How do the current events around the world affect Muslims? What is the Islamic perspective on the issues in the media? These concerns and more are addressed in Jamiat News and Views.
Jonathan Power, jonatpower@aol.com
— Monday 5 May 2008 (28 Rabi` al-Thani 1429)
Even Jimmy Carter, who single handedly (without much Jewish appreciation) has
done more to make Israel secure than any other living person, can't change the
march of demographics. Within the boundaries of the State of Israel and the
occupied territories there are 5.4 million Jews and 4.6 million Palestinians.
The Palestinian birth rate is almost three times that of the Israeli Jews. If
anything the Jewish population is starting to fall as an increasing number of
Jews decide that Israel has no future for them and in significant numbers
emigrate. The far seeing Richard Nixon, when asked by Patrick Buchanan and his
wife, how he saw the future of Israel, turned down his thumb "like a Roman
emperor at the gladiators' arena". Perhaps we are witnessing the death of Israel
by a thousand cuts, the attrition of conflict and the attrition of population.
Maybe after all the rabbis of Vienna who were sent in 1897 on a fact-finding
mission to Palestine to investigate whether it was a suitable place for Jewish
settlement were right. They reported back that the "bride was beautiful
but married to another man.". . .
Read more
Jamiat Comment: Muslims ofthe world should engage in dua and also not rub salt into the wounds of the oppressed by purchasing products of the oppressor. Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has encouraged large families - not just for the Palestinians!
The bank is in one of America's most ethnically-diverse neighbourhoods. Grameen Bank, the micro-credit financier initially set up to help the poorest in Bangladesh, has opened its first branch in the United States. The Bangladesh-based outfit known as the poor people's bank plans to hand out loans to the less well-off in one of the most ethnically-diverse neighbourhoods in the US. Muhammad Yunus said every person possessed an enormous capacity and gifts "but they never have the opportunity to unpack that gift". He added: "If this one works it will change the whole future of banking ... in the whole world.". . . Read more
Jamiat Comment: Is there any bank that is truly serving the needy and the poor? Banks are institutions that enrich the rich by charging usury. Interest charged on loans to the poor further impoverishes them rather than granting relief.
May 1 marks the fifth anniversary since George Bush, the US president, declared all major military operations in Iraq to be over, in a speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln warship as a banner proclaiming "mission accomplished" hung in the background. However, five years on from the declaration, there have been more than 4,000 US military deaths and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or fled the country while the fighting against the presence of US-led troops in the country is ongoing. Here is a selection of comments from George Bush, the US president, and other senior White House figures, on the aftermath of the war in Iraq. . . Read more
Jamiat Comment: After "Mission Accomplished" was announced Mr. Bush decided on the surge. The war in Iraq commenced on a lie (WMD's - Weapons of Mass Destruction), so victory was also a lie, and the casualty and fatality statistics released by the press are also a lie. More lies to follow from the Bush Administration!
Relaxing at the ranch. Planning to write a book. Light-hearted banter with the
White House press corps. A Middle East peace initiative.
President Bush may not want to admit it, but those activities are all the
hallmarks of a lame-duck president, judging by previous examples from George
Washington to Bill Clinton. The president still has almost eight months to go
before his successor is sworn in Jan. 20, 2009. And he's got an ambitious
agenda from his initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and his push to
make his first-term tax cuts permanent to encouraging oil drilling in northern Alaska
and modernizing the Federal Housing Administration. "My mind is on
finishing my job, doing my job," Bush told ABC News' Martha Raddatz last
month. But his recent behavior certainly seems like that of a president on his
way out of office, say presidential historians and inside-the-Beltway
observers. . .
Read more
Jamiat Comment: Leaders are remembered for their compassion and kindness, not their warmongering
On the 57th day of his hunger strike, Dr. Sami Al-Arian suspended his fast, at the urging of his family, friends and supporters. Dr. Al-Arian, who has lost more than 40 pounds, began the hunger strike on March 3 to protest continued harassment and abuse of power by the Justice Department. Early last week, as his blood pressure and blood sugar reached dangerously low levels, Dr. Al-Arian collapsed and lost consciousness at his cell in Hampton Roads Regional Jail and was then examined by a doctor. Dr. Al-Arian drank no water for the first 18 days of his fast. Dr. Al-Arian was supposed to have been released on April 7. Since April 14, he has been in total segregation, and living under harsh conditions. . . Read more
Jamiat Comment: Compare this oppressive brand of 'justice' to the Islamic justice where friend and foe have to be treated with absolute fairness. It is only accountability in the court of Allah Ta'ala that leads man to practie fairness and justice
Share this newsletter! If you are enjoying this newsletter and are finding it informative, feel free to forward it to a friend.