tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711963555928284412024-03-14T17:00:42.311+02:00After Hardship There is EaseYosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-20433071534839560622019-05-17T14:19:00.000+02:002019-05-17T14:19:25.875+02:00العلبة الدهبية لو بتشوفك بطة ارجع أسد طويل - El3elba Eldahabeya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-61732135661500600162019-05-17T14:18:00.000+02:002019-05-17T14:18:00.836+02:00Death on the Nile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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According to www.imdb.com the cast and crew spent seven weeks filming at on location in Egypt. Four weeks were on the steamer boat and three were at such places as Cairo (Giza), Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel. <br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfae7; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Filming had to be stopped every day at noon for around two hours because temperatures reached around the 130 degrees Fahrenheit mark at that time. To accommodate this, make-up calls were scheduled for 4 am with filming starting at 6 am. On this, veteran actress </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000012/" style="background-color: #fcfae7; color: #70579d; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Bette Davis</a><span style="background-color: #fcfae7; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> once quipped: "In the older days, they'd have built the Nile for you. Nowadays, films have become travelogues and actors stunt men".</span><br />
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The whole movie can be found on the internet---though not on youtube. Daily Motion has it with Korean subtitles (bonus to those readers who speak Korean).<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxyk38_death-nile-1_webcam" target="_blank">Part 1</a><br />
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We meet all the characters. <br />
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There's great acting by such All-Stars as Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, Angela Landsbury, David Niven, and Olivia Hussy. The last one you might not recognize by name by she was the sensational "Juliet" in the 1968 <br />
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By pass the opening credits which only show the waves of water.<br />
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The setting starts in England and end up in Egypt. A horse ride and a climb up the Pyramids is a stunning visual. <br />
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It used to be that you could climb the Pyramids but now you are not allowed though some risk it. You'll also see the Sphinx up close and (very) personal as there is a pause at the paws for a kiss. Though the couple should ride off for Mena House, the famous old hotel mentioned in the book, we end up in Aswan.<br />
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It does occur to me that nothing shown in films with an Egyptian location help you to actually understand the logistics of traveling here. Everything is patched together haphazardly because it's faraway and will be incomprehensible to the viewer anyway. I hate that kind of thinking. If movie makers would take some care about educating as well as entertaining the world would be a better place.<br />
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So somehow we are at the Cataracts Hotel in Aswan with its Oriental interior. I always think of "Oriental" as meaning "Asian" but it means Arabesque as well. I did not visit the Cataracts this past Spring as the prices were ridiculous for even a cup of tea. However, I did stand on the banks opposite for a photo op. I love visiting places where famous writers were inspired. It was during her stay at the Cataracts that Agatha Christie wrote, "Death on the Nile."<br />
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From the hotel, we are led out into the Aswan market and that is worth seeing. You do get the feeling of the place. There's a scene with the coppersmiths in which the heat seems unbearable. The film could have done more to communicate the intense heat in Aswan.<br />
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The temperature, during filming, reached 130 Farenheit by midday. Everyone had to stop for a couple of hours. To accommodate this lose of time, they had to start earlier; make-up calls were for 4:00 AM with shooting beginning at 6 AM. The make-up and costumes look great so the strategy worked.<br />
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The costume designs, by Anthony Powell, won an Academy Award in 1979. He also costumed the last two Indiana Jones movies, Hook, and the live-action 101 Dalmatians. <br />
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The worst casting decision of the movie is for the Captain aboard their steamer "Karnak". This man is INDIAN not EGYPTIAN. I find this rather outrageous. There would have been ample English-speaking comedic actors to pick from in Cairo but instead they cast the sing-song turban-wearing I.S. Johar. <br />
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Continuing to ignore logic,<br />
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the boat heads for the Karnak Temple in Luxor before heading to Abu Simbel in one day. That's impossible because the distance would be over days not hours. You can't get too literal while watching this or you miss the fun. <br />
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It is fun to see the characters hoist themselves onto camels and donkeys to ride up to the ruins. There's a great moment when Maggie Smith's donkey gets a jolly whack on the rump by Bette Davis' parasol. I could have sworn that the troupe were headed to Philae, the temple on an island just south of the Cataracts, but it turns into Karnak in the next shot. Might have been some movie magic. Philae is mentioned in the book but not shown in the movie. <br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxyk3p_death-nile-2_webcam" target="_blank">Part 2</a><br />
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The plot thickens. <br />
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The Karnak Temple, with all its columns, is like an extra member of the cast. Even my husband sitting next to me had to say, "Great photography!" You do feel the sense of being inside this forest of huge pharaonic columns.<br />
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Later, that same day, the group disembarks at Abu Simbel. Again, you feel the majesty of the place. A strong wind whips sand about. No one goes inside. <br />
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There is a mistake spoken by the German doctor, played by Jack Warden who will always remind me of, "The Bad News Bears." Well, he erroneously says that one of Abu Simbel's statues whispers secrets. It's not in the book that way. Of course, it's screenwriter Anothy Shaffer who got that wrong. I'll forgive him because the movie hums along nicely while keeping (mostly) faithful to the book. That's a hard task!<br />
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Shaffer wrote the screenplay for one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, "Frenzy". I hadn't known that. I had thought he was the playwright of, "Equus," a notorious show about sex and horse stabbings. Nope! That was his identical twin brother Peter Shaffer. The more successful of the two, Peter had been nominated for an Oscar in 1978 but won the following year for "Amadeus". It makes me wonder if their rivalry might have been some of the inspiration for Charlie Kaufman's screenplay of "Adaptation." which features identical twin screenwriters.<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxyk40_death-nile-3_webcam" target="_blank">Part 3</a><br />
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The murderous boat becomes the focus and not the location. <br />
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However, we do see an incredible overview of Karnak Temple from on top of the pillars. You would never EVER be able to see this on a tour of Egypt so it's a real treat. <br />
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It would have been nice to hear authentic Egyptian musical instruments as their dinnertime entertainment. The musicians are playing them but oddly the sound that comes out is dubbed. <br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-72294026026334491892017-09-22T07:18:00.002+02:002019-05-17T11:15:57.503+02:00Early Moments Matter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Asalamu Alaykom,</span></span><br />
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This actor, Ahmed Helmy, has become my favorite, family-friendly celebrity in Egypt. He is always putting himself out there in a positive light. God bless him and UNICEF. </div>
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This ad reminds parents who use cutesy baby talk around their children are doing them a disservice; that using an intelligent vocabulary gives them a better ability to communicate.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-89269784867131959842017-07-04T14:55:00.000+02:002019-05-17T11:22:08.263+02:00Giving Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,</div>
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During the hottest week yet this summer, we had an errand to run. As a family, we went down our street with the aim to catch an air-conditioned taxi. My husband and son, being males, focused on the goal ahead. I, being female, noticed the little boy too short to turn on a faucet. The water tap, supplied by the mosque, was meant as a form of charity. They hadn't figured on this small guy being all alone and thirsty.<br />
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Despite the fact that I got in trouble the last time I tried to help a boy in my neighborhood, I stopped walking. I asked my husband to help the boy. Ahmed went over and filled the cup---probably a germy cup since it's used by ever passerby---and gave it to the boy. The boy drank without thanking anyone because that's what kids do.<br />
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I thanked my husband as he returned to me and we continued on our walk.<br />
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"Mom," my own boy began, "how did you even notice him?"<br />
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"Didn't you see him?" I asked.<br />
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"No, I can't pay attention to everything!"<br />
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I thought and then replied, "I can't either, but I do notice the needy. If I can help, then I do."<br />
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Over Ramadan, I found so much solace in helping the mama cat and her kitten. To give them water and watch them drink has felt so good. I'm sharing the video at the top of this post because an eco-friendly man found a way to record just who it was drinking out of the pail of water he had been leaving.<br />
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Mashahallah.<br />
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Later, on the day we were running an errand, I saw that, across the street, the cart with the Eid hats and noisemakers. It was still being pushed with hopes that someone...anyone...would buy. I marveled at that and even turned my head to watch him as he went away. Then, I saw his feet without shoes. His feet were on city street's burning pavement and he kept walking along without any protection.<br />
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I stopped and asked my husband if we could help him.<br />
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"You're too soft, Mom," my son complained.<br />
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"Mashahallah," my husband corrected, "Your mom is so sweet."<br />
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However, he wouldn't join with me in finding a way to get the man shoes. The man stayed on my mind the rest of the day, the week, and into today. We had the money; we just didn't have the time. Astragferallah. <br />
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If I see him again...<br />
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and then I wonder why I'm the only one who sees him. Doesn't anyone else see those in need?<br />
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If you see him...<br />
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or anyone else whom you can safely help today, then please do.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A FEW DAYS LATER</span><br />
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My rescue mission expanded from the animal kingdom to the plant kingdom when I saw a plant in need of help.<br />
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Seeing living organisms in need of help isn't hard in Egypt because there is SO MUCH need. Maybe there is in other places in the world----I certainly saw a lot in the U.S. Because I'm still a foreigner in Egypt (and always will be), I perhaps see the need that others don't.<br />
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It wasn't hard to see this particular plant as it was stationed right outside my window. It used to be that we had an openness outside our salon window, but building higher and higher became a necessity all over our neighborhood (and all over Egypt). As the family with the three grown sons increased their levels, our view decreased. We ended up looking directly at their balcony...and the plants.<br />
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The neighbor's youngest son is still unmarried, so he hasn't moved in even though three plants are stationed on his balcony railing. Two of the plants seem to weather the desert conditions pretty well. Their leaves stay standing at attention. Then, there is the other plant. I think it's jasmine. It wilts. Not right away! It tries to be like its buddies and take the heat like a cactus, but it can't. When it wilted, I felt badly for it.<br />
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Could I knock on the door and tell the men's mother about it? <br />
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Not really (unless I wanted to be labeled The American Weirdo).<br />
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Could I talk to the wife of one of the brothers? She lived one floor down and sometimes I would see her hanging out the wash.<br />
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She doesn't know me and might not understand me in our first meeting if I'm talking about a plant.<br />
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Couldn't I just disregard it?<br />
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I tried.<br />
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I failed.<br />
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I couldn't stop thinking that there was this precious little life that had brought me joy in this area where any form of gardening cheers me up. I couldn't let it die! I therefore did what any half-crazed American does: I got my gun!<br />
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<a href="http://www.dhresource.com/260x260s/f2-albu-g5-M01-0D-E4-rBVaI1koKpCARl_kAAJcvXUQLlo560.jpg/gun-model-toys-biggest-super-soaker-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="260" src="https://www.dhresource.com/260x260s/f2-albu-g5-M01-0D-E4-rBVaI1koKpCARl_kAAJcvXUQLlo560.jpg/gun-model-toys-biggest-super-soaker-water.jpg" /></a></div>
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It's a water gun; a big Super Soaker from the States. It's not the exact one in the photo, but pretty much like it. We actually carried it back to Egypt with us when El Kid put up a fuss saying that he couldn't live without it.<br />
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It was fajr when I went into his room. He was sleeping. I <strike>stole</strike> borrowed his Super Soaker and filled it with water. It has a pumping action that you have to repeat in order to build up the pressure. I started it up and it WAS LOUD. I could have truly woken up everyone---including my husband who had gone back to bed. I knew that if I woke him up I would NOT be able to water the plant.<br />
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I primed the mechanism only a couple more times and then stuck it out the window. That must have been a strange sight! I wonder if anyone saw me in my prayer clothes with an atomic space-age weapon. I pulled the gun back in when I realized that worshipers were leaving the mosque from fajr prayer. It probably would be a bad deed to super soak faithful believers.<br />
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I waited. I scanned the street. No one was there and I didn't hear anyone coming.<br />
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I stuck the gun out of the window again and squeezed the trigger. The water shot from our window to the neighbor's balcony. It worked! Now, I had to aim it better to get it into the flower pot. Some of the dirt splashed out and hit the wall behind. Oops! I didn't mean to dirty their home.<br />
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I stopped and wondered if I should continue. Could I get in trouble even if I was doing my best? Ah, that's the story of my life, isn't it? I decided that a living thing <strike>trumped</strike> outweighed a cement wall. I shot again with better aim and no more splashes. I gave some water to the other plants as well. Didn't want them getting jealous.<br />
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I stood back and looked. I don't know what I thought I would see. It wasn't snapping back into shape like a slinky. It was still wilted and I wondered if I had been too late. Nothing left for me to do but go back to bed.<br />
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When the sun was up, I got up a second time. My husband was already awake. I went into the salon to see him and then I headed to the window. I couldn't tell him. I could only look furtively. There it was: the balcony with three plants and every one of them looked beautiful.<br />
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It <u>had</u> worked! I had saved a plant. Alhumdulillah.<br />
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Later that week, the neighbor man came to check on his future home and watered his plants. After that, he forgot again and I shot again. That time was funny because El Kid was sure that I was going to shoot the noisy children in the street. Hmm...<br />
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I eventually told my husband. He laughed. He knows me well enough to know that he can't really stop me if I'm on a righteous kick.<br />
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For me, when I look out the window and see the healthy plant I feel a tenderness towards this fragile world. It needs us to care. I'm glad I cared---not just about the plant, but about everyone and everything that has mattered to me. I hope I have done more good than bad in my life.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-2081774666197054402017-01-05T22:59:00.002+02:002019-05-17T12:59:22.589+02:00Why Janet Jackson Named Her Baby Eissa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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Mashallah! Mashallah! Mashahallah!</div>
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Arabic people often praise God in threes for emphasis. "Mashahallah" means that I'm acknowledging that something has come from God. In this case, I'm soooooo happy for Janet Jackson and her husband Wissam Al Mana on the birth of their baby boy Eissa.</div>
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Why name him "Eissa"?</div>
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First of all, naming a child in the Arabic culture is VERY important. Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgement believers will be called by their first name and father's name. There are <a href="http://www.lastprophet.info/which-names-did-the-prophet-change" target="_blank">cases from the time of Prophet Muhammad</a> (peace be upon him) when names with negative connotations were changed. An example from modern times might be a girl named Brandy (an alcohol) would be better to have her name changed as people will always associate something lascivious about her.</div>
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Janet has not said that she wants an Arabic name herself and she does not have to change her name ever. I changed my name because I just felt done with who I had been before as if that time had been used up. I didn't hate my birth name and it didn't have any bad meaning.</div>
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We don't know if Janet Jackson has come to Islam like her older brother Jermaine. There had been talk of Michael Jackson (May God give him a rest in peace) coming to Islam, but that never was confirmed. Janet does not have to come to Islam to be married to a Muslim man. She was raised Christian and can stay Christian.</div>
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I see that at least one UK paper has announced that Janet Jackson converted (or "reverted" as I say). Unless Janet Jackson comes out publicly to state that this has happened, I will not assume that she has. It is not necessary to come to Islam in order to raise a Muslim child. If she is accepting enough of her husband and his ways, then she will do just fine as Um Eissa. This is her new honorary title meaning "Mother of Eissa" and her husband becomes Abu Eissa or "Father of Eissa".</div>
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Often times, women who marry Arabic speakers gravitate to a name in Arabic---maybe a translation of their name in English, such as Mary liking the name Maryam. Maryam is actually the name for Jesus' mother (respect to her) and there is a chapter in the Quran named after her "Surah Maryam".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAMMhdHzE2q8_hZOCPZNmAJn8xQRxDQZe4h1GVLZah_Tzf171RNrhUmyH77PwFVssXJU4KmzcxZc6ZDzHhGodG7ReXM_jTx2-BKmTMAj4QuXaGGyuJZn2TLh6WWdB2t1JfysmJNKPWbs/s1600/Isa+n+Maryam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAMMhdHzE2q8_hZOCPZNmAJn8xQRxDQZe4h1GVLZah_Tzf171RNrhUmyH77PwFVssXJU4KmzcxZc6ZDzHhGodG7ReXM_jTx2-BKmTMAj4QuXaGGyuJZn2TLh6WWdB2t1JfysmJNKPWbs/s640/Isa+n+Maryam.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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It is often a surprise to Christians that Isa Ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary) is so revered by Muslims. No, we don't believe he is son of God. I never believed that so I wasn't a very good Christian. However, we all respect him as one of the great messengers along with twenty-four others mentioned in Quran. These men brought new laws from God to the people. They are "Rasul" in Arabic. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3aY6L8H1aWhjtM_CKdl6tuE0er2jqxIRA0vEmbSMKn0GHEvcQFbSCXrS4yOPeG2ZWVxPbXHh8rgikyNimukRpaeV6GbB_RFdocokDVdywNiFMAceJs9cZSCA8Oz3yPNSkPtDLtDNvNg/s1600/Family+Tree+French+and+English.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3aY6L8H1aWhjtM_CKdl6tuE0er2jqxIRA0vEmbSMKn0GHEvcQFbSCXrS4yOPeG2ZWVxPbXHh8rgikyNimukRpaeV6GbB_RFdocokDVdywNiFMAceJs9cZSCA8Oz3yPNSkPtDLtDNvNg/s640/Family+Tree+French+and+English.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Adam</li>
<li>Idris (Enoch)</li>
<li>Nuh (Noah)</li>
<li>Hud (Eber)</li>
<li>Saleh</li>
<li>Ibrahim (Abraham)</li>
<li>Lut (Lot)</li>
<li>Ismail (Ishmael)</li>
<li>Ishaq (Isaac)</li>
<li>Ya'akub (Jacob)</li>
<li>Yusuf (Joseph)</li>
<li>Ayub (Job)</li>
<li>Syu'aib</li>
<li>Musa (Moses)</li>
<li>Harun (Aaron)</li>
<li>Daud (David)</li>
<li>Sulaiman (Solomon)</li>
<li>Ilyas (Elijah)</li>
<li>Ilyasa' (Elisha)</li>
<li>Yunus (Jonah)</li>
<li>Zulkifli (Ezekiel)</li>
<li>Zakaria
(Zachariah)</li>
<li>Yahya (John the
Baptist)</li>
<li>Isa (Jesus)</li>
<li>Muhammad (mentioned by Jesus as coming after him)</li>
</ol>
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You can read more about the list of messengers (peace be upon them all) <a href="http://islam4muslims.weebly.com/nabi-and-rasul-prophets-and-messengers.html" target="_blank">here.</a> Most names in Quran have another pronunciation in the Bible. Notice that "Adam" does not. Obviously, these names are very popular with Muslim parents. They do fall in and out of fashion like anything in this world. Here in Egypt, I see a LOT of boys named Mohamed and Yussef but I've never met a Yunus.</div>
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Many Western moms who are married to Arabic men like to chose a name that still connects them to their world that they knew before. Popular American names like David, John, and Zack become Daud, Yahya and Zackaria.</div>
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Of course, because the names in English are transliterated from Arabic, it is the <u>sound</u> of the name that is being approximated. That means that three boys with the same name in Arabic could have it spelled three different ways: Daud, Dawud, Dawood or Yahya, Yahia, Yehya. </div>
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This is true with Janet Jackson's son too. She chose the spelling Eissa, but it also gets spelled Eesa and Isa. Which way is best? I like how she spelled it and I'm pretty sure it was chosen after consultation with someone knowledgeable. The way his name in Arabic</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;">عيسى</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">starts with the Arabic letter "ayn" which a </span>diphthong<span style="font-family: inherit;">, or a two-vowel combination that works together. I can barely say it! I basically cop out and say a one-vowel "ah" for names that start with "ayn" like Umar/Omar, or Aisha. Truly, it is supposed to be more of an "ah-ee" sound. Therefore, writing the name as "Eissa" is the most correct, although all the news reports still seem to cop out on pronunciation as they have been saying "Isa". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What I find interesting is that Janet Jackson could have named her baby "Yasu", </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">يَسُوعَ</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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that's the name for Jesus according to the Arabic Christians, but she didn't. This signals a very real bonding to her Muslim man and a respect for his religion. Her religion? I don't know, but in the Muslim faith a child is the religion of the father, so her son is Muslim. Janet Jackson is now out numbered by two Muslim males---thankfully, she's had lots of practice being outnumbered in her famous family.<br />
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The Jacksons had that naming convention of "J" names and in a way her son continues that with being "Jesus". In America, a son could NEVER be named the English name "Jesus", even though the Spanish name spelled the same way "Jesus" but pronounced "Hay-sus" is given. She got to be both very different and original, yet traditional at the same time.<br />
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Eissa (peace be upon him) brought light to the earth at a time of darkness. His teachings helped guide the people back to the path they had already be shown by prophets before him. I am sure that his example has helped both the Jackson family and the Mana family. <br />
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Now, Baby Eissa is uniting his mother Janet and father Wissam in a beautiful new relationship as parents that will bond them together as a family. <br />
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<a href="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/12C39/production/_91775867_gettyimages-162637847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/12C39/production/_91775867_gettyimages-162637847.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Please join me as I make du'a (supplication) for this new family.</div>
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<i>May Allah protect Janet, Wissam, and Eissa and help them as they learn and grow together. May Eissa be a healthy and strong child who becomes a leader in the world for better understandings between people and nations.</i></div>
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Ameen.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-81628988752392382162016-10-29T17:12:00.000+02:002019-05-17T13:02:22.263+02:00Sugar and Sunnah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuKhIc1Uv7zJQ_WAxBcU7Vci2e1sVDsag7vGJK0OOZQkYkuTuK" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuKhIc1Uv7zJQ_WAxBcU7Vci2e1sVDsag7vGJK0OOZQkYkuTuK" width="400" /></a></div>
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As Muslims, we spend a lot of time attempting to live closer to the way of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It isn't only in our devotional times that we need to emulate his ways. We were given so much authentic information about his daily habits---more than for any other prophet (peace be upon them all). Therefore, we observe the way he lived, or the sunnah.<br />
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He didn't eat refined sugar. He just didn't. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), he lived a much healthier dietary life than we do. Actually, no one really ate refined sugar until about a thousand years after he passed away.<br />
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Does that mean we should not be eating anything he didn't eat? I'm not going to go that far, but we do have to look at following the sunnah in which the Prophet (pbuh) tasted the sweetness of dates and honey and was satisfied with that. <br />
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Is there a chance you could reduce your sugar intake?<br />
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That's what I starting asking myself. I looked into it not as a diet---because "I don't die it, I live it". I looked into it as a way to be more faithful. <br />
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I started researching. <br />
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How many teaspoons of sugar is the maximum a woman should consume in a day?<br />
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Six. A woman is only supposed to have six teaspoons in a day.<br />
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Each teaspoon is the equivalent of 5 grams, so each day women have 30 grams of sugar as a limit. <br />
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Me? I was putting two and sometimes three teaspoons of sugar in my coffee. Half of my daily intake was done in the first hour of every day----and you know that I didn't stop there!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLHMCNk02uqrF24wkO0PSQfuBSMESGfCUEAUZcwQOhS_tjIL0zer75lvEZY3BmAOS0OKxHcI65vM0wGWx5bV49VyeyCYdHYlrYjqCsx5M6STeX43JHuqBdYD0LC8F96c87d7236MEZkIN/s1600/stronger+than+a+spoon+of+sugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLHMCNk02uqrF24wkO0PSQfuBSMESGfCUEAUZcwQOhS_tjIL0zer75lvEZY3BmAOS0OKxHcI65vM0wGWx5bV49VyeyCYdHYlrYjqCsx5M6STeX43JHuqBdYD0LC8F96c87d7236MEZkIN/s1600/stronger+than+a+spoon+of+sugar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now? I put only put one teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. You know how we add a little too much sugar if nobody's looking? I bought some sugar cubes! Those sugar cubes are measured to exactly be those 5 grams. If it's tea, I use honey. Therefore, I am reducing my sugar intake by at least 5 grams every day.<br />
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"A DROP IN THE BUCKET!" shouts the heckler from the nosebleed seats. <br />
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He's right, but every good intention for better health has a reward.<br />
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Let's do some math...I know, you used to hate math in school...me too! Somehow, though, it is comforting me in my old middle-age. <br />
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If I, in shah allah, give up one teaspoon a day then every six days it's like I've given up a whole extra day of sugar. That's good! That's not just a drop; it's the equivalent of giving up a whole day of sugar.<br />
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It wasn't just coffee and tea. Look at this great graphic from <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/09/9-surprising-foods-have-more-sugar-krispy-kreme-donut" target="_blank">Mother Jones</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQh8nehG6zY6kr86FMljiOTpaxaYyNVVCrgUB_zkyQLqbun24ggfA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQh8nehG6zY6kr86FMljiOTpaxaYyNVVCrgUB_zkyQLqbun24ggfA" width="400" /></a></div>
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I started looking into the juice I've been drinking. Time Magazine looked into <a href="http://time.com/103898/5-juices-with-more-sugar-than-soda/" target="_blank">the issue</a> as well. Here in Egypt the sugar content is very high. The juice is more like a concentrated syrup than a beverage. I thought that I was buying "Pure" juice because that's what it said on the label. I was still bringing 12 to 16 grams of sugar in every juice box I sipped for lunch.<br />
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Do the math again! Ya, so that's 2-3 teaspoons of sugar in every box. It felt wrong. <br />
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The next time I went to the grocery store, I brought my reading glasses and spent some time reading labels in the juice aisle. Sure enough, I could find a juice that only listed 10-12 grams sugar. If I was able to eliminate 5 grams, then I stopped me from unwittingly ingesting another teaspoon.<br />
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WORD PROBLEM:<br />
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If Yosra drinks a juice box a day during the school week, and she is saving herself from drinking 5 milligrams of sugar with every juice box, how much sugar is she eliminating from her diet every month?<br />
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ANSWER:<br />
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5 x 5 = 25 grams a week or 5 teaspoons a week<br />
5 x 4 weeks = 20 teaspoons<br />
20/6 teaspoons maximum per day = 3 days.<br />
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Add that to the amount I'm already giving up in my morning coffee and it's 8 days total. Could you give up sugar for eight days? It would be hard, but it's not impossible if you simply view it this way. You ARE giving the days up, but while only reducing rather than eliminating.<br />
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One thing you know that is just horrible is soda pop. I've asked for my husband to stop buying it. If we're out at a restaurant (and that's once in a blue moon) then I don't mind if we order it. However, having it easily accessible every day, means that you simply will drink more of it. Pop is just too high in sugar content to consume it on a regular basis.<br />
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Take a look at Coke and Mountain Dew. Remember, the maximum is supposed to be SIX sugar cubes. 27?? 30???<br />
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I tried to explain this in the staff room. You know how people on a health kick are! Right away, it was assumed that it was about weight loss. It isn't! If I never lose another pound in my life, I'll be fine. I would like to reduce the strain on my body, however. I'd like to eliminate thirst that seems unquenchable because I've had too much sugar.<br />
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<a href="https://authoritynutrition.com/10-disturbing-reasons-why-sugar-is-bad/" target="_blank">Sugar really isn't harmless</a> Click to read some easy to understand research.<br />
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Am I noticing any effects? I am more mindful of what I'm buying and eating. I like that because that's who I strive to be. I ate a creme-filled cookie last week and it was waaaaaaaay too sweet for me. I hated it. That's a good thing! I'm less thirsty. My jeans fit a little better this week than last---that's good because even though I'm not doing this to lose weight, I do want to reduce the belly fat that slows down insulin production (and leads to diabetes).<br />
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Maybe you didn't think of any of this before. Now that you have, it's up to you to either look into your own sugar consumption or not. The problem is that once you realize you <i>could </i>do better, you can't ever claim that you never knew.<br />
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No food that has been made lawful to us can be declared "haram" or unlawful by us. I'm not saying that sugar is haram. Eat and drink it bismallah (in the name of Allah). Only, realize that we are supposed to be people who live by moderation in all things. Obviously, we, as a society, have not been moderate in our sugar intake.<br />
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Maybe you have battled and won---good on ya! Maybe you're like me and you're in the throes of the struggle---keep going! If you haven't ever given it a thought and now you're thinking about it differently----let me know! I'd like to know if this post has a positive impact on your life. I hope it has.<br />
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Love and Light!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">UPDATE:</span></b> While talking to a co-worker, she helped me realize that the sugar content listed is really deceiving the consumer. For example, the drink in my hand was 250 ml but the nutritional information was only for a 100 ml serving. Therefore, the 12 grams of sugar listed needed some math.<br />
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12 x 2 = 24 (to change sugar grams from 100 ml to 200 ml)<br />
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12/2 = 6 (the additional 50 ml)<br />
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24 + 6 = 30 grams of sugar<br />
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All of a sudden what seemed like a good deal was horrible. Instead of imbibing 2 teaspoons of sugar, I had been drinking 6 teaspoons of sugar! Even though I was reading labels, I was misreading---and I'm an educated woman who is really investigating. Imagine someone with less ability trying to figure it out. It's almost as if the beverage industry has something to hide...<br />
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Therefore, take a second look at those labels!<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-63560582312789222612016-01-04T09:14:00.000+02:002019-05-17T12:19:09.056+02:00Chinese and Islam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<a href="http://static.thousandwonders.net/Great.Mosque.of.Xi'an.640.6207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://static.thousandwonders.net/Great.Mosque.of.Xi'an.640.6207.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Great Mosque of Xi'an</span></div>
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When I was teaching at an Islamic school in Florida, I was appalled at how the Muslim children in my English class couldn't read a story about a Chinese-American boy without making fun of Asians. No matter how much I stopped and corrected, the ill treatment continued. I am a firm believer in teaching children (and adults) not to make fun of anyone; act only as you would if they were standing in front of you. That fifth grade class got a surprise writing assignment: write a page on Chinese Muslims.<br />
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One of the more interesting facts we discovered back in my classroom is that there are actually 10 million Chinese Muslims which means there are more Muslims in China than there are in Saudi Arabia. Think about that!<br />
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Here's <a href="http://www.emel.com/article?id=77&a_id=2139" target="_blank">an article from Emel</a> if you'd like to read more in depth on them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3xte42kBHg1O5k9gTBO17F5O8a2wiGF_JZ7PPYMR22OtnbwJsQjcsXE2Q3iWx3AvkTW_FbmBuJecZoAOLddSfSRuGzOy4TsihWVURwXeyAzTtO5H4gMEUEOi-3drDyXB2qExNEJu888/s1600/Chinese+Muslims+in+prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3xte42kBHg1O5k9gTBO17F5O8a2wiGF_JZ7PPYMR22OtnbwJsQjcsXE2Q3iWx3AvkTW_FbmBuJecZoAOLddSfSRuGzOy4TsihWVURwXeyAzTtO5H4gMEUEOi-3drDyXB2qExNEJu888/s400/Chinese+Muslims+in+prayer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Maybe from that time of standing up for my Chinese brothers and sisters, I have developed a special affinity for them. They have NO REASON to be Muslim other than they feel it necessary for their soul. These days,<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/world/asia/xinjiang-seethes-under-chinese-crackdown.html?ref=world&_r=0" target="_blank"> there is a crackdown in China which is squeezing them and testing their faith</a> so please make du'a for Chinese Muslims.<br />
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Today, I'm researching some Chinese language for my upcoming lessons on Hung Wu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Hung Wu helped to build <a href="http://www.thousandwonders.net/Great+Mosque+of+Xi'an" target="_blank">The Great Mosque of Xi'an</a> . It's pictured at the top of the page and it's really an amazing testament to the spread of Islam. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHFA1oUHQjfkW53rmEayRj4eXBkv-C3QxfV5bbZF6DYcem8HF-9pWxtLX8tmV0NODsmr5nlctnol7fe_wyWWJxfknagF2LIW6ttrTbk1cr3HjcNi7HtpIwmqaIroCC6_ESA86jCEZNKI/s1600/China+Great+Mosque+of+Xi%2527an+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHFA1oUHQjfkW53rmEayRj4eXBkv-C3QxfV5bbZF6DYcem8HF-9pWxtLX8tmV0NODsmr5nlctnol7fe_wyWWJxfknagF2LIW6ttrTbk1cr3HjcNi7HtpIwmqaIroCC6_ESA86jCEZNKI/s640/China+Great+Mosque+of+Xi%2527an+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are some pictures of the inside of the Great Mosque of Xi'an.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://jenniferandharoldseethe.world/xian-inside-the-city-walls" target="_blank">Credit </a></span></div>
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I once again became enlivened by Chinese Muslims. <br />
<br />
Take a look at this:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">回</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">huí</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I find that character quite simple and beautiful. I found it when I was looking up the word for "to answer". Yes, it has that meaning but it also means</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to circle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to go back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to turn around</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to return<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to revolve</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hui ethnic group (Chinese Muslims)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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It's the word for Chinese Muslims! <br />
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Isn't that great?! It is like "revert" in that it is someone returning back. The symbol looks exactly like what it is--a turning around in a circle. It is like tawaf; the ritual circling of the Kabbah. If you think of it as such, then see how the inner symbol is a square THE KABBAH. Subhanallah. I see that.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I found it on <a href="http://yabla.com/">yabla.com</a> and, being the curious person I am, started to search for more.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are some of the most important words in Islam written in Chinese.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
This is actually how to write Kabbah<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">克尔白</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">克爾白</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kè ěr bái<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ka'aba, sacred building in Mecca</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.3pt;">
<em><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">安拉</span></span></em><em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.3pt;">
<em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.3pt;">
<em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ān lā<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 16.3pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Allah
(Arabic name of God)</span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">伊斯<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">兰</span>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";">伊斯蘭</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yī sī lán<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Islam</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">可<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">兰经</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional<span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">可蘭經</span></span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kě lán jīng<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quran (Islamic scripture)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's something that blew me away. The word for the Muslim Holy Book in Chinese is not "quran" because that word already has meaning. If you say "quran" in China, it means <i>quiet, still and silent. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
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<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";">阒然</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-size: x-large;">闃然</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
qù rán<o:p></o:p></div>
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quiet<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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still and silent<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i> </i>How amazingly true is THAT?</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">清真</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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qīng zhēn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Islamic<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Muslim<o:p></o:p></div>
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halal (of food)<o:p></o:p></div>
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clean<o:p></o:p></div>
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pure</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">朝向</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cháo xiàng<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Qibla (<span class="highlight"><b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Islam</span></b></span>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2a3235;"><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;">The Qibla is the direction Muslims face while praying and it is to the Kabba in Mecca.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2a3235;"><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;">To me, it looks like the faith of </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">回 </span><span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;">has an open door to reach the inside and isn't that a beautiful way to think of the qibla?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: x-large; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: x-large; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: x-large; line-height: 17.8333px;">To go on Hajj</span><span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"> has an interesting connotation. </span><br />
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">朝<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">觐</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">朝覲</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cháo jìn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to give audience (of emperor)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
retainers' duty to pay respect to sovereign<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hajj (Islam)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Isn't that kind of interesting? The same words for hajj are what you'd say if you were going to visit a head of state---like an emperor...or a caliph.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">哈里<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif;">发</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">哈里發</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hā lǐ fā<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Khalīfah or Caliph (Arabic: successor), head of state in Caliphate </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It brings an earthly understanding of how important going to Mecca is. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">麦加 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">麥加</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mài jiā<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mecca, Saudi Arabia<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">圣地 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">聖地</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
shèng dì<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
holy land (of a religion)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sacred place<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
shrine<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
holy city (such as Jerusalem, Mecca etc)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
center of historic interest</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">耶路撒冷</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yē lù sā lěng</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jerusalem<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Someone who goes on hajj gets an honorary title and here is that.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">哈吉</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hǎ jí<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
haji or hadji (Islam)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
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<br />
This is getting ready for the Eid at the end of Hajj.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">古尔邦<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">节</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">古爾邦節</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gǔ ěr bāng jié<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eid al-Azha festival of sacrifice on tenth of twelfth month of Muslim lunar calendar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're racking your brain on which Eid is "Azha", it is known as Eid-Al-Adha here in Egypt or as the Eid Kabeer <i>the big holiday </i>when the sheep are slaughtered at the end of Hajj.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">There are the other observances of Islam like fasting in Ramadan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">封<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">斋</span> </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-size: x-large;">封齋</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fēng zhāi<o:p></o:p></div>
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fast (in several religions)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ramadan (Islam)<o:p></o:p></div>
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see also <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";">齋月</span>|<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">斋月</span>[Zhāi yuè]<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";">斋月</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional<span style="font-size: x-large;"> 齋月</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Zhāi yuè<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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Ramadan (Islam)</div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">尔德 </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-size: x-large;">爾德</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Ěr dé<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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Eid (Islam)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">开<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">斋节</span> </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">開齋節</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><br /></span></div>
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Kāi zhāi jié<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eid ul-Fitr (Islam)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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Hari Raya<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">There are the words for the observance of prayer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">清真寺</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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qīng zhēn sì<o:p></o:p></div>
mosque<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">教<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif;">长</span> </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">教長</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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jiào zhǎng<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
dean<o:p></o:p></div>
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mullah<o:p></o:p></div>
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imam (Islam)<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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see also <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">伊瑪目</span>|<span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">伊</span><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif;">玛目</span></span>[yī mǎ mù]</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When I looked up "wudu" this is what was brought up.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">无毒 </span>Traditional </div>
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<span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">無毒</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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wú dú<o:p></o:p></div>
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harmless<o:p></o:p></div>
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innocuous<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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lit. not poisonous<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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I love this! I don't know if this is what you'd say to speak about the Islamic absolution but it's very cool to think of the literal meaning as <i>not poisonous.</i> I always imagine my wudu as cleaning off the toxins of the day so this has real meaning to me.<i> </i> </div>
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<br />
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<br />
I looked but couldn't find "hijab". <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
This may or may not be what a hijab gets called.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">盖<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">头</span></span> </div>
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Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">蓋頭</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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gài tóu<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cover<o:p></o:p></div>
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cap<o:p></o:p></div>
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topping<o:p></o:p></div>
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head covering<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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veil<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">朝向</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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cháo xiàng<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 17.8333px;">Qibla (</span><span class="highlight" style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 17.8333px;"><b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Islam</span></b></span><span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 17.8333px;">)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235; font-family: "palatino linotype" , serif; font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a3235;"><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;">The Qibla is the direction Muslims face while praying and it is to the Kabba in Mecca.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2a3235;"><span style="font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;">To me, it looks like the faith of </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">回 </span><span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;">has an open door to reach the inside and isn't that a beautiful way to think of the qibla?</span><br />
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #2a3235; font-size: 16.6667px; line-height: 17.8333px;"><br /></span>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">祷 </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">禱</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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dǎo<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
prayer<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
pray<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
supplication<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif;">顶拜</span> </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">頂拜</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
dǐng bài<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to prostrate oneself<o:p></o:p></div>
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to kneel and bow the head (in submission, supplication, worship etc)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">念珠</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">唸珠</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
niàn zhū<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
prayer beads</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I looked up the prophets (peace be upon them all). </span><br />
<br />
Not all were listed and for many I used the Christian names for them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif;">亚当</span> </span></div>
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Traditional<span style="font-size: x-large;">亞當</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yà dāng<o:p></o:p></div>
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Adam<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif;">诺亚</span> </span></div>
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Traditional <span style="font-size: x-large;">諾亞</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nuò yà<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Noah</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";">亚伯拉罕</span> </span><br />
Traditional<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";">亞伯拉罕</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Yà bó lā hǎn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abraham, father of Judaism and Islam in the Bible and Quran</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
same as Ibrahim <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";">易卜拉</span>辛</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
Just from seeing a few names, I can guess that <span style="font-size: x-large;">亚 </span>means prophet or something like it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">依撒格</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yī sā gé<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Issac (name)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">摩西</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mó xī<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moses<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This one made me laugh. I know it isn't pronounced exactly the same, but in English, "moxie" means a <i>force of character, determination or nerve </i>and that CERTAINLY was Nabi Musa/Prophet Moses (peace be upon him).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";">亚伦</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">亞倫</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yà lún<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aaron (name)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">雅各</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yǎ gè</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jacob (name)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">耶利米</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yē lì mǐ<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jeremy or Jeremiah (name)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";">约瑟夫</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional <span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">約瑟夫</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yuē sè fū<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joseph (name)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei";">约纳</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Traditional 約納<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yuē nà<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jonah<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">施洗<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">约翰</span> </span></div>
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Shī xǐ Yuē hàn<o:p></o:p></div>
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John the Baptist<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">耶<span style="font-family: "microsoft jhenghei" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">稣</span> </span></div>
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Yē sū<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mohammed (c. 570-632), central figure of Islam and Prophet
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It is incredible how Islam spread to China. We can thank Abi Wakas (ra) who went to China and died and was interned in China. Read more about him <a href="http://www.aulia-e-hind.com/dargah/Intl/China.htm" target="_blank">here</a> and about the mosque he founded <a href="http://www.chinahighlights.com/guangzhou/attraction/guangzhou-huaisheng-mosque.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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There is <a href="http://www.sunnah.org/sources/hadith_utlub_ilm.htm" target="_blank">a hadith</a> (although of only deserving the grade of "fair" believability) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Seek knowledge, even as far as China." For certain, Islam encourages knowledge and learning about other languages and cultures helps us and helps the ummah. Why China specifically? It is unfathomable that it could have been brought to such a far flung place by a sahabi...but it was. Subhanallah! If a sahabi (ra) can travel so far a distance, when travel was so long and dangerous, to such a diverse group of people and BRING ISLAM and have it remain for centuries in their hearts, then what can't be done?! <br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-43748906162306142692015-07-08T22:16:00.000+02:002019-05-17T12:58:23.906+02:00Ramadan Tips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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Ramadan Kareem!<br />
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Whether this your first Ramadan or your fortieth, I'm hoping that it is meaningful for you inshahallah.<br />
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I would like to share a few ideas that have worked for me in Ramadan. As I think of more helpful hints, I will add them to this same post. Check back later for additions.<br />
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You can also read through my extensive <a href="http://www.afterhardship.blogspot.com/search/label/Ramadan" target="_blank">Ramadan</a> postings from previous years.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Using Time Wisely</u></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></b>If nothing else, Ramadan teaches us that we are not limitless bundles of energy. We slow down from our lack of water and food and we WILL slow down in our lifetimes. We have got to use our time wisely.<br />
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One of the beauties of Ramadan is that you can see the stupidity better than at any other time of the year. This doesn't happen right away---because materialism and the mainstream are flowing through our veins. It takes a couple of weeks for those feelings to drain from us, but if you've been connecting to Allah in prayer and through the Quran, it happens.<br />
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In the last days of Ramadan, the time you waste becomes apparent. The energy you could have directed better abso-freakin-lutely hits you in the face and makes you think differently. The amount of clutter you've hoarded trips you up and forces you to ditch it immediately.<br />
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Use these days of clarity to see how your little corner of the world could be better. If you want change DO IT NOW before dunya pulls you back down like so much gravity. You really don't want to be stuck in exactly the same spot you were in before the month begin. What's the point of being alive if you're stagnant? Remember how to be organic and changing with a new outlook to match this new time in your life.<br />
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Get rid of whatever no longer serves you---be that clothes, emails, friends, social apps, bad habits, or unhealthy feelings and actions. Ramadan is many things for us---a boot camp, a vision quest, a deep cleanse---it would be a shame if the month ended without us having met the challenge to change.<br />
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Imagine: It's the first day of Eid. Looking back on your month-long fast, what do you wish you'd accomplished? What did you hope to achieve but didn't?<br />
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Now WAKE UP! It's not Eid yet. Just like Ebnezer Scrooge realizing that the future has not yet come to pass, you have time to make a positive difference NOW.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Suhour</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sandwich Maker</span><br />
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I gifted myself a sandwich maker on my last birthday. I couldn't get my husband to see the value in an appliance because he reasoned, "You can just heat up sandwiches on the stove." While he is right, I am so glad that I bought this time-saver. I can make food quickly for us in the morning faster than if I was using the stove or a toaster over because the heat is so concentrated into such a small space. Mine has two modes: pocket sandwich or grilled sandwich.<br />
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Today, I heated up foul medamnes, the Egyptian dietary staple, with left-over rice and half a slice of cheese inside half a pita bread. I added a little bit of seasoning and olive oil. It went onto the grill plate and came out steaming hot; an Egyptian burrito, if you will.<br />
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It's hard to get children to eat suhour, but if it's a sandwich it goes down easier and faster. This one sure did!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Smoothie</span><br />
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Big straw in a tall glass of orange juice and vanilla yogurt goes down quickly! My favorite brand is Activa because it has live cultures and that aids in digestion.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>With Children</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Book Making</span><br />
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It's not too late to sit down with your child and make a book to chart their Ramadan experience. Project learning is one of my favorite ways to teach so the information sticks. <br />
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Decorate the cover however you wish, but keep it peaceful. It's OK to tell your child that Ramadan can't let everything in.<br />
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Inside, leave the first page for your index page.<br />
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At the top of the second page, write Ramadan and then both years----with Hijrah calendar dating and Gregorian dating. Explain how both count from an important time in history. This year marks 1436 years since the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) took his followers from Mecca to Medina. This year also marks 2015 years since the birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh).<br />
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Use a ruler and a pencil to make a graph for their chart on fasting and prayer. Mark in pen the days of Ramadan and explain how we can't know for sure how many days Ramadan will be.<br />
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Write tally marks for each prayer they do on time. <br />
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Write a comment for any Islamic knowledge gained that day, for instance which surah you read from or memorized.<br />
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Have another page for good works. On our first day of Ramadan, El-Kid went through his old clothes and readied a bag for the boy whose mother sells produce on our street. We had a good conversations about the poor. Even working people can be poor and we need to free up our unusable blessings to those who actually could use them.<br />
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For sure it's proactive to set goals. "Begin with the end in mind," is one of Stephen Covey's effective quotes for successful people. What does your child want to accomplish over this Ramadan? If there are no hopes, then instill some dreams. It can be something as simple as having their friend over.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Decorating Drink Bottles</span><br />
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Drinking is a key to Ramadan's success. The day before, we bought some expensive yogurt drink in very non-ecological bottles. I almost didn't buy them because of that. However, some of our packaging is re-usable and these were. I washed out the white, sturdy plastic bottles, peeled off the plastic sleeve, and my son then took permanent markers and decorated each one with our names. He wrote "Ramadan Kareem" on them as well. He was very creative! I like crafts if they are practical and this certainly is.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finding Apps </span><br />
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Browsing the app store for Islamic apps brings the love for technology into Ramadan. For us, we are using two different apps to help memorize the 99 names of Allah <i>Al Asma Husna.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Making Dawah </span><br />
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In multi-cultural settings, like my son's international school, there are many different religions. It's important for our children to share who they are without preaching who someone else has to be. My son's best friend has two Christian parents. I'd like to invite them over to share iftar with us. Sharing iftar dinner with your child's non-Muslim friend is a way to demystify your family for those whose opinion really does matter. Yes, you do want your child to have friends whose parents understand that the generosity and acceptance you teach your child is a part of your Islam (not an exception from it). <br />
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If you're not able to have dinner guests, then still have a play date. It's easy to think that your fasting child can't have friends over, but then YOU become the friend. A short time together breaks the monotony.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Study Quran Together</span><br />
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Have time to read aloud the Quran and to discuss it so that it is alive for your child. It's not enough to hear the words, they have to be understood. I have been having the most amazing conversations with my son about faith, which we wouldn't have had except for Ramadan re-focusing our lives.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Iftars</u></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></b>The iftar is the dinner meal after the fast is over. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Be Proactive</span><br />
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Many of us are used to thinking about what to make for dinner when we become hungry. During Ramadan, there needs to be more forethought. The meal planning has to start from the night before with thinking what you DIDN'T eat that night.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Menu Planning</span><br />
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Balance is key to everything in life and your diet needs to have a variety during a month-long fast or you and your family will suffer physical repercussions. It will be hard to get everything in during the meal, so see the whole day, from suhour to iftar, and later the dessert, as needing to be planned. We tend to overdose on carbs while neglecting fruits, vegetables and protein. Think of what hydrates and helps with hydration. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Great Meals</span><br />
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<b><u>Vegetarian Night</u></b><br />
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As much as Egyptians believe that every iftar needs an animal protein, I can't handle it. Islamically, we are not to make our stomachs an animal's graveyard. One night, I had to take a break from the spread downstairs. I planned a meal of wild rice and lentils with sauteed veggies along with a fresh fruit drink.<br />
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After fajr, I soaked brown lentils in one bowl and wild rice in another. I love wild rice! It's got a lovely, earthy flavor which makes me feel so healthy from the first bite.<br />
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I also made the drink.<br />
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I already had the apricot drink "amar al deen" made and refrigerated and I added the thickest gloop at the bottom. I did NOT add any sugar. It doesn't need it! I peeled two apples and cut them up into small, bite-sized pieces. I added cut up dates and dried figs. I also put in raisins. Both the figs and the raisins can have tiny stems, so I carefully removed those. It got to chill during the day in order to get ready for breaking the fast at magrib.<br />
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An hour before iftar, I sauteed the wild rice in a glob of butter and a vegetable bullion cube. I then added the lentils and enough boiled water to cover the mix and covered the pot. While that was cooking, I washed white rice and let it sit. After I could see that the wild rice had started to expand, I added the white rice and more water and stirred. I brought it back to a simmer and then cooked it as I would white rice (letting it steam for 20 minutes on low heat). <br />
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While the rice and lentils were cooking, I cut up veggies in an angled way into large, thin strips. I used a small eggplant, two zucchinis, two small green peppers, a large carrot, and a small onion. When the rice was done, I put on a large fry pan of oil on to heat and sauteed the veggies along with a bay leaf, a ton of rosemary, some oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper. When the veggies were tender, I turned off the heat.<br />
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While the rice stayed hot, I left the veggies to cool down. After breaking the fast with dates, water and prayer, I plated the food easily. We enjoyed the meal while watching the last episode of Colin Firth's <u>Pride and Prejudice</u>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pig is not at the Table</span><br />
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Don't be the pig at the table and eat until you're full. That moment when you feel comfortably full is better than the I-can't-move full. It is Islamic to push yourself away before you are fully engorged.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Keeping Hydrated</u></span></b><br />
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This year, Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere will be seeing the longest fasting days possible.<br />
Since it's summer, staying hydrated and keeping children hydrated is really important.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Frozen Grapes</span><br />
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Love this! Wash them and freeze them. It's that simple! Smaller is better and of course seedless is important. To make it easier, freeze in portions. I have a set of small, plastic bowls with lids which I separate the portions into before putting them into the refrigerator in the morning.<br />
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While you can certainly eat frozen bananas, I don't recommend it during Ramadan because it's so easy to become constipated during the fasting season. Bananas do not help with this problem---in fact they make it worse! Children, who love bananas as much as monkeys, don't understand the correlation yet of what we eat affects how we feel and might overindulge. It is best not to offer this alternative, in my opinion.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Frozen Yogurt Drops</span><br />
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This is another winner. Get yogurt that it's too sweet and blob dime-size portions out onto a plastic tray or plate. This gets frozen for a short time. Pull it out and use a fork to pry them off the plastic bottom. You might have to let them thaw just a bit. Have individual containers ready to portion off the amounts. They stay in these cute, little drops and they stay very cold. The key is not to make them too large because the coldness is really too much with the larger blobs. Smaller is actually better. I have tried using plain yogurt and it isn't good. Some fruit flavor is a nice ending to the day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jello </span><br />
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Of course, the danger is in buying jello from the regular supermarket in the West and then you run the danger of eating pork gelatin. It's worth a trip to a halal market to stock up on all the flavors.<br />
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Jello is one of the best deserts to serve after iftar dinner and prayers. It is so refreshing. You can serve it either alone, or layered up with yogurts or fruits. You can even put fruit <i>into</i> the jello. I froze mine the other day and it was fun to eat that way too. I use those same small, plastic bowls with lids (which I used for the grapes) for this too. It saves me time later to organize the after-iftar while I still have my wits about me in the morning.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Popsicles</span><br />
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Buying popsicles is a good idea. It's fun to make your own. I've got Nesquick and oatmeal cookie popsicles in the freezer now. The key is having a REAL set of popsicle forms---forget about propping some stick into a cup covered with tinfoil. The form that I have now is connected in one unit (like an ice cube tray but deeper). I put that on top of another tray in the freezer just in case there might be spills. Take it out once frozen, let it thaw enough so you can release it from the form. Then, you can place them in a container until you're ready to eat it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tang</span><br />
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In America, Tang only used to come in Orange. Is that still the case?<br />
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We are so blessed in Egypt to have Tang in so many flavors. Currently, we've been busying Mango Delights---both the Mango, Orange and Strawberry combo along with the Mango and Watermelon combo. I love the variety! What's cool is that the company comes out every Ramadan with special flavors. We've been buying them all: Tamarind, Hibiscus, and Apricot.<br />
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I make a liter of Tang and separate it into small plastic bottles I've washed out. They then get popped in the freezer in the morning. Later, after we've eaten dinner, they come out again for whoever is thirsty. What's nice about preparing them in the morning is that I can forget about them all day. After dinner, I can take them out again so they thaw a bit before offering them. Ice cold Tang is better than any pop or sweetened juice for quenching thirst. The low sugar is the key.<br />
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If you want to be fancier about serving it, then keep it in a pitcher, but pop it in the freezer until it's slushy. Having it icy is really the key.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stay Away from <i>De</i>hydrating Drinks</span><br />
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Not all drinks are getting you hydrated. <a href="http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-common-myths-about-dehydration.html" target="_blank">Take a look!</a> Some drinks are classified as diuretics, like coffee, black tea, and sodas. Your body needs to flush their toxins out, which means eliminating them through urine. The sweeter the drink is, the more need to send it out of your body---with that water you thought you were getting.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/thumbnails/0,,20709014,00.html" target="_blank">Eat Your Water</a></span><br />
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It isn't only drinks that keep you hydrated. Some foods are really excellent in that regard. It isn't just watermelon---although, that has a 92% water content. Cucumbers have even more with 96% and they are great with yogurt for suhour in the morning and with salad at iftar.<br />
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<a href="http://nj1015.com/top-10-most-hydrating-foods/" target="_blank">Click the links</a> and read up on what you could be adding to your Ramadan diet to keep hydrated.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Desserts</u></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Pancake Pockets</span><br />
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I just made up that name. If you can find a better name, let me know. I used the aforementioned sandwich maker like a griddle for cake batter. I used two eggs instead of three, the melted butter, milk, and only about a third of the package. The trick is to not over-fill the cavities in metal plate. While the first batch of four individual little cakes is cooking, I took out some raspberry jam and chocolate spread. When the timer light turns green, I could take the cakes out with a tong and place them onto a plate to cool a little. <br />
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I then took two tiny teaspoons and put a dab each of raspberry jam and chocolate spread onto each cake before folding them over. I kept doing this until the batter was used up. Arranging the completed pancake pockets in a ring around a circular plate looked pretty. The report from the guys was all good---alhumdulillah! I served these with a cold coconut drink.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Reaching Out</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Writing THOSE emails</span><br />
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After being shown the Holy Quran by Angel Jibreel/Gabriel, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not get to stay in the cave. He had to leave and commune with others. That's a lesson for all of us because we all have a friends and family on our contact with whom we are NOT in contact. <br />
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Ramadan is the perfect time to reach out---for the sake of Allah. Wish every Muslim on the list, "Ramadan Kareem" and tell every non-Muslim that you were thinking about them during Ramadan. Ask for forgiveness from anyone who stopped speaking to you because of some falling out. Thank anyone who showed you kindness in your life. Some people are inspirational to you but you haven't really told them---do it! If it's someone who has moved away, let them know you miss them and ask how they are doing. Make it simple and short but above all---heartfelt.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-74208062069336883812015-05-22T14:11:00.000+02:002019-05-17T13:12:14.928+02:00My Neighborhood of Nazlet Samaan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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After praying fajr, my husband and I both read until the sun shone brighter, and then he said to me, "Do you want to go for a walk?" <br />
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I do like to go for quiet walks in our neighborhood. <a href="http://afterhardship.blogspot.com/2013/11/touring-nazlet-samaan.html" target="_blank">Here are pictures</a> of another time we went. <br />
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El-Kid was still sleeping off a busy week at school, so I left him a note: "We went out for a walk. Be back soon!"<br />
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It only took two blocks before I saw this juxtaposition of barbed wire and flowers. I wished that I'd brought my phone. I don't even think of bringing my camera any more. My husband handed me his phone and I snapped away as we ambled through our neighborhood next to the pyramids.<br />
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It was so early out on the streets that there were more animals than people.<br />
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This is my neighborhood. Yes, I feel blessed to be here. Yes, I sometimes forget to feel blessed.<br />
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The carriages were parked perfectly for a ready-made photo shoot.</div>
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My husband pointed out this door knocker. <br />
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I love all the old doors.<br />
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I love the colors and textures.<br />
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Someone spent time scratching out Morsi's face.<br />
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Doors open into possibilities and the symbolism is meaningful to me.<br />
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Morsi peering out from the faded past.</div>
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All of these doors will disappear some day. I know that taking pictures of them today means that they will survive in this digital form tomorrow. <br />
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This is the wall separating our neighborhood and the historic Giza Plateau. My husband, as a child, used to be able to clamber up the hill. Now, there are cameras on the other side.<br />
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Love the unexpected patterns.</div>
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This is one of my favorite finds from today. It looks like a fairy house. </div>
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Doesn't this upside-down horseshoe mean that their "luck" is running out? <br />
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The colors on this street are reminiscent of an oil pastel.<br />
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I know you see the horse, but do you see the passenger?</div>
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My husband pointed out the camel that I hadn't seen at first. Camels always seem to pose.</div>
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Gorgeous colors and art noveau make me happy.</div>
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It's the aged imperfections that grab me.</div>
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This was maybe my favorite door of the day. It had so much going on with it. I had my husband take a picture of me in front of it. I looked too tired, so you won't be seeing that.</div>
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Glorious. I only wish I'd taken a better picture of it---just cock your head to the right a little.<br />
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Do you see the cat? It wondered what I was doing.</div>
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This is the end of the road.</div>
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Wait. Maybe this was my favorite door. Yes, it must have been because I took four photos of it.</div>
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To me, this is modern art. If this was hanging up on a museum wall, you would see that as the truth. Someone spent time perfecting this and those choices added up to an artifact of human expression</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgcdJYTbZEX2vDBiuOAJEYBe6v9sbAB8asHcVnjDhk2KSo_Ah8k_OHxYnZMcFkO6y1CYlrdJcSRckpzm65315nZMQs_oWZosTlZBKyUYVFvyujpMn80WZWxyuxNbk9GEasBcCjsRYVu0/s1600/Photo0137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgcdJYTbZEX2vDBiuOAJEYBe6v9sbAB8asHcVnjDhk2KSo_Ah8k_OHxYnZMcFkO6y1CYlrdJcSRckpzm65315nZMQs_oWZosTlZBKyUYVFvyujpMn80WZWxyuxNbk9GEasBcCjsRYVu0/s320/Photo0137.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is on the other side of the door.</div>
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Love this. It is a locked door, but it has all these really unusual openings.</div>
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The last house next to the wall is slowly crumbling away.</div>
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This is not a great picture. It's a memory that I wanted to share. There are so many sights and sounds where I live. There are constant surprises. The morning had been so quiet--silent. Everyone was asleep! Then, I heard a bird-like squawking in the parking lot for the carriages. As we got closer, I realized that it was a little puppy. It was all alone---not a mama dog in sight. I asked my husband if there was anything we should do for it. There really wasn't. You don't really help the wild animals and stay safe or sane. I took this picture and we moved on. Life has to be like that here. This is coming from the same woman who was bitten in America by a stray dog she had tried to help across the busy street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cNU9eqAHeK-e3IOjZGhyQCjcPE9PFL8lb3rgTEJ3LpSpbiZ1RnVSlq9PQI5Ii0Y5OtyfpM39XvEmlEkQ0ZdviyLCtJrmN-x_jBOOQfXWz_ESJhSpgPgM-CKzLlN_VWkg73XEWTNf4H0/s1600/Photo0143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cNU9eqAHeK-e3IOjZGhyQCjcPE9PFL8lb3rgTEJ3LpSpbiZ1RnVSlq9PQI5Ii0Y5OtyfpM39XvEmlEkQ0ZdviyLCtJrmN-x_jBOOQfXWz_ESJhSpgPgM-CKzLlN_VWkg73XEWTNf4H0/s400/Photo0143.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More animals! The street named for pigeons was getting some chickens.<br />
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My husband started bartering.</div>
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Again, I am constantly surprised in Egypt. I feel so alive and connected at times like this.</div>
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I thought this was a rooster because of the comb, but it was a hen.</div>
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There was a lot of swearing----to God, of course, that he was being offered the best price.</div>
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Our walk without any agenda ended up with purchasing dinner.</div>
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Look, I have thought about leaving Egypt. I won't lie. I have wondered if there is somewhere better for me...for us. Even after I signed this year's contract, I applied for a job "back home". The problem is that the U.S. isn't home any more. </div>
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For one hour, I found so much to love in Egypt. That's all I needed to find all of this---and it was right out my front door! It isn't a perfect place but it's home...it's our home.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-57909591777669685612015-03-27T08:46:00.001+02:002019-05-17T13:14:42.507+02:00The Noise on the Stairs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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Last night, I heard a noise on the stairs...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKrj80woIYAoLxm6V8LB6TJmJkTuGJbhbPykDYEMhFH7sVNpWtVoSRduhxrBqrUEh8eXPdu6Y1eV1i11lu4A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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it was midnight and my husband had already gone to bed. I flipped on the light and bravely opened the door. This is what I saw.</div>
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Apparently, the kid needed some exercise!</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-74069334632410126412014-11-05T21:37:00.002+02:002019-05-17T13:14:09.409+02:00Speed Bump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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At school, I stopped two 9th grade girls from playing tic-tac-toe on the freshly painted wall. They pointed out that someone else had written on the wall first. Didn't fly with me; they still had to erase what they did.<br />
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"Didn't you notice, Miss, that there's a lot of bigger problems in the world?"<br />
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"Of course I did, but I'm going to work on the ones in my own little space first before I move on to them."<br />
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In light of that conversation, I give you my tough-as-nails sister-in-law who protested in the street for the army to come and fix the local school's speed bump. It was on that same spot in 2010 where I witnessed a child being hit and killed by a bus. She felt strongly that accidents like that should never happen again so she stood in the street and demanded action. It was caught on video and broadcast.</div>
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Again, I get that a speed bump won't stop all the problems in the world but GOD BLESS my sister-in-law. She did her part (mashahallah) to work on what she could.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-45322027694346045822014-04-30T22:22:00.001+02:002019-05-17T13:56:33.666+02:00Bassem Sabry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><i><br /> </i></i></i><br />
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><i><br /></i></i></i>
<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><i>From God we come and to God we return.</i></i></i><br />
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><i><br /></i></i></i>
Yes, it's another person dying. People never actually stop dying. They are ALWAYS dying; we just don't know all their different names. I know the name of Bassem Sabry and I want you to know him too.<br />
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You can read his blog, <a href="http://anarabcitizen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">"An Arab Citizen."</a><br />
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You can read his tweets <a href="https://twitter.com/Bassem_Sabry" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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I knew him from Twitter. We had a friendly on-line communication from the very first week I joined. He was welcoming from the start. We tended to find the same things funny or meaningful.<br />
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He would take these breaks from Twitter. I missed him. I missed him because I don't really have friends here. If he was gone too long, I'd check on him. I would always welcome him back. He became a kind of a friend. He called us, "post-modern friends." I was OK with that.<br />
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It wasn't that we were in constant communication; it was that I knew he would be there. It's been hard to live in Egypt and not to have a network of people I can connect with on any meaningful level. Bassem Sabry helped me to feel not so alone in an increasingly strange place.<br />
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I think I helped him too.<br />
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Interested to know which blogs people visit most for <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fsearch%253Fq%253D%252523Egypt%26sig%3Dfe00551bc5b33a51fa729e7afdb19206fb23ee5f%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1309%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGLAw5MkShx3IebTh00CociL7sTBA" style="border: none; color: #0084b4; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">#Egypt</a>coverage. Thoughts appreciated.<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fleloveluck%252Fstatus%252F393645169326964736%26sig%3D3b2b562c3257380780912271733158ed2f46e440%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1307%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHFYTweDd1nocWmfw1loYo-5VDptA" style="border: none; color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" target="_blank"> - 25 Oct</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fleloveluck%253Frefsrc%253Demail%26sig%3D3e066c7e8bac5dac36a5cc419ff9109aa9082c5d%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1291%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGU90N2aA9waK89rBXZ8aSNnqAyzA" style="border: none; color: #0084b4; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@leloveluck</a> Twitter is for daily jolts of news. Blogs are for synthesizing WTH is going on. I read <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FSarahcarr%253Frefsrc%253Demail%26sig%3De812886a0000d4e2a06178fa60015c060cfedc99%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1291%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGmjOgprR0yWEWjw9d4r-ONtjUR9Q" style="border: none; color: #0084b4; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@Sarahcarr</a> <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FZeinobia%253Frefsrc%253Demail%26sig%3D983ebec33c5b4ceb66b043c56eae5b524056721b%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1291%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEld7PN3SiO_OCvkTmbj_Eoudpf5Q" style="border: none; color: #0084b4; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@Zeinobia</a><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FBassem_Sabry%253Frefsrc%253Demail%26sig%3Daf525c2388b8fcca37ad6dccbe0e3d10794786cf%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1291%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFDpXPJNeTGZRN37k1-8NMYmq-qVA" style="border: none; color: #0084b4; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@Bassem_Sabry</a><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FAfterHardship%252Fstatus%252F393681715509481472%26sig%3D35ec48f8c3d2c69c493c11bbd4b291c977b253f0%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1287%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEgVbNVUoSdR3Q0q_pybJWmuwp4Tg" style="border: none; color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" target="_blank"> - 25 Oct</a></div>
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<tr><td style="font-size: 13px; padding-left: 10px;" valign="top"><span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FBassem_Sabry%252Fstatus%252F393720170449227776%26sig%3Df2510a6d662fba2718c875a4c9b27fd2b6452e33%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1264%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHgqfed8qfQFn4WD5cYeDFywHFRBA" style="border: none; color: #333333; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bassem Sabry باسم</a></span><span dir="ltr" style="color: #999999; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FBassem_Sabry%252Fstatus%252F393720170449227776%26sig%3Df2510a6d662fba2718c875a4c9b27fd2b6452e33%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1264%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHgqfed8qfQFn4WD5cYeDFywHFRBA" style="border: none; color: rgb(153, 153, 153) !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@Bassem_Sabry</a></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2Fredirect%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FAfterHardship%253Frefsrc%253Demail%26sig%3D65e9988a4e98a5c100eefb3a630bbcd69c1a69b1%26uid%3D418156663%26iid%3Dce0e7ab1-ae4f-45dc-aa25-15f712688c89%26nid%3D27%2B1271%26t%3D1&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEq37Pqo299gE1vNZ3f3c5ZYOIXTw" style="border: none; color: #0084b4; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@AfterHardship</a> thanks Yosra :) means the world to me</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
When I read that I wondered if he was pulling my leg. Was he being sincere? I wrote an email. <br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #efefef; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-right;">Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 3:47 PM</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Asalamu Alaykom,</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
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That was an honest "meant the world" comment? I'm not good at reading snide so I'm taking it at face value.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
If so, then that's cool.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I'm being honest. I know that Sand Monkey gets a lot of readership but he's too slanted in his views. I like that you are still searching for answers. I am too. I'm not exactly sure what's going on in Egypt. I think that the people who say they do know are either lying (at least to themselves) or are delusional. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Keep believing that your voice matters. It does. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Sometimes I worry that this country's events take too much of a toll on you. Don't let them do that. </div>
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<br /></div>
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My Best,</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Yosra </div>
<br />
<br />
He wrote back.<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="background-color: #efefef; text-align: -webkit-right;">Sat, Oct 26, 2013 at 6:23 AM</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I'm fully honest with this. It did mean the world. Can't stress that enough ya Yosra.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I am honestly searching for answers. But I'm also searching for questions. When learning about writing years ago, I learned about Socrates who believed that a well asked question is a sublime art form and alone represents most of the path towards an answer. And the fact is: Egypt is confusing as hell, both morally and intellectually.<br />
<br />
Other than that: Mahmoud provides an interesting angle much of the time for sure.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Definitely this all takes a toll. For two and a half years one - as are others - has been at the heart of all of this life and death, ups and downs, democracy and autocracy, success and failure, humans soaring and others sinking. It does break our souls eventually. But sometimes all such a soul needs is the honest gentle worried inquiry by a good person like yourself, and I'm grateful for that.<br />
<br /></div>
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Thanks for letting me know I still matter :) I needed that push in the midst of this madness. Stay strong, sane, humane, and wonderful.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">B.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
Yes, B., you still matter. Even after your sad death, you matter. Didn't you know that?<br />
<br />
I'm not the only one who cares.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://time.com/83001/egyptian-blogger-bassem-sabry-dies/" target="_blank">Time Magazine</a> cares.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/04/egyptian-blogger-bassem-sabry-dies-2014430122918774191.html" target="_blank">Al-Jazeera</a> cares.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mashable.com/2014/04/30/bassem-sabry-dies-31/">Mashable</a> cares. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/bassem-sabry-legacy_n_5238708.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a> cares.<br />
<br />
Dear Readers, I want you to care. I want you to take a moment in prayer to ask for God to forgive Bassem Sabry his faults, to reward him for his good works and to grant him Paradise.<br />
<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-19735363396003421352014-03-21T09:06:00.000+02:002019-05-17T13:58:24.873+02:00Egyptian Rug Shop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom and Jummah Mabrook,<br />
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Come with me to the rug shop up the street.<br />
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I know that our street in the picture looks more like a beach than a section of asphalt. It's yet another one of those "malish" moments. "Malish" means "no problem". Actually, if you look at the sandy street in positive light it's kind of cool to see all those tire tracks, footprints and pawprints.<br />
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This dog is mine. His name is George. I named him George because he looks like children's literature's Martha the Dog. Get it? George and Martha Washington? Ya, well, when I am waiting for the schoolbus for 20 minutes it's a way to pass the time. <br />
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Sure, George is still a wild dog. I don't bring him in off the streets; the streets are his home. When I go out, I keep my eyes open for his return. He has a slight limp, some sores show through his coat, yet he seems so happy. Can animals really be happy living on the streets? I think they can. <br />
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Let's keep going. <br />
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Jump in the microbus. If you don't have the half pound, I'll pay for you.<br />
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This is one of those times I love Egypt. No, the bus isn't loaded with a radio BUT it does have a duck puppet!<br />
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Here we are! This is the rug shop. The long building used to be all rugs but, since there are no tourists, a third of it is now devoted to tires.<br />
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The shop used to sell the kind of touristy rugs foreigners buy and bring home. Now? It mostly sells rugs that locals need to warm up their cold tile floors. <br />
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Look! It just got a new shipment from the weavers. The rug weavers are located in the countryside near Fayoum. They work out there and then pile up a truck and head for the city. There are still industrious people in Egypt and those willing to do business with them. Those hard workers didn't give up; they just changed their strategy.<br />
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It's smart how they've added floor pillows to their stock.<br />
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I grew up walking on rag rugs. There is something so homespun and beautiful about each line of color.<br />
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See what I mean? Someone crafted that rug. It is unique. No where in the world is there another rug exactly like that and it's beautiful. <br />
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It would be nice if I were able to buy a rug like that at Target, but since we don't have Targets here, I'll buy from this shop. Even if we did have one of the big chain stores, I'd rather buy from this shop. The thing that charms me about a rugs here is that is a real person who lives an hour up the road from me made it and purchasing it very directly helps two families stay afloat financially.<br />
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There are other styles and colors.<br />
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I love this wall of fringe.<br />
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I want it but I worry how much of a dust collector it is. Dust is a constant enemy in Egypt. Ahhh...Look at those colors! Gorgeous!<br />
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There are still some tourist rugs hoping to be bought.<br />
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I rather like that one. Would I hang it in my home? I don't know. <br />
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If you saw that rug in an art museum, would you believe it was valuable? I bet you would. Well, it hangs on a wall in a little shop in Giza without anyone to admire it.<br />
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Okay, this rug is a total tourist scene yet there's still artistry in it. <br />
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Just in case you weren't sure where you bought the rug, it's been spelled out for you. <br />
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"Did I buy that rug in Amsterdam? Hmmmmm....noooo."<br />
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"Milan? I don't think it was Milan...."<br />
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"Wait! Let me look at the rug! It says EGYPT. I must have bought it in Egypt!"<br />
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My mom would appreciate the simplicity of beige and cream lines.<br />
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For me, I love this patterned arrangement of colors.<br />
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I even love the blemishes. I am soooo blemished and when I see it in life I feel like I've found a kindred spirit.<br />
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I really want this row of three hanging compartments. If only I could figure of what to use it for....and then, of course, there's the dust issue again. It's beautiful, though, isn't it?</div>
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There really is so much beauty in the world. Going out in search of it means that you still have hope. You still believe in a good world. When you find it carefully crafted or artistically arranged, you are connected to someone else who cared and believed. <br />
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Let's keep on believing.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-66374296700259982532013-11-05T21:29:00.001+02:002019-05-17T14:02:32.301+02:00Touring Nazlet Samaan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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It was a hard day yesterday<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Morsi trial, no morning bus pick-up AND no notice that there would be no pick-up, 21 LE taxi ride, ornery kids who wanted the day off, substitution duty for the teachers too scared to come in, finding out that my kid went to detention for non-stop laughing, missing the afternoon bus, demanding that we be on that bus, stressing at not knowing where the impromptu route was going to drop us off, being in a tuk-tuk and not knowing exactly where I was and not being able to tell my husband that information on the phone and getting yelled at.)</span><br />
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I had to have a better day today.<br />
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I grabbed the camera and headed out with my husband to buy tumaya. We were going on a short walking tour of Nazlet Samaan to help me remember why <strike>the hell</strike> I love Egypt and want to live here.<br />
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Door frame painted in the Egyptian flag colors with bloody hand prints from Eid.<br />
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Wall with pictures indicating that the family inside went on Hajj.<br />
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Picture indicating that the family inside loves Sisi...<br />
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A LOT!</div>
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Sleepy cat</div>
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Loved the curlicues; hated the stench of the garbage. You can't see it but I still smell it. <br />
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I love doors in Egypt.<br />
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I also love cauliflower. We bought a small one for 4 LE. The seller started at 10 LE. <br />
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This fancy home was used as a location in the 60's for a popular TV drama about a family who digs up their floor in order to find ancient treasure.<br />
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Yes, that is a peacock on the roof. I want one too.</div>
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Same fancy house. Love it.<br />
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This is on the back roads to the Pyramids. <br />
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As far as you can go towards the Pyramids from Nazlet Samaan. <br />
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Last house in the village.<br />
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Love all the curves.<br />
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It was morning and there were more cats than people out and about.<br />
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Did I mention that I love the doors?<br />
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Doors tell us of possibilities; suggest of thresholds we could cross into new worlds.<br />
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I adore this verdigris.<br />
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There are no tourists, so I was the only one noticing this papyrus of Surah Yassin.<br />
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These are papyrus plants growing outside the shop. I love the blue and gold together in the background.<br />
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Islamic tiling designs and pro-military. This is Egypt! My hub said that this poster was supporting the military and the police. I told him that it looked like they were fighting each other. He couldn't see that. Can you?<br />
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The government subsidized bakery and Sisi. Lots of Sisi. There were levels above of more Sisi but I didn't take those pictures. A man walked over to us and started telling me who Sisi was and then started his military-in-Egypt spiel. It made me nervous. Basically, a fight can break out in Egypt at any time. I'm not joking. <br />
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Here's the close-up I took right before we walked away. I asked my hub if he was scared from the man talking to us and he said he wasn't. <br />
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Here's the tumaya shop. Yes, that's my hub's hand holding our ticket.<br />
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Who wouldn't like seeing this as a possible breakfast? I have loved falafel/tumaya since college. <br />
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Then all hell broke loose. We're going through a cooking gas canister shortage here, so when this massive truck drove through the neighborhood, people stopped and stared. It wasn't just the one truck. </div>
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There was a smaller truck. Here's that driver answering a woman's questions. There was also a parade of vehicles following behind since they wanted to be first in line. Everyone around us pulled out their mobiles and began calling. About three minutes later, an elderly man on a bike sped by with a used canister. His son worked the other tumaya shop and yelled at him to hurry. We all laughed.<br />
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As we began our walk home, I saw two women in galabiyas carrying empty canisters on their heads. I wanted to take their picture but I didn't. Imagine how strong and determined they were to run out of their homes and down the road in order to help their families. God bless them.<br />
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Goats and meat<br />
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Morsi meets Warhol. I love this picture. It actually sings of the presidency of Morsi from shiny and new to broken and shabby. The inhabitants are either very brave or very forgetful. I was a little scared to take the picture. </div>
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Another cool door, right?<br />
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Colors! I I love how decorative this cart was. The most green you will see is on these carts carrying animal feed.<br />
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Turnips. <br />
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Sadly, turnips aren't the only purple in our village. This apartment building is hideously kinky.<br />
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Carving up a camel. It's got a strange juxtaposition to it, doesn't it?</div>
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Life is beautiful, strange, colorful, exciting, scary, and surprising. Egypt has always felt more alive than any other country I've been. It isn't always "nice" and that's when I'm not happy. I am, however, still able to find the good outweighing the bad. </div>
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May it always be so.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-92198438077401878952013-10-11T12:18:00.001+02:002019-05-17T14:03:32.220+02:00Crippled Muslim Men<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Crippled Muslim Men</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The man with the slow and unsteady gait</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">hurries on his way through streets</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">knowing the azan is coming.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Each shuffle with his half-limp body</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">moves him closer to the prayer hall,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">believing it is his obligation to Allah.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I watch him from my window sill,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">watch how he cannot keep a straight line,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">yet he is following The Best Path.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many a "Muslim" man stays at home,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">rests his body all through Jummah</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">never admitting he's losing his stride.</span><br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-31344021883482170832013-09-03T20:49:00.001+02:002019-05-17T14:06:04.260+02:00I Was Sad Because I Had No Shoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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Rarely have I watched a 4-minute video and had it stay in my mind as much as this video. I talked about it to my son when he was whining. I referenced it again tonight. <br />
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My husband's teenage niece was crying because she can't go out at night. This isn't because her mom is over protective it's because the girl is losing her eyesight to Retinitious Pigmentosa and can't see well enough to navigate safely. Her older brother has the same problem. It's been going on for years and it will keep going until they are blind. Yes, there is a real reason why you should not marry your cousin.<br />
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So, I told this girl how everyone has a problem. She can't leave the house at night because she can't see well. I can't leave the house at night because I'm not Egyptian. I told her how there's a beautiful girl at school who seems to have everything yet she has lost her mom. Don't wish to trade your life with another.<br />
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That's what this video is about. It's short and bittersweet. I recommend it for kids (and grown-ups) who complain about their life.<br />
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The phrase, "I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet," is very old and it has Muslim origins. <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/I_was_sad_because_I_had_no_shoes_until_I_met_a_man_that_had_no_feet_where_is_this_from_and_is_it_the_complete_story" target="_blank">WikiAnswers</a> has more information: <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">This quote is most certainly based on poetry from the <i>Gulistan, </i> "Rose Garden" of [Persian poet] Sa'di. The book is from 1259 CE, so this will predate any other attribution out there. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">The original source for this saying reads: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0e2233; font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"><i>I never lamented about the vicissitudes of time or complained of the turns of fortune except on the occasion when I was barefooted and unable to procure slippers. But when I entered the great mosque of Kufah with a sore heart and beheld a man without feet I offered thanks to the bounty of God, consoled myself for my want of shoes and recited: 'A roast fowl is to the sight of a satiated man Less valuable than a blade of fresh grass on the table And to him who has no means nor power A burnt turnip is a roasted fowl.</i>'</span><br />
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By the way, two million Syrian refugees would probably love to trade places with you and your family right now. Say, an "alhumdulillah," for whatever you thought you were suffering and a "Ya Rab!" for those who have it worse.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-73219478958919929032013-06-11T22:04:00.001+02:002019-05-17T14:09:51.859+02:00The Seven Habits of a Highly Effective Ramadan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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Stephen R. Covey (Allah yerhamo) wrote "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." He was not Muslim. To my knowledge, this business guru never wrote any advice on how to better your month of fasting and devotion. Let's, therefore, take his beneficial way of organizing our lives into healthy habits and apply them to this Pillar of Islam.<br />
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It is completely sensible to do this, since Ramadan itself is all about improving ourselves and establishing better habits. Many Muslims make resolutions to quit self-defeating behavior and adapt healthier lifestyles during the month. That dream of being a better Muslim needs a plan; it can't just stay as a lofty aspiration. Stephen R. Covey's "Seven Habits" can be a step-by-step plan for us this Ramadan.<br />
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He believed that first we have to work inwardly on three issues; without them as our base, we can't continue upward and achieve all that we want.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 1</span> <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Be Proactive</span></b></div>
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We plan so much of our lives, yet we resist planning our religious life. We tend to feel as if our thirsty spirit will be replenished when God intervenes; much like a waiter ready with a pitcher of ice water for the moment our glass of iman is half empty. Astragferallah. We are not helpless consumers. We need to be hopeful and active participants in our lives. We can be proactive.<br />
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Let's plan our Ramadan! Stop finding reasons why our Ramadan can't be a success. Be stronger than your excuses. <br />
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Don't tell me that Ramadan would be better if only...<br />
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I was back home.<br />
I lived in a Muslim country.<br />
I didn't have so many responsibilities.<br />
I had a more supportive family.<br />
I wasn't a new Muslim.<br />
I was a better Muslim.<br />
I wasn't pregnant.<br />
I wasn't nursing.<br />
I wasn't on that medication.<br />
I wasn't so alone.<br />
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Those are all excuses and predetermined failures. To be highly effective, you need to envision a successful environment for your iman to take root and grow. Islam can flourish in any soul and in any country so ask Allah to make it possible in you, as you are and exactly where you are. No, you won't have 100% success. You will fall short because we all do. Will you achieve better results if you set goals and concrete steps to avoid the usual setbacks? Of course!<br />
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Look around you. What is it that clutters up your life? This could be the tangible, such as disorganized piles of papers, or intangible, such as sadness over what can't be. Be realistic right now. Admit that we reap what we sow, or in other words we need to put time and effort into the planning.<br />
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Here's an example from my own life: In Egypt, we've been having more than our fair share of power failures. I've been feeling fearful of how that's going to affect fasting this summer. It's going to make it harder. It's going to be be a even more difficult task without electricity (and water since we rely on an electric pump). We will be suffering. Those are all the negative messages I've been compounding inside me. I'm a victim of Egypt's unstable infrastructure! What can I do?<br />
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As a reader, you can see my problem from a detached distance. That's a good place to view problems and remember that for every problem there is a solution. No, I can't control electricity. I can, however, schedule my activities better so that the power cuts affect me less. I can set up systems (such as demanding Mr. Boo's floor and bed be cleared off before dinner) to lessen the impact of suddenly being without light. I can guard against being without water by having means to store it (and to keep my clothes and dishes clean a little at a time rather than waiting for some magically perfect time to do them all).<br />
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There will be problems this Ramadan. Some of those problems seem to happen every year. Those old problems are what hold us back from looking forward to a new chance of connecting to our blessings. Likewise, the new challenges we are imagining are allowing fear to stop us from moving forward. Being proactive means that you admit your Ramadan will never be perfect but you can make it the best you can by identifying issues and addressing them beforehand.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 2</span> <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Begin with the End in Mind</span></b></div>
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Let's not talk about Ramadan. Let's talk about Eid. Who do you want by this Eid Al-Fitr? Which Ramadan accomplishments do you want to look back on? Is there a memory you want to hold dear? Go ahead and ask yourself those questions now. You cannot know the sweetest of success on Eid without identifying how you define success before Ramadan even begins. <br />
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Stop planning the first day of Ramadan and plan the last instead. Stop assuming that there is only one way to handle the month. Stop allowing others to dictate to you what your Ramadan will be. Remember that this Habit 2 is inward. You decide who you want to be by the end of Ramadan. Don't discuss this with anyone or ask permission from anyone. You keep this private between you and Allah.<br />
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Admit to Allah that you are not where you want to be in your deen. No one is. Visualize the Muslim you want to be and who you are now. There's a gap. Use the journey of Ramadan to lessen that gap. What are the steps you'd need to get closer to your ideal self? Maybe you'll have to rethink preconceived notions of what your Ramadan is.<br />
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There isn't really one "right" Ramadan. Some years, we need to focus on family life but during others we need to focus on ourselves. Many advocate reading Quran many times over during Ramadan but there is much to be said about slowly savoring each Surah. Which way is right? It really depends on what you need to reach your goals. If you feel closed in and out of touch with the community, then this might be the year to investigate helping others. For someone who is constantly learning about Islam, maybe Ramadan can be a time to balance that knowledge with doing. <br />
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Life is often about maintaining a balance. In what way can Ramadan re-right your equilibrium? If you've been going too far in one direction, think of what would bring you back to center. The calm core of our center is where we find our peace and that is where Islam dwells within us. How can you find your peace this Ramadan?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 3</span> <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Put First Things First</span></b></div>
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What is first in our life? As Muslims, there is no other answer but Allah. There is no god but God. We cannot do anything in Ramadan which robs us of our chance to connect to Allah. Our time is so precious and our wish is so sincere. We really need to fight against the temptation to be with the world when we can be with Our Lord.<br />
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Sometimes, we willingly walk away from God. Other times, we are pulled away. Either way, we have to remain steadfast this Ramadan that our most important relationship is with Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem.<br />
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<i>The next set of habits cannot be done alone. You have to reach out and to gain from outside sources. Subhanallah, our Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) couldn't stay alone in the Cave of Hira. We too need interactions to stay dynamic as Muslims.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 4</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Think Win-Win</span></b></div>
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Though I've written a lot about doing what's good for you and your iman, don't think that all others in your life are going to suffer. They don't have to. You can truly figure out compromises which take into account everyone's needs. Some days are more about you and your needs and some days are more about someone else. Though this month is about connecting you to your faith, it probably won't be a 30-day lone retreat in the wilderness. Most of us live and work with others and need to be realistic about our connections and responsibilities. Over the course of a month, though, everyone can have their time and their needs met. <br />
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Moms need to think about the ways to raise children during Ramadan which produce the best results. How can I observe the month-long fast and still be an effective mother? For me, I really need to involve Mr. Boo in the suhour, the fasting, the iftars, the memorization, the prayers and the charity. I also want to build in some scheduled days for activity (like going to the school's library once a week). If I help him, then the days will go smoother than him vegetating in front of the television. He will be weakened from a fast until asr but this will benefit him (as he prepares to be a man) and me (as I can't handle him at full strength while I'm feeling depleted). We both win. He gets attention and time from me at set times and then I get peace when I need to rest. <br />
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If I look ahead to the end of Ramadan (Habit 2), I will feel better about myself, my son, and our family if I've put in places ways to care for his needs. Ignoring what others need means that I am setting myself up for failure. There is time now to set up win-win situations so that everyone has a meaningful Ramadan. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 5 </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Seek First to Understand, </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Then to Be Understood</span></b></div>
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I need to understand more about Quran, Sunnah, Hadith and the history of Islam and so do you. I can say that without ever meeting you. I can say that because it's true for all of us. Knowledge during Ramadan doesn't have to be limited. You can study anything which helps you understand The Creator or the creation better. Every new realization moves you closer.<br />
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What is on your reading list? Have you ever read a biography of The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him)? Ramadan is a great time to get closer to The Messenger. For women especially, it's good for us to learn about the early women in Islam---like the first follower of Islam, Khadija (ra) and the first martyr of Islam, Sumaya (ra). <br />
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I've been teaching about the Ummayads in Al-Andalus and I'd highly recommend learning about Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muwiaya. His grandfather Hisham had been a Caliph and he narrowly escaped to Spain in order to establish a unified nation. Subhanallah. <br />
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If the idea of "The 7 Habits" intrigues you, then consider learning more about it. I like that there's a book for teens and for school-aged children as well. The whole family could start using this model!<br />
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Where is your curiosity? That is the core of your being nudging you to learn more so follow where your curiosity leads you. Every bit of knowledge is a gain this Ramadan. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 6</span> <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Synergize</span></b></div>
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Who is on your Ramadan team? Think of the people you want around you; your dream team. How can you share and support each other during the month? They don't have to be Muslim. They simply have to love you and want the best for you.<br />
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If you're married, then think of you and your spouse can share moments together. One thing I really like is that first kiss after breaking the fast. It's sweet! It's sweet because you could have smooched earlier but you didn't because you're Muslim. Other couples like to go out for a short walk between finishing their tea and going to Taraweah prayers. <br />
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Is there someone with whom you have been out of touch? If you miss them, then consider arranging a meet up during Ramadan. Share food together and pray together.<br />
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There are some people you need to avoid. Be realistic. You can't move ahead if you have someone who pulls you back or pulls you down. It's worth mentioning that if you can't rely on that person during Ramadan, you might not want them in your life as a close ally during the other times of the year either.<br />
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<i>Lastly, the Seventh Habit is a way to maintain the previous six.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Habit 7</span> </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sharpen the Saw</span></b></div>
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There is less energy in Ramadan so you have to be careful with your reserves. How are you going to stay balanced? "Sharpening the saw," means that while you do all the work towards success, you cannot get depleted to nothingness. You have to maintain yourself and sense of self.<br />
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One example from my life is how I couldn't listen to Quran non-stop. I couldn't! Years ago, I made the commitment to not listen to music during Ramadan. That feels better to me to cut out all songs during the day. However, I found myself needing something so I turned to nasheeds. <a href="http://www.radioislam.com/melodies/" target="_blank">RadioIslam</a> has some great programs I would listen to. Another person would say that's wrong but I knew that it improved my mood and kept me going through the month. <br />
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We know what we need better than someone else. Don't let anyone "should" on you. A month is a long time to pretend so don't pretend that you don't have needs that aren't being met. <br />
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Another example might be the revert who doesn't feel connected to Ramadan the way she used to with Christmas time. She decides to do some baking and share it with others. Some Muslims feel that baking cookies during Ramadan is mimicking the Christians and therefore is wrong. That's fine for them to think so for themselves, but it might actually save a new Muslim from leaving Islam. To each his or her own. All of us need to get through Ramadan our own way.<br />
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By the same token, we need to be kind about how others are getting through their days and nights. It's not our job to judge how our brothers and sisters handle their Ramadan. I can't tell you the number of times a sister has been made fun of because she wore hijab during the month, though she doesn't normally. Whatever! Leave her alone! She is doing her life the best she can. Be gracious. Be loving. Love and accept others the way that you hope God will love and accept you and your fasting.<br />
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As I write this, I'm hearing Quran being recited from down the street. An elderly neighborhood man passed away today. It was just last week he sat with my husband; they talked and laughed together. He was a friend of the father-in-law I never met. From Allah we come, and to Allah we return. Men die. People die. We all die.<br />
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This Ramadan could be our last. Let's be sober enough to realize how finite life is. Ramadan is a chance to purify ourselves and our lives. It's a beautiful chance; it's a gift from God. Don't waste it. Don't have regrets. Use it to get closer to The Truth and to understand deeper how you can serve Allah. Find a way to join with others in this purpose and to remain hopeful that one month can make a difference. Yes, this Ramadan could be our last but it could also be the first in a glorious fresh start.<br />
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Inshahallah.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-52084570108524236372013-05-09T19:59:00.001+02:002019-05-17T14:21:12.858+02:00Rush Hour in Nazlet Samaan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/blog/Image/horse_rear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/blog/Image/horse_rear.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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It was right before rush hour today when my bus driver decided to take a shortcut through one of Nazlet Samaan's little side streets. He was going to hurry so he could drop off his last three passengers. Around the corner he went. There, in front of him was a slow moving, horse drawn carriage. My little neighborhood next to the Pyramids is known for its camel and horse stables. This was not what the driver needed. <br />
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At first, I only saw the carriage through the windshield. The driver honked and I saw the real problem. Walking behind the carriage was another horse. He wasn't moving along with his master in the carriage with the lead horse. This other horse had stopped and was standing still. We were bumper to backside.<br />
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The driver wasn't having any of this nonsense. It was Thursday afternoon and he had somewhere else to be! He honked the horn, as if a horse obeys the laws of the road. The horse just stood there. After a split second, the driver honked the horn again and stayed on it longer this time.<br />
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The horse responded. He slowly lifted up his tail and indicated exactly what he thought of the driver's antics. The driver quickly backed up the minibus. He waited at a safe distance until the horse finished his business. The driver wasn't going to honk any more. The horse had the last <strike>turd</strike> word.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-41416255899651147732013-04-07T23:04:00.000+02:002019-05-17T14:15:19.274+02:00Meeting Amr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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Recently, a friend of mine made the hard decision to leave Egypt. She would be leaving the place she's made into a home for the last three years. She would also be leaving a man she's come to love. Basically, she's changed her whole life because she fell in love with an Egyptian.<br />
<br />
Men! They certainly do pull us women. We love to feel needed by a man. Our whole view of reality seems to change incrementally as we get closer to that testosterone.<br />
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For me, there's a moment I keep in my mind in order to keep my life in perspective. I was attending my first wedding party in Egypt. It was a big affair in a rooftop party room. Every cousin in my husband's family was there and so were two Americans. Americans?!<br />
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Yes, two American women were hanging out at the wedding too. Of course, with me being who I am, I had to walk over and find out who they were. Turns out that they were just visiting Egypt when they met cousin Amr. He bumped into them on the street.<br />
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If you know the tourist business at all, then you know that no one bumps into anyone. It's all carefully planned helpfulness. They didn't know that. Those two ladies on break from their medical studies were very book smart but not very street smart.<br />
<br />
We talked over the huge journey they'd been on. They'd seen so much and done so much. They had traveled more of Egypt than I had. So, I wanted to ask, "What was the best part?"<br />
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"Meeting Amr!"<br />
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That was a shocker. I found that answer to be very sad. These two women had planned and scrimped and saved to make this trip. They'd seen the Pyramids, the Nile, and the King Tut jewels. They'd ridden a camel, eaten grilled chicken under palm trees and swam in the Red Sea. Their entire itinerary crossed my mind and I had to double-check so I asked, "Meeting Amr?"<br />
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"Yes, it was such an unexpected surprise!" Blurted out the one woman who seemed more interested in Amr than the other.<br />
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I stifled the urge to add, "Only to you! He talks to tourists every day!"<br />
<br />
They were blissfully unaware and happy. So, I warned them not to drink from the bottles of tap water masquerading as bottled water on the center of every table. They nodded thankfully and I walked away. I had kept them safe from one danger at least.<br />
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I have no idea what the end to their adventure was. I never asked cousin Amr. He stopped by the other day and I heard his loud voice float up the stairs. I'm sure he's a nice guy. He was an opportunist then, but with very few tourists these days, I wonder who he talks to now.<br />
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The story of Amr's tourist women has stayed with me in a sad, cautionary way. I don't want to be the woman who sees the whole wonderful world but is cheered the most by a rather ordinary man. I want to be fulfilled by my life adventure and not get so side-tracked by a man that I forget my purpose in being here. I am enough and my story is enough without a man.<br />
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That doesn't mean that I don't like my man; I do like him! I even love him (when he's lovable). However, he is not the reason for my being in Egypt---he never was and he never will be. I came here on hijrah in order to be closer to my faith. My priority needs to remain my journey and not my man.<br />
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It isn't very romantic to love God more than your man. It's horribly unromantic to love yourself more than your guy. Yet, it's real and honest. We need to be mature women standing firmly on the ground instead of being girls getting swept off our feet by crazy love and infatuation.<br />
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My friend will be leaving her man in Egypt and I think it's a great decision. They never married. They've had their time and it's not going any where beyond this moment. A moment does not a life make. She needs to build her life for the very real future. He's not about the future; he's going to be pulling her down to stay stuck in the "now".<br />
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Let's love our times with our men but not above our sensibilities. We deserve our lives more than they do. Remembering, of course, that our lives are here for us to serve Allah Subhana Wa Tala.<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-31405353573546396652013-03-24T17:05:00.004+02:002021-06-25T15:38:29.509+02:00على_طريق_الله Ala Tarek Allah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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This is the Mustafa Hosny show, "Ala Tarek Allah," from Al-Nahar. He introduces me at the 32 minute mark.</div>
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I'll work on getting an accurate translation of what he says about me. If any of you feel capable of doing that for me, I'd sure appreciate it. </div>
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I speak for about five minutes.</div>
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You'll see pictures I gave the producers. The first picture is me as a baby after my baptism with my mom and dad. Then, you'll see my dad along with Mr. Boo. I'm disappointed you don't see the pictures of my mom and I; there was one of us at her church and one of her from our last visit to America. Instead, you will see Mr. Boo and I under an Egyptian flag when we first got here. You'll see me in front of the Sphinx and Mr. Boo and I on our roof with the Pyramids in the background. You'll see me with kindergarten kids here in Egypt and with my first graders from America. The last two photos are from when Mr. Boo was little. If you keep watching, you'll see us with a tall, dark and goofy guy.</div>
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Of course, there was more that I said but it was edited down. I hope that what was shown in the video is helpful somehow.</div>
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Let me know what you think and feel.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-14661072208628877732013-03-22T20:17:00.000+02:002019-05-17T14:16:53.726+02:00MeTube<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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That's me on Egyptian TV. It's not the big interview for Al-Nahar; that's airing tomorrow on Saturday, March 23 at 11 pm (and again Sunday, March 24 at 11 am).</div>
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This is me from January, 2011 before the Revolution. I was interviewed for a segment on Cherifa Aboul Fettouh's nutrition show. If you're trying to find me, it's about six minutes into the program and then twice more after that. Yes, I speak in Arabic and of course it doesn't sound quite right.</div>
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Enjoy what you can.</div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-78873941992837794062012-12-27T19:56:00.001+02:002019-05-17T14:30:37.200+02:00Spiritual Starfish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWOj-ThVb6Ot1vlR4v8-yZqgoKpg_NXfLdafxU7RfUMC0ffGYWLREdtWocIQiIWPNgDb714ilYSf0-0y4ocmM87T-mPZ2XqxHhPxg1qzFEJvvGWnBqPTCxXb4eWs-TDrtWi0iFllCepg/s1600/Beach-Starfish+Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="550" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWOj-ThVb6Ot1vlR4v8-yZqgoKpg_NXfLdafxU7RfUMC0ffGYWLREdtWocIQiIWPNgDb714ilYSf0-0y4ocmM87T-mPZ2XqxHhPxg1qzFEJvvGWnBqPTCxXb4eWs-TDrtWi0iFllCepg/s400/Beach-Starfish+Sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been searching for---<br />
no, not for---<br />
I've been searching<br />
with<br />
a spiritual starfish<br />
<br />
<br />
Among many exes<br />
I was surprised to see<br />
one exo<br />
skeletal friend<br />
supportive; protective;<br />
mine. For me.<br />
<br />
<br />
It was injured in the move---<br />
the moves of many---<br />
and from my immobility.<br />
Yet it survived and thrived<br />
ready to grow another limb of<br />
spirituality.<br />
<br />
<br />
Together, he ---<br />
or she---<br />
(I'm not sure which and<br />
I'm too shy to pry)<br />
We two are going through<br />
these seas to seize<br />
what we might<br />
be.<br />
<br />
<br />
Just a woman with inabilty<br />
and a spiritual starfish<br />
growing bigger, stronger<br />
each limb growing longer<br />
even if by chance<br />
I break<br />
<br />
Together we regenerate<br />
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<br /></div>
Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-9939957598469456942012-12-20T20:54:00.000+02:002019-05-17T14:39:38.484+02:00Melody Makes Me Laugh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Asalamu Alaykom,<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Jgw51-kPYY" width="420"></iframe><br />
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It's been a long week, hasn't it?<br />
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For me, the week is done---and because God is the Greatest, I have the next two weeks off. Alhumdulillah!<br />
<br />
It's time to laugh a little so I'm going to share some Egyptian commercials for Melody, a satellite network. This series comes under the heading, "Tatahda El Mallal". Its nothing new. I think these were playing on TV back in 2009 when we first arrived here in Egypt. Then as now, you absolutely don't have to know Arabic to get the gist.<br />
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The first one I've posted above is of an annoying taxi driver. Basically, every commercial focused on eradicating a different kind of annoying Egyptian.<br />
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This is one of my favorites.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ws1b937xTN0" width="420"></iframe>
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This next one, even though I'm a teacher, makes me laugh. This isn't a teacher but a tutor. Egyptian kids have hours upon hours of tutoring to make up for their inability to learn at school.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UHAS-d3Zq_8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Man-on-the-street interviews are a staple of Egyptian TV and so are annoying people in the background.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y8dt8GQICno" width="420"></iframe><br />
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These crack me up!<br />
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Oh, and the shortest one of all---<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P098eaKx3ZQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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What I find the funniest part of that elevator scene is hearing the Bee Gees as the man gets pummelled.<br />
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There are more. Some are too inappropriate for me to share here. Search if you wish. I hope you get a laugh.<br />
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Don't we all need one?<br />
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-51253038950654879482012-04-17T19:20:00.002+02:002019-05-17T10:57:21.389+02:00Cenet Doganay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgec6en-J2w7OSb703dONVyyA63_zBS3rYQ54xe9MeCYf6lWak80QmYDT3HphJRmY9Rqjog7cHVN4DylCaCFJ_cQB7L1Dldq7L_uSfxJANhzRo4iacvyZ4Tvj1K6KU4-NiDWI2ewRoIEfs/s1600/cennet+Doganay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="374" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgec6en-J2w7OSb703dONVyyA63_zBS3rYQ54xe9MeCYf6lWak80QmYDT3HphJRmY9Rqjog7cHVN4DylCaCFJ_cQB7L1Dldq7L_uSfxJANhzRo4iacvyZ4Tvj1K6KU4-NiDWI2ewRoIEfs/s320/cennet+Doganay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love this girl so much. She is, in my opinion, among the best of Muslims.<br />
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Let me tell you her story.<br />
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In 2004, Cenet was only 15 and observing Islam in France. That's not always easy! There's a lot of <em>xenophobia;</em> "fear of foreign things and people," in Paris. Despite their Gallic ancestors storming the Bastille for freedom, the French don't actually want human rights across the board.<br />
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So, Cenet became a pawn by the grown-ups playing around with dress codes. She was stuck in the middle of a fight about religious articles in school. The French government felt that any jewelery or clothing which identified the wearer's faith was wrong; it would fracture society. No yamulkas. No crosses on a chain. No hijabs.<br />
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Cenet tried to work with her school. <br />
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Bandana? No. <br />
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Beret? No.<br />
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It was so frustrating for her to love school and want to attend but to be turned back day after day. She was unable to go to her classes----not because she insisted on wearing hijab. She didn't! She was adamant, however, on covering her hair.<br />
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"No, you can't see my hair."<br />
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What I love, love, love about Cenet Doganay is that eventually she came to see how ridiculous and unreasonable the demands were. She looked again at her bottom line, which was, "No, you can't see my hair". <br />
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No...can't see....my hair.<br />
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No...can't...hair!<br />
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No...hair!<br />
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NO HAIR!<br />
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She realized what she could do. <br />
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The next morning she arrived at school in her hijab. The press was waiting for the showdown. They knew she wouldn't be allowed in. She knew it too. She stood there a moment and then she took off her hijab.<br />
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She was bald.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbmpuAOk725zplsbh2GwLueH1v0xc-MDApVrMjkheKPznM8L2Fpnc9qMgJMza9Qnps0L6LRpHGvflRlgWVtBMYpLz1oZ2oR15N03cKHVlg9xmMnTEixN0Q90iukTPb1Gr0nT_N7Ug88I/s1600/Cennet+Doganay+Bald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbmpuAOk725zplsbh2GwLueH1v0xc-MDApVrMjkheKPznM8L2Fpnc9qMgJMza9Qnps0L6LRpHGvflRlgWVtBMYpLz1oZ2oR15N03cKHVlg9xmMnTEixN0Q90iukTPb1Gr0nT_N7Ug88I/s1600/Cennet+Doganay+Bald.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
She had shaved her head completely bald.<br />
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Yes, you could make her remove her hijab but that didn't mean that you got to see her hair.<br />
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Mashallah, that is <a href="http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=TV0604-2965" target="_blank">one of the best jihad moments of our life time.</a> <br />
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Mashahallah! Mashahallah!<br />
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I love <a href="http://www.islamwomen.org/EngIw/HomePage/HPDetails3.aspx?id=3" target="_blank">Cenet Doganay</a>.</div>
Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-671196355592828441.post-47806810474422699142012-02-14T06:59:00.000+02:002019-05-17T14:41:21.303+02:00Two Imperfect People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Asalamu Alaykom,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0qJQJKJ5JNrnXOv0BWQwGnFMu4GpNJP9p4HFx5VJuD8AxvNSk1vbNBe5a4XyR8vkqgBFh3exYv9uKaFTQZyDxOnHzVB6SQbVM3cQMBRFx64rx6-6oT_meqyr-S6nFm9fZ26v6Zngbxo/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0qJQJKJ5JNrnXOv0BWQwGnFMu4GpNJP9p4HFx5VJuD8AxvNSk1vbNBe5a4XyR8vkqgBFh3exYv9uKaFTQZyDxOnHzVB6SQbVM3cQMBRFx64rx6-6oT_meqyr-S6nFm9fZ26v6Zngbxo/s640/14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.binscorner.com/pages/m/must-see-great-motivation.html" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">Ahmad and Fatima</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">“I didn't marry you because you were perfect. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">I didn't even marry you because I loved you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">I married you because you gave me a promise. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">That promise made up for your faults. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">And the promise I gave you made up for mine. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Two imperfect people got married </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">and it was the promise that made the marriage. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">And when our children were growing up, </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">it wasn't a house that protected them; </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">and it wasn't our love that protected them</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">--it was that promise.”</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">― Thornton Wilder from his play, "The Skin of Our Teeth"</span> </div>
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Yosrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02032254803613054574noreply@blogger.com2