When the volcanic ash cloud hit Europe last week I along with thousands of other Muslims was caught stranded in Saudi Arabia after performing the umra (minor pilgrimage). As we set off for Jeddah Airport we were obviously concerned since our flight had been cancelled and we were unsure what assistance would be provided to us by the Saudi government’s Hajj ministry and Saudi Airlines.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ “O you who believe! why do you say that which you do not do?” (As-Saff, 61:2)
Representatives from over 50 nations and international groups convened last week for a US-Sponsored Middle East peace conference at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, America. In attendance were Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmood Abbas along with representatives from most major countries of the world. The goal of the conference was to produce a substantive document on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict along the lines of President George Bush’s 2003 ‘Roadmap to Peace’ with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.
For some the idea that Muslims could unite together into one unified Islamic State under the banner of a Khilafah is a distant pipe dream. Recently a few so-called experts have stepped forward to rubbish the idea that in the 21st century Muslim unity is anything but possible. They cite examples of the current disunity and division plaguing the Muslim world as evidence to support their claims.
Islamic Civilization 