UstaadKhan Blogs

The Makkah-based TV channel of the Holy Qur’an and Madina-based Prophet’s Sunnah (Traditions) channel are a gift from King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to the Muslim World, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, said here Sunday night.
The minister said King Abdullah was keen on launching the two channels at the start of the new Hijra year
In a statement broadcast by Riyadh Radio, Khoja hoped that the new channels will perform the desired role and convey the message intended by the King.
He noted that 15 companies will compete for five licenses for launching broadcasting channels.
The minister said that the topic of transformation of the ministry’s sectors into establishments is being studied by the Administrative Reform Committee.
Khoja recently announced the launch of four new Saudi television channels. The first two channels are dedicated to the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah and will be telecast from the two holy cities (Makkah and Madina) while the other two will focus on economy and culture.
As regards the economy channel, Khoja said it would highlight Saudi Arabia’s leading position among global economies. He also noted the importance given by the Kingdom to cultural dialogue. “The new channel for culture will be a platform for academics and intellectuals to air their views on various issues,” he said.
King Abdullah set up the King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center in 2003 to promote a culture of dialogue in the country.
Meanwhile, Khoja also disclosed plans to launch five FM radio stations soon. Research and analysis from the Arab Advisors Group reveals that close to 82 percent of Saudis listen to FM radio – 54 percent of them on a daily basis.

It liberates. It represses. It is a prayer. It is a prison. It protects. It obliterates.

Rarely in human history has a piece of cloth been assigned so many roles. Been embroiled in so much controversy. Been so misjudged, misunderstood, and manipulated.

This bit, or in some cases bolt, of fabric is the Islamic veil.

For non-Muslims, it is perhaps the most visible, and often most controversial, symbol of Islam. From Texas to Paris, it has gained new prominence and been at the center of workplace misunderstandings, court rulings, and, in Europe, parliamentary debates about whether it should be banned.

The veil’s higher profile stems from several factors, including greater awareness and curiosity about Islam since 9/11, US military interventions in Muslim countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rising visibility of Muslim immigrant communities in the United States and Europe.

It has also become a magnet for trouble in times of distress, as Illinois resident Amal Abusumayah discovered when a woman upset about the Fort Hood, Texas, killing spree tugged Ms. Abusumayah’s head scarf in a grocery store.

“The veil has become a clichéd symbol for what the West perceives as Muslim oppression, tyranny, and zealotry – all of which have little to do with the real reasons why Muslim women veil,” says Jennifer Heath, editor of the 2008 book “The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore, and Politics.”

All this attention on the veil brings immense chagrin to Muslims because their faith means so much more to them than what women wear on their heads. But the veil – in its many manifestations – also gives rise to disagreement among Muslims. And their contemporary debate about it, while not yet widespread, raises fundamental questions relating to free will, women’s status in society, and even how to interpret Islam’s holy book, the Koran.

IN ITS BROADEST SENSE, the “Islamic veil” refers to a large variety of coverings. The most widely worn is the head scarf. Covering hair and neck, it can be black and simple, or colorful and sweeping, as in Cairo, where scarves are tightly wound around women’s heads and then cascade luxuriously to their waists.

The head scarf is often referred to as hijab or hejab, an Arabic word meaning a covering or a screen. Mujahabat means “women who are covered.”

There is sweeping consensus among Islamic religious scholars around the world that Muslim women are required to, or at least should, cover their hair. So the head scarf, or some type of head covering, is widely viewed as mandatory in Islam.

Other coverings worn by Muslim women also fall within the category of “veil.” Depending on the country, these outfits can be regarded as either optional or compulsory. Often they are said to be required on either religious or cultural grounds – categories that overlap in most Muslim countries.

Iran’s traditional covering, for example, is the chador, an ample black cloth that fits over the head and reaches to the ground. Women often hold part of it over their face in mixed company. The more modern Iranian cover is a head scarf accompanied by a longish, coat-type garment.

Women in Saudi Arabia wear an oblong black scarf flipped twice over their heads, along with the abaya, a loose black robe. Many add the niqab, a square piece of cloth that covers the mouth and nose, or sometimes hides the entire face with only a slit for the eyes.

The most restrictive covering by far is the burqa of Afghanistan, a long billowy smock that totally covers a woman from head to toe, including her face. She sees the world only through a small square of cloth webbing.

NON-MUSLIMS TEND TO REGARD VEILING as a sign of women’s repression. That is true in highly patriarchal societies like Iran and Saudi Arabia, where women have second-class status and are required to cover both head and body when outside the home.

But most Muslim women, including most in the US, voluntarily opt to wear the head scarf out of religious commitment. They believe they are following God’s wish, and reject suggestions that their head covering means they have less autonomy at home or on the job.

“It’s something that you love to do because it makes you feel that you are closer to Allah, that you’re doing the right thing,” says Reem Ossama, an Egyptian mother of three who covers her head when she leaves her home here. “Allah ordered us to wear the scarf … to protect our dignity, to protect women, [so we would] not be looked at just as a beautiful body, a beautiful face, [so others would] look at our minds and our personalities.” (more…)

Egyptian women perform the Eid al-Fitr dawn prayer at a stadium in Mansura, 120 km north of Cairo.

Muslims around the world woke up Sunday and welcomed the end of a long month of fasting with hearty greetings of “Eid Mubarak,” or happy festivities.

The faithful were ushering in Eid al-Fitr — three days of celebrations that Muslims mark with joyous community prayers, acts of charity, visits from far-flung relatives, gift-giving and elaborate feasts.

“Think Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s — all rolled into one. It’s that huge for us,” said Sajjad Aziz of Hoboken, New Jersey.

Islam follows a lunar calendar, and the timing of Eid al-Fitr varies around the world depending on when the crescent of a new moon is sighted.

So, while most countries — including the United States — observed Eid on Sunday, some will begin their celebrations on Monday.

The night before Eid, entire communities gather on rooftops, scanning the sky with giddy anticipation.

“It only needs one sighting of the moon in the whole country, and the whole nation erupts in cheers,” said Qazi Arif, 35, of Sirajgong, Bangladesh. “It’s a divine feeling, hard to describe.”

Eid al-Fitr bids goodbye to Ramadan — a month of dawn-to-dusk abstinence from food, drinks and other sensual pleasures. Muslims believe the Quran, the religion’s holy book, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago. (more…)

The pleasure comes both from prayer and from food and drink, as the faithful fulfill the month of Ramadan.

Thirteen hours had passed since sunrise, and that plate of dark, sweet dates, and those brimming water glasses, looked tempting indeed.

“I saw the stars,” a hopeful young girl in a head scarf told her friend as they waited for the sun to set.

But it was not until they heard the adhan, or call to evening prayer, at 7:34 that they and other worshipers at this West Philadelphia mosque reached for “breakfast” – their first food and drink of a long day.

“Yes, you may have a date,” a woman assured her young son Thursday evening. He scurried toward the table.

It was Day 14 of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours, donate to the poor, and – above all – pray.

“If a person fulfills the obligation to fast and to pray five times a day, he is considered a pious Muslim,” explained Ali Ghazzawi, the imam at the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects’ mosque at 44th and Walnut Streets.

But to go beyond the core obligations during Ramadan brings “special merit,” said the Lebanese-born Ghazzawi, on hand that evening to participate in the special salah, or prayer, known as Tarawih. (more…)

With Ramadan right around the corner, it’s time to start gearing up and adjusting our schedules accordingly. One of the things we have to plan for during Ramadan is Tarawih. Now I’m not going to delve into a fiqh discussion in regards to Tarawih (plus there’s some video coming your way soon InshaAllah). What I’d like to talk about is the potential impact that Tarawih can have, particularly on children.

One question most Imams, Shuyukh, Du’at, etc get asked is, “How and when did you know this is what you wanted to do?” Often this question is asked by parents in order to get an idea of how to get their kids interested in similar things. Well my answer to this question has to do with attending Tarawih in Ramadan. Alhamdulillah since the age of about 5 my father used to take me to Tarawih every night in Ramadan, even on school nights. Around the time I was 8 I remember being amazed by the Imam’s recitation of the Qur’an from memory in Tarawih. I even told my father that I want to be able to do what he does. So bi’idhnillah when the opportunity presented itself to go and memorize the Qur’an, I jumped at it and insisted that I be allowed to go. Keep in mind that this involved traveling overseas at the age of 10. Alhamdulillah, since then one thing Allah has granted me the ability to do consistently is lead Tarawih every Ramadan. This was the beginning of my journey down the road of seeking knowledge and serving the Deen. (more…)