King Abdullah II calls for urgent peace in Israeli-Hamas war.

King Abdullah II of Jordan delivered an impassioned speech during his visit to the White House on 13 February 2024, calling for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to displaced Gazans while advocating for peace and security as the long term aims of political leaders in the region.

King Abdullah II called for peace between Israel and Palestine during visit to the White House

“My visit today carries an added meaning as our countries this year mark 75 years of exemplary strategic partnership.

However, we had hoped we would be marking this major milestone during better circumstances in my region and the world.

Unfortunately, one of the most devastating wars in recent history continues to unfold in Gaza as we speak.

Nearly 100,000 people have been killed, are injured, or are missing. The majority are women and children.

We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe.

The situation is already unbearable for over a million people who have been pushed into Rafah since the war started.

We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end.

We must urgently and immediately work to ensure the sustainable delivery of sufficient aid to Gaza through all possible entry points and mechanisms.

Restrictions of vital relief aid and medical items are leading to inhumane conditions. No other UN agency can do what UNWRA is doing in helping the people of Gaza through this humanitarian catastrophe.

Its work in other areas of operation especially in Jordan where 2.3 million are registered is also vital.

It is imperative that UNRWA continues to receive the support it needs to carry out its mandate.

The potential threat of Palestinian displacement beyond the borders of Gaza and the West Bank is something we view with extreme concern and cannot be allowed.

At the same time we must not ignore the situation in the West Bank and in the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7th, including almost a 100 children, and over 4,000 injured.

Continued escalation by extremist settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem’s Holy Sites and the expansion of illegal settlements will unleash chaos on the entire region.

The vast majority of Muslim worshippers are not being allowed to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Christian churches have also voiced concern about increasing and unprecedented restrictions and threats.

It is also important to stress that the separation of the West Bank and Gaza cannot be accepted.

Seven decades of occupation, death, and destruction, have proven beyond any doubt that there can be no peace without a political horizon.

Military and security solutions are not the answer.

They can never bring peace.

Civilians on both sides continue to pay for this protracted conflict with their lives.

All attacks against innocent civilians, women and children, including those of October 7th, cannot be accepted by any Muslim, as I have previously stressed.

We must make sure that the horrors of the past few months, since October 7th, are never repeated and not accepted by any human being.

We must together, along with Arab partners and the international community, step up efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately start working to create a political horizon that leads to a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution.

An independent and sovereign and viable Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.

But living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security.

This is the only solution that will guarantee peace and security for the Palestinians and the Israelis, as well as the entire region.

Your leadership [referring to Biden] is key to addressing this conflict and Jordan is ready to work as always with you towards peace.”

King Abdullah II of Jordan

🕊️

I will forever be an Arab Jew. Proudly.

By Alon Mizrahi

The life of (my) life, soul of my soul

I have been calling my daughter what translates from Hebrew as “the life of life” or “love of love” for some years now; this is a modern, Israeli take of an Arabic use of language.

I grew up in a very Zionist place and time. But I was lucky enough to grow among Mizrahi, Arab Jews; both my father and my beloved uncle spoke Arabic as their first language, and the two, childhood friends, marries two sisters, my mom ant aunt, born in Morocco to Jewish parents.

My life of life. My love of love. My daughter.

Arab music was part of the soundtrack of my childhood, and from a young age I knew the names and would recognize the voices of legends such as Farid al-Atrash, Abdel Halim Hafez, Warda, Umm Kulthum, Fairuz and others. My father would also take me with him to work occacionally (he was am aluminum worker in construction), and his teammate Isaa, an Arab from Nazareth, was almost a family friend. We all knew him, and loved and welcomed him whoever we would meet.

I never forgot how one cold winter morning, when I tagged along with my father on a work day, Issa’s wife made us coffee and tea, accompanied by sweet, delicious sugar powder-covered cookies, as they wouldn’t let us just pick Issa up and go (I certainly can’t speak for all Arabs homes but I know enough to say with confidence that you don’t just pass through an Arab home: you sit and have coffee and eat something and have some small talk. Arabs Jews are also similar in that regard).

Like many second and 3rd generation Mizrahi Jews, I can’t speak Arabic, but I pick up quite a lot of it, and the musicality of the language always sounds a little like home to me.

fortunate to have been exposed to Arabs, Jews and just Arabs, from a young age, I was never intimidated by anything Arab. On the contrary: I grew immensely fond of the gentleness, the warmth of heart, the humor, the special sweetness of an Arab street, store or home.

In later years, I was lamenting the forced disconnect between me and my Arab roots created by Israel’s paranoid mentality. Like many other Arab Jews of my generation I was not an Arab anymore, but not really an Israeli as well to this day I am not sure what being Israeli means, really, apart from a negation of Jewish experiences and denial of current realities).

Israeli, just like American or English, connotes whiteness. And white we Mizrahi Jews are not, nor will we ever be.

Unlike many Mizrahi Jews, I refused to become an empty shell, filled only with the ideological content of the state: A de-Arabized Arab Jew. That I wouldn’t be. I chose to be free instead.

When I heard of the way Nur’s grandfather, Khaled, called her, and how similar it was to the way I call my daughter, and when I see the suffering, wounds, burns, pain and death of Gaza’s children, the memory and consciousness of me and my roots, both known and simply genetic, springs to life immediately, undeniable and bare. These kids are not foreign or alien to me. They are me and mine, too. I feel their pain and fear, I understand the terms of endearment and the farewells of their grief-stricken parents, even as I really understand but a few words here and there. My soul understands Arabic is the way I’d put it.

Zionism’s message of fear, hate and suspicion towards Arabs and Palestinians is totally and forever lost on me, and I consider it a personal triumph. I will never hate Arab people.

And I ache the terrible dehumanization of Arab people, societies and communities that have so much beauty, gentleness and love in them. The world will know the truth. I am sure of that, and I will do whatever I can to help bring this day about, which is why I write this.

Please follow @alon_mizrahi for more enlightening, heartfelt content.

Single? At Christmas? Read on, fellow traveller!

By Samuel CW Hart

@samuelcwhart

As the only one in my friendship group who’s single and without kids, I know what it’s like to feel lonely.

I live alone and I’m a seasoned lone traveller, solitary cafe go-er and solo diner.

Here’s 10 things I remind myself to do on those days when I’m feeling isolated.

1 DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE

There’s a reason this is #1. A scientifically proven way to make you feel happier? Help someone else. A kind gesture for someone else will lift my mood for the day. Maybe longer. Send someone a message, buy a gift, or simply smile at a stranger.

2 PLAN MY DAY

Without a plan, my day can easily descend into a Netflix binge leaving me feeling rubbish. Making a plan which includes a mixture of some productive tasks + down time leaves me feeling much better than I would have.

3 SIT WITH MY FEELINGS

Sometimes being alone feels sh*t. But sitting with this, not burying the feeling, is important. Why do I feel like this? What do I need to do? I remember the feeling will pass. + there are things I can do to boost my mood – some are included in this list.

4 BECOME MY BEST FRIEND

The longest relationship you’ll have is with yourself. If I struggle to be alone then that tells me I need to do some work. It takes time, but learning to enjoy your own company/not rely on others is empowering. There’s only one way to practise this..

“Learning to enjoy your own company/not rely on others is empowering” ~ Samuel CW Hart

5 GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. There are times when it’s a great resource for feeling connected to people. Feeling lonely? Share a question, thought or something useful on social media and see what response you get. Instant connection.

6 GET OUT IN NATURE

Go for a walk outside as soon as you can after you wake up to enjoy all the mental and physical health benefits of being in the great outdoors and resetting your circadian clock. This should leave you feeling much better than if you stay indoors all day.

7 GET IN TOUCH

Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t bother friends or family with how I’m feeling or I think they’re too busy to meet up. But usually people have got time for us. So reach out. Maybe they are free to meet. If not, a 10min phone call will perk me up.

8 EXERCISE

We know the mental health benefits of exercise. But sometimes we don’t feel like going for a run or workout. This is when I remind myself I always feel better after I exercise. The first step out the door is the hardest. Get out there and enjoy moving your body.

9 PRACTISE MINDFULNESS

Being alone is a great time to practise mindfulness. When you eat, just eat. When you drink a coffee, just drink a coffee. Eliminate distractions. Be in the present. The present moment is all we have. Here is where we find clarity and happiness.

10 MEDITATE

Saved this one until last because it’s a word that people can resist. But mediation is a powerful tool for growth. It can help us ⬇️ anxiety, ⬆️ calm, and get to know ourselves. Close your eyes, focus on your breath, ask yourself, “Who am I?”. You’ll learn a lot.

And a quote to finish:

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

• Blaise Pascal

I don’t want to be part of the problem!

Final note: this is not a cry for help.

I’m surrounded by loving friends and family who I know will always be there when I need them.

There are just those odd days where these feelings hit and that’s when I turn to these 10 things.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 🎄

Sam 🙏

Jewish- Palestinian Muslim neighbours share message of peace, and love.

By Tamara Joy Rettino:

I am Jewish. My neighbor Zahia is Palestinian Muslim. Today, I brought her baklava, a homemade tea blend and homemade soap, and a large orchid. She took me into her arms and we cried. We talked for a long long time. Her husband served me arabic coffee and she served me stuffed grape leaves. They sent me home with more grape leaves, lamb for Greg, a kaffiyeh, and their last bag of cardamom coffee from Palestine. They talked about how nice Greg is for shoveling their snow. She said she would make kenafe ( my favorite Palestinian desert)for me.

Jewish- Palestinian Muslim Neighbours Tamara Joy Rettino & Zahia share a message of peace, and love amid the chaos of war & bloodshed in Israel & Gaza.

Stop making change theoretical and abstract. It is knocking on neighbor’s doors and sharing coffee and sweets. It is telling each other stories. It is heart to heart, neighbor to neighbor. We are all human. We all want a place to call home and for our babies and grandmothers to be safe.
Peace begins with me.

Please feel free to repost and spread peace on a day when we need it so much.

https://www.facebook.com/TamaraRettino

#Palestinian #Israeli #ArabIsraeliconflict #Gaza #TelAviv

“HE DIDN’T HIT ME”

A brilliant poem by Emily Cutshaw, first published 31/10/17 but still as relevant today as it was then.

He just went through my phone every time I was in the shower,

Provoking fights that would last for hours,

Always apologizing with a bouquet of flowers.

He didn’t hit me.

He just hated all my friends.

Told me they were no good and that I should just stay in.

He was careful to always remind me I was unworthy,

And any time I spoke to a man, he would accuse me of being flirty.

He laughed, saying no one else would ever love me,

Making me feel nothing but useless and ugly.

He didn’t hit me.

He would just break our things on the rare occasions I decided to go out,

Coming home to his aggressive shouts.

He just deleted all my contacts who were men,

Telling me to never speak to them again.

He didn’t hit me.

He just wouldn’t listen when I said no,

Every day stealing a little more of my glow.

He would criticize my appearance,

Calling me stupid, every day weakening my resilience.

He didn’t hit me.

He would just threaten his own life when I would try to leave,

He didn’t hit me.

He just made me hate myself every day.

Worried how the hell I would get away.

He didn’t hit me.

Until one day, he overheard a call.

Hearing that I was leaving, he pushed me toward the wall. Put his hands around my throat.

But, he didn’t hit me.”

Until he did.

🍂 October is Domestic Violence month. 🍂

#coercivecontrol #domesticviolence #domesticabuse #DV #gaslighting #jealous

Purple Saturdays movement continues to shed light on the Taliban war against women.

‎By Aisha Ali-Khan

‎Amid the ruins of their lives following the collapse of Afghan rule to the Taliban, a band of brave, fearless Afghani women have come together to fight back. The Purple Saturday movement posts evidence, often at great personal risk, of the Taliban’s oppression of some 51% of Afghanistan’s population.

Maryam Marof Arwin, Founder Of Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organization (@AWCSWO) regularly updates the situation for Afghan women, most recently posting a video of a woman being whipped by the Taliban in public. While we do not know the details of the ‘crime’ committed, we do know that, under the Taliban, public floggings are here to stay, along with the closures of schools and universities and many other privileges that women across the world take for granted.

Arrests and disappearances of women’s rights campaigners and their families make it even more dangerous for women in Afghanistan to speak out. Julia Parsi was arrested in Kabul for speaking out against the Taliban, while the worldwide community watches on in silence.

Julia Parsi, a prominent women’s rights campaigner, was arrested by the Taliban in Kabul.

Neda Parwani, a women’s rights activist, her husband, and their three-year-old child were also taken by the Taliban on 16 September. No one has heard from them since.

Neda Parwani, Afghan women’s rights activist, was arrested on 16 September 2023 alongside her husband and 3 year old child.

‎⁧‫#حقعدالتآزادی

The arrests and disappearances of campaigners and activists makes the job of speaking out harder. But social media is a powerful platform that has helped Afghan women share some of their plight with the rest of the world.

Maryam Marof Arwin, Founder Of Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organization (@AWCSWO) regularly speaks out about Taliban oppression of Afghan women

In a recent post, Ms Arwin writes ‘In a distressing incident that highlights the ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan, the Taliban has once again demonstrated their brutal and oppressive tactics. Reports have emerged from Farah province, where a woman was subjected to a public whipping by Taliban militants.
‎The incident, which took place in broad daylight, witnesses described the horrifying scene as the woman was mercilessly lashed, while a crowd of onlookers stood in fear and helplessness.
‎This act of violence against women is a stark reminder of the Taliban’s oppressive regime, which seeks to suppress basic human rights and freedoms. Despite promises of change, the group’s actions continue to perpetuate a culture of fear and subjugation, particularly for women and marginalized communities.
‎As the world closely watches the situation in Afghanistan, incidents like these serve as a reminder of the urgent need for sustained efforts to promote peace, stability, and respect for human rights in the country. The international community must stand united in supporting the Afghan people in their pursuit of a just and inclusive society, free from violence and oppression. The Purple Saturdays movement will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.’

Ms Arwin fears that a crackdown on campaigners and activists will make it harder for human rights organisations to function in Afghanistan.

“We are struggling with very serious problems. The situation of women is critical… the international community has left Afghan women alone”

It vital, now more than ever before, to keep shedding a light on the plight of Afghan women.

‎⁧‫#حقعدالتآزادی‬⁩
‎⁦‪#Right_Justice_Freedom‬⁩
‎

The Emotional Cleansing of Tashlich

When asking for forgiveness, the first thing we must do is admit wrongdoing. During the High Holiday season, one of the ways that we cleanse …

The Emotional Cleansing of Tashlich

Holodomor was a genocide of my people. I fear it is happening all over again.

Guest contributor:

Iuliia Mendel

(Spokesperson to PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy 2019-2021)

My great-grandfather was a very rich man. He owned a lot of land and, most importantly, a windmill, which was crucial for flour production.

When the Communists fought for power, he convinced people to accept this new politics, so that Ukraine would be part of the USSR and not part of the Russian Empire. He considered this his contribution to the collapse of the Russian Empire.

Years later, the Bolsheviks confiscated his land and property and declared him an enemy of the people, the worst accusation one could expect at the time. He, a father of four, was sent to concentration camp.

I don’t know how long he stayed there, but he survived and came back broken. He returned to see that his eldest daughter Zina had been taken by the Nazis to Berlin to work. My grandmother, her sister, has been looking for Zina all her life. She asked me to find out something about her. But I didn’t have that opportunity. I don’t know if Zina made it to Berlin, if she is alive, and if she died, then how.

His youngest son Lev froze to death after the Nazis took away his sheets in the winter and he was left lying on the metal.

My grandfather taught me German when I was a child, which boiled down to two phrases:
Hände hoch und gute Nacht.

Even after that, my grandmother kept saying all her life that the Russians were worse than the Germans.

Controversial statement, but understandable. She recalled with horror the artificial famine organized by Stalin in Ukraine in the early 1930s. People ate dogs, even their own children, or simply died of starvation in the streets.

She was 5. Her name was Lyubov, which means Love. And she had a friend of the same age and with the same name. Perhaps this is how girls were named in the hope of a different life.

Because of the severe famine, people sent small children to steal ears of grain at night so that they would not be noticed. That’s how many people in their village survived. One night, a rumor spread through the village that there was a Chekist raid, so it was dangerous to go to the field. My great-grandmother did not let my grandmother go that night. And her friend was sent to the field, apparently they had no food at all. There was shooting at night. The girl was brought home wounded in the morning. My grandmother never saw her friend named Love again.

When my mother wanted to go to university, she was rejected. Because she was the granddaughter of an enemy of the people. She sat down on the stairs at the entrance to the university and sat there as a protest against this attitude. One professor asked her why she was sitting there. She replied that she would sit on the stairs until she was allowed to study.

Then my grandmother received a call from the KGB. My grandmother was shaking when she was telling me this story. And she had to go to the city to meet the KGB. She was afraid for herself and even more so for her rebellious daughter.

But it was 1980s, and the KGB knew that the USSR would soon collapse. They had a serious conversation with my grandmother and told her that new times were coming, and gave my mother permission to study.

That’s how my mother became a doctor. At the university, she met my father, who was from the same village, but they hadn’t crossed paths before they met at the university.

Iuliia Mendel, former spokesperson to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shared her family’s history at the hands of the Soviets. She believes another genocide of her people is underway while the world watches on.

I was born when my mother was in her last year of studies. So she took me to my grandmother’s house, where I grew up for the first years of my life. My parents were unable to register me in Zaporizhzhia, where I was born and where they studied. Therefore, I was registered in the city of Henichesk, Kherson region, where my parents stopped to show me to my father’s relatives.

I was not born and have never lived in Henichesk, but that’s what my passport and Wikipedia say. When I became the press secretary of the President, every newspaper in Henichesk proudly wrote about me. Although none of these people had ever seen me.

My grandmother used to say that there is nothing worse than war. I am glad that she does not see what Ukraine is going through now.

There was so much pain in my family, so many transgenerational traumas that they are still a burden.

I have a large tattoo of ears of wheat on a Ukrainian embroidery on my back. Bread has always been important to my family. And I understand why my grandmother disliked the Russians so much.

But Ukrainians have always fought. And we deserve to finally start building a future where meritocracy and equality will prevail, where there will be opportunities and security. Building a career in my country is much more difficult than in Western countries. But so many windows have been opened, so many connections made and so much sacrificed. Ukraine has to become a country of success, and democracy has to win. I #StandForUkraine to keep the memory of my family alive, to correct their mistakes, to heal their suffering, and to create the future.

This is my Granny and me 6 months old in our house that you see now on the second photo. R.I.P.

Now, after writing this, I have a feeling that the story of my people is not told at all. Have you seen many stories about Soviet concentration camps? Holodomor is just being recognized around the world as a fact of genocide. But this is the history that explains Russian mindset and the reason for the attack: Kill the freedom and human dignity to establish the rule of power

Is Andrew Tate using Islam to rehabilitate his tattered reputation?

 

Andrew Tate is a known hater of women, a promoter of rape culture and embodiment of toxic masculinity, banned by many social media platforms after years of campaigning by feminists of all backgrounds. By the time Twitter, Instagram and Facebook woke up, the damage was done as Tate’s followers numbered in the millions, and made women-hating movements such as the incel widespread and acceptable.

 

So imagine my shock and surprise to see a video posted by his close friend Tam Khan showing Tate learning how to read salah as though he is a newly reborn paragon of virtuosity and purity. My immediate fear when I first saw this on twitter? That young, impressionable Muslims will lap this up and claim we need to forgive and forget because Andrew Tate is one of us now.  

 

The good news is that most of us have long memories, some even going back to August 2022 when a takedown of Tate by Daz Black (9.5 million views and counting) catalogued all of Tate’s views and the impact he has had on both men and women. It is not an easy watch, and many of you will leave thinking ‘why the heck did it take so long’ for his banishment. Campaigners such as myself kept arguing that Tate was a dangerous misogynist hiding in plain sight but ‘freedom of speech’ was always the counter we faced. Sadly, the safety of women was simply not as important as allowing a man to use his platforms to monetize misogyny.  

 

Why, I hear some of the uninitiated wonder, is this video of Tate learning how to read salah causing so much uproar, especially amongst Muslim feminists? 

 

The simple truth is that Tate still carries a great deal of currency with many young, impressionable boys and men. Tate donning a thobe and reading salah in a mosque is an insult to all women, not just Muslim women. He has never meaningfully renounced his views on rape, or on women, or on men who seek to control and abuse women. So now those who still follow him, or secretly admire his stance, especially those from a Muslim background, for whom subjugation of Muslim women and their rights is still very much normalised on a day-to-day basis, this will be seen as a rallying cry for all who also share Tate views. No matter how offensive and appalling your views, it’s perfectly acceptable as long as you dress and act the part of a ‘good Muslim.’

 

Yes, everyone deserves a second chance. A chance to rebuild their reputation and to make amends. To apologise for their views and to show us that they have truly reformed and no longer believe the kind of views they espoused before to their millions of followers. Has this truly been the case with Tate? 

 

The sad truth is that easily swayed young people will see Tate being feted and accepted into the Muslim faith without question as a sign that they too can be misogynistic, promote rape culture and generally horrific attitudes towards women but they will also be treated like a returning demi-God. As Muslims, we need to stamp out this deeply ‘colonialist’ attitude welcoming the oppressor with the ‘red carpet’ treatment just because he is a Westerner who just so happens to show a passing interest in our faith. Because, unlike some others, I do not buy Tate’s sudden and deeply convenient ‘conversion’ to Islam. If he truly wanted to follow our Deen, he would study the sayings and actions of our Prophet (PBUH) who, 1400 years ago, ended millennia of gender-based violence and abuse against women, which saw girls buried alive and women treated as possessions of men.

 

If Tate is truly accepting Islam with sincerity and honesty, then he can start by denouncing his appalling previous views and apologizing for the spread of hatefulness that he promoted and made financial gains from. Then he can continue by sitting down and speaking to any one of us Muslim women as to how to be an ally. Because, even as a banned entity, Tate still has a considerable platform. It’s time to utilize that now to neutralise the misogyny and hate that has been his calling card for the past near decade or so.

My Response to Sheikh Sufi Arshad Mahmood’s Apology

1. Firstly, thank you for reaching out and contacting me via Facebook Messenger.
2. However, I have come concerns around the wording of your statement & ‘apology’. You state that ‘you have been made aware of a relationship and other allegations between Miss Aisha Khan and my son Yasir Mahmood’. The relationship between your son and I is not an allegation but a fact.
3. To fully resolve this matter, I have a number of requests. Firstly, that you condemn outright the actual behaviours of your family members and mureeds due to the following:

a. Yasir deliberately went in search of women (including me) online, at work and at the gym, and proposed marriage to us knowing full well that he had no intention of ever marrying us. This has caused me, my family and other women deep trauma and ongoing emotional distress and hurt. I want this behaviour strongly condemned so that a powerful message is sent out to Muslim men that playing with women’s emotions, feelings and hopes for the future is completely unacceptable and against Islam. A simple ‘ban’ until he is ready to accept his wrongdoing is simply not sufficient due to the prolonged and multiple instances of his behaviours. I want Yasir to be removed from your halqa immediately to send a powerful message that you are serious about holding him to account.

b. Yasir’s Wife Aysha Jabeen Mahmood initially admitted that this is common for him- to seek out unsuspecting women and promise them marriage etc, and that she has been covering his behaviours up for years. She has subsequently phoned me and abused me, calling me a prostitute, threatened to come and see my dad, offering to marry me to two men at the same time, given false testimony in a failed non-molestation application and generally enabled Yasir’s behaviour’s repeatedly. She has also strived to keep everything hidden from you and Yasir’s mother, as she admits in a statement made to the court. As your daughter in law, she is a role model for sisters who follow you. I want Aysha Jabeen to be removed from your Halqa as her bullying behaviours are not only un-Islamic but also deeply damaging to women in general as she appears to condone the actions of men like your son Yasir.

c. Asjad and Vasif Mahmood and their first wives have all participated in a cover up (including payment of monies), of this entire situation, which could have been resolved in February this year. They also tried to force me to sign a document against my will in order to stop me from seeking justice. I suffered great financial loss due to you son’s actions including losing money while trying to buy a house together. I have been denied justice for an additional 7 months since February this year due to their collective actions. Your legacy will always be tainted by the actions of your sons. If you want to send a powerful message, then Asjad and Vasif both need to be removed from the Halqa immediately.

d. Your mureeds have spent nearly two week or so attacking me, making lies about me, accusing me of making all this up and harassing anyone and everyone associated with me including organisations and charities that I am a trustee of. For example, Mohammed Nafise posted my personal messages to you online and made them go viral in mocking TikTok videos, harassed my father repeatedly by phone and posted my address online also. I want Mohammed Nafise, who still continues to stalk and harass online, to be removed from your Halqa and a public statement condemning the action of your mureeds immediately.

If these suggestions for resolutions are not acceptable, I would like an explanation as to why.

Finally, as a divorced Muslim single mum, I have faced untold challenges in dealing with the community and my own family members. Your son, his wife and the rest of the family, knew the challenges that women like me are forced to face due to the uneducated and jahil beliefs of our community members and took advantage of the situation, counting on the fact that I would have no choice but to keep quiet so as to protect not only my own ‘honour’ but that of my father and family too. I have strived always to be a voice for others, especially Muslim women who are taken advantage of in similar manners. I could not stay quiet knowing that your son will go and do this again and again, aided and abetted by his wife, brothers Asjad and Vasif and their first wives. Allah knows that my intention was never to cause you embarrassment or harm, but to seek a resolution to the harm I have suffered, which was my right under Sharia. I do not condone the language used against you on social media but this matter could have and should have been resolved quietly had your sons not tried to silence me. I am happy to let the matter rest fully once my above points have been addressed.