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.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Interesting Finds, Part VIII
Great song from Montreal based artist, Sikh Knowledge! It's nice to see artistic and cultural developments from the Canadian South Asian community!
This was just shocking to me. Absolutely disrespectful and narcissistic in the extreme...
This is what I would like to ask you, Ms. Gilmour- who on earth made you an authority on Islam, and the history, meaning and purpose of the hijab? Perhaps speaking to some of the hundreds of millions of women around the world who voluntarily wear the hijab would be a great place to start. I mean if you genuinely wish to understand the concept of hijab in Islam, why rely on perspectives that are rejected by mainstream Muslims? Man, when will this cultural imperialism end?! Major inconsistencies in this worldview. It wreaks of colonialism.
This was just shocking to me. Absolutely disrespectful and narcissistic in the extreme...
This is what I would like to ask you, Ms. Gilmour- who on earth made you an authority on Islam, and the history, meaning and purpose of the hijab? Perhaps speaking to some of the hundreds of millions of women around the world who voluntarily wear the hijab would be a great place to start. I mean if you genuinely wish to understand the concept of hijab in Islam, why rely on perspectives that are rejected by mainstream Muslims? Man, when will this cultural imperialism end?! Major inconsistencies in this worldview. It wreaks of colonialism.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Interesting Finds, Part VII
Nowhere is it more important to protect and guarantee freedom of speech, than on university campuses! Students and professors should have academic freedom and should not worry about being censored. Unfortunately, when it comes to certain subjects, there have been some worrying trends with censorship.
It was best said by Philosopher John Stuart Mill,
"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
He further shared that, "the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error."
To be clear, I would not consider myself a free speech absolutist, as I view some extreme/obscene hate speech as unlawful expression in diverse societies. Having an opinion is one thing, encouraging discrimination and directing hateful speech at large groups of people is quite another. I don't believe this thesis falls into this latter category, however.
It was best said by Philosopher John Stuart Mill,
"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
He further shared that, "the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error."
To be clear, I would not consider myself a free speech absolutist, as I view some extreme/obscene hate speech as unlawful expression in diverse societies. Having an opinion is one thing, encouraging discrimination and directing hateful speech at large groups of people is quite another. I don't believe this thesis falls into this latter category, however.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
1432 AH: New Year, New Hope
Happy Islamic New Year everyone!
Another year has come and gone. May this upcoming year bring us all great health, increased faith, happiness, ease of hardship, inspiration and success. May this also be a year where justice prevails everywhere!
Just a little background on the Islamic calendar.
There are 12 lunar months- the beginning and endings of which are determined by the sighting of the crescent moon. The months include, Muharram, Safar, Rabbi al-Awwal, Rabbi al-Thani, Jumada al- Awwal, Jumada al-Thani, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan (the month of fasting), Shawwal, Dhul Qi'dah, Dhul Hijjah. The Islamic calendar is numbered from the year that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his followers emigrated from the city of Mecca to the city of Yathrib (Medinah), to settle the first Muslim community. This was known as the Hijrah, hence the AH representing the years After Hijrah.
While I am not a believer in setting firm 'new year' resolutions, I believe there is always room to look to the future for self-improvement. There's no harm writing them down, either :-) And now, some verses from the Qur'an to express the focus of my new year's resolutions...
Monday, December 6, 2010
MAC Warehouse Sale & Haul- December 2010
I had the privilege of attending the MAC Warehouse Sale this past weekend, with a good friend of mine. I feel very lucky to have attended the sale not once but twice this past year! I went to this trip a lot more prepared than I did the first one....but this meant I had larger expectations about what I wanted, and as a result, spent a bit more money than I had budgeted for. I figure since I'm not a big spender, the amount I overspent was still worth it! Or at least this is how I'm justifying the expense...
My friend and I headed over to Markham Fairgrounds on Friday, around 3 p.m- which proved to be the BEST time! Last year, when I had gone to the sale it was on a Sunday during the last two hours before the end of the sale- and it was A LOT busier then, believe it or not!
What you'll see in this haul post represents about half of the items I actually purchased at the sale. The other half includes items I purchased for my sister. I might do another post on those items in the near future. We shall see.
My friend and I headed over to Markham Fairgrounds on Friday, around 3 p.m- which proved to be the BEST time! Last year, when I had gone to the sale it was on a Sunday during the last two hours before the end of the sale- and it was A LOT busier then, believe it or not!
What you'll see in this haul post represents about half of the items I actually purchased at the sale. The other half includes items I purchased for my sister. I might do another post on those items in the near future. We shall see.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
BullSwiss.
I recently came across an article on the BBC about prisons in Switzerland and the high proportion of non-Swiss citizens in them. Be sure to read the article link below for some context. Here are my thoughts...
Assuming that because "more than 60% of prison inmates do not have Swiss nationality", that non-Swiss citizens are more inclined towards criminality, is a perspective I think to be way off base! Surely, it is a better indicator of discrimination in the justice system that has led to the over-representation of coloured persons, and in this case, non-citizens in prisons.
What is even more absurd about the referendum (that asked Swiss citizens whether non-Swiss individuals who committed crimes should be deported to their country of origin) is that children of immigrants do not automatically qualify to become citizens! This means that individuals who were born and raised in Switzerland and who have only ever known and called Switzerland home, could and will be deported to countries that they have absolutely no connection with- the birthplaces of their parents!
Assuming that because "more than 60% of prison inmates do not have Swiss nationality", that non-Swiss citizens are more inclined towards criminality, is a perspective I think to be way off base! Surely, it is a better indicator of discrimination in the justice system that has led to the over-representation of coloured persons, and in this case, non-citizens in prisons.
What is even more absurd about the referendum (that asked Swiss citizens whether non-Swiss individuals who committed crimes should be deported to their country of origin) is that children of immigrants do not automatically qualify to become citizens! This means that individuals who were born and raised in Switzerland and who have only ever known and called Switzerland home, could and will be deported to countries that they have absolutely no connection with- the birthplaces of their parents!
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