The Death of Benazir Bhutto

AA WR WB

Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi rajioon.
Verily we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return.

This morning I woke up to text messages from my friends, Zareen and Farooq, about the assassination of former Paksitani PM Benazir Bhutto. It was a relatively dramatic way to wake up on a lazy vacation morning. After getting ready, I headed downstairs where I not surprisingly found my nani ammi engaged in watching GeoTV. Geo confirmed the horrific news my friends had texted me; Bhutto was killed with a gunshot to the neck. Images of grieving and shocked Pakistanis filled the airwaves. From CNN coverage of the presidential candidates and their thoughts on Bhutto's death to GeoTV showing Pakistanis' reactions in both the homeland and the US.

It seems as though the entire world, at least the political world, is absolutely shocked with each participant pondering the effects of Bhutto's death. More than ever, Bhutto is being hailed as a martyr of democratic principles and a woman of strength and tremendous character. She died for what she believed in, though she knew full well what returning to Pakistan could mean to her after being exiled for so many years.

If you're even slightly interested in politics or Pakistan, you can't help but to think about her death and the numerous implications of it. First, it is my hope that Allah grants her peace, forgiveness, and salvation. May Allah make it easy for her family and give them strength. Ameen. The death of any Muslim, or human for that matter, should never sit well with anyone regardless of personal opinion. The cowardice act of the man who killed a woman should bring our hearts and souls distress. We ask that Allah show anyone who has passed away compassion as we would wish it for ourselves. Let's not forget that despite the ease of which we can alienate or detach ourselves from political figure heads, she was in fact a person with a family. And aside from any political ramifications, her death and the impact on her family and friends is the most serious and grave one. Benazir Bhutto leaves three children and a husband behind and died at a very young age (54).

When looking at a public figure and what they represent, you must of course look at their political career - especially in this case - as that becomes the definition of the person in the mass' eyes. When Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan and was put back on the forefront of Pakistani politics and potentially its future, I wasn't exactly ecstatic. Quite the contrary, I would find myself getting frustrated as I heard her try to appeal to Western agencies by calling for democratic reform. Benazir was a well-educated person and more importantly a well-educated woman in a male-dominated society. She attended both Oxford and Harvard universities and was excellent, like so many politicians, at talking the talk. Based on her mix of Pakistani roots and Western education, plus being a symbol of reform for being a woman and a herald for democracy in a Muslim country, it is understandable why so many people worldwide would view Benazir Bhutto as a strong candidate for reforming an extremely instable and volatile country. But, from the little I remember of Bhutto and her family's history, extortion doesn't sit well for me or many other Pakistanis. In part, I can't help but to feel pessimistic about her agenda; about her wanting to get back into the Pakistani system to perhaps take advantage of it as she had done before.

I love Pakistan, let's be clear about that. But let's also be clear about the state of Pakistan: it is a politically corrupt cesspool. It almost seems that when we take a look at our "leaders" these days, we have to evaluate which one is the least corrupt. Upon identifying such an individual, we can tout him/her as our best representative. And so while Benazir Bhutto is being exonerated as a leader with a vision, I do in all honesty remain unsure and pessimistic about that. She may have been able to come to power and create positive, reinforced relations with the West and encourage development elsewhere, but who knows if the power would have weakened her again. One Newsweek writer put it like this:

"In the end, Benazir Bhutto could become in death the kind of hero for democracy in Pakistan that she never quite became in life. Dogged by allegations of corruption against her husband and her family, she never achieved the popularity that Sharif did in some quarters. But in recent months, as she readied her political comeback, she had shown consummate courage and presence of mind in stating the issues clearly." (http://www.newsweek.com/id/82139)

Out of any conflict, change can likely be achieved by learning and analyzing the differences in opinion; or at least a reasonable comprimise that can still effect reasonable change. If Benazir Bhutto is now going to serve as an image of democracy in Pakistan, then I would in fact support her despite it being after her death. If this tragic event serves as an impetus for change - and a democratic change - and awakens our people, I'm for it. Sure, as a Muslim, I would like to say that it would be great to have an Islamic state like the ones in our phenomenal history; but before reaching such lofty goals, the people themselves need to change. And perhaps with that thought, I can only reasonably conclude that there was in fact some sort of change in Bhutto – even if she was being used as a symbol – to bring about reformation. At least this is what we’re being told to conclude as many leaders are now speaking of her courage and commitment to democracy (http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232714,00.html.), which is to essentially say her commitment to bring about stabilization to my native, ethnic country.

So, how are we to view Benazir Bhutto, the politician? As a shaheed (a martyr)? A renaissance woman? Conniving? A leader that has been reformed after her exile? Or someone who tasted what absolute power is in Pakistan (i.e. Musharraf) during her tenure and simply wants to get that back, much like Nawaz Sharif?

I guess I can't be an authoritative judge on the matter of Bhutto's stances and intentions as 1) I most certainly am not claiming to know all there is to know about Pakistani politics and her entire history and 2) who am I to critically evaluate a person's intentions? I do know this: The death of Bhutto leaves many questions and creates more problems for Pakistan, that is also something we should be clear about. Pakistan's reputation, already perceived as an instable country with a weak infrastructure, will now be under the magnifying glass along with all its political actors: Musharraf and the question of whether or not he was behind the killing (whether directly or indirectly due to poor security coverage) and Nawaz Sharif are perhaps the most notable actors. Nawaz Sharif, one of Bhutto's rivals, commented about her death: "This is the darkest, gloomiest day in the history of Pakistan."

Living in the here and now, I have to say that I agree (perhaps the only thing I could ever agree on with Sharif). The impact of a senseless death upon Pakistanis and Muslims should be strongly considered and discussed. Pakistan’s image is crumbling even faster than before. Questions on security and safety will outpour. Connections to terrorism will be reinforced and debated. The jihad (struggle) for hope will either be intensified or slowly man slaughtered. The western media will undoubtedly take any angle it can and provide any sort of leverage on misconceptions about Pakistanis. As always, I am fully expecting to hear dismal thing about my homeland. Some may be true; some may be taken out of context.

Regardless, my heart bleeds for the conditions that are in Pakistan. I love both my American and Pakistani roots and above that I hold to my Muslim identity. So if we chose to honor Benazir Bhutto, as either a politician, a woman, or a Muslim, then let's do so through discourse in an educated and an effective manner, not by riots. With that, I ask Allah to forgive our sins and to grant us ease and success. Allah huma sali Allah Muhammad. Ameen.

Pakistan Zindabad.

Muslims & Music (what's next?)

AA

Well, those crazy mumins are trying to get into just about everything these days. Now we're trying to get ourselves a niche in music. Ok, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility considering that we've been in the music world for a long time (i.e. qawwalis, naats, hamds, nasheeds), but there seems to be an increasing market for it right here in these United States of America as well as other major Western countries. And it's seemingly all right now on the DL; an underground movement and world of Muslims who are rocking out and getting down with their bad (in the good, halal sense) selves.

One of my friends - who I thought would be busy being a lawyer - has recently started his own record label out on the East Coast. The odd thing is that he's Bengali (i.e. East Pakistani). If the Bengalis are making a move on the music front, that alone deserves recognition on an intergalactic level. After all, I thought they were all farmers and fishermen. Guess not. Anyway, the name of his record label is TigerWolf Records (my explanation of the name: “Tiger” and Bengali – get the connection? “Wolf” because my friend, Tareq, has apparently watched Jungle Boy one too many times) and you can check out his label and the bands he promotes by going to his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/tigerwolfrecords

I should entitle this blog entry as an Ode to Tareq the TigerWolf Guy since he's the one that emailed me a number of links pointing out this “movement.”

The range of Muslims in music includes hip hop to dance (or something like that). The hip hop one isn’t much of a surprise especially when you factor in 5 percenters (i.e. Lauryn Hill, WuTang Clan members, Rakim) but those guys are kinda strange from the little I know of them. I think they’re some random offshoot of NOI (Nation of Islam). But you have notable Muslims in hip hop like Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, DJ Khaled, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest, Outlandish, and my brother Umar who aspires to be a lyrical freestylist master. But even outside of the mainstream well-known artists (and Umar’s fantasies), you have other Muslims in hip hop that are trying to create a name for themselves. You can get more insight into their world by checking out such links like http://www.myspace.com/muslimsinhiphop, a group that has been around for a few years according to their site.

The next genre of music includes a fusion of sorts. In fact, I’ll let the Muslim artist explain it in his own words, “Celt-Islam uses a fusion of music from dub/electro/drum and bass-breaks and collaborates it with Islamic/world grooves to create this dub driven dance crossover.” Ok, sure. I believe the first part, but I’m really not following his “Islamic/world grooves” bit and how this can be likened to Sufi mysticism (on his myspace, some critics draw that comparison). In its own right, it’s sure as hell mystic, but putting that “sufi” terminology before it is problematic to me because it gives Sufism an eerie, or laughable, or even intimidating outlook. Sufism is not about “music from dub/electro/drum” influences, but rather is a deeply spiritual science in Islam influenced by the love of Allah and The Prophet (sw). I am aware that there are those who would argue with me saying that music is spiritual, and while in some aspects it may be (though I am hesitant to fully claim that); this music does not bring me closer to Allah. Some of it can make me feel relaxed and subdued with the laid back but intriguing flow, but it’s not “sufi” enough to make me feel close to God.

But, I’m semi-digressing here. So the name of this group that I’m speaking of is Celt Islam Soundsystem (http://myspace.com/celtislamsoundsystem) and they like to associate themselves with a larger Muslim music organization called Tawheed Is Unity (http://tawheedisunity.com/news.html). The best way I can describe tawheed in my own words is that it means the oneness of Allah. This organization is using it to describe unity, as made evident by its name, and I do kinda like what they’re trying to do: basically, give hip-hop minded Muslims an outlet. That’s better than going to other sites like MTV where you’re eventually just looking for some haram-ness. Getting back to Celt Islam; the more I listen to some of their music, the more I’m liking them, though you do definitely have to be in a spiritual-like (musically speaking) mood to truly appreciate it (I’m listening to Celt Islam’s Marifa right now; FAKIR is also very solid).

One thing to note with Tawheed Is Unity is what essentially could be likened to their mission statement: “Tawheed Is Unity was launched in June 2006 with the intention to create a home for all things that young Muslims living in western countries could want but not find anywhere else. Beginning with clothing and soon to be expanding into music and art, our aim is to develop a definable urban Muslim culture. A culture that draws on the best of western society but is unashamedly Islamic in its basis.” Tight, my brothers. In this day and age, that works with me (take a look at the clothes they sell). A Muslim music identity and especially one more so in hip hop – a branch of music that I have grown up listening to and loving.

Now comes my favorite part; introducing you to Hayam Nur as Sufi (formerly known as Deadly Kristin). She is an artist that puts out dance/techno-like/gothic/Aegis-like music. You can check her out (not like that) at: http://myspace.com/deadlykristin. Apparently, she’s a Muslim revert/convert in Sweden. How hot is that?! I mean, listen to her music and tell me that you would’ve guessed that this artist is a mumin! I also respect that on her myspace page, she’s specifically mentioned that she doesn’t want any flirtatious people contacting her, which almost immediately ruled me out, sadly. But I am definitely curious to hear about her conversion process. One website posted an interview with her, and though I’m not sure about the website’s credibility because I’m not a metal head, it definitely looks legit: http://www.hailmetal.com/gate.html?name=MReviews&op=show&rid=192
According to that website, it seems that she has an affinity towards Sufism, though she did say that she’s not a part of any particular Sufi order (tariqa).

Well, that’s all I have for now on Muslims & Music. On a side note, my man Tareq is also busying himself with a management company he started called Midnight Skies Management (my explanation of the name: “Midnight” because as a desi Muslim, he can only get away with doing this stuff after midnight and “Skies” because that’s where his head is). Right now he’s managing two rap artists (not necessarily Muslims either):
http://myspace.com/gdashuno [he’s pretty decent, actually]
http://myspace.com/barakyalad [I really like his style]

I gotta say that when I got Tareq’s email about these new endeavors of his, I was shocked because I would have never imagined that this type of stuff was his cup of tea, but I guess it is. I hope it works out for him and I will watch with eager anticipation to see how this develops for him. And, for the record, I knew him before he was Tareq the Desi P-DIDDY Music Mogul.

Good luck, my brother. Keep those links coming.

Eid Mubarak!

AA WR WB

EID MUBARAK!!!

Remember my family and me in your duas and I hope that your Eid was blessed!

Here's our Eid greeting card courtesy of my brother, Umar:


Cheers

The Chicago Bears: Lessons in Sabr (or something)

Hi

Right now, the Bears stand at 5-9. The same team that went 13-3 last season is now at 5-9. Five and Nine, folks. I can't get over it. The same team that has most of the same players from the 2006-07 Super Bowl season is now out of playoff contention. We can't even say "We're not mathematically ruled out" at this point! This is the same team that was by far the most hyped up team during the pre-season (perhaps NE being the only other team to stand above us).

Sure, we were missing key staff and players like Ron Rivera and Thomas Jones, but we also gained Babich, who was supposed to fit perfectly with Coach Lovie, and Greg Olsen and Devin Hester on the offense. And while there was some mad drama about Lance Briggs, ultimately he came back to play at least one more season here. And we were also supposed to get a more confident Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson.

Instead, we've ended up so far with a mind boggling 5-9 record. This is what we have: A frustrated Urlacher who's playing with an arthritic back, a defense that no longer strips or intercepts the ball, a defense that can't make tackles, safeties who don't make the cut (i.e. Archuletta), an o-line (which was praised as one of our strengths last year), an offensive coordinator that doesn't know how to use his amazing plethora of weapons, a friend-less Cedric Benson, injuries (i.e Mike Brown), injuries (i.e. Nathan Vasher until today), and injuries (i.e. bruised up guys like Tommie Harris, Darvin Walker, Cedric Benson, Mark Anderson, Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Anthony Adams, Dusty Dvoracek, Ruben Brown, and on-and-on).

And this is what we don't have: a prayer.

Or do we?

I've been thinking about the course of the season; debating over how a team this time last year was regarded as the next coming of the '85 Bears and how a team of that caliber can fall apart so easily. Things that come to mind are coaching mistakes (Does Lovie know anything about his offense? Hell, does Turner?!), arrogance (playing with a chip on our shoulders that apparently players in the City of Big Shoulders can't seem to get a hold of), injuries, or a lack of simply making the plays. I'm sure you can see why I'm constantly debating over these issues - you can probably make a case for each one.

My constant inner battles and rages to ascertain the answers to my questions lead me to develop a more philosophical approach in arriving to a conclusion. And so, on my journey to enlightenment, I began asking myself questions like, Why does greatness always seem to succumb to failure? What is greatness? What is failure? If we seek glory and seek to appreciate glory, then do we have to know what failure is? Why do we not forge ourselves into binding contracts where we lure the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders to Chicago? Or the Lakers' cheerleaders? And why shouldn't I name my first born Maximus after Russell Crowe's character in Gladiator?

After more introspection and analysis, I was finally blessed to come to a realization that the hardships we are facing as Chicago Bears players and fans are not only due not having hot cheerleaders, but also because we are being tested. Yes, Allah is testing our patience, our loyalties, and our convictions on the Chicago Bears (and, for that matter, all professional Chicago teams right now). Hey, far be it me to to question why we are being tested after over two decades of not winning a Super Bowl. All I can surmise is that we are in fact being tested.

How else can you rationally account for what has happened? We are being tested, my friends! Maybe someone has given Da Bears the evil eye (azubillah)? I mean, after all, we even have Muslims on our team now. Oh yes; Muslims. Take Br. Kyle Orton as an example. Here's a brother that looked forward to nothing more than boozing and getting into precarious pictures of himself completely and utterly plastered (and then later those pictures uploaded on just about every sports blog out there). He went from that to pre-season interviews of admitting that he was a drunken fool who looked to make amends with his Lord and set forth a positive example to all (hey, I'm not saying that I'm quoting him verbatim...). But the point is that you have this type of positive mindset on the team at the beginning of the season and then you somehow mysteriously lose it?!

Call it conspiracy (note: see also "ESPN" for their excessive coverage of all Eastern-based teams especially Boston for further definition of "conspiracy"). Call it stupidity (Ron Turner). Call it lack of confidence. Call it lack of balls (people from Saint Louis). Or just simply call it a test.

If you do, you will free your mind like Neo did when he took the red pill and came to see that right now we're in a Matrix where...oh, jeez, enough of all these different analogies already...

Bottom line: we're for some reason not the same team we were last year. We need to step out of it and make changes where needed. We need to play some good ol' fashioned Chicago football and get our hands down and dirty, folks.

And we need a prayer for this to happen.

And Allah Alone gives Success...

AH's, Reef's and Z's Holiday Fun

Hi

We have documented evidence here, folks, about how AH, Zareen, and Aref intend to spend their holiday season...

Actually, the fact of the matter is that they recently emailed me asking me to post this on my blog so that everyone can share in their happiness around this time of the year. So, without further ado, I now give you the talented trio in some gay holiday cheer:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1434756126

Look at how happy they are! Come on, let's hear it. The collective "Awwww!"


Happy Holidays from AH, Reef, and Z!!

74 to 6

I mean, what else do I have to say about my Madden skillz? Then again, I was only playing against a novice of thb game. Yep, Umar.

My First BP

Hi

Well, this past Thursday I hosted my first ever BP (Bears Party) amongst the BP List guys. This list is pretty big consisting of loyal Bears fans that basically email and update each other about the latest and greatest Bears news and our own thoughts and analysis from the game (the list actually extends out to become the Bulls List as well as Cubbies list, too, during the Bears offseason). Fahad/Masood usually begins each week with his prediction followed by Kamran Riaz (aka Jay Mariotti's protege - and that's not a compliment). After the game, we all sound off on what we thought of the Bears' game play and unfortunately this season the BP list has shared more disappointment and criticism than we would've expected or liked. Other role players in the BP list include Irfan/Bungu/Brian with his verbal assaults (i.e. uncontrolled, Hulk-like yelling); Sikander with his constant reminding that Lovie Smith sucks; OZ talking about how great he is in predicting Favre's winning season; Eyad and his random picture emailing and accompanying caption commentary; Hot Chipz Chippa with his intense love triangle (him, Archuletta, Chris Duhon on the Bulls); and many others who I'm leaving out, but are all critical components of the list.

Anyway, each Bears game most of these guys try to meet up at someone's crib where we not only enjoy watching our favorite team, but also enjoy food and the general company. So, as I recently upgraded our Dish to get the NFL Network and HD, I volunteered to host Thursday night's disappointing game that has essentially sealed any chances for a post season spot (pending Divine Intervention which I am now praying for). Having the NFL Network plus HD is a true blessing not only for the obvious fact that it's football in HD, but also because of the acceptance that KR has now given me after upgrading to HD. Sigh. The things I do to keep up with the Jones's.

So, Thursday's BP seemed to be successful and as much as I would like to credit my hosting abilities, I am not foolish enough to think that it had nothing to do with the food and particularly the buffet of SGPs (spicy gyros pizza from Italian Express) followed by ice cream sundaes, red velvet cake, and homemade brownies courtesy of the legendary pajama-wearing Farooq. In translation, what the food menu really looked like was a line-up of a coronary followed by high cholesterol and some sloth. For some, such a set-up would be a total health nightmare and a food line-up that should be reported to the FDA for immediate action; for men, however, there was nothing more satisfying – not even a woman’s touch (because with a woman’s touch, you have to live with the repercussions like emotional commitment; with food, the only type of commitment you have is with the toilet and for many men that’s a commitment more readily welcomed than a woman’s nagging).

I don’t think I’m going to get into much of the disappointing and – again – winnable game against the Redskins, because that’s a pain I am not willing to delve into without serious psychiatric assistance. Instead, what I’m gonna do is post pictures, something I truly excel at:

Masood: He doesn't need the touch of a woman anyway. And can you blame him? Look who he gets to sit on...

Hey, guys, do you realize that there's a game on? You know, Da Bears? (Hmm, looks like the early stages of the post-SGP knock out.)

The master gourmet chef prepares the final touches on the sundae

Guys? The game? Ok, nevermind...

And this is what it’s all about, folks. Brotherhood. In this case, though, it looks a little more serious. Or questionable. I’m going to blame this on the SGPs and sundaes – that’s the only logical explanation.

And that was pretty much the night. Well, as attendees of the BP know, that really wasn’t it. The night also consisted of some wii action, which lasted for 10 minutes. But the main source of entertainment (not “scare” as some would say) was me casually walking into the living room without my shirt on as if this was normal for me to do. The crowd reaction wasn’t comforting, but I wasn’t gonna let that discourage me. Look, everyone has their “thing,” right? Irfan likes to yell. Tariq likes to eat a few rotis in the morning. Sikander likes peanut butter on everything. Taha likes steroids. Hassan likes his hair. Fahad likes himself (a lot). Farooq likes to hate on everything - especially me. Sami likes to know how many people are coming to my house before committing. And I like to occasionally take my shirt off in social situations…

Well, mad props to Fahad for embracing (literally) this tradition of mine and taking a picture that’s, well, not suitable for you readers (or potential rishtas) to view. Just think of Janet Jackson’s infamous picture and I’ll leave it at that. The only thing that bothered me was Irfan’s involuntary body reaction (he ran up to my bedroom to hurl) and the random flashes from people’s cell phones. At this point, I have no clue where the hell those pictures could be and I’m afraid to ask. But, I trust my brothers in Islam not to go out there and shame me (i.e. ruin my chances to get married). And, yes, I did just bring religion into it! Can you really fault me?!

While I’m giving to props, I just wanna give props to EVERYONE for coming out to my hood, which is apparently “far,” even from people who live 15 minutes away (Chippa, you jerk!)! But, seriously, it was cool having everyone there and a blessing for the 2pac household (especially on a night where it snowed about 5 inches). So, MAD JZK to all. Special recognition to Tariq for supplying the drinks at the last second and Farooq for hooking up the brownies he made himself, the wii, and the ice cream (and to both of them for sticking around afterward to help clean!).

Alhamdullilah, it’s great to have such brothers even if the Bears f-ing lost.

Until the next BP…

Bears: Unable to Plow Themselves into Victory

AA

Perhaps the missing ingredient for the Bears this season is a few grains of rice and chicken that, when mixed together by the right person, would put together a perfect combination of the sweet taste of victory.

At least my good friend Fahad (aka Masood; aka Mo.Lester) and his mom know how to put together a winning combination: A successful BP (Bears Party) with the awesome and delectable taste of plow; a Pakistani traditional dish that mixes rice and chicken in a way that waters your mouth like the way talking about himself does to Fahad (i.e. excessively). Fahad's BP was long awaited and at least ten of us from the BP List enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, we can't say the same thing for the Bears and they way they played that game (or, all season long as I should say). Throughout most of the game, we maintained a good lead over a what seemed like a broken Eli Manning who looked like he was forced into the game by his father and secretly wishing that he was painting our nation's beautiful countryside.

But, as fate would have it, we missed a number of key plays that eventually lead to our collapse. Rex Grossman, for starters, threw an amazing bomb to Devin Hester who was unable to make the play (jeez, this guy’s speed is unreal though; he blew his double coverage by at least 5 yards a piece). Soon after, we in horrific fashion failed to reach the first down. This one offensive mishap – just one play – seemed to have a direct domino affect on the rest of the team. Our defense, playing most of the game true to Super Bowl-worthy form (without Archuletta, I may add), collapsed. And Eli Manning seemed to finally grow a pair, get his head out of fulfilling some bizarre fantasy to be a suppressed painter no more, and took advantage of our degradation.

They took they lead and they kept it by the end of the 4^th, giving us a tragically and potentially season-ending loss. We have a 5-7 record now and failed to reach .500. Achieving 9-7 to have a remote chance seems foolish to believe, but as a fan, I’m left with little to do.

The bright side of the evening was Fahad’s great hospitality. The pre-main course chips and guacamole hook-up was great, but the follow-up main course hit the spot. It was one of those “Damn, that was so good I just wanna sleep it off, wake up in a couple hours, and eat more” meals. He also killed it on the drinks providing a wide array of drink options that you typically don’t see (i.e. Diet Cherry Coke).

Well, at this point, I’m so dejected that all I really want to do is focus on the food and not the game. But, this will do for now. Mad JZK to my man Fahad for coming through and being a gracious host, mA. May Allah reward you & your family for it! Ameen!

Be warned, though, I’m coming over the rest of the week for some of that plow leftovers! (Yes, in case you couldn't tell, plow is absolutely one of my most favorite dishes!)

Cheers

To the victor goes the spoils...

Hi

This pains me a lot, but I have to post this link to my brother's blog about him (finally) beating me in Madden.

Losing in Madden is the equivalent to being circumcised. That's the best and only way to put it.

And now that I've lost, I have to give up my throne to the winner's chair and set-up the Xbox next time. This process in our household, while appears simple or harmless enough, is excruciating. In fact, scholars of Islamic jurisprudence should almost rule it haram. I should know because I've put Umar through this on so many, many, many occasions. Like he's had to set it up a lot because I beat him on average by 40 points. Traditionally, he's been like the 07-08 Dolphins whereas I've been Tom Brady-Randy Moss-Wes Welker.

And now my streak has been tarnished. I stand before you a mere child. Read all about it:
http://ushakur.blogspot.com/2007/11/victory.html


I shall avenge myself!

Work: The ONLY Frontier

Hi


Can you imagine having a job like this? Click here for amazing photos of the great white in mid attack. From the article: "The wildlife photographer Chris Fellows spends over half of each year waiting off the coast of South Africa to capture the sharks at their grisly work."


Fellows remarked, from the article, "'To see a perfectly streamlined great white slowly cruising in clear water with shafts of light bouncing off its back is like watching a sports car effortlessly cruise past you on the freeway. It is just one of those moments that makes you appreciate a beautiful creation.'" I wonder how close this guy actually was in getting these pictures? And how scary would that be?! I mean, basically, you're looking at Jaws up close and personal in a way Steven Spielberg could have only wished back in the 70's.


Honestly, though, I would love to do something like this as my career. How many people when asked, "What do you do for a living?" can pull up photos like that and say, "This..." It's pretty unreal. If not taking pictures of the great white killing seals, I would love to do most of anything you see on channels like Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and that remarkable Planet Earth series.


Those guys are lucky. You get to go out into the wilderness on real life adventures. You get to witness first hand the raw beauty and power of nature. And with that, I would imagine, you would have to have a tremendous level of appreciation for everything that God has manifested. When watching TV shows or looking at the pictures found in the above link, you can't help but to feel in awe and at the same time powerless. In awe for the sheer magnificence of nature in action. Powerless because you know that nature is constantly running its course with or without regard to your life. And when you look at the bigger picture, you have to begin thinking, What is creating and supporting all of this? And the answer for me will always be Allah. Only Allah can create things that are beyond our imagination.

Let's face it, God's creativity is unparallel. In fact, I contend that Allah is the Ultimate Artist. There were nights during my glory DePaul years in Lincoln Park where I would walk out to LSD (Lake Shore Drive) on the beach and would love nothing more than to stare out at the lake with the moon's reflection. The set-up was serene and perfect. The details flawless. And each girl I took there, loved it. Oops, I mean...

The analogy of the painter really comes from when you're looking at something like the moon over Lake Michigan because you almost feel like you can go out there and touch it. Touch the stars. Touch the moon. How remarkable is that? That's when you feel powerless. That there's "something out there" controlling and managing all of this without regard to you, though you are a part of the Painter's landscape and portfolio.

I know I'm kind of jumping everywhere from my dream job to the beauty and splendor of Allah's creation, but it all goes hand-in-hand with my deeply reflective nature. Of course, if you were to ask my brothers, they would define "reflective" more so as "day dreaming" or "Imran loves to waste time sleeping in sun spots during the middle of a day like Garfield thinking about fictious things like being the next Jacques Cousteau." That's also true, too. But, I digress from my tangents (if that makes any sense)...

So instead of being on the wilderness frontier, I get to live the dream of working in Corporate America. Where the closest thing to watching a shark attack its prey is me listening to an angry client about why their friggen system isn't working and how they plan to engage in a blood bath of shark-attacking fury until their system is put live. Hooray for me.

You should note that my current train of thought comes after the end of an extended Thanksgiving weekend where I'm feeling bitter that come Tuesday morning (I took Monday off to prolong the inevitable pain as much as possible), I have to be a responsible professional adult living in the real world where the moon doesn't look as magnificient as it once did over Lake Michigan in the middle of the night with different girls for different nights.

Okay, on different nights by myself, but I'll take any escape-from-reality moment I can get, dang it.

Cheers

Taha's Home Office.

Central command

Hijabi with an Axe

Hi

What? You think women that wear the hijab are oppressed or submissive? You think they can't take charge and protect themselves when they need to?

I give you this:



I am both scared and exited.

Salaam

Imran on Broadway: Scene 1

Hi

Alright, folks. I'm a little frustrated after some shady business went down after a tafseer class I attend on Sundays. You see, I was totally CB'd* by a friend of mine after class. I'd actually like to tell you about this particular story in a play format because I think that all the world is a stage and you all want to watch me. So, here's the scene:

*Ask your significant other what "CB'd" means, btw. Or anyone of my friends as they have done this to me far too many times.

Scene 1; set-up: Taking place in the modern era. A young, strapping young lad named Imran finds himself alone with an uncle that he kinda knows after Sunday tafseer class has come to an end.

Uncle that Imran kinda knows: So. [slight pause] What are you doing?

Imran: [Smiles on the inside thinking to himself:] I love when I'm asked that question. I mean, I know what they're trying to get at (i.e. what do you do for a living), but the way they ask is kinda comical if you interpret it literally: "Right now, Uncle? Well, just standing here talking to you." Or, "Well, I'm gonna go watch the Bears game now, but if you wanna hang out, that's cool. Weird, but cool. I do like the initiative."

[what Imran actually replies with] What am I doing?

Uncle that Imran kinda knows: Yes, you're doing IT work, right?

Imran: Oh! No, that's actually my brother.
[In a cool, professional-sounding tone:] I'm in pharmaceutical research.

Uncle that Imran kinda knows: [eyes widened] Oh! Are you looking to get married?

Imran: [Imran pauses slightly to give thought to the following:] "Am I looking to get married? Dude!! Don't you remember many, many years ago how it was to be single? Now can you imagine being single in this type of upbringing? You're like asking me if I am planning on breathing air for survival later today!" Or, "WTF? Are you serious?!" Or, "Well, that depends, how does your daughter or niece look like? Do you have pictures? Where's Aunty? At least that way I can get a better idea of how I'm gonna respond."]

[Ok, so obviously Imran's response was going to be something far less to-the-point. And he was going to try and act as "professional" about it as possible without giving any notable hints that the uncle's question really excited Imran and was the high point of Imran's weekend. But suddenly, an unsuspecting friend walks into the room having heard the uncle's last question.]

The "friend": He's already married.

Imran: [feeling uneasy and awkward because the uncle may actually believe that] Umm...haha...no, I'm always open to the...

The "friend": Just make sure you ask your wife in Pakistan, Imran...

Uncle that Imran kinda knows: Hahaha! [Walks away laughing]

[The so-called friend leaves. Imran is standing in the room. Alone. Alone and confused. Alone, confused, and hurt. The story of his life with women.]

End Scene 1.

Do Me Event #5: A Last Minute Success

AA Do Me Crew

A brief recap of the successful Do Me 5 to make up for a lack of pictures. Also, some critical information regarding Do Me 6:

(1) For those that missed out, you're on warning and/or probation. We hit up Outback and most were satisfied (especially our waiter as Aladdin inadvertently tipped him $40, MashaAllah). We then proceeded to Dairy Queen where we had good dessert and then played football in the parking lot. By the way, to make a statement about canceling his Do Me Evite, Fahad refused to allow me to pay for his dinner in my attempt to feel good about myself. (For the record: Fahad's contributions to Do Me are phenom, but the organization and bringing of people together is a burden I will carry.)

(2) I had a conversation with Aladdin on the way to Dairy Queen, but we both admitted it was difficult without me talking to him via my blog. Thus, this blog entry.

(3) The lack of presence of Saint Louis-bound Taha was poignant as we noticed that his evil counterpart, Hassan, was by himself. Attendees included: Eyad, Aladdin, Ahmed Hassan, myself, Badie, Fahad, and Reef. On that note, please officially welcome Reef to the DO ME Crew. (Hey, if we accepted Hassan, we can certainly welcome aboard Reef.) Congratulations, Reef.

(4) "Spider-man" and "Superman" are not necessarily the names of superheroes. "Eiffel Tower" also has new meaning. High Five, Fahad! Aladdin has an abundance of knowledge on these things; please see him for info.

(5) Fashion: Despite my disagreement, I was singled out by Aladdin as having a lack of style with my 1990s cargo pants and life jacket style. The life jacket and the matching coat over it will be the latest in '08, folks; get ready. Sami Haque was elected as trendiest dresser/most style despite Fahad's staunch disagreement, though it was Badie Ali that stole the night with his fashion presence (or dominance, I should say). Hassan promptly displayed his PRADA loafers, but was disqualified because you should at least buy your own clothing/accessories (Reef did note that Hassan's accessories are tops among Do Me guys). Fahad plans on ripping his jeans to become trendier. Maybe I should do the same to my khakis by ripping out the cargo pockets? Or if I keep them as is, I'll become a painter as Alaa mentioned.

(6) Do Me 6: The seven us that attended will InshaAllah be available next Saturday, 03-Nov-2007, for Do Me 6 consisting of football. Be ready to now do each other on the field. We're slated for an afternoon slot. Clear your schedules in advance. Oh yes, a lengthy, blog-worthy email invite for it is inevitable...

Until then

Adventures of Raafae and Hazik in the US: Day 1

AA

Well, two of my favorites guys from the UK are visiting us this week along with my khala (aunt; my mom's older sister). One is a legend in his own right and a fellow blogger, the Young Raafae of the Shire. The other is his counterpart and ally, the Young Hazik (my nephew). Both guys are around 12 or so and together, this tandem is a force to be reckoned with.

An annoying, though lovable force...

Anyway, I thought I would take a moment to chronicle their adventures during their short one week stay here. They came last night and the first thing they tried to do after the ceremonial hugs and salaams was steal my Blackberry from work. Actually, that action is becoming ceremonious in its own right because the last time I saw them, a couple months back during my Brussels-London tour, they did the same thing. The only way I got it back that time was with the promise of Belgium chocolates. (Works every time, folks. And Belgium chocolates probably work for any situation, so you married guys takes notes.) So, anyway, for tonight I had a strategic preemptive strike of my own: I hid my Blackberry even before stepping into the house. I told them I left it at work. Brilliant, I know. But, I couldn't do away with my personal cell phone as we all know I'm way too in demand to not be accessible. As a result, my personal cell defaulted to become their new let's-annoy-Imran-by-taking-something-of-his thingy. So, for a good part of their night, they tried multiple tactics to pull it out of my pocket (distracting me, hitting me with an empty 2 liter 7UP bottle...you know, the usual).

So, Monday night came to a quick end as they were recuperating from jet lag. Tonight, I came back home from school just before they were off to bed so they effectively used their time to harass me as much as possible. I think their goal was to make up for lost time during the day.

Now, allow me to break down some of their observations about me and Amreeka:

Observations of Raazik (as I will now collectively refer to them as):
1) I think one of the first things I was told tonight is how Americans LOVE doughnuts. Being a Dunkin Donuts connoisseur, I couldn't argue with that, but I particularly appreciate the way they arrived at this conclusion: At the grocery store, we bought a small tray of fresh donuts sealed in a plastic container. Once the plastic container is properly closed, opening it isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. They were baffled by our "over-protection" of donuts. Hey, all I can say is that here in America, we will invest our money to keep our donuts as fresh as possible, but never use that money for radical ideas like free health care.

2) My blog. They went through my blog, which can be scary for me due to some (at times, not always!) potentially inappropriate material. But, hey, they're European, they've probably seen more in life than I have, right?!

3) Girls. And let me specific: Sana Yusuf and another Sana. Raafae, as he was badgering me about my blog, said that courtesy of Facebook, they apparently saw all my friends and the two names he happened to remember were one Sana Yusuf and one Sana Khwaja. Oh, how funny that is, they will never know. And neither will most of you! Just kidding, but, in all seriousness it was pretty funny as I stood there being questioned in an almost fatherly-like way, "Who is Sana Yusuf?! And who is Sana Khwaja?!" I felt guilty for some reason...

4) The Homer Simpson American culture. Hazik couldn't stop hitting a brotha in the gut while I was eating some phenomenal homemade biryani. "No wonder Americans are so fat," he commented. He compared me to Homer and I told him that Homer was my hero (how can't he be?). Hazik immediately retorted, "No, you're Homer's hero." Touche! (When did kids become so quick witted, by the way?)

I was finally saved from further insightful social commentary from Raazik thanks to a timely phone call from Aladdin (I had to run up to my room and lock the door). I felt like I was talking to a girl, but it was the only way I could talk in relative peace to Aladdin, so I went through with it. The fact that I talked to Aladdin under the warmth of my bed covers doesn't mean anything. Relax! I'm just kidding. I had to sit by my door to prevent a break-in as Raazik figured out how to unlock it from the outside.

<>

Let's see how the rest of the week pans out...

Cheers, mate

Bert & Ernie: DeNiro and Joe Pesci Style

Hi

Awesome:



later

Bears: Another Analysis from Irfan

AA

This is another great email from Irfan (who needs to start his own sports blog asap) about last week's Bears game:

Now onto my thoughts,

1) Can we cut Archuleta now please? My God, this man is supposed to be the veteran run-stopper, the dude cant catch a cold let alone a running back. To make matters worse, he is even worse in pass coverage than I thought, he is the sole reason for that first touchdown by Williamson. Also, Brandon McGowan, he and Archuleta are supposed to be the guys who are great in run coverage, they look awful, absolutely awful. I don't know if Archuleta's bangin his girlfriend (former pl*yb*y bunny) or if he and McGowan are bangin each other the night before the game but they both look a step slow. Oh yeah, throw in Danielle (that's right he's got a girl's name) Manning too, he looks absolutely terrible out there.

2) Our overrated, over blackened D-line. Tommie Harris didnt even show up, Alex Brown did not get any offsides penalties, therefore we never heard his name, and the Prince of Zamunda was nowhere to be found. I think I saw Anthony Adams make more plays than all three of them.

3) Our defensive strategy. Why in the world wouldn't we put everybody in the box on obvious pass plays and force Jackson into mistakes?

4) The running game. Benson was doing well, not great, but well in the first quarter. So it only makes sense to then bench him and throw 237 consecutive screen passes to Whoopi. All Benson says is give me the ball for four quarters to prove himself, yet we can't even do that. We are suppoed to be a running team, according to Lovie, yet your #1 back gets only 18 carries. Makes no sense, not to mention that if we kept running him, it could have kept Peterson (both the good and the bad one) on the sidelines. On the 3rd and 2, a critical play, run Benson up the gut, its the logical thing to do, so of course we run a pitch play that forces benson farther back and goes completely against his strengths and Lovie's claim of being a "smashmouth" "were a running football team, we like to run the ball" organization.

5) Offensive game plan. Goes hand in hand with point #4 but why oh why can't they see that Olsen is a weapon and we can abuse linebackers all day with him? We put him in once every 5 plays and just run screen passes and crap with him. Then we only run 2 decent plays with him to just piss us all off even more. I hate, absolutely hate Ron Turner, and Lovie needs to step up and take some control of this situation. Finally, we threw a deep ball to Hester, and amazingly, it worked! It only took them 6 games to try it. Next game, if we don't run plays with Olsen running up the seam, and at least 1 deep ball to Hester (who is absolutely amazing by the way) I am going to stab someone and will not clean up the spilling of blood, I DONT GIVE A FRICK!

Overall, in spite of all of our bad plays on offense and defense, we still lost this game on coaching, why the hell would we kick to Peterson, why oh why, I will never understand this. He is their one great player, keep the ball out of his hands, how hard is that! Bad play-calling on both sides of the ball, bad everything. Our defense is beaten up, and they don't look good at all, no excuse for injuries in this game though, they just missed tackles all day long.

Also, I believe that Ron Turner is in the booth watching old Illini highlights from their Sugar Bowl season and thinking, "Oh yeah! I'm the man, I can call anything and it will work, I'm a genius!" and then picks plays based on the strengths of Kurt Kittner, Brandon Lloyd, and Antonio Harris. I believe he also is getting texts from brother Norv, who is telling him, run the pitch to Benson, LT runs it real well and throw it to the tight end's in the flat, they can break through tackles and get tons of yards like Gates. I think Lovie should just let Rex do the play-calling, at least he would run plays to throw the ball down the field

cheers

Madonna & Isaac

Hello

I can't get enough of this song. Link courtesy my brotha Umar.



Cheers

AH's and Z's Eid Celebration

Hi

Rumor has it that this is how they spent their Eid. I mean, you can't argue with this authentic footage here:



cheers

Shaytan: The Ultimate Dbag

AA

Well, as I write this, the time fast approaches for the end of today's fasting, which also marks the end of Ramadhan and the beginning of the Eid celebration.

And though Eid celebrates the joyous occasion of completing the month of Ramadhan where Muslims have engaged in additional prayers and fasting (from food, sex between the timings of the fast) in a month of purification, it also marks a time where the Shaytan (devil) is released from his chains; meaning that his influence and waswasa (evil whisperings) come back into play.

During Ramadhan, as a Muslim, you feel a sense of peace and baraqa (blessings) that is unmatched during most other months. That is because we believe that the devil is "locked up" Akon style and his evil impact upon your soul is not as relevant (the only "evil," so-to-speak, you have to deal with are your own personal demons or your ego/nafs).

But, in a matter of minutes, that protection is soon gone (not completely, folks, but there's a certain feeling during this month - it's hard to describe - that for me is only associated with this time of the year). And with that, the evil Shaytan - Mr. D-bag or Jag-bag himself - comes back out to lurk on our souls; to mess with our nafs and encourage us to do bad (i.e. You don't really need to wake up for Fajr, Imran, you're much too tired - sleep for a few more minutes. The next thing you know, those few minutes become a few hours and you miss out on Fajr all together thanks to the dbag himself for corrupting you. During Ramadhan, it's different. Fajr time sets in and you're like, Oh yeah! Imma holla at the Rabil Alameen [Lord of All the Worlds] BIG time! - meaning that praying Fajr becomes much easier because Dbag isn't there to mess with you).

Dbags, generally speaking, can be defined as people who try to act waaaay too cool for their own good (i.e. posers) and they can also be jerks or bullies. Well, if we accept that technical definition of a "d-bag," then we can most certainly ascribe "ultimate d-bag" to the Shaytan.

So, it's with these last, precious few moments that I ask Allah (swt) for continued protection from all evils, deliverance from hell, and to walk the path of Prophet (sw) now and always. For myself and for my family and friends. Allah huma sali Allah Muhammad. Ameen!

Keep me in your duas. Eid Mubarak!

Fi Aman Allah

Hey There Khalilah

Hi

"It's how you cook the meat." A man after my own heart. Funny spoof:



Cheers

Masri vs US

Hi

Someone fwd me this story. Pretty insane and very sad & unfortunate:

"WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court today refused to give a hearing to a German man who says he was wrongly abducted, imprisoned and tortured by the CIA in a case of mistaken identity.

Khaled Masri sued the CIA two years ago and sought damages for his five-month ordeal in a U.S.-run prison in Afghanistan.

Related
-	Supreme Court of the United States
-	4th Circuit Opinion (El-Masri v. U.S.)

But Bush administration prosecutors said his lawsuit should not be heard because it could expose "state secrets," and two lower courts ordered it dismissed.

He appealed to the Supreme Court and argued that the government was using the state secrets doctrine to cover up its wrongdoing.

Without explaining their reasons, the justices said today that they would not hear his appeal in Masri vs. United States.

More than 50 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that some evidence could be shielded by the government to protect the nation's security, but the justices have not clarified the reach of that doctrine.

Masri's case has gotten wide attention in Europe, and it has been the subject of a continuing investigation by the German government. Two years ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that U.S. officials admitted that Masri "had been erroneously taken."

The mistake apparently arose because his name was similar to that of a wanted terrorist, Khalid Masri, who was said to be a member of Al Qaeda's Hamburg cell.

Masri, a car salesman, was on vacation when he was taken off a bus that had crossed the border into Macedonia. His passport was confiscated, and he was questioned for more than three weeks.

In late January 2004, Masri said he was blindfolded, taken to the airport and turned over to U.S. authorities, who flew him to a prison in Afghanistan. He says he was beaten and tortured by men who wore masks and were dressed in black.

He also says U.S. authorities would not permit him to contact the German Consulate. After several months, the CIA apparently realized it had made a mistake, and Masri was returned to Europe. But rather than return him to his home in Germany, he was dropped off at night on a hillside in Albania.

Upon his return to Germany, he obtained a lawyer and filed the lawsuit against the United States."

Unreal

4th Annual Iftar Party: From Dusk till Dawn

Hi
This was an entry I never got around to completing/publishing:
-IMS

AA WR WB


Even a day after the Fourth Annual 2pac "Passport to Plainfield" Iftar Party, I have to say that I'm still pretty full from eating.


Alhamdullilah, I'm really blessed to have a mother that puts up with my can-you-please-cook-up-a-feast-to-make-me-look-really-cool-in-front-of-my-friends requests. May Allah give her endless happiness, success, phenomenal health, forgiveness, and mercy. Allah huma sali Allah Muhammad. Ameen.


Here's a sampling of the iftari menu:
- egg sandwiches
- friend shrimp (covered in flour and egg)
- tuna patties
- biscuits/crescent thingy filled with potatoes
- rooh afza
- chowall

The dinner menu consisted of:
- spaghetti with a desi touch/spice of course
- shepherd pie (chicken/veg)
- cabbage casserole (minced meat - i.e. keema)
- chicken korma
- nargasi kofta curry (i.e. egg in kofta shell)

The dessert menu consisted of:
- homemade pineapple cake
- Bakers Square banana cream pie (I think; but Fasih was nice enough to bring it)
- homemade kheer
- homemade galab jommin
- Imran-made chai and sundaes

As for the guests, well, this year was probably the most. Let me break it down for you in terms we can all relate to the best - racial ones:

Pakis: O. Awan, Fasih, Harris, Fahad, Taha, Hassan, Aref, Nomair, Meraj, Asim, my brothers Arabs: Eyad, Badie, A-Moose, Mumu, Aladdin, The Riyality Show.
Hydros: KR, AJ, Sikander, Irfan, Imran M., Awais, Sami, Tariq, Farooq


Wow, now that I broke it down, I have to say that I'm surprised (and delighted) to see that the Pakis came out in full force. In a Hydro-dominated Chicago, this is both very rare and very nice to see. Finally. A stepping stone for the advancement of the Chicago Muslim population...more Pakistanis.

So, excluding me & my brothers, that brings the grand total to 25. That's a lot of guys in my house just hanging out and feeding. I don't know how my mom or nani tolerated it.

Highlights for this year's iftar were as follows:
1. Prior to the group picture, I "teased" the guys by acting like I was going to take my shirt off (an involuntary bodily function of mine in group settings; for further reference, ask the "Do Me" crew about me bowling shirtless). When the guys started yelling and cheering for me to do this, though (this sounds like my IP took place in a strip club, but really it didn't...honestly), I couldn't refuse. I was the host and therefore source of entertainment. So I happily fulfilled my responsibilities. And, for a little flare, I did a little dance without my shirt as cell phone cameras through out the room were flashing to take pics (this will likely haunt me later in life). Meanwhile, a few feet away, my mom looked on and silently turned around and went about her business. We never spoke of that since. Though I think I did see her smile a type of smile that says, "Yep, this is my son, but I still love him..."

2. Fahad's loud comment to Taha of "You're not even wearing an undershirt!" Out of respect to Fahad, I'll leave out the reason for what prompted him to say it. But it was great because Taha had no comeback to that line.

3. The Riyality Show. What can you say about this guy and his lyrical flow? He had the room in pin-drop silence as we listened to his freestyle poetry Def Jam session. With Aladdin's running commentary, it was entertaining as always.

4. Aref's (a newcomer this year) and Hassan's epic Madden '07 game on the 360 (provided generously by Farooq). Aref played as the Patriots and Hassan as the Rams. With time running out, Hassan made a gutsy 2-point conversion to swing the game's momentum in his favor and for the win. But, with last second Tom Brady-like heroics, Aref was able to make two to three offensive plays with under 45 seconds to go on and WIN the game. Truly epic. It's hard to capture that type of Madden moment. If you can't appreciate a good Madden game, then you just suck as a person.

5. Late night Madden tourney. Despite having two spots on the tournament bracket, I lost (to Irfan and Awais) and the championship boiled down to Tariq and Awais (what else is new?!). Awais took it. Hooray for him.

6. "From Dusk till Dawn." This IP became a first in terms of how long people stayed. Usually, a handful of the guys will stay until ~2am or 3am, but this year we had Awais leave around 4am and then KR (also a newcomer) and AJ stay until sahoor time! When my mom came down to the kitchen to make her oatmeal, she was pretty surprised that there was still a couple guys lingering. They went back to their respective homes to pray fajr, but after fajr was complete, I totally crashed until 1pm the next day. My aunt who was there visiting with my mamou (uncle) joked around saying that I did exactly what the Arabs do: stay awake between iftar and suhoor time and then sleep away the day. It was fun, but definitely not something that I plan on making a habit of for the rest of Ramadhan.

7. Aladdin's announcement of him throwing an IP for the Bears-Packers Sunday night game. Tariq and I had just talked about the day before whether or not Aladdin was going to have another IP after last year's phenomenal IP MNF (the infamous Bears comeback victory game against Arizona). We were going to conspire against Aladdin and force him to agree to holding it (Aladdin is a phenom host, mA), but forutnately - from what I recall - Aladdin threw it out there himself.

8. The party itself. Alhamdullilah, it's great having such good friends come by and honor us with their company. It's a blessing for us and inshaAllah at the very least we hope that everyone enjoyed it and remember us and especially my mom (and Nani) their duas.

Until next year's 5 year mark inshaAllah! (And, yes, it will still be a brothers-only IP!)

Da Bears: 1-3

Hi

What can I possibly say at this moment? This is absolutely depressing, demoralizing, devastating, and whatever other "de-" words you can think of...

With just over two minutes remaining in today's game against Detroit (3-1), we blocked the extra point giving the Lions a 10 point lead; meaning that we could very well tie up the game and send it to OT for a much needed win. In fact, when Desmond Clark got that TD after that insane play/lucky call, you were still kinda hopeful that we could get our D to stop the ball and get in position for our pro-bowler to tie the game. And then we went for an on-side kick and somehow - call it nazr - the Detroit d-bags ran that back for a TD. WTF? What do you say to that?

There's about a million things going through my mind about the game. But, in the end we're 1-3. Unreal. And we're going to Lambeu Field to play the game of our lives. The GB Fudge Packers are looking like the GB Fudge Packers of old. I think it's part conspiracy because the NFL wants to give Favre the chance to break every record possible, but regardless, they're putting up points and making it look easy. That game could go very much like the Dallas game as both offenses are very potent right now (Dallas beat the 0-4 Rams 35-7 today, but the Rams suck; GB beat Minnesota 23-16 with Favre breaking Marino's 420 TD mark).

But, next week's game gives us the opportunity to make a statement if we go there and dominate...or, hell, at least win. Think about that. If we beat the 4-0 GB to be 2-3, I think things could look up. Not only do we get a W and improve to 1-1 in our conference, but we come out beating one of top teams in the league (I can't believe I just wrote that). And then we would head back to Soldier Field coming off a tremendous moral victory.

I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but you can't blame me for wanting to put today's game behind me...

later

Bears: An analysis from Irfan

Hi

Recently on the Sports List (an email list of like 20 guys talking about sports - usually Chicago area sports - along with other random things like cake, sgp's, and dbc), Irfan went on a tirade on Da Bears and provided teh following insightful analysis. I was so moved, I had to enshrine it by putting it on my blog:

"I apologize in advance for the following email but i had to get it off my chest. I am having major trouble controlling my intensity!

OFFENSE
1) Why is it so hard for this team to ever have a decent offense? In my lifetime, the only decent offense I got to see was one year under Erik Kramer. I mean are qb's that hard to find? Why cant we just buy one? I mean do we need to steal the eid expense boxes at every eid jammat this year to help the bears, im all for it if thats what it takes.
2) Our qb has the brain of a 5 year old, how hard is it to learn "throw the ball away", my god, this man seriously has a head full of nothing but beer and cliche lines such as, "i know i have to play better". That's great you stupid moron, now how about putting that to use.
3) Our running game sucks, CB has not done the job and neither has our O-line. Kruetz needs to punch someone maybe, i dont know, but this O-line is nothing like the line from last year.
4) Our WRs are absolute pos, i hate em all. Berrian is a #1 by default, he sucks, he dropped a sure touchdown. and dont use the excuse of "well patrick crayton dropped one for the cowboys too so were even". NO WE ARE NOT EVEN! Crayton is a #3 receiver, #1 receivers such as Berrian dont make bonehead drops like that, I expect better. Also, can we just cut Moose now, my god, the man cant get open if his life depended on it. He's not even fasting, he has no excuses.
5) Ron turner - seroiusly we need to run like an 8 tight end offense because apparently they are the only ones he can ever diagram a halfway creative route to get open. Why does this guy get touted as a genius? As far as i can tell, him and his brother (who is ruining LT's life!) both are morons, I hope they get caught in a wild love triangle in which they get caught doing one another while ron rivera tapes the whole thing while performing "billups style" in the corner! Then we can maybe fire him!
6) Overall - lovie needs to cut the cord, but what gaurantee do we have that griese will be any better? our wr's cant even get open, we cant run the ball. While rex makes bad decisions and should be benched, griese will also be forced to make throws into small windows since his wr's cant get any separation. and since his arm isnt as strong as rex's i wonder if he will fare any better. this offense is killing our defense which is probably morally dejected at this point, not knowing why lovie wont just punt on first down and let the D try to score that way.

DEFENSE
1) Mark Anderson - seriouisly can someone let this guy know that doing the same move every time is not going to work? He did his patented speed rush on the first play of the game and then we never heard from him again. Seriously what did he do all offseason?
2) Ogunleye - this is the most useless pos we have on this team, my god what a giant behemoth of crap, i hate him. Did we hear his name even once, other than when he got injured? This guy is supposed to be the guy to put pressure on the qb, seriously! this guy is garbage, we should cut him now and send him back to zamunda. Other than allowing us to make references to Coming to America, he provides no value whatsoever.
3) Archuleta - i hate him, your typical goru safety, "he provides toughness" and he's "a big hitter". He couldnt tackle me, let alone an nfl player. He cant cover anything including his gf's body. I didnt like the deal when we got him, and i hate it more every week. and he's supposed to be good in run situations, he got run over like 10 times last night.
4) Overall - Our D line blows, we cant get any pressure without blitzing, t harris is double teamed and nobody takes advantage of single coverage (zamunda, brown, anderson, walker). Our secondary and LBs are left hangin cuz they have to cover receivers for 7 -10 seconds each play. On top of it, our offense couldnt sustain a drive if their lives depended on it so our D studs are dropping like flies to injuries that could have been avoided if they got some damn rest!

Quite simply, our offense still sucks, and we better spend whatever it takes to get a decent offense next season. As far as the rest of this season is concerned, I still think we can win, but we need to run the ball consistently to have any chance.

and i ate so many chicken wings to console myself last night, and now its wreaking havoc on my stomach!"

cheers

An Ode to Rex Grossman - The Paradox

Hi

It's such a tease with Grossman. I’m so frustrated right now.

Tonight’s Dallas-Bears game has left me depressed and distraught; especially over Grossman, whom I’ve shown support since his rookie year. We’re all familiar with the all too familiar Good Rex/Bad Rex title. But what else can we say about this Dr. Jackal and Hyde quarterback?

The drive that started with his run for a first down and ended up tying the game was clutch and indicative of an elite quarterback who has the ability to rally his team and control the game’s tempo. But then he does things like 3 INTs and you're just like, “WHAT?! HOW?!” and eventually left dumbfounded.

The quarterback position in Chicago for at least the past ten years can be likened to an amusement park. Grossman is the ultimate roller coaster ride successfully taking fans through breath-taking passes, tumultuous twists and turns, incredible highs, dangerous lows, and in the end leaves you confused: Do you hop back on for another or move onto the next, safer ride?

A part of me still wants to defend Grossman, but there comes a point where you just have to take a step back and move on, right? I guess this is a question that Lovie and Turner are probably mulling over right now (well, at least I hope they are).

Look, I am the first one to support loyalty and I appreciate and respect Lovie’s “Rex is our Quarterback” mantra. But at what point do you cut your losses and say, “While Good Rex’s upside is absolutely incredible and undeniable, the inner jihad he has with Bad Rex is far too costly to the team.” Or does a head coach look beyond the player and begin to take a look at offensive coordinator Ron Turner? Does Lovie begin to realize, due to his own defensive specialty, that maybe the fault lies with Turner’s play-calling and he has had too much faith in Turner? Where can we circulate the blame?

The buzz that generated during the off season about our offense was not only surprising (since it came from such media outlets like ESPN), but it seemed justified. We drafted Greg Olsen at the TE position and Rex looked like he had a connection with him. Rex improved on his mechanics such as his leg work. We introduced Devin Hester to the mix. Bernard Berrian seemed poised to take Moose’s Number 1 slot. We still had Rashied Davis and Desmond Clark who both contributed to last year’s offense; and let’s not forget Mark Bradley, too. Cedric Benson showed promise and we had decent back-ups in A. Peterson and Garret Wolfe. With such a line-up, how can you go wrong?

When talking about tonight’s game, I think my good friend Fahad put it best when he said that the difference between Bad Rex last year and Bad Rex this year is that Bad Rex this year is costing us our games. Bad Rex last year could have thrown an interception or two, but the impact was not as significant (especially in tonight’s game).

I like Rex. I still like what he has to offer, but I am a Bears fan which means that I will always support what’s best for the team. It’s just been difficult because you know that so much of the game can be mental, too. And you know that the criticism and coverage Rex gets from the media can be vicious and, at times, in excess. He’s still relatively young in this leadership position. Last year marked his first full year as a QB; let’s not forget that. But at the same time let’s also not forget that we need to effectively utilize the tools we have to win games – and win games in a potentially dominant fashion, too.

Looks like the roller coaster is starting to squeak and the only thing that might help out – for now – is some good ol’ fashioned Griese.

In support of Rex, but the team, too…

2 Days Away: Halo 3 - Believe

Hi

I can't wait. But I need a 360 first...



Yours truly,

Master Chief

Another Google Video Moment - "Rock climbing" in Denver

Hi

Yes, the time has come folks. Long has the world gone without an Imran Shakur Google Video (ISGV) moment! These classic ISGVs have transformed the way people see themselves as they realize, like I have so long ago, the power of recording yourself for the entertainment of others and how it can directly correlate to refining your abilities. Abilities like knowing how to take video clips of yourself so well that it looks like someone is taking it for you. For this is a skill not many a ninja have (how cool did that sound?!).

And so, folks, make no exception here. This is another such video. But this time, instead of coming from some exotic place abroad, my journey takes you to Denver, Colorado and specifically the Red Rocks - home of the Red Rocks Amphitheater.

This video captures my gallant efforts of trekking the unknown wilderness of the Red Rocks. Be warned, oh reader, that during footage I am attacked ruthlessly by insects and who knows what else. This is very similar to Man vs Wild. I should submit this to the Discovery Channel.

Without any further delay, allow me to introduce you to…myself. Rock climbing and hiking like you’ve never seen before:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-503498354518578814

cheers

Leave Britney Alone

Hi

So, I’ve finally gotten around to watching what all the hoopla was about in the “Leave Britney Alone” video. As of this posting, it’s had 6 million plus people on YouTube see it with probably that many spoofs done on it as well. I think as a blogger, I have certain obligations to post something like this out of mere blogging duty. And nothing more.

As for any insightful commentary about this or what this says about our Hollywood-obsessed culture, well, I’ll leave that to you.

I warn you, this is kinda scary and will leave wondering, “WTF?”



cheers

Fantasy Football 2007

Hello

About three weeks ago, AJ and I held our 2^nd annual Fantasy Football Draft Party at AJ’s place just like last year (though it was all AJ, mA – I’m just co-commish). For the most part, we had the same people from last year, but with a couple changes. We excommunicated A-Moose and Ziddy due to their lack of commitment to the league last season. Ziddy and A-Moose really didn’t update their players; in addition, Ziddy’s picks were made basically by Hamza (Badie’s brother). With this year marking the year for a keeper’s league, we could not risk any such nonsense. So, we made two great acquisitions to this season to replace them: Fahad and Kamran.

The only people that missed were MIA was Badie and Erik, unfortunately. They could not attend in person nor could they attend via the teleconference call-in number we had set-up. Everyone else was able to make it one way or another including, via teleconference, Affan [from NYC], Omar [from Minnesota], and Tariq [mad props to Tariq from calling-in from India!!]. “Live” attendees included the commissioners (Pac/AJ), Aladdin, Taha/Ahmed tandem, Eyad, Fahad, and Kamran.

The set-up for the draft party was as follows: AJ got the chips and dip along with Giordano’s pizza (one thick crust, one think crust) and drinks. Let’s not forget the great chocolate cake desert. Fahad did it big by bringing his brother’s projection so we could hook up a laptop to it and display it on the wall for everyone to see. We timed each pick by having it set to a minute (Taha was the time keeper; the only reason why we tolerated him there).

The activities started with STL T&A (Taha/Ahmed) having the number one pick! Needless to say, we all know who got LT. How lucky can you get especially when starting a keeper’s league? The most intriguing picks of the night have to go to Omar who picked players like Greg Olsen, Garrett Wolfe, Bernard Berrian, Marques Colston, Cedric Benson, and Devin Hester. Granted, some of these players would be decent pick-ups late in the draft, but Omar picked these guys (except perhaps for Wolfe) pretty high and when other better FF players were available! We were all shocked with each pick he made wondering what he was doing out in Minnesota to cause to him to make such picks?! But, my respect goes out to him as a fellow Bears fan for picking so many of our players. He also has the Bears DEF, but he picked them in the 2^nd round!

Anyway, for the most part, I’m satisfied with my team. I’ve got studs like Brady, Barber III, Willie Parker, and Romo. My receiving core is alright with Driver and Terry Glenn, but the only problem is that Glenn may be gone for the rest of the season. I might have to give up Romo for a stud receiver.

Anyway…here are the guys (sans the teleconference people):

Good times as always

Da Bears: Kick-off Report

Hi

As fate would have it, the Bears unfortunately lost today against one of the best teams in the league – the Chargers. The loss is further emphasized by the potential loss of Mike Brown – the Bears and NFL’s premiere safety. There is none like him in heart and play-making ability.

Even before today’s tragic injury, Brown ensured that he did not leave the game without intercepting Phillip Rivers and recovered a fumble. He left the game, though, in tears as I was told by Fahad because of the possibility of being out for the year – once again. In that sense, Brown is the new Rex Grossman from a couple seasons ago. Grossman repeatedly suffered season-ending injuries and now Brown is facing much the same. I ask you, as this is near and dear to my heart, to make dua for his full and speedy recovery. We need him on the field for so many reasons.

As for the game itself, it was frustrating in many ways as the Bears-Colts Super Bowl Game was; both games were winnable and in both games we made dumb mistakes and lost out on scoring opportunities. Grossman in some ways still looked like last year’s “bad” Grossman; but at the same time, Grossman looked like Tom Brady with some of his phenomenal passes to Berrian. He also got popped – there’s no other way to put it – twice, but that wasn’t his fault.

In some good news, however, our DEF continues to be DOMINANT. I mean, we were playing the Chargers, folks. For the ignorant: The Chargers are one of THE best teams in the league in terms of offense and defense. Despite that, we only allowed two TDs and you have to consider the fact that Bears DEF was out on the field for waaaay too long. And we made LT – the league’s best RB and top scorer – look like a chump with his running game. At one point in the game, he had 9 rushes with -1 yard. That’s NEGATIVE one yard. At the end of the game, he had 17 carries and 25 yards! The back-up RB on the Chargers (Turner) had more.

We were essentially screwed by Antonio Gates’ performance and also by shooting ourselves in the foot (repeatedly) by missed opportunities/frustrating plays (i.e. fumbles, punt return where SD recovered the ball, etc.).

Overall, I am pretty bummed out about it. But, it’s the first game of the season and we have a long way to go. Our defense looks phenomenal and our offense inshaAllah will soon take over. But, please, please make dua for Mike Brown.

Da Bears!

ISNA 2007

AA

Well, ISNA weekend has come and gone and “gone” being the operative word here for Chicagoan ISNA goers. Unbeknownst to me, ISNA has decided to alternate city locations for the annual ISNA convention. Next year it will take place in O-hi-fricken-o, which means that there is a 0.00001% chance that I will go. The only thing that could possibly compel me to go is if I finally decide to reserve a booth promoting my blog.

Anyway, allow me to give you my ISNA highlights of 2007: (I’m writing to you, by the way, live from an airplane en route to Denver for work. I thought you should know that because I am convinced that my legion of blog readers often wonder where I write and what I am wearing. Please text me privately regarding my current attire.)

Friday night: No ISNA activities largely due to Huss not calling me back and Taha being with his new BFF Faisal Raja. Regardless, I at least enjoyed a phenomenal AJ-Pac Day and the excellent company of my relatives in the evening.

Saturday night: Totally dissed again by AH and his “hunny bunny," Zareen (as they like to call each other for ridiculously silly, mushy reasons). AJ ditched me for his second wife, Sofia. And Taha ditched me for his family – the only valid and excusable excuse here. Saturday, however, was an exceptional day for me as I got to spend a large part of the day and evening with my shaykh, mashaAllah.

Sunday: ISNA day. Ali and I roll through and we first check out the bazaar. The bazaar for the most part seemed pretty typical. Lots of places for chicks to buy clothes and jewelry. Companies selling properties in, for example, Medina. The CIA and Dept of Homeland were recruiting (clearly, they’re no longer hiding the fact that they’re closely monitoring ISNA). Many beautiful art booths. Many beautiful girls walking to and fro. And so on. So we rendezvous with AJ who mA introduces us to Imam Zaid Shakir (May Allah protect him). AJ, doing it big as always, buys me Seasons (Zaytuna’s quarterly journal) so that Imam Zaid can sign it for me. We were also fortunate enough to have Imam Zaid make dua for us personally. By the way, I have to say that Imam Zaid's eyes were very captivating. They had the nur and look of a person preoccupied with Allah. So, yeah, he's on another level. May Allah grant him success.

Almost immediately after that, we had the distinct privilege and honor to meet Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – founder of SunniPath.com and someone I have been emailing for many, many years questions ranging from fiqh (jurisprudence) to the spiritual. Shaykh Faraz remembered who I was after a brief intro and even mentioned my blog! The fact that he is aware of my blog (most likely because I have it as a part of my signature in my email) is both momentous and embarrassing. Momentous because it’s Shaykh Faraz; embarrassing because I really hope he avoids reading the more…err…thamasha-like entries. Shaykh Faraz also has a blog and is listed as a link on my blog page (see Seeker's Digest). He usually has really interesting links up there ranging from education, technology, best practices (in things like time management), and of course Islam. It was also great to know that Shaykh Faraz met with Shaykh Amin, too, and advised me to benefit from him as much as possible. InshaAllah.

Not too long after meeting Sh Faraz, we also saw Sh. Hamza Yusuf at the Zaytuna booth. He was really nice to everyone he met - giving each person as much time as they wanted. AJ said that I had to do it big myself and strike up a long coversation, but by the time I got to him, they were trying to rush people because some brother before us seemed like he was telling Sh. Hamza his entire life story. Regardless, it was a blessing and great opportunity for us to meet these scholars.

Look, I know it sounds like I’m talking about these scholars like they’re rock stars, but the reality is that they are much bigger than that. They are pillars in our deen in our time, mashaAllah, and their guidance is inshaAllah inspiring...

Ali and I (though Ali slept through much of it) also attended Dr. Umar's - of the Nawawi Foundation - Meet the Author event where he discussed his book A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb. Russell Webb's life and time in which he lived is pretty amazing. One day, I'll have to read his book (don't laugh). Yep, it exited me that much. Webb knew people like Mark Twain and others like Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas attended the same talks he attended. Pretty unreal if you think about it.

Moving on...so of course we run into a buncha people. Highlights would include meeting Zareen’s twin sister, Samar, and Masuma at the Embassy Suites lobby. Unlike her sister, Samar was skinny and didn’t ask if I wore designer clothes or accessories. But, like her sister, she asked if I could write her an ode on my blog (which I have since been considering). The epic meeting between Samar and I was simply an inevitable cornerstone that had to be reached in my previously exclusive virtual relationship with her. I had only known Samar through pictures and through random Gmail chats where she got freaked out that I wrote about my love for her on my blog prior to meeting her. It's a long story, folks...

As for Masuma, it had been our one year anniversary, but all I got from her was a very nice smile (which I'm not complaining about). I even mentioned how I wrote an ode - no small feat - to her a year ago, but I got nothing more than a I'm-smiling-because-I'm-just-being-nice-to-you-you-freak look. Maybe she didn't talk to me that much because I didn't get her anything for our anniversary? Maybe she didn't talk to me because of the fact that I did write an ode to her (and her sister)? I don't know. I don't get women...

My ISNA experience for 2007 ended by attending the main lecture of the night – the MSA’s guest speakers which included the Yasir Qadhi, Imam Zaid and Shaykh Hamza with a couple others. Shaykh Hamza was good as usual, mashaAllah, but ISNA’s coordination of when his talk started was terrible. We sat there forever before he got up there to speak. We had to listen to the over zealous MSA president - whose passion was not contagious but totally obnoxious - talk about how great the MSA is and our youth and blah, blah, blah. Needless to say, the MSA president is a girl and they're generally pretty excitable. Yes, I did just say that!

Lastly, I’d just like to conclude that the real success of ISNA were fun, pleasant conversations with AJ’s wife, Sofia. Apparently, the gifts I’ve gotten them worked. Even Sofia said jokingly (I hope), “Keep the gifts coming.” Sigh. Women. No matter what the relationship is, they always want stuff. Be it chocolates from Belgium or odes on a blog.

Until ISNA returns to Chicago (or goes to someplace like LA, Miami, NYC, etc.), I'm out.