Bloggers' Rights at EFF

Monday, December 5, 2016

Just in case you are interested in what gets taught in Mosques for the children here is a newsletter from the Mosque in Kennesaw.  Probably all Mosques are pretty much the same on teachings.  This would equate to the "Sunday School" format used in Christian churches:




Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi wabarakatuhi,

With the great mercy of Allah SWT we are fortunate enough to announce that we will be continuing the Daily Maktab System under our latest Imam, Mufti Mohammad Jafari.

The Prophet SAW has said, "The best among you is he who learns the Qur'an and teaches it to others".

As Muslims it is very important that we learn the Qur'an and recite it everyday as this is our daily remedy for any problems we might face, and if not for the sake of remedy, it is definitely an avenue for us to get close to Allah SWT.

Our children are the future of American Muslims, but to be that they need to know the teachings of Islam, the etiquette and manners of the Prophet SAW, and the practical lifestyle of how to be Muslims while living in America.

There is so much our children need to learn that maybe we might have been void of as children, but Allah SWT is giving us an opportunity to fill that void if not for ourselves, then at least for our next generation.

Our Maktab Classes will be comprised of 2 parts:

1. Qur'an: In which the student will learn to read the Qur'an along with the rules of tajweed, and also memorized at least the last 10 surahs.

2. Islamic Studies: In which the student will learn the following subjects: Fiqh, Hadith, Tareekh (History), Aqaaid (Islamic beliefs), Seerah (life of the Prophet SAW), and more.

Classes will be 3 days a week from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Classes are open for both boys and girls from the ages of 7 and up.

Please take this opportunity to enroll your child and equip him or her with the understanding of Islam.
 
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته 

Management Suffah Masjid

Copyright © 2016 Suffah Masjid, All rights reserved.
Salaam! You signed up for our newsletter on our website.

Our mailing address is:
Suffah Masjid
2750 Jiles Rd. Suite 109
Kennesaw, GA 30144

=================================

HOW TO START YOUR OWN MOSQUE:

http://www.masjidhamzah.com/Documents/How-to-Start-a-Masjid.pdf

====================================================

12/2/16





American Muslims brace for the worst after US election

With white nationalist militias on the rise, Muslim communities across the US fear violence come election day.






Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign has been rife with inflammatory rhetoric [Reuters]]

by


Atlanta, United States - With the US presidential election only days away, many in the US - particularly the Muslim-American community - are bracing for the worst over fears that a win, or a loss, by Republican candidate Donald Trump could bring violence.
Stirred by Trump's inflammatory rhetoric, members of local militias from across the US have said they plan to carry firearms at polling stations to prevent alleged election "rigging" in favour of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
In Newton County, 85km south of Atlanta, Georgia, those concerns are justified.
When a local Muslim-American community in the Atlanta area decided last August to buy land to be used primarily as a community cemetery, they did not expect that their innocuous plans would set off a firestorm of opposition that included local officials and armed white nationalist militia groups.

Rising Islamophobia concerns US Muslims
Al Maad al-Islami Mosque sought approval from Newton County to construct a cemetery, a funeral home and, perhaps many years down the road, a mosque and a recreational area on the half-a-square kilometre of land purchased for the project.
But when word spread of the plans, local residents and several county commissioners protested on the grounds that the property would be used as "training ground for ISIL terrorists", referring to the armed group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS.
The plans also drew the attention of a group known as the Georgia Security Force III% , one of many white nationalist militias around the country that have been galvanised by the Trump campaign and his anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
In August, Members of Georgia Force III% - headed by Chris Hill, 42, a former US marine who goes by the name "General Blood Agent" - held an armed protest against the Muslim community at the property in Newton County, accusing them of being ISIL supporters and "terrorists".
The Georgia militia group is also connected to a Kansas militia which had plotted to blow up a Somali Muslim mosque and community centre, according to Ryan Lenz, a researcher for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks and researches hate groups in the US.
The FBI announced last month that it had foiled a plot by a local militia in Garden City, Kansas, to detonate car bombs at the Somali Muslim community centre and around the apartment buildings where many of the community members live.
Lenz told Al Jazeera that historically, white nationalist groups have tended to embrace a conspiratorial view of the US federal government, accusing it of conspiring with the UN to establish a new world order and thereby undermining the US.
"In the aftermath of September 11, white nationalist groups teamed up with organised anti-Muslim hate groups, creating a dangerous and threatening alliance against members of American Muslim community," he said.
Lenz added that the convergence of these two groups has created a terrifying mix in US local and national politics, the effects of which are not going away any time soon.
"The election of President Barack Obama, whom white nationalists and anti-Muslim hate groups accuse of being a crypto-Muslim, is also energising the anti-Muslim hate campaign in this country."
The Georgia Security Force III% did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for an interview.
Imam Mohamad Islam, the leader of the al Maad Mosque, in Newton County, Georgia [Ali Younes/Al Jazeera]
Imam Mohamad Islam, the leader of the al Maad Mosque, is unfazed by the threats and hateful statements made by militia members and others who opposed the cemetery plans.
He said he only wants to establish legitimate institutions to care for the community's social and religious needs, but knows a change in local attitudes will only come through patience and dialogue with the area's non-Muslim community.
"As a Muslim, I have to exercise patience when facing hardship and animosity," Islam told Al Jazeera.
Islam also expressed frustration that as an American and a Muslim he is somehow required by the public and the American media to answer for actions of other Muslims across the globe.
"It seems like certain segments of the American society insist on holding us responsible for the violent actions of some Muslims overseas. We don’t condone any kind of violence, much less defend those who commit it. We are Americans first and foremost."
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the executive director of the Council of Islamic American Relations (CAIR) and a former Atlanta prosecutor, agreed with Islam that Muslim Americans are just as American as any other citizen of the US and therefore should be treated equally.
The build-up to the 2016 presidential election, Mitchell stressed, has caused anti-Muslim rhetoric to increase, with candidates such as Trump and Ben Carson frequently making bigoted statements against Islam and Muslims.
"The anti-Muslim rhetoric of certain politicians encouraged bigots who otherwise lurked in the dark recesses of the internet who now have a national platform," he said.
Imam Islam's approach of reaching out to county officials, dignitaries in the area and the local community by holding several joint meetings and having lunches and dinners with them has worked in easing the tension and eliminating misunderstanding between the two communities.
A Newton County spokeswoman told Al Jazeera the county was now ready to receive the mosque's application for permits to start the construction of its cemetery ground.
"At the end, the people of Newton County stood up in defence of religious freedom that ultimately makes this a success story," Mitchell said.
Source: Al Jazeera
---------------------------------------------------
11/25/16

(So we just have to find out who is pissed off at the Rockdale Board of Comissioners.  Maybe Allah or his friends?  See if anyone dropped a Koran or a prayer rug)



BREAKING FEATURED

Fire breaks out at Rockdale BOC office



      A Rockdale County firefighter stands outside the office of the Rockdale Board of Commissioners at 967 Milstead Ave Tuesday night. A fire broke out in a board room in the building, but firefighters were able to contain and extinguish it quickly. The building suffered light smoke and there was some water damage in the room where the fire was found. The building will be closed Wednesday for safety and restoration purposes. (Staff Photo: Larry Stanford)
      CONYERS - Rockdale County Fire and Rescue is investigating a fire that broke out Tuesday night in the Board of Commissioners office at 962 Milstead Ave.

      Chief Dan Morgan said on the scene that E911 got a call about 8:10 p.m. from a passerby who saw smoke coming out of the building, and fire units responded.
      “Our units came here and confirmed we had smoke,” the chief said. “They made entry into the building. They found the scene of the fire, which was confined to one room, and they extinguished the fire.

      “We are in investigative mode now,” he continued. “We have two investigators in there. There is light smoke damage throughout the building, and water damage in the front room and right inside the front door, because they actually found the fire relatively quickly. It was in an enclosed board room/office type space.”

      Chier Morgan added that the records in the building have been secured and there is no damage to them.

      “But there is damage to the building,” Morgan said. “We’ll have restoration people coming out tomorrow, and electricians coming to check the building out, and more than likely it will not be in operation tomorrow just for safety and restorative purposes.”

      Chairman Richard Oden, Chief of Staff Gerald Sanders, and Recreation and Maintenance Director Sue Sanders were on the scene Tuesday night. Sanders said he was the last one in the building shortly after 5 p.m.

      “There was no indication of anything wrong, no strange smells or anything like that,” he said. “I turned the lights out, turned the alarm on and left.”

      Oden was grateful for everyone who had a part in the response.

      “I want to thank E911, the Conyers Police Department, Fire and Rescue for their quick response and work extinguishing the fire,” Oden said, “and Chief of Staff Gerald Sanders for coming back out to ensure that the operation of 962 Milstead Ave. was secure.”
      While the BOC office will be closed Wednesday, other county government offices will be open. Rockdale County offices will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holidays.
Davey Crockett ·
Any Muslims seen lurking around the building that night?
http://almaadalislami.blogspot.com/

======================================

11/19/16

A special thanks to those looking in from the National Law School Of India University Banglore (14.139.155.66), those from,  Maharashtra, India via IP Address: Dishnet Wireless Limited.  (118.102.250.38),  Pune, Maharashtra, India IP Address:  (113.193.26.90) and of course from the Covington, Georgia area.  I spent 3 weeks in Delhi in 2007 which is recounted at:  http://overseasmedicalcare.blogspot.com/


This site will be updated from time to time as the Mosque situation continues to develop.  For the moment there is a lull which may continue until the Mosque starts submitting plans for the development they wish to make to the 135 acres. The ball is pretty much in their court, so we await their input to the County.

--------------------------------------------------------------
11/10/16
SONG Alliance working for oversight of mosque development

By Alice Queen   
alice.queen@rockdalecitizen.com




  • COVINGTON — Citizens concerned about the developmentof a mosque and related facilites on Ga. Highway 162 have formed a group called SONG Alliance, which stands for Sunshine ON Government.
  • SONG spokesmen Tiffany Humphries and Bobby Stokes said this week the group — which they said includes a couple of hundred members from Butts, Henry, Newton and Rockdale counties — has enlisted the help of a Newnan law firm to help them ensure that all laws and ordinances that apply to developments the size of the proposed mosque are followed.


    Humphries said SONG’s purpose is to “make sure these developers follow the same rules that any other developer would have to follow.”
    Of particular concern, Stokes and Humphries said, is the amount of traffic that could potentially be generated by a development of the size that has been proposed by Al Maad Al Islami on 135 acres at Ga. Highway 162 and County Line Road. Humphries said preliminary plans show a mosque, cemetery, three schools, 600,000 square feet of commercial space and 120 residential units.
    “We live out there,” Humphries, a resident of the area for about eight years. “We know that both of the intersections with County Line Road are already dangerous.”
    Humphries and Stokes said they and other members of SONG believe that their concerns were overshadowed during public hearings held in August to discuss the proposed mosque. The meetings drew hundreds of people opposed to the mosque and prompted demonstrations by a militia group on the courthouse square, arousing strong negative publicity for those opposed to the development.
    “We felt like our voices weren’t really being heard,” said Humphries. “CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), the militia, neither of those represent what we are.”
    Humphries said SONG Alliance members meet on a regular basis and have been meeting with attorneys to develop a strategy for protecting their property rights. She said a first step in the process will be ensuring that a development of regional impact study is conducted by the developers.
    Humphries said donations to the legal fund may also be made directly through the Rosenzweig, Jones, Horne & Griffis law firm at P.O. Box 220, Newnan, GA, 770-253-3282.
    (My comment:  This is the first time the people behind this SONG group have had their names in the press.  Up until now they have hidden behind their SONG name.  If they had announced themselves before now they would have had more contributions to their fund to finance the effort.
    See Also:    https://www.facebook.com/sunshineongovernment/?fref=ts)
    =======================================































      11/7/16
    More than 50 residents turned out for the BOC’s first strategic planning session on Aug. 18. They heard the commissioners’ ideas of what is needed in Rockdale County and made a few suggestions of their own.
    For this meeting, after Williams provides a brief welcome, citizens will have a chance to go to a breakout roundtable focused on a topic they are specifically interested in to have a group discussion with the director of the department that oversees that focus area.
    To start things off, the director or leadership representative will make a brief presentation at his or her table about how their department’s operations, funding, priorities, challenges, and future goals relate to the Strategic Plan Survey results, which can be found at www.rockdalecountyga.gov.
    Breakout table topics will include transportation, branding, water and sewer, public safety, code enforcement, economic development, parks and recreation, and land use. At the breakout tables, citizens will be able to ask questions, give their input and share written comments.
    Once the roundtable discussions end, the meeting will wrap up with the directors at each table briefly sharing with the broader audience of meeting participants observations of those with whom they spoke.
    For questions or more information, please contact Commissioner Doreen Williams at 770-278-7001 or doreen.williams@rockdalecountyga.gov.
    -----------------------------------------------
    Comment:  Davey Crockett ·
    Yeah, LAND USE and CODE ENFORCEMENT = MOSQUE ISSUES. You might want to show up for this meeting. As the saying goes "If you snooze, you lose". 


    Sunday, November 6, 2016


    FYI: Related to protests about the Mosque so here are 2 links about the Georgia Security Force, the first is a very long  article by the NY NY Times from Nov 4th:  

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/05/us/a-militia-gets-battle-ready-for-a-gun-grabbing-clinton-presidency.html?_r=0


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROFE2_ELMdI

    Georgia militia prepares for ‘fallout’ after election




    
    Posted: 9:01 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2016


    A self-proclaimed militia is gearing up for a fight for the Constitution — no matter who wins Tuesday’s election.
    Georgia Security Force Commander Chris Hill told Channel 2 Action News he and his warriors have been preparing for a loss of leadership at the national level. YouTube video shows the group’s armed training in north Georgia woods.
    “We have to be prepared to protect our country from all enemies foreign and domestic,” Hill told the television station. “We’re losing control on many different fronts. Our liberties and our freedoms are at risk.”
    Georgia Security Force could be considered an example of extremist militias in the United States, rallying around Republican Donald Trump but prepared for chaos.
    “Our stance is we need to be prepared, no matter who wins, for a fallout — whether it’s Hillary Clinton or whether it’s Donald Trump,” Hill said.
    Hill voted early for Donald Trump, but told Channel he strongly opposes Trump’s positions on things like stop and frisk, and broader no-fly lists.
    Ryan Lenz, a civil rights advocate with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said groups like Hill’s only increase tension and make things worse.
    “It is dangerous rhetoric,” Lenz said. “Those two streams of extremist ideology coming together into one giant torrent is terrifying.”

    NOTE:  This blog continues
    click on the link below:
    "OLDER POSTS"
    to go to the next page