A Secret Revealed

Asalaamu Alaykum! As you may have realized Ponn has been missing from American Muslim Mom for the past couple months. Listening to her debut audio linked above, as well as reading the title of this post, will explain that she has been traveling to the 3 Most Sacred Lands for all Muslims–Mecca, Medina, and Palestine.

I’ve been overseeing American Muslim Mom, at Ponn’s direction, and I’ve been anticipating her  motivational stories and lessons learned from her journey. I’m glad that I can finally share this news that’s been a secret for the past few months–that Ponn’s one and only dream of going to Hajj before she dies came true, Alhumdulilah.

Ponn has served as my mentor and adviser in business for many months now. I’ve summarized the knowledge I’ve gained working alongside her in this post from July. I’ve also contributed various posts that Ponn has helped me edit which you can read here. Specifically in my end-of-summer internship post, Ponn not only serves as my mentor and adviser, but also one of my inspirations and friends. I wasn’t sure if we would be working again after the summer, but in the middle of the semester (around October), I received an email and later, a follow-up phone call. As Ponn shared her most incredible good news about Hajj, I was actually faced with a decision to oversee her American Muslim Mom blog network, as well other online businesses–a very daunting task and responsibility. I felt I could take on the challenge and began to scribble down detailed notes of what needed to be done to run the sites. However, I cannot say honestly I was confident about it everyday, because I did run into problems, and on a couple rare occassions, I felt I couldn’t handle it. But, Alhumdulillah, everything worked out, and now I can say that I’m truly blessed to have gained this professional experience and continue to do so.

The fact that Ponn even asked me to do this was flattering, because it displayed her confidence in my abilities–abilities sometimes I forgot I had. I felt only like a business partner for a very short period of time. Instead, our relationship has progressed more towards a sisterhood, with her as my Khalto (Auntie) is Islam.

While it’s easier to just read a post, I recommend everyone to listen to this audio, and if you can’t right now, download it so you can listen later. Ponn’s message from her overseas journey is so extremely heartfelt, genuine, and moving.

American Muslim Mom’s Journey to Our Sacred Lands – Audio Notes

• A full shift to the Islamic calendar
• Hajj, a life-long goal achieved Insha’Allah
• Praying as if it’s our last prayer
• Stay in Gaza writing the How to Perform Hajj book
• The importance of the Arabic language
• Doing everything for the sake of Allah

InshaAllah, God willing, Ponn will pray in the third of the most sacred masajid, Masjid Al-Aqsa in Al-Quds, Jerusalem while on this journey. May all Mu’minyn (true believers) pray in the Sacred Houses of Allah. Ameen.

 Please comment below with what you’d like to hear about the holy pilgrimage, Insha’Allah. JazakAllahu Khayr, wa salaamu alaykum.

Audio Post: From Mecca to Medina to Palestine is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

A quick note to share something we play every day in the morning and after maghrib. We listen, recite and read the Morning and Evening Du’a, Dhiker and recommended Qur’an with the beautiful recitations available on TV Qur’an here. I love starting our day after healthy, sit-down warm cozy breakfast to these recitation. Then, completing maghrib prayer to slow down the day into a healthy night once again as a family dedicated to Allah, subhanallahu wa Ta’ala, May He be Glorified.

So, what are some Morning and Evening routines you share with your family as a whole for our One Creator?

Morning and Evening Du’a (Supplications), Dhiker (Remembrance of Allah) is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Crosstown Media, the Emmy-winning film and television production company, is developing a brand new documentary TV series aimed at exploring and celebrating the lives and faith of Muslim families living in Middle America.

Through profiling the everyday lives of one or two Muslim families, their goal is to accurately document what life is truly like for a Muslim family living in Middle America – both the happiness and the hardships.

They are looking for Muslim families – preferably multigenerational – interested in sharing their lives, culture, and faith with us.

Details

After an hour long call with the Product and Development Assistant, I tried to find out as much details as possible. After all requests like this has been plentiful over the past 3 years and I know the issues, concerns many readers have over the past.

In no particular order:

• Tentative title, “Muslim in the Middle” if they are fortunate enough to find an ideal Muslim family living in the Midwest & Heartland.
• Documentary style. Chronicle “A Day in the Life of American Muslim Family” on network television.

• Goal is to have a multi-episode series stretched out 6 or 12-13 week sequence.
  

• They hope to capture an “All-American” family who happen to be Muslim, in their every-day life whether they own their own business, at work, getting married, etc.
• They’d like to portray average family, who they are, what they do. Aspects of life that are unique and others that are “typical”.
• Typically filming will take place over 3-6 months.want hear as many families as possible to build relationships.
• They will respect our beliefs and customs.
• They would need to film inside in the home throughout their days,  work, etc. yet will Not intrude.
• Permission: Legal team. Releases for anyone on camera. Location & guest releases. Adjust language to cater specific needs & flexibility.

Some Benefits for the casting family according to Crosstown Media:

• Chance to show the world who they are and what they do.
• Being a Muslim is a big part of ones’ lives, so this is an opportunity to showcase this pride.
• Opportunity to educate others about Islam through the simplicity of living life as a Muslim (My words).

These are my own determination of Phases. But, Phases 1 – 3 make up the entire Development and Casting Phase, which Crosstown is presently in.

Phase 1. Email submissions:

• Despite their hopes for multigenerational, Middle-America Muslim family that are open to receive as many submissions as possible. They have no preference to ethnic groups, whether native Muslim or those who embraced it, multiple-religions in extended family or solely Muslim family. Any background. Native born American or Immigrant American. They simply want to see how many Muslim American families are interested in participating at this stage.

Phase 2. Detailed phone conversations:

• Crosstown with interview interested families over the phone, which may take weeks or months.

Phase 3. Introduction videos as part of screening.

• May take several months.

Phased 4. Production Phase.

How to Apply

Please email your name, age, location, a brief description of your story and your family, and a family photo to: casting@crosstown.tv

No word count.

Ideal deadline: May 31, 2011

Questions? Concerns?

Please share detailed comments below. Your questions and concerns will be addressed more expeditiously if you comment below rather than emailing me directly, as Crosstown Media will be moderating this post as well.

American Muslim Family Casting Notice – Crosstown Media is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Today we have the pleasure of sharing with you a list of the Top 50 Muslim Mom Blogs on the net! Mubarak and Congratulations to all these wonderful Muslim Mom Bloggers who made this esteemed List for 2011!

Ranking Determination

The blogs are listed by Alexa Ranking, a system which measures the trafficking to the website. The more traffic, the higher the rank. Here, we order the blogs according to Alexa rank because each website has its own specific number, as opposed to Google PageRank. Google PageRank is based on a 0-10 scale, 10 being the most popular (this high esteem is held by Google itself, in addition to a few other sites like CNN and Facebook, for they have the most sites linking to them and the most people visiting and consistently utilizing their sites). To read more about Alexa Rank and Google PageRank, visit this blog post.

All blogs had to have current posts. Having at least one post live within 7-days of our initial visit.

List Organization

In the spreadsheet below, you’ll find the

• Name of the blog,
• Blog url,
• RSS link feed,
• Alexa rating, and
• Google PageRank.  
• the location,  and contact information of the bloggers (if made public)

You can directly subscribe to a blog’s feed through the RSS link, and the public contact information displayed makes for an easy e-mail or message to share your thoughts or ask questions.

Also, don’t hesitate to bookmark this page; you can come revisit it whenever you want to check out the other blogs with all their pertinent information.

Ranking Buttons

Please proudly share your Top 10, 25, or 50 ranking button.

Congratulate, Support & Explore Muslim Mom Bloggers Today

Insha’Allah everyone will have fun visiting these blogs and witness a new perspective on various topics that these moms share.

Don’t forget to subscribe to those you find appealing to show your support (and to ensure you never miss a post!)

Next Steps

Check out Podcast #5 in which American Muslim Mom herself, Ponn Sabra, discusses the importance of social media and the need for Muslim mommy bloggers.

Network with Other Muslim Mom Bloggers

Whether you’re listed or not, if you want to learn how to benefit from using social media, please Join the Muslim Mom Media Network – It’s free!

Learn more about Online Publicity, Increase SEO, alexa & pagerank

Advertisers and Sponsors considers a blogger’s alexa and PageRank when determining if they should make a sponsored post, review, offer products for review and giveaway, or offer other forms of sponsorship and/or advertisement. So, if you’re serious about bringing your blog to the next level, You can discover more about online publicity by clicking here.

Get Paid to Blog!

Please join our Blogger Network and get paid to do what you love–blog! Registration is also free!

Valid information at time of posting

*Note: All scores and information were correct at the time of posting. However, they are subject to change.

Please feel free to contact us with any corrections, and comment below to make it public.

Not Listed?

Don’t be discouraged! Please comment below with the name and details of your blogs to be considered for upcoming awards and posts.

Let us know what you think! Please comment below.

Top 50 Muslim Mom Blogs 2011 is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

While tweeting for the past week with #musliminamerica I was intrigued by brother Will’s tweets and asked him to elaborate a bit more on his unique position and views on having watched Soledad O’Brien’s “Unwelcome. The Muslims Next Door”. His response is a letter directed to our Muslim brothers and sisters living in Murfreesboro, TN.

I agree with all that he shares, but also realize that the land is already paid in full, the building phase has commenced, and those growing families really need a bigger masjid to pray. However, this post got me thinking “do we need that whole complex?” My gut says “Yes, I’d totally love one of those for my girls…but…there?” I love posts that make me think. So, I’m so happy to be left stumped, and torn here on my own blog the day before the re-airing of the documentary.

To my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, leave that town. Don’t live in a city that doesn’t want you there.  Don’t spend your money in their stores or buy homes in those communities.  Don’t add 1 dollar to their economy.  Instead, move to communities that truly welcome and appreciate the entire diversity of humanity. Why pay people to call you a terrorist or un-American or to degrade your faith? The buck stops at dignity.

Remember, it wasn’t the law or the community-at-large that stopped segregation on the buses in Alabama. It was the bus boycott that did. When the Black folks started walking or getting rides from friends or relatives, the economic power of Black folks did what the law failed to do. Yes, the law is on your side, but if the people are going to behave in the way they did in the show, then you have to show them what your economic power means to that community.

To those whom will read this comment, I was born and raised in America.  I am a descendent of slaves.  My father drank from a colored-only water fountain.  When will we learn what this country is really about?  The greatness in America is the promise of America.  Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness don’t go away because you’re not White or Christian. That is the lesson I hope we all learn from the show.

Will Deyamport, III, MSEd has been an educator for the past 11 years. From tutoring to being the college and career program coordinator for UMASS/Boston, Will has worked in a variety of roles and positions. Currently, he is working on an EdD in Educational Leadership and Management at Capella University as well as being a social media strategist for a career development resource company. You can connect with Will on his Peoplegogy blog, LinkedIn or tweet @peoplegogy.

Now, it’s your turn to weigh in on this interesting proposal. Please comment graciously as the majority typically does…Hey, I’m told “you haven’t made it until you get your first hate comment…or hate tweet…” Subhanallah.

Follow the rest of “Unwelcome. The Muslims Next Door” series here

Part 1. The pre-screening anticipation.

Part 2. “Unwelcome. The Muslim Next Door” review.

Part 3. The pre-screening follow-up: Leveraging Social Media as an Educational Tool.

Part 4. Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door, the dignified struggle of Murfreesboro’s Muslims.

Part 5. Can social media make the world a more tolerant place?

Part 6. A Muslim and Non-Muslim Mom’s View.

Part 7. A single white Canadian mom new to Islam shares her view of “Unwelcome”

Part 8. Unwelcome Response from an Muslim African American Husband – Descendant of Slaves

Part 9. Win CNN’s “Unwelcome. The Muslim Next Door” Press Copy DVD – Not for sale

Part 10. Help Build the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro – Virtual Fundraiser

Watch it with us Live, April 2, 2011 8pm ET & tweet #musliminamerica

Unwelcome Response from an Muslim African American Husband – Descendant of Slaves is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Just thinking about this title is quickly making my stomach turn in such pain, actually so much so I feel my eyes swelling up that I promised myself I’ll keep this short and sweet and not type over the 20-minutes I have to run to the next family doctor appointment.

Here’s why. The Qur’an clearly states

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.
( Surah al-Isra, The Night Journey Chapter #17, Verse #23)

So, the year I finished graduate school, embraced Islam, got married and was pregnant with our first daughter my maternal grandparents were living alone. Grandma/Lola desperately needed care, so unknown how to move forward I assisted my mother with her parents. So, much that my husband and I became the power of attorney for my grandparents, even though they had 8 children in the U.S. and Canada (9th in Philippines that has no means to help). My husband and I started with visiting companions at night, then added visiting nurses during the day, frequent seizures and emergency cases to the hospital made us to think more critically.

As a new and devout Muslim, I was adamant to taking my grandparents into our 2-bedroom condo as I was SO against nursing home. Surprisingly my mother and her siblings (the ones who actually talked to me) resisted as hubby and I were just starting our new married lives and had a daughter on the way.

So I shopped around with my mother, I did all the paperwork, granted I was a public health administrator with the know-how to really research and get to the hard questions of a nursing home…I did all the insurance papers, etc. So, happily we settled into one of the best places our entire extended family feel blessed to have in our lives. A year in comfort in the home at which time I was pregnant with our second, and we decided to travel and live overseas, I no longer was the official power of attorney to my grandparents.

Grandpa/Lolo died of old age when I was 9-months pregnant, but left Lola alone. Again, blessed with incredibly loving staff who became dear friends to my parents and I (and then when we moved back to CT 4 years ago–every single one got to know my girls intimately). Lola had a roommate, who we visited near-daily (mommy and daddy did daily).

So, while better–the tragic sudden death of my mother broke our family apart. New fights and arguments began, since mommy is no longer here why keep Lola in a home. My daddy was not taking being a widower well–but, the daily routine of going to the nursing home gave them both peace.

Good, bad or indifferent my aunt put Lola in a new home in NJ, sadly to say over a year later my immediate family has not seen Lola. Worse, she was put in the hospital for alleged nursing home beatings! Multiple times! She’s been moved back and forth and my sister and Daddy who have been able to visit are saddened even more.

So, where am I–well, the move that I was supposed to make to the MidWest is simply halted because I cannot bare to leave my Daddy in this depressed (literally and figuratively) family home…because I SO desperately want Daddy to move in with us for the rest of his living life. One great thing after mommy’s death is that Daddy became a better Daddy and Papa (Grandpa) to our girls. God blessed him with this “double-check” whenever he’ll say something like ‘JuJu, you look SO beautiful today’ and we all see him hear Mommy’s voice yelling “Pol! They’re ALL beautiful!” because Daddy will quickly rebut…”No, No…GiGi, and JoJo, you are SOOOO beautiful too!”

Daddy has incredible patience to be the best homeschool papa my girls can ever dream for, he’s a lover of knowledge and searches the library, museums, parks vibrantly like them…me…and hubby.

So, what’s holding us back? His old, stubborn way. But, all my siblings and their spouses all agree that Daddy’s health and well-being no longer needs solitude of this memory-filled home. The home my baby bro was born too. My parent’s first home they bought in 1979.

So, every time I share my ecstatic news of hubby’s surprise weekend visits, he departs as the weekend ends, and I’m torn…he’s torn…my girls are torn. I’m trying, staying…but, I miss hubby so much, my girls need Baba. But, we had a half-family meeting this weekend which killed me and bringing me to tears right now just remembering the pain…that Daddy actually is telling me to leave.

Interestingly, my extended family saw that of anyone in the world, no one can calmly baby-Daddy the way I can…so while he’s been hurtful in his actions and words, my girls and I (and hubby) have come to appreciate his old age, his physically, mentally and emotionally dying body and mind…and we always take solace that Allah commanded us not to raise our voices to him because He was the one who brought me into this world. I love my Daddy so much and I know he loves us all back…and this is why I’m equally being as stubborn as him and will not let him go.

Let it be known, that I will never, inshaAllah, God willing, allow Daddy to go into a nursing home. Companion care, visiting care, etc. InshaAllah, yes…but…I pray and pray hard that a miracle will happen very soon.

So, my Big Elder Care question is “Is it Okay to leave Daddy/Papa home alone?” According to him, “yes”. So, really it’s more like, “Can I live with his answer and leave?”

According to his doctors. Daddy can live alone too. He’s not in eminent danger, he’s driving, eating, sleeping–but, in visiting/living with him; there’s so much we know we do to help him live healthier and better…so it’s more like I want him to live comfortably, happily and peacefully for the rest of his life; rather than stressful, lonely and alone.

I remind him how fortunate he was to be by Mommy’s side when she died; and that I can’t bare to think that he’d die alone…I want to be there for him.

Ya Rabb, Oh Lord, Give us all strength. Ameen.

Talk about HARD decisions on elder care…right!?

[With 5-minutes to spare...good, just enough time to make wuduu, pray dhuthr and leave for the doctor without tear-filled eyes & stomach-aching pain...after all it's my baby's annual physical. Pull it together, Ponn! Sorry, no time for a picture.]

Disclaimer: I am participating in the “What about Mom & Dad” campaign by AvalonHCI.com and received compensation to facilitate this post. I was not influenced in anyway as the views and opinions are my own. How can I possibly make up a story like this? After all, lying is haram (prohibited). You’re welcome to read American Muslim Mom’s disclosure policy and contest disclosure.

How Do You Handle Elder Care in America as a Muslim? is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Image source: http://desertpeace.files.wordpress.com

The Meaning of Eid

Eid means “Festival” or “Celebration” in Arabic, and Muslims have two Eids every lunar year. Commonly known as a “Feast”, my family and I always share that “Eid is our Feast meaning: Food, Family, Friends and Fun!”

Eid al-Fitr (Festival of the Fast) is a three-day event that marks the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, in which healthy, mature Muslims fast from food, drink, sexual relations and poor behavior or habits from dawn to dusk each day.

Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) is a four-day event that marks the end of the annual Hajj (pilgrimage), that all healthy, wealthy, mature Muslims must make to Mecca, Saudi Arabia once in their lifetime. This festival commemorates the the historical event when Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, was tested by Allah (God), may He be glorified, to slaughter his only son Ishmael, peace be upon him. At the moment he was about to slaughter him, God sent down a ram in Ishmael’s place instead. Muslims who finish the pilgrimage must slaughter an animal and distribute the meat equally amongst their family, extended family and friends, and the poor. Able Muslims worldwide also slaughter to share this charitable act.

Eid Greetings

The preferred and most popular greeting is always said in Arabic, regardless of one’s native language:

* Kul-am wa-antum bikhair = May you have blessings and well-being every year.

The most common and easier greeting also said in Arabic, regardless of one’s native language:

* Eid Mubarak = Blessed Eid

Typical Celebrations

Each Eid begins with a morning congregational prayer typically in a field or field-house to encourage Muslim men and women of all ages to gather as one collective community. Most masajid (mosques) are closed, and community members are directed to pray openly together in one designated place. After this prayer, Muslims gather together as Family and Friends to enjoy Food and a lot of Fun!

The Meaning of Eid is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

As you know Amanda is not new to our community, her motivational tips in our recent podcast was popular among many of our readers, subhanallah, Glory be to God. Since her tweets we’re going in both direction of this documentary, I asked her to share her personal views in this “Unwelcome. The Muslim Next Door” series. As expected, MashaAllah, God has willed, Amanda and her non-Muslim mom to write with true love, passion, and emotions. I commend and thank you both for sharing your unique views on this thought-provoking documentary.

It is safe to say that when I first saw the trailer for the CNN documentary, “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door” I had an overwhelming sense of dread, followed by some fleeting thoughts of, well maybe this will bring some truth to light for the rest of the country to see what’s going on.

I have spent a lot of my professional adult life working for and with interfaith activism and greater awareness of Islam in the context of America.

This documentary should have been a great sense of hope, but I found myself wrestling with why it wasn’t. Born and raised a Lutheran in the Upper Midwest, I made the decision to convert to Islam after soul-searching in my college days and a chance encounter with a mosque in the heart of Casablanca, Morocco.

This decision was one of the hardest I had ever made, and took me from a full-fledged member of mainstream society to slamming me into the reality that is being a minority in the United States. This choice also had the potential of ostracizing me from both my family and community.

My family did not turn me away, although they were confused and hurt by my decision. Ultimately they have come to accept, understand and even be vocal about minority and Muslim rights. In the communities I have lived in I have never experienced the level of hate that was portrayed by some members of the Murfreesboro, TN community, although I have been told to “go home,” “speak English,” that I was “going to hell because I rejected Jesus Christ,” that my husband would, “beat me, abandon me and marry 3 more wives,” that I was “unpatriotic and not a real American,” and many many more. Watching this documentary showed me that hate is alive and well in the United States, sadly I didn’t need much reminding.

I was very impressed with how Soledad O’Brien handled herself, remaining very professional even in the face of laughable obscurity! The scene in which Ms. O’Brien is speaking with Sally Wall a prominent real estate mogul of the community and Ms. Wall expresses her fear that the US could end up like Afghanistan, showing a National Geographic magazine as proof, was one such example. My mouth was agape and am still am unsure how Ms. O’Brien managed not to rebuke Ms. Wall and even laugh at this far-fetched idea.

I was even more impressed with Lena Sbenaty who stood up to a defeated Congressional candidate, voicing the truth, only to be belittled and shut down by Ms. Zelenik who clearly doesn’t want to hear anything other than her narrow-minded thoughts. The courage that this young woman possesses in the face of such difficult times is truly remarkable – what a wonderful role model for Muslim girls!

As an American Muslim this documentary wasn’t news to me, but I was interested to see how it would be received by my non-Muslim albeit “in the loop” parents. I asked my mom for her comments;

“After watching “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door” on CNN, my initial feeling was that of anger. I’m angry that there are people in this country who qualify themselves as more American because of their religious affiliation. One has nothing to do with the other. I am an American citizen. That is my identity in the world. I am a follower of Jesus Christ… that is my choice of faith. Followers of Jesus Christ are also referred to as Christians, but, in my opinion, not all Christians follow Jesus Christ and His teachings. A governmental court in Tennessee has found that the building of the Islamic Center is a fundamental right under the U.S. Constitution’s Freedom of Religion amendment. That should be all that needs to be said for the Christian people who have fought so strongly against this. I stand in peace knowing that whatever happens on this earth is ordained by God and He is in control. He doesn’t need our help.

The hate that I watched these “Christians” spew against their Muslim neighbors in this documentary caused not only anger, but also fear. I have a daughter who has chosen a different religious path than I. She is an American citizen, as is her husband and my two grandsons. They are also Muslim. I fear that someday my grandsons will experience this type of vileness and wonder if any of those Christians are my friends, or feel the same way those Christians feel about Muslims. I will live all of my days proving to them that people will know their grandma is a Christian by her LOVE!”

I am comforted to know that the voices of opposition in Murfreesboro are not the only voices that exist in America. I applaud CNN and Soledad O’Brien for having the courage in the face of much public opposition to create and publish this documentary. I hope that people who viewed this were able to open up if even a tiny bit to understanding who we are.

Amanda is the author and owner of MarocMama, where she blogs about food, travel, and her life raising two boys in a bi-cultural home . She has been actively involved with interfaith dialogue for the last six years, including serving as a project assistant for the State Department funded Religion and Society program through the National Peace Foundation. You can connect with Amanda by visiting her blog, on Twitter @marocmama or by emailing her directly.

Follow the rest of “Unwelcome. The Muslims Next Door” series here

Part 1. The pre-screening anticipation.

Part 2. “Unwelcome. The Muslim Next Door” review.

Part 3. The pre-screening follow-up: Leveraging Social Media as an Educational Tool.

Part 4. Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door, the dignified struggle of Murfreesboro’s Muslims.

Part 5. Can social media make the world a more tolerant place?

Part 6. A Muslim and Non-Muslim Mom’s View.

Part 7. A single white Canadian mom new to Islam shares her view of “Unwelcome”

Part 8. Unwelcome Response from an Muslim African American Husband – Descendant of Slaves

Part 9. Win CNN’s “Unwelcome. The Muslim Next Door” Press Copy DVD – Not for sale

Part 10. Help Build the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro – Virtual Fundraiser

Watch it with us Live, April 2, 2011 8pm ET & tweet #musliminamerica

How does Amanda and her mother’s view resonate with you? Do you agree? Disagree? Somewhat still questioning? Please continue the dialogue in the comment area below.

Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door – Muslim and Non-Muslim Mom’s Views is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Almost one year after HalalTrip.com was launched, and they just refreshed its design and logo. I personally prefer the uppercase H, T & M for Muslim. And, this button, compliments of my 10 year old kidblogger. They also completely redesigned their website, which I feel is a great improvement in focusing on the single most important and unique feature that this site offers:

• Easy search-ability of halal-friendly hotels

By cleaning up the site and adding more white space, I feel HalalTrip is easier to use and much more welcoming; with the goal to do one of 2-things: search for halal-hotels or watch the BBC video, which…

Emphasis on Notable Press Coverage

I’m particularly pleased how they use the notable-BBC video coverage to explain what HalalTrip is and what it has to provide–all on the homepage.

Press coverage, something I obviously highlighted on our sidebar, lends credibility to our work, and I feel HalalTrip did a nice job of emphasizing their wonderful media appearance in their debut year as well.

Karim Saad, the founder and Owner, shares “”We feel quite honoured to see the BBC covering our project in such a great way.” MashaAllah, God has willed. So, it’s better to be focused on their homepage rather then hidden in some side links.

Attracting Safe Family-Friendly Travelers

Without giving too much credit to our review and giveaway contest, (mashaAllah, God has willed), Karim Saad and I found many areas we can work on with HalalTrip, namely “Attracting non-Muslim Families interested in Halal-Hotels”, as shared numerous times by our commenters.

Help Section: Defining a “Halal Hotel”

They added a Help Section, and share what defines a ‘halal hotel’ and what criteria it needs to be listed:

Please note that we are just listing hotels matching with at least one of the following features:

• No Alcohol
• Halal Food
• Prayer facilities
• Women-only pool

I could name dozens of non-Muslim moms, women who’d prefer a women-only pool facility!

Not Enough Halal Hotels in America

So, while HalalTrip was extremely pleased with our review and giveaway, as he shares in his testimonial below–I’m NOT happy enough!

MashaAllah, God has willed, I’m happy with HalalTrip; but not happy with the lack of Halal Hotels in America. They went through every single recommendation on our review list, and could barely add any new hotels. Hello America!?

Exceeding Expectations and Going Beyond the Call of Duty

“In my first campaign with AmericanMuslimMom.com, I received some nice social media exposure, and got some hotel reviews; so I am glad that our contest was a success. Ponn Sabra was so committed to the success of the campaign, that she offered recommendations to my blog and website even before we ran our contest. Her review was so thorough that she created a dialogue between her commenters which caused me to rethink how to gain the most out of my hotel profiles, criteria and rating system. Being well-connected online, she also introduced me to professional Muslim groups. Ponn Sabra puts in a great effort in all that she does, and I am really excited to do more collaboration with AmericanMuslimMom.com. May Allah accept all her work. Ameen”. – Karim Saad, Founder of HalalTrip.com

Ameen!

So, what’s next?

I want you to voice your opinion, whether you are Muslim or Not.

• What do you think about having more halal hotels in America? Will corporate America cater to not serving alcohol–their big “money maker”?
• Hey, how hard is it to have a separate woman’s only pool? My brother just told me about a hotel in Vegas that had 4 or 5 pools–he lost count because he couldn’t get to all of them! TIP: woman’s only pool has to be secluded and blocked away from any men. While I’ve seen some lame attempts at woman’s only pool, rest assured I have yet to swim in them.
• Is it hurting a hotel just to convert one single room into a Prayer Room?
• How hard is it to offer halal food?
• A hotel only needs one of these criteria to be listed.

Curious what you think. Please keep the dialogue alive!

Halal Travel Appeals to Safe Family Travelers – Next Steps For America? is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

Grabbed your attention, didn’t I? Well, let’s consider three things before you just yell back, “No! You Shut Up!”

First, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said “I stood at the gate of Paradise and saw that the majority of the people who entered it were the poor, while the wealthy were stopped at the gate (for the accounts). But the companions of the Hellfire were ordered to be taken to the Fire. Then I stood at the gate of the Hellfire and saw that the majority of those who entered it were women.”  (Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmed)

Second, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said “A person utters a word thoughtlessly (i.e., without thinking about it being good or not, or if these words have any significance that will raise their ranks in Heaven) and, as a result of this, he will fall down into the fire of Hell deeper than the distance between the east and the west.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Third, sins of the tongue include but are not limited to:

• Lying,
• Exaggerating,
• Back-biting,
• Slander,
• Gossiping,
• Picking fun at,
• Ungrateful remarks,
• Negative talk, anger, and unwarranted disappointment,
• Whining,
• Sharing your disapproval of others to everyone except the one involved,
• Making hypocritical remarks and acting indifferently to said person,
• Sharing private secrets and/or intimate moments between a married couple,
• Entering into debates solely to stir up emotions and cause harm,
• Maintaining an argument out of defensiveness and insecurity,
• Making emotional assumptions public without giving the other party the benefit of doubt,
• Jumping to conclusions without said facts and acting inappropriately prematurely,
• Stating someone is guilty without seeking justice,
• Manipulating others,
• Dissuading others from seeing the truth, and
• Talking simply because one is unaware of the beauty of silence, or deep and reflexive thought.

While it is a known fact that women presently and will continue to out-number males in the world’s population, and one can debate that this may be a logical reason that women will out-number men in Hellfire. However, one can also argue the fact that when compared to men, women are more apt to participate in one or many of above stated sins of the tongue once in awhile and in many cases: often.

So, since we as Muslim women have the profound ability to bring the only true joy to this world through our piety, righteousness, and silence; if given the opportunity to talk or not, won’t you just consider shutting up?

Now, based on the given stated facts and proposing the above questions, the logic used above does not touch upon the stereotypical belief that Muslim wives are submissive. Quite the contrary, in fact there are many examples that when a pious, righteous Muslim male leader had a pious, righteous, intelligent, loving, charitable wife, together they ruled their families and the public at large.

Make every word count. Dare to make your words meaningful and memorable. Words when said with accompanying tones hold power. So, give words the strength of your character, and not your weakness of your flaws.

Just like everything we do in this life, when seeking to please Allah and Him Alone, we will gain from the pleasures of this world and the hereafter. Rather than enter into acts that seem easily harmless, and ultimately harmful; such as the numerous sins or “slips of the tongue” stated above–choose to reflect peacefully and walk away from such circumstances. Distance yourself from negative situations. Offer a charitable smile, and dare to be a pious leader, one who can effect change by choosing to use your tongue wisely–or simply just keeping it inside your mouth.

I’m extremely interested in the feelings, emotions, connections or disconnect you felt in reading this post. Please share your comments below. For discussing this topic is not the time to shut up!

Muslim Wives Need to Learn To Just Shut Up! is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

This short animated video is a great summary of the story of  zamzam for young and new learners. [And, us oldies too. ]  It’s an important Islamic story for all Muslims to know, especially because it’s one of the actions we perform during Hajj.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzHX8SlJkoM

We’d love to see what you think of this movie. So, please share your experiences with us in the comments section below. As always, if you have an Islamic movie video or nasheed you’d like to share, please let us know about it by clicking here.

Muslim Kids Video – The Story of ZamZam is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

A funny video shares a couple well-known ahadith about how we must treat our mothers:

1. The Prophet Muhammad said, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him: Your Heaven lies under the feet of your mother (Ahmad, Nasai).
2. A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim).

Role of Parents in the Qu’ran

While the above ahadith are about mothers, below are a couple verses in the Qur’an about parents

Qur’an
And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.
(Surah Al-Isra, Chapter #17, Verse #23)

And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years – give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.
(Surah Luqman, Chapter #31, Verse #14)

Please leave a comment below with your favorite nasheed and Muslim Kids videos, since we showcase a new one every Sunday. Then, check back each week to see when we post it!

Muslim Kids Video: The Easiest Way to Get into Paradise – Jennah – Heaven is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

One of our most favorite Islamic sites offering daily fatwaa, shared a beautiful fatwaa about the parents roles in assuring that children gain the most out of our blessed month of Ramadan. We highly recommend that you subscribe to their RSS feed for you and your children’s spiritual growth and well-being as Shaykh Muhammad addresses current issues each day.

The Family and Ramadaan

I am the head of a household, and now Ramadaan is coming. How should I take care of my family and teach them during this blessed month?

Fatwa 26830

Praise be to Allaah.

It is one of the blessings of Allaah to the Muslim that He enables him to fast in Ramadaan and to spend its nights in prayer. It is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and people are raised in status, when Allaah frees some people from the Fire. So the Muslim should strive to make the most of this month and the goodness it brings; he should hasten to spend his life in worship. How many people have been deprived of this month because of sickness, death or misguidance.

The Muslim must make the most of his time during this month; he has an unavoidable duty towards his children, to raise them well and bring them up properly, to urge them to do all kinds of goodness and make them get used to that – because the child will grow up in the manner to which his father makes him get accustomed.

During these blessed days, the father and mother have a role to play in making the most of this time, and we can offer parents the following advice:

1 – Checking on the children’s fasting and encouraging those who fall short in this regard.

2– Reminding them about the real nature of fasting, and that it is not just giving up food and drink, but it is a means of attaining taqwa (piety), and that it is an opportunity for sins to be forgiven and expiated.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ascended the minbar and said: “Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.” It was said to him, “O Messenger of Allaah, why did you do that?” He said, “Jibreel said to me, ‘May Allaah rub his nose in the dust, that person who Ramadaan comes and his sins are not forgiven,’ and I said, ‘Ameen’. Then he said, ‘May Allaah rub his nose in the dust, that person who lives to see his parents grow old, one or both of them, but he does not enter Paradise,’ and I said, ‘Ameen’. Then he said, ‘May Allaah rub his nose in the dust, that person in whose presence you are mentioned and he does not send blessings upon you,’ and I said, ‘Ameen.’”

Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah, 1888; al-Tirmidhi, 3545; Ahmad, 7444; Ibn Hibbaan, 908. See Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3501.

3 – Teaching them the etiquette and rulings on eating, such as eating with the right hand from what is directly in front of them; reminding them that extravagance is haraam and is harmful to the body.

4 – Not letting them spend too long on eating iftaar so that they miss praying Maghrib in congregation.

5 – Reminding them about the situation of the poor and destitute who cannot find even a mouthful of food to quench the fires of hunger; reminding them of the situation of those who have migrated or are fighting in jihad for the sake of Allaah in all places.

6 – These gatherings offer an opportunity to bring relatives together and uphold the ties of kinship. This custom still exists in some countries, and it is an opportunity to reconcile and mend broken ties between relatives.

7 – Helping the mother to prepare the food, and to clean up and keep the food fit for eating.

8 – Reminding them to pray qiyaam (taraweeh) and to prepare for it by not eating too much and to get ready in time to perform the prayer in the mosque.

9 – With regard to suhoor, the parents should remind the family of the barakah (blessing) of suhoor and that it gives a person the strength to fast.

10 – Allowing enough time before Fajr prayer so that those who have not prayed Witr may do so, and so that those who have delayed their prayer until the end of the night may pray, and so that each person may make du’aa’ to his Lord as he wishes.

11 – Paying attention to praying Fajr on time in congregation in the mosque, for those who are required to do so. We have seen many people who wake up at the end of the night to eat, then they go back to bed and neglect Fajr prayer.

12 – It was the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the last ten days of Ramadaan to stay up at night and wake his family. This indicates that the family should pay attention to making the most of this blessed time in doing things that are pleasing to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. So the husband should wake his wife and children to do that which will bring them closer to their Lord.

13 – There may be small children in the house who need to be encouraged to fast, so the father should urge them to get up for suhoor, and encourage them to fast by praising them and giving a reward to the one who fasts the whole month or half of it, and so on.

It was narrated that al-Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh said:  On the morning of ‘Ashoora’ the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent word to the villages of the Ansaar saying, “Whoever started out not fasting, let him not eat for the rest of the day, and whoever started the day fasting, let him fast.” She said: We used to fast and make our children fast, [and take them to the mosques] and make toys for them out of wool, then if one of them cried for food we would give him that toy until iftaar.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1859; Muslim, 1136 – the words in square brackets were narrated by Muslim.

Al-Nawawi said:

This hadeeth shows that we should train children to do acts of worship and get them used to that, but they are not accountable. Al-Qaadi said: It was narrated from ‘Urwah that when they are able to fast it becomes obligatory upon them. This is a mistake which is disproven by the saheeh hadeeth, “The Pen is lifted from three: from the child until he reaches adolescence…” And Allaah knows best.

Sharh Muslim, 8/14

14 – If possible, the father and mother should take the family for ‘Umrah in Ramadaan, and that is something that will benefit them in the Hereafter,, themselves and their family, for ‘Umrah during Ramadaan has the same reward as Hajj. It is better to go at the beginning of Ramadaan so as to avoid the crowds.

15 – The husband should not overburden his wife with more than she can bear of having to prepare food and sweets. Many people take this month to prepare fancy foods and drinks, and they go extremes in that. This detracts from the sweetness of this month and goes against the reason for fasting, which is to attain piety.

16 – The month of Ramadaan is the month of the Qur’aan, so we suggest that each family gets together to read Qur’aan. The father should teach his family to recite Qur’aan and help them to understand the meanings of the verses. In the same gathering they may also read a book about the rulings and etiquette of fasting. Allaah has enabled many scholars and seekers of knowledge to write books which can be used for preaching and teaching during Ramadaan; the books are divided into thirty parts, so one topic can be read each day, and this will benefit everyone.

17 – They should be encouraged to spend and check on their neighbours and the needy.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous during Ramadaan when Jibreel met him. He would meet him each night and revise the Qur’aan with him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was more generous than the blowing wind.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6; Muslim, 2308.

18 – The parents should prevent their families and children from staying up late at night and wasting their time in things that are of no benefit, let alone things that are haraam. For the devils among mankind are more active in this month in promoting evil things and acts of immorality to those who are fasting, during the nights of Ramadaan and during the days.

19 – They should remember the family’s meeting in Allaah’s Paradise in the Hereafter, and the great joy of meeting there under the shade of His throne. These blessed gatherings in this world and coming together to obey Allaah by seeking knowledge, fasting and praying are only the means that lead to attaining that happiness.

Islam Q&A

Parents’ Role to Assure Children Get the Most Out of Ramadan is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog

A number of my reverted Muslim and Muslim-born friends and I highly recommend this website to post questions and receive fatwas:

Islam Question & Answer! This site aims to provide intelligent, authoritative responses to anyones question about Islam, whether it be from a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and to help solve general and personal social problems. Responses are composed by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, a known Islamic lecturer and author. Questions about any topic are welcome, such as theology, worship, human and business relations, or social and personal issues.

All questions and answers on this site have been prepared, approved, revised, edited, amended or annotated by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid, the supervisor of this site.

I get the email updated fatwas delivered, but can’t find the subscription box, as I signed up a couple of years back. But, I did notice you can get the RSS feed.

While I don’t get to read all the updates, I do search the archives whenever I need to find an issue, and I’ve always found the topic already discussed in great detail which I appreciate greatly.

Please share your comments and thoughts of this site.

Islam Q&A is a post from: American Muslim Mom Blog