Issue No.

614
www.islamkenya.org
Trace Jabran's whereabouts
The first Caliph Abu Bakr
police boss told Page 7
As-Siddiq
Page 3

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

'State not interfering with

freedom of worship' Page 2

Friday Bulletin
The

The Weekly Muslim News Update

Govt on the spot over human

rights violations
The governments efforts to tackle a wide
array of security threats have been marred
by ongoing patterns of serious human
rights violations by Kenyan security forces,
including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and torture. Despite evidence of
these abuses, the government rarely investigates or prosecutes abusive security
officers, says the US based Human Rights
Watch in its latest global human rights report.
According to the 656-page report released
last week, anti-terrorism operations have
been marred by serious human rights violations that include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions and torture among other
violations.
This further implicates security agencies
in the torture, disappearance, and unlawful killing of alleged terrorism suspects and
individuals of Somali origin, Somali refugees, and Muslims in Mombasa, Nairobi,
North Eastern region, and other parts of
the country.
In August, Human Rights Watch found
evidence of at least 10 cases of extrajudicial killings of terrorism suspects by the
Anti Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU). Some
of the victims who were last seen in ATPU
custody, had been threatened by the units
officers after being released by courts, or
had received death threats from ATPU officers they recognized.
Even after a damning report by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA)
on the 2013 Operation Usalama Watch
which mainly targeted members of the Somali ethnicity and Muslims, recommendations to persecute police officers for their
unlawful actions have not been adhered
to, the rights body said.
All the officers who were identified in the
29 complaints recorded by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) on
the anti-terror crackdown are yet to face
the law, Leslie said during the release of
the HRW annual report at a Nairobi hotel.
During the Usalama Watch operation in
Nairobi and Mombasa in April last year,
security officers from multiple agencies
raided homes, buildings, and shops. AcContinued To Page 2

From Left Maahad Dawa Organisation (MDO) member Muhammad Sharrif, Islamic
Dawa Group chairman Abdallah Ndope and the chairman of Al Furqan Training Institute Hassan Al Haddad follow proceeding during the graduation ceremony of the
institution on Sunday. See story on Page 7.

Offensive cartoons 'intolerant and

inexcusable'- Information CS
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cabinet secretary Fred Matiangi
took issue with a section of the local media
for publishing offensive cartons demeaning
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him
and warned that the government will not tolerate irresponsible actions from the media.
He said it was intolerant and inexcusable for
the media to deliberately attack and offend
the religious sensibilities of Muslims cautioning that that the government will crack
the whip on errant media houses which promote religious intolerance.
In his remarks during a meeting with the
Muslim leadership on Monday, the cabinet

secretary noted that while the government does not harbour intentions of muzzling the fourth estate, it will not look the
other away as the media foments hatred
and demonizes other faiths. We cannot look the other way when cultural and
social stability is being undermined by
the media. We cannot purport to enjoy
freedom of expression at the expense of
other ways of life, he said.
We will stand with the Muslim community in circumstances where serious principles of your religion are being undermined, the CS further said.

Continued To Page 2
This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

The Friday Bulletin

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

Teachers continue to defy orders to return to NEP

Hundreds of non-local teachers stationed
in North Eastern region continue to defy orders by their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to return to work.
The striking teachers have been camping
at the TSC headquarters at Upper Hill for
the third consecutive week protesting the
directive to return to their workstations and
are demanding to be transferred to other
areas.
The teachers argue claim that the region is
insecure and have demanded to be transferred to other areas they deem to be safe.

State not interfering with

freedom of worship AG
Following protests by Muslim and Christian religious leaders against proposals
meant to regulate religious institutions in
the country, the government has given a
reassurance that it will not interfere with
freedom of worship.
Attorney General Githu Muigai said that the
government will not impose any regulations
on religious organizations and societies.
He however, noted that the government
was keen to work with religious bodies and
societies to update the existing regulatory
framework in order to get rid of the excess
bodies. The government does not have
the knowhow to dictate to religious bodies
on how to conduct their affairs. We have no
wish to tax religious bodies and we have no
wish to interfere with their financial economy, he said
Religious leaders expressed their concerns
that the streamlization of religious groups
would unduly interfere with the freedom of
worship but rather called for self-regulation
mechanism.
The leaders are protesting against the laws
drafted by the Attorney General that will require Pastors, ministers, Imams, Rabbis
and religious officials to obtain certificate
of good conduct from the police and clearance from the Ethics and Anti Corruption
Commission (EACC).
Mosques, churches and temples will be required to file their annual returns with the
office of the deputy registrar of societies,
while officials as well as committee members and trustees of religious organizations will be under obligation to provide the
government with personal details of their
identity cards, personal identification number (PIN) and tax clearance or exemption
certificates.
Speaking to a local television last week,
Githu revealed that the government will
and must create a framework that will manage all the societies to suit the current
needs in the country.
The decision to regulate and monitor religious organizations by the state was
prompted after revelations that some organizations were taking undue advantage
of the faithful, extorting money at will and
faking miracles to keep them loyal to the
churches.

The teachers defied fresh orders by their employer TSC asking them to report back to work
by Monday failure to which disciplinary action
would be taken against them.
Learning in the counties of Mandera, Wajir and
Garissa has been paralyzed for the third week
as the non local teachers who constitute large
percentage of the teaching fraternity in the
area made good of their threat not to report
back to schools following two deadly attacks
in Mandera which claimed more than 60 lives.
On Monday, the Kenya National Union of
Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson
Sossion appeared at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters to record
statements over the allegations of inciting
teachers stationed in North Eastern not to return to work.
Sossion told the teachers to continue defying
orders by the TSC to return to their workstation until their grievances are addressed.
Meanwhile Muslim Education Council (MEC)
has called on the striking non-local teachers to
resume duties in their respective educational
institutions in the region.
The Executive director Munawar Khan appealed to the concerned teachers to resume
duties since the national government has
beefed up security and the county governments in the region has reassured them that
the areas are safe.
Acting Inspector General of police Samuel
Arachi assured teachers that adequate security personnel have been deployed in the area.
The deployment has been done according to
the threat analysis. If there is need for even
20 officers in a particular area we will deploy
them, said Arachi.

State security implicated

in rights violation
Continued from Page 1
cording to the rights group, they carted away
money and household goods and harassed
and detained thousands of people who included journalists, refugees, Kenyan citizens, and
international aid workerswithout charge,
and in appalling conditions for periods well beyond the 24-hour legal limit.
In addition, the authorities were also accused
of failing to investigating violent acts which included gang attacks that killed tens of people
in Bungoma and Busia counties in March last
year. The official told the government to resort
to lawful ways in addressing the country's security problem, instead of resorting to tactics
that result in human rights abuses and are
counterproductive to fight terrorism.
We must not resort to extrajudicial means to
show that we are serious in the fight against
insecurity. We can do so within the confines
of the law, she said. She further noted that
the government has been slow in implementing key reforms that were identified in 2008
as crucial to addressing Kenya's political crisis, including land, accountability and security
sector reforms.

Intolerant and
inexcusable cartoons
Continued from Page 1
The national chairman of the Supreme
council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM)
Prof. Abdulghafur El Busaidy castigated
the media for publishing the caricatures
terming it as a deliberate act of mischief
meant to offend and provoke Muslims.
Their aim was to provoke Muslims to
show to the world that there are violent
and intolerant, he said.
His sentiments were repeated by the
vice chairman of Jamia Mosque Committee Farouk Adam who accused the
media of being behind a subtle campaign to demonize Islam and urged the
government to take up its responsibility
and rein in media houses which portray
Muslims negatively.
Despite complaints of misinformation
and negative portrayal of Muslim beliefs, several caricatures which attack
and offend Muslims beliefs continued
to be published, he said while urging
the media to respect the religious sensibilities with a caution note that it will not
be business as usual if the sordid trend
continues.
Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome who is a member of the Jamia Mosque Committee
said that there was no absolute freedom and told the media to refrain from
being agents of fermenting intolerance
and breeding hatred among Kenyans.
Particularly at this time, when Kenyans
are making efforts to co-exist, we were
taken back to see media houses coming out to offend and provoke Muslims,
he said.
On his part, Dr. Mustafa Ali who is executive director of Arigatou International
said the cartoons were published by the
local media houses to gain financial leverage at the expense of offending Muslims sensibilities.
Two local dailies, The Star which is
owned by Radio Africa Group and Business Daily , a Nation Media Group
(NMG) publication republished the offensive cartoons which had originally
been published by a French Publication Charlie Hebdo. Following outcry
from Muslims, The Star ran an apology
pledging that it will take into consideration Muslim sensibilities in the future
while the Nation publication has maintained a silence on the matter.
In 2005, despite global anger by Muslims over the publication of offensive
cartoons by a Danish publication Jyllands-Posten, a local television station
owned by the Nation media Group went
ahead to run in one its news bulletins
the disgusting caricatures.
The media house swiftly responded to
Muslim anger with an apology pledging
that the cracks would be closed to ensure that a repeat of the same did not
take place.

Page 2

The Friday Bulletin

DA'WA

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

The first caliph Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

Adnan Oktar
It was 9 A.H. (630 CE) when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was planning the Tabuk expedition. Tabuk is an oasis town, in present day Saudi Arabia. The
expedition was an answer to the Byzantine
threats to attack Muslims.
People brought to the Prophet whatever
they could find by way of money and resources to help him with the campaign. And
then came forward one of the richest and the
noblest among the companions and offered
his beloved leader (peace be upon him) all
the wealth and property he possessed.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the
man, "What did you leave for your family?"
without hesitation, the companion calmly replied, "Allah and his Prophet are enough for
them." (Ibn Kathir)
This man was Abubakar As-Siddiq. The
birth name of Abubakar was Abdul Ka`bah
(servant of the Ka`bah). When he reverted
to Islam in 610 CE, he was named Abdullah (servant of Allah) by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abubakar was
the first among men to accept Islam and the
foremost in fidelity to the Prophet (peace be
upon him).
Abubakar was two years younger than the
Prophet. He was of a noble family and was
known for being most upright and sincere
in his dealings. His gentleness, generosity,
and gracefulness won him the respect of all.
When the Prophet told him of the revelation
and his God-given mission, Abubakar did
not pose to think twice; right then, he embraced Islam and declared his loyalty to the
Prophet (peace be upon him), without a fear
of any consequences.
Thereafter, nothing could deter him from the
path of Islam, and no one was closer to the
Messenger of Allah. Till the end of his life,
Abubakar was strong in his faith in Allah and
unfaltering in his commitment to the way of
the Prophet peace be upon him.
Islam as taught by the Prophet (peace be
upon him) is the total and absolute surrender to the will of Allah, and Abubakar was
its best model after the Prophet (peace be
upon him). As an ordinary man and later as
the ruler of Arabia after the Prophet (peace
be upon him), Abubakar was the very embodiment of honesty and selflessness.
Soon after becomingSUNDAY
a Muslim,LECTURE
Abubakar
was spreading the word about Islam, and
many of his sincere friends followed his
example and took the shahadah, witnessing that there is only one true god and that
Muhammad (Prophet peace be upon him) is
his Messenger.
Among them were eminent persons who later became the stalwarts of Islam; examples
include `Uthman Ibn `Affan, Abdur-Rahman
Ibn `Awf, Sa`d Ibn Abi Waqqas, and Abu
`Ubaydah Ibn Al-Jarrah.
Abubakar was a rich man who kept his
money-chest open to serve the cause of Islam. He was the first in human history who
bought slaves only to set them free. Friend
to the poor and the weak, he had no love for
money, position, or power.
There is a story of a poor, blind, old woman living in the outskirts of Madinah. Every
morning, `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, another
great companion, used to go to her house to

see if she needed anything. But he always

found that someone else had come before
him and given her all that she needed.
`Umar wanted to find out who this person
was, so one morning he went there earlier than he usually did to find that the man
who visited the old lady every morning was
Abubakar. The Prophet himself was happy
to acknowledge that while he could repay
debts to others, he had not been able to repay Abubakar. And at the time of the Hijrah,
Prophet's journey from Makkah to Madinah,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) chose
Abubakar to be his sole companion.
The Qur'an relates the unforgettable occasion when the Prophet (peace be upon him)
was in the cave of Thawr with Abubakar,
on their way to Madinah. If you will not aid
him, Allah certainly aided him when those
who disbelieved expelled him, he being the
second of the two, when they were both in
the cave, when he said to his companion:
grieve not, surely Allah is with us. So Allah sent down his tranquility upon him and
strengthened him with hosts that you did
not see, and made lowest the word of those
who disbelieved. (At-Tawbah 9:40)
And among the followers of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), it was Abubakar alone
who had no questions at all about Al-Israa`
and Al-Mi`raj the Prophet's miraculous
night journey and ascension and the
Prophet (peace be upon him) named him
As-Siddiq (the truthful one).
Even in really difficult times, Abubakar
proved himself to quite unique. The death of
the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a terrible shock for the believers; many found it
hard to imagine that they had to live on without the Prophet (peace be upon him) among
them. Huge crowds flocked to the Mosque
at Madinah; confusion and disbelief reigned
everywhere. Even `Umar would not accept
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) died
and drew his sword to kill anyone who said
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was
dead.
Then Abubakar, with remarkable self-possession and extraordinary leadership, addressed the distraught people with these
words, O people, if any one among you
worshipped Muhammad, know that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is dead. But
those who worship Allah, let them know that
he lives and will never die. Let all of us recall the words of the Qur'an: [Muhammad is
no more than a Messenger: many were the
Messenger who passed away before him.
If he died or were slain, will you then turn
back on your heels? If any did turn back on
their heels, not the least harm will they do
to Allah. But Allah (on the other hand) will
swiftly reward those who (serve him) with
gratitude.] (Aal `Imran 3:144)
These words of Abubakar struck like thunder, and people awoke to the reality of the
Prophet's death (Al-Bukhari). Undoubtedly
this was one of those events that proved the
mettle of the soon-to-be caliph of Islam.
After the death of the Prophet (peace be
upon him), the first problem facing the Muslim community was to choose a new leader,
a problem that required an immediate solution. Because, any delay in this matter

would have caused disorder undermining

the very fabric of the Ummah (the Muslim
community) the Prophet (peace be upon
him) had been building up.
Soon, signs of division appeared between
the Muhajirun (the immigrants to Madinah)
and the Ansar (the helpers from Madinah).
After much deliberation and debate, the Ansar accepted that the Muhajirun had a better
claim for the position as the Prophet (peace
be upon him) himself was a Muhajir. Then
Abubakar took the lead and suggested that
either `Umar or Abu `Ubaydah should become the caliph.
But both of them as well as the people had
no doubt that no one deserved that position more than Abubakar; reluctantly, he accepted their request. After taking the oath
of loyalty given by the Muslim community,
Abubakar addressed the Muslim crowds, O
people, I have been elected your leader, although I am not better than any one of you.
If I do any good, give me your support. If I go
wrong, set me right. Listen, truth is honesty
and untruth is dishonesty. The weak among
you are powerful in my eyes as long as I
do not get them their due, Allah willing. The
powerful among you are weak in my eyes
as long as I do not take away from them
what is due to others, Allah willing. Listen,
you must obey me as long as I obey Allah
and his Messenger. If I disobey Allah and
his Messenger, you are free to disobey me.
Soon after taking charge, Abubakar had a
tough time holding together the contentious
tribes that had come into Islam. There were
persons who wished to return to their old
habits of drinking and gambling, and some
did not want to pay the obligatory charity.
A more serious threat was the phenomenon of "false Prophets." The caliph had to
confront the apostates who refused to pay
Zakah and punish claimants to prophethood. Advisers suggested a careful and wellconsidered plan of handling the situation.
But Abubakar would not listen, for he could
not see the rights of the poor being usurped
by those who refused to pay zakah which
goes directly to the poor. He used force and
brought the menace under control.
In 634 CE after an illness of two weeks,
Abubakar, the first among Al-Khulafaa' AlRashiduun (Arabic for "the rightly guided
caliphs") passed away. He was 63 years old
at the time. He was buried by the side of the
holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have asked his companions one
day who of them on that day attended a
funeral, paid alms, visited a sick person, ,
and kept a fast. Abubakar alone answered
in the affirmative to all these questions. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) said that if all
the virtues were in a person then he is sure
to enter paradise And the Prophet (peace
be upon him) observed that Abubakar possessed all of them. (Rasoulullah.net)

SUNDAY LECTURE

Umuhimu wa dawah

By: Abu Hudhayfa

Date: 8th Feb . 2015 Time: 2 pm- 4 pm
Venue: Makina Kibra
Page 3

The Friday Bulletin

WOMEN

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

Umm Zakiyyah reflects: My bittersweet Hijab

Umm Zakiyyah

You dont need this. These are the words that will probably always represent my first experience with hijab. Though I was only
four years old and in kindergarten, my mother would cover my hair
with a headscarf before I left to school each morning. My former
Christian parents accepted Islam the year I was born, and they
wanted their children to be known as Muslims when they went to
public school.
But my kindergarten teacher had better ideas. Each day that I arrived at school, she would call me to her desk and remove my head
cover, saying, You dont need this. Then, at the end of the school
day, shed call me back to her desk to put my scarf back on before
I returned home to my parents.
Yes, I was confused a bit, but Id shrug it off because in my fouryear-old world, adults always knew best. And it wasnt until years
later that it occurred to me that this was something I shouldve
talked to my parents about.
Finally, someone will help me
It certainly wasnt easy going to school each day looking different
from all the other girls. The kids poked fun at me, and it was a daily
routine for them to snatch off my scarf and toss it around just for
funwhile the teachers looked on without even a word of reprimand to the students. In fact, the only time I recall a teacher intervening was when I was in fourth grade and was outside for recess,
and I fought the boy who snatched off my scarf and threw it in the
dirt. When I saw my teacher approaching, I felt relieved. Finally,
someone will help me, I thought. But she promptly proceeded to
take only me inside the buildingfor punishment. And I had to sit in
the hall alone for the rest of the dayto teach me a lesson.
I knew I was different
I think one of the greatest benefits I gained from my experience
covering my hair in the public school was the ever present knowledge that I was different from others. While some might think thats
a heavy burden for a child to carry, my experience has taught me
its the other way around: Those Muslims who had the luxury of
blending in with peers carried the greatest burden, and I witnessed
their pain and confusion firsthand. Some of them are not even Muslim today.
I often shudder at the thought of where I would be had my parents not required me to cover my hair from young. The Muslim girls
whose parents put them in public school and believed they can
wait till puberty faced a difficult sudden life change at the onset of
menses.
One day they were just normal Jane and the next day, literally,
they had to come to school looking like some crazy fanatic from the
deserts of Arabia (as others would see it). Needless to say, many
of these girls had an extremely difficult time making this transition.
So many did what could only be expected of a youth in the height
of puberty when self-image and what others think is exaggerated in
ones mind: They did to themselves what my kindergarten teacher
did to me. They told themselves, You dont need this hijab. And
they wore hijab on their way out the door and promptly removed the
headscarf when they arrived at schoolthen put it back on before
returning home.
I love Hijab, sans men
I know its probably the corniest, most clich thing to say. But its
true. I love hijab. And its not because its easy to wear it (as my
public school experiences clearly show). And its certainly not because of all those annoying reasons so many Muslims attach to
making things easy for men. Truth be told, I think that encouraging
girls to love hijab because mens sexual desires will be less intense
is one of the most dangerous, damaging thingspsychologically
and spirituallyyou can do to a Muslim girl, especially living in the
West.
So many things are pulling at us, and its hard enough walking
around as the poster child for Islam while the boys effectively blend
in. And if a Muslim girl gets weak, she cant hide her faults so easilybecause she has only one of two options: wear hijab and announce to others that youre hijabi and human (and thats just un-

thinkable) or remove hijab and announce to others that youre a

bad Muslim (which is the only category many Muslims imagine
non-hijabis can be in).
And then on top of that, we want to give girls the added burden of
loving hijab because it benefits someone else! No thank you. I love
hijab because it benefits me. Sorry, but when it comes to my soul, I
get a bit selfish. And I think other girls should too. And it starts with
building a relationship between you and Allah forget the rest of
the world. And for me, hijab is a part of that personal relationship,
and I love it.
This bittersweet Hijab
Though I love hijab, I still struggle with it in America. No, thankfully,
my struggles are not so serious that Ive ever wished to remove it.
But I struggle with the fears I have for my daughter and other girls
coming up in this societyand in the entire Muslim world.
On the one hand, I fear theyll face people like my kindergarten
teacher, the You dont need this non-Muslims of the world. More
tragically, I fear theyll face the Your hijab is never good enough
Muslims of the world who seem to be on a mission to make sure
no Muslim woman feels comfortable obeying Allah the best she
knows how.
And while I remain hopeful because wearing hijab is a beautiful,
freeing experience for a woman, I also remain fearful because
the hijab is viewed as a blessing only if were able to ignore the
discouraging messages of non-Muslims and Muslims, who make
women feel like wearing hijab is just one big headache.
And while the hijab certainly is not a headache, people criticizing
women definitely give them one. And this struggle with people just
makes it that much more tempting for Muslim girls to say to themselves, You dont need thisand by it, mean much more than the
hijab.
Umm Zakiyyah is the internationally acclaimed author of the If I
Should Speak trilogy and the novels Realities of Submission and
Hearts We Lost.

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Interested Candidates who meet the Minimum requirements for this job are requested to send their application
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Page 4

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

The Friday Bulletin

Valentine day, Birthdays, and other daze

Khalid Baig

There is a group of practices that we can

consider as the twin sister of bid'ah. Like
bid'ah they flourish on the twin foundations
of ignorance and outside influence. Like
bid'ah they entail rituals. But unlike bid'ah
the rituals have not been given an Islamic
face. They are followed because they are
considered an acceptable cultural practice
or the hottest imported "in" thing.
Most of those who indulge in them do not
know what they are doing. They are just
blind followers of their equally blind cultural
leaders. Little do they realize that what
they consider as innocent fun may in fact
be rooted in paganism. That the symbols
they embrace may be symbols of unbelief.
That the ideas they borrow may be products of superstition. That all of these may
be a negation of what Islam stands for.
Consider Valentine's Day, a day that after
dying out a well deserved death in most of
Europe (but surviving in Britain and United
States) has suddenly started to emerge
across many countries. Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Legends
abound, as they do in all such cases, but
this much is clear: Valentine's Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans
in the 4th century BCE to honor the god
Lupercus. The main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young
women to young men for "entertainment
and pleasure"--until the next year's lottery.
Among other equally despicable practices
associated with this day was the lashing of
young women by two young men, clad only
in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin
thongs, who had been smeared with blood
of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the
"sacred" thongs by these "holy men" was
believed to make them better able to bear
children.
As usual, Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. It first replaced the lottery of
the names of women with a lottery of the
names of the saints. The idea was that
during the following year the young men
would emulate the life of the saint whose
name they had drawn. (The idea that you
can preserve the appearance of a popular

evil and yet somehow turn it to serve the

purpose of virtue, has survived. Look at
all those people who are still trying, helplessly, to use the formats of popular television entertainments to promote good. They
might learn something from this bit of history. It failed miserably) Christianity ended
up doing in Rome, and elsewhere, as the
Romans did.
The only success it had was in changing
the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's
Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honor of some Saint Valentine. There
are as many as 50 different Valentines in
Christian legends. Two of them are more
famous, although their lives and characters
are also shrouded in mystery. According to
one legend, and the one more in line with
the true nature of this celebration, St. Valentine was a "lovers'" saint, who had himself fallen in love with his jailer's daughter.
Due to serious troubles that accompanied
such lottery, French government banned
the practice in 1776. In Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany also the ritual vanished
over the years. Earlier, it had been banned
in England during the 17th century when
the Puritans were strong. However in 1660
Charles II revived it. From there it also
reached the New World, where enterprising Yankees spotted a good means of making money. Esther A. Howland, who produced one of the first commercial American
Valentine's Day cards called--- what else-- valentines, in the 1840s, sold $5,000
worth--when $5,000 was a lot of money-the first year. The valentine industry has
been booming ever since.
It is the same story with Halloween, which
has otherwise normal human beings dressing like ghosts and goblins in a reenactment of an ancient pagan ritual of demon
worship. Five star hotels arrange Halloween parties so the rich can celebrate the
superstitions of a distant period of ignorance that at one time even included the
shameful practice of human sacrifice. The
pagan name for that event was Samhain
(pronounced sow-en). Just as in case of
Valentine's Day, Christianity changed its
name, but not the pagan moorings.

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Christmas is another story. Today shopkeepers sell and shoppers buy Christmas
symbols in Islamabad or Dubai or Cairo.
To engage in a known religious celebration
of another religion is bad enough. What is
worse is the fact that here is another pagan celebration (Saturnalia) that has been
changed in name ---and in little else--- by
Christianity.
Even the celebration considered most innocent might have pagan foundations. According to one account, in pagan cultures,
people feared evil spirits - especially on
their birthdays. It was a common belief that
evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change
in their daily life, such as turning a year
older. So family and friends surrounded the
person with laughter and joy on their birthdays in order to protect them from evil.
How can anyone in his right mind think
that Islam would be indifferent to practices
seeped in anti-Islamic ideas and beliefs?
Islam came to destroy paganism in all its
forms and it cannot tolerate any trace of it
in the lives of its followers.
Further, Islam is very sensitive about maintaining its purity and the unique identity of
its followers. Islamic laws and teachings
go to extra lengths to ensure it. Salat is
forbidden at the precise times of sunrise,
transition, and sunset to eliminate the possibility of confusion with the practice of sun
worship. To the voluntary recommended
fast on the tenth of Muharram, Muslims are
required to add another day (9th or 11th)
to differentiate it from the then prevalent
Jewish practice. Muslims are forbidden to
emulate the appearance of non-Muslims.
A Muslim is a Muslim for life. During joys
and sorrows, during celebrations and sufferings, we must follow the one straight
path --- not many divergent paths. It is a
great tragedy that under the constant barrage of commercial and cultural propaganda from the forces of globalization and the
relentless media machine, Muslims have
begun to embrace the Valentines, the Halloween ghost, and even the Santa Claus.
Given our terrible and increasing surrender
to paganism the only day we should be observing is a day of mourning. Better yet it
should be a day of repentance that could
liberate us from all these days. And all this
daze.

AISHA REVERTS CENTRE

Year 2015 intake in Progress

For details call
0722301802

ISLAMIC LECTURE

By: Sheikh Jaffar

Topic: Brotherhood
Venue: Jamia Mosque MultiPurpose hall
Date: Feb 8th 2015
Time: 1:30 pm
Organised by Dawaah Centre
page 5

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

The Friday Bulletin

No security without human rights and no human rights without security

Hussein Khalid
Human rights and security are meant to
be complementary. In the absence of human rights, insecurity is inevitable as the
security of those whose rights are violated
becomes inexistent and they will more often than not themselves resort to unlawful
means of defending their rights. This scenario is outplaying itself in Kenya where the
war against terrorism has been responsible
for gross human rights abuses against individuals and communities, further breeding
extremism and radicalization amongst the
Muslim minority. Today, Kenya is grappling
with a huge insecurity problem, not limited
to terrorism, without any clear, systematic,
solution in the offing from either government or communities, other than knee jerk
reactions and legislative measures that
further curtail basic freedoms which further
curtail the enjoyment of both human rights
and security.
Over the last one year or so, HAKI Africa
has confirmed over 50 killings and disappearances at the coast of Kenya alone.
Amnesty International and other human
rights groups have documented other killings and disappearances in other parts of
the country. Almost all these killings and
disappearances are linked to governments
counter terrorism efforts as majority of the
victims are individuals who have in the
past either been charged in court or been
investigated for terror related charges. In
many of the cases, individuals are shot at
close range by unknown persons whom
witnesses describe as having introduced
themselves, or appeared to be police officers in plain clothes. The government has

maintained a blanket denial of any involvement in the killings, yet no investigations,

arrests or convictions have taken place in
their aftermath.
The Kenya police have also been raiding
places of worship and in the process using lethal force that has left several youth
dead, with hundreds others arbitrarily arrested. In 2014, the Masjid Musa in Mombasa was raided twice and 8 youth were
shot dead by the police in the two attacks.
During the same raids, the police rounded
up young men from their homes and estates adjacent to the mosque and arrested
over 300 of them. Some of those who were
arrested were as young as 11 years old,
with others picked from their bedrooms as
they were sleeping.
Whenever human rights groups or media
houses criticize the manner in which these
operations are carried out or question their
legality and constitutionality while citing
this violation of basic rights and freedoms,
the Kenya government labels the organizations as sympathizers of terrorism and
threatens to deregister them and/or arrest
their officials. This also has the effect of alienating human rights organisations in the
wider Kenya public. The recently passed
Security Amendment Act which largely stifles freedom of the press and civil society
is evidence of this practice. Several human
rights defenders and journalists have had
their lives threatened as the democratic
space in Kenya continues to shrink in the
name of fighting terrorism.
The result of these iron fist strategies in
combating insecurity is the erosion of

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trust between the local communities and

the leadership. Today, the gap between
government and communities, particularly
those at the coast, is at its widest. Communities view security agencies meant to
protect them from harm, as the ones who
will in fact flagrantly violate their rights. The
rule of law and due process, where a suspect is arrested, taken to court and convicted or released has been replaced by extrajudicial shootings of religious leaders and
youth. Communities now live in fear of being raided and killed or arrested by security
agencies at any time. This fear is fodder for
radicalization and sympathy for the extremist views. Instead, the government should
build bridges with communities and bring
them closer for collaboration in counter-terror efforts. Using force is counterproductive
and only exacerbates the situation.
Solutions
In moving forward, HAKI Africa believes
that there is an urgent need for the Kenya
government to change tact. The days when
governments would use brute force to silence dissent or critics are past.
The government of Kenya must work with
local political, religious and civil society
leaders in addressing insecurity. Labeling
legitimate criticism as sympathizing with
terrorists and legislating against it violates
not only free speech and expression but
also closes other spaces for democratic
expression.
Kenyas International partners and governments supporting counter terrorism (CT)
in Kenya must demand accountability and
adherence to human rights principles. The
Kenya government should be made to understand that it must respect and work with
its Civil Society in ensuring promotion and
protection of human rights. The continuing
demonisation of human rights organisations is a threat to sustainable security.
Further, counter terrorism must be viewed
holistically and should not be limited to providing arms, intelligence and police trainings only. Social and economic programs
aimed at assisting communities out of a
perception of hopelessness can mitigate
the drive to radicalization. Investment in
education, infrastructure, employment opportunities to improve the lives and living
standards of affected communities ought
to go hand in hand with counter terrorism
efforts.
HAKI Africa and civil society in general
supports the fight against terrorism. We are
cognizant of the fact that terrorism is a vice
that needs to be dealt with for peace and
security to prevail. However, we believe
that the fight against terrorism should not
and does not have to violate the very basic
and fundamental rights enshrined in our
laws. Doing so only acts to worsen the situation. As a people, we owe it to ourselves
to be steadfast and guided by human rights
principles that are in our Constitution. By
violating human rights, we become no different from the same terrorists we are trying to stop.
Hussein Khalid is the executive director
of Haki Africa.

page 6

The Friday Bulletin

NATIONAL

Rabi ul Thaany 17,1436/February 06, 2015

Take up your responsibility to serve the Ummah, Muslim leaders told

The Muslim leadership has been urged to
take up a more proactive role in addressing Muslim concerns.
The growing myriad of challenges facing the community require a more robust
and concerted approach to ensure that
issues of concerns affecting Muslims are
addressed, the chairman of Islamic Dawa
Group (IDG) Abdallah Said Ndope said.
Speaking at the weekend during the
graduation ceremony of Al Furqan Training Institute where he was the chief guest,
Ndope said Muslims aspire to see more efforts being taken by the Muslim leadership
to address injustices as well as improve on
the general welfare of the community.
Once you agree to take up the responsibility of leadership, you should know that
you are responsible to Allah and Muslims
and you have to diligently serve the interests of the community, he said.
He said it was unfortunate reality that
more than fifty years after independence,
Muslims continue to face discrimination
against when requiring important documents such as national identity cards and
passports.

Provide better services,

Kadhis told
Kadhis must align to the ongoing transformation in the judiciary so as to be in a
better position to provide better services
to the people.
These remarks were made by the Deputy
Chief Kadhi Sheikh Rashid Omar who said
that the reforms in the judiciary should
serve as an impetus to drive efficient dispensation of justice in the courts. For efficient dispensation of justice, Kadhis must
support and embrace the ongoing reforms
in the judiciary, he said last week during
an event to the launch of the Court Users
Committee.
He said far from being seen as non-entities in the judiciary, the Kadhis courts have
come a long way and now form an integral part in the judiciary system of Kenya.
Both Muslims and non-Muslims have
come to realize the important role played
by the Kadhis courts in administering justice to Kenyans, he said.
In his address to the forum, the Kadhi
of Kibera Sheikh Abduljabbar Hussein
sought to demystify the status of the courts
saying that they are administered by professional judicial officers who are well conversant with the law. The Kadhis courts
have jurisprudence jurisdiction to deal with
main cases and not only auxiliary matters.
Kadhis are more qualified magistrates as
they are well conversant with both Islamic
and secular laws unlike the magistrates
whose focus in only with the common law,
he said.
The Court Users Committees are formed
by representatives from various institutions which include the prisons service
and the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions and assist the courts to provide efficient, economical and professional
service to all users.

Why should my son be required to produce his parents or grandparents IDs and
birth certificates when the same is not
required from John and Peter, he asked
with a call to the leadership to address this
longstanding matter.
Ndope who is also a Thika businessman,
told Muslim organizations to instill professionalism in their activities in order to provide efficient services to the community.
Unfortunately many of our organizations
lack accountability and transparency and
this trend has to change, he said.
He advised Al Furqan students to diversity
and also embrace modern learning practices saying that Muslims require scholars
who are not only versed in Islamic studies but in contemporary studies as well.
We need Muslim scholars who are also
neurosurgeons, bankers, lawyers and engineers. Islam has not limited your scope
of education, he told the students whom
he implored to live by the noble ideals of
Islam which promote co-existence and tol-

erance.
Apart from the five-year Islamic course
study, students from the institution which is
located in Kajiado County near the border
town of Namanga are also tutored in the
8-4-4 syllabus which enables them to join
local universities.
During the event, Ndope also laid the foundation of a new dormitory block which will
further expand the facilities of the institution to accommodate the growing demand
of students.
Speaking at the event, the Maahad Dawa
Organisation (MDO) chairman Sheikh
Ishaak Ahmed called for support towards
the proposed Al Furqan Towers, an endowment (waqf) project which is expected to
financially sustain the institution. The ten
storey multimillion apartment block will be
located at Ngara area of Nairobi along Park
Road and income realized from the project
will further support the myriads of activities
of the organization which include educational and humanitarian projects.

IG told to intervene on missing student whereabouts

The family of a missing university student
has called on the acting Inspector General
of Police Samuel Arachi to launch investigations into his disappearance.
Twenty six-year-old Jabran Hassan
Mbarak, a business management student
at the Mount Kenya University Malindi
campus has being missing for more than
two weeks after he was allegedly picked
by persons claiming to be state security
officers.
Through Haki Africa, a Mombasa based
human rights organization, the family is
demanding the police to come clean on
the matter and reveal the whereabouts of
Jabran Hassan Mbarak.
In a letter to the acting Inspector General
of police, the executive director Hussein
Khalid said despite information presented
to the police, no action has been taken to
trace Jabrans whereabouts.
If indeed the people who took Jabran are
police officers, they must produce him and
inform his family and lawyer of his wherea-

bouts. If they were not the police, then the

police are obliged by the law to work with
the family and ensure they find Jabran,
said the letter.
The official said as citizens every Kenyan
has the right to security as enshrined in article 29 of the constitution of Kenya, stressing that police appear either unwilling or
unable to investigate and bring to book the
perpetrators of killings and disappearance.
As an organization, Haki Africa is deeply
disturbed by the inaction of the local police
on matters of killings and disappearance
of religious leaders and youth at the coast
thus this letter to call for your personal intervention, reads the letter in part.
According to the family, Jabran arrested on
January 22 outside Masjid Noor in Malindi
by individuals who claimed to be police
officers and bundled into a waiting white
Probox vehicle (KBQ 152U) in full view of
residents. The family reported the matter
at the Malindi police station but police officer denied being behind the arrest.

Secretary/Receptionist

An Islamic Institution is looking for a secretary /receptionist to handle its

busy administration office.
The ideal candidate should have the following:1. Attributes and Qualifications
-Excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational and IT skills
-Diploma in secretarial studies/practice with minimum 3-4 years relevant experience
-Attention to details, ability to multi-task while working as part of a team.
2. Duties and Responsibilities
-Assist in filing and record keeping
-Assist in typing documents and managing correspondences
-Assist in front office duties and any other related administrative duties
If you have the attributes and the qualities above please apply to :
The Secretary General
P.O. Box 100786-00101
Nairobi
You may also drop your application and detailed CV to the Administrator
at Jamia Mosque offices.
Deadline for submission is 15th February 2015.

Helping the disabled

WAMY ACADEMY

WAMY Academy is an integrated school offering

both secular and Islamic Religious education. We
are looking for competent individuals to fill the following positions:
1. Head teacher primary section.
Qualifications
Must have at least 5 years experience as a Head
teacher
Excellent communication and managerial skills
Ability to manage a population of at least 600
Must be conversant with 8-4-4 system of education
Previous experience in an integrated Islamic school
will be an added advantage
2. P1 teachers
At least 5 years teaching English in upper primary(
class 7 & 8)
Experienced as national examiner in English will be
an added advantage
Excellent communication skills
Ability to maintain &manage discipline and classcontrol
Must be conversant with 8-4-4 system of education
Previous experience in an integrated Islamic school
will be an added advantage
3. Hand writing educator
To teach and train good hand writing skills at all levels (KG 1, KG2, KG3 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY)
Sent your testimonials before 9th February 2015 to:
The Principal,
WAMY Academy
P.O.Box 70541-00400 NAIROBI.
Or E-mail at wamyacademynairobi@gmail.com.

People who are physically challenged are sometimes wrongly

regarded by some as not being able to contribute to society in
any meaningful way because of their disability, but there are many
whose strength of character and will to overcome all odds, have
done more than just prove they can equal the efforts of our best
not physically challenged community members.
Many have made tremendous achievement for themselves and
the society. It appears that as long as the person has the passion
and spark for life, the achievements of that person can become
unbelievably outstanding as many of the inspirational stories we
are told daily, attest to. Besides being inspirational to other physically challenged people they are equally inspirational to those of
us who feel we are unable to make a difference and give up trying when the obstacles we face are minuscule compared to what
these people have had to overcome.
Physically challenged people have various facillities available to
them that can help lessen the impact of their limitations. Having a
physical disability no longer means sitting on the sidelines.
Ummah Foundation for the past years has been striving within its
limited resources to make sure we empower our disabled brothers
and sisters to be mobile and flexible enough to go out to find a living. More than1200 wheelchairs and other paraplegics have been
distributed so far to the affected groups and individuals
AWe should also reiterate the fact that all people living with disabilities are entitled to certain privileges, stipulated in Kenyan law,
that most Muslims are ignorant of and hence are left out. Ummah Foundation is in the process of conducting sensitization and
awareness programs that are geared towards educating our brothers and sisters about these issues. We would like to note that the
NCPWD provides a lot of assistance to the physically challenged
and disabled people to overcome some challenges that they face
daily. We urge our Muslim families that have within them people
with disabilities to get them registered with the National Council of
people with Disabilities (NCPWD) so that the government assistance and funding can include them as well.
We also need to understand that disability is not inability and what
an able person can do, a person with some disability challenges
can do if he/she is properly empowered. We appeal to well wishers
and donors to come out in full force and let us help our brothers
and sisters who go around the streets seeking for our mercy. You
can donate a wheelchair, crutches and other mobility aids to our
offices and we will take the responsibility and burden to make sure
they are delivered to the deserving and needy beneficiaries.
Contact us:
Ummah Foundation
Village Plaza, 2nd Floor, Ngara Rd P.O. Box 58717-00200, Nairobi
Tel: +254(20) 20680610/13, Mob: 0734845277
Email: info@ummahfoundation.net
Web: www.ummahfoundation.net

FEMALE QUR-AAN TEACHER

Jamia Mosque Committee is looking forward to get the service of a

part-time evening Female Qur-aan Teacher with the following qualifications:
A holder of at least Diploma in Islamic Studies from a recognized Islamic Institution.
Have at least 3 years experience of teaching adults.
Knowledge of Arabic, English and Kiswahili is essential.
Excellent Moral values.
Excellent Qiraah.
Haafidhah is an added advantage.
In case, you have the above qualifications send your application letter,
CV and testimonials to:
The Secretary General, Jamia Mosque Committe
P. O. Box 100786 00101, Nairobi Before 20th February 2015

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147
E-mail: fridaybulletin@islamkenya.org. Printed by Graphic Lineups Limited-Kweria Road info@graphic.co.ke