Content about Labor

By G. N. Abdullah

Islamic Post Staff Writer

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) says it is “a matter of serious concern” that the Obama Administration rebuked the recent announcement of settlement expansion as “a deeply negative signal.” AIPAC is calling “on the Administration to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State,” after an ill-timed announcement made by the Israeli government during the height of US Vice President Joe Biden’s Middle East tour that settlements in East Jerusalem would increase by 1600 persons.

But perhaps more troubling is a lesser known declaration made by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu that the Tomb of the Patriarchs is being made into a national heritage site by his administration, according to Aletho News and agencies. There is a fear that the rehabilitation project scheduled for the mosque of the father of three religions may become reserved for one religion only.

The site, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque, is believed to contain the grave of the Holy Messenger Abraham -who is the father of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Located in Hebron, the Ibrahimi Mosque also lies within Palestinian territory, in the midst of uncontested land.

The Holy Messenger Joseph, or Yusuf, in Arabic, is also believed to be buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The Biblical and Qur’anic patriarchs after which the tomb is named, however, are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as three matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah.

These holy sites -and others such as the resting places of the Holy Messenger Job, or Ayyoub, and the Holy Messenger ‘Imran, the father of Mary, mother of the Holy Messenger Jesus (peace be upon them all), in Oman; the Holy Messengers Jonah, or Yunus, and his father Amittai, whose name is Matta in Arabic, as well as the Holy Messenger Lot -also in the Hebron area; Ezekiel or Zul Kifl in Iraq; Aaron, or Harun, in Jordon; the Holy Messenger Seth, or Sheeth, in Lebanon; and the father of mankind, the Holy Messenger Adam and his wife, our mother, Eve are said to be buried in Saudi Arabia - have all been maintained for almost 1000 years, with respect and love, by Muslims.

The Ibrahimi Mosque has been in existence since 1206. In the 12th century, after capturing almost every other Crusader city, the world renowned Muslim general, Salahhuddin Ayyoubi, advanced on Jerusalem. The city surrendered, Salahhuddin, whose name is commonly spelled Saladin, invited the Jewish people to return to the city. In Hebron, Christians were also allowed to worship freely at the Ibrahimi Mosque.

But in the modern age, Israeli forces began restricting Palestinian visits to the Mosque as far back as May of last year, as reported by Ma’an News.

Dr Elias Akleh, a Palestinian author living in the United States, considers the announcement of Mr Netanyahu’s decision regarding the Tomb of the Patriarchs -like the declaration regarding more settlements during Vice President Biden’s visit- untimely. The decision to make the Ibrahimi Mosque an Israeli national heritage site “coincided with the sixteenth anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre perpetrated by the Zionist Israeli terrorist Baruch Goldstein, who murdered in cold blood 29 Moslems while kneeling in prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque,” writes Dr Akleh in his article, “Netanyahu Re-igniting Religious War in the Holy Land.” Dr Akleh continues: “After the six-days-war in 1967 the Israeli government took control of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and provided protected and free entry to extremist Zionist Jews to pray while limiting access to Moslems’ prayers, who have to go through electronic gates and body search[s] before entering.”

Israeli journalist, Avi Shavit, condemns recent acts of Prime Minister Netanyahu not only as ill-timed, but “insane” in Haaretz: “Our need for the United States is unprecedented at this critical juncture; any national interest should be subservient to the supreme interest of strengthening this alliance. But now of all times, at the most sensitive moment, Israel chooses to act insanely… The continuation of the occupation makes Israel disfigure itself and its image; with its own hands it undermines the legitimacy of Zionism.”

In the wake of more uncertainty surrounding the not quite fledgling peace process, it was not Muslims or Jews, but Christians, who convened from all over the world in Bethlehem to discuss a way forward during a seminar entitled “Christ at the Checkpoint,” at Bethlehem Bible College on March 12-17. The point of the week long meeting was not only stated as gaining understanding of “Holy Scripture as related to the Palestinian context, but “to discuss the theological importance of Peace and Justice.”

  UmmSalaamah’s journey to become a midwife and her commitment to serve her community and to teach others has been led by her deep faith, the divine guidance of Allah and the calling of her ancestors.  She tenaciously and ambitiously pushes the envelope in life attempting what is beyond her own strength yet accomplishing so much through the will of Allah.

In the mid 1970’s, as the African-American movement   for self-determination, and equal rights reached its crest, UumSalaamah found herself tending to the needs of her Brooklyn community as the neighborhood “herb lady”. The young mother of three worked as a postal worker and, like many in her community, she had little trust in conventional medicine. She describes the trauma of the highly invasive birth of one of her children in a military hospital, and the subsequent mismanaged care of her nine-year old son by a family physician, as a pivotal time when she had to rely upon the wisdom of her grandmother, who used herbs and natural home remedies to cure whatever ailed them.

In the late 1970’s UumSalaamah, in her new occupation as a New York City police officer, attended her first births, equipped with the emergency childbirth training she had received. She noted this as another call from her community, and began reading Ina May Gaskin’sSpiritual Midwifery and Grantly Dick-Read’s Birth Without Fear. On one occasion she arrived before the midwives at the birth of a baby with a double knot in its umbilical cord. The midwives entered just in time to resuscitate the baby and UumSalaamah was scared into seeking out education and training. This event echoed the voices of the ancestors whispering to her, “If one does not know, another teaches.”

UumSalaamah applied to nursing school in Brooklyn and was accepted. But she postponed her enrollment after composing a 10-page letter to Ina May Gaskin requesting training at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee. She requested their help in training her to better serve as a midwife at the upcoming birth of her teen daughter’s second child and the families of her Brooklyn community. She boarded a bus with her youngest child in tow and arrived at The Farm during the summer of 1979.  The Farm’s mother-centered, natural model of birthing, and model of care resonated deeply within her; she returned to Brooklyn, quit her job, and moved to The Farm to learn from those midwives. She spent the next two years commuting between Brooklyn (taking care of her family and helping her community birth) and The Farm. These years at The Farm, along with her recent conversion to Islam would foster within her an even greater obligation to community and humanitarian service.

In the years that followed UumSalaamah completed nursing school in Brooklyn and then later attended Emory University, in Atlanta, and graduated as the first African-American CNM midwife from this institution. One of her first jobs as a CNM was working for a brief period at the Mary Breckenridge Hospital, home to Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, in Hyden, Kentucky.

She has worked as a CNM in the states of Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Florida, Texas and most recently, Tennessee. She has studied the health care system in Cuba and traveled in service as a midwife to communities in Senegal, Honduras and Ghana, often living in these communities for months or years at a time. She is also the Midwifery Director for Birthing Project USA.

She can occasionally be found teaching at The Farm’s Midwifery Skills Workshops. In addition, she spends part of her summers volunteering at the Farm’s Kids to the Country youth program for inner city youth.

UumSalaamah has contributed to the sustainability of midwifery through more than six years of service as a MANA Board member where she chaired the founding committee for NARM and established the Women of Color Region (Midwives of Color Section) later becoming a NARM Board Member and serving as a subject matter expert as well as a “tester of the test”.  Her grassroots efforts span decades as a founding member of both Child Birth Providers of African Descent (CPAD) and the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) where she served as the Midwifery Director.

Having attended more than 4000 births, UumSalaamah counts her greatest joy in life as being present for the holistic homebirths of three of her eleven grandchildren and two of her fifteen great grandchildren. In 2010 she birthed a new project, Midwives On the Move (MOM), an organization which recognizes the disparities in both infant mortality and maternal mortality in America, Africa and the Diaspora. UumSalaamah is also acutely aware of the difficulty aspiring NARM candidates from communities of color experience in securing preceptors and preceptor sites.  She firmly believes in “being the change we want to see” and she developed  MOM as the venue  to provide oversee preceptorship experience for midwifery students as well as on-site additional training to the midwives at The Abura Dunkwa Midwifery Training Center in Ghana and to  the traditional midwives in the surrounding rural villages. Her goal is to demonstrate to all that the birthing experience can be compassionate, safe and inclusive.

Canadian mining operations have faced fierce opposition from numerous Latin American countries and communities over the past decade continuing most recently in Guatemala and Costa Rica. In 2008 a Latin American independent report, Investing in Conflict- Public Money, Private Gain: Goldcorp in the Americas condemns the business practices of Canadian mining companies, focusing on the largest, Goldcorp Inc., and discusses the Canadian mining industry’s socially and environmentally destructive practices in the Americas. 

Even before this report, a Canadian mining operation met strong resistance in Costa Rica. In 2003 Canadian mining corporation Glencairn, started open pit mining in Miamar, Costa Rica, ignoring concerns by locals and scientists of the riskiness of the area for large-scale open-pit mining, and an impending ban on open-pit mining in the country. [Reported on http://www. earthworksaction.org] 

The company set up a mine using “cyanide heap leaching” at Bellavista, close to Miamar, which is a process where intensely toxic cyanide trickles through massive mounds of ore and removes the gold from the ore. 

In July 2007, earth movements caused by geological instability and rainfall cracked the mine’s leach pad liner, allegedly leaking cyanide and contaminating the groundwater near the community of Miramar. The Canadian company suspended its operations after the accident and press coverage caused Glencairn stocks to plummet 18%. Shortly thereafter, a major landslide destroyed the remaining infrastructure at the mine. 

On May 2nd 2013 , the Guatemalan government declared a state of emergency in the south eastern part of the country following protests over a Canadian run silver mine owned by Tahoe Resources Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia; protesters are complaining that the operation will drain their water supplies. 

The owners of the Escobal mines, said security guards responded with tear gas and rubber bullets when protesters with machetes “turned hostile.” A governmental action suspended constitutional rights of the residents of these communities for 30 days, declared by the president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina. 

Last month Costa Rica was threatened by a $1 billion lawsuit from Canadian mining company Infinito Gold. This started back in October 2008 when the Costa Rican Supreme Court ordered the Canadian mining company to halt construction of an open-pit gold mine when environmental organizations complained that the plan to cut down 208 hectares (514 acres) to move the project forward, would have a serious environmental impact in the region of which most is untouched forest. The current Costa Rican Laws prevent changing the use of forest land for commercial purposes but then President Oscar Arias declared the Crucitas a project of national interest. 

In April 2013, Infinto Gold issued a warning to Costa Rica that if the company is not permitted to resume work on the Crucitas mine within six months, they plan to sue the country for more than $1 billion USD for breaching its free trade agreement with Canada. 

Environmental issues are not the only factors in these mining operations as studies also show a strong negative social impact to Latin American communities that surround these mining operations. Increased violence, alcoholism and prostitution are often associated with these operations and contrary to industry messaging, employment and economic benefits seem to fall short of projections.

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Many first-time mothers have a limited awareness of the dangers involved in this method of birthing. There are possible long and short term harmful consequences for the mother. There are often unintended cuts, infection, blood clots, emergency hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), a challenging recovery, and unfortunately, often death. 

The costs of cesarean sections are also much higher than vaginal births. In New York State in 2010, the cost to have a cesarean section without complications was $14,583. If complications are involved, it escalates to over $20,000. Today the prices are even higher. 

Why are women having so many cesarean sections? This is a good question to ask. How can we stop these operations or at least slow them down? The solution is birthing centers. Midwife-led birthing centers provide safe and effective healthcare for women. A study was done which included 15,500 women who received care in 79 midwife-led birth centers in 33 US states from 2007 through 2010. They found that fewer than one in sixteen (6 percent) of the participants required a cesarean birth. This is compared to the nearly one in four (24 percent) similarly low-risk women cared for in a hospital setting. This birthing study proves the need for midwives and the effectiveness of the birthing centers. They can actually lower the cost of prenatal care and delivery in the healthcare system. If more women use these facilities, it can drastically lower healthcare costs. 

There are many organizations working together to inform the public of safer and more economical means of giving birth. The American Association of Birth Centers (AABC), American College of Nurse Mid-Midwives (ACNM), certified Nurse Midwives (CNW), Lay Midwives (not certified), licensed physicians, and obstetricians are all part of the ever-growing list of advocates and practitioners of natural childbirth procedures. ACNM President Dr. Holly Powell Kennedy, a professor of midwifery at Yale University School of Nursing said, “Midwives, who attended more than 335,000 births in 2010, worked collaboratively with a range of health care professionals, such as obstetricians and other physicians, to provide comprehensive care for women, resulting in safe, quality care. Their work as a team with pregnant women and their families ensures a personalized and nurturing birth center experience.” 

Birthing centers specialize in comfort of mother, child and family. They promote happiness and support the mother in her decision of natural birth. The interest of healthcare organizations, medical professionals and other healthcare providers are represented through various government bodies; however, the voice of the patient is rarely heard. More and more women are now choosing birthing centers because they are safe, economical, comfortable, reliable, and fill a much needed gap in the childbirth experience today. 

I have never had more than a passing interest in politics; however, since the beginning of the Obama administration I have begun to pay a little more attention. One of the fundamental topics on the forefront, of both election campaigns, was healthcare. The core of the issue is how involved should government be and who, exactly, is best served. On the surface it seems that President Obama believes that the millions of people who live in America will be guaranteed healthcare if their leader (i.e. the federal government) directs healthcare decisions. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, appeared to be suggesting that businesses such as insurance companies should be able to employ the same free enterprise practices they currently enjoy and that if all Americans don’t get healthcare - so be it.

Of the many things in life that directly correlate to one another, applying the free enterprise business model to healthcare is not among them. If all decisions involving healthcare are viewed in terms of what best serves insurance companies and the like, then on some level, patient outcomes are affected. Usually the outcome is multi-factorial, some are good and some are bad; but in the end, if you ask the patient, their needs are often not met. When one takes this conservative approach, ultimately the bottom line is that healthcare businesses are primarily served. If, on the other hand, you liberally approach medicine as an inalienable right of every citizen, the perspective of President Obama, then people become important and their healthcare is enhanced. On the conservative side, the idea is that if you centralize the process and let the government control healthcare, it will somehow hamper the enterprise of medicine and ruin the incentive that money provides to make a company strive to be the best and offer the most to it’s patients. Frequently, what actually happens is that the enticement of monetary gain undermines the idea of “patient first” in the company view and drives the endeavor to make more money.

To elucidate my point, I will describe a scenario that played out all too often in our household when I was growing up. My mother would bring home a very delectable snack like a pack of Oreo cookies. If she was extremely tired or had her focus elsewhere, she might open the cookies and leave us to our own devices as to how they were divided up. In this situation, the younger or physically inferior siblings would frequently not have the benefit of this delicious confection. An alternate scene would be that my mother would elect two of the older siblings to have the task of allocating the cookies to everyone else. This consistently resulted in an uneven distribution of cookies to a favorite sibling or one who would benefit the distributor. Most often was the scenario in which my mother would oversee the division of cookies. For the overall family dynamic this worked out best in that all children received cookies, although some individuals were not entirely happy with their allotment.

If each individual state in the union is left to its own devices, the overall effect is that the cohesiveness of the idea of “United States” is undermined and the least amount of people benefit. If the power of the federal government is relegated to the House and the Senate, then those states that have the most say in the healthcare industry will likely receive the most in regards to healthcare benefits. If however, the Office of the President is one that truly cares about the people entrusted to him, then beyond doubt the overall dynamics of the United States is best served and we all benefit in the end. And as always, Only by God, the Almighty and All Glorious, can we be healed!

The urgency for self sufficiency is way past due. We owe it to our families, communities and ourselves to be ready for land dependency. Land dependency means everything you need is on your property. Preparedness is having the right tools for any circumstance that arises - herbs for healing, organic seeds, homegrown foods for good health, the right trees and livestock to aid you in living a self sufficient life. Labeling trees and herbs is a necessary first step. Know the plant life on your properties so you can enhance their growth. Walk your lands and label your trees. Get books to identify herbs; be adventurous! Don’t wait for someone else to do it or work as a team. There are a great many medicinal trees that are very helpful. Pines are very beneficial because of their vitamin C content. The needles brew a good tea for colds. Pine sap, (or pitch, as it is often called) is used to heal a great many ailments. Native Indians chewed the sap to alleviate joint pain. It is used for colds, cancer, ulcers, smallpox, and it was once used for syphilis. The Chinese use the resin to treat abscesses. Maple trees are excellent sources of sugar. Learning to tap a tree and rendering down syrup is a must. Maple is known worldwide for its mineral content. South Koreans are known to drink it for a number of health concerns and to cleanse the body. They use it for weak bones, calcium deficiencies, high blood pressure and diabetes. Having a natural source of sugar is very much needed. If you don’t have bee hives, maple syrup is the next best thing. Birch trees are also excellent to have; the bark contains oil that can be distilled and used to treat eczema, and the leaves are used as a tea. They are also good for arthritis, bladder and kidney stones, and as a diuretic. Walnut trees are very helpful when removing parasites. It is important to know what you have. Here is an additional list of trees, shrubs, and herbs to have on hand: burdock, witch hazel trees, slippery elm trees, pine trees, butternut, yarrow, mint, elderberry, black walnut trees, blackberries, blueberry, sassafras, chickweed, horehound, penny royal, lady’s mantle, wild yam, golden rod, birch trees, red raspberry, aloe, oak trees, and the list goes on. They all have medicinal properties and are very sustainable.

Stock up on aluminum free baking soda (if possible), this is a quick first aid product used for burns, bee stings, upset stomach, deodorant, soap, and in the garden to neutralize acidic soil and as a insect repellant. Building outdoor stoves and making root cellars to store your veggies in the winter would be helpful. Canning is another must. The easiest way to can is by using a vacuum sealer. There are some that are very inexpensive. A 50lb bag of rice can fill approximately 29 canning jars and be stored indefinitely. Purchasing canning jars in bulk should be looked into. Soap making is another must-do because we need to stay clean. A good cleanser for clothing is borax. It removes stains well. However, tallow which is inside of most soaps, are derived from animals. Cosmetic companies purchase animal remains from rendering plants. There are rendering plants all across the United States. These plants transform dead animal carcasses from road kill, animal shelters, pet stores and zoo’s into sweet smelling cosmetics. Inside of lotions, makeup, cold creams, and soaps they add lots of perfumes to disguise the smell of the dead animals. There are many books on the topic and videos.

Learning to store your food is another necessity. Drying herbs and vegetables for future use is a practical thing to do. If you are on medication, try hard to search out a natural alternative. It is going to take a lot of hard work but it is possible. The prices of many medications is skyrocketing. Eat living foods, such as wheat grass, barley grass, sunflower sprouts everyday, if possible. I say ‘living foods’ because they have enzymes inside of them that clean the blood very quickly. Barley grass contains vitamins A, C, B1, B12, calcium, potassium, iron, 9 amino acids and folic acid. It is a strong antioxidant and that helps fights cancer. It can be grown indoors all-year -round.

There is a beauty to natural living. It is possible to be healthy and use natural remedies. You should just totally rely on Allah Ta Ala, as HE intended for us all along.

The International Qur’anic Open University (IQOU) launched the Mali Health and Development Initiative in 2011, sending a team of American personnel to offer medical and educational assistance to the West African nation troubled with poverty, illiteracy, disease and high mortality rates. Upon arrival, the team opened the Qadri Islamic Centre in Kalaban Coura, Bamako with the goal of coming together with the Malian people to eradicate pre-Islamic practices of sorcery and paganism that have appeared in their customs by promoting Islamic education and following the best example of all creation, the Holy Last Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him. A member of the delegation, Anisa Mahdi A. Sabur, blogs on their experiences:

Prior to my departure, one of my senior mentors said to me, “We donned the Gele, the Dashiki and embraced our African heritage, but it was not until His Eminence Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani came and taught us Al Islam and groomed us in its culture and decorum that  we were ready to return!” Allah be praised!

West Africa is rich with the heritage of the Sahabah Karam, the blessed companions of the Holy Last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him), and Awliya and Sufiya - those who are loved by Almighty God due to their tireless worship, selfless service and spiritual purity.  Mali is the home of Timbuktu, the city that was once the premier center of Islamic scholarship, knowledge, and learning in Africa. The people are warm and friendly;  they welcomed us into their community.

However, after being in Bamako, the capital of Mali, for a month, and seeing beyond our happiness at being reunited with our culture and ancestry, we noticed the waning practice of Islam among the people. And now, we are humbled and privileged to be a part of reviving and  strengthening true deen (Islamic way of life) among the descendants of our very own forebears.

Some of the women have come to visit the newly established Qadri Islamic Centre to learn their salaat- the prayers every Muslim must perform at five times during the day,  in Arabic. They also request help in learning the Names of Allah, The Almighty Creator, learning Darood Sharif ( a special invocation asking The Almighty to send blessing upon the Holy Last Messenger, peace be upon him) and just to talk about Allah and His Nabi, peace be upon him, expressing  love for him. Also,  the  Dalaa’il-- Khairaat (another famous invocation proclaiming the sublime status and laudable attributes of the Holy Last Messenger - peace be upon him) is available and is revered.

Allah has given Mali great abundance in natural resources: gold, valued in the billions of dollars, leaves the country daily. It is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - exporter of beef in the region, as well as of cotton. There is also cloth, known throughout the continent for its beauty and quality, that only can be found in Mali. I have seen the men making it by hand – the process is intriguing.

Despite these riches, many of the people live in squalor- the result of hundreds of years of colonialism, which robbed Mali of much of its autonomy, natural wealth, and ravaged their integrity and spirit.The tragic effects of material and psychological poverty, filth and trash are everywhere. Lack of self-esteem and apathy is sadly reflected in the deplorable conditions, which have apparently been accepted by some of the Malian people. The fact that many have lost or given up their true belief and faith in Almighty God (regardless of whether they had adopted Islam or Christianity) is apparent in their yoke of sociological oppression and absence of remembrance of Allah.

The average life expectancy of Malian people is 47 due to malaria and their inability to pay for mundane healthcare and the incapability of their government to care.

In the city, a few of the women cover themselves according to the Islamic code of dress, and for the most part, it is the older women that wear the large chaddar draped around them. The majority of the women do not cover properly and many of the youth sport western apparel, especially the males; the young women wear hair weaves (synthetic hair woven into the real hair, which is unlawful for Muslims), wigs, and heavy makeup. As our Holy Last Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) related, and our honorable and perfect Imam, El Sheikh Gilani , has taught us: when you dress like a people, you act like the people you emulate.

At the other end of the spectrum, we were shown pictures of the family village of Mahmoud, a member of the IQOU delegation, where Deen (Islam as a way of life) is practiced in letter and spirit. It is very clean and the women and men are covered. I imagined this is what things looked like during the days of the Sahabah Karam in Mali. The faces of the people are bright and healthy looking - a striking contrast to the condition and appearance of the city and its people.

Fridays and Mondays are honored days here in Mali, where the lovers dress up and fast - an act done  for spiritual purification which augments the worshipper’s love for Almighty God. Friday is  the day of special congregational prayers for Muslims, and before dispersing, more Muslims - in Mali and worldwide - are taking time to commemorate the immense blessing conferred upon mankind in the mission and message of Syedina Muhammad Mustapha, peace and blessings be upon him, called the ‘mercy to all the worlds’ by Allah in the Holy Qur’an.

As His Eminence El Sheikh Gilani has taught - when sending greetings of peace upon Nabi Muhammad on Fridays, he returns the greeting (felt by the heart); and loving him and his family is a means to obtain the love and mercy of Almighty God and a means for his benevolence and intercession. May Allah, The Most Exalted, revive  the people of Mali for their love of HIS Beloved - endless peace and blessing be upon him!  Amin.

We, the American Muslim Medical Relief Team (AMMRT), appeal to the United Nations to aid the people of Pakistan who are still reeling from the environmental damage caused by the devastating earthquakes and floods in the past few years. The people have received precious little assistance in their time of need from the government of Pakistan, who has taken the funds meant to rebuild the communities and transferred the monies to international banks, thus embezzling millions and crippling the economy. The results are the shutdown of basic necessities  such as gas and power across the nation.

Sources close to the AMMRT have reported that in Faisalabad, the workers in the cloth mills are suffering with no money, resorting to selling their children and even to committing suicide. Even though this is a very heinous sin for Muslims, such is their current sense of hopelessness.

The AMMRT was formed under the auspices of the Vice Chancellor of the International Qur’anic Open University, El Sheikh Syed Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani, and is composed of American healthcare professionals who have placed their lives in jeopardy and selflessly given their monies, time, and medical expertise after catastrophic disasters around the world including Ground Zero, Hurricane Katrina, as well as the calamitous earthquakes and floods in Pakistan.
In the aftermath of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, millions were left homeless, sick, and starving with little hope that their situation would change.  Monies and other capital donated by many nations of the world, including the United States, were misappropriated by corrupt government officials to help bolster their own political standing.  The result was a tremendous increase in not only the percentage of the population in poverty, but a greater separation between the classes. This was seen firsthand by the AMMRT team as we worked in the Ayyub Medical Center in Abbottabad, where on a daily basis we witnessed poor patients being left for dead and not given even subpar treatment; whereas, their more affluent counterparts received the best the hospital had to offer.  In one particular instance, a pregnant mother and her unborn child both died because the hospital would not allow us to “waste” the use of an Ultrasonography machine.

This same scenario  presented itself once again in the wake of the floods that ravished the Punjab province in 2010. Following a month of monsoon activity, floods devastated much of the area, displacing about 20 million people, submerging about 1000 miles of roads under water, and killing approximately 10 million head of livestock.  Also, millions fell ill due to the microbe-friendly environment created by the stagnant water.     

Presently,  the government of Pakistan has become non-existent, having given the citizens only false promises, while fleecing them of the billions of rupees in aid money that the country has received from all over the world.  To add insult to injury, the government has increased the price of food and other essentials, ensuring that more people will suffer.  The squandering of donated aid and resources in this fashion has made the recovery from disasters of this caliber  almost impossible.

The United Nations - and the world - must act today!

The UN was formed not only to establish world peace, facilitate friendly dialogue between neighboring countries, and to prevent a third world war, but also to help rebuild nations in the aftermath of disasters by providing support to the people affected by these events.  Now more than ever, your assistance is needed in this part of the world.
The AMMRT appeals to this organization  to fulfill the mission under which it was founded and help end the oppression and resultant suffering of the people of Pakistan.  If you do not help immediately, the death toll will inevitably rise, millions will continue to be displaced, suffer economic depression,  and fall ill to the scourge of diseases that are unearthed in the wake of calamitous natural disasters.  

We, the American Muslim Medical Relief Team, remain committed and willing to continue lending our assistance to the relief effort, but are insisting that the United Nations give immediate help, particularly in the light of these recent revelations of gross mismanagement and, indeed, neglect by the Pakistani government.
Please answer this urgent plea and do not hesitate to include us, as we, too, were established for the sole purpose of providing aid to mankind and we cannot sit idly by as this situation continues to unfold and deteriorate in the manner it has.  
We implore you to join us in bringing peace, stability, and hope to millions!

Contact Info:
American Muslim Medical Relief Team
(607) 467-4677
ammrt@iqou-moa.org

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a self professed “devout Muslim”, plays a prominent role in the documentary film “The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America” as its narrator and chief commentator. By aligning himself with the Clarion Fund, a front organization for the Zionist group Aish Ha Torah, Dr. Jasser is just another tool being used, adding to the growing collection of inflammatory and provocative anti-Islamic rhetoric and Media Terrorism produced in the United States. The sole purpose of this film is to create an environment of Islamophobia inciting fear and paranoia in the American people and igniting hatred between Muslims and Christians.

Produced in 2009, “The Third Jihad” has recently come under fire by critics who abhor both its demonic portrayal of Muslims and its use by the NYPD in 2010 in its counter terrorism training program. We, the Muslims of the Americas are enjoined by the very religion which some wish to destroy, to uphold truth and condemn falsehood. Like all true Americans we are committed to safeguarding the Constitution and the rights that it guarantees for all citizens, and we oppose the blatant prejudice and hatred depicted in this film.

The film promotes anti-Muslim hysteria by bolstering the belief that most Muslims are radicals or have the potential of being tempted to join the ranks of radicals. This is the same methodology used by such racist hate organizations as the Christian Action Network, Fox News, Paul Williams, and others who are actively propagating a war between Muslims and Christians on American soil. No Muslim is exempt from Jasser’s baseless accusations, but never has Islam been a threat. Jasser is widely exposed and a growing number of Americans are rejecting his rhetoric.

Professor James H. Fetzer, PhD, an American patriot, distinguished scholar and retired US Marine Corps Captain is just one of many Americans who have questioned the teeming inconsistencies surrounding 9/11. In his article published in Veterans Today, titled “Inside Job: Seven Questions About 9/11”, Fetzer reveals gaping holes in the propaganda released from September 11 as he raises the following questions:

1. What caused the enormous explosions in the subbasements of both of the Twin Towers prior to the impacts of any planes on those buildings?

2. How is it possible that the planes entered the towers without crumpling on impact?

3. In video footage from the attack on the pentagon why isn’t the plane in the image the size of a Boeing 757?

4. Why was there no debris on the lawn of the Pentagon?

5. How did a piece of fuselage belonging to American Airlines 757 that crashed in a rain forest above Cali, Columbia in 1995 wind up on the Pentagon lawn?

6. Why was it necessary to fake the fires coming from the Pentagon if a plane had actually crashed there?

7. Why the American media has been ignoring these questions in the land of the free and home of the brave.

Answers have been demanded of law enforcement and government officials that have yet to be acknowledged in over a decade by any investigation launched by the American government. We too have questions. How did building number seven come down without any airplane hitting it ? Why were 4000 Jewish employees absent on the tragic day of 9/11? We ask why your investigations have not been focused on the true conspirators and enemies of this great country?

The Third Jihad’s doctored footage and outright lies are just one of many aspects of the campaign of deception. One clear example is a clip of Kashmiri freedom fighters. This clip gives the false impression that El Shiekh Gilani is training Muslims to commit acts of terror against America. The fact is that more than fifty years ago, the United Nations guaranteed the Kashmiris the right to self determination and despite this fact, they are still being prevented from exercising this right, by the tyrannical Indian government and security forces. The Pope himself spoke out against this oppressive rule. It is a well known fact that 100% of Kashmiris follow the Qadri order and the family of Gilani. El Sheikh Gilani has taken a vow to defend till his last drop of blood, their honor, and continues to encourage them to defend their rights against tyranny and oppression.

Instead of fabricating the notion that members of Muslims of the Americas are anti-American radicals who are hatching plots to wreak terror on its fellow citizens, let us examine the facts. El Sheikh Gilani has taught and encouraged his followers to embrace the true spirit of patriotism and love for one’s country. Like all Americans it is incumbent on us to defend our country. And when our nation was in dire need our Muslim Boy Scouts were directed by El Sheikh Gilani to assist in relief efforts for 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Upstate New York floods of 2006 and 2010. Where were your cameras then? Where were you, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser? Our lifestyle defines who we are. We want nothing more than what many Americans desire - a clean wholesome environment in which to raise our families, practice our religion, and make valuable contributions to society. Let our actions and lifestyle speak for themselves.

The “Third Jihad” is a misleading documentary launched against American Muslims. It has served to heighten the chaos and paranoia that already gripped America in the days following 9/11. It is the biggest lie which (if not exposed) will lead to another war with even graver consequences than we have already suffered in Iraq and elsewhere. For instance, during the Reagan administration, America was manipulated into fighting a covert war with the communists. In Iraq or Afghanistan, there was absolutely nothing for Americans to gain. The Zionists took great care to devise an intricate plan of deception to justify the need for invasion. They created a fear that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed a direct threat to the US. Whereas, it has been proven that the WMDs never existed.

Dr. Jasser credits the atrocity of 9/11 and the lack of Muslim voices speaking out against Osama Bin Laden and terrorism as the catalyst for his crusade against what he calls Islamic radicalism. Yet “The Third Jihad” reveals the true motive of Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and the Clarion Fund, which is to aid in fulfilling the evil designs of the Zionists whose purpose is to incite religious bigotry and hatred, racism and violence towards Islam, with the intent of provoking a new crusade: a war between the adherents of the two great religions -- Islam and Christianity.

They have repeatedly targeted the Muslims of the Americas and its spiritual leader El Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani. We are American citizens and this is our country. We love our country and will defend it from those who wish to cause harm from either inside and outside. Let it be known that upon the return of Jesus, son of the chaste Mary, Muslims and Christians will join together, and the two great religions will become one; an end will come to evil and falsehood. This is the divine design of the One Almighty Creator and nothing can stop it from occurring.

(IP) - On February 27, an unprecedented alliance of more than 60 Occupy groups and 30 environmental, food and corporate accountability organizations joined together for Occupy our Food Supply, a global day of action resisting the corporate control of food systems as well as making healthy food accessible and coming to environmentally friendly solutions.

The call to Occupy our Food Supply, facilitated by Rainforest Action Network, is being echoed by prominent thought leaders, authors, farmers and activists. The theme of Occupy our Food Supply is to create local solutions and resist big agricultural and destructive practices of placing profits over people and the planet.

Prominent thought leaders, authors, farmers and activists including the Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva, Food Inc.’s Robert Kenner, music legend Willie Nelson, actor Woody Harrelson, and authors Michael Pollan, Raj Patel, Anna Lappe, Gary Paul Nabhan, and Marion Nestle, were amongst others joining the coalition.

“Nothing is more important than the food we eat and the family farmers who grow it,” said Willie Nelson, President of Farm Aid, who is a plaintiff in a suit against agribusiness giant Monsanto. As reported by Common Dreams, Nelson continues, “Corporate control of our food system has led to the loss of millions of family farmers, destruction of our soil, pollution of our water and health epidemics of obesity and diabetes. We simply cannot afford it. Our food system belongs in the hands of many family farmers, not under the control of a handful of corporations.” The lawsuit against Monsanto addresses allegations of harassing and threatening organic farmers with lawsuits of “patent infringement” if any organic farmer ends up with any trace amount of GM seeds on their organic farmland, according to Nation of Change. Judge Naomi Buckwald will hand down her decision on whether the lawsuit will move forward to trial on March 31st.

There is unity between farmers, parents, health care professionals, human rights activists, food justice advocates and food lovers around the world who are increasingly viewing their concerns as different manifestations of the same underlying problem: a food system structured for short term profit instead of the long term health of people and the planet.

Common Dreams states that there have never been so few corporations responsible for more of our food chain. Of the 40,000 food items in a typical U.S. grocery store, more than half are now brought to us by just 10 corporations. Today, Tyson, Cargill and JBS are three companies that process more than 70 percent of all US beef. More than ninety percent of soybean seeds and 80 percent of corn seeds used in the United States are sold by just one other company: Monsanto. Four companies are responsible for up to 90 percent of the global trade in grain; and one in four food dollars is spent at Walmart.

Turn on any television or open any newspaper and you can’t help but notice the escalating Islamophobia that exists in America and abroad. Cleverly disguised as campaigns against terrorism, the various media outlets broadcast this manufactured fear around the world. The agencies that have fashioned this paranoia due to extreme hate for Islam, are relishing in the violence and mayhem that is occurring for it seemingly supports the negative, preconceived notions that exist about the faith and thus supports their efforts. What people aren’t seeing is that most of this carnage is rooted more in culture than it is religion and this is why we at the Islamic Post are dedicated to being that one media source that sets the record straight about true Islam so that its beauty will shine like a beacon of light for all humanity and thus serving its true purpose. In a previous article it was mentioned that there are two aspects of Islam, an essence and a form, and each aspect was associated with its own type of Muslim (i.e. there are two separate, major types). But after reading the following passages from the book Irshad it dawned on me that this view is incorrect and the appropriate view will allow people to see true Islam.

The complete title of the book is Irshad : The Wisdom of a Sufi Master and the passage is as follows: “There are self righteous fanatics who abstain from eating pork, but not from devouring human rights; who call it unlawful to eat blood, yet kill human beings; who talk of wine as forbidden, yet consume the property of orphans; who stress the unlawfulness of adultery, yet indulge in slander. It is quite correct to say that Allah AWJ forbids the eating of pork, but it is also unlawful to devour human rights. Indeed, the latter is a greater sin.” In another passage the author says—and I am paraphrasing: God had indeed forbidden adultery and fornication, but The Holy Last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has told us that lying and backbiting are even worse than those dreadful sins. As for sloth, there is no one more odious to God and The Holy Last Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) than a lazy person. Those unbelievers also include employers who exploit their workers and people who eat in front of others without sharing their food. The Pilgrimage should be made for the sake of God, not merely to acquire the title Hajji. Do not break a human heart. Though you construct a hundred thousand Ka’bas, if you break one heart you are ruined. The Ka’ba in Mecca was built by the blessed Abraham, but God created the heart. The first state of purity is that required for the ritual prayer; if broken it can be easily restored by ablution. The second is the purity of faith. It is broken if one lies, slanders, hits, slaps, beats, commits murder, or violates the other prohibitions of God; nor is it such an easy matter to restore the purity of faith.

These few simple passages say so much about Islam for those who truly want to know about the faith. Islam is complete and total submission to the will of God and a Muslim is one who does that. Submission is of one type, you do it or you don’t, therefore God is one, Submission is one, Islam is one, and there is only one kind of Muslim.

This means that although Islam has two aspects (i.e. essence and form) it is the complete marriage of these ideas that one inculcates to be a Muslim. Consequently these parts are not mutually exclusive so if one practices Islam with the idea they can separate the two attributes then in essence they are not Muslim. So even if they have made the testimony of the faith (i.e. taken “shahada”), they cannot truly believe only profess that they do. In the end there is only ONE type of Muslim and all the others who profess to be are merely people who have shahada.

Thus those images you see on television of people usurping human rights, oppressing women and children, and murdering innocent people in the name Islam, are repulsive to Muslims and can only be committed by people who propagate their own desires and merely profess to believe in God. If one is a true believer, they will put into practice their beliefs, the mere professors stop at only the words.

Subsequently Islam is more than a set of religious rites and rituals; it is a broader idea of how one is to conduct their life to realize a unity with God. This means that it is not necessary for one to take the testimony of faith by mere words in order to be a Muslim. If you truly follow the example of Christ (i.e. true Christians), Moses (i.e. true Jews), or The Holy Last Messenger (peace be on them all) in letter and deed, then you are in fact a believer.

Consequently people can be coerced into speaking the testimony, but what is the good in that if in your heart you don’t believe? From this one can then see that it cannot be the goal of a Muslim to force anyone into Islam, we can relay the message and hope ones heart points them to God. In this sense the more true believers there are, the better we can all get along and truly live peacefully on Earth as the family of God. And as always, Only by God, the Almighty and All Glorious, can we be healed.