put a spell on you
My heart is torn between East and West. I live somewhere between the present and the past. I don't know who I am.
Just another human being biding their time on this earth. Passionate about current affairs, history, politics (particularly MENA region), religion, cute animals and food. Posts are mainly in English but I may post in Arabic/French/Turkish.
Disclaimer: All photographs on this blog do not belong to me but to their rightful owners unless otherwise stated. All efforts have been made to link the material back to its original source. Please drop me a message if you see any of your material and would like to have it removed!
My sister teaches a Sunday class at a local mosque for new reverts to Islam. She once told us a story about one of the ladies who attends the class. They were discussing prayer and wodhu (ablution) in Islam and when and how each of these acts should be performed. They were specifically talking about things that could make your wodhu invalid. My sister said that as long as one doesn’t break their wodhu then they could carry on praying throughout the day without having to make wodhu again.
Suddenly, one of the ladies in the class started crying and my sister asked her what was wrong? The lady told her that she worked as a cleaner at a hotel and that her boss was giving her a really hard time because she was taking too many breaks to go and make wodhu so that she could perform salat (prayer.) The staff bathroom was far away from the rooms she had to clean in the hotel and she thought you had to make wodhu before every single prayer for it to count. She didn’t realise that by keeping her wodhu from her morning prayer, she could carry on praying without having to make wodhu again.
She told my sister that she was crying from happiness. She felt like praying was a burden before. She was so scared that her boss would end up firing her but she didn’t want to stop praying. She was so dedicated to her faith and wanted to gain a sense of fulfillment out of it and now she could do that without feeling worried.
That little piece of knowledge that we take for granted changed someone else’s life. It made her happier and she was able to practice her deen better as a result of it. It reminded me of the following hadith:
Narrated by Anas ibn-Malik: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Do you know who is most generous? They [the companions] said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Whereupon he said: Allah is the Most Generous, then I am most generous to mankind, and the most generous people after me would be those who will acquire knowledge and then disseminate it. He will come on the Day of Resurrection singly, like a ruler.” Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 93
Don’t withhold knowledge from others and don’t shun or ridicule a seeker of knowledge. With the right knowledge comes responsibility so always strive to seek and share it.
It’s crazy how much we take for granted. We’ve all been endowed with such great blessings, we can’t even begin to count them. We get too caught up by what has been given and offered to us that we rarely take a step back to reflect on all that we have.
I woke up this morning because of the alarm I had set the night before on a phone that I had the financial means to purchase. I woke up in a bed, a warm bed, fully clothed and with a roof over my head. I was able to open my eyes and get out of bed with ease. I was able to go to the bathroom and run clean, hot water from the tap to wash my face with. I didn’t have to walk miles to get that water, I didn’t have to worry about getting diseases as a result of using it. I could feel my stomach rumbling. My throat felt dry but I knew there was food downstairs in the kitchen I could placate my hunger with, water to quench my thirst with. I knew there was a family living happily in that house, no arguments, no sadness, no break-ups. I was not afraid or scared of them. I did not hate them. I felt safe and loved…
I can go on counting and recounting these blessings but they only come to acquire a true meaning when we attribute a feeling of gratefulness to them. Alhamdu-lillah (all praise is due to God.) Such simple words yet they hold so much meaning. Only when we come to realise the gravity of those words do we begin to realise the importance of praising and thanking Allah through our thoughts and actions. Be humble. Never, ever forget the true source of all your blessings and never stop being grateful for them.
Omar Al-Abdillat does it again - best dabke music. The songs in the order he sings them in:
1) نزلن على البستان
2) لوحي بطرف المنديل
3) حب حبني على الخدين
4) على العين مولييتين
5) صبو القهوة
6) مرعية
7) و ساري سار الليل
Graffiti in Saraqib, Syria marking two years since the Syrian uprising which began on March 15th, 2011. It reads:
“Two years, and we will keep going until victory”
عامان ونحن نردد ” الموت ولا المذلة:
لأن ” الشـعب الســوري ما بينــذل “
سنواصل حتى النصر
I made these cupcakes today for a bake sale they were holding at my school for Syria.
March 15th today marks two years since the start of the Syrian revolution, two years of uprisings and protests against one of the most barbaric regimes in history. I could go on about the number of people martyred since then, the plight of the refugees, the innocent civilians caught in the middle of it all etc. but I hate the feelings of helplessness and inadequacy that overcome you when you look at those statistics. I can’t even begin to put into words the amount of suffering that the Syrian people have gone through, the heartaches and the struggles. These struggles have all been documented, analysed, written about and commented on. What people often forget to document is the sheer perseverance and resilience of the Syrian people: the bravery of the protesters and their inspiring creativity, the dedication of citizen journalists and activists working tirelessly on the ground, the patience of the families who have to flee their homes and neighbourhoods, the refugees who left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their faith in God. There’s nothing ‘romantic’ about this grim reality but too often we forget to look beyond it. The situation in Syria is not hopeless. How can we allow ourselves to give up on the Syrian cause when the Syrian people refuse to give in?
A beautiful reminder for those who feel hopeless:
This picture was taken in the Damascus Suburb of Douma, Syria by Bassam Al-Hakeem. The writing on the wall reads:
‘You have killed nothing but our fear,
Douma will never kneel to anyone but Allah.’
Childhood Under Fire - Syria’s children are paying the heaviest price.
Two million children trapped inside Syria are innocent victims of a bloody conflict that has already claimed 70,000 lives, UK-based charity Save the Children warned Wednesday saying that these children are under constant risk of malnutrition, disease, trauma and early marriage.
In a new report, “Childhood Under Fire,” launched to mark two years of violence in Syria, Save the Children details the impact of the conflict on children, showing that many are struggling to find enough to eat; are living in barns, parks and caves; are unable to go to school with teachers having fled and schools being attacked; and that damage to sanitation systems is forcing some children to defecate in the street.
Citing new research carried out amongst refugee children by Bahcesehir University in Turkey, the report also reveals the extent to which children have been directly targeted in the war, with one in three children reporting having been hit, kicked or shot at.
Combined with the breakdown of society in parts of the country and more than three million people displaced, the conflict has led to the collapse of childhood for millions of youngsters.
“Childhood under Fire” details how some young boys are being used by armed groups as porters, runners and human shields, bringing them close to the frontline, while some girls are being married off early to ‘protect’ them from a widely-perceived threat of sexual violence.
The report’s key findings are:
- Thousands of children are facing malnutrition as food production is wiped out and severe shortages take hold. “Why did we leave? Hunger. Food. There was none. No bread. If I stayed my children would have died from hunger,” — Rami, father of three.
- Millions of children have been forced from their homes and tens of thousands are living in parks, barns and caves. “There were 13 of us in total, crammed into one room. We did not leave that room for two weeks.”- Yasmine, 12.
- Girls are being married off early in an effort to protect them from perceived threat of sexual violence. “My daughter is 16 and she loved school. She is innocent and very pretty. I know that men are hurting women. We could not protect her, so we had to marry her. We needed her to have a protector.” — Um Ali, mother of two.
- Families have been left without heating in winter as fuel prices have risen by up to 500 percent. “In one area of Syria where Save the Children is responding, during the bitter winter, school benches were stolen for firewood; desperate, understandable measures to stay warm, but further erosion of children”s opportunities to learn and play.”- Childhood Under Fire.
“For millions of Syrian children, the innocence of childhood has been replaced by the cruel realities of trying to survive this vicious war,” said Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children. “Many are now living out in the open, struggling to find enough to eat, without the right medicine if they become sick or injured. As society has broken down, in the worst cases, hunger, homelessness and terror have replaced school for some of these young people. We cannot allow this to continue unchecked; the lives of too many children are at stake. “
The research by the Bahcesehir University also reveals the extent to which children have been affected by war, with nearly one third of children surveyed saying that they had been separated from members of their families due to the conflict. Three quarters of those surveyed had experienced the death of a close friend or family member. Many are showing signs of emotional difficulties as they struggle to come to terms with their experiences.
Save the Children, which is providing humanitarian relief in Syria and neighboring countries, is calling for all parties to the conflict to allow unfettered, safe access to populations in need and to ensure that everything is done to bring the fighting to an end.
It welcomes pledges to fund the $1.5 billion humanitarian appeal for Syria, and calls on governments to urgently deliver the money, which is designed to target aid both inside the stricken country and to refugees living on Syria”s borders.
To shine a light of solidarity for the children of Syria, Save the Children is planning a series of vigils in 21 countries around the world on Thursday, March 14th to mark two years of conflict in Syria. The real-life vigils will be complemented by a virtual vigil amplified by a “thunderclap” — a single, coordinated message that will synchronize social media with a united voice of support for the #SyriaCrisis. Virtual supporters can simply sign up to synchronize their own messages on Facebook and Twitter.
Follow Save the Children on Twitter and Facebook.
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About the girl in the photo: Sana* is three years old and fled Syria with her mother and three sisters. An increasingly brutal civil war is tearing Syria apart. One million people have now fled Syria and are sheltering in neighbouring countries. Read her story.
Why does my cat think she’s spider man?
فهد بلان - واشرح لها
Fahd Ballan - Washrah Laha (Go explain to her)
This guy has so much swag, love this song :)
This is one of the most politically aware songs I’ve come across called El Foul wi’il Lahma (the ballad of beans and meat). The guy who sings it, Sheikh Imam (1918-1995) was a leftist Egyptian singer, whose songs galvanized the progressive movement in Egypt, especially in the late 60s and the 70s, and particularly during the reign of President Anwar Sadat. He formed a duo with the great colloquial poet Ahmad Fu’ad Nigm (also written Ahmad Fouad Negm), who composed his lyrics. Sheikh Imam’s songs (and Nigm’s lyrics) were great favorites among the crowds at Tahrir during the January 25th, 2011 revolution in Egypt. Both men were arrested during the rule of Sadat for their work.
This song is one of his most famous, “The ballad of beans [ful] and meat” (sometimes translated as, on the subject of beans and meat). It is in response to Sadat’s economic policies, which involved an “opening” to the West and an attack on government supports for the poor, which had been a mainstay of Gamal ‘Abd al-Nasser’s policies. Today we would call Sadat’s policies neo-liberalism. Sadat’s officials urged the poor and working working classes to tighten their belts. Apparently at one time this involved arguing that they didn’t need to eat so much meat, and that the staple diet of the poor, ful (fava beans) was perfectly adequate. (It reminds one of the efforts by the Reagan administration to classify ketchup as a vegetable — to economize on school lunches — and recent efforts by the Republicans in Congress to similarly classify pizza as a vegetable.) Sheikh Imam and Nigm saw this for what it was, and pushed back.
Warmness - taken in Mu’izz Street, Cairo, Egypt
By: Mohamed Kazzaz ( محمد القزاز ) on Flickr.
(via myeightcents)
To all the women who quietly made history.
Finally, and this is important: even those women who weren’t inventors and intellectuals, even those women who really did spend all their lives doing stereotypical “women’s work”—they also built this world. The mundane labor of life is what makes everything else possible. Before you can have scientists and engineers and artists, you have to have a whole bunch of people (and it’s usually women) to hold down the basics: to grow and harvest and cook the food, to provide clothes and shelter, to fetch the firewood and the water, to nurture and nurse, to tend and teach. Every single scrap of civilized inventing and dreaming and thinking rides on top of that foundation. Never forget that. (x)
(via thecouscousqueen)
Picture 1: Abdul and his family fled from their apartment in Syria after his wife was shot in the street during cross-fire between armed groups. The most important thing he was able to bring from Syria are the keys to his home that he holds in this photograph. Though he doesn’t know whether the family’s apartment is still standing, he dreams every day of returning home.
Picture 2: Tamara’s home in Syria was partially destroyed in September, and the family decided their best chance of safety was to reach the Syrian-Turkish border. “When we left our house, we felt the sky was raining bullets,” Tamara recalled. “We were moving from one shelter to another in order to protect ourselves.” The most important thing that she was able to bring with her is her diploma. With it she will be able to continue her education in Turkey.
Picture 3: Ahmed, 82, and his wife Fatima, 67, fled from their home in August 2012 after their neighbour was killed for asking soldiers why they had executed his son. The most important thing Ahmed was able to bring with him from Syria is his wife. “She’s the best woman that I’ve met in my life,” he says. “Even if I were to go back 55 years, I would choose you again.”
Picture 4: Iman, 25, decided to flee with her son and daughter when she heard accounts of sexual harassment against women in her home city in Syria. The most important thing Iman was able to bring with her is the Koran that she holds here. She says religion is the most important aspect of her life, and that the Koran gives her a sense of protection. “As long as I have it with me, I’m connected to God,” she says.
Picture 5: Marwa, 8, and her family arrived in a refugee camp in Iraq by foot. She says she wept as she made the journey through the cold, over a rough trail, as her mother carried her and her baby brother. She is now attending school and says that she finally feels safe. The most important thing she was able to bring with her when she left are the bracelets she displays in this photograph.
Picture 6: Salma, 24, and her family were forced to flee their home last summer. Confined to a wheelchair and blind in both eyes, she says she was terrified by what was happening around her. Salma says the only important thing that she brought with her “is my soul, nothing more - nothing material”. When asked about her wheelchair, she seemed surprised, saying that she considers it an extension of her body, not an object.
Picture 7: Abdulaziz, 37, fled his home in Syria the night his neighbors were killed. The next day he used the majority of his savings to hire a truck to flee with his wife and his two sons. The most important thing that he was able to bring with him is the instrument he holds here. It is called a buzuq and he says that “playing it fills me with a sense of nostalgia and reminds me of my homeland”.
Picture 8: Hisham, 37, and his family fled Syria early in 2012, paying a smuggler $1,100 to take them across the border. The most important thing Hisham was able to bring with him is the photograph of his wife that he holds here. “This is important,” he says, “because she gave me this photo back home before we were married, during the time when we were dating. It always brings me great memories and reminds me of my happiest time back home in Syria.”
Picture 9: Neda, approximately 100 years old (age between 90 and 107 according to family members), fled from her home last December when the apartments surrounding hers were destroyed. Crossing the border into Iraq was a very difficult process for her, and the journey on foot lasted the better part of a day. The most important thing she was able to bring with her is the ring that she displays here. When she was ten years old, her mother gave it to her from her death bed, saying, “Keep this ring and remember me.”
Picture 10: Mohammed, 70, and his family fled Syria when their family home in Damascus was destroyed by a bomb. They escaped in the back of a truck after covering themselves with plastic sheeting. The most important thing Mohammed was able to bring with him is the cane that he holds in this photograph. He says that without it, he wouldn’t have been able to make the two-hour crossing on foot to the Iraqi border.
Hundreds of anti-AIPAC billboards have been posted across central subway stations in downtown Washington D.C. proclaiming that “AIPAC does not speak for me”.
Sponsored by the left-wing Jewish Voice for Peace and the Avaaz global advocacy group, the posters were highly visible to many of the 13,000 delegates attending the pro-Israel lobby’s annual conference.
“AIPAC does not speak for me. Most Jewish Americans are propeace. AIPAC is not,” the billboards say.
Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace, said: “AIPAC is the NRA of foreign policy lobbies, pushing a rightwing agenda that does not represent the majority of Jewish Americans: Its support for military buildup and endless settlement expansion makes peace impossible. It cannot claim to speak for all American Jews.”
The posters are part of a concerted effort by left-wing groups outside the Jewish establishment to get their voices heard during the three-day AIPAC conference. Protesters from various radical Jewish and Palestinian groups have held vigils outside the entrances to the Washington Convention Center, where the conference is being held, leading to some scuffles with police and AIPAC delegates.
(via doyayoda)
A waitress had her tip docked by a member of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) because she wore a t-shirt opposing occupation which says “Occupation isn’t Pretty” whilst serving. The waitress who works at the Busboys and Poets café was left with only a 10% tip, a brochure and a condescending note which says “Displaying your political beliefs on your shirt cost you a % of your tip.”
(via fattysaid)
