PetraPerson101

the seven sleepers from surah al kahf had a dog with them. the dog's mentioned explicitly in verses 18 and 22. the dog was asleep the entire time they were, and not serving in any capacity as a watch dog or hunting dog. if that were the only allowed purpose for the animal, then he'd be pretty out of place in those verses. nevertheless, there he is.

Here is what I found on keeping dogs according to Islam though it is not my business what people keep in their homes:

http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=976&...am%20and%20dogs

From what I understand it's permissible to keep a dog.

Bleh, I've seen yes and no answers to the same questions on the net. Even so far as to "this food is halal" and "this food is not halal" for the same thing on different sites.

Take anything you read on the net with a grain of salt. [Hehe, like the barcode adventures here. I read it, I was thinking "WOW! I do barcodes all the time!" - I chose to wait out for the real deal instead of testing the waters.... I didn't want to chance waiting months extra to save a week. ]

As for keeping a dog - it's mentioned by people who are following the right way in the Quran. If it's good enough for the Quran, then it's good enough for me.

Uh, no pets in the house?

Hehe! What cave did they come out of?

Dog, maybe - I could see that. Giving it a doghouse outside and a nice room to sit in where he's not wandering about ( I mean, I grew up in the USA - I have no probs with dogs - like them - but I wouldn't let my dog sleep in my bed or anything. )

My opinion - I don't trust people who don't like animals/pets.

That simple.

Some dirtbag I knew who didn't like pets (cats in particular) and called them "dirty" - their house was SO FILTHY that I felt the need to shower after stepping foot in that dump. A relative said - that our bathroom (here, in my house) is better than that same person's *entire* house.

Yeah, our bathroom. XD Try and tell ME that cats are dirty. [ erm, loonjobs keeping 10-50 cats don't count. The insane are insane. ]

It all boils down to the prep & handling of the product. You could infect anything if it's not handled properly.

Beef - if you feed it meat - will get bovine spongiform. (aka: mad cow)

Pork - Trichinella

Fish - those nasty worms ...

Chicken - Salmonella

etc etc.

The preparer, slaughterhouse, and farmer have the control of the food quality with anything. Even vegetables - if you've got someone who decides to ... answer nature's call while picking vegetables in the field - you've got a salad bar e.coli disaster in some faraway city.

It's all complex.

If parasites were such a problem in other meats, then WHY do they need marking on pork of "parasite killing temperature"?

If you're going to use that argument then why do they make sure you wash your hands (and anything that's touched it) thoroughly after you touched raw poultry and make sure you cook it to a minimum temperature to be servable? Which by the way, the government recommends a temperature way higher than what actually tastes good just to be sure you kill off everything! Blech for dried up chicken!

What about ground beef? How many restaurants refuse to cook it anything less than well-done because of all that e-coli drama a while back?

Listeria, Salmonella, etc - are bacteria.

Roundworms, Trichinella, Tapeworms - are animals / parasites.

There's a big difference from a cell - vs a full-out multicelled organism. You can slap a tapeworm in a tray and dissect it - can't really do that with a salmonella bacteria.

I wear gloves when doing prep, and wash my hands here.

And who in their right mind cooks rotted / dried-out meat? o.O Me - I've gotten into the mode of "take-no-chances" with food. If it smells weird -> trash. Freezerburned -> trash. Looks funny -> trash. ( That's assuming it even made it past my expired date circling black marker and into my shopping cart. )

Read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair - sausage originates from rotted pork that's normally too vile & unpalatable to eat - so it's spiced up until it doesn't taste like rot anymore. ( ... that's putting aside the old food handling techniques of stirring in the rat poo better so people wouldn't notice - and adding extra protein with a decapitated worker's limbs. )

And you can thank a Republican - Theodore Roosevelt - for putting some checks on food handling.

But really - everyone likes their own stuff. You're going to get a tough sell trying to convince people who grew up in the Middle East that pork is palatable.

Just like you'd have a good time convincing me to eat kohlrabi or brussels sprouts.

--- edit ---

Undercooked burgers - is asking for trouble. Especially if it's from a mass-producer - like those frozen places.

IMO - anything under medium is asking for it... :\ But a burger, man, undercooked burgers pink-on-the-inside are gross.

A medium steak, however, is great. ( As for those - handling, I'm not concerned with with steaks. I haven't found a restaurant in my area that can match my home-grilled steaks. Seriously. Each time I order a cut, I'm thoroughly disappointed with overcooked & flavorless steaks. )

Yep, I prefer my parasites dead rather than alive.

Kick it up a notch - grab a handful of roaches and fry em up. Tastes better dead.

Rats too! Hey, they're meat, right?

Bleh.

If parasites were such a problem in other meats, then WHY do they need marking on pork of "parasite killing temperature"?

Bacteria on the other hand, that's on everything. You've got plenty under your fingernails - a decomposing piece of meat will have enough for everyone, no matter what kind of meat.

The smell of the neighbor cooking up that pig flesh makes me want to vomit. :\

---

As for the chef who tosses some roundworms on someone's seafood dish -lol- I'm sure.

Visible parasites in food? Uhh ... don't you think they'd be visible in the finished product? That's plain nonsense.

Hell! If they're fryin' em up at the seafood place - SERVE EM UP!

I'll pick that fish apart with a toothpick and have my lawyer's number on speed dial. XD

Sorry, I'll stick with "I ain't touchin' it." I'll go veggie before I eat pr0k. Besides, vegetarian tastes pretty good.

( and that's vegetarian without slopped cheese ... bleh. Ever see one of those Linda McCartney dinners? Cheese slop. And you wonder why she died "young" and "healthy". Probably had 5lbs of cheese-fat clogged up in her aorta. )

That recipe sounds authentic and ... oh man, I can taste it in my head.

The only pointer I could possibly give - is to STIR while you add the broth to the yogurt / mix. The broth is hot, and that eliminates any *possible* curdling.

We don't use an egg or carrots either. ( Hmm, I've never seen it done with carrots ... and I've seen a lot of Mansaf - from Northern villages (Irbid area), Amman, Palestinian, and even a million times here stateside. Never had carrots ... o.O )

And you forgot the most important part! Gotta remember to stop eating it. BEST FOOD EVER! XD

BTW : Mansaf's killer. Do yourself a favor - if you've got the "soup mix" stuff ( Jameed it's called? ) - Just give it to someone else and bust out the yogurt. Don't ruin it.

I'm mostly religious ... I miss the prayer sometimes ... ... ... I'm forgetful.

T_T

Other than that I follow as closely as I can. I've got a library of food ingredients remembered ... and read *ALL* the labels when shopping. ( so much - that while I'm running thru the supermarket - I save people from food poisoning by circling the expired dates on stuff that I find - with black permanent marker. Store don't like it? How bout' I tell the health inspector rather than your stockers? You'd be surprised. I've found stuff 6mos - 1 year expired sitting in the market. GROSS. )

Not always easy here. Can't go to the mosque because he doesn't drive, I work too far away to drive him, and no buses or taxi's in the area. The only halal meat I can find has a very bad smell, and I worry that it is dangerous. He doesn't drink or smoke, he prays, he fasts. He follows the best he can with what he can. Being Muslim here isn't easy. I give credit to those that do the best they can.

Get KOSHER meat if you can get your hands on it. It's acceptable.

Watch out for cheese. Use KOSHER if you can find it, or get HALAL cheese. Why doesn't cheese always have a Kosher marking? Because you can't mix MEAT and CHEESE - what's this mean? There is ANIMAL-BELLY in cheese. The cheaper the cheese, the more likely there's PORK BELLY in the cheese. Vegetarian cheeses - like the kind you'd find at Whole Foods - are *ALL* good to eat.

That applies to ALL CHEESE. Halal may have sheep or calf in it (unlike kosher.)

[ plus a small note to Christians : read Leviticus. Consider what it says. ]

I have a feeling that they probably are. The Fed is a stickler for rules.

Your best bet - is to go to a reputable photo place, and tell them you need a photo for a US Visa (if abroad. They should know EXACTLY what you need. If they don't, then go somewhere else) - or - go to any photo place in the USA and ask them for passport photos. Just about anywhere has a computer with the templates for printing.

I've got professional photo gear here, *BETTER* than what the photo place uses - but - I didn't take any chances. I had the people who do it everyday do my pictures.

As long as it's not expired, you're fine.

Just like driver's licenses, ID cards, license plates, car registrations, green cards -

If you've got an old-version but NON-Expired - you're good.

Scan & E-mail or FAX a copy of your packet to your spouse. That speeds up the process.

Do it.

Then you can at least get the medical out of the way & be prepared well beforehand.

Ugh video games. It's not video games. It's their heads.

I grew up playing these "video games" - hours on end. I didn't kill anyone, shoot anyone, rob stuff, etc -

Man - I don't even own a gun (yet) - and that's all I ever played ( Quake, Quake 2 )

I, personally, think it's emotional and mental. Children who are sheltered by parents -

"Don't go outside, you might be kidnapped."

"Don't play with this toy - it's for ages 10 and up."

"Go to bed at 9:30pm - and you can't watch TV."

"Don't watch [insert show] - it's too violent."

"You can't go play with your friends."

I mean, this whole nanny state thing - sheltering kids, not letting them be ... kids. Overworking them in school, standardized testing, hours of homework ... it's hurting their development.

Kids are kids. They should enjoy themselves, they should play, they should learn the rules of the world, have fun, and respect their parents.

If you're just an obstacle in everything they do - they'll resent it. If you allow them to be children, within means - they'll develop into fine adults.

How did you grow up for example? Did you need to follow those "ages 10 and up" labels on toys? I sure as hell didn't. If I wanted to ride my bike up the street, whatever. I didn't wear a helmet or kneepads or other ####### - come on. Seriously, if you're gonna die, you're gonna die ... don't matter if you're wearing a helmet or not.

Even worse yet - TV. OMG. I'd rather have a kid watching the Sopranos - and swearing up a storm & playing pretend mobster out back - than watching the Disney Channel. Sexualization of preteen kids ... omg, that is absolute MURDER on their minds, in my opinion.

But of course, the whole thing - is deeper than what I could explain right here in this post. My whole point - kids should be allowed to be kids.

+ a little whoopin' never hurt anyone. And, I don't think anyone who got one ever killed their parents. ( I'm taking a good smack on the bum - NOT child abuse. )

That's the whole problem.

*cough*

Though, video games are breeding a generation of little Jabba the Hutts ... if you got kids, make em go outside and play. Think of video games as ... a plague or sorts. Ya heard it from me - the ex-chronic gamer. LOL!

Unfortunate, but I'm not surprised.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the driving out there ...

BTW: Syria - they have highways - you know - 4 lane highways like in the USA - but ... with no divider, and no lines.

Go figure.

WAHRANIA : I have nothing against you but if you have a little knowledge about Islam you will know the age doesn't matter as long as it is based on respecting and caring and loving each other. As the messenger mohammed married Khadija that she was in her 40's and he was in 20's.

I do feel really sorry for your previous marriages and I hope this marriage last as long as you want it. Wish you all MENA wives all the luck in your marriage and full of happiness.

incha allah

I didn't have the guts to say it myself, but it's true. I'm no scholar... but I know enough to know that I know little - but - I know enough to know she's wrong.

I've seen so many false statements, untruths, and downright HATEFUL things typed out by her ... seriously. If you are reading this , please - stop posting that trite - for your own sake. It sounds like you picked out of some redneck neocon board, foxnews, daniel pipes, or some hate site.

I'm at a loss ... how someone so blatantly spiteful towards Arabs / Muslims could even be married to an Algerian.

Another consequence is, because of people like that, foreign spouses/fiance(e)s are usually thought to be using the USC until they can prove otherwise.

Saludos,

Caro

Ya!! It's a sad state of affairs. This stereotype has developed over MANY years and will be very hard to deconstruct.

What would really interest me is to have cold hard figures of how many marriages end because the relationship didnt work, and how many end because the person got what they wanted and left. Not some concocted/opinionated figures.. but TRUE facts.

Its a very easy out to say "HE/SHE used me!!"

anyway....

Cstacee - 09:52am Jun 23, 2003 (136. 185/1145)

Need a divorce.

I was married in 1997 to a man in Jordan. I filed all of the paperwork when to the adjustment of staus interview in 1998, and never heard anything else. He never came to the US because he wanted to make sure everything was OK in Jordan and wanted to receive his visa before he left Jordan. In 1999, I was told that he had married aMuslim woman in Jordan, and did not want to come here anymore. I have had no contact with him since. Recently, I have decided to remarry, and contacted his cousins who are in my city to have a copy of my divorce papers sent from Jordan. I found out that he never divorced me. Now I have called divorce lawyers who say to call immigration lawyers, and immigration lawyers who say to call divorce lawyers. Even the courthouse where I live tell me that I am unble to obtain a divorce, because he is in another country and can't be served by Sheriffs. What can I do?

How does this apply to my quote, please?

Also, how can one apply for AOS if the beneficiary has never been to the US? What exactly was she adjusting?

Second, cant she asked for an islamic divorce by means that he has been "away" form her for an exdended period? I think this is grounds. Someone correct me if Im wrong here please. After solid, proven efforts to get US divorce papers signed by the other party, you can move forward with it on your own. (again, someone please correct me if Im wrong) It seems that you wouldnt be "trapped" in a marriage by (by US laws and standards) just because the other party wont sign ????

Lisa

Yes, that "quote" is completely wrong.

You can file a petition in court, then make a good faith effort with your attorney to contact the party. If you have been abandoned - you can get an ex-parte divorce. No problem. I almost got one myself - um - but decided not to - I chased that "thing" down - and shamed it well. [ I just thought of a few "choice" words in my head while thinking of that ... thing. ]

You just need to wait 6 months for a "reasonable" time tp pass for contact by the defendant.

---

People shouldn't post misinformation like that ... On legal subjects, and other subjects which they are evidently NOT knowledgeable on.

I believe women are smarter than men in Intelligence I think We have strength mentally they have strength physically. When you argue with your man you usually win with good comebacks yeah? Woman arguing with other women never end !! Men are scared of women. Even the most controlling man can be controlled. Hell yeah.

*raises eyebrow*

Hmm ...

Bleh. I could think of something to say but I'm too lazy. Hey, think up a manly response for me. XD

Oh, hey! Wait, nevermind.

( *raises hand* computer scientist by trade. I'm stupid, and I hit my head on rocks for fun. Sure! I can be controlled. I just need ... motivation. )

W. why do u find it so hard to belive some people are happy, do you have the only perfect relationship

this is a sweet thing that my husband says...it wasnt sarcastic lol

*scribbles on pad*

*nods*

*frowns*

Somehow, my monotone puts-you-to-sleep voice would not ... do something like that right.

( Luckily, I think she understands that. Oh well, I could always make my obsessive perfect-cup-of tea or a nice *real* cappuccino. )

Ironically I did not meet my husband online. (I say ironically because I live on the computer, well, that is til my laptop breaks lol:)

And I'm a mena wife and yes I am happy with him. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I make dua everyday that we get togetehr soon.

People will stereotype and for some reason...maybe it's because I deal mainly with Arabs I dunno...but arab men get a bad reputation about everything under the sun. Well, I do believe that there is a reason stereotypes exist but not all arab men are bad. Certainly not because I married one:)

Bdut it reminds me of what my husband told me before he left to go back to Palestine. Peole will talk always but it is the most important that the husband and wife stick together and trust each other and that is what is important. And if both of us did not believe that, there is no way we'd still be married today. Because both people...arab and american....love to use the biggest muscle in the human body. Nope, not the heart but their stupid mouths:(

Get a desktop. I have a laptop, it's in a bag collecting dust. I've been using desktops since 1994 (* Not counting the pseudo-computers I used prior to then) - and very happy with em.

----

*cough*

Now, those of us who grew up in the United States? Bad? Eh?

Come on, not everyone's horrible - bleh - so many people taking exceptions & the lowest common denominator - and using it as the "standard" - eh - there's nasty people all over the place, true - but a generalization is the lowest form of analysis or description that you can possibly use. It's a pathetic attempt at describing something. The world's a dynamic place - not static. You can not generalize.

And - no - definitely - no - you can't say every Arab man is bad, nor can you say every American man is bad, or Dutch, Brazilian, Mexican, etc etc etc - you get my point. People are different.

I'd like to think the majority are good and/or try to be good.

And - I just wanted to point out - that some people use the -real- largest muscle in the human body to do their talking. That's right - the glutes. They talk out of their butt. ( like my dirtbag uncle - and a few people I know. Ugh. Or Hillary ... lol! )

The bad stuff does happen. In fact, I've seen way too much of it happening lately.

And as others have said, you will be judged unfairly by some people because of what some men have done. There's no way to avoid that. But if the people who are closest to you and your wife believe in you, their opinions, and God's opinion, are the only ones that matter.

My husband doesn't post here, but I will say that marrying him was, without question, one of the best decisions of my life, and I'll leave it at that.

Now see, that's where things are wrong. You can't generalize and blame potentially innocent people for something they haven't done.

Like - look at Iraq. Some lunatics are killing people, and everyone gets a bad name? What the hell is that? Guilty until proven innocent?

Don't be surprised when you point at someone, say "OMG! YOU'RE TERRIBLE!" - and they get sick of hearing it, pick up and leave. Or worse yet, get accused so much that they take up what you're accusing them of.

When you do that - you're asking for trouble. Give the guy a break....

We should resolve things Jordan style. Guy gets ripped off by a street vendor. What do you do?

Complain to the city?

Nah.

FISTFIGHT FTW!

( With a cop as the referee. No low blows, no weapons. Keep it clean. *ding ding* )

---

But really, what's with all the rage online? People getting pissed off and rules nazi about everything ... come on.

Go play some video games. I recommend fine titles like:

- Battlefield 2

- Half-Life 2

- Day of Defeat : Source

- Call of Duty 4

You'll get to take out rage, blow stuff up, and walk away a not-angry person. Save that hatin' for the enemy - not people trying to work their way through the bureaucracy-supreme. ( I mean, come on - we got a lot on our minds with all these forms and rules ... give us a break. )

Yeah, well I just invented good luck superballs. They're blue and red, and guaranteed to make you win the lottery*. Only $19.99 each.

That 13% -

They're going to make me a millionaire.

XD

*( You are guaranteed to win a lottery prize. This may be any amount from the $1.00 booby prize, to the jackpot. You must play daily to win prize, or the ball won't work. See, my claims are true!)

Well a lot more voted for Bush in 2004 and 2000.

I voted for the Bush in 2000. Why?

Because Gore was Bills #######.

I voted 3rd party in 2004. Why?

Because it was not Bush, and it was not a Democrat.

On a side note, it doesn't matter who I vote for ... except in local elections. Because my state is a hardline blue state. No question.

( Yet surprisingly, our Republican governor won by a landslide. )

This guy couldn't have said it better.

Poking fun at Obama's schoolwork while he was a kid ...

... saying his ambition is a "fairytale" - and he should just give up. That whole "fairytale" statement - that's their good ol' southern racism showing through.

And you know Bill follows what his husband says. If Bill don't follow Hillary's command - man - he probably gets pistol whipped and smacked across the face with an empty Jack Daniels bottle.

Saying he's all words, and motivating people to do better, to push harder for a better America - is all "talk".

You know, Hillary's a forked tongue ******. If you can't see that she's a two faced lying cheating scum, you really need to open your eyes, go back to school for a while, or just go hibernate or something... seriously.

This guy - the only thing I don't agree with him - is calling Hillary a Republican. We'd never accept that trash. Hillary should just give it up ... before she does the Democrats even more damage.

Just give it up. Seriously. And I seriously, SERIOUSLY hope - that Hillary isn't picked for VP. UGH. That will suck. Sure, my Republican hide could vote for Obama, MAYBE - but for Obama-Hillary - NEVER. Obama doesn't need Hillary for anything. Period. He can win on his own merits.

I've heard he's got an important quality that Hillary lacks. Sound Judgment.

He's also got the beginnings of Wisdom. True, he's not nearly old enough to be a truly "wise" person, but - with his intelligence, eloquence, and judgment - damn, even I must admit, he's got boundless potential.

Hillary's a dinosaur on the other hand. She's part of the precursor to the BUSH ADMINISTRATION. People fail to understand that. Narrow understanding of the way legislation works - leads people to think "zomg! This is all his fault! #######?!"

What's that mean? Half of the BS that happened during Bush's reign ... ...was written into law during Clinton's farce. The prosperity of the 90's was planted during the Reagan/Elder Bush years - Clinton has jack to do with it. Big things take time to grow - they don't happen overnight.

But still - dynastic politics lead us into this cesspool we're sitting in as a nation. We don't need another dynasty. If one was good, it doesn't mean the next will be. We made that mistake once, let's not make it again.

( And a note to all of you - Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt - not really related like that. So, bam - dynastic politics don't work. Leave dynasties for the dictatorships. )

----

Further, her "foreign policy" experience? What? Baking cookies for diplomats? Walking into refugee camps in a $5000.00 outfit? Setting up fake speeches in Ireland?

Come on. Give me a break. She was the President's HUSBAND - not any kind of diplomat. Just give it up. Bill was so desperate for a girl that he hooked up with Lewinsky ... pathetic. ( Taking advantage of her, that is. )

Congrats - and more importantly - do good in your presentation.

Do your taxes if you need to calm down ... T_T

That's a surefire way to go from happy - to tears. ( lol? Nah, can't. )

I got an RFE for DS230 a couple days before I received the DS230 packet from DOS. That's ... normal, I think.

Sounds all good to me. Just double check your whole packet a couple times BEFORE you send. If you make a single mistake with it, you'll add 1-2 months to your processing time.

My guess, is if you do everything perfect - it's about 2 months from the day you send it to them that it's usually approved & sent on.

So - be careful - and you're all good.

Man what's up with people?

Fighting over bull. All over the place. My father runs into a *real* Israeli / Middle Eastern Jewish man - someone who's got real Israeli roots, who's lived in the Middle East until he came to the USA 20 years ago ( that is- he and his family did not Emigrate from Europe in the early 20th century. )

They talked, they became friends.

He also said- "You know, if we were back home ... we probably wouldn't even talk! Isn't that funny how things are different here in America?"

Man, if people sat and talked instead of saying hairbrained & moronic things ( for example - being ABRASIVE, ANNOYING, AND APATHETIC ) ... wouldn't the world be a better place?

Bleh.

Now I remember why I don't bother talking unless I've got something worthwhile to say.

---

But seriously - save the aggression for stuff that deserves it - like people who HIJACK your culture and faith - and people who misrepresent it.

And some people would do good to know - a good speech/writing/presentation will last a lot longer - and make a lot more impact - than hitting/hurting someone.

I am glad your husband found a job. We are willing to move where-ever to have him work as an engineer.

Anywhere you say? http://www.dice.com - best bet for highly skilled jobs.

Go for it.

I searched for "civil engineer" and got 581 matches.

Oh, and this one listing here: Honolulu, HI