If I die...
Without Making a Difference,
I've lived a useless life, because,
I just conformed!
I've lived a useless life, because,
I just conformed!
posted by Shezalldat @ 1:42 AM
0 comments
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Saudi Women Have Message for U.S. Envoy
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN Published: September 28, 2005
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 27 - The audience - 500 women covered in black at a Saudi university - seemed an ideal place for Karen P. Hughes, a senior Bush administration official charged with spreading the American message in the Muslim world, to make her pitch.
But the response on Tuesday was not what she and her aides expected. When Ms. Hughes expressed the hope here that Saudi women would be able to drive and "fully participate in society" much as they do in her country, many challenged her.
"The general image of the Arab woman is that she isn't happy," one audience member said. "Well, we're all pretty happy." The room, full of students, faculty members and some professionals, resounded with applause.
The administration's efforts to publicize American ideals in the Muslim world have often run into such resistance. For that reason, Ms. Hughes, who is considered one of the administration's most scripted and careful members, was hired specifically for the task.
Many in this region say they resent the American assumption that, given the chance, everyone would live like Americans.
The group of women on Tuesday, picked by the university, represented the privileged elite of this Red Sea coastal city, known as one of the more liberal areas in the country. And while they were certainly friendly toward Ms. Hughes, half a dozen who spoke up took issue with what she said.
Ms. Hughes, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, is on her first trip to the Middle East. She seemed clearly taken aback as the women told her that just because they were not allowed to vote or drive that did not mean they were treated unfairly or imprisoned in their own homes.
"We're not in any way barred from talking to the other sex," said Dr. Nada Jambi, a public health professor. "It's not an absolute wall."
The session at Dar Al-Hekma College provided an unusual departure from the carefully staged events in a tour that began on Sunday in Egypt.
As it was ending Ms. Hughes, a longtime communications aide to President Bush, assured the women that she was impressed with what they had said and that she would take their message home. "I would be glad to go back to the United States and talk about the Arab women I've met," she said.
Ms. Hughes is the third appointee to head a program with a troubled past. The first, Charlotte Beers, a Madison Avenue executive, produced a promotional video about Muslims in America, rejected by some Arab nations and scoffed at by a number of State Department colleagues. Her successor, Margaret D. Tutwiler, a former State Department spokeswoman, lasted barely five months. A report issued in 2003 by a bipartisan panel chosen by the Bush administration portrayed a dire picture of American public diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim world.
Ms. Hughes, on this first foray, has churned through meetings in which she has tirelessly introduced herself as "a mom," explained that Americans are people of faith and called for more cultural and educational exchanges. Her efforts to explain policies in Iraq and the Middle East have been polite and cautious.
As a visiting dignitary, she had audiences in the summer palaces of this Red Sea coastal city with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and the foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal. But mostly it was a day that underscored the uneasy Saudi-American relationship, fed by unsavory images the two countries have of each another.
In December, there was an armed attack on the American Consulate in Jidda, leaving five people dead, and that meant that the Americans traveling with Ms. Hughes were cautioned against traveling alone in the city.At the meeting with the Saudi women, television crews were barred and reporters were segregated according to sex. American officials said it was highly unusual for men to be allowed in the hall at all.
A meeting with leading editors, all men, featured more familiar complaints about what several said were American biases against the Palestinians, the incarceration of Muslims at Guantánamo Bay and the alleged American stereotype of Saudis as religious fanatics and extremists after Sept. 11.
Ms. Hughes responded by reminding listeners that President Bush had supported the establishment of a Palestinian state and asserting that Guantánamo prisoners had been visited by the International Red Cross and retained the right to worship with their own Korans.
Americans, she said at one point, were beginning to understand Islam better but had been disappointed that some Muslim leaders had been "reticent" at first in criticizing the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Now, several years later, we're beginning to hear other voices," she said.
But it was the meeting with the women that was the most unpredictable, as Ms. Hughes found herself on the defensive simply by saying that she hoped women would be able to vote in future elections.
In June, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talked of democracy and freedom in the Middle East but declined to address the question of driving. By contrast, Ms. Hughes spoke personally, saying that driving a car was "an important part of my freedom."
A woman in the audience then charged that under President Bush the United States had become "a right wing country" and that criticism by the press was "not allowed."
"I have to say I sometimes wish that were the case, but it's not," Ms. Hughes said with a laugh.
Several women said later that Americans failed to understand that their traditional society was embraced by men and women alike.
"There is more male chauvinism in my profession in Europe and America than in my country," said Dr. Siddiqa Kamal, an obstetrician and gynecologist who runs her own hospital.
"I don't want to drive a car," she said. "I worked hard for my medical degree. Why do I need a driver's license?"
"Women have more than equal rights," added her daughter, Dr. Fouzia Pasha, also an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserting that men have obligations accompanying their rights, and that women can go to court to hold them accountable.
Ms. Hughes appeared to have left a favorable impression. "She's open to people's opinions," said Nour al-Sabbagh, a 21-year-old student in special education. "She's trying to understand."
Like some of her friends, Ms. Sabbagh said Westerners failed to appreciate the advantages of wearing the traditional black head-to-foot covering known as an abaya.
"I love my abaya," she explained. "It's convenient and it can be very fashionable."
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN Published: September 28, 2005
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 27 - The audience - 500 women covered in black at a Saudi university - seemed an ideal place for Karen P. Hughes, a senior Bush administration official charged with spreading the American message in the Muslim world, to make her pitch.
But the response on Tuesday was not what she and her aides expected. When Ms. Hughes expressed the hope here that Saudi women would be able to drive and "fully participate in society" much as they do in her country, many challenged her.
"The general image of the Arab woman is that she isn't happy," one audience member said. "Well, we're all pretty happy." The room, full of students, faculty members and some professionals, resounded with applause.
The administration's efforts to publicize American ideals in the Muslim world have often run into such resistance. For that reason, Ms. Hughes, who is considered one of the administration's most scripted and careful members, was hired specifically for the task.
Many in this region say they resent the American assumption that, given the chance, everyone would live like Americans.
The group of women on Tuesday, picked by the university, represented the privileged elite of this Red Sea coastal city, known as one of the more liberal areas in the country. And while they were certainly friendly toward Ms. Hughes, half a dozen who spoke up took issue with what she said.
Ms. Hughes, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, is on her first trip to the Middle East. She seemed clearly taken aback as the women told her that just because they were not allowed to vote or drive that did not mean they were treated unfairly or imprisoned in their own homes.
"We're not in any way barred from talking to the other sex," said Dr. Nada Jambi, a public health professor. "It's not an absolute wall."
The session at Dar Al-Hekma College provided an unusual departure from the carefully staged events in a tour that began on Sunday in Egypt.
As it was ending Ms. Hughes, a longtime communications aide to President Bush, assured the women that she was impressed with what they had said and that she would take their message home. "I would be glad to go back to the United States and talk about the Arab women I've met," she said.
Ms. Hughes is the third appointee to head a program with a troubled past. The first, Charlotte Beers, a Madison Avenue executive, produced a promotional video about Muslims in America, rejected by some Arab nations and scoffed at by a number of State Department colleagues. Her successor, Margaret D. Tutwiler, a former State Department spokeswoman, lasted barely five months. A report issued in 2003 by a bipartisan panel chosen by the Bush administration portrayed a dire picture of American public diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim world.
Ms. Hughes, on this first foray, has churned through meetings in which she has tirelessly introduced herself as "a mom," explained that Americans are people of faith and called for more cultural and educational exchanges. Her efforts to explain policies in Iraq and the Middle East have been polite and cautious.
As a visiting dignitary, she had audiences in the summer palaces of this Red Sea coastal city with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and the foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal. But mostly it was a day that underscored the uneasy Saudi-American relationship, fed by unsavory images the two countries have of each another.
In December, there was an armed attack on the American Consulate in Jidda, leaving five people dead, and that meant that the Americans traveling with Ms. Hughes were cautioned against traveling alone in the city.At the meeting with the Saudi women, television crews were barred and reporters were segregated according to sex. American officials said it was highly unusual for men to be allowed in the hall at all.
A meeting with leading editors, all men, featured more familiar complaints about what several said were American biases against the Palestinians, the incarceration of Muslims at Guantánamo Bay and the alleged American stereotype of Saudis as religious fanatics and extremists after Sept. 11.
Ms. Hughes responded by reminding listeners that President Bush had supported the establishment of a Palestinian state and asserting that Guantánamo prisoners had been visited by the International Red Cross and retained the right to worship with their own Korans.
Americans, she said at one point, were beginning to understand Islam better but had been disappointed that some Muslim leaders had been "reticent" at first in criticizing the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Now, several years later, we're beginning to hear other voices," she said.
But it was the meeting with the women that was the most unpredictable, as Ms. Hughes found herself on the defensive simply by saying that she hoped women would be able to vote in future elections.
In June, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talked of democracy and freedom in the Middle East but declined to address the question of driving. By contrast, Ms. Hughes spoke personally, saying that driving a car was "an important part of my freedom."
A woman in the audience then charged that under President Bush the United States had become "a right wing country" and that criticism by the press was "not allowed."
"I have to say I sometimes wish that were the case, but it's not," Ms. Hughes said with a laugh.
Several women said later that Americans failed to understand that their traditional society was embraced by men and women alike.
"There is more male chauvinism in my profession in Europe and America than in my country," said Dr. Siddiqa Kamal, an obstetrician and gynecologist who runs her own hospital.
"I don't want to drive a car," she said. "I worked hard for my medical degree. Why do I need a driver's license?"
"Women have more than equal rights," added her daughter, Dr. Fouzia Pasha, also an obstetrician and gynecologist, asserting that men have obligations accompanying their rights, and that women can go to court to hold them accountable.
Ms. Hughes appeared to have left a favorable impression. "She's open to people's opinions," said Nour al-Sabbagh, a 21-year-old student in special education. "She's trying to understand."
Like some of her friends, Ms. Sabbagh said Westerners failed to appreciate the advantages of wearing the traditional black head-to-foot covering known as an abaya.
"I love my abaya," she explained. "It's convenient and it can be very fashionable."
posted by Shezalldat @ 1:22 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Women's Shelter...
Yesterday I accomplished what I set out for 8 months ago. An abused women's shelter serving halal food.
Yesterday, Arise became the first non muslim women's shelter in Ontario to provide halal food for muslim women who have been victims of domestic violence. Although this was a single handed effort for my own pleasure, I feel I have made a difference. That's what my education is all about... making a difference!
Three or so years ago, when NB had her divorce, I tried to find some support groups in Ontario for her. I was saddened to find that not even one existed. None of them served halal food. None of them had support groups for muslims. None of them had language translation facilities for arabic, persian or urdu.
Today. there's a shelter serving halal food. Two shelters with support groups and above all today's there's one entirely muslim shelther (albeit its all the way in pickering) with 8 beds! Its open for non muslims as well, but it is primarily muslim.
As i wait for my law degree, I continue to struggle towards providing hope and support for my sisters. I wish to see that woman blossom while i Counsel her. I wish to continue to plant those seeds as an Advocate. And when after having been a Counsellor and Advocate, I hold that degree, I wish to change the situation to a greater level.
I believe in me. I believe in each and every woman i met yesterday. I believe in each and every woman i will meet next week and the weeks after. Above all, I believe that God will serve justice.
Yesterday I accomplished what I set out for 8 months ago. An abused women's shelter serving halal food.
Yesterday, Arise became the first non muslim women's shelter in Ontario to provide halal food for muslim women who have been victims of domestic violence. Although this was a single handed effort for my own pleasure, I feel I have made a difference. That's what my education is all about... making a difference!
Three or so years ago, when NB had her divorce, I tried to find some support groups in Ontario for her. I was saddened to find that not even one existed. None of them served halal food. None of them had support groups for muslims. None of them had language translation facilities for arabic, persian or urdu.
Today. there's a shelter serving halal food. Two shelters with support groups and above all today's there's one entirely muslim shelther (albeit its all the way in pickering) with 8 beds! Its open for non muslims as well, but it is primarily muslim.
As i wait for my law degree, I continue to struggle towards providing hope and support for my sisters. I wish to see that woman blossom while i Counsel her. I wish to continue to plant those seeds as an Advocate. And when after having been a Counsellor and Advocate, I hold that degree, I wish to change the situation to a greater level.
I believe in me. I believe in each and every woman i met yesterday. I believe in each and every woman i will meet next week and the weeks after. Above all, I believe that God will serve justice.
posted by Shezalldat @ 11:59 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Cousins..
I just spoke with KB. Talking to her is like a breeze of fresh air. Regardless of how long it has been since we last spoke, each time we speak, we pick up on the same page. No complaints, no sorries. Its moments of complete hysteria, stirred with spoonfuls of jokes, heapful of memories and a pinch of sorrows reminisced. Each flavor tantalizing and adding to the overall effect to create something so 'us'. from the salaam thats like 'chitty chitty bang bang to you too' to making funny sounds on the mic... its pure jokes
Cousins have that special place in my life. We bond in a very special way. In moments of joy, sorrow, heartbreaks, gossips or pure boredom! From the corny sing along sessions at London Heathrow airport, to videotaping how people pick their nose to frying french fries at 3 am to going high on chat masala to climbing the mango tree to eat a khati (sour) kayree to weddings... cousins add a special spice to everything.
This post is dedicated to BH, KB and NB.. my three fave cujjins:D
I just spoke with KB. Talking to her is like a breeze of fresh air. Regardless of how long it has been since we last spoke, each time we speak, we pick up on the same page. No complaints, no sorries. Its moments of complete hysteria, stirred with spoonfuls of jokes, heapful of memories and a pinch of sorrows reminisced. Each flavor tantalizing and adding to the overall effect to create something so 'us'. from the salaam thats like 'chitty chitty bang bang to you too' to making funny sounds on the mic... its pure jokes
Cousins have that special place in my life. We bond in a very special way. In moments of joy, sorrow, heartbreaks, gossips or pure boredom! From the corny sing along sessions at London Heathrow airport, to videotaping how people pick their nose to frying french fries at 3 am to going high on chat masala to climbing the mango tree to eat a khati (sour) kayree to weddings... cousins add a special spice to everything.
This post is dedicated to BH, KB and NB.. my three fave cujjins:D
posted by Shezalldat @ 12:10 AM
0 comments
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Once a man, twice a child..
Why is it that when a child makes a mistake, we forgive and forget. But when an elderly person does the exact same thing, we never forgive or forget? Or simply, get deeply offended.
Why is it that when a child makes a mistake, we forgive and forget. But when an elderly person does the exact same thing, we never forgive or forget? Or simply, get deeply offended.
posted by Shezalldat @ 12:19 AM
3 comments
Friday, September 09, 2005
New orleans Continued...
I'm watching Oprah's special episode dedicated to the victims in New OrleanS. Glory be to Allah. Its disturbing!
The only hope they have is that their family is alive. For some that joy is a grim hope. For many others, that joy is placed alongside the bodies they buried.
Homes which have been boarded up, opened to find bodies floating around. Entire families drowned in rising water. Some in their attics. Some killed while the roofs fell over them.
Some dream homes, all shattered. The owners standing outside, but full of hope. One such victim said she's happy because she still has her family and the love they share. Many others didnt have that either. One girl was missing her younger brothers. Many other teenagers were sitting on mattresses with grim hope and strength to persevere.
julia roberts was working with oprah's angel network... she said just a simple hug could make all the difference! chris rock etc were all present...
if all the anarchy and chaos of this incident doesnt melt the hardest heart, i dont know what would!
I'm watching Oprah's special episode dedicated to the victims in New OrleanS. Glory be to Allah. Its disturbing!
The only hope they have is that their family is alive. For some that joy is a grim hope. For many others, that joy is placed alongside the bodies they buried.
Homes which have been boarded up, opened to find bodies floating around. Entire families drowned in rising water. Some in their attics. Some killed while the roofs fell over them.
Some dream homes, all shattered. The owners standing outside, but full of hope. One such victim said she's happy because she still has her family and the love they share. Many others didnt have that either. One girl was missing her younger brothers. Many other teenagers were sitting on mattresses with grim hope and strength to persevere.
julia roberts was working with oprah's angel network... she said just a simple hug could make all the difference! chris rock etc were all present...
if all the anarchy and chaos of this incident doesnt melt the hardest heart, i dont know what would!
posted by Shezalldat @ 12:35 AM
0 comments
Friday, September 02, 2005
New Orleans
SubhanAllah...
the plight of humanity...
Looking at the videos and images on CNN... im speechless!
Women being raped, rampant looting, no food, no clothes, no shelter.. deprived of basic human needs!
I wonder if those people in the dome can atleast try and feel what state they've caused afghanistan and iraq to be in! Try being a palestinian for a moment... Imagine knowing your mother is being raped, your father is dead, well for that matter so might be your brother.. you have no food or shelter... its all been bombed! My friend Nnwal (a palestinian), says its as tho there's no reason so surive. 'we had no hope of survival'. Today she lives in Kitchener Ontario with her seven children on mattresses thinner than the duvet (comforter) i use at night!
but unlike many, i dont call New Orleans a revenge. Regardless of what they have doen to toher nation, humanity is hurting. and for all those canadians who're coming onto tv and saying, its what they deserved and that they should bring in the military and what not like they do in other countries... all i gotta say is... no one deserves this. How can we live peacefully and as proper muslims, until we care for His Creation? I hate it when i see the complete maulvi style muslims praying 5 times a day yet cursing humanity the moment they say their salams. our prayers 5 times a day are for Allah and for selfish reasons ... how about bending down and caring for His Creation as well? how about trying to walk a mile in someone else's shoes? How about trying to feel the pain of those in anguish? How can your heart still be cold?
I dedicate this post to every single human suffering out there! Regardless of race, color or religion!
*the agony and anguish it takes for a mother to deliver one child.. compare that with the flick of a switch killing millions! *
SubhanAllah...
the plight of humanity...
Looking at the videos and images on CNN... im speechless!
Women being raped, rampant looting, no food, no clothes, no shelter.. deprived of basic human needs!
I wonder if those people in the dome can atleast try and feel what state they've caused afghanistan and iraq to be in! Try being a palestinian for a moment... Imagine knowing your mother is being raped, your father is dead, well for that matter so might be your brother.. you have no food or shelter... its all been bombed! My friend Nnwal (a palestinian), says its as tho there's no reason so surive. 'we had no hope of survival'. Today she lives in Kitchener Ontario with her seven children on mattresses thinner than the duvet (comforter) i use at night!
but unlike many, i dont call New Orleans a revenge. Regardless of what they have doen to toher nation, humanity is hurting. and for all those canadians who're coming onto tv and saying, its what they deserved and that they should bring in the military and what not like they do in other countries... all i gotta say is... no one deserves this. How can we live peacefully and as proper muslims, until we care for His Creation? I hate it when i see the complete maulvi style muslims praying 5 times a day yet cursing humanity the moment they say their salams. our prayers 5 times a day are for Allah and for selfish reasons ... how about bending down and caring for His Creation as well? how about trying to walk a mile in someone else's shoes? How about trying to feel the pain of those in anguish? How can your heart still be cold?
I dedicate this post to every single human suffering out there! Regardless of race, color or religion!
*the agony and anguish it takes for a mother to deliver one child.. compare that with the flick of a switch killing millions! *
posted by Shezalldat @ 1:31 AM
0 comments
