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Killing Anwar al-Awlaki – Another Chapter of American Exceptionalism and State Terrorism

With the extra-judicial illegal murder of Anwar Al-Awlaki by the United States as part of their ongoing War of Terror, we are revisiting a piece originally published back in June regarding the Obama administration’s adoption of the predator drone as their favoured weapon. If confirmed – the murder of al-Awlaki highlights the two points made in the article – firstly the disregard that the American government has for any idea of rule of law and the continued belief in their exceptionalism, and secondly the complicity of the Yemeni government with the Americans in killing their own citizens illegally. The question asked is whether this was the price paid by Ali Abdullah Saleh to return home with continued American backing? With more drone strikes carried out in Pakistan during his first year in office than were carried out in the whole second term of his predecessor George W. Bush, and the number of attacks in 2010 more than double those in 2009, extra-judicial killing seems to have bec

Neutrinos, the Speed of Light and Scientific "Truths"

The world of physics has been surprised by results that have emerged from the CERN laboratory, where they have conducted experiments that suggest that particles, known as neutrinos, may travel faster than the speed of light. The results have been published in the hope that they will be scrutinised – then either validated or else the errors be exposed. Physicists who have been asked to comment about these latest findings have, for the most part, kept an open mind saying that it is most likely the results are incorrect and caused by experimental error. But, they added, if the results were shown to be correct it would mean a complete rewriting of the way physics has been understood for a century. Even the Big Bang theory of the origins of the universe is underpinned by this physics – and many people assume this is fact, and not theory. Non-scientists will find this stunning, since the Big Bang theory, the speed of light barrier, E=mc 2  and Einstein’s theory of general relativity are a

Raising Children in Islam

Raising our children is an important responsibility that Allah (swt) has entrusted us with. In Islam, parents are rewarded when this responsibility is carried out in the correct manner. In this society, Muslim parents are further challenged to raise their children in a manner that is pleasing to Allah (swt). The task is further complicated by the lack of communication that is needed between parents and their children – especially teenagers. As parents, we must do our utmost to protect ourselves and our family from the Hellfire. We must build a relationship with our children based on fulfilling our fard (obligations) with respect to raising them. This includes, of course, providing for their needs (e.g. food, shelter, etc) as well as ensuring that they are taught the foundational aspects of Islam. This includes the Islamic Aqeedah as well as the ahkam of Islam. They should learn from an early age that the only thing that matters is working to earn the pleasure of Allah (swt) and that t