Asalaamu alaikum, peace to all:

Today was Jummah. A glorious sunny day! and my first time at the local Islamic center where we were not screened off from seeing the speaker of the Kutba. The Kutba is a sermon that is similar to the Sunday sermon give at a Christian church, and is upbuilding and usually touches on a subject. Today the topic was sincerity. Sincerity in worship, in our service to God. We were visited by the minister of a local episcopol congregation and the Rabbi of the major Jewish congregation in town. How wonderful these people are! They are joining us in eradicating the Islamiphobia that prevails and helping to educate the American public to the fact that we are not terrorists and that we are peaceful people of faith. Alhamdullilah...We are richly blessed to have such great persons in our midst, may Allah (swt) watch over all!

Wasalaam...Maryah

Salaams to all:

I am going to do it, try to shop at Walmart today, Sunday the tenth of December.

Wonder if anyone would consider this suicidal behavior?

Holiday shopping is in full swing, and this Walmart is next to the freeway,

on the pipeline highway that feeds into Mexico. Mexican Nationals drive to this

Walmart and shop.

And they drive like they are still in Mexico.

Here I am a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf, and they stare at me as if I

were insane.

Maybe I am, but I am just out to shop for some of the bargains that are available only around this Holiay season. Hey, I use some things too.

Wild Mexican Children running down the aisles, unchecked, the Mexicans think this is an OK thing in America.

Just watch where you step, and you will survive the season Mashallah!

Another Day Another Dollar....

Just another day in the city. Going to shop just for simple groceries in this time of year is a real challenge. Dodging christmas shoppers in their pursuit of goodies for their loved ones, the holiday music BLARING overhead to entice them into buying more and pushing them into a frenzy. I love to shop at Target at these times, there is no overhead music.
I hope all Americans enjoy their holidays for themselves and not expect me to attend the christmas parties at work. Enjoy yourselves!

6 Imams and 2 Priests......

Alhamdullilah, things never seem to stop amazing me!

Seems that south of here, at Fort Huachuca, AZ, at the US Army intelligence school, two Priests were arrested when they brazenly entered this army post to protest the training of US intelligence personnel in the methods of torture.

May Allah (swt) watch over these brave men and guide them on their paths.

Then, in Minnesota, the state of the first elected Muslim Congressman, 6 imama (Muslim clerics) were tossed off the plane becuase someone was afraid of their praying.

HMMM...would they toss off a Catholic Nun for praying the rosary? I think not.

Seems as if not all Americans are allowed to have freedom of religion..

Especially if you are Muslim.

Gallbladders and other middle age fare...

Assalaamu alaikum:
Well I certainly am off my fast now! Last Tuesday I started my female week, and a huge wave of nausea accompanied it! I missed 3 days of work, seems I have several of the factors that could indicate gall bladder problems. The 5 F's as they call it, fair, forty, fat, female and I was fertile. Mashallah,I have lost 15 lbs in one week alone! It seems the dates stirred up my gallbladder. So I guess I am sort of fasting after a fashion, I can consume only clear liquids. I thought I was going to die last night and even wrote my will! As least now I am below 200 lbs! And this is throwing the responsibility back to my husband to take care of me, this is a new concept. I have always been the provider and now he must take it on! I pray to Allah for strength and the return of my health, He knows best! Will be back when I'm better!

Oh my aching back!!!

Anyone have any cures for nausea? The meds make me sick! I will be back in a few minutes, have to run to the loo!

Ramadan Mubarak......

Asalaamu alaikum, peace to all.
Picture above was in our local newspaper about a new convert sister and this is the women's area at our mosque. What a nice article it was! The reporter and the photographer were the nicest ladies. This was taken at the Jummah prayer last Friday.
Today is Ramadan 3 1427 on the Islamic calendar, I haven't posted for a while so now I need to catch up!
Our one car is dying. We just do not have the cash to replace it. My husband took it to the shop to have it looked at and the mechanic gave us a quote of over 1200 USD to get it fixed. We are just going to let the car die and replace it later. This price is beyond the blue book value of a 1997 car. That is going to put a real dent on helping my disabled son. But it also may be a call from Allah (swt) to encourage my son to take more responsibility for himself. Oh, the costs of unjust war! My eldest son and his state of mind is proof of this! may Allah (swt) watch over us all and guide us on the correct path! And the blessings are manifest: I will be biking and taking the bus to work, So that will be beneficial for health. We will see. Allah knows best, he will decide what is the right course.
Happy Ramadan to all!

Crazy Cats and Other Trivia

Aha, another boring afternoon with little or nothing to do. Read the paper, get depressed, etc. Seems that humans are kinder to their pets than they are to each other these days. There is the story about the family in Detroit that lost 6 children to a fire..Seems they didn't have electricity for over a month so they were using candles to light the aparment, and poof! One of the lady's eight kids knocked over a candle. Seems someone could have helped them with their bill? We are busy sending money to support a war but we have citizens that are livinf life as if they were in a third world country. Seems strange that BushCo goes around pounding the drum of "I'm a Christian" while he is busy lining his pockets with the sorrow of others..Someday he will have to answer to the Almighty and what is he going to do? Try to start a war!? My cats are smarter than he is!

Hate is alive and well in America.......

Assalamu Alaikum all:
Just a sad note. I went to a 99 cent store hoping to save some money and find some bargains, instead I found hatred. I am a mature woman, a nurse, and a threat to no one.; Yesterday I went to this "family owned" 99 cent store hoping to live within my budget, and received a rude awakening. Mind you, I am a blue-eyed American caucasian that is usually a rarity in my local masjid, so I am a curiousity of sorts. I entered this store wearing the customary scarf, or hijab, and was shopping within the scented candles area, and the lady shopping next to me dropped a candle and made a breaking sound. Lo and behold, the woman who was the owner of the store, of asian ancestry apparently, accosted me and accused me of breaking things in her store. Never mind the guilty party was the american nearly-naked woman in the aisle behind me, she followed me around the store and continued to harrass me until I told her "you are accusing the wrong person of damage, you need to speak to the other lady." She then laid off the harrassment until I arrived at the check out and asked if the establishment accepted debit cards, and she again interupted me and stated " we accept only credit cards, you pay with cash or credit card. Her tone implied that my money was not good, so I left the $50 plus of merchandise I had intended to purchase, and left. As I went out the door I stated to her...Here in my country we practice freedom of religion and tolerance, what do you preach in yours?
This woman barely spoke English and treated me this way? Maybe she should go home!

The Children aren't the "Terrorists" Why Are They Bombing Them?

Salaam, Shalom, Paz:
I am so disgusted with the Israeli War Machine,
Bombing and killing Children! What kind of cowards must these
people be? Color me red for furious, these are not just children of my
Brethren, Muslims, dying, these are Christian children also!
Color me blue for the Amerikan government that states they allow
it in the name of the people, I am sad that so many good names are
smeared in the eyes of the world because the ruling neocon president
and his whore of a cabinet are defacating on the constitution and
terrorizing their own citizens by their self declared "War on Terror"
and they keep them in subjection by using fear. Fear of Muslims and the
Islamic world? Preposterous! May Allah (swt) forgive me, but at this
moment I have ever been more ashamed of my country until now, why do the
great hearted and large souled loving people of the United States of American
let The Tumbleweed from Texas do such atrocities! WHY? We need to say no to
Israel, stop killing children with American Bombs!

As-Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu:
Just another rainy day on the desert. It is the monsoon season, and when it rains
all it does is POUR! We have beautiful sunsets when it does stop, but we have massive flooding and road closures, and the dry river beds are running bank to bank! We still have people who try to drive through
flooded washes, when will they ever learn!

I am still grateful to our Creator for giving us such a beautiful world to live in, Insha'allah people will learn to be more grateful for what they have and quit trying to attain more than they need!
If we could only learn to live in peace, and stop having such jealous differences!
Wa Salaam until later,

Maryah R

Violence in the middle east....

How sad, and how unreal the situation in the Middle East. Which bully started throwing rocks first? It reminds me of a bunch of third graders bickering on the playground. For what? for years the Israelis have flexed their American supplied military might at the palestinians who really have little but their pride and family. It is like shooting a patriot missile at the guy driving his family to market in a Donkey drawn cart. Or shooting million dollar missiles at camels? The ones getting hurt are the innocent bystanders, men women and children who simply want to live their lives in peace.

It is different here in the US. In the town where I live, most of the local Jewish folk and the members of the Muslim Ummah (community) work together on projects to inform the public and dispel myths. Jews and Christians are referred to as the People of the Book in the Qur'an, so we must be respectful and listen to their views. We are all accountable to God in the Last Day, and will stand before Him side by side and account to Him. Alhamdullilah that we may prove worthy!