Musl1m

The journey continues at musl1m.tumblr.com

After using it for a few weeks I've decided to use Tumblr solely for blogging, Tumblr as a platform exists somewhere between Social Networks and Blogging Platforms. Not as intrusive as social networks and not a 'lonely' as blogging platforms. It offers a community similar to social networks yet allows a blog like feel. I find it is so much easier to share thoughts, videos and pictures than it is on Blogger. Continue the journey at www.musl1m.tumblr.com. w'Salaam ~ Peace

Morals without Faith

I was going to title this piece morals without religion but it occured to me that one can have faith without religion and religion without faith. That is the point I'm attempting to make, unfortunately 'religion' continues to thrive but faith in the divine falters. When you see the modern obsession with pop idols such as Justin Bieber, Cheryl Cole, Wayne Rooney and others has this not just become a religion also? They say that religion is used to blind the masses, to give them hope of a better life as they suffer under the tyranny their leaders subject them to. Though I do not believe that true of my religion it is certianly true some leaders use religion in this way and thats the case with this modern kind of religion. Who is the founder of this new religion? Well its the multinational corporations that own everything and the propogators of this religion are the TV's and iPads and Cinema's. This is the weapon being used by the few to control the many, this religion doesn't promise something better in the next life, people are tired of hearing that, no this religion promises everything in this life. If you work hard and follow the rules, you can become like so and so if you work hard, practice everyday and win the X factor, you can be rich like so and so if you work hard and invent something to show on Dragons Den.

Third Party Development on Ubuntu

Mac OS X has one of the most vibrant developer communities around and a testimony to this is how quickly the recently released Mac App Store reached the 10 Billion downloads mark and just to be clear thats this many downloads 10,000,000,000. These are the kinds of Apps developers are producing for OS X:

What is Jihad ~ Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

An amazing and powerful little talk by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, it really bought tears to my eyes, its a beautiful message and one I hope as many people as possible can witness. w'Salaam ~ Peace

Generalisation and its resulting problems.

Its always good to begin with a definition when using somewhat ambiguous terms such as the one in the title.

Generalise - generalize: draw from specific cases for more general cases

Generalisation in a practical sense means to take a single action of a single person and to presume all people act that way, it is usually done in the context of a group within society whether that be a political, a religious or even a racial group. Such examples include all Jews are Zionists or all Muslims are terrorists.

The Baath party is an Arab nationalist party that has dominated politics in Iraq and Syria for decades. The Baath party seized power both in Iraq and Syria in 1963. In Iraq the Baath party was disbanded in 2003 with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, in Syria it survives through the Assad regime.With the mass dissent occurring in Syria, its a major indicator of the decline of the Baath Party.

Racism- This hateful ideology plagued the west at one point, it was because of this ideology that the tragedy of the Nazi Holocaust, the segregation of America and the Apartheid of South Africa all happened. Though on the whole racism and racist ideology in the west has declined substantially yet there still remain areas which are deeply racist. In the current economic climate we see a stagnation in the decline of racism, with the rise of the English Defence League (EDL) and even the remarks made by Senator John Mccain regarding immigrants, remember it wasn’t racism in German society that bought Hitler to power it was the economic situation.

In Islam racism as an ideology or even as a valid view is rejected. The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action."

It would be fair to say that racism does exist in the Muslim world, it must be made clear that this is not a religious issue no religion I know of, if interpreted correctly encourages or promotes racism. Nevertheless racism exists, whether its the Pashtun and the Hazara, Pakistanis and Bengali’s or Arabs and non-Arabs. Islam came to take us away from such backwardness yet some among us cling to it as if our lives depend on it. Even among the Arabs many of whom grew up in the era of secular nationalism the racism shown by Saudi’s is astonishing.

Saudi Arabia a county which is seen by many as the most conservative Muslim nation on earth, a country where women are forbidden from driving and the education system is more likely to produce militants than doctors. Despite all that Saudi Arabia is an immensely rich country at least by Arab and Asian standards, the indigenous population on the whole live well and the state provides a lot for the people. Yet the racism remains, the Saudi’s look down on all non-Arabs and even look down on other Arabs. An example of ‘Arab’ racism is Dubai, the wonders of Dubai were not built by the indigenous Arabs of Dubai but rather by foreign workers from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and other Muslim countries. These workers are treated slightly better than slaves and their lives are a million miles from the kind of lives the Sheikhs and Emirs of Dubai enjoy.

This same trend is seen in Saudi, it takes twice as long to apply for Saudi citizenship than British citizenship. Prior to 2004 foreigners couldn’t even apply for citizenship. If anyone has the pleasure of traveling to Saudi Arabia and especially the holy cities of Makkah and Medina then the racism that many of the Saudi guards show is hard to miss.

With greater levels of prosperity many wealthier Saudi’s have taken to employing servants from other parts of the Muslim world, many of them from Indonesia, Malaysia or parts of Africa. These women (mostly) are in many cases treated brutally and inhumanely. Ruyati binti Sapubi was one such maid who was beaten and tortured by boss, unable to endure any more she ended up killing her mistress with a kitchen knife. For this ‘crime’ she was beheaded in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile those whom torture and beat their servants manage to escape justice in Saudi Arabia, a justice system which rules based on the racial status of the accused cannot provide justice.

Its the racist world view that so many Saudi’s hold that is leading to this kind of evil, but I think its more than just racism. It seems to me that this is a hatred of the poor more than anything else. The Saudi’s for centuries were living in poverty, there was a time when Saudi Arabia was just as poor as Yemen, the Saudi’s have escaped poverty and now they revile those who are still in poverty or who have come from poverty. Its almost like they feel that if they associate with the poor they themselves will become poor. The prophet Muhammad said:

“O God, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man and resurrect me in the company of the poor..” His wife asked him why he said that, and he replied: “Because (the poor) will enter Paradise (before) the rich. Do not turn away a poor man…even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you..God will bring you near Him on the Day of Ressurrection.” Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376.

This is an unislamic and medieval attitude that still survives in Saudi Arabia but can we expect anything more form a nation which deems it just to behead a woman who killed her torturer and abuser in self defence. It its unfortunate that in today’s world those who like to brag the loudest about their Islam are those who are furthest from Islam, they may grow beards or wear thobes but their actions are a disgrace to the way of the prophet (pbuh). The Quran says about such people:

‘Ah, woe unto worshippers, Who are heedless of their prayer; Who would be seen (at prayer), Yet refuse small kindness!’ (Quran 107:4-7)

May God increase our faith and improve our attitudes to each other.
W’Salaam ~ Peace

Israeli Puppets

First Facebook now Apple bow to pressure from the Israeli government. An application on the App store called the third intifada was removed by Apple recently. This happened after an Israeli government official wrote to Apple CEO Steve Jobs complaining about the app. The app itself only provides links to news stories and dates of planned protests yet somehow this was seen as promoting violence leading to the app being removed. A similar incident occurred on Facebook when a page called the 3rd intifada which attracted over 330,000 fans was removed by Facebook after Israeli officials disapproved. How can Israel justify the claims that these apps/pages encourage violence when itself killed more than 1400 Gazan civilians and over 1000 Lebanese civilians in ‘self defence’. The hypocrisy of the Israeli state is mind blowing, on one hand protests in Iran are welcomed but protesters in the West Bank and the Golan Heights are shot at. None of us want violence but the oppressed people of Palestine have every right to protest as the oppressed people of Iran, Syria and other parts of the Arab world.

Somalia - A Land of Anarchy where the innocent suffer greatest

The tragedy unfolding in Somalia despite the debates that can be had on its origins is harming the poor and the innocent the most. Such is the nature of these conflicts where neither side is entirely sure what they are fighting for, but it certainly isn’t for the people or for justice. This BBC Documentary highlights the suffering and the brutal existence of the people of Somalia who are stuck in the middle of a long and bloody war and are surrounded by piracy and militancy. Its a small wonder so many want to get out and so many take such risks in an attempt to leave.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0125mlb/Panorama_Land_of_Anarchy/

Brian Haw - dedication till death

"We're there because our country is committing infanticide, genocide, the looting of nations. I'm determined to be there until they kill me. How much longer will that be?"

Brain Haw (1949 - 2011)

The end of secular nationalism is close in the Arab/Muslim world. With the fall of the Baath party in Iraq and its imminent end in Syria as well as the end of Mubarak and others it can clearly be seen that secular nationalism hasn't worked very well and has required a huge amount of bloodshed to maintain. The people of the Arab world clearly want democracy, but we shouldn't confuse democracy with capitalism or western style secular governments. The people of the Arab world don't want democracy without Islam but many don't want an Iranian style theocracy with a joke democracy (the man with the power isn't elected by the people) where elected leaders are nothing more than the 'public face' of the regime.

In memory of Hamza al Katib and all of the other martyrs that have made it to their Lord. May God grant those who remain victory as He has granted the martyrs the final victory. W'salaam ~ Peace

A tribute to the Arab Spring

*NOTE* I want to the apologize for the lack of posts on the blog but I've been busy lately. Inshallah I hope to post more often in the coming weeks.

This is a tribute to the brave people of the Arab world who against the worst kind of brutality and inhumanity continue to struggle for freedom and a better life. For those who risk their lives to protest peacefully in the streets of Damascus and Tehran, for those who are dying to protect the innocent in Misrata. You struggle doesn't go unnoticed, you are in our prayers and and you martyrs inspire us. May Allah grant you mercy, victory and better prospects in this life and in the next.

Protestors in Yemen

After almost 3 months of national protests in Yemen, the ruling party of president Abdullah Saleh have accepted a GCC (Gulf Corporation Council) initiative offering him immunity from prosecution in return for him stepping down in 30 days time and handing power to his vice-president.

Click to view on DeviantArt

With Gaddafi suffering losses in Libya, victory becoming imminent in Yemen and protests spreading in Syria it seems like a new dawn in the Arab World is visible.The dictators and tyrants are falling one by one and freedom is becoming a possibility for the people of the middle east.

After decades of oppression and dictatorship the people have found their voice and have stood united against the tyrants whom they've suffered under for so long. The killings in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain and the mad ramblings of Gaddafi in Libya are testament to the fact that these regimes are afraid, they are afraid of their own people, they are afraid of what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. As the censorship, secret police and secret prisons fall away in Tunisia and Egypt the true extent of the oppression these countries suffered under is becoming clear.

The Urban Jungle

A few days ago I uploaded the next video in the prophecies of Islam series. This video titled The Urban Jungle deals with a Hadith concerning a sign of the last day. Essentially the Hadith says that the last day will not come until poor 'barefoot' 'shepherds' will compete in the construction of tall buildings. We can see this happening in Dubai and across the gulf states. More in the video.

The Big Bang

The Big Bang is the most popular theory for the beginning of the universe, did you know that the Quran speaks about the big bang? Check out the latest video in the Prophecies of Islam series exploring this issue. I hope you gain something from this and please remember to like and subscribe and spread these videos. W'salaam ~ Peace

Ubuntu + Launchpad = Win

Launchpad is a Web application and website that allows users to develop and maintain software, particularly free software. Launchpad is developed and maintained by Canonical Ltd.

Launchpad hosts tens of thousands of software projects that are written for Ubuntu/Linux, hundreds of great applications can be found on Launchpad like Postler, Docky, Do, Cardapio, Steadyflow and Inkscape.

The Truth About Mountains

The next video in the Prophecies of Islam series has been released. Titled The Truth About Mountains. This video is about Mountains and how they are structured and what their purpose is. The Quran states that the Mountains are like stakes in the Earth keeping it stable and science proved that to be true in the 20th century at least 1300 years after it was mentioned in the Quran.

The Moon and the Mountains

A few days ago I released another video as part of the Prophecies of Islam series that I'm working on. That was the second video of that series titled The Miracle of Moonlight. In that short video I examined what the Quran says about the Moon and its source of light, the wording used to describe the moon and what science says about the subject. Though some among the ancients may have suggested that the Moon merely reflected the light of the Sun the Quran 1400 years ago stated this as a fact and scientists have proven this to be fact.

Prophecies of Islam ~ The Drowned Pharaoh

This video is about the Pharaoh Ramesses II who is widely believed to be the Pharaoh at the time of Prophet Musa (Moses), this video examines some of the evidence regarding this. W'salaam ~ Peace

2 Down Many More Left...

The revolution has spread from Tunisia to Egypt now it is growing in Bahrain, Yemen and more recently Libya. Libyan leader Maummar Al Gadaffi who has been in power for 40 years has cracked down on protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi with dozens reported dead. The dictator is known for his authoritarian leadership style, under his leadership political parties were banned in 1972, trade unions are banned and striking by workers is illegal. Most of the media is state controlled any any independent media is also heavily censored by the government.

The Leaders of Iran have in the past few weeks been congratulating the people of the Arab world for their uprisings against cruel and oppressive regimes, encouraging them to continue their protests and overthrow their leaders.

After weeks of demonstrations by millions all over the country and the deaths of hundereds the Egyptian Dictator Hosni Mubarak has finally resigned. After refusing to resign on state telivision just last night the dictator realised that his people would no longer accept 'NO' for an answer. Mubarak today left Cairo for his home by the Red Sea and it was later announced by his reccently appointed vice-president Omar Sulieman that the President has stepped down.

The first mock-up of the software centre that I did back in December did provoke a lot of critisism for the colours and gradients used as well as a little praise for being slightly more interesting that the current interface. The main complaints were that the interface was too cluttered, the colours clashed and the gradients were too much. Also the sidebar didn't match the Ambiance theme too well.

This is a piece of artwork I did inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt as well as their wider consequences. You can check out on my DeviantArt page

(http://musl1m.deviantart.com/) along with the rest of my artwork. W'salaam ~ Peace.

Prophecies of Islam

Prophecies of Islam is a A series of short films exploring the scientific explanations and predictions in the Quran and prophetic Hadith. Looking at how they have been proven true by Science and History today as well as exploring those prophecies that have yet to fulfilled.

Muhammad Bouazizi on fire
in protest

It began in the most unlikely of places. The liberal, westernised, relatively wealthy nation of Tunisia. Like many of the greatest events in history, a single symbolic action sparked of this revolution.

The man that history will remember for sparking the flame of hope that has led to this uprising is Muhammad Bouazizi (rest in peace). Bouazizi a 26 year old street vendor was on the 17th of December 2010 attacked, insulted and beaten by local police who also damaged his fruit cart and confiscated his electronic weighing scales. After his complaints were ignored by the police and the governor refused to even see him about the incident Bouazizi set himself alight in protest.

War Drum: a drum beaten as a summons or an accompaniment to battle.

Since 9/11 and onwards the western media has been on the war path, trying to convince people in the west that war is the only course forward. They have been attempting to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and some could argue that because of their lack of questioning and investigation the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan went ahead with little real resistance.

The Ubuntu Software Centre (USC) has been one of the defining features of the last few Ubuntu releases, the spotlight has recently shifted to the Unity desktop that Ubuntu will use from now on but that doesn't mean that the USC should be neglected.

Unity on the desktop

Unity will be on the Ubuntu desktop and it will come by default with a Global Menu, these are some of my ideas for Unity and hopefully some of the ideas will in one form or another get into the Unity interface.

Unity Desktop Improvements -

Unity is an easy to navigate and attractive interface already but these are some of the changes that I think should be made to improve it further for the next release.

The recent attacks on mosques in Pakistan, the killing of shia MUSLIMS and the attack on a Christian neighborhood in Iraq shows again that these self appointed 'mujahideen' are enemies of peace and of all those who strive for peace. The killing of fellow Muslims especially in a mosque cannot under any circumstances be justified,

The aftermath of the latest terror attack in Iraq

Tuesday's multiple bombings and a dramatic siege of a Christian church on Sunday—claimed by al Qaeda-aligned militants—claimed well over 100 lives.

Al Qaeda's front group in Iraq threatened more attacks, saying in a statement released late Tuesday that Christians everywhere are "legitimate targets." The group, the Islamic State of Iraq, claimed responsibility for Sunday's siege.

Church Massacre

...If God had not driven some people back by means of others,

monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God's name is

mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will

certainly help those who help Him - God is All-Strong, Almighty.

(Quran - 22:40)

At least 52 were killed after Al Qaeda militants attacked a church in Baghdad, killed the priest and held the worshippers in the church as hostages.

Once the capital of the Muslim world and the home of the Caliph of Islam, it seems today it is Muslims who are on the gates of Istanbul fighting each other. What has the world come to? In every Muslim nation brother is killing brother, innocent people are killed without thought or regard, where blood is more common than say clean water.

The recent rise of what is being called 'militant Islam' and the radical new interpretations of Islam that are popping up in the muslim world and being supported by various groups are really troubling issues for muslims living in the west. The people that support these extreme ideologies envision some kind of Global Jihad and believe that Islam was spread by the sword (a complete lie) and also believe that its their duty to spread it by sword.

One thing that the Gnome desktop (and derivatives based upon it) are missing in comparison to other desktop interfaces e.g KDE, Mac OS X and Windows is native widgets. This is something that I think Unity can address by including widgets by default in a style similar to the screen that appears when clicking on the Ubuntu icon in Unity.

It was recently announced at the UDS (Ubuntu Developers Summit) that the next version of the Ubuntu Operating System (the most popular free operating system in the world) would ship with the Unity interface by default.

Its been 1 Year 1 Month and 2 Days since I began this YouTube project of uploading the entire Quran with English audio translation. So far 39 surahs down and 75 more to go. The last upload was Surah Al Qiyama which was uploaded just over 2 weeks ago.

This entire project began because of a CD that a local masjid was distributing, the CD was of Quranic recitation by Sheikh Abdur Rahman As Sudais and Sheikh Su'ud Ash Shuraim with English audio translation.

The leaders of Israel and Palestine are still attempting to bring some meaningful peace to the region while the people of Gaza continue to suffer under siege, aid trickles in and humanitarians are still refused entry by sea or air. We should remember the people of Gaza and keep them in our prayers. W’salaam ~ Peace. Download this wallpaper at: http://musl1m.deviantart.com/art/We-re-All-Gaza-159831786?q=&qo=

The best of people?

The recent tragic death of British aid worker Linda Norgrove in Afghanistan has really shown how unsustainable this conflict has become. How many more innocent lives must we lose before both sides realize that his war isn’t working. The Taliban’s insurgency is still surviving even after all of these years and now they are resorting to even crueler methods of violence in an attempt to prolong their survival.

My Latest Video - Surah Al Qiyama

Categories

Archives

What is Ubuntu?

Ads