Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Friday Bulletin
The Weekly Muslim News Update
The Chief Kadhi Sheikh Hammad Kassim (Right) with Dr. Bilal Phillips, Sheikh Muhammad Osman of the Majlis Ulamaa Kenya and
the Imam of Jamia Mosque Sheikh Muhammad Swalihu during the lauch of the one Shilling Foundation last Friday.
Editorial
This Week
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Salatul Istisqaa
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Da'wah
Women Issues
Challenges faced by working women
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National News
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This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred
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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
Attacks on the Kadhis' courts are unjustified Leave the Kadhis' courts alone, Christians told
Evangelical cleric Bishop Margaret Wanjiru has been in the news
recently demanding for the removal of the Kadhis' courts from the
constitution. The Bishop is criticizing the Committee of Experts on
Constitutional Review (CECR) for holding the view that the courts
are not a contentious issue and are not among the issues at hand
to be discussed during the final constitutional dispensation.
The clamour for expunging the courts is not a new phenomenon.
During the Bomas Constitutional Conference, Wanjiru under the
auspices of the radical fundamentalist religious group, the Kenya Church was vocal against the entrenchment of the courts in
the Kenyan Laws. It later emerged that these moves were being bankrolled by foreign elements led by an American evangelist
Dr. Mitch Medina. The preacher was at Bomas as an observer
where he was known for circulating literature opposing the Kadhis'
courts.
The Kenya Church was, however, disappointed when the overwhelming Christian delegates at Bomas saw the need for Muslims
to have the courts and supported the Muslim position to have the
courts remain in the constitution.
With the new constitutional dispensation in place, the Kenya
Church has now been revamped under the Kenya Christian Constitution Forum and is seeking to undo its failures at Bomas.
While Christian values stress on speaking the truth, these ethics
have been discarded and instead deceit and disinformation is being peddled about the Kadhis' courts. Claims that the courts are a
recipe for sectarian strife in the country and are a backdoor attempt
to introduce the comprehensive Shariah law are now the message
being relayed to the congregation in some of the churches.
These claims are being masked with the notion that religion and
the state should be kept separate but at the same time they are
silent that a good number of our laws are borrowed from ChristianJudaic traditions which found their way from the British Judicial
system where most of our laws are derived from. Few instances
can be pointed out which include Saturday and Sunday which are
recognized by the Kenya laws as non-working days primarily to
give an opportunity to Christians to observe their prayers. Bigamy
is recognized as a crime under the Kenyan judicial system yet this
is purely a Christian law.
Since 1896, when Kenya came under British rule and the comprehensive Islamic laws were narrowed to the Kadhis' courts, no
animosity whatsoever has ever been recorded between Muslims
and other faiths as a result of the courts. In fact, the seeds of the
hostility are now being planted by none other than Bishop Wanjiru through the disinformation which she and her likes are putting
forward.
The position held by the Committee of Experts is the same position which came from the Bomas Conference and those who are
attempting to include the Kadhis courts' among the contentious
issues are doing a great disservice to Kenyans. For several years,
Kenyans have been striving for a new constitution and when it appeared that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, new obstacles are being put in the way in the guise of opposing the courts.
The opposition to the Kadhis' courts is stemming from Islamaphobic tendencies. It is not a secret that Bishop Wanjiru has been
taking advantage of her position as a Member of Parliament and
Assistant minister to increase her anti-Islamic drive and her opposition to the courts is part of these moves.
Muslims view this attitude by the Kenya Constitution Christian Forum as part of the wider attempts in the war against Islam and
Muslims. For more than one thousand years, Muslims were the
rulers of the East African Coast and during these period exercised
tolerance and respect for other peoples and other cultures. As
Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa, the Council of Imams and Preachers
of Kenya (CIPK) organising general said, Christians in the country
need to pay tribute to Muslims for paving the way for the entry
of Christianity in what later came to be known as Kenya. "It was
the Sultan of Zanzibar who sent messages to his representative in
Mombasa to allow Dr Ludwig Krapf to open a missionary centre in
Rabai. Had this not happened, there would have been no Christianity in the country.
Muslim leaders have told off those demanding the removal of the
Kadhis courts accusing them of being used as pawns by foreign elements to derail the constitution making process.
They said the calls are unwarranted for as the courts only dealt with
matters related to Muslim personal affairs and contrary to the allegations being put forward by some Church leaders, the courts have
never interfered with other religious institutions or the countrys laws.
The committee of experts had made it very clear that that Kadhis'
courts are not a contentious issue but it seems like some churches
are being funded from oversees to reject the making of the new constitution and they are using our courts as an excuse, said Tourism
Minister Najib Balala.
The Mvita MP maintained that they will be no compromise on the part
of Muslims and the community will not accept a new constitution without the courts in place. We have made it clear that we would rather
not have a new constitution if the Kadhiss courts are excluded, he
noted.
Balala challenged those clamouring for the removal of the courts to
point at instances where they had interfered with other religious institutions or been a source of friction with non-Muslims.
He accused the churches of creating unnecessary tensions which
could destabilize the prevailing harmonious relationships between
Muslims and other communities.
Lamu West MP Fahim Twaha criticized the Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru for her unwarranted attacks on the Muslim courts and
adviced her to instead focus on issues related to her faith and stop
interfering in Muslim affairs. Kadhis courts relate only to Muslims
who voluntary submit to its jurisdiction, so what is Bishop Wanjiru's
problem? he asked.
His sentiments were echoed by Abu Chiaba the MP for Lamu West
and Nominated MP Shakilla Muhammad who told Christians to respect the constitutional rights of Muslims and stop interfering in Muslim affairs.
Prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Ahmed Msallam told Christians
not to dictate to Muslims regarding aspects of their religion adding
that the affairs of Muslims are to be determined by Muslims themStory Continues To Page 3
DA'WA
Sheikh Salman al-Awdah
Saturday Lecture
Salatul Istisqa
Sunday 2nd August 2009
From 10.00 am
SIR ALI MUSLIM CLUB
Divorce in Islam
Sheikh Muhammad Swalihu
01 August 2009 2.00 pm-4.00 pm
Jamia Mosque Multi Purpose Hall
3
WOMEN ISSUES
Safiyah Yufenu
with two graduate degrees, I wear the Hijab that covers my hair, neck,
and bosom. I wear a Jilbaab to cover my body. I do this because I
believe my body should be kept private and is only to be seen by my
husband. I admit that the way I cover has changed as I gained more
understanding about my religion or way of life. I wore a partial Hijab
out of fear of how full Hijab would look on me, out of fear of what coworkers would think of me and treat me, and out of fear of how the
world would view me.
Women are still heavily judged by their physical appearance. Yet
Muslim women learn that modesty is all-good and that modesty (Hayaa') does not bring anything except good (Muslim).
It is important that we understand that wearing Hijab is a matter of
religion not a personal choice. It is an obligation that must be fulfilled
by every believing woman. How a woman decides to wear Hijab is
personal. As Muslims, we must do what brings us closer to Allah and
makes us better people in preparation for the Hereafter.
Obligations and requirements of the Prayer:
Adhering to obligations of the Prayer is not always a challenge for
Muslim women who work. Some workplaces designate an area or
room for Muslims to perform the Prayer, while others choose not to
address the issue. In some cases requests or accommodations are
declined all together. In Islam, we know that performing Prayer is
fundamental to believing in God. The Prayer is each Muslim's time
to connect and communicate with Allah. One of the benefits of the
Prayer is for our sins to be washed away.
In cases when there is not a designated place to perform the Prayer,
Muslim women have to find creative ways to fulfill what Allah has
commanded. When the prophet Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, was asked which deed is the best, he said: Performing the
Prayer at its due time. [Muslim]
The Prayer is a pillar of Islam and must be made in a fashion that
fulfills all of its requirements. And this fact is becoming increasingly
known in the business world. I have heard of countless situations
where managers and companies have done all they could to accommodate Muslim employees' need to offer the Prayer. It is best therefore to make it known to your employers and to ask of them such
accommodation.
Ingredients
650g white flour
2 tsp yeast
generous pinch of sugar
60ml natural yoghurt
120ml warm water
salt, to taste
oil for frying
Syrup (shira)Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon rose water
juice of half a lemon
120ml warm water
salt, to taste
oil for frying
Method
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and add the yoghurt and just
enough warm water to form a thick batter. Beat until smooth
then leave aside for at least six hours. At the end of this time,
mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water and leave, covered
in a warm place until it becomes frothy (about 20 minutes).
Tip the yeast mix into your batter and beat with a whisk until the
batter begins to form stiff peaks. Set the batter aside for 3 hours.
When ready, pour oil into a wok to a depth of at least 3 cm. Heat
the oil then shape the batter into little balls and add them a few
at a time to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. When each
batch of dumplings is done, transfer to kitchen paper to drain
then set the dumplings in syrup so that they are completely
covered and serve hot.
For the syrup put the water in a pan with the sugar and place over a
medium heat; bring to boil and allow to boil for ten minutes, removing the froth as it appears. Add the lemon juice and leave to simmer
for ten minutes; add the rose water.
Share your favourite recipes with our readers. Send them to P. O. Box 4062900100 or email:fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com
Dr. Bilal Phillips receives a bounded copy of The Friday Bulletin from
former Jamia Mosque chairman Maulid Jasho. In the middle is the
current chairman Sheikh Muhammad osman Warfa
adhan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have
not previously fasted until the end of Sha'ban.
It may be asked: why is it Makrooh to fast just before Ramadhan (for
those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there
are a number of reasons why this is so, such as:
Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadhan that are not part
of it. Fasting on the day of Eid is prohibited for the same reason, lest we
fall into the same trap as the People of the Book with regard to fasting,
as they added to their fasts because of their own whims and desires. For
the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the "day of doubt". 'Ammar
said: whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abu'l-Qasim. The "day of
doubt" is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadhan or not,
when news of the sighting of the crescent moon comes from one whose
word cannot be accepted.
Hence it is Haram to fast on the day of Eid, and the Prophet peace be
upon him forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with another prayer unless they are separated by saying salam or speaking,
especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr.
It is prescribed to make a clear separation between this prayer and the
obligatory prayer.
Some people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before
Ramadhan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill
of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting. This is an
ignorant mistake on the part of those who think this.
(missionislam.com)