The 'Eastern Question' Still Persists In Europe

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The Balkans lived in peace for hundreds of years under Ottoman rule. The Bosniaks in particular were the standard bearers of Islam in Europe. The sound of the adhan, the call to prayer, has never fallen silent from the time when the region joined the Ottoman Empire to the present day.

As the highest point of the Islamic world in Europe, the Bosniaks introduced Europe to what it means to be a Muslim. At the same time, for years they represented a wall against potential threats from Europe. They both protected the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world and also played a leading role in the Balkan peoples coming to love and embrace Islam.  

The greatest problem in Europe, until Germany and Italy established their respective national  unity toward the end of the 19th Century, was that of the Balkans, known as the ‘Eastern question.’

The aim of several European empires, particularly Austro-Hungary and Russia, was to break the region away from the Ottoman Empire. The region therefore witnessed a more or less covert power struggle between the great European powers.

The years of turmoil for the Bosniaks and our brothers in the Balkans began with the French Revolution in Western Europe at the end of the 19th Century. The French Revolution manifested its effects in the Balkans in the form of nationalist movements and associated independence movements.

European states made very good use of the ethnic structure in the Balkans and the idea of nationalism against the weakened Ottoman Empire. They managed to incite the peoples of the region through various pretexts and set them at war with the Ottoman Empire. Regrettably, under the treaties of London and Bucharest at the end of the First and Second Balkan wars, the Ottoman Empire lost all its territories in the Balkans with the exception of Edirne.

As Europe embarked on a fight for colonialism within itself, the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908. That process of annexation is known as the ‘Bosnian Crisis of 1908.’

Since Serbia thought that its own territory was next in line for a move from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it protested that annexation. Serbia’s main ally, Russia, was facing its  own difficulties at that time and was able to offer Serbia no more than verbal support. Serbia was unable to demonstrate any serious reaction against the annexation of Bosnia, and remained on the defensive.

The most important thing for Russia was Istanbul and the Dardanelles Straits; it even reached a verbal agreement with  Austro-Hungary on the subject. Under that agreement, in return for Russia having use of the Straits, it would not protest the annexation of Bosnia. Russia expected the first counter-move against the Austro-Hungarian move on to Bosnia to come from Great Britain and France. However, no such reaction was forthcoming from those countries.

Since the Ottoman Empire lacked the strength to fight the Austro-Hungarian Empire it was forced to abandon the region to  Austro-Hungary in return for 2.5 million pieces of gold. Reluctantly, the Ottoman Empire had to withdraw from lands it had ruled for 400 years.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, however, the political situation in Europe was one of turmoil. Germany and Italy had established their  respective national unity comparatively later than the other European powers and lagged far behind countries such as Great Britain, France, Holland, Spain and Russia in the race for colonization. A terrible war in Europe was inevitable when these two countries turned to military force in the fight for colonies.

It was the Balkan people who suffered the greatest losses in the First and Second World wars and the Balkan wars before them.

After the Second World War, the Balkan peoples, who had risen up against the Ottoman Empire due to European false promises of independence, this time came under the rule of communist Yugoslavia and were exposed to assimilation for many years.

There is little difference between the power struggles in the early 20th Century in the Balkans and what is happening now: The powers, components and causes are all the same and it is the same oppressed people who  end up the losers.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire wanted Bosnia in the early 20th Century and acted accordingly. Today, the European Union wants the entire Balkans. The young population in the Balkans is particularly attractive for Europe, with its rapidly aging population.

For years, enormous efforts were made to assimilate the people of the Balkans  under the  communist Yugoslavian regime yet they fought hard to preserve their unique identities and existence. Now they are having to strive against the EU in order to preserve their own cultures.

Although Western countries are providing important financial support for the countries in the region, Europe is trying to attract the young people of the region with the strategy of “No Kosovans, Bosniaks, Albanians, Macedonians or Serbs; only Europeans” it is trying to impose and this is having quite an effect in the region.

The most important example is the lack of reaction on the part of young people to the burning of the National Library in Bosnia. Yet hundreds of Bosnians were martyred in the war between 1991 and 1995 in order to protect the archives that were burned in the library.

Activities concentrating on national and moral values are urgently needed, not just in Bosnia but in the Balkans as a whole, against this subtle strategy of assimilation on the part of the West. It will not be easy; the peoples must unite and act as one.

In the same way that the Western powers tore these societies away from the Ottoman Empire through various intrigues in the early 20th Century, they may now tear them away from their past.

Our Bosniak brothers must be united against this  threat of assimilation and degeneration. In establishing peace and unity in their countries they must also strive for a Balkan Union to take its place inside the Islamic Union.

The people of the Balkans long for the climate of peace that prevailed for hundreds of years in the Ottoman Empire. Insha’Allah, that climate of peace can be rebuilt in the Balkans with the establishment of an Islamic Union.

Legends about the word Tangier

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Tangier's location made it one of the most desired cities in the world. All the big powers then and now have tried to dominate the city due to it's strategical position.

Tangier's history is very rich and tells a lot of stories, starting from how it was named to all the way through history to it present status of being a Moroccan city.

Noah

One of the legends about the word 'Tangier' is the story of Noah. It about a prophet and his followers. They built a ship as per a vision that God showed Noah in his dreams, After this big ship was ready, God sent the flood to the earth and all the creatures were perished except Noah's ship that stayed floating and searching for a land during a along time until a dove settled in the ship's pillars bringing hope back to Noah and his followers. When they saw the dove they yelled "Tinja" ( the word in Arabic means the soil came: they found the land). Soon later  Noah's followers saw the land and yelled "Tinja, tinja"... According to this legend, that was the origins of the name of this historical city of Tangier.

Greek myths

The legend differ from one to an other,moving from the story of Noah to the greek myths. 

Tangier was first founded by "Antee" and he named the city after his wife "tinjis". The kingdom then was starting from Ceuta to Lexus passing through the south of Spain.

As a result of a conflict that happened between " Hercules" and "Antee", Hercules divided the kingdom into two parts with one of his powerful strikes And cause a fjord that separate Morocco and Spain nowadays.

Phoenicians and Carthaginians 

Apart from Noah's and Hercules's stories, Tangier did it appearance in the human history in the first millennium that precedes the birth of Jesus. This occurrence was with the Phoenicians That used to cruised the seas in order to reach new markets for trade, they used to use the port for trade exchange with the neighboring nations. They settled in Tangier in a place called "Tanja balia". The Phoenicians era ended when the Carthaginians made their appearance in Tangier with their famous leader "Hanoun" and 30 thousands of immigrants and they choose to take the city as a place of settlement for the same purpose as the Phoenicians.

Mauritania

Three centuries before Jesus birth, Tangier was one of the most important cities of Mauritania and had the same borders as currently. In 429 the Carthaginians fell against the Roman empire and as a result Tangier enjoyed a peaceful century without conflicts. With the extinction of the Vandals Tangier stopped it correlation with the powerful nations, even-thought the Byzantines were a new regional power in the 16Th century it was never proved if they had indeed conquered Tangier or not.

Goths and the prophet Muhammad 

When the Prophet Muhammad appeared in Mecca. Tangier was than governed by the Goths. Tangier did not last long in the hands of Goths. as it was lately conquered by the new Islamic regional power led by Mussa Bno Nocayr in the early 18Th century.

From Tarik Bno Ziad to the Alawites

In 707 Tangier was governed by Tarik Bno Ziad. The city espoused Islam as religion. Later Tangier was considered a very important city with the arrival of the idrisi state in 788, also with the Marabouts in 1077, Unitarian in 1148, the Meridinide in 1274 and Portugal in 1741. Portugal controlled Tangier for about a century, but in 1581, Spain will extract Tangier from the Portuguese. Soon later Portugal got it independence and won back the city in 1684. As a result of the marriage of Charles two and the princess of Portugal Catherine, Tangier were conquered by England in 1662. This period of "the English Tangier" did not last more than 22 years. Then this strategically important city returned to be under the flag of Islam again but this time with Alawites ruled by Moulay Ismail. However and even thought this city maintained it loyalty to the Alawite state, in 1923 Tangier was forced to become an international city and remained so until 1940 when Spain took the opportunity as the world most powerful nations were engaged in the world war to conquer Tangier again, and it became one of the Spain's colonies until the world war ended in 1945. Tangier than went back to be an International city. In 1956 tangier returned to be part of Morocco under the ruling of the Alawites 1 year after the independence of Morocco 1955.

This is bravely what happened in the historical Tangier with the succession of eras that indicate the importance of Tangier and it situation that interested all the nations along the time. From this we can conclude that Tangier is the land of the world and not only for a specific gender.

Muhammad: The inside story of the last prophet

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To all Muslims and non-Muslims, Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu, which simply means in English translation "May the Peace, Mercy, and Blessings of Allah be upon you." Have you ever wondered why Muslims love the last Prophet so much? There are countless examples from every aspect of his blessed life to ponder upon, let just give a glimpse with same examples. After the death of two people most beloved to him, first his uncle, Abu Taalib (who had protected him from the people of Makkah), and after a couple of weeks, the death of his wife Khadija (who had been by his side throughout his mission as the Messenger of Allah), the emotional impact on the Holy Prophet was so severe that this year was called 'the year of sorrow'. And if these two incidents were not enough, the same year, a third incident occurred, and that incident is known as the 'Incident of Taif'.

There is a city close by to Makkah, around 80 km away, and is known by the name Taif. After preaching Islam in Makkah for 10 years, the Prophet decided to leave and try somewhere else. He thought that maybe the people of Taif would perhaps listen to the message and maybe they would be more inclined to accept the truth.

Once Aisha (R.A), the wife of the Holy Prophet asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, was there any day more difficult to you than on the day of the battle of Uhud?'' (For those who don't know, on the battle of Uhud, the Prophet was wounded, blood was coming from his blessed face, his teeth were dislodged, and even an arrow came and hit him. Much happened on the day of Uhud).

The Prophet said, 'Yes, the day of Taif was worse for me than the day of Uhud; that was the most difficult point of my life'. (I.e. This day of Taif had a very profound impact on the Prophet)

When the Prophet approached the tribe of Saqeef (the inhabitants of the city of Taif), he asked to meet the chief of the town, and the chiefs of the town were in fact three brothers (Their father was once the chief of the city, but once he died, the brothers decided to share the power among each other). So the three chiefs agreed to meet the Prophet as they didn't know why he wanted to meet them. When the Prophet introduced himself as the Messenger of Allah, and told them about Islam, worshiping only one God, and leaving idol worshiping, the three brothers ridiculed and insulted him in the worst possible manner. One of them said, 'If you are a Prophet, I might as well destroy the Kaabah' (meaning what's the point), another said, 'Did Allah not found any one better than you to send? You are the one He has chosen?', the third one said, 'If you are a Prophet, then you are too Holy for me to speak to, and if you are not a prophet (i.e. if you are a liar), then you are too ignoble for me (a noble man) to speak to' (i.e. either way, you are somebody I cannot speak to.)

But this wasn't the end of it, the three brothers then commanded their slaves and the youth to ridicule the Prophet and make fun of him. Also, to physically harm him by throwing stones at him, by pelting him as he was leaving the city. So, the Prophet was forced to leave the city while the people were ridiculing him, insulting him, and throwing stones at him, so much that the blood began to pour from his body and his shoes became soaked with his own blood. As he ran outside the city, he narrates to Aishaa, 'that I could not remember where I was going'. He was in such a state of shock that he did not know where he was until he reached a garden a few kilometers outside of Taif. The people of Taif had stopped chasing him, and he sat down, tired and bleeding, being tortured and humiliated by the people of Taif, all alone under a tree. He made a dua (call) to Allah (S.W.T) and said:

"O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weak, my Lord. To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair? So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care. Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light by which all darkness is dispelled from every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descends upon me. I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You."

At this point, the Prophet said 'I saw a cloud hovering above me, lo and behold, I saw Jibreel (Angel Gabriel) came down from that cloud, and besides him was an angel that I had never seen before.' And Jibreel said to the Prophet Muhammad, 'O Muhammad, your Lord has seen how your people have responded to you, your Lord has seen what they have said to you, so he has sent me with the angel of the mountains to place at your disposal.'

The angel said, 'O Muhammad, if you want, command me and I will cause the two mountains of Taif to collapse upon them.' (For those of you who don't know, Taif is situated on some type of plateau, and the city is in between these two mountains, and the angel asked the Prophet if he should just squash the people between these mountains whose pebbles they used to stone the Prophet with).

The Prophet, still bleeding and his shoes still wet with blood says, 'No! Rather, I pray that Allah (S.W.T) blesses their children to be Muslims and worship Allah (S.W.T) alone. Even if they have rejected Islam, I pray that Allah (S.W.T) blesses their progeny to be Muslim.' SubhanAllah!

This was truly one of the greatest miracles and one of the most compassionate moments of the Prophet. So many are the lessons we learn from this incident. First and foremost, look at the trials and tribulations the Prophet was afflicted with, all of this so that he could spread the word of Allah (S.W.T) and so that he could spread the message of Islam. He was physically tortured, ridiculed and insulted by an entire city. Nobody was there to support him except Allah (S.W.T). Look at the prayer that the Holy Prophet made to Allah! That O Allah, as long as you're not angry with me, as long as your anger is not descending upon me, I don't care what happens with me. His main concern was the pleasure of Allah, not how mankind treated him! His main concern was that Allah (S.W.T) sends His blessings upon him. Just imagine for a second, the Prophet's ears were still ringing with the torture and the taunts of the people, the sarcastic comments and remarks had not been forgotten, the blood had not yet dried and was flowing, and yet in that state, he still forgave and made a prayer for the people of Taif, and he said at least let their children be Muslims O Allah (S.W.T). Just look at the love and concern he had. He showed the side of mercy and leniency, and that is why Allah says in the Quran.

'We have only sent you as a means of mercy for the entire world'. (21:107)

The miracle here is not that Allah sent the angel at the Prophet's disposal to crush the people of Taif, the miracle isn't that Allah responded to the prayer of the Prophet instantaneously, no! The real miracle is the forgiveness of the Prophet at this time. The real miracle is that the Prophet overlooked what the people of Taif had done, and he chose to forgive and forget, and to make prayer for the people of Taif because if the Prophet had willed, there would be no city of Taif right now, but instead he made a prayer for them, and to this day, Taif is a city of Islam. To this day, it is a holiday resort where families go to take their children, it's a place where Muslims go to celebrate, it's a place for Muslims to go to enjoy the beauty of the people and the surroundings, and if Allah (S.W.T) had willed, there would be no city of Taif today, but such is the mercy of our Prophet that the city of Taif continues to remain and thrive to this day.