We Must Go to WarWritten by Ieuan Dolby
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So war it must be. As a leading politician it is not hard to gain support amongst influential and important persona of country. Speaking honestly they probably all have similar desires to get richer, become more powerful and to do such at any cost. So a few hushed conversations behind closed doors, a few handshakes and promises will soon have tanks rumbling, planes diving and submarines doing whatever submarines do. And I in my turn can then start making more arms and tanks through my arms division, supplying uniforms through my clothing section and of course my shipping division would then be able to do whatever ships do. And once war is over, hopefully not too quickly I will be able to send in my construction firms, my people and my mercenaries to protect and control my industries. And from that billions will flow back into my numerous accounts under different names and it will all ensure that my name is on that list till day I die. As a politician it would also nice if I became known as man who brokered peace or donated millions to starving (a little bit of odd change goes a long way in right places). Maybe I could fly our during fighting process to give encouragement to troops in field or make noises about halting war as soon as a soldier dies – anything to make myself look good. I must admit that making oneself look good certainly helps in court when faced with bankruptcy or a bitchy wife. I mean which judge want to be known as judge that put peace-lover, donator or helper behind bars or at very least into financial ruin? Don’t you see all you little people, that whichever way you look at it I am in control? I have power to make all those amazing decisions that will affect you for rest of your lives – and those very same decisions make me richer, nicer and more appreciated world over and you little people just get poorer and poorer whilst believing everything that you hear”. Ieuan Dolby Author and webmaster of Seamania July 2004
Born Cambridge, England in 1967 started his career in the Merchnat Navy at 17yr. Now, after rising from Cadet to Chief Engineer and after eighteen years of travelling the world he writes articles and fiction for his website http://www.seadolby.com
| | reflection of american muslim Written by Madiha Najeeb
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Therefore to establish our future, we must establish Muslims youth. Our fear is that it is possible that many of our Muslims youth will be lost to community by one way or another. I hope that this does not happen. The reasons for my fear are as such: The America is a melting pot. The heat is enough of social peer pressure that people do get melted down in their values. They get lost. They may not be able to preserve their Islamic identity. It is possible that a new revised, modem and reformed version of Islam and Muslims will emerge which will based on more on secular lines with “modern” thinking than basic Islamic teachings. We see this in many civilizations who have pursed line of modernization without deep thinking, whether it is in turkey or Iran during days of Shah. The second fear is that of their being lost with intermarriages. Unless we encourage Muslims youth to marry only Muslims when they reach that age and make that decision, it is possible that future generation may be lost. Although it is permitted for a Muslim man to marry a woman of people of book, there are several problems related to this. Unless his wife becomes a practicing Muslim, future of children and their children to remain Muslims is not guaranteed. If there is a divorce in family, which does happen frequently, then custody of child goes to mother, who will remains a Jew or a Christian. More important, question is what will happen to Muslim girls if all Muslim boys choose to marry people of book? Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men, and if they do, they would not be able to maintain Islam in their children, whose father are not Muslims. Therefore, development and maintains of intact Muslims families is key to survival of Islam in America. My third concern about youth is regarding their education. I m not talking about secular education, rather then Islamic education. Parents have this attitude to drop their kids off at Sunday school and for it to provide a full Islamic education and secular ideas. Therefore Sunday schools with a lack of funds and resources are not able to do right job, either. The result is that most of education which Muslims youth receive is superficial and “hearsay” rather than basic didactic Islamic education, unless some of them study on their owns. With lack of true education, our outlook about issues many change, and we may develop an attitude that” there is nothing wrong in this” as there is no mention in Quran and suunah, will become part of Islam, or at least of practicing habit of people. This is how culture Islam develops. With regarding to secular education, parents can play important role in directing their youth’s educational future. The desire of most parents that children become doctor, engineers is always not necessary. There are other fields as well that Muslims should go into to serve nation. In order for us to have a significant impart on decision-making process in this country, we need to have a lobby in each organization with grassroots support. We must create such types of organizations in which they must keep youth together, where we should not give them an umbrella to do their own things in their own way without parental supervision. There has to be adult supervision. The rules of shariah should apply to them, and they must follow their daily routines of Islam. There is a fear that an American version of Islam may emerge among American Muslims, especially youth. Our hope is that this will not happen, and Muslims in America will raise themselves on being just Muslims, caring for loving all other Muslims around world. Our love for our family should not reflect in providing for them all worldly facilities like clothing, food, house, car e.t.c., but more importantly safeguarding their future in both worlds.”O you who believe, save yourself and your family from a fire”. In this regard, Islam and education of Muslim women is a matter of prime importance! The first school for a Muslim child is going to be his or her home. What kind of”teacher” has he? Yes, our hope is in our family, and hope is in our youth. We hope that our families will remain intact as Muslims families and will be to preserve Islam in their homes and propagates it outside home. We hope that youth and adult of tomorrow of today are better Muslims in future, in term of practicing Islam and love and unity among themselves. We hope that they will be better prepared to deal with situations and American issues. The present-day Muslim adult are living in isolation, not being part of mainstream American society. We hope that Muslim youth who are born and raised in this society will be able to mix with non-Muslims with conviction, maintaining their own identity in order to offer solutions for country in which they are born. Society as such is on a decline because of its moral decay and breakup of social fabric. We hope that Islam in its pure form, when practiced by a large number of Americans, will be able to save America from such decay by offering a viable social alternative. The future of Islam is not at stake, but that of those who profess to be its followers is. “By token of time mankind is at loss except as those who have true belief and pure actions and join together in mutual teaching of truth and patience.”CONCLUSION:- The main point is that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) had said: “The nations will be gathered against you like those who are invited to a feast while they are starving.” The companions asked, “Is this going to occur when we will be few in numbers?” The messenger of God (P.B.U.H) replied: ”No, you will be in large numbers, but you will be like foam, that floats on ocean. Your enemies will no longer fear you. The wham will be in your heart.” They asked what is wham? He replied: “The love of this life and fear of death.”
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