United Muslims Against Terror

Muslim Organization Pledges More than $1 Million in Vouchers, Housing and Food to Hurricane Victims

2005-09-13T20:54:00.000-04:00

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=53125

MUSLIMS REACH OUT !!!

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In an effort to combat the numbers of displaced survivors of Hurricane Katrina, LIFE for Relief and Development has pledged more than $1 million in vouchers to retail stores, housing and food.
LIFE has also partnered with the Islamic Circle of North America to provide 100 families affected by the hurricane with housing and food. Fifty of these families will be housed in Baton Rouge and the other 50 will be housed in Houston. LIFE will pay for rent, utilities and food for these families, an endeavor that will cost about $100,000 per month.
In addition, LIFE's goal is to provide 4,000 internally displaced families in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and also in Michigan with vouchers to be spent at local retailers. These vouchers will be worth $250 each. In addition, LIFE will provide non-perishable food items, water bottles and toiletries to local food banks to be distributed nationally.
One thousand of these families will be from the Muslim community in Louisiana as identified by local Masjids. Another 1,000 families will be identified in Battle Creek and the Metro Detroit area in Michigan. In Mississippi, vouchers will be given to 1,000 families taking refuge in the Jackson area and in Texas, 1,000 families in Houston will receive these vouchers.
In its first phase, LIFE has mobilized its response team and ordered cash vouchers from Meijer retail store to be distributed to the survivors of the hurricane in Michigan. However, the situation has deteriorated further, therefore families originally thought to be displaced temporarily may need assistance for months. It is LIFE's estimate that in order to provide such care, LIFE must pledge more than $1 million dollars and has joined the Muslim Hurricane Relief Task Force, which has collectively raised at least $10 million in relief aid.
LIFE is also planning several events in the Metro Detroit area to support hurricane survivors. On Sept. 16, LIFE, in coordination with the Unity Center, Al Tawheed Center, Muslim Center of Detroit and ICI, is holding a fundraising dinner at the Unity Center. Admission is free. On Sept. 30, LIFE, along with the Congress of Arab American Organizations, will be holding a fundraising dinner at Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn. Admission is $50 per person and all proceeds will benefit the survivors.

Actions, loud and clear

2005-09-13T20:39:00.000-04:00

Two thousand Muslim volunteers mark Sept. 11 by assisting hurricane victims.

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/3350931

Among the Houstonians who reacted to Katrina by making a beeline to evacuee centers, plenty of first responders were Muslims. Texas Muslims have also written checks, sorted clothes and donated diapers with the same energy that has made this city a bright light for the nation during a very dark few weeks. But the image of 2,000 Muslim Americans volunteering at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Sept. 11 was gratifying in a different way. It was a statement that, in addition to the individual efforts that Muslims have made toward their fellow citizens, the Muslim community is organized, energetic and eager to show its values.

The volunteers gathered Sunday at the Convention Center, working in shifts to feed the hurricane survivors there. The group was mobilized by the Houston Muslim Relief Group, an alliance of 20 mosques and Islamic organizations that joined together to help Katrina's victims. The organization joined Operation Compassion, an interfaith project coordinating volunteer efforts. According to organizers, the different religious groups drew lots to decide which day they would help, and the Muslim group was assigned Sunday, Sept. 11.

Several volunteers said that the day was coincidental to their project and that their work on behalf of the evacuees was simply an expression of Islam, which calls for helping others in distress. But Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the board of the nonprofit Council on American Islamic Relations, told the Associated Press that Muslim leaders viewed the volunteer effort Sunday as a chance to show their rejection of the extremism behind 9/11.

This explicit rejoinder to that tragedy four years ago is as welcome as their response to Katrina is today. In too many countries, moderate Muslims lack the security and freedom to protest religious extremism. Sometimes they also fail to support other groups in crisis. By working as a community, assisting fellow Americans of all backgrounds, the Muslim volunteers here show the world what they really believe in — with the irrefutable language of action.

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Its nice to see Muslim communities respond to this crisis and help out the people in need!! This is the true spirit of Islam- one of love and brotherhood, helping your neighbours!

Im proud of all the people who took this initiative..... to everyone out there, these people NEED your help.... do whatever you can!!!

Thankyou to all those who are helping out! May God Almighty help and bless everyone who's going through all this pain and suffering!!

Wake up America....Bush sucks! He doesn't care about people.....especially poor people and those of colour...... hes probably happy his familys oil stocks have gone up.... I think he's responsible for the deaths of all those people- and should be tried as a terrorist or for (negligent) homicide...... who could sleep peacefully every night with the blood of so many innocent people on his hands....

He can only make bullshit statements about freedom and other crap which has no relevance to any situation, and is spending billions on bombing the hell out of losers hiding in caves when there's people dying at home.

When 4000 people are killed by Bin Laden, he attacks two countries, forms an alliance of the willing, kills 1000+ troops in combat, takes on the biggest budget deficit in recent history.... but when thousands even more die AT HOME, he fires a FEMA chief, comes on tv and says some bullcrap and its all good? WOW....

Islamic terrorism? Another wake up call

2005-08-07T11:45:00.000-04:00

Jewish Terrorism? Extremist Judaism? An ex-member of the Israeli occupation force has attacked and killed 4 people of Arabic origin in a bus (2 christians and 2 muslims).

The bloodiest attack on Arabs by a Jewish extremist dates back to 1994, when a US-born Jew, Baruch Goldstein, shot dead 29 Muslims at a mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Apparently quite a few Jewish people and Sharon "condemned" this. But why am I not hearing the same uproar against this illegal attack I hear every time there's an attack against the West? I think its the media's , as well as the US and Britian's hypocratic attitude...

If it was a Muslim who carried out an attack on Jewish people it would be a problem with "Extremist Islam" and they would be called "Islamic terrorists", which is a completely ignorant statement considering Islam does not permit such violence and crimes whatsoever.

I also don't see any right wingers calling this a problem with Judaism? Because its not! Just like its not one with Islam! Stop the bias and the discrimination!

Just like you wouldn't call a madman to be representative of Judaism, you can't call a terrorist Islamic.

Terrorism is NOT Islamic. Media has a responsibility to report responsibly and I blame 90% of this attitude on them.......!

Media : WAKE THE HELL UP!

I hope people see the message too...we are not terrorists...!

Thumbs up to BBC for bias free reporting...!

Posting

2005-08-04T02:19:00.000-04:00

Posting is now allowed by everyone: Accidentally or by default it was set to "members only". Sorry about the inconvenience.

Best Regards to all...

POSITIVE 'EXPLORE THE QURAN' FEEDBACK

2005-08-04T02:05:00.000-04:00

ACTION REQUIRED

To date, nearly 20,000 people have requested free Qurans through CAIR's "Explore the Quran" campaign.

The following are excerpts from e-mails received by those who already received their Qurans:

"Dear Muslim friends: My copy of the Qur'an, by Muhammad Asad, arrived in today's mail. What you sent gives significant witness to your efforts to encourage greater interfaith understanding and mutual respect; and to the standing of this Holy Book. Be assured that this Holy Book will be treated just as you have stated is expected of Muslims. . ."

" Dear Sir: I received your holy book today. I am a Catholic but mainly a Christian. I really appreciate your outreach to me and others. I will treat this book with great respect. . ."

ACTION REQUESTED: SUPPORT CAIR'S QURAN CAMPAIGN -
CAIR has pledged to cover the costs of shipping Qurans to all those who submit request, but we need your support to fulfill that pledge.

1) SPONSOR a free copy(s) of the Quran so that people of other faiths may learn the truth about Islam and Muslims. To sponsor one or more Qurans online, go to: http://www.explorethequran.org To sponsor a Quran by phone, call 1-800-78-ISLAM (1-800-784-7526). (In order to ease the pressure on CAIR's switchboard, those sponsoring a free Quran may also send a donation to: Explore the Quran, CAIR, 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C., 20003)

2) IMAMS and COMMUNITY LEADERS should ask congregations to support this important project.

3) FORWARD this alert to your Muslim friends, family and colleagues.

Check it out!

2005-07-31T01:21:00.000-04:00

The store is launhed...

http://www.cafepress.com/umat

What do you guys think?

2005-07-30T12:05:00.000-04:00

Update..

2005-07-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

I received a suggestion about opening an online store as a way to fund raise for awareness in the general public about Islam and also within Muslim communities. I'm in the middle of designing items for sale at this store. Initially it offer inexpensive bumper stickers, magnets, hats and t-shirts that promote our cause. If you have any ideas or suggestions about the slogans or designs, please forward them to : umatblog@yahoo.com

Also, I would appreciate all the help I can get in designing some graphics/logos for a formal UMAT site as well as for the products. I will post some initial work I've done in the next few days.

Initially the store would be profit-free (at cost), but depending on the response I will charge a surcharge of $0.50 for each item sold towards the fundraising efforts.

Once again, all suggestions, help, technical expertise and ideas will be much appreciated.

God Bless you all..

Fiqh Council of North America release official Fatwa

2005-07-28T14:24:00.000-04:00

Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) has officially issued a Fatwa denouncing terrorism and acts of terror....

Its endorsed by more than 120 U.S. Muslim groups, leaders and institutions. (The term "fiqh" refers to Islamic jurisprudence.)

The fatwa, released during a news conference this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., states in part:"Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not 'martyrs'. . .In the light of the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:

1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.

2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.

3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.

We issue this fatwa following the guidance of our scripture, the Qur'an, and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him."

"We urge all people to resolve all conflicts in just and peaceful manners. We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism. We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet. We pray that interfaith harmony and cooperation prevail both in the United States and all around the globe. "

FIQH COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA Members

1. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi
2. Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson
3. Dr. Ahmad Shleibak
4. Dr. Akbar Muhammad
5. Dr. Deina Abdulkadir
6. Shaikh Hassan Qazwini
7. Dr. Ihsan Bagby
8. Dr. Jamal Badawi
9. Dr. Muhammad Adam Sheikh
10. Shaikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti
11. Shaikh Muhammad Nur Abdallah
12. Dr. Salah Soltan
13. Dr. Taha Jabir Alalwani
14. Shaikh Yahya Hindi
15. Shaikhah Zainab Alwani
16. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah
17. Dr. Mukhtar Maghraoui
18. Dr. Nazih Hammad

The Man killed in London ; Jean Charles de Menezes

2005-07-24T19:10:00.000-04:00

Prayers for him and his family....

Another person lost to terrorism...

This bring up a whole new set of problems. Were the police right in their shoot-to-kill strategy? Were they not?

According to an eyewitness:
"He looked absolutely petrified and then he sort of tripped, but they were hotly pursuing him, [they] couldn't have been any more than two or three feet behind him at this time and he half tripped and was half pushed to the floor and the policeman nearest to me had the black automatic pistol in his left hand.
He held it down to the guy and unloaded five shots into him."

This almost sounds like the police didn't have to but they killed him. They had the guy cornered. With explosive technologies today, it's not like he needs to set up a fuse and light it up to blow up a bomb- these guys are using cellular phones and automatic timers as detonators, he could've done it with the push of a button and would have an even greater motivation to do so if he was dying after being shot anyway.

The real question is WHY the police let him get so close to the tube station. If he was considered such a great risk, why wasn't he probed earlier? Why wasn't he stopped when he walked outside his house wearing a winter jacket instead of being allowed to get so close to the general public. If it was a terrorist, he could have blown himself up even entering the tube station and still killed dozens.

The poor guy was shot by police although he apparently remains unconnected to any terrorist group or activities.

I'm just hoping that this doesn't lead to police taking out people of minority groups just because of a 'perceived risk'.

Hopefully this wouldn't cause the UK minorities and Muslim community to get more isolated. We need to be as vigilant as anyone else and help the authorities in curbing this threat...

Sources : EyeWitness on BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4706913.stm

Email response...

2005-07-24T18:45:00.000-04:00

I've been getting quite a few emails since I launched this site...... almost all of them very positive...

This one email really stands out though..... and I wanted to share this with all the readers of this blog...
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From Mr. M ; Irish Catholic from Chicago:

I believe you. I don't think you should have to apologize to anyone. My faith was a little shaky to begin with but since Sept. 11 it seems like the religious extremists on both sides Christian v. Muslim are hell bent on seeing this through to the finish. I feel for you though, I have never known discrimination and cannot imagine what it must be like. I would like to know more about you, and how all of this makes you feel. Our only hope is that rational minds somewhere in the middle can stand up and make a difference. Good Luck.

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It's really nice to hear from people like this. Thank you for sharing your feelings and hearing my message with an open mind. I appreciate your support.

Down with violence and hate! I'm glad that my voice is reaching out not only to Muslims but people of other faiths as well.

And words of gold:
"Our only hope is that rational minds somewhere in the middle can stand up and make a difference."

For all the Muslims out there: Speak up, don't be ashamed of who you are because of the terrorists that DON'T represent you. Socialise with people, talk to your neighbors, friends, co-workers, etc. and tell them that the religion you believe in does not promote hatred. Tell them that JIHAD is not blowing innocent civilians up. Tell them that your faith doesn't reward hatred and murder with an eternal life in heaven.

Remember what the Propher Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"Show mercy to people on earth so that Allâh will have mercy on you in heaven."

If you turn this around, its indirectly saying that if you inflict pain on people on earth, Allah will inflict pain on you in Hell.

'25,000 civilians' killed in Iraq

2005-07-24T13:21:00.000-04:00

Nearly 25,000 civilians have died violently in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003, a report says.

The dossier, based on media reports, says US-led forces were responsible for more than a third of the deaths.
The survey was carried out by the UK-based Iraq Body Count and Oxford Research Group - which includes academics and peace activists.
The Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003-2005 says 37% of all non-combatant deaths were caused by the US-led coalition. (9, 250 people)

"The ever-mounting Iraqi death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to go to war in Iraq" :
John SlobodaReport author

From BBC...

For the full report on civilian casulaties, consult : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4692589.stm

Another reason war is no good...

London mayor: West fueled Islamic radicalism

2005-07-20T13:24:00.000-04:00

(REUTERS)

LONDON - Western foreign policy has fueled the Islamist radicalism behind the bomb attacks which killed more than 50 people in London, the British capital’s mayor Ken Livingstone said on Wednesday.

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Asked on Wednesday what he thought had motivated the four suspected suicide bombers, Livingstone cited Western policy in the Middle East and early American backing for Osama bin Laden.

A lot of young people see the double standards, they see what happens in (U.S. detention camp) Guantanamo Bay, and they just think that there isn’t a just foreign policy,” he said.

Police say they believe there is a clear link between bin Laden’s al-Qaida network and the four British Muslims who blew up three underground trains and a double-decker bus on July 7.
“You’ve just had 80 years of Western intervention into predominantly Arab lands because of a Western need for oil. We’ve propped up unsavory governments, we’ve overthrown ones that we didn’t consider sympathetic,” Livingstone said.

“I think the particular problem we have at the moment is that in the 1980s ... the Americans recruited and trained Osama bin Laden, taught him how to kill, to make bombs, and set him off to kill the Russians to drive them out of Afghanistan.
“They didn’t give any thought to the fact that once he’d done that, he might turn on his creators,” he told BBC radio.

Anger over IraqPrime Minister Tony Blair’s government has insisted the bombings have no link to its foreign policy, particularly its decision to invade Iraq alongside the United States.
But an opinion poll this week showed two-thirds of Britons see a connection between the Iraq war and the bombings. A top think tank and a leaked intelligence memo have also suggested the war has made Britain more of a target for terrorists.

............

Livingstone has made clear he condemns all killing, including suicide bombing. But is also a long-standing critic of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

“If you have been under foreign occupation, and denied the right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs, often denied the right to work, for three generations, I suspect if it had happened here in England, we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves,” he said on Wednesday.

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Words of Wisdom...

Did anyone hear about this?

2005-07-20T13:10:00.000-04:00

Has CNN been covering this 24 hours? Has there been an investigation to find out what group was behind these terrorist attacks? Where are the Muslim leaders who condemn terrorism?
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In Iraq, sweet promise struck down
Family recounts day when son and 25 other children died
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8635378/)

‘Where’s Hamza?’

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The boy seized the opportunity of being sent to fetch the mats to run outside the house. He met up with his friends by the American Humvees, but came home crying five minutes later, his sister said. "He came back saying, 'The Americans were giving out candy and they didn't give me any,' " his father said.

Hamza headed indoors, where his sister demanded that he eat breakfast, she recalled. I'll be right back, he told her, and ran outside, through a side door to bypass his father.

"We all heard a big boom, and the metal came flying," Khuzai said Monday.

"I ran inside the house, saying, 'Where's Hamza?' "

Khuzai ran down the street, toward the smoke and dust.
He found the bodies of Karrar, Muhammed, Abbas and Ali, surrounded by their bicycles.

Hamza lay among them, face down, a hole blown into his side. His right arm hung by the skin. White showed through his dangling right leg.

Khuzai ran home with him. "They said he was still alive," Khuzai said, and shook his head.
The oldest child killed was a 13-year-old with Down syndrome, residents of al-Khalij said. The youngest injured was a 4-day-old infant cut by flying glass, news reports said.

The children were among at least 1,500 Iraqi civilians killed by attacks since Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari's government took office April 28. But it was not Iraq's deadliest bombing of the week; a suicide bombing south of Baghdad on Saturday killed more than 100 Iraqis, mostly civilians, when it blew up a nearby fuel tanker.

In a 110-degree-plus summer in Baghdad, with wartime water outages, electricity shortages, gas lines again stretching from the pumps through neighborhoods and across the spans of highway overpasses, kidnappings, killings and bombings, and a government struggling to secure the country, the killing of 26 children quickly became al-Khalij's tragedy alone.

Hamza's father reflected on the silence, and recalled the bombings in London on July 7, which killed at least 56 people, including the bombers. "What happened in England drew condemnation from all the presidents and kings of the world. But when all our children here are gone, not even an Arab leader says a word," Khuzai lamented Monday. In the neighborhood, black funeral banners hung on front gates, sometimes two or more, for each dead child within.

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Yet to hear a request from Mr. Bush or Blair for a moment of silence in memory of 25 dead CHILDREN..... or any Muslim countries, or any Muslim leaders who were the first in condemning London attacks...

Prayers for the children and their familes......

Whatever happened to humanity?

Another PROOF that these terrorists lack any humanity whatsover and love death more than our love of life. They're never getting the heaven they think they've earned...... with the blood of 26 innocent children.....

Study: U.K. at ‘risk’ for supporting Iraq war

2005-07-20T12:31:00.000-04:00

LONDON - Backing the United States in Iraq has put Britain more at risk from terror attacks, an influential British think tank said Monday.
In a report that may make uncomfortable reading for Prime Minister Tony Blair after the London bombings on July 7, terrorism experts said Britain had suffered by playing “pillion passenger” to the United States.
Experts Frank Gregory and Paul Wilkinson said the Iraq war had boosted recruitment and fund-raising for al-Qaida, which is suspected of being behind the bombings that killed 55 people.
......
Threat underestimatedThe security experts said British intelligence services had been preoccupied with Irish Republican extremists and had looked in the wrong direction for years.
“As a result of giving low priority to international terrorism, the British authorities did not fully appreciate the threat from al-Qaida,” they said.
Wilkinson and Gregory said conducting counter-terrorism measures shoulder to shoulder with the United States was a key problem because London was in no way an equal partner with Washington.
“Riding pillion with a powerful ally has proved costly in terms of British and U.S. military lives, Iraqi lives, military expenditure and the damage caused to the counter-terrorism campaign,” they said.
They said al-Qaida’s profile has also been raised by the war in Iraq.
“It gave a boost to the al-Qaida network’s propaganda, recruitment and fundraising,” the report concluded.
But they conceded it was “notoriously difficult to prevent no-warning coordinated suicide attacks, the characteristic modus operandi of al-Qaida."
“It is the most dangerous form of terrorist threat ever posed by non-state actors,” they said.
Reid, the defense secretary, argued that bombings in Turkey and Iraq since the London attacks had underlined that terrorism was an international problem.
“The terrorists want to kill anyone who stands in the way of their perverse ideology,” he said.

FROM MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8613709/

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Now the important thing for GB is to make sure that they don't pull out of Iraq prematurely. The war has already cost billions in dollars and thousands in lives, but it has also brought much more instability to the country, much to Al-Qaeda's and other terrorists' delight. The country is now a perfect, fertile breeding ground for terrorism. The country needs a much bigger presence of peacekeeping forces. So far, there's no signs that there's going to be the much needed reinforcement in Iraq. Ideally, its about time for the US to step back and admit that they rushed into this war, apologize for going to a war that was clearly illegal in light of international law, and also for threatening world's political stability. Its a much needed break on the American and British taxpayers' pockets as well as their militaries.

The UN should then formally be asked to take over control in Iraq with the responsibility shared between all members of the world. This would also change the hostile view that some Iraqi population have against Americans and British troops; they consider them "invaders" instead of "liberators", controlling the country and its resources in a way no different from Saddam but under worse conditions.

However, that seems highly unlikely considering the fact that the US considers the invasion a capitalist venture and plans to make a profit out of it, also evident by the assigning of 'rebuilding Iraq' projects to American and British firms only under the monopolistic market conditions, which is directly against the interest of Iraqi people- they should be allowed to get the best out of THEIR money and oil. There's hundreds of companies around the world who could do the same or better jobs for far less money.

The only way to counter terrorism effectively is to strike it with enough force. With the dwindling, barely enough force presence in Iraq, that does not seem to be the case. Under current circumstances, the US and UK are unable to provide more forces to improve security conditions in the country. Not only the Iraqi people are being subjected to these risks and terrorism- I also fear that the terrorists are also eyeing attacking the Western countries. The Al-Qaeda risk was underestimated even with enough warnings before 9/11. I fear that such negligence might give rise to future security risks to Western countries.

The only fix to Iraqi insurgency against the troops is not a withdrawal of American troops but a a hand-over of the control to an international organization that would fairly concentrate on restoring much need peace and stability to the country and using its resources fairly to help the people.

Remember : a lot of them are not Muslims tryin to kill "infidels" on their land: they are people who want an invading force out of their country! I'm sure they would welcome any help from an international platform, but only as long as its not a disguised attempt to control their resources.

Complete stability in Iraq is also vital to curbing the menace of terrorism around the world. We can't give these terrorists a chance to reorganize or rebuild their infrastructure again.

NO to terrorism. NO to war. NO to blood (American, British and Iraqi!) for OIL !

The count continues..

2005-07-17T15:20:00.000-04:00

Another reason for us Muslims to put a stop to terrorism....

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Fresh bombs in the Iraqi capital have killed at least eight people, hours after dozens died in a suicide attack.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4690257.stm

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Terrorism in Iraq..

15 July: Suicide bombs kill 16
13 July: Bomb kills 26 children
10 July: 20 army recruits killed
26 June: 35 die in Mosul attack
25 June: Suicide attacks kill 23
20 June: Several attacks, 31 dead
2 June: Multiple bombs kill 24
30 May: 27 dead in Hilla
11 May: 70 dead in Tikrit, Hawija
4 May: Irbil bombing kills 60

Islam for today / Muslims against terrorism

2005-07-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

http://www.islamfortoday.com/terrorism.htm

Waking Up to 'Islamo-Fascism

2005-07-14T14:06:00.000-04:00

An interesting article from Free Muslims Coalition

http://freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=769

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As we all began digesting the news of last week's terrorist attack, most of America's Muslim organizations issued what has become a predictable, yet empty, round of condemnations. Articulated in press releases, these rote statements are not backed up with sincere attempts to acknowledge and fix the problems within Islam. Listening to these empty pronouncements, I can't help but ask: Where is our Muslim responsibility--our duty--to protect the world from the actions of our own? It is time for us Muslims to take ownership of our faith by moving beyond empty condemnations and ensuring that Islamo-fascists--those who seek to create an Islamic totalitarian theocracy through the use of any and all means--have no place in our world. These fascists are Muslims who have hijacked and twisted our faith. They subscribe to a medieval code where the ends justify the means. And you can hear their rhetoric not only in the Middle East; radical imams preach in London and in many cities in the U.S. Cutting off this lifeblood and its ideology should be the focus of our collective Muslim response. Many well-meaning Muslims react to news about Muslim terrorists by insisting that anyone who commits violent acts is, by definition, not part of Islam. But who are we fooling? The Islamo-fascists did not come out of thin air. They use our scripture, our prayers, our language, and our tradition--and they come from somewhere within our community. These killers are doing incomprehensibly evil actions across the world in the name of our religion, and because of that, my fellow Muslims and I should act now--decisively, publicly, and in tandem with our leadership--against Islamo-fascism. To argue whether they are Muslims or not--and what is a 'true' Islamic society--is only deflection and denial. Every time I experience the joy and spirituality of joining with my Muslim brothers and sisters in devotional prayer, I feel a perfect harmony of thought and movement as we bow and say God's praises together. Islam is a religion of community, and I know I can walk into any mosque in the world and join the congregation in reciting the same prayers I say at home. While my faith is very personal, without that communal energy, my religion is not complete. But with spiritual fulfillment and community connection come responsibility. Moderate, moral Muslims--that is to say, the vast majority of the world's Muslims--may see these Islamo-fascists as far removed from our reality; however the unforgiving truth is that we are responsible as a group for our weakest and also for our most corrupt and deranged. Islam has no formal clergy, and so it falls to the community as a whole, all of us, to take on this challenge. Denial serves nothing but the empty ego and is destined to fail. As Muslims we must help bring these barbaric Islamists to justice and assist in dismantling the systems that create them. How many wake-up calls do we need? Most faith groups have at some point in their histories seen their compasses falter, as deviants exploited their altars. However, those same faith groups have also eventually assumed responsibility for exposing, exterminating, and marginalizing the cancers who are their own. The need for Muslims to act now cannot be overstated, for it becomes exponentially more difficult after each horrific bombing. My fellow Muslims must immediately--and in large numbers--become proactive in the war against militant Islamists, or soon it may be too late. We owe it to the nations in which we live, as well as to our truly pluralistic faith. Many people ask what they or their communities could possibly do to counter a cancer like Islamo-fascism. But all Muslims--and all Muslim organizations--can play an active role in this battle. What it would mean to take a true stand against terrorThe immediate reaction to the London devastation should be declaration after declaration by Muslim leaders around the free world that we will immediately redirect all of our resources to combat al Qaeda and every other militant Islamist organization, in order to extinguish their barbarism. These barbarians should hear words from moderate Muslims around the globe that make them fear they will never again find a single religious haven for their ideology. As pluralistic Muslims take away from them the mantle of faith and the acceptance of their formative ideologies, they will be left with nothing but the depths of their own evil. It's time to build an anti-terror ethos within the Islamic community. We can publicly embarrass radical imams and organizations who preach hatred. We can publicly expose the twisted interpretations of the Qu'ran and Muslim teachings perpetuated by radical Islamists who justify killing innocent people in the name of our God. We can focus the public agenda of American Muslims on publicizing our commitment to our citizenship oath and to the American secular form of democratic government. We need to force a public debate with the Islamists, not run from it. By constantly reasserting Muslim critiques of Wahhabism, Salafism, and other fundamentalist Islamist ideologies that feed terrorist networks, we will fight terror at its core. It is time to ensure that Islamic sermons around the world teach Muslims to dismantle terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbullah, and any group that harbors, teaches, and trains the world's future Islamo-fascists. In addition, we must root out all hate and intolerance from the educational texts in our mosques, which we use to teach our youth and our co-religionists. Anti-Semitism, anti-Western feelings, and chauvinism should be combated directly by American Muslim organizations. And we need to teach our Muslim-American youth to feel a sense of responsibility to our America, which gives us freedom and liberty. Why is it that so many people from every minority in America are dying to liberate Iraq and Afghanistan and free the world from the Islamo-fascists while so few American Muslim organizations have actively encouraged military service since 9-11? We should sponsor public campaigns to encourage our community to join the military and law-enforcement agencies. What better way to ensure that enforcement of the Patriot Act does not unfairly target Muslims than to have American Muslims within law enforcement? Allegiance to our country is in fact a deeply Islamic obligation. The war against Islamo-fascism has many fronts, and moderate Muslims need to be leading the struggle. We must always remember the Qu'ranic teachings on peace and justice, such as: "Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor, for God can best protect both. Follow not the cravings of your hearts, lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily God is well acquainted with all that you do." (Qu'ran 4:135). At its core, "terror" is simply a barbarically evil tactic in a war of ideologies. Muslims, and only Muslims, hold the keys to the flood gates that can drown militant Islamists in their own twisted interpretations of scripture. But time is running short. Muslims must realize the challenge before us and step forward on all these fronts or risk losing our freedoms and our faith to the barbarism of Islamo-fascist terror. It is time that the majority of Muslims said, "not on our watch."

Terrorism...

2005-07-14T00:24:00.000-04:00

More than 100 alleged revenge attacks — including the killing of a Pakistani immigrant — have been reported in Britain since the bombings. Police increased protection in Muslim communities.

From MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8507035/ )

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The people carrying on these attacks are no better than the terrorists who blew themselves up on thursday killing innocent people on the underground and the bus. They are no different from the extremists who respond to an Israeli raid killing civilians by targeting Jews and Christians at home.

Pathetic!

Heart felt sympathies to the families affected. Racism sucks. Don't be scared- speak up and speak up loud!!!

These hate crimes should be treated as terrorist acts, too!

Coming soon..

2005-07-12T00:35:00.000-04:00

Please send us information about any violation of rights against any group of people, anywhere whether its related to Muslims or not. Please do inform us if there's violation of people's rights by Muslims/Muslim countries.

We will be opening a community pretty soon where people can take part in a live debate, as well as a website where you can sign up with the organization. Depending on the growth rate, we will register the organization as a charitable organization with respective governments as well.

Please refer all your Muslims and non-Muslim friends to the site.

Especially for Muslims: We need all the voice we can get. Please get involved and play your role in making this world a better place. You CAN make a difference by voicing your opinions, every single one of you....!

The biggest goal of this organization in the near future: Recruit as many activists as possible. Organize rallies and marches anywhere we can on September 11, 2006 to protest against this violence. Take it to the streets. Make ourselves heard. Raise as much money as we can to fight terrorism and help individuals affected by it, and use that money to educate people about terrorism and how it hurts. Force our governments to protect the minorities among the Muslim countries, protect women, allow freedom of speech and expression, bring true democracy to our Islamic countries, and make the people count- not the princes and dictators. Bring out the real Islamic values.

I don't care if its 5 people, 100, 10,000 or a million that take it to the street. But we have to. We can make a difference.

We will plan other smaller events along the way.

Muslims Unite Against Terrorism

2005-07-12T00:17:00.000-04:00

I am a Muslim.

I'm not a Sunni. I'm not a Shi'a. I'm not a Wahabbi. I'm a Muslim.

I'm sick of people killing others in the name of my religion.

I'm sick of people killing others because they are Shi'a, Sunni, Wahabbi, etc. in the name of my religion.

I'm sick of people stereotyping me for a terrorist.

I'm sick of everyone turning around and staring at me, waiting for me to condemn and apologize
for the actions of morons who kill people in the name of the God I believe in.

I want to show the world that I'm not a coward, or an accomplice.

That I am no host for a sleeper cell.

I not only condemn but strongly oppose murder, beating of women, racism, war, poverty, supression of rights and freedoms, and supression of democracy.

If this is the voice inside of you, then please join this blog, and check for regular updates.

If you have any articles, news, or information you'd like to share, please email umatblog@yahoo.ca

Remember, UMAT stands for Muslims United against any kind of terrorism, whether its state-led terror, or on a smaller scale. Whether its against Muslims, or any other religion or any ethnicity. Whatever country it is in.

Non-Muslims are welcome to contribute to the blog as well. We appreciate all the support you can give us. People looking to learn about Islam are welcome.

Racist comments are not welcome. Pessimists are not welcome. People looking for hatred and violence are not welcome.