Imam Syed Naqvi, Islamic Information Center Chairman of the Board of Directors, will be delivering Friday Prayers, or Jumah Salaat, as the Guest Lecturer, or Khateeb on May 16, 2008.

The service takes place every Friday and Imam Naqvi's lectures will be continued on a scheduled basis at the Capitol. Stay tuned for more details!

 

May 3rd, 2008

A Pushtun Afghanistan King, Abdul Rehman of the 1890's, coerced a few Sunni clerics to issue an edict declaring a group of Shias, the Hazara Shias, infidels making their killing acceptable and their women lawful slaves based solely on the fact that they believe in Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) as a righteous leader. Viewed as having "flatter noses and slanting eyes", they've been treated as the lowliest of beings in every facet of Afghan society, from lifestyle, to education and job opportunities. During the regime of the Taliban, between 5,000 and 7,000 Hazara Shias were butchered because they believed in the leadership of Imam Ali, the son in law of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Them) while hundreds of women were held captive, their breasts amputated as a sign that they were Shias. Comfort Aid International (CAI), a charity headed in the USA, tries to assist about 3,000 Syed widows (Syed means "descendent of Prophet Muhammad) who have several children to feed yet no income whatsoever. Yusuf Yusufali had the chance to witness the desperate lifestyle of about 104 orphans in Afghanistan, some of whom were ill, none of them had milk since breastfeeding days, they ate almost no protein, and slept on mats with no heat in freezing temperatures. Over a million Hazara refuges in and around Kabul have no running water, which results in many children, especially young girls trekking down steep mountainsides to Kabul and struggling with a pail of water up again almost five times a day in all kinds of weather. CAI is helping to construct new and improved orphanages and schools, along with setting up piped/running water to improve the living of this beautiful, but desperate group of Shias in Afghanistan.

May 3rd, 2008

Domestic Abuse is not just a Muslim problem, it's a problem faced by people of all social classes, cultures, racial and religious groups. The main tactics of abuse used by perpetrators are intimidation, humiliation, or physical injury, usually the result of one spouse exerting control over the other to seek compliance or fear. Although most of the victims are women, many men are also abused in the same way by a spouse, but are generally overlooked by society due to shame imposed by social standards. Surveys show that the Muslim community faces approximately the same severity of domestic violence in the U.S. as the general population. It has clear detrimental consequences, both mentally and emotionally. Other forms of abuse are psychological, verbal, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse. Much of the time it goes unreported because of fear of reprisal from the offender. The actual numbers of abuse are beyond our knowledge. Abusive behavior if often a result of aggression the person faced in childhood. Couples' children are often caught in between the abuse and are conditioned into thinking that abuse is, if not positive, at least the normal way of dealing with matters. They are often molded to devalue other authority figures, inciting childhood aggression, bullying, poor health, low self-esteem, and social disorders in school. Experts believe that providing for a comfortable environment for counseling specific to the culture and language of the abused family members will lessen the amount of unreported cases concerning domestic violence.

April 25th, 2008

Beating the odds comes naturally to the disabled athletes of Iraq, about 250 men, women, and children who ran and jumped in the national championships for disabled competitors. Many of the athletes were injured by gunfire and bombings, and were victims of the violence that had maimed an untold number of Iraqis in the past five years. Grit and determination has pushed all of them on as they face challenges that are not only physical, but also involving survival in a war-torn nation that makes many other activities, besides training, difficult. They have no training center, they need cars for transportation, and need better equipment, but they all persevere. Fakhir Ali Al-Jamaly, secretary for the Iraqi National Paralympic Committee said, "We are the school of life against terrorism. Our determination and participation prove to the world that we love peace." Grit and determination has pushed all of the athletes on as they face challenges that are not only physical, but also involve surviving in a war-torn nation that makes many other activities, besides training, difficult.

April 29th, 2008

The creation of the "Decent Living" fund was announced by the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during the opening of the Fourth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) at Bayan Palace to alleviate the problem of surging food prices that had caused negative repercussions for some of the countries concerned.  Kuwait is launching the fund aimed at making available foodstuff to affected people by contributing 100 million U.S. dollars in an effort to persuade other countries and organizations to make contributions as well to achieve its objectives. Al-Sabah said that the money could also be used for agriculture purposes in an attempt to produce more food for the people.

May 2nd, 2008

A study at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government has found that as part of a long-term effect of Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, Muslim communities have become more open in many ways after the experience, with increasing belief in equality and harmony among ethnic groups and Islamic sects. The study also found that hajj leads to more favorable attitudes toward women, including greater acceptance of female education and employment. Hajj also promotes peaceful coexistence. The Harvard study also added that, "Hajjis show increased belief in peace, and in equality and harmony among adherents of different religions." The pilgrimage is required of every able-bodied Muslim once in their life that has the means to do so.

April 30th, 2008

Afghanistan's intelligence chief had said that President Hamid Karzai was warned of a weekend assassination plot against him, while admitting failings by security services. Karzai and other dignitaries escaped unharmed from Sunday's (April 27th) assault during a ceremony in Kabul marking Afghanistan's victory over the Soviet occupation of the country in the 1980s, but three other people, including a lawmaker, died. Amrullah Saleh said the plot to kill Karzai was discovered last month and the gunmen had rented the hotel room they opened fire from 45 days before the attack. He also added that despite powerful measures by security services to protect the event, "the result is that we failed." 100 people were held for questioning after the attack on the capital. The plot further made clear the fragile grip of Karzai's government in front of Taliban insurgents. U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, stated a day after the attack that the event showed how Karzai's administration is under a strong threat and that Afghanistan has "determined enemies who will do anything to disrupt the democratic progress that the Afghan people have made." The attack also brought forth questions about the ability of Karzai's government to follow up on its need for Afghan police and the army to take greater control of the security.