tsm march 23 2010

Read more... Page 4

FREE!Email: [email protected] Tel: 718-554-7620VOL. 2 - NO. 54

www.TriStateMuslims.com News, Events, Jobs, Pictures, Videos, Discussion, and lots more!We’re Online!

March 23, 2010

Read more... Page 410% of my commission will go to Masjids from your referrals!

Shabana PathanRealtor (Multi-Mill. Dollar Producer)Keller Williams Real Estate

Tel: 484-893-1204Cel: 908-448-7728Email: [email protected]

Call Today for All YourReal Estate Needs!

Experts from IRS, Leading Law &Accounting Firms Address Commu-nity Concerns(NEW YORK, NY)—More than 150 imams,board members and executive officers frommosques and nonprofit organizations gatheredto have their most pressing questions about fi-nancial and legal obligations answered at a freeseminar at New York Law School on Saturday,March 6. The all-day event was hosted by Mus-lim Advocates—a national non-profit organiza-tion that offers legal and policy expertise to theMuslim American community—in partnershipwith the Muslim Bar Association of New York,the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association,Muslim Consultative Network and the Associa-tion of Muslim American Lawyers.

Seminar attendees formed a large and diversecross-section of the Muslim community in theTri-State New York-New Jersey-Connecticut

area. In addition to the many masjid and reli-gious school representatives who filed into thelaw school’s auditorium from the morning chill,there were people like Zamir Hassan, whoseorganization, Muslims Against Hunger, providesvolunteers to shelters, churches and soup kitch-ens in 13 cities in the United States and Canada.Zamir is now seeking to form a 501(c)(3) non-profit for New Jersey’s first halal soup kitchenand Muslim social services center in Newarkthat will provide a domestic violence shelter, afree health clinic and an employment supporttraining center and library.

Sessions like “Nonprofit Governance 101: WhatEvery Muslim Nonprofit Leader Needs toKnow,” prompted attendees to queue up withtheir often detailed questions. Other sessionsfocused on immigration law and employmentlaw essentials for nonprofit managers.

NY-NJ Mosques & NonprofitsBring Questions, Get Answers

By Hesham Hassaballa, March 10, 2010 -www.altmuslim.comAminah Assilmi, who passed away last week ina tragic automobile accident, was a tireless advo-cate for Muslim women's rights and equalitywithin the framework of Islam itself. She wasalso a renown scholar, prolific writer, and well-known speaker who will be sadly missed.

Chicago, IllinoisIt was a confusing time in my life. I had struckout on my own - going to college - for the veryfirst time in my life. All of the support struc-tures that sustained me throughout my adoles-cence were now gone, and I had to fend for my-

Islam is my LifeRemembering Sister Aminah Assilmi

self. And the fortress that I thought was myfaith turned out to be a castle of salt and sand.When confronted with a different faith view,namely that of my fellow classmates anddormmates at Marquette University, I began toseriously doubt my the veracity of my own faith.I had not yet chosen to become a Muslim at thattime; the choice had been made for me before,and at that time, I was having doubts.

Enter Sister Aminah Assilmi. I did not meet herpersonally, but I attended a debate she was hav-ing with journalist Deborah Scroggins at the

www.TriStateMuslims.com - March 23, 2010


By Yasmeen Zayed - 9th Grade Student of DarulArqam SchoolIt was that moment on January 9th, during theScience Olympiad Regional Tour-nament when our first award wasannounced in the Camden CountyCollege Auditorium. From thatpoint on, I knew Darul ArqamSchool was out to achieve manygreat things. That evening, we re-ceived many awards in manyevents. Over all, we managed 6thplace out of 16 schools, and weregiven an invitation to the ScienceOlympiad State Finals.

Fast forward to March 16th, 2010.On this day, many obstacles wereovercome. The middle school and several highschool students of Darul Arqam learned and ex-perienced amazing things over the course of train-ing for the State tournament. On this day, per-sonally, I enjoyed myself a lot. My events were:Can't Judge the Powder, Experimental Design,and Disease Detectives. They required a lot ofnote taking and studying, but it was worth it,

Darul Arqam School Scores At theNJ Science Olympiad State Finals

because now I know more than I thought I wouldin the 9th grade. I tried my best, and I believethat's all that matters.

During the award cer-emony, Darul ArqamSchool, Alhamdulliah, wascalled twice. Our first win-ning event was 4th placefor Bio Process Lab, whichwas won by SaraMohamed and OsmanSyed. Our second event, abreath taking win, was 1stPlace, in Wright Stuff,which was won by RobaElSherif and Shahir Kamil.This win, infact, was our

first in Darul Arqam history!

Although the competition was hard, I'm sure weall tried our best and are comfortable with theresults. Our goal is to always move forward, andInshallah, with a little more preparation and de-termination, Darul Arqam School will in fact makeit to the Nationals. Ameen!

University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Thedebate was about the hijab, and Sister Assilmidid a fantastic job, truly defending Islam in away that was dignified, magnanimous, and schol-arly. Yet, what struck me was the firmness ofher conviction in our faith; the strength of herfortitude; the stubbornness of her love of Islam,despite losing almost everything as a result ofher conversion. It left an indelible mark.

Thus, it was with tremendoussadness that I learned thatAminah Assilmi, stalwart of theAmerican Muslim community,passed away in a single car ac-cident on March 5. Reports in-dicate that she died instantly,and her son, who was with her,was injured and transferred to ahospital in Knoxville, Tennes-see. Assilmi was a tremendousforce in the American Muslimcommunity: President of the International Unionof Muslim Women based in Reno, Nevada. Shewas also a renown scholar, tireless advocate, pro-lific writer, and well-known speaker. In fact, shedied on her way home from a speaking engage-ment in New York.

The story of her conversion to Islam is abso-lutely amazing, and it is tale of blessing, strengthof conviction, and tenacity on the path of truth.It is an inspiration for all Muslims, converts andthose born into the faith alike. Perhaps her mostfamous accomplishment was her role in the de-velopment of the U.S. Postal Service's 2001 is-suing of the "Eid" stamp. In fact, she was plan-ning on starting a campaign to have the stampre-issued with a new design in time for its tenyear anniversary. The International Union ofMuslim Women has a number of notable accom-plishments as well, including getting millions ofsignatures on petitions that were presented tothe United Nations in support of the thousandsof women were brutally raped in Bosnia as partof the campaign of terror and ethnic cleansingagainst Bosnian Muslims.

In addition, she was also trying to build a Centerfor Muslim Women's Studies, which would serveas a place where converts could learn about Is-lam and its basics, a place of retreat, and as asummer camp for Muslim children. Her loss is atremendous one indeed. Equally important wasthe fact that Aminah Assilmi advocated fiercely

for Muslim women's rights and equality withinthe framework of Islam itself. She drew on herknowledge of and love for Islam to demand eq-uity for Muslim women wherever it was deniedthem. She rejected the way of some "Muslimfeminists," who actually do more harm than goodin their advocacy on behalf of Islam's women.

She also rejected the route of renouncing her faithand becoming an "ex-Muslim," taking every op-

portunity to denigrate Is-lam all the while claimingto want to reform thefaith. She rejected thispath even though it mayhave brought her evenmore fame, more wealth,and more recognition.Rather, Aminah Assilmisaid:

"I am so very glad thatI am a Muslim. Islam is my life. Islam is the beatof my heart. Islam is the blood that coursesthrough my veins. Islam is my strength. Islam ismy life so wonderful and beautiful. Without Is-lam I am nothing, and should Allah ever turn Hismagnificent face from me, I could not survive."

Although she is now back with the Lord sheloved so much, and in this we should rejoice, it isstill painful to know that we will no longer havethe benefit of her tireless struggle on behalf of allAmerican Muslims, and for their sisters in par-ticular. I pray that others take up her worthycauses, and that our community supports theirwork.

To God we belong, and to Him we shall return.As a parent who has lost his child, I know fullwell the pain that her family must be feeling asthey face the reality that they will no longer bewith their beloved mother and grandmother. Ishare some of that pain, knowing that I can nolonger have the privilege of calling myself herbrother in faith, now that she has passed. But,her work lives on, and the memory of her undy-ing faith and love for God will be with me al-ways.

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physicianand writer. He is the co-author of "The BeliefnetGuide to Islam," published by Doubleday in2006. His blog is called God, Faith, and a Pen.

Islam is my Life... from page 1

By Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent"I have various plans to utilize this money, butmy top most priority is to go to the Holy LandInshaullah this year to perform Hajj," Naseemtold IOL.KARACHI – When leaving for Bangladesh inlate January to participate in the 11th SouthAsian Games, Naseem Hameed was little-knowneven in her neighborhood let alone across Paki-stan.

But by the time she re-turned in mid-Februarywith a gold medal in the100-meter sprint had hadalready became a celebrity.

"It was the most joyfulmoment in my life," a ju-bilant Naseem, 23, toldIslamOnline.net in an ex-clusive interview.

"Tears flew down mycheeks, and I bowed toAllah right there."

Naseem won the 100-meter sprint competitionin the 2010 South AsianGames, setting a new South Asian record with11.81 seconds.

She did not just make history as the fastestwoman in South Asia, but became the first everwoman gold medalist in the 62-year history ofPakistan.

"I have no words to be thankful to Allah. It isjust because of His grace and the prayers of myparents, that I have achieved this all," said anemotional Naseem.

A huge crowd waving national flags and chantingslogans such as "long live Naseem Hameed" and"Welcome sprint queen" awaited her arrival forhours outside the Quad-I-Azam Internationalairport.

The huge rally took hours to reach her 80-yardone-room house in a low-income area of Karachi,where her laborer father, mother and other fam-ily members were anxiously awaiting.

President Asif Zardari hosted a reception in herhonor and awarded her Rs one million (12000dollars).

Cash rewards worth million of ru-pees and a house have also beenannounced by the provincial gov-ernment, state-owned corporations,private businessmen and the army,which she represents in nationalevents.

"It is only because of Allah that Ihave got wealth and fame together."

Model

Naseem has become an inspiration,especially that female athletes havenever performed so well in interna-tional events.

She also became a model after hav-ing won the prestigious title while

wearing a full dress.

"Dress is not at all an issue for me," she saidconfidently.

The sprint queen ran the 100-meter race wearinggreen shirt and white trouser, matching the colorof the national flag.

"Even if it is a disadvantage, which I believe isnot, I don’t care about that. My values and cul-ture are more important than anything else."

Nearly 2000 athletes from 8 countries competedin 23 different sports in the major multi-sport

Pakistan’s Sprint Queen

There’s more, read it atwww.TriStateMuslims.com


Tel: 718-554-7620 E-mail: [email protected]: www.tsmmedia.netMailing address: P.O. Box 5232, Kendall Park, NJ 08824

Please send Letters, Articles or ad requests [email protected]

Articles, letters, and comments expressed in the Tri-State are not necessarily shared by the Editor or thePublisher. All submissions are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity. The Tri-State Muslim isdistributed FREE and is produced bi-weekly. It is a newspaper by, for and about Muslim in NY, NJ, PA, & CT.The magazine offers coverage of the ideas, issues, events and stories of concern to Muslims in the Tri-StateArea. All contents maybe reproduced with appropriate acknowledgement. TSM Media Reserves the right toreject ads and articles as deem necessary.

Executives from international charities like theAl-Shifa Foundation, which helps direct zakatdonations to build hospitals in Pakistan, had theirquestions answered by Marcus Owens, one ofthe nation’s leading experts on international chari-table giving. Owens, an attorney and former In-ternal Revenue Service official, told listeners howthey can continue to fulfill their religious obliga-tion to give charity without running afoul of themultiple federal laws, policies and regulationsput into place since 9-11, which often confuseand complicate donors’ efforts.

“We hope that the New York Muslim CharitiesSeminar—the fifth in a national series of educa-tional seminars already held in San Francisco,Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston—filled thehunger for answers amongst New York’s andNew Jersey’s Muslim community,” said FarhanaKhera, President and Executive Director ofMuslim Advocates. “Many American Muslimcharity leaders are eager for guidance, especiallybecause of intensive public and law enforcementscrutiny of Muslim institutions. With fewercharity dollars to go around in these tough eco-nomic times, these organizations welcome theassistance to strengthen their institutions andbuild confidence with donors and the public.

NY-NJ Area Mosques & NonprofitsFrom page 1

On Friday March 5, Muslim Consultaive Net-work (MCN) coordinated two mosque out-reaches to help promote health services tailoredfor Muslim New Yorkers. Working with theDream Project and the Free Clinic as partners,MCN’s Adem Carroll arranged for several freehealth screenings (including pin-prick Diabetestesting and Blood pressure) to be provided freeof charge at the Al Khoei mosque in Queens.Over 12 medical students (and professors) pro-vided tests, results and detailed counseling toover 15 women and 27 men from the congrega-tions. It was the first time they had organizedseparate, gender-specific medical testing.

MCN also arranged outreach on the same date,with Muslim medical students from NYU’sHeart2Heart providing blood pressure screen-ing, as Ramzi Kacem from CUNY Law schoolproviding a “Know Your Rights” training to 25

MCN Partners to Promote HealthServices to Muslim NYkers

congregants at Masjid al Hikmah in coordina-tion with DRUM. MCN’s Megan Putney helpedto supervise this successful initiative. Fliers onNafis Salaam services were also given out to thetwo congregations. Staff at both mosques werethoughtful and helpful hosts.

Several individuals showed signs of medical con-ditions that needed further care. They were pro-vided with referrals and gentle counseling to en-courage them to take appropriate action. Afterall, mosques can serve as places of healing andeducation, especially for those with out regularaccess to health care due to our presentdisfunctional system. To make a small differ-ence, and request a health outreach screening atyour mosque or organization please leave a mes-sage at 646 251 0402 or [email protected] further info please visitwww.nafissalaam.org or www.mcnny.org

That’s where our seminar experts may help.”

In addition to the focus on charitable giving andprofessional skills, the attorneys at MuslimAdvocates and legal experts like Khurrim Wahid,gave attendees an overview of what to do whenapproached by federal law enforcement agents.Muslim Advocates provides a free video, “GotRights?” (translated into English, Arabic, Farsi,Somali and Urdu) that advises viewers what todo when approached by federal law enforcementagents in their home or at international airports.Muslim Advocates also provides a national net-work of pro bono attorneys who can also assistcommunity members.

Muslim Advocates(www.muslimadvocates.org), a national legaleducation and advocacy organization with a net-work of over 500 attorneys, has launched theMuslim Charity Works program to strengthenMuslim nonprofit institutions and protect theright of Muslim Americans to fulfill their reli-gious obligation of zakat (charity). A major com-ponent of the program is a nationwide series ofcomprehensive, free legal educational seminarsthat focus on legal compliance, financial account-ability, and good governance.

On Saturday March 20, 2010, MvMteam.comheld its Bi–annual Matchmaking Dinner Eventin Rahway, NJ. More then one hundred MuslimSingles turned out; making it the largestMatchmaking event on the East Coast.

One attendee, EN, said, “I have been to a coupleof events. MVMteam really did it well. Food,atmosphere was just right.”

Another attendee from florida commented, “Assomeone in the 20s, and my sister in her 30’s, Ibelieve there many mature singles our age thatseem to be good match. My trip from Floridawas really worth it.”my FL trip to here.”

The program went late into the evening. M.Asaid, “It was 10pm, and everyone was still there.There was someone for anyone, alhamdulillah.”

Largest Matchmaking for MarriageEvent held in New Jersey

Organizer of the event, Tamir Nasr, said, “it wasour best event, we thank Allah; then our Match-makers, our volunteers and all singles whoshowed up for the success we had.” Tamir Nasr

MvMteam.com (Muslim VolunteerMatchmaking Team) is a FREE PersonalMatchmaking for Marriage Service. It was es-tablished in 2003 by Br Tamir Nasr and his wife.Now, with annual growth rate of 300% in thelast 3 years, MVMteam.com is considered to bethe top Personal Matchmaking Service organi-zation on East Coast. The organization plans toopen 13 new branches by 2012 in the USA andInternational.

When you are really ready to find a spouse formarriage, MVMteam.com can be the answer.

By ILyas Hasan Choudry*Lets’ say for seven days in a row, you wake upto see dire situation around you. When you wokeup the eighth day, you are going to take an air-plane to a place, almost like paradise on thisearth, as compared to the everyday anguish ofthe past seven days. But instead of feeling happyto leave the devastated place, you have this ex-treme lingering sadness inside; telling that youshould not leave. May be there is a way to delayyour departure and that you can stay for fewmore weeks or may be months or even years, tosee this torturous place come out of the ruins.This is what I felt on Sunday, March 15th, 2010,when I went through a long queue for more thantwo hours to aboard American Airlines Flight1908 from Port-au-Prince to Miami InternationalAirport. I did not want to leave my fellow Hai-tian human-beings in desperate situation, whileI had to begin my journey back to luxurious lifein USA. For the past seven days, I had to takecold showers early in the morning (first timeafter 1987); sharing one bathroom with six otherpersons, when on few days suddenly realizingthat I was the last of the six and that there isvery little water left for me; got to eat rice &beans and for a change of menu, I used to eatbeans & rice the next day; fridge not laden withfood and Coke / Pepsi as electricity was unpre-dictable and not strong enough for the fridge towork. If it was not for immediate responsibilityof my own family in Houston and to earn aliving for them, I would have preferred to stayback in Haiti, as so much is needed to be donethere, while we live in heaven on earth calledUSA.

World came out in a big way to respond to Hai-tian crisis after the devastating earthquake ofJanuary 12th, 2010. Everyone has tried their bestin the manner they know to assist. But to bereally honest, the world has failed the Haitianpeople. I feel the hype created about safety andsecurity situation was not appropriate. I drove& walked on the streets of Haiti during theseseven days, the Haitians that I have seen on thewhole are very nice hardworking people and notthreatening (especially after what they had gonethrough). Provision of safety and security areimportant things, but the way this fear of inse-curity was created and blown out of proportion,it hampered the overall response and made sev-eral agencies and NGOs to confine their servicesto few thousands, the lucky ones who couldreach the so-called safe compounds, while realmasses were neglected.

Still there have been individuals and non-gov-ernmental organizations, working independentlyor together with the resources of internationalagencies like UNO, UNICEF, etc. who have triedtheir best to provide food and health services atgrassroots levels in an amicable manner. I ampart of one of them called “Helping Hand ForRelief & Development (HHRD)”. Visitwww.HHRD.Org for more details.

With the help of donors from USA, Canada,United Kingdom, Pakistan and elsewhere, HHRDhas provided food and healthcare services at ro-tational clinics in various communities withinPort-au-Prince (like Nazon, Leogane, AveLamartinier, Masjid Taweed, Masjid Ya-Sin, etc).Between February 01 and March 19, 2010,HHRD in all have organized 55 clinics, takingcare of more than 11,000 Haitians, with the vol-untary help of doctors from USA, Turkey,Bangladesh and of course Haiti (paid and volun-

teer). After March 19, 2010, HHRD will workon establishing some permanent clinics.

I was in Haiti from March 7 till 14, 2010 andwas appalled to see that two months havepassed, but no real effort has been done by theworld community. Near me, what was expected

of the Governments of the world was to bringnecessary heavy machinery and equipment intoPort-au-Prince to remove the rubble. Two monthshave passed and despite traveling east-&-westand north-&south of Port-au-Prince, the num-ber of heavy machinery that I could see wasabout six (6). One can go to Centerville (Down-town) Port-au-Prince and see several five to eightstory buildings leaning on one side and can falldown onto the pubic anytime. There is rubbleall over the place. All the work that one can seeon the rubble is that people cutting the steel andsecuring it for any future reconstruction work.When Tsunami 2004-2005 & later on last yearEarthquake 2009 came in Indonesia and Earth-quake 2005 came in Pakistan, the action wasswifter in removing debris and rebuilding effortsstarted within one month or so. But not in Haiti,where more than two months have passed andgenuine work to remove the rubble is far fromsight. Question is not why work was swiftlydone in Indonesia and Pakistan: Query is whynot in Haiti: I have no idea why??

I was most impressed to see the resilience ofcommon Haitians, who despite the world almostignoring them, are coming out every day in themorning, to earn their living. Marketplace is fullof people, doing small little businesses to sur-vive and few seen begging. Their high spiritsneed to be saluted.

Many small NGOs like HHRD are doing theirlittle roles at grassroots level as per their capaci-ties, but they usually get no or little attention ofthe media, and as such are unable to reach out tolarger audiences and people to bring more andmore assistance to the common masses.

Like the next immediate need for Haitians isproper shelter with rainy season coming in April2010. HHRD has come up with an unique ideaof taking Youth during their Spring Break fromUSA, to work on a Shelter Home Village project,where 100 wooden small homes are being con-structed in another devastated area calledLeogane, Haiti (35 miles west of DowntownPort-au-Prince along Leogane Highway). TheseShelter homes will hopefully sustain the rainyseason and provide safe haven for three to fiveyears. HHRD contacts in the field for this andother projects are Shahid Hayat 1-347-400-1899and Saqib Ateeque 1-609-575-7474. For generalpublic to participate in this project, details can


Tough to Leave the Devastation


This book “Analyse the Arabic with English” explains and matchesthousand’s of English words and their meanings for their suitablequranic Arabic words and meanings. It also gives details letter byletter and word by word the core meaning of the particular words. Ifyou understand this book “Analyse the Arabic with English”, you willenjoy gaining the knowledge of -etymology- in English and Arabicand you will be a good scholar (Alim).

Available at all Islamic Stores.Hard copy $15 and e book online at only $10.

Visit www.analysethearabic.comFor hard copy call

Syed Mohamed: 646-249-3077

Unique Bookfor Intellectuals


By Gordon Duff - STAFF WRITER/Senior Edi-tor for Veterans TodayTHE SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF ALLAMERICAN WAR VETERANS IS AT STAKE- MY HONOR IS NOT FOR SALE, NOT FORA LIE

Veterans Today Editors, Jeff Gates, RajaMujtaba and I were in the AF-Pak region overthe last couple of weeks. Jeff and I are Vietnamveterans, Raja a decorated combat veteran, tankcommander, from the India/Pakistan war. Wemet dozens of Pakistani military, including nearlyall of their highest ranking retired officers, fromAdmiral Sirohey, Chairman of their Joint Chiefsof Staff to General Alsam Beg, Head of the Armyto Lt. General Hamid Gul, former head of theISI. In our party were our other Veterans Todaycontributors, BG Asif Haroon Raja and BG RazaAli, of “Charlie Wilson’s War” fame.

Today, I received an email from Admiral Sirohey.His office is lined with memorabilia from a longcareer of service, service as an ally and friend ofthe United States. Sirohey and the rest wereAmerica’s most stalwart allies during the ColdWar. These were the real allies that helped usbring about the downfall of the Soviet Union. Iwas honored to be among them. Today AdmiralSirohey is scheduled to attend a rally protestingthe illegal kidnapping, brutalizing and convic-tion of Dr. Affia Siddiqui. America’s best friendsin Asia, the finest soldiers in the world are horri-fied at what we have done.

Can it be that bad?The Bush administration, when it saw its “Waron Terror” wasn’t getting enough suspects, hireddrug cartel members and criminal elements tokidnap innocent civilians to fill our secret pris-ons. Yes, we actually did this. In this case, we

Freeing Dr. Afia, A Matter of Honorkidnapped a mother with 3 children, torturedher for years, murdered a small child and thencharged her with attempting to murder her cap-tors after years in a secret prison on Bagram AirForce Base.

Every soldier on that base, everyone who hasserved there has to live with the dishonor of thisact until something is done. Remember whenAmerica, after World War II painted the peopleof Germany with the stain of guilt for not know-ing about the death camps? Tell me what isdifferent here? We didn’t know that druglordsand gangsters were stealing people off the streetto fill our prisons with “terror suspects” so Bush/Ashcroft and Cheney could crow about theirsuccesses?

If you didn’t know before, this is what all thesecret “torture memos” were all about, not realterrorists, but innocent people we “bought” asthough we were slave runners of old.

A few years after we bought our phony terrorsuspects, tortured, raped and brutalized them,most were released. They had committed nocrime other than to be standing on the wrongdark street corner when the druglords workingfor Bush were out hunting “meat” for America’sgulags.

Dr. Aafia had to be convicted, had to be jailedand silenced. The crimes against her and herchildren were so heinous, only a kangaroo courtin America, a country whose news is orches-trated by the Islam hating MSM/Corporate me-dia and powerful Israeli/AIPAC lobby wouldhave the audiacity to bring her to trial.


To place orders call1-(800) 595-AWARDS

80-10 51st Avenue,Elmhurst, NY 11373

www.islamicbooksngifts.com

ORDERNOW!!

Forty Hadith No: 28

www.fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Najih al-Irbad bin Sariyah, radiyallahu'anhu, who said:

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, delivered an admonitionthat made our hearts fearful and our eyes tearful. We said, "O Messenger of Allah,it is as if this were a farewell sermon, so advise us." He said, "I enjoin you to haveTaqwa of Allah and that you listen and obey, even if a slave is made a ruler overyou. He among you who lives long enough will see many differences. So for youis to observe my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-principled and rightly-guided successors, holding on to them with your molar teeth. Beware of newly-introduced matters, for every innovation (bid'ah) is an error."

[Abu Dawud & Al-Tirmidhi, who says it is an authentic hadith]

DETROIT -- It is a cold Sunday afternoon inFebruary and asr prayer is being held at MasjidAl-Haqq. Children run outside, playing in thesnow, rambunctious and full of life while theirmothers serve the last of the stragglers who havecome for a hot meal at theweekly soup kitchen. Theneighborhood is typicalDetroit, replete withboarded-up houses, thestreets quiet and vacant -save for an unassuming two-story red brick house at thecorner of Clairmount andHolmur.

Inside the makeshiftmosque, a dozen middle-aged African-American menhave gathered. As the prayerconcludes, a voice calls out,"Read a hadith, that's whatthe Imam used to do." Theprayer leader dutifullyopens a book of the sayingsof the Prophet Muhammadand starts reading." Therewill come forth a people onthe Day of Judgment, theirfaces shining like the sun."He pauses for effect. "Thepoor, the immigrants, thedisheveled ones."

The man's words resonate with the audience.They begin to look at one another, as if by tak-ing in their appearance they are acknowledgingthe precarious state of their community. Andslowly they begin to nod. "That could be anyone of us," says one man. He thinks for a mo-ment, before adding, "That could be all of us."

Four months have passed since the death ofImam Luqman Ameen Abdullah. But among hiscommunity, his legacy lives on. The soup kitchenhe initiated continues to serve the homeless andhungry by the dozens on a weekly basis. Amonghis followers, there is an odd sense of accep-tance.

"Even after this tragedy," says Abdul-Aleem,55, "our doors are open to all." "We know thatAllah is in control and justice will prevail." Thereis an uncertain gleam in his eye, and he quicklyturns away as I meet his gaze - for justice hastoo often been an elusive concept in this part ofthe hood.


21 Shots and the Pursuit ofJustice: An Imam Dies in Michigan

The passage of time has seen an evolution in thenarrative of what happened in that Dearbornwarehouse in which Luqman Abdullah met hisend. Initially, the US Attorney's office claimedthat there had been an "exchange of gun fire"

after Mr. Abdullah firedan initial shot - the term"exchange" presuppos-ing that both sides wereengaged in shooting.

Yet the Associated Pressquoted an FBI spokes-person as saying thatthe Imam "fired aweapon and was killedby gunfire from agents"- which indicates thatMr. Abdullah fired onlyone shot. Seizing on theconfusion, the media of-fered widely divergentportrayals of the inci-dent, the majority de-scribing it as a "gunbattle" or a "shootout",with a minority leftwondering if he mighthave been gunned downin cold blood.

In addition to the shoot-ing angle, there was an-

other twist - the dog. The FBI was quick toannounce a memorial service for Freddy, theBelgian Malinois who "lost his life in the line ofduty," the day after the incident. While accord-ing to the FBI, Freddy "gave his life for his team,"the US Attorney's press release is more cautiousin noting that "an FBI canine was also killedduring the exchange."

The common perception - although never offi-cially confirmed - was that Mr. Abdullah fired atthe dog thereby prompting agents to return fireat him. Sympathetic observers asked if the lifeof a dog was equal to the life of a human being.Further complicating public perception was thefact that the dog was airlifted to a hospital foremergency medical care while Mr. Abdullah'shandcuffed corpse was transported by ambu-lance to the coroner's office.

Today there remain more questions than answersin the death of Luqman Abdullah. The autopsy

a schematic of the 21 gunshot woundson Luqman Abdullah, from page 11 ofthe autopsy report


Al-Ghazaly Elementary

Al-Ghazaly Elementary School, located

at 17 Park Street, Jersey City, New

Jersey, is accepting registration for

new students. We provide a caring,

Islamic environment, with an established

curriculum taught by highly qualified

teachers.

Tuition Assistance Available Through Urban League

Call: (201)433-5002 NOW!

Register Now

The Imam Ali says: “Man is a wonderful crea-ture; he sees through the layers of fat (eyes),hears through a bone (ears) and speaks througha lump of flesh – tongue, which is a ferociousbeast that if let lose, it will cause injury.” Whilethe Prophet of Islam says; “The destruction ofman lies in three things: his stomach, his lustand his tongue.”

Tongue is an important organ of human body,which is under voluntary control and movesfaster than any limbs, never ages or gets sickand work continuously for entire day withoutgetting tired. The tongue can also be one of mostdangerous organ of human body which can slicedand diced many hearts. Tongue has the poten-tial to influence positively or negatively depend-ing how one uses it. The tongue can be as sharpas sword or as sweet as honey and the paincaused by the tongue are worse than that causedby the strike of a sword.

It is said that two things never return back, anarrow leaving the bow and the words from themouth. When the tongue is under control, theentire body is controlled. And ProphetMuhammad said: “Among all things the tonguedeserves to be prison longer because it commitsmost sin such as telling lies, backbiting, gossipand insults. Tongue should be use positively tospeaks truth, and utter praise (Zikr) of the Lord.

Islam strictly discourages misuse of tongue byvain talking, backbiting, teasing, abusing andhurting others feeling.. Prophet Muhammadsays: "Blessed is the man who speaks good andis triumphant; or keeps silent in the face of eviland is secure". [11]. Among the best character-istics of a Muslim is to speak only the words ofgoodness and reconciliation. The demonstrationof intelligence is good speech.

The Tongue is An ImportantOrgan of the Human Body

Undoubtedly, our tongue is one of our greatestblessings. The tongue with the ability to speakis a gift by the Lord. This has been stated in thefollowing verse in Qur'an: "He has created man:He has taught him speech (and intelligence)."[Sura Rahman 55:3-4]

The fourth Imam in the “Treatise On Rights”says: “And the right of the tongue is that youconsider it too noble for obscenity, accustom itto good, direct it to politeness, do not use itexcept in situations of needs and benefits of thereligion”.

But the best advise of contriol of the tongue andto have a pleasing tongue and sound heart comesfrom Prophet Luqman who was so wise andrespected that a Chapter (Surah) in the Qur’anis called by his name (Chapter 31).

Luqman was an Ethiopian slave who worked asa carpenter. One day, his master ordered him toslaughter a goat and bring him the most pleasantand delicious two parts. Luqman did so andbrought him the tongue and heart. The masterasked: Did not you find anything more pleasantthan these? Luqman said: No! After few daysthe master ordered him to slaughter a goat andbring the worst two morsels. Luqman slaugh-tered the goat and brought the tongue and heart.On receiving them his master smiled, fascinatedby Luqman 's choice of the 'worst' The masterexclaimed and said: I ordered you to bring me themost delicious parts and you brought me thetongue and heart, and I ordered you to bring themost malignant parts and you brought the tongueand heart, how can this be? Luqman said: “Thereis nothing better than these if they are good, andthere is nothing worse than these if they arebad”.


www.univers ity is lamicf inancia l .comNew Jersey Office: 197 Route 18 South Suite 3000, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 (732) 790-0885

University Islamic Financial Corp. is a shariah-compliant subsidiary of University Bank. *All deposit accounts are offered through University Bank which is MEMBER FDIC.

University Islamic Financial Corp. is an EQUAL HOUSING LENDER. All applicable fatwas

Shariah-compliant Home Financing

• Murabaha Financing (Installment Sale)

• Ijara Financing (Redeemable Lease)

Shariah-compliant Savings Accounts*

• Profit Sharing Money Market

• Profit Sharing Certificates of Deposit

• Corporate Business Accounts

• Free Checking Accounts

• Free Internet Banking

• 37,000 Surcharge Free ATMs

Shariah-compliant Commercial Financing

• Ijara Financing (Redeemable Lease)

One of the first financial institutions to

offer shariah-compliant products in the

U.S., University Islamic Financial Corp.

engages in business transactions that

allow you to fulfill your financing needs

without compromising your faith. With

our shariah-compliant deposit accounts,

residential and commercial financing

solutions, we are able to offer you

quality products at a competitive rate.

Simplify your bankingunder one roof!

Wesam BerjaouiRegional Manager

[email protected]

Osman R. AliSenior Islamic Banker

[email protected]

(Plainfield, IN – March 8, 2010) The IslamicSociety of North America (ISNA) proudly an-nounces that its flagship magazine, Islamic Ho-rizons, is among the winners of the 2010 DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards presented by the ReligionCommunicators Council – an interfaith associa-tion of religion communicators. The IslamicHorizons won the awards in three categories:the “Best of Class” and the “Award of Excel-lence” categories for its March/April 2009 is-sue, and the “Certificate of Merit” category forthe Nov/Dec 2009 issue. Islamic Horizons ispublished bimonthly and serves as the largestdistribution English language Muslim Americanmagazine. This is second such award for IslamicHorizons magazine under the editorship of OmerBin Abdullah. He will receive the award on 8April at RCC’s decennial conference in Chicago.

ISNA’s Flagship MagazineAwarded 2010 DeRose-Hinkhouse

The DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards aregiven annually to active members of the ReligionCommunicators Council who demonstrate ex-cellence in religious communications and publicrelations. The awards are named for the late Vic-tor DeRose and the late Paul M. Hinkhouse,leading lithographers in New York City and long-time friends of RCC.

The Religion Communicators Council, foundedin 1929, is an interfaith association of religioncommunicators at work in print and electroniccommunication, advertising and public relations.Together, RCC members promote excellence inthe communication of religious faith and valuesin the public arena and encourage understandingamong religious and faith groups.

parents and educators gathered at the Yale Clubto hear about the “Who am I? — Mann Ana?”program being developed through the Yale ChildStudy Center to document how Arab Muslimyoung people (10-14 yrs.), perceive themselvesgrowing up in the US. Many young Arab Ameri-cans have difficulties at school because their back-grounds are misunderstood and their identitiesmay become quite confused. Do young peopleof the “post 9/11 generation” hide their identi-ties, translate, negotiate or redefine their religi-osity and ethnicity?

Up to now, “there has been a lack of credibleanalysis of our community,” stated Linda Sarsourof the Arab American Association, one of theconsultants to the project. Therefore, the projectaims to document youth perceptions throughsurveys and focus groups fueled by pizza par-ties and friendly interaction. Researchers willexplore how negative stereotyping andmarginalizing messages often affect the childrenof immigrant parents. The methodology is in-formed by previous studies (such as the Youthin NYC Public Schools study at Teachers Col-lege, as well as Yale based studies of PTSDamong extremely marginalized Palestinian chil-dren).

A lively discussion brought up additional con-cerns and questions. Would Arab American fami-lies allow their sons and daughters to partici-pate, given how nervous the community has beenabout anything perceived even remotely relatedto security? Would they trust Yale? One ques-tioner even referred to the infamous “skull andbones” secret society at Yale, which George Bushand other leaders had belonged to.

Research Scientist Dr Pia Britto explained thatshe initiated the project not to be another “na-tional security study” focused on “at-risk Mus-lims” but to make young Arab Americans visibleand their voices heard. Organizer Nancy Fallonemphasized that survey replies would be storedby number and not by name, and that the studywould be guided by professional confidentialitystandards.

Other questions concerned the real stigma ofquestions relating to mental health; but programorganizers stressed the long-term importance ofour facing fears and documenting our needs.Famed Educator Debbie Almontaser expressedthe hope that the program would lead to policychange and to solid outcomes like bilingual edu-cation funding, access to scholarships, and so-cial services. Organizers of “Who am I?” prom-ised to make the results available to benefit theArab Muslim community itself.

“I am so glad,” said Research Assistant MajedAbbadi, “to be part of a program that will pro-mote mutual understanding between Arab Ameri-cans and ‘Mainstream Americans.’”And to mostof the crowd, this new program seemed to offerat least a modest path out of invisibility andoppression. This is extremely important for ev-eryone, not only Arab Americans. As FrederickDouglas also stated, “Where justice is denied,where poverty is enforced, where ignorance pre-vails, and where any one class is made to feelthat society is an organized conspiracy to op-press, rob and degrade them, neither personsnor property will be safe.”

Researchers may be coming to your school orcommunity. Students will be paid to participate.For more information about Mann Ana/Who amI? See: http://whoami.yale.edu and http://mannana.yale.edu

Building Strong Tomorrows with“Mann Aana... Who am I?”“It is easier to build strong children than to re-pair broken men.”—Frederick Douglas.

In the comfortable club, surrounded by darkwooden paneling, antique paintings and the con-vivial chatter and delicate clatter of cutlery andcrockery, Yale Chaplain Omer Bajwa quotedFrederick Douglas to an influential crowd of over70 civil society leaders sampling deliciouscanapés. Despite the comfortable setting, farfrom the mean streets of Bay Ridge or Astoria,the conversation was serious and searching, re-flecting a real commitment to help educators andpolicy makers better understand New York’slarge Arab Muslim community.

On March 5, 2009, Muslim and Arab leaders,


QUESTION: Is it OK to contribute Zakat money to an educational fund/scholarship fund or for that matter pay tuition that is set up in the memory/nameof a deceased individual?

Answered by Najam A. Najmi, JD, Principal - Arbitrator, Mediators.He can be contact at [email protected].

ANSWERThank you for your query as it reflects yourardent desire to continue to find correct mannersrelated to essential obligations. I am also appre-ciative as these queries promote opportunitiesfor me to read more about our Deen.

In an authentic hadith Sunan Abi Dawood quotedfrom Sayedina Ziad Bin AlHarith As-Saadai’(RA) that; “A came to the Prophet (peace beupon him) and said; “Give me some of the pro-ceeds of the Zakat.” The Prophet (peace be uponhim) responded; “Allah does not leave the dis-

tribution of the Zakat to a Prophet or anyoneelse. Allaah ordains the distribution to eight(08) categories (already described in Surah At-Taubah 9:60). If you are in any of these catego-ries, I will give you what you deserve.”

The Zakat money can be given to any educa-tional/scholarship fund as long as that fundis explicitly used to support any of the eight

classifications specified in Surah Taubah(9:60). The money does not have to be equallydispensed in all eight categories of Zakateligibility.

The same criteria apply to set up a fund to ben-efit a deceased person or any other project aslong as all those who benefit from it come underthose eight categories. The first benefactor ofpayment of Zakat is the person whose posses-sions it was taken from; and then you may pleaand pray to Allaah to benefit a share of rewardof His mercy for anybody else you want.

It is extremely important to note that the Zakatmust be paid by all living cognizant Muslims,who have enough possessions to pay the Zakaton. In case of the deceased, it is the first obliga-tion of the family of deceased to calculate andpay Zakat on his/her possessions for currentand all previous years, if it was not already paid.It is an obligation (a loan) due towards Allaah,and we must pay it every year.

I seek Allaah’s forgiveness for all of my sins,misdeeds, mistakes and misunderstandings in allmatters. AND ONLY ALLAH KNOWS BEST.

Ali Haider is a former Pakistani singer and actor.He has had numerous hits in the early 90s suchas Poorani Jeans. He also had a big hit later in the1990s with Chand Sa Mukhra. Besides singing,he has acted in numerous TV serials on PTV.Among the successful dramas was Chand SaMukhra, which used his hit song as the thememusic. He also sang the theme music for theserial Chandni Raatein. He has a large fan fol-lowing in Pakistan and India and with SouthAsian expatriates around the world.

For more information about the upcoming con-cert featuring Ali Haider and Junaid Jamshedemail at [email protected].

WE DO IT ALL!Big & Small!

Signs! Banners! Billboards!Posters! Expo Displays!

Banner stands! and more!

Call: 800-670-7901 [email protected]

Pakistani Pop StarAli Haider LeavesBollywood ForIslamWill Make Debut in USAwith Junaid Jamshed


Briefly I would like to discuss five essentialsthat would lead to a happy family life. Theseessentials are not to be confused for exclusivespousal advice but rather the entire family canadopt these maxims. A good way in improvingfamily relations is to be proactive than reactive.It is hoped that the following practices can pro-vide the inspiration of love and happiness:Let your family know that you love them.If you have to criticize, do it with love.Do not reason while angry.Pray together at least once a dayNeglect the entire world rather than neglectingyour family.

Let your family know that you love them:How difficult is it to say the three magic wordsthat can turn an ocean of tears into gentle heav-enly smiles? These magical words never get outof fashion or loose their luster and the right mo-ment to say them is now. Every family membercan strengthen the family bond by repeating “Ilove you”. The Qur’an states that it is Allahwho has placed love (mawadda) and mercy(rahma) in our hearts. This specific ayah is me-morialized at many weddings. However, onceafter such talks an elderly woman came up to meand asked, how come within Eastern Muslimsfamilies this word is never shared? The phrase“I love you” is only heard in the movies andstreets but not at home. There is great under-mining of family relations from the externalsources. Many people confuse love for lust onHollywood (and Bollywood). Love is connectedto family responsibility and lust is attached to asatisfaction of carnal desires. Islam does not teachpeople to go to the mosque so they can ignoretheir families. Historically, after hearing awoman’s complain Caliph Omar would not al-low any soldiers to serve more than four monthswithout seeing their families. Think for a mo-ment, when was the last time you said “I loveyou” to the family members? Love can only takeroots when we cultivate it with great care infamily relations.

If you have to criticize, do it with love.Ridicule is sufficed in public advice. Talk to oth-ers as you would like others to talk to you. Afamily is a team working together to attain para-dise. What if you see a team quarrelling and bash-ing one another on the playing field? No doubt,lack of discipline can ruin great individual hero-ics on game day. A friend regretted about spend-ing 20 years of his prime on Wall Street whileignoring basic Islamic education. I reminded himthat lost time could be gained if we can impartIslam to our family and children. Allah exalteddescribes believing men and women as ‘awliya’meaning friends, helpers, and protectors of oneanother. Constructive criticism removes blem-ish and beautifies the mundane. Giving advicedoes not mean one is free from receiving advicefrom others. In addition, family talk is not timeto enliven old mistakes or compile a list ofwrongs. The Prophet Muhammad said “All ofthe children of Adam are sinners but the best ofthem are those who correct themselves”. Let usfocus on correcting our mistakes and advisingothers in loving manners with a gentle smile.

Do not reason or argue while in a state ofanger.The Prophet said three times to a man seekingadvice ‘la taghdab’ meaning do not become an-gry. The Qur’an talks about the slave of theMerciful as ‘those who swallow their anger andthey forgive people and overlook their faults’.Interestingly, when we swallow or eat some-thing we seal our lips unless we want to lookabsurd to others. In addition, parents are models

for children. As a teacher I have seen thatchildren’s behavior is a reflection of their par-ents. Students who showed generosity, care, al-truism, and respect brought it from their home.On the other hand, students who shout at oth-ers, throw things, and disrespect others havealso brought the baggage from their home. Wehave to be role models to our children and spouse.The Prophet gave us advice on anger manage-

Thinking A new: by Faraz Khan

Five Essentials of a Happy FamilyFaraz Khan currently works in the environmental field as a Senior Geologist and a wetland expert.More info on http://liberalartsforum.blogspot.com

ment. If you are standing, sit down, if you aresitting, recline, seek God’s protection from theaccursed devil, drink a glass of water and cooldown. We should uplift everyone in the familyby becoming the best example for them.

Pray together at least once a day.Allah says to the Prophet in the Qur’an ‘com-mand your family to pray and be steadfast onit’. The congregational family prayer should bepart of the daily routine. The Prophet performedsupererogatory prayers with his wives, childrenand close companions at home. Today TV andinternet have entered the house as a third parent.All efforts should be made to bring extendedfamilies together in a monthly or weekly halaqawhere they study the Quran, sirah, Islamic eti-quettes or listen to a scholar in person or on aCD. Be mindful of joining or initiating a halaqathat ignores younger family members. The state-ment “go play in another room” can be verydangerous in the long run for our children. Ifthey do not learn family interaction at home whereelse they will learn Muslim traditional values?Praying together brings much needed peace ofheart at home.

Neglect the whole world but not the family.Family comes first. Allah says in the Qur’an ‘Oyou who believe protect yourselves and yourfamily from the fire of hell’. On a list of priori-ties, the first obligation is family. This does notmean we ignore our obligations to our neighbors,friends, in-laws, and others but unless a familystands on a solid foundation, our relations withothers will remain shaky at best. Remarkably,some people attend jumuah prayers, lectures,congregational prayers at mosque, study or teachat the mosque but they do not share it with theirspouse and children. They are on an iman-highbut their families are busy surfing the TV chan-nels, making friends on facebook, downloadingnew apps for cell phone, or finding new movieson Netflix. We need to come down from theclouds and live with people. How can the familybe our priority when we are too busy savingpeople on the other side of the planet? The youthshould also pay heed to the words of Allah ‘showparents excellence in manners’. Love and respectare intertwined with the mercy of Allah. Let usremember to pray for our family members andrecommit to living family first so we can build abetter society.


See many more events at www.TriStateMuslims.comSend or post your events! It’s FREE!

Eating EthnicEating EthnicEating EthnicEating EthnicEating EthnicChicken MakhaniChicken MakhaniChicken MakhaniChicken MakhaniChicken Makhani

(Butter Chicken)(Butter Chicken)(Butter Chicken)(Butter Chicken)(Butter Chicken)

Muslimah's WeekendGet-A-Way 2010

253 Bushy Hill Road,Ivoryton,CT

Contact:Fawziyyah Umrani: 413-627-5591

May 14-16‘10Ivoryton, CT

WHERE?WHAT?

Leading the ChangeCAIR-PA 4th Annual Banquet

Springfield Country Club400 West Sproul Road

Contact: 215-592-0509Apr 3 ‘10Springfield, PA

Muslim MatrimonialDinner

Shezan Banquet Hall1673 Oaktree Rd,

Contact: Sr. Zahida 732-329-0838or www.ISCJ.org

Apr 17 ‘10Edison, NJ

47th Annual ISNAConvention

Rosemont ConventionCenter

Contact: www.ISNA.net317-839-8157

July 2-5 ‘10Rosemont, IL

A poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat onher face, walked into a grocery store. She ap-proached the owner of the store in a most humblemanner and asked if he would let her charge afew groceries. She softly explained that her hus-band was very ill and unable towork, they had seven children andthey needed food. The grocer,scoffed at her and requested thatshe leave his store at once. Visual-izing the family needs, she said:"Please, sir! I will bring you themoney just as soon as I can."

He told her he could not give hercredit, since she did not have acharge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was acustomer! who overheard the con-versation between the two. Thecustomer walked forward and told the grocerthat he would stand good for whatever she neededfor her family.The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Doyou have a grocery list?"

Ameena replied, "Yes sir." "O. K." he said, "putyour grocery list on the scales and whatever yourgrocery list weighs, I will give you that amountin groceries."

Ameena, hesitated a moment with a bowed head,then she reached into her purse and took out apiece of paper and scribbled something on it.She then laid the piece of paper on the scalecarefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showedamazement when the scales went down andstayed down.

Allah Will Always ProvideThe grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowlyto the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can'tbelieve it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started put-ting the groceries on theother side of the scales. Thescale did not balance so hecontinued to put more andmore groceries on them un-til the scales would hold nomore.

The grocer stood there inutter disgust. Finally, hegrabbed the piece of paperfrom the scales and lookedat it with greater amaze-ment.

It was not a grocery list, itwas a prayer, which said:

"Oh ALLAH, you know my needs and I amleaving this in your hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he hadgathered and stood in stunned silence.

Ameena thanked him and left the store.The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill tothe grocer and said;

"It was worth every penny of it. Only ALLAHKnows how much a prayer weighs."

THE POWER OF PRAYER: When you receivethis, say a prayer. That's all you have to do.

Just stop right now, and say a prayer of thanksfor your own good fortune.

Studies show that eating a daily serving of oatsnot only lowers total cholesterol levels, but alsoreduces the risk of developing heart disease. Inaddition to being rich in heart healthy solublefiber, oats offer a variety of other nutrients thatboost health.

Nutrients in OatsOats are considered a “superfood” because ofthe vast array of essential nutrients that are notonly needed by the body but also boost overallhealth. Oats are a cereal grain that provides com-plex carbohydrates, B vitamins, fiber, and min-erals such as phosphorous, iron, selenium, andcalcium.

Health Benefits of OatsIn addition to promoting heart health, oats offerthe following health benefits.

* Complex carbohydrates such as oats notonly lowers the risk of heart disease, but alsoreduce the risk of stroke and certain cancers andhelps lower high blood pressure. Carbohydratesalso contain tryptophan, a nonessential aminoacid that improves mood. * The specific type of fiber found in oats notonly promotes a healthy digestive system byhelping prevent constipation, but also helps con-trol blood sugar levels. Because of the fiber, oatshave a low impact on blood sugar levels and may

help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabe-tes. Studies also show that high-fiber foods helpcontrol appetite, which is a plus for those tryingto lose weight. * Selenium works as an antioxidant with vita-min E to help protect the body from free radicaldamage and may help protect the body againstcertain cancers. Selenium also boosts immunity,and studies suggest selenium may boost mood. * When it comes to strong teeth and bones,phosphorus, which is also found in oats, is justas important as calcium. Phosphorus also boostsenergy and plays an important role in healthydigestion. * Oats offer B vitamins such as thiamin, ribo-flavin, and niacin. B vitamins are used by thebody for energy production and maintaining ahealthy nervous system. B vitamins also helpreduce stress and boost immunity. * Like other whole grains, oats are a goodsource of magnesium, which is important notonly in energy production, but also maintainingstrong bones, and magnesium may help relievesymptoms of premenstrual syndrome. * With 6.1 grams of protein per one cup (one-half cup raw), oats are a good source of protein.Protein is used to build, repair, and maintain allbody tissues, provide the body energy, and stud-ies suggest protein has a thermogenic effect thatboosts metabolism, which may aid weight loss. * Oats also contain iron, which helps boostimmunity, increase energy, and produce collagen. * Oats are rich in calcium. Regular consump-tion of calcium helps keep bones strong, reducesthe risk of developing certain diseases, such asperiodontal disease, and studies suggest calciumis beneficial to weight maintenance.

The most nutritious oats are those that havebeen minimally processed with no sugar added.Although well-known as an inexpensive break-fast food, oats can also be incorporated into manyrecipes from baked goods to main dishes.

Health Benefitsof Oats

Ingredients * 1 tablespoon peanut oil * 1 shallot, finely chopped * 1/4 white onion, chopped * 2 tablespoons butter * 2 teaspoons lemon juice * 1 tablespoon each of ginger garlic paste, garam masala,chili powder and ground cumin * 1 bay leaf * 1/4 cup plain yogurt * 1 cup half-and-half * 1 cup tomato puree * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste * 1 pinch salt * 1 pinch black pepper * 1 tablespoon peanut oil * 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces * 1 teaspoon garam masala * 1 pinch cayenne pepper * 1 tablespoon cornstarch * 1/4 cup water

Directions 1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent.Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garammasala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirringfrequently. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat tolow, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Seasonwith salt pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over mediumheat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala andcayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer untilliquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cookedchicken into sauce. 3. Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the sauce.Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Leading the ChangeCAIR-PA 4th Annual Banquet

Springfield Country Club400 West Sproul Road

Contact: 215-592-0509Apr 3 ‘10Springfield, PA

Premarital Workshop To Be Announced! Contact: [email protected] 1 ‘10TBA

9th Muslim MatrimonialHosted by MillanUS.com

Adria Hotel, New York Contact: 516-84-0396Time: 3:00pm - 9:00pm

May 2 ‘10New York

Wafa House Host It’sAnnual Fundraiser

The BrownstonePaterson, NJ

Contact: [email protected]: 6pm - 10pm

Apr 3 ‘10Paterson, NJ

MECCA Spring Dowra 4W 43rd St. Ste 415, Contact: 212-354-4320Apr 2-5 ‘10New York, NY

Health & Wellness Fair Masjid Abdul Muhsi Khalifah120 Madison Street

Contact: 917-921-4952 or718-783-1279

Mar 26-27‘10Brooklyn, NY

May 29-30 ‘10South Brunswick, NJ

Islamic Games 2010Crossroads Schools - 195 Major Rd,

For vending and registrationcontact www.Islamic-Games.com

Junaid Jamshed, Ali Hader & Nader Khan For sponsorship and Tixs call718-554-7620

Coming Soon

tsm march 23 2010

Documents