With the abundance of websites in cyberspace - some self-absorbed, some littered with bad prose and even worse poetry, some full of anger, hate and malice - it is easy to occasionally wonder what the point of it all is. Is anyone reading? Does anyone care? Does any of it really make a difference?
For an independent site like UmmahPulse.com it is sometimes easy to believe that there is no way to compete with the giant media outlets and their own heavily editorialised version of events. In the tightly controlled world of the media the truth disappears down a rabbit hole into its own Alice in Wonderland reality where the "only democracy in the Middle East" can carry out a murderous pirate raid on an international aid ship and get away with it whilst the so-called "free press" is given a free ride on their propaganda machine.
It was however the bloggers, the facebookers and the tweeters who joined a small group of journalists in the mainstream media that spoke out and spread the truth so that for a while the hypocrisy, double standards and lies were exposed for all the world to see. It was a validation of the internet.
We here at UmmahPulse.com were also boarded by a different type of pirate - cyber terrorist if you will - who after sending numerous letters asking our service provider to close us down due to "inappropriate content" (which were very sensibly ignored) finally managed to hack and close our site for a number of days after numerous attempts. Due to Allah's mercy and the stellar efforts of Kamal Nuruddeen, Jamal Anderson, Abdullah Saleh and Yaqub bin Yamin we are back albeit with a temporary home on BlogSpot till we can get our full site back up.
Although we have had various threats in the past from clowns like EDL rent-boy Charlie Flowers and his band of merry morons, this attack was of a calibre clearly out of their league and was professionally carried out. After some initial shock and disappointment that anyone would want to carry out such a cowardly attack against our site which has always stood out against any of the reprehensible views associated with extremist sites it did eventually lead to a realisation that we were ruffling someone's feathers enough for them to make such an open move. The only conclusion we are left with is that the consistent message convivencia not imperio, of traditionalism over reformation, of truth over spin has touched a raw nerve somewhere. Whoever is responsible for damaging our site have established that they stand opposed to hearing a Muslim's voice that is not screaming out slogans full of hatred or purring out coy messages of reform. In addition it may be the fact that those that regard us as like an itch that does not go away, those with vested interests in Muslims not knowing the truth of what is happening have finally grown tired and decided to have a good old scratch.
To those who hacked UmmahPulse.com you should be aware that whilst you feel that you stand for "freedom and openness" your actions are of those who cannot bear to hear an opinion which isn't their own. You may convince yourself that you have the moral high ground and a better way of life to offer but if you shrink from the challenge of discussing it and instead opt for bully-boy tactics then it is clear that you have already lost the argument and inwardly feel that your "better way" is so impoverished that it would not stand up to any form of scrutiny. You may feel that you hate Islam but the opposite of love is indifference rather than hate and with your actions you have proven that you are deeply moved by Islam and the fear of this feeling has fed your anger. I therefore invite you to Islam and call on you to investigate this religion for yourself and I pray to Allah to guide you to the truth. If however you are so consumed by your own emotions that you cannot appreciate the bounties that Allah has give to us all then I have another prayer for you – may Allah give you a long life with many children....and may they all be guided to Islam and may you spend many years reflecting on the irony of your situation.
At the end of the day we remain grateful to you as you have reinvigorated us, and given us a clear signal that what we are writing is the truth you fear.
الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمْ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
"Those unto whom We gave the Scripture recognise (this revelation) as they recognise their sons. But lo! a party of them knowingly conceal the truth." (The Holy Quran, 2:146)
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