PROTEIN SHAKES ARE HARAAM?

I have recently been made aware that the majority of Protein shakes are infact HARAAM, due to the Whey being extracted from non halal animal sources.

From my limited knowledge of the subject and with Ramadhan Fast approaching we cannot afford to be negligent in our deen as im aware many brothers consume these drinks to aid recovery after exercise.

The good news is that there are Halal & Vegetarian Protein Shakes out there which i havent had much time to look into, so please do you research and InshaAllah inform others of this for the sake of Allah and to preserve our Islam. Please read the links below if this matter concerns you…

Why is most Whey Haraam:

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=2758&CATE=107

Halal Protein Shakes: go to sheikh google for more, search vegetarian & halal protein.

http://www.myprotein.com/uk/pages/search?SearchTerm=halal

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/un/prostar-100-whey-protein.html  (the ones in the certificate found in this link)

If you find any information in this article incorrect please inform so that i can correct my errors and Only Allah knows best.

Br Hamza
Nutrition Journalist
SunnahFit

Al-Zawahiri named new al-Qaeda chief: Aljazeera English

Al-Qaeda has named Ayman al-Zawahiri as its new chief following the killing of Osama bin Laden, the group has said in a statement issued in the name of the group’s general command.

“The general command of al-Qaeda announces, after consultations, the appointment of Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri as head of the group,” the statement, posted online on Thursday, said.

US special forces killed bin Laden in a raid on the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2.

Al-Qaeda under the new leadership of al-Zawahiri will pursue its fight against the US and Israel, the group said in the statement.

“We seek with the aid of God to call for the religion of truth and incite our nation to fight … by carrying out jihad against the apostate invaders … with their head being crusader America and its servant Israel, and whoever supports them,” it said.

Al-Zawahiri has been al-Qaeda’s number two for years.

$25m bounty

His whereabouts are unknown but he is widely believed to be hiding along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United States is offering a $25m reward for any information leading to his capture or conviction.

“Only a few weeks ago when the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was here in Pakistan she reportedly gave Pakistan what’s been described as a hitlist”, Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Islamabad, said.

“It listed five names and Zawahiri’s name was on the list. Whether that means the new al-Qaeda leader is here we don’t know for sure, but it certainly raises some questions”.

Believed to be in his late 50s, al-Zawahiri met bin Laden in the mid-1980s when both were in Pakistan to support fighters battling the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

Al-Zawahiri, who was born in Egypt, vowed earlier this month to press ahead with al-Qaeda’s campaign against the US and its allies, in what appeared to be his first public response to bin Laden’s death.

“The Sheikh [bin Laden] has departed, may God have mercy on him, to his God as a martyr, and we must continue on his path of jihad to expel the invaders from the land of Muslims and to purify it from injustice,” he said in a video message posted online.

“Today, and thanks be to God, America is not facing an individual or a group … but a rebelling nation which has awoken from its sleep in a jihadist renaissance challenging it wherever it is.”

In Thursday’s statement, al-Qaeda voiced its “support [to] the uprisings of our oppressed Muslim people against the corrupt and tyrant leaders who have made our nation suffer in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya Yemen, Syria and Morocco.”

The group urged those involved in the uprisings to continue their “struggle until the fall of all corrupt regimes that the West has forced onto our countries.”

But Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Cairo where a popular uprising toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February, said the so-called “Arab Spring” has undermined al-Qaeda in many Arab countries.

“This has been a significant blow to the ideology of al-Qaeda”, he said. “Many believe al-Qaeda has lost a great deal of momentum and support across the Arab world because these revolutions were able to deliver change without the use of violence.”

Ben Ali to face Trial in Absentia: Aljazeera English

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s former president who fled to Saudi Arabia in January, will be tried in absentia, Tunisia’s interim prime minister said on Monday.

“Ben Ali’s trial will start on June 20,” Beji Caid Sebsi said in an interview on Al Jazeera. “He will be tried
in a military and in a civilian court.”

In a statement released by his French lawyer, Ben Ali has slammed the trial as a “masquerade”.

Ben Ali fled to Jeddah after he was toppled by mass protests on January 14 after 23 years in power. Several members of his family and some of his closest allies were detained shortly after he was forced out.

Tunisian authorities have been preparing several legal cases against Ben Ali, including conspiring against the state, voluntary manslaughter, drug trafficking and peddling of archaeological artifacts.

Charges

Officials in Tunis have said the first charges will relate to the discovery of cash, weapons and drugs in presidential palaces, including almost two kilogrammes of narcotics, thought to be cannabis, and $27m in cash.

These finds form the basis of only two of the dozens of ongoing inquiries into the first couple, their family and the regime’s former ministers and officials.

The caretaker authorities, trying to assert their authority and gain legitimacy in the eyes of protesters who forced the transition, are attacking the vestiges of his long rule.

Meanwhile, several European countries have frozen assets belonging to Ben Ali and his entourage.

Yet Saudi authorities have not responded to a request by Tunis to extradite Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi.

The Tunisian revolution was the first and so far the most successful of a string of uprisings against autocratic rulers in the Middle East and North Africa which have come to be known as the Arab Spring.

Civilians killed in Somalia: Aljazeera English

At least 17 civilians have been killed in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, while caught in the crossfire between government security forces backed by African Union (AU) troops and al-Shabab fighters, officials have said.

“At least 17 civilian dead have been counted so far and nine of them were killed after artillery fire struck a bus station near Arafat hospital,” Ali Muse, head of the Mogadishu ambulance service, told the AFP news agency on Thursday.

Forty six other civilians were injured by stray artillery fire in the clashes over control for the city’s main market.

Tension has been building around Bakara market, which has long been a stronghold of al-Shabab, for the past 10 days and the vast majority of business owners there moved their wares out several days ago.

The opposition fighters had been digging in trenches inside the market, while government forces and their 8,000 strong AU backers in Mogadishu took up positions around the market.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow said the Bakara market is the capital’s main commercial hub and represents an important point of control for both sides.

“It is a source of revenue for al-Shabab, who has been cash-strapped for a while now. Shabab have been taxing traders and shopkeepers (in the market),” he said.

“And they (Shabab) have also been using the market to conduct attacks targeting the parliament, the presidential palace, as well as the AU forces’ headquarters.”

Government ‘advancing’

Somali officials confirmed the fighting and said they were advancing onto new positions previously held by the rebel fighters, but declined to give details about the casualties.

“We have beaten the enemy back and our forces are now advancing onto new positions very close to their last stronghold in Bakara. The fighting started last night and is still continuing sporadically around some positions,” Yusuf Dhegobadan, Somalia’s deputy chief of military staff, told reporters.

“We took control of some key positions this morning and penetrated deep into their big trenches,” he added.

Innocent Oula, the chief of staff of the African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM), said the government forces and their AMISOM allies were trying to avoid any clashes within the actual market.

“While our joint forces are indeed close to the market, we have left a clear route open to the extremists to withdraw. We urge them to take advantage of this and spare the Somali people any more suffering,” Oula said.

“What happens now is in their hands. If they refuse to leave, however, we will be left with no option other than to force them out,” he said adding that “any plans to do so will be undertaken with the greatest care to ensure minimal harm and damage to lives and property”.

E.coli Outbreak: German beansprouts ‘probable’ cause: BBC

Beansprouts grown in northern Germany are suspected to be the source of an E. coli outbreak that has left 22 people dead, local officials say.

The agriculture minister for Lower Saxony, Gert Lindemann, said there was a clear trail of evidence pointing to a plant nursery south of Hamburg.

The nursery has been closed, though officials say the outbreak’s source cannot yet be definitively confirmed.

Germans are being advised to stop eating the beansprouts.

The BBC’s Stephen Evans in Berlin says the announcement may cause embarrassment to German authorities, who had earlier pointed to Spanish farms as the source of the outbreak.

More than 2,150 people in Germany have been infected by enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) bacteria. Many have developed haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS), which can be fatal.

Cases have been concentrated in the northern city of Hamburg, with infections in 12 other countries linked to travel in Germany.

Twenty-one of the victims have died in Germany, and one person in Sweden.

Used in salads

Mr Lindemann said epidemiological studies all seemed to point to the plant nursery in Uelzen in the state of Lower Saxony, about 100km (62m) south of Hamburg – though official tests had not yet shown the presence of the bacteria there.

“Further evidence has emerged which points to a plant nursery in Uelzen as the source of the EHEC cases, or at least one of the sources,” he said.

“The nursery grows a wide variety of beansprouts from seeds imported from different countries.”

The beansprouts include adzuki, alfalfa, broccoli, peas, lentils and mung beans, all grown in the nursery for consumption in salads.

Gert Hahne, a spokesman for the Lower Saxony agriculture ministry, earlier told the Associated Press news agency that many restaurants in which people ate before becoming ill had recently taken delivery of the sprouts.

He said authorities would still maintain a warning against eating tomatoes, cucumbers or lettuce.

The health ministry in Berlin said it was still waiting for results from tests on the beansprouts, Germany’s DPA news agency reported.

And the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s national disease centre, was also reported as saying that the cause of the outbreak could not yet be confirmed.

Scientists say the new E.coli strain is an aggressive hybrid form toxic to humans and not previously linked to food poisoning.

German federal Health Minister Daniel Bahr said hospitals in northern Germany were overwhelmed by the outbreak, though he said medical workers were doing “everything necessary” to help patients.

On Saturday, German officials said there were signs that the outbreak was slowing.

Former President Mubarak of Egypt May Face Death Penalty: Aljazeera English

Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, and his two sons will go on trial starting August 3 in a Cairo criminal court for alleged graft and for their suspected role in killing protesters, Egyptian state news agency has said.

According to a court official, Mubarak would be tried on charges of corruption and intentionally killing protesters during the 18-day uprising that ended his 30-year rule on February 11, the Middle East News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Judge Ahmed Rifat would preside over the trial of Mubarak and his sons, Ala’a and Gamal, at the North Cairo criminal court, a judicial source told the AFP news agency.

Mubarak could face the death penalty if convicted on charge of “pre-mediated killing”- or having played a part in a crackdown that left more than 800 demonstrators dead, Egyptian justice minister said earlier this month.

Mubarak has been in custody at a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Egyptian resort town by the Red Sea coast, since April 13 after reportedly suffering a heart attack during questioning.

Mubarak was in no condition to be transferred to a prison hospital and would for now stay in the current health facility, Egypt’s public prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Ala’a and Gamal are being held in Torah prison on the outskirts of Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin said the medical team recommended against bringing the former president to a Cairo prison facility after examinations deemed his health “too unfit, too unwell” at this time.

“If indeed legal proceedings are to go forward … most likely and it could very well possibly be that the court goes to the former president at the hospital,” Mohyeldin said in his report fromCairo.

Public and transparent

Last week Mubarak was fined $90m for cutting of internet access and mobile phone services during the country’s massive protests which began in January.

A high-powered body of the country’s military, which has been running the country since Mubarak stepped down, has been under pressure from ordinary Egyptians to bring to justice officials of the ousted regime, known for corruption and authoritarianism.

Our correspondent said Egyptians wanted the trial to be public and transparent.

“People want to see the charges, people want the evidence brought forth and hear from the defendant himself, in a public and in a transparent manner,” he said.

While former regime officials have been put on trials which have “really been happening behind closed doors, with some of the actual victims unable to attend the actual trials, and more importantly, they are unable to see the evidence that is brought forward,” he reported.

Questions remain as to how Mubarak’s trial will be conducted – whether victims and their families will be allowed to attend and whether there will be access for media and international observers, but having a trial date is “in the eyes of many a very important step forward”, Mohyeldin added.

Yemeni violence escalating rapidly

Yemen’s geo-political landscape and internal politics is radically changing day by day. It has been reported up to six people have died in Southern Yemen in the city of Taiz after government forces fired upon demonstrators who were making their way to Liberty Square where hundreds of anti-government protestors have been camping for days.

The demonstrators are demanding for the eviction of President Ali Abdullah Saleh from office. Many protestors blame him for the poverty and corruption affecting the country that he has ruled for the last three decades.

The violence in Taiz followed after seven explosions were heard in north Sanaa.

The powerful Hashed tribe have been battling President Saleh’s security forces in the district of Hasaba in recent days and it doesn’t seem that it has subsided after a ceasefire was ratified.

People are fleeing the scene of fighting but there are no reports of casualties as of yet.

It has been reported that the coastal town of Zinjibar has been taken over by 300 fighters, allegedly by Al-Qaeda members.

This has caused the opposition to believe that President Saleh allowed this to happen so as to argue the case of the vulnerability of Yemen to the threat of Al-Qaeda.

More than 140 people have reported to have died in the demonstrations, this number is likely to increase.

Stealing Money Destined For Somali People

In a not so surprising twist, the TFG (Transitional Federal Government) of Somalia have been rebuked by online news pundits for their carelessness in keeping a track record of the money transfers they receive by Arab countries and the money the  corrupt-government makes by the revenues they receive from the ports, airport and other sources.

In a 22-page report due to be published on Wednesday, Abdirazak Fartaag, the head of the Public Finance Management Unit, a Somali government body charged with overseeing the country’s financial management documented donations from Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and other doners in 2009 and 2010 totalling more than $75Million – only $2.8Million was accounted for by the government.

In a country ravaged by thousands of refugees, pirate hijackings and war – the powerless TFG which only control a few pockets of Mogadishu are hoarding money for themselves and not dispersing it the way a respectable and just government should be doing. A country in which its people only make $1 dollar a day.

The TFG with the support of up to 10,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops are in a stalemate war with the rising Islamist army force AlShabaab since early 2009.

The TFG’s term is due to expire this August but they are looking for an extension for another year and Western governments are reluctant to donate.

Ahmad Ibtes

Salafis in Cairo aim to establish ‘Virtue’ political party | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today’s News from Egypt

A group of Salafi Muslims based in Cairo are in the process of collecting signatures before the establishment of a political party to be named the Fadila (meaning virtue) Party.

According to founding members, the party will aim to spread justice and equality and to restore Egypt to its former glory as a leading country, in accordance with Islamic principles.

The proposed formation of the new party was announced through social networking site Facebook, as well as through a number of internet links carrying the party’s name. The same sources advertise the headquarters of the party as being in Nasr City, and it is there that group members meet daily to prepare the party’s political plans for the parliamentary, Shura Council and presidential elections.

Adel Abdel Maqsoud Afify has been selected for the position of chairman. Afify, the former director of the Department of Passports and Immigration, is the older brother of Salafi preacher Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud.

Among the other leading figures in the group is Mahmoud Fathy, who has been selected as founding deputy chairman. The political bureau of the party will include Azhar University law professor Mohamed Abdu, Khaled Saeed, Hossam Abul Bukhary, Mamdouh Imam, and Sheikh Farahat Ramadan, a leading Salafi figure in Kafr al-Sheikh.

“The party was able to collect over 5000 signatures to date and the other signatures are being collected from the governorates,” said Fathy.

“We met several times at the party headquarters to choose its cadres and headquarters in the governorates, and we will hold a big press conference, which is expected to be at the Journalists Syndicate, following the party’s establishment,” he said.

Fathy rejected the description of the proposed party as “Salafi”, saying that it will have an Islamic background whose main source is sharia law, but that it welcomes all sects within the society as members.

Fathy said the party is being established on a platform of principles that include reform, supporting state institutions in accordance with the constitution, and restoring Egypt’s leading role in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

He went on to say the party is also being established in order to achieve justice and equality for all citizens, equal distribution of wealth, and to guarantee legal prosecution of anyone who commits a crime against the people.

Prominent Salafi figure Hesham Kamal said the party is to be based on moderation and that it is headed by legal and scientific cadres who took part in the 25 January revolution.

“The party calls for a civil state with a religious reference and calls for a new constitution in accordance with the wishes of the people,” said Kamel. “The party is not concerned with the enforcement of hudood punishments [Islamic punishments for moral crimes] as there is more to religion than hudood punishments.”

Meanwhile, Mostafa Mohamed, one of the members of the proposed party said that over 80 percent of members were Salafis. However, he said that membership would not be restricted on the basis of religious belief.

“The party is not restricted to Salafis, anyone can join even if Christian,” he said.

President Obama’s Rhetoric Speech

United States President Barack Obama has laid out his vision for the Palestinian-Israeli border demarcation to be set upon the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps.

He said “The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognised borders are established for both states.

This was a key speech from President Obama centred on attracting the attention of the Muslim world and is a continuous speech to the 2009 speech he gave in Cairo in which was centred upon the Arab Awakening or in other words, the Arab revolution which has griped North African & Middle-Eastern States in the past six months.

He reiterated the right of Israel to defend itself “As for security, every state has the right to self-defence, and Israel must be able to defend itself – by itself – against any threat.”

But didn’t give the same verbal comfort to a supposed future Palestinian state “the Palestinian state has to be demilitarized …Israel must enjoy security.”

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister appreciated the US President’s remarks but rejected any withdrawal of Israeli settlements or military personal to “indefensible” 1967 borders.

Hamas Spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri said “What Obama needs to do is not to add slogans but to take concrete steps to protect the rights of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation”.

His speech touched upon the uprisings in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria and called on the leaders to either reform or to step aside for the change to take place.

By Ahmad Ibtes