February 12, 2011

Operation: Dislodge Waistline

I realized I needed a project in my life. Something I can actively contribute to with discipline but still have fun. Something I can be persistent about. Something that would igniiiiiiiiite the liiiiiiiiiiiight and leeeeeeet it shiiiiiiiine. Something that would rekindle my passion for life.

Then I watched Julie and Julia. Needless to say, it inspired me. (Ofcourse, it reminded me of my days as a passionate blogger :) )
I decided to embark on a similar project.

But wait! Which one? Being in the round-is-a-shape category of the human race, a cook-and-nom project would effectively contribute to my ever-expanding waistline, which given my mother's anxiety levels about my big-fat(literally!)-desi-wedding, was not such an appealing idea after all. Plus, on my university-student-no-job-huge-family-more-birthdays budget, the idea flat out laughed me in the face!

And then it dawned upon me- what is it I realllllllly want? (Not Chicago Uno Grill's rattlesnake pasta, we're talking long-term!) I want to be skinny. And most of all, to quit being the deer caught in headlights among desi-aunty-gossip circles!

And that, dear bloggers, gave rise to *DRUMROLL*

OPERATION: Dislodge Waistline

Stay tuned :)

February 7, 2011

Of Peace, Pakistan and Philanthropy

Abdul Sattar Edhi. This is who we are. This is who we were. And this is who we should inspire to be. Winner of several international awards, Abdul Sattar Edhi is a simple, self-proclaimed uneducated man who operates the largest voluntary ambulance services. Whenever a disaster strikes Pakistan, Edhi's ambulances are always ahead of the rest, at Pakistan's service.

This is what Islam is about. The simplicity, the honesty of this man is what we Muslims are taught in Islam. THIS is the real Islam. Islam is not Al Qaeda, Islam is not Taliban. Abdul Sattar Eidhi is a living example of what Islam teaches.

What does Abdul Sattar Edhi own? 2 suits. 2 suits is all he owns. One he washes, the other he wears. He does not own enough resources to give Zakaat, because he gives them all in charity. He drinks milk morning and night, and only eats one piece of bread for lunch, without meat.
This is modesty, this is humility. This is what Islam teaches.

Abdul Sattar Eidhi deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. What infuriates me is that Obama won it for what? For getting Aafia Siddiqui arrested. For detaining a mother of a 1.5 year old child in an all-male prison on the mere basis of suspicion. Despite all the objectivity and equality that these awards boast, Obama was a politician. Politicians are NEVER objective. Why, then, was he awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Where has he contributed to peace? Drone attacks in Pakistan, War in Iraq, Afghanistan, this is not peace! Despite ALL EDHI'S HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS, despite all the real work he's done, Obama gets the award.

You decide. Where's the justice? We Muslims are being brainwashed. We are blinded to our own side. We don't see the efforts of our people because it is not being promoted by the media. We need to open our eyes and ears to our people and educate ourselves about the wonderful efforts and contributions that Muslims have made in the world. We need to be inspired by these, by our history, by Islamic history and make continuous efforts to clense this ridiculous hegemonized image that the Western media has constructed about us. We need a revival.

And this is it. It's now, or never.