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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief Mohurram 16, 1433/December 12, 2011 # 51

Long Island, New York: This is an excerpt from our adviser, a learned Imam, Shamim Siddiqui's latest brochure titled Understanding Islam in Historical Perspective. Your help is needed to distribute it in your communities, Muslim and non-Muslim. Let us know if you can help. Write to: ksidd37398@aol.com

"Our adversaries are presenting Islam with many distorted and ugly faces, due to their centuries old prejudices and ever-growing ignorance about Islam, the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him ]. But one thing that I have noticed which is remarkably astonishing is the fact that there are a lot of Christian brothers and sisters who are serious in their desire to understand Islam."

A message has just been received from Canada about an effort to expose India's occupation of Kashmir. Owing to lack of space, we had to put it at the end, but it is important. Please scroll to end.

Research article provides evidence that the "god" of the Jews/Israelites/Hebrews as given in the Old Testament was a snake "god," not the imageless God of the monotheists. Fascinating analysis, step by step. Scroll to end.

Three Islamic women whom the US & Pakis could not break. This is for the history books. Scroll to near end.

Iraqi reader outraged by article on Mohurram. Please scroll way down.

Letter from Shi'a brother to Shi'a Muslims: Stand up against injustice. Scroll way down.

Outreach #1:
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Endorsed Mumia Jamal Event in Philadelphia

On December 9, activists from a number of cities gathered in Philadelphia to support Mumia Jamal on the 30th anniversary of his imprisonment. Among the activists were Nadrat Siddique [JAM Washington DC], Ameejil Whitlock, activist and organizer of Maryland Friends of MOVE, Romona Africa, survivor of a government assault on her community, David Wiggins, well known Baltimore activist for African American causes, and Nzinghah, wife of Black Panther Party [BPP] member and political prisoner Marshall Eddie Conway.

Outreach #2 plus Attempt to stop distribution
Literature On CAIR, Pakistan, Mohurram, Ziyad Yaghi, Egypt given to 90 Muslims

December 9: Jamaat al-Muslimeen reached out to Muslims after Juma salat in Newark, Delaware and distributed a six page booklet of literature to 90 Muslims from Indo-Pakistani and Arab backgrounds.

Attempt to stop the distribution: A Pakistani doctor tried to stop the distribution. He was in a state of shock and claimed that THREE YEARS back he had said to JAM rep to stop "but you are still at it." [Think about the impact of this literature that after three years this Pakistani ,with beard and shalwar kameez, was still "mad" that the truth was reaching the innocent Muslims of Delaware.] The "director" failed to stop it because the literature had already been distributed while JAM rep engaged him in conversation.

The literature included a report from Br. Rashid [Detroit] on CAIR's agent Dawud Walid who wants to hand over outspoken Muslims to the Zionist regime. Also included was an article pointing out that Yazid was the enemy of Husayn, r.a., and Abdullah ibn Zubair, r.a. and the Ansar of Madinah. It's not a Shi'a Sunni issue.

Yaghi is a Muslim political prisoner in North Carolina. His sentencing is coming up on January 13.

Latest war news: with brief New Trend analysis.

Syria: More than 4,000 unarmed civilians have been murdered by Assad till now. On December 11, a general strike began in Syria to oppose the horrific crimes being committed by the regime. In several cities, Assad's tanks opened fire on entire city blocks to smash the striking merchants, There are new incidents in which defectors from Assad's army are firing at the rampaging Syrian army. Crimes of torture, mutilation and humiliation of children by Assad's thugs have been recorded by secret cell phone cameras. The Syrian tyrant Assad made a fool of himself giving an interview to a Zionist lady, Barbara Walters, in which he claimed that the slaughter of civilians in Syria is going on without his knowledge or permission! [Iran is making a strategic blunder by siding with Assad in the hope of a link with Hizbullah against Israel. Syria has not fired a shot at Israel for 30 years. Hizbullah too was quiet when Israel assaulted Gaza. Unless Iran hooks up with Sunni majorities, in the long run it will be at a great disadvantage against the West. Like Qaddafi, Assad is in denial- Editor]

Iran: It appears that Iran used cyber interference to bring down INTACT a US drone which had "strayed" 140 miles into Iran. Afghan Taliban shot down several drones last year but they were destroyed in the crashes. [Muslims are asking, why did Iran keep quiet while drones bombed Pakistani villages killing more than 2000 villagers and 3 al-Qaida activists? Iranian nationalism is isolating it from the Muslim world. -Ed.]

Afghanistan: NATO's steady losses have ended most military operations against the Taliban. Stealthy guerrilla warfare by the Taliban still killed 27 NATO troops in November and 5 in the first week of December, mostly Americans. [Ed. note: These were elite American troops. Why do they have to die in a war which has already been lost? The media do not even report these losses.]
Scores of Shi'as were killed in Kabul in bomb attacks on Ashura. The Taliban have categorically rejected the claim that they did it. Western observers admit that the Taliban do not carry out attacks on Shi'a civilians. Then Karzai moved to blame Pakistan and named a Sunni extremist group in Pakistan as the culprits. The group has rejected the claim. Our observers say that bombs are often set off by secret organizations to hurt civilians and create sectarian strife.

Pakistan: December 11. Jamaate Islami's countrywide pressure on the government led to the stoppage of supplies going into Afghanistan for NATO. The NATO trucks are stuck in Torkham and Bolan. [Twenty of them have been destroyed by Islamic raiders.] JI also got the regime to close down Shamsi air base from where drone attacks were launched. Five US drones based there have been moved to Afghanistan. JI is pointing out that there are other hidden US bases. See JI leader Munawar Hasan's speech below. [Scroll down.]

Yemen: Amid Tumult, Thousands Leaving for Somalia and Somaliland

December 9: Tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied in the capital Sanaa and several other cities calling for President Saleh to face trial for alleged corruption and killing of protesters.
Incoming Prime Minister Mohammed Basindwa announced on Wednesday that he had formed a national unity government composed both of Saleh allies and opponents to take over control of ministries.
But military units throughout the country remain divided in their loyalties. Some back Saleh or his family or other regime figures, and others are allied with his rivals in the powerful al-Ahmar clan or with other opposition forces.
The splits in Yemen's government and military provide a window of opportunity for al-Qaida, which has long had bases in the country, to continue to contest control of Abyan province and other territories.

HARGEISA, Dec. 1 — Continuing unrest and xenophobia in Yemen have prompted an upsurge in the number of migrants and refugees returning to Somalia, with up to 6,000 reported to have travelled back across the Red Sea since the beginning of October.
"About 400 Somaliland families and 600 Somali families have returned to Somaliland in the last two months," said Abdillahi Hussein Egeh, director-general of the Interior Ministry in Somaliland, which unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991.
"Somalilanders stay in this country, while the Somalis continue their journey to Somalia," he said.
[Source Yemen Times

Eyewitness Account: ICNA, December 4, 2011
Siraj Wahhaj Attacks Shari'a: Making Halal into Haram
[From a New Trend observer who lives in New York.]

[Ed. note 1: ICNA is a puppet Indo-Pakistani group which strongly supports the policies of the White House. Its president, Zahid Bukhari, indicated on his job resume that he has been working under the aegis of the US State Department. ICNA also indicated last year that it has been in bed with the FBI for more than a decade. Siraj Wahhaj, a good friend of Medeleine Albright, works very closely with ISNA and CAIR, Arab versions of ICNA, to help raise funds for them. He helped a Zionist judge put the Blind Shaikh, Dr. Abdel Rahman, in prison for life. Siraj is much admired by naive immigrant Muslims who are never told the government orientation of Siraj Wahhaj. -]

[Ed. note 2: Background to this report: A couple of years back, some right wing extremists in the American power structure, raised the fear that Muslims might be working to make Shar'ia part of the American legal system! It was a trick move and right away ICNA and ISNA fell for this non-issue. They have been working hard to prove that Shari'a is really barbaric and that American Muslims don't support it. ]

Since 9/11, Islam and Muslims have been facing bias attacks from multiple fronts---in the mainstream media, on TV, by groups of individuals and organizations. These are blatant violations of universal human rights of an individual to freedoms of religious beliefs and practices, free speech, travel and right to congregate. The battle cry of "war against terrorism" is a fake cry meant to evoke fear and insecurity by those in power and others who have got on the band-wagon of "Terrorism" to get richer and richer at the expense of Islam and Muslims. These consist of entire governments of some western non-Muslim countries and also Muslim-majority countries with corrupt "Muslim"politicians and "rulers."
And the unfortunate reality is that we have amongst us some Muslim individuals who proclaim themselves as Muslims fighting in the cause of Allah Almighty and at the same time they reveal their ignorance of what true "Submission" to Allah Almighty means / involves. The Qur'an has warned us that our fight on behalf of our Deen and the Message of Almighty God will not be an easy one. Thus, now our struggle in Islam is not only against the non-believers but also some who call themselves "Muslims" and are, at the same time, helping the enemies of Islam to destroy the Qur'an and our rights to live our lives as we wish to -- in our desire to please Allah Almighty.

One such individual amongst us is Imam Siraj Wahhaj who spoke on the stage before an audience of Muslims and violated the Qur'an. He took a position in his "speech" against the ayat in the Qur'an that deal with punishment of "cutting off the hands" of those who commit certain type of crimes. And then he proceeded to take "votes" from the audience, with a show of hands, of those Muslims who would agree or disagree with this kind of punishment as dictated in the Qur'an by Allah Almighty. He compared the Islamic code of Justice as laid down in the Qur'an with that of the United States Justice system which he deemed to be "flawless" and better than the one dictated by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Qur'an.
This "Imam" is either so dumb-witted that he is unable to recognize his violation of the Qur'anic ayat (throughout the Qur'an), including one specific one which states that one cannot make halal what Allah has made haram and one cannot make haram what Allah has made halal. But the most glaring ignorance of this "Muslim Imam" is that he has not understood, recognized and acknowledged the concept of "Submission" to Allah Almighty. An individual who had done so would not have made such a spectacle of himself before a Muslim audience.
I have said this more than a decade ago and I say it now. Islam is the only truly democratic entity in the world today, and now we have the so-called "Arab Spring" to prove this point.
Now, it's time for us Muslims, as individuals and as groups to stand up and speak up whenever and wherever we find those who violate the Word of the Almighty and attempt to contaminate our minds, hearts and our Iman as Muslims --- whether amongst non-believers or those deep in our midst within our community. Now is the time to "Spring-clean" our community and our behavior.

Thinking about the Meaning of Brotherhood [which includes Sisterhood]
Spotlights from Imam Badi Ali, National Shoora Leader, Jamaat al-Muslimeen

Spotlight #1:
Brotherhood is strength.
Spotlight #2:
Brotherhood is protection.
Spotlight #3:
Brotherhood is the fruit of faith.
Spotlight #4:
Faith and brotherhood are linked.
Spotlight #5:
Brotherhood, for the sake of Allah, withstands severest storms and overcomes worst obstacles.
Spotlight #6:
Brotherhood is like the fingers of one hand: Which one would you want cut off?
Spotlight #7:
The art of living is connected to brotherhood. It has to be learned.
Spotlight #8:
Remember the story of the sticks: One can be broken but they are unbreakable in a bundle.
Spotlight #9:
Brotherhood "gives" constantly, like the sun and the rain, which want no return or reward.
Spotlight #10:
Islam teaches brotherhood as a CENTRAL concept.
Spotlight #11:
Brotherhood is the highest form of relationship.
Spotlight #12:
Brotherhood is a gift from Allah and is shared by believers regardless of race, color, nationality.
Spotlight #13:
Faith is incomplete without brotherhood.
Spotlight #14:
In both the Qur'an and the Hadith brotherhood INCLUDES SISTERHOOD.
Spotlight #15:
Brotherhood is the road to paradise.
Spotlight #16:
Choose your brothers carefully because they will go hand in hand with you to paradise.


Biggest Atrocity of the Afghan War was Hushed up by Corporate Media
Remember the victims of the Dasht-i-Leili massacre (Dec 2001, Afghanistan). The massacre, carried out by U.S. ally General Rashid Dostum, and according to some eyewitnesses, overseen by U.S. troops, has been described as possibly the biggest atrocity (in terms of deaths) since the Srebrenica massacre. Why are its victims never remembered? Is it because some of them bore the label Taliban? Or, is it that murders of innocents by the U.S. and its allies is necessarily coupled with a transference of responsibility--whereby the victims of the war crime are demonized to the point that atrocities, however heinous, against them are viewed as acceptable.
Convoy of Death
www.informationclearinghouse.info
In Afghanistan, filmmaker Jamie Doran has uncovered evidence of a massacre: Taliban prisoners of war suffocated in containers, shot in the desert under the watch of American troops.
- Nadrat Siddique

Leader of Peaceful Islamic Movement Blasts US General's Remarks
by Shamsuddin Amjad

LAHORE, Dec. 10: The Jamaat e Islami chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, has condemned US General Dempsey's remarks for "dismantling Pak terror havens and its influence in Afghanistan", and said the US was the biggest terrorist in the world today which had targeted different Muslim countries. In a press statement here on Saturday, he said that the US attacked Iraq on the false excuse of WMDs and occupied its oil wells, ransacked Afghanistan in the name of war on terror and was now targeting Pakistan despite calling it an ally. He said Afghanistan and Pakistan were linked through historic bonds of Islam and blood as Pushtoon tribes were residing on both sides of the border. In the past, Britain and Soviet Union had also tried to separate the two countries but had failed. The US would also fail in its such efforts, he added.
Syed Munawar Hasan said, the nation was furious over the NATO attacks on Silala military posts and wanted permanent stoppage of NATO supplies besides a deterrent punishment for those involved in the attacks on the Silala military posts. He said that the families of the Silala martyrs had termed the US as Pakistan's worst enemy and were demanding pulling out of the US war. Therefore, Prime Minister Gilani's overtures for repairing ties with Washington were only sprinkling salt on their wounds.
He counseled Premier Gilani to ensure the supremacy of the constitution by accepting the Supreme Court decision on the NRO and ending the government resistance to the judiciary's judgments.
The JI chief welcomed the statement of the Supreme Court Chief Justice for upholding the supremacy of the constitution and the dignity of the judiciary besides his remarks about the armed forces responsibility towards the country's defense and national solidarity. He expressed the hope that the armed forces too would remain aloof from politics and attend to their duties.
He said, had the rulers not joined the US war against the nation's mood, Pakistan would not have to deploy its army on the 1500 km long Afghan border now nor could India have the courage to increase pressure on our eastern border.

Jamaate Islami Pakistan's Woman Leader: From JI Media
Brief Introduction of Dr Rukhsana Jabeen
Jamaat-e-Islami Women's Wing is not just an organization of women; it is an organization of conscious and aware women. This fact in itself is an indicator of the quality of our leadership. By the grace of Allah, the Women's Wing has always had a highly qualified leadership.

Dr. Rukhsana Jabeen is being elected to lead the organization. She is a gynecologist from Kharian, Punjab, having her own practice. In 1983, she became member of Islami Jamiate Talaba and after finishing her education in 1989, joined Jamat-e-Islami. Since then she has been an active member and has taken responsibilities of the cities of Kharian and Gujranwala, then vice president and to the secretary general Pakistan. She got married in 1982 when she was in the 4th year of medicine, has 4 sons and all of them are associated with the organization. One of them is member and another one is applicant member. Three of them are medical students while fourth is in the high school.

Letter: From a Shia brother:
Stand up against Injustice: No Crying & Chest Beating
The day of Ashura was the day of sacrifice for Imam Husain, the grandson of our beloved Prophet. The Muslims must not be divided into sects, Shia ve Sunni.
Every day is Ashura and Ashura is everywhere where there is oppression by tyrants in the Muslim world and elsewhere. We as Muslims must learn from the lesson of Husain and apply it for today and don't just get into rituals such as crying and beating our chest when Ashura comes around.
.Imam Husain will want us to stand up against injustice as he did in his time. Muslims must rise up and speak the truth to the Powers that be in this world.
yours in faith
Abu Talib [Brooklyn, New York]

Letter: Iraqi Reader Outraged by Article on Mohurram
Al Salamu Alaykum.
I was saddened and outraged for your article: " Mohurram 10: Greatest Day of Sorrow ". In it you started by saying: " These Iraqis ask me about religious ruling on killing a fly while wearing ihram. They killed the grandson of the Prophet, pbuh. " As an Iraqi Muslim, I felt crushing pain in me for what you said. Do all Iraqis have to be blamed for a sin committed by few traitors of Islam ??? Are we as Iraqis guilty by association ???
What a wicked logic is that. In the same talking, can we blame all Pakistanis for the killing of Usama Bin Laden??? Can all Germans be blamed for what Hitler did to the Jews???
Wal salamu ala man itabaa al huda.
Mohamed Shaar; Ph.D.
ICT member, Greensboro,NC

Two Top Intelligence Agencies Could not Break three Islamic Women.

Osama Bin Laden's Wives to Go Free [Courtesy Yemen On Line.]

10/12/2011
Three of Osama bin Laden's wives, once thought to know the family secrets of the world's most wanted fugitive, are soon expected to leave Pakistan after seven months in custody, according to Pakistani officials.
The three women -- two Saudis and one Yemeni -- were picked up by security officials early on the morning of May 2 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, just minutes after U.S. Navy SEALs killed the al Qaeda leader in the compound where U.S. officials believe he had been living for six years.
The three wives have been held by Pakistan's intelligence service ever since, but it's not clear they ever knew enough to shed light on bin Laden's travels after 2001 and how he came to be living in Abbottabad, Pakistan's equivalent of West Point.
United States officials said they were allowed to speak to the wives once, and that the oldest of the three was so combative that nothing at all came from the interrogation. Pakistani officials have not said how much, if anything, they learned from the women, who were debriefed by both Pakistani intelligence officials and a commission investigating bin Laden's death.
"We have recorded statement of Osama's wives and they are no more required," the commission head, retired Supreme Court Justice Javed Iqbal, said yesterday.
In the months after the raid, both Pakistani and U.S. officials described the wives as uncooperative and it's not clear that they knew much about bin Laden's work, especially in Abbottabad.


YHWH Snake God of Israel
H. Abdul Al-Dahir
It has often been asserted that the god of Israel, YHWH, was aniconic or imageless. However, recent discoveries, such as the Hebrew altar at Beersheba and the Migdal Synagogue stone found in ancient Galilee, prove that YHWH was depicted as a serpent throughout ancient Israel (later known as Samaria) and Judea. The myths surrounding the Israelite snake god, YHWH, are found throughout the Bible. Below are references to these Biblical myths which must be understood before interpreting the images on the Beersheba altar and the Migdal Synagogue stone.
Garden of Eden: (Genesis 2:15) Biblical earthly paradise which was most likely a reference to Aden, the land from which came frankincense and myrrh, that was traded by the Hebrews from the caravanning tribes (Midianites/Minaeans) in the Negev desert. From the Negev, the Hebrews transported the incense to Egypt. Isaiah 30:6,7. This Biblical garden was inhabited by 3 serpents, Ningizzida, YHWH and Hwh. Adam was the only human residing in this garden.
Yah - snake guardian of the tree of life: ref: http://net.lib.byu.edu/imaging/negev/Names.html
His name is written in the Negev inscriptions as a snake's head with a protruding forked tongue. (Old Negev script or proto Epigraphic South Arabic Y + H).
Tree of Life: (Genesis 2:9) The Frankincense tree is grown on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. These trees were reported by Herodotus to be difficult to harvest because they were infested with flying poisonous snakes: http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1972_23_0_Wiseman_FlyingSerpents.pdf. The resin of this tree was very expensive and highly prized for its antibiotic properties and its sweet scent. The product of the myrrh tree, grown in the same area was also highly sought after for its healing properties. Both frankincense and myrrh were used in the mummification process in Egypt.
Hwh (Eve) (Gen 3:20): Snake goddess referred to in the snake spells located in the Pharaoh Unas' pyramid. The snake spells were translated and transliterated by Prof. Richard Steiner a Semitist and a scholar of Northwest Semitic languages, Jewish Studies and Near Eastern texts. His work has focused on texts from as early as the Egyptian Pyramid texts to as late as medieval biblical interpretation. He is a professor of Semitics at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University in New York City. Professor Steiner transliterated and translated these hieroglyphics as im im xw (xw is the phonetic spelling of Hawa) or mother, mother snake. Hwy (pronounced Hawa) is an Arabic word which means to coil.
YHWH: Hebrew god of Israel and guardian of the tree of life. Combination of Yh & Hwh ('hawa' is the West Semitic word for snake) making YHWH which means Yah is a snake. This god came from 3 different locations according to Deuteronomy 33:2. These directions were the Sinai, Seir and Paran. Sinai was the desert through which the Hyksos travelled upon their expulsions. Seir is located in Edom, the land of the copper mines that produced the snake images and Paran was the home of the Midianites. They are accredited for passing YHWH onto the Hebrews through Moses.
Ningizzida (aka Ningishzida): Mesopotamian limbed snake guardian of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:9). His name means 'guardian of the good tree' in Sumerian. He is depicted as a dragon snake with legs. These legs were amputated by YHWH (Gen 3:13) which caused this serpent to forever crawl in the dust.
Hyksos: Western Semites who inhabited the Nile delta. The Hyksos first appeared in Egypt during the eleventh dynasty, began their climb to power in the thirteenth dynasty, and came out of the second intermediate period in control of Avaris and the Delta. By the fifteenth dynasty, they ruled Lower Egypt, and at the end of the seventeenth dynasty, they were expelled. Many of these Hyksos settled in Caanan (Palestine), bringing with them their Egyptian snake cults and the Egyptian cult of Seth.
Adam: (Gen 2:19) Hwh's (Eve's) human mate who, according to the Bible, was created from 'adamah' which is Hebrew for red dirt. The Hebrews paired Adam with 2 goddesses associated with snakes. Eve or Hwh in the Bible and Lilith in the Babylonian Talmud. Lilith also appears in the Biblical Book Isaiah: 34:13-15.
Qyn/Qynn: (Gen 4:1 & Gen 5:9) (Spelled Cain and Cainan): South Arabian god of Smiths and eponymous ancestor of the Qynites/Kenites (Gen 15:9) or smiths. The Qynites/Kenites were miners and smiths who fashioned the snake idols of YHWH. This copper image was found at the mines in Timna. The image is also referred to as the nehushtan in the Bible. Qyn/Cain, who was abid adamah (slave of the red earth where was mined copper) offered one of these idols to YHWH and it was rejected in favor of Abel's offering of sheep (Gen 4).
Nehushtan: (Number 21:8) The copper snake image upon a pole associated with healing which Moses carries before the fleeing Hebrews. The Nehushtan was destroyed by Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4) because it was worshipped as an idol of YHWH. This incident compares to Moses destroying the golden calf which was more than likely an image of El as a bull (Ex 32:20).
Nod: (Gen 4:16) The Biblical land to which Cain fled after he slew Abel. Nwd in Arabic means to sway back and forth. Nod was the land of the miners, who were lowered on swaying ropes into the copper mines. See Job 28:4, RSV version. "They open shafts in a valley far from where men live. They are forgotten by travelers, they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro."
Seth: (Gen 4:25) Egyptian god sacred to the Hyksos; god of desert storms and foreigners and the eponymous ancestor of the Hebrews
Nimrod: (Gen 10:8) Nmrd/Nmrwd (Hebrew)/Nmrwd (Arabic): Strong's Hebrew Dictionary says that this name is a foreign word, however, 'rwd' in Hebrew means 'to rule'. Nam is most likely Nammu. Nimrwd appears to mean 'the ruler of Nammu', most likely a reference to Ur Nammu who founded the Sumerian 3rd dynasty of Ur. He is remembered for his legal code, the Code of Ur Nammu, the oldest known surviving example in the world. He ruled Ur, Eridu and Uruk. He constructed buildings at Nippur, Larsa, Kish, Adab and Umma. He built roads and restored order after the Gutian period. He also built a number of ziggurats, including the Great Ziggurat of Ur. The latter building explains the Tower of Babel. His conquests and empire explain the empire attributed to him in Gen 10.
Ophir: (Gen 10:29 & 1Kings 9:28) Awphiyr (Hebrew)/Awfr (Arabic). According to Strong's, this word is of uncertain derivation. However, in Arabic, awfr is derived from the root wfr which means to abound, be abundant, be ample, be plentiful. Awfr is the intensive form of wfr and means more abounding, more amply provided or endowed. In other words, awfr means super
abundance. Since Ophir is connected with Joktan (he's the 11th son) and Joktan is the
Hebrew version of Qahtan, then Ophir is located on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in what is now Yemen and Oman., the land of Frankincense, Myrrh, Gold and Copper.
Mount Ararat: (Gen 8:4) The mountain where Noah is supposed to have landed. This name is most likely a corruption of the Arabic word 'srwat' which means hill. The Sarawat mountain chain runs parallel to the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It starts from the border of Jordan in the north to the Gulf of Aden in the south, running thru Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It is in the southern part of this mountain range, Sarat Yemen, that a twice yearly 6 week monsoon occurs. The region is also susceptible to tsunamis triggered in the Markan subduction zone.
40 days & nights of rain/great flood: (Gen 7,8, & 9) A reference to a torrential Yemense monsoon most likely coupled with a tsunami.
Abram: (Gen 11:26) According to the Bible, Abram was Abraham's original name. His actual name was most likely Abirahm or my father (god) is a kinsman. His name indicates that he was of South Arabian origin and the eponymous ancestor of the caravanning tribes, see Gen 25:2. The South Arabians addressed God as if he were a relative as abi (my father), akhi (my brother), dadi (my cousin). The address, abi or my father, is found in the Negev inscriptions.
Sarai: (Gen 17:15) Sry (Hebrew)/Sryh (Arabic). Her name, Sarai, means concubine in Arabic. The Hebrew word for concubine is Pelegesh; a loanword from the Greek Pillakis. According to Genesis, Chapters 12 & 20, Sarai was traded to 2 royals (Pharaoh & Abimelech) as a guarantee of security for Abraham. She probably gained the status of a wife after producing Isaac. Her name was later changed to Sarah (Gen 17:15).
Hagar: (Gen 16:1) Abraham's wife who was made a concubine by Hebrew scribes. Hagar means emigrant in Arabic; a name she acquired due to her emigration into Paran, an ancient name for the Arabian Peninsula.
Keturah: (Gen 25:1) Abraham's third wife. Her name means perfume. She is the mother of the caravanning tribes with whom the Hebrews traded incense in the Negev.
Minaeans: (Gen 10:7) Known as Dedan in the Bible, the Minaeans were a caravanning tribe of incense traders that originated in Hadhramaut and settled along the western trade route.
Midianites: (Exodus 3:1) The tribe into which Moses married. Also known as Qynites/Kenites (Judges 1:6). They settled in Edom, Moab and the Northwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. They have been identified through their Qurayah ware. They were miners mining copper in this area as the Shasu of Yhw.
Shasu of Yhw: (meaning 'The Bedouin who worship YHWH') Egyptian designation for the Midianites/Kenites who mined copper ore in the Negev desert. These copper mines were under Egyptian control from the 14th to the 12th Century BCE. The Midianites and other Bedouin worked the mines for the Egyptians during this time. Shasu of Yhw can be found in the Soleb Temple inscription in Egypt.
Nephilim: (Gen 6:4) This word is often translated as 'giants'. These giants were the offspring of the Aramaean god Nephila; a constellation associated with Orion and Osiris.
Raphaim: (Deut 2:11) This word is often translated as giants. These giants were the offspring of the god Ophiuchus (Ophion in Greek) aka Herakles, Asclepius and Melkart: the various names of the constellation associated with all 4 of these gods. Asclepius is the god of healing associated with the caduceus and with the word raphaim from rapha which means to heal in Hebrew.
Jacob: (Genesis chapters 25-50) Arabic meaning "he established succession". Hebrew meaning: "heel catcher meaning oath thief." His name in Hebrew refers to a Biblical episode (Gen 25) in which Jacob is born holding the heel of his twin, Esau. Jacob later tricks his twin into giving him his inheritance. Heel is a euphemism for testicle which is a reference to the oath of the giving of the hand where the parties involved grab each other's testicles and swear an oath.
Jacob wins a wrestling match with YHWH: (Gen 32) The Biblical wrestling match is a reference to the constellation Ophiuchus in which this god wrestles with the snake, Serpens. Jacob was injured in his "thigh" (a euphemism for penis) and was able to sire only one more child after his injury.
Microcosm/Macrocosm: A philosophical representation of the earth (microcosm) as the mirror of heavenly events (macrcosm) represented in the constellations. The constellations represented the gods and their myths.
YHWH as the Heavenly Snake: This snake constellation is known as Draco in the West and AthThuban or the snake in the Middle East. This snake constellation was the location of the pole star, AthThuban (meaning the snake). The pole star, now known as Polaris, was later moved to the constellation of Ursa minor making it appear that Draco was wrapped around Polaris, a pole star which symbolized the tree of life. The symbolism can be seen in the nehushtan and in the references to YHWH seated on his throne surrounded by the host of heaven (1 Kings 22:19).
Esau: (Gen 25 etc.) Perhaps a corruption of the word Shasu. Esau , also known as Edom (Gen 25:30) was the elder twin of Jacob and eponymous ancestor of the Edomites (inhabitants of Edom or the land of the Shasu of Yhw).
Laban: (Gen 24:29) His name is Luban in Arabic and means frankincense. He is the brother-in-law of Isaac and the father-in-law of Jacob. His name indicates that he was a caravanner trading in incense.
Moses: (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy) His name has many different meanings in the languages of the people with whom the Hebrews were associated; namely the Aramaeans, the Babylonians, and the caravanning tribes from the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Here are several different interpretations of the Hebrew origin of Moses' name. His name is Mshh (Moshe) in Hebrew, Msh (Mush) in Babylonian, Msh (Mash in Aramaic-Mash son of Aram, Gen 10:23) which most likely means Mshy in Arabic. Moshh means 'to draw out' in Hebrew. Mush means snake and shine (Moses' shining face in Exodus 34:29) in Babylonian. Mash (son of Aram) has an unknown meaning in Aramaic but may mean mshy in Arabic which means to walk, which is identical to the word 'shasu' in Egyptian.

David: Dwd (l Samuel) (Hebrew meaning beloved): The pre-Biblical Hebrews appear to have derived some of the tales concerning Dwd from mythology. In 2 Samuel 11, David sees a married woman bathing in the moonlight and seduces her. Such scenes of pagan gods and or demi gods seducing women are common in all mythology. Thus, Dwd, the prophet, is confused with a priestly devotee of Wadd (D'Wd meaning devoted to Wadd), the moon god associated with Yah in the Negev inscriptions. (Ref: Wadd flta, ily, abi, yah or Wadd , seducer, my god, my father, Yah) According to 2 Sam 8:18, David was the father of priests which would also indicate that the Hebrews thought he was a priest. This is impossible as Exodus makes it clear that a priest must be descended from Aaron, a Levite from the tribe of Levy. David was from the tribe of Judah. J.A. Montgomery in his book, The Influence of Arabia, cites the Minaeans as the originators of the cult of Yah.
Levite: Lwy (Ex 4:4 etc.) (Hebrew & Arabic): From the Hebrew root lawah which means to twine, to coil. Levites means 'the coiling ones'. The name is a reference to the priestly caste of the snake god YHWH.
Nazarites: (Numbers 6) This was a cult of those especially devoted to the snake god, YHWH. The hair style for devotees of this sect can still be seen on the temples of the Hasidic Jews. There were many prohibitions a devotee had to adopt, among them the laws regarding his hair style: Lev 19:27: " You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard."
This prohibition against cutting the sideburns allows the hair to coil on either side of the face, thus advertising that the person's hair who is so styled was a Yahwist. Semitic people have curly hair. Allowing it to grow causes it to coil, something like dreadlocks. In ancient times, when YHWH was a snake cult, such a hair style would indicate that the person so coifed was a follower of the great serpent. Nazarite rules are as follows:
Num 6:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man
or woman shall separate [themselves] to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate
[themselves] unto the LORD:
Num 6:3 He shall separate [himself] from wine and strong drink, and shall
drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any
liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
Num 6:4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the
vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
Num 6:5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come
upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth [himself]
unto the LORD, he shall be holy, [and] shall let the locks of the hair of his
head grow.
Num 6:6 All the days that he separateth [himself] unto the LORD he shall come at
no dead body...
Num 6:9 ¶ And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head
of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing,
on the seventh day shall he shave it.

The prohibition against intoxicating liquors had to do with being in one's right mind when before God. However, this does not explain the prohibition against vinegar, grapes and raisins. The non-intoxicating fruit of the vine prohibitions may have to do with the vine which twines and coils like a snake. Eating from the plant that imitates one's god may have been seen as blasphemous.

The second prohibition was the cutting of the hair. As I mentioned before, the hair of Semites tends to be curly and as it grows, it coils like the snake god. Growing the dreadlocks would be an indication that the Nazarite had dedicated himself to the snake god because his hair imitated the coils of a snake. And since the snake was associated with healing (poisonous snakes in the frankincense tree which was an healing herbal), the hair would become a source of health and strength while the person was totally dedicated to the snake god.

The third prohibition was that the Nazarite should not associate himself in any way with death. The reason for this is obvious. The snake god was a god of healing. Associating oneself with death would abrogate the healing and other powers imparted by the snake god to his devotee. This is why when a Nazarite comes into contact with death, he must shave his head because his days as a Nazarite are over.

Samson: (Judges:13-16) was a Judge of Israel and a Nazarite who lost his strength when Delilah, an Israelite temptress, had the symbol of his dedication to the snake god YHWH shaved from his head: Jdg 16:19 : "She made him sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him." His strength returned when his hair began to grow and coil again. The epic of Samson and his great powers is definitely a survivor of the snake cult of YHWH.
Seraphim: (Isaiah 6:2,6) Biblical angels. The name derives from the root seraph which means a poisonous serpent.
Flying serpent: (Isaiah 14:29): Genus Chrysopelea, are native to India, southern China, Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. These gliding snakes seem to have been at home on the southern coast of Arabia as stories of flying snakes abound in Yemenese and Omani folklore. Herodotus describes these flying serpents in (iii 107): http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1972_23_0_Wiseman_FlyingSerpents.pdf. These flying serpents are depicted in hieroglyphic reliefs. According to Ezekiel 8:10, remes, the Hebrew word for reptiles, were depicted on the temple walls.
Beth Shan: There are numerous Bronze and Iron Age sites which indicate a widespread serpent cult. Beth Shan is the best example where one can find the artifacts associated with these serpent cults. Other serpent worship sites in Israel are Beth Shemesh, Gezer, Megiddo, Jericho, Hazor and Gideon.
Mikal: Caananite god who is Lord of Beth Shan. This god is associated with Nergal, the Babylonian chthonic god associated with snakes.
The Galilean Migdal Synagogue Stone:
http://tzvee.blogspot.com/2009/09/galilean-synagogue-at-migdl-excavated.html
On the Stone face:
2 trees of life: These are stylized images of the frankincense tree. Around the trunks of the trees, one can see a coiling snake.
Center of Stone: The flower of life, often referred to as the tree of life by the Hebrews. The flower contains 6 petals and may be a stylized depiction of the 5 petaled flowers on the branches of the frankincense tree: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankincense.
The ouroboros: the snake consuming its own tail surrounds the flower of life, also known as the tree of life to the Hebrews. The eye and the mouth of the snake are clearly visible on the right side of the flower. The ouroboros is ancient Egyptian in origin and is contained in "The Book of the Netherworld". The ouroboros is a symbol the cyclical nature of creation. Here, the ouroboros represents YHWH as the guardian of the tree of life.
The leaves: The 4 stylized leaves of the frankincense tree can be seen as heart shapes. These heart shapes can also represent the flared hoods of spitting cobras.
Geometric Designs: Cross inside diamond inside square: Stylized ankhs or the Egyptian key of life.
Menorah: stylized tree of life or frankincense tree. Also, a depiction of the epigraphic south Arabic 'H' which is the same 'H' used to write the name YH in the Negev glyphs. The 'Y' is written as a stylized snake's head and the 'H' is written as the forked tongue.
Menorah: stylized tree of life or frankincense tree. Also, a depiction of the
epigraphic south arabic 'H' which is the same 'H' used to write the name YH in
the Negev glyphs. The 'Y' is written as a stylized snake's head and the 'H' is
written as the forked tongue. This image appears throughout the page cited below.
A good example is the third image under Section III, 2nd line, last image reading right to left, snake head with protruding forked tongue.
http://net.lib.byu.edu/imaging/negev/Names.html
Amphorae: Offering vessels, possibly wine offerings
Israel's Horned Altars: (Exodus 29:12, 30:2, 38:2) According to the above Biblical chapters, the altars were designed and commissioned by YHWH. However, the altars are modeled upon Egyptian altars:
http://www.lessing-photo.com/search.asp?a=L&lc=2020202049DC&o=Egypt&ci=Hermopol\
is&ln=Necropolis&p=2&ipp=6
Beer Sheba Horned Altar: This horned altar has a deeply incised snake on the block under the right horn:
http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volum=1&Issue=1&ArticleI\
D=2
Horns: The vertical protrusions on these altars are referred to as horns in the OT:
"Altars with horns at each of their four corners are mentioned frequently in the Bible (Lev. 4:7, 18, 25; Ex. 29:12, 30:2; 38:2; 1 Kings 1:50; 2:28,.." (end quote). For this reason, these protrusions are still described as horns. However, these "horns" closely resemble the flaring hood of a spitting cobra or an Egyptian uraeus. (The uraeus or figure of an upright spitting cobra, was used as a symbol of sovereignty by the ancient Egyptians. Ref: Egyptian crown.) Given the depiction of the snake on this altar, there is no doubt that the depiction of this viper's hood on the altar's 4 corners was the intent of the altar design. According to this article: "Indeed the horns are the holiest part of the altar. The expiatory blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled seven times on the horns. A fugitive who managed to catch hold of the horns of the altar would obtain asylum (1 Kings 1:50)." (end quote) It is clear that the ancient Hebrews had constructed altars after the design of the ancient Egyptians who viewed the spitting cobra, Wadjet, as a protective deity. The Hebrews viewed YHWH similarly as the Egyptians viewed Wadjet. Grasping the image of this protective deity would be interpreted as demanding protection or asylum. Because of the snake image, or uraeus, on this altar, archaeologists have not designated it as an Hebrew artifact. However, given the image of the ouroboros on the Migdal Synagogue stone, the Beer Sheba altar is most likely related to the cult of YHWH too.
The Wilderness Tabernacle: (Exodus 26,27): According to Exodus, this tabernacle or tent shrine surrounded by a cloth-lined enclosure, was commissioned by YHWH. However, the wilderness tabernacle described in Exodus 26,27 is also of Egyptian design. Such tent shrines can be seen engraved on ancient Egyptian ivory labels dating to the First Dynasty of Egypt (3200-3000 BCE). It is very likely that the so called "Temple of Solomon" was also a tent shrine. Such tent shrines were employed by the worshippers of Elah. No known permanent structures devoted to the worship of Elah have ever been found in Palestine. However, the temples and other places of worship devoted to the snake god are found throughout Palestine.
Hezekiah: (2 Kings 18:4): A king of Judah who attempted to stamp out the snake cult. However, the image of the ouroboros on the Migdal Synagogue stone indicates that the Judeans were still using the snake image in their houses of worship.
Cyrus the Great: (2 Chronicles 36:22,23 & Ezra: 1-6): The King of Persia who freed the Hebrews from Babylonian rule and built their temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus was a strict monotheist who worshipped the Creator whom he named Ahura Mazda or Wise Lord. His agent, Ezra, imposed this strict monotheism on the returning Israelites. However, the snake images persisted in their synagogues.

H. Abdul Al-Dahir has written and published extensively on Biblical controversies. The author's family is known for their charitable work to help Muslim children around the world as well as other relief activity. Please keep in mind that the essay is written strictly from a Biblical point of view. There are no references either to the Holy Quran or to Hadith in this essay.

Canada
An Effort to Uncover the Hidden Suffering of Occupied Kashmir
by Habib Yousufzai [Toronto]

Friends of Kashmir under the banner of Amnesty International held a 'write for rights'event in Toronto, Canada, against human rights violations in the world, and in particular for the citizens of 'Internationally Disputed Area of Jammu and Kashmir' (IDA: JK). People of all walks of life participated to sign and express their anguish over mass human rights violations by 700,000 Indian armed personnel, and demanded information on the whereabouts of missing Kashmiris.

The Friends of Kashmir raised the issue which is more than six decades old of fraudulent and forcible occupation of IDA: JK, and the most pressing human rights infringements on the face of the earth which the innocent Kashmiris are a victim of. The world's peaceful nations including Canada incessantly fail to implement or acknowledge the UN resolution of 1948 which recommended a plebiscite for the people of the IDA: JK. The Indian government despite its claim of being the largest democracy in the world has failed to protect human rights concerning the protection of peoples' rights in the occupied territory. Amnesty International's work in Canada has included the IDA: JK' rights, and in the wake of Indian armed personnel killing more than 200,000 innocent Kashmiris leaving the dishonoring and dehumanization of thousands women aside.

It is reported by various human rights organizations such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Educational Development, and the International Tribunal that almost 110, 117 Kashmiris have gone missing in the region mostly after their alleged arrest by the Indian security forces fighting a freedom movement in Muslim-majority Kashmir.

In a surprise move in September, India's State Human Rights Commission submitted a report detailing the existence of 2,730 bodies lying in unmarked graves in northern Kashmir. The report's conclusions said 574 bodies had been identified as those of local residents -- a finding that directly confronts the long-held Indian government false insistence that any unmarked graves are of foreign militants.

The event concluded with a message from the organizers of the event Rafique Khawaja, Dr. Azrab Khan, Mohammad Aslam Qadri, Ayub Qureshi, Ifrahim Khan, Dr. Mehmood, Mushtaq Anjum, Aziz Khan, Mushtaq Khan, Shabir Choudary, Adrees Khan, Farooq Siddiqi (Papa), and Habib Yousafzai requesting the Canadian government along with the other peaceful nations of the world to implement the UN resolution of 1948 for the plebiscite in IDA: JK.

2011-12-12 Mon 18:46:48 cst
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