"...And your Lord is never forgetful..."

Imaam al-Shafi'i said, "There is a verse in the Qur'an that is an arrow to the heart of the oppressor." It was said to him, "And what is it?" He said, "The saying of Allaah, the Most High:

"And your Lord is never forgetful."" [Surah al Maryam 19:64]



First thing's first. This is not a debate thread; I'm dedicating this one to information on Egypt (for now, perhaps it will include other Muslim-related news as well). I am so sick of debating in every single thread, often in multiple threads at the same time, and having that sap all my energy that was meant to talk about other things. If you want to debate, go to another thread please.


What's going on in Egypt is pretty much a war on Islaam. If it was not an "Islamist" president that was deposed, I am nearly certain that the world would be up in arms about this whole situation.-Shaykh ‪Abdul Aziz Al-Tarefe-Dr. Bilal Philips.

Some points I wanted to mention.

1.) There are talks of releasing Hosni Mubarak from prison. If that happens, I'm not going to be completely surprised if he gets a government position. That further washes the past 2 years down the drain. However, unfortunately for the military, the anti-coup people aren't going anywhere despite all of the military's severe aggression, extreme propaganda, and blatant lies. All praises belong to Him.

Egypt's Ex-Dictator Mubarak 'To Be Freed'

2.) There are also talks of the military dissolving Ikhwan al Muslimeen (the Muslim Brotherhood). There ya have it, folks. This is what the liberals/secularists (who claimed to support democracy previously) supported by pushing the military to take over. They deserve Sisi, the lying murderer.

Egypt PM suggests dissolution of Brotherhood - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

3.) The military proceeded to arrest more than 1,000 Muslim Brotherhood members (just like the good ol' days of Mubarak when it was pretty much a crime for men to have beards, let alone declare openly that they supported the Muslim Brotherhood) after they took over the country. To add insult to injury, we found out that 36 prisoners were killed. And they may have died from asphyxiation (the military lies so much that we still don't know the real story):

Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Cairo, said: "The initial reports from the Interior Ministry said that armed attackers had attempted to free the prisoners. This was then amended to the fact that prisoners being transferred from a police station to another prison had overcome one of the escorts, and they had to be attacked to free that particular escort.

"Then the version emerged that prisoners who were being transported from a police station or stations to another prison tried to escape, and tear gas was used which led to loss of life."

Fresh Egypt protests follow prisoner deaths - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

4.) Speaking of the military's deception:

They lied about who attacked who first during the first dawn massacre (on July 8th, 2013....a few days before Ramadhaan) - though even if the protesters HAD attacked first, I wouldn't have blamed them since the new government is illegal and violent:

At the second kneel of the prayers, the attack began | World news | The Guardian

Military in civilian clothing (so that they can later blame the "Islamists" or anti-coup or Muslim Brotherhood supporters or "terrorists" about the violence):

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BRymXY3CQAEmluY.jpg:large

https://twitter.com/soltanlife/status/368352190273830912/photo/1

Police/military changing clothes so that they can look like civilians for the same reason cited above:

[youtube]arw_CrCoxTo[/youtube]

The military/police accused the Muslim Brotherhood supporters/anti-coup protesters of pushing a police van, though this video shows otherwise:

[youtube]N2RRgAvIqG0[/youtube]

Really great read about the hypocrisy of many of those who claim to be human rights supporters:

"There are many striking things about the political situation in Egypt. But perhaps the most striking thing is the silence of those who pose as human-rights cheerleaders, of the West’s head-shakers over tyranny in far-off lands, who have gone strangely mute, or at least uncharacteristically coy, in the face of the Egyptian military’s seizure of power and repression of dissent."

"So, an elected president has been deposed and imprisoned; the secret police have been brought back into play; all forms of opposition have been rebranded ‘terrorism’; and protesters against al-Sisi risk being arrested and jailed or shot. When similar things happened in Chile, the Western left and human-rights groups were outraged. But they, along with our human-rights-spouting political leaders, seem blasé about what’s currently happening in Egypt. Why?"

Continue:
Egypt and the hypocrisy of the human-rights industry | Brendan O’Neill | spiked

Article from July 4th, 2013:

I'm quoting stuff that echoes what I've been saying (though the article in general is good):Egypt's military coup will make Muslims think that democracy has no room for them – Telegraph Blogs


and another decent one from ~2 weeks ago (after the massacre):
Cairo massacre: After today, what Muslim will ever trust the ballot box again? - Comment - Voices - The Independent

Some more military/pro-coup deception will be demonstrated in this post.

This is part of the aerial footage of the protesters the military provided. The problem? They were trying to show how many pro-coup people there were. Unfortunately for them, it is clearly anti-coup protesters since this is raba'a al 'adawiyah - the place where the military ended up killing hundreds upon hundreds of protesters:

[youtube]kRCsfxz-WP8[/youtube]

In that same vein, here is an excerpt from an article about how the pro-coup people greatly exaggerated their numbers (14, 17, 33 million):People, power, or propaganda? Unraveling the Egyptian opposition - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

The blogger gave another possible number (up to 6-7 million if you don't take into account how hot it is & the risk of suffocation) - which is still less than 10% of the population.



And the last video for this post will be kind of hilarious, actually.

The reporter was saying that the people of Egypt are happy that Mubarak has been freed from prison

Once he said that, the people around him started calling him a liar and exposed him and said that they want Mubarak executed.

[youtube]444Vaaeeq0A[/youtube]

I love that he continues speaking LOL.

Found this online (Asmaa was the 17-year old daughter of Dr. Mohammed al-Beltaji, a senior Muslim Brotherhood official. She was killed by the military during a sit-in protest on August 14th, 2013 - the day when the military massacred hundreds of protesters):



The Shaheeda (Insha'Allah), Asmaa Mohammed Al-Beltaji (daughter of Dr. Mohammed) in her touching FINAL post on Facebook:And here is the translated letter that her father wrote to her after her death:

"My beloved daughter and dignified teacher Asma al-Beltaji; I do not say goodbye to you; I say tomorrow we shall meet again.

You have lived with your head held high, rebellious against tyranny and shackles and loving freedom. You have lived as a silent seeker of new horizons to rebuild this nation to assume its place among civilizations.

You never occupied yourself with what preoccupies those of your age. Even though traditional studies failed to fulfill your aspirations and interest, you have always been the first in your class.

I have not had enough of your precious company in this short life, especially that my time did not allow me to enjoy your companionship. The last time we sat together at Rabaa Al-Adawiya square you asked me, "Even when you are with us you are busy," and I told you, "It seems that this life will not be enough to enjoy each other's company so I pray to God that we enjoy our companionship in Paradise."

Two nights before you were murdered I saw you in my dream in a white wedding dress and you were an icon of beauty. When you lay next to me I asked you "Is it your wedding night?" You answered, "It is in the noon not the evening." When they told me you were murdered on Wednesday afternoon I understood what you meant and I knew God had accepted your soul as a martyr. You strengthened my belief that we are on the truth and our enemy is on falsehood.

It caused me severe pain not to be at your last farewell and see you for the last time; not to kiss your forehead; and not be honored to lead your funeral prayer. I swear to God, my darling I was not afraid for my life or from an unjust prison, but I wanted to carry the message you scarified your soul for; to complete the revolution, to win and achieve its objectives.

Your soul has been elevated with your head held high resisting the tyrants. The treacherous bullets have hit you in the chest. What a spectacularly determined and pure soul. I am confident that you were honest to God and He has chosen you among us to honor you with sacrifice.

Finally, my beloved daughter and dignified teacher: I do not say goodbye, but I say farewell. We shall meet soon with our beloved Prophet and his companions in Heaven where our wish to enjoy each other's company and our loved ones' company will come true."

Mohamed Beltaji


May Allaah accept her into the highest level of Paradise. Ameen.

barakAllaahu feek sunrise! I hope you had an amazing time when you were on vacation. I also hope Ramadhaan and 'Eid were great for you, inshaAllaah.

Feel free to post information on Egypt here. Besides, I doubt we'd debate on Egypt since I think our opinions are probably very similar on this issue.

Wallah, I have a strong feeling that good times are near for the ummah despite all of the evil and oppression that is taking place against the Muslims. Strange, indeed, is the affair of the believers as our beloved Prophet said. May Allaah make us among the righteous believers. Ameen.

----

Amr Kassem, a 26-year old permanent Canadian citizen, was killed by the Egyptian military on Friday, August 16th, 2013 while he was peacefully protesting the illegal government and its actions (particularly the massacre that had taken place on the 14th). He leaves behind a young wife (a Canadian citizen) and a 9 month old daughter.

Apparently his wife, Asmaa Hussein, was well-known and well-loved among a large portion of the Muslim community in Canada. After they found out about her husband's death, they started a fund with a goal set for $25,000 (or less). This goal was met overnight as people all over the world donated. Last I checked (before they took the fundraising page down), people had donated more than $50,000 in 2 days, mashaAllaah.

This was their little family (further reduced to 2):



Here is something that Asmaa wrote (it's kind of long, but I'm definitely glad I read it):

Teaching myself how not to lose hope

“Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allāh as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. They rejoice in what Allāh has bestowed upon them of His Bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allāh, and that Allāh will not waste the reward of the believers.” (Ale Imran; 169-171)

My husband, Amr Mohamed Kassem who was 26 years old, returned to his Lord on Friday after ‘aṣr. He was shot through his chin and the bullet exited the back of his neck. He was at a protest in Alexandria, calling for justice for all those who had been killed mercilessly by the army in the previous days and weeks all over Egypt.

Yesterday morning I went to the morgue at a nearby hospital in Alexandria to see Amr before he would be washed and buried in the next few hours. When I arrived, there were many people waiting outside the doors to see their own family members as many people were killed the same day as Amr. Some of Amr's friends and relatives were there, too. After waiting for a while, I entered the room where his body was lying on a table, covered by a long blanket.

I stood beside him and uncovered his face, and there he was, my love, lying there cold even though I had seen him strong and happy and smiling less than 24 hours before that moment. I stroked his beard, part of it was still soft, but part of it felt hard because of the dried up blood. His nose was bloodied and he had a cut beside his eye but he was beautiful, even in death – silent as though sleeping. I touched his lips and his cheeks, they were cold.

I stood there for some time looking at his face, feeling as though my heart was being repeatedly run over by a truck. I refused to cry loudly but tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I told him “I love you Amr, I know that you always wanted to die for the sake of Allāh, and you got what you always hoped for inshā'Allāh, and I'm so proud of you. Ya Allāh forgive his sins and accept him as a shaheed and reunite me with him in the hereafter. Ya Allāh make me patient in knowing that it was his appointed time and that, by Your will and Grace, he is alive with his You as a shaheed.”

I didn't leave him until I was ready, I'm not even sure how long I was standing there. At the end, I kissed his cheek and told him that I would see him later inshā'Allāh, then covered his face and left the room.

The janazah was after ‘aṣr, there were hundreds of people there – his friends, his colleagues from school, extended family. He was a very beloved person to many. There was no dry eye, but everyone was speaking only good words and saying alḥamdulillāh that Allāh took him in the best way anyone can die in this world. We prayed on him, and I went outside to see a crowd of hundreds of men carrying his shrouded body towards the cemetery. The women didn't follow, we were waiting until he was buried to go to his grave and make duaa. After some time, his mother and I and some female relatives walked towards to cemetery and were making our way to where he was.

Suddenly I notice all the men around me yelling for us to go out the side door, to run. I didn't understand what was happening but I started hearing loud bangs behind me, rocks being thrown at us and all the men telling the women to run. So I ran and ran without looking behind me, I was hit on my cheek by a large rock while I was running, but alḥamdulillāh, some of Amr's friends saw me and told me to run ahead of them so they could be behind me and make sure nothing happened to me. The people who attacked us were thugs who had heard there was an “ikhwani” funeral (although my husband was not from the ikhwan, he was just a religious man who believed in something called right and wrong). Many people were injured, some with stab wounds, but as far as I know, there were no causualties alḥamdulillāh. (Update: unfortunately I heard that 2 people were killed during these events, innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon).

Even in death, Amr's enemies hated him and all those around him! But their hate means nothing to me, after all if an enemy of God hates you, then that is a sign that you are, God-willing) on the right path.

Dear friends, my heart aches in a way I never knew a heart could ache. I miss him whenever I am awake and dream about him when I'm asleep. He was the best kind of husband a woman could ever hope for, kind, generous, soft and loving, but also strong and brave. His clothes are still hung up on the hooks in our room, as though he's going to walk through the door and change into his pajamas before he sleeps. His friend gave me Amr's wallet and cell phone at the janazah, but his wedding band was missing, we still don't know where it is…I wish that I had it.

But through all this, I can't say anything except innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un, and continue to make duaa for him. I refuse to dishonor him or myself by asking God “why” he took him or thinking “if only he hadn't gone to the protest on Friday, he would be alive.” No, it was Amr's time to return to Allāh, I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. And although I wish I had more time with him in the dunya, I sincerely look forward to reuniting with him and being his wife, if God allows me, in Paradise. In Jannah time does not end, there is no fear of being separated from your loved ones. I believe with every inch of my heart that our love was truly a love that can last from this world to the next.

Ya Allāh, You reunited Musa's mother with him after she put him in the river. Ya Allāh, You reunited Yaqub with his beloved son Yusuf after many years of painful separation. Ya Allāh, You are the Only One who can reunite me with my beloved in the hereafter, so Allāh I ask you to not prevent me from being with him again.

Last night after we came home, we received a call from a friend of a relative – someone who had witnessed first hand what happened to Amr after he was shot. [editor's note: Amr was shot by a sniper.] She told us that he didn't die right away, he was alive for a few moments. His left hand was holding his chin where the bullet had entered, and his right index finger went up, and he said clearly “ashhadu anna la illaha ilAllah, wa ashhadu ana Muhammadun rasoolullah” and he had a huge smile on his face, as though it was his wedding day. When I heard this, I couldn't help but cry that Allāh had honored me just by letting me know this wonderful person and allowing me to have his child.

My friends, your words of encouragement have not gone unnoticed. I have nothing but love and respect for you all, and I know now so much more than before that as Muslims, although we have many faults in our community, when we come together we are truly a force to be reckoned with. Your support and love and duaa have touched me greatly. I will undoubtedly need your continued duaa and support when I return to Canada inshā'Allāh.

I ask Allāh to let me never stray from His path, for my own sake and my daughter's, and also for Amr's sake – to honor him in the way that Allāh chose for him to die.

Ya Habibi ya Amr. Ya Habibi ya Amr. Ya Habibi ya Amr. I hope that right now your soul is in a green bird, and you are flying through Jannah, eating and drinking from its provisions and are close to the throne of Allāh , where you will never shed another tear or ever feel any sense of loss or suffering. You are my love in this world and the next inshā'Allāh, you are in my heart always, you are in my prayers always.



Amr with our daughter, Ruqaya.

LoveBeingAMuslimah said:

Found this online (Asmaa was the 17-year old daughter of Dr. Mohammed al-Beltaji, a senior Muslim Brotherhood official. She was killed by the military during a sit-in protest on August 14th, 2013 - the day when the military massacred hundreds of protesters)

Click to expand...

Some of her last moments captured on film:

[youtube]g8mYR6_7_Lo[/youtube]

I pray that my Lord accepts her into the highest levels of Paradise.

[youtube]iPSBBxq6Glw[/youtube]

One of the videos the above video is referring to:

[youtube]_IBW9Y94tIU[/youtube]

Another video of the Egyptian military shooting protesters:

[youtube]Qmu4ALmKGCY[/youtube]

From the beginning days of the military coup:

[youtube]1JjtpsJF_zw[/youtube]

Protesters had jumped off the bridge to escape the military's gunfire:

[youtube]xi2pfVqTkrU[/youtube]


The aftermath of the destruction of the raba'a al 'adaweya camp where the protesters were congregated (where the military killed a few hundred short of 1,000). Ok, I don't know how to link to the site without embedding the video. So here it is (WARNING: GRAPHIC):

[youtube]WMfTFpSr5II[/youtube]

Pretty good article from 2 months ago:

In Egypt, get ready for extremist backlash

(CNN) -- In a move likely to have long-lasting consequences, the Egyptian military has ousted President Mohamed Morsy, suspended the constitution and appointed the head of the constitutional court, an implacable foe of the president, as interim head of state.

This act could well foretell an end of the fledgling democratic experiment in the most populous Arab country which, by overthrowing its long-term dictator just a couple years ago, had inspired democracy movements around the Arab world.

Morsy's gravest mistakes have resulted from a deliberate policy of accommodation and not, as is commonly believed, confrontation. He has allowed the military to retain its corporate autonomy and remain beyond civilian control. Furthermore, he included in his cabinet a large number of non-Muslim Brotherhood figures who jumped ship very quickly Monday when the going got tough, thus portraying the image that the government was on the verge of collapse.

In hindsight, it appears that he should have brought the military to heel soon after he assumed power and was at the height of his popularity, just as the military was at its lowest point in public esteem. He should have appointed a civilian defense minister, preferably from the Brotherhood and firmly brought the military under civilian control.

This may well have led to a confrontation with the military brass, but Morsy had a much better chance of winning this fight a year ago than he did now. If he had won that fight he would have been in control of the military as the constitutional head of government. If he had lost, the military's real intentions would have been laid bare quickly and the farce of military neutrality put on public display.

Furthermore, just like other democratically elected chief executives who function within party systems he should have exercised his right to induct into his cabinet almost exclusively members of the Muslim Brotherhood, thus ensuring the loyalty of the executive branch. In particular, he should have appointed a Muslim Brother as the minister of the interior in charge of the police, with orders to quickly root out those remnants of the Mubarak regime who continued to hold office while conspiring against the elected government.

Morsy paid a heavy price for this last mistake, with the police refusing to protect the Brotherhood's offices in Cairo and elsewhere when anti-Morsy demonstrators began to burn and loot the party's headquarters. To add insult to injury, Morsy's minister of the interior announced in advance of the protests that the police would not provide protection to the Brotherhood's offices.

The military is once again projecting its image as the facilitator for a transition to civilian rule as it did at the time of Mubarak's overthrow. But, democracy in the true sense of the term will remain a mirage as long as the military is seen as the agent for political transition. For, the only transition that the military brass likes is the transition of power to itself. Everything else is but sound and fury, signifying nothing.

If the Egyptian military is allowed to get away with this unconstitutional act it may spell the end of democracy in Egypt for a long time to come. It will also be the last nail in the coffin of an Arab Spring already teetering on the edge of the grave with a bloody civil war raging in Syria, brutal suppression of democracy activists in Bahrain, and near-chaos in Libya and Yemen. One wonders how long Tunisia, which is also ruled by an Islamist party faced with street protests, will be able to hold out as a bastion of democracy.

Morsy's overthrow will also seriously erode the credibility of the moderate Islamists. The moderates had been winning the intra-Islamist battle on the issue of whether Islam and democracy are compatible and, more importantly, whether Islamist parties that come to power will be allowed to govern without hindrance by domestic and external forces opposed to them.

The Egyptian Brotherhood itself had undergone a remarkable transformation, with political pragmatism trumping ideological purity and leading to its internalization of the values of compromise and the political give and take that lies at the heart of democracy.

It is true that Morsy left himself open to charges, especially on issues relating to the status of women and the role of Sharia in Egyptian law, that he was pandering to some of the more extreme views of the Islamist constituency -- ultra-conservative Salafis as well as members of the Brotherhood. Nonetheless, his election was the crowning act in this drama signifying that the Islamist mainstream saw no contradiction in working within a democratic system and accepting the rules of the game while remaining true to its faith.

The major lesson that Islamists in the Middle East are likely to learn from this episode is that they will not be allowed to exercise power no matter how many compromises they make in both the domestic and foreign policy arenas. This is likely to push a substantial portion of mainstream Islamists into the arms of the extremists who reject democracy and ideological compromise.

A segment of this rejectionist camp is also not averse to taking up arms against the "system" that suppresses them as well as against its foreign supporters. It is almost certain that some elements among the disillusioned mainstream Islamists will decide to join this militant trend and resort to arms -- thus increasing the odds of this volatile region descending into greater anarchy and turmoil.

Opinion: In Egypt, get ready for extremist backlash - CNN.com

I posted this elsewhere, but I figured it's good enough to be posted again. This is from an Egyptian back in July:
-Mohamed Hosni Elmalaki

I haven't updated this thread in awhile....and I had so much to say. Naturally, I've forgotten most of that. Hopefully it'll come back to me.

Anyways, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words:



Veiled anti-coup protestors lifting 1 finger (to indicate the Oneness of God and their trust in Him) in the face of the distasteful Egyptian military.

President Morsi appeared in court today. This was his first public appearance since that fateful day in July.BBC News - Egypt ex-president Morsi tells trial: 'I am president'

The trial has been adjourned until January 8th, 2014.

Footage of President Morsi:

[youtube]uOnc5Kj0R_4[/youtube]

Journalists were not allowed to bring cameras/phones into the courtroom. Quite a few journalists were very pro-coup and were calling for Morsi's execution.

Outside, a relatively large group of anti-coup protesters and/or Morsi/MB supporters had gathered. A bigger rally took place at Ramses Square (also by those who are anti-coup).

In front of the court: