Footy teams don't wear those big baggy shirts. Ps there are Ice Hockey teams in the UK :cool:

^^There is disagreement and there is the use of a blindfold!

Scoring Your Goals By Altaf Husain Social Worker — USA At a time in human history when information is exchanged at the speed of light and the world is literally becoming more and more a global village, it is ironic that still so little is known about Islam. Well, that is not exactly accurate. A lot is known about Islam. Regrettably and owing mostly to our own inadequacy in disseminating the message of our religion, much of what is known ranges from outright lies and fabrications to wholesale misconceptions. It is, therefore, seemingly impossible that an act of kindness by a Muslim would ever see the light of day. It is also unimaginable that daily efforts by Muslims to improve themselves, to draw closer to Allah, and to serve their community will ever be considered newsworthy. Ironically, that is exactly what happened when Frederick Oumar Kanoute, the French-born football (soccer to the Americans) superstar player of Malian descent, decided to invest his earnings to save a masjid property on the verge of foreclosure in Seville, Spain. It is not odd that his story is not that well known in America. Europeans and Africans, for sure, know about Frederick Kanoute for his agility on the football field and his contributions off the field; some have become fans of his. This 30-year-old, crowned player of the year in the African continent in 2007, is a practicing Muslim and exemplifies the very essence of what it means to treat Islam as a way of life. Keeping the Islamic Identity As much as Kanoute thinks of himself as just an ordinary Muslim, desiring to please Allah, his actions on and off the field have become the topic of some public interest. He participates in matches even while he is fasting, he is reported to pray in the locker room, and in a sport where the star players build fortunes off corporate sponsorships, he insisted on a brand-free jersey because his team's corporate sponsor is an Internet-based gambling company. Well aware of his expected stellar performances, the corporate sponsor compromised by donating to a charity of Kanoute's preference in return for his wearing the corporate-branded jersey. In keeping with the Islamic emphasis on the collective outlook, Kanoute said upon receiving the prestigious 2007 Footballer of the Year award, “I dedicate this to my family, who could not be here, and to the people of Mali, I believe that sport can be used as a tool for development in Africa,” and indeed all over the world. Without much fanfare, Kanoute demonstrated the height of selflessness in using the equivalent of one year's worth of earnings to purchase the masjid property in Seville, Spain. There is no earthly prestige or honor that Kanoute gained for his generosity, but what is abundantly clear is that, as a practicing Muslim, he did not let an opportunity to do good pass him by. Just as he practices football for hours daily, Kanoute also exerts effort in trying to improve himself as a Muslim and in doing so, draw closer to Almighty Allah. Now, let's stop to think about what it means to improve yourself and make a difference? Self-Improvement Every Muslim strives to seek the pleasure of Almighty Allah through continuous and consistent efforts to improve him or herself. As a young person blessed with so much energy, talent, skills, and time, have you given some thought as to how you will improve yourself for the betterment of yourself and your community? This, of course, requires self-awareness, self-discipline, and selflessness. Here are some helpful tips: Purify your intentions.Often we become so preoccupied with doing, with action, that we forget to check our intentions. Ask yourself, why am I doing such and such activity? Be sure that you are doing it for the sake of Almighty Allah by renewing your intention. Prophet Muhammad said, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended." (Al-Bukhari). Similarly, the first step in improving ourselves should be to purify our intentions and ensure that we want to be better for the sake of Allah alone, not for worldly gain, not for pride, not for anything else but for pleasing Almighty Allah. Talk to yourself. Send yourself an e-mail. That sounds so strange, right? But it is true. You need to talk to yourself to find out what needs improvement about yourself. You know best what aspects of your life need improvement. There are some aspects of your life that only family and trusted, close friends can tell you about that need improvement. But start by talking to yourself, and type out an e-mail that you will send to yourself. List in this e-mail all the ideas you have about improving and changing yourself. Be frank, only you and Allah know what you have in mind! Set manageable, achievable goals. Once you have explored all the areas in your life that need improvement, you will need to set some manageable and achievable goals. Be sure to remember that you are human and that you have certain limits not only in terms of time, but also in terms of what is achievable and when! Develop a timeline for yourself, set some deadlines, and, most importantly, be patient with yourself. Do not expect the change to occur overnight, and definitely do not be too tough on yourself if you find that you are requiring more effort than you initially expected. Make du`aa' (Arabic for: supplication). Nothing you wish to change about yourself will be possible except by the will of Allah. Turn to Him and seek His assistance as you set your goals and try to maintain your schedule. We need not guess as to what areas we must focus on because the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) make clear some basic areas that must require continuous and consistent attention. For example, establishing the prayer on time and in the most perfect manner is important; seeking knowledge from the Qur'an, the Hadith, and other trusted sources are important; perfecting our character is important; and improving our speech and conduct are important. With so much to do and being blessed with so much time as a young person, in sha' Allah, your efforts to improve yourself will bear fruit if you plan well and make du`aa' to Allah. Finally, everyone one of us must be concerned for the well-being of others. As the example of Kanute shows us, when we are spiritually and emotionally prepared, an opportunity to make a difference will not pass us by. I believe that once you determine your goal, you will find the way to score. Sources Jimoh, Abbas"Kanoute, King of Africa Football."Daily Trust. 4 Feb. 2008. Accessed 15 Apr. 2008. "Kanoute Crowned King of African Football." Africa News. 5 Feb. 2008. Accessed 15 Apr. 2008. "Kanoute Saves Spanish Mosque." IslamOnline.net. 14 Dec. 2008. Accessed 15 Apr. 2008. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Altaf Husain is a social worker in the United States and has been a contributing writer to Islam Online since 1998. He can be contacted at youth_campaign@iolteam.com piece

The Story of the New Convert to Islam Jamila from Portugal Jacqueline is a Portuguese young woman from Lisbon. She converted to Islam and changed her name to Jamila. “I’ve always felt a strong distaste and a deep aversion toward certain rituals based on belief in images and statues” says Jamila. “Such conduct left my soul severely empty; I was never satisfied.” Jamila, a student who counts on help from her parents to finish her studies, was unable to reveal what was in her heart, mind, and soul, as her father was Buddhist and her mother was Christian. In addition, she dared not say, even jokingly, what was in her mind and soul, as she believed that some priests, clergymen and women, and fanatic Catholics would not let her choose another religion. “It was during my visit to the United Arab Emirates, at Dubai’s festival time, that I experienced a difference in life, people, and society, far from what I had imagined before. I felt the spirit and beauty of Islam everywhere,” says Jamila. “Then in my search for the truth, I started to ask for books that could introduce me to Islam as it should be known. I also looked up other books dealing with the theme of the Trinity, especially those written by Thomas Aquinas, who was a great organizer of that doctrine, and considering that Christianity is my mother’s religion,” explains Jamila. “As for the doctrine of the Buddhist father, it is absolute paganism.” After reading many books about Islam, Jamila found the rightful doctrine: There is no God but Allah. She knew then the true faith based on the Oneness of Allah and on the rejection of the Trinity and paganism, as there is in both an obvious corruption of the truth and an aggression against the Creator’s greatness. Jamila goes on to say that, from the very first moment she considered converting to Islam, personal problems surrounded her. She was alone and needed to provide for herself. She only had one Muslim friend who lived with her, but who was also poor and living under difficult conditions trying to find opportunities for work since she had become her family’s sole provider after her father’s death. Such is the situation of Jamila, an immigrant in the path of Allah, prepared to testify that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammad is His slave and prophet. She has endured all of these difficulties to become a Muslim. “Yes, it was a long path to reach Islam, but I can confirm the depth of my religious feelings together with my solid reasons. I am also certain that Allah (Subanahu wa Ta’la/ Glory to Him, He is High above all) watches over us, so when a person travels on the path of Allah, he/she will receive, in the end, fulfillment of his/her heart’s desires. It fills me with honor, pride and dignity, that I know the five daily prayers, fasting and zakat (to give to charity). Through Islam, I also know honesty, which is a very spiritual element that penetrates the heart and purifies the soul, whether in prayer, dealing with others, friendship and work, or in direct contact with God. Islam is a universal religion, a religion of piety, faith and knowledge of oneself. This can be seen in the modesty and humility of Muslims and in the spirit of the family that ties them together. I have also learned how to speak Arabic and to read the Holy Qur’an in Arabic. I thank God Almighty for guiding me onto the straight path, by making me a Muslim who believes in His Oneness and joins not with Him any false god. http://www.dicd.gov.ae/vEnglish/showpage.jsp?objectID=7506

Bob, good stuff. We should be doing as much as possible away from from our daily routines.

PARIS (Reuters) - Six Somali men involved in capturing a French yacht and holding its 30 crew hostage have said they were part of a maritime militia group with a written code of conduct, a French judicial source said on Thursday. The men were captured in the Somali desert by French troops on Friday after holding the yacht and its crew off Somalia for a week and fleeing with part of the ransom, which was recovered. They were flown to France this week to face trial. The yacht's captain told investigators the ransom paid was $2 million. But the half-dozen men are just part of a larger group of pirates that carried out the hostage-taking and they only had about $200,000, or 10 percent of that amount, on them. "The chance of identifying them (the others) is relatively small," the judicial source said on condition of anonymity. The men said their militia group was based in the village of Garaad-Ade in the northern province of Puntland, and police found their manual of good conduct on board the luxury yacht. Piracy is lucrative in the waters off lawless Somalia's coast and most kidnappers treat their captives well in anticipation of a good ransom. The manual banned mistreatment of hostages, notably sexual abuse, the judicial source said. "That shows that it is an organized activity," he added. According to their initial statements to police, two of the men took part in the April 4 raid on the yacht, three others were part of the armed guard that watched over the hostages, and one was their driver when they returned to land. The men, aged between 25 and 40, are suspected of "boat hijacking, kidnapping and confinement in an organized gang with ransom payment" which carries a maximum life sentence. They are due to be brought before a judge to be placed under formal investigation on Sunday. Prime Minister Francois Fillon told parliament on Monday France was waiting for permission from Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf to bring the men to France for trial. French officials now say no such permission has been formally granted but they argue that France has jurisdiction to try the men because they are suspected of committing a crime against French citizens. Of the 30 crew held hostage, all of whom were released unharmed and flown back to France on Monday, 22 are French. Weekly magazine Le Nouvel Observateur said some of the hostages may actually have been tourists on a cruise who were passed off as crew to avoid inflating the ransom, but the Defence Ministry avoided commenting on the article. "I have no information on that," armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck told a news conference. (Additional reporting by Brian Rohan, writing by Francois Murphy) http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1783854020080417?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&pageN umber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

So whos playing who? and what is the schedule of games?

^^LoL very true. Gallas is the worst captain Arsenal have had for a long time.

Originally posted by Lois Lane: ^^ lool why not? Then I plan into talking sense to you NN (and a number of others) simply don't see sense. It will just be a waste of your time. Lately I have chosen to just ridicule them

^^Are you really trying to talk sense into NN?

Just found out two old neighbours and fellow schoolers have been jailed for 30 years each. They are not Somali but to think I used to play footy with these guys :confused: and even resolved Somali/Caribean friction in the city at times :confused: Here

Is that Intel I see trolling? Saxib waa lagu waayey baryahan. Office move, early finish,,,,,,,,wknd!

Originally posted by Abdiladiif: ^^They are dissatisfied with a name while their land is being taken by others Could not have said it better. All this fuss about a name when the struggle is the most geniune struggle out there.

So much interest in a 'non-existant' country these days,,,,

Isthis true ya JB?

Ronnie has not lost it. Every player has an off season (or 2). The guy is a joy to watch when he is serious. He will be back but Seria is not for him I'm afraid. Would be a perfect player for Arsenal coming in off the left.

Arsenal need 3 players. A Viera like in the middle. A Terry like defender and a quality/powerful striker who can score goals for fun.

Arsenal need 3 players. A Viera like in the middle. A Terry like defender and a quality/powerful striker who can score goals for fun.

Beautiful place the Balkans. Hope to visit one day IA.

Welcome back saxib. Sorry your boys did'nt have the stomach for it this year.

Happy with the latest goings on I see.

Originally posted by Jimcaale: North wrote: quote: ^^Blame Al Shabaab SL I might not be a fan of Al-Shabaab but I don't endorse a former member of the secret service of Barre's regime, Riyaale, who makes a living out of shipping innocent Somalis to Ethiopian gulags. You know Shabaab would have caused more pain. They'd be chopping the head of Riyaale and heads of separatists movements up north. You don't want them up there. Baa humbug!

What a channel AJE is,,,,, There are other videos on there,,,,

Good move for both parties. He needs a new challenge and Barca need to get rid of him and have Henry play coming in from the left like he did at Arsenal. Still great to watch.