Tuesday 29 January 2013

The True Meaning Of Jihad



JIHAD is a Term often misunderstood and associated with radical militants. The arabic word is wrongly misinterpretated as “Holy War”, although there is no such thing in islam. Holy war is something undertaken to forcibly subject others to certain religious doctrines, which is forbidden in Islam.

The arabic word “Jihad” means a struggle or striving and applies to any great effort on the personal and social level. It is striving to do good and remove injustice and evil from oneself and the society. This exertion of effort can be spiritual, economic, social or political. For example, one of the highest level of Jihad is to stand before a tyrant and speak a word of truth. Restraining oneself from wrongdoing is also a form of Jihad. It is a broad concept that includes opposing evil inclinations within oneself, opposing injustice through peaceful means, efforts to improve the quality of life in a society as well as the striving by military forces on a battlefield in defence of the community or oppressed people.

Jihad is not synonymus with war and it certainly does not involve terrorism. Armed Jihad is not an option for muslim individuals or groups and can only be declared by the muslim head of state. Moreover it must never be fought for wordly gain, conquest or revenge. Muslims may only engage in battle to protect people’s lives, properties and freedom.

Jihad has conditions of restraint that distinguishes it from any other kind of warfare. They can be summarised as follows.
** Muslims must not begin hostilities. They must strive for peace as much as possible.
** All treaties and agreements must be observed as long as the enemy observes them.
** Muslims must fight only those who fight against them; non-combatants are not to be harmed.
** Weapons of mass destruction must never be used and collective punishment is strictly prohibited.
** Self-defense is not considered jihad if muslims are striking back in revenge.
** Hostilities should be ended as soon as the other party is inclined to peace.
By information Nigeria...

What do you think about the aforesaid... Comment please..

Thursday 24 January 2013

Letter From A Former Slave to His Old Master

 Letter From A Former Slave to His Old Master
A
fter slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, Colonel P.H. Anderson asked his former slave Jourdan Anderson to come back to Tennessee and work for him again. In his eloquent and ironic reply, Jourdan Anderson draws comparisons between his life as a free man and as a slave. As a free man, he receives payment for his work, is treated kindly, and his children go to school. As Colonel Anderson’s slave, he received no wages, was shot at, and his children had no education.
To my old Master, Colonel P. H. Anderson,
Big Spring, Tennessee.
SIR: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable.

Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.
Text Box: Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this.


I want to know particularly what the good chance is, you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, 'Them colored people were slaves' down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.


As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future.


I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.


In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.
Double Bracket:  I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters.


Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.
From your old servant,
Jourdon Anderson

   In conclusion, I dare say, that those who have there kernel’s cracked for them should not laugh and take advantage of others who are not that fortunate. This is because things can change for the better at any time, and the then oppressed will now be the ones to dictate the pace. Like William Shakespare said;
“Some are born great; some have greatness trust upon them, why some achieve greatness….”
That’s to say greatness will surely come one day………..
Double Bracket: “Some are born great; some have greatness trust upon them, why some achieve greatness….” 
I would like to say that...Behaviour is the mirror through which everyone show
   So therefore, I say to the depressed, be patience your day of greatness is closer, do not give up not now and not ever…………

The greatest good you can do for others, is not just to share to him your own riches but to reveal to him his own............. Stephen

“This is dedicated to the oppressed and dejected all over the world”

By. Idahosa Stephen


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Saturday 12 January 2013

Governor Adams Oshiomhole VICTORY in The Supreme Court





The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Edo State in last year’s election, Charles Airhiavbere, yesterday lost the legal battle challenging the educational qualification of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

The Supreme Court barred him from challenging the governor’s educational qualification and set aside part of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Benin, which ordered fresh hearing of Airhiavbere’s petition.

The appellate court had allowed Airhiavbere to include in his notice of appeal ground to challenge Oshiomhole’s educational qualification. This was against the ruling of the tribunal which ruled that the ground was not contained in Airhiavbere’s petition.

Dissatisfied, Oshiomhole through his legal team of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Ricky Tarfa (SAN), Niyi Akintola (SAN), Femi Falana (SAN), Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) approached the Supreme Court.

Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour who delivered the judgment declared that the trial tribunal was right in stopping Airhiavbere.

“The issue of non-qualification is not clearly before the court. It amounts to injustice for the court to look for other ground for the petitioner,” Justice Rhodes-Vivour said.

“The tribunal has no jurisdiction to hear and determine the non-qualification since it is not contained in the ground of appeal.”

The apex court however said Airhiavbere could still challenge the validity of the election in 51 units in five Local Government.

Justices Mahumd Mohammed, John Fabiyi, Mary Peter-Odili, Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, Bayang Akaahs and Stanley Allagoa agreed with the judgment.

Adopting his written address, Olanipekun had told the apex court that Airhiavbere lost the opportunity to challenge Oshiomhole’s qualification because it was not contained in his ground of petition.

Since he did not specifically plead the issue, Olanipekun said the apex court should not allow Airhiavbere to ambush his client by raising the issue in his argument.

Besides, Olanipekun said there was no basis for the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

According to him, the petitioner grounded his petition on corrupt practice and non- compliance with the Electoral Act 2010, but not on Oshiomhole‘s non-qualification.

He berated the Petitioner/Respondent for asking the Tribunal to declare him as the winner of the election after claiming that the election was invalid.

He wondered why Airhiavbere wanted to benefit from an exercise he claimed was fraudulent.

Olanipekun pointed out that the Respondent is challenging results in only five of the 18 local governments.

“The petitioner makes no presence he was referring to the Electoral Act 2010. There is need for us to discourage this kind of petition: a petition that challenges five out of 18 Local Governments.”

Responding, counsel to Airhiavbere, Chief Efe Akpofure, SAN, asked the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court.

He said that the tribunal did not say that there was no ground to sustain the allegation that Oshiomhole lacked the minimum educational qualification to run for governor.

Asked by Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour to read the ground of the petition, Akpofure agreed that he lumped the ground challenging the validity of the election with that against Oshomhole’s qualification.

He, however added that the fact that non qualification was not made a separate ground was not a basis to hold that there was no ground in the pleadings to sustain the allegation that Oshiomhole was not qualified.

He urged the Supreme Court to read the whole petition as a whole.

Replying on point of law, Olanipekun urged the court to discountenance Akpofure’s argument, adding that the authorities cited by him did not help his case.


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