It is not only pathetic how such claimant guys deviate, but how their public
followers are further sunk in confusion and mislead.. Therefore, it was often
repeated in Quran and Hadith warning on following outspoken ones, without proper
investigation or accreditation of their authority to guide and lead.. This is why,
exodus of European Muslims had followed twisted claims and amputated Tafseer;
which had filled gaps of cultural traumas and religious
vacuum..
Factually, we as Muslims we have a great fall.. the concurrent public and NGO systems and structures are incapable to confront such confusion, nor able to promote the correct Islamic message.. There is an effort which is badly required, yet no one is there to perform.. The fail attempts by such claimant preachers, to merge Islam with politics, science and secularist philosophies had added deterioration and decay to the coherence of Muslims.. Simply, they defeat Islam..!
Yes, Religious Codes are not Compulsory for Muslims, but Religious Knowledge is.. It is all about the common sense of the religion and the role a Muslim will perform among all others..
What is the purpose of being a Muslim?
What is the needful to be one?
Are we obliged to Islamize the world around?
If so, by what means, tools or thoughts?
Guys, it will be more than enough to Islamize your own self.. Forget about the others..!!
Stealthily, progressive Islam had migrated from the freak California to South Africa.. No wonder sooner will invade other territories.. It is no different from ISIS.. One kills lives, another kills Epistemia..!!
—
The “Open Mosque” will accept people from all religions and sexual orientations
A Muslim academic has opened a gay-friendly mosque in South Africa, despite receiving death threats and fierce criticism from parts of the local Muslim community. Women will also be allowed to lead prayers at Taj Hargey’s “Open Mosque” in Cape Town. “We are opening the mosque for open-minded people, not closed-minded people,” Mr Hargey told the BBC. He says the mosque will help counter growing Islamic radicalism. Mr Hargey, a professor at the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford in the UK, told the BBC’s Newsday programme it was time for a “religious revolution”. “In South Africa 20 years ago, there was a peaceful revolution changing from apartheid to democracy and we need to have a similar development in the area of religion,” he said.
Taj Hargey denies going against Muslim teaching
Women will be allowed to preach and pray alongside men
Some Muslim groups are opposed to the mosque
Mr Hargey, who was born in Cape Town, said the mosque would welcome people from all genders, religions and sexual orientations. As well as leading prayers, women would be allowed to pray in the same room as men, he said. He contrasted this to the current Islamic practice which sees “women at the back of the street, back of the hall, out of sight, out of mind”. However, members of Cape Town’s large Muslim community have taken to social media to criticise the new mosque, with some labelling him a “heretic” or “non-believer”. One group tried to block the opening of the mosque. South Africa’s umbrella body for Islamic groups, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), says it is investigating the new mosque and has noted concerns raised in the community. In his sermon Mr Hargey condemned the increasing hatred in the world between Muslims and Christians and blamed it on “warped theology”, reports AFP news agency. When asked about his qualifications as a religious leader he said: “I have a PhD in Islamic studies from Oxford University, unlike my opponents who went to some donkey college in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.” He told the BBC that he wanted to revive “the original mosque of the Prophet Muhammad, where there were no barriers”. “This idea of female invisibility is an innovation that came after Muhammad, unfortunately it has become entrenched,” he said.
More than a hundred Muslim scholars and leaders from around the world released an open letter addressed to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Wednesday, telling the self-proclaimed caliph, in no uncertain terms, that the group’s use of Islamic scripture is illegitimate and perverse.
The document, which was issued in Arabic and English on the website Letter to Baghdadi and is embedded below, begins with a list of practices employed by the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) that its authors say are explicitly forbidden by Islam. They include torture, slavery, forced conversions, the denial of rights for women and children, and the killing of innocents.
The letter emphasizes that Baghdadi’s claims to a caliphate spanning eastern Syria and western Iraq are void.
“Who gave you authority over the ummah [Muslim people]?” the letter asks. “Was it your group? If this is the case, then a group of no more than several thousand has appointed itself the ruler of over a billion and a half Muslims. This attitude is based upon a corrupt circular logic that says: ‘Only we are Muslims, and we decide who the caliph is, we have chosen one and so whoever does not accept our caliph is not a Muslim.’ ”
ألقى فضيلة الدكتور علي جمعة خطبة الجمعة اليوم من مسجد فاضل بمدينة السادس من أكتوبر وتحدث فيها عن الدواعش وأنهم ليسوا ظاهرة مفاجئة فأوصافهم مذكورة في التراث الإسلامي على لسان الإمام علي بن أبي طالب
فقد ذكر نعيم بن حماد في كتابه الماتع الفتن (1/ 210) عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ:
فوصفهم سيدنا علي وهو رابع الخلفاء الراشدين وباب مدينة العلم النبوي ؛ فقد قال عنه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم أنا مدينة العلم وعلي بابها
وفي الطبقات لمحمد بن سعد من رواية سعيد بن المسيب قال: كان عمر يتعوذ بالله من معضلة ليس لها أبو الحسن يعني علي بن أبي طالب
فوصفهم بدقة قائلاً «قُلُوبُهُمْ كَزُبَرِ الْحَدِيد»ِ قاسية كقطع الحديد ، «هُمْ أَصْحَابُ الدَّوْلَة»ِ فيسمون أنفسهم بالدولة الإسلامية ولم يسبقهم بذلك أحد من الخوارج ، «أسْمَاؤُهُمُ الْكُنَى، وَنِسْبَتُهُمُ الْقُرَى» فتجد أسماءهم أبو بكر وأبو ياسين والبغدادي والبصري والليبي والمصري.
وتابع فضيلته .. والمشكلة في فرقة الدواعش أنهم لم يفهموا الإسلام بل فهموا صورة مشوهة عن دين الله ، وذلك لأنهم لم يتعلموا على يد المشايخ والعلماء ، بل جمعوا دينهم من معلومات متفرقة من كتب مختلفة بعضها معتمد لم يفهموه فهماً صحيحاً وبعضها الآخر غير معتمد من العلماء ، فأصبح عندهم معلومات وليس علماً ، ثم قاموا بتشكيلها وفق أهوائهم فقتلوا الناس يمينا ويساراً باسم الدين وهو منهم براء.
وقال فضيلته لقد ترك لنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم الدين كالمحجة البيضاء لا يزيغ عنها إلا هالك ، وأساس هذا الدين هو الرحمة ، فقال صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: «الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمن» وهو أول حديث يتعلمه طالب العلم وعليه يبني البقية فإذا صلح الأساس صلح البناء وإذا فسد الأساس أصبح الهرم مقلوباً ، وهذا هو حال الدواعش ؛ فهم ومن على شاكلتهم من خوارج هذا العصر ، فحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل هو سلاح المؤمن ضد هؤلاء القتلة الفاسدون ، وهو كلام قليل ولكنه عند الله عظيم ، فأوصي بها كل مؤمن حتى يُخلصنا الله تعالى من هذه الشرذمة.
Almost every girl dreams of her big day. Right from the dress to the ceremony to the first dance, many future brides have it all planned. For this young woman, however, the perfect wedding involved none of this – all it needed to be beautiful was her father’s presence.
Lisa Wilson found out that her father, David Haliburton Wilson, was fighting a losing battle to a rare cancer. So she decided to move her wedding ahead by a week so he could give her away. A video shared on Facebook captures the most beautiful yet heartbreaking ceremony and father-daughter dance ever.
Titled “The best gift, a daughter could give. Congratulations Dr. Lisa Pantoja,” the video shows Lisa and David’s moving father-daughter dance.
After exchanging vows next to her father’s hospital bed, Lisa can be seen asking her dad for a dance. When he tells her he can’t, she tells him she’ll just “dance with your hands.” The heartwarming video went viral almost instantly and currently has about 3.6 million shares.
David died on September 2, 2014. However, this beautiful video captures the special bond he shared with his daughter.
This is an amazing lesson for all preachers.. It is not a matter to convince minds, but to penetrate the hearts, apart from all interruptions of daily hectic life.. How to simply communicate and establish a consensus, which everyone has it already in the depth of the heart..
Maybe I do not care much ofher conversion to Islam, because this is a secondary issue.. It is all about delivering the message of Oneness or Tawheed; which every persons feels deeply inside their hearts.. People may been raised to exercise Polytheism; yet when they pray and supplicate, they address the One God.. Many are confused, misled and illiterate, yet their concept of Oneness is uneasy to explain.. Therefore, the loving preaching is the most critical for all, for every religion, for both believers and non-believers..
Quran says that seeds of believe is there within each one’s heart.. وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنِي آدَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَا ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?”- They said: “Yea! We do testify!” (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: “Of this we were never mindful” (7/172) Translated by Yousuf Ali When thy Lord had materialized the seeds of Adam’s descendants from their own spinals; Making them observing their own creation; Stating: I am your Lord? They admitted Yea! We shall testify on the Day of Judgment how we were unmindful Interpreted by Adil Abdalla
Also, Rasoul Allah PBUH had confirmed that every child is born on the instinct belief of Oneness; only his parents and society name and raise his religion..
By default, all religions need to consolidate their followers rather than preaching for conversions.. One of the notableearly Clerks had called to abandon reproducing if chaotic times spread.. There is no use of masses of followers if the substance became poor.. Therefore, I emphasis on his soft approach and calm leadership, which everyoneshould learn.. for life, for business and for religion as well.. It cost nothing, but fitness to be a human with clear lovingheart..
AMMAN – A nine-year-old Imam has fascinated worshippers during last Friday’s prayer at a mosque in Jordan where hundreds of Jordanian Muslims flocked to the mosque to attend his sermon, Emirates 24/7 reported on Monday, December 9. “Allah granted me the gift of memorizing the holy Qur’an,” Anas Al Shatti, 9, told Arabic language Al Dostor newspaper earlier this week. “This is a gift and a responsibility I pray to Allah to help me preserve it.” The young preacher’s sermon followed repeated calls from his neighbors to his father to let Anas preach on Friday’s prayer, citing his unique talent. Anas, who spent many years in reciting the holy Qur’an, has accomplished reading several Shari`ah books at this age. Islamic authorities in the Hashemite Kingdom have given him the green light to preach his first-ever sermon at Al-Ibrahimi Mosque in the capital Amman three days ago.
Regardless what he memorizes.. This WRONG..!! The most stupid ill-ritual I ever imagined..
Whoever cheers for this fantasy, either ignorant or stupid.. It seems that Muslims had already lost the core spirit of Islam.. It is not a game, nor a fun to “Imam” fellow Muslims; yet some people are fanatic enough to invent their own fantasy.. The promoters share the guilt more than the performers themselves..
The promoter (OnIslam) is a hi-traffic web site.. I had followed them for few months, and it seems a decedent to (Islam online) which was created by AlQaradhawi in late 1990th.. The site, as per its own description, belongs to a (suspicious-Muslim-Brotherhood) Egyptian NGO, which host lots of skillful journalists and outspoken advocates and enthusiastic Muslims..!! However, their contacts, editors and management are not public..!!
It is a skillful open-source for all writers in all languages, with state of the art of journalistic tactics to feed and grow their readers-base.. The nature of the chosen topics are attractive and appealing to lots of people, yet, lots of the promoted ideas and subjects are twisted from the (righteous) Classical Islam..
They spread hatred to others within their soft talk about religious tolerance and integration.. They Allow for fabricated news to go viral, while exaggerate both atrocities and achievements of Muslim livelihoods.. They focus on the controversial issues, which are appealing to new generations, relaying on preachers without (classical) accreditation.. It simply promotes a new Islam..!!
I maintain my subscription with them to keep a track on how deteriorated Muslim media is evolving.. yet, I recommend to all honest and sincere Muslims to avoid..!!
From their FB page:
Description
OnIslam.net is an independent website that emerged out of an
initiative by the team that created and run IslamOnline.net for
the past 10 years, after the idea had been embraced by a
group of people with experience in the field of civil society work
in Egypt. This project was launched in August 2010 (Ramadan
1431 A.H.) under the umbrella of Mada Media Development
Association, a non-profit civil society institution born in Egypt
This is a widely circulated photo of Turkish visiting Q’aba at Makkah..
The males surround their females, not to be lost, pushed or harassed by others.. Some fanatic appreciated their “Manly” behavior as a model to copy.. I guess it is totally wrong..
At Allah’s House, we fear nothing, we consider nothing, we remember nothing; but Him swt.. At His House swt, we own nothing, relate to nothing,… and attach to nothing..
It is the only place where no gender divide, no ranking orders and no possession is observed.. Therefore, Muslim (men) ware this simple cloth as a submission of everything.. as resembling death..
Muslim already deviated in most physical attributes.. Now they do in their spiritual ones.. At Q’aba of Makkah, there is only one recognized relation: Allah & His Believers Where a Believer loses her/his sense of self..!!
This most sacred relation can’t be shared with any other.. Otherwise it is a hidden Polytheism..!!
People had confused themselves with the security and protocol provided to VIP during their Tawaf.. Maybe in ideal world this would not be done..
I had personally seen men forgot about where they are and expand arms to protect their young wives.. Or stretch another with a cellphone camera.. or catching a selfie.. or talk to relatives and friends on cellphones.. or walking in opposite direction to catch something out there..
Generally; people do Tawaf as if walking for leisure.. They forgot the jogging…!!
Regretfully, it is not Tawaf anymore.. It is just a ritual you can deliver with an absent mind..!!!
The athletes compete with weapons and a healthy dose of athletic grace to demonstrate skills of Self-Defence, fighting and hunting in front of a jury. By Sya Taha.
Hands-free cartwheels, front flips and all kinds of jumps, Iranian wushu champion Haniyeh Rajabi can do it all. The gold medalist at the 7th Asian Junior Wushu Championships in the Philippines speaks about her love for this traditional Chinese martial art and her demanding training regimen.
Watch as these women compete with weapons and a healthy dose of athletic grace, demonstrating skills of self-defence, fighting and hunting in front of a jury. If all those jumps get too much for you, skip to 3:34 to learn about how they also practise tai chi, or a form of meditation, to balance out their bodily energies. Gotta love those brightly coloured uniforms!
There are several versions of this Dua’a.. Below are only two of them..
It is also called (Ganjul Arsh) by Urdu Speakers May Allah swt bless, forgive and reward Brother Fareid de Bruyns from South Africa, who had alerted me to this treasure Dua’a
دعاء يستشير من كنوز العرش يقرا لكل شدة ورخاء
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم : يا علي أقرأ هذا الدعاء في كل صباح ومساء فأنه كـنـز من كنوز عرش الله تبارك وتعالى واقرأه لكل شدة ورخاء وهو كثير الفضل والثواب الحمد لله الذي لا اله الا هو الملك الحق المبين ، المدبر بلا وزير ، ولا خلق من عباده يستشير ، الاول غير مصروف ، والباقي بعد فناء الخلق ، العظيم الربوبية نور السموات والارض وفاطرهما ومبتدعهما بغير عمد خلقهما وفتقهما فتقا ، فقامت السموات طائعات بأمره واستقرت الارضون بأوتادها فوق الماء ، ثم علا ربنا في السموات العلى ،( الرحمن على العرش استوى ، له ما في السموات وما في الارض وما بينهما وما تحت الثرى ) فأنا اشهد بأنك انت الله لا رافع لما وضعت ، ولا واضع لما رفعت ، ولا معز لمن أذللت ،ولا مذل لمن أعززت ، ولا مانع لما اعطيت ، ولا معطي لما منعت ، وانت الله لا اله الا انت كنت اذ لم تكن سماء مبنية ، ولا أرض مدحية ، ولا شمس مضيئة ، ولا ليل مظلم ، ولا نهار مضيء ، ولا بحر لجي ، ولا جبل راس ، ولا نجم سار ، ولا قمر منير، ولا ريح تهب، ولا سحاب يسكب ، ولا برق يلمع ، ولا رعد يسبح ولا روح تتنفس ، ولا طائر يطير ، ولا نار تتوقد ، ولا ماء يطرد كنت قبل كل شيء ، وقدرت على كل شيء ، وابتدعت كل شيء ، واغنيت وافقرت وامت واحييت ، واضحكت وابكيت وعلى العرش استويت ، فتباركت يا الله وتعاليت ، انت الله الذي لا اله الا انت الخلاق المعين العليم ، امرك غالب وعلمك نافذ وكيدك غريب ، ووعدك صادق ، وقولك حق ، وحكمك عدل ، وكلامك هدى ووحيك نور ، ورحمتك واسعة ، وعفوك عظيم وفضلك كثير ، وعطاؤك جزيل ، وحبلك متين ، وامكانك عنيد ، وجارك عزيز ، وبأسك شديد ، ومكرك مكيد ، انت يا رب موضع كل شكوى ، وحاضر كل ملا ، وشاهد كل نجوى ، منتهى كل حاجة ، مفرج كل حزن ، غنى كل مسكين ، حصن كل هارب ، امان كل خائف ، حرز الضعفاء ، كنـز الفقراء ، مفرج الغماء ، معين الصالحين ، ذلك الله ربنا لا اله الا هو تكفي من عبادك من توكل عليك ، وانت جار من لاذ بك ، وتضرع اليك ، عصمة من اعتصم بك ، ناصر من انتصر بك تغفر الذنوب لمن استغفرك ، جبار الجبابرة ، عظيم العظماء ، كبير الكبراء ، سيد السادات مولى الموالي ، صريخ المستصرخين ، منفس عن المكروبين ، مجيب دعوة المضطرين ، اسمع السامعين ، ابصر الناظرين ، احكم الحاكمين ، اسرع الحاسبين ، ارحم الراحمين خير الغافرين ، قاضي حوائج المؤمنين ، مغيث الصالحين ، انت الله لا اله الا انت رب العالمين ، انت الخالق وانا المخلوق ، وانت المالك وانا المملوك ، وانت الرب وانا العبد ، وانت الرازق وانا المرزوق ، وانت المعطي وانا السائل ، وانت الجواد وانا البخيل ، وانت القوي وانا الضعيف ، وانت العزيز وانا الذليل ، وانت الغني وانا الفقير ، وانت السيد وانا العبد ، وانت الغافر وانا المسيء ، وانت العالم وانا الجاهل ، وانت الحليم وانا العجول ، وانت الرحمن وانا المرحوم ، وانت المعافي وانا المبتلي ، وانت المجيب وانا المضطر ، وانا اشهد بأنك انت الله الواحد الاحد المتـفرد الصمد الفرد ، واليك المصير وصلى الله على محمد واهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين ، واغفر لي ذنوبي واستر على عيوبي ، وافتح لي من لدنك رحمة ورزقا واسعا ، يا ارحم الراحمين ، والحمد لله رب العالمين
—————————————-
Dua Ganjul Arsh
Bismi Allahi arrahmani arraheem In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful Benafits of Dua Ganjul Arsh One day Sayyidina Rasuli Akram Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim was sitting in the Masjid and Hazrat Jibreel Alaihi Salaam brought this Dua’ to Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim. The riwaaya of this Dua’ is very long. The gist of the isnaad is given. Hazrat Jibreel Alaihi Salaam said that in addition to a lot of Fadhaail [favors] in this Dua’, the reciter gets three things from Allahu ta ‘ala. Firstly, Allah Subhaana Hoo gives him rizq [livelihood] from the ghayb [unknown sources], and thirdly, whoever recites this Dua’ his enemies will not be able to overcome him. He will be superior to them. The person who does jihad will have the upper hand. He goes on a journey, he will come back with all his things. He will be safe from the shaat of shaytaan na’oootho Billahi min ash shaytanir rajeem. He will be safe from all the bad things and insects and other things on earth and al the bad things in the skies. If a person writes this Dua’ out and drinks it using rain water, he will get help for various diseases. If a person suffers from an unknown illness for which the worldly doctors can find no cure and he writes it [with permission of a True Shaykh or his Khalifa etc.] with Zafran [saffron] and washes it and drinks it for twenty one [21] days he will get health from that Bi Ithnillah. If he doesn’t have children, he will get children with the help of this Dua’.
A headscarf shows less, but reveals more — as Cassidy Herrington found out when she donned one for a project.
HILTON ALS, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN writer, says our worldview and sense of ‘otherness’ is created in our mother’s lap. Mother’s lap is protective and familiar. Leaving this worldview can be uncomfortable, but I can assure you that the rewards are much greater.
Hijab
Last year, I climbed out of my ‘lap’ and wore a hijab, the Muslim headscarf. I thought this temporary modification of my appearance would bring me closer to an understanding of the Muslim community. But in retrospect, I learned more about my place in the world.
In short, one piece of fabric is all it takes to turn perspectives upside-down.
The hijab is a contested, sacred and sometimes controversial symbol. But it is just a symbol. It is a symbol of Islam, a misconstrued, misunderstood religion that represents the most diverse population of people in the world—a population of more than one billion.
I Realised the best way to identify with Muslims was to take a walk in their shoes. Last October, I covered my head with a gauze scarf and grappled with the perceptions of strangers, peers and even my own family. Because of perceptions, I even struggled to write this column. My experience with the hijab was personal, but I hope sharing what I saw will open a critical conversation. My hijab silenced, but simultaneously, my hijab brought unforgettable words.
Idea
In the first column I wrote that semester, I compared college to an adage about a clock: ‘We see the face of a clock, but rarely do we see what operates behind it.’ At the time, I did not realize how seriously I needed to act on my own words—as a journalist, a woman and a human.
A few weeks after I wrote that piece, a guest columnist addressed Islamophobic sentiments regarding the proposed ‘ground zero’ mosque. The writer was Muslim, and she received a flurry of feedback. The comments online accumulated like a swarm of mindless pests. The collective opinion equated Islam to violence and terrorism.
In response to her column, one comment said, ‘[The writer] asks us to trust Islam. Given our collective experience, and given Islam’s history, I have to wonder what planet she thinks we are on.’
Although I did not know the voices behind these anonymous posts, I felt involuntarily linked to them because I, like them, am not Muslim. I wanted to connect people. Almost instinctively, I decided that a hijab was necessary. A hijab could help me use my affiliation with ‘white’ non-Muslims to build rapport with the Muslim community and, at the same time, show non-Muslims the truth from an unheard voice. Above all, I wanted to see and feel the standard lifestyle for so many women around the world—because I am curious, and that is why I am a journalist.
Before I took this step, I decided to propose my idea to the women who wear headscarves every day. Little did I know, a room full of strangers would quickly become my greatest source of encouragement and would make this project more attainable.
The strategy, policies and implementations carried out by the Chinese Authorities against the Tibetan were slowly successful; yet promising with greater score in the coming years due to the fewer cultural barriers.. The same policies will not be immediately successful with the Uighur, due to the great culture, religious and ethnic barriers.. Yet, the risk on those isolated Muslims is great and uncertain.. Socioeconomic politics are one of the Chinese scores in State Management.. They managed to conclude all other Chinese in one Identity.. Hong Kong protests are equally supported by the residents.. Therefore, I’m not sure where the Uighur would look alike within a couple of generations..!!
BEIJING (AFP) – Authorities are offering rewards of 10,000 yuan ($1,600) a year to promote intermarriage in restive Xinjiang between ethnic minorities and China’s dominant Han ethnic group, state media said.
The far-western region borders Central Asia and is the homeland of the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic group.
China’s ruling Communist Party has blamed separatist groups from the area for a series of attacks across the country over the past year, including in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
“We are advocating the intermarriage of Han and ethnic minorities to promote positive energy,” local official Zhu Xin said in a media report posted last week on the website of the Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture government.
The programme also provides health care, housing, employment, educational and other benefits for intermarried households and would contribute toward the realisation of the “Chinese dream”, he added, employing a favoured slogan of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The posting had been removed from the government website as of Wednesday afternoon, and local authorities did not answer phone calls by AFP.
According to official figures, Xinjiang is 46 percent Uighur — who speak a Turkic language — and 39 percent Han Chinese.
Relations between the two are often tense and riots rocked Xinjiang in 2009, when about 200 people died.
Beijing says its policies in Xinjiang have brought prosperity and higher living standards, and it promotes the region as an example of a place where numerous ethnic groups live in harmony.
But rights groups and academics argue that tensions have been exacerbated by cultural and religious oppression, intrusive security measures and immigration by Han Chinese, who comprise 92 percent of China’s population as a whole.
Critics also cite Beijing’s marginalisation of the Uighur language in schools and its moves to discourage veils for women and beards for men.
A year-long anti-terror crackdown, announced after a market attack killed 39 people in the regional capital Urumqi, has seen 800 people arrested since May, according to US-based Voice of America.
Last month a renewed push by authorities in China’s Tibet region to encourage intermarriage between Tibetans and Han Chinese similarly made headlines.
A years-long effort in the region had led to double-digit increases in the intermarriage rate, with 4,795 Tibetan-Han couples tying the knot last year, up from 666 in 2008, according to a government report.
The Swiss-born scholar and advisor to various governments is heralded as a Muslim superstar but others are more wary of his objectives. By Omar Shahid
Tariq Ramadan speaks during a meeting focused on “Faith and Resistance, Reform and Expectancy” at the yearly meeting of French Muslims organised by the Union of Islamic Organisations of France (UOIF) in Le Bourget, outside Paris, on April 7, 2012. Jacques Demarthon/AFP
Dr Tariq Ramadan is a visionary, a charismatic leader of Muslims in the West and one of the world’s most pre-eminent thinkers. Often referred to as the Muslim Martin Luther, he has a charm about him. Speaking in fluent English with a slight French accent, his talks contain words of wisdom and provide clarity on difficult issues. Naturally, being an influential figure and an outspoken Muslim, he polarises opinion. On the one hand, he is regarded as a hero by Muslims across the world. But, on the other, he is accused by many Western secular people of engaging in double talk: delivering a gentle message in French and English but an extreme one in Arabic, having links with extremists, being an anti-Semite, a religious bigot and promoting the oppression of women.
So who is the real Tariq Ramadan?
Dr Ramadan, an Islamic scholar, philosopher and academic at Oxford University, has been teaching for 30 years. With dozens of books under his belt, backed up by around 1,000 articles and hundreds of lectures, uncovering the essence of his message is a tricky job. In a 2004 article for The Guardian, he says the charges levelled against him have been made up, repeated and then believed. People regurgitate myths without checking themselves, he argues.
In 2008, many of these accusations resurfaced in a book called Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan, written by journalist Caroline Fourest and published by the right-wing Encounter Books. In it, the author says Dr Ramadan is two-faced; he panders to the West with moderate speeches and talk of universalism and tolerance, while radically preaching to his faithful Muslim followers. One professor from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana put it like this: “He is accused of being Janus-faced. Well, of course he presents different faces to different audiences. He is trying to bridge a divide and bring together people of diverse backgrounds and worldviews.”
The charges against him are generally symptomatic of a larger issue: some people just can’t take popular Muslims rising to mainstream prominence, especially when they are charismatic, intelligent, articulate and have power over the masses. Dr Ramadan is seen as a threat: he is at once true to his religion, yet radically modern in his approach. This doesn’t work well for Islamophobes, who would prefer a binary world of unthinking: literalist/extreme Muslims or sell-out/liberal Muslims who want to see their religion changed. Dr Ramadan is neither a literalist extremist or a sell-out. He is seen as a voice of reason, who understands his religion to be – in essence – about universalism, spirituality and respect for all.
Dr Ramadan, who is married with children, wants Muslims to escape their minority status in the West and play a central role. “Normalise your presence without trivialising your existence,” he says. He also wants to redefine what it means to be a Muslim in today’s world. Yet, it would be a gross misrepresentation of his views to believe that he wants to change or reform Islam itself. Instead, he argues, it’s the collective Muslim consciousness that needs altering. He offered the following advice at a conference called Rethinking Islamic Reform at Oxford University in 2010: “Islam is not to be reformed, this is not the right way to put the question. We have to reform the Muslim mind and our understanding of the text,” he said.
There are not many in a better position to head the challenge. Born in Switzerland in 1962, he is the grandson of the Egyptian Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. He has an MA in Philosophy and French literature, a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies, and received rigorous training in classical Islamic scholarship from Al-Azhar University. He has even done a doctoral thesis on Nietzsche, a 19th-century atheist philosopher.
Despite his messages of integration and pluralism, in 2004 he was banned from entering the US. The ban lasted for over five years and was instigated for his alleged financial support of Hamas, through charitable donations to Palestine. Following the decision to allow him to enter the US, Dr Ramadan said: “The first accusations of terrorist connections (subsequently dropped), then donations to Palestinian solidarity groups, were nothing more than a pretense to prohibit me from speaking critically about American government policy on American soil.”[i]
Known for speaking his mind in an uncompromising manner and standing by his moral convictions, Dr Ramadan inevitably lands himself into trouble. However, he is also accused of not going far enough to condemn certain practices within his faith. In The Guardian, he has called for a moratorium on corporal punishments in Islam (such as stoning) citing that ulama or religious scholars aren’t in agreement on the interpretation or authenticity of the texts which refer to such injunctions, nor the political and social contexts in which they’d be applicable. He also says that the application of sharia today is being abused and that these punishments are partly done as a visible display of bravado by Islamic countries who want to appear defiant and in opposition to the West.
His detractors however, have said he is a coward for not calling for an all-out ban. But Dr Ramadan shows no signs of giving in and seems to care little about what others think. He heavily criticises the Israeli and Egyptian regimes and expects others in his position to do so, too. The lack of condemnation of injustice around the world by certain Muslim scholars is one of the reasons he is boycotting the two biggest annual Islamic events in North America: ISNA and RIS.[ii]
I met him once in 2010 in London, where he was signing copies of his new book The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism. In the book he argues, among other things, that people need to transcend their ego and standing in his presence, there was something transcendent about him – my mother, who had never heard of him before, recalls feeling a sense of “peace” in his company.
Dr Ramadan, who labels himself as a “Salafi reformist”, also believes Sufism, or the mystical dimension of Islam, is at the essence of the religion. Indeed, within the faith, he is deeply respected by a wide variety of Muslims. And outside the faith, he is respected as an intellectual, reformer and advocate of “moderate Islam”. As one of the biggest names within the Muslim community and one of the few public Muslim figures that Western people are familiar with, he is a global phenomenon.
The real Tariq Ramadan is someone who is worthy of our attention. Sure, there are things he has said that, if you are to interpret them in the worst possible way, may be unsavoury. But his life and works testify to his underlying message of universalism, human dignity, respect and understanding.
Taj Hargey denies going against Muslim teaching
Women will be allowed to preach and pray alongside men
Some Muslim groups are opposed to the mosque
.jfif)
