peace
I'm confessing that I regularly watch ER. It's 'bout the only show I've tried to keep up with since college. We all have our vices.
I near 'bout gave up on the show last week after the 'honor killing' episode though. I was FURIOUS. Nuff said. I don't even want to think about it or I won't say what I came to say...
.... which is that Parminder Nagra is an AMAZING actress, masha'Allah. I've enjoyed her acting since Bend It Like Beckham, another fave of mine. But her acting recently has been superb. Tonight, together with the guy who plays Ray on the show (don't ask me his real name...), she played a scene that gave me a jolt. It like, woke me up with the sensuality of it.
Her character, Nila, has decided to move out of the 2bed apt that she shares with this Ray guy, because she's married now to Galant (another fave, soldier who's off in da wo'), and for other reasons that really aren't articulated, but are seen, again, through the excellent acting of these two characters.
Tonight, her acting helped me SEE a whole bushload (don't you love the non-profane profanity of that word?) of reasons behind mahram, and lowering the gaze, and what UmmZ's always saying about "nur" on faces. Wow.
You know her character's married. and you know her loyalty by her actions, by her righteousness and steadily choosing to do the right thing instead of backsliding. She never touches this guy for the last 4 minutes or so of the show tonight, while she's hastily throwing her things into bags to go stay at a girlfriend's house, b'cause she just knows she shouldn't be in this house with this man anymore. And without touching, removal of clothing, kissing (he almost kissed her but she walked away, it was brilliant, you didn't know if she did it on purpose or not), ANYTHING commonly thought of as unproper, you could see the smoldering in that scene.
In my head it just clicked. Allll of the things I'd ever questioned, whether or not I got answers to them, about separation of gender and how to act around those of the opposite sex- I got it.
Call me a hard head, I am one. Sometimes I act like I'm from Missouri, as my parents said alll the time- you got to SHOW me. So masha'Allah for Miss Nagra and whoever wrote and directed that scene. I'm sure they didn't intend it, but it totally showed me the power of the potential between a man and a woman alone, if nothing else.
yeah.
so yes, I'm blogging on the superficial stuff instead of what's going on deep in my head. sue me. I'll be back.
peace
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Got Class?
assalamu alaikum
peace
Please go read Lani Guinier's article in Dollars and Sense. Thanks go to BlackFeminism for posting the link first.
The article deserves to be read. More than that, though, masha'Allah, it ties into a book I've been reading since I came back from Boston. The book isOur Kind of People by Lawrence Otis Graham. It talks about the Black Upper Class in the United States, and the schools and institutions etc. associated with it- why Black people can be successful, but if they don't have a certain background, they aren't a part of that old school, our-kind-of-people, Black Upper Class.
As I mentioned earlier, I stayed with a childhood friend while I was in Boston. We go back to middle school, ended up living in the same neighborhood (our parents still live not one mile apart back in Ohio), went to the same high school but not at the same time ( I transferred out and ended up at my alma mater), and both participated in an internship program right out of high school at a certain Fortune 50 most admired company (hint: tis in the top ten).
We're both Black and female and raised with middle-class (or upper-middle-class) sensibilities and institutions if not middle-class money, and have as close a background as possible without actually trying, in terms of education and early employment experiences.
I'm getting to the tie between the article and the book and us bwic's. Gimme a sec. I feel like this is something important I'm writing, like I used to write my papers back in undergrad, so I want to get this right.
Ms. Guinier brings up the point that after the civil rights movement, and in the lastest efforts to be rid of affirmative action, schools are actually putting those of lower classes at a disadvantage; further, they're pitting race against class and financial status instead of using both together to cut the advantage of the rich over the lower classes in terms of academic preparation. What she's saying, in fact, is that what is called 'merit' by schools and those who espouse meritocracy (that being success and advancement based on ability and effort) is actually the result and parallel of class; that it actually is aristocracy in disguise.
Here's an excerpt (emphasis mine):
Now, while I was blown away by the fact that I actually read those words in print "Ooh! Somebody's blowin'up those rich white folks' spot, y'all")x, I was not actually surprised by what they were saying. Why? Because being Black and of a certain class, I thought,"I already knew that".
I was indoctrinated as a child into Black upper-class society by way of my grandparents in Tuskegee, AL, and later through church and other functions as a teen. I was a Delta Sigma Theta debutante in a major mid-western city (read the book and you'll know that puts me in a certain box). It's not something I shout about normally, but it IS an experience that I feel is very special. My upbringing gives me a certain status that I didn't know I had until I read that book and then understood certain reactions I got in high school and undergrad.
If anything, though, my indoctrination was incomplete: I wanted to be in Jack and Jill, and my parents wouldn't let me. I wonder (still) why my grandmother wasn't an AKA (be-lieve me, she's got the attitude and status right) or a Link. I think she didn't pass the paper bag test, maybe. Now that I understand the attitudes behind these groups and their status, I'm of a mixed opinion as to their worth. Mixed, because even though I don't pursue that kind of elitisim intentionally, I know instinctively that I'd flourish at that level. An uncomfortable revelation, you see.
It does bring me face to face with that realization I made in the back of my mind while reading Mr. Graham's book: I'm not super-affluent, but upper class. (I'm actually broke, but the more I read and look around me, the more I realize that that's probably a temporary thing...) I don't pass the paper-bag test, but I fit right in in terms of my attitudes (well, the whole religious choice and subsequent hairstyle choice notwithstanding) and the institutions I believe in. My struggle with the decision to go to Columbia U for grad school makes sense in the context of the society depicted in the book; one that has always had access to Ivy League and other highly-regarded and affluent educational institutions. I wasn't getting the support I wanted and felt was merited by my acceptance at the school. And now I know that's because my family makes a point to eschew 'boogie' groups and class orientation, even though it's kind of where they belong. No wonder they aren't going to cheer when I make a choice for something they'd think of as 'boogie' even if that isn't the reason for it. No wonder I feel, not an active discouragement, but just a lack of support (which can be worse, in some ways).
I mean, they actively have to keep from participating in these organizations. The other day my aunt asked me to babysit my cousins so that she and my uncle could attend a Links ball; at the time I was halfway through Mr. Graham's book, and said, "Oh, yeah! I wanted to ask you if you were in the Links." and my aunt looked at me sideways and asked, "WHY would you think I'd be a Link, Twenny?" Like she'd be allll upset if I came with the wrong answer.
I answered with the truth: "Because... I associate you with high class, and education, and Black folks being successful and associated with the right places. And that's what the Links are about."
But anyway, part of that indoctrination into Black Upper Class, good or bad, is the knowledge of our privilege: we know the right people and we're raised with the right manners and expectations. So I know that 'meritocracy' is a myth (or fast becoming one), and I know that the need for assurance of lower-class, underrepresented applicant entrance to high-quality schools is key. I could see both sides of the affirmative action debate, and instinctively know what was wrong with that particular institution, though I thank Ms. Guinier for putting it to words. I also know that I never worried about affirmative action on a personal level; I don't need it- I'm one of the lucky Black people who have the background that makes it unnecessary, whether or not I actually benefit from it.
I know that low class is low class, lower-class is lower-class, no matter what color you are. I've known for a great while that education and money are both passed down through generations in this country, that one follows the other, and that what is called 'talent' can be trained and bought with the right connections. That the right bloodline and class can be its own currency. Nothin' new about that.
And I know that it would benefit others of my race to have class become a criteria of educational admissions (among other things), because of the huge (but not all-encompassing) connection in this country between brownness and poverty, to put it bluntly- the darker the poorer. But the fact that it'd benefit the group of people who aren't dark and are poor- that's what many people and places don't want to get out. And I understand, though I disagree and will probably spend my days fighting against the reality and the effects of the downward opposition exerted by the wealthy and affluent, older, white classes. Self-preservation has always been an excuse for the maintenance of opression.
Just something I've been thinking about.
peace
TwennyTwo.
peace
Please go read Lani Guinier's article in Dollars and Sense. Thanks go to BlackFeminism for posting the link first.
The article deserves to be read. More than that, though, masha'Allah, it ties into a book I've been reading since I came back from Boston. The book is
As I mentioned earlier, I stayed with a childhood friend while I was in Boston. We go back to middle school, ended up living in the same neighborhood (our parents still live not one mile apart back in Ohio), went to the same high school but not at the same time ( I transferred out and ended up at my alma mater), and both participated in an internship program right out of high school at a certain Fortune 50 most admired company (hint: tis in the top ten).
We're both Black and female and raised with middle-class (or upper-middle-class) sensibilities and institutions if not middle-class money, and have as close a background as possible without actually trying, in terms of education and early employment experiences.
I'm getting to the tie between the article and the book and us bwic's. Gimme a sec. I feel like this is something important I'm writing, like I used to write my papers back in undergrad, so I want to get this right.
Ms. Guinier brings up the point that after the civil rights movement, and in the lastest efforts to be rid of affirmative action, schools are actually putting those of lower classes at a disadvantage; further, they're pitting race against class and financial status instead of using both together to cut the advantage of the rich over the lower classes in terms of academic preparation. What she's saying, in fact, is that what is called 'merit' by schools and those who espouse meritocracy (that being success and advancement based on ability and effort) is actually the result and parallel of class; that it actually is aristocracy in disguise.
Here's an excerpt (emphasis mine):
LG: Harvard University did a study based on thirty Harvard graduates over a thirty-year period. They wanted to know which students were most likely to exemplify the things that Harvard values most: doing well financially, having a satisfying career and contributing to society (especially in the form of donating to Harvard). The two variables that most predicted which students would achieve these criteria were low SAT scores and a blue-collar background.
That study was followed by one at the University of Michigan Law School that found that those most likely to do well financially, maintain a satisfying career, and contribute to society, were black and Latino students who were admitted pursuant to Affirmative Action. Conversely, those with the highest LSAT scores were the least likely to mentor younger attorneys, do pro-bono work, sit on community boards, etc.
So, the use of these so called "measures of merit" like standardized tests is backfiring on our institutions of higher learning and blocking the road to a more democratic society.
Now, while I was blown away by the fact that I actually read those words in print "Ooh! Somebody's blowin'up those rich white folks' spot, y'all")x, I was not actually surprised by what they were saying. Why? Because being Black and of a certain class, I thought,"I already knew that".
I was indoctrinated as a child into Black upper-class society by way of my grandparents in Tuskegee, AL, and later through church and other functions as a teen. I was a Delta Sigma Theta debutante in a major mid-western city (read the book and you'll know that puts me in a certain box). It's not something I shout about normally, but it IS an experience that I feel is very special. My upbringing gives me a certain status that I didn't know I had until I read that book and then understood certain reactions I got in high school and undergrad.
If anything, though, my indoctrination was incomplete: I wanted to be in Jack and Jill, and my parents wouldn't let me. I wonder (still) why my grandmother wasn't an AKA (be-lieve me, she's got the attitude and status right) or a Link. I think she didn't pass the paper bag test, maybe. Now that I understand the attitudes behind these groups and their status, I'm of a mixed opinion as to their worth. Mixed, because even though I don't pursue that kind of elitisim intentionally, I know instinctively that I'd flourish at that level. An uncomfortable revelation, you see.
It does bring me face to face with that realization I made in the back of my mind while reading Mr. Graham's book: I'm not super-affluent, but upper class. (I'm actually broke, but the more I read and look around me, the more I realize that that's probably a temporary thing...) I don't pass the paper-bag test, but I fit right in in terms of my attitudes (well, the whole religious choice and subsequent hairstyle choice notwithstanding) and the institutions I believe in. My struggle with the decision to go to Columbia U for grad school makes sense in the context of the society depicted in the book; one that has always had access to Ivy League and other highly-regarded and affluent educational institutions. I wasn't getting the support I wanted and felt was merited by my acceptance at the school. And now I know that's because my family makes a point to eschew 'boogie' groups and class orientation, even though it's kind of where they belong. No wonder they aren't going to cheer when I make a choice for something they'd think of as 'boogie' even if that isn't the reason for it. No wonder I feel, not an active discouragement, but just a lack of support (which can be worse, in some ways).
I mean, they actively have to keep from participating in these organizations. The other day my aunt asked me to babysit my cousins so that she and my uncle could attend a Links ball; at the time I was halfway through Mr. Graham's book, and said, "Oh, yeah! I wanted to ask you if you were in the Links." and my aunt looked at me sideways and asked, "WHY would you think I'd be a Link, Twenny?" Like she'd be allll upset if I came with the wrong answer.
I answered with the truth: "Because... I associate you with high class, and education, and Black folks being successful and associated with the right places. And that's what the Links are about."
But anyway, part of that indoctrination into Black Upper Class, good or bad, is the knowledge of our privilege: we know the right people and we're raised with the right manners and expectations. So I know that 'meritocracy' is a myth (or fast becoming one), and I know that the need for assurance of lower-class, underrepresented applicant entrance to high-quality schools is key. I could see both sides of the affirmative action debate, and instinctively know what was wrong with that particular institution, though I thank Ms. Guinier for putting it to words. I also know that I never worried about affirmative action on a personal level; I don't need it- I'm one of the lucky Black people who have the background that makes it unnecessary, whether or not I actually benefit from it.
I know that low class is low class, lower-class is lower-class, no matter what color you are. I've known for a great while that education and money are both passed down through generations in this country, that one follows the other, and that what is called 'talent' can be trained and bought with the right connections. That the right bloodline and class can be its own currency. Nothin' new about that.
And I know that it would benefit others of my race to have class become a criteria of educational admissions (among other things), because of the huge (but not all-encompassing) connection in this country between brownness and poverty, to put it bluntly- the darker the poorer. But the fact that it'd benefit the group of people who aren't dark and are poor- that's what many people and places don't want to get out. And I understand, though I disagree and will probably spend my days fighting against the reality and the effects of the downward opposition exerted by the wealthy and affluent, older, white classes. Self-preservation has always been an excuse for the maintenance of opression.
Just something I've been thinking about.
peace
TwennyTwo.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
i want to pray
completely YOU.
breathe
completely YOU.
let my mouth
eyes
skin
hands
mind
receive not
but, give!
YOU
praise You are beyond deserving.
before i ask You grant
over and over.
over and over
i scarce remember observance
you never forget.
i am
to pray.
let me be
abase`d contrast.
weighted shadow,
evidence, great
YOU
light.
completely YOU.
breathe
completely YOU.
let my mouth
eyes
skin
hands
mind
receive not
but, give!
YOU
praise You are beyond deserving.
before i ask You grant
over and over.
over and over
i scarce remember observance
you never forget.
i am
to pray.
let me be
abase`d contrast.
weighted shadow,
evidence, great
YOU
light.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Coming out of it- plus Johari/Nohari!
peace y'all.
I'm coming out of it slowly. Though, as my mama so wisely said, it'll take me a very long time to get over Imette's death- not just because she was my age, but also the way she died. Life is moving on, and I think about it less and less.
So many posts have occured to me in the past coupla days, but I was just too blue to type them out.
They're still in there, and they'll come out in due time. one thing I do want to examine in detail: the fading of friendships.
I'm supposed to present at OLAS' Noche de Cultura (night of culture) on April 22nd, and any of my blog peeps who are/will be in the DC metro area are welcome to attend. It'll be at 8pm, it's a family affair, at the CH Marvin Center, 21st and H St. NW.
After that plug... oh yes, my Johari/Nohari, since erybody else is doin' it and I'm following the crowd round 'bout now :
Please visit and comment at my Johari Window.... and my Nohari Window... which, if you haven't seen them going around like crazy in blogcircles, are areas where you list your characteristics and then other people comment too. And if I didn't want to know I wouldn't have posted it, so please do click away.
And, just because I'm listening to the tv-satellite radio, I have to say that I'm absolutely in love with Domenic M's 'La Quiero' which is a simple song that makes me swoon: "La quiero... la sue~no... no puedo dejar de pensar en ella... la vivo... hasta'en mi cancio`n..."* and the chording, though simple, is marvelous. I told you, it makes me swoon. Just thought I'd put it out there.
peace
TwennyTwo
*I love her... I dream her... I can't stop thinking about her... I live her/make her alive... even in my song...
I'm coming out of it slowly. Though, as my mama so wisely said, it'll take me a very long time to get over Imette's death- not just because she was my age, but also the way she died. Life is moving on, and I think about it less and less.
So many posts have occured to me in the past coupla days, but I was just too blue to type them out.
They're still in there, and they'll come out in due time. one thing I do want to examine in detail: the fading of friendships.
I'm supposed to present at OLAS' Noche de Cultura (night of culture) on April 22nd, and any of my blog peeps who are/will be in the DC metro area are welcome to attend. It'll be at 8pm, it's a family affair, at the CH Marvin Center, 21st and H St. NW.
After that plug... oh yes, my Johari/Nohari, since erybody else is doin' it and I'm following the crowd round 'bout now :
Please visit and comment at my Johari Window.... and my Nohari Window... which, if you haven't seen them going around like crazy in blogcircles, are areas where you list your characteristics and then other people comment too. And if I didn't want to know I wouldn't have posted it, so please do click away.
And, just because I'm listening to the tv-satellite radio, I have to say that I'm absolutely in love with Domenic M's 'La Quiero' which is a simple song that makes me swoon: "La quiero... la sue~no... no puedo dejar de pensar en ella... la vivo... hasta'en mi cancio`n..."* and the chording, though simple, is marvelous. I told you, it makes me swoon. Just thought I'd put it out there.
peace
TwennyTwo
*I love her... I dream her... I can't stop thinking about her... I live her/make her alive... even in my song...
Monday, March 06, 2006
Alive
peace
I feel better now.
Boston was a sad reunion of sorts. I saw people I hadn't seen since I went to portareeco: Rudy, Reyna, Carolina, Erica and Andrew, Mike, Eddie, Sandra, Silvana... and staying with Denishea, a friend from my childhood, made having to be there much easier. It made me grateful to have known Imette and everyone else in that unique group that is LFP/OLAS. Sandra gave me a bunch of pics she had brought with Imette in them. We'll keep her spirit alive.
The hurt isn't as raw. After the tears I think we all realize the great privilege we have- we're alive. I'm alive. And I owe it to God and myself to make this the best life. To work hard even at the crappy stuff, and be happy at even the most irrational times. So I'm sighing as I return to the world that doesn't know my grief, but I'm living more fiercely because of that. It's a gift, if a small one, from Imette.
Stuff I'm gonna do this week:
*Acceptance at Columbia U
*Financial Aid
*Taxes
*Get some Professional Work Pants
*Smile
peace
TwennyTwo
I feel better now.
Boston was a sad reunion of sorts. I saw people I hadn't seen since I went to portareeco: Rudy, Reyna, Carolina, Erica and Andrew, Mike, Eddie, Sandra, Silvana... and staying with Denishea, a friend from my childhood, made having to be there much easier. It made me grateful to have known Imette and everyone else in that unique group that is LFP/OLAS. Sandra gave me a bunch of pics she had brought with Imette in them. We'll keep her spirit alive.
The hurt isn't as raw. After the tears I think we all realize the great privilege we have- we're alive. I'm alive. And I owe it to God and myself to make this the best life. To work hard even at the crappy stuff, and be happy at even the most irrational times. So I'm sighing as I return to the world that doesn't know my grief, but I'm living more fiercely because of that. It's a gift, if a small one, from Imette.
Stuff I'm gonna do this week:
*Acceptance at Columbia U
*Financial Aid
*Taxes
*Get some Professional Work Pants
*Smile
peace
TwennyTwo
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Imette Update
peace
Here's an update. Imette's killer hasn't been found. Yet.
Many many of us are going up to Boston. The wake is tomorrow and the funeral is Saturday morning. My squeaky-new employers wouldn't let me off on Friday (and I reluctantly understand that, since I just began Monday) , so I'll arrive early Saturday.
what's killing me is that I know she is just that independent. Everyone is always all over her and Erica, these beautiful, petite, women, b/c they're so independent. They want to do by themselves. They can handle going places alone. I'm having trouble handling the anger- at the person or people who were so brutally monstrous. And, God forgive me, at Imette, for allllll those times she went alone and nothing happened. Had she just stayed with her friend...
pray without ceasing. I'll be back after Boston.
~TwennyTwo
Here's an update. Imette's killer hasn't been found. Yet.
Many many of us are going up to Boston. The wake is tomorrow and the funeral is Saturday morning. My squeaky-new employers wouldn't let me off on Friday (and I reluctantly understand that, since I just began Monday) , so I'll arrive early Saturday.
what's killing me is that I know she is just that independent. Everyone is always all over her and Erica, these beautiful, petite, women, b/c they're so independent. They want to do by themselves. They can handle going places alone. I'm having trouble handling the anger- at the person or people who were so brutally monstrous. And, God forgive me, at Imette, for allllll those times she went alone and nothing happened. Had she just stayed with her friend...
pray without ceasing. I'll be back after Boston.
~TwennyTwo
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un: Imette St. Guillen
peace
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
I don't know what to say. Haven't cried like this in a while.
Linda called me yesterday late, so I didn't hear the phone. It turns out our friend and classmate, Imette, was the woman found in Brooklyn, in a remote area, on Saturday. Insha'Allah her funeral will be on Thursday.
I just wrote an entire post about how I can hear her saying she wanted to be a forensic scientist, like the people on CSI, our jr. year. About how I remembered the story of her name- there's no Saint Guillen, her name was created from her parents' two created names- when I wrote an email JUST LAST WEEK. About how Imette SHOULD BE HERE. About how one of the 3 photos I keep from my college years in my journal features Imette, Mike, Erica, and I. About how devastated her mother and sister must be. About how she repped Boston hard. About how I ticked her off senior year, and show she should still be around THIS YEAR at the 10 year OLAS LFP anniversary to tease me about it. About how she is beautiful and funny and smart foevewr in my memory. She should be growing old, and instead someone saw fit to kill her. And how she will now only ly be beautiful and funny and smart in memory. I'll remember her.
Of course blogger erased the post and I'm literally exhausted- too tired to write anymore.
May her killer face swift capture and sure punishment. Que sufre exactamente lo que merezca.
May God light Imette's path and give her peace and eternal rest, and a merciful reward.
make duas for her family- only her sis and mom left.
~TwennyTwo
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
I don't know what to say. Haven't cried like this in a while.
Linda called me yesterday late, so I didn't hear the phone. It turns out our friend and classmate, Imette, was the woman found in Brooklyn, in a remote area, on Saturday. Insha'Allah her funeral will be on Thursday.
I just wrote an entire post about how I can hear her saying she wanted to be a forensic scientist, like the people on CSI, our jr. year. About how I remembered the story of her name- there's no Saint Guillen, her name was created from her parents' two created names- when I wrote an email JUST LAST WEEK. About how Imette SHOULD BE HERE. About how one of the 3 photos I keep from my college years in my journal features Imette, Mike, Erica, and I. About how devastated her mother and sister must be. About how she repped Boston hard. About how I ticked her off senior year, and show she should still be around THIS YEAR at the 10 year OLAS LFP anniversary to tease me about it. About how she is beautiful and funny and smart foevewr in my memory. She should be growing old, and instead someone saw fit to kill her. And how she will now only ly be beautiful and funny and smart in memory. I'll remember her.
Of course blogger erased the post and I'm literally exhausted- too tired to write anymore.
May her killer face swift capture and sure punishment. Que sufre exactamente lo que merezca.
May God light Imette's path and give her peace and eternal rest, and a merciful reward.
make duas for her family- only her sis and mom left.
~TwennyTwo
Friday, February 24, 2006
Super-who? Super-you!
Yesterday was a day of lasts. Last time I'd see my kids at Bell, probably until their end-of-year program. Last time to act innocent and surprised when they threw me a potato chip-and-gatorade party. For those who are interested, the gatorade was red- I shared my 'grownup' Diet Coke with Miss Katie, who was shadowing me as my replacement, so they wouldn't feel bad that I didn't drink it. Last time to actually be surprised when one of my students came up with a genuine, astute piece of literary analysis. Last time to hug them all and say thank you.
*sigh* anyways.
Still got lots on my plate this weekend. Need to go now. Can't...seem...stuck...to...comfy...chair~ *uff!*
okay, I'm gone. Enjoy the fact that I am a natural defender of the weak. Mwahahaha~
peace.
You are Supergirl
Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...
*sigh* anyways.
Still got lots on my plate this weekend. Need to go now. Can't...seem...stuck...to...comfy...chair~ *uff!*
okay, I'm gone. Enjoy the fact that I am a natural defender of the weak. Mwahahaha~
peace.
You are Supergirl
| Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.  |
Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Off to see the Wizard...
peace,
Today starts my last week with the kids at BELL, and man, it looks like a busy one.
My schedule is fuller than it has been. I get to go do fingerprinting (for only the 4th time in 3 months), and the kids do their first rehearsal for their drama today.
Tonight, insha'Allah Ima check out some free language classes being offered at AlmaMater.
Tomorrow, I'm going to court while I still have a free morning to *ahem* get my name changed to my name because the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia are a bunch of cracked-out ijit-spawned terrified fools. Ahem. Sorry bout that. Lil too much haterade this morning, perhaps? Or maybe just the fact that I never changed my name in the first place, just added my maternal last name as per Portareecan custom, and now I have to have it 'officially' changed even though it has never been changed. Yeah. Ima lay off that stuff.
Then, this weekend, I'm teaching a class for someone Sat. Morning, and I believe a certain friend has a baby shower that afternoon, and my friend Patty is performing in the District that evening. Oh, and the MSA at AlmaMater is hosting an "annual" spring dinner that same night. It don't rain but it pours.
Alhamdulillah, though. I have stuff to do! I make a difference in this world! That's pretty good, huh?
peace
TwennyTwo
Today starts my last week with the kids at BELL, and man, it looks like a busy one.
My schedule is fuller than it has been. I get to go do fingerprinting (for only the 4th time in 3 months), and the kids do their first rehearsal for their drama today.
Tonight, insha'Allah Ima check out some free language classes being offered at AlmaMater.
Tomorrow, I'm going to court while I still have a free morning to *ahem* get my name changed to my name because the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia are a bunch of cracked-out ijit-spawned terrified fools. Ahem. Sorry bout that. Lil too much haterade this morning, perhaps? Or maybe just the fact that I never changed my name in the first place, just added my maternal last name as per Portareecan custom, and now I have to have it 'officially' changed even though it has never been changed. Yeah. Ima lay off that stuff.
Then, this weekend, I'm teaching a class for someone Sat. Morning, and I believe a certain friend has a baby shower that afternoon, and my friend Patty is performing in the District that evening. Oh, and the MSA at AlmaMater is hosting an "annual" spring dinner that same night. It don't rain but it pours.
Alhamdulillah, though. I have stuff to do! I make a difference in this world! That's pretty good, huh?
peace
TwennyTwo
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Back to life, back to reality...
peace, y'all
Okay. I feel better. And plus I'm in blog withdrawal.
Couple things have happened: I went in Friday for my Entrance Interview and fingerprint papers for the New Job. Thursday the site directress at Bell informed me that she wasn't able to schedule the kids' presentations (Black History Month and all) for this coming Thursday, which is my last day.
So I will miss their presentations.
SOB.
I know that isn't as big a deal, as, say, the recent mudslides in the Philippines. There are bigger things than this going on. To keep my own internal reality-ometer on keel.
But I'm sayin', those 4th graders have worked HARD to get over their own teachers' perceptions of them, their own language issues and barriers. They have had to get over themselves and their attitudes and "the 'c' word (can't) and the 's' word (stupid) and the 'n' word (y'all know that one)." They worked to suspend their own disbelief in themselves and they're going to present something that they worked hard for. They believe in me to start them off and I won't be there. I'm MAD, man.
But okay, I'm gonna take the New Job, which I don't see as too likely to give in and just let me take my second day off to see some kids present. So boo.
Good stuff is happening too: Sherry (yup, from over to the left in the blogline) is in town! She came in LATE Thursday night, and we spent all of Fri. together after my NewJob stuff. We played slumber party in the hotel late; talking about what we'd do if we had $350 million to play with; her family and job making her nuts; famous movie stars; how old Sherry is since she is now a whole twennyfahve; (and I'm not b/c I have yet to reach such lofty heights, lol); the requisite "if you had a perfect man-making machine" question and the absolute "there-is-no-such-creature and if I could choose I wouldn't" answer... stuff like that. I'm glad she came but sad I only got to spend that time with her since I've been under-the-weather literally as well as figuratively and not willing to do the hump from where I live into the City. She's staying in a nice place over in Dupont, actually. I kvetched about walking up that dangone hill in my one pair of boots, but I did enjoy passign the time with her.
Sherry! You need to move your butt to DC!
I have some questions.
I want to learn how to recite the qur'an. I love to sing and have always considered doing so as a service to God and a way to use that talent to His Glory. How do Ido that?
Anyone want to teach me some surahs and nasheeds by heart? I'm serious! I think it was IzzyMo who was remarking on the dearth of beautiful voices in Islam. As a Black convert who came up in the gospel-music tradition (and loved it), I'm with her- that has a missing place. But first I think I need to get some surahs down. And just now, I'm broke. Suggestions?
GOtta go... one more thing- congrats to all the winners and mentions over at Brass Crescent. I was one of the 165! I think what you're doing is worthy and worthwhile.
peace
TwennyTwo
Okay. I feel better. And plus I'm in blog withdrawal.
Couple things have happened: I went in Friday for my Entrance Interview and fingerprint papers for the New Job. Thursday the site directress at Bell informed me that she wasn't able to schedule the kids' presentations (Black History Month and all) for this coming Thursday, which is my last day.
So I will miss their presentations.
SOB.
I know that isn't as big a deal, as, say, the recent mudslides in the Philippines. There are bigger things than this going on. To keep my own internal reality-ometer on keel.
But I'm sayin', those 4th graders have worked HARD to get over their own teachers' perceptions of them, their own language issues and barriers. They have had to get over themselves and their attitudes and "the 'c' word (can't) and the 's' word (stupid) and the 'n' word (y'all know that one)." They worked to suspend their own disbelief in themselves and they're going to present something that they worked hard for. They believe in me to start them off and I won't be there. I'm MAD, man.
But okay, I'm gonna take the New Job, which I don't see as too likely to give in and just let me take my second day off to see some kids present. So boo.
Good stuff is happening too: Sherry (yup, from over to the left in the blogline) is in town! She came in LATE Thursday night, and we spent all of Fri. together after my NewJob stuff. We played slumber party in the hotel late; talking about what we'd do if we had $350 million to play with; her family and job making her nuts; famous movie stars; how old Sherry is since she is now a whole twennyfahve; (and I'm not b/c I have yet to reach such lofty heights, lol); the requisite "if you had a perfect man-making machine" question and the absolute "there-is-no-such-creature and if I could choose I wouldn't" answer... stuff like that. I'm glad she came but sad I only got to spend that time with her since I've been under-the-weather literally as well as figuratively and not willing to do the hump from where I live into the City. She's staying in a nice place over in Dupont, actually. I kvetched about walking up that dangone hill in my one pair of boots, but I did enjoy passign the time with her.
Sherry! You need to move your butt to DC!
I have some questions.
I want to learn how to recite the qur'an. I love to sing and have always considered doing so as a service to God and a way to use that talent to His Glory. How do Ido that?
Anyone want to teach me some surahs and nasheeds by heart? I'm serious! I think it was IzzyMo who was remarking on the dearth of beautiful voices in Islam. As a Black convert who came up in the gospel-music tradition (and loved it), I'm with her- that has a missing place. But first I think I need to get some surahs down. And just now, I'm broke. Suggestions?
GOtta go... one more thing- congrats to all the winners and mentions over at Brass Crescent. I was one of the 165! I think what you're doing is worthy and worthwhile.
peace
TwennyTwo
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Haterade is bad for you
peace,
I want to know this: why is my religion being equated with violence in the West?
Because the real answer I keep coming up with is that it is practiced by a large group of 3rd world, non-white people.
Yes, I'm sure many people will give me reasoning all the way back to before the hijra about how Islam was spread by the sword. About Turkey. About Danish cartoons.
But I think that alllllll of the reasons you give me can come back to what I said: mainly practiced by 3rd world, non-white people.
Maybe I've just been drinking too much haterade. The prejudice is getting to me.
I believe in choices, but my GOODNESS, yaLateef, porque fue que yo tenia que escoger la ruta mas dificil? Aun sea que es la Tuya, la mas perfecta? ** WHYYYY?!
I need some dua to get rid of the haterade in my system. TTYL.
peace
TwennyTwo
** (ticked-off Spanish):Oh God All-Seeing, why was it that I HAD to choose the most difficult Path? Even though it IS Yours and the most perfect?
I want to know this: why is my religion being equated with violence in the West?
Because the real answer I keep coming up with is that it is practiced by a large group of 3rd world, non-white people.
Yes, I'm sure many people will give me reasoning all the way back to before the hijra about how Islam was spread by the sword. About Turkey. About Danish cartoons.
But I think that alllllll of the reasons you give me can come back to what I said: mainly practiced by 3rd world, non-white people.
Maybe I've just been drinking too much haterade. The prejudice is getting to me.
I believe in choices, but my GOODNESS, yaLateef, porque fue que yo tenia que escoger la ruta mas dificil? Aun sea que es la Tuya, la mas perfecta? ** WHYYYY?!
I need some dua to get rid of the haterade in my system. TTYL.
peace
TwennyTwo
** (ticked-off Spanish):Oh God All-Seeing, why was it that I HAD to choose the most difficult Path? Even though it IS Yours and the most perfect?
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Bad things HAVE to happen
peace,
y'all
Yeah, so yesterday I wrote this ENTIRE post about how I'm going to be grateful again, b/c I've been pretty low for most of february up to this point.
Word to everyone: don't go see 'Something New'. First off, they make a buncha cracks about Farrakhanist Muslims in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Yeah. Not cute.
But also b/c the movie was shallow at some points. And to be honest with myself, I just didn't like it.
Nada, I wanted to share the following with you. I wrote it when wondering why I was feeling so bad, and why so many bad things have to happen.
peace,
TwennyTwo
y'all
Yeah, so yesterday I wrote this ENTIRE post about how I'm going to be grateful again, b/c I've been pretty low for most of february up to this point.
Word to everyone: don't go see 'Something New'. First off, they make a buncha cracks about Farrakhanist Muslims in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Yeah. Not cute.
But also b/c the movie was shallow at some points. And to be honest with myself, I just didn't like it.
Nada, I wanted to share the following with you. I wrote it when wondering why I was feeling so bad, and why so many bad things have to happen.
"...and in that moment i was blessed to realize that bad things happen because they're my everyday prophets. i hate to have one in front of me, i hate to see others going through them, and i don't like that they're there, these bad bad low low points. and yet they open the door to the best thing i've seen yet, they tell me how sweet the future is going to be, and that it has been around the corner the whole time. think about it: you have to train, to win. betrayal comes before that one true, trustworthy, amazing love. a child is burned first, so then truly respects fire. i mean, ask your mother, even hard labor comes before the glory of witnessing new life. the realization was the most painful and at the same time the most valuable piece of inspiration i will ever have.
peace,
TwennyTwo
Friday, February 10, 2006
And now, a word from the ditzy american side...
(warning! Nafs ahead! )
...the Olympic skiers from Africa (esp. Ethiopia and Senegal) are all GORGEOUS!!!! And the Armenians! And... I'd better stop there...
Who Knew?
And here I was gonna skip the opening ceremonies!
...the Olympic skiers from Africa (esp. Ethiopia and Senegal) are all GORGEOUS!!!! And the Armenians! And... I'd better stop there...
Who Knew?
And here I was gonna skip the opening ceremonies!
And the Imam's Wife?
The Renegade Rebbetzin fascinates me. Reading her is both fun and reminiscent of a time when I was younger, and more open, and wanted to Know Everything.
I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood with a Jewish best friend, so I actually got interested in orthodox judaism before I chose Islam, did some reading about it, etc.
One of the coolest books I ever read was 'how to run an orthodox jewish household' or something similar, b/c it EXPLAINED all the stuff I'd seen over the years.
Therefore, RenReb does still fascinate me, b/c she's a modern twist on all that. For the record, Rebbetzin is what the wife of the Rabbi is called in an orthodox community.
So. I'm amused and bemused now by reading all the hilarious stuff on RenReb's site and thinking... where is the stuff like that on Islamic Living?
Where's the Imam's Wife (and how come I don't know if that particular status/position has a title?) to amuse me while telling me how to lay out the dates and milk before maghrib during Ramadhan?
I don't know any imam's wives too well, ya see. Most of the ones I know are either much older or moved away as soon as they got married, thereby taking with them the opportunties to talk about householdy stuff.
UmmIbrahim, feel free to let me know your take, since you're the Imam's Daughter, that counts.
I mean, don't get me wrong, my Islam is that of the spirit. But sometimes, and reading RenReb, I feel that hankering to learn something by living it, and including it into my life.
Is this making any sense?
Where's the Imam's wife?
This isn't the same, by the way, as being a preacher's wife in a lot of senses. I don't think. From the preachers' wives I knew when I was growing up.
It IS the same in that the wife of the spiritual leader is expected to be an example to all the women in the community- even when she's another woman too, who just happened to marry a dude with a hankering to be close to God and know Him by leading the people at the church. That can get kinda wearing, and make one woman self-conscious, etc. I want to acknowledge that, while at the same time, distinguishing that from what I mean.
Christianity as commonly lived in the US is pretty secular. So I guess, in my head, the little rituals of life and religious customs, besides prayer, arent' there to be established for a preacher's wife. That's all I'm saying.
Maybe because under some POV in Islam, any man with enough learning can lead the community? Is the Cleric's Wife a westernized thing?
I'm having way too much fun thinking about this. Just shows how down and blue and bored I've been today, I think.
Anyway.
Imam's wives, holla atcha girl!
peace
TwennyTwo
I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood with a Jewish best friend, so I actually got interested in orthodox judaism before I chose Islam, did some reading about it, etc.
One of the coolest books I ever read was 'how to run an orthodox jewish household' or something similar, b/c it EXPLAINED all the stuff I'd seen over the years.
Therefore, RenReb does still fascinate me, b/c she's a modern twist on all that. For the record, Rebbetzin is what the wife of the Rabbi is called in an orthodox community.
So. I'm amused and bemused now by reading all the hilarious stuff on RenReb's site and thinking... where is the stuff like that on Islamic Living?
Where's the Imam's Wife (and how come I don't know if that particular status/position has a title?) to amuse me while telling me how to lay out the dates and milk before maghrib during Ramadhan?
I don't know any imam's wives too well, ya see. Most of the ones I know are either much older or moved away as soon as they got married, thereby taking with them the opportunties to talk about householdy stuff.
UmmIbrahim, feel free to let me know your take, since you're the Imam's Daughter, that counts.
I mean, don't get me wrong, my Islam is that of the spirit. But sometimes, and reading RenReb, I feel that hankering to learn something by living it, and including it into my life.
Is this making any sense?
Where's the Imam's wife?
This isn't the same, by the way, as being a preacher's wife in a lot of senses. I don't think. From the preachers' wives I knew when I was growing up.
It IS the same in that the wife of the spiritual leader is expected to be an example to all the women in the community- even when she's another woman too, who just happened to marry a dude with a hankering to be close to God and know Him by leading the people at the church. That can get kinda wearing, and make one woman self-conscious, etc. I want to acknowledge that, while at the same time, distinguishing that from what I mean.
Christianity as commonly lived in the US is pretty secular. So I guess, in my head, the little rituals of life and religious customs, besides prayer, arent' there to be established for a preacher's wife. That's all I'm saying.
Maybe because under some POV in Islam, any man with enough learning can lead the community? Is the Cleric's Wife a westernized thing?
I'm having way too much fun thinking about this. Just shows how down and blue and bored I've been today, I think.
Anyway.
Imam's wives, holla atcha girl!
peace
TwennyTwo
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I know I'm not alone...
peace y'all
... in wanting to file my Federal taxes for free online. Right? Just some linky-loo for ya while trying to pull myself back to normal. Cartoon debacle sinkage will do that.
On that same note, though, does anyone know where I can file my kinda complicated state taxes online for free as well? All the places at the IRS site are tryna charge $25 bucks for a straight shot at the state forms. I don't even want to think what'll happen when I tell them I've worked and/or lived in four separate US jurisdictions in 2005. And all that for (way, way) less than $25K. Why did I do this again?
Oh, yeah, the teaching love.
_________------------------------________
I still want to be a midwife.
I just have to figure out how.
I wrote the whole sell-out post b/c I was really in funk about this: How on earth do I get to be a midwife without huge huge crazy debt??
Does anyone know of a midwife who can apprentice me? I'll work for room and board and an education. I'm serious. My whole problem for the past 3 years has been keeping myself healthy and alive and off the streets while dealing with various shades of bovine scatulation (look it up) in an effort to become certified as a teacher. So that then I can save up some cash and cash in on all those benefits that you see out there for being a teacher, like having your loans forgiven for working in really poor schools. For the record, ALL of the schools I've ever worked in have qualified for that program, but I never have, b/c my degree isn't in education, it's just what I live and breathe to do.
I digress.
All my readers, sisterfriends, people who just happened to stop by- keep this on your mind. ANything about midwifery that passes your radar, I want to know about, b/c you never know when an opportunity will come through you, insha'Allah.
ok, I'm done.
peace
TwennyTwo
... in wanting to file my Federal taxes for free online. Right? Just some linky-loo for ya while trying to pull myself back to normal. Cartoon debacle sinkage will do that.
On that same note, though, does anyone know where I can file my kinda complicated state taxes online for free as well? All the places at the IRS site are tryna charge $25 bucks for a straight shot at the state forms. I don't even want to think what'll happen when I tell them I've worked and/or lived in four separate US jurisdictions in 2005. And all that for (way, way) less than $25K. Why did I do this again?
Oh, yeah, the teaching love.
_________------------------------________
I still want to be a midwife.
I just have to figure out how.
I wrote the whole sell-out post b/c I was really in funk about this: How on earth do I get to be a midwife without huge huge crazy debt??
Does anyone know of a midwife who can apprentice me? I'll work for room and board and an education. I'm serious. My whole problem for the past 3 years has been keeping myself healthy and alive and off the streets while dealing with various shades of bovine scatulation (look it up) in an effort to become certified as a teacher. So that then I can save up some cash and cash in on all those benefits that you see out there for being a teacher, like having your loans forgiven for working in really poor schools. For the record, ALL of the schools I've ever worked in have qualified for that program, but I never have, b/c my degree isn't in education, it's just what I live and breathe to do.
I digress.
All my readers, sisterfriends, people who just happened to stop by- keep this on your mind. ANything about midwifery that passes your radar, I want to know about, b/c you never know when an opportunity will come through you, insha'Allah.
ok, I'm done.
peace
TwennyTwo
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Weighin' in on the cartoon debacle
I know y'all have been waiting to hear what I have to say on this. To be perfectly clear, I am completely against the physical and explosive violence toward Denmark that has been displayed around the world. I'm also muhejebah, I cover my hair and dress modestly outside my house. I am in no way oppressed, but you wouldn't know that by seeing me through Western stereotypes. But what's new?
I keep running up on the question of the violence against Danes and Danish property as reaction to the cartoons published back in September and again last month. One of adult ESL students is the sole television journalist for a European station. He's stationed with the Washington bureau; and so along with the perks of teaching him and his wife about pop culture (think why black women have straight hair, hip hop, and southern accents and expressions) I, as a muslim woman but also his teacher, faced his very journalistic questions.
Many of us Muslims will hear the questions. So first, to those of us who are bothered by society's monolithic view of Muslims and Islam: Get Over It. I learned a long time ago as a Christian Black child that what I do represents the race in so many ways. That meant if I acted up and vandalized places and treated people with disrespect, some person who didn't know that all people, Black people included, are different, would say, "Look! See! No wonder those people don't have anything. They're uneducated , rude, ignorant, and undeserving." Say what you like. As part of the generation raised by those who fought the Civil Rights revolution, I know that eyes are on me. I will be questioned, fairly or not I will be held as part of the actions of my brethren. Get over it. Tis life in the U S of A. I can distance myself, but the greater good is to educate someone else while I'm doing so. It's like the whole taliban thing. Or being asked why my husband makes me cover my hair (I'm neither married nor a muslim from birth, so that takes work to correct!). I know it'll happen. And move on.
Next: "Why is everyone freaking out? It's just some pictures of this prophet guy."
astaghfir'Ullah Al Aziz.
I had to keep in mind that this particular student is really more agnostic than secular Christian, is European, and thus is just ignorant to the point of view that's sparking such protest.
Many many people can and have explained this better than I, including Umm Z and the morning commentator who was on ABC yesterday at 4AM. If you are Christian, and you hear a fuss about a prophet, you may not understand how big a deal this is because you're making the wrong analogy. In terms of reverence, what Muslims are commanded and believe is a lot closer to what today's western Christians think of as Jesus Christ (may he be granted peace) himself, and not the pope or any other contemporary figure. Yes. Yes. This is true. Since Islam has been established there has been agreement within the religion (and that, my friends, is hard and almost an oxymoron in itself unfortunately) that there are to be no images of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him. None. No stained glass windows in masajid with images of the Prophet, no icons in your art history books. Only if you understand this do you know that just putting the pen to paper with the intention of drawing this man, however benign, was apt to land somebody in some hot water regardless.
But then they took it a step further?! God help them.
"What about the freedom of expression?"
Secondly, as has been said again, the cartoons drawn are not just representations of a god-touched but still human man. To the contrary: they are being used to represent an entire religion as violent, ignorant, and unworthy of respect. And THAT is why I know every Muslim who saw this will react- inwardly, calmly or violently, but a true reaction nonetheless- to the disrespect implied. That the editors and others of a similar opinion would hide behind freedom of expression is not only despicable but irresponsible, and unworthy of the profession of journalism in our times.
You see, freedom of expression comes with the responsibility to use it properly. That's why libel is against the law. And it's why censorship is definitely applied in the editor's offices across the world. Some things you just don't say. As Mama says, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. You can say anything. But how you say it is what really counts." Give me a break. Hiding behind the skirts of freedom of expression doesn't exempt you from using good judgment.
And all this was about the religion of Muslims. In the west we have to remember that life isn't all fun and games in the majority of the world where Islam is practiced. It's hard. Men and women work, they come home, they may or may not have television, but they certainly don't have the magnitude of media and diversions available here. You live for work and religion. Want to tick somebody off? Belittle one of the two. Want to make your life really hard? Make fun of the one uplifting example so many people have, take it and sully it as if it means nothing, when it's the most sacred thing there is. Hello!! Were you trying to bait someone? I truly believe that the editors in question were aiming for such an explosive response. No one who publishes daily journalism can be that ignorant. They knew what they were doing.
Dr. H. Hassaballa on the danish cartoon escandalo says it better than I can:
I'm disappointed in my people. We took the bait- not of the danish and french and german editors. No. This was the bait of asshaitan, to pull Muslims away from the right path and into committing wrong against others who HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ISSUE.
Going back to my southern Black roots, I'm all about a boycott. I've heard opinions against that, most lucidly AbuSinan's argument that a boycott hits unsuspecting and unrelevant Danes where it hurts. But having that tradition in my cultural heritage, I know it works, I know how to do it, and it is a form of disapproval that will be heard without my physical striking of any blow. Please believe that even now the government of Denmark is straining to control the economic effects of one editor's stupidity, because in the end, it's going to hurt a lot more than the preservation of his particular freedom of expression warranted.
Or, as my aunt likes to say, "Economics ain't nothin' but a war. You tryin' to keep your money, and the other side tryin' to get you to let hold of it."
Watch me hold my money til' Lincoln hollers. That, I can easily do in solidarity, within my conscience as a Muslim. So I'll miss those exquisite butter cookies- but for the sake of the Prophet, I think that's fair.
peace
TwennyTwo
I keep running up on the question of the violence against Danes and Danish property as reaction to the cartoons published back in September and again last month. One of adult ESL students is the sole television journalist for a European station. He's stationed with the Washington bureau; and so along with the perks of teaching him and his wife about pop culture (think why black women have straight hair, hip hop, and southern accents and expressions) I, as a muslim woman but also his teacher, faced his very journalistic questions.
Many of us Muslims will hear the questions. So first, to those of us who are bothered by society's monolithic view of Muslims and Islam: Get Over It. I learned a long time ago as a Christian Black child that what I do represents the race in so many ways. That meant if I acted up and vandalized places and treated people with disrespect, some person who didn't know that all people, Black people included, are different, would say, "Look! See! No wonder those people don't have anything. They're uneducated , rude, ignorant, and undeserving." Say what you like. As part of the generation raised by those who fought the Civil Rights revolution, I know that eyes are on me. I will be questioned, fairly or not I will be held as part of the actions of my brethren. Get over it. Tis life in the U S of A. I can distance myself, but the greater good is to educate someone else while I'm doing so. It's like the whole taliban thing. Or being asked why my husband makes me cover my hair (I'm neither married nor a muslim from birth, so that takes work to correct!). I know it'll happen. And move on.
Next: "Why is everyone freaking out? It's just some pictures of this prophet guy."
astaghfir'Ullah Al Aziz.
I had to keep in mind that this particular student is really more agnostic than secular Christian, is European, and thus is just ignorant to the point of view that's sparking such protest.
Many many people can and have explained this better than I, including Umm Z and the morning commentator who was on ABC yesterday at 4AM. If you are Christian, and you hear a fuss about a prophet, you may not understand how big a deal this is because you're making the wrong analogy. In terms of reverence, what Muslims are commanded and believe is a lot closer to what today's western Christians think of as Jesus Christ (may he be granted peace) himself, and not the pope or any other contemporary figure. Yes. Yes. This is true. Since Islam has been established there has been agreement within the religion (and that, my friends, is hard and almost an oxymoron in itself unfortunately) that there are to be no images of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him. None. No stained glass windows in masajid with images of the Prophet, no icons in your art history books. Only if you understand this do you know that just putting the pen to paper with the intention of drawing this man, however benign, was apt to land somebody in some hot water regardless.
But then they took it a step further?! God help them.
"What about the freedom of expression?"
Secondly, as has been said again, the cartoons drawn are not just representations of a god-touched but still human man. To the contrary: they are being used to represent an entire religion as violent, ignorant, and unworthy of respect. And THAT is why I know every Muslim who saw this will react- inwardly, calmly or violently, but a true reaction nonetheless- to the disrespect implied. That the editors and others of a similar opinion would hide behind freedom of expression is not only despicable but irresponsible, and unworthy of the profession of journalism in our times.
You see, freedom of expression comes with the responsibility to use it properly. That's why libel is against the law. And it's why censorship is definitely applied in the editor's offices across the world. Some things you just don't say. As Mama says, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. You can say anything. But how you say it is what really counts." Give me a break. Hiding behind the skirts of freedom of expression doesn't exempt you from using good judgment.
And all this was about the religion of Muslims. In the west we have to remember that life isn't all fun and games in the majority of the world where Islam is practiced. It's hard. Men and women work, they come home, they may or may not have television, but they certainly don't have the magnitude of media and diversions available here. You live for work and religion. Want to tick somebody off? Belittle one of the two. Want to make your life really hard? Make fun of the one uplifting example so many people have, take it and sully it as if it means nothing, when it's the most sacred thing there is. Hello!! Were you trying to bait someone? I truly believe that the editors in question were aiming for such an explosive response. No one who publishes daily journalism can be that ignorant. They knew what they were doing.
Dr. H. Hassaballa on the danish cartoon escandalo says it better than I can:
"Now, this is total speculation on my part, but I believe in my heart of hearts that the publishers of these cartoons think that Muslims are nothing but a bunch of barbarians. To prove it, they intentionally published offensive and provocative cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a horrible manner so that Muslims will threaten innocent Europeans, shoot guns in the air, and burn Danish flags. And you know what? Muslims, by and large, took the bait and ended up looking like barbarians. Isn't that a stupid thing to do? I think so. Don't you think so?"
I'm disappointed in my people. We took the bait- not of the danish and french and german editors. No. This was the bait of asshaitan, to pull Muslims away from the right path and into committing wrong against others who HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ISSUE.
Going back to my southern Black roots, I'm all about a boycott. I've heard opinions against that, most lucidly AbuSinan's argument that a boycott hits unsuspecting and unrelevant Danes where it hurts. But having that tradition in my cultural heritage, I know it works, I know how to do it, and it is a form of disapproval that will be heard without my physical striking of any blow. Please believe that even now the government of Denmark is straining to control the economic effects of one editor's stupidity, because in the end, it's going to hurt a lot more than the preservation of his particular freedom of expression warranted.
Or, as my aunt likes to say, "Economics ain't nothin' but a war. You tryin' to keep your money, and the other side tryin' to get you to let hold of it."
Watch me hold my money til' Lincoln hollers. That, I can easily do in solidarity, within my conscience as a Muslim. So I'll miss those exquisite butter cookies- but for the sake of the Prophet, I think that's fair.
peace
TwennyTwo
Give men their due credit and respect!
What Does 'Boys Will Be Boys' Really Mean?
Peace to all.
I read this day'fo'yesterdy and then popped over to Shabana's entry for the day on the violence of female bodies.
Know what? As trite as it sounds, as pat and perfect the statement is, it's true: I am Muslim because I don't want any of this. I don't want the violence of exposure to such perfection and self-hatred. I want a husband and sons and community brothers who outright reject the impression that they don't know better than to lap this up.
As much as love to opine otherwise, especially as American women, men are Not dogs. Tis time to give them credit.
And men: do as the boy in the story: "I'm a better person than that" should be what rolls through your mind when a scantily clad (insert sexy-hollywood-femme-of-the-day here) rolls across your screen and strolls across the magazine page. Because Dr. Mir and Ms. Roffman are right: the exposure is only there because MEN BUY IT and want it and reinforce it, just like so many other supposedly benign and truly harmful phenomena that surround us.
peace
TwennyTwo
Peace to all.
I read this day'fo'yesterdy and then popped over to Shabana's entry for the day on the violence of female bodies.
Know what? As trite as it sounds, as pat and perfect the statement is, it's true: I am Muslim because I don't want any of this. I don't want the violence of exposure to such perfection and self-hatred. I want a husband and sons and community brothers who outright reject the impression that they don't know better than to lap this up.
As much as love to opine otherwise, especially as American women, men are Not dogs. Tis time to give them credit.
And men: do as the boy in the story: "I'm a better person than that" should be what rolls through your mind when a scantily clad (insert sexy-hollywood-femme-of-the-day here) rolls across your screen and strolls across the magazine page. Because Dr. Mir and Ms. Roffman are right: the exposure is only there because MEN BUY IT and want it and reinforce it, just like so many other supposedly benign and truly harmful phenomena that surround us.
peace
TwennyTwo
Friday, February 03, 2006
Sell Out Soul
peace unto y'all
I feel like such a sell-out right about now.
I got dat full-time-wit-benefits job that my aunt was bugging me about. And though I'll definitely like the position, I feel like such a sell-out.
I don't think I want to keep teaching, much as I'll miss the kids. the frustrations are just too great. Add to that that I'm not willing to put myself into debt to get the last flippin' credits necessary to earn a license and I will not be staying in the school system to foment my own social changes within the lil ones.
it makes me want to eat. Eat. Eat. EAT. I just had a bowl of cereal earlier, and i just ate some rice w/shrimp gumbo, and though I'm full it makes me want to eat some more. Or smoke a cigarette (months, now, since that feeling has hit). or call a certain good friend who told me he felt like a sell-out some time ago.
I do remember soothing him at that point but right now I can't for the life of me remember what I told him, which would be so nice b/c I need it now. Can't call him. Have this small problem with being way too fascinated with him for my own good just now, so I have 'haraamed' contact with him. Nope, not joking. Shabana gets points for that word, by the way.
Add to that the frustration of people's reactions around me. Good thing I called my mother (3 states over) and told her about the offer first, good thing she was gently congratulatory as is her cheerful way, b/c my aunt didn't even crack a smile. She was like, 'Thank God, cuz your butt was on your way outtahere.' Gee, such a cheerleader, woman, and I did this isht for YOU. I sold Out For You and you can't even say CONGRATS. Yeah, so that hurts.
And here it is: I'll be working 40 hours a week. The work is worthy and honest (doing phone calls for disabled people returning to work). but this is not changing the world. And it's not me going to the grad school of my dreams. And yeah it's great in the short term but I sense that I could get stuck so easily in the stability of it all. At the same time though, I have been so dependent for so long that I think I'll only have a clear head when I have some space of my own again. I'm officially saving my money and planning on moving back to portareeco. I dunno.
I just feel like a sell out. That's all.
Excuse me while I go find some red meat and high glycemic carbohydrates.
Feel free to leave comforting words of wisdom and surahs cuz a sister is in need.
I feel like such a sell-out right about now.
I got dat full-time-wit-benefits job that my aunt was bugging me about. And though I'll definitely like the position, I feel like such a sell-out.
I don't think I want to keep teaching, much as I'll miss the kids. the frustrations are just too great. Add to that that I'm not willing to put myself into debt to get the last flippin' credits necessary to earn a license and I will not be staying in the school system to foment my own social changes within the lil ones.
it makes me want to eat. Eat. Eat. EAT. I just had a bowl of cereal earlier, and i just ate some rice w/shrimp gumbo, and though I'm full it makes me want to eat some more. Or smoke a cigarette (months, now, since that feeling has hit). or call a certain good friend who told me he felt like a sell-out some time ago.
I do remember soothing him at that point but right now I can't for the life of me remember what I told him, which would be so nice b/c I need it now. Can't call him. Have this small problem with being way too fascinated with him for my own good just now, so I have 'haraamed' contact with him. Nope, not joking. Shabana gets points for that word, by the way.
Add to that the frustration of people's reactions around me. Good thing I called my mother (3 states over) and told her about the offer first, good thing she was gently congratulatory as is her cheerful way, b/c my aunt didn't even crack a smile. She was like, 'Thank God, cuz your butt was on your way outtahere.' Gee, such a cheerleader, woman, and I did this isht for YOU. I sold Out For You and you can't even say CONGRATS. Yeah, so that hurts.
And here it is: I'll be working 40 hours a week. The work is worthy and honest (doing phone calls for disabled people returning to work). but this is not changing the world. And it's not me going to the grad school of my dreams. And yeah it's great in the short term but I sense that I could get stuck so easily in the stability of it all. At the same time though, I have been so dependent for so long that I think I'll only have a clear head when I have some space of my own again. I'm officially saving my money and planning on moving back to portareeco. I dunno.
I just feel like a sell out. That's all.
Excuse me while I go find some red meat and high glycemic carbohydrates.
Feel free to leave comforting words of wisdom and surahs cuz a sister is in need.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Inna Lilahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'un
Coretta Scott King
Mother King has passed. Funny, I was thinking about her the other day. She survived a strong if human husband and continued working in her own quiet way. May God bless her.
peace
TwennyTwo
Mother King has passed. Funny, I was thinking about her the other day. She survived a strong if human husband and continued working in her own quiet way. May God bless her.
peace
TwennyTwo
Israeli Troops, Jewish Settlers Clash - Yahoo! News
Submitted to the Radical Women of Color Carnival : RadicalWoC2
The most exposed racist quote I've seen in a while was in this article:
"Two right-wing Jewish members of parliament were among those wounded in the clashes. Effie Eitam, a legislator from the National Union Party, stood among the protesters with blood streaming from his forehead.
'They are treating people here like Arabs,' said legislator Arieh Eldad in a telephone interview from the scene with Israel Radio. Eldad said he suffered a broken arm."
Wait. So you acknowledge that violence against resisting people who consider the land they're on to be their rightful homeland is wrong? Good for you.
Darn skippy they're treating you like you treat Arabs. Not so good on the receiving side? THEN CHANGE THE WAY YOU TREAT ARABS. The golden rule ain't just an economic principle.
sorry bout my bitterness, I just couldn't believe he out and out basically said, "we treat people like dirt but we don't deserve to be treated that way". Ijits.
hoping for peace
TwennyTwo
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