Bella, where have you been working?!! I don't remember the last time I was a gaudy doll or a cheap commodity in a workplace. Sounds deliciously depraved.

Hear, hear! Sister Bella Princesa, I completely agree with you. And your post has all the right ingredients: 1. A pinch of Western-something. 2. A sprinkling of the right keywords: Islam. Women. Rights. 3. A dash of deterministic stuff: nature, honour. 4. A final condiment for an apocalyptic taste: DIVORCE. Et voilà! Yummy post.

^ Withdrawing the award and giving it to someone else was strikingly foolish and low-brained, especially after agreeing to no-handshakes ahead of time. But not engaging in what is a daily form of greeting strikes me as aloof. You can wear gloves or do wudu'u afterwards. OTOH, I do have an aversion myself to some cultural greetings such as a laser-precision mid-neck kiss with which an adolescent Somali girl greeted me and some friends in a wedding. Beyond being horrified, I felt slightly violated. I warn the universe that I will not engage in dracula greetings.

I don't know why Sheikhs don't believe in gloves. He could wear a genuine leather pair and hit two canaries with one slingshot: maintain his state of physical purity and yet engage in a widespread, largely benign, form of human communication.

Thomas Friedman and the pope? The most dubious and useless of lists. And to put those two clowns, Amr Khaled and Al Qardawi, in there! Sheesh. Now if the list said the most entrepreneurial, I would believe it.

Nur, An understanding of the concept of 'shura' in the Quran we must agree upon before we discuss democratic processes as they are understood by most people, and their relevance in muslim thought. You had written that you believe shura to be a consensus on the interpretation of religious texts. I had argued that interpreting religious texts is but one of many things a group of muslims can use shura to reach consensus. Perhaps this is the point we need to revisit before further discussion.

DP

Stu*pid girls. Some kids think that you can fast forward into adulthood without paying a price.

Nur, walaal, I was hoping you could share what you said you know before we explore what I imagine . I'm probably better at solitary frisbee than I am at mind reading. Before we engage in more discussion, perhaps we could get some definitions out of the way so that we have at least a common understanding of the terms. What do you think?

Nur, walaal, where do you believe it is not going?

For a digicam movie, it was pretty good! It has a few plot holes but I'm a sucker for apocalyptic flicks so I chose to ignore them.

Not a flat 't' but a lower, more guttural one.

^ I thought you meant شرطه. Edit:

^ 'Shurta'? Sounds like much ado about nothing.

Abtigiis, I'm afraid some of the men have given you just enough rope to hang yourself and are having a Monday chuckle at your expense. I would abandon this immature topic and its poorly defined -isms . Your writings were actually beginning to gather a small, but dedicated, fan club. And yes, some publicity is better than none. But ugliness and immaturity will get you every time. Pack up the bravado, brother, and have a fresh start tomorrow.

'Ugly', 'short', 'old'. There is an oft used advice in writing that says: kill your darlings . You're a talented writer but when you get this burning urge to pen adolescent meanderings like you've just done, then I would urge you to heed Faulkner's advice.

He may be forgiven for drinking and being a slut but the angels of hell are sharpening their forks over his age lie. Twenty three, my foot. He looks like he's on the lumpy side of 30.

Originally posted by Nephthys: Istaaqfurullah! We all bleed the same and we all are human. It is what is on the inside that counts ya walad 3ami, not the size of your ganfuur . Um, is a ganfuur south or north of a belly button? Just out of geographic curiosity.

Very interesting. Tremendous implications for people who are paralyzed from the neck down or weakened on one (or both) sides by a stroke. More so, I think, for the elderly. I've always believed that technological and medical innovation is the answer to the independence and care of the elderly.

^ Xiin, my Somali is beyond repair, spelling is probably it's least problem

Cara, you are now officially in the see-through class. Girl, get some curtains and have some oonsi blowing into them.

My flabber is not yet gasted but now I know I've lived too long. I finally read O'Reilly and intellect in the same sentence. Dirt poor, working class, middle class, upper class, or super rich, Somalis all have the same curtain colours.

Fascinating! There is so much to be understood about the mystery of the brain through hideous illness such as strokes. Reminds me of Oliver Sack's case studies. Makes you wish you could fast forward 2 or 3 hundred years to find out what will be discovered about the brain.

Area Code!! His age may not be such a big deal if he didn't keep on getting deadly skin cancer. His greatest sin is probably his general jahil and unread ways. Old and dumb, a lethal combination.

Diamonds are the most useless garbage shoved down people's throats. Sure, you can tuck them away as an investment for future sale but I just don't understand this insistence upon plastering them onto marriage and proposals. Kill him? Please! They deserve each other, the lying weasel and the superficial hag. Hope you're not writing about people close to you. In that case, she has every right to be mad until he replaces the ring. Then, it's love-love for the lovely couple.