welcome back sis

40 Spanish Schools Teach Islam A primary school in Andalusia. By Al-Amin Andalusi, IOL Correspondent MADRID, September 15, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – An overdue agreement to teach Islam at public Spanish schools is finally seeing the light this academic year that kicks off mid-September, with promises more schools will join the club once the tools are there. The agreement between the Spanish government and the Union of Islamic Associations has actually been effective since the second term of 2004-2005 school year. But only two schools implemented the deal. Islam was first taught in Melilla and Ceuta; two Moroccan cities under Spanish rule where Muslims make up more than 40% of the population. They were looked upon as the model case for the experiment in other Spanish cities. Lack of qualified teachers, coupled with the Spanish government's decision not to allow teachers from Morocco or other Islamic countries, made teaching Islam limited to three cities; Andalusia, Aragon and Basque, according to the Spanish Education Ministry. Only 17 teachers met the Spanish government criteria, and will be tasked to teach in some 40 schools in the three cities. Teachers were required to be university graduates and growing up in Spain. Canary Islands were planned to start teaching Islam this term, but due to the shortage of teachers, the plans were deterred, according to IOL correspondent. The Spanish capital of Madrid has a Muslim population of 100,000 while Barcelona has more than 150,000 Muslims, yet Islam will not be taught there this school year. Lack of qualified teachers is to blame. Not Enough Spanish Muslims try to fight stereotyping through schools. Chairman of the Union of Islamic Associations in Spain Abdel Salam Mansour told Spanish News Agency EFE that he was not happy with the few number of teachers, around 17, and limitations to the agreement. Still it is a significant step, he said. For his part, secretary general of the union Riadh Tatari told IOL that he hoped the agreement would be expanded to cover the country. The Islamic body was unsatisfied with the number of students who registered to attend the religion classes, only 25,000, while statistics of the bloc held the number as many as 80,000 Muslim students. The agreement with the Spanish government was signed in the 1990s when the Socialist Party was in office, but was put to a standstill since 1996 with the rightist government of the People's Party. The Islamic organizations and bodies in Spain wish to improve the stereotype image of Islam among Spaniards, especially in the wake of Madrid attacks in March 2004 that killed some 200 people, with a number of Muslim immigrants arrested in connection with the blasts. Spanish El Periódico de Aragon newspaper said the religion lessons will be limited to some definitions of Islam and will be taught in Spanish except when reading verses from the Noble Qur'an. The lessons will not include teaching how to pray or other Islamic rituals, as they remain the job of families and mosques. Each teacher will receive some euros 1,200 ($ 1,471), according to the paper.

WOL - walaal jazakallah khair for the articles!! keep adding insha'Allah!

Insha'Allah, i'll be there! I better finish reading the book by then!

Originally posted by Source: wow that is really sad, . Salaxuddiin mind posting the source of this, here you go Source: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4230614.stm

Masha'Allah, SRADO is doing a much needed work! May Allah bless them for their efforts!

^ well said. its time the Field Negro - graped the pen with the right hand and the rifle on the left!

In History, there is no other institution that has done(or supported) more genocides than the catholic church. from the crusades, to the natives in latin America, to Nazis, the list goes on.

we are in a blessed month indeed~ Jazakallah Khair sis WOL, for reminding us all!

Rwanda's religious reflections By Robert Walker BBC, Kigali Twenty-year-old Zafran Mukantwari was the only person in her family who survived the genocide. I meet her sitting outside Kigali's Al-Aqsa mosque. She is tightly veiled and speaks softly as she tells me what happened 10 years ago. Her family were Catholic, she says. Those who killed them worshipped at the same church. At the age of 10, Zafran found herself alone and at first she continued going to church. She thought she could find support there. But then she began to question her faith. "When I realised that the people I was praying with killed my parents, I preferred to become a Muslim because Muslims did not kill." No protection Before the genocide more than 60% of Rwandans were Catholic. And when the killings started, tens of thousands of Tutsis fled to churches for sanctuary. But they found little protection there. Churches became sites of slaughter, carried out even at the altar. On the opposite side of Kigali from Al Aqsa mosque, is the church of Sainte Famille. As dawn mass is celebrated, the sound of hymns carries outside and floats across the waking city. During the genocide, hundreds of Tutsis crammed inside here trying to escape the horrors unfolding outside. But Hutu militias came repeatedly with lists of those to be killed. The priest in charge of the church, Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, is blamed for colluding with the killers. Discarding his priest's cassock, witnesses say he took to wearing a flack jacket and carrying a pistol. "Some members of the Church failed in their mission, they contradicted what they stood for," says Father Antoine Kambanda, director of the charity, Caritas, in Kigali. He acknowledges that while some priests and nuns risked their lives trying to stop the slaughter, others were implicated in the killings. "We are sorry for what took place, sorry for the members of the Church that did crimes, sorry for the victims who lost their lives. "But the Pope says the members who went against their mission are to answer for it. The Church cannot answer for them." Turning to Islam This position that blame lies with individuals, rather the Church as an institution, is still highly controversial, as Rwanda marks the tenth anniversary of the genocide. Muslims pray at Nyamirambo Mosque in Kigali The Church hierarchy in Rwanda supported the previous regime of President Juvenal Habyarimana. And they failed to denounce ethnic hatred then being disseminated. Some survivors like Zafran have since left the Catholic Church, unable to reconcile the Church's teaching with the actions of its most senior members during the genocide. Sheikh Saleh Habimana, the Mufti of Rwanda, is the representative of the country's Muslims. He says many turned to Islam because Muslims were seen to have acted differently. "The roofs of Muslim houses were full of non-Muslims hiding. Muslims are not answerable before God for the blood of innocent people." But after the genocide, converting to Islam was also seen by some as the safest option. "For the Hutus, everyone was saying as long as I look like a Muslim everybody will accept that I don't have blood on my hands. "And for the Tutsis they said let me embrace Islam because Muslims in genocide never die. So one was looking for purification, the other was looking for protection." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3561365.stm

Islam: Tawhiid » Taqwa » Tawba » Tazkiya » Tarbiya » Tahaara = gives you Islamic Civilization(Dunya) and gets you to Jannah(Aakhirah). i've been thinking about these words that start with -T-. i hope it makes sense.

The Ideal Muslim is about the true Islamic personality of the Muslim as defined in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Written by Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi (also the author of the Ideal Muslimah), this book defines the Ideal Muslim as a man of the highest moral character. This book will play an important role in directing the Muslim community towards the path of guidance and leadership, thus becoming a beacon for all mankind. I advice all the brothers to get this book!

A 43-year-old Indian woman has been rescued after being locked up by her family in a single room for more than a quarter of a century. Her family members in the eastern Indian state of Orissa said she was mentally ill and had to be kept apart because of her "wild behaviour". Annapurna Sahu was confined in an abandoned outhouse - only a few feet high and without proper flooring. The family said she was not mistreated and was given food and water regularly. Segregated Eyewitnesses present during the rescue operation in the town of Dhenkanal, 100km (62 miles) from state capital, Bhubaneswar, said Ms Sahu was living in inhumane conditions. She was reportedly naked when she was found. The outhouse was only a few feet high Her brother, Ganeswar Sahu, said she had to be segregated from the rest of the family after she started abusing others. She had dug up the floor of her small room, her mother, Yashoda Sahu, said. Following her rescue, Annapurna Sahu was taken to a hospital in Dhenkanal. Surendra Mohanty, the doctor treating her, said she had shown signs of improvement since she was admitted. She would be given a detailed examination of her mental state on Saturday, the doctor said. District magistrate, Usha Padhi, said Ms Sahu would later be shifted to a rehabilitation home. The cost of her treatment would be paid by the district unit of the Red Cross, she said. A counsellor from an NGO attending Ms Sahu said she showed no sign of mental illness, though she did appear weak and emaciated. Pallavi Nanda, of the Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati Service Mission, said Ms Sahu was taking food and was responding to questions normally.

thanks Baashi! "True religion invites us to become better people. False religion tells us that this has already occurred." Abdal-Hakim Murad

^ it was also the soldiers that captured my focus. Thanks Suldaaanka for the update!

a very important post Jazakallah khair sis Warrior of Light' may Allah(swt) bless your time!

12% is very low

Sky, well done man! you deserve an award for your Investigative work! Originally posted by Suldaaanka: I once stopped by at Baabili for tea and drinks in transit to Addis Abeba. It is located between Jigjiga and Harar cities. Very mountainous terrain. me 2! I remember it was a hot sunny mid-noon and those fanta's tasted realy good!

this may be another 'assumption' but i say this is the work of desi muslim teenager, who's beard has yet to be developed! i doubt its the work of an organized group! it rarely is.

masha'Allah they are beautiful! which river is that? anyone know?

Whispers of the Night I pounded on the door of mercy as the world slept And humbling myself before my Creator I wept Hands raised high and head bowed I knelt And dejectedly began to lament what I felt With a torn heart I gave a torn heart to my woes and fears And in great anguish and sorrow I let flow my tears With poignant emotions raging in me so fierce I hoped that my prayers would the heavens pierce Oh Maker of my destiny, Master of my fate I cried Thou art the only refuge and succour for one so tried 'Tis before Thee alone that I bemoan Sufferings of mine only to Thee known Pains and torments that I can no longer bear Hopes and wishes I can entrust only to Thy care For 'Tis only the ocean of Thine infinite bounty that sustains all And only Thy forgiveness that restores those that fall 'Tis to Thee alone Oh Benevolent that I extend my hands in plea To whom besides Thee can this wretched soul flee Forgive my sins and grant me my desires Oh Almighty Reject me not, for nothing can redeem me save Thy mercy by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq

Originally posted by CAAMIR: I just found this classic colonial literature too funny to share with someone else. lol caamir, more like classic colonial garbage well said bro Shams-ud-Din!!

Originally posted by Raganimo: Very Picturesque indeed! reminds me of Shey Mire Dacar's song; Ilaa Buurti Daalo Buraan iyo Hadaaftimo Cerigaabo iyo Badhan Beledadii Kalgacallada Iyagoo Barwaaqaa Biyuhuna qulqulayaan Balliyaduna buuxaan Soo booqday awgaa... same here Bishaaro - Shay mire Dacar it also reminded me of Hibo's Daalo tus helayoo mayey tumay arooryoo ooy cad ceedu taamiyo ay u timi nin joogii.... tabcoo ubax ka baxayoo tigaadina hadheysey teel teel daruurina tima sare ka fuushey ama togog biya ahoo tacablii u soconow Daalo - Hibo Nuura Nabad!

Masha~Allah Mabruuk! May Allah(swt) bless your new Houses!

^ thats what six weeks of boot_camp will do to you!