Moon sighted: Ramadan begins in Greece

Ramadan 2009 Timetable for Greece

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Asalamu Alaikom

We would like to inform you that the Muslim community of Greece will fast on Saturday based on Greek calculations.

The Muslim Association of Greece with reps from all national communitiesvisited the Athens Observatory this evening as usual and saw with their own eyes through the telescope.  The Sunni and Shia, Egyptians,  Greeks, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Kurds etc.  all united to start the fasting month on Saturday, 22nd August 2009.

Also note that the Muslim minority of Thrace will fast on Friday following the Balkan countries.

We would like to warmly thank  the Athens Observatory for their gracious cooperation.

I wish all of you a blessed Ramadan!

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Movie review: Waiting for the clouds

 

The movie, Waiting for the Clouds, depicts the story of an elderly woman named Ajshe, who was a survivor of the turbulent 1920’s that reshaped the Balkans by war, genocides, evictions, forced population exchanges, new nation formation/expansion, political ideological clashes and nationalistic fervor on all sides. 

Ajshe never though forgot her childhood identity and memories which she kept hidden deep inside her for many years.  At a very young age she was one of the victims of those turbulent times when she, known then as Eleni, was given by her father, after a difficult march from their native Mersin (southern Turkey) to a Muslim family from the Black Sea region (Pontos-Karadeniz) who promised to protect and rear her as their own. 

Eleni’s family roots were Rum (Christian).  There in Pontos Eleni (Ajshe) lived for many years yearning especially to reunite with a long lost brother who got caught up in the great population exchange between Muslims from the areas newly acquired by Greece and Christians from the newly formed state of Turkey known as the Laussane Treaty of 1922.

The movie was interesting as it was based on some true elements in history that surrounded the Communist movement taking place in Turkey in the early 1970s.  Apparently, it seems that Ajshe’s father, in the early 1920s, may have been a communist who were seen by the Turkish state as sympathizers with communist Russia and therefore traitors.  Russia was one of the powers who dreamt at a piece of the pie after the dismemberment of the Ottoman State and dreamt of the incorporation of Turkish land into her nation.

As history tells us, the Pontians (Karadenizler) mainly live in Northern and North Eastern Turkey most of whom for various reasons chose to convert to Islam during the Ottoman period, although quite a few remained Christian, and so you will see that their language is a mix of an old Hellenic form and Turkish. A fraction of Pontians (Christians) were forcefully expelled to Greece in the 1922 exchange of populations and were settled into lands and homes of Muslims forced out of Greece.

Even though the movie had some religious elements to it, it was mainly focused on political ideological struggles and to a lesser extent ethnic ideas and conflicts and therefore, I do not recommend watching it to gain anything Islamic out of it since there were some folklore practices mentioned that have nothing to do with Islam but with local practices that predate Islam and perhaps even Christianity.

But, if you’re just looking for an emotional movie filled with human tenderness and beautiful scenery, and just a slight insight into political/ethnic tensions this just might be the movie for you.

 

Ramadan unites Balkan Muslims

 

 

BALKAN CAPITALS — In a show of unity, Muslim religious authorities in Bosnian, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia have agreed to observe the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on September 1.

“We follow astronomical calculations to determine the beginning of the lunar months,” Subhi Wassim, an official with the Islamic Sheikdom of Bosnia, told IslamOnline.net.

“Therefore, the first day of Ramadan will be observed in Bosnia on September 1,” he added.

More…

Source:  IslamOnline.net

“Arab Islam” seeps into the Balkans

 

Surprise, surprise.  Another heavily distorted article on Islam and Muslims but this time it’s about Muslims living in the Balkans.  Sometimes, a feeling of disgust sweeps over me as I read these articles, but at least this one gave us some facts.

Here’s a summary:

Kosovo:

A Muslim majority but the author said it was very rare to see people wearing hijab.  According to the author, it is secular there.

Macedonia:

A good number of hijabis and people wearing abayas even.  About 1/3 of Macedonia are Muslims, mostly of Albanian origin.  According to the author’s interviewee, they are becoming more secular as well and “modern” and the minority is becoming more “radical”.  ( <– what a distorted viewpoint)

(If anyone has anymore facts about these countries, please post in the comment section.)

What was so distorted about the article was the misuse of labels he threw in like Sufis, Ismailis, Wahabi, etc.  Subhan Allah, just because a sister wears an abayah like this one in the photo or someone talks against saint worship and saints’ graves, people are labeled wahabis?

What I don’t like is that the author tries to show that there are two different kinds of Islam: regular/secular and Arab import Islam. Actually, some Muslims also seem to have this viewpoint.  I remember meeting some older Pakistani Muslims who were trying to say there is “Arab Islam” and ”Pakistani Islam”.  I also remember talking to a black lady before I converted to Islam and she told me there is “Arab Islam” and “Black Islam”.

Subhan Allah, this is all truly because of lack of knowledge in Islam. Just a few days ago, our teacher was telling us of many major scholars in Islam were not only Arabic, but Abysinian or from other areas.  After becoming prisoners of war, because of the excellent treatment they were given, many of them converted to Islam and their descendents became scholars.  Did you know that Imam Al-Bukhari, the Ameer Al-Mumineen of hadith, was from the city of Bukhara located in Uzbekistan?

When people start learning the deen, all of these misconceptions will go away.   The only Islam there is, is the Qur’an and Sunnah.

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything amongst yourselves refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.” (Qur’an: An-Nisaa’ 4:59)

Note: Ameer Al-Mumineen = the leader of the believers