Je ne sais même pas par où commencer tant le concept est dingue. Parce que jusqu’à présent, Dieu régnait partout sauf sur Internet, Islam Online propose un pèlerinage numérique à tous ceux qui redoutent la grippe A, qui n’ont pas réussi à obtenir leur droit d’entrée sur cette Terre Sainte ou qui lisent le Coran sur leur netbook. Pèlerinage réalisé via Second Life, univers virtuel en 3D, et exemple même du buzz mort né et de la fausse révolution qui a affolé les publicitaires et les médias pendant une demie journée (en bref, le pendant technologique de la Tecktonik).

Il est donc désormais possible d’accomplir l’un des 5 piliers de l’Islam tout en restant confortablement assis devant son ordinateur (l’écran tourné vers l’Est quand même, faut pas abuser), le tout au rythme de “Just Be“, morceau techno de DJ Tiesto. De la djelabbah au bonnet blanc, en passant par le tapis de prière pixélisé, tout est fourni au pèlerin 2.0 pour son Hajj virtuel. En attendant de donner un numéro de carte bleue pour accomplir l’aumône, et de débrancher sa connexion pendant le mois de Ramadan.

Via

By

Daniel  S

Specialist in strategic & Security Studies

News talking about the possibility of building a new Islamic center in a Swedish city “Helsingborg”. Of course the Swedish government believes that this Center will help to integrate muslims into Swedish society, they will become loyal to Sweden and they will maintain the national security! They may also think that their good treatment and support to muslims, despite the strong and growing opposition, would protect Sweden from the muslims Jihad! Such wrong beliefs, prove what we have always affirmed, that no one can understand the danger of the mosques ideology, if he was not born an Arab Muslim, received education at the hands of imams, had a daily contacts with them, and was active in the mosques. However, let us provide you with some of the evidence, which confirm that these beliefs wrong and dangerous.

                                     Ahlalhdeeth or ‘Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama`a

Al-Shabab “Youth” and the Ahlu Sunna wal Jama‘a sect … Members of the Al-Sunna wal Jamma

‘Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama`a

‘Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama`a is the most dangerous official sect in all over the world because of their dangerous strategy based on brain-wash people especially children, girls and young Muslims in Europe through Islamic  organizations , mosques and young associations and through the exploitation of both the European governments and politicians  and they who want a new mosque in that city. They emphasizing:

( The Sunna of the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wa sallam, and the people who follow it. Praise belongs to God Who in every century inspires a group of scholarly people to defend the Way of the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wa sallam. Islam in the understanding of Muslims from every generations from the prophet on down is that the only Islam is the Islam of ahlu-sunnah wal jama’ah, the jam’ah being the jama’ah of the salafu-saalih. Their Islam was Islam and other than their Islam is not the correct Islam and Islam is only looked at from the route of how they viewed the Islamic etiquettes from manners all the way to fiqh and aqeedah to be )

“That his’ Ummah will split into seventy-three factions, all of them in Hell except one: The Jama’ah (the Community).” (Reported by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal)

And (the Prophet) (peace be upon him) said in another hadith: “They are those who will follow what I am and what my companions are today.” (at-Tirmidhi)

Those referred to in this saying, those who hold firmly to pure, unadulterated Islam, became the people of the Sunnah and the Jama’ah. Amongst them are the Siddiqs, The martyrs, the righteous, included in them are the cairns of guidance, the lamps for darkness, the masters of memorable merits, the ever-remembered virtues; Among them are the Abdal 1 the Imams about whose judgment and understanding all Muslims agree. These are the victorious ones about whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A group of my ‘Ummah will continue to follow the truth prominently. Whoever betrays them or opposes them can never harm them to the Day of Judgment.” (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The creed and the aims of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama‘a

  They believe that the situation of Muslims now is identical to the Saudi Prophet Mohammed at the beginning of his missionary . So,  their  policy now , especially in Europe, is not to use violence for For certain reasons such as fear of expulsion, which will lead to the integration of generations of Muslims in European societies and that violence will not lead to the opening of Europe.  This is the difference between them and terrorists  muslims.  Therefore, the most important of their current employment in Europe is to present the mosques ideology peacefully  and to fight the integration through the islamic centers , mosques and schools and working to raise generations of Muslim  on the doctrine of the mosques.  And then, those of the generations will be a strong base, can be moved and used for the implementation of the  mosques strategic plan. However, the points below show a part of their ideolgy and policy: 

• As you know they believe in the imams sunna - the Saudis Mohamad teaching –  which asserts beating women, amputation of hands, cursed the Christians and Jews, to prevent alcohol, stoning of women, forcing women to veil, killing mockers, fighting secularism, prevent Muslims from paying taxes, prevent Muslims from converting to another religion…..

• Anti-Christian missionaries, churches and Jewish centers and secular parties. They asserted : ( The duty of the Muslim community — in order to preserve its identity — is to combat apostasy in all its forms and wherefrom it comes, giving it no chance to pervade in the Muslim world.)

• ( The four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-`ashriyyah, Al-Ja`fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.)

• ( “The blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah is not lawful to shed unless he be one of three: a married adulterer, someone killed in retaliation for killing another, or someone who abandons his religion and the Muslim community.) ( such me. I  deny the doctrine of mosques, and I believe in secular countries and the ethics and the law of Europe )

• ( Religion occupies the very first place here as believers may sacrifice themselves, their country, and their wealth for the sake of their religion.)

• ( Refrain from fighting anyone whose death will cause more harm to the muslims ) ( This also one of the reasons whay they deny and refuse to use the mosques official violence because it would harm musims such as expel them from Europe and the closure of mosques 

• They asserted : ( The  principle aim of a mosque is to save the Muslims from melting in the Swedish society )

• The asserted : ( One of the most important basic principles of our religion is that of al-walaa’ wa’l-baraa’, loyalty (walaa’) to Islam and its people, and diavowal (baraa’) of kufr and its people ( Christians, Jews and all non muslims ) )

What will be their work ? 

  The mosque would be aimed at matching  other mosques aims because it same ideology , such as the:

1. Cursing the Swedish people dozens of times each day

2.  To remind Muslims, especially young people, children and women that to love and follow the non-Muslims is forbidden . All mosques and imams agreed that a true  believer does not  love non muslims ,for whoever loves a kaafir is not a believer

3. To prevent Muslims from integrating

4. To convince  Swedish people  to turn to the imams ideology

5. To prevent Muslim women from emancipation

6. To prevent any Muslim to cooperate or recognize Israel

7. To organize demonstrations against any citizen to criticize Islam, mosques

8.  Bring the Saudis and other imams to give lectures to young people to be trained in Sharia and anti integration

9.  Organizing trips for  youth Muslim to States full of terrorists such as Yemen, under the pretext of learning the Arabic language

10. Collicting  children in mosques to teach them the doctrine of imams

11. The establishment of official relations with politicians, for reasons I will mention in another article 

12. The most important goal is to open Europe through Sweden, as provided  in the doctrine of mosques

Therefore, to allow them to establish this mosque means helping to destabilize the national security and prevent the integration of Muslims. Of course, our politicians refuse to accept my scientific and strategic advices  , for reasons I mentioned earlier as well as they use the excuse of religious freedom. Forgetting that freedom of religion does not allow teaching people to be criminals by teaching them convictions and criminal acts  such as amputations of hands and stoning and beating of women and children and endangering the national  and global security . In any case, I’m sure they will regret later,  because the presence and the increasing number of mosques and Islamic centers and associations, will lead to very serious damage And would cause great suffering to our future generations too.

 

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Israeli products sold in UK supermarkets

Before setting off to Jerusalem, I sat down and thought very carefully about how I wanted to spend my money in the city.

A lot of people who support the Palestinian cause are careful to boycott Israeli products but a lot fewer have the chance to actively support the Palestinian economy. Visiting Jerusalem would be my chance to throw in my shekels for the Palestinian economy so I want to make sure I get it right. Basically I need to avoid propping up Israeli businesses while I am there and although I am not spending thousands, if you put together all the money tourist spend it really does start to add up.

According to the Word Travel Market Global Trends forecast, by 2011 the number of tourist visiting the Middle East will have increased to 55 million people a year. These visitors are estimated to bring in revenue worth $51 billion to the region. Now, that is a lot of money. Spent in the right way a tourist’s money could really help Palestinians, especially in Jerusalem where the economy is built on local businesses related to tourism. Hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and stalls are where Palestinian Jerusalemites make their living and so when a Muslim like me visits, I have a real opportunity to positively contribute to its economy.

How do I support the Palestinian economy?

“It’s really quite simple,” answers Mrs. Salhab from the Hashimi Hotel in Jerusalem. “Don’t buy from the Jewish Quarter or stay in Israeli hotels and look for Palestinians wherever you are staying or eating. The Arab Hotel Association is really useful as it has a list of Palestinian hotels to stay in across the whole of Palestine.”

The Arab Hotel Association was established in Jerusalem in 1962, to represent Palestinian hotels and currently has 56 members with over 3,700 guest rooms. It also runs a center to train Palestinian tourism professionals to help them compete in an increasingly competitive industry. The Alternative Tourism Group of Bethlehem has also joined forces with other Palestinian organizations to come up with ‘A Code of Conduct’ which gives advice on how to support “a just and responsible tourism in Palestine.” It has some great suggestions such as using local guides, transportation and spending more time getting to know Palestinians and their way of life.

Another place to support the economy is the particularly vibrant Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City. You can buy almost anything from here, safe in the knowledge that you are supporting the Palestinian community.

Jerusalem’s Economy after the Intifada

The tourism industry is now buoyed by streams of pilgrims and optimism about its future. As recently as 2000, the industry suffered a severe downfall as political turmoil erupted in the country and visitors kept away due to fears for their safety. In the wake of the Al Aqsa Intifada in 2000, the tourism industry fell by the unprecedented amount of 50% and four years later reports were stating that the volume of tourism was still some 45% lower than pre-intifada levels.

“After 2000 things were very bad, and not for a few months but for a very long time,” reaffirms Sarah who runs a Muslim-friendly hotel in the Muslim Quarter. “It took a long time for things to get better and in consideration of the economic situation worldwide and Gaza, things are remarkably strong.”

Even so, reports by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted that the Israeli security measures such as checkpoints, curfews and roadblocks fragmented the Palestinian economy and pushed it further into decline. A report by the World Bank this June 2009 also found that recent post-conflict economic recovery has been hampered by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian trade and movement. As a result, Palestinians are becoming more rather than less dependent on foreign aid.

In these circumstances, it is more important than ever that Muslims are supporting the Palestinian economy sustainable by visiting the holy city and investing in its economy. As Sarah add, “Jerusalem sees so much of everyone but it would be great to see more Muslim visitor, especially from the UK and Europe, supporting the Palestinian economy.”

Link to the Article online

Integrating faith and fashion is no easy task.

Just ask the millions of Muslims across the Western world, who endure endlessly frustrating trips to the mall, trying to find something- anything- to wear which is remotely suitable. Many complain that when it comes to fashion, the Western world just does not accommodate Muslims. In the last couple of years, however, things have begun to change in the West. Blogs, website and festivals on ‘Muslim Fashion’ are growing all the time and new Muslim designers are emerging, bringing with them new perspectives on fashion. But is ‘wearing’ your faith really a positive development?

Whilst many are happy to have more suitable clothing available, others fear that ‘Muslim Fashion’ is leading young Muslims down a path of senseless consumption and is actually distracting from real Islam. I spoke with two Muslim designers, Melih Kesmen and Sarah Elenany, to tackle this dilemma.

Tackling stereotypes with T-shirts

Melih Kesmen is probably not what you have in mind when you think of a fashion designer. A devout German Muslim of Turkish descent, he is a qualified graphic designer with a wife and young son named Isaak. Yet following 9/11 and the incident involving the offensive caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed printed in Denmark, Kesmen decided to launch StyleIslam. “After September 11th we as Muslims are always on the defensive,” he explains. “Bad articles in the media, propaganda all around the world- my idea was to find a positive way to tackle these media problems.”

StyleIslam is modern and stylish brand of men and women’s clothing proudly declaring Muslim values such as the virtues of sunnah and du’a. In fact, it was the caricature incident which motivated Kesmen to design his first T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘I love my Prophet’. These proved to be extremely popular and encouraged Kesmen to launch his brand. “It would have been nice to have launched for a nicer reason but it was a start and as a Muslim you have to say allhamdulillah,” he admits.

Talking to Kesmen, it seems clear that StyleIslam is deeply rooted in Islamic values and was launched by a need to protect Islam rather than commercialize it. The brand, which is available to Muslims across the world, remains outspoken on issues concerning Muslims in the West. Amongst its women’s range are items stating ‘Hijab, My Right, My Choice, My Life’. Yet what sparked controversy was StyleIslam’s now discontinued ‘Jesus was a Muslim’ t-shirt. “We didn’t expect this to be such an issue because for us as Muslims it’s nothing new; of course Jesus was a Muslim.”

Kesmen explains that the negative reaction is rooted in a lack of understanding of Islam and Muslims in the West. “There are many that have prejudices and bad views about Muslims and so they think we are being aggressive and say ‘These Muslims want to provoke us’.” Kesmen was even contacted by people from Bavaria, in Germany where he lives, and threatened with the police and more. “We want to build bridges, that is our real motivation and so we changed it to ‘Jesus and Mohammed, brothers in faith’ and since then we haven’t had any complaints or radical reactions allhamdulillah!”

Modesty in the mainstream

Luckily for Sarah Elenany, the 24-year old behind the label ‘Elenany’, the response to her modest clothing range has been less controversial. “From the target Muslim market the expression ‘Finally!’ keeps popping up. There’s also been good response from non-Muslims and I’ve had quite a few customers who aren’t Muslim!” she says.

Elenany’s new range was launched in May 2009 and includes modest clothing with bold graphic designs of two hands held up in prayer. Her background in engineering product design has also been useful as she explains that her collection “is born out a ‘design for need’ philosophy”. This means that it has been designed with the user, or young Muslim women and their needs, in mind.

The London-based fashion designer explained that the lack of suitable, modest clothing motivated her to launch the clothing range. “Being a young Muslim woman I always found it difficult to find clothing that I felt covered me up properly, which wasn’t the traditional abayas and jilbabs…There was a gap in the market for modest clothing for young people.” Despite, a clear understanding of the business side of the industry, Elenany insists that Muslim fashion is not about commercializing Islam. “I don’t think anything anyone ever does will water down Islam. And if Muslim fashion means bringing Islam into the mainstream- so people have the opportunity to better understand it- then I think that’s a good thing.”

Islamic Values in Fashion

Whilst many warn that Muslim fashion can be an unwelcome distraction from important Islamic values, both Elenany and StyleIslam have stuck to their beliefs. Sarah Elenany explained that while launching her collection was difficult, she was keen that her Islamic values were reflected in the manufacturing process: “I think getting the clothing manufactured will always be a major issue with any clothing label. For me, the process took a bit longer as I had to find a place to get them manufactured where, in line with Islamic ethics, I was confident the workers were getting a fair wage as well as working in good environmental conditions.”

StyleIslam was also adamant that those in need benefited from the commercial success of the label. ‘Style and Sadaqa’ is major feature of the website which states that ‘StyleIslam is not only top street and casual wear for young people with an attitude, it also stands for helpfulness and brotherliness.’ Kesmen added: “For me personally, I thought what is my responsibility? Well of course to communicate and convey the messages of Islam and the other thing is to earn your rizk [provision] to feed your family. After that we must help those who need our support and so every time you buy a t-shirt money goes to the orphan kids in Africa.”

Elenany and Kesmen were also keen to dispel any notions that they had fully resigned themselves to a Western way of life obsessed with image and fashion. Elenany insisted that Muslim fashion was not about beautifying yourself to attract other men but was a means of self-expression- something which is a legitimate part of Islam.

Kesmen also hoped that StyleIslam was building a bridge between the two worlds and inspiring young Muslims to embrace their Muslim roots. “Within the Western world, of course there are things that are not compatible with Islam such as drinking and naked women” remarked Kesmen. “But as intelligent people we should be able differentiate and so work with what we can do. As Islam says Allah is beautiful and loves beauty- what more inspiration do you need than that!”

Link to IslamOnline for the article

Arab Sex Art: Star of the Internet (June 14, 2009)

            In her Preface of “Love in the Moslem Countries” Fatema Mernissi wrote: “My editor wanted to publish an investigation on love in the Moslem countries that I had written 20 years ago and that I had published in the magazine “Jeune Afrique” (Young Africa).  I told my editor that no one is interested to read Ibn Hazm (an expert on sex and seduction during the Arab Andalusia period around the year 1000).  My academic friend that I had invited for lunch to extract information from said to me: “You are disconnected of the digital galaxy. The translated book of Ibn Hazm is the best seller on the internet.”

            Fatema felt a surge of anger: her male friend was only 7 years younger; then how come he is connected and I am so far beyond in technology?  Fatema learned that the search engine of Google had mentioned Ibn Hazm 200,000 times in less than 0.1 second.  There is a site based in Paris Iqra Shop Com that offers CD to learn Arabic, the Koran and the Hadith for the francophone people and other clothing garments. The book of Ibn Hazm “The affinities of love and The Necklace of the dove” is sold for 12 Euro and described as a must read reference on the subtleties of love proper to Moslems.  Thus, Fatema re-caled her editor and said “Ibn Hazm was right. Love is eternal.  I will have to add a chapter on love in Islam in the time of Internet”

            The Al Jazeera channel (the Arab counterpart of CNN) is based in Dubai and has Imam Qaradawi as star commentator on love and sex in Islam.  Imam Qaradawi calls on an army of experts in religion, fekh, shari3a, psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, and physicians of both genders to answer the thousands of questions that flood his bureau.  Qaradawi posts his answers on the net (al internet wal-hub) and publishes booklets at low cost in matters of marriage and love for the adolescents and their parents.  Islam Online has competitors in Muslima.com to aid searching for the appropriate partner in friendship, discussion, romance, and marriage.  In the subject of romance the choc of civilization is a non issue because it is universal as the object of world ethic.  For example, estimate in 1999 indicate that aging people had invested over a trillion dollars for rejuvenating their look, especially growing hair on their bolding skull.

            Ibn Hazm was born in Cordoba (994-1064) of an aristocratic family.  His father was vizier and he became vizier in Valencia.  Ibn Hazm was polyvalent in erudition; he was grammarian, scientist, philosopher, and a religious jurist. He lived in a period as troubled as ours; he led the Zahirite movement against the rigid Malekite sect.  He was made vizier twice and was incarcerated several times when power kept shifting among the warring factions in Andalusia. He came to the conclusion that the best remedy for the decomposition and disintegration of society was to learn authentic love and experience the power of “falling in love”

            Other famous Arab authors in seduction are Ibn Al-Jawzi “Denigration of Love” (Dammu Al Hawa) and Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyya “The Garden of lovers” Rawdat al muhibbeen).  If all fails, you may fall back to “One thousand and one nights” where you find all kinds of detailed psychoanalytical description of emotions and sexual desires.

            It appears that oil may deplete but the medieval archive of Arabic manuscripts on love, sex, and seduction is here to be mined, translated, published, and disseminated in all form of media because romance is for the eternity.  The Arab civilization was the richest in the field of sexual desires; it dissected sexual desire in all its forms, shapes, and varieties; they explained sexual desire in the minute details, pornographically, physiologically, anatomically, and psychologically and left us scientific manuscripts in that field with accurate terminologies.

Note: I opened another category in my blog Adonis49 (Seduction/Love/Sex).  You may start with the links for those interested in following the conversation:

http://adonis49.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/seduction-tales/

http://adonis49.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/love-tales/

http://adonis49.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/sex-tales/

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Former mini skirt wearing model, real estate mogul, and now Islam activist, Raya Shokatfard is many things. Judgmental and assuming, she is not. With a warm smile, she recounted the successes and deterrences of her life to a group of American students.

“If I had to do it all again, I would do it a million times,” Raya said.

What Raya is referring to is her life–a life of searching for her personal belief, shifting from one religion to another, finding her way through two divorces and accepting a strict muslim lifestyle, outlined by her second husband. In her words,  though she was obeying her husband, covering herself with the hijab (veil), and completely switching to a conservative lifestyle despite her secular upbringing, she was doing it all to ultimately please Allah.

This is a woman who has achieved an Associates of Arts degree (California), a Bachelors of Science in communication and journalsim (Oregon), a Master’s degree in journalism from American University of Cairo, and from the same university a Master’s diploma in TV journalism. Despite her avid academic accomplishments, it is her personal story that is the most riveting aspect of her personhood, and the amount of experiences she has had in her 62 years.

Taking a hiatus from Islam, Raya found that although she had everything she could ever want (money, career, connections) she somehow still felt lacking in something, empty though the world was literally at her fingertips. This is something we hear people say so often. This “emptiness” is frequently expressed, but just dealt with, and many people never go deep enough, or never search themselves fully to discover what exactly is happening.

Raya is the first person I have ever encountered who has felt the pull of emptiness and actually broke away from her comfort and security to find out what could satisfy her.

First, Raya dappled in Hinduism. “I couldn’t do reincarnation, there were too many gods too,” she said of the religion.

Next, Raya turned to Buddhism, identifying with the Zen aspect of the religion, but again, having certain reservations about worshiping Buddha among others.

Christianity was something of a resting spot for Raya. She immersed herself in Christianity for about seven years where she joined a Seventh Day Adventist church and even studied theology. Yet again, she encountered problems, not only understanding the Trinity, but trying to make sense of three supposed gods that acted as one. Complexity seemed to be the name of the game, no matter what.

Raya ended up coming full circle back to Islam. She read the Qur’an.

“It was so plain and clear, I felt I found God here,” she said.

Allah is the only god and the rest of the religion felt clarified and accessible to Raya. Her second husband was an accomplished Suni scholar and guided her in texts and spiritual understanding. For that she is forever grateful.

“If I did not marry him, I would have none of this,” Raya said. “I believe he was sent to me by Allah.”

Raya is not an overzealous muslim. She is not preachy and has no intention to push what she has found on anyone else. She has found a peace that is evident in her countenance and the manner in which she speaks. She is gentle and understanding, a brilliant speaker with an even more brilliant mind. You cannot help but gravitate toward her.

Recounting her choice to obey her Egyptian husband in his desire for her to wear the hijab, she admits it was very difficult, but worth every moment.

“It was a test, to please God,” she said. “There are many layers [to the veil] and you can’t breathe. But, these women will never complain because they are doing it for God.”

Similarly, another sort of test for Raya and other muslim women is the practice of polygamy. Raya’s second husband had two other wives living in different countries when she was married to him. She never felt jealousy or anxiety, knowing that her husband was the best man for these other women, that he would help and guide them no matter what.

“Polygamy is jihad for women–we give up rights for Allah,” she said trying to paint a picture of her sacrifice so that our Westernized minds could better understand. In brief, jihad is designated informally as the six th obligation of Islam, in addition to the five pillars of Islam that are expected to be carried out in the lifetime of each muslim. Loosely translated it means “struggle.” Jihad includes a struggle against the self or of an enemy. In Western media, the word has grown to solely infer an act of war with a strong connotation of violence. This is not the meaning that Raya intends to use.

Raya sees polygamy as a struggle of her self. “It’s like fighting the desire to have a husband all for yourself,” she said. But, you can see no fight, no struggle, no internal conflict present when you speak with Raya.

And, to be clear, I am not epitomizing or glorifying Raya. This is who she is and what she believes. It is as simple as that.

On Tuesday (May 19th) she starts her position as editor of the “Reading Islam” section of Islam Online. She has materialized her years of public speaking and outreach through this position with the one goal of allowing people (muslim and non) to fully grasp and understand the religion. She is not biased and comes with no soap box for her opinion. She professes the truth about Islam and only wishes for eyes to be opened.

Raya is a unique figure. Within Islam she is an open book, hindered by nothing and open to everything. Aside from religion, she is a mother, an advocate, and a resource with arms extended and a willingness that surpasses my understanding.

Hopefully I will have a photo of Raya soon so you can know the face behind the inspiration.

Haram al-Sharif: first qibla, second mosque and third holiest site in Islam

Nestled in the old city walls of Jerusalem, the Haram al-Sharif, or al-Aqsa Sanctuary, is the single most sacred site in the Holy Land. As the first qibla in Islam and third holiest site after Mecca and Medinah, this vast promenade also marks the blessed site of Prophet Muhammad’s [pbuh] ascension to heaven. Indeed, Allah has blessed and honored this site for mankind to reap spiritual and material benefits even before the Prophet’s [pbuh] ascension.

As Surah al-Isra reveals:
(Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the Farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. ) [Al-Isra 17:1]

The Surah here refers to the al-Aqsa Sanctuary as the farthest mosque (or Masjid al-Aqsa in Arabic) and indeed the entire sanctuary is considered to be the second mosque built on earth- forty years after the Ka’bah was built. To commemorate the sacredness of this sanctuary as well as the historical events which had occurred within, Muslims across time have built numerous mosques and monuments within its boundaries. The most famous of these include the glimmering gold Dome of the Rock and the black-domed Masjid al-Aqsa.

Dome of the Rock- Icon of Islam

The Dome of the Rock or ‘Qubbet as-Sakhra’ is often held up as the first work of Islamic architecture and also the finest and most iconic symbol of Islam. As the name suggests, this mosque enclaves a sacred rock which many believe the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] used to ascend to heaven during al-Isra and al-Miraj. Under the first ruling Muslim dynasty the Ummayads, ‘Abd al-Malik made a concerted effort to beautify Jerusalem and endow it with the gleaming Dome of the Rock as well as the Masjid al-Aqsa.

The eight-sided building has undergone very little alteration since it was completed in the late sixth century. Some scholars have even stated that judging from the design of the building, a dome over the rock and double octagonal walls, it was not meant to serve as a mosque at all but solely meant to commemorate the sacred rock. Centrally focused on the rock, the building appears to have been built as a place of pilgrimage which could be circumambulated like the Ka’bah.

Architectural Masterpiece

Built in typical Byzantine style, the mosque seamlessly combines marble columns, striking blue mosaics, stained glass windows with a glittering golden dome. Qubbet as-Sakhra is accessible through flights of stairs each crowned by an arcade which leads to the raised platform on which the mosque sits. The large central dome (around 25 meters high and 20 meters in diameter) is placed on a cylindrical wall or ‘drum’ which is decorated with sixteen windows and is supported by twelve stone columns arranged in a circle within the mosque. The wooden dome which is covered with gold-plated lead is located directly above the sacred rock.

Each of the eight exterior walls of the octagon is divided into seven panels. The lower section is gray veined marble and the upper is decorated with magnificent porcelain tiles from Turkey. Intricately designed windows adorning the top of every panel let in light which softly illuminates the inside of the mosque. Mosaics of deep blue and green glass which once enveloped the upper panel walls were almost completely replaced in the Ottoman period by Turkish tiles, however some originals remain inside.

At the very top of these exterior walls, a narrow band of Arabic inscription written in white letters against a blue background weaves 250m of Qu’ran around the building. These inscriptions which highlight the tenants of Islam and the prophet Muhammad as the final messenger, reflect the important role of the Dome of the Rock in a Jerusalem filled with monuments to Judaism and Christianity.

The mosque has four entrance from the north, south, east and west which take you through to the most lavish and spectacular interior designs of the monument. The mosaics inside the Qubbet as-Sakhra apply elaborate geometric patterns against a gold foil and in mother-of-pearl background intertwined with vegetal (stylized fruits, flowers and trees). The supporting bars above the central columns have even retained their bronze facing from the Mamluk and Ottoman period and are classically decorated with palmettes, acanthus leaves and vine tendrils.

Internally, the dome of Qubbet as-Sakhra is also magnificently decorated with concentric circles of painted and gilded arabesques which date back to the restoration of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1818.

Masjid Al-Aqsa: Spiritual Centre of Jerusalem

The second building constructed on the Haram al-Sharif is the black-domed Masjid al-Aqsa. Built 709 – 715 AD by Caliph Abd’ al-Malik, this large mosque accommodates around 5,000 people and is dedicated to Bilal the first muezzin of Islam.

Masjid al-Aqsa has also been significantly re-built and modified several times due to major earthquakes and religious conflicts in the region. For example, under the Crusaders the mosque was converted into a church known as ‘Solomon’s Temple’ up until 1187 AD when Saladin reclaimed Jerusalem and the Haram as a Muslim sanctuary. It also believed that the mosque was preceded by an earlier construction associated with Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab who cleared the Haram al-Sharif of debris and erected a simple mosque named Masjid al-’Umari.

In the light of this history, the present mosque is an elegant building- spacious, calm and perfectly suited to prayers and quiet contemplation. It has nine entrances; seven through the northern wall, one on the east and another on the west sides.

Topped with graceful arches, the northern entrances lead into the seven aisles of the mosque which are separated by massive columns. Of the 45 columns, 12 are made of stone and 33 are made from white marble- some of these marble columns were even donated by Benito Mussolini! The main arched doorway leads into the central aisle which has a beautifully painted and carved elevated roof and an elegant mihrab. The masjid’s walls are also decorated with 121 stained-glass windows styled in geometric patterns and Qu’ranic inscriptions which illuminate the interior. .

The graceful silver-black dome which we see today is the outcome of a series of reconstructions, some of which occurred as recently as 1969. The dome, which had been previously reinforced using concrete and anodized aluminum, was reconstructed using lead enamelwork to match the original design of the architects.

Internally, the dome is decorated with intricate mosaics and marble designs from the fourteenth century. Mosaics above the central aisle arch and around the drum of the dome are even older and date back to 1035 AD. Saladin also gave the mosque a magnificent carved wooden minbar to commemorate the freedom of Jerusalem from the Crusaders, which was sadly burnt in an arson attack in 1969. It’s important to note that when the Qu’ran refers to Masjid al-Aqsa, it is not the black-domed mosque later named in its honor which is implied but the entire al-Aqsa sanctuary.

Blessed Land and Not Blessed Buildings

Finally, while we must celebrate the magnificent mosques and monuments built by Muslims to commemorate this holy sanctuary, we must remember that it is the land of the al-Aqsa Sanctuary that is blessed and not its buildings. Indeed at the time of the Prophet Muhammad mosques were built only with functionality in mind. Designs were simple and mosques constructed using sun-dried mud bricks. Despite their humble simplicity, these mosques wholeheartedly fulfilled their essential purpose as a communal space for the faithful to gather and to pray.

Click here to enlarge © Arwa Aburawa

Walking around the ancient streets and spice markets of Jerusalem, it is easy to forget that this city is under Israeli occupation. Daily life flows smoothly between shopping mothers, kids at schools and old men sitting outside shops drinking coffee. Nothing really seems out of place, until you look a little closer. Firstly, there are Israeli soldiers walking through the market and streets, on buses, queuing at the post office and eating falafel- they are everywhere. Another thing that makes you realize that something is very wrong is the Wall.

Building a ‘Greater Jewish Jerusalem’

Known as the Separation or Apartheid Wall, it is a menacing symbol of hatred and fear. How could anyone think it is okay to build an 8-meter high concrete Wall running over 723kms long around an entire community? A Wall that is trapping them into what is effectively an open-air prison? According to the International Court of Justice the Wall is illegal and in violation of the Right to self-determination, the Fourth Geneva Convention, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as well as various human rights and humanitarian laws.

Defenders of the Wall reply that Israeli is simply exercising its right to protect itself from Palestinian suicide bombers. Maybe. But why is Israel building the Wall deep within the West Bank annexing nearly 50% of Palestinian land in the region, pushing Palestinians out of Jerusalem as well as incorporating illegal Israeli settlements into a ‘Greater Jewish Jerusalem’?

Daoud Hamoudi of Stop the Wall, the anti-apartheid organization based in the West Bank, explains that as Jerusalem is the political, economic and spiritual center of the country, Israel realized that it would need to have control over it. “Because Jerusalem is such an important center, Israel began to isolate it from the beginning and annex it.”

“More recently in 2002,” he adds, “scientists reported to the Zionist movement that by 2025 the Palestinian population will become 60% in historical Palestine and the Jews will become a minority at 40%. So they took a decision that they needed to reduce the Palestinian population to 30%.”

Pushing Palestinians Out

Within Jerusalem specifically, the Palestinian population currently stands at around 33% and the Zionist movement decided that this would need to be reduced to 8% in the coming 25 years. The plan for a ‘Greater Jewish Jerusalem’ details the methods and policies that would bring such a reduction in the Palestinian population.

“The first policy they implemented is the Wall which annexes the settlement blocs into Jerusalem and isolates the Palestinian neighborhoods and you are taking about almost half of the population of Jerusalem, around 120,000” says Hamoudi. “They also manipulated natural growth of the cities so that Arab cities grow outside the center whilst Jewish neighborhoods grow towards Jerusalem.”

This means that Palestinian neighborhoods surrounding Jerusalem now have to cross the Wall to enter Jerusalem and so they begin to rely on major cities further out in the West Bank, totally severing their connection with Jerusalem. “The farmers would normally depend on Jerusalem to sell their produce but they now have to depend on places like Ramallah in the West Bank. They are isolating them into ghettos.”

Bringing Israeli Settlements In

The second implication of the Wall and securing a ‘Greater Jewish Jerusalem’ is that it is absorbs major illegal settlement blocs which sit around Jerusalem. This includes the largest Jewish Settlement, Ma’ale Adumim which has a population of around 35,000 and plans to grow to 50,000. In fact Hamoudi reported that the Zionist movement wants to bring another 1 million Jewish immigrants to live in these blocs, in an attempt to resolve the ‘demographic issue’ and secure Jewish dominance across Jerusalem.

Settler roads have also played a part in this demographic ‘re-balance.’ “Maybe in the States or Europe roads and highway networks are something normal but here it is not,” states Hamdoudi. “These roads are not only confiscating lands they are also isolating people from their lands. For example in Silwan [a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem] they will destroy around 92 homes under the name of ‘development’ to build a park for settlers and a highway to make it easier for settlers from Bethlehem to reach the Wailing Wall.”

This re-drawing of Jerusalem is a political effort to dominate the Holy City with a Jewish majority at the expense of the Christian and Muslim Palestinians. “What was East Jerusalem will become 31% of the Greater Jewish Jerusalem” Hamoudi elaborates. “Also within this area, they have confiscated around 45-65% as Green land which cannot be built on and State lands for settlements. So that leaves them with only 10% of the Greater Jewish Jerusalem.” At only 10%, the Palestinians would become a very small minority at the mercy of the Israeli state which threatens the very future existence of this historic community in Jerusalem.

Palestinians have been divided and systematically fragmented since the Nakba (disaster) of 1948 which tore them from their homes and dispersed them across the world. There are those living within Israel who are separated from those living in the West Bank, and both are cut off from those in Gaza; Palestinians living in refugee camps throughout the Arab world and those in the global Diaspora.

Currently, there is an estimated 9.3-10 million Palestinians worldwide and despite the geographical boundaries, Palestinian identity remains strong for the very same reason it was formed; to resist and unite against occupation.

The dynamics of Palestinian Identity

Palestinian identity has always been at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict not only because it inextricably links Palestinians with their homeland but because it is also a means of resistance. It is a constant reminder of what was taken away from the Palestinians and a symbol of the ongoing battle with Israel for their right of existence. While many people relate the Palestinian struggle to those living in the West Bank and Gaza, those living within Israel face an equally difficult battle for their Palestinian identity.

As Nadim Nashif, the director of Baladna (Our Homeland in Arabic) an organization which works to foster Palestinian identity in youth living in Israel, remarks: “Particularly for those living in Israel, expressing Palestinian identity is a form of resistance to the Israeli occupation. It is a way to say ‘No’ to the injustice and the discrimination that they face. When you feel threatened and are not treated as an equal but a second-class citizen, identity becomes something that you carry with you and try to protect.”

Around the 19th century, Palestinian identity was being carefully articulated under the Ottoman Empire around religion, notions of Arabism and Palestine as a homeland. These loyalties were carefully balanced with a sense of allegiance to family as society was organized around small agricultural units as well as around a regional commitment to wider Arab nationalism. This unity was subsequently strengthened by the colonial occupation of the British Mandate from 1920-1948 as well as the powerful Zionist movement which began to displace the Palestinians through Jewish mass migration.

The formative stages of the Palestinian identity occurred under colonial rule and threat of occupation and were reflected in the need to unite the entire Palestinian nation against a common threat. As Nashif explains; “When you have a big conflict, the small issues suddenly don’t seem important. I mean there are obviously natural tensions between Muslim and Christian Palestinians but as there is a national conflict, religious divisions are less significant.”

‘Arab Israeli’ identity was to disconnect Palestinians from their Palestinian identity. © Arwa Aburawa

A Motivated Palestinian-Free Identity

This unity and strength of the Palestinian identity, however, seems to pose a risk to the Israeli state. You only have to look at the way with which the Israeli government suppressed the celebrations of Jerusalem as Capital of Arab Culture 2009. They see that the expression of Palestinian identity and pride as a direct threat.

Furthermore, Nashif points to the attempts by the Israeli government to weaken the Palestinian identity by issuing an alternative ‘Arab Israeli’ IDs. “Since the 1950’s, Israel has tried to create the terminology of Arab Israelis which we think is incorrect mainly because we are Palestinians. The main idea behind forcing the ‘Arab Israeli’ identity was to disconnect Palestinians from their Palestinian identity and to say that these are just Arabs who are also Israelis.”

It was very clear from the beginning that the Israeli state wanted to proliferate this notion of Arab Israeli’s, especially among the Palestinian youths living in Israel. Through the Israeli Ministry of Education they created a curriculum which did not mention Palestine or even the word Palestinians.

As Nashif states, “In the 1948 war there were at least two stories; there is the Zionist discourse and also the Palestinian discourse- basically we (Palestinians living in Israel) learnt the Zionist discourse. Anything related to Palestinian literature or poets such as Mahmoud Darwish is not allowed in the curriculum and any Arab history is from the Middle Ages.”

“On the other hand,” Nashif adds, “everything related to the Jewish people is obligatory in our schools, ranging from literature, religion, the Zionist movement. I think it’s good to learn about Jewish people, the problem starts when you only learn about the majority and you hardly learn anything about yourself.” Baladna, the youth organization, works to combat this bias by providing informal education about Palestinian history and providing an open environment to discuss issues of identity that these young Palestinians face in their daily lives.

Barriers of Occupation

Acknowledging Palestine or Palestinians is clearly problematic for the Israeli State. How could Israel refer to Palestine and claim to have formed the Israeli State in a ‘land with no people for a people with no land?’ at the same time. Nashif explains that the Israeli government simply reacted by suppressing the Palestinian identity of those who remained in the ‘48 territories: “The pressure is not to say that you are an Arab but to say that you are an Israeli Arab in way which is new and is disconnected from the Palestinian identity. All of us still define ourselves as Arabs, this is nothing controversial but the point of the Arab Israeli identity is to impose a newly created identity which is more politically convenient for the government.”

Although the Israeli occupation has placed numerous barriers (sometimes in the shape of very solid walls) in the path of Palestinian unity, Rashid Khalidi the Palestinian historian states that “a strong sense of (Palestinian) identity developed in spite of, and in some cases because of, the obstacles it faced.”

Everyday at a checkpoint, land border or airport a Palestinians are irrevocably reminded of their identity; not as Arabs, a Muslims or a Christians but as a Palestinian under Israeli occupation. “The occupation makes you stick with your identity” reiterates Nashif. “Even if you are a person who doesn’t want to mess with politics or doesn’t identify themselves as Palestinian and you want to feel Israeli; when you go to the airport you face the same discrimination and profiling, undressing and other humiliating scenes and then of course you think again.”

It seems that the quintessential Palestinian experience of anxiety at modern barriers, where identities are checked and verified, consolidates that the Palestinians are in fact a united people. As Khalidi writes, “What happens to Palestinians at these crossing points brings home to them how much they share in common as people.”

Sources:

Rashid Khalidi. Palestinian Identity; The construction of modern national consciousness. (New York, Columbia University Press, 1997).

For many people in the international art community, Islamic art is an anomaly, an ancient relic of a crumbled civilization, the art form that should be relegated to the museums, ancient archaeological sites and mosques. Many specialists argue that it simply can not relate to the modern artist or even attempt to represent the citizens of an increasingly globalized world.

Yet, there is an increasing number of modern artists who are finding inspiration in the age-old artistic expressions of the Islamic era and are utilizing sacred geometric patterns and calligraphy to express a unity of faith and depict the twentieth- century living. One such artists is Zarah Hussain, a UK-based painter who argues that Islamic art’s “strong aesthetic appeal transcends time and space, as well as differences in language and culture.”

Hussain’s first exhibition, ‘Handasah’, which means geometry in Arabic, explored the sacred tradition of geometric patterns through elaborate paintings on hand-made paper. For Hussain, the search for unity in Islamic geometric art reflects a search for unity between the Islamic faith and a twenty-first century lifestyle. “Geometry is a spiritual and timeless art and when we contemplate this art we are being drawn inwards to a deeper self-reflection and centeredness.”

Hussain’s latest exhibition ‘Beauty of Abstraction’ went even further towards harmonizing the modern world with Islamic art through animated light-installations. These installations of changing kaleidoscopic geometric art are projected onto a dark gallery walls alongside more traditional paintings to represent a harmony of faith and technology.

Metaphors for Creation

The geometric patterns which Hussain embraces have always been popular motifs of Islamic art decorating walls, floors, lamps, book covers and textiles across the centuries. Some of the greatest examples of Islamic architecture such as the Dome of the Rock, the walled city Alhambra and the Taj Mahal also display some of the most exquisite examples of geometric designs combined with mosaics, glass window panels and carpets.

Geometric art flourished across the Islamic civilization due to the passion for abstraction as the use of images, such as those which proliferate in the Christian tradition, are discouraged on the basis that they could lead to idolatry. Islamic scholars were also fascinated with Greek philosophy, mathematics and astronomy which are based on abstraction as a means to reaching greater truths.

Zarah Hussain states that her geometric artwork stems from an interest in symmetry, balance and order present in the universe we live, “A universe that has an incredibly reliable set of rhythms of day and night, and of the years together with the circumambulations of the sun moon and planets. I believe that geometric patterns reflect a natural order and are metaphors for creation.” Thus, the artist, the mathematician and astronomer integrate into one to explore the subtle symmetries of the very world we inhabit and the inherent harmony of the material and spiritual world.

Hussain has not always worked with her Islamic heritage; in fact her earlier artwork was inspired by the Optical Art movement and Bridget Riley who was popular in the 1960’s. “I soon found this work to be clinical and cold,” explains Hussain, “searching for a mode of expression that I could understand more fully, I started to rediscover my artistic cultural heritage and this led me to taking a path toward traditional Islamic geometry.”

Zarah at work.

Symbolism

Islamic art serves a very different function in comparison to the arts in the Western World. Western artists tend to focus on the direct reflection or personal interpretation of the physical forms which surround us. In contrast, the Muslim artist realizes that to be dazzled by god’s creations misses something vital: the uniting aspect beneath the artificial surface. As Hussain elaborates, this is why Islamic artists do not replicate nature, as they could never do justice to Allah’s creations. Instead they attempt to convey what they represent as their divine essence. This is essentially done by attaching meaning to the shapes and patterns through symbolism.

Individual geometric shapes are not simply used for their aesthetic beauty. They are rather symbols which represent certain aspects of the Islamic faith. For example, circles which usually form the centre of a design or contain a wider geometric pattern represent eternity and the infinite bounty of Allah. Triangles are applied as symbols of human consciousness, the square as the physical existence and form of beings and hexagons are representative of heaven.

In Islamic iconography, the star in its various forms also represents unity and the spread of Islam with the points emulating a growth from a central point. Ultimately, the seamless combination of these individual shapes and patterns within large geometric patterns reaffirms the perfect harmonization of all of god’s divine creations.

Whilst some specialists have criticized Islamic art as artistically restrictive, Islamic artists who embrace abstraction and geometry actually free their imagination from the constraints of material representation towards the diverse world of symbolic representation.

In recognition of the diverse interaction between Islamic art traditions and the modern artists, the Jameel Prize has been this year launched by the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is a £25,000 international award that intends to raise awareness of the often ignored interaction between rich Islamic traditions and the modern artist.

Aimed at contemporary artists from all over the world, the Jameel Prize will hopefully contribute to a broader debate about Islamic culture. Although some artists are happy to dismiss the contribution that Islamic art has made, it cannot be a coincidence that artists from early Islamic civilization to the twentieth century have recognized Islamic art as a lucid form of expression and exploration.

Check out Zarah Hussain’s work on:www.zarahhussain.co.uk
For more information on the Jameel Prize Click Here