Assalamu Alaykum! ------------------ ISMC UPDATE #2 Horray! 1) Books ordered 2) POEM and Best Wishes for Spring Term 3) ARTICLE: Chechenya ------------------------ #1: BOOKS ORDERED ----------------------- The following books have been selected and will, inshaAllah, be ordered TOMORROW. 'I thank everybody for their many suggestions and ask you to remember that this is just the beginning -- we are sticking to religious texts and noble scripture right now. The Noble Qur'an: Tafsir: Complete 9 Volume Set Muhsin Khan & Taqi AlHilali 4724 HB 7.5"x10" The Noble Qur'an:Arabic text & Eng. Translation Dr.Thomas B.Irving 600 HB 7"x10" An English Interpretation of The Holy Quran With Full Arabic Text A Yusuf Ali 1039 HB 5.5"x9" Roman Transliteration of The Holy Qur'an w/ full arabic text (lebanese print) Abdullah Yusuf Ali 603 HB 7"x9.5" Fiqh us-Sunnah 5 Volume Set As-Sayyid Sabiq/Dabas & Zarabozo 803 HB 5.75"x8.75" A Guide to Prayer in Islam M.A.K. Saqib 80 PB 5.5"x8.5" The Friday Prayer: Parts I, II, III Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo 308 PB 5.5"8.5" Friday Khutbas Dr. Hosny M. Gabr 232 PB 5.5"x8.5" Sahih Al-Bukhari (Arabic-English): 9 Volume Deluxe Lebanese Print Imam Bukhari/Muhsin Khan 4705 HB 7"x10" -------------------------- #2 SUPER CHEEZY POEM ---------------------------- I know that the following message is cheezy, but I want to send you all my best wishes for a successful and productive Spring Term. Aameen! This message was sent to me via the Muslim Students' Network by Amira Hossain, a USDA employee. ---------------------------------------------- A Muslim Brother/Sister: A Accepts you as you are B Believes in You C Calls you just to say "Assalamu Alaykum" D Doesn't give up on you E Envisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts) F Forgives your mistakes G Gives unconditionally H Helps you I Invites you over J Just "be" with you K Keeps you close at heart L Loves you for who you are M Makes a difference in your life N Never judges O Offers support P Picks you up Q Quiets your fears R Raises your spirits S Says nice things about you T Tells you the truth when you need to hear it U Understands you V Values you W Walks beside you X X-Plains things you don't understand Y Yells when you won't listen Z Zaps you back into reality ----------------------------------------------- #3: CHECHENYA! "A massacre beyond comparison" ----------------------------------------------- Thank you, Brother Abdullah, for this article. ---------------------------------------------- A 'Massacre . . . Beyond Comparison' By Lyoma Turpalov Associated Press Saturday, February 5, 2000; Page A13 ALKHAN-KALA, Russia, Feb. 4 ^^^^ Tears fell from the Chechen fighter's eyes as he recalled escaping from a Russian minefield by walking on the bodies of friends that had been torn apart by explosions. His hands shaking with grief, Umar Tashayev was unable to talk, instead writing on a scrap of paper what happened when a rebel column blundered into the minefield as it tried to escape from Grozny on Monday after months of fighting in the Chechen capital. "I saw dreadful things during fighting in Grozny, but that massacre was beyond comparison," he wrote. "We had to walk on our dead comrades" to avoid stepping on unexploded mines. Khamzat Tisayev, who suffered a foot wound, said some rebels sacrificed themselves, running ahead to set off mines and clear a path for about 2,000 of their comrades who were fleeing behind them. "The boys marched on mines and shouted to us: 'Meet you in paradise!' " Tashayev and other rebels who survived were still trembling with shock as they recalled the carnage, which left at least 600 rebels, including several prominent warlords, dead or badly wounded. It was the biggest loss for the rebels since Russian forces moved into Chechnya in late September. Despite the losses, the rebel escape was a setback for the Russians, who had based their strategy on wiping out the insurgents in Grozny, seizing the city and declaring victory in the war. The Chechens who escaped are determined to continue fighting. Aslambek Ismailov, the rebel commander in charge in Grozny, along with commanders Shamil Basayev, Lecha Dudayev, Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov and other prominent leaders, decided to lead a column out of the city to encourage their men, despite the failure of an earlier reconnaissance party to return. Lyoma Dadayev, a survivor, said Basayev turned to his men and said: "Women often tell us: 'You let our sons be killed while you stay alive.' Well, we shall go first." Ismailov, Dudayev and Israpilov died in the first explosions, and Basayev was badly wounded. Khasan Baiyev, chief of Alkhan-Kala's hospital, said Basayev lost his left leg and right foot. After the first mines exploded, Russian artillery shells and rockets screamed into the rebel column, killing scores of fighters. The rebels continued moving despite the explosions, leaving their dead and wounded behind. Many of them shudder at the memory. "I was pulling my comrade on a sledge, and then was hit in my leg by a fragment," Dadayev said. "I had to leave him behind." "Our wounded comrades were pleading not to leave them there, but we had to keep going," wrote Tashayev, the rebel who could not speak. When the rebels finally reached Alkhan-Kala, the hospital proved to be too small and ill-equipped to handle all of the casualties. Baiyev, the hospital chief, performed dozens of amputations with a hacksaw without any painkillers or antiseptics. Villagers took in the wounded. In one house, the smell of rotting flesh filled a room where two rebels lay, their feet amputated. "These people don't know that they have gangrene and are doomed," Malika Sabiyeva, a doctor, whispered, turning away from the men. "We don't know what to do. We have nothing to help them." ------------------------------------------- PRAY FOR CHECHENYA! ------------------------------------------ Wa'alaykum Assalaamu wa rahmatullah!