Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

www.jamiamasjidkenya.org

Friday Bulletin

The

Issue No. 700

The Weekly Muslim News Update

'Review of Children Act should

include interests of Muslims'
T

he proposed children law

should include provisions
to protect the interests of
Muslim children and also allow
the Kadhis courts to adjudicate
on matters pertaining to welfare of
children in the Muslim community.
While some of the proposals were
contained in the previous draft, the
proposed Children Bill 2016, has
seen some sections which protected the interests of Muslim children
being thrown out of the law.
During a stakeholders meeting held last Saturday at Jamia
Mosque, participants emphasized
on the importance of ensuring that
the proposed law conforms to international treaties as well as the
constitution which recognizes the
jurisdiction of Kadhis courts in the
application of Muslim personal
Saed Abdulrahman Faruq, an inmate at the Kamiti Maximum Prison gives a word of nasiha
law.
(advice) to his fellow inmates at the Kamiti Mosque during a recent Prison Rehabilitation programme by Ummah Foundation. Saed is also the Imam of the Mosque which is located inside
Jamia Mosque Committee memthe facility which houses about 600 Muslim inmates.
ber Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome expressed his dissatisfaction that the
Bill has left out the kafala system,
On a Sunday morning in September three young scale investigation" by the Independent Polic- the Islamic alternative to adoption
women were killed by officers at the main police ing Oversight Authority, said the watchdog's despite the existence of guidelines
station in Kenya's second city -- but that's the chairman Macharia Njeru. The investigation developed for the Childrens Deonly fact beyond doubt in a case that activists can lead to criminal prosecution, disciplinary partment on the alternative care
for children.
say is further evidence of a police force gone action or exoneration for the officers involved.
rogue.
"Police in Kenya concoct stories to justify kill- Several stakeholders meetings
In the official version of events, police thwart- ing people," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa were held in 2013 under the Chiled an attempted terrorist attack on September researcher at Human Rights Watch, a New drens Department to develop
11 when the women -- who they say recently York-based advocacy organisation. "They use guidelines that would inform all
future legislation and policy on the
pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group -- 'terrorism' to justify all manner of killings."
entered Mombasa Central Police Station armed In this case, Namwaya said, "There are so Islamic concept of kafalah. A lot of
resources were put in this process
with a knife, a petrol bomb and a suicide vest.
many unanswered questions. The police look and we do not understand why the
It said vigilant officers fired on them while one of like they are struggling to cook a story."
recommendations were not acted
the attackers was burnt almost beyond recog- That impression was strengthened by two ugly upon, he said.
nition by her incendiary device. Subsequently, video clips filmed on the day.
He said as major stakeholders,
seven alleged conspirators have been rounded
One clip shows two of the girls lying on the the needs of Muslims should be
up.
ground outside the police station. They are accommodated in the proposed
But two separate human rights groups working Maimuna Abdirahman Hussein, 22, and Tas- law while emphasizing that Musindependently pieced together a different story.
min Abdullah Farah, the alleged "mastermind". lims should be proactive in legisIn actual fact, they said, the three girls went to One sits with her right arm in the air before lation matters to ensure that the
report a stolen phone, fought back when male collapsing next to the prone body beside her interests of Muslims are protected
officers attempted to forcibly remove the hijab and rolling onto her back.
in the countrys laws. Echoing his
of one, and were all then shot dead and at least Over the next two minutes at least two armed sentiments, the deputy Chief Kaone set alight to lend credence to the cover-up officers take turns firing seven shots at the dhi Sheikh Rashid Ali Omar said
story.
girls. The second clip, allegedly filmed inside while the proposals on kafala
There were no weapons, they say, no suicide the police station, shows a horribly burned had been adopted in the previous
woman -- Ramla Abdirahman Hussein, aged draft, they had been unceremonivest, no terrorist plot and no conspirators.
ously removed from the Bill which
The contradictory reports have triggered a "fullContinued To Page 2
Continued To Page 8
This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

Police account of Mombasa 'terror attack' questioned

The Friday Bulletin

Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

CIPK applauds land mark ruling on hijabs

The Council of Imams and Preachers of

Kenya (CIPK) has welcomed a court ruling lifting the ban on Muslim girls wearing
hijabs (headscarfs) in schools in the country. The council's national chairman Sheikh
Abdalla Ateka said the recent court of appeal land mark ruling that allowed Muslims
students to wear hijabs while at school was
a great honour to the Islamic religion and a
victory for the rule of law.
Speaking to The Friday Bulletin, Sheikh
Ateka called on the learning institutions
heads to implement the court order to allow
Muslim girls to wear the attire in schools.
Sheikh Ateka further noted that the ruling
and judgement was unanimous and leaves
a firm stamp of authority on the legality of
the use of hijabs not only by female Muslim
students but also by all Muslim women and
said the move to ban hijabs in schools was
victimizing and against the Constitution.
''Wearing of hijabs is a fundamental rights
to freedom of religion for Muslim girls we
were happy with the verdict to allow our
children wear the attire in schools,'' said
Sheikh Ateka. He appealed to the Education cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i to en-

sure the new rules on school uniform are

adopted because some church sponsored
schools were yet to conform.
Sheikh Ateka said that schools should not
encourage religious divisions but instead
unite students and preach the ethics of
unity among pupils and Kenyans at large,
without any religious discrimination. The
CIPK chair said that religious discrimination in the country is not allowed and the
Judiciary should not undermine the constitution by underrating some religious norms.
We feel offended when our young Muslims
are told that hijabs are an evil thing while
we all know it is the most precious cloth a
women can wear or cover her head with,
said Sheikh Ateka.
In last weeks land mark ruling, Nyeri appellate judges Philip Waki, Roselyne Nambuye and Patrick Kiage ruled that hijabs
should be allowed in school and asked
sponsored schools to stop imposing harsh
laws that may victimize students. This
comes after Kiwanjani secondary school
in Isiolo County banned Muslims students
from wearing hijabs while in school.

Garissa, Isiolo communities agree to end border clashes

Communities living along the GarissaIsiolo border have reached an agreement
to end the recent border clashes following
conflict between Borana and Somali herders. The two communities reached the
agreement after a meeting was called following a spate of killings involving Somalis
from Lagdera in Garissa and the Borana
from Isiolo South.
The constant conflict between the two
communities living along the border is due
to the scramble for pasture and water, with
each community accusing the other of invading its territory. More than 10 people
have been killed in the past one month,
with hundreds of residents having been
displaced, livestock stolen and property
destroyed.
Isiolo deputy governor Muhammed Guleid
said the warring communities have agreed
to end hostilities after leaders from both
sides last week met in an attempt to bring
about peace and lasting solution to the perennial conflict in the area.
He said the un-Islamic dispute between
the pastoralist communities is unwarranted
as they have much more things in common. These communities are brotherly
communities, they leave side by side, intermarry, share the same faith and culture. So
dispute is not in their interest at all. They
have no choice but co-exist peacefully, he
told The Friday Bulletin on Tuesday.
Guleid called on the communities to end
the bloodshed and animosity and embrace
peace that existed among them for many
years. It is meaningless to keep fighting
over pasture and water, I urge the two communities to stop the bloodshed, he said.
The meeting that brought together representatives from each side of the two com-

Page 2

munities was held in Nanyuki last Thursday

and resolved that for the purpose of peace,
pastoralists will first seek grazing permission from the host communities.
It was also agreed during the meeting that
politicians and leaders must desist from inciting their communities to violence while
residents who own firearms illegally were
urged to surrender them. A follow up meeting is slated for the near future.

Call for Muslim friendly Children Act

Continued From Page 1

is expected to be tabled in Parliament. We
do not understand why they resorted to this
but as stakeholders, the drafters of this law
should ensure that the rights of Muslims
are enshrined in this law, he said.
As opposed to adoption where a child
severs his or her identity with the biological parents, the Islamic system of kafala
ensures that while the minor is provided
with alternative care by foster parents, his
identity and connection with the biological
parents is not interfered with. The United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC) which Kenya is a signatory to explicitly recognizes kafala where
it states that parties should undertake to
respect the right of the child to preserve his
or her identity, including nationality, name
and family relations as recognized by law
without unlawful interference.
Participants also took issue with the attempts by drafters of the law to leave out
the Kadhis courts in matters of children
welfare.
The Kadhis courts derive their mandate
from the constitution and attempts to deny
them to exercise their jurisdiction is unconstitutional, said Nairobi Kadhi Abduljabbar
Isaak.
In his remarks, Nairobi based Lawyer Ali
Mahmoud spoke on the need to have a
Muslim representation on the Kenya Law
Reform Commission to take care of Muslim
interests in law reform process.
The forum which was facilitated by Jamia
Mosque Committee and Muslim Consultative Council (MCC) attracted various stakeholders who included lawyers, representatives from youth and women organisations.

Mini reshuffle in Kadhi courts

A reorganization of the Kadhi courts has
been made by the Judiciary to give more
efficiency in service delivery. The new
structure announced recently has seen the
transfer of 13 Kadhis to different stations
around the country.
The principal Kadhi Sheikh Hassan Omar
Sukyani who has been based in Kisumu
has been moved to Nairobi to the Judiciary
Training Institute. In the Kadhi hierarchy,
Sheikh Sukyan is positioned behind the
Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Muhdhar and
the Deputy Chief Kadhi Sheikh Rashid Ali
Omar.
Sheikh Abdulhalim Hussein Athman who
has been the Mombasa Kadhi has been
moved to Isiolo to replace Sheikh Kunyuk
Tito who is now the Kadhi of Kakuma in
Turkana county.
Sheikh Khamis Ramadhan who was
based in Kakuma will take up Sheikh Abdulhalims position in Mombasa.
Sheikh Zahran Omar who was the presiding Kadhi in Eldoret has swapped position
with Sheikh Ishaq Muhammad who was
serving as the Kadhi of Thika.

The transfers have also seen Sheikh Mursal Muhammad who was in Wajir being
transferred to Garsen while Ali Dida Wako
who was the Kadhi of Kitui takes up the position in Moyale. Sheikh Rashid Kokonya
Otundo who was the Kadhi of Garsen has
been transferred to Kisumu.
Sheikh Abdi Osman Sheikh who was the
erstwhile Kadhi of Moyale has been posted in Wajir.
Gavana Awadh Muhammad leaves his
workstation in Witu and will be the presiding Kadhi at Mpeketoni in Lamu county.
The Mandera Kadhi Sheikh Fahad Ismail
has been transferred to Daadab in Garissa
county while Mvudi Masoud Makange who
was in Daadab now goes to Kitui.
Speaking at the weekend during a consultative forum, the Deputy Chief Kadhi
Sheikh Rashid Ali Omar said that appointment of additional Kadhis has helped in
reducing the backlog of cases in the Kadhi
courts stating that all the 2014 cases had
been cleared while those from last year
were expected to be cleared by the end of
the year.

The Friday Bulletin

DA'WAH

Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

Be careful during the sacred month of Muharram

Asma Binte Shameem

Soon, in sha Allaah, the month of Muharram is coming upon us and we will
begin another Hijri year. Just as the devout Muslim eagerly awaits any chance
to earn good deeds and gain Allaahs
Good Pleasure, and is careful not to
transgress any boundaries, we should
prepare ourselves for the coming of the
month of Muharram.
This is because Muharram is one of the
four months that are SACRED in the
eyes of Allaah. Verily, the number of
months with Allaah is twelve (in a year):
It was so ordained, by Allaah on the Day
when He created the heavens and the
earth; of them, four are sacred. That is
the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein [Al-Tawbah 9:36]
These four months, according to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) are DhulQadah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. (Bukhaari)
Be extra careful about sins this month
Due to its sacredness, any bad deeds
done during the sacred months are
WORSE than in other months. Qutaadah
said concerning the ayah (so wrong not
yourselves therein) that Wrongdoing
during the sacred months is more serious and more sinful that wrongdoing at
any other time. Wrongdoing at any time
is a serious matter, but Allaah gives more
weight to whichever of His commands
He wants. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer)
Do extra good deeds this month
Similarly, good deeds during this month
bring a greater reward than in other
months. Ibn Abbaas said in the tafseer
for the above Ayah, that good deeds
done during the four sacred months
bring a greater reward. (Ibn Katheer)
Pay special attention to FASTING:
Fasting during the month of Muharram
has special meaning and the Prophet
(peace be upon him) has highly encouraged it. Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him)
said: The best of fasting after Ramadhaan is fasting Allaahs month of Muharram. (Muslim).
Fast on the day of aashuuraa (10th
muharram)
Ibn Abbaas said: The Prophet (peace
be upon him) came to Madeenah and
saw the Jews fasting on the day of
Aashuuraa. He said, What is this?
They said, This is a righteous day, it is
the day when Allaah saved the Children
of Israel from their enemies, so Musa
fasted on this day. He (peace be upon
him) said, We have more right to Musa
than you, so he fasted on that day and
commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that
day. (Bukhaari)
If one fasts on the 10th of Muharram, Allaah will forgive the sins of the previous
year.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
For fasting the day of Aashuuraa, I
hope that Allaah will accept it as expia-

tion for the year that went before. (Muslim)

Ibn Abbaas said: I never saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) so keen
to fast any day and give it priority over any
other than this day, the day of Aashuuraa.
(Bukhaari).
It is Mustahabb to fast the 9th of Muharram as well
It is mustahabb to fast on both the ninth and
tenth days, because the Prophet (peace be
upon him) fasted on the tenth, and intended
to fast on the ninth. But, it is OK to fast only
the 10th as well.
Ibn Abbaas said: When the Messenger
of Allaah (peace be upon him) fasted on
Aashuuraa and commanded the Muslims
to fast as well, they said, O Messenger of
Allaah, it is a day that is venerated by the
Jews and Christians. The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said, If I live to
see the next year, in sha Allaah, we will fast
on the ninth day too. But it so happened
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace be
upon him) passed away before the next
year came. (Muslim).
Some misconceptions and baseless traditions
There are many wrong traditions associated with the Day of Aashuuraa and Muharram, which have nothing to do with
the Shariah. We have to guard ourselves
from falling into these wrong traditions and
bidah because this is also sin.
1) Some other people attribute the sanctity
of Aashuuraa to the martyrdom of Husain,
Radhiya Allaahu anhu. No doubt, the story
of Husain, Radhiya Allaahu anhu is one
of the most tragic episodes of our history.
Yet, the sanctity of Aashuaraa cannot be
ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sanctity of Aashuuraa was
established during the days of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), much earlier than the
birth of his grandson Husain.
2) Some people consider Muharram an evil
or unlucky month, for Husain, Radhiya Allaahu anhu was killed in it. So they dont
hold weddings, and other celebrations during this month. This is again a baseless
concept, which is contrary to the teachings
of the Quran and the Sunnah. Having superstitions, such as this, is committing a
kind of shirk since one associates a particular event or person with having power to
harm or do good and only Allaah is the One
Who has power over all things.
3) Some people think it is Sunnah to prepare a particular type of meal on the 10th,
and they hold big gatherings for this purpose. This, again has no basis in the Shariah.
4) Some people mourn and lament over
the death of Husain Rdhiya Allaahu anhu
and hold special ceremonies for this very
purpose.
However, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
has forbidden us from holding mourning
ceremonies on the death of any person,
which was the practice of the people of jahiliyyah (ignorance).

He is not from our group who slaps his

checks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah. (Bukhaari)
And if you really think about it, it is the greatest merit and reward that Husain Radhiya Allaahu anhu received, when he attained martyrdom for the sake of Allaah.
5) Some people go to the other extreme and
dress up and cook special dishes, etc. as a
kind of celebration for this Day and that is
ALSO against the Quran and Sunnah.
6) Others hold special prayers or offer sacrifice or visit the graves, specifically on the
10th of Muharram, thinking that there is special reward or meaning for doing so in the
Shariah and this is also a kind of bidah that
one should stay away from.
In Conclusion:
Our behavior during this month should be
like the behavior of the Sahabah, not one of
mourning, neither one of celebration. Rather,
we should value Muharram as one of Allaahs
sacred months in which we should strive to
do good deeds and be extra careful of sinning.
We should try and fast as much as we can in
this month, especially the 9th and 10th. We
should not be superstitious about it (or for
anything else, for that matter) and if someone
wants to get married during it, they may. We
should not cook special meals on the 10th
and if someone invites us for such a meal,
we should not go.

SUNDAY
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SATURDAY LECTURE

Topic: Tarbiyatun Nafsiyah (Psychological

Training) Part 2
By: Ustadhah Arafah Khamis
Date: 1st October 2016
Time: After Dhuhr Prayer (1.30 to 3.00 pm)
Venue: Womens Section of the Mosque

Page 3

WOMEN

The Friday Bulletin

Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

Thoughts on modesty: A womans perspective

Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood

Every religion has its characteristic, and
the characteristic of Islam is modesty. This
statement made some 1400 years ago by
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) is just as relevant today as it was then.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) lived in
turbulent times, when slavery, debauchery,
drunkenness and sexual abuse was rife;
when poor women could be maltreated
without redress and wealthy women could
live totally without morals if they wished,
without much criticism.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was
a teenage boy he was one of the founder
members of a society of Knights of Justice
created by his uncle, determined to bring
protection and fair dealing to the weak and
insecure. He, and those of like mind, were
loved and admired for their nobility, years
before the revelation of Islam. The revelations, when they came, encouraged and
exhorted them to show others that compassion, generosity, courage, modesty and
patient faith were the right way to live.
Modesty is such a quiet characteristic,
that perhaps nobody thinks about it very
much. What are modest people like? They
are self-effacing, and humble; they do not
wish to draw too much attention to themselves.
They feel embarrassed when they are given praise, and genuinely do not really feel
they have done all that much to deserve it,
for everything they do is their no more than
their duty and their delight, in serving Allaah. They would hate to be picked out for
praise above their fellows, or pushed forward into the limelight, shown off, or made
to perform party pieces for the applause
of others.
Modesty also implies a personal and physical shyness and reticence, as opposed to a
wish to flaunt themselves for their physical
charms. In this day and age, when it seems
to be taken for granted that young women wish to walk down the streets of town
wearing garments that cover little more
than their underwear does, and when everything seems geared up to a lifestyle that
encourages females to make themselves
as sexually attractive as possible, and to
feel failures if they are not turning heads,
women who are not like that, and do not
wish to be, are regarded by some as being
rather odd.
It is an unfortunate sort of discrimination,
for in actual fact very large numbers of girls

Ayah of the week

Ayah of the week

O my sons, go and
find out about Joseph and
his brother and despair
not of relief from Allah .
Indeed, no one despairs
of relief from Allah except
the disbelieving people."
(Al Qur'an 12: 87)
Page 4

and women are naturally modest, and do

not wish to flaunt themselves at all, and
feel no sense of distress or loss if they are
not arousing male desires or interested
glances.
Wearing hijab, or becoming a covered
lady, is one of the odd problems facing
girls and women who revert to Islam and
who then decide to alter their style of clothing, and/or wear a head-veil.
Ironically, genuinely shy and modest women can feel really uneasy and forced into
the arena of public scrutiny when they
change old habits; putting on hijab can
cause people who know you to stare, or
wonder why you suddenly think yourself
to be better or more holy than them, or
to bring out remarks about how well they
know what you are really like; or to wonder
why you are seeking to dress up in fancy
dress, or pretending to be an Arab or a
Pakistani or whatever. Muslim women who
take the further step of covering their faces
often face a similar reaction from Muslim
women who dont.
The cover-up clothing of Muslim women is
not intended as a punishment or an endurance test, but as a wish to appear graceful and feminine without encouraging any
sexual advances. Covered ladies are not
necessarily innocent youngsters, virgins
about to be sacrificed in marriage, but may
be mothers of half a dozen children, perhaps married several times.
There is no false modesty intended. But
they are giving certain specific messages:
firstly, that their faith is Islam and they have
chosen to submit to the will of Allaah in
every aspect of their lives; and secondly,
that they wish to be appreciated for their
characters and good deeds, and not for
whether or not they happen to be pretty or
slim or sexy.
Modesty also implies simplicity, and lack
of desire for ostentation. A woman could
be completely covered, but in some gaudy
material, shrieking colour, and also dripping with jewellery, gold and pearls.
Thats one sort of ostentation. Or she might
be the only woman in her community who
chooses to be head to toe in black that
might well be genuine piety, but it could
also be a form of ostentation too. Allaah will
judge the lady not on her clothes at all, but
on her motives, her niyyah, and the quality
of her life and what she does with it.

Hadith of the week

Abu Hurairah (may Allh be
pleased with him) reported: The
Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allh be upon him) said, When
a man dies, his deeds come to an
end except for three things: sadaqah jariyah (ceaseless charity); a
knowledge which is beneficial, or a
virtuous descendant who prays for
him (for the deceased).

[ Sahih Muslim]

Quote of the week

Verily, we were a
disgraceful people and
Allah honored us with
Islam, so if we seek
honor from other than
Islam, then Allah will
humiliate us.
(Umar ibn Khattab, the
second Caliph)

Of course, the covered clothing can be

quite a sacrifice notably when the temperature soars and one must find garments
in pure cotton, and not wear short sleeves,
and if wearing the veil one must remember
that a large amount of body-heat escapes
through the head, and one can end up feeling quite faint and uncomfortable.
Modesty goes hand in hand with value.
When men and women are modest, they
are in fact valuable people, and without
any thought of self-aggrandisement, realise their value.
The values of modesty and genuine humility are Allaah-given, and those who possess those characteristics are blessed indeed. Moreover, they are lights shining in
the darkness, giving an example of hope
and goodness to others.
A truly modest person makes the raucous
pomposity and arrogance of others show
up; a truly simple-living person makes nonsense of the ephemeral wealth-and-statusseeking ambitions of those who do not realise there is more to life than just this level
of existence. A truly pure person reveals
the tawdriness of lust and lasciviousness
and the selfish dangers of unbridled sexuality.

Isiolo International airport

to open next month

The new Isiolo International Airport is expected to open in October. The Sh27 billion
airport is expected to start receiving chartered airplanes before scheduled flights
start which are due to start in November.
Transport Principal Secretary Irungu
Nyakera, while inspecting the ongoing construction on Monday, said most of the work
at the airport has been completed including
the runway, car park, administration block
and terminal building.
He announced that the international airport
whose status has been upgraded from an
airstrip will be ready for operations by next
month. President Uhuru Kenyatta is officially expected to commission the project.
We want flights to come to Isiolo soonest
because we are behind schedule, he said
as he described the airport as one of the
key hubs of aviation in the country.
With an expansive runway of 2.5 kilometre,
the airport is deemed capable of handling
large aircrafts such Airbus A300 and Boeing 787.
Isiolo International Airport is Kenyas sixth
international gateway after Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport (Nairobi), Moi (Mombasa), Moi (Kisumu), Eldoret and Wajir International airport.
The project is part of the Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET)
and Vision 2030 flagship projects and Isiolo and Meru residents are optimistic that
the airport will open up the northern corridor for projects, including electrification,
highways, oil pipelines, resort cities and
airports

The Friday Bulletin

YOUTH

Letter from Aleppo: 'My city is not just a death toll'

A Syrian civil defense member and resident of Aleppo reflects
on the worst onslaught the city witnessed since 2011.

Aleppo - During the past week, Aleppo has been the target of the
worst aerial onslaught since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011. More
than 400 people were killed, hundreds of others wounded, and several buildings flattened since a short-lived ceasefire broke down last
week. Here, Beebers Mishal, 31, one of the founders of the Syrian
Civil Defense in 2013 and a resident of Aleppo, reflects on the humanitarian situation in the city and world reaction to it.
I don't remember when I woke up this morning, I don't remember when
I went to sleep. I don't sleep easily, no one here does. The aerial bombardment is relentless all across the city. In our lives there is no such
thing as sleep.
I have three civil defence certificates and another on the laws of war
and peace. The last one is not mandatory; they teach it to people who
want more information. I can say with full confidence that the international community does not enforce any of the laws of war.
This same community has been watching what is happening in Aleppo
for eight days. Aleppo is burning and the world is watching silently.
Russian warplanes have not stopped bombing us, not for a second.
They've dropped all kinds of forbidden munitions: phosphorous
bombs, cluster munitions and the powerful bunker buster. I've seen
these bombs destroy entire neighborhoods and bury people alive.
The regime is targeting areas that were struck before, resulting in
more casualties.
There is no food and we are running out of water. The only supply
road to the city was closed. No one can afford to buy a piece of bread
because the prices are too high. People are eating one meal of rice
and mint, or one packet of instant noodles a day
Journalists ask me how many people died on this day or that day, but
every fired missile is a story. Seconds after an explosion, our units
go straight to the area and start pulling people from under the rubble.
Maybe the bomb destroys the entire building. Maybe there are five
families inside when it does.
We saved a man from under the rubble after three hours of searching.
After one attack, an 11-day-old baby was missing. We found her by
listening to the sounds of her cries from beneath the wreckage.
Three of our headquarters were also attacked and some of our vehicles were destroyed. So we risked heavy shelling and used our hands
to lift the pieces of the shattered homes, and rescue the people underneath.
But even those pulled out might not be saved. We are running out of
fuel, hospitals are working under fire with limited electricity and medicine.
We will not be able to keep going this way for long.
This isn't new for us. This is our routine. Hear a bomb, go to the site,
identify people and get them out. In the last few days, we didn't stop,
not even for a moment. The use of powerful munitions mean our work
is never done. There is no "start time" for what we do. I don't have a
life outside the White Helmets.
Of course, the war has an effect on me. I am married, but my wife is
not with me. She is safer in the Aleppo countryside. But I am stuck
here, in the besieged city.
Before the war I was working as a language teacher and a public
servant. I don't have children. In four years, I have witnessed the carnage of innocent children. I've heard the sound of people struggling to
breathe their last under the rubble.
This is not normal. No one can express what this feeling is like.
We always say, when the war ends whoever is left will need psychological help to feel what normal people feel like again.
I was one of the founders of the Syrian Civil Defense in 2013. In the
past three years and a half I have witnessed thousands of massacres,
bombings, air strikes.
But the past few days in Aleppo have been unbelievable. You can see
sorrow in the eyes of the people.
You can hear the crash of bombs and death everywhere. They only
have memories of blood, displacement and destruction.
As told to Samya Kullab (Al Jazeera)

Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

The Hijri Calender

The Islamic Calendar has 12 months but, unlike Western calendars, has only 354 days. This is because the
Islamic Calendar (or Hijri Calendar) follows the movements of earth's Moon.
Each month of the Islamic Calendar officially begins
when the lunar crescent is first seen after a new moon.
The 12 months of the Islamic Calendar, in order are
these:
1. Muharram
2. Safar
3.
Rabi' al-awwal
4.
Rabi' al-thani
5.
Jumada al-awwal
6.
Jumada al-thani
7. Rajab
8. Sha'ban
9. Ramadhan
10. Shawwal
11.
Dhu al-Qa'dah
12.
Dhu al-Hijjah
The Calendar is called the Hijri Calendar because it began with the Hijra, Prophet Muhammad's journey from
Makkah to Madinah, which took place in 622 on the
Western Calendar. The hijra took place, on Western
Calendars, on July 16.
Western, or Christian, Calendars measure time beginning with the year 0 C.E. On the Christian Calendar, C.E.
stands for Christian Era. The Hijri Calendar has years
marked by A.H., which stands for Anno Hegirae, "In the
Year of the Hijra." The hegira took place in A.H. 1.
The new hijra year which is expected to start in a few
days will be 1438 A.H.
The lunar calendar has about 11 days less than the solar
calendar. Thus, every year, the month of the lunar calendar occurs 11 days prior to what it had occurred in the
previous solar year. Thus, in a period of about 33 lunar
years a person will experience all the different seasons
for one particular month of the lunar calendar. This is
very important because the yearly activities of a Muslim are based on the lunar calendar. Certain months like
Ramadhan and Hajj are very important to the Muslims.
During Ramadhan a Muslim has to fast which includes
abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.
If the Islamic months were based on the solar calendar
where the seasons were fixed, then people living in certain parts of the world would have Ramadhan in summer
while in other parts of the world it would be winter.
Some Muslims would have to fast for a longer period of
time where the days are long while other Muslims would
have to fast for shorter period of time where the days
are short. If the seasons did not change, then Muslims
living in some parts of the world may feel that they are
at a disadvantage throughout their lives.
The Hijri Calendar is the official calendar in many predominantly Muslim countries. Muslims do not mark the
Hijri new with celebrations but use the period to reflect on the past 12 months and to enhance on their
faith in the days ahead.
The Hijri Calendar was introduced by Umar ibn AlKhattab, the second Caliph in Islam in 638 while the
Christian calendar which is also called the Gregorian
calendar was started by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

Page 5

OPINION

The Friday Bulletin

Muhammad Guleid

Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

What Islam says about governance

During a recent Friday prayer at a local

mosque, the Imam addressed the issue of
mismanagement of public resources and
what Islam has to say about it.
Here I am using the same title the Imam
used for his sermon using this platform,
considering its relevance to the contemporary Kenyan context. The subject under
discussion was the leadership of Umar Ibn
Khattab and his lessons on governance.
In his inaugural speech, Umar Ibn Khattab,
the second caliph of Islam (ruler between
634 and 644 CE) said: Allaah has for the
time being made me your ruler. But I am
one of you. No special privileges belong to
a ruler. I have some responsibilities to discharge, and in this I seek your cooperation.
"Government is a sacred trust, and it is my
endeavour not to betray the trust in any
way. For the fulfilment of the trust I have to
be a watch-man. I have to be strict. I have
to enforce discipline.
I have to run the administration not on the
basis of personal idiosyncrasies; I have to
run it in public interest and for promoting
the public good. For this we have the guidance in the Book of Allaah. Whatever orders I issue in the course of day-to-day administration have to conform to the Quran.
According to Islamic faith, the Caliph is the
head of state (equivalent of the modernday President). Such a powerful message
after taking the oath of office sends a clear
signal of accountability.
When it comes to matters of corruption
Kenyans need to turn to Allaah and pray
declared the Imam in his sermon. There
was even a suggestion to declare corruption a national disaster in Kenya.
The President should declare a national day of prayer and dedicate it to raise
awareness and to help us understand the

negative consequences of this vice. The

Islamic religion gives guidance on reducing excesses in government and how to
increase accountability and transparency.
A simple way to do it is to get some knowledge and create a curriculum for State officials to study the governance system of
Umar Ibn Khattab, the second caliph and
leader of the Muslim world after the death
of Prophet Mohamed, the imam suggested. The inauguration speech of Umar Ibn
Khattab is probably the clearest language
any leader ought to use to show commitment to good governance.
But the Caliph also created systems that
ensured public resources are carefully
guarded and the baitul maal equivalent of
our national treasury was well managed.
People paid their taxes in forms of zakat
willingly and public officials were vetted for
honesty and obedience to Allaah.
In the last few weeks, issues of corruption
hit headlines again.
The spectacular mismanagement of the
National Olympic committee and a survey
on corruption early this year shows the level of corruption is still very high and probably worse than before.
Some leaders including those at the county
level are said to have amassed so much
wealth at the expense of development increasing disparities and gap between rich
and poor which by itself poses unforeseen
danger for the stability of our country.
The issue of corruption and misuse of public funds has been a subject of debate in
Kenya for a very long time. The perception
by most Kenyans is that they no longer
trust government officials. During the early
years of President Kibakis government, a
former British diplomat complained openly
that corrupt ministers were eating like glut-

tons and vomiting on the shoes of foreign donors.

When the diplomat was asked to apologise,
he said, the only apology he could give was
for underestimating the scale of the looting
and for failing to speak out earlier.
That was 11 years ago, but today the level
and intensity of corruption have increased
both in scale and sophistication. The looting spree at national and county government is going on and with the new financial
year starting around this time, officials are
busy planning how to steal. Service delivery is not a major priority for most state officials.
Umar Ibn Khattab was once informed one
of his officials was engaged in trade and
had earned additional money beyond his
salary. The Caliph summoned the said official and inquired about the source of his
excess wealth.
The official replied he had earned additional money from doing honest business.
Umar then commanded the official to surrender all the wealth he earned from doing
his business and asked him to resign if he
wanted to engage in trade. The bottom line
is it all comes down to leadership.
If the leadership at the top is not compromising, those at the bottom would have no
choice but to follow the leader. A friend who
recently visited Georgia told me that more
than 10 percent of state officials currently
are in prison due to anti-corruption crusade
by the current president.
I think a quick and rigorous effort to clean
up our system is long overdue. The sooner
we start the better before the dragon called
corruption consumes all of us.
The writer is the deputy governor of Isiolo
County.

Shimon Peres was no peacemaker. Ill never forget the sight of pouring blood and burning
bodies at Qana
Robert Fisk
When the world heard that Shimon Peres had died, it shouted Peacemaker!
But when I heard that Peres was dead, I
thought of blood and fire and slaughter.
I saw the results: babies torn apart, shrieking refugees, smouldering bodies. It was
a place called Qana and most of the 106
bodies half of them children now lie
beneath the UN camp where they were
torn to pieces by Israeli shells in 1996. I
had been on a UN aid convoy just outside
the south Lebanese village. Those shells
swished right over our heads and into the
refugees packed below us. It lasted for 17
minutes.
Shimon Peres, standing for election as Israels prime minister a post he inherited
when his predecessor Yitzhak Rabin was
assassinated decided to increase his
military credentials before polling day by
assaulting Lebanon. The joint Nobel Peace
Prize holder used as an excuse the firing
of Katyusha rockets over the Lebanese
border by the Hezbollah. In fact, their rock-

Page 6

ets were retaliation for the killing of a small

Lebanese boy by a booby-trap bomb they
suspected had been left by an Israeli patrol. It mattered not.
A few days later, Israeli troops inside Lebanon came under attack close to Qana and
retaliated by opening fire into the village.
Their first shells hit a cemetery used by
Hezbollah; the rest flew directly into the
UN Fijian army camp where hundreds of
civilians were sheltering. Peres announced
that we did not know that several hundred
people were concentrated in that camp. It
came to us as a bitter surprise.
It was a lie. The Israelis had occupied
Qana for years after their 1982 invasion,
they had video film of the camp, they were
even flying a drone over the camp during
the 1996 massacre a fact they denied
until a UN soldier gave me his video of the
drone, frames from which we published in
The Independent. The UN had repeatedly
told Israel that the camp was packed with
refugees.

This was Peress contribution to Lebanese

peace. He lost the election and probably
never thought much more about Qana. But
I never forgot it.
When I reached the UN gates, blood was
pouring through them in torrents. I could
smell it. It washed over our shoes and
stuck to them like glue. There were legs
and arms, babies without heads, old mens
heads without bodies. A mans body was
hanging in two pieces in a burning tree.
What was left of him was on fire.
On the steps of the barracks, a girl sat holding a man with grey hair, her arm round his
shoulder, rocking the corpse back and forth
in her arms. His eyes were staring at her.
She was keening and weeping and crying,
over and over: My father, my father. If she
is still alive and there was to be another
Qana massacre in the years to come, this
time from the Israeli air force I doubt if
the word peacemaker will be crossing her
lips.
Continued To Page 7

NATIONAL

The Friday Bulletin

Dhul Hijjah 28,1437/September 30, 2016

Drought brings misery to Garissa residents

A severe drought has hit parts of Garissa
County affecting thousands of pastoralist
families. The lives of thousands of people
and livestock are under threat due the prolonged drought that has dried up vital water sources and depleted pasture.
In Ijara sub-county which is among the
most affected areas, residents are in dire
need of humanitarian assistance. They are
appealing to the government and other
relevant non-governmental organizations
to come to their aid and avert the looming
humanitarian crisis.
Thirsty wild animals are fighting with
people over the access of the only water
source in this area. Residents were forced
to take turns day and night to keep away
buffaloes from the dam, but now we have
given up because it is extremely risky to
ward off the thirsty wild animals as they
come in big numbers, said Haret Nasteha
a resident of Korisa.
The area has only one dam and has now
changed color and odor due to contamination and the receding waters.
Schools are on the verge of closing due
to lack of water and parents have already
started moving their children to areas
where water is available.
School-going children miss school to trek
for kilometers in search of the rare commodity.
Most of the students have left school
due to lack of water and soon enough the
school will have to close and we will all go
home, said a student at Korisa primary
school. Health centres have also shut
down and medical practitioners are anticipating an outbreak of water borne diseases due to the contaminated water sources.
According to Hassan the program coordinator of Womankind Kenya, women
and children are the most affected by the
drought.

These women walk for over 30 kilometres

in search of water. They are suffering the
most and often show signs of contraction
of water diseases such as diarrhea. He
said.
The Garissa Countys National Drought
Management Authority described the
drought ones of the worst in the recent
years. According to Ijara sub-county administrator Muhammad Ahmed the county
government is overstretched and overwhelmed by those in need of humanitarian
assistance and called for the intervention
of donors and well-wishers.
At the same time a state of drought disaster has be declared in Garissa County.
Speaking on Wednesday in Masalani Sub-

county where he officially launched the distribution of relief food for drought victims,
Garissa governor Nathif Jama noted that
Masalani Sub-county has witnessed crisis
for the last two years and called on the national government to act fast and supplement the efforts being made by the county
government of Garissa.
"We are facing a disaster, a national calamity. We have not seen such drought for the
last 200 years. We are calling on the national government to come forward very quickly
and be pro-active" Nathif said.
Jama appealed to the government to chip in
and address the challenges affecting local
residents through the provision of relief food
and other basic needs..

Kericho Muslim Association elections for Sunday

The long awaited Kericho Muslim Association (KMA) elections for new office bearers to manage the affairs of the local Muslims will be held on Sunday October 2.
This follows the directive by Registrar of
Societies who ordered the association
to hold fresh elections to pick new office
bearers following the disputed polls in
May.
During the May elections, Kericho based
businessman Abubakar Harun was elected as the chairman of the association defeating the outgoing chairman Abdikadir
Muhammad with Abdulaziz Ajani being
elected as Secretary General.
The elections were however, nullified by
the Registrar of Societies after a group led
by Abdikadir Muhammad filed returns with
different list of new officials to the Registrar and claimed that they were the bonafide elected officials of the Association, a
move that culminated in Abubakar's camp
to petition the Registrar.
The fresh polls will be held at Kericho Ja-

mia Mosque and will be presided over by

the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims
(SUPKEM) officials from head office in Nairobi.
All posts will be open for contestation with
only registered members allowed to participate in the elections to be conducted either
through secret ballot or acclamation.
Among the positions to be contested for
include that of the chairman, deputy chairman, secretary general, deputy secretary
general, Treasurer, deputy Treasurer, and
committee members and youth leader respectively.
The SUPKEM deputy national chairman
Abdullahi Kiptanui appealed to the police
to provide adequate security during the
elections to be held at the Kericho Jamia
Mosque.

'Shimon Peres was no peacemaker'

Continued From Page 6

There was a UN enquiry which stated in
its bland way that it did not believe the
slaughter was an accident. The UN report
was accused of being anti-Semitic. Much
later, a brave Israeli magazine published
an interview with the artillery soldiers who
fired at Qana. An officer had referred to the
villagers as just a bunch of Arabs (arabushim in Hebrew). A few Arabushim die,
there is no harm in that, he was quoted as
saying. Peress chief of staff was almost
equally carefree: I dont know any other
rules of the game, either for the [Israeli]
army or for civilians
Peres called his Lebanese invasion Operation Grapes of Wrath, which if it wasnt
inspired by John Steinbeck must have
come from the Book of Deuteronomy. The
sword without and terror within, it says in
Chapter 32, shall destroy both the young
man and the virgin, the suckling also with
the man of grey hairs. Could there be a

better description of those 17 minutes at

Qana?
Yes, of course, Peres changed in later
years. They claimed that Ariel Sharon
whose soldiers watched the massacre at
Sabra and Shatila camps in 1982 by their
Lebanese Christian allies was also a
peacemaker when he died. At least he
didnt receive the Nobel Prize.
Peres later became an advocate of a two
state solution, even as the Jewish colonies on Palestinian land which he once
so fervently supported continued to
grow.
Now we must call him a peacemaker.
And count, if you can, how often the word
peace is used in the Peres obituaries
over the next few days. Then count how
many times the word Qana appears.
Robert Fisk is the Middle East Correspondent of the British daily The Independent

59
003
836
ADN
Satelite for Africa
and Europe

Page 7

Police account of Mombasa 'terror attack'

Continued From Page 1 quetioned

19 and the sister of Maimuna -- lying on the floor, moaning as

police question her.
Khelef Khalifa, chairman of the Mombasa-based Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) group said the call to prayer that can be
heard in the clip as the woman lay dying shows she was left without medical assistance for two hours.
"We see this as extra-judicial killing," he said. "A dead person
doesn't talk." Khalifa pointed out that if the young women were
terrorists as police claim, they could have been arrested instead.
He also questioned the plausibility of the alleged plot.
"It is mind-boggling! Three ladies go and attack a police station
with a knife? These girls cannot even steal in my house let alone
a police station," he said.
On Friday a government pathologist postponed indefinitely a
scheduled postmortem of the two sisters, and the following day
the bodies were buried. "In Kenya, you cannot take a death without autopsy anywhere in a court of law. This is a cover-up," said
Khalifa.
Kenyan police are routinely accused of running death squads and
killing suspects as well as those with whom they have disputes.
Four police officers were charged with murder earlier this year
after lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and driver were tortured, murdered and dumped in a Nairobi river after a long-running legal
battle stemming from an assault claim against the senior officer.
Police have made various allegations since the Mombasa incident, and neither the bullet-proof nor suicide vests the women
allegedly wore, nor the knife, have been produced, while a handwritten note declaring their allegiance to Islamic State has yet to
be verified.
After the attack was reported an IS-linked website claimed its
"supporters" carried out the attack.
For human rights activists the contradictions and outlandish allegations are all too familiar. "It can be shocking to someone who
doesn't know what police do," said Namwaya, "but this is typical."
(AFP)

SUNDAY

POSITIONS AVAILABLE
1. Android app developers

2. Translators to translate from to

and between Arabic, English and

Kiswahili

3. Fluent articulate readers in Arabic,

English and Kiswahili

4. Transcribers to listen and transcribe

speeches in English to Arabic and
Kiswahili

Please send CV to the address below.

hr@al-iihya-al-iislami.com

Education, the way forward

Throughout history, the value of education has been universally
well-recognized as a fundamental human right. Education not only
opens doors of opportunity to a better living standard but also
broadens our views about world affairs and social norms around
the world, helping us become more tolerant and law-abiding citizens.
Illiteracy is not caused by a lack of intelligence; rather it is often a
result of outside factors that can be addressed. Today, a large segment of the Kenyan population - particularly in Muslim communities
- does not know how to read or write. As a result, they are unable
to achieve their goals in life and reach their full potential in terms of
financial stability to support their families.
The first word revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) was Iqra meaning "Read!" This shows the importance of acquiring knowledge as a Muslim. ((Read! In the name of your Lord,
Who Has Created; Has Created man from clot. Read! and your
Lord is Most Generous. Who taught by the pen. Who has taught
man that which he knew not )) [Holy-Quran 96:1 5]
In this spirit, Ummah Foundation has continuously supported over
200 students under the Education Bursary Support. Over the years
we have registered more than 2500 students that have graduated
from this system and are potentially empowered to compete in the
job market and service delivery to the nation.
Ummah Foundation does not only pay fees but we are constantly
in touch with the students and through our Education committee,
we monitor their educational progress periodically and try to remove obstacles that hinder their progress. The beneficiaries submit their term reports and an analysis is taken on how each one
is performing. The schools have also helped us in evaluating our
performances by getting in contact with us in case a student drops
in his studies or falls ill.
The spread of basic general education among poor, rural populations is one of Ummahs priorities. This year Ummah Foundation
has already allocated a lot funds that have been disbursed to the
poor and needy students.
Please donate for these efforts; your donations will go a long way
to build a bright future for the next generations that are poor in our
counties.
The average amount required by schools per student is approximately Ksh. 60,000 for tuition and this is a very big amount that
many families cannot afford. We therefore appeal to all well wishers to make your generous contributions so that we can bridge the
gap that divides the poor and the affluent.
By doing this we are creating a stable society that will be peaceful
and law abiding. The demand is growing daily and with the meagre
resources we might not be able to handle all the cases we receive.
Our priority is given to orphans, poor and needy bright students
from low income families.
We appreciate the donations we receive from our brothers and
other well wishers who have the heart to recognize what Ummah is
doing for the community and they pride being part of this obligation.
It is through their contributions that we have been able to support
the aforementioned students. May Allah bless you all.
Contact us:
Ummah Foundation
Village Plaza, Ngara Rd, Suite 2A
P.O Box 58717-00200 Nairobi
Tel: (+254) 20-2680610/13, Mob: 0734845277
Email: info@ummahfoundation.net
Web: www.ummahfoundation.net

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147
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