Nice scarf!

So I woke up this morning with a very strong urge to remove my veil.
Yes, I sometimes feel that I have made the wrong decision... yes I have a brain that questions :) can you believe it?

I got up, took a shower, and decided to take it one step at a time.
I combed my hair, put on my cloths, made the bed, put on my shoes... still, the urge was there. I read a few verses of Quran and opened the window to drive some fresh air into the apartment.

I looked outside the open window. The sky was full of clouds, and the weather was not very encouraging. Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have gone back to bed :) So, I gathered up my courage and thought to myself: one more day... let's see how it goes!

With all the sadness (and anger) in the world, I chose a nice colorful scarf and a matching/contrasting head-piece, and donned my hijab. Then, in a romantic gesture, I looked outside the window to the cloudy sky.

After migrating my wallet, sunglasses, cell phone and keys into a purse that matches my outfit, I grabbed a banana, and left the apartment. I walked down the airy hallway of our award-winning building to the elevators. I pushed the "down" button and waited. "Time for another romantic gesture," I thought. Again, I looked outside the window but this time spoke to God: "You know I am doing this for you! Please give me some of your strength and your patience... or otherwise, let it dawn on me that hijab is not what you want me to wear!"

The elevator doors opened. With a smile on my face, I went in, and started munching on my banana.

The elevator stopped on the 9th floor (I live on the 11th). A nice-looking man walked in, and with a big cheerful voice said: "Good morning! How are you today?"
me - I am doing very well thanks! How about you?
man - Great, thanks! It's getting nice out there... but not quite yet, eh?
me - Yeah! It's nice all week while we're stuck in our offices. Then on the weekend, we are forced to stay home because of the weather!
man - Yeah, I know!

The elevator doors slid open. The man stepped aside, allowing my to pass first.
me- thanks! Have a great day :)
man- yeah, you too!

Shahid, our security guard, was seated in his usual place behind the reception counter. With his huge cheerful smile he greeted the man "Good morning!", then looked at me and said: "Salamu Alaikum, sister! How are you?"
me - Salamu Alaikum, Shahid :) have a great day!

Then... man opened the building door, and waited for me to go through. Right then...
man - Very nice scarf!
me (with a very very big smile) - Thanks! Thank you very much :)

I walked out of the building, looked up to the sky, and cast the guy upstairs a big big smile of gratitude! That should put an end to my uncertainty for some time :)

Donning the Hijab

Source: http://www.ibiblio.org/prism/mar98/donning.html

Donning the Hijab
(how not to be a sex object)
by Samuel Cole

Smetime in 1987 my sister, an ardent feminist with a degree in civil engineering, converted to Islam. She now lives in Lahore, Pakistan where she is a full-time Muslim wife and mother of five—soon to be six. As is required by her adopted Qur'an, she stops all activities to pray five times each day; and when she goes out in public she covers herself from head to toe in the hijab.

The term "hijab" comes from the Arabic word "hijaba," which means to hide from view. It is the long dress and veil worn by many Muslim women with the function of distinguishing them from non-Muslims, reminding them of their Islamic faith, and concealing them from the public view of males. In many of the more traditional Muslim societies women tend to remain outside the public sphere of men, devoting themselves to child rearing and taking care of the home. In part because of this apparent restriction from the public realm, many Americans see the Muslim hijab as a symbol of female oppression.

Despite this perception, Islam is growing rapidly in America—and female converts outnumber males four to one. Indeed, according to my sister the hijab is not a symbol of oppression, but is instead a symbol of liberation. Naheed Mustafe, a Canadian woman who converted to Islam, writes that "young Muslim women are reclaiming the hijab. . . to give back to women the ultimate control over their bodies." Yet to most Americans this is a strange assertion. How can a law that restricts a woman's dress be liberating?

To Muslims the answer is easy. The Islamic tradition of hijab frees women from being perceived primarily as sexual objects. "[Non-Muslim] women are taught from early childhood that their worth is proportional to their attractiveness," writes Mustafe. It's not hard to understand this: leafing through the ads of any woman's magazine, even a male reader can sense the incredible pressure on women to conform to some ever-changing and abstract image of female beauty. Is it any wonder that American women spend billions of dollars on hair and beauty products; or that they subject themselves to plastic surgery, drugs, and diets; or that in despair they fall into neurotic cycles of anorexia and bulimia? It is the pursuit of a mirage—one that degrades and sickens the pursuers.

The hijab liberates a Muslim woman from this insidious oppression. She need not concern herself with her hair or makeup before she goes out. Underneath her hijab she can remain if she so wishes, simply herself: unshaved, unpainted, unplucked, or even a little overweight. All this without having to worry about what others think of her. The tradition of hijab, writes Mustafe, is "simply a woman's assertion that judgment of her physical person is to play no role whatsoever in social interaction." Since a Muslim woman is invisible behind her veil, she can be appreciated only for her intellectual qualities. Thus the importance of her physical appearance becomes subordinate to her intelligence and personality.

But the sacrifice of health (and self esteem) in a futile pursuit of physical attractiveness is not the worst effect of sexual objectification. Societies that view women as sexual objects have a horrendous rate of violence toward women. In the United States, one out of every four women will be sexually assaulted at some time in her life. And even in relatively non-violent Canada, one woman is assaulted every six minutes.Women in our society live with the awareness that they must always be cautious of dark alleys and fearful of strangers. This is true oppression, a type that stems directly from the perception of women as sexual objects.

In the few societies that closely adhere to the Qur'an—and many repressive Islamic regimes do not—this sort of violence toward women is quite low. In 1990 the number of reported rapes in Egypt, a relatively westernized Islamic society with a secular government, was only 17 (Israel reported 369 rapes that same year). And my sister has told me that as a Muslim woman, she feels a respect and security on the streets of Pakistan that she had never felt in 30 years of living in America. It does seem hard to ignore the fact that many Islamic women enjoy a level of protection and respect that is unheard of in the West. In some countries this is no doubt in part the result of Islamic law that imposes draconian punishment on offenders. But extreme enforcement of religious law is not practiced in moderate Islamic countries such as Egypt or Pakistan; and there it seems Muslim tradition alone protects the dignity of women.

Nevertheless, Islam and its tradition of hijab can seem an extreme solution to the sexual objectification of women. Can't society simply be changed through more education? Or perhaps through encouraging men to practice some self-restraint? In fact this has been a goal of the women's movement for years. But although there has been some success at increasing career and educational opportunities for women, the oppression of women continues unabated. One only needs to peruse the horror section of the local video store to see that the most common victims of violence portrayed in popular films are women. And not surprisingly statistics in the United States point to more violence directed at women, not less.

The problem in western society, as some Muslim writers see it, is that predominately Judeo-Christian cultures have no convention of equality between men and women. Instead, these traditions hold Eve to be ultimately responsible for original sin and the downfall of man. The story in Genesis is a cornerstone in the foundation of our culture. As such, it has institutionalized an essentially inferior status for women. This is not so in the tradition of Islam: Eve is not blamed for tempting Adam. Together they sinned, together they are guilty, and together they both begged for (and received) forgiveness from God. It is true that Islam holds women and men to be different in the most integral qualities. But unlike Judeo-Christian doctrine, the Qu'ran puts women and men on equal footing before God and thus as equally, and innately, valuable to society.

Unfortunately, many of us see Islam as a religion of suicidal bombers or of bearded zealots intent on returning us all to a cultural stone-age. But this image is perhaps unfair. All religions have their own fair proportion of crazies. Islam, however, is the largest and fastest growing of the world's monotheistic religions, and has (quite properly) more than most. Still, the Muslims have something to offer for women. Pierre Craibites (an American judge) writes: "Muhammad, 1300 years ago, assured to the mothers, wives and daughters of Islam a rank and dignity [still] not generally assured to women by the laws of the West."

The conversion of my sister to Islam was a shock and then a mystery to me for many years. It did not seem possible for an intelligent feminist woman to, without coercion, suddenly chuck her ideals and embrace the religion of the misogynist Ayatollahs. Within my family the subject is beyond the bounds of rational discussion, and it is only from my sister's very recent letters that I may have finally acquired an understanding of her unique brand of feminism: You see, in adopting Islam she has rejected a culture that assigns value to a person based on a masculine ideal of success. In exchange she has adopted a culture where she is valued as an equal. . . for no other reason than that she is a woman.

Samuel Cole is a freelance writer living in Carrboro.

Our new urban box in the sky :)

Front exterior of District Lofts - our new home

we are now the proud owners of loft number 1119 in the award winning building "District Lofts" - 73 sq meters in the heart of Toronto's downtown fashion district :)

The unit is tiny; it is only 73 sq meters (790 sq feet), but thanks to the brilliant architecture and layout, it feels large :) and it is more than enough for the two of us, and perhaps a tiny little baby when the time comes :)

Our apartment is a 2 story loft on the 11th floor. It faces north, with a beautiful view of the city :) We have 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, open concept living, dining and kitchen, and a great sized balcony :) we have floor to ceiling windows too :)

NOTE: the furniture appearing in the photos is not ours. This is the ex-owner's stuff, but we like his taste!


Entrance and open-concept kitchen, dining
and living


Stairs leading to the second floor - kitchen
appears in the background


Living room and balcony as seen from teh stairs


Master bedroom facing the courtyard


2nd bedroom - present owner is using it as a
TV room / home office

Our neighborhood is vibrant and young, with plenty of restaurants, shops and art studios (Gap, Esprit and more are right behind our building!). We are one block away from Paramount Movie Theatres, and only a 20 minute walk from Toronto's theatre district and Eaton Shopping Center (http://www.torontoeatoncentre.com/home/index.ch2).

Right in front of our building is an old factory that has been restored to its old-day glory, and converted to a beautiful complex, hosting the finest art, design, and photography studios and galleries (http://www.401richmond.net/building/) :)

Mid next week we will sign the mortgage papers, and we will be moving end of December inshallah.


North view from balcony


North-East view from the balcony


The city at night


Building exterior - another view

Our first glimpse of Toronto winter

Our first glimpse of snow in Toronto


another view

#11B - 209 Yonge St.

So, we have moved to Toronto, "the center of the universe" :)

Ibrahim has been promoted, and his new role is in the cosmopolitan city of Toronto. Our move was quick; one month to be exact! And we are very excited about it :) especially that I have a much better chance of finding work here :)

We are currently staying in a temporary accommodation: a small, but highly functional, one bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto on Yonge St, the longest street in the world, and Toronto's most popular street (almost its beating heart!). Right opposite to our building is Eaton Center, one of Toronto's largest and most popular malls.

Having moved from the serene city of Victoria, we have been amazed by the liveliness of the CITY, and are considering living in downtown for a while.. of course, that comes at the cost of quietness and space! But the greatest advantage of our location is that we are literarily a stone throw away from the subway, which is a great feature during Toronto's notorious harsh winter that is closing in on us :)

I have to run now, but will write about my impressions some other time... Below are some photos of our apartment :) enjoy!



View from our 11th floor apartment


Eaton Center - One of Toronto's largest malls
- right opposite our building... and I get to monitor
mall activity from the comfort of my home :)


Living / dining / desk area


Living area - convenient sofa bed that will come
in handy when my brother-in-law, Yehia, comes
to visit in a month :) Our small, yet highly
functional kitchen appears in the backgound


Our only bedroom boasts a view similar to the
one in the living room and an ensuite full bathroom


Our ensuite bathroom, one of two
full bathrooms in our small apartment


Right side of the kitchen


Left side of the kitchen


And last, but by no means the least,
our ensuite stacked washer and dryer


Oh.. and let's not forget the view at
night... my favorite :)

اللقاء المفتوح مع سعادة الرئيس

كان الرئيس في زيارة لمدرسة ثانوية وفي نهاية الزيارة طلب منه الناظر ان يتكرم بعمل لقاء مفتوح مع الطلبه على غرار مع يحدث مع شباب الجامعات . ووافق الرئيس .. وبدأ اللقاء .


قام أحد الطلاب وقال
: سيادة الرئيس .. ابنكم الطالب
محمد عبدالله
..

عندي ثلاثة أسئلة أرجو أن يتسع صدر سعادتكم للإجابة عليها ؟الرئيس قال له : تفضل
.


قال الطالب
:سيدي الرئيس
سؤالي الأول : لماذا تأثر القطاع الخاص بالحالة الإقتصادية تأثراً سلبياً بينما شركات ابنكم الله يحفظه تزداد أرباحها في نفس الظروف؟ سؤالي الثاني : لماذا تصرون على الإحتفاظ بالوزير فلان وأنتم تعلمون جيداً بأنه ليس الشخص المناسب لتولي الوزارة؟؟ سؤالي الثالث : هل حقاً سيتولى ابنكم رئاسة الدولة بعد عمركم المديد ان شاء الله؟


الرئيس قال له : تفضل .. شكراً

وفي اللحظة دي رن جرس الفسحة


فالرئيس بقلبه الكبير قال لهم : اطلعوا دلوقتي انهوا فسحتكم ونكمل بعد الفسحه ان شاء الله

وبعد الفسحه ..

طالب آخر قام وقال : سيدي الرئيس .. ابنكم الطالب سعد خالد
..
عندي خمسة أسئلة أرجو أن يتسع صدر سعادتكم للإجابة عليها ؟

الرئيس قال له : تفضل


قال الطالب
:سيدي الرئيس سؤالي الأول : لماذا تأثر القطاع الخاص بالحالة الإقتصادية تأثراً سلبياً بينما شركات ابنكم الله يحفظه تزداد أرباحها في نفس الظروف؟

سؤالي الثاني : لماذا تصرون على الإحتفاظ بالوزير فلان وأنتم تعلمون جيداً بأنه ليس الشخص المناسب لتولي الوزاره؟

سؤالي الثالث : هل حقاً سيتولى ابنكم رئاسة الدولة بعد عمركم المديد ان شاء الله؟

سؤالي الرابع : لماذا دق جرس الفسحة قبل موعدها بساعة ونصف؟

سؤالي الخامس : أين زميلنا محمد عبدالله؟؟؟؟

Updated photos of our home

These photos were taken at the beginning of this year. Our little home did not change a lot since then, though we did add a new bedroom, which is not shown here...
Enjoy the photos :)


Our bedroom


The other end of our bedroom


Living room as seen from dining area


Dining area as seen from office


Dining area


Our little handmade Camels :)


Our roomy old, but functional, kitchen


Opposite corner of the kitchen


The other end of the kitchen


View from living room and master bedroom windows


The lou :)


The bathroom sink


Entrance, stairs and hall