clothes as you would for yourself, do not beat her and do not revile her. Remarking upon those men who beat their wives, he said they are not good Muslims. He said that the best men are those who treat their wives well. The Judge ruling in this case in Germany is going on propaganda myths without any real reference to anything in Islam to justify her claims. If she were to rule on Islamic law why not rule on the numerous examples from Qur'an and Hadiths which strongly condemn wife beating as in the following: 1. From the Quran: Quote: - 30.021. And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. This shows that love and mercy to achieve a state of tranquility for husband and wife is what G-d intended for husband and wife NOT a whip. 4.001. O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence God, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for God ever watches over you. 49.013. O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). Both verses above show that male and female are twin halves of each other created from a single soul. Our essence is the same and we are incomplete until we become one with our other half. We are to reverence the wombs that bore us which is an open endorsement by the Quran on how we should regard our women. Hurting them would be the same as hurting ourselves. Talking about separation/divorce, But do not take them back to hurt them, and whoever does that then he has wronged himself. (2:231) and you should not treat them with harshness (4:19) Treating our women with harshness or a way to cause hurt is forbidden in the Quran. But love, mercy and reverence is highly endorsed. - 2. From the Hadiths: Quote: - Narrated Mu'awiyah al-Qushayri: I went to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and asked him: What do you say about our wives? He replied: Give them food that you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them. (Sunan Abu Daawood 11:2139) Narrated Mu'awiyah ibn Haydah: I said: Messenger of Allaah, how should we approach our wives and how should we leave them? He replied: Approach your tilth when or how you will, give her food when you take food, clothe her when you clothe yourself, do not revile her face, and do not beat her. (Sunan Abu Daawood 11:2138) Narrated Abu Hurairah (ra): The Prophet (saws) said: The most perfect Muslim in the matter of faith is one who has excellent behaviour; and the best among you are those who behave best towards their wives. (reported in Jami At-Tirmidhee and widely accepted) The Prophet (saws) said: The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and the best of you are those who are best to their wives. (Ibn Hanbal, Hadeeth No. 7396) The Prophet (saws) said: The best of you is one who is best towards his family and I am best towards the family. (reported in Jami At-Tirmidhee and widely accepted). It was reported to the Prophet (saws) that some of his Companions beat their wives, whereupon he said, 'Certainly those are not the best among you. (as reported by Ahmad, Abu Daoud, and al-Nisai. Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim classify it as sound, as narrated by Iyas ibn 'Abdullah ibn Abu Dhiab). Right before his death, at his final sermon to Muslims, the Prophet (saaw) addressed issues that were of the most vital importance to Muslims. In doing so he addressed the
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] The Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast had long been a major bone of contention between European nations seeking to take advantage of the natural and human resources of West Africa. The Portugese first moved into the area and built forts on the coast to allow them to trade with the local tribes. They discovered that the nearby Ashanti did have access to gold from the interior and were keen to supply their defeated enemies as slaves. This attracted the attention of the English who brought back a ship of gold as far back as 1553. The English were followed by French, Danes, Brandenburgers, Dutch and Swedes. Gold, ivory and slaves would turn the coast into a magnet for traders eager to make their fortune. The most assertive of these nations was to be the Dutch who managed to replace the Portugese formally in 1642 in return for withdrawing their presence from Brazil. The Dutch built a fort at Elimina. The English would build their own fort at Kormatine in 1651. Ten years later they would build a larger one at Cape Castle. The Dutch and English were frequently at war with one another in the seventeenth century and the forts on the Gold Coast would play their part in these conflicts. In 1664 and 1665 the Dutch were able to destroy all but the largest fort at Cape Coast. The Treaty of Breda confirmed Dutch ascendency but the profits from the slave trade would attract the English back. In 1672 the Royal African Company was created with rights to monopoly access to English markets at least. The RAC built forts at Dixcove, Sekondi, Accra, Whydah and other places, besides upgrading Cape Coast Castle. The African Company of Merchants would later take over the monopoly and would further streamline the efficiency of the slave trade. At its height, 10,000 slaves a year were being exported from the area. Public opinion back in Britain had turned violently against the inhumanity of the slave trade and it was abolished in 1807. This crippled the profitability of the African Company of Merchants. By 1821, the company had been dissolved and the British government was forced to take over the possession of the forts. Thanks largely to profits from the slave trade, the Ashanti had risen to be a major force in the area. The Europeans had confined their activities to the coast but from the 1820s the British had begun extending their influence into the interior. They were concerned that the Ashanti were still supplying slaves to the other European nations which had not yet outlawed the slave trade. This led to serious clashes which ultimately became all out war from 1824 to 1831. The British seriously underestimated the power of the Ashanti and the extent of their weaponry thanks to years of investment from the slave trade. A British expedition was defeated at Nsamankow in 1824. The British were wiped out and their governor was killed. The Ashanti were to inflict another defeat on the British at Efutu. Indeed it was only when they attempted to take the formidable Cape Coast Castle that they finally foundered. The British would build up a new force and join forces with local tribes hostile to the power of the Ashanti to try and reduce the power of the Ashanti. Two years later they were able to finally defeat the Ashanti in open battle at Dodowa. However, even then the Ashanti would not sign any agreements with the British. The British government was becoming concerned at the cost of the war for such little payback. They wondered if it might not be easier to withdraw from the colony altogether. In 1828 they gave orders for all British officials and garrisons to withdraw to Sierra Leone. They then paid the London Committee of merchants 4000 pounds a year to maintain the forts on their behalf. This did actually make it easier for the Ashanti to come to an independent agreement with the London Committee in 1831. However, anti-slavery campaigners in Britain considered that the deal allowed the Ashanti to continue their slave trade unhindered. The British government was just relieved that it had found a way out of an expensive war with a determined and skilled foe. In 1844, the Colonial Office resumed its control of the forts from the London Committee. Some of the interior tribes were still requesting British protection - always mindful of the power of the Ashanti. The British agreed nominal rule over inland areas specifically to exercise the right of trying criminals, repressing human sacrifice and other such practices. This was a de facto extension of British control even if there was little evidence on the ground. The British were still not alone in their control of forts in the area; the Danes and Dutch still operated their own. In fact, the competition between these three powers exacerbated the economic problems of all three countries' settlements and caused endless trouble with the surrounding native tribes. Anxious to cut their losses, the Danish offered to sell their forts to the British government. Behind this offer was the threat that if the
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] What is to be said upon wakening?
*-- Alahumma infa`ni bima `allamtani wa `allamni ma yanfa`uni! OH ALLAH! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me! Please take a moment to forgive me for all mistakes and make du`a' for me if you have received anything of benefit. Jazak Allahu khairan !!! Wassalam Safoora*
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] ] Gonzales thwarted Cuban jail closure, Palestine and Sudan
SUDAN: Censorship of Islamic Viewpoint on Darfur During its huge gathering in Detroit, Michigan, the Nation of Islam brought in the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, to talk to the audience by TV link. The audience, African American, were enabled to question the president of Sudan. Al-Bashir debunked the Zionist propaganda that genocide is going on in Darfur. Thousands watched and saw directly that Al-Bashir is not an Arab but a Black African. [Dr. Akbar Muhammad emceed the appearance.] Here is the shocker: The corporate-zionist media completely blocked the reporting on the TV link appearance of the Sudanese President. - - - - - - - -- PALESTINE: Mufti Warns: Al-Aqsa in Danger The Mufti of Palestine, Ikrima Sabri, has warned that Israel is continuing to dig adjacent to the al-Aqsa masjid. The digging is now being done at night and away from media coverage. The Mufti warned the Muslim world: He said the time for talk is over. The Muslims must take action to stop Israel before it is too late. [March 16] G.Waleed Kavalec@yahoo.com wrote: Gonzales thwarted Cuban jail closure March 24, 2007 WASHINGTON: As the newly appointed US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates repeatedly argued for the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be shut down and for prisoners held there to be tried in a US court.With the support of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Mr Gates told President George W. Bush that the detention centre had become so tainted abroad that legal proceedings at Guantanamo would be viewed as illegitimate, The New York Times reported yesterday. Mr Gates suggested that prisoners held at Guantanamo could be transferred to military brigs in the US, where they would remain in the custody of the Pentagon and be subject to trial under military proceedings. The Defence Secretary's appeal was an effort to turn Mr Bush's publicly stated desire to close Guantanamo into a specific plan for action, US officials told The New York Times. But his arguments were reportedly rejected after embattled Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales and Vice-President Dick Cheney's office strongly objected to the plan. While Mr Bush eventually rejected the approach, officials at the National Security Council, Pentagon and State Department continue to analyse options for the detention of terrorism suspects, the newspaper said. The base at Guantanamo holds about 385 prisoners, among them 14 senior leaders of al-Qa'ida -- including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed -- who were transferred to it last year from secret prisons run by the Central Intelligence Agency. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21436969-2703,00.html -- -- -- G. Waleed Kavalec - This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not an intended recipient of this document, please notify the sender, delete it and do not read, act upon, print, disclose, copy, retain or redistribute it. In fact it would be best all around for you to burn your computer then report to the nearest office of the Department of Homeland Security and turn yourself in as a potential danger to the moral fabric of America and a serious risk to the purity of apple pie. If you actually are an intended recipient of this document you are probably far worse than that and had better be making your escape because appropriate authorities have already been notified. We know where you've been. - Now you can scan emails quickly with a reading pane. Get the new Yahoo! Mail.
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] When Will Fredo Get Whacked? : FRANK RICH - Bush and Gonzales
THE COMPLETE ARTICLE WITH ALL HYPERLINKS THE NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED COLUMNISTWhen Will Fredo Get Whacked? By FRANK RICHPublished: March 25, 2007 Alberto Gonzales has been present at every dubious legal crossroads in President Bushs career. PRESIDENT BUSH wants to keep everything that happens in his White House secret, but when it comes to his own emotions, hes as transparent as a teenager on MySpace. On Monday morning he observed the Iraq wars fourth anniversary with a sullen stay-the-course peroration so perfunctory he seemed to sleepwalk through its smorgasbord of recycled half-truths (Iraqi leaders are beginning to meet the benchmarks) and boilerplate (There will be good days, and there will be bad days). But at a press conference the next day to defend his attorney general, the president was back in the saddle, guns blazing, Mr. Bring Em On reborn. He vowed to vanquish his Democratic antagonists much as he once, so very long ago, pledged to make short work of insurgents in Iraq. The Jekyll-and-Hyde contrast between these two performances couldnt be a more dramatic indicator of Mr. Bushs priorities in his presidencys endgame. His passion for protecting his power and his courtiers far exceeds his passion for protecting the troops hes pouring into Iraqs civil war. But why go to the mat for Alberto Gonzales? Even Bush loyalists have rarely shown respect for this crony whom the president saddled with the nickname Fredo; they revolted when Mr. Bush flirted with appointing him to the Supreme Court and shun him now. The attorney generals alleged infraction misrepresenting a Justice Department purge of eight United States attorneys, all political appointees, for political reasons seems an easy-to-settle kerfuffle next to his infamous 2002 memo dismissing the Geneva Conventions strictures on torture as quaint and obsolete. Thats why the presidents wild overreaction is revealing. So far his truculence has been largely attributed to his slavish loyalty to his White House supplicants, his ideological belief in unilateral executive-branch power and, as always, his need to shield the Machiavellian machinations of Karl Rove (who installed a protégé in place of one of the fired attorneys). But the fierceness of Mr. Bushs response to the ludicrous extreme of forbidding transcripts of Congressional questioning of White House personnel indicates there is far more fire to go with all the Beltway smoke. Mr. Gonzales may be a nonentity, but hes a nonentity like Zelig. Hes been present at every dubious legal crossroads in Mr. Bushs career. That conjoined history began in 1996, when Mr. Bush, then governor of Texas, was summoned for jury duty in Austin. To popular acclaim, he announced he was glad to lend his average guy perspective to a drunken driving trial. But there was one hitch. On the juror questionnaire, he left blank a required section asking, Have you ever been accused, or a complainant, or a witness in a criminal case? A likely explanation for that omission, unknown to the public at the time, was that Mr. Bush had been charged with disorderly conduct in 1968 and drunken driving in 1976. Enter Mr. Gonzales. ---MORE-- http://mparent.blogspot.com/2007/03/ides-of-march-2003-frank-rich-march-to.html And More http://mparent.blogspot.com/ http://mparent.blogspot.com/ http://mparent-3.blogspot.com/ http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/blog/38 MARC PARENT CRIMES AND CORRUPTIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS http://mparent.blogspot.com/ New website mparent mparent - Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo! Answers.
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Studentships / Scholarships / RA / TA.
Studentships / Scholarships / RA / TA. (Including some Job info) Saturday, 24 March 2007 Source: From following Institutes' publications (printed web-sites) Please forward to your contacts. 1. University of Lincoln. Department of Psychology. 3 PhD Studentships commencing in June 2007. Ref. HR1023A. Closing date: Friday 13 April 2007. Interviews expected to be in May 2007. For more please check from the following site/s: www.lincoln.ac.uk Interested students can obtain project descriptions for each of the areas by going to: http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/vacancies/index.htm 2. The University of Reading. 4 PhD opportunities 2007. School of Psychology Clinical Language Science (PsyCLS) Commencing in October 2007. Ref. codes: CW, DS, PR, ESRC. Closing date: Friday 13 April 2007. This University has a thriving research community and more information on their research strengths may be obtained by contacting potential supervisors from: http://www.psychology.rdg.ac.uk * This info I did collect from printed material where it was advised to check the details from the web version using the Ref. Codes, for areas and subjects, before contact or apply. 3. University of Southampton. School of Civil Engineering and the Environment. 8 PhD Studentships Jobs. Some available immediately. For further details please visit: www.civil.soton.ac.uk/research/WMRGjobs/ Research into Sustainable Waste Management. Senior Research Fellow – Landfill Modelling. Ref.: 0811-07-E. Research Associate – Tracer behaviour in wastes. Ref.: 0823-07-E. Wessex Institute of Health Research Development. Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre. Research Fellows in Evidence Synthesis, Medical Statistics or Epidemiology – 2 posts. Ref.: 0860-07-M. Research Fellow / Senior Research Fellow in Health Economics / Modelling – 2 posts. Ref.: 0861-07-M. National Co-ordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment. Research Fellow – 2 posts. Ref.: 0856-07-M. Apply online. For more please check from the following site/s: www.jobs.soton.ac.uk 4. The Open University. A five-year RCUK Academic Research Fellowship in Design guaranteed to lead to a permanent Lectureship. Ref.: 3300. Research Fellow / Assistant. Attitudes to the use of Organic Resources on Land. Ref.: 3495. For more please check from the following site/s: www3.open.ac.uk/emloyment http://www.open.ac.uk/emloyment 5. University of Birmingham. School of Sport Exercise Sciences. Research Fellow 2 posts. Ref.: H39924 H39923. For more please check from the following site/s: www.hr.bham.ac.uk/jobs 6. University of Surrey. Research group on Lifestyle. 5 PhD Studentships. For more please check from the following site/s: www.surrey.ac.uk/resolve Closing date: 20 April 2007. 7. University of Kent. 6 Departmental and University Studentships Scholarships. School of Social Policy, Sociology Social Research. For more please check from the following site/s: www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr 8. University of Westminster. Harrow Campus. MPhil / PhD Research studentships in Media Communication, Arts Cultural Criticism. Under CREAM CAMRI Scholarships programme. For more please check from the following site/s: www.wmin.ac.uk/mad Thank you. Arif/UK NOTE: I am not a student-consultant or am not acting on behalf of any Institute as an agent. Also, I am not in a position to help you to secure any studentship published above. Please try to help yourself or contact your University / College Student's consultant or visit your local British Council Library or Education Information Centre. This is my voluntary support at spare-time for those who might need these information and cannot get easily, especially from overseas. If you find any typing mistake leave you confused from any of those web links and cannot help you to correct, please do not hesitate to contact me. *If you do not like to receive mails from me regarding studentship, please let me know and I will delete your email address from my mailing list.* -- Ends
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Review of An evening with Baba Ali at Imperial College 23 rd March
Review of An evening with Baba Ali at Imperial College 23 rd March By Showkat Ali http://www.7cgen.com/index.php?showtopic=9280 The event advertised as an evening with Ali at Imperial College, in my case became a 30 minute session with Ali and I interviewed him for two newspapers and several online journals and forums. The event was a sell out with all the 800 tickets sold weeks ago and another 800 could just as easily have been sold. The audience comprised a mixture of people, from the Islamic minded to the type of people you dont normally see at Islamic talks. I also spotted a few non-Muslims and according to Ali he does receive many emails from non-Muslims who converted as a result of watching his videos and then researching Islam for themselves. Incidentally a sister in the audience was an example of this. His videos on Youtube have been watched by 1.3 million people and rising and its no surprise that MTV and CBS have been after him with offers to do several shows. His blog has received 150 000 visitors. The evening started of with recitation of Surah Maryam and then Ali came onto the stage. There was no big introduction, just a formal Ali from Ummah films. Ali introduced Ummah films and explained his motivation to do something for the Muslim youth and tackle issues in a light hearted manner which the youth can relate to. He appeared a very humble brother and made a point of emphasising that he does not see himself as a celebrity and refuses to sign autographs in order to keep his intentions pure and for the pleasure of Allah only. This comment led to the loudest ovation all evening. The audience as promised were given the premier launch of two of his latest videos which are not available on Youtube yet. The subjects covered were surprise surprise , marriage and the dilemma Muslim youth face when discussing this subject with their parents. Some of his examples like marrying your cousin and the fathers attitude made the crowd laugh so much that it was hard to hear what was being said in the video. Many of the people present could relate to what was being said and also see the funny side as well as the serious side. The other videos like Muslim while flying and Muslims at work were very powerful as well as funny and passed a message that we should not be ashamed being Muslims and it is the non-Muslims who need to think and reflect on some of their practices such as personal hygiene. His examples from the bathroom were really funny especially the things his colleagues at work say and do. The question and answer session was by far the best aspect of the evening and lasted almost an hour. Questions ranged from why he converted to our responsibility to carry the dawah as well and not leaving it to certain individuals. Alis main message was that we as Muslims should not be ashamed of who we are and always refer to Islam for all of our solutions, Since 9/11 many Muslims have changed the way they act and behave in public, but there is no reason for us to be embarrassed for the actions of a few individuals and we should take our example from the prophet Muhammed saw and his sahabah who followed Islam without compromise and conveyed the message to the society . I would definitely advice anyone who hasnt seen any of his videos on youtube to do so and if u can get hold of his dvd then even better. He is an amazing person in terms of his personality and the message he passes via his clips. There is a huge number of people who are not religious nor completely westernised who are not being accessed by Islamic groups and organisations and this is the void which Ali has filled with great success as the evening showed. His last words on all of his videos seem very appropriate This is Ali reminding you just in case you forgot. - To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Amerika: The Great Satan
Frightening this article. What kind of 'people' are these and can we really even call them 'human'? No difference at all between the American military-industrial complex and the Nazi Germany Racial State (whose prototype was Amerika). Nazi Germany is the creator of chemical weapons (cyclone B or Z) whose inventor was a German Jew. Germany also invented the V-1 and V-2 rockets, jet engines, wireless (used in tank panzer take formations) and many other killing technologies. Responsible for the deaths of thousands as they rained down on civilian targets in England during World War II, Nazi Germany's top scientist and creator of the V1 and V2 rockets (physicist Werner Von Brain) was brought to the US following Germany's defeat and lead the NASA space program to put a man on the moon. In contrast, the inventors of weapons of mass destruction (MD) of other countries, such as Iraq, are tried as war criminals. Amerika is evil indeed. [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: If the Bush administration follows through with its plan to attack Iran with tactical nuclear weapons, they will, in essence, only be adding a sound track to the silent nuclear war America has been waging for decades Published on Sunday, March 11, 2007 by CommonDreams.org America's Perpetual Nuclear War by Robert Weitzel On the evening of July 25, 1945, President Truman confided to his diary that the atomic bomb seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful. Twelve days later it was useful in Hiroshima, and again three days later it was useful in Nagasaki. In a radio speech the day Nagasaki was obliterated, Truman told his American audience, The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians. The world took note that as many as 140,000 civilians were killed instantly or later died of injuries and radiation poisoning at Hiroshima. To prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power in the Middle East, President Bush has tasked the Pentagon with developing plans for a surgical strike on Irans nuclear facility at Natanz, which is buried under 75 feet of earth and rock. One option on the table is the B61-11, the smallest tactical nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. The B61 is a variable yield bomb. It can be calibrated to yield as low as 0.3 kilotons or has high as 170 kilotons of atomic power. Its maximum yield is ten times that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. In keeping with our countrys humanitarian effort to minimize civilian casualties in a nuclear strike, low yield tactical nuclear weapons, such as the B61, have been reclassified by the Pentagon as safe for the surrounding civilian population. Because these weapons are now considered as safe as conventional munitions, their use is at the discretion of the theater commander. Presidential approval is no longer needed to start a nuclear war. But the world should note that America has been waging a low yield nuclear war that has been killing civilians for almost two decades. Missing from this war are mushroom clouds and very loud booms. Present is nuclear fallout with its insidious long-term effects on both combatant and civilian and its perpetual contamination of land and water resources. The United States began waging nuclear war in Kosovo in 1990 and has continued through the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The nuclear tipped weapon of choice in each of these theaters of war has been depleted uranium (DU) munitions. To build atomic bombs, and later to fuel nuclear reactors, the U.S. began enriching uranium ore mined from the earths surface. In the process, the fissionable isotope Uranium 235, which accounts for 0.7 percent of the ore, is extracted, while the remaining 99.3 percent of the unfissionable isotope, Uranium 238, becomes low yield radioactive waste. By the middle of the 1950s there was approximately 600,000 tons of DU waste being stored at various facilities throughout the United States. Depleted uranium has several properties that attracted the U.S military-industrial complex. It is cheap and plentiful and 1.7 times denser than lead, which makes it an idea metal for armor piercing bullets and tank rounds, armor plating on tanks, and ballast for cruise missiles and aircraft. Consequently, much of what has been dropped, launched, fired or destroyed during combat operations involving the U.S. and its allies in the last two decades is radioactive and will remain so for as long as the Earth exists. When a nuclear tipped DU tank round, containing 10 pounds of uranium, strikes the armor plating of an enemy tank, it ignites and burns through to the interior, setting off the tanks ammunition.
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Why I am saying sorry for London's role in this horror.
Thanks to Mr. Livingstone. *Why I am saying sorry for London's role in this horror.* The state failure to issue an apology for a crime as monstrous as the slave trade diminishes Britain in the eyes of the world. By Kenneth Robert Livingstone (Mr. Livingsrone is the Mayor of London) Wednesday March 21, 2007 Next Sunday marks the bicentenary of the abolition of one of history's greatest crimes - the transatlantic slave trade. The British government must formally apologise for it. All attempts to evade this are weasel words. Delay demeans our country. Recalling the slave trade's dimensions will show why. Conservative estimates of the numbers transported are 10-15 million; others range up to 30 million. Deaths started immediately, as many as 5% in prisons before transportation and more than 10% during the voyage - the direct murder of some 2 million people. Conditions imposed on survivors were unimaginable. Virginia made it lawful to kill and destroy such negroes who absent themselves from ... service. Branding and rape were commonplace. A Jamaican planter, Thomas Thistlewood, in 1756 had a slave well flogged and pickled, then made Hector shit in his mouth for eating sugar cane. From 1707, punishment for rebellion included nailing them to the ground and applying fire by degrees from the feet and hands, burning them gradually up to the head. When in 1736 Antigua found there was to be a rebellion, five ringleaders were broken on the wheel, 77 burned to death, six hung in cages to die of thirst. For lesser crimes, castration or chopping off half the foot were used. A manual noted: Terror must operate to keep them in subjection. Barbarism's consequences were clear. More than 1.5 million slaves were taken to the British Caribbean islands in the 18th century, but by its end there were only 600,000. By 1820, more than 10 million Africans had been transported across the Atlantic and 2 million Europeans had moved. But the European population grew to 12 million while the black slave population shrank to 6 million. If the murder of millions, and torture of millions more, is not a crime against humanity, these words have no meaning. To justify murder and torture on an industrial scale, black people had to be declared inferior, or not human. As historian James Walvin noted, there was a form of bondage which, from an early date, was highly racialised. By 1750, to be black in the Americas (and often in Europe) was to be enslaved. The 1774 History of Jamaica argued black slaves were a different species, able to work in a very bungling and slovenly manner, perhaps not better than an orangutan. Material being produced today to mark the anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade makes it appear that white people liberated black - the assumption being they could not do it themselves. In reality, slaves rose against the trade from its inception. This broke it. The first recorded slave revolt was in 1570. There were at least 250 shipboard rebellions. Jamaican slave society faced a serious revolt every decade, in addition to prolonged guerrilla war. In 1760, 30,000 Jamaican slaves revolted. The culmination, recorded in CLR James's magisterial The Black Jacobins, was the 1791 slave revolt in St Domingue. After abolition of the trade, slavery in British possessions was abolished following revolts in Barbados in 1816, Demerara in 1823, and Jamaica in 1831, in which 60,000 slaves participated. For this reason Unesco officially marks August 23, the anniversary of the St Domingue rebellion's outbreak, as slavery's official remembrance day. No one denigrates William Wilberforce, but it was black resistance and economic development that destroyed slavery, not white philanthropy. Slavery's reality is increasingly acknowledged outside Britain. One of the few things on which I agree with George Bush is his description of transatlantic slavery as one of the greatest crimes of history. The Virginia general assembly last month expressed profound regret for its role, stating slavery ranks as the most horrendous of all depredations of human rights and violations of our founding ideals. The French national assembly declared slavery a crime against humanity. In 1999, Liverpool became the first major British slaving city to formally apologise. The Church of England Synod followed suit. The British government's refusal of such an apology is squalid. Until recently, almost unbelievably, it refused even to recognise the slave trade as a crime against humanity, on the grounds that it was legal at the time. It helped block an EU apology for slavery. Two arguments are brought forward against official apology - not only by the government but by David Cameron. First, an apology is unnecessary because this happened a long time ago. This would only apply if there had been a previously apology - there hasn't been. Slavery was the mass murder of millions of people. Germany apologised for the Holocaust. We must for the slave trade. Second,
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Honour for anti-slave trader, 200 years late.
*Honour for anti-slave trader, 200 years late.* By Marie Woolf, Political Editor. March 18, 2007 The tomb of the father of the abolitionist movement is to be given listed status in recognition of his pivotal role in outlawing the slave trade. Granville Sharp, who campaigned tirelessly to see slavery abolished, is to have his tomb protected after David Lammy, the Culture minister, ruled that it was of special historical interest. The decision comes on the eve of the bicentenary of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, which will be marked by a service at Westminster Abbey and events throughout the UK. Sharp - whose efforts to emancipate slaves will, along with William Wilbeforce, be commemorated in a stamp - wrote more than 60 books about the mistreatment of slaves. The civil servant and lawyer travelled around the country collecting evidence of the abuse of slaves, including their mistreatment on slave ships. In 1787, he became a founding member of the London committee of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, persuading Wilberforce, the MP for Hull credited with leading the abolitionist movement, to be its spokesman in the House of Commons. Wilberforce played a big part in Parliament but the importance of Granville Sharp in the abolitionist movement is often underplayed. He was one of the earliest, most dedicated and most radical opponents of slavery, said Dr John Gilmore, associate professor at Warwick University. He was a major figure and, unlike many who fought for the abolition of the slave trade, Sharp was anxious to see the abolition of slavery itself. The advocate of human rights, who died in 1813 aged 77, is buried in a tomb in the Church of All Saints in Fulham. The chest tomb includes a lengthy tribute to Sharp. English Heritage, in private papers seen by The Independent on Sunday, strongly advised ministers to list the tomb. Mr Lammy said: It is entirely right that his final resting place should be listed, and fitting that it should happen now. UK Newspaper. -- Ends
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] A Brief History of Hadiths!
Quote: - Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, there is no doubt that, there will be Hadiths coming after me, claiming that I have said things. So you MUST test those Hadiths from the QURAN. If it is really according to the QURAN only then accept it, otherwise reject it.[ (Sanan Dar Qatni, Vol-2, Book Imrani Abee Musa, Matba Farooqi 513) - The Quran is number one. All else is of secondary status and if anything disagrees with the Quran it is to be rejected. Lets do a brief history of Hadiths. In order to analyze the Hadiths we also need to see Islamic History with open eyes. I hope this will help those who may not be familiar. Prophet Muhammad (saaw) was born in the year 570 AD. Prophet Muhammad (saaw) received the first revelation from Gd and entered prophethood in the year 610 AD. The Prophet (saaw) passed away in in the year 632 AD. The Hadiths were first compiled around 250 years after the death of the Prophet (saaw), which is around year 900 AD. Compare this to the Quran which was partly compiled during the Prophets life and immediately after. The Prophet (saaw) himself dictated the sequence of the chapters in the Quran. Was it possible that Jews, hypocrites and other enemies of Islam united together and tried to include fabricated Hadiths, to mislead the Muslim community? Yes of course. Even during the life of the Prophet (saaw) the enemies of Islam demanded to change verses of Quran, which the Prophet (saaw) answered that he didnt have any authority to do. The proof that an attempt had been made by the enemies of Islam with introduction of false Hadiths is the fact that out of seventeen books of Hadiths only seven were accepted by our religious scholars. More than 60% were rejected as being fabricated and misleading. Is it possible that still in the seven accepted books of Hadiths there might have been fabricated Hadiths? Yes, and many have been. In fact many Hadiths, were rejected for contradicting the Quran. Did all Muslims know the difference between authentic Hadiths and fabricated ones? NO! Because of poor communication, knowledge was not getting transferred as quickly as now. Many of these fabricated Hadiths still exist and they are a haven for Jews and other enemies of Islam for demonization. This is where the demonizers of Islam get their weak and fabricated Hadiths from. Also many Muslims still follow these Hadiths out of ignorance. Muslims were getting successes before the year 900 AD. After the year 900 AD, Muslims started a down fall BUT it took several hundred years just to feel the downfall, since the Muslim community were still succeeding. Many serious students of Islam believe that leaving the Quran behind and taking the Hadiths as number one, caused the Muslim community to fail more. This was also predicted by the Prophet (saaw) about his community. After the year 1500 AD, it seems that Muslims went beyond the limit and started taking the Scholars as number one, the Hadiths as number two and the Quran they left behind. As history revealed, after that Muslims started losing all over the world. The Prophet Muhammad (saaw) already warned his people that there will be Hadiths coming after him and for us to accept them if they are according to Quran, other wise reject them. So we need to test every Hadith, dont reject all blindly and dont accept all Blindly as well, BUT do research and if it is according to the Quran, only then accept it. The Quran is the main source and guidance to all human beings. Allah promised that he will protect the Quran but he did not promise that he will protect Hadiths. Still there are numerous authentic Hadiths that are clearly in line with the Quran. The Prophet (saaw) said that he leaves behind two things for Muslim to follow. The Quran and his Sunnah. By his Sunnah the Prophet (saaw) was referring to the authentic reports of what he did and say. He never left behind fabricated hadiths. That was introduced later. The enemies of Islam know that they cannot come at Muslims through the Quran but they can do it through the Hadiths. That is why there is such a mess amongst unenlightened Muslims in the world and fantastic encouragement by Jews, colonialists and enemies of Islam to perpetuate false Hadiths. Weak Hadiths agreeing with FGM, unreliable and misunderstood Hadiths dealing with apostasy and other corruptions crept into the religion. None of which has any justification in the Quran. Any sincere Muslim will offer the Quran as the main source of study for anyone wanting to learn Islam. It is uncorrupted and supersedes all other authorities in Islam. As a result of sincere intense study of Quran many Hadiths, practices and customs that are un-Islamic are being discovered and rooted out. Muslims are reclaiming their religion from those who hijacked it with faulty understandings
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Commentary : When Will Britain and America Apologize for Slavery?
Bismillah, ASA Likewise when will the man who sleeps in a White House built by Black Slaves, and U.S. legislators who work in a Capitol building built by slaves, bring themselves to make a formal government apology to the world in general and the descendants of those slaves in particular, for their role in slavery? How can they sleep and work without their conscience bothering them daily? Peace, Curtis Sharif Houston, Texas G.Waleed Kavalec [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: - *Why I am saying sorry for London's role in this horror.* The state failure to issue an apology for a crime as monstrous as the slave trade diminishes Britain in the eyes of the world. By Kenneth Robert Livingstone (Mr. Livingsrone is the Mayor of London) Wednesday March 21, 2007 Next Sunday marks the bicentenary of the abolition of one of history's greatest crimes - the transatlantic slave trade. The British government must formally apologise for it. All attempts to evade this are weasel words. Delay demeans our country. Recalling the slave trade's dimensions will show why. Conservative estimates of the numbers transported are 10-15 million; others range up to 30 million. Deaths started immediately, as many as 5% in prisons before transportation and more than 10% during the voyage - the direct murder of some 2 million people. Conditions imposed on survivors were unimaginable. Virginia made it lawful to kill and destroy such negroes who absent themselves from ... service. Branding and rape were commonplace. A Jamaican planter, Thomas Thistlewood, in 1756 had a slave well flogged and pickled, then made Hector shit in his mouth for eating sugar cane. From 1707, punishment for rebellion included nailing them to the ground and applying fire by degrees from the feet and hands, burning them gradually up to the head. When in 1736 Antigua found there was to be a rebellion, five ringleaders were broken on the wheel, 77 burned to death, six hung in cages to die of thirst. For lesser crimes, castration or chopping off half the foot were used. A manual noted: Terror must operate to keep them in subjection. Barbarism's consequences were clear. More than 1.5 million slaves were taken to the British Caribbean islands in the 18th century, but by its end there were only 600,000. By 1820, more than 10 million Africans had been transported across the Atlantic and 2 million Europeans had moved. But the European population grew to 12 million while the black slave population shrank to 6 million. If the murder of millions, and torture of millions more, is not a crime against humanity, these words have no meaning. To justify murder and torture on an industrial scale, black people had to be declared inferior, or not human. As historian James Walvin noted, there was a form of bondage which, from an early date, was highly racialised. By 1750, to be black in the Americas (and often in Europe) was to be enslaved. The 1774 History of Jamaica argued black slaves were a different species, able to work in a very bungling and slovenly manner, perhaps not better than an orangutan. Material being produced today to mark the anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade makes it appear that white people liberated black - the assumption being they could not do it themselves. In reality, slaves rose against the trade from its inception. This broke it. The first recorded slave revolt was in 1570. There were at least 250 shipboard rebellions. Jamaican slave society faced a serious revolt every decade, in addition to prolonged guerrilla war. In 1760, 30,000 Jamaican slaves revolted. The culmination, recorded in CLR James's magisterial The Black Jacobins, was the 1791 slave revolt in St Domingue. After abolition of the trade, slavery in British possessions was abolished following revolts in Barbados in 1816, Demerara in 1823, and Jamaica in 1831, in which 60,000 slaves participated. For this reason Unesco officially marks August 23, the anniversary of the St Domingue rebellion's outbreak, as slavery's official remembrance day. No one denigrates William Wilberforce, but it was black resistance and economic development that destroyed slavery, not white philanthropy. Slavery's reality is increasingly acknowledged outside Britain. One of the few things on which I agree with George Bush is his description of transatlantic slavery as one of the greatest crimes of history. The Virginia general assembly last month expressed profound regret for its role, stating slavery ranks as the most horrendous of all depredations of human rights and violations of our founding ideals. The French national assembly declared slavery a crime against humanity. n 1999, Liverpool became the first major British slaving city to formally apologise. The Church of England Synod followed suit. The British government's refusal of such an apology is squalid. Until recently,
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Collection of some comments on Mr. Livingstone's apology.
Ken Livingstone's apology for London's role in the transatlantic slave trade is welcome, and highlights the often forgotten part the capital played in the brutal enslavement of millions of Africans (Why I am saying sorry for London's role in this horror, March 21). As well as operating as a major port for the triangular trade, London became a key financial centre, providing credit for the hazardous business of slave trading. Financial power translated into political power: for example, the 18th-century plantation owner William Beckford was lord mayor of London and England's first millionaire, and by 1766 more than 40 members of parliament were involved in the slave trade. For an apology to have meaning, Anti-Slavery International's Fight for Freedom 1807-2007 campaign is calling for measures to address the continuing legacies of the slave trade. These include racism and the long-term impact on the underdevelopment of countries in Africa and the Caribbean. As a prosperous capital city with a substantial population of African descent, London has an important role to play in repairing the damage that it profited from so greatly 200 years ago. *Aidan McQuade* Director, Anti-Slavery International Let us apologise for the slave trade by all means, although I am glad to see that the part of indigenous rulers in capturing and selling slaves is at last being recognised. However, I am perplexed as to who should be doing the apologising and to whom. My ancestors had no part in the slave trade and were, in fact, treated little better than slaves. The life of farm workers during the latter part of the 18th century and the 19th century is well documented - long hours in appalling conditions for pittance wages. The life of factory workers was even worse - consider the child workers in the mills, for example. Who is going to apologise for this? The truth is that the wealthy entrepreneur always lifts his profits off the backs of the workers and is still doing so today. A better recompense for the slavery of the past would be to see that it doesn't happen today. Let us make a real effort to stop the slavery of prostitutes and migrant labourers, for example, instead of merely wringing our hands and making indignant noises about it. *VC Tomkinson* Lewes, East Sussex Ken Livingstone confronts British citizens with a harsh truth: they are still telling their history from an almost wholly white perspective, as if it is somehow the way of things that black people must always be rescued by whites. This lopsided and insulting approach - which echoes attitudes institutionalised in our national culture since the noble savage rhetoric of the 18th century - does not point to the need to offer apologies, which at such distance in time are largely meaningless, so much as the imperative to make a clear commitment to black and ethnic minority communities in Britain today. They need to know now that black history will be taught as British history. One way, traditionally, that we have sent out a clear signal of intent is through the dedication of national monuments and memorials. We rightly have them for the likes of William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson. Why are we not dedicating a national memorial to the black abolitionists and to the enslaved themselves? *Canon Chris Chivers* Blackburn Cathedral If Ken Livingstone can accept responsibility for slavery, could he also claim credit for universal suffrage? Of course not. Contrition and congratulation are both strictly non-transferable. Hereditary guilt makes no more sense than hereditary honours. *Peter Manning* London We apologised for the British role in the slave trade by abolishing it in 1807. It is not unreasonable to have a memorial day that reminds of the horrors of slavery and the need to guard against it (Anti-slavery day to be annual event, March 23), but it should also be a day that celebrates a significant step in the emerging social conscience of the nation. *Jeremy MT Sutcliffe* Oldham -- Ends
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Robert Fisk: The crushing fear that stalks America.
*The crushing fear that stalks America.* The country is not at war. It is the US military that is engaged in an Iraqi conflict By Robert Fisk. March 24, 2007 There's a helluva difference between Cairo University and the campus of Valdosta in the Deep South of the United States. I visited both this week and I feel like I've been travelling on a gloomy spaceship - or maybe a time machine - with just two distant constellations to guide my journey. One is clearly named Iraq; the other is Fear. They have a lot in common. The politics department at Cairo's vast campus is run by Dr Mona El-Baradei - yes, she is indeed the sister of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency - and her students, most of them young women, almost all scarved, duly wrote out their questions at the end of the turgid Fisk lecture on the failings of journalism in the Middle East. Why did you invade Iraq? was one. I didn't like the you bit, but the answer was oil. What do you think of the Egyptian government? At this, I looked at my watch. I reckon, I told the students, that I just had time to reach Cairo airport for my flight before Hosni Mubarak's intelligence lads heard of my reply. Much nervous laughter. Well, I said, new constitutional amendments to enshrine emergency legislation into common law and the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood supporters was not a path to democracy. And I ran through the US State Department's list of Egyptian arbitrary detentions, routine torture and unfair trials. I didn't see how the local constabulary could do much about condemnation from Mubarak's American friends. But it was purely a symbolic moment. These cheerful, intelligent students wanted to see if they would hear the truth or get palmed off with another bromide about Egypt's steady march to democracy, its stability - versus the disaster of Iraq - and its supposedly roaring success. No one doubts that Mubarak's boys keep a close eye on his country's students. But the questions I was asked after class told it all. Why didn't we leave Iraq? Are we going to attack Iran? Did we really believe in democracy in the Middle East? In fact our shadow clearly hung over these young people. Thirty hours later, I flicked on the television in my Valdosta, Georgia, hotel room and there was a bejewelled lady on Fox TV telling American viewers that if we left Iraq, the jihadists would come after us. They want a Caliphate that will take over the world, she shrieked about a report that two children had deliberately been placed in an Iraqi car bomb which then exploded. She ranted on about how Muslim jihadists had been doing this since the 1970s in Lebanon. It was tosh, of course. Children were never locked into car bombs in Beirut - and there weren't any jihadists around in the Lebanese civil war of the 1970s. But fear had been sown. Now that the House of Representatives is talking about the US withdrawal by August 2008, fear seems to drip off the trees in America. Up in the town of Tiger, Georgia, Kathy Barnes is reported to be looking for omens as she fears for the life of her son, Captain Edward Berg of the 4th Brigade, US 3rd Infantry Division, off to Iraq for a second tour of duty, this time in George Bush's infamous surge. Last time he was there, Mrs Barnes saw a dead snake and took it as a bad sign. Then she saw two Canadian geese, soaring over the treetops. That was a good sign. A rational mind plays this game in war time, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution eloquently pointed out. A thunderclap becomes a herald, a bird's song a prophecy. Dr Michael Noll's students at Valdosta are as smart and bright-eyed as Dr El-Baradei's in Cairo. They packed into the same lecture I had given in Egypt and seemed to share a lot of the same fears about Iraq. But a sullen seminar that same morning was a miserable affair in which a young woman seemed to break down in anger. If we left Iraq, she said in a quavering voice, the jihadists, the terrorists, could come here to America. They would attack us right here. I sighed with frustration. I was listening to her voice but it was also the voice of the woman on Fox TV, the repeated, hopeless fantasy of Bush and Blair: that if we fail in Iraq, they, the monstrous enemy, will arrive on our shores. Every day in the American papers now, I read the same fear transformed into irrationality. Luke Boggs - God, how I'd love that byline - announces in his local paper: I say let the terrorists rot in Guantanamo. And let the Europeans ... howl. We are a serious nation, engaged in the serious business of trying to kill or capture the bad guys before they can do us more harm. He calls Guantanamo's inmates hardcore jihadists. And I realise that the girl in Dr Noll's seminar isn't spouting this stuff about jihadists travelling from Iraq to America because she supports Bush. She is just frightened. She is genuinely afraid of all the terror warnings, the supposed jihadists threats, the red terror alerts and the purple alerts and all the
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Alcohol
Evils of Alcohol If one thing were going to bring this country to a devastating and painful halt, then it would most definitely be alcohol. No other substance has caused nearly the amount of death, chaos, crime, and pain. And to make matters much worse, it is almost completely ignored as a poison, or even as a drug. It boggles my mind when I see how ignorant people are concerning alcohol, especially in college settings. The most devastating effect of alcohol is its addictiveness. In 1992, an estimated 27 ½ million people where addicted to alcohol (Grant). This ended up costing the affected, their families, and taxpayers over $148 billion (NIAAA). Besides the costs, alcoholism has ruined the lives of millions. The number one cause of child abuse always has, and always will be alcoholism. A recent study found that the number of abused and neglected children had more than doubled from 1986 to 1997 to 3 million. A rise more than eight times that of the rise of the population of children (Elrod). 915 child welfare professionals were surveyed, and 90% said that alcohol alone is the main cause of child abuse and neglect (Elrod). We can also thank alcohol and the alcohol industry for over 110,000 Deaths in 1996. Deaths from cirrhosis of the liver, drunk driving, alcohol induced fights and accidents, and cancer just to name a few (NIAAA). Over 300 people die every day in America of something alcohol related. But how does the average American look at alcohol? Most people will say that it is a safe and social activity. Unless you consider 110,000 deaths safe and unless you consider rape and assault as being social then these are simply misnomers created largely by the alcohol industry. Most Americans are unfortunately unaware that alcohol is the most common and widely used date rape drug. A study of the urine samples of 578 rape victims showed that 36% of them had alcohol in their system. Less than 1%, 5 victims, showed evidence of the date rape drug Rohypnol (El Sohly). In more than half the cases, the man was drunk. Alcohol has also had a phenomenal impact on the crime world. A study by the British Medical Association showed that alcohol was present in 64% of all public offences and 40% of all violent assaults. Alcohol was also present in 60-70% of homicides, 75% of stabbings, 70% of beatings, and 50% fights (IAS). How can one look at that and say that alcohol is safe and social? It is obvious that people are not responsible with their drinking, and are bringing it onto the people around them. Alcohol remains the number one cause of all crime. Alcohol and Academics Alcohol can have a big impact on a student's ability to succeed academically. According to a 1992 survey by the CORE Institute of more than 50,000 college students from across the country, A students averaged about 3 drinks per week, B students averaged about 5 drinks per week, C students averaged about 7 drinks per week and D F students averaged about 11 drinks per week. Students who misuse alcohol report missing more classes and performing poorly on an assignment or exam more often than those who chose to drink responsibly or not at all. In addition, there is research, which indicates that a person's ability to think critically can be impaired for up to 30 days following the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol and Sexual Assault The majority of sexual assaults that are experienced by college students are acquaintance or date rapes. The majority of those sexual assaults involve the use of alcohol on the part of the perpetrator or the victim/survivor. Alcohol can impair a person's judgment and make it difficult for two people to communicate about what they want and do not want to do sexually. If a person is intoxicated, they cannot legally give their consent to have sex. In addition to the use of alcohol, there has recently been a marked increase in the use of drugs such as GHB and Rohypnol to facilitate a sexual assault. These drugs are odorless and tasteless and can be easily dissolved in a drink. These drugs can result in a loss of inhibition, unconsciousness, and the inability to remember events that took place while under the influence. Alcohol and Violence Because of its impact on judgment and emotions alcohol use can often result in acts of violence, including sexual assaults, hate crimes, and fighting. According to a variety of surveys, between 50% and 80% of violence on college campuses are alcohol related. Other Studies Consequences of Underage Alcohol Use Alcohol-the most widely used drug among youth-causes serious and potentially life-threatening problems for this population. Research indicates that drinking is associated with risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior among adolescents. Alcohol has dis-inhibiting effects that may increase the likelihood of unsafe activities. Alcohol-Related Fatalities In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers
Boycott Israel [IslamCity] Religious means for political ends By Moizza Binat Sarwar Courtesy:http://www.dawn.com./weekly/dmag/dmag12.htm
March 25, 2007 Religious means for political ends By Moizza Binat Sarwar Culture is taken to mean the shared sets of norms and beliefs prevalent, formally or informally, in a population. Strength is identified in terms of political power, as the system of political relations in a polity is most indicative of the role culture plays in that polity. Ex Cultu Robur implies a one-way interaction between culture and strength, whereby strength is believed to be a product of culture. Studies such as Almond and Verbas that explored the basis for democracy in civic cultures supported the cultural relativism paradigm. However, most contemporary analyses tend to prop the proposition on power side insisting that the agent of strength determines cultural systems. After the Holy Prophets (PBUH) death, the Caliphs maintained their political and religious legacy as the heirs to his mission of the expansion of Islam. Islam thus formed the official grund norm (i.e. fundamental order forming the underlying basis for a legal system) of the areas under Muslim rule from that point onwards, necessitated particularly by the need to have one rallying point of cultural identity around which the different conquered tribes and ethnicities could coalesce. From the middle of the 10th Century onwards, effective control of the Arab-Muslim empire passed into the hands of generals and administrators, thus gradually leading to the formation of a ruling political body that was officially loyal to Islam but distinctly un-Islamic in its character and behaviour. Academic and non-academic accounts of the polity under Salahuddin Ayubi present intriguing sketches of lifestyles maintained at the time. Since the ruling class, from the time of the fourth Caliphate onwards, was the domain of a particular clan (e.g. Umayyads, Abbasids), the distribution of resources was a serious focus of factional conflict. In order to legitimize the activities of the rulers and retain support for the reign, the rulers of the latter particular regimes patronized the clergy (ulema). In its early stages, the Mamluk Dynasty was instrumental in bringing the clergy to the forefront of politics. The clergy had its utility in emphasizing the absence and transgression of a right to revolt against a Muslim ruler, essentially giving the ruler the carte blanche to act as they pleased. The Islamic doctrine that decried fitna (civil war or war against another Islamic state) thus marked the cultural and political limits of individual and collective behaviour, and dictated citizen role within society in the Arab-Islamic empire. There was little fear of the Ummah collectivizing against the rulers excesses in cultural and political spheres, even as the gap widened between the behaviour of rulers and what was acceptable to the Ummah. This change introduced by the power holders in a top-down measure, was motivated by a drive for survival. Inadvertently it introduced a cultural practice that had unexpected long-term effects. Political imperatives, however, resulted in a fundamental change in the doctrine of revolt, thus changing the framework of individual and collective behaviour for times to come. In the late 13th century, the Mongols had conquered Islamic lands east of Syria and had inconveniently converted to Islam. They had encroached further west on Muslim territory in their expansion drive (Davies, 1996). The Mamluk rulers, waging war against them, had to legitimize the war as jihad in order to continue recruiting volunteers, collecting taxes and deterring any collusion on part of the citizenry. At the time, the status of Mongols as Muslim made it theoretically impossible for the Mamluks to attack them. The ulema of Syria and Egypt, faced with the dilemma of categorizing the war effort as jihad or a variation of fitna, under political pressure (and personal causes on part of Ibn Taymiyya), invalidated the Islam of the Mongols and validated the principle of Holy War against them. Ibn Taymiyyas verdict of 1300 proposed that jihad was legitimate against Mongols even if they converted to Islam. Ironically, by providing the ruling regime with the religious sanction it needed to continue its political activities, Ibn Taymmiya opened the space for the individual/group right to revolt against a Muslim ruler. The right was later used in modern Egypt and Iran to inspire revolutions. Historical experiences emerge in cultural norms by highlighting the constraints they place in the way a population can respond to changes in its political environment. Islam formed the basis of the identity of the subjects of the Muslim empire. Subsequently any dissent had to emerge from within the Islamic framework to be addressed at the centre. Opposition from any other quarter would risk dismissal on the grounds that it lay outside the manner of life prescribed by Islam. The Hashimites and
