UNITY

Bismillah. I came across this in the MWL Director’s library yesterday. Photo of title page attached, undated.

It is the late Yemeni Sheikh Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi’i’s research paper (possibly BA or MA thesis) at the Islamic University of Madinah (Medina).

Sheikh Muqbil was a strict salafi. His centre in Dammaj, Yemen, has been the scene of fighting between salafis and shias over the last year, in which two British salafis were killed.

Topic: “The dome over the Prophet’s grave, may Allah bless him and grant him peace”

(In it, he argues that the dome should be removed, unless this step would provoke conflict. This is interesting, given the recent destruction of shrines in Yemen & Mali. Before it in the volume is an article refuting the Ghulat or “Extremist Shias.”)

Supervisor: Sheikh Hammad al-Ansari, a leading Hadith scholar, may Allah have mercy upon him.

Examiner: Sheikh Abdul Ghaffar al-Hindi (“the Indian”), who was my paternal grandfather, may Allah have mercy upon him.

Bismillah.

Hello Restless Beings!

Firstly, thank you very very much for standing in solidarity with the Rohingya community by signing the petition and showing your support. We need your continued activism to ensure that the torture and unfair treatment the Rohingya are facing by the Burmese Government stops via international pressure.

To make it easy, we’ve created a Restless Beings ROHINGYA ACTION PACK for you below, with a list of 7 simple but effective ways to get our message out to the masses ASAP. These will take no more then a few minutes to do and collectively can have a huge impact on an international level.

1. Social Media Profile Pictures

Get a piece of paper, write ‘Remember Rohingya’ and take a picture of your self holding it, and then upload this on your social media account (Facebook / Twitter) and add this url > http://www.restlessbeings.org/projects/rohingya

Be as creative as you like, you can take this picture with friends, or you just by yourself … but please ensure you add the link, so when people look at the picture they can also click on the link and find out more and have up-to-date info.

2. Media Statement

We have prepared a media statement on behalf of community organisations and businesses to ask news corporations to end the media blackout from Burma on this issue and to report according to international standards and without bias. If you know or run any organisation/business/network you can show support by emailing us their logo to rohingya@restlessbeings.org

For more information on this and to see who has shown their support, click here > http://www.restlessbeings.org/projects/rohingya/media-statement

3. Special Event focussing on Human Stories of Rohingya (Press Conference)

A special event for press and limited guests

This event will look at the human stories behind recent clashes and the ensuing state-led campaign against the Rohingya in Burma.

Monday 23 July 2012, 6.30pm – 8pm
Brady Arts and Community Centre
192-196 Hanbury Street
London E1 5HU.

Space is limited, for more information and to register for this free event click here.

4. Tweet Up

On Monday, 23 July 2012 (same day as the press conference), we will have an international tweet up on Twitter. Look us up @RestlessBeings.

The tweet up will go on from 6 – 11pm UK time – the more people we have tweeting, the more chance we have of getting the topic trending to grab media attention.

5. Social Media Promotion: Facebook & Twitter

Social Media is a great way to raise awareness. See below for a few examples of statuses you can use on either Facebook or Twitter:

Described by the UN as the most persecuted community in the world yet their struggle is largely unknown. #Rohingya #Burma #Arakan http://www.restlessbeings.org

Help give a voice to one of the most marginalised communities in the world #SOSRohingya

Ethnic cleansing campaign of the #Rohingya in #Burma needs mainstream coverage #humanrights please spread the word, this community is being killed http://www.restlessbeings.org

6. Forwarding e-mail

You may have a lot of email contacts and need a simple email to forward and let your friends, colleagues and family know about this community. See below, an email ready for you to forward and share:

Hey! I just wanted to let you know about a community I am supporting. Not sure if you have heard about them, they are described by the UN as the most marginalised community in the world. They are the Rohingya people in Arakan (Burma), who are being ethnic cleansed as we speak. They have no right to citizenship, have been denied this for years, they cannot even get married or have children without state permission, which is a lengthy process and can take 4-10 years and often leads to a rejection. They have no freedom of movement in their own country, they are now being raped, totured, killed and the whole community slowly wiped out or rejected out of Burma. It is a serious issue and I am really keen to raise awareness for this community as much as possible. To find out more, see links below, and please please forward this on to your contacts. It is so important for us to ensure the struggles of our global family do not get swept under the carpet. Thank you

Rohingya info > http://www.restlessbeings.org/projects/rohingya

Rohingya Press Conference > http://www.restlessbeings.org/events/rohingya-the-human-story

7. Contact your local MP

It’s necassary to get in touch with our MP’s/Senators and ask them to work on our behalf at a time of humanitarian crisis which is not only an Asian/Burmese issue, but an international issue.

Petition your MP/ Senator. It is their duty to represent your desire for human rights, equality for all and to ask our Governments to urge for humanitarian aid and relief for the Rohingya.

In the UK http://www.writetothem.com

In the US http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Also sign the Restless Beings Petition

Hopefully these 7 steps are other little things you can do to continue to show your support and work with us to ensure we do not stop supporting this community and will do anything and everything we can to get it in the hearts and minds of the masses.

Love, Light & Lollipops
The Restless Beings team

©2012 Restless Beings | 49-55 Golden Hillock Road, Birmingham B10 0JU

Bismillah. Please refer to http://www.crescentmoonwatch.org, “next new moon” tab.

* A sensible Ramadan start date for the whole world is Saturday 21st July 2012. *

Details

19th July: Conjunction (astronomical new moon or birth of the moon) around 0424 UT. New crescent moon (hilal) visible only from the Southern Pacific Ocean.

20th July: hilal visible throughout Australasia, Asia, Africa, Southern Europe (although not the UK) and the Americas.

21st July: hilal visible throughout the world, including the UK.

Therefore, based on crescent-sighting and instant telecommunication (refer to Ibn Taymiyyah’s fatwas about the relevance of knowledge and communication in moonsighting, available at https://unity1.wordpress.com), 21st July is a sensible Ramadan start date for the whole world, God-willing.

May God accept the fasting, prayers, charity and worship of all His servants.

Usama Hasan
Senior Researcher (Islamic Studies), Quilliam & Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society

9th July 2012

Bismillah. From 21 June to 18 Sept 2012, any donations made to WaterAid’s Malawi appeal will be matched by the UK govt, effectively doubling the amount. See http://www.thebigdig.org for details. Please contribute, & share this message – thanks!

Note: this period roughly corresponds to three lunar months. In the Arabian/Islamic calendar, they are Sha’ban, Ramadan & Shawwal 1433.

Bismillah.

—

The Cambridge Muslim College invites applications for the post of Research Fellow to be based at the College’s facility in Cambridge, United Kingdom, for one academic year with effect from 1 November 2012.

The College seeks an outstanding candidate who is engaged in innovative, robust and world-class research who will make a major contribution to the College’s intellectual life. During his or her appointment at the College the post-holder will be expected to complete a significant research project, preferably taking the form of three articles for peer-reviewed publications, or the preparation of a monograph. The College is especially interested in post-doctoral students with a specialisation in Islamic Studies, interfaith relations, or British Muslim studies.

In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to offer a maximum of six lectures, participate in seminars and attend the College’s public lectures on behalf of the College.

The successful applicant will be expected to begin on 1st November 2012 and the post will continue to 31st October 2013. Applicants must have completed a PhD in a relevant discipline by the start date for this post, and must demonstrate a commitment to the aims and ethos of the College. The Research Fellow will be given access to the College’s library, office space and equipment, and administrative support. The successful applicant will be remunerated at a rate of £29,133 per annum. The College has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

The deadline for applications to be received at the College is 10.00am, 2nd July 2011.

Applicants should submit a covering letter, a personal statement, curriculum vitae and two sealed letters of recommendation (including one from a thesis supervisor). The personal statement should describe the ambitions and interests of the applicant, should include a synopsis of the PhD and an outline of the research project or projects that the applicant would undertake during the period of engagement. Inclusion of published work would be an advantage.

Applications should be submitted by post to:

Cambridge Muslim College,

14 St Paul’s Road,

Cambridge,

CB1 2EZ.

The Cambridge Muslim College is an equal opportunities employer. Information about the College may be found at www.cambridgemuslimcollege.org.

Further particulars may be obtained from Atif Imtiaz: ai@cambridgemuslimcollege.org