Sheikh Majid Sabke and Iqbal Ahmad Jilani Investigate American Muslim Village Founded by El Sheikh Gilani and Behold Miraculous Manifestation

(IP) –Mr Sheikh Majid Sabke and his student, Mr Iqbal Ahmad Jilani, both of Augusta, Georgia, recently visited the Holy Khanqah Qadria Gilania in Holy Islamville, South Carolina, in order to investigate a disturbing electronic message received from the Christian Action Network (CAN) which defamed the founder of the Holy Khanqah, El Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani.
CAN, whose actions bear no resemblance to that of Christians, continually seeks to portray the Muslims of the Americas living in villages across the United States like themselves, as antisocial elements. The two visitors became aware of this in the course of conversation with American Muslims, and towards the end of their stay, even beheld a miraculous sign manifested by Allah, the Most High, confirming the Divine mission of El Sheikh Gilani. This sign appeared in the form of a rainbow -the Islamic symbol of success.

This happened when Islamic Post staff member, Fatimah Dawud, and Holy Islamville Mayor Shabaan Ahmad had accompanied Sheikh Sabke and Mr Iqbal Jilani to the Holy Khanqah and arrived at the foyer area, where many brilliant miraculous events had taken place in 2004. Mrs Dawud recounts: “The foyer is sealed now, without windows or doors, but as I looked into the small room, I noticed the left wall covered in radiating light. I started to explain about the Holy Names that had also appeared in this foyer, and on this wall. I pointed to the exact spot where rainbows had also manifested. As I put my hand up to the wall, even I was overwhelmed to see the bright colors of a rainbow appear right under my fingers.”

Mayor Shabaan, himself taken aback, pointed out to the guests that there was no door or window from which the rainbow appeared. Nor was there a water source from which it had come. The men confirmed they had witnessed the appearance of the rainbow, and Sheikh Sabke imediately and appropriately began to recite durood, or peace and blessings upon the Most Beloved Holy Last Messenger, and Mercy to All the Worlds, Muhammad (peace be upon him).

By Jameelah Kareem
Islamic Post Staff Writer

Mixed emotions and debates arise regarding jobs, economic development, and many other issues in rural Alaska, as lawmakers push towards an independent pebble mine study being conducted at Bristol Bay.

The Pebble Mine project is a controversial proposal by Northern Dynasty Minerals to build one of the largest gold and copper mines in the world, in southwest Alaska, near Lake Iliamna. Northern Dynasty has not yet applied for permits, but their current proposal involves both a large open pit and an underground mine, as well as removal of the water from the headwaters of Upper Talarik Creek and the Koktuli River which  are important fish habitats. The site sits at the headwaters of two major Bristol Bay drainages: the Nushagak and the Kvichak. Those in opposition say that the project poses a large threat to the region’s water and salmon. This proposal has become a major political issue in Alaska, pitting pro-mining forces against local native villages and commercial and sport fishermen.

The Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) announced earlier this year that it projects to invest approximately $73 million in Alaska’s Pebble Project. The company also stated in a press release that the 2010 work program will continue the company’s community investment initiatives, including funding and support for the Pebble Fund. As of February, the Pebble Fund had awarded $1.6 million capital for 51 projects through 35 qualified organizations in Southwest Alaska. According to Anchorage Daily News, Govenor Sean Parnell is requesting that the state have the best information available as it evaluates the potential effects of developing a copper-and-gold prospect at Bristol Bay, which is  home to a premier commercial sockeye salmon fishery.

Gov. Parnell, however, stopped short of endorsing the third-party review that two lawmakers have requested, saying the permitting process is meant to elicit “the best data on all sides.”

Earlier this year, the Board of Fisheries asked the Legislature to study permitting standards and environmental safeguards, and take any steps deemed necessary to protect fish and game habitat in the area.

BusinessWeek reports that after a joint legislative hearing that included a critique of the proposed Pebble mine and state and mine officials, Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, asked the Legislative Council for funding for a third-party review.

“Decisions concerning the Pebble prospect will have everlasting consequences,” the two wrote to Rep. John Harris, the Legislative Council chairman. “We must be sure we have given state agencies the guidance and tools they need to make the right determinations in this situation.”

But Harris said in an interview with BusinessWeek that there’s no money under the council’s purview appropriated for a study. Such a request would need to go through the legislative process, which is now in its money-crunching last weeks, he said. Assuming there is a reallocation of funds to support a study, Harris said the council -- if it were given oversight of the funds -- would still need to decide whether to move ahead with a study.

In late March the province of Quebec passed a landmark legislation which stipulates that Muslim women who wear the face covering known as niqab will have to uncover their faces to be able to receive government services as well as when approaching government offices, schools, and other publicly funded institutions.

Liberals argue that a ban on wearing veils infringes the individual religious freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Canadian constitution. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms explicitly gives the liberty and civil right to every Canadian citizen to practice any religion they seek. Executive Director of the Islamic Social Services Association of the United States and Canada, Shahina Siddiqui stated the following to the Montreal Gazette, “In Canada all citizens have the right to personal freedom as long as it does not infringe on another’s right. However, when it comes to a Muslim woman, we have convinced ourselves that she is a victim of her husband’s dominance and so we do not believe her when she says ‘this is my choice’.

“What a cunning, circular web we weave. First we discredit her as an intellectual being, ridicule her claim to be a free-thinking woman, demonize her for practicing her faith, and then smugly claim to be emancipating her.”
Shahina Siddiqui argued against the proposed ban on the veil in Quebec. According to the Muslim Council of Montreal, there are only about 25 Muslims in the province who wear face coverings.

Vice President of Public Affairs, Mario Canseco, told the National Post that surveys conducted show ‘unusually high level of support for a government measure’. Mr Canseco stated, “It’s very rare to get 80% of Canadians to agree on something,” he said.
“With numbers like this, there is not going to be much of a controversy over the legislation in Quebec or anywhere else in the country,” he added.

However, Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, attributed the poll results to the emotional climate that surrounds the niqab issue. “They are giving it [the opinion] based on their emotional response to a woman covering her face, which is understandable,” Mr. Elmenyawi said. “It is associated with all the negative stereotypes that have been on the airwaves.”
Mr. Elmenyawi said the survey could have produced different results if the niqab debate had been conducted in a calmer atmosphere and with more empathy. A similar ban is being proposed in France; however, the Council of State, France’s top legal advisory warned that such a ban would most likely be unconstitutional and contravene the European Convention on Human Rights.