NTM 1221 | NewTrendMag.org

NewTrendMag.org News # 1221 [ Click on NEWS for back issues ][ OUR BOOKS ]

Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief

Jamada al-Awwal 14,1429/ May 20, 2008, #30

Is Peace with Honor Possible? Watch for the International Islamic Conference for Peace and Awareness

Muslims of America are taking the initiative. Authentic Scholars, teachers, grassroots activists invited on August 16, 2008

This is not a money based movement. Committees are being set up in various cities to make Peace a broad based movement. Your help will make this groundbreaking event possible.

The Conference has its own web site.
Please go to: www.JAM4PEACE.org
Donate to help this FIRST STEP towards peace. Talk to Br. Aziz if you want to make suggestions for the success of the conference.

WAR NEWS: [1]
U.S. General Apologizes: Qur'an used for Target Practice: Outrage in Iraq

May 17, 2008: An association of Islamic scholars in Iraq distributed photos of a Qur'an used by U.S. troops for target press in the Radhwaniya area west of Baghdad. In the photos New Trend received, the pictures show bullet holes in the Qur'an. The sources, checked by CNN, say that a four letter obscenity had been scrawled by U.S. soldiers on the Qur'an.

The desecration took place on May 9 and the desecrated Qur'an was found by Iraqis on May 11. The story was kept hidden for a whole week after which the U.S. military came forth with an elaborate public relations exercise to defuse the tension. An American general gathered Iraqis working for the U.S, brought forth a new copy of the Qur'an, kissed it and asked forgiveness of the Iraqis.

Documented instances show that the U.S. military in Iraq as a matter of course attacks all that is sacred to Islam. During the U.S. attacks on Fallujah and other western cities where the Islamic resistance known as al-Qaida-in-Iraq had taken root, the U.S. military destroyed almost all mosques and Islamic schools and tried to justify its actions by saying that 'extremists' had taken over. New Trend published a photo of U.S. troops camping in a mosque.

In a similar public relations exercise, the U.S. built a new mosque to replace the destroyed ones. [A photo of the "new mosque" was published in ISNA's magazine Islamic Horizons.]
[Editorial comment: Chaplain Yee, who tried to be compassionate to Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo Bay cages, has documented in great detail that the U.S. uses desecration of the Qur'an on an ONGOING BASIS to demoralize and break Muslims. See Yee's book For God and Country. It's a brilliant book by a Muslim who sees America as a land of goodness and decency and could not accept the desecration of the Qur'an. He gradually realized that the policy of desecration of the Qur'an was coming from the top. I would say that the U.S. power structure is making a serious mistake. Such abuse far from demoralizing the Muslims is broadening the base of resistance. Gradually the Muslims are realizing that the American power structure is waging a war on Islam with all its power and resources.

War News [2]
Story About Iranian Weapons Collapses

CASMII Press Release
10 May 2008
"US confession: Weapons were not made in Iran after all"
In a sharp reversal of its longstanding accusations against Iran arming militants in Iraq , the US military has made an unprecedented albeit quiet confession: the weapons they had recently found in Iraq were not made in Iran at all.
According to a report by the LA Times correspondent Tina Susman in Baghdad: "A plan to show some alleged Iranian-supplied explosives to journalists last week in Karbala and then destroy them was canceled after the United States realized none of them was from Iran. A U.S. military spokesman attributed the confusion to a misunderstanding that emerged after an Iraqi Army general in Karbala erroneously reported the items were of Iranian origin. When U.S. explosives experts went to investigate, they discovered they were not Iranian after all."
The US , which until two weeks ago had never provided any proof for its allegations, finally handed over its "evidence" of the Iranian origin of these weapons to the Iraqi government. Last week, an Iraqi delegation to Iran presented the US "evidence" to Iranian officials. According to Al-Abadi, a parliament member from the ruling United Iraqi Alliance who was on the delegation, the Iranian officials totally refuted "training, financing and arming" militant groups in Iraq. Consequently the Iraqi government announced that there is no hard evidence against Iran.
In another extraordinary event this week, the US spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, for the first time did not blame Iran for the violence in Iraq and in fact did not make any reference to Iran at all in his introductory remarks to the world media on Wednesday when he described the large arsenal of weapons found by Iraqi forces in Karbala.
In contrast, the Pentagon in August 2007 admitted that it had lost track of a third of the weapons distributed to the Iraqi security forces in 2004/2005. The 190,000 assault rifles and pistols roam free in Iraqi streets today.
In the past year, the US leaders have been relentless in propagating their charges of Iranian meddling and fomenting violence in Iraq and since the release of the key judgments of the US National Intelligence Estimate in December that Iran does not have a nuclear weaponisation programme, these accusations have sharply intensified.
The US charges of Iranian interference in Iraq too have now collapsed. Any threat of military strike against Iran is in violation of the UN charter and the IAEA's continued supervision on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities means there is no justification for sanctions.
CASMII calls on the US to change course and enter into comprehensive and unconditional negotiations with Iran.
For more information or to contact CASMII please visit
http://www.campaigniran.org

Letter: Re. Siraj Wahhaj and Abdul Malik "Mujahid.": Supporters of Tyrants

I think Br Haider Bhuiyan's criticism of Dr Siddique is really misplaced.
Remember any one who is in public life is prone to criticism. The person attacked should respond and set the record straight. What we find is that those who are criticized by New Trend do not respond and the readers get the impression rightly that the charges levelled against such people are correct.

Most of the so-called leaders of Muslim community in the West do not come out in support of Muslim and non-Muslim causes. It is left to, sadly, non-Muslims to condemn the policies of the West and speak out. One such person is Danny Glover ["Lethal Weapon" fame] who is not jumping on the bandwagon to support Obama just because he is black. He says quiet rightly that "A campaign is built on certain principles that get you elected. A movement is based on how we really envision the nuts and bolts of change. So far Obama has built a campaign, he says. "We need a movement". Mr Danny Glover puts succintly the power we each have and says " I really believe we can be architects of our own rescue. We will all face judgement," he says, speaking in the authoritative drawl used for his most portentious lines, "At the end of my time, I want somebody to say: "He tried to do the right thing.". [ Indepdendent on Sunday, London 4 May 2008 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/danny-glover-ready-to-shoot-820875.html ]

The litmus test of right and wrong is surely one's attitude to illegal wars and detention without trials, and support of tyrants by American Government.
How many of our leaders come out openly against the policies of American Government? Sadly very few.

Shaikh Mohommad

Critical Letter: Quotes from New Trend: Why is New Trend Saying that "Slavery is Shirk" or that Nouri al-Maliki is an Apostate or that USA is Racist?

[Recently this reader conveyed his unhappiness with New Trend. We asked him to provide specific references for his unhappiness. This is his response]

As Salaamu Alaykum

What follows are some extracts from New Trend which demonstrate what exactly I am referring to in my previous letter. In a recent article New Trend is quoted metaphorly depicting some muslims as "...prostrating in front of the power of the White House..." and in that same article refers to a muslim Congressman as "...such a Uncle Tom..." ( New Trend May 11th edition ). The problem in this quote is its alusion to shirk and reference to a fellow muslim who is Afro-American by a derogatory term used almost exclusively for Afro-Americans (uncletom)!

In the April 30th edition we find such quotes as "Slavery is shirk, the greatest sin in Islam...Monarchy is HARAM...It is shirk because only Allah is the RULER." This is utter by the same mouth that praises Umar Khattab radiallahu anhu, who own slaves even after the death of the Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam, or did the second greatest muslim of all time not know he was committing shirk. The article goes on to infer that Muslim kings cooked-up scholars who would later claim "...Islam permits slavery but slave should be treated well...", this view of Islamic history comes from pure opinion.

On June 18th '07 New Trend refers to Nouri al-Maliki as an "apostate", though again this is a huge claim that Maliki is a non-believer of which the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam informs us that if such claims are not true unbelief or kufr will be for the one making the claim. This has been an affair which many scholars have been shy to lay direction claims of kufr fearing Allah would inflict them with the sin.

In Victimized by Racism in Corporate America (April 30th 2008 the triple k in America is assumed not to be a typo) a security guard doing his job (whether diplomatically or not) is immediately labeled as a "racist" looking for the first opportunity to ruin someone's life because he is a "fool [who]...thinks his race makes him superior..." all because he question a man in a grocery store for not having a receipt upon exiting and escorted him to his manager who later apologized. The Conclusion of the article "The spirit of Zionism permeates this corrupt and backwards nation..." is blatantly racist and prejudice.

Their is are many examples Zaid Shakir and Hamzah Yusuf are called opportunist and are condemned by the Qur'an in June 18th '06 edition. In May 31st 2007 Zaid "loves his masters [and is] against the ummah of Islam" (June 20th '06). What is the proof of this and how could anyone say this so easily as if these claims don't justify necessity and explict proof and relevance. Simply put what is the bennifit of such statements.

I could go on...and on...and on, but the point is that to make a claim, it first must be justified and secondly it must be true. If it were true and not justified it is still backbitting which is most certainly HARAM. If it is not true then it is a LIE and is also HARAM. Having taqwa necessitates knowing these things.

Joseph Robinson [Baltimore, Maryland]

Editorial Response by Kaukab Siddique:

Dear reader: Walaikum asalam
Much of what is referred to as Islam nowadays is in violation of the original teachings of Islam. U.S. Muslims are often not taught what Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him considered Islam. They are given some formulas to go by, which though enough to start off as Muslims do not suffice to give an authentic understanding of Islam.
Islam is not a religion in the conventional sense. It does not restrict itself to forms and rituals of worship but looks at life in its totality. One of the key teachings of Islam, which is connected to TAWHEED and RISALAT is that AUTHORITY BELONGS TO ALLAH ALONE. Slavery, which creates a master-servant relationship, is not allowed in Islam. In fact the fundamental objective of Islam is to FREE the SLAVE [Surah al-Balad]. Part of the Islamic treasury has to be spent to free slaves. All the great Companions of the Prophet, p, freed slaves. The Prophet, p, has given a flat out command, recorded in Sahih Hadith: ".... Free the captives." The Prophet, p, has also taught that the prayer of one who enslaves a free person will not be accepted by Allah Almighty. [Check Sahih al-Bukhari .]

Did Umar ibn al-Khattab, r.a., himself own slaves, thus violating the teachings of Islam? That's not true. Many times slaves who were freed joined the families of those who freed them, because they did not have tribes of their own, and are referred to as "slaves" rather than as "freed slaves" in our books. Salim, may Allah be pleased with him, was one of the freed slaves of Umar, r.a., and is one of the greatest narrators of Hadith. He was certainly not a slave.

Reading books of Hadith requires scholarship and close scrutiny. The Muwatta of Imam Malik, for instance, contains narrations about slaves which are not from the Prophet, pbuh, but are the views of people who lived in the era of kingship when the Muwatta was transmitted. Hadith of the Prophet, pbuh, is part of Islam: the views of others are not.

You must start studying the Qur'an on an ongoing basis. You will find that Allah does not accept any COOPERATION with oppressors. The Qur'an calls people who judge by other than the commands of Allah, unbelievers. Even slight cooperation is not permitted with oppressors. Nouri al-Maliki is a CIA agent who not only is cooperating with the oppressors but is fighting Muslims on behalf of the oppressors.

When you criticize New Trend, you must look at the context of the criticism. We don't indulge in criticism in a random way just to put people down. Very serious developments have taken place in America to infiltrate Muslim communities. Hamza Yusuf, for instance, claimed that the authenticity of the Qur'an itself will be in question if Muslims question the Jewish story of the Holocaust. Did you check out this report in New Trend? For the activities of Zaid Shakir see below.

New Trend has been illustrating for years that racism is institutionalized in this country. The webmaster's article about racism in America is merely an illustration of this truth. I would suggest that you continue reading New Trend. If you think racism is not a major issue, read some of the books which have been recommended in these columns. "Uncle Tom" is used to refer to African-Americans who unquestioningly follow white people, as the character "Uncle Tom" did in the famous story.

As for backbiting, Muslims often confuse it with criticism of public issues and policies. Actions done in public must not only be criticized in public but Muslims are duty bound to do so. Good wishes to you!

To help Br. Joseph and new readers, we provide here the context of some of the criticism New Trend has published. See the next three items

From our archive:
Qadianism in a New Guise: ISNA Desecrating Islam Under U.S. Protection.

[In India, the British supported Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani in their efforts to nationalize Islam. The Qadianis taught the irrelevance of Jihad and spoke of the British imperial power as the paragon of excellence. The Qadianis (also called "ahmeddis" or "mirzais") were difficult to detect because they prayed like Hanafis and wore beards and hijabs. They fooled Muslims for quite a while. -Ed. note]

ISNA Proud of its Pentagon Connection: Still Claims to be Muslim

In its May/June 2006 issue, Islamic Horizons, a publication of ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] proudly presents its connection to the Pentagon and support for aggression against the Muslims of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The report titled "ISNA at Pentagon Meeting" is on page 8 of Islamic Horizons with a large multicolored photo of Ahmed Elhattab, Acting Secretary General of ISNA, standing under a large logo of the Pentagon. Elhattab is smiling broadly, his face lit up, as if he has reached his paradise.

The ISNA report is very matter of fact, as if this kind of activity is normal in Islamic life. It states: "Ahmed Elhattab, acting ISNA secretary general and executive director of the ISNA Development Foundation (IDF), attended the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference [JCOC] Alumni Event at the Pentagon, Jan.26-27. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld addressed the event."

Rumsfeld addressed the event? Would any decent Muslim be proud of such an association with the mass murderer of Iraq? Some Jews would not be proud of it.[Note the irony of "IDF" which escaped ISNA.]

As if that is not sufficient to establish ISNA as a puppet organization, the report indicates that America's war activity against Muslims was updated to the participants, along with concerns about the "challenges" the military is facing. Here is the ISNA report again:

"Event participants met with Department of Defense officials and attended a brief discussion on the challenges faced by military services in recruiting the future force of 2020. They received updates from senior DOD officials on combat operations, troop strength, and troop morale in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also participated in a working lunch and engaged in discussion on the latest national strategy for Homeland Defence."

New Item FBI's MEN AMONG MUSLIMS

ISNA's Vice President, "imam" Magid, runs ADAMS center, a place of pro-government religious activity. Magid is quite impressive at a distance: he speaks Arabic, wears a turban, has a prayer mark.Many naive Muslims are misled by his religious looks. Look at his behavior and it soon becomes clear that he is an outright MUNAFIQ. His nifaq is blatant and carried out under the protection of the regime. Check out the ADAMS Center web site and the list of activities of "Imam" Magid. He is a frequent bootlicker of Jewish Rabbis. In fact, he could get a medal from the regime for being the most frequent visitor to Synagogues and Rabbis from among the Muslim community. [Only Syed Sayeed, the former Secretary General of ISNA, can come anywhere near Magid in this shameful activity.]

But visiting the leaders of the friends of Israel was not enough to get Magid his full approval from the Bush administration. He is one of the key people involved in bringing the FBI into the Muslim communities. The ADAMS center web site proudly announces as follows:

"The ADAMS Center serves on an advisory council to the FBI Washington Field Office.
We have hosted FBI Town Hall meetings at the ADAMS Center."

If that is not enough for you, call ADAMS center and you will find that Native Dean [Deal] man Joshua Salam has found a place of "leadership" to guide youth in ADAMS center. Check New Trend's web site to read about Native Dean man Joshua's trips to various parts of the Muslim world organized by the STATE DEPARTMENT of the U.S. government and often hosted by American embassies in various countries.

Archive
"American Islam:" The New Qadianism

Zaid Shakir: Beloved of the Zionist Media and ISNA Claimed Worldwide Muslim Protests against Cartoons of the Prophet, pbuh, were terroristic!

By Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D

Sis. Balquis [Alabama], an African-American sister who has spent her life serving the cause of Allah, has brought to my attention that Zaid Shakir's abusive and cheap shot attack on President Saddam Hussein [shaheed] was only the tip of the iceberg. No Muslim worth the name would approve of the murder of even an ordinary Muslim on his religious holiday, Eid al-Adha. Here we had Zaid Shakir, of Zaytuna Institute, sidekick of Hamza Yusuf, attacking the martyred President of a Muslim nation and leader of the resistance. Shakir showed that he is merciless against Muslims and loves his masters.

Now our sister Balquis has sent information which indicates that Zaid Shakir is in much deeper: even in the case of the cartoons of the Prophet, pbuh, distributed worldwide by the enemies of Islam, Shakir blamed not the oppressors and worldwide Zionism but the Muslims who protested against the outrage!

What happened to such a seemingly nice young man as Zaid Shakir used to be, many years back pretending to be "Malcolm X!" How low Allah has brought him in his drive to be popular in Bush's America. Looks like he believes the Zionist media's accounts of Muslim protests. These are Shakir's words about the protests:

"I do not mean to imply that Muslims are not justifiably angry over the caricatures. However, I would agree with those who argue that responses that involve wild outbreaks of frenzied violence are inappropriate, and they only affirm what the cartoonist is trying to imply. Namely, that Islam is a religion that encourages obscurantist violence and terrorism."

"Outbreaks of frenzied violence!," "obscurantist violence and terrorism!" These are the words Shakir has taken from the vocabulary of George Bush and the Zionists about Muslims. All over the world, millions of Muslims protested peacefully and in a very disciplined manner. The nearest they came to "violence" was the burning of the flags of countries which published the cartoons. The real violence occurred when despotic regimes, as in Libya, gunned down Muslims protesting against the cartoons.

So influenced is Shakir by enemy propaganda that he takes a high and mighty stance. His words again:

"...it is all too easy to get swept up into the mob hysteria generated by the crowd, and then engage in outrageous actions that only affirm the offensive claims of the transgressing cartoonist."

Shakir is a true flag waver and loves his masters as against the entire ummah of Islam. This is how he describes the motivation [niyya] of the protestors against the cartoons:

"superficial shows of piety, and counterproductive one-upmanship militancy."

Thus for Shakir, the Islam of the Muslim masses is "superficial" and those who put their lives on the line are involved in "one-upmanship miltancy." Does Zaid Shakir give any evidence for his condemnation of the Muslim ummah? No. Of course not. His behavior is not very very different from that of the Qadianis who used to claim that uprising against the British is futile.

Shakir gives a weak argument from the suffering of the Prophet, pbuh, at Taif. The Prophet, pbuh, forgave those who tormented him at Taif, so we should forgive those who are making cartoons of the Prophet, pbuh. What a twisted and weak argument. If Zaid Shakir is under attack by a non-Muslim or someone is making cartoons of Shakir, perhaps Shakir should forgive him. [Shakir is living comfortably in Zaytuna Institute in California. The unbelievers love hm because he opposes the Ummah.]

From a false premise, Shakir argues against the Muslims protesting the cartoons. He does not realize that the attack on the Prophet, pbuh, is an attack on Islam, on the entire Islamic world. It is an act of war. It's not a personal matter. Shakir is misusing Islam. The Prophet, pbuh, forgave when he was under personal abuse by misled people but surely Shakir knows that when the oppressors attacked Islam, the Prophet, pbuh, fought back.

Acting as a true representative of "American Islam," Shakir refers to a strategy he has [or perhaps Zaytuna has?] which the Muslim world is ignoring. What strategy? Come on, Zaid Shakir, we too live in the US of A! You can't fool us. What strategy? Shakir and Hamza Yusuf have no strategy, other than assimilation, kow-towing to the people in power, trying to please the slave masters. [Hamza Yusuf et al do not teach the authentic Islam of the Qur'an and the Hadith. Instead, their emphasis is on Maliki Fiqh, thus adding to the fragmentation in the Muslim community.]

Shakir's punch line comes out after his moralizing about Taif and forgiving the enemies. His real purpose is to provide support for "American Islam." He says it straight out:

"Whatever we do, as Muslims in the West, we may be approaching the day when we will have to go it alone. If our coreligionists in the East cannot respect the fact that we are trying to accomplish things here in the West, and that their oftentimes ill-considered actions undermines that work in many instances, then it will be hard for us to consider them allies. How can one be an ally when he fails to consult you concerning actions whose negative consequences you will suffer? No one from the Muslim east consults us before launching these campaigns."

The Muslim world should consult with the champion of "American Islam?" Not with Imam Jamil Abdullah al-Amin, not with Imam Musa, not with Imam Badi Ali, not with Imam Warith Deen Umar, not with Imam Muhammad al-'Asi, not with Dr. Omar 'Abdel Rahman, not with Prof. Sami al-Arian, not with Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar , not with Br. Hodari Ali, not with Imam Khalil Abdur-Rahman, not with Dr. Waheeduddin Ahmed, not with Sis. Karen English, not with Sis. Ashira Na'im, not with Sis. Aisha Shaheed, not even with Imam Ali Siddiqui or Br. Sulayman Kurter but with "Imam" Zaid Shakir!

There is a funny side to Shakir. At the conclusion of the article, we read the following, probably from his own pen. Note the biblical "amongst":

"Imam Zaid Shakir is amongst the most respected and influential Muslim scholars in the West."

Community News [3 items]
Helping Homeless Women in Baltimore: Sis. Nadia Answers Questions

[New Trend earlier exposed the propaganda by the "Makkah Learning Center" against Sis. Nadia, a hijabi, niqabi, Muslimah. Here we give her answer in question-answer form to put a final end to the rumor mongering which went on.]

1). Who was the founding members and/or Director (s) of Al- Mumtahinah Home?
The founding members of Al-Mumtahinah Home is Nadia A. McIntosh See muslim Link newspaper April 20th, 2007 Edition. or type in Muslim women have limited option on the washington post At that time I was involved with Masjid Ul-Haqq by me being very active in the community I also asked the women of the community to assist me as well . The Idea came to me when sisters where sleeping in the masjid and the Imam supported me after going to several board meetings he gave me the keys to the first home on Division street.

2). Who/how was the name chosen? The name was chosen by Allah Subhaana Wa ta Allah. I say this because I prayed about it and Allah gave me THE SURAH AYAT 10.

3). When was the original date of organization, (not incorporation) ? MARCH 2007

4). When was the original Board established? The original board was established On July 2007

5). Who were the original Board members and their positions? NADIA A.MCINTOSH PRESIDENT, Sylvester Mcintosh V-PRESIDENT, AIZAT OLADAPO TREASURER, EDONNA HARRIS SECRETARY, IMAM ABDEL RAGGAD AL RAGGAD, Spiritual advisor , Shayk Khalid Yasin, Trustee advisor.

6). When did the re-organization occur and why? Well there is no reorganization, this happen because a couple of sisters that I didnot trust to work with me decided that they wanted to take over the business and they went downtown and incorporate the name Almumtahinah without my knowledge. sister nasrin rahman and sister baqiyah adams I found out that information on december 6th, 2007 they did this on November 27th, after my first annual fundraising event on November 24th, therefore I was forced to have the name of the home as Women Affairs of Al-Mumtahinah Home Inc. registered by the state of Maryland I have all documents needed to show when the legal processes began on August 3rd, 2007 EIN number Registered with the Labor Licensing Department Incorporation came later.

7). When did Sister Nasrin join the organization, what was her position, and current status? I met sister nasrin at masjid ul haqq; she came there to drop off some clothes for the store the sisters run at the masjid and she heard about that we where planning to open a shelter so her and I connected off an on. after a while the masjid changed Imam and everything went balistic and the new board members did not want to assist me because i didnot support them. so I met with brother preston caison and he can go into it more with you and the final was that the masjid is no longer supporting the almumtahinah home.

8). Current Al- Mumtahinah Board. NADIA A.MCINTOSH PRESIDENT, Sylvester Mcintosh V-PRESIDENT, AIZAT OLADAPO TREASURER, EDONNA HARRIS SECRETARY, IMAM ABDEL RAGGAD AL RAGGAD, Spiritual advisor , Shayk Khalid Yasin, Trustee advisor.

9). Current organizational status,i.e., services, programs, incorporation, 501(c)3. go to my website almumtahinahhome.com

We offer temporary shelter for women and their children we provide assistance with current resource information within the baltimore area such as job search, training we assist with emergency food and have islamic classes once a week.

We are Incorporated and our 501c3 status is in process application is filled and now we have to raise $750 to submit to the state insha'Allah

Insha'Allah that answers your questions This is just a touch of everything if need be i can meet with you and show you all the legal documents and letters that where sent to the attorney general , and FBI and so on about this.

I prayed about it and decided that I will let Allah fight my battle because i need to focus on those that need assistance.

make duaa that Allahsubhaana wa ta Allah forgive us all our sins. Ameen

peace and light

nadia

Helping Needy/Homeless Women in Atlanta: How it is done. What are the Financial Requirements

[A Muslim success story which we have been following for more than a decade is facing a subtle, word of mouth, abusive propaganda campaign. To put a final stop to rumor mongering, here is the detailed description of how it is done by the sister who sacrificed the most to help others.- Editor]

As Salaamu Alaikum Islamic Community,

This is Hadayai Majeed, Administrator of the Baitul Salaam Network, Inc. I am sending out this letter to hopefully clear up some serious misunderstanding (primarily in the metro Atlanta area) about the Baitul Salaam Network, Inc. this misunderstanding is unnecessary and I pray after this letter is circulated it stops. Anyone who may receive this post and you are not Muslim this message is not intended for you.

The Baitul Salaam Network, Inc. (visit: http://www.baitulsalaam.net ) has changed a few of our protocols for delivery of service to our community. We have put out numerous emails about these changes and explained why we had to make the changes. We had to do this due to the rising cost of managing a shelter program, lack of adequate funding and lack of staffing (mostly due to lack of adequate funding). It takes a minimum of $250,000 per year to manage a shelter program in the way we want to manage a shelter program (the best way). This amount is after you factor in huge in-kind donations from organizations like Hands on Atlanta, businesses like Best Brands (holding company for Victoria Secrets, GAP, and some other huge retailers), etc.

Below is what we do and how we do it.

Emergency phone calls now are answered by the National Islamic Domestic Violence Hotline 800-732-9601 24/7. This wonderful service is hosted by Sista2Sista.org headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Please do not call any other numbers you may be given for Hadayai Majeed for emergency situations. If the hotline is not answered then call 404-873-1766 the local number for the Partnership Against Domestic Violence. Do not call any hotline if you need the police. Hotline operators can not help you if you need the police. Call 911 to get help you need from someone who is attempting to or actually attacking you or has threatened to attack you and/or your children, parents, grandparents, pets, etc. If you can separate yourself from the attacker or potential attacker that is always best.

We house people using other agencies shelters/transitional programs, motels and property made available through a property manager. This property manager has wonderful new homes available for $300 to $500 every two weeks (three to five bedrooms). We must pay in advance and must be able to pay for a month. We assign Case Managers to families to monitor their progress for up to six months, insh'Allah. During this time the Case Manager will access the family needs, make referrals for medical assistance, permanent housing, career/job and legal. It is up the client to follow through on the referral. Failure to follow through on a referral or the client does not keep in touch with the Case Manager more than twice and this will be cause for us to close a clients file. If you do not want our help we are not going to force it on you.

We give out sadaaqah (when we have enough in our treasury). We give out sadaaqah for having locks changed (with court order or other proof that you need your locks changed such as a police report), bus fare, gas money, supplies for children, etc. Please do not ask us for sadaaqah for uses that are not of an emergency nature. We give sadaaqah for people who are trying to find work and do other things to improve their lives. We do not give sadaaqah for people to buy tickets to events, buy a scarf (they don't need), buy a dinner at a restaurant (unless they have absolutely no food and no way to buy food), etc.

We work with the Food Pantry now located at Masjid Al Bayyinah in East Point. The telephone number to get on the list is 404-684-0016 available Tuesday-Saturday, 1 pm- 6 pm. The phone has a message machine on it so please if no one answers just leave a message and you will receive a return call in a few hours at most. The Food Pantry is open on Thursdays only from 3:30 pm-5:00 pm. You must have some form of ID (state, federal, social security card, recent utility bill recent school ID or work ID). No personal information is given to any agencies or anyone else. A statistical report is filed monthly with the Atlanta Food Bank.

The core of the misunderstanding is about us collecting money and me (Hadayai Majeed) receiving a small stipend when available.

We collect money, we need to collect money this seems to be the issue with some. It cost to put gas in cars of people who are going to drive someone around to get the services they need. It cost to ride the bus/train, it cost for a head of household that we work with (usually a woman) to go to work, make sure her child or children get to school, daycare, etc. The responsibility of a parent does not end due to being temporarily homeless. You are still a parent. Your task becomes more difficult however it does not change.

At this time we do not get support from most masjid/Islamic centers as a rumor that has been circulated states. At this time in metro Atlanta two communities give on a consistent basis: One small community gives monthly and has for over five years may Allah continue to bless them. We get a small amount of money weekly through a collection at another masjid directly from believers not the masjid treasury (and some people in that community do not like it being collected). So at any time that small source of money could be withheld. We have about 12-15 wonderful people in the immediate area who support regularly and others around the state and country. Most of our donations come in the form of $2-$5 from survivors of abuse who are in some cases still struggling however out of crisis. We average about $2,000 per month in funds through donations, fund raising and entrepreneur efforts.

At Eid Al Fitra time is when three to four larger communities give nice size donations. We appreciate it all and are not ungrateful or complaining. However we are not swimming in money. I am not being supported by money collected by the community. I have a husband who works six days a week (well or sick). I manage a business from my home (that pays me) and assist my husband with his business. I receive a small stipend (if it is available) to put gas in my car to run errands for the organization. I get my stipend last if there is one to be had. I drive a 10 year old van. I live in a decent however modest home. I am not getting rich or stealing from the community. I have been accused of this and it is not true or fair for anyone to do this to me or anyone else who is working to help others in our community.

I am going to ask those who are spreading these negative and untruths to remember what Allah says about rumors, back biting and gossip. I am asking all who are doing things like hiding or throwing in the trash information we distribute in the community, the person or persons who took down and hid the information board we put up over seven years ago at Masjid Al Mu minun to remember we all will face Allah on the day of judgement.

The Baitul Salaam Network, Inc. visit www.baitulsalaam.net has an Advisory Board and has since its beginning in 1997. We do not have an active board at this time and that is not our fault. To be on an active board you have to be willing to sacrifice some time, be active, stand strong and put in some money. This is not the easy work to do. It is not glamorous nor it is not a party. It is work! We have had two people try to put a board together without any success. One a very well known and popular MSW and the other a somewhat well known businessperson. Although we do not have an active board we have people we can go to (leaders in the community, counselors and other professionals) to consult on matters. We do not worry about it due to Allah is Akbar and no matter what has been thrown at us we manage to stand. Why? Allah is on our side.

Yes, we work with men who are ready to admit guilt and get help. We work with men who are abused. Some of our sisters can be just as nasty and hurtful as male perpetrators. We know due to some of you have and still attack our organization.

At this moment we have two families who desperately need our help. One is Muslim and one is non-Muslim. The total needed to help them get into semi-permanent housing is $2,000. Both work. Both have taken care of their children during their crisis. Both have done things like slept in a car, gone from house to house and stayed for two or three days, slept in run down motels for one or two days at a time. Can they look to an entire community for assistance? Will 100 of you out of 50,000+ step up and help? If so, call me at 678-705-1241 or 404-684-0016 today, insh'Allah.

Well this is it. Spin this letter as you wish. This is our way of doing all we can to be as transparent as we know to be in managing our affairs.

Please circulate this post. Let this get around as fast as the nasty rumors being told about this organization. Our prayer for the perpetrators of these rumors is that you understand you are attempting to hurt us and the families we serve. However you are actually hurting yourself. May Allah forgive you for your meanspiritness.

May Allah raise our level of Iman and Taqwa and continue to bless us all.

Much Love,

Hadayai Majeed
Administrator
Baitul Salaam Network, Inc.

Most Recent Move
Blocked by Turkish Muslims, "Moderate Islam" Leader Abu-Rabi Moving to Canada [Close Associate of ISNA President Ingrid Mattson]
From a Turkish reader

Ibrahim Abu-Rabi is moving to Canada. He was going to receive $2 million from the Gulen Movement of Turkey to create a watered down "Islamic Study" at the Missionary School ( Hartford Seminary). We were able to stop this by publicizing it in the Turkish Newspapers. Now, he has found another group to help him to develop his zionist mission in Canada. Do you know the Edmonton Muslim Community? If you know any individual from this community, is it possible to alert him/her about this fake scholar.

"Members of the Edmonton Muslim community are raising $1 million to create the chair position, which the province has pledged to match. Another $1 million is being contributed by the university."

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=3d30f932-9369-4114-ba02-1a121d36d0ee

2008-05-20 Tue 21:47:40 cdt
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