Everyday Angels

Article 320: God’s Creation according to Judaism

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:31:12 +0000

Hasan A. Yahya, Ph.Ds, a writer from the Unholy Land
The concept of the divine word of God was to be a central concept of Judaism, later adopted by both Christianity and Islam. This article answer the question: Where do we come from according to Judaism?
The story of creation according to Jeduaism as in (Genesis 1-3): In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light;” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights-the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” (6) And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. (920 words) www.askdryahya.com
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Source::http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/hebrew_creation.html

Manifest and Unmanifest forms of Worship in Hinduism

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:33:22 +0000

Hinduism worships the same god or goddess in both manifest and unmanifest forms. This sometimes creates a confusion with not just the uninitiated people, but also with the not so knowledgeable Hindus themselves.

Take the case of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. Laxmi is worshipped as the goddess of wealth by general Hindus. However, there are several Hindus who worship Laxmi as the Supreme Goddess of this universe, one who existed from the beginning of time and is the source and cause of this entire creation

Why Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:54:23 +0000

Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights. It is celebrated by the kindling of lights over the festival’s eight days. These lights should be placed in a doorway or window to publicize the festival and the miracle of the oil. The main miracle that is celebrated throughout the eight days of the festival was the miracle of the oil for the Temple Menorah. Only enough oil for one day was found to light the eternal flame, but the oil burned for eight days.

Hanukkah can also be seen as a celebration of the victory of the forces of light over the forces of darkness. The Temple was rededicated having been cleared of idols and pagan altars. It also symbolises the spiritual light of Judaism prevailing over the Hellenism that was becoming common by Jews at the time.
Hanukkah is symbolised by the burning of candles in a menorah or Hanukkiah. The Hanukkah menorah is a candelabra containing eight lights for each of the eight days plus the shamash or guard. The first night of the festival is marked by kindling a single flame in the Hanukkiah. Each successive night an additional flame is kindled. On the second night two flames are lit, three on the third night and so on until the eighth night when all eight flames are burned.
The Hanukkiah is placed in a window or doorway. It should be visible to the world, allowing the light of Judaism to be spread around the world.
The use of lights not only to commemorate the miracle, but to publicise it is a true reflection of Hanukkah’s other name The Festival of Lights.
The Syrian Greeks had desecrated the temple and most of the oil had been contaminated. Only one container of pure oil was found. Only the purest sanctified oil could be burned in the sacred menorah. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, but the one-day supply of oil burned for eight days.
It is the miracle of the oil that is commemorated each year. But this was preceded by some major events. The most powerful army in the world was in control of Judea. Jerusalem was in the hands of the Greeks under Antiochus. Unlike his predecessor, Antiochus would not tolerate the practice of Judaism, and the Temple was used for the slaughter of forbidden animals and the practice of Hellenistic Pagan rituals.
Jews living in the land were becoming Hellenised. Taking on the path of least resistance, they began taking on Greek customs, religious rituals and Greek names.
Judah Maccabee and his four brothers formed a guerrilla army called the Maccabees to take on this formidable force. The Maccabees won a stunning victory over the Greek-Syrian army. The military victory of a small band of rebels over a powerful fighting machine must be a huge miracle. It allowed the holy Temple to be rededicated and for the daily services to re-commence. The miracle of the oil is the last of the miracles that occurred at this time and made it possible for the Temple to function for a full eight days until fresh supplies of pure oil could be sourced.
The entire celebration centres on the light – the light of the oil, the light of the candles. Judaism would rather focus on this miracle rather than that of a military victory. The victory is a victory of the forces of light representing G-d’s law over the idolatrous forces of darkness. The foods enjoyed over Hanukkah represent foods cooked in oil. The menorahs are placed in windows or doorways to publicise this victory of light over darkness to the whole world.
Hanukkah is truly the Festival of Lights.

A Short History Of Judaism

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:17:29 +0000

It has been worked away which about 80% in the world’s population trust in 1 religion a treadmill more (along with you’ll locate a large amount of them), but about 70% of those are adherents for that massive 4. Some biggest religions are: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism along with Buddhism. Judaism may be the precursor of each and every Islam along with Christianity.

The Hebrew Bible retells the in the World combined with the story in the passage in the people from creation, by simply approach to the flood for that arrival inside the Promised Land, or from Mesopotamia to Canaan, led by Abraham.
The descendants of Abraham along with his people happen to be enslaved with the Egyptians along with didn’t handle to flee till Moses led them of imprisonment. Throughout this trip, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God along with they continued being the bedrock of Jewish law along with custom despite the fact that there’s undoubtedly the Jewish mode of life has built using this era inside the Tenth Century right before Christ.
The sacred writings in the Hebrew Bible or Masorah are separated into twenty-four books. Nevertheless, exactly the same texts are divided up into thirty-nine books inside the Christian Bible’s Old Testament. The Torah or perhaps the Law was becoming written right now nevertheless it was amended along with updated among the Tenth along with Fifth Centuries right before Christ.
Moreover for the Hebrew scriptures, there’s a wealthy tradition of ancient oral commentary named the Talmud, that’s actually a colossal compilation from the Oral Law. The Talmud could be the accepted authority for Orthodox Jews.
Judaism could be the oldest monotheistic religion acknowledged for the West. Jews supported 1 God whenever all of the acknowledged World supported pantheism or perhaps a large amount of gods like the Ancient Greeks. The God within the Jewish language is Yahweh in addition to believe that which Yahweh agreed a covenant together with his women and men to deal with them for good so extended because they remained loyal exclusively to him.
Inside the Jewish faith, sin may be the unashamed disrespect of God’s

Challenges Facing American Muslim Women by Samer Hathout

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:58:19 +0000

Challenges Facing American Muslim Women By Samer Hathout Posted by Hasan A. Yahya, Professor of Sociology
It is rarely you find a balanced article deals with Muslim women in USA in terms of race relation or assimilation theories, however, I wrote several articles about women on articlesbase, to show marriage patterns, honor-killing, polygamy and poliginy and the Prophet wives defending Islam and Muslims to give new lights on Islamic legacy as a religion and way of life. I also contributed in youtube recently rebottling some Orientals’ views on Mohammad and his marriages. I found this professional article speaks my words. So I picked to give the chance to enhance learning and understanding. Muslim women in America often face discrimination from their own Muslim community. Discrimination by Muslims primarily results from ignorance about Islam and the importation of cultural attitudes that demean women. Islam is often interpreted in ways that are sexist and not true to the true teachings of equality in the Quran and the model provided by Prophet Muhammad . Samer Hathout is a young Muslim sociologist who understood Islam and Social theories in terms of race relations and the position of minority groups in developing as well as in advanced countries. I will leave the readers here to read her outstanding article with smart insights which I believe will shed lights on Islam and Muslims in general and Muslim woman in particular. I share with her the same thoughts, and we are both on the same riverside in terms of the need to understand before judging wrongly Muslim women. This articles comes while in France, a woman covered her head with a scarf, was questioned in the French Parliament and accused to break the rules of the constitution, which was made hundreds of years for men who used to cover their heads with hats. Misunderstanding of Muslim legacy in using Hijab needs more articles to make understanding possible among cultures. In fact in my book: Crescentology, Theory C. of Conflict Management and Cultural Normalization, (2008) I emphasized knowledge is the basic ingredient of my Theory, where understanding follows, then appreciation then compromising and living in peace. This article (even thought presented in September 7, 1995 in an international conference convened in China), it is still relevant for today after the shooting by Major Nidal Malik Hasan, which happened to be an American Arab Muslim ) I believe it is one of the cornerstones for Knowledge and understanding. The article was originally published at: http://www.islamfortoday.com/americanmuslimwomen.htm (Hasan A. Yahya) The article by Samer Hathout
I am going to discuss the challenges facing American Muslim women. As a minority in the United States, Muslims face many challenges. First and foremost is ignorance about Islam. This ignorance leads to stereotyping, fear, and distrust. The acts of a few Muslim extremists are attributed to all Muslims. Muslim American citizens’ loyalty to the United States is questioned. We are dehumanized and thus easy prey for prejudice. For instance, last April, the federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed. It is probably the most devastating terrorist act to occur on U.S. soil. A few hundred people were killed, several hundred were injured. It was particularly brutal because there was a day care center on one of the bottom floors of this building. As soon as the report of the bombing came out, the first suspects were Muslims. As soon as the building was bombed, news reports said: “Arab looking people were seen leaving the area.” Basically, for the next twenty-four hours, we faced harassment, we were threatened, and our lives were very much put in danger. Muslim schools had to be closed, and individual Muslims were detained and harassed, even physically assaulted. It wasn’t until the next day, when it turned out to be a fringe minority white group of people who had done it, could we sort of breathe a sigh of relief that our lives were not in danger, and finally we were able to mourn the victims of that bombing. Another danger resulting from American ignorance about Islam is the omnibus anti-terrorism legislation that President Clinton has proposed, which unfairly targets Muslims as widespread purveyors of terrorism. Despite several generations in this country–, Muslims have quite a history in the U.S.–we are still perceived as foreigners; we are still perceived as people out to destroy the United States, and when we attempt to define ourselves, our voices are silenced. When mainstream Muslims are given the rare opportunity to explain Islam, we are told that we, as moderate Muslims, are the minority, and that most Muslims are actually violent extremists. This image of Muslims as violent extremists is perpetuated by the media which chooses to report primarily negative images of Islam and Muslims. This image is further intensified by the profound ignorance of the average American about Muslims and Islam. This ignorance, unfortunately starts at a very early age–in schools, the textbooks are biased, and have a lot of erroneous information. And, as all minorities must do, American Muslims must struggle to ensure that our civil liberties are not trampled upon. Our accomplishments in being counted as part of the American pluralism, while maintaining our identity as Muslims, are often rebuffed and misunderstood. We are told, by some Muslims and non-Muslims, that we must choose between being Muslims and being Americans. Among Muslims–who range from every culture on earth, as we’ve seen in this conference–American culture is unfairly perceived as inherently anti-Islamic, and little attempt is made to understand and accept Muslims of the American culture alongside Muslims of Arab, Asian, African, or any other ethnicity. Among non-Muslims, because the U.S. was founded on the basis of the separation of church and state, the presence of any religious group in the political arena is viewed with suspicion. As Muslims, we carry that burden, but we also carry the additional burden of ignorance about Islam. Our continuing striving to define ourselves as American Muslims is in fact a very challenging jihad. Muslim Women in America As women in the United States, we often face gender-based discrimination. While this discrimination may not be as overt as in other parts of the world, or may take different forms, it does exist in America nevertheless. Women often cannot achieve their highest potential in career or education and the media continually depicts women as sex objects and nothing more. American women’s salaries are still, dollar-for-dollar, less than the corresponding salaries for their male counterparts. Women who do work to earn a living still have primary responsibility for taking care of the home and family with little domestic support from their husbands. Women in positions of influence in the United States are few and far between. Recently we have had setbacks in affirmative action, and that will only make our struggles for equality more important. American Muslim women face many unique additional hurdles. We are discriminated against by both non-Muslims and Muslims in America. For instance, a woman who wears hijab, which is the traditional head-covering, is often taunted at work and on the street, and the careers of a lot of these women are actually jeopardized–they are discriminated against at work and they are not given jobs. And, women who wear hijab in the United States are obvious targets–they are obviously Muslims, and because of this they bear the brunt of the ignorance about Islam; they face sexual harassment, and often their actual physical safety is jeopardized. Muslims come from different backgrounds. In America, we have immigrant Muslims, who face a whole host of problems such as xenophobia. In the U.S. in recent times, there has been a growing hostility toward immigrants, and they are often erroneously blamed for all of the socio-economic problems that we face in the U.S., and are harassed because of that. And we have a large African-American Muslim population, and they face additional hurdles, because being part of a racial minority in the United States, they have had to deal with the problems of racism, discrimination, segregation and the vestiges of slavery. To that, add religious discrimination and gender discrimination, and these are some of the challenges that are generally faced. But in addition, Muslim women often face discrimination from their own Muslim community. Discrimination by Muslims primarily results from ignorance about Islam and the importation of cultural attitudes that demean women. Islam is often interpreted in ways that are sexist and not true to the true teachings of equality in the Quran and the model provided by Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him. Quran and hadith (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad) are taken out of context and used to justify certain behavior. Because Muslims are a minority in the United States attempting to portray a positive image of Islam, the true image of the teachings of Islam, Muslims in America are often reluctant to address the problems faced by Muslim women for fear that the enemies of Islam will use this information against us. But the ironic part is, that everyone knows the problems we face, and everyone knows that we are the only people not addressing them. And unfortunately the media is quick to inform us and others of the more serious forms of abuse or discrimination that Muslim women encounter. And what we hope to achieve in this presentation is to recognize some of the problems that we as American Muslim women face, and give voice to our sisters who have suffered wrongly in the name of Islam. Asifa later will explore opportunities that we as Americans have to attempt to address these issues. Case Studies Some of the most serious problems that we American Muslim women face include: domestic violence, abuse of divorce and child custody laws, abuse of the polygamy system, and isolation and exclusion from various aspects of Muslim life. We are going to provide a few anecdotal cases simply to illustrate the depth of the problems. We have given the women in the stories names to make it more personable, but their identities have been changed and their confidentiality is protected. The stories are shared simply to illustrate and give life to the specific suffering of American Muslim women today. These are true stories, these are real women who have suffered. These stories were compiled by speaking with Muslim community leaders, social workers, psychologists, lawyers, doctors, mostly in southern California, but throughout the United States. We also obtained information from a thing called Sistersnet, which is an E-mail network of Muslim women throughout the United States and other countries. But unfortunately, there is no database, there is no accurate information that exists as to the frequency of any of these abuses that occur. Further research of these issues is desperately needed so that we can adequately address these problems. And, while these cases may not be experienced by a majority of American Muslim women, they are nevertheless serious issues that must be addressed. Now, the story of Mariam is as follows. Mariam Mariam got married to a man named Ali. They were married for several years. Throughout this marriage, Ali abused Mariam. His abuse was verbal and physical. Mariam was often beaten by her husband. When Mariam did attempt to speak with her local Muslim community leader, she was made to feel that the abuse was her fault: if she was a better wife, Ali would not have to beat her. She was also told not to discuss her marital problems with other people, and that it was important for her to stay married at all costs to preserve the family. And, Ali would quote the Quran and hadith to justify his abuse. And so Mariam being told by her local Muslim leader that the abuse was justified, she had Quran and hadith quoted in her face to justify it, she thought it was justified. She was abused for years. And finally, she couldn’t stand it any more. She feared for her life, she left. She left her home, she left her husband, and sought refuge in a local (non-Muslim) battered women’s shelter, and there she received the assistance that she needed to put her life back together. Ali was convicted in U.S. court for spousal battery. When Mariam, appeared at Muslim functions, she was shunned; the Muslim community wanted nothing to do with her. She was viewed as a woman who had left her husband for no reason. Ali, on the other hand, when he went to Muslim functions, was viewed as the victim of a broken marriage, as a victim of the U.S. criminal justice system. He was greeted by the Muslim community with open arms. Mariam found no support from the Muslim community. She continued to go to non-Muslim agencies for support, and she finally stopped attending Muslim functions. Mariam’s story, unfortunately, is not an uncommon one in the United States. Victims of domestic violence have little support from the Muslim community, and the support they do receive, while well-intentioned, is often unorganized and ineffectual. The lives of domestic violence victims are often in danger, and their only recourse is to turn to non-Muslim organizations who are prepared to deal with this issue–which is also a pressing issue in the larger American society as well. So we face issues of domestic violence. The story of Khadija and Fatima shows the abuse of the polygamy system in Islam. Khadija and Fatima Khadija married Omar under the laws of the United States and the state in which he lived, and under Islamic law. Omar later took a second wife, Fatima. But, Omar and Fatima could not get married under U.S. law because he was already married to Khadija, and polygamy is illegal in the United States. So, Omar married Fatima under a–supposed–Islamic tradition which includes simply a marriage proposal and an acceptance of that proposal in front of witnesses. Fatima, the second wife, who was a convert to Islam, learned Islam mostly from Omar and he convinced her that they did not need to be married under U.S. law–Islam would sufficiently protect her rights. And while this is true in the theoretical sense, in the United States, we have no framework to enforce that. Omar had children through both of his wives–his first wife Khadija and his second wife Fatima. Both marriages failed. Khadija and Omar–the first marriage–divorced. Omar refused to pay any support to Khadija or their children through that marriage. But Khadija could take Omar to U.S. court and get child support and alimony. Now, Omar was obligated under Islamic law to do these things, but he refused, and as a religious minority in the U.S., not living in an Islamic state, Khadija had no recourse other than the laws of the U.S. But, thankfully, Khadija was married to Omar under U.S. law and could take him to court. Fatima, on the other hand–when Fatima and Omar divorced–couldn’t do that, because she was not legally married in the eyes of the U.S. courts. So, Omar shirked his responsibilities under Islamic law–didn’t give her anything, didn’t give their children anything, even though he had assured her, before the marriage, that he would. And Fatima couldn’t do anything under U.S. laws because they weren’t legally married. Fatima was able to get no financial support from Omar because there was no legal institution compelling Omar to comply with Islamic law. And next is the story of Iman. While the situation is not as physically or financially serious, it still is extremely emotionally harmful, and it’s very common. Iman Iman is a university student. She is very active in her student government on campus. She has formed coalitions with other student groups and they do relief work for Bosnia, Palestine, Chechnya, and other causes. She is on the student senate at her university, after being elected to it. She wants to organize similar relief efforts in her mosque, in her local Muslim community and in other mosques in the area so that she can reach the larger Muslim population. She wants to post flyers and information on the walls in her mosque. But she can’t get to the men’s section. She can only distribute the information to women, many of whom don’t come to this mosque, because the facilities are less than adequate or desirable. Iman does not have a brother, father, or husband to access the men’s side for her when she needs to get information to the Muslims. On occasion, she has approached men to ask them to help her. Many of them ignore her and leave, but on occasion, she has had men help her to post flyers and such information on the walls. But, it’s difficult, because the next time she goes, she can’t find the same man, and she has to go through the same thing again and again, and she gets really frustrated. She can’t make any announcements at the mosque about the work that she’s doing. She wants to make an announcement after the Friday prayer, but she is told she can’t because she is a woman. She is getting fed up and she wants to make a change. Elections at this mosque come up, and she wants to run for the board because it’s a great way to get involved and to make changes. But she is told she cannot run for the board because she is a woman. But she is told she can join the women’s committee and organize Eid carnivals for the children and prepare iftar (break-fast) during Ramadan. Iman, of course, is extremely frustrated. She is an activist. She has work that she is doing. So she stops going to the mosque because she knows that she can do more through the non-Muslim human rights groups at her university. As shown by Iman’s story, Muslim American women are regularly excluded from leadership positions in our mosques and in our Islamic centers. We are allowed to participate only in certain areas — preparing lunches, organizing Eid festivities, and events of that sort. Women are absent from educational or spiritual roles, unless they are teaching other women or children. Women with Islamic knowledge and expertise are not allowed to explain the Quran to the congregation nor give lessons in Shariah. Gender segregation is imposed in most American mosques and results in unfair and unequal access to space and facilities. Women are often put in areas with poor sound systems, or none at all, or noisy makeshift childcare areas. They are stuck in back rooms next to the bathrooms, and wherever they are put–even if it’s a great facility–they still can’t interact with the speaker and ask questions and have their voices heard. American Muslim women are not just excluded from leadership positions in our communities, but also even excluded from mosques completely. This exclusion can be overt where we are told “you cannot go to the mosque, this is a men’s mosque,” or it can be subtle, where the facilities provided are so inadequate and the treatment we receive is so horrendous that no reasonable woman is going to go back. All of this exclusion has no basis in the teachings of Islam. It results from culture and tradition. And Muslim women also deal with other problems, many of which are culturally or ethnically based and not unique to Islam. There has been so much cultural baggage that has come to the U.S. with the various waves of Muslims. And some of these other problems are not unique to Muslims, such as: the general devaluation of women–we are just seen as “not as good” as men, a preference for sons over daughters, women as a source of honor–and therefore shame–in the family, so we carry this horrendous burden of family honor, early marriage which often results in early pregnancy and usually an end to a woman’s educational opportunities, double standards which often result in unequal access to education–higher education especially, because women are not allowed to leave their homes or to travel very far to go to universities. These abuses that I have mentioned are simply a few of those suffered by Muslim women in America. The abuses vary in degree and form. Again, we raise these issues not because we hate Islam, not because we hate Muslims, but because we–as Muslims–need to deal with the problems. It is not enough to say that Islam is a great religion. We need to prove it with our actions. It is increasingly common to see Muslims in the United States–women and men–leave Islam in growing numbers because of the treatment of women. They see Muslims as offering no solutions to these problems and they see Muslims denying that these problems exist, and after awhile it simply becomes unbearable. As Muslims it our duty to fight against every form of oppression, whatever form it takes, by whatever means we can, and we cannot fight oppression if we do not acknowledge that it exists. This address by Samer Hathout was delivered at a workshop organized by the Muslim Women’s League And Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights at the NGO Forum, United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Huairou, China, September 7, 1995 Samer Hathout received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA in sociology, and then studied law at the University of Southern California. She has been very involved and served in the Hail Moot Court Honor’s Program, and received honorable mention at that program. She has also received the Miller Johnson Equal Justice Award. She has made two trips with the Muslim Women’s League to Croatia to investigate the status of Bosnian refugees, particularly women war refugees, and she interned at the De Paul University International Human Rights Law Institute where she compiled data on concentration camps to be used by the war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Samer has worked as a crisis counselor on a rape hotline. She was the founding president of the Muslim Women’s League, for which she is an active member right now, and is the Vice-Chairperson of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. Currently she works as a criminal prosecutor in Los Angeles.(3703 words) www.askdryahya.com

My thoughts on religion and God

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:08:16 +0000

There are many religions in this world. I think religion is important and we all need to have faith in something. Religion keep people comforted and there’s not thing else other that religion that can keep people comforted. There are many different kinds of religion and they can be different but people have their rights to believe in anything that they want to believe in. Religion is a positive thing and it makes people happy and comforted to have a religion. There is Buddhism and then Christianity and then Catholics. They’re all different but they all believe in one person and that is the creator. I don’t think that there are that many God in this world.There is much different kind of people who want to invent something that is close to them but in the end I think there is only one creator and that is the creator of the world. I think someone out there must have created all of the things in this world and it just didn’t form by itself. We don’t really understand that power yet because we’re mortal. I think that power is immortal in some way. I think that power is not a human being but he could be just a powerful machine that doesn’t look like a human being. Maybe he’s only consciousness only. They said that he’s everywhere and he’s capable of everything. I think that’s true too. I think that the creator is very powerful. I think that the creator created us for his own amusement.I think he knows what’s going on but somehow he doesn’t intervene. I think that there is a natural order and I think hurt and warfare is a part of life. I don’t know why God allowed these things to happen but only he can understand. I think that the world has everything set out and certain things are meant to be there. We don’t have an answer until we are on the other side of the world. I think that there are many side of the world out there. I think that we on to the next realm after this life and maybe we will learn more after this life. Religion is a mystery but I think it helps us in a lot of way. It calms the fearful soul. Human has always yearned for religion and I think it’s because the creator want us to know about him.

Gods of Hindu Religion

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:04:37 +0000

The fame of the oldest religion in the world is for Hinduism. Unlike other religions, Hinduism has many deities. Apauruseya – one which is not originated because of people, is what Hinduism is referred to as. This is also how Hindu gods are referred to . There are several deities in Hindu religion but they are all a part of the ultimate truth. This absolute power of the universe is known as Brahman.
The Concept of God in Religious Texts
The qualities of God has been explained clearly in scriptures of Hinduism. As he is the supreme power in the universe, everything that happens must be known to him. He reflects justice, love and beauty. He should be ready to bless all beings of the universe.

Related Coverage

The Concept of a Deity in Hindu Religion

Hinduism is very old when compared to other religions in the world. One can find several Gods and Goddesses in Hindu religion. Hindu God Vishnu : Saviour or Conspiracy Hatcher

If Vishnu himself being the Sustainer of the universe, hatch conspiracy and misguide demons from righteous path and later in the name of dharma destroy them. then how should the deeds of righteous peoples or demons can be judge when god himself misguide them to do sin or evil. even if we consider humans and demons will be reborn or incarnate again after their death depend upon their deeds, then how god will judge their deed whom god himself misguided ?????. Hanuman – The Respected Hindu Deity

Lord Hanuman is one among the most loved gods in the Hindu religion worshipped by a huge number of devotees across India and the world. People refer to him to as ‘Bajrang Bali’, ‘Maruti’ and ‘Anjaneya’, three of his numerous names that he is known by. The Doctrine of Absolute God in Vedic Religion

Even though practitioners of Hinduism are seen worshipping the gods Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, the actual Supreme Being of Indian Religion or Hinduism is called Para-Brahman, or simply Brahman, the Absolute.According to Rigveda eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, eight Vasus, Indra and Prajapathi are rulers of all living and non-living beings on Earth, the Space and the Heaven. The holy Scripture also mentions that irrespective of the number of gods in Hindu religion, the ultimate power is one.
Adhikaara and Ishta Devaa, 2 doctrines in Hindu religion, give the option to devotees to believe in any deity suiting their belief system and seek answers to their spiritual questions. To get the answers to the spiritual questions one has, he can believe in any deity.
Important Deities in Hindu Religion
As Hindu religion has many Goddesses and Gods, it is difficult to classify them in any way. But it is believed that Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva are highly revered because they protect, create and destroy the universe. Apart from these deities, the female deities originated from the power Shakti are also worshipped. Among these Goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati are very important. Other forms of the power Shakti are Durga and Kali.
All male and female deities have different forms and they are also being worshipped by people. Krishna, Ganesha, Rama and Hanuman are considered to be favorites of a lot of Hindus. God and Goddesses are also addressed as Devas and Devis.
Important Avtars
The most important avtars as per Hindu religion are Lord Vishnu’s ten incarnations. Devotees believe that, to destroy the Adharmic powers from the world, Lord Vishnu re-incarnates in each and every Yuga. These are known as his ten avatars. They are Balarama, Vamana, Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna and Khalki. According to Hindu religion, the present Yuga is Kaliyuga and Lord Vishnu re-incarnates as Khalki, the tenth incarnation.
It is believed that fire, water, earth, sun and air are also Gods. They also have the name 5 elements. They respect animals, trees and other beings which are regarded as gifts from god.

Islam – An Abrahamic Religion

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:08:03 +0000

Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion. There are approximately 1.82 billion Muslims, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world, after Christianity. Let have a look at the history of this religion.

Islam, the complete code of life ordained by the Sustainer of the Universe, emerged as a Socio-economic and Political power in the Seventh Century. This unpredictable and sweeping emergence was a result of the Muslims disciplining their lives in accordance with the injunctions of the Holy Quran and left an everlasting influence on the humanity.

The exalted person upon whom this code of life was revealed – Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah on the twentieth of April 571 A.D.

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What is comfort? Is comfort a state of mind or is it experiencing a life filled with material wealth? We tend to align comfort with the material aspects of life and focus our attention on acquiring more wealth like a religious order.and breathed his last in Madina in 632 A.D. During this period the major empires neighbouring Arabia were the Persian Sasanids and the Bazantines, who were locked in a constant warfare.
Arabia, whose only previous contribution had been to send successive waves of Semitic nomads to invade the fertile crescent was held by clans. These included Christian, Jewish and most Arabian tribes including Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) – The Quraish. Allah’s final message to mankind revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him), now contained in the Holy Quran, attracted a few truth-loving people but infuriated Quraish, who then controlled the First house of God (Allah Almighty).
In 622 A.D., Makkah being no more amenable to his message, Muhammad (peace be upon him) undertook Hijra to Madina and this feat of Rasool-Allah marks the start of Muslim era. In Madina, where large number of people embraced Islam. Muhammad (peace be upon him) stayed in Madina for eight years, during which period he had to fight the most important battles of his life. These battles were fought against the invading Quraish at Badar, Uhud, and Madina itself. Makkah was finally subdued in 630 A.D., after which the tribes throughout Arabia also submitted to Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) successor Khalifa (caliph) Abu-Bakr consolidated this conquest. Later on the Sasanids were overthrown and the Bazantines expelled from Syria, Egypt, and North Africa. After these conquests, the Muslims penetrated to the Atlantic, the Caucasus, the Oxus, and the Indus without meeting effective opposition. The people of these areas were not forced to accept Islam but adopted it gradually. Today, the influence of Islam can be felt through almost every nook and corner of the globe.

Reasons & Steps to be taken for improve the life of Muslim Women. Article 2 – Society

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:11:53 +0000

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IIWA (Iqra International Women’s Alliance) was launched with a view to give exposure to educated Muslim women to express their views and be a part of active Muslim society. As we all know half of the Muslim population is women who have tremendous potential to work for Ummah in social religious and educational fields. These potentials need direction and support by responsible people to break the shackles of economic strife.

There are many misconceptions and stereotypes in the society to demean Islam with particular reference to women. IIWA provides a platform for Muslim women to come forward, express their views and work positively for the Ummah strictly within the framework of Islamic shariah.

IIWA is a platform where Muslim women could join hands with sisters of other faith in carrying out social services so that we send a positive message to others, which alone would help us in D’awah work. IIWA also plans to organized seminars to educate Muslim women about duties imposed on them by Islam as also their rights in Shariah..

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Remove Domestic Violence

As per National Family and Health Survey in India, both Muslims and Hindu women are subjected to domestic violence. Though this violence is 20% less in Muslims as compared to Hindu families yet it is matter of great concern for any Muslim particularly when Rasulullah (S) asked in his last sermon:

“O people! Fear Allah concerning women. Verily you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made their persons lawful unto you by words of Allah. Verily you have certain rights over your women and your women have certain rights over you-.

IIWA has plans to create a cell to sort out issues concerning women who are subjected to domestic violence. IIWA will first try to ensure that such acts do not recur but in extreme cases IIWA would help aggrieved women morally, legally and financially.

IIWA also plans to organized seminars to educate Muslim women about duties imposed on them by Islam as also their rights in Shariah.

IIWA will also cooperate and coordinate with other groups/ organizations who are doing this work. However, IIWA would mainly concentrate on problems of Muslim women under the laws of Shariah

IIWA would also involve Muslim advocates to ensure justice for Muslim women particularly when there is already an act in Indian law “Protection of Women from Domestic Violence- passed on 26th October 2006..

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Removing Stereotype & Misconceptions

There are number of misconceptions about Islam and Muslims particularly about Muslim women in the society. IIWA plans to deal with each one of them and present the correct picture logically and in a positive manner. Hijab, Divorce, alimony etc., are some such issues, which are grossly misrepresented by the media with a view to make Islamic law anti-women. IIWA will try to make others understand that a Muslim woman covers her head but not her wisdom..

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Remove Cultural Imbalance

Muslims in India and many other countries live in a pluralistic society. It’s obvious that some cultural habits and rituals have been adopted by Muslims particularly women. Most of us are not even aware of such rituals, which at times are found un-Islamic. It is therefore necessary that Muslims should shun such wrong practices and scrupulously adhere to the teachings of Islam IIWA will help identify such cultural imbalances from Muslim society and would educate women to adopt the correct way.

In this regard IIWA is working towards reforming Muslim culture and wants to bring about changes for both men and women. IIWA will help Muslim women to adopt Islamic practices and attire and face the challenges of the modern time by balancing worldly affairs with spiritual life..

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Generate Communal Harmony

When prophet Mohamed (S) established first Muslim state in Madinah, he announced the rights of non-Muslims too. He announced that every non-Muslim who lives peacefully his life, wealth, places of worship would remain fully protected by the state. They also shared equal opportunities and reap benefits in Islamic state.

There were strict instructions to the conquering Muslim army not to hurt them or defame their religious heads or touch their places of worship. In case of complaints from non-Muslims against the Muslims, investigations were carried our promptly and justice delivered without any delay.

Qur’an says:Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error-. (2:256))

“We know the best what they (non-believers) say; and you are not one to compel them by force. So admonish with the Qur’an such as fear My warnings- (50:45).

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Ehsaas

Ehsaas… is an endeavour of the IIWA through which it intends to extend a helping hand to the destitute women & children in India who year for an adequate and affordable means of training and professional enhancement. The project is towards establishing an institute that would offer courses on professional enhancement in Fashion Designing, Textile Designing, Interior Designing, Cooking, Beauty Culture, Computer Skills, Journalism, Photography, Handicrafts, Candle Making and Soft Toys Making etc.

The project entails building a base in Northern India in Delhi’s suburb where the first institution will be established. The plan has a comprehensive approach wherein the base will be an all encompassing set up with a training base including practical, theory & computer aided training methodology; A manufacturing unit where orders bagged by trained professionals will be manufactured; A warehouse where logistics will be maintained; An office where corporate relations and administrative procedures will be carried out and a showroom for visiting guests. It will be a multistory building in a 1000 sq. yards area with an exclusive floor attributed to each division.

The institute will offer training programs through trained professionals and will be subject to a nominal course fees. However, the deserving and needy candidates will be considered in given circumstances.

Through this institute IIWA intends to spread Islamic Education also among the women who are the inceptors of generations and who if educated can at least pay off an inheritance of education to the progeny. This however, will be achieved by the inclusion of Islamic Education as a compulsory subject for the Muslim Women & Children.

IIWA believes in a truly peaceful society in which people cooperate and coordinate with each other irrespective of their religion and belief. In order to enhance communal harmony what is required understands the teachings of all religion for which inter faith dialogues are necessary. Let us present to the world what Islam teachers and what prophet Mohamed (S) professed. At the same time let us hear what other religions stand for and what they teach the humankind.

IIWA is arranging inter faith dialogues between various communities for the sole purpose of creating mutual understanding and trust between them and to remove stereotypes and misunderstandings created deliberately against a particular religion and faith..

A Brief Description of Popular Hinduism

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:32:35 +0000

The essence of popular Hinduism is encapsulated in one of the verses of Gita, one of the most sacred scriptures of Hinduism. The scripture is about Krishna, the divine personality, telling humanity through his disciple Arjun on what needs to be done to win the final salvation for the human soul. In the verse 12.0.9 of the scripture, Krishna tells Arjun the following words: