The Fuhrer's Tomato Soup

As the financial crisis in the U.S. and Europe continues to worsen with no end in sight, the jingoism, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments are steadily on the rise. A study recently conducted (http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/1015/Why-13-percent-of-Germans-would-welcome-a-Fuehrer) revealed that 13% of Germans “would welcome a Fuhrer to run the country with a firm hand”. Additionally, around 60% of respondents said they would limit the way Islam was allowed to be practiced in the country. Furthermore, the respondents felt that measures needed to be taken to restrict immigration into Europe.
These viewpoints aren’t something coming from the extreme right or from some fringe group. The mainstream has seen this seeping in of overt racism and if it hasn’t become the norm of public discourse it’s coming very close to becoming so. Politicians on the left and right utilize the xenophobic feelings in their platforms and often times gain votes as a result; in fact the ones who don’t point a finger of accusation at immigrants and/or Muslims end up the losers in elections often times.
Meanwhile in the United States we see the same tactics happening. While politicians in Europe attack immigrants coming from North Africa, Turkey and Eastern Europe, their American counterparts are focusing on Mexicans at the border and Latinos from Central and South America. With an election looming, unemployment rising and jobs slashing away at benefits, constituents are listening to the only source that gives them hope; politicians running for office. Promises are made to increase jobs and pay, decrease taxes and unemployment. Undocumented immigrants are blamed for the country’s woes and the voters believing it fall into line with what they are told and the racism and xenophobia grows here similar to how it grew in Europe. As people suffer more they look for answers and those who give the answers are consistently rooting themselves around jingoism and thinly veiled hatred.
Economy is one side of the coin in this increasingly volatile environment. The other side is the fight to supposedly preserve rights and ways of life. This is where the anti-Islamic sentiments kick in strongly. Since 2001, Islam has been blamed and accused of taking away the “liberties” of societies, of making people subservient, of making people less intelligent and being incompatible with ideals of “freedom”. Post September 2001, things went downhill but as the economy hit the dumps and avalanched further and continues to avalanche, opportunists have used the pervasive air of uncertainty and fear to bring Islam further into a villainous light. After the controversy of the Islamic center being built in New York, the same group of people who used this for their personal gain jumped to another topic that, according to them, shows that Islam is trying to subvert people and turn them into slaves. The topic? Campbell’s soup. Yes, soup. In Canada, Campbell’s has started to label their vegetarian soups as halal. The certification of this comes from ISNA (Islamic Society of North America). Not willing to miss an opportunity to further their cause, Geller and her backroom masters decided to boycott the company and to publicize company “bowing down” to Islamic “radicalism” (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/activists-simmer-campbells-soup-capaign-target-muslims/story?id=11918568&page=2). According to them ISNA is some kind of front for “terrorists” and “radicals” and by associating with them, Campbell’s is condoning such concepts. It’s worthy to note that the boycott put against them has not had much of an effect on their sales.
With conditions growing out of control, demagogues are propping themselves into power by playing on people’s lack of information and feelings of losing control of the world around them. Immigrants and Muslims are fair game as has been demonstrated time and time again in recent years. Will this change? Not likely. The ones to blame for the economic woes of Western Europe and the United States are undoubtedly those who were engaged in the stock markets, those who fixed laws to benefit the few, in short those who were in power and were working at upholding the status quo. They won’t blame themselves though because they want their money, they want their bonuses, they want to remain in their positions of power. So, to allay the tension and anger that’s brewing in society, they’ve targeted groups in society that are a sore for the powers that be. Bring the Fuhrer back, there are too many immigrants and Muslims in the country. They’re changing our way of life, they’re even taking over our tomato soup!

The Third Argument: Motive- Part I

It’s near midnight and she walks into the driveway of the home. Beneath the light she can see him and he notices her. He smiles at her, unspoken words hidden behind his eyes. She raises her hands showing a gun and takes aim. Four shots are fired into his chest before he falls to the ground remaining motionless, his shirt soaking in dark liquid…


One side says Islam is a terrorist religion (if it’s even a religion to begin with). Inherently it’s evil and murderous. They point to the events of 2001, the videos posted by certain groups, the angry protests where something will inevitably be burned in effigy. They point at these and more as proof that Islam creates in humans bestial, barbaric behavior bent on destructive impulses.
The other side says “Islam is a religion of peace”, it’s something that stresses humanity. They say that misunderstanding of Islamic texts has brought about the spike in the recent (last 60 years specifically) actions that have taken the lives of innocents around the world. The apologists (??) assert that Islam itself has been hijacked by villains who are giving the religion a bad name. The loud angry speeches, the goose-stepping, the talk of “self-determination”, indeed anything political, the angry talking, all of this is utterly outside of Islam they say.
There are these two clashing ideas of what Islam is and isn’t. Usually, the side of the apologists is taken by Muslims and those with an affinity to Muslims. The other side is taken by those who are antagonistic towards Islam. These can be non-Muslims, Muslims who have become disenchanted with the religion (why have they?), former Muslims who have left the religion and those who fall somewhere between that spectrum. When the subject of Islam makes its way into the media either one side or the other is given a platform; usually there’s more negative press given to the religion. However, with all the talk of whether Islam is a peaceful religion that’s mutated or if it’s a religion that’s inherently evil, rarely is a thorough analyses given. According to some, Islam is peaceful but why, what makes it a peaceful thing? Muslims feed the hungry and look after the poor and engage in interfaith meetings which makes it peaceful to some. According to others it’s the spawn of the devil but again we have to ask why, what makes that assertion a truism? Muslims attack innocent people and subjects women so that’s proof of its satanic inclination according to others.
With the good and bad, how often has the question been asked of why certain actions have been taken? What were the motivating factors that pushed a group of people to do things deemed inhumane? These types of questions are not asked and so we begin to look at situations in a huge void. Judgments made in the absence of information are bound to lead to inaccurate conclusions.

A woman has suffered at the hands of an abusive father for as long as she can remember. Even into her early childhood he’d slap her and punch her, beat her and yank her arm as if he were tugging at some kind of rope. These attacks were lightweight compared to the visits he’d pay her at night in her room. Repeatedly she was dehumanized losing any sense of self worth and this was increased more so because of the fact that people knew what was occurring. They knew the things that happened but said nothing, let alone did they take any action to prevent it from happening. The last shreds of her sanity were being torn away and if she wanted to survive as mentally intact human she’d have to take her life or his. Either she would end him or end herself but something had to give if she wanted to stay halfway sane. To kill herself would give him a victory, it would have said that he controlled her so much that after he exploited her, she would just go into a box and become a thing forgotten. No, that couldn’t happen, she would make him the thing forgotten. It’s near midnight and she walks into the driveway of the home…

Of course we can say there are other options, she shouldn’t have taken the law into her own hands. But, we say this from a perspective of a person who more likely has not gone through such trials and this amongst people who, like us, have been free from this kind of experience. Do we say the same to a person who’s been abused? Could we even dare to bring out this kind of argument directly to the face of this particular woman? “You shouldn’t have done this, someone would have helped you and taken you out of that situation”. Can that be said to the face of a person who’s had two decades of abuse in her life? Hardly could it be done, we speak so easily from the comfort of sheltered homes where it’s easy to easily throw judgments on people without anyone being able to challenge us or to give their side of the story.

Random thought at 2am

It’s the last week of Ramadhan and I’m sitting here in the masjid at almost 2am. There’s so much anti-Islamic sentiment going on and its increased in the last few months. Islamophobia they call it. I’m not surprised about it, I’m not shocked by it, there are plenty of people (people with power) who have an interest in seeing any forms of an undiluted Islam being entirely dismantled. If anything, it’s annoying. Sitting here, I’m reflecting on this deen and this month.
Often with things of depth, an idea is confined into one word and from that it loses its essence. The term “deen” is translated as “religion”, the term “salah” is translated as “prayer”, the practice of Ramadhan is related to “fasting”. Superficially, people see ramadhan as something so hard because of the lack of food that comes in the daytime hours. Really though, Ramadhan is a time of re-centering oneself, of gaining control of your body and your mind and ultimately your spirit; the pull of society is supposed to lessen.
For me, this month really helps me to check myself and I become more conscious of not only who and what I am but who and what I’d like to become. Everyday is a day of removing impurities from your being and become strengthened again and again and I appreciate this. Of course those on the outside who can’t stand Islam wouldn’t have you think this but, again their opinions are of no importance here. Ramadhan is one of those things that, if you remain attuned to it, you can see the effects it has on you over time and in the space of only a month, drastic changes can be born.
This morning, there’s a lot running through my mind and ironically, the mental congestion that is occurring is happening because I have an idea of direction and an idea of what I’d like to accomplish and how to go about achieving my goals. In due time, they’ll be elucidated. It goes without saying, this month is one of blessings in many varied areas of one’s life.

Women in Jama'at.

By now, many in the Muslim community have become aware of groups of women demanding their rights to make salah in full jama’ah in the masjid. While cultural tradition has women divided from men by use of a physical divider or even placing them in a separate room, they assert the belief that this is not part of the sunnah and is actually a form of bid’ah. Some have taken a distaste to their actions and the methods they utilize, others have lauded them and congratulated them on what is seen as a kind of bravery. They’ve not only taken an unpopular stance but they’ve also tried to revitalize a portion of Islam that’s been left behind. Though this in itself is has been worthwhile, there are other things in the actions taken by these groups that makes one wonder if their movement is purely Islamic or only partially so.
The first issue that comes to mind dealing with the Islamic legitimacy of this movement are the names that appear in the groups. Certain figures within the group have a history of being “cafeteria Muslims” using portions of Islam when it benefits them while leaving other parts of Islam out when it’s not so good a fit for their personal whims. On the issue of women, they say that Islam guarantees women’s rights, which is true, but they go further to try to stifle things Islamic claiming “Islam needs to be modernized” rather than “Muslims need to be modernized”. They see themselves as “progressive” but their form of “progress” is adapting themselves to what the status quo accepts whether it be right or wrong. These types are reminiscent of colonized subjects who saw progress and development as becoming closer in behavior to their colonizers while leaving their own native/cultural behavior in the texts of history. They are moved more from insecurity and with a desire to fit in rather than to be on firm and solid ground.
The second issue coming to mind deals with the reliance of the organizers on media to get their message spread out. There’s nothing wrong with using various sources of media, whether it be print, radio, tv, etc., to inform the public of what’s happening. The problems pop up when the media that’s being used is the same media that maligns the general Muslim public day after day. One has to wonder, if the media has been antagonistic towards Muslims repeatedly, what difference in approach would they take? Why would they lend a sympathetic ear to Muslim issues and spread it out to the public so the average person also has a sympathetic feeling? In reality, the same antagonistic media is going to use such a situation to benefit its own cause. So, as the media claims Islam is unjust to women and treats them as inferiors, these forms of media will use this movement as evidence of the unjust behavior towards women. A fair and as unbiased as possible hearing won’t be given and so relying on mainstream media outlets will serve more to denigrate Islam (as is continually being done) than to give a voice to the Muslimat who claim they want their rights.
As we are given rights in Islam, we ought to preserve them and if someone is taking them away from us, we have the right to have it returned back to us. However, we can’t claim that we’re preserving our Islamic rights when we’re least concerned about Islam and more concerned about the “rights” that fit our whims. It’s hypocritical to say that we support something or someone when we see great personal opportunities within it but then revoke our support of a thing when we don’t like it and it doesn’t allow us to do what our desires plead for. For the reasons outlined above, I’d greatly hesitate in supporting this movement because unfortunately, it seems like there’s more interest in doing the popular thing rather the Islamic thing.

Everyday create your history

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aROjHScSH8w

Revisiting History so the Guest of Future Doesn't Surprise You

"History is a race between education and catastrophe". -H.G. Well

Humans and most animals rely on prior experiences to give them an idea of what will happen if they commit an action in the future. A toddler who places his or her hand on a flame will, after that incident, more likely than not, stay away from touching a flame; the memory of what happened before will be enough to stop them. But what happens if the toddler touches the fire and doesn't remember the entire incident? The attraction of the fire draws him or her to it again and the baby will probably touch the flame again and feel the same pain once more. And each time they forget, they'll probably repeat it.

Individually, our memories of personal experiences shapes our decisions in the future. However, socially speaking, history (our collective memories) tends to be forgotten resulting in our (social) repeating of putting our hands on the flames and burning ourselves. As a collective society, we've become amnesiac when it comes to the experiences of history and it has led us to a condition where we are increasingly suffering on a day to day basis. We've lived this way for so long that we believe it's a normal thing to go through the things we face on the street, at work (slave jobs) and anywhere in between. Yet this way of suffering is not a normal thing and we need to revisit history to understand this.

Regardless of how scary it is, how much it makes us terrified, we need to see what's happened not so we can write homework assignments but so we can take the best of historical events and figures and bring them into this world and so we can see the worse of history and prevent it by all means from being repeated. There's truth and wisdom in Maya Angelou's words "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."

Aafia Siddiqui and the repeated precedent

For those of you who don't know about the case of Aafia Siddiqui, here's a link to an article about her and the resultant trial which ended in a guilty verdict on the charge of attempted murder. Article and Video Report on Aafia Verdict
Her case represents a consistent trend throughout the world where to be a Muslim on trial is an automatic guilty verdict. Regardless of what evidence is brought forth in favor of the defendant and what evidence is lacking that shows inconsistencies in governmental cases, the Muslim who is put on the stand by a western government will almost assuredly be found guilty.

One of the disheartening things about Aafia Siddiqui's case is the fact that though she was missing for some years, this was not looked into during her trial. The judge didn't bring it up, nor did the defense team, financed by the Pakistani government, delve into this crucial fact of the case. Essentially, Siddiqui was portrayed, as many Muslims are, as a lunatic bent on destroying the lives of Americans. On top of this, Siddiqui has three children who entered her native Pakistan with her before she was arrested, two of them were missing and are missing right to this day. Again, this held no weight in the trial at hand. Why was a full picture not painted around Aafia Siddiqui and instead only a biased one which portrayed her as yet another so-called "Islamist jihadist"?

Those who have it in their best interest to maintain the current status quo have made it their goal to vilify Muslims in the public eye. Though it has been done in the recent past with the propaganda against Muslims and places like Iran during the 80's (one need only look at characters in wrestling such as The Iron Sheik or album titles such as "Sheikh Yerbooti") it wasn't until nearly nine years ago that this went into full steam. While the Muslims represented a potential threat that existed in lands far, far away, the events in 2001 signaled a threat in people's back yards. From there, because of this fear engendered by those events, the Muslims became fair game at any and all points. Repeatedly the media pounded (and continues to pound) into the heads of the public "they're terrorists, they're terrorists, they're terrorists" or "they don't believe in women's rights, they want women to be subservient" and the list goes on for giving justifications for attacking Muslims and making them a disgusting site in the public eye. The unrelenting injections into the public's head has taken full effect to either make people loathe Muslims or fear Muslims intently.

Many proofs of this can be seen and the Aafia Siddiqui case is one such. Like the image of the depraved, sex-crazed black man that was fed to America between the time of the "emancipation" of "slaves" until the end of the civil rights era (roughly), the image of the crazed Muslim creates in the public a monster so huge, so threatening, so dark and deadly that the public, when forced to encounter it, would prefer to look away while the guillotine is let go. Do what you must, get rid of that ghastly beast, just keep it away from my sight, never let me anywhere close! And be sure to destroy it completely. In the past, people destroyed the black beast arresting him, insulting him, spitting on him, punching, kicking and attacking him, stringing a rope around his neck and lynching him, setting his dead, swinging body on fire and taking pictures in front of the monster as evidence that this beast was dead and gone, no longer a threat. Today, the process has been transferred to Muslims. The same excuses are used they're a threat, they are deadly, we're doing it for our safety otherwise we will be destroyed by their lunatic ways.

So deep is this fear and hatred that those who have the potential to change things don't even want to hear, they simply believe their big brother is out to protect them so they do what he tells them to do. Who asked during the trial about the missing years of Aafia? Who brought up the allegations of her being tortured and raped, the statements by prisoners who have sworn they heard her screaming and yelling? And what about her children? Who's made any statement about her children who've been missing? Perhaps they don't matter because they are the seed of the looming Muslim Monster that lurks under every bed and behind every bush on each corner of the street. The Monster must not be thought about, and if it is seen, it must be destroyed by the knights in armor 21 Shots to Kill the Muslim Monster.

Makes you wonder

promise food and aid

they promised food and aid,
sent it down even in the smallest of band-aids.
these things though have yet to reach
the people who in agony endlessly beseech.
medicine, food, clothes, what they needed most
and those in power fully responded with a-
yes
and a- “no”.

in their thinking, always racist and flawed
they decided to send guns then gauze.

they say barking soldiers will bring order-
(the same ones with post traumatic stress disorder?)

that’s what they say but the truth may differ
because beneath a disciplined military exterior
feelings of hatred and superiority still simmer.
beneath the promise of food and aid
the chess of imperialism is still being played.

Du'a

By now everyone has probably heard about the earthquake in Haiti and the expected loss of life not to mention the number of people who've been injured and have otherwise been left homeless. Make du'a for them insha'Allah. They have been a poor people and have suffered a lot before this due to political situations and corrupt governments. For those who might say this is a wrath of Allah (or God as Pat Robertson types mention) we can say 1. Allahu'alam and 2. if this is so why haven't the nations who've been instrumental in expanding corruption throughout the entire world been visited by these types of devestation? Again, Allah knows best but what we all know is people are suffering and wherever people suffer its best to help in whatever way possible even if the only means is through du'a.

words to exist forever
reversing directions like a lever
sit still physically
while flowing about, moving me.
they’re forever protected, endlessly true
but in a folly those steeped in batil rabidly pursue
attempting to extinguish a phoenix-like flame.
these words are like no other
because no matter how hard they try
it can’t be smothered.
scribes want to twist
scholars want to dismiss
political enforcers order a cease and desist
they can try but they’ll fail.
the one who bought their souls on sale - devil
got them hooked to a tall tale

lies, lies, only lies.

these words are eternal truths
wholly and completely eraser proof
changing lives, changing ways day after day.
its eaters and readers rising to the level of angels
these are words to exist forever
reversing directions like a lever.

devils engineer their greatest designs
it’ll only be a waste of time
because these words, protected, exist forever
and with each attempt made on it, they radiate, melting all fetters...

Coming Back

How can I describe coming back and getting into the mix of things after six weeks in a country that left its charm on me? It’s difficult, well not so much difficult but really it’s a little hard. Anybody who has a home can easily become comfortable because of their knowing the situation they’re in, knowing how to get around, how to operate, basically the ins and outs of daily life. That’s a good thing but, at the same time, the spontaneity, the newness, the learning about a culture and people which inevitably leads to a person learning about their own self, these things bring out so much in a person. It’s true that we can learn a lot while at home but, the level and the amount we learn while we’re away seems to magnify big time. At least in my case it did.

Coming back I realized how much I’ve changed and though it may sound cliché, it’s nevertheless a true thing. Like the size of a tree can be gauged against a mountain or a hill, I’ve gauged myself against people here, people I know, some who may be friends, others who may be acquaintances and still others who I’ve never met but have heard or heard of and gained an insight into their thought. Sometimes this gauging is done on purpose but most times for me, it’s not. And gauging myself against others I’ve seen that my way of thinking hasn’t necessarily changed full circle but has actually gone through a growing phase. What was theory is now a reality for me, what was large is now small. Big issues are minor ones now. Rivers and lakes were big but after seeing the Atlantic they’re a drop of water. Beaches were vast, but after walking, riding and sleeping on the Sahara, they’re sandboxes. I feel as if my eyes have been replaced and I am seeing things in a new life and unfortunately, this is going to lead me to a point of departure with some. Though it may not be a physical one, mentally I may not be there any longer or in full attention. How can one convey an experience? How can a person explain what true poverty is, a poverty where there is absolutely no foreseeable way out? And at the same time, how can one describe the embrace that would be given to a lifelong friend that’s given to a person only known for a week? Most importantly though, how can one explain a community? In a society that stresses the self, the independent self, over and over again, how can it be explained or talked about to give of yourself and to let go of selfish tendencies? Maybe I could try, maybe I could share stories but in the end, from what I’ve experienced, a story is started to be shared and after 2 ½ minutes attention is turned away and before you know it, no one’s listening anymore. How then is insight to be given?

Coming back, I’ve seen what I’ve only thought in the past; that sometimes a person is at home where they are not at home. That is to say, where we are born and raised is considered our home but in the true and fully encompassing definition, it’s not necessarily our home. Where I was, I felt at home, I could in all reality think clearly and function much better than the place where I’ve been brought up. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe the people, who knows. One thing is for sure, I did feel more at home there than here.

Things are different here now and business will not be as usual. In fact, business can’t be as usual, this is just a part of life, a growing stage that we enter into. I hope that Insha’Allah my changes and development will be the kind that can enable me to become a better individual for the collective whole and to contribute as much as possible wherever possible. There are some who may travel the world and see everything and their travels which broaden their scope combine with an ego to turn them into cocky condescending types. This is a shame and hopefully this won’t come of me. However, it’s true that once going through life a person changes drastically and actually can experience a social shock when getting back into the social “norms” of their old community. As a lyricist once said

"The world looks a lot different after you do a bid

The way your life done changed

While primitive minds (are) still stuck in the same game"

Trouble in Tangier Part 2

Incommunicado! No way to get in touch with the group and here we were in the middle of Tangier, 45 minutes after our expected rendevous time with the group. We went to both places with no luck and now, there was no way to get in touch with our people. How could we get back, what could we do?  I was annoyed at the situation and getting more and more fired up, a common thing in my life.  My friend thought of options we could take..."maybe you can buy a charger so you can give them a call?"  That was the smartest thing to do, but, I was concerned thinking about the chance that the group might happen to drive by and miss us so I didn't want to stray to far.  We were in the plaza circle at this time and looking turning around to see if any stores were in sight that might sell phones.  As we were scanning the area an old man came up and started talking to us.  "Are you new to Morocco?  You are welcome. You need tour of city?  I make tour for you". 

"Thank you but no, we're lost right now", responded my friend. 

"Lost?"

"Yes, we were supposed to meet with our group and we thought we were going to meet here but they weren't here so we went to another place where they might have been and they weren't there either".

"Who is your tour guide?  How does he look?  I saw a group go into medina, let me take you."

"No, I don't think that was them, we weren't in the medina as a group, we were there separately, we were supposed to meet somewhere else".

"What was your tour guide wearing"?

"He had on western clothes, we didn't really have a tour guide though, he's a director. I don't think it's the same group.  We need to call our director though, my friend has a phone but it's dead and he needs to charge it, do you know where we can charge his phone"?

"Charge phone"?

"Yes, he needs to, do the battery..."

"Ohhh, yes, here, here, here!"

He led us to a shop across the street which also sold telephones, batteries and also had pay phones to use. The old man explained the situation to the shopkeeper, a middle aged guy wearing glasses with a dark thin beard, black with beginnings of salt starting to show.  When he heard he asked to look at my phone which I showed him.  He proceeded to open it and took the battery out, attaching it to a plug in battery charger.  The old gentleman who brought us there told us we should have a seat in the shop next door to the telephone shop while we waited.  I and my friend went there and as I waited for my cola which I ordered we discussed what could have happened.  Did we get around the area too late?  Was there a miscommunication?  Maybe the bus parked somewhere and we didn't notice? While we were talking a thought came to my mind. Something the director said.."Did he say something about a port"?

"I think he mentioned a port but I don't know what about".

By this time around 15 minutes passed and we thought the phone would've been charged long enough to at least have made a call and get an idea of what's going on. We went to the telephone shop and the phone was good enough to call from.  Finally!  I called one assistant director...no answer. I called a second assistant director...no answer. Hmmm...not a good sign.  I didn't have the main director's phone number and so couldn't get in touch with him.  What to do?  I called my roomate's phone number, he was on the bus and could probably get the message sent about our predicament. The phone rang and it wasn't my roomate but the main director who picked up. When we spoke I was told they waited for 30 minutes then they had to leave because they didn't see us.  Hmmm, not good.  I asked "Where did you guys wait for us at" because I was trying to figure out where we should've met at. He continued talking though, I don't think he heard me.  I asked again, he continued talking. Asked a third time and was told it was at the port where they waited for us. So, there, the port was where we were supposed to have waited at. Both of us had the wrong idea of where to be for the group meet. He continued to talk,

"You two need to catch the train back to get to Meknes.  The next train leaves Tangier station at 5:00pm so you have to hurry up because the one after that is going to be at 8:00pm.  It should cost about $200 for both tickets on 1st class if you want to be comfortable and have a seat instead of standing.  How are you two doing"?

"We're surviving".

"Okay.  Just try to hurry up and get that train before it leaves".

We had to catch a train by 5:00pm and the time was 4:45.  Too close for comfort.  We had to leave immediately if we were to avoid waiting another 3 hours.  I told my friend and her face had astonishment on it.  "THEY LEFT WITHOUT US?!?!?!" 

And then I told her about the train. 

"5?!?!?!"

We told the old man about the situation and before we knew it he hailed one of the blue petit taxis for us and as was to be expected "Do you have a little change for your appreciation?" Hurriedly I dropped some money in his hand and got into the taxi with my friend. Our older gentleman told the driver where we wanted to go and we were off to the train station. 

We arrived at 6 minutes before 5.  Too close, too close.  The fare was about  11 Moroccan Dirhams, I had a 200 dirham bill.  Our driver said he had no change...

We had to get change with 6 minutes before the train left. We didn't know where we could go to get change and run out to meet him to pay for the fare and then get back to the station in time for the train. What to do?  He drove closer to the station near a taxi depot and luckily we found a driver who had change and exchanged it for us.  We payed our fare (and then some) and ran off to the station to buy our tickets.  1 minute to spare.  We ran to the train and luckily it was a full, an over full load so it wasn't leaving immediately.  We got on. 

When we were on the train we had to keep moving through the walk way which was inside the train but outside the small cubby rooms with seats.  There were no empty seats, this train was filled to the brim and more.  It was hot but I think most of my heat came from my frustration.  When the train was full we proceeded to move down the tracks.  My friend was eager to find out if we were on the right train so she began to practice her arabic asking the passengers around us if this was the one going back to Meknes. Eventually she found out that we had to transfer at another station later down the line and catch the Meknes train and that our total trip would be about 4 hours in time.  A nice long hot trip.  Seething frustration in me.  

I stood up in the walkway as did many of those near us but, my friend sat down as did some others around her.  She happened to sit next to a girl who earlier told her about the train transfer.  They began to talk and before you knew it they became friends (as did two other girls with my friend and two guys as well).  Though I didn't speak for the majority of that ride, I did listen, it was interesting. They wanted to hear American jokes and American songs, she was really Ms. Popular.  But, she has such an energy and vibe about her that I can't really say I'm surprised it happened.  The girls really wanted to get to know her and they seemed to click with her.  One guy though I had to hold my laughs inside.  He began talking and asking questions which quickly turned into "so are you married? why aren't you married? you should be married. what's your number in the states? your email?" it was weird.  Eventually he began talking to me and after a couple of minutes I was annoyed.  There are some people who talk to really get engaged in a conversation but then there are others who talk and don't hear a thing you say. They'll repeat the same questions to you 3 times and every time you try to answer they interrupt then ask the questions yet again.  This was the case with this guy.  

Anyways, though I was frustrated I was happy to see that my friend made friends and was able to take her mind off the situation we were in.  After a while, the first train ride was over and we waited on the platform along with one of the friends my friend made, a Moroccan gentleman in his mid to late 20's.  They talked for a bit until the next train came which we boarded.  On this one I was able to finally sit after my friend and her friend persuaded someone to allow me to have a seat. Too nice. During the rest of the ride while sitting next to my friend we discussed the whole situation at hand, what happened, how it happened...interesting times.  We arrived in Meknes a little after 9pm, the trip was long and still I was frustrated but looking back on it, this was an experience I didn't quite mind and it didn't kill me.  It was something I wouldn't have had if everything worked out "perfectly" and sometimes a person is placed in a situation they're not expecting that can actually be beneficial or insightful for them.  I think this is one of those situations. 

Trouble in Tangier

Yesterday turned out to be an interesting day.  This past weekend our group took a trip to Asilah (in Morocco) as a kind of vacation to get a free mind before the start of reviews, cramming and finals for this summer session. Asilah is a beautiful place, on the coast not far at all from Spain, in fact many of the Moroccans speak Spanish fluently here and it's not unusual to see a Spanish flag here or there.  Across from the hotel we roomed in was a beach and if we took a 15 minute walk on the boardwalk we'd reach an area which had an abundance of restaurants, most of which served fresh seafood.  

On Sunday (yesterday) we left Asilah and headed to Tangier to get another look at yet another Moroccan city.  This place as well was nice to behold although more urban and tighter packed than Asilah.  When the group arrived in the city and got off the bus our director gave a talk and some instructions about some things to do, places to go, and where to meet up at the end of our day at around 3:30pm. Unfortunately, I didn't here the ending location...

After the talk the group took a 10 minute walk to a square near the Tangier medina in front of the Cinema Rif and from there we were free to do whatever we pleased.  I along with a group of  about 6 broke off and went our own way in search of food for lunch before going to maybe Ibn Battuta's Mausoleum or the Museum of Tangier.  The majority of the group seemed to be looking for a certain type of food while a few of us wanted to just find a place that might have good food and simply try something new without any preset ideas of food types.  So I and two others went off on our own and found some western style food.  I ended up getting a burger with some fries; simple but filling and cheap.  We finished our food, talked for a bit and from there we departed in search of the Museum we were eagerly looking forward to. 

Something that really annoys me in tourist areas is that some people find a way to insert themselves into your daily activities even though you didn't invite them.  What's even more disappointing is that there will be individuals who are Muslims who attempt to take advantage of you.  In fact, it really gets me angry to be quite honest.  This happened yesterday.  While we were walking up a steep hill, maybe only 3 or 4 blocks from the museum, a guy says "Welcome to Morocco, you are welcome".  We respond by saying thank you and try to head on our way.  However, this guy continues near us and says "Tangier museum here, over here".  From our group of three one had been in the country for a longer period than us since he's been here since the last summer session.  He, out of his experience knew what I was thinking already, that being that this guy would continue to follow us and tell us where the museum was and then at the end would want money.  So, our more experienced group member suggested we slow down and let this faux tour guide go on his way so we wouldn't have to deal with him. 

When the "guide" was somewhat gone we continued on our way but, of course, he popped up again and was showing us the way once more. We continued on our way trying to lose him and we thought we did a little bit, however now a boy showed up and started giving us his tour.  As we walked he'd make mention of the walls, the doors, what one building and another was, and interspersed this with "take picture, go ahead my friend take picture of door, beautiful shot". And of course, the older guy shows up and now they're acting as two faux tour guides.  We decided that we'd just take "the tour" and pay them some dirhams and be on our way. The tour continued and culminated with us being led to a kind of cliff that overlooked the sea.  It was completely blue and there weren't too many ships in the area.  Honestly, the sight was magnificent though I don't think any words can do it justice. Soaking in the sight was hard to do though for me because I just wanted to shake these two (maybe they were older brother and younger?) off and explore without anyone leading the way.  Ah well, such is life, you deal with what's dealt to you. 

From the group of three, myself included, there was a Muslimah who has become a friend of mine.  While we were all viewing the sight below (two others from the larger group happened to be there at the same time so now we were 5) the adhaan began to be called and I wanted to go and make salat ul dhuhr.  We asked the "guides" where the masjid was and also asked them if they could find a spare hijab for the sister so she could make her salah as well.  Alhamdulilah they had one and the sister was able to make her dhuhr, albeit in a little box in the masjid that's reserved for the Muslimat...similar to many masajid throughout the world...

When we met outside I could see on her face she wasn't too happy, the cubicle masalla wasn't  to her liking. It seems like time and time again, I am given reminders of how blessed I am to have Imams who don't follow cultural traditions but practice an Islam that's based on their reading and best comprehension of the Qur'an and ahadith without any of the cultural baggage that so many, unfortunately carry. So, after chatting and walking for a bit, we "were led" to the museum, though we already knew where it was.  This game was really comical in a seriously annoying kind of way. The cost of admission was 10 dirhams a piece, not too bad for a museum.  The museum had some interesting artifacts, but in all honesty, it could've been better, and more should've been done with the available space.  It looked like it was once a Masjid but I'm not sure. We spent around 20 minutes in the museum and then we were out, we weren't too sure if we saw the entire thing but there didn't seem to be another entrance or door for us to go through so we headed out.  And of course who was waiting for us but our "tour guides"...

These guys were hard to shake off.  I forgot to mention that there was only two of the group now; myself and the sister since we went to make salah and the others went off to explore on their own. I was ready to just ditch the two guys and be on my way, I was really hot thinking about random people coming up to offer their services unasked then expecting money.  However, I had to hold my decorum as much as possible since I was with another person. I was ready to head back out of the medina to go to the plaza and get on with the rest of the trip but the guides wouldn't have it and I think my friend is just nice and didn't want to be rude to them.  They continued to take us through more and more alleyways into the areas of the shops and stores and even stopped at a rug store telling us to stop in for a look. I was becoming more and more heated with every turn they took.  My patience wore severely thin and I was thinking about our getting back to meet with the group in the right time so we wouldn't hold anyone up. Finally, we told them we had to go and it was now, not later.  They led us to the plaza area and gave their greetings then began asking for their money: 100 dirhams.  I wanted to say a few things to them for their even asking for money for services no one asked for. Normally I wouldn't mind paying for something and even giving tips since; we're all working and there's nothing wrong with supporting a person who's trying to make a way in their life.  However, this was different, they saw two people they could label as tourists and tried to run their game.  My friend didn't have money, I had more than enough so I decided to pay them...not 100 though.  We asked them to lower it, they said 80.  I laughed and said "no! 40". 

"40"?

"yes 40, 20 each, and that's it, that's all you're gonna get".  

I wasn't going to budge, I probably wouldn't have paid them at all if I was by myself to be honest.  After paying them I shook hands with the younger while glaring at both he and his "co-worker". 

"as salaamu alaikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatu AKHI!"

I sometimes like to remind people that they've been trying to take advantage of their own brothers and sisters. It might not do something now, but in the future, when all is said and done and the reckoning begins, they'll have a lot to answer for. 

After this, we looked at the time and realized we had a lot to spare so we decided to go for a walk hoping to see the strait of Gibraltar.  Of course that was a distance away and we ended up in a park where we saw some Arabic writing on a huge tablet. Maybe about a meter and a half high and 2 and a half meters in length, divided into three columns.  On and around it, someone had sharpied "fake", or "fak" and drawn middle fingers. Guess they didn't like what was written on the tablet...  

While we continued reading a guy walked by us saying "bonjour, welcome, hello" then when he was a little off, out of nowhere he says "negro". Decorum, decorum, sometimes some people need to be kicked.  They need to be reminded that though they have authority over some people and can abuse them, not all who are like them are under their authority and further, they have no right to abuse people in the first place. I would've loved to have been his reminder. Decorum! Anyways, being a little tired, we decided to sit for a bit under a tree and just relax.  We had to meet at 3:30 and when it was 3 til, we decided to head out to Cinema Rif to meet the rest of the group. At 3:40 there was no one to be seen, 3:45 the same.  Really weird.  I went inside the Cinema Rif for a couple of minutes while my friend decided to wait outside and read at one of the tables.  I came out, still none from our group.  By 4:00 we decided that maybe the group was in the area where the bus dropped us off.  We walked there and by maybe 20 minutes arrived to see no one.  "Hmm, that sucks, this is really weird". We decided to walk back to the Rif thinking perhaps something was off about the timing.  When we got there and saw no one we realized that there was some trouble.  She became a little anxious and i was thinking of where they might be. My phone was completely dead and so I could make no calls nor receive any.  Incommunicado!

So far...

Things have been going well.  Aside from the language problems I'm facing here Morocco has been a great experience.  When you travel to the country you see signs around that regard Morocco as "a feast for the senses" and this is no overstatement.  Everything around here feeds the senses in one way or another.  

What hit me the most first was the food here.  Even without recipes, just tasting plain fruits and vegetables are beyond believable.  The fruits are nothing at all like what you'd get in the U.S.  Everything that I've tasted thus far has been super ripe, super sweet and filled to the brim with flavour.  These fruits are like candy.  I find myself searching for melons whenever and wherever I can get them.  Its almost like eating fruit for the first time, something like a baby being introduced to nature's candy.  Of course this is just the start of the food items.  When I got to have Moroccan recipes I was floored.  The combination has of course Arab influence but like Morocco itself there's a mix of African and Mediterranean flavors as well.  I don't think Moroccans have foods that they haven't found a way to incorporate into their dishes.  I don't know the names of too many  dishes yet but once I find out I'll start putting them on here.  Bastilla is one dish that I like a lot.  It's almost like a pastry with a flaky, semi-sweet crust and it's stuffed with meat (I had mine with chicken) and sometimes rice and some vegetables.  Sometimes Bastilla comes as a huge item that's cut and other times its in the form of a roll like the size of half a burrito.  Another dish I've had is something with lamb and a lot of sauce along with apricots and prunes.  The combination is AWESOME! You get the tender meat with the sweetness to compliment it.  This plus the khubs plus the fresh salad with olive oil dressing = mumtaz!!!

There's more to Morocco besides food though.  From what I've seen and experienced with the people they like most Africans are some of the nicest people you can come across.  Even when people don't understand you they're willing to help you out as much as possible and if they can't, someone who can will try until you're in a good situation. 

Something I'm not too comfortable with though is this idea that people who live in the U.S. can't be Muslim.  How interesting is it that so many are taken by surprise when a person with an American accent says they're a Muslim. It's as if because a person lives in the west they're unable to be a Muslim.  I'm starting to wonder what the family and friends of immigrants to the states say about their experience.  There's also the fact that many immigrants keep to themselves and make little to no attempt at associating with people from outside their cultural bounds so due to that, they're probably not giving the whole story to their family members and friends about the Muslims in the states.  Is it possible to make it known the world over that there are Muslims in the west?  Maybe its the Muslims fault as well for being so meek and quiet that people would think they are non-existent in various pockets of the world...

In due time insha'Allah, I'll get used to people's reactions here and not become frustrated with their shock and surprise and I'll be able to then communicate the truth with them. 

This place where I'm staying at is pretty nice, the community is vibrant and there's pretty much movement on the streets till maybe 1am or so.  Around here are plenty of cafes, Cafe Dimehck (sp?) is one with very good coffee. Actually, I haven't had bad coffee since I've been here.  Espresso, Au Lait, Cafe Normal, all have been superior to anything I've had in the states even at Caribou or in Seattle.  I kind of expected this though.  There's also a plaza with a fountain in the area.  At nights families, couples, individuals and everything in between walk around and just relax.  It's not unusual in the  least to see 4, 5, 6 year olds out at 11pm riding their bikes or walking with their parents.  Very normal.  And everyone is just taking in the night, enjoying themselves, having walks, its been crowded every time I've been out.  Further down I've seen a movie theater, insha'Allah I'll catch a few movies before I leave, and across from the theater is a park where even more families hang out at night.  

There's more to write but, in due time insha'Allah. This is just the beginning and there'll be more to come. 

Some Comments on post-election Iran

A week removed from the elections in Iran and there are protests in the streets.  At last count 7 have been confirmed killed so far.  So many are protesting the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the president who has consistently made statements against Zionist Israel and the support that’s been given to them by various countries throughout the world. Due to his position and verbal expression he’s been looked down on and stigmatized by many world powers, most of them hailing from the west.

            Many especially the younger adults in Iran have seen the way President Ahmedinejad has spoken and conducted himself as shameful to Iran and Iranians.  They feel that he’s making conditions worse for Iran by bringing sanctions upon them and drawing the ire of the world (well, the western world) onto them.  Of course there are other issues at hand too, which include what is viewed as a huge mismanagement of money and not taking care of business at home.  Due to these and other reasons Mir-Hossein Mousavi has been championed as the candidate of change.  He’s been put out there as the one who will make Iran acceptable in the eyes of the west (the world) and for the younger adults he’s what Obama was to the young people in the U.S.; a symbol of hope. So these have and continue to don their green ribbons and wristbands symbolic of their support for Mousavi.  They wanted change and they voted for it with their heart and might however something happened; they lost.

            The days leading up to and during the election world (west) media said there would be a neck and neck race and the election would be a very close and tight one.  And it was with the Ahmedinejad and Mousavi coming in first and second place respectively however, the current president received over 60% of the votes while Mousavi got around 30%.  How could this happen, how could this guy win the election?  There were so many people in support of Mousavi and he received less than half of what Ahmedinejad did?  It was a fraud, election fraud, recount, recount, have to recount the votes because the election is not legitimate!  This is what was being said by the world (west) media and by many greenies who felt disenfranchised. However, we must ask, where does this idea of voter fraud come from, is there any evidence of it?  Were some being intimidated and others turned away from the vote?  Of course there are stories of it, but has proof been produced and also were the people (if there were) who abused power part of the incumbent’s crew or were they simply individuals too keen on getting the person they supported in office?  In short, were these zealous persons acting as individuals or were they a part of a group and/or part of the incumbents circle?  Of course these stories are heard but have stories been heard post election about any kind of similar incidents to restrict voting for President Ahmedinejad?  Maybe they haven’t been heard because no such thing’s happened.  Then again according to MSN news three individuals were not yelled at, run off or beaten to prevent them to vote but, they were shot.  Three persons including a child were shot at the president’s voting headquarters (http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3036132).  Perhaps there are more stories such as these that are currently being neglected by the world (west) media. Who knows.

            So the greenies felt disenfranchised because their voting didn’t get their man into office.  They decided to take their dissatisfaction out to the streets and demand the world (maybe west? Hmmm…) hear them and know how they feel.  In fact, not only did they take this tactic, Mousavi himself said he’d be out in the street and wouldn’t be satisfied until he received a voting recount.  Since the election the world (..you know what goes here) media has been talking about Iran consistently.  Images have shown up of people who have been shot (perhaps one of the individuals who have died) in a news media that’s known for its clean, bleached broadcasts in which violent image are more or less banned.  One has to wonder why exactly the western media has taken such a strong interest in the elections in Iran and more than that, why they’re so interested in seeing a recount and having Mousavi elected.  This seems similar to the Darfur issue in the sense that the entire continent of Africa is typically a neglected entity by the west yet when the Darfur issue came up everyone wanted to all of a sudden care about the Sudan.  Of course we ought to assume that this is a genuine interest and that it’s not related to the oil beneath the sands of the Sudan. Iran too was more or less a neglected entity in as far as its internal politics were concerned (at least to the extent that it wouldn’t garner attention in the daily news) but now, the spotlight is shining on high over the election and Iranian politics. Why is this?

            Through nearly the entire existence of mass media or even simply media, the main means of communication have been utilized by one group of people or another to spread a message whether true or false.  During times of war, psychological wars have been waged through the dissemination of propaganda into the minds of the citizens of a nation waging war as well as into the minds of citizens of a nation on whom war has been declared. From the last few years the world (…) media has gone to the lengths of promoting Ahmedinejad as an anti-semite (whoever sees this term ought to define it and determine what constitutes a person being Semitic), a racist, a warmonger, a person against human rights and everything else under the sun.  This has been put into the heads of people in the west as well as people in Iran.  Often, in the days leading up to the election, during the election and after the same terminology used by the media has found its way into the mouths of protestors almost verbatim.  Of course this could be because the description of Ahmedinejad is true but then again, it could be because greenies are parroting what they’ve heard said.   Regardless, the media has played a large role in influencing the minds and hearts of the public both in the west and elsewhere.  Adding to the fuel is internet usage including that of Myspace, Facebook and the younger Twitter. According to islamonline.net  The US administration has delved into Iran’s election dispute by asking the micro-blogging website Twitter to delay maintenance shutdown to avoid disrupting communications among tech-savvy Iranian activists.

"This was just a call to say: 'It appears Twitter is playing an important role at a crucial time in Iran. Could you keep it going?'" P.J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs, told the New York Times on Wednesday, June 17.

State Department official Jared Cohen e-mailed the social-networking site with the unusual request to delay its scheduled maintenance shutdown because of its use as a communications tool by Iranian activists who stage nonstop protests.  There appears to be a vested interest in regards to the U.S. government seeing and having this protest against the current president.  Sadly, those who are protesting and trying to remove the president from office are not questioning why Western nations are so interested in seeing the success of the protest movement.  Perhaps for some it’s great to have western backing and they’ve been so thoroughly infiltrated mentally by an imperialist mindset that the closer they are to being westernized the better.  Perhaps the imperialist-capitalistic value system is something many want to have after being exposed to so many broadcasts coming from the west to their own backyards. If that’s the case then of course one can’t blame the protestors for doing what they’re doing.  However, if they’re seeking the freedom they say they want, then why are they fighting for a person or at the very least a situation that from all appearances is supported by a group of nations not too interested in the self-determination of Iran?  This reverses an independent Iran does it not? 

            When a nation decides it wants to fight for freedom or their human rights they ought to do so on their own terms and according to the standards of the society within which they live.  In more cases than not, they shouldn’t be attempting to live up to the standard or rules that are set up for them by system that has no true regard for their well being and freedom of mind and life.  Too often in the history of people from the “third world” our leaders who’ve been supported and/or endorsed by the west as our saviors have been the one’s who’ve done the most damage to us and have exploited our being and our lands for the benefit of themselves, their families, their friends and rich racist nations.  From Africa to Asia to South America this has historically been the case.  Can the situation be any different now?  Those who are protesting in Iran right now (not Ali’s who become Al or the Babaks who become Bob but the ones who say they really want something better for their nation) should really analyze why they are protesting, what they are protesting for and what they’re protesting against.  Is the individual they protest in favor of really any good for them, will he have the best interest at heart for those who voted him into office or will he sell out his own people?