Its been a while, and many things going on with Muslims.

There's a website www.loonwatch.com which is pretty unique, the writers there are commenting on the seedy world of anti-Muslim rhetoric that exists in various media platforms primarily blogs.Its a much needed commentary site, and they try and tackle modern day polemical writers like the folks over at jihadwatch.

On October 21st, Geert Wilders controversial MP from the Netherlands came to Temple University much to the protests of various student groups on campus.This is the fellow that was behind the film Fitna depicting Muslims and Islam as the source of terrorism, violence and all the radical rhetoric high school teens dream of.Wilder's has gained a reputation as a staunch anti-Islamic figure, and it was David Horowitz of Jihadwatch linkages that sponsored him over at Temple.

Loonwatch noted an article prior to the event that Temple considered canceling the lecture, but in my opinion for the better (though i'm not part of campus/philadelphia city life) Wilders spoke and people were able to judge for themselves how off the mark he really is.

There was a movement to get him to stop speaking, and personal feelings aside, (i dont think highly of wilders at all- obviously) movements to stop him from speaking led to speculation and Temple apparently faced pressures to uphold the right to 'free speech' , even if it is xenophobic, and highly provocative rhetoric. Wilders was met with numerous protestors.

As the comments show, most people realize that this was a good exercise in hearing both sides, no matter how skewed and how negative one side can be.

Seeing first hand at BU, groups protesting against lectures made by pro-Palestinians or Iranians and me being on the other side as in "letting them speak" made me realize it not so much about taking sides on an issue that makes you a better individual, but respecting the right to have someone you disagree with express their discontent. Wilders is a flat out racist in my book, but the potential for a better situation played out; by allowing Wilders speak for 30 minutes, and having what it seems much more protestors outside his event, observers of the situation can conclude on their own, the worth of such a headline grabbing political event.

In the same way the KKK meets in public in NYC, people realize how absurd they are and generally let them assemble, knowing theirs is a futile cause. Jihadwatch, Wilders and the like have the right to believe what they choose when it comes to Islam, but when it comes to pressuring people into adopting their absolutist, axiomatic positions, then further using their resources to create a dangerously hostile attitude towards others, the line must be drawn.

Hats off to Loonwatch for being an alternative, and in the right way against their much more hostile counterparts.

"The spirit as well as the secret of fasting is to weaken the flesh which is Satan's tool for turning men back to evil. Such weakening of the flesh is never achieved unless a person reduces his food to the amount of food which he would have eaten in the evening if he were not fasting."

...

"Among the proprieties of fasting is that the person should not sleep much during the daytime but rather stay up so that he might feel the pangs of hunger and the flames of thirst and become conscious of the weakness of the flesh, with the result that his heart would be cleansed and purified."

-Taken from Ghazali's "Mysteries of Fasting" pp 27-28

gotta love parker on this

I started off enjoying this movie even though from the very beginning, it appeared simplistic and highly stylized. Liam Neeson is believable as a man with a dangerous past and one who is rarely unnerved. Maybe its because he'll always be Qui Gon Jinn and Raas Al Ghul to me.

But then I started reading into it and looking for subliminal messages. Here we have a well trained and highly successful CIA operative who retired while in his prime to spend more time with his teenager daughter. Something very heartwarming, cheesy and American-esque to it. Very similar to Rourke's role in "the Wrestler", but instead of seeing Neeson's past like Rourkes, we can only infer how dangerous he used to be.

Neeson expresses distrust and sensitivity to traveling abroad, telling his daughter that he is hypersensitive to the dangers of the world.

"If you see something, say something" anyone?

Of all places, his girl goes to France, the one European country, in social culture Americans are most critical of. While there, his daughter is kidnapped by Albanians, foreigners from further east.

Neeson does his best Bond and Bourne impersonation, disarming and resolving any dilemma that faces him. All without breaking a sweat. He drives nasty cars, utilizes his surroundings, and lifted straight from the Bourne movie trailers- communicates with a crooked French official by spying on him, while the Frenchmen and his cadre are clueless to his whereabouts.

The movie brings consciousness to the large prostitution ring and how girls are abducted and rarely ever found. But it proceeds to give a false sense of empowerment, a combat trained father searches out his daughter, and kills literally everyone involved with the abduction.

The Albanian man whom he interrogates, rightfully garners no sympathy. But Neeson's character electrocutes him until he confesses. Is torture really justifiable even when the suspect is complete scum? He then electrocutes him to death, giving the audience- myself included, a taste of true justice for a man who makes a living in a horrific human trafficking ring.

But seriously, torture appears acceptable when the suspect is clearly guilty, but how about when it gets gray?  Did the movie really just try to desensitize me and make me justify torture?

True to cinematic form, the final antagonist is an arab. A seemingly wealthy shabab is seen bidding for sex slaves, and lo and behold the grand prize is an English speaking, Caucasian, young virgin.

She is scuttled off with two or three more women and it becomes clear that the shabab is a middleman for a much older, much more wealthier father figure. The final battle occurs on a fancy yacht, with Arab security guards armed with semi automatics and a penchant for dying quickly- Except for the shabab. Neeson finally has met his match. They trade blows, Neeson breaks his arm or gets shot, but he gets the better of the feisty Arab. First he shanks him in the heart with a broken wine glass, and then proceeds to castrate the man with his own trusty Arab dagger. You know, the one they all carry for a good "Michael Jackson Beat it" knife fight.

On the real- an insanely wealthy, harem loving Arab? Wielding a dagger? Takes a white woman? I wrote a damn paper on Christian-Muslim polemics dating back to the Crusades where the sole purpose was to vilify the Muslim other, and this has set the tone for European perceptions of the Orient for the last 700 years!

The second I heard al-shabab speak in Arabic, I gave up enjoying the movie.

Its not by chance that cheesy justice, status of torture and ill intended foreigners were the motifs of this film.

I'm also not hyper crazy to consider this as a huge Conspiracy to stereotype oil wealthy Arabs, or defend the use of torture against "suspected Muslim detainees" by its distributor 20th Century Fox ;)

At first glance this movie appeared high on "action", & low on "think". A fastpaced action movie with an actor who, amongst a younger audience is typecast as an all around hero. But the controversial themes it induces you to accept- ever so subtly, is enough for this writer to realize what's actually "Taken" is an audience member's prerogative of human sensitivities.

Pita: F--- obama please tell me u got close to jigga or diddy or even denzel or samuel jackson

Me: Ha ha. Would u really come to the capital of the strongest nation on earth to see the leader or a bunch of celebs

Pita: Jayz has done more for the country than obama so far lol

And so it went. January 20, 2009 a day in history. The air a bit nippier than expected, Barack Hussein Obama was ceremoniously inducted into the oh so rare office of President of the United States.

DC had a really cheery vibe to it; I arrived Sunday afternoon and was flooded with street peddlers selling everything from tshirts, posters, books, pins, hats and wristbands. If the world at large came out to Chinatown, nobody would be questioning a 7.2 Unemployment rate. Trading words with Mohammed Lameen a thirty-something Senegalese man by way of Raleigh, NC; i learned this whole inauguration bit was a good way to make some big bucks. Mohammed had a stand of obama shirts and watches alongside the hundred or so people waiting online to get into the National Archives. In the end I didn't buy the watch since it would have cut my weekend allowance in half, but me and ibba had a good convo with mohammed and continued on our merry way.

People were coming in from all around, I met a Republican out from Cali, people out from Chicago, New Orleans, and more than a few Europeans. Obama-mania reached far and wide. Roughly 1.5 million people showed up for the shabang and not everyone could make it out to the National Mall (including me) to witness obama's swearing in.

I tried dissecting the crowd; why were they there? why was i there?

ibba wisely said that "everyone is projecting their own hopes and aspirations onto obama, they think he will deliver on how they feel what is right"

Thus far, pita was right, obama hasn't done anything...atleast in the public eye.

Meanwhile his rap nemesis jigga jay z hails from 'do or die' bedstuy, owns the rocawear clothing line, owns the NJ Nets, cofounded Roc-a-fella records, and married beyonce - all enough accolades to consider him the one of the most successful rappers ever.

obama on the other-hand grew up in honolulu/jakarta, had a kenyan father and american mother, worked on improving Chicago's South Side, went to Harvard Law, served in the Illinois state senate and US senate pushing for healthcare improvements and welfare reform. His skilled rhetoric  of hope and unity has effectively swept many off their feet and place much optimism in the fate of this nation.

Obama captured the hearts of all people, and we can't get enough of it!

As evangelical extraordinare Rick Warren gave the religious invocation, a woman behind me was praying out loud "God, thank you for Obama, thank you for hope" She was moved to tears, and I couldn't help but feel a little left out.

In his address, Obama tackled the bleary issues; housing and unemployment crisis and the hard months ahead, evils of an abusive corporate world, the war on terror, negotiating with despots, and building bridges with the Muslim world. There was alot to read between the lines, and i'm sure CNN between their coverage of Sasha and Melia's sleepover at the whitehouse can squeeze in an analysis. But i noticed people cheering when Obama uttered 'freedom' or 'liberty' indicating that people are avoiding hard realities, we just came out to feel good.

Unfortunately I missed out on the National Mall, but I found myself on Pennsylvania Avenue awaiting the Presidential Parade down to the White House. For an event that was supposed to kick off at 1430, they started after 1600. That's an hour and a half of restless people just standing and waiting on this bone chilling day. Heck we couldn't even leave the parade route without passing through security checkpoints. Basically if you left before the ceremony started, you would have wasted the 4 hours or more spent trying to get in line.

In those 4 hours I learnt alot. we chatted with our fellow mobbers- families, yuppies, old people, young people you name it. everyone was excited, and everyone wanted to bear witness to the spectacle. For me, i went in precisely to get a glimpse of the cross section of america. I found alot of black people, elderly family people, and twice as many young people. What did it mean for each of us? At the start of an unknown 4 hour queue, everyone seemed happy, chanting, singing, and trading jokes. 3 hours in, people start getting quieter, getting a little pushier. At this point it didn't matter how many people you slipped through, or what barriers you hopped, there was always 100 people in front of you.

Some were blatantly pushing others, while denying it completely. Rumors start spreading that the gates are closed, that what was previously access to the mall, was now access to only the parade route. If you caught a cop or a national guard, they'd all give conflicting answers. To me it felt like a cruel trick, a mass of well meaning people and here we were treated like cattle.

Do you suppose that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle. Indeed they are even more astray. 25:44

If it wasn't for the blatant inefficiency of the security, I think i would have enjoyed this alot more. Most of my inauguration day was spent standing and anticipating. It got colder even faster.

By the time Obama made it down to Pennsylvania and 9th, it was 1610. the man was walking down to the 2.2 mile stretch to the White House. For many this was testament that Obama was the real deal and he cared. And while I can't be helped to be warmed by the gesture, it wasn't enough to calm my shivering frame and sore feet. As soon as Obama left my line of sight, me and practically every other black person on the block booked it out of there. The only people left standing were elderly white folk, poor fools. enjoy your parade.

As i regained feeling to my hands and face over some mexican jumbo in a Qdoba (which surprisingly wasn't packed when i got there), i started wondering was my day worth it? The only thing I could remember was the cold and my swollen feet. I forgot about the previous day- an antibush rally in dupont circle, hearing some homeless people talking about a bright american future, signing a blown up constitution, walking along the national mall, taking in the capitol building, the friendly street pushers and a more manageable and less agitated crowd. This city, these people, these rules- lend us a common history, which for better or worse identifies us as the American people.

Obama Mubarak- may God grant him and all of us success.

as some may have noticed my entries usually consist of things relevant to Middle East politics, Muslim history or Islamic culture.

I consider this current phase of world society as the awakening of the Muslim conscience. (i know...the Sahwa concept of the salafis in the 70's, sue me)

Its the first time that a group of Muslims are fully drenched in modernity after playing catch up during the Ottoman Era, playing colonialist victim until the 50s, dabbling with the -isms (social-ism, islam-ism, modern-ism) for much of the 20th century, with immigration happening concurrently. Now in this new phase, thanks to the coming of age of these immigrants, we are the generation of Global Muslims.

What does this mean? We're carving a niche to the world debate on an intellectual level: through scholars, books, politics, music, and culture.

Muslims have a lot on their mind: political legacy, religious legacy, cultural identity, all leading to the bigger question of what it means to be a Muslim today.

There's been a flood of thinkers who've written about it, and i've already mentioned Tariq Ramadan once; he gives a noteworthy idea of how the trajectories of modernity and Muslims are finally sharing the same path. Regardless of whether or not i agree with him, the fact that we are now considering this question and responding to it with a blend of western and traditional Muslim thought points to the existence of this "global Muslim"

I'm getting to meccho now fareed, hehe dont you worry.

So in this awakening of the Muslim conscience, we are finding a generation that is actively making their heritage visible and relevant to the intellectual, cultural, and political milieu of the world.

a buddy of mine launched this project at www.meccho.com. Its a social bookmarking site, similar to digg or stumbleupon.

It deals with events that are of interest to this budding generation of Global Muslims, and for anyone else interested in observing this emerging social group.

Current global affairs, a man named Barak Hussein Obama, a show called 'Little Mosque on the Prairie'- are all indications that this Muslim heritage is contributing to the milieu of the world, go on and get a glimpse of it at www.meccho.com

Verily Allah will defend from ill those who believe: verily, Allah loveth not any that is a traitor to faith, or show ingratitude.

To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid

They are those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- for no cause except  that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his cause; for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, able to enforce His Will. 22:38-40

December 27th, 2008 -  30 Simultaneous Raids by Israel on the Gaza Strip. 230 Palestinian deaths

December 28th, 2008 - Air strikes continue, mobilization of tanks and troops on Gaza Border. 296 dead, over 900 injured.

December 29th, 2008 - Islamic University of Gaza attacked. 340 dead, 1400 injured.

December 30th, 2008 - 360 dead, 1500 injured.

December 31st, 2008 - Gaza tunnels to Egypt bombarded; 400 dead, 1600 injured.

January 1st, 2009 - Parliament building attacked, 417 Palestinians, 6 Israelis dead.

January 2nd, 2009 - Preparations for a ground invasion, bombing of boundary to clear landmines

January 3rd, 2009 - Israeli Air-Strikes at the Maqdana Mosque during evening prayers, at least 10 killed.

January 4th, 2009 - Israeli troops assault HAMAS fighters in northern Gaza

What next? If you're in the US send a letter to your elected officials- senators and representatives.

Locate them here: http://capwiz.com/adc/dbq/officials/

Here's a draft letter:

I am deeply troubled by Israel's attacks and pending ground invasion on the occupied Gaza Strip and request you to use the full power and influence of the United States to: 1) establish an unconditional and immediate cease-fire; 2) ensure complete access of humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip and lift Israel's siege; and 3) hold Israel accountable for its misuse of U.S. weapons as required by the Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act and international law.

Israel has killed at least 400 Palestinians on the occupied Gaza Strip since Dec. 27th. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has threatened that this is merely "the first stage." As of January 3rd, an Israeli air-strike targeted a religious site of worship, the Ibrahim al-Maqadna mosque with at least 10 deaths and dozens of injuries.

Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip are being carried out with F16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, naval gunboats, and missiles all provided to Israel by the United States with U.S. tax dollars.

From 2001-2006, the United States transferred to Israel more than $200 million worth of spare parts to fly its fleet of F16's and more than $100 million worth of helicopter spare parts for its fleet of Apaches. In July 2008, the United States gave Israel 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel and signed a contract to transfer an addition $1.9 billion worth of littoral combat ships to the Israeli navy. Last year, the United States signed a $1.3 billion contract with Raytheon to transfer to Israel thousands of TOW, Hellfire, and "bunker buster" missiles.

Israel's war on the Gaza Strip would not be possible without the jets, helicopters, ships, missiles, and fuel provided by the United States. In view of the central role that the United States has played in arming and enabling Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip, I am asking you to:

1) Demand an immediate and unconditional cease-fire.

2) Ensure complete access of humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip and lift Israel's siege. Israel's attacks come on top of a brutal siege of the Gaza Strip, which has created a humanitarian catastrophe of dire proportions for Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinian residents by restricting the provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity, and other necessities of life.

This siege is a form of collective punishment and a war crime outlawed by the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 33 reads "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed.

Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited...Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited." As the occupying power of the Gaza Strip, under Articles 55 and 56, Israel "has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population" and "ensuring and maintaining...the medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene".

Article 59 states that "If the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the Occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population, and shall facilitate them by all the means at its disposal...All Contracting Parties shall permit the free passage of these consignments and shall guarantee their protection."

As High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to Article 1, both the United States and Israel have a solemn obligation to "respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances."

3. Hold Israel accountable for its misuse of U.S. weapons. The United States cannot continue to transfer arms to Israel while U.S. weapons are being misused by Israel to commit grave breaches of international law and human rights standards. The Arms Export Control Act (Public Law 90-829) limits the use of U.S. weapons given or sold to a foreign country to "internal security" and "legitimate self-defense" and prevents their use against civilians. The Foreign Assistance Act (Public Law 87-195), Section 116, states that "No assistance may be provided under this part to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights".

The United States must initiate a complete investigation into Israel's misuse of U.S. weapons and hold Israel accountable for violations of U.S. law including applying the required sanctions specified in the laws cited above.

For more information check out:

http://gazasiege.org/index.html

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/index.php

Lo! Allah defendeth those who are true. Lo! Allah loveth not each treacherous ingrate.

Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed able to give them victory;

Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned- would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.

Surah Hajj- 22:38-40

I had alluded to Tariq Mehanna in a previous entry; he's a brother from the Boston Muslim community in prison awaiting Trial on some charges of which i won't go into detail, but this article will.

So below is a letter that he wrote, and I pulled it from the people over at www.muslimmatters.org

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Recently, I wrote about the plight of our brother Tariq Mehanna, who was arrested by the FBI last month, and we hope and pray will be released on bail any day now, bi idhnillah. Please continue to make du’a for Tariq that he is released on bail very soon and does not have to return to prison.

I just received a very moving letter from Br. Tariq, which he requested that I post online to benefit others insha’Allah; I was deeply touched by his letter, and insha’Allah it will move the hearts of others as well. Br. Tariq also asked me to convey his salaam to all the brothers and sisters. I typed-up his letter and it is reproduced below. May Allah return Tariq to his family and clear him of all charges against him. Amin.

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17th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1429
December 15th 2008

Bismillah, was-Salamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa barakatuh,

My dear brother, Ahmad,

It was absolutely refreshing and reassuring to have received a letter from you, and the brothers and sisters from all over. You have no idea what a letter from the outside world means when one is here. The whole psychological makeup of prison is such that it is designed to remove your individuality, instead turning you into nothing more than an identification number. Everyone wears the same color prison uniform, eats the same food, is subject to the same regulations, etc. So to receive a message marked with your actual name on it, written specifically for you — this is a reminder that you are an actual person with an actual life and actual family and friends. So, having [so many] letters slipped under my cell door reminded me of how fortunate I am to have received support from people who mostly know nothing about me except that I am their brother in faith, and [these] letters never leave my side.

One thing I would like to point out is in regards to how many brothers and sisters, when writing to a prisoner or any other Muslim in need, will start off the reminder with ‘you already know this,’ or ‘I can’t say much you don’t already know.’ In Surat al-Hashr, Allah says in one verse: {”O you who believe, fear Allah and let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow, and fear Allah…“}.

So, the same injunction was made twice in the same verse to fear Allah. Imam Ahmad pointed out that patience is mentioned in the Qur’an over ninety times. So, there are certain concepts that have to be drilled into our heads constantly for us to truly understand and internalize and apply them properly in our lives. Reflect, also, how you have been and will continue to recite Surat al-Fatiha at least seventeen times everyday for the rest of your life. Shaykh ‘Uthaymin once pointed out that the Qur’an and the reminders it contains are such that every time you read some verse, you come away with a deeper meaning than the previous time you read that same verse! Now, in an environment such as this, the concepts of patience, tawakkul, etc. take on completely new meanings. So, every reminder boosts morale and strengthens resolve, and helps you look at the situation in the right light.

The greatest asset in here is the ability to remember Allah no matter what condition or situation I am in. When I was handcuffed and couldn’t use my hands to pray, when I was in solitary confinement and had no contact with human or book, when shackled by my hands and feet during the hour-long rides back and forth between court and prison hunched over in the dark, stuffy prison van, etc. — when all sources of material comfort have been taken away, it is then when you realize exactly how essential dhikr is to your sanity and survival. People here place so much reliance on the skills of their lawyers, the mercy of the judge, etc., but looking around at them all, I laugh at how easy it is for me to call upon the One who controls every atom in the universe compared with how hard it is for an inmate to get what he wants from those on the outside that he places so much reliance on, who are not always placing him on their list of priorities. Ibn al-Qayyim’s ‘al-Wabil as-Sayyib‘ contains great parables and expositions on the virtues of dhikr. But the reason I mention how helpul the act of dhikr has been here is to encourage you all on the outside to realize its true value and take proper advantage of it now, and not just if you happen to go to prison, because if you remember Allah in times of ease, He will help you in times of hardship, guaranteed! It’s the easiest act of worship!

I spend my time reading whatever I can get my hands on. Every Tuesday, the library cart is supposed to get some books to my unit, but they are extremely inefficient here when it comes to such services, and the cart has only been around once in the past few months. I picked up and completed a 700-page biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer (the so-called “father of the atomic bomb”) called ‘American Prometheus.’ It was quite a revealing story of how the man who essentially handed America the nuclear bombs by which she sought to bring the Soviet Union to its knees was blacklisted by the FBI and excommunicated the minute he voiced his opposition to the thirst of zealots in the administration to build even deadlier weapons. I also just completed a history of the Colombian cocaine trade that had its peak in the ’80s, and last night completed a book about the topic of celibacy as debated in the Vatican. There are also old issues of National Geographic Magazine floating around between inmates here, so I try to read those whenever one comes my way. I think they are popular around here because they contain more pictures than words . I had a copy of Yusuf Ali’s translation of the Qur’an for a while, but I had lent it to an inmate interested in Islam who was released on bail before he could return it to me. So, I’ve been relying on the Qur’an I have memorized when it comes to recitation.

Despite the fact that this is a maximum security facility and the restrictions are at times cumbersome, I really do not have much I can complain about. I have a place to sleep, three meals a day, and I can pray whenever I want in peace. I can think of millions of people around the world who cannot claim the same luxuries. On top of that, one sometimes needs a place like this to achieve clarity of mind. So, as the cliché goes, this has been a blessing in disguise in that I’ve been able to benefit from various aspects of incarceration that would ordinarily seem undesirable. I can only think of the countless imprisoned Muslims in the jails of tyrants around the globe and hope that if it is not Allah’s Decree to free them in the near future, that they taste the sweetness that Allah has placed them in prison to taste… May Allah free our sisters sooner than all…

I would like to end this letter by reminding all who read it to realize what you have been blessed with before it is taken from you: the warm hug of a loved one, the company of righteous people, the ability to see the sun and moon, a breath of fresh air, praying in a mosque, hearing the Qur’an recited, reading a good book of your choosing, taking a shower with clean water whenever you feel like, even something as simple as being able to open a door and walk out of a room! If there is one lesson that everybody can learn in here - be they Muslim or kafir - that is to take the initiative to appreciate the value of the luxuries you are blessed with before they are taken from under your nose. We hear this in every khutbah but one unfortunately cannot truly appreciate this advice until all these delights of life are out of reach, in actuality. (I highly suggest Cummings’ ‘The Enormous Room‘ in this regard, if you can find a copy, where he describes, in candid detail, life in a French prison camp stripped of all the material possessions that were once within easy grasp.) Indeed, prison only makes the Muslim stronger…

Was-Salamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh,

Your brother in the green jumpsuit,
Tariq Mehanna