Check it out and let us know what you think about it. Do you find it offensive?
Asalaamu alaikum
Nadira & Najwa
Najwa & Nadira
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sexiness For Muslimahs Too???
A German lingerie store called "Liaison Dangereuse (Dangerous Liaison) has a controversial commercial out with a woman getting dressed in some provocative (but cute!) lingerie... It has Arabian influences in the music and undertones...
Check it out and let us know what you think about it. Do you find it offensive?
Check it out and let us know what you think about it. Do you find it offensive?
The Fort Hood Killings... Crazy... or Not???
On Thursday, November 5th, 2009 a soldier at Fort Hood Military Base in Texas opened fire killing 12 people and wounding 30 others. The suspect in this case is Major Nidal Malik Hasan.
Hasan was reported to have been wearing his uniform when he opened fire, said Col. Steven Braverman, hospital commander at Fort Hood. Braverman said Hasan had received orders to deploy to Afghanistan.
The shooting occurred in a building called the readiness center, one of the last stops before soldiers deploy and one of the first places soldiers go upon returning to the United States.
Some of the victims were headed to Iraq or Afghanistan, said Col. Benton Danner.
A federal official said Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent. Military documents show Hasan was born in Virginia and has never deployed outside the United States. Read more of this story here.
Hasan was reported to have been wearing his uniform when he opened fire, said Col. Steven Braverman, hospital commander at Fort Hood. Braverman said Hasan had received orders to deploy to Afghanistan.
The shooting occurred in a building called the readiness center, one of the last stops before soldiers deploy and one of the first places soldiers go upon returning to the United States.
Some of the victims were headed to Iraq or Afghanistan, said Col. Benton Danner.
A federal official said Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent. Military documents show Hasan was born in Virginia and has never deployed outside the United States. Read more of this story here.
As it has been reported, Major Hasan is an American-born Muslim who was born and raised here in the U.S. He apparently was being deployed to Iraq and he was trying to get out or the military because he did not believe in the war and he did not want to have to go to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Story taken from www.cnn.com
This made me think.... being a Muslim, I know that I would never be able to go to fight against my fellow Muslims either. To kill a Muslim is a grave sin in Islam. To kill innocent people is also a sin. What do you think about this tragic story? Do you think Major Hasan was taking a stand against fighting and killing more innocent Muslim families in Iraq? Do you think what he did was wrong? Did he have P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)? Can you understand his reasoning behind this???
Asalaamu alaikum
Najwa & Nadira
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Kaabah: The One Place on Earth Not Destroyed in '2012'
What even Roland Emmerich won't destroy: an Islamic landmark
In Roland Emmerich's upcoming global demolition derby movie 2012, the director gets to indulge his passion for destroying landmarks on a world scale.
In previous movies, he's destroyed the Empire State Building and the White House (Independence Day), sent a giant monster into the middle of Manhattan (Godzilla), blown away the famous Hollywood sign and the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles (The Day After Tomorrow) and savaged New York again by flooding and then freezing it (also The Day After Tomorrow).
In 2012, he takes on landmarks in Rome, Rio de Janeiro and, yes, Washington, but there is one place even he couldn't bring himself to obliterate. We caught up with Emmerich in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where he told us why he chose various landmarks to lay waste in 2012, and about the one that got away.
"I always like I think when it feels very new and original," Emmerich said, adding: "Landmarks are always symbols, just symbols. ... They stand for something."
Obviously.
This time around, he has a giant wave striking it. A wave carrying the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy.
"I think my favorite in this one is like the White House destruction," he said. "I didn't want to go there again, and [co-writer/producer] Harald [Kloser] pretty much convinced me that I have to. And then I was brooding for days and days and days, and then I kind of had the idea: ... I've got JFK kind of coming back to the White House, which I thought was ironic."
The Poseidon
Well, not really. It's a cruise ship that rolls over much like the ill-fated ship from The Poseidon Adventure and its recent remake.
"The most striking image for me of any disaster movie was when the ship in Poseidon Adventure rolls over," Emmerich says. "I pay homage to that. ... For me it's always the most striking image of all the disaster movies. Because it's a really big object that rolls over."
The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican
That includes the famous frescoed ceiling by Michelangelo depicting Adam touching fingers with God.
"I always try to come up with what makes sense for the story, you know?" Emmerich says. "And it's not only about the destruction. It has to kind of stand for something. One of my favorite pieces of art is Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: ... God ... reaches out to Adam, and the crack goes through it. It's just an interesting kind of notion."
St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
"Why ... don't [we] have the church fall on people's head?" Emmerich said. He added: "The whole Vatican kind of tips and kind of rolls over the people. It said something, because in the story, some people ... believe in praying and prayer, and they pray in front of the church, and it's probably the wrong thing, what they would do in that situation."
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro
"Because I'm against organized religion," Emmerich says.
... and the one that got away...
Emmerich said that he got approached by people who wanted their landmarks destroyed, such as the 101 Tower in Taipei, the world's tallest building (pictured below).
But Emmerich was thinking of something even more explosive: the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building at the heart of Mecca, the focus of prayers and the Islamic pilgrimage called the Hajj; it is one of Islam's holiest sites.
Really?
"Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," Emmerich says. "But my co-writer Harald said I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie. And he was right. ... We have to all ... in the Western world ... think about this. You can actually ... let ... Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa, and that sounds a little bit like what the state of this world is. So it's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out."
-Article taken from www.scifiwire.com
Written by: Patrick Lee
So, what do you think the producer's REAL reason is for not destroying the Kaabah in his movie? Is he afraid of a "fatwa"? Did he really think that the Kaabah wasn't important? Does he have some other unkown reason??? What do you think about this article overall?
In Roland Emmerich's upcoming global demolition derby movie 2012, the director gets to indulge his passion for destroying landmarks on a world scale.
In previous movies, he's destroyed the Empire State Building and the White House (Independence Day), sent a giant monster into the middle of Manhattan (Godzilla), blown away the famous Hollywood sign and the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles (The Day After Tomorrow) and savaged New York again by flooding and then freezing it (also The Day After Tomorrow).
In 2012, he takes on landmarks in Rome, Rio de Janeiro and, yes, Washington, but there is one place even he couldn't bring himself to obliterate. We caught up with Emmerich in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where he told us why he chose various landmarks to lay waste in 2012, and about the one that got away.
"I always like I think when it feels very new and original," Emmerich said, adding: "Landmarks are always symbols, just symbols. ... They stand for something."
Obviously.
This time around, he has a giant wave striking it. A wave carrying the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy.
"I think my favorite in this one is like the White House destruction," he said. "I didn't want to go there again, and [co-writer/producer] Harald [Kloser] pretty much convinced me that I have to. And then I was brooding for days and days and days, and then I kind of had the idea: ... I've got JFK kind of coming back to the White House, which I thought was ironic."
The Poseidon
Well, not really. It's a cruise ship that rolls over much like the ill-fated ship from The Poseidon Adventure and its recent remake.
"The most striking image for me of any disaster movie was when the ship in Poseidon Adventure rolls over," Emmerich says. "I pay homage to that. ... For me it's always the most striking image of all the disaster movies. Because it's a really big object that rolls over."
The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican
That includes the famous frescoed ceiling by Michelangelo depicting Adam touching fingers with God.
"I always try to come up with what makes sense for the story, you know?" Emmerich says. "And it's not only about the destruction. It has to kind of stand for something. One of my favorite pieces of art is Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: ... God ... reaches out to Adam, and the crack goes through it. It's just an interesting kind of notion."
St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican
"Why ... don't [we] have the church fall on people's head?" Emmerich said. He added: "The whole Vatican kind of tips and kind of rolls over the people. It said something, because in the story, some people ... believe in praying and prayer, and they pray in front of the church, and it's probably the wrong thing, what they would do in that situation."
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro
"Because I'm against organized religion," Emmerich says.
... and the one that got away...
Emmerich said that he got approached by people who wanted their landmarks destroyed, such as the 101 Tower in Taipei, the world's tallest building (pictured below).
But Emmerich was thinking of something even more explosive: the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building at the heart of Mecca, the focus of prayers and the Islamic pilgrimage called the Hajj; it is one of Islam's holiest sites.
Really?
"Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," Emmerich says. "But my co-writer Harald said I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie. And he was right. ... We have to all ... in the Western world ... think about this. You can actually ... let ... Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa, and that sounds a little bit like what the state of this world is. So it's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out."
-Article taken from www.scifiwire.com
Written by: Patrick Lee
So, what do you think the producer's REAL reason is for not destroying the Kaabah in his movie? Is he afraid of a "fatwa"? Did he really think that the Kaabah wasn't important? Does he have some other unkown reason??? What do you think about this article overall?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Handheld Bidets, Instinja and the Like...
First things first... Muslimah2Muslimah had a question from a sister who is a new revert to Islam and she was wondering how to make istinja' and what to use for it... Some people use water bottles, some use a watering can, others just have a cup near their toilets. In the states, bidets are not a common thing that you see in people's homes or even out in public areas. However, there are handheld bidets that are available at Home Depot or even Walmart 
for a very low price. This is my personal favorite way to make istinja'. You do not have to constantly fill a container up with water every time you need to use the restroom and you can also control the water pressure. So awesome!
Now, down to the more basic stuff: What Is Istinja'???
Istinja' is performed using pure and purifying water or a solid, dry material, like a stone or paper. It is obligatory to make istinja' from every wet material emitted from the eliminatory outlets, such as urine or feces. It can be done by using water, rocks, paper and the like.
When performing istinja' by water, cleaning oneself from feces one pours the water on the outlet and rubs with one’s left hand until the najas-filth is removed. This makes the place tahir (pure).
When performing istinja' using rocks and the like (paper), if one makes instinja' using a solid, dry material, such as a rock (or paper), one wipes the outlet three times. If the three wipes are not enough to clean the area, one wipes more until the place becomes clean. One may use three wads of tissue or the like. Without using water, it is not enough to wipe less than thrice, even if the place becomes clean.
Also, it is recommended to enter the bathroom with the left foot, and to leave it with the right foot; contrary to the way you enter your home or the masjid. It is recommended (sunnah) to enter your home or the masjid with the right foot first, and to leave with the left foot.
It is recommended (sunnah) upon entering the bathroom to say:
for a very low price. This is my personal favorite way to make istinja'. You do not have to constantly fill a container up with water every time you need to use the restroom and you can also control the water pressure. So awesome!Now, down to the more basic stuff: What Is Istinja'???
Istinja' is performed using pure and purifying water or a solid, dry material, like a stone or paper. It is obligatory to make istinja' from every wet material emitted from the eliminatory outlets, such as urine or feces. It can be done by using water, rocks, paper and the like.
When performing istinja' by water, cleaning oneself from feces one pours the water on the outlet and rubs with one’s left hand until the najas-filth is removed. This makes the place tahir (pure).
When performing istinja' using rocks and the like (paper), if one makes instinja' using a solid, dry material, such as a rock (or paper), one wipes the outlet three times. If the three wipes are not enough to clean the area, one wipes more until the place becomes clean. One may use three wads of tissue or the like. Without using water, it is not enough to wipe less than thrice, even if the place becomes clean.
Also, it is recommended to enter the bathroom with the left foot, and to leave it with the right foot; contrary to the way you enter your home or the masjid. It is recommended (sunnah) to enter your home or the masjid with the right foot first, and to leave with the left foot.
It is recommended (sunnah) upon entering the bathroom to say:
After leaving the bathroom, it is also recommended to say:"Bismillah. Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-khubuthi wal-khaba’ith."
Which means: “[I enter the bathroom] with the Name of Allah. O Allah, I
seek refuge with you from the male and female devils.” This provides protection from the eyes of the jinn.
"Ghufranak. Al-hamdu lillahi-lladhi adh-haba annil-adha wa afani."
Which means: “I ask You (Allah) for forgiveness. Praise and thanks be to the One (Allah) Who took the harm away from me and granted me good health.”
So... what do YOU use for Istinja??? Do you live in a country where bidets are common? Do you just use a water bottle? Do you use the most common one that I have seen in Muslim homes... the watering can? This is very random, I know... but interesting nonetheless! LOL.
As-Salaamu Alaikum!
Najwa & Nadira
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