a bengali in TO

How To Plan A Trip To Europe - Part 1

2012-01-26T10:18:00.005-05:00

I get a lot of hits on this blog searching for "Europe vacation planning" or seeking specific details of an European trip. They are probably attracted to my Europe posts. Even though this is a bit earlier in the year, it's never to early to plan your European vacation! Here's some advice I can give to anyone doing a tour of Europe.

Everyone Should Do It
Travelling through Europe via the train and experiencing all the diverse cultures is everything they make it out to be, and much more. It had been one of my life's to-do items, and I wasn't disappointed. And you won't be either. There's no vacation like an Euro-vacation.

Start With a Map
Europe is big!

When we started planning our vacation, I wanted to visit everything! Germany, France, England, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, you name it - I wanted to see it! I wanted to visit all the big cities and little places! Soon though, we realized with the limit of our holiday time and cost, we had to prioritize. So my first suggestion would be - get a map of Europe.

That way, you can see how far apart the places are that you want to visit. Some cities are of course a 'must-see' (it depends on you) and some are 'nice-to-visit'. With a little bit of googling for travel times, you can have an idea of what cities you can reasonably visit with the time you have. For me, it meant omitting Germany and Netherlands as they were too far away from the other places I wanted to see.

Early Planner vs. the Impulsive Traveller

While there is some romance in the idea of not knowing your destination and deciding it on the day, I root for being the early planner every time. I travelled to Europe in July, but by March had all my hotels, tickets, etc. booked. While this does have some drawbacks (I wanted to later add Napoli to my trip, but changing the air tickets was not possible) I saved over $1500 by my calculations by booking in March rather than waiting till May. Basically the earlier you book, the cheaper some hotels and rail/air tickets are. I knew exactly what dates I would be travelling from one city to the next and had my route/trip planned to the minute.

Rail Passes vs. Tickets vs. Reservations

Rail travel is the way to go around and see Europe. Unless you have some specific place you want to visit that has no public transit (impossible in most of Europe) or you want the possibilities that a car gives you, rail travel is the way to go in Europe. The network is well connected, super fast and you get to see a lot of the scenery as you travel.

Buying rail passes for Europe can be complicated. You have to know the differences between tickets, passes, and reservations. Here's the primer:

When you buy a tickets from A to B, you can journey from A to B. For example, buying a ticket from Paris to Basel will allow you to travel from Paris to Basel only, on the day and time you bought the ticket for.

When you buy a multi-day pass, you can use one day of the pass to travel on that day on any participating train in any participating country. When you buy the pass, you can choose the number of days, the countries the pass will be valid in, and the class (economy or first class, etc.) and pay accordingly.

However, and this is the big however, some routes ALSO require you to buy a reservation if you are using a pass. So for example to travel from Paris to Basel using one day of the pass, you also have to buy a reservation on that route. Your pass will NOT BE VALID on that route without the reservation. A reservation costs way less than a ticket, but you still need it (for specific routes).

You can visit raileurope.ca to get started.

To Be Continued ...

Things I Learnt From The Movie Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl

2012-01-14T10:39:00.005-05:00

You can make a fully functional website for a ~~hotel~~ chain of hotels AND have it be on the top of Google search list, all in one day.
If you walk into a Punjabi gangster's house in the middle of the night with his drunk passed out daughter in your arms, declare yourself as her boyfriend who has been clubbing with her when she is supposed to be at a friend's wedding, the gangster is likely to buy your house and pay by cash.
In India, everyone buys land and property by exchanging bags of cash as deposit, without checking the land value, or even the title deed. After all, how can you not trust this face?
If you are a steel titan and earn over $30 million a year, you will sell a painting for cash on advance to save Rupees 30,000 in tax.
The ringtone that is one the biggest Bollywood hits of the decade has only 7 downloads in a country that has over 881 million cellphone users. And downloading a ringtone is the ONLY way to install a ringtone on today's smartphones.
When you have a photo of the man who conned you out of your savings, AND 3 witnesses of similar cons, AND the present location of the man, do NOT go to the police.
Everyone in Goa is at the beach with well oiled abs. In a city of 1.3 million, it's easy to spot one man on the beach.
In India, to get billionaires to invest in hotels you are planning to build on an already saturated market, it is important to throw a big party. Business plans, market evaluations, cash flow statements, revenue predictions etc. are for suckers. And you don't even need to finalize a site for the hotel. You just need a party on a boat. WTF.
Then, after 8 billionaires DO decide to invest in your scheme (WHY?), you decide they are not really necessary, as your dad is rich enough.

More Bollywood Lessons:

Things I Learnt From The Movie Race

Things I Learnt From The Movie Train

Things I Learnt From The Movie Vivah

Wife Space

2012-01-09T15:22:00.003-05:00

Wife to Husband: We need a new wardrobe. All our wardrobes are so small. I need some where to store my new clothes. Right now they are all in a box. We need a new wardrobe. A big one. Are you listening to me?

Husband dutifully goes out with wife and together they select a new wardrobe. Husband lugs the furniture back to their place and spends the weekend assembling it.

Husband (proudly displaying the assembled wardrobe to wife): What do you think?

Wife: Hmm ... it's too big.

Women!

How To Have A Perfectly Sane Brown Wedding - Part 2

2011-12-21T09:46:00.003-05:00

Following on from Part 1.

Rule Number 6
If you have seating arrangements, let it be known. Especially to the parents of the bride and groom.

I have been to weddings where they hired a fancy wedding planner who (claimed to have) made seating arrangements for 600 people. Except no one knew what it was; there was no big printed board informing people of their table number, or people to guide you to your seats. And on top of that, you ask the ~~clueless~~ clearly hassled parents of the bride and groom, and they tell you "Oh, you can sit where you want". Except that when you do, the bridesmaids get their panties in a knot because you committed the grand crime of seating at a "reserved" table.

Here's a corollary - if you invite 600 people (see rules 1 and 2) you don't need a seating plan.

Rule Number 7
Do not have a Quran Recitation in the middle of a disco.

"Alright, let's begin our evening with the obligatory recitation of Surah Rum."

"Now, everybody, on the dance floor! Let's welcome the bride and groom with the biggest, loudest, bhangra, EVER!"

Like, seriously? Not even a filler?

Rule Number 8
Do not discriminate guests by their skin colour.

If you take all the good tables and sit white people there because you know, they are WHITE and need special attention at a brown wedding, even if you have hardly known them as long as your own folk, you are a fob.

Know who your people are (black, white, Asian, brown no matter) and sit close friends and relatives at the good tables. They were there for you when you were trying to hide your ~~boyfriend~~ "good" friend from your father.

Rule Number 9
A gate dhora is an ancient tradition.

Speaking of said white people, do you know what scares them the most? The groom is entering the hall, and then ALL OF A SUDDEN there's this huge mob of people at the gate and they are all shouting! I have seen some of them take out their cellphones and start to video the commotion. Little do they know this is the ancient custom of "gate dhora".

Desis it seems are the best when it comes to this business. The custom of "gate dhora" perfectly combines their inherent skills of mathematics, cheapness, shouting and diplomacy, an all in one. Indians are the masters in this: "This amount is how much you love the bride" or "this amount shows how much you value yourself"! How do you argue against that!

Note to folks arranging the wedding: Always agree beforehand on the amount, and always, ALWAYS, have an adult to supervise the kids. We desis play cricket, so we don't have soccer riots, but we do have gate dhoras.

Rule Number 10
If you say "I am going to keep it short", please mean it.

Really, the only one who is allowed to make a long speech is the father of the bride.

If you invite 600 people, you should know that not everyone is there to listen to your best friend going on, and on, and on, about your road trip in the final year.

There's only so many times you can use "and one more thing" in a speech. The phrase "before I finish" should be uttered exactly BEFORE YOU FINISH. Not before you add "and last but not the least".

Happy Weddings, everyone!

Gender Segregated Weddings

2011-12-06T10:29:00.005-05:00

Have you ever been to a super boring wedding? When you sit apart from your wife, in different halls, and don't know anybody else, so you converse via sms, wait for the food and then leave? Where the only sign that it's a wedding is the one printed on the notice board?

Welcome to your traditional gender segregated wedding.

Now if you ask anyone who prefers a gender segregated wedding, here's what they will say - it's more "Islamic". Is it though?

Remember, Islam DOES discourage free mixing between men and women but ONLY when they are ALONE; Islam does not prohibit ALL interactions between men and women in a public setting.

I find it hypocritical too. To paraphrase Wood Turtle's status, so you can talk to a girl at work or on the street, but you can't talk to her at a wedding without losing all control and giving in to your "impulses"?

Here's the three basic myths about a gender segregated wedding:

1. It's Islamic.

Not it's not. The concept of gender segregation is a Middle Eastern patriarchal practice called Namus which predates Islam. There is no evidence from the Quran or Hadith that enforces segregation of sexes^[2].

The Prophet attended a wedding that was NOT gender segregated. It was Abu Usaid As-Saidi's wedding, and his wife served the Prophet (and his Companions) with food, and even brought him his drink^[3]. There are plenty of examples from his life where men and women, not related to each other, ate at the same table.

2. A mixed wedding may lead to men and women flirting

There is even the idea that if something bad can happen from a permissible act, then we should prohibit the permissible act, even if there is good in it. This incorrect idea is taken to extremes in Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive lest something bad happens. The ridiculousness of this is proven by a Saudi study that says if women are allowed to drive, there will be a loss of virginity in the kingdom and more homosexuals ^[4]. Dr Taqir Suwaidan at RIS specifically rebutted this idea. If the idea was true, then the whole incident of "Aisha and the Necklace" would never have happened.

As long as there is no obscenity, touching, secret meetings and any sexual contact, go ahead and maintain healthy social interaction with the opposite gender. It's the Islamic thing to do.^[1]

In Bengali circles, it's well known that men and women meet up at weddings. I attended two weddings this year, the second one was of the groom and bride who got to know each other well during the first wedding. And what's wrong with that?

If your society is already so segregated (I am looking at you Saudis) that it's unhealthy and where a woman's eyes now make you crazy^[5] then you gotta wonder how on earth will a man and woman meet up. Maybe the driving ban IS the reason you have more homosexuals (something to think about?).

My personal theory is that societies with gender segregated weddings (Pakistanis? Arabs?) have more cousin marriages. I am sure there is a research paper somewhere here, but what is so wrong with a young man and a young woman getting to know each other, and then getting married?

And if you think a gender segregated wedding prevents men and women from flirting, you don't know your young men and women.

3. Women show their hair and dress up all slutty at these mixed weddings

First, why are you looking at these women anyways! Lower your gaze, men! Second, see first.

I am not responsible for what anyone does. I am only responsible for my own actions. At my own wedding, I had a simple additional line in the invite.

"Since this is a Muslim wedding, guests are kindly requested to observe Islamic sensibilities and dress modestly. Your cooperation is this regard will be highly appreciated."

Or something to that affect. It was a mixed wedding. And you know what? Almost everyone complied with the request. My non-Muslim friends even called me up to ask what would be acceptable. That's because in general, people are nice. I find that hardcore so-called religious people treat everyone else as assholes who need to be 'guided', and therefore controlled.

My view is that it's your wedding, so if you want it to be gender segregated it's your choice. My faith compels me to attend a wedding once I get an invitation and have no excuses, so I will attend. But please, don't call it "Islamic". Because it's not, and you do a disservice to all those men and women who get married in a decent mixed wedding ceremony.

References:

1. Sexuality in Islam, referencing Surah Hujarat from the Quran.
2. Segregation of the Sexes.
3. Bukhari, Vol. 7, No. 111
4. Saudi Arabia: Driving a 'threat to virgin brides', The Independent
5. Saudi to ban women with alluring eyes

Are You More Pious Than The Prophet?

2011-11-15T10:39:00.004-05:00

Congratulations, you may now be more pious than the Prophet.

* * *

You will never kiss your wife in public, because after all that is what those infidels do. We are not of loose morals like them! No Public Display of Affection for Muslims! We may beat our wives, because that is in the Quran, supposedly, but we will NEVER kiss them in public.

Congratulations, you are now more pious than the Prophet. He used to kiss his wives in public ^[1] and never beat them.

* * *

Do you have fun? Astagfirullah! Come on! The duniya (world) is not a place to have fun!

Too bad the Prophet had fun. He used to engage in racing with his wives (sometimes he even let Aisha - a woman - win! *gasp*) ^[2], and he even carried Umama, his grand-daughter (Zainab's daughter), while praying.

WHILE PRAYING! *double gasp*. He used to put her down gently when he prostrated ^[3]. We would NEVER let a child interfere with us when we pray, eh? Guess we think we are more pious than him.

Yep. No fun please, we are Muslims.

* * *

You treat Islam seriously. After all, religion is not supposed to be easy, right? I mean, never mind that verse in Surah Taha where Allah is saying "We have not sent down the Qur'an to you to be (an occasion) for your distress" ^[4] - who cares about that! If it's easy it cannot be pious, we all know if you are truly Islamic you will do it the hard way! In fact, when the going gets tough, you know you are in the right path!

The above is actually the tag and title of a blog that encourages women who are pregnant, to fast. Even if it's a 18 hour fast (like in North America).

Too bad the Prophet recommended the easy way for us. Especially about pregnant women and fasting (a definite no-no) ^[6]. But come on! We are more pious than that! As the author asks, "Yes, why should I not fast whilst pregnant?" It's all about priorities. Yes, sure the Quran and Hadith may exempt you, but ... Allah will give you strength! Even if, you know, you are disobeying Him and His Prophet!

When Umar told the Prophet after the conquest of Mecca that prayers no longer need be shortened, as there was no more a fear of attack, the Prophet replied, "This is a charity that Allah, the Exalted, has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity!"

And in another place, *gasp* the Prophet even told his Companions, "So be moderate in your religious deeds and do what is within your ability."^[5]

But we are more pious than that, are we not?

* * *

Meanwhile, we Muslims have to defend the honour of the Prophet (by behaving dishonourably?). And the honour of ALL Prophets. So someone named a teddy bear after Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Off with her head!

Too bad Muhammad's own wife Aisha used to do the same thing.

And music! Astagfirullah! Isn't there a hadith that says "the love of Quran and the love of music cannot co-exist in the same heart"? Oh wait, there isn't? *surprise* Oh, it's just a quote by some guy named Ibn Masud. Oh well, it's good enough for us. No music at our weddings!

After all, it's only the Prophet's most beloved wife Aisha who narrated that when a woman was married to an Ansari man, the Prophet (peace be on him) said, "Aishah, did they have any entertainment? The Ansar are fond of entertainment." ^[7]

Once, according to Ibn Abbas, Aisha gave a girl relative of hers in marriage to a man of the Ansar. The Prophet came and asked, "Did you send a singer along with her?"

"No," said 'Aishah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) then said, "The Ansar are a people who love poetry. You should have sent along someone who would sing, 'Here we come, to you we come, greet us as we greet you.'"^[8]

But come on now, we are for sure more pious than that! In the name of Islam we will segregate our women and put them behind that curtain. I ask you, did the Prophet allow women to be present in the mosques?

He did? Um... um, ignore that. Times are different now. No longer can we obey the Prophet's sunnah in accepting an invitation to a Jewish lady's house for dinner (you know, without wondering if the cow was facing Mecca when it was slaughtered).

We are way, way more pious now.

References:
1. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi
2. Ahmad
3. Bukhari
4. Quran 20:2
5. Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 577
6. Abu Dawud, 2408; al-Tirmidhi, 715; al-Nasa’i, 2315; and Ibn Majah, 1667
7. Bukhari
8. Ibn Majah

What did the Android say to the iPhone?

2011-10-25T09:59:00.002-04:00

Note: If you don't follow Bollywood, or do not understand Hindi/Urdu, this post is not for you. I apologize.

So, I have an Android, my sister-in-law has an iPhone. Sometime back, I read a joke online, thought it would be a great joke to pass on to her (she follows Bollywood!) and therefore sms-ed her.

What I sms-ed:

What did the mutter say to the paneer?

Tu CHEESE Badi Hai Mast Mast!!

What my sister-in-law received:

Tu CHEESE Badi Hai Mast Mast!!

Needless to say, she was a puzzled girl, and thank goodness it was all clarified as soon as possible, otherwise it would just not have remained an Android vs. iPhone issue!

Ramadan Iftar Foods

2011-08-17T14:42:00.021-04:00

Ramadan is a time when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, when they break their fast in a meal known as the iftar. This is a time for family and friends, when we visit each other for iftar parties and worship. Here are some of the foods I have eaten for iftar this month.

A fast is usually broken with dates, as per tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Some sweet drink usually follows, to give you the energy boost you need after a whole day of fasting. In Bengali circles, these drinks are usually mangoe lassi, or some type of sherbet or fruit cocktail. Just because Muslims can't drink does not mean we can't mix drinks!

Porota - shown below - a flat bread-type pancake that is the breakfast of champions in South Asia. However, since it's South Asia, you can't NOT have some unhealthy but extremely delicious snacks!

Above is what we call "shingara" - a type of samosa, but bigger, and below is a dish we call "Beguni" - Egg plant coated in batter and then fried.

The iftar spread at my parents' place

The kids love the spring rolls and noodles are making a big comeback at iftar parties. Gotta love noodles.

Potluck iftar at a friend's place

In South Asia, there's enough time between iftar and Isha (night) prayers, and Isha is quite early in the night (7-9 pm) so one can have dinner later, which is a separate meal by itself. In Canada, due to our compressed timings and longer days, iftar and dinner is usually combined in one meal.

Dinner spread at said friend's place

Salad for the girls

Of course, after a long day of fasting, you want some meat. Above is chicken tandoori, while shown below is a curry chicken breast dish.

Of course dessert has to be taken care of at parties, after meals. Usually people go pray Taraweeh (night prayers) and return, depending on the time.

Mango Lassi and Rooh Afza drinks

Any Bengali party will have sweets

Fruits, usually used to make a dish called 'Fruit Chaat'

MuslimFest 2011

2011-07-24T14:06:00.020-04:00

On Saturday, we headed to Celebration Square, Mississauga for MuslimFest, 2011.

There were various activities throughout the day, but there were two main highlights of the day.

First up ... as the trailer promised, there were camels.

Second, but before we could get to that, it started to rain. And boy, did it come pouring down!

However, the star of the evening, Pakistan's famous Junaid Jamshed, wasn't going to let a little thing like a torrential downpour stop him. Though his popstar days were behind him, the nasheed singer knew how to work the crowd.

Soon, people were singing to "Dil dil Pakistan" with him in the rain.

The rain stopped, and the sun then started to shine brightly on the crowd, which Junaid regaled with stories of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), interspersed with hamds and nasheeds in his praise.

It was great to see a lot of volunteers at this venue, helping run and coordinate a smooth event for the 10,000+ attendees over both days.

Other than the performances (such as comedy, free movies) and attractions (such as Reptile Exhibition), there's also the famous bazaar scene.

Over all, it's a great event, and best of all, this year it was FREE.

So next time you are in town during this time, do check out MuslimFest.

A Visit to the Toronto Zoo

2011-07-18T22:33:00.019-04:00

The Toronto Zoo is a world class zoo located in the Scarborough area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At 710 acres, the zoo (one of the largest in North America) is currently home to over 16,000 animals.

As you can see, admission is not cheap. A family of four can easily spend more than $100 (including parking) for a day's visit.

Here's a tip: the zoo is really, really big. And it involves a lot of walking from one area to another. Therefore, start early, preferably when the zoo opens (after all, morning's the best for photographs). We decided to follow the suggested trail, which leads one through all the different areas of the zoo, starting with the Australasian section.

A tree kangaroo

I was really surprised by the huge diversity of animals that were there in the zoo. From the fishes of the Great Barrier Reef ...

... to the jellyfish from deep in the Pacific Ocean ...

... to the ostriches from the African savannah ...

... the zoo had them all.

Here's another tip: check the feeding times of the animals from the zoo's website. Visiting an animal enclosure during feeding time allows one to see them in full activity, especially on really hot days when all they want to do is sleep.

Clearly the wrist band policy was in effect

Not a sight you want to see if you are just out for a stroll in the jungle

Er ... hi?

At an exhibit - can you spot the creature?

One exhibit I found surprising was "African Penguins" - I did not even know they had penguins in Africa!

The original cast of the 3 Idiots

It was a really hot day, and this bird was cooling off.

Here's another tip: do NOT visit the zoo on a hot day! It was 40 degrees yesterday with humid-ex, and most of the animals were lazing in the water rather than running around being active. I felt really sorry for the polar bear.

Can you read the Hindi script?

The giraffes were at ease with the heat - perhaps it reminded them of home.

The tiger was as majestic as promised (and we will ignore the fact that this was the Sumatran tiger, the Bengal tiger was fast asleep!).

Over all, on a nice cool day, if you have the whole day to spare, visit the Toronto Zoo. It's a bit pricey, but a full day's educational and fun activity rolled into one. You will be surprised at the huge number of animals they have there from all over the world, and for the shutterbug it's a time well spent.

Facebook Appeases Muslims

2011-06-16T15:51:00.012-04:00

Recently it has come to many people's attention that Facebook has stopped growing in Canada. This story about Facebook's fall in numbers was repeated throughout the Western world.

As a result, Facebook has refined its growth strategy to target Muslims in the developing world. Following detailed customer analysis, Facebook has made the following changes to its interface.

Events:

It felt that the original Event attendance with its three buttons was completely blasphemous to Muslims.

After all, when you click "I'm attending", how do you know you will attend an event, in the future? Only Allah knows the future, and therefore, the button was changed.

Marital Info:

This was targeted more towards the wealthier Arab market in the Gulf. In the original interface, Facebook allowed for the following setup.

This has now been changed to recognize the reality that upto 0.1% of the Arab men have more than 1 wife.

Poking:

Poking has been controversial ever since the feature was launched. According to Sheikh A'anta Majnun, "poking led to touching which led to dancing which led to haraam yaani boking is haraam". However, the feature could not be disabled for the Muslim world as it was discovered that many Muslim men liked to be 'poked' by non-related women. Therefore Facebook arrived at a compromise and allowed men to poke a women's "waali" (guardian) back if he was so inclined.

The feature was disabled for Muslim women, as their 'poking' responsibilities were delegated to their "waali". On a related note, most women have not yet 'friended' their "waali" (this is yet to be solved: one solution recommended delegating all 'friending' requests themselves to the "waali" but that is being debated).

Pictures

Photographs and tagging friends has long been Facebook's unique features, and this was tweaked slightly for the Muslim users of Facebook. An app titled "Muttawafy" automatically scans and ensures that pictures conform to strict guidelines followed by Muslim women.

As an aside, for some reason this feature, while it was introduced a while back with default setting "on", was found to be disabled by most desi men.

Moving Out of Parents' Homes After Marriage

2011-06-10T11:41:00.002-04:00

This applies more to people from Eastern cultures, but ...

When do you think a married couple should move out of their parents' homes?

The culture in the West is that kids move out of their parents' place when they go to university, and stay on their own from then on. With the increasing trend of later marriages, when the kids marry, they have their own place (either their own or rented) and this is where they stay post-marriage.

The trend in the East is of joint families (or extended families). The kids ~~may go~~ MUST GO away to university, but post-completion they stay with their parents as they work. If it's the son, when he gets a wife, the girl moves into her in-laws' place. The grand parents, the kids and the grand kids all stay at the same residence.

Which approach do you think is better? In both of these practices I find a lot of good.

1. Independence

In Canada, I see kids growing up with summer jobs (such as mall stores, or even yard work, or at the beach) earning their own money, and thus developing an independent streak develop early. In life, they are better able to think on their feet, have street smarts, think like an adult, and take on their own responsibilities a lot earlier (just not on Saturday nights).

In our Eastern culture, kids are NEVER independent. And this rule applies especially if you are the son - you are always a momma's boy. I have seen even grown men with their own properties call on their dad to fix every little thing in their place as they have no idea how to do it. Life is 'leaving it to parents' while you enjoy.

2. Family Values

In the Western culture (and especially North American culture), parents don't play much of a role in one's life post-adulthood. Sure, they are always there (especially during Christmas) or you visit them regularly (hopefully) but you are your own man (or woman, or er, both). People usually settle down once they reach thirty (with a string of boyfriends/girlfriends since then). Yes, I am generalizing a bit. But post-30, once they find "the one", they inform their parents, hold a wedding, and then again continue their own lives.

In our Eastern culture, a family is very important to us. Even if our parents don't choose our spouses, it is important that the new addition to the family "fit in" with everyone - so consequently people give a lot of thought about their families when choosing a spouse, and our parents have a lot of say in what we do (where we stay, our jobs, our marital life etc.). There is a bond of family that is stronger in many Asian cultures than in the West.

So again, when do you think a married couple should move out of their parents' homes?

I think ideally, a new couple should have their own place. It give them privacy and a space to grow on their own as a couple (free from other influences). If you are Muslim, it seems religiously, it is also the right of every wife to have a home of her own according to the standards of her own social group. In many instances it is encouraged for the new couple to be given privacy and be left alone. This of course doesn't happen when you have a joint family system where the morning after your marital night you are expected to get up and help make breakfast for 20 people.

On the other hand, from experience, I can say a new wife living with her in-laws helps get her and her new family closer. It helps develop strong ties between her and her husband's siblings, and respect and love towards his parents. Moreover, not everyone can afford to have their own place right away.

I think therefore, giving some time, if you have to live with your parents, you should put a time limit of two years, and strive to get your own place in the meanwhile.

And when you do, it should be close enough so you can still visit them often, and take care of their needs, because as a child one has obligations towards the parents, especially if they are old and vulnerable.

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none save Him, and that you be kind to (your) parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, "My Lord! Bestow on them your Mercy even as they cherished me in (my) childhood." - (Quran, 17:23-24)

Why Are (Some) Religious People so Rude?

2011-05-30T14:57:00.004-04:00

I was at a wedding recently. As usual with weddings, there's lots of people taking photographs, and I was one of them, especially with my DSLR. And when the couple has spent more than $80,000 on the wedding, you want to take pictures.

And then I ran into one guy.

"Hey, don't take my picture!" He was adamant! So I replied, somewhat knowingly, "Why, religious reasons?"

"YES!" He practically shouted. "It is haraam (forbidden) to take pictures. So DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE!"

Alright! But then get the HELL OUT OF THE WAY THEN. Stop standing next to the bride and groom if you don't want your picture taken!

I don't understand one thing - why do people who don't want their picture taken always assume everyone WANTS to take their picture? I mean, you are not Angelina Jolie.

And another thing, have you noticed that these people, who often claim to be more "religious" (translation: taking things to extremes) are always ... RUDE!

In another wedding, I met someone else who did not want their picture to be taken. Do you know what he did? He threatened to break the camera of a 10 year old KID who was taking pictures!

"Taking pictures is HARAAM and against Islam and if you take my picture again I will BREAK your camera do you understand?"

Way to go... be Islamic, threaten kids. Nice slogan. Recently, someone left the following comment on another blog (of a Muslim sister who also has a dog).

"no disrespect, but ..."

As soon as you read those, you know that the person has LOTS of disrespect. And what's up with the bad grammar and typos! It seems all our "Islamic friends" online didn't graduate high school English. The commentator goes on to berate her for caring for her sister's dog. Seems like they totally missed Imam Malik's point of view on dogs. Not to mention the story of the People of the Cave (and their dog) from THE QURAN!

On my blog's facebook page recently, someone commented, "IS IT ALLOWED TO SHOE QURANIC VERSES IN PICS....KINDLY GIVE THE ANSWER".

Now I don't think it's ever allowed to "shoe" Quranic verses, but the ALL-CAPS and the weak English immediately told me this person wasn't interested in a civil debate. Nevertheless, I gave him (or her) the references on Muslim artists, pictures etc. And just as I predicted, the person was back with the following gem:

"i am totally dissatisfied with the references you given. plz u give me the true reference after which u r showing it in pics or i will start a compaign to dis like your page....sorry for that"

I like how they apologize .. lol. And then they start spamming the web page, posting rude messages, after which I simply kicked and banned that user. There's something therapeutic about selecting a user and clicking "Remove and ban user".

I would put this aside, but this user is synoptic of a lot of Muslims. They hold fast to some ritual or practice, and anything that is SLIGHTLY different from them - HARAAM! KAAFIR! DOOMSDAY!

I think it's time to tell these people, "your haraam-ing is haraam!" Grow up.

Why the Liberals Lost

2011-05-03T15:38:00.002-04:00

Canada is awake today to a Conservative majority government, with NDP forming the official opposition and the former traditional governing party, the Liberals, reduced to a small rump. My quick analysis is over at Crescent Canuck, do visit and comment over there.

South Asia Diaries - Dhaka

2011-04-27T23:56:00.028-04:00

Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, all pictures shown are taken by me.

After returning from Rongpur, there wasn't too much time to go touring Dhaka, as we got busy with meeting with family. However, we still found time to do a little sightseeing and of course, lots of shopping.

One thing about Dhaka, while being much cleaner than Kolkata, it was also a traffic nightmare. The infrastructure doesn't seem to have grown since 1980, but the population has. It took us 2 hours to go 4 km once. We had to attend a wedding at 9 am, and started at 8 am. We reached there at 10 am. And no, the return drive wasn't much better. It's faster to walk.

A traffic jam in New Elephant Road, Dhaka.
Picture taken by my cousin Asrar Chowdhury.
©Asrar Chowdhury, 2011.

Dhakeshwari Temple is an old temple in Dhaka, and we were lucky enough to witness a Hindu wedding done in authentic style on our last visit here.

A front view of Dhakeshwari Mondir.
Picture taken by my cousin Asrar Chowdhury.
©Asrar Chowdhury, 2011.

Another beautiful temple in Puran Dhaka (Old Dhaka)

Hindus and Muslims live together in Dhaka, and you don't have the ethnic ghettos that is a strictly "Muslim" area or strictly "Hindu" area, unlike Kolkata. The Moghuls had left signs of their presence in Dhaka. The Lalbagh Fort is one such place (the photos are from my last visit). The area is a favourite with couples, who all pay the entrance fee and engage in amorous behaviour away from the prying eyes of their parents. Each alcove in this complex was occupied by a couple! Reminded me of the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.

Lalbagh Complex

Life along the Burigonga river, Dhaka.
Picture taken by my cousin Asrar Chowdhury.
©Asrar Chowdhury, 2011.

Of course, you can't go to Dhaka and not shop! While many Bangladeshis go to Kolkata specifically for shopping (like we Canadians go to the US for the same stuff but cheaper), Dhaka does have scope for lots of shopping too.

Interestingly, I found Dhaka to have a higher cost of living compared to Indian cities. Now I don't know much about rent, but food, electricity, shopping (clothes), transportation was all MUCH more expensive in Dhaka. For example, a four course meal sent up to our hotel room (room service!) in Jaipur cost the equivalent of $10.

Dining out at Pizza Hut

Here, dinner for four people at Pizza Hut cost us 3000 taka, or about $45. The middle class of Bangladesh seems to have grown, and they now have money to spend.

We made a stop to Boshundara City, one of the most Western-like malls in Dhaka.

The rotunda of Boshundara City

Clothes shopping in Mirpur

For saris, you have to go to Mirpur. It's a suburb of Dhaka (where they played the Dhaka portion of the 2011 Cricket World Cup matches involving Bangladesh). A lot of Urdu speaking people live around Mirpur (you wouldn't know it by listening to their Bengali though). This is the "factory outlet" of saris. Saris that cost 20,000 taka in malls in Dhaka can be bought for 3000 to 6000 taka here.

AND OF COURSE THERE IS THE FOOD. AND FISH. NO ONE DOES FISH LIKE BENGALIS.

Lunch 'dawat' at my chachi's - you can see Tilapia, Koi, Chingri amongst the fish!

Dhaka's unique "Chinese" food (a little too sweet for my taste) is quite famous

Dinner party at my mama's - can't be Bengali without rice ...

... or chicken korma!

A "small" lunch thrown in our honour (as farewell) - see the koi mach!

Not to mention, the giant shrimp!

The food we ate before our flight!

A good place to visit is the Shohid Minar, a tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement. As my cousin told me, "Bangladeshis have died for their Bengali" - so no wonder Bengali is on the decline in Kolkata but not so in Dhaka.

Shohid Minar

A statement outside the Shohid Minar - it has the famous like from a famous song about 21 February, 1952

A place not too many people visit, but everyone should, is the Museum of the War of Liberation. Right now it's in a tiny house, but I got the impression that they got some money from the government (they should!), so they are moving to a bigger place. Photography wasn't allowed inside the museum. In fact, I had to leave my expensive DSLR with the custodian at the gate (and that made me quite nervous!). My cousin however didn't seem too worried, and our camera was still waiting for us when we left.

Liberation War Museum - a tribute by Hillary Clinton who had just visited some days ago

Flags at the Liberation War Museum

The museum had lots of stuff (artifacts, documents, weapons) etc. from 1971, with LCD screens (yes!) displaying information, and you can spend an easy 2 hours there. What made it better was that we visited with my cousin who knew a lot about 1971, so he was giving us a guided tour (and even an official there asked him a question!).

Soon though, amidst all the fun of relatives, cousins, music, weddings, food, shopping - it all had to end and we had to return to our lives (and snow!) back in Canada.

Fitting everything we had into the 2 suitcase limit per person (and 22 kg limit per suitcase) was going to be mission impossible.

Time to go - suitcases galore!

Heading back home (via Dubai) - a view of Dhaka from the air

Now you know what I do when I return from a vacation? I can't wait until it's time to plan to the next one! And now, regular blogging should resume in 3, 2, 1 ...

South Asia Diaries - Rongpur

2011-03-27T20:55:00.028-04:00

The flight from Kolkata, India to Dhaka, Bangladesh took approximately forty five minutes. We had returned to Kolkata from Jaipur, attended a wedding for some days, and then it was time to say goodbye to India.

As we descended the steps from the small plane, and entered the airport, the differences between Kolkata airport and Dhaka airport (now inexplicably called Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport), were stark.

Dhaka was clean.

Yes, surprisingly, it was very clean. Even the city, as we drove through it to my uncles' place, was surprisingly neat and tidy. Maybe it was just the comparison with Kolkata, but more on Dhaka later. This post is about Rongpur.

Rongpur is my ancestral city, that I last visited over three years ago (day 1 and day 2). This time, after a day of resting in Dhaka, we (us, my cousins and my uncles) headed for Rongpur.

A boat on the rivers of Bangladesh.
Picture taken by my cousin Asrar Chowdhury.
©Asrar Chowdhury, 2011.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early to explore Rongpur. It was cold - 8 degrees C! And villagers live here without central heating or hot water.

A fog descends on Rongpur. These villagers are taking their produce to the weekly market. It is now bitterly cold, even to this Canadian.

Returning home to eat some bhapa pitha, with gur inside.

Later on, it was time to see the fishermen of the village do what one called "exercise for the fishes". They take this huge net and surround the pond with it. For my wife and I, this was something we haven't seen before. This "exercise" is to help the fish grow bigger, so as to fetch a good price when sold, and to help cull the diseased and smaller fishes.

The net is drawn closer and closer around the pond until the fishermen close in. Fishes jump about and jump out of the net into the pond (and thus are forced to become active even if they were lazy (hence the "exercise") and it also helps identify the ill fish).

The remaining fish that lie on the net are checked for illness or size. Culling of fish with undesirable characteristics (such as size, weight) is carried out.

The fish that did not make the cut. These fresh fish will be taken to the market and sold, while the rest are returned to the pond. You can see these are fresh Tilapia, sold in Canada for $2.99 - 4.99 per lb!

We bought this long fish, called "shoal" in Bengali, as well as some Tilapia.

After this 'show', it was time to start touring the village. Many of my relatives still lived here, so we had a long list of houses to visit.

A couple of cows are kept warm with their "sweaters" (which are really rice sacks redesigned to fit over their humps).

I also learned something interesting about the way the villagers prepare rice. Do you see these grains are that are spread on to the road? These are rice grains. I found that there are two steps to separate the rice grains.

Step 1 involves placing the rice grains on the road (seriously), and being separated when people (and goats, cows, chicken, etc.) trample on them (yes, that's what you eat). So here's some grains absorbing sunlight and ready to be trampled.

The separated rice grains are now swept up and collected.

Using these tools, stage 2 (finer separation) is now done. And I hope - cleaning.

Rice, ready to be stored in sacks and taken to the market.

So there was I, roaming around the village, photographing stuff, when suddenly some kids shouted, "Snake"!

Can you spot the snake in this picture? I intentionally kept the size larger so readers can have a shot at it.

Brave kids who offered to hunt and kill the snake for me. I politely declined.

These "sticks" are dried cowdung that are used as fuel in ovens to cook food. Yes, they are environment friendly, you control the heat by controlling the amount of dung, and since they are dried solid, there's no 'yuck' factor or smell. And yes, the food we ate was cooked in such oven.

FOOD! The best part of any visit to Bangladesh. If you visit a Bangladeshi household, you will see there HAS to be several items on the table. On this day, can you spot FIVE (yes, FIVE) different species of fish alone?

Rongpur was beautiful. It was clean, the air was crisp and unpolluted, the night skies amazingly clear and the stars visible, and the fresh food (fresh fish, freshly laid eggs, and had we wanted, freshly slaughtered cows!) were amazingly delicious. It was a great departure from the busy cities we were visiting, and a nice break. After a couple of days, we were ready to go back to Dhaka.

Can a Bangladeshi Support the Pakistan Cricket Team?

2011-03-25T09:26:00.006-04:00

This Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Pakistan played West Indies in a quarter final match of the cricket World Cup. It was a knock-out game - the loser would go home and the winner on to the semi finals. The venue was Dhaka, Bangladesh. However, one could be mistaken for thinking Pakistan was playing a home game, with the 25,000 fans at the stadium solidly behind the men in green, some even painting the Pakistan flag on their cheeks or waving the star and crescent flag [source: Dawn].

On Facebook, I posted a Youtube video of a Bangladeshi spectator and a Pakistani visitor exchanging T-shirts. I was also supporting Pakistan over West Indies. This prompted a discussion by some people that these Bangladeshi supporters of the Pakistan team were a "disgrace to the nation". As a Bangladeshi, I was told, I should not be supporting the Pakistan team (which I was in this game).

This is why.

“…… we were told to kill the hindus and Kafirs (non-believer in God). One day in June, we cordoned a village and were ordered to kill the Kafirs in that area. We found all the village women reciting from the Holy Quran, and the men holding special congregational prayers seeking God’s mercy. But they were unlucky. Our commanding officer ordered us not to waste any time ...”
- Confession of a Pakistani Soldier

Gendercide Watch has an account of the genocide unleashed by the Pakistan army on the civilian population of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) in 1971. Information can also be found on Genocide Bangladesh.

The details are horrible. The number of dead in Bangladesh in 1971 was almost certainly well into seven figures. It was one of the worst genocides of the World War II era, outstripping Rwanda (800,000 killed) and probably surpassing even Indonesia (1 million to 1.5 million killed in 1965-66) [Source: GW]. Apart from the killings, as many as 400,000 women were raped (and these figures are from unbiased Western sources; Bangladeshi numbers quote a higher number).

Now why do these atrocities, which occurred over 40 years ago, still have a resonance today? In particular, these are due to the shameful attitudes of modern day Pakistani citizens and their government. For example, if you talk to an average Pakistani, his or her attitude to 1971 can be categorized as one of the following:

1) These atrocities did not happen. The numbers are wildly exaggerated (possibly an Indian conspiracy to destabilize the "brotherly relations" between Pakistan and Bangladesh). Yes, there were some deaths, since this was a military action, but not anywhere close to the numbers mentioned here.

2) The army only had orders to kill Hindus.

3) Yes, these atrocities happened. But so what? It was a long time ago, and I, a modern day Pakistani, had nothing to do with it. So why should I apologize?

4) This was a shameful chapter in Pakistani history and I am truly sorry. Pakistan should formally apologize to Bangladesh and acknowledge her actions.

Sadly, not enough Pakistanis feel like the last scenario. Recently, former cricket captain Imran Khan has demanded an official apology from the Government of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh for the atrocities allegedly committed by the Pakistan Army in 1971 [Source: 1 and 2].

As for (1), it's just not true because Pakistan's own Hamoodur Rahman Commission agreed that genocide occurred and recommended their leaders to be tried. As for (2), so what? Killing "only Hindus" is supposed to make genocide acceptable?

It's (3) that provokes debate. Should citizens today apologize for actions committed by their government years ago? I believe that in the absence of an official apology by their government, for actions that occurred with full support of the elite amongst the citizens of the time, likely their fathers or that generation, today's generation bears some responsibility to acknowledging the hurt and shame of 1971.

Why did, then, Pakistan get such support in Dhaka on Wednesday? I believe it was due to several of the following reasons.

1) They were playing West Indies, who had badly defeated Bangladesh in the group stages. People therefore wanted to see West Indies similarly humiliated.

2) In the absence of their home team, people support their neighbours or those they feel a cultural closeness with. This is why Sri Lanka, India or Pakistan get good support in Dhaka, or why Pakistan enjoyed good support when they played in Colombo.

3) It's been 40 years. If we still remained angry we wouldn't support England in any games (you could write an encyclopedia on the atrocities committed by the British Empire, apologies for which are still to be dragged out in many instances), or even Australia (the descendants of the worst of British convicts).

Personally, I keep politics and sports aside, and I genuinely like this Pakistani team. They play good cricket, are led by a terrific captain (who leads from the front), are a bunch of talented athletes that have overcome huge hurdles in their God-forsaken country to reach this stage. The Bangladesh cricket team would do well to learn from the attitude and resolve of these players.

Besides (other than cricket) Bangladesh now no longer has any need to have an inferiority complex of Pakistan. By ever standard our country is in much better shape than theirs. The Guardian congratulated Bangladesh on a vibrant economy and a strong women's movement on her 40th birthday, something unimaginable in Pakistan. It's no longer a basket case. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently compared Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Pakistan can only look on in envy. This is why today most Pakistanis support Bangladesh and wistfully imagine how different the scenario would have been had the two nations prospered together, while Bangladeshis are proudly marching ahead charting their own course.

Of course, on March 30, 2011, when India take on Pakistan in the semi final, I will be fully supporting India, inshAllah. :-)

South Asia Diaries - Jaipur

2011-03-17T14:27:00.035-04:00

Jaipur was to be the last Indian city we would see on this (very short) tour before heading back to Kolkata for another wedding. We only had three days, so we spent one in Delhi, one in Agra, and now one in Jaipur. Even though Jaipur is only a 4 hour ride away from Delhi (same as Agra) we had chosen to fly. Why? Well, when I booked the tickets, booking the flight from Delhi-Jaipur was just CND$10 more. And boy, were we lucky!

The day we were supposed to travel to Jaipur, there were some protests around Delhi (over the price of onions!) and the onion farmers and resellers had completely blocked the highway from Delhi to Jaipur, even the rail tracks, so the only way to go there was by flight! Lots of people at the airport, trying to get last minute tickets, and here we were, having tickets by chance!

This, being India, things are of course never smooth. You have read of our "adventures" boarding the Kolkata-Delhi flight. Here, we were barely on time, and made it past security. So there we were, sitting on the plane, when the pilot announced there was something wrong with the plane, and they are going to, believe it or not, "reboot". And for some reason, the metal in the terminal was "interfering" with the readings (I think the pilot was a Dell technician in his previous life), so the plane was going to be towed to another location, and we all had to exit the aircraft.

Long story short, 2 hours later, we got another aircraft (thank God), and were finally underway, and reached Jaipur around 10.30 in the morning. And here is one thing you have to know.

The Indian exchange rate to the Canadian dollar is AMAZING! We were in the top luxury hotel in Jaipur, and it cost only $90 a night. This is five star luxury. The wife went for a spa treatment at the hotel with the works - it was $20. I booked a whole day's taxi for 8 hours - $40. A four course meal sent up to the room - $10!

Our tour started with the beautiful Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace).

The original intention of the 700 or so windows was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to observe strict "purdah" (face cover).

This pinkish colour of the bricks, present throughout EVERY house of Jaipur's Old City, behind the walls, is what gives Jaipur its nickname of "The Pink City". It is something to see, where EVERY building is the same colour and quite old.

Jaipur was also quite dirty - which was surprising after the clean Delhi. Perhaps Delhi was cleaned up for the Commonwealth Games 2010, but there were lots of tourists in Jaipur, and it was a shame they had to see the magnificient ancient stuff amidst dirty, really dirty, streets. Rubbish was scattered beside each street, flies were buzzing around and people just threw their litter wherever they wished.

Thanks to the strikes and blockades of the highway by the onion protests, there wasn't too many tourists in the city which made our visits really pleasant - none of the places were as crowded as they should have been. Our next stop was Jantar Mantar.

These are observatories made for the study of the heavens. As an amateur astronomer, it was fascinating. You don't need to spend a lot of time here, but it's something unique. There were structures made parallel to the earth's longitude, stairs that pointed north star, etc. As usual, I have posted a lot more pictures on Facebook.

Right next to Jantar Mantar was the City Palace, our next stop. It was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur (he still lives there!). It also houses a big museum.

Do these walls look familiar? The Bollywood epic Jodha Akhbar was shot on location in this city.

The vibrant colours of the palace reminded me of the multi-coloured houses of Venice.

A traditional puppet show in City Palace (traditional, yet they had a Michael Jackson puppet!).

Our next target was Amber Fort (also known as Amer Fort). This is where Jodha Akbar was primarily shot - and it's a bit away from the city.

We had to share the road with elephants!

Amber Fort is known for its artistic style, blending both Hindu and Mughal elements. The fort borders the Maota Lake.

Courtyard of the palace. The song "Azim-o-shaan Shahenshah" was shot on location here.

Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) - a section inside the fort full of mirrors of intricate design and artwork all across the walls (and ceiling).

A garden where the Head Queen used to relax with her maidens and sing songs for the Maharaja (or so the guide told us).

A window where the Head Queen used to sit and watch the goings on in the courtyard while observing "purdah".

A view of the city below from the Maharajah's chamber.

Traditional Rajasthani bangles sold in what was the Royal Kitchen.

Our final stop of the day was Jal Mahal (Water Palace). The idea of visiting it in the evening was to see the lighting that makes for nice pictures.

Unfortunately, like many areas of India, it started to get shadier and shadier as darkness grew, so after waiting sometime we decided to retire to our hotel. We only caught the beginning stages of the lighting (pictures on Facebook), but it was still a nice sight.

Overall Jaipur was a nice stop. Many tourists do the whole Rajasthan trip, which includes Udaipur, Jaisalmer and few other cities (particularly for fans of the Satyajit Ray movie Shonar Kella). If we had time, I would also have done the same. It could get repetitive, with same type of fortresses, palaces etc. so you have to mix up your itinerary. You don't really need to book via a group travel agency, as everything is online and hotels take care of everything. However you have to stay in the top hotels which has the good facilities suitable for Westerners, otherwise Jaipur can be very backwards.

Once back in our hotel, they put on a Rajasthani dance show for the patrols, as well as a cultural show; not to mention a palmist - which every hotel had. Overall, our stay in Jaipur was a very pleasant one.

South Asia Diaries - Agra

2011-03-17T00:20:00.018-04:00

Agra is anywhere between 3.5 to 5 hours drive away from Delhi, depending on traffic. We booked a taxi from the hotel in Delhi, to leave around 6.30 am in the morning. We ordered breakfast in bed (thanks to the fantastic currency exchange rate, a deluxe breakfast fit for a king cost 1.5 Canadian dollars). Then we were off.

The drive was - fascinating - and eventful - especially near some of the state borders where the drivers have to stop and fill out paper work, and you can be entertained (if you wish) by dancing monkeys. I had chosen a private taxi from the hotel rather than a chartered bus because the bus does other Agra sight seeing, whereas we were interested in only the Taj Mahal.

I also found it very amusing that everyone in Delhi (from taxi drivers to rickshaw wallahs) spoke a dialect of Hindi that was much like what Salman Khan spoke in Dabangg!

This is The Great Gate (Darwaza-i-Rauza), or the entrance to the Taj Mahal. This, though red, is also made of marble. There were LOTS of louts near the area, pretending to be guides (seen Slumdog Millionaire?) and promising they will get you to skip the lines. I saw some of them slipping bribes to the guards with their clients.

The first sight of the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is known throughout the world as a symbol of love. Do you know how MUCH love? It was built in honour of Emperor Shah Jahan's THIRD wife, who died giving birth to their FOURTEENTH child.

This is a view from far, just upon entering the complex. You can see the beautiful gardens and the pool leading to the Taj, The whole complex is made in a symmetrical design.

Viewing the Great Gate (Darwaza-i-Rauza) from inside.

The 'reflecting' pool. Shah Jahan was one of the first to use pools and fountains as places of tranquility in architectural designs. It had now become quite dirty.

The Taj Mahal looks the same viewed from any direction. This is from inside the mosque, to the side of the Taj Mahal (there's a mosque on either side of the Taj, mirror images of each other).

A quiet corner in the mosque.

Passages from the Qur'an are used as decorative elements in the Taj. The texts refer to themes of Day of Judgment and God's power, end times and death.

A very rare sight - at least for someone visiting from Kolkata - Indians standing in a line in an orderly fashion

A view of the masjid (mosque) to the right of the Taj. A mirror image exists on the other side.

Overall the Taj Mahal is a beautiful piece of architecture, a moment of magic captured in time forever, and the long trip back and forth from Delhi is all worth it just to see this splendid tribute to human imagination. Pictures fail to do it justice - it really is a wonderful and glorious place to visit.

There are some things to be cautioned about though - outside the Taj is a place known as a den of thieves, so come with a private taxi and keep a hold on your valuables. You don't need to take a rickshaw to go from where cars are not allowed to the Great Gate - it's just a ten minute walk - and you will see peacocks! And be very aware of those louts and "guides" - politely decline all attempts to skip the line and you really don't need a guide. If you are a white skinned person who does not speak the language be prepared to pay through the nose for everything. Sometimes it pays to be mistaken as an Indian! You have to pass through the worst of India before you can see the best of India - but once inside - it's all worth it.

South Asia Diaries - Delhi

2011-02-24T15:25:00.021-05:00

Delhi. Beautiful, refreshing, Delhi.

The ongoing World Cup and today's SA-WI match in Delhi reminded me to post about our time there.

So we were in Kolkata, with three days break between some wedding events. Quickly, we decided to visit Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. We would fly to all three places. Our flight from Kolkata to Delhi was supposed to leave at 6.30 am in the morning.

Taking a taxi in the middle of the night (4 am) in Kolkata was surreal. The driver sped through all the red lights (and actually stopped at a green one! - just to see if there was someone speeding the other way). Once at the Kolkata airport (which is nothing short of a fish market), we found that our flight was delayed to 10.30 am! Resigned to wait, we saw some passengers being signed on to a 7.30 flight. Those were the ones who shouted, while we were the polite ones! Well, they ain't seen a Bengali. All my Candian-ness disappeared and the Bangladeshi came to the fore. Some harsh words later, we were boarding an 8 am flight. All this meant of course our arrival was delayed, and so our plans (we were in Delhi for that day) had to be curtailed.

Delhi was amazing. Where Kolkata was dirty, Delhi was clean. Where Kolkata was polluted, Delhi's air was fresh. Kolkata was smoggy and sticky, Delhi was cold and clear. And where Kolkata was still in the 18th century, Delhi was the new India - a rising superpower. The airport took my breath away. It could rival any Western airport. It was big, clean, flashy, and modern. And this was a domestic terminal!

After a quick change in the hotel, we were out. We took Delhi's metro system (which beats TTC hands down ten times over) everywhere. Our first stop was the famous Qutub Minar.

The first sight of Qutub Minar

Amongst the ruins near the Qutub Minar

Some of these structures were over 3000 years old.

There were people there, as it was noon when we were exploring the place (which made for some challenging picture taking with the sun's harsh light) but it was still cold and foggy. And the guides and locals spoke a very accented rustic version of Hindi - and they were quite polite and helpful.

Islamic calligraphy at the base of the Qutub Minar

Reminded me of the Roman Forum with all the ruins nearby

The Qutub Minar

The whole complex was once part of a bigger structure (you can see the arches of a palace) but now only ruins remained. The Qutub Minar was very red - something unique to the soil in Delhi - as can be seen by the Red Fort as well.

And then I turned my attention to the famous Iron Pillar (from the time of Ashoka!) that is still standing, and still not rusted. Here was something that was from 400 AD!

The Qutub Minar and the Iron Pillar

There was a plaque, explaining the specialness of the Iron Pillar:

"Constructed during 400 AD, and had a phosphorus content that created a protective film, making it a rustless wonder. Weighing about 6000 kg and made of corrosion free wrought iron, the pillar is a metallurgical marvel of ancient India and is unique. Even the most technologically advanced centuries could not have produced such a column of wrought iron before 1851 AD, which India had already made 1600 years ago."

Modest, these Indians.

There is a lot to explore in that site, and you can easily take up a lot of time there, especially considering the work. For example, these calligraphy works were carved onto individual pieces of stone, which fit together to make a giant structure!

Tomb of a Mughal leader

I have to say a few words about Delhi's metro. It's just amazing. It's clean. It ran on time. People didn't spit on it. There was ample security. It went everywhere, and was fast. You could traverse the whole city on it. It was electronic, and people used a smart card system to pay for it. It was cheap. It was amazing that this was there in India!

The rest of the day we visited Red Fort (picture below), and drove by Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid. We didn't stop at the last two as it was getting dark, and the area is not considered a good or safe area (and ironically that's the Muslim area of Delhi!). So far ours was a crime incident free travel through India and I wasn't about to risk that for a few pictures.

Red Fort (Lal Quilla)

India Gate

We couldn't get near the India Gate (it was close to Republic Day and they were practicing the parade and so there were security concerns). This was as close as we got!

So this was our brief trip to Delhi. The next (early) morning, we would leave for Agra (and the Taj Mahal).

South Asia Diaries - Kolkata

2011-02-04T13:29:00.031-05:00

I had always wanted to visit Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Not only was it the birthplace of the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, it was a kind of Bizzaro World to me. Here was a land that spoke Bengali (or so I thought!), consisted of Bengali people that were neither Bangladeshi nor mostly Muslim - so I always wondered how similar or different it would be from Dhaka (or Bangladesh) that I knew so well.

We Bangladeshis also suffer from the greatest inferiority complex in the world - so you often hear of richer folks in Dhaka going to Kolkata for wedding shopping, or the "better" stuff in Dhaka markets claiming to be "Indian" - this is why I was curious to see what Kolkata would be like.

After our adventures in Dubai we barely made it to our flight. I slept the whole way through (except during the meal time when I thankfully woke up because someone on board was shouting at the flight attendant for giving him a vegetarian meal when - in his words - he was "strictly non-veg"), and we landed in Kolkata at around 8 in the morning.

I could see Kolkata from the air. It looked like a very green city. With that amount of greenery, you would think the city would not be very polluted, eh? How wrong I was!

To put it politely, Kolkata was as clean as a garbage dump. It is a huge city, much larger and much more populated than Dhaka, but boy was it dirty! Rubbish was thrown everywhere and litter was all around the streets as we drove into the main city centre.

My cousins lived near Park Circus, the main shopping area of Kolkata.

These buildings, viewed from the balcony of the place we were staying at, form a part of what is called a "colony". Kolkata is mostly a Hindu city of Bengali people, but the fact is most of the Muslims are Urdu-speaking. So not only are the Muslims a different religion than the majority (obviously), they also have their own language, customs and food. So the "Muslims" live in their own 'colonies' and you could walk through the whole place without hearing, having the need to speak, or eating anything, Bengali. Bengalis are famous for their fish, but it was a foreign food in the "Muslim" areas of Kolkata.

The rust bucket that was Kolkata's tram (streetcar)

Few things pissed me off about Kolkata, but the worst was how much a secondary language Bengali had become in this city. As a Bangladeshi, I am used to people loving the Bengali language and culture. The whole International Mother Language Day was in honour of the brave Bangladeshis who died defending their language. And here in Kolkata you have Bengalis who are loathe to speak Bengali! I went to shopping malls, urban centers, sweet shops, and all around the educated people prefer firstly to speak in either English or Urdu/Hindi. No wonder the cultural centre of Bengali has slowly shifted to Dhaka, with better music, albums, movies and natoks all coming from Bangladesh now.

One of the better things to see in Kolkata (and we were there mainly to attend some wedding events) is the Victoria Memorial - a memorial building dedicated to Victoria, one time Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India.

It's a great structure that has a huge park around it. Families were there in the evenings enjoying the day, and if you click on the picture with the lake and trees in front of the memorial, you will see that under each tree around the lake, there was an amorous couple! This seemed to be the spot for meeting your lover in secret. I was actually surprised as to how explicit these couples were in expressing their "love"!

Inside, where cameras were not allowed, was a museum with some British memorabilia, as well as swords from ancient times, copies of holy texts, paintings etc. And oh, at these places, never say you are a foreigner or they will charge you sky high prices! We went in as "locals" and paid the domestic rate :-)

Of course one famous thing in India was the food. Here was one such breakfast, specially prepared and sent to where we were staying by my aunts.

A typical Indian breakfast of roti, peas, alu bhaji and er, meat.

Seeing how filthy this city was, I refused to eat outside unlike my cousins, who taunted me that if you visit Kolkata, you must eat the phuchka and bhelpuri from the street vendor. They did, and I stuck to brand name restaurants.

Here's some food that I tried from Haldiram's, a famous eatery in the city.

A day after eating from a roadside vendor, my cousins fell sick, and I wanted to say "haha! I told you so!". But then guess what, I fell sick! Despite eating close to nothing (Oh, Kolkata was a great weight loss program I tell you) I still fell sick.

Moral? If you are in Kolkata, not only do you drink clean mineral water, avoid food as much as you can, breathe less when you go outside, you will still fall sick.

Of course, we were there for some weddings, and what fun we had! The most memorable memories of Kolkata would be 50 cousins in one room talking, playing charades, cards, and other games and having fun till late into the night. It has become fashionable for some people to make fun of the huge number of guests or the extravagant ceremonies of a desi wedding, but it's lot of fun, not to mention quite a colourful stuff.

Of course, no visit to Kolkata would be complete without visiting Howra, the famous bridge over the equally famous Hooghly river. We visited the area round evening, went for a ferry ride to the nearby Millennium Park (and that's being a local Kolkatan for you).

Birla Planetarium - a must see in Kolkata

The famous Howra bridge, the signature symbol of Kolkata

The extremely busy Howra rail station

The famous yellow Ambassador cabs of Kolkata

So what to make of Kolkata? I loved being with my relatives, and they made me feel very welcome. We had lots of fun and the wedding events were a blast. However, the dirty city was quite a shock.

Kolkata was also my first impression of India - and I was left wondering if the rest of India would be like this. Thankfully, Delhi and Agra went quite a bit into making a more favourable impression of India.

South Asia Diaries - Abu Dhabi

2011-01-31T00:05:00.018-05:00

We had one free morning - before we had to leave for Kolkata - and I had enough of the malls of Dubai. So we decided to rent a car and leave early for Abu Dhabi, spend the day there and return in the evening. Our flight was much later that night. And we had everything packed, so it sounded like a good plan.

Except for a couple of things.

1) Right as we approached Abu Dhabi, the Wife became really sick. At first we decided to just head back to Dubai, but after visiting a pharmacy, she became well enough so we could just do a very, very quick tour and then return. We decided to visit Sheikh Zayed mosque (which is right before Abu Dhabi starts) and Emirates Palace Hotel.

We were also meeting the world famous blogger Suroor at the Emirates Palace Hotel, where she was treating us to (a very expensive :-D ) lunch.

Unfortunately the Wife became sick again right after lunch, so we could not even tour the hotel properly, and returned to Dubai.

2) I hadn't thought of the ridiculous driving standards of UAE! But more on that later.

So, without much ado, here's the magnificent Sheikh Zayed mosque - the world's 8th largest mosque.

Each pillar of the mosque has stone mosaics following a beautiful "nature" theme. This was evident all over - the courtyard of the mosque, the beautiful carpet in the praying areas and the pillars throughout the mosque.

A view of the mosque from the courtyard. The mosque is built in the traditional Andalusian style, with a courtyard surrounded by a "fence" of elaborately designed pillars, and the main praying halls.

The men's praying area is to the left, the women's area was to the right.

Yet another view of the court yard. Every women visitor had to obtain an 'abaya' from the mosque's visitor's office.

The abayas were designed very well and looked expensive. Many of the women visitors were keeping theirs.

Sadly, I also saw some women clearly being disrespectful, and I had noticed the same attitude when visiting the Vatican.

Not only did they wear short dresses or shorts (they were visiting a place of worship in a MUSLIM country for God's sake) but when asked to cover up with the FREE designer abaya, they were rolling it up to leave their ankles exposed or throwing down the scarf to expose their hair - leaving the female guards chasing after them all the time. Why visit a place of worship if you can't respect it? When I visited the Vatican, or any churches on our Europe trip, I took care to respect their wishes, even if other Christian visitors didn't - such as no photography at some places, no talking, etc. Even the Vatican had modesty requirements for womens' dresses!

After 10-15 shots, I finally got one picture with the sky the proper amount of blue that I wanted. I hate having to process any pictures at a later time via Photoshop!

Each alcove at the mosque had a really opulently beautiful design. When I did wudu, there was a cleaner on standby to immediate wipe the area dry.

Here's a final shot of the mosque before we had to leave for the pharmacy to get some medicines for the Wife.

For more pictures of this mosque, visit Nadia's blog for some fabulous shots of this place during night time.

And then off we went to the Emirates Palace Hotel to meet Suroor. She is as lovely a person in real life as she is on her blog. I have been fortunate to have some really gem of human beings as my blogger friends, and who I have met during my travels. Suroor is one such kind hearted and smart human being. She treated us to a delicious lunch at the hotel, after which we explored a bit before heading back to Dubai.

Here is the world's most expensive Christmas tree - and that too in a Muslim country! Valued at over $11 million, standing over 13 metres tall and decorated with over 180 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones - this was one imposing tree.

This was in the lobby of the hotel reception. The following picture is the main rotunda of the Emirates Palace Hotel (above the tree).

Heading back to Dubai, I have to recount the wild driving incidents we saw on the road. On the way to Abu Dhabi in the morning, I stayed in the second lane, as I was doing around 145 km/hr. At that speed, I was routinely overtaken by zooming cars that were going easily at 180 km/hr. We saw a couple of deadly accidents too - but I guess the local Arab kids don't let that deter them. Driving is a crazy business here. I read somewhere UAE has the highest death numbers per capita from road accidents - and I can believe it.

I used to drive a lot in UAE. Here's a picture of Jabel Hafeet, a mountain you can drive up in the city of Al Ain, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. These were my pictures on our last visit.

Now, I get scared when I think of driving in UAE, especially Dubai. As I entered Dubai, on the way back, we came upon a traffic jam. The car stopped as everyone was slowing down.

Apparently, not the car behind me. He saw he couldn't stop in time, roared on to the shoulder, clipped my mirror and damaged the side door before stopping.

For a second.

And then the driver sped off - a classic case of hit and run.

Thankfully, I had complete insurance and it was a rental car. If it was my car I would be seriously pissed off. Waiting for the police to come on their own sweet time, obtaining a report, heading to the car rental place to exchange the car (and driving in Dubai without a left side mirror - a death wish), returning home late - we managed to reach the airport just one hour before our flight was to depart.

Somehow, we made it. We were the last to board the flight to Kolkata!

Updated: Here are some more pictures from our last visit to beautiful Abu Dhabi.

The Etisatal Building - close to our old school

The beautiful Abu Dhabi Corniche - a great place for walks, bicycle rides, runs, relaxing or having a picnic in the beautiful parks

The shops inside Marina Mall - built on reclaimed land they call here "the Breakwater"

More Marina Mall pictures, probably Abu Dhabi's best mall (besides the self-titled Abu Dhabi Mall) - and unlike some of the malls in Dubai, here the malls are actually full of shoppers

The turquoise blue waters of the beach along the Corniche

On to Kolkata. To be continued ...

South Asia Diaries - Dubai

2011-01-27T00:42:00.033-05:00

It's been a while since I had visited Dubai, and the city has changed so much in those years. They built a whole slew of new stuff while I was away! Of course, the big thing for me was to compare how much the place I was brought up in has changed and if I would still recognize my old haunts.

We also met a very charming couple here - a blogger whose blog I have been following for quite some time, and her husband. I am of course talking about Nadia and Masood. It was a pleasure meeting two such lovely people who could squeeze some time to meet us very late at night! And thanks for that lovely treat!

Before all of that happened though ... here's the Emirates A380!

14 hours later, Dubai! This was just before they changed the rules for Canadian visitors to the country, but for now, I got a free 30-day visa for the UAE. I would, of course, be staying for just 3 days.

A big difference now is parking. Dubai is a mess (and Abu Dhabi an even bigger mess). Parking used to be free when I was growing up, now it's a cash making machine. Besides, when they were building all those buildings in the 80s and 90s, parking was an afterthought, and it now shows.

But Dubai has a shiny new Metro. We took that to Mall of the Emirates. I put some pictures of the Metro on my Facebook album; I found it to be very clean and efficient (and MUCH better than Toronto's creaky old system). Here's a picture of the Burj Al Arab as taken from the Metro:

The Mall of the Emirates is a HUGE mall ...

... but people only come here for one reason ...

... to see Ski Dubai!

It's pretty amazing when you think about it. It may be 40 degrees C outside and here you are, skiing, inside a mall! Whoever thought of this for the first time ... as they say, there's a fine line between genius and crazy. Sure, it's nothing when you compare it to the real ski hills in Canada or Europe, but think about it. SKIING INSIDE A MALL IN THE DESERT. Now that's something.

Of course, sadly, that was the only thing worth seeing in the mall. Most people in the UAE seem to go to malls just to hang out or to go to the food court. No one shops here. We walked by shops with no one inside.

I guess it's because the locals shop in Karama or Sharjah, where it's much cheaper. And the visitors, well, I could buy the same thing here for the same price, so why would I buy it in Dubai?

On the way back home, on the Metro, we entered the front compartment, so I could take some pictures as the Metro sped ahead.

The view does look like something of a futuristic city in a sci-fi movie!

The next day, we visited the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower.

For all the hype about this tower, and it's a marvellous and beautifully designed tower, the biggest disappointment for me was that they don't take you all the way to the top. In fact, you only go about half way up. So if you have visited Toronto's CN tower and you went all the way up to Skypod, you actually have gone higher than you would from visiting the Burj Khalifa, which is the world's tallest tower.

Here's a snapshop of Sheikh Zayed road and the buildings around that road, which is Dubai's main business hub now. It's amazing to think that these buildings would be skyscrapers in their own right, but they are now so dwarfed by the Burj Khalifa.

Again, for someone who hasn't been to this place, it's really, really, really tall. You realize how big the Burj Khalifa is until you come up close.

After that, it was time to visit Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping mall (and possibly the world's most emptiest mall too). It's a shame that they built such a HUGE mall, such a BEAUTIFUL mall, and their business plan is so flawed that not many people visit the mall, and even fewer make any purchases here. Or so it seemed to me. We were there on a weekend and it was dull.

Is this, er, the world's gayest Christmas Tree?

We were outside Hamley's (the toy store) and the mall was eerily silent. Look at the escalators, hardly a soul there. It was quite a different experience.

It's a beautiful mall, very well made. We walked through the Gold Souk, a section of the mall filled with bling, and the place really looked dead. Not only were the shops empty, many were boarded up. At others, the guys stood outside looking hopefully at us, or were playing with their cellphones, bored.

It was then time to visit the Atlantis. This is quite some drive away from the city, but it was cool driving up what was the "trunk" of the palm. And this is where we encountered a security guy who would not let us in! No visitors, he said.

Well I just drove away, parked, and then came at another gate, and told this guy I was going to the restaurant. Which was true, I was going there, but er, not to eat, but to sight see! :-)

On the way home it was time for Isha and we stopped somewhere to pray, only to realize later it was the famous Jumeirah Mosque, one of old Dubai's original attractions.

So what was my over all experience of Dubai? The more things change ...

Let me tell you about an incident while I was waiting for my wife to pick up her visa at the Dubai airport. We were in a line, and in front of us was a white couple (they looked British). And in front of them were two guys, brown, who looked Indian, and were most likely here in the UAE as labourers.

Everyone was going by the queue. When it was their turn, those two Indian guys walked to the official. "Wait!" He told them, "Move here." He motioned for them to move aside.

He told them to move out so he could serve the British couple who were AFTER them. When the guys, in broken English, asked: "Why? We are in line before them!" - this is what the Arab immigration officer said, no SHOUTED, at them, in equally broken English:

"Are you telling me HOW TO DO MY JOB?! I CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL! Now stand here until I call you."

So, for all the stories you hear, when something like this happens in front of you ... I was just shocked. When it was our turn, we felt guilty walking past those guys, who were equally dumbfounded. And the rest of the officers were laughing at them.

And everyone we met in Dubai kept repeating one word - "artificial". As in life here is very "artificial". So, what can I say? I love Dubai, and it's a nice place to visit. The rest is your call.

As for me, I was headed to Abu Dhabi after 2 days.

To be continued ...

South Asia Diaries - Prologue

2011-01-20T07:21:00.006-05:00

I am back!

I was off for a month, mostly to visit relatives, but was also able to squeeze in some sightseeing in a very hectic but fun filled vacation.

I visited the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi and the tourist hub that is Dubai ...

I was off to exotic India, where we stayed in Kolkata, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur ...

... and finally home to Shonar Bangladesh, where we visited Dhaka and Rangpur.

I just got back, it's 4 am and for some reason I am wide awake. My relatives and my fun times, I will miss you. Jet lag, I won't!

Now off to sort from over 2000 pictures ...

On Hiatus

2010-12-18T22:12:00.004-05:00

This blog is on hiatus till January 15, 2011 - when I hope to be back after visiting some exotic locales, meeting some interesting people and spending some quality time with loved ones.

Season's greetings to everyone, and a Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends (and those who celebrate).

And to all a Happy New Year.

ps. If you want to check out the Islamic story of Christmas (yes, there is one!) visit this link.

Packing and Ashes

2010-12-13T01:30:00.004-05:00

Wife: "So, you know we have to buy gifts for ALL your cousins and ALL of MY cousins ..."

Me: "Don't worry, I have the Excel spread sheet ready."

Wife [shocked]: "Excel .... spreadsheet?"

Me: "Yes, everyone's name is entered, along with number of kids, number of gifts required, with currency rate and value of gift in taka and dollars."

Wife: "You know, at some point you have to go and actually buy the gifts, right?"

[Silence]

Me: "I hate shopping."

Man, I hate shopping. Every Christmas, I tell myself I am so glad I am not a Christian so I don't have to go out into the malls and brave the crowds to buy something. And EVERY Christmas I have to go and buy some thing.

I would rather be doing this... which actually I was last week.

Yup, watching the Ashes, with Cricinfo running commentary on one screen and the video on the other. And yes, my comments (feedback) was actually printed by the Cricinfo people.

Yes, there was no point to this post ... except to remind me that I am YET to start packing, YET to confirm the hotels... YET to print the flight details ...

Quran for Kids (with Lego bricks) - A Reminder

2010-12-09T13:25:00.004-05:00

If you haven't already, do subscribe to my website Teaching Kids The Holy Quran. It uses toys such as Lego bricks and others to depict scenes from the verses of the Quran. There's also an RSS feed for the site.

Also, do subscribe to the Facebook page for the blog (you have to "Like" it and become a fan). I added a link to the blog on the right links bar on this site as well (under "I Also Blog At").

The new blog is visited by 50-100 people daily, and is showing a steady growth in readership stats alhamdulillah. I hope to have more fans on the Facebook page for further development of the blog.

Christmas At the Mall

2010-12-05T20:02:00.006-05:00

With December here already, the festive season is upon us and the malls are all abound with Christmas (or as they say in secular terms here, Holiday) decorations.

Holidays are a time to exchange gifts.

Gifts that come in a hot air balloon!

Balloons that drop into a busy mall! But who brought the gifts?

Why, it's Santa!

Santa is busy taking pictures with delighted kids ...

... right next to the giant Christmas tree ...

... which is right beside Santa's Toy Workshop! I wonder where the elves are hiding.

And how did Santa know to come to this mall? Why, he was invited via a letter, didn't you know!

All photos taken by iPhone 4.

In Defence of Arranged Marriage (Re: Natasha Fatah's CBC Article)

2010-12-01T00:47:00.004-05:00

Natasha Fatah recently posted an article on CBC titled "The Problem with Arranged Marriage".

For those who don't know, Natasha is the daughter of Tarek Fatah. Tarek Fatah is a resident of Toronto and someone who claims to be Muslim, yet seems to find Muslims to be the root cause of many of our ills and Muslim extremism a fatal threat to the West. In a recent debate with Naheed Nenshi (Mayor of Calgary - first Muslim mayor in Canada) on Al Jazeerah, Nenshi schools Fatah and totally destroys his arguments. The debate is a must watch, with most of the fun beginning at the 8 minute mark, and Tarek Fatah being so easily outclassed. My favourite quote:

"Mr Fatah has made a career out of making this (Muslim extremism) frankly a bigger deal than it is."

In recent times, Tarek Fatah has opposed the New York mosque, been quoted by Sarah Palin, has supported the Oklahoma vote against "Shariah law" and ridiculed a man trying to prepare his will according to his religious laws. In his recent Facebook post, he recommended Asra Nomani, another "Muslim" journalist who publicly supports racial profiling of Muslims.

Natasha Fatah, his daughter (and likewise, of Indo-Pakistani descent), recently married a Caucasian man, and the pictures were posted on Mr Fatah's publicly available Facebook profile.

In one of the pictures Tarek Fatah captioned "Usually the bride is supposed to be coy and shy and quiet, but this is Canada and Natasha shows no 'haya'".

His daughter replies with "I say Bye-byea to haya!".

All of this therefore proves that not only is the Fatah household not your average Muslim household in terms of their relgious views, but also is far removed from your average Pakistani/South Asian household when it comes to customs and rituals. So given all of this, it is not surprising that Natasha Fatah should now turn her guns to another of her own customs, criticizing it (just like her father who has yet to find a single mainstream mosque or Muslim organization he likes).

In her article, Natasha Fatah goes all over the place. First, she associates South Asian culture with arranged marriages.

Arranged marriage has had roots in every corner of this planet but still holds on strongly in South Asia and even among the South Asian diaspora living in the West.

It is a fact that arranged marriages are quite common in all of Asia and Africa. My real estate agent (who is Korean) got married via arranged marriage. Many of my Arab friends found their wives via families using this custom. My Chinese team partner during my MBA studies was a product of an arranged marriage. It's not just a South Asian thing.

Ms. Fatah continues: "But that doesn't mean we still have to accept a tradition that is still not right for its times."

So, I am waiting for her to say WHY it is not right. After all, the title of her column was "The Problem with Arranged Marriage"!

She uses her cousin as an example.

He and his-now-wife had only met a handful of times before they were to marry. In many ways, they were strangers.

But I have to admit that once they did marry I could see them falling in love before my eyes.

Confused? I am too. It sounds like any marriage. There can be love. Or there can't be. You take your chances.

She then goes on to describe problems, general problems of South Asia (such as poverty and fathers saving their whole lives for their daughters' marriages) and equates them to problems with arranged marriages (which are yet to be defined).

The primary reason for arranged marriage still remains that many families want to secure wealth, property and social status for their children.

I don't know about Ms. Fatah's neck of the woods but most people I know who got married via arranged marriages did so because they felt comfortable with someone their parents and families selected. In many ways our families not only know what's best for us, but also knows what type of spouse can go with the family, their culture and their habits etc. Most children are not treated as "objects", counter to Ms. Fatah's claim. She also curiously says it's a "14^th century custom". Arranged Marriages came long before the 14^th century (which coincidentally is the century when Islam came forth!).

An arranged marriage avoids many pitfalls of traditional courtships. The parents have already approved the match. The family status and religion etc. already match, reducing the chances of conflict and tension. And everyone feels a part of the process, hence they try to make things amicable when there is a fight between the couple.

This is not to put down "love" marriage or other routes of marriages - all have their pluses and minuses and everyone can choose which one works for them and their life style. But I am yet to read on what exactly is the PROBLEM with arranged marriage that Ms Fatah thinks we in the West should completely abolish it!

Non-Arab Arabs

2010-11-28T10:04:00.005-05:00

So while Katrina Kaif looks much better saying it, I also have to say it.

"What's my name?"

It's not Misbah, Misba, or *horror* Al Misbah.

It's MEZBA.

I hate it when people come to me and say "Why do you spell your name as Mezba, it should be pronounced as Misbah."

"Why," I will ask, knowing the reply.

"Well, it's really 'mis' in Arabic, not 'mez', so you name should be-"

IN CASE YOU ARE TOO DUMB TO NOTICE OR SEE BEYOND YOUR BEARD this is the English language and I am spelling my name in English and I will spell it the Way I Want It.

Imagine a guy name Paul having this conversation.

"Sorry, it's actually 'Ball' in Arabic and not 'Paul' as we don't have a 'P' sound so you should spell your name as 'Ball' really."

Last time I checked, you spell people's names the way they want it to be spelt and pronounce it the way they want it to be pronounced.

Muslims from the subcontinent (India-Pakistan-Bangladesh) all suffer from an inferiority complex where they want to be very Arab. I don't know why, an Arab isn't much better than a non-Arab (I didn't say it, the Prophet did). Yet, in their zeal to be "more Muslim" they will give every kid an Arabic name. This 'zeal' is most evident in Pakistan.

In Bangladesh, surprisingly, we still have few stalwarts who will give their children Bengali names. They are not Hindu, nor Muslim, but Bengali names. Names that have some good meaning, or is cultural.

And then the problem starts when they meet these non-Arab Arabs.

"Why is your name Mala? That's such a Hindu name."

"Why is your name Moushumee? OMG that is SUCH a Hindu name."

The last from a guy called Sameer who puts "Sam" on his resume.

No, it's not a Hindu name. Broaden your horizons a bit. Sheesh.

One should carry a placard.

"Hi, My name is Moushumee and I am NOT a Hindu."

NTTIAWTT.

Careful what you say ...!

2010-11-26T14:31:00.004-05:00

So I am there at the office with my brother to pick up some papers and a package. it was 4.30 pm. At exactly 6 pm I had the badminton court booked.

I stared at my ticket stub. It said 560.

I looked up at the LCD display above. It said "now serving applicant 540".

Twenty people more, I thought, how bad could it be?

It was bad. It was so slow.

"What's the time?" My brother, and badminton partner, asked me.

"4:45 pm." I glanced at my watch and replied.

"Uh oh." He quickly calculated. "It will take us 40 minutes to go home in rush hour. We will be cutting it close."

"If by 5 we are ready to pick it up ..." I left the sentence unfinished. We would just reach home in time. Perhaps.

"Now serving customer 559." The LCD said.

"It's 5 o'clock." My brother announced, quite loudly.

"Yeah," I replied. And then I added, not realizing, in a VERY loud voice, "The countdown has begun."

Quite the wrong choice of words when you are at an embassy to pick up your visa ...

Superstitions

2010-11-08T10:48:00.002-05:00

I recently read of the plight of a house owner in Markham who cannot sell his house because it is no. 4, which is "death" in Cantonese [source].

“Tetraphobia,” fear of 4, entered their vocabulary.

Having a 4 in the address can lower a home's value — "Agents estimate anywhere between $25,000 and $35,000," Graham Canning says.

The article mentions that the area was predominantly Anglo when the owners first moved in, but now is mostly Chinese (Hong Kong immigrants) - many of whom won't buy if there is the number 4 in the house address.

Now to me, this is quite silly. It's like the old joke where "so-and-so heard that 80% of accidents happen near one's home, so he moved". I then read some of the comments left by readers. Here's one:

Canada has been accommodating immigrants so long, that accommodating Canadians somehow fell off the map.

So says someone poking fun of an immigrant superstition, when you will not find a floor number 13 on most Canadian buildings! In fact, there is one condo in Scarborough where there are no floors that are numbered 4, 13 or 23!

In Bangladesh, most superstitions I grew up with tended to be fears of the dark. So for example you don't cut your nails after evening, you don't look at your shadows at night or if someone is lying on the floor, don't step over them. Some are pretty common sense but others are quite ridiculous - for example if your right hand itches you will have some money coming in!

So perhaps one should give the house owner some itching powder and get him to sell the house to a non-Chinese person.

Why Muslims Should (Not) Vote (Democrat)

2010-11-02T11:02:00.002-04:00

Today, all the Facebook statuses of my politically active American friends are encouraging everyone to go out and vote. "Make your voice count!" They say. And most of them are recommending the Democrats.

It's not hard to see why someone would prefer the Democrats. The alternate (Republican/Tea Party) are vehemently anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-racist by their acts, views and opinions. America today is a sad country, and a terrible place to be a Muslim. But, and this is a strong reason, are you really making your voice count if you are voting a Democrat, just to stop the Republicans?

In Nevada, for example, you have to vote for Harry Reid, the Democrat leader, who said publicly he does not want the mosque in New York to be built. And I ask, what is the difference between him and a Republican?

In fact, the very pathetic condition of the US political system is that you really have only two choices, Democrat and Republican, who are not really very different. And for Muslims, the outlook is worse. The Republicans hate you and will never benefit you, while the Democrats know you will vote for them regardless, and therefore doesn't court you for support.

So, if you really want to make your voice count, make an honest vote. If your Democrat candidate has truly spoken out supporting Muslims and supporting issues you care about, then vote for him (or her). However, if your Democrat has also joined the Republicans in opposing Muslim interests, or not taken any action on issues you care about, don't vote for that candidate. Make the candidate feel (write a letter or email) as to why you did not vote for that person. The candidates should know that your vote has to be earned. There's a bunch of other candidates running (who may not have a chance of winning) but would appreciate your support (and if there's no one, don't vote).

You as a Muslim are not responsible for changing the world for the better, you as a Muslim are only responsible for making an effort to do so. Success (and failure) comes from Allah.

Don't fear the Republicans. They can do what they want, they can plan what they will, Allah is the Best of planners. Muslims have been there long before them and Muslims will be there long after they are burning in Hell.

And, in case they really take America down the drain, you can always move to Canada. We have a real political system. And health care.

Read With Meaning

2010-10-30T15:27:00.003-04:00

This year three of my close friends depart for Hajj, inshAllah. I hope Allah accepts their Hajj and grants them (and all the Hajjis) a safe return home and a Hajj Mabroor (a pilgrimage free from vice). Two years ago, another close friend had also performed the pilgrimage. I plan to go on the pilgrimage in 2012 inshAllah, and I invite you all to join me if you can.

I would also like to announce the launch of a new blog.

Teaching Kids the Holy Quran

Why kids? Well, it will be self-evident when you visit the site!

What I have noticed is a lot of kids (and even adults) read the Quran without understanding a single word of the text. Allah Himself has agreed to protect the Quran - so the Book does not need the efforts of people like me, but I hope the interesting visual representation of the translated words will help in raising the interest of some kids (and even adults who may not normally have the inclination) to read (and understand) the Quran. In other words - I hope they read with meaning.

That blog will be updated about twice a month - so I encourage you to subscribe to the RSS feed. I am also playing around with the size of the images - so the first set is probably too large but the next posts should have smaller sized images.

Questions about "Islamic" Financing

2010-10-24T20:35:00.004-04:00

I recently wrote a 2-page article with some questions I have on "Islamic" financing. Next month I have a meeting with a senior cleric at an Islamic institution and perhaps he can give me some answers. I am reproducing the article here so that if you are attending any course etc. on "Islamic" financing, please see if your instructor can answer these points. I recently found out my alma mater Rotman is going to offer a course in "Islamic" financing (via Muslim Girl on Twitter).

1. It seems like a Recent Addition

Islam has been revealed over 1400 years ago, yet interest-free banking seems to be of recent origin. The earliest references to the reorganization of banking on the basis of profit sharing rather than interest are found in Anwar Qureshi (1946), Naiem Siddiqi (1948) and Mahmud Ahmad (1952), followed by a more elaborate exposition by Mawdudi (1950). Much work followed later from the works of these pioneers. The first private Islamic bank was Dubai Islamic Bank in 1975.

My question is: what was the Muslim world doing before 1940? We had a huge empire, in particular the Ottoman Empire; one would assume there would be a need for large financial transactions over the 1400 years of Islam’s history. Yet, all the so-called organized Islamic financing mechanisms such as Mudaraba, Mufawada, Suqooq, Ijarah etc. all seemed to be recent developments. What did a Muslim man who wanted to borrow a huge amount of money, much more than his current capital leverage would allow, do before 1940?

2. Compatibility with local law

Islamic financing in many instances seem to ignore local laws. For example’s sake, let’s take a simple lease-to-own mortgage mechanism used by entities such as ISNA.

How it works (my understanding of it)

The homebuyer wants to buy a house for some amount, say $250,000, and can afford a down payment of $50,000. He borrows $200,000 from the Islamic bank, for 30 years. Every month, he pays a certain amount of money to the bank, and at the end of 30 years, the bank gets their $200,000 back. So, how does the bank make a profit without charging interest?

Answer: they charge the homebuyer “rent” because as they say, they put up $200,000 out of the $250,000 so they own 80% of the house. The homebuyer will pay rent on 80% of the house as “determined by market” – this is their profit. Every year the rent should theoretically go down because less and less is owned by the bank.

My Questions:

1. So who owns the house? Bank, homebuyer or both? If the bank owns a part then should they not share in the cost of utilities, insurance, property taxes etc.? Yet these costs are all borne out by the homebuyer. So why is the homebuyer paying “rent”? According to law these should be borne out by owners only in proportion to their ownership.

2. If every year, more of the title goes to the homebuyer, then should not the Islamic bank pay the City of Toronto a Land Transfer Tax every year because every year the title is changing in composition?

3. If a fire destroys the house after first year who collects the insurance money? (Again goes back to the first question: who is the owner).

4. So what transaction is this? Is it a lease, a loan, a purchase? I thought uncertainties were NOT allowed in an Islamic transaction?

5. Why does the Islamic bank re-evaluate the market price of the house every year to determine the rent? According to Ontario Law, rent can only grow by a fixed percentage every year. Yet suspiciously most Islamic financier’s reevaluation of the market price of the house to determine the “rent” is surprisingly close to Bank of Canada’s financing rates or the international LIBOR rate.

3. General Questions

Student Loans and other non-profit loans

Many so-called Islamic financing schemes require profit sharing which theoretically also implies loss sharing. Yet what about necessities where there is no profit – such as student loans?

I wanted to do an MBA which would cost $60,000. Who would lend me $60,000 interest free for 10 years? It would mean the lender would lose the use of $60,000 for the duration of 10 years, with no profit at the end of term (in fact actually a loss due to inflation and future time value of money) and with the risk of default. Why would ANY one lend me that amount of money interest free?

Similarly, in any country, the government accounts for a major component of the demand for credit – both short-term and long-term. Unlike business loans these borrowings are not always for investment purposes, nor for investment in productive enterprises. Even when invested in productive enterprises they are generally of a longer-term type and of low yield. General profit-loss-sharing ideas do not apply for loans to government for many such projects and therefore Islamic banking becomes impractical.

Accounting / Knowledge of Economics

Those who argue the word “riba” in the Quran means all interest and not just usury (which is excessive interest) also do not study accounting / finance / economics because doing so (and perhaps working as an accountant / banker / economist) would imply they will have to calculate interest as part of their day-to-day jobs. For them, even calculating interest is haram. Thus, if everyone adopted their approach the whole Muslim world would be bereft of accountants, economists etc. Clearly this is not practical. Even the Islamic Foundation of Toronto has an accountant.

How To Have A Perfectly Sane Brown Wedding - Part 1

2010-09-29T15:24:00.003-04:00

I attended a lot of weddings this summer, mostly desi weddings. If you don't know how desi weddings work, here's a primer. Now, in the interests of preserving sane-ness amongst desis, I give you (for free) my 5 tips on How To Have A Perfectly Sane Brown Wedding.

*start*

Rule Number 1
If you invite 600 people, make sure the hall can, oh-I-don't-know, HOLD 600 people.

This is your wedding. If you can afford to invite 600 people, then PLEASE get a big hall. Don't think "half won't show up" and "we don't need air conditioning in Canada".

Here's a rule: 600 people = 600 chairs (minimum).

Rule Number 2
You know, you don't REALLY need to invite 600 people.

It's wedding, not a Facebook invite to a teenager's party. Brown people invite EVERY body, lest someone get offended. Sure, you may not have seen me for 10 years, but you will be offended if I don't invite you to an event where you will be ignored for the whole 3 hours because there's 599 other people who want to take a photo with me.

And here's some information for desi parents: "Mr & Mrs." is good enough. You don't NEED to add "and family" to John in the cubicle down the corridor whom you have never known but feel obliged to invite anyways.

Rule Number 3
Please Vet All Wedding Speakers, including the imam/priest.

So here's the situation. I attend this wedding where the food has NOT been served and there's a whole bunch of white people also in attendance (and being fussed over by the host) while the brown guys run riot and throw seating arrangement plans out the window (including PHYSICALLY lifting chairs and taking it to another table AND picking out the 'reserved' tag on some tables and chucking it) - when the long bearded imam stands up to speak.

"Greetings and peace be upon you," He starts. "So here is my tip to the newly wed couple. You have certain rights over each other."

And then he goes to entail how the wife should seek the permission of the husband before leaving his house and how she should always submit to him and the husband should break the news gently to his wife if he ever takes a second wife.

By the end of the speech I had learnt that homosexuals should be stoned to death and a couple can enjoy marital relations in any position (minus the exceptions) and how in this society every woman in a short skirt is a temptress and every man has to fend for himself.

All spoken with a very bad accent.

The food then arrived. I had lost my appetite.

Please pay close attention: VET ALL SPEAKERS. VET THEIR SPEECHES. If possible introduce tape delay.

And do NOT stone homsexuals to death.

Rule Number 4
Women Need To Pray Too.

This is more for Muslims but I have seen many weddings where the hosts go to great lengths to make prayer arrangements - for the men. The women? I guess you can pray in your chairs. I get it that some women may not want to pray given their state of ablution and the heavy make up but for those that wish to pray you SHOULD make the arrangements. If you can get a prayer space, the women can just pray BEHIND the women.

But that would make sense.

And while you are about it, can you get an imam who will NOT decide to read Surah Baqarah while leading that prayer? Seriously, Allah revealed short surahs for a reason.

Rule Number 5
Calling For Food By Table Numbers - a primer.

Please, please DON'T DO THIS. It makes sense when there's only 5-10 tables (see Rule number 2 and refer to white weddings as example). It makes NO SENSE when there's 60 tables. And it makes absolutely ZERO sense when you are reading table numbers in some random order of prime factorial and forget to continue after '39'.

Either have a buffet with at least 4 lines (2 tables with people on either side) so it moves fast, or have food brought to the table. If you want some priviledged people to eat first (i.e in-laws or white people at the office you want to impress), AGAIN, bring the food TO THEIR TABLE.

Otherwise, have a ~~free-for-all~~ buffet.

Again, see rule 1 and 2.

*end*

Extended in Part 2 ...

Boston Pizza Now Halal

2010-09-27T23:12:00.009-04:00

This weekend the Wife and I decided to check out a Boston Pizza (a Canadian-based restaurant chain) near our residence. There was an added attraction this time around - the Boston Pizza locations in and around the Greater Toronto Area now offer Halal options!

Usually when we want a halal pizza, we go to Pizza Pizza's (some of whose locations carry halal options). With Boston Pizza being a more upscale place, we decided to give it a try.

While I am not really a big fan of Boston Pizza, I think it's great we can now go and order from the same menu as everyone else and not be restricted to seafood/veggie entries (although I must confess I really love their Cajun Shrimp pizza even more than the meat ones!).

When I asked about the halal options, I was told I can order any of the chicken items, except ones that are breaded. We ended up getting chicken wings and a Tuscan pizza which had grilled chicken in addition to other stuff.

Overall, it was good and different, although a bit pricey. I wouldn't go there all the time but once in a while it's fine. I found the pizza a bit too oily for my taste, although the Wife liked the dough and feta cheese combo on our pizza. If you are in the GTA, you should give it a try (and do ask for the halal options). If you are used to usual halal pizza joints (which despite cleanliness being considered half of the Islamic faith are hardly the epitome of hygiene), Boston Pizza was a refreshing change.

Hopefully more mainstream restaurants will now start offering similar options.

Why India Is Not Going Anywhere Fast

2010-09-21T12:57:00.005-04:00

This article is penned not to bash India, but to remind Indians that glossing over their country's problems is not going to help India in any fashion, but would hinder their progress.

Last year a work colleague of mine was quite happy about an upcoming trip. He was scheduled to go to Goa, India. For the life of me, I could not understand why he was so excited about a business trip to India.

"It's quite exotic and they are the new world power and think of the business opportunities and ..."

To the majority of people in the West, India was suddenly their new darling. Obama invited the Indians as his first State Dinner guests. Everyone does business with the Chinese, but no one likes them. India is "democratic" and so they are our new best friend. As for me, I had always maintained the impression that while India may, in some distant future, perhaps be a world power, right now they are a third world country.

Why? If you really boil down to specifics, Indians are no different breed of people than Bangladeshis, and Bangladesh is going nowhere fast. The problems of Bangladesh are the same problems Indians face.

Consider the latest Commonwealth Games (2010) fiasco. The Games may be doomed, writes Biswas. The athlete village that the organizing committee chief touted as being better than Beijing Olympics is "unfit for human habitation", according to team delegates. Construction delays, corruption, dangue fever, toilets backed up all do not point to a first world powerful country. At first, I thought it was just Western elites complaining about a pan system toilet but on second reading, their concerns seem justified. If you are holding a world class event your facilities should be world class. Apparently, the definition of "world class" in India is not the same as elsewhere, not to mention their shoddy construction standards which has seen a bridge collapse days before the event.

Why am I bringing up the Commonwealth Games? It's because it's a symptom of what ails India in general. Corruption. The same vice that is the reason for Bangladesh's backwardness is the reason for India's lag. India cannot even considering moving towards being a world power until its corruption bug is nipped out.

Consider the Indian Premier League (IPL) of cricket. When it was announced with such dizzy heights and the ridiculous sums of money, I was amazed. Can India, with 42% of population below poverty line cope with IPL? In three years, the IPL was exposed as a den of corruption with few individuals alleged to own shares in every team, laws being re-written so that conflicts of interest were overlooked (with the secretary of BCCI which makes rules also owning a team in the IPL) and so on. It only came to a head last year when the IPL fell foul of a government minister. And anyone who follows cricket knows that in the current, as well as past match fixing controversies, the trail of bookies ultimately end up in India.

Does corruption exist in the West? In the so-called "first world"? Sure it does. It may even involve very large sums of money. However the institutions in those countries, the laws, the court system etc. are remarkably powerful and free from this vice. When caught, you can expect all hell to break loose. In India, the BJP led rallies to destroy the Babri mosque resulting in riots that killed thousands of people and their leader became the Prime Minister and was never charged. In Gujarat, Muslims were slaughtered just a few years ago while the governing party and police stood by. After the murder of Indira Gandhi, thousands of Sikhs were butchered in the streets of India. Till now, the culprits are yet to face justice.

One does not have to go far to see India is far from being a perfect democracy with perfect freedom of speech. Last year, Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar, expressed a view on Pakistani cricketers. Such was the ire of one political leader, Bal Thakaray, that his followers ransacked cinema houses, set fire to posters, vandalized stores with the police unable to do much. In the past, Thakaray has threatened cricket superstar Tendulkar and Bollywood supremo Amitabh Bachchan. Meekly, these people had to recant and make their peace while Thakaray goes unpunished. In a Western system, such a person would have been arrested as a goon, or charged as a terrorist.

Therefore, to any person who thinks India is now a world power, they are dreaming. I say this as someone who wants India and the surrounding countries to succeed, as they have a lot to offer the world. However, India has lots of problems, starting with corruption, female infanticide, a blind hatred of Pakistan etc. to name a few. India is no where close to being a world power. It is just like Bangladesh, except with a bigger army.

Lego Bollywood

2010-09-18T13:21:00.015-04:00

So, following on from a busy Eid, I had a little bit of time on my hands this weekend.

Movie: 3 Idiots

A promotional poster for the movie.

Film: Baazigar

The scene that defined the movie.

Film: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

The best song from the best movie of all time.

Film: Hum Tum

The characters from the comic strip in the movie.

Film: Mr India

"Mogambo Khush Hua"

"Main hoon Mr India!"

"Mr India laal rang pe dekha dete hain!"

Film: Om Shanti Om

From the song Dard-e-Disco (4 minutes into the song)

Film: Silsila

Song: Dekha Ek Khwab

"Fool bhi ho darmiyon to faasle huyain"

Movie: Slumdog Millionaire

The climatic scene from the movie, when Anil Kapoor goes "Chaiwala Jamaal from Aamchi Mumbai!" [images]

Lego Collectible Minifigures Series 2 Fun!

2010-09-16T22:48:00.013-04:00

When the staff only half turned into a snake, Rameses the 75th decided this was the last time he bought something from Walmart.

THIS. IS. SPARTA!!!!

Tonight we dine in Hell!!!

The Prince of Persia crashes the Collectible Minifigures Series 2 party ...

... to be followed by his arch nemesis, the Skeleton Prince.

Always a pleasant distraction back to the 1990s, when she actually looked good!

Do gentlemen always prefer blondes?

Back to reality for Canadians, we are a winter country. Well, all those medals can't be wrong!

DID YOU FORGET ME! THIS IS SPARTA!

How To Spot The Eid Grinch

2010-09-08T12:12:00.009-04:00

Are you an Eid Grinch? Do you not have fun on Eid? How do you tell someone if they are the Eid humbug? Here are three signs.

1. Working on Eid when they don't have to

2. Not giving Eidi or gifts to children/family

3. Staying home and watching TV all Eid day

Eid is meant to have fun. It is meant as a celebration, BY GOD, for all you have done in Ramadan. It may be a challenge to celebrate Eid in a non-Muslim country but it's not hard, nor is it particularly tough. Really, is it that hard to just have a good time?

Have a party. Arrange some games (here's some Eid game suggestions!). Visit your friends. Give your mom a call (and dad too). Forgive your enemies. Switch off the TV and go outside. Don't be a $$$$ miser, give some gifts!

Here's in advance a very happy Eid Mubarak to all my readers.

5 Tips for the Night Prayers

2010-08-31T16:19:00.013-04:00

Now that the last 10 days of Ramadan are here (wow!), I thought I should rehash some of tips on how to attend the night prayers at the mosque during this holy time.

Tip 1: It is not a hurdles competition.

I know that there is a reward for being in front of the mosque. The closer you are to the front, the greater the reward, so the saying goes. Having said that, if you want to go to the front of the mosque, COME EARLY!

I am sick of people in overflowing robes coming late to the mosque and the bumping my head off as they try to leapfrog into a more 'rewarding' position. Must be a 'calculating muslim syndrome'.

Tip 2: You are not having dinner

I remember getting a chain email long time ago that if you want to show you appreciation to an Arab host, you burp to signal that you have enjoyed your meal. I have no idea if this is true or not. However, the mosque is not a dinner table nor have you been invited to a meal. I am speaking of course of the famous 'biryani burp'.

Yesterday I moved up (see tip 1) after 8 rakats to get closer to God. And then stood next to an uncle who kept 'burping the Ameen' for the next 12 rakats. As for my salaat, alas I spent less time contemplating on the meaning of the Quran and more time on fantasizing if I can order a hit on this guy.

Seriously, if you are going to stand for long time, control what you have for your iftar. An iftar is not another word for a 12-course meal.

Tip 3: Allah loves cleanliness.

And for muslims, cleanliness is half of faith, as told by the Prophet.

And besides, nowadays we all have Tide. Heck, even the Dollar Store has a cheap detergent you can use.

I know you are very worried someone will steal your precious "Timmi Hilfigur" socks (or else it's playoff hockey time and you haven't taken your socks off as you are winning - remember superstition is alien to Islam), but please, stop trying to kill other people when they are doing sujood, even though it is a blessing to die in sujood it is a greater blessing to have a long and virtuous life.

Tip 4: Stop scaring little kids

Children are a blessing, said the Prophet. When he used to pray, his grandkids would climb on his back and otherwise 'bother' him during his prayers, yet he never scolded them. Yesterday I saw an old uncle morph into a godzilla and scare the crap out of this little kid who had the misfortune of running in front of the dude while he was praying. I am sure that kid will have fond memories of the mosque in the future. Later on, when you are lamenting as to why the youth of today do not come to the mosque, it's because you have scarred them when they were the baby of yesterday.

Tip 5: Sleep first.

It's the NIGHT prayers. Most people SLEEP at night. That's why those who pray are doing something special. Note: pray. NOT SLEEP. If you have to sleep, please remain on your bed, not on my shoulder. There is actually a saying that you should not pray when you are sleepy. So either sleep before and then come to the mosque, or please stay in your bed.

To desi FOB uncles: If you follow the above tips, I am sure you can make your experience and the experience of the rest around you a lot better.

It's that time of the year again

2010-08-10T16:15:00.006-04:00

It's that time of the year again.

A flier outside a major grocery store in Toronto

It's that time of the year when a sip of Rooh Afza is the most pleasant moment of the day.

It's that time of the year when the Quran gets dusted and date sellers (the fruit kind!) go into profit.

It's that time of the year when more people visit the mosque in one night than the entire last month.

It's that time of the year people have been waiting the last 11 months for.

It's that time of the year that the sport of 'moonfighting' enjoys a revival.

It's that time of the year when blood banks get a major rise in donations.

It's that time of the year food banks do great business.

It's that time of the year the 'biriyani burp' is made into an art fashion.

A very blessed Ramadan Kareem to all my readers, family and friends. May the Almighty Allah accept all our fasts and worship and good deeds and shower all of us with His blessings.

Chicago

2010-08-04T09:54:00.022-04:00

It was long weekend in Ontario, and we drove to Chicago with another friend and his wife for a "short short vacation", which is how we described our trip to the border officer. It was all last minute, and sometimes those are the best.

The first sight of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) on the way to Chicago downtown

Chicago is not a very vibrant city. In fact, it is the ultimate version of what a cold-hearted, materialistic, gritty, ugly American city could be. It seemed to be a city without a soul. At any one moment, you could imagine Al Capone and his gang bursting out of the shadows in a gang encounter.

Driving downtown, Chicago was Manhattan, New York minus the glamour

Chicago is famous for its architecture, which was evident throughout the diverse designs of the buildings downtown. Each building was different from the next. It is not the cookie-cutter glass box design you see downtown Toronto, for example.

Check out the cars being parked at the base of this building!

We only had one full day (Sunday) to spend in the city, having reached there Saturday night and returning Monday morning. So on Saturday night, after relaxing for a bit at our hotel, we drove to Devon Avenue. This is a big street that has a lot of desi shops. It's a bit like Toronto's Gerrard Street but only bigger. Much bigger.

The next day, after an early breakfast, we drove to the Shedd Aquarium. The main purpose was not to see the aquarium and the fishes, but to capture the magnificent skyline of Chicago from the lake shore.

Then, it was on to the Willis Tower (although everyone still keeps referring to it as the Sears Tower).

Driving downtown Chicago, again it seemed to be a post-apocalyptic city with everyone going to work like bees and concrete everywhere one could see

The Willis Tower was tall, very tall - it didn't seem to be that big from the distance!

Inside the tower, as you buy your ticket and make your way to the elevator that takes you to the top, there's a comparison wall with various other structures.

A comparison of the Willis Tower and Burj Khalifa

You can imagine just how big (gigantic) the Burj Khalifa is! It leaves everyone gasping for breath. The views of Chicago from the viewing deck is similar to views from up any other tall building.

Chicago is on the shore of Lake Michigan and the lake was a brilliant blue

On a clear day you can see up to four states and up to 50 miles away - when we went it was hot, very hot and so a bit smoggy

Concrete, concrete and more concrete

The Willis Tower had something rather new. It was a glass box, placed outside the building! It's like the glass floor on the CN tower, but this is a whole area, a whole section, placed in the air! It's merged with the viewing deck.

Do you dare?

You look straight down 600 metres!

Surprisingly it wasn't that scary - I wonder if that's because it felt like part of the viewing deck, only with a glass floor!

Ever heard of Fazlur Khan? He is the chief architect behind the Willis Tower as well as various other skyscrapers. And he is a Bangladeshi!

After all this, it was time for lunch. And what better way to spend lunch than to try Chicago's famous deep dish pizza. We went to Giordano's - one of the pioneers of stuffed pizza and tried their veg-spinach pizza. It was delicious! You get filled after one slice - each slice is like having two pizzas!

One last item was left on our agenda. Millennium Park, featuring the Cloud Gate. This is a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, and is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park.

(Sidenote: so, the two famous Chicago landmarks are desi-designed?)

We had a lot of fun at Cloud Gate, where we took various pictures in all types of poses (and everyone was doing the same). I wish, ever since visiting Europe and New York, we had more famous public squares and parks and famous huge sculptures in Toronto. Instead, we have Yonge-Dundas Square.

So, all things combined, it was a fun trip, and one day was more than enough for Chicago. We had a great time and it was a nice trip. However, it's not a city that holds any special attraction and one you can easily skip from your US itinerary without missing a thing. Except, perhaps, the pizza.

Weddings - Where are they more fun? Desi or here?

2010-07-29T12:52:00.009-04:00

Two nights ago I was having a conversation with someone in Bangladesh. I happened to mention to him that I was going to head out to a wedding.

"Ah, another wedding." He replied. "You guys miss the proper fun we have in weddings in Bangladesh. Weddings in your Canada can't even compare to weddings here."

Now, given that a) he has never been to Canada and b) he finds every thing from Bangladesh to be better, the comment did not surprise me. I have long been used to people from Bangladesh who somehow think everything from there is the best (only the best flowers grow in Bangladesh which is God's own country, watered by God's own rivers in a natural paradise designed personally by God). Of course give them an immigration paper and they are the first one out of there, but I digress.

So, it got me thinking, are weddings more fun in Bangladesh?

Now, there is no doubt that weddings in Bangladesh can be a grand, lavish affair.

Even though more than half the people live below poverty line, those who can afford spend huge on weddings. Labour and flowers are both cheap. Especially when those desis living in the west go back to have a reception, with the favourable exchange rate they can host a grand affair.

Literally, you can throw money at everything and get it done. Being Bangladesh, it's also not hard to come across good mehendi and desi make up artists who will do a good job of making up the bride.

Of course the art of "make up" in desiland seems to be to dump a whole lot of white powder on the bride to make her look like Casper the friendly ghost but again, I digress.

However, lost in all of this pomp and show are the small, touching, intimate moments that make a wedding memorable.

In Bangladesh, it's not hard to imagine a crowd of 1000 people attending a wedding reception. Why, and whether you really know your father's co-worker's daughter's husband is a moot point. They will be at your wedding. Here, people limit (or should limit) their guest list to people that actually matter to the couple.

In Bangladesh, literally no one has the time for anything. Everybody seems so busy, leaving the office at 7 in the morning and coming home at 7 at night. You want something to be done for your wedding? Relax, throw some money and hire some people who do this day in day out.

Here in Canada, you rely on your true friends and relatives. Need a song or a skit performed? Get (and coax) some friends. Want a sari designed or imported? Ask another friend. Need such and such stage decoration? Go talk to this aunty. People and friends come together to organize a wedding. Aunties and women go together for wedding shopping and everyone pitches in for some of the work. It's a small affair - the way it's supposed to be - and it involves everyone.

Personally, I enjoy a wedding where it's people I know performing to some skit or some dance, even with mistakes, rather than some flawless performance by a hired hand. However, Bangladeshis are impressed by pomp and show, and therefore to them I leave their perfect weddings.

I think we have much more fun in Canada.

Pictures courtesy Google Images.

Lameass Conversations of The Week - 5

2010-07-16T12:20:00.007-04:00

Two women, clearly mother and daughter, in line for coffee at Tim Hortons.

Daughter: "So, mom, NEVER comment on ANY of my Facebook pictures again, please!"

Mom: "But all I did was say how lovely you are looking!"

Daughter: "So. Embarrassing."

* * *

Friend 1: "So, did you bring any CDs for the drive? It's gonna take at least a couple of hours."

Friend 2: "Well, I have some Bollywood remixes in the car..."

Friend 1: "Hmmph! Bollywood remixes - what are they? A romantic lovely song periodically punctured by the sound of a gun being fired."

* * *

Have I told you how much I HATE people talking in the washroom? So I am in the stall at the mall doing my thing when this tall ~~black~~ person-of-African-Canadian origin guy gets in.

"So," He turns to me, while clearly starting his business, "waiting to see the Lebron James announcement tomorrow?"

"Who?" I asked him.

[a moment of pause. time slows down. birds chirp in slow motion]

"Er," He tried to continue the conversation with clearly-not-in-the-mood-to-talk me. "You don't watch the NBA, do you?"

"No," I replied. "I am not too much into hockey."

The rest of the short washroom vigil was finished in pleasant silence.

Link: Previous Lameness

The Final World Cup Post

2010-07-10T17:11:00.004-04:00

So my friends and I were watching the Spain vs. Germany semi final. All of us cheering for Germany, we got frustrated as Spain passed and passed and passed and passed ...

"JUST SHOOT THE BALL!" I screamed into the telly.

Spain got a corner. Some guy stepped in to take the corner - and passed.

"Even their corner is a pass." I remarked in disgust.

"I think," one of my friends offered, "if Spain gets a penalty - they will pass that also!"

Alas, that was the only cheerful moment of the game for us as Spain won.

So, here are my final predictions:

Holland vs. Spain:

Spain has shown the ability to wear teams down while giving only a few chances, while Holland has shown themselves as a team to be crap for the whole game yet be brilliant for just a few chances. So this should be a cagey, but open game. Hell, Paul the Octopus picked Spain so I will too, and I think both teams are good for goals so I will make the score 2-1. Spain is definitely the better team and has better players in each position.

Prediction: 2-1 Spain.

As for the 3^rd/4^th game, I am writing this post a little late, but I did predict a 3-2 win for Germany on Facebook. My reasons were that both semi-final losers are a bit sad to play this game, and usually it goes to the underdog as they have something to prove. Except when they play against Germany. Here's the screenshot of my Facebook status!

World Cup Semi-final Predictions

2010-07-06T13:05:00.004-04:00

Uruguay vs. Holland:

While I would like Holland to lose, given that I prefer one South American in the final, I can't see it happening. Holland players know how this team is working (as per Seedorf on BBC) and I have to agree. Uruguay are without their ~~unofficial goalkeeper~~ striker Luis Suarez, and only Diego Forlan to create chances. I predict a workmanlike game.

Prediction: 1-0 Holland
Result: 3-2 Holland

Spain vs. Germany:

So the psychic octopus has picked Spain, but I would dearly love Germany to win this cup. Their play has been brilliant as Spain has been boring (pass pass pass no one shoots). However, Spain is tough (and frustrating - give up the ball and wait for 20 minutes to get it back). I don't think there will be a lot of goalmouth action here.

Prediction: 1-0 Spain
Result: 1-0 Spain

Multiculturalism and Salim Mansur

2010-07-03T21:08:00.003-04:00

When racists usually begin a rant against a group they love to hate, they usually begin with "I have many friends who are [blank], so it's clear I am not a racist, but [insert racist rant here]."

Better still, if you can find a spokesperson against the group who also happens to be from that group. "After all, he or she is a member of [insert race group], so they can't be racist against their own race, can they?". The States therefore has Michelle Malkin, who despite being of Oriental origin said it was right to intern innocent Japanese during the WW2, and we in Canada have Salim Mansur.

Apparently he is a professor in Western Ontario. I feel sorry for his students who must listen to rants that make no logic. For evidence, I refer to his latest column in the Toronto Sun, titled "Multiculturalism has undermined unity".

I read his article for any evidence to the fact that he refers in the title. First, he himself is an immigrant to Canada in the 1970s, so he is a beneficiary of Canada's multicultural immigration policy. Having gotten entry to an exclusive club, he now wants to shut down that door to newer entrants who play by the same rule. In my book, that's called being selfish.

Mansur writes of Wilfred Laurier (one renowned Canadian) that "Laurier belonged to an age not too long ago when a people could readily, as Scott did a century earlier, unashamedly express love for the country that was their home." Apparently we now live in times where people do not do that, due to multiculturalism.

I was on Parliament Hill on Canada Day. I saw people of many languages and places, all dressed proudly in red and white, unashamedly proud of being Canadian. We love what Canada is and what Canada symbolizes. I saw hijabis in white hijabs and red dresses, I saw French Canadians exchanging high fives with Latino Canadians, and I saw a huge crowd of diverse people that celebrated with gusto the fantastic fireworks over the river Ottawa.

"However charitably we consider the good intentions that launched multiculturalism as a policy for Canada in its second century, the consequences — especially when examined since the events of Sept. 11, 2001 — have increasingly undermined the ideal of Canadian unity."

How? And how does Sept. 11 figure into a discussion about Canada? What specific consequences of multiculturalism has divided that unity?

"Multiculturalism demonstrably promotes politics based on ethnic loyalties in a multiethnic country — countries built by immigrants arriving from different parts of the world are by definition multiethnic and not multicultural — and, thereby, sharpens ethnic quarrels it was supposed to dissolve."

First of all, what does this mean? Second, when have people of different ethnicity quarreled in a similar fashion in Canada? Serbians protested when Canada bombed Serbia, Arabs protested when Israel did something to Gaza, Tamils protested actions in Sri Lanka, and then everyone went home and continued their lives. Should people not protest? All protests were mostly peaceful. Moreover, no Serb, Arab, Tamil, etc. remain consumed by the quarrels in their country of origin. Rather, as Canadians, they all share common concerns such as mortgage, taxes and why the Maple Leafs suck as a hockey team. As a rebuttal of this psuedo-argument, you can take Toronto. A great city built by immigrants from all corners of the world that remains at peace. Despite some bitter obstacles placed in their path by the Canadian system, immigrants come out shining in Canada and have always helped make it better.

In his whole article, not one time does Mansur say WHY multiculturalism is bad. He just says it is. He never says how it undermines unity. Only that it has.

Frankly, what undermines unity in Canada is pure hate mongering drivel sprouted by the likes of Salim Mansur.

World Cup Quarter Final Predictions

2010-07-01T10:25:00.004-04:00

I have to say the best 7 teams have reached the last 8 of the world cup. Still not convinced Paraguay deserved to beat Japan, but that's the heartbreak for you. Here are my quarter final predictions.

Holland vs. Brazil:

This should be the game to watch. I still remember Branco's free-kick in Dallas (USA '94) when Brazil led 2-0 only for it to become 2-2 and then the free kick deciding it in Brazil's favour. This time, I have not seen too much flair from Holland, so I am going to give it to Brazil.

Prediction: 3-2 Brazil.
Result: 2-1 Holland

Uruguay vs. Ghana:

They didn't look too spectacular against South Korea, and I was super impressed with Ghana's physical prowess in the first half of their game against USA. Ghana needs to maintain that pace though, for the whole game.

Prediction: 1-0 Ghana.
Result: 1-1 Uruguay won on penalties

Argentina vs. Germany:

Can both of these teams win? I really liked all their games, especially Germany. Germany looks like a team and plays like a team. Each of their players seem to know where the other will be. I expect Maradona's run to end here.

Prediction: 2-1 Germany.
Result: 4-0 Germany

Paraguay vs. Spain:

Not much to say here. One team will defend and the other will attack.

Prediction: 1-0 Spain.
Result: 1-0 Spain

On the ban of Dr Naik (and his "gay-bashing Jew-hating" values)

2010-06-30T13:52:00.005-04:00

I first heard of Dr Zakir Naik during the RIS event, in 2005.

"Oh, you don't know Dr Naik? He's the best!" Said some of my friends. "You will hear him give a speech and immediately a dozen people will convert on stage."

I am not a keen proponent of people converting on stage (religion, to me, should be private and in my opinion new converts should not be a prop). Still, I remember attending his talk and seeing it as very entertaining. There is no debate that he is a highly effective public speaker. Yet ... something wasn't right.

Later, I reflected on what he said. There are two posts in the past on this blog where I recalled his speeches. One is "No Fun Please, We Are Muslims". The other topic was "Music and Its Power".

I had the opportunity to hear him speak on a few occasions. Today, I can see some sugar coating by some of his ardent supporters but to me there remained no doubt that he has very rigid opinions on what Islam is and what Muslims can do. He would not allow non-Muslims living in a Muslim country to spread their own religion because "they are wrong". Music is something that should almost be banned. I didn't witness the famous excerpt where he is alleged to have said homosexuals and those leaving from Islam should be killed, but my impression was that his attitude wouldn't be the friendliest to them.

Clearly he said a woman's lack of modest clothing would lead to her getting raped. He cited some statistics about how many women are getting raped in the USA and Canada all the time. Women who are of age and not married to a husband would become "public property", said Dr Naik. I remember hearing the word "public property" in that context. And no one, not even the women, got outraged.

People loved him for being able to cite verse numbers and chapter numbers of various holy books of all religions to underscore a point he was making. To me, the conclusions he were drawing seemed quite far fetched, yet people got offended when I pointed them out. How can he, I said, for example, ban a Jewish guy from spreading the Torah in a Muslim country when the Prophet Muhammad himself did no such thing? According to Muslims the Prophet was the perfect man leading the perfect state, yet in his state there was singing in the wedding and women were not prohibited to ride on camels and graves were not destroyed and Jews/Christians/Idolaters were free to spread their religion, and yet, are we today more pious than the Prophet?

To me, Dr Naik may be right on some things, but he was also wrong on a lot of others. To me, his views are not something I can identify with as a Western Muslim.

Is that why did Canada banned him? I can shed no tears on his ban, and if the argument is that his views are incompatible with Canadians then it's a fact.

Yet ... in another Toronto Star article it is stated he is banned (in Britain) for "unacceptable behaviour".

I was there at his "Every Muslim should be a terrorist" speech. He is being totally misquoted out of context for that one. To even cite that as a reason is being intellectually dishonest. As for the other statements, I agree then he does not espouse pro-Western views, and perhaps promote (indirectly or directly) hatred against certain groups or religions.

Then, why is Ann Coulter then allowed entry to Canada? Here's some of her quotes:

"I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo."

"Not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims."

"I don't know if [former U.S. President Bill Clinton is] gay. But [former U.S. Vice President] Al Gore - total fag."

"[Canadians] better hope the United States does not roll over one night and crush them. They are lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent."

Here is someone who has expressed hatred towards a religion (Islam), a group (gays/democrats/liberals), a Western country (Canada) and yet she is allowed entry to Canada. I could go on about other similar examples but it seems the ban on Dr Zakir Naik is hypocritical to say the least.

I agree that entry to Canada is a privilege for foreigners. But there should be a consistent fair set of standards applied when preventing entry. This is why I cannot support the ban on Dr Zakir Naik. He is no more gay-bashing anti-Canadian-values person than Ann Coulter.

I hope Muslims in Canada can use the ban as a positive development and turn this into an opportunity to develop home grown imams who espouse both Canadian and Islamic values (which are perfectly compatible - except, er, beer contests). Then we wouldn't need a faulty foreign role model.

Soccer Teams In Cricket

2010-06-27T11:49:00.011-04:00

So as I watched England get thrashed by Germany today, I had the notion that England are a lot like India in cricket. Overhyped team, overpaid stars, a domestic league that is all glitz and glamour without being good. So I continued the train of thought, if each cricket team had to have a football substitute, which ones would they be?

India:

No doubt this is England. The IPL in India is what EPL is to English soccer - a league with lot of money and lot of talent, but not of the home team. Substandard quality but each time the World Cup comes around, they are supposedly the favourites. Until they go home.

Pakistan:

It's a tie.

Fighting between the team and coach, divisions within the team, charges of match fixing in the domestic league, the captain meeting with the President after another bad World Cup, yet on their day they can be mercurial and beat the best of the best, and yet flop the next day.

It's France and Italy for Pakistan.

Bangladesh:

They are the Cameroon. Always young players, always full of potential, always with a lot of promise, always exiting at the first round, always promising to "build on this". Living off one glorious run past the group stages of a bygone World Cup - that's Bangladesh for you.

South Africa:

Spain. An all star team. One of the firm favourites to win.

Crucial must-win match.

Chokers.

Enough said.

Sri Lanka:

Despite their pedigree and previous history, this team always flies into the World Cup with low expectations. Their players love each other and click as a team, and somehow ALWAYS manage to find a way into the finals or semi-finals, no matter what their pre-tournament form is. So fluid, a pleasure to watch, and thrilling when they win.

And with their record of crushing minnows, there is no doubt - Germany are the Sri Lanka of football.

Australia:

The big question.

Always the champion.

Always manages to find players to instantly slot into the team and be a world class player.

It takes a genius from the other team having an extra ordinary day with all the luck clicking to knock them out.

Any time.

So....

... just who are the Australians of world football?

No doubt....

there can only be one team.

BRAZIL.

World Cup 2010 - Round of 16 Predictions

2010-06-25T17:17:00.004-04:00

Well well. Now we have halved the number of countries who came to South Africa with big dreams, here's how I see the next week happening.

Uruguay vs. South Korea South Korea looked good in their wins, and even in the game against Argentina they looked in with a chance until the late burst of goals. However, Uruguay got the X-factor who is Diego Forlan.

Prediction: 2-0 Uruguay.
Result: 2-1 Uruguay

USA vs. Ghana: Last World Cup Ghana stepped all over USA (literally) to a victory. They looked good, and disciplined, this time around. USA may always believe they are always in with a chance, but Ghana is Africa's last hope. Now if they can only find the net (both their goals have been penalties). Given that referees have been anti-US this time around, maybe it will happen again!

Prediction: 1-0 Ghana.
Result: 2-1 Ghana

Germany vs. England: The BIG ONE. England look finally like hitting their straps, and it reminds me of Canada at Vancouver, where they were playing their first round ice hockey games badly, and barely qualified, and then ran into Russia, and steam rolled them. Perhaps England are the same ... ? *hope*

Prediction: 2-1 England.
Result: 4-1 Germany

Argentina vs. Mexico: Good though Mexico has been, Argentina was in another level altogether.

Prediction: 2-0 Argentina.
Result: 3-1 Argentina

Holland vs. Slovakia: Holland hasn't played the total football we know they are capable of, yet they are getting the job done. Reminds me of South Africa in cricket, who never look good yet are machine like. Until they run into the eventual champions.

Prediction: 1-0 Holland.
Result: 2-1 Holland

Brazil vs. Chile: Brazil has their main players back while Chile have lost their first line up (or so it seemed) against Spain. Brazil should notch it up a gear (as I predicted, the game against Portugal was a yawn fest), and dispatch of a stubborn Chile.

Prediction: 2-1 Brazil.
Result: 3-0 Brazil

Paraguay vs. Japan: Did Japan ever think, even when they qualified second, that they would be facing Paraguay and not Italy? Their free kicks were really, really good and they just lost to Holland. But the South American team has shed off its traditional defensive game and played brightly. If Japan can avoid conceding an early goal, I expect them to hold out just enough for a win. That would be my upset prediction.

Prediction: 1-0 Japan.
Result: 0-0 Paraguay on penalties (5-3)

Spain vs. Portugal: I hope Spain thrashes Ronaldo (er, Portugal). Zidane once said when Spain learns how to win, they won't stop. Perhaps that will be true this World Cup.

Prediction: 2-1 Spain.

Now, what's your predictions?

World Cup 2010 - 1st Round Last Leg Predictions 2 of 2

2010-06-24T00:36:00.005-04:00

Here's my predictions for the next couple of days' matches.

Paraguay vs. New Zealand: I would LOVE New Zealand to go through, but while they were successful in holding off Italy, Paraguay has one thing Italy are missing - a striker.

Prediction: 2-0 Paraguay.
Result: 0-0

Slovakia vs. Italy: On paper this is easily Italy's. Despite their hiccups, I am expecting an Italy victory. Hopefully, I am wrong.

Prediction: 1-0 Italy.
Result: 3-2 Slovakia

Denmark vs. Japan: This one is tough to call as both teams look resilient and in form despite a terrible warm up campaign. Denmark is the champion of long passes though, so I would hedge it in their favour.

Prediction: 2-1 Denmark.
Result: 3-1 Japan

Cameroon vs. Holland: No contest. Next to Algeria, Cameroon are probably the worst team from Africa. Without being their best, Holland has managed to produce the goods.

Prediction: 2-0 Holland.
Result: 2-1 Holland

Portugal vs. Brazil: With a potential to be the match of the day and both teams through (Brazil, mathematically, Portugal practically), I am expecting this to be a dull, cagey draw. A nothing to gain, nothing to lose for both.

Prediction: 1-1.
Result: 0-0

North Korea vs. Ivory Coast: Another African disappointment, at least they will hope for a victory here. North Korea has blown hot and cold, but the Ivory Coast should be able to win here. If however Portugal starts losing 3-0 in the other game, expect the Ivory Coast to then gun for it.

Prediction: 2-0 Ivory Coast.
Result: 3-0 Ivory Coast

Switzerland vs. Honduras: Can BOTH these teams lose? Please?

Prediction: 2-0 Switzerland.
Result: 0-0

Spain vs. Chile: They save the best for the last. Will a South American team taste defeat for the first time this world cup? This could be a time even with two victories you can go out. I am calling this for Chile though.

Prediction: 2-1 Chile.
Result: 2-1 Spain

World Cup 2010 - 1st Round Last Leg Predictions 1 of 2

2010-06-22T00:14:00.005-04:00

With two legs of the group stages already done, tomorrow sees the last leg of the group games, with matches played simultaneously, begin. At the risk of getting egg on my face, here are my predictions:

Mexico vs. Uruguay: Both teams, you can say, "got the job done" so far. A draw would see both qualify, irregardless of other results. Yet, you have to feel they would both go for a win. One would get the early goal, the other team would equalize at the end, and then they would both indulge in time wasting.

Prediction: 1-1.
Result: 1-0 Uruguay

France vs. South Africa: the game means more for the hosts, but a disunited France should still be strong enough for them. Yet, I will ignore my head and go with my heart on this.

Prediction: 2-1 South Africa.
Result: 2-1 South Africa

Greece vs. Argentina: Argentina (well, Messi really) has been absolutely fabulous. Greeks will be all out to sea here. Greeks will defend hoping for a break that will never come, and Argentina only know one way to play.

Prediction: 3-0 Argentina.
Result: 2-0 Argentina

Nigeria vs. Korea: this is a strange group, with a 1-0 win enough for Nigeria to go through despite two defeats, if Argentina as expected beats Greece. Korea, though, looked good. Though I see a 2002 run to the semifinals difficult to repeat, I would tip a disciplined and more physically fit Korea to win over the misfiring Africans.

Prediction: 1-0 Korea.
Result: 2-2

Slovenia vs. England: Even if England wins, what's the point - they are absolutely rubbish. Lightning does not strike twice and I would expect them to score an early goal through a set piece and defend it like the Italians.

Prediction: 1-0 England.
Result: 1-0 England

USA vs. Algeria: The Americans have been good, really good. If not for a refereeing call, they would have won their last match. I expect them to easily win this one.

Prediction: 2-0 USA.
Result: 1-0 USA

Australia vs. Serbia: This one is hard to predict. You would think the Serbians would be favourites, but the Aussies are a stubborn dog. Yet, if not for a handball, Serbia would be sitting pretty at top of the group, and the Australians can't end the game with the same number of players they started with.

Prediction: 1-0 Serbia.
Result: 2-1 Australia

Ghana vs. Germany: All the African teams have been terrible so far, and Ghana had the only victory, yet they never look like scoring. In fact, both their goals have come from penalties. And the Germans looked really good against Australia. I expect normal service to resume and for Germany to eliminate the last African team standing.

Prediction: 2-1 Germany.
Result: 1-0 Germany

Next set of predictions on tomorrow (Wednesday) night.

Waving The Flag

2010-06-20T18:50:00.008-04:00

The Wife and I recently met up with the charming Organica, who was visiting Toronto. Organica remarked she found it amazing that how many people were flying the flags of various countries participating at the World Cup from their cars. It wasn't like that in her home town. Indeed, of all the places I have visited, New York included, I don't think any city comes as diverse as Toronto.

Every four years when World Cup comes around you will see all the flags around Toronto. Some have two, three or more. Here's the post from the last World Cup.

At this time you will hear some radio commentators lament the flag that people are not flying two flags, one of the country they are supporting (mostly of their country of origin) and one of Canada - especially that Canada Day is so close.

They are mostly losers who have no love of soccer and in typical right wing mentality think that only waving the flag entails patriotism. I say fly whatever flag you want, and fly it proud! Now where's my Brazil flag?

It's a pity the South African flag won't fly much longer, unless the remarkable happens in their match against France

I usually support England, but with the dreadful way they are playing, even if they win the group and qualify, what's the point?

Lot's of support for Italy in Toronto. Lovely people, lovely country, but boring style of play for me. I want them out.

Now this sight you will never see in Bangladesh. Either you support Argentina or Brazil, not both!

Who are YOU cheering for?

At the local mosque: World Cup Has Begun

2010-06-13T09:32:00.004-04:00

This Friday I took a day off and had the time to attend Friday noon prayers at the big mosque near home. I went to the 1.45 prayers, that way giving me enough time to come home and catch the 2^nd game of the World Cup.

The imam was giving a speech on ... the World Cup. Ah, this should be interesting!

"In Islam, there is NOTHING wrong with sports. Football is a good game and keeps you fit. So in Islam there is nothing WRONG with the game but ..."

I KNEW IT. There would be a "but". But why?

"some people take it too excess and forget their prayers and this is why it's very bad .."

Oh man! (Can I says Jeee-sus!) Why, of ALL the terrible problems facing your community you are taking out your anger on football?

I can say the following also.

"In Islam, there is NOTHING wrong with eating. Eating is a good activity and keeps you healthy. So in Islam there is nothing WRONG with the eating but some people take it to excess and miss the prayers ..."

Then the imam continued, "some people watch the games late at night and miss Fajr prayers."

Er, imam? If you take a look at the schedule (it's available on the CBC website) you can see all the games are in the morning in Canada. In fact, if you pray Fajr you can actually wake up in time to catch the earliest game! You are imam in Canada, why you are you giving the speech an imam in Bangladesh would make? I mean today, I woke up for Fajr prayers partly because the Algeria-Slovenia game was soon after. In hindsight I should have gone straight to bed (one team doesn't know how to score and the other doesn't want to score).

But, imam, what if I say, "some people catch a little 'action' *wink wink* late at night and miss Fajr prayers."

So if, imam, you are not warning about the eating and the 'action' why are you taking out your ire against the football World Cup? Surprisingly I haven't heard a thing about the Cricket World Cup. At 8 hours per game surely you are missing more than ONE prayer there!

It's not a unique thing. If you take a look at the supposedly #1 muslim blog MuslimMatters on their recent post about the World Cup, you will see all sort of weird comments. Some guys are concerned that players play in shorts.

There must be something wrong with some muslims if the sight of a MAN's bony knee can turn a muslim MAN on. And every concern about these supposed muslim creatures seem to be a woman's ankle or a guy's knee which turns them on. Must be some repressed people - these so-called salafists.

Why can't you just give thanks to God for the beautiful game that is soccer and pray to Allah so that your countries win and produce a decent squad? I mean, Canada's team can't beat a country like Honduras. Now that, would be a talking point.

I would love to see a cool imam who goes "ah the World Cup is here. Just for clarification I am supporting such-and-such team (perhaps England, to score against them you just shoot AT the goalie). But. I am also here taking care of my obligations to Allah. Which all of you can also. Never forget your prayers come first (and especially England needs all the prayers it can get). So, while you enjoy your games, eat and do 'other stuff', remember to give to charity, say your prayers and help the downtrodden."

Now that would be a great goal.

Why I support the Facebook ban by Bangladesh (and Pakistan)

2010-06-01T10:52:00.001-04:00

Let us forget for the moment that the governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan are one of the most corrupt governments in history and they have anything but the welfare of their people in mind when they make decisions. Let's assume, for the purposes of this post, that they banned Facebook in their countries for the sole reason of "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" page that was not taken down by Facebook.

Here is why I support such a ban.

It is not that the governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan banned public gatherings, freedom of speech, the internet or mass communication. A single website was banned. There are many ways to communicate to other people. So it's not that freedom of speech was curtailed. There are other social web networks.
Drawing a caricature of Muhammad showing him in a degrading fashion is offensive to the majority of Muslims. Just like calling a black man a negro is offensive in USA, promoting Nazi culture is offensive in Germany (and illegal) and denying the Holocaust is offensive in many European countries. Just because you don't find it offensive does not mean others don't. If you have the right to offend, then don't be surprised when people exercise their right to be offended.
Making fun of Muhammad is illegal in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Facebook is a company. By not taking down those pages it broke the laws in those countries. The countries therefore punished the company for breaking their laws. Facebook had to make a decision as to whether to stick to its values of "free speech" and operating in those countries, and it chose to ignore the laws. It therefore has to suffer the consequences.
If Facebook was really about "freedom of speech", as they say they are, then it seems they are very selective in their "freedom of speech". One gentleman from Pakistan decided to test their limits, and this is his story.
Making fun of the Prophet is hate speech - to Muslims. It may not be hate speech to you. Similarly, to many Bangladeshis who have never faced the wrath of Hitler, it's no big deal to praise some of his economic policies, but it's hate speech to Jews. If you support total freedom of speech then you have to support ALL hate speech.
I don't think we have complete and absolute freedom of speech. We never had. Every society has its taboos. Facebook breached one such taboo in those countries and got punished fair.
The ban is a non violent protest against Facebook's actions. If companies suffer financially through such actions, in the future they would be mindful of Muslim sensititivies if they want to do business with them.

Reaction to Gaza aid ship deaths - Translated

2010-05-31T13:44:00.003-04:00

Source: BBC - Reaction to Gaza aid ship deaths

WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN WILLIAM BURTON
"The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained, and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy."

What it means:
Thank God no one's talking about BP today. Those damn bastards better find a way to plug that oil well today. They got one more day now.

BAN KI-MOON, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
I am shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on boats carrying supplies for Gaza. I condemn this violence.

It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation.

What it means:
I am not shocked at all by the killings. Just sad. Israel as we expected. Time for a trip to New York to head this "investigation". I wonder if my wife has to do some shopping while I am there.

OFFICE OF BARONESS ASHTON, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
High Representative Catherine Ashton expresses her deep regret at the news of loss of life and violence and extends her sympathies to families of the dead and wounded. On behalf of the European Union, she demands a full inquiry about the circumstances in which this happened.

She reiterates the European Union's position regarding Gaza - the continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive

What it means:
Israel's blockade is bad. We condemn it. That's all the US will allow us to say.

AMR MOUSSA, ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Arab League's Secretary-General has called for an urgent meeting at the level of representatives to look into this heinous crime committed by Israeli forces against unarmed civilians that left scores of dead and wounded.

The Arab League strongly condemns this terrorist act.

What it means:
We who are without balls can all gather to watch the World Cup together.

WILLIAM HAGUE, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY
I deplore the loss of life during the interception of the Gaza flotilla.

We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way, because of the risks involved. But at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations.

This news underlines the need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza.

What it means:
Arabs, please continue to do your "Islamic banking" with us. See? We criticized Israel, as you asked. We will join you at the World Cup party.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT
The inhuman action of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and preventing the humanitarian aid from reaching Gazans does not show this regime's strength, but is a sign of its weakness, and all this brings this sinister and fake regime closer than ever to its end.

What it means:
It's the Jews.

What it really means:
The inhuman action of the "clerical" regime against the Iranian people and preventing the universal values of freedom from reaching Iranians does not show this regime's strength, but is a sign of its weakness, and all this brings this sinister and fake regime closer than ever to its end.

TONY BLAIR, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL QUARTET
I express deep regret and shock at the tragic loss of life. There obviously has to be a full investigation into what has happened.

What it means:
I still have a job.

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER'S SPOKESMAN
Though our naval servicemen were instructed to exercise maximum restraint, they were attacked. They were attacked with knives, with iron clubs, and also with live fire.

We have unfortunately 10 servicemen injured, one of them very, very seriously. The violence was initiated unfortunately by these activists, and this is regrettable.

What it means:
When I say this is regrettable, I mean this is a Public Relations nightmare. It will be that much harder to get donations for the Holocaust Museum now. Actually, it won't, but you know what I mean.

What it really means:
We don't care about any international law or treaty. And we are right because we said so. If you don't agree you are an anti-Semite.

Washington D.C.

2010-05-26T00:29:00.029-04:00

It was a long weekend in Canada - Victoria Day. Since I neither have any knowledge nor desire in celebrating the birth of a monarch who has never set foot in Canada (nor do I think, most Canadians), I will cheer ANY reason for a holiday. So, we suddenly decided to check out the capital of our neighbour to the south. On to Washington D.C.

However, any trip to the US by any Canadian would not be complete without shopping. En route to D.C., we stopped by Grove City Prime Outlets.

With just a short time to spare, shops had to be selected and sacrifices made to maximize shopping time!

Our first stop in Washington next morning was the White House. We made our way to the rear of the building, where, for about 29 years and running, Concepcion Picciotto has been protesting over the atomic bomb.

The White House is indeed a glorious building. Did you know that Canadians (then British) burnt it down completely in the War of 1812? Of course then they got bored and came home.

Here's a view of the White House from the front. Unfortunately this is as close as they would allow us to approach. For tickets to visit the White House you have to reserve one up to 6 months in advance.

One can see the famous Washington Monument from almost any spot in the D.C. area.

Walking to the Monument on the way to the Mall.

A view of the Monument as seen from the World War II Memorial.

The Washington Monument as seen from near the Lincoln Memorial.

The setting of the Mall, with the White House, Monument, the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial reminded me very much of the layout of Paris. You will see further down in the post, from the pictures I took from atop the Monument, that Paris has inspired Washington (as have ancient Greeko-Roman designs) a lot.

Abraham Lincoln's statue at the Lincoln Memorial.

Any visit to D.C. will be incomplete without visiting the Smithsonian museums. Due to time restrictions, we only could pick one and I chose the National Air and Space Museum. On our next visit, inshAllah, I plan to visit the Natural History Museum.

A mirror of the Hubble Telescope on display.

This was the toilet on Skylab space station. If you use your imagination, you can see what the function of the hose and the large hole on the wall was!

The first controllable air craft to fly - Kitty Hawk.

The next day was cloudy and overcast, unlike the previous day which was blazing hot. Even then, the long walk from downtown Mall to the Jefferson Memorial was very tiring - it was really humid. D.C. may have a much more connected subway system than Toronto, but one stupid rule they have is the day pass on the trains do not work on the buses - you have pay a separate fare.

Now, if you have read the The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, you will know that it's set in Washington D.C. The Jefferson Memorial is mentioned in the book as America's Pantheon.

The Jefferson Memorial on the banks of the Tidal Basin.

Next, it was time to visit the Monument (or, as the Lost Symbol refers to it, America's obelisk). For this, you have to line for the (free) timed tickets they distribute. The office opens at 8.30 am but people line up from 7.30! We reached there at a leisurely pace at around 10 (after breakfast) and were very, very lucky to get the last 4 tickets left! As soon as got our tickets, the notice went up - "All tickets for the day are gone".

An epitaph at the entrance of the Monument.

The following images are those of Washington D.C. as seen from the top of the Monument. Now you can see why the city reminded me of Paris. I remember seeing a similar layout from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The Capitol building, as seen from the top of the Monument.

The Lincoln and the WWII Memorials, as seen from the top of the Monument.

The White House, as seen from the top of the Monument.

In the final scenes of the Lost Symbol, Peter Langdon is atop the Monument and while descending, the book describes the commemorative stones placed in the stairwell. This is actually true, as we saw when the elevator taking us back down stopped for a bit for us to see those stones.

Our final visit was to the Capitol. For this, we were lucky enough to get a tour reservation during our stay.

Our tour started at the Capitol Visitor Center, then on to the Crypt, and then to the Capitol Rotunda and finally, to the National Statuary Hall.

The painting "The Apotheosis of Washington" on the Rotunda, which plays a part in the Lost Symbol.

Other famous paintings below the Rotunda of the Capitol Hill.

The Supreme Court of the United States.

Washington D.C. is a city with a lot of history and pomp, and is full of museums, especially for those interested in American history. The highways leading to the city pass through some gorgeous scenery. It's definitely a must do for someone interested in visiting America.

Kick For A Cause

2010-05-19T22:51:00.003-04:00

Saturday two weeks from now, I have bravely signed up to play football (soccer to you Americans) once again after many millions of years. It's all for charity - the fund will support Braille equipment for blind school children in Bangladesh. It's organized by a few of my friends, and the flier is shown below.

Kick For A Cause
Charity Soccer Tournament

Join us for a great day of soccer & BBQ and support the
North York football community!

When: Saturday, May 29th 2010 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Where: George S. Henry Academy Soccer Field
(200 Graydon Hall Drive, Toronto, ON, M3A 3A6)

What: 6 vs. 6 outdoor soccer (5 players + goalkeeper)

Cost: $11/person (min: 6 players per team; max: 10 players per team)

The tournament social will include BBQ – burgers, hotdogs and pop – (free for participants) and awards for the winners. Bring your friends and support a great cause!

All teams are guaranteed two 25 minute games
Game officials

Got questions? Email us at nyfutbol@hotmail.com

So, if you are in North York area and are interested in playing a little recreational soccer (and support a good cause while you are at it) please contact the above email. Teams are already being formed and payments are required by May 21^st, 2010.

The iPhone Disease

2010-05-11T12:45:00.004-04:00

If you are like me, you probably have a lot of friends (usually of the female variety) who are hooked on to their iPhones, swear by it and at every possible moment try to impress upon you as to how urgently you require an iPhone.

Now I can still have my (very) old phone, and an even older plan, as a result of which I would not pay ~~Robbers~~ Rogers a huge hefty monthly bill in data plans, and can concentrate on paying down my even heftier student loan first. However, this post is not about the telecommunications industry in Canada nor a discussion on where the idea of not being online all the time was viewed as common sense, but of a particular and a very contagious disease.

The iPhone disease.

This disease (it can be classified as a mental illness) manifests itself in many ways. Following are some symptoms.

I Have an App For That

Every normal conversation with an iPhone holder is interrupted with this favourite phrase of theirs. For example,

You: "I want to see how Ironman 2 is."

iPhone User: "Oh wait, I can tell you. I have an App for that. It's called ~~Movie Review For Dummies~~ iMovie."

[5 minutes of caressing the iPhone later]

iPhone User: "it has 3.5 stars ..."

You: "Hmm. I have some time to kill. I wonder where it's playing."

iPhone User: "Oh wait, I can tell you. I have an App for that. It's called ~~Theatre For Dummies~~ iTheatre."

[5 more minutes of caressing the iPhone later]

iPhone User: "it's playing in X, Y and Z. Do you want to book tickets? Coz... I have an App for that as well."

Touching the iPhone

Every iPhone user has to touch the iPhone every 5 minutes or less. It's a built in withdrawal symptom. Try it - talk to an iPhone user for 5 minutes and see if they don't whip out the monstrous brick every 5 minutes or less. You may be having a perfect conversation with them but they will still take it out, check something on it and then remark to you, "Oh isn't that funny? Look what Mike posted!"

Do I care what Mike posted? I was talking to you!

If it's not checking their email, or boasting about an app (see above), it's tweeting. Again, you will be having dinner, and the iPhone user will be tweeting:

"having dinner with @so-and-so. #fun!"

Why do you do this? It would be pathetic if not for the other iPhone user tweeting back:

"@iPhoneUser1 you too? Me too! #goodtimes #fun"

It's all an excuse to touch the iPhone.

Comparing Notes

As soon the iPhone user comes into contact with another iPhone user, there is some sort of signal which allows them to ascertain that the other person also belongs to this not-so-exclusive club. They will instantly both whip out their iPhones (see point above) and start comparing notes.

"Oh, what a nice skin."

"Oh, that's a nice screen filter."

"Oh, do you have this app? You must get this app. It tells you how much battery the other apps are using!"

"Oh really, nice! Btw you MUST get this app. It makes snide remarks about anyone not having phone with a data plan!"

"Oh lovely! But you MUST get this latest app. It automatically calculates how much happiness the iPhone is giving you and transfers an equivalent amount of money to Apple immediately."

"SWEET!"

So, if you and your friends have an iPhone, do check that you do not succumb to this deadly disease. It's very curable, I tell you.

- Posted from my iPhone

This Week in Toronto Through A Cellphone Camera

2010-05-05T17:48:00.016-04:00

Spotted outside a Restaurant near Chinatown:

Being a Muslim, I can't verify his claim, but if you are looking for the best pork in the whole of North America, this is where you would go to.

Signs that Walmart is Going Even More Brown:

Yes - they are now selling cricket pads. I think these were around $30.

Because, in Toronto, We Want to be Very Clear

Er, ... FAIL!

Quick!!! In the 1 second it takes me to drive by an empty spot, can you tell me if I am allowed to park here?

Basking Robbins. 31c per scoop:

Do I really need a caption for this? :-D

Letter to South Park Creators

2010-04-23T14:39:00.002-04:00

Dear South Park Creators,

Peace be upon those who follow the true path.

Recently, you broadcast an episode where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of Islam was portrayed as a bear. I found that portrayal very offensive.

The bear was fat.

From all accounts, Muhammad was physically a very fit and handsome man; some of his wives - he had more than one - are on record to say he had a six-pack. Unlike, say, 30% of Americans, who are obese, according to National Institutes of Health^[1]. Yet, you portray the average American as a healthy cartoon. So I also find your episode very discriminatory.

Moreover, your cartoon immediately drew comments from some "Muslim" organizations that would otherwise not garner any attention (somewhat like John McCain nowadays - is he still around?). They threatened you with violence. I also find that offensive.

To me, using the Quran to justify terrorism is more offensive than any cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

I also want to understand (and perhaps do a Ph.D - an online ad on your webpage tells me I could stay home and earn my degree in 4 months) why you hate Muhammad so.

Do you mock Muhammad because he preached against child infanticide? I noticed that you seem to kill Kenny McCormick in almost every episode. If you were Muslim you could not do that (even though Muslims have cheaper funeral costs - something to consider).

By the way, Wikipedia says ^[2] Muhammad gave women in Islam rights long denied to women until as late as 1965 - yet South Park hardly has any female characters. You might also want to look into that.

Why am I writing this letter to you? Well, honestly, I hope some webpages like this post and link to it, and perhaps quote the part I so helpfully bolded. It will improve my "ratings".

Is that why you made that episode? It makes sense now, as you were so quick after the threat to put out a modified "censored" episode. Almost like you expected it. It's not easy to produce work that fast. Trust me, I know. They allow facebook at my work place, just like yours.

However, I am honest. Unlike you, because you actually portrayed the Prophet before. And no one seemed to care. That must hurt.

I invite you to study more about the Prophet Muhammad and his religion of Islam. Wikipedia is a start, but if you want more information you have to visit a mosque. Say to them you drew the Prophet Muhammad and you want more information about him.

They will still greet you with "Salaam" or "Peace be upon you".

Regards,

Mezba

References: