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Date: February 27, 2015
It was on 8th July 2014, that Israel launched a military operation in the Hamaz ruled Gaza. Terrible seven weeks of Israel bombardment and massive brutal attacks on Gaza people. More than 2,200 people lost their lives, 10,000 became homeless and more brutality towards mere public. Alas, it’s been six months on from the attacks and pledges have not been fulfilled, reconstruction has stalled and hope is draining away. This month we learnt that just over 5 percent of the money pledged to rebuild Gaza after last summer’s devastating 51-day conflict with Israel has been delivered. What does this say about the international community’s commitment to the beleaguered territory and its 1.8 million residents? Author expressed his anxiety on the condition of current Gaza and he is sad and angry on the government’s careless turn towards Gaza rehabilitation. The health services are struggling to cope. They are overburdened and under-resourced. There are, once again, severe shortages of drugs and consumables as the supplies delivered in the war run out. Many of the staff has not been paid for months, others are receiving only 60 percent of their salaries as a result of the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis which has been compounded by Israel’s withholding of tax revenues. Donors must deliver on their pledges. The PA and Hamas must settle their differences for the greater good of their people and for the possibility of peace. Israel must live up to its responsibilities as the occupying power and lift the siege. Egypt, too, must play its part by reopening the Rafah crossing on a regular and reliable basis. Considering the horrors of what we saw last July and the very real possibility of it being repeated, we must start fresh new efforts to return hope to Gaza.
"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."
Sunan Ibn Mājah
"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"
Sahih Bukhari
Alexander, a French pilgrim who embraced Islam and adopted his Muslim name, Hamza is recently blessed by King Abdullah to do Haj as his guest. The King was in great happiness and proud of Hamza’s sacrifice to Islam religion that he drove 7,000 km in his car with his wife to perform Umrah in Makkah. He is s now in Makkah as the guest of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for Haj. He was in search for the truth and found that Islam is the religion of peace and truth and the man is now happy to embrace the world’s great religion. As there are millions of devotees across world who wish to perform Umrah/Haj in Makkah, Hamza was in the last queue to have an Umrah visa. But his devotion and sacrifice to Allah helped him to be in the golden list of King’s guests. And now he is in the divine route to pray at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. It was the entire Almighty’s compassion that we have been selected as one of 1,000 guest pilgrims of King Abdullah to perform Haj this year. I could not believe my ears.”- Says Hamza. Hamza intends to study Islamic law to gain more knowledge about the religion and spread its message among others.
Read MoreThe Alim.org is a unique and exciting educational site that makes learning about Islam fun and interesting for the whole family! Experience the wonders of the Qur'an and Ahadith without spending hours poring through thousands of pages in dozens of books or depend on specific software. Coming soon: 1. Collaborative Editing, Comments, and Discussions on the Meaning of Al-Qur’an a. Comments feature with Alim online and facility of religious collaboration. b. Rating of authors and their works and online reputation building c. Ratings of comments and "most popular" type of rankings 2. Full Arabic Script Quran Recitation-Abdul Basit, English Recitation of Quran Translation, Surah Themes Arabic Recitation of Duas. 3. Questions & Answers: Q&A page called "Ask Alim.org" or something similar that allows questions to be posted and answered by anyone; people can rate questions and answers; similar to StackOverflow.com in ease of use and capabilities. 4. Enhanced Arabic Playhouse online. 5. Video Islam: A Closer Look Video How to Perform Hajj (90 min.) 3-D Animated Walk-through of Haram in Mecca.
Read MoreHiba Masood a writer, speaker and a story teller talks about her Baba's influence in teaching Quran and its holy threads in her wonderful opinion piece "Baba, The Quran and Me". When she was in her younger age, she had to recite Quran every day, that her Baba taught her to do so without fail. She memorizes her childhood experience in the holy month of Ramadan as well as her Baba's powerful Ramadan experiences. Her Baba looked after all his children with extreme care. She had not faced poverty or any other means difficulties in life. Baba used to talk about his life and his days spent with his eight brothers and sisters used to look like. They were like in abject poverty, splitting one bowl of food for Iftar amongst a family of eleven and so on. Baba used to say that once all the work is done, you should recite Quran in every single possible minute. Every letter you recite during Ramadan has 70 times the regular reward? That means every letter, like saying Alif, gets you seven hundred good deeds. Years passed and with all the impetuous, rebellion of youth, of spending my days in smoke-filled rooms, strategizing with socialist/activists, and my evenings protesting against the Iraq war on the frozen streets of Toronto. Of not praying at all, of not so much as glancing towards the dusty shelf where my Qur'an sat the entire year. Next year Hiba got married and her brand new husband got astonished by her behavior and activities. She never proper placed her shoes and she always misplaced her cell phone. And she blessed with a baby boy just before the month of holy Ramadan. And there have many, many more years filled with anxiety, scary financial strain and a stormy marriage of sickness and grief. Years passed with no changes. Hiba recited Quran verses just as a routine, or just like fasting in the month of Ramadan without knowing the rewards of reciting. At last wisdom came to her brain at the age of thirty and she started to settle in life. Slowly, as an enthusiastically expected reconnection, she started reciting Quran well to Allah to the Qur'an to her childhood, to her father and to herself. Now her beloved father is aging and sick and she is in great agony by thinking about her sick dad. She used to caress his dad's grey hair, press her cheeks to his. She says that she misses him a lot and she is afraid of the future. But most of all, she whisper her gratitude. Gratitude for gifting her so freely all the things, all the lessons, all the beliefs, all the forces of habit and inspiring stories and abiding, enriching traditions that have blessed her life. Ultimately he was the lighthouse when he was able.
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