Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014 Issue No. 582

This Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

Friday BulletinThe

The Weekly Muslim News Update

www.islamkenya.org

Call for unity as Ramadhan draws

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This Ramadhan should serve as a sym-bol of unity to bring Muslims together. The Imam of Jamia mosque Sheikh Muham-mad Swalihu said Muslims should take advantage of the advent of the noble month to come together and work in uni-son for the good of the community.He said among the wisdom of Ramadhan is to strengthen the sense of unity among the faithful and told Muslims to use this period to work together for the common good of the community and the whole so-ciety at large.“At a time when the ummah is facing numerous challenges, we should use this period to strengthen our unity and reflect on addressing the challenges fac-ing Muslims today,” he added.He went on to appeal to the government to accord Muslims an enabling environment to undertake acts of devotions during the 30-day long period which is expected to commence on Saturday or Sunday de-pending on the sighting of the crescent.“In the recent past, we have witnessed police harassment against Muslims in the guise of security operations where the rights of Muslims have been violated and we ear-nestly appeal to the authorities not to take advantage of this situation to harass in-nocent Muslims,” he said.“Many of the recommended acts of wor-ship during Ramadhan are carried out at night and security agents should not use this pretext to harass innocent Muslim coming from or heading to mosques,” he added.Sheikh Swalihu further called on all Ken-yans to put aside their religious, political and ethnic differences and work in unison to foster peace and unity in the country. “The country is experiencing a grow-ing rise in political temperatures and a charged ethnic and religious intolerance which could threaten the fabric of unity in the country. We should put aside these differences and embrace the virtues of peace and unity,” he said.The Imam advised the ummah to make the most out of the month by performing acts that will bring them closer to Allah such as performing the special Rama-dhan night prayers (Taraweeh), Qur’an recitation, giving out charity and looking after the unfortunate in the society.

Uhuru warns warring NEP clans

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the government will take stern action against those who are responsible for fueling hos-tilities between the Garre and Degodia clans in Mandera and Wajir counties. The head of state called for the immediate sur-render of illegal arms warning of an all-out security operation if the hostilities do not come to an end."If the hostilities do not end, we will have no otherwise but to move in with full force," the President said while reiterating that the killings of innocent chil-dren, women and the elderly would not be tolerated.

His comments came in the wake of flaring up of violence between the two communi-ties which have claimed the lives of 34 peo-ple dead and created hundreds of internal-ly displaced persons (IDPs). The President gave the warning during a meeting with political, religious and community leaders from Mandera and Wajir counties whom he met at State House on Tuesday to discuss the conflict between the warring clans.He warned chiefs in Mandera and Wajir counties that they will be held responsible

The Officer in charge of Kamiti Maximum Prison Hen-ry Kisingu speaks during the official opening ceremony of the Kamiti mosque. On the right is Muhammad Sharrif, the Prisoner Rehabiliation Programme vice chairman and Zool Nimji, the secretary general of Ummah Founda-tion and next to him is the Nairobi county Prison Com-mander Wanini Kireri.INSET: Muslim inmates fol-lowing proceedings of the event

Members and Staff of Jamia Mosque Committee wishes all Muslims Ramadhan Kareem

The Friday Bulletin Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014

Warring NEP clans warned

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EDITORIAL

He particularly called on women to also spend time in acts of worship instead of giving importance to the kitchen to prepare iftar breaking the fast meals. “Ramadhan is a time of fasting not feasting. Our sisters should not spend most of the day in the kitchen preparing lavish meals. This is anti-thesis to the teachings of Islam that requires Muslims to reduce their eating habits during Ramadhan,” he explained.For a period of one month Muslim will be required to practice self-re-straint by abstaining from worldly desires from dawn to dusk. During the day, the faithful avoid eating, drinking, conjugal relations and are encouraged to engage in various acts of devotions for their spiritual upliftment.

This year's month of Ramadhan starts at a time when the Horn of Africa, a region dominated by Muslims is facing one of the most devastating drought famine in over 60 years, long- running civic wars and inter-clan clashes.Somalia and Sudan are the most affected countries as the situation has seen thou-sands of refugees pour into Kenya in the last few years to flee from the devastating wars and famine.Of course the famine situation in both So-malia and Sudan has been aggravated by the long-running civic wars in the two countries, which has rendered it impossible for residents to engage in any meaningful socio-economic activities.It is therefore logical that Muslims look at it as an opportunity to demonstrate their humanitarian spirit by focusing attention on the afflicted especially in Northern Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti.One of the goals of Ramadhan is to teach the fasting person to experience hunger and make him or her aware of the plight of those who are starving due to lack of food sympathize with them and do whatever is possible to alleviate their condition.Shocking scenes of children and elderly people staring death in the face in Turkana, Baringo and other areas are replete with heart-rending stories narrated by desper-ate and emaciated mothers some of whom have been forced to abandon their mal-nourished young ones to go and look for dogs and cats to slaughter and feed their children while others had been forced by

circumstances to abandon their families to die during long treks in search of food.These are cases sufficient to shake the con-science of even the most unsympathetic people and call for urgent action and mere sympathy.Besides being concerned about relieving humanity in general from the pangs of hun-ger, Muslims must not forget that majority of the afflicted are Muslims who though in desperate condition also wish to fulfill their religious obligation of fasting like the rest of their brethren.It is the duty of all Muslims locally and glob-ally to be more concerned about the plight of their brothers and sisters and launch con-structive plans to save them from starvation as well as empower them to perform their obligatory fast.It is commendable that local Muslim organi-zations, mosques, Imams and leaders have in the past intensified efforts to save the situation by sending appeals to members of the community and coordinating collection, delivery of relief funds, food and other ne-cessities.These are noble actions which need to be sustained to mitigate the effects drought across the region.Charity in Islam is not an exclusively for the rich, every Muslim who can afford at least a square meal per day should share accord-ing to his or her ability.Of course one needs not starve in order to donate something, but at least one can sac-rifice a little to save a starving person.

In the month of Ramadhan, char-ity has been made so simple that nearly every Muslim can afford to give, in this connection Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam says one should share with a fasting brother or sister even if it is half a glass of water or half a date.Muslims must be proud of having the best example in the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam in how to respond to situations, one of the characteristics of Prophet is that he was most charitable and especially during Ramadhan.Ibn Abbas said, ''The Prophet sala-llahu alayhi wa sallam was most charitable amongst people and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadhan.” (Al-Bukhari) Mus-lims are equally expected to scale up their level of charity during the month of Ramadhan.Therefore in spiritual terms this year's Ramadhan is indeed a rare opportunity for double reward, it is an indirect invitation from Allah to call who want to reap multiple re-wards by simultaneously sympa-thizing with the starving and ena-bling the most needy to fast.Let every Muslim not miss this op-portunity to donate whatever is possible to save lives before Ram-adhan ends.

Ramadhan: Make haste to save lives andreap double reward

if they fail to take action that will help in con-taining acts of breach of peace.The leaders at the meeting included Members of the National Assembly, Senators and Governors among others. In a related development, community leaders from the two counties called for the implemen-tation of the Red Court Hotel accord which was signed last year by members of the two communities as a step towards ending the vio-lence between the Garre and Degodia clans.Speaking on Tuesday at a press conference at a Nairobi hotel the leaders refuted claims that the clashes were as a result of border conflict between Mandera and Wajir counties while maintaining that it was politicians who were fanning the violence.“Enforce the Red Court agreement of June 23rd 2013 midwifed by Senator Yusuf Haji and the entire leadership of the three counties. It seems that none of the agreed steps have been implemented,” said Ugas Muhammad, a community leader from Wajir.

The accord signed by prominent leaders from the two communities stressed on peaceful co-existence between the two communities and urged all political, community and religious leaders to promote peace, equity, fairness and justice. The government was also obligated to carry out full scale disarmament in the two counties and deploy adequate security along the Wajir-Mandera border to contain acts of breach of security. The leaders also urged the government to provide assistance to the displaced persons just like it did with the victims of the Mpeketoni massacre adding that the state must promote national unity by considering all its citizens equal regardless of race, color and religion.They further called upon the government to live up to its obligation of ensuring peace is maintained and the sanctity of lives protected and urged the two communities to desist from violence and embrace peace.

Call for unityContinued From Page 1

The Friday Bulletin

In the Quran Allah presents some of the most beautiful metaphors and parables which gives us great insight on how to pre-pare for this blessed season. In Surat Al-Hajj, Allah says:“… And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind” [22:5]Through this metaphor Allah is inviting the believers to prepare the land (their hearts and soul) for this rain (guidance) that has been sent to them in this blessed month of Ramadhan. The month of Ramadhan is analogous to the season of spring. In this month, a believer prepares the garden by removing the weeds, seeding the soil and watering the ground in hopes of beautiful flowers and tasty fruits later in the year.The same goes for the heart of a believer. The more prepared the heart is, the better it is able to receive and retain this divine guidance. A deep understanding of this aspect of purification of the heart goes a long way in attaining our goals during the blessed month of Ramadhan.The following tips can be helpful in reach-ing this goal.1. Intention and Determination – Inten-tion creates the desire, the conscious-ness and the determination; which in turn produces the required efforts for a task or goal. At the start of this Ramadhan, make the intention of attaining the piety (Taqwa) which is the goal of the month of fasting. Have the intention of reaching this level of piety through your fasting, worship (Ibadat) and all the planned special activities dur-ing this month. To achieve, this goal, it may be beneficial to dedicate some private time before the first day or on the first day of Ramadhan and make Hamd and Istighfar to Allah. Send salutations on the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and ask Allah to assist you in this endeavor. Making Duaa with focus and concentration can help you attain the proper mindset.2. Relationship with Quran – Make spe-cial arrangements during this month for recitation, listening, understanding and pondering on the verses of Quran. Spend as much time as possible in the company of Quran. Attending Taraweeh regularly is a great opportunity to complete listening to the Quran at least once during Rama-dhan. If you don’t understand the Arabic language, you should make every effort to understand a set portion with translation and tafseer. In our day and age, the Inter-net has opened an unlimited number of op-portunities for learning and understanding of Quran from the comfort of our homes.3. Stay Away from Sin – Make a special effort to stay away from any and all types of sins. In this month, believers are given special protection from the devil (Shay-tan), which we should take advantage of

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Get ready to welcome a dear friend – month of RamadhanDA'WA

SUNDAY LECTURE

SUNDAYSUNDAY LECTURETopic: Qadar

By: Rajab Abdallah29th June 2014

Time: 10:00 am -12:00 pm Venue: Makina Mosque Kibera

by promoting and increasing our closeness to Allah. The farther we are from sin, the closer we get to Allah. The Prophet salalla-hu alayhi wa sallam reminded us in his fa-mous Hadith that “Fasting acts as a shield from sins, so use it as a shield. The fasting person should not curse anyone, yell and badmouth anyone. If someone curses him or fights with him, he should move away by saying, “I am fasting. I can’t be part of bad deeds” – related by Bukhari and Muslim. Make a special effort to guard your tongue during this month. Make a habit every night to assess your day before going to sleep. Make immediate Istighfar and repent if you have committed a sin during your day. 4. Seek Good Deeds – A believer should always be seeking opportunities to perform and engage in good deeds. We should seek all such opportunities in worship (Ibaadat) and relationships (Muamalat). When a be-liever goes beyond the obligatory acts (Far-aidh) and hastens to perform the optional (Nawafil) it shows his eagerness to please Allah. These are the believer about whom Allah relates in the Hadith Qudsi related by Abu Hurayrah (radhillahu anhu) that such people become so dear to Allah that Allah becomes the eyes through which they see; He becomes the ears through which they hear; He becomes the feet through which they walk, and the tongue through which they speak. In this Ramadhan decide on any three or more good deeds that you will consistently perform to attain this special nearness to Allah.5. Qiyam al-layl – To stand the night in prayer and recite from the Book of Allah is one of the most effective methods of at-taining the consciousness of Allah (Taqwa). Allah praises these believers in Surat Al-Dhariyat [51:18] “And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness” [51:18] Taraweeh is considered to be part of Qiy-am al-layl. Believers are also encouraged to wake up and pray during the second part or the 3rd part of the night right be-fore dawn. We can be among those who are mentioned in the above verse of Quran by simply waking up 15-20 minutes before Suhoor and performing two rakaat Nafil prayers. Abu Hurairah (radhiallahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: ‘In the last third of every night Allah descends to the lower-most heaven and says; “Who is calling Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking Me so that may I grant him? Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?.”‘ [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Qudsi]. 6. Dhikr and Duaa – Remembrance of Al-lah is important throughout our lives, but is even more important during the month of Ramadhan. Making a special effort to keep the remembrance of Allah, especially with your tongue is a source of great reward. This act keeps Allah in your thoughts con-

ILM DAY

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Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014

stantly. A constant dhikr of Allah and his praise (Tahmeedand Tahleel) are one of the best of ways of reaping rewards during this month. As we make Duaa to Allah, we perfect our conviction and belief – that He is the only one who can fulfill our needs, wants and desires. Extending our hands in complete devotion Make a special effort to memorize some of the Adhkar and fre-quently repeat them through out the day.7. Spend for the Pleasure of Allah (char-ity) – Charity is considered the second most important act of worship after prayers. Spending with the pure intention of pleas-ing Allah from one’s wealth is one of the noblest acts liked by Allah. Allah promises the recompense of seven hundred times of what a believer spends for His sake. Infaq has been described as a key characteris-tic of Muttaqeen (those who have Taqwa and consciousness of Allah at all times). In this month, open your heart and your wal-let. Give for the sake of Allah without any fear of poverty. Give to your relatives, the orphans and poor to the best of your abil-ity. Give without any desire of recompense or worldly reward as described by Allah in Surat Al-Dahr “We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude.” [76:9]8. Helping and Supporting People – The Prophet called the month of Ramadhan as the month of consolation. During this month make a special effort to help some-one. Is there a family in your neighborhood that you haven’t seen in a while? A student in a strange new city? A new Muslim who is fasting for the first time? An elderly couple who can’t get to the Masjid? Why not take a few minutes to make a phone call, drop in for a visit, or invite someone for Iftar. Even the smallest gesture of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Remember your actions are measured on their quality and not their quantity. Breaking someone’s fast even with modest food can make you worthy of great reward and can be an expiation from the fire of Hell. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “If someone helps break the fast of a fasting person in the month of Ramadhan, he will receive the same amount of reward as the person fasting without any reduction in the reward of the fasting person”. He also said, “If someone feeds a fasting person, Allah

By Khurram Murad

The Friday Bulletin

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The blessed month of Ramadhan is an ideal time to work on purifying our souls A month full of enormous spiritual wealth and reward, Ramadhan is an incredible opportunity that we shouldn’t lose out on.However, many of us often suffer from lack of productivity during Ramadhan and not making the most of the special blessed month.With the start of Ramadhan, I have put to-gether six steps that will help us reap the benefits of the special month and allow us to experience a spiritual transforma-tion this coming Ramadhan Inshaa’Allah.1. Be Realistic, Consistent We usually enter Ramadhan with very high aspirations and make promises to ourselves that we often can’t keep due to the impracticality of our goals. If you haven’t trained yourself before Ramad-han for the ‘ibadat you wish to carry out, you will most likely not be able to sustain them. Trying to finish the Qur’an three or four times during Ramadhan when you barely read a page a day before Rama-dhan or wanting to pray tahajjud (extra night prayers) every single night when you’ve been struggling with waking up for fajr, will put too much physical and psychological pressure on you. This will most probably result in you slipping af-ter the first week, losing hope and then giving up entirely. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:“The best deeds are those which are consistent even if they are small.” (Al-Bukhari)If you don’t want to suffer from lack of consistency this Ramadhan and end up feeling guilty about it, then be realistic in your expectations. Stick to a few `ibadat that you know you will be able to perform and be consistent with them. For exam-ple, if you decide to complete the Qur’an only once during the month and pray only two rak`aat (units) tahajjud (late night prayers) every night, and actually sustain this throughout the entire month, it will be much greater in the eyes of Allah than if you put pressure on yourself to do more `ibadat than you can handle and then find you cannot follow through with them.2. Don’t Eat Too Much at Iftar Ramadhan is a month of cleansing — cleansing of our souls and body. Fast-ing allows us to feel a little of the hunger pangs that poor people feel; and gives our overworked digestive system a break from continuous digestion. Unfortunately, it has become very common for Muslims to eat so much food at iftar (the meal af-ter sundown that breaks the fast) time and late into the night that they often find that they have gained weight by the end of the month. If you think about it, gain-ing weight defies the whole purpose of fasting. Instead of detoxing, we end up toxing; and instead of feeling hungry, we

end up waking up the next morning feel-ing bloated and uncomfortable.The mistake a lot of Muslims often fall into during Ramadhan is making so many different kinds of foods and eating them. While the delicious, unhealthy fried food may be very tempting after a long day of fasting, it will just makes us lazy, sleepy and will most definitely result in an un-productive night. We may even be too tired to pray tarawih (the night prayer of-fered in Ramadhan) after a heavy meal.Thus, Iftar should be kept simple, bal-anced and healthy. If you’re smart with what you eat at iftar and follow the Sun-nah (prophetic behavior) of the Prophet, peace be upon him, by filling only a third of your stomach with food, a third with water and allowing a third for air, you’ll immediately notice a difference in your energy level while fasting and after you break your fast Inshaa’Allah.3. One Hour before FajrThe secret to a productive day is tak-ing advantage of the times that Allah put barakah (blessing) in. Prophet Mu-hammad taught us that there is barakah in the early hours of the morning. By spending the hour before fajr in prayer, recitation of Qur’an, and in the remem-brance of Allah, you will get the spiritual nourishment your body requires for that day. Just like we need to eat breakfast every morning to give us energy, the spiritual nourishment our body needs is equally important. Without it, we will not have much barakah in our time and we will find ourselves getting tired easily and not being very productive. Additionally, having suhoor (pre-dawn meal) gives us barakah. The Prophet said ‘Have suhoor, for in suhoor there is barakah.’ (Al-Bukhari)Make sure you wake up every morning before fajr, pray at least two rak`aat, make some du’as’ (supplication), read a bit of Qur’an, and have a bite to eat (even if it’s just a few dates). 4. Du’as for OthersWe often get excited before Ramad-han as we know that the time Allah will Inshaa’Allah answer our prayers is just around the corner. Some of us even memorize special du’as and prepare du’as’ lists well in advance. This is a wonderful thing to do of course, but if we want to increase the effectiveness of our du’as, we should make du’as for others. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ‘Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is not present, an angel will say ‘and same to you.’ (Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi)When we make du’as for our brother or sister in Islam, we are basically hitting two birds with one stone – praying for others and ourselves.Choose times in which du’as are an-

By Zainab Shaban

How to get a Ramadhan full of blessings

swered, such as the last third of the night and when you break your fast, to make the du’as with all sincerity and a wakeful heart. Allah does answer the prayers of those who sup-plicate Him. However, the key to receiving an answer to your prayer is to be sincere in your du’as, consistent, and patient. 5. An Opportunity to PurificationFasting is not only about abstaining from food and drink but it is also about abstaining from anger, backbiting, jealousy, greed, thinking ill of people; and all the other diseases of the heart. Purification of the soul from the illnesses of the heart is not an easy task and the per-son who is able to free him/herself from these unhealthy qualities is truly the successful one: "And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it; And inspired it [with discernment of] its wick-edness and righteousness, he has succeeded who purifies it." (Ash-Shams, 91:7-9)Not only does Allah lock away all those evil devils during the entire month; but fasting in it-self is a form of purification. Fasting softens our hearts, weakens our human desires and instills in us the pleasant qualities of patience and will-power. Unlike the normal days of the year, we feel more inclined to do righteous deeds and to keep away from committing sins. This Rama-dhan, let us all choose one unwanted quality about ourselves that we wish to change and make a conscious effort to purify ourselves of it.6. Monitor Your IntentionsProphet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: ‘The deeds are considered by their intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intentions.’ (Al-Bukhari)We usually make an intention before we per-form good deeds such as fasting or giving sadaqa (charity). However, we often tend to forget to make an intention for the little eve-ryday tasks we normally do. If you really want your hasanat (reward from good deeds) to soar during Ramadhan, make a sincere intention for every little task you perform. For instance, if you’re cooking iftar for your family, make the intention that the time you spend in the kitchen cooking in order to feed your fasting family is to please Allah. Ramadhan comes once a year, and when it leaves us we don’t know if we will live to see the next one, so let us strive to make the most of this Ramadhan. May Allah grant us all a Rama-dhan full of barakah and blessings. Amiyn.

Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014

The Nairobi Area Muslim Students Association (NAMSA) is mobilizing funds from well wishers to facilitate

Iftar programmes in schools.Any Assistance towards this noble

cause will be appreciatedPlease contact

1. Bro Ibrahim Sharrif 07229470502. Bro Ali Adan 0722961233

3. Bro Umar Sakwa 0722234569

The Friday Bulletin

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SUNDAY LECTURE

Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014

The Friday Bulletin

By Ramzy Baroud

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Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014

Iraq's Insurgency: Redrawing the Map “Labeiki ya Zaynab,” chanted Iraqi Shia fighters as they swayed, dancing with their rifles before TV news cameras in Baghdad on June 13. They were apparently getting ready for a difficult fight ahead. For them, it seemed that a suitable war chant would be answering the call of Zaynab, the daugh-ter of Imam Ali, the great Muslim Caliph who lived in Medina 14 centuries ago. That was the period through which the Shia sect slowly emerged, based on a political dis-pute whose consequences are still felt until this day.That chant alone is enough to demonstrate the ugly sectarian nature of the war in Iraq, which has reached an unprecedented highpoint in recent days. Fewer than 1,000 fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) advanced against Iraq's largest city of Mosul on June 10, sending two Iraqi army divisions (nearly 30,000 sol-diers) to a chaotic retreat.The call to arms was made by a statement issued by Iraq’s most revered Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and read on his behalf during a Friday prayer’s sermon in Karbala. “People who are capable of car-rying arms and fighting the terrorists in de-fense of their country (..) should volunteer to join the security forces to achieve this sacred goal,” the statement in part read.The terrorists of whom Sistani speaks are those of ISIL, whose numbers throughout the region is estimated to be at only 7,000 fighters.Shaky BordersISIL fighters are well organized, fairly well-equipped and absolutely ruthless in their conduct. To secure their remarkable territo-rial gains, they quickly moved south, clos-ing in on other Iraqi towns: They attacked and took over Baiji on June 11. On the same day, they conquered Tikrit, the town of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, where they were joined by ex-Baathist fighters. For two days, they tried to take over Samarra, but couldn't, only to move against Jalawala and Saaddiyah, to the east of Baghdad.It is impossible to verify reports of what is taking place in towns that fall under the control of ISIL, but considering their noto-riously bloody legacy in Syria, and ISIL’s own online reporting on their own activities, one can expect the worse.Within days, ISIL was in control of a large swathe of land which lumped together of-fers a new map fully altering the political boundaries of the Middle East that were largely envisioned by colonial powers France and Britain nearly a century ago.What the future holds is difficult to pre-dict. The US administration is petrified by the notion of getting involved in Iraq once more. It was its original meddling, at the behest of the notorious neoconservatives who largely determined US foreign policy during George W. Bush’s administration that ignited this ongoing strife in the first

place. They admitted failure and withdrew in Dec 2011, hoping to sustain a level of influence over the Iraqi government under Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. They failed miserably as well and it is now Iran that is an influential foreign power in Bagh-dad.In fact, Iran’s influence and interests are so strong that despite much saber-rattling by US President Barack Obama, the US can-not possibly modify the massively changing reality in Iraq without Iranian help. Reports in US and British media are pointing to pos-sible US-Iranian involvement to counter ISIL, not just in Iraq, but also in Syria.Sunni AngerHistory is accelerating at a frantic speed. Seemingly impossible alliances are being hastily formed. Maps are being redrawn in directions that are determined by masked fighters with automatic weapons mounted on the back of pickup trucks. True, no one could have predicted such events, but when some warned that the Iraq war would "destabilize" the Middle East for many years to come, this is precisely what they meant.When Bush led his war on Iraq in order to fight al-Qaeda, the group simply didn’t exist in that country; the war however, brought al-Qaeda to Iraq. A mix of hubris and igno-rance of the facts and lack of understand-ing of Iraq’s history ‒ allowed the Bush administration to sustain that horrible war. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis perished in an immoral military quest. Those who were not killed, were maimed, tortured, raped or fled into a borderless Iraqi odys-sey.The Americans toyed with Iraq in numerous ways. They dissolved the army, dismissed all government institutions, attempted to restructure a new society based on the recommendations of Pentagon and CIA analysts in Washington D.C. and Virginia. They oppressed the Sunni Muslims, em-powered Shia, and fed the flame of sectari-anism with no regard to the consequences. When things didn’t go as planned, they tried to empower some Shia groups over others, and armed some Sunni groups to fight the Iraqi resistance to the war, which was mostly made of Sunni fighters.The consequences were most bloody. Iraq’s civil war of 2006-07 claimed tens of thousands to be added to the ever-growing toll caused by the war adventure. No sham elections were enough to remedy the situ-ation, no torture technique was enough to suppress the rebellion, and no fiddling with the sectarian or ethnic demographics of the country was enough to create the coveted "stability".In Dec 2011, the Americans ran away from the Iraq inferno, leaving behind a fight that was not yet settled. What is going on in Iraq right now is an integral part of the US-in-fused mayhem. It should be telling enough that the leader of ISIL, Abu Baker al-Bagh-

dadi, is an Iraqi from Samarra, who fought against the Americans and was himself held and tortured in the largest US prison in Iraq, Camp Bucca for five years.Roots of the ISILIt would not be precise to make the claim that ISIL started in the dungeon of a US prison in Iraq. The ISIL story would need to be examined in greater depth since it is as stretched as the current geography of the conflict, and as mysterious as the masked characters who are blowing people up with no mercy and beheading with no regard to the upright values of the religion they pur-port to represent.Yet, there can be no denial that the US ig-norant orchestration of the mass oppres-sion of Iraqis, and Sunnis in particular, during the 2003 war until their much touted withdrawal was a major factor in ISIL for-mation, and the horrendous levels of vio-lence the extremist group utilizes.It is unclear whether ISIL will be able to hold onto the territories it gained or sustain it-self in a battle that involves Shia-controlled Baghdad, Iran and the US. But a few things should be clear:The systematic political marginalization of Iraq’s Sunni communities is both senseless and unsustainable. A new political and so-cial contract is needed to re-order the mess created by the US invasion, and other for-eign intervention in Iraq, including that of Iran.The nature of the conflict has become so convoluted that a political settlement in Iraq would have to tackle a similar settlement in Syria, which is serving as a breeding ground for brutality, by the Syrian regime and opposition forces, especially ISIL. That factory of radicalization must close down as soon as possible in a way that would allow Syria’s wounds, and by extension Iraq’s, to heal.

will quench his thirst from the water of Kaw-thar and he will never be thirsty again until he enters Jannah”.9. Invite Towards The Quran –The strug-gles of this world will end, but the strug-gles of those who enter Hell will never end. Therefore, the biggest service to anyone is to save them from the fire of Hell and help them enter Paradise (Jannah). The month of Ramadhan was honored by Allah due to the revelation of Quran during this month. Inviting people to the message of Quran is among the noblest acts we can perform during this month. In this month, we are all focused on reaping rewards and cleansing ourselves, but we should not ignore the highest responsibility of calling people to the Deen of Allah and to the message of Quran. Inviting others to Quran during this month.

Welcoming RamadhanContinued From Page 3

The Friday Bulletin NATIONAL

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Muslims in the country have been asked to incorporate modern methods of teaching and learning in their educational institutions to ensure that they remain relevant in the society.Muslim Education Council representative at the Kakamega county education board, Hassan Ngeri noted that Muslim sponsored and run schools were important part of the Muslim community and called for better methods of teaching and good conducive learning environment to improve on their academic input.Ngeri further said that there was need for Muslim schools in Western region to adopt integrated education system to impart both secular and Islamic education for holistic upbringing of students, stressing that for this to be implemented effectively both religious and secular teachers should be equipped with modern teaching practices and skills to improve on their efforts in schools.''To revolutionize this sector, modern val-ues of learning and work plans have to be injected into the system for both spiritual development and good academic perfor-mance,'' Ngeri said.Speaking in Kakamega recently, Ngeri regretted that most Muslim institutions lack professionalism in their management stressing that it was important to reverse

Muslim institutions urged to embrace modern learning methods

Police blamed over security laxityAuthorities in the security docket have been blamed of sleeping on the job fol-lowing the ongoing killings and insecurity in Lamu and Northern Kenya. Fresh killings were reported on Monday in Lamu County where at least 5 people were killed in Pandanguo sub-location in Witu, a few kilometers from the site of last week’s massacre at Mpeketoni which left 60 people dead. The latest killings happened after the gov-ernment had pledged increased security in the area and announced a massive manhunt to apprehend the killers.In the volatile North Eastern region devel-opment more than 20 lives were lost in the inter-clan conflict between the Garre and Degodia communities in Wajir and Man-dera counties. According to a Mombasa based human rights group Haki Africa, the continued killings are as a result of poor coordina-tion by those in charge of security opera-tions in the country.In a press release, theexecutive director, Hussein Khalid raised concerns over the state of security faulting the manner in which the police have handled operations.“Whatever the reasons, the killings point to laxity in and failure of authorities to

guarantee Kenyans their right to security as enshrined in the constitution. The po-lice are sleeping on their job and as a re-sult more Kenyans are losing their lives,” said Hussein.The lobby group called for urgent action to address the deteriorating security situ-ation in the country adding that the situ-ation is causing alarm and consternation among Kenyans.“With these fresh killings, it is a clear in-dication that the situation has not been arrested and what the security authorities were assuring Kenyans of improved se-curity in the area was mere lip service,” he said.The rights activists wondered how an-other round of killings could take place near Mpeketoni, an area that the govern-ment maintained had seen improved se-curity after the deployment of hundreds of armed police officers.He urged the government to protect the sanctity of Kenyan lives by all means add-ing that it must bring those behind the kill-ings to book. Haki Africa appealed also to the govern-ment to help all the affected communities by insecurity to rebuild their lives and told the State not to focus only on a certain community.

the trend to ensure they effectively play their role of imparting quality education.He emphasized that Muslims should be competent in both the spiritual and secu-lar education if they are to prosper in every sphere be it social, economic and political, adding that efforts must be made in sensi-tizing Muslims in realizing the importance of education. ''We as Muslims need to cre-ate awareness to our young children on the need to strike a balance between the religious and worldly aspects of their lives,'' Ngeri said.He reminded both Muslim leaders and parents of their responsibilities to provide commitment and dedications to further im-prove on the standard of education in the community.Kakamega Jamia Mosque and Islamic centre Secretary General, Bakari Kweyu who is also education sub-committee chair stressed the need for efficient cooperation between parents, teachers, students, the community and the government to ensure students were receiving all the necessary support needed for good academic results.Kweyu noted that this is possible if the Muslim community realizes its potential and identify the importance of education in the wake of modern time.

‘Provide Islamic learning to inmates’

Sha'aban 29,1435/June 27,2014

A call has been made to provide Islamic learning programmes to inmates to help in their rehabilitation efforts.The Nairobi County Prisons Commander Wanini Kireri said the government fully supports faith based programmes that have a positive change on inmates and told Muslims to take advantage of the opportunity to facilitate Islamic learning programmes in correctional facilities. “Muslims should take advantage of these opportunities to provide spiritual nourishment to inmates which will help in reforming them into better individu-als after completing their prison terms,” she said while officiating at the opening ceremony of the Kamiti prison mosque where she was the chief guest.The mosque was constructed by the Prison Rehabilitation Programme (PRP), an associate organization of Ummah Foundation and will serve as a central facility for Muslim inmates at the Kamiti Maximum prison.Addressing more than 250 Muslim in-mates, the commandant explainedthat prison was not a place for punishment but a rehabilitation centre for reforming inmates and called for a systematic ed-ucation programme which will help the spiritual growth of the inmates. She commended the Foundation for its role in providing support towards prison-ers and urged it to expand its activities to cover moreprisonsinother counties. The officer in charge of Kamiti prison Henry Kisingu said prison authorities will work towards improving the welfare of Muslim inmates noting that the special needsof Muslims inmates during the month of Ramadhan will be addressed. On his part, the Imam of Landhies mosque Sheikh Ahmad Uthman advised the inmates to be God-fearing saying that this state will help them in their ref-ormation progress. “Do not despair but take this opportunity to reflect on your life. This is just like half time where you have to change strate-gies which will help you to reform your life for the better after leaving prison life,” he said.Speaking at the event, the Vice chair-man of the Prisoner Rehabilitation Pro-gramme Muhammad Sharrif applauded the cooperation from the Prison depart-ment towards Muslims andpledgedcon-tinuing support towards the welfare of Muslim inmates. He said it was the organization’s goal to facilitate spiritual welfare programmes to prisoners to ensure that they reformed into good citizens. The Kamiti mosque is the third mosque to be constructed within prison facili-ties by the Prisoner Rehabilitation pro-gramme. The others are at Naivasha Maximum Prison and Kwale Prison.

No doubt you are aware that Ummah Foundation is one of the leading Islamic Organizations in Kenya providing diverse services to members of our Ummah. With the grace of Allah s.w.t. and support from our brothers and sisters we have been very active in supporting our needy broth-ers and sisters in areas such as bursary support, prison rehabilitation programs, wheelchair donations, burial and medical support, cataract operations, water and food relief among others.During the holy month of Ramadhan we make several requests to donors and well wishers to join hands with Ummah Foun-dation so that together we can enhance this noble work and earn abundant bless-ing from the Almighty Allah s.w.t.The bulk of our collection is during this month of Ramadhan when we receive contributions for both Zakat and Sadaqa. However, it is noted with regret that these contributions are not usually enough to ca-ter for the enormous needs of our Ummah or fully cater for the programs that we are actively running. It is in this regard that we have seen the need to request you all to aid in this noble cause. “Those who believe and do deeds of right-eousness, and establish regular prayers and give Zakat, will have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 277We also take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed Saum in this Holy month. We pray that the Almighty grants you the will and ability to generously give out during this month.Payments can be send to: Ummah Foundation2ND Floor Suite A4, Village Plaza Ngara Rd, P.O Box 58717-00200 NairobiTEL: (+254) 202680610/13/16 Mob: 0734-845277Email:info@ummahfoundation.net.Web: www.ummahfoundation.netOr Bank to our account as per details be-low:Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA)Mama Ngina street BranchKenya Shillings A/C: 6439120013 US Dollar A/C: 6439120029Or First Community BankWabera Street BranchKenya Shillings A/C: 0010194301US Dollar A/C: 0010194302

Ramadhan Appeal 1435AH (2014)

Concerns over inter-faith marriages

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@islamkenya.org. Printed by Graphic Lineups Limited-Kweria Road info@graphic.co.ke

Two-year old Hamid Muhiddin who was the focus of an inspiring fundraising campaign to enable him have a bone marrow transplant finally succumbed to illness.Hamid was diagnosed with acute myeloid Leukemia, a rare cancer that affects inside bone marrow while at the Kilifi district Hospital and transferred to Mombasa hospital and later to Kenyatta National Hospital where the parents Muhiddin Shee and Fatuma Said where to learn that he required a bone marrow transplant.The complex surgical procedures required Sh3 million and doctors informed him that the procedures could not be carried out in the country, the other alternative being in India.However, a fundraising campaign launched through the Friday Bulletin, the social media and mosques helped to create attention about the plight of the child and generated as-sistance from well-wishers which eventually helped to raise the amount.But as plans were underway to fly him to India, his conditioned deteriorated last week and he was transferred to the Aga Khan Hospital where he was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit.He breathed his last on Monday and was buried at the Kariakor Muslim Cemetery.“While we grieve over his death, at the same time we appreciate the generosity and compassion extended to us through this trying period. This is what Islamic brotherhood is all about and we beseech Allah to reward you all,” said the father.

Baby Hamid passes away

The blessed month of Ramadhan is here again and Jamia mosque committee through its social welfare programme would this year during the Month of Ramadhan offer daily Iftar meals to hundreds of Muslims faithful who wish to break their fast at the mosque.The programme which is carried out annually is expected to cost Sh3 million and an estimated 500 worshippers are set to benefit from the programme on each day during the entire thirty days of fasting which is set to commence on either June 28 or 29.To promote the true spirit of Ramadhan the administration would like to appeal to Mus-lims and other charitable organisations to support the noble initiative to provide meals to those who will be breaking their fast at the mosque. Ramadhan Iftar vouchers are available at a cost of Sh200 for those willing to partner in the noble programme.

Jamia to undertake Iftar programmes

FARAJA RESTAURANTSpecializing in Somali, Swahili, Indian and African cuisineTuesday and Thursday Special

Buy 1 Pizza get 1 FREE

OFFERING IFTAR MEALS DURING THE MONTH OF

RAMADHAN

Find us along Moi Avenue next to Princely House and near Mt. Kenya University Contacts: Omar 0722834774

Wishing all Muslims Ramadhan Kareem

OSMAN ABDULKADIR

FARAH

SAMIR AHMED ABDULHABIB

Last seen 13th May 2014 in Nairobi. He speaks English,

He is mentally disturbed and talks alone. He disap-peared on 16th June in Nairobi wearing a green and blue stipped T-

Shirt, light blue jeans and brown open shoesContact Abdulhalim 0722157272, or Hannan on 0729424104

Swahili and SomaliIf seen please report to Pangani police station or the nearest po-lice station or call 0718421505, 0725705340, 0722323666

MISSING PERSONS