In the name of Allah, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Peace be with you السلام عليكم

The Forbidden Tree
Qu'ran, Al-Baqarah - The Cow (2:35)

Neighbours

Neighbours have rights, be they Muslims or non-Muslims. The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: "He is not a true Believer who eats his fill while his neighbour is hungry". (Bayhaqi.)

Thus, the quality of our Din and fate in the Akhira will also be determined by how well we fulfill our obligations towards our neighbours. In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, a man said:

"O Messenger of Allah, such and such woman has a reputation for engaging very much in Prayers, Fasting and Almsgiving, but she hurts her neighbours with her tongue quite often." He said, "She will go to Hell." Then he said, "O Messenger of Allah, such and such woman engages in only a little Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving and gives just a few pieces of cheese in charity, but she does not hurt her neighbours with her tongue". He said,"She will go to Paradise." (Ahmad, Bayhaqi).

One class of neighbours is our relatives. Another class are those who are not our relatives and the third class of neighbours are those who sit with us, even for a few minutes. This third class of neighbours is a very wide group and includes those who sit by our side. If we are travelling in a taxi, bus, train or aeroplane the person who is sitting by our side is our neighbour. If we are in the office, our co-worker is our neighbour. If we are at school, our classmate is our neighbour.

Among the rights of your neighbour is that his life, property and honour must be protected. Violation of any of them is haram or unlawful. His life is inviolable. Remember that the life of a non-Muslim is as important as that of a Muslim. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that "One who kills a non-Muslim whose protection is pledged will never smell the fragrance of Janna, even though it reaches as far as 40 years distance". (Bukhari, Muslim.)

So the life of the non-Muslim is also inviolable, as is his property and his honour. All must be respected and safeguarded. This is especially important for us to consider because we live in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society and, unfortunately, there are many misconceptions prevailing among Muslims about the extent of their obligations towards non-Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ himself used to pay special attention to the needs of non-Muslims even when there was poverty, hardship and difficulties in the Muslim community.

Compiled From:
"In The Early Hours" - Khurram Murad, pp.125,126

Breaking the Cycle

Life's not fair. How is it that one kid grows up in a home where they are loved and made to feel like they are somebody and another kid grows up in a home where they are abused and made to feel worthless? If you're the latter, you may ask: "What did I do to deserve this?" Well, you didn't do anything to deserve it. It's not right, and it's not your fault.

You can do something about it. How? By breaking the cycle. If your parents are messed up, and their parents were messed up, you can break the cycle by not repeating these negative patterns in your own life, and by passing on good habits to your own kids someday.

You may be in a family that is drowning in sickness from drugs, violence, abuse, molestation, or neglect. It may have gone on for generations. But you can stop it from being passed on to your kids. you can rise above your childhood. Perhaps that's why you were born into this family, to heal the sickness within it, to be a purifying influence, to be the stable one, the example that others can look to. If you've been abused, you can pass on love. If you've been neglected, you can show great care. If you were raised in a contentious home, you can build a peaceful one. You can change everything downstream.

Compiled From:
"The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make" - Sean Covey, p. 165

More Friday Nasiha:
15th Jan 2011: Heads of Satan - What Is Ribat? - Forgiving
7th Jan 2011: Secrets Exposed - Hypocrisy - Purdah And Islam
31 Dec 2010: Standard Bearers - Lineage - Arranged Marriages
19 Nov 2010: A Wise Plan - Ten Great Days - Acts of Merit

The Film Maker: Amir Jaffer is a San Francisco (CA) based indie filmmaker {Aisha Media} and is currently working on a documentary about Pakistan, with a focus on terrorism, women's rights and democracy. The purpose of this documentary is to clear misconceptions about Islam with a focus on the political situation in Pakistan.

The Documentary: With half of the documentary filmed from last fall (autumn), Amir and his team are in the process of filming the remainder in San Fran, the Bay Area.

MUXLIM VIEWERS: Watch {Allah's Frontier Movie on YouTube}

Those willing to participate, will be asked their views on the following:
1) The definition of jihad and how it separates it from present day terrorism?
2) Elaborate on Women's Rights in Islam? Are Honor Killings Islamic?
3) Is democracy compatible with Islamic law? Does democracy have to be western style or should it be more organic, depending on the country, culture and religion?
4) What is ijtihad? Do we need to revive the true spirit of ijtihad to solve the problems facing the Muslim Ummah?

And specifically about Pakistan:
1) According to Quaid-e-Azam, was Pakistan meant to be a Modern Islamic State (similar to what Turkey is today) or a Theocratic State (similar to Saudi Arabia or Iran)?
2) Why is Pakistan in the mess it is today? What are some of the solutions to get out of the current mess?
3) Is Pakistan really an epicenter of Terrorism/ Is it "Terror Central"? How did this happen?
4) What people think about the Women's Protection Bill passed under the Musharraf Regime?
5) Should the Blasphemy Law be repealed? Is that law fair and not misused for personal reasons? What do they think about Governor Taseer's Assassination?

Documentary deadline: May 2011
Discussion panels will be held after every screening and local organizations and cities are encouraged to host these. Besides film festivals, community organizations will be welcomed to show this documentary to their members and get the debate going.

Regards
Amir Jaffer

More:
Building Peace in Pakistan - The Radical Middle Way
Video: A Pious Spouse
British Council's 'Offscreen' 2010 Expedition
Pakistani Sheikh Issues Fatwa For Britain
Link Love: Blessed Brides, Help Pay For Someone Else's Wedding
External: Interview, "I am a woman of many headscarves"

From The Muslim Link Paper | 23rd Dec 2010

“Hard of hearing people people have been able to do more to be religious...but as deaf people...[we] are not able to hear anything. We must sit there and act as if we understand—but we really don’t.” said the the president of Global Deaf Muslim, Nashiru Abdulai through an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter at a fundraising dinner held in Herndon,VA on December 11.

In hopes of making the audience realize how cut-off deaf Muslims feel from the greater Muslim community, Abdulai illustrated the frustration he and others felt so often when trying to take part in Islamic gatherings, “when I go, I would like to be able to understand but, instead, I have to ask other people what’s going on and a lot of times I just decide I won’t go because I really won’t be able to understand anything.” He recalled how he and deaf Muslim college friends would skip events they had originally planned to attend because they would lose hope of ever being any more than outsiders looking in. Isolated and unable to benefit from the knowledge and camaraderie of hearing Muslims, they would sit with each other to hold on to their Muslim identity.

As perhaps many who hear do not realize, lip-reading is very difficult, and many deaf have not mastered it. Written text can also be hard to follow because most deaf do not develop a strong reading vocabulary. Unable to hear words, even their own, speaking properly is also a great challenge for the deaf.

Most are comfortable with sign language, a system of hand movements and other gestures to communicate thoughts. There are many sign languages throughout the world. American Sign Language is dominant in the United States and Canada. ASL is also used in other parts of the world.

Parents of deaf Muslims often neglect their children’s religious education. And since the Quran and Sunnah are not translated into ASL (or any other sign language) nor are most Islamic events and Friday Khutbahs interpreted, deaf Muslim Americans have very limited access to Islamic teachings. Learning about Islam can be an even more daunting task for converts and non-Muslim deaf.

“So, many times we just go through the motions but don’t understand what is behind those motions” said Abdulai.

“Their knowledge of Islam is poor no doubt, to say the least” Dr. Muhammad Alvi told The Muslim Link. “For a simple reason—nobody tells them anything” he explained. Dr. Alvi teaches Islam to a group of 15 to 20 metro area deaf Muslims at Adams Center in Herndon, VA, many of whom attended the dinner.

Global Deaf Muslim is an advocacy group based in Bethesda, MD. The group organized the event to raise money for a project to present a video translation and commentary of the Quran in ASL.

“There are about 500,000 to 2 million people in the United States that are using ASL...so if we can produce the Quran in sign language, I’m sure it will reach lots and lots of hearts and they will come to Islam, too.” Dr. Alvi speculated.

GDF has global ambitions and a few high-level connections. It was announced during the event that Rashad Hussain, known as President Obama’s special envoy to the Muslim world, was working to set up a Global Deaf Muslim forum in Qatar for 2012. Another of GDF’s projects aims to analyze the sign languages across the Muslim world to create a universal hand sign system for Islamic words and concepts.

Many deaf people in the U.S. and elsewhere have developed their own culture due to their lack of full integration with the hearing world, separate system of communication and distinct views on deafness. “Deaf” with a capital “D” is preferred by those who embrace this culture. Most deaf people in the U.S. consider themselves a part of the Deaf community. GDF mostly presents the views and interests of Muslims who are a part of this culture. (We have mostly used “deaf” in this article for simplicity.)

“Deaf people have their own traditions” Maher Esghi, a professor at Towson University who teaches ASL and himself is deaf, told the audience. “We actually have a large culture. We have lots of jokes and humor and idioms within our language. But hearing people aren’t exposed to that.”

Prof. Esghi spoke, through an interpreter, about misconceptions hearing people have about the deaf. He said many deaf Muslims don’t think of themselves as lacking something or having a problem, “we accept deafness...Allah blessed me with this. We take it as a whole. It’s a different perspective.”

Several deaf Muslims could be seen throughout the evening energetically running the event in a sort of noble silence which was, however, frequently broken by those quick, coded hand gestures which inevitably make one long to learn sign.

Yet, you would not have been able to tell from their appearances that the deaf attendees were challenged by a disability. They are so often among us without our notice.

The bright-eyed, enthusiastic men and women—many young, some new to Islam and a few obviously not very knowledgeable on religious matters—sat together, signing away to each other throughout the evening. And, irony of ironies, one sometimes felt a yearning to be included in their circle.

The dinner seemed a success. Though a bit short of the stated goal, thousands of dollars were raised during a call for donations by Dr. Altaf Husain of the Islamic Circle of North America.

All speeches by the hearing were interpreted in sign. There were deaf panelists sharing their thoughts and experiences. It was an evening when deaf Muslims could tell non-deaf Muslims about their pains and struggles, their hopes and dreams. It was their night, their event.

At one point, guest speaker Daoud Nassimi called on all deaf to stand up to be recognized. And as they rose, surrounded by a crowd of their hearing brothers and sisters, it was as if close family members, long absent and nearly forgotten had, at last, come home.

More:
Video: Deaf Muslims Answer 'What Is Islam?' In BSL
Dear BBC, Don't Blame Muslim Schools For Britain's Social Problems
Muslim Teacher Tips: Getting The Basics Right
Another Letter From Our Sponsored Orphan In Mozambique
Event: Islamic Circles Presents The Islamic History of China
Event: Fiqh Of Love, Marriage & Family @Cambridge Uni

From Radical Middle Way

MUXLIM VIEWERS: Watch {Shaykh Abullah's full interview on Radical Middle Way}

Recorded before the floods, Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah draws on a lifetime of scholarship to explore how Islam inspires and guides the peacemakers. He joins with tens of millions of Pakistanis in condemning violence in the name of their faith. He reminds the people of Pakistan that they are not alone in their struggle for a peaceful, just and prosperous nation. Shaykh bin Bayyah is speaking as part of Karvaan-e-Amn, an international campaign of leading religious scholars, public intellectuals and activists expressing solidarity with the people of Pakistan and supporting those standing against terrorism and injustice.

More:
Link Love: The Inspired By Muhammad Campaign
Video: What Is Jihad? WhyIslam.org Explain
Emergency Appeal For Pakistan Flooding
I Found Dawud Wharnsby In Pakistan Drinking Milk
Pakistani Sheikh Issues Fatwa For British Government

In the name of God, compassionate & merciful بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ Peace be with you السلام عليكم

Do you think Islam is like a prison? Are prisons restricting? Is Islam restricting? Share your thoughts.


Watch more by The Brother Mustafa

Guest post from: Stuff white People do.

This is a guest post for swpd by Jillian C. York, who began her writing career after living in Morocco and publishing her first book, Culture Smart! Morocco: A Guide To Customs and Culture (Random House, 2006), shortly thereafter. Jillian describes herself as "a writer, activist, Internet censorship combatant, and blogger currently based in Boston. I work at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society on the OpenNet Initiative and Herdict, and blog all over the place, including for the Huffington Post. My personal blog resides here, and I tweet here."

Last week, a few days after the horrific events of Fort Hood, a Marine reservist in Florida mistook a visiting Greek Orthodox priest for a "terrorist" and beat him with a tire iron. The reservist (who was indeed white) made all sorts of wild claims -- that the priest yelled "Allahu Akbar," that he made a lewd hand gesture. . . claims that have been widely refuted.

What really happened is this: The Greek priest, Father Alexios Marakis, was visiting Florida for the purpose of blessing another priest. He got lost while driving, and pulled over to ask for help. He was dressed in a robe and did not speak English very well, so the Marine, Jasen Bruce (who is sticking to his story and refuses to apologize) got freaked out and beat the crap out of him.

Because he looked like a terrorist.
Which really means he looked Muslim.
Which really means he looked "Arab."
Which really means he looked different, and that scares white people.

I don't know exactly what it is about white Americans. . . I can say, from anecdotal personal experience, that Europeans and other white people traveling throughout the Middle East and North Africa often make silly orientalist comments, and I'm fully aware of the idiotic British BNP (and other European right-wing parties) that would happily rid Europe of all Muslims. However, there seems to be a special kind of ignorance amongst white Americans when it comes to Muslims and Arabs. It goes something like this:

1. They don't know the difference between "Muslim" and "Arab." Remember last year during one of McCain's town hall meetings when a middle-aged white woman objected to Obama by saying, "but he's-he's-an ARAB!"? It was obvious to many of us that what she really meant to object to was his religion -- after all, it was part of the zany right-wing public debate at the time -- but instead she just somehow got confused and cried "Arab." You know, because it doesn't really matter right? Which brings us to McCain's response . . . "No, he's not, ma'am, he's a DECENT family man." As if being an "Arab" disqualifies a man from being a decent family man. Which leads to:

2. They think "Muslim" and "good person" are mutually exclusive. McCain was quite aware that the woman meant to say "Muslim" and yet chose to defend Obama not just by saying "No, ma'am he's not," but also by feeling compelled to add "he's a decent family man." The implication? That one cannot be both an Arab (or Muslim, since that's what we all know the woman meant) and a good man. I often hear comments about how obesity is the last acceptable prejudice in this country, but I'd like to argue that Islamophobia is far more widespread and accepted. Can you imagine if white people blatantly still said such horrible things about Black people? It's completely unheard of in many parts of the United States for someone to say "nigger," but "sandnigger"? In many places in this country, that's totally okay.

3. They don't realize that most Muslims aren't Arab. Going back to point #1, the imagery of what it means to be Muslim in the United States is so tied in with our images of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf (not even the Arab world on the whole!) that even on progressive blogs, you will often see people refer in blanket terms to Muslim women's dress as "the burqa." What they don't seem to realize is that the countries with the largest Muslim population are all in Asia (where, mind you, women don't even wear the burqa), and not Arab at all!

4. They mistake non-Muslims and non-Arabs for Muslims and Arabs. In the years since 9/11 (though before as well), many groups have become collateral damage in racist attacks against Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. Iranians, Greeks, Sikhs, Hindus, and sometimes, anyone with a beard seems to be a target. 6 years ago, a Hindu wasmistaken for a Muslim in Boston and beaten. . .and just last week, as noted above, it happened to a Greek priest.

5. They think "Middle Eastern" is a race. Except on the census. While the region also known as the Middle East and North Africa is often referred to as "the Arab world," the latter is somewhat of a misnomer and more accurately refers to a shared language (kind of like the way Latino is often used). From Morocco to Saudi Arabia, there are Arabs, but there are also Amazigh (Berbers), Moors, Bedouins, and plenty of other native groups that prefer not to be referred to as "Arab." But when they come to the United States, it doesn't matter anyway, as they're expected to check the "White" box. . . imagine arriving from Mauritania, on the continent of Africa, and being told you can't check the "African-American" box. True story.

6. They assume that all Arabs are Muslim. I love this one. . . It never ceases to amaze me the blanket statements made about "that part of the world," and "their practices." Nevermind the native Coptic, Maronite, and Orthodox Christian populations, the converts, the Jews, the Druze, the Zoroastrians, the Baha'i. And if on the off chance you do meet someone who is aware of those other populations, they're still likely to try to convince you that they're those populations are all oppressed by the Muslims, anyway. Which brings me to my last and most important point. . .

7. They pretend it's not racism. So, Islam is not a race, and to many, "Arab" isn't either... It doesn't matter: there is plenty of evidence of racism against all of the aforementioned groups. In fact, there's significant evidence to suggest that systematic racism is practiced against Muslims and those with Muslim or Arab-sounding names (regardless of actual faith) in a number of places. This BBC article discusses the racist practice of not hiring Arabs and Muslims based on name alone (in France). Though I'm not aware of any study, I've seen the same happen in the U.S. And the exclusion of North Africans from being qualified as "African-American" on the census and on scholarship applications (again, they're supposed to check the "white" box) means they're doubly discriminated against: Not really white, but not non-white enough to benefit from certain programs.

And that's only the beginning -- as we saw in a video Macon posted last week, Muslims (especially Muslim women who wear hijab) are often assumed not to be American, even when they were born here. Arabs are pulled to the side for "random checks" nearly every time they fly. And more often than not, when an Arab or Muslim does commit a crime, the entire Arab and Muslim communities are expected to speak out against it (ask yourself: would we expect the same every time a Christian or white person committed a crime?).

Here's a thought: Perhaps if people, and the media, made more of an effort to know the difference between a Muslim, an Arab, a Persian, a Hindu. . . or better yet, a Moroccan, a Syrian, a Saudi, a Kuwaiti. . . Perhaps if everyone made more of an effort to see people as unique peoples from particular countries and cultures, or better yet -- as individuals! -- they would be less likely to commit atrocious acts against them based on assumptions. Perhaps they would be less likely to expect Muslims as a group to speak for one individual Muslim, and perhaps they'd be more likely to understand that an entire mass of 325 million people who just happen to share a common language most certainly do not share a common perspective.