Thursday, February 26, 2009

Cell Phone Vs. Qur'an




I received the below in my email inbox. I'm not sure who the author is (not attributed) but I thought it was very motivational.

So, in the interest of "Fair Use", I share it with you:

CELL PHONE VS. QURAN

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Quran like we treat
our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several time a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Quran?

Oh, and one more thing.

Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Quran being disconnected.

Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!

P. S. DO WHAT YOU THINK GOD WOULD WANT YOU TO DO WITH THIS EMAIL. Trust in the Lord and "ASAP" (Always Say A Prayer)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Is This A Moth?


Does anyone know what kind of insect this is?

I think it's a species of moth.

We moved into this house last June but I have been seeing these things most of the winter. It surprises me; I thought they are supposed to hibernate?

Can anyone identify it? I'd like to know so I can look up how to get rid of them.

One thing I can tell you is that it has a hard shell.

This one is deceased - on the end of my fly swatter.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Prophet's Methods of Correcting People's Mistakes


One of the most important duties of a Muslim prison chaplain is to correct mistakes.

Many Muslims in prison have re-verted to Islam while incarcerated. Just because they say the Shahadah doesn't mean that they are automatically a pious Muslim!

They lack basic knowledge and information about Islam. They depend upon the Muslim chaplain to provide them with correct Islamic knowledge. Often they make mistakes because they act upon information they have been given by other inmates, incorrect information, although it may have been given with sincere intention. After all, if one is taught incorrectly, they will teach others incorrectly.

Yet other inmates may have been Muslims on the "streets" but may not have been "deening" out there as they call it.

To be an effective amirah (leader), a Muslim prison chaplain must develop effective methods for correcting mistakes that do not compromise the already fragile ego of most inmates. One of the most important goals of the Muslim prison chaplain is to help and educate the incarcerated Muslim. Not to destroy or shame her.

Who better to look to for examples, no matter what the situation, than our beloved Messenger (saw)!

Sh. Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid, may Allah (swt) reward him, has written as excellent book that will help the Muslim prison chaplain. The title is The Prophet's Methods for Correcting People's Mistakes.

His methods can also help us as individuals: parents, teachers, friends, etc.

And especially THE BLOGGER!

How many times have we gone to the comments section of someone's blog only to stumble into the flames of fitnah!

In this post, I will highlight some of the methods that the sheikh has compiled. Insha Allah you will buy his most beneficial book for your library and to obtain detailed reference from Quran and Sunnah for the methods:

1. Hastening to deal with people's mistakes and not putting that off.

2. Dealing with mistakes by explaining the ruling (hukm).

3. Referring people back to Islam when they make mistakes, and pointing out to them the principle that they are breaking.

4. Correcting misconceptions that are due to something for being clear in people's minds.

5. Dealing with mistakes by repeatedly reminding people to fear Allah.

6. Showing compassion to the one who is making a mistake.

7. Not hastening to tell someone he is wrong.

8. Remaining calm when dealing with people's mistakes.

9. Explaining the seriousness of the mistake.

10. Explaining the harmful effects of a mistake.

11. Practical teaching of the one who is making a mistake.

12. Offering a sound alternative.

13. Guiding people to what will prevent them from making mistakes.

14. Not confronting people directly with their mistakes and addressing the issue in general terms may be sufficient.

15. Provoking public opinion against the one who has made the mistake.

(Disclaimer: I would be very careful with number 15. Insha Allah when I get some more time, I will expound this method from the sheikh's references.)

16. Avoiding helping the Shaytan against the one who is making the mistake.

17. Asking the person to stop doing the wrong action.

18. Explaining to the person who is making a mistake how to put things right.

19. Denouncing only the mistake whilst accepting the rest.

20. Restoring rights and preserving positions.

21. Addressing both parties in cases where the blame is shared.

22. Asking a person to forgive the one who wronged him.

23. Reminding a person of he good qualities of the one whom he has wronged, so that he will regret what he has done and will apologize.

24. Intervening to calm people down and put an end to the fitnah (discord) between those who are making mistakes.

25. Showing one's anger about a mistake.

26. Turning away from the one who has made a mistake and avoiding argument with him, in the hope that he may come back to the right way.

27. Rebuking the one who has made a mistake.

28. Blaming the person who has made a mistake.

29. Shunning the one who has made a mistake.
(Same as number 15)

30. Boycotting the one who has made a mistake.

(Same as number 15)

31. Praying against someone who stubbornly persists in making mistakes.

(Same as number 15)

32. Turning a blind eye to some mistakes and being content to just hint about them, out of respect to the person who is making the mistake.

33. Helping a Muslim to correct his mistake.

34. Meeting with the person who has made a mistake to talk it over.

35. Speaking bluntly to a person about the mistake he made.

36. Persuading a person that he is making a mistake.

37. Making a person understand that his flimsy excuse is not acceptable.

38. Paying attention to things that are inherent in human nature.

Among the sheikh's conclusion is that "correcting mistakes is obligatory ... part an-naseehah (giving sincere advice) and forbidding what it evil, but it should be remembered that Islam is not only about forbidding what is evil, we are also commanded to enjoin what is good."

So think of this next time another blogger tells you that you are being judgmental, lecturing, etc. As if it is YOU who is making the mistake!

He also said that along with educating and training, we must show "the basic principles of religion and the rules of sharee'ah" using various methods. The Prophet (saw) used different methods for correcting mistakes depending upon the situation and depending upon the person he was dealing with.

I have found that using the Prophet's (saw) methods in dealing with people helps. After all, everyone, including the Muslim chaplain, benefits when all the affairs are conducted according to Quran and Sunnah

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Back in the Day!


I was going through some pictures today looking for some pics for Sister Brooke.

Ha ha ... I ran across the one above.

It's one of me, around age 3 or so, on a bench in the Bronx.

Notice I was "packing heat" even back then!

OK ... it was probably a squirt gun (my mom was to fill them with Kool Aid or juice).

Monday, February 16, 2009

Israeli Tennis Player Refused Visa to Play Tournament in Dubai


I think this story sucks.

And they waited until the last minute before denying this player's visa.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Heros and Heroines


This morning on CNN, I watched the mayor of New York City give the "keys to the city" to the crew of the airplane that landed safely in the Hudson River, saving the lives of everyone on board.

The captain and crew have made their way around all the major news outlets, giving interviews, getting their pictures taken, and receiving all kinds of praise and gratitude.

The captain is being called a hero and the whole affair is referred to as the "Miracle on the Hudson".

Do these people really feel like heros and heroines though? Intellectually, I guess they do, but emotionally, it is clear to me that they are suffering. Perhaps they feel more like victims? Do they welcome all the attention lavished upon them?

I saw one interview where one of the flight attendants said that she has not been able to put on her uniform since the Miracle. She just can't. Others said that they haven't returned to work. They just can't ... yet. In most interviews with the captain, he appears to be on the verge of tears.

Something that happened to me recently made me feel sad for the crew of the Miracle as I watched them on television this morning.

As some of you know, I am a Muslim chaplain in a prison. Chaplains often see things and hear things that most correctional staff (except the guards) do not. Being a chaplain can be emotionally and spiritually traumatic.

A few weeks ago, I was making my rounds in one of the restricted housing units. Part of my job is to pass each cell and make myself available to any inmate who may want to "talk". For the Muslims, I hand out prayer schedules and Islamic articles. Mostly, I provide supportive counseling and encouragement.

One particular afternoon, I passed a cell in a section that houses the acutely mentally ill who are in a therapeutic community program. As I passed the cell, I saw the inmate laying on the floor with her neck suspended in a homemade type of ligature.

This type of suicide attempt in prison is technically death by strangulation because it is usually very difficult to "hang up" due to the construction of prison cells (i.e., removing anything they can swing from). So, it is common for inmates to strangle themselves by putting a ligature around their neck and then leaning forward. If undiscovered, the inmate will pass out in a very short time and eventually die.

This inmate had rigged up a shirt or a pillowcase to the metal frame of the bed in the form of a "u", then laid on the floor face down and slipped her neck through it ... and then I came along.

I immediately called the guard over and a team went into the cell and resolved the situation. The inmate, Alhamdulillah, did not die. In no time, she was cussing everybody out and banging her head on the cell door.

The staff told me that "she does this all the time." Apparently, she does these things when she knows that staff are in the unit. She knows that someone will intervene.

They were used to her suicide gestures that she does for attention. After all, for some people, negative attention is better than no attention.

But the purpose of my post ...

When I left the prison, I was extremely upset. You see, in all my years in corrections, I have never seen anything like that. I have seen plenty of things, believe me. But never a suicide attempt. Even if it was "just for attention". It was pretty traumatic for me.

I did share about it with my husband and with two of my best Muslim sisters. Everyone agreed that Allah (swt) placed me in that situation for a reason. "Alhamdulillah, that you came by when you did, Safiyyah" I was told. "She could have died."

I was kind of like a hero.

But like the crew of the Miracle, I didn't feel like one.

The mental vision of the inmate laying on the floor like that played over and over in my head, the horrible image intruding when I least expected it. I still think about it.

There are no keys to the city for me, no TV shows. My husband and two friends have not mentioned it to me since, no one has asked me how I am, how I'm dealing with it, wondering if I'm OK.

Perhaps it's the tough image I portray to people. Like I can take it. Like I can handle it.

After all, I'm a chaplain. Sometimes I think people think that I have a special pipeline to God, Astaghfurallah. I think they think I'm extra spiritual or something. But I'm not. I'm like everyone else.

Every airplane pilot and crew attendant is trained for the possibility of perhaps one day having to deal with the unthinkable emergency.

Likewise, everyone who works in corrections, including the chaplain, is trained for the unthinkable emergencies.

It's part of our job.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Gaza - Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children


Sister Laila at Raising Yousuf and Noor: Diary of Palestinian Mother has put up a very beneficial post about ways to continue to help the Palestinians. Her major point is that there is SOMETHING that EVERYONE can do for Gaza if they chose.

One of the awesome projects she posted about is the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children.

From Atfaluna's website:

"Atfaluna is the main referral and resource center for most institutions, clinics, and hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The Society serves as the Gaza coordinator of the Community Development Society for the Hearing Impaired, a coordinating body of 21 member organizations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip working in the field of hearing loss."

How can we help this terrific organization?

Well, they have a fantastic online boutique. All these things are made by the Society and are of high quality. There's something for everyone and it's not too early to start your Eid shopping!

Please check it out and buy something. I know I'm going to, Insha Allah!

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Lisa! I Found a Vakko Scarf!!!

Lisa! I found this one on Ebay! I bid on it and won it.

$10. Yes, that's right! $10.

I didn't want to say anything until I won the bid, lol!!!

It's an estate piece, silk with gold thread. Look how huge it is! I love turquoise and I have some brown jilbabs.

Jazaka Allahu Khayr, Lisa, for turning me on to these beautiful scarves!





Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sleep is a Minor Death



Browsing through Imam al-Jibaly's wonderful book while doing some research, I read something that turned out to be an epiphany for me.

I'll admit something: before reading what I am about to quote below, I had a little bit of anxiety about death. I love Allah (swt) and want to be in Jannah. I am careful about my actions everyday because I know that my choices in this life will definitely affect what happens to me in the Hereafter.

We are told that "every soul will taste death" and we all know it's going to happen.

But I admit that sometimes the Shaytan whispers to me.

What I read liberated me from my little fears. Alhamdulillah. I am no longer afraid of death.

Why?

Because I have experienced "minor death" and at times it has been very pleasant!

Iman al-Jibaly writes:

"During sleep, our souls depart from our bodies in an obscure manner. The soul of every sleeping person is held by Allah, and He then releases it when it is time to wake up."

Allah takes the souls at the time of their (owners') death, and (He also takes) those that (their owners) have not died yet - during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed, in this are signs for those who reflect. (39:42)

Dear Readers: I remember learning this early on when I re-verted to Islam. But what I never knew (and if you know this, bear with me, don't laugh!) is:

Ibn Uthaymin (ra) said:
"When a person goes to sleep, Allah (swt) takes away his sould in a form of minor death during which the soul goes to wherever Allah (swt) wills." (Sharhu Riyadh is-Salihin, no. 841)

A minor death! We "come back" from the dead! Again and again!

Imam al-Jibaly comments:

"During the 'minor death', a soul gets to meet other souls of both living and dead people ... "

(How many times have you dreamed of a dear deceased relative or someone living?)

After Khuzaymah Bin Thabit (ra) told the Prophet (saw) that he had a dream in which he was prostrating upon the Prophet's (saw) forehead, the Prophet (saw) said:

"Indeed, a soul surely meets another soul (during sleep). (Ahmad and others)

Imam al-Jibaly says, "Seeing specific individuals during sleep normally means that Allah (swt) has created their resemblance in the dreamer's mind. However, there are times when the dreamer's soul actually meets other souls of living or dead people. It's interaction with these souls may remain imprinted in the dreamer's mind after awakening. There is no indication that the other souls would remember the encounter, especially because the Prophet (saw) did not indicate remembering encountering Khuzaymah's soul. The encounter of souls is an obscure matter of ghayb, and cannot be subjected to our worldly standards ... a person's soul travels very fast so as to meet other souls, angels, etc. Even if he sleeps for just a brief moment, his soul is taken and then returned to his body during that moment."

Alhamdulillah!

He also said, "We learned that Allah (swt) sends the soul during sleep on a mysterious journey that involves amazing visions and encounters. As for the souls whose terms in this life has not yet ended, Allah (swt) sends them back into their bodies - which is demonstrated by awakening. These released souls may then remember and relate some of what they experienced during their journey - dreams."

Alhamdulillah!

The other night, I had a dream where my soul went on an amazing journey dear readers. My soul went to Mecca! I remembers pieces of my dream, but I clearly remember being with a bunch of other Muslims on top of one of the surrounding hills of Mecca. Someone said to me, "Look! It's over there!" I looked down but all I could see was a valley. But I knew "it" was there. In my dream, I knew that it was the Kabah that someone was trying to show me. I was so excited in the dream. And then I woke up. I didn't see it that dream.

But, Insha Allah, next time ...

I leave you with a dua that the Prophet (saw) taught us to say before we sleep:

"With Your Name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and by You (i.e., Allah's (swt) permission and help) I raise it. If You hold my soul (by death), show it mercy, and if You release it (i.e., keep it alive) then protect it as you protect your righteous servants." (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ameen! Ameen!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

In The Museum ...

Conversation overheard at the museum premier of Safiyyah's digital art:



"I don't understand it. Why don't those people just stop shooting rockets into Israel?"

(digital art plug-in courtesy of http://www.dumpr.net/)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Gaza Screams!



Sis Noona: Below is the original photo. I love what the software did with the kafeeyahs!



If anyone wants to join in on this fun, you don't need fancy software. You don't even have to download anything to your computer. Everything can be done at the site. Go to http://www.dumpr.net/.

The first screen is "select an effect to begin"

Choose "amazing circles"

Then the screens will move you through the process. It is VERY easy. I put the photograph into "amazing cirles" and got Gaza Screams! on the first try! You can try a variety of photographs that you have on your computer. Apparently, it does great things with faces. Also, having good colors and strong contrast in your original photo is also helpful.

You can save the result to your computer.

That's all there is to it.

Try it and post yours to your blogs, create a link back here or otherwise let us know, so we can all celebrate the creative fun!

Of course, if you want to work your result with some other PhotoElement software, you can do that, too!

Another cool "effect" is the ability to make a jigsaw puzzle from your photo. I'm going to try this, Insha Allah. I take photos of my students at Sunday School at the masjid (they are ages 4-7). This age range loves puzzles. Imagine their surprise, Insha Allah, when I bring them puzzles made from their very own photos!

Again, shutter-tip to Sister Marahm for turning me on to this software.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

44th President of the United States of America!

(Obama and His Grandmother in Kenya)


"There is a way to be good again." (The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini)

Monday, January 19, 2009

Digital Art

Impressed by the awesome images over at my dear Sister Marahm's blog, I emailed her and asked her to give me some help so that I could start making my own awesome images from my photographs.

My first attempt. Drum roll ....................................................

This image is created from a photograph of a monarch butterfly who was visiting my garden (flowers at the bottom).

Sis Marahm: is there a way to get the butterfly (upper half, to the right with orchard color on his wing) to stand out more?

Jazaka Allahu Khayr sis! I am really excited to improve with this art form! I was like a kid on Christmas morning (ermm ... Eid morning) going through the 400+ filters!

I will be emailing you often, Insha Allah :)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Lilith Magazine



Even though I am now a Muslim, I still receive one of my favorite women’s magazines from my “former life” before my reversion to Islam from Judaism, called Lilith.

Lilith, “independent, Jewish & frankly feminist,” reminds me of Azizah Magazine for Muslim women. Both magazines overflow with religious and secular nourishment for the Jewish and Muslim female soul.

I eagerly devour each issue of Lilith from cover to cover, savoring the articles, essays, poetry, fiction, and book reviews that touch an aspect of my ethnic Jewish character that will never change even though I am now a Muslim.

One of the book reviews in the winter 2008-09 (vol. 33, no. 4) issue jumped right off the page at me. In a section that unfolded “what young adult fiction talks about now,” a review of Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah was predominately featured among those of seven Jewish authors.



A review of a book written by a Muslim woman about the religious coming out of a Muslim-Palestinian teenager being included in a magazine for Jewish women?

In this political climate?

What?!

After I recovered from my initial astonishment, I thought to myself, Why not?

I spiraled into a daydream where I visualized a Jewish teenager, her interest piqued by the review, going to Amazon.com and ordering Randa Abdel-Fattah’s book. Like the Muslim teenager, Amal, in Does My Head Look Big in This?, perhaps the Jewish teenager also prayed for peace. Maybe she, like Amal, dreamed of the time when both Palestinians and Israelis would one day enjoy the same rights, freedom, and dignity.

There is so much hate coming from both sides at the current time. Jewish women may not understand how much they have in common with Muslim women. I think that all women want pretty much the same thing. Peace and security. A safe environment for their children. Thriving communities. Good neighbors.

Reading stories and magazines about each other, learning more about each other as women, sisters, mothers, daughters, aunts, grandmothers, wives - well, it may be a start, Insha Allah.

Lilith has once again succeeded in living up to its “independent, Jewish & frankly feminist” distinctiveness.

Mazal tov Lilith!

Tell Obama What You Think About Israeli-Gaza Issues

The President-Elect has a website called Change.Gov.

There is page with all kinds of issues related to Israel, Gaza, and most importantly, aid to Israel.

Go here to see the issues and be sure to vote and make your voice heard.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Jewish Editor Fired For Publishing Article




The below article, by Judith Stone, was sent to Debbie Ducro, a Jewish editor at The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. She published it and was fired the next day:




Quest for Justice by Judith Stone

I am a Jew. I was a participant in the Rally for the Right of Return
to Palestine. It was the right thing to do. I've heard about the European holocaust against the Jews since I was a small child. I've visited the memorials in Washington, DC and Jerusalem dedicated to Jewish lives lost and I've cried at the recognition to what level of atrocity mankind is capable of sinking.

Where are the Jews of conscience? No righteous malice can be held against the survivors of Hitler's holocaust. These fragments of
humanity were in no position to make choices beyond that of personal survival. We must not forget that being a survivor or a co-religionist of the victims of the European Holocaust does not grant dispensation from abiding by the rules of humanity. "Never again" as a motto, rings hollow when it means "never again to
us alone."


Read the rest of Ms. Stone's article here.

Ironically, the newspaper, The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, polled its readers about the situation in Gaza. Notice the questions and the interesting results:

Poll Question: What do you think of Israel's actions in Gaza?

Israel was wrong to respond this way. It will increase anti-Semitism. 37.9%

Israel was too restrained before and needs to hit Hamas hard now to restore its deterrent power. 28.8%

Israel had to do something, but the suffering in Gaza saddens me. 22.7%

Israel should have tried diplomatic talks with Hamas first. 9.1%

Israel's response was good, but it should listen to international calls for a cease-fire. 1.5%

Number of Voters
: 66
First Vote
: Thursday, 08 January 2009 17:12
Last Vote
: Saturday, 17 January 2009 01:16

Perhaps an email to The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle is in order to appeal to them to restore the editor, Debbie Ducro's job? If you write, remember to be respectful, and encourage them to be receptive to balanced journalism.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Friday Evening Reflections

Yesterday morning, I turned on the TV and saw a scene similar to this:



The Israelis had hit the UN main relief agency facility in Gaza. It appears that the Israelis had a Steve Urkel moment. Remember him? He's the guy that was always having little clutzy accidental moments. Afterwards, he would look around and say, "Did I do that?" And everyone would laugh. But what the Israelis did isn't funny. And probably wasn't an "accident".


Neither is this.

CNN also said that they finally managed to get a crew into Gaza yesterday. They entered Gaza through Egypt. Why couldn't they have entered through Egypt before yesterday? Were the Egyptians helping the Israelis in keeping journalists out of Gaza just like they helped them by closing their border to the Palestinian people? Since when do the Israelis control the Egyptian border?

Today, CNN claims they were able to see what three weeks of air strikes and ground assaults has done to the innocent civilians in Gaza.

Well, CNN. Now you are in. Where is your extensive coverage?

What CNN (and other American networks) has been covering non-stop is the US Airways Flight 1549 accident over the Hudson River in New York City.


The plan had left La Guardia and was destined for Charlotte, North Carolina.

However, they are speculating that some birds, possibly Canadian geese, were sucked into the plane's engines causing the pilot to have to "ditch" the plane into the Hudson River.

Imagine: you wake up in the morning planning to take a flight somewhere, possibly home, maybe to a business appointment, or to play some golf as one passenger said, and then suddenly you find yourself an actor in a strange play. Instead of enjoying a nice flight and arriving at your destination, you find your plane crashing to the ground and end up having to be rescued from the freezing water. You then go to the hospital and maybe find yourself giving interviews to the media. If you're like one of the passengers, you may even find yourself being a guest on the Larry King show that evening. Talk about a change in plans.

Allah (swt) is the Best of Planners, Alhamdulillah. We never know what He has planned for us on any given day.

Reminds me of a video of a khutbah given by Imam Siraj Wahaj that I saw one time. He was talking about one of the victims of the DC Snipers.

The victim was killed as he was coming out of a convenience store. Imagine, Imam Siraj said, one minute you're walking out of the store and scratching off your lottery ticket and the next thing you know you are in the grave being questioned by the Angels.

Alhamdulillah!

One never knows!

Having a powerful airplane being brought down by birds also reminded me of the power of the Almighty Allah (swt). And I remembered what He told us about birds in the Qur'an:

"Do they not see the birds held (flying) in the midst of the sky? None holds them but Allah (none gave them the ability to fly but Allah). Verily, in this are clear Ayat (proofs and signs) for a people who believe (in the Oneness of Allah)." An-Nahl, 79

and

"Do they not see the birds above them, spreading out their wings and folding them in? None upholds them except the Most Gracious (Allah). Verily, He is All-Seer of everything." Al-Mulk, 19

I wonder if there were any Muslims on that plane?!

Alhamdulillah! We should never take life for granted.

Insha Allah you all have a nice weekend.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Gaza: CNN "Missing In Action"


A sister friend of mine in Saudi emailed me and mentioned the horrific media images that they were seeing over there.

Why are we not seeing them here? What do we see here in America?

We see CNN's Anderson Cooper and others standing on a hillside over Gaza ... telling us that they cannot show us what is going on within the Gaza Strip. They say that the Israelis will not permit international media to go inside the Gaza Strip. The reason, they say, is because the international media shows bias.

Do you believe it?

Jamal Dajani has written this article at the Huffington Post. According to Dajani's article, there are numerous Arab media organizations reporting from inside the Gaza Strip. He writes:

"There are more than a dozen television stations that still operate out of Gaza. For the past several years, Arab satellite networks have dispatched news reports out of Gaza almost on a daily basis. Leading Arab satellite networks all have offices and reporters in Gaza, such as, Al Jazeera (Arabic and English), Al Arabiya TV, Dubai TV, Nile TV, Abu Dhabi TV, to name a few. Then there is Hamas' Al Aqsa TV and independently owned Ramattan News Service. They have been beaming images of starving children living in desperate conditions during the Israeli siege on Gaza to millions in the Arab world and beyond. Despite these abundant news sources, CNN and other U.S. networks have elected to cover Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith for days on end. Let's face the facts. Images of starving children do not sell advertisements. Trash does. Now, many of those children are dead!"

Why doesn't CNN and the non-Arab "international" media partner with any of these Arab organizations mentioned in Dajani's article? If they really wanted to bring us the truth, wouldn't they attempt to coordinate coverage with the Arab media?

What do you think?

Does it reinforce the so-called "conspiracy" theory that the Zionists control the media in America?

Thursday, January 08, 2009




Your Word is "Peace"



You see life as precious, and you wish everyone was safe, happy, and taken care of.

Social justice, human rights, and peace for all nations are all important to you.



While you can't stop war, you try to be as calm and compassionate as possible in your everyday life.

You promote harmony and cooperation. You're always willing to meet someone a little more than halfway.