US IS THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF GLOBAL INSTABILITY, But It Pretends To Be The Solution!

'The US is the biggest cause
of global instability, but it
pretends to be the solution!'

Arab Regimes Are Funding
Israel’s War on Gaza

(M. Javed Naseem)

The evil Zionist occupying forces of Israel are raising hell in Palestine. The game of death & destruction is being played to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from Palestine. The Evil Empire (US & EU) are patronizing the genocide. As per The Economist, deaths in Gaza surpass 14,000, according to its authorities; more than a third of the dead are children.

On November 21st the Gaza Media Office rather than the health ministry reported new numbers. According to them, the latest death toll is 14,532. The Gaza Health Ministry has announced it will resume its count. 200 medical personnel have also died as a result of Israeli artillery, airstrikes or ground offensives. Around 1.6 million people, or about 70% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, have also been displaced, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles has said.

The entire world is watching the bombing and killing like spectators and still there are those shameless politicians, with no integrity and principles, who are siding with the apartheid Israeli regime in their crimes against humanity. In the midst of its ongoing war against the Gaza Strip, the occupation state has enjoyed considerable latitude, thanks in no small part to western support, notably from Washington, which proudly touts itself as a champion of global human rights whereas in reality, they are mere hypocrites.

The glaring double standards of this western policy are exemplified by decades of documented abuses and war crimes in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and beyond.

Human rights appear to be the last thing on the American mind. As Israeli behaviors worsen, the US is doubling down on its unwavering support for the Israeli war machine and its settler-colonial project, which has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of Palestinian lives over the past seven decades.

Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency 'Tasnim' has reported that 5,000 US troops are involved in Gaza offensive. Israel’s ground operation of ethnic cleansing in Gaza is supported by 5,000 US troops. 

"Surely, they themselves are the mischief makers, 

but they do not perceive." - (al-Quran 2:12)

The US is the biggest cause of global instability, but it pretends to be the solution!
The Israel-Hamas war shows that Washington is the single most disruptive force in the world.
By Tarik Cyril Amar (For rt.com)

A halfway even-handed international community would have to step in and protect the victims of the disproportionate Israeli retaliation, which multiple international voices have called a genocide and an ethnic cleansing. Failure to do so reveals profound bias and dysfunction. That much is obvious.

Yet there is another aspect of this catastrophic crisis, which receives less attention than it should. The global failure to hold back Israel’s aggression is due to only one part of the world, the West. And the West follows the lead of the US. Ethically, those who fail to stand up for the victims of a genocide or, even worse, side with the perpetrators are responsible for their own failure. Yet, in terms of power, US behavior is decisive. Just imagine a world in which Washington had reacted differently and restrained Israel. Its allies and clients would, of course, have fallen into line.

Whether in nominal terms or adjusted for purchasing power, America outdistances other nations, with 40% of all money spent on the military worldwide in 2022.

There is clear, again quantitative, evidence that Washington’s influence is highly disruptive. According to the conservative journal The National Interest, between 1992 and 2017, the US has been involved in 188 “military interventions.” This list is incomplete; it does not include, for instance, the Gulf War of 1990 or the pivotal role Washington played in provoking and then waging a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Moreover, as you would expect, given the source, these are conservative figures. By 2022, Ben Norton, a well-informed critic of US politics on the left found 251 military interventions after 1991.

The US has not only shown a high propensity to pursue its perceived interests abroad by military force – instead of diplomacy or even “merely” economic warfare, i.e. sanctions. What is at least equally concerning is that this preference for direct violence as a tool of policy is accelerating. The National Interest finds that – again between 1992 and 2017 – America was engaged in four times as many military interventions as between 1948 and 1991 (“only” 46 times). Likewise, the Military Intervention Project at Tufts University’s Center for Strategic Studies has found that the US “has undertaken over 500 international military interventions since 1776, with nearly 60% undertaken between 1950 and 2017” and “over one-third” of these missions occurring after 1999. US bellicosity has grown over time (though not evenly) and, recently, after the end of the Cold War and the former Soviet Union, that growth has sped up.

These wars, moreover, have been extremely destructive. According to exhaustive research conducted by the Costs of War project at Brown University, the so-called “Global War on Terror” after 2001 alone produced between 905,000 and 940,000 “direct war deaths.” The same research project notes that the “destruction of economies, public services, infrastructure, and the environment” by these wars has caused an additional “3.6-3.8 million indirect deaths in post-9/11 war zones.” The fact that most of these deaths were “indirect” shows that, even without engaging in violence directly, Washington has an extraordinary knack of spreading lethal disruption.

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is explicit about the “practical and moral failures of US efforts to unilaterally shape the destiny of other nations by force,” and seeks to promote “a fundamental rethinking of US foreign policy assumptions.”  

The most important challenge of international security, therefore, is to manage a US that is especially dangerous now, by historical standards, and, even in decline, remains extremely powerful. It is sad to say, but in terms of achieving global stability, America is precisely not what it imagines itself to be: an “indispensable” part of the solution. In reality, it is the single worst problem.
(Courtesy: https://www.rt.com/news/587409-israel-hamas-war-washington-problem/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email)

Palestinians believe they can’t coexist with Israel – poll
Many Palestinians say they will “never forgive” Israel for its military action in Gaza, according to a survey

According to a poll of Palestinians conducted by the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD), some 90% of respondents believe that “coexistence [with Israel] is increasingly impossible” given the scale of its military action in Gaza.

The poll, conducted between October 31 and November 7, also found that 98% reported they will “never forget and never forgive” Israel.

Elsewhere in the AWRAD poll, 100% of respondents said that there is no “safe space” in Gaza, while 65% view Israel’s offensive as a “war against all Palestinians” and not solely against Hamas.

It also found that almost half of people, 48%, said that their homes had been destroyed or partially damaged and that 90% supported a ceasefire. A total of 91% of respondents said that they had no trust in information provided to them by the Israeli military.
(Courtesy: https://www.rt.com/news/587514-gaza-israel-palestinian-poll/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email)

How Arab Regimes Fund Israel’s War on Gaza

Arab states that have normalized relations with Tel Aviv are among the leading cash contributors to Israel’s military-industrial complex. These Arab billions are now flowing into the Occupation state’s senseless war on Palestinians in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank.

Over the course of its short history, Israel has instigated atrocities against both the Palestinian people and neighboring Arab states, often using internationally banned chemicals such as White Phosphorus which has been deployed against Gaza and Lebanon in recent days.

Arab states funding Israel’s war economy

A report released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense reveals the financial windfalls that normalization created for the occupation state’s arms industry: in 2022 alone, 24 percent (equivalent to $3 billion) of Israeli military exports found their way to Arab countries that had formalized relations with Tel Aviv.

This marked a notable increase from 16.5 percent in the previous year. In 2021, Bahrain and the UAE alone accounted for 7.5 percent ($853 million) of Israel’s arms exports.

Geographically, the Arab signatory states to the Abraham Accords emerge as the third-largest group of countries importing Israeli weapons, following those in Asia-Pacific (30 percent) and Europe (29 percent).

This illustrates the significant role these Arab states play as major contributors to both Israel’s military-industrial complex and its economy.
(Courtesy: https://geopolitics.co/2023/11/18/how-arab-regimes-fund-israels-war-on-gaza/)

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PALESTINE IS BLEEDING And The World Is Watching The Genocide.

 

Palestine Is Bleeding And

The World Is Watching The Genocide.

Evil Empire Is A Party To The Conflict.

“You Have No Friends Or

Helper But Allah!”

(M. Javed Naseem)

 “… and Fitnah (tumult and oppression) is

worse than killing. And they will never cease

fighting you until they turn you back from your

religion (Islamic monotheism) if they can.”

(al-Quran 2:217)

The Believers, especially Muslims, should know and understand how the Unbelievers are trying to wipe them out. They are bringing death and destruction to their dwellings. Even the schools and the hospitals are not spared. The hypocrites got united for Ukraine but they are not doing anything to help the oppressed Palestinians. Therefore, in response, Muslims should also get united, put their act together and start a concerted effort to thwart all oppressive campaigns. Allah has commanded them:

“The Unbelievers are protectors, one of another.

Unless you do this (protect each other), there

would be tumult and oppression (Fitnah) on

earth, and great mischief.”

(al-Quran 8:73)

 

The fake Zionist Jews of Khazaria, who are settled on the Palestinian stolen land (they were put there by the Evil Empire), are a very racist and evil group of people. They want to kill all Palestinians and confiscate their territory which they claim is a part of the “promised land”. The Evangelist Christians are with the Zionists and are helping them in the genocide. The Believers (Muslims) should bear in mind that they cannot count on the support or help of the Unbelievers. Nobody would be with them in the fight against injustice and oppression – except Allah. If they have faith, they will succeed. Here’s what Allah the Almighty promised to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.):

“O Prophet! Rouse the Believers to the fight.

If there are twenty amongst you, patient and

persevering, they will vanquish two hundred;

if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand

of the Unbelievers; for these are a people

without understanding.”

(al-Quran 8:65)

O Muslims! Count on yourselves, on your Faith and the Mercy & Grace of Allah in your noble mission. Don’t count on any help from the Unbelievers (America and Europe). They have the same agenda to control the entire world, and they are pursuing it as one nation. They consider Islam and Muslims as an obstacle, therefore, they are doing their best to remove that obstacle. Allah has already told you clearly in the Quran that you have no friends in this world but Him.

“They will not find that they have any

friend or helper other than Allah.”

(al-Quran 33:17)

”You cannot escape in the earth, for

besides Allah you have no protecting

friend nor any helper.”

(al-Quran 42:31)

Allah declared in the Quran: “Fitnah (tumult or oppression) is worse than killing!” But that Fitnah (killing and oppression) has been going on in Palestine and many other Muslim countries for more than 70 years. It is about time that Muslims put an end to it and enforce justice. They need to get together and fight the evil jointly so that justice prevails in Palestine and in all other Muslim countries under Western invasion. There cannot be peace without justice!

Tumult and oppression can only be eliminated by force. It demands sacrifices but it can be done. It’s a long process though. The blacks in South Africa and in the United States have shown that it is possible. But it depends on the minorities as to how bold and courageous they are; and how much they want to sacrifice. If they are afraid of the majority or the numbers, they’ll never achieve success. They must have courage, resolve and fighting ability to take on the armed state goons. They should bear in mind that death comes only once and the time for it is fixed. Why fear then? If they don’t fight back for justice and their own survival, they would be killed anyway – as is being done for the last 70 years or so!

The Muslim believers should get the inspiration from the Quran and from the first war of Islam – Badr – when 313 devoted believers destroyed more than 1000 oppressors. Injustice should be fought back with all the force. Allah commands them.

“And fight them on until there is no more

tumult or oppression (Fitnah) , and there

prevails justice and faith in Allah altogether

and everywhere; but if they cease,

verily Allah does see all that they do.”

(al-Quran 8:39)

It is time for Jihad and the Commandments of Allah are very clear in situations or the conditions like today. Unfortunately, Muslim leaders of today are not Muslims in the true sense. They are plain hypocrites (Munafiqeen). They are corrupt, crooks and are playing puppets in the hands of their colonial masters just to stay in power. They are responsible for bringing misery, destruction, bloodshed and civil wars in many Muslim countries. They are helping the Zionists to destroy Muslim countries. Their pay-back time will be coming soon.

The prevailing question for the fake and coward Muslim leaders of the world is:

On The Day Of Judgment

How Would You Answer Allah?

Did you enjoin what is right?

Did you forbid what is wrong?

Did you fight injustice, oppression?

Did you help the victims of aggression?

Don’t you know that silent spectators

are partners of the oppressors?

You better prepare some answers now!

You can't simply blame the unbelievers or non-Muslims for the cruel game of 'death & destruction' being played in Palestine and Syria. Muslims leaders of the world are equally responsible for these atrocities. Allah commanded them to fight evil, maintain peace & justice and enjoin righteousness. Similarly, the Jews and the Christians were also commanded by the Almighty God to stand up for justice and obey God's commands. Unfortunately, they also failed mankind.

The Bible says:

“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” – (Titus 1:16).

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ISLAM ITSELF IS DESTINY And Will Not Suffer Destiny!

 

Remembering Iqbal (Nov. 9)

"Islam Itself Is Destiny

And Will Not Suffer Destiny"

--- Allama Iqbal

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

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“Nations are born in the hearts

of poets; they prosper and die

in the hands of politicians”

– Allama Iqbal

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An independent state (Pakistan) for the Muslims of South-Asia was the brain-child of Muhammad Iqbal, (commonly known as Allama Iqbal), the spiritual disciple of Rumi. I cannot find words to pay him enough tribute worthy of his contribution not only to the creation and history of Pakistan but also towards the motivational and inspirational poetic literature of Urdu and Persian languages.

9^th of November was the day when Iqbal was born in 1877. And I would like to take this opportunity to remember this great personality of the East, and, at the same time, remind the new generation of Muslims about the legacy of Iqbal. His message is universal and alive. He wanted you to wake up and take charge of your own destiny. You and only you can change the plight of the Muslim Ummah!

 

The Open University, UK, adds:

Mohammad Iqbal was born in 1877 in Sialkot, Punjab, to father Sheikh Nuruddin Mohammad, a tailor by profession and of Kashmiri background, and mother Imam Bibi. He was educated at the Scotch Mission College, where he also took up poetry, and later, in 1895, at Government College, Lahore, where he would come into contact with Sir Thomas Arnold. In 1903, he published a treatise on economics entitled “Ilmul-Iqtesad”, and in 1904, he wrote the Indian patriotic song “Sare Jahan se Achccha Hindostan Hamara”.

He would once again work with Thomas Arnold when he was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, as a student of Philosophy in 1905. He obtained his degree at Cambridge and went on to Munich University where he obtained a doctorate; his thesis was entitled, ‘The Development of Metaphysics in Persia’.

He later qualified as a barrister. In London, he delivered a series of lectures; his lecture at Caxton Hall was widely reported in the papers. While in Europe, Iqbal became influenced by Kant, Bergson and especially Nietzsche.

 

In August 1908 he returned to Lahore where he joined the Government College as a part-time professor of philosophy and English literature while also practicing as a lawyer in Lahore High Court. After a while, he resigned from the College and focused on law. Besides law he found time to develop his poetry in the 1920s, but he was also drawn into politics by his friends, Jogendra Singh, Zulfikar Ali Khan and Khawaja Shahabuddin.

His Persian ‘masnavi’ sequence ‘Asrar-i-Khudi’ (1915), (‘Secrets of the Self’, 1920), and ‘Rumuz-i-Bekhudi (1918), ('The Mysteries of Selflessness', 1920) were the foundation of Iqbal's philosophical poetry. In them he combined his ideas of the ego striving to achieve freedom and to develop a fuller personality with the moral, spiritual and intellectual values of Islam. He continued to develop these ideas in his poetry for the rest of his life. It is on the basis of these that he is known as the poet-philosopher of Pakistan.

From 1926 to 1930 he served on the Punjab Legislative Council and was President of the All-India Muslim League in 1930. That same year, he gave evidence before the Simon Commission, and in 1931-2 he was a delegate to the Second and Third Round Table Conferences, visiting London again.

By the mid-1930s, his health had deteriorated so much that he had to decline to give a series of Rhodes lectures at Oxford in 1935. He continued to write poetry but died on 21 April 1938. He is buried near the Shahi Mosque in Lahore.

(Courtesy: www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/mohammad-iqbal)

(Allama Iqbal's memorial plaque in a garden near Heidelberg
University, Germany, where he lived in 1907)

Muhammad Iqbal studied at two German Universities – Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the Heidelberg University at Heidelberg. He received his Ph.D degree in philosophy. Heidelberg city has named a boulevard after his him. It is called “Iqbal Ufer”.

 

As per Iqbal Academy, Pakistan, Iqbal is the best articulated Muslim response to Modernity that the Islamic world has produced in the 20th century. His response has three dimensions:

1. A creative engagement with the conceptual paradigm of modernism at a sophisticated philosophical level through his prose writings, mainly his ‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’, which present his basic philosophic insights.

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

“The main purpose of the Quran is to awaken

in man the higher consciousness of his manifold

relations with God and the universe.”

--- Allama Iqbal

(From: The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.)

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

2. His Urdu and Persian poetry which is the best embodiment of poetically meditated thought, squarely in the traditional continuity of Islamic literature and perhaps the finest flowering of wisdom poetry, or contemplative poetry or inspired poetry in the modern times.

3. As a political activist/social reformer – rising up to his social responsibility, his calling at a critical phase of history.

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‘Why have You made me born in this country,

The native of which is content with being a slave?’

--- Iqbal

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Iqbal on Western Democracy:

“Woe to the constitution of the democracy of Europe!

The sound of that trumpet renders the dead still deader;

Those tricksters, treacherous as the revolving spheres,

Have played the nations by their own rules, and swept the board!”

“Robbers they, this one wealthy, that one a toiler,

All the time lurking in ambush one for another;

Now is the hour to disclose the secret of those charmers –

We are the merchandise, and they take all the profits.”

-- Muhammad Iqbal

(From: Divine Government, Javid-Nama)

Iqbal's ‘Magnum Opus’: Javid-Nama

‘Iqbal’s magnum opus’, writes his biographer S. A. Vahid, ‘is the Javid Namah. Within a few years of its publication the poem became a classic, and. one great scholar proclaimed that the poem will rank with Firdausi’s Shah Namah, Rumi’s  ‘Mathnawi’, Saadi’s ‘Gulistan’ and the ‘Diwan’ of Hafiz. Nor was this tribute an exaggeration, as subsequent criticism showed ... In judging a poem we have to consider two things: the style and the substance.

So far as the style is concerned, Javid Namah belongs to the very first rank of Persian verse. It is unsurpassed in grandeur of expression, in beauty of diction and in richness of illustration.

As regards theme, the poem deals with the everlasting conflict of the soul, and by telling the story of human struggle against sin, shows to mankind the path to glory and peace. In every line the poet makes us feel that he has something to say that is not only worth saying, but is also fitted to give us pleasure. Thus, as regards style as well as theme the poem is a masterpiece.’
The ‘Javid-Nama’, having been frequently reissued in lithograph – the edition on which the present translation is based was published in 1946 at Hyderabad (Deccan) – was first translated, into Italian, by Professor Alessandro Bausani under the title II Poema Celeste (Rome, 1952).

A version in German verse, Buch der Ewigkeit (Munich, 1957), has come from the pen of Professor Annemarie Schimmel.

A French version, by E. Meyerovitch and Mohammed Mokri, has the title Le Livre de l’Éternité (Paris, 1962).

In 1961 a translation in English verse was published in Lahore, ‘The Pilgrimage of Eternity’, by Shaikh Mahmud Ahmad. The poem has thus reached a truly international public, and has already taken its rightful place amongst the modern classics of world literature.

(Courtesy: www.allamaiqbal.com/works/poetry/persian/javidnama)

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BURSA: The First Capital of The Ottoman Empire; Tomb of Osman Gazi

 

Bursa: The First Capital

Of The Ottoman Empire

Sogut: The City Of Ertugrul Gazi

Bursa: The City Of Osman Gazi

And His Son Orhan Gazi

(M. Javed Naseem)

(Bursa cable-car station)

When the conquest of Anatolia by the Seljuks began in 1071, the Turkish tribes coming from Central Asia settled down on their new lands. Afterwards, when the fall of the Seljuk Empire started, it crumbled in the thirteenth century. Many small Turkish principalities sprang up, one of which was the Ottoman Beylik in the northwest of Anatolia. Ottomans expanded quickly as they conquered additional lands from the Byzantine Empire.

Osman Bey, the founder of the Ottoman Beylik, who was born in the town of Söğüt in Bithynia in 1258, conquered Bilecik, Yenikent, İnegöl and İznik in 1299. That year is considered as the founding year of the Ottoman Empire that lasted for over six hundred years.

When Osman Bey decided to take the city of Bursa (originally Prusa), he began preparations to besiege the city in 1317. First, he wanted to cut off the city’s access to the sea; he then built a fort near Kaplıca and appointed his nephew Ak Timur as its commander. His slave, Balabancık, was given the command of a second fort in the mountains behind Bursa, to prevent enemy from reaching the city from both sides. Turks demolished the fort of Atranos Beyce and made their encampment at Pınarbaşı. Leaving the army’s control in the hands of his son Orhan Bey, Osman Gazi returned to Yenikent.

The siege lasted eight years, and meanwhile Osman Gazi who fell seriously ill could no longer fight. He ordered his son Orhan Gazi to take Bursa. Orhan began by taking first the Evrenos Fortress. The fortress’ governor fled into the mountains. Orhan Gazi sent Mihal Bey to chase the governor of Bursa demanding his surrender. The governor sent expensive clothes and forty thousand gold coins as a gift to show his submission. After consulting his father, Orhan Gazi allowed the governor to leave the city with his family and entourage. They made their way to Gemlik on the north coast of Bursa and sailed for Istanbul. In 1326, the Turkish army entered Bursa.

(Osman Gazi's tomb in Bursa)

 

This news reached Osman Gazi on his deathbed, and he died knowing his greatest goal had been achieved. The taking of Bursa marked a turning point in the Ottoman History. Orhan bin Osman, who was born in 1281, the year of his grandfather Ertuğrul Gazi’s death, became the second Ottoman sultan. His elder brother advised him to mint money with his name on it. He was also advised to wear clothes which would distinguish him from his subjects. Another important piece of advice was to form an army composed of infantry soldiers who would be paid out of the treasury.

Previously, coins were minted in the name of the Seljuk sultans, but in 1328, following his brother's advice; Orhan Gazi became the first Ottoman Sultan to mint his own coins. He also introduced white uniforms for his soldiers, replacing their former red and black uniforms.

In 1335, Bursa became the first Ottoman capital. Orhan Gazi ruled for nearly 35 years till his death in 1360. He was succeeded by his son Murad, who was born in 1326. Sultan Murad Han bin Orhan bin Osman Gazi was the third Ottoman sultan. 

(Ertugrul Gazi's tomb in Sogut)

 

The city of Bursa is located in the northwest of Turkey and it has strategic importance. It is situated between the cities of Ankara and Istanbul, separating it from Istanbul by the Marmara Sea, as it overlooks the Marmara Sea to the north, and is bordered on the south side by the famous Ulu Dag Mountain. Bursa is Turkey's fourth most populous city and one of the most important industrial cities of the country. In size, it is bigger than Istanbul but has a population between 2 and 3 million people, compared to over 15 millions of Istanbul.

Bursa’s silk industry has a long heritage. The city was a center of silk trade in the 15th century and by the 17th century was famous in Europe and Asia for its silk textiles, which are still produced today. Other industries include cotton and woolen textiles, canned foods, dairy products and machinery. Bursa University was established in 1975.

(Osman Gazi's son Orhan Gazi's tomb in Bursa)

 

Ertugrul Ghazi was the father of Osman Ghazi and he lived in Sogut till his death. After his death, and after many conquests, Osman Ghazi made Bursa the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Sogut is a long drive from Istanbul. We wanted to visit the tomb of Ertugrul and his companions but the tour operators were too greedy to let us do that. All of them demanded between $100 and $150 per person, which was enormous by any standard. With the inflation, a US dollar is worth 28-TL (Turkish Lira), therefore, the country should be cheaper for dollar-spending tourists. But unfortunately, it is not. They rip you off. All of them – the taxi drivers, the hotels, the restaurants, bars, clubs, sightseeing trips, boat tours and cruises. Even the shopping for gifts, sweets and souvenirs is very expensive. If you get out of the tourists zone, the country is much cheaper and the people are nicer too. 

(Ertugrul Gazi's tomb/memorial in Sogut)

 

The best way to visit the tomb of Ertugrul is to drive there (you can rent a car) and spend the night in a hotel. Day trip from Istanbul to Sogut is very cumbersome for families.

(600-year old historical Inkaya tree, near Bursa)

Turkey's 600-year Old Historical Inkaya Plane Tree

Bursa is also called the 'Green City' because of its green spots, parks and reservations. All around Bursa, there are monumental centuries old trees that defy time. The best known of these trees is the İnkaya (Grand) Plane tree, which is over 600 years old, in İnkaya Village, which is 4 km away from Çekirge neighborhood and on the Uludağ road. By size and volume, it is Turkey's largest tree. Its diameter is 3 meters; it is 10 meters in circumference; and its height is 37 meters. It has 13 main branches and the thickness of each branch is almost the size of a normal tree trunk. It has plenty of natural fountains around it. The area has become a big attraction with a lot of restaurants, cafe and small stores selling the souvenirs.

(Bosphorus cruise tour in Instanbul)

Cruise tours

Istanbul is surrounded by water and islands. The Bosphorus cuts the city itself into two halves – one half in Asia and the other half in the European continent. Hence, it is called the city of two continents. The visit to Istanbul is not complete without a boat tour in the Bosphorus. There are both day tours and the night tours with dinner and belly dance shows.

We did a day cruise into the Bosphorus and it was fantastic. There are boat tours with breakfast; with lunch and with dinner+belly dance. The prices range between $20 to $50 per person. While it is warm during the day time, it get chilly in the evening. Turkish Airline offers promotional and cheaper tickets. Istanbul is an old historical city and is worth visiting. It offers a lot in every field – history, culture, tourism, sports, shopping, fashion, food and fun. There is plenty to see and enjoy for every taste.

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AYA SOFYA AND THE BLUE MOSQUE Of Historical Istanbul.

 

The Historical Aya Sofya

And The 'Blue Mosque'

Of Istanbul

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

I am sorry for my absence as normally I post a new article every Friday. We travelled one Thursday evening from Casablanca (Morocco) to Instanbul (Turkey); spent the night in the air; and about 2:00am in the morning (Friday) reached our hotel. Slept a couple of hours and then rushed to the biggest historical landmark of the country, Aya Sophya (Turkish) or Aya Sophia (general expression) or Hagia Sophia (Roman). We (me & wife) wanted to offer Friday prayer there and then other prayers at the Blue Mosque (Masjid Sultan Ahmet), the most beautiful and the biggest mosque in Turkey. Alhamdo-lillah (thank God), we successfully achieved that goal.

Officially, this big mosque is called in Turkish “Ayasofya Kebir Camii” (Ayasofya, the big mosque). There's another Ayasofya which is called “Kucuk Ayasofya Camii” (Small Ayasofya Mosque). We visited both, as both of them were close to our hotel, and not far from each other either (maybe 500 meters apart). The design of the both mosques is very similar; but the big one is really majestic and elegant from inside too. It's the major historical and cultural site in Turkey. It is also the last of three church buildings to be successfulloy constructed on the same site by the Eastern Roman Empire. It was completed in 537-AD. From 360-AD to the year 1204, it was an Eastern Orthodoc church. Following the 4^th Crusade, it was converted into a Catholic Church. In the year 1261, it was reclaimed and again became the Eastern Orthodox till 1453, when the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople (Istanbul). It was converted into a mosque and served as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum. In the year 2020, it became a mosque again.

Hagia Sophia's splendour and elegance doesn't need my introduction or explanation. When you see it by yourself, you'll be mesmerized and lost into time. And when you offer prayer inside this historical place, you'll fee the awe. A feeling that is hard to describe.

 

Masjid Sultan Ahmed (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii) is also popularly known as the 'Blue Mosque'. It is right in front of the famous Aya Sofya or Hagia Sophya in Istanbul. It is historical imperial mosque of the Ottoman era. The Blue Mosque was constructed between 1609 and 1617-AD during the rule of Sultan Ahmed-I. It remains functional till today. It also attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic and popular monuments of Ottoman architecture.

The mosque has a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome surrounded by four semi-domes over the pray hall. It is fronted by a large courtyard and flanked by six minarets. On the inside, it is decorated with thousands of Isnik tiles and painted floral motifs in predominantly blue colors, which give the mosque its popular name (the Blue Mosque). The mosque's religious complex (Kulliye) includes Sultan Ahmed's tomb, a madrasa, a museum and several other buildings.

The Blue Mosque was built next to the former Hippodrome and stands across from the Hagia Sophia. The Blue Mosque was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985, under the title of 'Historic Areas of Instanbul'.

I have visited Petra in Jordan, the Pyramids of Cairo, Egypt, and many other important, historical sites in different countries of the world but I never saw such a big crowd of tourists at one place as I saw it in Istanbul. Thousands and thousands of tourists from all parts of the world, Muslims and non-Muslims. I saw such a crowd only at Makkah and Madinah (Saudi Arabia), the holy places of Muslims.

 

There's another thing worth mentioning here! Whey you visit Petra (Jordan), you pay the entry fee; when you visit the Pyramids of Cairo, Egypt, you pay the entrance fee; even when you visit the Hassan-II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco, you pay as a tourist or visitor 150-Dirhams ($15.00) per person. But in Istanbul, you don't pay to enter the both mosques the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia). It is free for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Only during the prayer times, the non-Muslim tourists or visitors are restricted to enter. After the prayer, they can enter the both mosques.

The huge neighborhoods around both mosques are the most expensive tourist areas of Istanbul. The prices of hotel rooms, taxis, restaurants, cafe, fruits, sweets, ice cream and everything else are enormously high. You have to make a real effort to find a place with reasonable prices. The locals don't buy anything from that zone. They live outside and they buy outside the tourist areas. The best way to move around is on foot or by metro trains or buses. For that you need to buy the Metro card.

Both big mosques (Aya Sofya and Masjid Sultan Ahmed), the Small Aya Sofya, the famous Topkapi Museum are in the same neighborhood called “Fatih” and the other smaller area called “Sultanahmet”. Hotels are very expensive in those areas but worth it as all major attractions are on a walking distance. Even the most popular world-famous shopping area called “Covered Bazar” or “Grand Bazar” is not far. All those attractions are just 10-20 minutes walk away. But if you are in areas like Teksim, which also surrounds may hotel, restaurants, bars, night clubs, shopping malls, etc., you are a bit far from the main attractions. If you are not using Metro, the taxi will be very expensive. And like any other country, taxi-drivers cheat too to make an extra buck.

 

Istanbul is a very beautiful city, full of water, islands, hills and green spots. The food is really tasty and the climate is good. Turkish sweets like “Baklawa” and the “Turkish Delights” are unique and delicious. Don't forget to go on a cruise, like Princess' Island tour, or Bosphorus Islands tour, etc. It is expensive but worth it. A great experience! We really enjoyed it. There is a lot of history scattered all around Istanbul. There is something for every taste.

When we visited, a US dollar was worth 28-TL (Turkish Lira). By that standard, Turkey should be cheaper for American and European tourists, but unfortunately it is not. The main tourist areas are just rip-off, like many other countries. But if you manage to go out of main tourist areas, it is really cheap and people are really friendly. You'll see the difference and will change your opinion too.

Subhan Allah! God's creation is beautiful. Travel and enjoy it; and be grateful to Him that you got a chance to do that.

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GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE: The Evil Empire Is A Party To The War.

Genocide In Occupied Palestine, Syria, Iraq

The Evil Empire Is A Party

To The War And Patronizes

Israeli Genocide Agenda

Puppet Muslim Rulers Are Guilty

Of Not-Helping The Muslim Victims

Against Aggression And Injustice

(M. Javed Naseem)

These are the End Times and we'll see a lot of bloodshed, aggression, wars, destruction and injustice in the world. Unfortunately, we see the brunt of it in the Muslim World as it has been well-planned by the evil forces of unbelievers and infidels. The entire world is busy crying for Ukraine, shedding crocodile tears and bungling billions of dollars, while on the other side, the oi-rich Muslim governments are doing nothing for the Muslim victims of Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Yemen. What a shameless show of hypocrisy, discrimination, double-standards and injustice on the part of so-called 'civilized' world!

This kind of genocide will continue as the survival of the Western defense industrial complex depends on wars and conflicts. The sponsor, support and even start those conflicts/wars to make big money from weapons' sales. This also serves a political motive to control the oil-rich countries. Therefore, there will be no peace in the world; only wars, wars and more wars. They create terrorists, supply them with weapons and then sell the weapons to the respective governments to fight those terrorists. Most of the morons don't understand the evil agenda. American politicians are openly making statements to support the occupying apartheid state of Israel in its genocide campaign (called 'war').

The Muslim leaders are behaving like the Munafiqeen (hypocrites) and are not helping the victims in Palestine or Syria or Iraq, etc. They are trying to please the West and the apartheid Israeli regime, establishing friendly relations with it at the cost of Muslim lives. The evil occupying Zionist regime has cut off supplies of electricity, water, food, medicines and everything else. They want to wipe out Palestinians and Hamas from this territory because the West is behind them and nobody is helping Palestinians except Iran. That's the height of shamelessness and cruelty. How would the Muslim leaders answer questions on the Day of Judgment? Allah commands:

“And fight them on until there is no more

tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice

and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere;

but if they cease, verily Allah does see

all that they do.”

(al-Quran 8:39)

In situations of wars and aggression like in the present time, Muslims are commanded by Allah to help the victims and stop or fight the aggression and injustice. Everybody knows that but nobody is following that command. They are all playing politics for their own survival. They want to stay in power at all costs and will continue licking the boots of the evil Zionist masters who are responsible for all those atrocities and injustice.

Allah warns the hypocrites in the Quran:

“The hypocrites, men and women, (have an

understanding) with each other: They enjoin evil, and

forbid what is just, and are close with their hands.

They have forgotten Allah; so He has forgotten them.

Verily the hypocrites are rebellious and perverse.”

(al-Quran 9:67)

“Allah has promised the hypocrites men and women,

and the rejecters of Faith, the fire of Hell. Therein shall

they dwell. Sufficient is it for them. For them is the

curse of Allah, and an enduring punishment.”

(al-Quran 9:68)

 

Those who claim to be Muslims or believers, should know what to do in this situation and how to help stop the genocide in Palestine and other countries. If they don't help the Muslim victims in their time of need, when they are thrown out of their homes; they are deprived of food, water, electricity, medicines, healthcare facilities; and on top of that they are being bombed! Don't the believers read the Quran, the Bible or the Torah? The whole world is watching and doing nothing!

Muslim rulers are being blackmailed as they want to stay in power with the support of the Evil Empire; so they are paying the price. But in fact, it is the general people who are suffering. Power is a Godly quality and only God can use it justly. Human beings, when given power, often try to play God and end up doing injustice to the fellow humans. They cannot resist the temptation, therefore, the corruption prevails. Power is responsibility and it should be used for the service to humanity. A ruler/governor who enjoys power, is actually given responsibility to serve his people. A ruler is a servant of Allah and he should serve His people; take care of them, solve their problems and promote peace and justice in the society. But the modern day ruler, on the contrary, considers himself as “king” of the people and takes people as his servants. He likes it very much when people gather in rows for his reception, bow in front of him and kiss his hand.

On the Day of Judgment, all rulers would be asked questions about their people. A ruler must be a humble and God-fearing servant of people, and not an arrogant tyrant. He is responsible for social justice, equality, peace and prosperity of his nation. He is not allowed to take people’s money or property. He is answerable to God for the sufferings of his people (due to injustice), during his tenure. 

 

The problem with us, Muslims, is that we don’t fear Allah. We don’t think that we are going to die sooner or later. We don’t think about the Day of Judgment and answering questions in front of Allah. We have become hypocrites (Munafiq) as we say one thing and we do something else. We lie to others every day and we don’t consider it a sin or something immoral. It is accepted as normal behavior in the society. We read the Holy Quran and still we don’t get the message! We read about other nations and generations that were destroyed because of their sins and evil-doing but we don’t learn any lesson from the Quran, nor from the history of the nations. We know that it happened to other nations but we think it is not going to happen to us. Why not? Allah says:

“How many a township have We destroyed

while it was sinful, so that it lies (to this day)

in ruins, and (how many) a deserted well and

lofty tower! Have they not traveled in the land,

so that they may have hearts wherewith to feel,

and ears wherewith to hear? For indeed it is

not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts,

which are within the bosoms, that grow blind.”

(al-Quran 22:45-46)

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GUIDANCE: ALLAH NEVER MISGUIDES! Don't slander, it's a blasphemy!

 

Allah Never Misguides!

Don’t Slander,

It's A Blasphemy!

(M. Javed Naseem)

Allah is ‘Infinite Mercy’ and ‘Infinite Love’. He created us and He loves us many times more than a mother loves her children. He commanded us to be grateful and obedient to Him so that he would shower His blessings and bounties on us. But at the same time, He warned us of Shaitan (the Devil) being our enemy manifest. He clearly warned us of painful punishment if we followed Shaitan (doing evil deeds and disobeying Allah’s commands).

“Allah created the heavens and the earth

for just ends, and in order that each soul

may find the recompense of what it has

earned, and none of them be wronged.”

(al-Quran 45:22)

For a long time now, I have seen people preaching Islam (doing Da’wah) on TV and on social media/internet. They always quote some Quranic verse: “Whom Allah guides, nobody can misguide him; and whom Allah misguides (sends astray), nobody can guide him”. Excuse me? Are you wrongfully accusing Allah? That is slander, a blasphemy!

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

Allah has created everything (including

you) in Truth. Why would He mislead

you and then burn you in Hellfire? Many

people are promoting incorrect translation

of the Quranic verses to wrongfully accuse

God! Allah never leads people astray!

Instead, He guides them to the right path.

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

The true guidance comes from Allah and that can guarantee our success in this world as well as in the Hereafter. I have been arguing with people to clarify and make them understand the true meanings of such verses. Here's the correct translation:

وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ

فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِ“

It is he whom Allah guides, that is on true”

Guidance; but he whom He leaves astray, for

such will you find no protector besides Him.”

(al-Quran 17:97)

The FaceBook/internet preachers) are promoting incorrect translations of the Quran. Allah never misguides, misleads or sends anybody astray. The English and Urdu translators (copying each others) are the source of this blasphemy. Even the so-called ‘scholars’ have erred on this verse.

Allah guides people from the Darkness to the Light. He guided Adam and Eve when they were misled by Shaitan. He sent thousands of prophets or messengers to guide humanity to the right path. When we follow our lusts, desires and greed, we go astray, under the influence of our enemy Shaitan.

Now, imagine for a second that the whole world has gone astray. Then there are some who realize what has happened, and they repent begging Allah for forgiveness and mercy. Allah knows best who is sincerely repenting and asking for forgiveness. So, He forgives whom He wills. But how about the rest? Well, He leaves the rest wherever they are because they never asked for guidance. If they are astray, He leaves them there. If they are sinful, He leaves them in sin. He does not guide them because they don’t seek guidance. Their actions don’t support their case (requesting forgiveness).

Here’s another example from Surah al-Room, verse 29. Yusuf Ali, being my favorite translator (but I consult at least 5 translations), renders the following translation of this verse:

بَلِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوۤاْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَمَن

يَهْدِى مَنْ أَضَلَّ ٱللَّهُ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ

“Nay, the wrong-doers (merely) follow

their own lusts, being devoid of knowledge.

But who will guide those whom Allah leaves

astray? To them there will be no helpers.”

(al-Quran 30:29)

Pickthal’s translation goes like this:

“Nay, but those who do wrong follow their

own lusts without knowledge. Who is able to

guide him whom Allah hath sent astray?

For such there are no helpers.”

(al-Quran 30:29)

And it is not Pickthal alone. Shakir Ali and Khalifa have also translated the above verse like Pickthal.

Similarly, most of the Urdu translators (even some of the famous Ulema) have made the same mistake of adopting Pickthal’s version without much thinking.

The Almighty revealed the Quran to guide people who had gone astray. He did not send them astray, He gave them freedom of choice. He only let them go and stay astray because they never repented.

Allah clarifies in Surah al-Qasas that it’s the lusts of people that send them astray. And when they keep following their own desires and lusts (instead of repenting), Allah does not guide them. He leaves them in that condition:

“But if they hearken not to you, know that

they only follow their own lusts; and who is

more astray than one who follow his own lusts,

devoid of guidance from Allah? For Allah

guides not people given to wrong-doing.”

(al-Quran 28:50)

Therefore, it is not the incorrect translation alone but also blaming Allah for something He never did! That’s a blasphemy! We make our own choices – right or wrong – and Allah lets us do that. He allows us to do wrong because He knows that One Day we would be answering questions and held accountable for all that we did. We would be rewarded accordingly.

 

Allah did not send Nimrod astray nor the Pharaoh of Egypt. They chose to go astray and Allah tried to show them the path of guidance through His prophets Abraham and Moses, respectively. But they did not repent, so Allah left them in that condition. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that Allah sent them astray. Allah just allowed them to go whatever way they chose to go.

“Allah disdains not to use the similitude of

things, lowest as well as highest. Those who

believe know that it is truth from their Lord;

but those who reject Faith say: "What means

Allah by this similitude?" By it He causes

many to stray, and many He leads into the

right path; but He causes not to stray,

except those who forsake (the path).”

(al-Quran 2:26)

The above verse tells us clearly that Allah does not cause anybody to go astray. It’s the people who forsake the right path, by their own choice, to go astray and Allah lets them go in that direction.

One thing is clear that going astray is on the part of man while guidance is on the part of Allah. He guides whom He wills. When Allah withdraws His guidance, nobody can save that person from Hellfire.

“For any whom Allah leaves astray,

there is no protector thereafter. And

you will see the wrong-doers, when in

sight of the Penalty, say: "Is there any

way (to effect) a return?"

(al-Quran 42:44)

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