------------------------------------------------------ IN THE NAME OF ALLAH ------------------------------------------------------ >>>>>>>>>> I N N O V A T I V E M I N D S <<<<<<<<<< NEWSLETTER 16 September 99 http://www.inminds.com ------------------------------------------------------ Assalaamu Alaikum Welcome to our newsletter. In April 99 Innovative Minds joined the campaign to free prisoners of faith and to fight the ban on hijab in Turkey. We launched our campaign in the name of one of the imprisoned sisters - Sister Gul Aslan. In May 96, Gul then aged 21 with a six month old baby, was arrested after visiting her husband Tamer in Prison. Tamer is being held for his Islamic beliefs. She has been imprisoned for over three years without charge. Today we are overjoyed to announce that Sister Gul Aslan has been freed! All praise is due to Allah. We wish to thank all of you brothers and sisters who wrote letters of protest, and helped the campaign in other ways. May Allah reward all your efforts, Ameen. The campaign to free other prisoners including Gul Aslan's husband Tamer continues. We need your continued support. Thank You. CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~ 1> Sister Gul Aslan Free ! 2> NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH: Eternal Signs in Fractals CDROM 3> Letter from Prison: 17 yr old Muslimah facing death for Hijab 4> Letter from Prison: A Mother facing death penalty for Hijab 5> A Story About Turkey 6> Maths Puzzle 7> Childrens Competition 8> Support the next generation of Muslims! 9> Thought for the Day Sister Gul Aslan Free! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gul Aslan, a Turkish journalist jailed for over three years, without charge was released Friday, August 20 1999. Aslan was held in Bandirma prison with 60 other political prisoners including her husband Tamar who is still detained. Both were tortured during their incarceration. Their three and a half year old daughter was not permitted to stay with her mother during her detention. Read the full account : http://www.inminds.com/hijab-ban/aslan-free.html NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH: Eternal Signs in Fractals CDROM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Through out history, Islamic Art has drawn upon mathematics - the universal language of nature - for its inspiration. The geometric perfection of Islamic Architecture, the intricate symmetry found in tile and calligraphic designs all testify to this. We at Innovative Minds wish to continue this tradition, and hence have chosen Fractal geometry - an exciting area of mathematics - for our inspiration for this new product. You will see beautiful fractal "paintings" illuminating selected ayats from the Holy Qur'an. The multimedia experience includes animation and sound. The sound track (which can be disabled) has also been generated mathematically from fractals! Truly a screensaver for today and tomorrow. Excellent for dawa : Install it on your work pc - the beauty of the fractal images will captivate your work colleagues - and the words of the Holy Quran will liberate them, inshallah. It makes a great gift to give a non-muslim friend - they will enjoy the images and at the same time, perhaps even subconsciously, reflect upon the Divine Words. The program comes in three versions all on the same CD - versions optimized for screen resolutions 1024 x 768, 800 x 600 and 640 x 480. We recommend 24bit colour display to see the full beauty of these enchanting pictures. You will need windows 95 (or higher) and 25Mb of free HD space (so many images ... so much beauty - they have to go somewhere!) All this for the bargain price of UKP £12. For more information and screenshots: http://www.inminds.com/signs-in-fractals.html Launch Special Offer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As a launch special we are offering a huge 20% discount on "Eternal Signs in Fractals" CDROM. This offer is valid up to 30th September 1999. So for orders received this month the price is a just UKP £9.60! *** Remember price goes back to UKP £12 on 1st October. *** You can order it now on-line at : http://www.inminds.com/order.html (all credit/debit card orders are encrypted for your security) So what is a fractal ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Its a shape with some special properties. One of its properties is that a fractal has a finite area, but an infinite perimeter! The Quran has within its finite pages an infinite wisdom. Perhaps there is something here to think about? For a fun introduction to fractals visit our fractal page: (dont worry no maths!) http://www.inminds.com/fractal.html Letters from Prison: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sister Huda Kaya and her three daughters were arrested with fifty others protesting the ban on hijab (islamic headscarf) in Ynonu University, Turkey. The prosecutor is demanding the death penalty for them. The trial adjourned on 22 June 1999. We have received two letters send from their prison in Malatya. Letter from Prison: 17 year old Muslimah facing death for Hijab ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have a new letter from Sister NURCIHAN SAATCIOGLU, daughter of Huda Kaya, now aged 17 currently on trial facing the death penalty. The english translation isn't brilliant but still understandable. She describes her arrest at school: "After the arrest of my mother, my sister Intisar, me and my sister Nurulhak on 21 May 1999, as I was going out of the classroom a final look to all my class mates was glanced by me. At that time all my classmates and the teacher in that class could do nothing for me. They were wondering what I had lived through, the first time I was arrested. And now I have one more experience to tell them. For the last time I was going to the classroom to take my bag. I saw that my friends from other classes were also very much surprised. Some of them were trying not to leave me. And the others and my teacher were trying to share my emotions while I was trying to calm them..." A few lines from the "OATH of FREEDOM" that she read out in front of the Governors Building during the headscarf demonstrations on 30th April 1999 : "We were born freely We will live freely and when death comes to us We will die freely Because we have written "Jihad" on our foreheads We put the struggle in the beginning of our prayers, in every morning." Read her full letter: http://www.inminds.com/hijab-ban/nurcihan.html Letter from Prison: A Mother facing death penalty for hijab ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a new letter from Sister Huda Kaya, she writes: "..they are trying to shut our mouths with death penalties. They don't even understand that we have already chosen this way to reach the level of being a MARTYR to get Allah's pleasure..." And she talks of the struggle and the importance of unity: "When my daughters were arrested they faced torture from the police to tell them where their mother was living...They were beaten very heavily, and subjected to psychological torture. By doing this they are trying to break up the "Hijab Resistance". And we know that the history is built upon "Tevhid ( the word of saying that Allah is one)Struggle". But people have never thought of martyrdom as death. And WE ARE GOING TO TAKE OUR ROLE IN THIS INFIDEL - MUSLIM WAR. WE ARE GOING TO RESIST AGAINST OPPRESSION AT EVERY LEVEL. AND WE TRY WITH OUR WHOLE HEART TO GET MUSLIM WORLD UNITY. "Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall." (Saff-4 / Holy Quran)" Read her full letter: http://www.inminds.com/hijab-ban/huda-kaya-letter2.html A Story About Turkey - by Imam Khomeini ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Imam Khomeini spent a considerable part of his life imprisoned or in exile. His first place of forceful exile from Iran was Turkey (1964). After 11 months, his presence was proving to be increasingly detrimental to Turkeys secular government and he was exiled to Najaf in Iraq. Imam Khomeini was disappointed to see the great Islamic centres of Najaf that had once lead the struggle against British colonialism in Iraq was now apolitical, ossified in ideas of despair, lost greatness and hopelessness. In a conversation with one of the Ulema of Najaf who was not in favour of rising up: "If our actions are too severe, the people won't follow us - they wont stand up for Islam. If we rise up and someone gets a bloody nose and disturbances occur, the people will curse us.." In answer, Imam Khomeini recounted an incident in Turkey: "When I was in exile in Turkey, I went to one of the Turkish villages - I can't remember its name - and the people of that village told me that when Ataturk embarked on his un-Islamic actions, the Turkish Ulema got together in the village and began their own activities to counter his designs. In response, Ataturk surrounded the village and killed forty of those Turkish Ulema. I felt a sense of shame when I heard this. I thought to myself: these were Sunni Ulema, but when our religion of Islam was endangered they sacrificed forty lives. Yet at this time when a great danger threatens our religion, none of the noses of the Shi'i Ulema bleeds, not mine, not yours nor anybody else's. This is indeed a cause of shame." [As we know Imam Khomeini went on to lecture in Najaf on the importance and establishment of Islamic Government, and 14 years later Imam Khomeini's struggle triumphed with the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.] Today, Islam is still in danger and Turkey is still producing its sacrifices. If we do not want to bloody our noses then the least we can do is help those that have sacrificed for the sake of Islam. Please do all you can for our imprisoned Sisters and Brothers in Turkey. Full details of how you can make a difference is given on the web-site. The campaign index is at: http://www.inminds.com/hijab-ban/index.html Maths Puzzle ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Imam Ali (AS) was endowed with a quick, sharp, incisive, mathematical mind. There are a number of interesting stories in which Imam Ali's mathematical brilliance revealed itself. You can read a few at: http://www.inminds.com/maths-stories.html For our puzzle we will recount one of them: Once two men came to the Imam to settle their dispute. Lets call them A and B. They had had a meal together to which A contributed 5 loaves and B contributed 3 loaves. The problem was that a third person C, shared the meal with them, all three eating equals amounts. After the meal C paid them 8 dirhams and went away. When A and B wanted to divide the 8 dirhams between them, they quarrelled. A said: "I should get 5 dirhams and you B, get only 3 dirhams, This is a fair distribution," he added, "as it agrees with the rate of the loaves each of us had contributed." B refused and insisted on an equal division of the money, each getting 4 dirhams. Who was right? What was Imam Ali's reply? To find the answer, follow the link : http://www.inminds.com/maths-stories.html#3 (but before you go there, spend a couple of minutes figuring it out yourself!) Childrens Competition - Illustrate an Ayat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Children of all ages are encouraged to enter our exciting "Illustrate an Ayat" competition. The Challenge: Select any ayat from the Holy Qur'an and then create a picture to illustrate it. The picture can be drawn, painted, or created on the computer... its up to you. You must however scan it into your computer for emailing to us. Who can enter? There will be 2 age groups: up to 12 years and 13-18 years. Whats the prize? There will be a prize winner in both age groups. The prize for the age up to 12 group will be Islamic Fun CDROM and the prize for 13-18 age group will be Islamic Thought CDROM What will happen to the pictures? All the pictures, with credits, will be displayed in a virtual gallery on our web-site. We will create a screensaver from the best pictures. All money raised from the sale of the screensaver will go to support IHRC Campaign to Free all Prisoners of Faith in Turkey. All entries must be received by 1st. December 1999. Please encourage your children to enter the competition - they will be helping a very worthy cause. May Allah reward them. For full details and entry form : http://www.inminds.com/draw-contest.html Support the next generation of Muslims! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since we launched the "Gift of Knowledge" scheme in July, We have had requests for donated (waqafed) copies of the Fun-Learn series of Islamic Games from madressas all over the world. Sadly there has not been the same level of interest from donators wishing to waqf copies. We ask that you kindly reflect on the following wisdom: "And spend of your wealth in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loves those who do good." (Al Baqarah: 195) "Among acts and good deeds for which a believer is rewarded after death, a piece of knowledge he has taught and diffused, a virtuous son he has brought up, an inherited book of Quran he has left, a mosque or a wayfarer's house he has constructed, a river he has caused to stream or alms he has handed out of his riches while still healthy and alive, so that he benefits there from in afterlife" Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Please seize this opportunity to help todays young muslims - our next generation. Pick one of the madressas that has approached us (contact us at waqf@inminds.com for a full list), or pick your local madressa to waqf copies. Which madressa does your child attend ? Why not take this opportunity to help them. The procedure for Waqfing copies of Fun-Learn Islamic Software is straight forward: Procedure for Waqfing FUN-LEARN Software ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Waqf copies differ from normal copies in that they carry a personalised message on behalf of the donator. The message appears every time the program is run. Waqf copies are therefore made to order. The Minimum order quantity is 30 (we suggest 10 of each title) Price in UKP £ (excluding delivery) Qty 30 ( eg. 10 of each) : £5 each = £ 150 Qty 150 ( eg. 50 of each) : £4 each = £ 600 (saving= £150) Qty 300 ( eg. 100 of each) : £3 each = £ 900 (saving= £600) Shipping is as per client instructions, as a guide the weight of 100 copies is 5 Kg. The format of the personalised message to appear in the software is as follows: 10 lines of 15 characters (including spaces) for example: Donated for the heavenly reward of my grandfather first name last name Please recite Surah Fatehah for his benefit The message will appear in the info panel of the game screen. Thank you and may Allah (SWT) bless you in this world and in the hereafter. Madressa Heads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you run a Madressa or School and wish to receive waqfed copies of our FUN-LEARN series, you can still contact us - we will try and find a donator. For full information: http://www.inminds.com/knowledge-gift.html If you have already contacted us but have not received anything yet, please dont be disheartened - inshallah someone will come forward. Finally lets end with a relevant thought... Thought for the Day ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "When the first gold and silver coins were made on the Earth, Satan looked at them and, after observing them, took them and put them on his eyes and then on his chest. Then, he squealed happily and put them, again, on his chest and said (to them): You are the light of my eyes and the fruit of my heart. When the sons of Adam love you it does not matter to me that they do not worship idols; it is enough for me that they love you (since you are the greatest idols)" Ibn-Abbas from Bihar-ul-Anwar [vol 73, p137, tradition 3] as quoted in "An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Quran" when commenting on Sura 104, Ayat 2-4. Wassalam Innovative Minds P.S.: We get a lot of requests for a video copy of Shaykh Ahmed Deedats lecture "Iran: A Nation Reborn" given on 3 March 1982 in South Africa, after his visit to Iran. If anyone has this video please contact us. Thank You. For those who haven't listened to or read the lecture, its available at: http://www.inminds.com/Deedat-in-Iran.html _________________________________________________ TO UNSUBSCRIBE Visit: http://www.inminds.com/unsubscribe.html and enter your email address. TO SUBSCRIBE Visit: http://www.inminds.com/index.html#sub and enter your email address. TO SUBMIT ARTICLES Email them to editor@inminds.com, please ensure that they are original and short. (c) Innovative Minds 1999. All rights reserved. http://www.inminds.com