Ali on Governance; Discrimination and Minority Rights in North America - Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi

Friday Juma KhutbaFebruary 21st, 2025- Imam ‘Ali (a) in epistle #53 to Mālik al-Ashtar emphasizes that society prospers when all classes support each other, as no class is independent. - He identifies seven societal classes: the army, judiciary, executive branch, revenue officers, bureaucracy, traders and industrialists, and the lowest class. - He urges compassion and responsibility toward the lowest class: the poor, destitute, penniless, and disabled, stressing that fulfilling their rights is a heavy but necessary duty for leaders. - Criticism of the U.S. administration for undermining minority rights by dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ignoring the immigrant nature of North America. - Some Canadian politicians have also targeted minorities through legal measures, such as Stephen Harper’s government auditing charities for political activity via the CRA’s Review and Analysis Division (RAD). - Between 2008–2015, RAD audited 16 charities, revoking 8 statuses—6 of which were Muslim-led. Overall, 12 out of 14 revoked charities since RAD’s inception were Muslim. - Pro-Israeli charities faced consequences only after complaints from Muslim and other groups. - In the current Liberal Party leadership race, Chrystia Freeland promises to eliminate RAD; the NCCM urges action to end both RAD and Islamophobia in the CRA. - Past promises from Justin Trudeau to eliminate RAD remained unfulfilled. - Religious teachings on the merits of fasting during Sha‘bān: - Fasting 16-30 days brings escalating spiritual rewards, from extinguishing hellfire to receiving heavenly blessings. - Specific rewards include the closing of hell’s gates, opening of paradise’s gates, receiving palaces of jewels, marrying heavenly beings, and angelic blessings. - Completing 30 days of fasting leads to divine forgiveness, erasing all past sins regardless of their magnitude. Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)