“Nyinyi Waislamu hamna haki.” (You Muslims do ... - WardheerNews
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The<br />
Friday Bulletin<br />
The Weekly Muslim News Update<br />
Ramadhan 10 1431/August 20 2010<br />
Issue No. 381<br />
Where is justice?<br />
Above: Reverend John Kamau who was arrested<br />
with ready to explode materials and linked<br />
to the deadly Uhuru Park bombings was swiftly<br />
served with justice and he is now a free man after<br />
he was granted bail. On the Right are three<br />
Kenyans Idris Magondu, Muhammad Adan Ab<strong>do</strong>w<br />
and Hussein Hassan who were shipped<br />
to Uganda without being allowed to challenge<br />
their detentions in a court of law.<br />
Muslim launch Pakistan flood appeal<br />
In response to the current flood disaster in Pakistan, Muslim leaders have launched an<br />
emergency relief programme to assist the suffering people of the South Asian nation.<br />
Leaders from various organisations sent out a joint appeal to <strong>Muslims</strong> and other wellwishers<br />
to provide financial assistance, food and essential relief items like medicine to<br />
the flood victims.<br />
The programme will be coordinated with Muslim Aid, a UK based Muslim organisation<br />
which is currently on the ground providing rehabilitation and emergency relief assistance.<br />
Jamia Mosque will be the main receiving centre while other major mosques in Nairobi will<br />
serve as collection centres for the relief items.<br />
“During this month of Ramadhan where generosity is highly emphasised, it is imperative<br />
to extend a hand of support to the people of Pakistan who are facing one of its worst hu-<br />
manitarian disaster in history, ''said Abdullahi Abdi, the National Muslim Leaders Forum<br />
<strong>“Nyinyi</strong> <strong>Waislamu</strong> <strong>hamna</strong> <strong>haki</strong>.<strong>”</strong> (<strong>You</strong> <strong>Muslims</strong> <strong>do</strong> not have any<br />
right). This was the words of an officer from the terror police unit<br />
responding to queries as to why the security agents had arrested<br />
Muhammad Hamid Suleiman, a Nairobi based travel agent without<br />
following the due process of the law.<br />
The detainee was later swiftly renditioned to Uganda where he was charged<br />
with other Kenyans for murder and terrorism relating to the July 11 bombing in<br />
the Ugandan capital.<br />
This action to deport the Kenyan was taken even before the ink had dried from<br />
the statement from Muslim leaders who had complained about the arbitrary<br />
arrests and deportations of Kenyan <strong>Muslims</strong> in clear violations of the laid <strong>do</strong>wn<br />
procedures.<br />
The police action was a deliberate slap in the face for Muslim leaders who had<br />
told the government to uphold the constitutional rights of those arrested.<br />
The unregulated and draconian powers handed to the dreaded police squad<br />
has effectively given it the mandate to operate with impunity to violate the<br />
rights of <strong>Muslims</strong> without any fear of any consequences.<br />
Since the so-called war on terror was initiated in 2003, the violations of the<br />
rights of <strong>Muslims</strong> has turned out to be the norm rather than an exception.<br />
Story Continues To Page 2<br />
Editorial<br />
Ramadhan<br />
This Week<br />
Da'wa<br />
Taqwa valuable fruit for Ramadhan P3<br />
Women Issues<br />
Ramadhan and the Baby P4<br />
<strong>You</strong>th and Children<br />
Drawing closer to Allah in Ramadhan P6<br />
(NAMLEF) chairman.<br />
Story Continues To Page 6<br />
www.islamkenya.com<br />
This Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please <strong>do</strong> not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred<br />
P2<br />
P7
The Friday Bulletin<br />
Story From Page 1<br />
While the law is clear that suspects should be produced in court<br />
within 24 hours, those arrested in connection with alleged terrorism<br />
activities have been kept incommunica<strong>do</strong> in secret locations for<br />
longer period some stretching to more than a month without access<br />
to lawyers and family members effectively denying them justice.<br />
Against prescribed police regulations, the detainees details are not<br />
even recorded in the police occurrence books, apparently to ward<br />
off those who could trace them.<br />
Interestingly, almost all of these individuals who were paraded as<br />
dangerous people were vindicated by the courts after they wee<br />
found innocent.<br />
The ongoing extra judicial renditions which involve shipping of prisoners<br />
in the dead of the night are a grim reminder of the 2007 US<br />
backed rendition exercise where innocent Kenyans and foreigners<br />
were hounded, mercilessly thrown out of the country. The renditions<br />
are a legacy of the Bush administration and have generated<br />
intense criticism as there are an affront to international law. Before<br />
he was propelled to the high office, US president Barrack Obama<br />
strongly criticized the policy saying that it goes against the ideals of<br />
building a better and freer world. He had this to say about the brutal<br />
policy: “We have to end the practice of shipping away prisoners in<br />
the dead of the night to be tortured in far off countries, off detaining<br />
thousands without charge, or trial, of maintaining a network of<br />
secret prisons to jail people beyond the reach of the law.<strong>”</strong><br />
There is no <strong>do</strong>ubt that the police have a duty to ensure that security<br />
prevails and also weed out perceived criminal elements in the society.<br />
Maintaining security is fundamental to ensuring that a culture<br />
of normality and stability thrives in a given society. But while <strong>do</strong>ing<br />
this, it is important that the rule of the law should be followed to the<br />
letter. This is the first and important stage in effecting justice.<br />
The country’s laws are clear. Regardless of the offence committed,<br />
one is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty by the courts. Going<br />
against this fundamental premise is simply applying jungle law.<br />
The danger in applying draconian measures which go against the<br />
prescribed laws is that it perpetuate a culture where the citizens<br />
will lose faith in the judicial system. Further, its ripple effects will<br />
lead to some wayward individuals to take a cue from the police’s<br />
failure to stick to its ethical code of utumushi kwa wote and engage<br />
in activities which are against the law.<br />
More so it will make it easy for rogue police officers to again indulge<br />
in the trade of exhortation from people falsely incriminated<br />
on so-called terrorism links. At the peak of the terror campaign in<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
From a far, it looks like one of the many kiosks <strong>do</strong>tting the sprawling Gachie trading centre in Kiambu district. A closer look will however,<br />
reveal that the structure with the Arabic inscription of “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His messenger,<strong>”</strong><br />
is the place of worship for the growing number of Muslim residents<br />
of the area.<br />
The mosque which also act as a madrassa can only handle<br />
less than 20 people at a time. It is currently housed in a rented<br />
mabati structure and can barely serve the needs of the faithful.<br />
“We need to have a descent place where we can conduct our<br />
prayers,<strong>”</strong> said the Imam Ayub Itwika Kinyanjui.<br />
The Nur mosque and Madrassa committee has identified<br />
a piece of land at a cost of Sh 4.5 million where a bigger<br />
mosque can be established. “We are appealing for assistance<br />
towards realizing our dream of having a mosque which will<br />
act as the community centre for <strong>Muslims</strong> in the area and the<br />
environs,<strong>”</strong> he added.<br />
The Kihara District Officer Muhammad Amani Akida also echoed<br />
the plea saying that the area has a growing Muslim population<br />
and it will be prudent for a bigger mosque to be established<br />
to cater for them.<br />
Any assistance towards accomplishing the goal of having a<br />
mosque in the area can be channeled through<br />
Jamia Mosque Committee Nairobi.<br />
A painful cry for justice<br />
Gachie <strong>Muslims</strong>' cry for a Mosque<br />
2<br />
Ramadhan 10 1431/August 20 2010<br />
2007, scores were arrested ostensibly for terrorism and made to<br />
pay hefty bribes to secure their free<strong>do</strong>m. Those who refused to be<br />
blackmailed like Kamilya Tuweil, an investor from the United Arab<br />
Emirates prospecting for investment opportunities in the tea industry<br />
–were declared dangerous terrorist and renditioned to Somalia<br />
and Ethiopia undergoing horrifying experiences. The latest craze<br />
has put Uganda as the rendition destination.<br />
The <strong>do</strong>uble standard approach by the ATPU in handling those<br />
arrested for the same crimes is strengthening the notion that the<br />
campaign is specifically targeting <strong>Muslims</strong> brewing more resentment<br />
in the community who are increasingly feeling that the State<br />
harbours ill will against them.<br />
The Hague based International Court of Justice has indicted several<br />
Kenyans of war crimes for their alleged role in the deadly post<br />
election violence. But in keeping the spirit of the law, the suspects<br />
are yet to be handed over for trial. For <strong>Muslims</strong> suspected in socalled<br />
terrorism activity, the law is ignored in broad day light.<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> went to the polls during the referendum exercise with high<br />
hopes that the new constitution will play a pivotal role in ending the<br />
years of injustice the community has suffered. This was the driving<br />
force by millions of <strong>Muslims</strong> who came out in large numbers<br />
to vote Yes for the constitution. But as the clock is ticking towards<br />
ushering in the new constitutional dispensation questions are being<br />
asked if the new constitutional rule will still be applicable to<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong>. At the brink of the birth of the second republic, the current<br />
policy of kidnapping worshippers coming from the mosque<br />
by security agents and shipping them in the dead of the night to<br />
other countries is sending wrong signals in the community that the<br />
anticipated change might not be applicable to <strong>Muslims</strong>.<br />
As the SUPKEM secretary general Adan Wachu said, confrontation<br />
with the government is the last thing on the minds of <strong>Muslims</strong> during<br />
the month of Ramadhan but it appears that the terror police is<br />
bent on driving <strong>Muslims</strong> to this situation with its illegal activities who<br />
ultimate goal is to dehumanize those who say we believe in Allah<br />
and Muhammad is His Messenger.<br />
The essence of justice is that it treats all citizens on an equal footin<br />
avoiding any form of discrimination. Should there be a leeway<br />
against this principle, the whole essence of justice would become<br />
void going against the spirit of our National Anthem which clearly<br />
states that Justice should be our shield and defender. Our humble<br />
call remains… Justice must not only be <strong>do</strong>ne, it must BE SEEN to<br />
be <strong>do</strong>ne.<br />
Some of the Muslim residents of Gachie outside the makeshift<br />
mosque
Ramadhan 10 1431/August 20 2010<br />
DA'WA<br />
The Islamic fast is unique and different from other types of fasting<br />
observed in other religions. It is obligatory, for a specific period of<br />
time from dawn to dusk, and in a specific lunar month called Ramadhan.<br />
It involves a voluntary renunciation of all appetites and desires of<br />
the flesh during that month for defined hours, with a cheerful and<br />
willing acceptance of this beneficial divine mandate.<br />
Sunset signifies the achievement of one s victory over his self during<br />
the day.<br />
This blessed month of Ramadhan inculcates a spirit of fortitude<br />
and gratitude. The atmosphere of the month is such that positive<br />
thoughts are automatically invoked on a 24-hour basis. Such<br />
thoughts, which wish the welfare of one and all, <strong>Muslims</strong> as well as<br />
non-<strong>Muslims</strong>, including those who have wronged us!<br />
A stable monotonous environment of eating three times daily tends<br />
to produce stereotyped reactionary patterns. Fasting gives a variable<br />
environment with rigid strategies and sufficient degrees of free<strong>do</strong>m<br />
to cope with the changing conditions.<br />
Some of us may be habituated to a particular type of vice or wrong<strong>do</strong>ing<br />
- e.g. gambling, smoking, drinking, backbiting, fraud, hot temper,<br />
<strong>do</strong>mestic violence, etc.<br />
Whatever foul we are habituated to, becomes our routine and it<br />
becomes difficult to resist. Fasting helps to overcome such habits<br />
either gradually for some of us or immediately for those with a<br />
stronger will power, especially if supported by constant supplications<br />
seeking Allah's assistance. The usual anti<strong>do</strong>te is to put an entirely<br />
opposite thought in the mind to displace the negative trend.<br />
This act of self-restraint in Ramadhan strengthens the will and<br />
hence, the will power. This extra will power helps to overcome obsessions<br />
and addictions. In fact, fasting also reduces a criminal's<br />
urge to commit dangerous crimes.<br />
During the Islamic fast, every organ in the body that has been given<br />
to us as trust by Allah is put to a critical test.<br />
A hunger strike is not an Islamic fast. We must not see evil, hear<br />
evil, utter evil nor act evil. This is a training session for us to develop<br />
Taqwa (God-consciousness) and piety, as well as to show gratitude<br />
for the great favor of the revelation of the Holy Qur'an during the<br />
month of Ramadhan in the night called Lailatul-Qadr.<br />
Taqwa is the most valuable fruit of fasting. Just as plants have their<br />
own season of flowering, so is Ramadhan the season of the year<br />
for blossoming of goodness, virtue and piety in the Muslim ummah<br />
(nation). Not one, but millions of people jointly water the garden of<br />
virtue in the same lunar month, all over the world.<br />
The purpose of the Islamic fast is to obey Allah's command.<br />
Through this exercise, <strong>Muslims</strong> can develop a balanced personality<br />
and a strong sense of a community of believers. It trains all those<br />
who volunteer for service to Allah, before allowing them to take on<br />
the job of His vicegerency and establish Allah s message of mercy<br />
on Earth.<br />
The fasting Muslim is continuously tied with rules and regulations<br />
for one full month and then released for 11 months to see whether<br />
the training has been adequate and effective, and if not, any deficiency<br />
found in the personality and will power could be corrected<br />
and made up in the following year'sss refresher course, in the Ramadhan<br />
program. This is because Allah wants us to make the choice<br />
and behave well, when left alone and unattended. The personality<br />
develops when a person is free to <strong>do</strong> any wrong as he would like,<br />
but <strong>do</strong>es not <strong>do</strong> it under unrestricted conditions; e.g. during the 11<br />
months following the Ramadhan fast.<br />
If we have passed this first part of the examination, then as <strong>Muslims</strong><br />
who adhered to the five pillars of Islam and fasted, we are entitled<br />
to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr (Feast of breaking the fast), also called<br />
Eid Al-Saghir (the Minor Feast).<br />
Then Allah gives us two months and 10 days to prepare for Eid<br />
Al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), also called Eid Al-Kabir (the Major<br />
Feast).<br />
3<br />
Taqwa: Valuable Fruit of Ramadhan<br />
The Friday Bulletin<br />
The Minor Feast will entitle us to climb up the ladder one step toward<br />
becoming mu mineen (believers), because we must now learn<br />
to sacrifice our time, money, leisure, pleasure, skill, along with other<br />
talents, God-given gifts and bounties, then be prepared to share<br />
them with our fellow human beings.<br />
As believers adhering to the seven branches of iman (faith and<br />
belief) we must not only think of, but actually perform good deeds.<br />
This in turn, will now prepare us for the second examination of<br />
higher spiritual achievement. And, if successful, we will be entitled<br />
to celebrate the Major Feast as believing men and believing women<br />
then go up one more rung on the ladder up Sirat Al-Mustaqim (the<br />
Straight Path).<br />
During Ramadhan, we get up for suhoor before dawn, then stop<br />
eating and drinking at the break of dawn, abstain from such and<br />
such actions during the day and take Futoor (break the fast) in the<br />
evening, at the exact time of sunset. This is precise timing. The<br />
month of fasting teaches us to respect time and be precise in our<br />
dealings and timings and to be punctual at all times.<br />
The exact timing of initiating of the fast at the break of dawn and<br />
breaking it at sunset with the right count<strong>do</strong>wn to the last minute,<br />
teaches us the limits between right and wrong, between halal (permitted)<br />
and haram (prohibited), which is so essential for the elevation<br />
of the soul to a higher level on the spiritual scale.<br />
A person who can rule his/her desires and make them function as<br />
he likes, has attained true moral excellence! A 425-hour of intensive<br />
study in any particular subject of one s choice in any university<br />
would qualify one in that particular subject.<br />
Similarly, 425 hours of intense devotion in Ramadhan should certainly<br />
uplift a practicing Muslim to a state of higher spiritual achievement<br />
and earn him a reward from Allah.<br />
During Ramadhan, we also learn to inculcate in ourselves the art<br />
of patience. This, together with lessons and reminders to forgive<br />
all those who wronged us, add their own quota of enhancing our<br />
personality and outlook on life, with multiple benefits, not only in this<br />
life but also in the Hereafter.<br />
VACANCY<br />
Quran Memorizaon (Hifdh) Teacher<br />
Qualificaons<br />
●Must be a Hafidh<br />
●At least Thanawi level cerficate<br />
●Experience in teaching in a madrassa<br />
Send your applicaon with CV an tesmonials to<br />
The Secretary General<br />
Pangani Mosque and Madrassa Commiee<br />
P. O. Box 10350-00100 Nairobi<br />
Deadline: 31st August 2010<br />
Daily Urdu Lectures<br />
Daily Urdu lectures will be offered at Jamia Mosque<br />
every day during the Holy Month of Ramadhan<br />
after Dhuhr Prayers<br />
ALL ARE WELCOME<br />
Saturday Lecture<br />
Victories in Ramadhan<br />
Sheikh Abdullatif Abdulkarim<br />
Sat. 21st August 2010 2.00 pm-4.00 pm<br />
Jamia Multi Purpose Hall
The Friday Bulletin<br />
WOMEN ISSUES<br />
Ramadhan…with baby!<br />
Tips on making a mother’s fast last<br />
Ramadhan 10 1431/August 20 2010<br />
Allah The Most High Says what means: "To Allah belongs the <strong>do</strong>- a full belly, the baby will most likely be content while the mother<br />
minion of the heavens and the earth; He creates what He wills. He engages in acts of worship or other activities.<br />
gives to whom He wills female [children], and He gives to whom He<br />
wills males.." [Quran 42:49]<br />
Children are God’s gifts to whomever He so pleases. As such, they<br />
should not become obstacles to our thankful efforts in Ramadhan to<br />
increase our worship of a Most Gracious and Generous Lord.<br />
Strategies for a sweet Ramadhan<br />
Aasiya, another stay-at-home, remembers being all alone during<br />
Ramadhan with her then 1-month-old baby Safa. "I was recovering<br />
from a C-section and could not <strong>do</strong> much around the house. I relied<br />
on an 'old wives' technique to make my baby sleep longer during<br />
Ramadhan is back again, Al-Hamdulillah—and not a moment the Ramadhan nights." Aasiya bathed her daughter every night be-<br />
too soon! We should be grateful we are granted another precious fore bed then swaddled her firmly in a blanket. "She would sleep<br />
chance to fast, increase our acts of worship, and pile up as many tight through the night. I would be able to recite Quran and [make]<br />
good deeds as possible in just a month's time. It is often over in a dhikr or warm up my heart in prayer without interruption."<br />
blink of an eye. So it's a race to make the most of each day and night<br />
in devotion to, and sincere worship of Allah, our Lord and Creator.<br />
Aasiya also made it a habit of getting up an hour before the Suhoor<br />
meal so that she could perform the Tahajjud Salah night vigil and<br />
But for a worshipper who's also a wife, this goal can be an oh so prepare things for the next day while her baby snoozed.<br />
difficult one to achieve—balancing a Ramadhan schedule for the<br />
soul against taking care of a home and a family in a fasting and<br />
night intensive time. This is exponentially truer for mothers who are<br />
breastfeeding and caring for a baby while fasting and running a fasting<br />
household.<br />
What helped Aasiya most during Ramadhan was keeping the<br />
Iftaar menu simple. "I stuck with preparing one appetizer, one main<br />
course and fruit salad every day during Ramadhan." She also kept<br />
the cleaning of her home to a bare minimum. "Being a cleaning<br />
freak, I had to make myself understand one thing in Ramadhan: I<br />
How often a new mother is up all night with her baby tending to its am supposed to perform my prayer and Quran recitation properly.<br />
needs and settling it to sleep! She barely closes her eyes before it's Nobody is going to award me medals for keeping the house super<br />
the wee hours of the night and its time to get up and start the fasting clean. All energy I have would be my baby's requirement when she<br />
day. The loss of sleep, weakness from fasting, and the substantial was awake in the daytime, so I should be loyal to Allah and my<br />
calorie and time losses of nursing a hungry baby can leave a wor- daughter in Ramadhan."<br />
shipping mother exhausted, even depressed.<br />
For breastfeeding mothers who want to fast but fear their milk sup-<br />
These are the last feelings of spirit a Muslim seeks to mine, espeply will diminish or they will feel extra thirsty, Aasiya shares some<br />
cially during the auspicious month of Quran. When that Muslimah advice that helped her during Ramadhan with her baby. "I always<br />
is also a mother, she struggles both to fulfill her family's needs and ate yogurt during the Suhoor meal, as someone told me it helps<br />
that of the home, in addition to her own Ramadhan worship. There prevent thirst. It worked like a charm for me. I also drank a lot of<br />
can be no <strong>do</strong>ubt that fasting, Prayer, and recitation of Quran own fluids, mostly water, during Suhoor and after Iftar." As a result, sister<br />
a higher priority over her, even as Allah Almighty reminds us in the Aasiya had no trouble fasting in Ramadhan and rarely felt thirsty,<br />
Noble Quran: "O you who have believed, let not your wealth and even though she maintained her regular breastfeeding schedule to<br />
your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever keep up with the demands of her baby.<br />
<strong>do</strong>es that – then those are the losers.." [Quran 63:9] Yet a Muslim ...If only you knew<br />
mother's household and care-giving worship <strong>do</strong> not desist.<br />
It's important to note that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are<br />
Yet while maintaining the fast and sustaining increased acts of wor- not required to fast during Ramadhan and can make up the missed<br />
ship in Ramadhan presents such women with particularly arduous days at a later date.<br />
challenges, it nonetheless remains true that she can excel on the<br />
Allah, Transcendent and Exalted, Says in the Gracious<br />
Siyaam (fasting) and Qiyaam (night Prayer) side and in the admin-<br />
Quran:"[Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among<br />
istration and nurture of home and baby too. Indeed, it is not only ab-<br />
you is ill or on a journey [during them] – then an equal number of<br />
solutely possible, but utterly spiritually invigorating. With substantial<br />
days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but<br />
organization and pre-planning, motivated new mothers (and new<br />
with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person<br />
mothers again) can reap all the rewards of Ramadhan and then<br />
[each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But<br />
some, and enjoy this special month too.<br />
to fast is best for you, if you only knew.<strong>”</strong>[Quran 2:184]<br />
Down-home Ramadhan advice<br />
Thus many Muslim women opt to fast during Ramadhan and it is<br />
Sister Alayah, a stay-at-home mother has this counsel for Ramad- permissible for them to <strong>do</strong> so, in accordance with the approval of<br />
han mothers: Do as much preparation as possible well before Ram- the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam. Remember!<br />
adhan even begins. "I have fasted during pregnancy, while breast- All the missed fasts from Ramadhan must be made up at a later<br />
feeding, and [while] coping with colicky babies. <strong>You</strong> name it and I date.<br />
went through it.<strong>”</strong> What worked best for Sister Alayah was making a<br />
Moreover, not fasting in Ramadhan truly makes the heart heavy<br />
balanced Ramadhan schedule and sticking to it. "I just made sure<br />
and sad. "When you are determined to fast in Ramadhan so that<br />
that everything had its time and place. I planned the Ramadhan<br />
you <strong>do</strong> not have to make up the fasts later all alone, you show cour-<br />
Suhoor and Iftaar meals beforehand. I created the daily menus and<br />
age," observes Aasiya. "Ask Allah for help. It is His blessing that will<br />
went shopping."<br />
energize you during the fast. <strong>You</strong> will feel successful after a whole<br />
For older children, Alayah recommends having crafts and simple month of Ramadhan worship while juggling the care of your baby<br />
toys on hand to keep them occupied so that you can perform prayer, and the house-work."<br />
read the Quran, or work in the kitchen. "I make Ramadhan folders<br />
Ramadhan is like a rainbow that appears in the sky after a cloud-<br />
for my children. They have their own schedule for fun activities durburst<br />
on a sun-drenched day. Its beauty and mercy last only as long<br />
ing the Ramadhan day, as well as Quran and Hadeeth study pages.<br />
as the time it is permitted by Allah. <strong>Muslims</strong> must seize the Ramad-<br />
I also print coloring and craft pages from the Internet, which is an<br />
han days and nights in utter worship of Allah while striving to keep<br />
excellent resource."<br />
distractions at bay.<br />
As for caring for a baby, Alayah says: "I always make sure that my<br />
"Ramadhan is a beautiful month, so have patience," says Sister<br />
baby is well fed and cared for first before I tend to other activities."<br />
Alayah. "Get the whole family involved in worship and lending a<br />
By <strong>do</strong>ing this, the baby is less likely to be fussy when the mother<br />
hand to the mother of the home so that she, too, can worship."<br />
wants to perform prayer or read the Quran. With a clean diaper and<br />
4
Ramadhan 10 1431/August 20 2010<br />
Altaf Hussein<br />
<strong>You</strong> know the routine. <strong>You</strong>r body goes<br />
into shock the first day of Ramadhan.<br />
All of a sudden, one morning you wake<br />
up before the time for Fajr Prayer, devour<br />
your food up until the last second<br />
before the time for Fajr prayer comes<br />
in, pray your Fajr Prayer, and then, before<br />
anyone can say “Ramadhan mubarak,<strong>”</strong><br />
you’re back under your warm<br />
covers, dreaming about iftar. When<br />
you wake back up later that morning<br />
and go about your day, your body is<br />
in shock. It has no idea why all of a<br />
sudden you won’t quench your thirst.<br />
Or why you won’t grab that candy<br />
bar—you know, the one with the layers<br />
of chocolate, then caramel, then<br />
peanuts, then more chocolate, and<br />
yes, a wafer somewhere in-between.<br />
<strong>You</strong>r mouth waters, you are salivating<br />
uncontrollably, and yet you know you<br />
can’t eat because it’s Ramadhan and<br />
you are fasting!<br />
That’s right, somehow you forgot to<br />
warn your body that for the next month<br />
you would be experiencing a special<br />
routine of praying, fasting, reading the<br />
Qur’an, being more generous, and<br />
exercising self-restraint.<br />
It is beneficial to begin with a reminder<br />
about the significance of Ramadhan<br />
from the Qur’an itself. Allah<br />
tells us in the Qur’an: “the month of<br />
Ramadhan in which the Qur’an was<br />
revealed, a guidance for mankind and<br />
clear proofs for the guidance of the<br />
Criterion between right and wrong. So<br />
whosoever of you sights the crescent<br />
for the month of Ramadhan, he must<br />
fast that month<strong>”</strong> (Al-Baqarah 2:185).<br />
Among the countless blessings associated<br />
with Ramadhan, one that<br />
should not escape us is the fact that<br />
Ramadhan is the month in which the<br />
Qur’an was revealed. This beautiful<br />
book of guidance is ours, so let us<br />
strive during Ramadhan to draw closer<br />
to Allah by increasing our reading<br />
of the Qur’an and increasing our voluntary<br />
prayers. This month is blessed<br />
because of the countless opportunities<br />
we have to mention the name of<br />
Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings<br />
be upon him) stated that “no people<br />
gather in a house from the houses<br />
of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and<br />
studying it amongst themselves, except<br />
that tranquility descends upon<br />
them, mercy envelops them, the angels<br />
surround them, and Allah mentions<br />
them to those that are with Him<strong>”</strong><br />
(Sahih Muslim).<br />
Reading the Qur’an<br />
Think back to this past year, all the<br />
way back to last Ramadhan. What<br />
has been your relationship with the<br />
Qur’an? How often were you reading<br />
the Qur’an? What efforts did you<br />
YOUTH AND CHILDREN<br />
Drawing Closer to Allah in Ramadhan<br />
5<br />
The Friday Bulletin<br />
make to memorize portions of the Qur’an? What specific surahs or verses had an impact on you<br />
this past year? Take some time to write <strong>do</strong>wn your responses to these questions. Be frank with<br />
yourself because the responses are known only to you and Allah. Let your responses also be a<br />
checkpoint of some sort so that you can compare them with this Ramadhan. Ramadhan presents<br />
to all of us an opportunity to develop a personal routine as a result of efforts of maximizing selfrestraint<br />
and enhancing self-development.<br />
Why exactly is it important that we spend time reading the Qur’an? First, in Ramadhan the mood<br />
around us is very advantageous for reading and reflection. Throughout the year, we might read on<br />
our own, sometimes in a rush, sometimes heedlessly. In Ramadhan people are trying to complete<br />
reading the entire Qur’an in one month. In addition, abstaining from food and drink helps us to<br />
suppress our lowly desires in pursuit of higher level, intellectual and spiritual desires such that we<br />
can actually reflect upon the meaning of the verses we are reading from the Qur’an. That reflection<br />
is intended to help us to internalize the teachings of the Qur’an to the degree that all aspects<br />
of our lives are aligned with those teachings.<br />
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The Friday Bulletin<br />
OPINION<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> deliberately locked out of Cabinet implementation committee<br />
Mwenye N. Said<br />
The Coast and North Eastern people in general<br />
and <strong>Muslims</strong> in particular cannot and should not<br />
be marginalized and shut out when it comes to<br />
the implementation of the new constitution.<br />
In the just established 16-member cabinet team<br />
tasked to oversee the implementation of the new<br />
constitution to be headed by President Mwai<br />
Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga there is<br />
no single Muslim in the team. It is very saddening<br />
that the implementation of the new constitution<br />
seems to be starting on a wrong footing right from<br />
the top. Prime Minister Odinga has been quoted<br />
publicly telling Kenyans that the constitution is for<br />
all Kenyans and its implementation will<br />
be an all inclusive exercise. He claims that<br />
even the “No team<strong>”</strong> legislators will be included in<br />
its implementation process in the National<br />
Assembly.<br />
While the implementation of the constitution will<br />
not involve the “Reds,<strong>”</strong> the fact is that even a section of the “Greens<strong>”</strong><br />
is being excluded and not forming part of the prime minister’s socalled<br />
“all inclusive<strong>”</strong> tag line. Here is why. The cabinet team to oversee<br />
the implementation of the new constitution, is not an all inclusive<br />
team and it <strong>do</strong>es not represent the true face of Kenya.<br />
More to this, the composition of the team will raise more eyebrows<br />
as there is also no representation from the country’s two provinces<br />
of Coast and North Eastern.<br />
While these two provinces are not represented in this key cabinet<br />
team all other provinces have more than two members in the team.<br />
Its insulting Kenyans intelligence if Kibaki and Raila think the public<br />
will assume that the omission to be just a coincidence that the two<br />
Learn sign language to help<br />
the hearing impaired<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> have been urged to learn sign language<br />
to effectively communicate with the hearing impaired<br />
members of the society.<br />
AbdulWahab Ali, a sign language instructor at Jamia<br />
Training Institute (JTI) said it was imperative<br />
for <strong>Muslims</strong> to know the art to communicate in<br />
sign language as this is also an important tool to<br />
propagate Islam.<br />
“There are only 10 <strong>Muslims</strong> sign language interpreters<br />
in the country yet we have many <strong>Muslims</strong><br />
who are hearing impaired and need to learn Islam.<strong>”</strong><br />
he said.<br />
In Muslim <strong>do</strong>minated areas, Abdulwahhab said<br />
Christian evangelical workers have taken advantage<br />
of this deficiency and using sign language to<br />
propagate their faith among the Muslim faithful.<br />
The Principal of JTI Fatma Khamis challenged<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> to ensure they learn the sign language<br />
saying that many people with hearing impairment<br />
have been neglected in relation to Islamic knowledge<br />
due to lack of appropriate communication.<br />
She lamented over the few number of Muslim students<br />
taking up the subject at the institute saying<br />
that since the introduction of the course, few <strong>Muslims</strong><br />
have enrolled and non-<strong>Muslims</strong> happened to<br />
be the main beneficiaries.<br />
During the current school holidays, JTI has organised<br />
special madrasa classes for the deaf where<br />
they will be taught various principles of Islam.<br />
Jamia training Institute is the only Islamic institution<br />
in the country that offers sign language<br />
classes.<br />
Mandera Central MP Abdikadir<br />
Hussein Muhammad<br />
Ramadhan 10 1431/August 20 2010<br />
pre<strong>do</strong>minantly Muslim provinces missed out in<br />
the selection and that they jointly and or separately<br />
have no hidden motive behind this act on<br />
their respective parts. Any average intelligent<br />
and progressive Kenyan can figure it out that it<br />
was a deliberate attempt on the part of the two<br />
principals to exclude the pre<strong>do</strong>minantly Muslim<br />
provinces. Plain and simple.<br />
It is very sad day in Kenya today, sad day to the<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> who are observing the fast in the month<br />
of Ramadhan to have been shut out on the cabinet<br />
implementation committee.<br />
Experience tells me that, the two principals knew<br />
of this fact and they chose to ignore it. It makes<br />
one wondering as to what kind of message the<br />
president and the prime minister are sending to<br />
the residents of the two provinces in general<br />
and to the Muslim community in particular by ex<br />
cluding them in this important cabinet committee?<br />
Is the message to be summed that <strong>Muslims</strong> <strong>do</strong> not matter<br />
when it comes to matter concerning Kenya.<br />
If <strong>Muslims</strong> and the two provinces missed out be to selected to the<br />
16-cabinet implementation team where the total number of entire<br />
cabinet is nearly 42, what are the chances of any of the two provinces’<br />
legislators’ (and <strong>Muslims</strong> for that matter) to be selected to join<br />
the remaining 13 slots in the proposed 15-member Constitutional<br />
Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) in a 220-member parliament.<br />
<strong>You</strong>r guess is good as mine.<br />
At the moment we should thank God that the Mandera Central MP<br />
Abdikadir Muhammad is already being proposed to be co-opted<br />
into CIOC.<br />
JTI is now an Islamic Online University<br />
examination centre<br />
Jamia Training Institute has been appointed as a national examination centre for the<br />
Qatari based Islamic Online University (IOU). In the partnership, students enrolling in<br />
the academic programme of Bachelors Arts in Islamic Studies (BAIS) will sit for their<br />
examination at the Institute.<br />
The degree programme is the first tuition free online Islamic Studies course which<br />
allows students from across the world to utilize online learning technology to attain<br />
university level Islamic education at virtually no cost. “This will utilize, to the fullest<br />
extent, opportunities provided by unprecedented access to the Internet, enhanced<br />
online learning technology, and rising desire among <strong>Muslims</strong> worldwide to learn their<br />
religion at an academic level,<strong>”</strong> says a statement from the website.<br />
Students are only required to meet the cost of registration and examination fees which<br />
for Kenya the rates are pegged at a modest US$20 (Sh 1,600).<br />
Full information on Course Description and Details can be obtained from http://bais.<br />
islamiconlineuniversity.com/ For admission inquiries contact Registrar@islamiconlineuniversity.com<br />
The Islamic Online University (IOU) is the brainchild of the renowned Canadian Muslim<br />
scholar, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips. It was established with a vision to offer<br />
online intensive, undergraduate, and graduate courses in Islamic Studies completely<br />
tuition-free.<br />
It opened its <strong>do</strong>ors in 2007 with 1,500 students and currently the IOU boasts of a<br />
student body of over 15,000 students from over 160 different countries<br />
Pakistan flood appeal<br />
Story From Page 1<br />
More than 1,500 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands stranded by<br />
flooding and landslides triggered by the annual monsoon rains. Survivors have been<br />
left without food and shelter as houses and livestock have been destroyed. The floodwaters<br />
have washed away millions of hectares of crops, submerged villages and<br />
destroyed roads and bridges. Disease is spreading among Pakistani flood victims.<br />
More than 12 million people affected in the disaster whose ripple effects have eclipsed<br />
those of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.<br />
6
The Friday Bulletin<br />
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Eid around 9/11 puts US <strong>Muslims</strong> in a tizz<br />
NEW YORK: The lunar calendar that<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> follow for religious holidays is<br />
creating a potential for misunderstandings<br />
or worse in a year when American<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> are already confronting a spike<br />
in assaults on their faith and protests<br />
against new mosques.<br />
Eid Al-Fitr, a joyous holiday marking the<br />
end of the holy month of Ramadan, this<br />
year falls around Sept. 11. Muslim leaders<br />
fear that their gatherings for prayer<br />
and festivities could be misinterpreted by<br />
those unfamiliar with Islam as a celebration<br />
of the 2001 terrorist strikes.<br />
The Muslim Public Affairs Council, an<br />
advocacy group based in Los Angeles,<br />
is contacting law enforcement and the<br />
Justice Department civil rights division to<br />
alert them to the overlap.<br />
The Islamic Circle of North America,<br />
which organizes Muslim Family Days<br />
at the Six Flags amusement park in<br />
several cities around Eid Al-Fitr, this year<br />
planned nothing for Saturday, Sept. 11,<br />
because of the anniversary.<br />
A founder of Muslim Family Day, Tariq<br />
Amanullah, worked at the World Trade<br />
Center and was killed in the attacks. The<br />
Council on American-Islamic Relations,<br />
a Washington-based civil rights group,<br />
FROM THE BOOK<br />
OF ALLAH<br />
Lo! Allah will<br />
cause those who<br />
believe and <strong>do</strong><br />
good works to<br />
enter Gardens<br />
underneath<br />
which rivers<br />
flow, wherein<br />
they will be allowed<br />
armlets<br />
of gold, and<br />
pearls, and<br />
their raiment<br />
therein will be<br />
silk.<br />
(Quran 22;23)<br />
is urging mosques to review the group’s<br />
security guidelines, including clearing brush<br />
where people could hide and installing<br />
surveillance cameras.<br />
“The issue I can sense brewing on hate<br />
sites on the Internet is, ‘These <strong>Muslims</strong><br />
are celebrating on Sept. 11,<strong>”</strong>’ said Ibrahim<br />
Hooper, national spokesman for CAIR.<br />
“It’s getting really scary out there.<strong>”</strong> The<br />
exact date of Eid Al-Fitr this year is not yet<br />
known.<br />
<strong>Muslims</strong> follow different authorities on<br />
moonsightings and astronomical calculations<br />
to decide when a holiday begins.<br />
In North America, the Eid could fall on<br />
Thursday, Sept. 9, Friday, Sept. 10, or<br />
Saturday, Sept. 11.<br />
It is one of the two biggest Muslim holidays<br />
of the year, the other major holiday is Eid<br />
Al-Adha, at the end of the Hajj, the annual<br />
pilgrimage to Makkah.<br />
In pre<strong>do</strong>minantly Muslim countries, the<br />
celebration can last for three days. But<br />
because of work and school obligations in<br />
the US, American <strong>Muslims</strong> generally attend<br />
congregational prayer on the day of the<br />
holiday, then continue the festivities over<br />
the next weekend or two.<br />
Recently the debate over a proposed<br />
mosque and Islamic center near Ground<br />
Zero has become a national issue.<br />
A million reasons to<br />
support Ummah Foundation<br />
A significant number of Kenya’s population is<br />
Muslim. We could not be the largest percentage<br />
of the populace, but our numbers are significant.<br />
They are significant enough to bring<br />
change in and out of the community. The unity<br />
of purpose in the just successfully concluded<br />
referendum is a good example of our strength.<br />
To add more spice, the success has just come<br />
to the country at the start of the Blessed month<br />
of Ramadhan.<br />
Millions of people in our community are in the<br />
throes of poverty. They are struggling through<br />
poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance occasioned<br />
by among other reasons years of<br />
neglect in national development programmes.<br />
Most of these affected areas are found in the<br />
arid, semi arid areas of the country and urban<br />
slum areas like the Majengos of Nairobi and<br />
Mombasa.<br />
Ummah Foundation has very developed<br />
project plans, intermediate plans, as well as<br />
strategic plans of lifting up the Muslim Ummah<br />
to a comfortable level out of poverty, hunger,<br />
disease and ignorance. With your support, we<br />
have been able to achieve the following:<br />
● Provision of bursaries and scholarships to<br />
the needy and deserving students.<br />
● Provision of medical assistance to the<br />
needy. This includes organising eye operations<br />
for the needy.<br />
● Distribution of relief food and clean water<br />
during the long drought.<br />
● Distribution of Iftar to the needy Muslim families<br />
across the country.<br />
● Provision of wheelchairs to the needy physically<br />
challenged persons.<br />
● Provision of computers to a number of Islamic<br />
institutions.<br />
● Developing a high level Madarassah system<br />
for the whole country as well as providing<br />
teacher’s salaries and learning materials.<br />
● Construction of low cost housing for the<br />
poor.<br />
● Assistance in the Prisoners Rehabilitation<br />
Program.<br />
● Zakat distribution as directed by the Holy<br />
Qur’an.<br />
Burial and funeral arrangements for the<br />
needy.<br />
To be able to come closer to achieving our<br />
goals of caring for our people, we still need<br />
your support. <strong>You</strong> may send your <strong>do</strong>nations<br />
through the following accounts:<br />
Ummah Foundation,<br />
First Community Bank, Wabera Street, AC No.<br />
101943-01 (Ksh) or 101943-02 (US $)<br />
Or Gulf African Bank- Kenyatta Avenue<br />
AC No.s 0720 002001 (Ksh) 0720 002002 (US<br />
$) or 0720 002003 (Zakat Account)<br />
Or visit our offices Village Plaza, Ngara Rd,<br />
Suite A2, P.O.Box 58717-00100, Nairobi.<br />
The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@gmail.com.<br />
Printed by Colour Magic Production Ltd-Kirinyaga Crescent P. O. Box 9581-00100 Nairobi