UN officials, US officials, and Iraqi officials have nothing now to speak about but the importance of holding the elections in time to establish 'democracy' in the war-torn country. I'm really astonished from this attitude. There was an official from the 'appointed' Iraqi government talking about the security cautions that were made to ensure the safety of the procedures of the elections. I guess they have not heard about the Hierarchy of Needs theory. It says that the lower needs in a hierarchy are more basic than the higher ones. That's to say; the Iraqi people who can't find good food and water won't be in bad need for democracy. Those who are living in real terror need security first before talking about elections. Everyday, there are tens killed by the American fires. I think the grief of their relatives won't be relieved by elections.
I may be a little bit conservative, but I think that the US and the Iraqi government should first see what the Iraqi people really need and then take care of elections!

I was looking for some information in my notebooks when I came across some a note that grabbed my attention. I have taken this note from a lecture I attended some time before. It said:

Science + Spirituality = Progress for All
Science – Spirituality = Destruction for All

لَبَّيـــْكَ اللهُمَ لَبَّيْــكَ فــيْ كلِّ صَعِيـــــد * مَرْحَـى ياْ أمَّــةَ الإسلامِ قدْ جـاءَ العيـدُ

وَ أتـــىْ خلــقُ اللهِ مِنْ كلِّ صَـــــوْبٍ * تَلْبِيَــةً لدَعْــوةِ إبراهيمَ وَ الشوقُ شديدُ

ليَحُجُّــــوا إلىْ البيتِ الحـــرامِ ببكـــةَ * كلُّ مَنْسَــك فيـه للمسلميـنَ ماْ يُفيــدُ

فيْ يومِ عَرَفـــَة خيــرِ يـــومٍ طَلَعَـــتْ * عَليــه شمسُ الإلـــه الكــلُّ مَوْجُــــودُ

عَرَفَــات اللهِ الذيْ شَهِـــدَ اللقاءَ الأوّلَ * يُنْبِئُنَــا أنَّ معصيــةَ اللهِ أمــرٌ مَرِيْــــدُ

كـلٌّ يُضَحِّـيْ يومَ النَحْــرِ بالأُضْحِيَـــة * يُطْعِـمُ منهاْ أهلَه وَعلىْ الفقيــرِ يَجُـودُ

مِنْ قَبْلُ سَبَقَهُم إبراهيمُ مِنْ بَعْدِ رُؤْيَتِه * متوكلاً يَشْغَلُهُ مِنْ ابنه المَفْدِيِّ الجِـيْدُ

إنَّ الصَفــاْ و المَروَة منْ شعائـــرِ اللهِ * يَطـــّوِّف الحجاجُ بهــا ذاْ سعيٌ حميـدُ

يَتْبَعون خُطَىْ هَاجَر التيْ تَّفََجَرَ لابْنِها * مــاءُ زمــزم نِعْــــمَ الـوِرْدُ المــَوْرودُ

مِنْ يومها وَ إلىْ يومِ القِيَامــةِ يَنْضَـخُ * مـاءاً طيبـاً قدسيَّ نِعْمَ الرِفْـدُ المَرْفُــودُ

و إلىْ الكَعْبَةِ المُشَرَّفةِ يَسْعـــونَ كلُّهم * لاْ يَمْتازُ مِنْ بينهـم البيضُ أو الســودُ

إِحْدَى خِصَـــال دِينِ مُحَمَّدٍ الحَنِيــفِ * دَعْـــوة أبينــاْ إبراهيــمَ ديـــنٌ يســـودُ

اجْتَمَعُـــوا بأمِّ القــُرَىْ البَلَـــدِ الحَرَامِ * لاْ يَقْتُـلُ الإنســـانُ فيهـــاْ وَ لا يَصِيْــدُ

جَاءُوا منْ كـــلِّ فَـــجٍّ مــنْ كَابُـلَ إلىْ * بَغْدَاد إلــىْ القُدْسِ يَجْمَعُهــم التَوْحِيـــدُ
َ
يَشْكُونَ حَالَ الأمَّةِ الَمْكُلومَةِ في أسىً * الَمسْجِدُ الأَقْصَىْ الأَسِيرُ مَنْ عنه يَذُودُ

إذاْ اتَّحَـــدَ المسلمـونَ قاطِبَةً هُــم قوةٌ * دُمِّرَ الطُغَاةُ أمريكـــان كانــواْ أو يَهُودُ

حَفَظَــكِ اللهُ ياْ أمَّـــةَ أَحْمَـــدَ النبـــيِّ * مِنْ كلِّ شَــــرٍ وَ حُفِــظَ مَجْـــدُك التَلِيدُ

اَخَــاْ الإسلامِ قدْ بَلَغْتَ بِذَلــِكَ المُنَـىْ * حَجَجْتَ البيتَ العَتِيْــقَ أْرْضَاكَ الَمِجيدُ

وَ إلىْ الَمِدينَةِ شَدَدْتَ رِحَالَك مِنْ بَعْدِ * يَلْقَاك فيْ بَلَدِ الأَنْصَارِ النبيُّ المَحْمُــودُ

يَهْفُـوْ فُؤَاْدِي وَ تَذُوبُ النَفْسُ شوقـــاً * عندماْ يَلُوحُ لِنَاظِرَيّ المَنْظَــرُ المَشْهُودُ

فارْزُقْنِي اللهمَّ حَجَّ بَيِِْتك عنْ قَريبٍ * أُجِبْ دَعْوَتــك رَبِ ذاكَ أمـرٌ مَنْشـــودُ

لبَّيــك اللـهـــمّ لبّيــك إنَّ الحمــــدَ * وَ المُلْكَ لك وَ النِعْمَةَ أنتَ الإلـهُ الَمَعْبُودُ


كل عام و الأمة العربية و الإسلامية بخير و سلام

This week I studied, in my Chemistry class, the structure of the chemical substance that gives the colour of skin, hair and eyes. It's called melanin and it's a protein-derivative (derivative of the amino acid Tyrosine in particular). It was really interesting the way the professor explained how melanin causes the pigmentation of skin and different tissues. He said that it's a "quantitative" not a "qualitative" difference in the amount of melanin pigments that causes the racial differences in eye colour from blue to green to brown to black and so as for skin and hair.

A few days ago I was watching the news and there was a report that drew my attention. The report was talking about religions in Switzerland and how Christianity is the formal religion there. Then the reporter mentioned that Islam isn't considered as a formal religion although Muslims make the second majority after Christians in Switzerland. Then he talked about a questionnaire that was conducted between the Swiss youth about "What do you know about Islam?" The striking results were that about 90% of those included in the questionnaire answered; "Bin Laden and Terror"!! I felt very annoyed because – as a Muslim – I see that this is untrue. I decided to defend my point of view. I'm not going to explain the rules or the philosophy of Islam, but I'll rather mention two incidents that happened to two great Muslims that symbolise the true spirit of Islam.

The first incident is for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but I'll first start by telling a story that many people who aren't Muslims don't know. When Muhammad started preaching for his new religion in Mecca, he and all the new followers were oppressed by the big leaders of Mecca (who were polytheists) and the poor and weak followers specially were severely tortured. So after years of suffering, the Muslims led by Muhammad decided to migrate to Yathreb (present day Medina) in order to get rid of the tyranny of Mecca infidels. There in Medina Muslims gained new followers and power and after several clashes with Mecca infidels, there was a truce that was signed between Muhammad and those (6 years after migration). However, two years latter, the infidels violated the truce, so Muhammad decided to return with all the Muslims to their home, Mecca. So they marched towards Mecca and managed to enter it without blood shed. The leaders of the infidels ran to hide in the Grand Mosque (Al-Ka'ba) to protect themselves from the Muslims who are seeking their revenge from those who have tortured them and kicked them out of there home. Then Muhammad stood in front of the door of Ka'ba and said, "What do you think I'm doing with you?" The infidels answered, "You are a generous brother and the son of a generous brother." So he said, "Go you are free!"

The second incident is for Ali Ibn Abi Taleb who was the ruler of the Islamic nation during the time this incident happened. One day he was walking in the street and saw a shield with a Jew that is typical to his that he lost and couldn't find at all. The Jew said that the shield was his and it didn't belong to Ali. So they went to court. The judge said to Ali you have to get the testimony that you are right (as it is a rule in judgment in Islam that testimony is to be on the one who claims his right in something). Ali said that his son Al-Hussein could witness that this shield was his father's but the judge refused the testimony of a relative of his. So the judge decided that the shield should be kept with the Jew and Ali shouldn't claim any right in possessing it.

I think that we have seen some of the values of Islam in these two occasions. In the first incident, no one would have blamed Mohamed for punishing the people who have tortured and killed many Muslims. If Islam was a religion of terror, we must have expected that these people would be killed but instead Muhammad, mercifully, forgave them for their crimes. In the second incident we see the extreme justice and tolerance. The judge wasn't frightened from the ruler of the country and wasn't biased against the Jew and he gave everyone his right. If this was a religion of terror we wouldn't expect that Jews (who had many wars with Muslims) would take their rights under Islamic reign. But this is the true spirit of Islam; tolerance, mercy and justice. And by the way, that Jew then confessed that the armour was Ali's and he entered in Islam after this incident.

There are other hundreds of incidents that could be mentioned in this respect but I mentioned these two in particular because they were the first that came to my mind when I watched that report. I wish that through what I have mentioned, I have changed, even in a small way, the view that many people hold against Islam. Islam is religion of peace. Just see how the pilgrims (2-3 millions) each year gather in Mecca in the season of Hajj from all over the world moving in peace nothing relating them but the love of this religion.
I just wish to end with some lines for the famous German poet Goethe,

"Stupid that everyone in his case
Is praising his particular opinion!
If Islam means submission to God,
We all live and die in Islam."