In a sign of its increasing influence and clout, TMO was featured in the first of a series of pictures on the Newsweek website meant to show the status of Muslims in the US today.

By Karima Friedemann, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

Boston–The Cambridge, Massachusetts Fire Department decided to evaluate the environmental advantages of an innovative break-through in safety technology called “Cold Fire,” promoted by AIM International, Inc., a Boston-based corporation.

Sudanese-American retired Boston University professor of Mass Communication, Dr. Abdel Rahman Mohamed, PhD, is CEO and Director of Safety Technology for this corporation.

On Saturday, July 23, TMO attended a demonstration of this new fire extinguisher in a towing yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Cold Fire” put out magnesium, wood, tire, and fuel oil fires. Unlike conventionally extinguished conflagrations, the presenters could not rekindle any of the fires no matter how hard they tried.

Cold Fire is an EPA-listed ecologically friendly solution of complex organic compounds derived from naturally fire-retardant chemicals found in plants.

Cold Fire was able to extinguish a tire warehouse fire in 15 minutes and reduced the building’s heat-collapse factor below risk temperature.

Cold Fire absorbs vaporized fuel to act as an anti-catalyst. Because it contains massive organic molecule chains, Cold Fire absorbs the energy that could sustain combustion before more fuel can transition to the gaseous state in order to take part in further oxidation reactions.

A car soaked with five highly combustible flammables and burning for five minutes, was extinguished by Cold Fire in only 17 seconds. Non-flammable, biodegradable, non-corrosive, safe, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and ecologically safe, Cold Fire demonstrates tremendous thermal insulating as well as heat absorbing capacity.

Cold Fire prevents the spread of fire and re-ignition by rapid cooling. It reduces the density of smoke, increases visibility, and eases breathing as it enhances water penetration to extinguish the fire faster with less water. It helps prevent heat exhaustion in firefighters and extinguishes fires faster than anything else. Cold Fire costs the same as conventional fire extinguishers.

Fire & Safety Consultant, Mr. Holtzclaw, 13 year Cambridge Fire Department veteran, who was injured in the line of duty and for the past 2 years has been working with AIM, said, “Everybody, especially fire-fighters MUST know about Cold Fire to stop senseless death and injury of so many of us. I wish Cold Fire was available when I was injured.”

NASA, the US military, Florida Police, NY/NJ Port Authority, the automobile racing industry, Michelin, oil refineries, and power plants have used Cold Fire.

Cold Fire was tested and approved in New York, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, China, Philippines, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

Cold Fire is available for sale online—you can buy a 12 oz. can for $16, or a 5 gallon concentrate for $150. One source for the “miracle-product” is www.coldfiresales.com.

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Courtesy Patrick J. Buchanan

Responding to the call of Pope Urban II at Claremont in 1095, the Christian knights of the First Crusade set out for the Holy Land. In 1099, Jerusalem was captured. As their port in Palestine, the Crusaders settled on Acre on the Mediterranean.

There they built the great castle that was overrun by Saladin in 1187, but retaken by Richard the Lion-Hearted in 1191. Acre became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the stronghold of the Crusader state, which fell to the Mameluks in a bloody siege in 1291. The Christians left behind were massacred.

The ruins of Acre are now a tourist attraction.

Any who have visited this last outpost of Christendom in the Holy Land before Gen. Allenby marched into Jerusalem in 1917 cannot – on reading of the massive US embassy rising in Baghdad – but think of Acre.

At a cost of $600 million, with walls able to withstand mortar and rocket fire, and space to accommodate 1,000 Americans, this embassy, largest on earth, will squat on the banks of the Tigris inside the Green Zone.

But, a decade hence, will the US ambassador be occupying this imperial compound? Or will it be like the ruins of Acre?

What raises the question is a sense the United States, this time, is truly about to write off Iraq as a lost cause.

The Republican lines on Capitol Hill are crumbling. Starting with Richard Lugar, one GOP senator after another has risen to urge a drawdown of US forces.

But this is non-credible. How can US diplomats win at a conference table what 150,000 US troops cannot on a battlefield?

Though Henry Kissinger was an advocate of this unnecessary war, he is not necessarily wrong when he warns of “geopolitical calamity.” Nor is Ryan Crocker, US envoy in Iraq, necessarily wrong when he says a US withdrawal may be the end of the American war, but it will be the start of bloodier wars in Iraq and across the region.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also warns of the perils of a rapid withdrawal: “The dangers vary from civil war to dividing the country to regional wars … the danger is huge. Until the Iraqi forces and institutions complete their readiness, there is a responsibility on the US and other countries to stand by the Iraqi government and people to help build up their capabilities.”

In urging a redeployment of US forces out of Iraq, and a new focus on diplomacy, Lugar listed four strategic goals. Prevent creation of a safe haven for terrorists. Prevent sectarian war from spilling out into the broader Middle East. Prevent Iran’s domination of the region. Limit the loss of US credibility through the region and world as a result of a failed mission in Iraq.

But how does shrinking US military power and presence in Iraq advance any of these goals?

Longtime critics of the war like Gen. William Odom say it is already lost, and fighting on will only further bleed the country and make the ultimate price even higher. The general may be right in saying it is time to cut our losses. But we should take a hard look at what those losses may be.

It is a near certainty the US-backed government will fall and those we leave behind will suffer the fate of our Vietnamese and Cambodian friends in 1975. As US combat brigades move out, contractors, aid workers and diplomats left behind will be more vulnerable to assassination and kidnapping. There could be a stampede for the exit and a Saigon ending in the Green Zone.

The civil and sectarian war will surely escalate when we go, with Iran aiding its Shi’ite allies and Sunni nations aiding the Sunnis. A breakup of the country seems certain. Al-Qaeda will claim it has run the US superpower out of Iraq and take the lessons it has learned to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The Turks, with an army already on the border, will go in to secure their interests in not having the Kurdish PKK operating from Iraq and in guaranteeing there is no independent Kurdistan. What will America do then?

As for this country, the argument over who is responsible for the worst strategic debacle in US history will be poisonous.

With a US defeat in Iraq, US prestige would plummet across the region. Who will rely on a US commitment for its security? Like the British and French before us, we will be heading home from the Middle East.

What we are about to witness is how empires end.

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New America Media, News Analysis, Jamal Dajani

Editor’s Note: Morocco is girded to pay a price for co-operating with the US on the war on terror says Jamal Dajani, director of Middle Eastern Affairs at Link TV. He writes frequently on the Middle East and the media.

TANGIERS, Morocco – Shortly after the failed suicide attacks in Glasgow, Scotland, the Moroccan Interior Ministry declared a heightened state of alert warning of imminent terrorist attacks in Morocco. According to several Moroccan and Arab terrorist experts, the recent failure of Al Qaeda in Europe will force it to shift its attention to Arab and Islamic countries which enjoy strong relations with the West and the United States and are considered partners on the war on terror. Morocco fits this description.

During a recent trip from Tangiers to Fez, a heightened state of alert was evident. Our driver was stopped and questioned either by police or the Royal Darak no less than six times.

According to Almassae, the main Arabic daily newspaper, the threat comes from Al Qaeda in the Arab Maghreb, led by Bin Laden’s self-appointed deputy in Algeria, Abu Al Wadud, who, during a recent televised broadcast made direct threats against Morocco. An unnamed source from the Moroccan security service believes that these threats are real, due to two factors: first, this branch of Al Qaeda has always delivered on its threats in the past and second, several known Moroccan terrorists appeared on the tape sitting next to Abu Al Wadud.

Only a week ago, a suicide car bomb killed at least eight people and wounded thirty in the town of Lakhdaria, about 120 kilometers southeast of Algiers. The bombing took place during the opening of the All Africa Games, one of the continent’s biggest sporting events, taking place in Algiers. Meanwhile, Moroccan police detained 15 suspected Al Qaeda members who were plotting to blow up sensitive targets in the North African country.

Morocco has always been considered a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, and between Africa and the Arab world; an Islamic country where ancient traditions intermingle with modernity and where nightclubs and mosques exist on the same block. Does Al Qaeda plan to destroy this harmony?

Since the ascent of Mohammed VI to the throne, Morocco has seen many changes. The young enthusiastic king has embarked on a campaign of reform and transparency absent during the reign of his father King Hassan II, who died in 1999, leaving the young heir with the responsibility of guiding this impoverished nation into the 21st century. The young king has brought about vital domestic reforms, such as the elevation and protection of the status of women, as well as establishing an independent commission on human rights.

One of his first decrees was to grant freedom to a number of political prisoners and abolish many of the laws that restricted freedom of the press. Though his critics claim that he has not done enough, others believe that he has opened a Pandora’s box full of new troubles. Criticism against the king and various members of the government can be seen daily in the Moroccan press. Articles and op-eds about allegations of fraud by government officials and ministers are common.

Recently, the press was up in arms about unconfirmed reports that the Moroccan government has plans to grant the United States permission to build a new military base on its soil and use it as a monitoring center for all of Africa. Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia are part of another US project, the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, under which African countries collaborate with US forces to prevent the spread of terrorism and receive intelligence and assistance from the United States.

With this new openness in Moroccan society, Berbers have been more aggressively seeking recognition of their identity and language (Amazigh). During a recent debate on television I watched a proponent for the Amazigh language demand that government-run schools give it a higher priority than French. Although Arabic is Morocco’s official language, French is widely taught and serves as the primary language of commerce and government.

In the midst of these issues, the kingdom remains in a precarious position dealing with the separatist Polisario movement in the Western Sahara and historically strained relations with neighboring Algeria and Spain. The kingdom has accused both of arming the separatist rebels.

The rise of Islamism may be the biggest threat facing the young king. Ironically, King Mohammed VI’s new policy for tolerating an independent press has worked in their favor. They now urge the government to be accountable for their unfulfilled promises. On September 7, 2007, some 15 million eligible Moroccan voters are expected to go to the polls during the legislative elections, and many believe that these parliamentary elections will swing in favor of the Islamists.

The king’s father, Hassan II, used a metaphor to describe his country that seems fitting. He stated that Morocco is “like a tree whose roots lie in Africa but whose leaves breathe in European air.” Will the current king be able to maintain this delicate balance?

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By Bob Wood, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

There comes a day in every investor’s life when what he or she has considered the best advice on where the markets are going turns out to be wrong. For today’s Bears, that day seems to have come. Yes, the Dow 30 average, which set new highs almost daily, has just hit the 14,000 level, an all-time high.

But here is one investor who remains as “bearish” as ever! I see this market rally as a simple case of large investors ignoring the fundamentals. At some point, fundamentals will matter, and then the stock market will react to facts that can no longer be ignored.

I see Wall Street as the greatest sales and marketing enterprise ever developed! Financial industry promoters seldom mention that economic facts do not align with their bullish forecasts. We saw this same pattern emerge in the late 1990s with huge runs in technology stocks and again, two years ago, in housing.

The fundamental underpinnings supporting those markets were weak, at best. Yet stock and then house prices rose despite growing reasons for the opposite. Since prices were rising, that was all that mattered! Of course, when those markets crashed, bewildered investors asked why and how it happened so fast.

Too many chastened investors wondered what warning signs they might have identified and acted upon –before their fast gains evaporated. Of course, market promoters assured them that such sudden drops in prices were nothing more than healthy corrections, since, in due time, those prices would resume their upward trajectories.

Today, no shortage exists of new warning signs for investors to consider. Once again, these signs don’t seem to matter much at the moment. But at some point, matter they will. Fundamentals eventually become relevant. They tend not to matter — until they do, and then they matter a lot!

Let’s take a closer look at the real estate market. In central Florida, for example, this Spring/Summer selling season has been a bust. Many optimistic property owners, waiting for better times to unload their houses or condos, are now facing the beginning of real estate’s slower time of year. That means buyers will have the upper hand, able to choose from multiple properties that fit their needs. In addition, new-home builders are adding monthly inventory, which is not being absorbed at expected rates of sale.

This may not be a bad situation for home owners not rushing to sell. But, what will happen in the last quarter of the year, when the surge in adjustable rate mortgages resetting to higher rates occurs? Owners of too many homes that are barely affordable now will see them become totally unaffordable very quickly. So what will this situation do to home prices, and how will it help stimulate consumer spending? Since consumer spending accounts for about 70% of all US economic activity, investors ignoring this growing concern are courting risk.

Add to this picture that the value of the dollar is falling in record-setting ways, with foreign currencies as far removed as the Thai baht and the Indian rupee looking much healthier by comparison. Once again, financial media promoters argue that this can be a good thing, so they urge us to load up on multi-national large cap companies to take advantage of the trend.

Our stock market and, even more astonishingly, the bond market seem oblivious to this concern. The fact that our currency is losing value is a fundamental consideration that should cause a sense of alarm among investors. The plummeting value of the dollar results, quite obviously, in our needing more of them to make purchases. Needing more dollars to buy everyday needs is commonly called inflation. And inflation is commonly referred to by economists as a reduction in lifestyle levels for those in economies suffering from rapidly rising costs.

As the dollar loses value, the appeal of interest-paying investments like bonds tends to wane significantly. Bond holders earning a 5% annual yield begin losing money in after-inflation or real terms. Foreign bond holders suffer even more, when their interest income later converts into their stronger, home currencies. This results in losses in nominal terms, even before factoring in inflation.

In normal times, this loss would matter greatly to those bond holders, but for some odd reason, they have continued to buy bonds. But at some point in the future, the losses will matter, and bond issuers like our Federal government will be forced to offer higher payouts for bond buyers. Can you imagine the effects of higher interest rates for our economy?

In past market cycles, high stock and bond prices resulted in low forward price rises, meaning that investors made little, if any, profits on their investments. Paying close to 20 times earnings for a stock or bond gives an earnings yield of about 5% in the first year. Buying risky assets that yield 5% has, as logic would suggest, resulted in small gains, at best, and big losses, at worst, for their holders. And that pattern is often repeated in the history of investing.

But for now, the markets seem oblivious. That stocks and bonds sell at premium prices doesn’t seem to matter at all, and the rally continues. But buying high has almost always proven a mistake for investors. And at some point, I am sure that lesson will be driven home once again. For now, few seem worried, but it will matter — sooner or later.

We have heard from our vice president that ‘’fiscal deficits don’t matter.’’ His contention is that the Federal government is virtually free to spend far in excess of what it receives in revenues. That excess just simply accumulates in harmless piles of debt. And as long as the economy is rolling along, faster economic growth will enable our paying interest costs on that new debt. After all, wasn’t this idea validated in the Reagan era?

But when Reagan was spending recklessly and piling up record amounts of new debt, the day of reckoning loomed far off into the future. Now, that day of reckoning is on the immediate horizon. Shortfalls in funding for Social Security and Medicare were not big issues then. But rapidly rising costs for those programs are now converging with rapidly rising interest payments. And they consume more and more of the Federal budget’s ability to pay.

This massive shortfall in funding, estimated now at close to $50 trillion, is fast becoming an issue that must be faced. Time marches on, whether or not we can pay those costs. Since we can’t pay them now, we’ll either need to print money even faster than today’s record pace, or simply give the bad news about social program shortfalls to a large group of people who tend to vote regularly. This issue matters now, but the markets continue to ignore it.

Losing two wars, with the Iraq War quickly becoming our most costly of all time monetarily, means even more borrowing and money printing. The big difference now is that, since no domestic pool of savings exists, foreigners, instead of American interests, will be buying these new debts. This, too, equates to even more interest payments leaving the national account and going into foreign coffers, further draining the country of treasure and future income. Yet this, too, seems to matter little.

And remember to consider the debacle in the sub-prime mortgage arena, with some hedge funds blowing up and their investors facing large losses. It amazes me that none of this seems to matter to stock and bond investors. They party on as if everything will simply work itself out — with no damage done.

None of this will matter — until it does, and then the game will change significantly. It’s not a problem until it is, and then it’s a real problem! So what is the timing for these factors to become issues in the markets? All I know is that they will, and the defensive investor will fare best. Someday these issues will matter greatly, and losing investors will be asking how they could have seen them coming. My response will be, “How could you not have seen them?’’

Have a great week.
Bob

Bob Wood ChFC, CLU Yusuf Kadiwala. Registered Investment Advisors, KMA, Inc., invest@muslimobserver.com.

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How Muslim Communities Counter Radicalism to Be Study Topic

Durham, NC — Finding out how American Muslims address messages of extremism in their communities will be the goal of a two-year study funded by the US Department of Justice.

Researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will then use the information to recommend policies for reducing the likelihood that the United States experiences the type of homegrown terrorism seen recently in Europe.

“In light of the recent events in London and Glasgow, it is critically important to understand why widespread radicalization has not occurred in the United States and take steps to reinforce this trend,” said David Schanzer, a visiting professor at Duke and adjunct professor at UNC and principal investigator for the study.

Schanzer directs the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, a think tank sponsored by the two universities and RTI International, a research firm headquartered in Research Triangle Park. The National Institute of Justice — the research arm of the Justice Department — recently awarded the center $394,000 for the study.

Center researchers will seek to learn from the responses of four American Muslim communities to radical Islamic movements across the globe, said Charles Kurzman, a UNC associate professor of sociology and co-principal investigator in the project. With another co-principal investigator, Ebrahim Moosa, associate professor of Islamic studies at Duke, and graduate students, Kurzman and Schanzer will study Muslim communities in Buffalo, Houston, Seattle and the Triangle.

Of those, only Houston has experienced no known violence attributed to Islamic extremism, Kurzman said. In the other three, one or two incidents attributed to individuals acting alone were denounced by other local Muslims.

“Osama Bin Laden and other revolutionaries have argued that it is the responsibility of every Muslim who can do so to engage in violent jihad, but few Muslims have taken up this call, especially in the United States,” Kurzman said. “It is critical that we see what we can learn from these communities. We hope this research will be helpful to policy-makers and law-enforcement officials.”

The study will involve scholars in the religion department and the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke and the sociology department at UNC.

Attempt to resolve Islamic center issue

CLAYTON, MO — St. Louis County “will work something out” to resolve a zoning dispute and allow the Islamic Community Center organization to build at a site in south St. Louis County, County Executive Charlie Dooley says, the St.Louis Despatch reported.

After last week’s County Council meeting, Dooley walked up to four people who had spoken out against the council’s denial of a rezoning for the Islamic center. He told them “we’ll work it out.”

The group, whose members mainly are Bosnian, wants to build a structure of 25,000 square feet on 4.72 acres on the northwest side of Lemay Ferry Road, 75 feet northeast of Buckley Road near Mehlville High School. The four speakers were outside the council chamber when Dooley approached them.

In an interview a short time later, the county executive said he wanted to resolve the matter “before it gets out of hand.”

Nasir Khan wins Java Award

Nasir Khan has won a coveted award for excellence in developing Java standards and innovation. He received the most votes in the Most Outstanding Spec Lead for Java SE/EE category. Khan of BEA Systems is the architect of the WebLogic SIP Server based on the Internet standard called Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). A member of the JCP community since 2000, Nasir moved up through the ranks, starting as a member, then working in the BEA-led Expert Group for JSR 309, Media Server Control API, and becoming a Spec Lead. In 2007, he was also recognized as a Star Spec Lead for his work on JSR 289, SIP Servlet v1.1.

Muslim workers at Swift plant complain of religious harassment

OMAHA– Workers say supervisors at a Swift and Company meatpacking plant in Nebraska have fired or harassed dozens of Somali Muslim employees for trying to pray at sunset.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has drafted a complaint to be filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The complaint reprises issues that boiled over in May, when 120 Somali workers quit for similar reasons. About 70 returned a week later.

Mohamed Rage of the Omaha Somali-American Community Organization alleges Swift has fired at least two dozen workers for praying since May.

But Donald Selzer, an attorney for Greeley-based Swift, says only three Somali workers were fired, and that it was for walking off the line without permission, not for praying.

CAIR-Tampa Announces $10K Reward in Arson Case

TAMPA, FL–The Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) and the Florida Division of State Fire Marshall has announced a combined $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of arsonists who torched a Sarasota Muslim family’s home earlier this month.

CAIR-Tampa is offering up to a $7,500 reward, while Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who also serves as the state fire marshal, is offering a reward of up to $2,500.

The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group has called on the FBI to investigate the July 6th incident in which a Bosnian family’s home was burned and spray painted with anti-Muslim slurs.

“We hope this reward will lead to the prompt apprehension and prosecution of whoever carried out this cowardly attack,” said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier.

A statement sent to CAIR-Tampa by Florida Governor Charlie Crist stated: “I am saddened by any incident of hate targeting Floridians of the Muslim faith. We will not tolerate such acts. We are an open society and one that takes great pleasure in our diverse communities of faith.”

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As-Salaamu aleikum, sisters:
This week I have questions that I will respond to.
Reader Question:
My daughter’s father and I have been divorced 6 months (incompatibility, his affair). She’s 2yrs 4 months. He has a job, I’m unemployed. After her birth, I tried to be a 100% attentive mother, have read books, tried to read to her, take her out, give her stimulation in every way, exposure to quran, etc.. For me the ideal situation would be to have my daughter with me till 7 or so, as I had a million ideas on homeschooling and things to teach her. I took her babyswimming, and I wanted to do a million things. My husband wanted a wife to serve him hand and foot, and I was just physically unable to cope, as we had a lot of different issues at the time. Financial, etc. He just wouldn’t try to cooperate or see his wife was exhausted. Anyway, we divorced. Now I have to put her in daycare and go back to school, something that breaks my heart. We had a wonderful relationship, she was a glowing baby, and gradually, things are changing. I find it harder to cope with keeping her happy, and I cannot do the ambitious reading, quran, and other teaching and learning projects that set me on fire before. I feel I will just fail, and all my beloved books lie in the shelf, I avoid looking at them. I try to be a good parent, but lots of things have gone out of the window. Her father is a bit immature, and i basically cannot discuss her with him, his ego always comes in. (ok, ok, mine too.) I want to move away from this horrible village to a bigger city and raise her alone, but the first seven years, for which I had glowing dreams, to be spent in daycare? with an exhausted mom at the end of the day? My heart breaks. I feel so guilty looking at my daughter, when I think of all my wonderful plans to make her happy, confident, hafiza, fluent reader, homeschooling, horseriding, etc Inshallah Allah will provide her the best childhood, all I can do is pray. Man proposes God disposes. I want to move away so I don’t have to bear his egotisitical fights over her, and find someone else to help raise her. She is a wonderful child, and deserves the very best. But is very sensitive. She’s still young, can forget him, surely. I don’t want to break a blood relationship, but he’s going to remarry, he forgets her and then comes back, on and off.. he’s not steady or committed.. He never bothered with her when we were married, which was a major reason for my dissatisfaction. An on an off father is not good, is he`? Sometimes he threatens to take her from me, then backs off when I stand up to him. His family tell lies, steal.. not good people. Don’t want her tolearn that. I want to take her away from him, and start a good life with her somewhere. He’s remarrying, the woman whom he had an emotional affair with (a liar too, not a pleasant person.. this is not just an angry ex speaking). Don’t want daughter to have anything to do with her appreciate some feedback.
Answer
Aslaam u alaikum
Dear sister thank you for writing to us and sharing your problems with us. I pray that I will be able to offer you some words and advice which will help you.
It is so tough raising a child with 2 parents and to have to do it alone must be extremely difficult. But all is not lost. Dear sister I understand where you coming from, when your daughter was born you had these dreams of a beautiful life with a husband who loved and cared for you and who was a good father to your daughter. However it was not to be and you got divorced and all changed, all the dreams you had for your daughter were shattered. And now you are depressed because you are not able to give your daughter all that you wanted to. I understand, but I want you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and stop thinking about the past and stop focusing on what could have been. Think about how fragile life is, and how we never know what Allah has planned for us. Remember everything happens for a reason, and Allah always wants what is better for us, sometimes we do not see it right away, sometimes it takes a very long time until we fully comprehend but we should always be sure that everything that happens is in someway for the best. Life is always changing, and when the big changes occur and it jolts us, these are also tests from Allah, to se how thankful we remain to him, to see if we turn to him for guidance, strength and hope. Remember it is a sin to to be hopeless, we should always remain hopeful by keeping our trust in Allah.
So okay you will not be able to homeschool your daughter or teach her horeseback riding at this time, but your daughter does not need that right now. She needs you and your love. She needs your guidance, your strength, your love. Look at what you are doing, you are going back to school, and I assume this is to increase your qualifications so that you can get a good job. This is a very good thing you are doing. You can still read to your daughter and teach her about Islam in the evening. Find out if there is mosque with a program where they teach children about Islam. You have not mentioned where your parents and family are. And make some good Muslim friends yourself. Keep yourself busy and active and in a positive environment. If you feel that your daughter’s father and his family will be harmful to your daughter or hurt her then you should stop it. Remember although her father has a right to see her he also has a duty to provide for her. If you have trouble dealing with him then you should contact a good Muslim cleric to help you. Remember you should do you best to do what is in the best interest of your child at every point of her life and then pray and leave it Allah.
Dear sister look to the future, plan for the future, forget the past. Think about what is best for you and your daughter now. If you think it will be better to move away, then make the provisions and go for it. Whatever it is that you think is best, make Istikhara and then take action and do it.
Above all pray to Allah and put your trust in Allah. If you become determined, work hard and put your trust in Allah you will Inshallah be successful.
And He answers (the invocation of) those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and gives them increase of His Bounty. And as for the disbelievers, theirs will be a severe torment.”
Ash-Shura:26
Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).
Ali `Imran:159

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Courtesy Ed Pilkington, The Guardian UK

The United States ambassador in Iraq, Ryan Cocker, has called for all Iraqis working for the US government to be granted refugee status in recognition of the dangers they face.

Mr Cocker warned in a cable obtained by the Washington Post that unless Iraqi employees were given hope of finding safe haven in America they would quit, weakening the ability of the Bush administration to make an impact in Iraq.

He said that Iraqis in US government employment “work under extremely difficult conditions, and are targets for violence including murder and kidnapping. Unless they know that there is some hope of a [visa] in future, many will continue to seek asylum, leaving our mission lacking in one of our most valuable assets”.

The US government and its main coalition partner in Iraq, Britain, have both been criticised by human rights and refugee organisations for failing to allow significant numbers of Iraqi asylum seekers into their countries. The US has admitted 825 Iraqis since the invasion in 2003.

The British government granted asylum to about 100 Iraqis between 2003 and 2005, but figures since then are unknown. It has refused to consider applications from among the 2 million Iraqis who have fled to Jordan, Syria and other neighbouring states.

In the wake of heavy criticism, the Bush administration expanded its Iraqi refugee programme, promising to admit 7,000 by October. However, it has processed just 133 since last October.

The United Nations estimates that up to 20,000 Iraqis will never be able to return to Iraq. Other countries have accepted many more Iraqi refugees. Sweden has taken in more than any other nation, despite the fact that it is not part of the coalition.

Last week it emerged that Denmark had secretly airlifted out about 200 Iraqi interpreters and their families. The move was made in advance of the imminent withdrawal of 470 Danish troops stationed in Iraq.

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