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.