Quit Smoking Today

I was actually an old smoker and I used to smoke while I was in Somalia and Kenya, but I quit as soon as I arrived in the United States. The reason is that when you are in the USA smoking in public places are not allowed or impossible. That made me easily to quit smoking, because I don't see people smoking around me and I don't go anywhere near those who smoke outside. Baravo and you can do it, don't you waryah!

Is there anyone who does not know someone who smokes? Everyone has a family member, friend, or co-worker who smokes. They have chosen to smoke, but by just being around them you are also smoking, only you have not made that choice. Before you choose to take this risk you should think about what may happen to your body. There are many factors that you should take very seriously; smoking is a hazardous habit because it leads to addiction, disease, and high-risk pregnancy.

As advertisements have shown on commercial on television that smoking is a way to relax and to be cool by smoking cigarettes. They never show you the negative side of it. For example, addiction is one of the bad side effects and it is caused by nicotine. Once you inhale the cigarette you will then feel or want the need for another one, and you may have different personalities and change because of the addiction.

You may get more grouchy and violent behavior and need a cigarette to relax, but instead it is doing more damage. Researchers have found ways to control addictions and some have succeeded while many have failed. People at a younger age start to get addicted by the nicotine in the cigarette and this is where the problem starts.

The hazardous of smoking lead to many fatal diseases and should convince people to quit their habit. First, a major reason why people should quit smoking is that many people are dying of cancer. For instance, the statistics say that in the United States six out of ten people are dying everyday due to lung cancer. This disease is killing people if it is not detected promptly.

Another reason for quitting smoking is heart disease and its consequences. For example, many people suffer from heart failure, but even though they know about smoking and its dangers, they do not stop their habit until they become ill. Unfortunately, in many cases, people are at risk to live with heart complications for the rest of their lives.

Lastly, another important reason for people to stop smoking is the risk of getting emphysema. This is also a deadly disease that affects their lungs and their whole respiratory system. These several reasons should prove to the smokers that this habit puts their health in danger, and causes many diseases that lead to death.

Unborn babies who have mothers who smoke are more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The placenta joins the mother and the baby, which is where the baby gets food and oxygen. When a mother smokes the placenta does not work as well as it should. The babies are also more likely to be born early.

Every time a woman smokes she is giving her child less food and oxygen, therefore, the baby can and maybe will not be healthy. It is very easy for a pregnant woman to stop smoking when the people around her do not smoke. When a baby is born to a mother who smokes the baby will not grow well as it should. Studies show that smoking is an unhealthy habit and can not only hurt the mother but really hurt the baby as well.

Because of smoking, smokers provide high risks in addictions, disease or risks in pregnancies. Smokers prefer their habit, rather than caring about this terrible problem. They avoid the consequences of smoking. As is often the case, smoking increases the hazardous of health and problems with themselves too.

List all the specific personal reasons for why you want to stop smoking, including the gains of quitting, and then set a concrete day for quitting. The following lists are what I think that will help you to quit smoking today

Get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, ash trays and matches (other than safety matches) right before your quit date.Avoid places that you smoke in, people that you smoke with and places that you buy cigarettes.

Sit in non-smoking sections or go to smoking prohibited cafeterias and restaurants. Spend time in public buildings, museums, stores, theatres, hospitals, etc, where you can't smoke.

Get away from the table immediately after you eat and do something incompatible with smoking (e.g. walk, do dishes, wash hands, garden, hobbies, etc).

Keep handy a range of low calorie and non-edible smoking substitutes to use when you have an urge to smoke. Ice water, toothpicks, sugar-free candies and mints, worry beads, hand-held computer games work well. Have them available on your person, at home, work and car.

Tell every one you know that you are now smoke free, and thank them for their support.Be good to yourself! Do something special and if possible try to reduce undue stress and demands for a few days.

Review your reasons to give up cigarettes, and stay smoke free for tomorrow.Start a money jar. For each day that you don't have a cigarette place in the amount of $$ that you would have spent in smoking. Keep this for yourself for a special reward.

More Reasons To quit Smoking

Smoking is definitely reducing your spendable income. Depending on where you live, a single pack of cigarettes can cost over $6.00 and if you smoke a pack a day... that’s approximately $180 a month, or $2,200 a year! A 40 year smoking habit will cost you about $88,000 and that does not include any expenses for medical treatment.

Smokers have to live with a terrible breath odor called halitosis (persistent bad breath), and there’s no mint in the world that can cover up the smell of a pack-a-day habit.

You don’t just smell like cigarettes while you’re smoking, you reek of them all day long. The scent of stale cigarettes saturates your hair and clothes and follows you wherever you go, including your vehicle, your work and your home.

When addicted to nicotine, you no longer have complete control over your actions. Quit smoking and rediscover a sense of control over your life.

Medical studies have shown that smoking is a major cause of depression. If you quit smoking you will become more optimistic about life in general.

Smoking causes sticky, black tar to build up in your lungs, which greatly reduce the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide and various nutrients between its tissues and the bloodstream. Improved lung function and circulation can take up to three months.

Smokers have a more difficult time breathing and are more likely to develop painful chronic coughing due to the increase in phlegm production in the lungs. Your body begins the healing process just 12 hours after the last time that you smoke.

Smokers risk developing cancer of the mouth, throat and lungs, as well as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Smokers are also more prone to develop high blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol, stroke, and heart disease.

A smoker’s risk of dying from a heart attack is 2 to 4 times greater than non-smokers.

Individuals who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of death from coronary heart disease than those that smoke cigars and pipes providing they don't inhale.

A recent study found that non-smokers who were exposed to secondhand smoke were 25% more likely to have coronary heart disease. Quit smoking and save lives!

It is a proven fact that tobacco products kill more people than AIDS, drugs, homicides, fires and auto accidents combined.

It is estimated that 1 out of every 3 smokers will eventually die from a tobacco-related disease. That's not very good odds!


Over 50,000 people in the United States die each year from secondhand smoke. And do you know how many Somali dead just being a secondhand smoker: Too many

Medical studies show that smokers get more colds, flu, bronchitis and pneumonia than non-smokers. These medical expenses definitely add to your cost of smoking.

Women, please pay attention to this bit of information. Smokers have 10 times more wrinkles, at an earlier age, than non-smokers!

Smoking restricts blood vessels and it can prevent oxygen and nutrients from reaching the skin, which is why the skin of many smokers often appear pale and unhealthy. For the most part, smokers also have yellowing teeth, fingers and fingernails.

Smokers are 5 times more likely to suffer for years from chronic pulmonary diseases like emphysema and bronchitis than non-smokers.

Recent medical studies have shown that male smokers are at a higher risk for erectile dysfunction. Now add the expense to eliminate this problem to your cost of smoking.

Medical studies have also found that female smokers may have a harder time getting pregnant than non-smokers. Couples are spending millions of dollars every year trying to eliminate this problem.

Any woman that smokes during her pregnancy is more likely to experience an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg begins to develop in the fallopian tube instead of in the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies can be fatal for both mother and baby.

Women who smoke during pregnancy are also more likely to deliver prematurely or miscarry. Other risks to the baby’s health include lower birth weight and birth defects.

Only about 30% of women who smoke, actually stop smoking when they find out that they are pregnant. This means that about 70% will most likely experience problem pregnancies and unhealthy or deformed babies. Smoking is just not worth it!

Neonatal health care costs in the United States has been estimated to be in excess of $365,000,000 a year. These medical expenses have been attributed to mothers that smoked during pregnancy. What a price to pay for smoking!

Women who smoke and take oral contraceptives dramatically increase their risk of heart disease and stroke.

Children, for the most part, like to imitate their parents. So if you smoke in front of your children, they’re likely to copy your smoking habits when they're teenagers.

Children that are raised by smokers have been found to be generally less active and develop poor nutrition skills. If you want to positively shape the futures of your children and the other children around you, quit smoking and be a healthy role model.

Parents that smoke affect their children's health, which includes asthma, increased frequency of colds and ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Not only is smoking a bad influence on those around you, it’s killing them too. You can’t contain cigarette smoke, which means that innocent people constantly breathe in your secondhand smoke.

Children and adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease, as well as other respiratory problems.

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are particularly at risk for developing asthma. Your children don't deserve to live with a health condition like that!

Smoking definitely reduces athletic performance. Athletes who smoke usually can't compete with non-smokers because the physical effects of smoking (rapid heartbeat, decreased circulation and shortness of breath) impair sports performance.

Smokers have a greater risk of injury and a slower healing time than non-smokers. Common sports injuries, such as damage to tendons and ligaments will heal more slowly in smokers because smoking affects the body's ability to produce collagen.

All forms of tobacco including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco are hazardous to your health. It doesn't help to substitute products that seem to be better for you like filtered or low-tar cigarettes. The only way to win the battle against nicotine addiction is to become a non-smoker just as soon as possible!

May Allah help us quit smoking and I'm sure walaalyaal this advice will help you kick the habit of smoking and give you good health and save the money and send them to our poor people dying in Mogadishu and Ceel Macaan. aamiin

Marriage in Disguise

When Aisha Salim marries her fiance in Pakistan next March, it will be the wedding of her dreams. Wearing a veil and gown, she will be every inch the fairytale virgin bride and as befits her strict Muslim religion, after the ceremony, she will hand her blooded wedding-night sheets to her in-laws as proof of her virginity.

But far from being the traditional untouched bride that many Muslim families demand, she is a modern-day university graduate who has smoked, drunk, made love to - and even lived with - a previous English boyfriend. To disguise the fact that she has had sex, she has paid for painful surgery to "restore" her virginity.

It is a drastic and costly measure but as she takes her husband's hand in marriage, she knows it is one which may - quite literally - save her life. The horror and outrage that would ensue if it was discovered she had already slept with a man would be so damning that her own strictly religious relatives might kill her rather than face public shame.

"My virginity was restored in a delicate operation just last week, and I honestly view it as life-saving surgery," says Aisha. "If my husband cannot prove to his family that I am a virgin, I would be hounded, ostracised and sent home in disgrace. My father, who is a devout Muslim, would regard it as the ultimate shame.

"The entire family could be cast out from the friends and society they hold dear, and I honestly believe that one of my fanatically religious cousins or uncles might kill me in revenge, to purge them of my sins. Incredible as it may seem, honour killings are still accepted within our religion.

"Ever since my family arranged this marriage for me, I've been terrified that, on my wedding night, my secret would come out. It has only been since my surgery last week that I've actually been able to sleep properly. Now, I can look forward to my marriage."

Aisha is far from alone in seeking such drastic - and almost barbaric - surgery.
The rise in Islamic fundamentalism is being blamed for the growing trend for hymenoplasties, where the hymen is re-created from the already torn tissue, or a new membrane is inserted using a gelatine-like substance.

In some cases, the vaginal lining can also be used to create a "false" hymen. A blood capsule can be inserted into the lining to ensure realistic blood flow when the false hymen is broken.

women in the UK had the procedure on the NHS between 2005 and 2006, but it is thought that hundreds or even thousands more - Aisha included - have plundered their savings to pay up to £4,000 to have private surgery.

Aisha's story illustrates the intense pressures on young British Asian women caught between the strict moral code of their own community and the laxer, permissive attitudes of their white contemporaries.

She grew up against a stiflingly strict background as one of seven dutiful Muslim daughters in an affluent middle-class family who moved to England from Pakistan two generations ago.

Aisha says: "I've always adored my parents. My father, now 62, is a retired accountant and my mother raised a family of seven sisters in a five-bedroom house in Birmingham.

"I attended the local Catholic secondary school and although I wore a scarf on my head, I refused to wear a veil, telling my parents that it would make me stand out too much. "I was one of the girls, totally accepted by my white, English friends whose lives revolved around shopping and fancying boys.

"But the moment I stepped over the doorstep, normal teenage life would cease and it was like entering an entirely different world. At home, we had to pray together five times a day.

"We weren't allowed to watch television. My parents were so worried that Western influences might take our minds off the most important things - education and religion - that we were never allowed to bring any schoolfriends home.

"But it made all the things my friends did more attractive to me. I would sneak out on Saturday afternoons and join them in town, hanging around, shopping and chatting to boys."

Perhaps ironically, it was Aisha's academic success that was to prove her downfall, as she moved away from home to study language and politics at university, and found herself plunged into a world of louche student living.

She recalls: "I was a totally naive 18-year-old, and found myself living away from my parents for the first time, and suddenly, everything that I had been bought up to believe was wrong, was being played out in front of me.

"I decided that drinking, smoking and having boyfriends was just a part of normal, teenage growing up. "Like other young girls, I just wanted to be part of a crowd. I stopped wearing the veil and for the first time in my life I wore Western clothes - designs which revealed far more of my body than anything I had ever worn before.

"I also started drinking. I started off on beer and then gradually things like vodka and cocktails, which naturally helped me lose my inhibitions." Aisha was in her second year of university when she found love and inevitably, lust.

She says quietly: "He was another student in my tutorial class, and the more time we spent together, the more I found myself falling in love. "Philip was white, English, charming and kind. When we started dating, I told him I was a virgin and that I was expected to keep my virginity for marriage.

"But he wore my inhibitions down, and I began to see that having a physical relationship with him would be pleasurable. "All my friends were sleeping with their boyfriends and it was entirely accepted. I was the odd one out, so after several months I took the plunge and went on the contraceptive pill as a precaution.

"As the months went past, he became more and more desperate to make love. "I wrestled with my conscience night after night, but having taken away the fear of pregnancy by being on the pill, I saw that - as long as my parents never found out - there was no reason not to make love.


"Marriage was the furthest thing from my mind. Anyway, at that time I assumed I would marry for love, not have an arranged marriage." She says: "I tried to resist Philip but I discovered that I liked the physical contact. Then one fateful night, we went out and I had too much to drink. My head was spinning, we ended up in bed together and couldn't resist any longer. It was really lovely, and I felt no shame.

"It was only when I woke up the next morning, and saw Philip lying beside me, that I thought: 'What have I done?' "But there was no turning back and it felt entirely natural. He reassured me it was OK and told me that he loved me.

"Part of me was scared but I was also rather proud of what I'd just done. I wasn't just a little Muslim girl, I was an independent young woman who could make up her own mind how she was going to live her life.

Beware of AIDS

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, better known as AIDS, is caused by the incurable HIV virus. AIDS is a deadly disease that deteriorates the immune system. There are two groups of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), HIV-1 that occurs throughout the world and HIV-2 that mainly occurs in Africa.

The HIV virus enters the white blood cells and takes over the reproductive system of that cell and uses the system to reproduce itself. The white blood cell dies and the new HIV cells infect other white blood cells and repeat the process

The issue of HIV/AIDS has been a developing concern since the early 1980's. It is an issue that has sparked fear in everyone, but "society" has narrowed it down to certain people that can contract the AIDS virus. The stereotypical "AIDS" victim is not an IV drug user or a practicing homosexual; it is anyone, anyone who has unprotected sex, anyone who has had a blood transfusion in the past twenty years, or anyone who was innocently brought into the world by an infected mother.

As unfair as it is, HIV/AIDS can attack someone whom society would have never "branded" as a stereotypical AIDS victim. This issue of HIV/AIDS needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed now. The epidemic of HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Africa. As many as 20,000,000 people may be infected with the virus and not be aware of it and the majority of these victims are between the ages of twenty and forty.

The only solution to this problem, as is the only solution to any problem, is prevention through education. Of course it is easy to hand out literature and condoms to adults, but are they really going to listen? As a community, we can encourage HIV/AIDS testing, but will it be taken advantage of? Since these are adults being familiarized with HIV/AIDS, how to contract it, the consequences, and the raw statistics, they will probably disregard all of the information.

Education on the issue of HIV/AIDS obviously needs to begin at an earlier age. HIV is spread most commonly by sexual contact with an infected partner. The virus can enter the body through the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, rectum or mouth during sex. HIV also is spread through contact with infected blood.

Prior to the screening of blood for evidence of HIV infection and before the introduction in 1985 of heat-treating techniques to destroy HIV in blood products, HIV was transmitted through transfusions of contaminated blood. Today, because of blood screening and heat treatment, the risk of acquiring HIV from such transfusions is extremely small.

HIV frequently is spread among injection drug users by the sharing of needles or syringes contaminated with minute quantities of blood of someone infected with the virus. However, transmission from patient to health-care worker or vice-versa via accidental sticks with contaminated needles or other medical instruments is rare.

Although researchers have detected HIV in the saliva of infected individuals, no evidence exists that the virus is spread by contact with saliva. Laboratory studies reveal that saliva has natural compounds that inhibit the infectiousness of HIV. Studies of people infected with HIV have found no evidence that the virus is spread to others through saliva such as by kissing.

No one knows, however, the risk of infection from so-called "deep" kissing, involving the exchange of large amounts of saliva, or by oral intercourse. Scientists also have found no evidence that HIV is spread through sweat, tears, urine or feces. Studies of families of HIV-infected people have shown clearly that HIV is not spread through casual contact such as the sharing of food utensils, towels and bedding, swimming pools, telephones or toilet seats.

HIV cannot spread by insects such as mosquitoes or bedbugs. HIV can infect anyone who shares drug needles or syringes, or by having sexual contact without using protection. Since this is such a controversial issue, the age at which education should begin is debatable. The children need to be mature enough to handle the concerns and they need to be young enough to begin practicing measures of safety that will continue throughout their lives.

But, when it comes down to it, education of HIV/AIDS should begin when these children are able to understand that sharing blood can be dangerous. A good example of this situation is a five- year-old boy confronting his mom and saying that he and his best friend are going to prick their fingers and become "blood brothers." A response that will give a good reason why this should not be done and provide information about HIV/AIDS would be: " Some people have some things in their blood that can make you very sick and sharing blood is not a good idea."

An alternate solution would be to use a sterilized needle to prick their fingers and have them drop blood onto the ground and rub it into the dirt with their feet. Under these circumstances, the children have been supervised while blood is present and have been informally educated about HIV/AIDS.

This may never happen, in which case, children should be made aware of HIV/AIDS at the same time the "drug" and "sex talks" are being given. This way the topics are being interrelated and connections can be made. Examples of these connections may include using drugs with needles or having unprotected sex that can result in the contraction of the virus.

Not only is it the responsibility of the parents to discuss this concern with their children, but it is also that of the school system. As community, we are all responsible for protecting ourselves and more importantly, others.

Even thought Islam doesn't allow sex outside marriage, there are a lot of misunderstanding going on when it comes to sex and AIDS. Many muslims, because of ignorance, say that AIDS is for non-muslims and we have nothing to do with it. They are saying that as if they were living in a seperate planet for themselves. Everyone, regardless of their faith, background, gender, or nationality, can get AIDS. We, therefore, need to be careful and protect ourselves from the deadly disease, or we would have to regret later when nothing can be done. To be SAFE is better than SORRY.

About Pillars of islam

By definition, Islam is the worship of the One and the Only true god Allah. It is not solely the religion preached by all of the prophets that Allah has blessed mankind with. Starting from Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist and Jesus, through to the final Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

All of the Prophets I have mentioned are referred to in the Qu’ran and other Islamic literature by their Arabic names. Islam is the Arabic for submission; it implies complete obedience of God. The message written to all Muslims are: There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger. In Islam there are the Five Pillars which hold the Muslim faith together. They are: Shahadah, Salat, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj. Shahdah means Faith, Salat means Prayer, Zakah means Charity, Sawm means Fasting and Hajj means Pilgrimage.

Ashadu, Allah, Illa, Ha, Illah, Lah, Wa Ashadu Ana Muhammad Rasululah- There are no Gods besides Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. The declaration of faith is called the Shahadah.

Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-Lahu Wahdahu la Sharika Lahu wa-ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu WA rasuluhu. This is the English version to the Arabic writing.I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One, without any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

Salat. Salat (prayer) is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a most important constituent of the faith. It is prayer of a very high level. The Holy Quran repeatedly enjoins the offering of salat and indeed declares it to be a fundamental trait of a believer. The benefits of salat are countless. The Holy Quran says:"And enjoin Prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not for provision; it is we that provide for thee. And the end is for the righteous"

Salat is a Muslim Prayer that has to happen, it is said to happen at a time fixed in relation to the sun's position. The time of Fajr, the Morning Prayer begins at dawn and ends just before sunrise. The time of Zuhr, the midday prayer, begins after the sun has crossed the zenith point and has begun to decline. The Asr prayer is said when the sun has further advanced in decline, in the late afternoon. The time of the Maghrib prayer begins immediately after sunset. It lasts till dusk. The Isha prayer can be said after dusk has finally disappeared, giving way to darkness of the night.

The Holy Quran also says:"Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and observe Prayer. Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil, and remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue. And Allah knows what you do." (29:46)

Zakah. Zakah (charity) is a part of devotion enjoined upon Muslims by the Holy Quran. It is a means where the well off pays a set amount of their wealth. Zakah means to purify oneself. It is obligatory on Muslims to pay a little percentage of their accumulated wealth towards Zakat, which is used for the benefit of the needy and the poor. Zakat is not levied on one's property that is in personal use, rather on the assets which have a means of increasing and which are surplus to one's needs. It is a means of social justice and order. It teaches sympathy of the highest order.

Sawm. Sawm (fasting) happens in ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Along with salat, another important form of worship is fasting. Every Muslim has to fast, apart from some exemptions, to fast in the month of Ramadan. During the hours of fasting, food and drink and sexual relations between husband and wife are forbidden.

It is enjoined that during fasting one should pay attention to remembrance of God and study the Holy Quran. You should try to curtail your worldly pastimes as much as possible during Ramadan, and to be particularly inclined towards charity.

Human life is dependent on food and drink and the continuation of the human race depends on the marital relationship. While fasting you refrain from them both, as if bearing witness to God that for His pleasure man gives up the factors (temporarily) upon which his very existence depends.

The various other benefits of fasting are that men get to exercise sacrificing physical comfort and to endure hunger and thirst. Fasting creates a sense of equality between the rich and the poor. By developing an appreciation of hunger and thirst, it makes the well-off think of the needs of the poor and impresses a feeling of compassion in their hearts.

It makes them appreciate, through the practicality of it, the pain a human being has when hungry and thirsty. Ramadan is most effective and has excellent means of spiritual development for mankind.

Hajj. Hajj (pilgrimage) is the fifth Pillar of Islam and another form of worship. It is an annual pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca, which each adult Muslim, who can afford it, has to perform once in lifetime. Apart from the financial aspect, the ability to afford the pilgrimage also means that one is able to travel and perform the Hajj in peace.

Muslims perform Hajj in order to visit the holy sites where their faith started. More importantly it is a pilgrimage to the Ka'aba, which we believe is the first place of worship ever built on this earth, Muslims thus refer to it as House of God.

The ceremony of Hajj is also symbolic of the Unity of God; all Muslims gather from four corners of the earth in one spot at one time and worship God. There are no difficulties to perform Hajj apart from the financial commitment in order to travel to Mecca. That is the reason why, strictly speaking, Hajj has to happen to those who have fulfilled all their worldly needs and have no pressing commitments left and indeed can afford to travel to Mecca.

It is a Muslim belief that God is everywhere and He answers those who truly seek Him. In this respect indeed going to a particular place to seek the pleasure and nearness to God is not the issue. However, it is the physical presence of being in the holiest of the holy places for the Muslim faith and indeed the congregational worship with millions of other fellow Muslims that leaves an non removable mark on the spiritual life of a person. It is a most supreme form of worship and is most desirable to God.

During Hajj, the person who intends to perform it is required to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the days set and observe all the rites and ceremonies. During Hajj Muslims from all corners of the world gather in Mecca and perform the rites of Hajj and thus strengthen the bond of Muslim unity.

During Hajj each place brings to mind some event of the blessed life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings on him). It refreshes the memory of the supreme sacrifices made by the Holy Prophet for the sake of Islam.

I think all of the Five Pillars of Islam are equally important. They all represent a meaning in a Muslims life. The Five Pillars of Islam hold the Muslim faith together (as I have said before) so they all have equal jobs to for fill.

I think I put here what I know personally, and this article is for thosemuslims and non- muslims alike who might need to know the basic pillars of Islam faith. If you believe I missed something, forgove me please and correct me and Allah will reward you. Amin

Muslims are NOT Terrorists

After the tragic events of 9/11, terrorism has become a very common word that we almost hear everyday on the news. This tragedy has put the Islam in the spotlight since the 19 hijackers were believed to be Muslims. One effect of 9/11 was that it highlighted how little most Americans knew about Islam. For some, this was just the opportunity to discover and learn about this fast growing religion.

For others, this catastrophe was a starting era of a deep hatred and resentment against all Muslims. The question now is should Islam be regarded as a violent faith? Are Muslims terrorists? What is the true meaning of Islam? In this essay, I will take a closer look on Islam and give answers to the above questions.

The incident of 9/11 made many people take the position that Islam is indeed a violent religion. The truth is that Islam is by no means the source of such violence, and that violence has no place in Islam. Even though the hijackers had Muslim identities, the terror they prepared should not be labeled 'Islamic terror' just as it would not be appropriate to call it 'Jewish terror' if they were Jews, or 'Christian terror' if they were Christians.

Muslims should not be judged by the acts of murderers. Bin Ladin and his team are murderers Not extremists. Islam has never called for the killing of people of all kinds. These people are killing innocent civilians in the name of our religion. Islam is ,in fact, a peace loving religion and it even means peace if translated literally.

The Qu'ran which is the sacred book of Islam commands man to adopt good morals. This morality should be based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy. The Qur'an requires us to treat Muslims and non-Muslims alike with respect, love, and kindness. Unfortunately, the beauty of this great book is being misinterpreted and ,therefore, misused by those barbarians who are abusing our religion.

Islam denounces terrorism and the murdering of innocent people." God commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed". (Qur'an, 16:90)

This verse and many others show us that Islam forbids cruelty and violence. Besides, God also informs us in the Qur'an how this cruel face of terrorism will be punished in the following verse: "There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act as tyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will have a painful punishment." (Surat ash-Shura: 42)

The true Islam commands love, mercy, and peace. Terror, on the other hand, is just the opposite of this faith. Islam prohibits the killing of innocent men, women, children , and even cutting down the plants and trees, even during the war.

In brief, Islam is NOT a violent religion. It is true that it doesn't ask you to turn the other cheek when someone slaps you. It allows you to defend yourself form the enemy and recommend that you forgive.

As an American citizen of Somali orgin and muslim by faith, I was surprised to see some no-muslims label muslims as terrorists and killers. Every society, no matter their background, nationalities, and faith, have some kind of wicked people who kill innocent people with or with no purpose. We, therefore, need to be careful not to attack a whole religion when some of them commit crime.

Marriage in Islam

In Islam, marriage is a partnership. Muslim women accept only Allah as their master, and do not therefore consider themselves to be inferior to a husband. It is basic in Muslim society that the man is responsible for the family's welfare and business outside the home, but the woman has virtually absolute rights within it so long as her behaviour does not shame her provider or husband.

No institution works well without a clear leader, and therefore there should be one in every family. Most Muslim women are quite happy for this leader to be the man. If the man is not worth respecting, divorce is a straightforward matter, and the woman may look for a better one.

Sometimes the woman in a household is more intelligent or organized or practical than the man, so he will quite sensibly leave most matters to her-but in Islam he is still responsible for her and therefore must take care of her and try to provide for her as much as he could and not just take advantage of her advantage of her. The women usually live with the husband's family but must be treated with the same
respect and not considered an outsider.

Marriage and family life are considered to be very important in Islam. Traditionally the man's duty is to go out to work to support the family and the woman's duty is to bring up the children and look after the household. The father or baba makes the main decisions whilst the mother or mama is important within the home and must be shown respect by her husband and children. This is seen as the natural order of things and the way Allah intended men and women to live. The man was also considered to be the provider for the family.

Muslims believe that their household is an institution founded by Allah and intended to give a secure atmosphere for the growth and progress of all its members. nything, which weakens or disrupts it, therefore it is regarded as a serious matter. The home is considered to be far more important, sacred, creative and rewarding than any place 'outside'. There is a great importance placed on the family as the cradle for developing the younger children.

The family is a complex interwoven unit consisting of many people. It is not just a husband and wife plus their parents and children. It includes brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts and cousins.

In most Muslim household aunts uncles and other relatives live in or near the house to each other to keep a close relationship, which also helps to build a cradle and support for younger children so that they have the right environment to grow stable. In the atmosphere of a loving, outgoing unit, it also includes friends and neighbours, and anyone who falls within the sphere of that love and who needs help.

'Those who show the most perfect faith are those who possess the best disposition and are kindest to their families.' 'May his nose be rubbed in dust who found his parents approaching old age and did not enter Paradise by serving him.'

A good marriage and good household teaches the children of Muslim families the aspects needed to be a good Muslim and servant to Allah. A good marriage also shows the importance of family to the children and so family is very important to Muslims to sub-stain good relationships and bonds with each other in which helps them to commit them selves to each other and to Allah.

(Hadith)
A household in which there is love, peace and security is considered to be valuable beyond price, and it does not come about by accident. It has to be worked for by all members, and requires a strong commitment to patience, forgiveness, tolerance, sense of duty and love. All these things are regarded as vital, and the key person in the household who sets the tone and does most of the work is
undoubtedly the mother.

To be a good mother is so important in Islam that she is considered to be the most precious treasure in the world. Her role is the decisive factor in the family.

'The best of treasures is a good wife, she is pleasing in her husband's eyes, looks for ways to please him, and takes care of his possessions while he is away; the best of you are those who treat their wives best.' (Hadith)

The father is expected to provide the means whereby all this can actually be achieved, to protect the home, and generally to make the mother's role possible. The father is responsible for bringing in money, and therefore it is his duty, as far as possible, to be strong, respected and honourable.

Just as the mother's role involves far more than cooking and cleaning, the father's involves leadership, responsibility, and duty, and an involvement in the world of economics, business, trade and commerce. In a marriage, both the husband and wife are to be mindful of their duty to God and their responsibilities to one another in all aspects of their interaction.

' O mankind, be careful of your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate, and from the two of them spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty to God in Whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and towards the wombs. Verily, God is Watcher over you' (4:1)

Islam goes much further than setting the course of behaviour for husbands and wives. There are many statements in the Qur'an and the Sunnah that prescribes kindness and equity, compassion and love, sympathy and consideration, patience and good will. The Prophet goes as far as to declare that the best Muslim is the one who is best to
his family, and the greatest, most blessed joy in life is a good, righteous wife.

Husband:

Islam does appoint the leadership of the family to men because in general they do possess a somewhat greater physical and emotional strength and endurance than women. For this reason, they have to be responsible for maintaining and supporting women. This does not only mean their wives and daughters, but also any other female relatives who may need help and support.

' Men are responsible for women because God has given them one more than the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). Virtuous women are therefore obedient, guarding in their (husbands') absence that which God has guarded.' (4:4).

The husband is expected to provide for the home i.e. he is responsible for bringing in money - this is his duty. The husband is responsible for the cost of his wife's food, clothes and accommodation. In addition to providing these material needs, a husband is to be considerate and concerned for his wife's welfare.

There are many Hadiths of the Prophet, which prescribe kindness and consideration for women. They also advice Muslim men to treat their wives with honour and respect. The Prophet said that the best men are those who are best to their wives. He not only should avoid hurting her but also should bear with her even if she does something disagreeable.

Although women generally do the domestic work of the house, but Islam does not require them to do so, often it is because they are more convenient as men often go to work. A husband should help his wife with the housework like the Prophet did. Muhammad used to assist his wives, mend his own clothes and participate in manual work.

He should also meet his wife's sexual needs and reserve his sexuality for her only. It is very important that he handles the matter of sex relations with skill, care and understanding. He should not regard his wife as an object of his own enjoyment alone. If the husband does practise polygamy, then he must treat his wives equally.

Wife:

The wife is her husband's hlpmate and companion. She is responsible for the household affairs and its members in terms of their physical and emotional well-being. She is generally the primary means of training the children, as she is the one who is usually in the household who usually looks after them.

She should obey her husband unless he wants her to disobey God. As the previous Qur'an verse indicates, she's also accountable of her husband's property and possessions. She should look after her husband's money for him and spend it economically.

She must be attentive to the comfort and well-being of her husband and should try not to offend or hurt his feelings. The wife should try to be faithful, trustworthy and honest. She should not receive any strange males in her home without her husband's knowledge or permission. She shouldn't accept their gifts either without his approval. This is probably meant to avoid jealousy and suspicion. A wife must be faithful and devoted to her husband. She should reserve her sexuality exclusively for the man she's married.

The primary responsibility of the wife is to take care of the management of the household, which would include any meal preparation, house cleaning, cleaning, laundry etc. It is her task to manage them in the best interests of the family. But we have to bear in mind that although the wife generally does most of the domestic work, but this is not required by Islam.

As well as looking after the children, she should look after other relatives that live in the house, and especially of any elderly that live in the house. Islam regards men and women in complete equal terms as the following Qur'anic verses show:

''And their Lord answered them: ' Verily, I will not allow the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed from one another.' '' (3:195)

''And whoever does good, whether male or female, and he (or she) is a Believer, these will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged by so much as the groove of a date-stone.'' (4:124)

''And the Believers, men and women, are protecting friends to one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, they observe regular salat and pay zakat, and they obey God and his Messenger. As for these, God will have mercy on them. Verily, God is Mighty, Wise. God promises the Believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, to abide therein - blessed dwellings in
Gardens of Eden. And greater (than that), God's good pleasure: that is the supreme success.'' (9:71-72)

Because the nature of men and women are different, they are each appointed with different role and function: these roles are meant to complement each other.

Marriage in Islam is one of mutual respect, love and compassion. The husband is there as a friend and partner to share the wife's concerns, he is to cherish and protect her while a man has in his wife a companion and helper who can give him peace and comfort. They both will help each other through life's problems and struggles.

' They (wives) are your garments and you (husbands) are their garments.' (2:187)

Parents/Child:

Bringing up children is not an easy task. In particular the Muslim woman's role as mother is regarded as being of the highest importance, the most serious and challenging responsibility she could have. Islam acknowledges the immensity of the debt, which an individual owes to his parents, and especially to his mother. There are verses in the Qur'an, which support that.

' And We have enjoined upon man concerning his parents: his mother carries him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Therefore show gratitude to me and to thy parents: unto Me is the journeying' (31:14, also 46:15)

' Say: ' Come, I will recite to you what your Lord has made a sacred obligation for you; that you associate nothing with Him (as partner in his divinity) and that you do good to your parents …' (6:151)

The following verse from the Qur'an tells Muslim children the type of attitude they should have towards their parents. Allah says:

'' Thy Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him and you be kind to parents. If neither or both of them reach old age with thee, do not say to them (so much as ) 'Uff!' nor chide them but address them in terms of honour, and out of kindness lower to them thy wing of humility and say, ' My Lord, have mercy on them as they cherished me in childhood' '' ( 17:23-24 )

The verse summarises how children should behave to their parents. Allah's command is clear, that Muslims should be dutiful and kind to their parents, they owe their parents this kindness and care. To Muslims, the idea of putting old people into homes ' and leaving them to die in despair and loneliness so that they don't cause a
burden on their children is totally inhuman and selfish.


When parents reach old age, it's their children's turn to take care of them. They should treat their parents with respect and honour and look after them. The children should be gentle towards their parents and shouldadmit the mistakes they make towards their parents. At the end of the verse, Allah tells them to have mercy on their parents.

Muslim children should pray to Allah to have mercy on their parents, to guide and bless them and forgive them for their mistakes. They should do their best to do well in the education in which their parents have provided for them. They should do their Muslim worship i.e. salat and zakat.

There are times when children should not obey their parents, and that is if the parents tell them to disobey Allah. Allah says in the Qur'an that if their parents force them to worship anything else besides Allah then they are not to obey them but ' bear them company in this life with justice '(and consideration) (31:15).

The parents should do their best to ensure that their children receive a good education. Education is not only a right but also a responsibility of all males and females. It is very important to bring them up in the Islamic faith; parents have to ensure that their faith is not lost through their education.

They have to make sure their children attend the madrasah where children are taught Islamic beliefs, how to pray, and how to read the Qur'an. This is especially important if the family lives in the West where their faith might not be practised in the Western schools. Prophet Muhammad said: "Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim" (Muslim" is used here in the generic meaning which includes both males and females).

The parents should always deal with them justly and with love, they should always try to be fair. They should also help them, when they reach the age, to find them a compatible partner so that their children may have a good and happy marriage.

One of the most important thing is to train them in Muslim worship. They should begin learning prayer and fasting by the age of seven. ' He who has no compassion for our little ones, and does not acknowledge the honour due to our elders, is not one of us.' (Hadith)

Women are Difficult

If you kiss her, you are not a gentleman. If you don't, you are not a man.If you praise her, she thinks you are lying. If you don't, you are good for nothing. If you agree to all her likes, you are a wimp.If you don't, you are not understanding .

If you visit her often, she thinks you are boring. If you don't, she acuses you of double-crossing. If you are well dressed, she says you are a playboy. If you don't, you are a dull boy. If you are jealous, she says it's bad If you don't, she thinks you do not love her. If you attempt a romance, she says you didn't respect her. If you don't, she thinks you do not like her.

If you are a minute late, she complains it's hard to wait. If she is late, she says that's a girl's way. If you visit another man, you're not putting in "quality time". If she is visited by another woman, "oh it's natural, we are girls"

If you kiss her once in a while, she professes you are cold. If you kiss her often, she yells that you are taking advantage. If you fail to help her in crossing the street, you lack ethics.If you do, she thinks it's just one of men's tactics for seduction

If you stare at another woman, she accuses you of flirting. If she is stared by other men, she says that they are just admiring. If you talk,
she wants you to listen. If you listen, she wants you to talk

In Short:

So simple, yet so complex. So weak, yet so powerful. So confusing, yet so desirable. So damning, yet so wonderful... ....Naagyahey! Kugu Daallney Islaanyahey! ee Nabdeey!

A Dangerous Husband

My friend's first husband, Abdalla, turned out to be kind of a horror. Eight years into their 12-year marriage, he began disappearing for days at a time, and when confronted, he would vanish again. He ignored her pleas, her questions, her tears. Eventually, he stopped talking to her at all unless it was to chitchat or to disparage her in public. Finally, calmly, he told her he wanted both her and their marriage gone.

Because there was nothing left to do, Halima, the girl in question, began a new life, still clinging half-heartedly to the hope that he'd change his mind. Halima clung for about a year, right up to the day that a strange woman called, introducing herself as Abdall's girlfriend-- a woman he had been seeing behind her back for three years. (She wanted some relationship advice.)

All right. There it was. Abdalla was a disgusting, adulterous, vile husband. Halima finally served him with divorce papers, asking for no alimony at all, because She didn't want to ever have to think about him again, or even see his name, even if it was on a nice fat check she surely could have used. And besides, by then, to Halima's astonished delight, she was madly in love with someone else. She had begun to think about remarriage, maybe as soon as the ink was dry on the divorce decree.

Unfortunately, it was Abdalla's unoriginal conviction that if he didn't want me, he didn't want anyone else to want me; being a lawyer, he knew all the tricks necessary to hold up a simple divorce. He disappeared to avoid signing the papers. Then he claimed he lost the papers. Finally, he filed his documents so incorrectly that the judge refused the divorce, and it had to be done all over again.

Halima was furious. "No matter what you do, I'm getting married," she told him. What should have been a simple filing for divorce took two years, but it did happen. All that was left was to have it finalized. Halima and Abshir, her fiance, were delirious. They celebrated by buying wedding bands, by setting a date and booking the Greenwich Village restaurant where they wanted to be married. "I'll never have to think about Abdalla again," she told Abshir.

And All of a sudden, Abshir died. He died of a heart attack so massive,not even a miracle could have saved him. Crazy with grief and rage, Halima looked for someone to blame and the most likely suspect was Abdalla. She called to scream at him, to vent her fury and grief. She raged at him because all his disappearances and legal tricks had postponed her wedding, denying her time when she could have been married to Abshir, the man she loved more than she had ever even considered loving Abdalla.

Halima was ready to slam down the receiver when Abdalla suddenly interrupted. His voice was quiet and sure. "I'm flying to New York to take care of you," he told me. "I'll do whatever you need to make you feel better."

"I don't know why I said OK", Halima said. Maybe because she wanted to punish him in person. Maybe because she was insane from grief and wanted another drama to focus on. Maybe because she was desperate, so drowning in despair she was terrified that she would never recover. Maybe she was ready to take any lifeline offered her. Even if it was Abdalaa's.

Okay let us read what she said about her bad husband and how he changed from eveil to angel. I was not surprised to hear this story, but something like this happens all the time. No one knows what type of husband this guy was, but I will leave you to guess after you finish reading the rest of the story.

Every weekend for nearly three months, Abdalla flew into New York. He booked me into suites in expensive hotels neighborhoods away. He stayed with me so I wouldn't be alone. We each took a bed and we both wore pajamas and the only time he touched me was to hold me while I wept, to wipe my face with a cool cloth.

Abdalla let me talk on and on about Abshir, and he never once looked away or talked about his life or talked about the life we had once shared. He gave me money because I was in no shape to work. He made sure I ate, taking me to the best restaurants in the city; and when I decided that the best thing for me to do was just travel cross-country, staying one step ahead of my grief, he booked my flights and saw me off. "Take this," he said, scribbling something on a pad of paper. "It's my private line and my credit card number. You call any time. It doesn't matter."

I did call. At 4 in the afternoon and at 4 in the morning. For 10 minutes, for two hours. From Santa Fe, N.M., and from Santa Rosa, California. Abdalla never cut me off or told me he was busy. Sometimes he just listened to me weeping incoherently on the phone. He never told me to call back, and if he wasn't there, he called as soon as he got the message. I depended on him totally--because I could.

Abdalla was there for me in a way he had never been--ever--during our marriage. "Why are you doing this?" I asked him in a call from Lubbock, Texas. "Why are you suddenly being so good?" I heard the wires humming.

"Penance," he said finally. "I made myself a promise that I'd be there for you whenever you wanted, the way I should have been there for you all the years we were together."

If there is such a thing as karmic debt, well, Abdalla paid his and then left a little as an advance on the next crisis. He put his work and his life on hold to be at my beck and call. When I came back to New York, he came back, too. He never once kissed me or crawled into my bed with me or even spoke of whatever feelings for me he might have still harbored. For the first time in our relationship, he was exactly who and what I needed when I needed him to be it: a safe, asexual male presence. A whipping boy. A shrink. A comforting father. A comic to get me to smile a little. And for all that I was eternally grateful.

My grief began to abate. I got to the point where I could walk into my home and not feel physically ill from my memories. I could spend a night alone and not need drugs to douse my sorrow. I could go out and have a nice evening with friends. I could go back to work, be with people. I could feel hopeful about my life. And gradually, my time with Abdalla began to taper off. I didn't need to have him be with me or call me every night. And when I did call him, I was healed enough to want to know something about his life, and strong enough to let him tell me.

"Well, I'm looking for change," he told me. He was thinking of getting out of the law entirely, it wasn't satisfying for him anymore. "Maybe, I'll go get therapy," he told me.

"I'm glad," I said. And I was. I called him a few more times after that, on bad nights when a movie had reminded me of my loss and I had had to leave the theater in tears, when I found an old touching card Abshir had once given me. And sometimes, too, I called Abdalla on goodnights, when I felt happy, when the city seemed promising to me again. We always talked for a while, exchanging news, and every single call, Abdalla always asked, "Are you OK?" Is there something I can do?" And more and more often, there wasn't.

And then the divorce was final, and maybe it surprised and silenced us both, because our conversations stopped. We both moved on.

Until a few years later.

I had delirious, happily, remarried, and my husband and I had run out of money doing renovations on our house. We couldn't get a loan and things were beginning to look desperate, and the only person I knew who had both wealth and generosity was Abdalla. "You can't possibly call him!" my husband protested, but I laughed. "Oh, yes, I can," I said, and so, out of the blue, I did.

"Halima!" Abdalla said. "I'm so happy to hear from you!"

We talked a little bit. I told him about my marriage, about my home. He told me he hadn't left the law, hadn't gone into therapy. But he was remarried, to a woman I didn't know. And when I asked for money, well, he came through. "I wish it could be more," he told me. His voice grew low, hesitant. "But I'm thinking of leaving my wife. I think I'm in love with someone else."

Some things always and never change. I didn't comment, didn't give advice. Instead, I thanked him for the loan, and I hung up. Abdalla, my husband from hell was once again my angel of mercy.

I guess it's funny. Abdalla and I fell out of touch not long after that. I talk with his sister, who was and is close to me. Every once in a while, I still think about him, wonder how he's doing, and sometimes I ask her. But now, even though Abdalla and I don't really have contact, when I think about him, it's never as my terrible first husband, Instead, it's as a sort of friend.

Street Gangs

All gang problems are local in nature. Whether rooted in neighborhoods,
representing a rite of passage, or providing surrogate families or access toeconomic opportunity, most gangs are inherently local. Even large-scale
gangs with reputed nationwide networks attract local youth and take advantageof local opportunities to carry out gang activities

Urban street-gang involvement in drug trafficking and violent crime is becomingincreasingly widespread—not just in large cities, but in suburbanareas and small towns as well.

Contemporary gangs—variously known as youth or delinquent gangs and
street or criminal gangs—have become a widespread threat to communities
throughout the Nation. Once considered largely an urban phenomenon,
gangs have increasingly emerged in smaller communities,presenting a challenge that severely strains local resources.

Gangs are a violent reality that people have to deal with in today's cities. What has made these groups come about? Why do kids feel that being in a gang is both an acceptable and prestigious way to live? The long-range answer to these questions can only be speculated upon, but in the short term the answers are much easier to find. On the surface, gangs are a direct result of human beings' personal wants and peer pressure.

To determine how to effectively end gang violence we must find the way that these morals are given to the individual. Unfortunately, these can only be hypothesized. However, by looking at the way humans are influenced in society, I believe there is good evidence to point the blame at several institutions. These include the forces of the media, the government, theatre, drugs and our economic system.

Gangs are one of the results of poverty, discrimination and urban deterioration. Some experts believe that young people, undereducated and without access to good jobs, become frustrated with their lives and join gangs as an alternative to boredom, hopelessness and devastating poverty.

Studies have attempted to determine why gangs plague some communities but there has been no definitive answer. As a result, people working to solve gang problems have great difficulty. They find the situation overwhelming, and the violence continues.

Gang violence is a major problem in our society today. Gang violence could take place in our neighborhoods and corrupt the young children easily influenced by the violent behavior as well. I will discuss the violence, death and illegal activity in which a number of people participated in, which like reality is the problematic truth.

Many people in our society do not think that anything bad will ever happen to them. These people always hear about the issues and problems that are in the world today, but never think they will take place close to home. Gang violence is a major problem in our society today that takes place in many different areas of the world. If nothing is done soon, gang violence could take place in our neighborhoods.

Nowadays gangs are big issues in America and Europe. People who are in gang feel like they belong some where and people care about them. There are various reasons people join gangs, and almost all age group between ages 12-40 are involved in gangs.

One of the big reasons people join gangs is because of their needs, protection, and also they want attention from people around them. Gang’s should be taken seriously because today’s gangs are more violent and brutal then they were in 60’s. Gangs do more violent act every day and if police don’t do anything about gangs then it will be hard to control the gangs in the future.

I,as Somali American citizen, thought gangs only belong to Americans, Europeans, and Husbanics, but I wa wrong as I found out later. How many times we heard Somali gangs operating in part in the United Kingdom and the United States. I was surprised why Somalis and other mulsim communties, who once were refugees and asylum seekers, want to harm one another while living in other people's lands. That is something, we somali parents, need to consider when we are sending our children to a country we don't own.

Living in Poverty

"It is expensive to be poor” Julius Nyerere, First President of Tanzania.
“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich” John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1917 – 63, 35th President of the USA.



There is a very wide range of income for individuals and families. This is why we have people that are very wealthy which are referred to as the upper class and there is the middle class that makes an average income, and the bottom of the income bracket lies the people in poverty.

Poverty is a condition in which a person or family does not have the means to satisfy basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Your race does not matter, every race has people that are in poverty. But as it is statistically shown, different races have a different number of people in poverty.

Why isn't the world equal? Our world is divided in to two – those who have and those who do not. Globally this division exists between the rich developed countries and poor developing countries. Within this broad division between the rich and the poor we find that in each country we have similar division.



Even in the richest country in the World, the United States of America, there are people, although small in number, who live in abject poverty. Similarly in even the poorest country in the world like Somalia, there are few who would be considered rich even by the standards of rich counties.

Why do some people live in abject poverty and why do others live in the lap of luxury? Why are the children of these wealthy people given the opportunities that the children of those living in less fortunate circumstances are denied or have never even heard of? Every human being on this planet must have asked these questions to himself or herself at some point in their lives.

While the first question could be answered simply in a few words with, "That's life, C'est la vie," the answer to the last two questions could have some very long and complex answers. I am sure these questions would require a lot of thinking and re-thinking before one answers them.

Poverty is a serious problem. It needs to be recognized, addressed, and resolved. Poverty is found everywhere, not only Somalaia where I orginally came from. Every country has its percentage of low-income earners, but some countries have many more people living in unfortunate circumstances than others do.

Poverty is an area of concern as it brings with it a host of problems within the country, as well as on a global scale. In order for us to address the issue of poverty, there is need for us to define what poverty is. The worst kind of poverty is when people cannot get food and therefore they are thin and weak and many starve to death.

Unfortunately this is still happening in many parts of the world. In my opinion this is the highest level of poverty and there is no reason at all why this should be happening. Partly this has to do with the policies of the rich countries. In Europe every year thousands of tones of wheat, butter and other food items are destroyed in order to maintain high commodity prices for their farmers.

A slightly lower levels of poverty is where people have food to eat but do not have access to safe drinking water, health services, education and decent houses to live in. This is a much more pervasive poverty in the world today.

The countries which have the most poverty are the so-called “Third World countries.” (I’ve never been very completely comfortable with that term. I often prefer the term, “lesser developed countries.”) These countries include the economically under-developed countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The general working population of these countries live on less than $2 a day, while in the United States, the minimum wage is approximately $6 per hour! How can we expect circumstances to be more balanced on a global scale if this is just one of the major differences between the First and the Third World?

Some other facts about lesser developed countries include:

1,300 million people in this world do not have access to drinking water – as a result, 80% of illnesses are caused by contaminated drinking water.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 40 percent of primary-age children have no opportunity for schooling. Around the world, there are currently 125 million children who have never, at any time, seen the inside of a classroom.

35,000 children die everyday for reasons directly related to poverty such as malnutrition and starvation. The distribution of wealth in the world is terribly unjust: 15% of the population own 79% of the world's wealth and 85% of the population own the remaining 21%.

All these factors contribute to the uncomfortable and sub-standard living conditions of a huge portion of the world’s population. What is even more disturbing, however, is that poverty seems to be increasing instead of decreasing.



In the past 30 years, if we consider the world from a global perspective, important economic growth has occurred, but the number of people who live in poverty has increased and the difference between those who live in abundance and those who do not has markedly increased.

Children in the First World have access to things that children in the Third World do not even know exist. Let me take the example of the Internet. In the United States, we have children who have their own e-mail addresses at the age of six, while in the Third World, for example in a rural village in Somalaia, we have a fifteen year old student who has not seen a computer in his life nor he know what a computer is!

This gap increases with each passing day. Likewise, a thirteen-year-old girl in rural Ogaden villages shoulders responsibilities of doing household chores such as taking care of the home, her parents, and her younger brothers and sisters, as well as cooking and cleaning for them all.

A twelve year old girl in a rural village in Garissa, Kenya, is married off to a man approximately forty years older than her without her being asked; she has to grow up quickly and act like a wife at the age of twelve! Both these girls have never enjoyed themselves or had the opportunity to act like children – having fun with friends, laughing, going to school and learning about themselves and growing up positively. While in London, a thirteen year old girl goes out shopping to the mall with her friends after school and spends ten to fifteen pounds without thinking about it!

People in Third World countries do not even know half the things that are a way of life in the First World. For example, the average American homemaker (I hate the word housewife) uses a dishwasher, a washer, a dryer, a microwave, etc. An average woman in the Third World has never seen any of these, let alone owns them and knows how to use them!

Most women in third world countries spend hours collecting firewood to cook the family meal in the evening. While the women in rich countries turn on a tape to get water, women in poor countries spend hours for fetching water from a source which may be contaminated, like lakes and rivers.

These are just a few of examples of how the youth in the Third World have to grow up differently, due to their living conditions and environment. But it is supposed to be this way; this is not how people are supposed to live! There shouldn’t be two extremes...there shouldn't be any differences.

We are human beings, we are supposed to live well and everyone should be treated as equals – this isn't the ideal world, to anyone. All members of the human race have the right to live comfortably and happily, and not to suffer just because of some global economy problems. Each and every baby has the right to eat and drink and grow up to have the required education levels that many of us take for granted. It is up to the leaders of the world to decide on how to improve the substandard living conditions of Third World residents.

However, all is not lost. There are a few people who truly want to help and make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate. Apart from the late Mother Teresa, another famous person is doing all he can. I am talking about Bono, also known as Paul Hewson, the lead singer of the band U2. He is one man who is doing what he can to help convince the First World leaders to write off the debts of the Third World, as, he says, they are too busy paying off their loans,with whatever little money they can make from their economy to improve their lifestyles. Earlier this year he traveled through Africa with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. Time magazine profiled him under the headline "Can Bono save the world?"

It is sad that at the beginning of the 21st century so many of the world’s population is living under abject poverty. The problem has less to do with the poor people themselves but more to do with the way the world’s economy and trade relations are organized. As many of the leaders from poor countries have often said, “we do not want aid, we want fair trade”. It is only through fair trade that the poor of the world can be assisted to grow out of their poverty. We all have a role to play

Mogadishu Terror

Somali is suffering more now under occupation and surging violence than it did under the old brutal Somali worlords. Terror attacks being waged by Ethiopian occupation brought untold miseries and hardships to the Somali people. The attacks added fuel into the fire of hardships and miseries being inflicted into the Somali people over the past few months.



The most brutal side of the terrorist threat to the Somali people was in the form of daily attacks and bomb blasts that strike streets, homes, markets and other crowded areas in various parts of Mogadishu, claiming precious lives of hundreds of people. An average 200 somali civilians, including women and children, die on a daily basis over the past few months.

The number of people, who have been killed by Ethiopians and TFG soldiers, reached 7,000. These continues attacks and destruction of properties have forced one million people to flee the Mogadushu. There are five hundred thousand Somali refugees in the neighboring countries in addition to another one million who have been internally displaced in the country.




The Ethiopian-led war and the Insurgents' attacks have also left tens of thousands of women and children widows and orphans. These also aggravated the plight of Somali civilians who are living in fear and miseries and many of them suffering from psychic disorders. Nearly one third of the 10 million population of Somali are living below poverty line.

The unemployment rate is on the increase on an alarming level currently hitting 90%. This was mainly because of the destruction of infrastructure facilities and halting of commercial and economic activities due to the deteriorating situation and surging violence in the country. Even Somali businessmen are not ready to make investments in their homeland.




It is estimated that 1,000 Somali wealthy men and women had left the country for neighboring countries in fear of Ethiopian attacks and instable environment. One-fourth of Somali children lack nutrition food and about 100,000 boys and girls stopped going to school due to the volatile security situation and recurrent Ethiopian and TFG terror attacks in Mogadishu. Hundreds of professionals, including doctors, and teachers have also become victims of the heinous terror crimes.

The Ethiopian attacks posed a catastrophe for the medical field also. Tens of doctors and non-medical staff, including 66 doctors from Mogadushu, have fled the country in fear of Ethiopian attacks and threats. The vicious cycle of terror violence has also left 300,000 of children orphans, and many of them resorted to begging for making a livelihood.




Thousands of Somali women became widows and they are suffering to make both ends' meet. Surging violence has also produced negative impact on the neighboring countries, especially in the field of commercial and trade activities. There has been a sharp decline in the volume of exports to Somali from these countries.

Some of 70 percent of Somali families are reeling under occupation and wave of TFG terror violence. More than four million Somali s are now living away from home, including about 1,000,000 who fled the war-torn country since the Ethiopian-led war violence intensified just over few months ago. About 2 million refugees are living in Kenya.

The displacement includes 700,000 people who are living in other part of Somalia, most of whom are sheltering with friends and relatives who have little space or food to share. Most of the refugees and the internally displaced live in acute poverty with little access to health and education.

Kenya is the worst sufferer as they are struggling to cope with thousands of Somali refugees fleeing into these countries. To put in a nutshell, Ethiopian terrorists are neither going to achieve their goal of taking control of Mogadishu nor winning the hearts of various sections of people after inflicting serious damage to the people and properties of the Somali nation, which was once the cradle of human civilization. The people of Somalia will resist not only the occupying power but the TFG terrorists as well.

Be Safe Online

The Internet is a great tool. You can shop, do research, talk with friends and family, share pictures, play games, and more. Just like in everyday life, there are people who can take advantage of you if you're not careful. This guide offers some easy ways to help keep you, your computer, and your family safer when you go online. If you Get Net Safe, you can get the most from the amazing Internet.
Con or spam artists have gone high-tech, using the Internet to defraud consumers in a variety of clever ways. Whether they're using the excitement of an Internet auction to entice consumers into parting with their money, applying new technology to peddle traditional business opportunity scams, using email to reach vast numbers of people with false promises about earnings through day trading, or hijacking consumers' modems and cramming hefty long-distance charges onto their phone bills, scam artists are just a click away

Fortunately, law enforcement is on the cyber-case. Using complaints to Consumer Sentinel, a consumer fraud database, as their guide, law enforcement officials have identified the top 10 dot cons facing consumers who surf the Internet, as well as many of the fraudsters behind them. In addition to putting many online con artists out of business, the US Federal Trade Commission, the nation's chief consumer protection agency, wants consumers to know how not to get caught in their web.

So please be careful when you and your kids go online. If you take measurable steps, you will enjoy using the internet. It is a great tool and everything is at your fingertip. Now go ahead and click some of the links at the left side under the topic .

Be safe Kids

Millions of people are now going "online" to take advantage of email, surf the web, post and receive messages, participate in chat groups and other various activities.

As computer consultants, we see repeatedly how many parents want to give their children access to the vast amount of knowledge and research tools, as well as fun activities, and will buy one of the many devices available today that gives them access. From cell phones and PDA's, to state-of-the-art computer systems, access to the internet is all virtually everywhere.

However, many parents do not realize that without educating themselves on Internet Safety, they open their homes to criminals in just the same way as opening the front door. While the ultimate responsibility will rely on your child or teen to make the right decisions while online, there are measures that parents can take to help ensure "cyber" security.

The internet is a vast global "web" of networks that is not governed by any company or government. Anyone can publish any material on the internet. Your internet service provider, ISP (AOL, RoadRunner, SBC, etc.), will link you to these sites, and may take step to try to protect you, but they cannot control what is on those sites.

There have been many high-profile cases recently of abuse involving the internet, but incidents are rarely reported. Like most crimes against children, many cases go unreported (especially if the child feels uneasy talking to their parents about them).

There are a few risks to children who use the internet and it's services, but teenagers are particularly at risk because they are more likely to have unsupervised time on the internet, and are more likely to participate in online discussions about sex, relationships, etc.

BE SAFE ONLINE, and be safe Yaah!

My First Car

I remember that cold day in October 7 years ago as I walked down the endless rows of new and used cars. I was oblivious to the sounds of the congested afternoon traffic around me. All that was on my mind was anticipation, a little hope, and a checkbook in my pocket that seemed to weigh so heavy despite the lack of funds it represented.
It was only a matter of time before one of the salesmen would notice me wandering aimlessly through the car lot and eagerly approach me. In the meantime I continued to inspect each car carefully. I felt like a child in a toy store who wanted the most expensive toy but only had a handful of change.

I was lost in the moment when I heard, “Can I help you with something?’ I had been waiting to hear those words for what seemed like an eternity and now I could finally get down to business. As we shook hands the salesman introduced himself as Ahmed Aliyoow.

He was a stocky guy with a firm handshake. There was no sign of desperation in his eyes, which was a relief. Remembering what my friend told me I substituted his face with a vision of someone I hated most, but his smile that went from ear to ear seemed to swallow and overpower that vision.

He asked me what I was interested in and I immediately led him in a beeline across the lot to the car that I desired. I ignored the cries of the cars that I passed along the way and stopped at a white 1996 Acura Integra.

He was only briefly intrigued with the car that I had chosen before he asked how much money I was able to use as a down payment. When I told him I only had eleven hundred dollars, I could almost hear the mental laughter that was coming from inside his mind.

A few minutes later I was sitting in an office sipping on a cup of stale coffee while Ahmed and another American man were running numbers through a computer. As I sat there and waited my anticipation transformed into nervousness.

I visualized myself driving home in that Integra to help ease my mind. My nervousness ultimately became disappointment when Ahmed returned to inform me that it would be impossible to finance the Integra.

I was a new immigrant with almost no credit history but I still had to pretend to be surprised, that it could not be possible, that there was some sort of mistake.

He ignored my denial and told me that there was another nice car that I might be interested in, and that it was more or less in my price range. I reluctantly agreed to take a look at this mystery car.

When Ahmed drove the mystery car to the front of the sales office I was immediately disgusted. It was a tall, clumsy, and awkward looking red 1993 Camaro. What I hated most of all was that from a front view the car was designed to look like it was smiling at you.

A smile that was almost as big as the one on Ahmed's´s face when he stepped out of the vehicle. Maybe it was the eagerness or the impatience that I brought along that day, but an hour later I found myself on the 35W interstate driving that 1993 Camaro. It was not the Integra that I had been longing for, but for that one day, I was proud to claim it as my very own car.(Waa Illahey Mahadii Yaakhey)

Coming To America

Somali refugees, like other refugees in Africa, were dying for going to developed countries like America and Europe. Because we were refugees living in camps, with no enough food and water, we all had a high ambition of getting a better life somewhere else in the world. Living in a refugee camp was nothing just a matter of life and death.
We were all aware that North America and Europe were the only places on earth that we could get a better life and a lasting peace. We spent most of our time thinking and competing how to travel to those above mentioned countries. We were in a bitter compitition, because we all became sick and got a fake disease called "Buufis".

The term Buufis, as we call it, wasn't part of the Somali language before the outbreak of the Somali civil war. Buufis. which means mind occupy, was a new word that only Somali refugees, especially the young, use every day and night. No one really knows how that new word entered into our language, but since we wern't actually mentally sick.

Most of us beleive that Buufis was the proper word to use in this case. I,among of those Somali refugees living in Kenya, spent most of my time and energy to find a way, before my friends do, to travel to America or Europe. I wasn't actually consumed with jealousy when I said I wanted to leave before my pals do, but that was a life.

I wanted to make sure that everything will go well for me and that I would, no matter how, win the competition. All of my friends, some living with me and some living in other camps, were on the same boat, but it wasn't easy for all of us to make our dreams come true. We were just poor refugees who were struggling to get our daily bread, and yet we were going head to head with each other and we were wishing everyone else to be left behind.

After living in trials and tribulations for a long time in Kenya, where life was in dire straits, my parents got an opportunity to go to America, the land for the free. It was actually my grandmother who came to my parents rescue and helped them out from Utanga, a refugee camp near Mombasa.

Now I'm here, so are most of my families, and I wish good luck for those left behind. Sorry, I wasn't actually mean but I was one of those who got the so-called Buufis disease. The Buufis is gone now but I got a true disease called a homesick. I wish we will all go back home one day and help build our beloved country.

A Somali refugee Deported for Assault

A Somalian who gained refugee status in Canada and went on to commit assaults in Ontario and British Columbia has been kicked out of the country.
Mohamed Hagi Mohamud were convicted of assaults in Ontario and British Columbia. Canada Border Services Agency announced Monday that they removed Mohamed Hagi Mohamud from Canada last week.

Mohamud came to Canada in 1992 at age 16 and was granted refugee status the following year. He was facing a deportation hearing in Ontario in 2004 when he vanished, only to be picked up a year later for a brutal sexual attack on a Surrey, B.C., woman.

He had already been convicted and served prison time for attacking two people in Ontario in assaults dating back to 1997.

After his release from prison on those charges, he failed to show up for a May 2004 deportation hearing and didn't surface again until police arrested him for the attack on the Surrey mother of three.

Mohamud had completed two-thirds of his four-and-a-half year sentence last December for the attack on the 33-year-old woman, and became eligible for release.

He was held in custody until he could be deported by the border agency.
"The removal of criminals from Canada is an ongoing priority for CBSA," the agency's Pacific region spokeswoman Paula Shore said in a news release. "The ability to remove foreign criminals is vital to protecting the safety and security of Canada."

Shore wouldn't release further details about Mohamud's deportation or say if there was an investigation into how he eluded deportation in 2004.

Shore said last year, the border agency's Pacific region removed 1,442 people, including 313 criminals, from the country.

While Mohamud was serving his prison sentence in 2006, an immigration panel ruled that he could be deported as soon his jail term was complete.

I'm wondering what is going through in this handsome young mind's head. Why he did this and what made him do this. Did he forgot he was in a a nice and beautiful country where he could have achieved his goal like everyone else.

I don't understand why some of us, as Somalis, want to harm our foreign hosts who gave us everything that we couldn't get otherwise. We come here for one purpose: to live here peacefully, not the other way around. I would better tell those bad guys to go back home and commit whatever crime they want. That is where they belong to and that is where they orginally came from.

What is Love, Waryaada

Love by definition is an emotion explored in philosophy, religion, and literature, often as either romantic love, the fraternal love of others, or the love of God based on the definition found in The Encarta Encyclopedia. As I explored the definition by means of the Internet, books, and articles I noticed the definitions changed quite a bit, but yet had the same basic understanding.
The definition I found in The Encarta Encyclopedia was probably the most simple and most basic. It refers to love in the whole aspect, which is Godly, fraternal, and romantic. All in which can only be defined by one word and that it love.

The definitions of love are the same and yet different. Godly, for instance is the love of Allah, and your devotion and respect toward him, the creator. In all religion, god carries the same aspect. Fraternal love is the love of ones family and relatives,(Qoys) even the love of one who is close to you, in that respect, such as a friend. Then there´s romantic love; a love between two people, which I consider to be both intimate and sexual.

Older dictionaries and encyclopedias usually refer to the romantic aspect of love, as the love in which is experience between man and woman. In today´s society it is said that romantic love can be found regardless of your gender and based on that definition I would have to agree, but personally disagree for the simply reason that we were physically made to adapt with the other gender sexually. Feeling romantic love for the same sex would defeats the purpose of our existents, which is procreation. Thus making love for the same sex unjust.

Love has been expressed since the beginning of time; since Adam and Eve(Xaawo and Adam). Each culture expresses its love in its own special way. Though out history, though, it´s aspect has always been the same. Love has been a major characteristic of literature also. One of the most famous works in literary history is, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This story deals with the love of a man and a woman who´s families have been sworn enemies. There love surpassed the hatred in which the families endured for generations. In the end they both ended up killing their selves, for one could not live without the other(Like Cilmi Boodhari and Hodan).

This story is a perfect example of true love. True love is the true feeling of romantic love and is a love that should last an eternity. It is often referred to as true love because what is considered to be love is often faulty and corrupt, not even true love at all! Love can easily be mistaken for a simple crush or strong liking of someone. The unfortunate thing is; most people can´t tell the difference between true love and corrupt love; the end result may be a broken heart. The term broken heart is used when something has jeopardized the romantic love between two people and the end result is the termination of, what is called, a relationship. Basically hurting the person or persons emotionally involved in this so-called relationship.

The term relationship has different definitions, but the one I am referring to is the relationship between to people, an intimate relationship. It is said that when two people fall in love with each other they are to take it to a higher level, a more intimate level, which is called a relationship. A relationship is basically a compatibility test to see if the two who are in the relationship are truly in love and can handle the duress in which they bring upon each other. This is where the turning point of the relationship begins. Should they decide to spend the rest of their lives with each other, they will get married.

Marriage is basically a contract between two people creating a mutual dependence of one another in a lifetime of commitment. This lifetime contract is a way of justifying the true love between couples, a love that should last a lifetime. Marriage is basically a custom throughout different cultures. Most marriages are based on the sole purpose of creating a family, a whole families basis is on love. You can´t have a family if you don´t have the love that supports the family. It starts as the love of two individuals, and then progresses to the love of a family.

The love between parent and child is far more different than the love between husband and wife. That is where the difference in the meaning of love comes in. Romantic love is the love between husband and wife and fraternal love is the love between parent and child. And if you´re a religious family you have the love of your God. All in which are very different; and yet pretty much the same!

Some marriages don´t last, unfortunately and the end result is a divorce. A divorce is basically the termination of a marriage. Most divorces occur due to corrupted love. If it is true love it´ll last a lifetime. Nothing can break the love between two people if it´s true love. If it were possible to break this eternal bond it would have to have been a relationship based on corrupted love. True love is very rare in my opinion and if it exists it will last a lifetime, regardless. If not, that relationship is corrupt.

Corrupted relationships are relationships that are falsified by ones wrong intentions in a relationship. These intentions tend to throw the other companion into a belief that their partner loves them when in fact they don´t thus causing heartbreak. Most of these intentions are sexual and physical. Any relationship based strictly on sexual and physical attraction will fail. True love is primarily emotional. These sexual tendencies are what cause a corrupt relationship.

After researching the meaning behind love I have come to realize the importance it has on humanity. Without love, our race could not exist. It is the love for one another that keeps us going; unlike any species on earth we are the only ones that have this emotion and it is what makes us who we are. Without love, we are all lost. Most of Somali people don't even believe in a fairy tale Love.