We regularly receive fan-mail, this was submitted by Alyson:

I was visiting your site, and i thought that it was completely stupid and full of b*llcrap. You Muslims are all the same and i really hate some things about all of you. The media is right about all of u. You all are terorists who don't care about any human or ur own people. Whats wrong with you all? My head starts boiling when i see one of u killing innocent people who haven't done anything to u. You all are dirty and u don't have any manners. Why do u even run this site? Because u can tell people how good u are when u kill innocent people? You force your wives into s*x and u oppress them. I dont know how woman in ur religion can take it, but they are probably wh*res too. I hate it when i see any of u on the streets, in shopping malls, and i always make sure not to go on flights where u all are cuz i know what you do and i know you are just tricking others by explaining that ur religion is 'peaceful'. I hope u all go to hell and u all die.

- Alyson Davis

Sent-in by Alyson Davis, Sunday November 29th, 2009.

Big salaams from your sister MOH (Muslim On Holiday). Not to rub it in or anything. I flew on Wednesday to the desert land of Sharjah to spend Eid with my family. Most MIE will have a place abroad which is a 'home from home'... in my case, I have no genetic affiliation to Sharjah, but lived here for a couple of years.

Coming back, for the first time since moving back to England, was a jarring experience. As much as I had wanted to return home whilst I lived here, I never realised how much I'd missed the smell of this place until its sweet sandy waft hit me smack bang in the face. There's so much sky over here. And everything- EVERYTHING- is bigger. Unlike its neighbour Dubai, Sharjah still has most of its Arab country charm intact. Mosques opposite Mosques (as opposed to Starbucks opposite Starbucks...though we fear that day will come), dusty buildings, people actually talking Arabic, insane traffic and cows-I-mistook-for-giant-goats in the car park. Well, the latter was an Eid Al-Adha special... needless to say; I've been sufficiently thawed by the lovely 28 degree winter. Not to rub it in or anything.

Continue reading "My Eidy!"...

Salaam

The first ten days of the final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul-Hijjah, started on November 18th OR on Thursday November 19th (check with family/ local mosque to confirm date).

The Prophet (pbuh) said:
"There is no day more honourable in Allah's sight and no acts more beloved therein to Allah than those in these ten days (of Dhul-Hijjah)"

Remember the 9th day is the day of Arafah, and the 10th day is Eid-ul-Adha (yay Eid!)

Fasting on the day of Arafah is an expiation for two years (should fall on Thursday 26th - or Friday 27th - check with your local mosque!)

It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was asked about fasting on the Day of Arafaah. He (pbuh) said: 'It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year'. Narrated by Muslim.

Some tips... Continue reading "Some tips for this week!"...

MIE met up with Lamees Hafeez, a BME (black and ethnic minority) Volunteer Development Officer for an organisation called Platform 2.

Platform2 is a global volunteering scheme for 18 to 25 year olds who wouldn't otherwise be able to visit a developing country and get involved with global issues of justice and poverty. It is funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development and is run by Christian Aid and BUNAC.

With all this in mind, I went to meet Lamees to find out a bit more about the story behind Platform2....

Somia: “So Lamees, could you give me an overview of what Platform2 is?”

Lamees: “Well, if you are aged between 18 and 25, have (or are eligible to have) a UK passport and are resident in the UK today, then you could be volunteering in India, Nepal, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa or Peru. Platform 2 is a global volunteering scheme which gives young people the opportunity to visit a developing country and to make a difference to the lives of those living there.

Somia: “Could you tell me a bit about your role?”... Continue reading "Make a change in the community you live in!"...

The temperature was under 0 degrees Celsius, and the man who was with his donkey man encountered an unexpected group of people, a Taliban Command Unit. What was even more unusual is that he peacefully had tea and biscuits with the Taliban.

Continue reading "Care for Some Crumpets and Tea?"...

Salaam All,

We had to get servers moved recently since our old one was causing some problems. You may have experienced that comments didn't go through and not everybody got the new article on screen. This new one should be much more stable, and it gives us better control of everything.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, but we're back and will start writing again somewhere this week!

Also, new writers are welcome. So if you're passionated and willing to write for MIE, do contact us!


Thanks,
Muslims in England

As I was reading a very interesting book, I came across a point which I would love to share with you guys. The book is called: ':59 Seconds. Think a little Change a lot' written by Professor Richard Wiseman. Richard Wiseman is also the author of the book Quirkology.

Basically, techniques described in this book demonstrate that effective change does not have to be time-consuming. In fact, it can take less than a minute and is often simply a question of knowing exactly where to tap.

The following paragraph is the point I wanted to share with you guys. It's a very interesting point and it makes you think how many actions in life are related to the story behind this paragraph and how you somehow instead of arguing or doing time-consuming actions, you can just have another way of sorting out your stuff. Continue reading "Effective change does not have to be time-consuming!"...

Apparently, a 41 year old woman, Houria Chahed Chentouf, a mother of six, was accused and charged with two offences of possessing documents related to terroristic activites. After discovering that the documents were obscured inside her Burka, she was sentenced to two years in jail in Manchester, England.

Continue reading "Terroristic Documents Hidden in... Burka?"...

Found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.