Saturday, April 24, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sudanese Share in Earth Day
By the Writer Mekki Elmograbi
Press Freedom & Human Rights Secretary SJU Sudanese Journalists Union
An Environmental Prayer!
…………………………………………….
Imagine that Muslims and Christians pray together in one place. The only and prior issue that can unite their prayers is future of their planet (the Earth)
The only prayer that Muslims can share Non-Muslims in Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) is Istisqa; the Prayer of asking God for rains. It has another similar shape; Istisha which is the prayer for sunny day and calm weather!
The common factor in these two prayers is the weather, asking God for good weather. If there is lack for water or there is a plenty of water and fears of floods.
I wrote an essay about this prayer in a Sudanese Arabic daily during the first Islamic Christian Dialogue in Sudan, sponsored by the Ministry of Guidance in Sudan, but I think I can make good summary for Earth Day 22 April 2010.
From: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2 (The most famous Islamic book in Jurisprudence)
(It is also preferred, upon seeing the rain, to say: "O God, make it a beneficial rain" and he should – the Imam- uncover part of his body to the rain. On the other hand, if one fears that there is too much rain, one should say: "O God give us mercy and do not give us punishment, calamities, destruction or flooding. O God, make it (the rain) upon the woods, farms and trees. Make it around us and not upon us.")
I can call both Istisqa and Istisha prayers, The Environmental Prayer. Both of them have two ways of performance:
The first one, just like regular Muslim prayers with specific actions lined by Islamic Fiqh. In this case Non-Muslims can witness the prayer and share invocations it.
The second one is a free prayer, just invocations from the beginning to the end. In this performance all people (Muslims and Non-Muslims) in the city or the village can go out side the village or they can gather in an open area. It is preferably to bring children, their domestic animals, farm animals with them in cages or tied with ropes, this to show that all creatures are equal in there needs, all face the same destiny. Just as Nuer people in Sudan say: kondial labne gaat cukni “we are all little ants in the sight of God”
All people may pray to God wearing old clothes, in a humble and lowly manner, and an Imam will repeat narrated invocations about human needs like:
O God, give us saving rain which leads to something good and which is productive - a general heavy rain - now and not later.
Or he can read verses like:
Seek forgiveness of your Lord. He is Ever-Forgiving. He will let loose the sky for you in plenteous rain.’ and: ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain.
In my column I ask the Minister of Guidance In Sudan to gather his guests in the Green Square in Khartoum and perform a prayer of invocation to protect the Earth from the evils of the Climate Change: floods and draught.
I wish I was there, in Copenhagen to perform these prayers with all nations, all religions!
There is a contribution and a share for religion in our lives, thoughts, communities, and even politics! It is not bad at all to make positive role for religion. In the issues of environment and climate change and global warming, we need to minimize the gap of misunderstanding between North and South, the poor and the rich, therefore we have to use the maximum of our human energies. No doubt, religion is one of our greatest sources of human energy.
Press Freedom & Human Rights Secretary SJU Sudanese Journalists Union
An Environmental Prayer!
…………………………………………….
Imagine that Muslims and Christians pray together in one place. The only and prior issue that can unite their prayers is future of their planet (the Earth)
The only prayer that Muslims can share Non-Muslims in Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) is Istisqa; the Prayer of asking God for rains. It has another similar shape; Istisha which is the prayer for sunny day and calm weather!
The common factor in these two prayers is the weather, asking God for good weather. If there is lack for water or there is a plenty of water and fears of floods.
I wrote an essay about this prayer in a Sudanese Arabic daily during the first Islamic Christian Dialogue in Sudan, sponsored by the Ministry of Guidance in Sudan, but I think I can make good summary for Earth Day 22 April 2010.
From: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2 (The most famous Islamic book in Jurisprudence)
(It is also preferred, upon seeing the rain, to say: "O God, make it a beneficial rain" and he should – the Imam- uncover part of his body to the rain. On the other hand, if one fears that there is too much rain, one should say: "O God give us mercy and do not give us punishment, calamities, destruction or flooding. O God, make it (the rain) upon the woods, farms and trees. Make it around us and not upon us.")
I can call both Istisqa and Istisha prayers, The Environmental Prayer. Both of them have two ways of performance:
The first one, just like regular Muslim prayers with specific actions lined by Islamic Fiqh. In this case Non-Muslims can witness the prayer and share invocations it.
The second one is a free prayer, just invocations from the beginning to the end. In this performance all people (Muslims and Non-Muslims) in the city or the village can go out side the village or they can gather in an open area. It is preferably to bring children, their domestic animals, farm animals with them in cages or tied with ropes, this to show that all creatures are equal in there needs, all face the same destiny. Just as Nuer people in Sudan say: kondial labne gaat cukni “we are all little ants in the sight of God”
All people may pray to God wearing old clothes, in a humble and lowly manner, and an Imam will repeat narrated invocations about human needs like:
O God, give us saving rain which leads to something good and which is productive - a general heavy rain - now and not later.
Or he can read verses like:
Seek forgiveness of your Lord. He is Ever-Forgiving. He will let loose the sky for you in plenteous rain.’ and: ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain.
In my column I ask the Minister of Guidance In Sudan to gather his guests in the Green Square in Khartoum and perform a prayer of invocation to protect the Earth from the evils of the Climate Change: floods and draught.
I wish I was there, in Copenhagen to perform these prayers with all nations, all religions!
There is a contribution and a share for religion in our lives, thoughts, communities, and even politics! It is not bad at all to make positive role for religion. In the issues of environment and climate change and global warming, we need to minimize the gap of misunderstanding between North and South, the poor and the rich, therefore we have to use the maximum of our human energies. No doubt, religion is one of our greatest sources of human energy.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
السيناريوهات الأمريكية لوحدة أو إنفصال السودان - مقالي الأول في سلسلة ستنشر في ذي سيتيزن السودانية
Unity of Sudan in the American Strategy
There are many sources and references that can lead us to good discussions to find out the real American goals and targets related to all Sudanese issues, specially the unity of Sudan.
The base of the discussions is more important than these references, because it helps us to know under which category in American foreign policy the decisions makers will discuss and make their homework for this mission.
Three main categories of strategic plans are highly linked with the topic: Unity of Sudan.
1- American Policy in Africa
2- New Middle East Plan
3- The Campaign against terrorism
Under each category there are dozens of researches and studies and plans, most of them from non-governmental American Centers and think tanks. The process needs to classify all these works, absorb them, make good analysis, and then summarize them.
After this process and according to primary analysis I can say there is no one scenario for the American policy in this matter. There is no list of priority of Scenarios.
There are three active options, each one of them has number of determiners. The relation between the option and the determiners rules the priority of the option among others. These open scenarios are not really open! In each scenario there are conditions for the validity of the scenario. (Validity for the priority).
The scenarios are:
1- Unity of Sudan under Semi-Secular system in North and Extremist Secular in South. (the level of Secularism in North must be changeable and completely manipulated by USA, now there is need for cooperative Islamic regime in the region)
2- Separation: North Sudan is a part of New Middle East, Sudan must engage in the process of normalization (naturalization) in Middle East. (there is need for continuous pressures to make real changes in the regime, these pressures include conflicts)
3- To postpone the problem for other years, under system of Confederation. (The application is the proposal of the Sudanese Union). The other two scenarios will be active for the other period.
I will begin my discussion from the category of (the campaign against terrorism). In this category the homework will be based on:
Muslim World Outreach Strategy (the Department of the State), RAND reports and other sources.
The main source to discuss the African category is APAP reports, (African Policy Advisory Panel).
There are many sources and references that can lead us to good discussions to find out the real American goals and targets related to all Sudanese issues, specially the unity of Sudan.
The base of the discussions is more important than these references, because it helps us to know under which category in American foreign policy the decisions makers will discuss and make their homework for this mission.
Three main categories of strategic plans are highly linked with the topic: Unity of Sudan.
1- American Policy in Africa
2- New Middle East Plan
3- The Campaign against terrorism
Under each category there are dozens of researches and studies and plans, most of them from non-governmental American Centers and think tanks. The process needs to classify all these works, absorb them, make good analysis, and then summarize them.
After this process and according to primary analysis I can say there is no one scenario for the American policy in this matter. There is no list of priority of Scenarios.
There are three active options, each one of them has number of determiners. The relation between the option and the determiners rules the priority of the option among others. These open scenarios are not really open! In each scenario there are conditions for the validity of the scenario. (Validity for the priority).
The scenarios are:
1- Unity of Sudan under Semi-Secular system in North and Extremist Secular in South. (the level of Secularism in North must be changeable and completely manipulated by USA, now there is need for cooperative Islamic regime in the region)
2- Separation: North Sudan is a part of New Middle East, Sudan must engage in the process of normalization (naturalization) in Middle East. (there is need for continuous pressures to make real changes in the regime, these pressures include conflicts)
3- To postpone the problem for other years, under system of Confederation. (The application is the proposal of the Sudanese Union). The other two scenarios will be active for the other period.
I will begin my discussion from the category of (the campaign against terrorism). In this category the homework will be based on:
Muslim World Outreach Strategy (the Department of the State), RAND reports and other sources.
The main source to discuss the African category is APAP reports, (African Policy Advisory Panel).
صحيفة فاينال كول تنقل الآراء المستطلعة : مذكرة أوكامبو أفادت البشير
تحدث الخبر عن تطور كبير بنقل البطاقات الإنتخابية و صناديق الإقتراع بطائرات مروحية إلى مناطق نائية جدا في السودان ليشارك الناس في انتخابات تأتي بعد انقطاع تجربة التعددية الحزبية لكثر من عقدين من الزمان .
و نقلت الصحيفة عن آراء مستطلعة
The International Criminal Court indictment has actually helped the current leader of the Islamic government. The ICC has been a positive for the president. After the indictment the president flew in the face of them and went to about five or six countries around the world.
لقد ساعد قرار المحكمة الجنائية الدولية الرئيس الحالي لهذه الحكومة الإسلامية . المحكمة كان دورها إيجابيا و بصورة حقيقية بالنسبة للرئيس. لقد سافر على مرأى منهم بعد مذكرة القبض خمس أو ست مرات حول العالم
Another topic:
ALBASHER the president of Sudan is very popular.
He deals with Sudanese people easily and openly, before April election he ended a tour all around Sudan.
you can see him singing with a young school girl from Southern Sudan in a festival in North Sudan or Darfur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0L5LsPZGfM
و نقلت الصحيفة عن آراء مستطلعة
The International Criminal Court indictment has actually helped the current leader of the Islamic government. The ICC has been a positive for the president. After the indictment the president flew in the face of them and went to about five or six countries around the world.
لقد ساعد قرار المحكمة الجنائية الدولية الرئيس الحالي لهذه الحكومة الإسلامية . المحكمة كان دورها إيجابيا و بصورة حقيقية بالنسبة للرئيس. لقد سافر على مرأى منهم بعد مذكرة القبض خمس أو ست مرات حول العالم
Another topic:
ALBASHER the president of Sudan is very popular.
He deals with Sudanese people easily and openly, before April election he ended a tour all around Sudan.
you can see him singing with a young school girl from Southern Sudan in a festival in North Sudan or Darfur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0L5LsPZGfM
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