On the charter, yet once more – Sur la charte, encore!

Assalamu alaikum, I just wanted to share 2 more links concerning the newly proposed Québec charter of rights and values.

A petition that you can sign to voice your opposition to the proposed charter:
https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-4339/index.html
Please note: once you fill in your information, you will receive an email in your inbox (possibly in your junk folder). You must open this message and click on their link to confirm that you did, in fact, sign the petition.

The next gathering/protest against the charter this weekend (Sept 29th). I hope many people will go – I plan on going.

Don’t have access to Facebook? The event will be at Place des festivals (Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine) on Sunday, September 29th at 1 pm.

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Assalamu alaikum, je prends quelques minutes pour vous faire parvenir 2 autres liens concernant la charte des valeurs proposée au Québec.

Une pétition, que vous pouvez signer, qui est contre ce projet de charte:
https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-4339/index.html
SVP notez: Une fois vos coordonnées envoyées, vous recevrez un courriel (possiblement dans vos “pourriels”). Vous devez ouvrir ce courriel et cliquer sur le lien pour confirmer que vous c’est bien vous qui avez signé cette pétition.

Le prochain rassemblement (ou démonstration) contre la charte sera cette fin de semaine (le 29 septembre). J’espère que plusieurs y seront; je comptes y aller.

Vous n’avez pas un compte Facebook? Le rassemblement se fera à la Place des festivals (Jeanne-Mance et Ste-Catherine) ce dimanche, le 29 septembre, à 13h00.

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Changements à la charte des droits et liberté au Québec – La charte “des valeurs québecoises”

Bon, je ne suis pas certaine si je vais traduire le tout que j’ai écris hier en anglais; ce n’est pas mon meilleur texte et j’ai les émotions qui courent un peu partout. Que ressens-je en ce moment? Je suis triste, déçue, fâchée, même enragée par temps… D’un sens, je me sens aussi trahie par certaines personnes dans mon peuple, la culture dans laquelle j’ai été élevée. Bref, j’ai le cœur brisé…

C’est drôle, mes parents m’ont toujours dit d’être tolérante et ils m’ont élevés avec un esprit curieux, ouvert. Ils ne m’ont jamais montré comment différer entre une personne ou une autre basé sur la couleur de leur peau, la manière dont il(elle) se vêtit, leur pays d’origine, leur religion ou leur langue maternelle. Non, on m’a encouragée d’apprendre à connaitre et apprécier le monde basé sur leur caractère, leur personnalité, leurs valeurs.

Certains dirons peut-être que je suis naïve, mais j’essaie toujours de vivre ma vie de cette manière, de percevoir le monde à travers cette philosophie. Je ne peux m’imaginer à quel point ma vie serait limitée et vide si mes parents m’auraient inculqués avec une vision intolérante et fermée d’esprit.

Alhamdullillahi rabbil ‘alamin! (Louange à Allah, Seigneur de l’univers) En grande part, c’est grâce à eux et à la manière dont ils m’ont élevés que j’ai retrouvé mon chemin vers Dieu, que j’ai trouvé l’homme de ma vie, que j’ai eu la chance de m’entourer de gens magnifiques. Même si j’ai le cœur brisé avec ce qu’il se passe au Québec, je leurs suis infiniment reconnaissante de m’avoir appris que tout ce que je sais, y incluant que tout le monde est égal et que nous avons tous des droits; peu importe notre nom, sexe, origine, langue, foie, mode de vie, etc.!

Un positif dans toute cette situation; il semblerait que l’île de Montréal ferait une demande d’exemption pour cette nouvelle charte. Ceci m’a tellement remonté le moral. Toutes les municipalités et la grande Ville elle même, toute l’île, à l’unanimité s’oppose à la charte! Subhan’Allah! Voir l’article dans La Presse.

Je vais terminer ceci avec un lien vers un manifeste en français, écrit par un groupe surnommé Québec Inclusif. C’est un long texte mais ça vaut le temps de lecture.
Lien vers le manifeste
Et si vous aimez ce qu’ils ont à dire, je vous encourage à signer leur manifeste en cliquant ici.

Merci.

On the proposed changes to the Québec charter of rights

As some of you may or may not know, the government of Québec is looking to make some changes to the provincial charter of rights and freedoms. Usually, I would say that change can be good, but in this case I cannot agree in the least!

This post may be a bit all over the place – I’m that annoyed/disappointed/mad/enraged/heart-broken.

 

What are the changes proposed?

It would ban the wearing of “overt and conspicuous” religious symbols by any public/civil servants while on the job.

So what is an “overt and conspicuous” religious symbol anyway? Large crucifixes, turbans, hijabs, burqas and kippas. But feel free to wear a small symbol as jewelry.

 

Who is directly affected by the ban?

Public service extends to: judges, police, prosecutors, public daycare workers, teachers, school staff, hospital workers (doctors, nurses and other staff), municipal personnel.

 

Why is this ban being proposed?

To ensure the equality of the sexes and establish a secular society. *please note the whole “equality of the sexes” thing – anyone else feel this whole thing is really aimed at women wearing hijab?*

 

While it may not sound all that bad, the tensions this whole issue has created are horrible! It pits one group against another. As if non “pure-laine” didn’t feel unwanted enough, this gets thrown in their face. I would also like to point out that it’s not only Muslims, Jews and Sikhs that are affected, but Christians as well.

In a country and province that depends so much on newcomers to immigrate and establish lives and families here to help support the population, I think this is just absurd! It’s like telling a guest to come over and stay, permanently, that they are welcome. But then you turn around to belittle them and make them feel so unwelcome with every chance you get. “I don’t like the way you look/dress/think/lead your life – you are below me! – but keep paying me rent and respect me.”

How can this proposed change benefit anyone in this province?

It doesn’t! It actually creates anger between groups, encourages the “us vs them” mentality that is already poisoning this society, will cause further segregation between groups rather than encouraging people to integrate and contribute to society, will increase the jobless rate and will lead to loss of manpower to other provinces.

That means that your 8, 12, 17 hour wait in the emergency room could increase! Why? Because it would seem that being cared for by a doctor with a kippa is unacceptable.

On an endless waiting list for a daycare spot for your little munchkin? Wait a little longer, why don’t you? It would seem a woman wearing a hijab is unfit to care for your child.

Like feeling safe at home? Well, worry no more! That menace to society, turbaned police officer has been sent packing and criminals will be freer to roam your neighbourhood now! (I hope you can hear the sarcasm)

Remember that freaking awesome French teacher you had? Well, she’s been sacked too – turns out her cross was too big.

 

In a province where emergency room wait times are now averaging 19 hours. Where parents are knocking door-to-door and waiting months before they can find a subsidized a day daycare spot (and the quality isn’t all that great either). Where the dropout rate in high schools is set at average of 29%. Where crime has hit its lowest numbers in about 40 years (nationally) due to better tactics and hard work by officers and the justice system… Have we forgotten that we accept immigrants not our of “pity” but out of need? Who else is going to support our ageing population? Quebecers don’t reproduce enough to create the jobs and workers needed to support our asses and all the services we demand!

So why in the world do we want to discourage people from public service? Why chase them away? In all honesty, the last time you went to the hospital, or to get your license renewed, or had a police officer answer your call – did you get your panties in a bunch because the person serving you was wearing some form of religious symbol? I, myself, couldn’t care less as long as I am getting my service and as long as the person is dressed in a professional and clean manner.

 

Another question: Everyone here pays taxes for services provided by the government, no? I highly doubt people wearing religious symbols have some form of tax exemption – At least I’ve never heard of one. So why pay taxes to an entity that wants to actually take away your rights and freedoms? It’s like paying to get slapped in the face!

 

I’m honestly angry from all sides when it comes to this issue. As a Québecoise (or Francophone), I cannot believe that people still have this “us vs them” mentality. The whole “Le Québec aux Québecois” thing never made any sense to me – it’s a province built on immigrants. I guess people are quick to forget that the French were colonizers who took over the land of the Natives. Then came the English, and others followed. All contributed in some way, shape, or form to make Québec and Canada what it is today. Look at what we have all created. Look at the diversity – it is one of the most beautiful gifts Allah has given us.

So it pains me to hear what some of my fellow Francophones say. And I take it to heart even more because I am a Muslim. They would have me limited as to employment and segregated the day I choose to cover my hair. And how would they look at and treat our children? They will not have Francophone names, they may even look Arab, and I hope they will be good, practicing Muslims (insha’Allah)… Should they be discriminated against simply because they aren’t 100% pure Québecois “de souche”? Because they may wear a religious symbol?

 

How much farther would you like this to go? Not allowing people to speak any other language other than French in public? How about limiting jobs to only certain races? It sounds ludicrous, but it’s really not far off.

I thought our laws prevented against job discrimination based on race, religion, age. Isn’t this discrimination? By refusing gainful employment to someone solely on the basis of religious symbols?

 

Do we not have better issues to deal with?

• Unemployment – about 5000 jobs were lost in Québec last month while other provinces showed an increase in jobs!
• Emergency room wait times – 21 hours in Montréal, 17 in the rest of the province.  Why? A doctor and nurse shortage due to crap salaries and conditions and restrictions.
• Lack of family doctors – many people do not have family doctors. Again, salaries, conditions and restrictions.
• Medical specialists – did you know that you can easily wait 6 months to see a specialist in our wonderful province? What if you had cancer? Wouldn’t 6 months possibly make all the difference between life and death?
• Subsidized day care – parents are constantly searching for a spot, waiting months to get one and the quality of service isn’t all that much to write home about.
• Corruption – if you haven’t heard about the Charbonneau commission, I suggest you check it out! Our tax dollars are lining the pockets of the political elite and their buddies. Who knew?!
• Education – cuts in elementary, high school and continuing education but no increase in tuition to make up for it. How well is that going to bode? Already, McGill is no longer Canada’s top University. That didn’t take long! Again, did you not see the high school dropout rate posted above?
• Quebec debt – Seems it’s at about $258 billion. No problem there, right?

 

I’ll stick with this very simple way of summing it all up:

“Simple minds are distracted by simple things”

 

Anyone in Ontario looking to hire a graphic designer/translator and a procurement manager? I’m so sick of this xenophobic province!

 

 

Here’s a link to a petition, if you’re at all interested.

 https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/le-gouvernement-qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois-parti-qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois-arreter-le-projet-de-loi-la-charte-des-valeurs-du-qu%C3%A9bec

And here’s what I wrote as my comment:

Ceci ne profite aucunement à notre société, ça ne fait que diviser les gens.

SVP, passons aux vrais problèmes : temps d’attente et services de la santé, éducation, création d’emplois, endettement, accès aux services, corruption, etc.

NOTRE GOUVERNEMENT TENTE DE NOUS DISTRAIRE AVEC DES CONNERIES! Mme Marois, cessez donc de gaspiller notre temps et notre argent et penchez-vous donc sur les problèmes qui nous touchent! Vous et votre parti ne fait qu’accroître la haîne entre les québecois et de nous faire honte en face du monde entier! 

 

Interested in further reading?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/09/10/f-quebec-charter-proposal-constitution.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/08/21/f-charter-quebec-values-jocelyn-maclure.html

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/09/11/kelly-mcparland-quebec-charter-is-an-embarrassment-to-canadian-values-and-human-dignity/

http://www.cjad.com/blog/TommySchnurmacherShow/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10586945

Ramadan 2013 – Videos I like to watch on YouTube

Assalamu alaikum everyone! So, as always, I have failed to post as often as I would like to. But that’s ok, I was busy doing the things I should be really concentrating on during Ramadan – that is faith, worship, increasing knowledge, etc. Woohoo!

While I missed socializing at lunch time with co-workers, I did enjoy the videos I watched during that time. I’ll share some of the videos with you as I feel they are worth listening to and will probably return to some of them throughout the year.

Qur’anic Gems by Qur’an Weekly
I had this one video series I would listen to every day. Why? Not because I am obsessed, but because the people at Qur’an Weekly would put out a video every day during Ramadan. The series was entitled “Qur’anic Gems”. The topic? Picking one passage from the Qur’an every day (as part of our recommended daily reading – see this post which mentions it) and explains it. I have learned so much from these videos. They not only teach you more about Islam and the Qur’an but also about yourself. It’s a great series to watch if you’re looking to better yourself (not only as a Muslim, but as a person).

A link to the playlist:Qur’anic Gems playlist
And a link to their main YouTube page where they have many other videos:Qur’an Weekly YouTube page
Notable mention to the Superstars series: The one about Khadija had me crying.

Nye Armstrong
These videos are much more light-hearted. While they can be informative, they are much more about personal experience. Sister Nye Armstrong, who puts up the videos, is an American convert (or revert, whichever you prefer). She is often joined by another convert friend of hers, Rebecca. Together, they really make a great team and the friendship they have is something so beautiful. Honestly, on days where I wasn’t feeling the most positive, I would load up one of sister Nye’s videos and feel better instantly. The only downside to watching the videos was the realizing (even more than before) that I don’t have that much of any friendship with another sister. Now, this is not to discount what I do have, I know a few other Muslim females that I get along with and talk to, but nothing that is a really close friendship, where you see one another on a regular basis. It probably doesn’t help that I have yet to really feel this whole “sisterhood” thing I keep hearing about. I am very active on pages and message boards online, but in person… Lets just say I get nervous just getting dressed to go to the masjid. That is another post all on it’s own.

But yes, I do really enjoy the videos though and it makes me feel a little less lonely sometimes, like they’re almost there talking to me. Sounds crazy, I know! But I think you’ll get it if you watch a few of their videos.

A recent video of theirs – What is Ramadan?
One of their most viewed videos – Parents not Muslim… But you are?
A short video that sister Nye put together about what Muslims experience, especially converts – Blind Hate

Bayyinah Institute
These videos are a bit more advanced – they are mainly about the interpretation and explanation of the Qur’an and its passages (ayat). This process if called Tafseer. I have just recently started up on listening to these kinds of lectures and while they are really interesting, eye opening and informative, I wouldn’t suggest it for general consumption. I actually need to keep a pad of paper and pen when I listen to these in order to take notes.

Link to Bayyinah Institute’s YouTube Channel
Link to Bayyinah Institute’s Podcast (this is how I usually access the tafseer lectures)

Qalam Institute
The Qalam Institute is putting out an amazing series on the life of Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wasalam – Peace and blessings be upon him). This is called the Seerah. I will admit that I have always felt a bit of a hard time connecting to our Prophet for some reason. My possible explanation: Prophets were always the subjects in stories when I grew up, almost mythical. So I guess it’s hard to get close to or relate to them. But this series is meant to bring you closer to Prophet Muhammad through explaining his life story. The series is ongoing, currently at 50 lectures and increasing, but I am only at lecture 20. It’s a very long series but, so far, I am loving it! The lecturer really goes into the history and details, and you really get to see the human side of the Prophet (SAWS), his childhood, people in his life, struggles, outlooks, etc. And it’s all chronological too.

A link to their Podcast page.

For all of these different groups, all I have to say is SubhanAllah (glory be to God) – they put so much time and effort into these projects, it’s really amazing. And I really do hope they continue because they are teaching many Muslims (and non-Muslims) about our wonderful religion. If not making us better Muslims, then at least sharing knowledge and informing. This is in and of itself a beautiful gift. Jazaahum Allaahu khayran/Jazaahunna Allaahu khayran (may Allah reward them with good) to all these groups.

Alhamdullilah, 3 things I am grateful for today:
1- My parents accepting my Ramadan dinner invitation for last Saturday.
2- Having the means to put food on the table (with guests or just Salem and I).
3- The love my family has for me. Insha’allah (God willing), they know just how much I love them too.

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Assalamu alaikum tout le monde! Comme de fait, je n’ai pas été capable de publier des articles aussi souvent que je l’aurai voulu. Mais c’est rien de sérieux car j’était occupée avec des choses qui sont plutôt importantes durant le Ramadan; la foi, vénération, éducation, etc.

Certes, socialiser avec mes collègues lors de l’heure du diner m’a manqué, mais j’ai vraiment aimé les vidéos que j’ai regardé entretemps. Je vais partager quelques-uns de ces vidéos avec vous car je crois qu’il valent la peine d’écouter et je vais probablement y retourner au cours de l’année.

Qur’anic Gems par Qur’an Weekly
Ceci était la série que je regardais à chaque jour. Pourquoi? Non, pas parce que je suis une obsédée, mais parce que l’équipe de Qur’an Weekly téléchargeait un vidéo par jour durant le mois du Ramadan. La série était intitulée « Qur’anic Gems ». Le sujet : un passage tiré quotidiennement du Coran (basé sur notre lecture quotidienne suggérée) et son explication. J’en ai tellement apris grâce de ces vidéos; ils t’enseignent sur le Coran mais aussi sur nous-mêmes (individus). C’est une très bonne série si vous désirez vous améliorer en tant que Musulman ou en tant que personne.

Un lien vers la série : Qur’anic Gems playlist
Un lien vers leur page principale sur YouTube ou l’on peut visionner plusieurs vidéos : Page YouTube de Qur’an Weekly
Aussi à noter : leur série Superstars – celui sur Khadija m’a fait pleuer.

Nye Armstrong
Ces vidéos sont beaucoup plus légers. Ils sont tous de même informatifs, mais sont plus axés sur les expériences personnelles. Sœur Nye Armstrong, qui télécharge les vidéos, est une convertie américaine. Elle est souvent accompagnée d’une autre sœur, Rebecca. Ensemble, elles forment un très bon duo et il se voit facilement que leur amitié est de toute beauté. Honnêtement, j’écoute un de leurs vidéos les jours quand je ne me sens pas trop positive. Le seul bémol est quand j’ai réalisé (encore plus qu’avant) que je n’avais pas une telle amitié avec une sœur. Pas pour dire que je n’ai rien de bon; j’ai quelques copines qui sont musulmanes avec qui je m’entends et avec qui je peux parler, mais je n’ai pas d’amie proche dans ce groupe avec qui je pourrais voir régulièrement. Je n’ai pas encore fait l’expérience de la « sororité » entre sœurs que nous mentionne souvent notre religion. Je suis très active sur des forums et pages sur l’internet, mais c’est autre chose en personne. Disons que je commence à m’énerver dès que je commence à m’habiller pour une visite à la mosquée. Autre sujet, autre fois!

Pour y revenir, oui, j’aime bien les vidéos et parfois je me sens un peu moins isolée quand je les regarde; comme si elles étaient là, en train de me parler. Je ne suis pas folle, je vous le jure! Je pense bien que vous comprendriez si vous regardez leurs vidéos.

Une vidéo récente – What is Ramadan?
Une de leurs vidéos des plus populaires – Parents not Muslim… But you are?
Un court vidéo créé par sœur Nye adressant ce que vivent certains musulmans, spécialement ceux qui se sont convertis – Blind Hate

Bayyinah Institute
Ces vidéos sont un peu plus avancés; ils parlent plutôt de l’internprétation et l’explication du Coran et ses versets (ayat). Ce processus s’appelle le Tafseer. Je viens tout juste de commencer à écouter ce genre de lecture et, bien qu’elles sont très intéressantes, révélantes et informatives; je ne les suggèrerais pas pour tout le monde. En fait, j’ai toujours un bloc notes et un stylo pour prendre des notes quand j’écoute ces lectures.

Lien vers la Page YouTube de Bayyinah Institute
Lien vers les Podcast de Bayyinah Institute (souvent je les écoute plutôt que les regarder)

Qalam Institute
Le Qalam Institute produit une série sur la vie du Prophète Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wasalam – paix et bénédiction d’Allah sur lui). C’est ce qu’on appelle le Seerah. J’admets que j’ai toujours eu un peu de mas à forger un lien personnel avec notre Prophète. La seule raison dont je peux penser : Les prophètes faisaient toujours parti de comptes qu’on nous contait quand nous étions jeunes, des gens un peu mythiques. Alors je crois que c’est peut-être pour cela qu’il est difficile de s’en rapprocher et de former ce lien avec eux. Cette série a comme but de nous rapprocher au Prophète Muhammad (saws) à travers l’histoire de sa vie. La série n’est toujours pas complétée mais contient 50 sessions à date (ils en rajoutent toujours) et je ne suis qu’à la session numéro 20. C’est une longue série, mais, à date, je l’aime bien. Le conférencier rentre vraiment dans l’histoire et les détails et nous donne la chance de voir le côté plus humain de notre Prophète (saws), son enfance, les gens dans sa vie, ses peines au cours de sa vie, opinions, etc. C’est out en ordre chronologique.

Un lien vers leur page Podcast .

Pour tous ces groupes, tout ce que j’ai à dire est SubhanAllah (gloire soit à Dieu); ils dédient tellement d’effort et de temps sur ces projets. J’espère qu’ils continueront car il enseignent à plusieurs musulmans (et non-musulmans) sur ce qu’est notre religion. Si nous ne devenons pas de meilleurs musulmans suite à ces projets, du moins partagent leurs connaissances avec nous. Ceci est un superbe cadeau! Jazaahum Allaahu khayran/Jazaahunna Allaahu khayran (que dieu les bénits de bonnes actions) à tous ces groupes.

Alhamdullilah, 3 choses pour lesquelles je suis reconnaissante aujourd’hui:
1- Mes parents qui ont acceptés mon invitation pour un souper du Ramadan samedi dernier.
2- Avoir l’argent nécessaire pour nous nourrir (invités et nous deux tous seuls).
3- L’amour que ma famille ressens pour moi. Insha’allah (Dieu voulu), ils savent jusqu’à quel point je les aime aussi.

Ramadan 2013 – Video link: Oxford University Debate: is Islam a religion of peace?

Assalamu alaikum everyone, rather than write out a very lengthy post today, I decided to give your eyes a break, but perhaps not your ears and your minds.

Over the weekend, Salem and I came across a video on Facebook. It’s about a debate that took place at Oxford University in May of 2013.

What was the question? “Is Islam a religion of peace?”

Now, with everything we see in the news papers, on the television and what we hear from our friends, family and neighbours, most people in the Western world would most-likely answer “No, Islam is not a religion of peace”. Given the importance of the media in our perception of the world and it’s people, that the media loves to focus on negatives and extremes, and are corporations funded by people or groups with their own agenda, then I certainly can’t really be all that surprised.

I invite you to take a few minutes to watch this video in defense of our religion (and I am saying our religion, not people who claim to practice it and twist it and cherry-pick passages in order to suit their own means). What I really like about the arguments put forward by this gentleman are that they are based on figures and logic – it’s not about preaching.

Click here for the video on YouTube

Enjoy!

Salam.

Ramadan 2013 – What is Ramadan? C’est quoi le Ramadan?

Assalamu alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatu. On this second day of fasting, I am bringing you a bit more basic info about Ramadan. Do you have your pens/pencils and paper ready?

What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is actually the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. It is the month in which the Qur’an (our holy book) was first transmitted from Allah to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel. It is the month in which Muslims partake in a complete fast during daylight hours for 29-30 days.

Some verses from the Qur’an on fasting (taken from islamicity.com)
2:183 O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-
2:184 (Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (With hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.
2:185 Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.

What does Ramadan ask of you?
During this month, Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual relations from dawn until the sun sets. Abstaining is often extended to include smoking, swearing, and participating in anything that is ill-natured (such as gossip and backbiting, looking at unlawful things, etc).

Fasting is obligatory for all Muslims once the age of puberty has been reached. That being said, some people are exempt, such as those who are: ill, traveling, pregnant, diabetic, women going through menses or post-natal bleeding. Once these obstacles are no longer in place, one must make up for the days missed. If that is not possible, then one must make some form of donation (usually in the forms of feeding the needy). Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of our religion – I’ll be listing the 5 pillars further in this post.

What are the benefits of fasting and Ramadan?
For many, this is the ideal time to purify the soul through increased spiritual acts (more prayers, turning to Allah, praising Allah; reading the Qur’an); pulling back from daily distractions of normal, everyday life; practicing patience, humility, self-discipline and sacrifice; being charitable and multiplying good deeds. It is also an ideal time for forgiveness and to strengthen the bond between friends, family and community (often through meals).

What else happens in Ramadan?
We have special prayers that we do every night during Ramadan, called tarawih, which is done after the sun has fully set.

Acts of charity and kindness are multiplied during this month, so many people decide to give their obligatory zakat (charity based on a % of savings) at this time, there is also another type of donation one can give (sadaqah) which is voluntary and can go to a number of projects, and it is customary to give zakat ul fitr (charity for Eid) which is the amount it costs to feed one person a meal.

Reading the Qur’an is a very important part of Ramadan, many people trying to read the whole book in the month, which can be divided into 30 parts (1 part a day) or others have subdivided into reading 4 pages after each obligatory prayer (making a total of 20 pages a day).
It’s a great time to increase acts of worship such as dhikr (supplications to Allah), making extra duas (special demands after prayers), memorizing parts of the Qur’an, and increasing general Islamic knowledge.

People tend to go to gatherings more often either for prayers (FYI – men must go to the masjid for prayers!), there are also communal iftar at many mosques so people can break their fasts together. Families actually get together and make time to share a meal.

There are countless other things that happen during Ramadan, but it would take me an eternity to write them all (and even then, I would forget some).

What are the 5 pillars of Islam?
1- Shahada: confession or testament to the faith, testifying that you believe there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger.
2- Salat: prayer – we have 5 compulsory prayers a day
3- Sawm: fasting during Ramadan
4- Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca once in your lifetime
5- Zakat: charity

What does my typical day look like during Ramadan:
2:45 am – Rise and shine (or not!) I like to get up a few minutes early to do extra prayers or other acts of worship.
3:00 am – warm up breakfast (suhoor) and eat, make sure to get 2 tall glasses of water in.
3:20 am – it’s Fajr (our first prayer, at dawn)! Time to pray! Afterwards, I often do a few invocations and then head off to bed.
7:20 am – Get up and get ready for work. Do an extra prayer before leaving (if no time, do it at the beginning of my lunch break).
7:45 am – Leave for work, read Qur’an in the train/bus.
8:30 am – Work day starts.
12:00 pm – If I didn’t have the time to do a little extra prayer before leaving for work, I do it now. If I’m staying at my desk, I like to take a 20-30 minute nap or watch religious videos on YouTube (I will put up a few links to some of my favorites in another post).
12:50 pm – Do an extra prayer.
1:00 pm – It’s Dhuhr, our lunch-time prayer. I also like to throw in an extra prayer here afterwards.
5:00 pm – Leave for home. Finish reading my daily Qur’an reading on the train.
6:00 pm – Arrive home (if I don’t have any errands), pray Asr (afternoon prayer). Take a nap – if I can manage to fall asleep.
8:00 pm – Start up on supper (Iftar).
8:45 pm – It’s time for supper! We usually break our fast with a few dates and some water. We then pray Maghrib (evening prayer) and then get to our supper which is usually fatteh (a Lebanese dish – click for my recipe) and then move on to a meal with proteins, veggies and some kind of carbs. And don’t forget to drink lots of water!
9:30 pm – do the dishes, clean up, whatever else needs to be done. You can also do an extra prayer here too.
10:40 pm – It’s time to pray our last obligatory prayer, Isha, and then get on to tarawih – our special Ramadan prayers. This can take a while depending on how many you do and a few other factors. We customarily finish up with a witr isha prayer (basically the last prayer for the night) and then head off to bed. We’re pretty much zombies by the time we go to bed.

Bolded times indicate the time our fasting begins and ends.

Voici la version française

Assalamu alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatu. Pour le 2e jour de jeûne, j’aimerais vous parler un peu plus du Ramadan et vous donner un peu plus d’informations de base. Êtes-vous prêts?

C’est quoi le Ramadan?
Le Ramadan est, en actualité, le 9e mois du calendrier Musulman. C’est le mois dans lequel notre Prophète Muhammad (que la paix et le salut soit sur lui) a commencé a recevoir la transmission du Coran de la part de Dieu, à travers l’ange Gabriel. Ceci est le mois où nous jeunons (pas d’eau, pas de nourriture) pendant le jour pour une durée de 29-30 jours (un cycle lunaire).

Quelques versets du Coran concernant le jeûne (à partir du site coran-en-ligne.com.com)
2:183 Ô les croyants! On vous a prescrit as-Siyam (le jeûne) comme on l’a prescrit à ceux d’avant vous, ainsi atteindrez-vous la piété,
2:184 pendant un nombre déterminé de jours. Quiconque d’entre vous est malade ou en voyage, devra jeûner un nombre égal d’autres jours. Mais pour ceux qui ne pourraient le supporter (qu’avec grande difficulté), il y a une compensation : nourrir un pauvre. Et si quelqu’un fait plus de son propre gré, c’est pour lui; mais il est mieux pour vous de jeûner; si vous saviez!
2:185 (Ces jours sont) le mois de Ramadan au cours duquel le Coran a été descendu comme guide pour les gens, et preuves claires de la bonne direction et du discernement. Donc quiconque d’entre vous est présent en ce mois, qu’il jeûne! Et quiconque est malade ou en voyage, alors qu’il jeûne un nombre égal d’autres jours. – Allah veut pour vous la facilité, Il ne veut pas la difficulté pour vous, afin que vous en complétiez le nombre et que vous proclamiez la grandeur d’Allah pour vous avoir guidés, et afin que vous soyez reconnaissants!

Que dois-tu faire pendant le Ramadan?
Durant ce mois, les Musulmans ne consomment ni nourriture, ni eau (ou liquides) et nous devons abstenir de relations sexuelles du lever du soleil au coucher du soleil. Ceci inclut souvent aussi s’abstenir de fumer, jurer et participer dans ce qui est considéré comme étant désagréable (tels que commérages, médisances, laisser tomber son regard sur des choses illicites, etc.).

Le jeûne est obligatoire pour tout Musulman à partir de l’âge de la puberté. Ceci étant dit, certains en sont exemptés tels que pour des raisons de : maladie, voyagement, grossesse, diabète, femmes qui ont leur règles ou lochies (saignement postnatal). Les jours manqués sont à rattraper dès que ces obstacles ne sont plus en effet. Si ceci est impossible, alors on doit faire un don quelconque (souvent il est demandé qu’on nourrisse un pauvre pour le nombre de jours manqués). Le jeûne du Ramadan est une des 5 piliers de notre religion; je vais énumérer ces piliers un peu plus tard dans cet article.

Quels sont les avantages tirés du jeûne du Ramadan?
Pour plusieurs, ceci est l’occasion parfaite de purifier son esprit à travers l’augmentation du nombre d’actes spirituels (prières, se tourner vers Allah, louanges à Allah, lecture du Coran), diminuer les distractions de la vie quotidienne, pratiquer la patience, l’humilité, l’autodiscipline ainsi que le sacrifice, être charitable et multiplier les bonnes actions. C’est aussi le temps idéal pour demander le pardon et pour renforcer les liens entre amis, famille et la communauté (souvent en passant par la table!).

Il y a d’autre chose qui se passe lors du Ramadan?
Nous avons de prières spéciales que nous offrons chaque soir durant le Ramadan, elles s’appellent « Tarawih » et sont faites une fois le soleil complètement couché.

Les actes de charité et de bienfaisance sont multipliés durant ce mois alors plusieurs pratiquants décident d’en profiter pour payer leur zakat obligatoire (don de charité basé sur un % d’épargnes) ainsi que faire d’autres genres de dons volontaires (sadaqah) pour divers projets. Il y a aussi le zakat ul fitr (Don de charité pour l’Eid) qui est équivalent au montant nécessaire pour nourrir une personne, pour un repas.

Aussi très important ce mois ci est la lecture du Coran. Plusieurs ont comme objectif de lire le livre au complet dans ce mois, ceci est accompli en le divisant en 30 sections (1 section par jour), d’autres divisent la lecture par prière (4 pages après chaque prière obligatoire, pour un total de 20 pages par jour).

C’est une merveilleuse occasion pour augmenter le nombre d’actes de vénération tels que dhikr (supplications envers Allah), prières pour faveurs de la part de Allah duas, mémorisation du Coran, et pour approfondir ses connaissances de l’Islam.

Les gens sont plus aptes à se rassembler ou pour des prières (SVP notez que les hommes doivent se rendre à la mosquée pour chaque prière!) ou pour casser le jeûne iftar en communauté. Ceci se fait souvent aux mosquées. Aussi, le monde s’assure de prendre le temps pour casser leur jeûne ensemble, en famille.

Il y a innombrables autres choses que l’on peut faire à l’occasion du Ramadan, mais il me prendrait une éternité pour vous compiler une liste (et j’en oublierais encore!).

Quels sont les 5 piliers de l’Islam?
1- Shahada : attestation ou témoignage de notre foi : Je témoigne qu’il n’y a pas d’autre dieu qu’Allah et que Muhammad (Mahomet) est son messager.
2- Salat : 5 prières obligatoires par jour
3- Sawm : le jeûne du Ramadan
4- Hajj : pèlerinage à la Mecque, une fois au cours de sa vie
5- Zakat : don de charité (% d’épargnes)

À quoi ressemble ma journée lors du Ramadan:
2:45 am – Debout les enfants! J’aime me réveiller quelques minutes plus tôt pour faire des prières en surplus ou autres actes de vénération.
3:00 am – Je prépare le déjeuner (suhoor), on mange et je m’assure de boire 2 grands verres d’eau.
3:20 am – C’est Fajr (la primière prière du jour, à l’aube)! Par après, je fais quelques invocations et je retourne au lit.
7:20 am – C’est le temps de se lever et se préparer pour le travail. Je fais une petite prière en extra si je le peux avant de quitter (sinon, je le fais en début d’heure du dîner).
7:45 am – C’est le départ pour l’ouvrage, je lis le Coran sur le train et l’autobus.
8:30 am – Ma journée au travail débute.
12:00 pm – Si j’ai pas eu le temps de faire ma prière en extra avant de quitter le matin, je la fais maintenant. Si je reste à mon bureau, ou je prends une sieste de 20-30 minutes ou je regarde des vidéos informatifs sur YouTube (religieux, bien sûr! – j’en rajouterai les liens dans un autre article qui suivra).
12:50 pm – Une autre prière en extra.
1:00 pm – C’est Dhuhr, notre prière de mi-journée. J’aime aussi rajouter une autre prière en surplus par après.
5:00 pm – Départ pour la maison. Je finis souvent de lire ma section quotidienne du Coran sur le train.
6:00 pm – Arrivée à la maison (si je n’ai pas de courses à faire) et je fais ma prière de l’après-midi Asr. Faire une petite sieste (si il est possible de m’endormir).
8:00 pm – Je prépare à souper(Iftar).
8:45 pm – C’est le temps de casser le jeûne! D’habitude, on casse le jeûne avec des dates et de l’eau. Ensuite, on fait notre prière Maghrib et par après, on soupe en commençant avec du fatteh (un mets Libanais – cliquez pour la recette) suivi par un repas avec protéines, légumes et un féculent. N’oubliez pas de boire beaucoup d’eau!
10:40 pm – C’est le temps de faire notre dernière prière obligatoire Isha. Une fois terminée, on commence les prières du tarawih; nos prières spéciales du Ramadan. Ceci peut prendre du temps, tout dépendant du nombre de prières qu’on fait, ainsi que d’autres facteurs. Nous finissons le tout avec la dernière prière du soir; la witr isha (dernière prière de la nuit) et on se couche! Par le temps qu’on fini le tout, nous sommes morts de fatigue!

Heures en caractères gras indique quand le jeûne commence et termine.

30 days (or 29) and 30 posts in Ramadan – 30 jours (ou 29) et 30 articles durant le Ramadan

Ramadan Kareem (happy Ramadan) to everyone! Je souhaite un Ramadan Kareem (joyeux Ramadan) à tous!

Assalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, I am greeting all my readers with our full-on, official, standard Muslim greeting today (and probably for the next month) because it is officially our holy month of Ramadan. What does this sentence translate into? “May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you” Amongst Muslims, we often use the shortened version “Assalamu ‘alaikum” (peace be upon you) but I figured today warranted a special something extra.

Insha’Allah (God willing), I will be posting every day this Ramadan in hopes of providing info to our mixed audience. Please note, I am only trying to share the knowledge I have, I am not a scholar nor am I perfect, so please forgive me if I make any mistakes although I will be spending time researching posts before publishing anything. There will be some more introductory info, some more in-depth info and some opinion pieces as well. For my first post, I will start with one question (which lead to another) I was asked a few times over the past few weeks.

When does Ramadan start this year?

This is actually a question I ask numerous times myself in preparation for Ramadan. Partly from excitement over the coming month but also for planning purposes. Unfortunately, we can only ballpark our answer down to 1-2 days, and we don’t really know until the evening before we start fasting. Here comes the follow-up question…

Why?

The Islamic calendar is not planned out the same way as the Gregorian calendar (the one use on a daily basis). The Islamic calendar is actually based on the phases of the moon. A new month starts when the moon (or crescent) is sighted after the new moon. This is why we can’t give a doubt-free answer until the night itself. This is also why there are some people who begin fasting earlier and others later (this applies to Eid as well, at the end of the month).

From what I have read, there are 2 ways to “sight” the moon. Either by the human eye, or through mathematical calculations. I’m not going to get into a debate about this as I am certainly not a scholar but I would point people towards their local mosque – this way you can fast during Ramadan with the rest of your community, attend tarawih (night) prayers with them and celebrate Eid together.

I would also like to add in a little something personal with these daily posts:

Alhamdullilah – What I am particularly thankful for today
Each day, I will post 3 things I have been particularly thankful for.

1- Air conditioning: there was none when arriving into work today, predictions were for 38 Celcius with humidity. Thankfully, they fixed it before noon. Alhamdullilah!
2- People being open minded in spite of the negative image being put out by the media on all sides. I was at a social gathering yesterday and people were curious and respectful of my religious beliefs and Ramadan. The media in my area has been very negative as of late concerning language and culture. It really warmed my heart to see that it really is a case of only a few bad apples ruining the batch.
3- Water. Yep, that’s the thing I miss the most during Ramadan – not food, but water.

If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section and I’ll try my best to answer them.

Love, ~C

Assalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, aujourd’hui, ainsi que pour le restant du mois, je vous souhaite tous bonjour avec notre salutation formelle entre Musulmans. Pourquoi? Parce que c’est maintenant officiellement le mois du Ramadan. Que veux dire cette salutation? « Que la paix, la miséricorde et la bénédiction de Dieu soient sur vous » En temps normal, nous utilisons souvent Assalamu ‘alaikum « Que la paix soit sur vous » mais je croyais que cette journée méritait quelque chose de plus que la normale.

Insha’Allah (Avec la volonté de Dieu), Je vais rajouter des articles chaque jour durant le Ramadan en espoir de partager des informations avec mon public mixte. SVP gardez en tête que je ne suis ni spécialiste (ou érudite), ni parfaite alors je vous demande de me pardonner si je fais quelques erreurs; même après les recherches que je fais avant de rajouter un article sur notre blogue. Je compte avoir des informations de base, des informations sur des sujets plus complexes et, bien sûr, mes opinions et ma perspective.

Pour mon premier article ce mois, je vais commencer par une question qu’on me pose souvent dans les semaines précédentes le Ramadan (et cette question mène souvent à une autre).

Quand débute le Ramadan cet année?

Je me pose souvent cette question en me préparant pour le Ramadan. Partiellement par enthousiasme pour ce mois mais aussi pour commencer la planification nécessaire pour ce mois. Malheureusement, on ne peut donner une réponse concrète jusqu’à la soirée avant le commencement du jeûne. Alors voici la question qui suit souvent cette réponse…

Pourquoi?

Le calendrier Musulman n’est pas basé sur le calendrier grégorien; celui qu’on utilise quotidiennement. Le calendrier Musulman est basé sur les phases de la lune. Un mois commence dès qu’on aperçoit la lune (ou un croissant) après la nouvelle lune. C’est pourquoi nous ne pouvons pas donner une réponse avant le soir même. Ceci est aussi pourquoi tout le monde ne commence pas le jeûne en même temps; ou ne célèbrera possiblement pas l’Eid en même temps à la fin du mois.

De ce que j’ai lu, il y a 2 façons « d’apercevoir » la lune ; par l’œil (à l’aide de télescopes, etc si nécessaire) ou à l’aide de calculs. Je ne vais certainement pas rentrer dans un grand débat concernant ces 2 méthodes car je ne suis pas spécialiste. Je préfère suggérer que les gens s’informent auprès de leur mosquée. De cette manière, on peut jeûner, faires nos prières du tarawih (prières du soir) et célébrer l’Eid avec le restant de notre communauté.

Je souhaite aussi rajouter un petit quelque chose plus personnel à chacun de ces articles quotidiens ce mois-ci :

Alhamdullilah – Je suis particulièrement reconnaissante de… aujourd’hui

Chaque jour, je vais nommer 3 choses pour lesquelles je suis reconnaissante.
1- l’air climatisé : l’air climatisé ne fonctionnait pas en rentrant au travail ce matin. On prévoyait des températures de 38 degrés Celcius avec le facteur humidité. Heureusement, ils l’ont réparé avant midi! Alhamdullilah!
2- Les gens qui gardent un esprit ouvert malgré la mauvaise publicité des tous les côtés grâce aux médias. J’étais à une rencontre hier et les gens étaient curieux ainsi que respectueux envers mes croyances et le Ramadan. Récemment, dans ma région, les médias ont peint une image très négative en ce qui concerne la langue et la culture. Ça m’a vraiment touché de voir que ce n’était pas le cas, que c’est seulement quelques personnes qui causent des ennuis pour tout le monde.
3- L’eau. Oui, ceci est la chose qui me manque le plus lors du Ramadan; pas la bouffe, mais l’eau.

Si vous avez des questions, SVP ne soyez pas gênés. Vous n’avez qu’à les ajouter dans vos commentaires et je vais faire de mon mieux pour vous répondre.

Avec amour, ~C

Ramadan Kareeeeeeeemmmmmmm!!! – It’s Fatteh time!

*cue music* It’s the most wonderful tiiiiime of the yeeeeeeeeaaaaarrrrrr! *end music before my singing kills someone*
Assalamu alaikum everyone, I’ve been busy with Ramadan so I am a few days late in posting again.

So yes, it is Ramadan… actually, the first week is almost over! Fasting started last Friday (although some started on Saturday) and should go on through to nearly the end of August (somewhere around the 19th). This year, we’re working hard to get up before sunrise to eat a bit and do our prayers. I will admit, in years past, we just sat up in bed, ate a few dates and drank a glass of water in the dark and laid back down. None of that this year! Perhaps I aught to add in a “Suhoor” section now that breakfast is not just limited to either a banana or dates. Although I do feel my energy levels dip a bit in the afternoon because my sleep is interrupted. Oh well, it’ll force me to nap when I get home.

People who don’t fast often ask me about food during Ramadan. So I will share with you what is the ONE typical Ramadan food for me – Fatteh! It’s easy to make, easy to eat and very tasty. The great thing about this dish is how nutritious it can be: we have complex and simple carbs, fats, protein and dairy – perfect for when you’ve been fasting all day. That along with a few dates and a glass of water really help give you energy again.

Fatteh
Serves 4
Ingredients
-1 medium loaf of pita bread
-1.5 cups plain yogurt
-4 Tbspn Tahini
-1 cup chickpeas (roughly)
-3 Tbspn almonds, roughly chopped (skin on or off, it’s your choice) **You can use pine nuts…. if you can afford them!**
-butter
-olive oil
-paprika to taste

Putting it together:
1. Drizzle a bit of olive oil onto both sides of your pita bread and spread with wither a brush or using your hands. Tear the loaf into pieces, approx 1″ each. Toast either in a pan on the stove top or on a cookie sheet in the oven (about 350F for 5 minutes or so). The goal is to crisp up your bread, not burn it.
2. Heat up your chickpeas in a saucepan (with the water that came with the beans or just ad a bit of water so the beans don’t get scorched). One heated, drain but leave just a little bit of water at the bottom.
3. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt and tahini. Add more or less tahini to your taste – I really like tahini, Salem eats it in massive quantities so we often surpass the 4 Tbspn suggested quantity if we’re the only ones eating it. Set aside.
4. Warm up a bit of butter and/or olive oil in a pan. One heated, add in the almonds to toast them to your liking.
5. Prep 4 deep bowls for the layering.
The first layer: the toasted pita bread.
The second layer: add chickpeas on top of the pita.
The 3rd layer: cover the chickpeas with the yogurt and tahini mix.
To top it all off, sprinkle on your toasted almonds and the leftover oil in the pan. Sprinkle with paprika.
6. Say “Bismillah” and eat!

**Please note: the picture above is a smaller sized fatteh – I have to leave space for dinner. I use ramekins rather than regular bowls and, of course, scale down the ingredients.**

Our trip to Alberta – part 2!

Alright, so I know that our trip to Alberta was 2 months ago and I RUSHED to get pictures of our nephew up once we came back but then, as always, laziness overtook me. I finally got around to going through the pictures, colour-correcting them and then resizing them so I could post them on here without anyone being able to complain about spinach in their teeth the size of Jupiter!

I’m also thinking about starting up on what I am doing for fitness but I’m not sure anyone is interested… If anyone wants to know what I do for food and physical activity please let me know. It may actually work as a bit of a motivator since I would be accountable to all those who come and read this (tiny) blog. I think it might also be interesting for people to see what I have planned for Ramadan – trying to reach a healthy balance between my religious duties, food, fitness and everything else! Which reminds me, I need to start working on a schedule. So, en bref, let me know if this is of (any) interest whatsoever.

Alright, enough yapping like a chihuahua, lets get to the pictures!

Caro, the silly wife.

The hot husband.

On the way to Banff.

Mother, daughter and son.

The brand new mommy and daddy. 🙂

Salem looking tough, Caro looking like a weirdo stalker. Nothing new here!

Residents mingle – Mr. Deer and Mr. Pedestrian.

About halfway up the mountain side.

Subhan’Allah! Art in nature.

I could sit here all day.

A beautiful mountain range behind my gorgeous husband!

The mountains, valley and river. Can I build my house here?

Salem in full hiking mode.

Beautiful view of a neighbouring mountain and the river and valley below.

There’s actually snow at the top! It’s not just an illusion!

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the patterns formed by the bark on this tree. This was taken at the top of the mountain on our hiking trip to Banff.

Chocolate-fondue and all the fixings!

Post-chocolate fondue get together with my sister-in-law and my friend, Anna.

Bumps in the road when practicing Islam in a western society

I figured I would post on here about something I have been dealing with for years now, basically since I converted to Islam – figuring out what the fine line is between what is permissible and what is not. One of the biggest challenges in my case is Holidays practiced by people (whether they be religious or not).

Coming up next Monday is what used to be my favorite day of the year – Halloween. As a child, I loved dressing up, looking at how houses were decorated and, of course, getting candy. As an adult, the only thing I cared about was dressing up. I will admit that now, at the age of 27, the only thing I miss about not partaking in anything Halloween is the dressing up. yes, a grown woman who loves to play dress-up! Why? I don’t know. Is it a means of escapism? Is it just the clothing and the makeup? Is it something creative I can let out? I have no clue what it’s all about.

A fellow Muslim recently asked me if I was doing anything for Halloween. Enter the ever-so-present dilemma – Do I dress up or not? Halloween is the one day a year where I can dress up, go out in public and not be looked at as a complete nutter. I didn’t partake last year and I won’t be partaking this year because of my own religious beliefs. Salem and I were actually discussing this over dinner last night and I stumbled upon a post from another blogger dating back to 2007. It’s quite a lengthy post but it goes into more detail than what I will do here, which is give you the basic rundown of my reasoning.

Halloween is a Pagan holiday. Islam is a monotheistic religion (just like Judaism and Christianity – FYI) and within our own religion, we cannot participate in anything that contradicts our faith and religious teachings (ie One God vs Many Gods). By partaking in the dressing up and trick-or-treating and all that, we’re only saying that we agree with the belief – no matter how much the practice now is different from what the real Pagans practiced and still do. Let us not forget that one (if not the) biggest sins in Islam is to associate partners to Allah (ie polytheism). Also “Whoever imitates a nation is one of them.” (Abu Da’oud)

That being said, I don’t practice or observe anyone else’s religious holidays either although it does make things complicated on my end because I always hope my family understands that it’s nothing personal and that I do miss the opportunity to visit them on what is a special occasion to them. Instead, I try to spend time with them around their holidays but not on the days themselves. While Islam, Judaism and Christianity are all faiths of the book and believe in one God, we certainly don’t practice or believe the same religious holidays. If my family wants to come and visit me on any of our two Eids, then they are more than welcome, but I don’t expect it of them as they aren’t Muslims.

It’s all very hard to explain and can get complicated because holidays involve traditions and emotions. In the end, it comes down to 2 important questions: “Is this event something that I believe in? It is something that goes against my religious teachings and beliefs?”. I believe that there is no God but God, that we worship none but him and that we are accountable to him at the end of our time on this earth. When I converted, I made the decision to follow my religion as best I could and to submit to the will of Allah, therefore I cannot participate in religious observances which I do not believe in and only participate in the holidays dictated by my religion.

On a lighter note, I won’t be dressing up on the 31st but I have already put in a request with Salem that we have a costume party for my 28th birthday. Yayyyy!!!! I’ll probably be playing dress-up at home in the meantime!