Friday Bulletin 617

Jamaada Al Awwal 09,1436/February 27, 2015 Issue No. 617

Friday BulletinThe

The Weekly Muslim News Update

www.islamkenya.org

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Muslim leaders have applauded the de-cision by the High Court to throw out cer-tain sections of the controversial Secu-rity Amendments (2014) laws.

The leaders said the provisions in the security laws were in clear conflict with the constitution notably the Bill of Rights.

In a landmark ruling, high court judges led by Justice Isaac Lenaola on Monday declared eight sections of the security laws as unconstitutional and illegal fur-ther pointing out that they did not find any connection between the limitations imposed by the security laws and the fight against terrorism. The judges were categorical that there were sufficient laws which could secure the country from acts of terrorism. “In-security in Kenya is not due to absence of laws but inefficiency of public bodies mandated to secure Kenyans. Even the Attorney General conceded during the

A section of the City Park Mosque in Nairobi's Parklands area which has received a demolition notice from the Kenya Urban Roads Authtority (KURA)

The fourth Caliph Ali Amnesty International faults state security operations

Muslim leaders welcome court’s decision on security laws

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A city mosque is under threat of demolition to pave way for the con-struction of a link road.

A notice from the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) claims that the City Park Mosque in Nairobi’s Parklands area encroached on a road reserve and will be brought down to pave way for the extension of Ring Road Parklands which falls under the proposed Nairobi Eastern Missing Link Road network.

Mosque officials however, dispute the claims maintaining that the land was acquired legally and the mosque holds a valid title deed which was obtained from the lands ministry in 2005.

A title deed for the two plots LR. No 209/12478 and 209/12477 where a mosque and madrasa stand had earlier been issued to Simon Nga-tunyi Chabi and Rose Nyambura Ngatunyi.

City Park Mosque faces demolition threat

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

‘Nation’ guilty of demonizing Muslims

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Kidney failure patient in dire need of assistance A sixteen-year-old orphan Ayan Gedi suffers from a life threatening condi-tion of acute renal failure (bilateral) which has rendered her kidneys not to function.She has to rely on an expensive Kid-ney dialysis procedure to rid the body of harmful waste which has to be un-dertaken at least twice in a week.The Form two student at Yathrib Sec-ondary School in Garissa has been forced to cut short her education in order to seek medical assistance as the dialysis procedure is not avail-able in Garissa county.The medical cost of her treatment at Nairobi East Hospital in Eastleigh where she has been admitted since December 2014. The bill has so far soared to more than Ksh 800,000 and her needy family cannot be able to

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The deputy Imam of Nairobi Jamia Mosque Sheikh Juma Amir with Ayan Gedi yesterday at her hospital bed.

The Friday Bulletin

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Court's decision on security laws hailed

‘Nation’ guilty of demonizing MuslimsA damning report has castigated the Na-tion Media Group for misrepresenting and demonizing Islam and Muslims.

The assessment from the Nation Media Group (NMG) public editor Peter Mwau-ra says some of the group’s publications have helped to reinforce the increasing negative perception against Islam and Muslims.

His report follows complaints from Mus-lims about the misrepresentation and de-monization of Islam and Muslims by the largest media house in East and Central Africa.

Of particular concern was the reprinting of the offensive and provocative cartoons demonizing Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him by the Business Daily. The cartoons had earlier been published by a French Magazine Charlie Hebdo and ig-nited strong condemnations from Muslims within and outside the country.

Major international media agencies which include Al Jazeera, New York Times, As-sociated Press (AP), CNN and Sky News declined to reprint the cartoons as they deliberately offended the religious sensi-bilities of Muslims.

“NMG’s editorial policy requires that its publications and broadcast outlets “stand for racial, ethnic, religious and communal harmony.” But, as can be seen from the study, they have contributed to the demoni-zation of Muslims,” Mwaura said in his re-port which was published in the Daily Na-tion last week.

The public editor went on to state that some of the misrepresentations emanate directly from senior editors at Nation Cen-tre. He cited an opinion editorial article by the Managing Editor of the Daily Nation Mutuma Muthaiu which vilified and por-trayed members of the Somali community as violent criminals, killers and potential terrorists. “It would appear that every lit-tle, two-bit Somali has a big dream — to blow us up, knock down our buildings and slaughter our children,” the article pub-lished last year during the infamous Opera-tion Usalama Watch said.

He also took issue with the incessant use of terms such as Islamists to describe out-lawed and violent groups was also cited as among the complaints from the leaders. “NMG has erred mainly by re-publishing reports in the Western media, and employ-ing terms coined in other socio-politico

Threat to City Park Mosque

Jamaada Al Awwal 09,1436/February 27, 2015

contexts, without adequate gate-keeping,” he said adding that “NMG reports should be accurate and informative, without being incendiary. The terms “Islamist”, “jihadist”, “fundamentalist” are in many cases pejora-tive and judgmental, even incendiary.”

Mwaura who was recently appointed to the position to listen to complaints against NMG publications and broadcast dis-missed claims by the acting editorial direc-tor Tom Mshindi who argued that the infrac-tions were “silly mistakes” and not serious breaches.

“Mistakes, while human, are not accept-able in a newspaper or broadcast outlet. They should be condemned, corrected and avoided,” he said.

A report released last year by the Media Council of Kenya “The Kenyan study, De-constructing Terror: Assessing Media’s Role in Religious Intolerance and Radi-calisation, accused the local media of con-tributing to demonizing Islam and Muslims with a narrative which reinforces the view that Muslims are potential terrorists, Islam preaches and supports violent radicaliza-tion and extremism and People of Somali origin are potential terrorists.

Further, since the acquisition of the land, the mosque has met its obligation of remit-ting the required land rates to the Nairobi County Government.

“If indeed the said properties are en-croaching on a road reserve, why did the President of the Republic of Kenya grant the same to the above named person with concurrence of the Commissioner of Land”? And why has no one been pros-ecuted pursuant to section 91 of the Traffic Act?” queried Nairobi lawyer S.O Owino.

Mosque officials say that while they are not opposed to the road construction, the law dictates that the mosque can only be de-molished after compensation or provision of alternative land is made.

In a letter to the Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, the mosque vice chairman Ab-dikadir Muhammad Musa, called for the provision of an alternative land to ensure that the more than 100 worshippers who use the mosque are not denied a place of worship.

According to a member of the Nairobi County Assembly Jaffer Kassam, the Nai-robi County government has earmarked City Park as a conservation area and it will negate the policy of the county govern-ment to allow a road through the area.

A report from the Kenya Urban Road Au-thority on the implementation of Nairobi Eastern Missing Link Roads seen by The Friday Bulletin states that property owners sitting on the road corridor will be compen-sated before the land is appropriated.


hearing that there is corruption and lack of coordination among security agencies to curb terror threats,” the judges ruled.

Hailing the ruling, the National Muslim Leaders Forum (NAMLEF) Chairman Ab-dullahi Abdi said that it defended justice and the rule of the law. “We are happy about the court’s decision particularly on the provisions touching of the media, refu-gees and right to bail since all these funda-mental rights are enshrined in the constitu-tion,” Abdullahi told The Friday Bulletin.

He however, regretted that the judges up-held certain provisions of the security law that violate human rights such as the law that allow cancellation of identification documents and those giving the National Intelligence Service powers to tap tele-phone conversations.

“Caution should be exercised when pur-suing security matters so that Kenyans will not be exposed to arbitrary intrusion into their private lives and communication,” Ab-dullahi added.

He added that the Muslim community is concerned that the government machinery will misuse the laws to victimize innocent Kenyans and deny them their right to ac-cess important documents such as nation-al identity cards and passports.

Nairobi Lawyer Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome also lauded the judges for overruling both the executive and the legislature on the new law whose acrimonies passage in the

National Assembly sparked off protests from human rights circles and the opposi-tion CORD coalition.

Ibrahim who is also a member of Jamia Mosque committee said the rule of law had taken its course and the ruling should serve as a lesson to legislators who are misusing the tyranny of numbers.

The judges declared as unconstitutional the law which would have seen journal-ists subjected to a Sh 5 million fine or a jail term of three years for publishing or broad-casting images of victims of terrorism with-out permission from security agencies.

A section which would have legalized a long term detentions without trial was also declared illegal and the judges further ruled that the provision in Section 48 of the Act which capped the maximum number of refugees in the country to 150,000 was not only unconstitutional but also a violation of international treaties.

The controversial Bill meant to counter the growing threat of terrorism was passed last year by parliament in a chaotic man-ner and hurriedly signed into law by the head of state in December last year.

Subsequently, the CORD coalition, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and other civil society organiza-tions went to court challenging the legality of the provisions.

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DA'WA

SUNDAY LECTURE

Ali's life

Ali bin Abi Talib was the first cousin of the Prophet (peace be on him). More than that, he had grown up in the Prophet's own household, later married his youngest daughter, Fatima, and remained in closest association with him for nearly thirty years.

Ali was ten years old when the Divine Mes-sage came to Muhammad (peace be on him). One night he saw the Prophet and his wife Khadijah bowing and prostrating. He asked the Prophet about the meaning of their actions. The Prophet told him that they were praying to Allah Most High and that Ali too should accept Islam. Ali said that he would first like to ask his father about it. He spent a sleepless night, and in the morning he went to the Prophet and said, "When Al-lah created me He did not consult my father, so why should I consult my father in order to serve Allah?" and he accepted the truth of Muhammad's message.

When the Divine command came, “And warn thy nearest relatives” [26:214], Muhammad (peace be on him) invited his relatives for a meal. After it was finished, he addressed them and asked, "Who will join me in the cause of Allah?" There was utter silence for a while, and then Ali stood up. "I am the youngest of all present here," he said, "My eyes trouble me because they are sore and my legs are thin and weak, but I shall join you and help you in whatever way I can." The assembly broke up in derisive laughter. But during the difficult wars in Makkah, Ali stood by these words and faced all the hard-ships to which the Muslims were subjected. He slept in the bed of the Prophet when the Quraish planned to murder Muhammad. It was he to whom the Prophet entrusted, when he left Makkah, the valuables which had been given to him for safekeeping, to be returned to their owners.

Apart from the expedition of Tabuk, Ali fought in all the early battles of Islam with great distinction, particularly in the expedition of Khaybar. It is said that in the Battle of Uhud he received more than sixteen wounds. The Prophet (peace be on him) loved Ali dearly and called him by many fond names. Once the Prophet found him sleeping in the dust. He brushed off Ali's clothes and said fondly, "Wake up, Abu Turab (Father of Dust)." The Prophet also gave him the title of 'Asadullah' ('Lion of Allah').

Ali's humility, austerity, piety, deep knowl-edge of the Qur'an and his sagacity gave him great distinction among the Prophet's Companions. Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Uthman consulted him frequently during their cali-phates. Many times 'Umar had made him his vice-regent at Madinah when he was away. Ali was also a great scholar of Arabic litera-ture and pioneered in the field of grammar and rhetoric. His speeches, sermons and letters served for generations afterward as models of literary expression. Many of his wise and epigrammatic sayings have been preserved. Ali thus had a rich and versatile

The fourth Caliph, Ali (Radhiya Allahu ‘anhu)

SUNDAY LECTURETopic:Tawba ya hakika

By: Sheikh KoneDate: 1st March 2015

Time: 2 pm- 4 pmVenue: Makina Kibra

personality. In spite of these attainments he remained a modest and humble man. Once during his caliphate when he was go-ing about the marketplace, a man stood up in respect and followed him. "Do not do it," said Ali. "Such manners are a temptation for a ruler and a disgrace for the ruled."

Ali and his household lived extremely sim-ple and austere lives. Sometimes they even went hungry themselves because of Ali's great generosity, and none who asked for help was ever turned away from his door. His plain, austere style of living did not change even when he was ruler over a vast domain.

Ali's election

After Uthman's martyrdom, the office of the caliphate remained unfilled for two or three days. Many people insisted that Ali should take up the office, but he was embarrassed by the fact that the people who pressed him hardest were the rebels, and he therefore declined at first. When the notable Compan-ions of the Prophet (peace be on him) urged him, however, he finally agreed.

Ali's caliphate

As mentioned previously, Ali accepted the caliphate very reluctantly. Uthman's murder and the events surrounding it were a symp-tom, and also became a cause, of civil strife on a large scale. Ali felt that the tragic situa-tion was mainly due to inept governors. He therefore dismissed all the governors who had been appointed by Uthman and ap-pointed new ones. All the governors except-ing Muawiya, the governor of Syria, submit-ted to his orders. Muawiya declined to obey until Uthman's blood was avenged.

The Prophet's widow Aisha also took the position that Ali should first bring the mur-derers to trial. Due to the chaotic conditions during the last days of Uthman it was very difficult to establish the identity of the mur-derers, and Ali refused to punish anyone whose guilt was not lawfully proved. Thus a battle between the army of Ali and the supporters of Aisha took place. Aisha later realized her error of judgment and never for-gave herself for it.

The situation in Hijaz (the part of Arabia in which Makkah and Madinah are located) became so troubled that Ali moved his capi-tal to Iraq. Muawiya now openly rebelled against Ali and a fierce battle was fought between their armies. This battle was incon-clusive, and Ali had to accept the de facto government of Muawiya in Syria. However, even though the era of Ali's caliphate was marred by civil strife, he nevertheless intro-duced a number of reforms, particularly in the levying and collecting of revenues.

It was the fortieth year of Hijra. A fanatical group called Kharijites, consisting of peo-ple who had broken away from Ali due to his compromise with Muawiya, claimed that

neither Ali, the Caliph, nor Muawiya, the ruler of Syria, nor Amr bin al-Aas, the ruler of Egypt, were worthy of rule. In fact, they went so far as to say that the true caliphate came to an end with 'Umar and that Mus-lims should live without any ruler over them except Allah. They vowed to kill all three rul-ers, and assassins were dispatched in three directions.

The assassins who were deputed to kill Muawiya and Amr did not succeed and were captured and executed, but Ibn al-Muljim, the assassin who was commissioned to kill Ali, accomplished his task. One morn-ing when Ali was absorbed in prayer in a mosque, Ibn al-Muljim stabbed him with a poisoned sword. On the 20th of Ramadhan, 40 A.H., died the last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam. May Allah Most High be pleased with them and grant to them His eternal reward.

With the death of Ali, the first and most no-table phase in the history of Muslim peoples came to an end. All through this period it had been the Book of Allah and the practices of His Messenger - that is, the Qur'an and the Sunnah - which had guided the leaders and the led, set the standards of their moral con-duct and inspired their actions. It was the time when the ruler and the ruled, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, were uniformly subject to the Divine Law. It was an epoch of freedom and equality, of Allah-consciousness and humility, of social justice which recognized no privileges, and of an impartial law which accepted no pres-sure groups or vested interests.

After Ali, Muawiya assumed the caliphate and thereafter the caliphate became heredi-tary, passing from one king to another.


SATURDAY LECTURETopic: The concept of Tawheed in

IslamLecturer: Sh. Shaaban IsmailDate: 28th February 2015

Time: 2.00 – 4.00 pm.Venue: Jamia Multi-Purpose Hall

Muslim Media PractitionersMuslim Journalists are invited

for a meeting Date: Sunday 1sr March 2015

Time: 10.00amJamia Mosque

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Married to the mobile gadget WOMEN

Maaria Zain


Without doubt, technology makes the world grow closer, sometimes even fonder. Face-book has done wonders for some in their fields of da’wah, parenting, the sharing of interests with like-minded friends across the globe, geared for positive interaction. But there’s the ugly flipside as well. Name-calling and reputation flaming, the inciting of racist threads, the uploading of pictures of enraged drivers on the road, are all com-mon misuses of Facebook, which many Muslims are not alien to.But closer to home, how are the streams of e-mails from work and notifications from a myriad of social networks affecting your re-lationship with the person who is meant to be your closest confidante.Do the sparks of your marriage seem pale compared to the flavorful topics in public fo-rum? Is taking time to speak to your spouse more energy consuming than tapping away at the Galaxy Tab? Are quiet evenings spent together mostly focused in front of different screens... chatting with other people?While all these modern forms of communi-cation enlist us the rights to speak to friends hailing from the four corners of the globe and complete our work assignments in a flexible manner. On the other hand, the overuse of “anything” in Islam, can lead to misconduct and affect our faiths, especially if we begin to disrespect the sanctity of mar-riage in lieu of the fun and fancies of Face-book.And what about protecting the sanctity of marriage? We see it all the time. Broth-ers and sisters speaking of their spouses through status updates and comments; some may have something positive to say, others may not.The uploading of pictures of one’s spouse taking a nap or playing with the children or the cat; this may seem as harmless to some but an insight into a private moment, to oth-ers. How about communicating in a “social” capacity with someone who lies outside our Mahram-ship? Is that all right, because it’s in public and your spouse can “see” the interaction or is it still an interaction that is “forbidden” even if it may be of a beneficial discussion.God-consciousness in life is obligatory upon every Muslim. Would Allah be pleased with me if I did this? If Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would visit me today, would he walk away if he heard me speaking like this? If I were one of the Sahabah (companions), would one of these actions cause me to repent immedi-ately?These thoughts need to flood us constantly, and even more so with the advent of tech-nology, as while we’re plodding away on our keyboards of touch screens, all of what we do or say are also recorded as our deeds. Sometimes we tend to forget that while sharing information, and we continue to share just because we CAN share.Would Allah be pleased with me if I par-ticipated in this discussion? Would Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) – if he were alive – “like” my comment?

Would a Sahabah respond to my email if I wrote it in this manner... (Maybe I should keep my spouse on cc)? But even more so, how would all this affect my marriage?The Qur’an describes the role of spouses as being garments for one another; to protect each other and to beautify each other for the sake of Allah. How many pictures of our wife do you upload? and how many “friends” can look at her, even if she is covered? How much of your husband do you share with your “Mummy Groups,” when you consider commenting in a thread?Like it or not, these forms of communication may make or break your marriage. Perhaps it is through mutual consensus that spouses share their accounts, but at the same time, it is still permissible for spouses to have friends mutually exclusive of each other, and sometimes this is necessary to avoid Fitna that could arise in non-mahram rela-tionships. For example, a husband shouldn’t be friends with his wife’s best buddies and vice versa.In the end, it boils down to control and maturity. Every adult should be discerning enough to put Taqwa and modesty first be-fore the whims and fancies or socializing online. While there is no “shame” in asking questions, even relating to content which is sexual in nature (in the halal context), there is a line that is crossed if details of an intimate relationship are revealed in pub-lic. Every Muslim adult has to be aware of proper rules when interacting in public, and nowadays, social media content is no less private.When it boils down back to the relationship though, do you feel that there’s a machine between you and a spouse and that it con-stantly harasses him or her for his or her attention? Are you suffering because you can’t communicate without some gadget-like sound going off? Or if you haven’t suf-fered as yet, do you feel like you haven’t spoken to your spouse properly as of late – with proper eye contact? Do you want to change that?If yes, make a pact. Work on your time man-agement. There is time for this, and there is time for your spouse. Turn it off. Time man-agement is critical in Islam, and even more so to create time and space for husbands and wives; garments that were chosen for each other. Turn off those gadgets during meal times, during quiet times, and during “together” time. If it is work, it can wait for a schedule. If it is a social call... then that can also wait. Turn off those gadgets... or just ignore them.Withdrawal symptoms may set in if you’re so used to being on a social network or reading emails every 90 seconds, but once that wanes, finding the sparks of romance would probably come second nature, and you’ll find there are plenty of creative ways to communicate with your other half once again.Complimenting each other, actually talk-ing to each other with eye contact, sending each other love notes and buying gifts for each other are probably normal means of

couples of yore. And they did perfectly fine without technology. Spousal relationships are personal and require personal interac-tion. Things are not going to work out in the end if spousal priorities fall below the likes of Facebook. Go on dates or take a walk. If there are children already between the two of you, this is even a bigger reason to work on your family.But again, it’s not all bad. Technology is a positive asset of life as long as it doesn’t in-terfere or compromise your faith, in which could compromise an important avenue of worship – your marriage. Remember that you have free will and control over these gadgets, and you owe your spouse a re-sponsible outlet of communication, one that is personal, kind and caring in nature. With that, your maturity and integrity in interacting with others, with or without your spouse’s knowledge is also under your own control.Once you’ve gotten some rational schedule down to place and worked leap and bounds (or with baby steps at first) to make changes for your relationship, you can always pick up your phone and text your husband a love-note. Technology can work in our favor too. LOL it out over emoticons or share pictures privately of the children, moments that the other half may have missed while he or she was away. Your wife may appreciate an e-card in her e-mail box are even a bouquet of roses. I’m pretty sure there’s an emoticon for that too.Technology and communication do us a great favor, but they should not and must not get in the way of our personal relation-ships. Especially not the one between hus-band and wife; the garments that are made for each other, the one person you need to shower with kindness and undivided atten-tion and praise. So let the frivolities of tech-nology take the back seat for most of your marriage, unless you’re sending a virtual heart, and spend time with your spouse, talking, laughing, and planning for the fu-ture, all for the sake of Allah.

meet the rising costs which keep on ris-ing as a result of the dialysis procedure. In order to live, she either has to be on dialysis for the rest of her life or seek a kidney transplant operation in India which will cost Sh1.2 to 1.5 million.Support Ayan and save her life by send-ing your contributions to Jamia Mosque MPESA Pay Bill number 150770 Account number AYAN MEDICAL BILL or Nairobi East Hospital Gulf African Bank Account number 010067701 or First Community Bank Account number 120855.More information can be obtained from the hospital physician Dr. Abdul-lahi Muhammad Mahdi on 0708 055599, 0786661991 or her mother Abdia Banin on telephone number 0721115888.

Appeal for Kidney failure patient


The Friday Bulletin

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What is addiction?“Addiction” refers to a mental disease that causes people to feel ob-sessed with something. They have cravings for that thing, and they’re unable to control themselves when it comes to it. When they compul-sively partake in the substance or behavior that they’re addicted to, cer-tain chemicals, including endorphins, are released in their brain, making them feel “high.” They chase that high and seek it out no matter what negative consequences it has for them.

When people think of “addiction,” they usually think about addiction to drugs and alcohol, but anything can be considered addiction when it reaches the point of an unhealthy fixation. So, we can talk about shop-ping, gambling, pornography, work, or even food addiction.

Drugs and alcohol Drugs and alcohol are one of the most serious issues in our time, caus-ing so much harm for its user and the whole society as well. Though the umbrella of Islam and faith in general should provide us with protection, unfortunately such desires can encompass Muslims, too – especially liv-ing in the West where it’s much easier to find an access to them.People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Many first try drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or in an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another problem, such as stress, anxiety, or depression. Use doesn’t automatically lead to abuse, and there is no specific level at which drug use moves from casual to problematic. It varies by individual. Drug abuse and addiction is less about the amount of substance consumed or the frequency, and more to do with the consequences of drug use.

Myths and facts about drug and alcohol addiction

Myth: You can’t get addicted the first time you try drugs.Fact: Every person’s physiology is different. Therefore, you cannot predict how any drug, including alcohol, will affect you, especially the first time you try it. There are substances that are highly addictive and can cause the onset of withdrawal symptoms after the first time you use them.

Myth: You can cure an addiction by taking medication.Fact: False. However, the withdrawal symptoms experienced by a per-son addicted to drugs can be mitigated through the judicious use of prescription medication. Drug abuse and addiction can only be “cured” through a combination of detoxification, counseling, education, and ab-stinence.

Myth: People are only hurting themselves when they take drugs or drink alcohol.Fact: When a person abuses drugs and alcohol, everyone pays the price. A person who misuses or has an addiction to drugs and alcohol is more likely to be involved in an accident or commit a crime. Addition-ally, people under the influence often say and do things they normally would not do while sober. This can lead them to hurt their friends, family members, and coworkers.

Islam and addictionIslam views the use of intoxicants be it alcohol, drug or else as the 'mother of all evils' and hence categorically prohibits their use. Not only their use, but also their production, buying and selling, all is forbidden.

At the same time, any Muslim who is addicted to a drug or alcohol is required to seek treatment. Allah is Forgiving, and it is the responsibility of other Muslims to support and help any person who needs treatment for addiction, while the Muslim community as a whole should always strive for a drug-free lifestyle and environment beneficial for the whole of society.

“Verily, Allah will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by com-mitting sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allah)…” (Surat Ar- Ra`d,11)

Signals and Signs Indicating a Need for Treatment• A loss of control over drug or alcohol use, including using the sub-stance at work or school


Addictions: You have control over your choice

Raudhah Muhammad

YOUTH

Prophet Muhammad: Revelation of the message

When he was forty years old, Muhammad was in the cave on Mount Hira, and an An-gel appeared before him. The Angel, whose name was Jibril, said to Muhammad: "Read in the name of your Lord who has created everything, who has created man from a clot of blood." At once, Muhammad knew what this meant. He should go to Makkah and tell the peo-ple: Allah has created Man. Allah has cre-ated all the things that Man needs to live. Therefore Man should be grateful to Allah. He should pray only unto Allah and obey only Him. It is Allah’s will that the poor and the sick should be cared for, and that people should strive with all their might to do good and lead honorable lives. After death, such people will be richly rewarded for their ef-forts. But those who purposely do evil will receive terrible punishment, unless they are sincerely sorry for what they have done and ask Allah to forgive them. At first, Muhammad was very disturbed, for he had never seen an Angle before. But even so, he realized that the Angel had giv-en him answers to the many questions which had been troubling him. For some time Mu-hammad had been wondering who it was who had been helping him; now he knew: it was Allah. He wondered why the people of Mak-kah were greedy and mean to the poor; now he knew why: it was because they disobeyed Allah. Allah created Man and all that is in this world, so Man must be obedient to Allah alone. When Muhammad returned to the city, he told his wife Khadija all that had hap-pened, and all the Angel Jibril had said. "Al-lah will never disgrace you," Khadija told her husband, "for you do many good things. You keep families together. You bear the bur-den of the weak, you assist the poor and the needy, you entertain the guests and endure hardships in the path of truthfulness."Muhammad was very happy that his wife, like himself, believed and trusted in Allah. He began telling his friends of the Angle Ji-bril, and what the Angel had said to him. At first, though, only a few people paid atten-tion to what Muhammad said. Most of them just ignored him, for they were far too busy making money, and had no time or inclination to think about Allah.

Continued To Page 6

The Friday Bulletin Jamaada Al Awwal 09,1436/February 27, 2015

Prominent Indian Islamic scholar Dr. Zakir Abdulkarim Naik is the winner of the 2015 King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Service to Islam.According to the KFIP secretary-general Abdullah Al-Othaimeen, Dr. Zakir the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation of India was recognized for his authority on com-parative religion. “He has founded a TV channel called Peace TV which remains the only channel in the world specialized in com-parative religion with huge audience profile,” said a statement from the Saudi Arabian based organisation.The 49-year-old preacher set aside his medical profession and opted to focus his activities on Islamic propagation. Apart from Peace TV which is considered as the leading Islamic satellite television sta-tion, he also founded the Islamic Research Centre and runs the International Islamic School in Mumbai which has gained inter-national fame.Past winners of the prestigious prize in-clude Turkish President Recep Tayyip Er-dogan, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad, the late acclaimed South African preacher Ahmed Deedat and the prominent Pakistan scholar Abu Ala Maududi.This King Faisal International Prize is an annual award conferred on personalities who have made exceptional achievements in five categories – Service to Islam, Islam-

Dr. Zakir Naik bags prestigious Islamic prize Amnesty International slams Kenya’s counter terrorism operations

Government efforts to counter terrorism are still laced with human rights abuses, this is according to a global human rights group.

London-based Amnesty International said human rights violations including extraju-dicial killings, rape, arbitrary arrests, un-lawful detention, torture and harassment continue to be carried during state security counterterrorism operations.

In its latest report, “The State of the World’s Human Rights 2014,” released on Wednesday, the rights body said response to increased attacks by the Somali based Al-Shabaab militant group, have led to security agencies to adopt heavy handed responses against suspects.

Amnesty further alluded to a policy of col-lective punishment against which targeted members of the Somali community. “In April (2014), thousands of Somali refu-gees and asylum-seekers were arbitrarily arrested, harassed, extorted and ill-treated as part of a counter-terror operation known as “Usalama Watch.” Over five thousand individuals were forcibly relocated to refu-gee camps in northern Kenya and at least 359 others were expelled back to Soma-lia,” says the report.

The report also highlighted the case of Kwekwe Mwandaza, a 14-year old girl from Kwale county who was killed during a police raid on the family home and the disappearance of Salim Hemed from po-lice custody after the raid on Masjid Musa in Mombasa in February last year.

The right group further accused the state of enacting the controversial security Amend-ment (2014) Act which it says could lead to a wide array of human rights violations.

“The government hastily and without meaningful public participation enacted a new security law, amending numerous provisions in 22 existing laws with far-reaching human rights implications,” it says in the report.

Amnesty also criticized the Kenyan au-thorities of clamping down on civil society organizations by intensifying measures to restrict and control their activities through attempts to enact a new law, the Public Benefits Organizations (PBO) Act which will limit the foreign funding of NGOs.

ic Studies, Arabic Literature and Language, Science and Medicine – and whose contri-butions have made a positive impact on the society.Two internationally acclaimed scholars of chemistry, Professor Omar Mwannes Yaghi from the United States and Professor Mi-chael Gratzel from Switzerland, were de-clared co-winners in the science category (chemistry). The award for Islamic studies went to Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Kaki, a con-sultant at Madinah Development Authority while Prof. Jeffrey Ivan Gordon from the US was declared winner of the prize in medi-cine. Each prize consists of a handwritten Arabic certificate summarizing the laureate’s work, a commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medal and a cash award of SR750,000.

Dr. Zakir Naik with the Imam of Kenyatta University Mosque Dr. Abdallah Kheir during the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) international conference in the Morrocan city of Mar-rakesh held early this month.

• Extreme cravings for the substance when deprived of it

• Preoccupation with the substance and loss of interest in other things, including hobbies, family, friends, and social activi-ties

• Spending large amounts of money or time on the substance

• Participating in illegal activity in order to obtain the substance

• Participating in unsafe activities while high or drunk, such as risky sexual behav-ior or driving under the influence• Repeatedly trying to quit using drugs or alcohol without success

The choice is in your hands!Addiction is a disease that affects your brain and your behavior. You have con-trol over your choice to start using drugs, but once you start, their pleasurable ef-fect makes you want to keep using them. When you become addicted to alcohol or other drugs, your brain actually changes in certain ways so that a powerful urge to use drugs controls your behavior. Someone who is addicted uses drugs without think-ing of the consequences, such as prob-lems with health, money, relationships, and performance at work or at school.


Addictions: You have control over your choice

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to par-ents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.

(Al Quran 17:23)

FROM THE NOBLE QUR'AN

The Friday Bulletin NATIONAL Jamaada Al Awwal 09,1436/February 27, 2015

Muslim leaders urged to take lead in national unityThe council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) has called on Muslim leaders to take lead in uniting Kenyans and foster-ing peace and integration of the nation.This call was made by the newly elected na-tional chairman Sheikh Abdalla Ateka who emphasized on the responsibility of Muslim leaders to preach peace and tolerance and shun acts that could lead to division and misunderstanding.Sheikh Ateka said the multi-ethnic and ra-cial composition of Muslims drawn from all parts of country reflected the values of mu-tual relations and understanding among the community and hence Muslims should be at the forefront in ensuring that harmony and national cohesion among Kenyans thrives.''We are a multi- ethnic and racial society. We represent what the country needs in

terms of unity and brotherhood, hence we as Muslim leaders should utilize our posi-tions, time and energy in uniting Muslims and our fellow Kenyans as a way and mean to portray a good image of Islam to other people from various faiths to emulate,'' At-eka stated.Addressing a gathering at the Kakamega Jamia Mosque and Islamic centre over the weekend, Sheikh Ateka asked both Muslim religious and political leaders regardless of their different political persuasions and affili-ations to work as a united body in reflecting the values of unity and brotherhood among Kenyans. He told Muslim leaders to be at forefront in fighting religious intolerance in the country through preaching peace and foster unity between Muslims and Christians while stressing that Islam stands for peace with other communities.Sheikh Ateka further appealed to education ministry and Teachers Service Commission to address the challenges faced by learn-ers in North Eastern. He said the ongoing boycott of classes by striking teachers has severely affected learning and the govern-ment has to move in and resolved the im-passe and ensure that the teachers go back to classes.

Wajir to train 500 teachers

Muslims in Western Kenya have been urged to put in place measures to support the edu-cation of children thereby contributing to re-alizing their education aspirations.The call was made by the Muslim Education Council (MEC) Busia County Representa-tive Sadat Mansoor Kibira who said that financial constraints was a hindrance to ed-ucation of many children in the Muslim com-munity and stressed that it was obligatory on the leadership and those with financial means to devise better practical methods to give Muslim children chance to realize their education dreams from basic to higher lev-els.Speaking to The Friday Bulletin, Sadat noted that Muslims in the region have been back peddling in social-economic develop-ment because of ignorance and it is prudent on those with means to support less fortu-nate students to attain education.''I call upon those with ability to fear Allah concerning the future of the ummah be-cause it is in their hands. Prophet Muham-mad peace be upon Him said Allah gives wealth and authority to certain people to benefit others and if they will hold this sup-port Allah will take it and give someone else,'' he said.Sadat pointed out that while it was an es-sential requirement to obtain Islamic edu-cation and knowledge, it should be com-plemented with secular education as the community needed Muslim professionals such as doctors, engineers, teachers, law-yers and judges among others to provide much needed services to the ummah and to the nation at large.He said support towards the education is now even more relevant as a result of the abolishment of the Constituency Develop-ment Fund (CDF) which had supported through bursaries the education of thou-sands of less fortunate students.Sadat went further to advised Muslim stu-dents at various educational institutions to work extra hard in their studies in order to excel in academic spheres and also post good results in exams for them to prosper.

In response to the ongoing crisis in the education sector which was occasioned by the refusal of hundreds of non-local teachers to return to work in North East-ern region, Wajir county government has announced plans to train local 500 teachers.Governor Ahmed Abdullahi said the cri-sis has severely dented the education sector in the county and said his govern-ment will take initiatives to correct the situation and uplift the education sector. “We have a crisis which we need to ad-dress urgently. Learning must continue and that is why we may have to train new teachers,” the governor told the county assembly last week.As part of the plans, the county will re-cruit teaches on a temporary basis and sponsor secondary school leavers who meet the minimum requirements to join teachers training colleges.Governor Ahmed also called for the na-tional government to transfer the staffing and management of schools to country government saying that this will address the problems of shortage of teachers and the perennial strikes. Following last year’s massacre of more than 60 people in Mandera by the Soma-lia based Al Shabaab militia, hundreds of teachers who hail from other parts of the country have refused to report back to their workstations citing insecurity con-cerns and have demanded transfers to other areas which they consider to be safe.Last week, the Education Cabinet Sec-retary Jacob Kaimenyi insisted that the ministry will not succumb to the de-mands and urged them to report back to work. “If you are so traumatized by the killings of your colleagues, the govern-ment is ready to offer you counseling,” Prof Kaimenyi said.

Invest in your children's education, Muslims urged

A Sh3.5 million orphanage and Islamic center complex is planned for construction at Majengo area in Vihiga county to cater for the welfare and educational needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in the Muslim community.The proposed project will involve the con-struction of dormitories, classrooms and ad-ministration block and will be undertaken by Islamic Da’wah for Counseling and Restora-tion of Faith Trust (IDCRF).''We appreciate that through the efforts of steering committee and well-wishers, Sh1 million has so far been raised but we need to raise the remaining Sh2.5 million to initi-ate the project,'' said the managing Trustee Muhammad Hassan Abu Jibril while speak-ing to Friday Bulletin.He explained that the project was conceived in order to provide a home for orphans which will provide for them a conducive environ-ment for their proper Islamic upbringing.The Trust is presently running an integrated Islamic school for orphans in Butere Sub County but it lacks a home for their upbring-ing.''We are appealing to well-wishers, our Muslim brethren and donors to come out and donate generously towards this noble course of Allah and Allah will reward them abundantly,'' appeals Muhammad. Donations and contributions can be chan-neled through First Community Bank, Ac-count Number 00125327000.More information on the project can be obtained from Muhammad through 0788196936 or 0700912918.

Sh3.5 million Orphanage for Vihiga

An inter school Quran competition aimed at keeping alive the tradition of memori-zation and recitation of the Noble Quran in educational institutions is planned for next week.The programme has been organized by the Triple C Initiative and will take place on Saturday March 7 at RAF University, South C’ campus.More than 10 schools from various parts of Nairobi are expected to participate in the competition, the first of its kind tar-geting learners in primary schools. The initial event will involve children from the ages of 6 to 10 while subsequent programmes for other age groups will follow at a later stage. “The competition will help to establish love and apprecia-tion of the Quran among children from a young age,” said Umm Majda Zamzam,” an official of the Triple C Initiative.Schools which would like to participate can get further details from 0728323899

Inter-school Quran competition

Madrasah literally in Arabic language means “school”. It is there-fore in this context of a religious school that aims at teaching Islam and the Islamic cultural values including Arabic as a language. However in the western world, a Madrasah is given other con-notations. They always refer to a Madrasah as an Islamic training centre where terrorism and extremism are the key subjects. Hence the graduands are prepared to serve as Muslim warriors to kill in-nocent people and destroy other people’s properties in response to the Prophet’s call for Jihad. This in many ways has impacted negatively to the system and even some Muslims have shunned away from associating their kids with the Madrasah system.The Madrasah system in Kenya is been operating in the same way like it did so many centuries back. Many of the current Madaaris were started by individuals in homes or in private accommoda-tions. Others are run by Mosque committees. In the Arab states and some other countries, Muslims have schools “ Madaaris” that teach all secular subjects together with Islamic subjects like Quran and its exegesis, Traditions of the prophet (Hadeeth), Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Etiquettes (Akhlaq), Prophets biography (Seerah). In this manner no distinction has been made between the two as it all amounts to knowledge seeking. Those who graduate from such like systems have the full potential to practice their religious rites in line with their other specialties with-out any contradictions. A medical doctor who can recite and relate the Noble verses of the Quran to the current and dynamic devel-opmental issues. This is the product of this well intended set up.Other learning set ups, like the ones in Kenya are different. There is no link between these religious Madrasah and the school sys-tem. Ummah Foundation and likeminded Organisations have strived to think a lot on this line of how best can we stream line the current system to be able to be productive in terms of quality of its gradu-ands. For the past seven years, we have run Madaaris in Nakuru, Kisumu and Magadi. The objective is to give chance to Muslim stu-dents in these areas to learn at a tender age their religion and at the same time be able to attend school like the rest of the Kenyan pupils. This was also aimed at:1- Providing a holistic education compatible with Islamic principles and practices.2- Enabling our young learners to live harmoniously in our multi-cultural society and to contribute to the growth and well being of our nation.3- Preserving our Islamic identity and commitment to the develop-ment of the Ummah.4- Starting a foundation to a more unified system that can run our Madaaris with potential trained teachers. Even though the results are still far to be realized but in the long term, we project positive outcomes. It is also in this spirit that Um-mah Foundation is very encouraged and motivated by the efforts being made by Muslim Education Council (MEC) to formalize the process of our Madaaris systems in the Kenyan Education Cur-riculum.We would like to call upon all the stakeholders in the education sector to give it all in terms of promoting our religious learning at all levels. The future of this Ummah rests heavily with the efforts that are being made now. For your participation in this noble initiative contact us:Ummah FoundationVillage Plaza, 2nd Floor Ngara Road P.O.Box 58717- 00200, Nairobi, KenyaTel:+254-20-2680610/13, Mobile: +254734845277E.Mail: [email protected]

Ummah Madrassah Program

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: [email protected]. Printed by Graphic Lineups Limited-Kweria Road [email protected]

American civil rights organizations have expressed their “grave” concern over the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) summit or-ganized by the US President Barrack Obama.They said the summit held last week at the White House ailed to take into consideration the concerns of Muslims on civil and hu-man rights violations. “CVE falls within a long line of programs that defines relationships with American Muslim communities based on a security lens, without meaningfully addressing civil and human rights problems that have repeatedly been highlighted by commu-nity members and organizations and civil rights groups,” a state-ment from the organizations said.The organizations said the exclusive focus on Muslim communi-ties exacerbates the culture of hostility and suspicion which fuels violence human rights.While they supported meaningful engagements with the US admin-istration, they expressed their concern over the CVE programme saying that it creates a climate of abusive counterterrorism prac-tices. “CVE programs rely on flawed models of radicalization that posit political or religious expression as “indicators” or “predictors” of violent behavior, despite evidence that such models do not work,” the statement added.They pointed out that the FBI’s practices regarding the use of in-formants, sting operations, and deceptively conducting intelligence gathering under the guise of community outreach has eroded mu-tual trust between the law enforces and the Muslim community.The organizations included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American, Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility Project, South Asian Organizing Center Muslim Advocates and National Network for Arab Ameri-can Communities among others.

US civil rights groups censure Obama CVE meeting

The number of reverts to Islam among French people has in-creased significantly after Charlie Hebdo attacks, with French imams reporting a growing number of people coming to take Sha-hada or declaration of faith at mosques. “It makes me want to go to Islam and to show everyone that this is not what Islam is about,” a young Muslim revert to Islam was quoted by RTL Radio a week ago.According to the radio station, the Great Mosque of Paris issued 40 reversion certificates to Islam. At the same period last year, the mosque gave certificates to 22 only, almost 50 percent of this year’s conversion rate.Percentage of reverts to Islam in Strasbourg and Aubervilliers was also high, scoring around 30% increase. Lyon also followed the same trend with an increase of 20%.The imams said they were surprised at first by the increase in the number of new reverts. Moreover, the diversity of those reverts, including a doctor, a school principal or a police officer who all crossed the gate of the Grand Mosque to revert.A few days after Charlie Hebdo attack, French director Isabelle Matic announced her decision to revert to Islam on her FaceBook account, making the unexpected announcement only a few days after Paris attacks.A month ago, 17 people have been killed in attacks on Charlie Hebdo that rocked Paris.Seeing the Charlie Hebdo attack as a betrayal of Islamic faith, leaders from Muslim countries and organizations have joined worldwide condemnation of the attack, saying the attackers should not be associated with Islam.Later on, French Muslims called for criminalizing insulting reli-gions amid increasing anger around the Muslim world over Charlie Hebdo’s decision to publish new cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). (OnIslam.net)

French reverts to Islam double after Charlie Hebdo

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