Anti-Muslim Terrorist Sent to Prison
Tampa, Fl: The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) confirmed that a terrorist convicted of plotting to bomb some 50 Islamic institutions in that state was given the maximum sentence of 12½ years by a Tampa judge. Robert Goldstein, 38, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to violate civil rights, attempting to damage religious property and possession of bombs. Goldstein, who is Jewish, said he wanted to retaliate against Arabs and Muslims for the 9/11 terror attacks. His ex-wife was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing explosives.
“Florida’s Muslim community is pleased to see this disturbing episode come to an end,” said CAIR-FL Executive Director, Altaf Ali. “We have been assured by the Assistant U.S. Attorney that all suspects in this plot are now behind bars.” Ali urged Florida Muslims to go about their normal routines, but also cautioned the community to not let down its guard. He said that in recent months, his group has received several complaints of harassment and discrimi-nation against Florida Muslims. “We commend the members of Florida’s law enforcement community for their professional work in averting what could have been a deadly attack. We also thank the judge in this case for handing Goldstein the maximum sentence allowed under the law,” said CAIR-FL communications Director, Ahmed Bedier.
CAIR is America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil and religious rights of all Americans.
(E-mail:
cair@cair-net.org)
Top
Dutch Professor Confirms
Healing Effect Of "Allah"
A psychologist from Netherlands, Professor Van der Hoven announced his discovery about the effect of reading the Quran and repeating the word “Allah,” both on patients and on normal persons. The Dutch professor confirms his discovery with studies and research applied on many patients over a period of three years. Some of his patients were non-Muslims, others do not speak Arabic and were trained to pronounce the word “Allah.” Clearly, the result was great, particularly on those who suffer from dejection and tension. Al Watan, a Saudi Daily reported that the psychologist was quoted to say that Muslims who can read Arabic and who read the Quran regularly can protect themselves from psychological diseases.
The psychologist explained how each letter in the word “ Allah” affects healing of psychological diseases. He pointed out in his research that pronouncing the first letter in the word “Allah’ which is the letter “A” released from the respiratory system, controls breathing. He added that pronouncing the velar consonant (L) in the Arabic way, with the tongue touching slightly the upper part of the jaw producing a short pause and then repeating the same pause constantly relaxes the aspiration. Also, pronouncing the last letter, which is the letter (H) makes a contact between the lungs and the heart and in turn this controls the heartbeat.
What is exciting in the study is that this psychologist is a non-Muslim, but interested in Islamic sciences and searching for the secrets of the Holy Quran. Allah, the Great and Glorious says: “ We will show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this Quran is the truth.” (Holy Quran-42:53).
(Contributed by
Phiroz A.Poonawalla
dr_phirozp@hotmail.com)
Top
Rome Mosque Removes Imam over Khutba
Rome: The main mosque in Rome suspended its imam after he delivered a sermon praising Palestinian fighters and calling for the destruction of Islam’s enemies recently.
The decision by the mosque’s administrators to remove Abdel-Samie Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa capped a week of debate about the sermon, delivered during Friday prayers and published, in part, by the Rome daily La Repubblica a day later. “Allah, let the Islamic fighters in Palestine, Chechnya and elsewhere be triumphant!’’ La Repubblica quoted Moussa as saying in Arabic ``Allah, destroy the houses of the enemies of Islam! Allah, help us crush the enemies of Islam! Allah ensure the victory of the nation of Islam!’’ the imam said in quotes that were confirmed by Mario Scialoja, head of the World Muslim League in Italy, which is affiliated with the mosque.
Italy’s interior minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, expressed outrage at the imam’s call, saying Italy’s mosques “must be completely free of preachers of violence, recruiters for holy war and agents of foreign interests in Italy. Moussa, 32, is an Egyptian and was named to head Rome’s main mosque five months ago by Cairo’s Al-Azhar university.
Top
69 Per Cent of Child Beggars are Saudi
By Mahmoud Ahmad
Riyadh: A survey reveals that 69 per cent of child beggars in Riyadh are Saudis. But it also shows that 68 per cent of child street vendors are foreigners. 56.6 per cent of child beggars are girls. The study was conducted by Dr. Abdullah Al-Yousif of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University of Riyadh, according to reports in Al-Watan.
It found that 88 per cent of the mothers of begging children are illiterate, while nine per cent did not go beyond elementary education.
Sixty per-cent of the children’s fathers are married to another woman, while 50 per cent of fathers are unemployed, 62 per-cent are illiterate and 34 per-cent did not go further than elementary school, the survey found.
The study also showed 90 per cent of families with children who beg, live in public housing. None of the fathers cared about their children’s education. Dr. Al-Yousif in the study said the children’s age ranged between six and eight years. The majority of the beggars are Saudis, a majority among them girls who beg with their mothers.
The researcher warned that young beggars were at risk of turning to crime if their plight and that of their families were not addressed.
Physical handicap as a result of polio or partial paralysis is the most common excuse used by beggars. Punishment of expatriate beggars included fines and deportation to their respective countries. Saudi beggars were handed over to charity organisations and social insurance offices. Beggars from various poor countries come to the Kingdom particularly in the holy month of Ramadan in the guise of pilgrims.
Top
Resurgence Of Islam In Mont-Negro
By Malika Mistry
Mont-Negro: On 19th May, 2003, at Drexell university, Philadelphia, a reception was held for women leaders from Mont-Negro and Serbia. There was a young Muslim woman leader in this delegation. She enlightened the audience on the situation of Muslims in Mont-Negro. Mont-Negro has a population of 6,50,000. Of these, 13 per cent are Muslims who are of Albanian origin. Muslims were free even during the Communist regime, but because of the communist culture they were not practising Islam. Since the collapse of communism, there has been resurgence of Islam in Mont-Negro. A number of mosques are found in small villages and in the capital city of Podorica, there is a big mosque. Saudi Arabia has been extending help to set up Islamic educational institutions here.
Top
BBC Incites Attacts Against Muslims
London: Muslim leaders have accused the BBC of violating its responsibilities as a public service broadcaster by screening a programme that has already provoked attacks against Muslims, reports The Muslim News. Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) told The Muslim News that he was “extremely worried” that an episode of ‘Spooks,’ a fictional drama supposedly based upon factual events, will bring about acts of violence against the Muslim community, incite hatred, endanger lives and tarnish the image of mosques. Following the initial screening of the programme on BBC 3 digital channel last month, a Muslim university student in Birmingham, where the episode is set, has already been beaten up by two white youngsters saying that “you have been spooked.” The Central Mosque in the city has also been daubed with such graffiti slogans as ‘Kill suicide bombers’ and ‘there is a suicide bomber in the mosque.’
Chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, Mohammed Naseem, told The Muslim News that the programme would be “counter-productive as it will scare non-Muslims and malign Muslims. “This is not what happens in mosques, on the contrary, we are having dialogue with non-Muslims. The programme does not show positive aspects of the mosque. The mosque is for prayers and not violence,” he said.
Secretary of MCB’s Media Committee, Inayat Bunglawala, said that there had been many complaints from British Muslims about the broadcast, which depicts an Imam at a Birmingham mosque inducing a young boy to carry out a suicide bombing at a London school. The episode also shows the torture by Muslims students of an MI5 infiltrator at the mosque after his cover was blown. “This is a distortion of reality and can only serve to further demonise the mainstream Muslim community,” Bunglawala said in a letter to BBC One controller, Lorraine Heggessey in an attempt to prevent the programme which is screened to a wider audience on the BBC’s main terrestrial channel.
Top
Documentary on Disabled Kids
Dubai: The Will, a social awareness documentary film, was screened at the Dubai Press Club recently as part of the official launching of Dessart Production, a newly established production house. The six minute film, is the first in a series of social awareness short films to be produced by Dessart Productions. The documentary is about the Al Noor Centre and showcases the talents of mentally and physically disabled children and highlights the positive abilities of these children. The Al Noor Centre provides care and education for children according to their abilities. Nayla Al Khaja, producer of The Will, is the first UAE national woman to produce a documentary supported by Intilaq project, a small and medium enterprises development programme sponsored by the Dubai Department of Economic Development. The documentary aims to raise awareness and provoke discussion about the issues involved. Its producers hope to screen the film on local television and raise support for necessary facilities for disabled children.
Top
Jeddah Festival Opens Amid Fanfare
Jeddah Festival OpensJeddah: Amid traffic jams and a huge crowd of spectators eagerly waiting for the ceremonial fireworks, “Jeddah 24” - the city’s annual summer festival was inaugurated last week under the auspices of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
There was all-round enthusiasm as the festival began and fireworks followed. Some 200 events of entertainment and sports have been lined up during the month-long festival.
Most of these events will start from July 1.”We would like to stay put to see as many events as possible. My children are already excited about most of them,” said Muhammad Ahmad Mufti, a downtown businessman who runs an outlet for electronics goods. “My children’s first choice is the circus.”
A long-time resident of the city welcomed the festival, but wondered whether some of the roads would take the increased flow of traffic generated by people coming from other parts of the Kingdom. The festival this time has many more events than last year’s 109 and so they will be a big attraction for families who otherwise would have traveled to places elsewhere in the Kingdom, according to a senior executive of ARA Media Services, which is organising the festival in cooperation with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The festival is expected to account for a tremendous boost to Jeddah’s image as a tourist destination in addition to its status as the gateway to the two holy cities.
Top
Mobile Billboards in Arab Nations
Billborads on RunDubai: Today, you do not follow advertisements, but advertisements follow you. On wheels. They are so numerous that they are getting up front, close and personal. The new player in the world of creativity is the scrolling billboard which is placed atop small vans. This concept which originated in France in 1992 has taken the UAE by storm.
Khaled A.R. Chehab-ededdine, general manager of Roly-Pub Emirate, was the first among four players to bring the concept to this part of the world. He said that mobile publicity is already catching up in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Bahrain. “Unlike the static billboards we can choose the flexibility of moving to different locations. People are curious to know and see what is scrolling. For example we look at the stars at night, but our eyes follow the shooting star. There is an immediate impact.
“This is exactly the effect and impact that scrolling billboards achieve. It is this impact on the masses that led Dubai Police to run their public awareness campaigns on drugs and road safety on the scrolling advertisements,” he said.
Home 
