Setatus Of Women in Islam

Spending Loonies and Toonies

I have noticed that I am usually more willing to spend money when I have Loonies and Toonies compared to when I only have 20s. Now there is research that backs my theory:

A new study, forthcoming in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research explores our definite preference for big bills over small ones – and explains our marked reluctance to part with a larger bill when compared to an equivalent dollar amount of small bills.

"The denomination in which money is held influences consumer spending," write the authors, from University of Iowa. They term the propensity to hold a single bill in higher regard "a bias for the whole."

This single value also gives large bills something the authors call "processing fluency": "A single bill possesses Gestalt features of cohesion and economy that multiple bills lack," the authors explain.

In an attempt to better understand how processing fluency affects the pleasurable qualities of large bills, the authors designed a study aimed at improving the perceived value of smaller bills. Participants had to imagine putting geometric shapes together to make a larger, more interesting shape. They were then given small bills and asked how willingly they would buy things with this newfound money.

As the researchers predicted, this exercise decreased the participants' willingness to part with smaller bills, as they would correlated the value to a larger bill.

"It appears that money is not just regarded as a medium of exchange but as an object of evaluation in its own right," write the authors.

Muslims, Islamic Law and Public Policy

A very insightful essay by Dr. Sherman [Abd al-Hakim] A. Jackson:

"Two basic challenges confronting Muslims in America inform the present essay. The first has to do with the enterprise of self-definition, that is, of defining for oneself who one is and which actions and non-actions are therefore consistent with one’s choice of selfhood. The second has to do with the problem of self-determination, or how to gain the requisite control or influence over the social and political institutions that affect one’s life. These challenges are intimately connected to each other. They are also connected to the issue of Muslim participation in American society, socially and politically. This latter point is obvious in the case of self-determination. It becomes equally obvious, however, in the case of self-definition, once it is recognized that the real goal of any act of self-definition is both to affirm one’s subjectivity vis a vis the world around one and to gain public recognition for one’s subjectivity chosen self. Self-definition, in other words, is always and fundamentally a social cum political act; it is never a purely intellectual one.......read on."

Rain gardens

I found out about this really cool concept of Rain Gardens.

"A rain garden resembles a regular perennial garden in many ways. It is designed with deep-rooted plants that come back year after year; it is pretty to look at; it often has lovely flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. So what makes it different from any other perennial garden? here are certain qualities that make a rain garden unique.

• Rain Gardens have a ponding area, but they are not ponds. They often are planted with wetland plants, but they are not wetlands (although you can design a rain garden that mimics a wetland).
• The garden absorbs and filters rain that would otherwise run off your property and down the storm drain. This stormwater runoff usually comes from an impervious surface that rain cannot soak into, such as a roof or parking lot, or even a lawn.
• Many of the plants in the garden are native to the region, and have extensive deep roots that help the garden absorb rain. The native plants do not need special attention once they are established.
• There is a bowl-shaped dip in the garden, which holds the rain while it soaks into the soil.
• The garden bed is prepared or sometimes replaced to a depth of two feet in order to de-compact the soils and make the garden able to absorb water."

One of the main benifits us it reduces pollution. As the American Chemical Society states:

"If properly designed "rain gardens can effectively trap and retain up to 99 percent of common pollutants in urban storm runoff, potentially improving water quality and promoting the conversion of some pollutants into less harmful compounds, according to new research scheduled for publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Chemical Society journal, Environmental Science and Technology. The affordable, easy-to-design gardens could help solve one of the nation’s most pressing pollution problems, according to the study’s authors, Michael Dietz and John Clausen of the University of Connecticut. "

There are other benefits to Rain Gradens too which are mentioned here.

Passionate Nasheeds-Pakistani Style

Sh. Faraz recently posted this English Nasheed "How Great is Madina" ( Omar Nafees also introduced it to me a couple of weeks ago ) being sung in a passionate voice by a Pakistani Naat singer. I found more naats by the same singer and as Omar says you have to love the passion in the singer's voice Mashah allah! Click on the links below to listen!:

1) From Head to Foot the prophet is like a Rose
2) Ya Rasool Allah ( Peace be upon him)
3) How can we Thanks Almighty Allah
4) Our Prophet Is The Most Elegent The Greatest
5) O Allah's Massenger For You Always
6) His Effection Will Impress Every Body
7) When The Merciful Prophet
8) Muhammad Is The Symbol Of Allah
9) How Is Beautiful Madina Very Very Good Madina

Ethics of Disagreement in Islam

I was introduced to this online text by Junaid in my early days in the MSA. A definate MUST READ!

"In The Ethics of Disagreement in Islam Dr. al `Alwani sheds light on the positive aspects of disagreement and shows how the early generations of Muslims put it to use as a fecund and vitalizing facet of their society. In order to fashion a viable Muslim civilization, argues Dr. al `Alwani, Muslims must relearn the art and etiquette of agreeing to disagree and thus become more capable of dealing with potentially divisive situations and issues. More importantly, however, they must master the methods of making disagreement work for them, rather than against them."

Heart and the tongue

"Every vessel/container will only pour out what is contained in it. That is very obvious. And so your tongue is your ability to express what lies in your spirit. Television, movies, the friends you hang out with, the music you listen to. Everything around you is Environmental forces which shape how your being is and how your heart is. And when you open your mouth to speak it is as if your heart is like a sponge that absorbs all this material around you . Essentially what you are doing is squeezing what is in you and what comes out is what has been compiled in your mind and in your memory. Obviously you can only express in your heart what has been placed in it. So in order for the outcome/ output from the tongue to be positive, the input needs to be positive." Sh. Abdullah Adhami

University students offered B-minus to stay away

I woudn't mind a Prof who did this.:

"A University of Prince Edward Island lecturer makes no excuses for offering students a 70 to not show up for his course. But the administration gives his deal a failing grade.

David Weale said he made the offer because the class is too big and some students aren't interested in being there............Read on "

Made in Bangladesh

My Calgary Flames hat is Made in Bangladesh! Read about the dilemma that sweatshop conscious shoppers face:

My father came back a couple of weeks ago with a suitcase full of presents from Bangladesh. We were in the living room and he unpacked scores and scores of colorful saris and shalwar kameezes. He then reached into suitcase number two and pulled out a stack of plastic wrapped T-shirts. "I got these from your uncle's factory," he said with pride in his voice. "They export these to Europe! They even export to Wal-mart!"

I hesitated. My dad was so proud that his Bangladeshi relatives owned clothing factories in Bangladesh. You could hear it in his voice because as far as Bangladeshi standards are concerned, they had made it because they were exporting to Wal-Mart.

I didn't know what to say, really, to my dad about that. In my Western frame of mind, I would never be caught dead in a Wal-Mart, I save up money to purchase sweat-shop free clothes from American Apparel, and think that Kathy Gifford was bad when her line of clothing was discovered to be made by children. But looking at it from my dad's point of view, these were his family members that pulled themselves up by the bootstraps from the village to owning a large factory in the big city of Dhaka. They own property. They export to Europe. They have huge contracts with Wal-Mart. They are khubi boro loak, "very big people................"

India's 'girl deficit' deepest among educated

I was surprised to read in this article that being educated does not have an impact on the practicing of the pathetic cultural practice of aborting if you find out that you are going to have a baby girl and not a boy:

"..........The use of ultrasound equipment to determine the sex of an unborn child - introduced to India in 1979 - has now spread to every district in the country. The study found it played a crucial role in thetermination of an estimated 10 million female fetuses in the two decades leading up to 1998, and 5 million since 1994, the year the practice was banned. Few doctors in regular clinics offer the service openly, but activists estimate that sex-selection is a $100 million business in India, largely through mobile sex-selection clinics that can drive into almost any village or neighborhood.

The practice is common among all religious groups - Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, and Christians - but appears to be most common among educated women, a fact that befuddles public health officials and women's rights activists alike.

More educated women have more access to technology, they are more privileged, and most educated families have the least number of children," says Sabu George, a researcher with the Center for Women's Development Studies in New Delhi, who did not participate in the study. "This is not just India. Everywhere in the world, smaller families come at the expense of girls."

Like China, India has encouraged smaller families through a mixture of financial incentives and campaigns calling for two children at most. Faced with such pressure, many families, rich and poor alike, are turning to prenatal selection to ensure that they receive a son. It's a problem with many potential causes - from social traditions to the economic burden of dowries - but one that could have strong social repercussions for generations to come..........."

Muslim/Christian Relations after 9/11

I attended a lecture on Muslim/Christian Relations after 9/11 by Gregory Baum yesterday. Dr. Baum is an excellent academic who has extensively started reading on Islam after 9/11. He started by talking about 9/11 and how it is not the event which represents Islam. Islamic tradition and culture is much richer than that.

He feels that Muslims have been subject to a lot of Tough regulations like the Patriot Act and the Bill C36 in Canada which they do not deserve. He said disagreed with Samuel Huntington idea of the clash of Civilizations and stated he believed in the notion of " Dialogue between civilizations"

He gave quotes from the Vatican council in the 1960s on Islam and also quoted Pope John Paul the second to confirm how the Catholic Church encouraged good relations with the Muslims. He stated that there are other Churches ( other than the Catholic Church) which are open to dialgue as well.

He said that extremism in Islam takes root from a lot a complicated reasons--more social than Religious. He sated that Western Countries like Britain and France had double standards in the 19th century where they promoted Democracy on their home turf however at the same time they contradicted themselves when they forcefully colonized many countries.

Next he divided the Muslim revival in the face of Western Colonialism into 2 categories. into two categories: The first being the reformists like Afghani, Rashid Rida, Sir Syed Ahmad khan, etc. who were like the early Muttalizites and the second category was of the more literalistic Wahabis ( That categorization was too simplified in my opinion).

Dr. Baum quoted a Turkish Revivalist ( whose name I did not catch) and extensively quoted Tariq Ramadan. He expressed hope in their writings saying that here we had really amazing theologians who while being true to their faith are also promoting harmony between the Western Muslims and the communities of the countries they live in. Dr. Baum expressed his sadness at the fact that French secularists had labeled Dr. Ramadan as a Hidden Fundamentalist or a Muslim Apologist. He sad that it was sad that books and articles by smart people don't get the attention they deserve from the media who prefer to give time to statements by Mr. Laden.

The Q & A session followed and we had some good questions ( and some not so good questions) from the audience. He was asked by a Muslim friend of mine ( there were around 10 or so Muslims there ) on how he should conduct himself with his Christian friends who kept bringing up the differences between Christianity and Islam on the diviness of Jesus. ( people clapped after his question!). Dr. Baum stated that indeed that was a fundamental difference however that should not stop us from reaching out to one another because we do have a lot in common.

Another good question was on the way the secularists in Canada view religion and Dr.. Baum expressed hope because had seen the most hard-on-religion secular people take a U turn on religion. He gave the example of German theologian who did that! Overall it was a very refreshing lecture and it was encouraging to see an esteemed intellectual like Dr. Baum reaching his hand out to Islam.

Someone asked him if there was a connection between the Hijab ban and the riots in France. He said the riots were a result of social and economic reasons and not the Hijab ban. In his opinion France had done a bad job in intergrating these Muslims into their society ( I believe the Muslims are at fault too). Germany, he observed also faces similar problems . Germany called in "guest worker"s from Turkey expecting them to go back to Turkey after a short period of time so they put no thought into welcoming these workers to German society. These workers and those who arrived later however have stayed in Germany and often are totally cut from German Society. He said now that this isolation of the Turks in becoming a issue the Germans unfairly blame the Turk immigrants.

Lectures at St. Jermoes always give me hope of a serious dialogue between Islam and Christianity and this lecture was no different.

At the Last Minute?

I think we South Asians ( and even Muslims) have a habit of leaving things to the last minute. Many a times I have been part of clubs and organizations where things are left to the last minute. Things are still done as well as they could have been under the circumstances but it can still be better if more planning is involved.

The quote below is from an article on last minute preparations that Indians do before hosting a cricket game:

"There is only one kind of minute in our cricket; the last one. There are many others but those are humbler minutes, their job, to prepare the ground, to fill time before the last minute arrives. The gong sounds, the bell chimes when it comes and like an air-raid siren going off, everyone is galvanised into action. Minds work faster, bodies discover they have four pairs of hands and legs, intent appears, the line between night and day disappears.

It reminds me of the expectation with which people wait for the moon to be sighted before breaking out into Id celebrations. You know it is going to be sighted soon, but until it is there is little you can do. So too with our cricket. Nowhere in the world does as much happen in the last minute, nowhere does as little happen in the minutes before.............."

On the other hand I have seen most of my peers from different races also leave stuff to the last minute . However I think South Asians are worse ( with some exceptions of course).

Another observation I have made is that there is a lot of talking involved in planning but when the time comes to convert the talking to walking there are a very few arms and legs to be seen. And the talkers appear again after the task/event to start the talking again.

Don't think an Elephant

I started reading a new book Don't think of an Elephant on Imam Zaid's recommendation. The first page had a very interesting paragraph which I quote here:

When I teach the study of framing at Berkeley, in Cognitive Science 101, the first thing I do is I give my students an exersise. The exercise is : Don't think of an elephant! Whatever you do NOT think of an elephant. I've never found a student who is able to do this. Every word like elephant evokes a frame, which can be an image or other kinds of knowledge. Elephants are large, have floppy years and a trunk, are associated with circuses, and so on. The word is defined relative to the frame. When we negate a frame , we evoke a frame.

I have learnt from my teachers that part of preventing oneself from going back to the same sin (after Tauba) is not to think about your sin repetitively because that only increases the chance of you repeating your Sin.

Reasons for Bad opinions

REASONS FOR BAD OPINIONS

by Hammad Din

A.Third person

1) You don't know the person at all. Basically this is not your opinion but someone else's opinion, (who) may have known the person for a long time or might just have met him. In a lot of cases this view can be biased since you trust your friend's opinion on this and you don't know what might have gone on between the friend and the person. It's good to investigate why your friend has the opinion he/she has and also to question him/her on it.

2) You know the person for some time. However your friend tells you of something the person does or did/does or said/says. You form a bad a negative opinion. However bias can play a role and it is good to investigate. You can even ask the person without naming your friend if
what was said about him/her was true.

B.Jealousy

1) The person has some material thing that you crave for as well i.e. car, PC, etc. If he /she shows it off to people and gets attention…you might get jealous. The person might not be showing off but your jealousy makes even his/her normal actions (about his possession) bad
to you.

2) It might related to a person of the opposite gender getting attention from whom you like( or even admire). You want that attention diverted towards you and that is the basis of your bad opinion of your competitor. Again he might just being himself/herself.

3) Similar to previous one. The only difference is that the person whom who admire or whose attention you want is of the same gender. It could be seeking attention from an elder ( in a child's case), someone in power, even a good friend(!), etc

4) The person is more popular than you. You want to have as big a social circle as he' she does. It may be a good competition if the person is popular because of his good character. However specially in teens it just could be hollow popularity!

5) Person has power that you crave because of its prestige. It may be at work or could be in school in a student organization, etc, etc

6) He/She has a skill which you don't. (I.e. may be in sports,studies, etc). You try to pick out bad qualities on the person and form a bad opinion about the person

C.Actions

1) You get to know of something the person has said behind your back or has acted in a way that really hurts you. This can be more traumatic if you had a very good opinion of the person before. You can sometimes tell habitual backbiters who will say bad stuff to you about other people when you are not around and say bad stuff about others when they are not around!

2) The person says bad mouths you in front of other people or even alone. Some times the person might not even move his tongue to show you that you are not liked by him. So your reason for not liking the person maybe simply the fact he/she doesn't like you!

3) You have done a lot for the person but he never appreciates what you do and expects even more without giving anything or saying a simple thank you.

4) First time you meet the person. However based on your past experiences, you don't get a good vibe even if the person gives you his/her best behavior. Some times you may be right on your judgment and at other times horribly wrong

5) Nobody's perfect and the person may have imperfections which are very obvious.

6) You are in a bad mood yourself. The person acts normal but you interpret that to be a bad behavior just because you are being pessimistic about everything/every one.


End Note: These are a few reasons why you could form a bad opinion about some one. There probably are more. However I think I have covered most areas. Just remember no matter what your opinion about a person is you should be flexible with it because people change. For example, you probably aren't the same person you were 2 years ago!

Study urges repeal of Canada's polygamy law

I just read at this article: ( Thanks to an Anonymous comment on my blog) :

"A new study for the federal Justice Department says Canada should get rid of its law banning polygamy, and change other legislation to help women and children living in such multiple-spouse relationships........"

UW Muslims Forum

www.uwmuslims.com

A new forum for U of Waterloo Muslims for ( inshah allah) useful sharing of information!

CIC Candidate evaluations

CIC ( Canadian Islamic Congress) Election candiate evaluations can be found here!

Read about their evaluation criteria and other details here.

Marriage trends in Pakistan

Is the power of the Aunty network subsiding in Pakistan? First it was the famous TV show Shadi Online and now an Aranged Marriage of another sort has taken off in Urban Pakistan:
An article from the Jang News states:

"..........Most matchmakers strongly feel the media are solely responsible for the changing attitudes among men and women who prefer beauty over brains due to which the old trend of a 40 year-old man desiring to marry a 25 year-old woman is gradually coming back. In this case if the man is well settled, parents are unwilling to let go of the proposal and become equally anxious to marry their daughters off at a young age.

On the other hand, keeping the high rate of inflation in mind, the demand for educated and working women has also been increasing whereby men expect their future partners to contribute to the family income.

Sources also say that today men are not the only ones to reject women and that the latter have become equally demanding with the passage of time. Trends in beauty have also changed and the typical demand for a girl with a fair complexion is also gradually decreasing. "What most families look for in a girl is her education and how presentable she is regardless of the complexion or height. Slightly overweight girls, however, are still not accepted," admits Saba Zafar, another matchmaker who has been in the profession for 10 years.................."

Eid Mubarek

For the Love of Water

From Paper Poetry ( Blog found via SunniSister):

Water

Dreaming, I awake in a pool of sweat
Reciting ancient stories that shimmer
In fragile water rings
And I immersed, come struggling up for air

Panicking, Hajar returns to find her baby’s fists
Calling blue water from yellow sand
She gathers the fate of the world in her palms

Like Nuh, calling his son from the ark
On arrogant peaks he turns his shoulder
The tide rises; the mountain holds its breath

Or Yusuf in a well, caravan pulling up a rope
Rain falls for 7 years, Earth dries for 7 years
From slave to brother, only one drop crafting fate

Like Musa, walking the wet ocean floor
Two waves, mountain high, paused yet breathing; waiting
Perhaps wondering why they are no longer embracing

Like Mohammad with his hands immersed:
Water flows. Wounded and bloody,
Future martyrs drink with tips of spears in their shoulders
thirst: an enemy in the desert

Like Hud disappointed; great black clouds carry no rain: only wind
Yunus swallowed in the belly of a whale, in the belly of a sea
Iblis from fire, Adam from dripping wet clay, flames grow softer

To Allah, who asks
"We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?"
A creation unacquainted with itself
Oblivious to the flow between the veins
Like a fish that does not know water
Until it has tasted air

Like the old man in a mosque
Washing his face, teaching his grandson
Rules of ablution
And life floweth through the palms of his withered hands

Somewhere, an ocean sighs
And foolish I, thought this world was made of something inexplicable

What not to give to a woman and a man...

"Don't give a woman a telephone and a man a microphone"

Sh Hamza quoting Imam Zaid at RIS retreat.

Walmart: The High cost of Low Price

Do you shop at Walmart?

I do!

But after watching this really good documentary on Google Videos ( The High cost of Low price) about Walmart ( and the several issues that are associated with it), I am seriously rethinking my shopping strategies. I do recommend watching it.

If you want to read on further I recommend Alternet's articles too which give more details on the issues examined the movie. Also keep yourself posted through this blog ( Wake up Walmart).

Quake Update: 400,000 hard-to-reach face life risks in quake zone’

Things are rough for those still stuck in the harsh Winter Weather...

From Jang:

"Some 400,000 people lying above 5,000 feet altitude are at a greater risk of disease and death in the wake of extreme winter supplemented with snowfall and heavy rains, said the United Nations officials on Thursday.

UN humanitarian coordinator Jan Vendemoortle, told a press conference here, "The snow came late but it came with a vengeance— the weather on the weekend was very severe." He said snow fell below the normal snowline of 5,000 feet and heavy rain was flooding many of the tents in the area. The UN top official also added that landslides continue to make life more difficult, blocking main roads and making tracks treacherous................."

and from the Boston Globe:

"MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan --Hundreds of quake survivors lined up outside a field hospital Tuesday to seek treatment for chest infections and other cold-related ailments after a blast of freezing rain hit northern Pakistan, health workers said..........."

Amr Khaled: Islam's Billy Graham

From The Independent

"In a tiny house on the West Bank a young Palestinian woman is jogging the length of her hallway and back. Again and again. The pain becomes unbearable. But she keeps going. Eventually she completes two thousand laps. Why? Because Amr said so. He called on young Muslims to get fit, and the woman could find no other safe place to run.........."

Nafs and Maths

Nafs (pl. Anfus or Nufus) lexically means soul, the psyche, the ego, self, life, person, heart or mind. (Mu'jam, Kassis). Nafs is an important basis on how you view life. Your Nafs should ideally be under your control. If you Nafs level is too high that means that you think to highly of yourself to a point where it is harmful for you. However if your Nafs is too low that means that you think too lowly of yourself to a point where it is detrimental. I was talking to a very good friend of mine and we compared our nafs to the sin function where it goes up and down all the time, like the sin function. Sometimes we think too highly of ourselves and some time too lowly.

Figure 1: the Nafs and Sin function

Examine Figure 1 and notice that if you use sin (5x) instead of sin x then your graph goes up and down more rapidly. However if you use sin ( 0.1x) you can really slow down your ups and downs. Furthermore if you want to amplify your highs andlows you can do 2 sinx and amplify it or do 0.1 sinx and lower the high and low points. Moreover if you add a 1 to sinx ( sinx +1) you can raise your lowest level. So in the end I think where our graph should be is 0.001sin(100x)+10hahaha. So that it is at a constant ( positive =optamistic level). I have plotted the ideal nafs in Figure 2.

Figure 2: The Ideal Nafs