rationed food in the land of milk and honey

Palestinian children eating their rations at an UNRWA center in the Jabalya refugee camp. (AP)

finding the Prophet in his people

Last night, my son had an ikhtibaar (exam) at the jami'yyah -- he was being tested for the portion of the Qur'aan he has learnt so far. His ustaadh took him and a couple of other kids from his neighbourhood halaqah to the (bigger) masjid where the exam was being held.
After the exam, he brought the kids back and on the way he played them a cassette of anaasheed on his car stereo.
It made a huge impression on my son. ''He played the cassette especially for us, Umma,'' he said.

At other times, I've heard my son narrating ahaadeeth and stories his teachers have told him, and even personal anecdotes from the ustaadh's childhood. Once, the teachers herded all the kids together in their personal cars and took them to a playground to play football, another time they were taken on a trip to an amusement park and plied with their favourite snacks.

Needless to say, their kindness makes a big difference to their students. Mind you, these aren't their regular schoolteachers but part-time teachers who are probably students themselves, who've taken up the enormously daunting task of keeping unruly bunches of young schoolboys in one piece through the long summer hours and helping them revise their Qur'aan.

After picking them up, there was still time for salah, so we headed back home and stopped at the masjid that's right in front of our home to pray 'isha. I sent my sons off to the men's section, and they popped right back looking a bit worried, saying there's no one there except the mu'aththin.
Not wanting them to kill time, I sent them back and asked my elder son to ask the mu'aththin if he would allow him to say athaan just this once.
He came back looking a bit crushed, cheeks and ears aflame: ''He said no.''
From my other son, I gathered that the mu'aththin had been a bit...umm..brusque in his refusal.

I could understand the mu'aththin's point of view -- he had the rules to think of, and the masjid committee and possibly other worshippers who could ask him why he'd relegated his duty to a child.
What I couldn't understand was the brusqueness, the lack of kindness in his refusal.
At times like these, I miss Rasoolullaah صلىالله عليه وسلم .
How can the followers of the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم who took bay'ah in all seriousness from a group of children in his masjid, who said man laa yarham, laa yurham of the man who hadn't ever kissed any of his children, who patted children on the head as he passed them on the street neglect to follow his primary sunnah of kindness, while scrupulously sticking to all others?

It reminded me of something I'd read by Dr. Ingrid Mattson, on Finding the Prophet in his People, where she recounts her experiences as a new Muslim, and later as a Muslim mother.
Definitely worth a read, and a pause for thought.

it's raining death

innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji'oon
from: Arab News
GAZA CITY/RAMALLAH, 29 February 2008 — The Israeli warplanes continued Wednesday night and early yesterday to target different sites in the Gaza Strip killing nine civilians including three children and a 5-month-old infant. Several other people were also wounded during the attacks, witnesses and medical sources said.
Palestinian media and medics reported late in the evening that three children from one family were killed and a fourth was critically wounded when the Israeli warplanes targeted them while they were playing in eastern Jablaiy refugee camp in the northern of the Gaza Strip.
[...]
An infant was killed in an airstrike on Hamas government building in Gaza city last night ...after nightfall, an Israeli strike killed two children as they left a mosque, local sources said.

What about the children in Gaza?

By Jamal Anderson
As the prison doors close again on the large-scale concentration camp that is the Gaza Strip, the desperate inhabitants are once more sealed away from the world.
Below is a reproduction of an account by a member of the UK charity Islamic Relief of what he saw and experienced.

"As our team arrived in Gaza we saw first hand how this situation is one of the worst we have ever encountered. The atmosphere is one of tense despair where people are enduring sub-human living conditions.
"It is damp and bitterly cold here but the homes we are visiting have no heating and most have no windows as they have been blasted out during bomb raids. The first home we visited was that of an old lady looking after a 12 year old disabled child; she
hadn't eaten for days in order to give him what little she had.

"In another home we found a couple looking after 14 children, some were their own, and others the children of families whose parents have been killed. They didn't have enough blankets, and were having to choose at night which of them got to use the blankets. We have been providing blankets as well as food and clean water, but so much more is needed.

"The situation is desperate! Hospitals are poorly equipped, not just for patients who are sick but also for those who are injured by the bombing raids. We encountered children and adults with limbs blown off, as well as those needing operations - but
doctors warn if the power supply fails, many won't survive! There is also a horrendous sewage problem which will only compound the health problems.

"Of all the war and disaster zones I have visited this is the worst ever. The people of Gaza are suffering in a big way, and are feeling like the world doesn't care. They ask us please not to forget their suffering. I really don't know how they are enduring it. As well as the suffering there's the tense desperation that death could come at any minute if another bomb falls out of the sky. Everyone seems ready for death, it is a weird sensation and no civilian population should have to suffer such an unjust situation."
www.islamic-relief.org.uk

''have you ever seen an Egyptian?''

Laila El-Haddad of 'Raising Yousuf, Unplugged' on the opening of the wall:

''Of course the border opening will only provide temporary relief, and the ecstasy it generates will be fleeting, as it was in 2005 when shortly after Israel's Disengagement, the once impervious and deadly, sniper-lined border became completely porous. It was an incredible time. I will never forget the feeling of standing in the middle of the Philadelphi corridor, as it was known. Of standing there with hundreds of thousands of other Gazans, savoring the moment of uninterrupted freedom, in this case, freedom of movement. Goats were being lobbed over the secondary fence; mattresses; cigarettes; cheeses. Egyptians took back bags of applies from northern Gaza, and comforters. For two weeks, it was the free market at work. Once a nesting ground for Israeli tanks, armored bulldozers, and the like-all of the war metal-the face of the occupation- that became synonymous with destructions and death for us in Gaza, and particularly for the resident's of Rafah, Philadelphi had so suddenly become nothing but a a kilometre of wasteland, of sand granules marking the end of one, battered, besieged land, and the beginning of the rest of the world.But traveling this short distance had previously been so unthinkable, that the minute it took to walk across it by foot was akin to being in the twilight zone. You couldn't help but feel that at any moment a helicopter gunship would hover by overhead and take aim.

It was then that I met a pair of young boys, 9 and 10, who curiously peered over the fence beyond the wall, into Egypt. In hushed whispers, and innocent giggles they pondered what life was like outside of Gaza and then asked me: Have you ever seen an Egyptian? What do they look like?

They had never left Rafah in their lives.''

must-see

Teachers working for months without pay, a chronic overcrowding in the classrooms, and students at risk each day from imprisonment and perhaps worse - welcome to the typical education experience in a Palestinian school.
Those who can, teach - often without pay.

Witness presents a series of three films taking a close look at the extraordinary difficulties and challenges that two ordinary Palestinian schools face.

While poverty is widespread throughout the West Bank and Gaza, Nablus is one of the worst-hit areas because of the decreasing range of employers and the limited number of opportunities.Hobbled by the Palestinians' diminishing purchasing power and by Israeli security closures that have isolated Nablus and its merchants from the rest of the West Bank, hundreds of employees have been fired this year alone.

According to the Mayor of Nablus, about 70 per cent of the city's residents live below the poverty line, but the Palestinian Authority and local government have virtually no funds to give the poor.
Astonishingly, despite these poverty levels, almost 90 per cent of children in Nablus go on to university.But the education system is cracking under the weight of the crisis. More than a million Palestinian students face daily risks ranging from Israeli roadblocks to imprisonment and even death.

Witness goes into the classrooms and corridors of two schools to gauge the situation.Mahmoud Awemleh and Najla Yousif, maths and science secondary school teachers, do their best to teach and inspire their pupils, while trying themselves to survive the challenges of life in Nablus. Osaid writes his end-of-year exams which he missed while in an Israeli prison. The schools' teachers anxiously await pay day, wondering if their salaries will come through this month or not. Meanwhile tragic pandemonium breaks out when Israeli soldiers launch a nearby raid to root out

militants.This series provides a rare glimpse into the daily lives of those trying to educate, and be educated, under occupation.

good stuff: the week of young people's blogs

interesting :

"For over eight years, the City Circle has been running a supplementary school that offers academic support to students between the ages of 8 and 18. The school is run by volunteers and serves around 110 students. CC Saturday School enjoys a great reputation and fantastic feedback.

Inspired by the movie Freedom Writers, we decided to give our students the chance to share their views on the CC blogs. The students were given the freedom to write about whatever they want and that the good pieces would be published unedited. To encourage the students, we promised prizes to the best six stories. Over this week, the CC blogs belongs to the young ones, the innocent, those with no political agendas. Some bits will make you laugh, other make you shed a tear, some are entertaining, others thoughtful. Above all, we cannot ignore them. They are the future.

To find out more about the school please visit the school's page.

Sid Djerfi is Head teacher of the City Circle Saturday School.''

Read the 'Pick of the Blogs' here

...'ala aalihi wa sahbihi ajma'een

Muslims begin any public speech/talk/sermon by sending salawaat and salaam (salutations of peace and blessings) upon the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلمand his family and his companions, and those who follow them in ihsaan (excellence) until the Day of Judgment.

I've always been envious (in a wistful, non-negative kind of way) about the immediate family and companions of the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم and how fortunate they were to have been blessed by his presence among them; how they were the recipients of his affection and friendship and care and kindness...subhaanallaah...what an enormous blessing! From the way they supported and obeyed him صلىالله عليه وسلم , it's clear that they were chosen by Allaah to be his family and companions, just as he,صلىالله عليه وسلم, was chosen to be a Messenger for all of mankind.

I love reading the biographies of that blessed group of people, especially of the members of his family who are not so well known.

I was reading about 'Abdullaah bin Ja'far, in 'Child Companions of the Prophet' -- the first child who was born among the group of Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia when the persecution of Muslims had become intolerable in Makkah. He was the son of the Prophet's cousin Ja'far bin Abi Taalib and Asma' bint 'Umays, may Allaah be pleased with them.

''It is reported by Abu Daa'wood in his collection of ahadeeth (Prophetic narrations): 'When Ja'far bin Abi Taalib was martyred in battle, the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم visited his family and said: '' O Asma, where are the sons of Ja'far?''

When they were brought before him, he صلىالله عليه وسلم hugged them and smelt them and his eyes welled up with tears and he wept.''

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far himself reported: '' I recall when the Messenger of Allaah صلىالله عليه وسلم

came to my mother and brought her the news of my father's death, and I remember he was stroking my head and that of my brother, and his eyes were pouring with tears until they dripped onto his beard.

Then he صلىالله عليه وسلم prayed: ''O Allaah! Indeed Ja'far has been given the best of rewards, so bless his children with a better recompense than that with which You have blessed any of your slaves.'' (Reported by Ibn Sa'd in At-Tabaqaat).

On the day his father died, the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم kept 'Abdullaah bin Ja'far with him and made him sit on the bottom step of the pulpit which he ascended to inform people of Ja'far's death. He صلىالله عليه وسلم took him and his brother to his house and they ate lunch with him (sifted barley, cooked and seasoned with oil and pepper).

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far also said: Whenever the Messenger of Allaahصلىالله عليه وسلم returned from a journey, the children of his household would greet him. He once returned from a journey and I was brought to him first and he carried me in front of him, and then one of Fatimah's two sons was brought (either Hasan or Husayn) and he seated him behind me and we entered Al-Madeenah, three of us riding on one beast.'' (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and Muslim)

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far also narrated: ''The Messenger of Allaah came when I was bargaining over the sale of a sheep for my brother and he صلىالله عليه وسلم said:''O Allaah! Bless his dealings.'' And I never bought or sold anything, except that it was blesssed for me.''

Once, he accepted some land from 'Abdullaah bin Az-Zubayr which was harsh and salty in lieu of a debt that was owed to him by Az-Zubayr bin Awwaam. He offered two units of prayer in it and supplicated Allaah and the land became prosperous and well-irrigated. (An abbreviated version of a narration in Asad-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 3)

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far was so generous that he was called the Sea of Generosity, just like his father Ja'far bin Abi Taalib was called Abu-l Masaakeen (father of the poor). Once, when he was rebuked for being ''too generous'', he replied; ''Indeed, Allaah has made me accustomed (to receiving bounty from Him), and I have made the people accustomed (to receiving charity from me). I am afraid that if I cut it off, it (Allaah's blessings) will be cut off from me.''

subhaanallaah!

from: GulfNews

A Bangladeshi contestant has ranked first at the 11th Dubai International Holy Quran Award [...]Mohammad Fadil Rabi, from Bangladesh, who won the first place is the first contestant from Bangladesh to win the DIHQA. He is also ranked fourth among five nominees for having a beautiful voice in reciting the Quran.

On the remarkable and inspirational performance of the participants the organising committee said, "Such great performances and sweet voices were unbelievable. They were all reciting one book ... regardless of their different races, nationalities, languages, and colour."

The winners: List of those honoured
First: Mohammad Fadil Rabi, Bangladesh.
Second: Abdullah Mohammad Al Ja'adi, Yemen.
Third: Mohammad Sharif Edris, Libya.
Fourth: Si Thu Aung, Myanmar
Fifth: Bilal Ahmad Khalifa, Egypt.
Sixth: Ejaz Moukaddam, South Africa.
Seventh: Swari Ahmad, Burkina Faso.
Eighth: Ali Al Adwi, Niger.
Ninth: Mohammad Ali Al Marzouqi, UAE.
Tenth: Mohammad Al Radhi Amlih, Mauritania.

-----------

Just yesterday, I was telling Abu-RR that native Arabic speakers appear to have an advantage when it comes to reciting the Qur'aan, and here I am proved wrong.

It's true: Allaah bestows his gifts upon whom He wills...subhaanallaah!

revert at 11, hafith at 15, Imaam at 19

Read the amazing life story of Umugwaneza Sulaiman, a contestant for the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award:
from: ArabNews

...Even though he is only 19, this young man from Rwanda has survived a life of hardship. As a young child he survived the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. He still has horrific memories of hiding in forests from militias that were killing people. The rivers and roads they walked through were littered with bodies. Later on he lost his father and had to lead a harsh life in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Despite all his hardships, Sulaiman was determined to become a hafiz and was rewarded by becoming the first Rwandan to take part in the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award competition. Sulaiman’s quest with the sacred book started when he converted to Islam at the age of 11.

“Even though my family were Catholics I was never interested in the church. The Azan from the mosque in my neighborhood fascinated me and I started attending classes there,” he said.

When asked if he faced any resistance from his family, Sulaiman said that his family had no issues with him becoming a Muslim, as Islam is a held in high regard in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. His whole family followed him a few years later and converted to Islam.

Since the genocide, Rwandans have converted to Islam in huge numbers. Muslims now make up 14 percent of the 8.2 million people in Africa’s mostly Catholic nation, twice as many as before the killings began. The reason behind the conversions lies in the fact that Rwandan Muslims did not take part in the genocide and played a key role in the humanitarian efforts that followed.

Muslims have been honored by the national government for their roles in saving the lives regardless of their faith. Many people attribute the recent spread of Islam to these humanitarian acts.

It took years of dedicated work for Sulaiman to memorize the Qur’an. The lack of qualified teachers in Rwanda made him make up his mind to travel to Kenya as there are good Qur’anic schools there.
“I was 15 when my five friends and I decided to travel to Kenya to seek knowledge. Two of my friends were converts like me,” he said.
The six young men packed their bags and traveled to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to find the school. They enrolled themselves in a free boarding school, which accepts students from all over East Africa. There they studied under the tutelage of Qur’an scholars. It took Sulaiman two years to memorize the whole Qur’an.

Now back home in Rwanda, Sulaiman works as a part time Imam and Qur’an teacher to supplement his income while studying at the only Islamic seminar in Kigali. “Masha Allah, there are so many Muslims now in my country. We are working hard at teaching the Qur’an to the new generation of Muslim children,” he said.

After finishing his education, Sulaiman hopes to get a scholarship to study Islam. “We get Muslim scholars coming from Uganda to spread the word of Islam in Rwanda. I hope that through my knowledge of Islam I will be able to help spread peace in my country,” he said.

sepia-tinted Ramadhaan posts

Lots of people (now grown up) share childhood memories of Ramadhaan in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon...reading through these posts brings up tons of memories. Good stuff.

A sample:

Ramadan Memories...
By Mike Odetalla

pic and narrative courtesy: www.hanini.org

The holy month of Ramadan is once again upon us, and its fasting. Muslims will fast from sun-up till sun down, abstaining from food, water, and intimate relationships.

Each year around this time, my memories of Ramadan in our small village of Beit Hanina, a suburb of Jerusalem which was still without electricity, whereby people carried lanterns to light their way in the darkness as they went first to the mosque and from there to visit friends and family: a special part of Ramadan, are once again rekindled.
Beit Hanina had a drummer, charged with the pre-dawn task of awakening the village to sahoor, the light meal whose end marked the beginning of each day's fast. Closing my eyes and thinking real hard, still brings back the sound of Beit Hanina's drummer banging away, and the delightful memories of joining the other children, carrying our decorated fanoosia lanterns with candles burning brightly inside them, as we ran along behind the drummer, singing, laughing and shouting to help awaken the sleeping adults and start them on sahoor and their new day. How I admired the drummer; how I wanted his job and to share his fun.

In Ramadan 1979, my first visit back to Palestine since the '67 expulsion, my cousin and I, both 18 and living in the US, finally became the Ramadan drummers of Beit Hanina. The Israeli invasion of 1967 and the subsequent occupation made the drummers' job very high risk and today they are scarce: Ramadan drummers were often stopped, even beaten, and some have been killed by the Israeli occupying army.

By 1979, the village had not enjoyed a drummer in 5 years, so my cousin and I delighted in our job of walking through the village each morning banging away on large tin cans. It must have been a very humorous sight: the elderly were happy to hear us; the younger people thought we were a great joke and made fun of the 'bored Americans'. But everyone agreed that we had renewed some "life" that had been lost as we broke through the dark still nights of Ramadan.

For me, however briefly, I was transported back to a happy childhood whose memories had never left me for a moment.I still remember sitting by the family's transistor radio with my siblings listening to the special programs as we awaited the "cannon" to go off, signaling that it was time to break our fast. The "cannon" was a World War I era English relic and merely made a loud bang, which was all that it, was good for.
Ever since my children were very small, I had regaled them with the many stories of my childhood in Palestine, enjoying the look of fascination on their faces as they implored me to tell them yet "another story of when you were young in Palestine"…

During Ramadan, my mother would always invite friends and relatives to our home to break the fast with us. As Muslims, we are obligated to share breaking our fast with others, especially those less fortunate than us. It is considered a blessing to do so. It is something that we continue to do here in America as we invite friends and loved ones to share in our blessing on this Holy Month, the essence of which are a time of prayer, fasting, and charity.
Some of the best memories that I carry with me are connected to the month of Ramadan in Palestine when I was a child. The closeness and feeling of "community" that I felt during those times is something that is almost beyond description. The sound of the drummer, the Muezzin call to prayer, the static emanating from the transistor radio, the "boom" of the cannon, the enticing aroma of the special foods that we only ate during Ramadan, the sight of families huddled together on a mat covered floor around the evening meals, illuminated by the flickering light of a kerosene lantern, enjoying their meals, as humble as it may have been, in the company of family and loved ones…

These are my memories of Ramadan before the Israeli invasion and subsequent brutal and inhumane occupation which has destroyed many families and communities and is now in the process of causing further havoc as Israel continues to erect its Apartheid Walls, checkpoints, and roadblocks which have reduced many Palestinian villages and cities to nothing more than walled off ghettos and open air prisons.

Unfortunately, these will constitute the next generation of Palestinian children's memories and experiences…

if you want to see a real live Qur'aan miracle

tune in to the international Qur'aan award on Dubai tv.

subhaanallaah, it is so moving to see Muslim youngsters from the world over ...from Congo to Nepal to Taiwan to Barbados to Kyrgyzstan...most of whose native language is not Arabic reciting the Qur'aan with flawless tajweed.

subhaanallaah! like the Qur'aan says:

innaa nazzalna ath-thikr
wa innaa lahu la haafithoon.

"indeed, we have revealed Ath-Thikr( The Reminder, Qur'aan)
And indeed we will preserve it."

sadaqa Allaah ul Azeem.

the world's most geographically aware 3-year-old!

3-year-old can identify flags and names of 167 countries
from: GulfNews
Dubai: A three-year-old Indian whiz kid has successfully memorised the names of more than 167 countries' flags in 11 days with his parents' assistance in Sharjah.
The outstandingly smart boy, Aazer Hussain, whose parents are planning to enrol him in kindergarten next year, has the ability to identify the names of more than 167 countries from their flag colours. He can also easily fish out the flag if someone asks him to do so by naming the country.

***

maa shaa Allaah! Just goes to show the ENORMOUS potential little kids have, subhaanallaah, and how little we, as parents and educators tap into it.

inspiring and humbling

These are a series of articles on the participants at the international Qur'aan award organised in Dubai...very interesting, inspiring and humbling (for the elders) profiles, maa shaa Allaah.

Keen on learning from the Quran
Dubai: It began as part of family tradition to memorise the Quran but now it is part of their identity.
Participants at the Dubai International Holy Quran Award say they are determined to spread their knowledge of Islam.
The first participant, from Nigeria, proudly says he wants to teach the Quran "just like I was taught".
18-year-old Ja'afar Saeed's instructor was his own father who is a teacher of the Quran in their community. All of his seven siblings learnt the Quran by heart along with his parents.
The second participant, 20-year-old Hussain Talal Abbas from the West Bank, Palestine, said that at a young age he developed a keen interest to learn the words of the Quran as it occupied most of his time.

He daily devoted three hours of his time memorising and revising it with a goal of purifying his heart by God's words, he said with a blush of humbleness and shyness.
"My parents fully supported my decision and encouraged me to nourish my memorisation talent," he said with sincerity.
The undergraduate wants to earn a degree in Arabic Language as well as continue with a postgraduate degree in the same field.
Ahmad Kharoub, from Morocco, started memorising the Quran at the age of 8 and completed it in 2 years. He was motivated by his father and siblings as well as the Islamic scholars among whom he grew up. From learning the Quran he finds tranquillity, serenity and contentment, he said.
The nineteen-year- old has 10 sisters and a brother who are all seeking to learn the Quran. The student of Islamic Jurisprudence wants to be a tutor and reciter of the holy book.
Saeed Ebrahim of Jordan says he owes the blessed step of memorising the Quran to God and his parents. The 19- year-old says that his future ambition is to teach the Quran and its interpretation.
He was able to complete his memorisation of all 30 chapters of the Quran in just 6 months.

Related news stories: Indian teen among 85 individuals to take part in the eleventh Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA).

Haloul, Farfour and Saraa

The girl who urges children to fight Israel ... with clean teeth

(Ed: although the article doesn't mention anything about "fighting", I guess the subs couldn't let it go at that)

In pink flares, an embroidered shirt and neat headscarf, Saraa Barhoun is the new star of Hamas TV, spearheading efforts to persuade the youth of Gaza and the West Bank to follow a path of religious devotion, resistance to Israel and clean teeth.

Last week Palestinians had nothing to watch but the 11-year-old and her co-presenters Haloul, a bumblebee, and Farfour, a mouse that advocates violence against Israel, because power cuts knocked out satellite TV, leaving them with only Hamas's al-Aqsa Television.

Saraa, who lives with her family in Rafah, has undoubted star quality. Her Arabic is eloquent beyond her years. Her father is a teacher of Islam and she has learnt well. Saraa explains her role as twofold - to help the West understand Islam and to be a role model for Palestinian youth.

'I would like to tell everyone that Islam is very easy,' she said. 'It is not a hard religion and if people in the West converted they would find themselves in a better place. I want to tell the world we are not terrorists or their enemies.'

[...]

Israeli groups have cited Saraa as an example of how Hamas breeds hatred of Israel, but her producer, Samir Abu Mosen, says it is not television but growing up with Israeli violence that radicalises Palestinian children.

'The point of the programme is to show children they have a right to live without violence, to communicate with others and to share their experience,' he said. 'Saraa is a great role model for Palestinian children. We are trying to show negative behaviour and allow Saraa to correct it. This could be anything from cleaning their teeth, respecting their parents or doing homework.'

catching 'em young

Seven-year-old Muslim boy stopped in US three times on suspicion of being a "terrorist"

For seven-year-old Javaid Iqbal, the holiday to Florida was a dream trip to reward him for doing well at school.
But he was left in tears after he was stopped repeatedly at airports on suspicion of being a terrorist.
The security alerts were triggered because Javaid shares his name with a Pakistani man deported from the US, prompting staff at three airports to question his family about his identity.
The family even missed their flight home from the U.S. after officials cancelled their tickets in the confusion. And Javaid's passport now contains a sticker saying he has undergone highlevel security checks.
----
It would have been funny were it not so ridiculously sad.

Kabul's street children

from: a photojournal on Kabul's street children on the BBC website
"I want to be a doctor in the future, but I am not sure if I could do that. I am poor and no-one likes the poor these days."
:Shafiqullah, 12 years old

so, what are you doing these hols?

12-year-old Muazzin Aziz will be training his vocal chords to mimic the sound of a siren

from: Is it a hazy, crazy, or lazy summer? Here, nine children talk to John Hind about how they're spending their time in The Observer

For Muazzin Aziz - winner of 'The Rise Slam 2007 Rhythmic Award' - a summer off school means less opportunity to daily and spontaneously engage in rapping and beat-boxing with two classmates; their proximity during term-time and the atmosphere and audience of the schoolyard being almost ideal.

The very first rap lyrics Muazzin conceived, at age eight, were about arriving at school ('Thinking on the subject of fresh rhymes/ Memorising my rap lines/ Beat-boxing for showtime/ Lyrics and beats ready to combine...'). The downside is having to report to the headmaster's office when crowds scream their appreciation for Muazzin's percussive noises and lyrical dexterity.

In the summer, the best venue for these skills is the local park in Bethnal Green, although his uncle - his guardian - has been discouraging his visits there since he was 'set upon' by a group of over 20 youths. Many rappers rap about 'beating up, shank (stabbing) and other violence', but Muazzin dismisses this as too typical.

When at home - a small house of many Bangladeshi sisters and cousins - much of Muazzin's summer is spent downloading from Torrent and listening to a wide range of music (Slint, Mumbles, Klashnekoff, Bjork, Rage Against The Machine, MIA, Immortal Technique), studying beat-boxers on YouTube ('This is Faith SFX doing a clickroll to the theme of The Godfather') and creating tracks on a program called Reason, to send to schoolfriends. They give names like 'the twizzler' to their percussive sounds and debate the stylistic ups and downs of older London rappers ('Wiley flows, Dizzy Rascal is not rapping sense').

Above Muazzin's computer is a portrait of his deceased mother; to the right a bedroom window which 'everyone get to see down into' from the 50 balconies facing it. His uncle says the feeling of being looked upon is more uncomfortable out on the streets; that the 'war on terror' has resulted in them being judged on their hue and that the gathering emotional effects are little considered.

'I don't think we'll be going away for a holiday,' says Muazzin. 'But because I won at the Rise Festival the Poetry Society are recording me rapping "Focus Your Mind". I hope it isn't as rubbish as the mix they did of me last year. I'm also getting studio time with Killer Killer, the beat-boxer. The group Subtext are doing a rap workshop and on Mondays I'm on open mic at Rich Mix on Bethnal Green Road.'

At Rich Mix, friends and admirers, many of them female, scream their approval. 'I'll just keep striving to create better and more original beats and rhymes with a better flow,' he says of Summer. He hopes to reach the sound of sirens with his vocal chords. Then he'll play around with the form to make the siren sound his own.

this could have been my/your daughter

I've received a link to a memorial website set up for Abeer Qasim Hamza Al-Janabi, the 14-year-old girl from Iraq who was brutally molested and murdered in cold-blood by American soldiers.

innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji'oon...to Allaah we belong and to Him is the return.

Please spare a prayer for the oppressed and suffering, everywhere.

welcome to the world!

an outline of what should be done on the day of the child’s birth, and after that: from (where else?): Islam-QA

It is mustahabb to do tahneek for the baby and to pray for him.
It was reported that Abu Moosa said: “I had a baby boy, and I brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He named him Ibraaheem, did Tahneek with some dates and prayed for Allaah to bless him, then he gave him back to me.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5150; Muslim, 2145). Tahneek means putting something sweet, such as dates or honey, in the child’s mouth when he is first born.
It is permissible to name the child on the first day or on the seventh.
It was reported that Anas ibn Maalik said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A boy was born to me this night and I have named him with the name of my father Ibraaheem.” (Narrated by Muslim, 3126).
It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did ‘aqeeqah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn on the seventh day, and gave them their names. (Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, 12/127; al-Haakim, 4/264. Classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 9/589).

‘Aqeeqah and circumcision
It was reported from Salmaan ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For the boy there should be an ‘aqeeqah. Slaughter (an animal) for him and remove the harmful thing [i.e., the foreskin] from him.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1515; al-Nasaa’i, 4214; Abu Dawood, 2839; Ibn Maajah, 3164. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, in al-Irwaa’, 4/396).
It was reported that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A boy is ransomed by his ‘aqeeqah. Sacrifice should be made for him on the seventh day, he should be given a name and his head should be shaved.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1522; al-Nasaa’i, 4220 and Abu Dawood, 2838. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, in al-Irwaa’ 4/385).

Imaam ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Among the benefits of ‘aqeeqah are:
It is a sacrifice by means of which the child is brought close to Allaah soon after he comes into this world.
It is a ransom for the newborn; his ‘aqeeqah ransoms him so that he can intercede for his parents.
It is a sacrifice by which the newborn is ransomed just as Allaah ransomed Ismaa’eel with the ram. (Tuhfat al-Mawdood, p. 69).
Perhaps another benefit of the ‘aqeeqah is the gathering of relatives and friends for the waleemah (feast).
4.Circumcision is part of the Sunan al-Fitrah (practices related to the pure and natural inclinations of man). It is obligatory in the case of boys because it is connected to matters of purity which are essential conditions of prayer.
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah: “Five things are related to the Fitrah: circumcision, removing the pubic hairs, plucking the armpit hairs, cutting the nails, and trimming the moustache.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5550; Muslim, 257).

Thirdly:
Among the Sunnahs for welcoming the newborn, the scholars mentioned that the Adhaan should be recited into the baby’s right ear so that the first thing he hears in this world will be the words of Tawheed, which will have a great and blessed effect on the child. With regard to reciting the iqaamah in the child’s left ear, there is nothing to prove that this is required. (See al-Silsilat al-Da’eefah, 1/491).
Fourthly:
Shaving the child’s head then anointing the child’s head with saffron is very beneficial. Then it is prescribed to give in charity gold or silver equal in weight to the hair. This does not have to be done by actually weighing the hair; if it is too difficult to do that, it is sufficient to estimate the weight and give paper currency equivalent to the price of that amount of gold or silver. We ask Allaah to protect us and our children from all evil and to keep them safe and sound in this world and in the Hereafter. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.