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Issue No. 616
Gov't to be sued over Wagalla
The third Caliph Uthman

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

Editorial: The escalating cost


of secondary education

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Page 3

Friday Bulletin
The

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The Weekly Muslim News Update

Address the problem of double


registration, gov't told

The government should address the rising cases of double registration among
residents of North Eastern region and
provide them with Kenyan registration
documents.
Describing the problems as a time
bomb, Dadaab MP Muhammad Dahiye
stressed on the government to address
the concern as thousands of youth cannot get access to education or employment opportunities and face constant
harassment at the hands of security officials.
Many youths from North Eastern region
are unable to acquire Kenyan Identity
Cards after they were captured in the
United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR) database.
The most affected are the 1992 drought
destitute in Dadaab who registered as
refugees with the UNHCR to be enlisted
for food rations and those seeking opportunities to be repatriated overseas.
The legislator revealed that corrupt government registration personnel have taken advantage of their dire situation and
are working with cartels to extort money on the pretext that they will provide
them with Kenyan national Identification
cards.There are some corrupt county
government officials who get millions of
shillings to give desperate people Kenyan national ID, he told a task force established which is probing the problem.
Presenting his views to the task force
formed to address problem of double
registration by Kenyans, the MP said the
government should come up with a lasting solution to the problem while voicing
his fears that Kenyans might end up being stateless as they cannot acquire the
ID cards because they are captured as
refugees.
He urged the government to strike off the
names of genuine Kenyans from the refugee data base so they can be officially
recognized as a Kenyan.
The Dadaab legislator suggested that
genuine Kenyans in the UNHCR data
base should be vetted by elders under

Mvita MP Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir (Left) and National Assembly majority leader
Aden Duale (Centre) confer with the Chief Justice Wali Muhammad Mutunga. The MPs
were among a delegation of Parliamentarians from North Eastern and Coast regions
who paid a courtesy call to the Chief Justice last week.

Lamu curfew suspended

activities which included tourism, fishing


and trade.
On numerous occasions, area leaders
have expressed their opposition over the
curfew noting that it had infringed on their
constitutional rights of movement and worship. They accused the government of deliberately curtailing their social, economic
and religious rights.
The petition is set for hearing on March 19
2015.
Meanwhile the government is set to compensate land owners in Lamu to pave way
for the commencement of the multibillion
Lamu port project.
The area governor Issa Timamy said he
has received assurances from the National
Lands Commission chairman Muhammad
Continued To Page 7
Continued To Page 2
This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred
The restrictions on night movement in Lamu
County have finally being lifted after a nine
month old dusk to dawn curfew.
Mombasa High Court Judge Edward Mureithi suspended the curfew that was imposed
in July last year by the former Inspector of
police David Kimaiyo following the killing of
60 people in Mpeketoni.
Last month, the curfew was partially lifted
on the Island by Interior cabinet secretary
Joseph Nkaissery.
The suspension order followed a case by
the Mombasa based rights lobby Muslims
for Human Rights (MUHURI) which has
called for the lifting of the curfew as it had
impacted negatively on the social and economic lifestyles of area residents.
Locals raised complaints that the curfew
had paralyzed the countys main economic

The Friday Bulletin

EDITORIAL

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

Gov't must reign in the ever escalating cost of Jamia to run Islamic public
secondary school education
awareness programmes

The cost of secondary school education in the country has reached levels where it is increasingly becoming a farfetched dream for the many
young Kenyans to access education.
The government through the ministry of education, elected leaders and
other education stakeholders who include parents, religious leaders and
trade unions ought to interrogate the
factors that are making the cost of
secondary education so prohibitive
and beyond the reach of many parents.
Due to high costs of secondary education some students have not even
reported to their respective secondary schools because of financial constraints.
Is it tenable for the average Kenyan family and more so in areas
like the Coast and North Eastern
regions where an average family
is composed of six or so children
to afford secondary school fees of
Sh50,000-112, 000 per year as currently charged by county and national schools?
One thing is very clear, a significant
population of Kenyans live below the
poverty mark and few can afford to
educate their children beyond primary school and this is among the
reasons which has contributed to rising cases of joblessness, drug abuse
and other social evils which can be
attributed to idleness.
There are high chances that corruption has become embedded in the
management of secondary school
education and it is the key driver of
the escalating costs of secondary
school education in Kenya.
Corruption is self-perpetuating and it
has the ability to rapidly multiply itself to untamable proportions if it is
left unchecked.
County governments must intervene

and using economies of scale demand


that secondary schools make drastic
reductions in the costs of secondary
schools education.
Education ought to be getting affordable and not more expensive as is the
case now.
To price education beyond the economic realities of the average families in
Kenya as appears to be the trend only
helps to entrench poverty as it is only
education which is the surest policy instrument and vehicle to lift the greatest
percentage of youth out of the poverty
traps that shackles their parents.
The runaway costs of secondary school
education is now a national concern
and when bottlenecks are placed by
vested interests in realizing affordable
education, this will impact negatively on
the quest to achieve socio-economic
transformation of the country.
It is encouraging to note that some
Muslim organizations are consciously
making efforts to solve the problem of
education in the Muslim community by
offering bursaries and scholarships to
enable successful and needy Muslim
students advance with their education.
Several organizations including Jamia
Mosque have established education
sponsorship programs for Muslim students and, however this is not enough
to support the growing list of students
who cannot afford the prohibitive cost
of education.
There is still need for more Muslim
NGO's, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and corporate institutions
and even individuals to get involved
and explore ways to support the education of economically disadvantaged
students.
Educated people are the greatest asset a country and a community has and
therefore no effort should be spared to
ensure that education is universally and
affordably available.

Gov't to compensate Lamu land owners


Continued from Page 1
Swazuri that the list of beneficiaries
has been approved.
Timamy in the company of leaders,
Senator Abu Chiaba, Lamu West
MP, Julius Ndegwa, Women Representative, Shakilla Abdalla and the
County Secretary, Siyat Osman paid
a visit to the chairman to enquire why
the process was being delayed.
Swazuri gave us an assurance that
the list of beneficiaries had been approved and the only thing that was
remaining was a survey plan which
identifies each plot and its number,
said Timamy. He said with the compensation, the stalled project will be

on course and residents will soon start


enjoying the fruits of the project.
Speaking at a press conference last
week, the governor said that President
Uhuru Kenyatta had expressed his concern over the delay of compensation and
urged the leaders to address the land
wrangles to so as to kick start the project.
The lists of beneficiaries have been a
bone of contention with three lists each
containing different numbers.
A total of 146 Kililana land owners went
to court late last year and obtained a
court order barring any construction
works on the land before they are fully
compensated.

Jamia Mosque is to embark on a public awareness


programme aimed at promoting the correct teachings and values of Islam among the masses.
The initiative is a collaborative effort with various
dawa groups and aims at countering the growing
misrepresentation of Islam and misconception towards Muslims.
The public awareness exercise seeks to promote
a positive image and clearer understanding of Islam by engaging the public through short text messages, social media and provision of free Islamic
literatures.
Islam is often misunderstood leading to some
to hold bias views on Islam. This campaign will
provide an opportunity for non-Muslims to take
a fresh and positive look at Islam as a faith that
promotes the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, said Sheikh Badru Jaffar, a member
of the Jamia Mosque Majlis Ulamah (council of
scholars).
In recent times, there has been a growing rise in
incidences of Islamophobia where Muslims have
faced negative responses in the streets and the
unfair media linkage of Islam with acts of terrorism
has also helped to increase the anti-Muslim prejudice threatening existing inter religious relations.
Attacks targeting non-Muslims such as the gruesome Mandera attacks carried out by the Somalia based Al Shabab militia have helped to further
build up a hostile climate towards Muslims.
These attacks have received strong condemnation from Muslim leaders and scholars who have
stressed that Islam does not condone acts of violence against innocent people.

No surprises at CIPK polls


No surprises were witnessed during the long
awaited Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya
(CIPK) national elections as the exercise supervised by Independent Electoral and Boundaries
Commission (IEBC) officials saw most of the top
officials being re-elected to their various positions.
Sheikh Abdalla Ateka who served as the interim
chairman after the demise of Sheikh Muhammad
Idris was elected as the new chairman and he will
be deputized by Sheikh Hassan Suleiman.
Kenya's ambassador to Muscat, Oman Sheikh
Muhammad Dor was re-elected the council's Secretary General with Sheikh Muhammad Daud being elected his deputy.
Sheikh Hassan Omar Dagane is the Treasurer
and he will be assisted by Sheikh Ramadhan Muhammad Mwasengeza.
Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa retained his position of
national organising secretary with Sheikh Abdullahi Tiva being elected his deputy.
The elections held at Baluchi conference hall in
Mombasa also saw appointment of regional representatives who include Sheikh Abdalla Athuman
(Nairobi region), Sheikh Rajab Korir (North Rift region), Sheikh Abdulrahman Farha (South Rift region), Sheikh Khamis Mungai (Central region) and
Sheikh Anas Ali Abdalla (Eastern region).
The new office bearers will manage the affairs of
the council for another five years.

Page 2

The Friday Bulletin

DA'WA

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

The third Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan (Radhiya Allahu anhu)


Aisha Stacey
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with
him) was the third of Prophet Muhammads
successors. He was known as the leader
of the faithful and ruled for approximately
12 years. The first six years were times of
relative tranquility and peace, however the
last years of his reign were marred by internal conflict, and pockets of rebels trying to
cause havoc throughout the Caliphate.
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) is
remembered as a pious, gentle, and kind
man, known for his modesty and shyness,
and admired for his generosity. He (may Allah be pleased with him) ruled with impartial
justice and mild and humane policies, based
on his obedience to Allah and his love for
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) and the Muslim nation
Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
was born seven years after Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings
of Allah be upon him, and belonged to the
Umayyad branch of the Quraish tribe.
Like his predecessor Umar ibn Al Khattab
(may Allah be pleased with him), Uthman
(may Allah be pleased with him) was able to
read and write. This was an unusual skill in
pre Islamic Arabia and Uthman (may Allah
be pleased with him) became a successful trader and cloth merchant. Throughout
his life he was known as a kind, generous
man and even before his reversion to Islam
he would freely give money to help those
in need.
It was his close friend Abu Bakr (may Allah
be pleased with him) who introduced Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to
Islam and he embraced the new religion at
the age of thirty-four. This was during the
very early days of Islam when the men of
Makkah were systematically abusing and
torturing any converts to Islam.
In spite of the abuse, Uthman (may Allah
be pleased with him) would not give up his
Islam and in time Uthman (may Allah be
pleased with him) was married to Prophet
Muhammads daughter, Ruqayah, thus
strengthening his relationship to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
SUNDAY LECTURE
The abuse and torture continued and Uthmans wealthy family and status in society
as a merchant did not protect him. The continual bad treatment by his close family led
Uthman and his wife to participate in the first
migration to Abyssinia.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) praised his forbearing character and said After Lut (alayhi sallam),
Uthman is the first man who, with his wife,
has given up the comfort of his home for the
sake of Allah. After some time Uthman and
Ruqayah (may Allah be pleased with them)
returned to Makkah to be with the struggling Muslims and their beloved father and
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)
formed a very close relationship with Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him), and he gained intricate knowl-

edge about the religion of Islam. He (may


Allah be pleased with him) narrated 146
traditions directly from the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) himself and
was one of very few people who were able
to write down Quran.
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)
also became a reference point for those
trying to learn the rituals of worship. He
understood and was able to instruct others
in the rituals of ablution, prayer, and other
Islamic obligations. Uthman (may Allah be
pleased with him) also participated in the
migration to Madina and here he assisted
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) in establishing the Muslim
nation. Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) even referred to him
as his assistant.
In Madina, water was scarce and control of
the wells was tightly held by several men.
Because he was a skilful trader and negotiator, Uthman (may Allah be pleased with
him) set about trying to procure a well for
the use of the Muslims. He negotiated a
price for half a well; he would have control
one day and the other owner the next day.
However, Uthman (may Allah be pleased
with him) gave his water to the Muslims
freely, so nobody wanted to pay for the water on the alternate days. The original owner
of the well had no choice but to sell his half
of the well to Uthman (may Allah be pleased
with him) who nevertheless paid a fair price
for it. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with
him) continued to allow the water to be used
freely by all.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) and the Muslim armies were going to fight the Byzantines at
Tabuk, he called on the wealthier people to
give from their wealth and property to support and equip the soldiers. Uthman (may
Allah be pleased with him) presented 200
saddled camels and 200 ounces of gold. He
(may Allah be pleased with him) also gave
1,000 dinars. Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) kept asking for
donations hoping to inspire others to give as
freely as Uthman. However, it was Uthman
(may Allah be pleased with him) who surpassed all.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) had prophesized that Uthman
(may Allah be pleased with him) would be
placed in a very difficult situation when he
said, Perhaps Allah will clothe you with a
shirt, Uthman, and if the people want you to
take it off, do not take it off for them. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) did not
remove his shirt, his love for Allah and His
Messenger (peace and blessings be upon
him) kept him both strong and humble in the
face of old age and extreme difficulties.
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased
with him) was a man so loved by Prophet
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings
of Allah be upon him, that he was called
the possessor of two lights. Uthman (may
Allah be pleased with him) was married to

Prophet Muhammads daughter Ruqayah


and when she died, he married Muhammads other daughter, Umm Kulthum, thus
possessing the two lights.
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased
with him) was appointed Caliph (leader of
the Muslim nation) through a process of
consultation and careful deliberation. On his
deathbed, Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah
be pleased with him) appointed a council
of six men to choose a new leader. It was
a time of confusion and chaos for the Muslims, small disagreements were becoming
obstacles.
Some people wanted to appoint Ali ibn Abu
Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) because he was from Prophet Muhammads
family, others wanted to appoint Uthman
(may Allah be pleased with him) because he
was from one of the great tribes of Makkah.
Ibn Kathir, the respected Islamic scholar of
the 14th century suggests that the leader of
the council, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf questioned both men and then chose Uthman.
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)
was turning 70 when he became leader of
the Muslims and for many years, he had refrained from the pleasures of this life in order to seek nearness to Allah. After setting
a tone of piety and concern for Muslims that
would be the hallmark of his reign, Uthman
(may Allah be pleased with him) turned his
attention to giving direction to the governors
and the Muslim armies.
Extensive conquests were made during the
reign of Uthman, including parts of Spain,
Morocco, and Afghanistan. Uthman (may
Allah be pleased with him) was also the first
Caliph to organise a navy. He (may Allah be
pleased with him) reorganised the administrative divisions of the Muslim Caliphate, expanded, and initiated many public projects.
Perhaps Uthmans most astounding contribution to the Muslims was his compilation
of the Quran.
Continued To Page 6

PARENTING SEMINAR

Date: 22nd Feb. 2015


Time: 8.30 am - 4.00 pm
Jamia Mosque Multi Purpose Hall
For details call 0722348753

SATURDAY LECTURE

Topic: Causes of Misconceptions about


Islam
Lecturer: Sh. Dr. Abdallah Kheri
Date: 21st February 2015
Time: 2.00 4.00 pm.
Venue: Jamia Multi-Purpose Hall

SUNDAY LECTURE
Topic: Kutubia

By: Salim Kaukau


Date: 22nd Feb 2015 Time: 2 pm- 4 pm
Venue: Makina Kibra
Page 3

The Friday Bulletin

Dina Rashid

WOMEN

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

The seasons of love: Spring and summer

The relationship between men and women


in Islam is addressed in the Qur'an and
further in the Sunnah. Islam explains to us
how to achieve tranquility in marriage and
how to reach the highest potential in all
other aspects of life. And one of His [Allah's] signs is that He created mates for you
from yourselves that you may find tranquillity in them, and He put between you love
and mercy; most surely there are signs in
this for people who reflect. (Ar-Rum 30:21)
Inspired by our belief that better communication within Muslim families, especially
between husbands and wives, is the cornerstone for building a strong, actively involved family, we wanted to shed some light
on what we believe happens often in many
marriage stories.
A relationship between a husband and a
wife is like a garden; if it's to thrive, it must
be watered regularly, with "weather hazards" taken into account, such as any unpredictable draught or storm. New seeds
must be sown, and weeds must be pulled
out (Gray).
Love's springtime
The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam
said, "Nothing is better for those in love than
marriage." (Ibn Majah and authenticated by
Al-Albani)
One fatwa of Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi the
prominent Muslim scholar, states what
means that love is lawful in Islam as long as
that love comes in spite of the person, that
person doesn't go out of the way especially
to seek these emotions, and that all Islamic
guidelines are kept in mind. However, there
is a suggestion that the traditional route for
marriage usually has better results.
The beginning of love is its springtime; this
is when you feel that you will stay happy
forever. This corresponds to the Islamic
engagement and `aqd (official documentation of marriage) time and may last for a few
months before marriage! During that time,
you always find excuses to your partner's
mistakes; you may even become unable
to see the mistakes or differences. But this
fire of emotions in many cases does not
stay forever. Marriage and family therapist
Glenn Lutjens suggests that this change

takes place in every relationship because of


three factors:time, distance, and desire.
Time - When you get married, you have
more time to observe your spouse's behavior. You see things that weren't so noticeable at "springtime."
Distance -You now see him up close.
There's no "see you next week." You now
see him when he's hungry and tired. Women may have their "time of the month," and
men have their "time of the day"! When his
stomach is empty, you may see a whole new
side of your man you never knew existed.
Desire - Some of the behavior during those
days probably wasn't so deliberate. That
type of romantic fire shapes one's actions;
loving deeds come easily to one so smitten
by romance. You probably felt the same excitement, with your reactions being affected
as well. We tend to construct a person in
our minds to match the excitement we want
to feel. We mentally vision that person in a
way that will make us happiest.
Love's summertime
Eventually we realize that our partner is not
as perfect as we thought and that we have
to work on our relationship. Plants need to
be watered even more frequently under a
hot sun; this is how the relationship between
a husband and a wife should be enriched
when it's no longer easy to give or to get
love. Therefore, always remember Prophet
Muhammad's advice: Abu Hurairah (may
Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying: A believing man [husband] should not
hate a believing woman [his wife]; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be
pleased with another. (Sahih Muslim. Book
8, Number 3469)
Many couples become disillusioned after a few of months in wedlock. They give
up working on the relationship and blame
one another. They forget that it cannot be
"springtime" all the time. Yet, no one wants
to live in summer forever. So hold your
breath and gather all the wisdom that Allah
gave you to go through this stage and reach
the tranquility, mercy, and love mentioned in
the verse. These will be the lasting, calm,
and warm emotions of love between a hus-

The Muslim Education


Welfare
Association
(MEWA) Chairman Salim
Ghalghar presents computers to students of celebral palsy foundation
in Tudor Mombasa. The
centre caters for children
affected with celebral palsy, a brain disorder which
weakens the function of
the muscle.

band and wife who are living for the sake


of Allah.
You can think that way: Is this the person I
want to continue the rest of my life with? If
the answer is "no," then you will not be willing to invest much in this relation anyway,
you will give it a weak try and then give up.
If the answer is "yes," then the question becomes "What do I do now that I found out
my partner is not what I thought?" Debating
whether your partner misrepresented himself or herself or you misread your partner
won't solve anything. Here are some things
you may consider doing:
Choose to love your partner. Remember
that it's Allah Who makes the "love and
mercy happen between the husband and
the wife.
Seek Allah's help and ask Him to make
that "chemistry" happen. Also, open your
heart and give your partner the benefit of
doubt; stand in your partner's shoes and try
to see things from his or her perspective.
Look at how you may have changed as
well after marriage.
You will not be able to actually change
someone. All you can do is provide a different and favorable environment for your partner to want to change.
Realize that you may have legitimate concerns. Voice them to your partner in a constructive way with the hope that he or she
will be willing to work toward change or at
least understand your concerns.
Express with respect. Use "I-messages":
"I" feel and "I" think, not "you" did such and
such.
Invest in this family. Paradise is worth your
best effort. A little whisper in the wife's ear
is, "Allah made one important mission in
this life which is to make this family happy."
The motive is wonderful. The Prophet said,
"If a woman prayed the five prayers, fasted
in Ramadhan, protected her honor, and
obeyed her husband, then she will be told
(on the Day of Judgment): Enter Paradise
from any of its (eight) doors". (Ibn Hibban)
Do not listen to voices like "He is no better
than you are! Why do you have to listen?"
The Prophet mentioned the advice for a reason, so do not ruin your life. Instead, invite
love to your house and be patient. It is love
and happiness in this life and Paradise in
the hereafter.

Medical appeal
AYAN
SHARIFF
AHMED an eighteenyear-old girl who has
been diagnosed with
spinal injury.
She requires surgery
and has been referred to India.
Kindly make your contributions to;

DUBAI BANK, A/C No. 81123551 Eastleigh Branch.


MPESA contributions to: 0722803296

Page 4

The Friday Bulletin

Raudhah Muhammad

YOUTH

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

Love in the age of social media

I remember the first time I heard the song by a local singer titled
Facebook Love. The lyrics were perhaps catchy for teenagers,
but certainly not for a young adult like me.
In fact, I was a bit surprised that such a song could be approved
and admired by so many. There is no real substance, but merely
an empty narrative on how the singer thinks she has fallen in love
with a guy whom she knew only through Facebook.
With so little knowledge about this guy and his background, the
singer went on and on about how thrilling the relationship was,
and how the new love she found has given her so much happiness. The singer openly confessed in the lyrics that her brain tells
her not to do so but the heart says yes. They got worse when
the singer finally sang, Need to close my eyes, and try anything!
While such a song may appear innocent, cute and funny to some
people, there is indeed a real need for society to be more critical
towards whatever that is feeding the mind of the young people
today.
Adults often express their shock when teenagers become wild and
manifest various inappropriate attitudes and behaviors, but they
turn a blind eye to the gradual, cumulative effects of the seemingly mild daily engagements of their children. Perhaps we have
forgotten that any sudden, shocking event is usually an outcome
of various factors, which happen gradually with time.
A new kind of love
Love today has become widely and terribly misunderstood. The
love relationship that is supposed to be associated with purity, tenderness and affection has turned into sexual, titillating desires and
erotic-emotional ties, which in reality has nothing to do with love.
After watching Taylor Swifts Love Story and Rihannas Diamond
video clips, I became baffled and even disgusted that such meaningless and demeaning depictions could actually be confused with
love. And this is the kind of misleading message our teens are
getting each day!
With the advent of social media, love becomes even cheaper and
easier to buy. Girls and boys, and men and women begin to fall
in love so often with people whom they barely know, whose existence they assume, and whose characters they imagine. Images
of cute guys and pretty girls easily deceive them, and they forget
that the pictures look so good only because they are taken from
the best angle (to cover a growing pimple), edited, simulated or do
not belong to the person in the first place!
Many unbelievable stories have been documented, as a consequence of unwise use of social media. A couple breaking up on
their wedding day only because they have never met before, and
the guy finds out for the first time that his wife to-be is not as pretty
as the images he saw in her Facebook pages. A girl gets brokenhearted when she discovers that her virtual boyfriend does not
look like David Beckham, whose picture he uses to reflect himself
in the social media.
A married couple getting divorced only because the husband has
a cyber affair with a beautiful woman whose existence is yet to
be confirmed. All such narratives tell us that even though it is just
Facebook, social media can have powerful and negative impacts
on how humans behave and perceive emotions.
Love is a process
The young today perhaps need to unlearn some of the concepts
they have subconsciously internalized. Love is one of them. Love
is not about getting hyped up and excessively thrilled about someone when you barely know them. That is infatuation. And love has
nothing to do with that roller coaster emotional ride you have when
you are around that special one. That is being hormonal.
In reality, real love is about actions and sacrifice, not dry mouths
and butterflies. Love is a verb, not a feeling.
To achieve love, it requires a process. The more you know and
appreciate a person, the stronger the love is. On the contrary, love
which appears in few seconds or minutes will rarely last for more
than a year, or even a month.

If you suddenly make a firm oath that a guy you just saw few minutes ago is your soul-mate forever, and that it is love at first sight,
it is very likely that you are out of your mind. On another occasion,
if you insist on loving the bad guy hoping that he would eventually
change for you, even when everyone else who cares about you
disagrees, you are again out of your mind.
It is not wrong to treat the social media, songs and movies around
us with a critical mind. In fact, it is wise to do so, for what we watch
and read every day become the ingredients that determine who
we are, what we think and how we behave.
Today, people move fast, work fast and get things done fast. We
love speed, we desire immediate outcome and we eat instant
food. But there is one thing that cannot be instant, lest it value
diminishes and its pleasure is lost. That is love.

FROM THE NOBLE QUR'AN


Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most suitable
and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous
deeds that they will have a great reward.
(Al Quran 17:9)

Muslim Media Practitioners

Muslim Journalists are invited for a meeting of the


Muslim Media Association.
Date: 22nd Feb Time: 10.00am
Jamia Mosque

page 5

The Friday Bulletin

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

Parking space terrorism: Time for action after


killing of three US Muslims
Ramzy Baroud
The murder of three American Muslims
at a University of North Carolina condominium on Tuesday, 10 February, was no
ordinary murder, nor is the criminal who
killed them an ordinary thug. The context
of the killings, the murder itself and the
media and official responses to the horrific event is a testimony to everything
that went wrong since the United States
unleashed it's long-drawn-out "war on
terror, with its undeclared, but sometimes declared enemy, namely Islam and
Muslims.
Horrific as it was, the killing of a husband
and wife, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor
Abu-Salha and her sister, Razan AbuSalha, by homegrown terrorist, Craig
Stephen Hicks, is the kind of violence
that can only fit into a greater media and
official narrative, which designates millions of innocent Muslims, in the US or
across the world as enemies or potential
terrorists.
Countless television hours and endless
space in numerous media has been dedicated to vilify and demonize Muslims
throughout recent years. Muslims' attempts to distance themselves from every militant grouping, ideology and tendency has done them no good. A Muslim
is a terrorism suspect until proven innocent, especially if a bearded, brown man,
or a headscarf-clad woman.
The end result of that dehumanization
has been racism, racial profiling, extra-judicial killings and war. It was only
a matter of time before that violence
reached the nominally safe Muslim communities in the US itself.
The episode of dehumanization is long,
complex and protracted; also, quite clever, for it involves billion-dollar media outfits and Hollywood itself, which already
has an awful track record regarding negative and stereotypical representation of
Arabs and Muslims.
The outcome is a whole industry that
is predicated on double standards and
half-truths.
The ongoing enthusiasm for more military interventions means that supposed
"moral awakening inspired by the advent
of President Barack Obama rarely registered in the collective psyche of the nation. While there is ample evidence that
Americans are "tired of war, that very
war fatigue should not be conflated with
a departure of the type of dialectics that
rationalized war in the first place.
But hating Muslims is not your everyday
racism and prejudice, which has been
"as American as apple pie and Napalm
(a funny, sad line from the American
comedy, M.A.S.H). It is a readily available fodder for the ongoing war and future
war in Muslim countries. It is the required
amount of dehumanization needed to
wage war.
This is why Islam and Muslims are
equated with terrorism, and why terror-

ism is used almost exclusively to describe


violent acts committed or allegedly committed by Muslims.
The same champions of this invalid logic
are those who constantly push the line: "All
Muslims are not terrorists, but all terrorists
are Muslims."
The assumption might be inane, but the intention is anything but. It absolves the war
criminals, who planned, executed and justified the war; the soldiers who did the fighting, and those who ensured that there can
be no legal accountability for its numerous
awful deeds - millions being killed, maimed
and all.
Instead, it puts the onus on ordinary Muslims who are set up to prove their innocence
to no avail, to absolve themselves from a
crime they never committed, in fact, to answer for someone else's crimes.
But Hicks, who walked into the flat of three
students in Chapel Hill, NC and shot them,
execution style, was not a Muslim. He
comes from Christian heritage. He is not
black or brown, but white. His name is not
Ahmed, but Craig.
Neither the police nor the media would describe his crime as a hate crime, let alone
terrorism, although his terrorism is unique
in a way. His type resides on the top of the
food chain in terms of race, gender and
other criteria. Yet, somehow he is politically
frustrated. Go figure.
He is not a member of a radicalized generation born into oppression, foreign invasion,
poverty and other untold humiliation. If that
was the case, one can, at least to a degree
fathom the hate, deconstruct the anger, or
even rationalize that violence is a natural
outcome of a certain reality.
So Hicks, we are told, killed the students
"execution style because of a dispute over
parking spaces.
The same way that Chris Kyle - "The American Sniper- made 164 confirmed "kills in
Iraq, targeting "savages because that's
what national heroes do. And US wars and
sanctions on Iraq killed, starved and wounded millions to bring democracy to the Arabs.
This selectively insane logic will persist
however, because there are millions of
unrepentant politicians, extremist media
pundits and well-armed men and women
who refuse to see the recklessness of their
"logic.
They will continue to feed violence - which
unlike what Hicks is led to believe - didn't
start on 11 September 2001 - and spit out
the most dangerous of militant phenomena:
al-Qaeda, IS and all the rest.
It is time for Muslims to demand that Obama
issue more than a statement, but call the
United States government and hate-filled
media to account. These outrageous double
standards must end, before more innocent
lives are taken.
Ramzy Baroud is a an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author and the founder of PalestineChronicle.
com.

Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan


Continued from Page 3
The Uthmani Quran
After the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him), and during the
time of the Caliphs, hundreds of thousands of
non-Arabs converted to Islam. Consequently,
the Quran began to be recited and written in
various different dialects and scripts. One of
Prophet Mohammads companions, and Uthmans friend Hudhaifah, whilst on a journey
noticed that there were many different recitations of Quran throughout the Muslim Empire.
Hudhaifah suggested to Uthman that there be
an official version written in the style used in
Madina.
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) knew
the Quran by heart and had intimate knowledge of the context and circumstances relating to each verse. The Quran had been gathered during the time of Abu Bakr and was in
the safekeeping of Prophet Muhammads wife
Hafsah.
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) took
possession of the originals and ordered some
of the most trusted companions to make careful copies. He then ordered all other unofficial
copies to be burned or otherwise destroyed.
Five official copies were sent to the greatest
cities of the Muslim Caliphate. Original copies
exist to this day in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and
the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.
A tragic end
The final six years of Uthmans reign were
marked by rebellion. Some of the governors
that had been appointed during the reign of
Uthman were heavy handed and to some extent unjust. In this way, the seeds of dissension
spread and many of the people began to love
the luxuries of life that Uthman had warned
against. Conspiracies arose and it was difficult
for Uthman to discern friend from foe. He was
reluctant to shed the blood of any Muslim however rebellious they may be. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) preferred to persuade
with kindness and generosity for he always remembered the words of Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him): Once the
sword is unsheathed among my followers, it
will not be sheathed until the Last Day.
The rebels called for Uthman to step down and
indeed many of the companions advised him
to do so. Uthman (may Allah be pleased with
him), now an old man of more than 80 years,
heard the words of his beloved prophet ringing in his ears and refused to stand down from
his position. Perhaps Allah will clothe you with
a shirt, Uthman and if the people want you to
take it off, do not take it off for them.
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) remained true to his covenant but after a long
siege, the rebels broke into his house and
murdered him. As the assassins sword struck,
Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was
reciting the following verse.So if they believe
in the same as you believe in, then they have
been [rightly] guided; but if they turn away, they
are only in dissension, and Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.(Quran 2:137)
Such was the tragic end of one of the most pious, kind and selfless men in Islam.

The Friday Bulletin

NATIONAL

Jamaada Al Awwal 02,1436/February 20, 2015

State to be sued over Wagalla massacre


Wajir County government will sue the state
to seek justice for the victims of the 1984
Wagalla massacre.
Wajir County governor Ahmed Abdullahi
said his government will partner with local
and international human rights bodies in
compelling the government to compensate
and apologize to the victims of the bloody
massacre. We must sue the government
of Kenya to compel them to compensate
the victims of that heinous massacre.
They must also be forced to acknowledge
that the atrocity was committed and offer
an apology to the people of Wajir, Abdullahi said.

NCIC calls for more funds


for NEP peace initiative
The National Cohesion and Integration
Commission (NCIC) has appealed to the
national government to avail more funds in
order to conduct peace programmes in the
Northern part of the country.
The Mandera-Wajir Mediation Committee headed by NCIC chairman Francis
Ole Kaparo and Garissa senator Yusuf
Haji cited lack of financial support from the
government as a major hinderance to the
committees peace and reconciliation programmes.
All our efforts have being curtailed due to
lack of financial support required by the
committee to carry out its tasks said the
Senator Yusuf Haji.
The peace team also want both the national and county governments to re-settle
internally displaced people in the region.
Mandera Wajir mediation committee was
formed in June last year by President
Uhuru Kenyatta to spear head peace process between warring Garre and Degodia
communities living in the two counties following violence that led to loss of life and
rendered hundreds of others homeless.
The NCIC Chairman noted that since the
committee steped in, the long standing
perennial inter-clan fighting and bloodshed has drastically reduced.
Ole Kaparo lauded both local and national
leaders for their committment in realizing peace and integration among the two
communities.
Meanwhile the office of the Director of
Public Prosecution (DPP) called for the
cancellation of a bail granted to Gatundu
Member of Parliament Moses Kuria over
an incitement case.
The prosecution ordered the cancellation
of the Sh2 million bond pending the determination of the case adding that the controversial politician risks facing jail term
for failure to honour an out of court pact
between him and the commission.
The court was told that depite being offered an out of court settlement the MP
has continued to post hateful messages
on social media.
Moses Kuria faces accusation of hate
speech,public incitement and ethnic contempt.
The case will be heard on March 12.

The governor who was speaking in Wajir


town on Saturday noted that the government must implement the Truth, Justice
and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC)
report that offered some sort of remedy
to the victims.
He said subsequent governments should
take responsibility for the heinous crimes
committed against the people of Wajir.
Subsequent governments had an opportunity to give a chapter of closure to the
massacre. The TJRC report offered such
an opportunity which remains squandered.
We also want those mentioned by the report and witnesses to be prosecuted, added the governor.
On his part former deputy speaker Farah Maalim said the massacre amount to
crimes against humanity and added that
he will champion efforts in seeking justice
from international courts.
We lost faith in governments. Three decades later, we still cry for justice. Those
who killed us still deny what they did. We
must enjoy all civil liberties as enshrined in
the constitution since we are Kenyans who
must enjoy the same rights as others, said
the former deputy speaker.
The massacre was commemorated on
Saturday in Wajir with the screening of a
film Scarred: The Anatomy of a Massacre, a film directed by Judy Kibinge. The
film has accounts of survivors of the massacres.

'Jihad is not about killing


non-Muslims
Youth have been advised to adhere to Islamic moral values and teachings ascribed
in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad peace be upon Him and shun
extremism and misguided groups.
Addressing a youth workshop, Ustadh
Omar Athman, the Imam of Masjid Ihsaan
in Malindi, Kilifi County further advised the
young men and women to engage themselves in productive activities that could
improve on their livelihood stressing that
this can only be achieved through self discipline and hard work.
He went on to urge the youth to steer away
from actions which will contribute to misunderstanding and intolerance in the society
and be at forefront in preaching peace and
harmony among Muslims and people of
other faiths.
Contrary to perceptions created by the media, he said that Islam respects other faiths
and does not support acts of violence
against innocent people Jihad is not about
killing or harming non-Muslims.
''The world views equates jihad with violence against other religions and denying
non-Muslims the right to practice their own
beliefs. Islam is far from these viewpoints,
Ustadh Omar said.
He added that it was prudent that Muslims
use the media to correct the misconceptions about Islam and present a positive
message of the faith to the wider society.

Use Kadhis courts to solve


family disputes
Muslims have been told to make use of the
Kadhis courts in arbitration of family matters.
Malindi high court judge Said Chitembwe
said that the courts provide effective dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve
family disputes which are in conformity
with Islamic principles.
He stated that as taxpayers, it is their constitutional rights to be served by the Kadhi's courts rather than the conventional
courts which could not handle matters outside the jurisdiction of the Kadhi's courts.
He made the remarks last Friday when he
officiated at the opening of the new Kadhis
courts building in Kakamega.
The Judge hailed the opening of the court
saying that it will help reduce on the backlog of cases waiting for resolution at the
local conventional courts.
On his part, the upper western Kadhi
Sheikh Shaaban Issa Muhammad pledged
that the court will ensure that Muslims in
the region are diligently served and called
on them to register their marriage immediately they get married.
He further pointed out that Islam encourages its adherents to put down in written
any transaction or agreement for future
reference and accountability purpose.
The local community led by Sheikh Idris
Luvale thanked the government through
the judiciary for the establishment of the
Kadhi's court and said the move will ease
the dispensation of justice in the Muslim
community.
Muslims in upper western region covering Vihiga and Kakamega counties will no
longer have to travel long distances for
hearing of their cases. Previously litigants
were forced to travel to Bungoma and Kisumu counties respectively for judicial services.

'Address double registration in NEP


Continued from Page 1
oath and relevant government agencies
for the purpose of issuing them with ID
cards.
These people are confined to their villages. They cant get jobs, open bank accounts, he said in his submission.
The taskforce chairman Mathias Omondi
said the ID problem has protracted for long
and is impacting negatively on national security.
Omondi said no one will be victimized for
presenting views noting that the committee will make recommendations based on
the views with the aim of getting a lasting
solution to the problem.
The committee whose mandate expires
in April will tour Mombasa, Kakuma and
Eastleigh among other towns.

Education for the needy


Ummah Foundation has the long term objective of building a financially inclusive community with access to economic opportunities
for all, by giving the most needy and bright students the financial
tools (paying for their schools fees) to improve their lives. This has
a lasting effect of having a society that unlocks itself through education, from the pandemic ills of poverty and ignorance.
There is a wrong perception that Muslims in this country are illiterate, ignorant and suffer from the medieval fallacy of considering
education as the second priority in life. We need to understand
that Islam highly advocates for education. Islam, in theory as well
as in practice, has always promoted knowledge. Distinctive mark
of human beings over the angels is knowledge. The Prophet
s.a.w did not only preach about importance of knowledge, he also
gave examples of promoting knowledge. In the very first battle
between the Muslims and unbelievers of Makka, known as the
war of Badr, the Muslims gained victory and caught seventy non
believers as prisoners of war. One of the criteria of releasing the
POWs devised by the Prophet s.a.w was that those who were literate among the prisoners could go free if they teach ten Muslim
children how to read and write.
Ummah Foundation is currently sponsoring students at secondary
school levels as a pedestal to create a strong foundation and increase the meagre and sorry percentage of Muslims at University
levels from the current 2% to a proportional percentage as per
the Muslim populace. A strong student, Yusuf Hussein at Starehe
Boys centre who is a beneficiary of the Ummah Foundation bursary scheme, is already focused on his future. When asked what
he hopes to do after graduating high school Yusuf tells us "I want
to join university to study medicine and then become a doctor". A
lover of football and Islamic activities, this well rounded student is
eager to learn and change the society at large. With everybodys
concern and help, boys and girls like Yusuf who have a wider vision of making the future bright, we will have so many doctors,
engineers, lawyers and myriads of others joining other meaningful
professions that will change lives.
When asked why he wants to become a doctor Yusuf confidently
replied, "I think I have the heart and passion for that job; I like
taking care of patients. Whenever I go to the hospital I really like
seeing the patients being attended to and helped. I think I would
be good at that job and earn the blessings of Allah swt". We agree.
By investing in him, not only are you investing in the career of a
boy from an ethnic minority in a rural region, but you are investing
in this countys future.
In the rural setup, many families have lower incomes and entirely
depend on livestock or subsistence farming, it is very difficult and
almost impossible to send their children to secondary schools, yet
a high school education is necessary to access many jobs. With
your financial support Yusuf and others can go to school without
worrying that a drought might demand that he drops out due to
unpaid fees.
For many students in this Country where the gap between the
affluent rich and the indigents is too big, the chance to attend
secondary school or attain a University degree means a chance
to broaden not only their academic horizons but also their future
prospects and a reprieve from the vicious circle.
Contact us:
Ummah Foundation
Village Plaza, 2nd Floor, Ngara Rd
P.O. Box 58717-00200 Nairobi
Tel: +254-20-2680610/13 Mob: 0734845277
Email: info@ummahfoundation.net
www.ummahfoundation.net
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.org. Printed by Graphic Lineups Limited-Kweria Road info@graphic.co.ke

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