Articles

The Prophet’s (pbuh) Sunnah and Sirah are the two fundamental reference points after the noble Qur’an on which all Muslims agree. He is the best of exemplars (33:21) and obedience to him alongside that of Allah (swt) is obligatory upon every Muslim. It is for this reason that Muslims organize elaborate programs to celebrate the birthday of the noble Messenger (pbuh) that falls in the month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal.

First we had the shock and upheaval of September 11, 2001 (9/11), with all its hype and hyper hoopla, followed by all sorts of “terrorist” tremors in Madrid, London, Egypt, Mumbai, etc. And now we have the Friday-the-13th bloody rampage in Paris; if we are smart enough to learn from past experience there will be terrorist after-shocks wherever the handlers of this phenomenon deem necessary for their national interests.

By its own actions, Turkey stands exposed as the terrorists’ air force and conduit for shipping their oil to the international market.

Amid all the hype, tough talk and name calling following the Paris attacks, two names are conspicuous by their absence: Wahhabi Arabia and Zionist Israel. The role these two entities play is worth a closer look.

While absolutely abhorrent, the Paris attacks, as others elsewhere, must be viewed beyond the self-serving statements of Western policymakers. Intensifying the same failed policies will not yield different results.

The strategic shift caused in Syria through Russian involvement is self-evident. NATO’s project against Islamic Iran in Syria has collapsed but what are the ramifications beyond Syria?

Canada may have elected 10 Muslims to parliament — the first time in its history — but that is no protection against racist attacks. Several arson and physical attacks against masjids and Muslims have occurred in Canada in the wake of the terrorist acts in Paris on November 13.

Nobody had anticipated the landslide victory that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured in last month’s snap elections in Turkey. Even the most optimistic opinion polls showed the AKP barely coming close (not reaching) a majority in parliament to form the government.

Five Yemeni prisoners held at the notorious US torture camp at Guantanamo Bay were finally released on November 14. According to a Pentagon announcement, the five were flown to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). None of the five Yemenis was ever charged with a crime.

Even as British Prime Minister David Cameron thundered against the ISIS terrorists (aka takfiris, Da‘ish, or ISIL) that had caused mayhem, death, and destruction in Paris on November 13, he was happily consorting with another terrorist.