Story of Prophet Dawud/David (pbuh)

When the two armies faced each other, Goliath challenged any soldier from King Saul's army to single combat, as was the custom of battle in those days. Goliath also wanted to show off his strength. The men were terrorized, and no one had enough courage to volunteer. The king offered the hand of his pretty daughter in marriage to the man who would fight Goliath, but even this tempting offer did not change the deadly silence among his soldiers.

Then, to everyone's surprise, a youth stepped forward. A roar of laughter echoed from the enemy's side, and even Saul's men shook their heads.

The young man was David (Dawud), from the city of Bethlehem. His elderly father had chosen three of his sons to join Saul's army. He had instructed the youngest one, David, not to take part in the fighting but to help the army in other ways and to report to his father daily on what was happening on the war front.

Although Saul was very impressed by the youth's courage, he said: "I admire your courage, but you are no match for that mighty warrior. Let the strong men come forward." David, however, had already decided and was willing to meet the challenge. Proudly, he told the king that only the day before he had killed a lion which had threatened his father's sheep, and on another occasion he had killed a bear. He asked Saul not to judge him by his appearance, for he feared no man or wild beast. Saul, surprised by young David's brave stance, agreed: "My brave soldier, if you are willing, then may Allah guard you and grant you strength!"

The king dressed David in battle armor and handed him a sword, but David was not used to wearing battle dress. He felt uncomfortable in it, and it obstructed his movements. He removed the armor, then collected a few pebbles and filled his leather pouch with them. He slung it over his shoulder next to his sling. With his wooden staff in hand, he began to walk towards the enemy. Saul was worried and asked him how on earth, with a sling and a couple of stones was he going to defend himself against the giant? David replied: "Allah Who protected me from the claws of the bear and the fangs of the lion will certainly protect me from this brute!"

When Goliath set eyes on the lean young man who looked like a boy, he laughed loudly and roared: "Are you out to play war with one of your playmates, or are you tired of your life? I will simply cut off your head with one swipe of my sword!"

David shouted back: "You may have armor, shield, and sword, but I face you in the name of Allah, the Lord of the Israelites, Whose laws you have mocked. Today you will see that it is not the sword that kills but the will and power of Allah!"

So saying, he took his sling and placed in it a pebble from his pouch. He swung and aimed it at Goliath. The pebble shot from the whirling sling with the speed of an arrow and hit Goliath's head with great force. Blood gushed out, and Goliath thumped to the ground, lifeless, before he had a chance to draw his sword. When the rest of his men saw their mighty hero slain, they took to their heels. The Israelites followed in hot pursuit, taking revenge for their years of suffering at the hands of their enemy, killing every soldier they could lay hands on. In this battle the Israelites regained the glory and honor that had been lost for a long time.

David became a hero overnight. Saul kept his word and married his daughter Michal (Miqel) to the young warrior and took him under his wing as one of his chief advisors.

Almighty Allah declared: So they routed them by Allah's Leave and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him (David) the kingdom (after the death of Saul and Samuel) and wisdom, and taught him of that which He willed. And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief. But Allah is full of Bounty to the Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exist). (Ch 2:251 Quran).

David became the most famous man among the Israelites. However, he was not inveigled by this; he was not a prisoner of fame or leadership but a prisoner of Allah's love.

Therefore, after killing Goliath he went out into the desert in the company of nature, glorifying Almighty Allah and contemplating His favors. Verily, We made the mountains to glorify Our Praises with him (David) in the Ashi (after the mid-day till sunset) and Ishraq (after the sunrise till mid-day). And (so did) the birds assembled: all with him (David) did turn (to Allah, glorified His Praises). We made his kingdom strong and gave him wisdom and sound judgment in speech and decision. (Ch 38:18-20 Quran)

Creatures such as the plants, birds, beasts, and even the mountains responded to his voice glorifying Allah. Allah had chosen David to be a prophet and revealed the Psalms to him. As He the Almighty said: And to David We gave the Psalms. (Ch 17:55 Quran).

David recited his scripture and glorified Allah while the mountains joined him praise and the birds rallied around him. Almighty Allah directed: Be patient (O Muhammad) of what they say, and remember Our slave David, endured with power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters and in repentance toward Allah. (Ch 38:17 Quran).

David's sincerity was not the only factor responsible for the birds and beasts joining with him in glorifying Allah, nor was the sweetness of his voice. IT was a miracle from Allah. This was not his only miracle, for Allah also endowed him with the faculty of understanding the languages of birds and animals.

David (pbuh) fasted every other day. Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As narrated: Allah's Apostle (pbuh) said to me: "The most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of the Prophet David, who used to fast alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David, who used to sleep the first half of the night, and pray for one third of it and again sleep for a sixth of it.'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As also narrated: "The Prophet (pbuh) said to me: 'I have been informed that you pray all the nights and observe fast all the days; is this true?' I replied: 'Yes.' He said: 'If you do so, your eyes will be weak and you will get bored. So fast three days a month, for this will be the fasting of a whole year. (Or equal to the fasting of a whole year).' I said: 'I find myself able to fast more.' He said: 'Then fast like the fasting of (the Prophet) David (pbuh) who used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on facing the enemy.'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Allah granted David great influence. His people had a great number of wars in their time, but they had a problem in that the iron armor was too heavy for the fighter to move and fight as he wished. It is said that David was sitting one day, contemplating this problem while toying with a piece of iron. Suddenly, he found his hand sinking in the iron. Almighty Allah had made it flexible for him: And We made the iron soft for him. (Ch 34:10 Quran)

The people praised and loved David. However, the hearts of men are fickle and their memories short. Even great men can feel insecure and become petty-minded. One day David found Saul in a worried state. He sensed something strange in Saul's attitude towards him. That night, when he shared his feeling with his wife, she started to weep bitterly and said: "O David, I will never keep any secrets from you." She told him that her father had become jealous of his popularity and feared that he would lose his kingdom to him. She advised him to be on his guard.

This information shocked David very much. He prayed and hoped that Saul's good nature would overcome the darker side of his character. The following day, Saul summoned David to inform him that Canaan had gathered its forces and would march on the kingdom. He ordered David to advance on them with the army and not to return unless victory was gained.

David sensed that this was an excuse to get rid of him; either the enemy would kill him, or in the thick of battle, Saul's henchmen might stab him in the back. Yet he hastened with his troops to meet the army of Canaan. They fought the Canaanites brav, without thinking of their own safety. Allah granted them victory, and David lived to return to Saul.

Unfortunately, this only increased Saul's fear, so he plotted to kill David. Such is jealousy that not even a daughter's well-being mattered. Michal learned of her father's plan and hurried to warn her husband. David gathered some food and things, mounted his camel and fled. He found a cave in which he remained hidden for many days. After a time, David's brothers and some citizens joined forces with him. Saul's position became very weak, for he began to rule with a heavy hand. He ill-treated the learned, tortured the reciters of the Talmud, and terrorized his soldiers. This worsened his position, and his subjects began to turn against him. He decided to go war against David. Hearing this news, David marched to confront Saul's army.

The king's army had traveled a great distance and was overcome by fatigue, so they decided to rest in a valley, where they fell asleep. Quietly, David crept up to the sleeping Saul, removed his spear, and cut off a piece of his garment with the sword. David then awakened the king and told him: "Oh king, you come out seeking me, but I do not hate you, and I do not want to kill you. If I did, I would have killed you when you were asleep. Here is a piece of your garment. I could have hacked your neck instead, but I did not. My mission is that of love, not malice." The king realized his mistake and begged for forgiveness.

Time passed and Saul was killed in a battle in which David did not take part. David succeeded Saul, for the people remembered what he had done for them and elected him king. So it was that David the Prophet was also a king. Allah strengthened the dominion of David and made him victorious. His kingdom was strong and great; his enemies feared him without engaging in war with him.

David had a son named Solomon (Sulaiman), who was intelligent and wise from childhood. When the following story took place, Solomon was eleven years old.

One day David, was sitting, as usual, solving the problems of his people when two men, one of whom had a field, came to him. The owner of the field said: "O dear Prophet! This man's sheep came to my field at night and ate up the grapes and I have come to ask for compensation." David asked the owner of the sheep: "Is this true?" He said: "Yes, sir." David said: "I have decided that you give him your sheep in exchange for the field." Solomon, to whom Allah had given wisdom in addition to what he had inherited from his father, spoke up: "I have another opinion. The owner of the sheep should take the field to cultivate until the grapes grow, while the other man should take the sheep and make use of their wool and milk until his field is repaired. If the grapes grow, and the field returns to its former state, then the field owner should take his field and give back the sheep to their owner."

David responded: "This is a sound judgment. Praise be to Allah for gifting you with wisdom. You are truly Solomon the Wise."

Prophet David was a just and righteous ruler who brought peace and prosperity to his people, and whom Allah honored as a messenger. He delivered Allah's message to the people through the precious gift of his melodious voice. When he recited the Psalms (Zaboor), it was as if the rest of creation chanted with him; people listened as if in a trance. The messages David delivered are famous and well remembered. They are known in the Bible as the Psalms or Songs of David.

David divided his working day into four parts: one to earn a living and to rest, one to pray to his Lord, one to listen to the complaints of his people, and the last part to deliver his sermons. He also appointed deputies to listen to his subjects' complaints so that in his absence people's problems might not be neglected.

Although a king, he did not live on the income of his kingdom. Being well-experienced in the craft of weapon-making, he made and sold weapons and lived on that income.

One day, as David was praying in his prayer niche, he ordered his guards not to allow anyone to interrupt him, but two men managed to enter and disturb him. "Who are you?" he asked. One of the men said: "Do not be frightened. We have a dispute and have come for your judgment." David said: "What is it?" The first man said: "This is my brother, has ninety nine sheep, and I have one. He gave it to me but took it back." David, without hearing from the other party said: "He did you wrong by taking the sheep back, and many partners oppress one another, except for those who are believers."

The two men vanished like a cloud, and David realized that they were two angels sent to him to teach him a lesson. He should not have passed a judgment without hearing from the opposing party.

Almighty Allah told us of this incident: And has the news of the litigants reached you? When they climbed over the wall into (his) Mihrab (a praying place or a private room). When they entered in upon David, he was terrified of them, they said: Fear not! (We are) two litigants, one of whom has wronged the other; therefore judge between us with truth, and treat us not with injustice, and guide us to the Right Way."

"Verily, this is my brother (in religion) has ninety nine ewes, while I have only one ewe, and he says: 'Hand it over to me,' and he overpowered me in speech."

David said immediately without listening to the opponent: "He has wronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes. And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few."

And David guessed that We have tried him and he sought Forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned to Allah in repentance. So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us, and as good place of final return Paradise.

O David! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on earth, so judge you between men in truth and justice. And follow not your desire for it will mislead you from the Path of Allah. Verily! Those who wander astray from the Path of Allah shall have a severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning. (Ch 38:21-26 Quran).

David worshipped Allah, glorified Him and sang His praise until he died. According to traditions, David died suddenly and was mourned by four thousand priests as well as thousands of people. It was so hot that people suffered from the intensity of the sun. Solomon called the birds to protect David and the people from the sun, and they did so until he was buried. This was the first sign of his dominion to be witnessed by the people.


Source :  http://www.islamawareness.net/Prophets/dawud.html

Over 1,000 civilians dead in Russia's Syria strikes: monitor

Russian air strikes in Syria have killed more than 1,000 civilians since they were launched nearly four months ago, a monitor said Wednesday.

The raids, which started on September 30, have killed 1,015 civilians, including more than 200 children, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The group, which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its reports, said the strikes had also killed 893 Islamic State group jihadists and 1,141 other opposition militants, including members of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

The total toll of 3,049 represents an increase of nearly 700 deaths in just three weeks.

Russia is a staunch ally of the Syrian government and has coordinated its strikes with Damascus, saying it is targeting IS and other "terrorist" groups.

But activists and rebels accuse Moscow of focusing more on moderate and Islamist opposition fighters than IS.

Russia has previously denounced accusations that its raids have killed civilians as "absurd" and said claims by rights groups of such deaths were made up of "cliches and fakes".

The Observatory says it differentiates between strikes by Russia, US-led coalition warplanes and the Syrian regime based on the type of aircraft and the munitions used.

A coalition led by Washington has also been carrying out strikes against IS in Syria since September 2014, but it does not coordinate its raids with Damascus.

Those strikes have killed 4,256 people since they began, among them 322 civilians, including over 90 children, according to the Observatory.

The monitor said the strikes had also killed 3,787 IS fighters and nearly 150 militants from other extremist groups including Al-Nusra.

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/over-1-000-civilians-dead-russias-syria-strikes-000621582.html

Islam in the Gambia

Islam is the majority religion of the Gambia, with around 95.3% of the population being Muslims. Other religious societies are made up of Catholics, Protestants, and Traditional African religion. Islam in the Gambia is characterized by its coexistence with other religions. The majority of its Muslims are Sunni belonging to Maliki school of jurisprudence, influenced with Sufism. The Ahmadiyya movement is also present.However, some popular religious and tribal practices diverge from mainstream Islam, with a system of marabout societies being very common. Gambia's Muslim population grew largely because of the efforts of 19th-century Muslim proselytizers and the peaceful period during British colonization. The religious freedom that the Gambia enjoys  is largely the work of leadership, past and present, that has decided to build on the colonial legacy of religious pluralism.

Story of Prophet Uzair/Ezra a.s

Ishaaq Ibn Bishr reported, on the authority of Ibn' Abbas and others, that Ezra was a saint and a wise man. He went out one day to his own farm, as was his custom. About noon he came to a deserted, ruined place and felt the heat. He entered the ruined town and dismounted his donkey, taking figs and grapes in his basket. He went under the shade of the khaiba tree and ate his food. Then he got up to look at what remained of the ruins. The people had long been lost, and he saw bones.
"Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after its death?" (Ch 2:259 Quran)

He said this not out of doubt but out of curiosity. Allah sent the Angel of Death to take his life. He remained dead for 100 years. After 100 years had passed and there had been changes in Israelite affairs, Allah sent an angel upon Ezra to revive his heart and his eyes in order for him to feel and see how Allah revives the dead. The angel said: "For how long did you sleep?" He said: "A day or part of a day." He said this because he knew he had slept early in the afternoon and woke up late in the afternoon. The angel said: "You remained asleep for 100 years." He ate and drank the food which he had prepared before he was overtaken by that long sleep. Then the angel revived his donkey.

Almighty Allah said: "And look at your donkey! Thus We have made of you a sign for the people. Look at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh." When this was clearly shown to him he said: "I know now that Allah is able to do all things." (Ch 2:259)

He rode on his donkey and entered his native place, but the people did not recognize him, nor did his household, except the maid, now an old woman. He asked her: "Is this the house of Ezra?" She said: "Yes, but the people have long forgotten Ezra." He said: "I am Ezra, Allah had taken my life for a 100 years and has not returned it to me." She said: "Ezra used to be answered when he prayed to Allah. Pray to cure me of blindness if you are Ezra." He prayed for her and massaged her eyes and took her by the hand. "Get up by the power of Allah," he said. The crippled woman stood up and walked; she opened her eyes and saw; her blindness was gone. She said: "I bear witness that you are Ezra."

She rushed to the assembly of the Israelites. Ezra's son was 118 years old, and his children 's children now were lords of the assembly. She called out to them saying: "This is Ezra come to you." They accused her of lying. She said: "I am your old maid. He has just prayed to Allah for me, and here I am whole again, walking and seeing." The people stood up and looked at him. His son said: "My father had a mark between his shoulders, a black mole," and they discovered it. They said: "None among us memorized the Torah since Nabuchadnezzar burned it, except Ezra; and there was only one copy of the Torah, which was hidden by Sarukha. He buried it in the days of Nabuchadnezzar in a place none but Ezra knows." Ezra led the people to the hidden place and took out that copy of the Torah. Its leaves had rotted, and the book itself crumpled.

Ezra sat under the shade of a tree surrounded by the children of Israel and copied out the Torah for them from that script. Henceforth, the Jews said that Ezra is the son of Allah, for 2 evidences which came down from Heaven and for his copying the torah and for his fighting the cause of the Israelites.

He had been copying the Torah for Ezekial in the land of darkness in the hermitage of Ezekiel. The village which was in ruins is said to be Sayrabadh.

Ibn Abbas commanded: "So it is as Allah said: "We have made of you a sign for the people." (Ch 2:259) That is, for the Israelites, in that he was sitting among his children, the old men, and he a youth. He died as a forty year old, and Allah resurrected him at the same age on the day of his death."

Source : http://www.islamawareness.net/Prophets/uzair.html

Defying prejudice, more Americans learn Arabic

New York, United States - Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric tells one story about the modern day US. But, students painstakingly learning Arabic's right-to-left script in classrooms across the country tells another.

While fewer Americans speak Arabic than English, Spanish, Chinese or even Tagalog, it is perhaps the nation's fastest-growing language and is increasingly being studied in kindergartens and colleges from the boondocks to big cities.

"Some people study Arabic for professional reasons or to get a government job, but most are the true Americans who are open to other cultures," Mahmoud al-Batal, a Lebanese-American Arabic professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told Al Jazeera.

"They are not convinced by what Donald Trump tells them or by the two-minute media reports of car bomb explosions they see on the news. They want to understand the culture and language for themselves."

According to the Modern Language Association, the number of students enrolled in Arabic college courses tripled to more than 32,000 from 2002 to 2013. Analysts point to a spotlight on the Middle East after the 9/11 attacks.

College enrolments slumped slightly after US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, said al-Batal. Also, the chaos following the Arab Spring in such Arabic-learning hotspots as Syria and Egypt made it riskier for Americans to set up study trips.

Language immersion

The "new frontier" in Arabic tuition is school-age learners, with scores of programmes launching over the past five years, he added. Arabic teachers trained with post-9/11 government funding are trickling into classrooms.

Al Jazeera visited one such centre, Mary White Ovington School in Bay Ridge, a waterfront Arab-American area of New York where Middle Eastern immigrants mix with Asians, Latinos and white families.

There were no signs of unease in classrooms, where children from Arab and other backgrounds read aloud from Arabic story books, scrawled cursive script and chatted about kebabs, humus and other Middle Eastern snacks.

Each class of 25 pupils is evenly split between children who speak Arabic at home and those who use English, Spanish or another tongue. Aimed at creating bilingual pupils, half the curriculum is taught in English, the other half in Arabic.

Merilla Deeb, a Lebanese-American teacher, said the school has avoided the protests that have dogged Arabic tuition in other places with a rigorous, academic style that steers clear of touchy subjects.

"We stay away from politics, we stay away from religion," Deeb told Al Jazeera.

"We immerse our kids in the language by teaching mathematics, science and social studies lessons in Arabic. Classes are fun, with lots of activities, and the students get out there and speak with their friends in Arabic."

Tough learning

Arabic teachers have it tougher elsewhere.

When Khalil Gibran International Academy opened a few kilometres away in 2007, protesters at the gates decried the "Madrassa in Brooklyn". It has since struggled to attract enough teachers and Arab-American pupils.

In March, an upstate New York school received complaints after a student recited the US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic. In August, locals rallied at the new Arabic Immersion Magnet School in Houston,Texas, decrying Arabic, Islam and the 9/11 attacks.

One protest sign read: "Qatar out of our school," in reference to Qatar Foundation International (QFI), a state-backed charity that spends between $2m to $5m each year on Arabic classes in 19 US schools, including those in Bay Ridge and Houston.

"We've seen criticisms of our programmes, but they tend to appear on private blogs of right-wing conservatives who just hear the word Arabic and object," QFI spokeswoman Sara al-Hemaidi told Al Jazeera.

"One of our goals is to normalise and mainstream the teaching of Arabic and Arab culture and tackle stereotypes and misrepresentations."

School Arabic programmes are centred on Arab-American populations and cosmopolitan, urban areas. They only reach one percent of pupils at the US's 33 million elementary schools, leaving room for growth.

"Arabic is listed as a critical language by the US State Department and is useful for jobs in business, engineering, development, academia and diplomacy," Carine Allaf, who runs QFI's schools programme, told Al Jazeera.

"Most of our students are non-heritage, non-Arab children, although we do see an uptick in the number of Arab-American and heritage families who want their children to hold on to their roots."

Diversity

The students come from all walks of life.

Coumba Gueye, 17, started learning Arabic at Washington Latin Public Charter School, a QFI-backed school in the capital, four years ago and recalls her first two-year slog through the 28-letter alphabet, tricky grammar and pronunciation subtleties.

It paid off. She won a scholarship to George Washington University and plans to join a charity or the US State Department after graduating. She tested her speaking skills during a debate-team visit to Qatar last year.

"Learning Arabic demystified the Middle East for me. Contrary to popular belief, it is inclusive, welcoming, and more similar to America than people think," Gueye told Al Jazeera. "A teenage girl in Doha has almost the same likes, interests and desires as one here."

Other learners are less conventional. William Scannell, 10, launched into Arabic after a family trip to the Holy Land four years ago. There are no Arabic classes where he lives in Anchorage, Alaska, so he studies online and at summer camps.

"It's really taken on a life of its own," his dad, Bill, told Al Jazeera.

Scannell is now an intermediate-level speaker who reads Arabic translations of Harry Potter books for fun. He launched a postcard-writing charity to raise the spirits of displaced Syrians and chats regularly, in Arabic, with refugees in Lebanon via Skype.

"Inquisitive kids will always find something to do, but Arabic has been the vector. He connected the dots between a foreign language and an international community, reaching out across the world to communicate with people," added his dad.

According to Mouna Mana, an Algerian-American expert in Arabic teaching, more students like Gueye and Scannell - with decent skills and experience in the Middle East - are a challenge for US universities, which are used to teaching Arabic to newbies.

They often want to study regional dialects, rather than the modern standard Arabic on offer. "It makes you sound like a highly-educated person who won't get off their high horse and speak the language of the street," Mana told Al Jazeera.

Fastest growing language?

It is not only growing in US schools. According to census data, Arabic was the fastest-growing language in the US overall, with a 29 percent rise of 252,000 speakers from 2010 to 2014. There are 1.1 million Arabic speakers in the nation of 319 million people.

Mana doubts these numbers. US census data counts few undocumented Hispanics, so Spanish could be a faster-growing tongue. Nevertheless, Arabic makes gains despite widely-reported hostility towards Islam, the Middle East and its people.

Arabic's current popularity may be fleeting. Students packed into Russian courses during the Cold War, and took up Japanese during the booming 1980s. Arabic learning may similarly slow as its geostrategic value declines. It is already far outpaced by Chinese.

For Kristen Brustad, an Arabic professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Muslim-bashing by Trump after this month's killing of 14 people by a Muslim couple in San Bernardino, California, could hurt Arabic learning more immediately.

"What we're seeing now is worse than after 9/11. There'll be more protests against teaching Arabic and reactions by Americans to burn the books and get it out of schools," Brustad told Al Jazeera.

"Arabic teaching has been mainstreamed. I just hope that this latest wave of insanity doesn't turn the tide on that."

Source : http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/12/defying-prejudice-americans-learn-arabic-151217104740310.html

Islam in Cambodia

Islam is the religion of a majority of the Cham (also called Khmer Islam) and Malay minorities in Cambodia. According to Po Dharma, there were 150,000 to 200,000 Muslims in Cambodia as late as 1975. Persecution under the Khmer Rouge eroded their numbers, however, and by the late 1980s they probably had not regained their former strength. In 2009, the Pew Research Center estimated that 1.6% of the population, or 236,000 people were Muslims.

Background of Early Islam

The Cham Muslims trace their ancestry to one of the father-in-laws of Prophet Muhammad,[2] who is Jahsh, the father of Zaynab bint Jahsh. It was in the wake of many Sahabas who arrived in Indo-Chin in 617-18 from Abyssinia by sea route.

Community life

The Cham have their own mosques. In 1962 there were about 100 mosques in the country. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Muslims in Cambodia formed a unified community under the authority of four religious dignitaries—mupti, tuk kalih, raja kalik, and tvan pake. A council of notables in Cham villages consisted of one hakem and several katip, bilal, and labi. The four high dignitaries and the hakem were exempt from personal taxes, and they were invited to take part in major national ceremonies at the royal court. When Cambodia became independent, the Islamic community was placed under the control of a five-member council that represented the community in official functions and in contacts with other Islamic communities. Each Muslim community has a hakem who leads the community and the mosque, an imam who leads the prayers, and a bilal who calls the faithful to the daily prayers. The peninsula of Chrouy Changvar near Phnom Penh is considered the spiritual center of the Cham, and several high Muslim officials reside there. Each year some of the Cham go to study the Qur'an at Kelantan in Malaysia, and some go on to study in, or make a pilgrimage to, Mecca. According to figures from the late 1950s, about 7 percent of the Cham had completed the pilgrimage and could wear the fez or turban as a sign of their accomplishment.

The traditional Cham retain many ancient Muslim or pre-Muslim traditions and rites. They consider Allah as the all-powerful God, but they also recognize other non-Islamic practices. They are closer, in many respects, to the Cham of coastal Vietnam than they are to other Muslims. The religious dignitaries of the traditional Cham (and of the Cham in Vietnam) dress completely in white, and they shave their heads and faces. These Cham believe in the power of magic and sorcery, and they attach great importance to magical practices in order to avoid sickness or slow or violent death. They believe in many supernatural powers. Although they show little interest in the pilgrimage to Mecca and in the five daily prayers, the traditional Cham do celebrate many Muslim festivals and rituals.

The orthodox Cham have adopted a more conformist religion largely because of their close contacts with, and intermarriages with, the Malay community. In fact, the orthodox Cham have adopted Malay customs and family organization, and many speak the Malay language. They send pilgrims to Mecca, and they attend international Islamic conferences. Conflicts between the traditional and the orthodox Cham increased between 1954 and 1975. For example, the two groups polarized the population of one village, and each group eventually had its own mosque and separate religious organization.

Persecution

During the Khmer Rouge era, all religions, including both Buddhism and Islam were persecuted. According to Cham sources, 132 mosques were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge era, many others were desecrated, and Muslims were not allowed to worship. Muslims were forced to eat pork and were murdered when they refused. Whole Cham villages were exterminated. Chams were not permitted to speak their language. Cham children were taken away from their parents and raised as Khmers.

Orders given by the Khmer Rouge government in 1979 stated: "The Cham nation no longer exists on Kampuchean soil belonging to the Khmer. Accordingly, Cham nationality, language, customs and religious beliefs must be immediately abolished. Those who fail to obey this order will suffer all the consequences for their acts of opposition to Angkar [the Khmer Rouge high command]." [3]

After the end of Khmer Rouge rule all religions were restored. Vickery believes that about 185,000 Cham lived in Cambodia in the mid-1980s and that the number of mosques was about the same then as it was before 1975. In early 1988, there were six mosques in the Phnom Penh area and a "good number" in the provinces, but Muslim dignitaries were thinly stretched; only 20 of the previous 113 most prominent Cham clergy in Cambodia survived the Khmer Rouge period.[4]

Today

Today, Muslims are able to practice their religion normally and out in the open. This commenced in the People Republic of Kampuchea era where religions were restored and allowed to be practiced again. The Chams also enjoy democratic rights like all Khmer citizens, with the right to vote and be elected as politicians.

The Story of Habil and Qabil (Cain and Abel)

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an:



"Tell them you the authentic story of the two sons of Adam, when an oblation was offered and he was accepted to one but the other is not." He said [the latter by envy his brother]: you shit. [His brother answering him] said: Allaah accepts only [the oblations] of the pious. While you lay your hand to kill me I not extend mine to do so, I am afraid to Allah Lord of the universe. I want to upload with the sin of killing myself over your other sins, and seas of the inhabitants of the fire.

That is the punishment of the wicked. And his soul he instigated that he killed his brother and did, counting [with this] among the losers. Allah sent a Raven so it dig the earth and show him how to hide the corpse of his brother. He said: Woe to me! Is it that I am not able to be as this Raven and hide the body of my brother? "And [after burying] were among the repentant."(The served table; 5: 27-28-29-30-31)
We will mention here what was narrated by the Sahabas (companions) and the Tabi'in (the first generation scholars).



It is narrated by some of the companions that:

Adam used to marry the son of a birth to the daughter of another birth. Abel (Habil) wanted to marry the sister of Cain (Cabil). Cain who was older than Abel and his twin sister was very beautiful. So Cain wanted to preserve his sister for it. Adam you order Cain who married his sister, with Abel, but he refused to do so. Then he ordered them both to offer a sacrifice and left for Mecca for the Hajj.

Then that Adam is was, the brothers offered their sacrifices. Abel sacrificed a better offering (a robust lamb), he was pastor. While Cain offered a bale of the worst harvest which he had cultivated; a fire descended and ate the offering of Abel, and the sacrifice of Cain leaving untouched. He was infuriated and threatened to Abel: "I will kill you so you will not be able to marry my sister." Abel replied: "Allah only accepts from those who fear Him".

In another version of Abdullah ibn Amr (radiallahu ´anhu) mentions the following: "by Allah" the victim (Abel) was stronger. "" But his obedience ¹ restricted it to lift his hands against his brother.

According to Abu Ya´far, Adam was watching them to offer their sacrifices, and saw that it was accepted Abel's sacrifice. Cain said to Adam: "the offering of Abel was only accepted because you prayed for him and not for my". Then he threatened his brother and said what we previously explained.

One night, Abel does not return his flock grazing. Adam then sent to Cain to see what had happened. When Cain was looking for him, he found him and he complained again: "your offering was accepted but mine was not" Abel replied: "only Allah accepts from those who fear Him".

Cain was angry to hear this, and hit his brother with an iron that was in his hand and then killed him. It was also said that it killed by tapping it in the head with a rock while he slept. It was also said that he strangled it to kill him and hit him as if it were a beast. But Allah knows best. The attitude of Abel against the threat of his brother is a sign of his noble character and piety. He controlled himself from having with his brother have the same treatment in which his brother addressed him, as it clarifies the following verse: "Although you lay your hand to kill me I do not extend mine to do so, I fear Allah Lord of the universe". (5: 28)

The Prophet (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam) said: "when two Muslims confront each other with their swords both the murderer and the victim will be in the fire" colleagues asked: "O Messenger of Allaah, is with respect to the murderer but what about the murdered" Prophet Muhammad (salallahu ' alaihi wa sallam) said: "because he also tried eagerly to kill his partner"

In the verse: "I want you to load up the sin of killing me over your other sins, and seas of the inhabitants of fire". "That is the punishment of the wicked." (5: 29)

This refers to the following: I try to avoid fight with you, although I'm more stronger than you. I am determined to do so, then your carry with the sin of my death with your previous sins. This is what Suddi As Mujahid, Ibn Yarir and others said.

This does not mean in any way that the sins of the victim are automatically transferred the works of the perpetrator, as many people think.

If you can that you happen with some people in the Day of Judgment when the good deeds of the murderer may not be sufficient for the crime of murder he committed, the victim may demand that his sins are transferred to his killer. This will happen with all cases of crime and injustice (oppression) that has been committed against anyone in this world, which was confirmed in the Hadith confirmed.

It is narrated by ibn Abi Waqas (radiallahu ´anhu) Sa´ad that at the time of the riots that took place at the end of the Caliphate of Uthmaan Ibn Affan (radiallahu ´anhu) am a witness that prophet Muhammad (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam) said: "there will be a time of fitnah (sedition, riots, etc.) very soon, who remains in place will be better than the one who is lifted." And one who rises will be better than walking. And those who walk will be better than the one running. He said: "said then that should be done if someone comes to my house to kill me, he replied as the son of Adam." (Da'eef Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi). The Muslim Imam narro same Hadith but by Abu Dhar (radiallahu ´anhu).

In another version of this Hadith (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam): "I must be like the best of the two sons of Adam"

In another Hadith the narro Imam Ahmad Ibn Mas´ud (radiallahu ´anhu) that the Prophet (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam) said: "no soul is killed without the first son of Adam take part of that sin; because he was the first to start this tradition of murder.” Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad.

Mujahid said that the chastity of Cain was broken after the day in which killer to his brother. His legs were against her thighs. His face turned toward the Sun wherever he was, as punishment for his sin and transgression against his brother of the same father and mother.

The Prophet (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam) said: "no one is more deserving of the punishment of Allah in this world for those who had committed, together with which it is reserved for the afterlife, as the sin of revolt and cut the ties of kinship (Tirmidhi, 2511)"

Ibn Kathir said: "according to what I read in the book, which is in the hands of the people of the book, and they say that the Torah, Almighty Allah postponed his punishment and you request an extension." He lived in a land called Nawad in East of Aden, which is now called Qinin. He had a son whose son was Enoch (Idris). Enoch had a son named Irad (wall), and Irad had a son named Mihuyailn, who had a son named Matusalem and who was the father of Lamech, the second case I with with women who were Adah and Zillah. Adah gave birth to a child named Jabal, who was the first to live in a tent (tent) and to acquire or achieve abundance in wealth and won. She also had another son named Jubal, who played the harp and flute.

Zillah gave birth to a son, Tubal-cain, who was the first to create all kinds of bronze and iron tools: and also gave birth to a baby girl called Nama.

It has been said also that Adam had a third child, named his wife as Seth. She said that he was in reward for Abel, who was killed by Cain. Seth had a son named Enos.

It was said: when Seth was born, Adam was 130 years old. He lived eight hundred years more.

When Enos was born, Seth had 165 years. The lived 807 years more. He had other sons and daughters.

Enos, at the age of 90, had a son named Kenan. Then he lived 815 years more, and had other son and daughters.

When Kenan was 70 years old, he had a son called Mahalalel. He lived 840 more, and had other sons and daughters. At 65, Mahalalel had his son Pared, and then lived for 800 years, and had another son.

When Pared reached 162 years old, he had Enoch. Lived 800 years more, and had another son.

Enoch at age 65 had Matusalem. Lived for 800 years, and had another son. When Matusalem reached 187 years had his son Lamech. He lived 782 years more, and had another son.

Lamech, 182 years had a son named Noah, and then lived for 595 years, and had another son. After that Noah was 500 years, had their sons: Shem (Sem), Ham and Iafiz. This is clearly mentioned in his book (of the Bible Genesis)

Regarding this story in relation to what it was revealed (by Allah), and this can be considered completely questionable, as many scholars have highlighted. It is obvious that this (history) has been introduced (in his book).

The Imam Abu Ya´far bin Yarir mentions in his history book: Eva gave birth to 40 children in 20 pregnancies. In another version is suggested she had 120 pregnancies, and in every birth had a boy and a girl. The most elderly person was Cain and his sister Qalima, and the youngest among them was his sister Ummul Mugiz Abdul Mugizy.

Then the human race multiplied and dispersed through the Earth, they grew in number and were parents and more parents on Earth. Allah says:

“Oh, human! Fear your Lord who has created you from a single being, he created his wife and lowered many men and women both. Fear Allah, in whose name you ask each other your rights, and respect the ties of kinship. Indeed Allah is watching you.” (Women 4: 1)

Stories have said that Adam (´alaihi sallam) saw 4000 children and grandchildren before dying. Allaah knows best.

Allaah says: he is who created you from a single be [Adam], and which gave rise to his wife [Eva] that you find it quiet. And when he joined it, this became pregnant and carried in her womb a light load that could walk; but when this became heavy, both invoked Allah [saying]: Oh, our Lord! We will be grateful if you grace us with a healthy and virtuous son.

And they are graced with what they asked, but [his descendants] ascribed partners to Allah; but Allah is above what they associated with. (The dividing wall 7: 189-190)

Ibn Hibban has narrated from Abu Dhar (radiallahu ´anhu) in his book Saheeh as follows:

"Oh Messenger of Allah!" The prophets were there? He replied: "one hundred twenty-four thousand." I said: "O Messenger of Allaah!" "Were how many of them messengers?" He said: "three hundred thirteen: large enough the number" I said: "o Messenger of Allaah!" "Was who the first of them?" He replied: "Adam." I said: "o Messenger of Allaah!" "Was he a prophet or a Messenger?" He said: "Yes, Allah created him with His hands, and then he gave him the soul that He created for him, then gave him a perfect form."

"When the Prophet (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam) found Adam in the first heaven, he said: 'Welcome to the pious son and pious Prophet.'" The Prophet (salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam) then said: "on his right had a large crowd, and on his left, there was a large crowd." When he look on his right side, he smiled; and when he look on his left, he cried. I (Prophet salallahu ´alaihi wa sallam.) said: ' Oh Gabriel! Who is him? ´ He replied ' he is Adam, and them the souls of his children. When he looked to his right, toward those who were the people of Paradise, he smiled; but when he looked to his left, toward those who were the people of hell, he cried. [Bukhari 349, 3342 and Muslim 163]

Some scholars believe that you taking into account the part of the Hadith says: "then I went through as Yusuf, and was given half of beauty." [Muslim]

Means: A. Yusuf (Joseph) was given half of the beauty that Adam had, and reportedly is the most reasonable opinion; because Allah created Adam and perfected him with His noble hand, and then he gave the soul that He created for him. He must have created him with the best shape and beauty.

It is narrated that when Allah created Paradise and the angels said: "Our Lord!" "Let us have it, since you created for humanity the world, where they eat and drink." Allah said to them: "by my glory and splendor, will not be the offspring of that I created with my own hand, be like the one to whom I said: ' Be, and so came to life."

Source : http://knowingallah.com/en/articles/abel-and-cain-habil-and-qabil-the-sons-of-adam/

Coalition denies using cluster bombs in Yemen

Rights monitor's charges, which caused row between government and UN, dismissed as "very weak report" without evidence.

The Arab coalition in Yemen has denied accusations of dropping cluster bombs in the country after UN chief Ban Ki-moon said their use may be a "war crime".

The coalition "denies using cluster bombs in Sanaa", the Yemeni capital, spokesman Brigadier-General Ahmed al-Asseri told AFP news agency on Sunday.

He was specifically responding to a report issued on Thursday by the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which quoted residents describing a January 6 attack in a manner consistent with cluster-bomb use.

"I think it's a very weak report," Asseri said. "They didn't show any evidence."

He said HRW mentioned a type of cluster munition "that doesn't exist in our stock", adding that 90 percent of coalition operations in Sanaa are directed against Scud missile launchers.

"You cannot use a cluster bomb against Scud launchers," Asiri said.

His comments came a day after Yemen's government apparently reversed a decision to expel the head of the country office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)  after an appeal from Ban.

An AFP report identified the official as George Abu al-Zulof and said Yemen had accused him of lacking impartiality in his assessments of the human rights situation in the Arabian Peninsula country.

"Because of the fuss created around the matter and caused by media reports ... the Yemeni government has decided to give more time to review the relationship with the OHCHR, in order to uphold the values of human rights," said a letter from Yemen's UN mission to Ban, seen by Reuters on Saturday.

Earlier in the week, the OHCHR office in Yemen said it had received allegations that coalition forces used cluster bombs in attacks.

Air strikes by the Arab coalition, assembled by Saudi Arabia, have intensified since the humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen ended on January 2.

For its part, the coalition has accused the Iran-allied Houthi fighters and their allies of firing ballistic missiles towards Saudi cities and border posts, as well as hampering aid operations in Yemen.

Separately, HRW said in a new report on Sunday that Houthis have "arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared dozens of people" in Sanaa, because of their links to the Islah political party, which is opposed to the rebels.

"The Houthi authorities should safeguard the rights of everyone in detention, immediately release all those held arbitrarily, and grant family members, lawyers, and independent monitors immediate access to detention sites to reduce the risk of abuse," an HRW statement said.

There has been widespread international concern about the high numbers of civilian casualties in Yemen.

The Arab coalition has been supporting Yemeni forces since March against the Houthis and their allies, who seized territory from the internationally recognised government.

Source : http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/coalition-denies-cluster-bombs-yemen-160110090459852.html

Islam in Tanzania

Islam is the religion of about 35% of the people of Tanzania. On the mainland, Muslim communities are concentrated in coastal areas, with some large Muslim majorities also in inland urban areas especially and along the former caravan routes. More than 99% of the population of the Zanzibar archipelago is Muslim. The majority of Muslims in Tanzania are Sunni of Shafi school of jurisprudence, with unusually significant Shia and Ahmadi minorities in sub-Saharan Africa. According to Pew research center, two-thirds of the Muslim population of Tanzania is Sunni.

History

The earliest concrete evidence of a Muslim presence in the African Great Lakes is the foundation of a mosque in Shanga on Pate Island, where gold, silver and copper coins dated from 830 were found during an excavation in the 1980s. Islam arrived to Tanzania with the Arab slave traders. The route from Ujiji at the shore of Lake Tanganyika to Bagamoyo, just opposite of Zanzibar on main land Tanzania was one of the main routes of Muslim slave routes according to UNESCO data.[3]

The history of Islam in the country can be traced to the establishment of the Kilwa Sultanate in the 10th century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi,[4] a Persian prince of Shiraz.[5]

References

1.  "The World Fact Book: Tanzania". Retrieved 26 January 2014.
2.  "The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. August 9, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
3. http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2095/
4.  شاكر مصطفى, موسوعة دوال العالم الأسلامي ورجالها الجزء الثالث, (دار العلم للملايين: 1993), p.1360
5. James Hastings, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 24, (Kessinger Publishing: 2003), p.847

Story of Prophet Yunus/Jonah (pbuh)

Prophet Jonah (Yunus) (pbuh) also known as Dhan-Nun. About his people Almighty Allah said: Was there any town community that believed after seeing the punishment, and its Faith at that moment, saved it from the punishment? (the answer is none)--except the people of Jonah; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the present world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while. (Ch 10:98 Quran)

The inhabitants of the town of Nineveh were idolaters who lived a shameless life. Prophet Jonah (pbuh) was sent to teach them the worship of Allah. The people disliked his interference in their way of worship, so they argued. "We and our forefathers have worshipped these gods for many years and no harm has come to us."

Try as he might to convince them of the foolishness of idolatry and of the goodness of Allah's laws, the ignored him. He warned them that if they kept on with their foolishness, Allah's punishment would soon follow. Instead of fearing Allah, they told Jonah that they were not afraid of his threats. "Let it happen," they told him. Jonah was disheartened. "in that case, I will leave you to your misery!" so saying, he left Nineveh, fearing that Allah's anger would soon follow. Remember Dhan Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (the calamities which had befallen him)! (ch 21:87)

Hardly had he left the city when the skies began to change color and looked as if they were on fire. The people were filled with fear by this sight. They recalled the destruction of the people of 'Ad, Thamud and Noah. Was theirs to be a similar fate? Slowly faith penetrated their hearts. They all gathered on the mountain and started to beseech Allah for His mercy and forgiveness. The mountains echoed with their cries. It was a momentous hour, filled with sincere repentance.

Allah removed His wrath and showered His blessings upon them once again. When the threatening storm was lifted, they prayed for the return of Jonah so that he could guide them.

Meanwhile, Jonah had boarded a small ship in the company of other passengers. It sailed all day in calm waters with a good wind blowing at the sails. When night came, the sea suddenly changed. A horrible storm blew as if it were going to split the ship into pieces. The waves looked wild. They rose up as high as mountains then plunged down like valleys, tossing the ship and sweeping over the deck.

Behind the ship, a large whale was splitting the water and opening its mouth. A command had been issued from Almighty Allah to one of the greatest whales of the sea to surface. It obeyed. The whale hurried to the surface of the sea and followed the ship as it had been commanded.

The tempest continued and the chief crewman asked the crew to lighten the ship's heavy load. They threw their baggage overboard, but this was not enough. Their safety lay in reducing the weight further, so they decided among themselves to lighten their load by removing at least one person.

The captain directed: We will make lots with all of the travelers' names. The one whose name is drawn will be thrown into the sea." Jonah knew this was one of the seamen's traditions when facing a tempest. It was a strange polytheistic tradition, but it was practiced at that time. Jonah's affliction and crisis began.

Here was the prophet, subjected to polytheistic rules that considered the sea and the wind to have gods that riot. The captain had to please these gods. Jonah reluctantly participated in the lot, and his name was added to the other travelers' names. The lot was drawn and "Jonah" appeared.

Since they knew him to be the most honorable among them, they did not wish to throw him into the angry sea. Therefore, they decided to draw a second lot. Again Jonah's name was drawn. They gave him a final chance and drew a third lot. Unfortunately for Jonah, his name came up again.

Jonah realized that Allah's hand was in all this, for he had abandoned his mission without Allah's consent. The matter was over, and it was decided that Jonah should throw himself into the water. Jonah stood at the edge of the ship looking at the furious sea. It was night and there was no moon. The stars were hidden behind a black fog. But before he could be thrown overboard, Jonah kept mentioning Allah's name as he jumped into the raging sea and disappeared beneath the huge waves.

The whale found Jonah floating on the waves before it. It swallowed Jonah into its furious stomach and shut its ivory teeth on him as if they were white bolts locking the door of his prison. The whale dived to the bottom of the sea, the sea that runs in the abyss of darkness.

Three layers of darkness enveloped him, one above the other; the darkness of the whale's stomach, the darkness of the bottom of the sea, the darkness of the night. Jonah imaged himself to be dead, but his senses became alert when he found he could move. He knew that he was alive and imprisoned in the midst of three layers of darkness. His heart was moved by remembering Allah. His tongue released soon after saying: La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that evil they associate with You), Truly, I have been of the wrong doers." (Ch 21:87 Quran)

Jonah continued praying to Allah, repeating this invocation. Fishes, whales, seaweeds, and all the creatures that lived in the sea heard the voice of Jonah praying, heard the celebration of Allah's praises issuing from the whale's stomach. All these creatures gathered around the whale and began to celebrate the praises of Allah in their turn, each in its own way and in its own language.

The whale also participated in celebrating the praises of Allah and understood that it had swallowed a prophet. Therefore it felt afraid; however, it said to itself; "Why should I be afraid? Allah commanded me to swallow him."

Allah Almighty saw the sincere repentance of Jonah and heard his invocation in the whale's stomach. Allah commanded the whale to surface and eject Jonah onto an island. The whale obeyed and swam to the farthest side of the ocean. Allah commanded it to rise towards the warm, refreshing sun and the pleasant earth.

The whale ejected Jonah onto a remote island. His body was inflamed because of the acids inside the whale's stomach. He was ill, and when the sun rose, its ray burned his inflamed body so that he was on the verge of screaming for the pain. However, he endured the pain and continued to repeat his invocation to Allah.

Almighty Allah caused a vine to grow to considerable length over him for protection. Then Allah Exalted caused Jonah to recover and forgave him. Allah told Jonah that if it had not been for his praying to Him, he would have stayed in the whale's stomach till the Day of Judgment.

Almighty Allah recounted: And, verily, Jonah was one of the Messengers. When he ran to the laden ship, he agreed to cast lots and he was among the losers, Then a big fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame. Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, he would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick and We caused a plant of gourd to grow over him. And We sent him to a hundred thousand people or even more, and they believed; so We gave them enjoyment for a while. (Ch 37:139-148 Quran).

Gradually he regained his strength and found his way to his hometown, Nineveh. He was pleasantly surprised to notice the change that had taken place there. The entire population turned out to welcome him. They informed him that they had turned to believe in Allah. Together they led a prayer of thanksgiving to their Merciful Lord.

Ibn Abbas narrated: "The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: 'One should not say I am better than Jonah Ibn Matta.'" (Sahih Bukhari).

 Source : http://www.islamawareness.net/Prophets/yunus.html

A tragedy unheeded: The country caught in the middle of Islam’s escalating Great Power conflict

Of the two things Saudi Arabia did on Jan. 2 to make the world a more dangerous place, one has caught all the attention: the execution of the dissident Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. That led to the fire-bombing of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and Riyadh’s retaliatory decision to break off diplomatic ties.
The other, however, has gone almost unnoticed: the formal ending of a poorly-observed truce in Yemen, and new airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states against Shia rebels known as the Houthis.
Much of the analysis following the events of the weekend has focused on fears that the Saudi-Iranian conflict will derail peace talks on Syria (paywall), where Iran backs president Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia backs opposition rebels. Indeed, the talks planned for later this month may not now happen at all. But the consequences for Yemen are no less dire.
Yemen’s civil war, raging for nearly a year, seems fated to constantly be drowned out by tumult elsewhere in the region. (When it does get some press, headline writers inevitably label it the “forgotten war.”) Nearly 3,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting, the country’s already fragile economy has been shattered, and attempts at negotiated settlement have gone nowhere. The resumption of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition—which enjoys US support—means the impoverished nation at the foot of the Arabian Peninsula is not likely to find peace anytime soon.

The conflict in Yemen is fiendishly complicated, with interlocking local resentments—tribal, territorial, political and historical—at play. But what makes these grievances much harder to resolve is that it is also a proxy war between Islam’s great powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia, under their respective sectarian banners of Shia and Sunni Islam.
Not complicated enough for you? Try this: the sectarian divisions are in themselves unclear. The Houthis are nominally Shia, as are their backers in Tehran, but their variant of the faith, known as Zaydi Islam, is different from the Iranian “Twelver” version. Many scholars argue the Zaydi branch is closer to Sunni Islam than Shiism; indeed, in the Yemeni civil war of the 1960s, the Saudis backed the Zaydis. This time Saudi Arabia is backing the Yemeni government, but its president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, is hardly a natural Saudi ally; he comes from southern Yemen, long a bulwark against Saudi influence. Yet Riyadh seems to regard Hadi as the only alternative to the Houthis, whom it has come to see as Tehran’s catspaw.
Iran’s view is less clear. It has given the Houthis some backing, but is not nearly as invested in the country as it is in Syria, Lebanon, or Iraq. As Iranian proxies go, the Houthis are hardly in the league of Lebanon’s Hezbollah or Palestine’s Hamas. Indeed, late last fall, some analysts reading the tea-leaves in Tehran were convinced Iran was looking for a way to disengage from Yemen.
But with Saudi-Iranian tensions now escalating rapidly—Riyadh is pressing other Sunni-led states to join a diplomatic boycott of Tehran—Iran will likely reassess its role in Yemen. In Tehran last month, well-connected military analysts told me the regime regarded Yemen as a low-cost way for Iran to keep Saudi Arabia pinned down in its own backyard, draining its military resources, and damaging the ruling family’s credibility, at home and abroad. Many Western analysts agree that Yemen has become a quagmire for the Saudis.
But there are dangers, too, for the wider world. Thriving in the chaos created by the civil war are two terrorist groups with international ambitions: the well-established al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and the newcomers of ISIL. The collapse of Yemen’s internal security apparatus has allowed ISIL to spread quickly, with a string of high-profile attacks; in December, it claimed responsibility for a car-bombing that killed the governor of Aden and several of his bodyguards. Some of these gains have come at the expense of AQAP, forcing the older group to reassert its dominance. A fresh wave of AQAP attacks on Aden has forced authorities there to impose a nighttime curfew.
All of this means greater tragedies will be visited upon the Yemenis in 2016. Perhaps the greatest of them is that it will continue to be lost in the din of other conflicts.

Source : http://qz.com/585489/a-tragedy-unheeded-the-country-caught-in-the-middle-of-islams-escalating-great-power-conflict/

Islam in Fiji

The Muslims of Fiji comprise approximately 7% of the population (62,534). The Muslim community is made up of people of Indian origin, descendents of Indentured Labourers who were brought to the islands in the late 19th century by the British colonialist rulers of the time. The majority of the Indian-Fijian community is Hindu and an estimated 16% is Muslim. There are also thought to be a few hundred indigenous Fijian Muslims, such as the well-known politician Apisai Tora, but no accurate statistical data exists in this regard.

Muslims are mostly Sunni followers Imam Abu Hanifa (59.7 percent) or unspecified (36.7 percent).

History

By the end of the 19th century, Islam was firmly established in Fiji. Muslim migrants preserved Islam within their families for generations after the first ship brought Indian indentured labourers to Fiji in 1879. The first Indentured Labourer ship, the Leonidas, had quite a high proportion (22%) of Muslims. Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 60,553 labourers were brought to Fiji from India under the Indentured Labourer system. Of those who came from Karachi, 6557 were Muslims. 1091 Muslims came from Madras and 1450 from North- West Frontier, Baluchistan-Afghanistan and the Punjab region.

Life during Indenture

While, with the loss of the caste system, Hindus did not have any institution binding them together, the Muslim faith was affected little by travel to a far off land, although the community initially suffered from a lack of mosques and religious scholars. The Muslim community was able to preserve their religious rites, practices and festivals, but under the harsh reality of the indenture system, it was difficult to pray five times a day and observe the full fast of Ramadan due to the slavish labour conditions imposed upon them. C.F. Andrews, in his report after his first visit to Fiji, noted that religious decline had not been as rapid amongst Muslims compared to that of the Hindus, and on his second visit wrote that Muslims had retained their social system and religious life was showing signs of revival.

Muslims played a significant part in protests against the Indentured Labour system. In 1907, a group of Indian-Fijians went on strike in Labasa after being forced to work on the cane plantations, whereas on recruitment they had been promised jobs as policemen. Most of the protestors were Afghan-Indian Pashtuns and Punjabis were Muslims.

Hindu-Muslim relationship during Indenture

Although Muslims lived as a separate community in India, the early indentured labourers spoke the same language as their Hindu counterparts and the two communities lived together amicably. There was also a high proportion of inter-marriage between Hindus and Muslims. The South Indian Muslims were easily absorbed into the larger Northern Muslim community and did not suffer as much prejudice as their Hindu counterparts. There was cooperation between groups of Hindus and Muslims in the celebration of various festivals, the best example of which was Mohurram, a Shia celebration, when Hindus and Muslims worked together to build a decorated edifice, called the Tazia, which was carried to the sea in a procession where it was abandoned.

Free Indian-Fijian Muslims

From 1884 onwards, as labourers completed their five-year indenture contracts, Muslim communities began forming in various parts of Fiji. They tended to be small, often isolated, but recognising the need for contact and cooperation among themselves for social and religious enhancement, they congregated. There were amongst the first generation of Indian labourers, Muslims who were literate and sufficiently versed in Islamic teachings to assume leadership roles and to lead prayers. Prayer meetings, initially in homes, helped foster an Islamic identity and inculcated a sense of unity. The arrival of Mulla Mirza Khan, as a free-immigrant in 1898, was a boost to Islam in Fiji, as he contributed a lot to the educational and religious needs of the Muslims. In 1900 a mosque was built in Navua on land provided by the Fiji Sugar Company, a small mosque and school was built in Nausori on land provided by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, and another mosque was built in Labasa in 1902. In 1909, Muslims made submissions to the Education Commission for Urdu to be taught in the Persian script to their children. In 1915, the Anjuman Hidayat ul-Islam petitioned the government for the solemnization of Muslim marriages by a kazi and recommended its secretary's appointment for the Suva area. In Lautoka, the Isha Ithul Islam emerged, and in 1916 and was directing its efforts towards building a mosque there.

Establishment of Fiji Muslim League

By 1908, there were about 4000 Muslims in Fiji - a third of them still indentured. In 1915, the Anjuman Hidayat-e-Islam was established in Nausori, and in the following year, the Anjuman Ishait El Islam was established in Lautoka. There were only about 70 Muslims in the Suva area, which then did not have a Muslim school or a mosque. But in 1919, as the number of Muslims in the capital city steadily grew, Anjuman-e-Islam was formed to serve the spiritual needs of Suva's Muslim community. The Fiji Muslim League was formed on 31 October 1926, at a meeting at the Jame Mosque in Toorak.

Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji

Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji (MIAF) represents approximately 30% of the Sunni Muslims in Fiji who are mostly followers of Imam Shafi. Muslims of the Shafi school of Islamic jurisprudence are the descendants of Muslims of Malayalam origin who came to Fiji under the indenture system from Kerala in South India between 1903 and 1916. The main Sunni Muslim organisation in Fiji, the Fiji Muslim League, represents Sunni Muslims in Fiji who are mostly followers of Hanafi jurisprudence. The organisation originally operated under the name "The India Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji," since it was officially formed in 1942. This organisation owns mosques in Lautoka, Ba and Tavua.

Role of Fiji Muslim League in education and welfare

The Fiji Muslim League has been involved in education in Fiji. Their first school, the Islamic Girls School, already existed in 1926 and is now known as Suva Muslim Primary School. Today, the Fiji Muslim League owns and operates 17 primary and 5 secondary schools, plus a tertiary institution known as the Islamic Institute of the South Pacific. The Fiji Muslim League accepts students and staff members of all ethnic and religious groups, not just Muslims. In 2000, there were 4464 secondary school student (3015 Muslims, 994 Fijians/Christians, and 455 others, including Hindus and Sikhs) and 5243 primary school students.

The Fiji Muslim League provides help for tertiary studies for needy Muslims through loans from its Education Trust and the Islamic Development Bank. Of the two IDB loan/awards for tertiary studies, one is granted locally for information technology and the other for the study of medicine in Pakistan. Most of the latter in recent times have been allocated for training Muslim female doctors; some have qualified and are working in Fiji.

Besides education, the Fiji Muslim League from its outset has attempted to assist in satisfying all the social needs of the Muslim community. Its involvement in social welfare is both at national and branch levels. In times of natural disasters or turmoil the Fiji Muslim League directly helps Muslims and non-Muslims alike whose homes and lives have been disrupted. Its charity work ensures many families are fed, clothed, housed, and children sent to school.

Muslims and politics

Since 1929, the Fiji Muslim League has sought to obtain separate representation for Muslims in the Legislative Council, and in Parliament (both the House of Representatives and the Senate) since 1970. Except for the period between 1932 and 1937, Muslims have been represented well in Fiji's Parliament. From 1937 to 1963, at least one Muslim was always nominated into the Legislative Council out of a total of five Indian-Fijian representatives. Thus Muslims were represented by 20% of the Indian-Fijian members in the Legislative Council when they formed approximately 15% of the Indian-Fijian population. In the expanded Legislative Council of 1963, a Muslim, Sidiq Moidin Koya was elected for the first time, and Muslims held 2 of the 6 (33%) seats reserved for Indian-Fijians. (The other Muslim was nominated member, C. A. Shah). In the 1966 election, 4 of the 12 (33%) Indian-Fijian members were Muslims. These were Sidiq Koya, C. A. Shah, and Mohammed Towahir Khan for the Federation Party and Abdul Lateef for the Alliance Party. The Muslim Political Front was formed to advance Muslim political rights, and in 1966, it joined the newly formed Alliance Party. Voting trends have shown that most Muslims have always voted for the party best representing Indian-Fijian community, showing that their political aspirations are not different from the other 84% of the Indian-Fijian community.

Muslim sports

In 1944 the first Muslim soccer inter-district tournament was organised in Sigatoka by the Fiji Muslim Sports Association. It has since been an annual event and in 2006, three teams from overseas featured in the inaugural Fiji Muslim Football Association International Muslim Club Championship. The Fiji Muslim sports association in association with Fiji Muslim FANCA Sports Federation is hosting its inaugural club championship during Easter Weekend 2007 in Lautoka. 4 teams from Australia,5 teams from New Zealand and 1 team from USA and all district team from Fiji will participate. This will be annual event to get the Muslim sports if Fiji amongst the best.

Muslim youth

There is also a very active youth movement tracing its origins to the 1960s, whose executives meet regularly and organise camps and other gatherings for young Muslims. It has a national outreach, with members from high schools as well as tertiary institutions and university graduates, as well as professionals in the workforce. Recently it also organized a wing to facilitate the interests of young Muslim women.

2002 American Samoa restrictions

In 2002, Fiji was one of 25 nations whose citizens were restricted in entering American Samoa due to the latter's new policy of restricting the entry of Muslims to the territory. The Fijian government protested, and Fiji was removed from the restricted list in 2003.[1]

How ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab became Muslim

This is the story of how one of the greatest Muslim leaders of all time became a Muslim.  This is the conversion story of ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (Radiallahu Anhu).

‘Umar ibn Al Khattab was a feared and well respected man from the Banu Adi clan from among the Quraish.  He came from a middle class family from Mecca.  Well known for his determination and fearless nature; he became one of the early opponents of the religion of Islam.

During the days prior to his acceptance to Islam; the religion was being taught in private.  There was fear of persecution from the Quraish.  The Muslims would meet in homes, and would learn the religion from Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam).

There were few men that had carried so much honor and fear in Quraish.  ‘Umar ibn al Khattab was one of them.  That is why, Prophet Muhammad SWS once made a Dua(invocation) to Allah:
“O Allah! Give Islam strength through one of the men you love more: ‘Umar ibn al Khattab or Amr ibn al Hisham(Abu Jahl)”

Umm Abdullah(Radiallahu Anhum)was running one day and had the plan to leave Mecca because of the persecutions.  She ran into, fellow tribesmen, ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab who asked her, “Why are you running around?” She responded, “You have caused us too much pain for worshiping Allah.”  To her shock ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab told her, “have peace on your journey.” Umm Abdullah told her brother that she ran into ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab, and her brother responded “He’s going to kill us.”  Islam began to soften the heart of ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab.

One day ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab went to visit the Haram.  Once there he saw the Prophet praying in front of his eyes. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam)was reciting Surah Haqqah(the Reality).  Soon after listening to it he said “By Allah, this is poetry as the Quraish have said.”  Right when he said this; Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) recited:
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلًا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ
“That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger
It is not the word of a poet, little is that you believe!” (69:40-41)
Surprised by the verses, he said to himself “He must be a soothsayer.” Another accusation made by the Quraish.  As soon as he said that; the next verses were recited:
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Nor is it the word of a soothsayer , little is that you remember!
This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)” (69: 42-43)
Later on in life, when speaking of this moment, ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab said “This is when Islam entered my heart.”

‘Umar ibn Al Khattab, a man known for determination and his anger, made a sudden decision of killing Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam).  Even though Islam was slowly entering his heart; the hatred he had for the new religion still existed.  So on that day that he just decided that he was going kill the Messenger of Allah.  On his way he ran into Na’im ibn Abdullah (Radiallahu Anhu)who began to talk to him.  When Na’im found out that ‘Umar wanted to kill the Prophet; he told ‘Umar that maybe he should speak with his sister first(inferring that she became Muslim).  When he came near his sister’s house he heard the recitation of the Qur’an.  Upon enteringhe asked his sister and her husband Said ibn Zaid (Radiallahu Anhu) “Have you صدها (left the faith of your forefathers)?”.  He then began to attack his sister and her husband.  Upon seeing blood of her sister; he had began feeling guilty.  He apologized to his sister and her husband, and requested to read the words of the Qur’an.  Upon the request his sister said “you are not clean go wash your self.”  Upon reading the verses of Surah Ta ha; Islam began to enter his heart again.

Now ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab returned on his plan to visit the Prophet.  While he made the stop at his sister’s house; Na’im ibn Abdullah went and warned the Prophet and his companions of ‘Umar’s intentions.  When ‘Umar got to the house-sword in hand. The warrior Hamza ibn AbdulMutallib (Radiallahu Anhu) said, “I will kill him with his own sword.”  The Prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) told him, “No, go hide.”  When ‘Umar entered the Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) grabbed ‘Umar by the collar and shook him; then asked him, “O Ibn Al Khattab, Why have you not accepted Islam?” ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (Radiallahu Anhu)responded:
أشهد أن لا إله إلاَّ الله و أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله
“I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”

The Muslims that were hiding began yelling “الله أكبر”(God is the Greatest).  This became so loud that it could be heard through out Mecca.  Till this day, when a person accepts Islam, upon him finishing his deceleration the people say “الله أكبر”
After years of secretly spreading Islam, from that moment on, Islam began being preached in the open.  Outside for everyone to accept.

Immediately after becoming Muslim; ‘Umar asked Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam), “Who is the hardest on the Muslims?”  The Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) told him it was Abu Jahl ibn Hisham.  So ‘Umar immediately went to the house of Abu Jahl and knocked on his door.  Abu Jahl greeted his nephew, but then ‘Umar said to him “I am a Muslim now.”  Upon hearing that Abu Jahl slammed the door on his face.

The young Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radiallahu Anhu), the son of ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab, who secretly was already Muslim at a very young age could not be happier.  When he found out he began running through the streets yelling “‘Umar has left the religion of your forefathers.”

Within one hour of becoming Muslim; ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab began fighting with the Quraish.  Many of the Polytheist came out and began fighting with ‘Umar.  When ‘Umar began to fatigue, he would grab an honored son of Quraish and threatened everybody that he would poke his eyes out if they didn’t back off.  He continued to do this until he was completely tired.

This is what made ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (Radiallahu Anhu) special.  He was a man of action.  He not only believed, but he did something.  We can all take a lesson from his life.  We sit around and we have been Muslim for days, weeks, months, years, and most of us our whole lives.  This man was Muslim for just an hour, and began fighting for his faith.  How can we be too lazy to do anything; when we had an example like ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab.

Source : https://invitation2islam.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/how-umar-ibn-al-khattab-became-muslim/

Rajasthan IAS officer converts to Islam, says was feeling ‘victimised’

The officer applied today for Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) in protest against the extension of tenure awarded to Chief Secretary CS Rajan.

Alleging that he is being “victimised”, a senior IAS officer here from the SC community has changed his religion and applied today for Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) in protest against the extension of tenure awarded to Chief Secretary CS Rajan.
“I am Chairman of RSRTC and Additional Chief Secretary for the last over four years, and competent for the post of Chief Secretary but the present CS is given 3 months extension by the state government, hence I can not work under a junior,” Chairman of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation Umrao Salodiya said here.
“I had an understanding that being the member of Scheduled Caste (SC) and senior IAS officer cadre, I would be given a chance to work as Chief Secretary, I feel victimised, hence I submitted three months notice of VRS to the state government,” the Additional Chief Secretary rank IAS officer said.

“Now the state government has to take a decision on my VRS cum protest letter within three months. However my retirement is due June 2016,” he said. Giving another example of a personal case in which he filed an FIR with GandhiNagar police station against a judicial officer in 2014, no action was initiated by the police, he said. “Now I will be called as Umrao Khan,” the officer said. “Being a Hindu and SC member, I was always victimised, hence I converted my religion to Muslim by reading “Kalma” in a masjid but members of my family have not changed religion,” he said. When asked whether he has any plan for re-marriage with any Muslim woman/girl, he said, “No way. I have my family. I feel happy now, satisfied that I protested against victimisation”. Present Chief Secretary C S Rajan, who has to retire today, has been given three months extension by the Raje government. When contacted the Department of Personnel Official said he had also heard on a TV news channel, and so far no letter landed there.

- Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/rajasthan-ias-officer-converts-to-islam-says-feeling-victimised/#sthash.4G0OnrMQ.dpuf

Islam in Canada

According to Canada's 2011 National Household Survey, there were 1,053,945 Muslims in Canada or about 3.2%[1] of the population, making them the second largest religion after Christianity. In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), 7.7% of the population is Muslim.[2] A majority of the Muslim population in Canada follows Sunni Islam.

Demographics, concentration, and life

The majority of Canadian Muslims live in the province of Ontario, and especially in and around the Greater Toronto Area. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, there were 424,925 Muslims living in the Greater Toronto Area equalling 7.7% of the total metro population.[4] It consists of people from all across the Muslim world but there are especially a large number of Muslims of Indian, Pakistani, Iranian and Egyptian/Arab descent. Canada's national capital Ottawa hosts many Lebanese, South Asian and Somali Muslims, where the Muslim community numbered approximately 65,880 or 5.5% in 2011.[5] Greater Montreal's Muslim community was 221,040[6] in 2011 or nearly 6% of the total metro population and included large numbers of people of Moroccan, Algerian and Lebanese descent. In addition to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, nearly every major Canadian metropolitan area has a large Muslim community, including Vancouver (73,215), where more than a third are of Iranian descent, Calgary (58,310), Edmonton (46,125), Windsor (15,575), Winnipeg (11,265), and Halifax (7,540). In recent years, there has been rapid population growth in Calgary and Edmonton because of the booming economy.[1]

Most Canadian Muslims are people who were raised Muslim.[citation needed] As with immigrants in general, Muslim immigrants have come to Canada for a variety of reasons. These include higher education, security, employment, and family reunification. Others have come for religious and political freedom, and safety and security, leaving behind civil wars, persecution, and other forms of civil and ethnic strife. In the 1980s, Canada became an important place of refuge for those fleeing the Lebanese Civil War. The 1990s saw Somali Muslims arrive in the wake of the Somali Civil War as well as Bosniaks fleeing the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. However Canada has yet to receive any significant numbers of Iraqis fleeing the Iraqi War. But in general almost every Muslim country in the world has sent immigrants to Canada – from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania to Yemen and Bangladesh.[7]

The fertility rate for Muslims in Canada is higher than the rate for other Canadians (an average of 2.4 children per woman for Muslims, compared with 1.6 children per woman for other populations in Canada)[8]

There are a plethora of Halal/Zabihah restaurants across Canada and especially in the Toronto metropolitan area. In Toronto alone, there are more than 400 Halal/Zabihah restaurants [9]

A coalition of community groups called on Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Pauline Marois to disassociate from the party's agriculture critic’s statements about religious ritual slaughter. The coalition’s members in the majority were from outside the Jewish and Muslim communities. They denounced André Simard’s statements about the humaneness of halal and kosher slaughter, the safety of such meat, and his perception that such practices clash with “Quebec values.”[10]

As the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of religious expression, Canadian Muslims face no official religious discrimination. Under Section 2(a) of the Charter, the wearing of a hijab is permitted in schools and places of work, although Quebec has ruled that medical faculties are not required to accommodate Muslim women who wish to be served by female employees.[12] Religious holidays and dietary restrictions are also respected, but outside major urban areas it may be difficult to find halal food. It is also often difficult to observe Islamic rules against usury. Muslims in some parts of Canada have asked to have family dispute courts to oversee small family cases but were faced with rigorous opposition from traditional groups and liberal Muslim groups, labelling the request as a move towards imposing a Sharia Law. This proposal was opposed by the Muslim Canadian Congress, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women and non-Muslim women's groups.[13][14] In light of publicity, Muslims in Canada have elected to put the subject to rest.

In December 2011 Jason Kenney, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Citizenship, and Multiculturalism, announced that women would be required to have their faces uncovered during citizenship ceremonies.[15] In September 2015, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled 3-0 against the ban imposed by the Conservative led govenment. The government on September 18th 2015 sought to suspend the court ruling until the Supreme Court could hear an appeal.[16]

History

Four years after Canada's founding in 1867, the 1871 Canadian Census found 13 European Muslims among the population.[17][18] A great number of Bosniaks (from Bosnia) came to American soil much like Christians from Europe; some came prior to First World War. The first Canadian mosque was constructed in Edmonton in 1938, when there were approximately 700 European Muslims in the country.[19] This building is now part of the museum at Fort Edmonton Park. The years after World War II saw a small increase in the Muslim population. However Muslims were still a distinct minority. It was only after the removal of European immigration preferences in the late 1960s and early 1970s that Muslims began to arrive in significant numbers.

Bosniaks were the initiators and one of the main participants in founding of all first mosques in Toronto. First masjid, out of which the three oldest mosques in Toronto came were founded by Bosniaks and Albanians in 1968. The first masjid in Toronto was named Jami Mosque (56 Boustead Ave. Toronto). Later, with the action of University of Toronto professor Qadeer Baig, it was purchased by Asian Muslims, while Albanians and Bosniaks later founded their own mosques: Albanian Muslim Society of Toronto on 564 Annette St. and Bosanska džamija (Bosnian Mosque) at Bosnian Islamic Centre.

The first Madressa (Islamic seminary) in North America; Al-Rashid Islamic Institute (http://alrashid.ca) was established in Cornwall, Ontario in 1983 and has graduates that are Hafiz (Quran) and Ulama. The Seminary was established by Maulana Mazhar Alam, originally from Bihar, India, under the direction of his teacher the leading Indian Tablighi scholar Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi and focuses on the traditional Hanafi school of thought. Due to its proximity to the US border city of Massena the school has historically had a high ratio of US students. Their most prominent graduate Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef completed his Hifz in the early 1990s then went on to form the AlMaghrib Institute.

According to the Canadian Census of 1971 there were 33,000 Muslims in Canada.[20] The oldest mosque in Toronto, with the oldest minaret in Ontario, built in Osmanic style is the one in Etobicoke, that is part of the Bosnian Islamic Centre,[21] whose readjustment into masjid (originally an old Catholic school building) was over on June 23, 1973. Mosque (an old Catholic school, bought for 75 000 CAD) was readjusted for the Bosniaks, with the support of the local Christians. In the 1970s large-scale non-European immigration to Canada began. This was reflected in the growth of the Muslim community in Canada. In 1981, the Census listed 98,000 Muslims.[22] The 1991 Census indicated 253,265 Muslims.[23] By 2001, the Islamic community in Canada had grown to more than 579,000.[24] Estimates for the Census 2006 pointed to a figure of 800,000.[3] As of May 2013, Muslims account for 3.2% of the total population, with a total of over a million, and Islam has become the fastest growing religion in Canada.[25][26] The Muslim community in Canada is just one among many ethnic, religious, racial and cultural communities that together make up Canada. Canadian Muslims may be classified as Muslims for official governmental statistical and policy-making purposes.