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The Ocean of Dunya

Yesterday, I went to the beach. As I sat watching the massive Californian waves, I realized something strange. The ocean is so breathtakingly beautiful. But just as it is beautiful, it is also deadly. The same spellbinding waves, which we appreciate from the shore, can kill us if we enter them. Water, the same substance necessary to sustain life, can end life, in drowning. And the same ocean that holds ships afloat can shatter those ships to pieces.
This worldly life, the dunya, is just like the ocean. And our hearts are the ships. We can use the ocean for our needs and as a means to get to our final destination. But the ocean is only that: a means. It is a means for seeking food of the sea. It is a means of travel. It is a means of seeking a higher purpose. But it is something which we only pass through, but never think to remain in. Imagine what would happen if the ocean became our end – rather than just a means.
Eventually we would drown.
As long as the ocean’s water remains outside the ship, the ship will continue to float and be in control. But what happens as soon as the water creeps into the ship? What happens when the dunya is not just water outside of our hearts, when the dunya is no longer just a means? What happens when the dunya enters our heart?
That is when the boat sinks.
That is when the heart is taken hostage and becomes a slave. And that is when the dunya – which was once under our control – begins to control us. When the ocean’s water enters and overtakes a ship, that ship is no longer in control. The boat then becomes at the mercy of the ocean.
To stay afloat, we must view this world in exactly the same way, for Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta'ala) has told us that “Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth are signs for those who reflect.” (Qur’an,3:190) We live in the dunya, and the dunya is in fact created for our use. Detachment from dunya (zuhd) does not mean that we do not interact with this world. Rather, the Prophet ﷺ has taught us that we must:

Anas (Radiallahu Anhu) said: “Three people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask about how the Prophet ﷺ worshipped. When they were told, it was as if they thought it was little and said, ‘Where are we in relation to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who has been forgiven his past and future wrong actions?’” He said, “One of them said, ‘I will pray all of every night.’ Another said, ‘I will fast all the time and not break the fast.’ The other said, “I will withdraw from women and never marry.’ The Messenger of Allah came to them and said, ‘Are you the ones who said such-and-such? By Allah, I am the one among you with the most fear and awareness of Allah, but I fast and break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. Whoever disdains my sunnah is not with me.’” [Sahih Bukhari]

The Prophet ﷺ did not withdraw from the dunya in order to be detached from it. His detachment was much deeper. It was the detachment of the heart. His ultimate attachment was only to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta'ala) and the home with Him, for he truly understood the words of God:

“What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But verily the Home in the Hereafter, – that is life indeed, if they but knew.” (Qur’an, 29:64)

Detachment does not even mean that we cannot own things of the dunya. In fact many of the greatest companions were wealthy. Rather, detachment is that we view and interact with the dunya for what it really is: just a means. Detachment is when the dunya remains in our hand – not in our heart. As `Ali (Radiallahu Anhu) expressed beautifully, “Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.”
Like the ocean’s water entering the boat, the moment that we let the dunya enter our hearts, we will sink. The ocean was never intended to enter the boat; it was intended only as a means that must remain outside of it. The dunya, too, was never intended to enter our heart. It is only a means that must not enter or control us. This is why Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta'ala) repeatedly refers to the dunya in the Qur’an as a mata’a. The word mata’a can be translated as a “resource for transitory worldly delight.” It is a resource. It is a tool. It is the path—not the destination.
And it is this very concept that the Prophet ﷺ spoke about so eloquently when he said:

“What relationship do I have with this world? I am in this world like a rider who halts in the shade of a tree for a short time, and after taking some rest, resumes his journey leaving the tree behind.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)

Consider for a moment the metaphor of a traveler. What happens when you’re traveling or you know that your stay is only temporary? When you’re passing through a city for one night, how attached do you get to that place? If you know it’s temporary, you’ll be willing to stay at Motel 6. But would you like to live there? Probably not. Suppose your boss sent you to a new town to work on a limited project. Suppose he didn’t tell you exactly when the project would end, but you knew that you could be returning home, any day. How would you be in that town? Would you invest in massive amounts of property and spend all your savings on expensive furniture and cars? Most likely not. Even while shopping, would you buy cart-loads of food and other perishables? No. You’d probably hesitate about buying any more than you need for a couple days – because your boss could call you back any day.
This is the mindset of a traveler. There is a natural detachment that comes with the realization that something is only temporary. That is what the Prophet ﷺ in his wisdom, is talking about in this profound hadith. He understood the danger of becoming engrossed in this life. In fact, there was nothing he feared for us more.
He ﷺ said, “By Allah I don’t fear for you poverty, but I fear that the world would be abundant for you as it has been for those before you, so you compete for it as they have competed for it, so it destroys you as it has destroyed them.” (Agreed upon)
The blessed Prophet ﷺ recognized the true nature of this life. He understood what it meant to be in the dunya, without being of it. He sailed the very same ocean that we all must. But his ship knew well from where it had come, and to where it was going. His was a boat that remained dry. He understood that the same ocean which sparkles in the sunlight, will become a graveyard for the ships that enter it.
Yasmin Mogahed

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බල සේනා දෙකටම උසාවියෙන් අවවාද

ආගමික සංහිඳියාවට හානිකර කිසිත් නොකරන්නැයි කොළඹ කොටුව මහේස්ත්‍රාත් තිලිණ ගමගේ මහතා බොදුබල සේනාවට සහ ජාතික බල සේනාවට අද අවවාද කළේය.

කොළඹ නිපොන් හෝටලයේ ජාතික බල සේනා රැස්වීමට බලෙන් ඇතුළු වී අවහිර කිරීම හා කුරාණයට අපහාස කළැයි කියන සිද්ධියක් මත බොදු බල සේනා මහ ලේකම් ගලගොඩඅත්තේ ඥානසාර හිමි ඇතුළු භික්ෂූහු සිව් නමක් ද, ගිහියෝ දෙදෙනෙක් ද රුපියල් ලක්ෂය බැගින් වූ ශරීර ඇප මත මුදා හරිනු ලැබූහ.

ඥානසාර හිමි, විතාරන්දෙනියේ නන්ද හිමි, අරියවංශ සම්බුද්ධ හිමි, චන්දානන්ද හිමි, පී ජී ගුණවර්ධන හා පී වෑවල ඇප ලැබුවෝ වෙති.

නඩුව ජුනි 09 වැනි දාට කල් තැබූ මහේස්ත්‍රාත් අද උසාවියට නොපැමිණි වැලිමඩ චන්දරතන හා වැල්ලම්පිටියේ සුමනධම්ම හිමිවරුනට ද එදිනට පැමිණෙන ලෙස නොතීසි නිකුත් කළේය.

http://www.lankadeepa.lk/index.php/top_story/230714

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Rescuers are using their bare hands to dig through the mud, as David Loyn reports

At least 350 people have been killed and many more are missing, the UN says, after a landslide hit the north-east Afghan province of Badakhshan.

Hundreds of homes were buried under mud and rocks when a section of a mountain collapsed following torrential rain.

Rescuers have reached the area and are searching for survivors.

Much of north and east Afghanistan has been hit by heavy rain in recent days, and some 150 people have died in flooding.

"The number of deceased has increased to 350 and significant displacement is expected," the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

"The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is helping... local authorities to rescue those still trapped."

Local officials say that more than 2,000 people are missing.

About 1,000 houses were affected - 300 of them buried immediately after the side of a mountain gave way.

As it was Friday morning, a day of rest in Afghanistan, people were at home and whole families were lost under tonnes of mud.

Homes are buried beneath the mud and rocks

Officials say it is unlikely that anyone buried under the rubble is alive

Early television images showed almost the entire valley engulfed in mud

Badakhshan police commander Fazludeen Ayaz told the BBC that all of the village of Hargu - home to 215 families - was covered by earth and rock.

He said it was unlikely that anyone would be rescued alive from under the rubble and that even if there was rescue equipment available in the remote area, it would be difficult to dig people out.

The BBC's Qurbon Ali Hamzi in Badakhshan says it is still raining and there are fears of further landslides.

Badakhshan is in the most remote and mountainous part of the country, bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.

Searching for survivors is a huge task, our correspondent adds.

The governor of Badakhshan province, Shah Waliullah Adeeb, told AP news agency that rescue crews did not have enough equipment and appealed for shovels.

"It's physically impossible right now," Mr Adeeb said. "We don't have enough shovels; we need more machinery.''

He said that residents of nearby villages had been evacuated amid concerns about further landslides.

Another, smaller landslide was reported in Badakhshan on Thursday.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27261783

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In Pictures: The plight of the Rohingya

Many Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar are still displaced after ethnic clashes drove them from their homes. Andrew Stanbridge Last updated: 20 Jan 2014 21:01

Sittwe, Myanmar - A year and a half ago, an outbreak of violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims here in Sittwe, Myanmar, started a struggle that drove nearly 150,000 Rohingya from their homes and into hastily put-together camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Violent attacks continue to occur across Rakhine state, forcing more and more Rohingya into areas of refuge. Conditions inside the dusty camps are sparse. Those lucky enough to have been allocated official aid buildings live with 10 families in each long house. Those that are still waiting to be assigned space from the government are left to create makeshift shelters out of whatever they can salvage, whether it be empty food bags or dried rice stalks. Temperatures can vary drastically, from searing daytime heat to cold nights and monsoon rains. Access to clean water and food is limited and, although toilets facilities were some of the first things to be built, raw sewage still runs through open waterways. There are frequent disagreements between the police, largely members of the Burmese ethnic majority, and the Rohingya IDPs. These confrontations sometimes turn violent and are often only quelled when the army intervenes.

View As Slideshow >> /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera One of the first and largest IDP camps outside of Sittwe, Myanmar, where the first wave of Rohingyans fled when Buddhist mobs began to attack their villages, burning homes to the ground. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera A displaced Rohingya family eats a meal inside of their shelter. Rations given by aid groups barely cover enough for one meal a day. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera A Rohingyan child naps inside a shelter provided by aid groups and the Myanmar government. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera Many of the Rohingya that have fled their villages have not been given shelter by the government, and have begun to create their own encampments using whatever materials are available. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera Rohingyan boys collect firewood in one of the IDP camps outside of Sittwe, Myanmar. Temperatures can vary drastically from searing daytime heat to cold nights and monsoon rains. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera Rohingya men pray in an under-construction mosque. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera A policeman stands guard on a railway line that is also one of the entrances to an IDP camp. Rohingyans in the camps are not permitted to leave the encampments. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera Myanmar police on patrol in one of the Rohingyan camps. Animosity towards the police is very high. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera A Myanma policeman at the entrance to the camps shows off his grenade launcher. Many of their weapons are from the World War II era. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera During one confrontation between displaced Rohingya and police, several IDPs were severely injured when police opened fire. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera A gunshot victim waits to be evacuated by the Red Cross. Medical resources inside the camps are little to none and the Red Cross brings some of the wounded and sick into its small facilities in the town of Sittwe. /Andrew Stanbridge/Al Jazeera A Rohingyan man holds bullets and casings left behind after police shot at a mob of Rohingyan IDP's who were demanding the dead body of one of their villagers be released from police custody. Follow photographer Andrew Stanbridge on Twitter: @stanbridgefoto http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/01/pictures-rohingya-2014120155550685850.html

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Become an active member of the ProductiveMuslim community and enrich it with your thoughts. Leave a comment on this article and with it, your presence. We look forward to reading your comments. Alhamdulillah, we’ve been sharing many tips and resources on how you can work better and be a truly productive Muslim. Now it’s your turn to help our readers! Every month, we will host a Productive Muslim’s reader discussion thread where you can share and learn from each other tips that help you become more productive. Thank you for the many interesting opinions and tips on last month’s discussion on your favourite e-mail hacks! The theme for this month is productivity when you’re ill.   May Allah grant you all good health and long life for productive use. However, we do tend to fall ill from time to time. Whether it’s a brief knock out like the common cold, or something long-lasting and more of a trial, these sick days can easily slip by without much attained. Rest and recovery go hand in hand, but being the productivity ninjas that you are, do you still find a way to make this time beneficial for yourself and for others? We’ve talked about being a productive patient before. Now we want to ask YOU! Do share your thoughts below!

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Just Close Your Eyes and Imagine...

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CAR crisis: Peacekeepers escort Muslims out of Bangui

Those fleeing loaded up the convoy with whatever belongings they could carry

Continue reading the main story

CAR strife

• The peacemakers
• Why are Muslims fleeing?Watch
• Convoy of terror
• Killing of a mayor

Peacekeepers have escorted more than 1,200 Muslims out of the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui.

They were some of the last remaining Muslims in the city, who have been targeted by Christian militias in the country's civil conflict.

The country has been hit by civil conflict since Seleka rebels ousted the president in March 2013.

The largely Muslim Seleka rebels were accused of targeting Christians, prompting worsening sectarian violence.

Also on Friday, there were reports that at least 22 people, including 15 local chiefs and three local workers for the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), were killed in an attack in the town of Nanga Boguila.

The killings happened on Saturday with most of the victims dying when an MSF-run clinic was attacked, Gilles Xavier Nguembassa, a former MP for the area, told Reuters.

Mr Nguembassa said Seleka rebels were responsible for the attack.

Looters descended on the PK-12 district after the convoy left

'Ethnic cleansing'

The convoy carrying Muslims from Bangui's PK-12 district headed to the relative safety of two towns in the north of the country.

Shortly after the convoy left, looters descended on the district to strip houses and businesses, and even the mosque.

"We didn't want the Muslims here and we don't want their mosque here anymore either,'' looter Guy Richard told AP.

Some Muslims do remain in Bangui but thousands have fled Christian-majority areas in recent weeks, heightening fears of a de facto partition of the country.

Amnesty International has accused peacekeepers of failing to prevent ethnic cleansing.

"I leave with a heavy heart but we have been chased from here," PK-12 resident Tonga Djobo told AP.

Children in CAR have been victims of horrendous attacks

Aid agencies have warned the expulsions could exacerbate a food crisis, as many of the shops and wholesalers were run by Muslims.

Continue reading the main story

CAR's religious make-up

• Christians - 50%
• Muslims - 15%
• Indigenous beliefs - 35%

Source: Index Mundi

Around a quarter of the country's 4.6 million people have fled their homes due to the conflict.

After the mainly Muslim rebel Seleka group deposed President Francois Bozize and installed their leader Michel Djotodia as president, it was accused of targeting Christians.

In January, Mr Djotodia was in turn forced to step down amid criticism he had not done enough to stem sectarian violence.

Since then, Muslims have been singled out for attack, with thousands fleeing their homes, many to neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Chad.

Some 6,000 African Union and 2,000 French troops have been sent to CAR to try to halt the bloodshed but officials want the UN Security Council to deploy a force of around 12,000.

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Muslims escorted out of CAR capital Bangui

Evacuation of hundreds of Muslims from Central African Republic's capital Bangui triggers looting in abandoned areas. Last updated: 28 Apr 2014 02:42

Crowds of Christians, some armed, looted the area as the convoy left [Reuters]

Peacekeeping troops have escorted around 1,300 Muslims out of the Central African Republic’s capital city, removing one of the last pockets of Muslims from Bangui, in a nation torn apart by religious violence. Peacekeepers stood by on Sunday, as Christians, some armed with machetes and bows and arrows, swarmed into and looted houses in Bangui's northern PK12 neighbourhood, which had been a Muslim district in the majority Christian south. "We are leaving to save our lives," Mohamed Ali Mohamed, who was born and brought up in the area, told Reuters news agency as fellow Muslims tied jerry cans to trucks ahead of the trip. Foreign troops have escorted thousands of Muslims to relative safety in the north of the Central African Republic. But some leaders fear that will make permanent divisions that have led to talk of partition after 18 months of conflict. Central African Republic's minister for reconciliation last week criticised the evacuations, warning they would play into the hands of Muslim rebels who want to create an independent state in the north. Auguste Boukanga, president of the URD party which remained neutral in the conflict, echoed these concerns, calling on the 2,000 French and over 5,000 African peacekeepers to instead stick to their mandate of disarming the gunmen. Giuseppe Loprete, head of the local office of the International Organisation for Migration, the UN agency involved in the evacuation, said Muslims living near the central mosque and in PK5, another Bangui neighbourhood, did not want to leave. "We are working on social cohesion ... I'm not sure that they want to leave. Actually they told us they prefer to stay in Bangui," he said. ‘Religious cleansing’ Some of the departing Muslims torched their cars as they could not take them in the convoy but did not want Christians to be able to use them once they had left. Mainly Muslim rebels, known as Seleka, seized Bangui last year after complaining they had been marginalised by President Francois Bozize's government. Their time in power was marked by abuses and killings that led to the creation of Christian self-defence militia. Seleka leader Michel Djotodia stepped down in January under international pressure as violence spiralled out of control. Interim authorities, backed by French and African peacekeepers, are still struggling to restore order and rights groups say parts of the country have experienced "religious cleansing". "It is a shame but there is nothing we can do," said Dieudonne Bignilaba, a Christian resident. "For many years we lived together but they were the ones who brought the weapons here to kill us." After watching their former neighbours leave, from behind a thin white rope barrier put up by Congolese peacekeepers, hundreds of Christians, including women and children, took part in the looting. Many chanted "Liberation, Liberation!"

Source: Reuters

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/04/muslims-escorted-out-car-capital-bangui-20144280303869318.html

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Why is Pornography Haram?

“I just found out that at least one of my sons spent some time this afternoon (signed on as me) going to XXX rated (web) sites. They are 13 and 11. I am so upset, I do not know what to do. Insha Allah, it is a curiosity thing, but I am totally blown away by this.” (A mother in a parenting forum)

Internet pornography is the latest media menace parents and anyone concerned about children and morality in general, must deal with. Pictures of naked women (its usually women, since most pornography caters to heterosexual men) and couples engaged in various forms of sexual intercourse, to name just a few of the contents of pornography, are not just reserved to the internet though.

For decades, ‘porn’ in various forms has been found in magazines, films, and more recently during a lot of prime time television.

The Internet is just the latest tool pornographers have found to spread their “art,” which poses a number of problems.

The pervasiveness of pornography on the Internet means Muslims need to consider once again the Islamic perspective on this issue while they use this new medium.

The Islamic Perspective:

“There is no room for anyone to say pornography is not Haram. It’s ab solutely Haram,” notes Shaykh Muhammad Nur Abdullah. He is the Imam of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis in Missouri.

“If someone is looking at someone committing Zina (sex outside of marriage) whether it is movies or pictures or the actual thing, it is all Haram,” he adds. Some of the proofs he gives for the prohibition of pornography in Islam include verses 30 and 31 of chapter 24 (Noor) of the Qur’an, as well as Ahadith that say what leads to Haram is Haram and that Zina is committed by the eye and the hand, even before a sexual encounter takes place.

He has openly discussed the problem of the Internet, pornography and Muslim youth in his Khutbahs. On a day to day level, he says he gets at least two cases daily of young Muslims, boys and girls, who come to the mosque and speak to him personally about this problem.

Dremali says the teenagers feel guilty, but they cannot stop looking at this material. They need a cure, they have become addicted.

“The person who looks at these things will always have Shaytan in his mind because he wants to commit these ,” he says. “Shaytan never takes the person immediately to commit adultery (he does it in steps).”

Dremali also gives a clear example of the role the Internet plays in being one of the steps leading to sex outside of marriage.

“The hand commits adultery by touching Haram and the person using the keyboard and using the mouse to look at these pictures, he or she is committing adultery,” he warns

“Unfortunately there are a lot of Muslim youth who are using pornography on the {nternet]} and they basically use the Internet only for that purpose,” notes Taha Ghayyur, 19, who is National Coordinator of Young Muslims Canada.

Too often, though, parents are willing to bury their heads in the sand when the issue of pornography and their children comes up. “How do you know your kids don’t know about it?” asks Dremali.

The easy access to pornography on television (no longer reserved to just the very late night hours), on the magazine stands and the Internet makes it almost impossible to avoid, even if one’s intentions are clear.

In the case of the Internet, sometimes accompanying links or windows to pornographic websites or WebPages will suddenly open up, against the wishes of the surfer.

This however, does not mean parents should automatically assume the worst about their children.

Shaykh Nur Abdullah stresses the importance of openly talking to children about the problem, especially if they have been caught looking at such material. If parents don’t do this “then we are turning our face away from the problem,” he says.

“ Internet is good and bad,” says Dremali. “Allah gave us the brains to think where is the good way and where is the bad way. According to your choice Allah will judge you.

Some Statistics and Facts on Pornography:

Over 30% of sites on the World Wide Web are pornographic” (USA Today).

Looking for one thing, finding another:
“Our Internet search engine reports reveal a disturbing reality. In over 99% of the hits directed to our site, the person performing the search was looking for pornography, many looking for child pornography. To think, 99% used pornography search words inspired our project, Internet Intervention. Internet Intervention is a network of computers, hosting hundreds of websites, which direct the keyword searcher of child pornography to an Intervention Help Site. The very people that need it the most see our message of help. Click here to see a help website that you could have been directed to if you use child pornography search words on your search engine request.” (From the website of the Tonya Flynt Foundation, an anti-pornography website. Tony Flynt is the daughter of notorious American pornographer Larry Flynt)

A MULTI BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY:

Pornography is a $12-$13 billion- a-year industry - more than the combined annual revenues of the Coca-Cola and McDonnell Douglas corporations. (From an Affair of the Mind by Laurie Hall)

Pornographic entertainment on the Internet constituted the third largest sector of sales in cyberspace, with estimated annual revenues of $100 million. Such marketing success has fueled an increase in the size of the pornography industry -- $10 billion annually, according to conservative estimates. (Anthony Flint, Skin Trade Spreading Across U.S., Boston Sunday Globe)

HITS ON A PORN SITE:
Playboy’s headquarters received 4.7 million hits (electronic visits) in a recent seven day period. (Promise Keepers website)

PORN VIDEO RENTALS:
Porn video rentals soared to 665 million in 1996, accounting for 13.3% of video rentals in America. Profits of sales and rentals of porn videos was $4.2 billion in 1996. (USA Today, & UPI News)

ADDICTION TO PORNOGRAPHY:
Pornography consumption can be as “mood altering” and as addictive as narcotics. (A study by Richard Drake, assistant professor at Brigham Young University College of Nursing).

Studies show pornography is progressive and addictive for many. It often leads to the user acting out his fantasy often on children. (Victor Cline, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Pornography Effects: Empirical and Clinical Evidence, pg. 24)

PORNOGRAPHY AND SEX ADDICTION:
The average age of first time contact of pornography among sex addicts is 11. (American Family Association Outreach)

PORNOGRAPHY’S EFFECTS ON FATHERS:
More sophisticated analysis reveals that men who had “purchased pornographic materials in the past year” had significantly lower marital, fathering and family-life satisfaction when compared to those who had not purchased pornographic materials in the past year. (National Center for Fathering)

PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL ASSAULT:
Research gathered over the past few decades demonstrates that pornography contributes to sexual assault, including rape and the molestation of children. (Pornography Victims Compensation Act of 1992, U.S. Senate Comm. on the Judiciary)

Child molesters often use pornography to seduce their prey, to lower the inhibitions of the victim, and to serve as an instruction manual. ( W.L. Marshall, Ph.D., Pornography and Sexual Offenders, in Pornography: Research Advances and Policy)

WHO CONSUMES PORNOGRAPHY:
A primary pornography consumer group is boys between ages 12 - 17.9 (Attorney General’s Final Report on Pornography)

PORNOGRAPHY’S EFFECT ON SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS:
Pornography distorts the natural development of personality. If the early stimulus is pornographic photographs, the adolescent can be conditioned to become aroused through photographs. Once this pairing is rewarded a number of times, it is likely to become permanent. The result to the individual is that it becomes difficult for the person to seek out relations with appropriate persons. (Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., The Influence of Pornography on Sexual Development: Three Case Histories, IX Family Therapy)

By Ustadha Zaynab Ansari

Q) I have a pornography problem. I am 16 years old and when I am finished pleasing myself I often feel guilty and disgusted by myself and what I become at times for those couple of minutes. And now I have noticed that I am viewing gay porn instead. I know everything that I am doing is wrong and completely forbidden. I have started to stop myself but it is hard. I mean I don't want to continue this habit of masturbating and watching porn, or even the factor of me being gay to come into play. I have been going to the mosque regularly and I have tried to increase my iman. I feel when I enter the mosque that I am secured and away from all things bad.

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Assalamu alaikum,

I pray this message reaches you in good health and spirits.

My teachers caution against looking at images, even those which may be permissible, simply because of the effect they can have on one's heart, and the way they can be a door to the unlawful. It's amazing (and sad) how seemingly innocent web surfing can deteriorate into time wasting, which, in turn can degenerate into the haram.

Here are some tips, which may or may not be helpful. Ultimately, Allah Most High is the only one who can assist you in subduing the lower self, which calls you to these sinful things. So please seek Allah's guidance. Implore Him to give you an exit from these unlawful habits.

1. Once the door of pornography is opened, it is very hard to close. You will have to be firm with yourself, even unyielding, if you want to put an end to this habit. Shut the door to temptation by getting rid of your computer. This may sound drastic, but it is helpful to put this instrument out of your life, until such time you can use it for the good of your soul. If you can't get rid of it, at the very least change out your hard drive and memory.

2. Look at how and when you use your computer and drastically change these habits. If you get online in private, then, from now on, only use the computer when others are around. If you look at these things at night, then refrain from turning the computer on altogether during these hours.

3. By looking at porn, you are willingly putting yourself in a situation in which you will consistently feel temporary, yet completely false, gratification. The problem with this type of "instant" gratification is that it leaves you empty, broken, guilty, and self-loathing. Why put yourself through this? True gratification only comes when you enjoy sexual activity through lawful means, that is, with a spouse. Anything else simply harms your heart and soul.

Finally, and most importantly, you must take steps toward sincere repentance. Sincere repentance consists of :
1. Turning away from the sin
2. Feeling remorse
3. Resolving to never go back
4. Changing one's environment so that the temptation is removed

Please avail yourself of the beautiful literature on repentance. There are many Qur'anic verses and Prophetic traditions on repentance. Allah Most High, says, "Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped" (Az-Zumar, 39:53-54)

And the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, "Allah the Mighty and Majestic accepts the repentance of His servant as long as long as his death-rattle has not begun" [At-Tirmidhi, Riyad al-Salihin]

Cultivate good habits, and Allah willing, these will replace the bad ones. Establish a connection with the Book of Allah by reading it and reflecting on it daily. Contemplate the noble example of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and the biographies of his companions, Allah be pleased with them, to see how you can implement these life lessons.

And, find good Muslim friends. This is of huge importance in fortifying yourself against temptation.

May Allah Ta'ala make things easy for you.

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As Salaamu Alaikum

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බොදු බල සේනාව කරන්නේ ආණ්ඩුවයි, බුද්ධාගමයි දෙකම විනාශ කිරීමේ කුමන්ත්‍රණයක්

ප්‍රවීණ දේශපාලන විචාරක සී.ඒ.චන්ද්‍රප්‍රේම

බොදු බල සේනාව ඇතුළු බෞද්ධ සංවිධාන කිහිපයක් සම්බන්ධයෙන්, දේශපාලන විචාරකයකු ලෙස,ඔබ  දැඩි විවේචනයක් කර තිබුණා. මුලින්ම ඔබගේ මේ විවේචනයේ පදනම ගැන යම් හැඳින්වීමක් කරන්න?

ප්‍රධාන වශයෙන් මගේ විවේචනයට ලක්වන්නේ මේ ආගමික සංවිධානවල හැසිරීමයි. කිසියම් ගැටලුවක් ඇතිනම් ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් කටයුතු කළ යුතු ආකාරයක් තිබෙනවා. එවැනි කාරණයකදී විශේෂයෙන්ම බෞද්ධ භික්ෂුවක් කටයුතු කළ යුතු ආකෘතියක් තිබෙනවා. එසේ නොකර කලබලකාරී තත්ත්වයක්, ගැටුම්කාරී තත්ත්වයක් ඇති කළ විට එය ගැටලුවක් වෙනවා. සාමාන්‍යයෙන් කලබලකාරී තත්ත්වයන් ඇති කරන්නේ ගිහි පුද්ගලයිනුයි. පූජ්‍ය පක්ෂයේ අය එවැනි කලබලකාරී තත්ත්වයක් ඇති කළ විට ඒ කරුණ මතම ගැටලුවක් ඇති වෙනවා.
දැන් ආගම පැත්තකින් තියලා දේශපාලනය ගන්න. දේශපාලනඥයෙක් කිසියම් කරුණක් සම්බන්ධයෙන් මැරයෙකු සේ කටයුතු කරනවානම් ජනතාවගේ සිත් සතන් තුළ වඩාත් අවධානයට ලක්වන්නේ ඔහුගේ එම මැර හැසිරීමයි. එසේ නැතිව ඔහු කියන කාරණය ජනතාව අතරට යන්නේ නැහැ. එම මැර දේශපාලනඥයින් පිළිබඳව ජනතාව තුළ ඇතිවන්නේ වෙනස් ආකාරයක ප්‍රතිරූපයකුයි. යම් දේශපාලන පක්ෂයක අයෙක් ඒ ආකාරයට කටයුතු කළ විට ලැබෙන ප්‍රතිචාරය එසේනම් භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේ නමක් සිවුරක් දමාගෙන ඔය ආකාරයට හැසිරීමෙන් ඇතිවන තත්ත්වය කෙසේදැයි සිතාගත හැකියිනේ. සිවුරක් දමාගත් අයෙකුගේ මැර හැසිරීමෙන් හානියක් වන්නේ බුද්ධාගමටමයි.
බොදු බල සේනාව ඇතුළු සංවිධාන විසින් රටේ සිදුවනවා යැයි කියන කාරණාවලින් බුද්ධාගමට කිසියම් හානියක් වන්නේද, ඔය භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලාගේ හැසිරීම නිසා ඒ හානිය වගේ දස ගුණයක හානියක් සිදුවෙනවා.
බෞද්ධ භික්ෂුවක් කියන්නේ ආගමික ස්වරූපය අතින්ම වෙනස් කෙනෙක්. මේ වගේ කටයුතු නිසා බෞද්ධ භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලාගේ ප්‍රතිරූපය කඩා වැටීමේ අවදානමක් තිබෙනවා. මේ වගේ තවත් සංවිධානයක් හරක් මස් තහනම් කරන්න කියලා බලපෑම් කරනවා. හරක් මස් කන බහුතරය සිංහල බෞද්ධයින්. ඔවුන්කළයුතු වන්නේ හරක් මස් නොකන තැනට ජනතාව ‍පොළඹවන එකයි. එසේ නැතිව බලහත්කාරයෙන් ආණ්ඩුව ලවා කරන්න යන එක නොකළ යුතුයි.

මේ ආකාරයට බොදු බල සේනා සංවිධානය ඇතුළු සංවිධානවල භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලා ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ආකාරයෙන් හැසිරීමට හේතුව කුමක් විය හැකිද?
මේ ආකාරයට හැසිරෙන එකේ ඇති වරද උපසම්පදාව ලැබූ භික්ෂුවකට නොතේරෙන්න විදියක් නැහැ. ඔවුන් කරන දේවල්වලින් ඇතිවන බලපෑම ඔවුන්ට තේරෙනවා. ඕනකමින්ම තමයි මේ භික්ෂූන්වහන්සේලා ප්‍රචණ්ඩකාරී ආකාරයට හැසිරෙන්නේ. මේ අය සිවුරටත් නිගා දෙන ආකාරයට තමයි හැසිරෙන්නේ. මම විශ්වාස කරන ආකාරයට විදේශීය බලවේගවලට වුවමනා ආකාරයට මේ භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලා කටයුතු කරන බවයි.

එසේ කියන්නේ ඇයි?
මම එසේ කියන්නේ හේතු ඇතිවයි. මේ සංවිධාන කාලයක් තිස්සේ වර්ධනය වූ සංවිධාන නොවෙයි. යුද්ධය පැවති කාලයේදී මේ අය සිවුරු දමාගෙන මේ ආකාරයට දිව්වේ පැන්නේ නැහැ. යුද්ධය ඉවරවුණාට පස්සේ එක්වරම මේ අය මතුවෙන්න ගත්තා. යුද්ධය කාලයේ තිබුණේ නැති ජාතික බලවේගයක් යුද්ධයෙන් පසුව මතුවුණේ කෙසේද?
දැන් ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ආකාරයට හැසිරෙන භික්ෂූන්වහන්සේලාගේ නම් යුද්ධය කාලයේදී ජනතාව දැනගෙන සිටියේවත් නැහැ. මැරකම් කරන දේශපාලනඥයෝ වගේ මැරකම් කරලා තමන්ගේ නම ප්‍රසිද්ධ කරගන්න වෙන්න ඇති මේ භික්ෂූන් කටයුතු කරන්නේ. මැර ක්‍රියාවලින් තමන්ගේ ‘කීර්ති නාමය’ සකස් කරගෙන තිබෙනවා. ඒක අපේ කම්පනයට තුඩු දිය යුතුයි.

බොදු බල සේනාව පිටුපස විදේශ බලවේග සිටිනවා යැයි ඔබ කියනවා නම් එසේ සිටින විදේශ බලවේග මොනවාද?
චිලී රාජ්‍යයේ ආණ්ඩු පෙරළීම සඳහා ඇමෙරිකාව කටයුතු කළ ආකාරය පිළිබඳව ඇමෙරිකානු කොංග්‍රස් මණ්ඩලය විසින්ම වාර්තා ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබෙනවා. ඇමරිකානු සී.අයි.ඒ. ඔත්තු සේවාවන් කාලයක් තිස්සේම චිලී රාජ්‍යයේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වුණා. පිටතින් කටයුතු කරමින් තමන්ට සතුරු බලවේග විනාශ කිරීමට නොහැකි විට ඔවුන් එම සතුරු බලවේග තුළට ගොස් ඒවා විනාශ කිරීමට උත්සාහ ගන්නවා. නැතිනම් එම බලවේග මෙල්ල කරනවා. දැන් බටහිර රටවල සතුරන් සේ සලකන්නේ අපේ රටේ සිංහල ජාතිකවාදී බලවේගයි. එළියෙන් ඇවිත් පහරදීලා එම ජාතිකවාදී බලවේග බිඳහෙළිය නොහැකියි. පිටතින් පහරදෙන්න පහර දෙන්න එම ජාතිකවාදී බලවේග ශක්තිමත් වෙනවා. ඒ නිසා ඇතුළට ගොස් ඒවා විනාශ කළ යුතුයි. බොදු බල සේනාව හරහා මේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වන්නේ මේ රටේ ජාතිකවාදී බලවේග විනාශ කිරීමේ කුමන්ත්‍රණය කියලයි මම හිතන්නේ.
එසේ ජාතිකවාදී බලවේග විනාශ කිරීම සඳහා ගනු ලබන කුමන්ත්‍රණයක් බව පැහැදිලි වන්නේ බොදු බල සේනාවේ ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය එක්වරම මතුවීම නිසයි. එක්වරම ක්‍රියාත්මක වෙලා කිසියම් තැනක ගැටුමක් ඇතිකිරීමේ හැකියාව මොවුන් සතුවෙනවා. ඒවාට සම්පත් අවශ්‍යයි. දැන් මැතිවරණ රැස්වීමක් පවත්වන්න ගියත් නිකම්ම ඒකට මිනිස්සු අදින්න බැහැනේ. ඒකට මුදල් අවශ්‍යයි. සම්පත් අවශ්‍යයි. මේ අය දැන් මිනිස්සු ඇදගෙන ගිහින් විරෝධතා, උද්ඝෝෂණ කරන විදියට ඒ කාලයේදී මායිම් මිනිස්සු අරගෙන එන්න තිබුණානේ. ඒත් එහෙම කළේ නැහැනේ. දැන් මේ අය කරන මැරකම් වගේ මැරකම් කොටි ඉන්න කා‍ලේ කළානම් එදා කොටි ඉදිරියේ දනින් වැටීමේ අවශ්‍යතාවක් ඇතිවෙන්නේ නැහැ. මේ අයට දැන් ඇවිත් තියෙන ජාතිකවාදී හැඟීම එන්න තිබුණේ මීට අවුරුදු දහයකට පහළොවකට කලින්. එදා පහරදීලා විනාශ කළ නොහැකිවූ ජාතික බලවේගය දැන් සිවුර තුළින්ම විනාශ කිරීමේ කුමන්ත්‍රණයක් තමයි ක්‍රියාත්මක වෙන්නේ.

බොදු බල සේනාව ඇතුළු සංවිධාන හැසිරෙන ආකාරයේ ගැටලුවක් තිබුණාට ඔවුන් මතුකරන කාරණාවල ගැටලුවක් නැහැ නේද?
ඔවුන් මතුකරන කාරණාවල නොවෙයි ගැටලුව තිබෙන්නේ. ඔවුන් එම කරුණු කතා කළාට කමක් නැහැ. ඒත් එය කළ යුතු ආකාරයක් තිබෙනවා. ඔවුන් ක්‍රියාකරන ආකාරයේ තමයි ගැටලුව තිබෙන්නේ.

බොදු බල සේනා ඇතුළු සංවිධාන මේ ආකාරයෙන්වත් කටයුතු කරන්නේ නැතිනම් බුදුදහමට හා බෞද්ධයින්ට එරෙහිව  දැනට ඇතිවෙමින් තිබෙන තත්ත්වයන් පිළිබඳ සමාජයේ කතිකාවක් ඇතිවන්නේ නැහැ කියලා කෙනෙක් කියන්න පුළුවන්.
දැන් පාඨලී චම්පිකලා, උදය ගම්මන්පිලලා, විමල් වීරවංශලා, ගුණදාස අමරසේකරලා වගේ අයත් මේ ප්‍රශ්න ගැන කතා කරනවානේ. මේ අය මේ වගේ ගැටලු විසඳගත්තේ මැරකම් කරලාද?
අනෙක ප්‍රභාකරන් විනාශ කළේ ගිහියෝ වෙඩි තියලා. ත්‍රස්තවාදීන්ට යළිත් නැගී සිටිය නොහැකි ආකාරයට ප්‍රහාර එල්ල කළේ ගිහියෝ. දැන් මේ හාමුදුරුවරුන් මතුකරන ගැටලු ගැන කතා කිරීමට සිංහල බෞද්ධයින් සිටිනවා. බොදු බල සේනාවේ හාමුදුරුවෝ අනවසර පදිංචිකරුවන් ගැන කතා කරනවානම් ඒ ගැන කතා කිරීමට සිංහල බෞද්ධ ගිහියන් සිටිනවා. ඒකට හාමුදුරුවරුන් මේ වගේ ප්‍රචණ්ඩ ආකාරයට  මැදිහත් විය යුතු නැහැ. චම්පිකලා, උදයලා, විමල්ලා, අමරසේකරලා ඉන්නේ මේ වගේ දේවල් කතා කරන්නයි. මේ ප්‍රශ්න කතා කරන එක ගිහි අයට භාරදිය යුතුයි.
දැන් හාමුදුරුවරු සිවුරත් උස්සාගෙන ඕවා ගැන කතා කරන්න යනවා. ඒත් යුද්ධය කාලයේදී චම්පිකලා සරම කැහැපට ගහගෙන යුද්ධයට ගියේ නැහැ. ඒ අය කටයුතු කළේ ඒ විදියට නම් භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේ කෙනෙක් හැසිරෙන ආකාරය මීට වඩා වෙනස් විය යුතුයි.

බොදු බල සේනාව ආණ්ඩුවේම ඇතැම් පාර්ශ්ව විසින් මෙහෙයවනු ලබන සංවිධානයක් බවටත් චෝදනා එල්ලවෙනවා. ආණ්ඩුවට මෙවැනි සංවිධානයක් නඩත්තු කිරීමේ අවශ්‍යතාවක් තිබෙනවාද?
බොදු බල සේනාව වගේ සංවිධානයක් පවත්වාගෙන යාමෙන් ආණ්ඩුවට කිසිදු වාසියක් අත්වන්නේ නැහැ. එයින් ආණ්ඩුවට සිදුවන්නේ අවාසියක් පමණයි. බොදු බල සේනාවේ හාමුදුරුවන්ගේ හැසිරීම ජාතියටම අපහාසයක්. යුද්ධය ජයග්‍රහණය කරලා ඔළුව ඔසවන ජාතියකට කරන නිගාවක් තමයි මේ භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේලා කරන්නේ. ඒ විතරක් නොවෙයි සිවුරටත් නිගා කරනවා. හාමුදුරුවෝ මැරකමට යොමු කළා කියලා ආණ්ඩුවට එයින් කිසිදු වාසියක් අත්වෙන්නේ නැහැ. මොකද මේ අය ඡන්දයක් කාලයට ඡන්ද ව්‍යාපාරයට එන්නේත් නැහැනේ. ඒ වගේම මේ අය නිසා ආණ්ඩුව ගැන ජනතාවගෙන් හොඳ ප්‍රතිරූපයක් ලබාගැනීමටත් නොහැකියි.
මේ අය දැන් සූදානම් වෙන්නේ ආණ්ඩුවත් විනාශ කරගෙන බුද්ධාගමත් විනාශ කිරීමටයි. ලංකාවේ ජාතිකවාදී ව්‍යාපාරයේ සාර්ථක පියවරක් තමයි මේ ආණ්ඩුව. මේ අය ජාතිකවාදී ආණ්ඩුවට වගේම බුද්ධාගමටත් කරන්නේ හානියක්. බොදු බල සේනාවේ එක් භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේ නමක් ප්‍රසිද්ධ රූපවාහිනී නාලිකාවකට ඇවිත් තමන් නෝර්වේ යන විට ඒ බව
ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යංශයට දැනුම් දුන් බව පැවසුවා. හාමුදුරු නමක් නෝර්වේ යන විට ඒ බව ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යංශයට කියන්නේ ඇයි? අනෙක යුද්ධය පැවති කාලයේදී නෝර්වේ ආණ්ඩුව හා ලංකාවේ ආණ්ඩුව අතර තිබුණේ විශම සම්බන්ධයක්. මේ වගේ ප්‍රකාශ කරන්නේ යුද්ධය දිනා ගෞරවයක් අත් කර දුන් ආණ්ඩුව ගැරහීමට ලක් කිරීමටයි. ආණ්ඩුව ගැන වැරදි චිත්‍රයක් ඇති කිරීමටයි.

බොදු බළ සේනාව ත්‍රස්තවාදී සංවිධානයක් බවට ‘ට්‍රැක්’ නමැති සංවිධානය විසින් හඳුන්වා දී තිබෙන බව වාර්තා වුණා. එය විග්‍රහ කළ හැක්කේ කෙසේද?
ත්‍රස්තවාදී සංවිධානයක් කියන්නේ ආයුධ අරගෙන යන සංවිධානයක්නේ. මොවුන් අතේ ආයුධ නැහැ. ඒත් මේ අය සිවුරට නිගා කරනවා. මොවුන් බුද්ධාගමට එරෙහි ත්‍රස්තවාදයක් තමයි ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන්නේ. ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡාවකට සහභාගි වූ භික්ෂූන්වහන්සේ නමක් බය කළ හැටි අපි රූපවාහිනියෙන් දුටුවානේ. අපේ රටේ මහානායක හිමිවරුන් ඉන්නවා. ඒ අය කැසිනෝවලට විරුද්ධව කතා කරනවා. ඒත් මහානායක හිමිවරුන් මේ ගැන කිසිම අවවාදයක් කළේ නැහැ. මේ අය මහානායක හාමුදුරුවොත් වට කරලාදැනටමත් තර්ජනය කර තිබෙනවාද දන්නේ නැහැ. දැන් දේශපාලනය ගැන කතා කරන සෝභිත හාමුදුරුවෝ වගේ හාමුදුරුවෝවත් මේ ගැන කතා කරන්නේ නැහැනේ.

බොදු බළ සේනාවේ ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය නිසා ජාත්‍යන්තරව ලංකාවට එල්ලවන පීඩනය කුමන ආකාරයක් ගන්නවාද?
මේ අයගේ ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය නිසා ජාත්‍යන්තර වශයෙන් ලංකාවට තිබෙන ප්‍රතිරූපය විනාශයට පත්වෙනවා. දැනටමත් එය සිදුවෙලා. ආගමික උම්මත්තයකින් සිටින රටක් ලෙස තමයි අපේ රට නම් කෙරෙන්නේ.

මෙම සංවිධාන කටයුතු කරන ආකාරයට ඉදිරියටම කටයුතු කළොත් මොනවා සිදුවෙයිද?
මේ අය කටයුතු කරන විදියට කටයුතු කළොත් තවත් අවුරුදු දහයක් පහළොවක් යද්දී බුදුදහම නැතිවෙලා යාවි. විදේශ බලවේගවලට ලංකාවෙන් පලිගත හැකි හොඳම ආකාරය තමයි සිංහල බෞද්ධ අනන්‍යතාව විනාශ කරන එක. දැන් මේ යන ගමනේ අවසානය එය විය  හැකියි.

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