In al-Sahihayn it is reported from the hadith of `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the last ten days of Ramadan came, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stay up at night, wake his family and gird his loins. (al-Bukhari, 1920; Muslim, 1174). Muslim added: he strove hard and girded his loins. Her phrase “girded his loins” is a metaphor for his preparing himself to worship and strive hard in worship, more than usual. It has the meaning of “rolling up one’s sleeves” to worship (i.e. getting ready to make a great deal of effort). It was also said that it was a metaphor for keeping away from women and abstaining from sexual relations. The phrase “stay up at night” means that he would stay awake, spending the night in prayer, etc.

It was reported in another hadith that `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “I never saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recite the entire Qur’an in one night, or spend a whole night in prayer until the morning, or fast an entire month, except in Ramadan.” (Sunan al-Nasa’i, 1641). The words “stay up at night” may mean that he spent most of the night in worship, or that he did not stay up for the entire night, but he did that at the times of `Isha’ and Suhur, and other times, in which case it would mean that he stayed up for most of the night. The phrase “and wake his family” means that he would wake his wives to pray qiyam. It is known that he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to wake his wives all year round, but he used to wake them to spend part of the night in qiyam.

In Sahih al-Bukhari it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) woke up one night and said, “Subhan Allah ! What tribulations have come down tonight! What treasure has come down tonight! Who will wake up the dwellers of the apartments? There may be women who are clothed in this world and naked in the Hereafter.” (al-Bukhari, 1074). It was also reported (in Sahih al-Bukhari) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to wake `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) when he wanted to pray Witr. (al-Bukhari, 952). But when he woke his wives during the last ten nights of Ramadan, this was more persistent than at other times of the year. The fact that he (peace and blessings be upon him) did this indicates the importance he attached to worshipping his Lord and making the most of this special time.

The Muslim should follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for he is the best example, and he should strive hard in worshipping Allah . He should not waste the hours of these days and nights. For we do not know, perhaps this time will never come again, for the spoiler of pleasures, i.e., death, which must come to all men, may come and snatch him and his life will end; then he will feel regret at the time when regret will be of no avail.

Among the unique virtues of these special nights is that Laylat Al-Qadr is among them. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Ha-Meem. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.] By the manifest Book (this Qur’an) that makes things clear. We sent it (this Qur’an) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the Night of Al-Qadr) in the month of Ramadan]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]. Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments. As a Command (or this Qur’an or the Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily, We are ever sending (the Messengers), (As) a mercy from your Lord. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” [ad-Dukhan 44:1-6]

Allah sent down the Qur’an on this night which the Lord of the Worlds has described as blessed. It was reported from a group of the Salaf – including Ibn `Abbas, Qutadah, Sa`id ibn Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Mujahid and others – that the night on which the Qur’an was sent down was Laylat Al-Qadr. The phrase Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments means, on that night the destiny of all creatures for the coming year is decreed. On that night it is written who will live, who will die, who will be saved, who will be doomed, who will be destined for Paradise, who will be destined for Hell, who will be granted honor, who will be humiliated, where drought and famine will occur, and everything else that Allah wills in that year. What is meant by the idea that the destiny of all creatures is written on Laylat Al-Qadr is – and Allah knows best – that on Laylat Al-Qadr they are transferred from al-Lawh al-Mahfuz.

Ibn `Abbas said: “You may see a man furnishing his home or plowing his field, and he is one of those who are going to die,” i.e., it has been decreed on Laylat Al-Qadr that he is one of those who are going to die (in the coming year). And it was said that on this night, the destiny of people is shown to the angels.

The meaning of “Qadr” is veneration or honor, i.e. it is a night that is venerated because of its special characteristics, and because the one who stays up during this night becomes a man of honor. And it was said that Qadr means constriction, in the sense that the knowledge of precisely when this night is, is hidden. Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad said: it was called Laylat Al-Qadr because the earth is constricted by the great numbers of angels on that night, and Qadr means constriction. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life [fa qadara `alayhi rizqahu]…” [al-Fajr 89:16], i.e., by constricting or reducing his provision. And it was said that Qadr means Qadar, i.e., that on this night the decrees for the coming year are ordained, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments” [ad-Dukhan 44:4] and because Allah ’s decrees are decided and written down on this night. So Allah has called it Laylat Al-Qadr, because of its great value and high status with Allah , and because so many sins are forgiven and so many faults are concealed during this night. For it is the night of forgiveness, as it was reported in al-Sahihayn from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever stays up during Laylat Al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of earning reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (al-Bukhari, 1910; Muslim, 760).

- Islam Online

Carnegie Library - Main & Hastings Vancouver

Who: Jamia Masjid Vancouver, Pakistan Canada Association
What: Annual Muslim Ramadan help for the homeless
When: Monday, September 29, 2008 3-4:30 pm
Where: Alley behind Carnegie Library - Main and Hastings

500 free meals including juice and 200 pounds of BC grown Red Delicious Apples will be distributed to Vancouver’s homeless and hungry at Main and Hastings on Monday, September 29, 2008 in honour of the Month of Ramadan, the Muslim Month of Fasting marking the first revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet Muhammed .

Pakistan Consulate Consul General Moin-ul Haque, local politicians and candidates will be on hand to assist members of the mosque congregation  to distribute the meals.

Jamia Masjid Vancouver

The Pakistan Canada Association hosts the Jamia Masjid located at 655 W. 8th Avenue, the first Mosque in British Columbia founded in 1963 by the pioneering community leader and activist, the late Riasat Ali Khan and is a time honoured base to Vancouver’s diverse Muslim Community.

During the course of the Month of Ramadan, the organization and individual volunteers have quietly provided hundreds of free meals to the homeless after daily Iftar held at the Jamia Masjid.  There will be an Iftari meal marking what could be the last fast of the month at the Mosque at Sunset that evening hosted by the organization and the Khan Family in memory of Riasat Ali Khan.

A spokesman from the organization states: “By helping our most vulnerable citizens by sharing a meal we hope to demonstrate the spirit of Ramadan and show the care and compassion that the Muslim community has for all peoples”.

For Further Information please contact

Haroon A. Khan: (604) 720-8054

In a joint forces operation, more than 400 Ontario police officers carried out raids in June 2006 that led to the arrests of the so-called Toronto 18. STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Full story of ‘kids’ charged in ‘terror plot’ emerges as guilty verdict allows publication ban to be lifted

They were the sheep, the foot soldiers and the disciples. Easily manipulated and readily exploited. And pawns in an alleged terror plot.

With the conviction of one youth this week, the full story can now be told of all four youths originally charged with belonging to the homegrown terror cell known as the Toronto 18. It’s a tale that involves chilling wiretap intercepts, inane teenage banter and begs the question: How did these kids get wrapped up in one of Canada’s biggest terror cases?

In his testimony at the preliminary hearing and at the trial, the Crown’s star witness said the “kids” were peripheral figures who didn’t warrant close attention because they’d been kept on the “down low” of the group’s murderous machinations. So, he focused on the adult ringleaders who were engineering the deadly plot.

“It was obvious to me from Day 1 that I didn’t really have to keep too much of an eye on them,” testified police agent Mubin Shaikh, who infiltrated the group. “They were sheep … non-entities.”

But in a landmark decision Thursday, Justice John Sproat ruled one of those sheep, a naïve youth who “lacked street smarts,” was an “eager acolyte” led astray by an “extremely unsavoury” ringleader.

The judge recognized the youth, a convert to Islam who revered the ringleader as a “knowledgeable mentor,” was “easy to deceive or manipulate.” But he pointed out that as time passed, it would have been “inconceivable” for the youth not to have known what the group’s real motives were.

A winter camp that he attended in December 2005, complete with military-style exercises, jihadist rhetoric and speeches urging them to wage war, would have revealed the group’s true purpose – even if the leaders had billed it as a religious retreat. Yet rather than distance himself from the group, he fell deeper into it, stealing items for the group and attending a second training camp.

In other words, he didn’t need to know specifics about a terror plot brewing to be found guilty of participating in a terrorist group.

While the judge disagreed with Shaikh’s characterization of the youth on trial, Sproat said he displayed “a great number of the hallmarks of a truthful witness.”

Throughout the proceedings, there were chilling intercepts played in which the ringleaders discuss truck bombs, potential targets in downtown Toronto and the construction of a remote-control detonator. But none of these featured the youths.

Those that did feature all the youths, played during the preliminary, included silly teenage chatter about farting, getting high and having a threesome. One kid displayed youthful bravado when discussing the purchase of firearms and selecting a gang name from a list that included Sexy Sluts, Muslim Pimps and Mosquitoes.

There were also moments of absurdity, such as the revelation that the ringleader was so broke that he convinced a 15-year-old to donate his $20 weekly allowance.

Until now, the story of the youths netted in a mass arrest during the summer of 2006 remained partly untold because evidence heard in the preliminary was banned from publication.

Even after charges were dropped against three of them, the evidence could not be revealed, for fear it would prejudice the trial of the remaining youth.

But with Thursday’s conviction, the ban is lifted and the story can be told. (A ban still precludes identifying the remaining 10 adults, who have not yet been tried. Charges were stayed against four.)

DAYS BEFORE THE CAMP, one of the group’s leaders drew up a list titled, “Dealing with new recruits.” Scribbled underneath was: “Do not tell them anything – just give them jihadi da’wah, Give false name, Keep them on the down low.”

For the kids, who were among the “new recruits,” the camp was billed as a religious retreat. They were never told its true purpose was so that the “trainers,” one of whom was Shaikh, could assess their potential as jihadi warriors.

After all, the group’s leaders needed warriors to carry out a plan that included storming Parliament, beheading politicians and detonating fertilizer truck bombs at sites such as Toronto’s CBC building, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Pickering Nuclear Power Plant, Shaikh testified.

A motley crew of individuals, aged between 15 and 42, attended the camp, which was held between Dec. 18 and 31 in a wooded area near Orillia. Many met there for the first time and only a select few were told why they had been invited.

The youths were high school friends from Scarborough. Because they were under 18 at the time they cannot be named. Instead, they will be referred to as the Partier, the Boy, the Friend and the Convert.

* The Partier was a “scrawny” 17-year-old who was described by his lawyer as a “party animal” with a penchant for girls and getting high. Overall, he was useless at the camp. He couldn’t be motivated to chop wood, do exercise and simply “wasn’t into it.” But the ringleader planned to “straighten him out,” testified Shaikh.
* The Boy was a “very frail little boy” of 15 who “shouldn’t have been there,” said Shaikh. He forged a letter about a bogus school trip so he could attend, but once there he was clearly out of his element, refusing to handle a 9-mm handgun.
* The Friend was the Partier’s good friend, and was also 17. He did what he was told, but lacked the zeal the camp’s trainers were looking for.
* The Convert was a 17-year-old who outshone the others. He was earnest, eager and hard working. His recent conversion to Islam resulted in being alienated from his family. He was desperate for religious guidance and the ringleader was happy to oblige. (This is the youth who was convicted Thursday.)

Court heard that because they had trekked off into the dead of winter without appropriate gear, the group’s leaders slept in vehicles with portable heaters, which suited them fine because it enabled them to privately discuss people’s skill levels.

The kids, however, were stuck sleeping in tents and often tasked with doing the grunt work, such as chopping wood, keeping the fire going and acting as sentries.

For the most part, they were a lazy bunch and not even good at stuff that didn’t require much skill, such as keeping watch over things – one kid burned the sole of his shoe because he got too close to the fire.

The Convert, however, was different. Shaikh testified the ringleader had remarked that the Convert’s skill at chopping wood made him the perfect candidate to behead the prime minister and his willingness to give his life for Islam made him an ideal suicide bomber.

All in attendance participated in an obstacle course, target practice, paintball war games and the making of a video intended for recruitment purposes.

During paintball, they wore fatigues and mimicked the Mujahideen in Chechnya, with their games resembling the Chechen rebellion against Russia. Often, the ringleader would shout words of encouragement: “Don’t you have any honour in your religion? Fight them!”

While the presence of a handgun, taken up for firearms training, may have initially excited some of the youths, they were “freaked out” when it was fired, said Shaikh. The only youth he could remember who fired the gun was the Convert.

When a video camera appeared, people were told to “play along,” said Shaikh. Playing along included shouting “God is Great” and waving a black flag commonly associated with terrorism.

Shaikh said the kids weren’t told the video was for recruitment purposes and was to be handed out to some imams in Toronto. A version of this video, which can be seen on thestar.com, ended up on the laptop of British extremist Aabid Khan, who was convicted last month of being a terrorist facilitator with international connections.

With the exception of the Convert, who excelled at the activities, the kids weren’t the kind of jihadi warriors the ringleader had hoped for. On one occasion, the sound of a wolf or a dog howling sent them scampering into a tent, where they huddled in fear.

But they could still prove useful for the ringleader, who was down to his last $18, he said, and was desperate to finance his scheme. So, he cajoled the Boy into agreeing to donate his weekly allowance of $20 to the group. Shaikh said he didn’t know if the kid ever paid up.

Even if the kids had originally been kept out of the loop, it would have been clear when the ringleader declared, “We’re not officially Al Qaeda but we share their principles and methods.”

In the final days, the youths were told by the ringleader to “Keep this quiet, don’t tell people, don’t be talking about the camp.”

THE YOUTHS MAY NOT have been warriors by camp’s end, but the ringleader still found use for them and appointed them to a Procurement Unit.

In one intercept, the ringleader boasts that the Convert is “so freaking professional” at stealing and has become “addicted.” The Convert’s skill is such that the ringleader explains he’s running out of space to store the loot.

In February, when the Partier and the Convert are caught in Canadian Tire shoplifting four camping knives and forks, an LED clip light, an axe and a machete, the ringleader instructed his unit to back off on doing “BLTs,” which was a code word for theft. A month later, the Convert was caught shoplifting a box of condoms.

In a videotaped police statement after his arrest on terror charges, the Convert denied stealing for the group, saying he took the walkie-talkies because they were “wicked.” He could sell them and also use them because they’re a cheaper alternative to owning a cellphone.

Sproat noted in his ruling that “it makes little sense that (the Convert) would steal multiple walkie-talkies for personal use or to make a few dollars. It makes much more sense that he would steal for a purpose associated with (the ringleader).”

At a second training camp in May, which took place at the Rockwood Conservation Area, near Guelph, of the youths, only the Convert and the Friend attended, accompanied by a buddy of theirs named Sahl Syed.

Syed testified nothing nefarious took place, saying they spent most of their time paddling in an inflatable boat, hiking through the hills and chilling by the campfire.

But Sproat noted in his ruling that while most of the activities were recreational, Syed was sufficiently concerned with what he’d seen on the trip to speak with a teacher about whether he should notify the authorities.

Weeks later, the four youths were arrested alongside 14 adults for belonging to a terrorist group after a lengthy, and costly, investigation that involved both national and international agencies.

FOLLOWING THURSDAY’S verdict, Shaikh still stuck to his guns.

“I don’t believe that (the Convert) is a terrorist,” he said. “I don’t believe he should’ve been put through what he was put through, but that’s our system.”

As this case winds its way through the courts, and the new anti-terror law is tested, he said he hopes to see the legislation fine-tuned so that guys like the Partier, the Boy, the Friend and the Convert aren’t in the same category as the ringleader.

“From Day 1, I used the word sheep,” he told the Star. “And that’s what they were. Sheep.”

Isabel Teotonio
Toronto Star - Staff Reporter

Two Afghan elders receive packages of flour, cooking oil, tea and gifts from Canadian soldiers to help them celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Friday. (Bob Weber/Canadian Press)

The Canadian military handed out food supplies to Afghans at its base in Kandahar City as locals prepared to celebrate the end of a month of fasting with three days of Eid celebrations.

The military handed out flour, rice and cooking oil among other items after a local leader helped pick 200 of the poorest families living around the base.

“It is a great help to my family,” one Afghan man told the CBC’s Mellissa Fung.

For Canadian soldiers, it was a welcome change from their normal duties.

“This stuff here certainly makes us feel much better about ourselves,” said Petty Officer Shawn Coates. “We’re representing our country well and the people of our country.”

Another local, Zhalil Ahmad, said that he was grateful for the help but complained that many of the recipients were not the poorest but those who had connections to the local leader the military used to help identify the neediest.

The military, which has provided Eid gifts in previous years, said it relied on a local district manager to help pick the families who he believed were the most deserving.

Despite the criticism, Coates said it’s a small token of goodwill to help build trust between the military and locals.

In a Brampton court on Sept. 25, 2008, Justice John Sproat reads from his ruling convicting Canada’s first terrorist. The now 20-year-old was accused of attending two terrorist training camps and stealing items for the Toronto 18.

The young man, accused of attending two terrorist training camps and stealing items for the so-called Toronto 18, displayed no emotion when the verdict was read in a Brampton court.

“(The youth) clearly understood that the camps were training for a terrorist purpose,” said Justice John Sproat as he read from his 94-page decision. “He also understood that contributing materials to be used at the camp enhanced the ability of the group to conduct the training.”

Prominent in the judge’s decision was the testimony of paid police agent Mubin Shaikh, who had come under attack during the trial from Crown prosecutors when they accused their own star witness of fabricating evidence to protect the youth.

But Sproat said Shaikh was credible, adding, “I found him to be a truthful and generally reliable witness” who “exhibited a great number of the hallmarks of a truthful witness.”

“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that a terror group existed,” he said, disagreeing with the defence that an alleged terror plot amounted to “musings and fantasies” dreamed up by a deluded ringleader who planned to storm Parliament Hill and behead the prime minister.

The ringleader, arrested among 14 adults and four youths in the summer of 2006, was not a “hapless fanatic who posed no risk,” he said.

Members of the group are accused of ordering fertilizer to build truck bombs, constructing a remote-control detonator and scouting a safe house to store weapons and harbour terrorists. The youth, whose conviction marks the first decision under Canada’s new anti-terrorism laws, was not alleged to have played a role in the bomb conspiracy.

The courtroom was filled with supporters from the Muslim community, including relatives of the adult co-accused, who were left weeping and wondering what the verdict means for their loved ones.

Defence lawyer Raymond Motee, who represents one of the adults, cautioned against jumping to any conclusions about the implications for the others.

“We are dealing with a brand-new law and this case is merely the first guidepost along the way,” said Motee. “Legally, this verdict has essentially no effect on our case. These are completely separate proceedings and our trial judge is not bound by any ruling in this case.”

What it all means for the youth is more court time. Defence lawyers Mitchell Chernovsky and Faisal Mirza have filed an abuse of process application to be heard Dec. 15.

They say Shaikh committed illegal acts as an agent and, essentially, entrapped their client. If that motion succeeds, the charges could be stayed. If it fails, they will consider appealing the decision.

The defence lawyers say Shaikh committed a crime when he handled an illegal firearm at a terrorist training camp in December 2005 and taught participants, including the youth, how to use it. They also point out that Shaikh, who acted as a trainer, was instrumental in deciding who would be promoted to a second training camp.

Because this is a precedent-setting decision, defence lawyers and Crown prosecutors refused to speculate on the sentence the youth faces, but earlier the Crown said it would seek an adult sentence.

The verdict is a victory for prosecutors because the case appeared to be unravelling when charges were stayed against three youths and four adults and supporters of the accused men said they were provoked by two undercover agents.

During the trial, two starkly different portraits emerged of the youth, who is now 20. One was of a teenaged jihadi who attended two training camps: one in December 2005, complete with military-style exercises, firearms training and speeches exhorting participants to wage war on “Rome” – an allusion to the West; and another in May 2006, where attendees made a mock jihadi video. Prosecutors also said the youth stole items for the camps, including walkie-talkies and other outdoor gear.

The other image was of a troubled youngster, alienated from his Hindu family for converting to Islam, who went winter camping because he was told it was a religious retreat.

In his decision, the judge noted the youth lacked “street smarts” or maturity, which made him easy to deceive, and had only a rudimentary understanding of world politics and international conflicts. But the judge ruled it was “inconceivable” for him not to have known the true nature of the camp by the end.

Court heard that at the camp, the ringleader delivered a jihadist speech, saying, “We’re here to kick it off man, we’re here to get the rewards of everybody that’s gonna come after us.”

“Whether we get arrested, killed or tortured, our mission is greater than just individuals, this has to be done, Rome has to be defeated,” the ringleader says in a videotape made for recruitment purposes.

Shaikh, who has long maintained the youth’s innocence, made a surprise appearance at the courthouse yesterday and told reporters he disagreed with the verdict.

“I don’t believe that (youth) is a terrorist,” said Shaikh, who testified that the youth was a “sheep” and “non-entity” who unknowingly got caught up in a deadly conspiracy. “He was not informed of the inner plans by the inner circle.”

He also said he believes Canada is a target for terrorists and susceptible to homegrown terror cells. “The threat is real … Just because bombs haven’t gone off doesn’t mean we should be less vigilant.”

-The Star
Isabel Teotonio - Staff Reporter

MAC is a national organization with a vision to establish an Islamic presence in Canada, that is balanced, constructive, and integrated, though distinct, within the social fabric and culture of Canada. For more details on MAC and its initiatives, click here.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Admad at the grand opening of the new Baitun Nur Mosque in northeast Calgary July 5, 2008.

CALGARY - Canada’s largest mosque was officially dedicated Saturday by an estimated crowd of 5,000 people that included religious leaders, Canada’s two top politicians and throngs of faithful.

A steady stream of worshippers walked underneath the Baitun Nur mosque’s shining steel dome and minaret tower and flowed to large white tents to witness the unveiling. The mosque, which covers 4,300 square metres is the spiritual home of Calgary’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community, which numbers between 2,000 and 3,000.

The global spiritual leader of the Ahmadi Muslims, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, arrived in Calgary last Wednesday to lead the first prayers in the new facility and was on hand Saturday for the building’s public celebration.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the crowd that the Ahmadiyya Muslim community knows the importance of tolerance and peace because it has been the target of persecution itself since its founding in the late 19th century.

“In this mosque, we see the love and benevolent faith of Islam,” Harper said. “Ahmadis embrace Canada and Canada has embraced you.”

Opposition Leader Stephane Dion said the success of the Ahmadi community in Canada, as captured by the sacrifices made to build the Calgary mosque, is at the essence of what makes the country great.

“Canada will show the world that Muslim communities can flourish in a secular state like ours,” Dion added.

He praised the Ahmadiyya community for teaching its followers that loyalty to their new homeland of Canada is an integral part of their faith.

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier reminded the crowd of the cold, rainy June day in 2005 when the mosque’s cornerstone was laid.

48,000-square-foot Baitun Nur mosque

“What we see today is a testament to your faith and commitment to the community. Your mosque is a proud new landmark on Calgary’s skyline,” the mayor said.

Roman Catholic Bishop Fred Henry said Calgary Muslims and Christians share a common spiritual journey in their worship of God.

“My Muslim brothers and sisters, we also have a common concern for promoting moral values and addressing ethical concerns in our city through our ongoing dialogue and our work together,” said Henry.

For members of the local Ahmadiyya community, it was a day of unbridled pride.

“I hardly slept at all last night,” said Dr. Safeer Khan. “Our hearts are full of love for Canada.

“The first night we were in the mosque for prayers, I looked around and I couldn’t really believe that we did this.”

The mosque also houses classrooms, office space, a children’s area, a kitchen and a community centre.

The community’s financial sacrifices have been remarkable. Homes have been remortgaged or sold, women have contributed treasured jewelry and children have broken into their piggy banks to help pay the bills.

With carpenters and painters wrapping up their work, Ahmadiyya volunteers moved into the mosque last week. One group worked around the clock for four days to assemble the thousands of small pieces of a massive, 400-kilogram chandelier now hanging within the dome above the prayer hall.

Others with electronics expertise are completing wiring for the mosque’s state-of-the-art audio-visual systems.

“The fact that this is being broadcast all over the world is a huge source of pride,” said 17-year-old Ramzah Khan.

“I saw people in tears. I think people are honoured to have this in Calgary.”

Calgary Herald

I promised in my previous writing to stop accusing the whole system hoping to encourage the honest leadership inside the Canadian system to control their criminal members, but unfortunately, the criminals inside the leadership are much stronger than the honest ones. The criminals inside the Canadian leadership continued to pressure my children nakedly ignoring all my complaints pushing me again to write about the whole system.

What is their goal? I don’t really know. Anyways, when I accuse the system, I mean the criminals inside the leadership who are perpetrating crimes against Muslims inside and outside Canada, and I don’t mean at all any honest member of the leadership.

When the Canadian security and the police ignore the complaints regarding the repetitive crimes against Canadian Muslim children, it is very clear evidence that the Canadian security and the police leadership have become murders who kill blindly and in cold blood. Their failure in Afghanistan made them crazy like an injured cowboy who wants to kill whoever belongs to the race or religion of his enemy.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister of Canada, I would like to remind you and your security and police leadership that my name is Mohammad Al Mallees and not Mr. Osama Bin Laden. Even though there are some things in common between me and Mr. Bin Laden and millions of other Muslims such as the facts that we all agree that the resistance of every occupier is legal, we are all love Islam and Arabs, and we are proud to be Muslims and Arabs, but other than that we are different.

So if Canada failed to defeat Mr. Bin Laden, Canada doesn’t have the right to hold the Canadian Muslims including their kids as hostages and terrorise them daily.

Mr. Prime Minister of Canada: I advise you to withdraw from Afghanistan immediately because sooner or later you will withdraw and the longer you wait the more body bags you’ll be receiving. Keeping the losses at a minimum is better for Canada. If you don’t care about the losses, then send your children to the front lines in Afghanistan and show us that you love Canada even if your children will come back in plastic bags.

Mr. Prime Minister of Canada! If you are worried about terrorists, I and millions of Arabs and Muslims are ready to protect Canada from terrorists. I am not playing a political game by offering myself and millions of Muslims to protect Canada, but I am stating to you the truth and I am saying this based on logic as follows:

First let us define what the word “terrorism” means. According to the dictionary terrorism means: “The threat of violence against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.”

Based on this clear definition we can say the following:

1-     When a Canadian citizen phones the police, as was the case today January 11, 2008. The phone was regarding a principal and a vice principal who are ignoring the complaints about repetitive acts of terror against a ten year old girl such as hitting her on her head perpetrated by a group of kids who belong to the same race of the vice principal. Then the police officer asks that Canadian citizen, who is the girl’s father, mockingly the following: “Are you allowed to enter the school?” and then the father replies “No, but your question is irrelevant because I did not ask you to let me enter the school. I am complaining about a crime against a ten year old girl who was hit on her head while the school is covering the crime,” and then the police says, “being not allowed to enter the school answers everything,” and then the police hangs up on that citizen, then in that scenario, that Canadian citizen has the right to say to the Prime Minister of Canada and to his security and police leadership the following: If you are real men, go and challenge the fighters in Afghanistan who are sending back your soldiers in plastic bags. When the Canadian Board of Education plays a dirty game, without any investigation, and doesn’t allow the father and the mother of a ten years girl to enter the school, and keeps the girl under tremendous pressure with repetitive aggression against her under the supervision of the most aggressive principal and vice principal, it means the system is indirectly murdering honest Muslim children as a form of revenge for its failure in its aggression against the Islamic world.

2-      When the Canadian security system uses the worst people in each community to work with them against the Canadian Muslim citizens, then the Canadian security system is the source of terrorism.

3-     If a country is occupied against international laws causing the civilians to be threatened and live in terror, then the civilians have the right to fight back until they clean their land from the last occupying individual.

4-     In the case of September 11th, the United States has the right to complain to the international police, and submit evidence against any accused individuals. Then the international police would investigate and arrest any suspects and set a trial where the accused have the right to defend themselves. But to occupy a country, kill ten of thousands of civilians, and terrorise Muslims everywhere, is a crime, which must be stopped.

5-     If the Canadian security system is coordinating with the Board of Education to terrorise Muslim children, it means the Canadian security system is practicing terror and it deserves to be tagged internationally as a terrorist system.

The Muslim communities in North America and in Europe are going to be victims of horrible massacres perpetrated by the security systems of these countries sooner of later. The behaviour of these security systems is confirming this fact. These security systems are using the Churches, the Education systems, the well-organized aggressive communities, especially the most fanatic religious Blacks who are well organized by the security system and their criminal churches, the gangs, the companies, and every public institution to perpetrate such massacres in the future. One of the churches announced its readiness to terrorise Muslims, and said: “Million to fight Mohammad”

These security systems are hoping to finish their tasks in Iraq, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and the rest of the Arabic and Islamic world in order to start executing their massacres against the Muslim communities in North America and in Europe. So how can we stop these massacres from happening?

Fortunately, the whole world hates the criminal policy of the United States and its followers. So working with the international community is the only solution to defeat the source of terrorism of the United States and its followers. But how can we defeat the source of terrorism?

As Muslim civilian citizens in North America and in Europe, we have no choice other than writing to the public to generate public awareness against their criminal systems. By doing that we help the society to build new security system, which is fair and just. Even if the current criminal systems slay us one by one, we have to stick by our pen because it is impossible to fight them while they are misleading the whole society.

If the majority of the Canadian society does not become aware of the crimes of its system, we will never have the support of the society. There is no doubt that complaining to international organizations such as the United Nations to fight with us and to pressure every company around the world, which belongs to these criminal systems, is the best solution.

Muslims around the world are slaughtered daily by these criminal systems, so it is no surprise that they treat us as hostages and terrorise us, especially our children without any mercy. One day the sun of justice will rise, and we will become independent with the strength we need to protect our rights. At that time we will show them what is the meaning of justice. At that time we will investigate every system member without touching the children, the women, and the elderly.

If some Muslim victims who lost their control after they lost their loved ones because of the United States’ and its followers’ massacres, and they perpetrated massive killing such as September 11th as revenge, we apologize to the whole world, and we request from the whole world to stop killing Muslims around the world in order to avoid generating more Muslim victims who might lose their control and perpetrate reversal crimes against civilians similar to the crimes of Israel and United States and their followers.

Even though responding to terrorism with terrorism is not legal under international law, the party that commences is much more to blame. Focusing on the root of the problems is the only solution.

I would like to say to the Primes Minister of Canada that today January 11, 2008 a crime happened inside a Canadian school against a ten-year girl. When the principal and the vice principal knew that I was going to call the police and take the issue to court, they changed the entire story by using some lying students, and the police cooperated with them nakedly.

On Monday January 14, my wife and I are going to proceed in the court against the principal, vice principal, and the police regarding this naked crime. If the justice system will be influenced by the criminal security system and not achieve justice, I will ask the international community to rescue this honest child by all means including an investigation by the United Nations. The degree of criminality of the Canadian police and the Board of Education is unbelievable. They are not human beings at all. They are full of criminality, and they don’t respect any law at all. They do not know the meaning of humanity.

I have written many letters to the Board of Education, but all of them were ignored while my daughter is terrorised daily. If the justice system will ignore my complaint, I will distribute all of my letters to the public and around the world in order to achieve justice.

I challenge the Canadian system to put the Toronto District School Board, the principal, and the vice principal with the presence of the media. If that happens, the whole world will spit in the faces of the leadership of the Canadian security system.

Ingrid Mattson

The largest Muslim organization in North America has elected a Canadian-born professor as its first female president — a result the group says signals support for women as leaders throughout their community.

Ingrid Mattson, a convert to Islam from Catholicism and an Islamic law scholar at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, was elected to lead the Islamic Society of North America just ahead of its annual convention, which starts Friday in Rosemont, Ill.

Mattson, who grew up in Kitchener, Ont., and studied philosophy at the University of Waterloo in the 1980s, now lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

In a profile posted on the Hartford Seminary’s website, she describes how she became interested in Islam while travelling to British Columbia by train for a tree-planting job in the summer of 1987.

She later went to Pakistan to work at a refugee camp, helping women and children displaced by conflict in Afghanistan.

“Soon after I met my husband, he told me about a woman he greatly admired,” she wrote in another internet posting, on the Why Islam? website. “He spoke of her intelligence, her eloquence and her generosity. This woman, he told me, tutored her many children in traditional and modern learning. With warm approval, he spoke of her frequent arduous trips to refugee camps and orphanages to help relief efforts…

“When I finally met this woman I found that she was covered, head to toe, in traditional Islamic dress. I realized with some amazement that my husband had never seen her. He had never seen her face. Yet he knew her. He knew her by her actions, by the effects she left on other people.”

Umbrella group in existence since 1963

Formed in 1963, the Islamic Society of North America is an umbrella group that represents Muslim associations for youth, college students, engineers and others, and also provides support to Muslim chaplains and North American mosques. Its annual meeting regularly draws more than 30,000 people.

The president serves a two-year term, leading the society’s committees and executive boards that set policy through consultation with its members.

Mattson’s election represents “a wonderful message to the Muslim community that Muslim women, who are sometimes seen as less, can rise to these positions,” said Sayyid Syeed, secretary general of the Islamic Society.

American Muslims have struggled over the proper role for women, debating most recently how far mosques should go in separating men and women during worship and whether women should lead mixed-gender prayer in mosques.

Still, women have had prominent roles outside of religious services, founding and leading some Islamic groups throughout North America.

The Islamic Society president is only rarely called upon to lead prayer, Syeed said. He added that Mattson will lead only ritual worship for women.

“That does not in any way limit her role as president,” Syeed said.

Mattson succeeds Sheik Muhammad Nur Abdullah, director for the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, as the Islamic Society president.

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