Eid Mubarak dear readers! Let’s pray for a year with less struggles and more joys. Happy Eid!!! ;D

 

Salam,

Just wanted to send a Ramadan Mubarak to all readers of the blog…

It’s dawn on Ramadan Eve and I’m just pondering on this year from last. It feels like so much has happened. Crazy snow winter, Texas in the Spring, not to mention The Arab Spring!, the Summer social season, friends, dramas, births, deaths. I think back to the words of my Khateeb on Friday who mentioned that some people that experienced Ramadan last year with us are not with us here this year. They have gone back Home he reminded us. No one knows if they will even make it from Ramadan to Ramadan. What a blessing indeed if we are able to reach its shores.

I can’t say I’m particularly ready for Ramadan. I still have so many things to take care of…like my car which won’t start! laundry, zakat. bills. I have like 5 baby gifts that I’m supposed to be mailing/giving to ppl. I haven’t even baked anything! And you know that’s just not right! [I'll have to remedy that...brownies? ]

Ramadan is a month of duas, forgiveness, repentance, the Quran. Somehow at the end it always brings us closer to Allah, then we have to go back to our everyday lives. Kind of painful, but at least we have the month to take refuge in. So hopefully those things will take care of themselves and I can let the month transcend everything else.

I think everyone’s a little apprehensive about the fast this year because it’s the first time it falls officially in the summer in all of August. Our recent heatwaves don’t bode well for us. But indeed we can complain all we like, but the famine in Africa currently proves that we live in Mercy still.

I was staring at a bug today as it traveled on the bathroom tiles. I really wanted to squish it, but it reminded me of the beautiful Rumi story of the ant crawling on carpet. Through ups and downs and different colors, not realizing the beautiful weave of the whole thing. Just like our lives. I seem to meander and go from randomness to randomness but when I look back it all makes sense. And I see Allah’s signs and guidance throughout.

Just looking back I can think of some absolutely clear dreams I’ve had. I dreamt them in times that I never even thought those things were possible. I feel like maybe Allah was just trying to comfort me. I dreamt I went to Hajj before I did. I dreamt of Damascus before I went. I’ve dreamt clear dreams of other things that haven’t come to pass but still comfort me.

Yes this post is so random. I actually don’t have anything to say except Ramadan Mubarak! And I just wanted to post something public so ppl can stop asking me for the passwords of the last posts

Ok then Ramadan Mubarak u guys!!

May Allah bless your Ramadan and make it a cause of Nearness to Allah for you.

Don’t forget to keep me in your duas!!

ws

 

There is SO MUCH I wish to say about what’s going on in Egypt right now. I just don’t know how to put it into words. For those of you who didn’t know, my sister and her husband are students there currently. They’ve been there for the last 3 years and I visited them there in 2008. This week has been very stressful and harrowing worrying about them and the people there. Alhamdulillah they did make it out of Egypt to Qatar and have finally come home to the US with their 2 year old who has survived his first revolution (iA)!

I know many ppl in the US have absolutely no idea what is going on. They really can’t understand where this wave of revolt and activism has come from. Just think of it like this… imagine if in 2001 after 9/11 George W. Bush enacted a special emergency law… a Patriot act on steroids of sorts, then he stayed in power for the next 30 YEARS. That’s still 20 years for us to go. During this time, he arrests, kills, tortures and jails any opposition. He squashes all rebellion with brutal police and worse people just disappear with his secret police never to be seen again. He censors and dictates state run media with propaganda to brainwash the masses. He amasses 25 BILLION dollars for himself and his family, while the daily life of Egyptians is abject poverty. 30 years of this and do you think you’d be happy to let Bush continue like this or groom his sons to be next? There are shanty cities in Egypt that have over 100,000 residents that are in horrible conditions. And believe me, I have seen the shanty towns in India and this rivals even those. Have you heard of Egypt’s famous “City of the Dead’? It’s a huge graveyard of tombs and people LIVE THERE because they have nothing else. Why in a country of such natural resources and strategic position, which collects 1.5 billion dollars in aid from the US every year, does this exist.  Every morning there are men yelling “bikya bikya, garbage garbage’ begging people for any garbage they have that they can repair and resell to make enough money to feed their families. Grinding poverty, systematic abuse and torture. Would you be fine with this for 30 years?

This is why the people have taken the inspiration of a neighboring country, communication tools that are difficult for the gov’t to censor and ran with it. They are trying to win democracy for their country and indeed change for the entire region. It is the irony of ironies that the rest of the world is just standing by watching.

I think this video says it all. She asks ‘WHAT ELSE DOES THE WORLD NEED’

I am so proud of these protesters. They have followed their hearts fighting injustice, wanting only freedom and democracy all the way into Tahrir Square. Even gov’t thugs riding in on horses and camels brandishing knives and shooting at them in the early hours of night can’t shake them. God bless them and I pray for them in their goals.

There are many good news sources I’ve been following to find out what’s going on:

• AlJazeera English livestream - Aljazeera has definitely come into its own. People from Washington DC to Australia have been watching their blanket coverage on the ground live. Despite correspondents being arrested, bureaus shut down, and equipment confiscated they are still on the air making sure the truth gets out there.
• We are all Khalid Said -  The Facebook group that started it all. Has continuing updates from Egypt.
• Robert Fisk – Political analyst on the Middle East for years, he’s been writing a column daily. His column about Obama’s failure and missed opportunities is heartbreaking.
• Democracy Now! – We know this as a radio show broadcasting about injustices in the US, but with a reporter on the ground they have had some excellent stories.
• Nikolas Kristof - Blogging from Cairo at the New York Times.
• and the good ole BBC news – Mostly to see what “other ppl” are saying.

I actually once this week attempted to watch Diane Sawyer’s world news and the main story was “How will the protests in Egypt affect us? Will gas prices rise (video of ppl at the pump with $3.02/gallon) Will we have to deal with more terrorism? (video of terrorists/9/11 etc)”. Yeah that was it. Nothing about what the protests were about, any political analysis, nothing. Pathetic.

Anyways, I, like the protesters in Tahrir square range from fear to hope on a daily basis. Fear that this uprising will end, so many will have died for nothing and Egypt and the rest of the Middle East will go back to its usual state of oppression. And hope, hope that a new day is dawning. A day where my brothers and sisters in the Middle East will begin new lives of dignity and freedom. Which one will it be?

Hope you all have a very joyous Eid!!!  Best wishes for the coming year, please keep me in your prayers (I need ‘em!)

Wishing all of you a very happy Ramadan

P.S. – Don’t forget to check out our jannah.org/ramadan page or our forum for Ramadan: http://jannah.org/madina/index.php?board=55.0

Salams blog-reading-ppl (yes all 3 of you!),

Someone just reminded me that ppl actually read my blog and that I didn’t post anything this Friday. I figured the special july 4th post would count and, well…for the other two of you, I couldn’t think of anything to write about! Now I’m just tired, I think I’ll take a little break from consistently blogging every week and we’ll see where it goes from here eh?

I think I may have spent a little too much time writing this year instead of trying to get a life and stuff, so let me try to do that pre/post Ramadanish…In the meanwhile please check out the archives, there is a lot of good content if you want to explore

Take care iA!

Salam peeps who read this blog…  I don’t really have anything of benefit to contribute this week. Just some random thoughts (rants)… so get ready…1..2…breathe…

On the topic of being a somewhat well-known and vocal person in the community leading some ppl to think I’m “judging them”…  I’d like to just say, here and now, forever on record, that I don’t judge any person. You could wear hijab/ not wear hijab, have a boyfriend, study basket-weaving, turn atheist, jump off a bridge, dye your hair purple and let me be honest, I don’t really care. I really don’t. AND I don’t think I’m better than you.

Every person has their own choices in their life, they have their own circumstances and their own tests. I’m not you and you are not me. I can’t say what my own choices would be, because I’m busy with my own unique set of circumstances, choices and tests.  Really, I have enough problems and issues, things I’m working on and projects and whatever, than to get involved with other people’s lives and “judge them”. Who am I going to be responsible for on the Day of J? Me. Whose actions am I worried about and responsible for? Mine and no one else’s. Who’s going to have to cross the Sirat? Me and I’ll be alone. I have my own relationship with Allah and my own sins that I thank Him every day for veiling.

I do care about the Ummah and I do see things wrong with it and things that we and other people are doing. I point these things out here on the blog or in person as social observance or as someone who writes articles bringing up various issues. Do you get what I’m saying? It’s not about “you”. There’s a huge difference between writing about actions, what’s going on in the community, trends and problems, guides and rants, reminders and admonitions; and actually judging a specific person. (Which is something better left to the Divine realm.)  So the next time you think “OMG she’s judging me, she thinks she’s better than me” just repeat “She really doesn’t care that much.” K. Thanks.

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This week some people launched an event called “Draw Muhammad Day”. Now how evil are these people really. Imagine if someone launched an event called “Call an African American a Ni**** Day” or “Eat meat in front of a HIndu Day” or “Urinate on a statue of Jesus and Mary Day” or “Show Pornography to a Jewish baby Day”. Pretty despicable huh? But all in the name of “free speech and freedom”. Apparently this event’s supporters are letting everyone know it’s OK to offend Muslim sensibilities in the guise of “freedom” which is really – hate.

Well whatever, there are tons of Islam haters out there. Now the problem here is actually the Muslim response to this. Muslims just get all emotional and offended over things like this instead of responding in a strategic or civilized way. And NO, “blocking facebook for 10 days” is not strategic or of any benefit. Neither is deactivating facebook for a day which does absolutely nothing.

We’ve seen it with Salman Rushdie, with the Dutch cartoons and now this. Again, we are always reacting to the negative instead of ignoring this event and doing positive things to promote acceptance and respect of Islam. If every Muslim ignored this event as “a bunch of crazies” NO ONE and I mean no one would have heard of it. Instead they went all crazy creating groups on Facebook, making profiles, trying to organize wayward ‘boycotts’ of deactivating, etc etc. Result? Straight to the top of CNN’s top stories. “Muslims going crazy again because they are offended”. You know what image comes to peoples minds? Wild-eyed, dark haired crazy mozlims brandishing swords against freedom. Now let me ask you, who’s image is this? It’s not theirs. It’s ours – because that’s the image we put out.

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A Muslim-American woman won the Miss USA contest. The media has been going crazy writing about how it’s an AYRAB AMERICAN MOZLIM that won. Can’t figure out what they’re so amazed about. And then I wonder why they’re making such a point of it. Proud that the US can exploit and sexualize Muslim women as part of the FREEDOMS that the rest of the so-called-world envies eh? Uh huh.

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I listened to two Khutbahs this week on “the importance of obeying your parents”. Now I’m all for obeying the parents but we’ve been listening to this kind of stuff on repeat, for YEARS (yeah I know they were trying to drum it into us) But you know what’s totally missing? All the Khutbahs on parents oppressing their children. Which is sooo common.

What oppression you ask? Forcing them to dress a certain way, talk a certain language, meet their academic/career expectations, their behavior expectations, their “Islamic” expectations, to marry a certain person, have their life a certain way and etc. and so on. And where has it led us?? A totally messed up youth that drink, take drugs, party, have relationships, have sex,  and etc. and so on. And no, it isn’t because they “don’t obey their parents”. That’s actually a symptom and not the root! We have way more complex problems that are never addressed. And never addressed to parents. When are they/we gonna wake up? I’d like to write an open letter to parents one day as a blog maybe. Anonymously so I don’t get killed I think

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Lastly, I heard about how a few aunties and uncles I know are working really hard matching up this 19 year old girl I know from another city. She’s pretty, very white, thin, very quiet, and outwardly “religious”.  She’s had proposals since she was 12 (serious) and all the guys in her community like her. And I do mean ALL the guys. (She’s the “perfect girl” archetype if you’ve read my other blog posts. The one all guys like because they “think” she’s perfect.)  So anyway, yes, apparently all the girls approaching old age spinsters here that aren’t so “perfect” can just fend for themselves. I mean seriously. Out of all the people in the world that need help trying to find someone, she ain’t it!! (I actually hope they succeed because while she’s around she’s a fitnah to most of the guys. They all fall in love and get rejected and what not and they get messed up and end up marrying their cousins/girls from back home and don’t bother to consider anyone else around her.)

On the web we have new releases from all the Muslim orgs on stuff like ‘finding the right match’ or ‘getting married to the right person’. Pretty generic type lectures that are so blah, blah, blah. Another generic rinse, repeat cycle that never addresses our real problems. In the meantime, really trying to help sisters get married and addressing why they aren’t getting married is ignored.

How long are ppl going to deny that this is a problem in our Ummah. Everyone seems to shrug it off and say ‘Oh well everyone marries someone’ so why worry about it. And then they don’t bother to see the 50% divorce rate, the sisters that marry non-Muslims, rampant (and I’m going to say rampant) Zina among the youth, and all the marriages of ppl marrying the completely wrong person for them. Seems like we can’t figure out new school Halal ways of finding someone for marriage living in the west. And all these other problems are resulting. So far the only person I know that has ever addressed this issue in any real way is Imam Zaid in his article on chivalry.

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Well then…an interesting week… signing off and a Jumah Mubarak and bebzi  to y’all for readin’. Ws.