geez, take this to politics please. as interesting as this topic is (and it is), its messing up the vibe in the general forums. things are supposed to be light here. with this thread, plus the other one about abdullahi yusuf, and the "what region are you from" (which sparked an unforeseen and unattached mini-feud), things are getting heavy... politically heavy. lets please move this to POLITICS please.

a different world, remember that? my brother got me the entire first season of the cosby show. im in love with phylicia rashad. claire and heathcliff huxtable are such an ideal couple though, no?

it depends how old they are. id answer as honest and clear as possible, giving them only the information their minds can digest.

lol^^^ the only time i think that question is relevant is when you are at a wedding, or a funeral or a place where identifying with whose family you are with is important. any other time, i see possible unnecessary tension. heck, its even awkward when you are of the same clan. like what else do i have to say to you? woop de doo, we have the same great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, how many other thousands of people am i related to? nephtys, i thought the national animal was the camel?

^^^ but why ask in the first place? i mean, i meet you at a coffee shop and its "nice to meet you, your name and qabiil??" i think someone who sees it as that important is bound to make the situation tense if given the wrong answer.

sometimes people have extreme reactions due to your answer. i mean, yre either put into a friend or enemy category because of something you have no control over... its silly. i prefer not answering.

in what context situtation would i found out he has one? i think it is stup!d and dangerous. if its shown to me, cause theyre excited, id tell this person what i think of guns. if its shown to me in a violent context than... do you have to ask?

has anyone mentionned Devdas? i love it for the costumes. its just beautiful.

why is it hard to recognize subversive humour? isnt jb demonstrating that you can find a scholar to say just about anything now a days? im tempted to quote a hadith i know about the subject, but i'll look for it in a sahih first. i suggest everyone else does the same to back their claims before giving advice, since the sister seems sincere in her question. no need to confuse her unnecessarily.

ughh, this is infuriating. PSA for the fellas. when a girl doesnt seem interested, and tells you she is not interested... than she is not interested. and if she is, and is just playing games, than by all means, teach her a lesson and grow some cahones and walk away. there is a silent majority suffering because some guys are truly confused about what women mean when they say something. most of the time,(id venture to say 98%) NO, means, NO!!! You ladies are making our words ineffectual, do you realize that?

most likely she knew of the initial abuse. the prison in the basement is too far fetched for the average mind to actually consider as anything but paranoia. ironically though... well you know the end.

i think you guys are missing an opportunity for unity here. instead of seeing this as a sign of division, why not see it as a rally call? i mean, a certain tribe does have a stronghold of that region, so much so, that the region is called O---. why dont we respond with our support nontheless. what is stopping us? i mean, as much inter-tribal friction we have had throughout history, its only since siad barre's rule that tribalism has been a real issue. i support the concept that we have to unify, and by doing so, disengage from tribes in the political arena, but why completely ignore it? sometimes, such as in this case, its a factor. the region is called Oga---, all somalis know it as Oga---!!! in fact, the fact that we refer to it as Oga-- re-emphasizes the territory's somali roots, as opposed to ethiopian. why shouldnt the name of their liberation movement reflect that? i dont think it seperates or alienates anyone, and for the record im not of that tribe, i just think that we cant put a blanket over history because we're shell shocked from what weve recently experienced. i mean we dont want to be politically correct at the expense of acknowledging the truth, do we?

zina is pre-marital sex and/or adultery. basically an illegal (haram) sexual act. its a serious sin, and the quran' states that such sinners are fasiiqs (sp), and other scholars have stated how the heaviness of this sin can harden the heart from guidance (which means it can lead to other sins, and even misguidance). mac salaam.

i dont know how i feel about pulling the moral card on non-muslims... i mean, who are we to get on our high horses when we dont do much to protect our brothers and sisters, when we are the ones oppressing other believers? i think greater responsibility lies on those who have guidance, and if we were united in our love for Allah and his prophet, than, indeed, we would be a force to be reckoned with. in fact, if we persisted on justice the way Allah demands of us, people would respect and even desire to live in muslim nation's inspite of their prejudices. these wealthy muslim nations have alot more pull with these super powers than they know/realize.

technically they arent christian nations... and if you want technicalities, we are the ones invading the world. what i mean is, were the one immigrating to these supposedly christian nations and building lives (t)here. thats what scares people, the fact that we persist on the deen, and continue the procreate at a rate they cant keep up with; even when we slow down (families in north america and europe are considerably smaller than back home, and yet we still beat these gallo's)we contribute higher ratio to the population growth via procreation than our cadaan christian counterparts.

jazak Allah kheyr. this is impressive.

^^^ i thought in islam, life is after the angel blows the soul into the blood clot, around 3-4 after conception? within that period it isnt a life, but has the potential of becoming one. obviously as muslim's we should have respect for that potential, but on the other hand its not a life. so it isnt criminal. sometimes, abortion is necessary, such as when a womans life is in danger. the mothers life takes obvious precedence over the potential life and many (if not all) scholars hold to that point. other times, such as a case of rape or incest, i personally see it as valid option, seeing as its not a life just yet and can cause significant trauma to the wouldbe mother (obviously each case is different). after 4 months, its a life, and i believe you will be accountable for whatever you do for/against it. anyways, this art project is a sign of the times. people have too much liberties, and are always looking for ways to shock people.

byron wrote poems about his half sister...

is this a doctored pic? impressive.

masha Allah.

^^^ do you seriously not know? the maher belongs to the bride, she gets to decide what it is, and what to do with it. the purpose is to ascertain the man's seriousness about the relationship he is undertaking. marriage, in islam, is a legal contract, and to seal the contract a gift is given. the gift can take many forms (money, jewlery, even quran), there is no limit, but common sense says if the girl likes the guy, she wont make it absolutely difficult for him to meet the maher demands. like i said earlier, the gift's purpose is to gage seriousness about marriage, and also to have an idea of what the man's finances are like. what can(t) he afford? it doesnt include the wedding party, and things like that; this is something the bride can help out in paying. also, back home, its sometimes still custom that the parents decide what the maher is, and htey keep it. this is incorrect. her parents, as guardians can advise her, and even ask for the gift, but they cant usurp it. i think, however, that a vast majority of girls just give it to their parents out of custom, especially if the parents are in somalia, but I hope they know its an act of charity if they do that, not an obligation. in some places in the world, the bride and her family is expected to pay a dowry. this is not a part of islam. in islam, it is a woman' right, not a privilege, to be provided for and protected by her husband. the mentality behind the woman and her family giving a dowry is that a woman should be grateful beyond limit that there is man taking her in; women in those cultures are seen as burdens. europe north america followed this custom for a long time as well. this is not to say that we shouldnt be grateful for the many things people do for us, especially our spouses, but we should recognize the God given rights people have, and the responsibilty you have towards them as well. an easier way to think of it, is to compare it to wedding rings. in america, the man is expected to give the woman he plans on marrying a ring. there is big hoopla about how to present it the first time, what size it is...diamonds are just steeped with meaning nowadays. extract all the marketing behind this, the wedding ring serves the same purpose as a maher, except in islam the bride to be decides what she wants. no surprises, no disappointed face, no exchanges.

^^^not necessarily... not necessarily.

i think integrating them is a good idea. i took a class on teaching kids with learning disabilities, and the stigma attached is a huge hindrance for learning, especially those who have invisible handicaps. in our communities weakness isnt liked, especially in school. its an area that parents love to boast about, and some even compete with neighbours about who's kid got what grade. if children with handicaps, either visible or invisible, were integrated in the classroom with other students, parents, and teachers alike would be more aware of the wide range of learning disabilities, and be more willing to see these people integrated in broader society, instead of having them locked away or hidden. on the other hand, we cant ignore that some of these students may need increased specialized aide, and their success in academics may necessitate more one on one time with a teacher or specialized aide. the standardized classroom with 30 students and 1 teacher, may have to be adjusted for some cases.

well, what about quran in mp3 format? dont we pause them sometimes without regard to what verse they stop, is that haram? i think they should be careful what they call haram, and give more information on their justification. i think the fact that we can receive a call in the washroom, like the above person mentionned, is a more serious issue regarding qurannic ring tones. that, i can see, is haram.

there are some spelling and syntax errors in the origninal message. i mean, i think the groups goal is commendable, however the errors make them look unprofessional. its just something to pay attention to next time they send out a media blurb.