Yusuf Estes: Get Involved And Share

Yusuf Estes was born in January 1, 1944 in Ohio, into an Anglo-Saxon Protestant family.

His family owned several musical instrument companies including the Estes Piano and Organ Company.
From 1962 to 1990, his career was in the music industry, entertainment, marketing, working as a music instructor and music minister.
He produced and directed live entertainment programs in the United States from the mid 1960s until his last endeavour for cable TV in Florida, entitled 'Estes Music Jamboree'.

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Yusuf Estes, a former Catholic Priest, left Christianity in the early 1990s after being involved in a business collaboration with an Egyptian named Muhammad.
The Texas businessman came to Islam while trying to preach Christianity to the Egyptian.

Here is the story of his conversion.

Following his conversion in 1991 at 47-years old, he pursued Arabic language and Quranic studies in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey.

Islamic Missionary Centre In Houston, Texas.

Yusuf Estes, now a former National Muslim Chaplain for the United States Bureau of Prisons, as well as a Delegate to the United Nations World Peace Conference for Religious Leaders held in September 2000. He is actively involved in Islamic missionary work in the United States, and often features as guest lecturer and keynote speaker at various Islamic events, as well as frequently appearing on various Islamic satellite TV channels.

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From 2004, Estes regularly appeared on the Islam Channel, a UK-based, free-to-air English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel.
UK government figures state that 59% of Muslims watch the channel regularly above any other Muslim Channel.
It broadcasts across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
It is soon to commence broadcasting in North America.

Estes appeared on Peace TV too.
Referred as an "edutainment channel", the Islamic satellite television network broadcasting globally 24/7 from Dubai - Another English language and telecasted free-to-air.
Since January 21, 2006, it has been telecasted to more than 150 countries around the world, including in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and North America.
It's sister channel (Peace TV Urdu) was launched in 2009, dedicated to the Urdu-speaking viewers around the world.

Estes can be seen on Huda TV too. Another 24/7 Islamic channels broadcasting in many countries around the globe, via satellite and via the website Watch Islam TV Channels.

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One of the first thing to strike Yusuf Estes since coming into the religion, was the lack of proper presentation of Islam in the English language.
He quickly decided the best type of 'business' for him 'to work for the Next Life' - It is by showing others the beautiful and logical reality that is true Islam.

For this reason, he dedicated himself to producing the very best in Islamic presentations, videos and websites – for all people of all ages. Guide US TV, first American Islamic Channel is the most important project he had been blessed to work on.
He wished to put Islam in every household on earth - Work to make a real, positive difference.
GOD willing, Ameen.
He also set up websites directed toward English speaking Muslim youth which include www.TubeIslam.com, a Muslim video sharing site, and www.ChatIslam.com, a Muslim Chatroom, and for young children www.WorldPreschool.com, Preschool Learning.

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Since his own entrance into the religion and becoming a chaplain to the Muslims throughout the country and around the world, he encountered many more individuals who were leaders, teachers and scholars, who learned about 'the religion of peace' and entered into it - The reason is always, people are sincerely seeking the truth and are willing to put their different prejudices and biases out of their minds and begin to ask GOD for HIS Guidance in their lives.

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I'm linking you to Darul Arqam, a Converts' Association of Singapore for Yusuf Estes's talk on "Get Involved And Share", when he was in Singapore, last year.

He mentioned of people wanting to get to know Islam, but the followers are projected to rather focus on the "anger management" issues.
In the end, the only people who speaks for Islam are mostly from non-Muslims scholars of the Western scholarly tradition.
GOD Willing, there is change in the approach to some outstanding issues in Singapore which needs greater attention by Muslims, and ALLAH Knows Best.

He carries an important message which Muslim could play a part to reach out their faith to others, so that they could understand the true faith.
It is a different matter of their response.

But with the many distortions and misunderstanding portrayed both by non-Muslims and Muslims too, the need to understand and the knowledge of Islamic teachings, how it should be portrayed, both in practise and in delivering the message, is vital.

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Here, he appeared on Catholic TV on his conversion.

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Sheikh Yusuf Estes (link to his website) suggests the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS to purification of the heart:

1-Clean - your mind, your heart and soul - remove all prejudices and biases. 

2-Thank GOD - for what you have - every moment of every day. 

3-Read - a good translation of the meaning of the Noble Quran in a.language.that.they.can.understand.best.

4-Reflect - on the meanings and consider the bounties of GOD. 

5-Seek - Forgiveness from GOD and Learn to Forgive others.

6-Ask - in your heart for Guidance from Above.

7-Open - your heart and mind. 

8-Continue - to do this up for a few months. And be regular in it. 

9-Avoid - the poison of evil while your heart is opening for the "rebirth of your soul." 

Remember - CLEAN; THANK; READ; REFLECT - Then SEEK, and you shall find. 

ASK, and it shall be given. 

KNOCK, and.it.shall be opened.

Then CONTINUE and AVOID.

The rest is between you and THE ALMIGHTY LORD of the Universe.

If you truly seek HIM, then HE already Knows it and HE will deal with each of us according to our hearts.

Source: Articles Base - September 25, 2010

The Haj - From Japan To Mecca

Road To Hajj - Islam In The Land Of The Rising Sun 

The road to Hajj in the Land of the Rising Sun begins with the little known fact that there are ethnic Japanese Muslims.

Everyday the call to prayer is made in different corners of the predominantly Buddhist country - unobtrusively within the confines of its 50 or so mosques and approximately 100 musollas or communal prayer rooms.

Twenty-six-year-old Kubo-san prays at a small musolla in the agricultural district of Saitama, about two hours outside the capital, Tokyo.

Built 15 years ago by Bangladeshi workers, Kubo is the only ethnic Japanese in the congregation.

"I was born into a very ordinary Japanese family," he says. "We did not have a strong sense of religion."
Kubo's upbringing mirrors that of many Japanese - their attitudes and philosophy towards life shaped by the ancient religion of Shinto.

An ancient polytheistic faith, Shinto involves the worship of nature and is unique to Japan.

While divination and shamanism is used to gain insights into the unknown, there are no formal scriptures or texts, nor a legacy of priesthood that structures the religion.

After the Second World War, Shinto suffered a huge setback when the emperor was forced to denounce his status as a 'living god'.

While many historians would claim that the Japanese people lost their faith after this, recent surveys suggest that at least 85 per cent still profess their belief in both Shintoism and Buddhism.

'Special meaning'

"The first I knew about Islam was in my school days," Kubo says.

"The schools in Japan usually teach history. I knew about Islam in such history classes. Although I knew only a little bit, it shook my soul strongly."

His interest in Islam developed as he read more about it, but it was only when he began to meet expatriate Muslims in Japan that he considered converting.

Now, he is preparing to go on Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, for the first time.

"We Muslims pray five times a day towards Mecca. And pray 'peace be upon Prophet Muhammad'. He was born in this town and started Islam in Mecca. So for Muslims, it has a special meaning to go to Mecca. I feel honoured that I have this opportunity to go there."

'First step'

But just five years ago, Kubo's pilgrimage would not have been possible.

Reda Kenawy is Egyptian but he moved to Japan when he was in his twenties. He worked for a travel agency and decided to branch out to form his own agency specialising in organising Hajj pilgrimages for Japanese Muslims.

Japan's small Muslim community is tightly-knit

"All my staff said I was crazy when I wanted to plan the Hajj trip," Kenawy says. "In terms of business aspects, there must be a demand in the market to cover the costs. It would not work if there are no Muslims going."

"So I told them someone has to start, someone has to take the first step, then others could take it from there."

But, it was an uphill task, particularly when dealing with the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Kenawy says they told him: "We've never heard of Japanese Muslims and we've never heard of Hajj trips organised from Japan."

"So I told them there were Muslims in Japan and I was there as a Japanese. I have the Japanese nationality and I was representing Japan and wanted to bring Japanese pilgrims for Hajj.

"They said I couldn't and that my passport was forged and I looked Egyptian."

'Honour and happiness'

Kenawy persisted in his quest to take Muslim pilgrims from Japan to Mecca and five years on, his travel agency is one of only two registered companies that have been sanctioned by the Saudi government to organise Hajj pilgrimages for Japanese Muslims.

The number of pilgrims using Kenawy's agency has grown year on year, but for him the most encouraging development is the increase in ethnic Japanese Muslims.

"Right now, we have 90 per cent foreigners and 10 per cent [ethnic Japanese]. My dream is to have the opposite - to have 90 per cent Japanese or maybe 99 per cent original Japanese and only one per cent foreigners."

Abdullah Taki is a 36-year-old former body-piercer who converted to Islam in 2006. He made his Hajj pilgrimage in 2007.

"For me, the meaning of visiting the Kaabah is not to see a building but to visit God's home, to meet God," he says.

"At first, when we reached the country by airplane, we entered Madina before entering the city of Mecca. Although I could not see the area because I was in the airplane, when I heard the announcement that we [were there], I shed tears unconsciously.

"I felt an indescribable sense of honour and happiness. I was very deeply touched."

Camaraderie

Like Kubo, Taki's contact with Muslims in Japan started mainly with the expatriate community.

Every Friday, Muslims from Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Japan pray together in Tokyo's Cami Mosque, which is modeled on Turkey's beautiful Blue Mosque.

Kubo learnt about Islam from Muslim expatriates in Japan

There are no official records of the number of ethnic Japanese Muslims but some estimates put it at 10,000 - about a tenth of the country's total Muslim population.

The community of Japanese Muslims is so small that when they meet new faces for the first time, a sense of camaraderie is immediately established.

Higouch-san is 73 years old and has been a Muslim for more than 45 years. Mahmuda Saito is 63 and converted more than 30 years ago. Both know how difficult it can be to practice Islam in Japan.

When Higouch and Saito became Muslims there were only two mosques in the whole of Japan.

"It was very difficult. We Japanese have our own culture and traditions so it is quite difficult to carry out five prayers a day and fasting for a month," Higouch says.

'Planting seeds'
Saito is preparing to go on Hajj for the first time. As for many other Japanese Muslims, this involves a lot of self-study.

"It is not a normal holiday so I try to start from the preparation of my heart," she says.

"To learn how to prepare my mind to carry out the Hajj rituals, I read the books regarding the Hajj everyday at home. I would like to absorb the knowledge of the Hajj as much possible before the trip.

"It could be my last Hajj ... [so] I visit this holy city to try to feel the life of the Prophet and his companions of a long time ago."

Kenawy will be leaving Japan with 120 pilgrims - seven of whom are ethnic Japanese and going on Hajj for the first time and he is hopeful that this number will continue to grow.

"Like when you plant a seed and watch it grow, it can easily die or grow to be a big tree with many branches which cover everything. But it's not a tree yet. It's very easy to be broken now," he says.

"But with all the people's support, I think 10 or 20 years from now, maybe I'm not here, I can see there will be an organisation like a ministry for Hajis like in Singapore or Indonesia."

Source: AlJazeera