A NATION DIVIDED: THE STATE OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN AMERICA
LEADERSHIP WITHOUT INTEGRITY

View as PDF

By Dilshad Fakroddin
Published in The Muslim Magazine, Vol. 1 Issue 4. Oct. 1998

While it is a struggle for Muslims today to disseminate proper information about Islam to the Western world, a parallel struggle is taking place in the efforts of traditional Muslim scholars to present mainstream Islam and all of its components to Muslims in America. As Islam is little understood and therefore feared in the West, so too is the traditional Islamic curriculum by many American Muslims.

If you see an injustice, try to change it with your hand. If you cannot, try to change it with your tongue. If you cannot, then change it with your heart, and that is the weakest of faith. [Bukhari, Muslim]

Audhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.

Having witnessed the same injustice repeatedly, I am compelled by my faith in Allah I to bring forth the Truth. What follows is a narrative of the tragic saga in the modern-day struggle of pious religious scholars to bring forth the traditional teachings of Islam—mainstream Islam, that which is practised by the majority—as passed on to us through the strong chain of believing generations dating back to the time of Allah’s Beloved, our Prophet Muhammad(s). Sadly, the evidence herein reveals that our noble Islamic teachings have been systematically suppressed.

Some will claim this open discussion brings fitna (dissension) among the Muslims—in my observation, and much to our detriment, fitna is already too widespread. I feel profound sadness knowing that this narrative will bring pain and perhaps even a deep sense of loss to many innocent individuals who struggle with sincerity to find the best way to their Lord, for I too carry this pain and feel this loss. Yet I find comfort knowing that this act is, in effect, is my best way to Him. So, at the risk of being like a David u standing before a Goliath, I proceed fi sabilillah (in God’s Way) with the light-heartedness of knowing—this is the beginning of an end.

On Sowing the Seeds of Doubt
Every non-Muslim with whom I discussed the International Islamic Unity Conference—particularly representatives of the media—instantly saw the newsworthiness of the event. Hosting the Chechen head-of-state, President Aslan Maskhadov, muftis from former Communist Russia, leaders from across the Balkan states, foreign ministers, dignitaries, scholars—those who have struggled to preserve Islam in their respective regions—gathered collectively in the nation’s capital to address an American audience to the theme of “Islamic Unity” was truly monumental, even historic.

The three-day event, which attracted more than 4,500 participants from as far away as South Africa and the Pacific Rim, generated uniquely positive opportunities for Muslims in the United States, and solidified relations between Muslims of different lands. Members of Congress saluted these heroes with a reception. US State Department officials were awed with their collective presence. Even members of other religions sponsored prayers for the success of the Unity Conference.

To support these statements, I must reveal behind-the-scenes strategies to undermine the conference, details which, as they came to my attention, becamean unbearable burden.

Curious to know more about this “controversial” event, instead of blindly accepting the slander, like many other members of the press corps, he came to Washington to reach his own conclusions.

In the end, this journalist thanked Unity Conference organizers for having introduced him to another dimension of our great religion. He thoroughly enjoyed meeting traditional scholars who represent mainstream Islam, who spoke freely of the foundations of Islam—peace, tolerance and love—and he left the event with positive impressions. Other journalists went even further and took shahada!

A Foundation of Ill Will
The Unity Conference, much to my surprise, attracted a fair share of indiscriminate, negative comments from various sectors of the Muslim community. Ridiculous rumors were spread that conference organizers spent millions of dollars to secure press coverage. Some questioned why a separate conference was introduced, “separate” meaning “independent from ISNA”, what they viewed as attempts to divide the community. As a conference organizer, I was on one hand delighted with the overwhelmingly positive responses we received from many sectors in and outside of the Muslim community, yet on the other hand I was shocked at the resistance and the outright slander and vicious gossip which was openly generated, without fear.

One by one, as negative statements have come to attention, my response—as a Muslim who fears Allah and as a conference organizer—has been to determine what the person spreading the rumors actually knows firsthand. In an overwhelming majority of cases, such knowledge does not exist and the perpetrators are merely repeating the slander which they heard from someone else, without knowing the conference organizers or the one man who had launched such a mammoth event. What is the state of our community, when a Muslim fails to support a fellow Muslim—and worse—he is the first one to stab his fellow Muslim in the back? As a young Muslimah, I should be able to look up to our leaders with a secure sense that they represent us well. However, it is with deep shame that I cry out, Astaghfirullah!

From Blindness to Open Eyes
I attended the 1998 ISNA annual conference in St. Louis, and was approached by many kind-hearted, well-intended Muslims who are deeply troubled by this issue. Our exchanges were similar, our discussions led to the inevitable—among our leaders, who can we trust? People were angry that they had been deceived about the Unity Conference, in some cases having been fed outright slander which caused them to dismiss an event which heralded the spirit and essence of Islam.They wanted details, they wanted to know how have we reached this ugly state of affairs.

Opposing Dialogue on Islamic Spirituality
All scholars and even the ordinary person from the Muslim world are familiar with basic topics of Islamic belief and spirituality [tasawwuf]. When Shaykh Hisham Kabbani arrived in the United States in 1991 he continued to teach these and other areas of mainstream orthodox Islam which he learned while earning his graduate degree in Islamic jurisprudence from Al-Azhar of Damascus, and from his late uncle, the Mufti of Lebanon.
Endeavoring to build a more flexible representation of Islam which would reflect the beliefs and practices of the majority, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has consistently tried to work with local and national Muslim leaders to promote tolerance between the different schools of thought, and to reintroduce the spiritual aspect of traditional Islamic teachings.

Shaykh Kabbani was shocked that many imams were subjecting their constituents to a one-sided, restrictive, new interpretation of Islam. He observed entire congregations, deprived of the spiritual aspect of Islam—tasawwuf, and tazkiyat an-nafs, purification of the soul—which, since the days of the Prophet(s), was the essence of faith. (See page 39 for an article by Dr. Ahmad Sakr on this topic.)

A surprising number of Muslims in America, especially our youth, were not only unfamiliar but openly hostile to topics of Islamic belief and practice known so well to their parents and grandparents.

Although part and parcel of any traditional Islamic curriculum, many Muslims in the US were profoundly uninformed about these topics due to an extensive campaign of suppression funded by extremist, minority sectarians in the Muslim world.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani was saddened to witness the domination of Islam in America by one sect which represents a miniscule 3% of the Muslim world population. Due to Shaykh Kabbani’s discussion and effective scholarly approach to these issues, he was attacked by an extremely vocal group of adherents to this new heterodoxical doctrine. Prior to his arrival in the US, few if any dared to speak publicly about Islamic spirituality. Noted scholar, Dr. Sulayman Nyang, professor of African Studies at Howard University, acknowledged Shaykh Kabbani’s leading role in bringing the traditional study of tasawwuf [spirituality] to America. “It was not until Shaykh Hisham [Kabbani] brought the teachings of the Naqshbandi tariqa to America that people began speaking of and studying openly the science of spirituality,” he stated.

Character Assassination Used as a Deterrent
From 1992, there began a long series of tasteless, demeaning attacks on the Internet regarding the character of Shaykh Kabbani. Attackers had, by and large, never met the scholar nor attended his lectures, but based their attacks on hearsay, something forbidden in Islamic shari`ah. Rather than approach him in a respectful Islamic manner, outlining the root of their dissension and seeking resolution to their concerns, the antagonists resorted to a vicious campaign of slander. Shaykh Kabbani withstood the abuse with dignity. Imitating the way of our beloved Prophet(s), he forgave and prayed for his detractors.

After months of these relentless attacks a more Islamic form of discourse emerged when a scholar of the “Salafi/Wahabi” school challenged Shaykh Kabbani to an open debate. Shaykh Mohammad Adly, who once taught in the Masjid Al-Haraam in Mecca and now serves as Imam and Director of the Islamic Center and Masjid Al-Mumeneen in Columbia, South Carolina, dared Shaykh Kabbani in a broad Internet forum to prove that tasawwuf is part of mainstream Islam. For many, it was the first time they had ever heard of this aspect of religion, since discussions of Islamic spirituality—specifically Ihsan [excellence] and tasawwuf—were not tolerated by the dominant financiers of Islam in America.

Shaykh Kabbani answered Shaykh Adly’s six questions on tasawwuf with full supporting evidence from the Qur`an, Hadith and authentic academic sources. When confronted with these proofs, Shaykh Adly was unable to respond and withdrew from the debate [For a full record of the entire debate see http://naqshbandi.net/haqqani/Islam/tasawwuf/sufi.html]. Although the “debate” was over, the slanderous attacks continued up to this very day.

Islamic Spirituality Vital to Spread of Islam in America
It is the traditional practice of Islam—particularly the spiritual aspect which has succeeded in attracting so many non-Muslims to the religion, and has presented a positive image of Islam in the national media. Members of the press who covered the Unity Conference expressed gratitude for an experience which, for the first time, had introduced them to the true spirit of Islam—unity, love, tolerance, peace, and goodwill—something with which they can readily identify.

In fact, an assistant producer from a well-known documentary program was so moved by the spirit of Islam she felt at the Unity Conference that she declared her shahada [testimony of faith] and became a Muslim in front of the main ballroom audience on the last evening of the conference.

It is interesting to see the average non-Muslim recognize these positive aspects of the faith, when our own Islamic organizations choose to ignore them. As stated in a famous tradition, “The sun will rise from the West.” No doubt a physical sign of the Last Days. Some consider an additional interpretation that the truth of Islam will flourish and grow bountifully in the Western world, a phenomenon we witness daily.

ISNA: Circle of Bureaucracy
A group of mainstream scholars who had long been stifled by existing Islamic organizations requested Shaykh Hisham Kabbani to approach the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) on their behalf and on behalf of the silent majority of Muslims in America. Shaykh Kabbani appealed to ISNA executives in 1994, requesting they include in their annual conference planning, speakers who represent the silent majority of Muslims, those following the traditional mainstream teachings of the Ahl as-Sunna wal-Jama`at. Despite similar requests by numerous other members of the Muslim community, ISNA used bureaucratic tactics to consistently evade these requests. In the following months General Secretary Sayyid M. Syeed repeatedly answered in circles, saying that approval must be sought by various committees within the organization. No answer was ever given nor action taken.

ISNA Convention Censoring Islamic Knowledge
Committed to promoting Islam in its entirety and the unity of all Muslims, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani attended the 1994 ISNA convention. The organization of traditional scholars which he represented had a registered booth in the bazaar which distributed Islamic literature on various topics, including fiqh (jurisprudence), `aqida (belief) and the spiritual aspect of Islam, the science of tasawwuf. No sooner had the booth opened than it was surrounded by several large ISNA security officers with walkie-talkies, demanding the booth be shut down immediately.
They provided no reason for the shutdown other than they were under orders from the ISNA bazaar supervisor, saying there was un-Islamic material being distributed. When asked specifically what was “un-Islamic,” they admittedly did not know, but insisted on closing the booth. However, the youth manning the booth refused to comply with the arbitrary shutdown and demanded to meet with convention organizers. Regarding this incident, Brother Mahboob Khan of Berkeley and other convention-goers stepped in to support the right of the booth to remain open, but conference organizers refused to listen.

Finally, the issue was escalated to a private meeting between Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and the ISNA Executive Committee, during which Hamid Ghazali, ISNA Convention Manager, blurted out in front of several witnesses to Shaykh Kabbani, “Is it not enough that so many people are following you and that you are attracting everybody; [do] you also need to have a booth?” Abdalla Idris, then president of ISNA, vehemently insisted on closing the booth, stating that it was causing too much controversy. Although he privately admitted to following the Sufi order of his parents in Sudan, he said that due to the source of ISNA’s funding, he could not allow the distribution of the literature.

Shaykh Kabbani presented the organizers with the booth receipt and confronted them with the Prophet’s(s)words, “The believer when he makes a promise fulfills it.” Tthey had no choice but to allow the booth to remain open. However, they stipulated that all literature had to be checked for “un-Islamic material.” All requested literature was turned over and not a single objectionable passage was found. Ironically, other booths in the bazaar selling clearly unIslamic books received no attention from the convention staff.

Community Outcry and the Deviation From ISNA’s Mission
A Chicago-based ISNA board member who found these actions quite upsetting promised to determine the source of the problem. Why would the self-declared “umbrella for Islamic organizations in America”refuse to work with organizations representing mainstream Islam? In the end, this board member was unable to obtain an answer from ISNA. Recently, he said he was deeply saddened by the entire situation. “I am just one person,” he said. “I don’t agree with what is happening, especially when leaders become possessive about their organizations, but I don’t know what else I can do.”

The 1st International Islamic Unity Conference
After years of trying to work with ISNA and other existing Islamic organizations had failed, several Islamic organizations, led by Shaykh Kabbani, decided it was high-time the Muslim community got full representation. They decided to launch a new conference that would include the mainstream community. The conference agenda would underscore the traditional approach to Islam and introduce its spiritual dimensions to American Muslims who had been deprived of such information. Thus, 1996 witnessed the launch of the 1st International Islamic Unity Conference in Los Angeles. In an attempt to breach the political, national, and ideological divides within the Muslim community, all Muslim ambassadors and the leaders of over 200 organizations, groups, and mosques were invited to the conference with free admission for themselves and a guest.

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Some leaders of national Muslim organizations accepted the invitation. However, breaching Islamic etiquette, they used the free podium and open microphones to attack the conference and its organizers. Some demanded extra free rooms be provided for them and their families, making a California vacation at the expense of the Muslim donors who sponsored the conference.

In addition to public attacks, private torpedoes were launched by conference guests. One such case is when Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, General Secretary of ISNA, approached Mr. Dato Mohammed Muiz, a prominent Malaysian businessman and son-in-law of the Sultan of Pahang, Malaysia. Sayyid Syeed solicited him to financially support ISNA rather than this “group of Sufis, whose organization will expire after this conference. Many organizations come and go, but ISNA is the largest and the only one that lasts,” he is reported to have said. Mr. Muiz was astonished and rebuked him saying, “The organizers are my shaykhs who brought me back to Islam. It is a shame for you to speak this way.”

This brings to mind a more recent incident—well-known to members of the ISNA community—whereby Sayyid Saeed over-zealously stated “ISNA zindabad” (long live ISNA), a statement which offended the sentiments of so many, he was forced to apologize publicly for the outburst.

Where is the integrity of the so-called Muslim leaders of this country?

More Attempts to Work with ISNA
Despite such treatment, a delegation of Muslims from the silent majority decided to attend the 1996 ISNA convention as an expression of their desire to have true Muslim unity. They asked Shaykh Hisham Kabbani to join them and represent their cause. Rooms were reserved in the local hotels and preparations were made. However, days before the group was set to travel, they found all of their hotel bookings had been cancelled by an unidentified person.

Shortly before the ISNA convention in Chicago, many mainstream Muslims had attended the 1997 Milad Conference, also in Chicago. Dismayed by the constant rebuffs, they demanded to know why their scholars were barred from participation in ISNA and other Islamic events. Dr. Mohammed Cheema, then president of American Muslim Council, declared on stage that he would do his best to convey such concerns to Muslim organizations. He also pledged to facilitate dialogue between these organizations and traditional mainstream scholars. He contacted ISNA president, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, who claimed that the doors of communication were open and that he had spoken to Shaykh Kabbani on several occasions.

Weeks later, Dr. Siddiqi called Shaykh Hisham Kabbani to request that the debates and distribution of As-Sunna Foundation pamphlets at mosques around the country cease. At that time Shaykh Kabbani requested that both parties come to an agreement. He called for ISNA to admit that all the schools of thought are accepted viewpoints in Islam, allowing for differences in the branches, and that they permit a place for the traditional approach of the major schools under their “umbrella”.

He stated the case of mainstream Muslims who want to see traditional Islamic topics represented at ISNA’s annual convention. Traditional Islam has always placed an emphasis on love of the Holy Prophet(s), including the remembrance of his birth, acceptance of his intercession, love of the awliya and respect for the science of tasawwuf. In addition to concerns such as Islamic politics, economics and social issues, mainstream Muslims seek to have a ISNA’s annual convention address these more traditional subjects, exhibiting Islam’s unity within diversity. Acknowledging this, Dr. Siddiqi pledged to look into the issue. To date he has not responded.

In 1997, once again, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani attended the ISNA convention in Chicago. He and hundreds of attendees joined in reciting praise on the Prophet(s), when they were abruptly ordered to be silent! At that time, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi said he would try to negotiate between the two organizations, stating the protocol of representation in ISNA entailed submitting a form for review by a committee. The required form was submitted, however, no action was ever taken. Excluded yet again, preparations for the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference got underway.

This remarkable pattern of exclusion brings into question ISNA’s stated position as an “umbrella” for Muslim organizations. Why are the mainstream teachings of the majority of Muslim scholars and individuals not permitted at ISNA events? Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed did not answer any of the many messages left both at his home and work numbers. Many of the board members interviewed expressed similar accounts of the general secretary’s unwillingness to address this issue so vital to the fate of Muslims in America.

Who is Really Dividing the Community?
To view community building and working towards unity as “a waste of time” certainly denies the ethos of Islamic brotherhood. Our beloved Prophet(s)never gave up on winning over the hearts and minds of even his own worst enemies, the unbelievers of the Quraysh tribe. Over time, for his patience he(s)was granted success. One wonders, how can ISNA work with Catholics, Jews and other groups in political and interfaith events, yet refuse to work with mainstream Muslims?

Furthermore, to actively denounce the authenticity of any Muslim group to members of the media, who will surely investigate on their own, is certainly an act which divides the community. I asked Dr. Siddiqi about his conversation with the Dallas reporter regarding the Unity Conference Dr. Siddiqi answered, “I am not making this statement on an official basis. I am making a personal statement. I don’t want to commit ISNA to an opinion.”
One cannot flee from the issue of differences in scholarly opinion, especially when one is in a leadership position. To confront these issues and work towards some sort of resolve is where the Muslim leadership must begin, as history exemplifies. “If you look into Islamic history,” advised Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, “you will find that scholars in Islamic circles taught the major schools of thought, and in the third Hijri century caused some dissension. Realizing the importance of unity despite the differences, by a consensus of scholars in the 4th century (H) it was agreed that all the major schools of thought were accepted. Therefore, despite the differences, they were accepted.” This acceptance was preserved up until this century, with the spread of the Salafi/Wahhabi school, which refused to accept all other schools. “Nevertheless, in the spirit of Islamic unity, I am willing to work with all groups and ideologies,” Shaykh Kabbani said.

A Bizarre Attempt to Defame Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
One national organization, AMC, tried to be fair and work with Shaykh Hisham Kabbani but was subjected to a severe boycott and pressure to cut the relationship. They invited the scholar to attend their annual conference in Washington, DC in June 1998. Dr. Cheema, a long-standing, executive member of the organization, said he has no problem working with the scholar and his organization. “Shaykh Hisham [Kabbani] has the unique ability to bring non-Muslims to Islam. It is always a pleasure to witness the diversity of his followers, and this is something other organizations have not been able to accomplish,” he said. After intense pressure to cancel the shaykh’s appearance by threats from one significant source to cut their funding, they removed him from the program. However, at the last minute, AMC returned him to the program, despite the threats and a massive email campaign organized by several “Islamic” organizations.

Boycott of the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference 1998
Competition in Islam is seen as a healthy incentive so people work harder than they would otherwise. However, when competition leads to injustice, surely a line must be drawn. Those suffering the most injustices are those Muslims in America who were fooled by the massive disinformation campaign by other organizations who called for a boycott of the 1998 Unity Conference.

As with the first conference, major Muslim leaders in America were respectfully invited to participate in the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference, scheduled in Washington, DC in August 1998. Long before the conference, each leader was mailed an invitation. Some excused themselves, but the majority simply did not reply. However, what took place shortly before the conference, with full knowledge, participation and complicity of many Muslim organizations was far worse.

Nationwide Campaign of Character Assassination Launched
Two months before the conference student members of various MSA’s in the US and Canada have alleged they received an informal directive asking them to begin a slander campaign against the Unity Conference organizers. What followed was nothing less than vicious. Attacks accusing Shaykh Kabbani and his organizations of being part of the Mossad and Likud flooded the Internet, some originating from the president of the Islamic Association of Palestine, others from the Society for the Adherence of Sunnah and the president of MSA of USC. These messages were sent not only to email lists, but to a huge number of Muslim individuals responsible for mosques and Islamic organizations.

At the same time, a huge disinformation campaign was launched in many mosques. Those who inquired of their Imams about the conference were told it was a “Sufi shirk conference”, a “bida` conference” and that all the international speakers attending were anti-Islamic government agents. Furthermore, a relentless campaign was mounted over several weeks which accused Shaykh Kabbani and a Muslim woman member of a sponsoring organization of being Zionist agents, and that highly-acclaimed The Muslim Magazine was sponsored by Zionist funding.

Further, shortly prior to the conference, a letter was received by nearly each speaker, describing how the conference was an effort to promote unbelief and innovation, and if they attended they would be supporting something against Islam. Interestingly, only speakers who had actually received visas received such letters.
Meanwhile, speakers from the US received calls from the embassy of one Muslim country. They were told that if they attended the Islamic Unity conference, their stipends from that nation’s Islamic organization would be cut. Based on this, speakers canceled their appearance, some at the last minute. Despite this enormous pressure, the Unity Conference still featured over 40 US speakers.

Similar stories were repeated across the country, when unwary Muslims asked their imams or respected members of their community about attending the Unity Conference. One person was told “at their last conference the shaykhs blew on candy and said whoever eats this, four of his neighbors would enter Paradise.” Other fanciful concoctions included “all the women lay down, take off their hijab, spread their hair on the floor and the shaykh walks on it,” and “the shaykh sits on a high chair, and all the attendees must make sajda to him.”

The conference, as detailed in the rest of this issue, was a huge success. Undeterred by the smear campaign, the majority of speakers participated in the conference and praised the effort. In fact many found it to be one of the best conferences they had ever attended.

Another Failed Attempt to Facilitate Unity
Despite the tense history between the organizations, in a final attempt to promote unity, Dr. Tariq Chaudhry, a lawyer from London, approached the ISNA leadership once again in June of this year, two months prior to the ISNA convention. His quest: to have Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil, a leading authority of the Hanafi school of thought, and a few other prominent international religious figures who were confirmed to speak at the Unity Conference, invited to participate in the ISNA convention. Again, Sayyid Syeed responded in bureaucratic circles and never responded with a definite answer. Similarly, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqui reiterated that this required a committee meeting to decide. “We will get back to you on that,” he said, also not returning the call.

Where is “Relief Money” Going?
Perhaps the most blatant example of mistreatment by leaders of boycotting Muslim organizations is demonstrated in the fact that not one had the humility nor grace to welcome their foreign brothers who have fought a true jihad to keep Islam alive in their respective countries. Rather than join the existing relief effort jointly established with the Mufti of Kosova, Dr. Rexhep Boja, and the Islamic Supreme Council of America, the other organizations formed their own task force, once again excluding the organizations that work with Shaykh Kabbani.

The “Kosova Task Force”, comprised of several large Muslim organizations, did not appear at the conference nor respond to requests by the organizers to work together. Not one of its individual members or organizational leaders deemed it appropriate to pay their respects to the Mufti—Kosova’s highest representative of Islam, and the only official able to deliver money and supplies safely to highly inaccessible victims of war.

Many organizations advertise their relief work in Chechnya, an ex-Soviet Republic striving to become an Islamic state, fighting remnants of the Communist Russian regime. Interestingly enough, none of these organizations came to meet the President of Chechnya, the statehead of the country where they claim to send relief. Where is the money going and who is the contact?

Doctrinal Dictatorship Imposes Minority View On American Muslims
Much to its credit, Islam is not a one-sided ideology. Some will keep quiet for the sake of loyalty to their affiliations, but we cannot keep quiet

Perhaps I question the roles and the rules because while born Muslim, I grew up American, with the freedom to challenge and question my way through life. What’s interesting is that when I introduce others to Islam, they are immediately attracted to all the empowering aspects of the faith. So I can’t honestly attribute my nationality for giving me the courage to expose the travesty of the leadership in our community. In my quest to strengthen my iman I become less tolerant of the dissenters who refuse to give unity even a slim chance, for this is surely wrong.
Any leader of an organization who requests the full details of this statement is welcome to contact The Muslim Magazine and ask for Dilshad Fakroddin.

Anything true and good herein is from Allah, and anything incorrect is from me, for from Allah comes that which is correct.

And say: Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood (by its nature) is bound to perish. [17:81]¹