NEWS

Usamah Kalahkan Bush

Dalam World's 100 Most Influential People versi majalah Time terbaru nama Usamah bin Ladin mengalahklan popularitas presiden AS, George W Bush.

Sepak terjang Presiden AS George W Bush terbukti membawa perubahan besar pada peta politik dan keamanan di Timur Tengah, khususnya lewat pendudukan Iran dan program war on terror (perang melawan teror). Tetapi popularitasnya di dunia ternyata gagal melampaui Usamah bin Ladin, kelompok paling dibenci Amerika.

Setidaknya itu tercermin dari pencoretan Bush dari daftar 100 orang paling berpengaruh di dunia (World's 100 Most Influential People) versi majalah Time edisi 14 Mei mendatang. Pencoretan nama Bush menunjukkan semakin minimnya dukungan di dalam dan luar negeri terhadap pencetus perang Irak tersebut.

Usamah masih masuk dalam daftar Time itu bersama Paus Benediktus XVI, capres AS Hillary Rodham Clinton dan Barack Obama, Gubernur California Arnold Schwarzenegger, Presiden Tiongkok Hu Jintao dan politisi India, Sonia Gandhi.

“Bush dinilai tidak memenuhi standar lagi. Kami menilai kepemimpinan Bush saat ini sudah kurang berpengaruh daripada posisi yang seharusnya diterimanya,” kata Wakil Pimred Time, Adi Ignatius, mengenai alasan mendepak Bush.

“Bush tidak berdaya. Kami hanya menilai Bush berada di titik terendah dalam arti sejauh mana pengaruhnya (di dunia, Red),” tambahnya.

Daftar yang dirancang untuk mengakui 'pria dan wanita yang kekuasaan, talenta atau kualitas moralnya mampu mengubah wajah dunia' itu tidak dibuat berurutan atau memberi alasan mengapa seseorang lebih dipilih dibandingkan yang lain. Times memasukkan Usamah dalam kategori pemimpin berpengaruh dan revolusioner. Kekalahan Bush dari Usamah juga akibat kemerosotan pengaruhnya lewat kemenangan Partai Demokrat pada pemilu legislatif, 2006 lalu.

“Orang yang mungkin memberi pengaruh dengan cara yang tidak dipahami orang lain, meskipun ia berada di balik layar seperti Sonia Gandhi. Kita harus mengakui hal itu. Jadi mengapa mereka ada dalam daftar ini,” jelas Ignatius.

Usamah juga berdampingan dalam kategori yang sama dengan Ratu Elizabeth II, Menlu Israel Tzipi Livni dan Menlu AS Condoleezza. Yang menarik, Times lebih memilih memasukkan adik Presiden Kuba Fidel Castro, Raul, dan pemimpin spiritual Iran Ali Khamenei, daripada PM Israel Ehud Olmert.

Terorisme AS
Sementara itu konferensi internasional di Sharm El-Sheik Mesir, Menlu Iran Manouchehr Mottaki menuduh AS melakukan aksi terorisme di Irak. Konferensi yang ditujukan untuk menciptakan komitmen bersama guna menciptakan keamanan di Irak itu juga gagal mempertemukan delegasi Iran dan AS.

“Menciptakan surga bagi para teroris yang mencoba menjadikan Irak sebagai basis untuk menyerang negara tetangganya, harus dikutuk,” tegas Mottaki dalam pernyataan di tengah konferensi itu.

Jubir delegasi Iran menjelaskan, pernyataan Mottaki itu ditujukan kepada AS. “Mottaki menunjuk negara-negara seperti AS, yang melancarkan aksi terorisme di Irak,” jelasnya. “Ketika AS menahan lima diplomat Iran, itu juga merupakan tindakan terorisme.”

Hilary Saunders : Aku Bahagia dalam Islam

Keputusan paling besar yang pernah kulakukan dalam hidupku ternyata juga merupakan suatu hal yang luar biasa sederhana. Mengucapkan dua kalimat syahadat ini, kulakukan setahun lalu di depan dua orang saksi. "Aku bersaksi tidak ada Ilah selain Allah dan aku bersaksi bahwa Muhammad adalah RasulNya" Ucapku, dan mulai saat itu, aku menjadi seorang Muslim.Antara yakin dan sedikit tidak percaya dengan apa yang telah dilakukannya, Hilary Saunders berusaha untuk menjajaki kembali keputusannya. Mualaf asal Inggris dan wartawati Al-Jazeera itu berada dalam kegamangan. Negeri Yordanlah yang akan menjadi saksi keteguhan iman yang telah menjadi pilihannya. Hingga detik saat mengucapkan syahadat itu, ia masih belum sepenuhnya yakin bahwa itulah yang ingin ia lakukan. "Bagaimana kalau suatu pagi aku terbangun dan berubah pikiran? Mungkinkah aku akan merasa telah melakukan sebuah kesalahan besar?"Tetapi nyatanya dia merasakan betapa telah berubah hidupnya. Dia tak tahu bagaimana harus menggambarkannya, tetapi saat dia mengucapkan kata-kata itu, dia merasakan kebahagiaan dan rasa cinta memenuhi seluruh relung hatinya dan baru empat hari kemudian dia berhenti merasa seakan-akan tengah melayang-layang."Aku hampir saja menggambarkan pengalaman batinku itu sebagai coming out, keluar, karena untuk pertama kali suatu bagian penting namun sangat rahasia dari diriku, kini muncul dan diketahui orang lain."Prosesi keislamannya barangkali tidak lebih dari sekadar beberapa menit, tetapi itu adalah puncak dari sebuah pencarian yang telah dijalani sepanjang hidupnya. Kedua orangtuanya agnostik (mereka tidak percaya akan adanya Tuhan), dan membesarkannya bersama kedua saudara perempuannya tanpa agama supaya mereka bisa memutuskan sendiri bila dewasa nanti.Sejak kecil, dirinya sudah menyadari bahwa dia tengah mencari sesuatu, entah apa. Pada saat-saat tertentu dia bahkan merasa seakan-akan seperti sebuah kapal tanpa kemudi di laut yang bergolak, tak tahu ke mana harus berlabuh. Saat mulai kuliah, Hilary muda mulai meneliti berbagai kepercayaan yang ada. Misalnya, sebuah sistem falsafah yang dikenal sebagai The Work, yang ternyata banyak menyontek Islam, meskipun dia belum tahu ketika itu. Hilary juga meneliti berbagai filosofi new-age, mencoba meditasi Budha, dan membaca berbagai buku pengembangan diri.Di masa lalu pun hubungan dengan lawan jenis seringkali bermasalah. Suatu kali, sesudah putus dari seorang pacar, dia baca buku karya Robin Norwood yang berjudul Wobel Who Love Too Much. Sebenarnya, Hilary sudah pernah membacanya dan dia berpikir buku itu hanya cocok untuk perempuan-perempuan yang terlalu tergantung kepada pacar atau suami yang justru senang memukuli mereka. Tapi kali ini Hilary berpikir. Jangan-jangan, dia pun sama dengan semua perempuan yang diceritakan oleh Robin Norwood itu, maka dia pun mengerjakan semua hal yang disarankan penulisnya.Buku itu mendorong perempuan untuk mengembangkan spiritualitasnya, mencoba lebih menghargai diri sendiri, dan barangkali juga mengikuti konseling. "Ini sebuah titik penting dalam perjalanan hidupku karena aku, saat itu, juga sedang mempelajari konsep reliji yang mengajari orang tentang kasih sayang. Benakku penuh dengan pergulatan konsep ketuhanan. Aku terus mencari ke mana seharusnya aku melangkah secara spiritual."Seiring berjalannya waktu, kemudian Hilary mendapatkan pacar seorang pria Muslim. "Sebenarnya sama sekali tidak ada niatku berpacaran dengan seorang Muslim." Kenang Hilary. Ironisnya, kebetulan saja hal ini terjadi sesudah mereka mabuk-mabukan (bisa dibilang, pria itu adalah seorang muslim yang saat itu tengah khilaf dan melakukan kesalahan)."Pada saat itu, pengetahuanku nol tentang Islam. Aku tidak pernah punya teman muslim di masa kecil dan remaja, dan hampir semua citra yang kumiliki tentang agama ini negatif. Pada pandanganku, Islam itu kuno, peninggalan jaman kegelapan, sangat menindas, dan otoriter terhadap perempuan. Persepsiku bahwa Islam itu sangat anti perempuan menjadi salah satu sumber perdebatan kami. Aku menantang pacarku ketika itu untuk menjelaskan mengapa Islam demikian anti feminis? Aku keluarkan semua argumentasi yang biasa dikemukakan orang di Barat tentang Islam, seperti, "Islam itu mengajari laki-laki untuk merendahkan perempuan. Kalau tidak, kenapa Islam mengizinkan pria memiliki empat orang istri?" Serentetan hujatan nyaris tak bisa dipatahkan pacarnya."Jujur saja, semua perdebatan soal Islam inilah yang membuat kami bertahan pacaran selama empat tahun. Dia selalu berusaha mencoba menjawab semua pertanyaanku, dan memberiku rujukan dari Al-Qur'an dan Hadits. Aku mulai membacanya sendiri, dan perlahan-lahan semua pertanyaanku mulai terjawab, sampai aku tersadar bahwa banyak sekali pandanganku yang keliru tentang Islam. Karena sedikitnya pengetahuanku, misalnya tentang laki-laki boleh beristri empat, aku keliru menyimpulkan." Hilary mencoba meyakinkan diri."Salah satu hal yang juga kalau kusadari adalah bahwa dalam Islam, poligami bukannya didorong dan dipromosikan, melainkan ditoleransi. Kadang-kadang memang poligami menjadi kebutuhan. Tetapi selalu ada rambu-rambu penjaganya. Kalau seorang pria menikah namun istrinya tak bisa memberinya anak, maka ia boleh mengambil istri kedua dengan kesepakatan dari istri pertama. (di lain pihak, bila seorang pria tidak bisa memberi anak, maka si istri dapat meminta cerai). Bagiku, ini cara yang lebih baik daripada yang terjadi di barat, yang memungkinkan si suami menceraikan istri tanpa tunjangan apa pun." Terang Hilary makin mantap."Doktrin tentang poligami ini sebenarnya adalah untuk melindungi wanita. Bukan untuk mendorong kaum pria mengumpulkan sekian istri untuk berbangga-bangga. Inilah jenis pertanyaan yang aku lontarkan sendiri, lalu aku perdebatkan sampai kehabisan jawaban sendiri. Misalnya, mengapa perempuan membutuhkan perlindungan pria? Mengapa perempuan tak boleh memiliki lebih dari satu suami? Aku tersadar bahwa seorang perempuan tidak mungkin memiliki empat suami karena tentu akan sulit menentukan siapa ayah anak-anaknya, dan para ayah itu bisa saja lalu berkelahi soal siapa yang harus menunjang kehidupan anak-anak tersebut." Hilary lalu tersadar, betapa sangat masuk akalnya Islam.Beberapa waktu kemudian, Hilary dan pacarnya pisahan. Hilary lalu pergi berlibur ke Yordania. Di sanalah dia akhirnya memutuskan untuk memeluk Islam. Entah bagaimana caranya dia sampai pada keyakinan itu, yang jelas tiba-tiba saja dia yakin sepenuhnya. Di tempat yang sungguh indah itulah Hilary menyaksikan bagaimana cara sesama muslim berinteraksi, seperti apa rasanya mendengar adzan (dia tersentuh karenanya).Sekembalinya ke Inggris, dia mendaftar ke sebuah kursus mengenal Islam selama tiga hari di Masjid Agung di Regent's Park, di utara London. Di penghujung hari yang ketiga itulah Hilary memutuskan bahwa sudah tiba waktunya dia bersyahadat.Pada saat mengikuti kursus itu Hilary mendapat sejumlah teman baik. Tentu saja, sebagian besar sahabat muslimnya ada juga yang mualaf. Tentu, banyak sekali orang masuk Islam di Inggris (sekitar 10.000 dari 1.8 juta Muslim di Inggris adalah mualaf berkulit putih atau Afrika Karibia).Salah satu masalah yang mereka hadapi adalah, karena mereka tidak tumbuh besar di tengah-tengah masyarakat Muslim, sulit bagi mereka untuk membangun hubungan antar manusia. Islam tidak mengizinkan pacaran. Islam memerintahkan masyarakat untuk membantu menikahkan orang-orang yang belum menikah."Aku sendiri merasa akan ada kendala teknis dari pendekatan ini secara pribadi. Tetapi aku sendiri sangat sangat ingin menikah dan aku yakin pada akhirnya aku akan mendapatkan seorang suami yang baik, insya Allah." Ungkap Hilary penuh harap.Sejak memeluk Islam, Hilary memutuskan untuk berpakaian Islami dan mengenakan Jilbab. Di balik jilbab ada konsep mengenai perlindungan diri dengan berpakaian secara sopan, tidak untuk memamerkan diri atau menarik perhatian lawan jenis, serta mencegah iri hati. Islam menasihati kedua pihak, bukan hanya perempuan, untuk berpakaian sopan."Saat pertama kali hendak mengenakan jilbab, aku sempat merasa cemas, bertanya-tanya dalam hati apa kiranya reaksi orang melihatku." Itulah bayangan yang selalu muncul di hadapannya. Namun Keyakinan Hilary telah mengikis semua bayangan kelam itu."Kuingatkan diriku sendiri bahwa aku sudah mengambil sebuah komitmen, dan jilbab adalah tanda lahiriah komitmen tersebut. Sesudah mengenakannya, aku merasa sangat aman dan terlindungi. Aku merasa lebih menghargai diriku sendiri. Aku merasa telah menemukan tempatku yang sesungguhnya di dunia." Allahu Akbar.

Muslim Belanda: Hidup Kami Lebih Baik Tanpa Hirsi Al

Cara-cara seperti ini sudah sering dilakukan oleh para orientalis dan kalangan islamophobia itu tapi lebih dri itu cara cara mutakhir belakangan ini justru dilakukan oleh yang mengaku sebagai orang Islam, sebut saja Saja Salman Rushdie, Irshad Manji, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Di Indonesia sendiri cara cara seperti itu dilakukan oleh kalangan "Sepilis" (Sekularisme - Pluralisme - Liberalisme)

Nama Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( ayaanhirsiali.web-log.nl ), masih lekat dalam ingatan warga Muslim Belanda. Namun bukan karena kebaikan yang dilakukannya, tapi karena pernyataan-pernyataan kontroversial Hirsi Ali tentang Islam. :videoSetahun sudah Hirsi Ali, yang pernah menjadi anggota parlemen Belanda, meninggalkan negeri Kincir Angin, karena kebohongannya terungkap. Warga Muslim Belanda menyatakan kehidupan mereka kini lebih baik tanpa kehadiran Hirsi Ali."Saya senang Hirsi Ali sudah pergi, " kata Nermin Altintas, warga Muslim yang mengelola pusat pendidikan bagi kaum perempuan imigran."Sekarang, suasananya lebih tenang, tidak terlalu ekstrim dan ketegangan sudah mereda, " sambungnya.Banyak Muslimah di Belanda yang mengecam pandangan-pandangan Hirsi Ali tentang perempuan dalam Islam. Muslimah kelahiran Somalia itu mengatakan bahwa Islam menindas kaum perempuan.Famile Arslan-muslimah kelahiran Turki-menyatakan tidak sepakat dengan pandangan Hirsi Ali. "Saya memang dibatasi oleh budaya laki-laki dan latar belakang saya sebagai migran, tapi Anda tidak bisa menggunakan Islam sebagai alasan. Saya mengalami hal-hal yang sangat positif tentang Islam, " ujarnya.Suzan Yucel, mahasiswi di Eidhoven sependapat dengan Arslan. Ia menilai Hirsi Ali sudah mencampuradukkan antara budaya dengan agama. "Islam diinterpretasikan oleh banyak orang dan di Turki interpretasi tentang Islam sangat berbeda dengan di Somalia, " tukas Yucel.Altintas menyatakan tidak setuju dengan pernyataan Hirsi Ali bahwa Islam menutup-nutupi kekerasan terhadap perempuan. "Pernyataannya tentang Islam sangat buruk. Saya punya banyak pengalaman yang sangat berbeda, sebagai orang yang berasal dari latar belakang budaya Turki, " imbuhnya.Bagi sebagian besar Muslim Belanda, pernyataan-pernyataan Hirsi Ali sudah menyebabkan hubungan antara Muslim dan non-Muslim di negeri itu menjadi terganggu, satu hal yang jarang terjadi sebelumnya."Kami bekerja selama 10, 15, 20 tahun untuk emansipasi bagi kaum perempuan, dan dia (Hirsi) telah mencuri kehormatan yang seharusnya kami dapatkan sebagai gerakan akar rumput yang sedang berupaya melakukan perubahan, " ujar Arslan."Jika dia ingin berkampanye menentang kekerasan terhadap perempuan, seharusnya dia tidak menulis ayat-ayat al-quran di badan, karena tindakan itu justru dianggap buruk bagi kaum perempuan yang religius, kaum yang diklaim Hirsi sedang ia bela, " tambah Altintas.Hirsi Ali kini tinggal di AS. Ia meninggalkan Belanda setelah mengakui bahwa dia telah berbohong tentang nama aslinya dan statusnya sebagai pengungsi ketika tiba di Belanda pada tahun 1992. Hirsi berbohong demi mendapatkan suaka dari Negeri Kincir Angin itu.Di Belanda, Hirsi berhasil menjadi anggota parlemen dan namanya menjadi populer karena pernyataan-pernyataannya yang menyerang Islam. Ia juga mengaku kabur dari keluarganya di Somalia untuk menghindari pelecehan dan kawin paksa.Hirsi membuat dua film dokumenter yang menuai kecaman dari warga Muslim. Salah satu filmnya yang kontroversial berjudul "Submission" Hirsi menggambarkan Islam yang menindas perempuan dalam film tersebut. Film ini jugalah yang memicu kemarahan hampir satu juta warga Muslim Belanda, dan mengakibatkan pembunuhan terhadap Theo Van Gogh, sutradara film tersebut.Film dokumenter itu menampilkan adegan aktris perempuan, dengan tubuh telanjang dan hanya ditutupi dengan kain tipis sedang berdoa pada Tuhan karena kekerasan yang dialaminya. Dalam adegan lain bahkan diperlihatkan sejumlah perempuan tanpa busana dan di tubuhnya dituliskan ayat-ayat Al-Quran. Warga Muslim Belanda menuding film itu telah "sangat melecehkan Islam."

EXTRATERRESTRIALS AND THE QUORAN (THE KORAN)

[MUFON] From George Filer

RUSSIA: FLYING SAUCER JEOPARDIZES ARMY NEAR CHECHNYA MAJACHKALÁ -- Last week we reported on a UFO over Russian troops near Daguestan, a Republic bordering Chechnya on November 14, 2000. Apparently Russian aircraft were launched to intercept a low flying UFO near the Caspian Sea. Muslim rebels are fighting against Russian forces north of the Caucasus for over a year and a half. The UFO caused the Russian to sound battle stations. Some garrisons noted the object was flying at low altitude of only a 100 meters and had three fluorescent lights above with two meter spaces between them. The Muslim rebels hailed the UFO phenomenon as a sign from Allah. Muslim leaders in Dagestan claimed "the strange phenomenon was a portent which bore a message from Allah himself. An Islamic spiritual leader stated that, "Without any doubt it was 'a JINN, an angel or another heavenly being, since Allah's Garden of Bliss is filled with these.'" Editors Note: Powerful Islamic forces are rising in the Middle East using UFOs as an influential motivating factors. Islamic forces are fighting in Israel, Iraq, and Russia. To help you understand the significance of these sightings, I have included the following data about JINN'S (popular genie) and UFOs.
THE TRUE NATURE OF THE "UFO ENTITIES" (See also above-Ed) Gordon Creighton of Flying Saucer Review writes: One of the more curious features of the followers of the various religions is that, being so dogmatically certain that in their own particular little faith they already possess the whole truth about all things in Heaven and Earth, it almost never occurs to any of them to look elsewhere and find out what the followers of other religions may know or may have discovered. This is certainly a pity, for study of all the great world religions -- and notably Islam one of the world's great religions -- yields valuable clues as to the true nature of the "UFO Phenomenon" Islam knows, in fact, of the existence of three entirely separate and distinct species of intelligent beings in the Universe, and indeed can furnish surprisingly precise details regarding their natures and roles and activities. Angels, Men, and JINN'S. The first category is that of the Angels or Messengers. The second are Men, with planetary physical bodies assembled from the mineral and chemical elements of our Periodic Table. The third category, is the category of those beings created before man was who are referred to collectively in Arabic as Al-Jinn that means. "to hide or to conceal" indeed a very fitting derivation for the name of these creatures. Whereas the bodies of Angels are of light, the bodies of Al-Jinn consist of "essential fire," or "essential flame," or "smokeless fire," or "smokeless flame." It is specifically stated in the Qur'an (Surah XV, 26 and 27) that they were created before mankind and some scholars speculate these might be the "Pre-Adamic men" whose existence is hinted at here and there in the "Holy Bible." Western occultists have tried to describe them as ether, or as etheric or astral planes. I have also seen it suggested that some sort of plasma is indicated.) The Source of the Jinn's is not very distant from us, yet at the same time somehow very far from us. In other words, on some other dimension, or in some other Space/Time framework, "right here", some other Universe that is here, behind Alice's mirror: "a mirror-universe on the other side of the Space-time Continuum" as it has been neatly put by some investigators. Although, the Qur'an (Koran) is not clear on this, it looks as though some of the Jinn's could be fully physical and what we call extraterrestrials, while other species of them are of an altogether and finer sort of matter, corresponding to what various UFO investigators have tried to indicate by such terms as "ultraterrestrial" or "metaterrestrial." In thinking about these ideas, we might bear in mind the theory of the Russian philosopher P. D. Ouspensky regarding the possible existence of other, more subtle, levels of matter on which the elements of the Periodic Table of our own chemical world are repeated -- and, if I understand him aright, repeated more than once, on more than one level. The early writings of Dr. Meade Layne in the USA about the "Dense Etheric World" from which he maintained that the UFO entities and their craft originated should also be borne in mind. (His book The Coming of the Guardians, was published in 1958, and may prove to have been very important.) Certain of the benevolent Jinn's may well be our "Guardians." That there is some close affinity, or some link of destiny between Jinn's and Mankind seems certain, for although the vast majority of the Jinn's are devils, shaytans, nevertheless we are assured in the Qur'an that some among their many species are "goodies" and are capable of salvation. For it is specifically stated that Muhammad was sent as a Messenger to both Mankind and the Jinn's, so that, in the Final Days, some of the Jinn's will enter into Paradise, while the rest of them will be cast down into Hell. Their revelation to IBLIS, the Top Devil (= "SATAN") is in general somewhat obscure. In the Qur'an Iblis is certainly described as a Jinn, but elsewhere in the Qur'an he is also described as an Angel. (Surely the explanation is that Iblis is that same high being, originally of Angelic status, who rebelled against God and is named in the Christian texts as "Lucifer") Had we the space, much more might be said about the Jinn's and their doings, but only a brief account of their main characteristics can here be given. Their principal features, as listed below, are as I have gathered them from all the Muslim written and traditional sources that I have been able to consult over the past 15 years. The reader can see for himself the parallels with the reported features of UFO entities and can draw his own conclusions. The Chief Characteristics of the Jinn's are: 1. In the normal state they are not visible to ordinary human sight.2. They are, however, capable of materializing and appearing in the physical world. And they can alternately make themselves visible or invisible at will. 3. They can change shape, and appear in any sort of guise, large or small. 4. They are able also to appear in the guise of animals.5. They are inveterate liars and deceivers, and delight in bamboozling and misleading mankind with all manner of nonsense. (See the average Spiritualist séance for examples of their activities, and also the usual "communications" from UFO entities in close-encounter cases.)6. They are addicted to the abduction or kidnapping of humans. (The Scotsman Robert Kirk, who wrote "The Secret Commonwealth" in 1691, evidently "knew more than was good for his health," and was killed by them.) 7. They delight in tempting humans into sexual intercourse and liaisons with them, and Arabic literature abounds with accounts of this kind of contact by mankind with both the "goodies" and the "baddies" among the Jinn's. There are also even a considerable number of accounts of encounters between the "goodies" and famous Muslim saints. In official Islam - and this cannot be overemphasized -- the existence of the Jinn's has always been completely accepted, even legally, and even to this day, in Islamic jurisprudence. The full consequences implied by their existence were worked out long ago. Their legal status, in all respects, was discussed and fixed, and the possible relations between them and mankind -- especially in relation to questions of marriage and property! -- were seriously examined by jurists, as the greatest and most authoritative Western source, the Encyclopedia of Islam, confirms. Stories of sexual commerce between Jinn's and mankind have been of perennial interest to Arab readers, and it is important at this point to mention that in Chinese literature there is also a considerable tradition of this sort which awaits examination by Ufologists. The great Arabic literary catalogue known as the Fihrist, compiled in the year 373 of the Muslim Calendar ( = A.D. 995) by Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Abi Ya'qub al-Nadim al-Warraq al-Baghdadi, lists no less than sixteen works dealing with this theme. (Compare also the European occultists' records of sexual contact between men and female Sylphs, as well as the copious medieval Christian records relating to Incubi and Succabae. Thanks to Gordon Creighton and Flying Saucer Review Vol. 29, No. 5 _____________________________
REFERENCES:

READ THE ARTICLE IN FILER'S FILES POST! (SOURCE)
Date: 11/27/00 6:03:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: Majorstar
BCC: Kx32i483
Filer's Files #47 -- 2000, MUFON Skywatch Investigations
George A. Filer, Director, Mutual UFO Network Eastern
November 27, 2000, Sponsored by Electronic Arts; Webmaster
C. Warren http://www.filersfiles.com. - Majorstar@aol.com.
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Young British Muslims “more religious”

Young British Muslims are much more likely than their parents to follow the rules of the Islamic religion, a think tank survey showed.

Support for Sharia law, Islamic schools and wearing the Hijab is much stronger among younger Muslims, according to the survey by the centre-right Policy Exchange.

The survey of more than 1,000 Muslims from different age groups in the UK, found:

*71% of over-55s compared with 62% of 16 to 24-year-olds believe that they have as much, if not more, in common with non-Muslims in Britain than with Muslims abroad.

*19% of over-55s compared with 37% of 16 to 24-year-olds would prefer to send their children to Islamic state schools.

*17% of over-55s compared with 37% of 16 to 24-year-olds would prefer living under Sharia law than British law.

*28% of over-55s compared with 74% of 16 to 24-year-olds prefer Muslim women to choose to wear the Islamic headscarf.

However, the poll also found that 84% of Muslims believed they had been treated fairly in British society, while 28% thought that British authorities had gone "over the top" in trying not to offend Muslims.

The report’s lead author, Munira Mirza, blamed the policies of the British government for a growing split between Muslims and non-Muslims, urging ministers to engage with Muslims as citizens and stop emphasizing the differences between Muslims and non-Muslims.

"The emergence of a strong Muslim identity in Britain is, in part, a result of multicultural policies implemented since the 1980s, which have emphasized difference at the expense of shared national identity.

"Religiosity amongst younger Muslims is not about following their parents' cultural traditions, but rather, their interest in religion is more politicized.

"Islamist groups have gained influence at local and national level by playing the politics of identity and demanding for Muslims the 'right to be different'."

The Department for Communities and Local Government said the Commission on Integration and Cohesion was examining ways for communities to benefit from diversity and manage any tensions. It’s due to release its report later in the year.

Conservative leader David Cameron said the survey’s results were extremely worrying.

”It shows the extent to which multiculturalism has failed, because what the poll showed is that these young people feel more separated from Britain than their parents did," he told BBC News.

He said huge changes were needed to break down barriers of extremism, uncontrolled migration, poverty and poor education.

British Muslim leaders say the policies of the government after the 7/7 London bombings have "driven a wedge" between Muslims and the wider community rather than curb extremism, despite the authorities’ claims that they are trying to win the heart and minds of the country’s 1.8 million Muslims.

Priest Burns Himself Protesting Islam’s Fast Spread


Protesting the rapid growth of the Muslim population worldwide, and the failure of the Protestant Church’s inability to contain it, Roland Weisselberg a 73-year retired priest committed suicide by setting himself on fire at a German monastery, according to United Press International.

Weisselberg died Wednesday in a hospital after having poured a can of petrol over his entire body at Augustine monastery in the eastern city of Erfurt, where Martin Luther spent six years as a monk at the beginning of the 16th century.

Church officials expressed their shock at the incident, stressing that closer dialogue with Islam was crucial to bridge the gap between Muslims and Christians.

Weisselberg was still holding sermons less than two weeks ago.

Witnesses said the former priest climbed into a building site next to the monastery church, where a Reformation Day service was being held, and began shouting “Jesus and Oskar (apparently referring to Oskar Brüsewitz, a priest who burnt himself in 1976 in protest against the Communist regime in East Germany)” before setting his body on fire.

The Protestant Bishop of Saxony, Axel Noack, said the suicide had shocked the community, adding that the incident shouldn’t affect relations between Christians and the Muslim world.

Statistics show that Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity. It is also the fastest growing religion on Earth.

Following a period of tension, aroused as a result of a Danish newspaper’s publication of blasphemous cartoons ridiculing prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Pope Benedict remarks linking Islam to violence, positive initiatives by representatives of both communities, Christians and Muslims ensured that such incidents did not affect the good ties between the followers of the two religions.

Recent months witnessed the set up of various organisations and conferences all aimed at fostering good, meaningful relationships between Muslims and Christians, so that issues of concern to both can be tackled within a framework of mutual respect and deep understanding.

Film Celebrates American Ramadan


The documentary shows Muslims in their real world which is not the case in mainstream media or Hollywood. A Muslim-American filmmaker has directed a new and unique film about the American Muslim experience in the holy fasting month of Ramadan in order to counter the negative stereotype in the mainstream media and to meet the growing demand for positive Muslim content.

"Our goal essentially was to show American Muslims in realistic light," Naeem Randhawa, a first time filmmaker, told IslamOnline.net.
"We want to show Muslims in their real world that we don’t often get to see in mainstream media or Hollywood," he added.

"Typically when we look at Muslims represented on the big screen or on the spot screen, we see that they have always been stereotyped. There are always Arabs with long beards, terrorists and women who are fully covered with hijab and who do not speak English. It is very negative and stereotypical."

Islam had been lampooned in movies, writings and TV shows in the United States, including "JAG," "24," and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s "True Lies."
Last year Fox television network decided to remove some stereotypical aspects about American Muslims from its action drama "24" after pressures from minority leaders.

In its annual report, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said discrimination and hate crimes against Muslims in the US have surged by almost 30 percent in 2005. "I think that is fed by two main sources: The Internet, where we are seeing just a flood of hate rhetoric on the Internet, and also on talk radio. You can't turn on a talk radio station nowadays without hearing very negative, bigoted comments about Islam on a daily basis," said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR national communications director.
In August, a USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 39 percent of Americans said they feel prejudiced toward Muslims.

Though there is no scientific count of Muslims in the US, the six to seven million is the most commonly cited figure.
Building Bridges

Half way into the film, Fatima decided to don the hijab.
Trying to build bridges between all faiths, the film shows the personal stories of five American Muslim families observing their faith in Ramadan with commentary by a Jewish rabbi, Christian doctor and a Muslim scholar.
"We want to show that Muslims are much more than that. We also want to show that Muslims are a very diverse group," said Randhawa, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Canada.

"They are Arabs, African Americans, Pakistanis and they are white, Chinese and black. They are from all over the world."
In his movie, Randhawa tried to show that American Muslims are part of the fabric of America and that they go through the same issues as their fellow Americans."American Muslims have the same hopes, fears and aspirations as any other American has," he said.

"The only difference is that they have a different approach in their faith just like the Jews and Christians have. But essentially all of these faiths and all of these American people are trying to do the same thing at the end of the day."

Asked whether the movie has any indirect political message, Randhawa, who has been living in Dallas for the last eight years of his life, said it cannot be labeled as a political film."We do have a political background there. However, we went really out of our way to make sure that the film will not be labeled as political," he added.

"In the movie we don’t talk about the government or about any establishments. We wanted this to be something like common ground for Christians, Jewish and Muslims so that when people of any faith look at they could find similarities from themselves. In this particular film, we want to focus on what we share in common."

Eye Opener

Randhawa is thinking of focusing on confusing issues that are misrepresented in the mainstream media such as hijab, Jihad or reverts.
Randhawa said that he is addressing his film to a variety of audiences.
"First, it is addressed for Muslims so that they could see themselves on screen and identify with all the characters that we have on the film," he noted.

"When you watch TV or when you watch film, you don’t identify all the time with the characters because they are not Muslims, they are typically so far removed from reality that you can’t really relate to them."
But in his film the case is different.

"So when Muslims see that, the reaction that we have gotten was that a lot of Muslims have been very enthusiastic and very happy to see things that belong to them.

The movie is also addressed to non-Muslims whom Randhawa believes need to see the right picture of Islam apart from the mainstream media.
"For non-Muslims, they get something a little bit different out of it. For them it is really an exploration of what true Muslims are, what true Muslims look like, talk like, live like and the fact that they are not these foreigners who are stereotyped in mainstream media," insists the filmmaker.

"They realize that these people are just like them. They have the same issues and they deal with the same problems. From the feedback we have gotten, the movie was like educational for them."
Randhawa said one American non-Muslim woman told him that her perception of Adhan (call to prayer) has completely changed after watching the film.

"I have one particular lady who after screening came back to me and said, 'You know the Adhan that you played in the movie was so nice. I thought the Adhan is something for terrorists when they go to war.'"
The filmmaker asserted that the lady's perception of the religion has been shaped by mainstream media "which is unfortunately for the most part has been put negatively."

"So, when they see this they come to understand that Muslims are fasting just like these Jewish and Christians are fasting. They see something like common ground between them and Muslims."

Challenges

Randhawa said he faced some difficulties while directing his documentary.
"Giving the fact that this is my first film and I haven’t made any films before, I had lot of technical challenges," he admitted."I just had a lot of learning to do. We want to make sure that we put out something that was as professional as we can make it because we want people to see this and we did not want them to look at this movie and think you know production values couldn’t be better.

"We wanted to make sure since we are talking about Ramadan, which we don’t really talk or hear about here, that we are presenting it in a very positive and professional way."

Besides the technical difficulties, Randhawa has also faced some religious problems while making his movie.

"I had a couple of unique issues that have to deal with Islamic subjects," said the director.

"Fatima, the Palestinian young lady who is married to the African American gentleman decided to wear the hijab on the half way of the movie. I was confused on whether I am allowed to show her without hijab in the first part of the movie. But after she asked a scholar, she decided to show it as a part of her journey."

The musical background was another confusing issue for Randhawa while directing his movie.For some it was absolutely forbidden to deal with music, but he said that he preferred to go with the majority of opinions that allow music.

"The decision that I made is based on my belief and on my conversations with the people that I know. You could not satisfy hundred percent of the people all the time," said Randhawa."My point in all these is that although we had lot of struggles and different issues that we had to deal with, we were committed that we want to make it a very fine quality movie."

Support Media

The filmmaker, who believes that focusing on media should be a priority for Muslims, is encouraging all Muslims, especially those who live in the West, to support Islamic media productions."Media is an essential tool for our community to be successful in America. If we are not involved in media it essentially means that we have no voice in mainstream America and if you don’t have a voice others begin speaking for you and they won’t say what you want."

Randhawa said Muslims need to support Islamic media production "which starts by reading it if it is a book or magazine, watching it if it is a movie. They should also buy these DVDs or CDs."

The world's largest Muslim body, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), on Wednesday, September 13, encouraged Muslim tycoons to buy shares in global media outlets to help clear misconceptions about Islam and stop vilification of Muslims around the globe.

Anti-Muslim media campaigns have been on the rise around the world since the 9/11 attacks, associating Islam and Muslims with violence and terrorism.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has accused Western media of applying double standards when reporting on Muslims, saying they were often ignorant about sensitive issues for Muslims.

Stephen Schwartz, executive director of the US-based Center for Islamic Pluralism, has also criticized the western media for failing to meet the challenge of reporting on Islam after the 9/11 attacks.

Randhawa's documentary will be screened around the nation and will enter into film festivals in the US and abroad. It will be aired on PBS-Dallas, Link TV, KRA and other networks world-wide.

The film has already been awarded official Selection status by ‘Dallas South Asian Film Fest’ and ‘Dallas Video Fest’, the first two fests that it was submitted to.

Future Movies

Randhawa hopes to become a full time filmmaker.
"Basically, I go into transition from IT field into filmmaking because I feel it is a great need for the Muslim community."

After the many supportive and positive reactions he got from both Muslim and non-Muslim Americans, he decided to make another film that could be relevant to Muslims.

"Within about a year, I will have a second production that I am l already thinking about," he told IOL.

"But we are actually just at the brainstorming stage. We are just at the very early stages because we are still focusing on the first film.
"We are trying to think about other subjects that are relevant to Muslims and that would be important to non-Muslims to know, but we hadn’t completely decided yet."

In his future movies, Randhawa is thinking of focusing on confusing issues that are misrepresented in the mainstream media and that people have lot of questions about.

"Maybe issues like hijab, Jihad, or maybe about people who converted to Islam. All these issues that we see in the news and that people have lot of questions on and lot of confusion about."

For more information check Randhawa's www.JustSayGoFilms.com