A Letter to Muslim Women

March 7th, 2007
By Joanna Francis
Writer, Journalist - USA

Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “war on terror,” the Muslim world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman I see is carrying a baby or has children around her. I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me: I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy. But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness.

Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.

Through Temptation

They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood, instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do. You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence. Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors. They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.

They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families. Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. They are like the Serpent tempting Eve with the apple. Don’t bite.

Self-Value

I see you as precious gems, pure gold, or the “pearl of great value” spoken of in the Bible (Matthew 13: 45). All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Jesus said: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7: 6). Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you.

The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence. A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too!

Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones. Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold.

A Woman’s Heart

I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us, just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears.

Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We really are all alike. Our race, religion or nationalities do not matter. A woman’s heart is the same everywhere. We love. That’s what we do best. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love.

Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.

Self-Denial

Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honor, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated.

We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it. Please do not look down on us or think that we like things the way they are. It’s not our fault. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot.

Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too. Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity. Remember: you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully!

I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended: the spirit of
friendship, respect, and admiration. From your Christian sister – with love…

* This article is republished with the kind permission of the author. The original can be found on Crescent and the Cross. Joanna Francis is a writer and journalist. She manages her own blog.

Boycott !!!

Take pride in how far you have come
Have faith in how far you can go

I did'nt plan for this entry. But something or someone forcefully urged me to pen down some thoughts I kept in mind long to be exploded. It's about time I spit it out my mouth.

Okey, what I am about to write may be not be pleasing and pleasant to hear. Not even close. I would not recommend this post to be read by anyone who has potentially unstable state of emotions or minds. This is a warning sign.

Bismillahirrahmanir rahim. May Allah help me try my very best to make me rational and wise through out this whole entry. So here goes.


************ ********* ********* ********* *********


"We all baru gi makan KFC. KFC sekarang boleh makanlah. KFCkan bawah JCorp Sdn. Bhd. JCorpkan orang Melayu punya."

"Bukan nak sangat beli Nokia, tapi murah."

"I sangat suka vanilla shake McD. Sangat2 sedap. Irresistible! "

"Banyak-banyak benda, I memang tak boleh boikot Kotex. Memang tak boleh pakai yang lain. Tak selesa."

"Awak ni kenapa? Biarlah dia nak makan apa pon. Duit dia. Hak dia."

"Ala kita bayar pekerja dia, bukan bagi duit kat Yahudi."

"RM 1 = 1 peluru. Harapnya ini peluru yang tak kena rakyat Palestine."

"U ni strict sangat lah. Suma tak boleh! Kalau kita kaji betul-betul semua benda datang dari Amerika, Yahudi. Habis? Nak boikot suma? Kebulurlah nanti."

I have been boycotting the Israelis' and Americans' products since the time immemorial. And I was once, condemned by friends for my firm principle.

Not only had they criticized me for my unshakable faith, they gave me thousands of justifications to satisfy their desire to turn a blind eye to the clearly stated fatwa made by many big scholars throughout the globe, including Syeikh Yusuf Qardhawi.

When it comes to shopping or savoring good foods, my friends would normally resort to shops or fast food restaurants supporting the Americans' and Israelis' simply because it's cheap and tasty, and I was always the odd one out. As usual, certain lame excuses and annoying words not so nice to be heard would come out from their mouth to persuade me or insult me. As if I was the person guilty for holding my faith tightly (thus made me an alien). Yet I stood firmly strong to my principle.

Now that the Palestinians are being attacked (as if it has just happened 18 days ago), once again they shout out loud "BOYCOTT the Israelis and Americans product" quoting the fatwa given by the scholars long long ago. Then comes the tagging game ... things I have boycotted, things I will boycott, things I find hard to boycott..

I don't get it. Is it so DIFFICULT to boycott? Susah sangat ke nak tinggalkan sedikit kelazatan dunia sedangkan adik beradik kita di Palestine menderita? Matikah kita dengan memboikot semua itu? Andai kata mati sekali pon, tidakkah rasa berbangga kerana mati memperjuangkan deenul haq?

"Oh, tapi saya doa tiap-tiap hari tuk Palestine. Saya pergi demonstrasi. Saya pakai baju dan tayangkan badge 'Free Palestine'. Saya pakai mafla."

Owh iye ke? So what? You think you have materialized your faith towards the freedom of Al-Aqsa? You think you have done enough to help them when you are also with or without noticing funding your enemies?

This campaign has been going on for ages. Ever since I was in secondary school. Yet not many knew nor took it seriously. It frustrates me a lot knowing that despite acknowledging the on going war, they can still simply allow to indulge themselves too frequently and too freely in the boycotted items and companies. Compromising their principles to make their lives good and comfortable. Ingat main-main ke? Ini antara hidup dan mati rakyat Palestin. How many more lives would you let them slaughter until you really understand and act? How many more unjustifiable excuses would you want to make to satisfy your cravings and please your egos? Through out these years that we should have been boycotting but you haven't, how much money have you been giving the enemies? Shame! You may have learned your lesson, but the price is too expensive to pay. Yes, the price of losing so many innocent lives in Palestine.

On an optimistic view, probably this is a wake up call for the Muslims around the world to start boycotting the Israelis' and Americans' products. For those who were ignorant, will begin to boycott. For those who had forgotten, InsyaAllah will resume to boycott again.

Hopefully this plea and efforts to boycott will not be seasoned and lapse as the time flies. Hopefully this lively spirit will not perish nor deteriorate from our faiths and believes as the time changes. Hopefully it will remain still and strong in our hearts and the people of our younger generations.

May my hopes and prayers be answered by Allah.

Ameen.




A great thank you to my family who had enlightened me with the awareness and inspirited my boldness to hold strong and firm to this principle, guided and supported the boycott campaign through out time. If not for them, I may not be strong as I should and am today.

Adha
Cranfield


*Some of the points and words in this letter have been edited and canceled out by the moderator.

So Exhausted

Already 4th week for my 4th semester, I felt very extremely exhausted. Hectic schedule really sicken me. Do I have the strength to face this situation? O Allah, You are the only source of my power.

Kem Kembara Muda 08

Kem Kembara Muda ke8 was very exhilarating and exciting camp. It was held on 14th December till 16th December which is on Sunday to Tuesday. Most of the participants were from high school students and some of them were in standard six and five. It’s a little bit difficult for me to deal with the participants since there are from various backgrounds and levels. Nevertheless, i really had a great time with them. They were the great ones, full with funny and amusing character. Congratulations to the participants for joining us and graduated from this camp. I hope that you gain beneficial and valuable lessons to increase your iman and amal. Actually my personal aim for this camp is to build and get closer to Allah. To increase and strengthen my faith and at the same time i wish that you too felt the same.

Personally, i know that i failed to be a great dedicated facilitator. It was my fault since i didn’t attend the Training of Trainers, a day before the camp started. So it would be hard and tough for me to catch up with other facilitators and committee members with what they have discussed and agreed before. Well, I had a valid reason why i couldn’t possibly attend and i wish you guys would know that i have some problems to deal it first. Honestly, I didn’t do it in purpose. At least, i did go to this camp during the program started than not to involve anything at all. Biarlah Allah saje yang tahu. Ana pasrah dan redha atas ketentuan Allah walaupun kadang2 pahit untuk ditelan.

“Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, “When will come the Help of Allah?” Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near” (Al-Baqarah: 214)

Okay, enough about me. Hee...Let’s proceed about this best ever camp. As one of my group members told me that this camp is the cheapest camp she ever attended. Well, it is true since the fees for this camp only cost you RM30. Usually a camp with 3 days and 2 nights cost about RM150 – RM300. But still the food is great and delicious right? Besides, the essential part about a camp is the input that you gain and the output that you’re able to produce. To me, the major and most important thing about a camp is how much it could help you get closer to Allah and gain bounty of blessings from Him.

Theme: Remaja Holistik, Kehidupan Fantastik

“O you who believe! Enter perfectly into Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the religion of Islam) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan. Verily, he is to you a plain enemy.” (Al-Baqarah: 208)

14/12/08: 7.30PM: Perasmian

14/12/08: 8.30PM: Ice Breaking 'Tomoi Siam'

15/12/08: 6.00AM: Mengembara Zaman

15/12/08: 930 - 1230: The Apprentice

15/12/08: 5.00PM: Bile Dapur Berasap

15/12/08: 5.00PM: "Iron Chef"

16/12/08: 5.00PM: "Sukan Rakyat"

i promised to promote this spa selasih in my blog. so here it is. hee...(0_o)

To those who would like to watch or have the multimedia slideshow during the closing ceremony, you can leave your email address at the comment column. i'll try to send to you as soon as possible insyaAllah.

Don't miss it !!! KKM 08

Jom bersua kembali !!!

KEM KEMBARA MUDA KE-8

"Remaja Holistik, Kehidupan Fantastik"


.: Makluman Program :.

Tarikh: 14 - 16/12/08
Tempat: Sek Men Agama Ghufran, Simpang Renggam, Johor
Sasaran: Pelajar Sek Men Tingkatan 1 - 5
Yuran: RM 30.00

Anjuran:

Dengan Kerjasama:


Senarai Semak Barang:

•Pakaian kemas untuk 3 hari
•Pakaian & kasut sukan
•Sabun
•Tuala
•kain basahan
•Sudu
•Pinggan
•Ubat-ubatan dll(sila maklumkan urusetia sekiranya anda mempunyai alahan)

Pendaftaran, sila hubungi :
Luqman hakim bin Hassan
019-5213045

A man woke up

A story to share and wonder about.....

A man woke up early in order to pray the Fajr prayer in the masjid. He got dressed, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid.

On his way to the masjid, the man fell and his clothes got dirty. He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, made his ablution, and was, again, on his way to the masjid.

On his way to the masjid, he fell again and at the same spot! He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home. At home he, once again,changed his clothes, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid.




On his way to the masjid, he met a man holding a lamp. He asked the man of his identity and the man replied "I saw you fall twice on your way to the masjid, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way." The first man thanked him profusively and the two where on their way to the masjid.

Once at the masjid, the first man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused. The first man asked him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same. The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray. he man replied "I am Satan."

The man was shocked at this reply. Satan went on to explain, "I saw you on your way to the masjid and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the masjid, Allah forgave all of your sins I made you fall a second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to the masjid.

Because of that, Allah forgave all the sins of the people of your household . I was afraid if i made you fall one more time, then Allah will forgive the sins of the people of your village , so i made sure that you reached the masjid safely."



So do not let Satan benefit from his actions. Do not put off a good that you intended to do as you never know how much reward you might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good. Allahuakbar!

Bait Al-Muslim

There’s no such thing as couple in Islam except for married couple. Allah has set the rules for right relationships between males and females because He knows for sure what is best for us as an individual and what is best for His Ummah. We can only experience the greatest joy and suffer no harm if we keep the relationships after marriage. Don’t ruin your life by simply having unlawful and forbidden partners. The real price of a kiss only awaits you after marriage. Believe me. Try to read this.

Before marriage:
He: Yes! I’ve been waiting for this moment
She: Do you want to leave me?
He: No! Don’t even think about it!
She: Do you love me?
He: Of course, over and over!
She: Have you ever cheated me?
He: No! Why are you even asking that??
She: Will you kiss me?
He: Ever chance I get.
She: Will you hit me?
He: Are you crazy? I’m not that kind of person.
She: Can I trust you?
He: Yes
She: Darling!

After marriage:
Now try to read it again from the bottom to the top.
You’ll find out funny yet it might be true.





Wedding Ceremony to attend this month:

kak Hidayah Halim
6th December 2008
Saturday
Sungai Petani, Kedah

kak Fatimah Misran
13th December 2008
Saturday
Skudai, Johor Bahru

Yasmin A.Yazid
27th December 2008
Saturday
Hulu Langat, Slangor

Buat kak Dayah, kak Tmah and Min,
Congratulations to you guys. Sementara masih bujang ni, persiapkanlah diri untuk menjadi RATU HARI2 bagi seorang suami, bukannya RATU SEHARI pada hari walimah sahaja. Ratu yang dimaksudkan bukan tertumpu pada soal menjaga kecantikan untuk suami sahaja tetapi merangkumi semua aspek terutamanya akhlak dan keperibadian agar terpandang indah BAK RATU di mata suami. Pengantin 4-eva. Baarakallaahu laka, wa baaraka ‘alaika, wa jama’a baynakuma, fii khoir.

“He who marries fortifies half of his religion, so let him fear God the second half” (hadith)

Specially 4 U: SFSBZ

I wish to dedicate this post to SFSBZ. An ordinary person with extraordinary behaviour makes me loves and misses the friendship that we had. I wrote this post so that you would know how special and important you are to me.

I could feel the awkwardness that we had when you went to my room and when I visit you at your room. It wasn’t the same as we were in matriculation. We had lunch together every weekday after the class finishes. Studying, praying and playing together. We had fun, enjoyment and excitement. You would lend me a hand whenever I face some difficulties in handling my programmes or activities. And i would help you out with your problems. We share happy and gloomy moments together. We would divide our sorrow and multiply the joy.

We were at the same Mahallah and same class. You would have waited for me even though it was already late for classes. You don’t mind if you get into trouble too. We met the lecturers together to discuss the lectures and sometimes you would made funny jokes. Remember the argument we had with our deputy dean. He seems to like and agree with our counter back even if he didn’t say so. Madam Kausar even realized how close we were.

Somehow since we enrol in main campus, the closeness of our friendship starts to fade and fly away. We were busy with the subjects taken and full with different activities. We had different schedule so it would be more difficult for us to meet and have lunch together again. We stay at different Mahallah and we apply different majoring. It makes us become stranger among ourselves. As time passes, i started to realize how critical it was.

One day, when you told me that you decided to stop from JC i was very sad and upset. That was the only thing that we had together. I wanted to share the happiness and sorrowful moments with you. You would have calm and comfort me when i need it. I feel the strength when you were by my side.

Nevertheless, i respect the decision you have made. Of course i wouldn’t force you anything. It’s just that i really miss the friendship we had. You have done your istikharah and i’m sure that Allah has plan and programme the best things for us. Although we might have different plans and different strategies, i’m certain that we still have the same goal and same targets to achieve.

You are one of my great friends that i had and I wouldn’t possibly regret the meetings we had. Thanks for the guidance and kindness you shown to me. I will always treasure the precious moments inside my heart. I ask forgiveness and infinite apology for the actions and words that might hurt you. Best friends are like diamonds, precious and rare. False friends are like leaves, found everywhere. It’s hard to find a friend that would cry and laugh with us together. That’s why i’m very grateful and thankful to have you.

Ps, if you have spare and free time by chance lets enjoy it together. I’ll try to arrange and adjust the date and time. Another thing, you owe me something. I’ve been to your house already and i spent a night there. So it’s your turn to come over to my house. You have a choice whether to come over to JB or Puchong. It’s up to you. The doors are always open. Hee....(0_o)

Till soon. Meet you for our next semester. Medan amal dan perjuangan. Syauqi jiddan. La’alla Allah yaftah lana yaumun ma lil muqabalah.

The Trust of Leadership

Rasulullah saw has given precise warning and reminder on the importance of accomplishing trust. He says: “A servant that takes no responsibility to lead his society, surely he will be lying his society, Allah swt had banned him from entering the heaven.”

The generation after the era of the Prophet Muhammad saw had ruled big empires such as Saidina Abu Bakar, Saidina Umar Ibni Al-Khattab, Saidina Uthman and Saidina Ali ra. They are too worried to take the responsibility because they realized the burden of responsibility and trust which they have to fulfil. They always cry because they were afraid of the Allah’s punishment if they failed to fulfil their responsibility. They are willing to sacrifice everything in order to accomplish their mission and helping the society to live in happiness and prosperity. History has recorded many stories about the best leader among Khulafa’ Ar-Rashidin.

One night as Saidina Umar patrolling the town and village to see his people’s condition, he heard baby crying in a house. Saidina Umar tried to get closer to the house. He heard that the mother was cooking something but she was cooking for a long time until her children felt asleep in hunger. Seeing the situation, Saidina Umar gave his salam (greeting) and asked a permission to enter the hut. The woman does not know that he is the leader of that country. Saidina Umar asked about her condition. The woman replied that she and her children have not eaten for several days. If her children cried for hunger, she pretends to cook something by putting several stones into the pan. Her child will stop crying assuming their mother is cooking something.

The woman complained and cursed the leader of that country which is not responsible to his people. Hearing the complain and curse Saidina Umar stood up quietly and at a moment later he asked permission to leave. In the dark night, Saidina Umar went directly to Baitul Mal and took several sack of flour and sent it to the woman’s hut. As he arrived at the hut, he gave his greeting and entered the hut for the second time. He then cooked the flour that he carried for that woman and her children. The woman still did not realize that the man who brought and cooked the flour is the leader of that country. After finishing cooking, s Umar served the food to the woman and her children. Seeing they had eaten happily, Saidina Umar felt relief and left the hut. The woman said “It will be good if Saidina Umar done all these…” without realizing that the man who cooked and served her was Saidina Umar.

In our reality and in our lifetime, people will give you responsibility. Either it is in the form of formal or informal, both will be accounted in the Judgement Day. Recently, I received too many responsibilities to fulfil. I did decline and reject some of them. How I wish to decline all of them if I could. Somehow in the end I will face the same situation in the future. The decision made by syura really surprised me. Start when I enter main campus as first year student. I still can remember how kak Zizi would have waited and trained for me when I rejected her offer. I told her that I’m not the one that should be chosen due to my weaknesses. Though she wouldn’t accept my excuse and reluctant to let me go. So I felt guilty to reject the decision made by syura.

However, what i believe now is that Allah will not place a burden greater than what we can bear. Even though, sometimes it’s hard for me to get through. I just trust in Him The Al-Mighty. Surah Al-Baqarah: 286 states that:
Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he earned and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us; our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protecter) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.”



Responsibility is part of Allah’s teaching. It’s not how many responsibilities you have, but how many responsibilities you didn’t fulfil it yet. Since I have my responsibility towards Allah, myself, my family, my academic and my society it is important for me to have time management. Life is short. It is shorter than what we would think. So it is very crucial not to abandon the time we have.

Glory be to You O Allah and all praise is due to You.
I seek forgiveness from You and i seek repentance from You.