My sister and I came across this video recently and were pretty amazed at this technique!
We experimented a few different times with this and so here are some suggestions we think might make this process easier and more fruitful:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Interesting Finds, Part X
Great read from the ever-intelligent senior politics editor for the New Statesman, Mehdi Hasan, on the politics behind the selective usage of a term we are all familiar with.
I just want to applaud the Correctional Service of Canada for kindly and respectfully accommodating this woman and others with such unique needs. At the end of the day, minor adjustments such as these create harmonious environments for everyone to equally participate in society.
Shame on you, Quebec. You call this equality? Such bloody hypocrites! The members of the World Sikh Organization must have felt very disrespected and 'othered' when they were prohibited from entering the Quebec legislature. The acceptance of racist practices like these in social institutions, normalize a culture of bigotry, which I'm sad to say, has become deeply permeated in French-Canadian society. While I am not the biggest fan of Ignatieff, I do applaud his voice in this matter. Indeed, the kirpan is, “not a weapon. It’s a religious symbol.”
I can't comprehend what kind of insane justification one would come up with for harming another human being. Reading about this made my skin tingle, in a good way! MashAllah, this group of people have set a wonderful example of how we should be treating our brothers and sisters in humanity.
Very commendable work giving these women a platform for their voices to be heard. It is absolutely disgusting how some women are treated in areas deeply entrenched in patriarchy. The inclusion of religious, legal and other specialists should be helpful in dispelling fake religious or legal justifications for these reprehensible violations of basic human rights.
On the problematic track record of religious freedom in Muslim-majority nations, with some hope for the future. It's a great sign that most citizens, as rational human beings do not support harsh restrictions or the persecution. These countries should be setting an example of peaceful and harmonious societies, not being pinpointed for representing the opposite.
Shame on you, Quebec. You call this equality? Such bloody hypocrites! The members of the World Sikh Organization must have felt very disrespected and 'othered' when they were prohibited from entering the Quebec legislature. The acceptance of racist practices like these in social institutions, normalize a culture of bigotry, which I'm sad to say, has become deeply permeated in French-Canadian society. While I am not the biggest fan of Ignatieff, I do applaud his voice in this matter. Indeed, the kirpan is, “not a weapon. It’s a religious symbol.”
I can't comprehend what kind of insane justification one would come up with for harming another human being. Reading about this made my skin tingle, in a good way! MashAllah, this group of people have set a wonderful example of how we should be treating our brothers and sisters in humanity.
Very commendable work giving these women a platform for their voices to be heard. It is absolutely disgusting how some women are treated in areas deeply entrenched in patriarchy. The inclusion of religious, legal and other specialists should be helpful in dispelling fake religious or legal justifications for these reprehensible violations of basic human rights.
On the problematic track record of religious freedom in Muslim-majority nations, with some hope for the future. It's a great sign that most citizens, as rational human beings do not support harsh restrictions or the persecution. These countries should be setting an example of peaceful and harmonious societies, not being pinpointed for representing the opposite.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Reviving my spirit...
During the last weekend of December 2010, I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful conference here in Toronto, the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference. For the past nine years, the conference has been organized by a group of young Canadian Muslims passionate about influencing and encouraging enlightenment in the local community. Today, they have become a vibrant cultural force in the Canadian Muslim community and since last year have been making strides in the American community, as well. Attendance was at an all-time high this past year with estimates above 20 000! mA!
The conference has attracted well-known and learned scholars, academics, professionals, and community leaders from across the world, including Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson (U.S), Professor Tariq Ramadan (Switzerland), Professor Umar Faruq Abd-Allah (U.S), Imam Zaid Shakir (U.S.), Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali (CAN), Dr. Jamal Badawi (CAN), Dr. Ingrid Mattson (U.S/CAN), Attallah Shabazz (U.S.), Habib Ali Al-Jifri (Yemen), Dr. Aisha Al-Adawiya (U.S.), Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson (U.S.), Sr. Ameena Jandali (U.S.), Imam Yassir Fazaga (U.S.), Ustadh Yahya Rhodus (U.S.), Dr. Eboo Patel (U.S.) and a few others.
The focus of this (or last!) year's conference was 'Rules for the Road of Life- Reviving the 10 Commandments in the Modern World'. Speakers more or less stayed on topic in the various sessions, while offering perspectives on related subjects, as well. All in all, it was a spiritually uplifting experience hearing from such passionate and knowledgeable individuals.
Through the three day conference, I jotted down a few wise words and notable pieces of information that I thought might be nice to share here.
The conference has attracted well-known and learned scholars, academics, professionals, and community leaders from across the world, including Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson (U.S), Professor Tariq Ramadan (Switzerland), Professor Umar Faruq Abd-Allah (U.S), Imam Zaid Shakir (U.S.), Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali (CAN), Dr. Jamal Badawi (CAN), Dr. Ingrid Mattson (U.S/CAN), Attallah Shabazz (U.S.), Habib Ali Al-Jifri (Yemen), Dr. Aisha Al-Adawiya (U.S.), Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson (U.S.), Sr. Ameena Jandali (U.S.), Imam Yassir Fazaga (U.S.), Ustadh Yahya Rhodus (U.S.), Dr. Eboo Patel (U.S.) and a few others.
The focus of this (or last!) year's conference was 'Rules for the Road of Life- Reviving the 10 Commandments in the Modern World'. Speakers more or less stayed on topic in the various sessions, while offering perspectives on related subjects, as well. All in all, it was a spiritually uplifting experience hearing from such passionate and knowledgeable individuals.
Through the three day conference, I jotted down a few wise words and notable pieces of information that I thought might be nice to share here.
Friday, January 21, 2011
ISNA Canada Makes the Front Page News...
...but unfortunately, not for a good reason :-(
For one of Canada's most visible and well-known Muslim organizations, news of fraud, fund mismanagement, and nepotism is troubling news indeed.
The most concerning aspect of the revelations relate to the misuse of zakat funds (yearly alms for Muslims, also one of the five pillars of Islam) that were donated to the organization. As a central Islamic tenet, the thought that the zakat funds were used for various other purposes is baffling and extremely dishonest, to say the least. If the administration was unable to handle the cost of handling the funds, perhaps they should not have solicited them in the first place. It is shameful that people's trust would be abused this way.
Forget the potential for them to lose their status as a charitable organization; at the moment, ISNA Canada has lost some major credibility as an organization that is worth contributing towards or trustworthy enough to dispense zakat donations.
For one of Canada's most visible and well-known Muslim organizations, news of fraud, fund mismanagement, and nepotism is troubling news indeed.
The most concerning aspect of the revelations relate to the misuse of zakat funds (yearly alms for Muslims, also one of the five pillars of Islam) that were donated to the organization. As a central Islamic tenet, the thought that the zakat funds were used for various other purposes is baffling and extremely dishonest, to say the least. If the administration was unable to handle the cost of handling the funds, perhaps they should not have solicited them in the first place. It is shameful that people's trust would be abused this way.
Forget the potential for them to lose their status as a charitable organization; at the moment, ISNA Canada has lost some major credibility as an organization that is worth contributing towards or trustworthy enough to dispense zakat donations.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Interesting Finds, Pt. IX
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| Borrowed from http://newzstreet.com |
Troubling news for humanity. Bees help to pollinate around "90 % of the world's commercial plants, from fruits and vegetables to coffee and cotton." World food production will be greatly endangered if we are unable to determine the cause of their decline! Climate change, the extinction of wildlife, the desecration of our environment...possible causes of our eventual decline??
I'm not quite sure what to make of this. Creating artificial weather conditions is inherently unnatural, and yet it could serve some purpose. I suppose only time will tell whether such experiments will prove disastrous, or the opposite.
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