The Church of Scotland has held “useful” discussions with the Jewish community over a controversial report which questioned the divine right of Jews to the land of Israel.

The 10-page discussion paper will be debated and voted on at the Kirk’s general assembly later this month.

Israel’s ambassador to the UK has described it as “truly hurtful”.

A spokeswoman for the Kirk stressed it was not denying Israel’s right to exist.

But she accepted the 10-page discussion paper, entitled The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the Promised Land, “has given cause for concern and misunderstanding of its position”.

A new introduction to set the context for the report and give clarity about some of the language used was required, she added.

The spokeswoman said: “The concern of the Church about injustices faced by the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories remain firm but that concern should not be misunderstood as questioning the right of the State of Israel to exist.

“Sitting round the table and listening to each other more deeply has created a real opportunity for both communities to better understand each other and that this report now becomes a catalyst for continued and growing conversation.

“The two communities have agreed to work together both here and in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to continue what was a very positive dialogue.”

The talks were held between representatives of the Kirk and Jewish groups including the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities and the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

The report, which was compiled by the Kirk’s church and society council, stated there has been a widespread assumption by many Christians, as well as many Jewish people, that the Bible “supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel”.

But its authors said an “increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding the Palestinians” had led to this viewpoint being questioned.

They wrote: “Possession of any land is clearly conditional. The question that arises is this: Would the Jewish people today have a fairer claim to the land if they dealt justly with the Palestinians?”

Biblical promises about the land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally, or as applying to a defined geographical territory, the report argued.

Instead, it said: “They are a way of speaking about how to live under God so that justice and peace reign, the weak and poor are protected, the stranger is included, and all have a share in the community and a contribution to make to it.

“The ‘promised land’ in the Bible is not a place, so much as a metaphor of how things ought to be among the people of God. This ‘promised land’ can be found – or built – anywhere.

“The desire of many in the state of Israel to acquire the land of Palestine for the Jewish people is wrong. The fact that the land is currently being taken by settlement expansion, the separation barrier, house clearance, theft and force makes it doubly wrong to seek biblical sanction for this.”

The report said that the enormity of the Holocaust “has often reinforced the belief that Israel is entitled to the land unconditionally”.

“There is guilt among Western Christianity about centuries of anti-Semitism that led to discrimination against the Jews, culminating in the total evil of the Holocaust,” it suggested.

Political boycotts

“There is also a belief among some Jewish people that they have a right to the land of Israel as compensation for the suffering of the Holocaust.”

While stopping short of calling for economic and political boycotts and sanctions against the state of Israel, as church leaders from South Africa did last year, the report said the issue “raises particular questions for the Church of Scotland as we seek to respond to the question: “What does the Lord require of you…?”

The paper will be voted on by delegates at the church’s general assembly in Edinburgh, which is due to begin on 18 May.

The Israeli ambassador to the UK, Daniel Taub, said: “This report not only plays into extremist political positions, but negates and belittles the deeply held Jewish attachment to the land of Israel in a way which is truly hurtful.

“If a document of this nature is adopted by the Church of Scotland it would mark a significant step backwards for the forces of tolerance and peace in our region.”

Ephraim Borowski, director of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, has previously condemned the report as an “outrage to everything that interfaith dialogue stands for” and called on the Church of Scotland to withdraw it ahead of the general assembly.

He added: “It reads like an Inquisition-era polemic against Jews and Judaism. It is biased, weak on sources, and contradictory. The picture it paints of both Judaism and Israel is barely even a caricature. The arrogance of telling the Jewish people how to interpret Jewish texts and Jewish theology is breathtaking.

“If the church cannot build bridges, can it at least refrain from burning them?”

Abraham H Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League in New York, described the paper as “stunningly offensive”.

He said: “The paper’s blatant one-sided perspective falsely conflates the political state of Israel and the religious significance of the Land of Israel for both Jews and Christians. The selective citation of Biblical scripture in order to question Israel’s legitimacy is an affront to Jews around the world and to the State of Israel.”

And an editorial, the Jerusalem Post newspaper said the report would “shame the Church of Scotland”.

It claimed: “The church owes the Jewish people an apology for this incendiary text that is more fitting to the 13th Century than to this one”.

source : bbc.co.uk/news

Assalamualaykum

My name is Jennifer and I am 36 years old, from the United States. My life has been kind of strange. I was born the middle child, middle sister, in the middle of chaos. As a result of neglect, malnutrition and abuse, my 4 siblings and I were removed from our biological parents’ household when I was 7 years old and sent to foster care. Unfortunately, a place meant to be a safe haven for children like us turned out to be a nightmare. The male owner of the second foster home we stayed at was a monster, who sexually abused my sisters and me, something that scarred us all for life. But, Alhamdulillah, after 2 years in that home, we were told a childless couple in a nearby town had expressed interest in adopting some kids. The reality was that after 9 years of being on a waiting list for a baby, this couple told their adoption caseworker to remove them from the list if no child became available soon, to which the caseworker replied that he knew of no babies currently up for adoption but did know of 5 kids, siblings, who really needed a home. And so we were adopted, and what an extraordinary thing; you see, in America, at least during that time, most such siblings are separated and sent to different foster homes/orphanages, even adopted by different families. Sometimes I can’t believe we were so lucky to stay together, and I now know it is by the grace of Allah. As He would also do later in my life, He rescued me and set me upon a new path.

In our new home, we learned many things from our parents. We learned how to behave like civilized humans. They took us to church (Baptist) and we learned about God and Jesus (A.S.). For the first time in my life, I understood that we are not alone, we have a Protector, someone who will never leave us. And my family was heavily involved in church activities. It seemed that 3-4 nights a week we were at church, and I grew weary of the prospect. Though I considered myself a Christian, I was plagued by doubts and questions about Christianity. Why did they refer to Jesus (A.S.) as a god, worship him and his mother and neglect to teach about many of the other prophets I knew were mentioned in the Bible? As time went on, I felt more and more distant from the church and eventually stopped going entirely when I left home for college. From then on, I considered myself a believer but not a practicing one. I neglected my religious duties completely throughout my 20s as I struggled to find what I believe. Other than living my life as morally as I could, I basically abandoned religion altogether (astagfirullah).

Skip forward to the spring of 2010. One day I received a friend request on Facebook from a Muslim guy from Pakistan. Having no real reason to reject his request, and also because I really like meeting people from other cultures, I accepted. Soon, more international friends followed; and, as I came to know my new friends and learned about their lives and cultures, conversation ventured into religion. I remember asking one of my Muslim friends, “Do you think your God and mine is the same?” to which he responded that yes, although different cultures had varying names for God, there was only one and we all belonged to Him. And this idea fascinated me and fit with my notion of the God I came to know as a child. Soon I started reading everything I could get my hands on about Islam, learning what it means to be a Muslim, what is expected of us, what the purpose of our life is. And I was in love. In love with an idea so perfect, one so logical and beautiful in its simplicity. I started to read the Qur’an in translation and I was staggered. Here, before me, was the verbatim word of God, in which he speaks directly to us, giving us answers to every question imaginable. As I read further and eventually finished the whole book, I came to realize in my heart I was already Muslim. This is what I believed. This made sense and inspired me in ways nothing had then or since. I made the decision to take my Shahada and, Alhamdulillah, I became a Muslim on 10 June 2010. For the first time in my life, I felt truly happy and sure of my purpose. And I know that even if I thanked Him every moment of my life, I could never thank Allah (SWT) enough for choosing me to be a Muslim, for giving me a chance to return to Him.

Jennifer

source : hadithoftheday.com

Assalamualaykum

My name is Meliha Senol. I am an Australian from Sydney. I came to embrace Islam around four years ago. ALHAMDULILLAH!! I would like to share with you a little about myself and how I came to accept Islam.

I grew up in a very hard household where drugs and alcohol were a normal and everyday occurrence so my sister and brothers and I went through alot. I had a beautiful Aunty Marj who would care for us and take us to her church whenever she could. I loved going there and Sunday school was the best time of week. That’s where I nurtured a love for God and Jesus and an understanding of religion. I always knew and loved God and would come to ask for His strength guidance and protection much in the years to come.

By the time my twin sister and I were 14, we were on our own and had to fend for ourselves. We found ourselves in a world of drugs and alcohol and got very lost.

At 20 years of age, my beautiful twin sister died from drugs abuse and I prayed for strength to get through it. I prayed with gratitude to God for taking my sister from the pain and the suffering from this world. I believed then as I do now that He took her as a mercy to her. So I was clean and I was searching for God. I prayed every night for guidance. I looked into Buddhism and Christianity but nothing gave my badly beaten soul what it needed. I became lost and again alcohol became a problem. I was so devastated by life but I did always believe God would give me purpose.

Then ALHAMDULILLAH, Allah sent me a beautiful friend Ahmet. We spoke of Islam, all the prophets AS and of course our beloved prophet Muhammad SAW. Ahmet told me the real story of Prophet Isa and Maryam AS and I just knew it was the truth. I read an English version of the Qur’an and it made complete sense to me. Ahmet and I married and when I woke one morning I said to him that I believe in Allah and the prophet Muhammad SAW and asked him how I would become a Muslim. He said that I just did! That was the best day of my life.

Needless to say I am now free from drugs and alcohol that have been damaging me and will be so for the rest of my life Insha’Allah! I am so grateful to Allah for His blessings, in sending me my wonderful husband who has been a great teacher and an example to me. May Allah grant him the highest rank in Jannah for being just what I needed and seeing something in me no one ever had. We now have a beautiful son Esad, he is nearly 3 years old now. ALHAMDULILLAH.

I love Islam and I love Allah! ALHAMDULILLAH. I am truly grateful Allah made me a Muslim and for all His wonderful blessings on me. I pray He continues to guide and help me. Ameen.

Wasalam.

Meliha Senol

source : hadithoftheday.com

From Darkness to Light

Assalamualaykum

My name is Aisha.  I am 42 years old, of Indian origin and settled in Sydney for over a year now.  I accepted Islam less than 5 months ago and the story I am about to tell willInsha’Allah renew the faith that you already have in the benevolence and mercy of Allah SWT – the one and only true God!

Born to devout Catholic parents and the youngest of three siblings, I was raised in a loving and nurturing environment.  Perhaps my upbringing was a little too strict and sheltered for my liking and at times I felt stifled by the protectiveness of my older brothers, but overall I have to say it was an ideal childhood.

So given the strict Catholic upbringing and the principles that had been imbibed in me during my formative years, one would have thought that it would have been practically impossible for me to go astray when I grew up, right?  Well! You’d be amazed at how quickly those values flew out of the window when love came knocking in the form of a very handsome and charming Senior at the first co-ed College I attended when I was 21.

As my brothers had left home by then to pursue their own careers, I did not have their watchful eyes on me and was soon caught up in a whirlwind romance.  Before I knew it we were discussing marriage, babies and our future! Needless to say I was so swayed by the ‘sweet talk’ that I threw caution to wind; only to discover a few months later that they had just been empty words and promises – a means to an end!!!

Distraught at my situation and the eventuality of my parents finding out, I took what seemed to be the only way out.  My life was supposed to end there, but God (as I knew him then) obviously had other plans for me.  I survived the 16 feet drop onto the concrete ground below, but my face would never be the same again.  After a series of painful plastic surgeries over 6 months and about 68 stiches on my face, I came out looking and feeling like a battle scarred soldier.  My parents believed it was just an unfortunate accident and that made me cringe even more.

It took a lot of courage to return to university, but I was determined not to be fazed by pointing fingers and wagging tongues.  I was determined to succeed despite all odds and when I graduated a year later, my parents’ beaming faces made the whole ordeal worthwhile.

In the following years, I pursued my career with single-minded devotion, while other women my age were busy getting married-off and my parents were looking for a ‘suitable boy’ for me.  I was 26 when my work threw me in contact with a man (let us call him Mr. C for the purpose of this narration) who appeared to be a ‘God send’.  He was warm, caring and above all a perfect gentleman.  The only catch was that he was a Hindu Brahmin.  He proposed after just 3 months of us meeting and while I found myself very drawn to him, I told him that my religion meant a lot to me and also given what I had done in the past, I did not wish to put my parents through any more pain.

Mr. C then approached my parents and asked them for my hand in marriage.  He told my parents that he wanted to get baptised and accept Christianity, as he had always been drawn to it.  He also promised to baptise our kids as well when we did have them.

As it seemed like a win-win situation, my parents relented and we had a big Church wedding a few months later.  In a few weeks’ time, I had my first jolt when I was asked by my mother-in-law to perform some Hindu rituals as a new bride.  My husband, who had promised never to force me to practice Hinduism, stated quite blandly that if I truly loved him, I would fall in with his mother’s wishes.  As I did not wish to expose his duplicity to my parents, I gritted my teeth and sat through the ritual.

Soon after I fell pregnant and I was very excited at the prospect of having our first born.  That’s when my husband dropped the second bombshell and declared that we should never have kids, as our parents would end up fighting over the religion of the baby and that would drive a wedge between us.  I reminded him of his promise to my parents, but as it seemed to have no impact on his conscience, I fell in with his wishes, as I just wanted to keep the peace and I did love him dearly despite it all.

So a crime was committed against religion and humanity and we terminated a life before it took shape.  By this point I had lost my moral and religious compass altogether.  In the years to come, while my husband and I shared a very beautiful and close relationship (or so I thought at that time!), I had totally severed my relationship with the Church.  Christmas and Easter were the only two occasions I went to Church and this was not because I had lost my faith, but because I was lulled into a false sense of security.  I had a doting husband, loving parents, a stable and happy marriage, financial security, we both had successful careers…so what did I need to pray for?

And then calamity struck.  My mother took very ill and I found myself praying fervently to God to heal her.  My prayers went unanswered and my mother passed away a few months later.  My Dad left India to visit my brother in Sydney.  To further compound matters, my husband was posted in Dubai on a 6 month assignment a few months later.  This left me with just his Mum to turn to, who wasn’t very welcoming given that I was still the “rebel daughter-in-law” who refused to bow down in front of their deities.  Suddenly I felt like someone had pulled the rug from underneath my feet.

Nonetheless life dragged on painfully and at the end of the assignment my husband and I visited Istanbul for an Award ceremony.  I still recall walking into the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque) with my head covered with a scarf and being overawed by the grandeur.  While it was only a beautiful monument to me, I still recall the peace and serenity I experienced standing within the four walls of the Mosque.  At the Grand Bazaar, my husband bought a little wall plaque for a Muslim female colleague of his stating that she had some marital problems and the words on the plaque were adua that was meant to grant whatever she desired.

How ironic that proved to be because she did get what she desired within a few months – my husband.  I discovered that they were having a clandestine affair despite her being much married and having a 2 year old son.  I had no one to turn to with this devastating discovery, as I did not wish to burden my family with my problems.  I found myself once again in Church crying bitterly and pleading with God to save my marriage, as I realised I still loved him too dearly to let him go and was prepared to ‘forgive and forget’.

My husband kept promising that he would break things off with the other woman, but she just wouldn’t let go off him.  After months of fighting to keep my marriage alive, fasting and praying and even going to the extent of having a liposuction to become ‘slim and attractive’ again, I learnt that my husband had filed for divorce.  I decided then not to contest it and so 12 years of marriage were wiped out just like that.  Snap!! It was at that point that I lost all faith in God.

After a year of pining away after my divorce had come through, at the insistence of my friends, I took to drinking and partying just as an escape from reality and the loneliness that shrouded me.  It was at this stage of my mindless existence where I was just stumbling in the dark looking for answers that I met a young Muslim man named Aleem.  Aleem and I got talking over the months and gradually when we got to know each other well enough to share things, I told him of my divorce.  He was very empathetic and despite being about a decade younger than me, I felt Aleem really related to what I was going through.

One day I happened to mention that I was going clubbing with my friends and Aleem said he would go too.  Now Aleem despite his deep religious beliefs did have a few vices (as we all do) and clubbing was one of them.  When I met him at the nightclub that night, I was quite drunk and later he told me dancing quite wantonly.  I have no recollection of how I drove home that drunk, but can never forget the earful I got from Aleem the next day.  He told me that I seemed like a nice sensible woman and instead of turning to “haram” (that is the first time I heard the word) things for comfort I should turn to God instead.  I told him I had no faith in God anymore because I had lost my Mum and my husband in the span of a year; and that wouldn’t have happened if God loved me.

Aleem then asked me a question which totally threw me off my new-found balance.  He asked me if I would accept my husband if he came back to me and I said without doubt.  He then asked me – If I was willing to accept someone who had broken my trust and the promises he had made me, if I was willing to accept someone who had abandoned me in my hour of need when my mother had just passed away, why then could I not accept God back into my life who only did what was best for me?

I then told him surely losing my husband could not have been the best thing for me.  He then said to me that from all appearances I had placed my husband before God and had forgotten the true purpose of my life.  He said to me that perhaps God had separated me from my husband, so that I would be “saved”.  In order that I would turn back to HIM and prepare myself for the life hereafter.

I must say that I was stumped by such logic coming from someone so young.  His maturity in thought and approach to problems belied his age.  While I started some deep soul-searching, Aleem advised me to move to Sydney as my brother and family lived there and it paid to be with family.  I saw the wisdom in his advice because my move would also mean that we could launch an application for my Dad’s Australian Permanent Residency.

Aleem helped me sell my apartment and move lock, stock and barrel to Sydney.  I was sad to say good bye to someone who had grown so dear to me in such a short span of time, but Aleem said that he would always be there for me should I need it.

When I arrived in Sydney, I learnt that my father would have to live offshore while his application was being processed in Australia; which could probably take close to two years.  Following his departure, my brother and his wife who had always been quite cordial until then had a disagreement with me over the application fees for my Dad’s visa stating that $46,000 was “money down the drain” given that my Dad was already 75+.  I told them that I was happy to foot the costs myself with the money got from the sale of my flat in India.  Even if it meant that my savings were wiped out, it was well worth it for everything my Dad had done for us when we were young.

I left their place totally broken in spirit and felt that the whole purpose of my move had been defeated.  At this point I turned to God again.  I would sit outside the closed doors of the Church and cry for hours on end.   I was by myself again and this time round in unfamiliar surroundings and with no Aleem as well to help.  While I found a job within a month, the loneliness and uncertainty was eating me up. At this point, hearing of my struggles, Aleem offered to come and assist me in settling down, so that it would reduce the number of months I had to spend alone before my Dad could return permanently.

Aleem had never left his family until then and so I knew that it was indeed a big sacrifice for him.  I was touched especially because when my own blood had become a stranger to me, he was prepared to come all the way to Australia just to help me.  I happily took him up on the offer and he arrived in June last year.  We took up a flat share with a few other Indians.

Soon after it was the month of Ramadan and as a mark of respect to Aleem, I offered to fast along with him.  I started off with no idea of the significance or what outcome I expected of it.  I told Aleem all I knew is that I was looking for some answers and perhaps God/Allah would show me the way.  Aleem spent most of his time listening to bayaans and I soon joined him.  Listening to Maulana Tariq Jameel, Dr Zakir Naik and other Islamic scholars, I slowly started opening up my mind to Islam.  I learnt from Aleem to my utter surprise that Muslims believed in Mary and Jesus as well.

The more I learnt of Islam, the more I realised the similarities between Christianity and Islam.  The more I began to see where the Christians had erred in worshipping Jesus, as the Son of God.  I also began to appreciate the fact that it was obviously Aleem’s deep Islamic beliefs that made him so humane and giving, at an age when other youngsters were just chasing after their own personal gains.  No doubt he was also given to some pleasures of this duniya that he was praying hard to overcome (and Insha’Allah he will sooner than later), but I could now see what set him apart from other people I knew.

In the meantime, I was miraculously approved to rent a place on my own despite not having previous rental history or any references in Australia.  Aleem and I walked miles shopping for furniture while we were still fasting, as I did not have a car.  And then once again out of the blue my brother wrote to say that he would contribute 50% towards the costs of my Dad’s visa.  This was a miracle indeed, as it gave me the ability to afford the down payment on a brand new car.  Suddenly (still during Ramadan) we were driving down the very streets we used to walk down wearily.  I had no doubt in my mind at that point that God loved me and there was only one God and that was Allah.

Aleem and I would discuss Islam and its teachings at length and it was then that he told me that he had always prayed that I become a Muslim because I was such a nice person and it would be a shame if I didn’t go to Jannah just because I had not accepted the true religion.  He told me that he would always be there for me and care for me regardless of which religion I practised, but he wanted me to explore Islam more for my own happiness, peace of mind and salvation.  I went with him on Eid to witness the prayers being offered in an open ground.  I stood well outside the circle, but I can’t say that I was not deeply moved by the sight of hundreds of people standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the same direction, all united in one voice, as they worshipped Allah the Almighty.

I went with Aleem to the Mosque a few days later and was given some literature to read.  On 14 September 2012, in the presence of Aleem and a group of strangers I took the Shahadah.  I still cannot express the relief that I felt flooding my body the moment I had uttered those precious words.  I felt my body shudder as if it was suddenly overtaken by a fever and I was then engulfed in the warm embrace from a woman standing by.  I suddenly felt a oneness with the women who were strangers to me until then.

One of them reached out to me and brought me a copy of the Qur’an, a prayer rug and my first hijab the next day.  “A gift from a sister,” she said and I cannot express the warmth and love I experienced in her presence.  I felt the very same warmth and love that I had always felt from Aleem.  A love which can only come as a gift from the one true God – Allahthe most benevolent and merciful.  I have experienced this sense of belonging and oneness with every other Muslim I have met since.

It has now been a month since Aleem has returned to India, but not a day passes without him calling to check on me.  I have no husband, no real ”family”, no kids – none to call my own in this world for companionship or support, yet for once I am not filled with despair as I used to before I met Aleem.  This is because I have no doubt that Aleem will always be there for me even after he is married and has his own family to fend for because such is the love of humanity and charity that Islam truly inspires.  Above all, I know that if I depend on Allah, HE will always be there for me in darkness and in light.

For now I have nothing but the deepest sense of gratitude towards Aleem for everything he has done for me and most importantly for the wonderful gift he has given me.  A gift that will last me not just this lifetime, but in the hereafter.  A gift that I know now came from Allah Himself.  I have no doubt in my mind now that everything in my life has happened for a purpose – Allah SWT had ear-marked me to be “saved”.  So everything that had happened in my life was in accordance with His will and Insha’Allah, I pray that I continue to grow in my faith and learn to submit myself to the will of Allahunquestioningly.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I feel privileged that I belong to this Ummah and as long as I live will devote my life to learning more about Islam and spreading the word of Allah SWT.  While my colleagues and a few others know that I have accepted Islam, I am yet to share this with my family.  This is not out fear of ridicule or acceptance by them because we are already estranged, but because my father is old and frail and I fear that he would not be able to withstand the truth.  I am sure just like everyone else, he has this media built image of what Islam is and it would shatter him to know that I have joined a “terrorist religion”.  Little does he know that Islam spells Peace.

I for one will hope and fervently pray that one day he and the rest of my family will see the truth and emerge from darkness into light and be saved as well.  I request you my dear brother and sisters in the Deen, to pray that Allah grants me the strength and courage to proclaim to my family and the whole world at large that I am MUSLIM and proud to be one.  Alhamdullilah!!!

Aisha B

source : hadithoftheday.com

Assalamualaykum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh

I was born in a small city in Romania, a country in the South East of Europe. Romania is 97% Christian Orthodox but very much non-practicing. Religion has turned into tradition, folk, and culture. Religion is seen as something that everyone has, but that is not necessary to be shown to others. You have to keep it for yourself, or talk about it casually.

Ever since I was young, I was fascinated by religion. I loved to pray and go to church. I had my mom’s aunt who would always take me and teach me about Christianity. She was the closest thing I had to a grandmother. I called her “Mamaitza”. My parents were never too excited about me becoming too religious but didn’t prohibit me from listening to Mamaitza’s stories or going with her.

When I was 16 years old, I moved to the United States for my last year of high school and then college. I am 23 now and I am still in the US working and finishing my Master’s. I did not know a thing about Islam when I first got here. I didn’t even know it was a faith, but looked at it as a political regime. Throughout my college years I learned the very basics of Islam, or at least the very Western basics, those of not eating pork, covering, and maybe something about praying in a different way. After graduation, I met a Muslim man who treated me like no other before, respected me and challenged my beliefs. He later became one of my best friends and a person I would forever be grateful to. He took my knowledge about Islam to another level, posed me with questions about my religion without expecting an answer, and showed me the logic and truth in the Quran. But my curiosity went above the levels of knowledge he had, and I found myself intrigued, thirsty to know more. It was the summer of 2011 when I felt something was happening to me but I’d like to back up a bit before I delve into that part of story further.

I’ve always thought that Allah SWT slowly prepared me for that summer, for accepting and converting to Islam ever since I was young. I was interested in religion, even though I didn’t practice it a lot. I did go to church occasionally and loved praying. Coming to the US prevented me from praying to pictures of saints, and rather allowed me to pray to the One and Only God. Later, I gave up drinking, even socially because I was starting to get seriously depressed and had a beginning of an ulcer. I also quit clubbing, and started going to church again, an experience that helped me realize the superficiality of my former religion. So after reaching that last step, Allah SWT showed me Islam.

During the summer of 2011, I became obsessed with Islam. I started researching on my own but my very little understanding at the time limited me. So I decided to contact a couple with whom I had been friends for years, and in which the man had converted to Islam and had become very knowledgeable about it. He taught me where to look for information, what to listen to and helped relieve some of the stress that I was going through. I felt like I was betraying who I was and that I was going against my parents.

In spite of all the doubts and embarrassment I was experiencing, I could not stop looking into Islam. There were things that made so much sense but there were just as many things I had no knowledge about or I did not understand well enough. I just could not drop it. So what kept me going?

I trust Allah SWT and I know that I don’t have all the answers and I made duaa saying that I know there are things that I might not understand, and I still believe in Him no matter if I have all the answers or not, but if it is in His will to show me this answer, So I moved on. I cried myself to bed and asked for help. I asked Allah what I was doing wrong and I asked that He give me what I needed. It was that duaa that granted me Islam and it was that duaa that pushed me to search and search and search some more until I found my answers.

My research into Islam continued for about 6 months until I was convinced about it being the ultimate truth. But I was nervous about converting and doing everything right. I was nervous about praying and making mistakes. I was nervous about the little details I still didn’t know. However, at the end of January 2012 I took my shahada, in the privacy of my own home and I finally prayed a real prayer. I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE PEACFUL IN MY LIFE AS I DID WHEN I CONVERTED. I had doubts but every time I would ask Allah SWT to show me the answer, He would (SubhanaAllah). There hasn’t been a day when I felt a bit lost and I would ask for an answer, for help, for peace, that I wouldn’t get it, that never happened! I have never felt lonely once ever since I converted, but on the contrary, no matter the stress, no matter what I was needing, no matter the hardship I would have, nothing felt like an unbearable burden because I always just seemed to get what I was needing (Alhamdulillah), whether it was an answer, a solution, an idea, anything. I would make duaa or Istikhara and I would get it. And even before I converted when I asked for the truth, I got Islam, and when I asked anything about Islam, I found my answer – there is nothing more magical than that.

There is nothing in the very essence of Islam that does not make sense. Yes, there are many things that we do not have enough knowledge to explain, out of the Quran or out of the Sunnah and Allah SWT explicitly tells us in the Quran that we do not have all the knowledge. But these are just the things that we can and can’t do, and not the very pillars, the very core of the religion.

Other reasons why I believe in Islam are the numerous hints in the Quran that show it is the truth, these are the reasons I have been giving most people in regards to my conversion because that was one of the strongest points for me, but many fail to see it: the story of Pharaoh – how Allah SWT tells us that He will preserve his body as a proof and Pharaoh’s body is now being preserved in a museum in France; the story of the ants – how Allah SWT tells us that Sulaiman AS heard a conversation between the ants, and in 2009 scientists discovered ants have a system of communication; the story of the iron – how Allah SWT mentions in the Quran that He brought down iron, and the first iron-like element on the Earth came from the meteor that hit the Earth back in the dinosaurs’ age; more on the Earth – how Allah SWT mentions the Earth splitting in the Quran, or the seas having two levels/currents (for lack of a better word) of hot and cold water. I also smirk at how people like to attack these hints because in the Quran there are so many stories of how every time the people would ask Allah SWT for a sign, and when a sign would come to them, they would keep denying it, they would say either that it is magic or that it is an illusion or that it is not really a sign. The Quran also tells us how people in the past have done the question after question after question “strategy” until they put themselves in a situation they did not like – that is the story of the cow. And I smile because I still see these patterns that the Quran warns us about. So to me, the Quran itself and all of its stories were a strong reason to convert.

Last but not least, my final reason to believe in Islam is Prophet Muhammad SAW himself. The righteous type of life he led, the type of person he was, his actions and stories and struggles and victories are not an ordinary thing, that anyone can do, his determination, his strength are not like those of normal people. His life and teachings MashAllah are so profound and such a clear statement of Islam being the right thing, that I myself could not deny it.

When you put reasoning together with all of the experiences of so many wonderful Muslim converts, it becomes really hard to deny the magic of such a beautiful religion. There hasn’t been anything in my life that I have been more convinced of than Islam. And I pray InshAllah that more and more people get to see and experience what I’ve seen and experienced.

Alhamdulillah and JazakAllah Khair for reading my story!

Alina C

source : hadithoftheday.com

“Why are you majoring in that field?” I asked a sister in college. She sighed, “To be honest, I just want to get married. I don’t really care about what I’m studying right now. I’m just waiting to get hitched so I can be a wife and a mother.”

“It’s awesome that she wants to be a wife and a mother, but why would she put her life on hold?” I wondered. Why would a skilled, passionate young woman create barriers to striving for self-improvement and her ability to be socially transformative when she doesn’t yet have the responsibilities of wifehood or motherhood? Being a wife and a mom are great blessings, but before it actually happens, why exchange tangible opportunities, just waiting for marriage to simply come along—if it came along? I didn’t have to look far to find out.

“I’m already twenty-six,” another sister lamented. “I’m expired. My parents are going crazy. They think I’m never going to get married and they pressure me about it daily. My mom’s friends keep calling her and telling her I’m not getting any younger. She keeps crying over it and says she’ll never be a grandma. It’s not like I don’t want to get married; I’ve been ready since college! I just can’t find the right guy,” she cried.

Why, as a general community, are we not putting the same pressure on women to encourage them to continue to seek Islamic knowledge? Higher education? To make objectives in their lives which will carry over and aid them in their future familial lives, if such is what is meant for them? Perhaps it’s because we’re obsessed with the idea that women need to get married and become mothers and that if they don’t, they have not reached true success.

We all know the honorable and weighty status of wifehood and motherhood in Islam. We all know that marriage completes half your deen¹ and that the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) has told us about the mother, “[…] Paradise is at her feet.”²

But getting married and becoming a mother is not the only way to get into Paradise. And not every grown woman is a wife and/or mother, nor will ever be. Some women will eventually become wives and/or mothers, if Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala(exalted is He) blesses them with such, but for others, Allah (swt) has blessed them with other opportunities.

Allah (swt) did not create women for the sake of wifehood or motherhood. This is not our first goal, nor our end goal. Our creation was to fulfill our first and most important role—to be His SLAVE. As He tells us in Surah Dhaariyat (Chapter of the Winnowing Winds), “And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me.”³

Worship comes in such a variety of forms. Being a housewife (a.k.a. domestic engineer!) can be a form of worship. Being a stay-at-home-mom can be a form of worship. Being a working wife and mother can be a form of worship. Being an unmarried female student can be a form of worship. Being a divorced female doctor, a female journalist, Islamic scholar, film director, pastry chef, teacher, veterinarian, engineer, personal trainer, lawyer, artist, nurse, Qur’an teacher, psychologist, pharmacist or salon artist can each be a form of worship. Just being an awesome daughter or house-fixer upper can be forms of worship. We can worship Allah (swt) in a variety of ways, as long as we have a sincere intention, and what we do is done within the guidelines He has set for us.

Unfortunately, however, that is not the message our community is sending to single sisters – both those who have never been married, and those who are now divorced. When I speak to many women and ask them about the ways they want to contribute to society and the ways they want to use their time and abilities, a number of them will tell me that they have no idea and that they’re only going through the motions of school or work while they’re waiting for Prince Muslim to come along and with whom they can establish parenthood.

However, Prince Muslim is not coming along quickly or easily for many awesome, eligible Muslim women. And for some, he has come along, and he or the institution of their relationship turned out to be more villainous than harmonious. Single and never married or divorced — very capable and intelligent Muslim women constantly have to deal with the pressure of being asked, “So…when are you getting married? You aren’t getting any younger. It’s harder to have kids when you’re older.”

The amount of tears, pain, stress, anger and frustration which these awesome women are constantly dealing with because of a social pressure to get married (especially when many already want to, but are just not finding the right person!) and have children is not from our religion.

Islam gave women scholarship. Our history is filled with women who have dedicated their lives to teaching Islamic sciences. Have you ever heard of Fatimah Sa`d al Khayr? She was a scholar who was born around the year 522. Her father, Sa`d al Khayr, was also a scholar. He held several classes and was “most particular about [his daughters] attending hadith classes, traveling with them extensively and repeatedly to different teachers. He also taught them himself.”⁴ Fatimah studied the works of the great al-Tabarani with the lead narrator of his works in her time.  You know who that lead narrator was? The lead narrator of Fatimah’s time was not named Abu someone (the father of someone, indicating that he was a male). The leading scholar of her time was a woman. Her name was Fatimah al-Juzadniyyah and she is the scholar who men and women alike would study under because in that era, she was the greatest and most knowledgeable in some of the classical texts.⁵ Fatimah Sa`d al Khayr eventually married and moved to Damascus and eventually to Cairo and she continued to teach. Many scholars travelled specifically to her city so they could study under her.⁶

Fatimah was brought up in a family that valued the education and knowledge of a woman to the point that her father was the one who would ensure she studied with scholars from a young age. Before marriage, she was not told to sit around and be inactive in the community out of fear that some men would find an educated woman unattractive or intimidating and would not want to marry her. She was not going through the motions of studying random things in college because she was stalling until she got married. She sought scholarship and Allah (swt) blessed her with a husband who was of her ranking, who understood her qualifications and drive, and who supported her efforts to continue teaching this religion even after marriage. She left a legacy we unfortunately have most likely never heard about because we rarely hear about the over eight thousand female scholars of hadith who are part of our history.⁷

Why do we never hear about Fatimah Sa`d al Khayr and the thousands of female scholars who were like her? I think that one of the reasons—and it’s just a personal theory—that as a community, we are so focused on grooming our women to be wives and mothers that we lose sight of the fact that this is not even our number one role.

Servitude to Allah (swt) is our number one role. We need to use what He has given us, the means that we have at the moment we have, to worship Him in the best of ways.

Islamic history is filled with examples of women who were wives and mothers, who focused completely on their tasks of being wives and/or mothers, and produced the likes of Imam Ahmed rahimahu allah (may God have mercy on him).⁸ We take those examples as a community and we reiterate the noble status of such incredible women.

But we also have examples of people who were not only wives and not only mothers, but those who were both of those, one of those, or none of those, and still were able to use the passions, talents and skills Allah (swt) blessed them with to worship Him through serving His creation, through calling His creation back to His Deen and leaving legacies for the generations to come. Some of these women were wives and mothers and dedicated their lives to focusing on their families completely and some of them continued to serve the greater society at large.

Shaykh Mohammad Akram Nadwi mentions in his introduction to his Dictionary of women hadith scholars, Al Muhadithaat, “Not one [of the 8000 female hadith scholars he researched] is reported to have considered the domain of family life inferior, or neglected duties therein, or considered being a woman undesirable or inferior to being a man, or considered that, given aptitude and opportunity, she had no duties to the wider society, outside of the domain of family life.”⁹

Female scholars in our history were focused on being family women when they had families to whom they held responsibilities, and  when able, they also had goals and objectives in life which extended beyond the roles of wifehood and motherhood. So what about someone who is not yet married? Many single women are using their time to the utmost, focusing on improving their skills and abilities to contribute back to the ummah (community) and society at large. They are loving worshipping Allah (swt) through investing in their abilities and using those for the greater good. Perhaps we can all take from their example.

God, in His Wisdom, has created each one of us differently and in different circumstances. Some recognize this, love any stage they are in, and develop their abilities to the fullest. Let us, too, use the time and abilities God has given us to maximize our worship to Him and work for the betterment of society and humanity as a whole. If wifehood or motherhood comes in the process, then at least we were using all of our ability to worship Him before it came and can continue to use the training and stamina we gained before marriage to worship Him with excellence once it comes along.

If there are parents, families and communities that are pressuring women to get married and have kids: Be grateful Allah (swt) has blessed you with daughters, married or unmarried, mothers or not, as the Prophet ﷺ has said, “Do not be averse to daughters, for they are precious treasures that comfort your heart.”¹⁰ We are putting more pressure on our sisters than they can emotionally and psychologically handle. Let us give them space, let them find themselves and establish their relationships with Allah (swt).

Allah (swt) created us to worship Him. That is our number one role. Now, let us do our part and figure out how best we can fulfill the purpose for which we’ve been created.

1. Al Bayhaqi 
2. Al-Nasaa’i 
3. Qur’an, 51:56 
4. Nadwi, Mohammad Akram, Al Muhadithaat, Interface Publications, (2007): pg. 93. Print.
5. Ibid 
6. Nadwi, Mohammad Akram, Al Muhadithaat, Interface Publications, (2007): pg. 95. Print. 
7. Nadwi, Mohammad Akram, Al Muhadithaat, Interface Publications, (2007). Print. 
8. The Code of Scholars, Muhammad Alshareef. EmanRush, 2008. CD 
9. Nadwi, Mohammad Akram, Al Muhadithaat, Interface Publications, (2007): pg. XV. Print. 
10. Al Haythami, Majma al zawaid, vii. 286, as cited in Al Muhadithaat. 

JERUSALEM — The Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem is driving its Palestinian residents into deeper economic isolation and they face far greater poverty than Jewish neighbors, said a U.N. report on the city at the heart of the Middle East conflict.
 
The U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, published on Thursday, is the first comprehensive investigation into the East Jerusalem economy carried out by the United Nations.
 
It comes as U.S. President Barack Obama tries to revive peace talks stalled since 2010, and he has pledged an investment initiative to spur flagging Palestinian growth.
 
UNCTAD said Israeli neglect was hindering development in East Jerusalem, which is isolated from neighboring Palestinian communities and not integrated into the broader Israeli economy.
 
The report said 77 percent of Jerusalem’s non-Jewish households lived below the poverty line against 25 percent of Jewish families. Moreover, 84 percent of Palestinian children there live in poverty against 45 percent of Jewish children.
 
“Needless to say, if it were so inclined, the Israeli government could go much further in meeting its obligations as an occupying power by acting with vigor to improve the economic conditions in East Jerusalem and the well-being of its Palestinian residents,” said the report.
 
Jerusalem authorities did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the report.
 
Israel captured Jerusalem in the 1967 war. For Israelis, it is their “eternal and indivisible” capital, lying at the center of Israel’s national project to build a Jewish state.
 
For Palestinians, there can be no peace deal until Israel cedes them control over at least part of the city, a symbol of their national struggle and home to Islam’s third holiest site.
 
The U.N. report said Israeli curbs on the movement of people and goods from the neighboring occupied West Bank had strangled East Jerusalem’s development.
 
Israel says the restrictions, many of which were introduced during the last Palestinian uprising, are needed for security reasons. The U.N. report said they had caused the East Jerusalem economy to shrink by half in the last two decades relative to that of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
 
While the 1993 Oslo Peace accords gave Palestinians limited self-rule in the adjoining West Bank, Palestinians in Jerusalem are considered “permanent residents” of Israel.
 
But while they make up roughly one third of the city’s total population, just seven percent of municipal spending is reserved for mainly Arab East Jerusalem, the U.N. said.
 
“It’s clear that 300,000 Palestinians in the city pay taxes but receive different services,” main researcher Raja Khalidi said. “[Jerusalem] is perhaps legally united and politically united, but certainly not socio-economically united.”
 
The report recommends that while a resolution to the conflict remains elusive, Palestinian investors and business leaders must take the lead in forming a development strategy.
 
“I don’t think focusing on the economy alone can work, but if there can be some relaxation of the political situation, then the economy might improve,” Adnan Husseini, the Palestinians’ governor of Jerusalem, told Reuters.

source : Reuters

In exclusive interview, Karel Schwarzenberg says bid to call Hezbollah a terror group is pointless propaganda, won’t back Israeli airstrikes on Syria or Iran, and calls for settlement goods to be labeled; Jerusalem says Czechs are good enough friends that they can be candid

By Raphel Ahren  7 May 2013

Israeli plans to build in the controversial E1 corridor beyond the Green Line are “obnoxious” and an unnecessary provocation, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said during a visit to Jerusalem, criticizing the government’s declared settlement policy in unusually harsh terms.

Israel considers Prague one of its closest allies in Europe, yet in a candid interview with The Times of Israel on Monday, Schwarzenberg espoused a series of foreign policy positions likely to deeply displease Jerusalem. He said, for instance, that he could never express support for Israeli airstrikes on weapon convoys in Syria, and “never, never, never” sanction a potential Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities — though he said he could evince “understanding” for such resorts to force.

Schwarzenberg, who is also the Czech Republic’s first deputy prime minister, called efforts promoted by Israel to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization nonsensical, useless and part of a “propaganda war.” And he backed demands within the European Union to label Israeli products made in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as having originated in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Czechs were good enough friends that Israel would see the criticism as constructive.

“To be honest, with the settlements in the last time even we have problems,” Schwarzenberg told The Times of Israel in the interview, held at the King David Hotel just before he headed back to Prague after a short visit. “Especially when the government declared they would start to build in one certain area” — E1 — “which is the only connection between Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories.”

Last December, as a declared punitive measure for the Palestinians’ successful bid to upgrade their status at the UN to nonmember observer state, Israel announced plans to develop the sensitive E1 area east of Jerusalem. E1 is located between the Maaleh Adumim settlement and the capital, and many in the international community believe Israeli building there would drive a problematic wedge between the northern and southern flanks of the West Bank and thus render a contiguous Palestinian sovereign entity in the West Bank nearly impossible. Numerous countries, notably including the US, sharply criticized the construction plans. The Israeli ambassadors in Britain, Brazil, France, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Egypt and the EU were summoned for sharp dressing-downs.

For Schwarzenberg, the near-universal condemnation was a matter “of course,” since “the international community requests a two-state solution, and the Palestinian side will never agree without having their part of Jerusalem.”

“Building on E1 would be obnoxious for Israel itself,” Schwarzenberg added. “One shouldn’t do things unnecessary just to provoke everybody around, which sometimes is a strong temptation. I succumb to that temptation sometimes too myself, I admit it. But I hope the fathers of the State of Israel would be wise enough not to do it.”

Prague adheres to the EU-wide policy that recognizes Israel in its pre-1967 lines but considers territories beyond the Green Line to be “occupied,” Schwarzenberg reiterated.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had de-facto frozen new construction in the West Bank amid a renewed US-led push to resume peace talks.

In recent months, Jerusalem has increasingly regarded the Czech Republic as Europe’s Canada, the one country that stood with the Israeli government through thick and thin, supporting even policies and positions unpopular with the rest of the world.

Prague was the only European nation that voted against the Palestinians’ UN upgrade last year, with Italy and France voting in favor and Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands abstaining.

After the November 29 vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promptly called his Czech counterpart, Petr Nečas, and thanked him for Prague’s “courageous” stance. “History has shown us time and again that what is right is not what is popular, and if there is a people in the world who can appreciate that, it’s the people of your country,” Netanyahu told Nečas a few days later in Prague.

“The Czech Republic stands out as one of Israel’s best European friends,” confirmed Efraim Inbar, the director of Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, in a paper entitled “Israel Is Not Isolated” published in March.

In the interview, Schwarzenberg, who has been foreign minister since 2010 (after a first term from 2007 until 2009), confirmed his government’s staunch friendship with Israel. Yet he made clear that Prague was by no means willing to agree with Israel on everything.

For instance, Schwarzenberg refused to publicly back Jerusalem overtwo airstrikes the Israeli Air Force reportedly carried out in Syria over the weekend to prevent Iranian-produced Fateh-110 missiles from falling into the hands of Hezbollah.

“You can never, as a responsible minister of foreign affairs, support what’s done against international law. And to attack [targets on foreign territory], you can never support it, as I have never supported, let’s say, American airstrikes in Pakistan,” Schwarzenberg said. “But I perfectly understand those who do it.”

The Czech minister took a similar approach regarding a potential Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities: Prague might appreciate why Jerusalem would do it, but it cannot officially sanction it. “Because to make an aggression, attack a country — you should never, never, never support it. But you can understand it,” he said in English.

He himself has occasionally done “things which I knew are not according to the law,” Schwarzenberg admitted, adding that after checking his conscience he nonetheless considered them to have been the right course of action. “But that’s not to establish as a principle that I would say such deeds are okay.”

Every government has to take responsibility for its actions; no other nation, especially one that isn’t directly involved, is entitled to approve actions that contradict international law, he said.

Asked why he could not simply say that Israel has the right to defend itself, by itself, against any essential threat, the minister said he could do precisely that. “Everybody has the right to defend itself. So far that’s easy and I can repeat it, too,” he responded. “That’s not the problem. The problem is when is [Iran] an essential threat?”

It is a mistake to call the current government in Tehran genocidal, the 75-year-old Prague native added. “For the moment, they didn’t commit any genocide. Let’s be careful with this expression. I know what the Shoah was. I’m an old man, I know what it was,” he said. “For the moment, the Iranian regime has done lots of mischief in the world, [including] executing people, but it didn’t commit any genocide.”

But does Israel have the right to ensure Tehran won’t even get the chance to think about wiping Israel off the map? “That’s where the problems start,” Schwarzenberg replied, adding that any decision about a military intervention is up to the conscience of the Israeli government.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor declined to respond to Schwarzenberg point by point, but said the criticisms were well intentioned, indicating they would not damage ties.

“We love our Czech friends very dearly. And we have always appreciated their great qualities, such as courage, honesty and good sense of humor,” Palmor said. “We believe that the Czechs are such true good friends that they have earned the right to speak their mind even if we happen to disagree with them. A friend in need is not just a friend indeed, but is a friend whose words are always appreciated, be they in praise or in criticism.”

Labeling Hezbollah a terrorist group? ‘That belongs to the propaganda war’

Schwarzenberg dismissed efforts to pressure the EU into designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization as unpractical and meaningless.

“This is a real problem because Hezbollah on one side is a military organization, which does quite a lot of mischief, be it… on the Israeli frontier, be it now in Syria,” he said. “On the other hand, it is in a theoretically sovereign state recognized as political party.”

The fact that Hezbollah officials are members of the Lebanese government further complicates matters, he explained. “What should my ambassador do when he is in Beirut and he comes to a reception? Say ‘No minister, you’re a terrorist, I don’t speak to you’? This labeling makes not a lot of sense. It belongs to the propaganda war.”

As long as Hezbollah is recognized in Lebanon as a legitimate party, it is difficult for other countries to label it as a terrorist organization, Schwarzenberg opined. “The facts are one thing, but their legal status is another thing.”

Israel, the US, the UK, the Netherlands and Bahrain, among others, have added the Shiite group to their lists of terrorist organizations, but the EU has so far refused to do so.

Since a Bulgarian police investigation earlier this year blamed Hezbollah for a July 18, 2012, terrorist attack in Burgas that killed five Israelis and a Bulgarian, calls have grown louder for the EU to rethink its stance, yet doing so requires unanimity among the 27 member states. Officially labeling Hezbollah a terrorist entity would significantly hamper the organization’s ability to operate.

“One can have different views on what is the best solution,” Schwarzenberg said about individual EU states having blacklisted Hezbollah. “I have my doubts about it, if the step is useful.”

However, the EU would surely recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization if the Shiite group continued to carry out attacks on European soil, he said.

Labeling settlement products? ‘A legitimate request’

The EU may also be moving toward enacting guidelines that would require retailers to label Israeli goods produced beyond the pre-1967 lines as not originating in Israel. Several EU states, including the UK and the Netherlands, have declared their support for such measures; the South African government introduced similar steps recently.

While Schwarzenberg said the issue is not currently discussed in his country, he is principally in favor: “I think it is a legitimate request.”

Israel vehemently opposes any efforts to impose labeling requirements for settlement goods, arguing that such policies are discriminatory in that they single out Israel while ignoring territorial disputes elsewhere.

“In other parts of the world they don’t have occupied territories,” Schwarzenberg replied.

After a long battle, Pretoria gave in to demands of the local Jewish community and agreed that these labels would designate products as coming from “Israeli settlements” in either East Jerusalem or the West Bank, as opposed to mentioning the words “Palestinian” or “occupation.”

Schwarzenberg, on the other hand, suggested that such labels indicate products come from the “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” because “that’s the internationally recognized [term].” He urged, “Call it what it is. Always tell the truth, it’s the best policy.”

source : timesofisrael.com

Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, delivers a copy of the Holy Qur’an to Arnoud Van Doorn during a reception in Makkah on Sunday as Shahzad Muhammad (right), head of the Canadian Dawa Association (CDA), looks on. 

MADINAH – Former Dutch Islamophobe Arnoud Van Doorn unveiled plans to produce an international film on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islam. 

In an exclusive interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Doorn, who reverted to Islam last month, said that he will devote his life fully to spread the true message of Islam and the Prophet of Mercy through promoting the film across the world. 

“I will spare no efforts to protect the rights of Muslims in all European countries as well as to serve Islam and its followers throughout the world. I will try my best to repair the damage that I caused to Islam and its Prophet (peace be upon him) through the film ‘Fitna’,” he said.  

Doorn, a former leading member of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party, visited Saturday the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to pray and say sorry for becoming part of the blasphemous film. Doorn was among the Freedom Party leaders who produced the film, Fitna. 

After visiting the Prophet’s Mosque, he arrived in Makkah Sunday and performed Umrah. Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, and other presidency officials received him. 

In the interview, Doorn said that he regrets being a part of such an offensive film. “However, now it is a closed chapter and absolutely I don’t want to recall about it. The film that sparked widespread reactions was a totally wrong step on our part as it contains a lot of misleading and incorrect information that are nothing to with this noble divine religion and its Prophet (pbuh),” he said, adding that he wants to do some remedial work so as to minimize the damage caused by ‘Fitna.’

Doorn said he decided, in cooperation with the Toronto-based CDA, to produce an international film aimed at removing misgivings about Islam and its Prophet (pbuh). 

“I will use all my experience in producing an alternative film, which will speak about the true image of Islam and all aspects of the personality of the Prophet (pbuh) as well as his great qualities.”

Doorn repented for his involvement in the blasphemous film. “It was unfortunate that I did not make any efforts to know what really Islam is and who is the Prophet (pbuh) before blindly believing in the misinformation campaign being unleashed by the anti-Islamic forces. When I came to realize that it was not Islam, I decided to study about the religion and that led to my conversion,” he said. “Now, I am really enjoying the beauty of Islam and am extremely delighted in Allah’s great blessing to guide me onto His path. It is an explicable experience for me,” he said adding that his former colleagues in the Freedom Party are angry at his acceptance of Islam, which is still a bête noire for them. “The party stands against Islam and its spreading in Europe. Some of them now consider me as a traitor.”

Doorn has a message to those who oppose his reversion to Islam. “Let me tell them that this is my personal decision and I see a new life in Islam that I don’t want any way to give it up. I happened to see on social networking sites several comments, expressing feelings of antagonism and hatred toward me,” he said adding that all these sprang out of ignorance, contempt and animosity against Islam and the Muslims. 

He also thanked all those who supported him and commended him for beginning a new life as a Muslim. 

Referring to his visit to the holy land, Doorn said: “Had anybody mentioned me about visiting the land of the two holy mosques earlier, I would have called him a lunatic. 

“But what happened now is realization of a dream and it is still unbelievable for me that I am now in the holy city that hosted the Prophet (pbuh).” He continued saying: “I couldn’t control my feelings when I stood in front of the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) as well as in Rawdah Sharif, near the pulpit used by the Prophet (pbuh). When I prayed at Rawdah Sharaif, my eyes were full of tears as I had the feeling that I am in a part of the Paradise.”

Doorn said that he was amazed to see the intensity of love and affection the Muslims have for their Prophet (pbuh). “I also realized the intensity of hatred that some Westerners have against Islam and the Prophet (pbuh) and that was based apparently on their ignorance and prejudice. 

“Therefore, I decided to make endeavors to repair the damage caused by the offensive film, which was produced with an ulterior motive of creating sedition in between Muslims and non-Muslims,” he said, adding that he took a pledge in front of the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) that he would strive to spread his true message and his great qualities that are instrumental in promoting peace and harmonious relations among the people worldwide. 

While thanking CDA for introducing Islam to him, Doorn unveiled his plans to associate with its Dawa wing, which is comprised of several well-known Islamic preachers and scholars.

source : saudigazette.com.sa