UmmSqueakster

http://twitpic.com/photos/CarlosLatuff

I emailed it yesterday afternoon and he responded a few hours later He's called the group together for another meeting on Monday

Was it this picture:

In internet explorer, right click on the picture and select properties. Copy the address, and that should give you a link to the photo. In firefox, right click on the pick and select "copy image location."

I'm much better at communicating via written word rather than speaking, so I've typed up what I tried to say yesterday but failed. inshaAllah going to email it to the congressman:

Although I am not Egyptian, I feel as though all of Egypt is my family today. I am married to an Egyptian. My brother in law has been part of the civil patrols formed to protect families, neighborhoods and properties. My mother in law has not left her apartment since this all began. We can only hope and pray that she is well and will have enough food to last until it is safe.

My husband came to the United States from Egypt in 2005. When I first showed him political satire on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he asked with wonder, can you actually criticize your government here?

We were involved in the 2006 elections, and attended a rally for you Congressman, with Jessie Jackson and Al Franken. My husband was so excited at the prospect of actually being able to chose who would represent him, and to be able to participate in politics.

This is what the people of Egypt want, very simply. They want freedom. As an American, I have these rights and freedoms by mere accident of my birth, and I will admit that I have taken them for granted. But in this last week, as I watch the young people of Egypt march against an oppressive regime, asking simply that they be given basic human dignities like the right to chose their own government, the right to earn a living wage, and the right to have pride in their country, I have begun to understand just how precious the rights enshrined in our constitution are.

In 2010, a young man by the name of Khaled Said exercised a right we Americans take for granted – he questioned the corruption he saw in his government. He posted a video on youtube addressing police embezzling from the spoils of a drug raid. Shortly there after, he was beaten to death – in public – by police, who later dumped his destroyed body (you can see pictures of it here, although I warn you it is very graphic). The police denied any involvement in his death and no government investigation was ever made.

This is why the young people of Egypt are out in the street. They yearn for freedom, for justice, for human dignity. They do not want to be afraid of their government any longer. They want to get married, to be able to find work, to be able to support a family. Quite simply, they want to live, just as any person who was lucky enough to be born in the United States.

The US government needs to stand on the right side of history. Tahrir Square should not be another Tinnamen. The brave men, women and children who stood in the face of government sanctioned violence must be supported by the United States – a country that is founded on the principles of liberty that the people of Egypt are now dying for.

We need to admit that we made a mistake. For 30 years, we support a dictator. Through our support and foreign aid, we are complicit in the crimes against humanity committed by Mubarak and his regime. The time is now that we must make a change. The United States can no longer support petty dictators. Instead, if we truly are a country of freedom and liberty, we must live these principles in our foreign policy.

The President of the United States must listen to the people of Egypt who are chanting al sha’b, yurid, isqat al nizam! The people want the regime to fall. The people of Egypt are tired of the corruption that has mired their once great country. They want to have pride in Ummul-Dunya, the Mother of the World.

Mr. President, tear down this firewall, and be on the right side of history, the side of life, liberty and the pursuit of hap

It went very well alhamdulilah, thanks for asking. Keith was interviewed in one of the local papers and a picture of the meeting was included. You can see the back of mine and AbuS' heads

Keith has been making a lot of public statements and has been interviewed by a lot of the press. He wanted to know how he could improve his statements, and wanted to get the human side of the issue. He asked specifically about our view on america's foreign aid to egypt; who the pro mubarak people were; what are the roots of the problem; and how our families were.

AbuS gave a very good summary of the roots of the issue, and talked about the 6 April movement in Mahalla, the key leaders from then (including several women like Isra AbdulFattah), the Khaled Said issue and police brutality and what the people want - they want jobs, economic security, to be able to start a family, and to have the right to choose their own government.

From what I have heard from people in Tahrir, the camel people are those you do find at the pyramid - paid by the government to wreak havoc.

Meeting with Keith Ellison at 4 pm today to talk about the situation there. I had a whole thing worked out, but all I can think now is dear God, just make him stop killing his people!

ya Rabbi, he is slaughtering them

i should have stayed home today

:crying::crying:

planetmoney NPR's Planet Money Anyone out there who has served/currently serves in the Egyptian military? We have some questions...planetmoney@npr.org Thanks!

http://twitter.com/#!/planetmoney/status/32487297748312064

My favorite NPR program!

Latest via twitter is either that the last ISP has been shut down, or will soon be shut down. Another internet blackout coming?

Gee, it worked so well the last time, let's do it again!

Thanks for the pictures of the stuff going on here. By the way, UmmSqueaker, just as I saw your post I had Al Jazeera's live feed up in another window and a man in Cairo was holding a very similar sign, except instead of dates identifying the US president by number...

I had originally seen the sign at a protest early last week and copied it. It's too good of a message to pass up!

AbuS took an ESL course aimed at new immigrants and refugees when he first arrived, but for the most part, he's improved his english on his own. He reads a lot of news stories, and when he comes across a word he doesn't know, he looks it up, asks me how to pronounce it and commits it to memory. He practices writing and has someone proof read and smooth it out. And, when we speak, he's asked me to correct any pronunciation problem he has. It's a bit tedious, but it's really helped to reduce his accent. It's still there, but he's much easier to understand now than when he first came.

From the rally here in Minnesota

and my sign

News coverage (watch carefully and you'll see me, er my sign in the first 2, and at the 8 minute mark during the reading of the statement, you can see my down down mubarak sign)

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1949298.shtml?cat=1

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/01/29/rally-at-minn-capitol-supports-egypt-protests/

http://theuptake.org/2011/01/29/remove-mubarek-now-saw-minnesota-egyptians/

Yup, Twin Cities here.

And FYI, there is a rally for Egypt tomorrow, Saturday at 1:30 pm at the State Capital

I'll be there with a sign of Mubarak with every US president since Reagan inshaAllah.

According to Abu Dharr (ra), the Prophet (saws), said, reporting the words of Allah (swt)

Recorded in ibn ‘Arabi’s Mishkat al-Anwar and in the Sahih Hadith collection of Muslim

Nope, not much in condemnation.

Just thousands of average ordinary Egyptians of all stripes risking their lives to act as human shields on Christmas.

Just arabic language message boards being overwhelmed by debate and discourse on the issue.

Just major Egyptian figures like Amr Khaled openly calling for dialogue and trying to organize events to address this disgusting happening, and al Azhar going along with him.

Just the arabic language independent press and blogosphere adressing this issue and calling for change.

Nope, not much condemnation if you don't look.

And of course, the stellar response of the Egyptian government to the whole mess, including the torture death of a suspect and the mass roundup of "salafis" in Alexandria.

Nope, nothing to see here, move along, move along.

Happy Hijri new year!

The Hijra is not only one of the greatest events in the history of Islam, but it is a historic milestone whose impact forever changed the course of history for all of humanity at large. The migration of the Muslims from Mecca to Medina set the foundations for ensuring that the religion of Islam would become established in the Arabian Peninsula, the effects of which would reverberate from East to West as the realm of Islam spread. This is why the rank of the great Muhājirūn, who left all that was dear to them in their homeland of Mecca for the sake of the freedom to worship and practice their faith in Medina is immeasurable. All that the world has inherited today from the vast and rich Islamic tradition is owed to the sincere sacrifice of a few who undertook this momentous journey. On the first day of the month of Muḥarram, we not only remember this great occasion that marks the first day of the Islamic calendar, but we are also reminded of its timeless lessons.

And don't forget that Muharram is an excellent excellent time to fast!

The best fasting after Ramadan is fasting Allah's month of Muharram [Muslim]

In speaking with someone who is trying to pursue an adjustment of status based on marriage, she said that a co-sponsor cannot be over 55.

I've never heard of this requirement and didn't see it in a quick read through of the sponsorship forms.

Is this true?

We are very fortunate to live in a metro area with lots of muslims, and as such have access to zabiha meat. Heck, there's even a local free range, grass feeding farmer who arranges to have some of his animals slaughtered zabiha, so we're uber spoiled.

When we first got married, we just ate supermarket meat, but after doing more research on the issue (see also this), we found that if zabiha is available, then one really needs to eat it, so that's what we do now. If it weren't available locally, we'd order some online, eat fish and shrimp, and more vegetarian. As it is, I've been working on AbuS' meat consumption for the last 2 years, and have cut it almost in half. I'm near vegetarian myself, so the extra cost of the zabiha isn't as much as it was when he was consuming tons each week.

When shopping at a regular grocery store, I read a lot of labels, and am familiar with what foods are considered vegetarian suitable. Meat gets processed a million different ways and shoved into processed foods a billion more ways, so it's often lurking under an unassuming name. As such, I don't buy a lot of processed foods, which has had the unintended consequence of being a godsend for my high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Excellent article about these blessed days that we are currently in. Allah (swt) has provided an opportunity for us to benefit from these days, even without making hajj.

http://www.nursacredsciences.com/the-many-blessings-of-the-ten-days-of-dhul-hijja/

Ahmad and at-Tabarani record from Ibn ‘Umar (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “There is no day more honorable in Allaah’s sight and no acts more beloved therein to Allaah than those in these ten days. So say tahlil (la ilaha il Allah), takbir (Allahu Akbar) and tahmid (Alhamdulilah) a lot [on those days].” [Ahmad]

Abu Hurairah (ra) relates that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “There are no days more loved to Allah for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of power.” [ at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Baihaqi]

It's a straw man argument because you're arguing against something no one has posited here. You're talking about a group of people who are treasonous traitors because they bash america left right and center and spit on US soldiers. There's no one here taking the position you're arguing against (and even if they were, to label someone a traitor is serious serious business). Thus, strawman.

and, just for the heck of it:

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar

sayin it just because I can, not because I've signed an anti-american slam book, nor because I've given up my identity. Said because they are truly beautiful words meant to praise the Owner of the Most Beautiful Names. If that means I'm a treasonous traitor, then sign me up!

Allah (swt) is Beautiful and loves Beauty

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar

and again

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar

How's that for random arabic words in an english conversation?

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar!

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar!

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar!

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar!

SubhanAllah, w'Alhamdulilah, w'Allahu Akbar!

Once again, strawman par excellence. No one is trashing anything. We are free to disagree with actions taken on behalf of the US government, including those taken by soldiers. Putting on a uniform does not give one immunity from criticism.

Still waiting for my copy of the slam book. In the mean time, I'm going to ask my mom to send me my copy of this, so I can send away for my very own slam book with which to properly become a traitor or something or not.

I think Hanging in There misread Hot Guy's post again. He did not say he hated the US army. In fact, he was making the OPPOSITE point. His post means that although he criticized the policy of the war, he not only does not hate the US in general, he does not even hate the army as a whole for implementing that policy.

HG, please correct me if I read you wrong there, but it seems pretty clear to me that there is a total miscommunication between "I didn't say I hated the army" and "I'm horrifically offended that you hate our army."

It's an informal logical fallacy called a straw man. You set up a weak, false argument that your opponent doesn't make, and then proceed to get all indigent and, emotional then smack it down and proceed to celebrate how much more righteous and moral you are than you opponent who (did not) make such a horrible argument.

And speaking of emotions, I'll see HiT a relative in WW2, and raise her a great grandfather in WWI and a many times great grandfather who DIED in the civil war. I think that makes my argument worth at least 3 times as much as hers

But speaking of trump cards, my late grandfather, a WW2 veteran, disagreed with the current US wars. Does that mean he hated himself?

I never saw the slam book. It's just like high school, I'm always left out