By  Abdelrahman Rashdan

Staff Writer — IslamOnline.net

     By: Al AMANA Voice staff reporter

Pompano Beach, Fla.: Israeli massive onslaught on the heavily populated Gaza strip is causing strong criticism and condemnation across the world as well as solidarity with the victim of the attacks. On Dec. 28, Muslims of South Florida gathered in Pompano Beach Masjid to pray the “Janaza bil Ghaib” [Funeral Prayer in the absence of the dead body] for those who died in ongoing Israeli raids on Gaza strip.

Continue reading ‘Muslims in South Florida Gather to Show Solidarity With the Victims in Gaza’

Palestinian women and children flee an area hit by an Israeli air strike [GALLO/GETTY]

As the death toll from Israel’s aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues to climb, Al Jazeera asked Gazans to describe the situation where they are and to explain how the offensive is affecting them. Continue reading ‘Gazans: ‘We are living a nightmare’’

Israel’s ongoing onslaught on the sealed off Gaza Strip, marketed to the world as a response to Palestinian rocket-firing, has been planned six months ago and is Israel’s version of America’s “shock and awe” campaign against Iraq, Haaretz reported on Sunday, December 28.

Continue reading ‘Israel’s Shock & Awe Planned 6 Months’

Obama urged to speak ‘in favor of peace and justice for all parties’

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/27/08) – A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today condemned Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip that left more than 200 people dead and called the death toll a “massacre carried out using U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons.” More than 700 people, including women and children, were injured in the attacks.
SEE: Israeli Strikes Kill 229 in Gaza (Reuters)
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement:
“Despite the public ‘green light’ given to the Israeli military by the Bush administration, American Muslims join our fellow citizens who respect international law and the sanctity of human life in repudiating this massacre carried out using U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons.
“It must be clear by now that the only future offered to the Palestinian people by the outgoing administration was one of perpetual subjugation and humiliation at the hands of the Israeli occupiers. Unfortunately, our nation’s timid response to this tragic episode will only serve to fuel anti-American sentiments in the Muslim world.
“We therefore call on President-elect Obama to demonstrate his commitment to change our nation’s current one-sided Mideast policy by speaking out now in favor of peace and justice for all parties to this decades-long conflict.
“We also call on world leaders to take direct action to end Israel’s counterproductive and wildly disproportionate attacks and to end the humanitarian siege of Gaza, which led to the recent breakdown of the ceasefire.”
CAIR noted that the European Union (EU), Russia, the UN Secretary-General, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and other international bodies are all urging Israel to end it attacks.
Middle East envoy Tony Blair deplored the “tragic of loss of life,” while French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned Israel’s “disproportionate use of force.”
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the Israeli attacks were “inflicting an unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians and will only worsen the humanitarian crisis as well as complicate the search for a peaceful solution.”
CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

(Washington, DC – 12/27/08) — The Muslim Public Affairs Council today called on the Bush Administration to apply immediate diplomatic pressure to end Israel’s assault on Gaza, and urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to make a statement against violence aimed at the Palestinians.  More than 225 people were killed and 700 were injured Saturday in a crushing onslaught of Israeli airstrikes, which is the highest one-day toll in an Israeli military operation against Palestinians in decades. The casualties included at least a dozen civilians.
 
SEE: “Israeli Gaza Strike Kills More Than 200″ (New York Times)
 
Israel’s latest military assault is a disproportionate and inhumane response to Palestinian militants’ cross-border rocket attacks against Israel, which recalls its devastating and widely condemned military assault on Lebanon just two years ago. The U.S. must act swiftly and decisively to prevent an Israeli massacre of Palestinians, since Israeli officials have said the military strikes could continue for days or months, and could include ground forces.

Continue reading ‘MPAC CALLS ON ADMINISTRATION TO ORDER HALT TO ISRAELI ATTACKS’

With mosques sprouting and Islamic schools becoming a common scene in the multi-ethnic country, Bosnia is undergoing an Islamic revival, thirteen years after a devastating civil war.

Continue reading ‘Bosnia’s Islamic Revival’

Al AMANA Voice staff reporter, Thursday Dec. 25, 2008

After numerous attacks and mocking in the Western press, the insult against Muslims and Islam is spreading around the globe. The notion promoted by the so called Western countries such as Denmark and Holland and others, that Muslims could be continuously insulted with no hesitation or remorse is now learned by the Chinese government as well. Eastern Turkistan Information Center (ETIC) released the information about blasphemous movie made by the Cheese government and their protest about it. The Uyghurs call upon the Muslims of the world to join them in their condemnation of this shameless act of the Chinese government.
The Chinese government recently made a movie in which an Arab ambassador brought the picture stating that on it is a prophet Mohamed (peace and blessing upon him) and presented to the Chinese king as a gift while he answers: “Muhammad is talented person because he created your Islamic religion and united the Arab.“  The name of the movie is “Tang Dynasty.” It was made by Chinese central government state television. It is well know fact that Muslims consider highest blasphemy to claim that any painting or picture is one of the Prophet. The Uyghurs believe that Chinese government is aware of this, yet it chose to insult Muslims.
This movie cause anger among Muslim Uyghurs, but it is impossible for them to upraise under the heavy Chinese oppression. They have published the movie on the YouTube to raise public awareness. Their statement reads: “We invite all the people of consciousness to raise their voice and demand from Chinese government to stop publication of the movie and to allow religious freedom for Uyghur and other people under their rule.”
The link for the mentioned film sequence is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dyUEZmVFQE

By Frank Stoltze
KPCC 89.3 FM

Frank Stoltze: More than a thousand Muslims packed the Long Beach convention hall for the annual banquet of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Executive Director Salam Al-Maryati says he invited Warren to speak because he’s a new kind of evangelical Christian.
Salam Al-Maryati: People like Rick Warren represent a change in the paradigm from one of confrontation to one of accommodation and cooperation between Christians and Muslims.
Stoltze: Sajid Veera of Redondo Beach, Raudina Edaih-Tally of Irvine, and Faheed Ahmad of the San Fernando Valley said the pastor impressed them.
Sajid Veera: It was eye opening. The similarities between what he believes and what his faith is, and what Islam teaches us. It’s the same coin with two different sides.
Raudina Edaih-Tally: I’d always heard of Rick Warren, but today, I have more respect for the man.
Faheed Ahmad: I mean, I must admit, I had some preconceived notions. Just in my head, I was like, ‘oh, here’s another bigot.’
Stoltze: So he changed your mind?
Ahmad: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

Continue reading ‘REV. RICK WARREN ADDRESSES – DECLARES HIS LOVE FOR MUSLIMS’

By  Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent

BAGHDAD — In new Iraq, many children do not go to school or play in the streets but rather hid in corners to take drugs or even worse sell them.

Continue reading ‘Iraq’s Children Drug Addicts, Dealers’