Just wanted to request that you please make dua for me and my father - that we can complete our hajj successfully, free of complications, and that it may be accepted as hajj mabroor.

Yes, I’m nervous. But more of a nerve-tingling excitement induced nervousness. I’ve been preparing, but I’m sure there will be many things that I just can’t prepare for. My first sight of the Ka’aba, wuqoof on ‘Arafah, having my head shaved!

I bought myself a Sony DSC T500, which is a compact digital camera, but with HD video capture, so I’m going to be keeping a video diary. I’ll try putting some of it on the blog when I’m back.

The only thing I’m worried about is the tricksters/beggars and the situation of the toilets in Mina/’Arafah/Muzdalifah.

I really don’t want to accidentally speak a lie whilst in Ihram, but it can easily happen by quickly answering ‘I don’t have any money’ to those who ask. I’ve always been a sucker for the Muslim con-men. Commonly in King’s Cross and Paddington Station they approach you with a salaam and smile. There I am, totally disarmed. Then the story about the missed bus and urgent need to get the airport. Next I would empty my wallet, feeling happy and warm, thinking I’ve helped my brother in need, which is why it would really really tear me up inside to see them again a few weeks later at the same station, asking me for money again, with exactly the same story! After learning from my mistakes, my fraud radar now goes on full alert as soon as someone unknown says salaam to me. I hate that I’ve become like this. Salaam is the greeting of the inhabitants of paradise, so I hate the fraudsters and con-men for making me feel apprehensive of my own brothers for abusing the salaam in such a terrible way.

Anyhow, my solution whilst in KSA is to speak in German. That should resolve the situation 98% of the time.

So about the toilets? I’ve heard scare stories. I’ll be in the European sector, so apparently the loo situation is better, but I know one brother who didn’t eat at all. Others overdosed on Imodium. I wish I could be a man and not freak out, especially when I’m still 3000 miles away, though the last time I tried to be a man, was in Bangladesh about 5 years ago. I mean if I can use the facilities in Bangladesh, then the Saudi camps should surely be a doddle? No. If a toilet is dingy, squalid and has a hole in the floor, it doesn’t matter where you are in world. Nor will it be safe. Outlandish and nightmarish creatures can visit you at your most vulnerable time. Don’t believe me? I discovered this dude two feet away from me, whilst being busy in Bangladesh.

Oki doki. I’m done. Don’t worry, I’m not that obsessed about horror toilets. It was just something on my mind. Everything else is what really counts. This is about all the taubah and istaghfar I can do! And so much more. Pure intentions. Pure actions. Labayyk! Allahumma labayyk!

For some, Iraq is now old news. The American public has accepted that it is over thanks to their savior, even if Iraqis never will. Despite the unfounded belief that anything had to be better than Bush, Obama has personally stated that he would support the invasion of Pakistan based on “intelligence” that al-Qa’idah was present. Sound familiar?

When Bush and Blair wanted to send ground troops into Iraq, invade Iraqi airspace and drop bombs on its people, there was a need for creating “dossiers” of evidence. We were shown little vials of biological weapons, photographs of weapons factories, etc. Colin Powell had to run around garnering the support of various nations to form a “coalition of the willing”. By contrast, the war in Pakistan has been politically engineered such that there has been no need for such frivolity. Make no mistake: there is a war in Pakistan. Certainly Britain would consider it an act of war if France decided to send reconnaissance drones over its borders, or order airstrikes, or send in Special Ops forces to kill people, or have tanks entering the country and destroying a town. These actions have been taking place with impunity in Pakistan, without the need for a fancy UN resolution. Obama shows every sign of using the War on Terror as a basis for destroying another Muslim country. You don’t need to take my word for it, just use Google, or check out this week’s New York Times article.

Pervez Musharraf offered “unstinting support” for America’s war against Afghanistan, and now Obama wants to send more American forces into Afghanistan and has also turned against its former ally. The current Pakistani President has grumbled about it, but true to form is as corrupt as ever, and continues to allow the destruction of his country.

As for my original assumption that domestic opinion doesn’t matter, I have to concede that I’ve changed my mind. The fact is that that the government needed a dossier for Iraq, needed to scare people with the word “terrorism”, and that the British government is targeting Muslims in its campaign to “Prevent Violent Extremism“. These are all designed to form public opinion, because in the long run, the government knows that Muslims will find a way to kick out their corrupt rulers and replace them with a system that truly represents their needs.

Forget the slogans of “hope and change”. Pakistan is in an undeclared war.

Objectively, there will be a change in the future tenants of the White House. However, in terms of what Senator Obama will have to offer the world and specifically the Muslims, statements made by the Illinois Senator certainly leave room to be skeptical. When in conversation with Muslims about their opinion of Obama, they generally feel that no one could be worse than Bush, thus by default, Obama will be better. This, coupled with the fact that he has a Muslim middle name, people assume that he must have some partiality towards Muslims and dealing with Muslim countries.

Muslim thinkers and leaders in the West have spoken, written, blogged and supported at great lengths Obama’s run for Presidency. What drives this motivation and panglossian sentiments for Obama is perplexing despite explicit statements about his aggressive views on Iran, his zeal to continue bombing Pakistan and his unstinting support for Israel’s continuing brutality against the Palestinians. No real hope there, I suppose. As a matter of fact no real change from Bush’s foreign policy. What is more ironic is that President Bush had actually visited the Grand Mosque in Washington D.C. just after 9/11, whereas Mr. Obama refused to visit one single mosque in his campaign. Surely this must be noted as a deficiency in character for turning his back on Muslim-American voters.

Looking at it from a domestic perspective, unprecedented contributions were handed out from corporate interests, Wall Street interests and, most interestingly, big corporate law firm attorneys. Never before has a Democratic nominee for President achieved this supremacy over his Republican counterpart. Why, apart from his unconditional vote for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, are these large corporate interests investing so much in Senator Obama? He constantly mentions helping the “middle class” but only time will tell as to whose interests he surely fulfills.

Adrian Lester said, “Rosa Parks sat, so that Martin Luther King could walk, Martin walked so that Obama could run, Obama ran so that our children could fly…” Each individual mentioned here tells a story of the struggle and sacrifice black individuals made to remove the concept of White supremacy and arrogance, thus the black populace being overjoyed and proud. What is not taken into account is why such situations existed in America in the first place and still do despite Obama being elected.

America can never be changed by one man. Not its colonialist foreign policy, its capitalist ideology and values nor its unshakable institutions. Its historic relationship with Israel, its overbearing interference in the Muslim world and unquenchable thirst for natural gas and oil and maintaining itself as the top superpower of the World. The American Administration, no matter who is in it, will always safeguard and maintain the above status quo.

In the words of President-Elect Barack Obama in his victory speech, “At this defining moment…” Muslims around the world including in America need to ask themselves if they genuinely seek change in the dire situation of the Ummah, is the President of the United States of America the man to bring hope to the region?

I’m not writing to deliberate on Russell Brand or Jonathan Ross.

Erm… Okay let me just say a few words about Brand then. I really hate Brand.  Ughhh, I mean can those trousers get any tighter? The worst I can esteem him with is thoughts of malevolence. At best, I liken him to a walking STD.

Oki doki, that’s out of the way then.

In his book ‘On Liberty‘, the British philosopher John Stuart Mills argued that

…there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine, however immoral it may be considered.

Beyond the realm of the chit-chat that philosophers and libertarians have privately bantered on about for centuries regarding the above quote, it’s the full on manifestation of testing the limits of freedom of expression that interests us.

Exercising freedom of expression is theoretically meant to take place in the context of competing values. The ‘competing values’ are typically considered the social and religious customs that help define the notions of offense, tolerance and respect.  In Britain though, where religious customs are fading and social norms shifting, there forms this black hole as to how far freedom of expression is exercised.

This is precisely where the current drama over the prank call made to Andrew Sachs by Brand and Ross, neatly fits in.  Even though the furore is still unfolding, more than 27,000 complaints made to the BBC have forced apologies from both Brand and Ross, and has led to the resignation of Russel Brand from BBC radio.

You can find the script of the call in the online site of The Telegraph, or simply just YouTube it (I’m not providing links).  Suffice to say all of it is trash, but the main insult is over the lurid way Brand exposed his previous relationship with Sach’s grand daughter.

I don’t really know that exact demographics of BBC2 listeners, but I would hazard a guess that the majority of them are old.  Old in the sense that they probably safeguard their Christian values, less likely to be divorced and have fond memories of ‘in my days, kids used to…’  I know its a strong statement, but it helps explain the high number of complaints, especially if they have their own grand children and thus feel offended by the Brand/Ross call.  Comparatively, the younger crowds don’t feel such indignation. It’s either harmless or just plain normal to them.  When I was young, I would watch ‘You’ve Been Framed’.  Amongst the MTV generation though, I believe ‘Jackass’ is the norm.  A program where crass insults and churlish behaviour have helped shape the next generation into believing that everything goes (down the crapper).

While the full outcome of what happens with the Brand/Ross case is yet to be decided, I’m hoping that any discourse by Muslims on this issue would lead them to seeing the inherent harms of free speech (codified via article 19 of the UDHR). Holding our tongues is one of the greatest virtues endeared to us by the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Now in relation to the Jewel of Madina…

As Muslims, we really don’t have any excuse to be confused.  Yet, when it became apparent that Sherry Jones was looking to publish her book in the UK (it’s on an indefinite hiatus now).  Some high profile Muslim commentators approached the matter in a somewhat placid manner.  By this I mean that they were caught in the trappings of using free speech as basis of whether the book should be published or not. Given the conciliatory tone of the author, and the constant repetition that the book was meant to show the life of ‘Ayesha (ra) in a positive light, such commentators could only weakly reply by saying that whilst they disagreed with the contents, free speech should permit the publication of the novel.

Where then is the inalienable belief that Islam defines what is clearly correct or incorrect?  How is it that BBC2 listeners can stand there ground, when they know something to be wrong?  My biggest fear is that the next generation of Muslim commentators, intellectuals and leaders, will have their thinking only shaped by Islam in the peripheries, but grounded in their core thoughts by the same fodder that feeds the MTV generation.

Allah knows best.

The real problem is all the jargon. Even if you’re literate in finance and economics, you can find yourself scratching your head in dismay. LIBOR rates dropping? Anyone care to explain? Beyond the jargon lie some critical theories upon which the whole sector is premised. So to start off with, think of bank runs…

Bank runs are not a new phenomenon. Inherently they are the product of a financial system that market capitalism has helped build, of which one of the mainstays is the use of fractional-reserve banking. Fractional-reserve banking is the practice where banks only hold a small portion of their deposits, and use the remainder as capitol for loans. This is supposedly an important function that allows for the expansion of economies. Though universally accepted as a part of modern banking, fractional-reserve banking is no more than fraud and theft.

Banks historically began as money warehouses where customers would typically deposit their (then) gold for safekeeping, and the money warehouses would charge a fee for the use of their services. Over time, these warehouses generally acknowledged that customers would only rarely withdraw their full deposits, and the warehouses soon discovered that the fraction of unused deposits could be used to generate profits, through the use of interest bearing loans. In a greater effort to generate profit, these warehouses - or banks - eventually began to issue receipts of non-existent deposits, all of which resulted in the increase of money supply beyond the actual deposit holdings.

If someone was involved in the counterfeiting of coins, or the theft of stored property, they would generally be proscribed in any society. Not so for fractional-reserve banking. It is the largest heist that gets pulled every day, and eventually runs its course to a devastating effect on the normal hardworking citizen.

Today’s world of credit-crunches and bailouts is the natural cycle for boom-bust economies. Fractional-reserve banking is responsible for the increased inflation that is the result of an increased money supply. Combine this with the temptation of easy credit that fractional-banking facilitates, and the picture of today’s financial crisis becomes clearer. Put simply, easy credit punishes the caution of investors. In the case of the US, money was poured into the real-estate sector, unscrupulous brokers took further advantage of unlimited credit, and banks continuously pumped and primed more credit through the power of fractional-reserve. The overheated real estate market fizzled and then crashed, bringing down with it the rest of the financial markets.

When markets get bowled over like skittles, naturally people worry. When they hear terms like ‘liquidity crisis’ or ‘insolvency’ affecting the banks in which their life savings are held, the first reaction is to withdraw their money - the money that is their decades of work, their retirement and the future for their children. This is the bank run. The banks had prayed to their false gods of capitalism, that such a day would never come. That ‘fraction’ they hold, is merely that, a fraction, a small holding of the rest which was pilfered away.

Muslims from different ethnicities have colourful and exotic costumes and rituals which as a result enriches the Islamic culture.  I don’t have a wealth of information about how our Muslim brethren in Nigeria, Libya or Indonesia celebrate a wedding, but I do have some familiarity with the Indian sub–continent.  Believe it or not, because of the different events leading up to the day when the wife departs with her husband to their new home, wedding festivities can sometimes go on for a whole week!

In this country, the diverse backgrounds of Muslims is reflected in the various ways that they celebrate their weddings.  Some just have a nikah, where the marriage contract is signed, followed by a feast.  For others, the bride’s family organise the nikah and wedding ceremony, and subsequently the bridegroom’s family arrange a walima, which traditionally signals the consummation of the marriage.

In Islam, marriage is a sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) which he wholeheartedly encouraged the youth to practice, and to enjoy the delights of peace and tranquility in companionship.  The Prophet (saw) said

“O you youngsters. Whoever amongst you who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him more to lower his gaze and guard his modesty.” Narrated by Ibn Masud r.a.

Thus, when a marriage is Islamic, it is an act of worship to the Creator and beneficial for our hereafter.  Given the well-known scenario I’ve just highlighted, we’re left to question why in some weddings do abominable acts occur in the blessed act of marriage?  Examples which come to mind are women and men freely interacting without any observance of lowering the gaze, or not carefully moderating what they speak about to the opposite gender. Shouting out come on let’s dance?!  While blasting music through speakers and dancing in provocative manner, does not the believer fear the punishment of Allah (swt) that will meted out to them on the Day of Judgment?

What is even more mortifying are the fellow Muslims looking on and participating in the evil deed. One can narrowly imagine that the bridegroom has gone barmy mad in the ecstasy of getting married but can’t his “friends” remind him that his actions are haraam (forbidden)? Due to the suffocating indulgence in lapping up all the Bollywood culture, these individuals seek to emulate the celebrities and make Bollywood their source of culture and identity. The overwhelming pressure of trying to achieve this “progress” set by the today’s society via soap operas, bollywood films, chitter chatter amongst like minded individuals draw the person on adopting such culture and interest, which ultimately will lead to their demise in this world and in the hereafter.

It is ironic that in a society that celebrates and honours individuality, a situation has arisen where individuals strive to conform to stereotypes manufactured by the media. Originality is something unattainable for most yet so many claim it. The uninviting thing about these identities is that those who adhere to them believe that they are in some courageous way rebelling against society, but in actual fact they are simply fitting neatly into the stereotypes provided by society.

Quite frankly, Muslims who do this begin to fundamentally differ from the Qur’an in their philosophy on life. There is no difference between the above activity and a nightclub or a bar.  The objective in both instances is to have butt–wild fun and enjoy yourself without regard to the loss of the Islamic values.  They are no different to those non–Muslims that the Quran seeks to guide to the right path, except that they say they are believers.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,

“Whoever resembles a people is one of them.” (Abu Dawood)

Muslims who participate in un-Islamic actions should question their soul: do they really believe?

When blessed with a baby, a new parent will immediately start thinking about the responsibility they have towards their child. Thoughts about care, affection, protection (both physical and mental), and also greater aspirations come to mind. So naturally when we see, hear and sense the obstacles in society we become very defensive and prepare for the eventuality when our offspring will face the “real” world.

Instilling Islamic values is core to this process. So yes, I am proud to say I will teach my child the Qur’an (the so-called bastions of ‘freedom of speech’ think is a “fascist” book), to read, understand and most importantly implement every word to the letter. I hope to teach the idea that Shari’ah is the most superior system when compared to any other system on earth whether it is spiritual, social or political. Values of being honest, chaste, respecting women as opposed to objectifying them, being obedient to his/her superiors, to speak out against injustice, to be sincere in every interaction with human beings and most important of all that Allah (swt) will be watching and accounting us on the Day of Judgement.

Alongside these values, I hope to encourage deep thinking and a balanced Islamic personality who questions and probes before accepting the norms in a society – whether that’s a Muslim or non-Muslim society.

Now what can be an obstacle in making sure these values are maintained and passed on to the next generation? Well, fundamentally, the process of education (by whom and where) will be the single greatest factor in influencing this plan.

Imagine the horror of parents that will watch the program “To Sir with Love” on ITV tonight. I’ve just read the BBC news article informing us about this program in relation to the NASUWT and General Secretary Chris Keates said it was an “anomaly” that a teacher who had sex with a pupil aged over 16 could go on the sex offenders register. In other words, implying that it’s ok have sex with a pupil as long as they’re above 16 years old! This is not an eccentric teacher or an isolated person saying this filth; it is the Teachers’ Union chief!

Even then, I’m sure this is not even the pinnacle of an already decrepit and dilapidated system, where I am sure we can look forward to more sickening acts and laws are to be passed in the near future. Yes, the child protection professionals will criticize it since it interferes with their turf but how on earth can a civil human being come up with such statements? The answer becomes clear when we ponder on the values that most people in this society have.

The values of free speech and personal sexual freedom. Would it not be fair to say that this idea that ‘we are free to do as we please’ is to blame? There is a focus on the individual in this capitalistic society, and hence, every act is viewed through this prism. Thus the inevitable clash and misery that follows within interest groups and with the community at large. Imagine your 16 year old son or daughter having a relationship with a teacher because society permits it whether open or illicit!

The incident of teacher-student relations in this society is so demoralizing, you fear sending your kid to any of these schools. Since 1991, 129 teachers have been prosecuted for relationships with pupils but a Sheffield University study suggested as many as 1,500 intimate relationships develop every year. What is even more strange is that the British government and the Justice system of this country in the 21st century felt that a teacher having a relationship with a person under the age of 18 yrs old should be illegal. In 2001, the law was changed to make it illegal for teachers to engage in sexual activity with pupils at their school aged under 18.

This is yet another example of the plethora of problems this society faces due its corrupting values and yet its representatives have the gaul to criticize how Islam treats the institution of marriage with young women, where proper consent and a safe environment is set up before engaging in family life.

I regularly visit my local mosque, and I carry a copy of the Qur’an in my car.  I live in a community that surrounds me with people who were not born in Britain, and who feel aggrieved by the government.  I have a beard.  I often watch Al-Jazeera.  I perform Islamic prayers on aircraft and trains.

My statements may just be enough to scare you, and with good reason, because I’m also angry.

I’m exactly the kind of person that the government wants to warn you about.

I’m becoming an extremist.

There was a time not long ago when I would have been considered normal, and middle of the road. I support the idea of marriage.  I think that it is bad to steal and that murder is always wrong.  I think that people should repay their loans, not use drugs, not rape, not get drunk.  I don’t believe I should be able to walk around topless (or worse).  I don’t think we should dispose of the elderly. These were once normal values!

Without changing a single thing, I’m now an extremist. It is clear that the British government has a relativist agenda that opposes the values of its people.

A perfect example of this principle is the recent comment by influential government adviser Baroness Warnock.  She sits in the House of Lords, and was in charge of the Commission on Human Fertility and Embryo Research.  She has decided that the elderly have a duty to die.  Note that she isn’t talking about rights, but a moral obligation to die.  This type of view is a slippery slope that devalues a human life.  Her argument is that an old person is of no use to anyone, and is just too costly to keep around.  Her disgusting, brazen statement was

“If you’re demented, you’re wasting people’s lives – your family’s lives – and you’re wasting the resources of the National Health Service.”

Try as they might to deny it, people like Warnock do have a prism through which they view the world, and they are doing their best to apply it to us.  The brash nature of insisting on the large-scale genocide of the elderly is designed to desensitize us.  The government would have us believe that there is nothing - including life itself - that is sacred.

Suddenly it is your relative burden on services that determines your worth.  This is the classic slippery slope.  Anyone who is born with a disability, anyone injured at work, would simply be a waste of space.  Warnock isn’t just a random nobody, she’s a part of the government, described as “the philosopher queen” and has famously influenced policy.  Her point of view is shocking, but honestly, it isn’t as shocking as it ought to be.  Given time, just as with drugs and marriage, the political and ethical policy will shift, making extremists out of those with reasonable, normal values.

Being Muslim - an “Islamist” - isn’t a fast-track to radicalization.  Simply doing nothing is good enough.

The extraordinary demise of two the largest investment banks in the world, the nationalisation of insurer AIG and the shotgun marriage of HBOS and Lloyds TSB, in all has brought the number of banks and lenders that have fallen victim to the sub-prime crash to a staggering 284 worldwide.

Even though markets have been buoyed by huge bailouts on both side of the Atlantic, and a massive assault by global regulators on short selling has partially helped to calm the turmoil, the crisis is far from over. Neither tax rebates, nor low interest rates, nor higher or lower exchange rates can do the job of reviving economies that are burdened by debt loads that are too high.

The effect of hamstrung economies is actively leading commentators and thinkers to seriously search for clues to the way forward. After all, if a seemingly innocuous clutch of dud mortgages in the American Midwest can rollover to the become a ‘once in a century event’, then something must be amiss in the apparent understanding of how the markets operate.

More than being amiss, its clear that there is something terrifyingly wrong with the system. Calls for action though, have availed a different manner of propriety. The short sighted are simply baying for blood, hoping that buccaneering speculators will take the noose. Others rest their hopes on new global policing that would prevent the likes of junk bonds, ninja loans and toxic assets from ever again attesting their pervasiveness in the markets.

Amongst the more astute have been those hoping to rip it all up and start again. Critically, it is the loss of confidence in the Free Market ideology that is helping to inspire such notions. At its best, laissez-faire has been the excuse for speculative bubbles, unfettered capitalism and post-script colonialism. Now at its most embarrassing, it has unceremoniously subsumed itself to its most dreaded opposite - government intervention.

With eyes now wide open, and minds keenly attentive, proposals of alternative solutions will in the least have captive audiences. There are rumours of banking based on nationalist interests, as well those proposing collectivist models. None though, are truly as radical a change as that which is the proposition of the Islamic Economic System, implemented through the example of a Caliphate State. The trillion dollar question that really remains is how leadership can be given to the notion of Islamic Economics?

O Allah, make him obedient and God fearing, and give him an excellent upbringing in Islam

Contributor to this blog, Brother Ande ka phanda’s (obviously not his real name) wife today at 1 AM has given birth to a healthy baby boy!

What wonderful news and in such an auspicious month!

I request all brothers and sisters to please make dua for the baby and mother Insha’Allah.

I dearly love the brother. We first met, so many years ago, as 1st year students at university. Him the medic and me as a budding physics student. Mash’Allah he is now an endearing and well respected doctor (now a father too), and still has time to write for this blog. Me, well, I’m just a layabout who has forgotten all his physics knowledge, then laid waste his time in the City. Jeez, man, I need to get married. I will get by in the mean time being a surrogate uncle to all these cute babies.

Akhi, please do update us more!