It’s simple really. The grass is always greener on the other side. The skinny man wants to have big muscles, the big man wants to be light and skinny, the fat man wants to lose weight and the thin man wants to have a big belly. The dark woman wants to have lighter skin and the woman with the lighter skin wants to be as dark as night. The bicycle riders want to drive cars and the car drivers want better cars. The hot dog seller wants to open a kebab shop and the kebab shop owner is tired from standing still. The doctor wants to be a patient and have someone else look after him and the patient wants to be a doctor so he’ll know what’s wrong with him! The dog wants to be a cat so he can sleep inside and the cat wants to be a dog so it’s let outside. The star wants to be a spectator and the spectator wants to be a star. The moon wants to come out during the day and the sun wouldn’t mind having a couple of late nights. The mouse wants to be a lion and the lion is tired of the responsibility of being king of the jungle. The chicken wants to be a peacock and the peacock wants more attention. Humpty dumpty wants to sit on the wall but humpty dumpty knows that he’ll fall. Cinderella wants to be a princess instead of a cleaner and the prince wants to marry a cleaner instead of a princess. Mirror, mirror on the wall, why do girls visit malls? Some questions have no answers, man. Why do kids like to sit on the front seat?

Today, I realised that I could be the greatest philosopher on this site. I could rattle on about some obscure topics. I could educate, refute, dispute, argue, reason, build a virtual house of cards and then just to demonstrate my greatness, bring it crashing down with a counterargument! I also discovered that I could be the greatest Islamic scholar on this site. Sunnis? Bring them on! Shica? Sit at my feet and let me impart some of my wisdom. Today, it just hit me! I could be the greatest scientist, poet, computer specialist, economist and politician. Hell, I could even be the resident Jewish Rabbi of this site. I could achieve all of the above by using Google and the various other search engines available on the information superhighway. No more driving on the hard shoulder for me. From now on, I’m going to be on the FAST LANE. I’m going to be the Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Alan Prost of this site. I’m going to be Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and Homer. Ronald Regan, Carl Marx and Idi Amin! But, even though I can be all of these guys and more, I don’t really want to cheat anyone out. I’d rather stay as NGONGE and whenever I find a site with some interesting information; give a link and full description instead. I might not get the credit for writing a great piece of information but I’ll at least get the credit for finding it! I also discovered that even without all of those websites and knowledge, I could still win any argument I enter into. All I need is to be repetitive, stubborn and have my blinkers fully installed. I’ll dig me a ditch and fight the wave after wave of constant attacks. I shall not be moved. Sadly, my heroic inflexibility and stubbornness will be to no avail. My gallant efforts will ensure that I don’t lose any argument but they wont guarantee me a win! The stalemate will eat away at me. It will linger on and disturb me. The feeling of injustice will lead me to seek a new battle. It’ll get me to goad my opponents into getting embroiled in another quarrel with me. One that is likely to end in another standoff. The vicious circle will keep spinning. The more it goes on, the quicker I lose my temper and sanity. I’ll make up stories to win arguments. I’ll twist words, use quotes out of context and question the integrity of my opponents. I’ll call them names. I’ll retreat, attack, retreat again then attack. I’m not happy with my discoveries. They’re too much work and add very little to my already great persona. What do I need with being a great philosopher, writer or donkey tamer on this site? Why waste my time getting angry because of a virtual squabble? I’ve decided to share these discoveries with you so you can benefit from them. Maybe YOU would want to make use of this! In the meantime, I’ll sit back and watch you all trying to wade through this difficult binary world. I’ll pass a kind remark here, give the benefit of the doubt there and stay as the nice chap that doesn’t know anything, which I’ve always been. It’s hard to act humble when you’re great, man. :rolleyes:

Easy with the assumptions, people! The article accompanying this photo does not say if the people that prayed in that mosque agreed with any of this. It mentions that the Mayor of that town was aware of what was happening and approved it. It does not say if he is a Muslim or if any of the people doing this are Muslims. It also mentions that those who protested were threatened with a ban from the festival! All in all, it’s a very shabby article that aims to enrage people and sensationalise this whole issue. As for the difference between Shica and Sunna, why do you feel the need to issue a Fatwa here, people? Are you 100% sure that your judgment is correct? I’m a Sunni not a Shica person but I would not dare call someone who says “ La Illaha Ela Allah Mohamadon Rasool Allah†a Kaffir. Whatever else he/she believes in or is “wrong†with I leave to Allah to judge. Play it safe, don’t let your emotions rule your head. Wallaho Aclam. :rolleyes:

quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by NGONGE: It's neither logical nor economically viable to build huge female quarters when these females are only going to use it on the odd occasion. Utopian ideas are great but people have to be practical and make decisions accordingly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You seem to be implying that mosques shouldn't bother to provide adequate spaces for women, regardless of whether the funds are available or not, based on some (questionable) premise that women attend in fewer numbers than men. Gimme a break. Mosques are sacred places of worhship, not marked territory for one gender or other. If masjid officials have enough funds with which to provide a LARGE, comfortable environment designed not just for women or men but for the entire family, then they should do so. Mosques are supposed to be the pulse of our communities, after all. People - especially those in the West - should look to them as havens, not as sources of discomfort worth avoiding. No one should feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in a mosque, least of all as a result of some penny-squeezing effort to find the most "economically viable" solution. Here we go splitting hairs again (all in the name of feminism, eh?). I know what mosques are, sister. I also know that in most of the mosques I’ve been to, there were not that many women attending regular prayers (even in those mosques that provide women quarters). I’m not really sure how you could call it “questionableâ€! Yes Mosques are the pulse of our communities. Yes, they should be accessible to the whole family and not only men. However, it’s all about practicality. You’re trying to put the horse before the cart here! The more women attending mosques and regular prayers the more the necessity for extra space will become apparent. To build extra spaces that are not likely to be used is a waste of money. It’s all a case of supply and demand; if the women (and the men) who complain about the lack of spaces really believe that there is a great demand for these spaces then they should take their case up with their local mosques. Do not turn it into an open and shut case when there are many variables that explain the lack of these spaces though. What are we going to ask for next? Women and men praying side by side? I’m saying the above because most of those complaining about this are not really coming up with any logical arguments and are not willing to accept (or even acknowledge) some of the very valid reasons for this situation. It’s all about the oppression of women! I think they’ve picked the wrong issue to protest about and the wrong manner of protest (NY Times).

I've read the article above and although there are some points worth discussing, I really find myself agreeing with Viking's points. Yes, women don't get space in Mosques. Yes, Mosques seem to be mainly designed to cater for men. However, and lets be honest with each other here without waving that tiresome feminist flag, women don't usually go to mosques in big numbers. They only do so on the big occasions such as Eid prayers. It's neither logical nor economically viable to build huge female quarters when these females are only going to use it on the odd occasion. Utopian ideas are great but people have to be practical and make decisions accordingly. The way the article paints the picture of these mosques, they make it sound as if those women want to turn that mosque into some sort of church where men and women mingle freely! The whole thing is absurd. I'm sure most major mosques can do many things to cater for our Muslim womenfolk. They can dedicate special areas and hours for women to come and use the facilities. They can set up the praying area in such a way whereby if there were many women attending a particular prayer the space dedicated to them can be increased. These issues and grievances should be addressed to the different management's of the various mosques and not with the silly NY Times (regardless of how much these women feel they've been discriminated against). In all honesty, this issue is a non-starter. The whinging and wringing of hands does nothing other than increasing the division amongst Muslims. Sisters and brothers should take up these gripes with those in charge. As for the "progressive/Modernasit/Reformist NuMuslims" all they seem to want to do is dilute the religion so much until it becomes an image of modern christianity. I find all these mutterings annoying and very confusing these days. What does being a Muslim entail? Are you backward and extremist women abusers or forward looking, moderate and modern religion reformers? Are we Ahal El Sunna Wal Jamaca or Akhwan El Muslemeen? Maybe We're Wahaabis? No, no, we're Shias? Hezb Et Tahrir or Al Mohajruun? The list is endless and the pointless drivel goes on....... Erm, ignore all of the above. The constant Islamphobia in the western media made me too paranoid. :mad:

^^^Seems to me eno vegetarian libaax sanka ka taabte... :rolleyes:

Keep your Masar on, dear. I was only pulling your Xijaab.

It’s a matter of taste, dear. Lots of guys out there love bigger women and would never look at a skinny girl. Then there are guys who like skinny girls and would never look at curvy girls. Then there are guys who like curvy girls and would never be interested in skinny or big girls. Then there are guys like me. We like EVERYTHING we see. Old, young, thin, fat, one-eyed or blind they’re all very attractive to us. But, that’s probably because we’re not planning to marry any of them. Heh. :rolleyes:

I’m glad I’m not married to Ms Sun. I have 15 cups of tea a day and another five at night. Something about me that not many people know? Hmmm, let me see now. :rolleyes: *** Scratches head and stars into the distance blankly *** Oh yes! When I was 18, I went to Mecca and Medina. I did “Tawaaf†around the “Kacba†70 times on the first day. Yes, Seventy times (no, it was not a mistake).

^^^^ Woow! The moderators are out in force (or are they mistaking it for a Xijaab?)! Seems that I’ve caused a bit of a ruction amongst the womenfolk of this site. No harm intended. :rolleyes: Of course, Ameeenah’s comments would carry more weight if she didn’t have that aviator. Vested interest methinks.

Total and absolute discrimination on this thread! If I could set up a blind date between two people, I’d pair OG-Girl with that Sujui guy. Would be fun trying to listen in to their amorous conversations. An Arabic speaker with a Sujui, dynamite baby, dynamites.

Everything looks fine from where I’m standing. But, what’s with the pop up adverts, man? Ayoub, post those pictures

Ngonge saxiib why don't you try Golis Restaurant in Wembley. I hear they can give 10% off if you can prove your Burco roots claims . Claims? :mad: Adeer magaalada anaaka eska leh :cool:

I once challenged Gary Kasparov to a game of chest. I was seventeen years old and very very sure of myself. He politely declined.

lol@DA Your quest for total and absolute uniformity knows no bounds. :rolleyes:

^^^ Happy Birthday, Sue. Aaah, just think about it, in another twenty years you'll be close to 50! Depressing, isn't it?

^^^ Saasab accepted. What took you so long though? :rolleyes: By the way, don't take much of what I say too seriously. I'm just making conversation here.

I still don't agree with this guy being there and hope he gets put out of his misery soon. This does not mean that I don't enjoy his random outbursts and constant struggle against these bigoted people. Here is the update: This week the housemates have been given a Boot Camp task. They had to pretend to be soldiers and two housemates were appointed as the Sergeants. From the outset of the task, Ahemd's demons reared their ugly head. He categorically stated that he's not going to do any sentry duty in the rain. One of the girls tried to talk sense to him but he insisted that sitting in the rain would make him ill and he's not going to get himself sick because of some silly task (good point, right?). As usual with these guys, they all started ganging up on him and he started shouting at them all. This episode seemed to anger Ahmed and he decided not to co-operate and be as timid as the others. He started trying to sabotage the task by refusing to do different things and pretending to be sick. On one occasion, he drank from a china cup (he was supposed to drink from a metal cup) and when the girl sergeant heard about it, she lost her temper and stormed into the bedroom where Ahmed was and started shouting at him! (she was topless as she was doing it, so he was getting an earful and an eyeful..ehehehe) There is loads more but I'm getting tired from all this typing. basically, those guys find it hard to deal with Ahmed because of his accent and the way he turns everything into a confrontation, but, there is also lots of xenophobia on display. :mad:

No comments yet for SHOOBARO, Shujui, Baashi, etc. Let me think about the offers :eek: :eek: ** Public Announcement ** I have virtually divorced raula. It's very regrettable but I can't handle her roving eyes and total disregard of my feelings. She's a free woman now, let the vultures descend. :rolleyes: ** Starts winking at Bee ** ** Remembers her aggressive nature ** ** Pretends that there is something stuck in his eye **

I wouldn’t have had that sandwich for lunch.

I don’t appreciate you airing our dirty linen in public, raula. I know we had a little argument over that snake photo but that does not mean you seek revenge by telling people about our secret arrangement. I’m sorry, dear. I spent all day picking bits out of my jaat mejin and saying, “ she loves me, she loves me not”. SHE LOVES ME NOT :mad:

^^^^ We’re all doomed then?

^^^^You kept yourself busy! What with trying to concentrate on the football, listen out for booing people and doing all manners of dribbling to impress the girls, when did you have the time to notice the tribalism problem of the Toronto people? Seriously though, the tribe problem is a Somali disease that’s not limited to the homeland. It’s not a huge surprise that Somalis in Canada would act in the same way as those home. Just be happy that they had no weapons.

Well done, saaxib. I called him Waleed.

DA, I think you're overreacting a little here. At the start of this thread I stated that this was by no means an attack or criticism of women. It's something I've noticed and decided to comment on. I'm not in charge of anyone here and I can't force people to abide by my rules. I only dispense whatever little advice I have. As I'm sure you would do the same had you had to remind/correct people on a practise which you perceived to be wrong. Criticism for criticism's sake does not float my boat (unless I'm *****ing about someone of course - which reminds me..that raula! I mean honestly! Yesterday she...... :eek: ). I shall now retire from this thread and go sulk in the corner until one of you girls comes after me and "sasaab" me into coming back.