Our Microcosm!

Letter from a Christian woman to her Muslim sisters

2006-10-16T21:25:00.000+10:00

Assalamu alaikum microcosmists!!!
Gotta admit - even thought I still feel like an intruder, I missed the acitivity in this blog.
Anyways, I recieved the following letter in an email from a friend of mine. It's a letter addressed to Muslim sisters from a Christian woman. I've pasted the letter as well the web address because sometimes websites get deleted or become inaccessible.
So here it is before it has a chance to disappear...

To My Muslim Sisters

Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “war on terror,” the Muslim world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman I see is carrying a baby or has children around her. I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me: I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy. But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness. Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.

They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood, instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do. You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence. Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors. They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.

They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families. Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. They are like the Serpent tempting Eve with the apple. Don’t bite.

I see you as precious gems, pure gold, or the “pearl of great value” spoken of in the Bible (Matthew 13: 45). All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Jesus said: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7: 6). Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you. The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence. A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too.

Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones. Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us. Just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears. Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We really are all alike. Our race, religion or nationalities do not matter. A woman’s heart is the same everywhere. We love. That’s what we do best. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love. Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.

Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honor, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated. We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it. Please do not look down on us or think that we like things the way they are. It’s not our fault. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot. Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too. Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity. Remember: you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully!

I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended: the spirit of friendship, respect, and admiration. From your Christian sister – with love.

© 2006+ Joanna Francis

http://joannafrancis.wordpress.com

NEW LOOK NEEDED!

2006-10-06T10:27:00.001+10:00

HEY EVERYONE I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME OUR BLOG HAS A MAKEOVER. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? I'D BE HAPPY TO DO THE HONOURS!

The Story of my Car

2006-10-06T10:12:00.000+10:00

Well, it's been about 3 months since I bought my beautiful SEAT GLX Cordoba. Well, its metallic purple could certainly shines from far anyway. Since than I had to live the mockery of not having a driving licence but owning a car, paying insurance, NRMA fees, transfer of authority fees and not to mention weekly petrol costs. The only consolation is that Zakia has had her licence on my car, so that was a major use. However, the saddest thing is that the car had a minor accident caused by abbu but attributed to me by all since I'm the owner. The abbu had another accident, bigger this time and guess what little Shahir and Sameer said. "
Mrs Amin, you had an accident!"

Anyway, my poor little car is now written of since it'll cost about the same to repair it, was was the purchase price. So, I still didn't get my licence. I don't know how many times I postponed my driving test because of all the hassle with the car and now I have no car anymore. So, we're back to square one.......looking at Carsales.com and Belomore Motor Auction to see if there's anything for me!

Poor abbu feels aweful that he wrecked my first car! As I'm writing this post, he is trying his laymen's best to push the engine back because it's tilted in stupidly awkward position. Though it's most likely never to get well, those of you who saw it could perhaps spare it and me some kind 'get well' wishes :P

Random...

2006-09-29T14:38:00.000+10:00

2006-09-28T05:18:00.000+10:00

Salam guys. Ramadan mubarak. I just checked the dashboard. if i dont count my post from last week, the very last post i made was exactly 1 year 21 days. here goes another one. Since i have nothing to say, I am just going to post a video. It is so sad, almost made me cry. This is another version of last breath, a way cooler version. really makes you think. Who knows, when we will die. We might die any second. What guarantee do we have that we will see tomorrow? I hope we dont get lost in life's illusion. And i hope we can take advantage of this month.

RAMADAN MUBARAK!

2006-09-25T19:45:00.000+10:00

Assalamu Alaikum everyone. Yes, this blog has been neglected for too long and I admit that I am a culprit. Well, the only thing I can say for myself is that working as a casual teacher is so exhausting that half the time I don't know tat I'm alive. But Ramadan is here now. we gotta make the most of this blessed month no matter how busy we are. So I would like to wish everycody Ramadan Mubarak! I sent out some eCards out but don't know if you received it. Pls let me know!

10 great goals to set for this Ramadan

Sound Vision

Eat, drink and be moderate
Almost all of us do it - once Iftar time hits, we just keep plowing food and drink into our mouths till it's hard to move afterwards. And those of us who do it know this is totally contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, through which we're supposed to learn self-control not self-indulgence. Let's try to stick to the Prophetic rule on eating: fill our stomachs with one-third food, one-third water and one-third breathing space, even in Ramadan.
Give a dollar a day in charity...or five or ten
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was always generous but even more so in Ramadan. Let's open our hearts and dig a little deeper in our wallets this year. Even less than a dollar a day adds up. Whatever you can give, it's the intention that counts.
Memorize 4 new Surahs
Memorizing the Quran often seems like a daunting task. But the key is doing it in small bites. Since there are four weeks in Ramadan, try to memorize one new Surah a week. Start off with a short, easy one. Once you've started, you'll build momentum and may even want to memorize a longer one the following week.
Go to Tarawih prayers
Post-Iftar, the first urge is to sleep after an exhausting day. But try your best to head out to the mosque for Tarawih prayers. Praying alone is wonderful, but doing it in congregation is fantastic. The community spirit is part of Ramadan's blessings. Don't miss it this year. If going every day is not possible, try going at least one week.
Attend the Tarawih prayer in which the recitation of the Quran will be finished
Call the local mosque and find out which day the Imam will be finishing the recitation of the Quran in prayer. Attend to not only hear part of the Quran's recitation in prayer, but also participate in the heart-rending Duas that follow it.
Stop swearing and/or backbiting – with a special box
It's hard not to shoot our mouths off when someone's upset us. Whether we utter those four-letter words or backbite about someone to our family and friends, we know this isn't the God-approved way of letting off steam. In Ramadan, when we want to build our spirituality, we've got to wage Jihad against our bad habits.
Try this: get a box and every time you catch yourself swearing or backbiting put some money in it. It could be a buck or less. The point is to choose an amount that makes it feel like punishment.
At the end of the month send the money to a charity or buy a gift for the person whom you've backbitten the most against.
Call/email your relatives
You'd think that given the easy access to email, competitive long-distance calling rates, phone cards, etc. these days, we'd keep in touch with family and friends more often. But the opposite seems to be the case, as we get caught up in life's "busyness."
Strengthening ties with family members and keeping in touch with friends is part of our way of life and an act Allah is very pleased with. This Ramadan, call family and friends or at least email them a Ramadan card and ask them how their fasting is going.
Go on a technology diet
Even if you work in the IT industry, you can do this. Avoid checking personal email and surfing the web during your fast. After Iftar, instead of plopping yourself in front of the screen, go to Tarawih. The same goes for the television. The point is to try to give our full attention to spiritual elevation this month.
Read 5 minutes of Quran a day...just five, not more, not less
Even if you feel you've got absolutely no time, set a timer or the alarm on your cell phone and find a relatively quiet place. You can read the first page of the Quran you open or follow a sequence. The choice is yours. The point is simply to connect with God through His revelation in the month of the Quran.
Forgive everyone who has hurt you
Still got a festering wound from the fight with your friend last year? Still upset about something your spouse said during a heated argument? Or are you still bitter about the way your parents sometimes treated you as a kid? Let go of the anger and pain this Ramadan and forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiving someone is not only good for the body, but it's also great for the soul. And in Ramadan, ten days of which are devoted to Allah's forgiveness, shouldn't we lesser beings forgive too? If you find it very difficult to forgive everyone, forgive at least three people.

Salam!

2006-09-14T11:17:00.000+10:00

salam ppl, i have the most amazing news. Last night at 12:40 ish, we got this call. i was surprised to find it was jami kaku at the other end. after the usual hi hellos, he gave me the news. yes! Mily Apu got married last week!!!! anyways, i was so overwhelmed by this news, that i became speechless, and forgot to ask anything about the new DB, or the wedding. so i dont know much, and my curiosity is going bigger every minute. Uncle was calling from his office, so i couldnt talk to mily apu, so i had to hand the phone over to abbi. anyway, Alhamdulillah. Wow, it seems that this is the year of weddings. so many ppl i know got married this yr. and i missed all the weddings. :( anyway, i got exams coming up next week, so make lots of dua for me. salam.

Google rocks!

2006-09-02T16:13:00.000+10:00

Salam peoples,

Havent posted here in probably more than a year! How is everybody??? Insha Allah i will keep writing here since i have not much to do. Actually i do have stuff to do but keno jani korte icha kore na.

Guess what I discovered? Google search engine diye u can find out a lot about people. If u type in my name, my place in the distinguished achievers list for the HSC comes up. Likewise, i typed in many of my friends names and found them on the net too in various things, for example i just found out that a friend of mine from uni went to a protest when she was 15 and was interviewed by a local newspaper. But scariest of all is when u come across a person who is living a double life, like I have. I was quite disappointed cos i always thought this person was good, but anyways, it's not my fault because once you put something up on the net, it's free for the world to see (unless you make your sites private, which this person did not). Anyways, thought thats some interesting info u all might wanna no...

aww poor blog!

2006-05-29T05:30:00.000+10:00

aww our poor blog....it's getting hacked by some weird ppl...lol. everyone's soo bz with their own blogs, no one has posted for about a yr!!!! its soo sad...i dunno y i came bak, but i just decided to check out some blogs, and it reminded me of the good ol' dayz when we posted like atleast once a day!!! well i have nothing else to say....just thought i would b the first to rite in about a yr....alrite...salamz!!!

The significance of Eid al-Fitr

2005-11-04T10:03:00.000+11:00

Islam has two major holidays, Eid al-Fitr (Post-Fasting Festival) and Eid al-Adha.

The word Eid itself is an Arabic word, whose root connotation is ‘that which comes back, time after time, and rejoicing.’ Its particular usage in Islam, for the two major holidays, is because these two days are meant to be days of rejoicing. [1]

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “They are days of eating, drinking, and remembrance of God.” [Reported by Bukhari in his Sahih, an authoritative collection of the sayings of the Prophet.]

In this same spirit, the Qur’an mentions that, “Jesus, son of Mary, said: ‘O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast (eid) for us, for the first of us and for the last of us and a sign from You. Give us sustenance, for You are the Best of Sustainers.’” (Qur’an, 5: 114)

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the completion of the month of Ramadan, in which Muslims fast and increase their spiritual devotions, and is meant to be a recognition the material and spiritual favors of God to His creation.

On this day, Muslims all over the world thank God for the gift of fasting, in which they avoided food, drink and intercourse from dawn to dusk, out of obedience and servitude. The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan out of faith, seeking its reward, shall have all their past sins forgiven.” [Also reported by Bukhari in hisSahih, and others]

The many lessons in Ramadan are acted upon on this day of festivity, in order that they not be forgotten:

1. Devoting oneself to God: Muslims start the day by showering after dawn on Eid day, then go to the short Eid prayer and sermon that takes place early in the morning.

2. Recognizing one’s blessings and thanking God for them: Muslims are encouraged to wear their best clothes, give gifts (especially to children) and celebrate with family, friends, and neighbors.

3. Remembering the plight of the poor and giving in charity: On Eid day, it is especially recommended to give in charity, the best time of which is before going to the mosque or prayer hall in the morning.

Here in Jordan, we gather after the Eid prayer with fellow students, greet each other, and then have a short groupdhikr (remembrance of God) that is accompanied by spiritual songs. Before people part, they drink coffee and have local biscuits and sweets.

In this and other ways, Muslims seek to join between worldly and spiritual celebration, for it is said, “True rejoicing is not (merely) in wearing new clothes, but in becoming true in one’s devotion to God.”

As a result, it is encouraged for Muslims to fast another six days after Eid during the month of Shawwal, in order to keep alive the lessons learned during the month of Ramadan, and to become of those devoted to God. It is because of this that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever fasts of Ramadan then fasts six days in the month of Shawwal shall have the reward of having fasted the whole year.” (Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “For every people there is a feast and this is our feast.” [Reported by Bukhari in his Sahih]

Sincerely,
Faraz Rabbani,Amman, Jordan

[1] Raghib al-Isfahani, Mufradat Alfaz al-Qur’an, 594 (Damascus: Dar al-Qalam, 1997). This is a classic work on the vocabulary of the Qur’an.

EID MUBARAK TO YOU ALL!

2005-11-04T00:54:00.000+11:00

Salamz fellow Microcosomists! I just wanted to wish you an Eid Mubarak in my very own ugly deep voice. Click on my profile pic, then click 'download.'

Make sure I hear back from you all!

Eid Mubarak

2005-11-03T09:47:00.000+11:00

An early Eid Mubarak 2 all! Click on the title of this post, I have another card for u guys.

Ramadan Awareness Campaign in Aus

2005-10-19T12:29:00.000+10:00

This is a great effort mashallah to wake Australian Muslims to the bleesings and importance of Ramadan. They publish posters, booklets, accessories, give talks etc to spread the teachings of Ramadan. This year, the moto is "Fasten Your Lips." Their website is http://www.ramadan.com.au/rac/

Here's a presentation they put together for children.

This one is for High shcool students.

Here's my own RAC fridge magnet/pen. I put it in my pencil case.

RAMADAN MUBARAK!!!

2005-10-04T21:56:00.000+10:00

RAMADAN MUBARAK EVERYONE!!!!

বিদায় বাংলিশ!

2005-09-19T13:22:00.000+10:00

আমাদের মতো অপদার্থ প্রবাসী তরুণ-তরুনীদের, যারা কিনা বাংলিশ বলতে দাত আর মাড়ী খয়ে ফেলছে, তাদের উচিত Bangla Blog লিখা। আমি এটা লিখেছি Deepayan Unicode Editor দিয়ে। যদি তোমার কম্পিউটারে বাংলা ফন্ট থাকে, তাহলে শুধু free Blogger for Word add-on ব্যবহার করে বাংলা ব্লগ লিখতে পারবে। দেখি কার সাহস আছে চেষ্টা করার!

back from ISNA

2005-09-06T22:13:00.000+10:00

Hows it going ppl? Tomader shobaike jaganor jonno ei post. Do you realize, that this whole month, in august only me, munipu, and my sis posted smthn? Comeon ppl, wake up. “come back, come back………..”
Lol, anyways, Came back from ISNA yesterday. It was pretty good. It was the first ISNA that I ever went to, and let me tell you, it was huge. Last yr, I went to ICNA for the first time too, ISNA was almost 3 times bigger than that. The sessions were great. We had a lot of fun. Learned a lot of stuff. The bazaar was great too. Bought many pretty hijaabs. Amader hoteltau bhalo chilo, kono oshubidha hoini. shunsilam, je ISNA naki onek boro, aro onek organized and better than ICNA. But to me, I liked ICNA better. I don’t know, maybe its because that was the first Islamic convention that I ever went to. I mean, yeah, it was smaller. But I liked the topics that they had last yr, much better. And also, amar kache mone hochchilo, je ISNA-te aro onek beshi free mixing chilo. bhitore sessions cholche, ar baire chele meyera ekshathe darai golpo korche. Bazaare jokhon free T-shirt throw korchilo, shob, chele meye, bhir kore, shobai laf diye diye ogula niyar cheshta korchilo. And khichu kichu meyeder khapor chopor-o chilo dekhar moto. Mathate kapor to chiloina, gaye ja porsilo, dekhe monei hoina je muslim. Jai hok, other than that, I liked the topics for the sessions that they chose. Kintu ICNA-r topic gulo aro bhalo lagsilo. They were more in personal level than it was in ISNA. Ar, last yr-e ICNA amar upor jotota affect korsilo, ISNA didn’t have that much affect on me. Maybe its bcuz, I was ready for a change last yr. I was more willing to change my ways, I don’t know. All I know is, last yr-e ICNA theke ashar pore I became more religious, and I stayed that way for a long time. ISNA-je affect koreni tana, but I just came back yesterday, and already mone hochche ami abar ager obosthate fire jachchi.

The entertainment in ISNA was much better. Native deen, Shaam played at the entertainment session. And this famous comedian was there too, forgot his name. ar shudhu sister’s der jonno alada entertainment session chilo. I liked that one much better. okhane jehetu shudhu meyera chilo, meyera freely gan geyechilo, cheer korchilo performerder jonno. Mashaallah, some of our sisters are really talented. We had a lot of fun there. Other jei duita entertainment sessions chilo, shegula chilo mixed. I liked the entertainments, kintu kichu kichu jinish khub kharap lagse. Jemon, onek shomoi chele meyera ekshathe boshche. Abar shob chele meye, ekshathe chitkar kore cheer korchilo, ar sheesh dichchilo. I understand that they were expressing how much fun they were having, but since it was mixed, I didn’t like how they were acting. I remember last year, in ICNA, ekta matro entertainment session chilo, and it was mixed too. Kintu jokhon Kichu sisters, and bros, started acting real wild, and started screaming, and dancing, ekta bro stage-e eshe emon dhomok dilo, keu ar kono shobdo koreni. Shobai shudhu hat tali dise. Lol. ICNA-r entertainment jegula chilo, shegulo beshi bhalo lageni, shudhu rap chilo, bujha jachchilona, it was too loud, wasn’t really that good. But the way they handled it, it was much better. ISNA-te ora famous onek band niye ashche, comedians chilo, and much more fun chilo, but the way they handled it, wasn’t very Islamic. It felt like I was in some nonislamic concert. jai hok, I was a little disappointed, but overall, it was ok.

Ashar shomoi I felt really sad. The same happened in ICNA too last yr. ami dekhsi, je jokhoni ei conventiongulo theke bashai firi, It feels more like I am going away from home, not the other way around. I feel like I am leaving behind the loved ones and going to a complete strange place. Lol, funny huh? Oh, I forgot to give you the most exciting news. Lol, tomra shune shocked hoye jaba. I did the wildest thing in ISNA. Lol, ok, it wasn’t that wild. anyways here it goes, so brace yourself, “I GOT MY NOSE PIERCED PPL”. Lol, I look so weird now. Don’t look like myself. Miha-r onekdiner shokh chilo je nose pierce korbe. Kintu abbi ke raji koratei onek shomoi lege gelo. Ar tachara its real expensive too. $50. so ISNA-te jokhon dekhe je its only $15, or khushi dekhe ke. Tokhoni boshe gelo korte. Unfortunately, the lady said it is only $20 if two ppl does it. tokhoni shobar chokh eshe porlo amar upor. Ami palate giyeu parlamna, tinjon mile dhore (the lady helped ammu and miha), onekta jor korei kore dilo. It didn’t hurt so much, kintu korar por jokhon darate jabo, dekhi amar pa kapche, and I couldn’t stand up. Dekhe mone hochchilo pa nachachchi. Miha was like “ apu, stop faking it”. anyways, I tried to stop it, but couldn’t. amar ei week obostha dekhe, ashe pasher manusher hashi dekhe ke. That lady started laughing, and gave me a hug. Anyways, nak to futa korlam. Kintu ekhon khub oshubidha hochche. Diner bhitor 100bar batha pachchi kononakono bhabe. Hoi bichanate ghosha lagche, nahole mukh wash korte giye batha lagche. Oshudh dichchi, kintu kemon lal lal hoye ache.

Hey guys, I am gonna stop writing now. I’ve been writing for an hour almost. So anyways, tomra shobai post koro. Ajke ekhane rakhi. Allah hafej.

Awkward visit!

2005-08-31T18:14:00.000+10:00

On Satuday, we out out together (the whole family! in a long time). Anyway, it was nothing terribly exciting. Just went over to 2 family friends' house because our visits have been long over-due. Anyway in the first house, we met the aunty’s younger sister who recently arrived from Bangladesh. Didn’t get a chance to have an open chat coz aunty an ammu were around the whole time. It was so awkward to speak to her because I called her ‘apni’ on account that she’s a married lady and has a one year old boy. But it felt weird coz she’s even younger than afifa and zakia! *LOL* the way things are going, I’m starting to fell like an old SPINSTER around here. *lol*lol*

Anyways aunty’s (not her sister) older son’s voice cracked (he’s in year 6 now). Poor kid’s so embarrassed he wouldn’t open his mouth. He used to be quite a chatterbox with us before. And he’s starting to keep that distance with us now that he’s getting older. It’s sad! I’m losing all these little brothers! Anyway, he’s really smart and got in Sydney Boys (I even forgot to congratulate him). Did I mention he’s got a cute singing voice (rather he used to have). I still remember he and my brother sang a duet nasheed at last IPDC AGM. God knows if he’ll even sing again after his voice finished growing through the ‘cracking process!’

We stopped by Woolies to get some chocolates before going to the next place. Me and radia got out to get it while everyone waited in the car-park. A few minutes later, zakia rushes in and tells us to hurry because abbu started getting sick in the car. He filled a bag and ammu and Afifa were frantically looking for a bin to dispose it. Once we got to the car, amuu took the driving sit and we started off. Abby said, “right, we go in, we eat, we come out and go home. I think I’m gonna get worse. Maybe I should go to the doc.” Ammu says “we’ll drop em (that’s us) off at vabi’s then I’ll drive you to Lakemba Medical Centre.” Abbu truly got WORSE by the time we arrived at aunty’s place. He kept throwing up, filled two bags. Did I mention that I get really affected by the sound and smell of vomit i.e. it induces the same reaction in me! So, now abbu was throwing up in earnest and I was trying to block my nose, ears and my mouth in earnest (I felt my throat filling up a few times and had to force it down! Yuck!) Anyway, we did a quick job of visiting that family. This auntiy's older older son in in year 4 nd he's best friends with the other auntiy's 2nd son. He told u many funny stories about his best friend and made us promise not to tell him on account of his frind being super-sensitive. So we did have some laughs! We’re out of there house in 30 minutes (record time for us). Abbu didn’t end up going to the medical centre.

By all accounts, this was a strange and awkward visit. Now you know why we have so few family outings!

biye

2005-08-15T21:59:00.000+10:00

We're just back from the biye...back so early because we walked out...it was a sore disappointment...Islamically...she was on stage....no hijab...the hall was filled with men women mixed. I hope no other person affiliated with our org has such wedding...i wouldn't go...also, I heard that on the gaye holud night, they put on music and had dancing after we (the hijabis) left!

World

2005-08-15T17:40:00.000+10:00

"I am a Christian who lived with Moslems all my life"By Raja MatterAug 23, 2004, 16:46
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Our good friend, Raja Matter, a correspondent from the Middle East, wrote this response to an email that was forwarded to him. The e-mail was written from a retired U.S. attorney to his 4 sons, charging Muslims as enemies of the United States because of their "Envy of our position, our success, and our freedoms". The father wrote the following to his sons, "Remember, they want us dead, not just quiet". He expressed his fear that Muslims could defeat the U.S. and predicted, "They will pick off the other non Muslim nations, one at a time. It will be increasingly easier for them".
Raja responds -
I am a Christian who lived with Moslems all my life, and I find them no better or no worse than any other human beings. Their religion is in no way bellicose or belligerent. (see the quoted by Bertrand Russell below) In fact, the history of the expansion of the Moslem religion is much less - superlatively less - bloody than the history of the expansion of Christianity.
There are no massacres of indigenous people in Islamic history, as compared to the genocides of whole population in the name of Christianity in North and South America as well as much of Africa, as documented in history books. I can write a whole thesis about the subject, but I am going to try to be as consise as possible. Remember that I am a Christian who was born in Palestine and lived in Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In all the countries I have lived in, I never felt that I was treated any worse or better than the average citizen of that country. (Ok, I couldn't go to a church in Saudi Arabia, but I am not a church-goer anyway. But there is no shortage of churches anywhere else in the Arab world where there are Christian communities.)
1. Arab Moslem history (and I emphasize here Arab, as I am not too familiar with Moslem history outside the Arab World) has no record of any persecution of non-Moslems. There might have been discrimination, but no mass persecutions. The proof is the high percentage of Christians that always lived in the Moslem Arab world: 20% in pre-Israeli-occupied Palestine (as of 1948), 15% in Syrian, 40% in Lebanon, some 5-10% in Iraq, Jordan and Egypt. The percentage have declined over the years (they were much higher a century or so ago), not due to any persecutions, but due to the high Moslem birth-rate, and the tendency of Christians to emigrate to areas with more favorable economic potentials.
2. The most glorious period of Jewish culture was under Moslem rule in Spain. When the Moslems were evicted and the Inquisition stepped in, all (I, literally mean ALL) the Jews who lived in Spain left along with the Moslems to North Africa, and from there partially drifted to the Balkans, Palestine, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire. They felt more secure living with the Moslems than living with the Christians of Spain.
3. The history of the Christian West is rife with anti-Semitic pogroms. The most recent, of course, was the Nazi era. There is no historical record of any in the Moslem world.
4. The Islamic world has no quarrel with the West. The argument that they are jealous of their democracy and their way of life is just plain nonsense. The Islamic world was - and still is - the one under attack by the West. In our friend's letter below there is no mention of how the West gave away part of the Arab world (Palestine) to Jewish immigrants as atonement for its own (I mean - the West's) persecution of Jews in Europe. The net result was a displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population. Since then the atrocities in Palestine never stopped. They probably rival or exceed the atrocities inflicted upon the Jews in Europe. This whole enterprise of displacing a population and having it replaced by another is based on some dubious 'real estate deed' given by God to his 'chosen people' some 3,000 years ago!
5. The Islamic world was attacked by hoards of Crusaders from Europe about a 1000 years ago, ostensibly to wrest Jerusalem from the clutches of the Moslems. At that time, Moslems, Christians and Jews were living peacefully in Jerusalem. When the Crusaders finally conquered Jerusalem, they massacred its whole population, including the Christians and Jews who were living there. The Crusaders were finally swept out of the Middle East, but the Moslems never retaliated against the Christians living among their midst.
6. The collective psyche of the Moslems never forgot the Crusaders and the atrocities that they perpetuated. To them the invasion of Palestine by western Jews and the current invasion of Iraq is just a second act in a war started a millenium ago by the Crusades. Your friend's state of mind in the letter below is a microcosm of what I read in some biased Western media about Islam and the intention of the Western world to eradicate the Moslems and/or their religion. This is still the Crusader mentality surviving in the minds of the non-cultured.
7. Bush, with his evangelical zeal and his simplistic interpretation of the Bible, is no different in my mind than the fanatical zeal of Bin Laden. It was Newton who said that for every action there is an equivalent and opposite reaction. The war against Islam and the Arab world was not started by Bin Laden on 9/11, but by the West in 1917 when Balfour gave away Palestine to a population alien to the land, and by a history of deceptions and broken promises in the aftermath of WWI to the Arab World. The details are available in any history book of the period.
8. The war on Iraq - and the current threats against Syria, Iran - are not as altruistic as the politicians make them appear. There are many things wrong with Arab or Moslem regimes. Saddam, Kadhafi, the Mullahs of Afghanistan, or the Ayatullahs of Iran are no symbols of democracy or human rights. But would the West have cared for the overthrow of these regimes if they were growing potatoes instead of oil? Aren't there other ways of coaxing them into the right direction short of invasion based on lies about WMDs?
9. The US (and Blair, of course) with this gung-ho crusader attack on Iraq was all that was needed to reenforce the feeling among the Moslems, which has been building up since the 1917 Balfour declaration, that the West is up to no good as far as they are concerned, and no matter what they do, the Moslems are always at the receiving end of the West's expansion plans and the looting of the area's resources. The ongoing ethnic cleansing in Palestine, and the current behavior of the troops in Iraq (be they American or British) smack of a racist, anti-Arab, anti-Moslem state of mind. The blatant lies which led to the Iraqi war, and the sadism and tortures in Abou Ghraib and Guantanamo are no inducement to the average Moslem to take seriously the claims of the US and the UK that they intend to bring democracy and human rights to the area.
10. One thing that your friend said or alluded to is correct. The Moslem world is seething with anger. Not at the western values that it is jealous of, but at the atrocious images coming out of Palestine and Iraq. Being helpless against this vast war machine unleashed upon its very existence, the Islamic world has given birth to some hard-core Moslem fanatics (as hard-core religious fanatics as Bush and his Evangelist clique, or Sharon and his Biblical settlers). These Moslem fanatics do not represent the average Moslem, inasmuch as Pat Robertson does not represent Christianity. To these angry Moslems, terrorism is their weapon of revenge of last resort. Terrorism, let us not forget, is the weapon of the weak.
11. I am personally, as scared as the next guy who lives in NY or London. I am not only scared of Islamic terrorists, but I am just as scared of leaders like Bush and his entourage who are unable to approach the problems of our area with other than the shallowest of intellect.
Here are a couple of relevant quotes from no less an authority than Bertrand Russell:
"I have always been told throughout my youth of the fanaticism of the Mohammedans, and especially that story of the destruction of the library at Alexandria. Well, I believed all these stories, but when I came to look into the history of the times concerned, I had a great many shocks. In the first place, I discovered that the library of Alexandria was destroyed a great many times, and the first time was by Julius Caesar. But the last time was supposed to have been by the Mohammedans, and for this I found no justification whatsoever. Nor did I find that the Mohammedans were fanatical. The contests between Catholics, Nestorians, and Monophysites were bitter and persecuting to the last degree. But the Mohammedans, when they conquered Christian countries, allowed the Christians to be perfectly free, provided they pay a tribute. The only penalty for being a Christian was that you had to pay a tribute that Mohammedans did not have to pay. This proved completely successful, and the immense majority of the population became Mohammedans, but not through any fanaticism on the part of the Mohammedans. On the contrary they, in the earlier centuries of their power, represented free thought and tolerance to a degree that the Christians did not emulate until quite recent times."
- Bertrand Russell (Eng. philosopher, mathematician, 1872-1970): "Reading History As It Is Never Written" [1959] p.293
".... in the Mohammedan world, Christians and Jews were not molested so long as they paid the tribute; but throughout Christendom death was the usual penalty for even the smallest deviation from orthodoxy."
- Bertrand Russell: In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays

http://www.axisoflogic.com/cgi-bin/exec/view.pl?archive=66&num=11106

Gaye Holud!

2005-08-15T14:28:00.000+10:00

We went to this friend's gaye holud on Saturday. She was so pretty! Tonight is the wedding. They kept things as Islamic as was in their power e.g. they didn't play music and they didn't let any men in. But still somethings in there didn't sit right with me. We went dressed up but in the end decided not to take our borkha off. Our friend was wearing a holud shari with red par and golden jamdani work throughout. Makeup was mostly red and pink but it suit her fine. Her garland was rose and some pink-white flowers. She looked like a princess! Her smiles were even better!

Lost in my Childhood

2005-08-04T12:00:00.000+10:00

salamz. I'll be the first one to post in the month of August.
last night at about 12am i couldn't sleep. so i woke up, and went to the closet, turned on the light and started riting a poem. after a while apu told me to turn of the light. so i went to the bathroom "pretending" to use it and wrote a poem for about 15 mins, when someone came knocking on the door. emu apu, i know its not that good but u could use this one. tell me how it is........

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Lost in our childhood

Remember the times we had,
Laughing and playing together.
All lost in our childhood.

Remember the things we buried,
And promised we would comeback for them someday,
Now we don’t even remember where we buried it,
They are all, lost in our childhood.

Remember the bracelet I gave you,
That said ‘Best Friends Forever’
We both never wear it anymore.
They are all, lost in our childhood.

Remember the things we promised to do together,
We barely think about each other anymore.
Those are all, lost in our childhood.

Now everything changed.
Its like you went your way and I went mine.
We can’t even talk to each other properly.
We have different friends,
Different schools,
Different hobbies.
Now we barely see each other.
Maybe once in a month, or sometimes even years pass by.
I used to sit in my room
Crying and remembering about you,
Who is, lost in my childhood.

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So, what do u think?

Uni begins!!

2005-07-26T13:54:00.000+10:00

Hey everyonethis is just a welcom message from me to all those starting another semester @ uni . Well, let me tell u abt myself. I have started from tuesday ( monday is my day off, yeeee!) and currently I am @ uni having my 3 hrs break ( how long:( )! So, i decided to spent my time doing something constructive .. ( umm..i don't know if writin on the blog wud be considered something constructive???). Uh..for got 2 tell u abt my experience on this first day @ uni... my class starts @ 11:00 wit a lecture, then 3 hrs break and then a tutorial. Anyways..I caught the train on time and waited abt 1/2 hr for da bus. I had abt 15 mins in my hand till lcture starts ( the bus takes abt 5 mins to get to uni). Now, on the road, there was unusally heavy trffic ( later i found out that it was cos of an accident ). SO the bus had to take a long route to get to uni. So by the time it reached my campus , i was abt 10 mins late. Anyways I quickly checked the room and went into the lecture hall. After sitting there for abt 1/2 hr, i realised that i am in the wrong lecture room ( i was meant to be in the room next door). Anyways by the time i realised, i had abt 15 mins left till the end of the lecture and i was too embarrased to get out. So, i sat there until da end and then came out..! Hmmm...a great way to start uni..don't u think!
Btw..before all of u laugh @ my stupidity, let me give u my reasons 4 it ( i am doing two subjects this semester which deals wit the same topic and the tutorials for both are in da same tute rm and the lecture are in two rms next 2 each other..thats y i went into da worng ( da rm i am supposed go to for fridays lec, not tuesday's one!!!

Ekta gese out of the way….

2005-07-13T10:10:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I was interviewed by the Department of Education and Training, as would be all those who are graduating with a teaching degree this year. Boy oh boy, was it nerve-wrecking! Let me give you an account.

Being the procrastinator I am, I was preparing the paperwork and writing down possible responses until the last minute. At 9:00, I said ‘Enough’ and shoved all papers inside my bag.

Now to get ready. My abayya hadn’t dried on account of having it washed at 5 pm the previous day. That’s because when I went to uni wearing the grey abbay that day, it suddenly occurred to me that this would be the best to wear for the interview, because it is the most sophisticated and professional looking as far as my drab abayyas are concerned. So when I came home at 5 and tore it off my body and washed it and predictably it as still wet.

Don’t worry; procrastinators have to have a back-up plan as I did. My back-up plan was to go in beige. Beige abayya, beige pants, beige jacket, beige scarf and beige bag. (this looks more brown, doesn't it?) Boy was I colour coordinated (with the exception of my black shoes on account of not having any beige ones!) Anyways, since it was such a momentous occasion, I decided to wear the gold pin Ema gave me. But it wouldn’t go through the jacket! I was triumphant after a few minutes of collective struggle involving Radia and ammu.

Then I asked for ammu’s blessings and everyone else’s (even Radia’s!) before stepping out of the house. I was trying to visualize what the interview might be like. And by the time I reached Werrington station on foot, I was totally clammy: not sure if it was from the physical exertion or a case of nerve attack.

The venue was NSW Department of Ed and Training Blacktown main office and my interview was at 10:50#. I stepped out of Blacktown station at about 10:30. The main street being Main Street was pretty easy to locate except I walked right past my destination all the way to building 60, then realized I left 22 right at the foot of the station and so retraced my steps.

Having gotten into the building at about 10:40, I reported to the reception and then turned around to take a seat. There was an Indian looking lady in shelwar kamis and head-scarf (that’s another Muslim teacher I happily assumed) and I just about opened my mouth to talk to her when my eyes fell on the other occupant in the reception. T’ was Lish! Wow! Just made my day to have someone from my honours class! So we talked until we were off to our separate rooms. I felt quite slack for not talking to the other lady *sigh*

We were told from before that the interview panel will be made up of two principals. I had a male and a female principal. They were quite nice in a vague sort of way. And though the questions were predictable, my answers were not as I had prepared. Though the interviewers where quite relaxed and informal, I still got nervous and kept tripping over my own words. I was asked questions about why I wanted to be a teacher, how would I teach literacy, how would I manage behaviour, my best and worst lessons on prac, my knowledge about the child protection policy etc. The thing that worried me was how they kept nodding and agreeing with everything I said….what did it mean…..good or bad????

It felt like the interview took a total of 15 minutes! I spent more time traveling and nearly as much time waiting! Anyways, I’m just glad it’s over!

good or bad?

2005-07-11T21:01:00.000+10:00

A few yrs back, i found myself run across this website. i thought it was okay at first but then i started to see some weird and wrong advices. could neone chek this website? there are soo many ppl getting advice from this website. its...http://www.submission.org/teenagers/a-c6.html. thanx. salam.

fotua

2005-07-08T11:07:00.000+10:00

salams ppl...........on monday...........after 6 hours of sewing......cutting, tanatani, hachra hachri, chirachiri...........angule shuch futaye..........i finally finished making this fotua..alhamdulillah......well, ammu helped me, she taught me how to sew properly this time, so congratulate me!!!!!!!!!

To those friends for visiting me, ifafa & uknowho (mou included)

2005-07-04T00:15:00.000+10:00

FUN on FRIDAY....fun, fun, fun, fun...

2005-07-03T23:43:00.000+10:00

Read an account (in Flynn's words) of Friday July 1. No doubt mou has been treated to a live excerptv p.s. ppl will probably go crazy over flynn's blog but make some comments here too.

2005-07-02T13:31:00.000+10:00

okay..i finally decided to blog. i found this pretty cool article...although it is pretty harsh and disgusting! but its interesting. its called "sep.11 and its aftermath" some of u mite have read this article b4.
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Within hours of the Twin Towers attack, Muslim organisations in Britain were receiving hate mail. British Muslims found themselves catapulted to a front line not of their making:
Are you happy now? Salman Rushdie was right your religion is a joke! Long live Israel! The US will soon kill many Muslim women and children! You are all subhuman freaks!

I am sorry but I don't believe you at all. You will slaughter anyone and everyone to gain world domination. You can never be trusted ever again. I may now even begin to have sympathy with the National Front. F*** YOU and GO TO A MUSLIM HOME COUNTRY.

The rest of the world will now join to smash your filthy disease infested Islam. You must be removed from great [sic] Britain in body bags

These were not idle threats – Muslims were being abused and mosques desecrated as people responded in a knee-jerk manner. In Exeter, two days after the Sept 11 attacks, eight pig’s heads were thrown into the car park of the local mosque and a banner was erected saying “The blood of the American people is on the hands of every Muslim. Nuke ‘em, George.” In Swindon, a nineteen year-old Muslim woman wearing a headscarf was left hospitalised after being chased and hit hard on the head with a baseball bat.

This was to be the most delicate moment thus far in the history of the Muslim community – Britain could have easily slipped into a climate of intolerance towards Muslims, as was to happen in the US. However one factor proved tremendously important – Muslims in Britain possessed a national body linked to the grass-roots that could speak on their behalf and express the position of the majority clearly and effectively.
This body was the Muslim Council of Britain, formed in 1997. By 2001 the MCB had evolved procedures and an organizational infrastructure that could just about cope with a crisis of these proportions and this saved the community from fragmentation and a witch hunt. Benefiting from the consensus-seeking approach and PR flair of its first Secretary General Iqbal Sacranie (1998-2002) the organization had processes in place for internal consultation, the preparation of press releases and communication with the media and government.
The MCB was thus able to issue a press statement within three hours of the atrocity stating unequivocally that ’whoever is responsible for these dreadful, wanton attacks, we condemn them utterly’, largely due to the rapid work of the chairman of its Public Relations committee, Mohibur Rahman and advice from the writer Merryl Wyn Davies . MCB spokespersons led by the Secretary General of the day, Yousuf Bhailok (2000-2002), and with support from many colleagues including Iqbal Sacranie, Mahmud Al-Rashid, Inayat Banglawala, Sarah Joseph and Khaled Anees worked round the clock to present the Muslim point of view and to urge everyone not to proceed down the path of revenge attacks. On Sept 12th the Prime Minister himself made reference to the MCB’s unequivocal position of outright condemnation in his press conference outside No 10 Downing Street. Within 48 hours the MCB had organised a well-attended press conference where all the main Muslim leaders from around the UK signed a statement stating that the attacks were morally indefensible and called on those who had planned the attacks to be brought to justice.
In an important issue of policy the MCB for the first time took a public stand to confront groups within the community that not only misrepresented the values of Islam but caused ill-will through foolish statements and quixotic behaviour (the Hizb Tahrir and Al-Muhajiroon). The MCB urged TV producers and newspaper editors not to offer a high profile to such people, who not only did not represent how the mainstream community thought and felt, but who indirectly inflamed passions and spread hatred. This was another coming of age for the British Muslim community – when it confronted its own misguided sections.

The MCB’s Press Release – issued on 11th September 2001
MCB expresses total condemnation of terrorist attacks
British Muslims, along with everyone else, are watching events in America with shock and horror. Whoever is responsible for these dreadful, wanton attacks, we condemn them utterly. These are senseless and evil acts that appal all people of conscience. The MCB stands shoulder to shoulder with remarks made by our Prime Minister Tony Blair. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the innocent victims, their families and communities. We convey our deepest sympathies to President Bush and the people of America. No cause can justify this carnage. We hope those responsible will swiftly be brought to justice for their unconscionable deeds.
As the British Muslims come to the full realisation of these most awful events, which they condemn wholeheartedly, they too are beginning to feel a huge sense of fear. Terror makes victims of us all, it is beyond reason. Terror on this scale must not be compounded by knee-jerk reactions that would make victims of other innocent peoples of the world. This would only add to the devastation caused.
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very sad, huh?
~maliha~

Me Radia here!

2005-06-30T22:19:00.000+10:00

Salaamz ppl. This is RADIA.
This poem, I wrote it at school because we had to write poems for Writing. We wrote a lot of different poems like around 4-5. This one we had to do about ghosts because we read another poem about ghosts. Then we had to write our own and make it totally different from the other poem. When I was writing this, I felt quite excited because I never really wrote a poem about ghosts & stuff. But poetry I really fun and I really enjoy writing poems A LOT!!

IT CAN’T BE, CAN IT? 29-06-2005

An evil spirit floats through the gruesome graveyard,
Of your backyard.
He silently floats through your front door,
And who knows what he’s looking for?
“It can’t be a ghost,” you say to yourself-
You huddle into a tiny ball,
As the ghost starts wailing, giving you a call.

Calling your name, he floats by your bedroom door,
And you know exactly who he’s looking for.
“Come here,” he whispers aloud.
It’s your imagination you think, but you have your doubts.
“It can’t be a ghost,” you say to yourself again-
You slowly get up and walk to the window sill,
But the world outside is silent and still.

2005-06-30T11:29:00.000+10:00

salam ppl. M apu'r poem gula pore amar khub poem likhte ichcha korche. but sadly, i suck at writing poems. infact when i took creative writing. every fri. i had to write something. anything. and i used to write poems abotu how i cant write poems. anyways, M pu's poems had such a great effect on me that now, i decided to embarass myself by posting one of my own poems here.

ahm ahm ahm..................

Poetry & I

writing a poetry
is not my thing
it is so hard
i'd rather sing

I know nothing
about writing poetry
I guess we just
don't have the chemistry

I try hard
for my poetries to rhyme
but it takes too long
and i just don't have the time

Wow, this poetry rhymes
this is so amazing
I am so happy
I feel like dancing

ok..................lol..............guys, serious, i got a 10/10 for it. lol. hard to believe eh? well, it was creative writing. and my poem has some unique qualities. lol. to unique.

OUCH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

2005-06-30T09:35:00.000+10:00

ohhh..da searing pain*SCREAMS* don't get two surprised..its not WW3 dats ON but its my attempt to put on a pair of earing. leeme start from da beginnig....
in da last eid ul fitr, i had a blude dress...now dere was no jewellery with it & M'apu threatened me dat if i don't MAKE it, den me in a big tr***** ! so i made a visit 2 da indian shops & found dis splendid set: a necklace, a pair of earings and two connector dat connects da earing 2 da hair. i was overjoyed & u know how much it was- only$10 bucks (OK, it wasn't dat splendid but at least i won't hav 2 make one ..yah)
i went home & showed it 2 ammu & M'apu & was sooooo glad dat dey commented dat it was OK (well, i was getting somewhere... ) and zakia bought one set as well
on da day of eid, i enthusiasticlly put on dis jewellery..no trouble but wen i took it off my ears were red and swollen. well, not too bad considering wat happened next. a week after eid, dis frined invited me & zakia 2 go over to her place. after putting on da eid dress, wen i got 2 da jewellery, one the earings wud not fit thru my ear hole... i tried over & over but to no avail...i tried until i had da friend coming in & standing infront of our bedroom door 2 see my ordeal... u c da one dat did fit, i cudn't get it out *lol* *lol*
da next time, i tried da earings was wen wearing a shari 2 go 2 a 'dawat'. i tried wearing zakia's set coz it goes more with da sari. but u can guess wat happened..i just coudn't put it thru da hole... on hearing it, M'apu said dat if i cudn't fit it thru, SHE WUD (man, dunno how freaked i got after hearing dat!!). In fact, she chased me in da bedrrom 2 get hold of me (u c i'd have liked 2 run around da house but dere was abbu & raef...bit embarrassing running in shari eh!) so i had an idea... i approached abbu and very sweetly asked him if he cud make it thinnner (da bit dat goes thru da ear hole) .... poor abbu had to get his welding machines out & all i cud hear was zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 4 da next 5 mins!!! so, finally i was able 2 wear it 4 dat night. but dis wasn't da end. back home wen i tried taking it out, i felt my skin wud tear coz da bit dat goes in da hole was very rough & no longer smooth....(poor zakia, i felt so bad...)
da next time i tried wearing my set again was b4 going 2 canberra...coz i planned 2 take it wit me so it was a trial.....same story, coundn't fit it thru so i took another jewellery set instead. back from canberra, i offered da set 2 M'apu coz she has bigger ear pierced hole.....but she has no dress dat matches it!
now a few days ago, wen we were taking some pics, i went back 2 da same jewellery set. i tried dem again & told da earing dat if it didnt' get in, no pics 4 me! i think dat work coz after all dese months i was able 2 wear dem again.... (heheeheheheh!!)
now, i hav decided 2 wear dem every day & if u hear da ear-shattering scream, dont' get too worried...it's my war against da pair of earrings & i can't lose *OUCH! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!*

sob in despair

2005-06-29T17:55:00.000+10:00

Did anyone know Taslima Nasrin has been nominated for the Noble Prize in 2005, doubtlessly for women's rights or some such rubbish! She is a disgrace to the Bangalies and to Muslim women all over the world. If you don't already know who this infamous women is, click here

"In her two-volume memoir, Meyebela, Taslima Nasreen sounds almost like a manipulative child writing what the west wants to hear"

I URGE YOU TO READ THE REST.

ki hobe shesh bichare?

2005-06-29T10:58:00.000+10:00

salamz everybody,
azkhal ze amar ki hoche kichui buzhte parchina. monta khali uro uro kore. kono kazaei mon dite parina. 10 minute porei bored hoye zai. shotti bolte ki, ziboner 21 ta bochor to par kore dilam...eta chinta korlei obak are bhoy laghe. kichui to korte parlamna...na poralekhai, na ghorer kaje, na islamer johnno..dhut!
sobshomoi rate ghumanor shomoy khub mrittor (death) kotha bhabi.... khub bhoi laghe. amar puzi to khub kom. abar diner belai shomoi zeno doure paliye zai..ektu kichu korbo tar shomoi pai na. ei shomoi ekhon hoche amar shobche boro 'enemy' ..eta ke zodi kono bhabe 'controll' e ante partam.
ekhon amar saifullah mansurer oi ghanta khub mone porche "ziboner cholar pothe moron zeno pichu dake, bashonar shopno gulu nirashar chobi ake"
zanina ki lekhchi.....ulta palta kichu likhe thakle maph koro....*sigh*

titleless

2005-06-28T10:08:00.000+10:00

salams again everyone,
i was just reading through brainy-peach's post about BLACK. that reminded me of a man in bd named Muhammad Shahnaz, and this is a true story. at around the age of 3 his legs stopped functioning and he bacame an untintentional hermit, i guess. but he had his education upto year 10 at home by a home tutor. but his education didn't stop there. he wen't onto complete college (ie year 11 and 12) close to his home. he wasn't content. he applied for university and got in. currently he is working in (i think) Shonali Bank as a manager (again, i think, i'll check it). he's married, and has three children all grown up. his story was shown on Ittadi, last year (once again, i think) and his advice to viewers and others was that people who are disabled like himself, we, the able-bodied should always cooperate with them, as his wife has through out their conjugal life. once, long time ago, in ophra, they showed a couple of girls who had speech and hearing impairment. one of those girls said something that i really like - "Handicap is in the mind, not the body".
Ma'assalaama
Emu Martian

Absolutely Vile!!! ... yet so tasty ... read on

2005-06-27T12:04:00.000+10:00

Salams all
yes my dears, the emu is back on the web (it's hard to keep off, even with pocket monsters on the lose).
anyhow, to continue with my title ... this vileness i'm talking about is the shelling of ilish machh. if any of you shud b forced to do such an act, make sure that u wear full body protection for your own sake, if u don't want shells flicking on ur clothes and hair ... and having mentioned the flicking, i feel the need to utter - "aaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhh ... get 'em offf!!! get 'em offf!!!"
HOWEVER, it all pays off after the cooking period. mmmmm, ... the smell of freshly cooked ilish machh...
and that was my vile, yet tasty experience in the beginning of my 6 wks holiday. how about the rest of u?

Bangali biral er dukho

2005-06-26T11:46:00.000+10:00

All the cats from all wound the world gathered together for a race. Cats from all nations were there: USA, Australia, Africa, China, England, Madagascar, every countri in the world had a representative.

The race bagan and soon enough all the cats were astonished by a single scrawny looking cat that no doubt was the fastest cat there. Beating every cat in the world, coming first in this mega-international race was none other than the Bengali cat!

The shy little cat completely flustered by its win, was covered in prizes and applause from the Bengali audience. After winning the race, all the media wanted to interview this unexpected winner.

Answering each question at a time, it was the last question that shocked the world.

Media: So tell us your secret to such an agile body.
BD cat: Ashole, ami kintu bagh, na khaite khaite ami malnutritioned hoye biral hoye gesi.

2005-06-24T15:30:00.000+10:00

This is Simpson's donkey, my fav from the Australian War Memorial: from left: Radia & Shomota. About Simpson's donkey: At Gallipoli,this guy named Simpson found a donkey which he used for carrying wounded soldiers and medical supplies. He became quite a hero...I reckon half the credit is due to the donkey dontcha think?

Another humorous incident!

2005-06-23T20:25:00.000+10:00

OK, Guys I gotta share this wit u. I gueess I should've written it under 'ur most embarrasing moment' but it happened 2day! Well..me, ammu, Radia and afifa was in the car. Ammu was driving Radia 2 school. Anyways, Afifa needed 2 go 2 the doctors so Ammu dropped her in a redlight near the doc. Then she continued driving and after a sec Radia felt strong winds in her back so she looked behind her to find its source and guess what, its cause the boot of the car was open! Me & Radia both told Ammu and she quickly made an emeergency stop ( with all the cars behind us waitin). Then I got out to close the boot and there was something on road and I nearly slipped ( wit all the cars behind watching). THe humour doesn't end here....I went close the boot and I was wearing one of my flat shoes ( and u know me..a shortie:) ) and relised that I can't reach the boot. SO, I had to practicse my jumping skills and close the boot. Oh man, I was soo embarrased and told myself 'thank God I don't know any one here ( apprantly Radia was telling me that the man in the car behind us was laughing ).

Two-who-suck!

2005-06-22T20:13:00.000+10:00

“You know you suck”
“Who me?”
“Yes you”
“You suck too”
“I know but you suck more”
“You suck heaps”
“And you suck tons”
“You suck millions”
“You suck billions”
“You suck trillions. Ha ha that’s the last you can count”
“Well, then, you suck infinitely”
“Arrrrgh! You still suck more than me. Let’s see. You suck double infinity”
“Can’t have double infinity, there no such thing”
“Ok, you’re a super-suck.”
“Fine you’re the Queen suck then. In chess, Queen’s higher than the king”
“Arrrrrgh! Can we change the topic?”
“Su**-**re!” (suck-more)

what do you think of my master-piece everybody? This has been a great source of hilarity and amusement for me and Radia....life's meagre entertainment....

Not be4 they're archived!

2005-06-21T21:47:00.000+10:00

Why does everybody abandon the messages down the bottom and not make any comments on those?

3D Magic eye

2005-06-21T00:53:00.000+10:00

see if you can figure out the image hidden in this 3D puzzle!
Here's the answer! This image is embedded in the hijibiji.

Women leading mixed prayer!

2005-06-20T16:57:00.000+10:00

Salam Every1
I know I haven't been here 4 too long. Well, there was a reason 4 it but I shall not go into exlantion. By the way , i found this interesting article on the net about women leading men in mixed prayer! I wonder what the world is comin to. Check it out!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/talking_point/4369681.stm

1st day at work...

2005-06-20T11:55:00.000+10:00

Assalamualaikum all,

It's been a while since I last posted something up. But I have some stuff to tell now, so I shall blog ;). I had me first day at work yesterday. Although it was only training, it gave me an insight into wat i'll be doing.

Well, firstly, the environment there is so friendly. Every single person is very respectful. Every hour you can take a 10 minute break so namaj isn't a problem. I prayed maghrib there and my team leader even reminded me at 5 that I had to pray! So no rpoblem with praying, I can do that whenever i like, especially because they are so laid back and free.

I have training again 2day - I make my first call... Dua korben shobai.

I hafta go now, 1st exam 2moro. Keep me in ur prayers.

Wassalam

surprise victory in cricket!

2005-06-19T21:12:00.000+10:00

hallo cricket luvers out there (not 2 mention ishita!), BD has finally scored a surprise 5-wicket victory over australia (yahhhhhhh!! although i'm still on the side of da aussies). great job & gud 2 c sum of 'em still hav da remnants of faith in their heart :)
guess who told us about it...no other person but ammu!!

relaxation- da opposite of tension

2005-06-19T19:16:00.000+10:00

asslamu alaikum. ur fellow blogger has returned after ages! yes, infact the return has been da result of countless threats of being thrown out of da microcosm :( so dis blogger has reappeared & dis time with greater vigor ..
now this blogger wanna share her experience of the relaxation exercises dat she recently attempted. u c, the blogger was sifting thru da vidoes in da libry wen she cums across THE RELAX VIDEO: PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RELIEVE YOUR STRESS. you shud've seen the delight in the blogger's face. she snatches it from da shelf & cuddles it straight hom.
at home, da blogger stands infront of the TV & tries to genuinely imitate the breathe in & breathe out... swing your heaps gently from side 2 side....jump like a kangaroo on da spot & da rest when she hears a burst of laughter. she discovers dat she has become an animal in the zoo with a bunch of onlookers !! da entire family has secertly crept in 2 see the pitiable situation of dis blogger. dis blogger's relaxation exercise attemps hav nowbecum da source of great anxiety 4 her. any consolation messages from fellow bloggers out there?

If I'm feeling down and out, If I'm feeling blue :(

2005-06-18T22:23:00.000+10:00

I've begun feeling depressed right after a happy event. It's been like this the past few days. My back hurts....like hell. I suspect most of it is due to sitting in front of the computer for long hours. Don't ask me what I've been doing. I've been wondering like a lost soul.....tormented.....agonised......hungry...unsatisfied..... Yet I cannot afford the luxury of wallowing in self-pity.....there is prenty of work awaiting my attention.

I've been digging through my stuff......stories.....poems, diary, scraps that were meant to be part of a scrap-book which was never made.......all neglected......unfinished......incomlplete.....in utter decay *sigh* Instead of solace, my gain was a deep sense of failure.......bygone times and opportunites, plans and drafts of things I never ended up doing......I'm feeling very old.......though I have no preparation for drawing a conclusion.

I've been laughing a lot these days.......empty cackles reflecting the vaccum within.......my back is hurting some more.......why does it take so much effort to share your joy? I can't stand your happiness.....in which I have no part....of which I am deprived. My woes no longer derive any response from you. I understand that you're sick of me. I have lost your sympathy. Yet, without it..................

wal-mart

2005-06-18T11:35:00.000+10:00

salamu alikum u guyz!
u no today me and apu were watching the news. and they were focusing on where the clothes sold in walmart are made. and they were showing BD and how long they work and how less they get paid. and wal-mart wouldnt pay even a penny more to help some of the poor people that work there. the workers couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. and they were focusing on this girl named masuma. and she was talking about how her family life is. she only gets paid $.17/hour.
that was kinda sad! but newayz, like u guyz were saying, no one's writing nethin new. so i just thought u guyz would like to know!
ok....khoda hafez..
~maliha~

Visit to Canberra

2005-06-14T12:31:00.000+10:00

We went to Canberra on the weekend and stayed and giny and mou's (Mumtahana) place. It was 2 fun-filled days and late-nights. Najrul uncle took us to the Australian War Memorial and Telstra Tower. I grabbed a bunch of 'Canberra tourist attractions' brochures before leaving. Cant wait till we go back and cover all. (our own photos havent been develped yet)

Telstra Tower: The middle level (870 m high) is the public gallery, we went at night, it was way cool!

Australian War Memorial: Well it started off with Najrul uncle giving us a lecture before going in. He told us to think about the agenda behind showcasing the stuff in there. It was good though we were rushed. There were weapons, equipments, ships, aircrafts, personal artefacts of soldiers, life size models and also a short aircraft movie...and oh yes! we saw Simpson's donkey as well *lol*

PeopLe..?

2005-06-13T22:23:00.000+10:00

saLamZ evRy1!!

well, i hav bn told 2 blog as a b'daii thing by a certain sum1 [[nabila apu.. =P]] so i shall tell u all abt my GREAT [[note the sarcasm]] day.

allrite, well it's the queens birthday today!! wooOot!! *coughcough* so of course nun of the shops r open.. or so i thought..

abbu ammu decided 2 go shopping for rugs. uno those ads wif the voiceover guy YELLING? well it was one of those thingos.. in the city >.<" we went to the city to buy rugs. *shaking head* newaiz. turns out the whole ad was a fake and the rug prices were very expensive so we had to go to the OTHER outlet. which was in homebush : by this stage might i add, i was STARVING!! but me being the good grl i am, didnt complain =P [[reality was that ammu abbu had to put up wif me sulking till abt 3]] so we got off and i LUVD one of the rugs, but ammu abbu went after one of the classic ones. I was hungry, tired and had a headache. After abt 12 different shops scattered all over the place [[no exxaggeration]] we found the pErFeCt rug.. and i hated it!! ah wellz, it's only a rug. well, after this, my parents cudnt put up wif me sulking abt how hungry i was so we went to eat!! ^highlight of the day^ we had to go back 2 auburn for this. we bought food, and were bak on our way home. this was wen we reelised [[by abt 5]] that we forgot to go grocery shopping, and we were almost absolutely out of paper and me and api and fupi hav MILLIONS of assignments and things and NO paper. So we finish shopping and are in the car wen i forget one of the things i urgently NEED by 2moro.. *shaking head* so we cum home. and THAT is my great day. exciting huh?

ohhk evry1!! y hav u all stopped posing on this? M apu must be ver happi that i've FINALLY posted sumfink even tho it's a bit weird..?

ritee-oz.. continue posting and yaa

tc all!

I got the job!

2005-06-09T15:05:00.000+10:00

Salams ppl,

Alhamdulillah I got the job I told u abt b4. Im so happy. Jazakallah 4 all ur dua's. I was so excited wen they called I couldn't concentrate on anything else, lol. But I feel so guilty wen good stuff happens 2 me coz I'm such a terrible muslim. But I guess things like this shud inspire us all to be better servants of Allah coz it is He who provides and He who takes away, rite guys?

Wassalam

How fast does it move for you?

2005-06-09T12:20:00.000+10:00

Keeeeep loooooking.....

Something about slaughtering

2005-06-09T07:47:00.000+10:00

Salams sisters

have any of u ever cn a slaughtered animal right after it has been slaughtered? if u did, i think u would realise how much the soul wants to remain in the body. if u ever get a chance to c a slaughter, look at the animal after the slaughtering (unless of course u know u'r gonna b sick). it'll make u wnt to take prepare ur soul even more to leave this world and make it easier for our it to go into the next stage of our beings.

may Allah forgive our sins and have mercy on our souls.

Emu

Stress and Depression: The Results of not abiding by the Religion

2005-06-08T18:29:00.000+10:00

Salams every1,

I found this really interesting article by Harun Yahya. It's so relevant to most of our problems. Read it and tell me what u thought of it.

Wassalam

The state of today's Muslimahs: read the poem

2005-06-08T16:47:00.000+10:00

Guess where this is from?

2005-06-08T11:01:00.000+10:00

".....but I'll not venture a name, the sudden leaping of your eye to mine and the blackening of you expression recalls to me your warning that you would tear the lips of my face if I ever made another attempt at guessing it. Well, though my lips may not be well shaped, they are useful, so I think I will endeavour to retain them."

Amar mon kharap

2005-06-07T13:16:00.000+10:00

Assalamualaikum every1,

I haven't written anything up abt wats happening 2 me lately so I'll attempt at riting something insha Allah. Lately I've just been upset about myself. I'm becoming so lazy and bad! I've missed so many classes at uni and I've left ALL assignments till the last minute. Now I feel like I'm gonna fail exams no matter how hard I try. Mon khub kharap. I've lost hope in a lot of things, esp myself. But I make dua that I don't lose hope in Allah (SWT) insha Allah EVER!

I feel so low abt myself islamically too because my imaan has gone down heaps as well. My AM report is very bad and has been that way for a while. I'm becoming a pessimist now - like Flynn. I was the biggest optimist I knew before. I really dislike pessimism - no offense Flynn. I just wanna be happy with wat i have and I have to stop making excuses that i know to be irrelevant.

Anyways, I dont feel like writing any more. Have to get back to assignment due tomorrow. Just started it a while ago (c wat i mean, i'm so dumb!). I feel like a loser writing this but i just thought it mite make me feel better if i write abt it, even though it may still be very obscure as to wat i mean.

U all take care and make dua 4 me.

Wassalam

Agonising Assignments!

2005-06-06T16:38:00.000+10:00

Last night, I didn't sleep, ask mou. She's signed in msn at about 3:30 Australian time and I was still working on it. Finished at 7 in the morning, then slep until 9 and then went to uni! It was that HORRIBLE ETHICS ASSIGNMENT! Tell u more about it later. Now I got a 50% test.

Islamic Emoticons

2005-06-05T20:50:00.000+10:00

Explanation of Quote

2005-06-05T15:28:00.000+10:00

emu: the quote "Those who know they do not know, know that, to know is to know what they do not know" by Ibn Sina... can some one explain to me what it means?

I think it means people who think are smart think they know everything, they're blind to their deficiencies. However, what ibn Sina is trying to say, I guess is that, if you know and admit to yourself that you don't know certain things, that means you're a wiser person because having that knowledge about yourself is a kind of knowing, a kind of knowledge itself! Does that make sense?? Maybe others can supplement...

WORKING WITH IDIOTS CAN KILL YOU !

2005-06-04T17:30:00.000+10:00

Stress caused by dim-witted co-workers may give you a fatal heart attack!
By KATE McCLARE STOCKHOLM

Idiots in the office are just as hazardous to your health as cigarettes, caffeine or greasy food, an eye-opening new study reveals. In fact, those dopes can kill you!

Stress is one of the top causes of heart attacks -- and working with stupid people on a daily basis is one of the deadliest forms of stress, according to researchers at Sweden's Lindbergh University Medical Center.

The author of the study, Dr. Dagmar Andersson, says her team studied 500 heart attack patients, and were puzzled to find 62 percent had relatively few of the physical risk factors commonly blamed for heart attacks. "Then we questioned them about lifestyle habits, and almost all of these low-risk patients told us they worked with people so stupid they can barely find their way from the parking lot to their office. And their heart attack came less than 12 hours after having a major confrontation with one of these oafs.

"One woman had to be rushed to the hospital after her assistant shredded important company tax documents instead of copying them. A man told us he collapsed right at his desk because the woman at the next cubicle kept asking him for correction fluid -- for her computer monitor.

"You can cut back on smoking or improve your diet," Dr. Andersson says, "but most people have very poor coping skills when it comes to stupidity -- they feel there's nothing they can do about it, so they just internalize their frustration until they finally explode."

Stupid co-workers can also double or triple someone's work load, she explains. "Many of our subjects feel sorry for the drooling idiots they work with, so they try to cover for them by fixing their mistakes. One poor woman spent a week rebuilding client records because a clerk put them all in the 'recycle bin' of her computer and then emptied it -- she thought it meant the records would be recycled and used again."

Published on: 03/19/2004

US military confirms Guantanamo Koran Abuse

2005-06-04T17:25:00.000+10:00

International News
© ABC 2005 10:32 AM June 4

US military officials have confirmed that American jailers at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba mishandled and abused the Islamic holy book, the Koran.

A newly completed military inquiry has found US personnel splashed a Koran with urine, kicked it, stepped on it and soaked it with water.

The inquiry was investigating five cases of alleged mishandling of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, which houses mainly foreign Muslims suspected of terrorism.

In the incident involving urine, which took place this past March, Southern Command (responsible for the Guantanamo Bay jail) said a guard left his post and urinated near an air vent and "the wind blew his urine through the vent" and into a cell block.

It said a detainee told guards the urine "splashed on him and his Koran."

The statement said the detainee was given a new prison uniform and Koran, and that the guard was reprimanded and given duty in which he had no contact with prisoners.

Southern Command said a civilian contractor interrogator, who was later fired, apologised in July 2003 to a detainee for stepping on his Koran.

In August 2003, prisoners' Korans became wet when night-shift guards had thrown water balloons in a cell block, the statement said. In February 2002, guards kicked a prisoner's Koran, it added.

In the fifth "confirmed incident" of mishandling a Koran, Southern Command said a prisoner in August 2003 complained that "a two-word obscenity" had been written in English in his Koran.
Southern Command said it was "possible" a guard had written the words but "equally possible" the prisoner himself had done it.

Southern Command released its findings on a Friday night.

-ReutersSource: Reuters

2005-06-02T16:45:00.000+10:00

salam guys. tomra jehetu keu kichu post korchona (munipu chara) i decieded to tell you guys about my interesting day. (since i have nothing better to do). hm..........summer started............really boring......amra jei jaigai move korsi, thik shamne amader school-er ekta meye thake. so everyday i have to see them sunbathe. gross.... oh, guess what. i finally got my diploma today. graduation-e ora only folder ta dise jetate ora rakhte hobe. anyways, i got my diploma, and a diploma card, mini diploma. i woke up at 10:10 today. and then this friend picked me up at 11:00. and we went to school. we picked up some stuff from class, and returned some stuff. and then picked up this other friend, who is a 10th grader. and we took her out to lunch. to pizza hut. and then dropped her off after 5th hour. um......yeah and then she dropped me off at my house. yeah....you know this summer is going really boring. i need to make plans. hey guess what, i decieded to learn to sew. i mean, then i wouldnt have go through the trouble of finding the right kind of clothes for me. i mean, you cant really get a lot of clothes thats covering, and loose, and cute. yeah......i already made this shirt. well, aunt-ra bolse je ota fotua. but i dont really understand the diff. ekta aunty bolse je unake amar ekta jama banai dite hobe. well dui ta aunty bolse. jodi bhalo banaite pari, then they are going to pay me. ekta aunty bolse jokhon ami ready hobo unake bolte, tokhon uni duita kapor kinben, ekta amar jonno banabo, ekta unar jonno. anyways, they were just encouraging me. but it would be cool to sew my own cloths. that way eid-er jonno purano salwar kameez porte hobena. amader ekhane ektao bangla dokan nai. hm...........and maybe i will learn to knit. ammu once showed me how to knit, back in 3rd or 4rd grade. but i didnt improove much, i still cant make anything, just can knit straight dorir moto, well, scarf, but cant put it together...............yeah....i allways make these plans for summer, but never accomplish any of them. Pray for me guys, so i can overcome my laziness and actually do something for once. anyways...........i am gonna go now. mom is trying to teach me how to cook. its soooooooooo boring. i mean who likes to cook? you cook, and you eat. it doesnt last. i like to make things that lasts. like cloths. but anyways, i should really stop talking about leaving and actually leave. so salamz guys.

What do you think is the majority of the peoples’ stand about what determines ethics/ethical guidelines?

2005-06-01T17:25:00.000+10:00

For background, read 'Religion does **not** make people ethical'

Why is there two versions of the Divine Command theory and what is the impact of this duality?

2005-06-01T17:22:00.000+10:00

For background, read 'Religion does **not** make people ethical'

Of the two Divine Command theories, which one relates to Islam?

2005-06-01T17:21:00.000+10:00

For background, read 'Religion does **not** make people ethical'

From an Islamic perspective, how would you respond to Freakly and Burgh?

2005-06-01T17:20:00.000+10:00

For background, read 'Religion does **not** make people ethical'

According to Freakly and Burgh, why cannot ethics be founded in religion?

2005-06-01T17:19:00.000+10:00

For background, read 'Religion does **not** make people ethical'

RELIGION DOES NOT MAKE PPL ETHICAL!

2005-06-01T16:49:00.000+10:00

Freakley, M. & Burgh, G. (2000). Engaging with Ethics: Ethical inquiry for teachers. Katoomba: Social Science Press. pp. 100-101.

.................................................................

It is sometimes assumed by adherents of religious traditions that systems of morality must have a religious foundation. As a matter of empirical fact this is not the case. Although many people still use the words “morality” or “ethics” to refer to codes of behaviour that are associated with, for example, the Judeo-Christian or Islamic religious traditions, many of these moral codes are followed by non-believers who are able to justify their support or non-religious grounds.

For instance, it is clear that there are many people who do not accept the authority of either the Hebrew Bible or the Koran who nevertheless share the belief, expressed in those texts, that it is morally wrong to commit murder.

In principle, too, there are problems with the idea that morality can be based on religious authority, such as the idea that morality necessarily consists of God’s commands to us revealed either directly or through interpretation of sacred writings. On one version of Divine Command theory, God’s command makes thinks morally right or wrong, on another version, God so commands because these things are morally right or wrong.

Consider the first version, given the plurality of religions, the possibility that our interpretation of the many sacred writings may be mistaken, and the similar possibility that our conscience may not “hear” God’s voice without error, it is difficult to see how we can be at all clear about what is right or wrong.

And the second version leaves open the possibility that we humans can also discover, through means quite apart from religious observance or divine revelation, what is right or wrong.

Ethics, because it involves the search for reasons rather than authority, is not compatible with the first version of Divine Command theory but it may be compatible with the second version.

(The heading-linked article with provide further information as well as the basics on ‘Ethics.’ Notice the author’s portrayal or Islam)

Peeved!

2005-06-01T16:00:00.000+10:00

I am doing an assignment for 'Ethics' as part of my teaching course and came across this text which made me think hard. I felt this was important for all of us to know and be informed about so that we better understand value of Islam and will be able to defend it better as well.

Please read the next post and contribute to the questions posed. I've posted each question as a new post so that you can reply as comments.

Feedback Please!

2005-06-01T03:48:00.000+10:00

What do you think or the new additions to our blogsite?? Please give me some comments. Is there anything else we can do to make it look prettier, better???

Finally!

2005-05-31T19:03:00.000+10:00

hi everyone!! Munira apu, i finally got ur blogger invitation.
neway, i'm Maliha. (mou's sis) umm.... i'll get bak to you later. Its the end of the year, and teachers r stuffing us up with projects. i probably won't sign on for a while. FINALS! pray 4 me!! ok bye!!!!

2005-05-29T21:55:00.000+10:00

We played around here countless times. Remember Spring...when the surrounding flower gardens were in full bloom...kids used to steal flowers...maybe we did too *lol*

2005-05-29T21:54:00.000+10:00

This is where mou's dad and my dad worked in Bangladesh *sigh*

2005-05-29T21:40:00.000+10:00

Remember this beloved place?
munira

Our deepest darkest secrets, muhahaha!

2005-05-28T12:43:00.000+10:00

Salams all,

At the suggestion of mini apu you are all ORDERED 2 share ur deepest darkest secrets..... if not, then share ur most embarassing moments. It's always fun 2 laugh at these things, na? Well, i wont rite mine here but as a reply to this blog. So u'll be tempted to read the replies and then tempted to write (insha Allah). So write away pplz.

wassalam

When I first met you Mou sigh

2005-05-27T23:28:00.000+10:00

This is dedicated to mou.
I remember the first time I met you. You were about 2 and half years old and I was in grade 1 I think. Your family consisted of you, your mum and dad and the three of you had cover over for a visit. You were a bubbly and inquisitive kid, chatting away, asking countless questions and wanting us to play with you. For you it was love at first sight. You loved us three (afi & zaki inlcuded) and didn't wanna leave us. I remember I was quite annoyed. More annoyed whem ammu told me to find you paper and colour-pencils. Bet you don't remeber at all do you? Anyways, I love you now, don't dont hold past feeling against me!

Yeah and I remeber the time you stayed over at our house and do you remember who took you home? It was me thats who and I was very amnnoyed at ammu for giving me the job. There was that small children's park between your and our building: abt a minute's walk. I was fed up with enetertaining you for the past day and now I had to take you home! Time to get back at the silly little kid. Thats the fun thing about carrying out a revenge against a kid, never backfires. You were too little to understand it and even if you understood, too dumb to dob me in *lol* sorry. Along the way, I made up scary stories to make you cry, I even threatened you with a caterpillar. I threatened to put it on you *lol* Betcha don't remember! Betcha never knew I was thinking these mean things! Well, now the cat is loose among the pigeons. Hope I'll not need rescuing....

new member

2005-05-27T21:55:00.000+10:00

aslamalikum (receive my bangali salam everbody!) i am the latest member to be recruited in your team! if u play around with the letters of my display name, u'll know who i am! well, this is my first encounter with a blog. gr8 stuff but sum of u have written essays up there, man! well, i'll b back again. cya.

Introductions

2005-05-27T18:13:00.000+10:00

Salams all,

Since we are getting so many new people to join our microcosm, why dont we all introduce ourselves. Please write a short intro as a reply to this msg so we all know who's who.

2005-05-27T07:12:00.000+10:00

shoot, this allways happens to me, i write this long message, and then i do something stupid, and it all goes away, anyways, the summery of the deleated post is i had the grad prac today, and senior brunch. everything was good. they auctioned of tshirts for $50. some ppl have so much money to waste...........they sang, gave speech......this girls speech made all the girls cry, it was about her life. and then i talked abotu how i am so thankful to Allah, cuase sometimes i think i take stuff for granted. and then also they sang. and there was a mock election. for ex: best dressed, best smile, best laugh, friendliest, most organized, most likely to take over the world, most likely to become president, most likely to pull a surprise. so it was fun.......hmm, i think that covers it............anyways, pray for me, my grad is this sun. wish you guys could be here to see my graduate.....salam.

Honours Presentation 1 OVER!

2005-05-26T11:01:00.000+10:00

Salamz everyone!
Just had my Honours Presentation1 today. I was 2nd to go. It was a tiny audience. Even then, I got so nervous, jumbled up all mu words. Don't know what I said! *lol* Glad its over. We had to talk about our research question, what method we'll be using, why our research is significant, ethical issues etc etc

Memories!

2005-05-25T16:05:00.000+10:00

Ok, I know I'm being a blog freak, but I gotta do this. Mou, your mention of the sleep-over part in the dream brought back bitter-sweet memories. Remember new years eve 1996, how we celebrated it? We ere silly little kids! I don't think we did wrong consciously. Remember how we put on shari, did our hair! The rest is a bit hazy, did we light candles and swear solemn oaths (like new years resolutions)?!?! Help me here. Anyways. There were mily apu, you, me, afifa, zakia....was maliha and nilufa there? that bit is hazy too. Remember nilufa, that tall gangly girl? She was in mily apu's grade. She's married now and living with her husband in the US. She married someone from BNP and mily apu wasn't invited. Not nice, I thought. But from mily apu, I got the impression that by then they had drifted apart anyway.

Anyways, back to my reminiscence.... We did some more silly stuff. We were at Abul Hossain uncle's flat (Tamanna's dad, remeber her??). he was overseas, his family was holydaying in desher bari and we had practically taken over their flat (with uncle's permission). This was God send. Otherwise we'd have to rent for those 2 weeks bewfore coming to Australia. Anyways that night, the only male in the house was abbu. Ammu, your mum and a few other aunties were having sleep-over at mily apu's flat. Except, I heard later that they didn't sleep. Typically what happens when aunties get together. More so that night coz i giess it was kinda farewell-sleepover. Thankfully, ammu ahd taken baby radia and little raef with her. *LOL*

I really wanted to take photos that night, but the camera we had was my fufa's and I wasn't sure if he'd be happy with me using it. We didn't even have our own camera! We borrowed his to take photos at the airport. So, sadly, not photos from that night. I remember we called it 'nobo borsho boron kori' or sumthing like that. We did our ritals just as the clock struck 12, do you remember? Ah those innocent days! Finally sleep-time. You, afifa, zakia eneded up together in one room coz you were the youngies. That brings me to the question whether nilifa was there or not. I remember mily apu, me and nilufa squashing up in a single-bed. We couldn't sleep either, but more from the lack of room that chatting. I have a strong suspision I'm mixing his up with another sleepover. Anyways, we did chat. nilifar told us about this guy she had a crush on! Well, she didn't say she had a crush on him, but the way she was talking, I could bet a million bucks that she did. Me and mily apu didn't have that sorta story. But I know that mily apu and some of her friends had similar stories: guys trying to give them messages and asking them time for no reason etc. Mou, do you remember Rasheda? She was at the centre of it, always simpering and fluttering eyelids at guys, mily apu and I were just tag along extras. *LOL* The things we did when we were little! The sad thing is, I heard that Rasheda had actually eloped with with one of those silly no-brains, then her parents brought her back. Imagine the embassesment! Serves her right!

Remember our last picnic, on the rooftop of your flat? We actually took pictures on that day but they got lost even before we flew to Australia. Rotten luck! But I still see it vividly in my mind's eye. Remember we made a poster that said 'Anondovojon' as in instead of 'bonvojon'? I stayed up the previous night cutting out the letters and gluing it. We had so much fun! Remember how we did khopa on you mou? Your hair was little, just started growing back. I think you got sick and it had to go. Sorry mou. We put a black scarf on you, pulled it to the back and twisted it into a khopa at the back. I remember I even put some flowers on your khopa to make it look realistic. The flowers we decorate our rooms with *LOL* Remember how we dressed up mily apu like a bride with the face dot decoration and all? She was the fairest and prettiest! Still is! Oh the beauty spots on her mliky complexion! Think that was a bit too mushy now* Your mum took some real gud pics of her in the bridal look. Aunty cooked us the fantastic food. Cant remember what it was? Did we even help her skin some onions or potatos? Cant remember that either. Anyways, I'll stop now and wait for you or anyone to supplement or correct my story

Happy News Everyone!

2005-05-25T15:30:00.000+10:00

Ema has decided to join us.
I love you Ema and I'll forgive everything you do as long as you come back...

It hurts more when friends don't realise they're hurting you

2005-05-25T15:05:00.000+10:00

Poor Mou!

2005-05-25T14:39:00.000+10:00

Just chatted with Mou on msn. Poor thing's in mourning! Yesterday was last day of high school. She's in no mood right now to blog, even though we're dying to find out about it. Well, here's our conversation:

nira says:
SALAM NABILA
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
salam
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
kemon acho?
nira says:
alhamdulillah
nira says:
you?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i am ok
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
just really depressed
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
today was my last day of school
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
nira says:
had ur graduation?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
a very emotional day for me
nira says:
for sure
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
no, its going to be on 29th
nira says:
did you cry?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so many times
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
atfirst i thought i was all cried out
nira says:
k
nira says:
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
cause
nira says:
wish i cud c u
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
ive been mourning this day for 6th months
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so at first i didnt cry
nira says:
chu chu
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but when i went to say bye to one of my friends, i couldnt hold back tears
nira says:
poor thing!
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
anyways
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so then after school
nira says:
yeah?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
me maliha and two of my friends
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
went to this place
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
well, two more were supposed to come, but couldnt, so we didnt have a car
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so we walked to this pizza hut
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and ate lunch there
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
it took us 2 hours
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
30 min choosing
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
1 hr eating
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
30 min paying
nira says:
can u get halal pizza ta Pizza Hut?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
cheese pizza
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
with pepper something
nira says:
k
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
anyways
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and we bugged the pizza guy for a while
nira says:
y?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
we told him to take our pics
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so many times
nira says:
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i think he kind of got annoyed
nira says:
did u tell him its ur lasy day of high school?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i mean, at first it seemed that he was amused at first
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but i think later we got to him
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
no, it was kind of obvious i think
nira says:
can i see sum pics
nira says:
of ur last day?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
sure
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
they are not on the comp though
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i will show it to you later
nira says:
wheneva u hav em
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
anyways, but then we left him $4 tips though
nira says:
sure
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so hope that made up for it
nira says:
that shud'v made him happy
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i hope
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
anyways
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
after that we were jsut walking
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and takling
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and then there was this fountain
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
we took some more pics there
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
it was so weird
nira says:
reminiscing abt the gud old days
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
we were all acting like immature kids
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
we were acting crazy
nira says:
no, more like grandmas
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
just laughing w/o any reason
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i mean it was like i knew that i am leaving
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but i couldnt believe it
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
or couldnt feel it
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so i was so happy
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and then one of my friends was kind of sad
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and i knew then that the only reason i was still laughing is cause i am still with then
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
them
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but once i leave
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i am gonna be really sad
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and thats what happend
nira says:
*my arms around you*
nira says:
*hug*
nira says:
be happy
nira says:
ur're ready to go to college and make new friends
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah, but thats college
nira says:
bty, have you thought about which college ur going to?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
ive been with these ppl for more than 6 yrs
nira says:
what course will you take?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
its jsut so sad
nira says:
you bet
nira says:
i've never been in a school for more than 4 yrs
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
well, since i ahve no money right now, i decieded to go to a community college first, then after 2 yrs, transfer to a real university
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
no, me neither
nira says:
what will you study for the 2 yrs?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but i know some ppl from 6th grade
nira says:
k
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
dad wants me to study for medical something
nira says:
do you need a certain grade?
nira says:
high sumthin?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah, but more than anything i need money
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
which i dont have right nownira says:
you don't get a study-loan from the government?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and uni is really expejsive for international kiids
nira says:
you're absolutely right
nira says:
same here
nira says:
i forgot that you'd be an international student
nira says:
Australian citizens get a study0loan called 'HECS'
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah, wich is not letting me do a lot of stuff
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah
nira says:
we have to pay if off wiht the current inflation rate, once we start working
nira says:
tell ur dad to apply to come to Australia
nira says:
pleeeeeaaaase
nira says:
you'd love it here!
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
you think my dad will agree?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
abbi just wants to go back
nira says:
WHY NOT?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
to bd
nira says:
so, when will you go?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
the only reason he is not going is because of our studies
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but other than that
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
he doesnt even want to stay here
nira says:
that maks sense
nira says:
my dad's kinda same
nira says:
so will you go after Anika finished high school?
nira says:
wat grade is she in now?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
2nd
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
maybe
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
or maybe only abbi ammu would go back
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
cause to tell you the truth
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i dotn want to...........................well..i do too.............but for visit
nira says:
i knew u were gonn say that
nira says:
its sad
nira says:
though
nira says:
that you don't wanna go back to live in ur country of birth
nira says:
despite of all its probs
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i know................i should love my country, and i do i guess................but
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
..........i dont know how to explain
nira says:
try
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i mean, what does it have to offer............no safety......................ppl lieing...........girls trapped cause of gundas..........churi...................dakati..............you cant go anywhere by yourself..........
nira says:
but its still home
nira says:
and its a Muslim country
nira says:
that doesn't have the ills of Australia or US
nira says:
well, some
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i know......................but is the lifestyle any better though? i mean ofcourse i know they have a lot of bad stuff........haram stuff..........kintu bd-teo kintu islam biddeshi manush are trying to take over the country
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
even there they try to make you feel low because you are religious or something.......................
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i mean any natoke, gundar mukhe ektu dari lagai dau................or maulana...................
nira says:
thats true
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
dont get me wrong...............i still love my country....................i am in love with ppl, and culture...........and islam...............
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but sometimes i think the lifestyle is harder
nira says:
but overall, its still a morally better place to live
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and i guess i dont really want to stay here forever either
nira says:
maybe not materiallistically
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i mean................i guess i have this image of myself going back to bd after i fix my career and everything
nira says:
I was just thinking the other day, that when I die, where shud i be buried?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
cause i think its a really dangerous environment
nira says:
yeah, without strick adherence to Islam, you're sure to destroy ur ultimate future
nira says:
but that cud happen anywhere
nira says:
though chances are greater in a non-Muslim society
nira says:
Anyways, back to my musings about death
nira says:
It upset me to realise that I cud be buried in Australia and not in Bangladesh
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
why not
nira says:
I said to myself 'STOP'
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
you could if you want to right?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i mean cant you make a will
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
or watevfe
nira says:
send the coffin by air
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah
nira says:
itd cost my family a fortune
nira says:
my children andgrand-children cud be bankrupt
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but its your death...................
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and besides
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
does it really matter where you are buried.....................i mean after you are dead, its all the same underground
nira says:
I guess
nira says:
But sentiments are hard to do away with
nira says:
I've decided, as soon as I start working, I going to open an account in a funeral fund
nira says:
so that my family doesn't have to bear the cost of burial
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
hm............i guess you could do that.......................but i mean, after death, i dont think you are going to care about that anymore
nira says:
may-be
nira says:
but i know the financial strain os huge
nira says:
Here its costs a Minimum of $2000AUD+ for a Muslim burial
nira says:
Crhistian ones cost even more
nira says:
what with their flowers, and church fees and processions and watever
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah................................i guess
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
so when r u gonna get thatj ob
nira says:
don't know
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
tomar to practice shesh taina?
nira says:
this is my final year of study
nira says:
so sumtime next year, I'm hoping I'll be able to get a position in an Islamic school
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
that would be cool
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
do they have any islamic school there?
nira says:
hard work too
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
thats cool
nira says:
in Sydney, there's about 10 Islamic Schools
nira says:
non-government
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
cool, r u gonna teach in suday school too?
nira says:
no
nira says:
Islamic schools are required teach the regular curriculum
nira says:
in addition, they teach things lihe Religious studies, Arabic etc
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
cool
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i pray for you, inshaallah you will get that
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
hey muni apu
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
want to make a plan?
nira says:
Sunday schools are run by usually voluntary work
nira says:
sure, wat is it
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
after like................um..................well, after we are all grown up............we should make a plan for us all to move back to bd...............and then buy houses near each otehr..............mone ache? amra, tomra.......aro koyekta uncle ek jaigai jomi kinse so we could live there or some place else.................and ishita, afi jaki apu and everyone else, mily apu
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
too
nira says:
wow, that taook you long
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i know, unrealistic plan
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
but its a dram
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
dream
nira says:
no, I don't think its unrealistic
nira says:
where there's a will, there's a way
nira says:
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah..............but even if you want to, how would you know if your husband would want to
nira says:
I think i'll always have this as one of my ultimate goals,
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and our careers
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and life
nira says:
provided my husban (whoever it'll be) agrees with it
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i dont know
nira says:
we have to be under their authority
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
whose?
nira says:
hunsbands after parents
nira says:
I swear, a girl's gotta listen to some1 alwways
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yup, and who know how they will be,
nira says:
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
you know
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i remember
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
a long yimr ago
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
time ago
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i had this dream
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
that we finally met each other again, but by that time, you are allready married, and afifa apu is getting married that day, and jakia apu is engaged
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
and we were so sad
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i was planning a sleepover............but then you didnt come cause of your husband
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
nira says:
OHG!
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
nira says:
let me guess
nira says:
he didn't let me
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i know, funny dream
nira says:
right?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i dont know if he didnt let you, but you just told me that i am married now, i cant go anywhere i want to
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
or its not like the old times
nira says:
no, thats not me
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
or something like that
nira says:
i'd never say that
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i had that dream like 7 yrs ago
nira says:
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
or maybe even 8
nira says:
how old were u at the time?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
it was right after u guys left, when i was missing you guys a lot
nira says:
11?
nira says:
12?
nira says:
9?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
maybe 10 or 11
nira says:
nira says:
how old wen u came to US?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
11and a half
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i think it was 10 and a half when i had that dream
nira says:
still in bd?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah, but we moved back to dhangob, by then
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
sorry if i am making you feel uncomfortable by tellign ur this dream
nira says:
no I'm having fun
nira says:
wanna here wat happened last night?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
?
nira says:
we were having family dinner right, everyone except abbu
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah
nira says:
we started talking about marriage and that
nira says:
I said to ammu my husband had better not be bossy, narrow-minded, always teling me to do this, don't do that.....
nira says:
she said, "don't think like this
nira says:
cause maybe you'll have a husband who's really conservative
nira says:
and he won't even let you go out to hang out the clothes on the clothes-lines
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
wow
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
that would suck
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
thats what i think now
nira says:
k, i haven't finishes
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
k
nira says:
btw, i just gave ur mail to Ema
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
go ahead
nira says:
hope you don't mind
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
wich one?
nira says:
mouri87
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
oh mail add
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
its k, she knows
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
allready
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i talked to her
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
before
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
chatted wit hher
nira says:
she told me she lost it or sumthin
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
oh
nira says:
anyway, gave it to her again
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
nyways, finish ur story
nira says:
one Q before i go bk to story
nira says:
have u checked blog today?
nira says:
seen my posting 'just a complement'
nira says:
and Ishita's comment ot it?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah, i dont mind adding otha ppl, i just didnt feel like posting blog today, being do depressed and all
nira says:
so ur happy with Ema becoming a member?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
of course
nira says:
k, ill send her a mail
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
hey, can you add afi and jaki apu too?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i dont get to talk to them at all
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
ny more
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i think we should add all our sistas too
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
anika, maliha, afi and jaki apu
nira says:
that'd mean I can't say funny stuff abt them any more
nira says:
ok, i'll ask if they''re interested
nira says:
now, back to my story
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
k, fast
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i think i ahve to go in 5 min
nira says:
k
nira says:
this'll be quick
nira says:
that "...he won't even let you go out to hang out the clothes on the clothes-lines..."
nira says:
this is a little family joke
nira says:
coz there's a person we know who does that to his wife
nira says:
I said, I'm never gonna marry a man like that!"
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
yeah, we know a guy like that too
nira says:
anyays, ammu goes, "how would you know?"
nira says:
They can look ok before marriage, but real face comes out afta
nira says:
so I said
nira says:
I'll show em too
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
nira says:
I'll be nice and sweet before and after if they change, I'll be a real FISH_WIFE too
nira says:
SHREW is the other word
nira says:
we all cracked up laughing
nira says:
lucky abby wasn't there
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
oh, mini apu, bolte bhule gesi............tomar shopne ekta baby chilo, maybe thats why you couldnt come
nira says:
he gets upset to hear me talk like that
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
nira says:
omg!
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
do you talk like that infront of him
nira says:
boy or girl?
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
dont remember, 8 yrs ago
nira says:
In front of abbu, sumtimes I talk like that, can't help it, thats how I am
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol, allready excited,
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
nira says:
but I try to respect the fact that he doesn't like it
nira says:
since you're not blogging today
nira says:
do you wanna post this coversation as a msg
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
sure, if you have no prob ppl knowing about my funny dream
nira says:
me? hell no!
nira says:
Go for it
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
, i gtg now
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
can you post it for me
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
plz plz plz
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
i gotta go sleep now
nira says:
k
nira says:
u owe me 1
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
salams
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
lol
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
k
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
tc
At the end of the game, the King and the Pawn both go back into the same box. says:
ttyl
nira says:
wassalam

Matha betha

2005-05-25T08:58:00.000+10:00

Salams ppl,

I've had the worst migrane lately, sinus o hote pare. Dont no 4 sure. Ammu sheidin tiger balm lagaye dilo, it got better after that. But onek panadol kaite hoitese to block out the pain. U no chocolate blocks out pain too, wat do u say ami panadol substitute kore chocolate khai, hehe. That way mota hoite hoite phaitta jabo ami. Im going 2 uni late 2day, icha kore, coz kichu bhalo lage na. I need a holiday, dure kothao jete icha kore. Koi jabo boloto, any ideas? Are, taka poisha to nai, jabo kemni tai na? Anyways, pagol pagol mone hoitese amake, na? Ashole pagol pagol lagtese. Dont u feel like that sometimes. Like u've gone all pagol and every1 else around u is sane. Probably not, hmmmm....

Uni jete icha kortese na. But I have 2 go coz I've missed too many classes. Ar ekta miss korle me fail. Fail korle ammu fit hoye jabe. But alhamdulillah ammu is supportive abt pora shona. Abbu is too but like all macho men he duznt like to show it. It's funny, what happened the other day was ami ammur shathe beshi ghesha gheshi kortesilam and she got scared. She thought ami preme teme porsi or something, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! If I really liked some1 like that I'd tell my Mum, she knows that. And I told her how this dude was after one of my frends and then she asked me if any1 was after me and i said, "ami ki shundor naki je amar piche keo bhagbe!". Apparently ammu was upset abt that. Amar aar ammur eki problem - super sensitive. U dont know what will upset us. Ektu tei koshto pai but at the same time onek offensive things gaye lage na. I told u ami pagol pagol type. Must have gotten it from ammu, lol.

I was telling Tahnia apu on the train the other day that I know abbu duznt show it but he is super emotional (like Anika). He told ammu that when amar biye hoi and I leave he wont survive (how sweeeeeettt!!). But he'll never say anything like that 2 my face. I think compared to most girls, I'm unusually close 2 my parents - both ammu and abbu. This is one of those things u cant explain with words but you know its true because a feeling in your heart tells you so (that came out overly mushy, eeeewwwww!).

Anyways, ammu abbu niye golpo shuru korsi - shud stop now. Just making the point that alhamdulillah im so lucky to have such caring parents (and they're lucky 2 have a daughter like me, jokes, hehe). Anika and I are so close too, I tell her everything! Unless its some1 elses secrets or something i know some1 wouldnt like me 2 mention i leave that out. But eto close hobar poreo its hard coz of the whole not-so-Islamic lifestyle problem. Sure, its hard when ur parents are hostile towards u practising Islam but I think its harder when ur parents are loving. Psychologically it hurts u more coz u love em more and want whats best 4 em but they fail 2 c that sometimes =(

Anyways, as u have guessed i am a pagol who needs psychological help, hehe. Na, seriously, i have Allah (SWT), and that is enough for me. Although at times it feels like i need a lot of support from other people and i break down real bad, it's always Allah (SWT) who consoles me at the end. So alhamdulillah for Islam =).

Now I shall leave and get ready 4 uni (doubt it) but should make an attempt at it. U guys enjoy ur day and keep me in ur dua's.

Wassalam

JUST A COMPLIMENT

2005-05-20T15:30:00.000+10:00

GOOD BLOGGING EVERYBODY!

Im having heaps of fun reading your accounts.

IS THERE ANYONE ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO INVITE AS A MEMBER?

DO YOU WANT TO ALLOW (OUR OTHER FRIENDS) TOO SEE AND COMMENT ON OUR BLOG? ( in that case, you'd have to give em the url)

2005-05-20T07:52:00.000+10:00

salams apura.......hm.....my day. well.....today it was cultural awareness club's end of the year party........jsut came from that......it was pretty cool though.....all the cool and nice ppl were there........and about IA, it got worse the other day...........getting too touchy, too close. but i think i nagged about IA enough for the week. so i am not gonna say what happened........guess what, i have only 2 days of school left.....well, tomorrow is senior skip day, so all the seniors are gonna skip, except the ones who has too much stuff to finish. i am still undecided if i should skip or not......either i will go to school........and hang out in the library with this friend, maybe work on my web design proj, cause i still have a lot of stuff to finish. and then maybe before 4th hour, my dad can give us a ride to mashjid, and pray jummah, and then home, or that friend could come over and we could hang out......or that friend is gonna come over to my house in the morning.....and the whole day we are just gonna "Chill". maybe watch some movies........we are still undecieded of what we want to do..........you know...........its so sad that i am graduating.....i mean i am not sad that i am graduating, but i am sad about leaving...........koro smrity ache ei school joriye..........and once we graduate, i am never gonna see most of those ppl ever again.......ekhane ekta jinish ache, beshir bhag chele meyerai dekhsi.........graduate korar shathe shathe state leave kore...........shara deshe chorai pore........jara baire uni'te jete afford korte parena, tara thake.........today when i went to the party.......there was one of my friends there........i had a class with her like two yrs ago.............and still our relationship didnt change.......like it does with most ppl.........maybe i am best friends with someone this year..........next year'e kemon dure shore jai...........but she is one of the very few with whom i can still talk to like i could two yrs ago.........actually i know her for yrs.........she was allways sweet and nice. she was showing me her prom pictures today. i m really gonna miss her, cause she is one of the nicest, sweetest, most cheerful, fairest, most positive girl i know. i think she would be a really good muslim if she was. she is a really good christian though. and then there are some other friends who are gonna leave too..........i really like those girls.........i am gonna miss them sooo much. you know, as the last day of this year is coming close, kemon ekta faka faka feelings. i think i am gonna cry, both in the last day of school , and graduation..................mone hoi jibon koto choto......ki taratari na shob kichu chole jai..................hm...........i guess i am just depressed.............anyways, thanks for readinng this. you must be sleeping by now.........anyways, i gotta go now....................Allah hafej.

My Job

2005-05-19T11:37:00.000+10:00

Salams again sis',

I just wanted to say that I have a job interview on Monday insha Allah. Its as a telephone fundraiser for environmental and humanitarian charities. I'm so happy! Insha Allah I'll get the job. I really want this position. Can u please make dua 4 me? Please please please do so! I really need the money and its a good position coz its charity work.

Salams

My dream

2005-05-19T11:12:00.000+10:00

Assalamualaikum pplz,

I wanted to discuss something with you and I really dont know if i should or not. But I want to do this. So here goes. Around 1 and a half years ago, I had this dream and it really affected me. I don't know if it has any meaning but to me it seemed like it held a very important message. U c, in the dream I was dreaming. So it was a dream in a dream. So when I woke up (still in the dream - i was dreaming in the dream, remember?) I went to some1 to get my dream interpreted and then after having the full dream interpreted I woke up (in real life this time).

In the dream I wasn't Ishita, I was some1 else. I was a girl that lived with my friend and her Mum in a flat in Australia. One morning I woke up from sleep, went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Suddenly, I heard a big crowd on the street, it was like a procession. At the head of the procession there was a man leading it. All the people were following him. My friend (the1 I lived with) and I thought it was like a fair and mela or something so we decided to follow the procession. So, we went downstairs and joined the crowd - it was a pretty big crowd, probably a few hundred people. We followed the procession until we were led into a stadium. The man at the head of the procession got up onto the stage and signalled every1 to be quite. All was silent. The man then spoke. He began claiming that he was a messenger of God and he had come with a message for humanity. He began performing miracles and the crowd began showing heavy support for him.

At that moment, my friend and I realized what was going on. This was the dajjal. We read so much about him, expecting him to come after many centuries, but he was here, in our lifetime, standing right in front of us. After he finished his speech he told the people who followed him to indicate so - there were huge cheers. Then he told them to leave the stadium until their next meeting. And those who didnt follow him, he told them to remain in th stadium. My friend and I were scared. Of the hundreds of people in the crowd only around 20 remained. Just a point to remember, Dajjal will have shaytan guards with him, rite? In my dream he had satanic guards too. He ordered them to lock all the doors of the stadium so we couldnt get out.

He then asked us y we didnt believe him. One brother replied that we have been forewarned about this and we know him to be the dajjal, the liar! Dajjal then ordered another bro from the front row to come up on stage. He got his guards to hold this mans hands and Dajjal himself slaughetered him in front of us. And then he brought him back to life. He then asked "See! I cause death and I can give life! Now who follows me?" From the 20 ppl we had left, all but 4 said that they followed him. Then Dajjal ordered his guards to kill the 4 of us (including me and my friend). At that moment, my friend and I started to run and run and run. We frantically sprinted around all corners of the stadium looking for an open gate but they were all locked. Finally, we found a small opening in one of the exits and we escaped.

After this event we ran home. My friends mum was shocked to see us so exhausted and flustered. B4 we cud explain anything 2 her, the phone rang. Aunty picked it up. I knew that Dajjal was on the line (if Dajjal comes in the modern context it makes sense that he will have control of the mass media and communication). My aunty began reciting some ayahs form the Quran, I recognized it 2 b the first 10 ayats of surah kahf (later on). Then Dajjal hung up. After we explained everything to aunty she planned for our evacuation very soon.

My friend and I left first and we had to be very careful that we werent seen. But to out surprize the whole town was empty. But we could hear sound coming from another park. Dajjal had assembled there with all his followers, a few thousand now. He was now claiming to be not just a messenger of God, but God himself! And he ordered for all opposition to be eliminated! His people made sujood to him and were ready to obey his commands. My friend and I began running again coz we knew they wud look 4 us and wanna kill us. So we were running frantically again. Running...... running....... running......... And then..... I woke up (but I was still in my dream).

When I woke up (in my dream) I told my friend about what i had just dreamt and she took me to a dream interpreter that she knows well. When I went to this interpreter lady and explained my dream to her, she asked me a few questions - weird questions that had nothing to do with my dream. And then she concluded that my dream meant that Dajjal will appear in three years time and this msg was given to me by Allah (SWT) so I can warn the ummah and tell every1 to prepare themselves because our imaan are so weak and fragmented. We must build ourselves up b4 we are faced with this great test.

Then I woke up in real life. I was terrified at this dream. I still remember it. I know that it duznt mean that dajjal will come in 3 years time exactly but cud it mean that he will come soon. Because we are very close to Judgement Day now anyway. Well, I just wanted to share this with u (I think I told Mou b4 but in case I didnt). Thanx for reading it and lemme no what u thought.

2005-05-18T17:16:00.000+10:00

I was in the city today for a Teachers Federation meeting for beginning teachers. Me and My friend were having lunch at a kebab shop during the break and I happened to look at yesterday's Daily Telegraph. The cover story "TWO SETS OF RULES - This scarf is fine but try wearing one of these to school and see what happens..." (close-up of a girl; mabe Yasamin and next to it, a Bulldog scarf). So provocative and stinking of prejudice! To compare an expression of faith to a trivial fan-fare! I HATE THE TELEGRAPH! MAY IT GET BANKRUPT AND DISAPPEAR!

If you didn't have time or didn't feel like realing the emails, here are some extracts:

..................................................

IN the 1960s, women burned their bras in protest to establish women's rights. In the 1970s, they took to the streets en masse and marched against the Vietnam war.
Last week, a smaller protest was fought and won by a Sydney schoolgirl who put her education on the line in defence of her Muslim faith.
Yasamin Alttahir, 17, launched a personal campaign for religious freedom after she was told by her school that she should not wear her mantoo -- an ankle-length gown -- to classes.

School uniform policy:
* Decisions about school uniforms should be consistent with occupational health and safety, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity legislation
* A school's uniform policy should take into account the diverse nature of the student population in the school and not disadvantage any student
* Economic, personal, social and cultural factors affecting students and their families must be considered when deciding on items of uniform. Other considerations, such as body shape or religious requirements, should be taken into account in making a final decision on the design and fabric of school uniforms Source: NSW Department of Education and Training website

Religious freedom and a schoolgirl's battle, 16/05/05

..................................................

Principals fear students will now try to flout school uniform rules in up to 2250 schools across the State, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
School heads expressed serious concern yesterday about the case of Yasamin Alttahir, 17, who clashed with Auburn Girls High School over the wearing of a mantoo, an ankle-length religious tunic.
One of the authors of the state's uniform policy, Secondary Principals' Council president Chris Bonnor, said the controversy had left school heads confused.
``Now how many other students will put their hand up [for changes to their uniform ?'' he said.
``How will the department help that school to draw the line?''

TWO SETS OF RULES - This scarf is fine but try wearing one of these to school and see what happens... 17/05/05

..................................................

And how in future will other ``cultural considerations'' be evaluated? What if a pupil insists on his right to attend school wearing the orange robes of a Buddhist monk? Or the girl who practices Wicca and wants to wear a pointy hat and carry a toad?
OK, those examples may be somewhat extravagant. And we are a multi-cultural society, so the department's uniform guidelines spell out the need to be sensitive to the cultural norms to which some pupils may be expected to adhere.

Commonsense and conformity 17/05/05

..................................................

THROW out your dictionaries, they have been rendered meaningless by the craven cowardice of the Carr Government in the face of political correctness run riot.
The word ``uniform'', which most dictionaries describe as a ``prescribed identifying set of clothes for the members of an organisation, such as soldiers or schoolchildren'', has been stripped of meaning by NSW Education Department bureaucrats keen not to offend a 17-year-old Auburn schoolgirl who wishes to wear a religious robe to her state school.
It is difficult not to have some admiration for Yasamin Alttahir's courageous stand. She believes in her religion and wishes to wear a mantoo, an ankle-length tunic.
The problem, however, is that she attends a state school which, until the weekend, had a uniform dress code which did not include mantoos. Now the uniform dress code has been tossed out.

Uniform fury over cowardly cover-up 17/05/05

..................................................

All these are extracts from that stinky Telegraph. Let me know what you think.

Newsweek 'must act over Koran case'Newsweek 'must act over Koran case'

2005-05-18T17:00:00.000+10:00

Click on heading to read this article. Important!

What else can we expect from the US Army: a curse to humanity is what they are. What if the army of a Muslim country did that to the Bible. You wouldn't hear the last of it, Oh no, you wouldn't *outraged*

salamji

2005-05-18T13:17:00.000+10:00

hey ppl, sorry, i didnt realize we were posting comments...........thats why i didnt write any comments.....................anyways..........from now on inshaallah i will. but if you write something.......and i write a comment.......would you post a msg to ans that..........or put comment in your own msg? i am confused...............anyways........yeah i thouggt about wat you guys said.......about separating guys and girls..........i gave that suggestion.........but the pres didnt really seem interested......she says its not like we are doing anything wrong.............even though we should.........but in this society we cant totally separate malesandfemales...............the thing is ppl in our club arent as religious i guess.........i mean there is this one really religious guy..........so when they were playing hindi and some english songs in the club..........he said that it was haram.......but then this other guys started arguing with him so he didnt say anything...........you know, before this club started.........i saw the muslim ppl around the school......and i used to think they were so religious. i mean, there arent many muslim girls in our school......the ones who are there i knew they . but the guys, even though i never talked to them, i allways used to admire them, because they looked so religious........they are really shy outside i guess. but when they are in the club, they act really crazy, childish i guess. i mean, there was this one guy, i never saw him talking to any girls, some of them, i guess i thought were controling their gaze, cause they would never look at you, its kind of like they look through you. or maybe its because they were so tall, so they didnt have to look at ppl's faces, they could just look straight w/0 looking at girls. and there was this other guy, i heard this thing about him, dont know if its true. i heard that one time he thought this girl likes him, so he went up to that girls muslim friend, and told her to tell her friend that he is muslim, and isnt allowed to like girls, so tell her not to stare at him. that muslim girl is maliha's friend. but maliha said that she exagerates a lot, and sometimes lie too. so i guess we didnt believe her completely. but the girl who he thought liked him got really mad and told all her friends, and some ppl laughed. but after that i really respected him. but after the club started, i kind of started loosing respect for those guys. i mean, that day the pres, well actually co-founder , went to the muslim guys table to talk to them about the club. she had to tell them something. but then this guy started teasing her, about made nasty remarks. he was swearing and made some sexual comments abotu her and this muslim guys (jokingly). she got really mad, but the muslim guys were laughing. i mean i understand that person is their friends, but they should've stopped him. anyways, after i heard that i really didnt want to see their faces ever again, but then the co-founder is my friend, so she convinced me to go back to the club. you know the co-founder is a senior right? and there is this sophomore guy in the club. ora duijonei khub joke kore. cheleta shob shomoi oke ragai, ar mayeta rager bhan kore. and twice the girl started chasing the guy all around the school. in our club, guys and girls are really involved. so one time i told her, that i guess its ok that we have to work together to keep the club going, but dont get us too involved. and she gave me this weird look. anyways, so then she started talking about the sophomore. tai ami oke bollam "did you realize how you are the only girl who he is allways teasing? i mean in the club, or outside the club he barely talks to any girl, but with her, he is allways teasing her, or getting her to chase him all around the school?" and she was like she jokes with all the guys, thats how her relationship with guys are. she just jokes around with them. its not serious. so i didnt say anything, but i told her to "be careful". i said all this in a joking way. cause she was so "ewwww" about the fact she might actually like a guy who is younger than her. so she just laughed, and went along with the joke. but i was dead serious about what i said. anyways, so you know the day i skipped, i skipped with her right? amra bibhinno jinish niye kotha bolchilam, right? so amra jokhon club niye kotha bolchilam, o finally admit korlo that she started having some feelings for the guy. tokhon abar purapuri ulta, she was like i dont think its wrong to like younger guys, and when i reminded her about our conversation earlier, she was like oh yeah, i did say that dint i? i told her that i dont think its weird to have crushes on younger guys, cause islam permits marriage between younger guy and older guy. and i think its normal to have that kind of feelings if you get involved with guys too much. thats the reason i told her to be careful. but she didnt take me seriously. she was like oh i joke around with all guys. and he is younger than me so its not possible for us to have feelings towards each otehr. but now that it finally did, i guess she kind of feels bad. cause she is kind of trying to avoid him. well, she cant completely, but she is trying.
anyways, and all the other guys, amar je uchcho dharona chilo oder upor, sheta ar oto uchchona. i mean i guess i still respect some of them. but i realized that they are not that different that the other ppl. so even though at first i was so shocked, i am not anymore. hm...whatelse. oh yeah, next year-er jonno election hoilo shedin, maliha ran for tresurer. but then the co-founder's bro got mad at his sis cause he thought it was her fault that maliha ran. i guess he was jealous, and took her as a threat cause there were more girls than guys. including the co-f, and the advisor. and he told her that if he doesnt win for tresurer, he is going to stop coming to the club. so the sis felt really bad. so after the election was over, she didnt count the votes till the next week just cause she was scared that her bro wasnt gonna win. so when she finally did counted it, maliha won by one vote, but then she called maliha and asked her to share the position with her bro. maliha wanted to be nice, so she said ok. but then there was this other guy running for the position too, but she didnt say anything about him. so i kind of bad about it. i mean i felt bad that she was telling maliha to share the position even though maliha won. she was being unfair. but she is the pres, so what can i do? but after that she lied to all the club mem, and told them that it was a tie b/n her bro and maliha. so the guys were like i pick your bro. i got so mad that day, causeshe was unfair and lied about it. so later i called her and told her i didnt want to be a part of this club anymore, cause lieing and being unfair, these are not teachings of islam. so then o amake ulta blame kora shuru korlo, that i was the first one to say the lie. which was totally stupid, cause why would i say that, my sis won. i felt that she was being unfair to my sis and the other guy who didnt win. so we got into this huge fight. maliha started feeling really bad, and thought about handing the position to the guy who got the least vote, not the bro. cause we both think he is a really childish, immature freak. anyways, after all the fights, we kind of talked it out at the end. and she decieded to give everyone in the club a position. all 10 mem. her bro and this otehr guy share the position of VP. and maliha and one of her friend share the position for treasurer. i didnt think this was that fair, cause she gave her stupid bro a higher position, that he doesnt deserve. i mean she through out the votes jsut cause her bro didnt win. and later she was like oh i count the votes wrong. there was one vote that said "me" for the treasurer, that was her bros. so they did tie. anyways, but i liked this way much better than the old way i guess................ai, amar ekhon jete hobe, its 12:17 here. abbi is telling me to get off the comp. oh, munira apur jonno ekta q ache. do you think its backstabbing if you dont even know the ppl? do you think i was backstabing, let me know cause if i am, i dont want to. ok, so Allah hafej. -mou

Insult to my profession!

2005-05-18T00:13:00.000+10:00

Today I walked up and down St Marys shopping mall (which seemed to be half a km long) looking for a JP (Justice of peace) to sign a my citizenship certificate copy. The Police Station didn't have a JP, the Post Office didn't, the chemists didn't and then finally found one in a picture framing shop (wonders will never cease)! Anyways, I was browsing through a catalogue of artworks while waiting and when the JP came, I asked him where I could get a copy of this because its very useful for art lessons. I told him I'm a teacher (I'll be one soon). Then while, he was signing the the cert, I asked if he could turn over and sign the other side.
"I might not be a teacher but I know I have to sign both sides. *pause* You see teachers have a habit of treating everyone like little children, even if they're adults."
I turned red in embarrassement. The nerve of that man! Well, I'll show him!
"I hope I'm not picking up the habit already. I'm only a beginning teacher. I only said that because some JPs I've been to before, they didn't bother signing the other side and I had to request it specifically." One score for me.
"Yeah, most'll do that. But I always sign everything. and if you had two documents on one page like a drivers licence and a passport, I'd sign for both, twice, even if its on the same page." One score for him. We're even. Then we talked a little more. He was a sweet old guy really.

But the insult still rankles, because he's not the only one to say it. Most people seem to think of teachers that way. UNFAIR!

Maaf chai

2005-05-17T14:03:00.000+10:00

Assalamualaikum,

I think shobai amar upor chete ache coz i havent been posting. well amar reason ache. Our broadband limits been used up so internet is very slow so it takes ages and even freezes sometimes. So its a hassle coming in with it so stufy. But insha Allah this month will be over soon. But ami koto bhalo dekhso, eto koshto kore likhte ashchi, hehe *cheeky smile*.

Well all of your lives are so interesting compared to mine. Even though u dont like what happens sometimes at least stuff happens. Assignment niye eto besto shomoi gese for the last few weeks! Uni stinx! I so miss skool! Shotti, we had the best group in skool and now we hardly see each other. Even though we keep in touch with each other, its just that shobai uni niye besto thake. We see each other at the programs and dawats and other such gatherings. But its just not like b4. How was ur first yr M apu? Didn't u miss skool. Nabila, tui uni (u say college dont u?) jokhon shuru korish u'll c. Life becomes so different then. Well at least we have something to look forward to, amader group from skool planned bi-annual reunions. One is coming up in mid semester break insha Allah. I'm so excited about that. Icha kore pora shona baad diye shara din dhore oita organize kori!

Yesterday we organised a few study groups for most of my subjects. It was good. But I hate it wen we dont have reliable people in the group but alhamdulillah so far so good for us. I'm so bad. Missed so many klasses at uni and been missing more. Aajke jainai coz i couldnt get up in the morning. Did that a few days before too *hide face in shame*.

Well, my life............. my life......... bhebe dekhte hobe........... what else is going on?............. well, I want a job. Looking for one desperately. Bekar hoye boshe thakte bhalo lage na. Abbu ammu has so much financial strain on them already I dont wanna add 2 it. So amar ulta ki hoche jano? I'm ending up borrowing from people and ending up in debt *Gasp in horror*. Ami janina ki korbo. I applied for jobs at so many places. Kothao theke fone kore na. Kothao keo nei (ring a bell, Nabila?). Any ideas guys?

Anyways, I have summary notes 2 make 4 our study grp. Happy that I rote though. Will try and check this at least every 2 days insha Allah. Please kaar korien na, lokkhi shona mani amar. Chander tukra. Bhalo thako. Insha Allah talk 2 u's soon.

Wassalam,
-iishii-

cant think of a title

2005-05-17T13:26:00.000+10:00

Salam ppl. ai munira apu..........tomader okhane ki ekhon winter? amader summer shuru hoye geche. well..........even though its supposedto be summer here, its still really cold out sometimes. i mean today i think it was 38 deg. it was really cold out. munira apu, are you done with your practicum? how was it? how did it feel to teach little kids? Anyways.....i have to get off the comp soon........its 11:34 now. my day was ok today actually. me and this other muslim girl skipped 3rd and 4th hour and went out to lunch. well......since we didnt have a car....we walked to this place that was only 10 min away from school.........and then we sat infront of the library and talked........well, its my senior year........monta kemon uru uru, bujhtei parcho. i was worried abotu skipping 4th hr, cause i have get a lot of stuff done this week. but i am sure i can finish it.........and 3rd hour, i am a teacher aid for ESL. english second language. at first i though maybe i should go....i walked in the class............it looked so depressing.......i mean its not like we do anything there, i jsut have to help the kids with hw......but most of the time they dont need help........so then the teacher just tells me to talk to them...........and besides there are 4 other aids. so i decieded to take a little break............my teacher wasnt there so she didnt see me......and this otehr guy was there i told him not to tell the teacher. andeven if he does, my teacher doesnt really care. hm.........what else did i do? oh yeah, and then there was the IA meeting today. islamic association. same old stuff..........two ppl flirting..........guys messing around...........one person trying to speak and noone listening............us bored.................so after a while we left. anyways.........that all about my boreing day......i gotta go now..........so .......................later............oh, and ishita......i should've known.................lazy, didnt post one message..........lol.........look who is talking..........like i do? k..........hey you came online right now....and bugging me...........................i will talk to you later....and you beta post msg soon..............so cya guys............ttyl..............or post some msg later..........salam. -you know who

long, cold, wet and awful day

2005-05-16T22:01:00.000+10:00

Feeling very sick at the moment. My nose and throat are itchy. Hope I'm not coming down with the flu. I am also wondering whats happened to !ishi! and mou (I'm not calling you 'ITS ME!')? Total silence on your part.

Here's the briefing on my day which was long, cold, wet (autumn rains) and awful.

to some stuff to the JP to get verified and forgot the originals so I have to go back.
went to pick up academic transcripts, didn't have enough money coz I shopped earlier in the day and I had no notion that you had to pay for them. Then I found out the uni ATM machine was taken out coz not enough people were using it. Ugh! Then I had to catch a bus to Lindfield shopping mall just to use an ATM machine. Got my maney, caught the same bus back to uni.
Had an interesting chat with the bus driver about the teaching course, public transport and niqab!
Left home at 8:30 am and returned at 8:45 pm. Long too long.
One had one class (2 hours) in a small room stuffed with over 40 people. The lecturer was big on discussion but I could hardly hear anyone in my group because so many people were talking at such a small space. Just felt like tearing my hair out.
The rest of the time was spent putting together the supporting documents for the DET application. Also shared prac experiences with Alisha and Cath in the honours room. So didn't get much done there even though I was sitting on a computer.
Then a wet, cold trip back home. Thankfully abbu rang me halfway, told me to get off at Auburn and picked me up. He was coming back from somewhere.

I'm home now, feeling to drained to do any work.

Platonic love!

2005-05-14T22:38:00.000+10:00

"Platonic love is very much a part of any close friendship. But such a love doesn't always stay platonic. Sometimes it turns into passionate love. Crossing that line, between friendship and love, can be both beautiful and extremely difficult."

Interesting stuff I picked up in a cyber-ally. Watdya think?

More about my Prac

2005-05-14T21:45:00.000+10:00

I did this practicum at Fairfield Public School in Sydney's south-west. The most interesting thing about this prac was my cooperating teacher, no names thank you. Cooperating teacher is the teacher whose class I've been assigned to for practice teaching. Its a lovely 2nd grade class, mostly bright kids in a priority funding school, that has a high proportion of refugee and temporary resident holder students.

Anyways, back to my coop teacher. That woman is a fantastic teacher, but as a person, its a different question altogether. Miss social butterfly and the gossip queen of the school. I felt so uncomfortable about her habit of constantly talking about others: good and bad. She also loved talking about her boyfriend John. By the end of 1st week, I was terrified she's been telling tales about me behind my back. Especially because the 1st week was specially hard and I'd been getting a lot of criticisms from her about my teaching.

2nd week started off worse. My lesson planning and organisation was really bad and I was late to school one day because I missed the train. At this point she had two complaints about my teaching: organisation and class management. Organisation I could improve. But management was frustrating. She said I wasn't firm or strict enough with the children, I was afraid to discipline them and I was anxious to please them. I WAS NOT TRYING TO PLEASE THE CHILDREN! How can I be as good a disciplinarian as her when she's been teaching for 9 years! I was miffed, but agreed with her, as I should in my position. I sucked up to her a little bit saying that I'm happy you're being to honest and upfront with me. Give me as much criticisms as you want, as long as you give me a good report in the end. Well, I didn't exactly say those words. I implied it. By the end of 2nd week, my management and everything was picking up and she was a lot happier with me.

I made some major revelations during the 2nd week. A Coop teacher not just watches you teach and makes comments. She also has a duty to spend time with me, give me tips, introduce me to to other stuff members, generally making me feel included and involved. My teacher really neglected that. Every lunch and recess break she's rush off to the cafe to get her lunch. The school is on the edge of a shopping mall so teachers duck in and out of shops, cafes all the time. And that's were she'd head. I would have liked to go with her but I got the impression she didn't really want me to, even though she'd ask politely "can I get you anything?" Off course I declined. One day, she announced that she's gonna go for a walk at lunch-time because she didn't have enough exercise once she got home. She did leave far. So I asked is if I can go with her and so we can discuss the lesson I just taught. She hastily said, "No, no, no. Its ok. Your lesson was fine." Very suspicious!

Next day, I found out who she was going walking with John C, A stage 2 teacher. So, that's why she didn't want me to come walking! But I was stupid and clueless enough not to make the connection. Next day, I found out that her John is that John and now all her lunch-time rushing into the stage 2 block and cafe and walks made sense. I felt annoyed. Have your love-live, fine. But if you don't have time for me, maybe you shouldn't have taken on a prac student. Getting an easy pay while carrying on your romance. She'll get paid $200+ for having me practice in her class.

With a better understanding about her doings and my weaknesses, week 3 went much better. My management improved and wonder of wonders, she gave me an excellent report. I bought chocolates for her and the class and gave her 2 pairs of earrings I made. So, my prac went good overall, I guess. I think I learnt a very important lesson about reading people and telling them what they want to hear. Deception and pretention comes handy to a teacher coz teachers are the biggest two-faced creatures. That's another discovery I made in all my pracs. Sad, but true. Scares me to think I'll be going into an environment like that. I pray to Allah that I'll never be like them.

bujhte partisina

2005-05-14T10:52:00.000+10:00

munira apu.......i just posted one........why didnt it work.......it said it did....................hm............

cool....i think i am getting the hang of it

2005-05-14T10:47:00.000+10:00

cool...............ai munira apu and ishita.........congratulate me........and mail me..........ok..........nv mind............jsut post messeges..............hm...........what shall i write? i have so much hw.......this weekend.........oh yeah.........my graduation is coming soon...........may24..........this os so sad.......well not really...........but i will get out of school after 6 more days...........hm.......what else.......oh yeah.................i hate racist ppl................i wish i could do something about them............but as powerless i am..........i cant do anything but to watch...........hm..............ok..........so salams. i am so proud of myself.

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