IN THE NAME OF ALLAH MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCIFUL

Two women have been killed as Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd of women gathered to help besieged gunmen flee a mosque in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.

One of the women told the BBC they had dressed the militants in women's clothes to help them escape.

The Israeli military said the women were used as "human shields" and that there had been armed men in the crowd.

Reports said at least 16 Palestinians were killed on Friday, the third day of a major Israeli raid on Beit Hanoun.

In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

Assalamualaikum Wrt Wbt,

Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. All praise only for Allah SWT..

"Wealth and sons are allurements of the life of this world; but the things that endure, Good Deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes" (18:46).

"....Our Lord! grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous" (25:74). 

Our beloved Amir Hamza is now over a month old..all I can say is .. it was all worth it. The pregnancy, the birth...To ma & walid, mama & ayah....we can never thank u enough for helping us out and most importantly for your prayers. We could never ever repay u. Insya Allah our prayers and love will always be with u all. 

thank you to all for your encouragements, prayers and motivation. especialy to family and friends  in Malaysia and US :). Thank u as well to all that visited us here at home..warga Manchester, Acik Jua & Acik Iffa..and most of all, families from Durham - dearest kak wan & kak zu.

Today, after soo long staying at home..we finally got the chance to take Amir Hamza out (penat pujuk Ma kasik keluar sebelum habis pantang. sayang ma :) ). Can't believe he has grown so much since the day he was born. I just hope we won't miss any of the wonderful moments - first of everything. Some pictures of Amir Hamza's Day out.

Amir Hamza - a month old.

Ummi with Amir Hamza..Seronok dapat bergambar dgn baby with his new travel system (sebelum lahir tolak pram je..now dah berisi...hehehehe)

Abi posing with Amir Hamza. Unfortunately Amir Hamza was too sleepy to give his best pose :D.

Well, won't be writing much this time around. Our hope is that our dearest Amir Hamza will live up to his name...ameen ya ALLAH, ya Ar-Rashid (The Guide, Infallible Teacher, and Knower), ya Al-Mu'izz (the giver of honour), ya Dhuljalal walikram (The Lord of Majesty and Generosity).

Ma'assalamah

Love from Manchester

Sarah

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCIFUL

Sometimes I forget..to pray to Allah that He will always allow me to remember HIM and have HIM close to my heart..ALWAYS.

"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of Night and Day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding. Those who remember ALLAH standing, sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: "O Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." (3:190-191)

Taken from Deep Thinking (Harun Yahya)

Have you ever thought about the fact that you did not exist before you were conceived and then born into the world and that you have come into existencefrom mere nothingness?

Have you ever thought of how your life passes away very quickly, and that you will grow old and become weak, and slowly lose your beauty, health and strength?

Have you ever thought about how one day you will find the angels of death appointed by Allah before you and that you will then leave this world?

...In The Name Of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful...

Assalamualaikum WRT..........

Masya ALLAH!!! Do u know how it feels to be deprived of something..?? Really u just dont appreciate things around u TILL u lose it!

Well..finally after MONTHS & MONTHS of waiting we finally have broadband connection..after months of checking my mails through my mobile, after loong loong wait for BT to set up the phone line..at 4 am on FRIDAY we discovered..the line is activated..

OK OK i get u..NO i wont bore u with my diappointments and outcries of deprivation..the thing is since i have not updated my blog for sooo long i seriously dont know where to start. So many things have happened, i have read so many interesting and intriguing materials..the ideas are never ending. I simply cannot decide whether to inspire, to share, to complain or simply to remain silent..hmm..decisions decisions decisions..

Tell u what i shall start with the simple stuffs..then..we'll see where it goes...

..MY EVER DEAREST FRIENDS..

Alhamdulillah, had a brief meeting with the bestest friends anyone could ever ask for..wish i had more time with them..STILL..just to see the smile on their faces..just to hug them..and listen to their stories..it may have been brief but the memory will stay with me till the next time we meet..

Last Month....

Two Years Ago Before UK...(Credits to Cik Ieta)

Private Wishes

Akmar:  Happy Birthday dearest dearest Kemar. The things we've been through..the ups and downs..i must say..have been the things that shaped me to become who I am today. Thank You. My only gift for u is my life long prayers that Allah bless u with his Love and Mercy Insya Allah (Hadiah material kira hutang la yer ;) )

Nadrah: I will always admire your courage and strength. Aisyah is just beautiful. We soo think alike dont we. I've always wanted a baby girl name Aisyah..hmm hope u dont mind us naming our daughter Aisyah as well ;). Though we could not live the dreams we had during our uni days..u are always close to my heart and I will be looking fwd to our private times at our favourite meeting place..:) Please don't stop giving me advice. Cant wait to learn and share with u how to raise up our children..

Sha & Ita: Happy Birthday u guys!! Cant believe how u both have evolved into beautiful butterflies. Jeles jeles. Sha..thank u soo much for motivating me and being there for me when i need u most. Ita...well sorry for not responding to your mail. I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY for u..And YES SHA am happy for u as well..ye la u r now 25, older than me..and..for all the reasons that u should be happy for..:)

Shima: My ex roomie..the strong one...the chain that keeps us together. That's her. Shima u r one in a million. Thank you for being the person u are.

Mar, Naj & Nida: I shall refer to u gals..the corporate girls. I do admire how u juggle all the things thats going on in your life. Nida the super mummy & corporate lady..AFIQ is so wonderfully adorable. Mar..no one can ever challenge your passion and spirit!! Hope tt u will be joining me soon here. At least finally i'll have a woman shopping buddy. NAJ dearest NAJ..u on the other hand..we've been friends the longest..we share so many things...your spirit and courage..is indescribable. All the best with your MBA..and keep on going to achieve your dreams..u deserve it! (jeles aa kete u naj!!)

Yup.."PENGANTIN LAMA"...that's what they referred to us during Lin's wedding. OOww common..I mean we r still newly weds ourselves :(.

ok so where r we now...yes yes "KISAH PENGANTIN LAMA"...:)

POINTS TO PONDER

Well firstly before i go on let me just stress one point..anything jotted down here is intended to serve as points i would like to share..things that worked for us to share with u guys..who knows it'll work for u too..

Firstly..

I am on my 37th week of pregnancy. Yup three to five weeks to go (hopefully!) before Insya Allah we will blessed with one of life's wonderful miracles. A CHILD.

Alhamdulillah, despite the difficulties during the first four months of pregnancy..the rest of the pregnancy have been great. I've lost track of how much weight i have gained (tak nak check pun!!)..back pain almost non existent (at least till now), rapid kicking but STILL enjoyable (must be because of the world cup..the baby i noticed didnt stop kicking during the Germany vs Argentina game..must be feeling the way i feel..ARGENTINA SHOULD HAVE WON :(( )..and many other wonderful things too much to mention here.

We are soo looking forward for the baby. Who wouldnt..?? However so close to the end of the pregnancy...many (i must say both irrational & rational) fears are overwhelming me.

- A child is an amanah..

"O ye who believe! Truly, among your wives and your children are (some that are) enemies to yourselves: so beware of them! But if ye forgive and overlook, and cover up (their faults), verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Your riches and your children may be but a trial: but in the Presence of Allah is the highest Reward." (64:14-15)

i mean u can only pray and try your best to raise the child to become the best person the child can ever be for the sake of ALLAH BUT what the future holds u wiil never know. I constantly pray that the child will not inherit my bad qualities and have all the good qualities that Anuar has. When i see him with his and my siblings, both our parents..i wish i was like him. I hope our first child will turn out to be just like him.

i constantly fear that i wont have the patience to raise the baby. What if i loose control. what if i get angry at the smallest little things..what if i become a bad mother?? WHAT IF i do the wrong things the first time..THIS IS NOT A TRIAL AND ERROR exercise. This is the reality..the real thing..there are so many unanswered what ifs..? I am not ready, i have not read all the books in the market!! What if i fail?? i dont want my baby to suffer from my mistakes...

The thing is..i often forget..i am not going through this alone. I have a loving husband who will insya Allah always be by my side, hand in hand, guiding me through the tough times, sharing the responsibility in order to raise Allah's Amanah to us.

no doubt we will be making mistakes along the way, we are not perfect, neither is the child...BUT..we will always have the comfort knowing that we have each other and most importantly we have Allah to turn to..ALWAYS.

- Secretly i wish we had more time together..the marriage has been soo wonderful so far. For those of u who r soon to be married..let me share with u some tips:-

Some ppl will tell u that the first year of marriage will be difficult (at least tts what some ppl told me) well why not?, they say. u need to adjust to each other, make a lot of sacrifices etc etc etc..

My advice..well there are some things u can take and digest..this point however i would suggest just keep in mind but dont take it to the heart. The thing is, it wont be DIFFICULT if u realise that the journey that u are about to take is as new for him as it is for u. Enter the marriage without any expectations on your spouse. Enter the marriage as if it is a blank book waiting for its pages to be filled by two eager writers who are full of ideas and things to share.

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:

a. Always remember this: Marriage is an Ibadah..so approach it that way!! Making each other happy (with sincerity and honesty) would mean that u r making Allah happy..when things get difficult keep this in mind. Constantly remind yourself this..insya Allah..u will always keep your calm..and present your best smile to your spouse always and in return when u see your spouse returning your smile..the feeling u'll experience..no words can describe.

b. Classic text book theories: Always be sincere, honest, patient and understanding. U may get tired reading these four words over & over again but trust me..THESE four words should be constantly on your mind always and always.

Eg: the way we approach things..when there r things that one of us did tt the other one did not really prefer..instead of the normal "merajuk", getting angry or annoyed, we would make the effort to keep calm, take some time to ponder and then sit down and discuss with each other how we both feel and most importantly discuss how we could both improve things. Its not about the blaming game. What would u get from blaming each other? Pain..it may be satisfying at first to make the other suffer but in the long run u will both lose. Why not...make each other happy by sharing how u feel, figure out a way together how to improve things..and in return u will both end up happy...and satisfied insya Allah.

c. RESPECT. this is soo important. So many times i have shared with Anuar my bogus ideas and visions..well soo many have labelled me as being too idealistic..thinking back if i was Anuar i'd be brushing my ideas off..BUT tts just not the way to treat your significant other.

Anuar has always given me the respect that i sometimes think i dont deserve. As a woman, we have soo many weaknesses..emotionally i must admit. But the thing about Anuar is..that he never make me feel weak or helpless..he listens to my ideas..how bogus it may be..he respects my views though they may not be relevant to the particular context..and most importantly at this most difficult phase in my life..he has always been giving me motivation to keep hanging on..to keep on fighting and most importantly to keep on reaching for my goals though the circumstances around me are limiting me from doing so..Yes, respect is what he gives me..and at this point of my life i shall treasure it always. Alhamdulillah.

d. Love & Humour..

Love..i need not explain further..u will know when the time comes. HUMOUR that u must have in your marriage..look at how the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W used to entertain His beloved wife Aisyah..that's how u should spend your time enjoying your marriage with your husband..looking back..Anuar has made me laugh soo much...that i cant remember the last time i felt really sad or depressed...Truely laughter is the best medicine. Again making your husband or wife happy is an Ibadah..Masya Allah..isnt Allah GREAT..Allah makes it soo easy for us to please HIM but we often (or in this case I often) forget to give my thanks to Allah and make sacrifices for the sake of ALLAH.

Well these are just the few basic tips i'd like to share with u guys.

Back to my point..i hope that when the baby comes..we will still enjoy each other's company like we have always been..I do hope that our relationship will be strengthened with the presence of our baby..and more babies to come insya Allah.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Before i end this time around, just in case i dont get the chance to update the blog before i give birth..

To all that were kind enough to browse through my blog..I ask for your forgiveness for all the mistakes i may have done whether i realise it or not.

To my dearest family and friends..please grant me your prayers..please pray that my baby and I will be healthy and safe..

To Anuar..I know u will be reading this..thank you...thank you for letting me be myself and thank you, thank you for making this journey the best I ever had.

ALHAMDULILLAH..

Wassalam.

In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

"Of all the world's great men none has been so much maligned (slandered) as Muhammad"  W. Montgomery Watt, Prophet and Statesmen, OUP 1961, p231

Alhamdulillah, last Saturday, Anuar and I had the chance to go over to Liverpool for a course held on The Mothers of The Believers - Biographies of the Wives of the Prophet Muhammad SAW taught by Sidi Abdul Aziz Ahmad (sorry cant supply much info on him..his white, from Glasgow). The course came at the right time..at the time where muslims all over the world were angered by the Cartoons of our Prophet SAW published by newspapers in Denmark. The course was very enlightening for me and most of all brought me back to the reality -- how much i dont know about the Prophet and his wives..and how so many times i claim to love the Prophet, his family and sahabahs but..my ignorance proved otherwise.

Sidi Abdul Aziz mentioned a very important point at the start of the course..learning is not just about receiving knowledge but at the same time we must teach what we have learned..and thats exactly what i plan to do today...rather than teaching i'd rather put it as sharing with all of u the valueable things i have learned throughout the course.

Today...i wont go soo much into the Mothers of the Believers rather..what i'd like to do is share the brief discussion we had on the Cartoons and the protests held by the muslims..Insya Allah i shall continue on the other parts later.

PROPHET MUHAMMAD SAW

Many times, over the past weeks, i considered writing about the protests held over the cartoons published on the Prophet (PBUH) as well as how i felt about the publications..but somehow i felt that its not as simple as it seemed. Discussions with Anuar over the matter made me realise thats its not just about the anger over westerners whom may find it fun or normal to insult each other or the Prophet (PBUH) BUT its about what made them (i am sure they knew or would expect the anger they may cause) took the brave step to publish the cartoons in the first place. Is it really their fault? Are all these protests held againts them justified? Is it just about holding protests..just to make a point? Alhamdulillah..during the course Sidi Abdul Aziz mentioned a bit about the matter..and his thoughts sums up exactly what i felt...

First..let us understand what drove these ppl to have so much hate againts Islam and our most beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW. As mentinoned earlier in my wrting..a western historian in his book noted tt our Prophet (PBUH) is probably the only Man who has received so much slander as compared to any other men before or after him.

As Sidi Abdul Aziz mentioned in the course..it all starts from how the non muslims study history and culture. we often face ppl making fun of the Prohet (PBUH)..about how he married so many women (polygamy), how he was accused as a child molester (Saidatina Aisha was very young when she married him) and many other slanders.

"Most orientalist have rejected the concept of normative ethical relativism theory which says that 'the moral rightness and wrongness of actions varies from society to society and that there are no absolute universal moral standards binding on all men at all times'. Spiro (1985) says 'because all standards are culturally constituted, there is no available transcultural standards by which diffferent cultures might be judged on a scale of or worth' " Melford Spiro, Cultural Relativism and the Future of Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology International 1, p260

Most importantly the biggest and most important rule when studying history is:

"Alll history must be assessed in terms of its own period" Michael Foucalt, The Archeology of Knowledge, New York, Pantheon Press, 1972, p170

In conclusion, on this subject, orientalists and those who do not understand history in this world today misjudge other societies as they persume that everyone will have the same moral standards or even the same principles. They feel that those who do not live the way we do today or more accurately put the way the "westerners" live today are either backward or labelled as savages.  The thing is..who are they to claim that their moral standards are the supreme moral standards? furthermore how is it tt we are able impose what we live for today on a time when things are very different and the needs of people then differ from the needs we have now...bearing this in mind..its no wonder how ppl could easily misjudge our Prophet SAW..

As told by Sidi Abdul Aziz, Abu Jahal, on his death bed, when asked by a fellow Quraisy, was Muhammad SAW a Siddiqi (a person who spoke only the truth)..he though attacked Muhammad SAW in every possible way answered YES. Why would a person who speaks only the truth about the dunya (world) would want to lie about the akhirat (here after)? The same person asked Abu Jahal, if its true he's a Siddiqi..why then do we attack and go againts him? Abu Jahal said that they had to do so because if they allowed Muhammad SAW to preach and continue his da'wah on Islam, the Quraisy will lose their position in the society and would not be able to continue to do what they always do...there's another reason given but must first check the fact with Anuar. will get back to u guys on this.

The one thing that really hit me was when Sidi Abdul Aziz told us about Khadija al Khwaylid also known as al Tahira (the pure one), the Prophet Muhammad SAW's first wife.

When the Messenger (PBUH) was overcome with fear when the angel Jibrail came to him for the first time, Khadija soothed and calmed the Messenger (PBUH) telling him and assuring him that "You shall not be disgraced by Allah SWT because you build up ties between people and you only speak the truth".

This was related by Sidi Abdul Aziz to what has happened to us today. We are angry at Denmark for allowing the cartoons to be published, we claimed that they were insensitive towards our religion and most importantly we are Angry because they did not only disgrace us BUT They disgraced our Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Masya Allah..the effect of the cartoons..i dont know what to make out of it. Some irrational muslims choose to burn down buildings, hold violent protests and in return they get nothing but death and worse they create more hatred and misconceptions towards the muslims. Then there are those who are rational..protesting in peace making a point to the non muslims..that YES we can live in peace BUT we must first respect each other and we DO NOT tolerate u making fun of our religion what more if u make fun of our Prophet Muhammad SAW.

But really..if u think abt it, i agree with Sidi Abdul Aziz..in actual fact..we Muslims are being disgraced by them  and they easily disgraced our Messenger (PBUH) because unfortunately we everyday disgrace ourselves and do not follow what was taught to us by our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW.

We are angry at them because of their insensitive cartoons..BUT why arent we angry at ourselves for our own actions..how many of us choose to live the way the Prophet SAW lived his life? how many of us actually make an effort to learn the hadith? How many of us strugggle to protect Islam not againts those who do not embrace it but those who call themselves Muslims but choose to leave the Prophets SAW teachings and glorify men made principles and rules? How many of us actually care for our brothers and sisters in Islam who are suffering from prejudices and war? how many of us are able to put our needs second above the need to spread da'wah and protect Islam from being disgraced? How many of us fight with our brothers and sisters in Islam...instead of building bridges we destroy them? And how many of us are brave enough to speak the truth?  Masya Allah..how ashamed i am of myself..:(

yes we are angry at Denmark for their action. Yes, we can boycott their products..but really would this cure the real source of the problem? 

Friends, the only cure for all these actions againts the Muslims is for us to go back to our roots..practice the real Islam and follow the Quran and Sunnah. We should be ashamed at ourselves..for allowing those who make fun of Islam to do the things they do and even more we should be ashamed at ourselves for disgracing our Prophet SAW everyday in our lives...perhaps when we finally give the respect that ISLAM should receive..then maybe the non muslims will respect Islam the way it deserves to be respected...

may Allah SWT forgive us for our sins and our prayers goes to our Prophet Muhammad SAW and his family and sahabahs...Subhanallah...

WASSALAM

In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

An example to all of us..though threatened by the Western World..the Palestenians stood up high as we always say...

BERANI KERANA BENAR

ALLAHUAKBAR!!

Hamas Claims Vote Victory, Fatah Acknowledges

Hamas supporters celebrate the group's victory in the Palestinian elections

Additional Reporting By Mustafa el-Sawwaf, IOL Correspondent

GAZA CITY, January 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Hamas has won an absolute majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections, said a Hamas official on Thursday, January 26, , according to initial results, with the mainstream Fatah acknowledging for Hamas victory.

"Hamas has won more than 70 seats in Gaza and the West Bank, which gives it more than 50 percent of the vote", Ismail Haniyeh, who headed Hamas's list in the Palestinian elections, told Reuters.

Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for the faction, said Hamas won at least 43 seats in constituencies and more than 45 percent of the remainder of seats which are being elected via party lists.

The combined total would give Hamas's Change and Reform list 75 seats in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Legislative Council.

Of the 132 seats in parliament up for grabs, 66 were elected on a constituency basis and 66 via proportional representation-style lists.

"This is a victory of the Palestinian people who voted against the occupation (by Israel in the West Bank), who voted for resistance, who voted for a new political system based on political partnership," said Haniyeh.

Such results would put Hamas in a position to set the shape of a Palestinian government, he added.

The Palestinian electoral commission had no immediate comment but was expected to issue official results later on Thursday for the 132-member parliament.

On Wednesday, exit polls showed Hamas had won at least 53 seats and that Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas's Fatah, which has dominated Palestinian politics for decades, had got 58.

Fatah Acknowledges

Mahmoud Al-Zahar, senior Hamas official, said the group's Change and Reform list has made a breakthrough in Wednesday's vote.

"The Change and Reform list is advancing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," he told IslamOnline.net.

"Hamas has won over all other runners in the polls."

Mainstream Fatah movement has acknowledged Hamas victory in Wednesday's legislative elections.

"Hamas has beaten Fatah in the elections," a senior Fatah official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Another Fatah candidate also agreed that Hamas had won the vote.

"They have won more seats than us in the legislative council," he said also on condition of anonymity.

New Government

"Hamas has won more than 70 seats in Gaza and the West Bank, which gives it more than 50 percent of the vote", Haniyeh said

The election results would put Hamas in a position to set the shape of the future Palestinian government.

"In the light of these first results, we will consult president (Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas) Abu Mazen and the Fatah brothers on the type of political partnership," Haniya said.

"We are also going to talk to parliamentary groups about the nature of this political partnership," he added.

One Hamas source told AFP that a decision on the movement's participation in the incoming administration would be taken "today or tomorrow" but would "probably be favorable".

The United States and the European Union have assured Israel they will not recognize any Palestinian government in which Hamas participates.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana warned on December 18, that if Hamas wins the polls, it will be "very difficult that help and the money that goes to ... the Palestinian Authority will continue to flow".

Two days before, the US House of Representatives threatened the PA that it risked losing US financial aid and other support if it allowed Hamas to contest the polls.

 

---A new light shines on the Muslim world---

Hamas sweeps to election victory

Islamic militant group Hamas has won a surprise victory in Wednesday's Palestinian parliamentary elections.

According to preliminary results, Hamas won 76 seats to 43 for the ruling Fatah party, giving them a majority in the 132-seat chamber. The turnout was 77%.

PM Ahmed Qurei has offered to resign, and Fatah has said it will not join Hamas in government.

The Hamas win will pose a great dilemma for international efforts to restart peace talks with Israel, say analysts.

'Under occupation'

US President George W Bush said the poll was a "wake-up call" for the Palestian leadership, but he hoped Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would stay in power.

He said the US would not deal with Hamas unless it renounced its call to destroy Israel.

Hamas is an aware and mature movement... open to the international arena Hamas official Ismail Haniya

"I've made it very clear that the US does not support political parties that want to destroy our ally Israel," he said.

But Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Zahar refused to renounce violence.

"We are not playing terrorism or violence. We are under occupation," he told BBC World TV.

"The Israelis are continuing their aggression against our people, killing, detention, demolition and in order to stop these processes, we run effective self defence by all means, including using guns."

Meanwhile Hamas and Fatah supporters clashed in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Shots were fired in the air and some injuries were reported.

The clash, which happened after Hamas supporters tried to raise their flag over the Palestinian parliament, was brought under control by police after about 10 minutes.

Arab concern

Election commission head Hanna Nasser said 95% of the votes had now been counted, and the results could still change slightly.

The 13 remaining seats went to smaller parties and independents, some backed by Hamas.

A victory for Hamas is positive and unsettling at the same time Jarvin McCrafken, St Louis, US

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will now have to discuss with Hamas the formation of a new government and the appointment of a prime minister.

Hamas leaders have said they want to open talks with other groups including Fatah about a political partnership.

Israel has said it will not deal with a Palestinian Authority which includes Hamas.

The BBC's Richard Miron in Jerusalem says the mood there is one of gloom, with the government staying tight-lipped, although some Israelis see the Hamas victory as an opportunity for peace.

Israel's Foreign Minister, Tsipi Livni, appealed to the EU - the biggest financial donors to the authority - to firmly oppose the creation of a "terrorist government"

European leaders echoed the call for Hamas to renounce violence.

"I think it is important for Hamas to understand that there comes a point and the point is now, ... where they have to decide between a path of democracy or a path of violence," UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet UN, European and Russian leaders on Monday to evaluate the result and decide how to proceed with peace efforts.

The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says the Hamas win will also cause Arab governments concern and boost Islamist oppositions in Egypt and Jordan.

Observers praised the election process, with EU monitoring team leader Veronique De Keyser saying the poll was "free and fair under severe restrictions", referring to Israeli measures to limit voting in East Jerusalem.

The BBC's Jon Leyne in Jerusalem says there is no doubt that the Hamas showing has transformed the Palestinian political arena.

But correspondents say Hamas seems unprepared for its own victory, and has not prepared itself to step neatly into government and assume immediate responsibility.

1996 ELECTION 1) Fatah: 55 seats 2) Independent Fatah: 7 seats 3) Independent Islamists: 4 4) Independent Christians: 3 5) Independents: 15 seats 6) Samaritans: 1 seat 7) Others: 1 seat 8) : Vacant: 2 seats 2006 ELECTION 1) Hamas - 76 seats 2) Fatah - 43 seats 3) PFLP - 3 seats 4) Badil - 2 seats 5) Independent Palestine - 2 6) Third Way - 2 seats 7) Independent/other - 4