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15 Muharram,1436/November 9, 2014 Issue # 45, Newsletter # 1575
Ayah of the Week
"They are not all alike; of the followers of the Book there
is an upright party; they recite Allah's communications in
the night time and they adore Him. They believe in the last
day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and
they strive with one another in hastening to good deeds, and
those are among the good."
The Holy Quran, 3:113-114
Message from Br.Shamim Siddiqi: Election Results; Obama's
Arrogance brought low after Big Boast against Islamic State
[IS]
Salaam to All:
Two months back Obama arrogantly declared that He will
"degrade and destroy" IS. He forgot at that time that he is
not the Supreme Ruler of this world.
The actual Ruler of this cosmos didn't like his boasting
words. In consequence, he stands today the totally degraded,
humbled and disrespected leader of his country for the
remaining two years of his presidency, feeling the punches
of the Republicans every now and then in shame and
disgusting taunting remarks of the Tea Party's
stalwarts.
He should humbly repent to his God, if he has any AND BE
RESPECTFUL TO THE EMERGING ISLAMIC FORCES AROUND THE WORLD
and open dialogue with them to be nice and non-violent in
their pursuit. It will change the geopolitical scenario of
this world.
Only the Lord of Abraham gives honor, fame and defame to
anyone He likes and none else. We must all beg pardon
from Him.
Shamim Siddiqi
Long Island, NY
Upcoming Event: Harvest the Bounty Fundraising
Celebration
Tues, Nov 18, 5:30-7:30pm
The Petaluma SeedBank
Celebrate the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative's
work to support family farms, increase access to local,
healthy food, and advocate for sustainable food policy. Join
us in honoring food and faith advocates:
Imam Ali Siddiqui is the Executive Director of Muslim
Institute for Interfaith Studies & Understanding, and a
writer with a vision who has been involved in the teachings
of Islam, comparative religions, history, and contemporary
issues to Muslims and non-Muslims. He serves as Friday
Khatib (Congregation Leader), and activist for peace and
economic justice, Muslim Chaplain, youth advisor,
faith-based family counselor, educator, and poet. Imam
Siddiqui has been very active with the Advisory Board since
2013 and was instrumental in establishing a CSA relationship
between the Islamic Center of North Marin and First Light
Farm.
Deacon Josephine Borgeson (Phina), Episcopal Diocese of
Northern California, recently retired from paid church work
redeveloping small congregations and continues part-time
work in ministry education. She has great interest in all
aspects of healthful, tasty, seasonal food, as well as
interfaith organizing, communication, and ecological ethics.
Phina gardens at Thanksgiving Lutheran Church community
garden in Santa Rosa, and is a member of the Sonoma County
Food System Alliance and the Society of Ordained Scientists.
She coordinates the Sonoma Valley Gleaning Project and has
blogged on issues in food and faith since 2007. Phina is a
founding member of the Interfaith Sustainable Food
Collaborative's Advisory Board.
New Trend's humble website doing well
In Oct 2014, newtrendmag.org received 55642 hits and 15093
visits. Average visits per day were 486 with the highest
number, 577, on October 13.
Thank you Br. Rich for your volunteer work to keep the web
site going so well.
Boycott Israel
Last week we published an illustrated list of businesses
that support Israel. We urge all those who oppose the
actions of "Israel" to vocally boycott those businesses. In
case you missed the list last week, here it is again:
http://elsewhere.qa.af/2014/14.07/boycott.jpg
Both "Israel" and Egypt have cut Gaza's life line
via Jamaat al-Muslimeen Virginia
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/over-17m-gazans-isolated-world-after-israel-egypt-close-crossings
Appeal to Help Feed Families with Children in Africa
by Sis. Ashira Na'im
Let us make a new year's resolution to do MORE good deeds as
the first month of this Islamic calendar (Muharram)
proceeds. Allah has said that we are one ummah, i.e., no
matter what part of this earth we find ourselves, we are one
with all muslims on the planet. So, this year please help us
to feed the needy in Ethiopia. Allah reminds us in Sura
Asr:
Bismil lahir-Rahmanir Raheem Wal Asr. Innal Insana lafee
khusr. Illa lladhina amanu, wa amilus salihati, wa tawasaw
bil haqq, wa tawasaw-bis sabr.
(translation):
"With The Name of Allah, Most Gacious, Most Merciful.
By the token of time (through the ages), Verily man is in
loss, except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and
(join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of
Patience and Constancy."
Join us in this our 3rd year of "on the ground" feeding in
Addis Ababa and village towns in Ethiopia.
Send your donations to:
Jamaat al-Muslimeen
PO Box 10881
Baltimore, MD 21234
No amount is too small. You will receive report from us via
New Trend upon our return early 2015, inshallah.
Latest Khutba
Why Many Muslims Misunderstand the Qur'an and the Hadith.
Corporate/Zionist Media Ignore Mexico and Haiti.
Focus on Hatred of Mid-East Muslims
Latest Khutba from Kaukab Siddique, PhD
On November 7, 2014 Br. Kaukab Siddique gave his latest
khutba at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore.. Here are
the main points for efforts to distribute it across the
Ummah in USA:
-
Imams who do not know these three elementary points
should not teach the Qur'an:
-
The Qur'an was revealed over 23 years, not all at once as
one Book.
-
Each sura is indicated at the top, based on hadith,
whether most of it was revealed in Makka or Madinah.
Teachers who don't know this can do serious damage by
teaching Madani suras as if they apply in Makka type
situations, or vice versa.
-
The Knowledge of Nasikh wa Mansukh. Quranic laws were
revealed step by step: Be it the prohibition of intoxicants,
or the rules of fasting and sacrifice, or the law about
interest, or the rights of women, etc.Thus placing sura Nisa
about women above sura Noor or sura Tauba about women is a
terrible mistake.
-
Imams who do not know the basic rules of Hadith should
study before they start teaching hadith. Here are the most
basic rules:
-
Just because a narrative is in a book of hadith does not
mean it is a hadith of Muhammad, pbuh,
-
The chain of narrators in a hadith must be an unbroken
chain going to the Prophet, pbuh. If the chain is broken, it
cannot be considered an Islamic source. It is simply some
pious person's opinion.
-
If a taba'i or a tabba tabai [two generations after the
Prophet, pbuh] narrates from the Prophet, pbuh, it cannot be
accepted because he/she was not alive in the era of the
Prophet, This type of narrative is called MURSAL and cannot
be used to arrive at an Islamic decision.. He/she must
narrate from a sahabi [Companion] who met the
Prophet,pbuh..
-
Even a sahabi's narrative cannot be accepted as part of
Islam if he is not narrating from the Prophet, pbuh. The
sahaba and the two generations after them should be
respected and honored but cannot be considered on the same
level as the Prophet, pbuh. Remember, the Sahaba differed on
many matters, so their views are often good but are not
Islam like the words of the Prophet.
-
There are many kinds of irsal but the one which has
created most problems for Muslims is the one about the age
of Ayesha, r.a., The narrative about her age is accepted by
many Muslims because it is in Sahih Bukhari though:
-
The narrative about her age is not from the Prophet,
pbuh. The Prophet never mentioned the age of Ayesha, r.a.,
nor did he refer to it any context.
-
Bukhari himself does not say that the narrative about her
age is from the Prophet, pbuh.
-
As in the case of the Qur'an, hadith too is related to
the progressive development of Islam through 23 years of
prophetic mission. The hadith do often refer to the cultural
context of that time and also indicate how gradually Islam
changed the context,
Part II
-
We are an era of great strife when Islam is under attack.
Every day we see and hear media attacks on Gaza, on the
Islamic State, Sharia and any kind of Islamic
resistance.
-
These attacks are bogus and we can check out why they are
bogus. Here is the proof that Islam and Islamic movements
are being deliberately targeted.
-
Do you know about the daily horrors of the killings going
on it Mexico? No, you don't because the media don't cover
them.
-
Do you know that thousands of innocent civilians have
been murdered in Mexico, right across from the US border?
No, you don't because the major media don't report them.
-
Do you know of beheadings, killers burning people alive,
mass killings in Mexico? No you don't because the media want
us to focus on the "bad" people in the Middle East.
-
Do you know about the suffering in Haiti? Till the
cataclysm there, did you ever hear of the terrible
conditions of the people in Haiti though Haiti is so near
the USA?
-
So there is a deliberate media policy of focus on the
Muslims, to find their weaknesses and intervene in their
affairs and seek justification for doing so.
-
Ever heard of the fact that Israel is an illegitimate
entity forced into the Muslim world by the Western powers?
Why are the media silent about Israel?
-
Why are drugs pouring into the USA from Mexico and the
Central states of America? Why is there so much misery and
suffering and our media completely ignore it?
-
The Qur'an is most important but its wisdom was taught
by the Prophet, pbuh, Let's learn wisdom from Sharia so that
we are not so easily mislead.
-
Pray for the success of Islamic forces. Pray for the
victory of Islamic battle formations.
Notes from Br. Kaukab for those who want to research Mursal
narratives which are incorrectly considered by many Muslims
as Hadith.
-
The story used by Salman Rushdie to attack the Qur'an was
a mursal narrative. Its only narrator was a non-Sahabi known
as Muhammad ibn Ka'ab.
In the time when the Prophet, pbuh, was reciting the Quran
to the Quresh in Makka, there was no one other than himself
named "Muhammad." The narrative used by Rushdie was picked
up by Ibn Ishaq, and much later by, Ibn Sa'ad and Ibn
Kathir, all three of whom were not scholars of Hadith, The
scholars of hadith did not accept Ibn Ka'ab's story and it
is not included in the books of Bukhari and Muslim or any of
the Sihah Sittah or the Muwatta of Imam Malik, the Musnad of
Ibn Hanbal or even the Musnad of Imam Abu Hanifa, though
these last three did accept many weak narratives including
Mursal.
The unbelievers did not know that story although they would
have been the first to tell everyone that Muhammad, pbuh,
had accepted their gods. [nauzoobillahe min zalik.] NONE of
the scholars, not even ibn Ishaq, claim that the unbelievers
narrated the story. This is a fatal flaw in the claims of
those who like Rushdie want to accept the story.
Note that Bukhari included the narrative of Abu Sufian when
he was not a Muslim in his Sahih. Ibn Ishaq has included
numerous attacks, even very abusive ones, in his SIRAH which
the unbelievers aimed at the Prophet, pbuh.
If ANY of the unbelievers had narrated the story Rushdie
picked up from an unknown narrator, it would have been
reported. Muslim scholars were not afraid of what the kuffar
said,
-
"In my opinion and also according to the teachings of the
scholars of Hadith, Mursal has no legal
authenticity.[hujjiat]" [Imam Muslim in the foreword to his
Sahih.]
-
"Mursal narrative has no authenticity and acceptability,
even if it is mursal from a Sahabi." [From Imam Shafai
reported by Ibn Battaal al-Qurtubi in his Commentary [sharh]
on Bukhari's Sahih, 449 hijri.]
Spotlights and Guidance
"Al-Aqsa Under Attack by "Israel."
Take Action: It is part of your faith to fulfil the duty and
responsibility to defend al-Aqsa.
-
Ask your local masjid imam to deliver khutbas on the
importance and preservation of al-Aqsa. Provide information
on al-Aqsa and distribute it at juma'
Literature is available. ask us for it. Distribute the
booklet on Palestine written by Sis. Nadrat and the collage
by Sis.Kristi
-
Write to your representative in the US Senate and in the
House. Explain to them how important al-Aqsa is for Muslims
and how the Israelis are violating our rights by violating
al-Aqsa.
-
Visit al-Aqsa if you are a US citizen. Take your family
along. This is a journey with many rewards.
-
Expose Israeli violations in Jerusalem [al-Quds], al-Aqsa
and Palestine in general.
-
Use social media [facebook etc] to discuss Palestine and
al-Aqsa.
-
Write to all those rulers who have shown concern for
al-Aqsa such as the Prime Minister of Turkey. Also, write to
all those presidents whom you think might care though they
have not spoken out.
-
Teach children the importance of Palestine and the
history of al-Aqsa. Teach them sura Isra [chapter 17] from
the Qur'an and its tafseer.
-
Teach the relationship of our Salah to al-Aqsa. The
Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, not only prayed there but led all
the prophets in prayer there during his miraculous night
journey. Thus Jerusalem is his home city and al-Aqsa his
mosque.
-
Make du'a for the oppressed people and keep them in your
prayers.
Masjid Al-Aqsa - The Second House of Allah on Earth
Abu Dharr (ra) reported that he asked the Prophet (saw), "O
Messenger of Allah, which Masjid was built first on earth"?
The Prophet (saw) replied, "The Sacred Masjid of Makkah".
Abu Dharr (ra) again asked, "Which was next"? The Prophet
(saw) said, "Masjid Al-Aqsa". Abu Dharr (ra) further asked,
"How long was the period between the building of the two
Masjids"? The Prophet (saw) said, "Forty years". Apart from
these, offer your prayer anywhere when it is time to pray,
although excellence is in praying in these Masjids".
(Bukhari)
The Importance of Visiting Masjid Al-Aqsa
Abu Hurayrah (ra) relates that the Prophet (saw) said, "You
should not undertake a special journey to visit any place
other than the following three Masjids with the expectations
of getting greater reward: the Sacred Masjid of Makkah
(Ka'bah), this Masjid of mine (the Prophet's Masjid in
Madinah), and Masjid Al-Aqsa (of Jerusalem)". In another
narration the words are, "For three Masjids a special
journey may be undertaken: The Sacred Masjid (Ka'bah), my
Masjid and Masjid of Jerusalem (Al-Aqsa). (Muslim, Bukhari,
Abu Dawud)
Greater Virtue of praying in Masjid Al-Aqsa
Abu Darda (ra) relates that the Prophet (saw) said, "A
prayed in Makkah (Ka'bah) is worth 1000,000 times (reward),
a prayer in my Masjid (Madinah) is worth 1,000 times and a
prayer in Al-Aqsa Sanctuary is worth 500 times more reward
than anywhere else". (Tabarani, Bayhaqi, Suyuti)
Anas Ibn Malik (ra) relates that the Prophet (saw) said, "
The prayer of a person in hishouse is a single prayer; his
prayer in the Masjid of his people has the reward of 27
prayers; his prayer in the Masjid in which the Friday prayer
is observed has the reward of 500; his prayer in Masjid
Al-Aqsa (i.e. Al-Aqsa Sanctuary) has a reward of 5,000
prayers; his prayer in my Masjid (the Prophet's Masjid in
Madinah) has a reward of 50,000 prayers, and the prayer in
the Sacred Masjid (Ka'bah) has the reward of 100,000
prayers". (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
The Importance of Donating to Masjid Al-Aqsa
Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) relates, I asked the Prophet (saw),
"Apostle of Allah, tell us the legal injunction about
(visiting) Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)." The Apostle of Allah
(saw) said, " Go and pray there. If you cannot visit it and
pray there, then send some oil to be used in the lamps".
(Bukhari)
- Imam Badi Ali is a Palestinian American who leads a large
congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina
Pakistan
Two Christians Murdered; Muslim Government Admits Evil Deed:
Rushes to Solace & Compensate the family.
Nov. 5: Shahbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab visited
a village 50 miles from Lahore the day after a frenzied mob
of illiterate villagers attacked, killed and burned a
Christian couple after a rumor spread that they had
desecrated the Qur'an.
Shabaz apologized to the Christian community, ordered Rs. 5
million to be given to the family of the victim along with
10 acres of land. Also, the children of the deceased will be
provided free education and all educational needs.
Fifty of the alleged participants of the mob have been
arrested. All 660 Muslims residents of the village are being
charged.
NT Editor's comments: We hope the killers will be hanged.
Islam does not permit any attacks on Christians or the
followers of any religion. In Pakistan Jamaat e Islami and
all known Islamic groups, including the Pakistani Taliban,
strongly oppose attacks on Christians.
Christian churches are active all over Pakistan. After this
atrocity, Christians came out openly on the streets to
demand justice. They got maximum publicity and no one
bothered them.
By contrast, note what the American military has done in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Remember the horrific atrocities
against Muslims in Bagram [near Kabul] and Abu Ghraib [near
Baghdad]. America's troops are not illiterate villagers but
a highly disciplined force subject to the laws of war about
civilians.
To take one instance, in Iraq, a 14 year old Muslim girl was
raped and burned by US troops, after they had killed her
parents and destroyed her home. It took the US a long time
to bring the culprits to court and every effort was made to
limit the blame to the specific victimizers and not to blame
the entire unity. When will America pay reparations to the
families of tens of thousands of its victims Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Has President Obama ever thought of visiting the families of
Dr. Aafia and the Blind Shaykh Dr. Abdel Rahman who have
been buried alive in the American gulag?
Ayesha Syed, Jamaate Islami leader & MNA, Working for
Women's University in Swat
[Courtesy Urdu Daily Jasarat.]
Nov 6: Speaking at a prize distribution ceremony at an
academy in Shangla [Swat]. Member of the National Assembly
of Pakistan, Ayesha Syed, called for equal quality education
for boys and girls. Emphasizing the role of the new
generation of girls in the future of Pakistan, MNA Ayesha
urged girls and women to take role models from the life of
the Prophet, pbuh. Among them, she said, was Khadija, r.a.,
a businesswoman, Ayesha, r.a., a scholar, Hafsa, r.a., a
government adviser, Khaula, r.a., a physician and many
others.
Ayesha Syed travels all over Pakistan and recently
represented Pakistan at a regional conference in Nepal. She
is planning for the establishment of a women's university in
Swat, one of the most conservative areas of Pakistan.
NT Editor's comment: Pakistani women educated and steeped in
the culture of Islam can change the social system in their
country. Westernized women are usually publicized and are
Pakistan's problem, not the solution.]
War News
Syria - Kurds pledge allegiance to al- Baghdadi in the
northern eastern countryside of Aleppo
Nov 9,2014 -SOHR has received a footage shows a mosque full
of dozens of men, youths and children in the IS held- town
of Ekhetrin located in the northern eastern countryside of
Aleppo. The footage also shows an IS Imam saying to the
people in the mosque "we bring to you power, pride and
empowerment, we come by ourselves to our Kurdish Muslim
brothers in order to say that we are our brothers in God, so
if you suffer we suffer and if something bad happens to you,
you will find a very big army expanding from Dyali in Iraq
to Ekhetrin in Syria. This army fights to protect Muslims.
This is the state of the prophet peace be upon him and this
is the state of Islam. Islamic State fights the Peshmerga in
Iraq and PKK in Syria, we do not fight them because they are
Kurds but because they are infidels and apostates; they call
for secularism and democracy, they call for secular party
that does not accept Allah as our Lord, Islam as our way of
life and Muhammad peace be upon him as Allah's prophet."
"Listen to me brothers, pledge allegiance to Amir al-
Mueminin (leader of believers) on empower the religion of
Allah Almighty and know that this allegiance is for
caliphate, and we are honored to join state of Islam. I am
going to talk and you repeat behind me". "In the name of
Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. We pledge allegiance to
Amir al- Mueminin and Muslims caliph Ibrahim Iben Awad Iben
Ibrahim al- Badri al- Husaini and Qorashi al- Baghdadi on
the basis of submission and obedience in times of hardship
and ease, fortune and adversity, applying Sharia rules, al
-Jihad ( fighting Allah's enemy) for Allah's way and not to
fight our leaders except we prove that they commit what they
make them infidels, and that Allah is a witness to out
word."
In addition, the footage shows a group of IS militants
distributing leaflets on people who were coming out of the
mosque and interviewing people, where someone said that we
send a message to our people abroad, we are here in the
village of Tal Btal and that the one who did not fight
Islamic State is not guilty and has no adjudication. "He,
his father and people of his village have pledged allegiance
and that they came with a broad magnanimity," another one
from the village answered a question by an IS militant when
he asked him whether Islamic State forces him to pledge
allegiance.
The footage also shows an old man saying to the element who
was interviewing people, "our religion is the same, we as
Arab, Turkman and Kurd pray shoulder to shoulder and that
language has nothing to do with religion, we are all Sunni,"
then, the old man asked the element, "do Americans, Russians
and Chechens fight with you in Islamic State.? The element
answered "yes." "We have lived peacefully since IS entered
our village and no one take any of our money or properties,"
the old man said.
A Terrible lingering Defeat
But None Dare Call It A Defeat: The US in Afghanistan
Eric Margolis
By now, the longest war in US history has cost some $1
trillion, maybe more. No one can properly account for the
billions and billions of US dollars flown into Afghanistan
and Iraq and dished out to the natives - or the numbers of
Afghans killed. For Washington's allies, like Canada and
Britain, the war has been a total waste of lives and
treasure ... Forget all the phony claims about "mission" and
"nation building." This has been yet another dirty little
colonial war that is better forgotten - and never repeated.
So this war will simmer on, at least until Washington finds
some face-saving way out of the mess in the Hindu Kush.
If the US was wise, it would simply quit Afghanistan. But
power, like opium, is highly addictive. So America's longest
war will drag on and on. Full article here :
http://ericmargolis.com/2014/11/none-dare-call-it-a-defeat
Australia Bombing Islamic State in Iraq; Australian Super
Hornets have bombed 14 Isis targets in Iraq --200 Australian
special forces members prepare to move into Iraq
4 Nov 2014 - Bombs dropped from Australian Super Hornet
combat aircraft in Iraq have hit 14 targets, 11 of which
were destroyed, defence officials have said. The Australian
Defence Force provided the figures on Wednesday for
operations conducted since the government gave the go-ahead
for RAAF strikes against Islamic State (Isis) militants in
early October.
The chief of joint operations, Vice Admiral David Johnston,
said he was hopeful the 200 Australian special forces
members would move into Iraq within the next week, having
been in the United Arab Emirates since September awaiting
final clearance.
Syria - British Mother Joins IS in Syria; Taking child with
her [Courtesy Jamaat al-Muslimeen Virginia.]
http://m.christianpost.com/news/radicalized-british-mother-takes-1-y-o-son-with-her-to-join-islamic-state-in-syria--128811
Notice how much abuse this Christian group
is piling on this woman to try and negate her Islamic
aspiration. And they tell the world that Islamic State is
totally unattractive for women.
Iraq -Top Shia Police General Killed in Islamic State
Attack
At least 33 people died in a series of bombings in the
capital Baghdad, with the deadliest attack killing more than
10 in the Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City.
Meanwhile a suicide bomber targeted an Iraqi military convoy
in the northern town of Baiji, north of Baghdad. Eight
people were killed including top police officer
Lt.Gen.Faisal Malik al-Zamel, the Associated Press
reported.
The British Foreign Office has said that it is aware of and
looking into reports of the death of a British citizen in
Baiji. Following the suicide bombing on Friday, reports on
Twitter claimed that a Briton died in the attack, but the
BBC is unable to verify this. Read full BBC story here :
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29974766
Nigeria's Boko Haram renames seized town in Adamawa
state
Leader Abubakar Shekau has announced a caliphate in areas
Boko Haram controls. Nigeria's militant group Boko Haram has
renamed Mubi, a recently captured town, Madinatul Islam -
City of Islam.
It seized Mubi - the second largest town in Adamawa state -
in October, after clashes with government forces. Boko Haram
has dismissed government claims to have agreed a ceasefire
with the Islamist group, meant to ensure the release of 219
kidnapped schoolgirls.
In August, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic
state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria. Mubi is
the largest town under Boko Haram control. It has stepped up
its insurgency since a state of emergency was declared in
May 2013 in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. The group has
changed tactics in recent months by holding on to territory
rather than launching hit-and-run attacks.
Abu Khattab al-Kurdi: Commander of Islamic Fighters in
Kobani
Kurds help Islamic militants in battle for Kobani
by BASSEM MROUE and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Ethnic Kurds are helping members of the Islamic State group
in the battle for the key Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani,
sharing their knowledge of the local terrain and language
with the extremists, according to Iraqi and Kurdish
officials.
It is not clear how many Kurds are aiding the estimated
3,000 Islamic State militants in the Kobani area — and
fighting against their own Kurdish brethren — but activists
say they are playing a major role in the 7-week-old conflict
near the Turkish border.
This undated image posted on a militant website shows Abu
Khattab al-Kurdi, or Abu Khattab the Kurd
A top military commander for the extremists in the town is
an Iraqi Kurd, known by the nom de guerre of Abu Khattab
al-Kurdi, helping them in the battle against fellow Kurds.
Officials with the main Syrian Kurdish force known as the
People's Protection Units, or YPG, say they became aware of
the Kurds among the mostly Sunni Muslim extremists early in
the fighting.
As Kurdish fighters were defending the nearby Syrian village
of Shiran in September, two Kurdish men with different
accents and wearing YPG uniforms infiltrated their ranks,
Kurdish officials said. Upon questioning, however, they were
captured and admitted to fighting for the Islamic State
group, the officials added.
Iraqi and Kurdish officials say many of the Kurdish fighters
with the Islamic State group are from the northeastern Iraqi
town of Halabja, which was bombed with chemical weapons by
Saddam Hussein's forces in 1988, killing some 5,000
people.
Shorsh Hassan, a YPG spokesman in Kobani, said although most
of the Kurdish jihadi fighters come from Iraq, some are from
Syrian regions such as Kobani, Afrin and Jazeera. He added
that the number of Syrian Kurds is small compared with the
dozens of Iraqis fighting with the IS group.
"The fighter who is from Kobani is not like someone who
hails from Chechnya with no idea about tracks and roads,"
Hassan said.
Thousands of militants from all over the world — including
north Africans, Asians and some Westerners — have traveled
to Syria and Iraq to join the ranks of the Islamic State
group. Turkish nationals are among them, but it is unknown
if any are fighting in Kobani.
Hassan said many of the Iraqi fighters were from Halabja,
including al-Kurdi. Websites affiliated with the Islamic
State group recently published several photographs of the
young, bearded man, including some of him wearing the
traditional Kurdish garb of baggy pants, and others of him
standing in front of Kurds killed in Kobani.
In Baghdad, an Iraqi security official said al-Kurdi was a
member of Ansar al-Islam, a Sunni militant group with ties
to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the late leader of al-Qaida in
Iraq, who was active in the early 2000s. Al-Kurdi later
joined the Islamic State group, the official said. The Iraqi
official said al-Kurdi is also from Halabja and is wanted by
Iraqi authorities. He refused to give the man's real name
when pressed by The Associated Press.
"Our latest information is that he is in Syria fighting in
the Kobani area. He is an expert in mountainous areas," the
Iraqi official said, speaking on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
"He is commanding the Kurdish group within Daesh because he
is a Kurd," he added, using an Arabic acronym for the
Islamic State group. Halabja was known as a secular village
and the home of Abdullah Goran, one of the best-known
Kurdish poets in the 20th century and a member of the Iraqi
Communist Party. But in the past three decades, Muslim
preachers have become active and have turned it into one of
Iraqi Kurdistan's most religiously conservative areas.
Still, most of the Kurds are moderate and secular-leaning
Muslims. Many Kurds in Iraq were stunned when they learned
that Kiwan Mohammed, the 25-year-old goalkeeper of Halabja's
soccer team, was killed last month in Syria while fighting
for the Islamic State group in Kobani. Mohammed was
identified by jihadi websites as Abu Walid al-Kurdi. Dana
Jalal, an Iraqi journalist who follows jihadi groups, said
the Iraqi athlete left Syria in July 2013 and had not been
heard of until his death.
Some 70 Iraqi Kurds, mostly from Halabja, went to fight in
Syria with the Islamic State group, Jalal said. Most go
through Turkey where they say they are going for tourism,
but theu then they cross into Syria, and "some even take
their wives with them," Jalal added.
Nawaf Khalil, the Europe-based spokesman for Syria's
powerful Kurdish Democratic Union Party, said Kurdish
fighters within the Islamic State group are invaluable in
the Kobani battle because they know the geography, as well
as the language and the mentality of fellow Kurds.
"A main part of their work is tapping (electronic
surveillance) and intelligence-gathering. They might be also
using some from the Kobani area to benefit from the
geographical knowledge of the area," he said.
Mustafa Bali, a Kurdish activist in Kobani, said that by
having Kurdish fighters, Islamic State extremists are trying
to win the hearts and minds of Syrian Kurds in the area.
"Daesh is trying to tell the people of Kobani that it does
not consider them enemies and its fighters include Kurds,"
Bali said.
Our America
Rasmea Defense Committee Statement
Why is this Palestinian-American woman treated so Unjustly
in America? Defense opens with scathing indictment of
Israel
Chicago - Cross examination exposes holes in prosecution of
Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh. Opening
statements were made today in the trial of Rasmea Odeh,
beloved leader of Chicago's Palestinian community, and the
first witnesses for the prosecution were called to the
stand. Again, supporters from across the Midwest packed the
courtroom, with many filing into an overflow room.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Jebson opened for the
prosecution, laying out the government's case. According to
him, Rasmea should be found guilty of immigration fraud for
her failure to disclose the 1970 conviction by Israel. Lead
defense attorney Michael Deutsch hit back hard with an
opening statement that began, "Odeh was convicted by a
military court that was occupying Palestinian land. [With]
judges who are soldiers... Rasmea Odeh embodies the history
of the Palestinian people."
He continued by tracing her story, from the 1948 loss of the
family home and land to Israeli soldiers and settlers when
she was just a year old, to additional personal losses in
the 1967 war, to 1969, when Rasmea was one of 500 people
arrested by the Israeli military in a massive,
indiscriminate sweep. Though he was barred by the judge's
rulings from mentioning torture, he told the jury that after
her arrest, Rasmea was interrogated for weeks. "Use your
imagination about what 'interrogation for weeks' means." The
prosecution quickly objected and Judge Drain sustained the
objection.
Deutsch added, "Rasmea is respected, honored and revered.
You will see her honesty and integrity when she testifies.
In 2004, she applied; in 2013, they suddenly charged her.
Ask yourself, 'Why?' Ask yourself, 'Why they are bringing
this case nine years later?'" Again, the prosecution
objected, and again Judge Drain sustained.
In the end, Deutsch urged the jury to remain independent:
"Use your sense of justice, and find [Rasmea] not
guilty."
After a short break, the prosecution called its first
witness, Department of Homeland Security Special Agent
Stephen Webber. He testified to initiating and leading the
investigation against Rasmea since 2010. The clearly
rehearsed testimony quickly changed, however, when Deutsch
began his cross-examination. A previously calm and relaxed
Webber began to sweat and shift nervously in his seat as
Deutsch had him admit that he had worked with the
prosecution to build the case against Rasmea, including
traveling to O'Hare Airport to secretly record an
interrogation of her as she returned to the U.S. from
Palestine.
A record of the interview reveals that Webber lied to Rasmea
and claimed he was questioning her because he had a genuine
interest in learning more about the conflict between
Palestine and Israel. In reality, he was trying to entrap
her, repeatedly asking whether she had been imprisoned in
Israel, to which she replied more than once, "No, please, I
don't want to talk about it."
Two additional witnesses gave testimony after Webber.
Raymond Clore, a State Department functionary and Douglas
Scott Pierce of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
(USCIS). Both spoke in general terms about the immigration
and citizenship application process.
In cross-examination, Deutsch weakened the case against
Rasmea - pointing out that her initial immigration
application did not include a sworn statement with Rasmea's
signature, and that standard USCIS procedures only
investigate an applicant's criminal record inside the
U.S.
At several points during the questioning, Deutsch emphasized
that the questions on the applications that Rasmea filed do
not directly ask about crimes outside the U.S.
After dismissing the jury for the day, Judge Drain denied
yet another defense motion, which sought to introduce an
earlier version of the application. That early 1990s
naturalization form explicitly asks "inside or outside the
U.S." when attempting to assess if someone had ever been
arrested, convicted, or imprisoned.
The defense confirmed that Rasmea will be called to testify
on her own behalf after the prosecution closes its case.
This could be as early as Thursday afternoon, and promises
to be powerful. Dozens of additional supporters plan to be
in Detroit to hear her tell her story to the jury.
The Rasmea Defense Committee has organized people from
across the Midwest to pack the courtroom throughout the
trial, and more are still pouring in. Each day of the trial,
supporters will rally from 8:00 to 8:15 a.m. and again after
adjournment at 1 p.m.
For more information and background on Rasmea Odeh's case,
go to
http://www.uspcn.org
or
http://www.stopfbi.net
What's wrong with saying: Islam is a religion of Peace?
by Kaukab Siddique
Pennsylvania - Recently I was in a halal restaurant
listening to a group of Muslim students from the University
of Pennsylvania. They were discussing Bill Mahr's attacks on
Islam and Ben Afflack's response to him that "Islam is a
religion of peace."
I listened to them for a while and then I interrupted and
gave my opinion as follows: "It makes you happy that Ben
Afflak said that Islam is a religion of peace. Afflack was
being reactive in trying to answer Mahr's claim that Islam
is violent. Do you realize how this response undermines the
entire Islamic position? If Islam is a religion of peace,
then it amounts to saying that all the Muslims around the
world who are fighting imperialism and Zionism are not good
Muslims or not even Muslims!"
"CAIR is also carrying on this naïve expression that 'Islam
is a religion of peace.' This expression locks US Muslims
into a defensive position and cuts them off from any
discussion of the real issues.
"We should say: Islam stands for justice. Muslims per the
Qur'an are required to resist aggression, occupation and
tyranny. We are one Ummah. What's being done to our people
by Israel or by the US hurts us. That's is Islam."
Guilt by Association with Alleged Marathon Bomber
by Sis. Karin Friedemann
Boston - "I feel unsafe in PCCF, and I have a great fear for
my life," wrote Khairullozhon Matanov, 24, in a letter to
this author postmarked November 1, 2014. Matanov is awaiting
trial for allegedly lying to the FBI in an effort to
downplay his relationship with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, accused
Boston bomber who was killed by police in April 2013.
Matanov was severely beaten by guards after flooding his
cell in protest against the constant Islamophobic harassment
at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility (PCCF). The
incident was reported in a letter from Matanov to a friend
postmarked October 24, 2014 and also by a sympathetic fellow
inmate, who has since been moved to another unit. The
remaining inmates taunt him in a hostile manner.
"They harass me so much, I don't know what to do, they
couldn't see that I was being so peaceful, now even some
ignorant inmates say bad things, and when they do it, the
guards play the US National Anthem, it is awful," writes
Matanov.
The US National Anthem was also blasting on October 23, when
seven correctional officers sprayed tear gas into his cell.
Unable to breathe, Matanov tried to get some air from under
the door but was sprayed in the face. After allowing them to
handcuff him, he collapsed.
"When I was like half dead not moving at all they jump on me
so badly. One of them stick his finger into my right eye
(it's swollen right now full of blood). After, the same
person start saying, "You [expletive] Muslim terrorist" and
kick my head... I pass out from pain, then I woke up when
one of them twist my hand."
Khair reports that he heard one of them say, "We have to
take him out walking."
"They took me out... the end? No! Horror just started. They
put me in that chair with the spray all over my face and
hands, left me for two and half hours in one room. I was
crying and asking for help with my eye (literally burning
with the pain). Ruthless human beings, I thought I am about
to die. Fortunately for me it was not my time. I survived
with lots of pain... No justice in this place.. If they will
have an argument with me, they play national anthem, by the
way when they came to get me in their suits they played the
national anthem of USA. It is so awful, they are pulling USA
down... I could hear and now I see they really really
enjoyed this awful terror which they did against me."
A week later, Matanov wrote, "Trying to get better, after
all of this pain, but my eyes and my head is still not good,
I can't see properly, and I can't read. If I do so my head
goes crazy. They did not give me good medical care, even
though I was beaten nearly to death."
A former client of Matanov's taxi service wrote in an email,
"This is unbelievable. Months ago an officer told me the FBI
sent him there so he would be safe...yeah right!"
Supporters contacted a number of agencies as well as the
Consulate of Kyrgyzstan. It is hoped that the Kyrgyzstan
ambassador to the US will visit Matanov as he did last
Ramadan, after Matanov mentioned in a letter dated July 8
that he was not given any food for four days.
This is not the first time Matanov was punished for flooding
his cell in protest of being singled out for harassment. In
a letter postmarked August 21, he described another incident
where he was stripped naked and taken to "Q5" - a cold,
rubber room usually used for suicidal prisoners. He was left
there without clothes, normal food or toilet for four
days.
"Now I told this to my lawyer, guess what, it was better to
tell to a wall so I could hear the echo." Matanov's court
appointed attorney, Edward Hayden told Boston Magazine that
"the injuries did not appear as extensive as what was
described in the letter... He had a black eye, he had
scrapes, bruises, and that's what I saw...some of these
letters and Tweets make it seem like he was beaten to an
inch of his life, and that's not true." This was not the
first time that Matanov's lawyer undermined his case.
Bruce Gellerman tweeted on November 6 that Matanov filed a
motion to withdraw his attorney Edward Hayden. There will be
a closed hearing on November 20.
The government is putting Matanov under intense pressure
because they want to break his resolve to maintain his
innocence. He was offered his freedom if he would become an
FBI informant as he wrote on July 15. When he refused, he
was then offered a shorter sentence of seven years if he
would plead guilty, he wrote on July 24.
The day after the attack on Matanov, an inmate at the same
prison, Marcus Czaja, 32, was found dead in his cell while
on November 3, Steven Wayne Roderick, 34, died at PCCF. Both
deaths were ruled suicides.
Islam vs Ismailism in Canada; Convert to Islam from Ismaili
Cult Answers Agha Khani invitation. "I am a Muslim now,
converted from the Ismaili Cult."
by Sis. Gulshan Alani
In reply to your following subscription 'Inside
Ismailism'.
Please note that I am a Muslim now, converted from Ismaili
cult. I also changed my god.
I left the fake god Aga khan an atheist, who claimed the
re-incarnation of Das Avtar of Hindu gods, who only takes,
and gives nothing, He sells the religious rituals, forgives
sins every month on the night of Chand-raat with cash paid,
and charges membership fees from $500.00 to $20,000 to enter
one of the 7 Heavens, as his claim is that Heaven and hell
are in his hands, and so he must be worshiped, make sujud to
him and follow his order as he is the walking talking Quran,
and no need to follow the 14century old Quran that is
useless now: (Naouzoobillah).
And the recent claim that the present Quran is the wrong
Quran compiled by the Caliph Othman (RA) who burnt the real
Quran. (Astagafirullah). So he concealed Allah and the Quran
from me, giving me the man-made mixture of
Hindu-Sikhism-Ismaili Batini-secret religion, practiced
behind the closed doors, yet using Islamic stuff in public
and in Aga Khan;s the Museum. Whereas, nothing of Islam is
in the Jamat khana temple. Moreover he is lying and using
the fake ID of Islam and claims of being Shia Muslim.
Can anyone claim to be a Muslim after rejecting Allah, and
Quran? Can an atheist be an Imam? Aga is neither Ismaili nor
Muslim but a good businessman whose so-called charity
foundations are not the charity but the 'Business', earning
money, like earning money by selling the cultic rituals.
Now I have accepted the true GOD-Allah the Creator of the
Universe, who gives me all, food and water etc. HE doesn't
charge for anything and takes nothing from me but only
orders to recognize HIM, worship HIM and obey HIS rules for
the holistic life. The way of HIS Prophet Muhammad SAWS. All
is free from HIM. Who also gave me the truth, wisdom of free
thinking, universal knowledge, and recognition of the dajjal
and its treacherous mischief of misleading the innocents
against Allah. Islam is the clear Map of the easiest way to
enter Jannah, where we will be greeted by Assalamu Alaikum,
the Muslim Greetings and not Ya Ali Madad.
Salaam/peace
Teen doused with gas, bleach, set on fire [CNN]
Virginia - The Virginia teen went missing first, with her
family calling the Charles City County Sheriff's Office on
October 1. Her nightmare began when, she later told police,
the teenager was hit in the head with a shovel and stuffed
into the trunk of a car, according to Crawley. The girl told
police that her abductor took her to his parents' house in
Charles City County and sexually assaulted her. (Barnes'
parents don't remember whether they were home at the time,
the sheriff's captain said.)
He then showed her pictures of other girls, claiming he'd
done the same thing to them, according to the 16-year-old.
Delvin Barnes, arrested in connection with a Philadelphia
woman's abduction, is also accused of abducting, raping and
burning a teenage girl in Virginia.
Two days later, the suspect allegedly brought the then-naked
girl into the backyard, poured bleach and gasoline on her,
burned her clothes and dug a hole. "How do you want to die?"
he asked, the teenager told police.
When he got distracted, the girl fled into the woods.
Two miles away, employees at a Charles City County business
spotted her and brought her inside, Crawley explained. She
was suffering from third-degree burns, but she was alive.
Viewpoint and Analysis
Tehran Regime's Atrocity Against Woman who killed her
Rapist. Serious Regime Crimes against Sunni Opponents
by Amer Alam [via Zaheer Bawany in Canada.]
After living on death row for the last five years, Reyhaneh
Jabbari, 26, was executed in Tehran on Friday 24th October
2014 by Iranian authorities, in one of the most brazen human
rights violations in recent memory.
Reyhaneh Jabbari was convicted of murdering Morteza Abdolali
Sarbandi in 2007, an ex-intelligence official, in
self-defence after he lured her to his apartment on the
pretense of work and attempted to rape her [1]. After being
arrested for the murder, she was placed in solitary
confinement without access to a lawyer or her family and
physically and psychologically abused for a number of years
by the Iranian authorities [2]. During this time, the UN and
Amnesty International were made aware of her appalling
treatment and found that a confession, used as the basis of
her conviction and death sentence, was obtained under direct
threat and torture from Iranian authorities [1]. Despite
calls from the international community to postpone the court
proceedings, due to serious concerns over the fairness of
the trial, Jabbari was sentenced to death in 2009.
To highlight the farcical nature of the trial, Amnesty
International found that Jabbari's version of the incident
was never investigated and the information taken as fact by
the Iranian judicial system was deeply flawed [3].
Furthermore, it was mentioned by the UN that Jabbari pleaded
with the authorities that she did not kill Sarbandi, instead
she stabbed him in the shoulder with a knife to defend
herself and called an ambulance before fleeing the scene
[4]. In support of her claims, a medical practitioner found
that a glass of juice at the scene was laced with a
tranquilizer and could have been used by Sarbandi to subdue
his victim [2]. On the other hand, some have stated that
Jabbari confessed to buying a knife two days before the
incident and claimed the murder was premeditated. However,
such a claim was never substantiated and her confession as
stated earlier was conducted while she was under duress and
being tortured by the Iranian authorities. Additionally, a
letter she wrote to her mother six months before her
execution reiterated her claims that she acted in
self-defence:
The following are extracts from a letter by Reyhaneh Jabbari
to her mother:
During that ominous night it was I that should have been
killed. My body would have been thrown in some corner of the
city, and after a few days, the police would have taken you
to the coroner's office to identify my body and there you
would have learnt that I had been raped as well.
The murderer would have never been found since we don't have
their wealth and their power. Then you would have continued
your life suffering and ashamed, and a few years later you
would have died of this suffering and that would have been
that. However, with that cursed blow the story changed. My
body was not thrown aside, but into the grave of Evin Prison
and its solitary wards, and now the grave-like prison of
Shahr-e Ray.
Being presented in court made me appear as a cold-blooded
murderer and a ruthless criminal. I shed no tears. I did not
beg. I did not cry my head off since I trusted the law. But
I was charged with being indifferent in face of a crime. You
see, I didn't even kill the mosquitoes and I threw away the
cockroaches by taking them by their antennas. Now I have
become a premeditated murderer.
And this country that you planted its love in me, never
wanted me and no one supported me, when under the blows of
the interrogator I was crying out and I was hearing the most
vulgar terms.
I have told you many times not to beg to save me from being
executed. My kind mother, the one dearer to me than my life,
do your best to forget my difficult days. The world did not
love us. It did not want my fate. And now I am giving in to
it and embracing the death. Because in the court of God I
will charge the inspectors, I will charge the judge, and
those that beat me up when I was awake and did not refrain
from harassing me. In the court of the Creator I will charge
all those that out of ignorance or with their lies wronged
me and trampled on my rights and didn't pay heed to the fact
that sometimes what appears as reality is different from it.
[5]
Given the clear inconsistencies in the case, the question
arises: why did the Iranian government and its judicial
system decide to steam ahead with the execution knowing full
well that the facts of the case were never established? The
answer can clearly be found in Iran's recent human rights
record, where the unjust treatment, false imprisonment and
execution of women and innocent minority groups, such as
Sunnis is not uncommon.
Despite the oppressive treatment of Reyhaneh Jabbari, her
case is just one of many hundreds of people, who are
unjustly executed in Iran. To illustrate their abhorrent
human rights record, Amnesty International recorded that 369
official executions took place in Iran during 2013, only
second to China, which does not take into account the secret
executions and acts of torture that are now widespread in
the country against Sunnis [1] [6]. In fact, the real number
of executions in 2013 was found to be over seven hundred
[7]. For example, in June 2014 four Sunni Kurdish men,
falsely accused of murdering a religious cleric, were
sentenced to be secretly executed, even though Iranian
records showed that these men were arrested and kept
imprisoned months before the murder took place [6]. Rather
calls for their executions were designed to curb the growing
number of Sunnis who practice their faith, by way of fear,
in a Shi'ite majority country.
Similarly, Amnesty International documents that two other
men named Ali Chebieshat and Sayed Khaled Mousawi were
secretly executed on similar charges a few days earlier [6].
Unfortunately, this level of oppression and subjugation
against Sunnis is a common occurrence in Iran and their
routine arrests are publicised within the country as a
terrifying intimidation tactic. Furthermore, such arrests
are used to justify greater restrictions forced upon Sunnis
to stop them practicing their faith, which is highlighted by
the fact that there are no Sunni mosques in existence in the
Iranian capital of Tehran [8][9]. Therefore, the unjust and
oppressive treatment Reyhaneh Jabbari received should come
as no surprise within a country that has one of the worst
human rights records against women and minority groups in
living memory.
The great irony behind the oppressive treatment that the
Iranian government and judicial system regularly inflicts on
women is that they were recently awarded a seat on the UN
body's women's rights commission [10]. This news was met
with dismay by UN Watch's Hillel Neuer, who described it as
a "black day for human rights", while Samantha Power, the US
ambassador to Iran, described it as a "particularly
troubling outcome." To further highlight the oppressive
treatment of women in Iran, in October 2014 a number of
prominent women were beaten and arrested during a peaceful
protest in front of the Iranian Parliament, while they
highlighted the increased number of acid attacks and
violence committed against women, which was ignored by the
Iranian authorities [11].
Having shown clear evidence proving the clear enmity Iran's
despotic ruling leaders have towards women and minority
groups, it is extremely hypocritical and deceitful when
individuals and so-called impartial news agencies such as
Press TV and Russia Today, linked to the Iranian regime,
routinely highlight the human rights records of neighbouring
Arab states, yet conveniently ignore the crimes of the
country they openly support. The most recent example is that
of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was sentenced to death
in Saudi Arabia for high treason, a crime punishable by
death in a number of countries, including the US [12] [13].
While such individuals and news agencies were extremely
aggressive and unrelenting in their reporting of this case,
to a country they hold hostility towards, they consistently
fail to utter a word of condemnation towards Iran's acts of
aggression and barbaric treatment of women and minorities.
Of course we should by no means ignore the numerous
injustices that other countries commit daily; but to
selectively ignore one of the most repressive and unjust
regimes is very troubling indeed.
Despite her execution, it is hoped that Reyhaneh Jabbari's
murder was not in vain and it helps highlight and publicise
the barbaric violations of human rights Iran has been
committing in secret now for decades. While certain
individuals are quick to highlight the crimes of
neighbouring Arab states, it is about time the crimes
committed by Iran on its own civilians are reported to the
world. It is also hoped that Iran's barbaric treatment of
Muslims highlights how they are anything but the peace
loving champions of the Muslim world they purportedly make
themselves out to be and only provide lip service against
the West to further spread their propaganda to the Muslims.
This is especially important since their acts of aggression
against Muslims is not restricted to their own country
because they are routinely implicated in the mass murder of
Muslims in Syria, Iraq and most recently Yemen [14] [15]
[16].
See Reference [1-16] here:
http://attachment.benchmarkemail.com/c78264/Tehran_Regime_Reerences.docx
2014-11-09 Sun 20:51:20 cst
NewTrendMag.org
