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Views, opinions or articles should be addressed to:

The Editor

Federation Samachar

P.O. Box 6710, Dar es salaam.

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To a dispassionate observer who has followed the recent debate, without caring much about who did what to whom, the mischief seems to lie more in mathematical figures than human frailties. It seems that the fault lines for recent eruptions are to be found more, in the very make up of these two organizations, than a real swing in people’s attitudes.

First of all, there can be no doubt that both, the World Federation (WF) and the Africa Federation (AF), draw their powers from the annual conferences, and not the constitution as we are led to believe. It appears that the constitution is more subservient to the whims and wishes of a particular conference, than vice versa.

Whoever runs the conference successfully, and garners enough votes has his day. Therefore, we need to look into the formula of representation and make changes to the structure from within. It is not surprising that the Africa Federation finds itself in double jeopardy. On one hand, it has to contend with the de facto veto of the Dar es salaam Jamaat, the largest voting bloc. On the other hand, when it goes to a World Federation Conference, it loses its privileged status, when confronted by votes from fledgling organizations which carry a larger voice by mere virtue of pro rata representation.

For those working on reforming both the organizations, I would suggest they revisit the formula issue and come up with a counter balancing mechanism, so that we are saved from future debacles of this sort.

Wassalaam.

Shabbir Jeraj

Toronto

Please update Obituaries Section on the AF Website immediately

Your point is valid. However we cannot report a death until we are advised of the same. All Jamaats need to appoint someone to undertake the responsibility of informing the Web Secretary immediately after a death occurs. Editor.

Let's boycott UPS

Recently I wanted to send my passport to-gether with my visa application form to the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa for a visa to visit Iran for Ziyarat. The UPS Courier advised me that they cannot accept packages or letters addressed to the Iranian Embassy or any company dealing with Iran as UPS is an American Company and the United States has an embargo on Iran.

Shocked on moon misinformation

I was shocked to discover the following paragraph in an article "Space odyssey no longer a dream" in the Dawn Magazine of Pakistan. It read:
"While we back home are unable to sight the moon on the occasion of Eid, here in the United States, landing on the moon is an old event, which at that time was not believed by our learned maulanas. Now ordinary people here are gearing up for a trip to space."

This paragraph is a mere accusation against Islam contrary to reality and I do not know to which "learned Maulanas" the writer was referring to. There are two verses from the Holy Qur'an: " And the moon in her fullness. Ye shall travel from stage to stage". These verses have been taken from Surah Inshiqaq, which is Surah 84, verses 18 and 19. The verses refer to the spiritual as well as physical travels of man in space. They predict even more triumphs in space travel, as verse 19 clearly states. I call upon our brothers and sisters to check the tafseer of the Holy Qur'an for further reference.

Dear brother,

The interview of Dr Kalbe Sadiq that you carried in your last issue (April 1998), apart from being extremely inspirational, articulated very effectively the Shia problem in India. It was the best piece I have read on the plight of the 60-million strong Shia community there and few could match Dr Sadiq’s incisive analysis of the issues facing them.

His main point was that so far, little attention has been paid to rejuvenating the community in India. Demographically, the Hindustani Shia rank second to Iranian Shia. Culturally, they are the greatest and most prominent of the various sub-cultures that comprise the global Shia community as can be evidenced from their contributions to the Ashura culture and impact on religious thought (the other Shia sub-cultures being Arab, Hazara, Azerbaijani, Malay-Indonesian, Tatar, Bashkir, Chinese and now European and Black African). But the Islamic Revolution in Iran has catered to the myriad needs of the Shia of Iran while those of the Subcontinent have failed, for one reason or another, to harness resources towards uplifting their conditions.

Herein lies our greatest challenge, namely to channel relevant religious and charitable contributions to awaken the community and to cause them to return, in cultural terms, to the state in which they were prior to the British colonisation of India. For instance, it is an undeniable fact that Lucknow, prior to the partition, was the cultural and spiritual hub of the Shia world east of Iran. Not only was it one of the major centres of learning of Shia Islam but it was also the home of Urdu. Our usage of Urdu and the various artistic and cultural expressions and forms of the Ashura culture stems from this place.

Dr Kalbe Sadiq’s regional representatives should stop resting on their laurels and must take up the cudgels by catalysing implementation or aiding both projects which Dr Sadiq mentioned as well as other programmes depending on need, India-wide. I hope they read this piece explicity and clearly. A portion of the Khums and Zakat from this community must also be utilised to lift the people of the Subcontinent from poverty. The amount of Sehme Sadat being generated by our community resident in Africa is enought to lift - if properly utilised and accounted for - all the sayyids now living in utter poverty in India.

Let us aim at this goal. It is not an unattainable one.

May I fervently pray to the Almighty s.w.t. to grant long life to your esteemed, honourable Islamic Magazine and may the Almighty bestow you and all those who serve the da’wah work with sincerity, great strength and perseverence to render services for the cause of Islam.

It is indeed inspiring to work for the real cause which gives serenity to the believers and as I am a regular reader of the Federation Samachar, I feel I am indebted to congratulate you for the ardous efforts put in creating a true vision of Islam and awareness to the nation of Islam.

In the past I was the editor of The Guide magazine which is published by the Cultural Council of the Embassy of Iran, Nairobi and am very much familiar with the sort of world you work in. Presently, I do contribute articles for various Islamic periodicals and if need be, I would appreciate to serve you.

By the same token, I concentrate on Women’s Issues, Imam Khomeini’s virtuous works and on many contemporary burning issues within the nation of Islam. If there is any chance for me to render my modest services please do let me know for any little I can do to uplift the status of our community globally through my humble pen.

Enjoyable.......

Nairobi, Kenya

AF RESOLUTION: An Assessment of its worth???

Now that the dust has settled, let us see if we can assess the value of the resolution of Africa Federation on Dr. Sachedina. In order to do this, we have to acquaint ourselves with the facts.  Some facts can be seen on the video, whereas others cannot.

1.  I am informed that the Daressalaam Jamaat consists of nearly 7000 (seven thousand) people of whom there are 1799 members. (This probably means heads of families, who pay the subscription and become members).

2.  Three months before the conference, the Dar es salaam Jamaat called a general meeting to discuss about the resolutions which were to be presented to the Africa Federation. I am informed that 41 (forty one) people only attended.  The general meeting was adjourned due to lack of quorum, and reconvened after half hour, to get round the quorum provisions.

Thereafter a discussion ensued on the various resolutions which were to be presented to the Africa Federation, and by the time the matter came to a vote, some people had gone home.  Only 30 people were left to vote, out of which there was at least one abstention, if not more.  This means that at the most, 29 were in favour of the resolution in question.  On a percentage basis, this is less than half percent of the total population of Dar es salaam, or 0.01612 percent (one and one half percent)  of the voting members (As I did not get information from the minutes book of the Jamaat, there might be some differences in numbers or dates, but these are not significant.   If one wants the exact information,  it can be obtained from the Jamaat).

3.  Dar es salaam Jamaat forced its delegates on this issue by ignoring the abstention and saying that since the voting was unanimous, all the delegates
had no choice but to vote in favour of the resolution, rather than voting according to their conscience.  The reason given was that it was a block vote, and therefore Daressalaam Jamaat would use its muscle to exercise its block vote of 77 delegates out of a total voting of all Jamaats in the conference amounting to 110 delegates.    The Daressalaam Jamaat would use the provisions of the constitution to block any voting by one’s conscience or conviction.  Every delegate of Daressalaam was compelled and forced to vote in favour.

Many delegates must have been nominated after this general meeting, even if they were absent at this general meeting (as I was ).

4. This also meant that the outcome at the Conference was a foregone conclusion, since (a) out the total voting of 110 votes, 77 votes (i.e. seventy percent of the total votes ) belonged to Dar es salaam Jamaat alone,and (b) Dar es salaam Jamaat compelled its delegates to vote in favour of the resolution. The whole discussion on the subject was hence nothing more than an eye wash.

5.  The implications of this move were clear:  Less than half percent of the total population of Daressalaam Jamaat (or one and one half percent of its voting members) influenced, controlled and determined the fate and outcome of the meeting of all the Jamaats of Africa put together. Was this really democracy at work. Certainly not.

6. Even if all the Jamaats of Africa (apart from Dar es Salaam) had voted against the resolution, they would still be defeated, because they had only 33 votes out of a total of 110 votes.

7. Prejudice:  For the past four years or more, some people in Dar es salaam have constantly spread rumours, back bite and accuse Dr Sachedina. They would either quote a half sentence out of a whole paragraph, or offer their own interpretation of what Dr Sachedina was saying, thereby making it appear that his book was blasphemous. Listeners, most of whom have not read the book, thereby began assuming that the fellows talking about the book had read and totally understood Dr.  Sachedina, and would thus normally accept what they were told, thus forming a mental block against Dr. Sachedina.  This was how prejudice spread.

This prejudice reached its climax at the Conference. The whole atmosphere permeated with it. One could hardly count a few who could be said to have come to the meeting with open minds or ready to listen to arguments before passing judgement, although less than five percent of those present could be said to have read and understood the book of Dr. Sachedina.  Were they anything other than blind followers, having been convinced by prejudicial statements? 

8.  The extent of this prejudice can even be gauged by what one delegate said at the Conference. He said words to this effect: I do not know Dr Sachedina, I have never met him, I have never talked to him, I have never read any of his books, I have never heard his majalis, but he is bad.  So we should condemn him.( Why? Because others say so?) When an educated  delegate utters such words, what should one expect from the rank and file?  Had prejudice given rise to so much hatred?  Another person was heard saying privately that if Dr Sachedina touched him, it would be wajib for him to do Ghusl. Can anyone imagine the extent of such ignorance and prejudice?

9. This prejudice also gave way to wrath against Munir Daya, Editor of Federation Samachar, when the Samachar paper was being discussed.  Munir had interviewed Dr Sachedina and carried it in the Federation Samachar, and the interview portrayed Dr Sachedina in a fair vein. 

This was embarassing to the prejudiced lot and in a later debate, though not associated with the Sachedina  issue, an unsuccessful effort was made to snatch away the Editorial independence showered upon Munir Daya, simply because he has been impartial and has presented both sides of issues for readers to draw their own conclusions.

An Editor is the voice of conscience,and has a duty to criticise even the President, if need be. ( I was myself an Editor for London Jamaat for eight years from 1984 to 1992.  My record during those years speaks for itself as to how outspoken, forceful and original I was in my writings). 

I will be doing an injustice to the office bearers of those days if I do not add here that although both the President and  the Secretary were on my Editorial Board,   I was given complete and total Editorial independence, a credit to the then President, Mustafa Chandoo, and his Secretary, Ahmed Dungersi. 

10.  On several occasions during the proceedings, there were calls by various people that it was entirely unfair and unjust to have the discussion in the absence of Dr. Sachedina. It was said that he should be present and be allowed to have an opportunity to speak so as to explain himself and defend, if need be, before passing judgement.   This call for fair play was also augmented by the observation that those present in the conference were playing the multiple role of prosecutor, judge and jury, and executioner, all in the absence of the defendant concerned, which was totally unjust.

I believe it was within the power of the Chair to stop this discussion on the above grounds. But this power was not exercised as was done with the case with the resolution of Mombasa Jamaat pertaining to the World Federation (item 13 on the agenda)which was disallowed on the grounds that it was ultra vires and against the constitution, because the committee was already dealing with it.  Therefore there was to be no discussion and no voting on it, until the committee had finished its job. Or was it that if the power was exercised twice, it would give rise to questions?

At the request of some delegates, the wordings of the resolution of Daressalaam Jamaat on Dr. Sachedina were changed.  When the changes were accepted, I then pointed out to the Chair that the block vote was demolished because the wordings were changed, and he should announce that every delegate was free to vote as he wished, and not necessarily in favour, since Daresssalaam Jamaat had lost the advantage of a block vote. But the Chair refused to make this announcement, saying that it was an internal matter. I refuted this statement, saying that it was a matter of principle and not an internal one, and every delegate should be made aware that he could vote according to his conscience. 

When Kampala Jamaat proposed an amendment to the resolution of Daressalaam Jamaat, the Chair ruled that the amendment  be treated as a new resolution.

The Chair refused to allow a vote on the amendment first which was contrary to globally accepted and acknowledged procedures of  meetings and resolutions. 
(This amendment asked for the matter concerning this issue to be referred to the Marja’ for a decision, rather than taking a decision there). 

In his book "The Twelfth Imam", Murtaza Lakha wrote on page 72 that backbiting will be conducted in holy places.  Did not the Khojas of Africa prove him right by deliberating, rendering accusations and resolving  against an author who was not even allowed an opportunity to defend himself?

Abdulhusein Akbar

Dar es Salaam.

By the grace of God we launched a new daily Gujarati publication ‘Qoumi Pukar’ from 27th of November 1997 which can now also be read on the ‘Internet’.

Another publication, ‘Zulfiqar’ weekly is also on air. Please inform your readers on these sites so that they can surf through them on the Internet. We also welcome any community or general news.

The Web Site address is http://www.pukar.com.

Interested in the Samachar

I am very interested to receive the Federation Samachar and as such request you to enrol me on your mailing list which should then enable me to receive the said magazine regularly.

My UK address is as follows:

Hussein J.A. Janmohamed

8 Bayhurst Drive

Northwood

Middlesex HA6 3SA

United Kingdom

E-mail: ntc@webstar.co.uk

I also would like to have your past issues from August, 1997 to March 1998.

Editor.

This is an APPEAL to fellow Muslim brothers and sisters to protest on this issue. On the 11 April, 1998 Saturday Night Live programme on NBC, 150 dead Hajis were disgraced and made fun of. I usually don’t watch SNL but as I was flipping throw the channels I saw the picture of Khana Kabba. I thought that probably NBC was showing something on Hajj but to my disgrace it was actually the "Funny News Section of SNL."

I don’t remember the exact words that were used, but this is what I remember the newscaster said: " This year the Muslims from all over the world gathered to perform their pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. In an annual ritual of the pilgrimage, the Muslims perform an act of stoning the devil but this year 150 people died, little did these people know that the Devil was performing his annual ritual of stomping them to DEATH"

There was also another article related to Eid which was made fun of, but I can’t recall that. This is unacceptable and we should ask NBC for a public apology and protest this form of ridicule. To begin with we can send them a protest e-mail on snl@nbc.com.

pirmohamed.bandali@swipnet.se

Samachar archives not accessible

Very good work on the Africa Federation web page. I tried to access the archives but could not read or see any thing. It might be a good idea to put the old Federation Samachar in pdf format for us to download and read offline after registering the user. If you need ideas on this please let me know.

Seeking distributorship in Orlando, Florida

I love your magazine. It was the right time to bring the magazine online. I would like to distribute the Federation Samachar to our brothers in Orlando, Florida. Could you please let me know how much it costs for 30 copies. Thank you in advance and may Allah (s.w.t.) help you in your endeavours.

Orlando, Florida

Samachar ought to become a monthly

The tremendous improvement in both the content and presentation of the Federation Samachar is laudable and worthy of praise, more so in view of the fact that much effort has been expended to attain this. It is not wrong to say that at this stage a review of the publication strategy is needed.

Federation Samachar ought to become a monthly. The scope and quality of articles must continue to improve and it is my contention that issues such as the existence and location of all the myriad Jamaats, the number of community folk in every town and the critical social problems facing them be highlighted.

With regard to format or presentation, we must not lose sight of the fact that this premiere community magazine be eventually modeled on the U.K. based Impact International, or something akin to it.

A legal column?

I recently read the Federation Samachar for the first time. It’s wonderful and I take this opportunity to offer my free voluntary legal services to all my brothers and and sisters any where in this world.

I also suggest you include a legal opinion column in your magazine.

The 7% Administrative Fees....

I acknowledge receipt with thanks of the Federation Samachar vol. 30, no. 7 which shows that you are keeping up with the high standard of substance and the good quality of printing. I would also like to congratulate you on the Web site which is of a high standard.

Dear brother,

I refer to the general communal reaction to Dr. Sachedina’s works. I have seen him speak on a number of occasions and from the attacks that have been layed against him, it seems that many of us are weak in our faith, sorry to say. What makes you think that the work of one man is going to topple our entire faith and belief and mess up the younger people’s minds??? This is one man and one book, yet we make it seem like an entire community and a revolution. Have we become so degrading that we cannot bear to accept those who don’t conform with our ideas? By the way, don’t compare his work to the Satanic Verses if you are going to reply to this. Dr. Sachedina did not condemn Islam and Prophethood. My point is just that we have degraded a man beyond the point of repair, sorry to say.

No big surprise then why the awaited Imam hasn’t reappeared yet. What a joke that would be, with our present situation where we don’t even bother to at least TRY to understand each other. I am disgraced to be associated with some of my elders on this forum. That’s the cold truth, and nothing but the truth. We have tossed aside the family atmosphere and instead have adopted the army way of life, where you either conform with the majority or you are disgraced beyond belief. We have forgotten that the Ahlul-Bayt are our leaders.

Some people are of the opinion that the communal action against Sachedina is too stern. How Ironic? They compare those who stand up for Imam Mahdi and the Wilaya of Imam Ali with the Wahhabis! Do they know any Wahhabis who vigorously defend our 12th Imam and the Succession and Wilaya of Imam Ali?

To sum up, Dr. Sachedina’s works are very easily and convincingly used to prevent people from coming to the path of the Ahlul-Bayt!

We have no objection to any extract being taken from the Samachar for re-publication. The objective is to spread the message of truth to as many as possible. Editor.

Lets Not Treat AIDS patients with apathy

It was very interesting to read the above article by Munir Daya on the Weekly Thoughts of the Africa Federation Internet Page and let me assure you that this disease is now ripe in our community. In the last Executive Council meeting of the World Federation, Dr. Walji presented in his report that to date over 80 deaths of our community members have been recorded by the Medical Advisory Board (MAB). These were cases that were diagnosed as AIDS positive. This is of course is a tiny fraction of what the real figures are. Majority of the reported cases are from Africa. Please do not misunderstand me, that I am referring this as an AFRICAN problem. Many more are infected in the west but as they are not treated by MAB due to health facilities available here, the pertinent figures are not available. According to Dr. Walji, the figure of positive cases within our community could be as high as 1000 infected world-wide.

What I find odd is that whenever this subject is raised, people tend to behave like ostriches and wait for the sand storm to pass. The storm is here to stay and will stay for as long as mankind survives or until research work comes up with suitable antidotes. The question then is, how should the community educate its members? Jamaat’s should take this issue seriously and before passing any resolution, leaders should get together and prepare a strategy.

Recently I read an article that in Holland, university girls have a badge which reads "NO Sex Please." What we need is awareness rather then imposition in not only our African Jamaats but in all our GLOBAL Jamaats. On this issue we should unite and work hand in hand leaving out political differences aside to discuss issues openly. Remember, AIDS IS A KILLER. It kills individuals, families, generations and societies.

Islam despises ideas that cause fitna

To those who think the community acted wrongly against Sachedina, do they not also think that the same argument also applies between Ayatollah Ul Uzma Khomeini and Salman Rushdie? Or are they also of the opinion that Ayatollah Khomeini was rash in his judgement since Salman also acted alone? Ibn Muljim harmed Islam by murdering Hazrat Ali A.S.. But he was alone. Yet we curse him year in and year out. WHY? He was also alone and what purpose does it serve since Hazrat Ali A.S. was immediately replaced by another Imam.

Islam despises ideas that cause fitna, despises actions that cause fitna. Islam does not stone an adulterer because it is barbaric as so many western educated scholars love to portray, but it does do so to see that such actions do not persist in society. All its actions are to purify society. Ayatollah Khomeini did not have anything personal against Salman Rushdie nor was his action in anger. His action was based on purely Islamic principles - whatever the West or western minded Shia scholars may state.

Dear brother,

You were generous. You exceeded my expectations. You spared me a whole page of Africa Samachar (vol. 30, No 6, January 1998), the prestigious magazine, to express my views!

AF was trying to fight a losing battle. Many delegates were in support of removing clause 20.1 from the WF constitution. Mulla Saheb had not made up his mind whether or not to stand for the Presidency. Indeed an attempt was made to force Mulla to show his hands. It would have very well suited AF had Mulla stated he was not going to stand, since then the need to delete the clause would perhaps not have arisen.

The recent resolution passed by the Africa Federation against Sachedina was grossly unfair because it availed him no chance to defend himself. This is different from the situation where the late Ayatullah Khomeini ruled against Salman Rushdie because first, Rushdie never sought forgiveness and secondly Khomeini was a reputable Ayatullah who had the knowledge and ability to make correct rulings on sensitive Islamic issues. Did any one of those who voted for the resolution have similar qualifications as the Late Ayatullah Khomeini to judge in the way they did. Certainly not! And can any one of them tell us what the Islamic ruling is for writers who err and subsequently seek forgiveness?

I refer to the Federation Samachar Vol. 30 No. 7 Zilhajj 1418 A.H. of April, 1998.

Dear brother,

"Love us, for it is love for Islam. May your love for us never cease even if it becomes a public disgrace."
- Imam Zainul Abideen A.S.

There has been a request for objectivity on the issues that revolve around A.A.Sachedina’s work. Well, the following is one of the invaluable postings from the recent past by respected brother Sajid Ali (ze@giasbm01.net.in). He has quoted many sources and has rationally gone through the arguments. If you have further questions, I suggest you can put it to him directly. (Since I am interested in learning the truth, I would request Dr. Sachedina to comment on what is written below --- Your participation is needed very
much. I have also heard that you will revise the words of the Enc. of Bio Ethics. Please let us know what the
changes are and when they will be implemented).

Finally, I request that we all step back and look at our
history (as outlined below) and understand it. We may then be able to make better judgements on what is written in Sachedina's book. Perhaps there would then be less arguments and all would then be clear, inshallah.

On the succession to the Prophet’s "religious-political authority", Sachedina wrote that there were no EXPLICIT (that is, distinctly expressed, clearly stated, not merely implied) instructions in the matter of succession to the "Prophet’s religious-political authority." He stated that "..it asserts by implication that there was an IMPLICIT (that is, necessarily involved though not plainly expressed) direction in the matter. This implicit direction of the Prophet was expressed on several occasions in his life-time, including finally at al-Ghadir. It was also because of this absence of explicit statement on these occasions that Imam `Ali never used any of these occasions, including al-Ghadir, to put forward his candidacy as the only rightful successor of the Prophet." (Sachedina’s words end).

The Holy Prophet (saw) said: "Whoever nurses a doubt concerning the Imamat and Mastership of Hazrat Ali (as), he will be raised from the grave with a chain of fire around his neck." (Manaqeb Ibne Maghazeli p 18; Manaqeb Khaarazmi p 2290). This tradition is an evidence that the belief in Imamat and Mastership of Hazrat Ali (as) is an ESSENTIAL criteria for achieving the pleasure of Allah (swt) and salvation and consequently entering paradise.

If this is such an important criteria, how is it possible that the Holy Prophet (saw) left this matter ambiguous? Islam is the only religion till the day of Qayamat, how is it possible that such an important matter would be left unclear?

Well, let us understand this discussion in the light, whether Ameerul Momineen (as) was EXPLICITLY "APPOINTED" or not. Remember, the question is his explicit APPOINTMENT and not unanimous acceptance. Even the Beyat of Rasoolullah (saw) was EXPLICIT, yet the disbelievers have denied.

For establishing whether his appointment was EXPLICIT or not, we need to study history. Let us skip all the appointments, and directly talk about the occasion of Ghadeer. Allah ordered the Holy Prophet (saw): "O Messenger (of Allah) convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord. And if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message (at all), and Allah will protect you from the people. Surely Allah will not guide the disbelieving people." (5: 67)

And even Umar ibne Khattab acknowledged Ameerul Momineen (as) as his master, "O son of Abu Talib ..congratulations!! You have become the master of every believer, men and women."Thishas been narrated by sixty well-known Sunni scholars. Details available in Al-Ghadeer Vol. 1, page 271.

The great Sunni Quranic interpretor, Zamakshari in his book "Rabiul Abraar" narrates the following incident, "One year Moawiyah went for Haj. There, he called a black but brave woman named Akromiyyah and inquired, "Why do you like Ali and hate me?" That lady replied, "Will I be safe if I give a true reply?", Moawiya replied in the affirmative. The lady answering his question said, "I like Ali because on the day of Ghadeer, when you too were present, the Holy Prophet (saw) announced his mastership. Further, because he loved the poor and respected the religious people. But you indulge in killing Muslims, creating rifts between them and acting unjustly in your judgements."

 It was thirty five years after hijri, twenty five years had passed since the occurrence of the event of Ghadeer. Many early-day Muslims had either died or were martyred or had migrated to other cities. Some had told the truth while others hid their identities due to the fear of enemies. The situation was such that those who were not present in Ghadeer, nor firm in their beliefs started doubting about the event of Ghadeer. Noticing the gravity of the situation, Hazrat Ali (as) gathered the companions of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Tabe’een. After delivering a sermon, he asked ONLY those people to stand as witnesses who had THEMSELVES heard the Holy Prophet (saw) on the occasion of Ghadeer. Approximately 30 people (12 of them participants at Badr) stood up and witnessed that they had themselves heard the Holy Prophet(saw) say: "Am I not having more authority upon you than yourselves?"

Toronto.

Dear brother,

Is Sachedina rightly blamed?

I have been following part of the debate around Dr Sachedina and was not very sure what position to take. Well, he was recently there at the Imam Khomeini’s (RA) conference in Columbia university in NY City and according to many attendees who did not know him before, his speech was the best, and indeed it was a truly inspiring and brain-stimulating one.

Dear Brother,

I am a regular reader of your esteemed magazine. It is not very often that a reader comes across a thought-provoking letter of the like that I enjoyed reading in the April 1998 issue.

So Brother Editor, the letter by "Practising Doctor" was THE LETTER OF THE ISSUE. Let us see what initiatives NASIMCO may wish to take in establishing a report with other sister Muslim organizations on the subject and perhaps they will respond to the letter for the information of your readers.

Dear brother,

Sachedina fell prey to Dar's voting strength

After the last Supreme Council Conference in Dar es Salaam you sought my views on the RESOLUTION that was passed on AZIZ SACHEDINA AND ITS LONG-TERM REPERCUSSIONS.

As a result of the passing of this resolution there are two camps in our community world-wide -- THE PRO-SACHEDINA AND ANTI-SACHEDINA CAMPS. I do not know and cannot predict if PROFESSOR SACHEDINA CAN OR WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE of this division TO further his own aims and objectives!!! This will only depend on his NIYYAT!!

Samachar is male chauvinistic...but we enjoy the unbiased coverage

I am a keen reader of the Federation Samachar and enjoy your unbiased coverage. However a lot of male issues are discussed and debated and I feel women are not getting enough coverage.

I therefore propose a Womens' corner in each issue whereby we women can share views, personal experiences of our lives in order to learn from each other and also to benefit others. I am willing to run this section for you, if you approve of it. Please consider this proposal and do let me know.

Nairobi.

You are welcome to send us articles on women issues which offer analysis through an Islamic perspective. The material could also cover real-life incidents or problems being faced by our womenfolk, if any. Confidentiality can be maintained by replacing real-life names by pseudonyms but it is absolutely necessary to ensure that the narrated incidents or reports are true. Editor.

Dear brother,

Islam did not advocate slavery....

I enclose a cutting of a reader's letter from a local English Weekly. You will notice that the reader offers some useful corrections to certain statements with regard to the proclamation of Allah (S.W.T.), OIC membership, slavery and Islamic public religious preachings which had appeared in a feature article earlier. I am sure that your readers will find the letter enlightening, especially those who reside in the West.

" God could not have manifested Himself to the Arabs as Allah (S.W.T.) as mentioned by the author when he claimed that God manifested Himself in other different names to others. The Arabs were engaged in the worship of idols for centuries until the advent of Islam in the sixth century. To the Arabs then, the God known to them was "Llaah".

The name "Allah" provides a unique concept of a unique "GOD" to all Muslims - non-Arabs included - unlike the God known to others. The concept is of that God who is one in His absolute unity with no associates and none besides Him. It is for this reason that mostly the name for Allah for God is used by Muslims, even if the language He is mentioned in is other than Arabic.

The memberships of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) is no acknowledgement that a member is a Muslim country. Uganda is one of the few examples in Africa which has a small minority of Muslims but is wise enough to avail herself of membership and draw economic benefits in purely a secular relationship.

OIC membership is said to be extended generously to any country which has a small Muslim population, however small, on the Islamic philosophy that all Muslims spread out across the world are one "people" (ummah). The country they live in can also benefit from the OIC membership.

As for public religious preachings, one cannot preach Islam without informing and expounding the Islamic concept of Allah - who begets no sons nor is he begotten. And then the Qur'an was revealed after the advent of Judaism and Christianity. It therefore, discusses their beliefs and reasons out disputation of the beliefs.

On slavery, Islam does not advocate it. On the contrary Islam placed restrictions on the acquisition of slaves, imposed obligations for their welfare no different from that for the family-members and what is more, it provided canonical laws for the liberation of slaves to attain penance or expiation of a number of sins.

A chief or ruler could not at his will enslave any person residing in his chiefdom as of right. Parents could not sell or gift their offsprings as slaves and debtors could not be turned into slaves.

Slaves were given a right to ransom themselves on certain easy terms, if not freeing them, for the pleasure of Allah (S.W.T.). Islam is the first and the only religion which has prescribed liberation of slaves as a virtue and a manifestation of genuine faith. Chapter ninety of the Holy Qur'an is quite eloquent in this respect.

History testifies that among the early converts and adherents to Islam, despite their persecution as a minority by the Meccan idolators, were a sizeable number of slaves who included Africans. Some were bought off from the masters and freed by the Muslims. The first person to hold the enviable position of Muazzin (herald of the daily prayer call) in the history of Islam was Bilal, a former African slave."

I refer to the letter written by Husein Khimjee of Toronto in the Federation Samachar Vol 30, No. 7 of April, 1998 on Page 18, Paragraph five.

He writes, "...even these scholars have made mistakes." I would like to ask him whether these scholars have made mistakes with regard to Usoole Din or Foorue Din or history?

After all Sachedina's writings have created misunderstanding and confusion on fundamental Islamic issues. I believe this is not a mistake.

Meanwhile may I point out that the Federation Emblem has suddenly disappeared from the cover page of the Samachar.