Abrar A bi-monthly newsletter

published by the

Abrar

Islamic

Foundation

45 Crawford Place,

London W!H 4LP

Tel: 020 7724 3033

Fax: 020 7724 7219

Email:

abrarhouse@hotmail.com

Website:

www.abrar.org.uk

16th-31st January 2018

We stand for:

Inter-faith and inter-

civilisational dialogue

Respect for the human

race and rights

Cooperation for the

good of people

Moderation

Modernity

High standards of

spirituality

Abrar Vol 14, No 14 (326)

Edior:

Dr Saeed Shehabi

A bi-monthly newsletter

Published by the

45 Crawford Place,

London W1H 4LP

Tel: 020 7724 3033

Email:

Abrarhouse

@hotmail.com

Website

www.abraronline.net

Charity no. 293802

In this issue

Local Events

Muslim Affairs

Abu Hanifa al-

Dinawari

Author of book pre-

dicts Trump’s end

Muslim women si-

lenced over violence

Story: The View

2

3

4

5

6

8

political distress, famine and injustice. This needs real efforts to counter the causes of these prob-lems and ignore the financial glitter of the petro-dollars which have become the main tool of de-ception and corruption. The moral high grounds that the West had en-joyed two decades ago are diminishing. They are being replaced by downward trends in terms of democracy and human rights. These values are being undermined by the political elites who view them as a serious threat to their personal interests and greed. When the US president is presented in the way Michael Wolf has done in his newly published book “Fire and Fury” the question becomes: How can those who had claimed decisive victory for their “liberal democ-racy” over all other political experiments justify the new face of America? The book has raised eyebrows among millions of people who could not believe the stories surrounding the personality of Mr. Trump, his womanising habits, arrogance, ignorance and disdain of basic human values and rights and obsession with his own ego. It is one of those amazements that leave people hypno-tised, perplexed and overwhelmed with disbelief. Yet despite the author’s anticipation that his book would lead to Mr. Trump’s downfall, few expect that to happen. Behind the Trump façade there are forces within the US which are planning the American next phase in global domination and destruction of their foes. Nuclear weapons are readily available to finish their job. It is serious business. What will happen next? The short term prospects are bleak. The world has become more dangerous place as Mr Trump continues to raise the spectre of wars with anyone who disagrees with him, countries or individuals. Even less extreme voic-es such as those of the Foreign and Defence sec-

retaries are becoming more hawkish. The pro-Israel leaning of the White House has led to Mr Trump’s deci-sion to transfer the US Em-bassy to Jerusalem, a step that all his predecessors had refrained from undertaking. The hope is that the rest of the world will remain united in its rejection of Mr Trump’s policies and insist on pursuing dialogue and mutual respect to ensure peace prevails.

Modern human society has a long way to go be-fore it is able to reach a good level of safety and prosperity given the prevailing satanic cultures that obstruct the divine project on this earth. His-torically the angels had registered their objection to the establishment of the kingdom of man be-cause they feared corruption and bloodshed. The human race has endured centuries of these ail-ments as the competition for power and domina-tion spiraled. Despite the claims by modern man that liberal democracy had achieved supremacy and placed the human political experience at the highest position, shortfalls of this experience have continued to show up. Modern Western man is not happy. In addition to the spiritual void, people also suffer the economic downturns, the lack of proper medical care and the moral defeat of the political elites running the political shows in the “Free World”. Nothing can convince the public of the moral high grounds of the democrat-ic processes in the West when a person like Don-ald Trump assumes the leadership of the world. When he summons the United Nations to discuss the political disturbances that happened in Iran last month, while ignoring the much beggar ca-lamities befalling the Yemenis who die every day then there is definitely a cause for serious con-cern. When war and disease claim their daily tolls among the poor people of that country while the leaders of the Free World insist on being partner in the Saudi-led coalition waging this destructive war, then the liberal democracy system is dealt serious blow. The New Year has been celebrated in the most lavish styles from Sydney to New York. People competed to exhibit the most beautiful and ex-pensive fire works. Yet the reality of the human existence has yet to be acknowledged and seri-ously addressed by the world leaders and bodies. The UN’s time, with financial and political constraints, should be better dedicated to those who need it most. For the US to blackmail the world community by linking its fi-nancial contribution to the UN’s identification with the US interests and strategies swim against the grain of the human decency and feeling of responsibility. Much more efforts are needed to bolster the dedication to the noble human causes of relieving sickness,

World’s unity needed to combat Trumpism

Local Events Page 2

2nd anniversary of Sheikh AlNimr’s martyrdom

The weekly meeting of Abrar on Thurs-day 4th January was dedicated to the memory of a great scholar and martyr, Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr who was execut-ed by the Saudi government on 2nd January 2016. He was objecting to the Saudi policies, discrimination against the Shia Muslims of the Estern Prov-ince and calling for political reforms. He was sentenced to death for speaking out his thoughts. The meeting was ad-dressed by three speakers; Mrs Zena Taher, Ali Mushaima and Yahya Harb. Zena Taher said that Martyr AlNimr had upheld his principles saying that his blood would irritate the tree of jus-tice. He was always at the front and presented his views peacefully and in the spirit of human love. In 2007 he had presented a petition for the rights of the Shia Muslims of Saudi Arabia. He stood by the Bahraini people during the Arab Spring and called for the with-drawal of the Saudi troops. She quoted Toby Matheissen, the author of “Sectarianism in the Gulf” who argued that Sheikh AlNimr was a revolutionary and the Saudis placed him at the list of big martyrs. She numerated several of his works including facilitating the marriage of needy couples, that he was humble and would draw a smile on the faces of children. I studied his case in the research for my Masters degree and found that his trial had been grossly unfair. The media was exploited to taint his name. Three other Shia Muslims were executed with him: Ali AlRebh, Mohammad AlShuyukh and Moham-mad AlSuwaimen. His corpse has not been handed to his family. His nephew, Ali AlNimr is on execution row. His town, Awwamiyah was destroyed last summer in revenge. We are duty-bound to relay his story to the world. Ali Mushaima said that AlNimr was not just another martyr, but he was a school of martyrdom. Tyrants have induced fear in the hearts and minds of people. Sheikh AlNimr provided the heroic voice to challenge that. The sec-ond point is that people need heroes; they look for them in films and real life.

Sheikh AlNimr was one of those real heroes. We love to hear of the heroism of Imam Ali and some poems about him in order to enliven our souls. Tyrants are dwarfed when such narrations are re-iterated. The third point is that Sheikh AlNimr was a barometer for the right and the wrong. When the right becomes clear, falsehood becomes known. In Yemen it is clear who is right and who is wrong. The Yemen War is a barome-ter for both. When Sheikh AlNimr was martyred he became an indicator in the process of identifying the right and the falsehood. Some did not pass the test and did not even offer condolences. But soon the situation changed and they became victims of tyranny. Some be-came prominent in their successful stands; like Sheikh Hussain AlRaadhi who was arrested for condemning the execution of AlNimr One of the reasons for remembering the martyr is to high-light his principles. AlNimr stood with the Bahraini people when everyone else remained silent. He criticised Prince Nayef and paid with his life. After his martyrdom he has become bigger. Yahya Harb said that Al Nimr uttered the right word in front of a tyrant, and was martyred. He remained faithful. He was a religious and political character. He was critical of the sectarian policies and called for dialogue and religious tolerance. He rejected the culture of hate and was arrested in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He called for changing the teach-ing curricula and cleanse them of hate and extremist teachings. After Nayef died he said: Get up from your grave and repent. He was killed for that. Mo-hammad bin Salman claims to be im-prisoning Saudi princes for their corrup-tion. Isn’t this what Sheikh AlNimr was saying? Two years after his martyrdom we like to remind the people that what he had said and predicted has now come true. There will come a time when a future monarch will criticise the present ruler. Mohammad bin Salman promised to transform the kingdom into one which does not have extremism that leads to terrorism. He said: No to the one who deny me freedom and peace. Neither the state nor my life is more important than my dignity.

Role of Holy Quran in the lives of Muslims

On Thursday 11th January the Abrar weekly meeting was addressed by a visitor from Iraq who is part of the management team of the shrine of. Sheikh Dhia AlZubaidi, is the man-gaer of the Quran Sciences Centre attached to the shrine of Abbas ibn Ali (AS) in Karbala. But before that the audience remem-bered two deceased men with links to Abrar. Abdul Hussain Bahman, a Kuwaiti businessman passed away recently after a life of hard business and charitable works. He was a trus-tee of Abrar and had helped establish the centre. He also formed his own charitable trust in Kuwait, a hospital in Beirut and another charitable body for the orphans. The other person is Dr Najah Kadhem who passed away last year and was an active member of the community. He was an aca-demic, author of ten books and active member of IFID (International Forum for Islamic Dialogue) in UK. Sheikh Dhia AlZubaidi talked about the significance of the holy Quran and its role in people’s lives. He elab-orated on the verse: This Quran guides to what is right” and related it to another verse: The Messenger said: O Lord, my people have abandoned this Qruan”. He said that fallible Imam is the best interpreter of this Quran after the holy Prophet. He went to debate the historic discourse on prophetic tradition with regards to the Quran and his household. These are mainly the Imams whose duty was to protect the holy text and guide the people to adopt it in their lives. He talked about the role of the centre which he is running. They are print-ing the holy book with Iraqi inscrip-tion. The first Quran printed in Iraq with modern machines was in 1950 during the monarchy. It was written by a Turkish calligrapher, Moham-mad Amin Al Turki. The original copy is being kept at Imam Abu Hanifa mosque. He said that the cen-tre is preparing Quranic guides and opening branches in other countries.

Page 3

one of their cousins, Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer. “Despite being informed that their de-mands are not lawful, the 11 princes refused to leave the area, disrupting public peace and order. Members of a security services stepped in to restore order and the princes were arrested,” the public prosecutor’s statement said, without identifying the princes. “Following their arrest, they have been charged on a number of counts in rela-tion to these offences. They are de-tained at Al-Hayer prison south of the capital pending their trial.” News website Sabq earlier identified the leader of the group of princes by the initials S.A.S. The Saud al-Kabeer branch of the House of Saud descend from a cousin of late King Abdulaziz, who founded the modern kingdom.

Philippines' Moro groups form alliance against ISIS

The Philippines’s two major Muslim revolutionary organizations have formed an alliance against ISIS-inspired militant groups operating in southern Philippines, Anadolu Agency reported. In a joint statement issued on 8th Jan, Mohaqher Iqbal of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Datu Muslimin Sema of Moro National Liberation Front announced the signing of a unity agreement which aims to take action against the militant groups in the Cen-tral Mindanao region. "Unity and closer cooperation could prevent the militants from penetrating Bangsamoro communities in the prov-inces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat," the MILF and MNLF joint statement read that was agreed on Saturday in Palembang, Sultan Kudarat. Iqbal said under the agreement, the MILF and MNLF will conduct joint intervention measures, share infor-mation, and provide forces, if neces-sary, to thwart ISIS-inspired armed groups from infiltrating the said com-munities. In this connection, the MILF’s peace negotiating panel chair and a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commis-sion added the MILF and MNLF formed a “Biwang Bangsamoro Unified Coordinating Council.”

Iran Guards say recent unrest defeated

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Sun-day the country’s people and security forces had defeated unrest fomented by foreign enemies, as parliament and secu-rity officials met to discuss the boldest challenge to the clerical establishment since 2009. There has been more than a week of unrest in Iran in which 22 people have died and more than 1,000 arrested, ac-cording to Iranian officials. The protests spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and work-ing-class Iranians expressed their anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor. “Iran’s revolutionary people along with tens of thousands of Basij forces, police and the Intelligence Ministry have bro-ken down the chain (of unrest),” the Guards said in a statement on their Sepahnews website. The Guards said the unrest had been “created ... by the Unit-ed States, Britain, the Zionist regime (Israel), Saudi Arabia, the hypocrites (Mujahideen) and monarchists.” The protests had subsided after the gov-ernment intensified a crackdown by dispatching Revolutionary Guards forc-es to several provinces.

Islam allows for fighting corruption: Sheikh Al-Sudais

Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, emphasized that tolerance in Islam does not stop one from taking firm and decisive steps in fighting corruption and combating ex-tremism and terrorism. Delivering the Friday sermon at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Sheikh Al-Sudais, who is also imam and khateeb of the holy mosque, said that tol-erance in Islam also does not stop from being firm and decisive in preserving holy sites, as well as in enhancing integ-rity, fighting the dangers of drugs and liquor, countering fabricated news and rumors spread through social network-ing sites, maintaining security and pre-venting the spread of chaos. He reaffirmed that the basic tenets of Islamic Shariah are designed to serve the broader interests of the people while bringing in benefits to them in addition to deterring evil and alleviating their suffering. “Islam is a religion of moder-ation and tolerance, and a mercy to the entire mankind,” he said.

Pope reiterates call to respect status of Jerusalem

Pope Francis reit-erated on Monday his call to respect the status quo of Jerusalem follow-ing U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital. Addressing am-bassadors from

more than 180 countries, Francis said: “We reiterate our call to abide by UN resolutions and to respect the joint commitments over the status of Jerusa-lem, which is sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims.” On December 21, the UN General As-sembly overwhelmingly adopted a Turkish-sponsored resolution rejecting Trump’s move by a vote of 128-9, with 35 abstentions. Pope Francis also urged a two-state solution between Palestinians and Is-raelis, saying “Establishing dialogue and maintaining the negotiations, de-spite all the difficulties, are the best way in order to make two nations live in peace.” “It is very important that refugees who took shelter in neighboring countries; particularly Jordan, Lebanon, and Tur-key return their home,” the Catholic pontiff said of the Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their country. Turkey hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country in the world. The country has spent more than €20 billion from its own national resources for helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Anadolu Agency reported. Praising efforts by countries across the world that host refugees, he called on international community to facilitate the return of all who have been dis-placed from their homes.

11 Saudi princes detained fol-lowing protest over utility bills On 6th January Saudi Arabian authori-ties have detained 11 princes after they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh in a rare protest against the government suspending payment of their utility bills. The princes had gathered on 4th Janu-ary at Qasr al-Hokm palace demanding the cancellation of a recent decree that halted state payment of water and elec-tricity bills for royal family members and seeking compensation for a death sentence implemented in 2016 against

Muslim Affairs

Page 4

Abu Hanifa al-Dinawari; pioneering botanist from Andalus

Great Personalities

Salah Zaimeche Abu Hanifa al-Dinawari (d.895 CE), botanist, lived in Andalusia, in Muslim Spain. His work has been made known by the German scholar, Silberberg, in a thesis, published in Breslau in 1908 which contains the descriptions of about 400 plants. However, what is described by Silberberg is just a small part of what has survived; just two volumes out of the six. The place of Islamic botany and its role in medical human civilisation have re-ceived a great deal of interest in the works of very possibly today’s leading authorities on the subject: Bashar Saad and Omar Said. The pioneering work of these two scholars, and some of their colleagues has brought to our knowledge, or more precisely, has reawakened world interest in the vast contribution of Mus-lim herbalists and botanists, and how the work of such medieval botanists remains a vast repertoire of knowledge that can help in the cure of many ailments. They hence remind us that In the Middle East-ern region, there are more than 2600 known plant species; about 200–250 of them are still in use for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. The number of herbal-derived substances that are in use as traditional compounds is about 286.[3] Results obtained in an extensive survey indicate that about 129 plant species are still in use in the treat-ment of various human diseases, includ-ing cancer, skin, respiratory and digestive disorders, diabetes and liver diseases. Plant parts used include leaves, flowers, stems, roots, seeds and berries. It is beyond the scope of this work to add anything further to what these scholars have studied. The use of their work is a necessity upon any curious mind. What can be said here is that these scholars are the continuators of a tradition, which began over a thousand years ago, and one of it earliest pursuers, if not the earliest, was Al Dinawari. Abu Hanifa al-Dinawari (d.895 CE), botanist, lived in Andalusia, in Muslim Spain. His work has been made known by the German scholar, Silberberg, in a thesis, published in Breslau in 1908 which contains the descriptions of about 400 plants. However, what is described by Silberberg is just a small part of what has survived; just two volumes out of the six. The surviving parts of this book, origi-nally comprising 7 volumes, show clear-ly how far and how rapidly a branch of knowledge hitherto cultivated by the Greeks could already develop in com-plete independence from them amongst Muslim philologists before the end of the 9th century.

In his expose on the earth, Al-Dinawari describes a variety of soils, explaining which is good for planting, its properties and qualities. Al-Dinawari also de-scribes plant development from its birth to its death, including the phases of growth and the production of flower and fruit. He then covers various crops in-cluding: cereals, vines and date palms. Relying on his predecessors, he also explains trees, mountains, plains, de-serts, aromatic plants and woods, plants used in dyes, honey and bees. Al-Dinawari also devoted one chapter to the classification of plants (tajnis al-nabat) which he mentions in one of the volumes that have survived, but the work itself on the subject has also been lost. Al-Dinawari's Book of Plants also covers various other subjects such as astronomy and meteorology. His book bears witness to the use of a scientific botanical terminology. He knows a lot of specialised ex-pressions for the diverse features of plants which in an unbiased reader evokes the impression that they were part of a scientific nomencla-ture created for the sake of greater precision.” He displays an advanced scientific–morphological attitude, is familiar with the observation and description of physiological aspects and illustrates “complicated shapes in plants by comparison with famil-iar types. It is interesting here to quote Sezgin on a very pertinent issue, which highlights some of the approaches to Muslim accomplishments. He re-marks: A study conducted in 1910–1911 by Bruno Silberberg exclusively on the basis of fragments of this book as cited in later dictionaries shows that Abu Hanifa’s botanical descriptions are equal to those of the Materia

medica by Dioscorides. The descriptions prepared by Dioscorides had a different motivation from those in the Kitāb an-Nabāt of Abu Hanifa. The purpose of the former was to help the reader in the identification of herbs in the field, i.e. purely practical, while Abu Hanifa’s presentation seems to have been inspired by a delight in the manifold varieties of plant morphology. In those days, Silber-berg would still wonder: “How could the people of Islam reach in this respect the level of the brilliant Greeks or even sur-pass them at such an early period of their literature?” As we began with Bashar Saad and Omar Said, we conclude this short sec-tion on a very important point they raise with their colleague Hassan Azaizeh: Despite the increasing use of medicinal plants, their future, seemingly, is being threatened by complacency concerning their conservation. Medicinal plants in the Middle East are becoming increas-ingly rare, as a result of the ongoing destruction of their natural habitat, the over-harvesting of wild species and det-rimental climatic and environmental changes. Hence, it is predicted that in semi-arid regions such as the Middle East, a number of species will have dis-appeared within the next 10 years or so, particularly in the desert or dry areas where almost a third of native plants are found, unless urgent measures are taken to protect and preserve them. This is paradoxical at a time when there is an increasing interest worldwide in herbal medicines accompanied by increased laboratory investigation into the pharma-cological properties of the bioactive in-gredients and their ability to treat vari-ous diseases.

Page 5 Open Forum

Halal certificates to be granted to Iranian hotels, restaurants

countries with which Iran has signed tourism agreements. An equipped laboratory to be established on Kish Island, southern Iran, to offer Halal cer-tificates. The official added that the issue of Halal food

is not limited to the meat consumed by people or slaughtering of animals accord-ing to the Islamic law, rather it covers other issues such as all kinds of food and health related activities. The scope of Halal World Institute's ac-tivities was expanded into new sectors like “ Halal science ”, “ Halal regulations ”,and “Halal code of conduct”. Halal World Institute has planned to be active in “Halal food”, “Halal certifi-cate”, “Halal standards”, “Halal regula-tion”, “Halal restaurant” , “Halal ser-vices” , “Halal tourism”, “Halal bank-ing”, “Halal insurance”, “Halal transpor-tation”, “Halal hotels”, “Halal chain stores”, “Halal training”, “Halal re-search”, “Halal institutions”, “Halal cul-ture building”, “Halal standardization”, “Halal rule making”, “Halal Structure” and “Halal trade ”. One of the active pro-jects of Halal World Institute is issuance of Halal Certificate for Halal foods by OIC/SMIIC Halal refrence standard.

The Organic Associa-tion of Iran and Halal World Institute signed an agreement for granting Halal certifi-cate to the Iranian hotels and restaurants in order to ensure that healthy and organic food is provided to domestic and foreign tourists coming to Iran. Halal certificates to be granted to Iranian hotels, restaurants The Halal World Institute is a Tehran-based body established in 2013 to expand Halal Food Standards set by the Organi-zation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 2010. The institute is affiliated to the Islamic Chamber Research and Infor-mation Center (ICRIC). 'The Organic Association of Iran (OAI) and Halal World Institute have signed the cooperation agreement to ensure the health of the society, protect environment and reduce health related hazards at ho-tels and restaurants,' Head of the OAI Alireza Nourani told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). According to Nouani, the Halal Tourism Organization by covering hotels and res-taurants try to ensure that healthy and organic food is provided to domestic and foreign tourists coming to Iran from

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) sent an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the government to desig-nate January 29 as a Na-tional Day of Remem-brance and Action on Islamophobia. Supported by a wide spectrum of Canadian Muslim organizations as well as community part-ners, the open letter comes in the lead up to the first anniver-sary of the devastating terrorist attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (CCIQ) on January 29, that claimed the lives of six Muslim men, seriously injured many others and left six widows and 17 orphans. "The ongoing impact being felt within the Quebec Muslim community and more broadly, Canadian Muslim communities, one year after the attack speaks to the urgent need for our elected leaders to stand firmly against Islamophobia and the agents of bigotry," says NCCM Executive Director Ihsaan Gardee.

"In light of the up-coming anniversary, we believe such a des-ignation would enable Canadians to join to-gether in remembering the victims of the at-tack, while also in-creasing public aware-ness about the threats posed by hate, bigotry, and Islamophobia to the Canadian social fabric," says NCCM Public Affairs Coordi-

nator Eve Torres. The open letter echoes a previous call for January 29 to be declared a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islam-ophobia, which was made by a coalition of national and Quebec-based Muslim organizations, led by the NCCM, in the immediate aftermath of the Quebec mosque attack. The NCCM which is a prominent civil liberty & advocacy organization, an inde-pendent non-partisan and non-profit or-ganization that is a leading voice for Muslim civic engagement and the promo-tion of human rights.

NCCM urges Canadian PM to designate January 29 as a national day on Islamophobia

Trump book author; Book will bring him down

The author of a book that is highly critical of Donald Trump’s first year as U.S. pres-ident said his revelations were likely to bring an end to Trump’s time in the White House. Michael Wolff told BBC radio that his conclusion in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”-- that Trump is not fit to do the job -- was becoming a wide-spread view. “I think one of the interesting effects of the book so far is a very clear emperor-has-no-clothes effect,” Wolff said in an interview broadcast on Saturday. “The story that I have told seems to pre-sent this presidency in such a way that it says he can’t do his job,” Wolff said. “Suddenly everywhere people are going ‘oh my God, it’s true, he has no clothes’. That’s the background to the perception and the understanding that will finally end ... this presidency.” Trump has dismissed the book as full of lies. It depicts a chaotic White House, a president who was ill-prepared to win the office in 2016, and Trump aides who scorned his abilities. Trump took to Twitter late on Friday to renew his attacks on Wolff, and on his former top aide Steve Bannon who was quoted in the book. “Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really bor-ing and untruthful book,” Trump said. “He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!” Bannon, formerly Trump’s chief strate-gist, is chairman of the so-called alt-right Breitbart News website In his interview with the BBC, Wolff was asked if he believed that Bannon felt Trump was unfit to serve as president and would try to bring him down. “Yes,” Wolff replied. He also hit back at claims that the book was untruthful. “This is what’s called reporting. This is how you do it.” he said. “You ask people, you get as close as you can to the event, you inter-view the people who were privy to the event, you inter-view other people who were privy to the event, you come to know the circum-stance as well as any-body and then you report it.”

Page 6 Open Forum

Maliha Aqueel, The Guardian Tue 2 Jan ‘18 Muslim women inhabit a unique-ly marginalised space in a world where the existence of rampant Islamophobia both disregards their voices in the wider world and is also used to justify silenc-ing their voices within Muslim communities – by prioritising the issue of anti-Muslim racism over the struggle against patriarchal oppressions. Last year I wrote about the hon-our killing of a Pakistani social media celebrity, Qandeel Baloch. Within hours, the article received a bar-rage of comments, ranging from ex-tremely Islamophobic to people pro-claiming articles such as mine promote anti-Muslim racism and therefore shouldn’t be written. This reaction is familiar to many Muslim women who speak out, write, or activate in public spaces against the patriarchal oppressions and violence they face. The active policing of women’s voices inside Muslim communities and the prejudice and racism faced by us outside of our communities contributes to creating ex-ceptionally testing conditions for Muslim women survivors of violence, activists, and allies. The prevalent patriarchal or-der dictates which forms of violence against Muslims are more urgent and demand activism on our part. Under this order, anti-Muslim racism wins many times over before patriarchal oppressions are even discussed. The system that pro-tects male privilege and gender hierar-chies goes into overdrive when the repu-tation at stake is that of prominent Mus-lim men, such as clerics. When Muslim women speak up about this, we are accused of creating theatre. Some people add the helpful reminder that “not all Muslim men” behave like this. I grew up in a majority Muslim country; I know not all Muslim men are sexual predators but I also know that many, many men are – in cultures, com-munities and countries around the world. So I choose to believe women. Pretending that Muslim women are somehow responsible for Islamophobia if they talk about the violence they face is not just absurd, it is also a glaringly obvious patriarchal power tactic that seeks to prioritise Muslim men and their reputations over women’s issues. When the tactic works, Muslim women and our issues are rendered disposable, and shoved to the back of the line. Casting Muslim women activists as vil-lains who air the dirty laundry of com-munities by speaking publicly against injustices speaks to this twisted hierarchy

Muslim women speaking up against violence are silenced

of issues that positions Islamophobia over and above the need to address patriarchal oppressions – even creating a narrative that these two are mutually exclusive struggles. The truth is, we must take all of these oppressions equally seriously if we are to address any of them. People – especially women – who don’t follow this made-up hierarchy of issues are policed, vehemently at-tacked on public forums, and, many times, swiftly silenced. The system is effective. One friend told me she had

to hide all Facebook posts related to a cleric, accused of sexual predation of women, from her timeline because the interrogation and abuse got too much. We need to at first recognise the distinctively difficult bar-riers that Muslim women survivors of patriarchal vio-lence face. There are layers of intersecting oppressions – patriarchy and Islamophobia – that make it particularly difficult for Muslim women to speak out about their expe-

riences. They shouldn’t speak out about their issues as Muslim women, precisely because they are Muslim women. There is also the strange but not sur-prising and seemingly shared objective between anti-Muslim racists and peo-ple from within Muslim communities who wish to uphold patriarchal struc-tures of oppression, both of whom would rather see Muslim women dis-appear from public life altogether. As soon as Muslim women speak, they are met with forces of silence, some-times outright threats of violence, and vitriol. At other times pressures are cloaked as disbelief, as “rational” voic-es demanding proof, as “concerned” citizens of the world who worry about the backlash against Muslims. It’s telling that time and again, the way Muslim men (and women) choose to deal with Islamophobia is by policing the voices of Muslim women within their communities, rather than address-ing the colonial structures that uphold anti-Muslim racism, which also in-cludes a legacy of patriarchal violence. Too often clerics, religious scholars, and men in general are conveniently placed as representatives of the Mus-lim community. When the voices of men are centred in this way in the Muslim diaspora, this could come at the cost of Muslim women’s voices – particularly Muslim women of colour. If we are to truly address this, we must deliberately seek out, believe, and am-plify Muslim women’s voices. Many Muslim women know they must prepare themselves to be patronised, misrepresented, and tokenised when they speak out. Survivors and activists expertly navigate this tightrope – often at great personal cost – and continue to speak out. It is time we started listen-ing, in silence and solidarity. • Maliha Aqueel is from Lahore, Paki-stan. She is a Phd student at the Gender and Culture studies depart-ment at Sydney University

Men’s right of divorce In India efforts to pass a law to make the practice of instant divorce in the Muslim community a criminal offence have be-come embroiled in controversy amid strident objections from opposition par-ties who say it could be misused to har-ass men. But women activists hope po-litical parties will resolve their differ-ences and usher in what would poten-tially be the first significant reform in Muslim family law. “That we want the law is for sure. This moment has come 70 years too late after independence,” says Zakia Soman, of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (Indian Muslim Women’s Movement), which was one of the frontline cam-paigners in a legal battle that resulted in the Supreme Court striking down the centuries-old practice as unconstitution-al five months ago. With the govern-ment lacking a majority in the upper house of parliament, it is not clear if it will reach a consensus with opposition parties on the Bill. However it was blocked last week in the upper house of parliament by opposition parties who say that proposing jail time for men who resort to the age old prac-tice to end their marriage overreaches by putting what is essentially a civil con-tract in the ambit of criminal law. They say that a clause that an offender should continue to support his wife is meaning-less since he cannot do so from jail.

Page 7 Off the shelf

Rethinking Political Islam McCants argue, they not only represent the future of political Islam, but they also provide a fascinating window into a rapidly changing Middle East. It will be the first book to systematically as-sess the evolution of mainstream Is-lamist groups across 12 country cases-Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Yem-en, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jor-dan, and Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indo-nesia. In each of these cases, the con-tributors consider how Muslim Broth-erhood and Brotherhood-inspired Is-lamist movements are grappling with fundamental questions, including those about: gradual versus revolutionary approaches to change; the use of tacti-cal or situational violence; attitudes toward the nation-state; and how ideol-ogy and political variables interact. Unlike most other projects on political Islam, this book includes three of the most important country cases outside the Middle East-Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan-allowing readers to con-sider a greater diversity of Islamist experiences. Because the book takes seriously the notion that the only way to understand Islamists is by spending time with them, all of the contributors have immersed themselves in the world of political Islam, offering rich accounts of what animates Islamist political behaviour. Rethinking Politi-cal Islam offers a fine-grained and definitive overview of the changing world of political Islam in the post-Arab Uprising era.

Edited by Shadi Hamid and William McCants For years, scholars hypothesized about what Islamists might do if they ever obtained power. Now, academics and Islamists alike finally have answers. And they are confusing. In the Sunni hinterland between Syria and Iraq, ISIS established a government by brute force, implementing an extreme interpretation of Islamic law. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tunisia's Ennahda Party governed in coalition with two secular parties, ratified a liberal constitution, and voluntarily stepped down from power. In Egypt, the Muslim Brother-hood lasted in power for a year, alienat-ing most of the country's major political forces before being overthrown in a military coup. The twin shocks of the Egyptian coup and the rise of ISIS have challenged conventional wisdom on political Islam, forcing a rethinking of some of the basic assumptions of, and about, Islamist movements. However, while ISIS and other jihadist groups garner the most media attention, the vast majority of Islamists are of the mainstream variety, seeking gradual change and participating in parliamen-tary politics (when they're allowed to). In Rethinking Political Islam, two of the leading scholars on the topic, Shadi Ha-mid and William McCants, have gath-ered a group of leading specialists in the field to consider the phenomenon, and focus in particular on mainstream politi-cal Islamist groups. As Hamid and

Shadi Hamid, Fellow, Brookings Institu-tion, and William McCants, Fellow, Brookings Institution Shadi Hamid is a senior fellow in the Centre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and author of Temptations of Power. William McCants is a senior fellow in the Cantre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and author of The ISIS Apoc-alypse. Publisher: Oxford University Press Hardback 400 Pages £64.00 ISBN: 9780190649197 Published: 07 September 2017

The Man Who Created the Middle East ‘Christopher Sykes produces a warm portrait of his inventive, ebullient grandfather’ Times Literary Supple-ment ‘[Christopher Simon Sykes] tells this story with gusto… put[s] a human face on a imperialist adventurer, and in this he succeeds brilliantly. Mark’s fiercely independent spirit shines through’ Spectator ‘Sykes shows his grandfather in a clearer light, damaged by parents, bub-bling with enthusiasm, deeply in love with his wife, an entertaining father at home, an amusing observer of people in the world – the book is lightened by many of his character sketches’ Ob-server ‘An unusually entertaining, instructive and engaging book … this book is a treat’ Sunday Telegraph ‘A meticulously researched labour of love’ Daily Mail Publisher: harper Collins Paperback 384 pages £9.99 ISBN: 9780008121938 Publishing date 19/10/2017

At the age of only 36, Sir Mark Sykes was signatory to the Sykes-Picot agree-ment, one of the most reviled treaties of modern times. A century later, Christo-pher Sykes’ lively biography of his grandfather reassesses his life and work, and the political instability and violence in the Middle East attributed to it. The SykesPicot agreement was drawn by the eponymous British and French diplomats in 1916 to determine the divide of the collapsing empire in the event of an allied victory in World War I. Excluding Arab involvement, it ne-gated their earlier guarantee of inde-pendence made by the British and con-troversy has raged around it ever since. But who was Mark Sykes? A century on, Christopher Simon Sykes reveals new facets ofa misremembered diplomatic giant. Using previously un-disclosed family letters and cartoons by his grandfather, he delivers a compre-hensive and humbling account of the man.

Page 8 Words of Faith

51. As to the

Righteous (they

will be) in a posi-

tion of Security,

52. Among Gar-

dens and

Springs;

53. Dressed in fi-

ne silk and in

rich brocade,

they will face

each other;

54. So; and We

shall join them

to Companions

with beautiful,

big, and lus-

trous eyes.

55. There can

they call for

every kind of

fruit in peace

and security;

56. Nor will they

there taste

Death, except

the first death;

and He will pre-

serve them from

the Penalty of

the Blazing Fire,

-

57. As a Bounty

from thy Lord!

that will be the

supreme achieve-

ment!

58. Verily, We

have made this

(Qur'an) easy, in

thy tongue, in

order that they

may give heed.

(smoke)

www.abraronline.

net This is our website.

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Once an Emperor called upon all of his wise men and asked them, ” Is there any magical saying which works in every situation, in eve-ry circumstances, in every place and in every time. In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? One answer for all ques-tions? Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me? “ All the Emperor’s advisers were baffled by the question. They all agreed on one solution on the suggestion of a learned scholar who gave them a note to be given to the Emperor. And the note was to be opened whenever the Emperor was in trouble. Just a few days after, he was attacked by the neighbouring country. The Emperor and his army fought bravely but were still losing the battle & the Emperor was trying to run away on his mount. The enemies were following him getting closer and closer. Suddenly the Emperor found himself standing at the end of the road – that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…the sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. The Emperor became restless. There seemed to be no way. Then he remembered the note given to him by his loyal advisers and he opened it. It read “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” The Emperor read it , again & again. Suddenly something struck him- Yes ! This too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was

This too shall pass enjoying my rule. I was the mightiest of all the Emperors. Yet today, the Empire and all its pleasures have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm came on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those fol-lowing him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were nowhere near him. The Emperor was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the ene-my and regained his empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fanfare. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being showered on Emperor from every house, from every corner. For a moment the Emperor said to himself,” I am one of the bravest and greatest Emperors. It is not easy to defeat me. With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

At that moment something clicked his mind & he opened the note and read it again: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”. He became silent. His face went through a total change – from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Every-thing passes by. We are wit-nesses of all this. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feel-ings that the island would sink, so all con-structed boats and left. Except for Love. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible mo-ment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decid-ed to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you." Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you, Love.

You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!" Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her. Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder

where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?" "It was Time," Knowledge answered. "Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?" Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capa-ble of understanding how valuable Love is."

Love and Time