Islam for Women

SUPERHEROES  inspired by Islam, a Video to Watch! 

(Click HERE to play the Video)

In “THE 99,” Naif Al-Mutawa’s new generation of comic book heroes fight more than crime — they smash stereotypes and battle extremism. Named after the 99 attributes of Allah, his characters reinforce positive messages of Islam and cross cultures to create a new moral framework for confronting evil, even teaming up with the Justice League of America. 

President Obama commends THE 99 for Spreading Tolerance

President Obama made a special mention about THE 99 superheroes and its creator, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, in his speech given recently at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship held in Washington. The President commended THE 99 for capturing the imaginations of young people through the message of tolerance. Entrepreneurs from all over the globe are attending the summit, including Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of THE 99 superheroes.

See  the full White House video (16:17)  

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/presidential-summit-entrepreneurship

On CNN:  Islam-inspired comic superheroes fight for peace

New York Times article (January 22, 2006): Comics to Battle for Truth, Justice and the Islamic Way

I wish Dr. Mutawa the best of success!  

God’s Blessings to You and your family.

The creator of these Superheroes inspired by Islam is a Psychologist  (among The 500 Most Influential Muslims - 2010),  from an openminded new generation of Muslim, who has found the ultimate tool for todays kids to learn about Islamic values and a most brilliant way to eradicate negative attitudes towards Islam.

Download your  Free copy of The 99  Origins  by klicking this line!

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BLESSED  RAMADAN  to all my readers,

May God show us all the right path!

Mona

 I am reading this book very carefully and  taking notes. It is a wonderfully written colorful peace of research  and until page 110 I have not found any historical mistakes expect the one I’ll discuss today. History coming alive!

            I trust it would be a great basis for a new movie about the birth of Islam like the well known masterpiece “The Message” by Mustafa Akkad . Since the author is an accomplished screen writer I am especially worried about this. Once a MOVIE is made about (any) events it becomes the truth to most of the people.

            In the shoes of Mr. Kamran Pasha I would be really careful what to allow to be done in his name. In Islam we are accountable for our deeds and intentions, and one of the worst sins in  Islam are inventions into the faith.

            If there were not the ONE thing I oppose strongly since there is NO  REAL  evidence of the date of birth of Lady Aisha. Only one or two Hadiths, which were collected as late as 250-300 years after the death of the Prophet (pbuH). Until then they were mere traditions remembered orally. The Prophet himself discouraged writing down his every word because he feared they would be confused with the Quran. 

            Needles to tell my Muslim readers how Islam is portrayed on internet forums whenever the topic Islam comes up. The Prophet (pbuH) is routinely called “a pedophile caravan bundit”! 

            I have the strong suspicion that the author had to make a few changes, probably only one (since to book is powerful reading!) to his manuscript so that it would be accepted for publication. The one about Lady Aishas age.  It would explain hastily made changes in the text about it and the from it resulting unmatching dateline.  Muslim readers know what I am talking about, the opponents do not hesitate to use all means to tarnish the image of Islam. They are mostly powerful media owners and editors in chief in major publications. 

Why do I believe so?

             On page 9:   Aisha is claimed to be born in 613 A.D.

            On page 92:  is claimed that Aisha  “counted over 40 most powerful men not only of Mecca  but the Bedouin tribes…” at the age of tender age of 3 years?! 

            On page 96:  in  619 A.D  Aisha is claimed to be 6 years old almost 10 yrs after  the 1. Revelation” in 610 A.D. when driven out of Mecca into exile

            Page 105:   Her sister Asma is 16 yrs  old in 621 A.D  when boycott ends  meaning  that Aisha would be  STILL  6 yrs  old (after spending 3 years in exile, and not 9!).  Asma was 10 yrs her elder.  According to Adel Salahi the boycott lasted for 3 years “Muhammad, Man and Prophet” by M.A. Salahi, page 160  (not 2 yrs as in this book) .

            For other events in this novel there are surviving documents and scriptures to rely on and they are largely accepted as accurate, historically correct. The early Muslim community had many literate people who recorded events and in one of them is said that Aisha was a young girl when converting with her elder sister to Islam (among the first 80 Muslims to do so), in 610 A.D. That would make her at least 11 years old when returning home from exile from the desert outside of Mecca even if she was a newborn baby back then.  And if we believe this to be  correct,  since it was recorded in the lifetime of the Prophet (and not 250-300 years later!) then she was at least in her late teens when marrying the Prophet! 

Salaam for later commentary,

Mona

Another woman among the 100 most powerful women in the world is

HM Queen Rania of Jordan   (Number 80 on Forbes 100 Most powerful women of the world list and maybe not so significant but worth of mentioning - the third most beautiful woman in the world in the 2005 top 100 of Harpers & Queen magazine).

She is an outspoken advocate of women rights and well loved and respected in her home country. She is a new idol of an Arab woman, wise, family oriented and sympathetic.

And as so many of us she is frustrated over the ongoing misinformation and stereotyping of Muslims and especially Arabs and Arab women. She is introducing herself now on Youtube, where the youth of the world is communicating and is reaching out for dialog.

YOUTUBE EXCLUSIVE:  Send me your stereotypes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFf897bUW2Y&eurl=http://www.play.jo/home.php

And as I was reading what kind of response she is getting (some of it is not worth discussing) I watched one remarkable video, that I want to share with you, too :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOeDIj40WxM&feature=related

There is no other way!

Queen Rania at the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

What a strange header for an article by the well known Canadian writer Naomi Klein!

The Nation: Obama, Being Called a Muslim Is Not a Smear, by Naomi Klein

Hillary Clinton denied leaking the photo of Barack Obama wearing a turban, but her campaign manager says that even if she had, it would be no big deal. “Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.”

Sure she did. And George W. Bush put on a fetching Chamato poncho in Santiago, while Paul Wolfowitz burned up YouTube with his antimalarial African dance routines when he was World Bank prez. The obvious difference is this: when white politicians go ethnic, they just look funny. When a black presidential contender does it, he looks foreign. ..

So far, Obama’s campaign has responded with aggressive corrections that tout his Christian faith, attack the attackers and channel a cooperative witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee. “Barack has never been a Muslim or practiced any other faith besides Christianity,” states one fact sheet. “I’m not and never have been of the Muslim faith,” Obama told a Christian News reporter.

Of course Obama must correct the record, but he doesn’t have to stop there. What is disturbing about the campaign’s response is that it leaves unchallenged the disgraceful and racist premise behind the entire “Muslim smear”: that being Muslim is de facto a source of shame. Obama’s supporters often say they are being “Swiftboated,” casually accepting the idea that being accused of Muslimhood is tantamount to being accused of treason…

How bad things can get?

The second largest religion in the world with 1,2 billion believers worldwide is being brandmarked as a terrorist religion in a campaign where the other party is black. Political correctness does not allow attacking him on grounds of his skin color or other minority related matters like his Kenyan grandmother.

What is more convenient than look for something what is politically correct? Smearing Islam and Muslims is very popular lately. Unfortunately Muslims are unable to defend themselves partly because they are not familiar with western thinking and politics, and partly because they do not care. What some extremist Muslims do must not necessarily be Islamic.

Terror has always been a way to reach goals all over the world. Besides the Islamic terror we have f.e. in Spain the Eta terror and Northern Ireland ethnic terror etc. After decades of  colonialism in the Middle East and Cold War when the Islamic world got divided between superpowers they were mere chess figures in their political game. Today we are reaping the fruits of it.

But slowly they are emerging from the dark and there are signs that moderate progressive forces within the Islamic world are finding their voice. Thank God.

No, it is not a smear being called a Muslim!

“There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clearly from falsehood; whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks and God is All-Hearing and All-Knowing.” (Qur’an 2:256)

The Western media is portraying women in Islam as the symbol of subordination of women ‘par excellence’. This picture is so complete that even an attempt to scratch it is in vain. Unfortunately, many journalists choose to rely on wellknown stereotypes. Muslims count over 1 billion in the world alltogether and naturally many sects, small and large, have split from the moderate mainstream Islam, which constitutes ca. 90 % (called the “Sunni”-Muslims). In most Muslim countries today women are advancing and exercising their rights by participating in politics, education, working as judges, professors, doctors etc.

I warmly recommend the following web page to all my readers … since you came to my page you should not miss that one. There you will find proof that it was the Judeo-Christian Tradition that truly oppressed women and it is the Islamic teaching where you find equality and companionship between a man and a woman… And the Veil is not an Islamic invention!

“Women in Islam versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition” by Prof. Sherif Abdel Azim, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Another enlightening text can be found on www.religioustolerance.org, “Is the Bible infallible, inerrant, free of error?”