What up Ah-Kees and Ah-Kettes?! What the dilly yo’? Whats the word on the street (or the masjid)? How ya’ll livin’? Whuts good ya’ll? What’s poppin‘? What’s crack-a-lackin’? (don’t worry … its out of my system now)

Well, it appears that I’ve been away for a while. Yep. I know. The two of you who actually bother to visit this pathetic-excuse-for-a-blog might have actually noticed. The rest of you likely don’t care - and I don’t blame you one bit! To put it in a nutshell … this blog sucks. I really mean that. I hate it. Sometimes I hate this blog with a passion. Actually, I’ve even come to hate blogging and bloggers to be quite honest.

As far as this steaming piece-o-crap blog is concerned … I suppose that I have simply lost focus and direction. Blogging no longer means what it once did for me (at least I think it meant something). I actually used it as a release mechanism of sorts - an eOutlet if you will. I think I began blogging either because I felt that I actually had an opinion that mattered (I was obviously way off the mark on that), or perhaps that I could actually “make a difference” (what a bunch of pie in the sky BS that was), or I simply could have been bored (and therefore lacked anything else better to do … yes … I am aware that makes me a loser).

I don’t know if I want to blog anymore. Seriously, what’s the point? There are simply too many damn bloggers out there - especially in the Muslim blogosphere - and I jumped on the bandwagon too damn late. My sheer laziness is also a likely reason why I am not actively blogging at the moment. When I commit to something I usually go all our … or I just give up (which is often the case). I’m an all or nothing kinda guy I suppose.

What has really perturbed me as of late is my disappointment and disgust toward the entire damn Muslim blogosphere. Yep, you read that correctly. The entire damn Muslim blogosphere (with the exception of a couple of you out there - and you know who you are)! There is a profound and overwhelming ignorance about our Deen that has become a reality and has exploded onto the internet. When takes a moment to consider the impact of the digital revolution - the blog (and the net in general)- has become the new battle ground.  Or maybe it’s no longer new.

Muslims seem to care more about slogans and senseless campaigns these days - rather than dealing with issues of any substance. I recently came across such nonsense in the form of a misguided campaign titled “Wear Your Keffiyah Day” that intended to send some kind of message to Dunkin Donuts for its corporate decision to pull an ad with Rachel Ray. In the advertisement, Ray wore what appeared to be an Arab head scarf (Keffiyah or Kuffiyah) and far right-wing bloggers took notice.

What the hell? Are you sh**ing me? Are you people really being serious with this stick-it-to-the-man kinda crap? Frankly, I’d still rather put my support behind Dunkin Donuts instead of this ridiculous campaign.  If this is the kind of mindless drivel that we are going to promote on the Muslim blogosphere…then I want no part of it!  At least Dunkin Donuts provides society with a real service in the form of DONUTS!   You campaign organizers can keep your nationalism and cultural mumbo-jumbo to your damn selves! 

So that is where I am at the moment.  Disgusted with everything.

yep.  disgusted.  that’s about it.

…hmmm…

still disgusted…

p.s.    I forgot to mention that my disgust also includes the following:  self proclaimed “moderate” Muslims, Innovators of any description, Sufis, Shia, Hamzah Yusuf Hanson, Nuh Keller, the whole Zaytuna gang, Habib Ali Jiffri, Yusuf “the Cat” Stevens, nationalistic Muslims, Ikhwaanees, Neo-Salafees (Madakhilaah - SPUBS/TROID), secular Muslims (whatever the hell that means), media whores, MAS, ISNA, ICNA, Dar al Hijrah, ADAMS,  Deobandees, Asharees, Maturidees, Muslim boy bands, Muslim comedians, etc.

I hope I didn’t forget anyone…

Unfortunately there are those within the Ummah today who feel it is their job - nay - it is their calling to blame Muslims for just about everything in the world. I like to refer to them as the “blame-Muslims-first” crowd. Now, I must admit, I like blaming Muslims for just about everything as much as the next guy… but … when these folks make it a habit of running with rumors and blindly accepting whatever a biased (western) media has to say (on every issue possible concerning Izzlam/Mozzlems/the Middle East/A-rabs/whatever) — I find myself getting more than a little irritated.
I know what you’re thinking … okay… uhhh … actually I don’t know what you’re thinking. However, let us assume (for arguments sake) that - LIKE ME - you enjoy blaming Muslims for a lot of things. Fun isn’t it? Yeah, I know. I particularly enjoy making fun of nationalistic Muslim immigrants who seem to bring all of their back-home garbage to the US. Idiots - pure and simple.

I also enjoy mocking any kind of nationalist Muslim. I essentially look at it this way … I don’t take pride in my heritage/culture and neither should you. I don’t give a damn about what “your people” did many moons ago … or what leaders your nation(s) gave rise to … or in what wars the sons of your nation died. I simply don’t care. I would rather organize my sock drawer, listen to endless hours of bluegrass, or watch reruns of the Britney Spears/Kevin Federfag reality show that aired some time ago, than listen to one minute of such crap. So … it should be clear to the reader … that I don’t hold back on Muslims. When we screw up — and we often do — I won’t hesitate to admit it. I simply choose to do so by putting things into context (something that many of us have completely forgotten about) and to consider the source where I am getting my information from.

Let us look at one such case where some Muslims have chosen to run with media garbage propaganda and consequently look kinda silly for doing it. Does anyone remember the story sensationalist media propaganda about the retarded Iraqi female bombers?

This was a joke from the beginning and had a FOX Noise quality stench about it. It reminded me somewhat of that rumor - that some in the media were pointing to as fact - of female terrorists who were stuffing (either by manual insertion or through surgical implantation) explosives inside of their wombs or genital cavities (poon in scientific terms) so as not to be detected by security personnel at airports. As the story rumor went, these evil Mozzzlem female terrorists were supposed to detonate their poontastic explosives aboard commercial aircraft thus snuffing out the lives of beautiful white people and their little white babies. Oh the horror! Well it turned about to be nothing but crap … and like much of the crap that comes out of the bowels of media in this country the rumor was eventually flushed away and only managed to come back as diarrhea on FOX Noise a few more times.

Anyway here is how the retarded Iraqi female bomber rumor was perceived by some Muslims…

…and here is something that is likely much closer to the truth…

In addition to having little faith in the media…reactions like this are why I really don’t trust…
ikhwanees,
(supposedly) reformed madkhalees,
and belligerent cabbies…

A brief look at the increasing number of women being held in Iraqi prisons. What crimes are these women guilty of? Being Sunni? Being “extremists”? Being linked to the insurgency? Who knows. Thanks “W” …

Politics in Pakistan seems to get dirtier (if that is even possible) when you take in account the Bhutto Factor. I’m sure you’re disgusted…so am I.

I think that the news of Muslims in space must have the NeoCons a bit alarmed. Quick! Somebody raise the Terror Alert Level!

Where do contemporary Neo-Traditionalists find the nerve to attack Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (mainstream Muslims & Scholars alike) with serious accusations of shirk when one of their most famous figures, Ibn Arabi (the deviant mystic), is clearly guilty of such crimes? How about al Hallaj (kaffir mystic)? Rumi, where he states, “I am God.”? Until, and unless, we have real intellectual honesty — and clarity — amongst Muslim scholars (on a whole host of issues including Aqeedah) … I find that “pacts” of any description will easily be rendered meaningless.

Today, the survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacre will recall a dark moment in history. It was today, Sept. 17th 1982, that a Lebanese Christian militia (supported by Israel) invaded a Palestinian refugee camp and went about the process of methodically killing all civilian inhabitants. The few survivors who did manage to escape this act of genocide 25 years ago are again reminded of the past when looking at the recent destruction of the Nahr al Bared refugee camp by the Lebanese military. The reality is that in a world of dirty politics, where allegiances can easily shift or be bought & sold at a moments notice, it is the civilian who often pays the ultimate price. I wonder how much media attention this won’t will get?

Robert Fisk visited the scene of the massacre…

Did former FED Chairman Alan Greenspan just say a mouthful? I think he did…I think he did. I don’t expect much to come of Greenspan’s recent thoughts. After all, he is a private citizen now and is entitled to his own opinion like any other American citizen — or that might be the argument of the Whitehouse as they’ll likely be doing some damage control to counter Greenspan. Ultimately though, Greenspan’s thoughts amount to a political “wedgie” given to the Commander in Chief Thief…not much else.

A new French book is aimed at Muslims fasting during the month of Ramadan. The purpose of this book is to encourage healthy eating so that Ramadan, the month of fasting, does not become the month of feasting (and unnecessary weight gain). I think this book is brilliant! There should be similar books written and distributed by medical professionals throughout the Muslim world. I should be the first person in line to buy this book…

So much for democracy in Pakistan, huh Busharraf supporters? I suppose, former cricketer, Imran Khan recently joined forces with the Taliban. Talk about persona non grata! Subhanallah, when will Muslims wake up?

Why is it the case that if Muslims (or anyone from the Middle East) are involved in a bombing/attack of some sort…the media rushes to the conclusion that such an attack is a nefarious terrorist plot…however…when it happens in Mexico it is merely an act of “sabotage”???

Today is a day like no other. It is a day that I will be in mourning. To be quite honest, I don’t know how to express the grief and pain that I feel today. Anyway, here it is in a nutshell: We have mithai in the house and I am on a diet … so I cannot eat it. Dammit! I know the nation feels my pain. Let us all bow our heads for a moment of silence…

Authorities in Israel recently arrested this group for involvement in a number of crimes as well as membership in a Neo-Nazi group. Oh the irony of it all. Besides having Neo-Nazis to contend with…I found it particularly amusing that these guys got to Israel through the “law of return” which enables just about ANYONE (it seems) with even remote Jewish ancestry to legally reside in Israel. I suppose importing Russian Jews in droves kinda came back to bite ‘em in the latka this time…

A historical look at the intersection between mental instability and true religious fanaticism. Ivan Vasilyevich IV, or “Ivan the Terrible” as he later came to be known, plunged Russia into one of its darkest periods in history. Ivan IV gained notoriety, and infamy, for being Russia’s first Czar (Tsar) as well as one of the most brutal rulers in its history. Ivan’s cruelty toward his enemies, and his own people, almost seems something of legend. After all, history is indeed full of countless dictators and ruthless leaders.

However, Ivan the Terrible’s “iron fisted” rule seemed to take tyranny and human savagery to rarely (before) seen depths in early modern times. With disturbing precision, Ivan personally oversaw the torture and execution of tens of thousands of Russians that he percieved as his enemies. Ivan’s bloodthirstiness only grew with each day of his nightmarish reign and the executions he participated in turned more and more into sadistic orgies of violence, torture and brutal inhumanity. Ivan’s “purges” of Russia were cruel, yet calculated, and were designed to instill the utmost level of fear into his subjects. Enemies weren’t simply slated for execution by the Czar…but they were to be tortured and so violated that Ivan would forever be regarded as something more than a mere despot or iron fisted ruler. Ivan would ultimately be regarded — by many of his terrified subjects & political rivals — as the bringer of death for 16th century Russia.

His enemies, which included an enormous list of nearly every cross section of 16th century Russia, were eliminated in some of the most horrendous ways. Ivan’s tortures seemed to be rooted in his obsessive reading of the Bible. One might even argue that, in a strange way, his Biblical tortures were an affront to the very religion he claimed devout adherence to. In that sense, Ivan the Terrible’s awful reign presents us with a number of contradictions. What is certain though is that Russia was never to be the same after the death of Ivan Vasilyevich IV.

A few thoughts I was left with after watching these videos:

1. Ivan the Terrible comes across as more than histories “usual” despot. Rather he seems more like what we might describe today as a serial killer. Only this serial killer had the legitimacy of political rule.

2. Ivan’s seige of Kazan marks one of Russia’s earliest campaigns against Muslims. I could be wrong here.. and I probably am. However, I am correct in stating that Ivan IV was the first Czar to have ever fought against Muslims in any territory.

3. The striking similarities of Ivan’s reign compared with the brutal grip on power held by the Communists during the Cold War. While there are similarities that I will briefly mention in a moment…there is at least one basic difference (I think). Ivan IV’s reign of terror over his subjects reflected, to some degree, his sadistic personal desires. Ivan, after all, was known to not only have personally participated in the gruesome torture and execution of his victims — but he was known to take pleasure and delight out of it as well. The Communists on the other hand, though equally as ruthless and brutal as Ivan, saw executions as something more political and routine in nature. Theirs was a job that involved the elimination/extermination of any, and all, enemies of the state as part of a national duty (or broader national strategy) and not necessarily as part of any personal agenda (this may be a point of contention for some who will raise the spector of Joseph Stalin whose paranoia and ruthlessness seems to have rivaled that of Ivan). Communists’s saw their role in forever silencing all opposition as part of a noble goal — the establishment of a utopian Socialist society in Russia (formerly USSR) and beyond. ANYWAY…I could ramble on…here are the possible similarities:

a. The employment of a secret force to eliminate political opposition…

b. The use of “purges” to eliminate any, and all, opposition…

c. Paranoid leadership…

d. “Iron fisted” rule…

Ivan the Terrible - Part 1

Ivan the Terribe - Part 2

Ivan the Terrible - Part 3

Have you ever wanted to find answers to some of the most important questions confronting mankind? Do you ever wonder what you’re life means in the grand cosmic scheme of things? Have you ever pondered the meaning of life itself? Have you ever been visited by Extraterrestrial beings? Is George W. Bush really that stupid? Is the the purple Teletubby (Tinky Winky) really gay?

Well…you won’t be finding answers to those questions (I think). However, you will find answers for questions related to Ramadan and other key Islamic topics. Actually, I’m not so sure about the whole “gay Teletubby” thing. Who knows, there might be a conclusion on that as well…

Anyway, do yourself a favor and check it out — if you haven’t already done so. Real Islamic scholars (Sh. Yasir Qadhi and Sh. Yaser Birjas) will be taking YOUR questions so feel free to give it to ‘em … Full-Force!