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Masih (pronounced [ˈmɑsiːħ]) is the Arabic word for Messiah. In modern Arabic it is used as one of the many titles of Isa (عيسى `Īsā), who is known to Christians as Jesus. Masih is used by Arab Christians as well as Muslims, and is written as Yasu' al-Masih (يسوع المسيح ) or Isa al-Masih.

The word Masih literally means "The anointed one"^{[citation needed]} and in Islam, Isa al-Masih is believed to have been anointed from birth by Alläh with the specific task of being a prophet and a king.^{[citation needed]} The Israelites, to whom Isa was sent, had a traditional practice of anointing their kings with oil. An Imam Bukhari Hadith describes Jesus as having wet hair that looked as if water was dripping from it, possibly meaning he was naturally anointed [1]. Muslims believe that this is just one of the many signs that proves that Jesus is the Messiah.

In Islam, Isa is believed to hold the task of killing the false messiah (al-Dajjal, a figure similar to the Antichrist in Christianity), who will emerge shortly before him during Qiyamah (Armageddon in Islamic belief). After he has destroyed al-Dajjal, his final task will be to become leader of the Muslims. Isa will unify the Muslim Ummah (the followers of Islam) under the common purpose of worshipping Allah alone in pure Islam, thereby ending divisions and deviations by adherents. Mainstream Muslims believe that at that time Isa will dispel Christian and Jewish claims about him.

Abdul Masih, "servant of the Messiah", is used as a given name by Arabic-speaking Christians. Masih is also a surname among Pakistani, Iranian and Indian Christians.

See also[link]

• List of Christian terms in Arabic
• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• Islamic view of Jesus
• Islamic eschatology
• Imam al-Mahdi
• Yawm al-Qīyāmah

External links[link]

• Inter-Islam biographies
• Awaz-e-Masih

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

Masoumeh Alinejad aka Masih is an Iranian journalist and writer.

Alinejad is well known for her criticism of Iranian authorities.^[1] She was a parliamentary reporter for ILNA and a journalist at Hambastegi Daily and Etemad Melli Daily. Several of her articles were followed by harsh criticism from conservative parties in Iran. In 2008, former Iranian head of parliament apologized after an article by Alinejad was published in Etemad Melli Daily on economic problems in Iran.

She was a Parliamentary correspondent for ‘ Hambastegi‘ Daily and ‘Iranian Labour News Agency’ (ILNA), for four years prior to her ban from Parliament in 2005. Her ban from Parliament brought worldwide media attention as she had exposed a significant increase in deputies’ salaries had not been made public.^{[citation needed]} The Nobel Prize winning lawyer, Shirin Ebadei offered to defend her in court action.

She has published three books in Persian:

-Tahasson, which describes the political turmoil/challenges created when the ‘Sixth Iranian Parliament’ went on strike.
-Taje-e-Khar,(The crown of thorn) a Novel and that is now being translated into English.^{[citation needed]}
-I am Free, which deals with Women issues in Iran published in Germany because of the banning by the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry in Iran.
Winner of the first annual ‘Omid Journalism Award’ from the Mehdi Semsar Foundation. (Iranian - French Organization): she was arrested as an activist for producing leaflets critical of the Government in 1994.

References[link]

See also[link]

• On the Cost of Confronting Iran's Patriarchal Leaders
• Iran Bans Parliamentary Reporter
• Thorn in the side of Iran's conservative Majlis
• Mr Ahmadinejad, So you're saying I'm free?

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Iqbal Masih (Urdu: اقبال مسیح) (b. 1982 - April 16, 1995), was a young Pakistani Christian boy who was forced into bonded labour in a carpet factory at the age of four, became an international figurehead for the Bonded Labour Liberation Front at the age of 10 after he escaped from servitude, and was murdered with a 12 gauge shotgun at the age of 12. David L.Barker wrote Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children, in which he described the life of child labor and Iqbal Masih.

Early life and Labour[link]

Iqbal Masih was born in 1982, Muridke, a very small, rural village outside of Lahore in Pakistan. Shortly after Iqbal's birth, his father, Saif Masih, abandoned the family. Iqbal's mother, Inayat, worked as a house cleaner, but found it difficult to make enough money to feed all her children from her small income. She then borrowed 600 rupees (12$) from a local money lender (Hussain Khan). To pay off her debt, she sent her 4 year old son into child labor, working for Hussain Khan. He also worked in carpet factories and was fed little food and water. They fed him little, so his fingers wouldn't grow, and the smaller his fingers the easier he could work the looms.Iqbal was very skillful at carpet making he was one of the best out of the whole carpet factory.All of the children in that carpet factory became united as a group. The mistress was very cruel, she always scolded the children and always threatened them. When at first Iqbal tried to escape he ended up staying in the Tomb for 3 days. The Tomb was an old cistern, buried under the courtyard, closed by a grating at the foot of a damp, slippery stairway leading up to the iron door. There was no light down there.They were chained to their looms so they could not escape form their master Hussian Khan.

Escape and activism[link]

At the age of 10, he escaped brutal slavery and later joined the BLLF (Bonded Labor Liberation Front of Pakistan) to help stop child labor around the world. Iqbal helped over 3,000 Pakistani children that were in bonded labour escape to freedom, and made speeches about child labour all around the world. Iqbal's story later became a book.

Legacy[link]

In January 2009, the United States Congress established the annual Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor.

Iqbal visited Broad Meadows Middle School in Quincy, Massachusetts and spoke to 7th graders about his life. When the students learned of his death, they decided to raise money and built a school in his honor in Pakistan.

Iqbal's work and subsequent death inspired a 11 year old Canadian boy; Craig Kielburger to devote his life to Iqbal's cause and organize Free The Children.

Iqbal's story was told by his friend in the child labour Fatima, who was not there as long as Iqbal was but went through the same things.

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Who Was Iqbal Masih?" mirrorimage.com. accessed October 3, 2011.
• Gannon, Kathy (31 May 1995). "LA Times on Iqbal Masih". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-05-31/business/fi-8016_1_child-labor. Retrieved October 27 2011.