By Sister Nûr

This article was written by the author a few years ago, when she was in her second year at the University of Essex.

I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off and have children and serve the husband-- whether he was kind or not. Other than this I found that there were a lot of things which really oppressed women, such as:

*If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari (costume), eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry.
*The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband's family.
*And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty giving it.
Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured, and could end up being a victim of "kitchen death" where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, and try to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these instances are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own father's had the same fate last year!

In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as among the gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebration, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shira) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this. This made me see that the Hindu religion which is based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof [1], but were merely traditions which oppressed women could not be right.

Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this is a country which gives equal rights to men and women, and does not oppress them. We all have the freedom to do as we like, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people and make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to "socialise" (bars, dance halls, ...etc.), I realised that this "equality" was not so true in practice as it was in theory.

Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, more subtle way. When I went with my friends to those places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realised how naive I was, and recognised what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out. Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don't call this enjoying.

I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please and appear more appealing, and also talk in a certain way so people like them. During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respected with. Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone's belief, they do this. If making money is someone's belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminishing in this way.

In these days of so called "society of equal rights", you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you're weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression even though some women do not realise it. [2]When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life. Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only-recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and some other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women.

Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds. The Quran itself, which is the word of Allah, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam gives the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but made by Allah; hence it is a perfect religion.

Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe, and are told that this is oppression--it is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only for her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to none but his wife. In addition, Allah has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty.

If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed. Another point I'd like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by Allah (God) do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free-running between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever Allah commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind; there is no doubt about that.

When I put on my hijaab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really want to do it. When I put on the hijaab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness. Satisfied that I had obeyed Allah’s command. And happy with the good and blessings that come with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in behaviour towards me.

Finally, I'd like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Quran itself there is a verse which says "there is no compulsion in religion"[3]. I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing. Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion Allah has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind whose ruling and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other. This is not the case of Islam which truly liberated women and gave them an individuality not given by any other authority.

Sister Noor has been a muslim for over a year and a half and is currently in her second year of undergraduate study in the Department of Biology

Notes

(1) In Islaam, strong emphasis is placed on proof and evidence. Superstition, conjecture and following the ways of ones ancestors is heavily censured. Allaah says:

{Say : Bring your proof if indeed you are truthful} {Baqarah 2 :111} {Inform me with knowledge if indeed you are truthful} [An’aam 6 :143] {And they do not possess any knowledge regarding it. They do nothing but follow conjecture and conjecture avails nothing against the Truth} [Najm 53 :28] {And when it is said to them: ‘Follow that which Allaah has sent down’, they say: ‘Nay! We shall follow that which we found our fathers following} [Baqarah 2 :170]

If the scientists among the non-muslims were to follow this advice and research objectively many of the rulings regarding women in Islam they would find that they are in perfect harmony with the biological/psychological knowledge they have arrived at regarding the nature of women. It is the reaction of the feminist movement to western hypocrisy that has led to the debasement of ‘perceived’ female roles in Islam. That is why most of what is portrayed regarding women in Islaam is pure conjecture and distortion, not fact and truth.

(2) This is where muslims consider the fallacy of the freedom and non-oppression of women lies. Under the name of ‘freedom’ women are told that they have complete automonomy to do as they wish. However, ‘do as they wish’ means that they are encouraged to conform to the trends and fashions that are set for them and imposed upon them by means of the media machine and by means of the multi-billion dollar film industry which makes, fashions, and nurtures the ideas of people and their principles, morals and conduct. As a result they are made the objects of the fantasies of menwho harass them, oppress them and reduce them to nothing but a source of temporary joy and pleasure. Men themselves have been made to let loose the reins of their desires due to the high exposure to naked women they receive, day in day out. This results in provocation, frustration and eventually - a deserving punishment - desensitization. Impotence is a widespread ‘disease’ in the West! This is the position of women in the west. The mere mention of the words sexual harrasment, date-rape - which includes men deliberately getting women tipsy or drunk so that they can have their way with them - and slogans such as NO MEANS NO are sufficient as proof for this reality of the oppression of women in the west. These problems are unknown to the muslim world and are not issues in Islaam.

(3) {There is no complulsion in religion. The truth has been made clear from error} [Baqarah 2 :256]

Source: Islaam.net

This is the programme that was advertised on the channel for quite some time, with dramatic footage of the world coming to a supposed end. The series deals with a variety of subjects ranging from minor, major signs of the end of the world, or end of times, Imam Mahdi, the return of Jesus [Isa peace be upon him], Armageddon, Dajjal, and other topics.

The programme’s anchorman Dr Shahid Masood also hosts “Views on news” on the ARY digital channel or Ary One world, a programme about current affairs in the world.

In the first programme of the series, he discussed about the various ahadith [sayings of prophet Muhummad peace be upon him, on the signs day of judgement], such as:

'Abd Allah said, "The Prophet said, 'Just before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will appear, and there will be much killing.' " (Ibn Majah; also narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, from the Hadith of al-A'mash.)

"There shall come upon people deceptive years, in which the liar will be regarded as truthful, the truthful one will be regarded as a liar, the treacherous one will be trusted, the trustworthy one will be mistrusted, and in which al-Ruwaybidah will speak." Someone asked, "What is al-Ruwaybidah?" He said, "A paltry man speaking about the affair/business of the general public." [Ahmad, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim]

In his programme he also discussed other signs [briefly from what I can remember, here is what he said]

Some signs he discussed (clickkk!!!):

**Shepherds will compete in the construction of tall buildings [as can be seen around Makkah itself]

**Knowledge of Islam will be taken away while ignorance will increase. This removal of knowledge will be because old scholars will die and fewer and fewer new scholars will replace them. The leaders of the Muslims will be chosen from ignorant people, and they will rule according to their whims. [He described the time we live in as a “Information overload”, although there is a lot of information available i.e. through internet, cd’s, books, but there is lack of useful knowledge that people seek, for their hereafter, such as searching for basic answers, why are we here? What is our purpose on this planet?

**Time will be shortened so that a year will be like a month, a month like a day, a day like an hour [He mentioned the lack of benefit of time in the present day world]

**Earthquakes will increase in number [He gave statistics on the number of people dieing from earthquakes, and how earthquakes have become more and more]

**Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread. [Also gave statistics concerning this]

**Bloodshed will increase. [He also gave statistics on murder, and how it’s increased]

Next week, the programme is about Imam Mehdi, and he will talk with various people, such as Dr Israr Ahmad.

"Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Pray that your all in the best of health and Imaan Insha'Allah

I have added numerous links to Arabic Flash Nasheeds... do check them out!!!"

Courtesy ***Muslima Ukhti blog***

below is a copy paste (make of it what you will) of a news article, those who do revert to Islam, benefit themselves, Islam doesn't rely on celebrities, stars, rather Islam has a strong message, a message of truth, which is why people choose to revert.

Islamic Britain Lures Top People
Source: TimesOnline

Nicholas Hellen and Christopher Morgan

MORE than 14,000 white Britons have converted to Islam after becoming disillusioned with western values, according to the first authoritative study of the phenomenon.

Some of Britain’s top landowners, celebrities and the offspring of senior Establishment figures have embraced the strict tenets of the Muslim faith.

The trend is being encouraged by Muslim leaders who are convinced that the conversion of prominent society figures will help protect a community stigmatised by terrorism and fundamentalism.

Zaki Badawi, chairman of the Imams and Mosques Council, said: “The community has been unfairly targeted and these developments encourage it in a time of difficulty.” Meanwhile, the Muslim Council of Britain has co-opted Joe Ahmed-Dobson, son of Frank Dobson, the former health secretary, to chair its regeneration committee.

The new study by Yahya (formerly Jonathan) Birt, son of Lord Birt, former director-general of the BBC, provides the first reliable data on the sensitive subject of the movement of Christians into Islam. He uses a breakdown of the latest census figures to conclude that there are now 14,200 white converts in Britain.

Speaking publicly for the first time about his faith this weekend, Birt, whose doctorate at Oxford University is on young British Muslims, argued that an inspirational figure, similar to the American convert Malcolm X for Afro-Caribbeans, would first have to emerge if the next stage, a mass conversion among white Britons, were to happen.

“You need great transitional figures to translate something alien (like Islam) into the vernacular,” he said. “The image of Islam projected by political Islamic movements is not very attractive.”

Initially, Birt said, he had no coherent reasons for converting, but: “In the longer term I think it was the overall profundity, balance and coherence and spirituality of the Muslim way of life which convinced me.”

The faith has made inroads into the Establishment. It emerged this weekend that the great-granddaughter of a British prime minister has converted. Emma Clark, whose ancestor, the Liberal prime minister Herbert Asquith, took Britain into the first world war, said: “We’re all the rage, I hope it’s not a passing fashion.”

Clark, who helped design an Islamic garden for the Prince of Wales at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire home, is now helping create a similar garden for a mosque in Woking, Surrey, on the site of a car park.

Many converts have been inspired by the writings of Charles Le Gai Eaton, a former Foreign Office diplomat. Eaton, author of Islam and the Destiny of Man, said: “I have received letters from people who are put off by the wishy-washy standards of contemporary Christianity and they are looking for a religion which does not compromise too much with the modern world.”

Others have come to Islam through love or marriage. Kristiane Backer, a former girlfriend of the cricketer Imran Khan, said she was introduced to the religion through love but converted after her break-up. She has shrunk from speaking publicly about her religion before because of fears it might affect her work prospects.

“Imran sowed the seeds, but when (the relationship) finished (the faith) took on a momentum of its own,” she said. Backer, who is drawn to Sufi mysticism, said white converts had to overcome prejudice both from those born into Islam and from non-believers.

“In the mosque women come up and say to me, ‘You have hair showing: you must cover up completely.’ I say, ‘Mind your own hair, you’re here to think about God’.”

She has ditched the revealing wardrobe she had as an MTV presenter, but, equally, will not wear headscarves about town. “I don’t show any legs or cleavage, or at least not together,” she said.

Some prominent converts are even more wary. The Earl of Yarborough, 40, who owns a 28,000-acre estate in Lincolnshire, declined to discuss anything about his faith. “I have nothing to say to you,” said Yarborough, who has apparently taken the name Abdul Mateen.

Muslim leaders are harnessing modern campaigning methods to promote their faith. Groups have sprung up on the internet publishing “trophy lists” of white converts.

The state-funded school in London founded by Yusuf Islam, formerly the singer Cat Stevens, has turned to Premiership footballers to provide role models. Sources close to the school say converts including Nicolas Anelka, the Manchester City striker, and Omer “Freddie” Kanoute, of Tottenham Hotspur, have made visits.

Fresh evidence came this weekend that Islam has received formal acceptance at the heart of the Establishment. The Queen has approved new arrangements to allow Muslim staff at Buckingham Palace time off to attend Friday prayers at a mosque: a member of staff in the finance department is the first to take advantage of it.

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

Thebit's comments:

John Birt is a former director-general of the BBC, and all-round "establishment" figure.

There are many prominent footballers who are Muslim:

Omar Frederick Kanoute is a French footballer, who now plays for his fatherland - Mali. He gave a small talk with a prominent Sufi shaykh from Sudan (so prominent, his name eludes me at this moment) a year or so back at UCL.

Nicolas Anelka is a former Arsenal footballer, and French international, who is known for his ability to sulk, even after scoring a hat-trick.

A former footballer for Everton (a saw-ka team from Liverpool), Ibrahim Bakayoko of the Ivory Coast, was reputed to help on a da'wah stall outside the ground; and Everton is considered a 'Catholic club'.

Pascal Cygan (French), Rami Shabaan (Swegytptian) and Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast) are all Muslims and play for Arsenal. Shabaan is said to read a few verses from the Qur'an before a game, to thank God for his career; and Toure has no shame in thanking God in his interviews for his career, and admiting to his "sober" lifestyle (in contrast to the kind of life usually 'expected' of a sportstar on £20,000 a week).

I Hate All Arabs
by Avari Nemeh

Have you ever walked into a convenience store and wanted to shoot the guy behind the counter? That’s a trifle harsh, but an arresting way to begin an article nevertheless. It was one of those stunningly cold January evenings, when it got so frigid it felt someone had left ice cubes in my shoes and forgot to tell me. But the weather deterred neither myself nor the thousands of others who’d gathered for a Palestine peace march. When we’d yelled till our voices had withered to nothing – to remain so for a while – and then we wandered the frozen wasteland (Shala, Soraya and I), until finally some nice Pakistani driver offered us a (free) ride all the way uptown (he was dropping me off at my apartment and then taking the sisters to meet their other sister. I think). But once out, I didn't go into my apartmenr right away.

Instead, I went to a nearby convenience store: there was nothing my throat needed more than a cup of steaming chai. I entered wearing my kaffiyeh, bunched up around my neck, partly to show solidarity with Palestinians and just as much to protect me from the bitter cold (For those who don’t know, the kaffiyeh is the checkered, red and white or black and white, Arab scarf). Anyone who wears a kaffiyeh in public these days is usually assumed to be: 1) an Arab, 2) a Muslim, or 3) a terrorist. Good thing for me, I thought, that the owner of this convenience store was Muslim – the Qur’an stickers on his cash register gave it away. After I placed my order for chai, he smiled awkwardly and asked, “Are you Arab?”

“No,” I replied. There was only one meaningful question he could ask thereafter, so I answered it for him: “My parents are from Pakistan.”

“That’s good.” He smiled, and I smiled too, until he clarified: “I hate all Arabs. They never do anything for Islam.” Soon it was only he who was smiling, and me stifling the urge to gently lift the lid off my scalding cup of tea and douse him with it. But this did not seem the Muslim thing to do. As tired I was, I was in no mood for an argument. Stumbling up to my apartment, I didn’t reflect on his words until I’d kicked off my shoes and tossed off my coat.

For anyone who’s been blessed to hear a bunch of Muslims engage in any sort of discussion, certain trends emerge and hold over long periods (basically, my lifetime). With some reflection, I was able to ascertain that the convenience store owner’s sentence regarding Arabs and their perceived failure vis-à-vis Islam revealed everything that is wrong with the Ummah. Well, maybe not every single thing, but enough to fill up an essay. Again, his claim, if you are too lazy to scan backwards a paragraph: “I hate all Arabs. They never do anything for Islam.”

Let’s analyze it bit by bit.

1. “I hate…”

There’s half your problem. Why are Muslims so negative? The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was faced with hurdles, challenges and accusations we will never have to face. Yet he once said: “I have not been sent as the invoker of curse, but I have been sent as mercy." (Sahih Muslim)

In his day, there were a lot of obtuse people. Though some of these people tried to kill him, and tortured and beat his followers – all of which would put the average person in a rather sour mood – he did not lash out at them in hatred. Meanwhile, my brother at the convenience store was talking about his fellow believers. And he hated them.

Let’s say a fellow Muslim throws his Islam aside as so much baggage. Should you hate him? I’d think, rather, that we should show concern for this person by actively trying to help him and always remembering him in our prayers. But it is a sad and true fact that it is a thousand times easier to hate than it is to help. Muslims talk about unity, but unless we have an attitude that encourages unity, we will never see it. Certainly, generalizing about 270 million people in such negative terms is not going to get us closer together anytime soon.

2. “I hate all Arabs.”

Let me be flatly honest. There are some Arabs who loathe Pakistanis. I can recall more than one person in Saudi Arabia who, on discovering that I was of Pakistani origin, looked at me as if I’d just vomited on him. I can also tell you, as a Pakistani, I am often quite baffled and distressed to see that while Pakistanis often rally against wars on the Arab world, very few such rallies do (or even can) take place when threats come against Pakistan. Does that indicate some deeper bias or indifference, unbecoming of decent humans? But I can also tell you, as someone of Pakistani origin, that there are many from my corner of the world that hold demeaning stereotypes of Arabs and others. No one people have a monopoly on ignorance and hate.

I am a lot of things that I did not have a hand in deciding: I never asked to be named Haroon. It just happened that my parents chose it. In addition, I didn’t ask to be of Pakistani origin or American birth. Those were factors outside of my control. How, then, can anyone hate someone based on them? One of the most fascinating concepts in Islam is the idea of unity based on shared, chosen belief: All of us must make a decision to submit to the will of Allah. Even if we are born Muslim, that won’t do a thing for us, unless we personally make the effort – and that is how we will be judged. Islam rightly rejects the strangeness of exclusive identification based on things outside of a person’s hands.

But now I must say something directed specifically to those people who are Arabs or think they should be. Many Muslims who are not Arab are quite insecure about their identity – and this is a common enough problem to be worth mentioning. Many Pakistanis, Iranians, Turks and others that I met honestly believe that to become a better Muslim means detaching yourself from your history and culture and becoming an Arab. I’m not even joking here. Some people even resent Islam, or reject it, because they think it’s a form of Arab imperialism.

Islam urges us to identify ourselves based on the values we hold, and since Muslims take their values in the words of the Divine (the Qur’an) and the example of His messenger, peace be upon him, our identity is centered on a faith with Arab beginnings. But Islam does not ask us to remove or obliterate our positive differences. That is not only impossible, but also would be quite boring. Can you imagine? We’d end up looking like 21st century America (It’s getting harder and harder to take a vacation around here, because the same three restaurants and four chain stores are found everywhere from Hawaii to Maine). Surely we wouldn’t want to live in a world where everyone and everything is exactly alike. That’s human nature. We not only want some differences, but we also need them. But let’s not stop there.

3. “I hate all Arabs.”

Too many Muslims have the nasty habit of making broad, sweeping generalizations. To make a broad, sweeping generalization out of this: Whatever we condemn or support, we do it with such lack of temperance that it’s little wonder we have trouble making things better. Consider, as an example, our “all-or-nothing” approach to social change. Muslims either want the Caliphate, right now, with all the benefits of life in America, or they want to sit home on their couches, watch the news and grumble about it to their friends. This births some rather odd propositions for how to revive our way of life: “Muslims should become one country.”

Pray tell, how exactly are we going to do that? At New York University, no more than seventy-five out of over eight hundred Muslims came to Friday Prayer. And people are expecting the Ummah to work together on more difficult projects? Get an E-board member started on asking people to place their shoes neatly and orderly on the racks, and you begin to fathom the heights before us. Our faith teaches us that Islam comes slowly, that it is a constant struggle, and that there is no guarantee of fulfillment in our earthly life. There were Prophets like Noah, peace be upon him, who waited nine centuries for people to change. Often, they didn’t.

So think over it again: “I hate all Arabs.” I might have applauded him had he made that statement after having visited each and every Arab in the world. But of course he didn’t do that (though that didn’t stop him from pretending like he did). Which brings me to the fourth and final point, the problem illustrated by his second sentence, be it laziness, apathy or moral cowardice.

4. “They never do anything for Islam.”

I’d love to know what this guy’s done for Islam lately. Some of us think that we are somehow intimately connected to God, more so than anyone else since the Prophet (peace be upon him), and therefore the standard by which all other Muslims should be judged. I am allowed to have faults and failings, but no one else. So bad has this attitude become that we don’t see each other as distinct persons, creations of God deserving mercy and dignity, but rather, as no more than automatons, who can be judged, condemned and dismissed over a casual chai-purchasing encounter. Sometimes we complain that some Western media cast all Muslims in a negative light. But the store owner did the exact same thing: He confused individual people with flags and the boundaries of nation-states.

The man at the store didn’t really mean that none of the Arab people did anything for Islam. He meant, rather, that he thought that the Arab countries didn’t do anything for Islam – and also, by extension, that the Arab people are robots who are to be identified with every single thing their governments do. Never mind that many Arabs are often active in agitating for positive social, religious and political improvement in their societies: If we were to take this man’s thinking to its logical conclusion, because I am a Pakistani-American, I am both General Pervez Musharraf and President George W. Bush. Hopefully you see the problem here.

Let’s go back to it again. “They never do anything for Islam.” Notice he didn’t say: “I don’t do anything for Islam.” When the going gets tough, accuse someone else. Perhaps that man was a great and pious Muslim, and I wasn’t able to see that, but the lottery tickets and the beer cases in his store did suggest shortcomings. All of us have them. Not one of us is perfect. So why – I mean, really, why? – do we insist on putting the blame on someone else? Muslims are perfectly ready to opine for hours on end, through ten cups of tea and perhaps even one more, about how there’s a grand conspiracy against Islam and we must unite to fight it, but so many will rarely do anything productive. If you really believed that someone was out to ruin you, you wouldn’t sit there drinking tea and chit-chatting about it over biscuits. Which means you don’t really believe that there’s someone out to ruin you.

Here then is my idea. Post it up in your mosque. If you’re an Imam, maybe you could mention it in a sermon, preferably also in a language the people speak. Or just talk about it with friends and family. It has a catchy ring to it, too: “Four Things for Fixing Things.”

1. Nothing valuable is built on hate – including, and especially, Islam.
2. Let’s not divide ourselves over things we have no control over. Humanity is vast and varied – and that’s not going to change. Ever. So move on, please.
3. Life is not all-or-nothing, not even for the Muslims. We work with what God gives us, be it a little or a lot.
4. Let’s not blame others for what we would not do ourselves. Put the burden on yourself first – and don’t be so ready to toss it upon someone else.

There’s enough common sense there, I hope.

I’d like Muslims to take responsibility while cognizant of that. How much more can a man take, when all he wanted in the first place was a cup of tea? He made me go upstairs, in anger, and write this whole article when I was so tired. You could say, it’s all his fault.

I watched this on the news, and here's the article about it:

Muslim teenager misses months of crucial lessons in row over clothing

Steven Morris
Friday February 13, 2004
The Guardian

She should have been at school, studying for her GCSEs in order to fulfil her ambition of becoming a doctor. Instead the 15-year-old Muslim girl was at home yesterday explaining why her religious beliefs meant she had not set foot in a classroom for the last 18 months.

The girl, who asked to be identified as "S", has not been to school in Luton since she was sent home in September 2002 after turning up in a jilbab, a long, flowing gown.

Lawyers representing her have lodged papers in the high court which they hope will lead to a judicial review of the case. They claim S's right to practise her religion is being infringed. In return, the school, Denbigh High School, claims that it has a school uniform policy which takes into account all faiths and cultures.

The row has echoes of the controversy in France where politicians voted on Tuesday for a ban on all "ostensible religious symbols" in schools, including the hijab, the headscarf worn by Muslim girls and women.

When S first went to Denbigh High, where almost 80% of pupils are Muslim, she had been content to wear the shalwar kameeze - trousers with a tunic - and the hijab. She was a gifted pupil, top of her class in maths and keen on science. She planned to take at least 10 GCSEs and began to dream of becoming a doctor, as her uncle had been.

In the summer of 2002, she began reading Islamic texts more deeply, frequently attending the local mosques. Though her older sisters did not wear a jilbab, she decided that it was right for her to do so. "My religion became stronger, more important to me. From then on I started wearing the jilbab," she said.

On the first day of the new school year, S turned up wearing a jilbab. She said: "They told me that I couldn't wear it, that I had to go home and change. But I could not do that. It would have meant going against my religious beliefs."

So she stayed at home in a small terrace house near Luton Town Football Club.

Negotiations between S's family, their solicitor and the school failed to reach a compromise.

S has spent the last five terms trying to keep up her studies but says it has been almost impossible. She has not been officially excluded and as a result is not entitled to a home tutor paid for by the state. She feels that because Bangladeshi is spoken at home - her father was a headteacher in Bangladesh - her English has suffered.

"I feel I've lost my education and I've lost my future. I loved science and wanted to study to be a doctor. But my life has come to a full stop. I worry now that I will end up with no job and living on benefits and I can't bear the idea of that."

Her family are backing her stance. Her four siblings, who are out of school, have done well. One brother is studying computer science at university and another has set up his own business. One of the brothers, who is 21, said: "It's wrong that she is being treated in this way and I feel so sorry for her. She is not the happy girl she was."

In a statement, Luton borough council said the school was a "multiracial, multifaith" one, with a "flexible uniform policy" designed to fit in with all religious and cultural beliefs. Pupils can wear trousers, skirts or a shalwar kameeze. A spokeswoman for the council said before the dispute the school had "consulted widely" with mosques and Islamic organisations and had been assured that its uniform satisfied Islamic dress requirements.

The spokeswoman emphasised that S had not been excluded but had chosen to stay away and there was still a place for her. She said the school, its governors and the local education authority had "bent over backwards" to find a solution.

In the high court, however, lawyers for S will argue that she has "effectively" been excluded. The government does not lay down rules on school uniform but says governors should bear in mind sex and race discrimination laws when making their policies. Some schools permit the wearing of the jilbab.

S's family still say they are not sure exactly why the school refused to countenance the wearing of the jilbab. At first they were told it was unsuitable on health and safety grounds: they feared children would trip over the garment.

But S's brother said he believed the school could associate it with Islamist extremism. He added: "Of course, that is ridiculous. We are not extremists. We are just a normal family and my sister has firm religious views."

There is a danger that the case could attract the attention of an established extremist element in Luton. Last month another Luton school, Icknield High, a mile from Denbigh High, was the scene of demonstrations by the group al-Muhajiroun when it surfaced that it did not allow Muslim girls to wear headscarves.

by KMG (from Muslim Writers Society)

I had heard so many good things about her, the eldest sister of the family. How she was so beautiful, so smart, so strong and a hijabi. I was actually quite nervous about meeting her now, all of a sudden without any warning. She'd be coming in an hour to meet us for lunch. I became more aware of what I was wearing, and breathed a sigh of relief, it was as conservative as a non-hijabi could get...

I was wearing a full length dress with a full sleeve cardigan. I had no idea what she'd think of me. I held her on a pedestal, and I wanted to please her. She didn't even know me, and yet I knew so much about her. I always felt this tension around people who I thought were more religious than I. I didn't look like someone who felt so strongly about Islam, and that almost always made a difference in how hijabi sisters treated me. I didn't care much for the others, but she was someone who was important in my future family.

I knew I'd wear hijab one day, but it had to feel like the right time. And I didn't want to be forced into it by anyone. I wanted it to be my own choice, by my understanding, so I could wear it with pride, so I could represent it with knowledge of why Muslims have this dress of modesty. I was with my two closest girlfriends, waiting to meet her. I realized she may turn out to be more uncomfortable than I, because I had my friends and she was coming into our world. So I decided I had to try my best to get over my anxiety and my shyness. She had to feel welcome. She had to feel at home.

We let her decide what we should eat, and so we went to the pizzeria on the corner. She wasn't very talkative, I'm sure she felt out of place, we were younger than her by 3 or so years. We probably seemed like a bunch a kids to her. My friend ended up doing most of the talking. I couldn't even look at her for too long, I was always bad with eye contact. We ate and decided to walk off our filled stomaches. It was May, so the weather was pretty nice save the wind.

We were waiting to cross the street when I saw that her hijab was slipping off, she hadn't put it on securely, so she'd have to fix it every few minutes. I told her it was coming off, but it felt like she didn't really care as she put it back in place. We walked into a BR, and looked at some things, my girlfriend brought over a sweater she liked. She looked at it and told us she didn't wear 3-4 sleeved shirts, and my friends exchanged a look that said, 'eek'. Silent tension. Guilt. The respect I had for her as a Muslim sister was immense. But it felt like she was talking down to us every time she said something about herself. Maybe she was, and maybe she wasn't...

(click here to read the rest of the story...)

Nablus Now

In Auschwitz it dripped
In Nablus now it drips
From flesh it freshly flowed
As in Nablus now it rips

In Auschwitz she cried
In Nablus now she cries
Hated hands held her and hers
As in Nablus where she lies

In Auschwitz they moaned
In Nablus now they moan
Hear the hunger haunting them
As Nablus orphans groan

In Auschwitz he fell
In Nablus now he falls
Bullets bounce from boy to brain
In Nablus off the walls

In Auschwitz they died
In Nablus now we die
And you call this land Holy Land?
In Nablus, we call it Auschwitz.

-Zeba Khan

From channel 4 website:

George W Bush may be backed by Christian fundamentalists but in his home state of Texas, Islam is the latest big draw. The Bible belt is transferring its allegiance to the Qur’an because, for many erstwhile Christians, believe it or not, the church is too liberal.

Eric was a Baptist preacher before he became a Muslim 14 years ago. Now he prays five times a day – even in the middle of watching a football game. His wife, Karen, also a convert, is covered from head to toe in the traditional Muslim burka. Islam, says Eric, ‘is everything I wanted Christianity to be’. His mother has found it hard to come to terms with her son’s conversion and believes he will return to the Christian faith: ‘Then he will be a dynamic preacher.’ Eric says: ‘Maybe some day she’ll embrace Islam.’

Women are also becoming followers of Islam. Yasmine (previously Mindy) arranged a marriage for herself and has three children. Islam, she says is ‘the solution to a lot of the prevailing evils: drugs, adultery, fornication…’ Converts often see the religious laws more clearly than those who have been brought up as Muslims and Yasmine can spot a mistake at 20 paces. She believes that she has a unique opportunity to help people who are born into the religion get back to the fundamentals.

Catherine has been a Muslim for two weeks. She came from a privileged background – private school followed by a career in PR. Now the established Muslim women guide her through the purification rituals as she washes before prayer and removes her nail varnish.

David is the only white Muslim in his little town on Route 66. He believes his new religion makes him a better American and, far from undermining liberties, gives the individual more rights. He had an arranged marriage and his wife, who was born a Muslim, was shocked by the strictness with which he insists they live their lives. His family – a white man with his wife and daughter dressed in their hijabs (headscarves) –are stared in the streets and supermarkets of their one-horse town.

There are 400,000 Muslims in Texas alone and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the USA. Since 9/11 there have been more converts to Islam than ever. Eric believes that people are trying to understand Muslims and want to learn about their religion. Yasmine says: ‘America should not be afraid. If it would be better Muslims were the majority. If a child asks me: “Who made this leaf?” I say, “Allah. Allah made everything.”’

thanks for the link in the shoutbox

Aswatalislam.net

Since there's a lot of Pakistanis in 'Blogistan' the link contained:

Sheikh Abdur Rehman Sudais and Saood Shuraim with URDU translation(CD Quality)

Abdul Basit Abdul Samad with URDU translation

::Also contained:::

For Bangladeshis::::Bengalis, Quran - Shaikh Huthaify with BANGLAY Translation

Qari Waheed Zafar Qasmi with ENGLISH translation (CD Quality)

Taraweeh Prayers (Masjid Al Haram, Makkah) including new imam Salih Talib

Full list of Quran recitors like Sudais, Shuraim, Jibreen, Ajmy, Ifasi

Nasheeds Arabic, urdu naats

Islamic lectures English and urdu lectures

side note: Ahmed bukhatirs new album Samtan was out quite some time ago for those searching for him.

This story has been in the news, since Sunday. This article just sums up everything. Saddam had everything, money, opulent palaces, servants, cars (every material thing you could think of), yet now he has none of the power he used to have. In the history, many "mighty" empires were also finished, yet this happened in our time, who would have ever thought Saddam would have been out of power a few years ago? Allah is the best of planners. At the end of the day, TRUE power is only with Allah.

By Robert Fisk

Ad-Dawr, northern Iraq - There was a kind of satisfaction, lying inside Saddam's last hole in the earth. Seven months ago I sat on his red velvet presidential throne in the greatest of all his marble palaces.

And so there I was yesterday, lowering myself into the damp, dark and grey concrete interior of his final retreat, the midget bunker buried beside the Tigris - all of 2m by 1,5m - and as near to an underground prison as any of his victims might imagine.

Instead of chandeliers, there was just a cheap plastic fan attached to an air vent. Ozymandias came to mind

'There must have been fear, the knowledge that betrayal was only an orchard away.'

This, after all, was where the dreams finally crumbled to dust. And it was cold.

He had food, of course - tins of cheap luncheon meat and fresh fruit - and I found his last books in a hut nearby: the philosophical works of Ibn Khaldun, the religious - doctrines of the Abassid theorist Imam al-Shafei, and a heap of volumes of Arab poetry.

There were cassettes of Arabic songs and some cheap pictures, of sheep at sunset and Noah's Ark crowded with animals.

But this was no resistance headquarters, no place from which to run a war or start an insurgency.

To climb inside this most famous of all bolt holes - and this, remember, was no Föhrer-bunker with SS guards and switchboards and secretaries taking down last words for posterity - I had to sit on the wooden entrance ledge and swing my legs into a narrow aperture and find my footing on four steps made of earth.

You use your arms to lower yourself into this last remnant of Iraqi Ba'athist history. Then you are sitting on the floor. There is no light, no water, only the concrete walls, the vent and a ceiling of wooden boards.

Above the boards is earth and then a thick concrete floor which - up above - is covered by the thick concrete yard of a dilapidated farm hut.

It must have taken a long time to build - weeks at least - and I suspect there are many other bolt holes along the reed banks of the Tigris.

Yet above this sullen underground cell was a kind of paradise, of thick palm fronds and orange trees dripping gold with mandarins, of thickets of tall reeds, of the sound of birds buried in the treetops.

There was even an old blue-painted boat tucked away behind a wall of fronds, the last chance of escape across the silver Tigris if the Americans closed in.

Of course, they closed in from two directions on Saturday night, both from the river and down the muddy laneway along which soldiers of the US 4th Infantry Division led me yesterday.

As Captain Joseph Munger of the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery, pointed out, Saddam was easy to ambush but it was equally easy for him to hear them coming. He must have rushed from the hut where he ate his food - spilling a plate of beans and Turkish Delight onto the mud floor - and squirrelled his portly self down the hole.

When the Americans searched the hut, they found nothing suspicious - except a pot plant oddly positioned on top of some dried palm fronds, placed there presumably by the two men later seized while trying to escape.

Underneath, they found the entrance to the hole.

So what could we learn of Saddam yesterday in this, his very last private residence in Iraq.

Well, he had chosen a hide only 200m from a shrine marking his own famous retreat across the Tigris river in 1959, on the run as a wounded young guerrilla after trying to assassinate an earlier president of Iraq.

Here it was that he dug the bullet out of his body and on a low hill within eyesight of this palm-grove is the mosque that marks the spot where, in a coffee shop, Saddam vainly pleaded with his fellow Iraqi tribesmen to help him escape.

Saddam, in his last days as a free man, had retreated into his past, back to the days of glory that preceded his butcheries.

He had the use of a tiny generator which I found wired up to a miniature fridge. The fridge was in one half of the hut and contained water bottles and a bottle of medicine with a label marked "Dropil".

There was a tube of skin cream on the top, a tub of moisturising cream, a sewing kit in a cellophane bag and - how Saddam must have been plagued by mosquitoes unimpressed by Ba'ath party punishments - a can of "Pif-paf". There were two old beds and some filthy blankets.

In the little kitchen next door, there were sausages hanging to dry, bananas, oranges and - near a washing-up bowl - tins of Jordanian chicken and beef luncheon meat, heaps of "Happy Tuna".

Flies swarmed beneath the roof of corrugated iron and I wasn't surprised to discover the bottles of vegetable and fruit steriliser liquid in the cupboard.

Only the Mars Bars looked fresh.

So what did Saddam discover here in the last days? Peace of mind after the years of madness and barbarity?

A place to reflect on his awesome sin, how he took his country from prosperity through foreign invasion and isolation and years of torture and suppression into a world of humiliation and occupation?

The birds must have sung in the evening, the palm fronds above him must have clustered against each other in the night.

But then there must have been the fear, the constant knowledge that betrayal was only an orchard away.

It must have been cold in that hole. And no colder than when the hands of Washington-reached out across oceans and continents and came to rest on that odd-looking pot plant and hauled the would-be leader from his tiny cell. - Independent Foreign Service

post from excellent writer degrouchyowl.

Which of your lord’s favors do you deny?

Gratitude is a funny thing. Most of us are sure we have it. We’re grateful to our parents for the nice stuff they’ve given us, we’re grateful to our bosses for hiring us, we’re grateful to our friends for their friendship and we’re always grateful when a stranger unexpectedly does us a favor. We’re vessels of goodness and appreciation, the whole lot of us.

Me though, I’m not always very grateful. It’s easy for me to look to those with more things and wish for those as well. And of course, by ‘things’ I mean stuff- crap, goods, shiny things. I’m not even talking about the intangible things, like happiness, peace of mind, love, health and security. Good old material ‘things’ are my primary concern, and not having all that can be had can sometimes be disheartening.

Some wise dude once said “Look to what you don’t have and you’ll never be happy, but look towards what could be taken away, and you’ll be satisfied.” Alright, let’s try that. Go get out a pen and paper, and tally each and every item you have, own, or use. Now just look at them, and you’ll find that it’s a wonderful reminder of all the things you have to be grateful for.

But don’t just record your tangible things, your *stuff,* record the intangible things as well. Like peace of mind, people who love you, dignity and happiness. All of these fall into the category of things you have that could be taken away.

Think about it, nowhere is it written that all people have the undeniable right to safety. You live in a dangerous world where crime and accidents regularly take the lives and well-being of people, but so far, you’ve been spared. That is a blessing. So are peace and the absence of war. We generally live secure lives while there are places in the world where whole generations of people have known nothing but conflict. We don’t have to fear the sound of planes flying overhead, worrying that they may drop a bomb. Most of us will see our brothers live to maturity without ever knowing the pain of watching all men of age be sent to the battlefield. Our food and utilities will probably never be rationed like they are in those countries where prolonged hostilities have claimed most goods. When ill, doctors and medicines are easily found, while elsewhere those services are reserved for the wounded, or too expensive for anyone but the rich. Most of us will never suffer the pain of a bullet or shrapnel wound, or ever feel the numbing and terrifying uncertainty that war holds over our lives and those of our loved ones.

Health isn’t guaranteed either. We all complain about our various afflictions - asthma, insomnia, anemia, depression – as if they are serious or life threatening. Griping about your health is a luxury of those with enough energy and strength to do so, and they are usually those who don’t have anything to really complain about anyways. Ask most people what’s their worst medical experience and they’ll probably list things like appendicitis, food poisoning and pneumonia, all temporary and curable. There are lots and lots of people out there who are crippled by terminal illness that medicine cannot help, who have no choice but to tolerate excruciating pain without a known cure, while the worst pain most of us will ever feel can be dulled by a few aspirins. I couldn’t even begin to list the millions of diseases and afflictions that beleaguers a huge population of the world. There are plenty, and it is a blessing from God that we will experience only a few in our lifetimes.

Love is something we all think is owed to us. We demand it from our parents, expect it in a lesser degree from our siblings, and spend a good part of our lives trying to find it in others. It is considered a necessary part of a happy life. You can’t survive without love, but apparently, lots of people do. What of the street children, orphans, wanderers, loners and those born in broken homes where basic amenities, let alone affections, are not provided? And even still, a person can have mountains of wealth and the best of everything, and never feel loved. Its lack is something I can’t describe, as I’ve never felt it, but I imagine it must be horrible. Not only have most of us felt the affirming sensation of another’s regard, but we’ve also rarely felt hatred in its place. Though we often complain about our relations, how they don’t understand, are demanding and rigid, and how they make our lives difficult, we forget how superficial these concerns are. Being a relative doesn’t ensure feelings of selfless love. Some family members mercilessly beat others, or molest them, or make outwards displays of loathing, and go out of their way to cause pain to their own relatives. Most of us don’t know how lucky we are to never truly have to fear our own families.

Aside from health, none of us was promised a whole self. We seem to forever be griping about ourselves, not being tall enough, too fat, too thin, ill-proportioned, nose not right, teeth not straight and the list goes on. For some people though, an insufficiency of beauty is the least of their concerns, as they grapple with disfiguration, blindness, deafness, or mental or physical disability.

And then there are those who don’t even have that awareness to know that something is wrong. The very fact that we were born intelligent, reasoning humans is such a gift. Some people, through birth or accident, live all their lives in a state of vegetative unconsciousness or highly limited perception. Lucky are the ones that aren’t aware of what they are missing, but for those who do know something is amiss, theirs must be a sad and frustrating existence.

Life itself is probably the greatest thing we take for granted. We are alive and have never known any other state, and with our typical convoluted logic, we assume that we will simply continue on living. I have not died today. I did not die yesterday. Therefore, I will not die tomorrow. Many people die before reaching old age, or even adolescence, but we forget that no person has been guaranteed a long life.

Come to think of it, nothing you have has been guaranteed, or even earned. It’s all been granted to you, and it can all be taken away. None of it is your right, it’s all a favor.

Then which of your Lord’s favors will you deny?

Came across this article from the bbc (just wanna share it, full article on bbc)

Dr Farhat Hashmi programs are on ARY digital tv in ramadhan!

--

Sahar Ali
BBC correspondent in Karachi


A new breed of scholar is inspiring Islamic study among Pakistan's last bastion of sceptics - the educated female elite. Women like Dr Farhat Hashmi are bringing a contemporary perspective to the teaching of the Koran.

It appeals to followers like Naila Shahid, who always wanted to study Islam in greater depth but balked when hearing the mullahs talk of heaven and hell and the purdah (veil).

"When I heard that, I just recoiled from wanting to go any deeper," says the 40-something mother of college-going children.

Dr Hashmi, a product of a Western religious education, has founded a chain of institutes offering Islamic education to women.

They have had their [share of] sleeveless blouses and coffee parties and are now ready for religion

Razia Latif, housewife

"It is a very practical, very precise version of Islam," she says.

On a typical Saturday afternoon, elevator loads of women pour into the al-Huda Institute of Islamic Education for Women in Karachi.

The silence, save for the exchange of greetings, may be unusual, but al-Huda's congregations are symbolic of a religious revolution in Pakistan - the desire to understand Islam.

Seventeen-year-old Maryam Asif believes an in-depth knowledge of her faith has helped her differentiate between truth and rhetoric.

"People say so many things and often you just can't accept them as Islam," she says.

Rukhsana Yamin, a Karachi-based publisher, says her knowledge of religion had been rather limited because "every time you pick up a volume to educate yourself, it fails to hold your interest".

Charisma

To teach the aspiring students, the new breed of women scholars uses modern methods.

One such teacher, Huma Hassan, addresses weekly informal gatherings at a private residence in Karachi.

The expectations of Pakistanis have not been fulfilled in our 50-odd years of independence. There is a feeling of betrayal and despair

Dr Farhat Hashmi

The women who attend are mostly socialites.

Ms Hassan translates and explains Koranic verses with the help of multimedia presentations projected on to a screen.

But it isn't just the modern methods that appeal - the teachers do too.

Bushra Kausar, a regular at al-Huda, says: "Dr Hashmi relates the Koran to everyday experiences."

But Dr Hashmi is diffident about her charisma.

"I have never asked women why they come to hear me," she says in a soft, measured voice.

Her explanation of their quest for religious enlightenment is that people often turn to religion in despair.

"The expectations of Pakistanis have not been fulfilled in our 50-odd years of independence," she says.

"There is a feeling of betrayal and despair. Even political Islam has not been able to address people's grievances," says Dr Hashmi, referring to the Islamisation drive of former leader General Zia ul-Haq, who died in 1988.

"There is a search for direction, for guidance," she says.

Dr Hashmi believes Islam holds the cure. "I wanted to help others experience the peace I felt by reading the Koran," she says.

"When people benefit from something, they will be drawn to it."

But Dr Hashmi's analysis of why the country's female elite is suddenly seeking religious enlightenment is not accepted by everyone.

Traditional dress is the new trend - here in the examinations hall

Mother and social worker Razia Latif says women are just plain bored.

"They have had their [share of] sleeveless blouses and coffee parties and are now ready for religion," she says.

The proliferation of women in hijab (headscarves) and even the Afghan-style burqa on the streets of Karachi has women like Ms Latif worried that this may be a first step towards Talebanisation.

Student Bushra Kausar disagrees. She says that although the hijab is the most noticeable change among the female elite, it is in fact "the easiest step" on the path to becoming a practising Muslim, which is the ultimate objective.

About 1,200 women signed up for Dr Hashmi's year-long course on Koranic translation in Karachi last year.

Such was the scholar's renown that the last session, open to the public, drew almost 10,000 women from all over the city.

It's very difficult to give a reason for this trend,"" says Farah Moazzam, a journalist who heads al-Huda's mass communication department.

She says initially that curiosity and the academic approach draw the educated women, but then the magnetism of Allah's words take over "and then you're hooked!" "

Now at social gatherings, women wearing the hijab are increasingly seen alongside those in sleeveless dresses.

With religion the new "in" thing, it is questionable who is now the modern woman.

Since Ramadhan is knocking on our Doors, here's some reading concerning Ramadhan.

Explanation for people who dont know what Ramadhan is (taken of a site).

Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. The third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties.

Excellent Post which i just read from Abez's Blog:

Ramadan is a time of spiritual renewal: Allah does us a favor by locking Shaitan up for an entire month so that it’s easier for us to fast and also to get back into the Islamic habits we may have let slide since last year. True, we’re capable of doing stupid things and neglecting our Islam without the help of Shaitan, but for those of us who are trying not to, the removal of the ‘Shaitani factor’ from our brains is a big help. It’s one less mental battle to fight on the way to the prayer rug, or when passing by the TV, or staring longingly at the CD’s that you know have haraam music on them.

Ramadan is a Shaitan-free Zone: Allah makes it easier for us, He gives us a whole Shaitan-free month to strengthen our resolve and to kick the counter-Islamic habits that Shaitan has worked so hard to trick us into. People often use Ramadan to jump-start their efforts to quit things, smoking is a big one. So is swearing, listening to haram music, lying, etc. The idea though, is to not resume them when Ramadan ends. The idea isn’t to behave ourselves just because it’s Ramadan, but to behave ourselves starting in Ramadan and lasting all the way till next Ramadan.

Ramadan is a Reminder: The fasting itself plays a big part of this spiritual renewal, because being hungry and uncomfortable is a shocking reminder of the blessings and comfort that we take for granted the other 11 months of the year. You stumble around with dry mouth, bloody cracked lips (I do anyway), growling stomach, and you remember that there are people who live like this, or much worse, every day. Going through this discomfort, no matter how temporary it is, still causes you to feel genuine sympathy for those Muslims who are in straightened circumstances. If we didn’t have Ramadan, there’s a very good chance that none of us first-world Muslims would ever go hungry for a single day in our lives. We wouldn’t have a reminder, or a clue for that matter, of how very much others are suffering and how very much our help is needed.

Ramadan is Boot Camp: Additionally, putting your self to the test by fasting and abstaining for all haram possible is like boot-camp for the soul. The purpose of boot camp is to try you, to train you, and to make you do your best by putting you through hardship. That way, if you come across something difficult later, you can be like, “This isn’t so bad, I did harder things back in boot camp.” It’s the same thing with fasting. If you miss breakfast one day and find yourself getting cranky, you can just relax and say, “No breakfast? Big deal. I went without breakfast, lunch, and coffee, and I didn’t get grouchy.” At least that way Shaitan can’t goad you into losing your temper just because your tummy is rumbling.

If you find yourself in a difficult Islamic test you can say, “I can do this. I fasted for thirty days. This is nothing compared to that.” So you do this once a year, to remind you of what you’re capable of, of how strong you should be, how strong you CAN be. You prepare for it by cutting out everything from your life that’s haram. And you don’t just resolve to do this for only as long as Ramadan lasts, because otherwise you’ve wasted the whole opportunity and missed the point.

Ramadan is Spiritual Fitness Month: A lot of Muslims believe the myth that spirituality is something you’re born with, or that some people just have it and some people don’t. The truth though, is that spiritual fitness is rather like physical fitness. There may be a few people to whom it comes naturally, but the rest of us have it because we work on it. If we pray it’s because we’ve trained ourselves to, the same way an athlete can train themselves to jump hurdles or run a 400 meter sprint. If we don’t train, then we shouldn’t blame our spiritual flabbiness on lack of ‘religious tendencies,” we should realize we’ve been lazy and we’re neglecting our spiritual health.

So, Ramadan is:

A time of Spiritual Renewal and a Boot Camp-like Reminder to exercise your Spiritual Fitness during one Shaitan-Free month.

With Pakoras.

For more info on ramadhan check the links of sites.

Update

Concerning Ronnie O’Sullivan’s reversion to Islam, a article was written in the guardian that he hasn’t become Muslim, so we’ll just have to see whether the initial reports were true or not (which were reported in times and mirror)..the link to the article is available in the comment box of the previous post.

A good television program is Dr Shahid Masood on Views on news which comes on ARY digital channel. The good thing about this show, is he offers news mainly Pakistani, but also world news with in depth detail. His presentation skills are excellent, and he certainly knows what he talks about. Most people who watch his show seem to like it. It offers much more than normal news such as BBC, CNN, Fox news and so on (in terms of what is discussed)..so Props to him.

All thanks goes to Excalibur for making this stunning layout. may Allah reward him. (update be done later)

I found this posted on a messageboard, and just wanted to share. He's deffinitely a great talent to watch on TV, and probably the most talented snooker player around in the world, and the crowd love him, because the way he plays the game, he makes it entertaining.

"Ronnie is, in the opinion of most pundits, the most naturally talented player the game has ever seen although some favour Alex Higgins or Jimmy White. What is certain is that he is ready to assume the mantle of 'Peoples Champion', which they previously held...........

His talent is such, however, that he can build century breaks left-handed as well as right and when he is in the 'groove', his opponents can do nothing but sit back and admire his magic."

Snooker ace cues up new life as Muslim
Christopher Morgan
Times Article

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN, the former world snooker champion whose career has been dogged by drink, drugs and depression, has become the latest sports star to convert to Islam.
O’Sullivan, considered by many to be the most exciting player since Alex “Hurricane” Higgins, discovered the faith through his friendship with a top Muslim boxer.

The 27-year-old, who was raised as a Roman Catholic in London’s East End, made his act of conversion, called shahadah, at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park, London, last month.

During the low-key ceremony, the convert declared in the presence of a witness that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.

It is a dramatic change of course for the enfant terrible of snooker who took the game by storm with the speed and accuracy of his play.

It is understood that the religion, which bans alcohol, has provided him with the strength to overcome his personal and family problems, including the jailing of his father for murder.

O’Sullivan, dubbed “the Rocket”, follows a clutch of famous sportsmen who have embraced the Islamic faith to overcome personal difficulties, including the boxers Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Danny Williams, who last week retained his British and Commonwealth heavyweight title.

One of the key factors in O’Sullivan’s conversion was Prince Naseem Hamed, the former world featherweight champion, who introduced the snooker star to Khalid Yassin, a charismatic Muslim preacher.

O’Sullivan became captivated by Yassin’s message after seeing his videotape called The Purpose of Life — which is popular among Britain’s Muslim community.

In the video, the American-born Yassin, a frequent visitor to Britain, makes a case for the existence of Allah by raising a number of questions on the creation of the world and mankind.

In his address, Yassin, who is playing a leading role in a project to set up an Islamic satellite television station in Britain, says: “What about the human body and its massive and intricate control systems? “Think about it and the brain, how it works, how it thinks and how it functions. The creator who created this is the only one that is deserving of praise and gratitude.”

O’Sullivan’s mother, Maria, said her son was not yet ready to speak about his conversion and was concentrating on snooker. “Prince Naseem has been a good friend to Ronnie,” she said. “He has been the main factor (in the conversion). Ronnie is a lot better in himself since he converted. I hope it will steady him.”

O’Sullivan’s persona is one of a troubled genius. As a precocious talent, he achieved his first snooker milestone — the 100 break — at the age of nine and at 15 became the youngest player to score 147, the maximum break possible.

As he progressed towards the top of his sport he achieved his triumphs against a background of family problems. His father was given a life sentence for murder in 1991. When he was 17, his mother was jailed for tax offences, leaving him to fend for his younger sister.

As he grew older, partying, alcohol and drugs took their toll, and at one time it was feared his excesses would ruin his career. His biggest coup came in 2001, when engaged to Bianca Westwood, he won the world championship despite being drugged up on Prozac to cope with depression. The relationship, however, collapsed.

Ahmed Versi, editor of The Muslim News, said O’Sullivan’s conversion could be explained by a yearning to fill a spiritual void. “There is a spiritual vacuum in the West,” he said. “With so much materialism, Islam is now providing the spirituality that is lacking.

“While Christian leaders seem prepared to give away their spiritual values and accommodate secularism, Islam remains constant.”

Ali remains the most famous sporting Islamic recruit, converting in the early 1960s shortly after becoming world heavyweight champion.

Then Cassius Clay, he announced that he was a member of the controversial Nation of Islam organisation and later changed his name. Later became normal orthadox Muslim- It is understood O’Sullivan will also be given a Muslim name.

It is not, however, just the world of sport where there have been high-profile conversions. The singer Cat Stevens converted in 1977, changing his name to Yusuf Islam, and the British socialite Jemima Khan converted when she married Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain.

The sons of three public figures — the former BBC director-general Lord Birt, the former health secretary Frank Dobson, and Lord Justice Scott — have also embraced Islam.

This is a very nice collection-it contains more than 30 [estimation] graphics, caligraphy, islamic art, pictures made by Khadijah Potter. All of the graphics look awesome, and very beautiful.

To view the images, all you gotta do is register which takes one minute and is free! Because it's a forum-and images are only available to registered users..to view more images/graphics click below on the link:




Here is one of the images:



Most is islamic caligraphy, islamic graphics and various kind of islamic arts.

Free islamic backgrounds can be found at a2youth, or madyan.

Interesting Quotes:

“For no matter how many deaths or defeats we inflict, we cannot kill Islam as we did Nazism, fascism, Japanese militarism and Soviet Bolshevism. Islam has survived for nearly 1,600 years; it is the predominant faith in 57 countries; it is indestructible.”

“To defeat a faith, you need a faith. What is ours? Individualism, democracy, pluralism, la dolce vita? Can they overcome a fighting faith, 16 centuries old, and rising again?” [Pat Buchanan]

Here’s a interesting post I had saved on my computer from a message board-which I just wanted to share:

The Ummah [Islamic Nation] is weak for one reason alone. Lack of adherence to Islam.

Right now as it stands, we have innumerable hosts of doctors, engineers, lawyers, millionaires, technicians and so on amongst the Muslims. You could not even dream of counting them. So when you tell me that we need all these professions in order to bolster and strengthen the Ummah, then I tell you to look around. We have about 1.5 billion people. And amongst them are millions of well-educated professionals.

Muslim professionals are well known in the world of modern day architecture. The Sears Tower in Chicago was designed by a Muslim. The Petronas Towers were designed by Muslims. The King Faisal masjid - third largest in the world - was designed by Muslims. Major bridges, towers, canals, and other buildings around the world have been designed and built by Muslims.

We have an endless list of Muslim physicians and doctors, all of them with fancy abbreviations and letters after their names. Their contributions to modern science and medicine cannot be ignored.

We have rich businessmen. The contributions of the Memon businessmen to Islamic schools and masaajid [Mosques] has not gone unnoticed.

In America, companies like Brooks, Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Umbro, Hanes, and so on - buy their T-shirts and other bodywear from a company called A&G; Incorporated. The initials stand for Amin and Gajiani - two Memon businessmen. Their corporation spans the entire North American continent - from Canada, to the United States, to Mexico. They are currently the second or third largest in the industry itself.

Gajiani is known to be an honest businessman and very efficient, and yet he is not miserly. For those you in Garden Grove, California - you should know that Gajiani has probably been the largest corporate donor to the ISOC. He once wrote out a $35,000 USD check on the spot and handed it in to the stunned director.

When A&G; expanded into Canada, they put Hanes out of business. Because Hanes simply could not compete with A&G.;

The above examples I have given are a mere drop in the ocean of well-educated Muslim professionals and businessmen. Not just in North America, but worldwide.

Engineers, writers, surgeons, architects, lawyers, professors, businessmen, pilots, taxi drivers, skilled workers, media professionals, etc - the Ummah has all of these. So then why do people keep saying that we need such people? We have all these people and yet the weakness remains.

But why does this problem still exist? Because these professionals, as well as lesser-educated people, are not holding fast to Islam.

The key issue here is Islam. Not education.

-The Normal Popular Searches are:

Islam-4-Real - Just wanna say that Islam-4-Real was just a random idea that came into my head, I didn't even know what blogging really was, so that just came into my head to choose as a site. So it doesn't mean that I offer the real Islam, so any personal mistakes I do on this blog doesn't reflect Islam, but my own personality. But if you want 'Islam 4 Real'-The links on the right hand side are a good start!

Tora or Tora Bora Just again, another random user name that came to mind.

Islamic Song or Nasheed or Ahmed Bukhatir-If you entered the site searching for them, then the links for Ahmed Bukhatir, are somewhere below in a comments box + There's a flash presentation. And here's a good site for Nasheeds for those who wanted more

Quran recitation e.g. Shuraim, Sudais, Ifasi- Ifasi Website and for most Quran recitors check here

And some recent irregular searches:

Islam coursework - Sorry there's none here! But maybe if you need help-just ask.
pakistani women in veils + pictures - Cant help here.

All my exams finished on June 24th, but for some reason I havn’t been updating…when the last exam was over, it was definitely a nice feeling..

The exams are called A-levels, and the A stands for advanced levels, it isn’t advanced in the sense of very hard or complicated, but it’s advanced in the sense of the amount of work given..there is quite a large volume of work, but if you work throughout the year, then it’s ok, but if you’re the type who likes to leave things to the last minute, then it’s quite hard to suddenly catch up..

For some papers, there was one in Biology, I remember revising for it once, a long time ago before the exam, so just before the day of the exam, I had to revise again to recap, and it was hard for me to remember anything, since revision for detailed things require going through them more than once..but luckily some of the exams were in the afternoon, so me and my friends would go to college, and revise on the day of the exam [Normally I don’t like revising before the exam, but in these papers I had to, since I never knew a lot of the stuff].

But Alhamdulillah [Praise to Allah]-some of the papers which I never knew a lot in, I did ok in them, since the hard topics I never knew, never came up [there were some hard questions though]..but anyway results day is far away, and we’ll see what happens, nothing can be changed in the past now, so no need to worry about it.

Life without college feels definitely good, no need to do any homework, no need to pick up a book and revise..no need to go to classes and so on. Can just do whatever I like.

There were also some issues we had in the ISOC, which stands for Islamic Society, in the college..it was just a few disagreements between some people, on a certain issue. But anyway-the issue is solved now, so no worries there. The Islamic Society in our college was quite good..it had good people around..who were both clever in their worldly exams, such as A-levels, but also in their Islamic knowledge..

By the way-for those of you who like Mishary Rashid Al-Ifasi [The Qur’an recitor]-he has his own personal site:

Ifasi's Website

And for those of you who came to search for Ahmed Bukhatir and came to this webpage, then one of his flash presentations is below this post [it’s in English], and also in the comments box of that post, are some links which will help you, find more Nasheeds [Islamic songs] in Arabic of his..

I havn't updated for long-exams are over, I will post a update very soon insha'allah [God willing].

I just wanted to share a Nasheed-[Islamic Song], this one is in English, so everyone can listen to it! It's a awesome Flash presentation, with the Nasheed, I deffinitely recommend you click on it, and see it for yourself.

The guy who's singing it-is very famous, his name is Ahmed Bukhatir, and normally sings Nasheeds in Arabic, although this one is in English-A MUST SEE for all of you.

He's got a really unique voice-a kind of soft voice, so check it out.

Free Islamic Software Provided by Divine Islam.co.uk

The difference with the free software here-is it's highly professional, and the user interface really looks excellent-and must have took ages to make the software.

"DivineIslam's primary focus is on developing the highest quality Islamic software, all our products are designed especially to aid the study of Islam. Our software tools aim to help those who have an interest in Islam to seek more knowledge, utilising Modern technology as a tool to achieve this."

So far they provide the whole Qur'an [Muslim's Holy Book]-in various different languages, English, Urdu. It's called Qur'an Viewer-with many features

They also have Hadith Qudsi -which contains sayings. And on the page provides a explanation of what Hadith Qudsi means for those who dont know.

And Stories Of The Prophets -with a comprehensive reference to 25 Prophets, including Jesus, and Prophet Muhummad, peace be upon them both.

Check it out for yourself-and see how good this software is! Remember it's free.

Update And The Blog To See

I havn't updated in ages because everytime I come on the computer-I really cant think of anything to write.

I had a few retake exams for the AS module-and Alhamdulillah [They went OK]-the main exams start in around 9 days, and I've got to revise quite a lot-infact it's a mission to revise so much facts, the Biology A-level just has so much facts to learn, every page-there's just facts, facts, and more facts-there's also a lot of plants stuff involved-which I find extremely boring. Chemistry is kind of good-since there's not a lot of facts to understand, and ICT [Information Communications Technology] is the kind of subject, where 2 days revision is probably sufficient for the whole year. Since a lot is kind of general knowledge-and then you just have to learn some technical facts.

The Blog to see is Sammerz Blog which is ultimately cool-and in a recent entry-she talks about how a Non-Muslim questioned her about her religion-she also posts many beneficial stuff too! Check it out.

Neo-Conservatives-Erm What's That?

This is just a post from Abez's Blog and I just had to post it-because the way she puts it is the way it is.

I watched the most disturbing documentary on BBC World last night. I don’t know what it was called, but it was about the Neo-Conservative take-over of the US government. Btw, Neo-Conservativism translates into : Pro-Israel, Pro US-Imposed Democracy, open and un-ashamed use of military might to reshape the world according to US interests.

There was this paper written by a bunch of Neo-Conservative brains called The Project of the New American Century, and it outlined how to safeguard US and Israeli interests. This outline included reshaping (by whatever means or force necessary) the entire Middle East to best ensure US economic security (insert oil war here) and superiority. It specifically mentioned regime replacement for Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The scary thing is that half of the people who took part in writing this paper (including Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Perle) are in the Whitehouse.

Some big-nosed chick (her first name was Mayrev) was very smugly telling the camera that Neo-Conservatives (she’s one of them) haven’t brainwashed the president, it’s just that he’s so very open to their suggestions and willing to listen to their logic. (she actually used the word susceptible) My theory is, you can’t brainwash someone who doesn’t have a brain, but I digress. She was very happy about how they’re in power now, and quite ok with the democracy-thru-violence program. (I think she called it a war for liberty and democracy the world over.)

The reporter interviewed many of the people who took part in this paper, and one of them, last name Cohen (can’t remember his first name), said this was World War Four, a war against the type of Islam that is hostile to the West. (his WW III was the cold war against communism) You know, I’m not a conspiracy theorist. When things are this open, who needs to be?

I don’t know why they even both pretending about this ‘war for democracy and freedom’ and crap. It’s just good old fashioned colonialism. The US is locking in cheap oil prices and safeguarding their interests. They’re not making the world safe for anything but themselves. (last I checked, dropping bombs was a distinctly un-safe thing to do)

Oh, wait, they’re making it safe for capitalism too. Forgot about that. There was a great cartoon in the paper the other day. A starving Iraqi kid is sitting on a pile of rubble, and in dances Ronald McDonald with a briefcase that says ‘Oil for Double Cheese Burgers Program’.

I keep thinking about one of the T-shirts that a guy was wearing at a pro-war rally, ‘First Iraq, then France’ and then there’s always my favorite bumper sticker, ‘Kick Their A**, Take The gas.’

To read more of her stuff just go to her blog!

*******Some Quotes

"With the end of the Cold War, what we really need is an obvious ideological and threatening enemy, one worthy of our mettle, one that can unite us in opposition." - Irving Kristol, Council on Foreign Relations. Wall Street Journal editorial, August 2nd, 1996.

Read the above quote and then read the next one:

"The Red Menace is Gone. But Here's Islam." - New York Times headline Januray 21st, 1996. Section 4.

This is a 5 Minute Video Clip it's really funny, of Governor Bush, and President Bush-Check out the difference!

Video

Long Time No Update

Wow-it's been a long time since I last updated. The reason isn't because i've been very busy-but it's just everytime I come on the PC, I really dont know what to write, I think they call it 'Writers block' or something like that. My mind just goes totally blank.

Anyway-Last week was the end of college lessons, and our study period started. On Friday, after college, we had a Pizza buffet, and alhamdulillah it was quite nice..and just spent some time together. On Tuesday I had a Biology Practical paper, which is 1Hr 45mins, and you gotta carry out a practical, and then answer the questions they ask you, I think it went Okish, not too hard, and not that easy..just in the middle. Most people complained about the lack of time..but generally you get to know the trend of what is occuring, and therefore you dont need to carry out every experiment-and it hence saves time.

Alhamdulillah, someone gave me a really nice present, may Allah reward them immensely, it was the book Dont Be Sad, it's a real amazing book [I've read a few extracts on the net-and it's basically a comprehensive book on not getting sad! And keeping happy, and gives advice on how to live life-I havn't read it, but I was looking at the contents, and boy, is it full of information]-So if anyone likes Islamic books, then they should deffinitely buy this one, as most people have recommended it, even for non-Muslims I think it will be a excellent book-because it offers solutions to problemos.

Also the Sisters side of the Islamic Society gave cake too the Brothers side..which was quite nice of them. It was a Chockalate cake, and quite big! Our Islamic Society [Isoc] was deffinitely cool in college, and it helped to improve all of us. There's deffinitely a good base left for the next Lower 6 [Lower class].

On Friday I have a Chemistry practical exam-so I gotta just prepare for that a bit inshAllah [God willing]. And then the main theory papers start in June, which require SERIOUS revision, since most people in college already know the stuff, but as a friend of mine said, we learn it, and revise it in the same last week..lol.

One of my friends is Mashallah really clever-he had a Maths Exam [Mechanics]-and around a week ago, he never understood anything properly-since he never looked at it for the whole year, except for the beginning of the year, and then he just took out a revision book for 1 week, just went over it a bit, and he said the exam was easy. Our technique always seems to be last minute revision..but it's best obviously always to revise well in time.

College Life

College has started back again -and the holidays are over. [From last Monday]

One thing I really like about my college-is definitely my friends. They are the bestest friends I could ever have. The Islamic Society-is changing leadership-since my years people will be leaving college..so a transition needs to occur. I really respect my friends-they help in times of hardship, in times when one might be committing an act against the laws of God-they prevent, and advise you against it. And these are the qualities we should look for, when we choose our friends? Are they gonna benefit us? Or lead us astray? Are we gonna have a effect on them, or are they gonna influence us?

I will definitely miss these friends when I leave college. [In a month] I can remember the first year vividly-we had so much fun-played football a lot, eat a lot together in a nice place, eating Shawarma, chicken burger, and stuff like that. I came to this college-with a few friends from my old school, so it wasn’t a total change, but it was kind of new when we first joined. But then after a few weeks, you make new friends e.t.c. Obviously there are times-when not all is rosy-but if you get through hard times-it makes your relationship even better with your friends.

Most of the Muslims Alhamdulillah [All praise be to Allah] in our college are quite practicing.

The college was overall a excellent experience in life-I learnt a lot of things from it, and it was nice to see new people from different places.

But the main thing about it-was to see people not afraid of their religion-and not afraid to show that they were Muslim.

The teachers were also quite kind, and me and my friends just have jokes throughout the lesson, for example in Biology, throughout the 2 years, we just used to chat in the lesson-because the lesson tended to be boring-so that was the best way to get the time moving faster. And in the other subjects-it tended to be good, since we could talk e.t.c.

I will definitely miss my friends,-when I leave, since they had such a good effect -but in life there are periods where you have to move on..but inshallah [God willing] we will remain in contact.

One thing which I find really amazing is when I see Muslims wearing the Hijaab [The scarf on their head]-it’s just a nice feeling when you see that-and especially if there is modesty with the scarf, because that’s the whole reason meant to where it. It just shows, that people shouldn’t be scared of their beliefs-and should be proud of their religion. Some comments on this blog previously-have indicated that the scarf is a form of oppression, which world do you live in? From what I’ve seen most girls who wear the scarf around my place-do so out of free will-not because of parent pressure, and how is it so that there are so much female converts to this religion of ours? If it’s so ‘oppressive? Just go read up on female convert articles-and you will see why so much females have converted to islam.

Exams are gonna be starting in a few weeks-so I have to start revising properly.

I think this week is gonna be the last week of college-and then it’s study period-and then exams, and then it’s over. Wow-it’s gone so fast.

Yasmine has written a excellent post on the 15th, on watching a documentary about Jenin. post is available on her blog, rambling monologues.

These pictures just look absolutely stunning-and just remind us what a perfectly designed world we live in, which God created.

It kind of reminds me of some of the nice scenery in Pakistan, with all the different types of Mountains there, and the variety of places to visit, such as Swat and Murrey, and other places which I havn't visited such as Gilgit which is near to China's border.





Pictures Taken from Shabnegar's blog

Consider the sun and its radiance, and the moon reflecting the sun.
Consider the day as it reveals the world,
and the night that veils it in darkness.
Consider the sky and its wonderful composition,
the earth and its expanse.
[Surah Shams-The Chapter of the Sun]

lol-These quotes are funny.

The following quotes are from the Iraqi minister, whom a lot of people miss seeing on their news screens, due to what he said, and the way he actually said it.

Taken from We Love The Iraqi Information Minister....

"I speak better English than this villain Bush"

"When we were making the law, when we were writing the literature and the mathematics the grandfathers of Blair and little Bush were scratching around in caves"

"The midget Bush and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere."

"Bush is a very stupid man. The American people are not stupid, they are very clever. I can't understand how such clever people came to elect such a stupid president."

"Bush doesn't even know if Spain is a republic or a kingdom, how can they follow this man?"

"W. Bush, this man is a war criminal, and we will see that he is brought to trial"

"I think the British nation has never been faced with a tragedy like this fellow [Blair]."

"The United Nations....[is] a place for prostitution under the feet of Americans."

"The shock has backfired on them. They are shocked because of what they have seen. No one received them with roses. They were received with bombs, shoes and bullets. Now, the game has been exposed. Awe will backfire on them. This is the boa snake. We will extend it further and cut it the appropriate way."

"They do not even have control over themselves! Do not believe them!"

Britain "is not worth an old shoe"

"The American press is all about lies! All they tell is lies, lies and more lies!"

It's been holidays-and it just feels much more relaxing at home.

Played a bit of cricket with my little brother today in the garden, the weather was quite good for UK, around 22 degrees, or higher. So felt quite good.

It seems America is putting more pressure on Syria, and this is quite interesting, since it's been mentioned in a Hadeeth [Saying] of Prophet Muhummad peace be upon him over 1400 years ago..yes that long ago:

Abu Nadra reported: "We were in the company of Jabir b. 'Abdullah that he said it may happen that the people of Iraq may not send their qafiz and dirhams (their measures of food stuff and their money). We said: Who would be responsible for it? He said: The non-Arabs would prevent them. He again said: There is the possibility that the people of Syria may not send their dinar and mudd. We said: Who would be responsible for it? He said This prevention would be made by the Romans. He (Jabir b. Abdullab) kept quiet for a while and then reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said There would be a caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would freely give handfuls of wealth to thd people wiothout counting it. I said to Abu Nadra and Abu al-'Ala: Do you mean 'Umar b. 'Abdal-Aziz? They said: No (he would be Imam Mahdi)."

Taken from Saheeh Muslim [Authentic]

Some recent new blogs I've seen

Shabnegar This is a really nice blog-and the person's writing is excellent, mostly just about their personal life, and world events going on around the world.

Ruby This is a blog of a 15 year old Pakistani girl living in America-her writing is also excellent-and just deals with personal life, and world issues.

Update

Thank God [Alhamdulillah], my I.T coursework has finally finished. I totally underestimated the length of this coursework, and how long it will take, I thought I could finish quickly, but instead it took 3 days of work..and it was Visual Basic, I never knew how to use it properly. But atleast, I did something.

Baghdad fell this week too, I was watching it on TV, and the way they showed it, was just mere flattery.

They showed it as if the whole people of Baghdad had come out on to the streets to welcome the US forces, but instead did you notice, that there were around 200 people around the statue of Saddam? Out of the large population of Baghdad?

I'm not saying that Saddam is a good person [He was a Baath party member-which emphasises on secularism rather than Islam, and he committed many atrocities-and like all of humans]-he will be judged by God. Looting goes on accross Baghdad, and even hospitals are being looted, which is quite suprising...

Many Civilians have died in this war-and the toll is unknown as of yet, just as you can see from one of the posts below by DeGrouwchyOwl, war can be terrifying.

The Easter Holidays have started-and I have to start revising for my exams-since all year havn't really paid attention to the work we've been doing.

"Last weekend, a column of their tanks swept heroically into Baghdad and out again. They murdered people along the way. They blew off the limbs of women and the scalps of children. Hear their voices on the unedited and unbroadcast videotape: "We shot the **** out of it." Their victims overwhelm the morgues and hospitals - hospitals already denuded of drugs and painkillers by America's deliberate withholding of $5.4bn in humanitarian goods, approved by the Security Council and paid for by Iraq. The screams of children undergoing amputation with minimal anaesthetic qualify as the BBC man's "sound of freedom".

There is something especially disgusting about the lurid propaganda coming from these PR-trained British officers, who have not a clue about Iraq and its people. They describe the liberation they are bringing from "the world's worst tyranny", as if anything, including death by cluster bomb or dysentery, is better than "life under Saddam". The inconvenient truth is that, according to Unicef, the Ba'athists built the most modern health service in the Middle East. No one disputes the grim, totalitarian nature of the regime; but Saddam Hussein was careful to use the oil wealth to create a modern secular society and a large and prosperous middle class. Iraq was the only Arab country with a 90 per cent clean water supply and with free education. All this was smashed by the Anglo-American embargo. When the embargo was imposed in 1990, the Iraqi civil service organised a food distribution system that the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation described as "a model of efficiency . . . undoubtedly saving Iraq from famine". That, too, was smashed when the invasion was launched."

Taken from: A crime against humanity-John Pilger-April 14 2003

Bush is SO powerful-isn't he?
Taken from a Article by Amir.

Firstly, President Bush has hundreds of billions of dollars to spend on this military campaign. He has already dropped hundreds of bombs and each of them worth more than what the average American earns over a 15-year period. He has satellites orbiting the Earth that are so powerful that they can read a license plate from space. He can tap your phones, bug your house, and read your email. He can take your money without asking and take your freedom without warning. He is in charge of a military arsenal that if all its weapons were detonated it could destroy the Earth a hundred times over. He has missiles that are so precise that, from miles away, it could hit a glass without knocking over the table. If you didn't know better, you would think he was powerful.

President Bush is but a composite of blood, bone, muscle, fat, mucous, urine, solid waste, and semen. For all of President Bush's power, if you covered his nose and mouth, he would die. If you squeezed his neck, even with only your bare hands, he would die. He eats what grows out of dirt or dead animals. If he refused to eat this, he would die. What is worse than that is what comes out of him after he eats it. But if he refused to move his bowels, he would die. The Bush led coalition is like a spider's house. It is surprisingly strong, elaborate, and catches many flies. However, anything above a firm breeze will destroy it as if it had never been.

On the other hand, there is Allah [God], Lord of the Worlds. Allah created President Bush, his allies, his father, his mother, and all of their parents. Allah fashioned him in his mother's womb when he had the size of a silver dollar and the lifestyle of a tapeworm. Allah created the ground under President Bush's feet and the sky over his head. He could cause the earth to swallow him or the sky to crush him. Allah has created everything known and everything yet to be discovered. Even if Bush, Blair, Sharon, and all their supporters came together for the sole purpose of creating a gnat, they would have to draw on what Allah has already created to do so. Allah neither eats nor drinks. He is not made from filth and Death can never overtake Him. Concerning precise explosives, Allah is responsible for the explosion that put the sun, moon, and the planets in their places. If the sun were a touch closer or a touch farther, the Earth would be uninhabitable. This is precision. Allah is the All Powerful, the All Seeing, the All Hearing, the Creator, the Destroyer, and the Lord of all the Worlds.

This is Funny-Bush thought the war would be over by now

As soon as I came home today, I was just flicking through the news channels, and firstly I put on Sky news, and I was surprised to see Saddam Hussein on the TV on a normal street, I thought to myself this must be old footage, but then the news presenter said this is just being shown on Iraqi Television.

If the coverage is recent, and the Saddam is real, I find it very brave for someone just to come out, when there’s bombs dropping all over your city, and just come out in the open to make a public appearance, when there is a risk to yourself. [By the way I don’t like Saddam for the action’s he’s committed in the past..so don’t think I’m a supporter of his actions].

Even one of the senior correspondents on Sky news was amazed at his braveness by just coming out on the streets.

It makes me laugh to imagine if Bush was in the same president as Saddam, where would he be? Would he be hiding all day in his bunkers having meetings underground? Or would he be in the Sky?

Read
it from Reuters

The I.T coursework deadline was for today-still havn't done it, just started a little form for visual basic, and that's about it. Need to finish inshallah [God willing] by Monday.

Breaking News

CNN/Reuters: News reports have filtered out early this morning that US forces have swooped on an Iraqi Primary School and detained 6th Grade teacher Mohammed Al-Hazar.

Sources indicate that, when arrested, Al-Hazar was in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square and a calculator. US President George W Bush argued that this was clear and overwhelming evidence that Iraq indeed possessed weapons of maths instruction.

Thankyou

This site is very nice, it's on the links, and I just like the design of it, and sometimes it has such cool articles, with very nice banners such as the two below, which look excellent![Many people say that women don't get as much as men in paradise, well to clear that misconception up, just check outthe banner below..the banners just look SO slick.]

Life is going SO fast it seems, and I also had a driving test, and alhamdulillah passed. I can remember a lot of the past-and it's just gone too quick. May Allah make us of the people who use time for his sake.

Life is short I guess-the years gone so quick, and even my father says about his own life, how quick it's gone, and how it just seems like water flowing.

The I.T coursework still hasn't started, and only till Friday left-around 80 pages to do I think.

The weather has been good this week-so just been playing cricket at college-which has been good. And had a few half days, so more cricket..

For those who like the recitor Ifasi, there is a Amazing piece of Tajweed which is available-I think it's him, it's of Surah Maryam, and is just a different style of Tajweed. So inshallah have a listen.

There's this Tafseer [explanation of the Qur'an] which is available on the net, and is really excellent, it's called-In the Shade of the Qur'an It is a descriptive Tafseer by Sayed Qutb, with really nice English. I happened to read one of the Tafseers [explanations]-and it was excellent.

Aljazeera News Available In English

The war continues...and so does life continue...

I havn't really done any work this weekend, just a few minutes here and there, my I.T coursework is still in for April 4 [visual basic], and I havn't even started..and we had 4 months for it, or something like that...need to start soon inshallah.

Just been watching Sky news..and other news channels this weekend, and it seems America has recieved a stiffer opposition than it expected in the first place, i'm personally suprised too by the level of resistance the Iraqis have shown, I thought everyone would just surrender, but this is not the case...some people are retaliating..

Pictures have been shown on Al-Jazeera of POW'S [Prisoners of War], and also some dead American soldiers. A lot of resistance has been in Nasiriyyah, as the news suggests.

Most of the pictures have come from Aljazeera.

In other incidents, in Kuwait a American soldier blew up his fellow soldiers with grenades...

It's quite strange all of a sudden to see Rumsfeld mentioning Geneva conventions, when his soldiers are held prisoners, what about other prisoners of the world?

And Bush was quoted as saying 'Treat the prisoners humanely'...no doubt that's how prisoners should be treated...but is he in a different world to which I live in? America has brutally oppressed many prisoners of war...

So the War on Iraq has started...Inshallah make dua for those who are suffering and will suffer...Just read this Superb comment:

Source: DeGrouchyOwl

Its hard to imagine, as I drive home from work, that thousands of Muslim men and women are dying. It seems so strange, that while its a lovely, sunny, warm day here in Pakistan, in Baghdad right now the sky is red, the city in ruins and most likely the deafening sound of explosions and heartbreak fills the air. It seems so very distant. How can the day be so lovely when I know that my people are being killed. As hard as it is for me to remember, to retain my awareness and outrage, despite the fact that I am a Muslim, I am Asian too and I am informed about this war, I imagine for those living in the West, this war is even more surreal. It frightens me how easily I live while others die.

It is completely removed from their lives. They will not see the pain, the misery, the desperation, the utter terror, that Bush’s war is causing. Though residents of the west have been raised on a diet of violent movies, realistically portraying war for those of us who’ve not had the displeasure of experiencing it, still the true reality of what war means is lost on those who will wage it and those who support it.

Has Bush even known true terror, a fear not only of death, but of a wretched life as well? Does he shudder and involuntarily crouch every time a plane passes overhead, making that lovely scratching sound as it tears through the sky? He can‘t imagine the stark terror that the sound a fast flying airplane can mean to those who live under the threat of war. Does he know the utter helplessness one can feel when their loved ones are being hurt and nothing can be done stop it? To see fear, terror, hopelessness and agony writ on their faces, on their crying mouths, and in reddened eyes. Has he ever seen all that he has ever worked for, all that he spent his life toiling to attain, suddenly destroyed? House, office, car, neighborhood, mosque, your very world, suddenly reduced to piles of dust and wiring. Each item that you strove to own, all the things precious to you, all your memories, suddenly as valuable as rubble.

I’m sure Bush has seen lots of fake blood on TV and in the movies, but has he ever seen washes of it, pools of it gathered in strange places like homes and schools, staining the ground and walls for months to come? Its amazing how much blood is miraculously circulating in the human body. Dropping one bomb can cause massive wounds to hundreds of people, causing all those once-whole human bodies to spill their life’s force. It’s a lot of blood that was better off inside the people who owned it.

He has said he’s willing to cause ‘collateral damage’ to unseat Saddam. Does he know of the backbreaking effort it will take for the tired, hurting, dust-covered survivors to bury all his ‘collateral damage?’ Thousands of graves must be dug, and fabric found to make shrouds for those lucky enough to escape Bush’s ‘moral war’. The bodies, or what remain of them, of men, women and children, fat, thin, pretty, ugly, tall, short, young, old, must all be given their final rites. Willing hands will have to be found from the remaining living to wash and prepare so many corpses.

And does he realize that its not going to just be one day of pain, or a couple days of intense bombing. He is irrevocably changing the lives of thousands and thousands of people. The days ensuing after his missile campaign will not be magically happy and good. When you pound a city, you destroy its entire infrastructure, meaning no water will flow from taps, there will be no electricity, roads will be pocketed with craters and entire areas leveled to the ground . The Iraqi people will have to know life without the company of their loved ones, killed by one over-zealous oil tycoon. They will not be able to just resume life once Bush gets what he wants.

It will take lifetimes to come to terms with the damage of Bush’s ‘just little war.’ School wills not open after this holiday, businesses will no longer be standing and jobs seem like a very silly waste of time when the system of life you once knew has been uprooted.

To simply say ’pick up the pieces and move on’ is easy when you have no idea of how completely shattered life can be, when you don’t grasp exactly how many, how small and how sharp the pieces of a broken life are. Its so easy to say that these people are better off without their evil dictator, but why don’t you go ask them. Ask the women who will have lost their husbands, their protectors, their bread-winners, to this cowardly war. Ask the children who will grow up without parents if this campaign was worth their orphaned status. Ask the dead, if they would willingly die again for the fruits of this war.

Does anyone really know what this all means?

Do I?