An Imam with a Scalpel

Somewhere in America #MIPSTERZ #CARTOONMUSLIMRESPONSE #HASHTAG #HASHBROWNS

Hate Hypocrisy: Sunni vs Shi'a

When it's about our religion...

When it's about a different religion or sect...

Missing Muhammad: Part 1

Brothers, This Iftar, Let's Do Some Work

Alhamdulillah, my dad really exemplifies this characteristic of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but there's a rumor...ehem ehem... that a lot of guys leave the entire burden of housework on our mothers, sisters and wives, because it's not their job. Well, if our Prophet (peace be upon him) did it, then what excuse do we have?

5 Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

I think everyone was caught off guard by Hurricane Sandy. I think we were all thinking it would be just like Hurricane Irene, but it was a different beast. Some people have homes flooded, others lost them completely. Even entire communities were leveled. Alhamdulillah, I didn't have it that bad, but I did lose electricity and heat for about two weeks. It was tougher than I expected, but lessons I learned from the experience greatly outweighed the hardship. Here are five of them:

1. We're not as self sufficient as we think we are
   On the second night of the storm, when the winds started to pick up and the lights started flickering, we had an idea of what was coming. Last year, during Hurricane Irene, we lost electricity for 6 days, so when we the lights went out, we weren't too surprised. No electricity and no internet was more of a nuisance than anything else. Not really a hardship. But the pain started when the heat started wearing off. Hurricane Irene hit earlier in fall, while Sandy came closer to winter. It was getting really cold. Sleeping would require multiple uncomfortable layers on every part of the body and getting out of bed would be impossible if we didn't have warm water for showers. I realized that in our normal day to day lives, we feel like everything is in our control, but it only takes a few downed wired to put us back in our place and realize all this stability is only thanks to Allah. The challenge though is to remain grateful to Allah after our luxury returns.
   
   
2. Life without internet isn't so bad
   Before Hurricane Sandy took out my electricity, it would be safe to say that I was spending a bit too much time on my computer. I always felt like I had so much to do and would sneak in a couple of Youtube videos to subconsciously avoid doing those tasks. The result would be a stress filled, unproductive day with not enough time spent with family and too many days without calling friends. After I lost internet, it felt pretty peaceful. I didn't feel the constant urge to check my Facebook, email and even this website. I could just sit back, study and spend some quality time with the family without worrying about lost productivity. Now that I have internet back, I have to make sure I manage my time well enough to avoid enslaving myself to my computer again.
   
   
   

The Presidential Debates: Like a Hip Hop Beef

I was watching the presidential debates and started thinking about how little I was thinking about what the candidates were saying and paying more attention to their rhetoric and body language. You cant really blame me though. We're not hearing anything new from these candidates and there's no way to fact check their claims while they speak. When Obama claims that Romney's tax breaks will fall on the middle class, how can we know at the moment whether or not it is true when Romney claims it's false? It's really all a game. Something that both candidates have to do or else it will seem like they cant stand up to their opposing candidates scrutiny. It reminded me of these hip hop beefs and rap battles. No one really is paying attention to the validity of each rappers' claims or wait for the chance of reconciliation, people just watch to see who can insult the other the best. Similarly in these presidential debates, it's not really about the issues, but about the back and forth that goes on between the candidates.

It makes me wish we could pick our leaders like the first few khalifa's of Islam were chosen. The leaders did not run for office, the most pious among them were chosen. Ideally, this system would bypass all of this unnecessary drama of candidates arguing for why they are the best and increase the likelihood of choosing the most qualified and sincere leader. The only problem is that I don't think it's possible today. There is too much ego and too little sincerity. Democracy isn't bad, I just feel like it's not being implemented in a way that achieves it's purpose.