Do you see any role for secularism in todays societies? Secularism is already present in today's societies. The problem. JB, any arguments for Secularism? After your done with criticising the author of course With the retreat of Christianity and shrinking of the ecclesiastical institution in Western Europe, the threat to tolerance and coexistence no longer comes from religion. What we should be dreading today is the tyranny of an arrogant secularism which hides its exclusionist and intolerant face behind the sublime mask of reason, enlightenment and progress. I think she has a point here.

^^Be careful you may be accused of being a fan of the Arabs even though their money is beneficial to the region and the people.

I wonder if they are charging the required rates for Ethiopia using the port? They should get me on there, i would squeeze them dry!

More and more positive news these days masha allah, may it continue, amiin

He obviously did some bad things and people have not forgiven him.

Fb, i just received an email on Hajj and the intentions one should have. Have a good read,,,,,,, While performing each rite of Hajj, keep in your mind the spirit of the rite .. Intention of Hajj 11/4/2006 - Religious - Article Ref: IC0610-3148 Number of comments: 4 By: Ayub A. Hamid IslamiCity* - The significance of Hajj as a pillar of Islam is quite evident from the reward this act of worship brings to its performer. As has been reported from the Messenger of Allah , the person performing the Hajj is forgiven and purified as if he/she is a newborn baby. Although its importance and formalities are generally known and talked about, its essence, spirit, and impact on a performer's behavior and personality are not generally understood or remembered. The point we should ponder over is why Allah and His Messenger granted Hajj so much importance. What is the most significant aspect of this worship? Is it performance of certain rites and rituals, the special dress worn, and visitation of certain places that make it the most rewarding act of worship? Or, like other acts or worship in Islam, is it the changes that Hajj makes in the performer's personality, attitude, and outlook that are the essence of Hajj? The other point to reflect upon is what is so special about the Hajj that it is expected to produce some significant changes in the personality, attitude, and outlook of a person? Is there anything magical in the rites and rituals of the Hajj that produces the changes, or is it the constant conscious effort on the part of the performer to inculcate in himself/herself the spirit of those rites and rituals which brings about the desired changes? The reality is that unless a person performs every step of the Hajj immersed in and imbued with the spirit that each action represents, he/she will not fully realize the promised benefits of Hajj. This process of consciously soaking in the spirit of Hajj starts with the intention. As soon as you make an intention to perform Hajj, you should start reflecting on the lifestyle of Ibrahim, Isma'il, and Hajar. Allah has presented them as a model Muslim family. Hajj is, in fact, an intensive training in full, holistic, wholehearted, willing, and enthusiastic obedience and submission to Allah. This training is provided by making the believer simulate acts of love, dedication, and obedience performed by Ibrahim and his family. Hajj, in reality, is walking in the footsteps of that family, simulating the extraordinary acts of devotion they performed for the love of Allah. This provides a Muslim proper perspective as to how devoted and submissive to Allah a Muslim should be. So as soon as you decide to perform Hajj, you should start reviewing your lifestyle vis-a-vis the life style of Ibrahim and his family and see if you submit to Allah without reservation or hesitation as they did. Are you willing to sacrifice your most precious and cherished possessions, habits, preferences, and desires for the sake of Allah as Ibrahim did? Can you obey Allah without asking questions or without understanding why Allah wants us to do certain things? Can you jump into dangers and difficulties willingly and enthusiastically for the sake of Islam as Ibrahim did? Is pleasure of Allah and supremacy of Islam the most important goals in your life? Do the commands of Allah, the needs of the Ummah, and the call of Islam take precedence in your life over all your interests, needs, and aspirations? If the answer to any of these questions is not a resounding yes, you should start identifying where you need improvement and how you are going to get there. When you start for Hajj from your home, think of it as the beginning of a transformation process and not just a trip to sacred places. Start with a sincere repentance with a firm intention to change yourself to the desired level of commitment to Islam. Form specific mental images about how your attitude, personality, and outlook will be changing from your current state towards the Ibrahimic style and level as you proceed from home towards Al-Haram (Makkah). As you move through various stages in your journey, see your paradigm shifting with each step. When you remove your clothes and take a shower to put ihram on, visualize ridding yourself of all the old habits and behavior patterns that are not the best from the Islamic point of view and cleansing yourself from intentions and attitudes that are un-Islamic in nature and practice. When you put your ihram on, think of a new birth and a new beginning, start of a new life more like that of Ibrahim and Isma'il. While performing each rite of Hajj, keep in your mind the spirit of the rite and the act of Ibrahim that it simulates and feel the transformation of your attitude and personality accordingly. For example, when you arrive in Makkah and cool your eyes with the sight of the Holy Ka'bah and pray to Allah to increase its status and its sanctity, remember the purpose for which it was built. Remind yourself of how it was going to be the center of the Islamic movement to bring the whole of humanity to the worship of Allah. Dedicate yourself to that cause as Ibrahim and his family did. When performing Tawaf (circumambulation), feel the passionate, ardent love of Allah making you go round in humility in front of His greatness, also thinking at the same time that all your life in this world will be Allah-centered, revolving around Him, His love and His pleasure. When running between Safa and Marwah, see yourself running and striving throughout your life for the religion of Allah to establish it as the supreme, dominant way of life, while hoping that Allah accepts your efforts and rewards you with the success of the Islamic mission in this world and with His pleasure in the Hereafter, while at the same time being concerned that you may not be doing enough to achieve your goals or to earn Allah's pleasure and mercy. Standing in Arafat, you should feel the majestic presence of Allah in Whose audience you are standing as a humble slave. Preserve that feeling of Allah's presence in your consciousness throughout your remaining life. Your sacrifice should indicate your readiness, willingness, and enthusiasm to sacrifice your most cherished possessions for the sake of Allah. And throwing pebbles (rami) at Jamarat (satan's pillar of temptation) should signify that whatever little means you have, you are going to devote all you have in opposing and rejecting all the un-Islamic theories and sins and secular lifestyle that the devils of the world try to preach among Muslims or impose on them. It is this kind of Hajj that makes you pure and sin-free as if you are a newborn baby. If Hajj is not performed with that kind of spirit, its intended benefits will not be realized. An example from our predecessors will illustrate this point. A person who had just come back from Hajj came to visit Al-Junaid Al-Baghdaadi. After Junaid asked him where he was coming from, the following dialogue occurred between them: Hajji: I have just come back from Hajj to the House of Allah. Al-Junaid: Have you been to Hajj? Hajji: Yes, I have just performed it. Al-Junaid: When you proceeded from your home with the intention of Hajj, did you repent from all your sins? Hajji: I did not think about it. Al-Junaid: In that case, you did not even depart for Hajj. What about your journey, rest breaks, and stopovers? When covering distances, did you move mentally and spiritually closer to Allah, and at stopovers, did you feel dwelling in His remembrance? Hajji: It did not occur to me. Al-Junaid: You have not, then, really traveled to the House of Allah. How about putting on the ihram and replacing your usual clothes? When doing that act, did you abandon your undesirable habits and attitudes that had been part of your daily routines? Hajji: It did not cross my mind. Al-Junaid: Alas! You did not even put on ihram. But did you experience the presence of Allah while you were standing in 'Arafat? Hajji: What do you mean? Al-Junaid: When you were praying to Allah in 'Arafat, did you feel as if He was right in front of you and you are watching Him? Hajji: No, that was not how I felt. Al-Junaid: That means you did not even reach 'Arafat. I hope you left your worldly desires and aspirations in Muzdalifah. Hajji: I did not think about it. Al-Junaid: So, you have not even been to Muzdalifah. How was your Tawaf? Did you feel overwhelmed by an ardent attraction towards the perfect majesty of Allah Most High during Tawaf? Hajji: I do not think so. Al-Junaid: It is, then, as if you have not even performed Tawaf. Perhaps you understood the spirit, wisdom, and objective of running between Mounts Safa and Marwah. Hajji: Not really. Al-Junaid: In other words, you have not performed Sa'i (running between Safa and Marwah). Tell me about your sacrificial rites. While slaughtering the animal, did you sacrifice for the love of Allah Most High your own lusts and desires? Hajji: That did not come to my mind. Al-Junaid: In that case, you have not even offered sacrifice. What about throwing stones at the pillars? When performing that ritual, did you cast away your bad company, evil friends, and dirty plans? Hajji: This did not happen either. Al-Junaid: Unfortunately, you have not performed Rami (stoning rites) either. You must go back next year and re-perform the Hajj with the sentiments, spirit, and attitude mentioned above so that it can be a simulation of Ibrahim's experiences, described by the Qur'an as one who [who fulfilled his engagements] Source

^^can you post it?

Besides, instead of wasting your money in Club Rumba, All Nations (is that still open, old Londoners?) or Moonlight, why not give it to Xassan Adan Samatar, Khadra Dhahir or Saado Cali?

lol I apologise if i may have offended you or others but i see what i see saxib. I even have my glasses on and can see clearly now. The flag is not coming out of his mouth! Qudhac, there is no need saxib. It will not benefit you anything.

FB, do you know how to perform Umrah the 'right' way? Do you know why umrah was performed? Do you know why Hajj was ordained? Do you know the different part of the Kaba? The diff parts of the Mosque? The Virtues of Praying at Masjid Nabawi in Madina etc I will post something for you to read later IA

What if the married Somali man was a millionaire?

FB hajj is not a simple way of obtaining forgiveness as one will never know if he is forgiven or not. That you will only find out at the end. However, with everything there comes intentions. Going to perform Hajj requires a number of things including not going back to any sinning (intentional sins). If you are going to Hajj i would advise to read up on it as you do not have much time. Between now and then you should give up all sins (if you think you have any), read the Quran, prepare your Duas (learn the Prophets Duas if possible), prepare yourself mentally & physically etc At the end of the day your record is with Allah 'al rahmaan' alone, and it he who you need to concentrate your efforts on. Remember, your intentions should be sincere for a chance of acceptance. May allah accept your Duas and repentence. The Hajj season is upon us, anyone else going? My family are going, i was hoping to go this year but due to circumstances i cant.

Originally posted by Allamagan: quote:Originally posted by Northerner: ^^I dont think hes vomiting but the flag is weighing him down as its around his kneck. But i'm not wearing my glasses,,,,,, Ma saas baad adna keentay, thank you for your mocking humour adeer! Mocking? his mouth is under his nose and the flag is lower down (ie around his kneck) symbolising the flag weighing him down. I'm i wrong? let me know Mr sensitive :rolleyes: I see what i see but as i said before, my glasses are in the office.

The Poppy is a must for anyone appearing on TV in Oct/Nov or he may just want the TFG to get some much needed credibility The video was probably done by an eager editor with too much time on his hands. Maybe it was a TFG supporter - Duke? sorry could'nt resist

stoic you did well saxib, the politeness probably got you out of a potential confrontation!

What we should be dreading today is the tyranny of an arrogant secularism which hides its exclusionist and intolerant face behind the sublime mask of reason, enlightenment and progress.

The sickness of secularism The threat to tolerance and coexistence no longer comes from religion We are witnessing the rise of an arrogant secularist rhetoric founded on belief in the supremacy of reason and absolute faith in science and progress, dogmas which arouse ridicule in serious academic and intellectual circles nowadays. Hearing its proponents defend their rigid notions, you would be forgiven for thinking you were in the presence of the fathers of positivism: Auguste Comte, Diderot, or Condorcet, or that you were back in the Victorian and Napoleonic eras with their high hopes of remaking the world and human destiny in light of the utopias of reason and progress. These high priests of rationality, who in Britain include in their ranks such names as Richard Dawkins and Anthony Grayling have erected a world of dichotomies, borders and fences: secular v religious, rationality v superstition, progress v backwardness, public v private. This simplistic worldview fails to take account of the complexity of cultural and historical processes, or of intellectual and human phenomena. "Reason" itself, whose praises they sing night and day, is a perpetually changing mixture of many overlapping elements. It is neither abstract, nor intentional and does not confront the rich, labyrinthine human world as its other. It is quintessentially imbedded therein, in its emotions, languages, historical experiences, religious traditions and cultural heritage. There is no such thing as an ahistoric reason. This means that we do not have one but many rationalities, the Christian European, the Islamic, the Chinese, the Indian to name a few, each stamped by the specific conditions of its evolution, and in turn incorporating a multitude of sub-rationalities. Neither do these traditions of rationality exist isolated from each other. They have much in common, the product of the interactive and communicative activity of cultures. Aristotle's logos, Descartes' intellect and Kant's transcendental reason, are illusions, which no self-respecting thinker can afford to defend in the 21st century. The truth is that today's self- proclaimed guardians of enlightenment and rationality are offshoots of the intellectual poverty of eighteenth century positivism and scienticism, who disfigure philosophy and thought, history and reality. They are the victims of what may be referred to as a sick secularist consciousness. These contrast reason's absolute virtue with the evil of a straw man they have christened religion: a pack of superstitions, fairytales, demons, and angels, which intervene in the world only to corrupt and destroy it. They fail to realize that just as there are different species of secularism - the intolerant and the dogmatic (such as theirs), the open and the tolerant - there exist multiple forms of religion. Religion can be legalistic, spiritual, Gnostic, rationalized, conservative, innovative, quietist, reactionary, moderate and radical. These many expressions do not exclude one another but may be present in the same type of religiosity. An example of such intricate overlapping is the great Muslim thinker Abu Hamid al-Gazali (d. 1111), who was at once a brilliant jurist, philosopher, theologian, and mystic. Just as they simplify the breathtakingly complex phenomenon that is the human being, these missionaries of secularism impoverish the social order, filling it with sacred boundaries between the private and the public, and strictly laying down what may and may not be practiced in each. You may indulge in your religious "superstitions" behind the thick closed doors of your home, church, temple, or mosque. But the moment you step outside into the light of the secular sphere, you must discard your cross, turban, or headscarf. Communication, they insist, is only possible within uniformity. Such was the argument used in France to ban the Islamic headscarf in schools and government offices last year, and which is gaining currency in Britain today. What these ignore, willingly or naively, is that unless you suffer from schizophrenia, everything in your cognitive universe is interlinked and forms part of a single coherent whole through which you make sense of the world, its components and what takes place therein. There is a difference between recognizing the sanctity of the private and transforming it into a high fenced prison cut off from the rhythm of public life. A measure of the dynamism of a public sphere is its ability to incorporate multiple modes of expression and forms of life. If the radically secularist have a problem communicating with those who dress or speak differently from themselves, it is their problem and a symptom of their exclusionist dogmatism. It is not the problem of the religious. Secularist dogmatism is no less dangerous than its religious sibling. Secularism itself can be, and indeed has been in many historical instances, highly destructive. We should remember that Europe's modern history is scarred with the brutality of secular totalitarianism. Neither the Jacobins, fascists, Nazis or Stalinists were priests or theologians. They were fanatical secularists who worshipped in reason's grand temple and sacrificed hundreds of thousands for the god of progress, fervently vowing to create a new man and a new world on the ruins of the old. With the retreat of Christianity and shrinking of the ecclesiastical institution in Western Europe, the threat to tolerance and coexistence no longer comes from religion. What we should be dreading today is the tyranny of an arrogant secularism which hides its exclusionist and intolerant face behind the sublime mask of reason, enlightenment and progress. ------------------------------------------------- Hmmmm

I like my job reasonably enough not to quit! It pays and its challenging. Its life work, save, buy a house and then retire! Wishful thinking of becoming a millionaire does exist.

ps NORTH, You got it wrong about the Egyptian police. They actually have a division called 'Police Al Adaab' that deals with these issues and arrests anyone that breaks the law (unless that someone has some good connections of course). I remember a few years ago when a shed load of teenagers were arrested for worshipping the devil! They really were only Rock & Roll fans but the government and the police were having none of it and spread the story about devil worship (by order of Hosni himself). It took a long while for the families to get their children out. lool@ 'Police Al Adaab'b], are they like the secret police of KSA who roam the malls with bluetooth mobile phones pretending to be women?

^^you mean a 'Poppy'? Channel 4 news are a very good outlet and have shown us why with the video. I saw HOPE in the video, smiling women, street cleaning etc

^^I dont think hes vomiting but the flag is weighing him down as its around his kneck. But i'm not wearing my glasses,,,,,, For what its worth i fully support the UIC in defeating the TFG and its 'allies' for the sake of the people. A peaceful Somalia free of warlords and Ethiopian influence would be good for the people. Khayr bey noqondoonta inshal allah!

You are entitled to your opinion!

Finally

Shari'ah Law To Be Applied In Somaliland - President Rayale Hargeysa, Somaliland, October 24, 2006 – [Presenter] President Dahir Rayale Kahin of Somaliland has, for the first time, said Islamic shari'ah law would be applied in Somaliland. President Rayale’s remarks come at a time when Somaliland Muslim scholars have called on the president to make his stand clear regarding shari'ah. Muhammad Abdulle Elmi from Hargeysa has more on this. [Elmi] Somaliland President HE Dahir Rayale Kahin has disclosed that shari'ah law will be applied in Somaliland. The president was speaking at Hargeysa Jamia Mosque yesterday (21/10/06) where he joined thousands of people in Id prayers. [Rayale] In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful. I would like to disclose [rest of passage indistinct]. [Presenter] President Rayale Kahin's statement comes at a time when Somaliland Muslim scholars have appealed several times to [the president] that shari'ah be applied in Somaliland, as clearly stipulated in the constitution. The constitution clearly spells out that the religion of Somaliland nation is Islam, and that shari'ah should be the basis for all the legislative sources. Meanwhile, clerics from Buroa town [in southern Somaliland] on Sunday [22 October] held a news conference and urged the Somaliland president to make clear his stand regarding remarks attributed to Somaliland foreign minister, whom they said had offended the honor and feelings of the [somaliland] people. Up to now there has been no response from the government regarding the appeal made by the clerics from Buroa. However, political analysts say President Rayale’s speech on Monday could be an indirect response to the clarifications sought by the scholars from Buroa. Source: Radio HornAfrik, Mogadishu, in Somali 1600 gmt 24 Oct 06 BBC Monitoring