Jews for Salaam: The Straight Path to Global Peace

Copyright © 2008 by Imam Warith-Deen Umar.

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Dedication

To my children: Cerise (42), Emanuel (40), Kauthar (30), Muhammad (28), Saheer (26), Khalid (25), Rafiq (22), Tajah (19), Jannah (16), Alaudeen(13), and Malika (6), and to my children-in-law: Mikal, Shawana, Franscesca, Ameena, and Aamina, and to my grandchildren: Salih, Tariq, Bilal, Khalil, Ajah, Sanaa, Saraya, Zahara and Sayyid; and all those whom Allah deems to come after them. Surely they have been a joy and a burden. I pray they all follow the Islamic da’wah path so we can make a better future for everyone.

THANKS

I want to thank my friends sister Khadijah Onanuga, teacher, sister Anzala Alozie, Attorney at Law, Imam Abdul Qadir Islam, Clara Muhammad school administrator, and Dr. Kaukab Siddique, Professor of English at Lincoln University and Editor of New Trend magazine for reading and critiquing the manuscript.

The Lord is near to all who call Him,

to all who call Him with sincerity.

Bible / Tenach: Psalms 145:18

Who is he

That will loan to God

A beautiful loan which God

Will double unto his credit

And multiply many times?

It is God that gives [you]

Want or Plenty,

And to Him shall be

your return.

Qur’an: Al Baqarah 2:245

Beach-Head Publications

CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Contents

Other Books and writing by author

Author’s Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

A bit about history

About The Author

1       Introduction: Salvation for a Chosen People

2       Time for The Chosen to Choose: How alike we are

3       Who Are The Jews?

4       The Holocaust: The Holocaust Denial Movement

5       The Bible in History

6       Holy Jews and Unholy Jews

7       Spreading Faith

8       Two Jewish Peoples: Sephardic and Ashkenazi

9       Anti-Semitism

10       Ishmael the Hidden Prophet

11       Mitzvoth

12       The Hebrew Prophets

13       The Universalistic—Particularistic Conflict

14       Satan and the Power of Evil

15       The Jewish State: Jewish Belief

16       Natural Reversion

17       Protest Movements in Judaism

18       The Value of Jewish Identity

19       Are Jews Punished for Sins?

20       Do Jews Hold God Powerless?

21       People of the Book

22       Conscientiousness

23       Why Palestine?

24       Zionism

25       Judaism’s Impact on Christians and U.S. Politics

26       How Important is Repentance and Forgiveness?

Glossary

Bibliography

Photography Credits

Appendix: Jewish Holidays

Historic Timeline

Epigraph

Epigraph

Afterword

Summary To Imams…

Other Books and Writings by Warith-Deen Umar:

The Name Game

Controverses

The Wired Hatch Series

Wake Up America

Name Tag

The Muslim Book of Why

Guerilla Rap Underground

This Affair of Ours: The Religion of the Muslims

Prison: Ummatul Islamiyyah fi sijn

The Real Shari’ah: What the World and America can expect

PRIS (Post-Release Incarceration Syndrome)

The Sijjin Connection

Righteous Extremism

The Freedom Connection

A History of the Devil and Forces of Evil

Fraudulent Nation

Acquitted: The Case of the Harlem Five

Fighting Giants: The Case against The Wall Street Journal

A Muslim Speaks

The Next New World Order

Jihad Theory

Ummatul Wasat: The Revival of the Muslim Community

Wealth & Resistance

Divine Captivity

Intifada USA: Shaking Off America

Author’s Foreword

I wrote this book to be read, studied, and referenced. If comprehended I expect it will change your mind, your attitude and hopefully your behavior. I didn’t want it to be too long as to affect boredom or repulse those who see voluminous books as too much to comprehend, so they only read part of it. I want it to be read by those who need to read and internalize this matter at this time in history. I didn’t want it to be too short so as to suggest frivolity or a lack of importance of the subject. I wanted to be thorough and provide sources, bibliography, and history to give credence to the accompanying opinion. This is a khutbah (sermon), a homily to reach the reader’s level of awareness of God. If God is not part of this presentation, it won’t have meaning for me, and I might as well write a novel. The discourses are designed to break the concentration and allow time to think and reflect (or contend) on the discourse. The reader can read any chapter or discourse as a contained writing. I hope it is read from cover to cover but if the reader looks over the table of contents and sees an interesting-sounding subject, they can turn to that discourse and get a complete reading.

I reflected on my many years of working closely with the rabbis on the New York Board of Rabbis, the priests and bishops of the archdioceses of New York, the ministers from the state and National Council of Churches and the imams of the Council of Imams (majlis shuurah) here in America and abroad. The many religious and practical experiences have provided me with a broad and tolerant perspective of religion and a deep appreciation for religious life. My ministerial work with the errant and needy in prisons, penitentiaries, jails and other correctional facilities have taught me the power of the human will and the swiftness of time. My brief time in this life has given me family, friends, responsibility and hope for a blessed future life in another realm of existence. This provides me with solace and inner peace that is beyond description.

Preface

The world remains divided on the matter of Jews and Palestine. The issues involved have gone past the condition where Arab and Jew can sit down and talk reasonably about the issues at hand. The emotions are too raw, memories too painful. A blood feud has arisen. Revenge is a motivator and pay-back cannot be ignored. Whose turn it is to throw the next bomb is lost in the fray. The American politicians have been no help. They’ve made matters worse. They’ve morphed into one side of the conflict and can no longer be an objective peace-maker. They (America) have become the enemy along with the Israelis as far as the Arab and Muslim worlds are concerned. So we need a more objective party to intervene. My call is to the holy Christians of America: It is time to speak the truth.

This book is written to present clear, agreed upon history, verifiable circumstances, examined texts, and the application of the hermeneutical rules of interpretation that apply to every work of literature including Biblical exegesis and Qur’an tafseer. My goal is clear and simple—Present a reasoned argument for peace that provides justice for all and reparation where needed—Propose sensitive modification and incremental, yet indexed and measured, consistent change. Peace is attainable. The Torah, Bible and Qur’an tell me so. I don’t expect the fighting to stop in the meantime.

I believe fervently in God. The Qur’an is the book of guidance for Muslims. It is revealed in Arabic and gave us the name Allah as God’s name. Allah is the name that comprises all of the perfect attributes He possesses. If Allah wants solution there will be solution. Ma sha’llah. I believe I was guided by Allah to write this book and at the same time create an organization that will help guide Jews, Christians, Muslims and others to dialogue, truth and justice, and finally peace. An organization form is supplied on-line at deenworks@aol.com. All are welcome. Some will come, in sha’llah.

Acknowledgments

Praise Allah (God)! We praise Him and seek His guidance and beg for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and from the misdeeds of our hands. Those to whom Allah guides, none can lead them astray. Those to whom Allah allows to be led astray, they have no one to guide them. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and bear witness that Prophet Muhammad is His last prophet and universal messenger. Peace and blessings on Muhammad the prophet, and on his family and companions.

I thank Allah (God) for making this work possible. All praise goes to Allah. Any good that comes from this work, and I pray that much comes from it, is due to the mercy and grace of God. I ask for benefit that will bring knowledge, wisdom, good relations and peace to the people of this world. In particular I ask that Allah give the holy Jews a victory over the unholy Jews and the holy Christians a victory over the unholy Christians and the holy Muslims a victory over the unholy Muslims.

Any mistakes, errors or harm done by this humble effort of mine is not my intention but will be my fault. May Allah forgive me for my imperfections. I ask Allah, to please, bless me with enough time in this life to make amends, make corrections, and improve myself before You call me back. Surely time is getting shorter.

I thank my wife Islah Walia for again tolerating my seclusion night and day in my home office (she says my cell) while I write away. She has been a good Muslim wife, mother and support for our family for over thirty years. She certainly has a right to my time. She is the family rock. I appreciate all of my family who stood by and waited for me to finish a part before coming to the dinner table or before coming to prayer or before checking my thirteen-year-old son Alaudeen’s homework or giving my little six-year-old girl Malika more time for hugs. I thank Allah for all He has given me. My life and my death are all for Allah, in sha’llah (God Willing).

Note: The Holy Qur’an is the living miracle of Allah. It is the divine word revealed in whole in the Arabic Language. It came down to shed light on the scripture that came before. Bible references given in this book are for Jewish and Christian scriptural verification and for specialists who are students of knowledge for further research.

JfS

Jews for Salaam

A Bit about History

When history is written and who it is written by makes all the difference in the world as to what is written and who it is written about. New discoveries and augmentation of known history has produced new light on antiquities. Antiquities are things belonging to or remaining from ancient times, such as monuments, relics, and customs. It’s important to know that it also includes the peoples, nations, and cultures of ancient times. George Rawlinson, author and historian of ancient times, gives us text that reflects and gives equal weight to all of the ancient civilizations rather than focusing on the classical Greek and Roman history as much of the studies in ancient history do.

Rawlinson found a great exaggeration of the power of Rome by some historians. He found that actually Rome was rivaled by Persia and Parthia. . . . Parthia . . . , a rival state dividing with Rome the attention of mankind and the sovereignty of the known earth. (Ancient History xx). But even he who had sought to correct history from racist and Eurocentric bents could not avoid the influences of the time and desires in his own heart and head. Rawlinson was European and he became an Anglican (Church of England) clergyman and writer on the Bible. In his view Alexander’s conquest of Asia proved "the intrinsic superiority of the European over the Asiatic. (ibid xxi). Rawlinson considered Asians lower types of humanity" Yet he was instrumental in bringing light to ancient history by studying Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)-the Levant region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, covering the areas of modern Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine (Israel). In a wider sense, the Levant includes the arc of regions from Italy to Egypt.

His studies and writings penetrated the Chaldean and Babylonian empire, with their centers near modern Baghdad; Assyria in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq) with its center near Mosul; the Persian, Sassanian, Parthian, and Median empires in modern Iran; Bactria (modern day Afghanistan), and the Anatolian states of modern Turkey. He explored and exposed the Levant civilizations of Phoenicia (Lebanon) and Egypt. Yet in all of his writings he fails to study the parallel history of Islam bursting on the scene at the time in Arabia.

The thirtieth Surah (chapter) of the Holy Qur’an mentions the warring factions of Rome and Persia. This is divine revelation to Prophet Muhammad (saws), an unlettered man of no formal education who was many miles away from the war and who had never traveled far from his local desert.

The setting is the early years of the seventh century around the years six fifteen to six-seventeen. The new Muslim religion was just six years old and the total numbers of Muslims were no more than fifty or so believers. At the time the world powers were the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire. They were at war with each other. The Byzantine occupied territory was the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The areas adjacent to Arabia were Jordan, Syria and Palestine. In these areas the Romans were completely overwhelmed by the Persian forces. It is said with absolute certainty that this Surah was revealed as prophesy since it was revealed at a time that is supported by documented historical events.

The believers in one God under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad were fighting for their very existence in the new religion of Islam against the pagan Arabs of Arabia. In 615 ce their fight for life had reached a stage of conflict that a number of Muslims had to leave and migrate to Habash (Abysinnia). At this time part of the Qur’an was revealed; and in it a prediction was made, saying in effect: The Romans have been conquered in the neighboring land and in a few years after their loss, they will win; and, secondly, the Muslims will also win a victory at the same time.

At the time of the revelation there was not even a remote chance that either prediction could logically come true in a few years. In one instance the few Muslims were weak and being beaten and horribly treated by the pagan Quraysh Arab tribe that controlled Arabia. Even eight years after the revelation there still seemed no way the new Muslims could be victorious against their tormentors. At the same time the Romans were losing at every turn with seemingly no possible chance of any kind of victory. The next year both miraculously won their battles as predicted by Prophet Muhammad through divine revelation. The details of the events are well documented. The exactness of the prediction as to time, place and happening was astoundingly accurate! The disbelieving people had laughed and mocked the predictions. After their fulfillment people were amazed and some were fearful. They joined the new prophet. Islam grew exponentially among the pagan Arabs, the Jews and the Christians.

Here is what Allah revealed to Muhammad, the prophet:

Alif Lam Mim [mystic Arabic letters]

The Roman Empire

Has been defeated

In a land close by:

But they, (even) after

(This) defeat of theirs

Will soon be victorious

Within a few years.

With Allah is the Decision

In the Past

And in the Future:

On that Day shall

The Believers rejoice

With the help of Allah.

He helps whom He Will,

And He is exalted in Might,

Most Merciful.

(It is) The promise of Allah.

Never does Allah depart

From His promise:

But most men understand not. (Holy Qur’an Surah 30 Al Rum 1-6)

Here is history. Here is revelation. Within a few years are the words bi thi sinin in Arabic which is a period from three to nine years. The remarkable victories of the Persians over the Romans and the devastating defeats of the Roman Empire are indelibly marked in history. Heraclius ruled Rome at the time. Most of Rome’s territory was under siege and hemmed in. All around Constantinople, the capitol, the enemy lay siege. The Roman Empire was defeated. The Persian king Khosrau (Chosroes II) was victorious.

Allah’s Words became true as He promised! The Roman Empire was defeated by the Persians. Allah said even after Rome’s defeat Rome would become victorious. It was only nine years later as prophesied that the Romans became victorious at the battle at Issus in 622 ce and conquered Persia two years later in 624. The Muslims won their first battle against the pagan Arabs at Badr in 624 and the Muslims rejoiced on that same Day. The pagan Arabs rejoiced at Rome’s defeat because they were pro-Persian in their polytheism with Persia while Rome was Christian. The pagan Arabs of the Quraysh tribe abused and oppressed the small but faithful group of Muslim believers who would one day rise up in their midst and become the great religion of Islam.

Rome and Persia were two great empires. History shows how they both decayed as the rising sun of Islam became the spiritual and political power of the time. Rome was an expansionist state extending westwards to the Atlantic. It expanded eastward and took in the territories of the successors of Alexander, The Great. Rome eventually absorbed all of the nations with a Mediterranean coastline. These two great powers fought while the nascent Muslim community grew with the power of Allah and wiped out the old monarchy of Persia and most of the Roman Empire in Byzantium (Constantinople and Istanbul). This is how Islam became the religion of modern day Turkey and modern day Iran. The Islamic Empire annexed Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Asia Minor (Turkey). This is precisely what Allah promised and revealed to Prophet Muhammad nine years earlier.

Islam was being spread not by the sword but by the power of divine providence. The southern Arabian coast of Yemen became the battleground for the Persian and Abyssinian armies. Yemen is just across the seaway from Africa at Abyssinia (Ethiopia). The Persians were Zoroastrian and the Abyssinian Empire was Christian. The Christian Abyssinians were defeated by pagan Persia. Persia occupied Southern Arabia until Yemen (and eventually Persia itself) embraced the religion of Islam. Islam is now the dominant religion in the eastern African regions on the horn of Africa.

Allah says He helps whom He will and always keeps His promise. May Allah bless you with the light of understanding. Welcome to Jews for Salaam.

About the Author

Warith-Deen Umar (formerly Wallace Gene Marks) was born into a non-practicing Christian family in Chicago, Illinois on July 23, 1944. He grew up poor and lived his early years on the city’s tough south side. His family moved to Los Angeles, California in the early 1960s where he worked for the Veteran’s Administration Hospital and studied medical technology in college before moving to New York, where as a young man of twenty-three years he found and embraced the religion of Islam.

Umar became a student minister and imam in the Nation of Islam under the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed and was an appointee of Minister Louis Farrakhan to the New York prison system. Imam Umar became the head chaplain and ministerial program coordinator for the New York State Department of Correctional Services. He pioneered Islamic institutional da’wah in American institutions in the last quarter of the twentieth century. He studied under the tutoring of the late Sheikh Ahmed Deedat in Durban, South Africa in the late 1980s studying comparative religions.

Retiring in 2000 after thirty years of religious work in city, state, and federal institutions, he began a second career in teaching and writing. He holds an associates degree in corrections administration from the State University of New York. His bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration is from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City under the City University of New York. He earned a masters in Islamic law (Shari’ah) from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia, under the scholarship of Sheikh Dr. Taha Jabbar Alalwani, the renowned Iraqi scholar and educator. Imam Umar is currently an enrolling student of Law and Legal Studies with Kaplan University.

The Imam has traveled extensively. He studied and lectured in Canada, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, and Durban and Soweto in South Africa. He is a leading jihad theorist maintaining that Islam is destined for global domination, not necessarily military or political domination per se but surely spiritual and religious domination through the process of ijtihad* and moral imperatives.

He is a lecturer, author, poet and composer. His writings, computers, tapes, notebooks, and legal papers were confiscated by law enforcement in 2005. The next year (2006) the government seized his passport. He is currently under one-year house arrest by the United States federal government (September 06-September 07). His sentence is on appeal from the United States District Court For The Southern District Of New York in the U.S Court Of Appeals For the Second Circuit (06-4835-cr)

Imam Umar is currently suing the city, state, and federal government for a violation of his Fourth Amendment civil rights against illegal search and seizure and the return of his papers, property and possessions.

*       Ijtihad: (Striving). In Islamic Law it is the effort that the jurist exerts to discover the law from the sources. Ijtihad is not a source of law; it is merely the effort invested in interpretation according to a prescribed hermeneutical methodology.

He has told you, O man, what is good,

And what the Lord requires of you:

Only to do justice

And to love goodness,

And to walk modestly with your God.

                                 —Bible / Tenach/: Micah 6:8

And what is the matter with you

That you do not believe in God?

While the Messenger invites you

To believe in your Lord, and God

Has indeed taken your covenant,

If you are real believers.

                                 —Qur’an: Al Hadid 57:8

JfS

Jews for Salaam

By Imam Warith-Deen Umar

Discourse 1

Introduction:

Salvation for a Chosen People

Jews for Salaam (JfS) is a religious propagation effort based in the United States. Jews for Salaam was founded in 2006 by Imam Warith-Deen Umar, a Muslim prayer leader and former Muslim Chaplain and chief administrator in U.S. institutions. The goal of Jews for Salaam is to develop a knowledge base to present to holy Jews in America and elsewhere to give them the opportunity to follow the guidance of the chief of the Jews of Arabia of more than fourteen hundred years ago.

The leading Jew was Abdullah Ben Salaam. During the life of the prophet of Islam, (570-632 ce) Abdullah Ben Salaam heard the new teaching and preaching of Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the new prophet of Arabia. Abdullah Ben Salaam was so taken by the new religious teaching that he concluded this new religion and new prophet to be the religion and prophet expected to come to fulfill the revelation that came to the Jews and the Christians before him. This teaching and revelation of the Holy Qur’an, he surmised, was on the perfect path that would lead to peace in the world and bring about a completely successful future for the offspring of the Jews, Christians, and the desert Arabs.

Abdullah Ben Salaam was a wise chief who had been well taught by his father, Sheikh Salaam, who had been the chief of the Jewish community in Medina