Gothenburg: Sister retracts ‘honour killing’ allegations

Via the Local:

A 21-year-old woman from Gothenburg in western Sweden who had accused her brother of threatening to take her life in an “honour killing”, retracted her allegations on the opening day of the trial on Monday.

“Families often put a lot of pressures on these girls. They promise the world to them. Let’s just hope it is true this time,” said prosecutor Helena Treiberg Claesson to local paper Göteborgs-Posten (GP).

According to Treiberg Claesson, it is not uncommon that girls withdraw allegations against family members in cases such as this, but she stressed that it isn’t possible for them to drop the charges.

(source)

Finland: Finnish-Somali fights for Swedish minority rights

Via YLE:

Ahmed Hassan was nine when he arrived in Finland as a refugee from Somalia. In Finland, he grew up in a Swedish-speaking environment. Today he is on a mission for other foreigners to learn Swedish, Finland’s other official language.

In an interview with YLE’s Swedish-language radio news this week, Hassan, 27, says Finnish-Swedish culture is a part of his life. He is an active member of the Swedish People’s Party and works with helping foreigners integrate into Finland.

(source)

Denmark: Somalis in small town feel persecuted after rape of 10-year-old

Via Politiken (Danish):

Somalis in Gullestrup feel persecuted following the rape of a 10 year old.

A 10-year-old girl was raped Saturday evening in a wooded area in the town of Gullestrup, north of Herning. She had been playing with a 9-year-old friend in a playground by the kindergarten when a man threatened them to go with him into the woods. The 9-year-old friend escaped and ran to get help, but the rapist disappeared before the girl’s parents and police showed up. The girl described the rapist as African, 16-18 years old, with short, curly hair.

The police are asking anybody who might have even insignificant details on the case, to contact the police.

Three days after the rape, there is insecurity, suspicions, accusation and concern among the 2,000 adults, youth and children who live in Gullestrup.

Many non-Danes, and Somalis in particular, feel they’re under suspicion.

Poul Erik Lyngsø, chairman of the local council: Naturally there’s insecurity and a feeling of being suspected among the residents of Somali background, since now everybody think that they’re the ones who did it, because they have dark skin.” He says they keep indoors out of fear of unrest.

Ekstra Bladet reported about a ‘lynch atmosphere’ and of groups of 25-30 armed residents who are looking for the rapist, which according to a local shopkeeper should be castrated, while others think he should pay with his life.

An 18 year old Somali told the paper that people from the area suspect one of his friends, who is not a police suspect.

It was impossible to contact the Somali association in Herning.

But police, the local residents association and the local council say the rumors of revenge-thirsty residents are exaggerated and they warn the media and residents against inciting unnecessary conflicts.

Michael Kjeldgaard of the central Denmark police says that he’s heard the rumors, but can’t reconcile it with what he sees. It’s obvious there will be a bad atmosphere after such a serious crime takes place in a small community, but he doesn’t see armed hordes out to get revenge.

Police and social workers were on the streets Monday to speak with people in an attempt to keep tempers calm.

Poul Erik Lyngsø of the local council had called key people in the community. He told them that obviously there will be sparks between certain groups, and joggers would stay home rather than run in the woods, but otherwise it’s quiet and peaceful. We’ve calmed things down so the police can work in peace.

Immediate negative presumptions towards a spouse, family member, relative, friend etc regarding situations, occurances, actions, utterances, discoveries or other matters where there is a possibility of a doubt, without giving them the benefit of that doubt or a fair chance to explain themselves, is a habit that can destroy a beautiful relation! Positive presumptions prevent many social problems.

Mufti Ismail Menk

Related posts:

1. Giving Gifts
2. Correcting a Child
3. The Matters of a Believer
4. Mufti Ismail Menk
5. A story from the life of Prophet Yusuf (A.S)

Lecture by Yasir Qadhi | Transcribed by Sameera

This lecture is brought to you by the Memphis Islamic Center (MIC). For more information about MIC, please visit www.memphisislamiccenter.org

[The following is the video and transcript of part 12 of Shaykh Yasir Qadhi's lecture series "The Best of Stories: Pearls from Surah Yusuf."  The transcript includes slight modifications for the sake of readability and clarity.]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://www.allah.eu/general/the-best-of-stories-pearls-from-surah-yusuf-part-12.html/feed 0 http://www.allah.eu/general/%e2%80%9cmuhammad%e2%80%99s-wives%e2%80%9d-by-aliya-anjum-%e2%80%93-a-book-review.html http://www.allah.eu/general/%e2%80%9cmuhammad%e2%80%99s-wives%e2%80%9d-by-aliya-anjum-%e2%80%93-a-book-review.html#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:59:42 +0000 admin http://www.allah.eu/general/%e2%80%9cmuhammad%e2%80%99s-wives%e2%80%9d-by-aliya-anjum-%e2%80%93-a-book-review.html For many non-Muslims, one of the most controversial aspects of Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) life and legacy is his marital life. No other issue is as much of a hot button topic when individuals, either willfully or incidentally ignorant of Islam, engage in debate with Muslims concerning the life of our beloved Messenger

For many non-Muslims, one of the most controversial aspects of Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) life and legacy is his marital life. No other issue is as much of a hot button topic when individuals, either willfully or incidentally ignorant of Islam, engage in debate with Muslims concerning the life of our beloved Messenger. In her e-book, Muhammad’s Wives, Aliya Anjum illustrates the lives of the Prophet’s 11 wives beautifully, while simultaneously debunking many of the allegations and misunderstandings surrounding the issue of the Prophet’s marriages.

In a brief, but thoughtfully researched book, Anjum defends the wisdom behind Prophet’s marriages against those who make false attributions about his intentions. This e-book is highly recommended for readers seeking a fast read on this controversial and highly relevant topic. The reader is able to walk away from Anjum’s book equipped with simple rebuttals to those who defame the character of the Prophet and his marital life.

In the prologue to her book, Anjum acknowledges that the Western world’s general and public perception of the prophet’s marriages is foundationally flawed in understanding. Anjum offers an explanation as to why predominantly Christian societies are predisposed to scoffing at the prophet’s plural marriages, pointing out that “perhaps due to the perceived bachelorhood of John the Baptist (Yahya in Islam) as well as Jesus the son of Mary (Isa in Islam), the 11 wives of Muhammad appear excessive.” Besides the fact that 11wives may seem like an anomaly to other religions, Anjum also cites the media portrayal of Arabs and Muslims, as associated with the harem culture, as a prime origin of this controversy. According to the author, the idea of the harem as a bastion of unrestrained male sexuality, as desiminated by Hollywood flicks such as Arabian Nights, has been successfully molded into the laymen perception of Muslim marital life. These stereotypes by default obscure any proper understanding of the Prophet’s marriages.

Chronologically ordered according to each wife that the Prophet married, Anjum begins with a case study of the Prophet’s marriage to Khadija. Anjum highlights the fact that the Prophet remained in a monogamous relationship with  Khadija until her death. The author emphasizes the nurturing and loving relationship between the couple within the context of Arabian society, where, had Muhammad been the oversexual man that some Western critics allege he was, he could have taken multiple wives. Furthermore, with his marriage to Khadija, the Prophet did not have sons who lived beyond infancy, but if he was so inclined “Muhammad could have easily taken another younger wife to sire him the much vaunted sons, but he remained monogamous.” As is illustrated in the Seerah of the Prophet, Khadija was a dutiful wife who stood by her husband during the difficult initial years of his prophecy.

While Khadija is often portrayed as the strong business woman, Anjum reminds readers that she was also a devoted housemaker, with “no record of [her] trading activities after her marriage to Muhammad.” Her influence remained upon the prophet long after her death, as he made clear to his wives that no woman could fill her shoes.

After lengthy commentary on the life of Khadija, Anjum also spends a significant portion of the book on Ayesha, the third wife.  The prophet’s marriage to Ayesha is the pinnacle of controversy in regards to his marital life. There is unnecessary confusion that arises concerning Aisha’s age at the time the marriage was consummated. Anjum devotes several pages to vigorously defending the prophet’s decision to marry Ayesha, as readers are encouraged to explore. Beyond the age controversy, Anjum illustrates why it is that Ayesha is a great role model for Muslim women. Ayesha was a trusted authority on hadith and other matters of deen. Of her childlessness, “she established the precedent of a woman’s worth for her intellect and personality over a women’s value being derived from childbearing alone.”

Although all of the Prophet’s wives are worth of mention here, I encourage readers to engage with Anjum’s rendition of the topic, as they will be sure to find nuggets of insight into the wisdom of the Prophet.

Due to the brevity of its content, Muhammad’s Wives may not be suitable for readers seeking an in depth biographical sketch of the Prophet’s wives. For example, individuals who would like to read more about the ahadith that were narrated by the wives, and the historical backdrop in which they occurred won’t be satisfied with this book, and will need supplementary sources. However; this book is a good starting point for individuals who are new to studying aspects of the live of the Prophet, such as new converts or young children. This book is also suitable for non-Muslim audiences who perhaps are not ready to deal with nuances of hadith history or seerah, but are in need of a brief introduction to this facet of the Prophet’s life that has been so misunderstood.

It is noteworthy that the author of this book is female. More than ever, it is important for Muslims to be actively engaged in producing Islamic scholarship, and we should applaud Muslim women who seek to defend the honor of Islam through their work.

Germany: Officials alarmed by Jihadi rapper

Via NYT:

The man German security officials call a major security risk looks like a figure from a rap video, especially with the tattoos on his hands. The right one says “STR8,” and the left one “Thug.”

“This is from the days when I lived the life of an unbeliever,” said the man, Denis Mamadou Cuspert, as he clenched his fists and looked at the tattoos. “Allah will erase them from me one day.”

Mr. Cuspert, once a popular rapper in Germany, today is one of the best-known singers of nasheeds, or Islamic devotional music, in German. Security officials say, though, that he is an influential figure who incites violence and unrest through inflammatory videos and fiery speeches that praise terrorists and attack the West.

(source)