Thursday 24 July 2014

Understanding the Jews (Part Fourth)

The Jews considered themselves as the God’s favorite nation. They believed that the last Prophet of God will rise among them. When the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was chosen the last and final prophet and the Messenger of God, from among the Ishmaels, they were jealous. They, eventually, tried to poison the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Thus, Muslims in Madina (Muhammad’s city) drove them away from it: Later from Khyber city. Therefore they took shelter in Palestine. After, during Omer’s (second Khalifah) rule, Palestine and Jerusalem was also conquered by Muslims. Omer himself cleaned the place of the Temple of Solomon, which was used as a garbage pit by the Christians. He allowed them to enter Palestine and visit their holy places.

During the Muslim rule over Palestine, Muslims, Jews, and the Christians were free to pilgrim their holy places in Palestine. But in 11th Century AD, Christians attacked Jerusalem. This was the first Crusade. They throw the Jews out of Palestine. Later, Salahuddin Ayoubi allowed them again to enter Palestine (after he won the last crusade war.)

The Jews had no nation of their own, ruled and managed by them, from 578 BC to 1948 AD. In 1897, Theodor Herzl founded the Zionist Movement. S Its aim is to establish the Jews rule.

In 1918, Balfour Declaration gave Britain’s support for the Israel, the nation of the Zionists.  A movement was launched to collect all the Jews throughout the world in the Israel. Holocaust was one of the tactics to impress upon the Jews that they were safe only in the nation of Israel.

In 1948, Israel state is established. This started the conflict between Arabs and the Israel.
In 2000, Pope John Paul pardoned (officially declared the Jews innocent) the Jews for the crucifixion of the Jesus.

The Zionists are planning the reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon by destroying the Mosque of Al Aqsa. Then they want to establish the Greater Israel (search Google for the maps). It includes many Arab states like Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Madina, etc.


(Theodor Herzl, helped by the British Jewish Rothschild family, met Sultan Abdul Hameed for the Purpose. The request was in the form of establishment of Jewish settlements in any part of Palestine and , if the government wished, building houses for Muslims in the very same settlements. In turn, the Jews would facilitate the payments of the Ottoman state’s loans, pay up to build the Ottoman Navy, and 35 million Liras for the prosperity of the Ottoman state. The Sultan declined to accept the offer saying, “My forefathers won the land of Palestine, I’ll not sell it for money.” He is hated ever since by the Jews and the ruling class of many Muslim countries for saying, “Let the Jews keep their millions.” He predicted: “The day Khalifah is abolished, they can have Palestine without paying anything for it.”  )

                                                                     by Sameer Ahmad (Please Comment below:)

Sources:
                            Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com)
                            Mesaaq Magazine (http://www.tanzeem.info)
                            King James version of the holy Bible
                            Google searches 
                 Youngmuslimdigest.com




Wednesday 23 July 2014

The War on Gaza and the Cycle of Impunity | The Nation

As we go to press, Israel’s third assault on Gaza in five years continues into its second week, with no end in sight. So far the Israeli military has killed nearly 200 Palestinians—some 80 percent of them civilians, according to the United Nations—and wounded more than 1,300. Israeli officials boast of their precision targeting, but the high civilian casualty rate, stemming from deliberate attacks on homes as well as a hospital, school, cafe, a rehab center for the disabled, mosques and other nonmilitary infrastructure, calls to mind the conclusion of Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy, who wrote, “The goal of Operation Protective Edge is to restore the calm; the means: killing civilians. The slogan of the Mafia has become official Israeli policy.”

Click here.........

On Israel-Palestine and BDS | The Nation

The misery caused by Israel’s actions in the occupied territories has elicited serious concern among at least some Israelis. One of the most outspoken, for many years, has been Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz, who writes that “Israel should be condemned and punished for creating insufferable life under occupation, [and] for the fact that a country that claims to be among the enlightened nations continues abusing an entire people, day and night.”
He is surely correct, and we should add something more: the United States should also be condemned and punished for providing the decisive military, economic, diplomatic and even ideological support for these crimes. So long as it continues to do so, there is little reason to expect Israel to relent in its brutal policies.
The distinguished Israeli scholar Zeev Sternhell, reviewing the reactionary nationalist tide in his country, writes that “the occupation will continue, land will be confiscated from its owners to expand the settlements, the Jordan Valley will be cleansed of Arabs, Arab Jerusalem will be strangled by Jewish neighborhoods, and any act of robbery and foolishness that serves Jewish expansion in the city will be welcomed by the High Court of Justice. The road to South Africa has been paved and will not be blocked until the Western world presents Israel with an unequivocal choice: Stop the annexation and dismantle most of the colonies and the settler state, or be an outcast.” 
Click here ......

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Understanding the Jews (Part Third)

(Note: Please read first two parts.)

Jesus’ mother, Mary, lived in Nazareth, lies in the Northern region of Palestine.

Jesus teachings were only for the Bani Israel. So, Jesus started calling people to God’s commandments (which contradicted their wishes). They despised it. They were such deep in their vices that when they killed Zacharias (Zakariyyah) and John (Yahya), there was not even a single soul to raise his voice against the crimes. There scholars had plunged far in the materialistic life. Obviously Jesus campaigned against them. They, thus, became his enemies.

They filled ears of the Romans that Jesus claims kingship and deceives the people. Fearing resentment by the people, the governor of the time, Pilate, ordered for the crucifixion of the Jesus. But God took Jesus up into the heavens.

From this day the Jesus’ followers consider the Jews their enemy because they held them responsible for his crucifixion. (This is the first period when no prophet lived on the earth.)
In 70 AD, the Jews defied against the Roman kingdom. Titus, the Roman king at the time, crushed tem violently and destroyed the Temple of the Solomon completely. Some two hundred fifty thousand Jews were killed. And those who escaped safe took shelter in the other lands.


This is the beginning of the worst period of the Jews. On the one hand, Roman emperor Constantinople accepted Christianity and thus had no compassion for the Jews.  On the other, their important religious places were destroyed completely. According to the Historians, today only the western wall of the Temple of the Solomon is intact. This is the ‘Wailing Wall’.


Sources:
11)      Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com)
22)      Mesaaq Magazine (http://www.tanzeem.info)
33)      King James version of the holy Bible
44)      Google searches
                                                   

                                                                                to be completed............
                                                                             by Sameer Ahmad

Saturday 19 July 2014

Understand the Jews (Part Two)

(Note: Please read the part one first.)

Solomon died in 922 BC. Thus the nation broke into two kingdoms ruled by Solomon’s two sons – Northern and Southern kingdoms. Northern kingdom is known as Israel (according to Bible) and Southern kingdom as the Jews (Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son, according to Bible).(Yah’ood according to the holy Quran.)

In the 7th century BC, Geshurites destroyed Israel. In 587 BC Bakht Nassar (Nebuchadnezzar) destroyed the remaining Reuben nation. He destroyed even Bayt al Muqaddis (Jerusalem) and the Temple of Solomon. Thus the Torah was lost. He killed six hundred thousand Jews. Took more than the killed number to Iraq, where they spent almost hundred years in captivity. Rest of the Jews took asylum in other parts of the world including India and Afghanistan. This period is called Diaspora.

Somehow in the same period, the people of Iraq got attracted towards the Bani Israel’s religion and accepted it in large numbers. As the Moses’ teachings were only for Bani Israel, so the new religion was called Judaism.
When Iranian king Cyrus conquered Iraq he allowed the Jews to enter Palestine. Prophet 

Ezra (Hazrat Aziz) came to Jerusalem with one group. He lived there. Eighty years after Nebuchadnezzar’s attack, the Temple of Solomon was reconstructed. Torah was rewritten from memory.


Prophet Jesus was born when the Palestine was ruled by Romans. This is the period when the Jews were worst creatures – they indulged in all kinds of vices and crimes.

                                                                             to be continued..........
                                                                                              by Sameer Ahmad

Friday 18 July 2014

Understand the Jews (Part One)


Prophet Abraham is the Father of Prophets. All prophets descended from his children. He lived in Babylon (Iraq). From his three wives came three descendants. From Hajrah’s (Hagar) son Ismail is our beloved prophet Muhammad (PBUH). From Qutoorah is prophet ShuÊ¿ayb who was sent as prophet to Midian (Madyan). And from Sarah’s son is Prophet Isaac. 

Prophet Isaac settled in Palestine where he had two sons – Esau and Jacob (Yaqu’b). Prophet Jacob’s descendants are called Bani Israel. He constructed Bayt al Muqqadis (Jerusalem). Jacob had twelve sons who formed twelve tribes of Bani Israel. When his son Prophet Yusuf ascended the throne of Egypt, Jacob with his other sons came to Egypt. Bani Israel prospered and progressed during their stay in Egypt. Moses (Musa) was born here. Egypt was ruled then by Coptic whose king was Pharaoh. Israel was completely under their captivity. Moses' one mission was to free Bani Israel from the bondage. When Pharaoh heard that Bani Israel are migrating from Egypt under Moses, he chased them. He was, ultimately, drowned into a river.

 Then Bani Israel descended into the Valley of Sinai. There on Mount Tur Moses was given the Ten Commandments. In Sinai Allah blessed them with Manna and Salas: shaded them with a cloud: gave twelve springs for each of twelve tribes. But when they were ordered to fight a holy war in Palestine they defied the order. As a sentence they wandered in the Valley for forty years. Moses and Aaron (Harun) died during the period. When new generation became mature they under the leadership of Yehoshua bin Nun attacked Palestine and capture. They ascended the throne. 

But, they instead of one government formed twelve regional governments. They fought with each other which gave a chance to other rulers to capture their territories. Aamalaqah’s invaded them: killed them unaccounted: destroyed their properties. They took with them the Ark of Covenant (it is a trunk that preserved the Moses’ stick, a utensil used for Manna and Salas, etc.)

 To recapture and make good their loses they called upon the Prophet Samuel. He appointed  Tala’at ruler over them. Under his command they captured Palestine back, got the Ark of Covenant. They killed Jal'ut, the ruler of Palestine. He was killed by Prophet Daud (David). Tala'ut made David his son-in-law.

 Solomon became the next ruler. He was David's son. Solomon laid the foundation of Bayt al Muqqadis. To preserve the Ark of Covenant he built the first Temple of Solomon. During his reign people learned devil magic. 

                                                                                                                                 To be Continued................
                                                                                                                                                                by Sameer Ahmad

Monday 16 June 2014

Compare

They spent money for Islam;
We make money from Islam.
They brought others into the Ummah;
We send Muslims out of the Ummah.
Their leaders were the best of them;
Our leaders are the worst of us.
They measured Net Worth in character;
We measure Net Worth in money.
They were known for their courage;
We are known for our cowardice.
They stood up to kings for the sake of Allah;
We stand up to Allah for the sake of kings.
They honored their teachers;
We abuse our teachers.
They competed in obedience;
We compete in disobedience.
The Malaika knew them;
The Shayateen know us.
The Malaika recognized their voices raised in praising Allah and dua;
The Shayateen recognize our voices raised in Rap and Beat Boxing.
Their criterion for the Dunya was Islam;
Our criterion for Islam is the Dunya.
They were proud of their Islam;
We are ashamed of our Islam.
Following Islam honored them;
Leaving Islam dishonored us.
They showed the way to the world;
We don’t even know that we are lost.
They were the Sahaba of Rasoolullah (SAS);
We are those about whom Rasoolullah (SAS) will complain.

(May Allah save us from that!

Friday 23 May 2014

A Rule - don't be lazy

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Upon arriving here, I was immediately handed what is known as an 'Inmate Handbook' - basically, fifty pages or so of prison rules. One such rule reads as follows: "Beds will be tightly made, wrinkle-free, and neat with sheets folded approximately 16" from the head (military style). The extra blanket will be neatly folded and placed at the foot of the bed. All beds will be made and inspection-ready by 7:30 am."
When I read this, I was reminded of a particular aspect of the attitude of the Salaf. Laziness is defined as "an aversion or disinclination to work, activity, or exertion," and it is a trait that they utterly detested:
* 'Umar bin al-Khattab said: "I hate to see a man walking around aimlessly, doing nothing useful."
* And Ibn Mas'ud said: "I hate a man who I see idle, not occupied with work for either this life or the next."
Allah's Messenger himself (peace be upon him) would begin each day with a supplication to Allah which included "...and I seek Your protection from laziness..." In fact, laziness is so antithetical to the Sunnah that not once in his life did he even yawn, as Ibn Hajar noted: "And from the Prophet's unique traits is what was collected by Ibn Abi Shaybah and al-Bukhari in his 'Tarikh,' from the mursal of Yazid bin al-Asamm: "The Prophet never once yawned.""
So, although it's a prison rule, it's a good one. Years of living in close quarters with others has confirmed to me that the earlier you wake up and start your day, the less lazy you will appear throughout your day. When 'Umar arrived in Sham and saw that Mu'awiyah had become sluggish and slow, this is why the very first question he asked him was: "What is this, Mu'awiyah? Do you sleep during the duha (late morning)?" Indeed, an analysis of the attitude of the Salaf reveals that they looked down upon the habit of sleeping too much, particularly during the early part of the day:
* Sakhr al-Ghamidi related that Allah's Messenger said: "O Allah, bless my nation in its early-risers," and that when he would send out an expedition or army, he would send it out at the very start of the day. Sakhr himself was a merchant, and he would do business at the very start of the day. As a result, he became abnormally wealthy.
* 'Ali bin Abi Talib said: "Sleeping early in the day is a symptom of ignorance."
* Both al-Bukhari and Muslim record that a group of men came to visit Ibn Mas'ud one morning after the Fajr prayer. They hesitated to enter despite having been granted permission to enter his home. When he asked them why they hesitated to enter, they explained that they were afraid that his wife would be asleep in the home at this time. Ibn Mas'ud responded: "Do you think that my family would be so careless?" (Commenting on this, Ibn Muflih al-Hambali said: "One thing to take from this is that this is a time that shouldn't be neglected, and sleeping at such a time is discouraged.")
* Ibn 'Abbas saw one of his sons asleep during the duha time. He told him: "Get up! Do you sleep during the time that our provisions are apportioned for us?"
* One of the Tabi'un said: "The Earth cries out in anguish when a scholar sleeps after the Fajr prayer."
* The previous Prophets held the same attitude, as Prophet Dawud said to Sulayman: "Beware of too much sleep, as it will leave you poor while others are working."
* And 'Isa bin Maryam said: "There are two traits which I detest: i) sleeping during the day, particularly when one has not been kept up at night, and ii) laughing out loud except when due to amazement."
* And a poet said: "Indeed, sleeping during the late morning afflicts a man with confusion * And sleeping in the late afternoon is insanity."
Ibn Muflih commented on all of this, saying: "So, sleeping during the day is very harmful to your body, because it drains it of its energy and ruins your muscles, which need to be loosened up through physical activity."
I was moved to this prison (Marion CMU) a few months ago (from the CMU in Terre Haute). Prison moves are often sudden, with no forewarning. At 5 am one morning, a guard unlocks my cell door, walks in, and tells me that I'm going to be transferred to another prison, and have less than an hour to pack up my belongings. Realizing that I'd likely never see many of the brothers here again, I walk out into the pitch-black corridors of the CMU to stop at each cell and give my salams. This is a time when most people are asleep. However, at a number of the cells, I see that the lights are on inside. As I slowly approach each of the lit cells, I hear the soft hum of Qur'an being recited, and out of the corner of my eye, I see that each of these brothers is engrossed in Qiyam al-Layl:
* Allah's Messenger said: "Know that a believer's honor is manifested in his Qiyam al-Layl."
* And he said: "The closest that a worshipper is to Allah is in the second portion of the night. So, if you can be of those who remember Him at such an hour, do so."
* And he said: "Each night, when the final third of the night remains, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and says: 'I am the King! Who will call upon Me so that I may respond to him? Who will ask of Me so that I may give him? Who will ask My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?' And He remains like this until the time of fajr."
* And he said: "Stick to Qiyam al-Layl, as it was the habit of the righteous people before you. It brings you closer to Allah, it wipes out your sins, it dissuades you from sins, and it expels sickness from the body." (Commenting on this hadith, Ibn Rajab said: "One of the lessons of this hadith is that Qiyam al-Layl results in a healthy body, and cleanses it of disease.")
* And he said: "Ihsan (perfection) is to worship Allah as if you can see Him. Since you cannot see Him, know that He sees you."
With Qiyam al-Layl, there's no way to make a name for yourself before other people. There's nobody to show off to, locked inside a cell by yourself in the depths of the night in a prison in the middle of nowhere. There's no material gain whatsoever. Qiyam al-Layl is not even obligatory, and as al-Hasan al-Basri said, it's "the most difficult and intense" form of worship. What, then, would drive a man to voluntarily and happily crawl off of his concrete bunk in the middle of one of the coldest nights of one of the coldest winters, wash up with ice-cold tap water, and pray to One he cannot even see?
* Abu Sulayman ad-Darani said: "The people who make Qiyam at night enjoy their nights more than those who are busy with entertainment enjoy theirs. Were it not for the night, I wouldn't want to remain in this world."
* al-Fudayl bin 'Iyad said: "If you're unable to get up for Qiyam or fast during the day, know that you're deprived and shackled by your sins."
* One of the Salaf said: "For forty years, nothing made me sad except the rising of the Sun (i.e. the end of the time to perform Qiyam)."
They acknowledged Qiyam al-Layl to be extremely difficult, but their Iman turned it into a privilege. This way of thinking is completely alien to Western societies, which are rife with insincerity, selfishness, and materialism. But returning to the point of this article, ponder over this hadith:
* "When any of you goes to sleep, Shaytan ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing each knot by saying: 'You have a long night ahead of you, so sleep.' If he wakes up and mention Allah, one knot is loosened. If he then performs wudu', another knot is loosened. If he then prays, all of the knots are loosened, and in the morning, he will be energetic and in a good mood. Otherwise, he will spend the morning grumpy and lazy."
Commenting on this hadith, Ibn Hajar said: "What is clear is that Qiyam al-Layl contains a hidden secret in its effect of improving your mood." This pattern becomes evident when looking at the examples recorded in the books. They're too many to list, but consider:
* 'A'ishah once described that at night, "Allah's Messenger would never miss Qiyam al-Layl. If he was sick or exhausted, he would pray it while sitting." Not only did this not tire him during the day, but as already mentioned, the effect it had was such that he never once yawned, and even had the energy to go out for battle in the earliest possible part of the day.
* Ibrahim bin Shammas said: "I knew Ahmad bin Hambal as a young boy, and he would stay up all night praying." And it was exactly this stage in his life regarding which al-Imam Ahmad himself described how early he'd start his day: "I would want to go out early to hear Hadith. So, my mother would grab my clothes and say: "At least wait for the Fajr prayer to be called and the people to wake up!""
[Point: It's part of the Sunnah to take a short mid-day nap (qaylulah) between the Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers. This is one way al-Imam Ahmad was able to get up for Qiyam, as his son 'Abdullah described: "My father would take a short mid-day nap, whether it was winter or summer. He wouldn't miss it, and would encourage me to do the same, citing the statement of 'Umar bin al-Khattab: "Take a qaylulah, because the devils do not."" There are narrations of Anas, Ibn 'Abbas, and others which also encourage this. Another habit which facilitates getting up for Qiyam is avoid sleeping before the 'Isha' prayer or staying up talking after it, due to the hadith stating that "the Prophet used to hate sleeping before 'Isha' and staying up to talk after it."
It's also worth mentioning that Qiyam al-Layl doesn't necessarily mean that one must stay up the entire night, or for any specified time. Rather, something as simple as waking up a half hour before dawn to pray two rak'at would qualify as night prayer.]
And from all the brothers I've lived with, it's the few who were constant in their Qiyam al-Layl who I observed to be focused, making the best use of their time, rarely (if ever) yawning, choosing their words carefully, having few material possessions (even by prison standards), and whose minds were occupied only with the loftiest of matters.
It was simple traits like these which allowed the Mujahidun of the past to alter the course of history. In 'al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah,' Ibn Kathir ends his section on the Battle of Yarmuk by describing the moment that the humiliated remnants of the Roman army arrived back at Antioch to report to their emperor, Heraclius, the details of how they'd been shattered by the army of Khalid bin al-Walid. Heraclius said: "Woe to you! Tell me about these people who fight you. Aren't they human beings like you?"
They replied: "Yes."
Heraclius asked: "Are you greater in number, or they?"
They replied: "Rather, we outnumber them many times over in every battle."
Heraclius then asked: "Why, then, do they defeat you?"
So, one of their elite stepped forth and explained: "Because they get up at night to pray, fast during the day, fulfill their promises, enjoin what is good, discourage what is bad, and are fair to each other, while we drink alcohol, fornicate, indulge in what is forbidden, break our agreements, violate and oppress others, encourage what angers God, discourage what pleases Him, and spread corruption on Earth."
Heraclius said: "You have spoken the truth."
Written by: Tariq Mehanna
Friday, the 3rd of Rajab 1435 (2nd of May 2014 - may Allah have mercy on you, Shaykh...)
Marion CMU

Friday 9 May 2014

U.S. to Support ICC War Crimes Prosecution in Syria

What??????

"It is the function of the CIA to keep the world unstable, and to propagandize and teach the American people to hate, so we will let the Establishment spend any amount of money on arms."-- John Stockwell, former CIA official and author 
 

 "Many Americans hunger for a different kind of society -- one based on principles of caring, ethical and spiritual sensitivity, and communal solidarity. Their need for meaning is just as intense as their need for economic security."-- Michael Lerner, journalist

Friday Poem


Bull Song

For me there was no audience
no brass music either,
only wet dust, the cheers
buzzing at me like flies,
like flies roaring.

I stood dizzied
with sun and anger,
neck muscle cut,
blood falling from the gouged shoulder.

Who brought me here
to fight against walls and blankets
and the gods with sinews of red and silver
who flutter and evade?

I turn, and my horns
gore blackness.
A mistake, to have shut myself
in this cask skin,
four legs thrust out like posts.
I should have remained grass.

The flies rise and settle.
I exist, dragged, a bale
of lump flesh.
The gods are awarded
the useless parts of my body.

For them this finish,
this death of mine is a game:
not the fact or act
but the grace with which they disguise it
justifies them.

by Margaret Atwood
 - See more at: 

Time to settle the synthetic controversy

Volker ter Meulen in Nature:
Syn_bio_logoThe creation of an artificial yeast chromosome shows that synthetic biology is getting closer to what most scientists want: to be able to deliver benefits to society. The field has already found cheaper ways to produce medicines, and is making progress in applications from water purification to materials design. The topic is, however, controversial, and that is jeopardizing its promise. Environmental groups argue that it poses risks to health and the environment and have called for a global moratorium. We have been here before: exaggerated fears and uncritical acceptance of claims of the risks of genetic modification led to excessively cautious regulation and a block on innovation that not only slowed the development of new products, but also deterred basic science. The debate over synthetic biology is now entering a critical phase.
...In the case of synthetic biology, the world needs to commit to addressing several priorities. First, the scope of synthetic biology needs be determined. We describe it as the construction of customized biological systems to perform new and improved functions, through the application of principles from engineering and chemical synthesis.
- See more at: Time to settle the synthetic controversy

Understand Pain

Different kinds of pain summon different terms of art: hurt, suffering, ache, trauma, angst, wounds, damage. Pain is general and holds the others under its wings; hurt connotes something mild and often emotional; angst is the most diffuse and the most conducive to dismissal as something nebulous, sourceless, self-​indulgent, and affected. Suffering is epic and serious; trauma implies a specific devastating event and often links to damage, its residue. While wounds open to the surface, damage happens to the infrastructure—​often invisibly, irreversibly—​and damage also carries the implication of lowered value.
I want to write something, but - what? Well, I'm not a professional writer. So, I can't write all day and night. People say writers are creative people but I say they are just opposite, aren't? 

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Lady in the Red


Today she came to my house.
I was alone like a wanderer in desert sunrise.
Was she in that red luring robe.
Those sultry long legs.
Those blackest eyes.
Those reddest cheeks.
Shut my heart and woke my mind.

That arousing breast.
That glittering forehead.
That lotus-petal nose.
Shut my breast and woke my head.

So, I forgot myself.
Ready to commit that heinous crime.
She touched me once.
That I felt I am in paradise.
I tried to kiss her.
She moved far backwards.
I chased her
Through the doors to open balcony.
She laughed at me, calling
"You're now part of the light".
I tried to grasp her
When I fell down on the ground.
Where I saw just darkness and no light.

by Sameer Ahmad

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Omar Spectacle

When I happen to see the face of Omar Abdullah, I am reminded of an old adage: “Plant an expectation; reap a disappointment.” In 2009 elections, we prudent Kashmiris, planted an expectation that the youngest Chief Minister would transform our state into a real democracy, far away from the evils like corruption, red tape, human rights violation, etc.

And, adage had to be proved right – otherwise it would not have been called adage – so today whole Kashmir, particularly youth are floating into a sea of disappointments. A common disappointment that I look on youths’ face is regarding their lives. Often my friends say: “I don’t have guts to come out of my home in evenings”: “I won’t go into my farm lands lonely.” I too am very scared of wandering too far away from my house lonely, because I do not want to die a death: labeled terrorist and my face burned!

Youth are disappointed because they have got no jobs, and if some have got they are not content, because they deserve better. Many educated youth after ascending the ladder of degrees are hopeless and yell with a painful sigh: “I think I’ll not get any job.” Therefore, the clinics of Depression Doctors get crowded day by day. The intensity of the disappointment is so high that engineers are applying for Class 4th jobs! And, students who have just passed Matriculation exams are getting them! (Last year a pursuing engineer was called for interview for a Class 4th job in Pulwama district!) Regarding me, one among the forty three thousand youths promised to be engaged in different government departments, have been engaged to sing following lines, continuously to alleviate any pain:
                Bribes I can’t pay
                Bureaucrat, no relative of mine is
                I’m rotting, knowledge in my head
                Please help me, attain
                A peaceful death!

 And, if a Kashmiri is not disappointed with Bijli and Pani services, he certainly would not be a Kashmiri! While emailing these words to the editor, at least four times, Bijli shut her eyes (and thirty times I muttered galis!). Pani supplied into our houses blushes when someone calls it drinking-pani. When white clothes are washed in it, they turn miraculously dusty coloured.

Common man is confused in the Battle of Panipat against inflation. From past few months fares are rising constantly, after every three months. Name of onions scares a below-middle-class-level man. Professional education has become very expensive in our state.

Traffic chaos on our roads, particularly, Srinagar-Jammu highway has become a flower adorning the current government’s garden. There is high level of poor regulation and the condition of roads is like a ploughed land plot.

Justice nowhere exists in the dictionary of our governments. The promoters of the highest moral-song that: if somebody slaps your right face, bow your left face to him, burn the faces of slain persons who are yet to be confirmed of any militancy! Freedom of Speech has become a nightmare for Kashmiris. We are denied even peaceful public gatherings and assemblies.

Many and more, we are in troubles, that have not been because of outsiders, our own are its pillars and constructors. All the disappointments are gifts of our own people. From corruption to injustice, our own bloods are the perpetrators.  How can we blame, then, others? How can their faces refresh our eyes?

Now, my expectation is that after a few more months of Omar’s administration, his photo might remind me of ghosts! He has hastened the day of reckoning. Don’t worry Mr. Abdullah. It’s not your fault. When the collapse of our state takes place the Indian government might even let you keep your job. 

                                                           by Sameer Ahmad

Sunday 23 February 2014

Real Culprit - Kashmir Conflict

Claims – yes, just claims, pure and simple – are the flowers adorning the personality of our leaders, whether government, religious or other social leaders, all make claims, tall and stout.

Take the government, the recent ‘hurling of chairs session’ in the Assembly is the most fatuous show on our earth. MLAs crowing at each other like cocks! If they fight like monkeys – their ancestors – means they have not developed into homo sapiens. Then, how can they claim, or campaign, we are the best option for the voters? If your leaders present you in the media as jokers devoid of sanity, how can they claim, they are even leaders?

And, here is the healthy Health Minister, who disappears like ice in boiling water when accused, and resurfaces like Haley’s Comet after a week, claiming: “A big conspiracy has been hatched against me....”! (And, we fools are going to believe him, aren’t?)And, yet he claimed the post of Health Minister!

Another Goolmaal is here, army claims: we are the most talented in the field and fully armed with the modern technologies, and yet, they cannot contain a few hundred militants who do not even know what technology is! What an irony? It makes me suspicious. Are they (army) too part of the militancy? Or, are they faking encounters to add weight to their opposition against withdrawal of troops or AFSPA?

“Reaching people, changing lives” is the slogan (claim) of our current government – UPA (Unproductive Alliance!). And, where their brakes fail while ‘reaching people’ is Kashmiri separatist leadership – separate even from their separatist philosophy! And, what have they changed? Only their vote manifestoes! And, cabinet ministers! Or, roads, railways and bridges! And, definitely luck of their kin by offering them all they need. And, of those who pay-in-advance! (You remember Mushtaq Peer!)

Here is a very tall one, taller than the tallest thing on the land: India is the largest democracy in the world – claimers’ mouth opens wide as Pacific when they chant it: India gives its people Freedom of Speech. And, yet detains some even on the petty issue of anti-Valentine’s Day campaign, and closes cases of fake encounters! How sweet!

Now, take the separatists, countless in number, are not even united against the common cause. Although, they claim night and day, from Sunday to Monday, that they are working for the unity of all factions! Being only a nuisance in the noses of the mainstream, have not even got a few of their demands fulfilled. Nor they seem to tread the Ghandiji’s path, nor of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH). They seem to work only for the supremacy of their own factions. If that was not, they would not be divided into factions? And, the struggle has become only honey for government employees because they get some free days to linger whole days in their cosy beds. Jay ho, hartals! And the irony is that they have not been able to involve whole society into the struggle, and claim “all are we”!

So, between the corrupt leaders and hartals, “Aam Aadmi Ka Anchaar” is squeezed, and sold by our dear leaders. Hum, it’s yummy! Pity common man is confounded, and cannot decide whom to follow. What he does is, he listens to his desires and acts as per Pleasure Principle (very detrimental for Kashmir?).
In short, the leadership in Kashmir is, on one side greedy and selfish, and on the other, inexperienced and dull. We have to, therefore, wait and see the troubles, we have here in the soil and the hills, in towns and villages, in fields and forests, mounting and cordoning us from all sides.

                                                                                by Sameer Ahmad
                                                                                                     Samlos928@gmail.com

Friday 14 February 2014

Lady in the Red

Lady in the red. Beware of her!
She'll attract you, to believe her.
Will dominate your mind, body and soul.
Will arouse desire of living
A lavish life of devil.

She is the devil's weapon.
Control you and world is its task.

She is near, and everywhere
On idiot box and in the 3G waves
In media, on politicians' tongue.

She'll ruin you, you of your
Joys, your loving pleasures
Your career is on her attack.

She is a deception. You'll not know,
How she hypnotized you.
She learned sorcery from master devil.
Beware! She is coming......

                                         by Sameer Ahmad

Thursday 9 January 2014

The Reality and Horror Of War: An Embedded Journalist Describes The Most Traumatic Moments Of Fallujah

The Reality and Horror Of War
Journalist Describes The Most Traumatic Moments Of US Attack On Fallujah

By Paul Szoldra

January 09, 2014 "
Information Clearing House - "BI" - The city of Fallujah is back in the news after being taken over by Al Qaeda militants, and now a third major battle over control of the city is on the horizon.
Many veterans of the two major U.S. battles there have expressed disappointment over Fallujah's fall, and it's not hard to understand why after learning about what happened there.
I spoke with veteran journalist Kevin Sites back in March soon after the release of his book. As an embedded reporter on the ground with troops, his perspective is worth sharing again.
I first learned of Kevin after finding a video posted to YouTube, where he interviewed a young Marine named William Wold on the deadly streets of Fallujah in 2004. 

Bill Van Auken: US Imperialism And Iraq’s Descent Into Civil War

US Imperialism And Iraq’s Descent Into Civil War

By Bill Van Auken
January 09, 2014 "Information Clearing House - "WSWS" - A decade after the US military waged two barbaric sieges of Fallujah, the Iraqi city is once again facing a bloody armed conflict.
The army of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has massed artillery and tanks on Fallujah’s outskirts and has already bombed and shelled civilian neighborhoods, inflicting an unknown number of casualties. Thousands have fled the city in fear for their lives, and the United Nations has warned that the cut-off of water, food and fuel is creating a humanitarian catastrophe. Maliki has vowed to launch a full-scale assault on the city unless its inhabitants succeed in persuading armed insurgents to surrender.
In April and again in November-December of 2004, Fallujah was turned into a killing field by the US occupation. From the air it was pummeled by AC-130 Specter gunships, F-16 fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters. On the ground, a force of over 10,000 US troops backed by tanks and artillery was assembled to attack the city. Bombs, missiles and white phosphorous shells—chemical weapons banned under the Geneva conventions—were unleashed against the population. Hospitals and ambulances were targeted.
In the end, fully one out five buildings in the town were destroyed, while two-thirds of what remained were damaged. Hundreds of thousands were turned into homeless refugees. At least 120 US troops were killed in the two sieges, while no accurate count of how many thousands of Iraqis were killed has ever been made.
Much of the US media coverage of the current situation in Fallujah, Ramadi and elsewhere in Iraq’s western Anbar province, has begun from the standpoint of what a shock and disappointment these events represent, given the enormous “sacrifice” made by the US occupation to pacify the area a decade ago. The Iraq war is once again being cast as a humanitarian venture aimed at fighting terrorism and bringing democracy to the Iraqi people.
The barbaric attack on Fallujah constituted a war crime. In its aims, scope and ferocity, it was comparable to the kind of collective punishment meted out by the Nazis against resisting populations in occupied Europe. It was emblematic of the criminal character of the entire US war. Foisted onto the American people with lies about non-existent “weapons of mass destruction” and ties between Baghdad and Al Qaeda, the war was a premeditated act of aggression launched to further US imperialist aims to assert hegemony over the Middle East and its vast energy reserves.
Having failed to secure a guarantee of legal immunity for remaining US troops, Obama ordered the last of them withdrawn from Iraq little more than two years ago. The Iraqi people, however, have been left to deal with the bitter legacy of nearly nine years of US military occupation. Meanwhile, Washington’s quest for hegemony in the region has continued, most notably through the war to topple Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and its fomenting and support for a war for regime change against the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. In Fallujah and Ramadi, the consequences of the crimes of US imperialism, both past and present, have come together in an explosive form.
The confrontation, presented by the corporate media as a struggle against Al Qaeda terrorists, has deep roots in the sectarian divisions that were instigated by the US war and occupation as part of a deliberate divide-and-rule strategy. They succeeded in pitting Iraq’s majority Shi’ite population against the minority Sunnis, while the Kurdish minority in the north has been allowed to pursue regional autonomy, while conflicts over borders and rights to oil wealth threaten to erupt into civil war there as well.
The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, installed under the US occupation, has pursued an openly sectarian agenda, ruthlessly purging leading Sunni political figures, using the security forces to crack down on the population of Anbar and branding protests against these abuses of power as acts of Al Qaeda terrorism.
At the end of December, the Maliki regime touched off the present conflict by moving to arrest Ahmed al-Alwany, a prominent Sunni member of parliament in Ramadi—killing his brother and five bodyguards in the process—and then on December 30 sending in security forces to break up a protest encampment that had existed in the same city for months, killing at least 17 more.

Monday 6 January 2014

Terrorism Scaremongers Are The Ones Promoting Terrorism

Terrorism Scaremongers Are The Ones Promoting Terrorism

The Media Needs to Point Out the Hypocrisy of These Blowhards

By WashingtonsBlog 
January 06, 2014 "Information Clearing House -  In response to the revelation that the NSA spies on Congress, Congressman Peter King says that the NSAshould spy on Congress, to make sure congress members don’t call Al Qaeda.
King is a fine one to talk … he supported the Irish Republican Army fordecades, even though the IRA was designated as a terrorist group.
The heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees – Diane Feinstein and Mike Rogers – are always yelling ooga booga … saying that the terrorists will get us if we don’t let the NSA spy on all Americans.
Feinstein and Rogers both support Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria.  Rogerssupports torture, which has been recognized for thousands of years as a form of terrorism (torture also creates new terrorists.)  And Rogers supports the widespread drone war, even though indiscriminate drone strikes are war crimes– more here and here – oh, and they create more terrorists.
Another leading scaremonger is former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden, who has compared privacy advocates with terrorists. Hayden was one of themain supporters of the torture program, and of the “signature strike” drone assassination program, where strikes are launched purely on the behavior of ground vehicles, with no further evidence of connection to terrorism. Hayden also supported the MEK terrorist group (more on MEK below).
This type of hypocrisy has been going on for some time. We noted in 2011:
The biggest scaremongers regarding the threat from terrorism are themselves promoting terrorism.
Terrorism Scaremongers Are The Ones Promoting Terrorism

Who are real terrorists?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37316.htm