Life is Yummy Good

V(e)ntage of an aspiring woman and wife. The mother in me speaks on Eesa's blog. The activist, feminist and student in me speaks at Unshackled. This is the blog where I put all the different facets of my life together; to realize and appreciate God, Marriage, Relationships, Love and Life.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

humanity continues to suffer...

relief efforts in Toronto are at full pace. Albeit nothing close to what i hear from Pak

its sad that it took a disaster to bring us together as muslims and human. imagine the anguish and pain it takes for a mother to deliver ONE child in a delivery room! with the flick of a switch we're ready to bomb hundreds and feel no remorse. Thats man made disasters.

However, when Allah tests us, we feel united against one cause - salvation of humanity. dont get me wrong, im proud of how everyone's come together for this earthquake just because humanity is struggling and by no means am i undermining their efforts. But i wish we are like this when humanity is suffering by man made causes in afghanistan, iraq, palestine etc.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Islamic Relief

POST EARTHQUAKE - kb

'Some of you have been asking for how you can help. I felt kind of useless when I couldn't really answer what was the most efficient way to people wanting to help. But here's an organization that was also very impressive during the tsunami disaster, working the the Red Cross and creating different synergies to be effective and fast. The link's below. Of course, feel free to share the link and my email. I plan to call them tomorrow and ask if there are ways to physically volunteer. If any of you are interested in that, please let me and I'll keep you posted if there are any other ways to volunteer.

For those of you that don't know, most of our immediate-extended family and friends are fine, Alhamdulilah.

Again, thank you and JazakAllah for your concerns and prayers.

I was especially moved by the way an Iranian friend I just made broached the subject. We've been communicating like old friends and she's helping me with an article I'm doing. She just put in a sentence that comes from a wholly different perspective. "Accept my condolneses on the death of so many ppl in the earthquake yesterday, may allah give patience to their families. I hope you and your family are all fine."

I guess to me, that's what I really needed to hear. Acknowledged. Not only because I have lost as a Pakistani or as a resident of this region that lost so much in six minutes, but because humanity has lost so much. And it is so close to home. But also because I felt selfish in just stopping in responses to you all at, yes, my family is, Alhamdulilah, fine. Because so many people don't have families anymore.

My grandmother says yesterday was just a blur to her, between watching the images on TV, trying to contact family in Islamabad and struggling to make sense of it all.

One image in particular moved me. A boy's torso was sticking outside the rubble of a building but the lower portion of his body was still stuck inside. An older man was just standing there hugging the part of him that was free (thank God the boy was at ground level). The portion of his body upon which the building had collapsed before he could get out was now dressed in blood-stained clothes.

Perhaps the images on TV just reminded me that this really will prove to be atonement for some collective sins humanity must have committed, whether proactively or because we didn't react as conscientious women and men should. Like the New Orleans disaster made me feel.

So yes, it was bad. And thankfully all those whom I know in the region are okay, but thousands aren't.

And the aftermath does not seem any rosier.

My office manager, Mehr, called to ask if my sister in Islamabad was ok - which she was Alhamdulilah. But Mehr sounded distressed. Why? Her driver's family lived in one of the villages that had been wiped out. But most of them were fine, except his aunt who had a fractured arm and leg from before couldn't escape and house crumbled upon her.

That was the good news.

Now, they are stranded in extreme weather without any shelter. No help, little hope. Heavy rains, harsh winds, hailstorms followed the earthquake. Strong tremors and thunderstorms are expected for another 48 hours. It's like the earth is just throwing it all back at us. They were in Mansehra, one of the most devastated regions inside of Pakistan, areas of Kashmir however are among the worst hit of yesterday's earthquake.

I don't know if his family was in one of those areas that is now only accessible by air. Bridges and roads have collapsed. The flow of River Jhelum, one of Pakistan's five main rivers is no more. Just stopped. It's been dammed up by part of a mountain that broke off and fell into the river. Hey wait isn't that one of the analogies the Quran gives for the end of the world, that the mountains will crumble into dust. Alhamdulilah, they're not crumbling as though they were made of cotton wool yet.

So what can we learn from this? I don’t know. Ironically, Durriyah, my sister pointed out that this was happening in Ramadhan, the month that brings us blessings. Very difficult to reconcile. We must have wronged ourselves and the Earth beyond imagination if we're having to collectively purge our acts during the blessed month.

Well... I don't know what else to say. I have to get back to my MashaAllah normal life, ie clean my office, finish an article, get dressed for Aftar...

Hope you’re all doing well InshaAllah'

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Hot Soup Day...

Warning: This is a vent post. Whine central.

I just attended my first hot soup day - on a very chilly fall day! (yaay! fall's here!)

The boys (Imo and Z) wanted to sleep in because, well, 'weekends are for sleeping in'. So Mannam and I walked to foundation. They had set up their basement banquet style to make the people feel special. Round tables, white table cloth, centrepiece.. the whole deal.

there were 5 guys and about 7 girls volunteering. the management had already bbq'd chickn and made vegetarian rice before suhoor(sehri in urdu). we chopped up 10 lettuce heads, a carton of tomatoes, some cucumber. after which we packaged apples and cookies. packaged bags acc to num of individuals in each family and then! went to drop them off!

The dissappointment? the non muslims that we dropped the food to... were really in need. the muslims, however, were completely capable individuals. none were too old or disabled. maybe financially needy, but not incapable. *sigh*

the mean lil me, wants to tie this to the joint family system that muslims thrive on... people just keep getting needy-er and dependent on each other!

Why muslims love to be served? the whole royalty treatment!?? *grr* *brr*

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Oh! so you're a lesbian?

Today was the first time i came across someone with such a queer question.

A son and three years into a completely heterosexual marriage it never crossed my mind people would think so.

After informing the lady that my program is based on counselling for women. She asked if I was a feminist, I replied 'positively yes'. She asked if I believed in equality for women. I replied 'Equity, not equality'. Not quite understanding what I meant, she went on to conclude 'oh so you're a lesbian!'

It was just soo abrupt and funny. And no I didnt bother clearing up her misconception either! I ignored her comment and mentioned that my work is towards liberating women from tyranny in the name of religion. Islam doesnt ask women to get married the moment they get their rags... the mullahs interpret it so. Islam doesnt demand joint marriages. Indo-pak muslims do. blah blah blah!

I wonder what the lady must be thinking of right now... a lesbian hijabi! lo behold!