P ATHOLOGY OF DIVORCE–
L EARN ABOUT THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM FACING OUR COM-
MUNITY– P ART 1 ............ 4
P RISONER OF G OLDEN
CHAINS ....................... 6
Learn how the sacrifice of the greatest of all martyrs can help us change our direction in
life and help us awaken to the realities of this world and its deceptive character.
Imam Íusain (as) Íusain(as) and his family members had unleashed a form of
They promoted acts (sins) that satisfed the desires of the people propaganda. This propaganda was a self-sustaining weapon that
such as music, singing, wine, lust for this world etc. crumbled the empire of YazÐd. It may seem strange as to how the
It should be obvious that the people who were subject to these news of such an event could have positively awakened the very
strategies were completely indoctrinated. When the people saw people that had betrayed Imam Íusain. After receiving news
how others were dealt with, they were afraid. They were too at- about the event of Karbala, most of the people had realised the
tached to this world, to the point that speaking up against the reality of what they had contributed to. No longer could these
kingdom was an act that was against their desires. People had en- people further suppress their conscience. The strategies used by
joyed the wealth gained from supporting the kingdom and in YazÐd had weakened in its ability to influence the people and this
acting upon the religious fabrications and distortions. These peo- eventually led to numerous uprisings such that some years later
ple had really enjoyed the perverted version of Islam that allowed the Ummayad dynasty did eventually collapse.
them to fulfil their desires. These people obviously had a con-
science. However it was easily suppressed by fulfilment of their Today this event of Karbala continues to propagate in the hope
desires and the propaganda that incited animosity towards the that it will awaken those sleeping in the current and future gen-
Ahlul Bayt, and which helped them justify their deeds. After be- erations. What we need to realise is that to some extent we are not
ing subject to these evil activities by the tyrants these are the very any different to those people in the past. Today we are subject to
people who had betrayed Imam Íusain (as). the exact same strategies that YazÐd and his father had used. The
media is one the most powerful instruments
YazÐd, knew that there was one last used today by politicians and the elite in con-
thing that remained a threat to his Ca- trolling people. Through the media they are
liphate and that was the presence of able to influence what we consider to be nor-
Imam Íusain (as). In acknowledging mal, and consequently control the decisions we
this fact he set out to force Imam make. With the media they create an atmos-
Íusain (as) to pay allegiance or face phere of fear or love which assists them to gain
death. Imam Íusain (as) had three the support of the people in achieving their evil
choices: motives. They use the media to suppress the conscience of people,
Pay allegiance like the portrayal of a group of people to be the enemy, and there-
Run away fore assist the people in justifying their support for war. Religion
is used to justify the injustices committed, essentially convincing
Sacrifice his life and that of his family
people that it is a green light from God. Sins and the love of this
Had he undertaken the first two options Islam would have ended
world are being promoted by all forms of media, and also by the
up like the religion of Christianity, hijacked by corrupt leaders
very people (agents) who are slaves to such media.
like Constantine and Saint Paul. The words of the Qur’an could
have been distorted like the distortion in the Bible. The truthful
As a result of being bombarded with all this propaganda we have
narrators and historians could have been killed and their work
become inclined to our desires and have become attached to the
could have been destroyed as happened in Judaism and Christian-
love of this world. We do not realise that every time we sin we are
ity. The right path of Islam would have disappeared, never to be
in actual fact shooting an arrow towards the camp of Imam
recovered, a fate that the Christianity of today has met. Sunnis
Íusain (as). It is no surprise that the Imam of our time has not
would have been further away from the truth than what they cur-
appeared - otherwise the history of Karbala would have repeated
rently are and Islam could have been completely destroyed. How-
itself. In overcoming these inner problems in our selves, Imam
ever Imam Íusain (as) knew what he had to do to prevent the
Íusain sacrificed his life and family members in Muharram so
destruction of Islam. He knew that sacrificing his life and family
that today we may wake up from our sound sleep. We should be
members was for the greater benefit of the entire Muslim commu-
grateful for such favours, since had it not been for the sacrifice
nity. YazÐd really was unaware about what was going to befall him
Imam Íusain (as) offered, we would have gone far astray. In end-
as a result of murdering the grandson of the Prophet and his fam-
ing this article please recite SalawÁt for the favours the Ahlul Bayt
ily members.
have bestowed upon us.
After the event of Karbala took place, the martyrdom of Imam
Being one of the most active communities in Sydney. The Imam Husain Islamic Centre Offers a wide
range of activities throughout the year and for all ages. This is an opportunity for you to awaken your
conscience and take a stand against ignorance and prejudice.
One day, I heard that somewhere, far away from here, people were death…………………………………………………………………
imprisoned, then raped, tortured and dragged around on leashes Then the world shook again.
like animals without any justification. The pictures I saw showed
me an evil I had never imagined before. I felt pain and anger, but I was shocked back into life. Why did I not care that my equal in
I knew I could change nothing, so I told the pain to go away, and humanity was being slaughtered, simply because it was out of my
told the anger to shut up. I told the sense of injustice I felt to be sight? Why did I care more for how many dollars I saved that week
quiet, because that was somewhere else, far away from here- it was than for how many children died in some corner of the Earth?
what we leave behind before coming here. How could I see people consumed and pillaged by fire, but myself
take a tentative step back, afraid that even a small spark of that fire
The next day, I heard that a group of kids, somewhere far away may land at my feet? Why did I so much love to be deceived, why
from here, were stopped at a checkpoint on their way to school. did I love so much to stay in my cocoon and fear whatever came
Well-trained soldiers could only communicate with these kids by from outside of it? Why could I not sift through the lies to see the
pointing guns at them, so the kids had to sit on the sidewalk and truth? Why was I so weak, why was I a pris-
have their class right there. It oner of golden chains?
made me want to cry, but I told
the tears to go back. If I stand alone I will change nothing.
If we all stand together, we can change any-
On another day, I saw photos of thing. We cannot stand, until I stand and
a family who lived far away from until you stand.
here. They were sitting on a
beach, enjoying an outing, when My tears can change the world, my pain
suddenly they were attacked, their can move the blind hearts that strangle this
bodies were torn to pieces, their planet, my love and compassion can over-
heads were cut from their bod- come the greed and hatred that divide the
ies…all except one little girl, who world into oppressor and oppressed.
cried endlessly, because she was
holding in her arms her baby My freedom must come from within, but
brothers, whose lives had been soar to the world without, and carry with it
stolen even before they had prop- those around me and those who will come
erly begun. I jumped up, I turned after me. My voice must be heard and my
away from the screen, I closed my burning desire for justice must not be put
eyes, I shook my head, I wanted some way out…but I sat down out. The volume of tragedy must not bury me in a heap of despair,
again, because there was nothing I could do. the blatancy of the oppression must not make me doubt the truth,
the off-hand reporting of death counts must not dull my sensitiv-
On yet another day, I saw that somewhere, far away, little children ity. My conscience must not die, for then…the world will die.
had no food to eat and no clean water to drink. They were sick-
dying- their bellies inflated as if to point out some sick irony in
their plight. They came from a place whose earth was rich, but
even their piece of earth had been raped, and only they had been
left on it to rot. But this time, there were no tears, no anger and
no pain. I didn’t want to drown in my own helplessness. I didn’t
want to choke on my own weakness, this time, I didn’t want to
leave any room in my heart for the suffering that someone else
was going through.
This time, I changed the channel before the pictures had their
effect on me, this time, I ignored that newspaper article, this time,
I switched on my Playstation, this time, I give in to the pleasur-
able distractions designed to make me forget, so that those dying
kids would rot even out of my memory. This time I followed the
mirage that pulled me from reality and took me to a hollow day-
dream. This time, I closed my eyes to the world around me, un-
aware that soon cruelty would knock on my door and take me
from the daydream and into my worst nightmare. This time, I
killed my conscience, and became a zombie- walking and talking,
but rotting with the stench of