Asalamu Alaikum

My FHWS blog has become multi-lingual with Spanish and Italian translations masha’Allah. This is in order to reach a wider audience of people insha’Allah. If you are a speaker of any other language besides English, have the time to translate from English to your native language and do not mind doing it for the sake of Allah or for free, please inbox me emailfhws at gmail dot com. Thank you in advance. Tara Umm Omar

Saudi Women Target Guardianship Laws To Ease Employment Restrictions
Written by: Rob L. Wagner
Eurasiareview
January 16, 2012

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – When Shroog Talal Radain sought employment as a teacher’s assistant at King Abdulaziz University, her husband signed the necessary guardianship forms granting her permission to take the job.

It’s the law of the land. A woman must carry around a permission slip from a man to function in Saudi society.

“To me getting permission wasn’t a big deal because it felt like a piece of paper and that’s all,” Radain said in a recent interview. “But unfortunately to others it’s a big deal, especially to those who do not have a close guardianship like a father, brother, husband or son.”

As violent protests roil through the Middle East with ruling monarchies facing uncompromising demands from its citizens for a greater voice, women’s rights is emerging as Saudi Arabia’s own Arab Spring, albeit in a less demonstrative manner. Emboldened by the role women played in the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions, Saudi women are beginning to challenge the core of the kingdom’s interpretation of guardianship in Islam. A male family member supervising all aspects of a woman’s life is a belief among Saudis who view guardianship as a sacred duty.

It is also perhaps the most abused tenet of Islam. The Qur’an is clear on the issue of employment of women: Islam permits women to work with some conditions. Women can work as long as the job does not interfere with being a wife and mother. The job should also not force women to mix with men. Women should also have special skills, such as in teaching or medicine. Islamic scholars generally agree that women seeking employment do not need a guardian’s permission. Nor does a government have the authority to demand that a woman receive such permission.

Last fall, a group of Saudi women launched a campaign to abolish the Ministry of Labor’s rule that women must have guardian approval to seek employment. Alia Banaja, a spokeswoman for the group, told the Saudi media recently that the Saudi constitution affirms women’s equality by stating in gender-neutral language that, “Equality, justice and consent are the basis for ruling.”

“For women to have the chance to work in the profession of her choice, obstacles must be eliminated out of her way,” Banaja told the English language newspaper Arab News.

By challenging the Ministry of Labor’s guardianship rules, the group is doing what was unthinkable just a few years ago.

“It has nothing to do with Islamic concepts simply because our society is tied up where they throw every issue on Islam,” Radain said. “Guardianship in Islam [refers to] a person who protects the woman, and seeks shelter, love and protection for her. It’s not a person who is in control of her and her life actions.”

Writer Tara Umm Omar, who blogs about Islamic and women’s issues in Saudi Arabia, told me that blanket guardianship rules are not practical given the varying dynamics of Saudi families. Guardians are often too busy to help with paperwork or they use the right as a weapon. “Some of these male family members abuse the guardianship law out of spite and use it to their advantage, inconveniencing their female relatives as a result,” she said.

According to a survey conducted by the global consulting company Booz & Co., nearly half of the Saudi population is female and 56.5 percent of the kingdom’s women hold university degrees. However, just 14 percent of the women are in the workforce, In contrast, women account for 25 percent of the population in Qatar with 89 percent holding university degrees. Qatari women make up 30 percent of the country’s workforce.

The study notes the Gulf region’s “mix of local norms and traditions, social beliefs and principles emanating from the GCC’s patriarchal system still, to some extent, exert an influence on young women’s lives.” The study also found that only 22 percent of Gulf women believe they must devote their lives as wives and mothers before taking on a job. It marks a dramatic shift of Arab women’s attitudes from how their parents view their roles in society.

Yet Saudi women walk a tightrope between demanding their rights within the context of Islam while at the same time being perceived as challenging those very precepts as defined by the government.

US-based Muslim women’s rights activist Raquel Evita Saraswati, a frequent lecturer on religious and human rights issues, said that petitioning religious authorities might be seen as aggressive by Saudi authorities.

“But it really isn’t all that aggressive or extreme in the context of Islam itself as a religion with a rich history of debate and dissent among the faithful,” Saraswati said in an interview. “However, Saudi Arabia has implemented a specific interpretation of Islam as state law, effectively banning any other interpretation of the Sharia (Islamic law).”

Mark Sedgwick, coordinator of the Arab and Islamic Studies Unit at Aarhus University in Denmark and a historian of modern Islam, said it makes sense that Saudi women want rights grounded in Islam. It does not make sense, he said, when it is incorrectly implemented.

“So many of the practical problems for women in Saudi Arabia derive from the way in which the concept of guardianship is interpreted there — ways in which it is not interpreted almost anywhere else in the Muslim world — that it makes a lot of sense to start with those interpretations,” Sedgwick said.

Saraswati said the guardian rules are simply a mechanism to control women.

“I do not argue that the Qur’an grants the sexes complete equality,” Saraswati said. “However, I find Saudi Arabia’s restrictions on women in the workplace to be a conscious, calculated interpretation on the part of religious authorities, rather than absolute mandates set down by the religion.”

Saraswati said the Labor Ministry’s guardianship rules are so egregious that it renders Saudi women to the status of a child. “Islamists have burned embassies and murdered film directors over insults to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, while Muslim women live under rules more insulting to Prophet Muhammad than any cartoon could ever be,” she noted.

If push comes to shove, few Saudis will argue the religious validity of the kingdom’s guardianship rules. Umm Omar, however, said Saudi woman must shoulder some of the responsibility for their predicament.

“There has to be a line drawn as to how much a government and employers can interfere in peoples’ lives,” she said. “That goes for those Saudi women who think they know that what is best for them is also best for others. Sometimes I think that these types of women are their own enemies.” [This statement is in reference to the campaign, "My Guardian Knows What's Best For Me"]

Still, working women and young university students seeking employment are aware that abolishing the Labor Ministry’s requirements will only poke a stick in a hornet’s nest.

“If the Ministry of Labor had to loosen up the guardianship issue, then other ministries will have to loosen up as well, which will start a whole new dilemma,” said university teaching assistant Radain. “But for them to abolish it completely, believe me it will never happen.”

Le Donne Saudite Puntano Alle Leggi Sulla Tutela Per Alleggerire Le Restrizioni Sull’impiego
Scritto da: Rob L. Wagner
Eurasiareview
16 Gennaio 2012
Traduction Italienne par A.P.

Jeddah, Arabia Saudita – Quando Shroog Talal Radain cercava un posto come assistente insegnante all’Università King Abdulaziz, suo marito ha firmato i moduli necessari per la tutela che le davano il permesso di accettare il lavoro.

E’ la legge del paese. Una donna deve portare in giro un pezzetto di carta contenente il permesso di un uomo per funzionare nella società saudita.

“Per me ottenere il permesso non è stato un gran problema perchè era percepito come un pezzo di carta e nient’altro”, ha detto Radain in una recente intervista. “Ma purtroppo per altre è un grosso problema, specialmente per quelle che non hanno un tutore vicino come un padre, un fratello, un marito o un figlio”.

Mentre proteste violente agitano gli animi in Medioriente e le monarchie al potere si trovano di fronte domande che non accettano compromessi da parte dei loro cittadini che chiedono più voce, i diritti delle donne si stanno rivelando come la Primavera Araba dell’Arabia Saudita, sebbene in modo meno apertamente dimostrativo.

Incoraggiate dal ruolo che le donne hanno avuto nelle rivoluzioni d’Egitto e Tunisia, le donne saudite stanno iniziando a sfidare il cuore dell’interpretazione che il Regno fornisce della tutela nell’Islam. Un membro maschio della famiglia che supervisioni tutti gli aspetti della vita di una donna è un credo tra i sauditi che considerano la tutela un dovere sacro.

E’ anche forse il principio dell’Islam di cui viene fatto il peggior uso. Il Corano è chiaro sulla questione del lavoro delle donne: l’Islam permette alle donne di lavorare a certe condizioni. Le donne possono lavorare purchè il lavoro non interferisca con il ruolo di moglie e madre. Inoltre il lavoro non dovrebbe obbligare le donne ad interagire con gli uomini. Inoltre le donne dovrebbero avere dei campi di competenze speciali, come nell’insegnamento o nella medicina. Gli studiosi islamici generalmente concordano sul fatto che le donne in cerca di un impiego non hanno bisogno del permesso di un tutore, e anche sul fatto che un governo non ha l’autorità di richiedere che una donna riceva tale permesso.

Lo scorso autunno, un gruppo di donne saudite ha lanciato una campagna per abolire la regola del Ministero del Lavoro in base alla quale le donne devono avere l’approvazione del tutore per cercare un impiego. Alia Banaja, una portavoce del gruppo, ha recentemente detto ai media sauditi che la costituzione saudita afferma l’uguaglianza delle donne stabilendo, con un linguaggio neutrale dal punto di vista del genere, che “Eguaglianza, giustizia e consenso sono alla base dell’esercizio del governo”.

“Affinchè le donne abbiano l’opportunità di esercitare la professione che esse stesse scelgono, bisogna eliminare gli ostacoli che incontrano sulla loro strada” ha detto Banaja al quotidiano di lingua inglese Arab News.

Sfidando le regole sulla tutela del Ministero del Lavoro il gruppo sta facendo ciò che era impensabile solo qualche anno fa.

“Non ha niente a che fare con i principi islamici semplicemente perchè la nostra società è legata laddove ogni questione viene ricollegata all’Islam”, ha detto Radain. “La tutela nell’Islam [si riferisce a] un persona che protegge la donna e cerca un riparo, amore e protezione per lei. Non è una persona che tiene sotto controllo lei e ciò che fa durante la vita”.

La scrittrice Tara Umm Omar, che tiene un blog su questioni islamiche e femminili in Arabia Saudita, mi ha detto che regole sulla tutela che non ammettono eccezioni non sono pratiche date le dinamiche variabili delle famiglie saudite. I tutori sono spesso troppo impegnati per aiutare con i vari moduli ecc. oppure usano il diritto come un’arma. “Alcuni di questi membri maschi della famiglia fanno cattivo uso della legge sulla tutela per dispetto e la usano a proprio vantaggio, creando come risultato difficoltà alle loro parenti femmine”, ha detto.

Secondo una ricerca condotta dalla compagnia di consulenza globale Booz & Co., circa la metà della popolazione saudita è composta da femmine e il 56,5% delle donne del Regno è laureato. Tuttavia, le donne costituiscono solo il 14% della forza lavoro. In contrasto [con questi dati], le donne rappresentano in Qatar 25% della popolazione e di queste l’89% possiede una laurea. Le donne del Qatar costituiscono il 30% della forza lavoro del paese.

Lo studio nota che “il mix di norme locali e tradizioni, credenze sociali e principi derivanti dal sistema patriarcale dei GCC ancora in parte esercita un’influenza sulle vite delle giovani donne”. Lo studio ha inoltre trovato che solo il 22% delle donne del Golfo crede di dover dedicare la propria vita al ruolo di moglie e madre prima di iniziare a lavorare. E’ questo un cambiamento notevole negli atteggiamenti delle donne arabe rispetto a come i loro genitori considerano il proprio ruolo nella società.

Tuttavia le donne saudite camminano sul filo del rasoio tra il rivendicare i propri diritti all’interno dell’Islam e l’essere al contempo percepite in atteggiamento di sfida nei confronti degli stessi principi così come vengono stabiliti dal governo.

Raquel Evita Saraswati, musulmana che vive negli USA e attivista per i diritti delle donne, che tiene frequenti conferenze su questioni riguardanti i diritti religiosi e umani, ha detto che presentare petizioni alle autorità religiose potrebbe essere visto come un atteggiamento aggressivo da parte delle autorità saudite.

“Ma davvero non è così aggressivo o estremo nel contesto dell’Islam in sé, come religione con una ricca storia di dibattito e dissenso tra i fedeli”, ha detto Saraswati in un’intervista. “Tuttavia, l’Arabia Saudita ha realizzato un’interpretazione specifica dell’Islam come legge di stato, bandendo di fatto ogni altra interpretazione della Sharia (legge islamica)”.

Mark Sedgwick, coordinatore dell’Unità di Studi Arabi e Islamici all’Università Aarhus in Danimarca e storico dell’Islam moderno, ha detto che ha senso che le donne saudite vogliano diritti fondati sull’Islam. Non ha senso, ha detto, quando viene realizzato in modo non corretto.

“Tanti problemi pratici per le donne in Arabia Saudita derivano dal modo in cui il concetto di tutela viene là interpretato – modo che non ha quasi eguali nel mondo musulmano – cosicchè ha davvero senso iniziare a dare quel genere di interpretazioni”, ha detto Sedgwick.

Saraswati ha detto che le regole sulla tutela sono semplicemente un meccanismo per controllare le donne.
“Non discuto sul fatto che il Corano garantisca ai due sessi completa eguaglianza”, ha detto Saraswati.

“Tuttavia, ritengo che le restrizioni dell’Arabia Saudita sulle donne nel posto di lavoro siano un’interpretazione consapevole e calcolata da parte delle autorità religiose, piuttosto che ordini assoluti stabiliti dalla religione”.

Saraswati ha detto che le regole sulla tutela del Ministero del Lavoro sono talmente pesanti da ridurre le donne saudite allo status di un bambino. “Gli islamisti hanno bruciato ambasciate e assassinato registi con l’accusa di aver insultato l’Islam e il Profeta Maometto, mentre le donne musulmane vivono sotto regole che insultano il Profeta Maometto più di quanto potrebbe mai fare qualsiasi cartone animato”, ha osservato.

Se non resta altra scelta, pochi sauditi metteranno in discussione la validità religiosa delle regole del Regno sulla tutela. Tuttavia, Tara Umm Omar ha detto che le donne debbono prendersi parte della responsabilità della loro difficile situazione.

“Bisogna che ci sia una linea che delimita quanto un governo e dei datori di lavoro possono interferire nella vita delle persone”, ha detto. “Questo vale per quelle donne saudite che pensano di sapere che quello che è il meglio per loro è anche il meglio per altri. A volte penso che questo tipo di donne è nemico di se stesso [Questa affermazione è fatto in riferimento alla campagna “Il mio tutore sa cosa è meglio per me”]”.

Tuttavia, le donne che lavorano e le giovani studentesse universitarie in cerca di impiego sono consapevoli che l’abolizione dei requisiti richiesti dal Ministero del Lavoro non farà altro che suscitare un vespaio.

“Se il Ministero del Lavoro dovesse allentare la presa sulla questione della tutela, poi altri ministeri dovranno a loro volta allentare la presa, il che darà inizio ad un intero nuovo dilemma”, ha detto l’assistente universitaria Radain. “Ma da parte loro abolire completamente la tutela, credetemi, non succederà mai”.

Mujeres Sauditas Tienen Como Objetivo La Ley De Guardián Para Facilitar Las Restricciones De Empleo
Escrito por: Rob L. Wagner
Eursiareview
16 de enero 2012
Traducción al Español por Cristina D

Jeddah, Arabia Saudita – Cuando Shroog Talal Radain aplico a un empleo como ayudante de un profesor en la Universidad King Abdulaziz, su marido firmó los formularios de Guardian necesarios para la concesión de su permiso para tomar el puesto de trabajo.

Es la ley de la tierra. Una mujer debe llevar un permiso de un hombre para funcionar en la sociedad saudita.

“Para mí, conseguir el permiso no era gran cosa porque se sentía como un pedazo de papel y eso es todo”, dijo Radain en una entrevista reciente. “Pero, por desgracia para otras es un gran problema, especialmente para aquellas que no tienen un Guardián estrecho como un padre, hermano, marido o hijo.”

Mientras violentas protestas enturbian el Medio Oriente y las Monarquías Gobernantes enfrentan las demandas intransigentes de sus ciudadanos para una mayor participación, los derechos de la mujer en Arabia Saudita, emergen como Primavera Árabe propia, aunque de manera menos demostrativa. Envalentonado por el papel que desempeñan las mujeres en las revoluciones de Egipto y Túnez, las mujeres sauditas están empezando a desafiar el centro de interpretación de Arabia Saudita de la tutela o guardián en Islam. Un hombre de la familia supervisando todos los aspectos de la vida de una mujer es una creencia entre los sauditas que consideran la tutela guardián como un deber sagrado.

También es quizás el principio del que más se abusa en Islam. El Corán es claro en la cuestión del empleo de las mujeres: el Islam permite a las mujeres trabajar con algunas condiciones. Las mujeres pueden trabajar, siempre y cuando el trabajo no interfiera con ser esposa y madre. El trabajo no debería tampoco obligar a las mujeres a mezclarse con los hombres. Las mujeres también deberían tener habilidades especiales, como la enseñanza o la medicina. Los Académicos Islámicos están de acuerdo en que las mujeres que buscan trabajo no necesitan permiso de un tutor. Ni tampoco un gobierno tiene la autoridad para exigir que una mujer debe recibir ese permiso.

El otoño pasado, un grupo de mujeres sauditas lanzó una campaña para la abolición de la ley del Ministerio de Trabajo de que las mujeres deben tener la aprobación de un tutor para buscar empleo. Alia Banaja, una portavoz del grupo, dijo a los medios de comunicación recientemente que la Constitución de Arabia Saudita afirma la igualdad de la mujer al declarar en un lenguaje neutro que, “la igualdad, la justicia y el consentimiento son bases para Gobernar.”

“Para que las mujeres tengan la oportunidad de trabajar en la profesión de su elección, los obstáculos deben ser eliminados de su camino”, dijo Banaja al periódico de noticias Árabe en lengua Inglesa.

Al desafiar las normas de tutela del Ministerio de Trabajo, el grupo está haciendo lo que era impensable unos pocos años atrás.

“No tiene nada que ver con los conceptos islámicos simplemente porque nuestra sociedad está ligada a despachar todos los temas sobre el Islam”, dijo Radain. “La tutela en el Islam [se refiere a] una persona que protege a la mujer, y busca refugio, amor y protección para ella. No es una persona que está en control de su vida y de sus acciones.”

La escritora Tara Umm Omar, quien escribe blogs sobre temas islámicos y los dificultades de las mujeres en Arabia Saudita, me dijo que las reglas de la manta tutelar no son prácticos debido a la dinámica de las diferentes familias de Arabia Saudita. Los guardianes están a menudo demasiado ocupados para ayudar con el papeleo o utilizan el derecho como un arma. “Algunos de estos hombres de la familia abusan de la ley de tutela por despecho y lo utilizan para su beneficio, molestando a las mujeres de su familia como resultado”, dijo.

De acuerdo con una encuesta realizada por la compañía global de consultoría Booz & Co., casi la mitad de la población Saudita es de sexo femenino y el 56,5 por ciento de las mujeres del Reino de Arabia Saudita tienen títulos universitarios. Sin embargo, sólo el 14 por ciento de las mujeres conforman la fuerza laboral, en contraste, las mujeres en Qatar representan el 25 por ciento de la población, y el 89% poseen títulos universitarios. Las mujeres en Qatar conforman el 30 por ciento de la fuerza laboral del país.

El estudio toma nota de la región del Golfo “, mezcla de las normas locales y las tradiciones, las creencias sociales y los principios que emanan del todavía sistema patriarcal del CCG, en cierta medida, influyente en la vida de las mujeres jóvenes.” El estudio también encontró que sólo el 22 por ciento de las mujeres del Golfo creen que deben dedicar su vida como esposas y madres antes de asumir un puesto de trabajo. Esto marca un cambio radical de las actitudes de las mujeres árabes en la forma en que sus padres ven su papel en la sociedad.

Sin embargo, las mujeres sauditas tienen que balancear entre exigir sus derechos en el contexto del Islam, y al mismo tiempo, estar percibiendo el desafío a los preceptos definidos por el gobierno.

La activista Raquel Evita Saraswati por los derechos las mujeres musulmanas con base en US, es una frecuente conferencista en asuntos religiosos y de derechos humanos, dijo que la petición de las autoridades religiosas podría ser vista como agresiva por las autoridades sauditas.

“Pero realmente no es tan agresivo o extremo en el contexto del Islam como una religión con una rica historia de debate y el discrepancia entre los fieles”, dijo Saraswati en una entrevista. “Sin embargo, Arabia Saudita ha puesto en marcha una determinada interpretación del Islam como la ley de estado, prohibiendo cualquier otra interpretación de la Sharia (ley islámica)”.

Marcar Sedgwick, coordinador de la Unidad de Estudios Árabes e Islámicos de la Universidad de Aarhus en Dinamarca y un historiador del Islam moderno, dijo que tiene sentido que las mujeres sauditas quieren los derechos garantizados en el Islam. No tiene sentido, dijo, cuando se implementa incorrectamente.

“Muchos de los problemas prácticos de las mujeres en Arabia Saudita se derivan de la forma en que el concepto del guardián es interpretada allí -forma en que no es interpretada casi en ninguna otra parte del mundo musulmán- que tiene mucho sentido empezar con las interpretaciones “, dijo Sedgwick.

Saraswati, dijo las reglas del guardián son simplemente un mecanismo para controlar a las mujeres.

“Yo no discuto que el Corán otorga completa igualdad entre los sexos”, dijo Saraswati. “Sin embargo, creo que las restricciones de Arabia Saudita a las mujeres en el lugar de trabajo son una interpretación consciente y calculada por parte de las autoridades religiosas, en vez de mandatos absolutos establecidos por la religión.”

Saraswati dijo que las reglas del Ministerio de Trabajo de tutelaje son tan atroces que hace que ponen a las mujeres de Arabia Saudita a la situación de un niño. “Los islamistas han quemado embajadas y asesinado a directores de cine por insultos al Islam y al profeta Mahoma, mientras que las mujeres musulmanas viven bajo reglas más insultantes a el Profeta Muhammad que lo que cualquier caricatura nunca podría ser”, señaló.

Si llegar la hora de la verdad, pocos sauditas discutirian la validez de las normas de tutelaje religioso del Reino. Umm Omar, sin embargo, dijo que la mujer saudita debe asumir parte de la responsabilidad de su situación.

“Tiene que ser trazada una línea en cuanto a que cantidad puede un gobierno y los empleadores pueden interferir en la vida de las personas”, dijo. “Eso va para las mujeres sauditas que piensan que saben que lo que es mejor para ellas también es mejor para los demás. A veces pienso que este tipo de mujeres son sus propios enemigos “. [Esta declaración es en referencia a la campaña" Mi tutor sabe lo qué es mejor para mí "]

Sin embargo, las mujeres que trabajan y los jóvenes estudiantes universitarias que buscan empleo son conscientes de que la abolición de los requisitos del Ministerio de Trabajo podría sólo meter un palo en un avispero.

“Si el Ministerio de Trabajo tuviera que aflojar el tema de la tutela, entonces otros ministerios tendrían que aflojar, así, que se iniciará un entero nuevo dilema”, dijo la asistente en docencia universitaria Radain. “Pero para ellos abolirla totalmente, créanme, nunca va a suceder.”

Photo Credit: Rob L. Wagner

LAWYERS SPEAK ABOUT AMIR MUHADITH’S ARREST

HIGHLIGHTS OF MIKE TYSON’S UMRAH TRIP

Collective Action Theory Meets the Blogosphere: A New Methodology
By Nitin Agarwal, Merlyna Lim and Rolf T. Wigand
University of Arkansas at Little Rock: Dept of Information Science
Arizona Stat University: School of Social Transformation – Justice and Social Inquiry

“The occurrence of various Al-Huwaider’s causes in three blogs, ‘Tara Umm Omar’, ‘Saudi Woman’ and ‘Sand Gets In My Eyes’. If the concerns of these blogs were similar, we assume the blogs were themselves similar. We illustrate our analysis in Table 1, where we aggregate the concerns from these three blogs (denoted in columns) for each cause/issue (denoted in rows).”

Read more.

From my family to yours. May you enjoy your Eid to the fullest!

Inferno: The flames tore through the coach after the engine overheated, according to initial investigations.

They must have been in the back of the bus, the last ones wallahu 3alim. The engines are located in the rear of these buses. I constantly see them on the highway with the backs open in an effort to cool them off. A lot of them look like they have seen better days and need servicing asap or just to be retired. This is sad news but insha’Allah good news for Brother Dawud and his wife. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji3un. May Allah forgive them, have mercy on them and grant them jannat alfirdaws ameen.

2 November 2011 update: The janaazah for brother Abu Talha Dawud Burbank and his wife occurred today at Masjidul Haram after Salat Al-Fajr. May Allah keep them both steadfast in the grave and lighten and widen their graves ameen.

3 November 2011 update: From Salafitalk…”Alhamdulillaah, many people have asked whether they could financially help with donations for the eight children of Abu Talhah and Umm Talhah (rahimahumallaah), both from the UK and abroad. The answer is yes, you can help. We will collect any payment made for the family of Dawood Burbank (rahimahullaah) and will forward any amounts to them. This will be for the benefit of their children. You may donate into the following bank account.”

18 November update: From Ittibaa…”They both met their death in a coach that caught fire on its way to Makkah. Despite frantic efforts from people outside to smash windows and give them some means of escaping, it must have become clear to Abu Talhah and Umm Talhah that there was no way for them to get out. When they realised that they were about to die, it seems that they began to pray the zuhr prayer, surrounded by the flames which they knew would kill them. In this manner did they meet the Angel of Death. When Abu Talhah’s body was taken from the bus, his hands were still on his chest. They were in the same position when he was buried. Abu and Umm Talhah rahimahumAllaah passed away during the best days, doing the best of actions and they were buried in the best place on earth – their janaazah was in the haram with 2 million worshippers, and they were buried nearby. Read more here.

Tara Umm Omar

Two British Pilgrims Killed After Tour Bus Explodes On The Way To Mecca
By Daily Mail Reporter
1 November 2011

Two British pilgrims have been killed in a coach explosion in Saudi Arabia while they were on their way to the holy city of Mecca.

Dawud Burbank, 49, and his wife, had boarded the vehicle at Jeddah Airport after flying in from Birmingham yesterday.

The bus, which was carrying 29 British and Pakistani pilgirms, caught fire near a flyover shortly after leaving the hub.

Initial investigations suggest the engine had overheated causing the petrol tank to catch fire.

The driver saw smoke billowing from the engine and immediately stopped.

He attempted to evacuate the vehicle but Mr Burbank and his 48-year-old wife suffered fatal injuries.

Mr Burbank, from Birmingham, is understood to be a prominent Arabic to English language translators.

The coach was carrying pilgrims from Salafi Mosque, in Small Heath, Birmingham. Read more here.

Photo Credit: Daily Mail

FURTHER READING

Two Pilgrims Die As Bus Catches Fire
The Death Of Abu Talhah Dawood Burbank
Dawood Burbank And His Wife Pass Away In Hajj
May Allah Have Mercy Upon Abu Talhah Dawood Burbank
Couple Die In Mecca Pilgrimage Fire
Bus Fire Victim Dawud Burbank Was Prominent Muslim Author

Via @Saudiwoman aka Eman Al-Nafjan, who says that, “Voting rights without driving rights is not enough.”

The petition also has an explanation in Arabic. Below the English explanation is a link to sign the petition.

If Saudi women are granted the right to drive, insha’Allah it will open the door for non-Saudi women to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Please spread it from your home, to your family/friends and around the world.

Thank you, Tara Umm Omar

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT (as cited in the petition)

We, the women of Saudi Arabia and our concerned supporters across the globe, call on Custodian of the Holy Mosques King Abdullah to immediately resolve the issue of women driving cars and support women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia.

On September 25, you opened an important national dialogue on women’s rights by formally including women in the Saudi electoral process. This is a welcome development, we thank you for your leadership on this issue, and look forward to Saudi women’s participation in the electoral process.

Now, we ask you use the momentum of your announcement to take a step further by granting the women of our country the right to drive.

Senior Saudi Islamic scholars have reported that there is no religious reason to prevent women from driving and a ban on women driving cars is not even found in the text of any Saudi legal statute. Yet the reality is that women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Not only have tens of thousands of Saudi citizens called on you to grant Saudi women the right to drive, but international leaders across the globe have demanded action as well. In response to Saudi Women for Driving’s international campaigns, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton spoke out: “What these women are doing is brave, and what they are seeking is right, I’m moved by it [the campaign] and I support them.” Clinton’s EU counterpart High Representative Catherine Ashton also spoke out: “The EU supports people who stand up for their right to equal treatment, wherever they are. The Saudi women who are taking to the road are exercising their right to demand that equality. They are courageous and have the High Representative’s support.”

Saudi Arabia, one of the strongest and longest standing US allies in the Middle East, is also the only country on earth where women are not allowed to drive and often dubbed ‘the world’s largest women’s prison’. Our lack of freedom of movement places an extreme burden on our lives. We lack a public transportation system and the most basic errands and medical appointments are missed due to the difficulty and expenses of arranging transportation, notwithstanding educational and work opportunities.

King Abdullah: you have the weight of the world supporting you to take this unprecedented step forward in Saudi Arabia. This is your opportunity to show the world your commitment to a modern Saudi Arabia for all of its citizens.

As the world watches, we call on you directly to do the right thing: grant Saudi women the right to drive.

Sign the petition here.

Photo Credit: Maha Taher

***If you support Saudi women’s right to drive, participate in the viral Honk For Saudi Women video campaign. Say you support Saudi women’s driving rights, honk, upload the video to YouTube, and send the link to honkforsaudiwomen@gmail.com. Your video will join others from supporters worldwide on the channel Honk For Saudi Women.*** 

Janatul Baqi in the foreground and the Prophet's Mosque in background.

Lessons From A Graveyard
By Fahad Faruqui
21 August 2011

One can learn many lessons at a graveyard. I once found myself helping carry the corpse of a stranger, an old woman, to its final abode. At the time, I was a 20-year-old on a family trip to the holy city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia.

Following the Isha prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi) and the recitation of obligatory funeral prayer, I came across a middle-aged man searching for help to transport the coffin of the woman, who I later learned was his mother.

She had passed away a few hours earlier and her son was eager to fulfill her final wish: to be buried immediately after death.

The son was the only family member present. He was anxious to hastily transport the steel coffin, containing the corpse of his mother wrapped in a white shroud, to the Garden of Heaven or, as it is called in Arabic, Janatu l-Baqi’, a graveyard adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque.

Since it was late at night, the mosque had emptied quickly and there weren’t many eager beavers to lend a hand. A few men on their way out of the mosque regrettably declined the man’s pleas for assistance, saying they had far to travel before reaching home.

I wanted to help, but I was unsure if I would be able to carry the coffin all the way to the grave, a couple of hundred meters away.

After a handful of men gathered to move the coffin, four men including me lifted it in unison and rested each corner on the shoulder. As we proceeded toward the graveyard, the coffin was tilted toward my side since I was relatively shorter than the other three.

“She isn’t heavy,” I thought to myself in relief.

A man behind me yelled blessings to the dead as we commenced our walk toward the graveyard. We all joined in enthusiastically, chanting blessings to the dead.

Our voices started to get weaker as we ran out of breath. The farther we moved away from the mosque, the darker it became. In the sunlight, the sands of graveyard vary in color from orange to a shade that borders on red, with volcanic rocks scattered throughout the graves. But at night, it was pitch-black. Our pathway was lit only by the light illuminating from the towering minarets atop the mosque, where Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, rests along with Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, and Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph, may God be pleased with both.

After a few uneven steps, the buckle of one of my sandals broke, forcing me to kick my sandals aside as we continued forward. The ground was warm, even at this late hour. I could barely see where my feet were stepping in the wide graveyard around us. I was granted some relief when a man volunteered to help, seeking only reward from the Creator.

We walked aimlessly for a bit, trying our best not to trample over the other graves as we searched for the woman’s resting spot. Once we located it and rested the coffin beside the dugout, I took a peak at the grave. It was remarkably dark — the darkest shade of black that I have ever seen.

As I stood among these strangers with death before my eyes, and a six-foot deep grave that felt suffocating from above, the importance of my worries drifted away, and I began reflecting on the temporality of life.

It dawned on me how near we are all to death, our inevitable fate, although many of us think about death very rarely.

Quite out of the blue, I felt I was granted clues and answers to questions that had been filling my mind: Why am I here? And where will I go from here?

I had little to no sense of time. My startled parents went out looking for me when they saw all the doors of the Prophet’s Mosque closed from the window of our hotel room. I arrived back at the hotel more than an hour later than usual, yet the impression the experience left on me has been lasting. It was a moment of clarity, an hour that changed the very foundation of my existence.

“A moment of true reflection is worth more than ages of heedless worship, Faraz Rabbani, a leading Islamic scholar, said recently on Twitter.

His words reminded me of that night. At certain points in our lives, we have experiences that shake us to the core and compel us to question our outlook on existence and, if we cultivate them properly, bring us nearer to the Almighty. Even many years later, in times when anger, distress, tribulation or temptation has attempted to sway me, my mind returns to that graveyard.

When you become mindful of death, you think and act differently. It becomes difficult to lash out in anger when we know how near death could be. A person conscious of death would think twice before defrauding and deceiving another human being.

By remembering that we will all perish and be buried in dirt, taking none of our possessions with us, it becomes undesirable to wrong or hurt someone intentionally. But one has to realize that death is inevitable.

My recollection of the funeral procession that night is vivid. I remember how time ceased for me in the midst of that graveyard. I recall the haunting feeling of suffocation and discomfort that kept me awake that night.

Back in the hotel, as I rested my head on the plush pillow, in an arctic air-conditioned room, I thought of the rock-hard walls encircling that meager grave.

We need not reflect on death at all times to keep us on track. Paying attention to life — to the wondrous creations of the universe around us — can always draw us near to God and prompt us to be grateful. But also reflect on death, since it turns you away from the superficiality of the world and curbs your ego.

I would not say I am a man of immense knowledge. I haven’t spent an adequate amount of time fully uncovering the miracles of the Qur’an as deeply as I should. I have my ups and down. My faith, at times, dangles, and then I have to realign my thoughts. It happens more often than I am ready to confess here.

Yet I find remembering the inevitability of death from time to time is one way to stay grounded. During a course on Buddhist ethics I took a decade ago with Robert Thurman, the professor related a tale of a newlywed royal couple who went to a celebrated monk, Atisha, for marriage advice.

Initially hesitating to offer any since he had never been married himself, the monk finally yielded, giving some of the soundest marital advice I have heard: “Eventually, husband and wife, each will die. So now while alive, you should strive to be kind to each other.”

Thoughts of death need not flood our minds with sorrow and negativity, as we should understand that death is a natural part of the journey of life.

If we work on making every prayer count as if it’s our last and set aside time from our busy schedules, including the social media that consumes a measurable chunk of our day, to unwind the thoughts and worries entangled in our minds, we may become better humans and will indeed have a greater chance of living with peace.

Photo Credit: Arab News 

Photo Credit: DragonArtz

Dawud And Naya

The aftermath of 9/11 ushered in a lot of anger towards Muslims and there were numerous denouncements of the peaceful religion of Islam from those who did not know that Islam and terrorism are not synonymous. In those cases, ignorance prevailed and hatred was spewed at innocent Muslims. On the other hand, curious non-Muslims with more objective minds wanted to know, what is Islam? Their subsequent inquiries and researches led some of them to revert to Islam. As many as 34,000 Americans reverted to Islam following 9/11, according to CAIR’s chairman, Nihad Awad. Tara Umm Omar

9/11, Bin Laden And Islam: A Pittsburgh Catholic-Turned-Muslim Explains His Religion
By Robert Edward Healy III (Editor)
Robert.HealyIII@patch.com
Baldwin Whitehall Patch
The Neighborhood Files
22 August 2011

Dave McCarthy converted post-9/11.

“The Prophet Muhammad said that God is the most merciful and the most severe in punishment but that his mercy outstrips his punishment. So, we (Muslims) believe that both of those are important in the world. We show mercy, but mercy has its limits. If there’s a serial killer loose in the town, we don’t just leave him alone … At the same time, punishment and wrath have their limits, and mercy must moderate those.

“Unfortunately, what we’re seeing with a lot of these militant groups that make headlines is only the wrath part and no mercy. And this is not how I understand Islam. This is not what the Quran says … If you’re not seeing mercy, you’re not seeing Islam. If you’re only seeing the wrath, you’re not seeing Islam.”

- David (now Dawud) McCarthy, Baldwin Borough native and Baldwin High School Class of 2001

Dave McCarthy was, by most measures, a relatively normal Pittsburgh kid in 2001, shocked and saddened by the attacks of 9/11. McCarthy was raised Catholic in Baldwin Borough, just outside of the city, and graduated from Baldwin High School the same year that a group of radical, militant Muslims attacked the United States.

One of the planes hijacked during the attacks crashed in Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania, less than a two-hour drive from his freshman dormitory at the University of Pittsburgh.

McCarthy was a young marketing major at Pitt on Sept. 11, 2001—an unhappy one at that, as it turned out.

“I started feeling uncomfortable morally, I think, with some elements of big business (around 2005),” McCarthy said during an interview with Baldwin-Whitehall Patch in April, this year. “At the same time, that was when Hurricane Katrina happened.”

Already deep into his degree path, McCarthy switched majors to history and said that Katrina caused him to re-evaluate his life’s work. And along with a change in academics came a very personal change when he converted to Islam while still at Pitt.

Though, while a catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina may have provided the impetus for a change in majors, the catastrophe of 9/11 was certainly not McCarthy’s motivation for conversion.

History books, independent reading and the self-survey that he did guided him toward Islam, and not al-Qaida, the group of Muslims who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks under the leadership of Osama bin Laden.

McCarthy says that the members of al-Qaida committed an “evil action.”

He also says that he’s been able to separate the actions of Muslim groups like al-Qaida and the Taliban, another extremist movement, from the religion that he shares with those extremists, much the same way that many Christians separate themselves from Anders Behring Breivik, who confessed to mass murders in Norway this July.

McCarthy does not apologize for being Muslim, even when he’s back home in the United States, donning his long beard and facing Mecca for prayer in unusual places, including Heinz Field at least once during a Steelers game. Instead, he has embraced Islamic culture, relocating temporarily to an Islamic country, Saudi Arabia, to teach English at a Royal Saudi Air Force Base.

His wife, Nawal, or Naya, is a Saudi native, and last year, the couple adopted two children from a Saudi orphanage.

Dawud—his family and oldest friends still call him Dave—and Naya are a study in intercultural communication. Dawud is white; Naya is black. Dawud is a Westerner; Naya is an Arab. Dawud was raised in a country that, at least in spirit, separates religion from government, while that is hardly the case in Naya’s Saudi Arabia.

When President Barack Obama announced on May 1 that bin Laden had been killed by U.S. military forces, the B-W Patch scheduled another interview with Dawud about two weeks later, this time on his parents’ back patio in Baldwin. Naya was at his side, as both man and wife were visiting Pittsburgh that weekend.

McCarthy, the one-time director of The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, stays true to his Pittsburgh roots in many ways, and sat down for the interview wearing a black-and-gold “Steel City Champions” T-shirt. Not to be outdone, Naya donned a Jerome Bettis Steelers jersey.

The couple was happy to speak about their religion, clear the air on misconceptions and try to find common ground with a Catholic and patriotic reporter from Dawud’s same town.

……….

One of the biggest misconceptions about Islam for Westerners, both Dawud and Naya said, is that Muslims worship a different god than Christians and Jews.

“Same God,” Dawud said, even pointing out that many people mentioned in Judeo-Christian teachings of the Old Testament, such as Cain and Abel, are mentioned in the Quran, Islam’s central religious text.

Muslims believe that the Quran is the word of God as passed through his prophet, Muhammad, who spread God’s word on Earth approximately 600 years after the death of Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the son of God.

Dawud and Naya said that, while Muslims do not believe Jesus to be the son of God, Jesus is mentioned in the Quran as many times as Muhammad. The Quran also makes many favorable mentions of Moses, Judaism’s most well-known prophet.

“(But,) there is no trinity,” Dawud said, referencing Christianity’s view of God in three parts: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “There is only one god, and Muhammad is his prophet. You have to believe that. There’s only one god, no partners, no trinity, and Muhammad is his prophet. You say that out loud in every prayer. That’s the first Pillar (of Islam).”

That monotheistic first pillar begins five Pillars of Islam, which Dawud and Naya said are truly non-negotiable if you hope to reach “paradise,” or heaven. The second is five prayers per day while facing Mecca. The third is fasting during Ramadan—a Muslim tradition covering one lunar month. The fourth is giving to charity, and the fifth is a pilgrimage to Mecca.

“With the pillars, every Muslim must do them, or he is not a Muslim,” Dawud said.

Beyond the pillars, Muslims look toward scholars of the Quran for advice on how to live as Muhammad did and to reach paradise in the afterlife. Both Dawud and Naya agree that interpretations beyond the five pillars are what drum up much of the controversy surrounding their religion in the United States.

“Sometimes, people get the wrong idea that, since Saudi Arabia is a great Muslim country, what works in Saudi Arabia is going to work here in America,” Dawud said. “And that’s not the case. Even the disciples of the Prophet (Muhammad) didn’t all dress the same way …

“Islam is new in America. We don’t have a lot of leaders yet. We don’t a have a lot of people to really guide the Muslim community over here. Unfortunately, a lot of the leaders are from places like Saudi Arabia …

“We are just starting to get indigenous, African-American and white Muslims, like me, to come to the forefront and say, ‘This isn’t going to work for us in America.’ The norms here are different.

“We have the five pillars. We have to stick to that. Beyond that, let’s find ways to interpret the verses of the Quran to suit us here in America.”

Dawud admitted that members of al-Qaida, like bin Laden, have probably interpreted the Quran in such a way that justifies their actions on 9/11, pointing out that Muhammad once led an army into Mecca to kill people in defense of his own people.

Naya said that God allowed Muhammad to be aggressive for a short period of time, “a window” as she called it.

“(However,) I find nothing in the Quran that justifies killing innocents,” Naya said.

“Everything just condemns what they (al-Qaida) did,” Dawud said, “everything in the Quran.”

“Islam is very strict when it comes to ‘battlefield’ and ‘soldiers,’” Naya said. “You can’t assassinate people. The Arab culture does not look well upon people stabbing in the back. To do such a mass murder (as 9/11) and cause such pain on people is not just un-Islamic; it’s un-human.

“The Quran tells you that if you kill just one person, you kill the entire mankind.

“The Prophet Muhammad said that whoever you kill, a Christian or a Jew, I will be the one to prosecute him on the day of judgment. The Quran said that the first thing that you will be judged on on the day of judgment is blood, so if you meet your lord with no blood on your hands, you are actually in a good place.”

A commonly cited motive for al-Qaida’s attack on 9/11 is retaliation for American presence in Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia—also, the United States’ support of Israel in its ongoing conflict with Palestine, and U.S. sanctions against Iraq.

“Some people, like (members of) al-Qaida, say that if you come to fight against me, I will fight against you,” Dawud said. “This is our self-defense.

“Do I believe that? No. You are not to kill women and children like al-Qaida did. Is that self-defense? Absolutely not.”

“And even when you fight,” Naya said, “you cannot fight in revenge. The way they (Islamic militants) are talking is vengeance. You cannot kill anybody because you want to take revenge and you are angry.”

Along those lines, Dawud and Naya were asked if the killing of bin Laden by the U.S. equates to merely revenge by the Americans or if the killing of bin Laden was a justified, wartime action of self-defense.

“I don’t know,” Dawud said. “It’s so confusing. The fog of war they call it. What is right and what is wrong in a given circumstance?

“In an ideal situation, I want to see him (bin Laden) on trial, like a Nuremburg trial that was done with the Nazis. What happened? Was that possible? I don’t know if it was possible or not because nobody really knows the real story. Did they just kill him or try to capture him?

“I’d say, ‘OK, let’s focus on what we do know.’ He is dead. So, what’s the consequences of his death? Let’s end these wars that have cost America trillions and trillions and trillions of dollars while so many people have been left dead. Let’s please look at this as some sort of closure to what we started after 9/11 and say that we need to refocus our energies on our economy, getting back to work, reopening schools instead of closing schools … helping people out with their mortgages.

“So many entities are declaring bankruptcy, but we’re spending so much money on wars. This should be a place to close that chapter, bring the troops home and improve America right now.

“We accomplished what we needed to accomplish with our war on terror, so let’s bring our energies back to America.”

Did bin Laden deserve to die?

“The only one who determines if someone deserves to die is God,” Dawud said. “He’s the only one who knows for sure. A lot of Muslim scholars are actually against the death penalty in all cases unless someone admits to his guilt in a court of law.”

“The death penalty needs to be executed by law,” Naya said. “Nobody should take the law into their own hands. There’s no exception to that, whether you’re a soldier or not.”

Was bin Laden evil?

“I think it really depends on his intention,” Naya said. “God, only, can tell what’s in his heart. Human beings only see the action. If someone did an evil action, he did an evil action. Regardless of whether he was misguided or evil at heart, it does not change the evil action.”

“We’re all human beings,” Dawud said. “We all have a soul …

“With anyone, I can’t judge. Only God knows the intentions. What I can say is that, generally, I lean toward people being misguided other than being pure evil because I just think that that’s more in keeping with the nature of human beings.

“Everyone has a conscience. Everyone has a voice in their head that tells them right or wrong. We believe this. So, is it possible to corrupt that? Yes. Is someone born in a state of pure evil? I don’t see any support of that notion in any of the things in Islam that I have been taught.

“I think that people do bad things because they were misguided by something that happened in their life.”

Photo Credit: Robert Healy III

From my family to yours.

Photo Credit: Dragonartz 

I was interviewed by Juliano Machado of Epoca, a Brazilian magazine. He got sick and couldn’t translate all of my answers to his questions into Portuguese for the online edition except for one (see the second paragraph). I have included the interview between Juliano and I at the end of this post. I would like to thank Jean Sasson for recommending me to Juliano and thanks to Juliano for trusting in Jean’s judgement of me. Best wishes to you both! Tara Umm Omar

A Fronteira Final Da Rebeldia Arabe
By Juliano Machado e Luiza Karam
Epoca – Mundo
30 June 2011

“A moral islâmica e o valor da família são muito fortes aqui. Os sauditas querem evitar o risco de algo como banhos de sangue e destruição da infraestrutura dos países onde há protestos”, afirma Tara Umm Omar, uma americana de 36 anos que se casou com um saudita, converteu-se ao islã e vive em Riad. (“The Islamic morals, values and faith of Saudis are very strong so family and brotherhood/sisterhood are very important to Saudis. I think because of this, they are loathe to invite danger to their families and countrymen as they have witnessed from the bloodshed and destruction of infrastructure in the Arab countries who are protesting,” said Tara Umm Omar, a 36 year old American who married a Saudi, converted to Islam and living in Riyadh.)

To read the article in its entirety (Portuguese only), click here.

INTERVIEW BETWEEN JULIANO MACHADO AND TARA UMM OMAR

How old are you? 36

Where were you born? St. Louis, Missouri, USA

In which Saudi city do you live? Riyadh

What did you do for a living in America? My jobs were usually of a secretarial nature in a hospital, university and lastly with the St. Louis Corps of Engineers.

And do you work in Saudi Arabia? No, I don’t need to work. My family and my home are my work.

How long have you been living in Saudi Arabia? 4 years and 9 months.

Do you have children? I have one son.

When did you get married? I got married in 2002.

What is your husband`s job? He works as a materials specialist in the aviation field.

Was it your own decision to leave America and move to Saudi Arabia? It was a mutual decision with my husband. He did not want to live in the United States and I wanted to live in a Muslim country. You will find more detail in this blog post, Let Me Tell You How I Got Here

I know you’ve been converted to Islam. Is it an obligation for a non-Saudi woman to marry a Saudi man? Certainly not! There is no compulsion in Islam. Therefore, the non-Muslim wife of a Saudi must not be made to feel compelled to accept Islam in order to be loved by her Saudi husband’s family or to blend into Saudi society. It is imperative that she believe in Islam within her heart first. So that one day if she and her husband part ways, she will not forsake the religion. My mother and sister thought that my ex-husband forced me to believe in Islam. After I divorced him, I remained a Muslim because I reverted for the right reasons. Only then did they understand that I had not been brainwashed by him. In my opinion, the wife becoming Muslim may help with compatibility in the marriage and make it easy to raise resulting offspring upon one religion. It could also ease her transition into Saudi society however she doesn’t have to give up her own identity! Further reading on this issue here, Should You Revert To Islam To Please Your Saudi Or Because You Believe In It?

What was the most humiliating situation for a Saudi woman you witnessed? I have not personally witnessed anyone being humiliated.

What is strictly forbidden by written law for women to do in Saudi Arabia? Laws in Saudi Arabia are based upon the Shari’ah laws which are derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They are enforced by the Saudi police in conjunction with the Hai’a (morals police). Although the Hai’a does not have the authority to arrest, they do detain offenders but must ultimately turn them over to the Saudi police. Saudi Arabia’s constitution makes no mention of women specifically. There are laws that are de facto and not written: 1) women not being allowed to vote. 2) the guardianship system where women may not exit Saudi Arabia without permission from their male relatives and 3) the ban against women driving and women wearing the abayat are examples of this.

And what aren’t they allowed to do according to the tradition? Anything that is considered taboo! The shame factor is a really big player in the lives of women in Saudi Arabia. Things that are not haram but considered ‘ayb (shameful) according to cultural norms. For instance: 1) Women do not ride a bike or a horse in public because their abayahs make it cumbersome to do so and it is seen as immodest. 2) They do not go to the beach in swimming suits because it is forbidden in Islam to show a woman’s body and would be offensive to most Saudis. 3) Women should not be seen out in public with a non-related male. If an unrelated man and woman are caught and can’t prove their relationship they could be jailed, fined and flogged. 4) Due to gender segregation, there are men’s sections in restaurants which will not serve a woman. She must go to the family section. 5) In regards to marriage, some tribes do not intermarry with other tribes and definitely frown upon Saudi and non-Saudi unions, especially Saudi women marrying foreigners. 6) Physical education is usually not part of the curriculum in girl’s schools and gyms for women are sparse. 7) It is taboo for some Saudi women to show their face in public and in publications. One should ask for their permission before snapping their picture because if you don’t, they may come up to you and request that you delete it. 8) The name of a bride will not be written on a wedding invitation and a man should not inquire about the women of another man’s house by name. 9) Flashy abayats with designs and not in the color black or a no-no with the Hai’a because the abayat are to cover a woman’s body, not draw attention to it. 10) There are some Saudis who think that music is forbidden so you will not see women performing in a live band in public however they may do so at an event that is strictly for women such as weddings. 11) Since Saudi Arabia is a closed society and very private, Saudis do not like to air their dirty laundry or talk about sex in public.

Is there a different male treatment for women from the royal family or elite clans in comparison with women from common Saudi families? In my opinion, except for money and certain other privileges that comes with being rich, Saudi princesses and non-royal Saudi women are in the same boat as far as treatment from their men folk. Both classes of women are affected by the three de facto laws and the eleven points I mentioned in the two questions directly preceding this one.

Have you ever felt any kind of agressiveness from any Saudi man because of the fact that you are a woman? Not physically. If I go out walking alone during the daytime, which is extremely rare, there are just minor annoyances such as the driver of a car will slow down and try to talk to you.

At this moment, the Saudi Woman Driving movement has been the visible face of women`s dissatisfaction with an authoritarian regime. However, are there other female struggles for more autonomy there? There are many other important issues than driving that Saudi women are fighting for: calls for abolishing the guardianship system, the right to vote, decreasing incidents of domestic violence and removing the taboo surrounding reporting domestic violence cases to the concerned authorities, being denied custody of their children after a divorce, having the right to marry whomever she wants and not being forced to marry at a young age or with someone who is not compatible with her, better employment and educational opportunities and finally drafting laws for the protection of all females, ensuring equality and that they are treated justly in the courts. More reading on this subject, Hala Al-Dosari: Saudi Women Rights

To which extent can the Saudi Woman Driving encourage other women to challenge other rules of behavior? To stand up and speak for their rights. To not be afraid of the consequences of demanding these rights.

Do you drive cars there? If not, don’t you feel frustrated for not doing that whereas you could drive normally in US? I do not drive a car in the streets but sometimes I will do so in the desert just to get it out of my system. Two months ago, I drove an ATV in the desert for the first time and it was exhilarating. Of course I feel frustrated. I have been driving since I was 16 years old and my U.S. drivers license hasn’t expired yet but is useless here. When I was in the US and still idealistic about my forthcoming life in Saudi Arabia, I used to think that I wouldn’t mind not being able to drive. Boy was I wrong! Not being able to drive has been a bone of contention with me ever since I arrived in Saudi Arabia. It frustrates me beyond belief because I am an independent person. I don’t like to depend on others nor do I like to wait around for them when something needs to be done and it needs to be done right that moment. I wrote an extensive article on not being able to drive in Saudi Arabia with numerous references, Women Driving In Saudi Arabia: My Personal Thoughts

What has been the influence of Arab Spring over Saudi society? From what I can see, even if Saudis are discontent with the Saudi government, they are not rising up against it. King Abdullah is popular and has been orchestrating the slow reform of the country. The Islamic morals, values and faith of Saudis are very strong so family and brotherhood/sisterhood are very important to Saudis. I think because of this, they are loathe to invite danger to their families and countrymen as they have witnessed from the bloodshed and destruction of infrastructure in the Arab countries who are protesting. On the other hand, Saudis are wary of the repercussions if they are apprehended while demonstrating since the Saudi government rules with a heavy hand and have not dealt kindly with dissidents of the past and present.

Are there any movements asking for a more democratic regime? I have no knowledge of them because I do not involve myself in Saudi politics.

Do you think that the Saud monarchy will still last for a long time? I do not know what the future holds for Saudi Arabia’s leadership, it is up to Allah.

Do you feel happy with your routine? Not being able to drive and the loss of independence has been the hardest adjustment for me. I had to find peace with staying at home more and not being able to jump in a car and drive whenever I like or even walk wherever I want. I’m not used to always having to depend on men and I absolutely dislike having to use a taxi. I have also had to develop a newfound patience living in a country like Saudi Arabia. My days are filled with never ending housework and taking care of my husband and son which I enjoy. For entertainment, I either read a book, do things online, Genealogy and sometimes I may watch TV. I visit with my sister-in-laws and my friends. It can get boring at times so one really needs to be creative with extracurricular activities.

Haven’t you ever missed the way you lived in US? I miss the way the sky looks and the grass smells just before it gets ready to storm. I miss being able to go for a drive to clear my mind. I miss the variety of activities and entertainment available in America and doing them with my son. I miss autumn and the leaves turning colors. I miss spring and the feeling of rebirth that comes with it. I miss football season. I miss the beautiful greenery, the hills and pastures and even the smell of cow poo wafting in through car windows as I pass a farm. I miss going camping and hiking. I miss fishing with my sister, brother and son and hearing my sister yelling in frustration when a fish eats her worm and gets away.

Photo Credit: Epoca

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Asalamu Alaikum

Most of the changes have been added to the right sidebar. The following widgets have been added…

1. The signature of my kunya, Tara Umm Omar. This will also be added at the bottom of all new posts insha’Allah. Underneath the image of my kunya is a brief description of me. 

2. A form to submit the name of your website/blog, the URL address of the link page, your email address and message/comment field if you have linked to Islamic Articles. If you submit your information, I will gladly return the favor and email you when your website/blog has been added to Islamic Articles insha’Allah. 

3. An image of the wonderful Jean Sasson’s book, Growing Up Bin Laden. If you click on the link, it will redirect you to Amazon.com so that you can buy it if you like.

4. The time and weather in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia within an hour or two of the latest forecast. Lately its hot!

5. A poll to vote whether you think niqab is wajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended).

6. Endorsements.

7. My Flickr photo stream. It displays pictures I took on a trip to Jubail during May 2011.

8. This And That: two photos of the things dear to my heart. One is my hometown and the other tastes good but is not good for you health :-)

9. WordPress links that includes a log in/log out field for those who have a WordPress blog. It includes the RSS feeds to receive Islamic Articles’ posts and comments as well as a link back to WordPress.com 

10. Visitors online

11. Blog stats

Enjoy! FiAmanAllah…

In this file photo, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah leads the inauguration of the King Abdullah Zamzam Watering Project in Makkah on Sept. 3, 2010. The project was designed to guarantee the provision and pureness of the water of Zamzam, a well located within the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Makkah.

Kingdom Rejects BBC Claim Of Zamzam Water Contamination
By Badea Abu Al-Naja
Arab News | Jeddah
May 7, 2011

Saudi authorities have refuted a BBC report claiming that the Zamzam well in Makkah is polluted and that drinking the holy water could cause diseases such as cancer.

Zuhair Nawab, president of Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), denied the allegation and said his organization has taken adequate measures to ensure the safety of Zamzam well and its water.

The BBC said it had asked a pilgrim to take samples from the Zamzam water taps in Makkah and the Zamzam water being sold in bottles to compare them with the water on sale illegally.

“These showed high levels of nitrate and potentially harmful bacteria, and traces of arsenic three times the permitted level, just like the illegal water, which was purchased in the UK,” the BBC said, referring to contaminated holy water sold in some UK shops.

Nawab said his organization has been responsible for monitoring the quality of Zamzam water, which not only concerns Saudi Arabia but the whole Islamic world. “Our experts monitor the condition of Zamzam on a daily basis. Every day we take three samples from the water to carry out tests and studies, which showed that it was not contaminated,” he explained. He said the newly established King Abdullah Zamzam Water Distribution Center in Makkah is equipped with advanced facilities and where bottling takes place in accordance with international standards.

“We apply modern methods for filling bottles after sterilization,” Nawab said.

He said the contamination of the water could have caused while redistributing the water in small bottles by individuals.

Fahd Turkistani, adviser to the Presidency for Meteorology and Environment, said the BBC report focused on bottled water supplied by individuals and not by the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs. The water supplied by the presidency undergoes close monitoring and ultraviolet rays are applied to kill harmful bacteria, he added.

Turkistani said the Zamzam water contamination could have caused by illegal workers who sell Zamzam water at Makkah gates as they use unsterilized containers. He said the Saudi government has prohibited such illegal sales of Zamzam water.

Meanwhile, a responsible source at the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs highlighted the measures taken for the protection of Zamzam water saying the water passes through stainless steel pipes to the cooling stations and then to the Grand Mosque.

He said the presidency has given utmost importance for the preservation and distribution of Zamzam water, adding that it is closely monitored around the clock.

According to the World Health Organization, the permitted arsenic rate in natural water is up to 10 microgram per liter. If the rate goes up then the water could be harmful to the kidney and liver and cause cancer. The rate of arsenic in Zamzam water is much less than the amount permitted by the WHO.

Talal Mahjoub, a Saudi, denounced the move to create suspicion about the quality of Zamzam water.

“My family and I have been drinking Zamzam for many years. None of us have suffered any disease as a result of drinking it. If the BBC report was true, Makkans would have suffered many diseases, including cancer, because most of them drink Zamzam.”

The Saudi Embassy in London also issued a statement affirming the purity of Zamzam in Makkah.

“Scientific tests conducted on samples taken from the original source have proved the Zamzam water is good for drinking,” it said, referring to tests conducted on the water at a French laboratory. It said the Kingdom does not export Zamzam water. The King Abdullah Zamzam water complex, which was established in Makkah last September at a cost of SR700 million, can supply 200,000 bottles daily.

More Reading: Zamzam Water Is Safe

Photo Credit: Arab News

By Basco

ASSALAM ALAYKUM TO ALL THOSE HERE
MAY ALLAH GUIDE OUR LIVES EVERY DAY
ALLAH, PLEASE USE THE GOODNESS OF THIS BRAVE LAND
TO CAUSE THE SPREAD OF ISLAM IN A VERY NOBLE WAY
ALLAH YOU HAVE BLESSED THIS GREAT COUNTRY
WITH KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND WEALTH
ALLAH, PLEASE BLESS THE LEADERS OF THIS STRONG COUNTRY
WITH COMPASSION, COURAGE AND HEALTH
THE WORLD TODAY LOOKS TO THIS LAND
TO USE IT’S RESOURCES WELL
AND ONLY IN THE YEARS TO COME
WILL THAT USE BE CLEAR TO TELL
WITH THE WORDS OF ALLAH’S PROPHET
AND WITH THE LESSONS THAT HE HAS TAUGHT
THIS LAND WILL STAND AND ENDURE
WHILE OTHER LANDS MAY NOT
POWER AND HUMILITY
ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT QUALITIES TO BLEND
BUT THIS IS HOW THE FATHER TEACHES
WITH A FIRM BUT GENTLE HAND
THE HISTORY OF THIS MIGHTY DESERT NATION
IS FILLED WITH LEGEND AND FILLED WITH LORE
AND WHAT STORIES THE FUTURE WILL HEAR
THE MEN GATHERED HERE MUST NOT IGNORE
THERE IS TURMOIL AND THERE IS TROUBLE
LURKING IN THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT
GUIDE THIS MIGHTY KINGDOM – ALLAH
TO WALK IN SAFETY IN THE LIGHT
THIS COUNTRY IS A BEACON IN THE DARK
SHOWING TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED
THAT ISLAM IS THE ONLY STRAIGHT ROAD
TO ALLAH AND TO SUCCEED
TAAL OMERAK BELOVED KING ABDULLAH
AND TO YOUR FAMILY, COUNTRYMEN AND KIN
WALK STAIGHT IN ALLAH’S GUIDANCE
FOR PARADISE IS A WORTHY PRIZE TO WIN

Photo Credit: A4J and Amjad.SS

Filed under: Poems Tagged: Allah, Islam, Makkah, Muslim, poem, Saudi Arabia, Tara Umm Omar's Articles ]]> http://islamicarticles.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/a-poem-for-a-kingdom/feed/ 0 islamicarticles photocredita4j.jg photocreditamjadss http://islamicarticles.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/a-road-to-mecca-the-journey-of-muhammad-assad/ http://islamicarticles.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/a-road-to-mecca-the-journey-of-muhammad-assad/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:43:06 +0000 Tara Umm Omar http://islamicarticles.wordpress.com/?p=1197 ]]> Asad — A Life For Dialogue

By Shahid Ali Khan

Saudi Gazette | Riyadh

19 April 2011

A premiere of “A Road to Mecca” was the highlight of the two-day symposium on “Dr. Muhammad Asad — A life for Dialogue” that concluded in Riyadh, Tuesday.

It was a rare occasion when the documentary was screened in the presence of renowned national and international personalities.
‘A Road to Mecca’ is a documentary film produced by Austrian film-maker George Misch. It is based on the book by Dr. Asad, his writings, travel account to Makkah in 1927 and interviews with prominent personalities engaged in documenting the works of Dr. Asad.

Among the audience were Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS); Dr. Johannes Wimmer, Austrian Ambassador; Dr. Salah Al-Wohaibi, Secretary General of World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY); the symposium speakers, film producer Misch and a large number of diplomats and Saudi dignitaries among others.

“It is an important day for me to be present at the premiere show of my film A Road to Mecca,” Misch said before screening.

Misch said when he first came up with the idea he thought there should have been at least 10 films made on Asad’s life. “I researched and found that there was none. I thought a film should be made on Asad, with the non-Muslim audience in the West in mind, through which they can understand and come closer to Islam and the Muslim world and overcome their prejudices and fears,” he said.

Secondly, the goal was also to make Asad accessible to Muslims. This was because so many Muslims did not know about him, Misch said, adding he thought by knowing Asad many Muslims could come closer to their own faith.

Mohammad Asad (formerly Leopold Weiss) (1900–1992), an Austrian Jew, who embraced Islam, was a 20th century journalist, traveler, writer, social critic, linguist, thinker, reformer, diplomat, political theorist, translator and scholar. Asad was one of the century’s most influential European Muslims.

In 1947, Asad was given Pakistani citizenship by the newly-established state and appointed Director of the Department of Islamic Reconstruction, where he made recommendations on the drafting of Pakistan’s first Constitution. In 1949, Asad joined Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of the Middle East Division and, in 1952, was appointed Pakistan’s Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Nations.

Misch said “A Road to Mecca” is not just the film about the past. “It is a story taken from the past that travels through seven different stations that Asad had gone through and helps us understand our present better against the backdrop of what happened on 9/11 that changed the world, creating a huge gulf between the sides,” said Misch.

Recalling an incident from one of the screenings of the film, Misch said: “During one of the shows a person came up to me and said the film was a blessing, since I (Misch) a non-Muslim made the film. Had a Muslim made it, everybody would have termed it propaganda,” Misch said.

The speakers at the symposium also called for documenting the works of Dr. Asad such as his journalistic and literary endeavors that could promote a better understanding between different cultures.

Among the speakers was Murad Hofmann, author of a number of books on Islam and articles published in English, Arabic, German, Turkish journals. He spoke on “Mohammad Asad — a gift of Europe to Islam’. Hofmann said: “It was astonishing to find that quite a number of extraordinary Europeans in the 20th century had discovered and embraced Islam. I am referring to Marmaduke Pickthal (1875-1936), a British novelist, whose succinct translation of the Qur’an into English, the Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), is still highly appreciated.” He went on to include Frenchman Rene Guenon, alias Abdel Wahid Yahia (1886-1951), and Frithof Schuon (1907-2005) in the list.

“While utterly skeptical of sufi aspirations, Muhammad Asad (formerly Leopold Weiss) remains a towering figure among these and other early European converts (to Islam). Asad is a towering personality because of his lasting impact internationally,” Hofmann said. Dr. Gunther Windhager, an Austrian and author of Leopold Wiess alias Muhammad Asad delivered a speech focusing on his travel accounts and his writings during King Abdulaziz era.

Windhager said Asad while writing reports on Haj used to relate information on the historical background and meaning of Haj rituals “with lively narration of each ritual site.” He said Asad had arrived in Jeddah for Haj accompanied by his wife Elsa-Aziza Schiemann (1878-1927), and Heinrich-Ahmed (1916-2002), 11-year-old son from her first marriage. “Both had embraced Islam,” he said.

A renowned Saudi journalist spoke about Asad’s journalistic prowess while Dr. Boguslaw Ryszard, a Polish author underscored Asad’s deep association with Poland. Dr. Talal Asad, son of Dr. Muhammad Asad, could not attend the symposium but a paper was read on his behalf entitled ‘Muhammad Asad between Religion and Policy.’

Photo Credit: Saudi Gazette

They can’t take my religion away because it is a God-given right. Tara Umm Omar

By Kari Ansari

Writer & Co-Founder of America’s Muslim Family Magazine

Huffington Post: Religion

12 April 2011

France has now officially outlawed the Islamic niqab or burqa in public. French President Sarkozy said in 2009, “The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue, it is a question of freedom and of women’s dignity … The burqa is not a religious sign; it is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission of women. I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory.”

This statement by Sarkozy isn’t going to save any Muslim woman’s self-respect or free her from her oppressor by forcing her indoors and out of public life. If a woman is being forced to wear the burqa or niqab by a dictatorial husband or father, the French have just made it more difficult for her to break free from her oppressor. However, most Muslim women choose to wear the niqab of their own free will, and with this ban France has just pushed another segment of their Muslim population further from the mainstream. France outlawed the hijab, or the simple headscarf in public schools and institutions in 2004, and it has forced girls who want an education to either compromise their religious values, or compromise their academic and professional future. Where’s the liberté in that?

A small minority of Muslim women in certain parts of the world wear what is known as the abaya (black cloak) and the niqab (face veil). It is known as a burqa in South and Central Asia and seen most often as the blue full-body veil worn by Afghan women. This form of covering is the manifestation of the strictest interpretation of modesty in Islam. Women who choose this practice consider themselves seriously observant Muslims and believe this form of dress allows them to move about the outside world while protecting their dignity.

People get nervous around these women. I have often heard the refrain, “You need to see a person’s face to judge their character.” I disagree based on my own experience with Muslim women who wear the niqab. I have always known them as highly disciplined, and solid in their faith convictions despite society’s derision. They believe in keeping their physical attributes out of the public conversation by covering. While I don’t subscribe to this strict interpretation of Islamic modesty, I respect the woman who does.

Case in point: I had been corresponding with a young woman in regard to a part-time position on the behalf of one of my clients. The job would include conducting various marketing events within her local Muslim community. Because she lives in another city, I had no chance to meet her until this weekend when I traveled there. Because I am familiar with this city’s Muslim community, I was not surprised to meet her wearing a black abaya and black headscarf. She and I had coffee in a café, and as the interview progressed she proved to be everything her emails and our previous phone conversations led me to believe about her without the benefit of a face-to-face meeting. She is an extremely enthusiastic and professional young woman filled with exciting ideas for marketing my client’s product. Toward the end of the conversation she mentioned that she usually wore the niqab face veil but she decided that she would not don it for our meeting in case I would be uncomfortable. I told her I wouldn’t have been bothered by it in the least. I felt sorry she had come out without her veil on my account — but to be fair, she didn’t know me. While she knew that I’m also a Muslim, she couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t discriminate against her on behalf of my client. After I assured her that her faith practices are her own business, and that my client has great respect for Muslims, she visibly relaxed and we continued our conversation.

Her character, personality and professionalism were evident long before I saw her clothing, or her face. In her American city she happily moves about her neighborhood dressed the way the French have now outlawed. She told me the Muslims are an integral part of her city’s greater community, and she is very comfortable wherever she goes in her graceful, black garments. I will recommend that my client hire this young woman; I’m completely confident that she is going to far exceed the expectations we had for this position.

As I’ve written before, if you strip a woman of what she feels is her dignity, you’ll have a lot of indignant women. We all know American women can become pretty indignant if someone tells us what not to wear.

Photo Credit: Islamophobia Today

Asalamu Alaikum. Sister Rabia has asked me to post this announcement of her new blog, Muslimah Blogger Directory. Tara Umm Omar

I have created a blog directory for all Muslimah blogs/websites. It doesn’t matter what you blog about, you just have to be a Muslimah. To submit your blog email me: rabiaaisrabiaa at gmail dot com.

When you email me, you must include the following:

Blog Link

Blog Title

Name (first or first and last name)

Blog Category: fashion, cooking, personal, random (if you can’t think of a category, I’ll take a look at your blog and create one for you).

You don’t have to email the below information if you don’t want but it would be better:

Country you’re in or from

Any other interesting facts about you

Please tell any other Muslimah bloggers you know about this directory!

Thank you,
Rabia

Mark Ehrman describes his book as follows: “a book…an idea…an aspiration…an attitude…a lifestyle for expats, wannabe expats, digital nomads and the geographically unhinged.”

From the summary on the back cover of the book: “Many people are thinking about it. This book shows you how it’s done. Whether you find the government oppressive, the economy on a devastating course, or if you simply want adventure, you’re not alone. Over 300,000 Americans emigrate each year. Getting Out walks you through the world of the expat: the reasons, the rules, the resources, the tricks of the trade, along with compelling stories and expertise from expatriate Americans on every continent. Getting Out shows you were you can most easily gain residence and citizenship, where you can live for a fraction of the cost of where you’re living now, and what countries would be most compatible with your lifestyle, gender, age, or political beliefs. So if you’ve had enough of what they’re selling here and want to take your life elsewhere — well, isn’t that the American way? At any rate, it’s not illegal. Not yet, anyway.

The above picture is my copy of Mark’s book, Getting Out: Your Guide To Leaving America. He kindly sent me two copies (my sister in the US has the other one for sake keeping) for contributing to the first edition. As I got out of America, it made its way with me in my luggage across US States, oceans, continents and finally was unpacked in Saudi Arabia. Now as I read my statements in Mark’s book from five years ago, I marvel at how much my life has changed since then and I get nostalgic for a place I used to call home for two and a half years; Bahrain.

Mark is working on the second edition of “Getting Out” and would like to complete it by the end of the month. He is looking for participants so you’d better hurry if you’d like to be a part of this excellent resource. Mark explains that, “Even if you just write the story of how you got your visa or what it was like bringing your German Shepherd with you. The more, the better — I try and make a place for anything and everything people would find helpful, useful or inspirational in their own decision and process of leaving the US. Also, if you contributed to the first edition and can simply update the material we used (adding, deleting, changing where necessary), please just send it that way, since we’re trying to keep that material in the same place it was last time. If I haven’t sent you your first edition material yet, please let me know.”

You can contact Mark at mark@gettingoutofamerica.com and he’ll send you the questionnaire which is in .doc form.

I am honored to promote his book and grateful to him for taking the time to answer my questions. Thank you Mark, for all your efforts to educate Americans on the expat experience. I pray that your book becomes a global success. Tara Umm Omar

Can you tell us a little about yourself: Me? I’m just a humble writer with an idea.

Give a brief description of your book and its purpose: The book is a resource for people who are thinking of leaving the U.S. to live abroad but don’t know where to begin. It will give them a) confidence that their goal is something that can be accomplished, b) a way of focusing their efforts toward the solutions that would be right for them, c) tons of helpful information about that will help them answer their basic questions and d) point them in the directions of further resources to help them achieve their goal.

Who is your target audience? Anyone who is thinking about leaving the U.S. but doesn’t know how to go about doing it. While people of certain political persuasions seem more likely to find the book appealing, the book does not really have a political message or political point of view. Indeed, the contributors and customers come from all across the political spectrum.

The title of your book is very unique. Non-citizens want to immigrate to America to pursue the “American Dream” and American citizens rarely want to leave “the land of opportunity”. Did you face any challenges trying to get your book published or was it well received by editors/publishers? Quite the opposite. The publisher kept bugging me saying, “C’mon Mark, are you going to do this book or not?”

Your book was published in 2005. Have there been any new editions since then? Late (Nov/Dec) 2006, actually. The first go-round was quite exhausting but we’re finishing the update now and a second edition will be out by the end of the year, I hope.

What kind of reviews did your book receive? The book was announced a week before the Congressional election of 2006. Immediately there was a flood of interview requests by newspapers, NPR, etc. Then the Democrats took back the Congress and I guess the pessimistic message inherent in such a book no longer had media appeal and all the requests evaporated. Mostly, I received reviews in alternative newspapers in the U.S. and on blogs. The reviews were positive and it was also nominated for an independent publishing book award (ForeWord 2006) and received an honorable mention, which sadly meant that there was no cash prize. As for criticisms, there’s a few on Amazon.

What are some of the reasons the subjects of your book give for leaving America? Any and every reason you can think of. Some people think that the Christians are taking over America. Others think that America isn’t Christian enough. Some gay people think that America doesn’t tolerate their lifestyle and feel more comfortable in Europe. Many people were concerned about the erosion of civil liberties. Black people mention racism a lot. Others anticipated (correctly, it would seem) an economic collapse. Now, four years later, that concern quite a bit higher on the list. But overall, there really is no one profile. That’s why I wrote the book to appeal to everyone (or as many people as possible, anyway).

Did you leave America and why? Yes, I live in Germany. The idea of living in Europe always appealed to me, but certainly the Bush years gave me the incentive to follow through.

Did your immediate and extended family support your decision? My family is used to me doing nutty things. This wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary to them. Besides, my parents were born in Europe.

How is Germany different than America? Considering its size and the problems it has to deal with (poverty, immigration, etc), I think the Germans have managed to form the best possible government that balances the needs of business, social welfare, public order, etc.

Do you ever plan to return to America? At the moment, no. I can’t say what I will do in the future, but for the time being, life in Germany suits me fine.

Your book has a chapter on Saudi Arabia. Did any of the contributors state why they chose to reside there? Adventure in a culture very different than the one they left in the States, for one. More often, though, it’s about opportunities for certain skilled workers to live and work there for a couple of years and bank some money.

Have you ever visited Saudi Arabia and what were your impressions of the country? Well, it’s not a simple matter to visit SA unless it’s for work, business or hajj.

Did you learn any valuable lessons while composing your book and after its publication? Yes, when you write a book, you will work very hard, make very little money, but occasionally you will get very nice emails from strangers thanking you for your efforts.

What are your goals for the future? Another book in the works? Well, right now I’m busy finishing the second edition. I plan this time around to have more of a web presence and social media (Facebook, twitter, etc) presence than I did the first time around. It doesn’t come naturally to me and I still don’t understand a lot of it, but I have some help and hey, you got to change with the times. So Facebook here I come. [Tara Umm Omar: see the last question for the URL address of Mark's Facebook page].

Where can your book be purchased? Most bookstores carry it and of course on Amazon. You can also buy it directly from the publisher at http://www.processmediainc.com

Use this space to tell us anything else you would like us to know about you or your book (including blogs, websites, contact information): You can find Getting Out on Facebook. I set up a Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Getting-Out/365774971266 and a Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=365388787342

Photo taken by Tara Umm Omar

11 March 2011 Update: Mark would like to ask for specific help with his book…

“I wanted to ask you, btw, if you knew any Americans working in Saudi. I think it would be nice to get someone into the book who can be a kind of typical example of an American who goes to Saudi for work. Not too wealthy or executive. Maybe a computer programmer, oil worker, construction, that kind of thing. Perhaps he or she is there for a 1-3 year contract, maybe longer. I would like to talk about what they do, why they do it, how they live, etc.”

If you consider yourself in this category, please contact him at his email in the post given above. Also please forward to other Americans working in KSA who you think would be interested in participating. Remember that the deadline for submission is end of this month (March 2011). Thank you! Tara Umm Omar

A friend sent me this. It is very beautiful masha’Allah.

FiAmanAllah, Tara Umm Omar

In the program called “One Family” on MAJD channel, the speaker was Dr.Yahya Alyahya (head of the Call To Islam Committee). He said that Muslims are never disorganized; they just need to be CONVINCED.

Then he told a story of an American non-Muslim man who was discussing about Islam with him while he was watching a live broadcast of salat al-isha from the Ka’bah on TV. The American man was so amazed at how crowded the masjid was because more than 3 million Muslims were there in the last nights of the holy month of Ramadan. It was so crowded and so disorganized.

The sheikh asked the non-Muslim man: How long do you think they’ll take to organize themselves in rows and start the Salaat?

He answered: At least 2-3 hours.

The sheikh said: But the masjid al-Haram of Ka’bah is four floors.

The man said: Oh, this will make it about 12 hours then.

The sheikh said: Keep in your mind that they are from countries all over the world with different languages.

The American man said: Then its impossible to organize them by any means!

Then the salaat time came and sheikh Sudais of Makkah stood up and said “Estawoo” which in English means “arrange yourselves”.

And within seconds, the whole scene changed and the crowd of 3 million Muslims arranged themselves in well-organized rows in no time!

The American man stared at the TV screen for a moment and then said:

ASH-ASH-HADU AN LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH WA ASH-HADU ANNA MOHAMMADAN RASOOLOLLAH (I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but ALLAH and I bear witness that Mohammad is His Servant and Messenger).