Interiors of the Air Force 1

Interiors of the Air Force 1

Dec 8th 2009,  

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NBC New York

What can $40 and a loaf of bread do for a man?

Apparently it can turn a crook’s life around and help him get on track.

An ex-thug sent a thank-you note and a $50 bill to the Long Island deli owner who spared his life and saved him from a life of crime.

Back in May, the letter-writer attempted to rob the deli when the owner, Mohammed Sohail, 47, pulled out a rifle. But after the ex-crook pleaded for his life, explaining he was only doing this because his family was down on luck. Sohail spared the thief's life and gave him $40 and a loaf of bread.

Clerk Thwarts Robbery, Then Gives Thief $40

WATCH

Clerk Thwarts Robbery, Then Gives Thief $40

"When you do good things for somebody, it comes back to you. I gave him $40 and he sent me back $50. It was a good investment," Sohail said, laughing.

The anonymous writer apologized to Sohail, his intended target. "First of all I would like to say I am sorry at the time I had [no] money no food on the table no job and nothing for my family," the ex-crook wrote.

The letter went on to say he "was wrong but I had [no] choice. I needed to feed my family," comments similar to those he made during the attempted robbery.

"When you had that gun to my head I was 100% that I was going to die," he wrote.

"Now I have a new child and good job make good money staying out of trouble and taking care of my family. You gave me forty dollars thank you for sparing my life. Because of that you change my life."

The letter-writer wrote that he initially said he would convert to Islam only because he feared for his life, but he has since followed through, according to the letter.

The Islam convert signed the letter: “Your Muslim Brother.”

"That's the same guy I gave $40 to," Sohail told the New York Post. He showcased the letter at his Shirley Express deli yesterday. The typewritten letter had no return address and was mailed on Long Island the week before Thanksgiving.

"I'm really thrilled," said Sohail. "I'm very happy for that guy, because he is now doing good for the community He has a job and he is a good person. I really feel great. Thank God he's doing good. He's got a new baby and he's not in jail."

Suffolk County police turned down the Post’s requests for comment until they have reviewed the letter. Detectives investigating the attempted robbery in were unable to track down the suspect after reviewing surveillance camera footage.

First Published: Dec 3, 2009 12:24 PM EST

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Halal Slaughter is Most Humane

Halal Slaughter is Most Humane

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What we always knew about Halal slaughter is borne out by the results of a recent study undertaken by Professor Wilhelm Schulze and Dr. Hazim at the school of Venerinary Medicine, Hanover University, Germany. the professor and his colleague have found that the 'Direct Method' of slaughtering an animal, which is the Islamic method of Dhabh, is more merciful as compared to the conventional method in vogue in the west, whereby the animal is stunned with a 'captive bolt pistol' before being slaughtered.

Research into the pain and consciousness of an animal slaughtered in the Halal/dhabh way, as was practiced by the Prophet Muhammad and enjoined upon Muslims to follow, discovered that:

• the first three seconds [after the fatal incision is made across the throat] as shown on the EEG (Electroencephalogram) - electric recording of the brain - did not show any change in the EEG pattern, as compared to before the incision, thus indicating the animal did not feel any pain during or immediately after the incision.
• in the following three seconds, the EEG recorded a condition of deep sleep-unconsciousness caused by the large quantity of blood gushing out of the body;
• after the lapse of these six seconds, the electric recording of the brain (EEG) registered zero level, showing no feeling of pain by the animal at all.

 
However, in contrast to this Islamic Halal or Dhabh method, the western Direct Method with a captive bolt pistol showed:

• the animal was apparently unconscious soon after stunning;
• EEG indicated severe pain being experienced by the animal, immediately after stunning; and
• the heart of the stunned animal stopped beating earlier than the animal that is slaughtered according to the Islamic method of dhabh, resulting in retention of more blood in the carcass.

Meat thus produced for consumption is unhygienic (and can cause poisoning and disease to the consumer).

Stunning an animal before killing has been found to spread the mad cow disease in recent research carried out at Texas University and by Canada's food inspection Agency as it scatters brain tissue throughout the animal. the brain tissue is the most infectious part of the infected animal.

Therefore, the proper halal, or dhabh/direct method is not only the humane method - a mercy to the animals - of slaughtering animals, but also the safest for consumption of meat - for it rids the meat of blood.

This is the only method that drains the blood completely from the carcass (blood is unhygenic and harmful) and without any danger to health from the brain and spinal cord.

Truly Prophet Muhammad came as a mercy to all the Alameen (Worlds): saved animals from suffering and showed the way to healthy and safe way of consuming meat!

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Halaal Slaughtering Method

• The purpose of slaughtering is only for Allah and not for other purposes.

• The phrase Bismillah-ar-rahman-ar-raheem (In the name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful) must be invoked immediately before the slaughtering of each animal.

• Slaughtering must be done only once to each animal. The ‘sawing action’ of the slaughtering is permitted as long as the slaughtering knife is not be lifted off the animal during the slaughter.

• The act of halal slaughter shall begin with an incision on the neck at some point just below the glottis (Adam’s apple) and after the glottis for long necked animals.

• The slaughter act shall sever the trachea (halqum), oesophagus (mari’) and both the carotid arteries and jugular veins (wadajain) to hasten the bleeding and death of the animal (see Figure 1 to Figure 4). The bleeding shall be spontaneous and complete.

(Kindly consult an 'Alim for more clarifications)

Settling the "infidels" question in Islam

Maher Y. Abu-Munshar

Kuala Lumpur - Despite the substantial number of scholarly works and news stories to the contrary, many people still have the unfortunate misconception that Muslims cannot tolerate, coexist, or cooperate with followers of other religions. This is partly because Muslim extremists themselves often (mis)use Qur’anic verses to justify acts of violence against non-Muslims.

Simply put, these interpretations are wrong. In fact, many verses in the Qur'an call for friendship, fair treatment and cooperation with non-Muslims but are ignored by those wishing to create division in order to fan the flames, so to speak.

Examples of the misused Qur'anic verses include, for example: "Let not the Believers take for allies or helpers Unbelievers rather than Believers" (3:28) and "O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your allies. They are but allies to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them [for alliance] is of them" (5:51).

These verses should be seen as providing the necessary support for the survival and cohesion of an early vulnerable community of Muslims–the Prophet Muhammad and his followers who arrived as refugees in Medina–in a potentially hostile environment.

In other words, the Qur'an was advising a particular community of Muslims in 7th century Arabia to be wary of entering blindly into political alliances. And indeed they were betrayed at that time by some of their Jewish allies. In fact, these verses were revealed in particular because some Muslims, for personal gain, were keen to establish or keep alliances with non-Muslims at the expense of their co-religionists and the newly formed state. These verses therefore were instructing these early Muslims to be self-reliant and to not depend upon others' protection in order to establish a strong, lasting community.

Like the verses cited above, others are also quoted out of context, easily misleading the uninformed reader. One such verse, "And slay them wherever ye find them..." (2:191), is quoted extensively by many extremist Muslims and non-Muslims alike to showcase Islam's supposed hatred of non-Muslims.

However, this verse too is taken out of context, because the ones just before and after it maintain that Muslims should never be aggressors and should only protect themselves against persecution. The context then becomes clear: this verse was revealed for a specific incident relating to the pagan Arabs who continuously breached the peace and reneged on truces at that particular time. In other words, this instruction is only applicable to this specific incident.

The Egyptian Muslim jurist Yusuf al-Qaradawi points out that these verses are not unconditional and certainly cannot be applied to every single Jew, Christian or non-Muslim. Taking them out of a specific context that relates to some event in earlier Muslim history, they contradict other instructions in the Qur'an that call for kindness to those who wish Muslims no harm.

Both Muslims and non-Muslims must learn to differentiate verses in the Qur'an that are specific to a particular context from those that are universal by also reading those verses that frame the contentious ones.

It is also important to remember that a prevailing message of respect for freedom of religion abounds in the Qur'an: "There is no compulsion in religion" (2:256); "Lo! Those who believe (in that which is revealed unto thee, Muhammad), and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans–whoever believeth in Allah and the Last Day and doeth right–surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve" (2:62); among others.

But the ideal relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims is best captured by two Qur'anic verses in particular (60:8-9). These verses–which advise Muslims to treat those of other faiths justly–employ a word which comes from the root word birr, which refers to a deep-rooted type of kindness and justice. The Qur'an counsels that birr be the basis of the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims–the same instruction it gives for dealing with one’s parents.

Today, when violent extremists quote these verses out of context to justify terrorism, it is essential to look at the Qur'an closely. All Muslims need to combine recitation of the holy text with full understanding of its injunctions. As the majority of Muslims do not speak Arabic, the language of the Qur'an, it is essential that they refer to trusted sources of interpretation and translation and not follow an unsupported, misguided reading of this text. This will surely pave the way toward eliminating misunderstanding and the misuse of the Qur'an for violent ends and instead promote the universal vision of Qur'an: genuine tolerance and peaceful coexistence between all of humanity.

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* Dr. Maher Y. Abu-Munshar is Visiting Senior Lecturer to the Department of History and Islamic Civilization at the University of Malaya, Malaysia and the author of Islamic Jerusalem and its Christians: A History of Tolerance and Tensions (I B Tauris 2007). This article is part of a series on the myth that Islam is inherently violent written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 1 December 2009, www.commongroundnew s.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

GE unit nears Islamic bond sale - bankers

GE unit nears Islamic bond sale - bankers | 投资资讯 | 公司新闻 | reuters.com.cn

2009年 11月 19日 星期四 20:23 BJT

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* General Electric unit to sell 5-yr benchmark bond

* Could raise as much as $1 bln

* U.S. conglomerate looking to diversify investor base

By Rachna Uppal

DUBAI, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A unit of General Electric (GE.N: 行情) is expected to close the order books on Thursday on a 5-year fixed-rate dollar denominated sukuk, or Islamic bond, as the U.S. conglomerate looks to diversify its investor base, bankers said.

Unofficial price guidance for General Electric Capital Corp (GECC)'s (GEA.N: 行情) Reg S sukuk is between 165 basis points (bps) and 175 bps over U.S. Treasuries, and the issue could be worth as much as $1 billion, depending on demand, bankers close to the transaction said.

The global Islamic bond market has been lying idle for much of 2009, after issuance was hit last year by the global credit crunch and a debate over the compliance of some of its structures with Islamic law.

Several sovereigns, including Gulf Arab state Bahrain and Indonesia, have issued sukuk in recent months.

Issuance fell 56 percent to $14.9 billion in 2008, according to Standard & Poor's, but interest for high-rated emerging market debt has seen a flurry of conventional and Islamic bond issues in the third quarter of the year.

Bankers say GE Capital, the financial services arm of General Electric, aims to diversify its investor base to incorporate Islamic investors.

"GE is one of the most prolific issuers in the U.S. and all they are trying to do is tap a different investor base," said one banker, who declined to be identified as the transaction is ongoing.

"Its always good to have a new market, and a diversified investor base," another banker said.

GE Capital's sukuk will be issued through GE Capital Sukuk Ltd, a subsidiary of GE Capital, in an Ijara structure.

Ijara -- Arabic for leasing -- incorporates an agreement in which banks lease an asset to a client for a specific time at a specific price. At the end of the leasing period, the client may or may not own the asset.

A series of roadshows taking in Asia and the Middle East were held recently to gauge demand from investors for the GE Capital bond.

Goldman Sachs, Citi, Kuwait's Liquidity House - a subsidiary of Islamic lender Kuwait Finance House - and National Bank of Abu Dhabi are joint bookrunners for the sukuk issue.

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam is joint lead manager, according to a banker.

Abu Dhabi government-owned investment company Mubadala said on November 9 its commercial finance joint venture with General Electric (GE.N: 行情) was aiming for at least $4 billion in business next year. [ID:nL9432986]

(Additional reporting by Rania el Gamal and Stanley Carvalho; Editing by John Irish, John Stonestreet)

Swiss voters back ban on minarets

There are only four minarets in Switzerland

Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show.

More than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the ban.

The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation.

The government opposed the ban, saying it would harm Switzerland's image, particularly in the Muslim world.

But Martin Baltisser, the SVP's general secretary, told the BBC: "This was a vote against minarets as symbols of Islamic power."

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Bern, says the surprise result is very bad news for the Swiss government which fears unrest among the Muslim community.

Our correspondent says voters worried about rising immigration - and with it the rise of Islam - have ignored the government's advice.

In a statement, the government said it accepted the decision.

It said: "The Federal Council (government) respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted."

This will cause major problems because during this campaign mosques were attacked, which we never experienced in 40 years in Switzerland Tamir Hadjipolu Zurich's Association of Muslim Organisations Minaret vote: Your views Result "reflects unease with Islam"

Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said: "Concerns [about Islamic fundamentalism] have to be taken seriously.

"However, a ban on the construction of new minarets is not a feasible means of countering extremist tendencies."

She sought to reassure Swiss Muslims, saying the decision was "not a rejection of the Muslim community, religion or culture".

Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims and has just four minarets.

After Christianity, Islam is the most widespread religion in Switzerland, but it remains relatively hidden.

There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning applications for new minarets are almost always refused.

Supporters of a ban claimed that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system - Sharia law - which are incompatible with Swiss democracy.

But others say the referendum campaign incited hatred. On Thursday the Geneva mosque was vandalised for the third time during the campaign, according to local media.

Amnesty International said the vote violated freedom of religion and would probably be overturned by the Swiss supreme court or the European Court of Human Rights.

'Political symbol'

The president of Zurich's Association of Muslim Organisations, Tamir Hadjipolu, told the BBC: "This will cause major problems because during this campaign mosques were attacked, which we never experienced in 40 years in Switzerland.

"Islamaphobia has increased intensively."

And there was dismay among Switzerland's Muslims upon hearing the result.

It's a message that you are not welcome here as true citizens of this society Elham Manea, co-founder of the Forum for a Progressive Islam

Farhad Afshar, president of the Coordination of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland, said: "The most painful thing for us is not the ban on minarets but the symbol sent by this vote.

"Muslims do not feel accepted as a religious community."

Elham Manea, co-founder of the Forum for a Progressive Islam, added: "My fear is that the younger generation will feel unwelcome.

"It's a message that you are not welcome here as true citizens of this society."

Sunday's referendum was held after the SVP collected 100,000 signatures from voters within 18 months calling for a vote.

In recent years countries across Europe have been debating how best to integrate Muslim populations.

France focused on the headscarf, while in Germany there was controversy over plans to build one of Europe's largest mosques.

Lewiston Student Forbidden To Pray

The family of a 7th-grade Muslim student says she was forbidden to pray inside Lewiston Middle School by school officials. Ismail Warsame says his niece had been praying on her free time ever since school started in September. But he said school administrators told her last week that praying wasn't allowed in school, and that her mother would have to take her outside the building to pray. Warsame says the family contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington D.C., and that his niece was briefly allowed to pray after the organization contacted the school...but that a teacher once again kept her from praying the next day.



Superintendent Leon Levesque says the incident is the result of a miscommunication. According to the 2003 guidelines set by the No Child Left Behind Act, no student can be forbidden from praying at school during non-instructional time, as long as it doesn't disrupt others. The law states that school officials can't encourage or discourage prayer, or participate in such activities. Levesque says no Lewiston student has even been kept from praying on school property. He says this student had requested that a room be made available for praying. Levesque says Lewiston schools strive to be neutral and don't provide prayer rooms so as not to appear to promote religious practices.



Warsame says his niece never requested a prayer room, and that the issue only arose when school officials told her she couldn't pray on campus because the school lacked a prayer room. Warsame says he also believes the incident is the result of a misunderstanding, and wouldn't mind meeting with school officials to clarify any misconceptions about Muslim prayer.



Catherine Parrotta, Reporter

Lewiston Student Allegedly Forbidden To Pray

Posted: Wednesday, November 25 2009, 01:54 PM EST