book review on IBN SINA

book title: AVICENNA, His Life and Works by Soheil M.Afnan.

Ibn Sina was born in AH 370/AD 980 near Bukhara, the part of Iran. His real name was Abu Ali Al-Husayn Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sina. He also known in english by his Latinized name AVICENNA. he was a Persian Muslim polymath and the foremost physician and Islamic Philosopher of his time. He was an astronomer,hafiz,ligician,mathematician,poet,psychologist,physicist,scientist,and theologician.
By the age of 10, he had become well versed in the study of the Qur'an and various sciences. His intellectual independence was served by extraordinary intelligence and memory, which allowed him to overtake his teachers at the age of 14.
He started studying philosophy by reading various Greek,Muslim and other books on this subject and learnt logic and some other subjects from Abu Abdullah Natili, a famous philosopher of the time. He also studied logic and mataphysics. He also combined the ideas of Aristotle and Neoplutonism. He tried to reconcile philosophy with the relogion of Islam.
While he still young, he attained such a degree of expertise in medicine that his fame spread far and wide. at the age of 17, he was fortunate in curing Nooh Ibn Mansoor, the King of Bukhara of an illness in which all the well-known physician had given up hope. On his recovery, the King wished to reward him, but Ibn Sina only desired permission to use his library and its rare manuscripts to continue his researsh into modes of knowledge.
He was known by many as the "Prince Of Physicians". His works, the Canon of Medicine ans the Book of Healing was considered his greatest achievements.He was died in 1037 in his 58th year and was buried in Homedan, Iran.

Bookreview on Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

Book Title:Islam at the Crossroads:Life and thought of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi
Author:Ibrahim M. Ebu Rabi
Publisher: Nesil Yayinlari(Nesil publishing center)

BEDIUZZAMAN SAID NURSI

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi was born in 1877 in eastern Turkiye and died in 1960 in Urfa in Turkiye. The book “Islam at the Crossroads" can be referred to have more details of his long and examplary life, which spanned the last decades of the Ottoman Empire, its collapse after the First World War and the setting up of the Republic, then the twenty-five years of Republican Peoples' Party rule, well-known for the measures taken against Islam, followed by the ten years of Democrat rule, when conditions eased a little for Bediuzzaman.
Bediuzzaman displayed an extraordinary intelligence and ability to learn from an early age, completing the normal course of madrasah (religious school) education at the early age of fourteen, when he obtained his diploma. He became famous for both his prodigious memory and his unbeaten record in debating with other religious scholars. Another characteristic Bediuzzaman displayed from an early age was an instinctive dissatisfaction with the existing education system, which when older he formulated into comprehensive proposals for its reform. The heart of these proposals was the bringing together and joint teaching of the traditional religious sciences and the modern sciences, together with the founding of a university in the Eastern Provinces of the Empire, the Medresetü'z-Zehra, where this and his other proposals would be put into practice. In 1907 his endeavors in this field took him to Istanbul and an audience with Sultan Abdulhamid. Although subsequently he twice received funds for the construction of his university, and its foundations were laid in 1913, it was never completed due to war and the difficulties of the times.
Contrary to the practice of religious scholars at that time, Bediuzzaman himself studied and mastered almost all the physical and mathematical sciences, and later studied philosophy, for he believed that it was only in this way that Islamic theology (kalâm) could be renewed and successfully answer the attacks to which the Qur'an and Islam were then subject.
In the course of time, the physical sciences had been dropped from madrasah education, which had contributed directly to the Ottoman decline relative to the advance of the West. Now, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Europe had gained dominance over the Islamic world, and in efforts to extend its dominance, was attacking the Qur'an and Islam in the name of science and progress in particular, falsely claiming them to be incompatible.
Within the Empire too was a small minority which favored adopting Western philosophy and civilization. Thus, all Bediuzzaman's endeavor was to prove and demonstrate the falseness of these accusations, and that far from being incompatible with science and progress, the Qur'an was the source of true progress and civilization, and in addition, since this was the case, Islam would dominate the future, despite its relative decline and regression at that time.
The years up to the end of the First World War were the final decades of the Ottoman Empire and were, in the words of Bediuzzaman, the period of the 'Old Said'. In additions to his endeavors in the field of learning, he served the cause of the Empire and Islam through active involvement in social life and the public domain. In the War, he commanded the militia forces on the Caucasian Front against the invading Russians, for which he as later awarded a War Medal. To maintain the morale of his men he himself disdained to enter the trenches in spite of the constant shelling, and it was while withstanding the overwhelming assaults of the enemy that he wrote his celebrated Qur'anic commentary, Signs of Miraculousness, dictating to a scribe while on horseback. Stating that the Qur'an encompasses the sciences which make known the physical world, the commentary is an original and important work which in Bediuzzaman's words, forms a sort model for commentaries he hoped would be written in the future, which would bring together the religious and modern sciences in the way he proposed. Bediuzzaman was taken prisoner in March 1916 and held in Russia for two years before escaping in early 1918, and returning to Istanbul via Warsaw, Berlin, and Vienna.
Realizing the inadequacy of the 'human' science and philosophy he had studied as a means of reaching the truth, he took the revealed Qur'an as his 'sole guide.
Within a short time, Bediuzzaman's fears about the new regime of the new republic began to be realized: the first steps were taken towards secularization and reducing the power of Islam within the state, and even its eradication from Turkish life. In early 1925 there was a rebellion in the east in which Bediuzzaman played no part, but as a consequence of which was sent into exile in western Anatolia along with many hundreds of others. Thus unjustly began twenty-five years of exile, imprisonment, and unlawful oppression for Bediuzzaman. However, the attempt to entirely isolate and silence him had the reverse effect, for Bediuzzaman was both prepared and uniquely qualified to face the new challenge: these years saw the writing of the Risale-i Nur, which silently spread and took root, combating in the most constructive way the attempt to uproot Islam, and the unbelief and materialist philosophy it was hoped to instill in the Muslim people of Turkiye and the world.

Nasra on Lebanon

According to the presentation, Lebanon is located in the
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria. It is a parliamentary, democratic republic, which implements a special system known as confessionalism.

what attract me about this presentation is the story about Hezbollah.
Hezbollah or the Party of God is a powerful political and military organisation of Shia Muslims in Lebanon. The group was formed with financial backing from Iran in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It has become the most powerful military force in Lebanon, but also has a parliamentary party with MPs, and has held seats in the cabinet.
Hezbollah was formed primarily to offer military resistance to the Israeli occupation.
The US and Israel view Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Its members were involved in kidnapping westerners and in attacks on foreign troops who were based in Lebanon during the civil war. The UK says the military wing of Hezbollah is a terrorist group, but not the political side of the organisation.

about the presenter, nasra, eventhough your multimedia slide can't be open,for me u still did a good job because you still can talk about the topic... this is the spirit that we want.. it is normal.. we have to be ready on any kind of situation...and you should improve more on your voice and eye contact. you got many point and can talk well but you must learn on how to attract people.. anyway, with the problem that you are facing, you did a good job and all the best to you...
tata...

Summary of the Speech of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad

Global Peace Crisis In The Muslim World (16th February 2008)


First of all I would like to say that I really enjoyed the speech because it had really logical points towards the problems that Muslims have today. Content of the speech was really good, really impressive.
I have taken some notes from the speech and wanted to share it;

Global Peace Crisis in the Muslim World

-We are supposed to look at the mistakes that we make rather than to blame others’ mistakes.
-Crisis are not happening only today but we have been having crisis since 500 years
-Old scholars studied science that we call secular (worldly) knowledge with the revealed knowledge together and they became the best scientist, best mathematician…
-Once we started to think like as if the first command “Ikra” refers to the study on religion only, we, Muslims, no longer studied worldly knowledge.
-Finally Muslims found themselves very far behind the Europeans.
-Europeans achieved their renaissance but Muslims fell down to their dark age.
-Today there are thousands of different views on religion. Muslims today follow more than 1000 religion not only one “Islam”. They are divided with the different teachings and understandings of Islam like Shi’a, Wahhabi, Sunni…
-More Muslims are killed by the Muslims than they are killed by others today. Why because one doesn’t like other, each idea holder claims that the real Muslim is himself but the rest is none.
-The very main reasons why we are in this dark age today are; poverty, illiteracy and breaking up the ties with the ummah.
-“Yes we can effort any equipments and weapons today but do you think our enemies would sell us the weapons that can kill them?”
-“We are asking others to defend us!”
-“When we know what’s the cause we will also find the solutions!”
-“To them (pointing the non-Muslim powers behind peace conversations), global peace means getting rid off Muslims.”
-“Peace is not for us”
-“Today there is more than 1.3 billion Muslim in the world but no power. Because we are divided.” (He also mentioned how they divided us to nation states.)
-We have so much loyalty to the nation but not to the religion
-On the other hand most powerful countries can ignore even UN.
-“We are the people to be blamed.”
-Solution is Return to the fundamental Islam.
-We have left the Qur’an behind that’s the reason we have crisis today.
-Suicide bombers, did we gain anything with that?? Muslims today merely reacting and behave with the emotions. We are told to go to the heaven when we such things but we can’t be sure plus we destroy other Muslims’ image. Being angry and acting with anger didn’t work.
-We are supposed to plan the future and protect the honor of our religion.
-In fact we are in control of others but not ours.
-There are many things that we can do. There are many resources that we have at our disposal. What is needed is merely-the will to do it, As Muslims, we must be grateful for the guidance of our religion, we must do what needs to be done, willingly and with determination. Allah has not raised us, the leaders, above the others so we may enjoy power for ourselves only. The power we wield is for our people, for the ummah, for Islam. We must have the will to make use of this power judiciously, prudently, concertedly. InsyaAllah we will triumph in the end.

Philippines and Dexter

Dear brother Dexter,

You had a good presentation even though you forgot to bring your slights. Well, in terms of your speech, you were a bit nervous but you still can manage it and continue presentation, that’s something very good. Eye contact was okay but maybe you need a little bit more practice on it. The conversational style of the presentation was quite good because it feels audience within the topic itself.
On the other hand there were some words that you repeat like “ and then…then…” doesn’t sound so well, I think better to decrease repeating them. And sometimes you read long notes, instead of them some short notes that can remind the main points of the topics would help much better. You have a really good criticism on the topic that’s a plus for you.
Honestly I didn’t know much about Philippines until I came here because it is a very far geography for my country. Philippines is a country with many islands and even though they have many issues that they are having conflicts but they still keep it covered maybe because of the governance.
Muslims in Philippines;
They assume on Muslims as terrorists just like Thailand
They have no genocide no war
Corruption within the government is a serious problem
An additional info I came to know is that Christian missionary is so strong but they don’t allow Muslims to establish their religious schools (they didn’t allow some Muslim organizations which wanted to establish some schools in Philippines even though those schools would not be religious ones, government didn’t allow them to open it since the organization is Muslim. They even stated that they are scared to have Islamic militants if they allow this school to be opened.)

Yusuf Islam- book review

book title:The Boy Who Looked at the Moon: The Life and Times of Cat Stevens
Author: D.Evans
publisher: East-West Publications (UK) (1995)

Yusuf Islam original name was Steven Demetre Georgiou and born at 21 July 1948.his religion was Greek Orthodox.he is the younger out of three siblings.his parent run a restaurant at Shaftesbury Avenue,Britain. unfortunately, his parent got divorce and he follow his mother to Sweden. like his said "I was the only dark-haired, dark-eyed, olive-skinned boy in the whole blond- haired, blue-eyed school. At play time, I was the centre of attention. I had a section of the playground for myself where all the boys could come to take a look at me. This way, I got to choose who would be my friends that day, but it increased my sense of being an observer.". in this point, i realized that he is quite introvert child and like to observe people behaviour.

the career
He began to perform his songs in coffee houses and pubs and change the name to Cat Steven.The first singles, "I Love My Dog" and "Matthew and Son"reached Britain's Top 10, and the album itself began charting. after that he never look back and become a pop star. Stevens was living a fast-moving pop-star life and in early 1968 at the age of 19, he became very ill with tuberculosis. During several months in the hospital and a year of convalescence, Stevens began to question aspects of his life, took up meditation, read about other religions and became a vegetarian. During that time, as part of his spiritual awakening and questioning, he wrote as many as 40 songs, which were much more introspective than his previous work. Many of those songs were to appear on his albums in years to come.

in 1975, he got accident in Malibu, and he said to himself,"Oh God! If you save me, I'll work for you". fortunately, he save from the accident and searching for religious book and until last, he feel calm and feel after reading book giving by his brother.and that is Quran. in 1977, he converted to Islam and change name to Yusof . he also stop singing at his peak popularity.

today, he devoted his life service at Muslim community. he make another recording but more into education and religious song. Yusuf Islam become popular Muslim figure at the western country.

my opinion.
Yusof Islam just like a newborn baby. he got hidayah from Allah and now turn to pious Muslim. he dedicate his life and wealth now to Muslim society. give awareness to non-Muslim. he use his fame to tell the truth to Westerners.i anm glad to have him as brother in Islam.

Somalia and sister Wan Nur Jannah...

about the country...

What i know about this country is, Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people.

The UN also says that Somalia is the world's forgotten crisis, with 15,000 children in need of urgent aid. this means that in the era of globalization, when we are happy doing things that we want, there are many who suffered....

about the presenter...

for me Jannah did well in her presentation but sometimes she looks nervous. fortunately, she still can controll her feeling. in term of content, i think its enough for audience to know about the country.
well done Jannah.... Good job!!!

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Thanks to Marin Luther group, they really had good presentation with a well preparation. I really like that they dressed according to the role, Dear Nasrah since your previous presentation so far I have seen you improved well, she spoke slower and clearer. And dear Tasnim you also had good presentation, masallah you have good command of English but I guess if you could speak a bit slower it was going to be much more better.

Comment on King’s speech:

“I HAVE A DREAM”

Content of the speech is very impressive and brave in terms of the sentences that carry ideas led even his assassination.
The sentences “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ … I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Are really felt from the heart and call anyone from any nation and skin color. It is because those sentences don’t carry any discrimination and prejudice to anyone and in fact they directly address the wishes that pure human nature keeps. That’s why, he found many supporters even among the whites and was accepted as a kind of hero that he fought for equal human rights. It is even possible to say that, since he combined his moral stance with his speech, this speech became much more effective. I believe that when we talk from the heart, especially when we practice the thing we have been talking, words that we use, even though they might not be perfect with the high structured sentences, will have acceptance from the people more than the words, that we don’t practice in life but only talk, have.
The speech and the march built on the Birmingham demonstrations to create the political momentum that resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited segregation in public accommodations, as well as discrimination in education and employment. As a result of King’s effectiveness as a leader of the American civil rights movement and his highly visible moral stance he was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize for peace.
“There are some people whom their death serves the humanity more than their life do” says a thinker. This means; some people’s death is like an explosion, they give a speech as they light a small fire but once they are attacked and dead, that light cause an explosion on the civilizations and people’s minds. Soon after their ideas are started to be understood by even the ignorant. Martin Luther King’s speech and assassination also can be considered in these big explosions in the civilization’s mind set.

About Martin Luther King;
King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968), American clergyman and Nobel Prize winner, one of the principal leaders of the American civil rights movement and a prominent advocate of nonviolent protest. King’s challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s helped convince many white Americans to support the cause of civil rights in the United States. After his assassination in 1968, King became a symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice.
King’s public-speaking abilities—which would become renowned as his stature grew in the civil rights movement—developed slowly during his collegiate years. He won a second-place prize in a speech contest while an undergraduate at Morehouse, but received Cs in two public-speaking courses in his first year at Crozer. By the end of his third year at Crozer, however, professors were praising King for the powerful impression he made in public speeches and discussions.
Throughout his education, King was exposed to influences that related Christian theology to the struggles of oppressed peoples. At Morehouse, Crozer, and Boston University, he studied the teachings on nonviolent protest of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi. King also read and heard the sermons of white Protestant ministers who preached against American racism. Benjamin E. Mays, president of Morehouse and a leader in the national community of racially liberal clergymen, was especially important in shaping King’s theological development.
ASSASINATION
This emphasis on economic rights took King to Memphis, Tennessee, to support striking black garbage workers in the spring of 1968. He was assassinated in Memphis by a sniper on April 4. News of the assassination resulted in an outpouring of shock and anger throughout the nation and the world, prompting riots in more than 100 United States cities in the days following King’s death. In 1969 James Earl Ray, an escaped white convict, pleaded guilty to the murder of King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray later recanted his confession. Although over the years many investigators have suspected that Ray did not act alone, no accomplices have ever been identified. In 1999 a jury in a Memphis civil trial brought by King’s family found that a widespread conspiracy not involving Ray led to King’s assassination. However, most investigators continued to believe that Ray was the killer.
After King’s death, historians researching his life and career discovered that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) often tapped King’s phone line and reported on his private life to the president and other government officials. The FBI’s reason for invading his privacy was that King associated with Communists and other “radicals.”
After his death, King came to represent black courage and achievement, high moral leadership, and the ability of Americans to address and overcome racial divisions. Recollections of his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy and poverty faded, and his soaring rhetoric calling for racial justice and an integrated society became almost as familiar to subsequent generations of Americans as the Declaration of Independence.
King’s historical importance was memorialized at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, a research institute in Atlanta where his tomb is located. The King Center is located at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, which includes King’s birthplace and the Ebenezer Church. Perhaps the most important memorial is the national holiday in King’s honor, designated by the Congress of the United States in 1983 and observed on the third Monday in January, a day that falls on or near King’s birthday of January 15.

JOHN F. KENNEDY...

SPEECH STYLE
In my opinion, this is an inspiring speech even after all these years have passed. It is also a well-written speech that stated President Kennedy's vision and mission including a challenge to his generation; "ask not what your country can do for you.Ask what can you do for your country". The speech is considered a classic and the standard for which others to strive to reach. It also can be described as a motivational, persuasive, or inspirational speech. The words and language used by JFK is excellent and easy to understand. His speech is uplifting and impressed others.

OPINION OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE SPEECH
JFK inspired hope in not only the citizens of the United States but also in citizens of the world. Despite the many controversies surrounding President Kennedy, his message of hope and belief in the future remains inspiring as the world becomes a 'Global community". He inspiring a generation of Americans to serve their country. JFK believe that each person in our society can make a difference and that everyone should try.

OPINION OF THE BACKGROUND ON THE PARTICULAR PERSONALITY
JFK is considered one of the outstanding presidents in United States' history. He is a very good orator and he could inspire the audience when he speak. besides, he is an ambitious person. I can say that JFK is a successful person in his career because eventhough he faced so many problems, he still can managed himself to be a good leader.His influence reaches across decades because of his extraordinary ability to articulate fundamental principles of democracy, freedom, and patriotism.

hatice and sierra leone

i realize this country long time ago. but just at the name because it sound beautiful.haha.

hatice was a good presenter eventhough the background music make me so sleepy..

hope that u will improve on eye contact because it is like u see just at one side only.

pakistan and julida

julida is excellent memorizer.haha. she practice so muchin her room.. (i know it by seeing myself).haha.anyway good presentation, she able to communicate with audience and hide her nervousness.

pakistant at this moment having an election.second election after benazir bhuttho assassination. and yesterday newspaper reported that one of candidate died after being shoot in election day.

about the successor of benazir bhuttho, billawal bhutto, i think for this time, he was not capable to replace her mother duties. he is of course in a Bhutto family line but at the same time almost 3/4 of his live out of Pakistan. so would he able to understand what going on in Pakistan without any helpers? he even cannot speak hindi (pakistan official language) very well because he talk english everytime. (we can see it when he confess at media he will be her mom successor).

nisrin nila on bangladesh.

bangladesh is quite popular among Malaysian, Bangladeshi is every where in malaysia nowadays.there come here as foreign worker and thanks for them for making everything that young malaysian dont want to do.

for the presenter nisrin nila whom i called kak nisrin, frankly speaking, u need to increase your level of confident and just and dont refer much to your text. your english are good so there are no need to you shy with us.

eventhough you told me at first you are not computer savvy and dont know how to use microsoft, see?at last u did it. and for others, just believing on yourself.dont underestimate it.

overview for landmark speech- hugo chaves

salam.we had gone through landmark speech and my group was present about hugo chaves-president of Venuzuela.

the personality:
for me mr. Chaves is a very brave man,not just he, but in every Venuzuelan. there clearely oppose America and condemn them. sometime, media called cahves as the second Fidel Castro of Cuba because he braveness. Some information about mr.Chaves, promotes a democratic socialiasm political doctrine, and anti-imperialism. He is also a critic of United States foreign policy. from his way of govern, or his manifesto in govern Venuzuela, we manage to ko know that he totally anti America and did not support America invention in other nation.for him,there is no imperialism in this new era.

the speech:
mr chaves put Mr Bush same level with devil which is very dangerous (and bad thing that same with it) being. at the same time, he want united nation to be establish and have cristal clear purpose aboit it mission.
i agree with his point of view that what is 'united nation' club if at last veto power is at the hand of certain country? his speech stle are really brutal on condemning people and at that stage, i think we need people like him. he have braveness to go in front and talked the thing shold be discuss.


in terms of presentation, i thought at the very beginning, my groupmate give full support on this project and at last we done it well.we have gone through many speech technique and we now try to appliying that. but of coure, to be a good speaker, it need time, experience and knowledge.

Dear Wahida and Turkiye

Assalam dear friends and Ms.Wahida:)

Thanks a lot that you had a good presentation but i think you missed some points that we have in Turkiye(I am spelling it Turkiye instead of Turkey because 1st the original name for the country given by its residents is Turkiye which means the land of Turks and in English they even make joke-which is not something nice and annoying- about the spelling similarity of the country Turkey and the animal turkey.One of our prime minister tried to change it and they even signed on an agreement that requires the change of spelling from turkey to Turkiye to its original form but unfortunately
they don't follow what they agreed on.)

well i just would like to add some more points;
-Kurds and terrorism on east part of Turkiye
-Occupation in Cyprus is a wrong interpretation
-Scarf ban and media

First of all,Kurds and terrorism, these two name is connected to each other..the terrorist group PKK which is fed by Europe and America(government forces even found out guns with US brands and even some terrorists with American and Europe countries passports and origin).The thing is that ,since that mostly in east,people are not really educated (because of terrorism again;schools and hospitals were burnt,doctors and teachers were attacked and killed by terrorists and that's why today nobody wants to
work there..)missionaries and terrorism work together to change people's religion in the east which Ottoman brought and once the ties of the feeling of ummah between Turks and Kurds were broken they sent the ideology of nationalism and socialism to these people on the east,and of course they didn't forget to create new madhabz at least to widen the gap between the Muslim Kurds and Turks...And the conflict started..
Second point is that,Turkiye never occupied Cyprus but since
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -which you shouldn't think it as a part of Turkiye but an independent state- was attacked by Southern Cyprus of Greeks,Northern Cyprus called Turkiye for help and of course as a responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Islam and nation we sent them help.This help shouldn't be understood as occupation but something natural;imagine you have only half an hour way to go that country by ship or ferry and you have relatives are living there because during the period that countries separated,most of the Turkish citizens(that time Ottoman)stayed in North Cyprus and established their lives there-And plus we have a history that ties us there because even the aunt of prophet Muhammad(s.a.s)'s grave(we call her Hala Sultan which means the Sultan of aunts) is there in the middle of north and south Lefkose and so many graves which belong to Companions..but the humiliation, by the greeks, to those which we greatly respect was something that Muslim Turks can never take...
And i just want to add one more point which is about scarf ban and religious freedom in Turkiye.As you may know that we had these problems and discriminations even though we have a huge number of majority, 99.9%, Muslim, we were the one that was controlled by small,secular but powerful elites.But Alhamdulillah everything is about to change and please never believe 100% in what you read or watch from the Western News Networks because even for the protests against the lifting of scarf ban was showed as if there are thousands of people against scarf where in a country with 99.9% of Muslim population,i am repeating again again 99.9%,(recent total population is almost 80million) but the real number of protestants was not even 50 ,you will see the reality when you check the police reports and Muslim Media in Turkiye.
I don't know what else to say,we also have thousands of issues to discuss just like those other Muslim countries...But Muslim should never loose hope...May Allah be with us...Amin
Wassalam...

gong xi fa cai......

dear all my friends...

GONG XI FA CAI....
im not too late to wish to you right....
as long as prosperity burger still there at Mc'Donald, thats mean we are still in the mood of this Chinese raya.... heeeee.....
anyway, hope this year will bring you joy, prosperous and happiness. since this as a year of rat, we have to love this animal. everytime when we see this kind of animal, don't kill them but give them food. ahaks....

because of the Gong Xi Fa Cai, here some Feng Shui tips on How to Energize your Study Desk....


How to Energize the Study Desk

The first thing to do is to try to situate the study table in the Northeast corner of the study, or the student's bedroom. Now, before you can activate education and study luck for the student, you should know that the element of the northeast is earth.

Thus, the best way of energizing excellent study luck for the students in your family is to display earth-element objects like crystals and pottery or anything that symbolizes earth in the northeast corner of their rooms. This would effectively raise the chi in that area to benefit their studies. to energize the northeast corner, just use anything that symbolizes earth. Things that symbolize fire may also be used, as in the productive cycle of elements, fire produces earth.

There are quite a number of good fortune symbols you can place on the study desk. Choose one that appeals to you the most and use that. Don't use all the objects suggested here as you may overdo it and the effect would be counterproductive rather than beneficial. It is often said that with the practice of feng shui, 'less is more'.

A crystal globe is the perfect energizer for the Northeast corner because of its double representation of the earth element: crystals come from the earth, and the globe represents the world/earth. You may also use crystals in other shapes, but the crystal globe is especially potent for this purpose.

The Citrine crystal tree is another object that can be used to energize luck in academic matters. Although it's commonly known as the "merchant's stone", the citrine also enhances education, business and interpersonal relationships. These pale yellow stones are excellent for fostering emotional stability, especially when you embark on a new venture. In addition to the qualities of the citrine, the tree shape in which it is presented represents growth, making the crystal tree a powerful attractor of study luck!

Principles for dialogue

Assalam to all…

I just would like thank firstly Mrs. Shafizan and all of my friends for last Friday’s class, I really enjoyed. Sometimes it really feels good to change environment and style of study and lecture. In Turkish, we say “Tebdil-I mekanda ferahlik vardir.” Which means “To change the environment (which we keep staying in for so long) brings inner peace.” And I really liked the topics which we worked on.

I was reading a book today about the world peace and dialog between nations and there are really great points towards to the solutions for the conflicts… Here there is a small summary from the preface, enjoy…

Principles for Dialog

Gracious nature of our creation leads us to a perpetual guest for grace and beauty, yet unavoidably, we find ourselves surrounded by misfortunes, calamities and disasters. We cannot ignore the fact that in order to achieve peace and harmony, mankind must bring out good that exist in his nature and form strong relations, unity and dialogue with his fellow human beings. One of the main ingredients for this dialogue is tolerance and understanding. A Turkish poet once resided: “Behold your fellow human being in grace; you are the cream of universe”

Scenes of weeping widows, destroyed homes, helpless orphans, wars trigged by hostility and hatred displayed by prejudiced individuals, who themselves are fused by evil instigators, is a clear indication of how much we are in need of a universal dialogue and peace. Perpetrators of wars do not come out as the victors over the victims that they have left behind with destruction, because there are no winners in wars. It is obvious that positive and solid foundations could not be laid over an area that is occupied by religious conflict, ideologies based on hatred and racial prejudice. Since man was created as a civilized being, he should act accordingly with the principle, “convincing the civilized is the path to prevalence” and solve his differences by effective communication. This maybe the simplest description of dialogue.

We have no doubt in our values. We do not offer anyone to convert in compulsion; neither do we expect anyone to approach us with the same offer. But when the issue is dialogue, Qur’an made the invitation 14 centuries ago by stating: “O messenger say: O people of the book come and let’s unite under a common word. Let’s not abandon God and make lords out of each other”.

We do not come across people who fight over sharing the sun light. Because the sun’s rays are similar to those of the holy light(An-nur). There should not be a conflict or jealousy in sharing the holy light. Love, tolerance, dialogue and peace are also part of the holy light, which illuminates our hearts and our path. A person’s benefit from these values does not cause an obstacle to another.

In the guest for understanding, one should have certain core principles;
• Be so tolerant that your heart becomes wide as the ocean. Become inspired with faith and love for others. Do not leave a troubled hand unattended and a shaken heart without attention.

• Applaud the good for their goodness, appreciate those who have believing hearts, and be kind to believers. Approach unbelievers so gently that their animosity and hatred melt away. Like a Messiah, revive people with your breath.

• Return good for evil, and disregard discourteous treatment. An individual’s character is reflected in his or her behavior. Choose tolerance, and be magnanimous toward the ill-mannered.

(Taken from “Principles or Lights on the Way” by Fethullah Gulen)

As the good and beauty are the main ingredients of our human nature, we have no doubt that humanity will eventually reach its true destiny.

Mehmet Ali Sengul (Eminent Muslim Theologian and Educator)
March 2004