issue 2 vol.1 December 2012 Why Muhammad matters WHY MUHAMMAD MATTERS? Recognising Ashura rituals The Redemption trapped in of the Other-ism cultural baggage ‘American Dream’ UK £3.00 Contents In brief Politics December 2012 News Fallen Warriors of Senseless Chief Editor Amir De Martino 6 22 Published Monthly Vol. 1 No. 2 Wars Managing Editor Anousheh Mireskandari Life & Community Reza Murshid explains how the princi- ple of retribution, works in the light of a Health Editor Laleh Lohrasbi The US election islam today magazine intends to address the 8 new scandal enveloping a high ranking American army general. concerns and aspirations of a vibrant Muslim Art Editor Moriam Grillo The non-mention of the “Muslim vote: underlying perceptions in US politics by community by providing readers with inspiration, Science Editor Hannah Smith 24 The redemption of the ‘Ameri- information, a sense of community and solutions Ali Jawad can Dream’ through its unique and specialised contents. It Events Editor Mohsen Biparva 10 Educating our future generation Omid Safi explains why Americans also sets out to help Muslims and non-Muslims, Layout and Design Alireza Bahmanpour should neither celebrate nor mourn the further understand and appreciate the nature of Ibrahim Aarif describes ways to prevent recent presidential election. a dynamic faith. Design and Production Isthmus Press Muslim children from falling into the faithless social wayside Opinions The New Faith Schools 12 26 Recognising other-ism www.islam-today.net Alia Azam talks about state funding and diversity in provision for faith-based The West’s perception and treatment of schools the East is bound by its reliance on a Information [email protected] discourse that is inescapably political, says M Haghir. Muslim Organisations and Letters to the Editor [email protected] 14 Social Networking 28 Civil Society and the rule of law Contributions and submissions [email protected] Zahra Halabi on the importance of social networking for Muslims Muhammad Katmi claims that as part of the struggle to attain a degree of civility in Muslim society modern no- 15 Meet the Masumeen – With tions and practices must be allowed to Contributors Class 786 flourish. Ahmad Haneef A new children’s book 30 The Evil of Alcohol Alia Azam The prevalence of idleness, pauperism, Ali Jawad Youth Matters and crime in the USA are traceable to Ghazaleh Kamrani the evil of alcohol says Hamid Wagar 14 Solutions Hamid Wagar Feature Ibrahim Aarif Mirsaed recalls the dilemma of a young Muslim girl being pressured into enter- Christmas’razzamatazz belies M Haghir ing a potentially problematic relation- 32 Mirsaed ship by her parents its true significance Muhammad Katmi Tahereh Shafiee reminds Muslim Arts parents of the real significance of the Reza Murshid Prophet ‘Isa(a) and of his role as a Omid Safi 18 Poetry prophet of God. Tahereh Shafiee Poetic Pilgrimage Cover Taraneh Eskandari M S Bahmanpour In the Spot Light 34 Why Muhammad(s) matters Yasser Ahmed Illustration by Batool Abbas Mohammed Ali Omid Safi provides the keys for under- Zahra Halabi standing Muslims’ connection to the Music Prophet Muhammad(s) and explains why Publisher: he is held in such high esteem Islamic Centre of England Mecca 2 Medina 140 Maida Vale Faith Disclaimer: Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author Heritage London, W9 1QB - UK and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of the 38 The centrality of the Prophet publisher or islam today. All information in this magazine is veri- Iznik Pottery 15th to 17th century Muhammad(s) to Islamic spir- ISSN fied to the best of the authors’ and the publisher’s ability. How- ituality 2051-2503 ever, islam today shall not be liable or responsible for loss or Places to be damage arising from any users’ reliance on information obtained The Prophet is a Messenger not only from the magazine. Musee Du Louvre Paris because he brought a message from God but because he himself is also the message of God; says Ahmad Haneef 2 3 Contents Editorial THE PURSUE OF WORLD JUSTICE 40 The hierarchy of knowledge 54 Tracking the twists and turns of and the Prophet’s teachings hurricanes Yasser Ahmed talks about education and Randy Rieland explains why weather Prophet’s grandson Husayn ibn Ali(a) by world at present that can be taken as edification as important tasks undertaken scientists have become more willing to Yazid, a despotic ruler of the time. a role model; they all fall short for one by the Prophet Muhammad(s) publicly acknowledge the uncertainty of their forecasts. Without going into the details of this reason or another. But reason dictates 42 The Prophet Muhammad(s): an event whose knowledge should be the that the bigger and more powerful a Environmentalist Health responsibility of every truth seeking country is, the greater is its responsi- Muslim, I shall limit myself to say that bility towards the implementation of Hannah Smith explains that modern 56 Medical breakthroughs justice. principles of environmentalism exist at in less than fifty years from the demise the core of the Islamic pattern for life, Medical breakthroughs in recent years of the Prophet of Islam, the leadership of As islam today prepares to print its and the last Prophet Muhammad(s) was have set the foundation for further un- a leader in this field derstanding of the human body but Dr the Islamic community had been taken second issue, there are indications Laleh Lohrasbi believes we have only over by a powerful oligarchy determined that there is nothing to celebrate in 44 Ashura rituals trapped in touched the surface. to rule by force and intimidation. this Islamic New Year nor in any other cultural baggage 58 Dementia, the national crisis Amir De Martino This was in sharp contrast with the exam- impending New Year. The people of Anousheh Mireskandari talks about Chief Editor ple of a benevolent government such Palestine, who have come to represent physical mortification as a form of iden- Some 800,000 elderly people suffer from one of the longest cases of injustice Dementia in the UK at a cost of over £23 was the one established by the Prophet tification with the suffering of a religious and continued oppression, are once personality. billion per year. Dr Lohrasbi says the himself. Husayn ibn Ali(a) represented a government is beginning to get to grips his year the Islamic New last stand against the subversion of the again on the receiving end of massive with the problem. 46 Religion and science, a match Year fell on 16th November. teachings of the Prophet Muhammad(s). use of force by an occupying entity that made in heaven 59 The invisible danger of mobile This date is introduced by A true spiritual heir of the Prophet, he calls itself a democratic state. Criti- cism must also be levelled at Arab Saeed Bahmanpour claims that the phones the first month of the Islamic denounced and opposed the rule of 21st century will usher in the return of calendarT known as Muharram and the nations who have failed miserably to Yazid by inviting people to reflect and religion, as the planet is still in need of Places current year is 1434 of the Hijra era. In use all the means at their disposal to answers compare two symmetrically opposed many societies the advent of the new representations of existence: on one put pressure on the international com- The Al-Irsyad Mosque, Padalar- 60 year is a time for celebration and the side the Prophet of Islam with his radiant munity to act now. But why should Interfaith ang, Indonesia starting points for new resolutions, an and illuminating reality, whose objective we expect this? Most are themselves 48 ‘Shared notions in our com- Taraneh Eskandari illustrates the con- opportunity to put behind us all the was to bring out the best in humanity, involved in systematic large scale oppres- mon Abrahamic faiths’ temporary renaissance in mosque archi- bad memories of the past year. and on the other side, Yazid, represent- sion of their own nationals tecture A letter from Church of St. Mary de Cas- Celebrating the coming of the New Year ing the materialization of the darker The situation on the ground looks tro, Leicester can be a rather extravagant event across side of humanity, a true concealer of bleak for the foreseeable feature and What & Where (a) Europe and the Western world. In con- divine truth. the memory of Husayn ’s struggle 64 Film Review trast Muslim nations do not attach so Regrettably the obfuscators of real- evokes hope that from the ashes of London Citizens: a continuous 50 much importance to the beginning of ity exist today just as they existed at destruction and loss of innocent lives commitment to civil engage- Mohsen Biparva reviews the box office a new spirit of resilience will be nour- movie ‘Argo’ the year. the time of Yazid, except now they ment ished. This on its own is enough reason Muslims attach more significance to are much more sophisticated and the Stefan Baskerville reports on the latest to keep the memory of the Karbala trag- other celebratory dates known as Eid, means of control at their disposal are assembly of West London Citizens. Events edy alive. 66 all of which are related to events in the more insidious and inconspicuous. life of the early community and repre- To speak the truth even if it is against one’s The presence of thousands of people 51 Homelessness ends here sent the fulfilment of specific religious own interest is the ultimate expression of different faiths and ethnicities dem- onstrating outside Israelis embassies An interfaith project between Crisis and rituals.