GERMANY SEEKS DEBT RELIEF FOR INDONESIA AND SOMALIA

Khary Salaamz, This is soundinggg moreee and moreee like an EVANGLICAL or a UNITED NATIONS gatheringgg. I remember when the comic and Sami Yusuf were performing , this man was visibly upset with the entertainment Idea (his wife was embarressed by his outburst) ..and left!! I learned that you can't satisfy all muslims. However, I have a feeling that most muslims who were present this past weekend truly enjoyed, learned, and were inspired by this gathering. My cousin is a proof, she's alhamdulilah considering on wearing the hijab in the near future. We have to remember the point of it all is to unite muslims and to find common grounds with eachother instead of finding faults with one another. I saw brothers and sisters who normally wouldn't attend any muslim gathering. I saw hijabis and non-hijabi sisters who felt the love and not rejected. Also about the clapping, like I said above Insha Allah maybe one day we'll seize clapping (btw which isn't Haram) bcos alot of muslims come from societies that clap...however when he said Tabiir is Bidca..I think he meant its a new innovation which doesn't necessarily mean Haram...however he disliked it to be said loudly, bcos muslim Adab is to not shout. So say it without yelling. Canadinized Crazy IKhwani Muslimeen, they will do anything for called Unity, even distort the Sunnah, to please their fans.... There's nothing wrong with not agreeing with a sheikh or an Imam ..however we must be careful to accuse our revivers of misleading the ummah. You have to have proof. Are you a learned person? and if so, what points did you agree/disagree with? Did you know that there was a fatwa floating around the net that was againts attending this conference based on hear/say? Subxanallah! We must work towards eradicating this disease of mistrust and sabotage rampant in our community ..which ironically was the whole point of the convention!!!!

Assalamu Alaikum, Although I'm physically exhausted, I'am spiritually revived after attending this historically event. I've been attending conventions since the age of 13 and this event drew more muslims of different levels (deen) and background then any event I've ever attended. I saw more Somali families this year Alhamdulilah. I was pleasant suprised to learn one of my close friends held a position....way to go girl Anyway, X-quizit beautifully summarized some key points. This year I was unable to take notes because of low lighting. I can't say I disliked any of the speakers. X-quizit, trust me you're not the only one who finds Imam Zaid Shakir facinating..I love his speeches. Also I was happy to have heard for the first time Dr. Omar Faruq, I think he's a great contribution to not only the Ummah but to humanity as well. Sh. Hamza Yusuf...never fails to always give us food for thought. Sh. Suwaidan, may Allah reward you for your efforts...he truly has the gift to engage with the audience....I was looking for his books...sadly I was unable to locate any. Thank you for tackling sensitive issues muslims love to sweep under the carpet. Let's see....the Qari Hassen Rasool subxanallah, delivered a beautiful recitation of the Quran. What happened to Jamal Badawi? My 13yr.old sister was looking forward to her fav. speaker Siraj Wahaj who was also unable to make it.

Element 6, Interesting blog. I ran into Pace magazine's site, it had several links to blogs...didn't get the chance to explore most of them. Anyway, I like what you guys are doing with the magazine....I don't know what alleubahne is talking about :rolleyes: Shehazarade, too bad yours isn't available to the public Reading blogs can get addictive. I noticed some folks keep their blogs strictly for the subject matter at hand, ie. religion, politics, poetry, etc. And others share some of their intimate experiences with the world. I'm not sure if the latter would work for me.

I think as muslims we are emotionally affected by what's going in Iraq. Firstly majority of us don't agree with the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Secondly, we're outraged by U.S.'s concealment of "collateral damage" who happen to be innocent muslim men, women, and children. And thirdly, we're just speechless by the autrocities that are being committed by "insurgents" against innocent civilians, muslims or kuffars. I was disturbed by Margeret Hassan's death. The poor woman resided in Iraq for 30 yrs. as a humanitarian, dedicating majority of her adult life for Iraq. I can't find any justification for her death :mad:

Ofcourse it matters..for the sake of our offsprings lol. Its top 3 for me, along with spiritual, personality and physical compatibility

Jazakallah Aniga, I'm in the middle of reading The Alchemy of Happiness by Al-Ghazzali and there's a chapter called : Marriage as a help or hinderance to the religious life. I thought the points he raised were interesting. I find his works are facinating, may Allah have mercy on his soul. You're right, once you start you can't stop. Thnks again.

Somalien, if you follow the link you can get a better idea of the convention ie. this year's theme, location, speakers (with their pics), program scheduling etc. Also the tickets include for all three days. This is the 3rd annual of this convention....the first year (bad weather couldn't make it) only drew about 3,500 ppl, last year over 10,000...maybe this year will be close to the annual ISNA-chicago attendance....30,000?..hence why they picked Skydome. I guess good word travels fast. Hope that helped.

Oh Allah grant me the patience to read the entire thread, Aamin.

Wilo, Canada is a hassle-free country to get into. We don't have a No Fly List or conduct a racial/relious profiling. Oh how I love Canada.

You're right...its the 'in' thing now. I personally visit some interesting blogs but I've wondered if there were any somali blogging. Its not a good idea for me since I have commitment issues.

Oh Boy...the program is now available to view Such wonderful topics, all in the honor of the Prophet (SAW). PROGRAM I don't know about y'all but I can't wait for the convention. Although I love to see many muslims congregating for the pleasure of Allah, I can't really stand crowded gatherings. But hopefully it will be as delightful as last year's. So who's officially going? p.s. if you don't for whatever reason register on time, don't be discouraged to come. I heard through the gravevine that they won't turn people away.

Not sure if somali hijaabis are the culbrits. Others muslim sisters from certain countries/region I won't bother to mention, ignore ya when you greet them with Salaams. :mad: It led me to not bother with salaams at malls etc. Og-girl & Sheherazade: Alxamdulilah you're feeling better. There's a nasty flu going around I hope Allah guards me from it.

Kruella, you wlc abaayo. As for the singers, my sister collected their albums and I must say they can be quite addictive. I'll be the girl who'll be singing along and throwing hands from side to side.....umm I mean do it quitely. Qac Qac, Insha Allah you will. Hope it works out. Rahma, finally!! You won't regret I promise. Ilhaam, so will I see you there again? This time make it a full day aight x-quizit & Qac Qaac, one year ago it was unimaginable for you two to reconcile...is it the start of a beautiful relationship? hmmm Salafi: yeah I was refering to Mama Africa! Wiilo: How about you take your holiday vacation to Toronto......previews coming soon. Skydome

I would recommend to read the FAQ section. Seems like they're not selling tickets this yr.

Once again, Toronto is proud to present Reviving The Islamic Spirit 2004. Insha Allah it will be held in Skydome. I know my baby sister will be delighted to find out Sami Yusuf & Raihan (singers) are confirmed for this event. Reviving The Islamic Spirit See you there!

Kruella thanks for the reminder...would you mind if I created a new thread for it? Thnksss Salafi: Never went to his durus (was it mixed btw), but I've attended some lectures of his when I was a kid myself. Never imagined he'd pack his bags n' move to the motherland

Assalamu Alaikum, I couldn't believe it when I read it. It's just an impiration to read about a former model who's recently become an Imam .....and more. ---------------------------------------------------- BY AMANDA RUGGERI Staff Reporter At age 26, Dawood Yasin was almost killed. Three times. Back then, his name was not Dawood. He was not yet a teaching assistant in Yale's Arabic Department, the imam of the Masjid Al-Islam mosque on George Street in New Haven, or the chaplain of the Muslim Student's Association of Yale. Instead, he was a nation-hopping male model, a man whose face and body splashed Paris billboards and Vogue fashion spreads. His name was David and he was Roman Catholic. But three near-death experiences in the span of six months changed all that In 1996 he was living in South Africa modeling in photo shoots. One night, he said, he got into a heated discussion with some South Africans vocalizing their unhappiness with the end of apartheid. Threats were issued. Tensions boiled. Then the aggressors pulled out weapons. Luckily, a member of the group talked them out of a fight. But just a few weeks later, something else happened. Yasin was driving from Capetown to Johannesburg. At one point the fog thickened dangerously. The car behind him began to pass him and, at the same time, a truck approached from ahead. His own car narrowly avoided the horrific crash that followed. Not long after, he witnessed another crash -- one he might have been in had he arrived at the scene 30 seconds earlier. Many 26-year-olds may have brushed off the three incidences as merely unsettling. Not Yasin. "Thinking that you could check out at any time made me think about spirituality," he said, sitting in Au Bon Pain Oct. 27, a dark beard covering his once-famous face. Because his cousin had converted to Islam two decades before and become a better person for it, he said, the religion was already in the back of his mind. So when his brushes with death made him reconsider spirituality, he had no qualms about taking a look at the Koran. "It worked for me," he said. "I find there to be justice. In the prophetic tradition, there's no preference of the Arab over the non-Arab, white over black, black over white." But not everybody sees that side of Islam. Twice since Sept. 11, 2001, Yasin and his wife, dressed in traditional Islamic garb, have been almost run off the road, he said. Once, the driver shouted at them to "go back to your country." "And my mother, my grandmother, they were born in America," he said, shaking his head. Rather than let such ignorance get him down, though, Yasin said he focuses on raising understanding of Islam. His Arabic students said he was always very open about his life and religion. They could ask him delicate questions -- what the Koran says about homosexuality, for example -- and get a straightforward answer. And because Yasin is American, students seem more receptive to what he has to say, said Bassam Frangieh, a professor in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department. "The students identify with him," Frangieh said. "He has a very, very beautiful relationship with them." Yasin has even welcomed his class into his mosque. Last year, 40 Arabic students took a class trip to George Street during the month of Ramadan. They covered themselves appropriately, the women in head scarves. As they walked, they stopped traffic, Frangieh said. After attending services, which included a sermon by Yasin, the students ate a traditional dinner in his home. Teaching about Islam and the Koranic tradition is important, Frangieh said. After all, one requirement of the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations major is "Arabic and Islamic Studies." Despite such glowing reports from students and colleagues, Yasin was not always so focused on Yale. When he came back to America after studying Arabic for five years, teaching at Yale was not the job he had in mind, he said. Hardly the typical teaching assistant, Yasin does not even hold a college degree. He briefly attended Southern Connecticut State University, but he was discovered by a Wilhelmina Models agent during one summer break in Nantucket. At 19, his life turned into a whirlwind of runways in Milan and Paris, photo shoots with Christy Turlington and Brooke Shields. "It's like, 'Wow, do I shoot a Levi's campaign and make a lot of money, or do I go back to school and get a degree?'" he said, chuckling. "You think about it for about three breaths." And although he studied at a religious seminary in Damascus for five years after "embracing Islam," the events of Sept. 11, 2001 interrupted his education. In America at the time of the terrorist attacks, Yasin and his then-pregnant wife decided not to return to Syria. A friend at the Yale Divinity School told him there was an opening in the Arabic department. At the time, Yasin said, he laughed off the suggestion, intimidated by the idea of teaching Yale students in a language that was not his native tongue. But when a few weeks went by and the position remained open, he decided to apply. Rather than a one-on-one interview, Yasin presented himself to one of Frangieh's Arabic classes. They loved him. Yasin was hired. This year, though, Yasin is on leave. Recently appointed as imam of Masjid Al-Islam, Yasin said he is now too busy to teach classes. As religious leader of the 300 people in the congregation, he has more responsibilities than he had even expected. "I'm dealing with everything from the jurisprudence of someone's marriage, to someone asking you on the end-of-life decisions for their two-year-old child," he said. And he has taken on a new project, as well -- managing a fashion company geared toward traditional Muslim dress. The former model described the clothing line as modest, but sophisticated and practical. Running a clothing company is only the latest phase in his life. From modeling, to studying, to being a TA, he said each experience has made him who he is today. But if his now-2-year-old daughter were to grow up and tell him she wanted to strut down the runways in Milan, Yasin knows exactly what he would say: "I'd say, Tell me when you want to go and we'll go together. http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=27158

Inalilaahi wa ina ilaahi rajicuun. Samir iyo Amiin walaalo.

Congrats brother Nur. Lead...and I will follow

Thanks for the warning Stoic. I can't even begin to tell you about some of the things the Jewish student orgs. pulled the past few yrs. :mad: Yeah Its strange if the student body supported such an event (funding is not allowed for religious preaching). I'm not worried for our uni though. I remember 2 yrs. ago, this ignorant 19yr.old wrote an editorial "ISLAM SUCKS"...the kid didn't show up for 2 wks in fear for his life. The next day, the outpour from muslims and non-muslims generated 3 pages. Because of it, he wrote an apology 2 days after the incident I don't think I ever saw his editorial again.

Nervous chic....u serious u got it already? With your review, I might just get it sooner than expected He's exceptional I heard, never had the pleasure of seeing him though. I once attempted to make it to a lecture he gave in Toronto this yr...it was never meant to be. Here's a bit about him for those of you scratching your head... Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah (Wymann-Landgraf) is an American Muslim, born in 1948 to a Protestant family of the Midwest. Early in 1970, he embraced Islam in Ithaca, New York while studying English literature at Cornell University as a Woodrow Wilson honorary fellow. He then changed his field of study and transferred to the University of Chicago in 1972, where he received his doctorate with honors in 1978 for a dissertation pertaining to the origins of Islamic Law. He taught at the Universities of Windsor (Ontario), Temple, and Michigan from 1977 until 1982, when he left America to teach Arabic in Granada (Spain). In 1984, he was appointed to the Department of Islamic Studies at King Abdul-Aziz University in Jeddah and taught Islamic studies and comparative religions there until 2000. During his years abroad, Dr. Abd-Allah had the fortune to study with several traditional Islamic teachers. He returned to Chicago in August of 2000 to work as general director of the newly founded Nawawi Foundation and, in conjunction with this position, is now teaching in Chicago and conducting research in Islamic studies and cognate fields.

It sure feels good to give ...especially food! Our MSA (Muslim Student Association) hosts iftar nights on campus for the entire duration of Ramadan. Our attendance grows every year. Individual students or students pair up to bring something for the hungry students. Fiance, maybe next yr we'll extend our invation to the homeless folks on campus. Thnks 4 the idea. Also, students can raise money for that month and give it to the local soup kitchen to feed the hungry (like we've done). Another way to help would be to host a food drive...ie. collecting non-parishible foods. There's so many ways to give, just get that creative mind of yours to work. Sheherazade, only when u reflect can u notice the blessings Allah has bestowed on you. Doors always open when you rely or sacrifice for God. Wish you all the best for the job offer. Keep us updated.

I'm extremely disappointed :mad: I went to sleep thinking Kerry would go after those provicial (s/p?)votes (democrats led us to believe there was 250,000 unaccounted votes in Ohio)...so why haven't they?