Islamic Hatred

Okay, not long to go now before my holiday!

I just happened to stumble across a website though and was so disturbed by it that I thought I should discuss this. The site is: http://www.islamreview.com/ and it is based on a Christian group basically just mocking Islam without ANY proof. I read the guestbook where people are constantly bringing up false facts on Islam (ie. someone said men can marry an unlimited amount of servants!) .

I would never go around mocking other people's religions. Sure, I discuss religion with friends here and there & find it interesting (although it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with them). I also tell them more about Islam as well as clear up any misconceptions they may have. But never do we EVER disrespect each other's religions in any way. That website did exactly that.

A lot of the people seem so afraid of Islam spreading and taking over the world that they feel they have to convert Muslims over to Christianity to "save them". They feel they are doing Muslims a favour. Well let me tell you - Muslims don't need converting & generally even if a Muslim is a non-practising Muslim, they will still never leave the fold of Islam (from what I have seen through various people). Deep down they are still believers. I was once approached by a lady (at a train station -- there is something with me and trains!!) who totally freaked me out. She came up and whispered to me "Jesus is Saviour". I was so irritated by that because, well for one, I'm not a fan of strangers whispering in my ear (even if I did have my headscarf protecting my ears from her), but two, I don't appreciate total stranger "preaching" to me. I have no problems discussing religion but there are certain tacts that someone must take whilst approaching such a sensitive and personal topic.

The Quran states, (2:256):

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands
out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all
things.

These Muslim-haters that claim to be people of Faith should try promoting peace and tolerance rather than religious hatred. It is people like them that start wars. There is no compulsion in religion!! We are all "People of The Book" after all. Each to their own.

Finally, you cannot force religion upon anyone. And if these Christians from that website believe they are bringing Muslims closer to Christianity by blatantly lying about Islam then they have another thing coming.

In closing, a verse from the Quran, (10:99):

Wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will,
to believe? No soul can believe, except by the Will of God....

May God bless you all.

Holiday Time!!!

I will be most likely neglecting to write any blogs over the next few weeks as I am travelling overseas for a holiday.

I am taking a diary/journal with me to jot down highlights of my trip so upon my return I will hopefully write some posts about my adventures.

Gee I am finding it hard to concentrate at work. I am doing everything BUT working. I have so much to think about right now & so many last minute things to organise.

I have heard that once people come back from long holidays they find it hard to settle back into their normal routine lifestyle...

I have a feeling I will never recover.

(I am too easily distracted!)

Wearing Hijab (Headscarf)

A Muslim female who wears the headscarf (hijab) is often stared at in western cultures. The stares we receive are not of a sexual nature, yet more of a curious nature.

I will share some more information on my experiences with wearing hijab in my upcoming blogs. I decided to start wearing hijab 5 years ago and have experienced the most enjoyable years of my life ever since. I cover everything except for my face and hands.

For now I will provide some background on what the hijab means and why Muslim females choose to cover up rather than ‘bare all’.

The word hijab is derived from the Arabic word hijaba literally meaning to "hide from sight or view", and "to conceal". In English the word for hijab is the 'headscarf'. The appearance of a Muslim female is hidden so that her intelligence and mind are her main assets. It encourages men to respect pious women whose main focus is to worship God and obey His commands. She does not depend on her looks to get her places nor is she judged on her looks. Muslims believe that when they die they will take nothing with them except for their good & bad deeds.

There are many different versions of the hijab, yet mainly it covers a Muslim female's hair yet sometimes it includes covering ones face except for ones eyes (known as niqaab).

The hijab is worn so that Muslim females dress modestly and is a requirement of all Muslim females past the age of puberty. The Muslim holy book, the Quran states that females should dress in accordance with the hijab. Males are also required to dress modestly as well except they are not required to cover their hair (as their hair is not seen as 'attractive' as female hair is).

As it is stated in the Quran: "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them. That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful." [33:59]

To be continued.

Wacky Moments

People have weird tendencies in this world and I never thought I would be one of them until I sat down and thought it through the other day. I guess everyone has their own lil issues - perhaps it is their insecurities, them being depressed or having mood swings, a warped sense of humour, emotional upsets and sometimes even just having too much spare time can bring out the wackiest in people. Sometimes superstitious beliefs may bring on what others would claim to be 'weird' rituals. Just take 'knocking on wood' as an example. Let's just hope one day the wood doesn't knock back at them. That will really freak them out. Maybe Michael Jackson started an epidemic because it seems weird tendencies are all the rage. And if it isn't weird tendencies that people have, it may just be moments of pure insanity, annoying habits they possess or irony that occurs now and then in their lives.

Just catch a train on any line in Melbourne and you will see weirdness in all of its splendour. On my way to uni I seriously used to keep a tally in the front of my diary of how many weird people I would come across. Without fail, pretty much every day I would come across someone who was either doing or saying something extremely different to what one would say blends in with the 'norms of society'. What is it with trains though? Trains attract all walks of life. They walk, they are weird and boy oh boy are they wonderful. The weird and the wonderful come out to play. I used to claim that I hated catching trains however I think deep down I was always fascinated with my journey. The 'unknown' factor came into it with each ride. Whilst waiting on the platform in the morning I would secretly wait in anticipation for my train to pull up. Thoughts would rush through my head as to whom I would come across that day. My eyes would dart, palms sweat and head twitch in excitement. Well maybe not, however now that these days I am a non-train commuter (and now a disgruntled road-raging traffic hating environmentally damaging pollution making driver) I have more time to reflect and make it out that my train journeys used to be fun filled, dangerous and exciting. I guess they were in a way. Maybe my life is nowadays somewhat lacking the thrill of public transport. With that thought in mind, maybe I should catch a train into work tomorrow.

As to my adventures on trains, I think the worst case I came across was a lady who was in a cult who was quoting Captain Cook and his discovery of Australia. She didn't stop there. She also asked me if I thought she was crazy because she could see "men in white trench coats". She decided to sit right next to me (she said she loved my uni bag), as her eyes literally rolled around in circles as she snapped in and out of consciousness. Hmm. My mother taught me an important lesson whilst catching trains. She told me to make sure that I got on carriages that had some females on it rather than an all-male carriage with me being the only female. That played through my head a fair bit. One day I was day dreaming (as usual) then looked around the carriage to find that I was the only female on that carriage. The men looked safe enough - not a piercing or tattoo in sight yet my mother's words always outweigh any bright ideas that my mind is able to brew up. Thank you my dear mum for your sweet words but for the first time ever, I soon realised - she was wrong. I changed carriages, jumping on a carriage where there were 2 females. The carriage contained just these 2 teenage girls, myself, and the sound of my heart pounding out of my chest. The girls were talking when I got on the carriage yet as soon as I sat near them they fell silent. I was looked up and down by these girls - they eyeballed the shoes I was wearing, my jewellery and my clothes. I knew they wanted to take something off me because their dirty eyes told me so. I then did the unthinkable (or the 'thinkable!') and went against my mother's words (God forbid!). I got up in a hurry and headed back to the carriage full of men where I felt safe and sound!

There were also the many cases of people that enjoyed talking and even fighting with themselves. The sight of a one-man fight is something I would pay big money to see. It is extremely entertaining! Who needs to watch the movie Fight Club? Not me. Even if it does mean I miss out on seeing Brad Pitt, *sigh*. Trains are the real deal baby. Or the loud nutters that felt the need to introduce themselves to the whole carriage. They then went on to pick on some poor souls sitting and minding their own business. Constant questions were thrown at those poor buggers and out of sheer politeness each question was answered. It was a stranger bonding session at the least. No more stranger danger fears! These random get-to-know sessions made me feel like I knew these strangers better than I knew myself. Fortunately I wasn't picked on in that particular instance. In general though, it was like these people were drawn to me. "She looks like an easy target...why don't I sit myself next to her and rub some of my weirdness off on her?!". Well congratulations train people, it took a while but...Mission Accomplished.

I do have my own wacky tendencies, yet for the moment, I will keep those to myself :)

Eyes Wide Shut

Welcome to my first post!

I have been wanting to write my thoughts down for so long now. I have finally decided to give this site a go. Besides the disgusting sound of "blogging" or "doin' a blog" or being a "blogger", this site seemed like a good alternative to pestering friends through long complicated emails or chatting everyone’s ears off once I come back from work in the evening. I guess this site is an alternative to people going to visit their psychiatrist. It is a cheaper alternative and most likely an alternative that will keep them more sane.

Yesterday I came across someone who had posted some fairly personal things about his life online (I will probably get to that stage soon). But he had mentioned something which saddened me. He told us of how he had given up on believing in God based on his previous heartbreaks and problems with women. He constantly blamed himself for the relationship going bad and then turned it around to blame God. I was saddened to read this but at the same time knew that whilst he was typing he was trying to 'convince' himself that God in fact did not exist. They were his raw thoughts on the topic. If he really didn't care about God he wouldn't have given the topic a second thought. It still got me thinking about atheists though and how they do not believe in a superior being above themselves. They associate themselves with having divine attributes and having power over their own destiny. But then when life doesn't turn out how they want it, don't they then wonder how much power they really possess? We start off weak as a baby, turn to strength later in life and later return to weakness at an old age. Weakness after strength the Quran says. I always wonder how people can neglect belief in God or at least neglect the thought process that should come naturally for most - Why am I alive? What is my purpose? Also the dreaded question that people find easier to neglect rather than come face-to-face with - What happens when I die? Often the question is just too puzzling for most hence it is avoided all together. The question is forgotten. Booze yourself up and perhaps the answer will come to you. Or drink away and perhaps you will 'lose yourself' for a while and not have to think. Not having to think is some people's solution. Those thoughts that perhaps came to them as a child or as they were developing and becoming the person that makes them the individual they are today soon would have disappeared as they grow older. Often the questions never get answered. It is easier that way, right? The whole "live for the moment" motto and "live each day as if it's your last". Nike even says it - "Just Do It". Sure, why not? Go ahead, do everything in your power to forget the whole reason for your existence. I guess most people are used to having an answer to all of their questions. Ask Jeeves, he's the main man. But then when people do sometimes decide to turn to religion they hit a brick wall because their questions are not always answered (or the answers they receive are not logical/practical/comprehendible). People get put off religion and then they fall into the group that says "I believe in God but don't follow a particular religion" or the group that claim "God doesn't exist" (these are also the people that like to point out that religion is the cause of all wars. Well congratulations for saying something original! not!). If they are a smart person perhaps they will "shop around" with the various religions and finally find one that most answers their questions...

The truth is - most people do not believe. People would rather fumble through life and enjoy its amusements. But every soul will taste death because nobody is immortal. So, what does happen after we die? Some people ask me about religion and I was once asked about how I knew that my religion (Islam) was the truth. How do I know that I am not just wasting my life doing all of these acts of worship? Instead, I could be out "having fun", right? I could be filling my life up with all of these 'good deeds' for nothing and avoiding all of the bad stuff in life only to find that Islam wasn't the right religion after all. Or rather, I could just die and my soul will perish meaning all of these acts were pointless. Well the thing is, when you have found the truth, your soul just knows it. Just like when you deeply love someone, you feel it with every inch of your heart and soul - it is the same when you have found the truth to your existence, only everything is a lot more intense. So to answer the questions I was once posed, IF all of this 'belief' is just a waste of time (although I know that it isn't)- I would rather have spent my life like this rather than perhaps being a non-believer, spending my life cruising along and then dying and spend eternity in torment as a result! I would rather take a risk in missing out on drinking, clubbing and playin' rather than taking a risk with where I will spend eternity. Plus my life on this earth has so much more inner fulfilment. I LOVE LIFE because I know my life has a purpose. My purpose is to thank and worship God for Him having created me. And as a result of me simply performing this duty which I should do so naturally, God has promised me (as a believer) eternal paradise (I hope!). I owe God everything and God owes me nothing yet He will still reward me for my efforts. How beautiful is that? God is truly All Merciful. When your friend buys you a gift, you thank him..right? Well why not thank God who created you? He gave you life and will take your life. He gave you sight, hearing, taste, the ability to smell and touch. And if God didn’t make you, who did?? If it was the big bang theory, it must have been an amazing coincidence that all of the gases and molecules formed together to make a fully functional human being! A creation that does not need to assist himself to live. Everyone's heart beats on its own and your lungs inflate and deflate without your own assistance. Clearly something Greater than us has created all of this! If people want proof that God exists, they simply need to look around them at all walks of life and that is their proof just there. The trees, animals, water and the air we breathe are all signs for people who understand. No random explosion of gases could have created all of that.