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Crazy Receptionist..!

Shedevil — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:37:52 GMT

Why did I have to take on the task of helping her with an IT problem?

Went down to help her set up her Netmeeting so another colleague can remote into her machine. Asked her if she uses her Office Communicator (on the offchance she might though pretty obvious she wouldn't!) Security guard laughed and said she wouldn't know what it is to which I laughed and replied "Didn't think she would but on the offchance thought she might" She then replied "No I don't what is that? I don't know what it is" I laughed and said "never mind".

Just trying to imagine what would happen if we were to set up Office Communicator for her and explain how it works..! Can imagine her reaction along the lines of "OOOOH wow..!! I didn't know you could do that. That's amazing..!"

Still wondering how on earth she got the receptionist job when she can't even follow basic intructions. Worse, she had to turn around to look at the board behind her when someone on the phone asked how the company name is spelt after working here good few years..!

She's hilarious though..! Cracks everyone right up..!

:lol:

drug-induced happiness.

Madly Blooming — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:28:05 GMT

Now im bein dead serious, i thought about it after some dude told me the feeling when he got high with some premium weed, tellin me its like the best feeling he ever had, he saw the world clearer, etc. at first it was funny n im thinkin, has this kid ever felt anything without being chemically induced? ever thought to yourself after some experience, deep reflection, some realization of who you are or really lost yourself in a moment that it was so vivid but blurred everything out around you?

how many of us find happiness in each other anymore, really...whats your excuse?

some people have that gratifying sense of ..."higher experience" when they're involved heavily in something they love, like a dancer who doesnt even remember who they are or what time it is or where they are, they just know theyre dancing and thats all that matters.

i just dont believe that you can sit there doin shit all but pourin things into your body that can make you feel a happiness or clarity, its all fake to me. it requires experience. i see this type of comment more with ppl who have barely experienced anything in their lives, its just mommy n daddy lookin after them while they go school n then get married, nothing ever happens to them but theyre happy. im not sure if im makin sense. im not sure what im asking.

i know im takin a stab at the spoiled kids again, i really do have something against them that i cant ever let go. if you have so much offered to you, why dont you take advantage of it and make the best of it you can? its shameful...like some of us actually work our asses off to our bones to just have the financial ability to go to school :( some people dont have healthy parents. some people appreciate every person and thing they gain, because they know how much it took to gain something or someone like that. and what do the others do? throw people away like they don't matter whatsoever, fail school bcuz theyre too busy gettin drunk/high/whatever, n take life as a train that never leaves its station.

i dont think some people realize it all til theyre older, much older, n see which friends stick around, realize what theyve really accomplished, how much they really had, til its all disappeared.

now im strayin off topic. im just pissed at these types of actions, because i dont have what they have, n i never will. i dont feel like they deserve it all. some people take everythin seriously out of appreciation and value, some bat their lashes and go on their way bein as ignorant til the end of their days...

very homely song

Madly Blooming — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:07:46 GMT

makes me feel good =] Exitlude - The Killers
"Aggressively we all defend the role we play
Regrettably time�s come to send you on your way
We�ve seen it all bonfires of trust flash floods of pain
It doesn�t really matter don�t you worry it�ll all work out
No it doesn�t even matter don�t you worry what it�s all about.

We hope you enjoyed your stay
It�s good to have you with us, even if it�s just for the day."

=]=]=]
i wish i could say that to someone without them bein weirded out! whats wrong with simple appreciation of good company eh?

ive been havin some troubles n i think its best to just not worry. EASIER SAID THAN DONE! to really let go n say, 'You know what, itll get better.'

its been a long time havin a best friend to talk to, all this moving around has its tolls. hopefully ill be able to make new friends again. maybe they dont understand my situation, maybe they never really clicked with me, but i think ..or at least i hope, that things will turn out in my favor. i used to think im the weirdo, but i thinkthats def not the case, bcuz all i want is a good love, a few good laughs a day with a bunch of good people that shine from the inside out. i miss it.

woe to the nomad desi ! haha

YouTube - The killers - Exitlude

Nov 10. 2:52 AM

Madly Blooming — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:55:47 GMT

fuckin ell this fair n lovely anti-marks just aint working.

i will never thread again

al this desi crap has messed up my skin. life is not kushty anymore.

my bum hurts

its been raining like mad. vampires could live out n about, its not like the sun ever comes out.

poor me, i cant go to school in january. i cant afford. fuck america. WHITE AMERICA!

how does one get rid of dark eye circles? :( i been workin til 6 am. the effects are unfair.

i really want Smart Water, idk why. im gonna go get it now.

/end rant

Blog Blog

Confuzzled — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:16:18 GMT

What's goin onnnnnnn?

Long time..

Ah what a day! Shit weather, shit on tv, shit day && a bird shit on my car.

Wtf is this world coming to?

Miss me? Good.

Toodles Noodles

European Elections - Should muslims really vote?

Scrooge — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:24:17 GMT

The EU has a population of 500 million, the Muslim Ummah in Europe total 53 million, once again the Ummah is being urged to participate and engage in this week's European election. Whilst European nations are witnessing a decline in participation the Muslim Ummah is being urged by various domestic politicians and by some within the Muslim community to not just vote in the upcoming European election but actively participate.
There are two fundamental reasons the Ummah is being urged to vote, the week before the election many mosques across Europe urged the Ummah in Europe to vote during the Jummah Khutbah's, Imams across Europe have been arguing that its in the Muslims interest to vote. Some have argued that the Muslim community needs to elect their representatives as we have interests in Europe and these can only be achieved if Muslims elect their representatives. Fundamentally Muslim interests cannot be achieved by not entering the democratic parliamentary system.
Muslims are also being urged, incidentally by the mainstream political parties that by not voting the Ummah will be allowing far right parties into power. In a joint Statement, in the UK, some scholars endorsed and urged the Ummah to vote: "On June 4, we have an added responsibility to vote in the European elections. For the first time, openly anti-Muslim parties have a very real chance of gaining national prominence by winning a seat in the European Parliament. They will join Islamophobes from continental Europe to further perpetuate their message of hate against Muslims. In the past, their leaders have described Islam as "a vicious, wicked faith" and have falsely accused Muslims of all sorts of crimes. Their words have led to racist violence - if they get elected on 4 June, they will have public funding that will only amplify their vicious Islamophobia."
There are fundamental shari'ah violations when one votes for a kufr party whatever the perceived benefit as Allah سبحانه وتعالى told us:

وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
"Those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are the Kafiroon." [Al-Maaida, 5:47]

Such arguments do not stand up against historical facts when scrutinised. The Muslims in the UK are the most established community in Europe and are the best example to scrutinise.
When Muslims first arrived on British shores they experienced a British population with ingrained racism, this forced Muslim into there own enclaves and to work collectively to fulfil there needs and interests. In Many areas of the UK local community centres were booked in order to hold Jummah prayers and Eid Salah. Many elders collected funds and paid for houses which would be used as makeshift mosques. This eventually allowed many communities to expand such properties and turn them into official mosques. Another challenge the Ummah faced was of Halaal food. This was solved by many Muslim meat specialists purchasing the necessary equipment through raising funds from the Muslim community. The Muslim community came together and raised the necessary funds to achieve there interests.
The scaremongering of the far right British National Party is not a new style used by British government. Muslims are being urged if they do not vote than the BNP, a racist party, with the only policy of expelling Muslims will get into power. Whilst the BNP may have some support amongst a minority of the white population closer scrutiny shows that the government is in fact deflecting attention away from their own anti-Islamic policies.
It was not the BNP that lied to the public and launched the war in Iraq, massacring Muslims. It was not the BNP that took Britain into Afghanistan to support America's crusade. It was the government not the BNP that developed the anti-terror laws, which makes illegal criticism of Britain's foreign policy and bans Islamic groups who speak out against such acts. It was the government that enacted a policy of stop and search (harassment) against any Muslim who looks to be practicing Islam. Whilst the BNP have made many anti-Islamic remarks, the rise of the BNP which is openly racist is an indictment on the morally and politically bankrupt democratic system. Like the BNP mainstream political parties in the UK including the party in power have consistently shown their hatred for Muslims in the UK. Cabinet ministers have openly mocked Islam. It was a cabinet minister that remarked the Niqab was a mark of separation. It was Charles Clark, Home secretary that remarked there would be no negotiation about the Shari'ah and the Khilafah.
The Labour party and Conservatives have worked collectively to attack Islam and defame Muslims at every opportunity like the BNP
The Muslims Ummah should realise that since the first Muslims arrived in Europe working collectively has successfully delivered time and time again. Since the first Muslim MP's entered into Parliaments across Europe nothing beneficial for the Ummah has been achieved, the vote for the Iraq war in the UK is a vivid example. Whilst many may have entered the political process with sincere aims the parliamentary system and its protection of national interests show that very few have remained sincere to there original intentions.
The last 5 years have shown that rather than then the far right attacking Islam it was mainstream political parties that led the attack. It was the French leader Jacques Chirac that implemented the policy of banning the Hijab in France. It was the Labour government of the UK that accuses the Muslims of the UK not integrating. It was the Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen who protected Jyllands-Posten's freedom to insult the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Across Europe whether the parties are far right or mainstream all have shown their colours. The Ummah needs to collectively work to secure its needs and interests as she has currently done - this path has proven to be successful at protecting the Ummah's identity.

Obama's words will not hide America's ugly face of Colonialism

Scrooge — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:08:16 GMT

When the European conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt as part of his quest for world domination, he told the people: "You will be told that I came to destroy your religion; do not believe it ... I have more respect than the Mamelukes for your God, His Prophet, and the Koran" and many more sweet words besides.

Barack Obama's speech in Egypt has been hailed by some as a new direction in policy towards the Muslim world. Although this appears a seemingly positive gesture towards the Muslim world, the actions of his government appear every bit as ruthless as the Bush administration. He differs only to the extent that, unlike Bush who spoke with frank hatred, he uses �soft power' and personal charm to cover his intentions. Instead of the rhetoric, let us look at the facts:
On Pakistan: In his first few months in office, Obama's administration has succeeded in creating 3 million refugees by pushing the corrupt Zardari regime to launch a war in Swat. Even before he took office he declared Pakistan the most dangerous place on earth, and said he would even bomb Islamabad if he had to. His whole policy in the region is driven by trying to secure America's foothold in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and fighting a popular insurgency - except he has decided to sacrifice Pakistan's soldiers instead of American ones. We have even seen evidence of dirty tricks of the sort used by the CIA in Iraq or Central America, to instil hatred and division between Muslims and Obama has continued US drone attacks in Pakistan.

On Palestine: Obama boasts he wants to see the �road-map' implemented towards securing a Palestinian state. People seem positive because he seeks to challenge the Israeli politicians who oppose this. However, what people forget in this propaganda about the �road-map' is that this so-called Palestinian state will be little more than a glorified prison camp, where the guards are Palestinian instead of Israeli - because if they did not keep Israel's security to a standard it is happy with, it will simply invade again.

On supporting Israel: Obama appointed, Rahm Emanuel, the son of an Israeli Irgun terrorist, as his Chief of Staff. Emanuel has said that Obama did not need his influence to "orientate his policy toward Israel". This is true because before he was elected, Obama said "We must preserve our total commitment to our unique defence relationship with Israel by fully funding military assistance and continuing work on the Arrow and related missile defence programs". Moreover, he went further than any US President saying, "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided." His response to Israel's massacre in Gaza was "America is committed to Israel's security. And we will always support Israel's right to defend itself against legitimate threats."

On Guantanamo Bay and torture: Obama has promised to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and most people had expected the military tribunals to end. However, many of the Guantanamo prisoners will remain imprisoned elsewhere, and he has decided to continue with the very controversial military tribunals. Although he has made a lot of rhetoric of the CIA being banned from using torture, he has decided not to prosecute anyone who carried out torture in the past, and he has not ruled out using evidence gained through torture in other parts of the world.

On imprisonment without trial: In May 2009 Obama went on record

supporting indefinite detention

without trial in the USA. He used very Bush-like language saying there are some "very dangerous people" where there is not enough evidence to convict, so they needed to be locked up.

On Supporting tyrants and criminal rulers in the Muslim world: Obama is as supportive of the tyrants and criminal rulers in the Muslim world as any of his predecessors. In his recent BBC interview he described Mubarak, the Pharaoh of Egypt, who tortures and represses his opponents saying "he's been a stalwart ally to the US... he's been a force for stability and good in the region". He also praised Mubarak's "sustained peace with Israel" which included blockading the people of Gaza from getting help and humanitarian relief.

Muslims should not be deceived by Obama's words. The United States of America is a Capitalist state. Its institutions are geared towards maintaining America's power around the world, even if they have to exploit others in the process; they are geared to crush any competitor to America in the world, even if it means people have to live under occupation and tyranny. So regardless of whether it is Bush, Obama or anyone else, fundamental US interests and policies will never change.

The real reason why Obama is making these gestures is to improve America's image as it is both economically and morally bankrupt. Its economic system has been exposed as a fragile house of cards, ready to collapse at any time. Despite their promises of creating wealth to relieve poverty, they have made poverty a reality for billions. Its superior moral tone about its political system - democracy and human rights - has been exposed as nothing more than lies, as it killed, imprisoned and tortured people without limit.

What Obama is trying to do is a desperate attempt to thwart the rise of an alternative and rival in the Muslim world. The CIA predicted that by 2020 the world would see the emergence of a new Khilafah State in the Muslim world. This would be a state that would not create the terror unleashed by the United States, but a state that would end occupation and bring stability and security in the Muslim world. It is a state that would have an economic system to help end poverty and bring tranquillity to the world. It is a state that would uphold the Shariah of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the dignity of His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, and the well being of its citizens.

What is required by Muslims all over the world is to continue working, following the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, to remove the corrupt rulers that the Western leaders court, and re-establish the leadership for the Muslim Ummah, the Khilafah State, once again.

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

"Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. 'If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked" [An-Nur, 24:55]

The Corrupt Values of British Values

Scrooge — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:40:01 GMT

The old saying �power tends to corrupt� has certainly proved true for British MP�s in recent weeks and months.Whilst thousands of people lose their homes during the recession, MP�s have been profiting by buying and refurbishing second homes at the taxpayer�s expense, then selling them for a hefty tax-free profit.

They have then used the profits to buy a new home to restart the whole process. They have been found to be charging gardening bills, maintenance of their swimming pools and basic food items and toiletries to the taxpayer.When exposed they offered little remorse, claiming that they had all acted �within the rules�.

The most startling case was that of Jacqui Smith, the British Home Secretary whose husband was found to be watching pornography paid for by the British taxpayer! She was followed by Hazel Blears, Michael Gove, David Davis and a host of others whose names were exposed in the scandal.

The attitude of British politicians towards their abuse of public funds was summed up by MP Harry Cohen, who topped the expenses chart by claiming a massive �310,000, on a second-home allowance. He said,�When MPs were given this allowance they were told �Go and spend it, boys� and that is what I have done. It is my right.� When challenged to clean up the system, the House of Common�s Speaker Michael Martin was reported to have said �I did not come into politics not to take what is owed to me.�

This �right� to abuse taxpayers� money is not confined to simply one or two MP�s.An investigation by the Sunday Telegraph found that 65 MP�s are claiming expenses for a second home while earning rental income from letting out a third.These politicians - one in ten of all MPs -claimed between them almost �6 million since records on expenses began in 2001, an average of �85,000 each.

The Mail on Sunday summed up nicely the actual problem with British politicians. �The next most startling aspect of the problem is how few MPs - supposed to be beyond reproach - seem to have any strong sense of right and wrong, or any ability to resist temptation. People whose job it is to make the law are plundering the public purse because there is nothing in the rules to say they should not do so�Men and women who went into politics with honest intentions see all this going on around them and, unless they are exceptionally strong-willed, are swiftly drawn into the swamp of tax-funded greed.�

It�s the core western values of freedom and benefit which give rise to no �strong sense of right and wrong, or ability to resist temptation� that is at the root of government corruption not just in Britain but the entire world today including the Muslim world.

When Westminster politics is riddled with corruption how can anyone believe that these Western governments can ever bring a corruption free and accountable government in the Muslim world?

In Pakistan the current President Asif Zardari, the latest �ally in the war on terror�, was previously imprisoned for corruption and siphoning off public funds, so much so that he was given the title �Mr 10%�. Now he is President of the country who knows what percentage he will be known by at the end of his tenure?

SO HOW DID ISLAM ENSURE A CORRUPTION FREE POLITICS?

Whilst politics according to the western way of life is about power, ego, showbiz and material benefit emulated so well by the long list of rulers in our countries, Islam established politics as one of the highest responsibilities.

Politicians in Islam, whether they hold government posts or not, have a completely different viewpoint towards politics and their role within the state. Politics in Islam concerns looking after the affairs of people.The politician is the one who is a servant of the Ummah.They do not take any government post with the aim of achieving personal benefit. Rather they see their position as a responsibility that they will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment.

It is narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:�A man gave as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihi wa-salam) a slave who was called Mid�am.Whilst Mid�am was bringing down a saddle for the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihi wa-salam), an arrow came out of nowhere and killed him.The people said, �How fortunate he is! Paradise is his,� but the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihi wa-salam) said, �No, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, the cloak which he took from the war-booty on the day of Khaybar before the booty had been shared out will burn him with fire.� When the people heard that, a man came and brought one or two shoelaces to the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wa-salam) and said, �A shoelace of fire� or �Two shoelaces of fire.� [Bukhari & Muslim]

The war-booty (ghaneema) is one of the revenues of the Islamic State and part of the public funds. If someone was punished simply for stealing a piece of cloth from the public funds, what about the rulers in the Muslim world who have stolen $billions of oil and natural resources from the ummah?

So the first and foremost way to resolve the corruption in our countries is to remove the corrupt political culture that is dominant in our societies.Today the corrupt system ensures that only the most evil, corrupt and ruthless people win in the so called �free and fair� democratic elections overseen by the west.The corrupt political system that breeds corrupt politicians needs to be uprooted and a new system of politics established where only those sincere, trustworthy and upright individuals who have a track record of sacrifice for the ummah and are known in society for their iman and tawqa, run for positions of responsibility within

Building on al-Mawardi�s classical work Al-Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah, Hizb ut-Tahrir�s book Nidham ul-Hukm fil-Islam describes in great detail two institutions that are tasked with addressing government corruption. The first institution is an independent, powerful, judicial court called the Mahkamat al-Mazaalim (Court of Unjust Acts).The second is an elected house of peoples� representatives called the Majlis ul-Ummah (Council of the Ummah), whose decisions on certain affairs of state (not legislation) the Khaleefah is constitutionally obliged to accept.

The Mahkamat al-Mazaalim contains judges whose sole responsibility and expertise is government oppression (Mazlema), constitutional law and legislation. Unlike a standard court the judge (Qadi al-Mazaalim) has investigatory powers and can initiate a court case without a plaintiff. This court has the power to oblige government officials including the Khaleefah to pay back any money they took from public funds. Mismanagement of the public properties such as oil wealth or the imposition of unjust taxation on the people can all be investigated by this court and practically resolved through issuing a judgement that the officials must abide by.

Ibn �Umar said that when �Umar ibn al-Khattab was in need, he used to go to the man in charge of the Bait ul-Mal and seek a loan from him. Often he might be in difficulty and the man in charge of the public treasury would come to him, seeking repayment of the debt and would oblige him to pay it, and �Umar would be evasive to him.Then often �Umar would receive his stipend and so pay his debt.[ Suyuti, Tarikh al-Khulafa]

The Majlis ul-Ummah is comprised of elected representatives of the people who are voted in every five years.These representatives can be men, women, Muslim or non-Muslim.Accountability of government officials is one of the Majlis�s central tasks. It has the power to hold any government official accountable on all matters related to the state, and some of the Majlis�s decisions will be binding on the Khaleefah to enact.

In addition to the above institutions, Islam puts a burden on every individual in society to take care about the public affairs. Islam encourages and obliges on each and every Muslim to enjoin the good and forbid the munkar in society.

Furthermore Allah (SWT) encourages groups and parties to be established within the society to enjoin the good and forbid the munkar. �And let there be from among you a group(s) who invite to goodness, and command right conduct and forbid what is evil. Such are they who are successful.� [Ayat surah Al-Imran 104]

The famous example of the man who accounted Umar al-Khattab about the length of his shirt indicates the consciouness within people to account the rulers and hold them to task.

Government corruption in Britain or the Muslim world can never be resolved whilst the politicians hold on to the Capitalist values of freedom and benefit. No matter how many anti-corruption mechanisms they put in place, politicians will always find clever ways to hide their abuses.

Only when sincere Islamic politicians take the reins of power in the Muslim world, and establish a righteous Islamic government, the Khilafah will we again see rulers like Umar bin Abdul-Aziz who was so careful not to abuse the public funds that he wouldn�t even use a candle paid for from the Bait ul-Mal for his own personal use.

Hizb Ut Tahrir Condemns American Sponsored Bomb Attack in Lahore!

Scrooge — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:42:43 GMT

Hizb ut-Tahrir condemns American sponsored bomb attack in Lahore and demands that the Army and ISI give a fitting reply

To counter the growing negative opinion within the Ummah regarding the Malakand operation, American agencies have adopted lowly acts of aggression. The recent bomb blast in Lahore in front of the buildings of ISI and Rescue 15 is one such example. Hizb ut-Tahrir strongly condemns the bomb blast, perpetrated at the behest of the Americans and demands that the ISI and the Army give a befitting response. The practical way of doing this is that they give Nusrrah to Hizb ut-Tahrir for the establishment of the Khilafah, which will not only liberate the Muslims from American oppression, but the whole world.

Any observer of the political events of Pakistan knows that today�s incident only serves American interests. Especially when the heart-breaking stories of the displaced Muslims of Swat and the innocent civilians trapped in Buner and Dir have now started to make their way to the press. As time passes, the horror of the oppressive American operation has started to become more and more obvious to the Ummah. The masses have started to understand that whether it was the video of lashing a woman or images of destroyed schools, the actual purpose was to generate hatred against the militants and then directing it to start a military operation against the innocent people of Swat. People have also started to realise that the real target of America was not these few thousand militants, but rather the three million people of Swat who were driven out of their homes and forced to live under blazing sun along with their women, children and the elderly. People have started to understand that bombing a city with artillery and fighter jets, or starving the trapped civilians by enforcing curfew or providing virtually no facility for a common man to flee from the battle ground is not the way to fight the militants. Even India did not employ such tactics in Kashmir, nor Britain in Northern Ireland!! People have also started to observe that after every military operation the militants manage to escape to a new area and the government chases them to �conquer� that area. People have also started to realise that America wants to make Muslims fight Muslims in Pakistan just like what she did in Iraq and Afghanistan. In such a situation America clearly saw a strong wave of public opinion rising among the masses in opposition to the ongoing military operation which would have forced the government and the military to stop the operation. America had already seen one such example of public anger after the Red Mosque massacre. Therefore, the American agencies instantly came into motion and conducted bomb blasts in Peshawar and Lahore so that public opinion could be swayed in favour of the American war. We warn the Ummah about these American designs and call upon them to view these bomb blasts in its proper political context so that America fails to achieve her evil objectives. Islam condemns that a Muslim fights a fellow Muslim and no Muslim can perpetrate this heinous act of mass killing. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the glorious Qur�an:

وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِناً مُّتَعَمِّداً فَجَزَآؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِداً فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَاباً عَِيماً

�And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of All�h are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.� [Surah An-Nisa'a 4:93]

RasulAllah سلم و عليه الله صلى said,

إذا التقى المسلمان بسيفيهما فالقاتل والمقتول في النار , قلنا يا رسول الله هذا القاتل فما بال المقتول قال انه كان حريصا على قتل صاحبه

�When two Muslims face each other in fighting and one kills the other, then both the killer and the killed are in the hell-fire.� The Companions asked, �O Messenger of Allah, this is the killer - what about the poor person who has been killed?� The Prophet, سلم و عليه الله صلى, said �He had the intention to kill his companion.�

The purpose of lighting fires in various parts of Pakistan is to engage the people of the region so that they are not able to turn their attention to the American occupation in Afghanistan and help their Muslim brothers. Hence, this civil war is to turn the weapons away from the real enemy, America, and onto their own Muslim brothers. Moreover, America hopes to turn the Islam loving people away from Islam through spreading chaos. Furthermore, by stretching Pak Army on the western boarders, America is also making its defence capabilities weaker in comparison to India. America wants to confuse the people about the method of implementing Islam so that the people should feel that the struggle for implementation of Islam only produces further chaos, which only adds to the woes of the people. The reality is that there is no scope for militancy in the method to establish Islam, as is clear from the method derived from the life of RasulAllah (saw). Today, Hizb ut-Tahrir is working on the same path of intellectual and political struggle and asking for Nusrah (material support) that RasulAllah (saw) adopted during his work for thirteen years in Makkah.

We ask the fringe groups that support the Swat operation, whilst �enjoying� the �action� on TV from the comfort of their air conditioned drawing rooms- would they also demand a Swat like operation on their cities if few thousand militants entered their cities? Obviously not, so, if they would not like this for themselves, then why are they allowing this tragedy to fall upon their own brothers in Swat?

The fact of the matter is that a civil war in Pakistan to further American interests is devastating for Pakistan in all aspects. The Ummah should reject the state propaganda and stand up against the American crusade. The people should come out in hundreds of thousands to participate in peaceful protests and rallies to force the government to stop such operations. And they must convey a clear message that it is not just the people of Swat who long for Shari�ah, rather all the people of Pakistan want Islam. This is the only way to stop civil war in Pakistan and subsequently liberate her from the American crusade.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is taking out nationwide rallies on Sunday 31 May 2009 at 5 pm. The rallies will take place at Regal Chawk in Karachi, Nasir Bagh in Lahore and Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi. The purpose of these rallies is to prevent the people and our brothers in the Pak Army from becoming fodder in the American crusade. We call upon the Ummah that they participate in these rallies to raise the word of Truth against the tyranny in Swat and fulfil their Fard (obligation) of Amr bil Maruf wa nahi unil Munkar (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) which is an obligation on all Muslims. RasulAllah صلى الله عليه وسلم said,

كَلَّا وَاللَّهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلَتَأْخُذُنَّ عَلَى يَدَيْ الظَّالِمِ وَلَتَأْطُرُنَّهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ أَطْرًا وَلَتَقْصُرُنَّهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ قَصْرًاأَوْ لَيَضْرِبَنَّ اللَّهُ بِقُلُوبِ بَعْضِكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ ثُمَّ لَيَلْعَنَنَّكُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَهُمْ

�By Allah in whose hand my soul is, you must order for good and forbid evil, and seize the hand of oppressor and pull him towards al-Haq and keep him on truth, otherwise Allah will strike your hearts with each other and will curse you as he cursed children of Israel� [Abu Daud]

Naveed Butt

The Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Pakistan

3 Jumada al-Thanni 1430
27th May 2009

Muslim MPs: What good have they achieved?

Scrooge — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:52:21 GMT

Disgraced MPs Shahid Malik and Khalid Mahmood have made a packet for themselves � but what good have they done?

The MPs expenses scandal has not stopped. Last week Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik was exposed for his lavish spending subsidised by the taxpayer � including �730 for a massage chair and �2,600 for a home cinema system. He is defending himself against claims about his rent and his mortgage but has lost his ministerial post.

Now follows Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood who is defending himself against claims that he spent over �1300 - in a 5 star hotel at the taxpayers� expense.

Mahmood is most famous for an article published in his name in November 2001 supportive of the war against Afghanistan headlined The Five Myths Muslims Must Deny. Later it was revealed the article had not in fact been written by Mahmood, but by Denis MacShane � a former minister and viewed by some as having anti-Islamic attitudes.

People who misguidedly think that there is some good for Muslims in joining the system should think again. It is well known that to joining secular political parties or to be a �legislator� or ruler who rules by other than what Allah revealed, are all prohibited actions in Islam. But when we see people who have already done these wrongful things doing more and more wrong actions we can see how the secular capitalist political process takes people far away from their deen or principles.

There are some politicians who might start life with aspirations to serve their community, but are corrupted by the party machines and political process. They gradually allow any good intentions they had to be superseded by the priorities of the party machine, eventually supporting policies they came into politics to oppose. The �perks� they receive then reward their unprincipled actions, reinforcing the bad behaviour, until bad behaviour becomes normal behaviour.

There are lessons in this disastrous crisis for everyone, but this is one the Muslim community must learn. To think that any good can come out of doing haram actions is the sure road to disaster.

أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرُوُاْ الضَّلاَلَةَ بِالْهُدَى فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهْتَدِينَ

These are they who have sold Guidance for misguidance. But their trade is profitless, and they have lost true direction [TMQ 2:16]

Arson Attack on Luton Islamic Centre and Primary School

Scrooge — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:59:45 GMT

Last week a Luton Islamic centre and primary school was targeted by a firebomb, which was thrown through the rear of the building. No-one was hurt, however the fire destroyed 500-600 books and caused damage to a supporting wall. The Islamic centre houses a primary school where around 90 children attend.

Martin Peters, investigating, said: "It appears an accelerant was used and our immediate priorities include establishing who started this fire and why�

The Secretary of the Islamic Centre believes this was �an act of terrorism� and the work of �non-muslim extremists� as the Islamic centre has received numerous death threats over the past few weeks from far right groups. He believes that the attack may be linked to the Royal Anglian Parade back in March, where a group of muslim anti-war protestors opposed to the illegal war in Iraq and angry by the U.K�s government�s foreign policy generated headlines throughout the mainstream media for protesting as British troops, having returned from action in Iraq marched by. However, little media attention was given to the behaviour of other protestors who used threatening language and behaviour against the Muslims and led to the police having to intervene and lead the muslim protestors to safety.

Understandably, the muslim community in Luton is in shock and feeling vulnerable and alienated. Unfortunately, the Luton incident is one of many violent attacks to which the Muslim community in the UK has been exposed. Previously, a Bolton mosque was fire-bombed while there were children inside performing their prayers. Muslim cemeteries have been vandalized and desecrated. In Swindon, a 19-year-old Muslim woman wearing a headscarf was chased and beaten on the head with a baseball bat. In London, a Muslim cab driver was left paralyzed from the neck down after being hit with a bottle and then punched and kicked by three men. Since 7/7, a third of Britain's Muslims say they or their family members have suffered abuse or hostility and over two-thirds of the wider British public think that prejudice against Muslims has increased. Incidents are increasing and it is not surprising why.

Hardly a day goes by when there is not a negative news story about Muslims or Islam in the media. Following 7/7, the mainstream British media appeared to be given free rein to effectively demonise Islam and Muslims. It seemed that the Muslim community as a whole were paying the price for a terrorist crime in which they were in no way involved and for which they were not responsible. However, this did not stop Muslims being described by some in the media as a �fifth column�, a �Trojan horse� and the �enemy within,� leading to many muslims feeling unfairly vilified and criminalised. There has been a process of scaremongering, stereotyping and demonisation of Islam and Muslims, which in effect has contributed towards the British public viewing Muslims as a �suspect community.�

This marginalization will be further exacerbated by the Government�s latest and deeply worrying counterterrorism offering, �Contest 2,� which will potentially stigmatise any Islamic social or political views that are different from the State�s official line. A Muslim will be viewed as �extremist� if he or she does not adopt specific British shared values such as a belief in democracy, the freedom to insult people�s beliefs, the freedom for individuals to have any relationship they desire with any one they desire or have a national loyalty to the British state. According to a draft of the strategy leaked to the Guradian in February, they would also be labelled �extreme� if he or she believes in specific core Islamic ideas, such as the shariah law, or advocates a Caliphate (Islamic State), or believes in jihad or armed resistance anywhere in the world, such as the Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, or considers homosexuality in being a sin, or fails to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. Will this labelling process apply to non-muslims who don�t believe in homosexuality or illegal occupation?

With such ideas held by so many Muslims across the UK, the new strategy will only serve to further demonise an already alienated community. This coupled with the fact that as the European election draws closer, public mood is one of disillusionment and anger towards their elected members of parliament for 'fiddling' their expenses. This has led some political commentators to predict that this growing frustration may lead to increased support for far right groups, such as the BNP. Consequently, the Muslim community will no doubt have to brace itself for future Luton-style attacks on its mosques, its institutions as well as upon individual Muslims.

The Right Honourable Members?

Scrooge — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:06:57 GMT

The latest scandal to hit British politics is the expose of the way elected MP�s have been feathering their pockets with taxpayers money via outrageous expense claims.

The practice has been widespread across all parties and has only come to light after an MP has gone public with the practices and newspapers have gained access to the details of the claims historically made. Some of the worst excesses have been the practice of �flipping� or declaring a second home to be the main residence to enable specific 2nd property expense claims (which were supposed to be for MP�s which live far from London), claims for a second residence which in fact was a room in her sisters home (Home Secretary Jacqui Smith), a plethora of claims for dog food, cleaning the moat of the family castle, 100 pounds a pop for changing light bulbs and even repairs to the family tennis court. All while the man in the street is under threat of losing their job, suffers from below inflation wage increases, or salaries (such as Nurses) significantly lower than some of the MP expense claims. It is little wonder that confidence in Politicians is at an all time low ebb.

The mantra we have heard from many of those caught with their fingers in the public purse, is that they have done nothing wrong and that the �rules� � if one could call them that � allow such excess. The other argument put forward is that the politicians need to have generous expense allowances to make up for the low level of salary they draw. A salary which in some ways has not kept pace with inflation or recommended increases. It must be noted that in this respect the leaders of the respective ruling parties (Labour and Conservative) have both been happy to announce to the public that they would forgo rises to MP salaries to keep control over public spending. Claims which now ring very hollow when it is clear that the lavish expense allowances have more than made up for seeming probity over salary levels.

The current annual salary for an MP is �64,766. In addition, MPs receive allowances to cover the costs of running an office and employing staff, having somewhere to live in London and in their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency. It is surprising that many London based MP�s have also deemed it necessary to have a second home in London! The 64,766 salary (before expenses) at more than 2.5 times the national median wage (24,900), is hardly trivial and is surely sufficient for anyone that has the true public service sentiment at heart. Sir Alistair Graham former Chairman of the committee on standards in public life, writing in the Daily Mail wrote:

�For too long, too many MPs have been abusing the taxpayer by unethically claiming parliamentary allowances to enhance what they see as an inadequate salary.�

However, the argument that MP salaries should be much higher in order to attract candidates of the highest caliber breaks down when one considers the very high numbers who run for office from all walks of life and experience.

The problem essentially stems from a core issue within secular capitalism. If you give the lawmakers � in this case parliament � the right to legislate including their own salaries/expenses they will abuse it. The pursuit of personal gain within capitalism is pervasive, and not limited to UK politicians. From company directors, to heads of public bodies, to those in positions of ruling, where those responsibilities extend to setting their own remuneration, the results have been consistently in their own favour. Western Politics is also seen as a gravy train to related directorships (those most involved in the Privatisation programmes in the Thatcher days, Lord Tebbit, Lord Walker, et al, all achieved lucrative directorships when retiring from the House of Commons). The lure of the speaker circuit and book contracts is also there for those reaching the highest levels. It is a poor politician indeed that cannot establish a key network of contacts that will ensure lucrative employment or further business opportunities post sitting in Parliament.

The whole notion of public service requires a different outlook. I am reminded of the incident during the rule of Omar bin al Khattab, the second Khaleefah when he was publicly challenged over the size of his cloak (the state was effectively rationing cloth in a very difficult time) and Omar was accused of having more than the one assigned piece! Rather than hide the fact that he was indeed wearing a garment made of more than one piece (he was after all a large man) it was left to his son, Ibn Omar to explain that he had given his own piece to his father.

Islamic history is littered with examples of selfless public service. Abdur-Rahman an Nasser was the Amir that opened Andalus (Spain) to Islam. As the Wali (governor) he appointed officers to look after the erection of new buildings (town planners) in accord to the Prophet�s (saw) command:

�The neighbor has the right over his neighbor in two things, firstly, to be free from bad cooking smells, and secondly for him not to build higher than his house.�

He also assigned officers to look after the milk, to ensure that the milk was not watered down. He appointed environmental health officers to inspect meat and other foodstuffs on sale, ensuring that the produce was well protected from flys and insects. He built hostels for the travellers and so scrupulous was he in his accounting of the public assets he would put out the candle he was using from the government store and alight a personal candle when attending to personal business. So busy was he with the affairs of state, that on his death when the people read his personal diaries they found that throughout his entire rule of 55 years, 7 months, and 3 days in office, he had only 14 days free from affairs of state. And on his death he had nothing to leave, he died poor.

In looking at such cases it is important not to assume that this is merely the results of strong principled individuals. The Islamic society is built upon key values which are built upon accountability to Allah (swt) rather than whether the individual will be caught by journalists or a court of public opinion. The values include the notion that authority in Islam is a trust and must be taken with full responsibility and concern for fulfilling that responsibility. The Muslim will seek reward in the hereafter.

There is little surprise that the public in the UK is turning off politics when their elected representatives have been so badly exposed. The democratic idea of assuming the people (or the elites dominating public opinion) will objectively and independently decide right from wrong to the benefit of all is fundamentally flawed. The Muslim world too has suffered from this corruption since the decline of the Caliphate and Islamic rule was replaced with man made rules and laws. But it is this very failure of democracy which is leading to a revival in the call for Shariah throughout the Muslim world � the West has long lost any form of leadership whether moral, economic or political.

Islam - Religion of peace or submission?

Scrooge — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:33:23 GMT

Muslims are accused of being terrorists. Islam is accused of being predominantly violent, even spread by the sword. In such times it would be understandable that some Muslims would try to defend Islam by emphasising the oft-overlooked, peaceful side of the deen.

However, unduly exaggerating any aspect of the Islamic way of life distorts the true picture. It can be dangerous, for it can play right into the hands of those who wish to harm Islam and Muslims by promoting certain aspects of Islam and censoring others. Many of those who accuse Islam know full well that their words are little more than a shallow attempt to divert attention from true debate about the merits of the Islamic way of life. Moreover, their policy is aimed at putting pressure on Muslims to leave the pure Islamic way of thinking. They wish, instead, that Muslims become preoccupied with cost-benefit analyses before undertaking any action, instead of looking to what Allah is most pleased with. By adopting a distorted Islam, we could be undermining the foundations of what it means to be a Muslim.

It is not uncommon to hear the phrase �Islam means peace�. It is said that Islam and salaam (Arabic for peace) have the same root, so therefore peace is the core of Islam. The inference is that Islam IS peace, meaning that wherever peace is found, then this is Islam. Islam can then become any form of peace - even by surrendering to or remaining silent about oppressive murderers; accepting a peace process with Israel (even though it is forbidden in the shari�ah); or indeed appeasing every occupation of Muslim lands. In this representation of Islam, the shari�ah ceases to be the measure to judge actions by, replaced by whatever is judged at any particular time as most peaceful.

Linguistically this is a mistake. Islamically it is a catastrophe. It may be true that both words share the letters S L M, however, there are many words sharing the same three root letters. Only silm, salm and salaam are mentioned in Arabic dictionaries as having peace (Did alharb) among their meanings. Even salm and salaam both have the meaning surrender as well. More importantly though, when understanding any word in the Qur�an or Sunnah it is necessary for it to keep the meaning as used by the Arabs at the time of revelation, unless there is text to give it a more specific meaning. For instance, Salah in the language of the Arabs means to supplicate (du�aah), yet Islamic texts gave it a specific meaning of the act of prayer performed five times a day by Muslims. No Muslim would argue that merely making du�aah five times per day fulfilled the second pillar of Islam.

In his tafsir of: �No, whosoever surrenders himself to God, while doing good, he will have his reward with his Lord. There will be no fear over them, nor will they grieve� [Qur�an 2:112] Tabari mentions �He means with �islam al-wajh (Islam of the face): to make oneself low, and submissiveness to His order. The origin of �al-islam� is: surrendering (istislaam), because it is from �I surrendered to his order� meaning submitting to his order. The Muslim is only called a muslim with the submission of his body to the obedience of his Lord.�

Qamus al-Muhit defines al-islam as �obedience, concession and surrender� Qurtabi says in his tafseer �al-islam in the language of the Arabs: surrendering, obedience and submitting�

So, the word Islam has submission at the heart of its linguistic meaning, and has been given a specific Islamic meaning of surrendering, obedience and submitting to Allah without resistance.

In fact, this is the very heart of what it means to be a Muslim. Submitting one�s very desires to Allah is the highest form of worship. Submission is what Allah asks of us and is the naturally sensible thing to do. Every thing in existence is submitting to Allah against its will as all submit to the laws of the universe set by Allah. Humans have free will to choose what actions to perform. By submitting our actions to a system of rules (the shari�ah) designed by their Creator is certainly sensible. By willingly submitting our will to the Will of Allah, such that we do not even desire for that which would displease Allah, is an even purer worship to Him.

Allah asks us to ponder �Do they then seek the judgement of Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allah for a people who have firm faith?� [Qur�an 5:50]

He informs us that the path to betterment is willingly submitting ourselves to His system, by referring all matters back to what His Messenger, Muhammad (saw), brought.

�But no, by your Lord, they will not have faith, until they make you (Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept with full submission� [Qur�an 4:65]

The submitting Muslim is grateful to His Lord for all His favours. He is ever thankful that Allah has given clear guidance and the shari�ah as a way to Him. He turns in repentance to His Lord for past ingratitude and wants only to submit to whatever pleases Allah most.

The submitting Muslim, faced with any problem, asks �what solution would please my Lord?� He searches the Islamic texts for a text or an indication whether Allah is pleased or displeased with a certain course of action. He then submits fully to that rule, adopting it as the hukm shari�i (Islamic rule) for him. Were he unable to derive the rule from the text, as most many Muslims today are, then he asks those who are able.

If the submitting Muslim heard that his adopted Islamic rule was disliked by other people, he does not go back to the text to find a more pleasing rule. That would not be submitting to Allah, but to peer-pressure or public opinion. Ultimately both would entail following his or their desires.

Allah says �And so judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their desires, but beware of them lest they turn you away from even some of what was revealed to you� [Qur�an 5:49]

The submitting Muslim is not like the lawyer, who looks at what technical point of law or precedent he can use to serve his purpose. It is the truth of the matter that counts. The submitting Muslim does not search the historical jurists� opinions looking for a ruling that suits his own agenda, adopting any shaadh (obscure) opinion. Allah has warned against this grave error many times. The submitting Muslim has taqwa (fear and consciousness of Allah) to help him decide what ruling to adopt. His only concern is what is most pleasing to Allah. Without this, he has only legal wranglings which miss the very point of Islam: submission.

Allah says �Whoever accepts other than Submission as his religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be with the losers� [Qur�an 3:85]

Peace has its place in Islam. It is what we wish for each other in the next life, as we pray to Allah in our standard greeting �As-Salaamu alaikum�. It is a rule of foreign policy after treaties have been concluded. It is the natural consequence of implementing the Islamic shariah in the Islamic state, as it is the basic way of dealing between the citizens of society, Muslim or not. It is the settled state of the heart and mind of the believing submitting Muslim. Other beliefs may give temporary or partial peace of mind, but only Islam gives permanent inner peace, as only Islam is built upon the mind and agrees with human nature.

In the end, despite whichever label people wish to place on Islam, Islam has submission to Allah�s deen at its heart.

�Have you seen those who claim to believe in what has been sent down to you, and what was sent down before you? They wish to go to the taghut for judgement, while they have been ordered to reject it. Shaytaan wishes to lead the far astray.�

Compulsory sex education for 5 year olds: The state�s liberal indoctrination?

Scrooge — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:13:30 GMT

�O you who believe. Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.� [TMQ At-Tahrim 66:6]

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

The latest news that sex education is to be made compulsory for five-year olds in schools and children as young as 11 are to be taught about same-sex relationships will cause new alarm amongst Muslim parents. Details were published in April of how personal, social and health education (PSHE) will be made compulsory. It means that all secondary schools in England will for the first time have to teach a core curriculum about sex and contraception in the context of teenagers' relationships - previously schools only had to teach the fundamentals of reproduction, contraception and puberty in science lessons .

Sir Alasdair Macdonald�s review does includes a clause allowing schools to apply their "values" to the lessons. This means teachers in faith schools should be free to tell them that having sex outside of marriage or homosexuality is wrong. This has lead to an outcry amongst some liberals who argue that faith schools should not enjoy any such opt out.

While the review has recommended that the existing right to a parental opt-out should be maintained, some schools, especially in areas with significant Muslim pupils, hide the right parents have to withdraw their children from SRE classes and prevent parents that choose to exercise this right by what can only be described as underhand methods.

Accepting that children will engage in sexual relations at a younger age and the state�s promotion of �alternative lifestyles� (homosexuality) has led to a whole host of measures. In July, students at four schools in Oxfordshire will be able to text the school nurse for morning after pills. This is nothing new, schools across the country are able to provide the morning after pill to young children without their parents knowledge and this facility is available over the counter at pharmacies nationwide. These are merely the latest examples of a values free approach to sex and relationship education replacing a clearly defined moral framework for acceptable behaviour. In truth, it is the promotion of liberal values to children.

Muslim parents have an Islamic duty towards our children in building a future generation that lives by Islam and adheres to the Islamic values. We believe marriage is the fulfillment of half of ones deen, the only means by which a sexual relationship between a man and woman can occur and a cornerstone from which family life springs. Despite the assault on the family, the sexualisation of our children via television, advertising, the fashion industry and the society in general, we must fight to uphold this sacred institution.

Muslim parents must be the role models in raising our children, nurturing them through following the example of our beloved Messenger Muhammad (saw). We must build a strong link to practical hayaa (modesty), so that our children appreciate something which is described as the character of Islam. We must also safeguard our community from replicating the state that has befallen other communities, in which �progress� has brought compromise of fundamental values, such that pre-marital and extra-marital relations are no longer considered as negative actions. We must also shun the attempts to normalize homosexual relationships in our children�s minds and Muslim parents should oppose the teaching of sex education and homosexuality to children.

There is a big push from sexual health lobbies to push the bar for their liberal agenda, many want the parental right to an opt-out withdrawn and a final decision has yet to be made even on this fundamental point. As a public consultation was launched on the 29th April, Muslim parents, schools and community organisations must voice opposition to these proposals. Muslim parents must explain our moral standards to schools and be prepared to take steps to protect our children�s morals and values from a growing agenda to impose liberal values upon them.

The case of Steven Green: �Not the only rotten apple� in western armies

Scrooge — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:10:23 GMT

Last week, a jury convicted Steven Green, a former US soldier of raping and fatally shooting a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, Abeer Qassim Al-Janabi, after killing her parents and 6 year old sister in cold blood.

This disgusting act of barbarity against the young Iraqi girl and her family, took place on the 12th March 2006 and was said to have been a pre-meditated act. There will no doubt be anger from the Muslim Ummah when such realities are revealed; but it will sadly come as no shock.
As it will be on the back of cases such as that of Baha Mousa who was found dead while in British Custody in 2003. Seven soldiers were charged over his death, but only one was convicted - of inhumane treatment of a prisoner.

It will be on the back of cases of inmates held in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, where they were subjected to unspeakable levels of humiliation and torture. Yet again no high ranking officers in the US army ever stood trial.

It will be on the back of the Haditha massacre in Iraq in November 2005, where a group of US marines slaughtered 24 Iraqi civilians in cold blood to avenge the death of a comrade killed by a bomb. The victims included women and five children between the ages of 2 and 14 whose bodies were found still in their night clothes.

It will be on the back of the massacre by US forces on March 15th 2006 in the town of Ishaqi. Iraqi police claimed that the US soldiers had shot eleven civilians in a house, execution-style before blowing up the building. The dead, of which were four women and five children, included a six month year old baby and seventy five year old grandmother.

What lies at the heart of the argument in Steven Green�s trial presented by his defence team, is the claim that soldiers his unit - the 101st Airborne Division - �lacked leadership and received little help to deal with the loss of friends in combat�. The fact that Green�s division had lost many colleagues in the war in the previous few weeks was used as a reason the rape and murder of innocents occurred � the very innocents that US soldiers have allegedly gone there to protect. It would seem abundantly clear that in choosing to join the army, choosing to engage in combat and warfare, knowing that one day one might be expected to occupy foreign lands and participate in armed missions against those who vehemently oppose that occupation in their lands, that soldiers would understand that death and bloodshed are inevitable hazards of their profession.

It is clear that such heinous acts are in fact not isolated, nor an issue of a few rotten apples but rather endemic within institutions such as the British and American army. Afterall, these soldiers hail from the same freedom- loving societies, driven by the pursuit of individualistic desires, which seem to be challenged with lacking a moral compass for their youth � many of which have no respect for cultures other than their own. In this particular case, prosecutors told jurors that the plot against the family was hatched among Green and his fellow soldiers who were playing cards and drinking at a checkpoint. Talk then turned to having sex with Iraqi women when one soldier mentioned the al-Janabi family, who lived nearby.

Is it not clear for the world to now judge that these army units and their US and British leaderships to whom they answer, are in fact guilty of innumerable heinous crimes? That the continued occupation by nations which wish to force their values upon the Muslim world by the gun, has and will continue to result in the killing and dishonouring of our brothers and sisters?

We must realise that there can be no rest or ease for this Ummah while under the guise of democracy and liberty, which countries such as America and Britain use to justify the occupation of our lands. Indeed, it is the case that many, like our dear 14 year old sister Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and her family have suffered from the ugly face of such decadent values.

It is the Khilafah system that will mete out justice and security for all and our duty must be to strive and work hard so that the honour and dignity of the Ummah worldwide is shielded by the Khaleefah of the Muslims such that the continued violation of the blood of our brothers and sisters comes to a grinding halt.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ لِلّهِ شُهَدَاء بِالْقِسْطِ وَلاَ يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلاَّ تَعْدِلُواْ اعْدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ إِنَّ اللّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

�O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do." [Al-Maidah 5:8]