slikSAK's Xanga

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 21:55:44 GMT

Eid Mubarak to one and all.

May Allah accept it from us and you.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 22:26:54 GMT

Did anyone see this story in the news this week? It made the headline in Monday's national CAIR e-mail digest of news.

This "ex-employee" is my sister. Go Baji! Alhamdulillah for the way this case turned out in the end. CAIR helped my sis and brother-in-law out in fighting the case.

Store pays Muslim ex-employee $16,000

By Rona Marech
Sun reporter

October 23, 2005

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.ho.settle23oct23,1,4958050.story

The owner of a Maryland chain of education supply stores has agreed to pay $16,000 to a Muslim former employee who complained that she was fired shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks because of her religious beliefs.

As part of the settlement, which followed an investigation by the State of Maryland Commission on Human Relations, the owner of Learning How also sent an apology to the fired worker, Shabana Ahmed, and agreed to send his managers to cultural and religious awareness training.

Ahmed, 27, worked as a saleswoman at the company's Columbia store for several weeks in October 2001. She wore traditional Muslim attire to work and prayed several times a day in the back of the store. According to the commission's investigation, company President John Faw Jr. pulled aside the store manager.

The manager told members of the commission that Faw said, "Are you crazy? ... I can't have her working here." Ahmed was fired the next day, said Lee Hoshall, assistant general counsel at the commission.

A Learning How official denied wrongdoing. "Basically, we looked at it as a great deal of miscommunication. ... To avoid any further aggravation, we settled out of the court," said Michael Wayland, Learning How's chief financial officer. "We would vehemently deny any act of discrimination on our part."

He declined to comment on the former manager's testimony.

Ahmed said she was "happy with the way it turned out."

"It was a very shocking and disturbing thing that happened to me," she said.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 04:07:04 GMT

We as a human race are so similar, yet we live so very different lives. Here's something to move us in prayer during these last few nights of this blessed month...

http://www.ekincaglar.com/coin/flash.html

(anyone want to teach me how to post a video on my xanga?)

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 03:49:00 GMT

It's that time of year again when Muslims squabble over the correct day to start Ramadan. Ramadan begins for us tomorrow, whereas the rest of the U.S. starts Wednesday. But that's another rant by itself which I won't go into about my community. WHENEVER it is that you begin Ramadan, may you be able to make the most out of your time and this blessed month for Muslims.

If there's something you've always been wishing for (be it halal, of course), don't forget to make du'a for it every evening when you bite into that juicy date to break your fast. Remember the hadith, the Messenger of Allah said, "There are three whose supplications are not rejected : the fasting person when he breaks his fast, the just ruler and the supplication of the oppressed." Tirmidhi.

Be sure to write down all your du'as and make them everyday. While you're making your list, be sure to add me to it, too. May Allah accept your du'as and prayers this month.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 02:53:36 GMT

Here's a cruel, but funny joke for you...

Q: What is George W. Bush's position on Roe v. Wade?

A: He really doesn't give a d*** how people get out of New Orleans.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:00:43 GMT

Here's a timely reminder for all Muslims and mostly for myself than for anyone else reading this...

With Ramadan being exactly two weeks away, now is the perfect time to start preparing yourself for this special month, insha'Allah. Take a few minutes right now and make a list of your goals for Ramadan this year.

Go ahead, I'll wait for you.

Your goal could be something as simple as reading a page from the Qur'an everyday, at the very least (if you're a super busy person) or something as ambitious as finishing the entire Qur'an over the entire month. Or it could be a goal to wake up for tahajjud an hour before you get up for sahoor every morning. Or it could even be to memorize a new surah that you've been wanting to and meaning to for a while.

Whatever your goals are this Ramadan, now is the time to start practicing them (if you aren't already), not starting on the 1st day of Ramadan. Start putting your mind into Ramadan mode so you won't have to start out cold turkey with that goal come Ramadan 1. If you plan to read the Qur'an every day of Ramadan, why not start today, even if it's only a line or half a page? If you plan to wake up for tahajjud every morning of Ramadan, why not get up early every other morning now to start getting into the swing of things?

Not only will it make things easy for you when Ramadan rolls around in two weeks, but you'll also be racking up the extra reward for the deeds you do for Allah's sake alone, even before Ramadan begins, insha'Allah.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 02:18:50 GMT

For any of you traveling this long weekend (i.e. to ISNA ), have a safe journey. Make your main intention to travel for the sake of Allah, so that you can reap the rewards of your actions and the convention. If only all attendees would follow this simple advice, maybe the ISNA convention wouldn't have such a bad reputation for whatever goes on in the hotel lobbies.

So I'm an internet junkie. I'm actually typing this as I travel in our van up to Chicago for the weekend. My brother ordered a connection for my cell phone/laptop that let's me connect online. Sure it's a slow connection, but it's cool that I'm able to do this. But now I must leave before my battery goes dead.

See you all at ISNA?

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Tue, 30 Aug 2005 01:06:28 GMT

Hi Katrina! Please leave. You're no longer welcome here. Thanks.

SubhanAllah. You would not believe how windy it is outside right now. It really feels like the house is going to be blown away. You know how Dorothy's house flies away in the movie "The Wizard of Oz"? Yeah, that's how it feels.

Please make du'a for those of us down South that we be safe and no serious harm comes to us from this storm. May Allah protect us all. Jazaakumullahu khair.

---

On another note, for all you cool hijabis out there...check out this neat article from The Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/28/AR2005082801022.html.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:42:21 GMT

My TV commercial airs this week on local channels in B'ham, AL. (Read a few posts down to see what I'm talking about.) I have yet to see it, but friends are telling me they've seen me. It'll be on air till January on FOX, WTTO, and NBC. I think I may be the first ever hijabi on a TV commercial in Alabama.

It's official. I'm a TV star.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 22:16:53 GMT

Filling up my car gas tank yesterday, the total came to be $30.00. (Yes, I'm weird. My total always has to end in a 'zero' or 'five'. Always. ) Thirty bucks to fill up a car?! That's a bit much. I've never had to pay that much just to fill up my tank. And mind you, my car is not a gas guzzler, like all those SUV's speeding around towns. But when I came home, I saw the following piece posted on a site and it kinda put things into perspective for me a little better. Maybe I shouldn't be complaining?

Think a gallon of gas is expensive?
=======================
This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective...

Diet Snapple
16 oz $1.29 ........ $10.32 per gallon

Lipton Ice Tea
16 oz $1.19 ...........$9.52 per gallon

Gatorade
20 oz $1.59 ...... $10.17 per gallon

Ocean Spray
16 oz $1.25 . $10.00 per gallon

Brake Fluid
12 oz $3.15 . $33.60 per gallon

Vick's Nyquil
6 oz $8.35 .... $178.13 per gallon

Pepto Bismol
4 oz $3.85 ..... $123.20 per gallon

Whiteout
7 oz $1.39 ......... .. $25.42 per gallon

Scope
1.5 oz $0.99 .....$84.48 per gallon

And this is the REAL KICKER...

Evian water
9 oz $1.49..........$21.19 per gallon!
$21.19 for WATER - and the buyers don't even know the source.
(Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)

So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, or God forbid, Pepto Bismal or Nyquil.

Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump.

---

On another note, yes, I'm a Harry Potter fan. But I'm a slacker fan. I'm still reading the 4th book. But at least I'm caught up for the movies! My goal is to finish this one before the new movie is due out this November, insha'Allah. Check out the cool site and trailer - www.gobletoffire.com.