JNN 08 July 2015 : The Holy Month of Ramzan is the Holiest Month of all the Month of the Islamic Calendar , and above all the Most important thing of the holy month of Ramadan is the Night of Importance (Lailatul-Qadr) – the night which is superior to a thousand months. Continue reading
Category Archives: Articles
Muslims Immigration to Western World for the Better Future of Children Ends in Losing Children
JNN 14 Apr 2015 Brussels : The Muslims Immigrating to the Western land and the Recent Muslim converts are under severe Pressure in raising their Kids in a Western environment Hostile to the Muslim Living Standards as it challenges the Basics Principles of Muslim Environment. Continue reading
Babri Masjid Massacre Revisited – Mosques are not Religious Places , so can be demolished Any time – Indian Hindu Leader
JNN 23 Mar 2015 ASSAM –A leader of the far-right Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has triggered a new controversy with his statement that mosques and churches are not religious places, and that they can be demolished any time. Continue reading
U.S. Opens Door to Oil Exports after year of Pressure
JNN 01 Jan 2015 New York : The Obama administration on Tuesday bowed to months of growing pressure over a 40-year-old ban on exports of most domestic crude, taking two steps expected to unleash a wave of ultra-light shale oil onto global markets. Continue reading
5 Important things About Ebola Virus , Every body should Know
JNN 01 Nov 2014 Washington : The UN’s health watchdog, the WHO, says there are 60 days left to contain the Ebola outbreak, which has already claimed almost 5,000 lives. This is what you need to know about the killer virus. Continue reading
Benefits of Fasting in the Holy Month of Ramazan , In the Light of Latest Scientific Research
JNN 28 June 2013 KARACHI : A latest study has concluded that fasting regenerates human immune system. You can plan for 30-day fasting for the holy month of Ramadan that is set to begin on the 30th June. Continue reading
Google’s Smart Contact Lens , Monitor Glucose Level with out Needles
JNN 19 Jan 2014 New York : Google has unveiled a contact lens that monitors glucose levels in tears, a potential reprieve for millions of diabetics who have to jab their fingers to draw their own blood as many as 10 times a day. Continue reading
USA a Threat to the World , Killed More than Ten Million People around the World
JNN 08 Jan 2014 New York : The United States of America has been voted as the most significant threat to world peace in a survey across 68 different countries. Anti-American sentiment was not only recorded in antagonistic countries, but also in many allied NATO partners like Turkey and Greece. Continue reading
Signs of Shia Courage , Shown During their Pilgrimage to Karbala
JNN 13 Dec 2013 Baghdad : Despite the latest wave of suicide attacks in Iraq, millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims continue to flood to the shrine of Hussein in Karbala. Continue reading
Pakistani Foreign Policy Needs Correction by Brave Patriotic Pakistanis
JNN 13 Dec 2013 Islamabad : Here are few of the highlights of Pakistan’s involvement in the US led war on terror that has dragged on for more than 12 years: Over 50,000 deaths, $80+ billion in losses, growing insecurity and mounting fear among its citizens. Continue reading
Jamat e Islami – The Mother of Al Qaeda Terrorist Network
JNN 20 Nov 2013 Karachi : WHY are we so horror-struck at the latest rants of the Jamaat-i-Islami emir? Munawar Hasan has only articulated more openly what his party stood for all along. Continue reading
Choose a Career to Have the Best Earning – 10 Best Professions Demand of the Future
JNN 28 Oct 2013 New York : If the potential to make money is the biggest determinant of what you choose to study in college, think hard about an engineering discipline — specifically oil.
That’s because the major with the greatest earnings potential, for both bachelor’s degree and graduate degree holders is petroleum engineering, according to a report on NPR.org’s Planet Money. Citing data compiled by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, the report said median earnings — half are above and half are below — for petroleum engineers is $120,000 annually, whether they have a bachelor’s degree or higher .
* Petroleum Engineering
As for why it’s the same regardless of whether the data include undergraduates only or all graduates, the report said one of the Georgetown researchers theorized that petroleum engineers with graduate degrees stand a higher chance of working in academics, meaning they wouldn’t be as likely to garner the top earnings found in private industry.
Here are the five top-earning majors the data revealed, along with their median yearly pay:
Of note is that when all graduates are factored in, earnings associated with health and medical preparatory programs match petroleum engineering’s median salary, at $120,000.
That changes markedly from the findings covering only those with undergraduate degrees. At the bachelor’s level, health and medical preparatory degree holders earn $40,000, putting them among the 10 majors with the lowest earnings. The reason is that this major is a first step — bachelor’s students tend to use the degree to go on to medical school or some other graduate program, which enhances their earnings potential considerably.
Ultimately, you won’t go wrong with the sciences, the job titles make clear. You’ve already seen the top five, and as for the remaining degrees in the top 10, the best pay is associated with mathematics and computer science, aerospace engineering, naval architecture and marine engineering, chemical engineering and electrical engineering. Those jobs, at the median, earn $94,000 to $98,000.
One of the biggest fears for many college graduates is finding a good job that pays well and has solid career prospects.
Some career paths are going to be more beneficial and open to a recent grad. To help new degree holders find the right field, the University of California, San Diego has compiled its fifth annual list of “Hot Careers for College Graduates.”
For this report, UCSD looked at four criteria — “current employment in the field, projected growth in the occupation between 2010 and 2020, median annual salary in the occupation, and workplace environment characteristics.”
The study also looked at “bridgeability factor,” a yes or no decision “based on whether a college graduate could bridge into the career with one or two years of study or reskilling.” Several careers — such as nurse, veterinarian, and pharmacist — scored well on UCSD’s criteria, but would be unobtainable for an untrained college graduate.
Almost half of the careers in the top 10 dealt with computers and technology, including the top two on the list. Although two different types of software developers — applications and systems — tied for the first spot on UCSD’s rankings, we decided to solely designate systems software developers as the number one career, based on its stronger long-term job prospects.
#1 Software Developer — Systems Software
“Although the demand for applications software developers is higher, systems software developers have a better projected employment growth rate (32% by 2020 versus 28% by 2020 for the applications software developers) as well as a higher mean annual salary ($102,550, almost $5,000 more for the applications software developer).”
#2 Software Developers — Applications
“The difference between these types of software developers is that the applications software developers are more focused on the consumer side of the software development, testing and modifying the product to ensure the desired results, and the systems software developer’s role pertains to the formulation and analysis of software requirements. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or mathematics, as well as strong programming skills, are what an applicant usually needs for a job as an applications software developer.”
#3 Market Research Analyst/Marketing Specialist
“Government data shows 392,740 currently employed marketing research analysts under classification code 13-1161. Although the mean annual salary, $67,380, is considerably less than the number one and number two careers in the hot careers list, the job outlook between now and 2020 shows a deep and urgent need for more qualified individuals in these positions, with a projected growth rate of 41 percent by 2020.”
#4 Accountant/Auditor
“Accountants and auditors earned the number four spot on the hot careers list because of the sheer demand for accounting jobs. At last official count, 1,129,340 people in the U.S. were employed as accountants and auditors, with a respectable projected growth rate in the field of 16% by 2020. The mean annual salary for accounting and audit careers is $71,040, which has increased by nearly $10,000 in the past three years alone (from $61,690 in just 2010). Salary growth also illuminates why this is a promising career path for individuals with financial aptitude.”
#5 Network/Computer Systems Administrator
“The criteria that landed this occupation on the hot careers list are a mean annual salary of $76,320 paired with a projected growth rate of 28% by 2020. Increased reliance on technology in homes and every economic sector will continue to generate strong demand for graduates who can fulfill the numerous needs of users and enterprises. Currently, the U.S. government reports 350,320 systems administrators employed, but increasingly complex security threats, cybersurveillance, and upcoming ‘meaningful use’ requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 will no doubt continue to require additional manpower on the front lines of computer networks and systems.”
#6 Computer Systems Analyst
“Computer systems analysts scored strongly in every category of hot careers evaluation. With 482,040 systems analysts currently employed in the U.S., the career category is projected to experience growth in demand of 22 percent by 2020. With a mean annual salary of $83,800, it is among the most highly remunerative job categories on the list.”
#7 Management Analyst
“There are a reported 540,440 employed nationwide at present. All industries — even government organizations and not-for-profit organizations — rely on the unique expertise of management analysts to operate efficiently. With the onset of the global economic recession that began in 2008, utilization of management consultants has been growing, and demand for these professionals is projected to continue to grow by 22% by 2020. The mean annual salary for management consultants is $88,070.”
#8 Public Relations Specialist
“Compared to other jobs on the hot careers list, public relations specialists represent the smallest number of people currently employed (201,280), but the field has a projected growth rate of 23% by 2020 … The mean annual salary in the field, counting both corporate and self-employed public relations specialists, is $61,980.”
#9 Insurance Sales Agent
“As the population lives longer, there will be an increased need for insurance agents; the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects this career path to increase by 22% by 2020. Our research shows there are 336,740 insurance agents nationwide, earning a mean annual salary of $63,400. Although one third of all insurance sales agents in 2010 reported having at least a bachelor’s degree, only a high school diploma is required for entry to this job — a unique factor among the top ten hot careers.”
#10 Professional Colleges Teacher
“Professional Colleges teachers have chosen an occupation that is high on the hot careers list because of the number of currently employed teachers—1,360,380. Outnumbering any other single occupation nationally, a teaching career path tends to offer a form of stability that is relatively rare in other fields of pursuit … Overall demand for teachers is significant on a national level. From 2010–2020, a large number of teachers from the Professional Colleges are also expected to retire, which will create additional positions for new teachers and results in projected national growth in the career of 18% by 2020.”
Revolution Knocking at the Doorstep : Doomsday of the Sheikhdoms within Sight
JNN 26 Oct 2013 DURHAM, England — THIS summer, disgruntled Saudis took their grievances online in droves, complaining of ever-growing inequality, rising poverty, corruption and unemployment. Their Twitter campaign became one of the world’s highest trending topics.
It caused great alarm within elite circles in Saudi Arabia and sent ripples throughout the region. The rallying cry that “salaries are not enough” helped to prove that the monarchy’s social contract with its people is now publicly coming unstuck, and on a significant scale.
Many experts believe that the Gulf states have survived the Arab Spring because they are different. After all, they’ve weathered numerous past storms — from the Arab nationalist revolutions of the 1950s and ’60s to Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait to an Al Qaeda terror campaign in 2003.
But they are not different in any fundamental way. They have simply bought time with petrodollars. And that time is running out.
The sheiks of the Persian Gulf might not face the fate of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya or Hosni Mubarak of Egypt next year, but the system they have created is untenable in the longer term and it could come apart even sooner than many believe.
Saudi Arabia is the kingpin of the six Gulf monarchies, so its internal stability is crucial for the region, especially since so much attention has now been turned toward these anachronistic political systems in the wake of the 2011 uprisings.
Although it’s never healthy to treat any state as exceptional, Saudi Arabia is indeed a bit different from its neighbors. Unlike Mr. Mubarak or Colonel Qaddafi, Saudi Arabia’s octogenarian king, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, has had the oil-financed means to buy off protesters. He has managed to calm the anger that has flared up in his backyard by ramping up subsidies, dramatically increasing public-sector employment and announcing huge and unprecedented government spending programs. So far, this has been a fast and effective way to keep the masses off the streets.
But this is not evidence of royal resilience, as some Western diplomats and academics have argued. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia’s resource-fueled strategy is a response to rising discontent across the region, and it is driven by a deep-seated fear that restive populations across the Arab world could incite unrest closer to home.
Moreover, spending for stability’s sake in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf monarchies will necessarily be quite short-lived. The kingdom pledged a record-breaking $500 billion for “welfare” this year — most to be spent on social security subsidies and new public sector jobs.
Such vast wealth distribution can’t be kept going for much longer. That level of public expenditure is not sustainable and it flies in the face of decades of efforts to promote better fiscal accountability in the kingdom and wean the population off handouts and public-sector entitlement.
Thus, on top of declining oil reserves, rapidly rising domestic energy consumption and increasing energy-supply diversification among its allies, the kingdom’s spiraling spending is also fast raising the break-even oil price for Saudi Arabia and all five of the other Gulf monarchies; in other words, the price of a barrel of oil that these states need in order to balance their books is getting higher and higher. In Bahrain it’s now over $115 (far higher than yesterday’s price of around $102) while in Oman it’s up to $104.
In Bahrain and Oman, dependency on a high oil price is becoming perilous, while in the small oil-rich monarchies, ministers are starting to talk openly of a break-even price. That would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. In early October, even Kuwait received a warning from the International Monetary Fund. It was told it had to rein in its spending on welfare and public sector jobs and boost non-oil income as soon as possible.
Much worse for the Gulf’s ruling families than the looming economic crisis is the fact that their repressive response to protests is now starting to have a demonstrable impact on their legitimacy as carefully honed social contracts begin to fray.
The initial slew of arrests and small number of deaths in the first half of 2011 have since been dwarfed by huge crackdowns. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been the most brutal, with dozens dead in Bahrain and about 18 killed in Saudi Arabia. All the neighboring states have taken many political prisoners. Last year, Qatar even sentenced a poet critical of autocracies to life imprisonment, later commuted to 15 years.
These moves have caught the international community off guard — especially those institutions and governments that had bought into the myth of Gulf monarchies’ benevolence. But far more important, the rulers’ increasing heavy-handedness has not gone unnoticed by domestic populations.
In countries that enjoy some of the highest broadband and smartphone penetration rates in the world, there is more access to information than ever before. People are now openly questioning the large numbers of political prisoners, the use of counterterrorism laws to justify mass arrests and the open assaults being made on what’s left of civil society, academia and the media.
Bahrain is a tiny island just a few miles across a causeway from Saudi Arabia and now increasingly something of a vassal state to Riyadh. The country’s pro-democracy activists have borne the brunt of state repression. Their protests, which were on the cusp of full-blown revolution in mid-2011, were repeatedly attacked by mercenaries — often from Pakistan and Jordan — while the government invited direct military interventions by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The bulk of the country’s population — who are Shiites — are unlikely to ever again accept living under a traditional Sunni monarchy.
The iconic Pearl Roundabout, which had served as a rallying point in Manama, was bulldozed in 2011, and dozens of Shiite mosques were destroyed. More dangerously, Shiites in Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia have been victims of a vicious sectarian strategy, as the Saudi government has sought to persuade Sunni citizens and Western allies that they are fighting against the proxies of a dangerous, expansionist Iran, rather than the democratic vanguard of a popular revolt.
Even the U.A.E. has played this foreign boogeyman card. Lacking a substantial Shiite population of its own, the Emirati authorities have instead attacked what they claim to be the “Emirati Muslim Brotherhood” by arresting hundreds of citizens, including dozens of members of a peaceful longstanding local Islamist organization. Now, with one of the highest political prisoner per capita rates in the world, the U.A.E. has human rights lawyers, academics and students behind bars. Even a former judge and a ruling family member have been accused of “plotting to overthrow the state.”
Much like the spending strategy, these clampdowns have bought some time, but at a huge cost to rulers’ legitimacy. Divide-and-conquer measures like stoking sectarian tensions and blaming foreign meddling can keep attention away from autocratic political systems for only so long.
When the Gulf monarchies’ exceptionalism inevitably runs out of steam, and it will, their populations will be well placed to take their part in the bigger, regionwide shift in the political order that is happening at the expense of unaccountable repressive elites and in favor of a more vocal, politically conscious and better-connected youth.
Note : Christopher M. Davidson is the author of “After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies,” who teaches Middle East politics at Durham University.
A version of this op-ed appears in print on October 20, 2013, on page SR5 of the New York edition with the headline: The Last of The Sheiks?.
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Maulana Maudoodi’s Message: Unity Over Takfir
JNN 23 Aug 2013 Karachi : Founder of the Religious Political Party “ Jamaat e Islami ” , Molana Abul Ala Maudoodi , was a great Muslim Scholar as among his Other Books , “ Khilafat and Mulookiat ” is an asset , and is acclaimed unanimously by all the Muslims , His writings have created awareness among the Muslim Masses , and it was his thoughts that became the foundation Stone of the Political Party “ Jamaat e Islami ” , As he was a Man who was of the thought that Unity should not be lost among different sects of Muslims as per the teaching of Islam and the People and Groups calling other Muslims “ Kafir ” , Should not be allowed to do so .As the People doing so are Evil themselves .
But now it has been noted that the Party has deviated from his thoughts of Unity among Muslims and have instead contradicting his Basic thoughts of Unity , and is rather taking side of Organisations and Personalities , who are Promoting sectarianism and are the Main Takfiri Groups ,and are passing verdicts of calling Different Muslims Groups and Individuals as “ Kafir ”, which is against the Injunctions of Islam and even contradicts the thoughts of the Founder of JI.
The article Below is written by Maulana Maudoodi , which was latte translated in English , which is self Explanatory on the Evils of Takfiri School of thought .
Introductory note:
Maulana Maudoodi wrote an article entitled Fitna-i Takfir (‘The mischief of calling Muslims as kafir’) for his magazine Tarjuman al-Quran in its May 1935 issue. It can be found in the collection of his writings published under the title Tafhimat, Part II (eleventh edition, Islamic Publications, Lahore, March 1984, pages 177–190). An English translation of this article is reproduced below, which was done by Dr. Zahid Aziz and first published in The Light & Islamic Review, dated November–December 1996.
Maulana Maudoodi’s article:
Mischief of Takfiri
In the period of the decline of the Muslims, among the many troubles that have arisen, one serious and dangerous mischief is that of declaring one another as kafir and wrong-doer, and cursing one another. People introduced cracks within the plain and simple creed of Islam, and by means of inference and interpretation they created from them such branches and details as were mutually contradictory, and which were not explained in the Quran and Sunna, and even if these were, then God and His Prophet had not given them any importance. Then these servants of God (may God forgive them) gave so much importance to their own invented side-issues that they made them the criteria for faith, and on the basis of these they tore Islam to pieces, and made numerous sects, each sect calling every other as kafir, wrong-doer, misguided, doomed to hell, and God knows what. Whereas God in His clear Book had drawn a plain line of distinction between kufr and Islam, and had not given anyone the right to have discretion to declare anything he wants as kufr and anything he wants as Islam. Whether the cause of this mischief is narrow-mindedness with good intentions, or selfishness, envy and self-seeking with malevolent intentions, the fact remains that probably nothing else has done the Muslims as much harm as this has done.
As to the question of a person being in fact a believer or not, it is not the task of any human being to decide it. This matter is directly to do with God, and it is He Who shall decide it on the day of Judgment. As for people, if they have to decide anything it is only this: Which person, according to the distinctive signs of the followers of Islam, as laid down by God and His Messenger, is within the borders of Islam, and which person has gone outside them. For this purpose, the things which have been taught to us as the foundations of Islam are the following:
“Islam is that you bear witness that there is none to be worshipped except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that you should keep up prayer, and pay the Zakaat, and fast in Ramadaan, and perform the pilgrimage to the House of God if you are able to do it.” (Muslim, Abu Da‘ud, Tirmizi, Nasa’i)
These are the marks of the borders of Islam. As to those who are within these borders, we are commanded to treat them as Muslims. No one has the right to expel them from the community. As to those who have gone outside these borders, we must deal with them as required by Islamic teachings. In neither case are we empowered to judge what is in the heart. Our work is to look at the outward only, and what of us, even the Messenger of Allah in this matter looked only at the outward. Hence, Bukhari and Muslim agree on the report that once Ali sent some money from Yemen to the Holy Prophet, and the Holy Prophet divided it among four men. At this a man who was there said: “O Messenger of Allah, fear Allah!”
The Holy Prophet said:
“Woe to you! Who on earth is more obliged to fear God than me!”
Khalid Ibn Walid was present. He said:
“Messenger of Allah, should I not kill him?”
The Holy Prophet said:
“No, perhaps he says his prayers.”
Khalid said:
“Many are they who say their prayers, but do not have in their hearts what they say with their tongues.”
The Holy Prophet said:
“I have not been commanded to open up the hearts of people or to cut open their insides.”
Imam Shafi‘i and Ahmad in their Musnads and Imam Malik in the Mu’atta have recorded the report that once a man from among the Ansar was talking confidentially with the Holy Prophet. Suddenly the Holy Prophet said loudly [about someone]:
“Does he not bear witness that there is no god but Allah?”
The Ansari said:
“Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah, but his testimony cannot be trusted.”
The Holy Prophet said:
“Does he not accept that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?”
He again replied:
“Yes, he professes it but his profession cannot be trusted.”
The Holy Prophet said:
“Does he not pray?”
He again said:
“Yes he does, but his prayer cannot be trusted.”
The Holy Prophet said:
“God has forbidden me to kill such people.”
Now what great injustice it is that a Muslim who professes to have faith in the beliefs taught by God and the Messenger, and is within the borders of Islam according to the clear explanations given above, should be declared by some person as being excluded from the community. This is not boldness against men, but rather in the face of God. It is in fact to oppose God Himself, that while the law of God passes a decree about a man that he is a Muslim, a creature of God issues a decree of kufr about the same man. For precisely this reason, the Holy Prophet has very strictly forbidden calling people kafir and wrong-doers. He went so far as to say that if a man calls another kafir, and the latter is not so in reality, the verdict of kufr shall rebound on the accuser.
“If a man calls his Muslim brother kafir, it applies to one of the two.” (Bukhari)
“Whenever a man accuses another of being a kafir or wrong-doer, this accusation will rebound on him if the one accused is not in reality a kafir or wrong-doer.” (Bukhari)
“The man who calls another kafir or enemy of God, and the latter was not such, this charge will indeed turn back upon the accused.” (Muslim)
“He who curses a believer, it is as if he has killed him. And he who accuses a believer of kufr, it is as if he has killed him.” (Bukhari)
Takfir and calling others wrong-doers is not merely the violation of the rights of an individual, rather it is also a crime against society. It is an act of injustice against the entire Islamic society, and it does immense harm to the Muslims as a community. The reason for this can be understood easily with a little thought.
The fundamental difference between the Islamic society and non-Islamic societies is that the latter are based on the ties of colour, race, language and country, and in contrast to these the Islamic society is based only on the bond of religion. In non-Islamic societies, differences of belief and thought do not introduce any obstacle because such differences do not remove people from the bonds which are based on uniformity of race or country or language or colour. Views may be as far apart as heaven and earth, but neither the relationship of blood, nor the ties of country, nor the link of language, nor the unity of colour, are cut off. Therefore, differences of belief pose no danger to non-Islamic societies. However, in Islam the factor which unites persons of different races, colours, languages and countries into one nation is nothing else but unity of belief. Here belief is all in all; race, colour, language and country do not matter. Therefore, the man who cuts the bond of faith really cuts that rope of God which binds together all those who worship one God, who accept one Messenger and who believe in one Book. In Islam, to call a person or a group as kafir does not only mean that his faith and integrity are attacked, but it also means that all the ties of brotherhood, love, association, dealings and mutual co-operation between the Islamic society and one or more of its members are cut off; and one or more limbs of the body of the Muslim community are severed and discarded.
If this act were in accordance with the command of God and the Messenger, then it is undoubtedly right. In that case, it is true service of Islam to sever the diseased limb and cast it away. If, however, that limb was not diseased according to the Divine law, and is cut off entirely unjustly, then it would be an even greater injustice to the body from which it was cut off than to the limb itself.
This is precisely the reason why Allah and His Messenger have given strict instructions to honour the bond of faith. Allah says:
“If a person, to show that he is a Muslim, presents salaam to you, do not just say to him, without investigations, You are not a believer.” (The Holy Quran, 4:94)
It is in Hadith that once during a military expedition a man, when he saw the Muslims, said: “Assalamu Alaikum, there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” But a Muslim killed him, thinking that the man had proclaimed the Kalima just to save his own life. When the Holy Prophet heard of this, he was very angry, and he reprimanded that Muslim. But he replied:
“O Messenger of Allah, that man read the Kalima merely to protect himself from our sword.”
The Holy Prophet said:
“Did you open his heart and look inside it?”
A companion of the Holy Prophet asked:
“If a man (in battle) attacks me and cuts off my hand, but when I attack him he recites the Kalima, can I kill him in these circumstances?”
The Holy Prophet said: “No.” The companion said:
“O Messenger of Allah, he cut off my hand.”
The Holy Prophet said:
“Despite that, you cannot kill him. If you do kill him then he will have the rank which you had before you killed him, and you will have the rank which he had before he recited the Kalima.”
In another hadith it says that the Holy Prophet said:
“If a man (in a battle) is attacking a kafir with a spear, and it has reached his throat, and at that moment he says ‘There is no god but Allah’, the Muslim must immediately withdraw his spear.”
Another hadith records that
“to abuse a Muslim is an act of wrong-doing, and to fight a Muslim is an act of kufr.”
All these instructions were given because the strength and unity of the Muslims are based on the bond of faith and nothing else. If Muslims do not honour this bond, and they keep on cutting it on small things, the community will become disintegrated, and it will have no collective strength left to proclaim the word of God to the followers of falsehood and to invite them to good.
It is not our meaning that there should be no takfir or declaration of wrong-doing at all, so that even if a man speaks and writes clear heresy he should still be called, and taken to be, a Muslim. This is not the meaning of the texts of the Quran and Sunna quoted above, nor of what we have said above. And how could it be? Just as it is harmful to expel a Muslim from Islam, it is no less harmful to include a kafir within the Islamic community. However, what we want to emphasise is that the greatest caution must be exercised in the matter of declaring a Muslim as kafir, as much caution as is exercised in passing a sentence of death upon someone. Every person who is a Muslim and believes that there is no god but Allah, it should be presumed in his favour that he has faith in his heart. If he does something which contains a semblance of kufr, one must believe that he did not do it with the intention of kufr, but merely out of ignorance and lack of understanding. Therefore one must not straightaway issue a fatwa (verdict) of kufr on hearing what he says, but must try in a goodly manner to make him see sense.
If he still does not accept, and insists upon his view, we must put it to the Book of God to see whether or not the thing on which he is so insistent is contrary to the clear directions which distinguish between faith and disbelief. And also whether or not the man’s belief or action in question can be regarded as an interpretation. If it is not against the clear directions, and there is room for interpretation, then the verdict of kufr cannot be applied. The most that can be said is that he is misguided, and even that in relation to that particular issue, not in all matters. However, if his belief is contrary to clear teachings, and even after finding out that his belief is opposed to the Book of God he continues to adhere to his stand, and one is unable to treat his belief as an interpretation, then in such a case the judgment of wrong-doing or kufr could be applied to him, while bearing in mind the nature of the issue involved. But account must be taken of degree and gravity. All crimes and all criminals are not equal. They differ in seriousness, and it is a requirement of justice that the punishment which is awarded must take account of the degree of seriousness. To use the same rod on everyone is certainly unjust.
As we explained at the outset, one aspect of the issue of kufr and Islam is internal and another external. The internal is related to the heart and the intention of man, and the external is related to his tongue and action. From a man’s words and actions we can, to a certain extent, estimate his inner condition. This, however, would be mere conjecture and inference, not knowledge and certainty. Without knowledge and certainty, to make a judgment about someone’s faith or kufr on the basis of mere conjecture and inference would be definitely unjust, even though such a judgment might coincide with the truth. Therefore, the right way is to leave the question of faith to Allah. No one but He can know whose heart has faith and whose heart does not:
“Surely your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and knows best who follows the guidance.” (The Holy Quran, 53:30)
Our sight extends only to the outward, and from looking at apparent words and deeds we can form an opinion as to who is a Muslim and who is not. It is possible that the man who outwardly is talking heresy, out of ignorance and stupidity, is inwardly a true and firm believer, and has in his heart a greater love for God and the Messenger than many preachers and religious teachers. It is similarly possible that the man who proclaims his faith loudly and forcefully, and obeys the laws of the religion fully to the outward eye, is in reality a show-off and a hypocrite. So, in passing a judgment of kufr upon someone based on outward conduct, one must greatly fear the chastisement of God. Before issuing such a judgment, we must ponder a thousand times as to the responsibility we are taking upon our heads, and whether we have reasonable grounds on the basis of which it is better for us to take this responsibility rather than to avoid it.
The God Who revealed Islam for the guidance of all mankind is the best knower of differences in human nature, and none more than He can make allowances for these differences. This is why He based His religion on such simple and brief beliefs that everyone, from a simpleton to a philosopher or a scientist, can accept them. It is the simplicity and the brevity of these beliefs which has made them worthy of being the fundamental principles of a universal religion of mankind. For the man not capable of deep thought, it is sufficient to accept that God is one, Muhammad is His Messenger, the Quran is His Book, and that we have to appear before Him on the day of Judgment. For the man who can think, this brevity contains such breadth that he can follow numerous paths in the search of truth, in accordance with his capability and aptitude. He can go as far as he likes. He can spend his entire life in this search, without ever reaching a stage where he could say that he had understood all that he could. Whatever path a thinking man may take for his enquiry and search, and however far he may go, as long as he walks within the limits which the word of Allah has drawn between Islam and kufr, he cannot be declared as excluded from the fold of the faith, no matter how much we may differ with the wanderings of his mind.
For instance, the essence of belief in Allah is only that there is God Who is the Creator and Maintainer of the universe, and only He is worthy of worship. The way in which a simple peasant can accept this, it is not possible that a thinking man could also accept it in the same simple way. Then, the detailed concepts of God, His attributes, and the nature of His relation with the creation, which a man of a particular type of aptitude will develop in his mind through thinking, will not be exactly the same as the concepts of a man of a different aptitude about these matters. But as long as all of them believe in the real basic belief, they are all Muslims, no matter how widely their thoughts differ about the details, and no matter how much they may have stumbled in various places.
Similarly, as regards the Islamic beliefs in revelation, prophethood, angels and the Last Day, there are only a few points of principle which should be called the essentials of faith. The rest are details, for some of which man can find explicit or implicit indications in the word of God, and some are created by man himself in his mind in accordance with his thinking. It is very possible that in determining most of these details a man’s reason may be at fault, and his ideas may stray very far from the truth. But so long as he does not let go of the essence of these beliefs, no error of reason or thought can possibly expel him from the fold of the faith, however far he may go from the centre of the faith, and however much we may have to rebuke and reproach him for these deviations of belief.
At this point, we can understand with a little thought how sects in Islam came into being. The Quran and Hadith contain simple and brief statements about the essentials of the religion. The subtle references that are given about the details of these matters have been understood by different people in different ways, in accordance with their mental capabilities and natural inclinations. In understanding these details by the use of inference and reasoning, people deduced separate types of secondary matters and side-issues. So far, there was no problem, nor was there anything wrong in one group considering its own stand-point to be true and arguing with other groups to draw them towards the same. But the calamity was that, by going to an extreme, people added their own derived and reasoned beliefs to the principles and essentials of the religion, and then every group started to call all those groups as kafir who denied their derived beliefs. Here began the war of beliefs, and this was the starting point of that injustice. It is true that many of the ways followed in the matter of beliefs, by the use of inference and interpretation, are wrong. But every error is not necessarily kufr. It is undoubtedly permissible to call an error an error, and to believe its perpetrator to be misguided and at fault, and to try to bring him to the right path. But as long as a person does not deny the basic fact which Allah has commanded one to believe, it is not at all permissible to call him a kafir, no matter how extensive his error becomes.
It is deplorable that our religious leaders are not willing at all to give up this long-standing practice. They ignore the difference between the root and the branch, between the explicit and the derived. They have made into basic principles those side-matters which they or their predecessors derived from the principles by use of their particular understanding. They give the rank of explicit matters to those interpretations which their group has adopted by deriving meaning from the explicit. The result is that they declare as kafir that person who denies their derivations and interpretations, as would be done with a person who denies the principles and basic teachings. This immoderate behaviour had at first merely produced disunity in the Islamic community. But now we see that this kafir-making by the religious leaders is producing disillusionment in the hearts of the Muslims not only with these leaders but with the very religion which these leaders are representing. Day by day the authority of the religious leaders over the Muslims is declining. By listening to what they say, one’s heart is repelled away from religion rather than attracted towards it. The general impression regarding religious meetings and writings is that there is nothing in them except useless controversy. In this day of the prevalence of disbelief and evil, the only possible way to acquaint the Muslim public with religious knowledge would have been through the writings and speeches of the religious leaders, if the people had confidence in them. But alas, because of sectarian fighting and the pastime of takfir, this one way too is being lost, and this is the main cause of the widespread ignorance and error among Muslims regarding religion.
Would that our religious leaders realise their own fault! And if they cannot do it for the sake of Islam and the Muslims, then at least they could take pity on themselves and give up this habit which has disgraced them so much among their own people, the people who once used to honour them.
Super memory crystal: Coin Size 5D nano-glass to preserve 360TB data for million years
JNN 14 July 2013 London : A research group in Britain has recorded data into a crystal of nanostructured glass. This future storage with practically unlimited lifetime and capacity exceeding Blu-Ray’s by 2,800 times might save civilization’s data for aliens if humankind is gone. Continue reading
US Congressmen Letter sent to PM Nawaz Shariff condemning Shia Genocide , should also show some Actions of Condemnation of Takfiri Wahabi Terrorists
JNN 14 July 2013 Karachi : We highly appreciate the Letter sent by the Bi Partisan members of United States Congress addressed to the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. The letter which condemns Shia Genocide in Pakistan by Takfiri Deobandi terrorists (operating as Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan , Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ASWJ , Lashkar-e-Jhangvin and their allied Groups and Cells ). The letter quotes human rights groups documenting incidents of anti-Shia violence in Pakistan. Continue reading
Mutah (Temporary Marriage) becomes Popular among young British Muslims
JNN 12 July 2013 LONDON: Young British Muslims are increasingly turning towards Mut’ah or temporary marriage for better understanding with each other and to assess if the couples are compatible and can last long but also to balance their religious beliefs with their modern Western lifestyle. Continue reading
Shias Paying the Price , for Saving the True Religion of Nature – Islam
JNN 03 July 2013 : From Cairo to Peshawar, Shias are under attack by Wahabi militants. The sectarian terrorism targeting Shias has left thousands dead. The rest of the world watches silently as Muslims self-destruct in sectarian wars. Continue reading
Causes and Remedies to Boiling Saudi Revolution
JNN 19 June 2013 Riyadh : The eastern region of Saudi Arabia has witnessed a deadly cycle of demonstrations, shootings, and detentions for more than two years. While Shia in the east share grievances with the rest of the country, simmering discontent is aggravated by a history of regime discrimination and provincial neglect. To stabilize the region, the regime must address the roots of dissent at both the local and the national levels. Continue reading
It is Now OR Never – For the Love of PAKISTAN , Annihilate LeJ, SSP & TTP, or Ready to Loose Pakistan
JNN 18 June 2013 Islamabad : Arresting Malik Ishaq under the MPO (maintenance of public order) and carrying out ‘targeted operations’ — whatever that means — is no way to handle the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Action against the LeJ cannot be limited to Quetta, or even Balochistan because this is a group that is entrenched in every part of Pakistan, a group which spreads its poison from pulpits and Facebook pages alike, a group that is actively aided and abetted by a very active political wing Sipah e Sahaba Pakistan ( SSP / ASWJ ) Unlike their TTP allies, they cannot be geographically or politically isolated. A few scattered arrests cannot harm them. Continue reading
Ale Saud Annihilating Sunni Sect of Islam
JNN 04 Apr 2013 : Like many social and biological systems, the success of religious movements is often a function of securing some type of evolutionary advantage. In simpler terms: better ideologies win while inferior ideologies vanish. Moses challenged Pharaoh and staged a rebellion with a bunch of slaves and his religious movement emerged successful. Jesus challenged the corruption of his time and offered an alternative ideology and his religious movement became victorious. In the thriving trade city of Mecca and among the warring tribes of Yathrib, Mohammad offered a new way of life and soon the entire Arabian Peninsula saw the rise of Islam. What was common among these powerful movements was the same fundamental evolutionary advantage: they offered greater social justice and a better way of life for their followers.
Unfortunately those who are bent upon using Sunnism for their political advantage did just the opposite in Pakistan. They are offering Sunnism as an ideology of evil, of death, of destruction, of murder, of hate. Far from standing for it, the Sunni platform is being used to obliterate social justice in Pakistan and around the World . And since Sunnism, in its current state, is destroying social justice in Pakistan and every place where it is being used by the Saudi Sponsored terrorist , in the process it is destroying itself.
Consequently, Sunnism is losing its evolutionary zeal and the faith is degenerating into a failed ideology.
Say the word Sunnism and it brings to mind psychopaths beating women, blowing up schools, burning the homes of minorities, and bombing innocent people.
Hence it is no surprise that Sunnism has lost its moral authority and spiritual significance. Terrorists are using the term “Ahle-Sunnah” to name terror organization and murderers of innocent children and women are being acclaimed as the charismatic Sunni leaders.
This outright mutilation of the Sunni faith in Pakistan is directly attributable to ISI’s use of “religion” to prepare a paramilitary force to do Pakistan Establishment’s Dirty little jobs. In some ways ISI took a perfectly peaceful and legitimate ideology and transformed it into a lethal and evil ideology. The problem is that in doing so it has also brought an end to the evolutionary advantage of Sunnism. The Sunni faith, that evolved and coexisted with other sects and other religions, is now being viewed as a faith of criminals and social misfits.
The real Sunnis, those who understand that the authentic Sunnism stands for love and justice, not only reject this ideological transmutation, they are disgusted by the Ale Saud’s hijacking of their religion. They are confused because they don’t understand how their religion can be used in such a grotesque manner. They are repulsed by this wicked alteration of their faith. They want to revert back to the Sunnism that once gave them the advantage to create a powerful and proud Pakistan.
It is time that Sunnis must take control of their religion and stop the Ale Saud running and corrupting their faith via puppet terror organizations who call themselves Sunnis. The real Sunis must reclaim their right to define Sunnism as an ideology with an evolutionary advantage and in doing so they must expose Saudi crime against Sunnism. This is the only way to resurrect and save Sunnism from annihilation in Pakistan & rest of the World. Ale Saud must be confronted for murdering Sunnism as it knows that along with the corpses of thousands of innocents killed by the Wahabi terrorists who claims and declares themselves as Sunni Militants , lies the fatally injured soul of a religion – a religion that was once patterned after the great message of a revolutionary Prophet from Arabia, who is till today know for his forgiveness around the World equally in Muslims and Non Muslims .
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The Sorry State of Shia Leadership
JNN 6 March 2013 Karachi : The Shia Nation has been 3rd time badly hit by the terrorist Network since 12th Jan, 2013’s Twin Bombing on the Alamdar Road in Quetta, in a short span of time, i.e about 50 Days time 255 Shia Men , Women and Children are being alone Martyred in these 3 incidents of Bomb Blast of Karachi and Quetta, rest of about 50 Shia Men who lost their lives in the continued Target Killing across Pakistan in the same period , make the figure even higher , as the Patient Shia Nation has borne this Killing and atrocities for about last 30 – 35 years in Pakistan , and have since then waited for a reliable and credible Shia Leadership , since the Loss of Allama Arif al Hussain Al Hussaini , who really worked Day in and Day out for the Shia Nation and created a Sense of security in the Common Shia Public , as they were confident that they are not speechless in this time of Misery and Disaster , as there is some body to speak for their rights and the atrocities being done against them .
But the Establishment of Pakistan who at that time was busy minting money coming from US , Saudia and UAE , was not interested that any body should disturb them , while they are busy counting their Foreign Exchange reserves , and they were least Bothered if it costed them Shia Body bags or even at the cost of the Whole of the Shia Nation .
As this was the time when the Disgruntled Shia Nation was Looking for a Reliable and Credible Leadership , that Can take the charge , and can take a Stand Like Mufti Jaffer Hussain or can be brave and and Unite the Shia Nation like Allama Arif Hussain , But Alas!
So Many Climbed and Claimed the Benefits of the Status , But Non Delivered as per the Inspiration and the Necessities and complexities of the Situation, and the time Passed away .
Finally a Group of Revolutionary Minded Clerics , took a step forward and launched a Shia Political cum Religious Party , under the Banner of Majlis e Wahdat e Muslimeen, which took its time in organizing , the Party on National Level , and the Best Part of the Party was that they talk of Unity of the Shiite Nation , and discarded Nation being divided in parts and groups .
As we all saw that the Alamdar Road Blast was the Turning Point , in the Shiite History also that regardless of Differences among different Parties and groups , Whole of the Community rose above their Personal and Party Differences and took a firm stand on the Issue , and whole of the Pakistani , rather the International Community , saw that whole of the Pakistani Shia Nation was committed and United for the Cause , and that sent tremors waves in the Political , Administrative and Establishment of Pakistan.
And the result was that the Government has to Bow and surrender to the Legitimate Demands of the Community , and the Governor Rule was imposed in the Balochistan Province.
The Misery was not yet over , as the 2nd Kirani Road, Hazara Town Blast , Once again Shook the Shia Nation , and the Act of Unity and Show of Shia Strength was Once again Shown and Proven , And this was the time when the Political Parties , which were now really disturbed by the Unity and the Massive Show of Strength took their Stand and Started to Play a game of Politics and the Lead Players were the So called Owners of Karachi , as this is the first time in History that any group or Party has shown such a Massive Show of Strength and Unity in Karachi, that the City was almost Paralyzed by the Protest Sit Ins on about 32 different Places ,so their strategy was first by Painting the Picture as ethnic , instead of Sectarian , Just to create division in the United Shia Stand ,and secondly gain the Benefit of sympathies of a whole constituency , where they can achieve their Provincial and National Assembly Seats , and that also in the troubled Province of Balochistan, and if they win to do that then can be also be spokes person for the Shia community Partly if not wholly.
Any way as the Shia Community have seen so many conspiracies, from Within and Outside that they completely rejected which was a great set back for them , and then they got ready for their Plan B, and sent their good wishes to the enemies of the Shia Community , and Paid Visits in the name of reconciliation and Harmony among different sects.
But This reconciliation and Harmony gave a Present in shape of a Huge Bomb Blast in a Shia Neighborhood of Karachi , which resulted in the casualty of about 55 Men , Women, and Children , Total destruction of about 200 Homes , and 100 Shops , and among the victims of all this disaster , the Majority which bore this Burn was now again the Shia Community.
As Shia nation is not afraid of the Martyrdom and Destruction , as they have been going on through this for the Last 14 Centuries , and as per their Believe they ‘ll will have to face this till the Dooms Day , except in the Reign of the Present Imam Mehdi AJTF, who will rule the Whole World with such a Justice that No One has to bear any Injustice , regardless of its color , cast , creed or Religion.
But the Question and the fight of the Shia Nation is that the Cost of any Death and Destruction to the Community should be such Huge , that even the Blood thirsty enemy should think twice , before committing such a Henious crime , and to fix the Price of Death and Destruction to the Community , is the work and thought of the Leadership is to decide as How the Enemy should be Nailed that it has to pay the Price .
As in the case of the Bomb Blast in Abbas Town , Karachi , the Biggest City of Pakistan , The whole of the Shia Nation was eyeing and was Pin Drop Silent to hear the Strategy of their Leadership , as What has to be done to Stop this Menace in the First Place , and How the Enemy should be encountered , and secondly , as whole of the Shia Nation was ready to March along side their Leader ship , but they looked like speech less.
As per the sources the Political Leadership of Karachi was very Much annoyed and disturbed by the earlier two Protest Sit Ins in Karachi and across Pakistan , each of which lasted for several days , paralyzing the whole city and the Nation for Several Days .
So On the Direct Orders of the Governor of Sindh the Shia Leadership was asked not to give any call for such Protest , while they were given fake assurances , we don’t know whether the Leadership followed on the given Instructions willingly or Under Pressure, but as the Shia Community has suffered a Huge Loss ,not only by losing their loved Ones , but also losing their Shelter and Businesses , but till now the Leadership which they have entrusted and backed , has uptill now , not come up with any thing concrete steps, that may heal up the wounds of the Shia Nation and specially the victims of the Bomb Blast , who are now homeless Orphans.
In a Situation like this the Leader ship should take the nation in confidence , by sharing their future and Present strategy , instead of Hiding behind the curtains , as it raises the eye Brows of Many , who are ready to infiltirate the system and to derail the Unity Band wagon , which has been achieved by the Nation after a very Long time , and after Paying a Huge Cost.
It is a very crucial time for All the Active Players of the Leadership , whether it may be Shia Ulema Council (SUC) , Majlis e Wahdat e Muslimeen (MWM) , Shia Action Comitte (SAC) , Jafaria Alliance Pakistan (JAP) , Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) or other regional & City level Groups should sit together and Urgently formulate a United Policy, which can be Implemented across Pakistan Unilaterally for the safety and well being of whole of the Shia Community to fight against the Evil forces .
As with the every Passing Moment , the Political Parties which have been threatened by the Shia Unity and Strength are trying to Infiltrate and create disintegration among the shia Nation, so the formula is Sooner the Better. Rather than for Waiting for Next Disaster to come up and shaken the confidence of the Nation in the Leadership.
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- Within 24 Hrs Shia Target Killing claimed 6 Lives in Karachi by the Terrorist of SSP
- Twin Blasts took lives of 45 Shia and Sunni Muslims ,135 injured in Abbas Town Karachi by LeJ Terrorist
- 2nd Shia Navy Officer Attacked by the Terrorist of SSP within 20 Days in Karachi
- 2nd Shia Navy Officer Attacked & Martyred by the Terrorist of SSP in Karachi
- Shia Unity Show of strength across Pakistan , Quetta Sit In now enters 48th Hour, Protest Sit In’s across Pakistan
- Protest Sit Ins across Pakistan Continues amid assurances to the Protesters of successful Negotiations with Govt
- 2 More Shia Men Martyred by the firing of TTP terrorist as the Funeral Procession of the Abbas Town Martyrs attacked
Muharram Ul Harram 1434 Hijri Moon Sighted , Ashura on 25th Nov 2012 in Major Parts of the World
JNN 15th Nov 2012 Karachi : The moon of Muharram, first month of the Islamic calendar, has been sighted and the first of Muharram will be on Friday, November 16.The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced on Thursday that the moon of Moharramul Harram 1434 Hijri has been sighted in the country and the Ashura would fall on 25th November 2012 (Sunday). Continue reading
Ale Sauds The Yazeed of the Present Era , & their Unholy UnIslamic Acts , Background , and Zionist Connections Revealed
JNN 22 Aug 2012 Riyadh : This is article based on indepth research on the Ale Saud the Rulers of Saudi Arabia , who are famous for their UnIslamic acts and trying to mislead the whole of the Islamic World by Deceiving , them and Being Called the Custodian of the Most Holy Land of Islam , and the Mecca and Medina . Continue reading
Pak GHQ Setting its new course , Brigadier and 4 Officers convicted on links with Banned Outfit
JNN 05 Aug 2012 RAWALPINDI: The court martial proceedings of Brigadier Ali Khan, Major Inayat Aziz, Major Iftikhar, Major Sohail Akbar and Major Jawad Baseer, who were facing charges of having links with a banned outfit, were completed on Friday. All four accused have been convicted in the case, ISPR statement said. Continue reading
Congratulations ! On the Birth Anniversary of Our 2nd Imam Hassan Mujtaba a.s
JNN 05 Aug 2012 : Imam Hasan (A.S.) the Leader of the youth in Heaven was born in the holy city of Medina on 15th Ramadhan in third year after Hijrah. Imam Hasan(A.S.) the Second Holy Imam of the Shi’ites in the world was divinely gifted with all great qualities to such an extent that he was outstanding in knowledge, tolerance, intelligence, bounty and valour. Continue reading
Majority of Apps spy on users
JNN 18 Dec 2010 : An investigation into smartphone applications has revealed that most the Apps are designed to spy on people, transmitting personal data of device owners to different companies.According to The Wall Street Journal‘s investigation, 56 of the 101 widely used Apps — including software and games for iPhone and Android phones — transferred the personal details of their users to advertising companies without the consent of users.
Various companies benefit from the personal information in different ways, ranging from finding the users address to their interests and software they use the most.
Forty-seven of these applications transmitted the location of the phone, whereas age, gender and other personal information were sent by five of the Apps. The unique ID number assigned to each phone by the manufacturers was the most widely shared detail.
iPhone sends out more information compared with Androids which typically use Google operating systems, the study found.
TextPlus 4 (iPhone App for text messaging), Pandora (a music App in both iPhone and Android), and Paper Toss (a game in both iPhone and Android) were the applications sharing the most data. The manufacturers of TextPlus 4 and Pandora; however, deny the claim, saying that the Apps share data anonymously and the personal profile, including age and gender, is transferred voluntarily.
Apple, similarly, says iPhone Apps “cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user’s prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used.”
The manufacturers of Smart Phones running Google’s Android operating systems, such as Motorola Inc, Samsung Electronics Co and Google, say the responsibility of handling with user’s information rests with the App-makers. If users do not like a particular application to have access to their data, they can simply choose not to install the app, Google says.
While computer users can block or delete tiny tracking files (cookies), smartphone users are completely powerless in this regard.
“In the world of mobile, there is no anonymity,” says Michael Becker of the Mobile Marketing Association, stressing that a cell phone is “always with us. It’s always on.”
Moscow Muslims Pray on Sidewalks for Want of Mosques
It is a typical Friday scene — worshippers kneeling in the rain outside Moscow’s biggest mosque, forced to use their shoes to anchor their prayer rugs to keep them from blowing away in the autumn winds.
It is a typical Friday scene — worshippers kneeling in the rain outside Moscow’s biggest mosque, forced to use their shoes to anchor their prayer rugs to keep them from blowing away in the autumn winds.
The scramble for a place inside is a weekly headache for Muslims in the Russian capital, a city with one of the biggest percentage of Muslims in Europe but with only four mosques.
And their plea for more space to worship is stirring tension with Russia’s resurgent nationalists.
“When I can get here early, I can find a place inside. Otherwise I need to stay outside,” said Abdyl Ashim Ibraimov, 30, a regular at the Sobornaya mosque, Moscow’s largest.
Thousands of faithful descend upon the site each Friday for the Islamic day of prayer, but the green building topped with gold crescents — wedged between blocks of apartments and an immense stadium in central Moscow — can only hold up to 800 people.
Once full, worshippers filter into its nearby administrative offices, then the interior courtyard and finally spill onto neighbouring sidewalks.
“Friday prayers are very important. That’s why we come here, whether it’s raining or snowing,” said Ashur Ashurov, a silver-haired man in his sixties.
Estimates vary for the number of Muslims in Moscow, a vast city of 10.5 million. Russian officials put it at about 1.2 million but the Council of Muftis, the official Muslim organisation in Russia, says it is closer to two million.
With only four mosques, “there is a catastrophic shortage of place,” said the Sobornaya mosque’s imam, Ildar Khazrat Alyautdinov. “It is not enough to accommodate those who want to come and pray.”
“We are asking, and even demanding, that there be a mosque in every borough, ideally in every neighbourhood,” Alyautdinov said.
According to Alyautdinov, a project to add a second building to enlarge the Sobornaya mosque site has been blocked by the absence of “one small signature from a bureaucrat” needed to finish the work.
And fierce protests from residents have thwarted other plans to build an enormous new mosque in the city’s southeast designed to hold up to 5,000 people. Moscow officials had promised to hand over land in a park to build this new facility.
Alexei Malashenko, an expert on Islam with the Moscow Carnegie Centre, a think-tank for nonpartisan research and analysis, said the root of the problem is a lack of tolerance among Moscow residents.
“Moscow is a cosmopolitan city… and the city with the biggest Muslim population in Europe. People need to get used to seeing mosques,” he said.
Bahrain’s Shi’ite Opposition Gains in Elections, But Still in Minority and Pressure
Bahrain’s embattled Shi’ite opposition movement won big in the Persian Gulf island state’s parliamentary elections, according to results announced on Sunday.
Bahrain’s embattled Shi’ite opposition movement won big in the Persian Gulf island state’s parliamentary elections, according to results announced on Sunday.
The Shi’ite bloc called Al-Wefaq on Saturday won all 18 seats it had contested, a one-seat gain from 2006 elections, making it again the largest force in Bahrain’s 40-member Council of Representatives. No candidate secured a majority in nine districts, setting the stage for runoffs Saturday. Turnout was 67 percent, with more than 300,000 ballots cast.
“We were having difficulties yesterday because lots of names were dropped [from the voter rolls],” said Khalil Al-Marzooq, a returning Al-Wefaq member of parliament, in an interview Sunday. “However, because of the massive participation, we managed to win.”
The vote in the Sunni-led kingdom — a strategic base for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — comes amid heightened tensions between the government and the Shi’ite majority.
On Thursday, 23 Shi’ite opposition members will go on trial for charges of plotting a coup. The men were arrested two months ago following weeks of escalating Shi’ite street riots. Human rights groups allege that hundreds more have been detained, deprived of due process, and in many cases tortured — claims the government vehemently denies. Authorities also shut down dozens of opposition websites, including Al-Wefaq’s.
Mr. Al-Marzooq said the crackdown was regrettable and that in addition to pursuing its priority of housing for low-income Shi’ites, Al-Wefaq would seek democratic reforms.
“We want more authority for the Council of Representatives — this is the main thing — and we are looking in the future to have a peaceful transition of power so that the prime minister is elected directly or indirectly from the people of Bahrain,” he said.
The prime minister and members of the Shura Council, the upper legislative body, are currently appointed by King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa.
The election was the third since the king began his political-reform project nearly a decade ago, paving the way for Bahrain’s first elected parliament since the 1970s. While the reforms resulted in greater enfranchisement of the country’s Shi’ites — and of women, who were granted suffrage — it has led to an intra-Shia debate over whether the system is rigged to the point that participation is futile, with four opposition groups having called for an election boycott.
One common complaint of critics involves gerrymandering, which effectively ensures the majority Shi’ites — 60 percent to 70 percent of the population, estimates say — cannot win a parliamentary majority.
Hadi Al-Mosawi, a newly elected Al-Wefaq member of parliament (MP), stated that his bloc had conceded 22 districts, contesting “the only 18 which allow us to be competitive — the Shi’ite areas.” He said there were wide differences in the number of people across districts — differences that tended to favor Sunnis. “One MP can represent 16,000, and another can represent only 1,000,” he said, calling the discrepancy a violation of the “one-man, one-vote” principle.
Mr. Al-Marzooq said that despite the difficulties, Bahraini Shi’ites stood more to gain by working within the system, appearing to regret Al-Wefaq’s boycott of the 2002 elections.
“At least if you have a goalkeeper — even if he is standing against a very good opponent — at least he will defend the goal from lots of balls coming in,” he said.
“This is the situation in Bahrain. If you aren’t in the parliament, then there will be lots of [bad] laws — like what happened in 2002 without the presence of the opposition. The terrorism law, the political-societies law, the gathering law — all of the bad laws — have come from the [2002-2006] parliament, where the opposition was not there.”
“The massive participation,” Mr. Al-Marzooq said, “shows that the boycott debate is over.”
Saudi student punished for being Shia
Shia students at an elementary school in Saudi Arabia have been subject to physical punishment and insults over their faith by a Salafi teacher.
The report, which was first published by the Saudi Arabian Rasid News Network, said the punishments traumatized the students and inflicted emotional and psychological damage.
The teacher identified as Shaher al-Aatibi, is a hard-line member of the Salafi sect working at the Jafar ibn Abi Talib elementary school in Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Al-Aatibi repeatedly calls Shia students ‘infidels’ and ‘idolaters,’ saying they support Iran and the late founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini.
According to the report, the teacher also physically punishes students over unwarranted issue such as wearing rings, causing a rift among the different tribes of the area.
A 2009 report by the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the Saudi government over its “systemic state discrimination” against Shia Muslims across the Kingdom.
Jafar ibn Abi Talib elementary school has a total of 600 staff and students, a vast majority of whom are Shia.
Qatif has the largest concentration of Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia.
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