Muslim victim mentality and the media

     I am a little tired of hearing Muslims say the media does not cover this, or the media covers's this issue to much, or the Western media covers issue's that aid and benefit Western interests over Islamic ones etc. First, why are Muslims flabbergasted when they find out something as obvious like the Western media pursues it's own interests. Of course they do! The Chinese media pursues China's interests, the Russian media pursues Russian interests etc. Only among Muslims do you find this victim mentality of begging other's to focus on Muslims. If Muslims want to have more media coverage on certain issues they must do it themselves and empower themselves. The victim mentality is a no go. Especially in this age of advanced technology where any person with a decent camera and an Internet connection can become the media etc. Friendly advice too Muslims is to be proactive with regard to media, the idea goes if you don't like the coverage make your own, if you can't make your own because it's hard, or your too lazy then tough. I loathe the racism of lower expectations.

Insightful

Muslims should avoid these characteristics at all costs, or try hard to change themselves if they feel they have any of these

10. The Judge: This person is always judging others, gossiping about others and backbiting. Avoid these types at all costs because as soon as you leave you can be sure they will be judging you and gossiping about you.

9. The Arrogant: this is the self righteous prick who in his or her own mind believes they are the most pious guy around since the last prophet. They are unable or unwilling to see there own faults, and go around talking and relentlessly preaching religion. They usually have arrogant smirks on their face.

8. The know it all, this guy or gal has usually read a certain Holy book once or twice, but believes they know it all, they are the authority, and that no one and nothing can get through to them, because they are flawless in their knowledge of religion.

7. The one liner, or I should say the one verser. These are guys who will here one verse from a religious book, or some self proclaimed scholar (who actually knows very little) and condemn large swathes of the population to death based on this verse, or condemn activities wholesale completely because of the one verse they read on the Internet or were told to by a friend. These types love quoting Hadiths with regards too the Islamic faith and usually have the 10 Hadith's they have memorized in their belt like a deck of cards. They use these 10 Hadiths as a one sized fits all sort of deal. You will often here these morons, say things like this, all music is Haram activity or, don't be friends with this person because scholar A (high school drop out rebelling against his parents said this on a YouTube video). These guys are closely related to the know it all.

6. The religious Jerk, the Jerk is not a know it all, and may not be arrogant, but he is very loud and aggressive These are the type of guys who will burn a store down because of a movie, when they have not even seen the movie. These guys are insensitive to say the least. They are the types who will take a broad Sword out to other religions, and laugh and mock at other people's faith and then try to cut your throat out if you dare say anything about their religion.

5. The Birther, these are the guys who are born into a certain religion, and have no knowledge of it, and do not care too have any knowledge of it, yet will defend it tooth and nail, for no apparent reason other then identity. They truly have no interest in the spiritual and are much more interested in the latest I phone etc. These guys are usually opportunists who love money and the good, life but keep religion as a sort of tool to be used when necessary.

4. The Zealot, this is the guy who not only judges but actually is downright hostile and aggressive toward anyone or anybody who does not agree or confound to their own narrow and small idea's of religion. The problem with the zealot is that because of their zealotry they have actually read a certain Holy Book 10 or 20 times and read it in it's authentic language. They have watched all the YouTube video's out their and have the box set of DVD's in their home. They are utterly convinced they are doing God's work. However they fail to realize they know absolutely nothing. The great scholars of the Middle ages read the Holy Books over 100 times, and memorized them word for word in 5 different languages, and taught and analyzed the words day and night. They lived in a society where everything was encompassed by religion, and they still would humbly say God knows best I know nothing. That was the difference back then, all study and work, and total humility. Nowadays some guy will read a religious book 20 or 30 times and spend 2 or 3 years in study and act like he is a scholar, with an ego the size of Muhammad Ali.

3. The Punisher this is the type who hates to interpret anything in religion liberally. Even though he knows nothing he loves to cut off hands and bring out the stones. Common sense would dictate that since you are human and your knowledge is very very limited you must interpret with mercy and liberally all religious teachings as to not commit an error. However these guys have no time for common sense, they want to punish and hurt people.

2. The Hypocrite, He watches Carly Rae Jepson video's and groves to "Call Me Maybe", but hides this away from the public. He trolls YouTube for his favorite sexually explicit movie but comes off as a holy roller admitting no mistake ever. He may not be ruthless to judge others but he can't even look at himself in the mirror because his true self and what he purports to be are miles away. The Hypocrite does not care about what God thinks but is obsessed with maintaining a religious image at all costs. He is a politician and their are millions of these types in the Islamic world.

1. The religious coward, the guy who is too afraid to wish you a religious greeting in front of others. He's down for the cause behind closed doors, but out to please and water down his belief in public and even pretend about who he is. No one is saying you have to be loud and aggressive about it. In fact you can be soft as a dove and polite as an angel. However these cowards are like jelly and want to hide from the world who they are and what they believe.

Islam's core principles. Idea's to always keep in mind as a Muslim.

1. God knows best, remember this value because it humbles one, it reminds us that knowledge is infinite and that we truly know nothing. This prevents people from being a know it all. It also prevents us from being harsh with our judgments towards others because we truly do not know much if anything. Allah knows best should be something said by a Muslim as much as Alhumdillah or Mashallah.

2. God forgives sins the size of mountains, remember if God is forgiving you too should be forgiving. This makes us a society that is merciful and thoughtful. It makes us people who are lenient tolerant, and understanding.

3. You cannot fool Allah, this one is very important, this prevents people from being liars and manipulators. Too often in Muslim society we find ourselves being manipulated by liars who think since no one can prove they are lying they are okay. In reality God knows all sins, and you cannot fool him. This also makes us much less judgmental  because our sins may be hidden and others sins may be in public but to God it's all the same. We are equally guilty. This way judging people in the public eye will be far far less.

4. Islam is not an exact science or Math, more specifically to God Islam may be an exact science or math but to us it is not because we are humans. Every human will interpret scripture differently and who are we to say who is right or who is wrong. Even scriptures regarding music or the punishment for theft have been debated for thousands of years. We should be humble and realize that allot of religion is up to interpretation and this should make us liberal toward our interpretation, because it is better to be too lenient then too harsh. If we are too lenient then Allah can make it up to the person, and Allah will understand us. If we are too harsh Allah may make it up to the person in the after life, but we could be punished for our excessive harshness. That is why we must be liberal in our Islamic interpretation because Allah forbid we could be wrong in our understanding.

5. Islam is service to humanity. Islam is a guidance to mankind and it helps us serve humanity. When interpreting scripture you should ask yourself are we serving humanity and are we helping our fellow humans. Islam is not a religion where one says I don't care what anyone thinks but God, that's all I care about. This is because we should care what everyone thinks and that we show our love for God in how we treat other people. In a loving society poor people will be taken care of etc. This emphasis on service to humanity will create healthy, wealthy happy societies where the goal of life is to be a good person according to religious principles and serve our fellow human beings.It will maintain the focus of Muslims which is greatly lacking (Please see the article on Muslim focus) and Muslims while caring about the suffering of people in far away lands, will focus on the immediate people they can help in their own cities through hard work and dedication.

Posted by Insightful

Muslims and Cricket: Is it okay for Muslims to watch Cricket? By Adnan Khan

 Some have aggressively argued that Cricket is a waste of time, some people even more extreme have said that the nations obsession with Cricket is immoral and against Muslim teachings. They have been vocal about this on social networking sites. I am now going to attempt to shed some light on these idea's.

     Firstly, is it right for a nation of 180 million Pakistanis to spend three hours in front of the TV engaged in nationalistic chauvinism while ignoring faith and belief as some of the self proclaimed pious men of God would proclaim? Is it right for us to watch National and domestic cricket where even semi clad women wearing pom poms jump around cheering for either side? Is this how a nation that prides itself as being religious should behave?

     Well firstly lets look at some benefits that Cricket brings our country. Cricket makes millions of people happy or sad depending on if they win or loose, but generally our Cricket team is pretty good, we are like the New York Yankees of Cricket for those more familiar with Baseball. So while our team may win or loose it's generally against the best teams in the world during the quarter or semi finals. Occasionally our team even wins an international competition. Cricket is a major sport and winning a major championship title in one of the major sports of the world is a huge boost. Millions are made happy. However in the ancient Roman days, people were made happy by gladiators dueling to the death surely making people happy isn't a means to an end? Well what else could Cricket possibly do? From an economic stand point some of the nations that excel at Cricket including our own are backward. Cricket is one of the profitable industries that we lead in. That we can generate allot of wealth from participating in. It's not just a few athletes who make millions. It's thousands of workers and broadcasters, trainers and coaches and writers and merchandise sellers who can tap out a livelihood from Cricket. Thousands of people are literally eating off of Cricket. Cricket is a business or an industry, and it's big business and theirs big money involved. Cricket helps thousands materially is not an exaggeration to say the least.

      Some of the more extremely religious minded people will say we could be bowing our heads in worship of God during these matches, they may snarl at you and say "Lo you are wasting your time" please attend to your Lord instead of watching Cricket. However I don't see how Cricket takes away from religious duties, which can easily be performed. After all most religions themselves make the claim that they are simple to follow. By this logic open heart surgery is a waste of time, and the surgeon who spends 12 or 18 hours completing the surgery is not spending his time appropriately  He should be in prayers instead of focusing on the surgery at hand? However I find this logic twisted as is not saving a life through surgery and making the mother and father happy and eternally grateful from the determined application of your skills which cost you an arm and a leg to obtain and 10 years not a Godly act? Are Godly acts only relegated to realm of men with big beards making open and chauvinistic displays of religion? Who would you say is more religion a man with a large beard and white robe who debates about the higher principles of religion for two or three hours? Or a man who spends twelve hours a day building an orphanage with bricks, but doesn't utter a word about God or religion? Can we assume religion is in one man's heart, while the other is making a display of his religion, and God only knows what is in his heart? They what is in your heart will show in your actions, thus to me the one who does not not about religion or God at all, yet who builds hospitals and orphanages and helps educated the young is far more religious and pious then the outward chauvinist who feels the need to constantly talk about a religion he does not feel in his heart or mind. The chauvinist is trying to show his religion. The other man is simply a good man of God on the inside and is comfortable in this state. He no longer feels the need to make any outward displays of religion or piety because that is what is in his heart that is who he is. Rather it is the man not comfortable with piety or belief that needs to keep proving it to himself and others by outward displays and extremist behavior.

          Some may say this is all well and good but two things, first how does this all relate to Cricket and secondly how can you compare a necessary act like Open heart surgery to a meaningless recreational act like Cricket. Firstly this relates too Cricket because the type of man mentioned who no longer feels the need to prove to himself or the world that he is religious simply is a good person, in his mind and thoughts. He is comfortable in his religious activity and identity. He no longer feels the need for outward display and can move on to perfecting other arts that generate wealth such as becoming a Brain surgeon or a Cricketer. So the Cricket is a man of God, he may pray 5 times a day but he need not speak it, he has moved on and is now trying to perfect the art of Cricket and win a victory for his nation. While he may not save lives directly, his activity generates millions of Pounds or Dollars or Rupees. Millions feel good of his ability and thousands eat. Is not God pleased when poor children eat that day. If Umar Akmal did not fill up a stadium would the ticket holder at the stadium earn his days wage? Would his poor daughter get to go to school or even eat three full meals? It is the prodigality talent of young Umar's batting that makes people come to see the game, it is precisely because Umar has his religion and identity solid that he can move on to productive pursuits that fulfill God's will pragmatically and productively. It is indeed the Cricketer's talents that sell out the stadium and who provide for thousands to eat and sleep. The Cricketers are directly feeding and giving education to thousands of men women and children! Is that not the ultimate act of worship 1,000 times more powerful then the zealots empty talk, and display of outward religiously, when in reality his cannot even feed his neighbor at times? If anything was truly wasting Almighty God's time it is not the Cricketer who has worked thousands of hours through broken broken fingers and through cut throat competition for a place on a National team of a major country. It is the zealot arguing or preaching religion on a social network. The problem is not millions watching Cricket, the problem is unproductive and confused men who want so desperately to be apart of a religion, and try to hard when they can't simply let the idea's adsorb into their hearts and minds and then let their actions speak thousands of words about their piety, without uttering a word about religion or judging others about how to live their lives.
   

      If you truly love God, then strive with all your actions and not words to generate enough wealth to help the poor, let your piety speak volumes through your actions. We have seen Cricket propel the great Imran Khan to building a cancer hospital and a world class university. In Conclusion, Cricket is not a distraction from the worship of God anymore then a surgeon performing a surgery is distracted from God. Is is not Godly to heal a desperately sick person, or at least more so then speaking on Facebook about your views on religion, where in reality you know absolutely nothing?

       Cricket and competing are the natural extensions of the pious man who is no longer struggling with religious or identity issues and can get on with it. Cricket is a high form of religion because it is productive. It feeds people and generates wealth for people to live and eat. Jesus once said money is the root of all evil, however you don't really know yourself until you are rich. The poor can claim piety quite easily as the avenues of temptation and sin are closed off. However the rich truly know themselves because everything is at their finger tips. Cricketers are stars and powerful, they have to resist and focus on their game, stand media pressure. Could you imagine the pressure if you dropped a catch 180 million people would go to sleep upset that night?

      In conclusion, Cricket and all productive actions and activity and viewing of these actions is good, and right and productive and helpful. They serve God's purpose because they push people who in turn generate wealth to help others and feed others. In no way does Cricket distract from your religious obligation in fact it complements it. It's necessary for your religious obligation, not Cricket but any profession a man or women devotes themselves to completely. The problems does not stem from Cricket but the lowly self proclaimed men of God who would rather point the finger on Facebook, then do the hard work of shutting up and doing something to help the world, or quietly moving on.

Copyright 2012

Muslims can we judge other people? Is it okay in Islam to do this?

Muslims have a little problem, we seem to be judgemental and it's a major problem because this is a very significant haram. Of course certain people within Islam are allowed to judge, but they are assigned positions of being judges due to exceptionally understanding and performance in Islam related fields. Being judgemental usually leads to backbiting and slander which are major sins mentioned in Islam. Also it puts undue pressure on the productive members of society as they are confronted by an army of people who are willing to judge them instead of work on their own productive pursuits. Let us examine why and how judging people is wrong Islamically and why we should refrain from this accept in circumstances where it is necessary.

                 Too my understanding regarding the issue of judging others it seemed pretty obvious. I was taught from childhood a logical and proper maxim. Judge others and you deserve to be judged. Judge people harshly and you deserve to be judged harshly. Do not judge and no one should judge you. When told this as a young man, it did not feel like some cultural superstition, it made sense. As an adult it still makes perfect sense. Hey don't judge other people because you really have no idea what it's like to be them, you don't know their experiences or circumstances so refrain and let God or the Force or whatever you may believe in judge them. It was live and let live basically. However when I got older two things have startled me. First the number of people who do not want to live by the previous mentioned maxim, and the number of people who enjoy self righteous and arrogant indignation, and relish in judging others. In other words the people who love being hypocrites. It all started when Pakistani model and actress Veena Malik decided to pose semi nude in an Indian magazine. I thought wow pretty scandalous but in my head I said their is no point in judging her as she is not relevant to my life, and also we have all sinned before therefore we are in no place to point the finger and should spend all our time working on bettering ourselves. However what surprised me was the onslaught of self righteous indignation and arrogance that spewed out toward the women. To make matters worse it was from so called religious people from Pakistan the most corrupt and scandal plagued nation on earth. How could it be a country where bribery and nepotism and hypocrisy are so rampant. It goes to show the modern corrupt mentality of people these days. I will now talk about why being judgemental is so harmful for society.

     I touched upon this with regards to my article about Diary of a Badman, when some ex-cast members decided to team up with an extremist to attack the show. So I will outline why not only is judging others immoral but that it damages society. Here are some points to ponder.

- If you disagree with someone present your own point in a superior fashion. It's easy to judge others but to make your own superior work is hard. If you think your idea is better no one is stopping you from making it.

- You could be wrong, often people with meagre knowledge will quote one verse or chapter of a religious book and make broad sweeping judgements against others. Not only is this incorrect but these judgements will be filled with the personal bias of the person making them. Avoid these sweeping judgements and realize that you may be very intelligent but that you don't really know what you are talking about.

- Avoid being a hypocrite in any form. Do not chastise someone for being against freedom of speech, when you know deep inside that if someone doesn't "drink your Kool Aid" you would no longer want to entertain their presence. If you can't take it don't dish it out.

- Do not praise your nation when it conquers or subdues another people then label someone else who is not like you a terrorist or war Criminal when he does the same thing. You cannot say that when George Bush conquered Iraq it was a noble battle for democracy however when this man who does not believe in what you believe conquered a certain place he was a cruel tyrant. We cannot be obtuse to the fact that people do not want to be like us. Which brings me to my next point.

- People do not want to be like you, and they have the right to not want to be like you. You may think being an American Buddhist is the best thing in the world, and that all other non-believers are destined for Hades or whatever, but recognize that those outside your belief don't care for it, and they have every right not to care for it and roll with their "homies". Cowboys are cowboys because they like being cowboys, and Indians are Indians because they like being Indians. Respect people for who they are and understand if you were born in their circumstances you might be like them.

- Also see the bigger picture, learn to live with and accept and even appreciate people who disagree without. If people who disagreed with each other were always judging and fighting remember nothing productive could ever get done. I myself am a Muslim and I only eat Halal food, however the majority of food in my country is not Halal. I would prefer if all people eat Halal, but I understand that not all people want to be like me or eat like me. I also understand that non halal food being served employs millions of people, and provides a livelihood, food and sustenance for millions who desperately need those jobs, or to eat and dine at those non halal restaurants. Now can I myself provide and make up for the disparity if I got my way? Obviously not, so thus see the bigger picture. While eating non Halal may be a sin too me, having millions of starving and unemployed people in my estimation is the much greater sin.

- The next point is just because things happen in a society does not mean that, the society loves them, or wants them, etc. or that this is a natural out growth of that society. In free societies people are free to pursue certain things within reason, I may disagree with an Obese man ordering the Jumbo Whopper meal at BK but he is free to do that, and I support his right to do that even though most in society do not like that. If everyone was attacking everyone else whom they did not agree with the production capacity of the society would grind to a halt and civil war would take please unleashing a 100 fold misery to the original fact that you did not like someone Else's idea.

- Finally put up or shut up. If you don't like that women posing semi nude then you provide her with a livelihood where she can wear what you desire her to wear. You must compete and work hard for your idea's, their are no free lunches and never have been in the market place for idea's. If you want a say in someones life you must put up some consideration before the deal goes through. If you want this person to behave in a certain way, you must build and create the institutions that make behaving in that certain way conducive to a productive and happy life. People will do anything to feed themselves and their families and if you can't feed other peoples families then you are no one to judge them when they do what it takes to help themselves. Lazy and unproductive people who simply criticize are a drain on society.

- So unless you are judging someone for some direct life purpose, i.e whom to marry, or who you want as a baby sitter for your children, show mercy and refrain from judging, its the right way to go.

Adnan Khan
B.A LLB.

Humza Arshad vs. Diary of a Badman Ex Crew thoughts

  Something interesting has happened lately with regards to the smash hit YouTube sensation Diary of a Badman, which stars Humza Arshad as the Badman. Some ex members of the Badman crew have now condemned Arshad and have joined in with an extremist organization to condemn him for among other things mocking Islam. I will analyze both sides of the situation and see who is indeed mocking Islam if anyone. I will also give other analysis with regards to the essence of Diary of a Badman so that the youth can truly see it for what it is.

          First off I would like to congratulate Mr. Humza Arshad for making the DOABM series. It has been a phenomenal success and other high budget British productions dealing with Islam and Muslims such as the "Infidel" and "Four Lions" have not had near as much success. Mr. Arshad is a genius and I do not use that word lightly, with nothing more then a really good camera and Internet software he has created something which has enthralled the masses, the Pakistani and Muslim masses, but Badman has millions of fans that are neither Muslim nor Pakistani, or Indian. Badman has cross over appeal. Humza has created a brand that is valuable and cool and trendy, and is a leader among the British Pakistani and greater Asian community. Badman is very progressive and super cool, and deals with themes and people who are normally associated with terrorism, polygamy or other negative things in society. Humza Arshad has given to numerous charities and I can imagine has put his blood sweat and tears into the making of DOABM. Personally speaking it's very hard to put yourself out there on YouTube because what you make lasts forever and its a huge risk because success is not guaranteed and massive Backlash's can occur. Mr. Arshad's success is nothing easy as there have been numerous Badman rip offs that have fallen flat on their face. Those involved with Badman should have been nothing but grateful to Humza Arshad for allowing them to earn some fame and possibly fortune through their association with Badman, however the opposite has happened and some members have turned on Mr. Arshad? Why and how could this be? To publicly accost you're Muslim brother after he had given you the ultimate platform for fame you could have never possibly earned yourself, seems very UN Islamic. Also we are to tell our Muslim brothers privately and sincerely when they are wrong, not in public tirades that will cause them UN ease and embarrassment. No one would care about the Badman crew if their was no Badman so to do what they did is grossly inappropriate to say the least. TO chastise Humza Arshad as they did was a terrible thing to do. I hope in the future they decide to apologize to Mr. Arshad and pray for forgiveness. Also they mock Arshad as seeking out money, In the Quran it says there is nothing wrong with wanting to have money or trying to be rich, in fact after the painstaking hard work Mr. Arshad has put into the Badman series, I would be the first one to wish him wealth and success. How can Muslim brothers be upset when another Muslim brother is creating wealth for his family and other Muslims?

     With that said I too thought at times Badman may have been inappropriate however nothing so significant that needed Abdul Jabbar to go on that scathing rampage. The contradictions of Abdul Jabber's rantings against Humza Arshad are too numerous to count. First of all. you are not allowed to judge others in Islam, while Abdul Jabber practically sentenced Humza Arshad to the hell fire. Secondly the Quran says the true and pious Muslims are soft spoken and kind, while Abdul Jabbar was seething with hatred and his tone was ultra aggressive. Also Mr. Jabbar decided he could re write the Quran and has thus given himself the right to judge other men when their haram is apparent? Mr, Jabbar me being a lawyer by profession, I am all too aware that judging immoral acts is a very difficult and an almost impossible thing to do with any real accuracy. What you think is apparent haram in Badman, may not be too millions of others. Not to mention the arrogance, and pride in the man's voice. Attacking another Muslim brother openly like that was the height of being judgmental, arrogant and self righteous. A vile sneak attack on a man who has never claimed to be a Mullah, nor an Islamic scholar of any sort but rather a comedian. Then the absurdity of bringing up the horrific massacres of Muslims in Syria? Is Humza Arshad being a British Pakistani Muslim to go and live in a cave and cry forever for the goings on in Syria? Are all Muslims of the world to cease any productive activity because of this? What's going on in Syria is sad and I am sure many Muslims think about it, however Humza Arshad is a comedian and powerless in the grand scheme of things, what the heck can he do about Syria? He's got a talent and that is comedy? It seemed manipulative and evil to try to flog Mr. Arshad with guilt about the atrocities in Syria. Finally Mr. Jabbar in a very manipulative way exclaims I say only what the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) says therefore I am abdicated from any critique and Arshad is wrong. If only it were that simply Mr. Jabbar, while what the prophet says is always wise, our interpretations of what he says are not. Unfortunately the versus of the Quran must flow through the human mind and be interpreted. You can not abdicate yourself by simply exclaiming you are repeating the Quran. I do not have too much time to critique everything however as Arshad says in his response video, the contradictions in Mr. Jabbar's speech are numerous.

      Now I am no comedy expert however I have been watching American and British comedies for decades and I have analyzed the greats. While Mr. Arshad is a proud Muslim and Pakistani he is also British, and that will come through in his sense of comedy. Please if you will try to understand that when it appears that Humza Arshad is mocking Islam and or Muslims he is really mocking himself. Remember the Badman character is not the perfect Muslim nor is that what Arshad intended with him. He is an exaggerated caricature of the British Pakistani Muslim Jafaican gangster wannabe. He is the comic relief, who acts grossly inappropriate, and has a somewhat messed up family life. So when Arshad pulls on a Muslim brothers beard, or mocks a Muslim brothers mother, Arshad is not saying this is good, or cool, what he is saying is that the Badman is a jerk at times albeit unintentionally, a good natured jerk. The way the Pious Muslims indulge his idiotic behavior shows them to be above all things civilized caring and decent. Badman is showing pious Islamic garb clad Muslims in a way no one has ever dared in popular culture except Maybe in Canada's little Mosque on the Prairie. He's showing them as the anti Jerk too Badman's jerk. He's humanized them way beyond the stereotype of extremist or terrorist and into the realm of pious soft spoken good guys who can tolerate the rude abrasive behavior of the moron Badman. There is no self hatred in Arshad's work only a profound sense of timing and comic understanding. The arrogant filled and proud may be aghast and say he insults Islam. However those who think deeply understand he is using a very intelligent form of comedy. I will explain. When an aggressive loud jerk is disrespectful to a nice soft spoken guy, the fool or the proud will say, look at the disrespect he is showing how dare he! However on careful analysis in today's world the ass whole or jerk is always to be the one being disrespected, Badman is the ass whole or jerk while the pious Muslims are shown as totally nice, reasonable decent and kind. Badman does these types a favor and yet they turn on him?

     Secondly to the mother, again not all mocking of your own culture or people is self hatred. Sometimes jokes are used simply because they are funny. Humza Arshad has humanized the Niqabi beyond Islamic baby making machine or terrorist loving Ninja. He portrays his mother in a Niqab as a caring loving mother and only a moron would take seriously her violence toward him. That's the joke, if some moron in your're school yard is mocking a Niqabi because of Badman then it's their fault for ignorance. However it's as if without Badman Niqabi's would be loved and cherished women in British society. Badman if anything has led to a net positive influence again humanizing Niqabi's as mothers, who may listen to music, cook and who struggle to raise moronic wannabe sons like Badman. Humza Arshad is real, some extremists tend to romanticize Niqabi's or Topi and beard clad Muslims to the point of no critique. While wearing a Niqab or a beard and topi in the west is brave and we respect those Muslims for it, we know they are simply human. They pass gas and swear and do haram. Because Arshad shows the reality does not mean he endorses it, again Arshad is humanizing people who are ever rarely humanized on screen. It is the vain pride of someone extreme who cannot tolerate anyone making fun of them. Someone who cannot lighten up and relax even when they know deep down inside the reality may be shown.

     One of the things Arshad also does is include an Islamic lesson in the show, this is revolutionary and usually the lesson is profound and powerful. These life lessons while from Islam seem to have a profound effect on non Muslims as well. Humza's light hearted and soft approach to Da waa has been extremely powerful and has garnered an interest in Islam from many non Muslims. Again Humza's aggressive talk in Badman when dealing with Islam sometimes is not to show that he is mocking the Deen or the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) but rather again he is showing Badman is a a young confused kid who does not know how to act properly or a jerk if you will, a well intentioned jerk who is trying his best to deal with the profound message of the Quran.

     Again while some of Arshad's stuff may go too far, all in all we have a very talented and special young brother on our hands who has profoundly helped the image and identity of British Pakistanis and Muslims. We should express politely and lovingly the places where we disagree with him and he himself has stated he will be far more careful from now on. What more can we ask of him. If every time any Muslim brother who does something productive is swamped with hatred and jealously how can we ever hope to progress? If you don't like DOABM, get a camera and make you're own thing and express what you have to say. Hatred is easy, creating something new is hard work.

Adnan Khan
BA LLB

Muslims and Focus. 6 Things Muslim's can do to improve focus.

  I am not going to be nice in this article. I am going to try to be real and discuss a topic that is very important. Not just for societies as a whole but for individuals in their day to day life. You don't have to be Muslim to want or crave or understand the power of focus so if you are a non Muslim reading this article I hope you benefit from it too. The importance of focus in your life exponentially increases your chances of success and happiness in life. However I am not writing this article in order to help individuals focus, I will be writing that one later. I am writing it about the collective, that is Muslims who are clearly all over the place in their thinking. They are confused and have all kinds of idea's floating around. Many young Muslim males and females are unclear on which path to follow. Even worse with the advent of the Internet, conspiracy theories and other forms of entertainment have made matters more confusing. Many cannot focus on what is important. They do not know what to focus on even, there are over 100 million young Muslim males and females in the world and they could if they choose to be the first men and women to land on Mars or worse delve into the world of paranoia helplessness and extreme and unforgiving behavior  I personally would like to see these young Muslims in 50, 60 or 70 years landing on Mars myself. So I have chosen to describe the top ten things breaking the focus of Muslims and destroying or greatly limiting their life chances of success. They are not in any particular order and are all extremely important.

6. Conspiracy theories: Conspiracy theories are everywhere, especially on the Internet, everyone has an opinion about what's really going on. Who the real "oppressors" are etc. Muslims sitting in front of the Internet watching sometimes 50 or 60 part conspiracy video's not only waste useful time which could be spent on friends, family, work or prayers or religious study. They take allot of young Muslims outside the realm of known reality, break their normal and regular disposition and in extreme cases turn many young Muslims into paranoid and even semi schizophrenic types. "Did you see the 666 in the Disney logo" one will ask the other, "did you know Rihanna worships the devil". Most of the time the people making these video's themselves are purely in a world of conjecture egged on by other conspiracy theorists. Don't get me wrong taking a critical analysis towards current events is very important and investigation and using logic are also important. However you will never know if someone is a Free Mason or not. You will never know if Michael Jackson was killed by the "Illuminati". I totally understand that you tube conspiracy video's can be fun to talk about and even watch. However remember your first priority is toward yourself!, then your family and community. Have you prayed, have you washed the dishes have you studied, helped out at the local orphanage etc. Your time on this earth is too short to be trapped in a false reality of silly conspiracies and poorly made you tube video's. Your time is valuable and you must make the most of it. Don't let conspiracy video's break your focus on what is important.

5. Laziness: Muslims are lazy! You may say "Hey wait, that's a huge generalization and aren't millions of Muslims hard working chaps"! Of course they are, I believe most generalizations are wrong, however what I am getting at, is that other civilizations emphasize hard work, almost like it is a religion, and work relentlessly to build and fulfill their obligations. Since so many Islamic obligations such as feeding the poor, healing the sick, and taking care of your family, depend on the wealth you have, relentless hard work should be a first priority of all or most Muslims. Saying that this life is only a test, and that as long as I fulfill my religious duties I am good is not enough. Laziness is a sin anyway you cut it, and living off welfare is not becoming of a true Muslim. There is no excuse for laziness none whatsoever, Laziness will bring poverty and misery on those who indulge in it, and it must be said clearly that laziness is not acceptable and their are no excuses for it period.

4. Bad, illiterate or uneducated Imam's or Mullah's. These guys are everywhere as well. Like the conspiracy guys these guys have proliferated thanks to Internet technology. Every single one of these guys has an opinion on religion and is ready to send anyone to hell who does not agree. Their only qualification is usually some extra large beard and a fiery look with an Arab robe. Some of these guys yell and shout, some talk quietly  some come off as know it all's and young Muslims tend to take to them. After all young Muslims are looking for guidance. I will list a few guidelines when trying to choose a good imam to listen too in my next 2 or 3 articles. I can only say for now, look to the guys who are living the Deen and who are successful with a happy wife and children. The ones who live and breath the religion. Also look to your own understanding read the Quran and Sunnah in a language you understand and what you feel is right in your heart, is what you should go for only deferring to Mullah's or Imam's who you know are good. This will keep your focus on the Quran and Sunnah and not some middleman who may or may not have a clue on what he is talking about. Remember the key here is focus.

3. Politics: Muslims are obsessed with politics this obsession wastes the time of millions of Muslims who have neither the power, nor money or time to be important in politics. I myself fall pray to this focus breaker at times. Politics is a dirty game as they say, and it does not alleviate the hunger of one orphan, or make one screw on a highway titter etc. An obsession with politics will take up valuable time, the time you need to fulfill your religious obligations. Remember politics is entertainment, so you can not use politics as an excuse for not fulfilling your religious duty because you say you are learning, or getting valuable information from it. Politics is such a waste of time, it breaks the focus of Muslims, and causes stress and anxiety.

2. Talking about religion: We see this everywhere Facebook posts, quotes, meetings, etc. Muslims are always talking about religion, when they truly know nothing about it in the first place. We have all had that moron who knows nothing quote one verse or one story because he has read the Quran 10 or 20 times and thinks in his peanut sized understanding of religion, that he can declare case closed! on certain issues. That solves that one he may exclaim. This is the curse of pride, we must be humble and accept that we know nothing, and try to focus on the simple and obvious things. Talking about religion breaks our focus because this inevitably leads to arguments anger, confusion and frustration as everyone has a different opinion. Again please read the books yourself and come to your own understanding and focus on the things which are obvious. Like pleasing your parents, keeping your house and yourself clean. Staying in shape, and finding a good job to take care of you and your family. The major irony here is that I sound like I am preaching to people about being selfish. In fact it is just the opposite, have you ever met that fat guy who goes to the gym, and never really works out, but tries to preach to others, about working out as if he is Sly Stallone from Rocky 4. The fat guy may proclaim  I am being unselfish! When the other's in the gym are thinking " Work on yourself we don't need your advice" Unfortunately allot of Muslims are like that, while Muslim countries are poor, underdeveloped and miserable, often in a state of Civil war, some Muslim preachers have taken it upon them selves in utter arrogance to preach about the United States or South Korea being bad. Remember don't be the guy in the gym who's fat and is always talking, be Sly Stallone from Rocky 4 and every action you make will encourage and help people 100 times more then the mere words of a looser. Don't break your focus by talking about religion, live the religion quietly and focus on leading by example.

1. Protests, Marches and demonstrations: While I respect the march for civil rights conducted by African Americans in the 1960's for political and civil rights in America Muslims are not in that position. Muslim people are in some of the most important nations on earth. Some Muslim countries have 1 million man armies with nuclear weapons. Others have 5,000 year old civilizations. While Muslims are indeed in a miserable and sorry state, they are at the same time still a great people even if a mere shadow of their former selves. They are not an oppressed minority in a rich powerful country. Muslims should work for political change in their respective countries as now most or many of the major Muslim countries are democracies with free elections. Protesting and begging the powers that be for any thing that happens which offends you is firstly unbecoming of a Muslim and secondly a misplaced usage of time and energy. While my heart goes out to Black Americans or the people in the Gaza strip for the most part, Muslims should shun this "Gaza Strip" Mentality especially if you are from a country with over 100 million people with nukes. Muslims need to focus on personal responsibility and a leadership roll, not perpetual victim hood and begging higher ups to give them respect and attention.  A no nonsense ruler mentality should be developed, where excuses are minimal and hard work is maximized.

Posted by Insightful