* Idd Mubarak

(Picture Source: connect.in.com)  

Muslim women offer Eid al-Fitr prayers in Jammu, India.

*Eid Greetings in Swahili 

For Libya

(Picture Source: Reuters)

Where the real war has only just begun!

Only Women Bleed: Menstruation And Prayer In Islam

*I found an interersting piece @ wood turtle while blog-surfing. The excerpts below really got my attention and the entire article can be found back at her blog. 


Despite being the spiritual equals of men, women are forbidden to pray during menstruation — and a woman who decides to pray is told she is sinning and committing sacrilege. The way in which this religious law is dealt with by many scholars, online literature, pamphlet Islam, multimedia lecture series, discussion forums and conferences, directly affects how women understand and relate to their bodies and is also used by men to help remove women from active worship and participation in the community.

Ask any woman why she can’t pray during her period and she will most likely tell you that because menstruation is painful, God has lifted the requirement to pray as a kind of concession. She might even follow that up with the argument that the blood flows freely, without end until the period is over, and is an impurity.

Now, it’s very true that many women have horrendous experiences with their menstrual periods. Migraines, pelvic pain, cramping, back pain, blood clots, fever, joint aches, and nausea are just some of the symptoms that can drive any woman into bed with a hot water bottle and her preferred method of pain relief. And this is exactly what many sources reference when producing literature on menstruation and prayer. Women are weakened by blood loss. Women are emotionally fragile. Women suffer in their biological pain. Women are naturally unclean. Therefore compassion towards women’s “condition” is required, and they have been granted a boon not to pray. We’re not even required to perform any make-up prayers.

The problem with this reasoning is that every person with physical capacity is required to perform the ritual movements for prayer. If you have mobility issues, you may use assistance like a chair, shorten the length of your prayer, or lessen the extent of the ritual movements. If you are severely incapacitated by illness or disability, you may use your pinky finger to perform the motions. If you cannot even do that, you may move your eyes. Failing that, you gain reward for your intention to pray. Reasonably, if I am bedridden due to my cramps, I am still physically able to pray.

The second argument relates to the potential impurity of blood. Ritual purity is required for prayer. From a worship standpoint, prayer is held within a sacred space, and ritual washing helps prepare a person mentally and physically by washing off the profane. For minor breakages, purity is gained through the light washing of certain body parts (wudhu) after a person farts, urinates, defecates, sleeps, or loses consciousness; and is gained through a full bath (ghusul) for major breakages after a person has an orgasm (self administered or otherwise) has sexual intercourse, or for women specifically, after menstruating.

**Thanx to wood turtle for allowing the repost!

Thinking Out OF The Box !

My Kinda Americans

 

(Picture:www.islandpacket.com)

According to John Henrik Clarke, The survival of African people away from their ancestral home is one of the great acts of human endurance in the history of the world. If this is true then the Gullah people are nothing short of amazing. 

During the slave trade, captured Africans, destined for American plantations, were often retained in holding cells along the West African coastlines. This imprisonment brought together various Africans together under one roof and formed the basis for the outline and structure of  Gullah culture. It is popular belief that the name Gullah is a distortion of the name Angola, a region that supplied some 40% of the slaves brought to and sold at the Charleston slave market. 

Nearly a half a million Gullah live on a 500 mile stretch along the Atlantic Ocean. They are the descendants of the Africans brought to the Carolina Colony beginning in the late 1500s. For nearly five centuries, their lives have been economically and politically tied to this region and the "cash crops" needed for its success whether it be rice or tourism.

A Rajasthani Woman

(Picture Souce: Shunya.net)

Britannia's Unruly Waves Of Rioters ...

I think it’s time for the third world to head to the UK on a civilising mission due to the barbaric behaviour of Londoners over the past weeks.

I was surprised to see some people attempting to liken the London riots to the Arab uprisings … like hello am I missing something? The Arab uprisings were about the people wanting to bring about democracy and get rid of corrupt dictatorial leaders it had nothing to do with looting stores or burning down buildings to get the latest pair of Nikes free.

The more shocking part was that most perpeptrators where white and 'decent' people 
, chefs, millionare's daughters, students at reputable institutions and a postman...is this what happens when they get tired of living their lives of white privilege?

A friend was telling me about an article she read on the riots and their cause and the writer was saying that this generation of UK youth basically have no real morals and most of them are recipients of the dole. There is no real ambition, no real role models and no religion apart from materialism and the next high. The pointless death and destruction in the UK is repulsive even more so, in a  world where people are fighting for their lives everyday and so many wars are being waged simultaneously.

And I have to mention; that I find the accounts of South Africans who attempted to escape post 94, due to all the violence as well as the threat of ‘SA turning into the next Zimbabawe’ ,writing back to local newspapers saying how dangerous London has become and how much they miss the streets of Jozi, totally hilarious!

Here's to 3 years of blogging...

 

  (Photo Source: Frans Lemmens / SuperStock)

Algeria near Djanet Annual Tuareg festival called SBIBA Women playing drum Sahara desert.

Today mirage-a-trois turns 3 and it has been quite a journey. I’ve got the chance to write about all sorts of things and share what I hope is an alternate view of the world we live in, in all its beauty as well as its ugliness but most of all it has allowed me to celebrate the many 'unconventionally' beautiful women and their lives. 

The blog has forced the demon to search (and I don’t just mean google). I am thankful for this platform and for the ability to share my views with ease but mostly I’m thankful to all of you for dropping by and sharing your views and your time because in this crazy urbanised, technological world that we live in time has become far too scarce. 

So until I leave for the Sahara where I hope to lay peacefully beside an oasis, a good book in hand, watching the sunset over the dunes, listening for the voices in the sand and hearing the rhythmic melodies of Tinariwen as they waft through the air, I would like to wish you enough...

  I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Goodbye.”

 -Bob Perks

For Some Friday & Ramadan Spirit

Alif allah chambay di booti, tey meray murshid mann vich lai hoo
My master has planted the fragrant seed of love in my heart

Ho nafi uss baat da paani dey kay
Which flourished with modesty, piety and acceptance of his existence

Har ragaay harjai hoo
My God is present in every throbbing pulse

Ho joog joog jeevay mera murshid sohna
My spiritual guide is ever-present

Hatay jiss ay booti lai ho
The one who blew life into me

(chorus # 1)
Pir meraya jugni ji
I have the spirit of my guide

Ae way allah waliyan di jugni ji
The spirit of all the messengers who brought His message to this Earth

Ae way nabbi pak di jugni ji
The spirit of Holy Prophet

Ae way maula ali wali jugni ji
The spirit of Ali and his followers

Ae way meray pir di jugni ji
The spirit of my saint

Ae way saaray sabaz di jugni ji
The spirit of all his words

Dum gutkoon, dum gutkoon, dum gutkoon, dum gootkun... karay Saeein
Everytime I think of you God, my heart flutters

Parhay tay kalma nabi da Parhay saeein pir merya
So I recite the kalma whenever I think of God

(chrous #1 repeat)

Jugni taar khaeein vich thaal
O my creation, share whatever you have

Chad duniya dey janjaal
Remove yourself from worldly concerns

Kuch ni nibna bandiya naal
There is nothing that you can get from other human beings that you can take to the after-life
(repeat)

Rakhi saabat sidh amaal
Just keep you actions and intentions pure

(chorus # 1 repeat)

Jugni dig payee vich roi
So absorbed was the creation that she stumbled into a ditch

Othay ro ro kamli hoi
There she wailed relentlessly

Oddi vaath naye lainda koi
But there was no one who enquired about her
(repeat)

Tey kalmay binna nai mildi toi
Remember, there is no salvation for anyone without remembering your creator
(chorus #1 repeat)

Ho wanga charha lo kuriyon
Put on your bangles, girls

Meray daata dey darbaar dian
Those that you get at your Master's shrines
(repeat)

Ho naa kar teeya khair piyari
Daughter, don't be proud of your youth

Maan daindiya galaryaan
Your mother scoffs and scolds you

Din din talhi juwani jaandi
That with each passing day, your youth slips by

Joon sohna puthia lariyaan
Even gold when put in the furnance moulds itself, there is absolutely no permanence

Aurat marad, shehzaday sohney
Women, men are like so beautiful

O moti, O laa lariyaan
Like pearls, like the gems

Sir da sarfa kar naa jairey
Those who are not self-centered

Peen prem pya lariyan
They are the ones who truly love the humanity

O daatay day darbaan chaa akho
Whenever you visit the darbar of any saint

Pawan khair sawa lariyan
God fulfils all your wishes and showers you with his blessings

(arif plus meesha)
(chorus 2)

O wanga charha lo kuriyon meray daata tey darbar diyan
Put on your bangles, girls ... Those that you get at your Master's shrines

O wangha charha lo kuriyon meray daata tey darbar diyan
Put on your bangles, girls ... Those that you get at your Master's shrines
(chorus 2 repeat)

Dum gutkoon, dum gutkoon, dum gootkoon, gootkoon gootkon
(chorus 1 repeat)
Jugni ji
Jugni ji
Jugni ji...

On Men & Evolution

You have got to love Cyanide & Happiness!

For The Women Of Somalia This Women's Day

(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)

“Somalia: Nevermind”

black faces

white tongues

the smell of sea water

taunts with sarcasm

drink me

oh somalia

im sorry i couldnt be there for you

but while you were trying to to get your daughter

to drink her urine

a singer died

while your children

were falling from the tree of life

scattered bushels of rotten fruit

some whiter children were shot

oh somalia

only if your beautiful wasnt so black

only if you were

gaza or

libya or

bahrain or

egypt or

norway or

england or

japan or

america

or the moon

i would mention you in a poem

only if you had

oil or

poppy or

timber or

rubber or

gold or

white people

i would mention you in my prayers

oh somalia

only if your beautiful wasnt so black

the world has grown accustom to watching you die

since i was a child

somalia - synonymous with suffering

african meant adversity

an african struggling was like

a fish swimming

a dog barking

somalia meant starvation

nevermind the magic in your poetry

or

the glowing saints rising from your lands like a thousand moons

nevermind the beauty of your beaches

or

the utter perfection in the hips of your women

oh somalia

only if you didnt wear the resemblance of eve

like an ornate funeral shroud

we wouldnt see you as our sin

and avert our gazes

in shame

turn our faces

to blame

only if your lack of the worldy

didnt remind us

of our lack of the other-worldly

perhaps then we would mention you

oh somalia

only if your beautiful wasnt so black

-Amir Sulaiman

*(This is a re-post, I read it @ www.goatmilkblog.com)

“Should I Do It?” Women Struggle With Porn-Driven Sex

Usually I address my writing about pornography to men, who are the majority of the consumers of sexually explicit material. But after a recent conversation with a female friend, I was reminded of how often women who raise concerns about the sexism of pornography are discounted as being overly sensitive, prudish, or unable to see things objectively. Since I’m a man, you can be assured, of course, that I am not overly sensitive or prudish, and that I’m completely objective.

So, if you are a woman who is struggling to get your husband/boyfriend/partner to understand your concerns about pornography, I suggest you send this essay to him with a note at the top that says, “It’s not just women who think pornography is sexist.” Then add a note at the bottom that says, “You shouldn’t have had to hear it from a man to take me seriously.”

First, to be clear: Everything I know about pornography I learned from women or discovered because of the feminism I learned from women. From the feminist anti-pornography movement that emerged in the 1970s and ‘80s, I learned to critique the system of male dominance and my own place in it. So, there is little that is original in this essay, but much that is important to keep saying.

When I present the radical feminist critique of pornography in public, I am often approached afterward by women with some version of this question:

“My husband/boyfriend/partner wants me to do [fill in the blank with a sex practice that causes pain, discomfort, or distress for the woman]. I love him, and I want to be a good partner. Should I do it?”

The “it” can be anything, but common requests include ejaculating on her face, anal sex, a threesome with another man or woman, rough sex, or roleplaying that feels inauthentic to her. Again, not all women reject those practices, but for many they are unwanted.

The answer to the question, “Should I do it?” is simple: No one has an obligation to another person, no matter what level of commitment in a relationship, to participate in any sexual activity that causes pain, discomfort or distress. People can discuss desires honestly and be open to sexual exploration, yet be clear about what crosses the line and is not acceptable.

Because I’m a man, women sometimes assume I can also provide a simple answer to their next question, “Why does he want to do that to me?” There is a simple, though not pleasant, answer rooted in feminism: In patriarchy, men are socialized to understand sex in the context of men’s domination and women’s submission. The majority of the pornography that saturates our hyper-mediated lives presents not images of “just sex,” but sex in the context of male dominance. And over the past two decades, as pornography has become more easily accessible online and the sexual acts in pornography have become more extreme, women increasingly report that men ask them to participate in sex acts that come directly from the conventional male-supremacist pornographic script, with little recognition by men of the potential for pain, discomfort or distress in their women partners.

The third, and most challenging, question is: “Why can’t he understand why I don’t want that?” The strength of sexual desire plays a role, but here the answer is really about the absence of empathy, the lack of an ability to imagine what another human being might be feeling. Pornography has always presented women as objectified bodies for male sexual pleasure, but each year pornography does that with more overt cruelty toward women. The “gonzo” genre of pornography, where the industry pushes the culture’s limits with the most intense sexual degradation, encourages men to see women as vehicles for their sexual pleasure, even depicting women as eager to participate in their own degradation.

After more than two decades of work on this subject, I have no doubt of one truth about contemporary pornography: It is one way that men’s capacity for empathy can be dramatically diminished.

To make this point in talks to college and community audiences, I often suggest that, “Pornography is what the end of the world looks like.” By that I don’t mean that pornography is going to bring about the end of the world, nor do I mean that of all the social problems we face, pornography is the most threatening. Instead, I mean that pornography encourages men to abandon empathy, and a world without empathy is a world without hope.

This is why pornography matters beyond its effects in our private lives. Empathy is not itself a strategy for progressive social change, but it is difficult to imagine people being motivated to work for progressive social change if they have no capacity for empathy. Politics is more than empathy, but empathy matters. Empathy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the work that challenges the domination/subordination dynamic of existing hierarchies, and transcending that dynamic is crucial if there is to be a just and sustainable future.

For women who want to communicate their need for sexual integrity to partners, and for men who want to transcend the pornographic imagination and empathize with their partners, the feminist critique offers a critique of male dominance and a vision of equality that can help. Instead of turning away from the unpleasant realities about how pornography is made, rather than ignoring the inhumanity of the images, rather than minimizing the effects of men’s use of pornography -- we should face ourselves and face the culture we are creating.

As long as we turn away from that task, the pornographers will continue to profit. We need ask what their profits cost us all.

by Robert Jensen,
posted on MS Magazine, July 2, 2011

A Land Called Paradise

I don't believe that as muslims we need to be apologetic or explain ourselves to anyone. I guess I do not fully understand the conflict and context of American muslims post 9/11. However it is not the song so much as it is the video.
I do love this video.

Ridiculous Irony

In occupied Palestine the mayor of Jerusalem is currently defending the decision of the Israeli government to build the museum of “Museum of Tolerance and Human Dignity” on an old Palestinian graveyard (does one laugh or cry?).

The museum is sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and is an extension of the current MOT in L.A which was designed to examine racism and prejudice with a strong focus on Holocaust history. It also aims to foster tolerance within occupied Palestine’s diverse Jewish communities – are these guys serious???-

One of the primary criticisms of the museum is the excessive use of multimedia technology to appeal to and manipulate the emotions of children. The museum uses fast-paced skits, dioramas, films, and interactive computer-controlled exhibits in an effort to make an emotional impact on visitors and actual historical artifacts are absent for the most part. Other critisims range from the design to the location and of course the fact that the museum does not focus at all on building tolerance between Arabs and israelis, the more pressing issue one would think.

The Mamilla Cemetery whose land has been appropriated for the building of the museum is  historical and dates back hundreds of years and contained the graves of many important Islamic saints and scholars, as well as several Mamluk tombs and archeologists have found 4 layers of graves within the cemetery.

Construction has been stayed a few times and in February 2010 fifteen of the oldest families in Jerusalem filed a case before the United Nations in Geneva and held news conferences there, in Los Angeles and in Jerusalem. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University has members of his family buried there and calls it the further desecration of a cemetery that they have been nibbling away at for over three decades, despite many protests: "The fact that it was desecrated in the ’60s doesn’t mean that it’s right to desecrate it further.”

Woman of Baltistan

(Picture taken by a friend in Altit Village)