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Monday, April 30, 2007

Wisdom under caliph 'Umar bin Khattab

The expansion of Muslim to the whole world shows its mark, over centuries Muslim had lead the power, and restore the great contribution to the expanded area, and slowly sustain the Islamic way to prevail the peace of the country.
Among the foremost apprehensive leader of Islam, and faithful is 'Umar bin Khattab, the charismatic leader who sought to develop the peaceful in Jerusalem principalities, where it has become of blood shedding before and massacre. The coming of Muslim to the holy city has brought the light and great joy-ness to the civil people.
It is stated when Jerusalem submitted to the Caliph 'Umar b. al-Khattab: "In the name of God, the Merciful. The Compassionate! This is the security which 'Umar, the servant of God, the commander of the faithful, grants to the people of Ælia. He grants to all, whether sick or sound, security for their lives, their possessions, their churches and their crosses, and for all that concerns their religion. Their churches shall not be changed into dwelling places, nor destroyed, neither shall they nor their appurtenances be in any way diminished nor the crosses of the inhabitants nor ought of their possession, nor shall any constraint to be put upon them in the matter of their faith, nor shall any one of them be harmed."
Tribute was imposed upon them of five dinars for the rich, four for the middle class and three for the poor. In company with the patriarch, 'Umar visited the holy places, and it is said while they were in the church of the resurrection, as it was the appointed hour of prayer, the patriarch bade the caliph offer his prayers there, but he thoughtfully refused, saying that if he were to do so, his followers might afterwards claim it as a place of Muslim Worship.
It is in harmony with the same spirit if kindly consideration for his subjects of another faith, that 'Umar is recorded to have ordered an allowance of money and food to be made to some Christian lepers, apparently out of the public funds. Even in his last testament, in which he enjoins on his successor the duties of his high office, he remembers the dhimmis (or protected persons of other faiths): "I commend to his care the dhimmis, who enjoy the protection of God and of the prophet; let him see to it that the covenant with them is kept, and that no greater burdens than they can bear are laid upon them."



A later generation attributed to 'Umar a number of restrictive regulations which hampered the Christians in the free exercise of their religion, but De Goeje and Caetani have proved without doubt that they are the invention of a later age; as, however, Muslim theologians of less tolerant periods accepted these ordinance as genuine, they are of importance for forming a judgment as to the condition of the Christian churches under Muslim rule. This so-called ordinance of 'Umar runs as follows;-" In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate! This is writing to 'Umar b. al-Khattab from the Christians of such and such a city. When you marched against us, we asked of you protection for ourselves, our posterity, our possessions and our co-religionists; and we made this stipulation with you, that we will not erect in our city or the suburbs any new monastery, church, cell or hermitage; that we will not repair any of such buildings that may fall into ruins, or renew those that may be situated in the Muslim quarters of the town; that we will not refuse the Muslims entry into our churches either by night or by day; that we will open the gates wide to passengers and travelers; that we will receive any Muslim traveler into our houses and give him food and lodging for three nights; that we will not harbor any spy in our churches or houses, or conceal any enemy of the Muslims; that we will not teach our children the Qur'an; that we will not make a show of the Christian religion nor invite any one to embrace it; that we will not prevent any of our kinsmen from embracing Islam, if they so desire. That we will honour the Muslims and rise up in our assemblies when they wish to take their seats; that we will not imitate them in our dress, either in the cap, turban, sandal, or parting of the hair; that we will not make use of their expression of speech, nor adopt their surnames; that we will not ride on saddles, or grid on swords, or take to ourselves arms or wear them, engrave Arabic inscriptions on our rings; that we will not sell wine; that we will shave the front of our heads; that we will keep to our own style of dress, wherever we may be; that we will wear girdles round our waists; that we will not display the cross upon our churches or display our crosses or our sacred books in the streets of the Muslims, or in their market places; that we will strike the bells in our churches lightly; that we will not recite our services in a loud voice when a Muslim is present, that we will not carry palm-branches or our images in procession in the streets, that at the burial of our dead we will not chant loudly or carry lighted candles in the streets of the Muslims or their market-places; that we will not take any slaves that have already been in the possession of Muslims, nor spy into their houses; and that we will not strike any Muslim. All this we promise to observe, on behalf of our selves and our co-religionists, and receive protection from you in exchange; and if we violate any of the conditions of this agreement, then we forfeit your protection and you are at liberty to treat us as enemies and rebels."
Thus, the earliest mention of this document is made by Ibn Hazm, who died in the middle of the fifth century of the hijrah.

Written by Romi Adetio S
Graduate Student of Aligarh Muslim University, India.




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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Scholars Contribution of Cartography in Jerusalem

During the 19th century the first mapping of Jerusalem were taken by German physician and botanist, F.W. Sieber, when he visited Jerusalem in 1818. He draws up the map based on precise geographical and topographical data. He put more attention to the sacred place and buildings such as the city walls, the various mosques, the Kidron Valley and other topographically significant features, his map obtained the good praise from many researchers because of it more accuracy and provide some error corrections from previous maps.
Great progress in the study of Jerusalem was made during 1830's. And before, less attention was given to the city, it has reached the summit of research attention by 19th century, many researchers engage in collecting the data. In 1833 F. Catherwood and his colleagues have done a worth contribution of mapping activity. Their work was carried out in three parts:
Taking measurements, for the use of drawing a general map
Preparing a "Jerusalem panorama"
Creating a detailed map of the Temple Mount.




The map made by Catherwood is popular among the researchers for about 20 years, but since he did not enter the city of Temple Mount due to the penalty death for the infidel to enter the Muslim city, he could not know more deeply what is in.
The most authentic map of Jerusalem and most detailed was made in 19th century that of Charles Wilson. A British philanthropist contributed 500 Pounds toward a survey of the city and similar amount also collected from other contributors. Wilson along with other six members arrived in Jerusalem in 1964 and after eleven months in 1965 the map was ready.
The map is extremely accurate it shows the survey of the change in altitude between Jaffa and Jerusalem, and between Jerusalem and the dead sea, and Solomon's pools; the map is includes a scale of 1:2,500, and one of surrounding area 1:10.000, as well as plans of the citadel of David, the Temple Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Forty-three photographs of Jerusalem's walls, gates and buildings also appear.
Foremost among the maps that appeared between those of Wilson and Shick was the one presented D.Guthe in "Palastine in bild und worte". The map is showed only the old city and the area immediately around it. The portrayal of the city's built up area in the map was accurate for the early 1880's.
In the early twentieth century a number of other maps were there, among the significant of these was Dr. Benzinger's 1905 and the map presented by L.H. Vincent in his book (Jerusalem: Researchers de Topographie d'Archeologie et d'Histoire) later on, there were many other significant maps produced and mostly whole of the maps produced was the enhancement from the previous maps.

Written by Romi Adetio S
Graduate Student of Aligarh Muslim University, India.



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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Place of Blood Shed


The uprising in both place West Bank and Gaza Strip against the Israelian occupation were first begun in December 1987, which was known by the Palestinian as intifada "shaking off". Its hallmark being the image of the unarmed youth throwing the stone to the Israeli shoulders, the Israel with the arm continues their occupation from Gaza up to West Bank and procured many civilians including women and children. The intifada lasted until 1993 when in response to the uprising, the Oslo accords were drawn up between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
On 28 September 2000, Ariel Sharon the leader of the Israeli right-wing LIKUD party visited al-Haram al-Sharif, the third holy place of Islam and Muslim in all over the world, (Temple Mount), in Jerusalem. The aim is to provoke the Palestinian, especially because Sharon was accompanied by one thousand armed shoulders. The result was killing of many civilians.
Even though, the negotiation is built up but there is the continuing accession by the Israeli militant in the land of Palestine. Israel extended its policy of restricting the movement of Palestinians, and of establishing checkpoints where Palestinians experienced humiliation. Israel also continued to demolish homes and to uproot and burn olive and fruit trees, as a form of collective punishment and for security reasons.

Sharon became Israel's Prime Minister on 6 February 2001. A proponent of greater Israel, an architect of the settlement, and an opponent of the Oslo process. He proceeded with broad public support, to use harsh measures against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. In response to Palestinian violence, he initiated a policy of assassinations, euphemistically called "targeted killings", of suspected terrorists leaders, but which included activist and innocent bystanders. He reoccupied major Palestinian cities, using helicopter gunships, warplanes and tanks. Some of Sharon's methods were condemned by both Human Right group and United States.
The intifada was costly to the Palestinians, Israel, and the United States during the first thirty months. Some strategies including Palestinian analysts, considered the militarization of the intifada to be a blunder. The Oslo process was destroyed, the Palestinian economy damaged, and the PA areas occupied. Sharon's harsh measures cost the lives of over 2000 Palestinians, of who most were civilians, including about 275 children. In addition, the Palestinians lost much popular, moral, and diplomatic support around the world. The intifada also cost the lives of over 700 Israelis, most of whom were civilians.
Written By Romi Adetio S
Graduate Student of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh

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Odd Reasons behind Zionist aggression


There is side to the spiritual aspect of Zionism, Personally, I regard that it is the action to revive from the past of Talmudic lore and theology. The Jews desire and struggle of owning Jerusalem implies a discovery. It could be shown by their action before establishing of the country and acknowledged by the United Nation. Their accession of forming the financial bridges and to a great extent the intellectual links among the nations of the world, the Zionist intellectuality is the harbinger of universal peace, and this should be the highest goal of their mission as a chosen people.
Their ambition of depriving the Arabs from their right is not discarded and undesirable by the world, they even tried to make Palestine as Jewish as England is English and America is American. If this objective is obtained by them what will be the rights of the Arabs? Before declaration, the Arabs and the Jews lived peacefully and amicably together in Palestine.

The British authority in Jerusalem doesn't give a mark to both Palestinian as well as Zion; their untruth pledge to both communities had tear up the hope of Jerusalem to be the peaceful and friendly manner as they have always done in the past.
The declaration given by United Nation to promote the establishment of Israel as a country actually doesn't satisfy the world, the implication of disagreement assertion for the establishment is indescribable, what will be the fate for the Arabs Palestine? And what will be their future? It is realizable, that the neighborly and friendly relations between the two most distinguished of Semitic people will be revived and strengthened and then made the basis for greater cooperation. But now, it seems only the dream and irreconcilable.
The Jews as a nation have ceased to exist two thousand years ago. A pure Jewish race is a figment of the imagination. But there are a Jewish people of many races representing a historical continuity of religious belief.
With the leading power assessment owned now a day by the Israel (Zionist), they had further better plan in their strengthening, from the whole of aspects politics, economy, social, and technology. The Zionist technology is the peculiar innovation and feared by the world today. But, in the narrow situation of survive in Jerusalem for the Palestinian "No one" seems to have deal a big favour for them to revive and regain their rights. And the Zionist would never allow the establishment of Palestine.
By the fact, we could see the aggression done by Jewish does not apply to only Jerusalem as the historical place and scarce place of three major group communities, but also to the world as well.
Written By Romi Adetio S
Graduate Student of Aligarh Muslim University, India.

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Muslim Resistance in Jerusalem

Jerusalem for a very long period had become the uproar place among three communities with different faith; the groups are all believe in Abrahamic faiths. There is no sign of green light shown by the groups to be in harmonic, the symbol of tolerant concede merely to both charismatic leaders "Umar and Saladin" who patronage the intolerant to be disaster for the human safety and sustain the harmonic between two major communities, Jews and Arabs, in Jerusalem. Under their leadership once again Jews find their safety and freedom of pursuing their religious devotion.
The aftermath of Jerusalem come after the land occupied by the British, the Arab who for along centuries authorized for the al-Quds (holy city) no longer had it power. Bearing in mind from the losing of their ownership, the Arab Muslim revives to consolidate their power, but unfortunately there is no such union among them; even among the Arab it self battled for the leadership. In the other side Jews had established their state, and possess the right for their country, in the Palestine land.
During intifada (uprising), HAMAS is the first one who put on uprising in 1987. HAMAS is the Islamic Resistance Movement (Harakat al-Muqawamat al-Islamiyyah), but with also bears a literal meaning of "zeal".
The Arab league met in Amman in November 1987, has not brought the issue of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory as the major threat to regional stability. And this was the first time the Arab league had not identified this peculiar matter. Feeling betrayed by the international community and abandoned by fellow Arabs, some members of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood lost faith in the approach to the problem of Palestinian statelessness taken by that organization during the past few decades. The initial intifada is caused by the killing some of Palestinian workers by the Israeli driver. A group of Islamist Palestinians came together at a meeting called to discuss the incident, and as result is the formation of HAMAS, later on the militarism was prevailed by HAMAS leaders to achieve the security for Palestinians.
HAMAS principally distinguish from PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in rejecting the right of Israel whom they called as "Zionist" to exist in the Palestinian land, because Israel does not agree with the establishment of Palestine country. HAMAS wanted the whole area of Palestine which is extended up to the Israel side and considered all of the lands as the waqf, that is, properties entrusted to Muslims to administer in pertuity, for the benefit of society. HAMAS ideologues believe that an Islamic state is necessary to ensure the rights of all citizens, Jews and Christians as well as Muslims, since Islamic law protect the rights of religious minorities. Thus, the HAMAS charter proclaims "God is the goal, the prophet is the model, the Qur'an is the constitution, jihad is the path, and death on God's path is our most sublime aspiration."

HAMAS had source of the fund from both national and international. Internal funding come from the Islamic charity offering, Zakat, support also comes from Muslim governments such as those of Saudi Arabia and Iran, from Islamic organizations throughout the world as well as remittance from Muslims living abroad.
Shaykh Ahmad Yasin (b. 1936) is the spiritual leader of HAMAS, and founder of Gaza's Islamic Center. HAMAS devotes the majority of its budget to an array of social services. These include support for the families of slain, jailed, or exiled activists; health centers, kindergartens and other school; mosques and mediation services. Its military activities, which it considers legitimate resistance to Israel's military occupation which is violation of United Nation Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, are conducted by an armed wing called "Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades", named after the death of Palestinian hero killed by the british in 1936
HAMAS activities is a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood society in Palestine, it is coordinated by liaisons between Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and HAMAS leader living abroad. Its leadership structure is informal Shaykh Yasin Remains the acknowledged spiritual leader, but specific decisions are taken by a consultative council (Majlis al-Shura) with a flexible membership. This structure is in accordance with the traditional Sunni Islamic model, and is effective in allowing the organization to survive the incarceration and exile of its leaders from time to time.
The suicide bombings and it armed struggle against Israel, targeting both military personnel and civilians launched by HAMAS is the most notorious. Even many scholars of Islam has abandoned and condemned both suicide and targeting of civilians, as it is strictly prohibited in Islamic law. Moreover since the attacks against America on 11 September 2001. But the major scholars are in contrary to the case of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.
The leader of HAMAS, Shaykh Yasin sought the essential movement in politic, in that he put the goal to secure the rights of Palestinians in their home-land, like other political movements, the significance of HAMAS is based not so much on the number of its official members as on the popularity of its political agenda. However, elections among students in Palestinian universities indicate that by the mid-1990s, HAMAS had the second-largest following, after FATAH (Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini, the largest organization in the PLO).
Because of its military activities and political positions HAMAS is banned in israel many of its members have been arrested or deported, and a number of its leaders have been assassinated. HAMAS was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in 1995, and contributing to it was prohibited by the Anti-Terrorism and effective death penalty act. (Pub. Law 104-132) of April 1996.

Written By Romi Adetio S
Graduate Student of Aligarh Muslim University, India.

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Jerusalem the third holy city of Islam

Al-Aqsa mosque status as the third holy place of Islam extremely well established in the primary Islamic sources. Although Muslim do not claim exclusive spiritual right to the holy city. Jerusalem is dear to all three religions; Jew, Christian, and Islam. And battled for period of centuries by those religions.
The holy city in Jews always venerated as the holy temple, but the pagan Romans had given alteration to the Jews before the city came under the Muslim rule in 638 C.E. when the Roman Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity, the city was covered in Christian monuments. Although, Constantine did not allow Jew to built their monument but he permits them for visiting the city one a year on the payment of fee, so that, the monuments destruction could be recovered.
The Persian captured Jerusalem in 614 C.E. and massacring a dozen of Christians, but the Roman Emperor Heraclius later on, able to drive out the invaders and as the result many Jews are executed for having coalition with the invader, so, once again the city captured by the Christian.
With the massive expansion of Islamic Empire after the death of prophet, in the reign of the third Caliph, Umar bin Khattab, the Byzantines conceded Jerusalem to Muslim in 638 C.E. the Caliph it self accept it directly from the Christian patriarch, Sophronius. Umar did providing the safety for the Christian and allow them to perform their religious activities, but he did not accept the midday praying of Christian shrine, and give the reason that it would bring the in-Islamic way of teaching, and rather turning it into a place of Islamic worship.
Umar identified the explanation of Jerusalem as the significance religious place of Muslims. As it is mentioned in the Qur'an, to which the prophet had traveled in a night journey and in which he had assembled with all previous prophets, leading them in prayer, it was here that al-Aqsa mosque was built. The prophet than reported to have extending journey to the heavens, where the five daily prayers were obligated upon him and his followers by Allah. His ascension was from a large rock, which was discovered under a dung heap, indicating that the area of the sanctuary was of no significance to the other religious communities at that time. Umar ordered the area to be cleaned and performed the prayers there, building of the structure known as the Dome of the Rock commenced round about 688 C.E. on the order of Abd Malik ibn Al-Marwan, the fifth Caliph after Mu'awwiya.
The city of Jerusalem become known to Muslim as Bayt al-Maqdis or al-Quds (the holy city), it was there after the maintain of sacred site by the all Muslim Caliphs and rulers, from Abbasid right up to the Ottoman, where finally it was conquered by the British in the twentieth century. The city was under Muslim rule for thirteen centuries, with the exception crusader invaders, the crusaders captured the city and put no tolerance to the Muslims, Jews and even Christians it self who are the inhabitant of the place, the people were massacred in the name of Christ, but after ninety years the city was recaptured by Sultan Salahuddin al-Ayyubi in 1187 C.E. Saladin displayed remarkable tolerance not only to the Jews, but the Christians as well. And under his rule, the Jewish community once again thrived in the city, finding the safety from the persecution there. It is important to note that there is no adequate rule for the Muslim and Jews for their prayer during the conquest time of Arab rule, the Wailing Wall is placed only after the Saladin's reconquest. This wall was identified as the Western wall of the al-Aqsa compound; Jews from there on frequented the place to pray. This act of devotion was tolerated by the Muslim ruler of Jerusalem, even after the establishment of Jewish state of Israel in occupied Palestine. What was initially a gesture of tolerance came to be held by some faithful Jews as an absolute right, not merely of access but ultimately of possession.
United Nations attempts to accord the city of Jerusalem international status, with equal access for all there faith groups, has up until now been unsuccessful. What Jerusalem need today is the tolerance and foresight of a modern day "Umar or Saladin"; a leader with the temperament to show equal respect to all three faiths and uphold the sanctity of Jerusalem to the benefit of all.
Written By Romi Adetio S
Graduate Student of Aligarh Muslim University, India.





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