Purvis the Muslim

Muslims Acting Stupid, Part...I Lost Count

2010-01-08T10:26:00.002-06:00

Churches Attacked in Malaysian ‘Allah’ Dispute

Three Christian churches were attacked with firebombs Friday as tensions rose in a dispute over whether Christians could use the word “Allah” in this largely Muslim nation.

(snip)

“Allah is only for us,” said Faedzah Fuad, 28, who participated in the rally. “The Christians can use any word, we don’t care, but please don’t use the word Allah.”

People are dumb.

2009-09-23T14:37:00.001-05:00

Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can’t keep up with the nation’s demand for ammunition.

Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation — even though nothing specific has been proposed and the president last month signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.

Rumi on the deeper meanings of fasting in Ramzan

2009-08-19T11:33:00.005-05:00

found here
What sweetness lies in an empty stomach!
Man is like a lute: no more, no less.
If the lute is full
it cannot sing a high or low note.
If your mind and stomach
burn with the fire of hunger
it will be like a heavenly song for your heart.
In each moment that fire rages
It will burn away a hundred veils
And carry you a thousand steps
toward your goal.
Be empty
and weep with the fullness of the reed flute.
Be empty
and discover the mysteries of the reed pen.
If your belly is full on the day you are called
pain will come instead of freedom,
worldly cares will come instead of paradise.
When you fast, good qualities will gather round you
like faithful friends and servants.
Don’t break the fast
for it is Solomon’s Seal.
Don’t give the Seal to harmful spirits.
Don’t destroy your kingdom with a full belly.
Even in your kingdom falls
and your armies abandon you,
keep the fast.
Soon they will return
with their banners high in the air.
I say, by the prayer of Jesus,
Heaven’s Table will come to your fasting tent.
Fast and remember that the abundance
of Heaven’s Table will soon be yours -
And I assure you,
the food on that Table
is better than cabbage soup!
– Version by Jonathan Star
“Rumi – In the Arms of the Beloved”
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

Ramadan... Again?!

2009-08-12T23:52:00.002-05:00

Bah. I'm so bad at fasting.

I mean, when I'm into it, it's very spiritually fulfilling, but when I'm not.. it's pure HELL. And I'm usually not. Into it, I mean.

It has occurred to me that if I'm going to survive this upcoming Ramadan that I'm going to have to (at least temporarily) curb a few destructive habits.

I spend too much time on the internet. I'm doing it right now, in fact.

I'm going to have to shut down my facebook and twitter accounts, at least for the month. And... embarrasingly, I've found myself reading a lot of Star Trek fan fiction lately. I'm going to have to stop that too.

And possibly listening to music. I stay up late at night listening to Mr. Purvis' ipod way too much.

These modes of "checking out" of reality need to go. I hope I can manage it.. Please make dua for me!!

Back on Weight Watchers

2009-04-29T11:30:00.004-05:00

I'm reposting this entry from two years ago.. After I wrote this, I lost like 25 lbs. It was awesome. And I've pretty much kept it off since then, but lately the pounds have been creeping back up, so now I'm back on the healthy eating wagon. What I liked most about this diet is that it gave me a feel for how much food to eat, so after a while, I didn't have to count points anymore and it came naturally. If I only have to count points for 1-2 months every couple of years in order to keep my weight down, that's actually pretty easy. I'm on day 2 now, and so far I'm not suffering at all.

-----------------------

After I got married, I gained 25 lbs INSTANTLY. About a year later, my husband and I went on the South Beach diet. It was a pretty good diet, and without any portion control, I managed to lose about 20 lbs. The main idea behind South Beach is that any food with a high Glycemic Index (GI) raises your blood sugar too fast, and when it crashes you have big cravings. It's low-sugar and high-fiber and well-suited for diabetics (although I am not diabetic.. And Insha Allah I won't be any time soon). Some people consider it to be low-carb, but it's actually not at all, you just switch to unprocessed carbs like whole wheat bread and brown rice instead of FREAKIN' DONUTS!

Even after I went off the diet, I didn't gain the weight back. But I wanted to lose more weight, and I didn't want to go through phase 1 of South Beach again.. it was too hard! For two weeks, you can't have any sugar, and that includes the sugar in fruit! So I found this other diet, called the Glycemic Load (GL) diet. It's like South Beach, but considers the GL of each food, rather than the GI. Which means it takes into account, not only the GI but the portion size, so you can have small amounts of high GI food, and it's okay. This made more sense to me, because South Beach prohibited CARROTS in the first two weeks because of a high GI, but in fact carrots will only make your blood sugar rise too quickly if you eat like a pound of them in one sitting.

The only problem was... I didn't lose any weight from this diet. And my husband GAINED weight! I THOUGHT it was too easy... I emailed the author personally, and he was surprisingly available for questions, but when I asked him why my husband was gaining weight, he said it was because he wasn't exercising enough, and that you have to exercise for this diet to work. The problem with that logic is that he wasn't gaining any weight before, when he wasn't exercising OR dieting!!! Dude!

But NOW... now.... things are different. One day, I read an article about a guy who lost 50 lbs in 3 months. Now, that's a lot, but what caught my eye were his unconventional tips. Firstly, he didn't diet on the weekends. And he didn't cut things out of his diet, he just found healthier alternatives so he wouldn't feel psychologically deprived. AND, he wasn't a total Nazi about it, so if there was a party or a birthday or something, he would just switch that day with one of his "weekend off" days. And he used the Weight Watchers plan.

Now, he didn't join Weight Watchers. No, no. He just read their Patent. How smart is that?? Well, I did a little reading, and discovered that this is, in fact, all you need in order to do Weight Watchers. So my husband and I have been doing the POINTS program without paying for it for about a week and a half now, and it's working! And it's really easy too! I wish I'd done this to begin with, in fact.

My mom actually joined Weight Watchers some time ago, and she lost a ton of weight. She's in waaaay better shape than I am. Hopefully we can get into great shape as well, and if it continues to be as easy as this from now on, I think we've got a shot!

How Do We Raise Our Sons Better?

2009-02-17T11:00:00.010-06:00

You know, this story (below) brings up a couple of issues I have about our community...

First, there is the obvious absurdity that the guy who wanted to show Muslims in a more positive light ended up not only killing, but BEHEADING a person, not unlike the terrorists who took Daniel Pearl and others hostage in Pakistan.

What especially horrifies me about this, though, is that it demonstrates the problem we have in our community with domestic violence. More than domestic violence.... an entire culture of machismo, to put it lightly. I have seen so many instances in our community of men turning into complete sociopaths when their wives decide they can't stand being treated like dirt anymore, and then leave. I think too many Muslim families raise their boys like kings and the girls like slaves. The boys grow up thinking they can do no wrong, they can get away with anything, and they have an overblown sense of entitlement that doesn't allow room for the basic considerations of another human being in their lives. I can only imagine what was going through this guy's head as he murdered and then beheaded his wife. Was it worth it? Going to jail for the rest of his life (which very likely would not happen if the murder didn't occur in this country)? Was there no other choice than to "show her" that she can't just leave him? Was it really an imperative... to assuage his fragile ego?

U.S. Muslim TV network founder charged with beheading wife

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The founder of a U.S. Muslim television network has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife by beheading her, the network's Web site and local media reported.

Muzzammil Hassan, founder and CEO of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Bridges TV which launched in 2004 with a mission to show Muslims in a more positive light, was charged after reporting the death of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37, on Thursday night.

After Hassan, 44, told police his wife was at the Bridges TV offices, in the village of Orchard Park, they found her body there, beheaded, The Buffalo News reported.

Funky Islamic fashion struts conservative catwalk

2008-12-03T15:22:00.005-06:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – After years of turning heads with her riotously colorful frocks in Malaysia, fashion designer Tom Abang Saufi can't decide whether to shed a few shades on her batik dresses for theMiddle East.

"If you wear red and fuchsia in the desert, you'll stick out like a sore thumb," she says. "(But) it's slowly getting to be accepted because the Saudi Arabians are well traveled people. They're global, they wearRoberto Cavalli and they're all very colorful."

For many, Islamic fashion might seem synonymous with strait-laced garments that leave everything to the imagination, but some Asian designers are trying to equip modern Muslim women with a wardrobe that obeys both sartorial trends and spiritual dictates.

This fusion of creativity and conservatism is showcased in the Islamic Fashion Festival, which has entered its sixth year and runs through Thursday in a Kuala Lumpur hotel. Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates take turns hosting the event.

full article

On the Web:

Islamic Fashion Festival: http://www.islamicfashionfestival.com

Tom Abang Saufi's collection: http://www.tomsaufi.com/

Lee Khoon Hooi's collection: http://www.khoonhooi.com/

Bucket List Meme

2008-12-02T11:20:00.004-06:00

I have been tagged by HijabiApprentice. I tag Majlis Manal!!

"Simply state any number of goals you want to achieve in the next 8-10 years. Let them be small goals, big goals, silly goals. It is always nice to think about a bucket list, write it down, and share it. But most importantly, tag others to do the same when you are done."

Learn Arabic
Become very, very fit
Become a good filmmaker
Find my purpose in life (just a minor detail)
Visit Syria
Become less cluttered and wasteful
Figure out the hair situation

Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet

2008-11-19T10:37:00.003-06:00

Wow... 'cuz, y'know he TOTALLY wanted your endorsement!

In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell andCondoleezza Rice — "house negroes."

Tee Hee!

2008-10-18T18:46:00.003-05:00

The Daily Thing Wrong with

John McCain: Friday, 10/10/08

Even the crotchety white people are starting to jump ship.

According to AP, much-coveted white working class voters are slowly but surely moving into the Democratic camp. Apparently, the economy is now more f*cked-up than Obama is black.

Offended Much?

2008-10-17T10:57:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I look at myself and wonder... do I get offended too much? For instance, as a Muslim, do I need to fly into an internal rage at every ignorant remark I hear or read about? (when does one NOT hear or read ignorant things about Muslims?) If I don't get offended, am I being too compliant? A sellout? At what point does my righteous indignation become pretentious and too politically correct? And just plain exhausting?

I just read the following article (with a shout-out to the Muslims! Woo hoo! See below), which gives some really great insights into why we get offended, as a social tool, and how we can better handle our offense in social situations.

http://www.slate.com/id/2202303

It's often the pettiest-seeming things that drive people mad. Or worse. Jostling our way through the world can have violent consequences. A significant percentage of murders occur between acquaintances with the flash point being a trivial insult. Sometimes it seems we live in a culture devoted to retribution on behalf of the thin-skinned.

...

Feeling affronted has global implications: Islamic organizations and countries seek to ban speech anywhere they decide is insulting to Islam, asserting that a perceived insult can justify a deadly response.

Study the topic of "taking offense" and you realize people are like tuning forks, ready to vibrate with indignation. So why do humans seem equipped with a thrumming tabulator, incessantly calculating whether we are getting proper due and deference?

...

Humans have superb abilities to evaluate the defects of everyone else. The glitch, Haidt says, is that we're blind to our own flaws.

...

"Once we're angry, irritated, we become prosecutors, and our reasoning gets hijacked by our need to build our own case," he says. So he suggests we can stop the prosecution by making even a small gesture of conciliation. We don't have to acknowledge we are wholly in the wrong, but changing our tone, conceding we shouldn't have said something, or said it in such a way, can trigger the reciprocity impulse in our opponent.

Actually, they both suck.

2008-10-07T13:10:00.004-05:00

Brigitte Bardot slams Palin as a 'disgrace to women'

Yes, this is true, but so is Brigitte Bardot. (NOW, I mean. Not back in the day. Back then she was awesome.)

Everything that breathes belongs to God.

2008-10-02T15:28:00.003-05:00

This is a saying that someone in my Toastmasters club quoted during table topics. He'd seen it on a bumper sticker in Spanish, and said that it reminded him in that moment to be patient and remember not to be so angry when soemone is driving badly, for instance. This phrase really resonated with me, and I hope that I can remember it when it's most needed. That's it.

Shameless Self Promotion

2008-09-25T12:22:00.002-05:00

Check out my guest post on hijabman and my film on LinkTV's online contest!! (voting starts on Sep 29th... hint, hint)

Yusuf Islam, aka Cat Stevens, is NOT stuck up, fool!

2008-07-23T16:10:00.007-05:00

He obviously talks to women who are not veiled. How else would he get Dolly Parton's endorsement?

--------------------------------------------

Yusuf Islam wins damages for "veiled women" slur

LONDON (Reuters) - British folk singer Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, accepted libel damages and an apology on Friday from a news agency that reported he had refused to talk to women at an awards ceremony who were not wearing a veil.

The artist, who changed his name after becoming a Muslim in the late 1970s, will donate the "substantial" payout to Small Kindness, a U.N.-linked charity he chairs.

Adam Tudor, the singer's attorney, told London's High Court that the story behind the legal action was published by World Entertainment News Network and was used on Contactmusic.com, a website said to have 2.2 million page views a month.

The article appeared in March last year and suggested that the singer was "so sexist and bigoted that he refused at an awards ceremony to speak to or even acknowledge any women who were not wearing a veil," Tudor said.

"It went on to suggest that Mr. Islam's manager had stated 'Mr. Islam doesn't speak with women except his wife, least of all if they don't wear a headscarf. Things like that only happen via an intermediary.'"

Tudor said the article had embarrassed the singer, creating a false impression of his attitude to women and also casting serious aspersions on his religious faith.

World Entertainment News Network issued an apology, saying:

"We now accept that these allegations ... are entirely without foundation, and that Mr. Islam has never had any difficulties working with women, whether for religious or for any other reason."

Islam, 59, is still best known for his hits as Cat Stevens, including "Wild World," "Morning Has Broken" and "Moonshadow."

He sold an estimated 60 million albums as Stevens, but retired from showbusiness in 1978 after converting to Islam. He released his first mainstream pop album since then in 2006.

Reuters/Nielsen

Eat Your Heart Out, America's Test Kitchen

2008-07-15T15:47:00.004-05:00

I want to share my favorite cooking site with y'all (yup, I said y'all, because I live in "the south"). It is called Simply Recipes.

I swear to you, WALLAHI, I have had the most success with this lady's recipes than I have with any cookbook or cooking website I have ever read. Here are some of my favorite recipes so far:

Mom's Chili Beans: I'm planning to have this for Suhoor during Ramadan. I call it fancy comfort food. I especially like the touch of jalapeno and the cilantro on top. I use turkey to make this and serve it over instant brown rice cooked with a pat of butter. Oh--and I use chipotle chili powder.

Classic Baked Chicken: This is SO EASY and soooo moist. It tastes like it came from a rotisserie. I added a bunch of extra spices like allspice and cajun spices. We eat it with pita bread and garlic potato sauce.

Moroccan Spiced Grilled Chicken Breasts: Wow! Talk about flavor. Don't skip the marinating step!

Suzanne's Best Brownies: These are simply the best brownies I've ever tasted, much less made. They are very fudgy and have just the right balance of chocolate and sweetness.. And a hint of almond extract!

Here are two dishes I plan to try next:

Gingered Lemon Bars

Italian Sausages with Ratatouille (with turkey Italian sausage, of course)

Awww, that's okay... We forgive you.

2008-06-05T14:56:00.008-05:00

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said: "We had the intelligence that we had, fully vetted, but it was wrong. We certainly regret that and we've taken measures to fix it."

US deaths as a result of Iraq War:
4,092

Iraqi deaths:
151,000

LOL

2008-04-02T12:01:00.001-05:00

Malaysian man gets double whammy divorce

Wed Apr 2, 1:41 AM ET

When Roslan Ngah took a second wife, he might have wondered if she would get along with his first.

He need not have worried. The two women got on so well they decided to leave him at the same time.

Faced with their united stand, Roslan, a 44-year-old Malaysian Muslim, divorced his two wives, aged 46 and 35, in an Islamic Shariah Court in northeastern Terengganu state on Tuesday, a lawyer said Wednesday.

According to Islamic law, a woman can submit a request to leave her husband, but the pronouncement of divorce must come from the man or a court. Islam allows a man to have four wives.

Salwa Mansor, the second wife's lawyer, said the wives cited irreconcilable differences and other complaints.

The Star daily quoted Roslan as saying that he was aware his two wives had become close over the years.

"They are like good friends but I never imagined that both of them had collectively decided to divorce me," Roslan was quoted him as saying. "I never expected our marriages to end in this manner."

Roslan has four children with his first wife and two with his second.

Roslan reportedly said he would marry again, "God willing."

"If my fate says so, I have no qualms and this time I hope that my marriage will last forever," The Star quoted him as saying.

More Hijab Hysteria

2008-03-24T08:46:00.002-05:00

Isn't it interesting how self-righteous people get about hijab? Both Muslims and non-Muslims, actually... But in this particular case, we have a group of non-Muslims--none of whom actually know any Muslims who wear hijab, I'm sure--who have decided on BEHALF of all of us that the hijab signifies submission to men.

GENEVA - Swiss media and politicians expressed outrage Wednesday that the country's foreign minister, an outspoken supporter of women's rights, wore a headscarf in a recent meeting with Iran's president in Tehran.

(snip)

"Like a submissive woman," the Lausanne daily tabloid Le Matin said in a front-page story.

(snip)

"Of course we have to respect customs," said Liliane Maury Pasquier, a Social Democrat like Calmy-Rey. But, she added, "Where is the solidarity with the women who fight against wearing the headscarf?"

It reminds me a bit of this ridiculous article, in which the author takes it upon herself to decide that women who wear niqab should take it off because she thinks it's rude. Because it's ALL about her!

I'm sorry, but this is hilarious...

2008-02-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

World Leaders Gather To Roast Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

GENEVA—"Ahmadinejad? I can't even say it, let alone write it on a Black Ops memo." President Bush jested during the roast of Iran's controversial leader.

News Flash: Bush Full of Crap

2008-01-23T01:15:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure why people aren't more pissed off about this... Maybe they are too busy watching Hillary and Obama duke it out...

A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

*snip*

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

More Muslim girls wear scarf in games

2007-12-16T00:33:00.000-06:00

Experts and advocates say the number of Muslim girls wearing the hijab on the court, track or field is rising because girls are growing more comfortable pursuing mainstream activities while maintaining religious traditions.

"They don't see the barriers," said Edina Lekovic, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council. "They take it for granted they can play in competitive sports ... and work out the clothing issues at the same time."

Even so, Bakri and current players at her former school, Fordson High, players say they've heard trash-talk that goes beyond the usual on-court chatter — calling them terrorists, telling them to go back to their own country.

...

"Nothing in our religion says we can't go out and do other things just like everybody else. It's just while we're doing it, we have to be more modest maybe than everybody else," she said.

Dewnya Bakri lets young players know there are ways to deal with the taunts that don't mean getting rolled over, like the time when opposing players insulted her scarf-wearing teammate during a high school tournament.

"I looked at (one of them) and said 'This is for you.' I shot six threes in that game. I was guarding her and she scored zero.

"That shut her down."

Warm The Streets

2007-12-05T13:41:00.001-06:00

Sketched Soul has a new project! This one is not a swap... it's even better! Just send in your winter scarves, and they will be wrapped and passed out to people living on the streets in Toronto.. Which gets VERY cold, so this is a really good project to get involved in. Just click on the link above and email Farhana, and she'll tell you where to mail the scarves.

What Would Jesus Do?

2007-11-16T23:14:00.000-06:00

Well... Looks like the Jews know better than the Christians, in some cases...

AUSTIN — Organizers of an interfaith Thanksgiving celebration scrambled to find a new location for the annual event after an evangelical Baptist megachurch objected to Muslims worshiping on its property.

Hyde Park Baptist Church notified Austin Area Interreligious Ministries this week that it wouldn't allow the event scheduled for Sunday at Hyde Park's sports complex known as the Quarries.

The Thanksgiving event is in its 23rd year and invites Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Bahais and others to worship together. Austin's largest synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, has now offered to host the celebration, organizers said.

News Flash! (not)

2007-11-08T10:22:00.000-06:00

Women in predominantly Muslim countries are struggling to compete for jobs, win equal pay and hold political office, falling behind the rest of the world in eliminating discrimination, a report said Thursday.

I get really tired of how Muslims gloat about Islam giving women rights that weren't granted to Western women until much more recently. This may be true, but we have no business gloating about it until we can put it into practice. This news report tells us how far we have to go in that respect...

How did you get here?

2007-11-05T14:28:00.000-06:00

So I was looking at my blog stats and found this section where it shows what people typed into google to land on my blog. Turns out, out of the last 35 hits that came from a search engine, 65% of them were searches on Huma Abedin. A while ago, I wrote a short profile on her and France's Rachida Dati, two powerful Muslim women. So... with Hillary Clinton so far ahead in the polls, she may indeed become the Democratic Presidential nominee... perhaps even the President! And if that happened, could Huma Abedin become a member of her cabinet? Imagine... a Muslim woman working directly for the US President, as there is currently working for the French President. Pretty cool, huh?

As a side note, here are some other seaches that somehow led people to my blog:

muslim cat
preteens boob job
husband makes bigoted remarks about my family

Pictures of Purvis

2007-10-26T09:59:00.000-05:00

This is the character my sister thinks I most resemble. At least back when I had braces. She said I have to post it on my blog. And I always do everything she tells me to.

Compare this to me today. Yeah, baby!

Racism? eh.

2007-10-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

I just read about the incident at George Washington University. Apparently, a conservative student group is hosting something called "Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week," (nice, huh?) featuring a bunch of speakers who have written widely on How Much Muslims Suck. Monday morning, a bunch of totally over-the-top posters were plastered all over campus that said, "Hate Muslims? So Do we!!" along with a diagram of a "typical Muslim" mentioning features such as "hatred of women," "suicide vest," and "hidden AK-47." Much backlash occurred because of this, and the conservative student group in question denied all involvement, saying "We neither endorse nor support any form of hate speech," (Oh?) "rather we promote freedom and liberty."

It turned out the culprits were seven students OPPOSING the "Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week," and if you look at the fine print on the poster, it says it was " brought to you by Students for Conservativo-Fascism Awareness." It also refers to a BBC documentary called "The Power of Nightmares," which notes strong similarities between the rise of the American Neo-Conservative movement and that of the radical Islamist movement. Following the backlash, the students released this statement, taking responsibility for the incident and explaining that the whole point of their actions was to expose the absurdity and racism of "Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week."

I'm not going to comment on the incident itself, but I wanted to point out something I see a lot in the Muslim community, that really gets on my nerves--why do people keep saying anti-Muslim bigotry is "racist?" Yes, I understand, that most Muslims are people of color, but not all are. If someone (presumably a white person) directed an Islamophobic slur in my direction, for instance, that wouldn't be racist, because I'm white! You could argue that Judaism is a race, but Islam... not so much. Islamophobes are often racist also, but I don't think that makes Islamophobia the same as racism. Islam is a religion, folks! And when we call anti-Muslim bigots racist, I believe this weakens the argument against them. Or makes it look like maybe we don't speak English so well... All throughout the aforementioned letter, the word "racist" is tossed about freely. I really wish they had just said "bigoted" instead. I think the statement would be taken more seriously, and it would be more accurate, and more powerful. That's all.

Doctor to honor Ramadan rituals in space

2007-10-11T12:32:00.000-05:00

Coooool!!!!

A Malaysian doctor who will spend the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in space has vowed to follow the rituals of his faith even as he hurtles around Earth at 17,000 mph.

Empire State Building to go green for Eid

2007-10-11T09:42:00.000-05:00

New York's iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.

"This is the first time that the Empire State Building will be illuminated for Eid, and the lighting will become an annual event in the same tradition of the yearly lightings for Christmas and Hannukah," according to a statement.

Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month, is expected to be celebrated in New York from Friday, depending on when the new moon is sighted, and the city's tallest skyscraper will remain green until Sunday.

Built in the early 1930s, the 443-meter-tall (1,454-feet-tall) Empire State Building was first lit up with colored lighting in 1976, when red, white and blue lights were used to mark the American Bicentennial.

An estimated seven million Muslims live in the United States.

So? What's the problem?

2007-10-07T01:29:00.000-05:00

Japan's Agriculture Ministry reprimanded six bureaucrats after an internal probe found they spent work hours contributing to Wikipedia on topics unrelated to farm issues — including 260 entries about cartoon robots.

A Fast Fit For A King

2007-09-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

From Muslim Wake Up!:

Once upon a time a king went out to hunt on a very warm day in the Fall of 2007*. After a few hours he felt very hot and tired, so he decided to stop for lunch. His servants unpacked a large picnic basket they had brought with them and set up a table.

Now the king didn’t want to eat together with his servants, nor did he want to eat alone. The king told one of his servants to find someone to come and eat lunch with the king. The servant walked to a nearby road, saw two 13-year-old boys walking along, and told them that the king wanted to see them.

The boys were very surprised, and a little frightened, but they went with the king’s servant. When they arrived at the picnic, the table was set with all kinds of wonderful foods and drinks. The king told the boys to sit down next to him and eat. The boys sat down next to the king, but they did not eat.

After a few minutes the king said, “Why are you not eating? My food is prepared by the best cook in the kingdom. It is the best tasting food in the country. Doesn’t it look good to you”

“It looks great, and I am sure it is the best food I will ever taste,” answered one boy, “but I can’t eat it.”

“Did you just finish eating lunch? If so you do not have to eat a whole meal, just have some of these great deserts” said the king.

The other boy replied, “Actually we did not eat lunch today, but we cannot eat anything, not even one of those really good looking chocolate covered candies.”

The king was surprised and asked, “Are you sick? Is that why you have lost your appetite?”

“No,” said the boys, “We are not sick and we haven’t lost our appetites.”

“Then why are you not hungry?” asked the king.

“But we are hungry” said one boy, and his friend added, “Neither of us ate lunch, and I did not eat breakfast. We are very, very hungry.”

The king looked bewildered and shouted, “Then why don’t you eat since both of you are hungry and the food is delicious?”

“Because this month is Ramadan and I am a Muslim” said one boy. The other boy nodded and said, “And today is Yom Kippur and I am Jewish.”

The king was astonished and said, “Why shouldn’t you enjoy yourselves? This is the best tasting food you will ever eat and you are hungry.”

click here for the rest of the story

Anyone... Anyone??

2007-09-19T23:40:00.000-05:00

Surely SOMEONE, in the spirit of Ramadan, would like to pay it forward. I don't have my three people yet! :( :( :(

An Idiot's Guide to Ramadan

2007-09-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

From the BBC:

Adam Yosef

An Idiot's Guide to Ramadhan

By Adam Yosef, site user

Lots of frequently asked questions answered by Adam, about the most important event in the Islamic calendar.

Ramadhan, what the heck is that?

Ramadhan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. It's when Muslims all over the world spend 30 days observing fast and bettering themselves in principles of faith.

Observing fast? Is that something to do with running, then?

No.

Oh, it must be driving, huh? You know, I can drive really fast, I've got an Escort...

Er...no.

Oh, what is it then?

Observing fast, or fasting, is when a person abstains (or keeps away) from eating and drinking.

What, you don't eat or drink anything? Don't you get hungry? I know I would.

Yes, that's the idea. We fast for 30 consecutive days during the month of Ramadhan.

Adam: What, no food? Not even an apple?

30 days? Are you mad? No one can go 30 days without food and drink!

No, that's right, which is why Muslims only fast during daylight hours. Once the fast for each day ends, they are allowed to eat again.

Then, what's the point of fasting?

The reason Muslims fast is to discipline their body and mind. The absence of food and drink and other pleasures provides a perfect opportunity to concentrate on prayer and worship. Not having the luxuries of life to hand makes it easier to reflect on life and be grateful for what we do have. Muslims use this month to start afresh and give their life a new direction?

What kind of direction?

Many Muslims use Ramadhan to make resolutions, similar to New Year's resolutions. It is a time when they decide how they want to live their life for the next year and try their very best to adhere to their new commitments.

Commitments...?

Yes, like greater commitment to God and faith. Ramadhan is a time when Muslims can introduce practices into their life to reflect their religious identity. A lot of Muslims have a desire to pray more and learn more about Islam. Others wish to be better and nicer people while some want to learn Qur'anic Arabic to better their understanding of the Holy Book. For these people, Ramadhan is the best opportunity to begin this grand affair with something so personal and spiritually enlightening.

Can't they do it at any other time... why Ramadhan?

Ramadhan is a blessed month ordained by God. It is the month in which Satan
and his minions are said to be locked away in Hell to prevent them from misleading, deceiving and whispering in the ears of believers.

Adam: Sorry, no music and movies

This doesn't mean that sin and bad deeds will completely disappear for a month but it
will mean that if bad deeds are done and sins committed, they will be from the hearts of people alone and the devil cannot be blamed.

However, God has promised the people that the reward for good deeds and actions during the holy month will be multiplied greater than usual and this encourages many to increase their level of worship and prayer. Although, this also applies to sins and so any naughty actions only invite greater punishment than usual.

Ramadhan does make it easier for Muslims to observe their faith though, largely because all Muslims are following the same pattern and so they are always offering each other moral support and encouraging each other to do better. Ramamdhan brings people much closer than normal as they forgive each other for any misdemeanours of the past, forge new and positive relationships and treat each other with greater respect.

What else do Muslims do in Ramadhan?

Well, aside from fasting, they pray more. Muslims should pray five times a day anyway and go to the mosque but many find this difficult so Ramadhan helps them to fulfill these practices and in many cases, stick to them long after Ramadhan is over. Muslims also read the Qur'an more and understand and share their religious teachings. They also learn to abstain from bad habits and minor and major sins and hopefully continue with the effort when Ramamdhan is over too.

What kind of bad habits are we talking about, like picking yer nose?

Well, that could be one. Many people are always trying to give up things that they know are bad for them or things that make God angry. These are usually things that are not good for people and not good for those around them and so people use Ramadhan as the time to drop these ills. It is debatable as to what is considered a bad habit or deed but because Ramadhan is observed as a religious obligation, most use religious teachings to determine what is right and what is wrong.

Adam: It's the Kaa'ba!

So, what's the really bad stuff then?

A number of things. Practices like smoking, swearing, drinking alcohol and abusing drugs, treating people with disrespect and being mean, harming or hurting living things, being cruel, un-courteous and selfish. There's a whole host of things, many of them universally accepted as 'unhealthy'.

What else is banned during Ramadhan?

For Muslims, some things are prohibited all the time, not just in Ramadhan but if abstinence isn't being observed, Ramadhan is a good time to start or try and implement change in life. Other things are allowed but should be reduced in Ramadhan to make more time for prayer and worship. This could be things like watching
television, playing board games, spending too much time dressing up, listening to music, shopping and messing around with mates and so on.

I heard you can't have sex in Ramadhan, is this true?

Sex is allowed in Ramadhan but not during the fast. Just like food and drink, a person's natural needs must be fulfilled. Muslims are normally allowed to eat, drink and have sexual relations so this would be the case in Ramadhan but not during the fast when all must be avoided or they could nulify the fast. When the fast is over for the day, those things that are halal (lawful) may continue but more time should still be spent on worship.

However, Islam doesn't allow extra-marital relationships so any sexual activity outside of marriage or contrary to Islamic teaching is prohibited and those who may indulge in any such activity are expected to try their very best in Ramadhan to abstain with
intent to give up - the same applies to any haraam (prohibited) activities
as mentioned before.

What about all that bowing 'yo-yo' stuff?

You what?

Adam: How not to use a prayer mat!

When you kiss the ground and things?

I think you're referring to prayer. Muslims don't kiss the ground, they prostrate to the Lord in submission. As I mentioned, Muslims must try to improve and excel in their prayer during the holy month, with extra effort on the regular prayers during the day, not just Friday services. Both Muslim men and women should make more effort to go the mosque and spend more time studying Islamic knowledge and the Qur'an.

Attending lectures and being involved in good work, whether it's helping out at the old folk's home or even attending a peace rally, all is encouraged. During Ramadhan, there are special prayers known as the 'Tarawih' service which are performed every
evening at the mosque in congregation.

When does the fast begin and end?

The fast begins just before dawn when Muslims eat a light meal (suhoor) and confirm their intention to fast for the day. The fast ends at sunset when the call to prayer (Adhan) is announced. Eating a date or some water are the recommended and most popular methods of concluding the fast. The time when the fast ends is known as 'Iftar'.

When you break the fast, do you have to eat Asian food?

Because Islam is not a culture, there is no restriction on what is eaten by Muslims provided it is prepared in the halal manner. Quite obviously, pork and alcohol are not allowed. Recommended food items for Muslims include dates, milk, water, honey, olives and figs - all for their nutritional properties and religious significance. With regards to main meals, anything from fish and chips and spag bol to curries and cous-cous is allowed.

Enlightenment is a must during Ramadhan

Why do some people stuff themselves when the fast is over?

Those who are fasting should deprive themselves of the meals they would normally have during the times of fast but they shouldn't really eat all they missed once the fast is over as this defeats the whole objective of the fast. When breaking the fast (of having breakfast, I guess), they should simply have the meal they would on any other day. It is permissible to have a more elaborate feast if one if hosting a 'Iftar' meal for guests as this is considered a good and noble act, in which there is divine reward.

But don't you have to think about the poor?

Yes, Ramadhan is also about thinking about the less fortunate and needy although in a lesser degree to improving one's own character over the blessed month. Not eating and drinking does encourage Muslims do recognise how the poverty-stricken and starving people in the world must bear the burden of daily life and this is why, in Ramadhan, many Muslims donate more to charities and why mosques collect more so that people right across the world can have better life and those who donate can gain greater regard for well intentioned actions.

So who has to fast, is it everyone?

Not everyone. Young children are encouraged to learn about fasting but fasting is only obligatory (a must) for anyone beyond adolescence (or over the age of 10 according to some scholars). Muslims who have medical conditions that prevent or make fasting difficult, those who are not of sound mind or are going through a pregnancy or menstruation cycle as well as those who are too young or too old do not have to fast. In some circumstances, individuals who cannot fast for any number of reasons may make up the fast at a later date.

Don't touch that remote...

What if you need to train at the gym or do sports or something and you know you'll need water?

Ramadhan obviously should always be placed first as it is no doubt of greater benefit and only comes around once a year. It would be a missed opportunity if Muslims who wish to fast, and have the ability to do so, miss out while their brothers and sisters participate around them. If Muslims feel they can fast and still carry out any high energy activities, then that's fine but if they have to choose because they can't do both, then fasting would be the better option as they can always get in any recreation
or exercise when the fast is over.

Some people call it 'Ramadam', what's that all about?

The month is correctly known as 'Ramadhan' or 'Ramadan', the latter being the more anglicised version. 'Ramadam' is incorrect and is mistakenly used. 'Ramadam-dam-dam', as pronounced by Ali G, is also wrong but you probably
guessed that already.

When does the month begin, is it the whole of October?

Islamic months follow the lunar calendar, in the same tradition as the Jewish community. Therefore, in relation to the solar, or Gregorian, calendar, Islamic and Jewish months will annually differ by around 11 to 12 days. This means Islamic events will always fall roughly around the same time in the Islamic calendar but always on a different date in the mainstream solar calendar. This year, Ramadhan begins in the first week of October, depending on the sighting of the moon, and will end approximately 30 days after, sometime in the first week of November when Muslims conclude the month with festivities and celebrate Eid.

What's Eid?

Eid, or 'Id, means 'festival' or 'celebration' in Arabic and the festival
following Ramadhan is known as 'Eid al-Fitr'.

This article was first published in 2005.

Ramadan Advice from a C+ Muslim

2007-09-12T13:57:00.001-05:00

From Muslimmatters.org:

In Wisconsin, after the long, long winters, one of the most amazing moments of spring is when the light green buds start to burst from the tree branches. At that time of year, you’ve almost forgotten what trees look like with leaves. A desolate landscape suddenly becomes beautiful. How often have you felt the same thing when you embrace the Quran after a long absence? And what better time than Ramadan for our hearts to blossom?

So for us C+ Muslims (and that may include a little grade inflation) who often fall short of the lofty goals, what can we do to ensure that this Ramadan will be different? What are the practical steps we can take to maximize the benefits, and then carry them through the year. I have a few suggestions, and welcome your thoughts as well:

As a C- Muslim myself, this article really hit home as Ramadan is almost upon us. If you need a bit of a lift or a bit of motivation, I encourage you to read this great article.

Thanks, Sh*thead!

2007-09-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

From Bin Laden's latest video:

"There are two solutions to stopping [the war in Iraq]. One is from our side, and it is to escalate the fighting and killing against you. This is our duty, and our brothers are carrying it out," bin Laden said.

"The second solution is from your side," he said. "I invite you to embrace Islam."

Great. Thanks OBL.. thanks for making those of us who would like to pull out of Iraq, and those of us who have converted to Islam, look like we're totally on the same page as your crazy *ss.

Pay it Forward

2007-08-19T10:18:00.000-05:00

I just saw (and participated in) something amazing and wonderful on Sketched Soul's blog. Check it out:

So the first three people who comment on this blog get a handmade gift from me, sometime within the next year. Those three people put the same post on their blog and make gifts for three people also, and so on and so forth...

If you leave a comment, please email your address to purvisthemuslim "at" gmail. Thanks!

Hijab Hysteria

2007-08-11T22:52:00.000-05:00

Let me mention something about myself. I don't wear hijab. I know.. duh. But what you may not know is that I do not wear it because I do not believe in it. Before getting into why I don't believe in hijab, I want to take a moment to talk about why I think it's important to be able to discuss this controversial subject.

Months ago, I was approached by the webmaster of a really nice Islamic website to talk about why I don't believe in hijab. The website was conducting a "hijab project," which was soliciting stories from Muslim women explaining why they do or do not wear hijab. So I submitted a brief explanation about why I don't wear it, and they posted it on the website. Shortly thereafter it was taken down. Apparently, this brother was overwhelmingly harassed by Muslims who were outraged that he would post something (even though it was from someone else) that wasn't 100% supportive of hijab (even though the project guidelines stated that there would be stories from sisters who do and DO NOT wear hijab).

Since I converted to Islam years ago, I've found that out of all the problems that exist in the Muslim world, the one issue that seems to rile us up the most is that of hijab. Take, for instance, Oprah's TV special on understanding Islam. When one audience member innocently and legitimately asked if it was ok for Muslim women to remove their hijab if they felt it made them targets of violence after 9/11, Muslims angrily wrote letters and Oprah was forced to apologize.

These two incidents say a lot about us as a community. Are we not capable of civilized discussion? Are we not even allowed to talk about certain subjects?

I would argue that it's important to be able to talk about this subject, for a couple of reasons. First, I'm not so arrogant to believe that I understand Islam so much better than everyone else, that I am right and all the Muslims who cover are wrong. I simply see no strong evidence supporting a mandate on hijab. Maybe there's something I missed. If I'm not able to talk about this without being chastised, shamed or insulted, I'll never find out, will I?

Secondly, this is a religion for people who think. This is something that led me to Islam, that the Qur'an is clearly asking us to be purposeful in our faith, and not just blind followers. I was raised Catholic, and I didn't buy into a lot of the stuff that was taught to me growing up. I'm not about to suddenly pretend I believe something I don't--not now, not after converting to Islam, which was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. If I don't believe that Allah is telling me to cover my hair, I need to honor that and not cave in to community pressure just so I can have "Muslim street cred."

Enough about that. I'll get into why I don't believe in hijab in a later post. But just to be clear, this isn't a criticism of people who believe in hijab, so please don't (miss the whole point of this post and) yell at me in the comments! I simply think we should be able to talk about it.

Powerful Muslim Women

2007-08-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

I'd like to point out a couple of amazing Muslim women that I've read about recently in the world of politics:

Rachida Dati, French Justice Minister:

Growing up in France a poor child of North African immigrants, this amazing woman is today a member of President Sarkozy's cabinet.

Prior to Sarozky's election, Dati met with a core group of young Arab activists from the poor housing projects over the course of a year. It was the first time these young people had ever had access to a minister.

Ms. Dati has been a rare example for young people of North African descent that success is possible for them in France.

Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's Traveling Chief of Staff:

Huma Abedin is responsible for "guiding the Senator from one chaotic event to the next and ensuring that the many hundreds of situations that arise at each—the photo ops, the handshakes, the speeches—go smoothly."

Described as having a preternatural ability to perform under pressure, she is featured in this month's Vogue, and as you can see, she is stunningly gorgeous.

Ms. Abedin is of South Asian descent. She was born in Michigan, moved to Saudi Arabia when she was 2, and came back to the US for college.

She is said to be a trusted advisor to Senator Clinton, especially on issues pertaining to the Middle East.

Sketched Soul has a new Swap!!

2007-07-24T16:24:00.000-05:00

I thoroughly enjoyed Sketched Soul's cupcake swap.. mmmm...... And now she has another, called "Accessorize my hobby." Each participant must post information about their hobbies on their blog, from which their secret swap partner can draw inspiration. I need to send her the link to my information, so here goes:

Four of my favourite hobbies/interests: baking, reading, trying new software, exercising
The best part of my hobby is: eating the baked stuff, and exercising it off
My favourite colour is: brown (pink is a close second)
A new hobby/interest I've just taken up: cleaning up after myself!
The hobby/interest I hope my swap partner will choose: baking
A hobby I've tried but hate: home repair
Creativity to me, means: connecting with your "inner self" and allowing yourself to shine
What I think of my purse not matching my shoes: eh?

I *may* change my answers before the swap actually starts, if I realized I forgot something, but this is a start. By the way, don't you LOVE her Canadian spellings of "colour" and "favourite?" It looks so fancy spelled that way!

FBI wants to be all up in your business (I mean.. more than usual..)

2007-07-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

An FBI unit reportedly facing a criminal investigation for Patriot Act abuses is asking Congress for $5.3 million in 2008 to pay three telecoms to build data centers to store Americans' communication records for years in order to provide the FBI "near real time" access to Americans' phone and internet records.

click here for full article

check out this one guys comment:

The war on terror is nothing more than a marketing campaign to sell police-state Soviet communism to the American people. This article only adds more proof of this fact.

I wouldn't say that's all the war on terror is about, but its implementation certainly seems like this.

8 weird things about meme

2007-07-16T12:02:00.000-05:00

Yay! I was tagged by Hijabiapprentice! I have never been tagged before! How exciting! If only you *knew* how much the narcissist in me LONGED for this!

I take glucophage for PCOS (that's not the weird thing), and even though I only take one pill twice a day, I use one of those "day of the week" pill containers designed for the elderly so I won't forget.
I have a phobia of public restrooms, although it only affects me mildly now that I'm in my 30's.. It has nothing to do with cleanliness, it's purely irrational. When I was little, if I were to find myself in a public restroom alone (like if I was in the stall and everyone else finished and left), I'd have a total meltdown. To this day, I have nightmares about being stuck in a maze-like bathroom, unable to escape.
I like to support institutions, but not actually participate in them. I was president of an Arabic club, but I do not speak Arabic, nor did I do the homework I assigned everyone. I am a VP of my local Toastmasters club, and I have yet to give a speech.
I'm a terrible, terrible listener. But a lot of people think I'm a *great* listener, because I'm really good at hiding it.
I will talk to someone every day for months without knowing their name, because I missed it when we were introduced (see #4), and I am too embarrassed to ask at that point.
I *hate* parmesan cheese. I want to like it, because it's in so many gourmet dishes, but I just can't make myself. It smells like vomit to me.
I also hate wet or soggy bread, and milk on cereal. If my sandwich bread is soggy, I will throw it away. I also eat my cereal dry (even grape nuts).
I sleep with my eyes open. Mr. Purvis and Hijabiapprentice have both witnessed this, and concur that it is indeed freakish-looking.

Or here's an idea... Just don't see it!

2007-07-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

Malaysian Muslims have called for a ban on the blockbuster movie "Evan Almighty," saying it is offensive to their religion, state media reported Friday.

Muslims Acting Stupid (and the journalists who eat it up)

2007-07-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

You know....I'm about as unexcited by jury duty as the next person. But I wish, whenever someone takes the major step of wearing hijab, that they would consider the fact that they are representing all Muslims everywhere amongst those who misunderstand us. They are, after all, recognizably Muslim now.

A female Muslim juror has been arrested in Britain after allegedly listening to an MP3 player under her hijab headscarf during a murder trial, police said Monday.

You see, whenever a Muslim woman does something stupid like this, the newspapers will inevitably put a picture of someone totally unrelated to the story, who looks as niqabbed-out as possible, like this woman:

Thanks, MP3-listening hijabi juror!

Female genital mutilation outlawed in Egypt

2007-06-28T12:46:00.000-05:00

Egypt on Thursday finally banned all female circumcision, the widely-practised removal of the clitoris which just days ago cost the life of a 12-year-old girl.

It's about time... You know what really bugs me? The stereotype of this sort of thing being an "Islamic" thing. Thankfully, this story dispells that myth:

Officially the practice, which affects both Muslim and Christian women in Egypt and goes back to the time of the pharoahs, was banned in 1997 but doctors were allowed to operate "in exceptional cases".

We'll see if they actually enforce this..

Our extremists are better than theirs, you know.

2007-06-14T00:16:00.000-05:00

Violent Muslim, Christian and Jewish extremists invoke the same rhetoric of "good" and "evil" and the best way to fight them is to tackle the problems that drive people to extremism, according to a report obtained by Reuters.

What a revelation!

It said extremists from each of the three faiths often have tangible grievances -- social, economic or political -- but they invoke religion to recruit followers and to justify breaking the law, including killing civilians and members of their own faith.

What??!

"What is striking ... is the similarity of the worldview and the rationale for violence," the report said.

It said that while Muslims were often perceived by the West as "the principal perpetrators of terrorist activity," there are violent extremists of other faiths. Always focusing on Muslim extremists alienates mainstream Muslims, it said.

"mainstream Muslims" ...Pshaw!!

The report said it was important to examine the root causes of violence by those of different faiths, without prejudice.

"It is, in each situation, a case of 'us' versus 'them,"' it said. "That God did not intend for civilization to take its current shape; and that the state had failed the righteous and genuine members of that nation, and therefore God's law supersedes man's law."

This is why I drive a camel to work. ....well I would, were I not a female. My chauffeur does the actual driving..

She said it was dangerous for U.S. President George W. Bush to use terms such as "crusade" or "ridding the world of evil."

"It really is falling into the same trap that these terrorists fall into, black and white thinking," Stern told Reuters on Wednesday. "It's very exciting to extremists to hear an American president talking that way."

Yeah, baby!

click here for full article

Hijabis are illiterate and non-hijabis are whores

2007-06-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

"Since my conversion, no one has asked me, “Sister, do you need any help calculating and understanding zakat?” or “Sister, we are volunteering at a soup kitchen downtown, why don’t you join us?” ... while I HAVE recieved endless questions over why I haven’t changed my name or taken the veil."

This is a spot-on comment on the brilliant article by kufigirl, posted on hijabman's blog. This is simply the most well-written essay that I've ever read on the dynamics of hijab in the Muslim community. Here it is, in its entirety:

AS WE ALL KNOW, veiled women are a dowdy, dumpy bunch. They are women with no thoughts or opinions of their own, women who can’t so much as shut the bedroom window if they’re getting a draft without first consulting a man and asking his permission. Maybe, back when they were three or four years old, they dreamed of grander things from life, but now that they are adults they’ve been forced to wear the shroud, walk three feet behind their husbands, and stifle whatever hopes and feelings they used to call their own under the guise of being hapless helpmates to domineering men.

Right?

Then again, we ALSO know that unveiled women are wanton sluts, women who require nothing more than hearing a man call “hey, baby” on a street corner and suddenly they’re in the backseat of his car, throwing their legs in the air while shrieking whee, I love Satan!

At least that’s what we’ve been told. I heard it on television and read it on the internet, so it must be true.

Or wait, did I get it wrong? Perhaps it goes like this:

Bare-headed women are liberated and free, sure of themselves, comfortable with their sexuality, a page straight out of Cosmo. They are women whose lives are filled with meaning and purpose; above all, they are modern — unlike backwards veiled women, who wouldn’t recognize their own oppression if it hit them on the head with a slipper.

Or no, wait, what I meant to say was that veiled women are the true feminists, women who are secure enough in their sexuality that they don’t need to engage in some base attempt to advertise it — unlike their sell-out sisters, who are so desperate for attention that they will abandon every iota of self-respect in a sad attempt to grovel for male approval. (“Tee-hee-hee, have you seen my belly ring?”)

Right?

Well. Maybe not. To all of the above.

+ + +

A Saudi friend of mine once said that “the only thing more cliché than talking about the veil is apologizing for talking about the veil.” She’s right; the subject’s boring, long-exhausted. Yet, for Muslim women, it’s one subject that won’t go away. Here’s an insider tip for my male Muslim friends, even the so-called progressive ones who say they don’t care whether women veil or not: the difference between you and me is that you’ve never had to make this decision. And as much as we love you — plural — for claiming that you don’t care what conclusion we come to, the fact is you will never have to be in this position. And that, right there, makes your experience of Islam different from ours.

This is especially true in the United States. Which might seem odd, because we have no laws about veiling here, but that’s part of the reason the issue is so contentious.

In Iran, because veiling is mandated by law, a woman must be especially progressive to wear it in a lax and casual manner (in public) or forgo it altogether (in private). Veiling is the norm, so she’s well aware of the statement she’s making when she rejects it.

On the flip side, in France or Turkey — where there are laws against veiling inside various public institutions – a woman is, presumably, especially religious if she decides to take it up. Since not-veiling is the default, for Muslim and non-Muslim women alike, going against the grain of public opinion requires a commitment to Islam that most observers would understand to be something over and above the mere coincidence of being born into a Muslim family.

In the United States, however, it is precisely the freedom of choice I so cherish that makes this such a complicated decision for the Muslim women who live here. The cultural norm – the “average American” woman – is unveiled, but the predominant image of a Muslim woman, even among non-Muslims, is that of a muhajabah. Therefore a muslimah who decides not to veil is seen as transgressing against her community and will have her commitment to Islam doubted, while the woman who does decide to veil is seen as rejecting everything about American life save for her religious practice. We can’t win; there is no middle ground. Being 51% one way or the other is seen as a complete rejection of the other side.

In case you weren’t listening the first time around, let me be clear: I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m opposed to both the French ban on veiling and the Saudi mandate for it, and listening to the Dutch whine about the loss of their Pure Dutch Culture [sic] in the face of all these – gasp – immigrants is one of the few times I’m proud to be American, where multiculturalism is an established fact, however imperfectly it’s practiced.

But I also remember living in a country where the signifiers weren’t so strong. I’m told it’s different in Egypt now — that somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of Cairene women now veil — but when I was living there, in the early 1990s, it was closer to 50/50. I loved that. I loved, especially, that there was no great social divide between veiled and unveiled women; you’d see differences of opinion even within a single family. One of my sisters-in-law veiled, one did not, the third took it up for a few years and then changed her mind and took it off. None of this was a matter of any great controversy. It didn’t even merit much discussion.

This is not to downplay the choices Egyptian women had to make. One friend of mine at the university said her father never forced her to veil, but it was only after she decided to take it up that he allowed her study late at the library, walk home unattended, and otherwise participate in public space in ways he wouldn’t have permitted without her willingness to adopt the hijab and, accordingly, serve as walking symbolism for everything the hijab represented in the popular imagination. On the other side of that spectrum, there was another girl I knew, also Egyptian, who said she wanted to veil but worried it would interfere with her career as a journalist. She wanted to be a foreign correspondent, and she was afraid people would read so much into her scarf that they wouldn’t get around to reading her words.

Can the choice to veil or not veil in such a context truly be considered “free”? I don’t know. Then again, I know plenty of American women who will tell you no one forced them to diet, but they believed that being thin facilitated their right to speak with authority in a manner they’d have lost if they had to confront the bias against fat women in a country where being heavy is equated with a loss of self-control and a where a loss of self-control is considered shameful, if not downright sinful. My point here is not to excuse the former because of the existence of the latter: only to argue that there is nothing uniquely “Islamic” about a woman negotiating with the patriarchy, nothing specifically “Muslim” about a woman who trades in Her Personal Ideal in favor of getting what privileges she can with a minimal amount of compromise. We ladies, the world over and religion notwithstanding, have been doing that for thousands of years.

I wonder, though, if our notions of “Islamic dress” had evolved in such a way that the turban (for example) was considered as mandatory for men as the hijab is for women in some circles, would Muslim men in the West expound on the subject with the same confident manner they do now, one that is as flippant as it is self-assured? I’m sure 10% of men would wear it everywhere without a second thought, and another 10% would scoff at the mere idea of it. But for the majority, those in the middle, it would (I would hope) elicit a little more reflection. Do you risk community censure for being one of those “non-turban guys,” knowing that – before you even open your mouth – your bare head will be considered, by some, proof that you eat pork, drink alcohol, never pray, love capitalism, support colonialism and the war in Iraq, neglect your children, and cheat on your wife? Or do you take it up, knowing that, in different spheres, it will brand you as ignorant, ascetic, oppressed, and/or radical? Be careful! Remember, you don’t get to choose how you want to be seen at this event, or with that crowd of people: the choice you make has to be applicable for all times and circumstances. No fair picking one option for a family reunion or protest march, and another for your first nervous job interview at Chase Manhattan.

For a while, in Cairo, I lived across the street from a girls’ high school and would watch these young scholars stream out of class after the final bell. There would be the same roar of high-pitched laughter I recognize in teenage girls anywhere, in any country, as they coagulated in groups in the garden, or at the front gate: veiled girls interlinking their arms with girls who wore their hair uncovered, occasionally leaning over to whisper some secret that necessitated pushing back a girlfriend’s headscarf or ponytail, depending, in order to have access to her ear. The intimacy of girls that age is always charming to me, but it seems even more endearing in retrospect, knowing that they were doing something that, in so many parts of the world, would be considered a radical act: ignoring the politics of the veiled/unveiled split in favor of interacting with the human being inside.

Microwave panini sandwiches? Blechh!

2007-06-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

..NOT!!

Today I tried one of the Lean Cuisine Microwave Panini sandwiches. I had my doubts at first, not the least of which was about the bread actually remaining crispy and toasted after cooking--how I HATE wet bread!

I took the open-faced sandwich out of the box and followed the directions, carefully removing the plastic wrap and placing the sandwich--and its special "grilling" tray--on top of the Lean Cuisine box.

I microwaved it for 3 minutes and put the two (HOT) halves together, and the bread was still quite crispy! The cheese melted between the slices of bread in a yummy but non-messy way.

...and the sandwich was actually good!

I'm still shocked that something like this would be good, coming out of a microwave. And it's only 5 weight watchers points.

Ok, now I'm reading this and realizing that I sound like a Lean Cuisine commercial. I don't work for them, I swear! I just like good, light food. Not unlike that chick from hungry girl.

Muhammad is #2

2007-06-06T11:36:00.000-05:00

As good of a name as it may be, I am NOT naming my kid Muhammad...

Just think.. Muhammad is widely regarded to be the most popular name on earth. But only Muslims name their kids Muhammad. And Muslims are only 25% of the earth's population. And only roughly 50% of Muslims are male. So what does that tell you about the percentage of Muslim males that are named Muhammad? Dude...

Muhammad is now second only to Jack as the most popular name for baby boys in Britain and is likely to rise to No 1 by next year, a study by The Times has found. The name, if all 14 different spellings are included, was shared by 5,991 newborn boys last year, beating Thomas into third place, followed by Joshua and Oliver.

click here for full article

Whatever, JD Power.

2007-06-05T13:24:00.000-05:00

If you've ever been to the Seattle airport, you'll undoubtedly find that it is--in the words of hijabiapprentice--"hellish and warlike." The Portland airport, on the other hand, is wonderful. I could live there, it's so awesome.

Well, according to JD Power or whatever, I am clearly confused. For a survey of medium-sized airports, they gave PDX two stars out of five, and SEA got THREE! WTF????!!!!

SEA rated higher than PDX in "food & beverage," "retail services," and "baggage claim."

Ok, listen. PDX is filled with retailers (food and otherwise), that are awesome local and regional businesses. Businesses like Coffee People, Nike Store (dude, Nike is from Portland), Pizzicato Pizza, The Oregon Pendleton Shop, Made in Oregon, and, of course, Powell's Books. And it's not just inside the security area, like in the stupid Houston airport. You'll find tons of stuff whether you are a traveler, or a dropper-offer/picker-upper. I once had coffee with an old friend at the airport, who was blowing through town and had little time to hang out, and it was great.

I cannot speak to the retail quality of the Seattle airport, but I can tell you this about the baggage claim: don't do it. I flew in there last Christmas and I swear, we were herded through that place like cattle until we finally made our way to the cramped and smelly baggage claim. We waited and waited in the dank, narrow dungeon that surrounded our carousel so we could just get our bags and get the hell out of there. Something smelled... was it a dead body? No, wait... someone was smoking right next to us, it seemed. Yet I saw no smokers... What the?

You cannot tell me that the Seattle airport is BETTER than the Portland airport. What are you, high? You just can't. I could go on, but I shouldn't even be blogging at work. Bah.

footnote: Conde Nast traveller is clearly smarter than JD Power. They named PDX the best airport for Business travel in 2006. I would expand on that and say it's the best airport for Human travel.

I mostly heart my GPS

2007-05-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

This past Memorial Day weekend, I went on a long, awesome five-day road trip. One of the things that made it go really smoothly was the fact that we bought a cheap GPS system. Now, I know that many people have these in their cars, but I am totally new to this technology, so this is exciting stuff for me. Here's how my GPS works: the GPS itself is this hockey-puck like thing with a USB cable coming out of it. I hung the GPS on that thing above your head in your car that you hang onto when you're scared, because that way it can connect to the satellite more easily.

The USB cable goes into your laptop, which is loaded with GPS software. When the software connects to the satellite, it sees exactly where you are on the road to within, like, 15 feet. You can literally see yourself driving on the map. Then, you pick a destination and type in the address, and it tells you (w/ voice prompts) all the maneuvers you need to get to your destination, as you are driving, with plenty of time to react.

Is this something I bought that I love? No. Unlike this and this, the GPS is something that I bought that I merely *like*. But I do like it a lot. Here are the specific things that I like:

· It optimizes your route to get you there the fastest, or in the shortest distance (whichever you choose)

· You can elect to stick to mainly highways, or mainly side roads or you can have it optimize your trip using whatever makes the most sense.

· While you are driving, you can search for amenities (food, lodging, gas) that are near wherever you happen to be, and then get directions to those things. It even provides phone numbers for these places. You can also find these things around your destination so you can plan for what you need before you get there.

· It’s surprisingly accurate. I found it much more reliable than Mapquest, in fact, as far as map information and also how it knew what side of the road to be on when you needed to enter or exit a highway, or what side of the road a business was on.

· You always know exactly how far you are away from your target, and about how long it will take to get there.

Here are the things I did NOT like about it:

· The satellite cuts out constantly. Fortunately, it would usually come right back, but when I tried to navigate in a downtown area for the first time with this thing, we just got really lost. It would lose the connection, and then recalculate the route based on where we now were, and by the time we started following the new directions, it would cut out again. And so on… There is a way to deal with this though, I found. The software has a “directions” tab which lists all the directions on your route, so if you lose the satellite you can go by that, much like a mapquest printout.

· The amenities database is two years old. This means a lot of important stuff isn’t in there (like new Starbucks stores!!!), and it also means some of these places are no longer in business (which we found to be the case a couple of times)

· You need someone to sit with this thing in the passenger seat and navigate. There is no way a driver can blindly go by this system; not only because of the problem with the satellite cutting out, but because the GPS will get confused if you are in a parking lot. It assumes you are on the road when you are driving around in the parking lot, and if you happen to be going against traffic, it thinks you are on the other side of the road, and the directions it gives you will send you in the opposite direction that you need to be. (It will, however, prompt you to u-turn as soon as it sees you are on the wrong track)

Overall, I found this to be a great purchase, and for only $129 at Best Buy. This is definitely a poor man’s GPS, but it totally made our lives easier while driving in a bunch of states we’ve never seen before. One last note: If you don’t have a power inverter for your laptop that plugs into your cigarette lighter, this is a MUST. Best buy had one for $50, but knowing better I dropped by Wal-Mart and bought the very same one for $30. (but if you think ahead--unlike me--you can find it cheaper on the internet)

If this is true, I am SO not plugged into the community.....

2007-05-22T11:46:00.000-05:00

This article saddened me greatly. It makes me wonder... why are our young people drawn to supporting (at least in principle) terrorism? (I'm not going to say "extremism" because suicide attacks are not consistent with any part of Islam, much less an "extreme" form of it)

One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances

Well.. it says one in four "younger Muslims," rather than "one in four Muslims" so it's not as big as it sounds on the surface, but still.... this is messed up.

But what really got me was this:

Only 40 percent said they believe Arab men carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Who do SIXTY PERCENT of the Muslims they spoke to think carried out the attacks?? SIXTY PERCENT!!?? (please don't say the Jews.)

click here for full article

For the Prevention of Special Feelings...

2007-05-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

OSLO (Reuters) - Muslim and Christian leaders in Oslo scrapped a soccer match meant to foster understanding between religions Saturday after the imams refused to play a team that included women priests.

When I read the first paragraph of this article, my immediate reaction was, "Oh, great.. Once again Muslims are showing how freakin' BACKWARDS we can be!" But as I read further, I started to feel that this situation is just a case of cultural misunderstanding, rather than the usual "Muslims being stupid."

The imams didn't want to be put in situation where they could have physical contacts with the female priests. I, personally, would not have a problem playing soccer with men, but... I always go to a female doctor if I have the choice, and I generally don't feel comfortable hugging guys that are not related to me somehow. The average American may find that this is too conservative, but that's what my comfort level is, and the imams have their own comfort levels as well.

Unfortunately, to anyone not familiar with Islam or Muslim cultures, this is going to look and feel like the classic case of excluding women from anything not having to do with cooking, cleaning, or having babies. And given the Muslim world's track record on women's rights, it would be understandable for the female priests in this story to come to this conclusion. Go to any mosque in America, and women are more likely than not stuffed behind a barrier, or excluded completely. And just forget about hearing a woman actually *gasp* SPEAK in front of a congregation!

But I don't think this is the case here. Nor do I think it's a case of Muslims unfairly shoving Islam down the throats of those who are under no obligation to follow Islam (see earlier posts here and here). This is a simple cultural misunderstanding.

So the question is.. how could this have been prevented? Better planning, obviously. I have helped to plan a couple of Muslim-Jewish picnics, and in both cases, representatives of each group got together and went over every detail of the event ahead of time. As a result, both events went smoothly.

Obviously, it didn't occur to the Christian priests that the imams would not be able to play soccer with the women for due to the preservation of their *own* modesty. And the imams didn't think for a moment that there would be women playing on the soccer field. Better communication could have prevented this embarrassing situation from happening in the first place, and the two religious groups could have done what they came together to do--get to know each other better.

By the way, I found the wording of this quote from the article absolutely hilarious:

"Some say that bodily contact is the problem. It leads to special feelings that can lead to something forbidden," imam Senaid Kobilica told NRK public television.

click here for full article

You can regain your virginity? Ew.

2007-04-30T10:22:00.000-05:00

This is so sad, but unsurprising... In all cultures there is a double-standard when it comes to men's and women's sexual histories. But in Arab culture, and in the wider Muslim community, it's so pronounced as to lead to something known as a "hymenoplasty."

My husband--who is from the Middle East--told me that a lot of Arab guys will sleep with their girlfriends and then refuse to marry them. Because, they reason, if she is willing to sleep with him, who's to say she won't sleep with someone else? Of course, the same reasoning does not apply to HIM.

Sitting in a cafe near the Champs Elysees, the 26-year-old French-born woman of Algerian descent looks like any other Parisian. But two months ago, she did something none of her friends have done.

She had her hymen re-sewn, technically making her a virgin again.

(snip)

Sitting in the same cafe, a 19-year-old Moroccan studying in Paris who asked to be called Amel spoke just before her first consultation with Abecassis.

"I dated a boy when I was 15 and I didn't even realize what had happened," she said, referring to her first and only sexual experience. "I didn't understand what I did."

Her parents introduced her to a young man earlier this year, and they plan to wed when she returns to Morocco in June. But he would not accept a non-virgin, so she needs the operation soon.

click here for full article

Also, can someone explain to me why there is a picture of Muslim women in full hijab attached to this article? The women they interviewed here are self-described non-practicing Muslims.

Why She's Not a Moderate Muslim

2007-04-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

This sister makes some points here that I've never thought of before... When you call yourself a "Moderate Muslim," as I do, that implies that those who are--as we call them--"extremists" are in fact following Islam to the letter, whereas whose of us who are not extremists only following it.. moderately. This validates the claims of people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Wafa Sultan, who contend that Islam is broken and fundamentally flawed. That the only good Muslim is a non-practicing one.

In reality, while the behavior of "extremists" is indeed extreme, it does not reflect the extremity of Islam, but that of evil and madness. Extremists of any faith negate the fundamental message of that faith, twisting it beyond recognition to serve a temporal end.

I run a club where I live called "Moderate Muslims." I should really consider changing the name to something less divisive.

In the aftermath of September 11, much has been said about the need for "moderate Muslims." But to be a "moderate" Muslim also implies that Osama bin Laden and Co. must represent the pinnacle of orthodoxy; that a criterion of orthodox Islam somehow inherently entails violence; and, consequently, that if I espouse peace, I am not adhering to my full religious duties.

I refuse to live as a "moderate" Muslim if its side effect is an unintentional admission that suicide bombing is a religious obligation for the orthodox faithful. True orthodoxy is simply the attempt to adhere piously to a religion's tenets.

click here for full article

The Middle Path... NOT!!

2007-04-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Isn't it interesting how religious extremists work? The nitpick the little things, but when they mess up, the mess up BAD. It reminds me of some Muslims who come to America and oscillate between being really, really opressively strict... and total abandonment of any religious practices (drinking, womanizing). Taken to the level of REAL religious extremism, you get this:

When the Taliban ordered Afghanistan's fields cleared of opium poppies seven years ago because of Islam's ban on drugs, fearful farmers complied en masse.

Today, officials say the militia nets tens of millions by forcing farmers to plant poppies and taxing the harvest, driving the country's skyrocketing opium production to fund the fight against what they consider an even greater evil — U.S. and
NATO troops.

(snip)

"Originally they said 'It's bad for you, it's against Islam,' but when they realized how much money they could make off of it they said it was OK to grow but not consume it."

click here for full article

Dressing Like A Muslim Doesn't Have To Suck Anymore!

2007-04-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

I just read this great article in the NYTimes about fashion choices for Muslim women. This beauty blog did a nice writeup on the article (thanks for the tip, mama!).

FOR Aysha Hussain, getting dressed each day is a fraught negotiation. Ms. Hussain, a 24-year-old magazine writer in New York, is devoted to her pipe-stem Levi’s and determined to incorporate their brash modernity into her wardrobe while adhering to the tenets of her Muslim faith. “It’s still a struggle,” Ms. Hussain, a Pakistani-American, confided. “But I don’t think it’s impossible.”

The article lists a couple of interesting links: Artizara.com is a really chic Islamic clothing site (dare I say, even more so than shukronline.com?), hijabshop.com is a lot more hip than your average hijab store, and... my favorite, Muslim Girl Magazine! This is looking like Azizah for Muslim teens and preteens. So great.. One thing to look forward to when I (Insha Allah) have daughters.

I'm not racist, but MAN, those Blacks and Jews!

2007-04-05T23:10:00.000-05:00

In the grand tradition of whitewashing one's bigotry by prefacing one's bigoted remark with a declaration that said person is not a bigot...

"I think that it's important that we are tolerant as a people of all faiths, but that doesn't mean we have to endorse all faiths, and that was my decision."

This was Republican (notice that it's always Republicans that do stuff like this?) Texas State Senator Dan Patrick, explaining why he boycotted the first prayer delivered in the Texas Senate by a Muslim cleric, who then then praised religious tolerance (eh?) and freedom of speech in an address at the end of the day's session.

That reminds me of something very similar that happened in my former home of Washington State.

In the latter case, letters sent to the Honorable legislators resulted in apologies from both. Perhaps we should send Senator Patrick a few reminder emails that he represents Texans of ALL faiths, not just the Evangelical Christans.

Compromising Religion?

2007-04-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

Muslim cashiers at Target stores refused to scan customers' pork products on religious grounds. Target had them flag another employee to do the scanning, but within days of news reports and hours of talk radio devoted to the topic, Target changed its policy. Cashiers who refuse to ring up pork products are given other positions, a policy already in place at other area grocery stores.

This article about religion on the job has has brought up a couple of issues for me. First of all, are those particular Muslims being reasonable in their demands? Does Islam, for instance, actually prohibit us from selling someone a packaged pork-based item that they bought from the business that employs us?

I, personally, would not have a problem with it. I would feel weird about selling someone alcohol at that same establishment, though. What's the difference? I'm not sure. Maybe I feel that way because it is much more obvious what damage alcohol can do to you. But what is the reason we abstain from these things? We could list all the reasons we want, but the bottom line is that we as Muslims believe the Qur'an is the word of God, and we obey the teachings of the Qur'an out of obedience to God.

Intentions are important, and I guess a Muslim working at Target would have to decide whether handling packaged pork products violates the word and spirit of what is written in the Qu'ran. In addition to being a sin, would it make the money you'd earn from such a job no longer halal? In that case, you'd have to say, if the business you work in makes money from selling haram products, and they pay you with its products, your income is not completely halal anyway.

So the bottom line for me--as I've mentioned before--is, that if you can't fulfill the job, you should find another line of work. That may sound harsh, but I believe that you if you try to find something that will not make you compromise your faith, God will provide a way. When one door closes, another one opens.

Get a boob job for Islam

2007-04-02T01:15:00.000-05:00

The other day (don't ask me why), I decided to peruse various online "Islam Q&A" columns, which are usually titled "Ask the Imam" or something like that. Most of them are pretty terrible, written by self-styled "Sheikhs" giving crazy fatwas about everything under the sun.

Ok.............. I just remembered why I was searching for these websites.

When I was a new Muslim, I remember reading one particularly crazy site, in which a woman said that she was a new Muslim, married to a born Muslim. She lived with his family and wore a burqa. She said that, although her brother-in-law lived in the same house, she has never met him. This is how strict the separation was for this family that she married into! The "Imam" told her that this was appropriate, and that she should continue to not ever see, be seen by, or communicate with her brother-in-law who lives in the same house.

This same Imam was asked a question by another woman. She said her husband wanted her to get a boob job. And the Imam's response was: "HELL, YEAH!"

Ok, those weren't his exact words, but basically he said yes she should do it, particularly out of obedience to her husband.

Let's pray the husband never asks her to jump off a mountain.

I was searching for this particular column so I could make fun of it on my blog, but I couldn't find the link. So I made fun of it from memory.

What I DID find, however, was this. I'm not even going to read it to you.

*sigh* Crazy internet Sheikhs.

Passengers Sued over Imams' Removal

2007-03-30T15:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, this pretty much destroys any credibility these Imams had for (rightly) being offended about (wrongly) getting booted off a plane.

Six Muslim men removed from a plane last fall after being accused of suspicious behavior are suing not only the airline but the passengers who complained — a move some fear could discourage travelers from speaking up when they see something unusual.

It sets a terrible precedent when regular people have to be afraid to speak up if they sense something suspicious is going on at an airport. The right people to sue--and to learn how to properly evaluate such situations--are the airlines themselves. They are the ones, after all, who kicked the Imams off the plane.

I also happen to value freedom of speech, which unfortunately, but necessarily includes the right to be a racist a$$hole.

Passenger Pat Snelson, who lives in a Twin Cities suburb, said he and his wife were not among those who reported suspicious behavior. But he said his wife noticed the men praying, and he saw them moving around the cabin while others were boarding.

"These guys were up to no good," Snelson said. "We think the airport people did a real good job in taking care of it."

click here for full article

I don't like Wudu.

2007-03-29T22:16:00.000-05:00

Wudu messes up my makeup and hair, and it dries out my skin. I hate having to take off my shoes to make wudu at work. I hate the fact that praying is such a hassle--not because of the prayer itself, but because I need to go to the bathroom, make wudu, come back, put lotion on my now dry, nearly makeupless face and put more powder on top of the lotion. And THEN pray. Bah! It's even worse if you are in a public place and have to take off your shoes in some yucky public bathroom, make wudu while everying stares at you, wondering if you're a homeless person giving yourself a sponge-bath, and THEN pray, ONLY after you've found a safe place to pray that is low-profile enough not to not provoke someone into calling the TIPS hotline.

But I know that it is obligatory, and that there is good in it..

(5:6) YOU who have attained to faith! When you are about to pray, wash your face, and your hands and arms up to the elbows, and pass your [wet] hands lightly over your head, and [wash] your feet up to the ankles. And if you are in a state. requiring total ablution, purify yourselves. But if you are ill, or are travelling, or have just satisfied a want of nature, or have cohabited with a woman, and can find no water-then take resort to pure dust, passing therewith lightly over your face and your hands. God does not want to impose any hardship on you, but wants to make you pure, and to bestow upon you the full measure of His blessings, so that you might have cause to be grateful.

Here, Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi gives a detailed response (scroll down to question 4) to someone who had similar complaints to mine (although I am not advocating the abolition of ablution). And here is an essay on cleanliness being part of your faith.

Isn't that normal for you people?

2007-03-25T22:55:00.000-05:00

Politicians and Muslim leaders denounced a German judge for citing the Quran in her rejection of a Muslim woman's request for a quick divorce on grounds she was abused by her husband.

The judge argued that her case was not one of exceptional hardship in which fast-track divorce proceedings would be justified. When the woman protested, Datz-Winter cited a passage from the Quran that reads in part, ''men are in charge of women.''

Erm... didn't Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) grant some lady a quicky divorce just because her husband was ugly? ...wait a minute, I'm acting like this German Judge is qualified to interpret Islamic Law! Which is almost as abusurd as a judge doling out judgements based on the Qur'an, in a totally secular country!

While the Quranic verse cited does say that husbands are allowed to beat their wives if they are disobedient, Germany's Institute for Islamic Questions noted that such an interpretation was no longer standard. ''Of course not all Muslims use violence against their wives,'' the group said in a statement.

Good comeback, Germany's Institute for Islamic Questions! That'll show 'em! "Not all" Muslim men beat their wives... indeed!

click here for full article

I Heart Weight Watchers

2007-03-21T14:36:00.000-05:00

Don't Be Evil

2007-03-20T23:27:00.000-05:00

Wow.. this is horrifying! Makes me want to stick to Google instead. Then again... (as the article below points out), their slogan of "Don't be evil" may too good to be true as well..

Yu's husband is now in Beijing Prison No. 2, serving a 10-year sentence for inciting subversion with his pro-democracy internet writings. According to the written court verdict, the Chinese government convicted Wang, in part, on evidence provided by Yahoo.

click here for full article

Beauty's Only Skin Deep.

2007-03-20T22:39:00.000-05:00

A while ago, my bestest friend HijabiApprentice introduced me to this GREAT beauty blog, which shall remain unnamed for the time being... Anyhow, over time I began to realize that whenever this blog would mention a friend of theirs for some beauty-related reason--and link to said friend's blog--I would read that friend's blog and I would each time find... that this friend is a neocon who HATES Muslims.

That makes me sad. Oh, well.

'Nuff Said.

2007-03-16T17:41:00.000-05:00

James Madison, revered as one of the architects of the Constitution and the USA's fourth president, might in today's bumper-sticker politics be labeled a flip-flopper. But the country owes him a great debt because he wasn't afraid to change his mind.

Madison, whose 256th birthday is today, was against the Bill of Rights before he was for it. Freedoms that are taken for granted today - of speech, religion and the press - and other invaluable protections against tyranny are in the Constitution because Madison reversed his view that a Bill of Rights wasn't needed.

*snip*

Despite later government attempts to stifle unpopular views, invade citizens' privacy and railroad criminal suspects, the freedoms of generations since have been protected by Madison's prescience. His birthday is a reminder that those who have power will always be tempted to abuse it and that they can be restrained only if they are kept under watchful eyes.

click here for full article

He Stole My Wallet, Too.

2007-03-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

The 31 plots that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said he helped organize, according to a Defense Department transcript of a statement he made during a hearing at Guantanamo Bay prison:

-Truck bombing the World Trade Center in 1993.

-The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

-Beheading American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002.

-The plot to use shoe bombs to blow up two American planes, not just the trans-Atlantic flight on which would-be British shoe-bomber Richard Reid was caught in 2001.

*snip*

And last, but not least:

-The assasination of Abraham Lincoln.

I Want this book. Seriously.

2007-03-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

Anytime I hear about an Imam like Abdulwahid van Bommel, I feel like there might be some hope left for our community. Sadly, leaders like him are few and far between...

It is a misconception that humour and Islam do not go together, says Dutch convert to Islam Abdulwahid van Bommel. He has written a book with jokes about the Muslim faith.

Van Bommel, who changed his name from Arie Jan to Abdulwahid, was inspired to write the book in response to the violent reactions to the Danish cartoons. He himself did enjoy some of the cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed. "Admit it: the picture of Mohammed saying at heaven's gateway to the umpteenth battered Muslim terrorist that they are unfortunately all out of virgins, that was humorous, was it not?"

click here for full article

hehe.

I Embraced Islam, And It Sucked..

2007-03-05T23:22:00.000-06:00

Here's an interesting--and kind of funny--review of My Year Inside Radical Islam, by a guy who converted, and then left Islam after two years:

In 1998, after graduating from college, Gartenstein-Ross took a job with the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation essentially because the group, flush with money from Saudi Arabia and the sole Muslim outpost in town, was looking for an intern. (After 9/11, the FBI shut down Al-Haramain and indicted Gartenstein-Ross' former boss for conspiracy to defraud the United States and for filing a false IRS return by a tax-exempt organization. Gartenstein-Ross was neither involved in nor aware of any of these illegal actions.) This internship encompasses Gartenstein-Ross' "radicalization and the long slow climb out" of Islam, an odd label, considering the entirety of his indoctrination and extrication is less than two years. The book would be better titled My Yearlong Internship at a Charity That I Had No Idea Was Funding al-Qaida. But that would hardly make the front table at Barnes and Noble, would it?

Click here for full review.

So basically, he converted to Islam, found that the people (that he ran with) sucked, and then left the faith. It reminds me a bit of another book written by a convert, Believing As Ourselves. This sister also converted to Islam, found that (some of the) people sucked. But she was able to separate herself from those in the community who made life difficult as a new Muslim, and come out stronger, with the understanding that Islam doesn't ask you to abandon yourself. Interesting contrast.

OK, How Dumb is This?

2007-02-20T15:53:00.000-06:00

Is Malaysia so free of poverty and crime, and so rich that it has the time and resources to worry about something like this??? Apparently so...

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian state plans to recruit "spies" from the public to snoop on unmarried lovers and report them to Islamic religious authorities, a newspaper said Tuesday.

The Terengganu state government plans to enlist the part-time spies to look out for un-Islamic behavior, such as unmarried couples kissing or holding hands, the Star daily said.

"Some of these 'spies' could be waitresses or even janitors at hotels acting as auxiliary undercover agents for our religious department," the head of the state government's Islamic and welfare committee, Rosol Wahid, was quoted as saying.

"Accurate details are required for the enforcement officers to act, otherwise they could be pouncing on married couples."

Last October, religious police in another part of this mainly Muslim country caused an outcry when they mistakenly raided the rented holiday apartment of a Christian American couple on suspicion that they were unmarried Muslims in "close proximity."

NY cab driver returns bag of diamonds

2007-02-07T17:27:00.000-06:00

Awwww.....

Never mind diamonds- a New York cabbie was a Texas girl's best friend. The driver returned 31 diamond rings he found in his cab after dropping off the passenger, who had left him with a 30-cent tip on a $10.70 fare.

"All my life, I tried to be honest," said Osman Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh. "Today is no different."

click here for full article

2007-01-23T11:22:00.000-06:00

I haven't had a chance to listen to this broadcast yet, but just the idea that someone could have the strength of character to go from being an extremist to becoming a peace activist, and then continue to do so when his 10-year-old daughter is killed just brings tears to my eyes. To listen, click here.

The killing of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl in the West Bank has cast a pall over Palestinian and Israeli peace activists. Israeli investigators are questioning border police who were involved in a clash with Palestinians in Anata, during which the girl was slain.

The mood in Anata is angry. But the girl's father, a militant who became a peace activist, says his daughter's death makes him want to work harder for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Muslim cabbies refuse passengers with booze

2007-01-18T01:55:00.000-06:00

This kind of reminds me of the problem with Pharmacists refusing to fill people's birth control prescriptions because it's against their (the pharmacist's) religion. This refusal is horrifying to me, especially when it comes to rape victims trying to get the morning after pill. Given that, I'd have to say the Muslim cab drivers shouldn't be allowed to kick people out of their cabs because they are carrying liquor or because they have dogs.. Although the dog thing I don't get at all, I can understand where the cabbies are coming from when it comes to liquor. Nonetheless, that's part of their job, and like the pharmacist who won't fill a doctor's prescription, if they can't do the job, they need to find some other line of work.

Muslim cab drivers at Minnesota's biggest airport are facing a possible crackdown for refusing to give rides to travelers carrying liquor or accompanied by dogs, an official said on Wednesday

click here for full article

5 Ideas for Stressful Living

2007-01-16T10:54:00.000-06:00

I found this hilarious article about stress that uses sarcasm to point out some pretty obvious sources of stress, much more effectively than those "self-help" magazine articles ever could. Here's a snippet:

So, you want your life to be stressful? Didn’t think so, but it’s amazing how many people consistently apply habits and actions in their daily lives that guarantee stressful results. They repeat the same things over and over again, expecting different results, which is, if I recall correctly, the textbook definition of insanity. After hitting the same wall every day for 20 years, people think “okay, if I just really hammer it this time then maybe it suddenly won’t be there.”

1. Attempt to control absolutely everything

(snip)

3. Look for satisfaction "out there"....

click here for full article

Two Americas

2007-01-12T12:10:00.000-06:00

Mona Eltahawy talks here about the question people ask her about America when she visits her home country of Egypt.. “What’s it like for Muslims over there after 9/11?”

“It’s complicated,” I’d say.

And I’d tell this story.

On Sept. 11, 2001, my brother and his wife were visiting me in Seattle, where I lived at the time. They are both physicians who work in the U.S. We did not leave my apartment for two days after the attacks because we worried that my sister-in-law, who wears a headscarf, would be harassed or attacked as we had heard happened to Muslims and those who appeared to be Muslim.

As it happened, she was treated very kindly. Other Muslim women were not so lucky. One Muslim woman was almost run over by a car and another woman I knew – a Pakistani American Muslim – told me while out with her husband one evening, a group of young men asked him “What’s it like to (sleep with) a terrorist?”

click here for full article

Muslims distance themselves from mufti

2007-01-11T23:47:00.000-06:00

This is the same "sheikh" who suggested that women don't wear hijab invite rape. Oh.. and he's a Holocaust denier, too.

Personally, I hope he makes MORE crazy-ass statements (is that possible??). Maybe it'll teach the Muslim community in Australia to pick leaders with at least SOME semblance of common sense...

Australia's mufti said in an interview on Egyptian television that Australian Muslims were more entitled to the country than those with a convict heritage

Kuranda Seyit, executive director of the Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations (FAIR), said the comments were the sheik's extreme personal opinions and did not represent the views of the majority of the Muslim community.

"I would like to reiterate to all Australians, including our people of Anglo-Saxon heritage, that there is no substance to the idea that Muslims have more of a right to Australia than the early settlers," Mr Seyit said in a statement.

click here for full article

Awwww, yeah!!

2007-01-04T01:04:00.001-06:00

Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will use a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson during his ceremonial swearing-in Thursday.

click here for full article

Nooooo kidding!

2006-11-20T14:03:00.001-06:00

I'm glad someone's finally getting a clue...

Though the war in Iraq and many U.S. policies haven't helped, a basic truth is that if Islamic societies are going to reform, change has to come from within.

(snip)

The United States has pushed for Muslim countries, particularly in the Middle East, to mimic achievements that took centuries in Western societies. Such cajoling is resented. It risks overshadowing debates between moderates and extremists that are more fundamental to the future. Better if Egyptians and Muslim feminists can lead the way.

click here for full article

The banished voices of Muslim women

2006-11-13T23:08:00.000-06:00

It was very refreshing to read the following article, after reading that stupid post about niqab from slate magazine. This sister puts it very well.

For if you are a Muslim woman, you can either be the victim of a suffocating oppressive patriarchal society which dictates everything you do, including what you should wear and whom you should marry, or a woman who has turned her back on all that is "Islamic". If you are the former, then await our benevolent intervention to free you of your bondage and break your chains and shackles. If the latter, expect to be celebrated and to have your photos decorate glossy magazines from London to Paris, Amsterdam to Washington, Hirsi style.

(snip)

The burden of liberation rests on the shoulders of the Muslim woman herself. It is she who must define her own direction and chart her own destiny, not those who cry crocodile tears over her.

click here for full article

Cat Stevens releases first album since embracing Islam in 1970s

2006-11-13T13:22:00.000-06:00

This is great! Although it's weird that they say he hasn't released an album in 30 years, because I know he's released Islamic music since then.. I guess that doesn't count?

Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens before he became a Muslim in the 1970s, has released his first commercial album for nearly three decades.

click here for full article

Legal staff can wear veils in court in UK

2006-11-10T10:03:00.000-06:00

While I'm no proponent of the full face veil, this is good news for freedom of religion.

Judges have been told to allow solicitors and other legal advisers to wear the Islamic veil in court unless it interferes with the "interests of justice".

click here for full article

Filmmaker sees lessons in Iranian history

2006-10-30T10:16:00.000-06:00

Does Iran really hate us for our freedom? Hmmmm...

Iranian artist Shirin Neshat plans to shoot a film about the United States overthrowing a democratically-elected government in Iran to gain control of the nation's vast oil supplies.

Ripped from today's headlines? Not quite.

The project is not based on the West's ongoing standoff over Tehran's nuclear program but rather on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's first overthrow of a foreign government, 53 years ago.

(snip)

"Iran was the first coup d'etat, then Guatemala, Congo and Chile," she said. "When the Iranians attacked the U.S. embassy (in the 1979 revolution), Americans were at a loss where the anger came from," Neshat said. "If they only understood the history behind that."

click here for full article

Karen Armstrong on the Veil

2006-10-28T00:56:00.000-05:00

While I don't agree with every detail of her article, I find Karen Armstrong's take on the recent backlash against hijab in Europe very thoughtful:

In Victorian Britain, nuns believed that until they could appear in public fully veiled, Catholics would never be accepted in this country. But Britain got over its visceral dread of popery. In the late 1960s, shortly before I left my order, we decided to give up the full habit. This decision expressed, among other things, our new confidence, but had it been forced upon us, our deeply ingrained fears of persecution would have revived.

But Muslims today do not feel similarly empowered. The unfolding tragedy of the Middle East has convinced some that the west is bent on the destruction of Islam. The demand that they abandon the veil will exacerbate these fears, and make some women cling more fiercely to the garment that now symbolises their resistance to oppression.

click here for full article

This is so stupid...

2006-10-25T13:36:00.000-05:00

I just read this article in which the author takes it upon herself to declare that Muslim women who wear niqab should uncover their faces when others don't like it. Now, I'm no fan of niqab myself, but give me a break, lady.. It's not all about you!

Given that polite behavior is required of schoolteachers or civil servants in other facets of their jobs, it doesn't seem to me in the least offensive to ask them to show their faces when dealing with children or the public. If Western tourists can wear sarongs in Balinese temples to show respect for the locals, so, too, can religious Islamic women show respect for the children they teach and for the customers they serve by leaving their head scarves on but removing their full-face veils.

click here for full article

Oh, Lord....

2006-10-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than one in eight U.S. adults finds it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time and about one in 11 tries to hide his or her online habit, according to a study released on Tuesday.

(snip)

It said signs include a disregard for health or appearance, sleep deprivation and decreased physical activity and social interaction with others, as well as dry eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive motion injuries of hands and fingers.

click here for full article

Islamic-safe finance grows in the West

2006-10-15T01:23:00.000-05:00

It just goes to show you... whoever has the money calls the shots in this world. Those with an anti-Semitic bent might say that the Jewish community has "too much control" because they figured this out a long time ago. I say they have their act together and Muslims don't! Whose fault is that, I wonder??

Now, maybe we ARE getting our act together, at least a little... according to this article, businesses are starting to realize that there are a whole bunch of Muslims with money that they don't know where to invest. There's now a Dow Jones Islamic Index of halal businesses, and more businesses are jumping on the bandwagon by making sure their operations are halal.

When Caribou Coffee went public last year, sharp-eyed investors noticed some unusual promises in its prospectus. Caribou, the nation's second-largest coffeehouse chain, said it would never sell pork or porn. It wouldn't charge or receive interest, either.

By following financial rules that are part of the Islamic code called Shariah, Caribou is among a small but growing list of Western businesses looking to make themselves as attractive as possible to Muslim investors. Some, like Caribou, are motivated by principle, while others see Muslim investors as an attractive new source of money.

click here for full article

I have never heard of Caribou Coffee, since they don't have one here, so I looked it up on the internet. What I found was a bunch of websites demonizing Caribou Coffee for being Shariah compliant. Of course. And there's apparently a chain letter going around to that effect as well. Click here to read the facts about that.

modest swimwear!

2006-10-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

You know, one thing I have been kind of sad about since I converted to Islam was the fact that I'm not really sure how I can ever go swimming or go to a water slide or anything like that, due to swimsuits being a *tad* too revealing for my taste. I'm not terribly modest compared to many Muslims (I won't name any names, HijabiApprentice), but that's way too much nekkid-ness for me!

Good news! Today, I found out about a WONDERFUL website that has (relatively) modest swimsuits! They will definitely not suit more conservative Muslims, but it would totally work for me! Check out the capri pants in particular: Ohana Swimwear

This will also be useful for when I have kids. I could never look my daughter in the eye and tell her "You can't go swimming, because you're a GIRL! .....but your brother can go."

7 Tips for a Healthier Ramadan

2006-10-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.soundvision.com/info/ramadan/healthier.asp

SoundVision Staff Writer

1. Eat Suhur

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, highly recommend eating this pre-dawn meal before a day of fasting. While you may want to pass to catch some more sleep, remember that you can always take a catnap while you're fasting, but you won't be able to eat or drink. To make it easier, set out utensils and dry food on the table before going to bed so you can quickly eat and go back to sleep after Suhur.

2. Limit fat intake

That's right, limit it, don't cut it out. Otherwise, you'll have to get rid of what's considered "traditional" Iftar food in most Muslim cultures. If you're not sure what kind of food is being referred to, think fried, greasy and/or super sweet.

3. Follow the Prophet's golden rule of one-third

This especially needs to be said in Ramadan. We should strive to have no more than one-third food, one-third liquid and one-third air in our stomachs when eating.

4. Encourage dip-dunking

Fruits and vegetables get left to the wayside during regular days, let alone at Iftar time. But you can whip out those carrot sticks if you've got some tasty dips to eat them with. Check out some healthy recipes.

5. Walk after Iftar

Before you fall over from exhaustion after Iftar and dinner, take a short walk around the block or just around your building. The change of environment and exposure to fresh air may just wake you up in time to go for the next activity listed below.

6. Pray Tarawih

More great exercise, not to mention a wonderful way to build concentration, stamina and brotherhood/sisterhood.

7. Take a short afternoon nap

Experts say you don't need more than a 15-minute siesta to really refresh you. During lunch hour, find a quiet spot, set the alarm on your watch/cell phone and nap. This can help your body adjust to the daily Ramadan schedule that requires early waking for Suhur.

2006-09-19T01:39:00.000-05:00

This is totally random, but I like to read Dear Abby and Annie's Mailbox advice columns (and before that, Ann Landers) regularly, and today I noticed something rather odd... Today's columns were almost completely identical, except one was written by the wife, the other by the husband. They claim different age ranges, but other than that they are eerily similar:

The Husband:

Dear Annie: My wife and I are in our 40s, healthy and in good shape. Our life is great, and we get along better now than ever. Before we get any older, I would like to try something different. Lately, I've been talking to my wife about experiencing a nude beach or resort. We've talked about making love in the forest alongside a mountain stream or even in the back seat of our car in a secluded spot.

Coming from a very religious background, my wife feels such things are immoral. I explained that going to a nude beach is not about being an exhibitionist. It's about enjoying nature and feeling the sensation of being free outdoors. I am not asking for a lifestyle change. I'd just like to try these things.

Believe me, I am not an exhibitionist. I am discreet and respect my wife's limits. But the thought of making love outside or skinny-dipping in the warm ocean seems wonderful. I want to share these experiences with her. Are my desires wrong? She said I should ask for your opinion. What do you think? -- Wondering Husband

The Wife:

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are in our late 30s, healthy and in good shape. Our love life is good, and we get along better now than we ever have in our marriage.

Before we get any older, my husband has asked me to visit a nudist beach or resort with him. He also says he would like to spice up our sex life by making love in the forest beside a mountain stream, or even the back seat of our car in a secluded spot.

Coming from a religious background, I am not totally comfortable with the idea of going nude at a beach in front of a lot of other people, or the thought of being caught having sex in the woods. My husband says that visiting a nudist beach or resort is not about exhibitionism or immorality. He says it is about enjoying nature and feeling the sensation of being free outdoors.

To be honest, these are things I might like to try, but I am just not sure. I'm concerned about what others would think if they found out. My husband says what we do is our own business, and the only way anyone we know would find out is if we told them.

Would it be wrong for us to go to a nude beach or resort, just to try it out? -- WONDERING WIFE IN PENNSYLVANIA

I wonder if this is real? If so, did either Dear Abby or the ladies behind Annie's Mailbox do this on purpose? Strange....

*************** UPDATE ****************

Syndicates: Nudist Advice Letters in Two Columns Were Coincidental

Man released from Guantanamo after 4-plus years

2006-08-25T14:44:00.000-05:00

He's guilty, but we can't tell you why. Because it's a secret, you see. But trust us, he's guilty...

BERLIN (AP) — A German-born Turkish citizen held for more than four years at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay has returned to Germany after being released, his attorneys said Thursday.

(snip)

German officials — including Chancellor Angela Merkel — worked to secure the release of Kurnaz, who was born in the northern German city of Bremen but holds Turkish citizenship.

Kurnaz traveled in October 2001 to Pakistan, where he was detained by Pakistani authorities and then turned over to the United States. He has been held at the Guantanamo in remote eastern Cuba since January 2002, and lawyers were first able to visit him in 2004.

(snip)

U.S. officials maintained that he was a member of al-Qaida, based on what they said was secret evidence. But a later review of declassified evidence in the case showed no indication he was connected to al-Qaida, the Taliban or any specific threat, his attorneys said.

click here for full article

Israeli Arabs caught between solidarity and hard place

2006-07-18T23:27:00.000-05:00

Like most Arab villages in northern Israel, Majdel Krum residents now find themselves at odds with their newfound status of a community being bombarded by rockets fired by their Muslim brethern across the border, about 20 kilometres to the north.

...

In a local food market across the street, 25 year-old Mana Muaman recalls seeing the rocket slam into Ayub's house.

'I know they are trying to hit the Jews, but when you see something like that, you feel Jewish,' Muaman says. He seems uncomfortable with the connotations of his claim.

Muaman's friend, Zarkawi Schadeh, 24, interjects vehemently: 'At least now we know what they feel like in Lebanon, maybe it was good that it fell here by mistake, but with the amount of rockets falling in the area, we were bound to be hit. We are frustrated with both sides.'

Both claim the attacks have increased their empathy for Israelis throughout the country.

...

'Now there is nothing we can do,' he says. 'We live in a culture of vengeance, it will never end'.

click here for full article

(Not) Searching for Bin Laden

2006-07-04T18:58:00.000-05:00

Reported July 3, 2006:
Al-Qaida leaders sold out Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to the United States in exchange for a promise to let up in the search for Osama bin Laden, the slain militant's wife claimed.

Nawww.... couldn't be so!

Reported July 4, 2006:
CIA closes unit assigned to hunt bin Laden

America’s Bad Rep

2006-06-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

You're doin' a heck of a job, Dubya!

A survey released last week by the Pew Research Center found that, with the exception of Great Britain, a majority of Europeans polled have a mostly unfavorable view of the United States.

Yet it’s more than just simple dislike. A Harris Interactive/Financial Times survey released Monday found that 36 percent of Europeans view the United States as the world’s greatest threat to “global stability.” By comparison, 30 percent of those polled named Iran as the biggest threat, while 18 percent named China.

click here for full article

Pentagon sources: Civilians likely killed without provocation

2006-05-26T23:50:00.000-05:00

Here's an update on the story about the marines that massacred Iraqi civilians. It looks like there may be some accountability on this after all, thank God.

An ongoing military investigation supports allegations that U.S. Marines in November killed 24 innocent Iraqi civilians without being provoked, senior Pentagon sources said Friday.

Charges, including murder, could soon be filed against Marines allegedly involved, the sources said.

click here for full article

Education Key to Interreligious Understanding

2006-05-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

In 2000, the religiously diverse community (in Modesto CA) took a risk and, in an almost unheard-of undertaking for a public school district, offered a required course on world religions and religious liberty for ninth-graders.

(snip)

To our surprise, students' respect for rights and liberties increased measurably after taking the course. Perhaps more important, the community has embraced the course as a vehicle for fostering understanding, not indoctrination.

click here for full article

Mistaken Terror Suspect Sues Ex-CIA Chief

2006-05-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

Oops.

German national Khaled al-Masri is suing former CIA Director George Tenet, 10 "John Doe" CIA employees and three private aviation companies, contending he was held illegally in Afghanistan for four months in 2004 and tortured as part of the CIA's "rendition" program for terror suspects.

(snip)

He said he was then flown to Afghanistan where he was "dragged off the plane and thrown into the trunk of a car" and beaten by his captors. He was held at a CIA-run facility known as the "Salt Pit," an abandoned brick factory north of the Kabul business district used for detention of high-level terror suspects.

(snip)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other State Department officials have declined to address the al-Masri case. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the United States has acknowledged making a mistake in his arrest.

click here for full article

NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls

2006-05-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Y'know...... when I hear about something like this, it makes me wonder on what basis we are imposing sanctions on places like Cuba..

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans - most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.

BUT... there was one lone holdout

One major telecommunications company declined to participate in the program: Qwest.

According to sources familiar with the events, Qwest's CEO at the time, Joe Nacchio, was deeply troubled by the NSA's assertion that Qwest didn't need a court order - or approval under FISA - to proceed. Adding to the tension, Qwest was unclear about who, exactly, would have access to its customers' information and how that information might be used.

But you can't say they didn't try!

Trying to put pressure on Qwest, NSA representatives pointedly told Qwest that it was the lone holdout among the big telecommunications companies. It also tried appealing to Qwest's patriotic side: In one meeting, an NSA representative suggested that Qwest's refusal to contribute to the database could compromise national security, one person recalled.

In addition, the agency suggested that Qwest's foot-dragging might affect its ability to get future classified work with the government. Like other big telecommunications companies, Qwest already had classified contracts and hoped to get more.

Unable to get comfortable with what NSA was proposing, Qwest's lawyers asked NSA to take its proposal to the FISA court. According to the sources, the agency refused.

The NSA's explanation did little to satisfy Qwest's lawyers. "They told (Qwest) they didn't want to do that because FISA might not agree with them," one person recalled. For similar reasons, this person said, NSA rejected Qwest's suggestion of getting a letter of authorization from the U.S. attorney general's office. A second person confirmed this version of events.

click here for full article

Saudi Arabia on charm offensive for non-Muslim tourists

2006-05-09T10:27:00.000-05:00

HUH?!?

FOR the first time, Saudi Arabia is looking to encourage non-Muslim tourists, touting a unique experience and even nightlife in a country where alcohol and the mixing of the sexes are banned.

“We promise you an experience that will hit your soul, mind and spirit ... (with) lots of nightlife,” Prince Sultan bin Salman, who heads the kingdom’s Supreme Commission for Tourism, told reporters in Dubai at the opening of a tourism promotion expo.

click here for full article

A Syrian monastery lies at the nexus of Islam, Christianity

2006-05-01T09:24:00.000-05:00

The monastery of Deir Mar Musa was first built by Greek monks in the sixth century as a remote retreat from the material and political world. Abandoned in the 19th century, it once again houses a small religious community. But now, under its second founder, Father Dall'Oglio, it is on the forefront of politics with a fresh approach to bridge-building with the Islamic world.

"When I arrived here 25 years ago, Syria was [a] center of the struggle between communism and capitalism," says Dall'Oglio, dressed in a worn gray pullover. "And today it is the crossroads between Islam and Christianity."

(snip)

"The big issue is whether there can even be a future without religious harmony," says Paolo. "To build religious harmony is to build a future for humanity. It's not going to be easy but I say let's do it. Bring it on."

click here for more info