The

Friday Bulletin
The Weekly Muslim News Update

Issue No. 324

Rajab 24 1430 1430/July 17 2009

Gov't
orders
schools
to
respect
Hijab
It is a Constitutional right, Education PS Prof. Karega Mutahi says

The Education ministry has released yet another directive asserting that it is a
right for schools to respect the religious ideals of Muslim students.
In the new circular, a copy of which was made available to The Friday Bulletin, Education permanent secretary Prof. Karega Mutahi acknowledged that Muslim girls in
some schools were being prevented from wearing the Islamic dress-the Hijab-and
said this practice has to end. It has come to my attention that some heads of schools
have refused to permit Muslim girls dressed in the hijab an Islamic headgear, to attend
schools, he said.

I LOVE THE HIJAB

School girls from St Julliet School in Nairobi dressed in Hijab. The Education
ministry has directed schools to allow Muslim children to wear the Islamic dress

Census will not affect Tarawih prayers

Muslims have been reassured that the upcoming national census and population will not hinder them from performing the night special prayers during the
holy month of Ramadhan.
The census will be held on the night of 24 and 25 August but the government regulation requiring all Kenyans to stay indoors during the population head count had raised
concerns from many Muslims who feared that they may be forced to miss out from the
popular Tarawih prayers. Ramadhan is expected to commence on 21 or 22 August,
dates which will coincide with the national head count.
Speaking to The Friday Bulletin, the Director of Population and Social Statistics Dr.
Collins Opiyo said the government was well aware of the concerns of Muslims and
will see to it that the census will not affect their religious activities during the holy
month. While we encourage people to stay indoors at night, those who will not be at
home will be counted during the day, he said.
The national head count, Opiyo clarified that it will not only be carried out during the
Story Continues To Page 2

I wish to remind you that no child should be denied the right to education on the basis of religion,
a right enshrined in the constitution, Prof. Mutahi
said in the directive released on July 14 and addressed to all Provincial Directors of Education,
District Education Officers and Municipal Education Officers. The circular is also copied to all
school heads in the country
The Permanent Secretary further ordered Principals who have expelled students on the basis of
the Hijab to admit them immediately.
The directive from Prof. Karega Mutahi followed
a meeting with Nominated MP Sheikh Muhammad Dor who had sought the PS intervention on
the matter which has become rampant in many
schools around the country.
Sheikh Dor welcomed the directive saying that
Muslim parents should ensure that it was being
implemented and should not allow the rights of
their children to be violated. Muslims should be
aware that the government policy support the
wearing of hijab in schools and should not allow
their children to be refused from implementing
their constitutional right, he told The Friday Bulletin.
The Sheikh was quoted in The Friday Bulletin last
week calling on the government to take practical
steps to stop Muslim students from being refused
to adhere to the dressing code of their religion.
The Sheikh warned that the directive-which is being implemented in many public schools including top performing institutions like Kenyan High
School, Pangani Girls School and Aliance Girls
School-was increasingly being seen as a deliberate campaign against Muslims.
In March this year, the Mutahi issued an order
instructing school heads to respect the religious
ideals of Muslim students and allowed them to
practice their faith. We wish to draw the attention of principles and school management that it is
mandatory to observe the constitutional rights of
Story Continues To Page 2

This Week

National News
Da'wah

P2

The Journey of Israa and Mi'raaj

P3

Women Issues
Empowerment of women, but at what price?

Youth and Children

So what is life at Uni?

P4
P5

Feature
Headscarf killing and Islamaphobia

www.islamkenya.com

This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

P6

The Friday Bulletin

Rajab 17 1430/July 24 2009

NATIONAL NEWS

Bishop Wanjiru in campaign against

the Kadhis courts

Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru is again leading an antiMuslim crusade, this time leading a campaign calling for the
scrapping of the Kadhis courts.
The Bishop is calling for the removal of the Kadhis courts from
the constitution claiming that they will lead to sectarian conflict
among Kenyans.
Addressing a press conference in Nairobi on Monday, Margaret
Wanjiru who is the chairperson of the newly formed Kenya Christian Constitution Forum (KCCF) said Justice and Constitutional
Affairs Minister Mutula Kilonzo and the Committee of Experts
were wrong to exclude the Muslim courts from among the contentious issues in the new constitutional framework.
She said evangelical churches will not accept the Kadhis courts
in the new constitution and its members will vote against the
document in the event that they are included.
The committee led by Nzamba Kitonga identified the Executive
and Legislature, Devolution and the Transitional clause as the
only contentious issues.
Mutula Kilonzo last month said the Kadhi courts, which are of
major interest to the more than ten million Muslims in Kenya,
were not part of the contentious issues raised by the committee
of experts that is leading the search for a new constitution.
Kadhis courts have formed the hallmark of the justice system
of Kenyan right from the colonial times and they have been entrenched in the constitution since independence
This is not the first time that the head of the Jesus is Alive Ministries is coming up to oppose Muslim interests. During the Bomas
constitutional conference, the Bishop, then under the auspices
of the radical Kenya Church campaigned-without success- to
prevent the entrenchment of the Kadhis courts in the constitution.
Recently, Bishop Wanjiru who is the also the Housing Assistant
Minister was in the forefront to campaign against the plan by
Jamia mosque to acquire a piece of land in the at Globe round
about where a mosque among other developments were being
planned. Taking a xenophobic approach, she referred to the new
owners of the land as foreigners and stressed that they would
not be allowed to take possession of the plot.
Story From Page 1

Nairobi preacher disppears

without trace
As one woman continue to agonize over
the mystery of her missing husband, the
Police have once again come under the
spotlight over the increasing cases of
people who have gone missing without
a trace.
Farida Wanjiku, a Ruai resident has been
living in dilemma following the disappearance of her husband Daudi G. Waweru,
an Islamic comparative religion preacher
who has been missing for more than one
month under mysterious circumstances.
The jobless mother of eight children who
include five-months-old twins has had
her life torn between searching for her
Daudi Waweru
husband and taking care of the children.
Daudis whereabouts have remained a mystery since his disappearance on June 1 after he left home to take his twin daughters to hospital.
A comparative religion preacher in Nairobi, Daudi went missing together with two close friend Abdinoor Yusuf- a Kenyan of Somali origin and
Saidi Mwangi.
Narrating her ordeal to The Friday Bulletin, Farida Wanjiku said on the
fateful day, Waweru requested his friend Mwangi to assist him with his
car to take the baby twins to hospital but he never returned home.
When she reported the matter the following day at Kayole Police Station, she was informed that, the car which her husband was using had
been found near the Globe Cinema roundabout and it was taken to the
Central Police Station.
She went to the police station and found her husbands jacket in the
vehicle but according to the police, they had no idea about the whereabouts of the occupants. The car was later towed to Kayole police station for further investigations.
Since then, efforts to trace the trio, have not borne fruit.
Farida says she fully depended on her husband who also worked as a
salesman in the Jua Kali Sector selling jikos and other metal products.
She has been diagnosed with asthma and suffers from high blood pressure and has to rely on expensive drugs and other medication which
she cannot afford. Her twin daughters have also contracted the asthma

Census will not affect Tarawih prayers

night but will also be carried out during the day to ensure that every
Kenyan participate.
Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya had earlier announced that the
government was making special plans to ensure that Muslims, who
will be observing the holy month of Ramadhan will be counted.
Concerns that religious activities during the holy month of Ramadhan will be affected by the census grew after the provincial administration stated that it will enforce laws to limit the movement of people
at night during the counting period. Nairobi Deputy Provincial Commissioner Peter Leley stressed that the government will ensure that
people will be indoors to facilitate the head count. "This will not be
a curfew. Kenyans have a duty to be counted and on that night we
want everyone to be at home," he said.
Provisional results of the census are expected to be released by
December 31. During the last population census in 1999, the previous Moi government declined to release figures relating to the
population of each tribe and religion, however Muslims contend that
they are more than 10 percent of the population.
The main objective of the census is to provide bench-mark sociodemographic and the information obtained will be used for measuring and analyzing changes in population dynamics to facilitate
decision-making.
The planning minister said the 2009 census will provide information for the implementation of Vision 2030 and global development
agenda such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
Information will be collected on both individuals and households, in-

Story Continues To Page 2

cluding educational background, disability status, labour force, participation, access to ICT services (including use of internet), births
and deaths including maternal-related deaths, livestock by type,
housing conditions, amenities, and household assets.

'Muslim population doubled in 14 years'

The population of Muslims in the country doubled between 1989
and 2003. This is according to the most recent Kenyan Demographic and Health Survey, which presents statistics for a nationally representative sample of the population. In contrast, there was
a 3.6 percentage points decline in the total number of Christians in
the country, according to the survey.
Kenya remains a predominantly Christian country, although there
was a slight decline of 3.6 percentage points in the total Christian
share of the population between 1989 and 2003. The decline is
driven by an 8.8 percentage point drop in the Catholic share of the
population in this 14-year period. Protestants increased their share
by 5.2 percentage points during this same period. The percentage
of Muslims doubled, from 3.5% to 7.0%, and those indicating no
religion rose from 2.6% to 4.2% during this period. Adherence to
other religions has dropped well below 1%.
The figure of 7.0 percent of the population however, is contested
by Muslims who assert that they represent a third of the population
numbering more than 10 million.
The survey was conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in
collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

The Friday Bulletin

Rajab 17 1430/July 24 2009

DA'WA

Israa and Miraaj

Dr. Bilal Phillips

Israa literally means a journey by night and
Miraaj literally means an elevator, i.e., an
instrument which lifts something up. But, in
Islam, Israa refers to a miraculous nightjourney made by the last Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) from Makkah to
Jerusalem (Al-Quds), and Miraaj refers to
the vehicle which took the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) from Jerusalem, up
and out of the universe, through the seven
heavens, and into the direct presence of Allah.
Towards the end of a calm night, one year
before the Hijrah, the roof of Prophet Muhammads (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)
house split open and angel Jibreel (Gabriel)
descended into the Prophets room. He
went over to the Prophet, opened his shirt
and cut open his chest. He then removed
his heart and washed its inside with Zam
Zam water. After he had completed washing it, he then brought a gold dish filled with
Eemaan (faith) and Hikmah (wisdom), emptied it into the Prophets (sallallaahu `alayhi
wa sallam) chest and then closed it all up[
Al-Bukhari].
Jibreel then nudged the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) until he awoke.
When the Prophet got up, Jibreel took a
hold of his hand and lead him outside of
his house to the gate of Kabah. There the
Prophet found a strange unearthly animal.
It was smaller than a mule but larger than
a donkey, white in color and having a wing
on either of its hind legs. He was informed
that its name was Buraaq, a name taken
from the Arabic word Barq which means a
flash of lightning. Jibreel helped the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) mount it
and they set off to the north. Each stride of
the Buraaq took it to the horizon, and, in no
time they reached Jerusalem.
here the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) dismounted and tied the animal
to the same ring on the door of al-Masjid alAqsaa used by the prophets. The Prophet
entered the Masjid and prayed two rakahs.
When he finished he noticed a group of other prophets also making Salaah there. He
saw among them Prophet Musaa, Prophet
Eesaa and Prophet Ibrahim. Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) was
then told to lead them all in Salah. When
the Prophet finished this Salah, someone
said to him, This is Malik, the guardian of
the Hellfire, so give him Salaams. When
he turned around to greet him, the angel
gave him salaams before he had time to do
so.[ Muslim] Jibreel then brought two vessels and presented them to the Prophet
(sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam). One was
filled with wine and the other filled with milk.
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)
chose the vessel filled with milk and drank
from it. Jibreel then said, You have been
guided to the Fitrah.[ Muslim]
The Ascent (Miraaj)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)
then left the Masjid and the Miraaj was
brought for him. Jibreel helped him get into

it, and it shot up into the heavens and out

of the solar system. Traveling at a tremendous rate, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi
wa sallam) and Jibreel soon left our galaxy
and raced past the other galaxies until they
reached the end of the universe. At the end
of the universe, they arrived at the boundary
of the lowest heaven. Jibreel then requested
that its gate be opened for them.
Jibreel was then asked who he was and who
was with him. When he informed the guardian angel who they were, he was asked if
the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)
had been sent for. When he said that that
was so, the guardian said, Welcome! His
coming is good, and the gate was opened.
When they went into the lowest heaven
the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) saw a man sitting with a large group
of people on his right and a large group on
his left. When the man looked at those on
his right he laughed, and when he looked
at those on his left he wept. The Prophet
(sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) asked Jibreel
who the man was and Jibreel replied, This
is your father Aadam, so greet him, When
the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)
did so, Prophet Adam returned his salaams
and said, Welcome! Oh good son and good
Prophet. Jibreel then said, These people
on his right and left are the souls of his descendents. Those of them on his left are the
inhabitants of Hell, so when he looks on his
right side he laughs and when he looks on
his left he cries.
ibreel then took him up to the second,
heaven where he met and greeted
Prophets Eesaa and Yahya, up to the third
where he met and greeted Prophet Yusuf;
up to the fourth where he met and greeted
Prophet Idrees, up to the fifth where he met
and greeted Prophet Haroon, and up to the
sixth where he met Prophet Musaa. When he
went on past Prophet Musa, Moosaa wept,
and when he was asked why he wept he replied, I am crying because more followers
of a young man, who was sent as a prophet
after my time, will enter paradise than my
followers. He then went on up with Jibreel
to the seventh heaven, requested entrance
and they came upon Prophet Ibrahim leaning with his back against the house of worship called al-Bayt al-Mamoor [ Muslim].
Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) observed approximately seventy
thousand angels, entering this heavenly
house of worship without seeing any of them
leave. Jibreel then led the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) to the lote-tree of
the boundary, which he described as having
leaves like the ears of elephants and fruits
like large earthen-ware jugs. The lote-tree

Saturday Lecture
POLYGAMY IN ISLAM
Sheikh Mahmoud A. Abdulqadir
18th July 2009 2.00 pm-4.00 pm
Jamia Mosque Multi Purpose Hall
3

marked the spot, beyond which even Jibreel

could not go, but Alaah permitted Prophet
Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)
to go beyond it and spoke to him directly. Allah revealed to the Prophet the last verses of
Surah al-Baqarah and promised him that the
major sins of his followers would be forgiven
if they did not commit Shirk.
llah also made salaah compulsory fifty
times per day for the Prophet and his
followers. On the Prophets return he passed
by Prophet Musa who asked him what worship had been prescribed for him. When the
Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) informed him, Musa said, Your people are not
capable of doing fifty daily prayers. I swear
by Allah that I have tested men before your
time and tried my best with the Israelites, so
go back to your Lord and ask Him to make
things lighter for your people. The Prophet
did so and Allah reduced it by ten, but Musa
suggested that he return and request a further reduction for the same reason, so he
returned. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi
wa sallam) continued going back and forth
between his Lord and Musa until Allah said,
They are five prayers everyday, Muhammad, each being rewarded as ten, so that
makes fifty times of prayer. He who intends
to do a good deed and does not do it will
have a good deed recorded for him, and if
he does it, it will be recorded for him as ten;
whereas he who intends to do an evil deed
and does not do it will have nothing recorded
against him, and if he does it, only one evil
deed will be recorded against him.
hen he came down and Musaa told him
to go back, he replied, I have asked
my Lord till I am ashamed to face Him. I am
now satisfied and I submit.[ -Bukhari] The
Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) was
then taken into Paradise and he reported that
he saw in it domes of pearls and that its soil
was made of musk.[ Bukhari] He was also
taken to Hell and Allah showed him scenes
from the future. He saw in the Hellfire people
receiving terrible punishments for various
sins. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) then took the Miraaj and descended with Jibreel to al-Masjid al-Aqsaa. From
there he mounted the Buraaq and returned
to his home in Makkah where he found his
bed still warm.
The Return
The following morning, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) went to the
Qurayshs tribal meeting place, and when
Abu Jahl came up to him, he informed him
of his journey. Abu Jahl then called all the
people to hear the Prophets (sallallaahu
`alayhi wa sallam) story, and when he related it to them, they stared at him in amazement and disbelief. Some Muslim converts
whose Eemaan was weak left Islam and
returned to kufr, because of the incredible
tale which the Prophet had told. Some of the
people ran to Abubakr and told him that his
companion, Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi
wa sallam), claimed that he went to Jerusalem, made salaah there, and returned to

Story Continues To Page 7

The Friday Bulletin

Rajab 17 1430/July 24 2009

WOMEN ISSUES

The empowerment of women, but at what price?

It is odd for a Muslim to see the workings of humans against their
very own nature. The most evident example of this is demonstrated
in the ongoing world movement to Empower Women." The movement has been gaining momentum and is being endorsed and promoted by various international organizations, particularly the United
Nations. The United Nations Human Development Report (2002)
even has a gender empowerment measure (GEM) that assesses
gender inequality in economic and political opportunities.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights of the United Nations is the most blatant example of the
efforts to alter the unique status of the genders.
One of the main objectives of this committee is the following: "Aware
that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of
women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality
between men and women... States parties shall take all appropriate
measures: to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of
men and women, with a view of achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the
idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on
stereotyped roles for men and women."
As is evident in the statement, this committee outwardly takes aim
at religion and culture, expressing the view that "cultural and religious values cannot be allowed to undermine the universality of
women's rights." They have said, that "in all countries, (one of) the
most significant factors inhibiting women's ability to participate in
public life have been the cultural framework of values and religious
beliefs."
The Committee, in fact, has gone so far as to instruct Muslim nations that they must reinterpret the Noble Quran in ways that will
better comply with modern social trends. The CEDAW Committee
instructed Libya to alter its reading of the Quran with the following
language ... Members felt that the interpretation of the Quran had
to be reviewed in the light of the provisions of the Convention and in
the light of the current social environment....Efforts should be made
to proceed to an interpretation of the Sharee'ah (Islamic Law) that
was permissible and did not block the advancement of women.
The Government was urged to take a leading role in its interpretation of the Sharee'ah as a model for other Islamic countries.
It is difficult to imagine more treacherous or deliberate attacks on
the values of religion, religious life, and the family. The principal
goal of these organizations is to eliminate the traditional roles of
men and women and replace them with the concept of "equality"
or sameness. This is a feminist goal that has been operating during the last 50 years or more. The view of feminists is that women
should be freed from the "bondage" of motherhood and allowed
to participate equally with men in all aspects of life outside the
home (i.e., economic, political, social). Childbearing and rearing
are viewed as somehow "ignoble" and are discouraged. The role
of motherhood has been denigrated and seen to be less valuable
than a career outside the home. Inherent in all of this is a hostile
attitude to longstanding notions of marriage, the natural family and
the rearing of children.
There are some positive aspects to "empowerment of women"
such as reducing discrimination, increasing education and literacy,
improving quality of life, but with those efforts come the negative
aspects as well. The insidious nature of the process is where the
danger lies. For while on the face, there are honorable goals, the ultimate consequence is weakening of the family structure; the foundation upon which society is built.
A critical look will reveal that "Empowerment of Women" ultimately
means that (super) women:
Work two jobs instead of one, having primary responsibility for
the home and children even though they also work outside the
home.
Often work in male-dominated environments, having daily
contact with non-Mahram men.
Are forced to put their small children into daycare, even infants
as young as 6 weeks old.

Spend, on an average, only 30 minutes a week in meaningful

conversation with their children.
Suffer from depression two or three times the rate of men, along
with other types of psychological distress, such as anxiety, stress
reactions, etc.
Experience conflict between their feminine traits
It is not only the women who suffer, but the whole society as well.
A look at the self-destruction of nations in the West, where motherhood is devalued the most, provides enough evidence. The murder,
the drugs, the abuse ...these nations are crying out for their mothers; for it is the mother who provides stability to the community. It
is the mother who will sacrifice all that she has for the sake of her
children. It is the mother who will raise righteous children who will
benefit society.
Allah has created systems with balance and order, and when those
systems are disrupted, humans suffer the consequences. The family is a system and it functions most effectively when the laws of nature and the laws of Allah are implemented. Allah Says what means:
"Men are in charge of women by (right of) what (qualities) Allaah
has given one over the other and what they spend (in support) from
their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding
in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard
[Quran 4:34]
Allah has made it clear in this verse that men are the protectors
and maintainers of women and He has created each gender unique
from the other. This in no way implies inferiority of one gender over
the other, but it means that each gender fulfills specific functions
and roles. Both roles are honorable and operate in a complementary manner. If Allah had intended for men and women to be equal,
then would it be necessary to have genders?
For Muslim women, we must realize that we do not require this type
of "empowerment" or "liberation"; for the Muslim woman is already
liberated. Her liberation comes through submission to her Creator
and Sustainer. When we submit to Allah we are liberated from the
shackles of our selves and the deceits and trappings of this world.
It is the "empowered" woman who works two jobs, both home and
Continued on Page 5

The Friday Bulletin Kitchen

AFGHANI RICE
Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
1 medium onion chopped or sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbs chili powder (optional)
1 cup oil
2 3 carrots
Salt to taste
1 cup raison
1 cup almond
Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, saute until brown
Add the meat, chili, mix then add water (3-4 cups), cook for 1
hours
Soak the rice for 30 minutes and drain
Fry the almond to golden brown, remove with slotted spoon, fry
the raisins, remove, then fry shredded carrots.
Make sure that you have about 2 cups of stock, add the rice,
carrots, almond, raisons, and the cumin seeds, bring to boil until
most of the liquid absorbed, fluff the rice with a fork, reduce the
heat to low, cover, cook for 20 minutes.
For best result, when most of the water got absorbed, fluff with
fork, cover tightly, and then cook the rice in low heated oven until
t's done. (4-5 serving)
Share your favourite recipes with our readers. Send them to P. O. Box 4062900100 or email:fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com

The Friday Bulletin

Rajab 17 1430/July 24 2009

YOUTH AND CHILDREN

So whats life like on Campus?

What happens to he faith of our young people when they leave home
to enter a college campus? Do they take faith along with other belongings and necessities of life or, do they leave faith behind at home? This
is partly related to the degree and type of faith practiced at home.
In deed parents who practice their faith at home along with their children prepare them in a better way to deal with secularism at the campus. Though in the early years of life, childrens faith is more like a blind
faith following the faith and tradition of their parents and older siblings.
During the teen age years, they develop their own personalized faith
which may be similar or somewhat different than the faith of people
around them. Nevertheless, efforts at home directed toward strengthening the faith of the child, makes that child strong in character.
When one throws a diamond in the mud, it still remains a diamond.
Thus the blind faith dies when young people leave home. However,
some of them have a re-birth of their faith during campus life.
Many young people and their young faculty during college years take
a vacation from religion because they see religion regulating their lifestyles. The new freedom includes freedom from God because without
God "everything becomes possible in their desires and behavior".
Religion is given a tertiary place in life, the primary being science, and
the secondary being social pleasures. The downsizing of religion is
due to the elimination of God from daily life. At campus they have new
friends and they gain new experiences and adventures. They learn
from older students and they have a challenge to be accepted and to
belong to a particular social club. Their lives are busy and they have
deadlines to meet and appointments to keep.
They are under peer pressure and "beer pressure". Thus they have no
time for God at least in the first year of campus life. This is mostly true
for those who did not come through a strong religious background or
affiliation at home.
How do they return to religion in the latter part of campus life? By observation and experience they realize that religion has some influence
on morality and thus it has a role in shaping their future. Is it not their
religious morality which keeps them out of trouble as otherwise, they
might be a victim of violence, theft, drug abuse, alcohol, date rape, etc.
prevalent in campus life. Sometimes even a minor encounter with the
law in the state of innocent fun can ruin their record and career.
Anyone who has attended university will tell you what a hectic place it
is, and it is not just the study. In no other place in the world will you find
a swirl of different races, religions, cultures, interests and careers all
existing together in such a limited amount of space.
This is why life at university can be a double edged sword. On the one
hand, there is an ideal atmosphere for Da'wah, as people tend to be
more open minded, and therefore an environment of friendly discussion and argumentation is sustained. This contrasts with the hostile
attitudethat is often present elsewhere. The other edge is much worse.
University has a host of traps, trials and temptations in every direction,
waiting to ensnare a heedless Muslim.
To make things worse, Shaitan is ever present, ready to give that extrapush to send one over the limit. Whilst taking advantage of the knowledge and experience gained at university, a Muslims must constantly
protect themselves against erroneous influences, and constantly remind themselves of their real aim - attaining the pleasure of Allah, Most
High. The best place for protections to join the Muslim community on
campus, as the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
"Verily Satan is the wolf of a man just as the wolf is (the enemy) of a
flock (of sheep). Heseizes the solitary sheep that strays fromthe flock.
So avoid the branching paths; itis essential for you to remain along
withthe community." [at-Tirmithi]
In addition, the local Muslim student associations can offer all the basic needs of a Muslim, such as prayer rooms, facilities for Jumu'ah
prayers, Halal food, and even extra Islamic educational curriculum as
well as general support for wider activities/needs of the Muslim community.
There can really be no excuse for students not to be familiar with their
local student organization. The benefits of taking part can be enormous. The losses of not being active can be regretful.

Great Stories

Bad Habits

Once a man came to the prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and said, "Oh prophet of Allah,
I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I
give up first?" The prophet said, "Give up telling lies
first and always speak the truth." The man promised
to do so and went home.
At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the
promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the
prophet asks me where have I been, what shall I say?
Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say
that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone
will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be
punished for stealing."
So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave
up this bad habit.
Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was
about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall I say
to the prophet if he asks me what did I do during
the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if I speak the truth
people will hate me, because a Muslim is not allowed
to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking
wine.
In this way, whenever the man thought of doing
something bad, he remembered his promise to tell
the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his
bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good
person.
If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If
Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us, He will reward us with Jannah (Paradise), which is a place of
happiness and joy.
Make a promise: I shall always speak the truth

The empowerment of women

Story From Page 4

outside, who is actually in bondage and in need of freedom.

Muslim women have all the power that they need in this world
and that power is Islam. Allah has given us exactly what we need
to be successful in this life and no convention or human law is
going to improve upon that.
Motherhood is an honorable gift given to us by Allah and no one
has the right to degrade that or take it away. In Islam, motherhood is held in the highest esteem, reflecting its significant nature. For, it is the righteous mothers of this world who will build
healthy, stable and peaceful communities; not the CEO's of companies.

The Friday Bulletin

Rajab 17 1430/July 24 2009

FEATURE

Head Scarf Killing and European Islamophobia

Firas Al-Atraqchi
The murder of Marwa Sherbini, a veiled (and
pregnant) Egyptian woman, as she prepared
to give evidence in a German courtroom
against a man who physically assaulted
her, has incensed the Muslim World and reignited the debate over whether Europe is a
truly tolerant society or one on the cusp of
xenophobic extremism.
Muslims say the attitudes which prevailed
in early 20th century European history and
gave rise to the Holocaust are similar in nature to the climate of intimidation and violence Muslim communities must increasingly
endure in contemporary Europe.
Today, Muslims in Europe are seen as existing outside of a democratic culture. A
resurgence of social Darwinism as applied
to libertarian theory--that democratic ideals
are inherently superior to ideals of other cultures--has alienated Muslims and created a
cultural backlash against them.
A hostile view of Islam began in the 8th century when Muslims expanded into the Iberian
Peninsula. Islam was rejected as a fundamental religion and seen as a direct challenge to Christianity; Muslims were seen as
heretics and their prophet a diabolical fraud.
With Muslims' increased migration to Europe, fear of an Eastern culture in the midst
of Western ideals dominated the discourse.
Soumayya Ghannoushi, a researcher in the
history of ideas at the School of Oriental and
African Studies at the University of London,
believes: "The medieval Christian view of Islam as a deviant, violent, licentious and heretical creed was secularized, stripped of its
transcendental character and rearticulated
within a modern essentialist philosophy that
continues to define the terms of Western discourse on Islam, in its mainstream at least."
In 1997, the London-based Runnymede
Charity published a report entitled "Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All."
Updated in 2004, it found that Muslims were
seen as the "other" and as lacking in values
held by Western cultures. Islam was also
seen as violent, aggressive, terroristic and
inferior to Western ideals.
More importantly, hostility towards Islam
is used to justify discriminatory practices
towards Muslims and their exclusion from
mainstream society, the report found.
In a final note of caution, the report also
found that among Europeans anti-Muslim
hostility is seen as natural or normal.
Such findings help explain why cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad published in
the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper in
2006 should not be seen as experiments in
journalistic freedoms; the cartoons were not
borne in a vacuum. The Jyllands-Posten cartoon depicting a bearded Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban is suspiciously similar to a 1940's cartoon in the German
Der Sturmer magazine which depicts a Jew
as Satan.
Muhammad, a Muslim, and the Der Sturmer
Jew are bearded. Both wear religious head
garments, and both are depicted as icons of
evil in contemporary society.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, Muslim

communities in non-Islamic countries
have come to fear the very pogroms
which targeted the Jews in 1930s Europe.
Given the racism many Muslims endure
in Europe, the murder of an Egyptian
woman because she wore a hijab should
not be dismissed as the act of a lone
man who many are now calling insane.
Her murder comes amid increased media coverage of Muslims as outsiders
unable to conform to Western ideologies, a growing anti-immigrant backlash
in Europe, the resurgence of right-wing
extremist groups even within the political
establishments, and the decline in continental economic dividends. These must
be seen as mutually inclusive.
While many countries around the world
have enacted anti-hate speech laws
and legislature to combat anti-Semitism,
there is still no international consensus
that equates Islamophobia with racism.
In its 2004 annual report, the European
Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) found that: "Islamophobia
continues to manifest itself in different
guises. Muslim communities are the
target of negative attitudes, and sometimes, violence and harassment. They
suffer multiple forms of discrimination,
including sometimes from certain public institutions. ECRI is worried about
the current climate of hostility against
persons who are or are believed to be
Muslim."
There is, indeed, a cultural divide as
ECRI points out: "One of the new faces
of racism today is "cultural" racism. According to this notion of racism, cultures
are pre-defined entities, largely seen as
homogenous, unchangeable and, more
importantly, incompatible with each other."
Between 1939 and 1945, Jews were
brutally gassed, burned and slaughtered
by an intolerant, racist Nazi ideology
which considered them to be untermenschen - inferiors. This term is apt today
to describe how some European extremist groups view Muslims.
In Mein Kamp, Hitler said of the Jews:
"Gradually I began to hate them. For me
this was the time of the greatest spiritual
upheaval I have ever gone through. I
have ceased to be a weak-kneed cosmopolitan and have become an antiSemite."
Sherbini's death must not be in vain. It
must now be reiterated that Muslim and
non-Muslim leaders carefully face the
great cultural gap that divides them - and
breach it.European leaders must immediately condemn Sherbini's murder, hold
her killer accountable, and acknowledge
that Islamophobia is a growing threat.
Otherwise, Europe is precariously close
to repeating the horrors of the past.
(Iviews.com)

One Shilling:Small contribution with big impact

The concept of One Shilling Foundation was conceived as a way of involving a wider participation of the Ummah to improve the social welfare
of Muslims. After the initial success from its pioneers- Park Road Mosque Muslim Youth Group
whose ideas came to benefit many disadvantaged Muslims in various areas, it was realized
that expanding the concept could achieve many
other goals which will not only help in poverty
alleviation but also contribute to improve on the
welfare of our community members.
It is our belief that if all Muslims join together and
work in unison, many of the problems we face
could be tremendously reduced instead of waiting
and relying on assistance fron the government
and other agencies.
Though it appears to be a minute figure, the one
shilling contribution could play a vital role in uplifting the welfare of many Muslims from the shackles o f poverty and further improve on education,
quality healthcare provision and other social
amenities which our community badly needs.
Muslims make up more than ten million of the
population and if a significant portion of this
number make a commitment to contribute one
shilling every day, the amount collected could be
channeled to areas where they the Muslim community will benefit tremendously.
Looking around reveals a not-so appealing picture of our community; Majengos-with their poor
living conditions have continued to be associated
with Muslims since the pre-colonial days. In education, though there are great strides achieved in
recent years, we are still far from being at par with
other communities while there is little improvement in the social and welfare institutions.
Joining hands, therefore would inshallah achieve
a lot of potential for the Ummah.
This programme is being undertaken in collaboration with Ummah Foundation and mosques and
other Muslim institutions in Nairobi. It is envisaged that it will further be expanded to cover the
whole country.
One Shilling Foundation is not duplicating on the
role of Ummah Foundation or other organizations
but is instead supplementing on these roles so as
to achieve more benefit for the community.
Alleviation of misery of a Muslim is a virtue recommended by Prophet Muhammad salallahu alyhi wa sallam when he said prevent yourself from
hell-fire even if it is by giving a piece of date.
Join us in this noble venture and inshallah you will
bring a big difference to the Ummah.
For more details on how to participate contact us
at our Secretariat

One Shilling Foundation

Village Plaza Ngara Suite A13
P. O. Box 58717-00100 Nairobi
Tel: 3747612/3 0732613333
Email:info@ummahfoundation.net

Rajab 17 1430/July 24 2009

Khalid Amayreh

The Friday Bulletin

Uighur Muslims Crushed in East Turkistan

The harsh, brutal, and bloody crackdown by the Chinese authorities

on the Uighur Muslim people in East Turkistan, also known as Xinjiang, cannot be tolerated any longer.
According to sketchy reports from the remote and nearly isolated
Muslim region, government-backed mobs attacked Uighur Muslim
civilians indiscriminately, killing many men, women, and children.
Some reports spoke of a real pogrom, including acts of lynching
as the number of victims continued to rise, prompting the Chinese
authorities to try to block twitters and slow down mobile phone and
internet services, apparently in an effort to prevent the dissemination of news of the violence to the rest of the world.
The latest unrest broke out in the city of Urumqi on July 5, a few
days after two Uighurs had been killed by Han Chinese workers in
Shaoguan, Guangdong Province. However, by July 6, the official
state-controlled media reported that 156 people were killed and over
800 injured. Almost half of Xinjiang's 20 million people are Uighur
(pronounced Wee-ger) Muslims, while the other half is made up of
Han settlers. The Han are China's majority ethnic group.
The Uighur Muslims routinely protest systematic persecution and
discrimination as well as Chinese efforts to obliterate the religious
and cultural identity of the Muslim ethnic community. Normally, the
Chinese authorities respond to these protests with bloody repression as is obvious from the latest events. In 1962, during the Mao
Tze Tong era, tens of thousands of Uighur and Kazak Muslims were
forced to flee northern Xinjiang into the former Soviet Union to escape political purges of the Cultural Revolution and China's Great
Famine.
In more recent years, Chinese police forces often brutally raided
mosques and homes in the region to arrest suspected members
of two pro-independence movements, the East Turkistan Independence Movement and the East Turkistan Islamic Movement. The
repression, combined with often harsh restrictions on freedom of
religion and speech, created a volatile atmosphere among Muslims
and transformed the entire region into a powder Keg.
Moreover, police brutality coupled with long-suppressed grievances
stemming from Chinese efforts to assimilate the Uighur Muslims,
pushed many locals, especially among young generations, to support and identify with the pro-independence movements.

Story From Page 3

Muslim World's Response

Muslims around the world have an absolute religious, moral, and
human duty to identify with their oppressed brothers and sisters in
East Turkistan. These suffering people whose plight can be compared with the plight of the Palestinians, are only demanding basic
human rights, including the right to religious freedom.
Muslims, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said,
must never betray or abandon other Muslims, especially in time of
distress.
Unfortunately, however, Muslim states and Muslim peoples alike
have been largely silent in the face of these atrocities in East
Turkistan.
In Turkey and India, there have been some protests in solidarity
with the Uighur people, but in the Arab world no signs of protests
over the bloody repression have been seen as of now. However,
Muslims, peoples and regimes alike, are exhorted to send an unmistakable message to Beijing that the continued persecution and
killing of Muslims in the Land of the Uighur is unacceptable and
must be stopped immediately.
True, Arab and Muslim friendship with China is a worthy goal for
both sides. However, this is not a one-way street and China must
show deference to Muslims with whom it has had historical relations
dating back to the early Islamic period.
After all, any relation that is not based on mutual respect is unhealthy and will not last long. Indeed, as China expects other nations to respect its expatriates or citizens living there, China, too, is
expected to respect ethnic and religious minorities.
Muslims have many ways to demonstrate to China their displeasure
at what is happening in the Land of the Uighur. Muslims can and
should hold protests outside Chinese embassies and diplomatic
missions around the world.
Muslims can also boycott Chinese products which are flooding
many Muslim countries, especially in the Middle East. This would
cause millions of Chinese workers to go jobless.
At the individual level, Muslim internet users can also flood the
worldwide web with messages of solidarity with their Uighur brothers and sisters who are not even allowed to weep their martyrs or
cry out for justice.

The journey of Israa and Miraaj

Makkah in one night. Abu Bakr told them that they were lying about
the Prophet, because the story was too strange, but they told him
that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) was at the Kabah
telling it to the people. When they told him that, they were sure that
he would also leave Islam, because it was obvious to them that
Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) must be lying. But Abu
Bakr told them By Allah, if he actually said that, he has told the
truth. There really is nothing to be amazed about, for he has told me
that information comes to him from Allah, from the sky to the earth,
in an instant during the night or day and I believe him. And that is
even more strange.
Because of that statement of Abu Bakr, the Prophet (sallallaahu
`alayhi wa sallam) gave him the title of as-Siddeeq (the truthful).
The people then demanded from the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) proof of what he said. They knew that he had never traveled
to Jerusalem, so some of them demanded that he describe it. The
Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) became worried, as he had
forgotten most of its details. He had only been there at night and
had not paid much attention to its details. But, Allah blessed him
with a vision in which he saw Jerusalem as if he were there. So he
was able to describe even its smallest details for them.
For the others, he told them that on his way to Jerusalem he passed
by a stray camel belonging to one of the clans which had camped in
a valley. It had escaped from a group of them and he led them to it.
He also told them that on his return he passed by the same clans
caravan and found them all sleeping. They had a drinking vessel
with some water in it which they had covered, so he uncovered it,
drank its contents and put the cover back on the same way it was.
He then informed them that the caravan was on its way to Makkah

and he further described its lead camel. So the people rushed out to
meet the caravan and found it as he had described it.
They then asked the clan about the stray camel and the drinking
vessel, and they replied, By Allah! He told the truth, we had camped
in the valley which he mentioned and one of our camels had run off.
We heard a mans voice calling us to it until we caught it. They also
mentioned that they had left water in their jug and were surprised to

Respect the Hijab

Story From Page 1

children as far as religion is concerned, he said adding that, This

entails respecting members of other faiths and not to force them to
be convert or practice activities of other faiths.
In a related development, the administration of St George Girls
School in Nairobi has relented to the parents demands regarding
the rights of Muslim students. According to one of the parents, Dr
Muhammad Omar Maalim who was party to a protest petition sent
to the Ministry of Education, the school administrative has agreed to
implement their demands. Following the directive from the ministry,
the school administration agreed on the implementation of the Hijab
and will also seek a teacher for Islamic Religious Education (IRE).
According to Dr. Muhammad Omar, the School has also agreed to
facilitate a room for prayers for its Muslim students.
The parent called on his fellow parents to work together and ensure that the rights of their children were respected. We should
not be quiet when the constitutional rights of our children are being
violated. Dr Muhammad a lecturer at Egerton University told The
Friday Bulletin on Phone.

Islamic scholar Sheikh

Jibreen dies at 78
Prominent Saudi Islamic scholar Sheikh
Abdullah bin Jibreen died here on Monday after a prolonged illness, his family
said. He was 78. He was a member of
the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars.
Sheikh Jibreen, 78, was initially treated
in Germany and returned to complete the
treatment in Saudi Arabia.
Several scholars and thinkers expressed
sorrow on the death of Sheikh Al-Jibreen
and prayed to Allah to bestow His mercy
on him and grant patience to his family members, relatives, students and the
Muslim Ummah.
Dr. Muhammad Bin Saad Al-Shuwaier,
Adviser to the Saudi Grand Mufti, said
the Muslim Ummah owes Sheikh Al-Jibreen a right that is, to pray that Allah
bestow His mercy on him.
Sheikh Ali Abbas Al-Hakami, member of
the Board of Senior Ulema, said Sheikh
Al-Jibreen contributed greatly in explaining the rules of the Shariah. His death is
a great loss for Islam, he said urging all
Muslims to pray for his soul.
Born in Quwaieya village in 1933, Jibreen became a learned scholar of the
Quran and Sunnah within a period of 12
years. He also became proficient in the
commentary of the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic history and Arabic
literature.

Dr Bilal Phillips Kenya Lecture Tour-Programme Guide

DATE
Fri 24 July

TIME

12-00-1:35 pm
Maghrib-Isha
11:00-1.00 pm

VENUE
Khutbah-Jamia Mosque
Park Road Mosque

Youth-Pillar of the society

Al-Amin Mosque-Juja Rd Holding on the Burning coal

1.30 -3:30 pm Maahad-Pangani (Sisters

Programme)

Sat 25 July

Public Lecture University

of Nairobi-Taifa Hall
Live Talk show-Iqra FM
11.00 -1:00 pm

Sun 26 July

1.30 -3:30 pm

1.30 -3:30 pm

1.30 -3:30 pm

TOPIC

Re-Awakening of the Ummah

Muslim Woman in the

Contemporary World
Islam the Misunderstood
religion
Moral Foundation of Islam

Facing challenges in the age

of mischief and trials
Madina Masjid- Mbagathi Way The Future is Islam
Makina Mosque-Kibera

Preacher disppears

Story From Page 1

from their mother, further complicating

her dire situation.
Her five school going children are out of
school due to lack of school fees and she
expressed fears that she will be thrown
out of her house after defaulting on the
rent payment which has now accumulated to Sh 16,000.
The family has been left to depend on
neghbours and well wishers and at times
are forced to go hungry due to lack of
food.
The mysterious disappearance of the
three people was described by the
Executive Coordinator of Muslim Human
Rights Forum Al Amin Kimathi, as a very
intricate matter that has all the indications
of foul play, he observed.

Free Medical Camp

Venue: Sir Ali Muslim Club

Date: July 26 2008
Medical conditions to be covered during
the camp include General Practition,
dental, ear nose and throat ailments,
paediatrics and Feminine related health
issues.
All are Welcome
Organised by Citizen Neighbourhood
Network (CNN)
The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or
fridaybulletin@gmail.com. Printed by Colour Magic Production Ltd-Kirinyaga Crescent P. O. Box 9581-00100 Nairobi