Who killed Benazir Bhutto?
While there is no conclusive answer to who killed former
Pakistani prime minister Bhutto, so far the only claim of
responsibility has come from an Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, who
posted the claim of responsibility on an Italian Web site. Al Qaeda
posted the following message: "We terminated the most precious
American asset which vowed to defeat the mujahideen. (holy
warriors.)"
Bhutto was an outspoken critic of Al Qaeda and other extremist
Islamist groups. Consequently, Al Qaeda and other Islamist groups
hated her for her rhetoric, for supporting secularism and for being
a woman.
While we can't know for sure who killed Bhutto, on two occasions,
Al Qaeda has also tried to kill Pakistani president Musharraf. This
brings us to the state of emergency that was enacted by Musharraf
in November to ââ¬Ådefend Pakistan from extremists and
terrorists.ââ¬Ã¯Â¿Â½ At that time the United States and much of the
world criticized Musharraf and pressured him to lift the state of
emergency and to resign as army chief, a position he held alongside
the position of president.
Currently, the only force that can keep Pakistan intact and safe
from the terrorists is the Pakistani military. The Pakistani
military and president Musharraf know better than any outsider what
it takes to keep Pakistan from failing and falling in the hands of
terrorists and extremists. It is a mistake for the United States or
any other country to interfere in the internal affairs of Pakistan
by pressuring the Pakistani government to take any action that
Pakistan does not want to take. It should be left up to the
Pakistani people to decide whether emergency rule stays or not,
whether the president wears an army uniform or not and when and
whether elections are held.
The wrong interference by the United States and the weakening of
the Pakistani military's control over Pakistan may produce a repeat
of the disaster that brought clerical rule to Iran. In 1979, the
Shah of Iran was deposed when the military refused to back him and
the country fell in the hands of religious fundamentalist who
continue to rule the country until today. This must not happen in
Pakistan. The United States needs to be more emphatic to the
particular circumstances of Pakistan and not to pressure Pakistan
to do anything that is a threat to the stability and security of
the country. If president Musharraf abuses his powers it is up to
the majority of the Pakistani people to stop him and not foreign
governments. The Pakistanis have a long democratic tradition and
are capable of protecting their rights and institutions. An example
is when Pakistani lawyers took to the streets to demonstrate
against the weakening of the judiciary.
While democracy is a great ideal, Pakistan is currently facing
turmoil and the Pakistanis need a strong president, a strong
central government and a strong military to keep order. This
remains the case despite allegations that the Pakistani military
has been infiltrated by extremist elements. The United States
should take no action to undermine the power of the central
government, the military or president Musharraf, who has been a
great ally in fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Currently, the
Pakistani military has more than 100, 000 troops fighting
extremists on the Pakistani/Afghanistan border at a minuscule cost
to the United States.
Posted December 28, 2007 by Kamal Nawash This Christmas Happy Hanukkah and a Prosperous Eid
This year, the three Abrahamic religions celebrate important
holidays in the same month. For Jews, it is Hanukkah, for
Christians, it is Christmas and for Muslims, it is the Grand
Eid.
The Free Muslims Coalition feel it's important to explain the
significance of the three holidays to focus on our commonalities
rather than our differences.
Holiday of Sacrifice
The least known of the three holidays among Americans is the
largest Muslim holiday which is abbreviated as "Eid."� Actually
"Eid"� simply means "holiday"� in Arabic and thus, in Arabic
speaking countries, Eid is also used for Christmas and Hanukka.
Thus, Christmas becomes "Christmas Eid"� and Hanukka, "Hanukka
Eid."�
The most important Muslim holiday is known in Arabic as "Eid al
Aldha"� which translates to "Holiday of Sacrifice."� This
holiday celebrates the Muslim patriarch, Abraham, his family and
his example. Abraham is also the patriarch of Christianity and
Judaism which makes this holiday season especially important for
Muslims as it provides them an opportunity to focus on their
similarities with Jews and Christians, rather than their
differences.
This time of year, Muslims remember the life of Abraham and his
unconditional love for God. Currently, millions of Muslims from
around the world are performing the once in a life time pilgrimage
to Mecca where they celebrate and follow the steps of Abraham and
his family. Muslims believe that it was in Mecca where Abraham
opened the first house for the worship of the one and only true
God. The Eid of Sacrifice centers around God's commandment to
Abraham to sacrifice his own son. Abraham chose to obey God, but as
he raised his hand to sacrifice his son, an angel stopped him and
God provided Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead. This
Abrahamic story is the single most important event in Islamic
history. Abraham represents the two most important concepts in
Islam, monotheism and submission to the will of God. In fact,
"Islam"� is an Arabic word meaning "submission."�
The Holiday of Sacrifice is a very festive and happy holiday for
Muslims. It is common during this holiday for Muslims to purchase
large quantities of lamp and divide the meat among their neighbors
or the poor.
Hanukkah
Recently Jews celebrated Hanukka which is also known as the
"Holiday of Lights." Hanukka is an eight-day Jewish holiday which
started on the 25th of Kislev, a month on the Hebrew calendar that
falls in November or December. This year, Hanukkah began on Dec. 5,
and ended on December 13th.
The holiday originated when Jews in Jerusalem fought and took their
Holy Temple from the Greeks. The rededication of the temple
included the lighting of a menorah with oil that was expected to
last only one day. The oil lasted for eight days while patrons
searched for more oil and this is why Hanukkah is an eight-day
celebration.
Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew and the traditional item is
the lighting of a menorah, a seven-branch candlestick lit by olive
oil, often said to symbolize the prophet Moses and the burning bush
from Exodus 25. Here again, is an event that is shared by all three
religions. The burning bush from Exodus 25 is not exclusive for
Jews and Christians. The burning bush is an extremely important
event in Islamic history and theology and thus, the Hanukkah Eid
can certainly be a source of harmony and appreciation between Jews,
Christians and Muslims.
Christmas
"Christmas"� was created from the words "Christ's mass," which
signified the birth of Jesus Christ who was born through an
immaculate conception to the virgin Marry.
While Christmas has always been an important holiday, it was not
celebrated as it is today until the early 1800s, when Washington
Irving published "The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" and Charles
Dickens published "A Christmas Carol." After these stories stuck in
the hearts of Americans, the themes began to come together with
Christian beliefs and the Renaissance reputation of Saint Nicholas.
The saint's popularity transitioned into the embodiment of the red
and white Santa Claus in the 1840s and the holiday has only grown
in significance ever since. Christians celebrate Christmas by
attending Christian masses, large meals, gift giving and family
gatherings.
Christmas can also be a source of unity for Christians, Muslims and
Jews. As mentioned above, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ to the Virgin Marry. The Virgin Marry is the most important
woman in Islam. She is second to none. Moreover, both Christians
and Jews believe that Jesus was Jewish. Muslims believe that Jesus
is a descendent of "Bani Israeel,"� an Arabic term that means the
"children of Israel"� which means he is a descendent of the
Israelites. This is a technical difference that is not significant
for this discussion. What is important is that both Christians and
Muslims believe that Jesus is their Messiah and that he will return
one day. It is certainly a source of unity and affinity that the
Messiah of Christians and Muslims is considered a Jew by one and an
Israelite by the other.
It should be noted that the Free Muslims Coalition understands that
the above chronology and history have been used as a source of
conflict. The point here is that we can focus on our differences or
our similarities. The Free Muslims believe that the world would be
a better place if we focus on our similarities.
Happy holidays and may God bless us all. Amen.
Posted December 17, 2007 by Kamal Nawash