“Yes we are tired. When we hear rockets and bombs and see planes that fly too close to our building, I scream with my young son and my husband feels helpless.” [Umm Taqi]
After you read rest of the letter below from Umm Taqi, please keep reading for opportunities to sponsor families like Umm Taqi’s; Palestinian families from Gaza looking for a home, forced to flee from the bloodbath of Gaza. There will be NO better opportunities for helping our brethren than by becoming Ansaar to these displaced brothers and sisters.
Little Taqi’s mother was interviewed live from Gaza on Islam Channel last week on “Muslimah Dilemma Show”. She later spoke to the host of the program and wrote a letter about the situation in Gaza (the letter appears below with some technical editing of the original English translation). Please feel free to use this letter for any Gaza events in your area. And let us hope and pray that Umm Taqi is still safe and alive in Gaza along with her husband and her little Taqi:
Asaalam Alaykum,
My dear sisters and brothers I wanted to take this opportunity to send you a message from the sisters in Gaza. Please hear about our situation, and convey it to everyone who you know and do not know.
Our situation is dire but our eman is strong alhamdulillah, even though we have no water to speak of. When we do [have water] it is polluted, and we have no money to buy mineral water. When we obtain money, then those that sell it [the water] tell us that it is too dangerous for them to travel out to get new supplies. We have no gas, and have not had for the last four months. We cook the little food we have on real [wood] fires that we have learned to light.
Our men have lost all their jobs. They spend their days at home now. My husband can end up spending a day just going from place to place in search of the bare necessities, like water. He usually returns empty handed. There are no schools and no banks; hardly any hospitals are open. You are constantly aware that you risk your life when you go out and when you are indoors. We are under a curfew [imposed by the Israeli army-IDF] between 1-4pm. We can go out, they [IDF] say, in safety to get our supplies, but that is a lie. They have often used that opportunity to add more shuhada [martyrs] to their list.
We eat rice one day and bread one day. Meat and milk are luxuries. They are using chemical warfare upon the areas close to the borders.
All this and we are being told that people demonstrate all over the world. Masha Allah. The fact that you go to the embassies, leaving your homes, makes us truly feel that we are not alone in our struggle.
But you go home at night and lock your door. We cannot do that. I have to leave my home on the second floor every night and stay with my sister on the ground floor. Should there be an attack, it’s quicker to leave from the ground floor.
Yes we are tired. When we hear rockets and bombs and see planes that fly too close to our building, I scream with my young son, while my husband feels helpless.
In all this there is no one but Allah (swt) that can save us. But the ummah is asking, “where are the armies?”, “where is the victory?”
Don’t forget us because you are all that we have now. Your kind sadaqaat are not reaching us, and when they open the borders, it only reaches a few. Keep up the work of Allah and pray that the victory will come soon insha Allah.
wasalam
Your sister Umm Taqi
Revive the Sunnah of being a true Ansaar to Gaza families
Click here to watch the video.
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/12/2009) – CAIR today issued a call for American sponsors willing to assist families of U.S. citizens who may be evacuated this week from the Gaza Strip.
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SEE: U.S. Preparing Evacuation of 150 Americans
State Department officials tell CAIR that some of the almost 150 potential evacuees do not have family members in the United States. A number of those seeking evacuation are non-citizen parents of young American-born children. CAIR is calling on individuals and relief groups to offer support. Potential sponsors would have to provide all the needs of evacuees for a period of six months, demonstrate financial ability and submit an I-134 “Affidavit of Support” form.
CAIR has been seeking State Department assistance in evacuating two American children, ages six and three, along with all the other Americans in Gaza. The father of the two children said bullets fired from an Israeli tank hit the family home in Beit Hanoun on Saturday. He said his brother’s nearby two-story home was destroyed today by the Israelis.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Potential sponsors must be willing to provide all of the needs of the evacuees for a period of six months. Sponsors would also have to demonstrate the financial ability to sponsor and submit an I-134 “Affidavit of Support” form.
Those who are willing to meet these strict requirements should send an e-mail to: ihooper@cair.com
Announcements2 weeks ago
Amad
January 18, 2009 at 12:15 AM
JazakumAllah khair everyone from CAIR for doing this excellent work… a reminder of the good that you do everyday alhamdulilah
ALGEBRA
January 18, 2009 at 2:42 AM
Aslamu-alaikum:
For those of you that DID NOT LIKE CAIR’S POLICY concerning their stand on Palestine and other things, SHOULD seriously help CAIR to come to the STRAIGHT PATH and HELP IN SPONSORING a FAMILY.
This is the time to walk the talk, I believe.
are there any volounteers to help CORRECT CAIRS”S MISDIRECTION IN ITS POLICY and HELP THE REFUGEE FAMILIES
I hope some people can read between the lines.
salam
ALGEBRA
January 18, 2009 at 3:02 AM
Aslamu-alaikum:
I am not belittling the anguish of the Muslims in Palestinians but where were we when the ORPHANS and WIDOWS needed us to sponsor them especially from countries like Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechenia, and including Palestine…………….
When someone talks about them than it is considered a taboo…………… I suppose both by WOMEN and some MEN.
THE QURAN and HADITH mentions ORPHANS and WIDOWS SOOOOOOOOOOOO Many times in several different verses but we tend to overlook that……………
I mean it is so strongly mentioned, that it is mentioned in the same sentence as honoring your parents and performing the salat.
Yet we disregard these advice in our OWN communities right here in AMERICA……….. and yes after this Hoopla and drama(sarcasm) subsides in a couple of days……………….. we will not even mention to our husbands or our fathers or our neighbors to take on an orphan or widow from these countries………………. We will forget about it, In FACT, we will probably discourage them from SPONSORING them because it will infringe on our(women’s) luxuries, freedoms(with our husband) and time.
It is EASY for us to ASK others to make the SACRIFICES and SPONSOR a FAMILY but the IMPORTANCE in the QURAN and SUNNAH is given to the WOMEN and ORPHANS.
but it becomes hard for us(women) to DO THAT JIHAD AGAINST THE NAFS……………..
WE WOMEN SHOULD WALK THE TALK AS WELL.
I am not trying to be offesnsive to anyone but just wanted to CUT THROUGH THE BULL and GET TO THE CRUX of the MATTER.
I know i have been blaming and have been harsh with some of the men on this blog but i have to be fair in saying the women often discourage their husbands and sons from giving money and also taking on orphans and taking on widows…………… and we have to admit it first to correct it…………. also we sometimes we don’t support those things and make it difficult for them when they want to do it.
salam
Yasir
January 18, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Assalamualakum,
I think it will be a good idea if we can have some numbers here so that people can make their decisions immediatley.
Ihssan
January 18, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Hopefully CAIR will be able to find people who have the financial means to undertake this righteous responsibility.
May we also not forget the other Muslim countries in turmoil as well.
-Ihssan
Trigonometry Contentedly
January 18, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Dear “Algebra,”
We as Muslims usually do care about ALL people as you so aptly pointed out that Islam commands this! Yes, we do want to help folks in other places outside of Gaza too, and even bring them over if possible, but after giving to our local Masjids, Islamic cemeteries/mortuaries, to the causes inside and outside the borders of various countries, our own poor families abroad (islam says: charity begins with your nearest of kin!), we rarely even have enough for more than that! We have helped, and still do help, the people’s of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, and even Zambia through the Islamic Relief organizations! We have an entire alphabet of nations in poverty — think about that in your “Algebra.”
As a side, I remember when I was kid, there were Bosnians who were brought over. I remember a grandmother and her (probably 30 something year) son in our community –beautiful masha-allah, yet forever broken with resigned faces, although attempting to appear upbeat around the youth. The grandmother brought over one special possesion: her Qur’an, and left it by mistake at the masjid (she got it back.) I kind of wonder nostalgically where she went? It makes me sad, because I think the escape from torment was worth it, but they are forever in pain.
A second point, Gazans’ are stateless persons, meaning the obligation to bringing them to the US is more prevalent, though helping them over there via services is probably much better, or enabling them move to other Middle-Eastern countries, which is what many might prefer.
Do what you can, and encourage others to do so too! Don’t place blame, though we all get emotional, and that is perfectly normal!
–
Rashid
ALGEBRA
January 18, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Aslamu-alaikum:
1. First I would like to sincerely thank Umm Reem for allowing my voice to be heard even though it was a criticism for women. At least she did not take it personally like some of the other authors had before.
I am pleasantly surprised. I would like to apologize since i had misjudged you before. I admire your sense of justice Umm Reem and also would like to commend your teaching skills. It shows in your through the actions of your children. At first i didn’t realize that your daughter was Reem until later. Also that your child called and spoke in Arabic to one of the families in Palestine. I assume you are not of Arabic Descent so at least you are coming out of your comfort zone and learning something that does not come easy to us like learning Arabic and teaching it to your children.
2. Brother RashidMy stance has always been to help the next of kin and help the ones in our neighborhood, and various communities. I have been promoting that idea all along but i couldn’t quite seem to get my comments on any other of the blogs concerning giving to the women, widows, convert/reverts. poor sick men, divorcees, and children of our communities in America and our Families because my ideas seem to be off topic. I actually was quite surprised that Umm Reem did not throw out my comment as some of the other authors had before.
3. Now i will elaborate a little bit more on my views.
Yes we are suppose to give to next of kin and relatives. We are also living in the States and we are going to be asked about our Neighbors as well. I don’t know about you but to me that means our immediate neighbors in our respective communities as well. Some of us do have Muslim Neigbors and some of us may not. Nevertheless, we are suppose to help them as well. For those of us that do not have Muslim neighbors could and should help out the women and widows and children etc in our respective Mosques and muslim communities. How many of us actually do that. My community is small town community but mashAllah it is a strong community, but even in my community there are about 6 convert/revert(divorced, single mothers, single) and 4 born and raised muslimahs(widow, divorced, single) that need a husband and also need a protector and maintainer………. btw these women are in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s.
They are not only taking care of their children, working nine to five, making ends meet but also contributing to the community. Dont’ you think we need to open our hearts to these women. They need to be taken on as second wives or third wives.
Its is NOT a RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WOMEN TO WORK………………..
They are already stressed as it is taking care of their children and adding on being the SOLE BREADWINNERS of their families.
Most of the men in our community are generous mashAllah but they are, in my opinion, too old to take on another wife. I think if they did that in their thirties it probably would have better. Most of the Men that are heading the community, heading the mosque, and financing the school, are in their late 50’s and 60’s. This is just an example of my small community.
I have traveled to many communities around the world and i have seen worse in terms of taking care of the women and children of our communities. I hear houston is good but i haven’t really stayed there other than the TDC.
If we are to live in the states we are going to have to take care of our communities and do what we ask others to do like give in charity, spend on the women and children……….
Lets start from our CIRCLE of INFLUENCE and EXPAND…………….
4. There are some doctors that have to treat ACUTE illnesses or TREAT patients in the Emergency room. We are treating the Patients in the Emergency Room right now when we give to the Palestinians right now. We are treating the CRISIS. Thats not to say we don’t need EMERGENCY ROOM doctors, we do need them. However, after the patient is treated in the Emergency room, the patient is sent to the either the ICU(critical illness) or sent to the other hospital room. After CRITICAL CARE they are back to balance by more tests and deeper evaluations and diagnosis. They are ADVISED before they leave the HOSPITAL on how to keep their Health in check but eating certain medicines and taking precautions. AFTER several FOLLOW UP check up, the Patient is advised to taper off their medicine in some case and given a daily regimen of dealing with their illness or getting to better and permanent GOOD HEALTH. SOME Doctors look into PREVENTIVE MEDICINE and SOME DOCTORS are continuously putting on BAND AIDS.
A good doctor knows how to diagnose the problem and give the correct medicine at the right time for the appropriate disease.
BUT if the PATIENT continues to come to the EMERGENCY ROOM than it can be frustrating for us since this patient hasn’t learnt his lesson or isn’t becoming PROACTIVE AND PREVENTATIVE in taking care of their OWN HEALTH………..
WHOSE FAULT IS IT………………………
the doctors or the patients
Allah has given us the (QURAN, SUNNAH) told us of the DISEASES and VIRUSES(SATAN) told us of the daily regimen of prevention(SALAT) of advises us of different medicines to take when we have erred(DUA, CHARITY, REPENTANCE), YET we have to continuously go to the EMERGENCY ROOM.
I don’t get that. ARE WE GOING TO BE IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM ALL THE TIME.
EMERGENCY ROOM is the MOST COSTLY EXPENSE in HOSPITAL EXPENSES.
don’t you think we need to listen to the doctors advice in taking our medication, exercising on a regular consistent basis, and sometimes when we do get off track QUICKLY catch ourselves and take our medicine again and come back to stronger health and a stronger IMMUNE SYSTEM where we will not have to be ATTACKED from all kind of VIRUSES AND BACTERIIA.
don’t you think so
of course it seems EXPENSIVE WHEN WE HAVE TO BE IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM ALL THE TIME>
IT EVENTUALLY WILL TAKE A TOLL ON US.
I hope i have made myself clear……………
THERE HAS BEEN A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA.
WE ARE OUT OF THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND IN THE ICU.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE????????????????
ARE WE GOING TO KEEP SCREAMING………………….
Organica
January 18, 2009 at 8:24 PM
SubhanAllah.
A heartbreaking letter.
Please spread!
FS
January 18, 2009 at 11:27 PM
http://takebackwashington.com/articles/Genocide-of-a-Nation.html
GAZA we will never forget
January 18, 2009 at 11:33 PM
http://humanbeingsfirst.blogspot.com/
Umm Reem
January 19, 2009 at 2:05 AM
JazakAllah khair sisterAlgebra…
whatever my children have learned, it is only a Blessing and Mercy from Allah azzawajal…
I am not sure how you misjudged me sister, we never even communicated although we saw each other at TDC! :)
what can i say…u have hit the nail on the head…
ummnuh
January 19, 2009 at 5:57 AM
salam,
A mournful truth :(
May Allah help them all…Ameeen!!!
muslimah
January 19, 2009 at 12:12 PM
our brothers and sisters won this war. they have faith and the kafirs dont.
watch the truth from their own mouth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA3QzmWTp20&feature=PlayList&p=31FC229C1B3B1A4B&playnext=1&index=24
Amad
January 19, 2009 at 10:52 PM
Even Ingrid Mattson is linked to Hamas!! What a joke the neocons/Islamophobes are! They won’t be content until a non-Muslim represents Muslims at any important event!
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17562.html
The reporter belongs the NY Sun, which explains a lot of this… but for politico to take this trash just shows how deeply ingrained this system of smear and Islamophobia has gotten.
Just goes to show that there is fear of Muslim involvement in politics for a reason… if this involvement didn’t mean anything, why would the Islamophobes fight it so hard??
Muslimah
January 20, 2009 at 9:46 PM
asalaamu alaykum,
I’m wondering why the letter from Umm Taqi posted here is different than the one posted else where ( Here )
can you please provide the original link to the letter in arabic?
Amad
January 20, 2009 at 10:44 PM
wasalam
It is a translation, and I edited the English (frankly the original construction was poor). However, great pains were taken to keep the same meaning and context. Looking at the 2 versions, it seems that the Hizb edition is “more dramatic”. This was received in an email from a reliable source, but we’ll check into it further. See these ones on Umm Adam’s site, here, here and here, which doesn’t have the “extras” from Hizb either.
Interestingly, the little “extra” snippet that is on Hizb site coincidentally corresponds to this outfit’s message. IMHO it almost doesn’t almost flow with the rest of the letter. I won’t be surprised if it was a little flavoring is Hizb’s own! If it is, then that is indeed quite a shame that they felt reason enough to add paragraphs in order to extend their own specific agenda.
More to come…
Amad
January 20, 2009 at 11:30 PM
More information on source (again, the following is an excerpt of an email from a reliable source) with specific names and show time:
mulsimah
January 20, 2009 at 10:49 PM
dude CAIR is awesome, how can anyone, any Muslim not like them! They fight for us after all
Abu Sabaya
January 21, 2009 at 12:57 PM
After Gaza: How the Prophet Coped With Loss
How the Prophet Coped With Loss
Nur el Masih Ben Haq
January 21, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Gaza massacre is a genocite against both innocent Christian and Muslim Palestinians. But most of you are limiting it to an Islamic issue. Are you not sensitive to the feelings of Christian Arab? In fact let me abandone ethnic factor and ask you the question below:
WHO IS THE REAL INTRUDER AND EXPANSIONIST, BETWEEN THE ARABS AND THE JEWS (ISRAELIS)
When hostility first became manifest in the House of Abraham, Allah (God); according to Islam, Judaism and Christianity; instructed Prophet Abraham to separate the family for good. Jews to remain in Palestine and the Arabs to be taken to Saudi Arabia. And so it happened.
The Jews confined themselves to Palestine while the Arabs began to conquer the lands of others so that from their tiny land of Saudi Arabia, they presently have about 20 countries (each of which is much bigger than the State of Israel), while the Jews now have a tiny piece of land called a country. Nay, the Arabs have come back to meet their cousins, Jews and want a bite (if not all) of the tiny land that God gave their cousins. Please logically, historically, scriptures-wise, and by unbiased scholarship, who is the expansionist and intruder between the two?
As long as you don’t stop Islamizing tragedies that are common to all categories of Arabs the resultant disunity will result in Christians asking the like of the above question.
No Arab is more so than other except on biological grounds but certainly not on social grounds.
Miako
January 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM
Nur, I do not believe this is how the Torah is read. Sure, there was Isaac and Ishmael, and sure Hagar was sent away (at least in the Jewish telling). I do not remember anything about Mohammed there, nor Islam. Nor do I remember that Ishmael was given a different land than Isaac. Isaac’s family lived in Israel, it is true, but they were as a drop of water in the ocean, a very small people.
Nur el Masih Ben Haq
January 23, 2009 at 10:41 AM
In response to Miako,
If you are not a Muslim you will be pardoned for expressing this pathetic ignorance. But if you are a Muslim I will advice you to stop calling yourself a Muslim until you attend a Madrassat to be tought some of these elementary semitic (Jews’ and Arabs’) history. What I said is what it was. No serious Muslim can dispute it. Wallahu’aalam.