The south asian cooking book......

This website is great....

Please refer to this whenever you ( the reader) invites me over...:D...just make sure yor serve it with roti!

Okay I will refer to it too if I invite you! ( the reader)....

http://www.punjabian.com/cooking_book/default.php

More detailed exposition of Lal masjid incident by Mufti Rafi Usmani on Red Mosque/Lal Masjid

More on Lal Masjid/Red Mosque by Mufti Rafi Usmani in Urdu (43 minutes):

http://www.deeneislam.com/ur/horiz/sotiyat/misc/Jamia%20Hafsa%20ke%20khun%20e%20na%20haq%20kis%20ke%20gardan%20par%20hai.mp3%20_.wma

He says:

• The actions of the Lal Masjid people were wrong.
• However their actions in all cases were a result of complaints of local residents--- who were frustrated at the lack of action or even willingness to hear the residents' complaints by the authorities.
  
• For example he talks about the alleged brothel owner whom the lal masjid people ( wrongfully) kidnapped. Apparently a local girl ( who complained to the people at lal masjid)had been forced to go to this brothel and had been raped and photographed and blackmailed thereafter and threatened that the photographs would be made public if she tells anyone about the rape. She had been then forced to come back and preform at the brothel repeatedly.
• Despite all that, he says 2 wrongs don't make it right and the lal masjid people should have used legitimate means to voice their concerns.
• He thinks that there is a contradiction in the government's actions as a result of lawlessness in Islamabad which was not as bad as the May 12 incidents in Karachi and wonders why nothing was done about the curplits of May 12 who killed 40 people.
  
• He then mentions his talks with the government ministers which leads to a resolution between Abdul Rashid Ghazi and the government only to be overturned at the last minute by the president resulting in the deaths of at least a 102 people.
  

Listen to the full speech if you want more details.

4 cute cat stories from the BBC

Unusual car purr was stuck kitten
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6912036.stm

Tabby cat terror for black bear
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5067912.stm

'Stowaway' cat travels 500 miles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4782010.stm

US cat 'predicts patient deaths'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6917113.stm

International sign of marriage?

Hey...Married people...Is this true?

Choosing a Watermelon!

Some of you might remember my Water Melon story posted last year.

Web MD has some useful information on Water Melons ("WM") that all WM lovers might find useful...The advice on how to pick is quoted below...I wish picking a spouse was as simple! ( maybe it is?):

Choose firm, symmetrical, fruit free of cracks, bruises, soft spots or mold. Ripe watermelon will have a healthy sheen, a dull rind, dried stem, and a buttery yellow underside where it touched the ground. There should be a melon like smell or fragrance. Thump if you must, sound should be dull and hollow. Lift them, weight should be heavy for size.

READ ON

CSM:No More Saviors

I recall in my last few years at varsity the "save Africa" movement really picked up. While I was happy at the fact that Africa as something that people were concrened about...however there were other contradictions. A lot of times it seemed like some of the people involved were there because it was "the thing" to do and were there because of because. nevertheless there were some genuine people interested as well who had lots of insight...

Anyways this CSM article focuses on the negitives of the "African Movement" in the West:

Last fall, shortly after I returned from Nigeria, I was accosted by a perky blond college student whose blue eyes seemed to match the "African" beads around her wrists.

"Save Darfur!" she shouted from behind a table covered with pamphlets urging students to TAKE ACTION NOW! STOP GENOCIDE IN DARFUR!

My aversion to college kids jumping onto fashionable social causes nearly caused me to walk on, but her next shout stopped me.

"Don't you want to help us save Africa?" she yelled.

It seems that these days, wracked by guilt at the humanitarian crisis it has created in the Middle East, the West has turned to Africa for redemption. READ ON

Lal Masjid....my opinion or something like it

I had earlier promised that I would comment on the Lal Masjid issue in detail.Luckily however I came across this article through bajee Koonj. Its a case of couldn't have said it better myself:

My trip to Pakistan had been set months in advance; my presence there during this crisis was coincidence. Throughout my stay, as I listened to the discussion about the conflict, I realized how much less I could have understood the events if I had been in the United States, even though I would have been reading the international press on the web. The complexity of such stories so rarely makes it into print, and the humanity of the people demonized drops out all too easily.

As we drove in silence, I thought of how easy it is from positions of safety and comfort to denounce fundamentalism, how often I have done just that. But who are we targeting when we make such statements? I have no trouble denouncing the bin Ladens and al-Zawahiris, or the Bushs and Robertsons, and critiquing their twisted worldview. But what of the ordinary people struggling against the elites who ignore the cries of the suffering? When those people take up a fundamentalist theology that we Western left/progressives reject, must we not highlight the inequality we also say we oppose?

Esack said some have asked him what he hoped to gain by going to Lal Masjid and talking with someone like Ghazi, but he has no doubts about the value and appropriateness of his visits there.

"When we abandon engagement and dialogue with those who hold these beliefs, we are abandoning hope. My goal is not to wall myself off from other Muslims, but to search for authentic connections, even across these gaps. Is that not how we can heal the world, and ourselves?" he said. "It is precisely when we start to think of some of us as 'chosen' and others as 'frozen' that we happily become willing to defrost them with our bombs."

READ ON

Sh Suhaib translation:--Shared values: Dr. Abdullah Bin Bayyah

Great scholarly perspective on shared global values by Sh Bin Bayah:

The study of values comes under the broader field of ethics, which is the field of enquiry that looks into what is good and correct with respect to standards which may be personal or cultural, and which can be used as a normative standard for behavior.

Values can be defined as ethical principles that determine honorable and praiseworthy conduct, where acting contrarily is shameful and worthy of condemnation.

Philosophers have debated since time immemorial about whether there are such things as universal values. There is agreement that shared values exist on a cultural level. Specific societies all have norms and values that are derived from custom, tradition, or religious belief. The dispute is whether there are any values that transcend the confines of a particular society or culture and are shared by all of humanity.

READ ON

Web MD: Curry Spice May Counter Alzheimer's

Another benefit of eating curry/salan....(I like to have it with rotee...)

A chemical in the curry spice turmeric might inspire new Alzheimer's disease treatments, a new study shows.

In preliminary lab tests, the chemical helped rid the blood of a key ingredient in Alzheimer's brain plaque.

READ MORE

Living the light: Understanding the 42 Nawawi Hadith

click here for information updates...

Tariq Ramadan on "the minority mindset"

Very insightful speech by Tariq Ramadan.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN (MP3).

Some good quotes

Great quotes:

“No one is listening until you make a mistake.” Anon

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work." Mark Twain

"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." Howard W. Newton

"Instinct is the nose of the mind." Delphine de Giradin

“If you’re in the penalty area and don’t know what to do with the ball, put it in the net and we’ll discuss the options later.” Bob Paisley, British Football Manager

“If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.” Dolly Parton

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?” Mawlana Rumi

“Champions are not made in the gym, they’re made in the heart.” Mohammed Ali

“What does love mean? Zero in tennis. Everything in life.” Anon

"Instead of using the words ‘if only’ try substituting the words ‘next time'" H Jackson Brown Jr

Imran Khan on Lal Masjid

Imran Khan sheds his light on the Lal Masjid issue ( and Pakistani Politics). I haven't heard a better articulated opinion than his on Lal Masjid:

Doing it....

Amelia Earhart - "The most effective way to do it, is to do it."

Shaykh Nizamuddin Awliya on Travelling

Shaykh Nizamuddin Awliya (1242-1325), often referred by Islamic spirituals as "the king of saints" (Sultan al-Masha'ikh), is a highly venerated sage and authentic theologian of Islam. A great mystic and reformer of the Muslims of his era and truly a living and an inspiring legacy for the sincere followers of Islam today. The following quote is taken from his famous compilation "Morals for the Heart":

"The traveller is constantly on the way to perfection, that is, so long as he is progressing in the way (of perfection), he is in hope of perfection. There is the traveller, the standstill, and the retreater. The traveller is the one who treads the path; the standstill is the one who stops along the way. Every time that the traveller lapses in his obedience, he becomes stationary. If he quickly resumes his work and repents, then he may again become a traveller. If, God forbid, he remains at a standstill, then he may become a retreater or backslider." (p 98)

Dr. Shahid Masood in Jang: Who were they and where did they go?

A respected journalist from Pakistan Dr. Shahid Masood narrates a story of 2 sisters--the younger of of whom was approximately 10 years old who studied at the now famous madressa in Islamabad: Jamiah hafsa. He went to the madrssa a couple of months ago to interview the students at the madressa and the brothers who ran it. Anyways the article narrates how the young 10-year old took his cell number and kept sending him text messages over the last little while with ayahs, hadiths, etc. He talked to the sisters on the phone when the fighting was in it's initial phase. They seem very confident that the crissis would not escalate. Dr. Shahid Masood tries to convince them to come out but to no avail. After the final push by the government, Dr. Shahid Masood calls their number and finds out from the sobbing young 10 year old saying that her elder sister has died. The phone cuts off afterwards leaving Dr. Masood in a sad state. {READ URDU ARTICLE HERE}

I think the best thing about the article is that it successfully presents the human side of things. The people on the perceived"other side" were after all humans as well even if they had made errors in judgments and were most likely not dealt with in the best way--specially right before the final push by the forces was made. Negotiations should not have been disbanded within 15 minutes.

IRIN ASIA PAKISTAN: Contaminated water a threat to millions in Punjab

LAHORE, 12 July 2007 (IRIN) - Urban water quality in Pakistan has deteriorated dangerously over the past decade and the country’s most heavily populated province, the Punjab, is at risk, say specialists.

In Lahore, capital of the Punjab, east Pakistan, leaking sewage pipes are allowing dirty water to seep into drinking water pipes, causing an increase in water-borne diseases.

Each day Shakila Aslam steps outside her Lahore home, she must tread carefully. Treacherously slippery, sewage-soaked mud greets her. Broken sewage lines leave huge pools of filthy water on the road and a stench lingers across the area. READ ON

Mufti Rafi Usmani on why Lal Masjid talks failed at last moment (in Urdu)

Daily Times: Truth will out

I have largely remained silent on the "Lal Masjid" issue on my blog. I have lots to say and will say it a later blog post inshahallah. However for now I will link to this article by Ejaz Haider who asks some very pertinent questions about the whole situation:

The government has closed the file on Lal Masjid. Time now to answer some questions.

As argued in this space, states use force or threaten its use and that is considered legitimate (the issue of legitimacy is of course linked to either a large majority of people approving the use of force in a situation or the state’s ability to do so without fear of being effectively challenged). Philosophers since Plato have noted that “politics involves managing coercive force because human condition involves conflicts of interests”.

But there is a caveat: force cannot be used gratuitously; it is a means towards an end and not an end in itself. This is true both of a state’s use of force against internal challenges and external threats..>READ ON

Surprises...

Christian Science monitor discuses the undeniable unpredictably of life.

- An old saying claims, "There's nothing new under the sun." Whenever you're faced with a difficult situation, it's reassuring to think that someone else in the world has already confronted the same dilemma and found a solution.

I hate to pop any body's bubble, but that old saying is bilge. While it's true that many elements of the world around us are predictable and manageable, there will always be surprises that test our ability to adapt.

No matter how much you plan or brainstorm things--you will still have surprises. I think the best you can do is equip yourself with tools to manage the situation but you cant predict which tool you will be using. To expect everything will go according to plan is very naive. Contingency plans have to be prepared even though they might not be enough. Further I see sometimes that when people plan things , they are making lots of positive assumptions without pondering the strength of these assumptions. And when the assumptions fall apart then they get surprised. My view is that every situation you face is unique. While there are similarities between some situations, they are not all the same. Experience can only help to a certain extent after which you need to keep an open mind and tackle the situation based on whats happening at that time. Perhaps thats why the best resources to approach situations are hybrids of experience and youth.

And as Muslims we believe, we can try our best but in the end what was meant to miss will miss and what is meant to hit will hit. You try your best but then leave rest to God. Don't sweat over it if it didn't work out. Its called Tawakul. As Shaykh Haddad explains on Sunnipath:

We should not confuse Tawakkul - reliance on Allah - with the acts we do in a period of deliberation, reflection, consultation, and special prayer before an important decision. Those acts and that period may come to an end, however, Tawakkul never ends. No matter what the decision, or when, we continue relying on Allah even for matters that seem granted and far less momentous. "Tie it [the camel] and rely [on Allah]" meaning go ahead and act - after due consideration - but always rely on Allah: before, during, and after.

Wild Sanctuary

Here is a website which I turn on sometimes for mental relaxation. It has nature sounds in it. I turn it on at work, home, etc. Very relaxing. AND also very funny since you can confuse a lot people too!

CLICK HERE TO LOAD WEBSITE AND LISTEN

MSN: A Breath of Fresh Air: MDI Makes World's First Air Powered Car

Air powered car!
Exciting stuff!

Short of hydrogen-powered, fuel cell or pure electric vehicles, there aren’t very many ways of obtaining zero emissions status. Admittedly, there’s still plenty of research left to do on fuel cell vehicles before they hit the road, not to mention the hydrogen refueling infrastructure that needs to be built, and while there’s been progress on electric cars such as the Tesla roadster, cost is always an issue. Now, French automaker MDI has come up with a clever solution that’s affordable and produces zero emissions to boot. How did they do it? The car is powered by air! READ ON

Punjabe Wise Saying 2: Water, sticks and unions

Punjabee: "Panee wich sotaa maryaan panee do totey naheen hunda"

Translation: Water does not break into 2 pieces when you hit with a stick

Explanation: Strong unions don't break that easily. If you hit water with a stick, it doesn't break--- instead the energy from the stick is dissipated as ripples and eventually whithers away. The water returns to the same state as it was before and if you hadn't seen the stick striking the water, you wont even notice that an attempt had been made to break it. Thats how our bonds of kinship and friendships should be i.e. calm and unperturbed like water.

Gurdian Unlimited: Blue lake and rocky shore ...

Would like to visit this...some day. More info on Etera here

A stunning new eco-lodge in deepest Ontario combines comfort with a taste of the wilderness. Gemma Bowes checks in:

The cough of gravel spray and the fading clatter of the Sounds Like Canada radio station fade as my Dodge car grinds to a halt, giving way to a thick silence broken only by intermittent bird peeps, woodpecker drilling and red squirrel chatter from the pines.

Behind me lie the stressful car-horn jams of Toronto's escape routes and five hours of straight roads, gently rolling hills dotted with strawberry fields, motels, and the totem poles and tipis of First Nation craft stores. Ahead are the final few hundred metres of Ontario's Bruce Peninsula, and Tobermory, the final town on the narrow pinnacle of land that juts up between Lake Huron - the world's fifth-largest freshwater lake - and the smaller Georgian Bay, classed as a separate lake although their waters merge above the promontory. READ ON

From Sunnipath on divine love

A lovely piece of prose by Al-Shirazi from Sunnipath regarding divine love:

Happy are the days of them that are infatuated by love for Him, whether they be sorrowed by separation from Him or made joyous by His presence.

They are mendicants who fly from worldly sovereignty; in the hope of meeting Him they are patient in their mendicity. Often have they drunk of the wine of anguish; be it bitter, they remain silent..READ ON