Double Standard

For those who read my blogs may be aware that my passion for the Middle East is very strong. And for those who do not read my blogs but aim to start reading my blogs,  will learn that my passion for the Middle East is very strong.

Over the past years (in the past few weeks to be more precise and up to date) it has become very apparent that the media has double standards. According to the media, some news is bigger and more important than other news and some lives are far more important than the lives of young people of a certain religion, ethnicity, age, colour, country, background!

We have all heard the news of Lee Rigby, a British Soldier in the army, who was murdered by two men on a street in London. This murder was on the front pages of nearly all the newspapers in the UK and was the focal point of social networking sites for nearly two weeks - if not longer. 

All the newspapers and news broadcasts emphasised how two (supposedly) Muslim men had killed this man. Were these men not ordinary men who had committed a crime? According to the media, it was important to point out that these men were MUSLIM men. Apparently, one Muslim man's act sets a label for the Muslim nation. Ridiculous!

So, we have all heard of Lee Rigby but what about Nahid Almanea, a woman who was murdered in Colchester because she was a Muslim? 

I will not be surprised if you have no idea what I am talking about. 

A Muslim woman, from Saudi Arabia, studying in the UK, was stabbed sixteen times due to the clothing she was wearing. She was not just in traditional Arab clothing as some newspapers have described (a minority of newspapers), she was wearing religious clothings. The Abaya (Long black lose garmet), the Hijab (headscarf) and the Niqab (veil covering the face only revealing the eyes). Newspapers (such as the Daily Mail) failed to address that this woman was Muslim to avoid their audience from thinking that this was a murder against religion - when clearly it was. Why was it that this Muslim, Saudi Arabian woman got hardly any coverage on the media? Was she not human? Is her life no more important than the life of a soldier, a pop star, another human being?

DOUBLE STANDARD OF THE MEDIA!!!

The three American Israelis who were kidnapped and were missing for nearly two weeks, then later found dead, was all over the media recently. THREE Israeli teenagers had more attention on the media than the thousands of Palestinians who are killed every day!!! 

It is sad that they were kidnapped and killed and left in the woods with no life but this is something that happens daily to other victims and the media doesn't show any of this. If you follow the right people on social media, you may hear about daily killings in Palestine but other than these first hand news sources, mainstream media show nothing. 

I personally think that the Israeli government knew that the young boys were dead before they started arresting and detaining Palestinian people. It is a sly tactic of theirs.

Shortly after they had found these boys, they sought revenge by kidnapping a Palestinian teenager and burning him whilst he was alive. Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir, the fifteen year old Palestinian was hardly in the mainstream media and to be honest, the extreme Israelis who murdered him will most probably get away with it. Some news sources say how the Israeli police have arrested six men connected to the Murder of Muhammad, but I would like to see proof. It is probably something they are saying to keep everyone quiet. 

Since the kidnap and death of the three Israeli teenagers - one who was a soldier, more Palestinian children have been kidnapped, beaten, detained and Gaza has been under attack continuously. Muslims are in the holy month of Ramadan where one uses their time to fast and supplicate to the Lord but these Palestinians are grieving daily because of their losses. They are denied good access to food and water and at the time of breaking their fasts, their houses get attacked and raided. 

The only time I have seen the BBC report any news from Palestine was when the cousins of Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir, Tarik, was beaten brutally. The news would not have shown anything but he was an American citizen on holiday in Palestine. Hence why America had to do something. But really and truly, they don't give a dahm about this boy. They are too interested in satisfying the needs of the terrorists. Israel.

DOUBLE STANDARD OF THE MEDIA!!!

Palestinian lives are too worthless for them to put on the news. 

Aside these recent events, and the current bombings of Gaza which have not been shown in the media as much, there are more events happening around this world which we are living in. 

There are victims all over the world but in recent conflicts, it seems like Muslims are becoming the victims of murder.
Killings of innocent civilians in Syria which has been going on for more than three years. 
Killing of Muslims in Burma.
 Muslims getting butchered in Central African Republic. 

Muslims getting killed in Sri Lanka. I don't even want to go into depth with what's happening in Iraq. 
It's all getting out of hand. 
Our Western Political leaders are useless along with the leaders of the Arab world. With all the power to stop all this conflict, they sit by and do nothing. 

I wish I had the power to stop all the conflicts in this world and live in peace and harmony. 

"They used to say Palestinians fight like heroes... now they say heroes fight like Palestinians"- Unknown. 

Salma Razia Khatun
Instagram & Twitter: SalmaKhatun95

My Umrah Journey

My Umrah Journey

I was invited to the House of My Lord

I was invited to Salaam My Prophet

So I dressed modestly, brushed up on my etiquettes

Learnt a few prayers and presented myself

When I lay my eyes upon the House of My Lord

My emotions went on a ride

Feelings that poets cannot put in to words

Only emotions are on a high

I cried for days and at night I tried to rest

But resting didn't exist in this city

As this city was always so busy

Makkah, where the House of Allah stands

Where men follow the footsteps of some of the greatest of women

And where women follow the footsteps of some of the greatest of men

(And still feminists fight for equal rights, that this religion has already given)
Circumambulating the Kabah seven times as our Prophet did
Running between the mountains of Saf'aa and Marwa seven times as Bibi Haajira did
Where the endless spring of ZamZam came
And still exists today

It's the closest I've come to My Lord Almighty

Touching the Black Cloth and the Golden Kabah Door

Bashed and bruised by the big men and women

My body was in pain and was sore

The closer I got to kiss the Stone of Forgiveness

The wave of people pushed me away

Three times I tried, till my body gave up

Exhausted and angry

My hopes were still high

I spent my days and nights praying

That's all life revolved around

None of this Westen life drama

That we all seem to gossip about

We climbed Mount Hira early one morning

following the footsteps of our Prophet but with more ease

We reached the top, went through some rocks

And came to the cave where he meditated

High up in the land is where he found solace and peace

Away from the people filled with hatred and greed

The cave where the revelation came from Angel Gibra'eel

IQRA – READ

This is the book that has never been changed since

The Qur'an

I asked for forgiveness

I cried till my eyes were dry

I prayed for the cure of the ill

And prayed for heaven for the deceased

I prayed to Allah to save our Ummah

To help our Martyrs our Shaheeds

I prayed to Allah to grant me Jannah

and for our Prophet to intercede

On the last day of Makkah

With some skills and some techniques

I went with my brother, my Mehram

To kiss the stone to forgive all my sins

I gasped for breath under all the tall bodies

I dived through gaps not letting go of my brother

And before I knew it

I was face to face with the Hajre Aswad

Allah Hu Akbar

I kissed it endlessly

I was reborn but it felt surreal

I felt fresh and dazed

This was me.

I'd done my Umrah, Prayed in the extra part of the Kabah,

Touched the golden door and kissed the Stone

This was me

I was reborn

Madina Tun Nabi

The Land where our prophet was always accepted with open arms

Accepted us also with open arms

From a busy life in Makkah

Madina is where we found peace and tranquility

We went to Salaam our Prophet, Peace be Upon Him, Abu Bakr As Siddique

And the most amazing thing is,

the man who was on his way to kill our prophet even saw the Islamic peace

Umar Bin Khattab

Buried next to our beloved Nabi

The Sahabas and Khaliphs

We went to see our Sahabas in Jannah Tul Baki

The people who fought for Islam

For us

To find solace and to find peace

We visited mountains of wars

Where our Prophet rested his head, hands and knees

Where our sahabas protected our Rasool

And tried to help him in his times of need

Tala al Badru Alaina

Min thaniyyatil-Wada

Wajaba al shukru alaina

Ma da aa lillahida

The white moon did shine over us

The three nights we were there

Madina protected us

Coming back to London was not fair

Salma Razia Khatun

Translations of some of the words:

Salaam – A greeting upon seeing another Muslim

Makkah – Where the House of Allah is

ZamZam – It means 'stop stop'. This is what was said when the spring of water was splashing out from the mountain

Kabah – The house of Allah

Ummah – The Muslim nation

Mehram – A male guardian who you cannot marry (brother, father)

Hajre Aswad – The Black Stone, When you kiss this stone, all your sins will be forgiven

Allah Hu Akbar – Allah is the Greatest

Umrah – The pilgrimage which consists of circumambulating the Kabah and going up and down Mount Saf'aa and Marwa seven times

Madina Tun Nabi – The land of our Prophet

Abu Bakr As Siddique – A dear friend and companion of our Prophet

Umar Bin Khattab – Hated Islam but soon became Muslim. Died as a martyr

The Sahabas – Companions of our Prophet

Khaliphs - The martyrs of Islam

This was a song that the people of Madina sang to our Prophet when he returned to Madina from Makkah. (Listen to it on the youtube clip above)

Tala al Badru Alaina – Oh the white moon rose over us

Min thaniyyatil-Wada – From the Valley of Wada

Wajaba al shukru alaina – And we owe it to show gratefulness

Ma da aa lillahida – Where the call is to Allah

Hope

Hope

And I realised …

There is hope

Hope behind every teary eye, behind every upside down smile, beneath pain

There is hope.

And we doubt ourselves so much, turning our dreams to ash because we don't hope

Well not enough

I used to dream dreams where I was in places that you can only imagine

Have things that money cannot buy

Hoping that one day as the time would fly

It would be a reality

I hoped

But not enough

I kept my dreams as my dreams

Not turning them in to goals

Hoping that hope would do it's job

But it didn't, and it wont

Because hope needs hard work behind it

Every sweat and every tear

The way hope is behind every fear

I need to hope to work hard, work hard then make my hopes my reality.

Only then I can say

I had hope behind my teary eyes, upside down smile

And hope lay beneath my pain.

Salma Razia Khatun

Dear Mr Netanyahu

Hopefully we are all aware of the different wars happening around the world. 

While one Apartheid was put to an end, one is still in existence. 

I decided to write a short poem about Palestine. Hopefully, one day, soon, all the terror will be put to a stop!

(Feed back or criticism will be appreciated.)

I wrote a letter to Benjamin Netanyahu.
Dear Mr Netanyahu,
Please give my brothers and sisters their land back. 
Please stop attacking innocent lives and killing brothers who have to leave behind dependent children and dependent wives. 
Please stop arresting our young ones, putting them in your prisons and facing them with your guns. 
Please break down the walls, the watch towers and the checkpoints. 
Please tell your illegal settlers to leave. 
Mr Netanyahu, 
Please stop shooting holes into the only few water drums that my brothers and sisters have left
And please allow aid to come through to Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu, please give something for my brothers and sisters to celebrate.

Please bring a smile to their face and let them believe they have a positive fate. 

Seconds later, Haifa, Ramallah, Hebron, all of it was Palestine again. 
The land of Israel no longer existed - again. 
There were more brothers on the streets again with their children and wives again.
Young ones were safely playing on the roadsides again. 
There was no wall, not a single checkpoint and all the illegal settlers had taken their belongings and fled. 
Water drums were full again and aid was allowed to come in to Gaza again. 
My brother's and sisters were celebrating 
And after a long time, they were smiling again.

But then, my mind became conscious and my eyes lids parted from the eye line.

By Salma Razia Khatun 

Instagram & Twitter: SalmaKhatun95

How about a Cuppa?

I was having a discussion with my sister, over a cup of tea, about a cup of tea, on how a cup of tea can get people together. (That was a lot of 'cup of tea's)

This blog post is quite different to my other weekly posts, slightly weird and random some may say but it's something we all have an interest in, something we all consume from once a day to ten times a day. (No exaggeration. Some of you people are tea-a-holics)

What's the first thing you offer a guest when they come over? A cup of tea? 

Or when you go somewhere and you hardly know anyone, 'Would you like a cup of tea?'

It's a conversation starter. 

Then the following questions asking, What kind of tea? Apple, mint, ginger, lemon? How many sugars, milk or no milk, PG or Tetley? 

I don't know about you, but that question, 'A cup of tea?' lightens the mood. You can learn about similarities and differences between two people because of a cup of tea. More than 2 sugars, they've got a sweet tooth, any less... they mean business! (Kidding. I don't take any sugars but I have a sweet tooth.)(Nor am I serious)

It's such a British thing, isn't it? Though it was taken from Asia (I think), it's seen to be a rather 'posh' hot drink. When people think about tea & Britain, they think of the Queen. Thumb, index, middle and ring fingers holding onto the handle of a pretty flowered cup and the pinky finger sticking out. 'Tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace' (Even though many of us are not allowed beyond the gates of her crib) 

Tea comes from different parts of the world and it's amazing how a simple 'cuppa' can get people from around the world together. 

You share tea, you pass around the pot of tea, and it's that small gesture of sharing that can bring two people close together. It's that 'cuppa' that gets someone to open up on a dull rainy day.

Sometimes, when I'm having a not-so-great day, I like to meet up with a friend or sister and sit in a coffee shop and have a cup of tea or a hot chocolate. (I dislike coffee)

It's warm, comforting and kind of fills that lonely empty feeling. (This may not apply to many people like some of you men. A beer or a good steak does it for you  :P )

Tea is a bit like Hookah/ Shisha/ Argilie (The flavoured tobacco that is smoked through a big pipe).

You can't have Shisha alone, you need to have someone there. It's a social thing. And again, the conversation starter... 'Do you want the pipe?' Which then leads to... 'Do you have shisha often? What's your favourite flavour?' (I am not going to lie, when I have the pipe, I tend to hog it. Not a good trait.)

So yeah, that's it really. 

It may be something so little yet it is something so significant. 'A cup of tea'.

A conversation starter, a comforter, a heater, a socialiser, the problem solver, the helper of a creative mind (etc)

(Let's not forget the biscuits)

I like me a cup of tea. 

Off to have a cuppa now. 

Pip pip

Cheerio

Tata

I WANT THE NIQAB BANNED!!!

NO I DON'T!!!

I hope that grabbed your attention.
You will probably know from the title that this blog post will be about the Niqab (the veil that covers the face revealing mainly the eyes) and the latest heated issue about it being banned.

(Before I start, this post is a late one as I was away on the weekend, meeting new people and taking part in workshops. In two weeks time I will be away for a week on an international exchange in Lake District with people from Palestine, Israel, Indonesia, Pakistan, US and the UK to talk and learn about conflicts and cultures.)

Firstly, my view on the Niqab ban... I think that it is pointless. The ladies of this Ummah are strong and will not step down and give up their veil because a few guys who have nothing to do said do. Psshhttt. Plus, there are so many other things in society that need sorting (eg) Big girls wearing transparent leggings with a vest top (this needs to be banned and burnt) or girls who go out wearing next to nothing, however it seems as though the Niqab is the biggest threat in society at the moment.
People are afraid of a few ladies wearing a Niqab? El Oh El.
I do not wear the Niqab nor do I wear the Hijab (Headscarf). But I can tell you, the ladies wearing these pieces of cloths are 100 times more beautiful than a lady who is not in veil.
I don't know why, but I like the sense of mysteriousness when I speak to a sister wearing the Niqab. Eyes can tell a story which the mouth cannot. Happiness, sorrow, guilt, serenity. As much as I want to see their face, I would rather know what they are like because the heart matters more than the face.

Islamically, as far as my understanding goes, and feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but the Niqab is not compulsory. Covering the hair with a head scarf is compulsory and is written in the Qur'an however the Niqab is not. This is a choice that is given and no one is forced, so do not even once think that the men of Islam are forcing their women to wear the Niqab. (Maybe in other countries the women are made to wear it but it is done for the protection of the women. But the West have managed to brainwash people and make it look like a negative thing. This does not apply to the people of the UK so I won't go into detail.) We live in a so called 'democratic' country yet the freewill to dress modestly is being discussed to be taken away.
I don't understand this logic.

I understand that in work places such as school and dealing with customers, the Niqab isn't the wisest choice, however, it does not mean that it should get banned. In Islam it says that we should follow the laws and rules of the place that we live in. And in certain places such as schools, it is alright to remove the Niqab so people can see your face.
In secondary school, in the last year, we had a replacement teacher and it was only after a few weeks when we saw her out of school, we realised that she wore the Niqab. She did not complain against the school policy but instead she calmly removed her Niqab before entering the school and placed it back on her face at the end of the day when leaving.

Many of you may or may not have watched the Channel 4 debate on the Niqab ban. It is surprising to see even Muslims being against the ban. But people are entitled to their own opinions even if it is stupid and makes no sense. There is something that one of the sister's said which was a good point.
They want to ban the veil due to communication problems. However, not all work places need face-to-face communications such as a call centre. People don't know how other people look when speaking on the phone yet they are still able to communicate. Whether someone wears or doesn't wear the Niqab will not make a difference. Therefore the Niqab does not need to be banned in all public places.

(Watch the debate if you haven't done so)
http://www.channel4.com/news/debate-should-british-women-wear-the-niqab-video

Just to wrap up this blog, I would like to say, it does take a lot of courage for a lady to walk the streets with her face covered, to keep her gaze low and to stay modest in a society where modesty is frowned upon and where nudity is seen as a good deed. The Hijab is an act of faith, a symbol, for all the world to see, a simple cloth to preserve the dignity. (A bit of Dawud Wharnsby Ali - The Veil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_8-LPq5qY )
So, keep it on sisters and do not get threatened. Wearing the Niqab in this society is your jihad and you will wear it regardless of the struggle.
I have spent times in my college prayer room with girls my age who wore/wear the Niqab and they are some of the nicest people I have met, I swear to God. And do not think that because a lady is covered up, she is restricted in everything. No. These sisters used to have jokes and their laughter used to make me end up in fits. Some sisters I used to know, used to run around and take part in sports. The Hijab never restricts anyone in anything, it is other people who restrict these Hijabis/Niqabis.

As always, I hope I have not offended any person out there.
I hope that if you had negative views on the Niqab, that this changed your mind a little and if you had positive views about the Niqab then yaay :)

A late Salaam Saturday
Sayonara
Ma'as Salama
Au Revoir.
Tata.
Peace out.