The Promise to St. Catherine:

Prophet Muhammad’s Promise to Christians

The Promise to St. Catherine:
"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."
Read the rest here.

Tribalism

Story of Mary according to the Quran

This is just beautiful. The series really make the story of Mary according to Islam come to life. Some excerpts of the series are available on You Tube but the whole series (in Arabic) is available on Sham24, a Syrian TV channel. You have to watch with an Arabic speaking person so they can translate for you. Some excerpts on YouTube are dubbed to English although the quality is not as good as in Arabic. Iran also produced another movie which was mainly about Jesus (peace be upon him) a few years ago. The faces of the Prophets were not shown when the series were shown in the middle east in order to abide to the Islamic rulings.

Globalization Unchecked by Ramzy Baroud

I found Globalization Unchecked by Ramzy Baroud at Islamicity.com but it was originally published on counterpunch.com. It does presents the dilemma of some segment of the muslim world. Caught in the delicious and tantalizing desire of the globalized 'western' culture while negotiating and finding the relevence of Islam in their lives. To develop a strong sense of self-identity is very important for anyone who want to preserve his or her own uniqueness and/or group identity.

The concept of moderation in Islam

I finally found a video of Dr. Asma Afsaruddin online, a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington.

For conventional Muslim, Dr. Asma Afsaruddin image does not support the image of a typical pious muslim women given her field of studies and the academic quality and soundness of her work Islamically. Although she chooses not to wear the hijab, it does not mean that her love of Islam is less than someone who chooses to wear the hijab. I truly value her work and contibution to the Muslim world.

Book by Dr. Asma Afsaruddin, The First Muslims - History and Memory is an interesting read although a little dense to digest through. I have not read it though just scanning through. She also edited a book called the Hermeneutics and Honor - Negotiating Female "Public" Space in Islamic/ate Societies. Some of the chapters that I have read is really eye opening. Obviously some Muslims culture is as foreign to me as to everyone else.

The 500 most influential Muslims

A new book published this year by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin. The whole book can be accessed from below. The list is very diverse, consisting of Muslims from all backgrounds. Not all are revered by their subjects by the way although some are respected and love dearly.

The 500 most influential Muslims in the world

Where Are We Heading?

I am numbed by the recent event at Fort Hood. Below is a more balance, positive and productive article.

http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=6868&blz=1

Ummah Films by Baba Ali

Baba Ali is an internet phenomena, a one man show that has attracted quiet a following. He made a lot of sense and presented Islam in a way easy for people to understand. I hope there are more people like him who choose to understand and to make sense out of the chaotic world.

Outlandish

Outlandish is a relatively new band out of Denmark. The interesting thing about this band is that all the members are originally from different parts of the world and of different religions. Check out the other video clip of the same song on You Tube which feature The Little Red Riding Hood on a school play setting.



Check out their other songs and their songs with Sami Yusuf too.

Kareem Salama

Kareem Salama is a talented Muslim country music singer if you've heard such thing. Originally from Oklahoma, his parents were from Egypt. Kareem Salama is quiet well known in the Muslim communities. I am hoping he will receive more exposure so the general public can enjoy his music. Enjoy some of our family favorites below.

Who Speaks for Islam

Dalia Mogahed and Reza Aslan interview on link TV were excellent. Check it out. The interview was based on the book that Dalia co-authored with John Esposito, "What One Billion Muslims Really Think". I think the voices of moderate Muslims are starting to get heard a little louder. Despite major networks doing the same old thing. Here is the link to the full interview http://www.linktv.org/wsfi. Both were very articulate and balance in presenting their views and the views of many other Muslims.

Here is a part of the interview.




The full interview.




Here is an interview with Reza Aslan on Islamic Identity in the US . He is excellent at putting things in perspective, making sense of complex issues that are otherwise difficult to understand and offering a different take on things.




Asma Afsaruddin is less well known but nevertheless has done a large amount of work that Muslims in the US should be proud of. She is currently a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. A transcript of an interview link below.
http://www.thatreligiousstudieswebsite.com/Religious_Studies/World_Faith/Islam/asma_afsaruddin_part1.php

There are of course other excellent scholars and activists who also speak for the moderate voice of Islam. I'll try to feature them as well in the near future.

Koran Verses Appear Mysteriously on Infant's Body

This is giving me goose bumps. And the ABCnews network pick up the news. Some thinks it is a hoax. But with this much publicity is it still possible to pull something like this? Pictures in the video show very clearly the verses which were written beautifully.

From ABCnews:
Thousands of Muslim pilgrims are flocking to the home of a 9-month-old boy in Russia's southern republic of Dagestan to see the verses from the Koran that seem to appear and fade on his body every few days.

A pilgrim shows off the leg of baby Ali Yakubov at his house in Kizlyar in Russia's Dagestan Region,...
A pilgrim shows off the leg of baby Ali Yakubov at his house in Kizlyar in Russia's Dagestan Region, October 19, 2009. A "miracle" baby has brought a kind of mystical hope to people in Russia's mostly Muslim southern fringe who are increasingly desperate in the face of Islamist violence. From hunchbacked grandmas to schoolboys, hundreds of pilgrims lined up this week in blazing sunshine to get a glimpse of 9-month-old baby Ali Yakubov, on whose body they say verses from the Koran appear and fade every few days. Picture taken October 19, 2009. (Amir Amirov/Reuters)
Religious leaders in Dagestan say the verse "Be thankful or grateful to God" appeared on Ali Yakubov's right leg in Arabic script earlier this week, according to Reuters. By the time foreign journalists had arrived, the verse had faded to a single letter.
In photos, the words look like pink birthmarks a few inches high. Ali's parents told reporters at first they thought it was in fact a birthmark or a skin irritation but doctors couldn't explain it. The lettering appears on different parts of his body and shortly before a new set is about to appear, his parents say, the boy's temperature spikes to about 105 degrees.


This http://www.weirdasianews.com/2008/10/03/womans-paper-skin-walking-notepad/ talked about a medical condition called Artificial Urticaria where you can literally write on the skin and it'll appears like welts and disappears after a while.

And this blog has more pictures http://strawberryanarchy.blogspot.com/2009/09/artificial-urticaria-notepad-skin.html. So could it be possible that the baby has the same medical condition?

Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences and education

"I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill." (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)

To me morality is very important although in the world today morality is a subjective and a relative thing more so than before. And just as religion means different thing to different people, morality is important to understand in order for us to have a more harmonious world. Separate isolationists and elitists world does not work anymore. We are a living in a village where everyone is in close proximity wheather we like it or not. Although far separated geographically our individual impact is far reaching. Therefore the need to understand each other and what each other is thinking is essential for better relations and cooperations.

Cherien Dabis

Cherien Dabis was invited to speak at the annual ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) convention this year. She shared some of her life experiences growing up in the midwest and on the making of the movies itself.

I find this interview very interesting besides her being obviously intelligent, graceful and charming. Many good questions and some very interesting points were raised about the movie as well. and I like/agree with many of the answers she gave. By the way please ignore the noisy ships in the background.

Amreeka

Interesting movie by an Arab American director/producer, Cherien Dabis, a christian Arab American with (Jordanian/Palestinian) parents who imigrated to the US right before she was born. The name is pronouned Shereen but spelled Cherien in French. The movie chronicles the live of a Palestinian women of non religious Christian background immigrating to the US from the occupied territory of the West Bank; I am mentioning her religion so some Muslims will not be confused. Many Muslims also still think that all Arabs are muslims not just the nonMuslims thinking this way by the way.

A part of an interview with Cherien;





And here is the trailer;





It is just too funny (if you familiar with the culture), warm and tender. I love it just through watching the trailer. It has successfully portray Palestinian Arab families and the culture very well. As well as capturing the hardship of new immigrant adjusting to a new life in an unfamiliar environment. By the way the actress who play the mother and the boy who play the son are both Palestinian who have lived in the West Bank. Job well done to the producer. There are many reviews on this movie if you search the internet. Many have lots of good things to say, out of fifteen reviews I would say maybe two will have nothing much to say about it. I personally can't wait to see it. The movie is rated PG13 due to language and some drug use.

My birthday

It was my birthday a few days ago. Got wonderful gifts from kids and hubby. A nice lunch at The Journey, flowers, chocolate and two beautiful cards. Thank you guys...... Lunch was really really nice (who wouldn't enjoy a chocolate fountain?), pink and white roses were beautiful, feraro roche (sp?) were yummy as usual, cards were special. Could not ask for a better day and gifts. I am truly blessed. Alhamdulillah.

Ok now ..... who is next?

Bola sepak

Semalam ada dua game. Satu game utk tentukan tempat kedua dan ketiga. Satu lagi utk yg ketiga dan keempat. Kemenangan game pertama itulah yg sangat 2diharapkan. Anakku yg sorang ni nak menang sangat. Dah empat tahun main bola dengan kelab disini. Dah tenguk seaneka game kat TV. Dah berlatih macam2 trick. Dah besungguh2 berlatih kat belakang rumah. Bercita-cita tinggi bila dah besar nak main dgn kelab kat europe. Aduhai anakku..... Semuga cita2 mu tercapai.

Dah la temperature sejuk. Dekat nak paras beku. Yg dia.... tak sejuk mama. Panas lagi berpeluh katanya. Pakaikan baju panas dibawah jersey, ditolak lengan baju kesiku.... lengan baju ganggu konsentrasi. Muka serius je. Game bermula. Badan budak2 team yg satu lagi, kus semangat, besar ya amat. Team anak aku badan chekeding semuanya. Kena langgar dgn budak2 badan besar melayang.

Lepas dua gol baru team anak aku dapat gol pertama. Masih tak give up bersungguh depa main. Kesian pulak aku tengok. Dah la sejuk nak mati, nak bergerak pun susah. Tapi masih main bersungguh-sungguh sebab nak menang sangat2. Lepas tu other team dapat gol lagi satu. Aku dah tak larat nak tengok. Parents lain masih bagi kata perangsang dari sideline. Yg bagus nye parents dari team yg dah nak menang ni pun bagi kata2 perangsang kat team anak aku. Anak aku masa coach ganti dgn pemain lain, duduk kat bench menangis, tapi tak obvious sangat la, dah tak boleh tahan air mata dia meleleh, sian aku tengok. Dua2 coach dtg pujuk.

Team anak aku dapat satu lagi gol. Bila dah nak habis team satu lagi dpt satu lagi gol. Penat aku yg tengok itu belum main lagi. Adui..... lepas habis game, kami pegi makan, sepanjang perjalanan dalam kerete pot pet pot pet pujuk anak supaya belajar menghadapi kekalahan. Setiap permainan mesti ada yg kalah dan yg menang. Problem nye team dia sepanjang season ni tak pernah kalah. Coach pulak sangat percaya dgn kebolehan dia. Itu yg dia rasa keciwa sangat.

Anakku sayang, masa depan dan hidup ini akan menjanjikan cubaan, kekalahan dan kemenangan yg lebih hebat. Harapan ibu kau akan tabah mengharungi segalanya. Aku tanya dia, dengar tak mama terjerit-jerit kat sideline tadi. Dia kata dia fokus pada bola je, I thought it was all silent, katanya. He was in 'the zone'.

The Muslims Are Coming 2

I guess this is what Dean Obeidallah article refered to yesterday. See below.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/10/15/investigation/

Don't miss the 400 some comments at the end of the article. Ahhhh the beauty of freedom of speech. Muslim dominant countries should certainly learn from this.

Friday Prayer

The mosque in town has decided to hold a second sembahyang Jumaat at 3:30 for high school students in the area that attend public schools. Public schools generally end at 2:50 and the usual Friday prayer is held at 1:15. Often times these students hold their own Friday prayer at school in their own small congregation or had to miss some classes in order to go to the masjid. Either way they have to deal with explaining things to their teachers and the school administrators. So this is a good move from the masjid administration. The khutbah/sermon will be all in English. Regular Friday prayer sermon starts with Arabic and then translated to English and depending on who is available that week the quality of the translation varies. In all the prayer ended at about 2:15. Prayer with English only sermon will certainly be shorter. My kids are excited. Anything that can take them out of their seat at school however short the period is, is generously welcome! Although this arrangement is intended for high schoolers I would imagine many parents with younger children in junior high, middle and elementary schools will take advantage of this.

Mo Amer

This guy is really good too. My kids fell of the chair laughing at many of his jokes in Allah Made Me Funny video. They can totally relate.

Swine Flu on the rampage

So far the public schools in our district have high absentee rate, up to 20% in extreme cases. CDC Center of Disease Control advice schools to inform parents when absentee rates get this high. Also possibly close the school when it gets higher. Hospitals restrict patients visit to adults 18 and above only. No children except to certain parts of the hospitals.

The Muslims Are Coming!

This is hilarious!!!!! And don't miss the movie clip at the bottom..... very American.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-obeidallah/the-muslims-are-coming_b_321764.html

Dean Obeidallah is a comedian that a whole family can enjoy, clean yet funny. There are a few of his clips on You Tube doing stand up comic.




He was also a guest on The View.

Al_Aqsa Besieged

Does anyone knows about this http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1254573453665&pagename=Zone-English-Muslim_Affairs/MAELayout ? Sounding pretty urgent don't you think?

Poet Daughter

Just like to share daughter latest accomplishment as a poet.
http://www.peevishpenmancontactus.blogspot.com/ This site reprinted two of her poems, one on each side.
http://www.muslimamericangirls.com/09_10oct.html This site published her poem for the second time now. All the way at the bottom.

macam-macam

Four-year-old neighbor's son told my kids not to come close to him because he was sick with ----something. My youngest son ran into the house and told me W has amnesia! I asked him if he was really sure thats the disease W had. He said yes and widen his already big eyes as if I am the one with amnesia.

Son number two came into the house and announced to me that W has ammonia and half of his lung is full of water! Okaaay....I can sure smell ammonia in the air at this rate of weirdness that I have encounter!!!!!!!

Finally tween daughter came in and nonchalantly announced to the whole house that W has pneumonia. That sounds more like it.

Son number two is not feeling to well today. His team is in the soccer tournament this week and in the morning temperature can dip into the the 40s and 50s F. Plus it is not helpful when someone thinks that wearing a long sleeve shirt under the soccer jersey is not cool...... eeeemmmm

Send him to Sunday school anyways........ an hour later receive call from school asking to pick the sick son up because he is sick. He is now blissfully resting, while watching his favorite European soccer tournament on TV.

Perfect Guacamole

This is an excellent recipe for guacamole! Try it. This recipe is from this website: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_guacamole/

Perfect Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Garnish with red radishes or jicama. Serve with tortilla chips.
Method
1 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. (See How to Cut and Peel an Avocado.)
2 Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.
Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.
Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.
3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.
4 Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.
Serves 2-4.
Variations
For a very quick "guac" just take a 1/4 cup of salsa and mix it in with your mashed avocados.
You don't need to have tomatoes in your guacamole.
To extend a limited supply of avocados, add either sour cream or cottage cheese to your guacamole dip. Purists may be horrified, but so what? It tastes great. In fact, guac with some cottage cheese added to it is my favorite.

Carik kerja jgn tak carik

Penat dah duduk kat rumah. Ada kerja on site, then nak kerja kat rumah.....................

dah kerja kat rumah............ rimas pulak dak............

nak kerja on site balik........

dah ada kerja...................... nak try field lain pulak.............. dah try field lain........ tak suka pulak...

Dah ada bachelor degree........... nak masters degree pulak..............

dah ada masters.......... nak certificate pulak..........

tu teringin pulak nak buat phd............... sib baik dah tak larat............ kalau larat mau nye dia study lagi...

manusia2 tak pernah puas....... macam macam

Visit

I visited a friend's MIL, an old Palestinian lady who live by herself and happen to speak fairly good English yesterday. I was planning for an hour visit but every time I stand up getting ready to leave she kept telling me to stay. I ended up staying for three hours. We had a nice conversation going mainly about her grown children, things that happen in our neighborhood and of course Palestinian food.

I always love to hear her talks about life growing up in old Palestine. Since I can't talk to my MIL this women is close enough for me to get to the real story. About how life is so self-sufficient in the villages. Until now they can fairly live independent of the outside world when it comes to food supply. The abundance of green houses that grow tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans and what not. Turkey and chicken farms right in the village. And of course the grand olive trees that are source of olive oil, soap, moisturizers, and fuel. Especially for villages in Palestine this is true until about 30 years ago. People make their own cheese, bread, tomato paste, oil and soap. They are all made in huge amount at a time and involving quiet a few neighbors. This is to ensure sufficient supplies for months if not a year to come. I guess this is true to some extend to all parts of the Mediterranean at that time. But now even my MIL buys her bread!

They also have their own water supply which is rain water conserve in huge underground containers and of course water wells. The thing that I am so fascinated about is the soap. This is not your grandmother sabun cap kapak although the color is quiet similar.



Picture is courtesy of this website . This is exactly what the soaps my DH brought with him from the West Bank look like. A humongous chunk that lasted forever made by my MIL. There is a particular smell to it not fragrant but not bad either. It leaves skin silky smooth and it helps a lot especially in the winter when skin tends to get drier. When my children were younger I love to use the soap on them especially on the ones that were prone to excema.




I hope to see Palestine soon. It is time for the kids to see their huge bunch of cousins, visits all the historical places of Prophets and people of all nations that had been in there, explore the remnant of the thousand of years of human live, wash their eyes with the beauty of the land and to breathe the air of Palestine.

A little piece of Palestinian history can be found here.

Fishers

Ini gambar municipal complex for the city of Fishers. Ada balai police, bomba and library. Train station and pos office kat situ jugak tapi tak da dlm gambar. Ada library, which is on the top right of the picture. Tapi librarian dia cengih.... boring... pastu tak boleh renew books more than two weeks. Walau pun the building is newer and of course nicer.

Cantik kan the way depa cut the grass!



















We prefer this library. Walaupun kena drive 20 minutes... tak pa. The librarians are nicer and friendlier. Pastu ada computer terminals where you can checkout the books and movies yourselves. They name the computers after the Beatles'. So the librarians will probably say something like "Ringo needs to be serviced.... not doing to well..."

Sahoor

Malam2 cam pukul 9 tu..... mula la........lebihkurang cam ni dialog nye hari2........... with my 10 year old son.

Son1: "Mama wake me up for sahoor ok" ( dari dlm bilik dia)
Mama: ok

After a few minutes...........

Son1: "Mama don't forget o wake me up ok"
Mama: ok (kuat dah sket suara)

About 10 minutes later..........

Son1: " Mama wake me up for sahoor ok I want to fast'
Mama: OK (dah geram la tu)

Pukul 5:15 pagi cam tu..

Mama: Oxxx wake up for sahoor..... (lembut2 la ni)

Son masih di alam mimpi...
Mama: Oxxx wake up......... (sabar lagi)

Son... mengeliat sket je......
Mama... kena persistent bangunkan budak ni........ kang mengamuk lak kalau tak sahoor

Mama: Oxxx wake up.... you said you want to wake up for sahoor.....(sambil urut2 rambut)
Tak de respond dari son...

Mama: You don't want to wake up...
Son: ya (pelan je suara)

Mama: Are you sure?
Son: ya (kuat sket)

Mama: You don't want to wake up for sahoor?
Son: NO NO I want to wake up (terus bukak mata............. baru la fully sedar)

Penat aku....... nak buat cam na!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tapi seronok tengok anak2 so far suka nak puasa.... walaupun kat sekolah dikelilingi dgn bebudak lain yg tak puasa....

one of my friend kata dia nampak budak2 muslim ada la dua tiga kerat duduk kat office baca buku masa lunch... and she said..... They look so proud.... Alhamdulillah hi rabbil alamin

Pre-menopausal

Ni kena cakap melayu ... kekadang boleh setat 10 tahun sebelum actual menapause. Tak sangka lak secepat tu. Anyhow simtom nyer setat sket 2 la cam period tak heavy cam biasa, pastu tak selama masa memuda dulu. kekadang spotting...... tak pasal2. tapi kita masih ovulate ye...... so sentiasa lah berhati2 kalau tak nak anak baya cucu ye..... saya pun takut gak selalu nih

pastu yg paling susah nak deal ialah bila kita suka mengamuk sbb hormone dah mula tak balance kan... kejap suka bebeno lepaih tu mengamuk macam tornado... pegi google video tengok cam mana tornado tu.... so banyak2 lah baca quran bagi jiwa tu tenang dan rilek sket...... kalau tak macam naik roller coster la satu famili... kejap mak happi kejap mak macam psyco...

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

cita lain plak...
ni note bagi kat cikgu anak LN1 ku hari nih:

Hello Mr. xxxxx,
The month of Ramadan is here again. It started last Saturday and will end by September the 22nd. xxxx is again practicing to fast longer hours and more days. I am hoping that you could keep an eye on him. He might break his fast during lunch time or when he comes home from school. Thank you for your help.

His reply:
I will be happy to! Thanks for letting me know and good luck to xxxxx this month. :)

ni plak note utk cikgu anak LN2:

Hi Mr. xxxxx,
Good morning. The month of Ramadan is here. It started last Saturday and will end on September the 22nd. xxxxx as always is still practicing. Most of the time he will fast until lunch time but he indicated this year that he would like to try to fast longer. I would like to ask if you can keep an eye on him just in case he is trying harder than he should. I imagine he should be fine since he loves food and would really miss it when he is super hungry, thus will know when to break his fast.

Thank you and have a great week.

His reply:
Thanks so much for the communication, and I most certinly will have an eye on xxxxx today. Have a great week.


Ni lak note utk cikgu-cikgi anak pn2.. dah besa sket ramai lagi cikgu kan
Hi teachers,

Good morning. I hope everything is well for you and your family. The month of Ramadan started this past Saturday and will end on the 22nd of September. As always our family is observing the fasting ritual with the rest of the Muslim all over the world. xxxxx will start observing more seriously this year which means that she will practice fasting longer and on more days that last year. We usually have our early morning breakfast around 5am and break our fast at about 8:30pm and of course the specific time change daily as the dawn break later and the sun set earlier every day. We go though the day without food and drink until the time to break our fast. xxxxxx did great over the weekend and I hope will do fine during the week as well. I am hoping that the school can help by accommodating during lunch/recess, maybe perhaps by letting xxxxxx go to the library or help a teacher in the classroom. If she wants to be in the cafeteria with her friends that is her choice. PE I imagine would be rather difficult. I am hoping that Mr. xxxx can accommodate xxxxxxx in this regard too.

I really appreciate all the help from all of you and thank you for being xxxxxxx’s teacher.

blum dpt reply for this one lagi....

so far so good! selalu nyer they are nice, understanding and open..

semuga Allah permudah kan segala urusan harian kita...... as long as our intention is right .. and our hearts are in the right place.

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan is here.... nice that it started on Saturday. Had a nice family sahur at 5am this morning with the usual sahur food, like luncheon turkey, cheese and the special for night, lentil soup. But son #1 and #2 had to break their fast due to a soccer game in the afternoon. I'm cooking for the masjid iftar today... roasted potato... all 20lbs of them. It was a hit during the recent public masjid event. I just threw a bunch of stuff together, like garlic powder, salt, lots of black pepper and paprika for color and the secret ingredient, the zesty italian salad dressing, which gives it a lot of zing!!!

Apa lagi ya. I may make some North Africa soup that is a hit every Ramadan. Can't keep my mind of the possibility of moving to another state. It most likely will take me more than a year to get use to a new place. Uuugggg I hate adjustment period. Anyhow some good stuff about the new place. The state public school system was rated #1 in the nation this year. The state has many many good colleges for the kids; Georgetown U, John Hopkins, U of Maryland to name a few. Tons of masjids and a very nice cemetary just bought by the community.......7000+ lots. Some masjids have outstanding imams..... great people to learn from. Many historical places, many things to do... a three hours drive will take you to the mountains and the beaches. People in general are more open minded..... than in the midwest (I hope) Down side of this place..... super expensive..... bad traffic...... climbing crime rate.... not as friendly as the midwest. I don't know.... fening2 kepala dibuat nyer.

Anothe accomplishment of the community... donating food to 200 some Myanmay refugees families, which consist of 50lbs of rice, 20lbs sugar and big container of oil for each family and $3000 for the community leader to distribute or to use for their commmunity activity. I hope we can always help them.

Anyhow ramadan mubarak to all. May this year blessings be more than the precious years for all of us.

Kitty where are you?

Our kitty Shadow has been quiet adventurous these days. She leaves home at 7am and only shows up around midnight. Meowing a pityful meows asking to be let in. Once inside she doesn't even look at you. I am starving.... I am starving.... no time to say hi ok.... she walks straight to where her food is. Spoil kitty! She is neutered but I am still thinking to impose a 24-hr curfew. I know she'll miss her daily excursion, birds to sneak up to, boyfriends and girlfriends to play with. But I can't afford the constant thought of, "where could Shadow be?", gnawing in my brain. I have other stuffs to worry about.

Kids start school tomorrow. Another year, hopefully things go as smoothly as possible. They are getting older, schooling becomes more important. Too much pressure to perform at such young age. I wish the world stops competing and start cooperating more. The competition will never end and so does pressure and stress. Cooperation will take us further, helping and sharing, is more empowering and inspiring to the spirit and soul. I am tired of competition. Let's just live modestly and quit wanting more stuff. They are all the same anyways!

Productive Day!

I started the day of with the daily chores; the first of many rounds of laundry, emptying the diswasher and filling up it up again, and thinking what to make for breakfast. Son number 2 has been asking for 'spicy noodles', I have been wreaking my brain trying to figure out which noodles he is talking about. At last after over several days of QA sessions I found out he wanted the infamous made-in-malaysia maggi mee. They all thank me profusely for making such a tasty treat for breakfast, brunch to be exact!



Took kids to the neighborhood elementary school garden which I volunteer to care for over the summer, watering and weeding. But it had rained so much this year that I hardly ever have to do that. I love pulling weeds though, it left me feeling satisfied like washing dishes, cleaned. Our part of the garden is the ABC garden for the kindergarten class. Plants names started with each letter of the alphabet scattered around one corner of the garden.


We went to the public library afterwards, we try to go at least twice a month over the summer. Found this interesting book; Six Months in Sudan. An account of a young Canadian medical doctor who volunteer to work in Sudan with the organization Doctors without Borders. Finished reading it in one day. I can't put it down. At night I dreamt about being in Abyei. Amazing people do this kind of work. Prior to that I found this fascinating read Angels in my Hair. I wonder what Muslim scholars have to say about this, the traditional ones I kind of know what they will say, I am more interested in the opinions of Tariq Ramadan, or Sheikh Qaradawi or Imam Magid of ADAM center. Anyhow I felt happy and peaceful after finishing the book in two days. Can't put it down either.


I figured out a fool proof way to fix beautiful roasted chicken, parts or whole. I cut up a mix of herbs; combination of parsley, chives, mint, oregano, and rosemary, all from my little backyard garden. Portioned in that order, from the most to the least. And added to that generous helpings of salt, black pepper, paprika and lemon juice. Today I prepared cornish hen with parsley, mint and rosemary, lemon, blackpepper, salt, paprika and some boil corn on the side. It was heavenly! Forgot to take the picture, remember only after the bones bare naked devoid of flesh. Oh well, maybe next time.

Fawakih Program

Post ni pun tuk Tijah. Ko ada kakak Jah? Kalo tak de anggap la akak cam akak kandong kau ye. Walaupun kita tak mungkin berjumpa. Sesama malu kan Jah kan. Ko nak apa2 dari US Jah? Kalo hat yg murah2 tu bole akak beli kat ko. Jgn mintak Prada ngan Coach dan sewaktu dgn nye sudah. Kang kempes je beg duit akak. dah la memang kempes semenjak dua menjak ni.

Anyway semalam akak gi lecture, ceramah ugama la kira kalo kat mesia. Ko gi google Fawakih Jah. Bagus bebudak ni Jah. Muda2 lagi tapi kuat kerja utk Islam. Bagus kan Jah cam tu. Muda2 lagi dah nak buat menda baik2, jaga kesihatan spiritual siang2 lagi, tak tunggu dah tua yek Jah. Pastu tu didunia pun berjaya gak... tengok CV ey macam bagus je Jah.

Cam ni org Islam yg kita nak, kan Jah. Yang berkerja kuat utk Islam (utk saham2 akhirat) dan berjaya / kerja kuat utk dunia. Pastu tu ceramah nye bagus Jah, first class, tak de idea2 yg menyempitkan kepala hotak. liberal cam tu. tapi tak la liberal cam semua boleh. Ni liberal membuka minda cam tu. idea2 cam ni la kita nak Jah, contoh nye idea yg kita kena buat baik dan adil kat org lain tak kira la org tu bangsa apa atau cakap bahasa apa, semua kita tolong kalo depa dlm kesusahan cam tu. tak tolong hanya org kita, ada priority cam tu. itu satu. satu lagi konsep buat semua menda sebab Allah suka kita buat menda tu. walaupun menda yg kita buat tu hanya setakat menyapu sampah kat luar rumah. contoh la tu. niat kita sapu sampah sbb nanti rumah bersih. carlos suka, sazah suka, hati lapang kan rumah bersih. pastu ko dpt la pahala jah sbb Tuhan suka kau suka kan hati carlos dgn sazah. cam tu la lebih kurang. apa2 je la ko buat pasang niat siang2.

Akak tahu la kau buat lebih lagi dari tu Jah, manyak dah pahala kau Jah. Ada hadis sahih tu kan Jah, nabi cakap kalo Tuhan sayang kat kau Jah semua menda dilangit dan dibumi sayang kat kau, termasuk la malaikat yg dilangit dan manusia, binatang2 dan pokok2 semua2 la yg Allah ciptakan sayang kat ko. so much love Jah oi!!!!

ok la ye Jah esok2 cerita lagi.

Post utk Tijah

Post utk Tijah

Salam Jah, akak nak jadikan kau inspirasi la Jah. Meh la akak ceta sket pasal akak ye.

Lama dah akak duk US Jah oi, ada la dekat 25 tahun. umor pun dah 40 lebih. kekawan akak semua habih setadi semua balik. akak kat sini lagi. anak pun dah besa2 dah Jah.

bukan apa Jah, akak suka idup sesenyap. akak ni suka pikir lelama. pikir2 entah hapa2 la tak habih2. pastu kalo akak cakap banyak2 ataupun dengar org bercakap banyak2 akak tak leh tido malam. asyik terdengar2 je bualan org tu berkali2. so otak tak senyap cam tu. kalo otak tak senyap, hati pun tak senyap kan, so hati pun asyik kelam kabut cam tu.

rindu org kampong tak usah cakap la Jah, masa mengandung especially, rindu nyer masak mak akak. tapi nak buat cam ne kan dah jauh. ko nak tahu Jah cam mana nak buat tempoyak tanpa durian. Hah ni rahsia besa akak nak share ngan ko. tapi masalah nyer tempoyak ni hijau bukan kuning ye cam tempoyak biasa. tapi texture ngan rasa alamak macam tempoyak sebijik dan tanpa bau, kalau suka tempoyak tak bau la. resepi ni khas utk org yg mabuk tempoyak tapi tak de ekses ke buah durian ye. kata la ko travel pastu teringin sgt nak makan. ataupun ada prg mengidam tapi dok obersea boleh la cuba ye. ok kita stat ye.

memula ko beli avocado yg kulit itam tu. picit2 sket, cari yg lembut. nanti 'tempoyak' kau lembut je cam tu. pastu kau guna sudu keluarkan isi buah tu. pastu lenyek2 sampai tak de ketul2. pastu letak garam dgn air lemon (ala limau kuning tu apa kena nama nyer, lupa la), lagi masam, lagi rasa cam tempoyak. tapi kau duduk mesia tak yah risau la pasal tak da stok tempoyakkan.

ok la Jah akak nak gi tido ni. nanti kita sambung lagi yek. kirim salam kat cem yek.

Healthcare reform

Another hair splitting issue for the politicians obviously; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/26/us-healthcare-obama-barack-change.
When will the American public realize that it is their health care and their children health care is the one at stake here. Now it is the poor that suffers, pretty soon more and more of the middle working class will realize the enormity of this problem. When it hits them!

Economy

Regarding this news article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124865498517982625.html, Bernanke still talking about big corporations. No acknowledgement of the importance of small businesses in the bloodline of American economy. Until people in charge of drafting economic policies in government give priority to small businesses as well as corporations the strong and robust American economy will remain an illusion and the American people will sure to see continuing decline in their purchasing power relative to the rest of the world.

GMO food

Talk about safety and long term side effect of genetically modified food whether the source is animals or plants has been going on for years. Many European, Asian and African countries are weary about accepting this latest teachnology in meddling with food sources. Take a look at some of these concerns and make inform choices when it comes to putting food on your table.

General info on GMOs and cloning: http://www1.american.edu/TED/dolly.htm

Good reference GMO site http://www.gmo-compass.org/

Another news from East and South East Asia on GMO safety issue can be found here: http://www.aseanbiotechnology.info/Abstract/23006753.pdf

Concern over GMO safety in African countries: http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/GMO.htm

Selling GMO food is illegal in some countries: http://www.sportika.com/export-facts.php

We visited Traders Point Creamery one Saturday weekend about a month ago. Located in Zionsville, Indiana, Traders Point Creamery is about 15 minutes drive northwest of downtown Indianapolis. The small farm that housed about a 100 cows, features 100% grass-fed milk and milk products, such as yogurt, cheese and ice cream.

We truly enjoyed the rustic enviroment, the farm, chickens running around and the restaurant. The deck provided a relaxing place to enjoy the surrounding and the treats from the restaurant. It is encouraging and amazing to see the care that is put into running a farm that is committed to producing truly organic products. My children had the rare oportunity to see herds up close, the smell, the sight in all its glory. They were delighted to see the newborns and calfs of different ages under the farm house.

Traders Point Creamery, kudos to a job well done!

Mothers have tremendous leverage in shaping her children. The strong emotional connection between a mother and a child should be taken advantage of to yield a beautiful relationship. Out of this organic relationship it is very natural for both mother and child to please each other if the mother knows when to give and when to take/receive love. Both will gain tremendous pleasure in this dance of giving love and taking/receive love. It is rare to read an article that talks about the give and take of mother-child relationship.

I mention mother in the begining since small children in general are closer to the mother than the father. But the same is true to father-child relationship. No doubt that some fathers are closer to their children than the mother thus can exert the same influence. From now on I will address both parents in order to be fair to these fathers.

Teach children to give love to the parents as much as receiving love from the parents. For example, teaching a two year old to fetch shoes or purse for her mother or newspaper for her father. When a child learn to serve her parents, she learn to please them. When she learn to be useful to another individual she will feel good about herself and will continue to serve in order to feel good. Thus the relationship with her parents will continue to be a strong influence in her life.