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Nov 2008: I've stopped updating this page (Not this website, only this home page). This page is sort of a blog, so moving that activity tohttp://seyedibrahim.wordpress.com/

The objective of this site is just to share a few of my resources. All the stuff (opinions, documents, links etc) in this website, except this homepage, were created/written for various friends / colleagues / forums or as replies to emails. This website is just a collection of them in a single place.

Oct 2008: Islamic perspective on meltdown in markets (financial crisis)

High risk investments: The Qur'an prohibits al-maysir or speculative risk, warning the faithful to avoid games of chance in which the probability of loss is much higher than the probability of gain. Shariah-compliant investments, therefore, avoid speculative risk, including interest rate options, naked equity options, futures, derivative and numerous leveraged products purportedly designed to hedge investments. Full Article

An invitation to Truth and Peace: Would you like to see what the Quran [Revealed 1400 years ago] says about Human Embryonic Development, the Origin of the Universe, Mountains, Cerebrum, Deeps Seas and Internal Waves and more, Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Quran (with RealPlayer Video), Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad, The Verses in the Quran That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass, please visit http://www.islam-guide.com/.

A PDF Copy of the booklet "A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam"is also available [Right click and Save]

Why does Islam have the concept of jihad or holy war, which some use to justify violence and terrorism?

What about verses in the Qur’an that encourage you to kill non-believers wherever you find them?

Why do Muslim women veil themselves?

Why do women in Muslim countries not have the same rights as women in the West, such as rights for education and employment?

Why does Islam permit polygamy?

Need simple and quick answers to the above? Go to FAQ on Islam

Terrorism is not a Muslim monopoly ( Times of India Mumbai,Jul 23, 2006) by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar. Some Quotations: "The Punjab militants, led by Bhindranwale, were Sikhs. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is a Hindu terrorist group that targets Muslims rather than the other way round. Tripura has witnessed the rise and fall of several terrorist groups, and so have Bodo strongholds in Assam. Christian Mizos mounted an insurrection for decades, and Christian Nagas are still heading militant groups"

YouTube Video on Is Terrorism A Muslim Monopoly? - by Dr. Zakir Naik (1/17). If you prefer a to view a slideshow than watch the video, please click Slides / Powerpoints. Click here to download the 1.75 MB PPT file / deck / preso / Powerpoint presenation

Nov 2008: India has 174 terror groups, Manipur alone has 40. Tripura has 30, Nagaland has 3, Meghalaya has 4,and Punjab has 12. The groups in these States are not Muslims. Then who are they? Communists, Christians, Sikhs, etc.

Oct 2008: The emergence of a “Hindu” angle to the Modasa and Malegaon blasts has put BJP in a spot

Oct 2008: The recent blasts in Malegon has emerged to be the work of BJP affiliates. Here is the TOI article Sadhvi in jail for Malegaon blast - "The woman has been identified as Pragya Singh Thakur (38), a ‘sadhvi’ (woman monk). According to ATS chief Hemant Karkare, the motorcycle in which the bomb was planted was traced to her.

Should not India Enforce Two-child policy? Here's a response from an Indian Women's rights organization. See this issue from a feminist side.

Justice Krishna Iyer’s advocacy of punishment for violation of the two-child norm, and “penal infliction on culpable parents” is unexpected and unfortunate.

There is substantial data and evidence which link the family size to development parameters. The 1980s slogan that “development is the best contraceptive” is as relevant today — given the high levels of infant mortality rates at 57 per 1000 live births — as then. Amongst the SCs and the STs, it is disproportionately high at 66.4 and 62.1. It is estimated that the infant mortality rate in the poorest 20 per cent of the population is 2.5 times higher than that in the richest 20 per cent of the population. (70.4 : 29.2 per thousand births). The unmet need for family planning is 18.2 in the lowest quintile as compared to 8.1 in the highest quintile. This clearly shows that for a significant section of poor women, lack of access to contraceptive measures is one of the major contributors to increased fertility. Thus, penal measures are a means to punish the poor for their poverty.

We uphold the rights of Indian women to safe and effective contraception. Fertility rates in India have been steadily declining, especially in States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, etc., which have better development parameters. Only a combination of better levels of education, decline in the maternal and infant mortality rates, better access to health services, including safe contraception, and improved gender equity can make the choice of a small family a realisable goal. In the absence of these, any attempts to target women or go in for disincentives and penalise parents would amount to an assault on their democratic rights. The two-child norm is also contributing to sex–selective abortion and a serious fall in child sex ratios in a context of son preference in our country.

Sadly, Justice Iyer’s views on population control contradict his often expressed concern for the rights of the poor.

Sudha Sundararaman,

General Secretary, AIDWA, New Delhi

http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/15/stories/2008081554991003.htm

May 2008: How the commodities / futures markets is hurting farmers and consumers, and profiting the inhumane speculators. Farmers lose, buyers pay, and Wall Street alone gains! Bear in mind, Islam has prohibited these kinds of trading - you cant sell items that dont exist now.June 2008: Here's the write-up in a capitalist newspaper FT (UK) Act now to prick the oil price bubble that categorically asserts "Much of the rise in oil price is the result of activity on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the energy exchange. This is activity by index funds and pension funds that are investing in oil futures, not for direct use"

Points to ponder if you call yourself a 'Muslim'

The word 'Islam' is both a Verb and Noun. As a noun, it has certain meanings. Since it is also a verb, we need to understand that only "those who DO Islam" can be called Muslims. Like, those who WRITE are called Writers. For an elaborate definition of the word Islam, Please visit http://islamtomorrow.com/definition.asp

If a writer's son doesn’t write, you never call that son a Writer. In the same way, the son/daughter of a Muslim parent doesn’t automatically qualify to be a Muslim, unless he/she follows Islam. Islam is an informed choice - it's not hereditary.

Can I claim to be a Lawyer without studying and practicing Law?

Can you claim to be a Gynecologist without studying and practicing Gynecology?

So, how can we claim to be a Muslim without studying and practicing Islam?

Visit http://www.tamilmuslim.com/ (Tamil)

http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/MainPage/indexe.php (English, French & Arabic)

Some useful Softwares

Career Resources

Warning: The prayer timings may not be accurate. Even sunrise/ sunset jump by few hours. Use this only for finding places.