Archive for the 'Islam' Category
Powell Denounces Muslim-Bashing: ‘That’s Not America’
As former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president on the NBC-TV program “Meet the Press” on Oct. 19, 2008, the conversation with host Tom Brokaw turned to tactics in the campaign that Powell said had “disappointed” him. Below is a verbatim portion of Powell’s comments:
Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another, and that’s good. But I think this goes too far. And I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It’s not what the American people are looking for. And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me.
And the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that’s what we’d be looking at in a McCain administration.
I’m also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.”
Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian.
But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?
The answer’s no, that’s not America.
Read more »
Al-Shifa Clinic: Health Care for All, No Questions Asked
Filed under: Corey Habbas, Islam | Tags: al-shifa, clinic, Corey Habbas, doctors, free clinic, health, health care, health insurance, healthy lifestyles, hypertension, Islam, Islamic, Islamic Center of Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota Muslim, sobia sarwar, uninsured
Comments(0) Clinic Based in Islamic Center Helps Uninsured and Underserved Patients Treat Disease and Lead Healthier Lives
By Corey Habbas, Engage Minnesota
As health care costs increase in Minnesota and the uninsured rise in number, the Islamic Center of Minnesota (ICM) has taken on the role of a first-access, primary care clinic for anyone who needs it, through the Al-Shifa Clinic.
“It is our Islamic duty to address the issue of providing people with equal access to health care. We serve anyone in the community, both Muslim and non-Muslim,” asserts Sobia Sarwar, full-time coordinator for Al-Shifa Clinic. Al-Shifa is an Arabic noun for healing.
Since hiring Sarwar, the clinic’s committed doctors, who serve walk-in and scheduled patients, can concentrate on health care and not have to worry about administrative tasks like before.
|
Al-Shifa Health Seminar:
Information on Hypertension
with Dr. Amin Rahmatullah
At the ICM on Sunday April 27
1401 Gardena Ave. N.E., Fridley
|
She adds, “It’s the volunteer doctors that really make it happen. Without their skill set we really would not be able to contribute to the community. The fact that they dedicate their time and effort is enormous.”
Sarwar works in the banking industry, but says that her most rewarding job is her role as coordinator for Al-Shifa Clinic. But Al-Shifa is more than just a clinic. Read more »
Reflections from my Spiritual Journey to Makka
Filed under: Islam | Tags: Angel Gabriel, Baka'a, Hajirah, hajj, Ibrahim, Islam, Ismael, Jedda, Kaaba, lean camels, Makka, Mecca, Owais Bayunus, Pakistan, pillars, religion, Saudi Arabia, Zamzam
Comments(3) By Owais Bayunus, Engage Minnesota
Hajj is considered the fifth pillar of Islam, meaning every Muslim who can afford it and is in good health has to perform Hajj (at least) once in his lifetime.
My very first recollection of people going to perform Hajj was in my childhood in Karachi, where all the pilgrims from Pakistan used to assemble at the harbor to board ships heading towards Saudi Arabia. There was a distinct difference between them and the rest of the people who were not going to Hajj. The men were all dressed in white, women well covered, and you could see children running around dressed similarly. They were more organized than other people and always remained with their group, lest they get lost and be a problem for themselves and others.
When one of my father’s friends went to perform Hajj, my father took me along to bid him farewell at the passenger ship. In those days, the rich pilgrims normally flew to Jeddah directly and the middle class and the poorer people would take a ship to Jeddah, a journey of almost seven days. Read more »
Energy Conservation: Religious Duty and Good Sense
Filed under: Islam | Tags: conservation, energy, holistic, Islam, Islam and the environment, Islamic teachings, Minnesota, planet, Rafi Sohail, religion, resource management, savings, sustainable
Comments(3) By Rafi Sohail, Engage Minnesota
Conservation of natural resources is a key to ensuring the longevity of our planet and its inhabitants. Islam has a rich tradition of drawing our attention to properly taking care of the environment.
The teachings of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) point toward conservation, sustainable development, and resource management. The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) remarked, “The Earth is green and beautiful, and God has appointed you his stewards over it.”
This holistic environmental philosophy assumes a fundamental link and interdependency between all natural elements; if one of these is abused, then the natural world as a whole will suffer on account of this.
The following article is a humble attempt to help the readers conserve energy. This effort is inspired by Islam’s exhortations to safeguard the rights of the environment and to adopt moderation in the use of natural resources.
Read more »
Basimah Hasan: Changing Images Every Friday at 4
Filed under: Islam, Islamophobia | Tags: Basimah Hasan, dawah, Events, Islam, Islamic View, Islamophobia, Marcia Lynx Qualey, Minneapolis, Minnesota media, Muslim poetry, Muslims, poetry, self-defense, stereotypes, television
Comments(0) Talk-Show Host Aims to Correct Distorted Picture of Muslims and Islam
By Marcia Lynx Qualey, Engage Minnesota
It was 1998 when Basimah Hasan left her hometown of Chicago for Minneapolis.
In the Twin Cities, she attended nursing school and began her career at North Memorial Hospital. She says that there is a “big difference” between the Minneapolis and Chicago Muslim communities.
|
TV Show:
“Islamic View”
Airtime:
4 p.m. Fridays
Time-Warner cable Ch. 16
|
“[There are] more Muslims in Chicago, and they’re more active. Here, everyone seems to be in their own ethnic groups. You don’t see a lot of activities going on, versus in Chicago.”
But, if there’s not enough activity, Hasan (pictured above) is not one to sit back and wait for someone else to start it up. The nurse, talk-show host, screenwriter, community activist, and producer is stirring up all sorts of action.
Through her nonprofit Hasan Publications Dawah Center, Hasan launched the “Islamic View.” The talk show aims not just to reach the Muslim community, but, more importantly, to reach non-Muslims with positive stories about Islam.
Why television?
“It’s images,” she says. “This is where we get our information from.”
Read more »
