Here are some shining examples from the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) showing his love and care for the family, the society and the environment...
Published on Sunday, May 28, 2006 by the Baltimore Sun
by Fred Schlomka
KFAR SABA, ISRAEL -- Besides cementing relations between Israel's new prime minister and President Bush, Ehud Olmert's ritual visit to the White House was little more than a photo opportunity.
While Mr. Bush seems to understand that negotiations are a prerequisite to any successful redrawing of Israel's borders, he also described Mr. Olmert's unilateral ideas as "bold." As he hedges on supporting the Israeli "convergence" plan in the West Bank, Mr. Bush is also pushing legislation intended to isolate the new Hamas-led Palestinian government with sanctions and to further impoverish its people.
JAKARTA, May 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Rescue workers dug desperately for survivors on Sunday, May 28, as residents returned to ruined homes on Indonesia's densely populated island of Java, a day after a powerful earthquake killed more than 3,700.
Trucks full of volunteers from Indonesian political parties and Islamic groups, as well as military vehicles carrying soldiers, headed south from the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta to Bantul, hardest hit by the quake, to help in the effort, Reuters reported.
"Kopassus (special forces troops) and Indonesian Red Cross volunteers are trying to comb through rubble because thousands of houses are damaged and people may still be trapped beneath them," Ghozali Situmorang, director general of aid management for the national social department, told Yogyakarta radio.
The new film of Dan Brown's blockbuster The Da Vinci Code is being screened in cinemas for the first time this month. Directed by Ron Howard, the film stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, and Ian McKellen and, even before its release, had stirred up a storm of protest throughout the world. There are many who would ban the film entirely from cinema screens, including Vatican authorities in Rome and right-wing Christian groups in America, claiming it is offensive to the Christian faith and slanders the person of Jesus Christ. Others have threatened boycotts and legal action against the film's distributors. All too recently, Muslims bore the brunt of a concerted campaign of slander against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). As protests flare and the controversy heightens over the summer months, we need to step back and ask ourselves just what the fuss is all about. Ought we, too, as Muslims, to be similarly enraged by what many claim to be the defamation of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him)?
FRANKFURT, May 28, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Alcohol from mini bars and the nude photos in the fitness area have been removed and porn TV channels turned off in a hotel in northern Germany, which plays host to the Saudi soccer team vying in the World Cup due to kick off on June 9.
The three-time Asian champions went Saturday night, May 27, from Frankfurt airport to the Hotel Dolce, in the town of Bad Nauheim, which has been especially prepared for their arrival, Reuters reported.
The luxurious hotel is trying its best to shield the Saudis from all those western ways as they took up 59 of its 159 rooms for the finals.
Another semester has gone by, some of us have graduated, and others are one semester closer to graduation. The fact remains that the achievements of MSA are as great as the total contributions of its members and supporters. Anyone of us who has been once involved in MSA activities or has been following it closely knows that we are often short of resources. Both financial resources and human skills. MSA loses every year experienced members who have been corner stones of its activities. Brother Ammar Adam, a former MSA president who graduated last year, says it's time now for alumni to keep on supporting MSA activities at new levels and dimensions. A vast range of ideas can be thought of.
What makes Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, unique? What effect did his message have on his people? What kind of society did he establish? How far did his message reach? Is his message applicable to today's world? What did he teach regarding human rights? women rights?
Finally, online donation has been added to the ICUC website. You can use your credit card or bank account to contribute to ICUC expenses and projects and to MSA activities. The payment is secured by PayPal. You can choose to make a one-time donation and specify how it should be used, or to subscribe to a montly donation of an amount that suits your budget. Please donate now.
Ontario public employees' union vote to boycott Israel until it recognizes Palestinians' right for self-determination
On Monday (5/29), the Ontario division of Canada's largest union voted to support an international campaign to boycott Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on its website this weekend.
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/31/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over reports that U.S. Marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians last November in the city of Haditha.
Survivors say American troops shot the men, women and children after a bombing killed a Marine on November 19. Media reports indicate that murder charges may be brought against some of the Marines involved in the incident.
WINDHOEK - It is a Friday afternoon at the Windhoek Islamic Center in Namibia’s capital. The center’s grounds are buzzing with activity. Over 50 men stand in front of the entrance, some normally dressed in pants and shirts, others more formal in the traditional Islamic wardrobe, the thowb; a white robe that almost reaches the ground.
What is interesting to note is that most of them are from the Nama tribe, one of Namibia 13 indigenous tribes, and they chat away in the language that is full of clicks and is difficult to comprehend for a foreigner.
This is no traditional mosque with its white bearded imam, but the other side of predominantly Christian Namibia.
The Adhan (call to prayer) is now the common call in most neighbors in this country of about 1.8 million people.
"We are like apples hanging in a tree crowded with pears," youthful Imam Ali tells IslamOnline.net.
"But Islam has made a major impact here and our numbers are growing."
Government statistics put the number of Muslims in the country at around 70,000, but Ali disagrees.
"Islam is quite new here, but the figure might be around 20,000."
Your can help us write a better newsletter by forwarding interesting stories, news or media to msa@uconn.edu, or by posting it directly to the website. Submissions by Sun, June 18th should appear in the next issue of the MSA newsletter.
When our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) finally entered Makkah at the head of a Muslim army, he entered the holy Ka`bah and destroyed the idols inside, which had been worshiped by the pagans for centuries. In doing so, he put an end, once and for all, to idol worshiping. As Muslims, at least five times a day, we declare that there is no god but Allah. To be precise, we profess that there is no deity, no created being that is worthy of worship except Allah.
Words, though, are very easy to say. We could train a parrot to say as much. In trying to live as good Muslims, submitting our whole lives to the will of Almighty Allah, we should always strive to mean with our whole heart what we say with our lips. And therein lies the problem. How many of us really submit every fiber of our being to Allah's will? How many of us find our total happiness with Him alone? How many of us have destroyed all the idols in our lives that keep us from living as good Muslims?
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip – "Don's leave me," cried 7-year-old Huda Ghalya while bidding farewell to her mother, father and three siblings who were killed by Israeli artillery fire on a Gaza beach.
"Father, father, forgive me," said a tearful Huda while kneeling to kiss her father's face at the stark cemetery in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, reported Reuters.
The child fainted several times, only to be roused by women relatives who splashed water and perfume on her face.
Ghalya's parents and three brothers, aged one, three and ten, were among seven Palestinians killed on Friday, June 9, while enjoying a picnic on a beach in northern Gaza.
The victorious JIC fighters vowed to respect the freedom of individuals. (Reuters)
MOGADISHU – Somalia's Islamic courts on Monday, June 5, claimed victory over a US-backed warlord alliance after four months of fierce fighting in the capital Mogadishu that claimed the lives of hundreds as the interim government invited the courts to take part in dialogue.
"The Joint Islamic Courts are not interested in a continuation of hostilities and will fully implement peace and security after the change has been made by the victory of the people with the support of Allah," its chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He said fighters loyal to the Islamic courts have seized the capital Mogadishu from the US-backed Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT).
"...Occupation is a fluid term that can easily be manipulated by the powerful and occupying power. If the international community cannot stop Israel's apartheid wall and the destruction of people and their livelyhood, then humanity is at stake..."
June's social will be held at the ICUC on Sat. June 17th, at 7:00pm. This social night is special. We are celebrating the graduation of some of our brothers and sisters, including:
