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Thursday 28 December 2017

25th OF DECEMBER: Remembering Jesus and Jinnah.


25th December Is A Reminder Of
Teachings of Jesus
And
Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Let’s Make Them A Part Of
New Year’s Resolution!

 (M. Javed Naseem)

 “Failure is a word unknown to me.”
– Quaid-e-Azam
********************************************
“I should like to give a warning to the landlords
and capitalists who have flourished at our expense
by a system which is so vicious, which is so wicked
and which makes them so selfish that it is difficult
to reason with them. The exploitation of the masses
has gone into their blood. They have forgotten
the lessons of Islam.”
-- Quaid-e-Azam
********************************************
Happy holidays everybody! Today is 25th of December. The world knows this day as the birthday of Jesus Christ (although most people and scholars agree that it is not the correct date). In Asia, the people of the sub-continent (Pakistan & India) know it as the birthday of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (the Quaid-e-Azam), the founding father of Pakistan (and they know that it’s the correct date).

A Christian activist asks:
Santa Claus: The Ultimate in Fake News (a.k.a. What The F… Are We Celebrating?)

“Why do we persist with the Santa Claus mythology? Do we really need all the lies and ‘naughty/nice’ behavioral rewarding to have a meaningful annual midwinter celebration? Instead of fiction, it is time instead to celebrate the true magic and wonder around us”, says Ethan Indigo Smith (a writer/activist at the Wake Up World).
For children who have just learned or realized the truth, the lie is everywhere we look at Christmas time. It’s at home, in schools, on the news; even the local weather forecasters cooperate with powerful military institutions like NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) lie to us! And we play along without a moment to process our loss, lest we poop the party for younger, still-ignorant children. (Never mind that ours is the only culture on Earth to base its major holy-day on a foundation of pure fictional fabrication, forgoing reality to celebrate the bounty of a deliberately false patriarch.)
In a sense the Santa Claus story is the biggest series of lies on the planet — the mother of all ‘fake news’ — because most of the white western world eats up and regurgitates it all cyclically. We all know it’s a lie, but most of us don’t question its effect on our children’s psychological and spiritual development. The Santa Claus story is not the worst of the big lies, not by far; especially when compared to the lies that underpin the financial, political and education systems, energy and resources, nuclear experimentation, and countless other industries that destroy our Earth Mother; or to the lies that inspire people to kill on behalf of religious, or national institutions. But it is one of the big lies in our lives, and it does have an effect– and arguably, a purpose.

Jesus Christ was known for many of his miracles that gave new life to scores of people. He gave them direction with the Divine support as he was a Prophet of God. People were so impressed that, out of love and respect, they falsely proclaimed him as son of God and then as God, and worshipped him.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah was not a prophet but he did show the world his miracle. He single-handedly carved Pakistan out of the world map – a homeland for millions of Muslims of India. And that also happened with the Divine support as many Mullahs of India opposed him for one reason or the other. But most Muslims adored him and were so impressed that, out of love and respect, they called him “Quaid-e-Azam” (the great leader), and justly so! 
Commemorating the occasion, it is only befitting that I share with you some beautiful quotes of the above mentioned great personalities of human history.
Jesus Christ said:

1-Corinthians 10:24
“None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.”
Romans 12:13
“Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.”
1-John 3:17
“Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God.”
Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.”

James 2:15-16
“Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, ‘God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!’ – if you don’t give them the necessities of life?”
Luke 18:29
"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother!’”

James 4:1
“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?”
1-Peter 2:17
“Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king!”
Ephesians 6:1-3
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
2-Timothy 3:1-2
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy.”
1-Timothy 5:1-2
“Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Quaid-e-Azam (Mohammad Ali Jinnah) said:

“No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you.”
“No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men.”
*******************************************
“If we want to make this great State of Pakistan
happy and prosperous we should wholly and
solely concentrate on the well-being of the people,
and especially of the masses and the poor.”
-- Quaid-e-Azam

*******************************************
“Think 100 times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man.”
“With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”
“Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”
******************************************
“You have to stand guard over the development
and maintenance of Islamic democracy, Islamic
social justice and the equality of mankind
in your own native soil.”
-- Quaid-e-Azam
******************************************

“Islam expect every Muslim to do this duty, and if we realize our responsibility time will come soon when we shall justify ourselves worthy of a glorious past.”
“You will no doubt agree with me that the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property, and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State…..…if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor.”
 
“That freedom can never be attained by a nation without suffering and sacrifice has been amply borne out by the recent tragic happenings in this subcontinent.”
“The great majority of us are Muslims. We follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in which all are equal in rights, dignity and self-respect. Consequently, we have a special and a very deep sense of unity. But make no mistake: Pakistan is not a theocracy or anything like it.”
****************************************
“The adoption of Western economic theory
and practice will not help us in achieving our
goal of creating a happy and contented people.
We must work our destiny in our own way
and present to the world an economic system
based on the true Islamic concept of equality
of manhood and social justice”
-- Quaid-e-Azam
****************************************
“Yet this is a truth people so easily seem to forget and begin to prize local, sectional or provincial interests above and regardless of the national interests. It naturally pains me to find the curse of provincialism holding sway over any section of Pakistan. Pakistan must be rid of this evil.”
“We must get Pakistan at any cost. For it we live and for it we will die. The Musalmans have to struggle and struggle hard for their honorable existence…you must work and work hard. By doing so you will contribute substantially not only to the honour of ten corers of Muslims but to the crystallization of a free Muslim state of Pakistan where Muslims will be able to offer the ideology of Islamic rule”
**************************************
“The Government can only have for its
aim one objective – how to serve the people,
how to devise ways and means for their
welfare, for their betterment.”
-- Quaid-e-Azam
**************************************
“If we are to make any real, speedy and substantial progress, we must bring our educational policy and program on the lines suited to the genius of our people, consonant with our history and culture, and having regard to the modern conditions and vast development that have taken place all over the world... What we have to do is to mobilize our people and build up the character of our future generation……In short, we have to build up the character of our future generations which means highest sense of honor, integrity, selfless service to the nation, and sense of responsibility, and we have to see that they are fully qualified or equipped to play their part in the various branches of economic life in a manner which will do honor to Pakistan”
“Brotherhood, equality, and fraternity of man – these are all the basic points of our religion, culture and civilization and we fought for Pakistan because there was a danger of the denial of these human rights in the Subcontinent.”
***********

Friday 22 December 2017

DESPAIR VS HOPE: The Game Continues With No End To Death & Destruction.



2017: The Year of Atrocities!
2018: The Year of New Hopes!

Despair Vs Hope
The Annual Game Continues
With No End To Death &
Destruction In Sight.

The Zionists Are Destroying
The World Peace

(M. Javed Naseem)


(Miko Peled is the son of late Matti Peled, who was a General in the Israeli army.)
Another year (2017) is gone! For the poor Palestinians, Syrians, Libyans, Kashmiris and the Iraqis, another year of injustice, oppression, aggression, bloodshed, cold-blooded murder of innocent children and women is coming to an end. Another year of death, destruction and devastation is passed but there is no end to their misery in sight. The world, the so-called ‘civilized’ world, has become a silent spectator to the apartheid, the injustice and the inhuman treatment of the Muslims in their own countries by the Zionists. This is the height of injustice!


The so-called ‘champions’ of human rights are violating human rights of weaker nations; and the champions of democracy are trampling the democratic values by using their veto power to suppress the voice of the majority. Democracy has become the ‘might is right’! What a shameless hypocrisy! You deny the majority of the people of the world their rights and claim to be exercising your own democratic right? What a joke!

Man has become evil. Greed turns him into a beast and he loses sense of logic, reason, dignity and justice. He wants to serve his own interest, no matter what. But there is always an end to everything. Anything that goes up, comes down. That’s the law of Nature. History of the world tells us that when Man is unable to thwart evil and deliver justice to the victims of aggression and oppression, God intervenes and delivers justice. The helpless poor victims of Palestine, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Kashmir, Somalia and Africa are all waiting for that now. And it can come anytime!

The poor helpless victims of the weaker nations can’t do much against the oppression and aggression of the rich and powerful. Their own leaders sold them out. They are told to be patient, therefore, they are waiting patiently. How things would change, no one knows. But there’s hope and everybody is clinging to it.


The pious and the righteous tell us that this is a big trial for the righteous and we have to pass through it with patience and prayer. The real life – the permanent life – is in the Hereafter. This worldly life is a temporary game show. It is easy to believe but very hard and difficult to endure! Muslims can get the consolation from the Quran:

“Say: Short is the enjoyment of this world.
The Hereafter is the best for those who do
right. Never will you be dealt with unjustly
in the very least!”
(al-Quran 4:77)

The tyrants, the aggressors and the oppressors don’t care about the Torah, the Bible or the Quran. They don’t even fear God because God allowed them for a very long time to continue their evil works. Some of them don’t even believe that they are doing something wrong. But God gave them a long leash – enough time to change their ways, repent and rectify the situation by bringing justice and peace back into people’s lives.
If the tyrants and oppressors of mankind don't budge, God knows well how to bend them, even break them. The arrogant should know the history of the earlier nations that were destroyed because they resorted to evil-doing and did not stop or repent. Here's the promise of Allah:

“So, by your Lord, without doubt, We shall
assemble them together, and (also) the Evil Ones
(the Devils); then shall We bring them forth on
their knees round about Hell. Then shall We
certainly drag out from every sect all those
who were worst in obstinate rebellion against
(Allah), the Most Gracious. And certainly
We know best those who are most worthy
of being burned therein.”
(al-Quran 19:68-70)


The trouble-makers are under the strong influence of the Devil. But they don’t realize that one day, the Devil is going to abandon them and they’ll have to face the music alone. The Devil (Shaitan) was once close to God and used to hang out with angels in the Heaven. He knows very well the justice system of the Divine. Therefore, he’ll keep himself clear of any responsibility for misleading or misguiding human beings. He would say: ‘I didn’t force you to do evil. I just talked but you did the actions. You made your own choices!’

Can you imagine that Devil fears God and acknowledges His severe punishment but we humans don’t!

“And (remember) when Shaitan (Satan) made
their (evil) deeds seem fair to them and said,
"No one of mankind can overcome you this Day
(of the battle of Badr) and verily, I am near to
you." But when the two forces came in sight
of each other, he ran away and said "Verily,
I have nothing to do with you. Verily! I see
what you see not. Lo! I fear Allah for
Allah is Severe in punishment."
(al-Quran 8:48)


We have brought the world by our inaction or evil deeds, where it is today – to the lowest ebb. Those who were clever with manipulative minds, took advantage of us. They used us to their benefit. Now, we are crying foul but there’s no referee to blow the whistle and stop the game. Those who are conducting the game, are already bought up. So, let us suffer the consequences of our ‘inaction’ patiently and pray to God, because when there was time for action, we did nothing. We were busy accumulating wealth, enjoying dance, music and getting laid. Now, we are reaping the harvest and crying! It’s better to cry before God as only HE can deliver us! We have already closed all doors. Only His door remains open 24/7. So, keep knocking! One day it’ll open, Insha-Allah!
We hope it opens during 2018!
***********

Friday 15 December 2017

YES TO GRAPES BUT NO TO WINE: The Colonization Continues In One Form Or Another.



Colonization Continues
In One Form Or Another

Yes To Grapes But
No To Wine

(M. Javed Naseem)


“Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Enough, you
princes of Israel; put away violence and
destruction, and practice justice and
righteousness. Stop your expropriations
from My people,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
– (Ezekiel 45:9)

That was a quote from the Bible. It shows that things were not different during the age of the Prophets Moses and Jesus. Has the House of Israel improved on morals and ethics and its treatment of others? No; not at all. On the contrary, it has gone from bad to worse and still worsening by the day.
It does not matter how far Syria, Iraq or Libya is from America, Britain or France; how far India is from Britain; or how far Middle Eastern oil-rich countries are from America and Europe, they are always easy targets. Those countries were always attacked, invaded and colonized by the white Americans and Europeans under one pretext (excuse) or the other. The history of the last two centuries tells the bloody stories of invasions, occupation and colonization. When the occupied nations show some resistance, they are labeled ‘terrorists’ and bombed. You are held prisoner in your own homeland and are not allowed to raise voice in protest. By the way, yesterday (December 14) was the anniversary of the Iraqi ‘flying shoe’ that George Bush was lucky to escape from.


Mosul (Iraq) and Aleppo (Syria) were forever under fire during the last 200 years, even before. The ancient Babylonian history tells us that one of the greatest battle between Good and Evil was fought between Nimrod and Prophet Abraham in the region which is called Iraq today.

The modern history of the world tells us that so-called Terrorism, Islamic Extremism, WMD, Taliban, Boca Haram, Al-Shabab, ISIS/ISIL/IS, Daesh, etc., are all lame excuses fabricated to invade the oil-rich Islamic Middle East – especially Iraq, Syria, Libya. The Anglo-American West invaded or attacked these countries in every century (many times in 20th & 21st centuries) with no mention of terrorism! There were always political and economic considerations. The region has been the battleground of Good & Evil for centuries. How ironic that in those conflicts, one party was always the arrogant white man of either Europe or America!

In the 20th century, the arrogant white man nurtured a bully (Israel) in the Middle East to plunder the petrol, gas and other natural resources of the region; and at the same time keep the region under political control.


Allah told the believers in the Quran (1400 years ago) that unbelievers had joined hands together and were constantly working against them. They (the forces of Evil) would continue spreading corruption, injustice and violence unless the forces of Good unite against them and try to stop their onslaught. Justice is the only way to peace. No justice, no peace! There is no other solution to peace!

“The unbelievers are protectors, one of
another. Unless you do this, (protect each
other), there would be tumult and oppression
on earth, and great mischief.”
(al-Quran 8:73)

In his book about People of Shaam (Syria & Lebanon) Prof. Adil Abu Shanab tells the story of an Arab sheikh who got into a discussion with one of the French occupation officers during the French occupation of Syria (The French, the Americans and the Europeans are in Syria again!). The French officer had invited some Syrian dignitaries to a dinner. One of the invitees was an old sheikh with his white beard. When the French officer saw the old sheikh eating with his fingers, he asked him:
“Why are you not eating like us?”
The sheikh replied: “Do you see me eating by my nose?”
The French officer sheepishly answered: “I mean, why don’t you use fork and knife?”
The sheikh replied: “I am sure of the cleanliness of my hand, but are you sure of the cleanliness of your fork and knife?”
This shut the French officer up, but he made up his mind to get vengeance on the old sheikh.


At the feast, the wife of the French officer was sitting to his right and the daughter to his left. The French officer, to spite the man of God, asked for wine to be brought, and proceeded to pour for himself, his wife and daughter. He started to drink in a way to annoy the sheikh. But the old man did not show any reaction. Then the French officer asked him:
“Listen O sheikh! You like grapes and eat them, don’t you?”
To which the sheikh replied in the affirmative.
The French officer pointed towards the grapes, hoping to beat the old sheikh, and said: “This drink is from these grapes, so why do you eat the grapes, but keep away from the wine?”
All the guests looked at the old sheikh, feeling that he would have no answer to that.
The sheikh calmly replied:
“This is your wife, and this, your daughter, is from her, right? So how is it that your wife is legitimate (Halal) for you and your daughter is not?”
It is said that the French officer immediately ordered for the wine to be removed from the table.


***********

Friday 8 December 2017

THE REAL TERRORISTS: The Richest 1% of The World Control Mankind.




The Real Terrorism
Injustice, Greed and Corruption
Created Unfair Distribution of
Wealth Which Is The Cause of
All The Problems of The World.

(M. Javed Naseem)


When people react against injustice
and aggression, they are labeled ‘terrorists’
by the elite mafia, and are punished,
even killed.

There cannot be peace without justice! Social justice is the core of any economic system in a society that enjoys peace and prosperity. The world has seen the Free Market Economy (the Capitalism) as well as the Socialism (or Communism). And they have both failed mankind miserably. One is accused of too much freedom while the other is criticized for too much control. There is a limit to everything and there is no such thing as ‘total’ freedom. The lines are drawn and laws are made to enforce those lines or limits. Both economic systems (Capitalism and Communism) looked good on paper (in theory) but both brought crisis after crisis for the lower and middle classes. Only the rich could benefit from them and became richer; the millionaires became the billionaires and they still want more. There is no end to it.

********************************
There are 36 million millionaires
in the world today and their number
is expected to grow to 44 million
by the year 2022.

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

On the other hand, the poor are getting poorer; the middle class is disappearing and the society can easily be categorized as the rich or the poor. The question is: Why did both systems failed? The answer is very simple but the so-called experts don’t want to admit it. They find faults in the other system. The truth is that the CORRUPTION caused both systems to crumble. Corruption means injustice; it means dishonesty and disparity; it means lawlessness; it means no discipline, no competent accountability; and eventually it means unfair distribution of wealth which results in poverty for the majority and riches for a very small minority. The man is getting more and more greedy. And more greed means more and more corruption.

*************************************
The Real Terrorists:
When the richest 1% owns more
than half of the world’s wealth;
when the 1% controls the lives of
the 99%; when the 1% enjoys happy
lives and bring misery and poverty to
the majority of the people, they are the
real terrorists with no compassion.
It also means that the system is not
working and needs immediate reforms.

*************************************
The wealthy or the super rich are known for their hidden wealth in Swiss banks or the off-shore foreign havens. According to a report published by the famous bank of Switzerland, Credit Suisse, the world’s five richest men own more than half of the world’s wealth. In other words, each one of those five people owns more wealth than 750 million people of the world together. Amazing, isn’t it?

Richest 1% now owns
half the world's wealth
By: Robert Frank (CNBC Reporter and Editor)

 
o:- The wealthiest 1 percent of the world's population now owns more than half of the world's wealth, according to a Credit Suisse report.

o:- The total wealth in the world grew by 6 percent over the past 12 months to $280 trillion, Credit Suisse said.

o:- That was the fastest wealth creation since 2012.

The wealthiest 1 percent of the world's population now owns more than half of the world's wealth, according to a new report.

The total wealth in the world grew by 6 percent over the past 12 months to $280 trillion, marking the fastest wealth creation since 2012, according to the Credit Suisse report. More than half of the $16.7 trillion in new wealth was in the U.S., which grew $8.5 trillion richer.

But that wealth around the world is increasingly concentrated among those at the top. The top 1 percent now owns 50.1 percent of the world's wealth, up from 45.5 percent in 2001.

The world's millionaires are expected to do the best in the coming years. There are now 36 million millionaires in the world, and their numbers are expected to grow to 44 million by 2022.
The U.S. still leads the world in millionaires, with 15.3 million people worth $1 million or more.

Japan ranks second with 2.7 million millionaires, while the U.K. ranks third with 2.2 million. China ranks fifth with 1.9 million millionaires, but its millionaire population is expected to hit 2.8 million by 2022.
(Courtesy:  https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/14/richest-1-percent-now-own-half-the-worlds-wealth.html)  

Now Just FIVE Men Own Almost as Much Wealth
as Half the World’s Population
By: Paul Buchheit (Guest writer for Wake Up World)


Last year it was 8 men, then down to 6, and now it’s around 5.

The super-rich are absconding with our wealth, and the plague of inequality continues to grow. An analysis of 2016 data found that the poorest five deciles of the world population own about $410 billion in total wealth. As of June 2017, the world’s richest five men owned over $400 billion in wealth. Thus, on average, each man owns nearly as much as 750 million people.

Why Do We Let a Few People Shift Great Portions of the World’s Wealth to Themselves?

Most of the world’s super-super-rich are Americans. We the American people created the Internet, developed and funded Artificial Intelligence, and built a massive transportation infrastructure, yet we let just a few individuals take almost all the credit, along with hundreds of billions of dollars.
Defenders of the out-of-control wealth gap insist that all is OK, because, after all, America is a ‘meritocracy’ in which the super-wealthy have ‘earned’ all they have. They heed the words of Warren Buffett: “The genius of the American economy, our emphasis on a meritocracy and a market system and a rule of law has enabled generation after generation to live better than their parents did.” 
But it’s not a meritocracy. Children are no longer living better than their parents did. In the eight years since the recession the Wilshire Total Market valuation has more than TRIPLED, rising from a little over $8 trillion to nearly $25 trillion. The great majority of it has gone to the very richest Americans.

In 2016 alone, the richest 1% effectively shifted nearly $4 trillion in wealth away from the rest of the nation to themselves, with nearly half of the wealth transfer ($1.94 trillion) coming from the nation’s poorest 90% — the middle and lower classes. That’s over $17,000 in housing and savings per lower-to-middle-class household lost to the super-rich.

A meritocracy? Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos have done little that wouldn’t have happened anyway. ALL modern U.S. technology started with — and to a great extent, continues with — our tax dollars, our research institutes and our subsidies to corporations.

Why Do We Let Unqualified Rich People Tell Us How To Live? Especially Bill Gates!

In 1975, at the age of 20, Bill Gates founded Microsoft with high school buddy Paul Allen. At the time Gary Kildall’s CP/M operating system was the industry standard. Even Gates’ company used it. But Kildall was an innovator, not a businessman, and when IBM came calling for an OS for the new IBM PC, his delays drove the big mainframe company to Gates. Even though the newly established Microsoft company couldn’t fill IBM’s needs, Gates and Allen saw an opportunity, and so they hurriedly bought the rights to another local company’s OS — which was based on Kildall’s CP/M system. Kildall wanted to sue, but intellectual property law for software had not yet been established.

Kildall was a maker who got taken.

So Bill Gates took from others to become the richest man in the world. And now, because of his great wealth and the meritocracy myth, many people look to him for solutions in vital areas of human need, such as education and global food production.

Gates on Education: He has promoted galvanic skin response monitors to measure the biological reactions of students, and the videotaping of teachers to evaluate their performances. About schools he said, “The best results have come in cities where the mayor is in charge of the school system. So you have one executive, and the school board isn’t as powerful.” 

Gates on Africa: With investments in or deals with MonsantoCargill, and Merck, Gates has demonstrated his preference for corporate control over poor countries deemed unable to help themselves. But no problem — according to Gates, “By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world.” 
Warren Buffett: Demanding To Be Taxed at a Higher Rate (As Long As His Own Company Doesn’t Have To Pay)

Warren Buffett has advocated for higher taxes on the rich and a reasonable estate tax. But his company Berkshire Hathaway has used “hypothetical amounts” to ‘pay’ its taxes while actually deferring $77 billion in real taxes.

Jeff Bezos: $50 Billion in Less Than Two Years, and Fighting Taxes All the Way
Since the end of 2015 Jeff Bezos has accumulated enough wealth to cover the entire $50 billion U.S. housing budget, which serves five million Americans. Bezos, who has profited greatly from the Internet and the infrastructure built up over many years by many people with many of our tax dollars, has used tax havens and high-priced lobbyists to avoid the taxes owed by his company.

Mark Zuckerberg (6th Richest in World, 4th Richest in America)
While Zuckerberg was developing his version of social networking at Harvard, Columbia University students Adam Goldberg and Wayne Ting built a system called Campus Network, which was much more sophisticated than the early versions of Facebook. But Zuckerberg had the Harvard name and better financial support. It was also alleged that Zuckerberg hacked into competitors’ computers to compromise user data.
Now with his billions he has created a ‘charitable’ foundation, which in reality is a tax-exempt limited liability company, leaving him free to make political donations or sell his holdings, all without paying taxes.
Everything has fallen into place for young Zuckerberg. Nothing left for him to do but run for president.

The False Promise of Philanthropy
Many super-rich individuals have pledged the majority of their fortunes to philanthropic causes. That’s very generous — if they keep their promises. But that’s not really the point.
American billionaires all made their money because of the research and innovation and infrastructure that make up the foundation of our modern technologies. They have taken credit, along with their massive fortunes, for successes that derive from society rather than from a few individuals. It should not be any one person’s decision about the proper use of that wealth. Instead a significant portion of annual national wealth gains should be promised to education, housing, health research, and infrastructure. That is what Americans and their parents and grandparents have earned after a half-century of hard work and productivity.



***************************************
The Bible says:
“Rich people who see a brother or sister in need,
yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim
that they love God.” – (1-John 3:17)

“Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need
clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good
is there in your saying to them, ‘God bless you!
Keep warm and eat well!’, if you don’t give them
the necessities of life?” – (James 2:15-16)

“Learn to do right. See that justice is done — help
those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights,
and defend widows.” – (Isaiah 1:17)

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



The Real Terrorists:
The Unique Brand of .01% Terror:
Making a Game of Tax Avoidance While 2,500,000 Children Experience Homelessness.

Wealth ownership is not contemptible if the owners of that wealth accept their responsibility to the society that makes their great fortunes possible. But instead of paying taxes, the wealthiest Americans have formed an “income defense industry” to shelter their riches, with, according to the New York Times, “a high-priced phalanx of lawyers, estate planners, lobbyists and anti-tax activists who exploit and defend a dizzying array of tax maneuvers, virtually none of them available to taxpayers of more modest means.”
On the corporate end, over half of U.S. corporate foreign profits are now being held in tax havens, double the share of just twenty years ago. Yet for some of our largest corporations, according to the Wall Street Journal, over 75 percent of the cash owned by their foreign subsidiaries remains in U.S. banks, “held in U.S. dollars or parked in U.S. government and corporate securities.” Thus they get the benefit of our national security while they eagerly avoid taxes.

The .01% go about their self-serving tax avoidance while 2.5 million children experience homelessness every year. The corporations of the .01% hoard hundreds of billions overseas while nearly two-thirds of American families don’t have enough money to replace a broken furnace.
This is real terror, facing life without shelter and warmth and sustenance, without a semblance of security for even one day in the future. It is terror caused in good part by the 16,000 people who don’t feel it’s necessary to pay for the benefits heaped upon them by a perversely unequal society.

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Saturday 2 December 2017

PROPHET'S LAST HAJJ SERMON: The First Charter of Human Rights.



Remembering Prophet’s Birthday:

The Last Hajj Sermon of
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) Was
The First Charter of Human Rights
In The Recorded History!

(M. Javed Naseem)



We are in the 3rd month (Rabi-al Awwal or Rabi-1) of the Islamic calendar. This is the month during which Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was born in Makkah. Since many Muslims all over the world are busy celebrating the Prophet’s birthday without caring much about his teachings and lifestyle as a role-model, it is only appropriate that I remind people of the Prophet’s last sermon at the time of Hajj. This is also called the ‘Last Hajj Sermon’ (or Khutba) of the Prophet. It was delivered at Arafat in the year 632 A.D. and it was the first recorded Declaration (or Charter) of Human Rights of the planet.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) undertook his farewell pilgrimage in the year 10 A.H. It was the first and the last pilgrimage made by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Thousands of people from far and near joined the gathering (as per one estimate: 114,000) because this pilgrimage served as a model to perform the fifth pillar of the Faith – Hajj. Every Muslim wanted to see how Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) performed the rituals; and the faithful have been emulating him since then.

On the 8th of Dhul Hijjah, the Prophet (s.a.w.) left with his companions for Mina and spent the night there, and on the 9th, after the Fajr (dawn) prayer, He proceeded to the Plains of Arafat where he delivered the famous sermon.


It was a declaration of Human Rights and moral values, a charter of Women’s Rights. The world has not been able to lay down better principles of ethics and morality than those enunciated in it. It aims at establishing righteousness, justice and fair dealing among men on a workable basis. It establishes brotherhood among Muslims irrespective of the divergence of their geographical, racial and color backgrounds, and provides an outline of a social order, perfectly free from oppression and social injustice. It was the declaration of finality of the Holy Messenger’s Prophet-hood. It was at that point that Allah also declared that on that particular day, HE had perfected this ‘Deen’ called Islam, thus leaving no room for any changes or alterations.

But man happens to be wicked and corrupt. He takes the bait from Shaitan (Devil) quickly and plays the fool, forgetting God. He corrupted the Scriptures and altered/edited the Divine Message of every prophet or messenger of God, to suit his own comfortable worldly life. So, he altered the text of this sermon of the Prophet (s.a.w.) too, despite the fact that there were more than 100,000 (as per one narration: 114,000) people listening as ‘eye witnesses’ to this historic event.


Here’s the text of the Final Sermon! I am just hoping and praying to Allah that I made the right selection, Insha-Allah.

"All praise is due to Allah, so we praise Him, and seek His pardon and we turn to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the evil consequences of our deeds. Whom Allah guides aright there is none to lead him astray; and there is none to guide him aright whom Allah leaves astray. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. His is the sovereignty and to Him is due all praise. He grants life and causes death and is Powerful over everything. There is no God but Allah, the One; He fulfilled His promise and granted victory to His bondsmen, and He alone routed the confederates (enemies of Islam)”.

“O People! Listen to my words carefully, for I do not know whether we shall ever meet again and perform Hajj after this year”.
"O people! Allah says: 'O people! We created you from one male and one female and made you into tribes and nations, so as to be known to one another.' Verily, in the sight of Allah, the most honored among you is the one who is most pious (God-fearing). There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab; nor for the white over the black nor for the black over the white, except in righteousness (God-consciousness)."

“All mankind is the progeny of Adam and Adam was fashioned out of clay. Behold! Every claim of privilege, whether that of blood or property, is under my heels except that of the custody of the Kaabah and supplying of water to the pilgrims”.
“O people of Quraish! Don’t appear (on the Day of Judgment) with the burden of this world around your necks, whereas other people may appear (before the Lord) with the rewards of the hereafter. In that case I shall avail you naught against Allah”.

“Behold! All practices of the days of ignorance are now under my feet. The blood revenges of the days of ignorance are remitted. The first claim on blood I abolish is that of Ibn Rabiah bin Harith who was nursed in the tribe of Saad and whom the Hudhayls killed”.
“All interest and usurious dues accruing from the times of ignorance stand wiped out. And the first amount of interest that I remit is that which Abbas ibn Abd-al Muttalib had to receive. Verily it is remitted entirely”.

“O people! Verily your blood, your property and your honor are sacred and inviolable until you appear before your Lord, as the sacred inviolability of this day of yours, this month of yours and this very town (of yours). Verily, you will soon meet your Lord and you will be held answerable for your actions”.


“O people! Verily you have got certain rights over your women and your women have certain rights over you. It is your right upon them to honor their conjugal rights, and not to commit acts of impropriety, which if they do, you are authorized by Allah to separate them from your beds and chastise them, but not severely, and if they refrain, then clothe and feed them properly”.
“Behold! It is not permissible for a woman to give anything from the wealth of her husband to anyone but with his consent”.
“Treat women kindly since they are your helpers and are not in a position to manage their affairs by themselves! Fear Allah concerning women, for verily, you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made their persons lawful unto you by words of Allah”.

“O people! Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has ordained to every one his due share (of inheritance). Hence there is no need (of special) testament for an heir (departing from the rules laid down by the Shariah)”.
“He who attributes his ancestry to other than his father or claims his clientship to other than his master, the curse of Allah is upon him”.

“All debts must be repaid, all borrowed property must be returned, gifts should be reciprocated and a surety must make good the loss to the assured”.

“Beware! No one committing a crime is responsible for it but himself. Neither the child is responsible for the crime of his father, nor is the father responsible for the crime of his child”.
“Nothing of his brother is lawful for a Muslim except what he himself gives willingly. So do not wrong yourselves”.


  “O People! Every Muslim is the brother of every other Muslim, and all the Muslims form one brotherhood. And as for your slaves, see that you feed them with such food as you eat yourselves, and clothe them with the clothes that you yourselves wear”.

“Take heed not to go astray after me and strike one another’s necks. He who (among you) has any trust with him, he must return it to its owner”.

“O people! Listen and obey, though a mangled Abyssinian slave is appointed your Ameer, provided he executes (the Ordinance of) the Book of Allah among you”.

“O people! No Prophet would be raised after me and no new Ummah (would be formed) after you”.

“Verily, I have left among you that which will never lead you astray, the Book of Allah, which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray”.

“And beware of transgressing the limits set in the matters of religion, for it is transgression of (the proper bounds of) religion that brought destruction to many people before you”.
“Verily, the Satan is disappointed at ever being worshiped in this land of yours, but he will be pleased by obedience in anything (short of worship that is) in matters you may be disposed to think insignificant, so beware of him in your matters of religion”.

“Behold! Worship your Lord; offer prayers five times a day; observe fast in the month of Ramadan; pay readily the Zakat (poor-due) on your property; and perform pilgrimage to the House of God and obey your rulers and you will be admitted to the Paradise of your Lord”.


  “Let him that is present, convey it unto him who is absent, for many people to whom the message is conveyed may be more mindful of it than this audience”.

Then he asked the audience: “And if you were asked about me, what would you say?"
They answered: "We bear witness that you have conveyed the trust (of religion) and discharged your ministry of Prophet-hood and looked to our welfare."

Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.) lifted his forefinger towards the sky and then pointing towards people said:
"O Lord! Bear You witness unto it".
"O Lord! Bear You witness unto it".

(From the ‘Khutbat-ul-Hajjatul Wida’, Seerat Ibne Hesham) 

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