He who seeks pearls must dive into the sea

- al-Shafi’i

poverty of the soul is worse than that of the body

forgot to post this: 

Reflections on Slumdog Millionaire

“There are people who live in the filthy mental slums of their own making, reveling in the squalor of stupidity and sloth.

There are people who live in the putrid slums of their egos, encased in a world where their intellect has been amputated by the machinations of their own arrogance.

There are people obsessed with perpetual “fun” and reverie, people who live entombed in slums dedicated to their desires [z: to mask the emptiness that they fear facing].

The vast majority of these people do not live in the slums depicted in Slumdog Millionaire.” 

appendum

Galloway: America has given Israel missiles that can target not just every city in Lebanon, but every city in the Arab and Muslim world including Iran! Why should America be allowed to give long range missiles to Israel including hundreds of nuclear missiles, but

(Anna interrupts) Because it’s given it to a terrorist organization!

Galloway: But, they are not a terrorist organization! Only in the mind of Rupert Murdoch’s Sky and The Times and the -

(Anna interrupts) I wont, come on! I want to stop you there, Mr Galloway! Prescribed terrorist organization.

Galloway: They are not a terrorist organization! It’s Israel who is the terrorist

(Anna continues talking at the same time) One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. We know that perfectly well.

Galloway: (speaking at the same time) Precisely. Precisley.

back.

look away for a second, and all sorts of things happen.

George Galloway says decision to ban him from Canada ‘inappropriate’-

i’m sure the word he used was a sight more colorful than inappropriate, but CBC has a way of drifting towards the boring. 

(thoughts: i don’t understand why all the columnists who write for major papers, as well as the political party reps, have to blunt the edges of their arguments protecting free speech by prefacing them with tediously drawn out notices of how they don’t like GG as a person, nor do they like his politics, and how they agree that he supports terror, blah blah blah. 

My guess is that the political establishment as well as the media cannot tolerate unreserved support for anyone who speaks out against isra’-eel; as well, the influence of pro-zionist lobby in Canada is no longer something that can be overlooked.) 

so, in a show of support for the one politician in the western world (besides ron paul) who speaks some sense on TV, I am posting some of GG’s more standup and standout clips: 

That SKY interview - 

Anna: How can you justify your support for Hizbollah and its leader Sheikh Hassen Nasrullah?

Galloway: What a preposterous way to introduce an item! What a preposterous first question!

Twenty-four years ago, on the day my daughter was born and I have just celebrated her 24th birthday, I had to dash at the maternity to see giving birth, from a mass demonstration in London against the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon. Israel has been invading and occupying Lebanon all of my 24 years of my daughter’s life. The Hezbollah are a prt of the Lebanese Resistance who are trying to drive, having successfully driven most Israelis from their land in 2000. Israel from the rest of their land and to get back those thousands Lebanese prisoners who are kidnapped by Israel under the term of their illegal occupation of Lebanon. It’s Israel that is invading Lebanon!

It’s Israel that is attacking Lebanon, not Lebanon that’s attacking Israel! You’ve just been carrying a report “Ten Israeli Soldiers on the border getting ready to invade Lebanon, and you ask us to mourn that operation as if there were some kind of war crime! Israel is invading Lebanon and has killed 30 times

Anna: . (Interruption by Anna)

(Galloway does not stop) more Lebanese civilians than have died in Israel. So, it’s you who should be justifying the evident bias, which is written on every line of your face and is in every nuance of your voice and is loaded in every question that you ask.

GG interview on CBC about Afghanistan

Really liked this one, he showed a lot of sympathy for the guy who interviewed him, whose name i cannot pronounce or spell, and answered his questions very kindly, like an old uncle might talk to a young nephew. 

for the rest of them, see: http://www.georgegalloway.com/page.php?page=content/video.html

really too much good material to post here. 

2) Guantanamo guard converts to islam. 

Not the story i was expecting to see in Newsweek. 

3) moved recently, alhamdullilah – liking the new apartment, need to do something with the lighting. one thing not having an ikea around does is forces you to wander through mazes of narrow souqs looking for a desk lamp. it’s quite nice, though perhaps because of my hate-to-waste-time-shopping attitude i find it kind of frustrating at times. 

reflections on renting in syria: 

i once read a book in school in which the main character philosophizes that “there are two kinds of people: good people, and landlords.” 

while i can’t totally agree with him, i appreciate the sentiment much more fully after having lived the life of a renter and student in rukn-ad-din. 

keep us in the dua’s (:

War turns Six.

War wears Spider-Man T-shirts and loves soccer. But the dangers outside his parents’ home often force him to stay inside, where he’s glued to a computer screen.

His favorite game is “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.” He hijacks cars, steals motorcycles, shoots pedestrians and runs over bystanders on the street. Digital blood seeps from the bodies.

Most 6-year-olds aren’t allowed to play “Grand Theft Auto.” It’s too graphic. But War has seen real blood.

In 2006 he went with his brother to pick up kebabs when an explosion tore through the market. People ran from the bakery next door burning alive. But he wasn’t scared, he said.

His father ran to the market when he heard the blast, barefoot and frightened. A neighbor saw the two boys and pulled them away from the carnage.

War recounted the tale to his father, Mohammed Abd Badr, without a trace of fear.

That same year, War sat in the car as his dad drove down the dark streets of his neighborhood one night. A car stopped in front of them, and members of the Shiite militia, the Mahdi army, pulled a man from the trunk of the car and shot him.

They left him on the street and drove away. It was one of thousands of killings by street militias at the height of sectarian violence. The body was one of many that littered the streets like garbage in 2006 and 2007. Often, 50 bodies were found a day.

Badr got out of the car to see if it was someone from the neighborhood. Some boys distracted him briefly and warned him not to approach the body. When he turned, his son was gone.

War looked into the face of the dead Sunni man.

“What are you doing?” his father asked, running up to the little boy.

“Look baba,” he said. “Poor man.”

tikun olam.

fr. the recent report of Israeli soldier’s action during the Gaza massacre:

One account tells of a sniper killing a mother and children at close range whom troops had told to leave their home….

In another cited case, a commander ordered troops to kill an elderly woman walking on a road, even though she was easily identifiable and clearly not a threat.

Testimonies, which were given by combat pilots and infantry soldiers, also included allegations of unnecessary destruction of Palestinian property.

“We would throw everything out of the windows to make room and order. Everything… Refrigerators, plates, furniture. The order was to throw all of the house’s contents outside,” a soldier said. One non-commissioned officer related at the seminar that an old woman crossing a main road was shot by soldiers.

The soldiers’ testimonies also reportedly told of an unusually high intervention by military and non-military rabbis, who circulated pamphlets describing the war in religious terminology.

“All the articles had one clear message,” one soldier said. “We are the people of Israel, we arrived in the country almost by miracle, now we need to fight to uproot the gentiles who interfere with re-conquering the Holy Land.”

“Many soldiers’ feelings were that this was a war of religion,” he added.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio that the findings would be examined seriously.

“I still say we have the most moral army in the world…”

Ya Nafsu

Should you not gain your wants, my soul, then be not grieved;
But hasten to that banquet which your Lord’s bequeathed.

And when a thing for which you ask is slow to come,
Then know that often through delay are gifts received.

Find solace in privation and respect its due,
For only by contentment is the heart relieved.

And know that when the trials of life have rendered you
Despairing of all hope, and of all joy bereaved,

Then shake yourself and rouse yourself from heedlessness,
And make pure hope a meadow that you never leave.

Your Maker’s gifts take subtle and uncounted forms.
How fine the fabric of the world His hands have weaved.

getMP3 Oh My Soul

Original, sung by AHM

Highlights from The Bush Visit to Calgary

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/03/18/8790061-sun.html

… “In a private luncheon co-hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at the Telus Convention Centre, attendees who reportedly paid $400 for a ticket got the chance to be up close and personal with the former world leader. And guests say the controversial figure was affable and witty.”

Of course, for someone stupid enough to pay $400 to sit with this villain perhaps most anyone would be ‘affable’ and ‘witty’. My God.

On the economy, Bush said even though he is a “free market guy,” he had to step in with a bailout package in the waning days of his administration. But added the government can’t do it alone.

i.e. Even though I am a solid neo-conservative Friedmanite pupil whose aim in life is to line my pockets by helping large corporations run poor people even further into the ground, and even though my main man Friedman says that I shouldn’t hand out bailouts to ANYONE, i’ll do it, because sometimes theory has to be thrown out the window when it’s convenient for ensuring major corporations don’t go under.

“The world is better off and the Iraqi people are better off without Saddam, no ifs, ands or buts,” he said.

…. Now, an intelligent person admits their mistakes, and a sincere person apologizes. … (The three dots mean words are failing me now.) …

Denny Hop, of Hop Estate Planning Partners, said Bush brought guests to their feet as he explained his eight years in the Oval Office.

GWB also brought Muntadhar al Zaydi to his feet in Iraq, but he had much more sense and conscience than these sell-outs. Stalin also got standing ovations, and they lasted much longer than the one they gave GWB.

To whims has my heart become attached…

and my eyes have abandoned the very semblance of sleep.

getMP3 – The ‘Hu’ Song.

the complimentary singer is Shaykh Samir an Nas’s son. (higher voice). He does a bunch of the hu’s. He’s also playing the drum. I have been there when he sings, it is quite beautiful.

i should note that this is an example of “shami” (syrian/lebanese/palestinian) style. it was written by shaykh abd ar-rahman al shaghouri, may Allah have mercy on him.

How Nihari Destroyed the Economy

NB: i don’t like to criticize food, – when the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam liked a dish he ate it, and if he didn’t like it he he left it alone without saying anything negative – so let us just say that i always always always leave the nihari well alone if it is served at anyone’s house.

it seems only suitable, then, to relate a parable of the current economic crisis with nihari in the middle…

THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS EXPLAINED

Pajja is the proprietor of a Siri-Paya and Nehari Shop (a beef stew dish) in Lahore. Sales are low and, in order to increase them, he comes up with a plan to allow his customers to eat now and pay later. He keeps track of the meals consumed on a ledger.

Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flock to Pajja’s shop. Pajja’s suppliers are delighted and are very willing to sell more and more raw materials for the meals he prepares. Pajja shows them his ledger of receivables and they extend him credit.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and gives Pajja a credit line and then increases Pajja’s borrowing limit.

Taking advantage of his customers’ freedom from immediate payment constraints, Pajja jacks up the prices of his Nehari and Siri-Paye. Customers don’t mind as they are not required to pay on the spot. Sales volume increases massively; Banks and suppliers lend more; Pajja opens more outlets. He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the customers as collateral.

These securities are then listed on the Stock Exchange and traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what the names mean and how the securities are guaranteed but, nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a credit risk manager of the bank decides that the time has come to demand payment of one of the debts incurred by Pajja. Pajja in turn asks his clients to pay up. One by one they refuse; the clients cannot pay back the debts. Pajja refuses to serve them any more. The clients stop coming.

Pajja is really in deep trouble now. He cannot fulfill his loan obligations and therefore claims bankruptcy. All Bonds drop in price by between 80 to 95%.

The suppliers of Pajja, having granted generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with similar problems. The meat supplier defaults on payment to the sheep and cattle supplier and claims bankruptcy. The atta (flour) supplier is taken over by a competitor; Pajja lays off the cook and staff. Bankruptcies soar, unemployment mushrooms.

The bank that lent the money in the first place is set to collapse. It is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties with Pajja commuting back and forth in his Executive jet and Mercedes 500SEL, brokering the deal.

The funds required to save the economic collapse are obtained by a tax levied on the citizens, most of whom do not eat Nehari or Siri-paye.

via MuslimMatters.org

***

photo: Hemanshu Kumar

link: http://eoid.org/2006/11/06/haji-noora-ki-nihari/

(see how it glistens on top? that’s oil. Pakistanis say that the oil makes it “healthy”.)