Hijab purifying our intentions

“Verily, the reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, Verily, every person will get rewarded only for what he intended.” – Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

As a female, I realize how hard it is to overcome the temptations of dressing up in a certain way. Since we’re constantly bombarded with media images telling us how to dress and how to look more appealing to others. I realize this. But I also realize a bigger reality. For this isn’t the reason why I was created. It’s not all about my looks and how others perceive me. I was created for a more noble purpose. To help make this world a better place and find my way back to my Creator. While studying some of the world religions, I realized that among the many similarities between them is in fact the religious dress code of women. It has always been about covering and not drawing attention to one’s body. In Islam, we often refer to this kind of dress code as Hijab.

Any behavior that is regularly repeated will soon turn into a habit. That’s why in Islam we are constantly encouraged to renew our intentions before taking any action. Finding meaning to hijab, which is an act of obedience to God, is essential. It shouldn’t turn into a habitual act devoid of any spiritual meaning.

There is in fact an increasingly popular trend among Muslim women these days of taking off the hijab. It might also become the norm very soon. I believe one of the main reasons girls are taking it off is because they no longer feel its essence. It has become insignificant or an unnecessary burden. Some might argue that it’s not obligatory. While others believe it is, but admit it’s a decision they’re not ready to take. Nouman Ali Khan, a Quran teacher, says about the validity of Hijab: “The ruling hasn’t changed. It’s not something that is really open to discussion and it wasn’t questionable until recently.”

So what is Hijab?

Hijab comes from the Arabic word ‘hajaba’ meaning to hide or to concel. Islamically, it often refers to the dress code of Muslim women. Khimar is another Arabic word that comes from the root word ‘khamara’ meaning to cover. Everything that covers something else is called its khimar. In accordance to the Muslim woman dress code, Khimar is the top garment (head-covering) while hijab may refer to the garment of the rest of the body. This shows that Hijab is not simply a headscarf covering the head, but it’s more than that. You can wear whatever you want making sure it doesn’t violate the Islamic guidelines of Hijab which mainly revolve around wearing loose garments that do not reveal the female’s figure.

“O you Children of Adam! We have indeed sent down to you garments to cover your shame, and (garments) for beauty but the garment of God-consciousness is the best of all..” [Quran 7:26]

So why should we wear it ?

Many Muslim women wear hijab for a number of reasons. Whether it’s for cultural reasons, parental influence, religious reasons or others. Our intention behind wearing it is what really counts. Most of us though would answer instantly when asked and say we do it for God. But the truth is, sometimes we tend to forget that and we keep it on out of habit or out of fear of being judged by others. According to Islam, we wear it not because it forces men to respect us; and not to save our beauty for them, not to make ourselves less of a trial for men: they’re not even part of the equation. We do it because God told us to do so, not because we saw benefits in it either. On a personal level, I also see it as a test. A test from the Most Beautiful. Among God’s countless blessings is the fact that He made all women beautiful.

And no doubt – we all love our beauty to be recognized.

But I believe our obedience is actually being tested.

“Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe,” without being put to test? [Quran 29:3]

The word Islam bears within its meaning ‘peace and submission’ , coming from the same root word as Salam, ‘Salam and Isteslam’ respectively. So it basically means that by submitting your will to God you’ll be at peace. That is what Islam is about, submitting our standards to God’s standards. And truth be told, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

It’s important to mention that Hijab is not the only way by which women could worship God. However, it is still an act of worship we’re commanded to be engaged in.

As Maryam Amirebrahimi says: “Worship comes in such a variety of forms. Being a housewife can be a form of worship. Being a stay-at-home-mom can be a form of worship. Being a working wife and mother can be a form of worship. Being an unmarried female student can be a form of worship. Being a divorced female doctor, a female journalist, Islamic scholar, film director, pastry chef, teacher, veterinarian, engineer, personal trainer, lawyer, artist, nurse, Qur’an teacher, psychologist, pharmacist or salon artist can each be a form of worship. Just being an awesome daughter can be a form of worship.

We can worship Allah in a variety of ways, as long as we have a sincere intention, and what we do is done within the guidelines He has set for us.”

Kuwaiti princess migrates to Saudi to be ‘close to the Prophet’

A Kuwaiti princess has dumped her wealth and left her country to live permanently in Saudi Arabia to be close to the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), saying it has been her dream for years, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

Princess Aisha Mubarak Al Sabah, a member of the ruling family in the oil-rich Gulf country, said she was bidding a farewell to the people of Kuwait in a brief statement published in most local newspapers.

She said she was departing Kuwait permanently and settling in the western Saudi town of Medina, where the Prophet’s grave is based.

“After relying on God the Almighty, I decided to leave my country and live in Medina so I will be close to our dear Prophet peace be upon him and to fulfill a dream that has tantalized my head for many years,” she said.

The Princess said she had already sought permission to leave from Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

“I express my gratitude to the Emir for his support and sympathy and pray to God the Almighty to make Medina my residence to be used for obedience and later my tomb…”

Morsi cuts all ties with Damascus, calls for Syria no-fly zone

Egypt has decided to cut all ties with Syria, close the embassy in Cairo and withdraw the Egyptian envoy from Damascus, said Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. He also urged the international powers to impose a no-fly zone over Syria.

“We have decided to close down the Syrian embassy in Cairo,” said Morsi during a conference of Sunni Muslim clerics in support of the Syrian uprising at Cairo Indoor Stadium, according to local newspaper Ahram online. “The Egyptian envoy in Damascus will also be withdrawn.”

The decision comes into effect Saturday.

The President added that Hezbollah, the Shiite Islamic militant group based in Lebanon.

“We stand against Hezbollah in its aggression against the Syrian people,” Morsi said. “There is no space or place for Hezbollah in Syria.”

Hezbollah fighters  have  reportedly been fighting alongside Syrian pro-government troops against the opposition forces in the ongoing conflict.

Addressing the massive crowd at the stadium, the Egyptian president said “the Egyptian people support the struggle of the Syrian people, materially and morally, and Egypt, its nation, leadership … and army, will not abandon the Syrian people until it achieves its rights and dignity.”

Morsi urged the international powers not to hesitate to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria. His supporters chanted: “From the free revolutionaries of Egypt: We will stamp on you, Bashar!”

The US has been giving consideration to the issue of setting up a no-fly zone across Syria and possibly along Jordan’s border after claims that nerve gas was used by the Syrian government, sources told Reuters.

“Washington is considering a no-fly zone to help Assad’s opponents,” a senior diplomat told the agency.

But Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has stressed that any attempt to establish the no-fly zone would be a violation of international law.

“There have been leaks from western media regarding the serious consideration to create a no-fly zone over Syria through the deployment of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and F-16 jets in Jordan,” Lavrov said. “You don’t have to be a great expert to understand that this will violate international law.”

Advice to single sisters entangled with married men

The man you claim to “love” and are eagerly waiting on the sidelines for in the hopes that he’ll see you, is keeping you in the periphery for a reason. He knows perfectly well that he can go on enjoying his game on the field and you’ll still be standing there waiting around when everyone else goes home. You see, he loves the attention you give him. He relishes every minute of it. He loves the power he has over you. He loves that you are so eager to please him. Come rain or shine, he knows that you’ll always be standing there, eagerly waiting for him to just give you a glance…and no matter how difficult the game is he’s playing, unlike everything else he’s got going on, he knows you’re a sure shot. You may be the only guarantee he has in life, which is why his grasp on you is so tight.

He may say all the right things, he may go out of his way to make you feel EXTRA special. Maybe he has a nickname for you and “only” you. He has you convinced that YOU are an exception above all other women, even his wife, which is why he can’t stay away from you. If he’s really good, he’ll periodically pull the “I’m feeling guilty” card and disappear for a while. Then, in poetic fashion, he’ll reappear and tell you how “impossible” it was to forget you, how he thought of you every day and just needed to see you again!

Sounds so amazing doesn’t it? After all, what woman doesn’t want to believe that she’s irresistible? What woman doesn’t want a man to make her feel that she has a special power, above all other women in his life, to make him weak?

He’s figured out that by sticking to this solid script he can manipulate you to do pretty much anything he wants you to and believe anything he tells you.

Now, I know it’s hard for you to hear these things about the man you “love”. After all, he’s so sweet and such a good man otherwise. He has a good heart, he may even go to the masjid, help raise funds for charitable causes, and be an all-around “good guy”. How can such a man be capable of intentionally manipulating you? He’s not evil! He loves you…you know it, you feel it…he just can’t be with you because his life is so difficult. He’s sacrificing his own happiness (which is being with you) because of his family, his children, his parents…you feel so sorry for him but it makes you love him even more that he’s so noble…

Hold up…let’s rewind for just a second.

No one is saying that he’s evil. Being a man who is caught up in this toxic situation and one who is otherwise a relatively “good Muslim” are not mutually exclusive. Throughout history, even in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), men (and women) have fallen into this dangerous trap of shaitan. So, no one is denying that he has virtues. He is caught up in the addictive cycle the same as you are, just for different reasons. But that’s a whole other topic all together. We’re focusing on you right now.

Now, I want you to indulge me for just a moment and consider the possibility that what you perceive as “love” for this person is not as pretty and romantic as you think but it’s actually something else, something that is actively harming you. How many nights have you cried yourself to sleep because of the loneliness, the feelings of neglect? How many times have you beaten yourself up wondering why he’s not with you or why he didn’t choose YOU as his wife? How many times have you felt sick to your stomach over the guilt? Is that what you imagined you’d feel when you met “the one”? Or did you imagine someone who RECIPROCATED your feelings, and not just by word, but by action?

Didn’t you imagine that when you found the person you were created for that he would be loyal to you, be there for you when you needed him, take care of you when you were sick, honor your friends and family, wipe away your tears when you were down, and be proud to walk side by side with you, just as you were proud to do so with him? If you did, then you were right. That is how a man and woman who are in love behave with one another.

I’m certain you didn’t imagine that being in love meant that you would be hidden, like someone’s shameful secret. Unfortunately, despite the intensity and authenticity of your feelings for him, despite the fact that you already have and would probably continue sacrificing yourself, your principles, your reputation, your family’s honor, your spiritual health, etc., for him, he is not willing to do what it takes to be with you.

That would take honesty on his part. It would take for him to sacrifice many things that are part of the life he’s created…but he’s not willing to do that, which is why his promises to you will most likely NEVER be fulfilled. He is not willing to lose it all for you…if he was, he’d already have done it and wouldn’t be stringing you along as he has been.

Trust me when I say that a man in love will move mountains to be with the woman he loves. A man in lust, a man addicted to the attention his ego gets from such relationships, a man who cannot control his desires, will NOT. He will just continue to fulfill his desires. He will keep the addiction going as long as the supply is there and he can continue getting whatever he wants out of it. The moment his needs are no longer being met he will disappear completely. What does that mean for you? It means that the moment you stop giving in to him, the moment you stop showing up at the games, the moment he no longer sees you on the sidelines, he will dispose of you without a second thought…and unless he gets help, he’ll move on to his next conquest.

So, please my dear sister, do not be someone who lets ANYONE treat you like you are disposable. Do you realize who you are? I know this relationship has probably worn down your self-image and self-worth, but let me remind you that you have been honored by Allah (swt) to not only be a Muslim, but to be in the ummah of the Best of Creations (peace be upon him). Much of the Prophets life mission, even up until his last moments on earth, were to fight for YOUR rights as a woman, to be honored, to be cherished, to be loved, to be respected. You deserve better than this. You were not created to be used by someone and have your rights and honor stripped from you in the process. Would he ever allow someone to do this to his sister, to his daughter? Of course not! So what gives him the right to do it to you? It’s because what you risk losing is not as important as what he risks gaining from you. He does not care that you are in a state of perpetual heartache, that you cry when you are not with him, or that you have possibly missed out on so much of your life being caught up in this vicious cycle.

Please get out and seek help. There are professionals who can help you, people who will never judge you or ever expose you. They will do whatever they can to guide you out of this, inshAllah. You just have to believe that with Allah (swt) anything is possible. If you are sincere, in the blink of an eye, he can remove these feelings from your heart and set you free. Return to Him. He loves you, He loves your tears of repentance more than you can ever know. I promise you, if you surrender to Him, you can and will overcome this inshAllah. You just have to value yourself as much as He (azza wajal) has valued you and take the first step.

Allah (swt) said: “I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself. And if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” (Hadist Qudsi: Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

UK family face losing home after grandfather’s terrorism conviction

The family of a former Taliban fighter convicted of attempting to recruit two undercover police officers for jihad in Afghanistan face losing their £200,000 home under anti-terrorism laws.

Munir Farooqi, 56, was given four life sentences in September 2011 for running a ‘recruitment centre’ for home-grown extremists to go to Afghanistan to kill British troops.

His family have now spoken of how it is ‘sickening’ that they face being made homeless if Farooqi loses his High Court appeal next month against his conviction.

The house in Longsight, Manchester, is home to three generations of the Farooqi family, including two children, according to The Independent.

The Crown Prosecution Service’s Proceeds of Crime Unit served the family with a notice at the end of Farooqi’s trial for soliciting to murder and disseminating terrorist literature.

The notice informed the Farooqis that they intended to seize the house under Section 23a of the Terrorism Act. But the judge in the case ordered it could not go ahead until Farooqi’s appeal against the terror conviction had been heard.

The family’s supporters who oppose the seizure say they are being punished even though they have done nothing wrong.

Munir Farooqi’s son Harris, 29, a market trader who was cleared of terror charges at the 2011 trial, said eight people lived at the home, owned by his sister and mother.

He told The Independent: ‘How can they demonise a whole family? It is sickening.

‘You have to be insane deliberately to make a family go through such torture and to claim they are all terrorists.’

The property could be seized under anti-terrorism laws because the court found attempts took place there to radicalize men and persuade them to take part in jihad.

The family told the paper they are confident their father, who was ordered to serve a minimum of nine years, will win his appeal and that the undercover police investigation was unlawful.

The family’s solicitor Simon Pook said the act had been misinterpreted. He said it could be in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights if it created case law. Nearly 20,000 people have signed a petition opposing the seizure of the house.

During his trial, Manchester Crown Court heard how Farooqi was at the centre of a plot to radicalize and persuade vulnerable young men to ‘fight, kill and die’.

Over a two year period Farooqi – who boasted of being a jihadist and was detained in Afghanistan in 2001- tried to persuade people visiting his stall to travel to training camps in Afghanistan.

He was arrested in November 2009 after two white undercover policemen infiltrated the recruiting school and underwent radicalisation ceremonies in the basement of his terraced home.

During the undercover investigation one of the detectives taped Farooqi boasting: ‘If we die, we win. You have Allah on your side, how can we lose?

‘You know Jihad is not about you giving your life away. If we’re going to go there you make sure you take at least 40 or 50 people with us so we’ve done something.’

In September 2011 Farooqi was convicted of three charges of soliciting murder, preparing for acts of terrorism and distributing terrorist publications after a four month trial. He was jailed for a minimum of nine years.

A CPS spokesman said: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service is making an application under S23a of the Terrorism Act 2000 for the forfeiture of Munir Farooqi’s home… on the basis that it has been used for the purposes of terrorism.

‘The power to forfeit residential premises in these circumstances is a new power under the Counter Terrorism Act 2008, and before any decision is made, the forfeiture application is considered by the court and the family will be given an opportunity to be heard.

‘The court will consider the effect of any order on the family members.’

How can Muslim communities better protect themselves?

“We sat and wept”, said the leader of the Somali Bravanese community to Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg of the New North London Synagogue after a fire burned to the ground the al-Rahma Islamic Centre that had been used for prayers, celebrations and educating children.

It is not just the Somali Bravanese Muslims of Muswell Hill who are the victims of this suspected hate crime, but all British Muslims who experience fear and intimidation when their religious community is the target of violence. Hate crimes also undermine the sense of safety, security and belonging of all racial and religious minorities, such as Sikhs, Hindus and Jews.

But in this particular case, fear was quickly replaced by calm. Abubakar Ali of the al-Rahma centre was overwhelmed by the support he received from the rest of the local community: “When it [the fire] started I was shocked. I was emotional. But when I saw the crowds yesterday I was relieved and I was happy. It gave me assurances I have family, friends, neighbours – everyone was behind us.”

The importance of this immediate support by local synagogues and Jewish groups cannot be overstated: it challenges popular assumptions of intractable tensions between British Muslims and Jews. It is important for Muslims and Jews to form alliances because as non-Christian monotheistic religious minorities they face similar forms of prejudice.

British Jews have a long history of experiencing state-sponsored persecution, violence and expulsion that is more extreme than the contemporary situation facing Muslims in Britain. Nevertheless, Muslims can learn important lessons from the extensive experience of British Jews in their fight against racism. The Community Security Trust (CST), which safeguards British Jews, was set up as Jewish voluntary community group without public funding, at a time when the criminal law, the police and statutory agencies did not prioritise the fight against violent racism. The CST has generously shared its experience with other racial and religious minorities, including most recently the newly formed Mama Project (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) that records anti-Muslim attacks, provides community-based advice and supports victims.

What exactly can Muslim communities fighting racism learn from British Jews? The experience of the CST confirms that a strategy has to involve three stakeholders: the individual, the community, and statutory agencies. First, therefore, it is important to build individual confidence among Muslims that encourages them to report rather than endure anti-Muslim hatred. Even minor incidents, such as name-calling on Twitter, should be reported.

Second, community groups such as Mama need support because they are uniquely placed to build trust and respond sensitively. Third, individuals and community groups should work constructively with the police and statutory agencies.

These days, the police are better placed to safeguard Muslims than they were in the past, since hate crimes now cover religion as well as race, and post-Stephen Lawrence policing reforms ensure a greater (albeit not optimal) institutional capacity to fight hate crimes and support victims.

Some suggest that it is safer for ethnic minorities to take the protection and policing of their communities into their own hands – the plans of the jihadist gang jailed for plotting to bomb an EDL rally seems to stem in part from that kind of flawed logic. If the EDL continues as an anti-Muslim “street movement”, the police must stop the cycle of violent retaliation between extremist groups. This requires strengthening links between statutory agencies and local Muslim organisations that have deep roots and legitimacy in their communities. More generally, those who argue for self-policing underestimate the resources needed to fight racism. Moreover, it is not realistic to expect Muslims, an economically deprived and socially excluded group, to have the internal resources to record incidents, support victims or tackle jihadists. Community-based initiatives such as Mama, valuable though they are, cannot replace the work of national statutory agencies, especially for Muslim communities.

Still, tackling hate crimes in an age of austerity and cuts to police budgets will be challenging. Lynne Featherstone MP set out the coalition government’s approach in the 2012 report Challenge it, Report it, Stop it: the Government’s Plan to Tackle Hate Crime. Featherstone’s approach shifted the lead for tackling hate crimes from national statutory agencies to the “local level with professionals, the voluntary sector and communities”. This “deregulation” of hate crime initiatives, at the same time as cutting police budgets, will leave not only Muslims but all citizens vulnerable. It is tantamount to the government trying to extricate itself from the responsibility for recording and tackling extremist hate crime altogether: not only the acts of violent racists who target Muslims but also those jihadists who target white communities.

In the face of the visceral hatred of both the EDL and jihadists, co-operation between Jews and Muslims remains especially important. Although there is no simple relationship between antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice, both racisms as well as jihadism share a common feature: they are an attack on our democratic values of tolerance, equality and solidarity. This also explains why antisemitism in the Muslim community, and anti-Muslim prejudice in the Jewish community, are not only wrong in principle but they are also ultimately a self-defeating “own goal”. The spectacle of Muslims repeating anti-Jewish conspiracy theories or Jews disseminating narratives about a Muslim plot to seize control and establish “Londonistan” is like watching turkeys vote for Christmas.

The Jewish experience also provides an important clue about wider ethical responsibility for racism against British Muslims. It is true that many of the perpetrators of racism are young, white, working-class men. Yet, it is also true that the rhetoric of anti-Muslim prejudice was not created by young, white, working-class men in a pub in Muswell Hill. EDL leader Tommy Robinson’s words on Radio 4′s Today programme may have jarred with polite sensibilities, but they were a version of crude, false generalizations about Muslims, sharia and Islam that are commonplace throughout the British media. Just as in the past it was often the educated literati who were responsible for creating a false identity about British Jews that led to their persecution, the originators of anti-Muslim prejudice in the present have largely been educated political and media elites rather than white working-class men. These elites are the wider perpetrator community who provide the legitimating discourse and language for violent racism.

Qur’an-based defence too challenging even for Muslim lawyers

Chiheb Esseghaier shuffled to the prisoner’s dock on Monday, his ankles bound in shackles, for what would be another lesson in his crash course in Canadian law.

Esseghaier is one of two men charged with terror-related offences in relation to a plot to derail a Via Rail passenger train somewhere between Toronto and New York City.

But his demand for a defence based on the Qur’an rather than the Criminal Code has thrown a wrench into even some of the routine proceedings in this case, and is proving difficult to accommodate.

Criminal defence lawyer Nader Hasan, a member of Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association, says he does not believe Esseghaier can get the lawyer he wants.

“You cannot answer those charges without resorting to law based on man-made Canadian Criminal code and Canadian constitutional principles,” Hassan said.

Not only does he think Esseghaier will not find the lawyer he wants, Hassan says the accused is potentially ignoring Islamic law.

“As a Muslim I know enough to know that Muslims, whether they live in a Muslim majority country or a majority non-Muslim county they have an obligation to follow the law of the state,” he said.

By any measure, this is a complex case that may take months to be heard.

It may take even longer if the 30-year-old Esseghaier, a metal sciences student in Montreal, winds up representing himself.

From his first appearances, via video link, Esseghaier has been demanding what most legal analysts say is an impossibility under Canadian law: a lawyer who will defend him based on the Qur’an.

According to Esseghaier, the Criminal Code is “man-made” law and not a “holy book.”

One lawyer, reportedly arranged through Legal Aid, did see Esseghaier in jail recently, but Esseghair said the man would not be able to take on the case because of the unusual requirements.

For now, at least, Esseghaier is without a lawyer, leading to some unusual scenes in court, such as the one that took place in Brampton on Monday.

After he was seated, shackles still in place, the lawyer for the second accused in this case rose, unexpectedly stepping in to help out Esseghaier.

Brydie Bethell, who represents 35-year-old Raed Jaser of Toronto, suggested to the judge that Esseghaier should not be shackled inside the courtroom.

The judge agreed, asking the guards to unlock the cuffs around his ankles.

It was not the only example of the court taking special steps to ensure that Esseghaier is treated properly and instructed on the law where necessary, even if it slows the proceedings.

Few options

One legal historian, Jim Phillips of the University of Toronto, says Canadian criminal courts have always barred requests to import other legal systems — a practice that goes back to pre-Confederation days, when First Nations asked to be tried based on aboriginal laws.

“I don’t know of any instance where someone can bring in from outside their kind of personal law and have it apply to them,” Phillips said.

It is the second time in two months that courts in Toronto have struggled with demands to accommodate religious beliefs within the confines of the criminal law.

In April, a judge ordered a woman to remove her niqab, or face veil, in order to testify against two men she alleges sexually assaulted her. That decision is now under appeal, for a second time.

In Esseghaier’s case, the court has few options. A judge could appoint a lawyer as an amicus curiae or friend of the court, to informally assist Esseghaier. The other option is to continue to have him represent himself.

Already, that is proving to be a challenge. A lawyer representing media organizations, which have applied to have confidential documents related to the case released publicly, said he had difficulty delivering legal papers to the unrepresented Esseghaier in prison.

Peter Jacobsen said guards were uncertain about what to do, though eventually the papers were served.

Jacobsen, though, said there are other problems, including simple matters such as scheduling court appearances, which are usually arranged between lawyers over the telephone, something they cannot do directly with an accused who is in jail.

In court on Monday, the judge was careful to explain the proceedings to Esseghaier, who took notes with a pen and paper supplied by the court. He made it clear to the judge that he does not want any documents released to the public, suggesting it was an invasion of his privacy.

He is scheduled to be back in court on June 25 in Toronto and Legal Aid officials say they are still searching for a solution.

Balkan militants join Syria’s rebel cause

SOVI PAZAR, Serbia — Eldar Kundakovic was fighting to free Syrian rebels from prison in May when he was killed by a hand grenade.

Unlike most militants battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, he was not from Syria or a nearby Arab country.

Kundakovic came from Novi Pazar in Serbia’s mainly Bosniak Muslim region of Sandzak.

His death notice, posted on the Internet by Syrian rebels, calls attention to a growing trend: young Muslims from the Balkans are traveling to Syria to join the rebel cause.

RFE/RL has received confirmation that the journey from the Balkans to the Middle East has been made by Muslims from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania.

Compared to thousands of Lebanese Shi’ite Hizballah militants bolstering Assad’s forces, the number of Balkan fighters with Syrian rebels is small — no more than several hundred.

In most cases, Balkan militants in Syria first embraced Salafism — the Islamic fundamentalist movement that includes Al-Qaeda jihadists.

Salafist leaders in the Balkans deny recruiting or transporting Balkan militants to Syria. They say those who join Syrian rebels do so as individuals.

But Resad Plojovic, deputy leader of Sandzak’s muftiate, told RFE/RL he thinks “some organizations and individuals” are recruiting Balkan Muslims.

“There are centers or individuals who probably have connections with certain organizations, and they are motivating people,” he says. “They also may know ways to transport them to the war zone. Let’s be frank. Many here do not even know where Syria is. They cannot know how to go there and get involved in all that is happening there.”

‘Radicalized Before Going To Syria’

Kundakovic’s father told RFE/RL that he last spoke with his son by telephone when he crossed into Syria from Turkey in late March.

Esad Kundakovic says his son immediately joined a rebel unit with about 30 fighters from Sandzak.

According to Mina Jovicic, a friend of Kundakovic in Novi Pazar, the young man was radicalized before going to Syria.

“He entered religion abruptly and then he started attending lectures and hanging out with people who talked about it often,” she said.

Anel Grbovic is a journalist from Novi Pazar who was Kundakovic’s high-school classmate.

He maintains that most jihadists from Sandzak distanced themselves from Serbia’s two official Islamic communities before traveling to Syria.

“The fact is, there are illegal organizations recruiting people here,” he says. “The fact is, there are houses where they come together. The fact is, there are facilities where they conduct their religious rituals — which mean they exclude themselves from the mosque. That means they exclude themselves from the system of the Islamic community and are more easily influenced by some individuals or organizations.”

In Kosovo and Macedonia, militants who have fought alongside Syrian rebels told RFE/RL that they wanted to help “Sunni brothers” fight Assad’s regime.

One fighter from Macedonia said he hooked up with Syrian rebels via an intermediary in Vienna.

Strong Salafist Presence

Suspicion falls upon Salafists as recruiters because Salafism is the root-ideology of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates — including the rebel Al-Nusra Front in Syria, which is considered a terrorist group by Washington.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has the strongest Salafist presence in the Balkans due to aid and investments by Saudi Arabians who are members of the fundamentalist sect.

Tellingly, many Bosnian fighters in Syria have joined the Al-Nusra Front.

Relatives of those Bosnians claim that Nusret Imamovic, the leader of the predominantly Salafist Bosnian village of Gornja Maoca, was their recruiter. Imamovic refuses to be interviewed about the allegations.

Salafists established themselves in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 Balkan conflict when foreign jihadists arrived to help Bosnian Muslims fight against Serb and Bosnian-Serb forces.

Some foreign Salafist fighters stayed in Bosnia after the war. Financial support for reconstruction also poured in from Saudi Salafists, strengthening their Balkan foothold.

Goran Zubac, director of the Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency, claims his office has questioned at least eight men linked to the organized transport of Bosnians to Syria and insists his office is closely monitoring Salafists.

“If our priority is to fight against terrorism and these activities are a part of this sector, then you can rest assured that nobody in the State Investigation and Protection Agency is sleeping,” he said.