Wednesday, August 02, 2006

an analysis of the recent events in the middle east

looking at the events of the day:

an anlysis by the SRI staff

looking into the context of things it appears that a proxy war is oft in the making. with the israeli military might pounding on hapless civilians. it is quite surprising that the world waits and simply sits and watches as hapless and helpless civilians are mercilessly slaughtered. It is surprising more that the united states, the so-called harrbinger and protector or helpless people is silent.
what i see is that there is a flich on this. The israelis are fighting a proxy war for the Americans and its is actually aimed clearly at Iran. but on the other hand since Iran is a big country and the CIA is unable to attack it from within, it must use an alternate proxy front to be able to attack it from both the diplomatic, commercial and military side.
It is said that the iran is supporting the Hizbollah, an islamic group that is well-entrenched in lebanon and also is calling for the establishment of the Palestinian state and reclaiming of the usurped rifghts of the palestinian people. it also is constantly assisting the palestinians and is said to have forward bases in lebanon, or so the Israelis claim.
it is tantamount to terrorism, or so say the west. But I am at a loss at this statement. as isnt the Israeli aggression and usurpation of lands that originally owned by the Palestinians not an act of terrorism. normally, when western freedom fighters initiate acts of desperation it is not termed terrorism but either seccessionists, insurgents or rebels. But is Muslims arise and fight it is termed as radicalism and fundamentalism.
the west needs to study its standards that it has set for political terms as the majority of the world although is held under its sway is merely waiting also for the right moment to collapse.
this is a fear that many analysts have failed to see. even as the USSR, the large behemoth of socialism has crumpled, none had the vision to see that all this would happen.
there is a proxy war brewing, but there is also a civilization thats slowly bound to collapse. Samuel Huntington has perhaps failed to see this. but it is bound to happen.

Monday, May 08, 2006

How to Obtain Progress in Your Masjid

O mankind! there hath come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your hearts and for those who believe a Guidance and a Mercy. (Qur'an 10:57)
As Muslims, we are the only ones whom can improve our Masjid operations. To do this work, we have in our hands today the powerful instruments that brought profound change to mankind,?the Qur'an and Sunnah. In combination with these two, we must have skilled and committed people in the right positions, whom do the right things.
The most important relations are not those we have with anyone else. The most important relations are those between us, the believers. We can meet other communities and admire what they have accomplished. We may even seek to establish working relations with hope to learn from them how they were successful. We may admire the achievement of many groups but miss the point when we focus only on their material holdings and political expertise.
The real matters are in how people of any group communicate with each other; the support they give to their way of life; the respect for opinions; respect for the decision makers and decision making system; agreement to never destroy their processes or leadership; and finally agreement on how to express dis-satisfaction.
We know Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the companions as completely trustworthy individuals. They feared and obeyed Gods commandments in private and public. We know their thoughts and beliefs but not all the details of how they achieved using the Qur'an and Sunnah. This is why we must struggle to do what we must do today. We must pray that Allah will make us better examples and expressions of His will.
Below are nine ways to improve your Masjid, if you can add or improve on them from your Masjids experience, please email us at info@isna.net
1. Strengthen and perfect your Deen and your relationship with Allah
2. Get involved or start a group study session
3. Make a continuous effort to reach out to people you have not talked. Many Muslims stay within their cultural groups and they need to reach out to each other
4. Reach out to people you have prior disagreements with. Most disagreements are not worth having, and the best in the sight to Allah is the one who forgives first.
5. Acquire administrative, operations skills and education.
6. Follow those who have character.
7. Sign the social contract. Make the Pledge as given to Prophet Muhammad. This is our vow that can only be broken under extreme circumstances.
8. Have agreement on how to handle conflict and dissension.
9. On-going training in better governance/leadership concepts, Masjid management and decision-making.

How to Talk Politics with Friends - And Still Have Some Left

Grenny offers a few tips for improving the outcome of any disagreement.


1. Look for areas of agreement. Begin by reinforcing the basic values
and purposes you hold in common. Political differences are usually
over tactics or individuals, not basic values. Let the other person
know you share common goals, even if your preferred tactics for
achieving them differ.
2. Avoid personal attacks. Find ways to remind the other person that
you respect them. Look at the situation from their perspective by
asking yourself why a reasonable and rational person would hold that
political view. While you don't have to agree with their view, you
can still acknowledge their view is valid, rather than "idiotic" or
"evil."
3. Focus on facts, and be tentative, not dogmatic. We've all become
masters at spin detection, and none of us like when people
exaggerate, twist and spin the facts. Consider the source of your
facts, and ask the other person to do the same. Ask two questions:
Could the facts be biased? Could they be interpreted in different
ways?
4. Keep it safe by looking for signs of silence or violence. If the
other person grows quiet or starts to become defensive, step out of
the content of the discussion and restore safety. Reinforce your
respect for them, and remind them of the broader purpose you both
share. With enough safety you can talk about anything.

programs of the strategic research institute

Strategic Research Institute:

The Strategic research Institute is an institute that focuses in strategic and geopolitical studies .It offers a BS degree program in Political Economy with specializations in Strategic research and Islamic studies. It also offers strategic research and analysis as well as providing trainings both on geopolitics, strategic issues both for private and government agencies.

Among its short term course offerings and workshops are as follows:
1. Language:
The following languages are being offered in coordination with their respective embassies; this is in line with the idea of the need to be abreast of these languages considering these are of strategic geopolitical importance in today’s world.
a. Six week crash course in Arabic
This course is conducted in coordination with the different Arab embassies; this is in line with the idea of the need to be abreast of the Arabic language considering it is one of the most strategic languages considering it is of geopolitical importance)
b. Persian Studies (in coordination with the Iranian Embassy) one of the major languages in the Middle East.
c. Bahasa (In coordination with the Indonesian and Malaysian Embassies)
2. geopolitical studies
a. geopolitical research:
3. Moro studies
a. Evolution and history of the Moro Revolutionary movements
b. Theory and development of Moro insurgency
4. Islamic studies and Terrorism:
a. Evolution of Terrorism
b. Political ideology and terrorism
c. Islamic Fundamentalism: roots and causes
d. Geopolitical significance of Islamic studies
e. Islamic History
f. Special courses/workshops on Islamic laws RE:
i. PD 1083 (code of Muslim personal laws
ii. Shari’ah based on the 5 legal schools of law
iii. Criminal laws on Islam
g. Islamic Pluralism
h. Islamology (Islamic Sociology)
i. Other crash courses as requested by NGOs GO’s and LGU’s.
5. Political economy:
a. Organizational management
b. Strategic planning and development
c. Political researches
d. Economic competition/warfare among states
e. Globalization and its effects
f. Historical development of Terrorism
6. Inter-religious /Intercultural Dialogue Workshops
a. For Government Military/civilian line agencies and LGU’s involved in ICD/IRD
b. For Non-Government organizations
c. Formulation of IRD/ICD among the different academic and policy making institutions
7. strategic research
a. feasibility studies
b. Research, analysis on current geopolitical trends.
c. Financial analysis and management
d. Economic survey, analysis and surveillance

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