Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts

Syria: Asad Regime VS History

ISWM — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:49:10 +0000

A destroyed historic house is seen in Bab Dreb neighborhood, in the old city of Homs

Morning prayer

ISWM — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:37:14 +0000

The God’s Houses Cry in Syria (Video)

ISWM — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:11:10 +0000

Dictator’s Forces ( bashar asad of Syria) bombing the house of God and in the UN presence

ShowOff – Pray and do good deed only for Allaah

ISWM — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:32:41 +0000

France: Elections, Islam and Scapegoating

ISWM — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:26:14 +0000

Sarkozy wants: “Islam of France, not an Islam in France”

Hollande said he supported France’s ban on face-covering veils and would not allow separate hours in swimming pools for men and women.

Sarkozy: France election too close to call

The two candidates traded accusations in a hot-tempered debate

French President Nicolas Sarkozy believes Sunday’s presidential election run-off against Francois Hollande will be decided by the tightest margin.

The two rivals took part in a heated debate on Wednesday night, watched by an estimated 17.9 million people.

Mr Sarkozy said on Thursday that no election had ever been so “undecided”.

Mr Hollande, who leads in the polls, told French radio that the final days of the campaign and the voter turnout could both affect the result.

The two men are both attending final mass rallies on friendly territory: Mr Hollande in the south-western city of Toulouse and Mr Sarkozy in the southern port of Toulon.

Each man has stepped up his appeals to voters who backed National Front leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Francois Bayrou in the first round.

Ms Le Pen, who attracted 6.4 million voters, said on Thursday that the election was over as Mr Sarkozy was “beaten a long time ago”.

Mr Bayrou, who attracted almost 9% of the first-round vote, is set to announce shortly whom, if anyone, he favours in the second round.

‘It’s a lie’
During Wednesday’s debate, the two candidates traded accusations, with the president calling Mr Hollande a “little slanderer”, while his rival said Mr Sarkozy had shirked responsibility.

“This was a long, scrappy political fight which left the impression that neither candidate liked each other”

The programme, broadcast on TF1 and France 2, was also carried on four other smaller channels, and lasted two hours and 50 minutes, a record for a French election debate.

But the audience was slightly smaller than the 20 million people who watched the event five years before.

Mr Sarkozy defended his record and said he had kept France out of recession while Mr Hollande said France was going through a “serious crisis” and was struggling with slow growth.

The BBC’s Gavin Hewitt says it was a long, bad-tempered debate that left the impression that neither candidate liked each other. But French media suggested that neither candidate had landed a knock-out blow.

Mr Hollande accused President Sarkozy of “ruining the French economy”, prompting his rival to say he had been unfairly blamed.

“It’s never your fault,” Mr Hollande responded, to which Mr Sarkozy said: “It’s a lie, it’s a lie!”

‘Most vulnerable’

Both candidates accused each other of lying – Courtesy TF1
Much of the debate focused on the economy with Mr Sarkozy pointing to France’s avoidance of recession since 2009, in contrast with many other Western economies. He rounded on Mr Hollande’s proposal to create 60,000 education posts, insisting that France had to cut spending and debts.

Attacking Mr Hollande’s promise to be a “normal” president, he said “your normality is not up to the challenge”.

The rivals attacked each other’s policies on immigration. Mr Hollande said he supported France’s ban on face-covering veils and would not allow separate hours in swimming pools for men and women. the entire article at source

Joseph Goebbels did scapegoating before…

The Prophet Muhammad’s Forgiveness (1)

ISWM — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:20:46 +0000

Throughout the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad he demonstrated great examples of mercy, examples that we can learn from, and examples that would definitely make this world a better place if acted upon.

One such act of the Prophet’s mercy was when he emerged victorious after the conquest of Makkah. The Prophet set out to the city of Makkah with a force of 10,000 men, and took the city with relative ease. At the time of victory, the city was in the hands of the pagans, the very same pagans who had just broke the treaty they had, which led to the Muslim conquest. On top of this, these were the same pagans who had forced the Muslims out of the city of Makkah, for years they had mistreated and oppressed the Muslims, which eventually led to their exodus from the city.

So with all of this, the pagans were very nervous of what would happen to them at the hands of the Muslims, they were expecting the Prophet to take full revenge against them, but instead, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did the following:

’0 people of Quraysh! What do you think I will do with you?’ One of them, Suhayl ibn Amr, who had fought against the Prophet, replied on behalf of the Makkans: ‘We think (you will treat us) well, noble brother, son of a noble brother.’ A radiant smile flashed across the face of the beloved Prophet of God and, in a spirit of magnanimity and tolerance, he said: “I shall speak to you as Yusuf [Joseph] spoke unto his brothers: ‘There is no reproach against you today; God will forgive. He is the most Merciful and the most Compassionate.’ ” (Quran,12:92) And he added: ‘No more responsibility burdens you today. ‘Idhhabuu… wa antum at-tulaqaa – Go, for you are free.’ (Ibn Ishaque)

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) practiced the greatest act of mercy during this incident, he allowed the pagans to go free telling them not to worry, and that he forgives them for what they have done! The Prophet was in full control of the city, if he wanted to, he could have killed all the pagans, these were the people he was in war against, yet as we see, he forgives them and pardons all of them. What better act of mercy can you get? Indeed this is an example for all of us to

Another great example of the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) mercy was his encounter with Wahshi ibn Harb, his uncle’s killer:

“After the Battle of Uhud, I continued to live in Makkah for quite a long time until the Muslims conquered Makkah. I then ran away to Ta’if, but soon Islam reached that area as well. I heard that however grave the crime of a person might be, [Muhammad] forgave him. I, therefore, reached [Muhammad] with Shahadatayn on my lips. Muhammad saw me and said “Are you the same Wahshy, the Ethiopian?” I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon he said: “How did you kill Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib?” I gave an account of the matter. Muhammad was moved and said: “I should not see your face until you are resurrected, because the heart-rending calamity fell upon my uncle at your hands”. (Ibn Ishaque)

So the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) sat down with his uncle’s killer and even asked him how he killed his uncle, and after this the Prophet didn’t do anything, he just told Wahshi to leave his presence and that he never wants to see him again because of the pain.

In conclusion, these two acts demonstrate the great mercy of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and indeed, he was a Prophet of mercy!

Teeth Cleaning May Protect Your Heart

ISWM — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:16:30 +0000

.A study, of nearly 22,000 Taiwanese adults age 50 and up, found that those who’d had a professional tooth “scaling” in the past year were less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke over the next seven years.

Tooth scaling, sometimes called a deep cleaning, involves removing the “plaques” that can build up on the teeth and deep in tooth pockets within the gum line. Those plaques harbor bacteria that can lead to gum disease.

The new findings, reported in the American Journal of Medicine, do not prove that a good dental cleaning will cut your risk of heart problems.

But the study is in line with past research that has linked gum disease to an increased risk of heart disease, said lead researcher Dr. Zu-Yin Chen, a cardiology fellow at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.

Since gum disease is caused by bacterial infection, researchers suspect that it may contribute to heart attacks or stroke by causing a chronic state of inflammation in blood vessels.

And studies have shown that treating gum disease can cut the levels of inflammatory substances in the blood, Chen told Reuters Health in an email.

Still, no one knows for sure whether a regular visit to your dentist can prevent a future heart attack. TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE GO TO : SOURCE

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ISWM — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:36:42 +0000

Anti-Islam MP Brings Dutch Govt Down

ISWM — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:19:50 +0000

THE HAGUE – The Dutch government collapsed Monday, April 23, following the withdrawal of far-right, anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders over a dispute on budget cuts.

“The Prime Minister (Mark Rutte) will meet her Majesty the Queen during their weekly discussions to inform her over the current political situation,” the government’s information service (RVD) said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Rutte tendered his government’s resignation to Queen Beatrix after a split with Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV), which supports the minority government.

He said the Queen was considering the resignation offer and had asked the cabinet to keep working for the country’s good.

The collapse came after the anti-EU PVV refused to agree with Rutte’s center-right coalition on how to cut 14 to 16 billion euros from the budget and get the Dutch deficit down to the EU target next year.

“I assume it is inevitable,” deputy foreign minister Ben Knapen told Dutch news program RTL Z.

“It is important that everyone who bears responsibility stays calms and makes sure we get an orderly budget. We do have big problems,” Knapen said before he entered a cabinet meeting.

The Netherlands has been close to Germany in calling for tough austerity measures across the euro zone, and in supporting the EU’s fiscal pact which must win parliamentary ratification by the end of the year in the countries whose governments signed up to the treaty.

In line with other euro zone countries, the Netherlands must tell the European Commission by April 30 how it will cut its budget deficit.

With election unlikely until summer, Rutte may try to cobble together an agreement with opposition parties so he can stay on at the head of a caretaker administration and meet the deadline at the end of this month.

But even this was unlikely.

“It will be very difficult,” Hans Stegeman, economist at Rabobank, told Reuters.

“Many opposition parties don’t think it’s that important, including Labor, which says reforms are most important.”

Uncertainty

The government collapse has caused a political turmoil in what is traditionally one of the euro zone’s most stable and prosperous members.

“The bomb Wilders let off underneath Rutte’s cabinet on Saturday has plunged the Netherlands into uncertainty,” left-leaning daily De Volkskrant wrote on Monday.

It said “none of the main players knew Sunday how to proceed.”

Rene Tissen, a business economics professor at Nijenrode University near Utrecht, agrees.

On Saturday, “the deal with (the PVV) expired,” he told AFP.

“The Rutte government is now truly a minority government.

“The prime minister now would have to go hat-in-hand to the opposition if he wants anything done.”

Wilders’ party, the third-largest in parliament, was the minority coalition government’s key ally, providing crucial support when the government needs a majority to pass legislation.

Since storming onto the political scene in 2004, Wilders has made a significant mark.

He has influenced Dutch immigration policy and set the tone of public debate, whether on Muslims and burqas or bailouts and the euro, in what once would have been regarded as politically incorrect language.

Wilders is notorious for his rants against Islam and Muslims.

He has also called for banning the Noble Qur’an, describing the Muslim holy book as “fascist”.

In 2008, Wilders released a 15-minute documentary accusing the Qur’an of inciting violence.

His party’s anti-Islam campaigns, however, have helped it make its biggest gains since Wilders has founded it in 2006.

“It was Wilders’ last chance to make a big impact,” Alfred Pijpers, former Dutch political expert with the prestigious Clingendael Institute, said, adding that PVV was the big loser.

“Even if there are new elections, there is no other party likely to go into a coalition or even an informal parliamentary partnership” with the PVV.

The collapse of the political arrangement between the parties was also threatening Rutte’s reputation, Pijpers added.

Rutte’s “reputation as a politician has taken a serious knock,” he said.

Tissen, the business economics professor, agreed.

“The situation now calls for leadership,” Tissen added.

“It is now the time for Rutte to become a statesman, not just a normal opportunistic politician.” THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT SOURCE

Islamist Democracy Is For Real

ISWM — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:17:32 +0000

By Marc Tracy http://www.tabletmag.com

Two thinkers expert in Islam, neither anybody’s idea of a dove, have published articles recently suggesting that political Islam and democracy—democracy loosely defined—are compatible, and that from a Western perspective the movements in much of the post-Arab Spring world that combine the two (and are frequently illiberal) are preferable to the rule-by-strongman of the past. In Egypt, for example, the Muslim Brotherhood—the largest party in the parliament and quite possibly the party whose nominee will be president, unless the military steps in—will likely not do things that are in the best interests of the United States or Israel, to say nothing of Egyptian Christians and Egyptian women. Yet, both argue, this new reality is better than the old one—and it’s not like we really have a choice.

“Democracy will not set down roots in Arab countries in transition without including mainstream Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Ennahda in Tunisia, or Islah in Yemen,” argues Olivier Roy. He adds:

In Egypt, for example, the Muslim Brotherhood cannot cede its conviction that Islam is all-encompassing. Yet it risks losing popular support unless it can also reconcile Islam with good governance and human rights. … Israel is still unpopular and anti-Western xenophobia has visibly grown, but Islamist movements will need more than these old issues to sustain their rise to power.

And Reuel Marc Gerecht perceives democracy’s moderating effect:

Muslims cannot be dragged dictatorially to an embrace of secularism and all the liberal values that spring from it. They have to arrive voluntarily, organically, at this understanding.

Slavery is de facto no longer permitted in Islam—even though it’s authorized by the Quran—because Muslims successfully grafted European ethics onto Islamic mores. (British warships also helped stop the trade.) Individualism, the most insidious of Western exports, has now penetrated deeply into Muslim societies. The Muslim Brotherhood, for example, recognizes a woman’s equality inside the voting booth.

He concludes: “Dictatorship nostalgia, on the other hand, will take us right back to the cul-de-sac where Osama bin Laden was born.” THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT SOURCE