Jamaican-Palestinian calls for end to Israeli hostilities in Gaza

Published: Wednesday December 31, 2008


As Israel continued to pound the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip with bombs yesterday, a Jamaican of Palestinian descent called on the world to force the Israeli government to end hostilities in the region.
By the end of yesterday, that call by Robert Dabdoub, a businessman, seemed to be heeded as, according to the BBC, foreign ministers from the Middle East Quartet, the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia called for "an immediate ceasefire that would be fully respected".

Contemplating proposal

Indeed, at the end of the day, it was reported that Israel was contemplating a French proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire which would require Hamas to stop its rocket fire and allow humanitarian relief into the Gaza Strip.

Dabdoub described the air strikes, which started on Saturday, as a shame and said he believed the world should follow its conscience and force Israel to stop its aggression.

"It is a disgrace, it is totally inhumane, and it is breaking the Geneva Convention with its use of excessive force," Dabdoub told The Gleaner. He said he believed the long history of conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has been unfair to the Palestinians and that the latest move by the Israelis was an attempt to gain more land.

While Dabdoub believes an immediate ceasefire is needed, he says more needs to be done to rein in Israel.

"Terror is terror whoever is committing it, whether it is a state such as Israel or an individual," he said.

Israeli attacks on Hamas-controlled Gaza have so far resulted in at least 360 deaths and more than 1,400 people wounded.

Source Jamaica Gleaner

Dr. Mashooq balances business and worship

Dr. Mashooq balances business and worship

Qualities of the people of Taqwaa

Hamman ibn Shuraih – a companion of Ali (RA) – asked him to narrate the qualities of the people of Taqwa so that he would be able to see them in front of him. Ali (RA) said:

“When Allah created His creation, He did so while He was completely independent of their obedience towards Him and of their disobedience towards Him. No disobedience can hurt Him and no obedience can benefit Him. Then He distributed amongst them (the creation) their means of sustenance and placed them on earth. The people of Taqwa on earth are those of virtue: their speech is correct (true); their garments are of moderate nature and their walk is one of humility. They lower their gaze when they see something that Allah has forbidden them to see and they give ear to beneficial knowledge. They maintain their integrity in both adversity and prosperity.

Had it not been for the appointed time that Allah has written for them (death), their souls would not remain an extra second in their bodies out of yearning for reward and fear of punishment. The Creator ranks Supreme in their eyes, so everything else becomes immaterial to them. They are with Paradise as if they had already witnessed it and enjoyed its presence. They are with Hell as if they have already seen it and tasted its torment. Their hearts grieve and their evil (if any) is non-contagious. Their bodies are lean, their needs are few and their souls are chaste.

They observe patience for a few days and experience everlasting comfort. This is a profitable exchange that their Lord has made pleasant for them. The world tempts them, but they do not succumb. It imprisons them, but they ransomed themselves in exchange.

During the nights they stand in rows and read portions of the Quran. They recite with proper recitation which grieves their hearts and drink it (the Quran) like medicine. If a verse of yearning comes along, they reach for it and believe it is their destination. If an intimidating verse comes along, they pour their hearts towards it and believe that Hell and its screams are in their ears. They sleep on their foreheads and elbows (i.e. they engage in prayers so much that it is as if they sleep in those postures) and implore Allah to deliver them.

In the day, they are tolerant and learned, kind and God-fearing. Fear has chipped away at their bodies as if they were arrows. Anyone looking at them would think that they were sick. But they are not sick. Some will say that they are confused. A great fear has made them look like that. They are never content to do only a few actions (during the day), nor do they ask for a great deal. They condemn themselves and are apprehensive about their deeds.

If one of them is called “pious”, he fears what will be said of him and says: “I know myself better than you do. My Lord knows me better than I do. O Allah! Do not take me to task for what they are saying about me and (O Lord) make me better than they think. Forgive my sins which they do not know about.” Their signs are that they are strong in Islam, resolute in their softness; firm in their belief. They crave for knowledge and are knowledgeable with tolerance; moderate in richness; pleasant in hunger; forbearing in distress; seeking Halal; active in (pursuing) guidance and they abhor greed.

They perform good deeds in fear (of rejection). They spend the evening in gratitude and the morning in remembrance. They sleep in alarm and they awake in joy. If their carnal selves make it difficult for them to fulfil that which they dislike they deprive them (their selves) of that which they like. The apple of their eyes is in what does not perish and their abstemiousness in what disappears. They combine knowledge with tolerance and speech with action.

You will find their hopes are realistic, their mistakes few; their hearts humble, their selves content; their diet meagre, their matters simple, their Deen safe-guarded, their desires killed and their anger subdued. Goodness is expected from them and evil is shielded against them. If they are among those who are oblivious, they are counted amongst those who remember (Allah). If they are among those who remember, they are not written among the oblivious. They pardon those who wrong them; they provide for those who deprive them, and meet those who severe ties with them. They are never profane and always lenient. Their wrong doings are almost non-existent and their good deeds are always present. They are resolute when the earth quakes, steadfast in calamities and grateful in prosperity.

They are no prejudiced against those they dislike nor do they favour those they love. They acknowledge the truth before it appears and do not lose anything they are entrusted with. They do not call anyone names nor do they hurt their neighbours. They do not curse at the time of difficulties nor do they venture into falsehood.

Silence does not bother them and if they laugh, they do not raise their voices. If they are treated with injustice they remain patient until Allah vindicates them.Their own selves live in toil while others are comfortable around them.

Their abstinence from those who stay away from them is their exoneration (from malice). Their proximity to those who are close to them, is a means of mercy (for those who are close to them).

Their remaining aloof is not out of pride and arrogance and their being close is neither a ploy nor a scheme.

Oppression

As the news unfolds of the continued oppression of our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, let us not forget the following two hadiths

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever has oppressed another person concerning his reputation or anything else, he should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection when there will be no money (to compensate for wrong deeds), but if he has good deeds, those good deeds will be taken from him according to his oppression which he has done, and if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person will be loaded on him."
Bukhari :: Book 3 :: Volume 43 :: Hadith 629


Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
The Prophet sent Mu'adh to Yemen and said, "Be afraid, from the curse of the oppressed as there is no screen between his invocation and Allah."
Bukhari :: Book 3 :: Volume 43 :: Hadith 628

The Oppressors may think they are safe and secure and in control, but they only fool themselves, ALLAH subhana wa ta'ala knows all that they do.

TGIF !!

Bismillah,

Thank God its Friday. Not only because it is the day of Jumuah but because the Christmas madness is OVER. Yesterday Alhamdullilah I escaped the madness and attended Muslim camp, it goes on until Sunday InshaAllah, and I may attend again today or tommorrow InshaAllah.

It was so refreshing...until I got back (it was out of town), and I could feel the difference in attitude from some Muslims who took part in Christmas celebrations. I met with one disappointment and then another. It was like I was being egged on to get angry by their comments, but I know it was just whisperings from the shaytaan the accursed.

Instead of getting angry, I just felt a little sad :-(. The day then became 'mixed emotion day'

Maybe next year..they wont take part InshaAllah.

On another note....if you are ever feeling taken advantage of, or that people are being selfish, remember this hadith

Narrated Abdullah:
Allah's Apostle said to us, "You will see after me, selfishness (on the part of other people) and other matters that you will disapprove of." They asked, "What do you order us to do, O Allah's Apostle? (under such circumstances)?" He said, "Pay their rights to them (to the rulers) and ask your right from Allah." (Bukhari :: Book 9 :: Volume 88 :: Hadith 175 )

Sometimes its hard to think like this, especially when people seem to take you for granted, but we should focus on doing things for the pleasure of ALLAH Subhana wa ta ala and seek our reward from HIM alone. HE will never disappoint us, if we focus on pleasing people, they will always disappoint, so we should help people and do good deeds seeking ALLAH's reward and not theirs, and Alhamdullilah contentment will follow.

So we should ALWAYS give people their rights, no matter what, and try to control ourselves from 'reacting' negatively to their attitude.

Should Muslims attend Christmas celebrations?

Being one of the few people NOT attending my family Christmas dinner, I had to look for the rulings on this , here is what I found on Islam QA.

Attending the festivals of the mushrikeen and congratulating them
Is it permissible to attend the celebrations of Christian festivals and congratulate them?

Praise be to Allaah.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: it is not permissible for the Muslims to attend the festivals of the mushrikeen, according to the consensus of the scholars whose words carry weight. The fuqaha’ who follow the four schools of thought have stated this clearly in their books…

Al-Bayhaqi narrated with a saheeh isnaad from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab that he said: “Do not enter upon the mushrikeen in their churches on the day of their festival, for divine wrath is descending upon them.” And ‘Umar also said: “Avoid the enemies of Allaah on their festivals.”

Al-Bayhaqi narrated with a jayyid isnaad from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that he said: “Whoever settles in the land of the non-Arabs and celebrates their new year and festival and imitates them until he dies in that state, will be gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection.” (Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 1/723-724).

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Can she attend Christmas celebrations in order to greet her relatives?
She says: I want to become Muslim, but my family gather to celebrate Christmas, and I want to go and greet them. This is not with the intention of celebrating or joining in, but simply to make the most of the opportunity of my relatives getting together. Is this allowed?

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen,who answered as follows:
No, it is not permitted. If Allaah blesses her with Islam, then the first thing she must do is to distance herself from her former religion and its festivals.

And Allaah knows best.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen

It is not permissible to eat foods that are prepared by the kuffaar for their festivals
Is it permissible for a Muslim to eat the foods that the people of the Book or the mushrikoon prepare for their festivals or accept such foods if they are given on the occasion of their festivals?.

Praise be to Allaah.

t is not permissible for the Muslim to eat foods that the Jews, Christians and mushrikoon make for their festivals. It is not permissible either for a Muslim to accept such things that are given to them on the occasion of their festivals, because that implies honouring them and cooperating with them in manifesting their symbols and propagating their innovations and sharing their happiness on the days of their festivals.

That may also lead to taking their festivals as festivals for us too, or to exchanging invitations to meals or to give gifts on one another’s festivals at the very least. This is a kind of deviation and innovation in religion.

It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” And it is not permissible to give them anything on the occasion of their festivals.
Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 22/398.

Ruling on celebrating non-Muslim holidays and congratulating them
Can a muslim celebrate a non muslim holiday like Thanksgiving

Praise be to Allaah.

Greeting the kuffaar on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is haraam, by consensus, as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah: "Congratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden.

It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah."

Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haraam to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those things for oneself.

But the Muslim should not aceept the rituals of kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allaah does not accept any of that at all, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. . ."[al-Zumar 39:7]

". . . This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion . . ." [al-Maa’idah 5:3]

So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise.If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allaah.

These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]

It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations. Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them."

Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem: "Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak."Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their religion.Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.

Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369)

Muslim woman jailed for wearing headscarf

And this happened in America... not in some mixed up secular-muslim-majority country

"ATLANTA – A Muslim woman arrested for refusing to take off her head scarf at a courthouse security checkpoint said Wednesday that she felt her human and civil rights were violated. A judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail for contempt of court, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on Atlanta's west suburban outskirts"

Read entire story here

Tagged !

I've been tagged by Sister Hijabee

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago

• Studying for A-Level Exams
• Trying to decide on a career
• Watching Dawson's Creek
• Taking care of a pet cat
• Moving

5 Things On My To-Do List

• Memorize Juz 30
• Complete reading 'Evolution of Fiqh'
• Exercise
• Spend more time with relatives
• Start a home business

5 Snacks I Like

• M&Ms
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Snickers
• Plantain Chips
• Honey Roasted Cashews

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire

• Retire
• Build a Masjid
• Build a Muslim School
• Sponsor Orphans
• Start an Islamic Riba free revolving loan fund

5 places I have lived ( for various lengths of times)

• Jamaica
• USA
• Japan
• .......thats it :) , I only have 3

5 Jobs I have had

• IT Lab Technician
• IT WebMaster
• Junior Programmer
• Programmer Analyst
• Senior Systems Analyst

5 people I Tag

• Nourah
• Sacrifice4Allah
• Malizea
• ...
• ...

Shaytan's Deception

59:16 (Their allies deceived them), like the Evil One, when he says to man, "Deny Allah.: but when (man) denies Allah, (the Evil One) says, "I am free of thee: I do fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!" (Holy Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation)

There were three brothers from Bani Israel who were called upon to go on Jihad. These three brothers had a sister who did not have any one else to be taken care other that by them. They did not know under whose care could they leave the young woman. Then they thought that the most reasonable place to leave her was with the Abid (worshipper) because he was the most trusted man in town. Barsisa, the Abid was a man who used to be in a monastery devoted to worship of ALLAH.

So they went to him and said, ” We are being enlisted to go on Jihad and we want to leave our sister with you. We trust no one in town but you.”
Barsisa replied “Audhu billah, get away from me.” This was an Abid who was not married and he did not want to deal with these problems.
The brothers said, “We have no where else to leave our sister but with you. We don’t trust anyone else.”
So Shaytan came to Barsisa and said, “If u don’t accept, she might be left with somebody who might not be trustworthy.You have to step-up and take this responsibility.”
So Barsisa told the brothers, “Leave her in the empty house.” (which was seperate from the monastery where he was staying).

The brothers then left her there and went on Jihad.
After that, Barsisa the Abid used to leave food at his doorstep and the young woman had to come out of her house and walk all the way to take the food from his doorstep. Barsisa never used to leave from his monastery. Barsisa had never met her and they were not seeing each other. Days passed by like this.

One day, Shaytan came to Barsisa and said, “Somebody might see her when she is walking out. So rather than have her leave from her house. You need to carry it and leave at her doorstep.” So he started leaving the food at her doorstep. This happened for many days.

Again one day, Shaytan came to Barsisa and said, “You can’t just leave the food at her doorstep. Somebody might see her when she opens the door and she is very beautiful. You would have to take the food and leave it inside her room.” So Barsisa would go and knock on the door. She would open and he would walk inside and leave the food there.

That continued for a while. Then again one day Shaytan said, “You can’t leave this poor woman alone without giving her any company. Nobody is speaking to her. So she may be feeling very lonely and that might lead to haram. So why don’t you go and talk to her from behind the door.” Barsisa liked the idea and so for a while he would sit outside and just talk to her for HOURS. Slowly and slowly the relationship was building up and Shaytan was finding it easier to drag him to the next step.

Shaytan then came and said, “You can’t just sit there talking to her, people might see you. You need to go inside, just sit in another room without looking at her and talk to her.” So for sometime that is what he did. Slowly she started getting closer to him and everytime they got more and more close to the extent that eventually he comitted zina (fornication) with her.
So the Abid, the worshipper who devoted his life to service in the monastery comitted zina. Because of that, she became pregnant and delivered a boy.

Then Shaytan came to Barsisa and said,”Now when the brothers come back and find out that their sister has a child you are going to be in big trouble. The only way for you to put an end to this issue is to kill the baby.” Barsisa followed the advice of Shaytan and killed the child.
But it didn’t end there. Shaytan came to him and said, “Do you think that this woman will keep the secret after you kill her own child? The only way out is to kill her.” So Barsisa killed her and burried both mother and child in a certain location inside the house.

Later the brothers came back and inquired about their sister. Barsisa gave some reason and said, “She had passed away and this is where she is burried.” Saying that he pointed to a false grave.

Then Shaytan went to the brothers and made them see a dream. In that dream they were told that Barsisa killed their sister and the proof was that she was burried in a different location (i.e. under the rock inside the house). When the brothers woke up they started talking to each other and found out that they all had seen the same dream. They thought that there must be some truth in it. So they went and uncovered the grave which Barsisa had pointed to and found it empty. Then they went inside the house and found the rock as mentioned in the dream. On digging underneath the rock they found their sister’s dead body along with that of the child.

So they went to Barsisa and forced him to disclose the secret of what happened. He went ahead and told them the whole story. The three brothers took Barsisa to the king’s court and he was given punishment of execution. While Barsisa was being dragged to his execution spot, Shaytan came to him and said, “Listen Barsisa I am Shaytan and it was me who was in communication with you since this whole thing started and not your inner thoughts. Now I can get u out of this trouble if you want. I am the one who put you in this trouble in the first place and I can get u out of it.”

Barsisa asked, “What should I do?”
Shaytan said, “Do sujood to me and I will save you.”
Barsisa did sujood to Shaytan (i.e. committed shirk) and as soon as he did so, Shaytan ran away and Barsisa was executed.
(Taken from Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki’s lecture set “Hereafter”)

31:33 O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah (Holy Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation)

This is pretty scary, we all should be wary of whisperings from the Shayateen, and stay away from small sins, these could eventually lead to large sins. Let us always keep in mind that we are being tested and not willingly put ourselves in potentially distructive situations.

Alcohol Shortage? Isn't that a good thing?

5:90 O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan's handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper. (Holy Quran - Yusuf Ali Translation)

Pretty straightforward don't you think?

One would think that in a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, a shortage of alcohol should be a good thing. In fact what the heck are they doing selling alcohol there in the first place? Why can't the government get gutsy and just BAN alcohol sales outright and stop pandering to tourists?

The article below is from BBC


Indonesia drinkers face alcohol shortage
By Lucy Williamson BBC News, Jakarta

They call it "the Bitching Session". Once a week, in the hushed cocktail lounge of Jakarta's Dharmawangsa Hotel, Miranti and her girlfriends gather.
They come for a proper gossip, and several glasses of the hotel's legendary chocolate martini.
We can bitch about work, boys, whatever we feel like, Miranti explained. But it is always at the Dharmawangsa because of that delicious chocolate martini.

Miranti is part of a growing class in Indonesia. She is 34, single, an architect.
Like her friends, she knows how to run a business, deal with jet-lag, and how to mix a margarita.
What she does not know is that she is at the heart of a battle being fought here in Jakarta - over alcohol.

Mostly, it is a battle that has been fought out of sight. But now the wounds are appearing.
On the shiny tables of the capital's five star hotels, little cards have appeared next to the silver dishes of peanuts, delicately warning guests of an embarrassing lack of alcohol.

Menus at some of the best-known cocktail bars on the tourist island of Bali have shrunk to a single page. And the country's top Japanese restaurants are reported to have run out of sake.
Indonesia is facing a nationwide alcohol shortage.
As the bar manager of one international hotel put it: "We'll be dry by the weekend."

'Crisis manager'
At first glance, the reason is an anti-corruption drive. A few months ago, the government decided to clamp down on the huge black market in alcohol, and to stop companies bribing their way through customs. That left the country's sole legal importer trying to meet a demand that is more than four times the size of its legal quotas. And the company's chief executive, Ketut Arnaya, is taking the offensive. On the wall of his office, next to a vast painting of galloping horses and several golf trophies, hangs a certificate. Ketut Arnaya, it says, is the best CEO in the country at "crisis management".

He flicks through a proposal, thick with data, that he handed to the government last month, asking them to increase the quotas on alcohol, and also to cut its import taxes.
A bottle of spirits carries taxes of up to 400% its original price - almost twice as much, Ketut says, as anywhere else in the region. The government stands to make a lot of money from relaxing the rules on alcohol. And to lose it, if it does not.

Controversial customers
The head of Bali's tourist board says his members are getting increasingly worried as the Christmas high season approaches. But the head of fiscal policy at the finance ministry was wary. The government was considering letting more legal alcohol into the country he said, but it was worried about the consequences of doing so. And part of that worry is down to the simple fact of who is drinking the wine and the cocktails served up here. Foreign tourists in Bali, yes. Foreign businessmen in Jakarta too. But as a manager at one five star hotel explained, that is not the whole story. "I have a wine bar here," he told me, "in which I would say 80% are Indonesians. These are the people who are ready to spend good money on alcohol and wines - the local Indonesians."

In a largely Muslim country, that is controversial. One reason, he said, why he believes the government has not accepted it yet, and also why they are unwilling to increase the quotas.
Government officials admit they want to discourage consumption; that they are worried about Indonesians drinking more; that it needs strict regulation.

Miranti - Indonesian and Muslim - disagrees.

"I think it depends on the person themselves," she told me, "because I haven't seen many people staggering out of a bar or restaurant, blind drunk, or throwing up on the street. We don't drink to get drunk."

"But then," she admitted, "I don't know about the younger generation, because when we were younger we were only allowed a very limited stipend."

Was it money that stopped you getting drunk before? I asked her. "Oh totally," she said, "totally."

Indonesia is always treading a fine line on these sorts of issues.
In a non-Muslim state that is home to the world's largest population of Muslims, the answers are never clear. This debate pits the country's economic need against some of its most deeply held social values. It is a debate that is likely to grow - at least while there are still a few bottles in the country's cellars to fuel the discussion.

Half our deen, the search continues.....

Yes, Yes..I know I know I know........this marriage topic is all played out, we have heard it all before. The worldwide shortage of eligible Muslim men, the overwhelming number of Muslim sisters who can't find a suitable husband, and of course the divorce horror stories.

Here is a summary of a few of my search experiences,

The guy who chatted with me on webcam, but paid more attention to CSI Miami...DURING our conversations, so I mostly just saw the side of his head as he watched TV. Him belching loudly into the microphone and telling me to "get used to it".....NEXT

The guy who dissed me because I was not interested in wearing niqaab (although it is NOT compulsory) .......NEXT

The guy whose first question was "what is your profession?" , and he has no place to live and no stable job....NEXT

The guy who said "I would marry her if she was a little bit younger" ....NEXT

The guy who sounded so desperate, and wanted to get married after speaking to me for a week, he freaked me out .....NEXT

The guy who did not Fast and Pray but said "At least I am Muslim".....NEXT

The guy who was old enough to be my father ...and he already has two other wives (not that theres anything wrong with Polygamy)..but yes...NEXT

The guy who is a 'Practicing Muslim' but plays Guitar (we all know the music debate)....NEXT

The guy who was insistent on his wife covering (and I Do wear hijab) ...but yet he sent me a pic of him wearing shorts and having his arm around the waist of Eryka Badu (who is NOT related to him) and another woman..........NEXT

The guy who divorced his wife (with 5 kids) and refused to tell me the reason...I later found out quite by accident that he had cheated on her......NEXT

The cute guy who could not have an intellectual conversation with me and got into temper tantrums whenever it seemed like I was gonna end our communication.....NEXT

The guy who practically cussed me off, because I have a problem with the Nation of Islam ......NEXT

The guy whose entire conversation was regarding polygamy even though he was NOT married and I had switched the subject numerous times.....NEXT

But at the end of the day.....I don't want to be saying NEXT forever....and although I know there is no one that is perfect, I am yet to find someone I am compatible with. I will continue to make Dua and continue to search..online and offline.

Allah subhana wa ta'ala is the Doer and Istikhara has made things clear for me several times, Alhamdullilah.

I will be patient and content with where I am at but trust me , I'm not putting up with anybodys ignorance and foolishness....so NEXT


The happiness of the son of Adam depends on his being content with what Allah has decreed for him, and the misery of the son of Adam results from his failure to pray istikharah, and the misery of the son of Adam results from in his discontent with what Allah has decreed for him.

Hadith - al-Tirmidhi # 2151. [Classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, 1/699, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. It was classed as hasan by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 11/184]

Changing the condition, one dua at a time

Bismillah,

Today on the day of Arafat, I sat and I reflected on my condition, I feel like I am at a standstill, and I need to move forward or I will fall into complacency. We all know that Allah subhana wa ta ala will not change the condition of a people until they change themselves.

13:11 For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of Allah. Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls). But when (once) Allah willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.
(Holy Quran , Yusef Ali Translation)

A friend called me today and being my mirror as she always is, MashaAllah, she pointed out some of my faults.
“A believer is a mirror to his brother. A believer is a brother of a believer: he protects him against any danger and guards him from behind.” (Related by Al Bukhari and by Abu Dawood.)

After that lengthy discussion, and having been told bluntly what I was doing wrong, I acknowledged my wrongs and made a conscious decision to change InshaAllah.

So this is my dua of this day of Arafat, may Allah subhana wa ta ala accept it.

Oh Allah,

I have been selfish,
I have been arrogant,
I have been proud,
I have been envious,
I have been jealous,
I have been angry and not controlling of my speech under these conditions,
I have been neglectful of the feelings of others,
I have been dis-content with what you have provided for me,
I have wrongly judged others when You alone are the Judge,
I have not been patient,
I have wrongly said I will never do such and such, when I nor anyone else know what the future holds and only You are the Knower of the unseen,

Oh Allah, please forgive me of my faults,
forgive me of my transgressions,
forgive me of that which I associate with You knowingly and unknowingly,
rid my heart of arrogance, pride, boastfulness, haughtiness, jealousy, envy, greed, selfishness, anger and the multitude of other faults that I exhibit at times due to my lack of self control,
Oh Allah, Increase me in Eeman (faith), and Yaqeen (certainty),
Oh Allah, Increase me in Ridaa (contentment and pleasure with what Allah has decreed for me),
Oh Allah, fill my heart with generosity,
Oh Allah, fill my heart with humility,
Oh Allah , Increase me in Ilm, Increase me in knowledge of You,
Increase me in love of You,

Oh Allah without You, without Your forgiveness I will be truly lost.
Please forgive me Allah.

Ameen, Ameen, Ameen, Ya Rabbil Alameen

Back to basics

Reminder on Tawheed


This book gives a clear understanding of what Islamic Monotheism means.
"Tawheed, the oneness of God, is the core of the Islamic faith" It is the basis of the religion of Islam expressed by 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no god but Allah subhana wa ta'ala), there is only one true God and He alone is deserving of worship.

Tawheed was taught by all the Prophets and Messengers to mankind.

There are three categories of Tawheed

Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah - Maintaining the Unity of Lordship, affirming that Allah is one, without partners in His sovereignty. "Allah alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He sustains and maintains creation without any need from it or for it, and He is the sole Lord of the universe..." "Nothing happens in creation except what He allows to happen.

"Allah created all things and He is the agent on which all things depend." (Holy Quran 39:62)

"And Allah created you and whatever you do." (Holy Quran 37:96)

"And no calamity strikes except by Allah's permission..." (Holy Quran 64:11)

Tawheed al-Asma was-Sifaat - Maintaining the Unity of Allah's Names and Attributes, belief that Allah is uniquely one in His names and attributes without similitude and comparison. "Allah must be referred to according to how He and His Prophet (peace be upon him) have described Him, without explaining away His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings." It also involves referring to Allah as "He has referred to Himself without giving Him any new names or attributes", "referring to Him without giving Him the attributes of creation" and "requires that man must not be given the attributes of Allah"

"..There is nothing like Him and He is the hearer and seer of all." (Holy Quran 42:11)

"Nor is there to Him any equivalent" (Holy Quran 112:4)

Tawheed Ulooheeyah/ Ibaadah - Maintaining the Unity of Allah's Worship, the belief that All is uniquely one in His worship or divinity without rival. "Firm belief in the first two categories alone is not sufficient.." "the idolators of the Prophet's time confirmed many aspects of the first two forms of Tawheed" and "Many disbelievers knew of Allah's sovereigntity, dominion and power"

"Say: 'Who is it that gives you sustenance from the sky and earth, Who governs sight and hearing, and Who brings forth life from dead(matter) and death from the living; and plans the affairs of man?' They will all say 'Allah'..." (Holy Quran 10:31)

"If you asked them who created them, they would surely say 'Allah'..." (Holy Quran 43:87)

"Most of them do not believe in Allah except while joining partners to Him." (Holy Quran 12:106)

"All forms of worship must be directed only to Allah because He alone deserves worship, and it is He alone who can grant benefit to man as a result of His worship." "There is no need for any form of intercessor or intermediary between man and God." The main purpose of man's creation is to worship Allah.

"I did not create jinn and mankind except for My worship." (Holy Quran 51:56)

"Verily, We have sent to every nation a messenger [saying], 'Worship Allah and avoid false gods'..." (Holy Quran 16:36)

"You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help" (Holy Quran 1:5)

Dawah-ing

A funny video about how NOT to give dawah and an idea of what might be a good way to go about it...everybody likes pizza right?

Surah Al-Adiyat

Jamaican Parliament Death Penalty Vote In

34:15 - Hangman wanted

published: Wednesday November 26, 2008

PARLIAMENT yesterday gave warm-up instructions to the hangman, telling him through a unanimous conscience vote that he was wanted back at work soon.
However, the Senate will have a say, by way of a similar vote, whether the death penalty should be retained.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said yesterday's decision, taken by elected members of the House of Representatives, might take precedence if the Senate votes to abolish the death penalty.
"I think a great deal of weight would have to be attached to what the 60 members of parliament said because those were the persons who were elected by the people," Golding told journalists outside Gordon House shortly after the vote.

Provided that the Senate votes in a similar manner to the House, Golding has said he would move an amendment to the Constitution to remove the stricture which requires that the process of appeals through execution takes place within five years of sentencing or a condemned inmate's sentence should be commuted.

The prime minister also said there were no international treaties or conventions that conflict with the vote of MPs to retain capital punishment on its books.

10 mps absent

Thirty-four members, including Golding, voted for the death penalty to remain on the law books, while 15 voted against. Ten MPs were absent. The House speaker did not have a vote.
On the reverse question of whether MPs were in favour of the abolition of capital punishment, 36 MPs said no, while 15 voted to remove the death penalty. The additional votes came from two MPs who had entered the House during voting on the second.

"Provided that the position that the Lower House took today holds, then we are going to stand ready to carry out that penalty whenever any person on death row has exhausted his avenues of appeal," the prime minister said.

Punishment appropriate

Unlike Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, who was absent from the sitting of the House and had never made clear her stance on the death penalty, Golding said he believed the punishment was appropriate.

"... The death penalty, which I think is an appropriate penalty for someone who takes someone else's life in those cases that we define as capital murder, I believe [the judicial system] it can withstand that scrutiny," the prime minister said.

He added: "I have looked at the reviews that have been conducted by the Privy Council in England and I would venture to say that, whatever deficiencies may have impaired a trial here, it is not going to pass the Bar in the Privy Council."

Golding said that as long as the Privy Council "is an avenue of appeal open to the persons, then I am satisfied that once somebody is convicted, then the death penalty should be carried out".

Eight persons on death row

There are currently eight persons on death row and, according to Golding, none have exhausted their appeals.

The condemned man has a right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and the International Commission on Human Rights.

Yesterday's conscience vote was the second such in the history of modern Jamaica on abolition of the death penalty.

Of the 44 members who voted in the first conscience vote in 1979, a majority of 24 members voted in support of the retention of hanging while 19 voted against. As occurred yesterday, Simpson Miller was also absent then, prompting government members to heckle the Opposition about its leader.

"If you are voting for, then vote for. If you are voting against, then vote against. But don't run and hide," West St Thomas MP James Robertson shouted across the aisle.

Simpson Miller said on Sunday that she had a prior engagement overseas that would prevent her from voting

Source: Jamaica Gleaner

The To-Do List

I find myself procrastinating a lot these days, I make plans and then I just get lazy. Hopefully I will be able to stick to my list InshaAllah. Here goes...

• Memorize Surahs- currently memorizing Al-Adiyat, theres one ayah that is defeating me in this one


• Read More Islamic books - currently reading Misconceptions on Human Rights in Islam


• Study Arabic lessons and practice vocabulary


• Read Makkan Chapters of the Quran (Focusing on these first, reading in English of course)


• Practice reading Quran in Arabic

InshaAllah I will complete these and update my list from time to time, some items will always be on the list as on-going activities.

Oops....I forgot to add

• Exercise
• Eat healthily
• Cut down on TV time
  

The Best Man ruins the wedding

Krismuss Breeze

Its that time of year again, where the breeze blows wonderfully, there's not as much need for the fan or the AC, and traffic occurs at odd times of day as people take time off to go shopping. Its that time of year again where people get 'silly' , spending money they don't have, buying things they don't need and of course the crime rate doesnt improve either even though they preach brotherly love.

Its that time of year again where I remember my Mom, and back in the day when I was Christian and we celebrated Christmas with the tree and the gifts and the dinners with the many relatives that we only see once a year. It was my Mom's favourite time of year. I always feel sad at this time because I remember her. She died when I was 15. She died as a non-Muslim.

So for the next few weeks I will enjoy the 'Krissmus breeze', and feel sad and feel happy, feel lonely and feel fulfilled, feel different but feel content and a multitude of other contradictions as I strut about in my Christian country in my hijab with the peace of mind that Alhamdullilah I am Muslim.

Scientific Explanation of Halal and Haram meat

Islam and Science

In the Holy Quran, God speaks about the stages of man's embryonic development, 1,400 years before modern day scientists 'discovered' important information on creation of man and his development:

We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed-like substance)...
[Holy Quran 23:12-14]

Ever wanted to find information relating to the Quran and Science , Evolution versus Creation, Video Comments on the Quran by Top Scientists, Islam's Contribution to Science, and Miracles of the Quran.....well this website is so cool, take a look...

Islam and Science

Status of Sunnah in Islam

Shaikh Salem Al-Amry talks on a very important subject that every muslim needs to know, - the Status of Sunnah in Islam.

He explains why we should follow the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as we are to follow the Qur'an, the book of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Shaikh Salim al-Amry is from the United Arab Emirates. He is a Computer Engineer by profession, however he has spent a major part of his youth studying under different scholars.

He has taken the effort to obtain knowledge of the different sciences of Islam including Aqidah, Usool, Hadeeth, Fiqh, Tafseer, Arabic language and more. His teachers include: Shaikh Ali Khashshan and Shaikh Mahmood 'Atiyyah, who were two of the first students of Shaikh Albani and under both, Shaikh Salim studied Aqidah.

Buy a house without interest?

Check out this article and video at http://www.halalbucks.com/

The book mentioned is available here

Islamic Banking in a troubled economy

Non-Muslims turn to Islamic Bank as a safe option

Oct 3 2008 By Anna Blackaby, Business Staff

Growing numbers of non-Muslims are turning to Islamic banking as customers spooked by turmoil in the Western banking system increasingly see the sector as a safe haven.

The Birmingham-headquartered Islamic Bank of Britain said it had seen significant growth in non-Muslim customers since the onset of turbulence on financial markets as Islamic banks, bound by strict religious principles, are largely seen as insulated from the credit crisis.
Islam’s prohibition on the charging or paying of interest - riba - as well as rules on the kinds of investments they can make are among the reasons Islamic banks are coming through the crisis unscathed.

Islamic Bank of Britain head of marketing Steven Amos said: “Our core business will always be Muslims but the numbers of non-Muslims are really picking up.
“We’ve had massive interest and it’s down to the number of reasons why we’re insulated from the credit crunch.

“There were two reasons for the credit crunch. The first is liquidity - banks lending to each other on the money markets - but Islamic banks do not borrow or lend on money markets because interest is not allowed.

“The second reason Islamic banks are insulated is to do with assets - everything has to involve an underlying asset or service and if you are going to trade in an asset you have to own it first.”
The explosion in complex derivative products over the last few years has left Western banks reeling from exposure to toxic assets often far-removed from their everyday activities.
In contrast the more risk-averse Islamic finance system did not embrace this kind of deal.
“Conventional banks didn’t know what they were buying in these derivatives but we have no exposure to subprime as we just don’t deal in it full stop. “That is one of the fundamental reasons we are insulated.” Stipulations that you must own the asset you are trading in also mean practices such as short-selling are not a feature of Islamic banking.

Mr Amos also said the principle of partnership underlying Islamic finance means banks would never enter into the subprime-style agreements behind the current crisis. “For the benefit of the customers and the bank themselves, we enter into a partnership agreement. “Islamic banks don’t just enter into any agreement, we make sure the agreement is right for both partners.”

The growth in ethical investment in the UK over the last few years has also spelled an increase in interest from non-Muslims attracted by the strong ethical tenets of Islamic banking. “We guarantee you we won’t invest customers’ funds in alcohol, tobacco, pornography or in any form of gambling. “These factors are often in keeping with the ethical products that we’ve seen growing in the UK over recent years,” said Mr Amos.

The Islamic Bank of Britain is the UK’s only stand-alone fully Shariah-compliant retail bank.
In July it launched its Home Purchase Plan, billed as “the mortgage alternative,” which enables customers to purchase their homes in an ethical and Shariah-compliant manner.
The plan is based on the Islamic financing principles of Ijara, which means leasing, and Diminishing Musharaka - partnership. For example, the bank contributes 80 per cent of the purchase price and the customer puts in 20 per cent.

Over a period of up to 30 years, the customer will make monthly instalments buying back the bank’s share of the home and with each instalment paid the bank’s share decreases.
Many of the big conventional UK banks have entered into the Islamic finance market in recent years, with big names such as Lloyds TSB offering a Shariah-compliant home finance product.

Source

More reasons to eat halal

Turkeys Viciously Mutilated at World's Leading Poultry Farm

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, November 19, 2008

Undercover PETA workers have once again caught a meat-breeding company viciously abusing animals.This time, it's a turkey farm called Aviagen, a supplier of millions of turkeys for holiday meals.

In the videos, Aviagen workers murder turkeys with 2-by-4s, they drown turkeys to death by shoving their heads under water, and they punch them, stomp on their heads and shove broomsticks down their throats.

These are the actions of American workers in an American meat factory. This holiday season, don't eat animal meat! If you do, you're promoting animal cruelty and rewarding animal meat factories that provide the bulk of the turkey meat sold during the holiday season.

From the PETA press release: PETA's investigator also saw disgusting, cramped conditions. The rotting remains of about 70 hens were left amid live birds—who had to climb over the dead—for more than a day. A supervisor urinated in turkey pens, and workers spat tobacco in the pens as well. The suffering typically found on factory farms was also routine in Aviagen's sheds: Hens' beaks were cut with pliers, massive birds collapsed and died of exhaustion or heart attacks, and turkeys were thrown into transport cages.

Click here to read PETA's report and see the horrible video footage

Islam, Judaism Speak Out

Islam, Judaism speak out published: Sunday November 16, 2008

Source:http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20081116/news/news3.html

TO TAKE a life of a murderer is to save the life of many, says Sheikh Musa Tijani of the Islamic Council of Jamaica.
"When someone kills and he knows he will be killed, he thinks twice to do it and that will make people live in peace and harmony," he says.
Tijani, who is head of education and Dawah (which means calling people to the religion), says the Koran teaches that capital punishment is the law of God, and robbery and murder of the innocent are crimes punishable by death.
He says if Jamaica reimplements capital punishment, the island's ghastly murder rate is likely to be reduced.
"That is one thing that can help to solve the problem if they utilise it properly," he comments. By that he means the State must act fairly in carrying out capital punishment.
"In Islam, we believe that everybody has to be under the law; no one should be above the law; everybody has to get the same punishment," he adds.
That the innocent could inadvertently be killed in the process of carrying out capital punishment should be no excuse for discarding the system, Tijani states. He says the occurrences of such cases are minimal and all that needs to be done is to improve the process of investigation to minimise such occurrences.

The rights of the victim

"That is what happens in every country. So, as long as it is not a [deliberate attempt] to kill the person, then you cannot use it as an excuse not to perform it. When you talk about human rights, what about the rights of the victim?" questions Tijani.
The stance on capital punishment is not so clearly defined by the world's oldest religion, Judaism.
Spiritual leader Ainsley Henriques says Judaism strongly advocates preserving life, but will subscribe to the observance of capital punishment if it is the law of the land.
"We acquiesce to the majority consideration in this regard, recognising, however, that as far as we are concerned, life is a sacred blessing," he says.
He adds that modern Jewish thought is opposed to capital punishment, but might support its observance in extreme circum-stances. There has only been one execution in the history of the modern state of Israel for crimes committed against Jews during the Holocaust.

- gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com

Vote Left Hanging

Vote left hanging - MPs now to decide on death penalty Tuesday
BALFORD HENRY, Observer writer balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, November 20, 2008

THE House of Representatives last night pulled back from the brink of a crucial vote on the death penalty, at the suggestion of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Golding, who introduced the motion last week, asked that the vote be delayed until next Tuesday to facilitate more MPs being present. There were 45 members of the 60-seat House present at the time.

The decision was a disappointment for the so-called "hawks", who support retention of the death penalty and who are obviously the majority. But it was welcomed by the opposing "doves", who probably hope to sway some of the "hawks" by Tuesday.The MPs streamed out of the House after accepting Golding's proposal, mostly confident that there would be no further delay beyond the deadline set last night by the prime minister.Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles, one of the fiercest supporters of the death penalty, said last night that although he would not be in the island for Tuesday's vote, he was confident that his view would prevail.

Government's chief whip, Andrew Gallimore, who is passionately against the death penalty, said he had resigned himself to be on the losing end of the vote, but hoped that by Tuesday others could be swayed to his view.

The decision to delay the vote came at the end of a marathon debate lasting four days with contributions from over 40 MPs.Yesterday's portion was highlighted by Charles' demand for immediate action against "murderers" including those who he said recently beheaded an uncle of his, and Gallimore, who severely criticised those supporting capital punishment.

At one stage, Opposition MP Phillip Paulwell (East Kingston and Port Royal) criticised Charles for lashing out at those against the death penalty. Another Opposition MP, Dr Peter Phillips, also accused him of imputing motive for criticising MPs who were against the death penalty and had violence-prone communities in their constituencies.

Opposition MP Robert Pickersgill, whose follow-up motion to have the UK Privy Council's five-year stricture on carrying out the death penalty removed, and has already attracted criticisms from human rights activists, proclaimed "I am for the capital punishment".

Among those absent yesterday were: Leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson Miller, who had indicated Tuesday that she would not be present; cabinet ministers Mike Henry, Clive Mullings and Olivia Grange, who are abroad; Opposition MP Ronald Thwaites, who left after prayers; and Leader of the House, Derrick Smith, who had surgery over the weekend in Florida.

Source:http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/

Deck the Halls....

Its that time of year again. So this morning my boss comes to my desk and asks if I mind them decorating a tree at the office entranceway. I say no I don't mind. He then asks if I would help to decorate, and that they won't put any 'Christian things' on it, I say nope. Nice of him to ask if I mind though.

Last year they were planning their 'Christmas dinner', and I said I wasn't going. He then had them change it to a 'Family dinner' with no Christmas Carols.Working here is pretty cool, most of the people are open-minded, I am even allowed to pray in the filing room and nobody bothers me, so hey let them have their tree.

By the way, their tree is an articicial banana tree similar to that in the pic :-)

Transitioning

While making the change to practicing Islam, there were a few things I had to get rid of, gradually. Music was one of them. In my office environment, one co-worker insisted on playing his music for all to hear.

Another co-worker of mine, a Christian lay-preacher and I decided we had to do something about it so we bought him a nice set of headphones as a gift. We were talking one day and we both realized that we were unconsciously memorizing the words of the songs he was listening to , even when he had the speakers turned down. We discovered that we would both be humming these songs to ourselves at home, and were amazed that we had the same issues.

I then realized that I could practically recall word-for-word dancehall and other songs from the 90's when I was a teen, even some from the 80's. I was like if I can keep that nonsense in my head then surely its affecting me subconsciously, and then decided to totally break away from music.

I now play surahs from the Quran in my car, and Alhamdullilah I have been able to memorize quite a few. So it can be done, I listen to lectures and quran on my headphones at work now and find it quite fulfilling. All this from a former music junkie, trust me I had like 10G of music in mp3 format on my PC at home , all genres, filed by artist name, filed by year, you name it. I was hooked. I got rid of ALL of it, I'm not saying it was easy to do but I think it was worth it.

The more things change...

Obama's election spurs 'hundreds'of race threats, crimes , Racial discrimination still plagues America

Monday, November 17, 2008

Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.
Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the post-election glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.
From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders.
There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Centre, which monitors hate crimes.
One was in Snellville, Georgia, where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her nine-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated." That night, someone trashed her sister-in-law's front lawn, mangled the Obama lawn signs, and left two pizza boxes filled with human faeces outside the front door, Millner said.
She described her emotions as a combination of anger and fear.
"I can't say that every white person in Snellville is evil and anti-Obama and willing to desecrate my property because one or two idiots did it," said Millner, who is black. "But it definitely makes you look a little different at the people who you live with, and makes you wonder what they're capable of and what they're really thinking."
Potok, who is white, said he believes there is "a large subset of white people in this country who feel that they are losing everything they know, that the country their forefathers built has somehow been stolen from them".
Grant Griffin, a 46-year-old white Georgia native, expressed similar sentiments: "I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change.
"If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama's) church being deported," he said.
Change in whatever form does not come easy, and a black president is "the most profound change in the field of race this country has experienced since the Civil War", said William Ferris, senior associate director of the Centre for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina. "It's shaking the foundations on which the country has existed for centuries."
"Someone once said racism is like cancer," Ferris said. "It's never totally wiped out, it's in remission."
If so, America's remission lasted until the morning of November 5.
The day after the vote hailed as a sign of a nation changed, black high school student Barbara Tyler of Marietta, Georgia said she heard hateful Obama comments from white students, and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama's victory.Tyler spoke at a press conference by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP calling for a town hall meeting to address complaints from across the state about hostility and resentment. Another student, from a Covington middle school, said he was suspended for wearing an Obama shirt to school November 5 after the principal told students not to wear political paraphernalia.
The student's mother, Eshe Riviears, said the principal told her: "Whether you like it or not, we're in the south, and there are a lot of people who are not happy with this decision."Other incidents include:
. Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head." Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.
. At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet US$1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins."
. Racist graffiti was found in places including New York's Long Island, where two dozen cars were spray-painted; Kilgore, Texas, where the local high school and skate park were defaced; and the Los Angeles area, where swastikas, racial slurs and "Go Back To Africa" were spray painted on sidewalks, houses and cars.
. Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama", a district official said.
. University of Alabama professor Marsha L Houston said a poster of the Obama family was ripped off her office door. A replacement poster was defaced with a death threat and a racial slur. "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork," Houston said.
. Black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island, Maine, the Bangor Daily News reported. The president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas said a rope found hanging from a campus tree was apparently an abandoned swing and not a noose.
. Crosses were burned in yards of Obama supporters in Hardwick, New Jersey, and Apolacan Township, Pennsylvania.
. A black teenager in New York City said he was attacked with a bat on election night by four white men who shouted 'Obama'.
. In the Pittsburgh suburb of Forest Hills, a black man said he found a note with a racial slur on his car windshield, saying "now that you voted for Obama, just watch out for your house".
Emotions are often raw after a hard-fought political campaign, but now those on the losing side have an easy target for their anger.
"The principle is very simple," said BJ Gallagher, a sociologist and co-author of the diversity book A Peacock in the Land of Penguins. "If I can't hurt the person I'm angry at, then I'll vent my anger on a substitute, ie, someone of the same race."
"We saw the same thing happen after the 9-11 attacks, as a wave of anti-Muslim violence swept the country. We saw it happen after the Rodney King verdict, when Los Angeles blacks erupted in rage at the injustice perpetrated by 'the white man'."
"It's as stupid and ineffectual as kicking your dog when you've had a bad day at the office," Gallagher said. "But it happens a lot."- AP