Blog

  • I’ve seen a ton on the Facebooks about ‘thanking veterans for their service’. As a veteran, let me just be very straightforward and honest with you: We didn’t ‘serve our country’; we don’t actually serve our brothers/sisters or our neighbors. We serve the interests of capital. We never risked our lives or spent months on deployment away from our family and friends so they can have this abstract concept called ‘freedom’. We served big oil, big coal, Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Brown and Root, and all the other big Capital interests who don’t know a fucking thing about sacrifice. These people will never have to deal with the loss of a loved one or the physical and/or psychological scars that those who ‘serve’ and their families have to deal with for the rest of their lives. The most patriotic thing someone can do is to tell truth to power and dedicate yourself to building power to overthrow these sociopathic assholes. I served with some of the most real and genuine people I’ve ever met. You’ll never see solidarity like the kind of solidarity you experience when your life depends on the person next to you. But most of us didn’t join for that; we joined because we were fucking poor and didn’t have many other options.

    An anti-capitalist veteran  (via rootof-three)

  • This is all starting to feel too adult for me. I prefer playing with kids. They usually have no hidden agendas, political motives, or underhanded suspicions. If I imitate them, they’re happy, and if they imitate me, I’m happy, and we give and take without keeping score. All adults know is to be territorial as if puberty makes it compulsory for them to mark their territory. These adult games are ridiculous. Adults need to learn from children again, before the current template of adult role models all but eliminates any traces of the innocence of childhood.

    CJ

  • That Cultural Thing

    I once heard someone say something along the lines of:

    If you need government to protect your culture, then your culture is already dead

    These cultural appropriation-ists should consider this within a broader context. 

    Whether or not cultural appropriation is true, for me, is a side issue. The real issue is how did it get to the point where others felt comfortable enough to insult a culture without any fear of consequence? Relying on the respect of others is obviously a foolhardy exercise, but the moment you bend and sway in what you do or don’t practise in your own culture, you automatically end up taking from other cultures, or at best, contaminate your own culture to the point where it makes it fair game for others to do the same.

    Cultures have evolved and absorbed external influences for eons before the advent of the Internet, and as can be seen, the more connected we are, the greater the chances of cultural cross-contamination, if that is even a fair term to use. The surprising thing for me is how people are happy to cry foul when they see others ‘usurping’ their cultural heritage without due consideration for its roots and meanings, while they themselves openly embellish their lives with items or aspects from the culture of those they’re taking exception to. 

    This is all starting to feel too adult for me. I prefer playing with kids. They usually have no hidden agendas, political motives, or underhanded suspicions. If I imitate them, they’re happy, and if they imitate me, I’m happy, and we give and take without keeping score. All adults know is to be territorial as if puberty makes it compulsory for them to mark their territory. These adult games are ridiculous. Adults need to learn from children again, before the current template of adult role models all but eliminates any traces of the innocence of childhood. 

  • roxygen replied to your post: Further to my earlier post, I find it morbidly…

    I think the problem is few people actually believe democracy works, therefore they do not exercise justified measures to prevent some of the things you listed. I mean it in the very general sense of democracy. It requires emphasis on self-reliance.

    The problem I have with democracy is that the majority will always over rule the minority regardless of how many millions that minority may be. So it’s a game of numbers that trivialises the real issues.

    But I’m still more intrigued and disgusted by how men can behave with such ruthlessness when attacking men, women and children from their own communities. In South Africa I could still rationalise it. It was based on racial and cultural hatred albeit based on gross ignorance. But in the Arab world, it doesn’t make sense to me. I struggle to understand how a man can gun down, brutally rape, torture or maim people simply because they don’t support the man that’s paying his salary? Let’s forget that this is often Muslim on Muslim violence, because that would take the insanity to an entirely different level.

    This is just beyond my level of comprehension. Every single one of those men that shoot innocent civilians is a father, or husband, or son. How deep must their allegiance and hatred run for them to act in such a barbaric manner sincerely believing that they’re carrying out a justifiable and meritorious duty for a dictator? The brainwashing and indoctrination is just absurd!

  • Beautiful Recitation, Haunting Irony

    memonite:

    Beautiful Tajweed by a man in Hamra street (Beirut, Lebanon).

    So beautiful, but so sad at the same time. The Youtube comments sum it up the best: “Prophet pbuh said Islam will return to this state. It will become “ghereeb” (strange). Islam started strange and it will end strange…” and “Is this what our ummah has come down to? A poor man reciting Qur’an on the side of a street for money, while everybody walks pass him?”

    This is beautifully recited, but it reminded me of the following hadith from Bukhari:

    Narrated Abu Huraira: Once while I was in a state of fatigue (because of severe hunger), I met ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, so I asked him to recite a verse from Allah’s Book to me. He entered his house and interpreted it to me. (Then I went out and) after walking for a short distance, I fell on my face because of fatigue and severe hunger. Suddenly I saw Allah’s Apostle standing by my head. He said, “O Abu Huraira!” I replied, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle, and Sadaik!” Then he held me by the hand, and made me get up. Then he came to know what I was suffering from. He took me to his house, and ordered a big bowl of milk for me. I drank thereof and he said, “Drink more, O Abu Hirr!” So I drank again, whereupon he again said, “Drink more.” So I drank more till my belly became full and looked like a bowl. Afterwards I met ‘Umar and mentioned to him what had happened to me, and said to him, “Somebody, who had more right than you, O ‘Umar, took over the case. By Allah, I asked you to recite a Verse to me while I knew it better than you.” On that Umar said to me, “By Allah, if I admitted and entertained you, it would have been dearer to me than having nice red camels.

    The condition of Muslims was dire even during the time of Rasulullah (SAW). For me, the good in this is that his recitation was still appreciated by many that passed him and many that even stopped to greet and assist him. His choice of Surah is also very touching, since Surah Duha has a profound meaning for someone in his condition:

    By the forenoon (after sunrise).

    By the night when it darkens (and stand still).

    Your Lord (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) has neither forsaken you nor hates you.

    And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world).

    And verily, your Lord will give you (all good) so that you shall be well-pleased.

    Did He not find you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) an orphan and gave you a refuge?

    And He found you unaware (of the Qur’an, its laws, and Prophethood) and guided you?

    And He found you poor and made you rich (self-sufficient with self-contentment)?

    Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression.

    And repulse not the beggar.

    And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the Prophethood and all other Graces).

    ~ Muhsin Khan Translation

    (Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

  • Train station in Tunis named after Nelson Mandela. This was a pleasant surprise the first time I saw it on my way to the office. 

    (c) Cynically Jaded – 2008

  • Belittling Others

    pearlsfromislam:

    I ask you to not belittle nor attack any of your brothers and sisters because of what they preach. I ask you to avoid swearing. I ask you to control your anger. I ask you to approach people in a peaceful manner. I ask you to not discredit the intellect of any of your brothers and sisters because God only knows what is in the hearts of His servants. I ask you to leave aside what does not concern you. Finally, I ask you to pay attention to every single words in the following verse:

    But as for those who strive hard in Our cause – We shall most certainly guide them onto paths that lead unto Us: for, behold, God is indeed with the doers of good. (29:69)

    There is no unique way to reach Islam and I want you to respect that. If someone found Islam through a speaker who preached peace but whose speech demonstrated an affiliation with a specific party then leave him alone; his personal experience will ultimately shape his understanding of the religion. Also, do not dictate lessons from what you have lived for everyone is fighting different battles. Thank you.

    I couldn’t agree with this more. People that find it easy to be disparaging towards others have a selective memory. Recently I’ve often been reminded of how I behaved earlier in life. I recall some of the grave errors of judgement on my part, and I recall indulging in actions that make me cringe with shame at the thought of it. Reading this, and again watching the usual drivel on Tumblr about whose sect is more correct and whose sheikhs are more authentic, it reminds me that such sentiments are indicative of arrogance and elitism and has nothing to do with sincere advice.

    Sincere advice cannot be based on insults, dismissiveness, or condescension. The only exception I would make to this rule would be the use of arrogance against one who is arrogant. And then also, assuming that a measured and humble approach didn’t work in the first place.

    The point is simple, if you believe you’re sinless, and if you believe that your iman and your knowledge is pristinely pure, then go ahead and treat others as if you’re superior. But if you’re true to yourself, and sincere in your interactions, you’ll quickly realise that taking such a harsh and abrupt tone with anyone under the self-deception of hating for the sake of Allah is in fact making a mockery of what Allah has commanded of us, let alone making a mockery of the Sunnah that we profess to be upholding.

    The internet is certainly not a place I turn to for Islamic inspiration blindly…there are very few blogs that have a deliberate Islamic focus that I would consider as a reasonable source for obtaining some advice or comfort about my journey as a Muslim. The vast majority are unfortunately disappointing examples of bad da’wah.

  • Question: How does one let go and reveal themselves without shame?

    My blog reeks of regret and longing for the past: golden age thinking gone viral. My grandmother was one of the most significant people in my life; a second mother to me, and the only other human being whom I placed so much of my fragile trust. She died of cancer. I’ve never been the same. How does one let go and reveal themselves without shame?

    You’re blessed to have had such a relationship with your grandmother. I never had such a close or comfortable relationship with mine, although there was a lot of love between us.

    The only time you can reveal yourself without shame is if you’re not ashamed of who you are. Regret and longing for past events is often a defence to justify our unwillingness to look to the future optimistically. The cliched response in all this would be to ask you to think about how your grandmother would have wanted you to look at life and live it that way. But it’s rarely that easy.

    I don’t think it’s a matter of letting go, but more a matter of acceptance. Accepting the good that you experienced and will always have with you from your relationship with her, and also accepting that if you were indeed shameful, or lacking, it would not have been possible for you to have such a relationship with her.

    So rather than focusing on the loss, consider how much richer your outlook on life is compared to someone who never had the benefit of sharing such affection and wisdom with their grandparents. Reminiscing about the past is good as long as it keeps us grounded. The moment it becomes a means of burying our optimism for the future, then we’re using it as a crutch rather than a learning experience.

    Take the beautiful experiences you had with your grandmother and use it to inform what you share with others. Remember, right now, you’re preparing to to become such a role model for the generation that follows you. If you’re going to be caught up in the past, you’ll grow old being bitter and lacking in any real experiences of your own to share with your children or grandchildren.

    It’s not always easy, but it’s always important to remember what made the people we admire so much into the people that we know, or knew them to be. Would love to know which blog is yours. 🙂