Vegetarians In Islam

VEGETARIANS IN ISLAM

A growing number of Muslims are giving up mammal meat or
all animal and fish flesh.

http://www.bmf.org

Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm

http://ipaki.com/content/html/28/1203.html

Muslim vegetarians
http://www.ivu.org/news/1-96/muslim.html

http://www.islamveg.com

http://www.crescentlife.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Muslim-

Vegetarians/http://www.allaahuakbar.net/jain/religious.htm
http://www.islamicconcern.com

http://members.aol.com/yahyam/muslim_vegetarian.html

http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/bhaktiyoga/islamveg.htm

http://www.veg.ca/newsletr/janfeb96/Islam_recipes.html

http://www.islamicconcern.com/fatwas.asp

http://www.answers.com/topic/druze

The Druze are Muslim
vegetarians of Lebanon. One wellknown vegan Druze is Casey
Kasem.
http://www.saibaba.org/

The Saint of Shirdi who left his
body in 1918 is revered by Muslims and nonMuslims
http://www.saibaba.org/saisatc.html

is an online book
about the Saint of Shirdi
http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/quranicmyths/sbqm.htm



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Vegetarians of all religions in some ways have more in common
with each other than with nonvegetarians of their faith.
Whether for purity of diet, compassion toward animals, creation
of greater food yield per acre, environmental protection, health,
esthetics, energy conservation, religious beliefs or other, there are
a growing
number of vegetarian adherents in all faiths, while no faith
has enough.

Forgive poster's ignorance if anything herein gives offense

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SPARE THE SPARROW:

MUSLIM PRAYERS from the book ISLAMIC CONCERN FOR ANIMALS
by Al_Hafiz B. A. Masri, Athene Trust, 3A Charles St.
petersfield, Hampshire, England

"There is no man who kills a sparrow or anything smaller without its
deserving it but God will question him about it. He who takes pity on
a sparrow and spares its life, Allah will be merciful
on him on the Day of Judgment."

"The Holy Prophet Muhammad was asked by his companions if kindness to
animals was rewarded in the life hereafter. He replied
'Yes there is meritorious reward for kindness to
every living creature'."

*
The Holy Prophet once passed by a camel who was so emaciated
that his belly had shrunk to his back. He said to the owner
of the camel 'Fear God in these dumb animals and ride them only when
they are fit to be ridden, free them from work while
they are still in good health.'


'Whoever is kind to the lesser creatures is kind to himself'.
Prophet Muhammad

"There is not an animal on the earth nor a flying creature flying
on two sings but they are peoples like unto you." Koran surah 6 verse
38

"but to hunt ... is forbidden you, so long as ye are on the
pilgrimage. Be mindful of your duty to Allah, unto Whom you will all
be gathered."
Koran surah 5 verse 96

"The Prophet told his companions of a woman who would be sent to hell
for having locked up a cat, not feeding her, not even
releasing her so that he could feed herself"

"The Prophet told his companions of a serf who was blessed by Allah
for saving the life of a dog by giving him water to drink and
quenching his thirst.

The Prophet was asked if acts of charity to animals were regarded
by God. He replied: "Yes there is a reward for acts of charity to
every beast alive."

The Prophet was seen wiping the face of his horse with his gown
(jullabiyah). When asked why he was doing that, he replied:
"Last night I had a reprimand from Allah regarding my horse for
having neglected him."

(Elsewhere Mohammed is recorded as having seen a cat
sleeping on his cloak. He cut away only that part of the cloak
the cat was not on for himself.


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Investigating Halal Meat

Facts about the source of some "halal" meat.
The recent discovery of mad cow disease in United States cattle has
prompted many Muslims to question the halal status of their meat.
According to a recent report, halal meat is still susceptible to mad
cow disease.

Please click on the following links to learn about the vulnerability
of the halal food supply and to discover the best ways to protect
yourself and your family from mad cow disease. We recommend adopting
a halal diet free of meat and other animal products, as have many
Muslims familiar with the issue of mad cow disease.

Mad Cow: It Is Time to Be Natural and Organic
How to Survive the Food Madness

All the meat produced and exported from India is advertised and sold
as "halal." However, when representatives from People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA), along with a documentary crew, observed
the loading and unloading, transport, and slaughter of cows and
buffaloes used for meat in India, they found that most meat produced
under current standards is not halal, but is instead "haram," and
therefore should be avoided by all conscientious Muslims.

The report below describes the findings of the delegation and offers
simple suggestions that may be implemented to alleviate the
unnecessary suffering of cattle killed for food.



Report on the Transport and Slaughter Conditions of Indian Cattle
Used For Meat Export

Click on the image above to watch video of the transport and
slaughter of Indian Cattle
RealPlayer required
The delegation witnessed egregious animal abuse, shocking not only in
and of itself, but also in light of the many strict Indian anti-
cruelty laws and the Indian constitution's admonition for citizens to
show concern for animals. For Muslims, these findings will be
disturbing because Islamic teachings of kindness to animals and
proper adherence to halal methods are being blatantly ignored

The enormous suffering of Indian cattle during transport and
slaughter can be greatly reduced with little effort. It is hoped
that, once informed, consumers will demand that exporters,
transporters, and slaughterhouses ensure that the animals involved
receive proper care throughout all phases of meat production. The
steps to implement vital changes are simple and inexpensive. PETA
calls on government officials in India and in the importing
countries, as well as those in the slaughterhouse and transportation
industries, to see that these steps are immediately taken and that
oversight provisions be instituted to ensure strict adherence to them.


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Anwaar:

Jesus is the messenger of Allah.
Jesus' message is peace.
(paraphrased)



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F M Esfandiary

The Lamb

F M Esfandiary, from the book
The Day of Sacrifice:

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When the butcher finished sharpening his knives, my
2 cousins helped him untie the lamb from the tree and lead her to a
spot near the pond. As if sensing danger the lamb stood still,
refusing to budge. Unable to push or drag the lamb, the men tried to
carry her. But the lamb, visibly filled with fright, kicked and
struggled. Putting aside his knives, the butcher skillfully subdued
the animal and carried her to the pond. The cousins kept the lamb
down by firmly pinning her limbs. As was the custom the butcher
forced open her mouth and poured some water into it.

The lamb's eyes were filled with terror as she strained and
struggled to free herself. Cautioning my cousins not to release the
animal's limbs, the butcher picked up his sharpest butcher knife and
holding back the lamb's struggling head, began to cut
her throat.

Wailing and bleating the lamb struggled to get away. Her eyes,
soft and innocent, now rolled and rolled, full of terror. As the
relentless knife cut deeper the weeping of the lamb became more
and more agonized. The blood spurted out in every direction
as her head slowly sagged. Then soft wool was quickly covered
with blood. Her eyes closed, then opened again, and remained
misty and lifeless. Her limbs no longer had to be held. The
butcher continued to cut the gory throat til her head
was severed from her body.
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F.M. Esfandiary

FM-2030, a noted author, lecturer and consultant to business and
industry died on July 8, 2000. FM was born with a conventional name
but changed both his first and last names to reflect his beliefs and
his confidence in the future. As he explains, "conventional names
define a person's past: ancestry, ethnicity, nationality, religion. I
am not who I was ten years ago and certainly not who I will be in
twenty years. The name 2030 reflects my conviction that the years
around 2030 will be a magical time- In 2030 we will be ageless and
everyone will have an excellent chance to live forever. 2030 is a
dream and a goal."

His childhood was spent in consulates, embassies and government
outposts around the world. He was equally at home in London, New
York, Miami, Jerusalem, Damascus and Los Angeles. His formal
education began in an Iranian primary school, continued in an English
school, a French Jesuit school in Jerusalem, and a term in a girl's
convent school in Lebanon where he was the only boy. In the late 40s
after attending schools in Europe he went to the United States and
attended Berkeley, then U.C.L.A. He came to London in 1948 as a
member of the Iranian team at the Olympic Games. FM served at the
United Nations on the Conciliation Commission for Palestine, later
leaving to devote his time to writing.

Day of Sacrifice, FM's first novel, was selected by the New York
Herald Tribune as one of the best novels of 1959. It has been
translated into eleven languages and is on the required reading list
of the U.S. State Department. In an interview with FM the writer
noted: "-But there is a difference between Esfandiary and Camus. The
latter is essentially a pessimist. It is the human condition that is
absurd. Esfandiary is an optimist. He has hope, because he has a deep
faith in man. He is convinced that technological progress, the
contact of cultures, etc-. will free man from his present miseries.
Given time, man will even deliver himself from his supreme tragedy ---
death. Man can be made perfect."

FM moved from writing novels to writing non-fiction, changing his
name along the way, and dealing with the human condition and the
central themes which engaged him throughout his life.

FM appeared many times on network programs such as : The Today Show,
Good Morning America, Live with Larry King, Future Watch, Not for
Women Only and many others.

His views and forecasts were both provocative and visionary and
uncannily right on the mark. At the time he made his forecasts both
in his books and in the media they were controversial and viewed as
impossible. Now we take many of them for granted. Just an example of
some of his forecasts: in the 1970s and 1980s as everyone was
concerned with the weapons race and security, FM's projections showed
the reasons for the de-acceleration of the arms race; as early as the
1970s he anticipated the breakdown of communism; while the Club de
Rome and others made dire predictions, worrying about and raising
alarms regarding scarcity of energy, resources, food and water, FM in
an article published in The New York Times wrote about the Age of
Abundance; in the early 70s he carried out and anticipated our
current dress down mode; his book "Telespheres" anticipated
telemedicine, teleducation, telebanking, etc.; as early as 1974 he
was lecturing and writing articles about physical longevity and the
possibility of physical immortality.

Alvin Toeffler, a friend and colleague of FM's since the early 1960s,
says about FM: "He is gutsy and truly a visionary-One doesn't have to
agree with everything he says to be refreshed by it."

E-Reads books by F.M. Esfandiary

(Mr Esfandiary was a vegetarian)





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Muslim Vegetarians
Vegetarian Muslims need venues and ways to network with one another.
This is one such venue.
E-Mail: Muslim-Vegetarians-owner@yahoogroups.com

Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Muslim-Vegetarians/





If you notice any incorrect information on this page, please let us
know.



Detailed Information:
Muhammed reportedly said that it is better to eat milk than to eat
meat. But even if Muhammed was a lactovegetarian, more and more
Muslims are discovering veganism. Wherever vegetarian Muslims are on
the spectrum, and regardless of the rationale, this is a good place
to make friends and discuss common values, background, and outlooks.


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Islamic Holy Ones

By Airavata das

Saints of Islam have laid great stress on leading a noble life, a
life of renunciation and compassion, eating simple food and
abstaining from meat. They themselves avoided any meat-eating. Sheikh
Ismail, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, Abu Ali
Qalandas, Shah Inayat, Mir Dad, Shah Abdul Karim etc. were Muslim
saints whose path was pious living centered on self-restraint, love
and affection for all and vegetarian eating. They said:

Ta bayabin dar bahishte aden ja,
shafkate banumaye ba khalke Khuda.

"If you want to live in heaven for all time to come, then behave in a
spirit of compassion and sympathy with the entire creation of God."

The famous Muslim saint, Mir Dad, said that anyone who eats flesh of
any living being shall have to repay it with his own flesh. He who
breaks another living being's bone shall have his own bones broken.
Every drop of blood shed will have to be accounted for by one's own.
Because that is the eternal law.

The great Muslim saint Sarmad condemned meat-eating by saying that
the light of life is asleep in metals, is dreaming in plants, is
awake in animals and is completely alert in human beings. Kabir,
addressing Muslims, makes it clear that even fasting (rosa) is in
vain if its practitioner lets his tongue dictate the killing of
living beings for the sake of its taste. Allah will not be pleased
this way.

During silloh also no meat is taken, because it is said that meat is
a bad food which disturbs prayers. Everyone knows that meat-eating
increases passion. It is very difficult to pray and concentrate mind
on Allah in a passionate condition. Therefore it is recommended by
great saints of all ages that vegetarian food is much more
appropriate for spiritual practices. If one wants to increase peace
of mind and concentration on Allah, he should decrease, or better
stop, meat-eating. It is practical advice from which everyone will
immensely benefit.

Summarizing the above-mentioned statements, we can easily and
naturally conclude that meat-eating is a great impediment on the path
of of self-realization. Those who are sincerely trying for spiritual
progress should restrain from meat-eating. On the path of decreasing
material attachments and increasing spiritual attachment to Allah,
restraining meat-eating is compulsory.

In the Qur'an very clear instruction is given about what is intended
for human food:

"And We (Allah) said, O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden
and eat you freely of the fruits thereof where you will". (2.35)

"And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good
works, that theirs are Gardens beneath which rivers flow; every time
they are fed with fruits therefrom." (2.25)

All is He Who created the heavens and earth and causes water to
descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you."
(14.32)

"Who has appointed the earth a resting place for you, and the sky a
canopy; and causes water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing
fruits as food for you." (2.22)

From these ayats of the Qur'an it is obvious that when Allah created
Adam and Eve, He gave them fruits as food. And when the pious will go
to paradise, they will have their food in the form of fruits. Then
when Allah created earth, He "produced fruits as food" for mankind.
Also from the very life of Hazrat Muhammad we can see his daily food
was bread, milk and palm dates. Sometimes in his life he sacrificed
sheep or camels, but never cows or bulls.

There is only one story in the Holy Qur'an (2.67-71) which describes
the sacrifice of a cow.

"When Moses said to his people: 'Allah commands you that you
sacrifice a cow.'

They said: 'Do you make game of us?'

He answered: 'Allah forbid that I should be among the foolish!'

They said: 'Pray for us unto your Lord that He makes clear to us what
(cow) is.'

(Moses) answered: 'He says that the cow should be neither too old nor
too young but middling age; now do what you are commanded!'

They said: 'Pray for us unto your Lord that He makes clear to us of
what color she is.'

(Moses) answered: 'He says that she is a yellow cow. Bright is her
color, gladdening beholders.'

They said: 'Pray for us unto your Lord that He makes clear to us what
(cow) she is. To us are all cows alike; if Allah wills, we may be
lead aright.'

(Moses) answered: 'He says that she is a cow not trained to till the
soil or water the fields, whole and without a mark.'

They said: 'Now has you brought the truth.' Then they sacrificed her,
though they scarcely did it."

This story was accepted in Jewish traditions, which are themselves
based on certain sacrificial directions in the Old Testament. The cow
story of Jewish tradition is based on Num. 19:1-10, in which Moses
and Aron ordered the Israelites to sacrifice a red cow without a
spot. Thus Moses announced the sacrifice to the Israelites and they
treated it as a jest. When Moses continued solemnly to ask for the
sacrifice, they put him off on one followed by another, asking a
number of questions which they could have answered themselves if they
had listened to Moses's directions. Their questions were carping
criticisms rather than the result of a desire for information. It was
a mere thin pretense that they were genuinely seeking for guidance.
When hey at last were driven into a corner, they made the sacrifice,
but if they did this willingly then the sacrifice would have been
more efficacious for their purification from sin. The cow's body was
to be burnt and the ashes were to be kept for the purification of the
congregation from sin.

We can see and learn from this narration that the killing of a cow
was very dangerous and not part of the teachings. So much so that the
people were very hesitant to commit such an act even when the order
came from high authority, Prophet Moses. So this particular sacrifice
was not carried whimsically but with due consideration. We should
understand also that the cow was not simply killed for the sake of
eating but the body of the cow was burnt and ashes were to be used
for the higher purpose of purifying the people from their sins. It is
very important to mention that also in the present age cow sacrifice
is forbidden because no qualified persons are available to conduct
such a sacrifice.

Thus by reading Holy Qur'an we can conclude that cow killing is not
sanctioned there and the only mentioned cow sacrifice was not meant
for meat-eating but for purification from sins.

The Iranian scholar Al-Ghazzali (1058-1111) was one of the most
brilliant philosophers of Islam. He has stated that besides pieces of
bread whatever we eat is simply to satisfy our urges. At the age of
28 he headed the institute of Islam in Baghdad. His main book, Ihya
Ulum ul-Din - The Revival of Religious Sciences, is highly respected.
In this book (part 2, page 23, lines 17-19) the detrimental effects
of beef and virtues of ghee and milk from cow are stated:

"The meat of cow is marz (disease), its milk is safa (health) and its
ghee is davat (medicine)."

It is not more intelligent ot protect cows and use their milk and
ghee for our benefit? The cow is considered a mother of mankind
because she gives us such valuable product as milk. As a mother feeds
her child with her breast milk, similarly the cow feeds mankind with
her milk. It has been scientifically proven that if one regularly
drinks cow milk, his fine brain tissues develop. As a result one's
memory capacity increases thus favoring remembrance of Allah.
Therefore the cow and its milk is very important for proper
development of human society and killing the cow is the greatest sin.
Those who are eager to eat meat can eat less important animals like
sheep and goat but cows should be protected.

Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque in London, England, Al-Hafiz B. A.
Masri, says that the Qur'an is itself is very specific about
prevention of cruelty to animals. Muslims who form one-third of the
world's total population need to begin a movement for the prevention
of cruelty to animals based on Islamic tenets. It is time to ensure
that all precepts laid down in the Qur'an against cruelty to animals
are followed strictly everywhere in the world. Therefore he wants to
start a unit of the Society for Protection from Cruelty to Animals in
the Islamic world. Animal welfare worker Al-Hafiz B. A. Masri would
love to see the world embrace vegetarianism.

In his book Islamic Concern for Animals Al-Hafiz Masri has expressed
sorrow about the excessive killing of animals in the name of
religion. Quoting from the Holy Qur'an, Majeed and the teachings of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad he described all acts of torturing of
animals and even keeping birds in cages as sinful. According to him
even cutting of trees is prohibited in Islam. On page 18 Imam Saheb
has repeated the saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad:

"There is no one who kills even a sparrow or anything smaller,
without its deserving it, but God will question him about it."

"He who takes pity even on a sparrow and spares its life, Allah will
be merciful on him on the day of Judgement."

Imam Masri is himself a vegetarian and advises everyone to adopt
vegetarianism.


Related:

Islamic Concern: Animals in Islam (islamveg.com)
Islamveg.com: Islam and vegetarianism
Vegetarian News - Islamic vegetarians
International Vegetarian uniion - Food of the Gods
Islam Online- Health & Science Section
vegetarian ABC -- why/how
Muslims can't be Vegetarian? : Islam : Dietary Law
Feasts of the prophet
JesusVeg.com: Scholarly Works: Islam & Vegetarianism
veg blog: Islam and Vegetarianism
vegeterian muslims


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Correcting Misimpressions

Who says Muslims can't be Vegetarian?
Yahya Monastra



The option to be vegetarian has always existed in Islam, whether or
not it was actualized at any time or place. The great Sufi Râbi`ah al-
`Adawîyah of Basrah was an early Muslim vegetarian. In recent times,
the renowned Sufi shaykh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a notable vegetarian
Muslim. Nowadays there are more and more Muslims in different
countries choosing to be vegetarian, although they have mostly kept
quiet about it.

Sometimes we get negative, hostile, indignant, or incredulous
reactions from other Muslims who have never considered the
possibility. One common line of attack goes, "You can't make harâm
what Allah has made halâl! That is a sin!" Excuse me, but who ever
said anything about making anything harâm? Why even bring that issue
into it? Why do they have to think of everything in life in terms of
force and compulsion and forbidding? In Islamic law there are more
categories than just obligatory and harâm. There are various shadings
of desirable and undesirable, and in the middle there is the neutral
(al-mubâh). The choice of what halâl food to eat is a neutral one---
it doesn't have any direct bearing on what is forbidden or
obligatory. I'm not making meat "harâm." I just don't wish for any,
thank you.

Some Muslims will tell you that in Islamic law you are not allowed to
refuse to eat meat. This is mere opinion unsupported by any evidence
from the sources of the Shari`ah. Suppose they establish the "Islamic
State," then how will they enforce this ruling? Hold me down, force
my mouth open, and shove kebabs down my throat? Come on, I don't
think so.

Others try to persuade you by saying that the Prophet, peace be upon
him, ate meat, so you should too. Well, let's look closer at that
argument. We all know that we should try to emulate the Prophet's
sunnah. And what is more important in the Sunnah: to observe specific
details of the Prophet's personal taste which others may or may not
share? Or to abide by the great universal principles of behavior and
character that he exemplified?

The Prophet recognized that each person is a unique autonomous
individual with his or her own personality. When giving advice to
individual Companions, he would specifically tailor the advice
according to that person's own characteristics. He did not enforce
any overbearing uniformity on the people. Especially when it came to
eating, he recognized that different people have different tastes.
And for that matter, not even the Prophet and his Companions ate meat
all the time; it was only once in a while that they did, not every
day. Some Muslims seem to be under the impression that eating meat is
the sixth pillar of Islam or something, but clearly there is no
reason for thinking so.

The one overall guideline on food that the Prophet gave was: Eat of
what is halâl and what is agreeable to you. That says it all. Within
the wide range of halâl food, each individual can choose to eat
whatever suits him or her.

If people want to follow the Prophet's sunnah of eating, consider
this: The Prophet ate what he liked and he left aside what he didn't
like. That's all we vegetarians are doing! Furthermore, he never
coerced anyone else into eating what they didn't like. How about
imitating this sunnah?

There was a Bedouin tribe whose custom it was to eat lizards, and the
Prophet never forbade them from doing so. But he himself would never
eat a lizard. This shows that just because something is "halâl," that
doesn't require you to eat it if you don't want to.

The bottom line is: no one has the authority to dictate to you what
halâl food you can choose to put into your body. I slamic law is
completely neutral on this issue; it is only a private matter for
each individual to decide for his or her self.

Moreover, note that the Qur'ân does not simply say to eat halâl meat:
it says to eat what is good and wholesome (tayyib), and what is
halâl. Therefore, if any food is not tayyib, the Qur'ân does not
encourage us to eat it. Considering the diseases linked with meat
eating (hardening of the arteries, which causes circulatory failure
and stroke, in addition to other ills; gout; E. coli infection; and
Mad Cow Disease), the hormones artificially put into animals, the
filthy conditions of feedlots and slaughterhouses, and the danger of
meat going bad, I can only conclude that meat does not pass the test
of being tayyib, so Muslims are better off without it.

Ever since I became vegetarian, I feel lighter, fresher, happier,
healthier. I can think better. Now, who will argue with that?


Hadith on Milk, Ghee and Beef

This comes from the famous hadith collection Zâd al-ma`âd by Ibn
Qayyim. I have been all through the many hadith books and I have
never found any saying that the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him,
ate beef. In fact, he advised against it. If this guidance from the
Prophet would be better known, then it could really help to ease the
tensions between Hindus and Muslims over the beef issue, if the
Muslims would leave off eating beef on the advice of their own
Prophet. Let there be peace and harmony between Hindus and Muslims,
peace and harmony in the whole world. I wish that could come true!

First, the hadith in the original Arabic:

`an suhayb radiya Allâh `anhu yarfa`uhu:
`alaykum bi-laban al-baqar fa-innahâ shifâ' wa-samnuhâ dawâ' wa-
lahmuhâ dâ'.

The Urdu translation:

hazrat suhaib raziyallâhu `anh se rivâyat hai keh huzûr-e akram sallá
Allâh `alaihi va-sallam ne farmâyâ:
"gâ'î kâ dûdh isti`mâl karnâ lâzim pakaR lo, kyûnkeh us men shifâ
hai, aur us ke ghî men davâ kî tâsîr hai, aur us ke gosht men rog
hai."

Free translation in English:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"You should use cows' milk, because it is good for health, and cows'
ghee is good for health, but beef is bad for health."

Actually, the literal meaning of the words the Prophet used is much
stronger than that. He said that milk is "healing," ghee
is "medicine," and beef is "disease."

Urdu commentary by Hafiz Nazr Ahmad:

mustadrak-e hakîm kî kitâbuttibb men pahlî hadîs yeh hai keh
rasûlullâh sallallâhu `alaihi va-sallam ne farmâyâ, "allâh ne ko'î
bîmârî nahîn utârî jis kî davâ nah utârî ho, aur gâ'î ke dûdh men har
bîmârî se shifâ kî tâsîr hai." us kitâb kî tîsrî hadîs men shifâ kî
vajah yeh farmâ'î, "kyûnkeh gâ'î har dirakht se cartî hai -- fa-
innahâ tarummu min kull shajar."

yeh ek haqîqat hai keh ûnT, bhens, bheR, bakrî, aur dusre tamâm
janvaron ke muqâbalah men gâ'î kâ dûdh sab se a`lá hai. tamâm
mazarrat se pâk hai aur muta`addid `avâriz ke liye shifâ bakhsh hai.
gâ'î ke dûdh kâ makkhan aur ghî bhî kitnî hî bîmâriyon kâ mudâvâ
hain. atibbâ' ba-taur-i davâ tajvîz karte hain. dûsrî taraf gâ'î kâ
gosht garm hai, aur apnî garm tâsîr ke bâ`is ba`z-i `avâriz paidâ
kartâ hai. lekin hamain yeh bât hargiz farâmosh nah karnî câhi'e keh
gâ'î halâl hai aur kisî halâl shai ko apne aur harâm qarâr dene kî
hargiz ijâzat nahîn. tibbî nuktah-i nazar se isti`mâl aur `adam-i
isti`mâl kî sûrat aur hai.

In the Book of Medicine of the Mustadrak al-Hakîm [a classical hadith
commentary by al-Hakîm al-Nîsaburî], the first hadith is: The
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, said: "Allah did
not create any disease without creating its cure; and in cows' milk
is a cure for every disease." The third hadith in this book says on
the subject of healing: "Because the cow grazes from every kind of
plant."

It is a fact that, compared to that of camels, buffaloes, sheep,
goats, and all other animals, cows' milk is superior. It is free from
everything harmful and provides healing for various illnesses. The
butter and ghee from cows' milk are a treatment for several more
diseases. Physicians prescribe it as medicine. On the other hand,
beef is hot in nature, and its heat causes some diseases to occur.
But we should not neglect that beef is halâl and it is not
permissible to DE CLARE that something halâl is harâm. From the
medical point of view, the question of using it or not using it is
another thing.


This hadith and commentrary were published in a book called Tibb-i
nabavî by Hâfiz Nazr Ahmad (Dihlî: Varld Islâmik Pablikeshanz, 1982),
p. 226.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and Rebiah al-Adawoyah of Basrah

Muslims can't be Vegetarian?



The option to be vegetarian has always existed in Islam, whether or
not it was actualized at any time or place. The great Sufi Râbi`ah al-
`Adawîyah of Basrah was an early Muslim vegetarian. In recent times,
the renowned Sufi shaykh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a notable vegetarian
Muslim. Nowadays there are more and more Muslims in different
countries choosing to be vegetarian, although they have mostly kept
quiet about it.

Sometimes we get negative, hostile, indignant, or incredulous
reactions from other Muslims who have never considered the
possibility. One common line of attack goes, "You can't make harâm
what Allah has made halâl! That is a sin!" Excuse me, but who ever
said anything about making anything harâm? Why even bring that issue
into it? Why do they have to think of everything in life in terms of
force and compulsion and forbidding? In Islamic law there are more
categories than just obligatory and harâm. There are various shadings
of desirable and undesirable, and in the middle there is the neutral
(al-mubâh). The choice of what halâl food to eat is a neutral one---
it doesn't have any direct bearing on what is forbidden or
obligatory. I'm not making meat "harâm." I just don't wish for any,
thank you.

Some Muslims will tell you that in Islamic law you are not allowed to
refuse to eat meat. This is mere opinion unsupported by any evidence
from the sources of the Shari`ah. Suppose they establish the "Islamic
State," then how will they enforce this ruling? Hold me down, force
my mouth open, and shove kebabs down my throat? Come on, I don't
think so.

Others try to persuade you by saying that the Prophet, peace be upon
him, ate meat, so you should too. Well, let's look closer at that
argument. We all know that we should try to emulate the Prophet's
sunnah. And what is more important in the Sunnah: to observe specific
details of the Prophet's personal taste which others may or may not
share? Or to abide by the great universal principles of behavior and
character that he exemplified?

The Prophet recognized that each person is a unique autonomous
individual with his or her own personality. When giving advice to
individual Companions, he would specifically tailor the advice
according to that person's own characteristics. He did not enforce
any overbearing uniformity on the people. Especially when it came to
eating, he recognized that different people have different tastes.
And for that matter, not even the Prophet and his Companions ate meat
all the time; it was only once in a while that they did, not every
day. Some Muslims seem to be under the impression that eating meat is
the sixth pillar of Islam or something, but clearly there is no
reason for thinking so.

The one overall guideline on food that the Prophet gave was: Eat of
what is halâl and what is agreeable to you. That says it all. Within
the wide range of halâl food, each individual can choose to eat
whatever suits him or her.

If people want to follow the Prophet's sunnah of eating, consider
this: The Prophet ate what he liked and he left aside what he didn't
like. That's all we vegetarians are doing! Furthermore, he never
coerced anyone else into eating what they didn't like. How about
imitating this sunnah?

There was a Bedouin tribe whose custom it was to eat lizards, and the
Prophet never forbade them from doing so. But he himself would never
eat a lizard. This shows that just because something is "halâl," that
doesn't require you to eat it if you don't want to.

The bottom line is: no one has the authority to dictate to you what
halâl food you can choose to put into your body. I slamic law is
completely neutral on this issue; it is only a private matter for
each individual to decide for his or her self.

Moreover, note that the Qur'ân does not simply say to eat halâl meat:
it says to eat what is good and wholesome (tayyib), and what is
halâl. Therefore, if any food is not tayyib, the Qur'ân does not
encourage us to eat it. Considering the diseases linked with meat
eating (hardening of the arteries, which causes circulatory failure
and stroke, in addition to other ills; gout; E. coli infection; and
Mad Cow Disease), the hormones artificially put into animals, the
filthy conditions of feedlots and slaughterhouses, and the danger of
meat going bad, I can only conclude that meat does not pass the test
of being tayyib, so Muslims are better off without it.

Ever since I became vegetarian, I feel lighter, fresher, happier,
healthier. I can think better. Now, who will argue with that?


Hadith on Milk, Ghee and Beef

This comes from the famous hadith collection Zâd al-ma`âd by Ibn
Qayyim. I have been all through the many hadith books and I have
never found any saying that the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him,
ate beef. In fact, he advised against it. If this guidance from the
Prophet would be better known, then it could really help to ease the
tensions between Hindus and Muslims over the beef issue, if the
Muslims would leave off eating beef on the advice of their own
Prophet. Let there be peace and harmony between Hindus and Muslims,
peace and harmony in the whole world. I wish that could come true!

First, the hadith in the original Arabic:

`an suhayb radiya Allâh `anhu yarfa`uhu:
`alaykum bi-laban al-baqar fa-innahâ shifâ' wa-samnuhâ dawâ' wa-
lahmuhâ dâ'.

The Urdu translation:

hazrat suhaib raziyallâhu `anh se rivâyat hai keh huzûr-e akram sallá
Allâh `alaihi va-sallam ne farmâyâ:
"gâ'î kâ dûdh isti`mâl karnâ lâzim pakaR lo, kyû n keh us me n shifâ
hai, aur us ke ghî me n davâ kî tâ s îr hai, aur us ke gosht me n rog
hai."

Free translation in English:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"You should use cows' milk, because it is good for health, and cows'
ghee is good for health, but beef is bad for health."

Actually, the literal meaning of the words the Prophet used is much
stronger than that. He said that milk is "healing," ghee
is "medicine," and beef is "disease."

Urdu commentary by Hafiz Nazr Ahmad:

mustadrak-e hakîm kî kitâbuttibb me n pahlî hadî s yeh hai keh
rasûlullâh sallallâhu `alaihi va-sallam ne farmâyâ, "allâh ne ko'î
bîmârî nahî n utârî jis kî davâ nah utârî ho, aur gâ'î ke dûdh me n
har bîmârî se shifâ kî tâ s îr hai." us kitâb kî tîsrî hadî s me n
shifâ kî vajah yeh farmâ'î, "kyûnkeh gâ'î har dirakht se cartî hai --
fa-innahâ tarummu min kull shajar."

yeh ek haqîqat hai keh ûnT, bhens, bheR, bakrî, aur dusre tamâm
janvaro n ke muqâbalah me n gâ'î kâ dûdh sab se a`lá hai. tamâm
mazarrat se pâk hai aur muta`addid `avâriz ke liye shifâ ba kh sh
hai. gâ'î ke dûdh kâ makkhan aur ghî bhî kitnî hî bîmâriyo n kâ
mudâvâ hai n . atibbâ' ba-taur-i davâ tajvîz karte hai n . dûsrî
taraf gâ'î kâ gosht garm hai, aur apnî garm tâ s îr ke bâ`i s ba`z-
i `avâriz paidâ kartâ hai. lekin hamai n yeh bât hargiz farâmosh nah
karnî câhi'e keh gâ'î halâl hai aur kisî halâl shai ko apne aur harâm
qarâr dene kî hargiz ijâzat nahî n . tibbî nuktah-i nazar se isti`mâl
aur `adam-i isti`mâl kî sûrat aur hai.

In the Book of Medicine of the Mustadrak al-Hakîm [a classical hadith
commentary by al-Hakîm al-Nîsaburî], the first hadith is: The
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, said: "Allah did
not create any disease without creating its cure; and in cows' milk
is a cure for every disease." The third hadith in this book says on
the subject of healing: "Because the cow grazes from every kind of
plant."

It is a fact that, compared to that of camels, buffaloes, sheep,
goats, and all other animals, cows' milk is superior. It is free from
everything harmful and provides healing for various illnesses. The
butter and ghee from cows' milk are a treatment for several more
diseases. Physicians prescribe it as medicine. On the other hand,
beef is hot in nature, and its heat causes some diseases to occur.
But we should not neglect that beef is halâl and it is not
permissible to DE CLARE that something halâl is harâm. From the
medical point of view, the question of using it or not using it is
another thing.


This hadith and commentrary were published in a book called Tibb-i
nabavî by Hâfiz Na z r Ahmad (Dihlî: Varld Islâmik Pablikeshanz,
1982), p. 226.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


Karima Burns, MH, ND:



Vegetarians would be pleased with a Hadith related by Yahya that
states that the Prophet (SAW) said, "Beware of meat. It has
addictiveness like the addictiveness of wine" (Malik). In this
Hadith, it seems that meat does not hold such a high rank, after all;
rather, it appears to be among the worst foods we can consume.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Mohammed: Horse and Cat

It is said that Mohammed came across a cat sleeping on his cloak
and cut away only that portion of the cloak which the cat
was not upon

His horse ascended to heaven with Mohammed


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Dr Shahid Athar, MD

"There is no doubt that a vegetarian diet is healthier and beneficial
to health in lowering weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood
sugar. Our Prophet was mostly vegetarian..."

Dr. Shahid Athar, M.D., FACP, FACE
Clinical Associate Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine
Chair of Medical Ethics, Islamic Medical Association of North America
http://www.islam-usa.com







----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


http://www.islamicconcern.com/fatwas.asp






The beautiful religion of Islam has always viewed animals as a
special part of God's creation. The Qur'an, the Hadith, and the
history of Islamic civilization offer many examples of kindness,
mercy, and compassion for animals.

Thanks to Westernized factory-farming methods that are used in many
parts of the world, animals suffer hideously in the industries that
kill them to produce meat, milk, and eggs. These products not only
bring pain and suffering to the animals themselves, they are also
implicated in a variety of human diseases, including cancer, heart
disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The intensive
production of animals for food is also extremely damaging to the
environment.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#1


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#2


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#3


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#4


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#5


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#6


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#7


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#8


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#9


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#10


http://sss.vn.ua/sb_mm.htm#11


by Professor Zeba Bashiruddin


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


Poster is ignorant of many aspects of the Qur'an as well
as of Arabic, Persian, Urdu and other languages
so cannot comment on this post:


Fruit, Not Females Promised In Islam Afterlife Challenging the Qur'an


A German scholar contends that the Islamic text has been
mistranscribed and promises raisins, not virgins Newsweek
International, By Stefan Theil, NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL

Arguing that today's version of the Qur'an has been mistranscribed
from the original text, scholar Christoph Luxenberg says that what
are described as "houris" with "swelling breasts" refer to nothing
more than "white raisins" and "juicy fruits."

Luxenberg-a pseudonym-is one of a small but growing group of
scholars, most of them working in non-Muslim countries, studying the
language and history of the Qur'an. When his new book is published
this fall, it's likely to be the most far-reaching scholarly
commentary on the Qur'an's early genesis, taking this infant
discipline far into uncharted-and highly controversial-territory.
That's because Islamic orthodoxy considers the holy book to be the
verbatim revelation of Allah, speaking to his prophet, Muhammad,
through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic. Therefore, critical study of
God's undiluted word has been off-limits in much of the Islamic
world. (For the same reason, translations of the Qur'an are never
considered authentic.) Islamic scholars who have dared ignore this
taboo have often found themselves labeled heretics and targeted with
death threats and violence. Luxenberg, a professor of Semitic
languages at one of Germany's leading universities, has chosen to
remain anonymous because he fears a fatwa by enraged Islamic
extremists.

Luxenberg's chief hypothesis is that the original language of the
Qur'an was not Arabic but something closer to Aramaic. He says the
copy of the Qur'an used today is a mistranscription of the original
text from Muhammad's time, which according to Islamic tradition was
destroyed by the third caliph, Osman, in the seventh century. But
Arabic did not turn up as a written language until 150 years after
Muhammad's death, and most learned Arabs at that time spoke a version
of Aramaic. Rereading the Paradise passage in Aramaic, the mysterious
houris turn into raisins and fruit-much more common components of the
Paradise myth.

The forthcoming book contains plenty of other bombshells. It claims
that the Qur'an's commandment for women to cover themselves is based
on a similar misreading; in Sura 24, the verse that calls for women
to "snap their scarves over their bags" becomes in Aramaic "snap
their belts around their waists." Even more explosive are readings
that strengthen scholars' views that the Qur'an had Christian
origins. Sura 33 calls Muhammad the "seal of the prophets," taken to
mean the final and ultimate prophet of God. But an Aramaic reading,
says Luxenberg, turns Muhammad into a "witness of the prophets"-i.e.,
someone who bears witness to the established Judeo-Christian texts.
The Qur'an, in Arabic, talks about the "revelation" of Allah, but in
Aramaic that term turns into "teaching" of the ancient Scriptures.
The original Qur'an, Luxenberg contends, was in fact a Christian
liturgical document-before an expanding Arab empire turned Muhammad's
teachings into the basis for its new religion long after the
Prophet's death.

Such interpretations will undoubtedly draw the ire of many Muslims-
and not just extremists. After all, revisionist scholars have been
persecuted for much less; in 2001, Egypt's Constitutional Court
confirmed the "apostasy" of former University of Cairo scholar Nasr
Hamid Abu-Zayd, for considering the Qur'an a document written by
humans.

Still, Luxenberg may be ushering in a whole new era of Qur'anic
study. "Luxenberg's findings are very relevant and convincing," says
Mondher Sfar, a Tunisian specialist on the historic origins of the
Qur'an in exile in Paris. "They make possible a new interpretation of
the Qur'an." In the West, questioning the literal veracity of the
Bible was a crucial step in breaking the church's grip on power-and
in developing a modern, secular society. That experience, as much as
the questioning itself, is no doubt what concerns conservative
Muslims as they struggle over the meaning and influence of Islam in
the 21st century. But if Luxenberg's work is any indication, the
questioning is just getting underway.

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/archives/00003797.html






----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


Feasts of the Prophet
Ramadan and vegetarianism in Islam
by Julian Bynoe
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

During the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, Muslims worldwide
celebrate the major holi day of their religion; Ramadan. Occuring
around January, Ramadan marks the period when the religion's founder,
the Prophet Mohammed, received the holy words from Allah (God) and
put them down into the Koran in the 7th Century AD.

During this period, adult Muslims must fast from dawn until dusk for
29-30 days to stir universal compassion and spiritual renewal for
all.

According to scholars the Prophet Mohammed, although not a
vegetarian, did prefer to eat vegetarian foods and had a great love
and compassion for animals. His favourite foods consisted of yogurt
with butter or nuts, cucumbers with dates, pomegranates, grapes and
figs. He was known to have quoted: "Where there is an abundance of
vegetables, a host of angels will descend on that place."

Like most of the world's religions (except Jainism), modern Islam
does not fully support vegetarianism, although certain Muslim sects
such as the Shi'ites and Sufis have vegetarian followers. Throughout
the African, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian parts of the Islamic
World, meat is a rarity, making vegetarianism a necessity and not a
choice.

During Ramadan, Muslims begin the day with a pre-dawn meal (sehri) of
porridge, bread or fruit. When sundown approaches, they slowly break
their fast with something simple like bread and cheese or fruit,
followed by a big dusk meal (iftar) like a hearty soup or stew. When
the new moon is sighted, Ramadan ends in a huge feast for family and
friends, lasting for several days, called Eid-ul-Fitr.

The following are just some of the tasty dishes served during or
after Ramadan from various countries.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Jary
Serves 4
A popular vegetarian soup from Algeria.

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves pressed or minced garlic
3/4 tsp. paprika
pinch cayenne or to taste
1/2 cup tomato puree
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1/4 cup fine cracked wheat (or bulghar)
1/2 cup each of parsley, mint leaves and corriander leaf (cilantro),
coarsely chopped fresh or dried
2/3 cup cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
3-4 tsp. lemon juice or to taste
Salt to taste
Heat oil in heavy soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion until
tender. Add garlic, paprika and cayenne, cook for 1-2 minutes,
stirring constantly. Add tomato puree and stock or water. Bring to
simmer and add salt and cracked wheat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer
gently, stir occasionally until cracked wheat is cooked, about 30
minutes (15 minutes if using bulghar). Remove from heat and cool
slightly. Transfer soup to blender or food processor (optional). Add
parsley, cilantro and mint; blend until almost smooth. Return soup to
pot, stir in chickpeas and reheat. Add lemon juice and salt to taste.
Serve.

Demjeddera
Serves 4-6
Usually served after sundown during Ramadan, this Palestinian lentil
and rice dish is truly superb.

1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed or 1 (19 oz) can lentils
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cup dried brown or white rice
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 3/4 cups water
Plain or soy yogurt (optional)
If not using canned lentils, cook dry lentils in 3 cups water until
tender for 45 minutes, then drain. Heat oil in large skillet or pot
over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add
garlic, pepper, cumin seeds and rice. Saute for 1-2 minutes, stir
constantly so spices don¹t burn. Add salt and water, bring to a boil
and cover, cooking for 40 minutes for brown rice, 15 minutes for
white. Remove from heat, keeping cover on for 10 minutes. Stir cooked
or canned lentils into rice, add salt to taste. Serve garnished with
plain or soy yogurt, if desired.

Spiced Potatoes & Cauliflower
This Pakistani side dish is usually served with rice or flatbreads.

1 tbsp. clarified butter (ghee) or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ginger, powdered or finely grated
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. cumin powder or seeds
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder or seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1-2 large cooked potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small head cooked cauliflower separated into florets
2-3 tbsp. reserved cooking water from potatoes and cauliflower
Salt to taste
Heat butter or oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Sauté
onion until tender. Stir garlic and spices and continue to sauté for
a minute. Add vegetables and reserved cooking water. Cover, reduce
heat to low and cook until vegetables are very tender for about 5
minutes. Mash slightly with a fork, salt to taste. Serve.



-------
http://www.warwickisoc.co.uk


says if food is vegetarian it is halal unless it contains alcohol


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


To: jain-list@gw.ddb.com
Subject: Gul Agha and the Sufis/Gujjars
From: Rushabh Sheth sheth@rushabh.com>
Date: Thu, 08 Apr 1999 23:25:48 -0700
Approved: raphael-robomoderator@ddb.com
MBOX-Line: From sheth@rushabh.com Fri Apr 9 01:25:30 1999

Hello,

Many years ago, I read in a newspaper about an Islamic nomadic
community
called the Gujjars who live in the Kashmir valley and are, to my great
amazement, vegetarians.

-----------------------
Muslim Druze of Lebanon are vegetarian. Casey Kasem,
Lebanese Druze, is vegan and a sponsor of the Great American
Meatout.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------




Islamic financial services 'a growing trend within a small minority'
RITA TRICHUR
Sun Jul 17, 2:30 PM ET



TORONTO (CP) - The global market for Islamic financial services may
be on the rise but Canada's burgeoning Muslim community remains
divided over the need for domestic interest-free banking, industry
experts say.

Munir Pervaiz, a former vice-president with Citibank in Saudi Arabia,
says Canadian Muslims are not rushing in droves to invest in the
various Islamic finance companies that have sprouted up across the
country.

"It is a growing trend within a small minority," Pervaiz said, adding
that most Muslims are already well served by mainstream Canadian
banks.

"The orthodox people, who were always a minority within the society,
are always looking for such opportunities. So basically, if any
growth is coming up, it is in their own ranks."

Islamic financial services, which operate in keeping with Sharia law,
are based on the principle of interest-free banking to promote
equitable wealth distribution in a co-operative society. While
interest is considered haram, or unlawful, sharing of profits is
permitted.

"At various places, the Qur'an kind of forbids interest," Pervaiz
said. "And there is debate on that."

Islamic financial services, which include everything from non-
interest-bearing deposit accounts to mutual funds, and from home
financing to major commercial investment banking, have their roots in
Saudi Arabia.

During the 1970s, major international banks joined Saudi Arabia's
National Commercial Bank to capture millions of petroleum dollars in
no-interest deposits. While the accounts offered no interest, clients
felt their deposits were secure.

The practice began to raise eyebrows when it was disclosed the money
was being lent at interest rates as high as 18 to 20 per cent.

"They were taking this money on no interest and they were lending it
on interest," Pervaiz said.

"Not to these same guys, but to the whole world, including the king."

Islamic financial services took hold in Canada in the late 1980s with
the establishment of housing co-operatives providing a rent-to-own
alternative to mainstream mortgages.

Currently, Pervaiz said, the total Canadian market for Islamic
financial services is estimated at $100 million in total investments
and commitments, with a estimated annual growth rate of five per cent.

The estimated $300-billion-US global market is growing at three times
that rate, largely on transactions in the Middle East and Asia.

Last month, Muslim bankers and regulators announced plans to set up a
global Islamic bank by next year.

The $1-billion-US bank, which will be known as the Emaar
International Group, will be 10 per cent owned by Bahrain-based
Albaraka Banking Group. Another key shareholder is the Islamic
Development Bank, the financial arm of the 57-country Organization of
the Islamic Conference.

Canada had 579,640 Muslims enumerated in the 2001 census, more than
twice the number in 1991. Some 61 per cent live in Ontario.

Rehan Huda, an Ottawa-based economist and CEO of Salam Financial, a
firm specializing in Sharia-compliant financial products, says demand
is growing in Canada among mainstream Muslims.

"It is a growing trend in Canada and the U.S.," Huda said, adding
that momentum has been building here ever since the Islamic Bank of
Britain opened in 2003.

"We're going to be announcing fairly shortly that one of the largest
mortgage providers in Canada will be signing on with us to provide
home finance to Muslims at very competitive prices - similar prices
that you get from conventional banks."

But Tarek Fatah, co-founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress and host
of TV's Muslim Chronicle, said such for-profit enterprises
are "unethical" and alienate the community from the Canadian
mainstream.

"Any businesses that run based on catering to religious fear and
using laws that are considered divine and therefore segregate
communities is very dangerous for Canada, as such - whether they are
based on Hindu laws or Islamic laws or Jewish laws," Fatah said.

"If they were not making money and doing this as a service to the
community, I would say 'Excellent, go for it.' But each of these
companies have built in their business systems a very good
compensation for themselves."


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


savethesheep.com
Australian Animals Are Haram (Unlawful to Eat Under Religious Law)

Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic television network notorious for
airing images of mutilated bodies and other horrors of war, has
turned down PETA¡¯s new 30-second TV spot, which contains video
footage of Australian lambs, who are eventually shipped to the Middle
East for slaughter and consumption, being partially skinned alive.
The ad includes an Arabic narration of a quote by the late Imam B.A.
Hafiz al-Masri, who wrote, "If animals have been subjected to
cruelties in their breeding, transport, slaughter, or in their
general welfare, meat from them is considered impure and unlawful to
eat (haram)." The Imam¡¯s words are spoken over footage of Australian
lambs as they are being crudely cut by Australian farmers during the
cruel mulesing mutilation procedure and of older sheep who are beaten
and slaughtered in ways that are clear violations of the Muslim halal
slaughter requirements.

PETA will continue to urge Al-Jazeera to accept the ad in order to
reach a potential 35 million viewers in the Middle East. The ad is
part of PETA's international campaign, which calls for a boycott of
Australian wool until mulesing and live exports end.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------


(It is not Muslims nor observant Jews nor Hindus nor Buddhists
nor observant Christians who are keeping the following going


North Carolina Pig Auschwitzes are linked to Duke, the Atkins
Foundation, Bill
Gates (funder of Duke), and to Smithfield:



***********************************

PIG AUSCHWITZ FACTS (SMITHFIELD DUKE GATES INVOLVED)
**************************************************


10 million hogs live in North Carolina's coastal region


8 million humans live in North Carolina


92 percent of North Carolina's hogs are raised on factory farms with
at least 2,000 hogs


1 hog generates as much waste as 3 people


2.5 tons of hog feces and urine are produced in North Carolina per
citizen each year


52,000 tons of waste are generated by North Carolina's hogs daily


640,000 pounds of nitrogen are generated by North Carolina's hogs
daily


213,000 pounds of phosphorus are generated by North Carolina's hogs
daily


22 million gallons of hog waste were dumped into North Carolina's New
River after a waste lagoon burst in 1995


11 million gallons of oil were spilled in Alaska's Prince William
Sound by the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster



Sources: Environmental Defense Fund.


Senator Dole has done nothing about the camps:
http://dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fu...ion.ContactForm




----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
Posted by sb11 on 07-27-2005 05:16 PM:

DEADLY PIG PATHOGEN

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
Animal-to-human transmission kills 19 in China.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

A deadly pathogen traced to hogs has killed 19 people in China, with
17 more patients in a critical condition in hospital, reported China
Daily. After an emergency investigation, a group of experts organized
by the ministries of health and agriculture confirmed the epidemic
was caused by a bacteria transmissible from pigs to humans. Experts
found that infected farmers had all slaughtered or processed infected
pigs. The official investigation result dispels concerns that the
outbreak was avian influenza or SARS (severe acute respiratory
syndrome), according to the report.

The cases were scattered among 75 villages in four districts of
Ziyang and Neijiang cities. No human-to-human infection has been
found, the ministry statement said, adding that the disease has a
latency period of two to three days.

Infected people develop acute symptoms such as high fever,
listlessness, vomiting, and bleeding from vessels beneath the skin.
About half of patients also go into severe shock, and the death rate
of the disease is quite high, investigating experts said. Just four
people infected during the current outbreak have recovered and been
released from hospitals.

Central and local government officials are working on an epidemic
analysis, identifying patients, destroying infected pigs, eradicating
contagious channels, and treating patients, reported the Chinese
government. Farmers have been forbidden from slaughtering and
processing infected pigs.

Typically, meat-processing factories examine pigs from big farms or
single households before they buy them. When an infected pig is
refused, sometimes the farmer will take it home and process it for
consumption by his own family. However, it is rare for the bacteria
to infect a human being. The first ever recorded case was in Denmark
in 1968, the Chinese ministry noted. Records show that at least 200
human cases of the infection have been reported, mainly in countries
and regions breeding pigs and eating pork, such as northern Europe
and southern Asia.

Experts are researching how the bacteria spreads from pigs to humans,
said ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an, who added that he doubted reports
that the bacteria can be spread through mosquito bites. "If so, there
would be many more people infected with the disease," Mao told China
Daily. Hong Kong and Macao health authorities have warned residents
to be careful of mosquito bites if they go to Sichuan.


Web posted: July 27, 2005



http://www.sufihealingorder.org/






Dear Horseman, I have great respect for the mystic Sufis...

--------\
(Observant Muslims would not eat nonhalal meat... nearly
all American fast food chains serve nonhalal met)
-

Muslim Boycott Forces Burger King to Change Ice Cream Logo


This article was written by Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com
International Editor (poster removed judgmental language)


Burger King reportedly has withdrawn an ice cream product after
complaints that a label design looks like the Arabic scrpt
for "Allah."

British media reported at the weekend that the fast-food restaurant
chain pulled the "BK Cone" and pledged to redesign the label after
Muslim customers complained.

The product label bears a pattern representing a stylized swirl of
soft serve ice cream. But some customers looked at it sideways and
thought they could see something else.

A London tabloid, The Sun, said Burger King fielded "dozens of
complaints."



Other business interests that have responded to Muslim
complaints are sportswear giant Nike, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld
and food and homecare manufacturer Unilever.

In 1997, Nike pulled tens of thousands of basketball shoes after it
was told that the logo - the word "air" in flame-like letters -
looked like "Allah" in Arabic when viewed from a certain angle.

Newsweek reported in July of that year that Nike had launched a
program of "sensitivity training on Islam" and gave a donation to an
Islamic school.

A year later, Unilever scrapped a new logo it had begun to use on
Walls ice creams in the Middle East - again after Muslims said the
intertwining red and yellow hearts looked like "Allah" in Arabic,
when viewed upside down and backwards.

In 1994, Lagerfeld designed a dress incorporating a pattern he had
copied from Arabic lettering on India's Taj Mahal monument. The
lettering included the phrase "They are the ones who found guidance,"
used a number of times in the Koran.

A growing number of Muslims believe that no animal or fish
flesh can be halal. Tweet