Reliance and Words

Peace be upon you and welcome back!

Often times when life gets hard and the people around you seem to be bringing you down, it gets hard to hang on to your own beliefs and move forward. Times like that seems to have a very negative impact on your self-esteem and its at these moments most that you should always remember that you are never alone. There’s  always One who is ever present, omnipotent, and knows every struggle you endure. He is the One who created you and knows the secrets of every heart. He knows the pain you feel and the dreams you have. He is the One who each and everyone of us can rely on. He is your Lord.

I think back on the times where I’ve felt down or just upset and I realize that sometimes we don’t always know the reason we are struggling, sometimes we just don’t know. I was listening to the khutbah on Friday and the Khateeb was talking about knowledge and how you can’t always tell people that G-d is testing them; sometimes we just don’t know and people now-a-days have to be able to say they don’t know because while they think they may be helping somebody with the response they give, it may end up causing them more pain. It’s like telling a new Muslim that sadness is a result of sin. How do you think that makes a new covert feel? It hurts them because then they feel like they’re doing something wrong and it just turns them off of the deen. We need to realize the affect of our words and make sure they don’t have a detriment effect on people.

May Allah guide our tongues and allow us to reflect before we speak. May He give us the wisdom and ability to uplift people around us instead of dragging them down. May He grant us the ability to be sources of comfort for those around us and May He guide and bless us all inshaAllah! Ameen!

New York Conference

Peace and blessings to all,

I hope and pray that this new year brings you all much joy, happiness, and success. May G-d make this road easy for all! I’m really excited for 2011 because of the Islamic Center of NYU’s 2nd Annual Conference. I attended the first one last year and MashaAllah it was really great. (Here’s a summary of it: http://diaryofthesilenthijabi.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/icnyu-conference-2010an-experience-to-share/)

Here’s the information and early tickets end January 15th so definitely try to get the tickets soon!

ICNYU Conference 2011: Building Momentum in Mainstream Culture The Islamic Center at New York University invites you to hear leading American Muslims engage the pressing challenges of our present and the great potentials of our future. Over a course of two days, thinkers, scholars, leaders and artists will debate, discuss and explore our embrace of the mainstream. Hosted in New York, this second of an annual series will become a critical moment on our calendars, a conference of introspection, dynamic exchange, fresh ideas and spiritual reconstruction. __________________________ Friday, February 4th, 2011 Doors open at 6:30pm Sessions 7:00pm- 10:30pm Saturday, February 5th, 2011 Doors open at 8:30am Sessions 9:00am – 10:00pm Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South) New York, NY 10012 www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu __________________________ REGISTRATION Early Registration: $35.00 by Saturday, January 15th Late Registration: $50.00 after Saturday, January 15th An additional convenience fee will be charged by Ticket Central for every ticket sold Lunch on Saturday will be provided to all ticket holders through NYU’s Halal Catering Service for more information on registration please visit www.icnyu.org/conference __________________________ CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Suhaib Webb Siraj Wahhaj Abdallah Adhami Muhammad ibn Faqih Ali Shehata Haroon Moghul Khalid Latif Madeeha Mir Maryum Khawaja Raymond Brock-Murray …..and many more! for speakers’ bios please visit www.icnyu.org/conference __________________________ The Islamic Center at NYU is dedicated to fostering a sense of awareness, activism and scholarship amongst the Muslim community both on and off campus. For more information about our clubs, events, staff and podcasts, please visit: http://www.icnyu.org/ __________________________ The Islamic Center at NYU What Community Should Feel LikeSee More

I hope inshaAllah, many of you will be able to make it.

Until next time,

your sis in faith and humanity

~PoeT91

Muslimah on Campus

Peace be upon you and welcome back,

I know its been ages since I last posted, but the college life can get pretty busy. Anyhow, I wanted to watch the movie Mooz-lum, but fortunately or unfortunately tickets SOLD OUT for the NY movie premiere before I bought my ticket. Anyhow, so I decided to enter a contest to see if I could win and unfortunately I didn’t but thats okay because in writing for the contest, I saw things through fresh eyes and I truly thank God for all the blessings He has sent my way. Here’s what I had written:

Question: Did (Do) you share an apartment or house with a person of a different faith?  What is it like?

My first semester I had a double to myself and during the second semester, my roommate was hardly ever in the room. Junior year of college starts and the anticipation rises. We were friends, but how well will we serve as roommates? Questions plague my mind, but before I know it, the semester has started and I’m sharing a double with one of my Christian friends. I’m Muslim, wearing the hijab, fasting, and trying to keep up with my prayers. Will I get the strange looks as I prostrate before my Creator? I know the answer even as the question comes to mind. No, my roommate has seen me pray before. She knows I pray five times a day and that the semester started in the middle of Ramadan. We had these discussions, she’s learned about my faith. My sister’s painting of a mosque hangs above my bed, and the Palestinian scarf wrapped around my bedpost serves as a reminder to keep the oppressed people in my prayers. My Qur’an on my desk, the translation along side, the anticipation just mounts, but deep in my heart I know I’ll be fine.

The semester before, I had gone to Church with her and she had gone to Friday prayer with me. We experienced each other’s place of worship and we realized that both of us believe in the same God. We’re both praying to the God of Abraham.  We discussed our faiths and asked questions so as to make sure nothing we do would offend the other.

Fast forward to the week of September 11, 2010. I can sense her quiet concern as she watches me pack my bag in order to go home. She worries about my well-being, among the frenzy that surrounds the Park51 Community Center. She tells me I should take the offer of getting a ride home instead of taking the subway, and after much “debate,” I had to give in. Thursday I tell my roommate that I’m heading home. “Eid?” She understands and tells me to enjoy spending time with family and stuffing myself with the sweets my father makes, the sweets she knows I love. That weekend amongst all the craziness that happens, I can feel her love and concern. She’s there standing by my side because she knows that the way Muslims have been tainted and painted in the media doesn’t represent the masses. She knows me and understands me. She understands my dietary restrictions and that I need to keep aside time to fulfill my prayers. I’ve learned about her beliefs and we’ve discussed the similarities of stories in the Quran and Bible. We’ve reflected on the wisdom of our Holy Books and we respect the minor differences. We’ve conversed about the politics and even with our differences, I feel as though in my roommate, I’ve found my spiritual sister. She uplifts me in a way that very few people can and the curiosity we both possess allows us to grow closer and to grow stronger.

This semester, we both volunteer our time as Peer Ministers (the inter-faith group on campus). We try to build bridges of understandings and though at times I know people struggle with their personal and religious identities, I think in my experience, I’ve been lucky. I came to a Catholic College, but the love and embrace I have felt, lets me know I truly belong. Those who surround me know that in this place and time, it’s people like me, my fellow Muslims, who are the most misunderstood and going through a hard time and they let me know that despite the images the media shows, I’m surrounded by people of all different backgrounds who are there to support me. In my room, on my campus, and in my life I’ve been blessed with a family, a family that’s not limited to blood or faith, but by the single most common thread- humanity. It is this basic thread that allows us to love, to respect, to care, and to always be there to support and carry each other through our difficulty. Different backgrounds have come together, joined together, by love.

I hope you enjoyed that piece and G-d willing I will post more often.

Take care and was-salam,

your sis in faith and humanity,

~poeT91 aka sanechange

EID MUBARAK!

Peace be with you and welcome back

For those of you who have been observing Ramadan, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time of oneness with Allah without the distraction of Shaytan. Keep in mind, he’s back in our lives and so be wary. I hope this day of Eid brings you much love, joy, and happiness. Have a blessed day and Eid Mubarak

Hijab

Peace be upon you and welcome back

I apologize for not posting recently, but inshaAllah I am back!
Also a belated Ramadan Mubarak to my beloved brothers and sisters who are celebrating. May this month be a month of joy, change, and blessings inshaAllah.

Something that I’ve noticed is that many searches that lead people to my blog revolve around the hijab. Unfortunately, I don’t really have much on that topic on my blog so I would love to refer you to one of my favorite websites. InshaAllah you will find inspiration and knowledge there. Definetly check it out. May Allah bless you all and may He especially bless the sisters who founded the website. Click www.igotitcovered.org

Until next time,

SMILE and Was Salam

your sis in faith and humanity,

~poeT91

How would your life end?

Peace be upon you and welcome back!

It is usually after NDEs (Near Death Experiences) that people become religious and even though the experience I’m about to mention is nowhere near death, it still was a harsh reminder. For the first time in my life, at least that I’m able to recall, I was in a car that was in an accident, nothing on a major OMG scale, a minor one, but still! We were driving to a wedding when we had to stop at a red light. We stopped and within the next few seconds we were rammed from behind, the brakes had failed for the car behind us. Alhamdhulillah, nobody was hurt! You always imagine what your last words would be and most people would want it to be La illaha illallah, Muhammadur Rasoolullah. When I felt the impact, for a couple of seconds my mind was completely blank. I couldn’t register what had happened and when I finally did, I couldn’t help but thank G-d that nobody was sitting in the back seat and that my baby brother wasn’t in the car. As I sat in the car in shock, I couldn’t help but say Thank G-d I prayed Maghrib early because I knew I wouldn’t make it on time. And now, looking back, I wish I had prayed with more focus. What if that really was my last prayer???

Seriously accidents do teach a lot, and I really, truly have begun to realize the value of a second. I imagine what would’ve happened if we didn’t stop when and where we had. Had we just been a little slower to stop, the impact of the car behind us would’ve pushed us into the path of the other cars and only G-d knows what would’ve happened then. Every breath we take is a blessing from Allah and Allah alone knows when our time will end. Had my life ended then, I wonder what my last thoughts, my last words would’ve been. Would I have been able to say the Shahada? The accident really got me thinking and now it’s with renewed hopes and expectations that I await Ramadan. Truly I could never thank Allah for all the blessings He’s given me. I just hope inshaAllah, that He provides me with the blessings of seeing Ramadan and using it to the max.

May Allah (SWT) continue to bless us with every breath we take, and may He inshaAllah, make our Iman strong and make us worthy of all the blessings He’s bestowed upon us. May He let us see the lights of Ramadan and fill our hearts with reverence and love for Him. May Allah bless each member of the ummah with health and iman and watch over those who suffer in silence. May Allah inshaAllah, make us the type of people who will stand for what is right, who give to those in need, and who truly recognize what it means to be a Muslim. May He forgive our sins, clean our slate, and bless us with all that is good and keep us from all that is wrong inshaAllah! Ameen!

Take care, until next time,

your sis in faith and humanity

~poeT91 aka sanechange

The people of history

Peace be upon you and welcome back,

Recently I’ve started reading about the people from my, I mean our, history and it is super cool how reading about Islamic history seems to rekindle that spark that makes you want to be faithful again. The stories, at least for me, make me long to be like the Sahabas, to have the amount of Iman they had. The stories of Bilal RA, the stories of Soumia RA, of the Prophet (SAW), himself all drive me to a point of wonder and it fills my heart with a longing, a longing to meet them and since I’m not meeting them in this world, I long to meet them in the hereafter, inshaAllah. The Hadith and stories make me want to work harder on my Islam and it frustrates me sometimes when people tell us, the youth, that “you’re becoming too religious, be a normal kid.” It frustrates me because Ali Radi Allahu Anhu was at such a tender age when he embraced Islam and one of the questions we will be asked on the Day of Judgement is about our youth and how we spent it.

I was listening to a lecture by Mohammed Hannini just the other day and he was talking about how important our teeange years are. He reminded us of the many Sahabas who were young and the great impact they had on/in the spread of Islam and Islamic knowledge. He also mentioned something about how it is what we do now that will form our habits later and it really isn’t that easy to break old habits, especially when it is something you have been doing for a long time. Isn’t it better to form good habits at a young age so that those habits stay with us when we are older. I mean take the example of smokers. Most smokers know that smoking is harmful to their health and the more addicted they are and the longer they smoke, the harder it is for them to quit. Not just that, but the effect of smoking really does begin to creep up, either through asthma,  heart attacks, or other negative health complications. In this same way, bad habits will leave an impact on the heart and truth be told, who guaranteed you that you will survive until you’re older? Nobody can guarantee you a single minute longer. It is all in His hands, so practice Islam now. Use your youth to strengthen your faith so inshaAllah as you grow older, your Iman will grow as well and I include myself when I say you. It’s not always easy, but in the long run, all the effort will pay off and inshaAllah “the struggles of our youth will be measured on the good side of our scales.”

May Allah give us the strength to overcome our weaknesses, increase our Iman, and May He grant us the ability to act upon that which we learn. Ya Raab, keep us on the path of those whom you love and save us from the weakness of our nafs. Forgive us for our shortcomings and bless us with the light of Your knowledge. Make us such that we deserve the blessings of Jannah, of meeting the beloved (SAW), and let us enjoy the blessings of meeting the people of Jannatul Firdhus inshaAllah. Ameen!! 

I hope you all learned something from this inshaAllah!

Oh here’s the link to Mohammed Hannini’s lecture. If you get a chance, definetly watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXv4ak2Us0M 

Until next time, take care and Was’salam,

your sis in faith and humanity

~poeT91 aka sanechange

E-I-D in N-Y-C, say YES today!

Peace be with you all,

I apologize for being away for so long, but since the summer began there has been a lot happening and I got caught up in the excitement of freedom from college work

Anyhow on June 13th is another event where numbers are crucial so TRY to be there!

Say Yes to Eid in NYC Public Schools! A Rally for Muslim School Holidays (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=104266579622928&ref=ts)

Watch this video for more info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWSxwXWM7D4

Join the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays as we rally to add 2 days for Eid in the NYC public schools.

WE NEED NUMBERS!

What: Muslim Holidays Rally & Press Conference
When: Wednesday, June 30th @11am
Where: Steps of City Hall
Take 4, 5, 6 to City hall/Brooklyn Bridge or 2, 3 to Park Place or A, C, to Chambers or R, W trains to City Hall

MR. MAYOR, DO YOUR PART! SAY YES TODAY!

For more information, contact: meligyxxi@yahoo.com or fali@cair.com.

InshaAllah, I’ll have a real post soon, but until them

Wa’Salam,

~poeT91

New Horizons

 CHECK IT OUT!!!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113140812044056&ref=ts
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

..::New Horizons 2010::..

MUNA Youth and the Muslim Alliance of New York [MANY] are proud to be partners in presenting to you, our 1st Annual Youth Conference designed for the Muslim Youth and their families in and around New York City. This is the first New Horizons event and the theme is “Islam: Our Choice”.

MANY is an organization which began earlier this year, uniting the Muslim Students Associations and other Islamic/Muslim clubs that are within public high schools from all over New York City. For more information, please visit “weareoneofmany.org”. MUNA Youth (Subdivision of Muslim Ummah of North America) is a national organization with a chapter in New York City dedicated towards providing Muslim Youth with a community of brothers that strive for the sake of Allah in Dawah, Organization, Education and Purification and Social Service for the community at large. For more information please visit “munayouth.org”.

There will be affordable snacks and lunch available throughout the day, in addition to “Free Dinner”! There is a promotion of 10 free tickets to those that confirm as guests on Facebook through a random selection process, that will begin on April 25 and end on May 5. This is now over.

The winners for this free ticket giveaway are:

..::Free Islamic Raffle::..

There will be a raffle on the day of the event.

Prizes are as follows:
1. Netbook! [Mini Laptop]
2. $100 American Express Gift Card!
3. $50 American Express Gift Card!
4. $25 American Express Gift Card!
5. $25 American Express Gift Card!

The event is for the entire day with some of the best Muslim speakers/scholars/entertainers in the country set for attend and hold discussions at this event. In addition, representatives from some of the top colleges [NYU, Columbia, Fordham, CUNY] and some of the most successful professionals from different industries will hold workshops in college and career planning.

..::Confirmed Speakers::..

1. Imam Abdul Malik
2. Dr. Sayeed Chowdhury
3. Br. Arman Chowdhury
4. Imam Shamsi Ali
5. Imam Khalid Latif
6. Br. Mohammed Hannini
7. Shaykh Mustafa

..::Tentative Speakers::..

1. Representatives from various programs/organizations that provide enriching activities for the youth.

..::Confirmed Entertainment::..

1. Baba Ali
2. Native Deen’s Joshua Salaam
3. Peter Casey from Queens College
4. Performers from MUNA Youth & MANY

..::Confirmed Vendors/Sponsors::..

1. “Jilaan Scarves” will offer boutique style hijabs at exclusive prices!
2. “Kabab and Curry Express” will offer lunch and beverages.
3. Islamic Games
4. MUNA Book Service

..::Unconfirmed Vendors/Sponsors::..

1. Islamic Relief
2. “Alahzab.com” Bookstore

We will provide updates as soon as we are Confirmed with Speakers, Entertainers, and Vendors as soon as possible.

..::Tickets::..

Tickets for this event, will be on sale online and in person at various Mosques, Muslim Students Associations as well as at the door.

Tickets are on sale in the following places:

EventBrite Online Sales

www.tiny.cc/new_horizons | $20 Dollars

Stuyvesant High School
Bronx Science High School
Dewitt Clinton High School
Brooklyn Tech High School
Francis Lewis High School
Townsend Harris High School
Thomas Edison High School
Health Professions High School
High School of Economics and Finance
Bard Early College High School
New York University
Stony Brook University
Fordham University
BMCC, CUNY
City College, CUNY

There is a maximum capacity of 700 people in the auditorium that is reserved. The organizers for this event tried their very best to make this event as affordable as possible, so don’t miss out on a chance like this, as tickets are only $20!

Tickets are on sale online, and by individual sellers right now!

Feel free to contact us with any questions, and don’t forget to spread the word and invite your friends.

Remember, this event is open to all. Jazakallah Khair!

..::Directions::..

http://www.shsaa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=56

..::Advertisements::..

You can help promote this event by:

1. Buying a ticket. [When others see, they want.]

2. Word of mouth. [News travels fast, like the Flash]

3. Handing out Fliers:
http://www.weareoneofmany.org/newhorizonsfiles/FlierNH4x6.jpg

4. Replacing your profile pictures on Facebook/Twitter/Blog/Social Networking Site/Website..etc…with this:
http://www.weareoneofmany.org/newhorizonsfiles/FacebookProfilePicNewHorizons.png
OR this: [or both ]
http://www.weareoneofmany.org/newhorizonsfiles/NewHorizonsPost.png

5.You can also help by posting this on your profiles:
New Horizons: http://tinyurl.com/NH2010RSVP
Tickets: http://tiny.cc/new_horizons

Once again may Allah reward us for all efforts and may Allah accept from us.

Ameen.

Attention NYC

Peace be upon you and welcome back,

This one is political, but more than that it raises the issue of human rights. For those who know (or rather those who don’t) ever since January 26th, I have been closely following the case of American citizen, Syed Fahad Hashmi. Just by the name, you know that he is Muslim and the conditions under which he is being kept, makes you wonder why he is being presumed guilty even before entering the court house, even before his trial. Technically speaking, he has been facing torture for three YEARS BEFORE his trial.

What does his torture constitute?

-over two years spent in solitary confinement and over 880 (and still counting) of those days have been spent under Special Administrative Measures (SAMs.)

- SAMs mandates that Fahad be kept under 23-hour lockdown, allowed only one visit from an immediate family member a week, and have no other contact with anyone besides his lawyer and prison officials. SAMs also places restrictions on the materials Fahad is allowed to read, makes it illegal that his family members pass any messages from him onto friends.

-Fahad has to spend his one hour recreation (when it is given) inside a cage.

All these restrictions and measurements have been in place even before his case entered the courthouse.  His trial is set to begin on April 28, 2010 at 500 Pearl St, Manhattan, NY (8:45am in front of Judge Preska.) Be one of the people who supports the 500 at 500 initiative (http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=ebea845b7a59bb152328901923b73a1e&q=&init=quick&ref=search_loaded#!/event.php?eid=110380218985557&ref=ts)

Below are ten reasons why I stand behind Fahad Hashmi, and I am sure I could add more:

1)      He is a human being and no person deserves the torture that he is currently undergoing

2)      He is an American Citizen and his Civil Rights have been violated. His First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, religion, and association have been infringed

3)      He has been placed under SAMs (Special Administrative Measures) even before his trial

4)       His trial has been unnecessarily prolonged and is finally do to begin on April 28, 2010 (three years after his arrest)

5)      His prolonged solitary confinement threatens his mental health and his ability to participate in his own defense

6)      His due process rights have been decimated, as he is unable to see all the evidence that is being used against him

7)       I stand for respecting a person’s Constitutional Rights and believe that solitary confinement falls under the category of inhumane, cruel, and unusual punishment

8)       I believe that he wasn’t treated as “innocent until proven guilty” and believe that he has been presumed guilty even before entering the courtroom

9)      The violation of the rights of even a single individual threatens the liberty of all. We say no to the torture in Guantanamo and now we say no to torture in NYC (and for that matter ANYWHERE!)

10)   I want to see justice done and so as some great activists said during one  of his vigils, “Preska, Preska, Set Fahad Free, From the Torture at MCC!”

Recent Media Coverage of this case include:

-Not Just Guantanamo: US Torturing Muslim Pre-Trial Detainee in NYC
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/not-just-guantanamo-us-to_b_524226.html
-Manhattan Vigil for Muslim Held Prisoner for Three Years
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100310/FOREIGN/703099913/1140
-Feel Safer Now?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-fisher/feel-safer-now_b_526675.html
-(My personal favorite) Let Our Name Not Be Mudd: http://neemmagazine.com/opinion-let-our-name-not-be-%E2%80%98mudd%E2%80%99/

Also please sign the following letter to the US Attorney General, Eric Holder, to express your concerns over the civil rights violations in Hashmi’s case.
http://www.educatorsforcivilliberties.org/liftthesam.html

Join the 500@500 Pearl Street grassroots effort on at least one day and keep the courtroom full during Hashmi’s trial. Lets pack that courthouse.

For more information about his case, visit http://www.freefahad.com/

take care,

your sis in faith and humanity,

~PoeT91 aka sanechange