THE HUMP ON THE CAMEL??

THE HUMPY STYLE IS IN SINGAPORE FINALLY. EVEN WOMEN IS THEIR LATE 40s ARE CATCHING UP IN STYLE. 

Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) has mentioned, “There are two groups of people who are from amongst the inmates of the fire, I have not seen them. a) Such a nation who possesses whips like the tails of cattle, they beat the people with it. b) Women who are dressed, yet they are naked, they inclining towards others and others inclining towards them, their heads are like the leaning humps of female camels, they will not enter Jannah, nor will they get its fragrance. Verily, its fragrance can be smelt from such and such distance”. (Sahih Muslim vol.2 pg 205/383, Rashidiyyah)Was it right or wrong? You decide.

 Written by Rachelle Kliger
Published Sunday, May 30, 2010

Latest style in Islamic headscarves, the ‘puffed’ Hijab, riles conservatives.

It’s called the Abu-Nafkha-style Hijab. It’s popular, especially among teenagers and women with a flare for the flamboyant, and it has clerics and fashion aficionados fuming.

Abu-Nafkha is a relatively new style of Hijab, the religious headscarf worn by Muslim women, and is slowly gaining popularity throughout the Arab world.

The style is called Abu-Nafkha, or “puffed” because it involves creating a bulge under the scarf, usually by placing a large floral hair clip at the back of the head to add volume. This makes women look as if they have very thick hair.

A non muslim's experience with covered up

I walked down the street in my long white dress and inch-long, black hair one afternoon, and truck drivers whistled and shouted obscenities at me. I felt defeated. I had just stepped out of a hair salon. I had cut my hair short, telling the hairdresser to trim it as she would a cut a man’s hair.I sat numbly as my hairdresser skillfully sheared into my shoulder-length hair with her scissors, asking me with every inch she cut off if; I was freaking out yet. I wasn’t freaking out, but I felt self-mutilated.

I believe that men who see women as only bad word is not allowed beings often commit violence against them, such as rape and battery. bad word is not allowed abuse and assault are not only my fears, but my reality.

I was molested and raped. My experiences with men who violated me have made me angry and frustrated.

How do I stop the violence? How do I prevent men from seeing me as an object rather than a female? How do I stop them from equating the two? How do I proceed with life after experiencing what others only dread? The experiences have left me with questions about my identity. Am I just another Chinese-American female? I used to think that I have to arrive at a conclusion about who I am, but now I realize that my identity is constantly evolving in .


MY EXPERIENCE OF BEING "HIJABED"

One experience that was particularly educational was when I ?dressed up? as a Muslim woman for a drive along Crenshaw Boulevard with three Muslim men as part of a newsmagazine project. I wore a white, long-sleeved cotton shirt, and a flowery silk scarf that covered my head, which I borrowed from a Muslim woman. Not only did I look the part, I believed I felt the part. Of course, I wouldn’t really know what it feels like to be Hijabed-I coined this word for the lack of a better term-everyday, because I was not raised with Islamic teachings.


However, people perceived me as a Muslim woman and did not treat me as a bad word is not allowed being by making cruel remarks. I noticed that men’s eyes did not glide over my body as has happened when I wasn’t Hijabed. I was fully clothed, exposing only my face. I remembered walking into an Islamic center and an African-American gentleman inside addressed me as ?sister?, and asked where I came from. I told him I was originally from China. That didn’t seem to matter. He respected me and assumed I was Muslim. I didn’t know how to break the news to him because I wasn’t sure if I was or not.

I walked into the store that sold African jewelry and furniture and another gentleman asked me as I was walking out if I was Muslim. I looked at him and smiled, not knowing how to respond. I chose not to answer.


BEING HIJABED CHANGED OTHERS’ PERCEPTION OF ME

Outside the store, I asked one of the Muslim men I was with, Am I Muslim?? He explained that everything that breathes and submits is. I have concluded that I may be and just don’t know it. I haven’t labeled myself as such yet. I don’t know enough about Islam to assert that I am Muslim.


HIJAB AS OPPRESSION: A SUPERFICIAL AND MISGUIDED VIEW

I consciously chose to be Hijabed because I was searching for respect from men. Initially, as both a Women’s Studies major and a thinking female, I bought into the Western view that the wearing of a scarf is oppressive. After this experience and much reflection, I have arrived at the conclusion that such a view is superficial and misguided.

THE MOST LIBERATING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE

I covered up that day out of choice, and it was the most liberating experience of my life. I now see alternatives to being a woman. I discovered that the way I dress dictated others’ reaction towards me. It saddens me that this is a reality. It is a reality that I have accepted, and chose to conquer rather than be conquered by it. It was my sexuality that I covered, not my femininity. The covering of the former allowed the liberation of the latter.


by Kathy Chin

This article was originally published in Al-Talib, the newsmagazine of the Muslim Students’ Association of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) in October 1994. At the time of its publication, Kathy Chin was a senior at UCLA majoring in Psychobiology and Women’s Studies.

Is exposing yourself in public is sexy?

This question has been following me most of time whenever im on the streets.  

Having men looking at you, lewdly is called : sexy??

OH YEAH! MEN'S BRAIN WORKS...UNDRESSING.

I dont think it makes any sense to me.

Did they give me the Wrong top size?

I NEED MORE SMOKE.

To know I am sexy or not. :p

I took the test.

Here the results:

 
Your Score Summary


For Self-Image:

31% scored higher,

11% scored the same, and

58% scored lower.

For Confidence:

30% scored higher,

10% scored the same, and

60% scored lower.

For Attitude:

31% scored higher,

6% scored the same, and

63% scored lower.

Overall:

30% scored higher,

0% scored the same, and

70% scored lower.

Your Analysis

Here is a quick summary of your sexiness:

Image: You scored very high on the self-image attribute. Congratulations, you seem to take good care of yourself, and others can see this. Keep this up, it only makes you sexy!

Confidence: You are a highly confident person. This is great! People want to be around you, they want to know your opinion, and they have much respect you. Your confidence is sexy!

Attitude: Wow! Your attitude is great! You probably have many friends because you are very understanding and patient of most everyone. This makes you sexy to many.

Overall: You're Very Sexy .

I AM SEXY COS IM COVERED! HEEHEE.

SEX IN TV? RISE OF TEENAGE PREGNANCIES

WASHINGTON (AFP) - - A study published Monday claimed it had established for the first time a link between TV programs with sexual content and teenage pregnancies.

ADVERTISEMENT

Researchers interviewed 2,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 three times between 2001 and 2004 and found that those with the highest exposure to sex on television were twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy than those with the least exposure.

"Adolescents receive a considerable amount of information about sex through television and that programming typically does not highlight the risks and responsibilities of sex," said Anita Chandra, the lead author and a behavioral scientist at RAND, the nonprofit research organization that funded the study.

"Our findings suggest that television may play a significant role in the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States," she said.

Researchers said the study demonstrated that programs with sexual content create the perception there is little risk of sex without contraception.

By the third interview, 744 of the 2,000 teenagers in the survey said they had engaged in sexual intercourse and 718 of the youths shared with RAND information about their pregnancy histories.

Of that group, 91 teens -- 58 girls and 33 boys -- were involved in a pregnancy.

The rate of teenage pregnancies has increased for the first time in 15 years, measuring 41.9 births per 1,000 Americans aged 15 to 19 years in 2006, according to the Center for Prevention and Disease Control (CDC).

"The amount of sexual content on television has doubled in recent years, and there is little representation of safer sex practices in those portrayals," said Chandra.

The findings have implications for broadcasters, parents and health care providers, she added.

The US has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates among industrialized nations, with nearly one million adolescent females becoming pregnant each year, with the majority of these pregnancies unplanned, according to RAND.

FOR The Man In Our Lives

We live in societies where there is an overload of "what a woman must do for her husband". The information in itself is Islamc but it turns harmful when it is not balanced with information about what a husband must and can do for his wife - men forget, society lets them and society consists of both men and women. Such lingo and talk need a more important and prominent place in our daily lives.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Advice to Husbands, From a Husband
By: Sherif Mohammed
I start my advice to the couples by talking about World War II, The British military and the Egyptian desert! One of the most decisive battles of WWII was the battle of El Alamein, which took place at El Alamein in Northern Egypt on the summer of 1942. It is well known that the Germans had occupied North Africa and advanced into Egypt. They were hoping to take control of the Suez Canal, then occupy the oil fields in Iraq and Iran, then attack the Soviet Union from the south, etc. The British were determined never to let any of that happen, so they summoned their best soldier, General Bernard Montgomery and mustered an enormous force to stop the German relentless advance. It was a big battle. The German dreams were shattered, the British won, and so many soldiers died and were buried in the desert of El Alamein.

What concerns us here is not what happened next to the British or the Germans. What concerns us now is that after the war, the families of the soldiers who died in El Alamein came to visit their graves. Some of them left few words inscribed on the tombstones of their loved ones buried there. School children in Egypt sometimes go on trips to the site of the battle of El Alamein and read the words written on the different tombstones. Among these are the words inscribed by a young English woman who came to visit her husband's grave. She wrote: "To the world, you were just a soldier. But to me, you were the whole world"

By getting married you are not just getting a wife, you are getting your whole world. From now until the rest of your days your wife will be your partner, your companion, and your best friend. She will share your moments, your days, and your years. She will share your joys and sorrows, your successes and failures, your dreams and your fears. When you are ill, she will take the best care of you; when you need help, she will do all she can for you; when you have a secret, she will keep it; when you need advice, she will give you the best advice. She will always be with you. When you wake up in the morning the first thing your eyes will see will be her. During the day, she will be with you, if for a moment she is not with you, physically, she will be thinking of you, praying for you with all her heart, mind, and soul. When you go to sleep at night, the last thing your eyes will see will be her; and when you are asleep you will still see her in your dreams. In short, she will be your whole world and you will be her whole world.

The best description that I personally have ever read describing the closeness of the spouses to each other, is the Quranic verse which says: "They are your garments and you are their garments"

Indeed, spouses are like garments to each other because they provide one another with the protection, the comfort, the cover, the support, and the adornment that garments provide to humans. Just imagine a journey in the winter of Alaska without garments! Our spouses provide us with the same level of comfort and protection, cover and support in the journey of our lives on this earth as garments would do in the Alaska journey.

The relationship between the spouses is the most amazing of all human relations: the amount of love and affection, intimacy and closeness, mercy and compassion, peace and tranquility that fills the hearts of the spouses is simply inexplicable. The only rational explanation for these most amazing of all human feelings is that: it is an act of God. Only God Almighty in His infinite power, boundless mercy, and great wisdom can create and ingrain these amazing feelings in the hearts of the spouses. In fact, God is reminding those who search for His signs in the universe, that these feelings in the hearts of the spouses are among the signs that should guide humans to His existence.

As He says in the Quran: "And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquility with them and He has put love and mercy between your hearts: verily in that are signs for those who reflect."

But the human heart is not a static entity, it is very dynamic. Feelings can and do change with time. Love may wither and fade away. The marital bond might weaken if not properly cared for. Happiness in marriage cannot be taken for granted; continuous happiness requires constant iving from both sides. For the tree of marital love to remain alive and keep growing, the soil has to be sustained, maintained, and nurtured. Therefore, here are a few tips on how to keep the tree growing:

In our world, we live a hectic life surrounded by tight schedules and bombarded by deadlines. For couples, this means that you might not find anytime to spend together, alone away from the endless work commitments. You must never allow this to happen. Try to periodically secure some time for do some special activities alone away from the rest of the world. Remember that our Prophet Muhammad (saws) had found the time to go out to the desert and race with his wife Aisha (ra). She outstripped him but later after she had gained some weight, he outstripped her.

Do go out with her regularly and frequently to do all sorts of activities: go to the mall, visit family and friends, go to the mosque, have picnics, etc. Remember that the Prophet (saws) took his wife to watch the young Ethiopians playing and dancing their folk dances.

Always keep some romance in your life. Modern life has almost transformed us into robots or high tech machines without emotions. Show of emotions is necessary to keep the marital bond away from rusting and disintegrating. Remember, that you will be rewarded by God for any emotions you show to your wife. As the Prophet (saws) said:

"One would be rewarded for anything that he does seeking the pleasure of God even the food that he puts in the mouth of his wife". Never underestimate the importance of seemingly little things as putting food in your wife's mouth, opening the car's door for her, etc. Remember that the Prophet (saws) used to extend his knee to his wife to help her ride her camel...Try to always find some time for both of you to pray together.

Strengthening the bond between you and God is the best guarantee that your own marital bond would always remain strong. Having peace with God will always result in having more peace at home. Remember that the Prophet (saws) gave glad tidings for those couples who wake up at night to pray together. The Prophet (saws) even urged the spouse who rises up first to wake the other spouse up even by throwing cold water on his/her face.

Always try your best to be good to your wife by words and by deeds. Talk to her, smile to her, seek her advice, ask for her opinion, spend quality time with her and always remember that the Prophet (saws) said "the best of you are those who are best to their wives"

Finally, it is common that spouses vow to love and honor their spouses until death do them part. I do believe that this vow is good or even great, but not enough! It is not enough that you love your wife. You have to love what she loves as well. Her family, her loved ones must also become your loved ones. Don't be like my colleague who was unhappy about his wife's parents coming to visit for few weeks. He candidly said to her "I don't like your parents." Naturally she angrily looked at him straight in the eye and said " I don't like yours either!"

Also, it is not enough that you love her until death do you part. Love should never end and we do believe there is life after death where those who did righteousness in this world will be joined by their spouses and offspring. The best example in this regard is the Prophet (saws) whose love for Khadija (ra) his wife of 25 years, extended to include all those she loved and continued even after her death. It was many years after her death and he never forgot her and whenever a goat was slaughtered in his house he would send parts of it to Khadija's friends and whenever he felt that the visitor on the door might be Khadija's sister Hala, he would pray saying "O Allah let it be Hala."

Love your wife and love what your wife loves not only until death but until you be together again in the next life Insha-Allah.

Why Muslims cant eat pork?

Allah swt says:
"Say (O Muhammad ): "I find not in that which has been inspired to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytatah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork, etc.) for that surely is impure, or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allâh (or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allâh's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering). But whosoever is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, (for him) certainly, your Lord is Oft­Forgiving, Most Merciful." (6:145)

One of the prohibited foods is pork. Since the pigs lives on filth, rubber and refus, its meat obviously is undesirable. Recent medical research has shown that swine-flesh is highly injurous to health in all weathers especially hot ones like southeast asia, middle east and etc.

Scientific research has shown that pork carries a deadly parasite called trichina which causes Trichinosis. This disease is caused by the hairlike worms Trichinella spiralis, which circulate within a pig's body. These worms are most commonly found in the country's hog-producing regions. While the worms are not usually a problem for pigs, they are very dangerous to humans who contract the disease through handling raw pig meat and eating undercooked pork and homemade pork products,like sausage.

Pigs are highly adaptable and will generally consume anything available, which is why they are used for garbage collection in some countries. That's why muslims dont eat pork!

Why Hijab and Modest clothing?

The simple reasons why muslimahs wear modest clothing and hijab are,

i) protect ourselves from men (who are not our husbands or fathers, or men who are molesting us with their eyes, haha),
ii) to distinguish ourself as muslimahs,
iii)obey Allah's Commands.

Islam gives guidance about all aspects of life including the matters of public decency. Islam did not imply fixed standards on how you should wear as long as the dress code fulfilled the following requirements.


Islam has two sources for guidance and rulings: the Qur'an which is considered to be the revealed word of Allah, and the Hadith or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, who serves as a human role model and guide.

1st Requirement: The first bit of guidance given in Islam describes the parts of the body which must be covered in public.

For women: In general, standards of modesty call for a woman to cover her body, particularly her chest. The Qur'an calls for women to "draw their coverings over their chests," and the Prophet Muhammad instructed believing women to cover their bodies except for their face and hands. Most scholars interpret this to require headcoverings for women. Some Muslim women cover the entire body, including the face and/or hands.

For men: The minimum amount to be covered is between the navel and the knee.

2nd Requirement: Looseness: Islam also guides that clothing must be loose enough so as not to outline or distinguish the shape of the body. Skin-tight, body-hugging clothes are out, for both men and women. When in public, some women wear a cloak over their personal clothing as a convenient way to "hide their curves." In many predominantly Muslim countries, men's traditional dress is somewhat like a loose robe, covering from the neck to the ankles.

3rd Requirement: Thickness: The Prophet Muhammad once warned that in later generations, there would be people "who are dressed yet naked."

See-through clothing is not modest, for either men or women. The clothing must be thick enough so that the color of the skin it covers is not visible, nor the shape of the body underneath. The attire should not be form fitting, sheer or so eye-catching as to attract undue attention or reveal the shape of the body.


4th Requirement: Overall appearance: The overall appearance of a person should be dignified and modest. Shiny, flashy clothing may technically meet the above requirements, but defeat the purpose of overall modesty.

5th Requirement: Not imitating others: Islam encourages people to be proud of who they are. Muslims should look like Muslims, and not like mere imitations of people of other faiths around them. Women should be proud of their femininity and not dress like men. And men should be proud of their masculinity and not try to imitate women in their dress.

For this reason, Muslim men are forbidden from wearing gold or silk, as these are considered feminine accessories.

6th Requirement: Decent but not flashy: The Qur'an describes that clothing is meant to cover our private areas, and be an adornment (Qur'an 7:26). Clothing worn by Muslims should be clean and decent, neither excessively fancy nor ragged. One should not dress in order to gain the admiration or sympathy of others.

Beyond the Clothing: Behaviors and Manners: Islamic clothing is but one aspect of modesty. More importantly, one must be modest in behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. Dress is only one aspect of the total being, and merely reflects what is present on the inside of a person's heart.

Dress requirements are not meant to be restrictive for either men or women, and most Muslims who wear modest dress do not find it impractical. Many people continue with their activities in all levels and walks of life.


In the Quran, Allah states: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty...And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and adornments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers...(a list of exceptions)" [Chapter 24, verses 30-31]

Also, "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons...that they should be known and not molested." [Chapter 33, verse 59]

Why Islam?