About Islam

Share Your Hajj Story

2010-02-07T14:42:53Z

Did you travel for Hajj this year? What tips do you wish you had known before leaving? How did you make the arrangements? Was there something you forgot to pack, and really missed? Share your experience, and help others be well-prepared for the journey of a lifetime.

More:

Share Your Hajj Story originally appeared on About.com Islam on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 14:42:53.

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Saudi Court Reunites Couple

2010-02-01T07:17:52Z

In the Islam Forum, we have been following the case of Fatima and Mansour, a Saudi couple that was forcibly divorced by the courts of that country.� Fatima and Mansour had been happily married for�three years when her half-brothers petitioned the court to annul their marriage.� The brothers claimed that Mansour had mis-represented his tribal affliliation to the family when proposing marriage in 2002.� The local courts found in favor of the brothers, and despite the objections of the couple, they were forcibly divorced.� Fatima and Mansour resisted the ruling, and their case has been pending in the court system for the past four years.� During that time,�Fatima refused to return to live with her brothers and instead chose to live in�prison or women's shelters with the couple's two children.

Yesterday the Arab News reported that�the Supreme Judiciary Court of Saudi Arabia has�overturned the annulment and ordered the couple reunited.� In their decision, the courts found fault with the brothers' argument that tribal incomptability rendered the marriage void.� In�Islam, tribal background�is not a�condition of�marriage.� The courts also found that Islamically, male blood relatives do not have the right to intervene in a marriage that has already taken place.

For more on Fatima and Mansour's saga, and the debate about marriage law in Islam, visit the Islam Forum.

Saudi Court Reunites Couple originally appeared on About.com Islam on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 07:17:52.

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Muslim Medical Group Opens Clinic in Haiti

2010-01-27T13:25:49Z

The Islamic Medical Association of North America has converted an amusement park in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, into a health care facility to assist victims of the recent, devastating earthquake in that country.� The clinic's doctors and surgeons�are now able to see 300 patients per day.� Additional physicians, with shipments of supplies, are expected to continue arriving through the coming weeks to support the clinic's operations.

Visit the IMANA website to see more about their work, and to learn how you can help.

Muslim Medical Group Opens Clinic in Haiti originally appeared on About.com Islam on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 13:25:49.

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American Prejudice Against Muslims

2010-01-24T10:02:14Z

I've always been one to say that most Americans are open-minded, tolerant, caring people.� And I believe that this is still the case, despite insidious�right-wing media outlets�fanning the flames of hatred and paranoia.

However, a�Gallup poll released last Thursday indicates that 43% of Americans admit feeling some prejudice against Muslims.� While nearly two-thirds of those who responded said that they have little to no knowledge about Islam, the majority viewed the faith negatively.

Notably, those who reported that they do not personally know any Muslims were twice as likely to express "a great deal" of prejudice.

Interestingly, there�seems to be a link between�anti-Jewish and�anti-Muslim�prejudice.� This may be an opportunity for unity among those who fight against prejudice in all of its forms and expressions.

Read the full report: "Religious Perceptions in America: With an In-Depth Analysis of U.S. Attitudes Toward Muslims and Islam"

American Prejudice Against Muslims originally appeared on About.com Islam on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 10:02:14.

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Infertility Treatments

2010-01-20T04:02:11Z

A woman I know�recently gave birth to a child after�eight years of heartache.� She is overjoyed with her baby son, as any new mother would be.� After researching all of the options for their particular situation, she and her husband chose to undergo IVF - In Vitro Fertilization.� Upon hearing this news, some people criticized them for this decision, saying that if it were God's will for them to have a child, it would happen naturally.

What does Islam say about In Vitro Fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies?� Are they a rebellion against God's will, or a blessing for people who need help?� If acceptable in Islam, are there certain guidelines to follow?� Find out more.

Infertility Treatments originally appeared on About.com Islam on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 04:02:11.

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Patience in the Midst of Tragedy

2010-01-14T01:20:38Z

The heart of Islam is summed up nicely in this verse of the Qur'an:

It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West.
But it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day,
And the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers;
To spend of your substance, out of love for Him,
For your kin, for orphans, for the needy,
for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves;
To be steadfast in prayer And give in charity;
To fulfill the contracts which you have made;
And to be firm and patient, in pain and adversity
And throughout all periods of panic.
Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.
Qur'an 2:177

What are YOU doing today, to help victims of suffering and adversity?

Patience in the Midst of Tragedy originally appeared on About.com Islam on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 01:20:38.

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Hijab May Trigger Airport Security Checks

2010-01-07T04:41:31Z

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clarify whether Islamic head scarves, or hijab, will now automatically trigger additional security measures for Muslim travelers.

CAIR made that request after a Muslim woman traveler taking a flight Tuesday from Washington, DC to Los Angeles reported that TSA personnel first requested that she take off her hijab, then put her through a "humiliating" public full-body pat-down search when she refused. After the pat-down, the Muslim traveler's luggage, coat, shoes, laptop, and cell phone were searched and tested for bomb-making chemicals.

When the traveler, a resident of Maryland, questioned TSA staff about the way she was being treated, she was allegedly told that a new policy went into effect that morning mandating that "anyone wearing a head scarf must go through this type of search."

In a letter to TSA, Mr. Nihad Awad (National Executive Director of CAIR) wrote in part:

First, I would like to commend you on your efforts to maintain the safety of the travelling public. I would also like to offer the American Muslim community's cooperation and support in preserving that safety and security...

If this troubling new policy is indeed in effect, it represents religious profiling in its most egregious form. We respectfully request that you clarify whether Islamic head scarves will now trigger automatic secondary screening for Muslim travelers. If so, does this new policy apply to all those who wear religious head coverings, such as Sikh men, Catholic nuns and orthodox Jewish women, or will it apply exclusively to Muslim travelers? If the issue is concealment of potentially dangerous items, the clothing worn by travelers of all faiths, such as skirts, loose pants and sweatshirts, has more areas to hide items than hijab.

Awad noted that previous TSA policy placed hijab in the category of "bulky clothing" that would not automatically lead to additional screening. Under previous policy, even if that screening were to take place, it would be carried out in a "private screening location."

Hijab May Trigger Airport Security Checks originally appeared on About.com Islam on Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 04:41:31.

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Cartoonist Targeted... Again

2010-01-02T05:08:46Z

CNN and BBC News report that a man was shot by police�as he tried to enter the home of the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard on Friday.� The man seemed intent on harm, as he allegedly carried with him an axe and a knife.� Police shot the�intruder, who was then hospitalized in stable condition.� Mr. Westergaard was home at the time of the incident; he and his young granddaughter were unharmed.

Numerous death threats and complaints have been aimed at this Danish artist, who�published a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad back in 2005.��Mr. Westergaard�says that he drew a bomb in the�Prophet Muhammad's turban to show "that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terror."� That is certainly a valid and true criticism.

However, the cartoon was interpreted by others as calling�the Prophet Muhammad a terrorist.� Muslims began complaining.� Some right-wing newspapers fanned the flames by re-printing the cartoon as a matter of "free speech."

Muslim protestors played into their hands by hosting�angry�rallies and making death threats.� Such behavior is�out of line with Islamic teaching, as this latest�attempted attack is also.� The Prophet Muhammad himself dealt with much greater insults and�injuries during his lifetime.� Through it all,�he never lost his temper or dealt harshly with his critics.

Last year, Mr. Ibrahim Cooper of CAIR asked the question, "What Would Muhammad Do?"��Muslims�allow ourselves, as he said, "to be locked into a downward spiral of mutual mistrust and hostility based on self-perpetuating stereotypes."� Rather than continue this path of negativity and self-fulfilling prophecy, we should stop, reflect, and condemn this attempted attack.� Let's begin following the example of the Prophet whom we hold so dear.

Cartoonist Targeted... Again originally appeared on About.com Islam on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 05:08:46.

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Family: Frontline Against Terrorism

2009-12-28T06:51:00Z

A young man from a priveleged background finishes high school with honors, and goes off to college. Soon afterwards, he is a changed man... a radical who is intent on terrorism, violating the most fundamental tenets of the faith in which he was raised. What is it that changes these young men into dangerous criminals? This is something that families and Muslim communities struggle to understand and combat.

In recent weeks, we have seen at least two such stories emerge. Most recently,�Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from Nigeria was caught allegedly trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airplane. He had been studying mechanical engineering in the UK, and by all accounts was a good student from a priveleged background. Umar's father recognized the recent�radicalization of his son, and contacted authorities to warn them. According to the BBC, he contacted both local and foreign officials to alert them that his son had gone missing.

Several Muslim families in Virginia recently faced the same difficult decision. When five young men disappeared, their parents were naturally worried and concerned for their safety. More importantly, they also feared for the safety of others, as the young men had also been giving signs of radicalization. So what did the relatives�do? CNN reported that they immediately contacted the FBI and shared information which led to their arrest in Pakistan.

Young people who become entranced with radical preachings, and take that next mis-step towards performing acts of terrorism, often blend in with their surroundings. Mosques report that such men are not often known to the local, mainstream Muslim community. Most often, family members are the first people to become aware that something is wrong.

How difficult it must have been for these families to turn in their own beloved sons. However, the Qur'an reminds us that in order to do the right thing, we may have to sometimes stand up against those who are closest to us:� "'Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor..." (Qur'an 4:135).

These Muslim heroes choose to protect the greater good, rather than stand by their loved ones' misguided and dangerous actions.

Family: Frontline Against Terrorism originally appeared on About.com Islam on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 06:51:00.

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Karbala

2009-12-27T05:50:39Z

This ancient city in�Iraq, located sixty miles�southwest of Baghdad,�is hosting�hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslim pilgrims this week.� It was in Karbala,�1300 years ago, that Hussein (a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad) was killed.� Shia mourners have gathered here ever since,�to remember his sacrifice and mourn his loss.��The BBC did�a brief report in 2003�on Karbala and Najaf, the two holiest cities among Shia Muslims.

Today is the day of 'Ashura, the holiest of days in the Shia Muslim year.� Sunni Muslims also honor this day, but for different reasons and in different ways.

Photo:� The shrine of Imam Abbas reflects in a pool of water in Karbala, Iraq (by Wathiq Khuzaie /Getty Images).

Karbala originally appeared on About.com Islam on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 05:50:39.

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