Audio of talk ‘Islam Vs. Extremism’

Talk given yesterday at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI. Points made were: 1)    Islam enjoins moderation in all matters. Going too far to the left and too far to the right are both extremes.  All extremes aren’t violent. 2)    Islam recognizes the sanctity of all life. 3)    Vigilantism is immoral and illegal. 4)    Capt. Underpants and suicide pilot Joseph Stack are equally terrorists. 5)    The Tamil Tigers, a Hindu/Marxist group, had been the most prolific suicide bombing group for the past three decades until the recent disbandment. 6)    From 1980 to 2005 according to the FBI, only 6% of domestic terrorist acts were committed by Muslims.  7% were committed by extremist Jews.  Thus, 94% of domestic terrorism during that time, including 9/11, was committed by NON-MUSLIMS. 7)    Muslims have been the biggest victims of terrorist attacks worldwide since 9/11. Click here to listen.

Talk given about youth activism

Talk given regarding the importance of activism in Islam was given to a youth conference at the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit in Rochester Hills on 2/19/10.

Click here to listen.

Pope is against body scanners in airports

Some in media have framed that Muslims in America are the only people concerns regarding privacy and modesty issues regarding full body scanners in airports.

On Friday, Lutheran pastor Rev. Rani Abdul-Masih stated that the full body scanners violate the dignity of humans according to Christianity.

Today, a story broke that the Pope is now voicing his opposition to these scanners.

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http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/22/pope-body-scan.html

Pope sounds warning over airport body scans

Benedict XVI cites need to protect ‘the human person in their integrity’

The head of the Roman Catholic Church spoke out against the use of body scanners at airports, saying human dignity must be preserved even as countries attempt to protect their citizens against acts of terrorism.

Pope Benedict XVI , making his comments during an audience with airport workers and officials at the Vatican on Sunday, did not specifically use the words body scanner in his address, according to reports in U.K. newspapers the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian.

But he said that even when facing the threat of terrorism, airport security officials should not forget to respect “the primacy of the human person.”

“[With] every action, it is above all essential to protect and value the human person in their integrity,” he told the representatives from the aviation industry.

The United States began using the scanners capable of detecting items hidden under clothing at airports as part of new security protocols put in place in the wake of the failed bombing attempt on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Canada and European countries have followed suit and begun installing their own scanners, particularly for flights destined for the United States.

The Pope is not the first religious leader to speak out against the scanners.

Muslims urged to choose pat-down over scanner

The Fiqh Council of North America, an Islamic group with membership in Canada and the United States, said earlier in February it believed the body scanners were “against the teachings of Islam, natural law and all religions and cultures that stand for decency and modesty.”

The group urged Muslim travellers to choose to be patted down by airport security rather than go through the scanners.

Canada is in the process of installing 44 scanners to be used on U.S.-bound passengers selected for secondary screening at Canadian airports.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority has said the scanners would protect the privacy of the passenger, and that the officer viewing the image would do so in a separate room and never see the actual traveller.

The focus on security measures stems from the failed attempt by a Nigerian man to set off a bomb on a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, is accused of trying to ignite the bomb on the Northwest Airlines flight. Officials said he has told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen.

Sermon balancing fear & hope

Today’s khutbah was given at the Islamic Center of Saginaw in Saginaw, MI.

1)      Balancing fear and hope is like a marriage between a man and a woman that produces righteous deeds.

2)      The double standard regarding the terrorism attack yesterday in Austin, Texas by Joseph Stack.

3)      Satan has people, who try to instill fear into believers; G’d deserves to be feared more than people.

4)      The tragedy of the death of Imam Luqman Abdullah (RH) and the hidden blessing within this the situation.

5)      Spirituality is the true weapon on believers not weapons.  The solution to the suffering of Palestinians is spiritual, not in military arms.

Click here to listen.

Stack: 1st American domestic suicide terrorist

After reading several commentaries about yesterday’s terrorism attack by reported tea bagger type Joseph Stack, it dawned on me that this guy is the first American citizen to commit a domestic suicide terrorism attack.

It will be interesting to see who his political heroes were, what were his affiliations, etc.

I plan on writing a satirical piece soon using the same stereotypes said about Muslims but using tea baggers instead and replacing let’s say Mr. Abdul-Muttalab (who couldn’t even successfully kill himself) with the late Mr. Stack.

Stay tuned!