Good News, Urgent Eid News and Hate News

Well the good news is that the current issue of Newsweek magazine has an excellent full-page article on Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian convert to Islam and current President of ISNA, as part of their Who's Next in 2007 feature…and you can view it on-line here. Not only is this an excellent piece of much-needed good press for Muslims, but I also think that selecting Dr. Mattson to serve as the head of ISNA was an excellent choice. Based on her writings, she seems to be a well-informed, thoughtful and no-nonsense woman...and I wish the Ummah had many more like her. She’s currently in the process of finalizing her first book, The Story of the Qur'an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life, which is due to be published in early 2007.

As far as urgent news, since 'Eid-ul-Adha is just a few days away, don't forget make a Udhiyah/Qurbani donation for needy Muslims somewhere in the world. Personally, I like the Islamic Relief website, since it lets you choose where you want your donation to go from a pretty hefty list of Muslim populated countries. For the benefit of non-Muslims, I'll include Islamic Relief’s explanation that: "Udhiyah/Qurbani is an Islamic religious practice performed at the time of Eid al-Adha (the 10th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah) involving the slaughtering of an animal; usually a sheep, goat, or cow. The event commemorates the devotion and commitment of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) to God Almighty...Muslims believe that Eid al-Adha is a day of celebration and remembrance of God Almighty. Not all of us, however, are in a position to enjoy this day. Islamic Relief collects funds from donors, and performs Udhiyah/Qurbani on their behalf and distributes the meat to the needy. For many of the beneficiaries, this is the only time of the year they are able to eat meat."

And on the subject of hate news, I encourage everyone to read Dr. Maxtor's recent blog posting (via Islamophobia Watch) about an Islamophobic and hate-mongering blogger in Florida who made a call to "kill all Muslim kids". I'd love to know how this ethically and intellectually challenged individual would explain how his moral code is essentially any different than the murderous terrorists that he detests, but I surmise that he’s not mentally capable of delving into such an attempt at unbiased thinking…wa Allahu ‘alim.

Deen On...