SIGNS OF THE TIME

IT IS WITH GREAT SORROW THAT I ANNOUNCE THE PASSING YESTERDAY (DECEMBER 18,  (2014)  OF MY WIFE OF    12  YEARS, SANAA   ABDUL-HALIM. SHE BATTLED CANCER FOR MORE  THAN TWO YEARS.   MAY ALLAH FORGIVE HER EVERY SIN AND   HAVE MERCY ON HER,  AMEEN.  SHE WAS A   WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING WHO ENHANCED THE LIFE OF ALL   WHO MET  HER, AND SHE   CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO THE BEAUTY OF OUR JAMAAT  (CONGREGATION) AT THE MOSQUE   OF  ISLAMIC  BROTHERHOOD.    HER PASSING IS  HUMANITY'S LOSS.  MAY ALLAH FORGIVE HER SINS AND SHORTCOMINGS, MAGNIFY ALL OF  HER GOOD DEEDS,  HAVE INFINITE MERCY ON HER, FILL HER GRAVE WITH LIGHT AND  REWARD HER   WITH PARADISE,  AMEEN WE WERE MARRIED FOR 12 YEARS THIS IS AT AN 'EID CELEBRATION AT HOME, SMILING BEAUTIFULLY AS SHE ALWAYS DID HER SMILE EVEN LIT UP THE OUTD...

As- Salaamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu (peace be unto you and the Mercy of Allah and His blessings) Since the attack upon protestors in Ferguson, Missouri, the "hands up - don't shoot" gesture has become a symbol of national protest and defiance, especially amongst young people. This has generated different opinions in communities of Americans of African descent. The reason for this is not that there isn't wide-spread righteous indignation at the ongoing injustice of police brutality and use of excessive force resulting in the deaths of innocent, unarmed people, because there is that prevailing spirit in communities, nation-wide. What has generated the difference of opinion is the "hands-up" gesture itself. On the Friday following the events at Ferguson, after Friday worship service at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood (Harlem, New York), where I am the Imam, a number of worshippers joined me in an a...

BROTHER ABDULLAH ABDUR-RAZZAQ (TOP) DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR (left) ABDULLAH ABDUR-RAZZAQ (JAMES 67X, CENTER) EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ (MALCOLM X) RIGHT ABDULLAH ABDUR-RAZZAQ (left) EL-HAJJ MALIK/MALCOLM X BABY, ILYASAH SHABAZZ (now an author & lecturer) November 21, 2014 by: Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid Imam, The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. Tonight at approximately 7:45 pm Abdullah Abdur-Razzaq, formerly known as James 67X , passed away in Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He had been hospitalized there for a month before passing quietly and peacefully in his sleep. Brother Abdur-Razzaq had been an aide and confidante to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X, during his days as a minister in the Nation of Islam under Mr. Elijah Muhammad, and after his break with the Nation and founding of both the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Over the past several years, Abdur-Razzaq had been an inexhaustible sour...

As-Salaamu 'Alaikum. No I'm not kidding. I do have a sense of humor, but you all should know me better than that. Each year when the disguised devil worship that is Halloween (then again, maybe it's not so disguised) is highly visible in America and elsewhere, I always think about the truth that is behind the reality. First, the myth of vampires attacking and slaying the innocent is a metaphor for the victimizing of the poor by the rich. The real vampires are those who systematically prey on the indigent. This means that the real vampires are individuals and corporations who drain the social, economic, and spiritual life out of grassroots people, living them in the condition of the walking dead, in place of living, vibrant human beings who live fruitful and well realized lives in a world of shared prosperity. But even moreso, Dracula was a real person; a historical figure from European history. Decades ago I was walking through the Port Authority Bus Station here ...

Press Conference of the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, City Hall, NYC Oct. 14, 2014 A Call to Justice and Rejection of Violent Extremism A Statement from the Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of Metropolitan New York Thirteen years ago during the immediate aftermath of the september 11 th atrocities, the Majlis Ash-Shura, also known as the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, wrote and distributed 10,000 brochures on the streets of our city. The brochures conveyed our message of condolences to all who lost loved ones in those horrid attacks. We denounced terrorism, which we identified as politically motivated violence against innocents.   Further, we urged the Western powers to seriously investigate those factors that were fomenting extremism amongst Muslims. Today, our message remains essentially the same.   Throughout the planet,   there are people of different racial and ethnic groups, many religions...