Abrar A bi-monthly newsletter published by the Abrar Islamic Foundation

45 CrawfordEdior: Place, DrLondon Saeed W!H Shehabi 4LP A bi-monthly newsletter Tel:Published 020 7724 by the 3033 Abrar 45Fax: Crawford 020 7724 Place, 7219 LondonEmail: W1H 4LP Vol 13, No 18(306) 16th—31st March 2017 [email protected] Tel: 020Website: 7724 3033 Religious values to counter epidemic political immorality Fax:www.abrar.org.uk 020 7724 7219 Morality is the most significant absentee from gious orthodoxy in any of the Abrahamic reli- Email: the modern world. Although it is widely debat- gions. This makes the present political experi- Abrarhouse ed and cherished it is rarely embraced especial- ence devoid of divine legitimacy. The ongoing @hotmail.com ly in political and social life. It is clear that saga in America after the rise of Donald Trump Website “interests”, “political expediency” and and in Europe with the rise of the far right, “pragmatism” are given precedence by people means that the human race is still struggling to www.abraronline.net especially those in high places. It is more pre- define its political and ideological identities. It Charity no. 293802 sent in the poor man’s world than that of the still lives in the era that preceded religions. elites who have no affinity to moralistic codes There needs to be a force to move the world’s of conduct in public life. Politicians are proba- affairs forward with deep faith, morality and We stand for: bly the least moral people. The higher their po- ethical foundations. sitions the less likely that they would adopt to The planet is suffering in silence as only a such moral codes. When the UK’s leader of the small minority of its inhabitants are enjoying  Inter-faith and inter- opposition asked the Prime Minister last year: the majority of its wealth. Religious discourse civilisational dialogue Are you ready to push the trigger of the nuclear is thus much needed to ensure relative equality  Respect for the human arms in a conflict knowing that it could wipe and proper sharing of the wealth. Those in posi- race and rights out up to 100,000 people? The answer was swift tion to preach to the hungry minds and souls and affirmative: Yes, I will. When the US Sec- must act constructively in order to provide for  Cooperation for the retary of State boasts of the recently released the needs of modern day political activists. The good of people human rights report and says: We are proud of West needs stronger leadership that can steer our human rights and democracy, while shaking the world clear of self destruction. The much-  Moderation hands with the his counterparts from dictatorial needed leadership must think outside the cur- countries with bleak records of human rights rent box which is deeply entrenched in historic  Modernity and, the question of morality becomes trouble- corruption and injustice. The crisis may be some. Of course such politicians will always deepening in the West as a result of decades of  High standards of talk in those terms. This is what makes it more arrogance and domination. The recent change spirituality painful. in public mood is indication of the moral deca- It is widely claimed that morality is not compat- dence that must be confronted. An immoral ible with modern politics. It is said that politics world cannot provide hospitable living for the is dirty, truth cannot be upheld and justice can- hungry, the dispossessed and the downtrod- In this issue not be maintained. This may be true. So where den. The past quarter of a century should is the hope? How can humanity make headway have been a period of constructive self- Local Events 2 towards the establishment of just societies? realisation following the collapse of the bi- How can the sufferings of the victims of injus- polar world and the mushrooming of the United Muslim Affairs 3 tice be alleviated? Is it possible States. This did not happen. To- then that the modern political day, the world is paying hefty Ibn Yaqub experiences will ever become price for those decades of moral Fairuzabadi 4 moralistic or just? In the ab- irrelevance. As time passes, it is sence of affirmative answers to becoming more evident that reli- these questions it is not easy to gion with its divine revelations Palestine conference hail the existing Western flirta- are needed to create a more equi- in Tehran 5 tions with democracy and hu- table world with faith-based mo- man rights. These are the most rality at the centre of its politics, Islam outpacing glob- basic fundamentals of the mod- economic and social policies. al population 6 ern statehood that embodies the This suggestion may seem odd values and principles of the but it is necessary if the sudden This is how nation state. Religion is already collapse of the present world or- I embraced Islam 8 viewed with suspicion and re- der is to be prevented. Despite the jection. Philosophical founda- negative imaging, religious dis- tions of modern day politics are course is much needed today than not linked to the religious dis- ever before. It must be conducted course or have roots in the reli- with passion and reason. Page 2 Local Events

Fatima’s demise day a visit by a group of Zionists to Bah- public of Somali Land. The Northern rain during which they raised the issue part were angry with the rule of Siad On Thursday of building the temple on the site of Barre who grabbed power by staging a 2nd March the de- AlAqsa. The normalisation was being coup. Now the United Arab Emirates mise anniversary of effected through the Bahraini gate. The wants to have a military airbase in Fatima, Prophet’s new year started with a spate of events Somalia to use it for the bombing of daughter, was that led to the killing of seven native Yemen, and we are resisting it. We do marked at Abrar’s Bahrainis; three executions, three as- not want problems weekly meeting. sassinations and one of throwing young with our Sayed Ghiath man from the rooftop of a house. He neighours. Tu’ma delivered a gave some details of those events argu- Mr Ibrahim Ali Hussaini oration ing that the situation was becoming Hussain said that outlining the life more tense and grim by the day. He he had been born and struggle of Fatima (AS). He said talked of the plight of the people of in Aden before Fatima was a role model for women. Duraz and how in one attack by moving to Somalia The Holy Quran mentions several good regime’s forces several young men where he had lived women in the human history whose lives were snatched by the mercenary forces. until he migrated and acts were described to motivate peo- to Europe. We ple to follow them. These include the Somalia’s predicament belong to the Ishaqi tribe who had wife of Pharaoh, the wife of Lut and come from Iraq and was a follower of Virgin Mary. These are examples not The Abrar meeting on Thursday Prophet’s household. Today the only for women but for men as well. 9th March was held to debate the situa- Ishaqis in Northern Somalia are ma- Prophet Mohammad and Imam Ali were tion in Somalia which is another Mus- jority. We gained independence from two good examples but unfortunately lim land plagued by internal feuding, Britain in 1960 and a united country people did not follow them. Ali was foreign intervention, extremism and was formed. In 1981 Groups in the delivering sermon at Kufa Mosque when terrorism. Furthermore it is in the grip North formed movements to separated one person stood and said bad words of major famine epidemic partly the North. In 1988 war broke out and about him rather than acknowledging his caused by drought. The meeting was government forces withdrew from the excellent behaviour and acts. Ali was addressed by two speakers; Moham- North. In 1991 government of Siad bound by the religious legality of acts mad Abdulla Barre collapsed and he fled the coun- and stands; his foe, Mo’awiyah, did not Sherman and Ib- try. He was a dictator like Saddam observe limits. Fatima was keen on rahim Ali Hussain. He destroyed the North using knowledge, she kept a diary to record Hussain. Dr Sher- aircraft for bombing raids. The United her father’s traditions. She delivered two man gave a brief Arab Emirates is now negotiating to sermons outlining the notion of introduction about have a base in Somalia. This we resist knowledge. It was a speech by someone the country; its fiercely and will not allow it to hap- who was interacting with the socie- geographical lo- pen. We do not want our land to be ty. She countered acts that violated the cation, history used for bombing raids on our neigh- religious principles and limits. When her and natural re- bours. inheritance was seized by the caliphs she sources. He said objected and explained the religious that forty years Crisis of the West concepts relating to the matter. In the ago there was an Iraqi mineral compa- mosque she presented her case adopting ny that built an oil refinery in return for The Open Discussion in conjunction a process of elimination of the evidence obtaining Uranium. In addition, Soma- with the Gulf Cultural Club organized that may be given against her inher- lia has rich fishery industry due its vast a seminar on Tuesday 14th March. itance; that the verses relating to this coastline. In 1991 many internal prob- The theme was the Western, moral, matter excluded her, that the two lems happened in the country. Follow- ideological and political crisis. Recent (Mohammad and Fatima) were of two ing the war in Kuwait 600,000 US sol- developments in the Western hemi- different faiths so that one cannot inherit diers returned home. Many came to sphere have raised concerns among the other or that they were more knowl- Somalia causing many problems that thinkers and ideologues about the state edgeable about the Quran. She was at have remained ever since. Five million of Western world. From the inflated pain to see how the Prophet’s traditions Somalis left the country. In UK today refugee saga to the Trump phenome- were being ignored and how the commu- there are almost half a million, 50,000 non and the rise of the far right, terms nity was departing from Mohammad’s in Sweden, 20,000 in Norway and in like Apocalypse, Armageddon, Third path. American hundreds of thousands. So- World War and civilisation collapse malia has one people with one lan- suddenly resembled reality lowering Situation in Bahrain guage and one religion. Then the UN the threshold of fear among the “wise” came with the idea of federalism which men and women. What is adding to Ali Mushaima is disastrous. Historically Somali had the worry is that those phenomena are talked about the been divided into five regions attached embraced by large proportions of the situation in Bahrain to the neighbouring countries. In 1884 Western societies. This is likely to on the sixth anniver- the colonialists met at the Berlin Con- entrench social, cultural and religious sary of the Saudi ference and gave the Ethiopian emper- polarisation to unprecedented levels. military interven- or part of Somalia. Subsequently the This seminar is an attempt to contrib- tion, by presenting a people worked to re-unite their coun- ute to the discourse on the looming picture of the pre- try. In the process they fought four Western crisis. sent situation. He wars with Ethiopia, Kenya etc. Now Three speakers dealth with the sub- mentioned how the there is the Republic of Somalia with ject: Prof Ziauddin Sardar, Clive last year ended with Mogadishu as its capital and the Re- Hambidge and Catherine Shakdam. Muslim Affairs Page 3

UN agency concerned at Hun- ism,” added another yoga or physical therapy intervention gary's law against refugees speaker, Abdou exercises used to treat lower back pain,” Menebhi, who said study co-author Mohammad The Office of the UN High Commis- chairs a Moroccan Khasawneh. sioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voiced organization in The The paper, entitled An ergonomic study deep concerned at a new bill passed on Netherlands. of body motions during Muslim prayer Tuesday by the Hungarian Parliament Various estimates using digital human modelling, was that could lead to a mandatory deten- put The Nether- published in the latest issue of tion of all asylum-seekers, including lands’ Muslim pop- the International Journal of Industrial many children, for the entire length of ulation between and Systems Engineering. the asylum procedure. 840,000 to 960,000 The research used computer-generated “In practice, it means that every asylum people or around 5.0 human models of healthy Indian, Asian, -seeker, including children, would be percent out of a and American men and women to look detained in shipping containers sur- population of some 17 million inhabit- at the effect on lower back pain. rounded by a high razor-wire fence at ants. Most Muslims are of Turkish or The kneeling posture, known as sujud, the border for extended periods of Moroccan descent, according to the apparently increases the elasticity of time,” spokesperson for UNHCR Dutch central statistics office. joints. Cécile Pouilly told a The team did not however look at how news briefing at the Gender discrimination has se- varying prayer rituals for physically UN Office at Geneva. rious social, economic impact disabled people will effect back pain. “The new law violates “Physical health is influenced by socio- Hungary’s obligations United Nations Secretary-General An- economic, lifestyle and religious fac- under international tonio Guterres in his message on Inter- tors,” added Mr Khasawneh, from Penn and European Union national Women’s Day, 8 March 2017, State Behrend university in Pennsylva- (EU) laws, and will said closing the gender gap in employ- nia. have a terrible physi- ment could add $12 trillion to global “Prayer can eliminate physical stress cal and psychological GDP by 2025. and anxiety, while there is also research impact on women, The message emphasizes the need for that indicates prayer rituals can be con- children and men who ending discrimination against women sidered an effective clinical treatment of had already greatly suffered,” she said. and says denying the rights of women is neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction.” “This is extremely worrying, especially not only wrong in itself, but it has a thinking about children being de- serious social and economic impact that World Facing Largest Humani- tained,” Ms. Pouilly noted, adding: holds us all back. tarian Crisis Since 1945: UN “Children should never be detained The secretary-general went on to say under any conditions as detention was gender equality has a transformative The United Nations has warned that the never in a child’s best interest.” effect that is essential to fully function- world is facing the largest humanitarian ing communities, societies and econo- crisis since the conclusion of World War Dutch citizens support Mus- mies, according to a press release faxed II, when the world body was founded, as lims against closing mosques to IRNA by the United Nations Infor- widespread starvation and famine are mation Center (UNIC) in Tehran. increasingly threatening the lives of over Hundreds of Dutch citizens met at an The full text of his message reads: 20 million people in four impoverished Amsterdam mosque on Sunday to show Women’s rights are human rights. But countries. solidarity with the country’s Muslim in these troubled times, as our world UN Under-Secretary population, as an anti-Islam MP again becomes more unpredictable and chaot- -General for Hu- vowed to shut mosques and ban the ic, the rights of women and girls are manitarian Affairs Qur’an should he win upcoming elec- being reduced, restricted and reversed. Stephen O'Brien tions. Empowering women and girls is the raised the alarm at Some 200 people representing a broad only way to protect their rights and the UN Security coalition against racism in The Nether- make sure they can realize their full Council on Friday, lands gathered at the central Al-Kabir potential. adding that “without Mosque, saying they were deeply wor- collective and coor- ried about the rise of discrimination Islamic prayers reduce back dinated global ef- against Muslims in the European coun- pain, increase joint elasticity forts, people will try, according to media reports. simply starve to death” and “many more The founder and leader of the ultra- The repetitive physical movements will suffer and die from disease.” right Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders, of Muslim prayer rituals can reduce He also called for an urgent injection of aged 53, has vowed in his party’s one- chances of lower back pain if per- $4.4 billion by July for Yemen, South page a manifesto that if the party wins formed properly, according to new re- Sudan, Somalia and northeastern Nige- the elections, he will ban the sale of the search. The study found that not only ria, as well as safe and unimpeded ac- copies of the Qur’an, close mosques does quiet prayer eliminate physical cess for humanitarian aid to the four and Islamic schools, shut Dutch bor- anxiety, but that proper knee and back countries “to avert a catastrophe.” ders, and ban Muslim migrants. angles can be an effective clinical treat- In Yemen, the worst-hit country due to a “It’s very important that we make our ment. Roughly 1.6 billion Muslims deadly Saudi military campaign, some voice heard. We, as a Muslim commu- worldwide bow, kneel and place their 18.8 million people, i.e. over two-thirds nity, pose no danger whatsoever to foreheads to the ground in the direction of the entire population, are in need of society,” said Najem Ouladali, one of of up to five times a day, aid, while seven million simply do not the organizers of the meeting. “One way to think about the move- know where their next meal will come “In fact, we are victims too of extrem- ments is that they are similar to those of from.

Page 4 Great Personalities Ibn Yaqub Fairuzabadi; Lexicographer, compiler of Qamus Fairuzabadi, also known as El-Firuz Ab- Fairuzabadi's work Al Qamus al Muhit adi or al-Fayrūzabādī (1329–1414) was gained popularity in the world, an Arabic lexicographer and was the and one of the greates lexicographers Al compiler of a comprehensive Arabic dic- Zabidi authored an explanation on it. tionary. The dictionary, called al- Zabidi was born in India, he got educa- Qamous, was one of the most widely tion from Shah Waliullah Dehlawi in used in Arabic for nearly five centuries. , he visited rab countries as: Saudi His full name was Abu Tahir Majid al- Arabia, Iraq, , Palestine, etc., and Din Muhammad Ibn Ya'qub Ibn Muham- settled in Zabid in Yamen so called mad Ibn Ibrahim al-Shirizi al- ZABIDI. His commentary on Al qamus Fairuzabadi. The shorter form is Muham- is known as "TAJ AL ARUS MIN JA- mad Ibn Ya'qub al-Firuzabadi. HIR AL QAMUS" first published in His life Egypt and from Kuwait and Berut. He was born in in , and The Arabic Dictionary Al-Qāmūs al- educated Muḥīṭ was compiled by Muḥammad b. in , Wasit, and Ya’qūb al-Fayrūzābādī (d. 817 AH). . He lived in for ten years and Al-Fayrūzābādī relied primarily on Al- then travelled in and Egypt, Muḥkam of Ibn Sīdah (d. 458 AH) before settling in Mecca in 1368. He re- and Al-Ubāb of Al-Ṣāghānī (d. 660 AH). mained there for the bulk of the next eliminating examples of usage, elimi- He arranged his dictionary by order of three decades, spending some time nating some grammatical aspects of the final letters in the roots, rather than in Delhi in the 1380s, and finally leav- usage, and leaving mostly only simple the first, in imitation of Al-Jawharī’s (d. ing Mecca in the mid-1390s to return definitions, and eliminating some lesser 393) Al-Ṣiḥāḥ, in order to more easily to Baghdad, Shiraz (where he was re- -used definitions. He made it more con- engage in commenting on and criticising ceived by ), and finally travelling cise with a set of terse but effective the latter work. to Ta'izz in modern Yemen. In 1395, he notation conventions. The abridgement Al-Fayrūzābādī was thus able to com- was appointed chief qadi (judge) of was still a large and comprehensive bine the contents of the three most pres- Yemen by the sultan. In Yemen either he dictionary occupying two large volumes tigious dictionaries which preceded him. married a daughter of the sultan or else in print. It proved to be much more pop- While doing so, he took out the many the sultan married a daughter of his. ular with users than the huge Lisan al- references and quotations from classical During the later years of his life, Fairuza- Arab dictionary of (died poets and other extraneous information badi converted his house at Mecca into a 1312) which contains a huge number of which is typically found in larger dic- school of law and established quotations and examples of usage. An tionaries, to make his dictionary as con- three teachers in it. He also wrote a huge abridgement of this last work was pub- cise as possible. lexicographical work uniting the diction- lished as Al-Qamus Al- In this one-volume Arabic dictionary, Al Fayrūzābādī was able to include 60,000- قاموس المحيط( :aries of Ibn Sida, Muhit (Arabic a Spanish philologist (d. 1066), and "(Comprehensive Dictionary") and has entries – a vast number, when one thinks of Sajani (d. 1252). Al-Fairuzabadi (d. over the centuries itself served as the that Ibn Mandhūr’s (d. 711 AH) multi- 1414) completed his dictionary in his basis of some later dictionaries. Al volume Lisān al-‘Arab, which is many house in al-Safa in Mecca where times greater in size, has only he lived almost continuously for 20,000 more entries. twenty-five years. Three copies of Thus, Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ was a the work are in the John Rylands quick and reliable reference, and it Library, Manchester gained immense popularity His works amongst Arabic students (which it Fairuzabadi produced many writ- enjoys to this day). This in turn led ings but he is principally remem- to major commentaries on the bered for the dictionary Al-Qamus book, the greatest of which was Al ,Zabīdī’s (d. 1205) Tāj al-‘Urūs- القاموس المحيط( :Al-Muhit (Arabic "(The Surrounding Ocean"). In which later became the main the preface to this dictionary source of Lane’s Lexicon (which Fairuzabadi acknowledges that the is why Lane gave his dictionary bulk of it was formed as a merger the Arabic name Madd al-Qāmūs, and compilation from two pre- or ‘The Extension of al-Qāmūs’). existing dictionaries, the al- Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ‘s significance Muhkam dictionary of Ibn now is largely historical. English Sida (died 1066) and the al- speaking students of Arabic in ʿUbab dictionary of Al-Saghani particular will find little of use in (died 1252) Al-Saghani's diction- it, as it doesn’t go into enough detail regarding those things العباب الزاخر واللباب الفاخر( :ary (ar was an expansion of the al- which will be of particular interest Sihah dictionary of Al- and concern to them. In our opin- Jawhari (died c. 1008), which is a ion, a student looking to start us- core dictionary of medieval Ara- ing an Arabic-Arabic dictionary bic. Initially upon the merger, would do better to begin with the Fairuzabadi's dictionary was huge. much more useful Al-Mu’jam al- He then greatly reduced its size by Wasīṭ. Open Forum Page 5

From more than 50 countries was AT columnist Pepe Escobar (Lion of Najaf Publishers) – an analysis of how Shi’ite theology led to the theory Palestine conference in Tehran of velayat-e faqih (the ruling of the juris- prudent) that lies at the heart of the Is- By Pepe Escobar March 1, 2017 Wahhabi House of Saud, incidentally, lamic Republic of Iran. The art of the deal, when practiced for was nowhere to be seen at the confer- Every time I’m back in Tehran I’m im- 2500 years, does lead to the palace of ence. pressed with the surprising number of wisdom. I had hardly set foot in Tehran Hefty discussions with Iranian analysts open avenues for serious intellectual when a diplomat broke the news: and diplomats revolved on the efficacy discussion. I was constantly reminded of “Trump? We’re not worried. He’s a of multilateral discussions compared to Jalal Al-e Ahmad, the son of a mullah bazaari”. It’s a term advancing facts on the ground – ranging born in poor south Tehran who later meaning he is from the merchants class from the building of new settlements in translated Sartre and Camus and wrote or, more literally, a worker from the the West Bank to the now all but dead the seminal Westoxification (1962). bazaar and its use implies that a political and buried Oslo two-state myth. He spent the summer of 1965 at Harvard accommodation will eventually be On Palestine, I asked Naim Qassem, seminars organized by Henry Kissinger reached. deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah and “supported” by the CIA. He pivoted The Iranian government’s response to about the Trump administration’s hint of to Shi’ism only toward the end of his the Trump administration boils down to a one-state solution. His answer, in life. It was his analysis that paved the a Sun Tzu variant; silence, especially French; “One state means war. Two way for sociologist Ali Shariati to cross- after the Fall of Flynn, who had “put states means peace under their condi- pollinate anti-colonialism with the Iran on notice” after it carried out a bal- tions, which will lead us to war.” Shi’ite concept of resistance against in- listic missile test, and had pushed the As with most conferences, what matters justice and produce a revolutionary ide- idea of an anti-Iran military alliance are the sidelines. Leonid Savin, a Rus- ology capable of politicizing the Iranian comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, sian geopolitical analyst, claimed that middle classes, leading to the Islamic Egypt and Jordan. Tehran says the mis- Russian airspace is now all but sealed Revolution. sile test did not infringe the provisions with multiple deployments of the S-500 That was the background for serious of the Iran nuclear deal and that naval missile defense system against anything discussions on how Iran (resistance drills from the Strait of Hormuz to the the US might unleash. Albanian histori- against injustice), China (remixed Con- Indian Ocean, which began on Sunday, an Olsi Jazexhi deconstructed the new fucianism) and Russia (Eurasianism) are had been planned well in advance. Balkans powder keg. Muhammad Gul, offering post-Enlightenment alternatives I was in Tehran as one of several hun- son of the late, larger-than-life General that transcend Western liberal democra- dred foreign guests, including a small Hamid Gul, detailed the finer points of cy.But in the end it was all inevitably group of foreign journalists , guests of Pakistan’s foreign policy and the drive to down to the overarching anti-intellectual the Majlis (Parliament) for an annual build the China-Pakistan Economic Cor- ghost in the room; Donald Trump (and conference on the Palestine issue. ridor (CPEC). that was even before he got a letter from Not surprisingly, no one from Trump’s Pyongyang was also in the house. The Ahmadinejad). circle was among the gathering of par- North Korean delegate produced an So I did what I usually do before leaving liamentarians from over 50 nations who astonishing speech, essentially arguing Tehran; I hit the bazaar, via a fabulous attended the impressive opening cere- that Palestine should follow their exam- attached mosque – to get reacquainted mony in a crowded, round conference ple, complete with a “credible nuclear with the art of the deal, the Persian way. hall where the center of power in Iran deterrent”. Later, in the corridors I salut- That led me to Mahmoud Asgari, lodged was on display; Supreme Leader Aya- ed the delegation, and they saluted back. in the Sameyi passage of the Tajrish tollah Khamenei, President Hassan Rou- No chance of a sideline chat though to bazaar and a serious discussion on the hani and Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani. go over the unclear points surrounding finer points of pre-WWI Sistan- Khamenei proclaimed that “the existing Kim Jong-nam’s assassination. Baluchistan tribal rugs from Zahedan. crises in every part of the region and the Blake Archer Williams, a.k.a. Arash The end result was – what else – a win- Islamic ummah deserve attention”, but Darya-Bandari, whose pseudonym cele- win sale, bypassing the US dollar. And insisted that the key issue remains Pal- brates the “tyger tyger burning bright” then, the clincher: “When you call your estine. The conference, he said, could English master, gave me a copy of friend Trump, tell him to come here and become “a model for all Muslims and Creedal Foundations of Waliyic Islam I’ll give him the best deal”. regional nations to gradually harness their differences by relying on their common points”. Khamenei’s was an important call for Muslim unity. Few in the West know that during the rapid decolonization of the 1940s and 50s, the Muslim world was not torn apart by the vicious Sunni -Shi’ite hatred – later fomented by the Wahhabi/Salafi- jihadi axis. The Page 6 Open Forum

Full body suits for Muslim women swimmers Muslim women’s march British Muslim Competitors in amateur Rimla Akhtar, from the MWSF, said: activist arrested swimming races will be allowed to “Participation in sport amongst Muslim wear full body suits for the first time, as women is increasing at a rapid pace. It During the “Day Without a Woman” part of a rule change to is imperative that gov- demonstration in New York City encourage more Muslim erning bodies adapt and Wednesday, police arrested anti-Israel women to take part in the tailor their offerings to activist Linda Sarsour for disorderly sport. suit the changing land- conduct. The Amateur Swimming scape of the sport, in- The incident occurred outside Trump Association (ASA) said cluding those who ac- International Hotel, where police had that it was relaxing its cess their sport. “The given the group several warnings to swimsuit regulations to MWSF is glad to have get out of the road in front of the ho- allow women to wear requested a review of tel. After they refused to move, Sar- loose-fitting full body competition laws in sour and several other protesters were outfits, after a request relation to full body arrested and led away in handcuffs. from the Muslim Wom- suits by the ASA and Sarsour was one of the leading organ- en’s Sports Foundation, are extremely pleased izers behind the Women’s March in (MWSF), The Telegraph reported. with the outcome. “We thank the ASA January, the day after Trump’s inau- The new guidance, which will only for their leadership in this matter. We guration. She is a Palestinian- apply to amateur competitions in Eng- look forward to continuing to work to- American, and executive director of land, states that competitors will not be gether to ensure that this ruling is also the Arab American Association of allowed to wear any suit that a competi- adopted at the elite level both nationally New York. tion referee believes will increase per- and internationally.” formance. In a statement, Chris Bos- Photographs published by the governing tock, chairman of the ASA sport gov- body suggested that loose-fitting outfits erning board, said: “This is a very posi- would be permissible, while specifically tive step forward for competitive swim- excluding body suits similar to those ming in England and one that we hope worn by elite competitors. “Once the will encourage much more people to referee has been informed of a swimmer take part.“We want everyone to be able wishing to wear a suit, as described to reach their potential. Representing above, there is no requirement for the your club at a national swimming com- referee to question the swimmer further, petition is very special. By changing and the ASA swimming management these rules, we hope to encourage a group do not want athletes being asked new generation of swimmers.” why they wish to wear the suit.”

2.3 on average for the other groups. Thir- Islam outpacing global population ty-four per cent of Muslims are under 15, meaning they have more years left in March 2 2017, The Times would be overtaken by India, which which to have children. Islam will be the largest religion in the will have more than 300 million Mus- Although a growing number of people world by 2070 and is the only faith lims though it will retain its Hindu describe themselves as atheist, agnostic growing faster than the global popula- majority. and non-religious in Europe and North tion, a US research centre has said. Islam has the youngest followers of America, the report predicts that they will The Pew Research Center analysed the major religions with a median age decline as a proportion globally, from demographic changes in major world of 23 in 2010, seven years younger 16.4 per cent to 13.2 per cent by 2050, religions and found that the population than that of non-Muslims. because of high fertility rates fuelling of people describing themselves as This means that a larger share of Mus- growth among those describing them- Muslim will grow by 73 per cent be- lims are, or soon will be, at the age selves as Muslim. tween 2010 and 2050, compared with when they begin to have children. Christianity is likely to be slowed as fol- 35 per cent for Christians, the next They also have more children than lowers join other religions or become non fastest-growing faith. members of other religious groups. -religious. About 40 million people are The research centre, based in Washing- Globally, each Muslim woman has an expected to move into Christianity glob- ton, said that the world’s population average of 3.1 children, compared with ally, while 106 million will leave. will grow by 37 per cent by 2050. The centre also said, based on a sur- In 2010 there were 1.6 billion vey last year, that more people in Muslims in the world and 2.17 eastern and southern Europe have an billion Christians, its report said. unfavourable view of Muslims com- By 2050, there will be 2.76 billion pared with those in northern and Muslims and 2.92 billion Chris- western Europe. tians. The majority in Hungary, Italy, Po- If both religions continue to grow land and Greece viewed Muslims at those rates, Islam will have unfavourably, an attitude far less more followers than Christianity common in France, Germany and the by 2070. UK. Indonesia is the country with the People who considered themselves on world’s largest Muslim population the right politically were much more but Pew predicted that by 2050 it likely to see Muslims negatively. Off the shelf Page 7

and Librarian at The Institute of Ismaili Spiritual Resurrection in Shi'i Islam: Studies, London. He has published new An Early Ismaili Treatise on the Doctrine of Qiyamat editions and English translations of Sayr wa Suluk and Rawda yi taslim, as S. J. Badakhchani cluding a complete and unaltered ver- well as a collection of Tusi's three short Foreword by: Christian Jambet sion. The concepts found in the text de- treatises, Aghaz wa anjam, Tawalla wa rive largely from the intellectual heritage tabarra and Matlub al-Mu'mimin and Of the few surviving Nizari Ismaili of the Fatimids.These include the idea of Diwan-i Qa'imiyyat by Hasan-i texts from the Alamut period, the Haft tanzih (the absolute transcendence of Mahmud-i Katib bab (Seven Chapters), which outlines God beyond human understanding and Publisher: I.B.Tauris the basic tenets of Ismaili philosophi- knowledge); a cyclical conception of Hardback 192 pages £29.50 cal theology, has proved to be the prophetic history, consisting of seven ISBN: 9781784532994 most popular. One of its many attrac- eras (dawr); the Ismaili Imamate as the Publication Date: 30 Jan 2017 tive features is its simple recounting of most important pillar of Ismaili Islam; the most complicated Ismaili theologi- and the Qiyamat as the completion and cal narratives, including the doctrine perfection of the religious law (shari'at). of the Resurrection The Ismaili interpretation (qiyamat). Produced of the Qiyamat is radically around the year 1203, this different from Qur'anic small treatise was proba- eschatology in its esoteric bly intended as an intro- formation, spiritual aspira- duction to the Diwan-i tion and imaginative Qa'imiyyat compiled by scope. The Haft bab ex- Hasan-i Mahmud-i Katib plains this key doctrine of (d. after 1242). For many Nizari Ismailism, shedding years, the Haft bab was light on a fundamental misattributed to Baba Say- period in the history of yidna (Hasan-i Sabbah), Shi'i Islam. but the true author has S.J Badakhchani is a Re- finally been identified as search Associate at The Hasan-i Mahmud-i Katib, Institute of Ismaili Stud- whose works continue to ies. He obtained his doc- shape our understanding of this im- torate in Islamic Philosophy at the Uni- portant period.The current text of the versity of Oxford and his MA in Islamic Haft bab, edited and translated into Philosophy from the faculty of Theology English by S. J. Badakhchani, is based University of Mashhad, Iran. He has on Badakhchani's analysis of a great been Deputy Director of the Central Li- number of manuscripts available, in- brary at Firdausi University, Mashhad In The Minds of Extremists: Exposition of Multifaced Psychotic Extremism by Dr. Mahmood Yoosuf Abdulla spread through countries that became Jihad has become a word associated obsessed with the divine authority of with terror, blood, and tragedy. Yet its their leaders, the book speaks to how original meaning refers to a much such political climates heralded the ris- more internal war against temptation to ing popularity of intolerant ideologies. commit sin and evil deeds. How did In understanding the core and mindset this definition become so of extremism, we can un- external and literally a war? derstand what it means for This book explains how the global community, and and why jihadist militancy we can learn from the past and extremism have be- in an effort to prevent it come so irrevocably linked from being repeated in the today. future. In the Minds of Extrem- Dr. Mahmood Yoosuf Ab- ists analyzes how this men- dulla received his PhD from tality formed, how it func- Loughborough University, tions, and why it continues his MA from Portsmouth to grow in developed coun- University, and a diploma community through service and execu- tries. Looking to past and with distinction in freelance tive posts in community organization present political and reli- writing from the London since he was sixteen, he now dedicates gious climates, Dr. Mahmood Yoosuf School of Journalism. his time to writing. Abdulla seeks to clarify how they re- He has been a fellow of the Association Publisher: CreateSpace Independent lated to and influenced the growth of of Chartered Certified Accountants for Publishing Platform extremism. thirty-five years and has lectured in Paperback 358 pages £8.90 Turning to examine the human rights eighty community centers across four Date of publishing: 24 Feb. 2017 violations and genocides that have continents. Having given back to the ISBN-10: 1535001305 Page 8 Words of Faith

31. Say thou: True: This is how I embraced Islam "Await ye!- I too will wait along I was born to a Protestant family, but at the I wasn’t really interested at first, because when with you!" age of three started questioning the faith. I ever we were together and I would ask about 32. Is it that their became very jealous and confused about the their thought on the prophet Jesus they would faculties of un- derstanding urge prophet Isa. I recall asking my mother, not answer me. When I would try to have a them to this, or ” If we are all Gods children discussion on religions, they are they but a how come Jesus is the son?” would totally avoid the subject! people trans- She responded, During these years I had been gressing beyond bounds? “Jesus is like a Shepard watch- fiercely rebellious, extremely 33. Or do they say, ing over the sheep, we are the feminist, and always ready for a "He fabricated the sheep and God loves us all like philosophical argument. When I (Message)"? Nay, his children. But Jesus is clos- finally read the books, about six they have no est to God because he’s the months later when I was really faith! 34. Let them then son.” really bored, I hit eureka! produce a recital This just enraged me. How There it was! The explanations I like unto it,- If (it come he is the son!? Then I was looking for. A religion em- be) they speak the asked, powering women, respecting truth! women and giving a guidance to 35. Were they cre- “If God breathed life into all of ated of nothing, us, how come we are not all a living one’s life. or were they part of God?” After six more months of re- themselves the She must have been annoyed search I was proud to go to my creators? with her three-year-old daugh- first mosque in Reston, VA and 36. Or did they cre- ate the heavens ter asking her such questions, say, and the earth? so she agreed with me. “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah, Nay, they have no Throughout my childhood I wa ash-Hadu anna Muhammadan firm belief. always pondered these ques- rasulullah!” 37. Or are the tions. At thirteen, the age Sister Lisa Robinson Treasures of thy Lord with them, where one must confirm their or are they the religion, I decided I did not believe in Chris- A farmer and stones managers (of af- tianity. To me something was just not fairs)? right. I thank Allah I was an American child A farmer in Bangladesh was preparing his 38. Or have they a land for planting crops. As he dug through the ladder, by which and my family firmly believes in the free- they can (climb up dom to choose religion. So my parents were soil the equipment kept getting stuck in one to heaven and) lis- used to my religious rebellion by then and place. Out of curiosity he decided to check ten (to its se- accepted my decision out what was in there. crets)? Then let Teenage years rolled by and I still searched He dug the ground and discovered a big box. (such a) listener of theirs produce for my beliefs. I knew I believed strongly in The farmer quickly opened the box to see a manifest proof. one God. I knew I believed strongly against what was in it but to his disappointment, there (the mount) any statues or symbols representing God, were only black stones inside the box. He this was strong foundation Protestant beliefs decided to throw those stones at the birds gave me. I believed I could communicate when they come to eat the crops at the time www.abraronline. directly with God, but everything else was a for harvesting. net blur. Eventually, a day came when the crops were This is our website. I studied the Torah, I read Chrisna books, ready and the birds come to eat them. So, he books about Buddha and their beliefs. I read started throwing the stones at the birds from Have visited it: It about Wicca and even a friend had a Satanic where ever they showed up. One day a man will put you face- bible that got my curiosity going. However, was walking by the field who sells precious to-face with an al- none of them satisfied my own very personal stones such as pearls, diamonds, rubies etc. ternative world, full opinion or beliefs. Two stones happened to fall right in front of I thought I would never find a religion for him when the farmer threw them at the birds. of spirituality, mo- me. I was so lonely and sad and lost in my The man brought the stones to the farmer and rality coupled with second year of university, I prayed to God, asked if he was willing to sell them to him for modern outlooks “Please make me a righteous person, a good $5,000 each. The farmer thought that the man and perspectives. person and show me the right way to wor- was joking so he replied, "No." Then the man We want to hear ship you.” offered $50,000 for each stone and explained In University I discovered some strange stu- that they were precious jewels. Now the your views on its dents from Saudi Arabia. They were polite, farmer started crying saying that he had only contents, layout friendly, caring, and I would see them pray 1 or 2 stones left and the rest were thrown and general quality. on a mat, with their head to the ground! It away. was strange and intriguing. I have only heard Join us in our Noon of this strange religion called Islam once in my 9th grade history class. It was brief. It and Afternoon was something I took little notice to. prayers As I began to become friends with these new Everyday strange people, one day, one of the friends in our new group gave me some books. Wom- at 12.00 en’s rights in Islam, Science and Islam, and How to pray in Islam.